The Molecular Role of Immune Cells in Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a rare and severe condition characterized by chamber dilation and impaired contraction of the left ventricle. It constitutes a fundamental etiology for profound heart failure and abrupt cardiac demise, rendering it a prominent clinical indication for heart transplantation (HTx) among both adult and pediatric populations. DCM arises from various etiologies, including genetic variants, epigenetic disorders, infectious insults, autoimmune diseases, and cardiac conduction abnormalities. The maintenance of cardiac function involves two distinct types of immune cells: resident immune cells and recruited immune cells. Resident immune cells play a crucial role in establishing a harmonious microenvironment within the cardiac tissue. Nevertheless, in response to injury, cardiomyocytes initiate a cytokine cascade that attracts peripheral immune cells, thus perturbing this intricate equilibrium and actively participating in the initiation and pathological remodeling of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), particularly during the progression of myocardial fibrosis. Additionally, immune cells assume a pivotal role in orchestrating the inflammatory processes, which are intimately linked to the prognosis of DCM. Consequently, understanding the molecular role of various immune cells and their regulation mechanisms would provide an emerging era for managing DCM. In this review, we provide a summary of the most recent advancements in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of immune cells in DCM. Additionally, we evaluate the effectiveness and limitations of immunotherapy approaches for the treatment of DCM, with the aim of optimizing future immunotherapeutic strategies for this condition.

Progress and prospects of dealloying methods for energy-conversion electrocatalysis.

Developing hydrogen production and utilization technologies is a promising way to achieve large-scale applications of renewable energy. For both water electrolysis and fuel cell electrode reactions, electrocatalysts are critical to their energy conversion efficiencies. Among the various strategies for improving the performance of electrocatalysts, dealloying has been developed as a commonly used effective post-processing method. It originated from anti-corrosion science and can form metal materials with porous or "skin" nanostructures by selectively dissolving the active components in alloys. There are generally two types of dealloying methods: electrochemical dealloying and chemical dealloying. Electrochemical dealloying is more controllable, while chemical dealloying is simpler and less expensive. In this review, the fundamentals, histories, and progress of dealloying methods for energy conversion electrocatalysis are systematically summarized. Furthermore, current problems and prospects are proposed.

A bifunctional nanoporous Ni-Co-Se electrocatalyst with a superaerophobic surface for water and hydrazine oxidation.

The sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) has severely hindered the energetic convenience of water splitting. Thus, developing a highly efficient catalyst for the OER and replacing the OER with hydrazine oxidation (HzOR) are effective strategies for water electrolysis to achieve sustainable hydrogen production. Herein, bifunctional nanosheet arrays Ni0.6Co0.4Se with a porous structure were fabricated on Ni foam (NF) by the bubble dynamic template method during electrodeposition. Compared with CoSe2 and NiSe2, Ni0.6Co0.4Se exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performance for both the OER and HzOR. A low overpotential of only 249 mV is required to drive 10 mA cm-2, and a retention rate of nearly 100% after 24 h at 10 mA cm-2 is observed for Ni0.6Co0.4Se towards the OER. By substituting the OER by HzOR, an extremely high current density of 300 mA cm-2 at 0.4 V vs. RHE and a retention rate of 86.8% at 200 mA cm-2 after 12 h can be achieved. Interestingly, the mechanistic reason for the enhanced catalytic ability of Ni0.6Co0.4Se was studied, which is associated with the synergistic effects of Ni and Co, large ECSA, high electrical conductivity and most importantly the superaerophobic nature induced by the porous structure of Ni0.6Co0.4Se. The non-noble metal bifunctional electrocatalyst demonstrates a promising potential for application in both the OER and HzOR.

[Clinical observation on external humeral epicondylitis treated with back-rotation traction].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical effect of manipulation on external humeral epicondylitis, and to explore the functional mechanism and ideal treatment. METHODS: Eighty-six patients who had been treated with acupuncture, obturation and needle-knife were divided into routine group and treatment group randomly. In routine group, there were 42 cases (male 13, female 29, means 40.8 years); and in treatment group there were 44 cases (male 16, female 28, means 41.2 years). There's no further treatment for the routine group after the therapy above, while the treatment group was added with back-rotation traction manipulation. RESULTS: Taking Verhaar therapy effect appraisal system of tennis-ball elbow to evaluate elbow function. After 7 days of therapy, the results were excellent in 13 cases, good in 16, fair in 4, poor in 9 in the routine group; and excellent in 38, good in 4 and fair in 2 in treatment group; and the effect in the treatment group were better than that of the routine group (P < 0.010). Half a year later, in the routine group 38 cases recurrenced and in the treatment group 10 cases recurrenced. CONCLUSION: Making manipulation after routine acupuncture, local obturation and needle-knife has active meaning to remove trauma inflammation, prevent re-conglutination, promote recovery and prevent recurrence.