Tensor Network Approach to Phase Transitions of a Non-Abelian Topological Phase.

The non-Abelian topological phase with Fibonacci anyons minimally supports universal quantum computation. In order to investigate the possible phase transitions out of the Fibonacci topological phase, we propose a generic quantum-net wave function with two tuning parameters dual with each other, and the norm of the wave function can be exactly mapped into a partition function of the two-coupled ϕ^{2}-state Potts models, where ϕ=(sqrt[5]+1)/2 is the golden ratio. By developing the tensor network representation of this wave function on a square lattice, we can accurately calculate the full phase diagram with the numerical methods of tensor networks. More importantly, it is found that the non-Abelian Fibonacci topological phase is enclosed by three distinct nontopological phases and their dual phases of a single ϕ^{2}-state Potts model: the gapped dilute net phase, critical dense net phase, and spontaneous translation symmetry breaking gapped phase. We also determine the critical properties of the phase transitions among the Fibonacci topological phase and those nontopological phases.

The synthesis and antistaphylococcal activity of N-sulfonaminoethyloxime derivatives of dehydroabietic acid.

A series of N-sulfonaminoethyloxime derivatives of dehydroabietic acid were synthesized and investigated for their antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus Newman strain and multidrug-resistant strains (NRS-1, NRS-70, NRS-100, NRS-108 and NRS-271). Most of the target compounds having chloro, bromo, trifluoromethyl phenyl moiety exhibited potent in vitro antistaphylococcal activity. The meta-CF3 phenyl derivative T23 showed the highest activity with MIC of 0.39-0.78 µg/mL against S. aureus Newman, while several analogues showed similar potent antibacterial activity with MIC values between 0.78 and 1.56 µg/mL against five multidrug-resistant S. aureus. The stability of T35 in plasma of SD rat and the cellular cytotoxicity were also evaluated.

Healing High-Loading Sulfur Electrodes with Unprecedented Long Cycling Life: Spatial Heterogeneity Control.

Self-healing capability helps biological systems to maintain their survivability and extend their lifespan. Similarly, self-healing is also beneficial to next-generation secondary batteries because high-capacity electrode materials, especially the cathodes such as oxygen or sulfur, suffer from shortened cycle lives resulting from irreversible and unstable phase transfer. Herein, by mimicking a biological self-healing process, fibrinolysis, we introduced an extrinsic healing agent, polysulfide, to enable the stable operation of sulfur microparticle (SMiP) cathodes. An optimized capacity (∼3.7 mAh cm-2) with almost no decay after 2000 cycles at a high sulfur loading of 5.6 mg(S) cm-2 was attained. The inert SMiP is activated by the solubilization effect of polysulfides whereas the unstable phase transfer is mediated by mitigated spatial heterogeneity of polysulfides, which induces uniform nucleation and growth of solid compounds. The comprehensive understanding of the healing process, as well as of the spatial heterogeneity, could further guide the design of novel healing agents (e.g., lithium iodine) toward high-performance rechargeable batteries.

BX-795 inhibits HSV-1 and HSV-2 replication by blocking the JNK/p38 pathways without interfering with PDK1 activity in host cells.

BX-795 is an inhibitor of 3-phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1), but also a potent inhibitor of the IKK-related kinase, TANKbinding kinase 1 (TBK1) and IKKɛ. In this study we attempted to elucidate the molecular mechanism(s) underlying the inhibition of BX-795 on Herpes simplex virus (HSV) replication. HEC-1-A or Vero cells were treated with BX-795 and infected with HSV-1 or HSV-2 for different periods. BX-795 (3.125-25 µmol/L) dose-dependently suppressed HSV-2 replication, and displayed a low cytotoxicity to the host cells. BX-795 treatment dose-dependently suppressed the expression of two HSV immediate-early (IE) genes (ICP0 and ICP27) and the late gene (gD) at 12 h postinfection. HSV-2 infection resulted in the activation of PI3K and Akt in the host cells, and BX-795 treatment inhibited HSV-2-induced Akt phosphorylation and activation. However, the blockage of PI3K/Akt/mTOR with LY294002 and rapamycin did not affect HSV-2 replication. HSV-2 infection increased the phosphorylation of JNK and p38, and reduced ERK phosphorylation at 8 h postinfection in the host cells; BX-795 treatment inhibited HSV-2-induced activation of JNK and p38 MAP kinase as well as the phosphorylation of c-Jun and ATF-2, the downstream targets of JNK and p38 MAP kinase. Furthermore, SB203580 (a p38 inhibitor) or SP600125 (a JNK inhibitor) dose-dependently inhibited the viral replication in the host cells, whereas PD98059 (an ERK inhibitor) was not effective. Moreover, BX-795 blocked PMA-stimulated c-Jun activation as well as HSV-2-mediated c-Jun nuclear translocation. BX-795 dose-dependently inhibited HSV-2, PMA, TNF-α-stimulated AP-1 activation, but not HSV-induced NF-κB activation. Overexpression of p38/JNK attenuated the inhibitory effect of BX-795 on HSV replication. BX-795 completely blocked HSV-2-induced MKK4 phosphorylation, suggesting that BX-795 acting upstream of JNK and p38 MAP kinase. In conclusion, this study identifies the anti-HSV activity of BX-795 and its targeting of the JNK/p38 MAP kinase pathways in host cells.

A Supramolecular Capsule for Reversible Polysulfide Storage/Delivery in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Supramolecular materials, in which small organic molecules are assembled into regular structures by non-covalent interactions, attract tremendous interests because of their highly tunable functional groups and porous structure. Supramolecular adsorbents are expected to fully expose their abundant adsorptive sites in a dynamic framework. In this contribution, we introduced cucurbit[6]uril as a supramolecular capsule for reversible storage/delivery of mobile polysulfides in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries to control undesirable polysulfide shuttle. The Li-S battery equipped with the supramolecular capsules retains a high Coulombic efficiency and shows a large increase in capacity from 300 to 900 mAh g-1 at a sulfur loading of 4.2 mg cm-2 . The implementation of supramolecular capsules offers insights into intricate multi-electron-conversion reactions and manifests as an effective and efficient strategy to enhance Li-S batteries and analogous applications that involve complex transport phenomena and intermediate manipulation.

Lithium Bond Chemistry in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

The lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery is a promising high-energy-density storage system. The strong anchoring of intermediates is widely accepted to retard the shuttle of polysulfides in a working battery. However, the understanding of the intrinsic chemistry is still deficient. Inspired by the concept of hydrogen bond, herein we focus on the Li bond chemistry in Li-S batteries through sophisticated quantum chemical calculations, in combination with 7 Li nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Identified as Li bond, the strong dipole-dipole interaction between Li polysulfides and Li-S cathode materials originates from the electron-rich donors (e.g., pyridinic nitrogen (pN)), and is enhanced by the inductive and conjugative effect of scaffold materials with π-electrons (e.g., graphene). The chemical shift of Li polysulfides in 7 Li NMR spectroscopy, being both theoretically predicted and experimentally verified, is suggested to serve as a quantitative descriptor of Li bond strength. These theoretical insights were further proved by actual electrochemical tests. This work highlights the importance of Li bond chemistry in Li-S cell and provides a deep comprehension, which is helpful to the cathode materials rational design and practical applications of Li-S batteries.

Silver-promoted decarboxylative amidation of α-keto acids with amines.

A general and effective method for the synthesis of amides through decarboxylative amidation of α-keto acids with amines has been developed. The reaction proceeded smoothly to afford the corresponding amide products in good yield under air and shows excellent functional group tolerance. In addition, the protocol can be further applied in the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds like benzimidazoles.

Enhanced Electrochemical Kinetics on Conductive Polar Mediators for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have been recognized as promising substitutes for current energy-storage technologies owing to their exceptional advantage in energy density. The main challenge in developing highly efficient and long-life Li-S batteries is simultaneously suppressing the shuttle effect and improving the redox kinetics. Polar host materials have desirable chemisorptive properties to localize the mobile polysulfide intermediates; however, the role of their electrical conductivity in the redox kinetics of subsequent electrochemical reactions is not fully understood. Conductive polar titanium carbides (TiC) are shown to increase the intrinsic activity towards liquid-liquid polysulfide interconversion and liquid-solid precipitation of lithium sulfides more than non-polar carbon and semiconducting titanium dioxides. The enhanced electrochemical kinetics on a polar conductor guided the design of novel hybrid host materials of TiC nanoparticles grown within a porous graphene framework (TiC@G). With a high sulfur loading of 3.5 mg cm-2 , the TiC@G/sulfur composite cathode exhibited a substantially enhanced electrochemical performance.

Silver-catalyzed C(sp2)-H functionalization/C-O cyclization reaction at room temperature.

Silver-catalyzed C(sp(2))-H functionalization/C-O cyclization has been developed. The scalable reaction proceeds at room temperature in an open flask. The present method exhibits good functional-group compatibility because of the mild reaction conditions. Using a AgNO3 catalyst and a (NH4)2S2O8 oxidant in CH2Cl2/H2O solvent, various lactones are obtained in good to excellent yields. A kinetic isotope effect (KIE) study indicates that the reaction may occur via a radical process.

The effect of genetically modified Lactobacillus plantarum 590 on the gut health of Sprague-Dawley rats.

Lp was a generally recognized as safe microorganism. Lactobacillus plantarum 590 was obtained by inserting nisI gene into Lp genome to help it tolerate higher concentration nisin. As the unintended effects of the genetically modified microorganism (GMM) are the most important barriers to the progress of GMM, we have performed a useful exploration to establish a new in vivo evaluation model for GMM from the point of view of intestinal health. In this study, Sprague-Dawley rats were orally administered with Lp 590 and Lp for 4 weeks. Fecal samples were collected to determine the number of beneficial bacteria Bifidobacterium and harmful bacteria Clostridium perfringens. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis was used to detect the bacterial profiles of every group. Fecal enzyme activities and short-chain fatty acids as main metabolites were also examined. Real time PCR (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze two proteins (ZO-1 and occludin) and secretory immunoglobulin A to detect intestinal permeability and mucosal immunity, gut permeability and gut mucosal immunity were analyzed to see whether GM Lp 590 can induce changes of the gut health when compared with non-GM Lp group, andeventually we concluded that there is no significant difference between GM Lp 590-fed group and non-GM Lp-fed group. The conclusion of gut health test was comparable withthat from traditional subchronic test. Evaluation of intestinal health will be a new approach of assessing the safety of GMM.

Acupuncture for chronic sciatica: protocol for a multicenter randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Chronic Sciatica is a disabling condition causing considerable medical, social and financial implications. Currently, there is no recognised long-term effective treatment to alleviate sciatica. Acupuncture has been widely used for treating chronic pains with persistent analgesic effects. We aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for chronic sciatica with follow-up in 52 weeks. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a multicenter randomised sham-controlled trial. A total of 216 patients with chronic sciatica will be enrolled and randomly assigned to the acupuncture or sham acupuncture group. There will be 10 treatment sessions applied in 4 weeks with frequency decreased over time. Patients will complete follow-ups during 52 weeks. The primary outcomes are changes in leg pain intensity and disability from baseline to week 4. Secondary outcomes include back pain intensity, frequency and bothersomeness, quality of life, and global perceived effect. Adverse events will be recorded in detail. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval of this trial was granted from the ethics committee of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and all study centres (No. 2020BZYLL0803). Written informed consent will be obtained from enrolled patients. Trial results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2100044585 (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, http://www.chictr.org.cn, registered on 24 March 2021); preresults.

Mycotoxin Ochratoxin A-induced cell death and changes in oxidative metabolism of Arabidopsis thaliana.

We evaluated the phytotoxicity of mycotoxin ochratoxin A (OTA) from Aspergillus and Penicillium strains on Arabidopsis thaliana. The results demonstrate that the growth of Arabidopsis thaliana on media containing OTA was inhibited significantly. Moreover, OTA induced necrotic lesions in detached leaves, which are reminiscent of hypersensitive response lesions that are activated during plant-pathogen interactions and other abiotic stress factors. From our study, we can see that OTA exposure stimulated a biphasic oxidative burst in the leaves, resulting in the generation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and superoxide anion radicals (O2(.-)) and in the concomitant down-regulation of antioxidant enzyme defense responses and up-regulation of lipid peroxidation. These results suggested that OTA damage might result from reactive oxygen species pathways. Our experiments provide a useful model plant system for research on OTA-induced plant cell death.

[Research progress of acupuncture and moxibustion on axon guidance cues].

Axon guidance cues includes Slit, Semaphorin, Ephrin and Netrin. They have the function of regulating the regeneration of axons and guiding the regenerated axons to the correct target. They can affect the nervous system, cardiovascular system, and participate in the proliferation and migration of tumor cells. The current research on the influence of acupuncture and moxibustion(mainly focusing on electroacupuncture) on axon guidance cues is limited to animal experiments. Electroacupuncture can treat diseases dominated by the nervous system by regulating the expression of axon guidance cues. This review summarizes the research progress of acupuncture and moxibustion on regulating axonal guidance cues, is hoped to provide references for the mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion in treating nervous system disease and ideas for acupuncture treatment of diseases related to axon guidance cues.

Mechanisms of Electroacupuncture on Alzheimer's Disease: A Review of Animal Studies.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the main type of dementia affecting elderly people. The medicines used for treating AD have limits in their ability to alleviate cognitive and functional decline. Electroacupuncture (EA), an economical alternative and complementary therapeutic measure used in Chinese medicine, has strong clinical applicability, and its treatment effects are more reliable as its stimulation factors can be standardized. EA has been effectively used for ameliorating spatial learning and memory impairment in AD patients and rodent AD models. Here, we summarized the mechanisms of EA on rodent AD models, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for identifying new targets and research directions, and exploring appropriate EA stimulation parameters, then provide a detailed methodology to optimize the effects of EA, ultimately reducing the heavy burden of treating AD patients on families and countries. Our review showed that 8 acupoints were used when treating AD animals; Baihui (GV 20) was the most frequently used. Four mechanisms of EA were studied: (1) protection of cerebral neurons from oxidative stress, apoptosis, neuroinflammation, synaptic plasticity and hormone levels; (2) regulation of metabolism, including glucose metabolism and plasma metabolism; (3) regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor; and (4) regulation of ß-amyloid peptide protein deposition.

[Effect of acupuncture on neurological function, cerebral infarction volume, thrombolysis time window and cerebral cell apoptosis signaling pathway in cerebral infarction rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture (Acupunct) on cerebral infarction volume and expression of poly ADP ribose polymerase 1 (PARP1), apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) and endonuclease G (Endo-G) in the cerebral cortex tissue at different time-points after cerebral ischemia (CI) in acute cerebral infarction rats, so as to explore its underlying mechanisms in prolonging time window of thrombolysis. METHODS: Forty-eight SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation, model, intravenous thrombolysis (IVT)-4.5 h, IVT-6 h, IVT-9 h, Acupunct＋IVT-4.5 h, Acupunct ＋IVT-6 h, Acupunct＋IVT-9 h groups (n＝6 in each group). The CI model was established by using modified autologous thromboembolism via the right common carotid artery. Two hours after modeling, rats of the Acupunct groups received Acupunct stimulation of "Shuigou" (GV26) and bilateral "Neiguan" (PC6) for 30 min. Thrombolysis was conducted by injection of recombinant human tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA, 10 mg/kg) via caudal vein. The neurological deficit was assessed with reference to Bederson's methods. 2，3，5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining was used to assess the cerebral infarction volume, and the expression of cerebral PARP1, AIF and Endo-G proteins detected by Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with the sham operation group, the neurological score and percentage of cerebral infarction volume, expression levels of PARP1, AIF and Endo-G proteins were significantly increased in the model group (P<0.01，P<0.05). After the intervention, modeling-induced increase of the aforementioned indexes was reversed in the IVT-4.5 h, Acupunct＋IVT-4.5 h and Acupunct＋IVT-6 h groups (P<0.05), except PARP1 expression of the Acupunct＋IVT 6 h group (P>0.05). The levels of neurological score, percentage of cerebral infarction volume, and AIF expression were significantly lower in both the Acupunct＋IVT 4.5 h and Acupunct＋IVT-6 h groups than in the simple IVT-4.5 h and simple IVT-6 h groups, respectively (P<0.05), and the expression levels of PARP1 and Endo-G proteins were obviously lower in the Acupunct＋IVT-4.5 h group than in the IVT-4.5 h group (P<0.05). Endo-G proteins were obviously lower in the Acupunct＋IVT-9 h group than in the IVT-9 h group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture may improve neurological function, reduce cerebral infarction volume and prolong the time window of thrombolysis in CI rats, which may be associated with its effect in suppressing AIF/PARP1/ Endo-G signaling.

Acupuncture therapy for fibromyalgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

PURPOSE: Fibromyalgia (FM) can cause chronic widespread pain and seriously affect the quality of patient lives. Acupuncture therapy is widely used for pain management. However, the effect of acupuncture on FM is still uncertain. The aim of this review was to determine the effect and safety of acupuncture therapy on the pain intensity and quality of life in patients with FM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for FM published before May 2018. A meta-analysis was performed according to the Cochrane systematic review method by using RevMan 5.3 software, and GRADE was used to evaluate the quality of the evidence. RESULTS: We identified 12 RCTs that compared acupuncture therapy to sham acupuncture or conventional medication. Meta-analysis showed that acupuncture was significantly better than sham acupuncture for relieving pain (MD =-1.04, 95% CI [-1.70, -0.38], P=0.002, I 2=78%) and improving the quality of life (MD =-13.39, 95% CI [-21.69, -5.10], P=0.002, I 2=82%), with low- to moderate-quality evidence in the short term. At follow-up in the long term, the effect of acupuncture was also superior to that of sham acupuncture. No serious adverse events were found during acupuncture. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture therapy is an effective and safe treatment for patients with FM, and this treatment can be recommended for the management of FM.

Association between the concurrence of pre-existing chronic liver disease and worse prognosis in patients with an herb- Polygonum multiflorum thunb. induced liver injury: a case-control study from a specialised liver disease center in China.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to evaluate the association between the concurrence of pre-existing chronic liver diseases (CLD) and worse prognosis in patients with HILI. DESIGN: A case-control study. SETTING: Tertiary hospital specialising in liver diseases in China. PARTICIPANTS: 145 hospitalised HILI patients were assessed with respect to prognosis by comparing HILI with or without pre-existing CLD from February 2007 to January 2017. Twenty-five HILI cases with pre-existing alcoholic liver disease (ALD) or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and 200 ALD or NAFLD controls matched 1:8 for sex, age (±4 years old), body mass index (±2 kg/m2), the type of CLD, alcohol intake (±5 g/d) and the presence or absence of cirrhosis. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Mortality and chronicity in HILI patients with or without pre-existing CLD, and matched CLD patients. RESULTS: Of the 193 714 hospitalised patients with liver diseases, 5703 patients met the diagnostic criteria for drug-induced liver injury (DILI), which was attributed to Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. (PMT) in 145 patients. Among these HILI patients, 22.8% (33 of 145) had pre-existing CLD, including 17 (51.5%) with ALD, 8 (24.2%) with NAFLD, 5 (15.2%) with chronic viral hepatitis and 3 (9.1%) with autoimmune liver disease. Compared with HILI patients without CLD, HILI patients with pre-existing CLD showed higher mortality (0.9% vs 9.1%, p=0.037) and higher chronicity (12.5% vs 30.3%, p=0.016). Compared with matched ALD (136 patients) or NAFLD (64 patients) patients, HILI patients with pre-existing ALD showed higher chronicity (35.3% vs 11.8%, p=0.019). Multivariate logistic regression analysis found that concurrence of pre-existing CLD was an independent risk factor for both of chronicity and mortality (OR 3.966, 95% CI 1.501 to 10.477, p=0.005), especially the chronicity (OR 3.035, 95% CI 1.115 to 8.259, p=0.030). CONCLUSIONS: Concurrence of pre-existing CLD could be an independent risk factor for worse prognosis, especially chronicity, in PMT-related HILI.

Catalyst-Free Singlet Oxygen-Promoted Decarboxylative Amidation of α-Keto Acids with Free Amines.

A novel catalyst-free decarboxylative amidation of α-keto acids with amines under mild conditions has been developed. Advantages of the new protocol include avoidance of metal catalysts and high levels of functional group tolerance. In addition, the reaction can be scaled up and shows high chemoselectivity. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest that singlet oxygen, generated from oxygen under irradiation, is the key promoter for this catalyst-free transformation.

A Cooperative Interface for Highly Efficient Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

A cooperative interface constructed by "lithiophilic" nitrogen-doped graphene frameworks and "sulfiphilic" nickel-iron layered double hydroxides (LDH@NG) is proposed to synergistically afford bifunctional Li and S binding to polysulfides, suppression of polysulfide shuttles, and electrocatalytic activity toward formation of lithium sulfides for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries. LDH@NG enables high rate capability, long lifespan, and efficient stabilization of both sulfur and lithium electrodes.

Acupuncture therapy for sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: Acupuncture has commonly been used in China, either alone or in combination with Western medicine, to treat sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL). The purpose of this systematic review is to assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy for patients with SSHL. METHODS: We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI), Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals (VIP), and Chinese Biomedical literature service system (SinoMed) to collect randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for SSHL published before July 2014. A meta-analysis was conducted according to the Cochrane systematic review method using RevMan 5.2 software. The evidence level for each outcome was assessed using the GRADE methodology. RESULTS: Twelve trials involving 863 patients were included. A meta-analysis showed that the effect of manual acupuncture combined with Western medicine comprehensive treatment (WMCT) was better than WMCT alone (RR 1.33, 95%CI 1.19-1.49) and the same as the effect of electroacupuncture combined with WMCT (RR 1.33, 95%CI 1.19-1.50). One study showed a better effect of electroacupuncture than of WMCT (RR 1.34, 95%CI 1.24-1.45). For mean changes in hearing over all frequencies, the meta-analysis showed a better effect with the combination of acupuncture and WMCT than with WMCT alone (MD 10.85, 95%CI 6.84-14.86). However, the evidence levels for these interventions were low or very low due to a high risk of bias and small sample sizes in the included studies. CONCLUSION: There was not sufficient evidence showing that acupuncture therapy alone was beneficial for treating SSHL. However, interventions combining acupuncture with WMCT had more efficacious results in the treatment of SSHL than WMCT alone. Electroacupuncture alone might be a viable alternative treatment besides WMCT for SSHL. However, given that there were fewer eligible RCTs and limitations in the included trials, such as methodological drawbacks and small sample sizes, large-scale RCTs are required to confirm the current findings regarding acupuncture therapy for SSHL.