Bariatric arterial embolization slows gastric emptying and improves postprandial glycaemia in obese dogs with impaired glucose tolerance.

AIM: To evaluate the effects of bariatric arterial embolization (BAE) on gastric emptying of, and the glycaemic response to, an oral glucose load in an obese canine model with impaired glucose tolerance. METHODS: Eleven male dogs were fed a high-fat, high-fructose diet for 7 weeks before receiving BAE, which involved selective embolization of the left gastric artery (n = 5; 14.9 ± 0.8 kg), or the sham (n = 6; 12.6 ± 0.8 kg) procedure. Postprocedural body weight was measured weekly for 4 weeks. Prior to and at 4 weeks postprocedure, a glucose solution containing 13C-acetate was administered orally for evaluation of the gastric half-emptying time (T50) and the glycaemic response. The relationship between the changes in the blood glucose area under the curve over the first 60 minutes (AUC0-60min) and the T50 was also assessed. RESULTS: At 4 weeks postprocedure, BAE reduced body weight (BAE vs. the sham procedure: -5.7% ± 0.9% vs. 3.5% ± 0.9%, P < .001), slowed gastric emptying (T50 at baseline vs. postprocedure: 75.5 ± 2.0 vs. 82.5 ± 1.8 minutes, P = .021 in the BAE group; 73.8 ± 1.8 vs. 74.3 ± 1.9 minutes in the sham group) and lowered the glycaemic response to oral glucose (AUC0-60min at baseline vs. postprocedure: 99.2 ± 13.7 vs. 67.6 ± 9.8 mmol·min/L, P = .043 in the BAE group; 100.2 ± 13.4 vs. 103.9 ± 14.6 mmol·min/L in the sham group). The change in the glucose AUC0-60min correlated inversely with that of the T50 (r = -0.711; P = .014). CONCLUSIONS: In a canine model with impaired glucose tolerance, BAE, while reducing body weight, slowed gastric emptying and attenuated the glycaemic response to an oral glucose load.

Keratinocyte TLR2 and TLR7 contribute to chronic itch through pruritic cytokines and chemokines in mice.

Although neuronal Toll-like receptors (TLRs) (e.g., TLR2, TLR3, and TLR7) have been implicated in itch sensation, the roles of keratinocyte TLRs in chronic itch are elusive. Herein, we evaluated the roles of keratinocyte TLR2 and TLR7 in chronic itch under dry skin and psoriasis conditions, which was induced by either acetone-ether-water treatment or 5% imiquimod cream in mice, respectively. We found that TLR2 and TLR7 signaling were significantly upregulated in dry skin and psoriatic skin in mice. Chronic itch and epidermal hyperplasia induced by dry skin or psoriasis were comparably reduced in TLR2 and TLR7 knockout mice. In the dry skin model, the enhanced messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of pruritic CXCL1/2, IL-31, IL-33, ST2, IL-6, IL-17A, TNF-α, and IFN-γ were inhibited in TLR2-/- mice, while CXCL2, IL-31, and IL-6 were inhibited in TLR7-/- mice. In psoriasis model, the enhanced mRNA expression levels of pruritic CXCL1/2, IL-31, IL-33, ST2, IL-6, and TNF-α were inhibited in TLR2-/- mice, while CXCL1/2, IL-31, IL-33, ST2, IL-6, IL-17A, and TNF-α were inhibited in TLR7-/- mice. Incubation with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) peptidoglycan (PGN-SA) (a TLR2 agonist), imiquimod (a TLR7 agonist), and miR142-3p (a putative TLR7 agonist) were sufficient to upregulate the expression of pruritic cytokines or chemokines in cultured keratinocyte HaCaT cells. Finally, pharmacological blockade of C-X-C Motif Chemokine Receptor 1/2 and high mobility group box protein 1 dose-dependently attenuated acute and chronic itch in mice. Together, these results indicate that keratinocyte TLR2 and TLR7 signaling pathways are distinctly involved in the pathogenesis of chronic itch.

[Comprehensive identification of metabolites and metabolic characteristics of luteolin and kaempferol in Simiao Yong'an Decoction in rats by UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MS/MS].

Simiao Yong'an Decoction is a classic prescription for treating gangrene. Modern medical evidence has proven that Si-miao Yong'an Decoction has therapeutic effects on atherosclerosis(AS), vascular occlusion angeitides, and hypertension, while its pharmacodynamic mechanism remains unclear. The evidence of network pharmacology, molecular docking, literature review, and our previous study suggests that luteolin and kaempferol are two major flavonoids in Simiao Yong'an Decoction and can inhibit macrophage inflammation and exert anti-AS effects. However, due to lack of the metabolism studies in vivo, little is known about the metabolic characteristics of luteolin and kaempferol. This study employed ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometry(UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MS/MS) and relevant software to identify the metabolites and metabolic pathways of luteolin and kaempferol in rat plasma, urine, and feces, after oral administration of luteolin and kaempferol, respectively. After the administration of luteolin, 10, 11, and 3 metabolites of luteolin were detected in the plasma, urine, and feces, respectively. After the administration of kaempferol, 9, 3, and 1 metabolites of kaempferol were detected in the plasma, urine, and feces, respectively. The metabolic pathways mainly involved methylation, glucuronidation, and sulfation. This study enriches the knowledge about the pharmacological mechanism of luteolin and kaempferol and supplies a reference for revealing the metabolic process of other flavonoids in Simiao Yong'an Decoction, which is of great significance for elucidating the pharmacological effects and effective substances of this decoction in vivo.

Decrypting Material Performance by Wide-field Femtosecond Interferometric Imaging of Energy Carrier Evolution.

Energy carrier evolution is crucial for material performance. Ultrafast microscopy has been widely applied to visualize the spatiotemporal evolution of energy carriers. However, direct imaging of a small amount of energy carriers on the nanoscale remains difficult due to extremely weak transient signals. Here, we present a method for ultrasensitive and high-throughput imaging of energy carrier evolution in space and time. This method combines femtosecond pump-probe techniques with interferometric scattering microscopy (iSCAT), named Femto-iSCAT. The interferometric principle and unique spatially modulated contrast enhancement enable the exploration of new science. We address three important and challenging problems: transport of different energy carriers at various interfaces, heterogeneous hot-electron distribution and relaxation in single plasmonic resonators, and distinct structure-dependent edge-state dynamics of carriers and excitons in optoelectronic semiconductors. Femto-iSCAT holds great potential as a universal tool for ultrasensitive imaging of energy carrier evolution in space and time.

Evaluation of the Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Mulberry (Morus alba L.) Fruits from Different Varieties in China.

Mulberry (Morus alba L.) fruit is a fruit with nutritional and medicinal value. It is widely cultivated in different regions of China, which may result in differences in its chemical composition. In this research, 25 mulberry fruit samples from six provinces in China were investigated. The contents of anthocyanins were evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The contents of two main anthocyanins, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside (C3R), ranged from 0.656 ± 0.006 mg/g to 4.367 ± 0.243 mg/g and from 0.226 ± 0.007 mg/g to 1.649 ± 0.013 mg/g, respectively. Additionally, the contents of total phenolic, total flavonoid, vitamin C, titratable acids, reducing sugars and antioxidant capacity (FRAP, DPPH, scavenging and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity) were also assessed. The results and principal component analysis showed that the Zhongsang 5801 variety from Sichuan, Dechang had the greatest health value with the highest active compound contents. Based on our analysis, the variety from Sichuan, Dechang is a high-quality plant source for mulberry fruit cultivation. This research provides a basis for the rational development and utilization of mulberry fruit resources in China.

[Exploration on scientific connotation of TCM syndromes and recommended prescriptions against COVID-19 based on TCMTP V2.0].

Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) has attracted great attentions from the whole world. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) has been widely used and shown satisfying efficacies in treating all stages of COVID-19. In this study, the molecular interaction networks of different stages of COVID-19(the early, severe, critical and recovery stage) were constructed using the links among symptoms-related genes collected from TCMIP V2.0(http://www.tcmip.cn/), an integrated pharmacology network-computing platform for TCM. Following the network topological feature calculation and functional enrichment analysis, we found that the molecular targets and pathways related with the "immune-inflammation system" were involved throughout all the stages of COVID-19. The severe stage and the critical period of COVID-19 were occupied by a large proportion of inflammatory factors and pathways, suggesting that there might be a cytokine storm in these periods, along with respiratory disorders, cardiopulmonary dysfunction, nervous system disorders, etc. Accordingly, the therapeutic targets and pathways hit by the recommended prescriptions against COVID-19 were also aimed to regulate the balance of immune-inflammation system, nutrient absorption and metabolism, abnormal energy metabolism, the cardio-pulmonary function, nerve system function, etc., which may be related to the therapeutic effects of these prescriptions in terms of several clinical symptoms, such as expiratory dyspnea, chest tightness and shortness of breath, abdominal distension and constipation, sweating and limb cold, dizziness, and irritability, etc. The above findings reflect the integrative actions of TCM characterizing by multiple-components, multiple-targets, multiple-pathways, and multiple-effects. This study systematically constructed the molecular networks of different TCM syndromes during the development and progression of COVID-19 and uncovered the biological basis for symptomatic treatment of TCM. Furthermore, our data revealed the pharmacological mechanisms and the scientific connotation of recommended prescriptions, which may provide supports for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 using TCM.

CRH/CRHR1 mediates prenatal synthetic glucocorticoid programming of depression-like behavior across 2 generations.

Pregnant women at risk of preterm labor usually receive synthetic glucocorticoids (sGCs) to promote fetal lung development. Emerging evidence indicates that antenatal sGC increases the risk of affective disorders in offspring. Data from animal studies show that such disorders can be transmitted to the second generation. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the intergenerational effects of prenatal sGC remain largely unknown. Here we show that prenatal dexamethasone (Dex) administration in late pregnancy induced depression-like behavior in first-generation (F1) offspring, which could be transmitted to second-generation (F2) offspring with maternal dependence. Moreover, corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and CRH receptor type 1 (CRHR1) expression in the hippocampus was increased in F1 Dex offspring and F2 offspring from F1 Dex female rats. Administration of a CRHR1 antagonist to newborn F1 Dex offspring alleviated depression-like behavior in these rats at adult. Furthermore, we demonstrated that increased CRHR1 expression in F1 and F2 offspring was associated with hypomethylation of CpG islands in Crhr1 promoter. Our results revealed that prenatal sGC exposure could program Crh and Crhr1 gene expression in hippocampus across 2 generations, thereby leading to depression-like behavior. Our study indicates that prenatal sGC can cause epigenetic instability, which increases the risk of disease development in the offspring's later life.-Xu, Y.-J., Sheng, H., Wu, T.-W., Bao, Q.-Y., Zheng, Y., Zhang, Y.-M., Gong, Y.-X., Lu, J.-Q., You, Z.-D., Xia, Y., Ni, X. CRH/CRHR1 mediates prenatal synthetic glucocorticoid programming of depression-like behavior across 2 generations.

Improving the growth of Rubrivivax gelatinosus cultivated in sewage environment.

Rubrivivax gelatinosus cultivated in wastewater environment can combine the biomass resource recycling for generating chemicals with sewage purification. However, low biomass accumulation restricts the exertion of this advantage. Thus, this paper investigated Fe(3+) advancement for biomass production in starch wastewater under light-anaerobic condition. Results showed that addition of Fe(3+) was successful in enhancing biomass production, which certainly improved the feasibility of biomass recycling in R. gelatinosus starch wastewater treatment. With optimal Fe(3+) dosage (20 mg/L), biomass production reached 4,060 mg/L, which was 1.63 times that of control group. Amylase activity was improved by 48 %. Both COD removal and starch removal reached 90 %. Hydraulic retention time was shortened by 25 %. Proper Fe(3+) dosage enhanced biomass production, but excess Fe(3+) was harmful for biomass accumulation.

[Reseach on THz Time Domain Spectrum of Photo-Induced Insulator-Metal Phase Transition of VO2 Films].

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) film will be phase-transitioned from insulator into metal, accompanied with dramatic change on conductivity, which is named as photo-induced insulator-metal phase transition. Such phase transition of VO2 film has important application potentials in modulators or other functional devices for terahertz waves. In this paper, the transmission spectrum variations before and after the photo-induced insulator-metal phase transition of vanadium dioxide film are investigated, and the phase transition properties in terahertz(THz) region are analyzed. In the experiment, the phase transition of the VO2 film was induced by a continuous wave (CW) laser source and a femtosecond (fs) laser source, respectively. Obvious changes on the THz waveforms were observed for the both mentioned means of excitation, and the amplitude attenuation, as well as the signal distortion, was intensified with the increase of the impinging optical power. The fast Fourier transform (FFT) spectra of the transmitted THz time-domain signals were analyzed and it was found that the amplitude of the transmitted spectrum decreased synchronously with the increase of the optical power, accompanied with deformation of the spectrum line shape at the same time. The reason was that the macroscopic dielectric properties of the VO2 film approached gradually to that of a metal as laser power was increased. A parameter, transmission modulation function, was defined in the paper as the amplitude difference between the transmission spectra of the VO2 film before and after the laser excitation, to describe the dispersivity of the photo-induced phase transition more clearly. From the curve of the transmission modulation function, strong frequency-dependent properties at THz frequencies were found to vary regularly with the incident light power. After furthermore comparison, it was found that, though the insulator-metal phase transition could be trigged by both CW laser source and fs laser source, the corresponding impinging optical power values were obviously alternative for the equivalent transmission modulation function. At the end of the paper, the difference of the phase transition efficiency between the two excitation methods was analyzed and discussed.

[Study on Spectral Characteristics of Two Kinds of Home-Made Novel Yb-Doped Fluoride Laser Crystals].

Yb-doped fluoride crystals are of important another Yb-doped laser materials besides Yb-doped oxide, which are becoming one of interests for developing tunable lasers and ultrafast lasers. In this paper, the systematic and contrastive experiments of the optical spectral characteristics are presented for two types of home-made novel Yb-doped fluoride laser crystals, namely, Yb-doped CaF2-SrF2 mixed crystal and co-doped Yb, Y:CaF2 single crystal. The fluorescent features of Yb-doped CaF2-SrF2 mixed crystal and co-doped Yb, Y:CaF2 single crystal are apparently different by the fluorescence experiment. The physical mechanism of these fluorescence spectra were analyzed and proposed. The influence of doping concentrations of active Yb(3+) ions or co-doping Y ions on the absorption of Yb-doped CaF2-SrF2 mixed crystal and co-doped Yb, Y:CaF2 single crystal was experimentally investigated, and the optimal values of doping concentrations of active Yb(3+) ions or co-doping Y ions in the two types of fluoride laser crystals were obtained. Continuous-wave laser operation for the two novel fluoride laser crystals has been achieved in three-mirror-folded resonator using a laser diode as the pump source. Therein, the laser operation for the co-doped Yb, Y:CaF2 crystal is demonstrated for the first time. For the two types of fluoride laser crystals (four samples), the input-output power relational curves, the optical slope efficiencies and the laser spectra were demonstrated by the laser experiments. By comparisons between the two types of fluoride laser crystals in the absorbability, fluorescence and laser spectra, laser threshold and slope efficiency of the continuous-wave laser operation, the results show that the best one of the four samples in spectral and laser characteristics is co-doped 3at%Yb, 6at% Y:CaF2 single crystal, which has an expected potential in the application. The research results provide available references for improving further laser performance of Yb-doped fluoride crystals.

Strengthening the growth of Rubrivivax gelatinosus in sewage purification through ferric ion regulated photophosphorylation and respiration.

Rubrivivax gelatinosus has the potential of biomass resource recycling combined with sewage purification. However, low biomass production and yield restricts the potential for sewage purification. Thus, this research investigated the improvement of biomass production and yield and organics reduction by Fe(3+) in R. gelatinosus wastewater treatment. Results showed that 10-30 mg/L Fe(3+) improved biomass yield in wastewater to a level found in culture medium. With optimal dosage (20 mg/L), biomass production reached 4,300 mg/L, which was 1.67 times that of the control group. Biomass yield was improved by 43.3%. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal reached above 91%. Hydraulic retention time was shortened by 25%. Mechanism analysis indicated that Fe(3+) enhanced the succinate and NADH dehydrogenase activities and, bacteriochlorophyll content in three energy metabolism pathways. These effects then enhanced adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production, which led to more biomass accumulation and COD removal. With 20 mg/L Fe(2+) dosage, succinate and NADH dehydrogenase, coproporphyrinogen III oxidase activities, bacteriochlorophyll content and ATP production were improved, respectively, by 48.4, 50.8, 50, 67 and 56% compared to those of the control group.

Improving biomass resource recycling capacity of Rubrivivax gelatinosus cultivated in wastewater through regulating the generation and use of energy.

This paper investigated Mg2+ enhancement of biomass production through regulating the generation and use of energy in Rubrivivax gelatinosus wastewater treatment. Results showed that proper Mg2+ dosage range was 1.5-15 mg/L. With optimal Mg2+ dosage (10 mg/L), biomass production (5010 mg/L) was improved by 60%. Both protein and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removals reached above 90%. Biomass yield improved by 38%. Hydraulic retention time was shortened by 25%. Mechanism analysis indicated that as activator, Mg2+ promoted specifically isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) and Ca2+ / Mg2+ -ATPase activities in energy metabolism, and then improved the generation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and the use of ATP. This enhanced the secretion and activity of protease, protein and COD removals, and then led to more biomass production. With 10 mg/L Mg2+, IDH and Ca2+ / Mg2+ -ATPase activities, ATP production, protease activity were improved by 43.8%, 40.6%, 39.4% and 46.5%, respectively.

Ultra-Efficient Synthesis of Nb4 C3 Tx MXene via H2 O-Assisted Supercritical Etching for Li-Ion Battery.

Nb4 C3 Tx MXene has shown extraordinary promise for various applications owing to its unique physicochemical properties. However, it can only be synthesized by the traditional HF-based etching method, which uses large amounts of hazardous HF and requires a long etching time (> 96 h), thus limiting its practical application. Here, an ultra-efficient and environmental-friendly H2 O-assisted supercritical etching method is proposed for the preparation of Nb4 C3 Tx MXene. Benefiting from the synergetic effect between supercritical CO2 (SPC-CO2 ) and subcritical H2 O （SBC-H2 O）, the etching time for Nb4 C3 Tx MXene can be dramatically shortened to 1 h. The as-synthesized Nb4 C3 Tx MXene possesses uniform accordion-like morphology and large interlayer spacing. When used as anode for Li-ion battery, the Nb4 C3 Tx MXene delivers a high reversible specific capacity of 430 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 , which is among the highest values achieved in pure-MXene-based anodes. The superior lithium storage performance of the Nb4 C3 Tx MXene can be ascribed to its high conductivity, fast Li+ diffusion kinetics and good structural stability.

Artesunate inhibits vasculogenic mimicry in choroidal melanoma through HIF-1 α/ VEGF/PDGF pathway.

Choroidal melanoma (CM), a highly metastatic eye tumor, exhibits vasculogenic mimicry (VM) facilitated by hypoxia-induced angiogenesis. This study explored the inhibitory impact of the anti-malarial drug Artesunate (ART) on CM VM through modulation of the HIF-1α/VEGF/PDGF pathway. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) confirmed VM in CM with elevated VEGF and PDGF expression. Hypoxia promoted CM proliferation, upregulating HIF-1α, VEGF and PDGF. VEGF and PDGF enhanced CM migration, invasion and VM, with HIF-1α playing a crucial role. ART mitigated VM formation by suppressing the HIF-1α/VEGF/PDGF pathway, highlighting its potential as an anti-tumor agent in CM.

Systemic immune-inflammation index and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in sarcopenia: a study from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2018.

Background: Sarcopenia, common in the elderly, often linked to chronic diseases, correlates with inflammation.The association between SII and mortality in sarcopenia patients is underexplored, this study investigates this relationship in a U.S. adult cohort. Methods: We analyzed 1999-2018 NHANES data, focusing on 2,974 adults with sarcopenia. Mortality outcomes were determined by linking to National Death Index (NDI) records up to December 31, 2019. Using a weighted sampling design, participants were grouped into three groups by the Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SII). We used Cox regression models, adjusting for demographic and clinical variables, to explore SII's association with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in sarcopenia, performing sensitivity analyses for robustness. Results: Over a median follow-up of 9.2 years, 829 deaths occurred. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed significant survival differences across SII groups. The highest SII group showed higher hazard ratios (HRs) for all-cause and cause-specific mortality in both crude and adjusted models. The highest SII group had a higher HR for all-cause(1.57, 1.25-1.98), cardiovascular(1.61, 1.00-2.58), cancer(2.13, 1.32-3.44), and respiratory disease mortality(3.21, 1.66-6.19) in fully adjusted models. Subgroup analyses revealed SII's association with all-cause mortality across various demographics, including age, gender, and presence of diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Sensitivity analyses, excluding participants with cardiovascular diseases, those who died within two years of follow-up, or those under 45 years of age, largely reflected these results, with the highest SII group consistently demonstrating higher HRs for all types of mortality in both unadjusted and adjusted models. Conclusion: Our study is the first to demonstrate a significant relationship between SII and increased mortality risks in a sarcopenia population.

Intravitreal injection of conbercept for diabetic macular edema complicated with diabetic nephropathy.

AIM: To observe the therapeutic effect of conbercept on diabetic macular edema (DME) complicated with diabetic nephropathy (DN). METHODS: In this retrospective study, 54 patients (54 eyes) that diagnosed as DME from January 2017 to October 2021 were collected. The patients were divided into two groups: DME patients with DN (25 eyes), and DME patients without DN (29 eyes). General conditions were collected before treatment, laboratory tests include fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, microalbumin/creatinine, serum creatinine. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was used to check the ellipsoidal zone (EZ) and external limiting membrane (ELM) integrity. Central macular thickness (CMT), best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and retinal hyperreflective foci (HF) as well as numbers of injections were recorded. RESULTS: There were significant differences between fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, serum creatinine, urinary microalbumin/creatinine, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) between the two groups (all P<0.05). EZ and ELM continuity in the DME+DN group was worse than that in the DME group (P<0.05). BCVA (logMAR) in the DME group was significantly better than that in the DME+DN group at the same time points during treatment (all P<0.05). CMT and HF values were significantly higher in the DME+DN group than that in the DME group at the all time points (all P<0.05) and significantly decreased in both groups with time during treatment. At 6mo after treatment, the mean number of injections in the DME+DN and DME group was 4.84±0.94 and 3.79±0.86, respectively. CONCLUSION: Conbercept has a significant effect in short-term treatment of DME patients with or without DN, and can significantly ameliorate BCVA, CMT and the number of HF, treatment efficacy of DME patients without DN is better than that of DME patients with DN.

[The color analysis of peacock feather].

Peacock feather is one of the typical cases with structural colors. In the present article, we found that flamboyant colors in the "eye spot" of male peacock came from photonic crystal structure by observing the surface texture with SEM and reflectance spectrum with fiber spectrometer, and different color regions correspond to various structure cycles and surface appearances of the microstructure. The reflectance spectrum showed that the location of reflective peak shifted with the changes in the incident angles. The theory that the color is caused by microstructure was verified by the phenomenon that reflective peak exhibited red-shift with the time-varying after soaking in isopropyl alcohol. This study paves the way for fabricating functional composite materials with peacock feather-like photonic crystal structure.

Yolk-Shell Sb@Void@Graphdiyne Nanoboxes for High-Rate and Long Cycle Life Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Antimony (Sb) has been pursued as a promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, it suffers from severe volume expansion during the sodiation-desodiation process. Encapsulating Sb into a carbon matrix can effectively buffer the volume change of Sb. However, the sluggish Na+ diffusion kinetics in traditional carbon shells is still a bottleneck for achieving high-rate performance in Sb/C composite materials. Here we design and synthesize a yolk-shell Sb@Void@graphdiyne (GDY) nanobox (Sb@Void@GDY NB) anode for high-rate and long cycle life SIBs. The intrinsic in-plane cavities in GDY shells offer three-dimensional Na+ transporting channels, enabling fast Na+ diffusion through the GDY shells. Electrochemical kinetics analyses show that the Sb@Void@GDY NBs exhibit faster Na+ transport kinetics than traditional Sb@C NBs. In situ transmission electron microscopy analysis reveals that the hollow structure and the void space between Sb and GDY successfully accommodate the volume change of Sb during cycling, and the plastic GDY shell maintains the structural integrity of NBs. Benefiting from the above structural merits, the Sb@Void@GDY NBs exhibit excellent rate capability and extraordinary cycling stability.

[Acupoints compatibility rules of acupuncture for depression disease based on data mining technology].

Based on data mining technology, the acupoints compatibility rules of acupuncture for depression diseases were explored. The randomized controlled trial (RCT) articles regarding acupuncture for depression diseases published from establishment of database to September 2nd, 2022 were searched in CNKI database, Wangfang database, VIP database, SinoMed database, PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library. The use frequency of acupoints, meridian tropism, selection of special acupoints and acupoint association rules for five common depression diseases, including primary depression, post-stroke depression, menopausal syndrome, psychoneurosis and anxiety disorder, were analyzed by Python programming language. Cytoscape software was used to analyze the acupoint association and the disease-acupoint co-occurrence network. As a result, totally 387 articles were included, and 319 acupoints prescriptions for the above five common depression diseases were extracted, involving 159 acupoints. The use frequency of acupoints was 2 574 times in total. The frequently-used acupoints were Baihui (GV 20), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Taichong (LR 3), Neiguan (PC 6), Shenmen (HT 7), Yintang (GV 24+), Zusanli (ST 36), Hegu (LI 4), Sishencong (EX-HN 1) and Taixi (KI 3), etc. The frequently involved meridians were the governor vessel, foot-taiyang bladder meridian, foot-taiyin spleen meridian, and foot-jueyin liver meridian. The frequency of the special acupoints from high to low was crossing points, five-shu points, yuan-primary points, back-shu points, luo-connecting points, and eight confluent points, etc, which were often used in combination with "Baihui (GV 20)-Yintang (GV 24+)" (the highest degree of association). At the same time, the analysis of the co-occurrence network of depression diseases and acupoints showed that the core acupoints group of acupuncture for depression diseases were Baihui (GV 20), Taichong (LR 3), Shenmen (HT 7), Zusanli (ST 36), Neiguan (PC 6) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6). In conclusion, acupuncture treatment for depression diseases has gradually formed a rule of acupoint compatibility, with special acupoint as the main body and "unblocking the governor vessel, and regulating the spirit and qi " as the main therapeutic principle.

Removal of antibiotic resistant bacteria and genes by nanoscale zero-valent iron activated persulfate: Implication for the contribution of pH decrease.

The mechanism of removing antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) by persulfate was attributed to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the potential contribution of decreased pH in persulfate system to ARB and ARGs removal has rarely been reported. Here, the efficiency and mechanism of removing ARB and ARGs by nanoscale zero-valent iron activated persulfate (nZVI/PS) were investigated. Results showed that the ARB (2 × 108 CFU/mL) could be completely inactivated within 5 min, and the removal efficiencies of sul1 and intI1 were 98.95% and 99.64% by nZVI/20 mM PS, respectively. Investigation of mechanism revealed that hydroxyl radicals was the dominant ROS of nZVI/PS in removing ARB and ARGs. Importantly, the pH of nZVI/PS system was greatly decreased, even to 2.9 in nZVI/20 mM PS system. Impressively, when the pH of the bacterial suspension was adjusted to 2.9, the removal efficiency of ARB, sul1 and intI1 were 60.33%, 73.76% and 71.51% within 30 min, respectively. Further excitation-emission-matrix analysis confirmed that decreased pH contributed to ARB damage. The above results on the effect of pH indicated that the decreased pH of nZVI/PS system also made an important contribution for the removal of ARB and ARGs.