Chronic liver disease due to alcohol use disorder contributes markedly to the global burden of disease and mortality 1-3. Alcoholic hepatitis is a severe and life-threatening form of alcohol-Duan et al.

C‐type regenerating islet derived‐3 (Reg3) lectins defend against pathogens and keep commensal bacteria at a distance. Deficiency of Reg3g and Reg3b facilitates alcohol‐induced bacterial translocation and alcoholic liver disease. Intestinal Reg3g is down‐regulated in animal models of diet‐induced obesity, but the functional consequences for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Reg3 lectins in NASH. NASH was induced by a Western‐style fast‐food diet in mice deficient for Reg3g or Reg3b and in transgenic mice overexpressing Reg3g in intestinal epithelial cells (Reg3gTg). Glucose tolerance was assessed after 18 weeks and insulin resistance after 19 weeks of feeding. After 20 weeks, mice were assessed for features of the metabolic syndrome. Obesity was not different in genetically modified mice compared with their respective wild‐type littermates. Glucose intolerance, liver injury, hepatic inflammation, steatosis, fibrosis, and bacterial translocation to mesenteric lymph nodes and to the liver were not different in Reg3g‐deficient mice compared with wild‐type littermates. Plasma endotoxin levels were higher in Reg3g‐deficient mice. Reg3b deficiency protected against glucose intolerance, but liver disease, bacterial translocation, and plasma endotoxin levels were similar to wild‐type littermates. Absence of either REG3G or REG3B protein in the ileum was not compensated for by up‐regulation of the respective other REG3 protein. Transgenic Reg3g mice also developed liver injury, steatosis, and fibrosis similar to their wild‐type littermates. Conclusion: In contrast to alcoholic liver disease, loss of intestinal Reg3 lectins is not sufficient to aggravate diet‐induced obesity and NASH. This supports a multi‐hit pathogenesis in NASH. Only glucose metabolism is affected by Reg3b deficiency. (Hepatology Communications 2018;2:393‐406)

To develop high-performance de- or anti-frosting/icing devices based on transparent heaters, it is necessary to study the evaporation-rate control of droplets on heater surfaces. However, almost no research has been done on the evaporation-rate control of liquid droplets on transparent heaters. In this study, we investigate the evaporation characteristics of water droplets on transparent heater surfaces and determine that they depend upon the surface wettability, by modifying which, the complete evaporation time can be controlled. In addition, we study the defrosting and deicing performances through the surface wettability, by placing the flexible transparent heater on a webcam. The obtained results can be used as fundamental data for the transparent defrosting and deicing systems of closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera lenses, smart windows, vehicle backup cameras, aircraft windows, and sensor applications.

High‐performance, transparent, wearable heaters with fast thermal response are developed. To accomplish this, highly conductive and transparent copper (Cu) mesh films are transfer printed onto flexible poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) substrates of different thicknesses. The thermal response characteristics of the heaters, with different PVA substrate thicknesses, are analyzed and results are recorded. The Cu mesh/PVA film heater shows a favorable figure of merit value of 228.4 and outstanding durability in response to mechanical stress tests for bending, crumpling, and detaching. Through the test results, it is concluded that the thermal response time of the heater is directly related to the thickness of the PVA substrate. The optimized Cu mesh/PVA film heater, with a substrate thickness of ≈60 μm and input voltage of 3 V (DC), exhibits a fast Joule heating effect with a response time of ≈12 s and a ramping rate of ≈7.5 °C s−1. These are excellent results, compared with the previously reported studies with other metal‐based flexible transparent heaters. A flexible transparent heater with low applied voltage and fast response time is expected to have innovative electrothermal applications, such as transparent soft actuators, wearable heaters, and medical thermotherapy pads.

Evaporation characteristics of a droplet on the surface of a transparent heater depend on the surface wettability.