Hydrothermal synthesis, evolution, and electrochemical performance of LiMn0.5Fe0.5PO4 nanostructures.

LiMn0.5Fe0.5PO4 (LMFP) materials are synthesized by the hydrothermal approach in an organic-free and surfactant-free aqueous solution. The phase and morphological evolution of the material intermediates at different reaction temperatures and times are characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM, respectively. The results show that during temperature increase, the solubility product (Ksp) of the precursors (Li3PO4, Fe3(PO4)2 and (Mn,Fe)3(PO4)2) is the decisive parameter for the precipitation processes. Once the temperature locates at the range of 100-110 °C, the unstable precursors dissolve quickly and then LMFP nuclei are formed, followed by a dissolution-reprecipitation process. As the reaction progresses, the primary particles self-aggregate to form rod or plate particles to reduce the overall surface energy through oriented attachment (OA) and the Ostwald ripening (OR) mechanism. Moreover, the resultant concentration of the precursor significantly affects the crystal size of LMFP by altering the supersaturation degree of solution at the nucleation stage. The carbon coated LMFP nanostructure synthesized at 0.6 mol L(-1) (resultant concentration of PO4(3-)) delivers discharge capacities of 155, 100 and 81 mA h g(-1) at 0.1, 5 and 20 C rate, respectively. The understanding of nanostructural evolution and its influence on the electrochemical performance will pave a way for a high-performance LMFP cathode.

CircRNA_101237 promotes NSCLC progression via the miRNA-490-3p/MAPK1 axis.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a common type of lung cancer, characterized by a poor prognosis. In the last several years, more and more studies have demonstrated the significant roles played by circular RNAs (circRNAs) in different human tumors progression including NSCLC. The present study was to explore the mechanism of hsa_circ_101237 in regulating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Totally 303 NSCLC cases were enrolled. A549 and H1299 cells were transfected. Cells viability, migration and invasion were determined by CCK-8 assay and transwell experiment, respectively. Luciferase reporter gene assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay were performed. hsa_circ_101237, miR-490-3p and MAPK1 expression in tissues/cells were detected by qRT-PCR. The study found an elevation in the expression of Hsa_circRNA_101237 in both NSCLC tissues and cell line. High Hsa_circRNA_101237 expression predicted poor survival in NSCLC. Meanwhile, we found that hsa_circRNA_101237 expression sponged miR-490-3p to enhance MAPK1 expression, thus significantly promoting NSCLC cell lines proliferation, migration, and invasion. MAPK1 restoration prevented NSCLC cells proliferation, migration, and invasion to be repressed due to hsa_circRNA_101237 knockdown. To sum up, as revealed by the study, hsa_circRNA_101237 promoted the expression of MAPK1 via miRNA-490-3p sponge, thus affecting the NSCLC as an important onco-circRNA.

MicroRNA-96-5p represses breast cancer proliferation and invasion through Wnt/ß-catenin signaling via targeting CTNND1.

Low miR-96-5p expression is characteristic of many cancers but its role in breast cancer (BCa) remains poorly defined. Here, the role of miR-96-5p in BC development was assessed. We demonstrate that exogenously expressing miR-96-5p inhibits the proliferative, migratory and invasive capacity of BCa cells. Mechanistically, miR-96-5p in BCa cells was found to target and downregulate catenin delta 1 (CTNND1) leading to decreased ß-catenin expression, a loss of WNT11 signaling, reduced cyclin D1 levels and lower MMP7 expression. Exogenously expressing CTNND1 alleviated these effects. In summary, we are the first to reveal that miR-96-5p inhibits the proliferative, invasive and migratory phenotypes of BCa cells the targeting of CTNND1 and subsequent Wnt/ß-catenin signaling. These data highlight miR-96-5p as a novel target for BC treatment.

Antimicrobial peptides: new hope in the war against multidrug resistance.

The discovery of antibiotics marked a golden age in the revolution of human medicine. However, decades later, bacterial infections remain a global healthcare threat, and a return to the pre-antibiotic era seems inevitable if stringent measures are not adopted to curb the rapid emergence and spread of multidrug resistance and the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. In hospital settings, multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens, including carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and extended-spectrum ß-lactamases (ESBL) bearing Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae are amongst the most problematic due to the paucity of treatment options, increased hospital stay, and exorbitant medical costs. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) provide an excellent potential strategy for combating these threats. Compared to empirical antibiotics, they show low tendency to select for resistance, rapid killing action, broad-spectrum activity, and extraordinary clinical efficacy against several MDR strains. Therefore, this review highlights multidrug resistance among nosocomial bacterial pathogens and its implications and reiterates the importance of AMPs as next-generation antibiotics for combating MDR superbugs.

Heterogeneous intergrowth xLi1.5Ni0.25Mn0.75O2.5·(1 - x)Li0.5Ni0.25Mn0.75O2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) composites: synergistic effect on electrochemical performance.

A series of xLi1.5Ni0.25Mn0.75O2.5·(1 - x)Li0.5Ni0.25Mn0.75O2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) cathode materials have been synthesized. These compounds exhibit dramatic differences in structure, morphology and charge/discharge characteristics. As the x increases, the morphology shows an amazing trend: starting with an octahedral shape (x = 0), transforming to an octahedral/plate shape (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.9) in which both the spinel phase and the layered phase can be indexed in the XRD patterns, and ending up with a plate shape (x = 1.0). The particular layered-spinel composites xLi1.5Ni0.25Mn0.75O2.5·(1 - x)Li0.5Ni0.25Mn0.75O2 (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.9) exhibit better cycling stability than that of pristine spinel Li0.5Ni0.25Mn0.75O2 (x = 0) and layered Li1.5Ni0.25Mn0.75O2.5 (x = 1.0) materials. This improved cycling performance of these layered-spinel composites can be ascribed to the heterogeneous intergrowth of some layered phases and spinel phases in the parent structure as detected by TEM. Among these materials, Li0.5Ni0.25Mn0.75O2 and Li1.5Ni0.25Mn0.75O2.5 barely deliver the specific capacities of 90 mA h g(-1) and 117 mA h g(-1) at 5 C and show the capacity retentions of about 83% and 86% at 0.2 C after 50 cycles, respectively, while the layered-spinel 0.8Li1.5Ni0.25Mn0.75O2.5·0.2Li0.5Ni0.25Mn0.75O2 cathode shows the best rate capability of 162 mA h g(-1) at 5 C and the best cycling stability of 98% after 50 cycles at 0.2 C.

Isolation and identification of symbiotic bacteria from the skin, mouth, and rectum of wild and captive tree shrews.

Endosymbionts influence many aspects of their hosts' health conditions, including physiology, development, immunity, metabolism, etc. Tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri chinensis) have attracted increasing attention in modeling human diseases and therapeutic responses due to their close relationship with primates. To clarify the situation of symbiotic bacteria from their body surface, oral cavity, and anus, 12 wild and 12 the third generation of captive tree shrews were examined. Based on morphological and cultural characteristics, physiological and biochemical tests, as well as the 16S rDNA full sequence analysis, 12 bacteria strains were isolated and identified from the wild tree shrews: body surface: Bacillus subtilis (detection rate 42%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (25%), Staphlococcus aureus (33%), S. Epidermidis (75%), Micrococcus luteus (25%), Kurthia gibsonii (17%); oral cavity: Neisseria mucosa (58%), Streptococcus pneumonia (17%); anus: Enterococcus faecalis (17%), Lactococus lactis (33%), Escherichia coli (92%), Salmonella typhosa (17%); whereas, four were indentified from the third generation captive tree shrews: body surface: S. epidermidis (75%); oral cavity: N.mucosa (67%); anus: L. lactis (33%), E. coli (100%). These results indicate that S. epidermidis, N. mucosa, L. lactis and E. coli were major bacteria in tree shrews, whereas, S. aureus, M. luteus, K. gibsonii, E. faecalis and S. typhosa were species-specific flora. This study facilitates the future use of tree shrews as a standard experimental animal and improves our understanding of the relationship between endosymbionts and their hosts.

Simultaneous determination of five anthraquinones in a Chinese traditional preparation by RP-HPLC using an improved extraction procedure.

OBJECTIVE: The stable quality of Chinese herbal medicines is a critical factor for their reliable clinical efficiency. An improved liquid-liquid extraction procedure and a liquid chromatographic method were developed to simultaneously analyze five anthraquinones (aloe-emodin, rhein, emodin, chrysophanol and physcion) in a Chinese traditional hospital preparation, Fuyankang mixture, in order to quantitatively control its quality in a more effective way. METHODS: A more economical and repeatable extraction procedure based on conventional liquid-liquid extraction technique was developed and used to extract five marker components in Fuyankang mixture. These anthraquinones were separated in less than 20 min on a C18 column with methanol and 0.1% phosphoric acid (88:12, v/v) as mobile phase. The method was validated for specificity, precision, spiked recovery and stability. RESULTS: Compared to conventional liquid-liquid extraction, the improved liquid-liquid extraction was found to be more effective for simultaneous extraction of anthraquinones from an aqueous Chinese herbal preparation, especially for hydrophobic compounds. The improved extraction method was successfully applied to determine the content of five marker components in Fuyankang mixture by the means of reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography. CONCLUSION: The improved extraction procedure may be suitable for routine quality control of Fuyankang mixture and other traditional preparations at city-level hospitals in China.

[Effects and mechanism of catalytic decomposition of ozone by activated carbon].

Effects and mechanism of catalytic decomposition of ozone by activated carbon (AC) were studied by detection of residual components in released gas and temperature of reactor pole, and heat analysis through the ozone decomposition pole (ODP). Results showed that ozone could be thoroughly decomposed (removal rate was maintaining 100% all along the process studied) for 5 h under the condition of O3 12.89 mg x min(-1), 18 mm diameter glass tube was stuffed by activated carbon (made from coal, 2.0-2.5 mm diameter). The temperature of ODP was found rise during the treatment. The temperature became stable after quickly rise to 65-69 degrees C; and the CO2 output reduced with the stable temperature. The mechanisms of ozone decomposition were found including three parts. The first is catalytic decomposition by AC. AC enriches O3 and enhances O3 decomposition to form O2. The second is AC reaction with O3, which leads to destruction of the surface structure or group and output of CO2 and NOx are released with offgas. The third is temperature rising caused by heat production of CO2 and NOx formation according to the above two mechanisms, which enhances O3 thermal decomposition. Meanwhile, some basic design principles of ozone decomposition device were discussed.