Piezoelectric 1T Phase MoSe2 Nanoflowers and Crystallographically Textured Electrodes for Enhanced Low-Temperature Zinc-Ion Storage.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are regarded as promising cathode materials for zinc-ion storage owing to their large interlayer spacings. However, their capabilities are still limited by sluggish kinetics and inferior conductivities. In this study, a facile one-pot solvothermal method is exploited to vertically plant piezoelectric 1T MoSe2  nanoflowers on carbon cloth (CC) to fabricate crystallographically textured electrodes. The self-built-in electric field owing to the intrinsic piezoelectricity during the intercalation/deintercalation processes can serve as an additional piezo-electrochemical coupling accelerator to enhance the migration of Zn2+ . Moreover, the expanded interlayer distance (9-10 Å), overall high hydrophilicity, and conductivity of the 1T phase MoSe2  also promoted the kinetics. These advantages endow the tailored 1T MoSe2 /CC nanopiezocomposite with feasible Zn2+ diffusion and desirable electrochemical performances at room and low temperatures. Moreover, 1T MoSe2 /CC-based quasi-solid-state zinc-ion batteries are constructed to evaluate the potential of the proposed material in low-temperature flexible energy storage devices. This work expounds the positive effect of intrinsic piezoelectricity of TMDs on Zn2+ migration and further explores the availabilities of TMDs in low-temperature wearable energy-storage devices.

Effects of hMASP-2 on the formation of BCG infection-induced granuloma in the lungs of BALB/c mice.

Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, affects the functions of the lung and causes high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. MASP-2 is an executioner enzyme, which plays an essential role in the activation of lectin pathway. In our previous studies, the MASP-2 played a dual role in promoting the progress of lesions in BCG-infected rabbit skin models. However, the really effects of MASP-2 on tuberculosis are unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of MASP-2 in granuloma formation with BCG-infected mice. Compared to the control group, rAd-hMASP-2 treated group showed increasing in survival rate of BCG-infected mice (P = 0.042), and decreasing of bacteria loads (P = 0.005) in the lung tissue. MASP-2 displayed a protective efficacy in BCG-infected mice, which promoted the activation and recruitment of macrophages and lymphocytes to the granuloma. Moreover, the data obtained from the ELISA and RT-PCR demonstrated that mRNA expression for IL-6, CCL12, CCL2 and cytokines of IFN-γ, TNF-α in lung were significantly elevated by treatment of rAd-hMASP-2. Those findings provided an evidence that MASP-2 may be as a newly immunomodulatory in targeting granuloma formation, which displayed a potential protective role in control of tuberculosis.

[Determination of plasma and sputum substance P content in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of substance P (SP) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma. METHOD: Plasma and sputum samples were obtained from 26 COPD patients and 20 asthmatic patients as well as 12 healthy subjects for measurement of SP content. RESULTS: Patients with COPD had significantly higher levels of SP in the plasma (7.9+/-2.6 pmol/L) and sputum (53.8+/-12.5 pmol/L) than the healthy subjects (3.6+/-1.7 pmol/L and 6.2+/-2.3 pmol/L, respectively, P<0.01). The asthmatic patients also had significantly higher SP levels (8.3+/-3.1 pmol/L and 46.9+/-10.2 pmol/L, respectively) than the healthy subjects, but there was no significant difference between COPD and asthmatic patients (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: SP may be involved in the airway inflammation process in COPD and asthma.