Weightlessness is an extreme environment that can cause a series of adaptive changes in the human body. Findings from real and simulated weightlessness indicate altered cardiovascular functions, such as reduction in left ventricular (LV) mass, cardiac arrhythmia, reduced vascular tone and so on. These alterations induced by weightlessness are detrimental to the health, safety and working performance of the astronauts, therefore it is important to study the effects of weightlessness on the cardiovascular functions of humans. The cardiovascular functional alterations caused by weightlessness (including long-term spaceflight and simulated weightlessness) are briefly reviewed in terms of the cardiac and peripheral vascular functions. The alterations include: changes of shape and mass of the heart; cardiac function alterations; the cardiac arrhythmia; lower body vascular regulation and upper body vascular regulation. A series of conclusions are reported, some of which are analyzed, and a few potential directions are presented.

Sialic acid (SA) is a kind of functional monosaccharide which exists widely in edible bird’s nest (EBN), milk, meat, mucous membrane surface, etc. SA is an important functional component in promoting brain development, anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-virus, anti-tumor and immune regulation. The intestinal mucosa covers the microbial community that has a significant impact on health. In the gut, SA can also regulate gut microbiota and metabolites, participating in different biological functions. The structure, source and physiological functions of SA were reviewed in this paper. The biological functions of SA through regulating key signaling pathways and target genes were discussed. In summary, SA can modulate gut microbiota and metabolites, which affect gene expressions and exert its biological activities. It is helpful to provide scientific reference for the further investigation of SA in the functional foods.

Inflammation is a major factor affecting human health. Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) plays a vital role in the development of inflammation, and the promoters of most inflammatory cytokine genes have NF-κB-binding sites. Targeting NF-κB could be an exciting route for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases. As important constituents of natural plants, lignans are proved to have numerous biological functions. There are growing pieces of evidence demonstrate that lignans have the potential anti-inflammatory activities. In this work, the type, structure and source of lignans and the influence on mitigating the inflammation are systematically summarized. This review focuses on the targeting NF-κB signaling pathway in the inflammatory response by different lignans and their molecular mechanisms. Lignans also regulate gut microflora and change gut microbial metabolites, which exert novel pathway to prevent NF-κB activation. Taken together, lignans target NF-κB with various mechanisms to inhibit inflammatory cytokine expressions in the inflammatory response. It will provide a scientific theoretical basis for further research on the anti-inflammatory effects of lignans and the development of functional foods.

The capillary ceiling radiation cooling panel (C-CRCP) is a newly developed terminal device for air conditioning to provide indoor thermal comfort for occupants and to save energy. In this paper, numerical modelling of a room with a C-CRCP system was used to analyze radiant heat transfer under non-steady-state conditions. Experiments were conducted in an environmental chamber to verify simulation results. The chamber was equipped with a C-CRCP, which was covered with gypsumboard. The results showed that the inlet water temperature had a significant influence on ceiling surface temperature. The ceiling surface temperature and the steady-state time were increased with higher inlet water temperature. A vertical gradient in indoor air temperature was found. Ceiling surface temperature and indoor air temperature were increased with an increase in inlet air temperature. The energy supply rate of the radiant panel had a positive correlation with chilled water velocity. The amount of radiation was double the amount of convection, and the thickness of the gypsumboard had virtually no effect on the proportions of radiation and convection. The model was considered validated since the maximum relative errors between experimental data and simulation results of inlet water temperature and supply air conditions were within 10%.