Health communication on social media at the early stage of the pandemic: Examining health professionals' COVID-19 related tweets.

Focusing on health professionals' tweets regarding COVID-19, this study examines whether and how those tweets are unique based on their identity as health experts. The data revealed that the infusion of health communication with political opinions, whether pro- or against certain political parties or health policies, reflects values and may deviate from the original purpose of health communication. In addition, sentiment analysis countered the intuitive thought that health experts merely fulfill their role as neutral encyclopedias without excessively carrying sentiment. We conclude by reflecting on the meaning of health communication in relation to the political stances of professionals.

Tuning the Catalytic Selectivity Toward C2+ Oxygenate Products by Manipulating Cu Oxidation States in CO Electroreduction.

Enhancing the reaction selectivity for multicarbon products (C2+) is an important goal for the electrochemical CO(2) reduction (ECO(2)R) process. Cuprous compounds have demonstrated promising C2+ selectivity in the ECO(2)R process, but further investigation is necessary to thoroughly elucidate their catalytic behavior toward C2+ oxygenate production. In this study, copper nitride-based materials with varying reduction rates were employed as precatalysts. Consequently, a relationship between the selectivity toward C2+ oxygenates and the Cu oxidation state during the ECOR process is established. Results of theoretical and experimental analyses reveal that the Cu0/Cu+ interface plays a key role in enhancing *CO adsorption while lowering the formation energy of *CH2CO, thereby promoting acetate production. This work highlights the significance of the Cu0/Cu+ interface in the regulation of C2+ oxygenate production and paves the way for the development of highly selective catalysts in the future.

Synergistically Designed Dual Interfaces to Enhance the Electrochemical Performance of MoO2 /MoS2 in Na- and Li-Ion Batteries.

It is indispensable to develop and design high capacity, high rate performance, long cycling life, and low-cost electrodes materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Herein, MoO2 /MoS2 /C, with dual heterogeneous interfaces, is designed to induce a built-in electric field, which has been proved by experiments and theoretical calculation can accelerate electrochemical reaction kinetics and generate interfacial interactions to strengthen structural stability. The carbon foam serves as a conductive frame to assist the movement of electrons/ions, as well as forms heterogeneous interfaces with MoO2 /MoS2 through CS and CO bonds, maintaining structural integrity and enhancing electronic transport. Thanks to these unique characteristics, the MoO2 /MoS2 /C renders a significantly enhanced electrochemical performance (324 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1 after 1000 cycles for SIB and 500 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1 after 500 cycles for LIBs). The current work presents a simple, useful and cost-effective route to design high-quality electrodes via interfacial engineering.

[Effect of mild moxibustion on vascular aging in senescence rats based on local MCP-1/MMP-2/TGF-ß1 pro-inflammatory signal loop].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of mild moxibustion on monocyte chemotaxis protein 1 (MCP-1)/matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2)/transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1) pro-inflammatory signal loop in senile rats, so as to explore its mechanisms underlying improving vascular aging (VA). METHODS: Twenty-four male VA SD rats were randomized into senium (VA) control, medication and moxibustion groups, and other 8 young SD rats (aged 2 months) were used as the young control group. The VA model was established by intraperitoneal injection of D-galactose (300 mg·kg-1·d-1) once daily for 4 weeks, and verified by serum total testosterone (TT) and free testosterone (FT) levels. For rats of the moxibustion group, mild moxibustion was applied to bilateral "Shenshu"(BL23) and "Guanyuan"(CV4) for 20 min, once a day, 5 days a week for 8 weeks. Rats of the medication group were treated by intraperitoneal injection of testosterone propionate (7 mg·kg-1·[3 d]-1) once daily for 8 weeks except weekends, and rats of the senium control and young control groups treated by intraperitoneal injection of the same dose of normal saline, once daily for 8 weeks except weekends. The duration of exhausted swimming (DES) before and after the treatment was recorded. H.E. staining and Masson staining were used to observe histopathological changes and collagen fiber content of the thoracic aortic tissue, respectively. The contents of serum TT, FT and angiotensin 2 (Ang Ⅱ) were determined by ELISA. The immunoactivity of aortic MCP-1 was detected by immunohistochemistry, and the expression levels of aortic MCP-1, MMP-2 and TGF-ß1 were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with the young control group, the levels of DES, serum TT and FT contents were significantly decreased (P<0.01), while those of serum AngⅡ and collagen fiber contents, aortic MCP-1 immunoactivity and MMP-2, TGF-ß1 and MCP-1 protein expression considerably increased in the senium control group (P<0.01). After the interventions, the decreased levels of DES, serum TT and FT contents and the increased levels of serum AngⅡ, collagen fiber contents, aortic MCP-1 immunoactivity and MMP-2, TGF-ß1 and MCP-1 protein expression were reversed in both medication and moxibustion groups (P<0.01, P<0.05). The therapeutic effect of mild moxibustion was significantly superior to that of medication in down-regulating the aortic collagen fiber, serum AngⅡ contents and MCP-1 immunoactivity and protein expression (P<0.05). H.E. staining showed thickened endometrium and disordered arrangement of vascular smooth muscles of the aorta in the senium group, and thinner endometrium and regular and ordered arrangement of aortic vascular smooth muscles in both moxibustion and medication groups. CONCLUSION: Mild moxibustion may improve vascular aging in senescence rats, which is possibly by suppressing vascular MCP-1/MMP-2/TGF-ß1 pro-inflammatory signal loop.

Interface regulation promoting carbon monoxide gas diffusion electrolysis towards C2+ products.

Electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide into value-added multi-carbon products (C2+) offers a promising approach for artificial oxycarbide recycling. However, C2+ productivity is still limited by gas accessibility inside the catalyst layer. Here, a Cu-PMMA porous hybrid architecture with rich triple-phase boundaries was demonstrated to enhance both gas diffusion and electron transfer, and then, facilitate the kinetics of CO electrolysis. As a result, a high C2+ faradaic efficiency (FE) of 81.6% at a current density of 50 mA cm-2 and a maximum C2+ partial current density of 140 mA cm-2 were achieved, among the best performances for Cu/hybrid catalysts. This study provides a novel strategy for designing electrochemical CO reduction (ECORR) catalysts and paves the way for further developing gas-involving electrocatalysis.

2D Transition Metal Dichalcogenides: Design, Modulation, and Challenges in Electrocatalysis.

Hydrogen has been deemed as an ideal substitute fuel to fossil energy because of its renewability and the highest energy density among all chemical fuels. One of the most economical, ecofriendly, and high-performance ways of hydrogen production is electrochemical water splitting. Recently, 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (also known as 2D TMDs) showed their utilization potentiality as cost-effective hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts in water electrolysis. Herein, recent representative research efforts and systematic progress made in 2D TMDs are reviewed, and future opportunities and challenges are discussed. Furthermore, general methods of synthesizing 2D TMDs materials are introduced in detail and the advantages and disadvantages for some specific methods are provided. This explanation includes several important regulation strategies of creating more active sites, heteroatoms doping, phase engineering, construction of heterostructures, and synergistic modulation which are capable of optimizing the electrical conductivity, exposure to the catalytic active sites, and reaction energy barrier of the electrode material to boost the HER kinetics. In the last section, the current obstacles and future chances for the development of 2D TMDs electrocatalysts are proposed to provide insight into and valuable guidelines for fabricating effective HER electrocatalysts.

Phase-Junction Electrocatalysts towards Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Alkaline Media.

To ensure sustainable hydrogen production by water electrolysis, robust, earth-abundant, and high-efficient electrocatalysts are required. Constructing a hybrid system could lead to further improvement in electrocatalytic activity. Interface engineering in composite catalysts is thus critical to determine the performance, and the phase-junction interface should improve the catalytic activity. Here, we show that nickel diphosphide phase junction (c-NiP2 /m-NiP2 ) is an effective electrocatalyst for hydrogen production in alkaline media. The overpotential (at 10 mA cm-2 ) for NiP2 -650 (c/m) in alkaline media could be significantly reduced by 26 % and 96 % compared with c-NiP2 and m-NiP2 , respectively. The enhancement of catalytic activity should be attributed to the strong water dissociation ability and the rearrangement of electrons around the phase junction, which markedly improved the Volmer step and benefited the reduction process of adsorbed protons.

Unequal discourses: Problems of the current model of world health development.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed institutional deficiencies in world health development. This viewpoint paper examines the allegations about the partiality and political bias of the World Health Organization's (WHO) response to world health emergencies. We draw on quantitative and qualitative analysis of the WHO's Director-General's speeches pertaining to the COVID-19 and EVD outbreaks. We find that the WHO's discourse on COVID-19 praised the Chinese government's role in the containment. By contrast, the WHO's discourse on the African countries fighting to contain Ebola centered on the unpreparedness of these countries. We argue that the WHO's unbalanced emphasis on different practices and "traits" of member states paints a partial picture of global health emergencies, thus it fails to uphold its founding principles of egalitarianism and impartiality. Finally, we put forward suggestions about a more equal and fairer model of world health development.

"I was discriminated against because I was seen as PRC-Chinese": The negotiation between ethnicity and nationalism among Taiwanese migrants in Australia.

Research on race and ethnicity has focused on conditions under which solidarity will be developed to consolidate collective benefits. For example, facing racial discrimination can bring large-scale affiliations (e.g., people of color, Latinos, or Asians) to fight against racial injustice. Focusing on the negotiation and struggle between ethnicity and nationalism among Taiwanese migrants in Australia-a politicizing context associated with a prior definition of Chinese category, despite inherent differences within it, this article shows the complexity of ethnicity when ethnic identity/solidarity intersects with nationalism and racial discrimination. I argue that Taiwanese migrants attach specific meanings to the ethnic (Chinese) category and constantly connect to and shift its boundaries in different contexts. Meanwhile, they also make a distinction between racial discrimination from white Australians and political hostility from PRC-Chinese. This article proposes a procedural and contextual understanding of ethnic identity, solidarity, nationalism, and boundary making/unmaking within the Chinese category as it is enacted in Taiwanese migrants' everyday lives. It also examines situational variability in the salience of ethnic identifications, racialization of the ethnic category, and people's interpretation of ethnic and national identity when facing racial discrimination.

[Electroacupuncture intervention increases testosterone level of aged rats by activating ERK/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling of Leydig cells].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on anti-oxidant function of Leydig cells in aged rats with low testosterone, so as to reveal its underlying mechanism of anti-aging of male reproduction. METHODS: Eighteen 20 months old SD rats were divided into aged control, medication and EA groups(n=6 in each group), and other 6 young male SD rats (2 months of age) were used as the youth control group. The rats of the youth and the aged control groups received subcutaneous injection of 0.9% normal saline (7 mg·kg-1·3 d-1) for 8 weeks, and those of the medication group received abdominal subcutaneous injection of Testosterone Propionate (7 mg·kg-1·3 d-1) for 8 weeks. EA (2 Hz/100 Hz, 1 mA) was applied to bilateral "Shenshu" (BL23) and "Guanyuan" (CV4) for 15 min, once daily for 8 weeks except the weekends. The levels of serum total testosterone (TT) and free testosterone (FT) were determined by enzyme linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA), the immunoactivity of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (p-ERK) was detected by immunohistochemistry, and the expression levels of ERK, p-ERK, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) proteins in the testis tissues were determined by Western blot. RESULTS: Before and after the treatment, the levels of serum TT and FT in the aged control group were significantly lower than those of the youth control group (P<0.01). After the treatment, the serum TT and FT contents in the EA and medication groups were obviously higher than those in the aged control group (P<0.01). Compared with the youth control group, the expression levels of ERK, p-ERK, Nrf2 and HO-1 proteins were significantly down-regulated in the aged control group (P<0.01), while in comparison with the aged control group, the expression levels of ERK, p-ERK, Nrf2 and HO-1 proteins were significantly up-regulated in the medication and EA groups (P<0.01). The therapeutic effect of EA was notably superior to that of medication in up-regulating the immunoactivity of p-ERK, and the expression levels of ERK, p-ERK, Nrf2 and HO-1 proteins (P<0.01). No significant differences were found between the EA and medication groups in the increased levels of serum TT and FT after the intervention (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: EA intervention may increase testosterone level of the aged rats, which may be related to its effects in triggering ERK /Nrf2 /HO-1 signaling (anti-oxidative stress signal pathway) in the testis.

[Effects of Electroacupuncture and Intracerebral Injection of VEGF on Caspase12, Caspase3, and GRP78 Genes in Rats with Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) and intracerebral injection of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on caspase12, caspase3, and glucose regulated protein 78 kD (GRP78) genes of rats with cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury. METHODS: 60 SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group, model group, EA group and EA+VEGF group with 15 rats in each group. Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) method was used to establish the model of cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury. Electro-acupuncture intervention was introduced 1 day after the injury in the EA group and EA+VEGF group: 30 minutes each session and once a day for a total of 14 d [acupoint selection: Baihui (GV 20), Quchi(Li 11), Zusanli (ST36)]. The rats in the EA+VEGF group were also injected with 10 µL of VEGF165 (0.025 µg/µL) into the lateral ventricle after the first session of EA. Five rats in each group were sacrificed after obtaining a neurological function score (mNSS) at day 0 (1 d after modeling, before EA intervention), day 7 and day 14, respectively. Nissl staining was used to observe the histomorphology of cerebral infarction areas. Immunohistochemistry was used to CM(155mm]detect GRP78 activity in the ischemic brain tissues. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (real-time PCR) was used to detect the expressions of caspase12, caspase3 and GRP78 mRNA in the ischemic brain tissues. RESULTS: Compared with the sham-operation group, rats in the model group had higher mNSS scores ( P<0.05), showed signs of cerebral infarction (with reduced numbers of and disordered Nissl bodies and unclear structure), increased GRP78 immunopositive cells, increased expression of GRP78 mRNA ( P<0.05), and increased expressions of caspase12 and caspase3 mRNA ( P<0.05). Compared with the model group, EA and EA+VEGF decreased mNSS scores at day 7 and 14 ( P<0.05), showing alleviated signs of cerebral infarction, increased GRP78 immunopositive cells ( P<0.05), increased GRP78 mRNA expression ( P<0.05), and decreased caspase12 and caspase3 mRNA expressions ( P<0.05). The most obvious changes were found in the EA+VEGF group ( P<0.05). No significant changes were observed in the sham-operation group over time ( P<0.05). In comparison, mNSS scores, the signs of cerebral infarction, and the expressions of caspase12 and caspase3 decreased over time in the other groups ( P<0.05), accompanied with increased GRP78 immunopositive cells and the expression of GRP78 gene ( P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Electroacupuncture and intracerebral injection of VEGF promote tissue repair of rats with cerebral ischemic injury, possibly through down-regulating the expressions of caspase12 and caspase3 genes and up-regulating the expression of GRP78 gene. The effect of electroacupuncture in combination with intracerebral injection of VEGF is superior to that of the single use of electroacupuncture.

[Warm needle moxibustion, mild moxibustion and electroacupuncture interventions have an anti-aging effect possibly by regulating hypothalamus-pituitary-testis axis in aged male rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of warm needle moxibustion (WNM), mild moxibustion and electroacupuncture (EA) of "Shenshu" (BL23) and "Guanyuan" (CV4) on serum gonadal hormone levels and related gene expression in the hypothalamus and testis in aged rats, so as to explore their underlying mechanisms in anti-aging. METHODS: Forty male SD male rats were randomly divided into aged control, WNM, mild moxibustion, EA and medication groups (n ＝ 8 in each group), and other 8 male young adult SD rats were used as the youth control group. WNM (acupuncture plus moxibustion), mild moxibustion or EA (2 Hz /100 Hz, 1 mA) was separately applied to CV4 and bilateral BL23 for 15 min, once daily, 5 days a week for 8 weeks. Rats of the medication group received subcutaneous injection of testosterone propionate injection (7 mg/kg), once every 3 days, and those of the aged and youth groups received the same dose of 0.9% NaCl solution for 8 weeks. The levels of serum testoste-rone (T) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) were measured by ELISA. The expression of Kisspeptin (KISS-1), G protein-coupled receptors 54 (GPR54), RFamide-related peptide-3 (RFRP-3) and GPR147 mRNAs in the hypothalamus and GnRH-R, GPR54 and GPR147 mRNAs in the testis tissues were detected by quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS: The levels of serum T and GnRH, and the expressions of KISS-1, GPR54, RFRP-3 and GPR147 mRNAs in the hypothalamus and GnRH-R and GPR54 mRNAs in the testis in the aged rats were significantly lower than those in the youth rats (P<0.05), while the expression level of GPR147 mRNA of the testis tissue was obviously higher in the aged group than that in the youth group (P<0.05). Follo-wing the treatment, the lowered serum T and GnRH contents, the down-regulated expression levels of hypothalamic KISS-1, GPR54, RFRP-3 and GPR147 mRNAs and testicle GnRH-R and GPR54 mRNAs, as well as the up-regulated testicle GPR147 mRNA expression in the aged rats were reversed in the WNM, mild moxibustion and EA groups (not the medication group except serum T) in comparison with the aged control group (P<0.05). The therapeutic effects of WNM, mild moxibustion and EA were significantly superior to those of medication in up-regulating serum GnRH content and expression levels of KISS-1, GPR54, RFRP-3 and GPR147 mRNAs in the hypothalamus and GnRH-R, GPR54 and GPR147 mRNAs in the testis (P<0.05). No significant differences were found among the WNM, mild moxibustion and EA groups in serum T and GnRH contents, and the expression levels of KISS-1, GPR54, RFRP-3 and GPR147 mRNAs in the hypothalamus and GnRH-R and GPR54 and GPR147 mRNAs in the testis (P>0.05)．. CONCLUSION: The WNM, mild moxibustion and EA therapies have an anti-aging effect by increasing serum T and GnRH levels in aged rats, which is possibly related to their effects in up-regulating the expression of hypothalamic KISS-1, GPR54, RFRP-3 and GPR147 mRNAs and testicle GnRH-R and GPR54 mRNAs, as well as down-regulating testicle GPR147 mRNA expression. The therapeutic effect of WNM, mild moxibustion and EA is evidently superior to that of medication.

Ruthenium Incorporated Cobalt Phosphide Nanocubes Derived From a Prussian Blue Analog for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution.

Electrochemical water splitting in alkaline media plays an important role in mass production of hydrogen. Ruthenium (Ru), as the cheapest member of platinum-group metals, has attracted much attention, and the incorporation of trace amount of Ru with cobalt phosphide could significantly improve the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalytic activity. In this work, ruthenium-incorporated cobalt phosphide nanocubes are synthesized via a reaction between Co-Co Prussian blue analog (Co-PBA) and ruthenium chloride (RuCl3) followed by the phosphidation. The sample with a Ru content of ~2.04 wt.% exhibits the best HER catalytic activity with a low overpotential of 51 and 155 mV, to achieve the current densities of -10 and -100 mA cm-2, respectively, and the Tafel slope of 53.8 mV dec-1, which is comparable to the commercial Pt/C. This study provides a new perspective to the design and construction of high performance electrocatalysts for HER and other catalytic applications in a relatively low price.

[Electroacupuncture Combined with Intracerebral Injection of VEGF Improves Neurological Dysfunction Possibly by Down-regulating Expression of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Related Proteins ATF 6, etc. in Cerebral Ischemia-reperfusion Injury Rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) and EA combined with intracerebral injection of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) related proteins and genes as activating transcription factor (ATF 6), inositol requiring enzyme-1 (IRE 1), CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein (CHOP), X box-binding protein-1 (XBP 1) of cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury (CIRI) rats, so as to study its repair effect for CIRI. METHODS: Forty male SD rats were equally and randomly divided into 5 groups: sham operation, model, EA, VEGF and EA+VEGF groups (n=8). The CIRI model was established by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAO) with thread embolism method. For rats of the sham operation group, the right common carotid artery was isolated without MCAO. EA (2 Hz/100 Hz, 1-3 mA) was applied to "Baihui" (GV 20), left "Quchi" (LI 11) and left "Zusanli" (ST 36) for 30 min, once a day for 14 days. For rats of the VEGF and EA+VEGF groups, 10 µL VEGF (0.025 µg/µL) was injected into the lateral ventricle 24 h after successful modeling. The rats' neurological function was assessed by using the modified neurological severity score (mNSS), and the histopathological changes of cerebral tissue were observed by Nissl staining method. The expression levels of ERS related proteins and genes ATF 6, IRE 1, XBP 1 and CHOP were determined by western blot (WB) and fluorescent quantitative PCR, separately. RESULTS: After modeling, the level of mNSS was significantly higher in the model group than in the sham operation group (P<0.05), and the number of Nissl bodies was markedly lower in the model group than in the sham operation group (P<0.05). Following the treatment, the mNSS was significantly lower in the EA, VEGF and EA+VEGF groups than in the model group (P<0.05), and the numbers of Nissl bodies were obviously higher in the EA, VEGF and EA+VEGF groups than in the model group (P<0.05), suggesting an improvement of neurological dysfunction and a repair of the injured cerebral tissue after the treatment. The levels of CIRI-induced increase of mNSS and CIRI-induced decrease of the number of Nissl bodies in the EA+VEGF group were respectively remarkably lower or higher than those of the simple EA and simple VEGF groups (P<0.05). WB and PCR showed that the expression levels of ATF 6, IRE 1, XBP1 and CHOP proteins and genes were notably higher in the model group than in the sham operation group (P<0.05), and considerably lower in the EA, VEGF and EA+VEGF groups than in the model group (P<0.05). Comparison among the three treatment groups showed that after the treatment, the expression levels of ATF 6, IRE 1, XBP1 and CHOP proteins and genes were obviously lower in the EA+VEGF group than in the EA and VEGF groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: EA and EA plus intracerebral microinjection of VEGF can improve neurological function and promote cerebral tissue repair in CIRI rats, which is associated with their effects in down-regulating the expression of ERS related proteins ATF 6, IRE 1, XBP1 and CHOP. The effect of EA+VEGF is superior to that of simple EA and simple VEGF.

[Electroacupuncture Intervention Improves Physical Power of Aged Rats with Low Testosterone by Reducing Chronic Inflammatory Response of Leydig Cells].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on chronic inflammatory response of Leydig cells in aged rats with low testosterone, so as to investigate its underlying mechanism of anti-male reproductive aging. METHODS: Twenty-four 20 months old SD rats were randomly divided into EA, medication and aged control groups (n＝ 8 in each), and other 8 young SD rats (2 months of age) were used as the youth control group. EA (2 Hz/100 Hz, 1 mA) was applied to "Guanyuan"(CV 4) and bilate-ral "Shenshu"(BL 23) for 15 min, once daily for 8 weeks except the weekends. The medication group received abdominal subcutaneous injection of testosterone propionate (7 mg• kg－1• 3 d－1) for 8 weeks. The aged control group and the youth control group received subcutaneous injection of 0.9% normal saline, with the same dose and same treatment frequency as those of the medication group. The rats' physical power was assessed according to the exhausted swimming duration, and the levels of serum total testosterone (TT) and free testosterone(FT) were determined by ELISA. The pathological changes of the testis tissue were detected by using H．E.staining, and the immunoactivity of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in Leydig cells was detected by immunohisto-chemistry. The expression levels of nuclear factor-κB p 65 (NF-κB p 65), COX-2, interleukin-1 ß (IL-1 ß) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) proteins in the testis tissues were determined by Western blot. RESULTS: Before and after treatment, the exhaustive swimming duration and the levels of serum TT and FT in the aged control group were significantly lower than those of the youth control group (P < 0.01). After the treatment, the exhaustive swimming duration and serum TT and FT in the EA and medication groups were notably higher than those in the aged control group (P<0.01). HE staining showed that the incompleteness of basement membrane of spermatogenic tubules, reduction of spermatogenic cells and supporting cells and irregularity of Leydig cells in the testis tissue of the aged rats were relatively milder after EA intervention. Compared with the youth control group, the expression levels of NF-κB p 65 and COX-2, IL-1 ß and TNF-α in the testicular tissue were significantly higher in the aged control group (P<0.01),while in compared with the aged control group, the expression levels of NF-κB p 65, COX-2, IL-1 ß and TNF-α proteins were significantly down-regulated in the EA group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: EA intervention can improve the physical power of the aged rats with low testosterone, which may be related to its effects in up-regulating TT and FT levels, and in reducing chronic inflammatory response in the testis tissue.

Ultrahigh position sensitivity and fast optical relaxation time of lateral photovoltaic effect in Sb2Se3/p-Si junctions.

A large lateral photovoltaic (LPV) effect with good linearity and fast response time is necessary for developing high-performance position-sensitive detectors (PSD). In this paper, we investigated the influence of the resistance of Sb2Se3 film and the Si on the LPV properties of the Sb2Se3/p-Si junctions. The LPV exhibits a linear dependence on the laser spot position, with a maximum position sensitivity as high as 448 mV/mm. The optical relaxation time of the LPV was about 4.98 µs, which was due to the formation of the inversion layer at the Sb2Se3/p-Si interface. Our results revealed that the high resistivity of Sb2Se3 film facilitate the LPV and confirmed the resistivity of Si substrate play a key role in the LPV properties. The giant position sensitivity and fast relaxation times of the LPV suggest that the Sb2Se3/p-Si junction is a promising candidate for a wide range of optoelectronic device applications.

Significantly enhanced mechanical properties in AlN helix.

To safely and reliably use aluminum nitride (AlN) helices in the fabrication of novel micro/nanodevices, it is very important to know their mechanical properties. Herein, we investigate the mechanical properties of individual AlN helices using an in situ tensile-bending test. Tensile tests reveal that an AlN helix has an average ε of ∼4.7 ± 0.8% elastic deformation before a typical brittle fracture occurs. The bending test shows a two-step mechanical feature-linear-elastic followed by an elastic-plastic process-with an average ε bent of ∼54.5 ± 0.6%. Our results provide direct cognition about the mechanical properties of AlN helices and their benefit to the design of AlN-based flexible micro/nanodevices.

Synergistic Phase and Disorder Engineering in 1T-MoSe2 Nanosheets for Enhanced Hydrogen-Evolution Reaction.

MoSe2 is a promising earth-abundant electrocatalyst for the hydrogen-evolution reaction (HER), even though it has received much less attention among the layered dichalcogenide (MX2 ) materials than MoS2 so far. Here, a novel hydrothermal-synthesis strategy is presented to achieve simultaneous and synergistic modulation of crystal phase and disorder in partially crystallized 1T-MoSe2 nanosheets to dramatically enhance their HER catalytic activity. Careful structural characterization and defect characterization using positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy correlated with electrochemical measurements show that the formation of the 1T phase under a large excess of the NaBH4 reductant during synthesis can effectively improve the intrinsic activity and conductivity, and the disordered structure from a lower reaction temperature can provide abundant unsaturated defects as active sites. Such synergistic effects lead to superior HER catalytic activity with an overpotential of 152 mV versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) for the electrocatalytic current density of j = -10 mA cm-2 , and a Tafel slope of 52 mV dec-1 . This work paves a new pathway for improving the catalytic activity of MoSe2 and generally MX2 -based electrocatalysts via a synergistic modulation strategy.

Successful conservative treatment of microinvasive cervical cancer during pregnancy.

Cervical cancer complicated by pregnancy is a rare event. While counseling patients with cervical cancer during pregnancy, many factors must be considered, including the patient's desire to continue the pregnancy, the stage of the disease, and the gestational age at diagnosis. Pregnant women with microinvasive cervical cancer should be fully informed of all possible treatment options and consequences. Herein, we report the case of a woman who was diagnosed with microinvasive cervical cancer during pregnancy at 10 weeks of gestation. After a combination treatment of cervical conization, cervical cerclage, and cesarean section, she delivered a healthy baby and at 7 months postpartum there was no indication of malignancy.

Counteraction between angiotensin II and angiotensin-(1-7) via activating angiotensin type I and Mas receptor on rat renal mesangial cells.

In the updated concept of renin-angiotensin system (RAS), it contains the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-angiotensin (Ang) II-angtiogensin type 1 receptor (AT1) axis and the angiotensin-converting enzyme-related carboxypeptidase (ACE2)-Ang-(1-7)-Mas axis. The former axis has been well demonstrated performing the vasoconstrictive, proliferative and pro-inflammatory functions by activation of AT1 receptors, while the later new identified axis is considered counterbalancing the effects of the former. The present study is aimed at observing the interaction between Ang-(1-7) and Ang II on cultured rat renal mesangial cells (MCs). RT-PCR, Western blot and immunofluorescent staining and confocal microscopy results showed that both AT1 and Mas receptor were co-distributed in rat renal MCs. Ang-(1-7) showed similar effects on Ang II in cultured MCs that stimulated phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 phosphorylation and transforms growth factor-ß1 synthesis, and cell proliferation and extracellular matrix synthesis. Co-treatment of the cell with Ang-(1-7) and Ang II, Ang-(1-7) counteracted AngII-induced effects in a concentration dependent manner, but failed to alter the changes induced by endothelin-1. The stimulating effect of Ang II was mediated by AT1 receptor while all the effects of Ang-(1-7) were blocked by Mas receptor antagonist A-779, but not by AT1 receptor antagonist losartan or AT2 receptor antagonist PD123319. These results suggest that Ang-(1-7) and Ang II specifically interact with each other on rat renal MCs via activation of their specific receptors, Mas and AT1 receptor respectively.