Weak Cation-Solvent Interactions in Ether-Based Electrolytes Stabilizing Potassium-ion Batteries.

Conventional ether-based electrolytes exhibited a low polarization voltage in potassium-ion batteries, yet suffered from ion-solvent co-intercalation phenomena in a graphite anode, inferior potassium-metal performance, and limited oxidation stability. Here, we reveal that weakening the cation-solvent interactions could suppress the co-intercalation behaviour, enhance the potassium-metal performance, and improve the oxidation stability. Consequently, the graphite anode exhibits K+ intercalation behaviour (K||graphite cell operates 200 cycles with 86.6 % capacity retention), the potassium metal shows highly stable plating/stripping (K||Cu cell delivers 550 cycles with average Coulombic efficiency of 98.9 %) and dendrite-free (symmetric K||K cell operates over 1400 hours) properties, and the electrolyte exhibits high oxidation stability up to 4.4 V. The ion-solvent interaction tuning strategy provides a promising method to develop high-performance electrolytes and beyond.

Association of hypertension with helicobacter pylori: A systematic review and meta­analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The number of hypertensive population rises year by year recently, and their age becomes more youthful. For a long time, hypertension has long been regarded as a multi-factorial disease. In addition to smoking, genetics, diet and other factors, helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) had been regarded as a potential risk factor for hypertension in recent years. However, most studies had certain limitations and their results were inconsistent. Thus, it is necessary for us to assess the impact of H. pylori on hypertension through meta-analysis. METHODS: We searched all published relevant literature through multiple databases by July 23, 2021. Pooled results were calculated under the random effect model. Heterogeneity was evaluated by the Q statistic and the I2 statistic. The risk of bias was evaluated via ROBINS-I tool. Publication bias was evaluated by the Egger test and Begg funnel plot. RESULTS: 6 eligible studies involving 11317 hypertensive patients and 12765 controls were selected from 20767 retrieval records. Our research confirmed that H. pylori significantly increased the probability of suffering from hypertension in the random effect model (OR:1.34, 95% CI:1.10-1.63, P = 0.002, I2 = 74%). The same results were also found in both Asian population and developing country (OR:1.28, 95%CI:1.05-1.55, P = 0.003, I2 = 78.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirmed that H. pylori was a vital risk factor for hypertension. H. pylori-infected people were 13.4% higher risk for hypertension than uninfected individuals. In addition, it will be a new method to prevent and treat hypertension by eradicating H. pylori. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The registration number for systematic review in PROSPERO CRD42021279677.

Mechanisms of gefitinib-induced QT prolongation.

Gefitinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, was the first targeted therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Gefitinib could block human Ether-à-go-go-Related Gene (hERG) channel, an important target in drug-induced long QT syndrome. However, it is unclear whether gefitinib could induce QT interval prolongation. Here, whole-cell patch-clamp technique was used for evaluating the effect of gefitinib on rapidly-activating delayed rectifier K+ current (IKr), slowly-activating delayed rectifier K+ current (IKs), transient outward potassium current (Ito), inward rectifier K+ current (IK1) and on action potentials in guinea pig ventricular myocytes. The Langendorff heart perfusion technique was used to determine drug effect on the ECG. Gefitinib depressed IKr by binding to open and closed hERG channels in a concentration-dependent way (IC50: 1.91 µM). The inhibitory effect of gefitinib on wildtype hERG channels was reduced at the hERG mutants Y652A, S636A, F656V and S631A (IC50: 8.51, 13.97, 18.86, 32.99 µM), indicating that gefitinib is a pore inhibitor of hERG channels. In addition, gefitinib accelerated hERG channel inactivation and decreased channel steady-state inactivation. Gefitinib also decreased IKs with IC50 of 23.8 µM. Moreover, gefitinib increased action potential duration (APD) in guinea pig ventricular myocytes and the corrected QT interval (QTc) in isolated perfused guinea pig hearts in a concentration-dependent way (1-30 µM). These findings indicate that gefitinib could prolong QTc interval by potently blocking hERG channel, modulating kinetic properties of hERG channel. Partial block of KCNQ1/KCNE1 could also contribute to delayed repolarization and prolonged QT interval. Thus, caution should be taken when gefitinib is used for NSCLC treatment.

Applications of Catalytic Hairpin Assembly Reaction in Biosensing.

Nucleic acids are considered as perfect programmable materials for cascade signal amplification and not merely as genetic information carriers. Among them, catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA), an enzyme-free, high-efficiency, and isothermal amplification method, is a typical example. A typical CHA reaction is initiated by single-stranded analytes, and substrate hairpins are successively opened, resulting in thermodynamically stable duplexes. CHA circuits, which were first proposed in 2008, present dozens of systems today. Through in-depth research on mechanisms, the CHA circuits have been continuously enriched with diverse reaction systems and improved analytical performance. After a short time, the CHA reaction can realize exponential amplification under isothermal conditions. Under certain conditions, the CHA reaction can even achieve 600 000-fold signal amplification. Owing to its promising versatility, CHA is able to be applied for analysis of various markers in vitro and in living cells. Also, CHA is integrated with nanomaterials and other molecular biotechnologies to produce diverse readouts. Herein, the varied CHA mechanisms, hairpin designs, and reaction conditions are introduced in detail. Additionally, biosensors based on CHA are presented. Finally, challenges and the outlook of CHA development are considered.