The China-Nepal Highway is a vital land route in the Kush-Himalayan region. The occurrence of mountain hazards in this area is a matter of serious concern. Thus, it is of great importance to perform hazard assessments in a more accurate and real-time way. Based on temporal and spatial sensor data, this study tries to use data-driven algorithms to predict landslide susceptibility. Ten landslide instability factors were prepared, including elevation, slope angle, slope aspect, plan curvature, vegetation index, built-up index, stream power, lithology, precipitation intensity, and cumulative precipitation index. Four machine learning algorithms, namely decision tree (DT), support vector machines (SVM), Back Propagation neural network (BPNN), and Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) are implemented, and their final prediction accuracies are compared. The experimental results showed that the prediction accuracies of BPNN, SVM, DT, and LSTM in the test areas are 62.0%, 72.9%, 60.4%, and 81.2%, respectively. LSTM outperformed the other three models due to its capability to learn time series with long temporal dependencies. It indicates that the dynamic change course of geological and geographic parameters is an important indicator in reflecting landslide susceptibility.
Objective
Aldosterone, one of the main peptides in renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS), has been suggested to mediate liver fibrosis and portal hypertension. Spironolactone, an aldosterone antagonist, has beneficial effect on hyperdynamic circulation in clinical practice. However, the mechanisms remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the role of spionolactone on liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension.
Methods
Liver cirrhosis was induced by bile duct ligation (BDL). Spironolactone was administered orally (20 mg/kg/d) after bile duct ligation was performed. Liver fibrosis was assessed by histology, Masson's trichrome staining, and the measurement of hydroxyproline and type I collagen content. The activation of HSC was determined by analysis of alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression. Protein expressions and protein phosphorylation were determined by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis, Messenger RNA levels by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR). Portal pressure and intrahepatic resistance were examined in vivo.
Results
Treatment with spironolactone significantly lowered portal pressure. This was associated with attenuation of liver fibrosis, intrahepatic resistance and inhibition of HSC activation. In BDL rat liver, spironolactone suppressed up-regulation of proinflammatory cytokines (TNFα and IL-6). Additionally, spironolactone significantly decreased ROCK-2 activity without affecting expression of RhoA and Ras. Moreover, spironolactone markedly increased the levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), phosphorylated eNOS and the activity of NO effector- protein kinase G (PKG) in the liver.
Conclusion
Spironolactone lowers portal hypertension by improvement of liver fibrosis and inhibition of intrahepatic vasoconstriction via down-regulating ROCK-2 activity and activating NO/PKG pathway. Thus, early spironolactone therapy might be the optional therapy in cirrhosis and portal hypertension.
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