This paper presents an extrusion-based open-cell foaming process with polypropylene (PP)/polyethylene (PE) blends. The basic strategy for achieving a high open-cell content is to induce a hard/soft melt structure using two semicrystalline polymers with distinctively different crystallization temperatures (T c) and to foam this inhomogeneous melt structure with supercritical CO2. The effects of polymer blending, die geometry, and temperature on cell opening were investigated in this study. Two blends of high-melt-strength (HMS) PP/metallocene PE (mPE) and linear PP/low-density PE (LDPE) were used as case examples.

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Interleukin 6 (IL-6) has been shown to be an important regulator of cardiac interstitial fibrosis. In this study, we explored the role of interleukin-6 in the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy and the underlying mechanisms. Cardiac function of IL-6 knockout mice was significantly improved and interstitial fibrosis was apparently alleviated in comparison with wildtype (WT) diabetic mice induced by streptozotocin (STZ). Treatment with IL-6 significantly promoted the proliferation and collagen production of cultured cardiac fibroblasts (CFs). High glucose treatment increased collagen production, which were mitigated in CFs from IL-6 KO mice. Moreover, IL-6 knockout alleviated the up-regulation of TGFβ1 in diabetic hearts of mice and cultured CFs treated with high glucose or IL-6. Furthermore, the expression of miR-29 reduced upon IL-6 treatment, while increased in IL-6 KO hearts. Overexpression of miR-29 blocked the pro-fibrotic effects of IL-6 on cultured CFs. In summary, deletion of IL-6 is able to mitigate myocardial fibrosis and improve cardiac function of diabetic mice. The mechanism involves the regulation of IL-6 on TGFβ1 and miR-29 pathway. This study indicates the therapeutic potential of IL-6 suppression on diabetic cardiomyopathy disease associated with fibrosis.

A catechol/polyethyleneimine conversion coating on a MgZnMn alloy possessed good corrosion resistance. Heparin was further grafted on it and this showed the potential for surface modification of magnesium-based vascular implants.