ABSTRACT Radio frequency (RF) drying is a rapid dehydration technique that reduces water activity and extends the shelf life of agricultural products. In this study, the drying characteristics of jujube during HARF and hot air (HA) were investigated, and quality analyses, such as color, vitamin C (VC) and total flavonoid content (TFC), of jujube were performed. The drying curves revealed that the drying time used to reduce the moisture content from 81.7 to 6.0% on a dry basis was 360 and 1320 min using HARF drying and hot air (HA) drying, respectively. The logarithmic model was the best to describe the HARF drying process with R 2, RMSE and SSE values of 0.998, 0.00508 and 0.000306, respectively. Quality analysis demonstrated significant differences in color, VC content and total flavonoid content between the HARF and HA treatments during the drying process and storage periods (P > 0.5), and the HARF-dried jujube product performed much better than that dried by HA. Compared with HA drying, HARF drying showed a shorter drying time, higher drying efficiency and better product quality, indicating that HARF drying was a more promising drying method for jujube with acceptable product quality.

The objective of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of miR-135a in regulating JAK/STAT signaling pathway on airway inflammation in asthmatic mice. An asthma model was established by sensitization and stimulation with ovalbumin (OVA), and the corresponding drug intervention was given from the day of stimulation by means of nasal drops. Airway hyperresponsiveness was tested. The content of miR-135a in the lung tissue of mice was detected by RT-PCR. The pathological changes of lung tissue were evaluated by HE staining. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-5, and eotaxin in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue were detected by ELISA and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The expression of JAK/STAT signaling pathway-related protein in lung tissue was detected by western blot. To further validate the effect of miR-135a overexpression on the JAK/STAT signaling pathway, pathway activators and inhibitors were added. Compared with the OVA group, the airway hyperresponsiveness of the mice was significantly decreased after treatment with the miR-135a agonist. The expression of miR-135a was significantly increased in the lung tissue and the pathological changes of the lung tissue were alleviated. The contents of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-5, and eotaxin in BALF and lung tissues were decreased. The expression of JAK/STAT signaling pathway-related proteins p-JAK3/JAK3, p-STAT1/STAT1, and p-STAT3/STAT3 were significantly reduced in lung tissue (P<0.05). Addition of JAK inhibitor AG490 reduced airway inflammation in asthmatic mice. miR-135a agonists inhibit airway inflammation in asthmatic mice by regulating the JAK/STAT signaling pathway.

Abstract Objectives: To compare the advantages and disadvantages of perventricular and percutaneous procedures for treating isolated ventricular septal defect (VSD). Methods: A total of 572 patients with isolated VSD were selected in our hospital between January 2015 and December 2016. The patients’ median age and weight were five years (1-26 years) and 29 kg (9-55 kg), respectively. The median diameter of VSD was 6.0 mm (5-10 mm). Patients were divided into two groups. In group A, perventricular device closure was performed in 427 patients; in group B, 145 patients underwent percutaneous device closure. Results: Four hundred twelve patients in group A and 135 patients in group B underwent successful closure. The total occlusion rate was 98.5% (immediately) and 99.5% (3-month follow-up) in group A, which were not significantly different from those in group B (97.7% and 100%, respectively). Patients in group A had longer intensive care unit (ICU) stay than those in group B, but patients in group B experienced significantly longer operative times than those in group A. The follow-up period ranged from 8 months to 1.5 year (median, 1 year). During the follow-up period, late-onset complete atrioventricular block occurred in two patients. No other serious complications were noted in the remaining patients. Conclusion: Both procedures are safe and effective treatments for isolated VSD. The percutaneous procedure has obvious advantages of shorter ICU stay and less trauma than the perventricular procedure. However, the perventricular procedure is simpler to execute, results in a shorter operative time, and avoids X-ray exposure.

The effects of structure and composition of different montmorillonites on their catalytic performance in the dimerization of unsaturated fatty acids were investigated. The dimerization reaction was performed at 240 ºC for 3 h, with montmorillonite as catalyst, and LiCl as the co-catalyst. The results showed that the specific surface areas of the different montmorillonites did not have a major effect on their catalytic performance, but the interlayer spacing and surface acidity of montmorillonite show significant effects on the product yield. After the organic modification through hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) intercalation, the microenvironment of the montmorillonite layer changes. Moreover, the inner and outer surfaces change from being hydrophilic to lipophilic, which improves the dispersibility of montmorillonite in fatty acids. The xAl/xSi molar ratios of the three samples are similar and lie within the range of 0.4306-0.5010, thus the xAl/xSi molar ratio has little effect on the dimerization reaction.