Multifaceted Mechanisms of Action of Metformin Which Have Been Unraveled One after Another in the Long History

While there are various kinds of drugs for type 2 diabetes mellitus at present, in this review article, we focus on metformin which is an insulin sensitizer and is often used as a first-choice drug worldwide. Metformin mainly activates adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the liver which leads to suppression of fatty acid synthesis and gluconeogenesis. Metformin activates AMPK in skeletal muscle as well, which increases translocation of glucose transporter 4 to the cell membrane and thereby increases glucose uptake. Further, metformin suppresses glucagon signaling in the liver by suppressing adenylate cyclase which leads to suppression of gluconeogenesis. In addition, metformin reduces autophagy failure observed in pancreatic β-cells under diabetic conditions. Furthermore, it is known that metformin alters the gut microbiome and facilitates the transport of glucose from the circulation into excrement. It is also known that metformin reduces food intake and lowers body weight by increasing circulating levels of the peptide hormone growth/differentiation factor 15 (GDF15). Furthermore, much attention has been drawn to the fact that the frequency of various cancers is lower in subjects taking metformin. Metformin suppresses the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) by activating AMPK in pre-neoplastic cells, which leads to suppression of cell growth and an increase in apoptosis in pre-neoplastic cells. It has been shown recently that metformin consumption potentially influences the mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19). Taken together, metformin is an old drug, but multifaceted mechanisms of action of metformin have been unraveled one after another in its long history.     

Methane bi-reforming over boron-doped Ni/SBA-15 catalyst: Longevity evaluation

A highly active and stable boron-promoted catalyst was successfully prepared by using the sequential incipient wetness impregnation technique and examined for methane bi-reforming reaction. The initial investigation found that the NiO and B₂O₃ particles were dispersed on the outer surface of the high surface area SBA-15 support. In addition, the catalytic activity was increased linearly with the tested reaction temperature due to the endothermic nature of the reaction. In fact, the catalyst achieved the CH₄ conversion and H₂/CO molar ratio of approximately 67.3% and 2.7, respectively at 1073 K. The resulting product ratio is highly suitable for downstream Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis. The B-promoted catalyst showed the lowest degree of catalyst deactivation (4%) at 1023 K. Additionally, the XPS measurements unveiled that the boron facilitates the adsorption of CO₂ by donating electrons to the neighbouring Ni cluster and thus improved its catalytic performance. Furthermore, Raman and XRD analysis revealed that the boron promotion on 10%Ni/SBA-15 could prevent the reoxidation and deposition of carbonaceous species.     

Covalent triazine framework with efficient photocatalytic activity in aqueous and solid media

Covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) have been recently employed for visible light-driven photocatalysis due to their unique optical and electronic properties. However, the usually highly hydrophobic nature of CTFs, which originates from their overall aromatic backbone, leads to limitations of CTFs for applications in aqueous media. In this study, we aim to extend the range of the application media of CTFs and design hybrid material of a CTF and mesoporous silica (SBA-15) for efficient photocatalysis in aqueous medium. A thiophene-containing CTF was directly synthesized in mesopores of SBA-15. Due to the high surface area and the added hydrophilic properties by silica, the hybrid material demonstrated excellent adsorption of organic molecules in water. This leads not only to high photocatalytic performance of the hybrid material for the degradation of organic dyes in water, but also for efficient photocatalysis in solvent-free and solid state. Furthermore, the reusability, stability and easy recovery of the hybrid material offers promising metal-free heterogeneous photocatalyst for broader applications in different reaction media.     

Precipitation location of secondary phase and microstructural evolution during static recrystallization of as-cast Ti-25V-15Cr-0.3Si titanium alloy

The microstructural evolution and precipitation location of the secondary phase of an as-cast Ti-25V-15Cr-0.3Si titanium alloy were investigated via isothermal compression experiments and heat treatment. The average aspect (length-to-width) ratio, average area and size of the grains at different heat treatment temperatures and holding time were analyzed and the effects of deformation and annealing time on the grain area and size were considered. It was found that the grain size was strongly influenced by the height reduction and holding time. Grain growth was significant when annealing time increased from 10 min to 2 h at 950 °C and height reduction of 30%; however, grain growth was minimal at annealing time between 2 and 4 h. Many dispersion particles were observed to form in continuous chains; the precipitation location was confirmed to be along initial grain boundaries, and the dispersion particles were identified to be Ti₅Si₃ phase by TEM.     

GCr15轴承钢成品套圈热处理后点线状缺陷原因分析

在热处理后的GCr15成品轴承套圈表面发现疑似裂纹的点线状缺陷。通过无损检测、光学显微镜、扫描电镜、能谱分析等手段对缺陷进行分析,发现缺陷处存在较大尺寸的氧化铝和硅酸盐复合夹杂物。通过采取“高拉碳”、“白渣操作”、“软吹”“保护浇铸”等措施后,钢水纯净度得到进一步提高,避免了点线状缺陷的再次发生。     

SBA-15固载磷钨酸催化剂的制备及催化合成叔丁基苯酚

以不同硅烷偶联剂改性的介孔分子筛SBA-15为载体、PW_(12)为催化剂,通过对SBA-15表面共价及非共价修饰制备磷钨酸@介孔分子筛/硅烷偶联剂复合催化剂PW_(12)@SBA-15/YSiX_3(YSiX_3=Apts、Atapts、Papts);并利用FT-IR、XRD、TEM、N_2吸附-脱附对其组成、结构及形貌进行表征。以改性SBA-15分子筛固载磷钨酸催化剂催化合成叔丁基苯酚为研究对象,考察不同硅烷偶联剂、反应温度、苯酚与叔丁醇物质的量比对催化合成叔丁基苯酚的影响,并获得合成叔丁基苯酚的最佳工艺条件,即反应温度145℃、n(苯酚)∶n(叔丁醇)=1∶2.5、重时空速2.2 h~(-1),该最佳反应条件下,PW_(12)@SBA-15/Apts催化剂催化合成叔丁基苯酚的催化活性最高,苯酚转化率为98.3%,2,4-二叔丁基苯酚选择性为57.3%.     

控锻控冷工艺对GCr15轴承钢力学性能的影响

探究不同控锻控冷热处理工艺对GCr15钢力学性能的影响,测试了它的回火稳定性、冲击性能、滚动接触疲劳寿命。结果表明,采用控锻控冷工艺可提高试样的抗回火稳定性,冲击性能提高50%以上,接触疲劳寿命提高40%以上。     

GCr15钢微织构表面固体润滑性能研究

为研究不同表面处理方式对PTFE/GCr15钢配副表面摩擦学性能的影响,采用Nd:YAG纳秒激光器对GCr15轴承钢下试样表面进行激光织构加工,并以纳米MoS_2固体润滑剂作为润滑介质,以黏结有PTFE自润滑衬垫的圆柱销作为上试样进行对摩试验。研究发现:PTFE自润滑衬垫与微织构GCr15摩擦副在干摩擦条件下摩擦因数较低,仅为0.137,而在纳米MoS_2固体润滑剂润滑条件下,其摩擦因数进一步下降为0.123,且波动较小。通过EDS分析表明,表面微织构、聚四氟乙烯衬垫与纳米MoS_2润滑介质三者具有协同润滑减摩效应,可摩擦副表面生成一层由PTFE与纳米MoS_2材料组成的致密、平滑复合润滑膜,有效改善对摩副之间的润滑特性。研究表明,通过表面激光织构技术与固体自润滑技术(添加纳米MoS_2)的有效集成融合,可进一步改善PTFE/GCr15钢配副的润滑性能。     

热处理工艺对15CrMoR钢带状组织和冲击性能的影响

利用光学显微镜、扫描电镜和冲击试验机等仪器研究了15CrMoR钢中带状组织在热处理过程中的演变及其对冲击性能的影响。结果表明:奥氏体化后缓冷会出现铁素体-珠光体带状组织, 快冷则可以抑制带状组织的出现,但快冷会导致粒状贝氏体等非平衡组织形成。粒状贝氏体组织中的贝氏体铁素体基体和马氏体-奥氏体岛在回火过程中逐渐沿Cr、Mo等碳化物形成元素偏聚的区域分解出碳化物,形成富碳化物带,降低钢的横向冲击性能。15CrMoR钢加热到1100 ℃并保温7 h后可消除带状组织,改善钢的横向冲击性能。