An Ultrathin Composite Polymer Electrolyte Dual-Reinforced by a Polymer of Intrinsic Microporosity (PIM-1) and Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) Porous Membrane.

The performances of solid-state polymer electrolytes are urgently required to be further improved for high energy density lithium metal batteries. Herein, a highly reinforced ultrathin composite polymer electrolyte (PLPP) is successfully fabricated in a large scale by densely filling the well-dispersed mixture of polyethylene oxide (PEO), Li-salt (LiTFSI) and a polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-1) into porous poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) matrix. Based on the macro-plus-micro synergistic enhancement of the PTFE with excellent mechanical properties and the soluble PIM-1 with suitable functional groups, the PLPP electrolyte exhibits excellent properties including mechanical stress, thermal stability, lithium-ion transference number, voltage window and ionic conductivity, which are all superior to the typical PEO/LiTFSI electrolytes. As a result, the Li/PLPP/Li symmetric cell can stably cycle for > 2000 h, and the LiFePO4/PLPP/Li full cell exhibits excellent rate performance (>10 C) and high cycling stability with an initial capacity of 158.8 mAh g-1 and a capacity retention of 78.8% after 300 cycles. In addition, the excellent mechanical properties as well as the wide voltage window reasonably result in the stable operation of full cells with either high-loading cathode up to 28.1 mg cm-2 or high voltage cathode with high energy density.

Dual-Targeting Nanoprobe for Early Diagnosis of Pheochromocytoma Though Coinstantaneous Identification of Circulating Tumor Cells.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) play a pivotal role in the early diagnosis of pheochromocytoma (PCC). Herein, we fabricated a new dual-targeting nanoprobe for coinstantaneous identification of rare PCC-CTCs from peripheral blood via targeting the norepinephrine transporter (NET) and somatostatin receptor SSTR2 overexpressed on the surface of PCC cells. Meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) functionalized magnetic Fe3O4 and octreotide (DOTA) decorated signal amplification Ag@SiO2 nanosphere were used to capture and detect PCC-CTCs by binding to NET and SSTR2. The proposed dual-targeting sensor achieved good reproducibility and high sensitivity for the monitoring of PC12 in the concentration range from 5 to 5 × 104 cells mL-1, with detection limits of 2 cell/mL. This strategy opens a new approach for simple, sensitive, and rapid determination of PCC biomarkers, which shows great potential in early diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic evaluation of PCC.

Size-Dependent Effect of Cu2O Nanocubes in Electrochemical and Photocatalytic Properties.

Cu2O nanocubes with different size (ranging from 20 nm to 400 nm) were prepared by a seed-mediated method to systematically explore the strong size-dependent properties in photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO). Cu2O nanotubes were characterized by TEM, XRD, UV-Vis measurements. The size-dependent photocatalytic efficiency of the Cu2O nanocubes was evaluated by degradation of methyl orange (MO) in water under visible light (λ > 420 nm) irradiation. Furthermore, the photocurrent, linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) measurements were applied to elucidate the size-dependent properties of Cu2O nanocubes, which demonstrated that smaller Cu2O nanocubes with certain length (30 nm) showed higher current density, faster electron transfer and lower rate of charge recombination in their exposed (100) facet. Therefore, 30 nm Cu2O nanocubes showed stronger visible light absorption capacity and higher photocatalytic activity in MO degradation among a series of nanocubes (20, 30, 100, 130, 200 and 400 nm) and their corresponding photocatalytic activities decreased with increasing the particles sizes.

Effects of rosuvastatin correlated with the down-regulation of CYP4A1 in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The effects of long-term rosuvastatin treatment on the regulation of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 4A1 expression and vascular homeostasis of spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) are still unknown. In this study SHRs were randomly divided into three groups (n=10 per group): SHR group, H-Rv group (rosuvastatin 2.5 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1)), L-Rv group (rosuvastatin 0.5 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1)), and 10 male Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats in the control group (WKY group). All rats were treated with rosuvastatin for 12 weeks. The systolic blood pressure (SBP), left ventricle weight index (LVWI) and plasma lipids were measured during or after treatment. The expression of CYP4A1 mRNA and protein in different tissues was detected by real-time PCR and Western blot. In the heart, kidney and aorta, the CYP4A1 expressions were down-regulated at both mRNA and protein levels in rosuvastatin-treated groups compared with the untreated SHR group (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and high-dose rosuvastatin exerted a stronger down-regulatory effect. The increasing trend of blood pressure was markedly blunted in the rosuvastatin-treated groups versus the untreated SHR group, and a stronger effect was observed in high-dose group (P<0.05 and P<0.01 at different time points). LVWI, an indicator of ventricle hypertrophy, was improved in the high-dose group compared with the untreated SHR group (P<0.05). The plasma concentrations of TC, TG and LDL-C in three SHR groups (high-dose, low-dose and untreated group) were all significantly lower than those of WKY group (P<0.05 or P<0.01), which seemed unrelated to the treatment of rosuvastatin. These findings suggested that hypertension in SHRs was possibly associated with CYP4A1 overexpression, and the effects of rosuvastatin on blood pressure and ventricle hypertrophy were potentially correlated with CYP4A1 and its metabolite other than lipid profiles. Multiple mechanisms are likely involved in the beneficial effects of statins with respect to the regulation of CYP4A1.

Rapid electrochemical detection of domoic acid based on polydopamine/reduced graphene oxide coupled with in-situ imprinted polyacrylamide.

Domoic acid, namely amnesic shellfish toxin, is a highly neurotoxic substance to marine animals and humankind. To reduce the incidence of poisoning accidents, the exploitation of specific and rapid detection method for domoic acid monitoring is highly required. Herein, an electrochemical molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) sensor based on polydopamine-reduced graphene oxide/polyacrylamide composite (PDA-rGO/PAM) was constructed successfully to detect domoic acid. The domoic acid molecule could be recognized in imprinted cavities of PAM reversibly through hydrogen bonding. PDA-rGO promoted the loading capacity of PAM and improved the charge transfer rate, which amplified the electrical signal response of the MIP sensor. The screen-printed electrode (SPE) modified with PDA-rGO/PAM displayed satisfactory response toward toxin contaminated sample at a linear range from 1 to 600 nM and a low detection limit of 0.31 nM, demonstrating the prospective application of the transducer as a portable sensing platform for the on-site detection of hazardous marine biotoxin. Moreover, benefiting from the superior specificity and stability of MIP, the fabricated sensor could be utilized to detect the domoic acid content in mussel extracts directly without complex pretreatment operation.

Cobalt Phosphide (Co2P) with Notable Electrocatalytic Activity Designed for Sensitive and Selective Enzymeless Bioanalysis of Hydrogen Peroxide.

In this work, cobalt phosphide nanoparticles (Co2P NPs) were prepared by simple and mild hydrothermal method without the use of harmful phosphorous source. The morphological structure and surface component of Co2P were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. Considering the excellent electrocatalytic reduction activity and good electrical conductivity of transition-metal phosphide, we fabricated Co2P NPs on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate (Co2P/ITO) for H2O2 detection. The Co2P/ITO transducer displayed a rapid amperometric response less than 5 s, a broader response range from 0.001 to 10.0 mM and a low detection limit of 0.65 µM. In addition, the non-enzymatic Co2P/ITO sensor showed outstanding selectivity, reproducibility, repeatability and stability, all of which qualified the Co2P/ITO electrode for quite a reliable and promising biosensor for H2O2 sensing.

A carbon-rich nanofiber framework based on a conjugated arylacetylene polymer for photocathodic enzymatic bioanalysis.

Poly(1,3,5-triethynylbenzene) (PTEB), a newly developed conjugated arylacetylene polymer, was utilized for photoelectrochemical (PEC) enzymatic bioanalysis in this work. The porous nanofiber framework of PTEB film which produced an apparent cathodic photocurrent under visible light illumination was fabricated on an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode via copper-surface mediated interface Glaser polycondensation. As the photocurrent density of the metal-free photocathode displayed a characteristic O2 dependency, the consumption of dissolved oxygen caused by the modified glucose oxidase (GOx) in biocatalysis induced a depressed photoresponse in the presence of glucose. The fabricated PEC transducer exhibited favorable glucose sensing performances in the linear range of 5 µM to 8 mM and with the detection limit of 1.7 µM; it could also be employed in glucose monitoring in human serum. Moreover, the acetylenic carbon-rich polymer possessed the superior features of being cost-effective in preparation and machinable in device development, which sheds light on the exploration of an advanced PEC sensing platform based on conjugated organic polymers for the bioanalysis of valuable analytes.

[Use of septo-rhinoplasty in the treatment of traumatic deviated nose].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the new classification and marking method for traumatic deviated nose treated by septo-rhinoplasty. METHODS: Twenty-six selected cases of traumatic deviated nose were analysed. There were 5 C-type cases, 12 O-type cases and 9 S-type cases. Deviated parameters were measured before and after operation. All patients were treated by seven-step method. RESULTS: Clinical data in seventeen patients including C-type and O-type were complete. There was significant difference in changes of deviated parameters before and after operation( t = 6.9031, P = 0.0001). The cure rate was 58.8%, the effective rate was 88.2%. CONCLUSIONS: The new clinical classification and marking method for traumatic deviated nose are suitable for clinical study. Septo-rhinoplasty is effective for traumatic deviated nose.