Global Burden of Stroke Attributable to Low Physical Activity/High Body Mass Index Among People Aged 55 Years and Older.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to quantify the global stroke burden attributable to low physical activity and high body mass index in adults aged ≥55 years using data from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study. METHODS: We extracted data on stroke mortality, disability-adjusted life years, and risk factor exposure from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study for people aged ≥55 years. We calculated the population-attributable fraction and absolute number of stroke cases and disability-adjusted life years attributable to low physical activity and high body mass index by location, age group, sex, and year. RESULTS: Globally, body mass index and physical inactivity-attributable stroke burden have declined modestly since 1990, but with diverging escalatory regional trajectories. Population growth and aging drive this rising burden. CONCLUSIONS: Multidimensional, context-specific strategies focused on modifiable lifestyle risks are imperative to address the modest declines and escalatory regional trajectories in body mass index and physical inactivity-attributable stroke burden.

Bimetallic MOFs-Derived Metal Oxides Co3O4/SnO2 Microspheres for Ultrahigh Response n-Butanol Gas Sensors.

The construction of p-n heterojunctions is expected to be one of the effective means to improve gas sensitivity. In this research, p-n heterojunctions are successfully constructed by metal oxides derived from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). MOFs-derived bimetallic Co3O4/SnO2 microspheres are prepared by precipitation. Gas-sensing performance shows that the Co3O4/SnO2 sensor exhibits an extremely high response (Ra/Rg = 641) to 20 ppm of n-butanol at 200 °C, which is 19 times that of pristine SnO2. It can detect n-butanol gas at low concentrations, has good selectivity to alcohol gas, and reduces the interference of benzene gas. The improved gas sensitivity can be attributed to the formation of a stable heterojunction between Co3O4 and SnO2, resulting in a greater resistance change of Co3O4/SnO2. Co3O4/SnO2 inherits the characteristic of high specific surface area of MOFs, which provides abundant sites for the reaction of the target gas and oxygen molecules. Finally, the gas-sensing mechanism of the Co3O4/SnO2-based sensor is discussed in detail.

In-MIL-68 derived In2O3/Fe2O3 shuttle-like structures with n-n heterojunctions to improve ethanol sensing performance.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have a variety of structures and unique properties that make them suitable for use in gas sensors. Herein, In2O3/Fe2O3 was successfully synthesized using simple solvothermal and impregnation methods. The response to 100 ppm of ethanol gas reached 67.5 at an optimum working temperature of 200 °C, and the response/recovery time was 9 s/236 s. The composite also exhibited excellent selectivity, repeatability, and long-term stability. SEM, TEM, XRD, and XPS were used for the characterization of materials. The excellent sensing performance of the sensors is attributed to the construction of n-n heterojunctions, an increase in oxygen vacancies, and the unique structural characteristics of MOFs. The above experimental results indicate that In-MIL-68-derived In2O3/Fe2O3 is a promising ethanol sensing material.

Association between vitamin B2 intake and prostate-specific antigen in American men: 2003-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence suggests a pivotal role of vitamin B2 in the pathogenesis and progression of prostate cancer (PCa). Vitamin B2 intake has been postulated to modulate the screening rate for PCa by altering the concentration of prostate-specific antigen(PSA). However, the relationship between vitamin B2 and PSA remains indeterminate. Hence, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the association between vitamin B2 intake and PSA levels, utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. METHODS: From a pool of 20,371 participants in the NHANES survey conducted between 2003 and 2010, a cohort of 2,323 participants was selected for the present study. The male participants were classified into four distinct groups based on their levels of vitamin B2 intake. We employed a multiple linear regression model and a non-parametric regression method to investigate the relationship between vitamin B2 and PSA levels. RESULTS: The study cohort comprised of 2,323 participants with a mean age of 54.95 years (± 11.73). Our findings revealed a statistically significant inverse correlation between vitamin B2 intake (mg) and PSA levels, with a reduction of 0.13 ng/ml PSA concentration for every unit increase in vitamin B2 intake. Furthermore, we employed a fully adjusted model to construct a smooth curve to explore the possible linear relationship between vitamin B2 intake and PSA concentration. CONCLUSIONS: Our study in American men has unveiled a notable inverse association between vitamin B2 intake and PSA levels, potentially posing a challenge for the identification of asymptomatic prostate cancer. Specifically, our findings suggest that individuals with higher vitamin B2 intake may be at a greater risk of being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in the future, possibly indicating a detection bias. These results may offer a novel explanation for the observed positive correlation between vitamin B2 intake and prostate cancer.

1-Benzylimidazole attenuates the stemness of breast cancer cells through partially targeting CYP4Z1.

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 4Z1 (CYP4Z1) has recently garnered much interest as its expression predicts a poor prognosis and as a oncogene in breast cancer, and overexpressed in other many cancers. We previously showed that CYP4Z1 acts as a promoter of cancer stem cells (CSCs) to facilitate the occurrence and development of breast cancer. Here, RNA sequencing found that 1-benzylimidazole (1-Benzy) held a preferable correlation with breast cancer and suppressed the expression of CSC makers. Further functional experiments, including mammary spheroid formation, wound-healing, transwell-invasion, detection of tumor initiation, and metastatic ability, showed that 1-Benzy suppressed the stemness and metastasis of breast cancer cells. Additionally, we further demonstrated that CYP4Z1 is necessary for 1-Benzy-mediated suppression on breast cancer stemness and 1-Benzy exerted a weaker effect in breast cancer cells with CYP4Z1 knockdown. Taken together, our data suggest that 1-Benzy might be a potential drug suppressing breast cancer stemness via targeting CYP4Z1.

[Two new glycosides from Hypericum elatoides].

The column chromatography with silica gel, reversed-phase C_(18), and Sephadex LH-20 was employed to separate the methanol extract of the aerial parts of Hypericum elatoides. The compounds were identified by the comprehensive analysis of IR, NMR, and MS data as methyl 8-O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(Z)-5-octenoate(1), methyl 3-O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-4-methylhexanoate(2), byzantionoside B(3), 9-epi-blumenol C glucoside(4), corchoionoside C(5),(6S,9R)-roseoside(6), cis-p-coumaric acid 4-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside(7), trans-p-coumaric acid 4-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside(8), methyl 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propanoate(9),(E)-chlorogenic acid methyl ester(10), quercetin-3-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside(11), ß-sitosterol(12), stigmasterol(13), stigmast-4-en-3-one(14), ß-amyrin(15), daucosterol(16), sitoindoside Ⅰ(17), oleic acid(18), methyl α-linolenate(19), trilinolein(20), and cassipourol(21). Among them, compounds 1 and 2 were identified as new glycosides and named hyperelatosides G and H. Compounds 3-5, 7-9, 17, and 20-21 were isolated from the genus Hypericum for the first time. The remaining compounds were isolated from H. elatoides for the first time. The results of biological assays revealed that compound 11 exhibited significant anti-neuroinflammatory activity, and compounds 1, 3, and 19 displayed certain neuroprotective effects.

Paenibacillus terrae NK3-4 regulates the transcription of growth-related and stress resistance-related genes in rice.

Paenibacillus terrae NK3-4 is a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium. In this study, the effects of NK3-4 on rice growth and gene transcription were determined. The results indicated that a seed soaking treatment and a pre-germination seed treatment using NK3-4 promoted rice growth, especially spraying rice seedlings with NK3-4 increased the root number and root length by 34.2% and 34.1%, respectively. Moreover, NK3-4 induced the differential transcription of genes annotated with gene ontology (GO) terms; the number of up-regulated genes was 4.38-times higher than the number of down-regulated genes. The NK3-4 treatment induced the differential transcription of genes in 1794 GO functional groups, with 1531 functional groups containing up-regulated genes. Specific growth-related genes up-regulated by NK3-4 are involved in biological processes, including responses to auxin, hormone biosynthesis, cellular component biogenesis, root system development, and other functions. Furthermore, stress resistance-related genes were up-regulated, some of which encode WRKYs, NPK1-related protein kinase, NPR1-like 4, CaM-like proteins, MYBs, ERFs, TIFYs, NACs, EL5s, PR1s, PR2, PR8, PODs, and PAD4. Considered together, these findings imply that NK3-4 may promote plant growth and enhance stress resistance by regulating gene expression, making it a potentially useful microbe for regulating rice growth and stress resistance.

Ethanol Embolization of Chest Wall Arteriovenous Malformations: Four-Year Findings.

OBJECTIVES: To summarize the clinical characteristics and investigate the efficacy of ethanol embolotherapy in the treatment of chest well arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Treatment-associated complications were also explored. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between March 2017 and August 2021, 32 consecutive patients (mean age, 23.7 years; age range, 5-54 years) who underwent ethanol embolotherapy for chest well AVMs under general anesthesia were included in this study. Embolization was performed through a direct puncture, transarterial catheterization, or a combination of the 2 procedures. The mean follow-up duration after the last treatment was 18.0 months (range, 3-42 months). The degree of devascularization on follow-up (assessed using angiography or computed tomography), and the clinical signs and symptoms of AVMs were evaluated as the therapeutic outcomes. The major and minor complications associated with the procedures were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 103 embolization procedures (mean, 3.2; range, 2-7) comprising 101 ethanol embolization and 2 coil embolizations were performed on 32 patients with chest wall AVMs. The AVM nidus was accessed through the transarterial approach alone in 4 patients, by direct puncture in 11, and a combined procedure in 17 patients. Overall, more than 80% of the procedures were performed using the combined approach. Complete AVM devascularization was achieved in 12 (37.5%) patients. Moreover, 76% to 99% AVM was achieved in 18 patients (56.3%), and 50% to 75% in 2 patients (6.3%). Bleeding, pain, heart failure, and cosmetic deformities were the indications for treatment. For 3 patients (3/32, 9.4%) who had bleeding, the treatment stopped the hemorrhage. Complete pain relief was reported in 8 patients (8/32, 25.0%), whereas complete relief from congestive heart failure post-embolization was observed in 5 of the 6 patients with congestive heart failure (5/6, 83.3%). Complete correction of cosmesis deformities after embolization was achieved in 10 patients (10/32, 31.3%). Two patients who underwent surgery to correct persistent deformity after embolization only showed insignificant improvement. In addition, 6 (18.8%) patients developed 13 complications including blister, necrosis, hemothorax, transient hemoglobinuria, and transient pulmonary artery hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: Ethanol embolotherapy is a safe and effective procedure for chest well AVMs. Surgery is required for some patients with residual cosmesis deformity. CLINICAL IMPACT: Currently, there is no standard treatment for chest well AVMs due to their rarity and high heterogeneity. The present study shows that thanol embolotherapy is a safe and clinically effective treatment procedure for the chest well AVMs. Transarterial embolization in combination with direct puncture embolization can reach the AVM nidus. Ethanol embolotherapy can achieve complete obliteration of the AVM nidus in the majority of patients. Surgery may still be needed to correct cosmetic deformity after embolization. The present study provides valuable evidence to inform clinical decision-making.

Inhibition of autophagy reduces the rate of fluoride-induced LS8 apoptosis via regulating ATG5 and ATG7.

Excessive fluoride affects ameloblast differentiation and tooth development. The fate of fluorinated ameloblasts is determined by multiple signaling pathways in response to a range of stimuli. Both autophagy and apoptosis are involved in the regulation of dental fluorosis as well as in protein synthesis and enamel mineralization. Emerging evidence suggests that autophagy and apoptosis are interconnected and that their interaction greatly influences cell death. However, the effect of autophagy on apoptosis in fluoride-treated ameloblasts is unclear. Here, we employed an in vitro cellular model of fluorosis in mouse ameloblast-like LS8 cells and induced autophagy using sodium fluoride (NaF). Our findings suggest that NaF treatment induces autophagy in LS8 cells, and ATG5 and ATG7 are important molecules involved in this process. We also showed that NaF treatment reduced cell viability in Atg5/7 siRNA and autophagy inhibitor-treated LS8 cells. More importantly, NaF-induced apoptosis can be reversed by inhibiting early stage of autophagy. In conclusion, our study shows that autophagy is closely related to dental fluorosis, and inhibition of autophagy, especially ATG5/7, reduces fluoride-induced cell death and apoptosis.

Hyperelatolides A-D, Antineuroinflammatory Constituents with Unusual Carbon Skeletons from Hypericum elatoides.

Four new δ- and γ-lactone derivatives, hyperelatolides A-D (1-4, respectively), were discovered from the aerial portions of Hypericum elatoides R. Keller. Their structures were elucidated by analysis of NMR spectra, HRESIMS, quantum chemical calculations of NMR and ECD spectra, and X-ray crystallographic data. Hyperelatolides A (1) and B (2) represent the first examples of δ-lactone derivatives characterized by a (Z)-(5,5-dimethyl-2-(2-oxopropyl)cyclohexylidene)methyl moiety and a benzoyloxy group attached to the ß- and γ-positions of the δ-lactone core, respectively, while hyperelatolides C (3) and D (4) are unprecedented γ-lactone derivatives featuring substituents similar to those of 1 and 2. All compounds were tested for their inhibitory effects on NO production in LPS-activated BV-2 cells. Lactones 1 and 2 exhibited considerable antineuroinflammatory activity, with IC50 values of 5.74 ± 0.27 and 7.35 ± 0.26 µM, respectively. Moreover, the mechanistic study revealed that lactone 1 significantly suppressed nuclear factor kappa B signaling and downregulated the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 in LPS-induced cells, which may contribute to its antineuroinflammatory activity.

Hyperhubeins A-I, Bioactive Sesquiterpenes with Diverse Skeletons from Hypericum hubeiense.

Nine new sesquiterpenes, hyperhubeins A-I (1-9), and 14 known analogues (10-23) were isolated from the aerial portions of Hypericum hubeiense. Their structures and absolute configurations were determined unambiguously via spectroscopic analysis, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and electronic circular dichroism calculations. Compounds 1-3 possess an unprecedented sesquiterpene carbon skeleton. Further, a plausible biosynthetic pathway from farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) is proposed. The isolated phytochemicals were evaluated for neuroprotective and anti-neuroinflammatory properties in vitro. Compounds 1, 2, 5-8, 14, and 21 displayed notable neuroprotective activity against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced lesions in PC-12 cells at 10 µM. Additionally, compounds 1, 2, 12, and 13 exhibited inhibition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in BV-2 microglial cells, with their IC50 values ranging from 4.92 to 6.81 µM. Possible interactions between these bioactive compounds and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were predicted via molecular docking. Moreover, Western blotting indicated that compound 12 exerted anti-neuroinflammatory activity by suppressing LPS-stimulated expression of toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) and inhibiting consequent activation of nuclear factor-kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling.

Satellite-to-ground quantum key distribution.

Quantum key distribution (QKD) uses individual light quanta in quantum superposition states to guarantee unconditional communication security between distant parties. However, the distance over which QKD is achievable has been limited to a few hundred kilometres, owing to the channel loss that occurs when using optical fibres or terrestrial free space that exponentially reduces the photon transmission rate. Satellite-based QKD has the potential to help to establish a global-scale quantum network, owing to the negligible photon loss and decoherence experienced in empty space. Here we report the development and launch of a low-Earth-orbit satellite for implementing decoy-state QKD-a form of QKD that uses weak coherent pulses at high channel loss and is secure because photon-number-splitting eavesdropping can be detected. We achieve a kilohertz key rate from the satellite to the ground over a distance of up to 1,200 kilometres. This key rate is around 20 orders of magnitudes greater than that expected using an optical fibre of the same length. The establishment of a reliable and efficient space-to-ground link for quantum-state transmission paves the way to global-scale quantum networks.

Phenazine derivatives attenuate the stemness of breast cancer cells through triggering ferroptosis.

Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) are positively correlated with the metastasis, chemoresistance, and recurrence of breast cancer. However, there are still no drugs targeting BCSCs in clinical using for breast cancer treatment. Here, we tried to screen out small-molecule compounds targeting BCSCs from the phenazine library established by us before. We focused on the compounds without affecting cell viability and screened out three potential compounds (CPUL119, CPUL129, CPUL149) that can significantly attenuate the stemness of breast cancer cells, as evident by the decrease of stemness marker expression, CD44+/CD24- subpopulation, mammary spheroid-formation ability, and tumor-initiating capacity. Additionally, these compounds suppressed the metastatic ability of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Combined with the transcriptome sequencing analysis, ferroptosis was shown on the top of the most upregulated pathways by CPUL119, CPUL129, and CPUL149, respectively. Mechanistically, we found that these three compounds could trigger ferroptosis by accumulating and sequestering iron in lysosomes through interacting with iron, and by regulating the expression of proteins (IRP2, TfR1, ferritin) engaged in iron transport and storage. Furthermore, inhibition of ferroptosis rescued the suppression of these three compounds on breast cancer cell stemness. This study suggests that CPUL119, CPUL129, and CPUL149 can specifically inhibit the stemness of breast cancer cells through triggering ferroptosis and may be the potential compounds for breast cancer treatment.

The roles of natural triterpenoid saponins against Alzheimer's disease.

The aging of the world population and increasing stress levels in life are the major cause of the increased incidence of neurological disorders. Alzheimer's disease (AD) creates a huge burden on the lives and health of individuals and has become a big concern for society. Triterpenoid saponins (TS), representative natural product components, have a wide range of pharmacological bioactivities such as anti-inflammation, antioxidation, antiapoptosis, hormone-like, and gut microbiota regulation. Notably, some natural TS exhibited promising neuroprotective activity that can intervene in AD progress, especially in the early stage. Recently, studies have indicated that TS play a pronounced positive role in the prevention and treatment of AD. This review discusses the recent research on the neuroprotection of TS and proceeds to detail the action mechanisms of TS against AD, hoping to provide a reference for drug development for anti-AD.

Endoplasmic reticulum chaperone GRP78 participates in fluoride-induced autophagy in LS8 cells by regulating the IRE1-TRAF2-JNK pathway.

Fluoride induces endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in ameloblasts, which is responsible for enamel mineralization disorder. Fluoride induces autophagy in ameloblasts, but the molecular mechanisms through which ameloblasts respond to fluoride-induced cellular stress and autophagy remain unclear. This study investigated ER stress-induced autophagy and the regulatory role of the ER molecular chaperone GRP78 in fluoride-induced autophagy in ameloblast LS8 cells. To explore the relationship between fluoride-induced ER stress and autophagy, we assessed changes in fluoride-induced autophagy in LS8 cells following overexpression and/or silencing of the ER stress molecular chaperone GRP78. We found that autophagy induced by fluoride was further increased after GRP78 overexpression in LS8 cells. Fluoride-induced autophagy was reduced in GRP78-silenced LS8 cells. Furthermore, we found that ER stress can regulate autophagy in fluoride-treated ameloblasts (LS8 cells) and that the GRP78/IRE1/TRAF2/JNK pathway is involved in the underlying regulation. Our study suggests that ER stress plays a role in fluoride-induced damage by inducing ameloblast autophagy.

MS/MS molecular networking-guided in-depth profiling of triterpenoid saponins from the fruit of Eleutherococcus senticosus and their neuroprotectivity evaluation.

INTRODUCTION: Eleutherococcus senticosus fruit (ESF) is a natural health supplement resource that has been extensively applied as a tonic for the nervous system. The structures and neural bioactivities of triterpenoid saponins (TS), which are the major constituents of ESF, have not been comprehensively analyzed thus far. OBJECTIVE: We conducted a complete in-depth MS/MS molecular networking (MN)-based targeted analysis of TS from the crude extract of ESF and investigated its neuroprotective value. METHODS: An MS/MS MN-guided strategy was used to rapidly present a series of precursor ions (PIs) of TS in a compound cluster as TS-targeted information used in the discovery and characterization of TS. In addition, a prepared TS-rich fraction of ESF was assayed for its restraining effects on ß-amyloid-induced inhibition of neurite outgrowth. RESULTS: A total of 87 TS were discovered using a PI tracking strategy, 28 of which were characterized as potentially undescribed structures according to their high-resolution MS values. Furthermore, the TS-rich fraction can significantly reduce ß-amyloid-induced damage to neural networks by promoting the outgrowth of neurites and axons. CONCLUSION: Our findings reveal the richness of TS in ESF and will accelerate their application in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

A Symmetrized Dot Pattern Extraction Method Based on Frobenius and Nuclear Hybrid Norm Penalized Robust Principal Component Analysis and Decomposition and Reconstruction.

Due to their symmetrized dot pattern, rolling bearings are more susceptible to noise than time-frequency characteristics. Therefore, this article proposes a symmetrized dot pattern extraction method based on the Frobenius and nuclear hybrid norm penalized robust principal component analysis (FNHN-RPCA) as well as decomposition and reconstruction. This method focuses on denoising the vibration signal before calculating the symmetric dot pattern. Firstly, the FNHN-RPCA is used to remove the non-correlation between variables to realize the separation of feature information and interference noise. After, the residual interference noise, irrelevant information, and fault features in the separated signal are clearly located in different frequency bands. Then, the ensemble empirical mode decomposition is applied to decompose this information into different intrinsic mode function components, and the improved DPR/KLdiv criterion is used to select components containing fault features for reconstruction. In addition, the symmetrized dot pattern is used to visualize the reconstructed signal. Finally, method validation and comparative analysis are conducted on the CWRU datasets and experimental bench data, respectively. The results show that the improved criteria can accurately complete the screening task, and the proposed method can effectively reduce the impact of strong noise interference on SDPs.

Fault Feature Extraction Method for Rolling Bearings Based on Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive Noise and Variational Mode Decomposition.

Due to the difficulty in dealing with non-stationary and nonlinear vibration signals using the single decomposition method, it is difficult to extract weak fault features from complex noise; therefore, this paper proposes a fault feature extraction method for rolling bearings based on complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (CEEMDAN) and variational mode decomposition (VMD) methods. CEEMDAN was used to decompose the signal, and the signal was then screened and reconstructed according to the component envelope kurtosis. Based on the kurtosis of the maximum envelope spectrum as the fitness function, the sparrow search algorithm (SSA) was used to perform adaptive parameter optimization for VMD, which decomposed the reconstructed signal into several IMF components. According to the kurtosis value of the envelope spectrum, the optimal component was selected for an envelope demodulation analysis to realize fault feature extraction for rolling bearings. Finally, by using open data sets and experimental data, the accuracy of envelope kurtosis and envelope spectrum kurtosis as a component selection index was verified, and the superiority of the proposed feature extraction method for rolling bearings was confirmed by comparing it with other methods.

[Role of NLRP3 inflammasome in diabetic neuropathy and prevention and treatment with traditional Chinese medicine].

As one of the most frequent complications of diabetes, diabetic neuropathy often involves peripheral and central nervous systems. Neuroinflammation is the key pathogenic factor of secondary nerve injury in diabetes. NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-containing 3(NLRP3) inflammasome is a group of subcellular multiprotein complexes, including NLRP3, apoptosis associated speck-like protein(ASC), and pro-cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 1(pro-caspase-1). NLRP3 inflammasome is an inducer of innate immune responses. Its activation stimulates the inflammatory cascade reaction, promotes the release of inflammatory mediators, triggers cell death and uncontrolled autophagy, activates glial cells, facilitates peripheral immune cell infiltration, and initiates amyoid ß(Aß)-tau cascade reactions. As a result, it contributes to the central nerve, somatic nerve, autonomic nerve, and retinal nerve cell damage secondary to diabetes. Therefore, due to its key role in the neuroinflammation responses of the body, NLRP3 inflammasome may provide new targets for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy. With multi-target and low-toxicity advantages, traditional Chinese medicine plays a vital role in the treatment of diabetic neuropathy. Accumulating evidence has shown that traditional Chinese medicine exerts curative effects on diabetic neuropathy possibly through regulating NLRP3 inflammasome. Although the role of NLRP3 inflammasome in diabetes and related complications has been investigated in the literature, systematical studies on drugs and mechanism analysis for secondary neuropathy are still lacking. In this article, the role of NLRP3 inflammasome in diabetic neuropathy was explored, and the research progress on traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of diabetic neuropathy through NLRP3 inflammasome was reviewed.

Built-In Stable Lithiophilic Sites in 3D Current Collectors for Dendrite Free Li Metal Electrode.

Stable lithiophilic sites in 3D current collectors are the key to guiding the uniform Li deposition and thus suppressing the Li dendrite growth, but such sites created by the conventional surface decoration method are easy to be consumed along with cycling. In this work, carbon fiber (CF)-based 3D porous networks with built-in lithiophilic sites that are stable upon cycling are demonstrated. Such heterostructured architecture is constructed by the introduction of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8-based nanoparticles during the formation of the 3D fibrous carbonaceous network and the following annealing. The introduced Zn species are found to be re-distributed along the entire individual CF in the 3D network, and function as lithiophilic sites that favor the homogenous lithium nucleation and growth. The 3D network also presents a multi-scale porous structure that improves the space utilization of the host. The corresponding symmetric cells adopting such 3D anode demonstrate excellent cycling performance, especially at a high rate (300 cycles at 10 mA cm-2 with a capacity of 5 mA h cm-2 ). A full cell with LiFePO4 cathode shows a capacity retention of 98% after cycling at 1C for 300 cycles. This method provides an effective design strategy for 3D hosting electrodes in dendrite-free alkali metal anode applications.