Nanosecond-level synchronization of a large number of spark gap switches is one of the challenges in building large-scale linear transformer drivers (LTDs). A method using LTD cavities internally integrated with fiber-optic controlled trigger bricks is proposed to simplify the topology of the trigger system. To verify the feasibility of this trigger method, a two-stage LTD is developed with two fiber-optic controlled trigger bricks. The core component of the trigger brick is a ±80 kV fiber-optic controlled spark gap switch, which integrates a DC bias avalanche photoconductive semiconductor switch and a four-gap field distortion spark gap switch. This switch can be reliably triggered over 3000 shots with a jitter below 3 ns at laser energy below 100 μJ and exhibits no self-discharge. The two-stage LTD is synchronously triggered for 180 shots under a bipolar DC voltage of ±60 kV, generating an output current of ∼240 kA with a jitter of less than 3 ns. The proposed trigger method demonstrates potential for extension to multi-stage LTD modules.

The accumulation of plastic waste in the environment has raised widespread concern about the impact of microplastics (MPs) on human and environmental health, particularly regarding aged MPs. This study investigated the effects of subchronic dietary intake on pristine and aged polyethylene microplastics (PE-MPs) in C57BL/6J mice. Results revealed that both pristine and aged PE-MPs, at doses of 0.01 and 1 mg/day, induced plasma metabolic changes primarily associated with lipid metabolism and digestive processes. These alterations were reflected in the expression changes of proteins involved in unsaturated fatty acid pathways in the liver as well as a reduction in beneficial gut microbiota. Key contributors in the toxicity of aged PE-MPs included ATP-binding cassette transporters, gut bacteria alterations (notably Lactobacillus, Akkermansia, Parasutterella, and Turicibacter), and significantly altered proteins related to fatty acid elongation, such as acyl-CoA thioesterase enzyme family and elongation of very long chain fatty acid protein 5. These disruptions exacerbated lipid metabolism disorders, potentially contributing to metabolic diseases. Additionally, decreased levels of glutathione S-transferase A proteins, along with reduced hepatic glutathione and increased reactive oxygen species in both the small intestine and liver, suggested that aged PE-MPs aggravated hepatic and intestinal damage through oxidative stress. These findings indicated that aged PE-MPs caused more severe hepatic dysfunction and gut microbiota disruption. This effect was likely mediated by the transfer of fatty acids and signaling molecules through the gut-liver axis, ultimately leading to hepatic lipid metabolism disorders and oxidative stress.

Linear transformer driver (LTD) is one of the promising technologies for the next-generation petawatt Z-pinch facility. Mismatch between the driver and load can cause energy reflections, resulting in more energy being dissipated in the LTD and causing damage to the devices. An equivalent circuit model based on a 12-stage LTD facility under different operating conditions was established and validated through experimental results over a relatively long time (∼2 μs). Then, circuit simulations were carried out to explore energy distribution under various load impedances, particularly focusing on the reflected energy to the LTD. The simulation results were used to predict capacitor lifetimes in discharge bricks, analyze output gap electric field strengths, and evaluate protective measures for LTD devices. The results with constant load impedance indicate that a near-matched load impedance can dissipate over 83% of the energy in the load region upon its first arrival, significantly higher than that in short-circuit or open-circuit scenarios (less than 1%). However, in practical experiments, the dynamic load is often closer to a short-circuit condition, resulting in LTD devices operating under more strenuous conditions. This is characterized by faster discharge frequencies (f > 1 MHz), higher voltage reversal factors (Q > 2), and stronger electric field strengths across output gaps (>40 kV/cm), all of which may lead to insulation failures or reduced lifetime of LTDs. Increasing the length of the coaxial water transmission line is expected to enhance device longevity and reduce insulation failure risks, offering valuable insights into optimizing design of LTD-based facility.

We have designed, assembled, and tested a 4-MA, 60-ns fast linear transformer driver (LTD), which is the first operating generator featuring multiple LTD modules connected in parallel. The LTD-based accelerator comprises six modules in parallel, each of which has ten-stage cavities stacked in series. The six LTD modules are connected to a water tank of diameter 6 m via a 3-m-long impedance-matched deionized water-insulated coaxial transmission line. In the water tank, the electrical pulses are transmitted down by six horizontal tri-plate transmission lines. A 2.1-m-diameter two-level vacuum insulator stack is utilized to separate the deionized water region from the vacuum region. In the vacuum, the currents are further transported downstream by a two-level magnetically insulated transmission-line and then converged through four post-hole convolutes. Plasma radiation loads or bremsstrahlung electron beam diodes serve as loads that are expected to generate intense soft X rays or warm X rays. The machine is 3.2 m in height and 22 m in outer diameter, including support systems such as a high-voltage charge supply, magnetic core reset system, trigger system, and support platform for inner stalk installation and maintenance. A total of 1440 individual ±100-kV multi-gap spark switches and 2880 individual 100-kV capacitors are employed in the accelerator. A total of 12 fiber-optic laser-controlled trigger generators combining photoconductive and traditional gas spark switch technologies are used to realize the synchronous discharge of the more than 1000 gas switches. At an LTD charge voltage of ±85 kV, the accelerator stores an initial energy of about 300 kJ and is expected to deliver a current of 3–5 MA into various loads. To date, the LTD facility has shot into a thick-walled aluminum liner load and a reflex triode load. With a thick-walled aluminum liner of inductance 1.81 nH, a current with peak up to 4.1 MA and rise time (10%–90%) of about 60 ns has been achieved. The current transport efficiency from the insulator stack to the liner load approaches 100% during peak times. The LTD accelerator has been used to drive reflex triode loads generating warm X rays with high energy fluence and large radiation area. It has been demonstrated that this LTD is a promising and high-efficiency prime pulsed power source suitable for use in constructing the next generation of large-scale accelerators with currents of tens of megaamperes.

Developing a gas switch with low jitter is crucial for the linear transformer driver (LTD) bricks and modules to be triggered in the proper sequence. Preionization is an effective approach to enhance the triggering performance of gas switches. This article focuses on a disk-shaped preionization assembly (DPA) and analyzes the impact of variations in the DPA structural parameters (gap spacing d and disk height h) as well as the trigger pulse polarity on the triggering characteristics of multigap gas switch gaps. To, respectively, investigate the influence of preionization on the different types of switch gaps, a two-gap gas switch (TGGS) consisting of one trigger gap and one self-breakdown gap is adopted. The trigger experiments for the separate preionization gap and the TGGS equipped with the DPA are conducted. The experimental results demonstrate that the breakdown delay of the preionization gap with large d exhibits the polarity effect. The polarity effect of the breakdown delay and jitter of the trigger and self-breakdown gaps are opposite. The changes of d and h have reversed influence on the breakdown properties of the two types of switch gaps. Because the self-breakdown gap has greater breakdown delay and jitter than the trigger gap, the overall performance of the TGGS is primarily determined by the former. Employing a DPA with larger h and moderate d and adopting a negative trigger pulse could reduce the trigger delay and jitter of the switch.

Large-scale linear transformer drivers (LTDs) are composed of numerous high-power gas switches, and switch prefire is a frequent operational fault. To detect and locate the faulty switch accurately and efficiently, a two-terminal location method is proposed. A B-dot sensor is integrated on the gas switch's shell to collect the discharging signal. All the B-dot sensors are connected in parallel through cables of equal length. The fault position can be determined by the time delay of the signals at the two terminals. A diode is inserted between the B-dot sensor's coil and the cable core to ensure low-loss transmission of the signal. Two methods are applied in fault location, including time-of-arrival (TOA) and time reversal (TR). For the TOA method, an energy criterion and a phase criterion are applied and compared. The accuracy of the energy criterion is greatly influenced by the signal-to-noise ratio, while the phase criterion requires a reasonable estimate of the actual delay to account for the impact of phase periodicity. The TR method based on a precise simulation model is established, which demonstrates high precision in location. The TR method has been tested and validated on a single stage LTD module. Moreover, the location method for double switches prefire is discussed theoretically. The method proposed in this paper will be helpful to improve the efficiency of the commissioning, operation, and maintenance of the large-scale LTD devices.

Recent research has highlighted the ecological risk posed by microplastics (MPs) from mulching film and heavy metals to soil organisms. However, most studies overlooked real environmental levels of MPs and heavy metals. To address this gap, pristine and aged polyethylene (PE) mulching film-derived MPs (PMPs, 500 mg/kg; AMPs, 500 mg/kg) were combined with cadmium (Cd, 0.5 mg/kg) to assess the acute toxicity to earthworms and investigate associated molecular mechanisms (oxidative stress, osmoregulation pressure, gut microbiota, and metabolic responses) at environmentally relevant concentrations. Compared to Cd alone and Cd + PMPs treatments (11.15 ± 4.19 items/g), Cd + AMPs treatment resulted in higher MPs bioaccumulation (23.73 ± 13.14 items/g), more severe tissue lesions, and increased cell membrane osmotic pressure in earthworms’ intestines. Cd + AMPs induced neurotoxicity through elevated levels of glutamate and acetylcholinesterase. Earthworm intestines (0.98 ± 0.49 to 3.33 ± 0.37 mg/kg) exhibited significantly higher Cd content than soils (0.19 ± 0.01 to 0.51 ± 0.06 mg/kg) and casts (0.15 ± 0.01 to 0.25 ± 0.05 mg/kg), indicating PE-MPs facilitated Cd transport in earthworms’ bodies. Metabolomic analysis showed Cd + AMPs exposure depleted energy and nucleotide metabolites, disrupted cell homeostasis more profoundly than Cd and Cd + PMPs treatments. Overall, co-exposure to AMPs + Cd induced more severe neurotoxicity and disruption of homeostasis in earthworm than Cd and PMPs + Cd treatments. Our study, using Cd and MPs with environmental relevance, underscores MPs’ role in amplifying Cd accumulation and toxicity in earthworms.

Abstract Backgrounds: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a serious, intense and recurring pain in the sensory distribution of the trigeminal nerve in the face that is associated with decreased quality of life and increased risk of emotional disorders and physical health problems. Theoretically, TN can be divided into the classic type if vascular compression is found upon the trigeminus or the idiopathic type if vascular compression is not found upon any part of the trigeminus. Microvascular decompression (MVD) and internal neurolysis (IN) surgery are usually performed for classic or idiopathic TN, respectively, with satisfactory treatment effects. However, in clinical practice, there are patients with slight vascular contact with the trigeminus, and this is a dilemma when planning surgery because pain might be caused by this contact, which is usually insufficient to cause demyelination of the trigeminal nerve. Therefore, MVD is probably not effective and requires a second surgery, while IN is generally chosen blindly because of the high success rate along with some side effects and injury. Achieving a model with a clearer classifying boundary, especially for these patients, offers better opportunities for improved treatment efficacy. Methods: Toward this goal, in the present study, an SVM model was constructed with resting-state fMRI data from 70 definite CTN and ITN patients. Specifically, these 70 data points were randomly assigned to the training dataset and test dataset. The linear kernel function and 2-fold cross-validation modes of SVM and feature selection were used, and the process was repeated 10 times. Features maintained in all 10 random allocations were defined as final features of the SVM model. Results:We found that four ROI-pair connectivities were robustly effective in classification. With this model, another 16 patients with slight vascular contact who had received IN without model guidance were reclassified; 13 of these patients were classified as CTN and were likely to be appropriate for MVD. Conclusions:Taken together, the results of the present study could guide future clinical work, and TN patients who are difficult to classify could be labeled and returned to the model for improved classification accuracy in clinical use.

Linear transformer drivers (LTDs) are considered the most promising technology for future large-scale pulsed-power accelerators. The large number of gas switches in LTD modules might result in frequent prefire failures. This article simulated and analyzed the characteristics of the output voltages of an LTD during gas switch prefire. It was found that this output voltage was affected mainly by the brick parameters, number of series stages, and magnetic saturation. In a multistage LTD, the output voltage waveform of a switch prefire fault is usually overdamped. Based on a 28-stage LTD in the conceptual design of a CZ-15 Z-pinch driver, the output voltages and effects of prefire failures in different modes were also examined. The results revealed that the maximum operating coefficient of the gas switches that ensured no chain failure after a single switch prefiring was 0.72 when the charging voltage was $\pm$ 80 kV. For a stage prefiring, the maximum operating coefficient should be lower than 0.43. The prefiring of a group of four stages in a series was highly likely to result in switch chain discharge in the LTD. The voltage generated by cascading failures may adversely affect the insulation of the secondary water transmission line at the upstream stages.

Resorcinol bis(diphenylphosphate) (RDP) is an emerging pollutant that has been frequently detected in aquatic environments, although its toxicity is poorly characterized. To understand how RDP affects the neural system, two-month-old zebrafish were exposed to RDP at concentrations of 0.1 and 10 μg/L for 60 days. Following exposure, behavioral assessments were conducted, revealing the emergence of anxiety-like symptoms and memory deficits among the adult fish exposed to RDP, especially at the higher concentration. The increased blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability (4.67-5.58-fold higher than the control group), reduced expression of tight junction proteins and the rapid brain RDP bioaccumulation (15.63 ± 2.34 ng/g wet weight) indicated the neurotoxicity of RDP. Excess reactive oxygen species synthesis (2.20-2.50-fold) was induced by RDP, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and decreased production of neurotransmitters in the brain, specifically serotonin (5-HT; 16.3 %) and dopamine (DA; 18.1 %). Metabolomic analysis revealed that the low-toxicity RDP dose up-regulated lipid-related metabolites, while the high-toxicity dose up-regulated arachidonic acid metabolism and disrupted amino acid metabolism, including tryptophan and tyrosine metabolism related to dopaminergic and serotonergic pathways. The dysregulation of genes in various cellular processes was identified by transcriptomics, mainly involved in cell adhesion molecules and gap junctions, and oxidative phosphorylation, which were directly associated with BBB permeability and oxidative stress, respectively. Correlation analysis of microbiome-metabolite-host links built a mechanistic hypothesis for alterations in gut microbiota (Actinobacteriota and Proteobacteria) induced by high-dose RDP leading to the alteration of tryptophan, tyrosine, and arachidonic acid metabolism, decreasing the production of 5-HT and DA through the gut-brain axis. This study provides valuable insights into the mechanism underlying RDP-induced neurotoxicity in zebrafish, which can inform ecological risk assessments.

Multigap gas spark switches are commonly utilized in linear transformer drivers (LTDs) because of their outstanding static and triggering performance. The number of discharge channels in the switch gap has an effect on the inductance and dissipated energy of the switches. To explore the multichannel discharge characteristics of the switch gaps, a two-gap gas switch (TGGS) with one trigger gap and one self-breakdown gap is designed. The trigger experiments are conducted on the TGGS under various switch working coefficients and nanosecond trigger pulses with different rise rates. The number of discharge channels in the switch gap is recorded by a intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) camera. The frequency distribution of the number of discharge channels in the trigger gap and the self-breakdown gap is shown under different operating conditions. The experimental results indicate that the number of discharge channels in the self-breakdown gap is significantly more than that in the trigger gap. The preionization obviously increases the number of discharge channels in the trigger gap. The influence of the number of discharge channels in the switch ON the discharge loop current is discussed, and the inductance and dissipated energy of spark channels in the switch gap under different trigger settings are calculated. Increasing the trigger voltage rise rate, the working coefficient, or introducing preionization can correspondingly promote the number of discharge channels in the switch gap, which reduces the inductance and dissipated energy of the switch and thus improves the rise rate and amplitude of the brick current.

Supplementary Figures S1-S4.

Linear transformer driver (LTD) technology allows a pulsed-power generator to be transportable due to its salient features in compactness and modular design. To further reduce the footprint of an MA-class pulsed-power generator, nested transmission lines were designed and tested for current adding in a four-stage gas-insulated LTD module. The current adder assembly contained two modules that were charged in opposite polarities. Each module held two LTD cavities that shared a common electrode of the nested transmission line with deionized water insulation. Post-hole convolutes were installed for the aggregation of the output current of different modules. More specifically, numerical simulations were conducted to calculate the nested line inductance, which revealed that the total system inductance was similar to 10 nH in the nested geometry. Experimentally, testing on the four-stage LTD prototype showed that the LTD module can deliver a 1.2 MA current peak with a rise time of 140 ns to a short circuit load under the charging voltage of +/- 50 kV, which validated the applicability of using nested lines for current adding in an MA-class LTD module.

Meige's syndrome and hemifacial spasm (HFS) are two different forms of dystonic movement disorder, but their difference in terms of resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) remains unclear. The present study applied resting state fMRI on the patients and quantified their functional connectivity with graph theoretical measures, including the degree centrality and the betweenness centrality. Fifteen Meige's syndrome patients and 19 HFS patients matched in age and gender were recruited and their MRI data were collected. To analyze the rsFC, we adopted the Anatomical Automatic Labeling (AAL) template, a brain atlas system including 90 regions of interest (ROIs) covering all the brain regions of cerebral cortex. For each participant, the time-course of each ROI was extracted, and the corresponding degree centrality and betweenness centrality of each ROI were computed. These measures were then compared between the Meige's syndrome patients and the HFS patients. Meige's syndrome patients showed higher betweenness centrality and degree centrality of bilateral superior medial frontal cortex, the left cerebellum cortex, etc. than the HFS patients. Our results suggest that the rsFC pattern in Meige's syndrome patients might become more centralized toward the prefrontal and vestibular cerebellar systems, indicating less flexibility in their functional connections. These results preliminarily revealed the characteristic abnormality in the functional connection of Meige's patients and may help to explore better treatment.

To improve the triggering characteristics of the gas switch used for linear transformer driver, a method of corona assisted triggering based on the pre-ionization in switch gaps is proposed and applied to a six-gap gas switch. The principle is demonstrated by electrostatic field analysis and verified by the experimental study on the discharge characteristics of the gas switch. The results indicate that when the gas pressure is 0.3 MPa, the self-breakdown voltage remains about ±80 kV, and its dispersivity is lower than 3%. The effect of corona assisted triggering on the triggering characteristics increases with the higher permittivity of the inner shield. The positive trigger voltage of the switch with the proposed method can be reduced from 110 to 30 kV at a charging voltage of ±80 kV when the jitter is equal to that of the original switch. There are no pre-fire or late-fire when the switch operates continuously for 2000 shots.

The gas gap of a multi-gap gas switch can be classified as trigger and self-breakdown gaps based on the breakdown condition. A two-gap gas switch consisting of a trigger gap and a self-breakdown gap is developed to independently study the breakdown characteristics of these two types of switch gaps. Trigger experiments for the switch are conducted under various trigger voltage rise rates and different working coefficients. The experimental results indicate that the trigger gap has significantly more jitter than the self-breakdown gap, and the overall performance of the gas switch is determined primarily by the trigger gap. A novel pre-ionization structure with disks is implemented into the two-gap gas switch, considerably decreasing the breakdown delay of the trigger gap and reducing the jitter to a quarter or even less compared to that without pre-ionization. A calculation model of the breakdown time delay for the trigger gap is provided based on the foundational development of the avalanche. The probability distribution of the time required for the initial electron generation is derived in the absence of pre-ionization. The calculated breakdown time delay agrees well with the experimental results in cases with and without pre-ionization under most trigger settings. The method and principle of calculating the breakdown time delay can analyze the collapse of a gas gap with different electrode configurations (quasi-uniform or uniform electrical fields) and various gas media under a nanosecond pulse voltage.

Future large-scale pulsed-power accelerators are commonly designed based on linear transformer driver (LTD) topology. With the number of gas switches being significant (~ 100000), gas switch prefire might be an inevitable malfunction in an LTD accelerator. The transmission characteristics of switch prefire and its influences on major components in a multicavity LTD module remain to be investigated. In this article, the mechanism of fault voltage generation by switch prefire and inductive coupling effect of the magnetic core were thoroughly understood. It was found that switch prefire drove the cores to magnetize reversely toward negative saturation state ( $- B_{s}$ ), raising the voltage on switches in adjacent stages. A circuit model reflecting both initial states and magnetization dynamics of cores was developed for numerical analysis of switch prefire. From previous tests of a four-stage LTD module with deionized water insulated transmission line, unexpected discharges were captured and recognized by D-dots installed in the internal electrode of the transmission line. Test results indicated that an evident manifestation of switch prefire was the polarity reversion of D-dot voltage pulses. Both theoretical and experimental analyses revealed that single brick prefire generated a peak voltage of 70 kV across the transmission line under the charge voltage of ±70 kV. Circuit simulations were in good accordance with experimental data of D-dot signals in the main pulse. However, discrepancies between simulations and experimental results implied that the model was not precise enough in the magnetization dynamics under saturated state.

Organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs) are frequently detected in food and human samples, and epidemiological studies have found that human exposure to aryl-OPFRs (triphenyl phosphate, TPP) is associated with lipid metabolism. Although toxicity studies suggest a potential obesity risk from TPP exposure, the molecular mechanism remains unclear. This study investigated the subchronic dietary effects on mouse liver significantly changed proteins (SCPs) and elucidated the underlying molecular mechanisms of TPP with or without a high-fructose and high-fat (HFF) diet. Male C57BL/6J mice were exposed to low-dose TPP (corresponding to the oral reference dose, 10 μg/kg body weight (bw)/day) and high-dose TPP (1000 μg/kg bw/day) for 12 weeks. The results showed that exposure to TPP generated changes of liver function and organelle damage as well as increases in total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. TPP exposure at a low dose damaged the liver immune system via major histocompatibility complex-related proteins involved in antigen processing and presentation. TPP exposure at a high dose caused disorders of the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids and steroid hormones, thereby inducing lipid accumulation in the liver. Although 10 μg/kg TPP did not cause serious lipid metabolism disorders in the liver, significant overexpression of fatty acid-binding protein 5, malic enzyme 1, and other related SCPs was observed, which led to disorders of cholesterol metabolism and lipogenesis to activate the proliferator-activated receptor signaling pathway and thus induced potential obesity risks. In addition, lipid metabolism disorders related to TPP were aggravated under the HFF diet, impairing liver mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum function in mice by altering the activity of cytochrome P450 enzyme subfamilies. These findings provide an in-depth understanding of the molecular toxicity mechanisms and health risks associated with subchronic exposure to TPP under different dietary regimes.

Objective: The Ki-67 index is an indicator of the active proliferation and aggressive behavior of pituitary adenomas (PAs). Appropriate pre- and intra-operatives of the Ki-67 index can help surgeons develop better and more personalized treatment strategies for patients with PAs. This study aimed to investigate the influence factors for predicting the Ki-67 index in PAs. Methods: Data of 178 patients with PAs confirmed by pathology were retrospectively analyzed. According to the Ki-67 index, the patients were divided into the Ki-67 < 3% and Ki-67 ≥ 3% cohorts. Patient data, including age, sex, postoperative immunohistochemical pituitary hormone positive index, Knosp grade, tumor breaking through the sellar floor, rich blood supply to the tumor, tumor located inside the sella, erosion of the dorsum sellae bone, and pituitary-specific transcription factor, were collected. A univariate logistic analysis was used to evaluate the influence factors for a high Ki-67 index. Multiple regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to analyze the factors with p < 0.05. The mutant status of Ki-67 index was predicted by nomogram. Results: Multivariate regression analysis showed that rich blood supply to the tumor and erosion of the dorsum sellae bone were independent risk factors for the Ki-67 proliferation index. The ROC curves demonstrated that age, rich blood supply to the tumor, and erosion of the dorsum sellae bone can predict the occurrence of a high Ki-67 index. Together, the three risk factors provide a stronger ability to predict the Ki-67 index. The nomogram was developed and validated. Conclusion: Age, rich blood supply to the tumor, and erosion of the dorsum sellae bone are influencing factors for predicting the Ki-67 index. Suitable nomogram prediction models were developed and validated, and there is potential for personalized treatment for PA patients.

Abstract Background CCAAT/Enhancer Binding Protein D (CEBPD), a pleiotropic glucocorticoid-responsive transcription factor, modulates inflammatory responses. Of relevance to asthma, expression of CEBPD in airway smooth muscle (ASM) increases with glucocorticoid exposure. We sought to characterize CEBPD-mediated transcriptomic responses to glucocorticoid exposure in ASM by measuring changes observed after knockdown of CEBPD and its impact on asthma-related ASM function. Methods Primary ASM cells derived from four donors were transfected with CEBPD or non-targeting (NT) siRNA and exposed to vehicle control, budesonide (100 nM, 18 h), TNFα (10 ng/ml, 18 h), or both budesonide and TNFα. Subsequently, RNA-Seq was used to measure gene expression levels, and pairwise differential expression results were obtained for exposures versus vehicle and knockdown versus control conditions. Weighted gene co-expression analysis was performed to identify groups of genes with similar expression patterns across the various experimental conditions (i.e., CEBPD knockdown status, exposures). Results CEBPD knockdown altered expression of 3037 genes under at least one exposure (q-value < 0.05). Co-expression analysis identified sets of 197, 152 and 290 genes that were correlated with CEBPD knockdown status, TNFα exposure status, and both, respectively. JAK-STAT signaling pathway genes, including IL6R and SOCS3, were among those influenced by both TNFα and CEBPD knockdown. Immunoblot assays revealed that budesonide-induced IL-6R protein expression and augmented IL-6-induced STAT3 phosphorylation levels were attenuated by CEBPD knockdown in ASM. Conclusions CEBPD modulates glucocorticoid responses in ASM, in part via modulation of IL-6 receptor signaling.