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Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a complex group of metabolic disorders with an increasing global incidence rate, posing a serious threat to human health. Currently, there is no specific effective drug for its clinical treatment. Sodium-glucose linked transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a new class of oral hypoglycemic drugs. They not only promote urinary glucose excretion by inhibiting the reabsorption of glucose by renal proximal convoluted tubule epithelial cells, thereby reducing blood glucose in a non-insulin-dependent manner, but also reduce blood glucose by improving the function of islet ß cells, reducing inflammatory responses, and inhibiting oxidative stress. In addition, SGLT2 inhibitors can also reduce body weight through osmotic diuresis and increased fat metabolism; reduce blood pressure by inhibiting excessive activation of sympathetic nervous system and improving vascular function; improve blood lipids by increasing degradation of triglyceride; reduce blood uric acid by promoting uric acid excretion in kidney and intestine and reducing uric acid synthesis. Therefore, this article reviews the improvement effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on multiple metabolic disorders in MS and its related regulatory mechanisms.

Bioactive compounds from dichloromethane extract of Artemisia rupestris L. alleviates CCl4/ConA-induced acute liver injury by inhibiting PI3K-AKT pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Artemisia rupestris L. (AR) is a traditional medicinal herb commonly used in the Uyghurs and Kazakhs; it was first documented in the Supplement to Compendium of Materia Medica written by Zhao Xuemin in the Qing Dynasty of China and is used clinically to treat colds, hepatitis, and allergic diseases. AIM OF THE STUDY: The material basis and mechanisms of AR in acute liver injury (ALI) remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to reveal the possible active components involved in liver protection in AR and to preliminarily explore their pharmacological mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The chemical composition of the ethanolic extract (ARA) was identified by UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS/MS and confirmed by 32 reference standards. The pharmacodynamic results were utilized to screen the active part within the ARA that contribute to the amelioration of CCl4/ConA-induced ALI. The main active components and core targets were predicted by network pharmacology and verified by molecular docking combined with qPCR and Western blotting. RESULTS: A total of 131 chemical components were identified in the ARA. The extraction parts of ARA had different therapeutic effects on ALI, among which the dichloromethane extract (ARA-D), which might constitute the main effective fraction of ARA, had significant anti-ALI effects. The network pharmacology results showed that targets including PIK3R1, AKT1, and EGFR, as well as 7 compounds, such as artemetin, vitexicarpin and rupestonic acid may play pivotal roles in treating CCl4/ConA-induced ALI. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses revealed that the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway was the main pathway involved. In each model, ARA-D dose-dependently reduced the increase in ALT levels. High-dose ARA-D markedly decreased ALT activity from 196.79 ± 24.82 to 66.37 ± 16.19 U/L in the CCl4 model group and from 178.00 ± 28.39 to 50.67 ± 7.39 U/L in the ConA model group. Further studies revealed that ARA-D significantly inhibited TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 expression and inhibited the protein expression of PI3K, p-PI3K, and p-AKT in CCl4/ConA-induced ALI. CONCLUSION: ARA-D exhibits protective effects against ALI induced by CCl4/ConA, potentially through inhibition of the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. These findings may help to determine the material basis and mechanisms of action of ARA-D for liver protection and provide ideas for future comprehensive studies.

STAG2 Regulates Homologous Recombination Repair and Sensitivity to ATM Inhibition.

Stromal antigen 2 (STAG2), a subunit of the cohesin complex, is recurrently mutated in various tumors. However, the role of STAG2 in DNA repair and its therapeutic implications are largely unknown. Here it is reported that knockout of STAG2 results in increased double-stranded breaks (DSBs) and chromosomal aberrations by reducing homologous recombination (HR) repair, and confers hypersensitivity to inhibitors of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATMi), Poly ADP Ribose Polymerase (PARPi), or the combination of both. Of note, the impaired HR by STAG2-deficiency is mainly attributed to the restored expression of KMT5A, which in turn methylates H4K20 (H4K20me0) to H4K20me1 and thereby decreases the recruitment of BRCA1-BARD1 to chromatin. Importantly, STAG2 expression correlates with poor prognosis of cancer patients. STAG2 is identified as an important regulator of HR and a potential therapeutic strategy for STAG2-mutant tumors is elucidated.

Concentrations and controls of dissolved inorganic carbon in Arctic summer sea ice and adjacent surface seawaters.

The carbonate chemistry of sea ice plays a critical role in global ocean carbon cycles, particularly in polar regions which are subject to significant climate change-induced sea ice variation. However, less is known about the interaction of carbonate system between sea ice and its adjacent seawaters due to sparse sampling and disparities in reported results. Here we provide an insight into this issue by collecting and measuring dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and associated environmental parameters in Arctic sea ice during a cruise in the summer of 2014. Our observations show that DIC in Arctic summer sea ice has a mean concentration of 463.3 ± 213.0 µmol/kg and appears to be controlled mainly by the fraction of brine water in the ice. The low Chl a and nutrients content in sea ice indicate minor contribution of biological uptake to sea-ice DIC in the western Arctic Ocean. The DIC concentration in surface water (<100 m depth) decreased from a mean of 2108.3 ± 45.4 µmol/kg in 1994 to a mean of 2052.4 ± 98.6 µmol/kg in 2014, due to the enhanced sea ice melting that dilutes the DIC concentrations of surrounding seawaters.

The application of a continuous partnership-based birth plan in China: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The cesarean section rate is as high as 36.7% in China, much higher than the average cesarean section rate of 27% in Asia. With the implementation of the two-children and three-children policy, the primipara with cesarean will also face the choice of repeated or even multiple cesareans, which will increase the risk of maternal perinatal mortality and serious fetal pulmonary morbidity. To reduce the cesarean section rate, a series of midwifery service measures such as the birth plan have been taken in China and it has played a certain role in improving the birth outcome and maternal birth experience. However, the areas carrying out birth plan are often economically developed with advanced medical conditions. the application effect of birth plan in economically underdeveloped areas with limited medical conditions in China is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of a continuous partnership-based birth plan on local women's birth outcomes and experience in Haikou which is an economically underdeveloped city in China. DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial study design was used. PARTICIPANTS: 90 primiparous women who received pregnancy service from the obstetrics clinic of one of tertiary hospitals in Haikou city, Hainan Province between July 2020 and December 2020 and planned to give birth in this hospital were recruited. METHODS: After eligibility was determined, consents obtained and baseline surveys completed, 90 participants were randomly allocated to study groups with concealed opaque envelopes by a blinded research assistant and each group were 45 participants. Participants in control group received routine obstetric health service and nursing care, while participants in the experimental group received the continuous partnership service of midwives on the basis of routine care. At the same time, the birth plan was formulated and implemented, and the relevant indicators were recorded and analyzed during and after birth, including cesarean section rate, non-medical indication cesarean section rate, oxytocin use rate, perineal lateral resection rate and anxiety degree. RESULTS: The cesarean rate in the experiment and control groups were 20.45% and 57.14%, of which the non-medical indication cesarean rate in the experiment and control groups were 22.22% and 50.00%, respectively, whereby the difference of cesarean rate and nonmedically indicated cesarean section rate between the groups was statistically significant (χ2 = 12.231, p < 0.001;χ2 = 9.101, p = 0.003). Besides, the differences in anxiety degree, neonatal NICU transfer rate and satisfaction of birth between the two groups were statistically significant (p < 0.05). While there was no significant difference in oxytocin use rate, perineal lateral resection rate, neonatal 1-min and 5-min Alzheimer's score between the two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The birth plan based on continuous partnership can reduce medical intervention, improve birth outcomes, reduce anxiety and optimize maternal birth experience of women, which is worthy of promotion in economically underdeveloped areas of China.

High capacity and fast removal of Cr(vi) by alkali lignin-based poly(tetraethylene pentamine-pyrogallol) sorbent.

In this work, a novel alkali lignin-based adsorption material, alkali lignin-based poly(tetraethylene pentamine-pyrogallol) (AL-PTAP), was prepared using a Mannich reaction and catechol-amine reaction for removal of Cr(vi). It was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The effects of tetraethylene pentamine (TEPA) dosage, pyrogallol (PL) dosage, contact time, pH, temperature and other factors on the adsorption behavior of the adsorbent were systematically investigated. These experimental data show that the adsorption behavior conforms to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity is 769.2 mg g-1 at 303 K, which is much higher than that of alkali lignin (AL). AL-PTAP can achieve a removal rate of almost 100% for Cr(vi) solutions with a concentration of less than 90 mg L-1 at 1 min. Furthermore, the toxic Cr(vi) is partly reduced to nontoxic Cr(iii) during the adsorption process. Therefore, AL-PTAP is a fast and efficient alkali lignin-based adsorbent, which is expected to improve the utilization value of alkali lignin in Cr(vi) wastewater treatment.

Protective Effect of Natural Antioxidants on Reducing Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity.

The clinical application of cisplatin is limited by its adverse events, of which nephrotoxicity is the most commonly observed. In a cisplatin-induced pathological response, oxidative stress is one of the upstream reactions which inflicts different degrees of damages to the intracellular material components. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are also one of the early signaling molecules that subsequently undergo a series of pathological reactions, such as apoptosis and necrosis. This review summarizes the mechanism of intracellular ROS generation induced by cisplatin, mainly from the consumption of endogenous antioxidants, destruction of antioxidant enzymes, induction of mitochondrial crosstalk between the endoplasmic reticulum by ROS and Ca2+, and destruction of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) system in the endoplasmic reticulum, all of which result in excessive accumulation of intracellular ROS and oxidative stress. In addition, studies demonstrated that natural antioxidants can protect against the cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity, by reducing or even eliminating excess free radicals and also affecting other nonredox pathways. Therefore, this review on the one hand provides theoretical support for the research and clinical application of natural antioxidants and on the other hand provides a new entry point for the detailed mechanism of cisplatin nephrotoxicity, which may lay a solid foundation for the future clinical use of cisplatin.

Design of co-continuous structure of cellulose/PAA-based alkaline solid polyelectrolyte for flexible zinc-air battery.

In order to prepare high ionic conductivity and robust mechanical properties of alkaline solid polyelectrolyte (ASPE) for applications in flexible wearable devices, a co-continuous structure membrane was designed using in-situ polymerization to introduce cross-linked polyacrylic acid (N-PAA) into the cellulose network constructed by regenerated degreasing cotton (RDC). The resultant ASPE membrane showed high ionic conductivity (430 mS·cm-1 at 25 °C), strong mechanical properties, and excellent alkaline stabilities, proving the viability of cellulose for use in energy storage systems. Surprisingly, the sandwich-shaped zinc-air battery assembled using RDC/N-PAA/KOH membranes as electrolytes exhibits superior values of cycling stability, discharge time, specific capacity (731.5 mAh·g-1), peak power density (40.25 mW·cm-2), and mechanical flexibility. Even under bending conditions, the zinc-air batteries still possess stable energy supply performance, suggesting this novel solid polyelectrolyte has promising application for wearable technology.

Variational Quantum Computation of Molecular Linear Response Properties on a Superconducting Quantum Processor.

Simulating response properties of molecules is crucial for interpreting experimental spectroscopies and accelerating materials design. However, it remains a long-standing computational challenge for electronic structure methods on classical computers. While quantum computers hold the promise of solving this problem more efficiently in the long run, existing quantum algorithms requiring deep quantum circuits are infeasible for near-term noisy quantum processors. Herein, we introduce a pragmatic variational quantum response (VQR) algorithm for response properties, which circumvents the need for deep quantum circuits. Using this algorithm, we report the first simulation of linear response properties of molecules including dynamic polarizabilities and absorption spectra on a superconducting quantum processor. Our results indicate that a large class of important dynamical properties, such as Green's functions, are within the reach of near-term quantum hardware using this algorithm in combination with suitable error mitigation techniques.

Steroid receptor coactivator-1: The central intermediator linking multiple signals and functions in the brain and spinal cord.

The effects of steroid hormones are believed to be mediated by their nuclear receptors (NRs). The p160 coactivator family, including steroid receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1), 2 and 3, has been shown to physically interact with NRs to enhance their transactivational activities. Among which SRC-1 has been predominantly localized in the central nervous system including brain and spinal cord. It is not only localized in neurons but also detectable in neuroglial cells (mainly localized in the nuclei but also detectable in the extra-nuclear components). Although the expression of SRC-1 is regulated by many steroids, it is also regulated by some non-steroidal factors such as injury, sound and light. Functionally, SRC-1 has been implied in normal function such as development and ageing, learning and memory, central regulation on reproductive behaviors, motor and food intake. Pathologically, SRC-1 may play a role in the regulation of neuropsychiatric disorders (including stress, depression, anxiety, and autism spectrum disorder), metabolite homeostasis and obesity as well as tumorigenesis. Under most conditions, the related mechanisms are far from elucidation; although it may regulate spatial memory through Rictor/mTORC2-actin polymerization related synaptic plasticity. Several inhibitors and stimulator of SRC-1 have shown anti-cancer potentials, but whether these small molecules could be used to modulate ageing and central disorder related neuropathology remain unclear. Therefore, to elucidate when and how SRC-1 is turned on and off under different stimuli is very interesting and great challenge for neuroscientists.

Integrating Network Pharmacology and In Vivo Model to Investigate the Mechanism of Biheimaer in the Treatment of Functional Dyspepsia.

Objective: Biheimaer (BHM) is a hospital formulation for clinical treatment of dyspepsia and acid reflux, based on Compatibility Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This study anticipated to elucidate the molecular mechanism of BHM against Functional dyspepsia via combined network pharmacology prediction with experimental verification. Methods: Based on network pharmacology, the potential active components and targets of BHM in the treatment of functional dyspepsia were explored by prediction and molecular docking technology. The results of protein-protein interaction analysis, functional annotation, and pathway enrichment analysis further refined the main targets and pathways. The molecular mechanism of BHM improving functional dyspepsia mice induced by L-arginine + atropine was verified on the basis of network pharmacology. Results: In this study, 183 effective compounds were screened from BHM; moreover, 1007 compound-related predicted targets and 156 functional dyspepsia-related targets were found. The results of enrichment analysis and in vivo experiments showed that BHM could regulate intestinal smooth muscle contraction to play a therapeutic role in functional dyspepsia by reducing the expression of NOS3, SERT, TRPV1, and inhibiting the inflammatory cytokine (IL-1ß, TNF-α) to intervene the inflammatory response in mice. Conclusions: This study revealed the molecular biological mechanisms of the Traditional Chinese Medicine formulation of BHM in functional dyspepsia by network pharmacology and experimental verification, meanwhile provided scientific support for subsequent clinical medication.

A study on coconut fatty acid diethanolamide-based polyurethane foams.

The possibility of using coconut fatty acid diethanolamide, a derivate from coconut oil as a bio-based polyol for the synthesis of polyurethane foam was explored. The intrinsic tertiary amine moiety in this polyol (p-CFAD) endowed an auto-catalytic effect in the synthesis process of polyurethane foams, combined with a shorter cream and gelation time compared to the fossil-based polyol 3152. H-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) were conducted to characterize the chemical structural features of the p-CFAD, and rheology measurement showed the shear-thinning behavior due to the branched structure. A thermal conductivity comparable to the commercial rigid polyurethane foam was achieved when 40wt% fossil-based polyol 3152 was substituted with the bio-based p-CFAD. With the increased content of the p-CFAD, a transition of the physical properties from rigid PU foam to soft PU foam was observed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the occurrence of the interconnected pores on the cell walls with the increase of the added p-CFAD, implying the possibility of regulating the cellular structure and foam properties via the incorporation of the p-CFAD. Results showed the feasibility of using p-CFAD as a potential polyol in the development of bio-based polyurethane foams with high performance.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of aerobic exercise combined with resistance training on maintenance hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a life-threatening illness that causes significant pain to patients, this serious impact on patient's physical fitness and quality of life. Previous studies have found that exercise training has a positive impact on improving CKD patients' symptoms. In order to improve patients' physical function and quality of life, this meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the application value of aerobic exercise combined with resistance training in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. METHODS: A computer search was conducted of PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and Weipu databases. The search keywords were: "chronic kidney disease", "end-stage renal disease", "hemodialysis", "maintenance hemodialysis", "exercise", "aerobic exercise", "resistance exercise", "combined exercise", and "physical exercise". Included studies should meet the following criteria, the study population is MHD patients, the intervention is aerobic exercise combined with resistance training, and a randomized controlled study with clearly documented outcome indicators. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to evaluate the quality of the included studies, and the meta-analysis was performed by RevMan 5.20 software (Cochrane Collaboration). RESULTS: A total of seven articles met the inclusion criteria. The included studies were assessed for risk of bias and met the inclusion criteria. The results of the meta-analysis showed significant differences between patients who received aerobic exercise combined with resistance training and control patients (the rest treatment was same as the study group) in the urea clearance index [mean difference (MD) =0.16, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.10, 0.21], mental health (MD =7.54, 95% CI: 2.74, 12.35) and social functioning (MD =9.98, 95% CI: 1.52, 18.44). However, there was no significant difference in physical functioning between the two groups (MD =1.26, 95% CI: -1.20, 3.71). DISCUSSION: Although aerobic exercise combined with resistance training did not improve the physical functioning of MHD patients, it improved their urea clearance, mental health, and social functioning and positively affected their quality of life, risk of bias should also be considered. In the future, multi-center studies with larger samples should be used to explore the effects of aerobic exercise combined with resistance training on MHD patients.

Tumor microenvironment responsive Mn3O4 nanoplatform for in vivo real-time monitoring of drug resistance and photothermal/chemodynamic synergistic therapy of gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative chemotherapy for gastric cancer often causes multidrug resistance (MDR), which has serious consequences for therapeutic effects. Individualized treatment based on accurate monitoring of MDR will greatly improve patient survival. RESULTS: In this article, a self-enhanced Mn3O4 nanoplatform (MPG NPs) was established, which can react with glutathione to produce Mn2+ to enhance T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and mediate in vivo real-time MDR monitoring. In vitro MRI results showed that MRI signals could be enhanced in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and glutathione and at acidic pH. In vivo MRI results indicated that MPG NPs could specifically target MDR cells, thereby realizing real-time monitoring of MDR in gastric cancer. Furthermore, MPG NPs have good chemodynamic activity, which can convert the endogenous hydrogen peroxide of tumor cells into highly toxic hydroxyl radical through Fenton-like reaction at acidic pH to play the role of chemodynamic therapy. In addition, Mn3O4 can significantly enhance the chemodynamic therapy effect because of its good photothermal conversion effect. Furthermore, in situ photothermal/chemodynamic synergistic therapy obtained remarkable results, the tumors of the mice in the synergistic therapy group gradually became smaller or even disappeared. CONCLUSIONS: MPG NPs have good biocompatibility, providing a good nanoplatform for real-time monitoring and precise diagnosis and treatment of MDR in gastric cancer.

C-Reactive Protein Levels Predict Responses to PD-1 Inhibitors in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients.

Background: Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) is a biomarker of an acute inflammatory response and has been successfully used as a prognostic predictor for several malignancies. However, the clinicopathological significance of CRP levels in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients being treated with PD-1 inhibitors remains unclear. Methods: Serum CRP levels were measured for a total of 101 HCC patients that had been treated with PD-1 inhibitors from July 2018 to November 2019. The clinicopathological data was retrospectively analyzed to identify any clinical implications between CRP levels and responses to PD-1 inhibitors and patients' progression-free survival (PFS). Results: The median PFS was 8.87 months in the CRP-low subgroup and 3.67 months in the CRP-high subgroup (P = 0.009). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that both serum CRP and AFP levels were independent risk factors for the PFS of HCC patients treated with PD-1 inhibitors (P < 0.05). Moreover, Cox regression analysis after Propensity Score Matching showed the similar results. A prognostic model combining CRP and AFP levels could significantly stratify HCC patients receiving PD-1 inhibitors into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk subgroups (P < 0.001). Patients in the risk subgroups reported similar overall response rates (P = 0.625) and significantly different disease control rates (low- vs. intermediate- vs. high-risk groups: 81.6% vs. 65.1% vs. 35%, respectively, P = 0.002). Conclusions: The results of this study support the association between high serum CRP levels with the response and PFS for HCC patients receiving PD-1 inhibitors. Furthermore, the levels of both CRP and AFP in an HCC patient before treatment initiation show great potential for determining the efficacy of PD-1 inhibitors.

Captopril related kidney damage: renal afferent arteriolar responses to angiotensin II and inflammatory signaling.

Captopril can have nephrotoxic effects, which are largely attributed to accumulated renin and "escaped" angiotensin II (Ang II). Here we test whether angiotensin converting enzyme-1 (ACE1) inhibition damages kidneys via alteration of renal afferent arteriolar responses to Ang II and inflammatory signaling. C57Bl/6 mice were given vehicle or captopril (60 mg/kg per day) for four weeks. Hypertension was obtained by minipump supplying Ang II (400 ng/kg per min) during the second 2 weeks. We assessed kidney histology by periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and Masson staining, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) by FITC-labeled inulin clearance, and responses to Ang II assessed in afferent arterioles in vitro. Moreover, arteriolar H2O2 and catalase, plasma renin were assayed by commercial kits, and mRNAs of renin receptor, transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in the renal cortex, mRNAs of angiotensin receptor-1 (AT1R) and AT2R in the preglomerular arterioles were detected by RT-qPCR. The results showed that, compared to vehicle, mice given captopril showed lowered blood pressure, reduced GFR, increased plasma renin, renal interstitial fibrosis and tubular epithelial vacuolar degeneration, increased expression of mRNAs of renal TGF-ß and COX-2, decreased production of H2O2 and increased catalase activity in preglomerular arterioles and enhanced afferent arteriolar Ang II contractions. The latter were blunted by incubation with H2O2. The mRNAs of renal microvascular AT1R and AT2R remained unaffected by captopril. Ang II-infused mice showed increased blood pressure and reduced afferent arteriolar Ang II responses. Administration of captopril to the Ang II-infused mice normalized blood pressure, but not arteriolar Ang II responses. We conclude that inhibition of ACE1 enhances renal microvascular reactivity to Ang II and may enhance important inflammatory pathways.

ZIF-8 derived porous carbon to mitigate shuttle effect for high performance aqueous zinc-iodine batteries.

Rechargeable aqueous zinc-iodine batteries (ZIBs) with low environmental impacts and abundant natural reserves have emerged as promising electrochemical energy storage devices. However, the shuttle effect and low conductivity of the iodine species cause poor electrochemical performance and hinder their practical application. Herein, we propose a ZIF-8 derived porous carbon (ZPC) for iodine species immobilization in ZIBs. The rich porous structure and highly conductive framework of ZPC provide efficient iodine loading and allow the fast transmission of electrons. In addition, the presence of N, Zn and ZnO in the carbon framework can build chemical anchoring with the iodine species to mitigate the shuttle effect. Thus, the ZPC/I2 cathode exhibits a reversible capacity of 156 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles at 100 mA g-1 and a long-term stability of 1000 cycles at a high rate. This study will open a new paradigm for devolving highly reversible ZIBs.

Composite Polymer Anion Exchange Membranes with Sandwich Structure and Improved Performance for Zn-Air Battery.

In this study, we fabricated a composite polymer anion exchange membrane (AEM) with a sandwich structure. This prepared AEM demonstrated high ionic conductivity (0.25 Scm-1), excellent alkali resistance (8 M KOH), and good mechanical properties (tensile strength of 0.455 MPa and elongation at break of 82.13%). Here, degrease cotton (DC) treated with LiOH/urea aqueous solution was used and immersed into a coagulation bath to form a film. This film was immersed in acrylic acid (AA) monomers, and in-suit polymerization was carried out in the presence of KOH and an initiator. Finally, a composite polymer membrane with sandwich structure was achieved, in which the upper and bottom layers were mainly composed of polymerized AA (PAA) while the central layer was mainly composed of DC derived film. The central layer acted as a skeleton to improve the mechanical properties and alkali resistance. The top and bottom layers (PAA-rich layers) acted as OH- ion transport carriers, making basic cations migrate along the main chain of PAA. This newly developed composite membrane showed increased tensile strength and an elongation at break of 2.7 and 1.5 times, respectively, when compared to a control PAA/KOH AEM film. Furthermore, an electrochemical stability window of 2.0 V was measured via the cyclic voltammetry curve test, showing a wide electrochemical window and promising application in Zn-Air batteries.

A novel magneto-gold nanohybrid-enhanced lateral flow immunoassay for ultrasensitive and rapid detection of ochratoxin A in grape juice.

Conventional gold nanoparticle-based lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) usually suffers a huge challenge in measuring target concentration in food matrices with dark color because of its poor resistance to the background matrix and color interference. To address this issue, we first report a novel bifunctional magneto-gold nanohybrid (MGNH) for the simultaneous magnetic separation and colorimetric target sensing by integrating MGNHs into LFIA. Under optimum conditions, an ultrasensitive detection of ochratoxin A (OTA) in grape juice was achieved with a limit of detection at 0.094 ng mL-1. The average recoveries of this MGNH-LFIA ranged from 92.31% to 108.97% with a coefficient of variation of below 12%. The excellent selectivity of our MGNH-LFIA against OTA was demonstrated. Besides, our MGNH-LFIA is comparable to liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry in terms of accuracy, reproducibility, and practicability. The designed MGNH-LFIA platform is readily extended for improving other small molecule detection in food samples.