Oxygen Transport through Amorphous Cathode Coatings in Solid-State Batteries.

All solid-state batteries (SSBs) are considered the most promising path to enabling higher energy-density portable energy, while concurrently improving safety as compared to current liquid electrolyte solutions. However, the desire for high energy necessitates the choice of high-voltage cathodes, such as nickel-rich layered oxides, where degradation phenomena related to oxygen loss and structural densification at the cathode surface are known to significantly compromise the cycle and thermal stability. In this work, we show, for the first time, that even in an SSB, and when protected by an intact amorphous coating, the LiNi0.5Mn0.3Co0.2O2 (NMC532) surface transforms from a layered structure into a rocksalt-like structure after electrochemical cycling. The transformation of the surface structure of the Li3B11O18 (LBO)-coated NMC532 cathode in a thiophosphate-based solid-state cell is characterized by high-resolution complementary electron microscopy techniques and electron energy loss spectroscopy. Ab initio molecular dynamics corroborate facile transport of O2- in the LBO coating and in other typical coating materials. This work identifies that oxygen loss remains a formidable challenge and barrier to long-cycle life high-energy storage, even in SSBs with durable, amorphous cathode coatings, and directs attention to considering oxygen permeability as an important new design criteria for coating materials.

Flexible Li-CO2 Batteries with Boosted Reaction Kinetics and Cyclelife Enabled by Heterostructured Mo3 N2 @TiN Cathode and Interface-protected Li Anode.

With theoretically endowing with high energy densities and environmentally friendly carbon neutralization ability, flexible fiber-shaped Li-CO2 battery emerges as a multipurpose platform for next-generation wearable electronics. Nevertheless, the ineluctable issues faced by cathode catalysts and Li anodes have brought enormous obstacles to the development of flexible fiber-shaped Li-CO2 batteries. Herein, a flexible fiber-shaped Li-CO2 battery based on Mo3 N2 cathode coating with atomic layer deposited TiN and Li3 N protected Li anode is constructed. Owing to the regulation surface electrons of Mo3 N2 by TiN, heterostructured cathode has more delocalized electrons which enable cathodes to stabilize 2-electron intermediate products Li2 C2 O4 by electron bridge bonds and avoid disproportionation into Li2 CO3 . Li3 N layers not only accelerate Li+ transportation but also avoid contact between Li and CO2 to form Li2 CO3 . Thus, the constructed Li-CO2 battery demonstrates a low charge potential of 3.22 V, low overpotential of 0.56 V, outstanding rate capabilities up to 1 A g-1 , and excellent long-term cycling (≈2000 h) with an energy efficiency of ≈80%. The fabricated flexible fiber-shaped Li-CO2 battery shows an ultrahigh energy density of 14 772.5 Wh kg-1 based on cathodes (340.8 Wh kg-1 based on device mass), and outstanding deformations adaptability, giving it great potential for wearable electronics.

Synthetic CRISPR/dCas9-KRAB system driven by specific PSA promoter suppresses malignant biological behavior of prostate cancer cells through negative feedback inhibition of PSA expression.

PSA is a type of proto-oncogene that is specifically and highly expressed in embryonic and prostate cancer cells, but not expressed in normal prostate tissue cells. The specific expression of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is found to be related with the conditional transcriptional regulation of its promoter. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-dCas9-KRAB is a newly developed transcriptional regulatory system that inhibits gene expression by interupting the DNA transcription process. Induction of CRISPR-dCas9-KRAB expression through the PSA promoter may help feedback inhibition of cellular PSA gene expression via single guide RNA (sgRNA), thereby monitoring and suppressing the malignant state of tumor cells. In this study, we examined the transcriptional activity of the PSA promoter in different prostate cancer cells and normal prostate epithelial cells and determined that it is indeed a prostate cancer cell-specific promoter.Then we constructed the CRISPR-dCas9-KRAB system driven by the PSA promoter, which can inhibit PSA gene expression in the prostate cancer cells at the transcriptional level, and therefore supress the malignant growth and migration of prostate cancer cells and promote their apoptosis in vitro. This study provides a potentially effective anti-cancer strategy for gene therapy of prostate cancer.

Strategies Toward Stretchable Aqueous Zn-based Batteries for Wearable Electronics from Components to Devices.

Recently, aqueous Zn-based batteries (AZBs) are receiving increased attention in wearable and implantable electronics due to the low cost, high safety, high eco-efficiency, and relatively high energy density. However, it is still a big challenge to develop stretchable AZBs (SAZBs) which can be conformally folded, crumpled, and stretched with human body motions. Although a lot of efforts have been dedicated to constructions of SAZBs, a comprehensive review which focuses on summarizing stretchable materials, device configurations and challenges of SAZBs is needed. Herein, this review attempts to critically review the latest developments and progress in stretchable electrodes, electrolytes, packaging materials and device configurations in detail. Furthermore, these challenges and potential future research directions in the field of SAZBs are also discussed.

Ion Diffusion-Directed Assembly of an Artificial Electronic-Ionic Conductor Layer with Zn-Ion Selective Channels for Highly Reversible Zinc Anodes.

Although aqueous zinc-ion batteries have attracted much attention due to their high safety, low cost, and relatively high energy density, their practical applications are severely limited by the uncontrollable dendrite growth and side reactions at the zinc anode. Herein, we design an electronic-ionic conductor artificial layer with Zn-ion selective channels on the Zn surface to regulate the Zn plating/stripping behavior through a one-step ion diffusion-directed assembly strategy using the commercially available conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). Significantly, the functional PEDOT:PSS-Zn2+ (PPZ) layer with abundant selective Zn-ion channels works as both an electron regulator and an ion regulator that could not only simultaneously uniformize the electrical and Zn2+ concentration field on the Zn surface and accelerate the Zn2+ transport kinetics but also block the access of SO42- and H2O. With such a synergy effect, the PEDOT:PSS-Zn2+-modified Zn anode (2PPZ@Zn) achieves a long lifespan of 2400 h of the symmetrical cell at a current density of 3 mA cm-2 (1 mA h cm-2). Additionally, a long-term lifespan of 500 h is harvested even at a high current of 5 mA cm-2 with a high capacity of 3 mA h cm-2. Furthermore, combined with a manganese dioxide cathode, a full cell similarly provides a cycling stability of over 1500 cycles with 75% capacity retention at a high rate of 10 C (1 C = 308 mA h g-1).

Porous Mo3 P/Mo Nanorods as Efficient Mott-Schottky Cathode Catalysts for Low Polarization Li-CO2 Battery.

Li-CO2 battery with high energy density has aroused great interest recently, large-scale applications are hindered by the limited cathode catalysis performance and execrably cycle performance. Herein, Mo3 P/Mo Mott-Schottky heterojunction nanorod electrocatalyst with abundant porous structure is fabricated and served as cathodes for Li-CO2 batteries. The Mo3 P/Mo cathodes exhibit ultra-high discharge specific capacity of 10 577 mAh g-1 , low polarization voltage of 0.15 V, and high energy efficiency of up to 94.7%. Mott-Schottky heterojunction formed by Mo and Mo3 P drives electron transfer and optimizes the surface electronic structure, which is beneficial to accelerate the interface reaction kinetics. Distinctively, during the discharge process, the C2 O4 2- intermediates combine with Mo atoms to form a stable Mo-O coupling bridge on the catalyst surface, which effectively facilitate the formation and stabilization of Li2 C2 O4 products. In addition, the construction of the Mo-O coupling bridge between the Mott-Schottky heterojunction and Li2 C2 O4 promotes the reversible formation and decomposition of discharge products and optimizes the polarization performance of the Li-CO2 battery. This work provides another pathway for the development of heterostructure engineering electrocatalysts for high-performance Li-CO2 batteries.

Ultrastretchable, Multihealable, and Highly Sensitive Strain Sensor Based on a Double Cross-Linked MXene Hydrogel.

The ability of a flexible strain sensor to directly adapt the complicated human biological motion or combined gestures and remotely control the artificial intelligence robotics could benefit the wearable electronics such as intelligent robotics and patient healthcare. However, it is a challenge for the flexible strain sensor to simultaneously achieve high sensing performances and stretchability and long sustainability under various deformation stress or damage. Herein, a dual-cross-linked poly(acrylic acid-stearyl methacrylate)/MXene [P(AA-SMA)M] hydrogel with enhanced mechanical stretchability and self-healability is fabricated by importing reversible coordination and hydrophobic interaction into polymer networks. As a result, the hydrogel film not only exhibits high tensile strength (525 kPa) and stretchability (∼2600%) but also achieves repetitive healable property with 843% elongation even after the 20th broken/self-healing cycle. More importantly, the resultant strain sensor delivers a low detection limit, wide sensing range, fast response time, and repeatability of 1000 cycles even after repeated self-healing. So, the sensor can monitor subtle human motions and recognize different handwriting and gestures, which reveals potential applications toward health-care devices, flexible electronics, and human-machine interfacing.

Boosting the reaction kinetics in aprotic lithium-carbon dioxide batteries with unconventional phase metal nanomaterials.

Given the high energy density and eco-friendly characteristics, lithium-carbon dioxide (Li-CO2) batteries have been considered to be a next-generation energy technology to promote carbon neutral and space exploration. However, Li-CO2 batteries suffer from sluggish reaction kinetics, causing large overpotential and poor energy efficiency. Here, we observe enhanced reaction kinetics in aprotic Li-CO2 batteries with unconventional phase 4H/face-centered cubic (fcc) iridium (Ir) nanostructures grown on gold template. Significantly, 4H/fcc Ir exhibits superior electrochemical performance over fcc Ir in facilitating the round-trip reaction kinetics of Li+-mediated CO2 reduction and evolution, achieving a low charge plateau below 3.61 V and high energy efficiency of 83.8%. Ex situ/in situ studies and theoretical calculations reveal that the boosted reaction kinetics arises from the highly reversible generation of amorphous/low-crystalline discharge products on 4H/fcc Ir via the Ir-O coupling. The demonstration of flexible Li-CO2 pouch cells with 4H/fcc Ir suggests the feasibility of using unconventional phase nanomaterials in practical scenarios.

Unraveling Sequence Effect on Glass Transition Temperatures of Discrete Unconjugated Oligomers.

Sequence plays a critical role in enabling unique properties and functions of natural biomolecules, which has promoted the rapid advancement of synthetic sequence-defined polymers in recent decades. Particularly, investigation of short chain sequence-defined oligomers (also called discrete oligomers) on their properties has become a hot topic. However, most studies have focused on discrete oligomers with conjugated structures. In contrast, unconjugated oligomers remain relatively underexplored. In this study, three pairs of discrete oligomers with the same composition but different sequence for each pair are employed for investigating their glass transition temperatures (Tg s). The resultant Tg s of sequenced oligomers in each pair are found to be significantly different (up to 11.6 °C), attributable to variations in molecular packing as demonstrated by molecular dynamics and density function theory simulations. Intermolecular interaction is demonstrated to have less impact on Tg s than intramolecular interaction. The mechanistic investigation into two model dimers suggests that monomer sequence caused the difference in intramolecular rotational flexibility of the sequenced oligomers. In addition, despite having different monomer sequence and Tg s, the oligomers have very similar solubility parameters, which supports their potential use as effective oligomeric plasticizers to tune the Tg s of bulk polymer materials.

Targeted Methylation of the LncRNA NEAT1 Suppresses Malignancy of Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Long-chain non-coding RNA (LncRNA) has been found to play an important role in the regulation of the occurrence and progression of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). In this study, we demonstrated that LncRNA NEAT1 expression and m6A methylation level was decreased in RCC tissues. Further, the downregulated expression level of LncRNA NEAT1 was associated with poor prognosis for RCC patients. Then we used CRIPSR/dCas13b-METTL3 to methylate LncRNA NEAT1 in RCC cells. The results showed that the expression level of LncRNA NEAT1 was upregulated after methylated by dCas13b-METTL3 in RCC cells. And the proliferation and migration ability of RCC cells was decreased after methylated LncRNA NEAT1. Finally, we examined the effect of LncRNA NEAT1 hypermethylation on the transcriptome. We found differentially expressed genes in RCC cells were associated with "cGMP-PKG signaling pathway", "Cell adhesion molecules" and "Pathways in cancer". In conclusion, CRISPR/Cas13b-METTL3 targeting LncRNA NEAT1 m6A methylation activates LncRNA NEAT1 expression and provides a new target for treatment of RCC.

Eight in One: Hidden Diversity of the Bagrid Catfish Tachysurus albomarginatus s.l. (Rendhal, 1928) Widespread in Lowlands of South China.

There is increasing evidence that species diversity is underestimated in the current taxonomy of widespread freshwater fishes. The bagrid species T. albomarginatus s.l. is mainly distributed in the lowlands of South China, as currently identified. A total of 40 localities (including the type locality), which covers most of its known range, were sampled. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on concatenated mtDNA and nuclear genes recover nine highly supported lineages clustering into eight geographic populations. The integration of molecular evidence, morphological data, and geographic distribution demonstrates the delineation of T. albomarginatus s.l. as eight putative species. Four species, namely, T. albomarginatus, T. lani, T. analis, and T. zhangfei sp. nov. and the T. similis complex are taxonomically recognized herein. Moreover, T. zhangfei sp. nov. comprises two genetically distinct lineages with no morphological and geographical difference. This study also reveals aspects of estimation of divergence time, distribution, and ecological adaption within the T. albomarginatus group. The unraveling of the hidden species diversity of this lowland bagrid fish highlights the need for not only the molecular scrutiny of widely distributed species of South China but also the adjustment of current biodiversity conservation strategies to protect the largely overlooked diversity of fishes from low-elevation rapids.

Two-Dimensional Electron Gas at the Spinel/Perovskite Interface: Suppression of Polar Catastrophe by an Ultrathin Layer of Interfacial Defects.

Two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the interface between two insulating perovskite oxides has attracted much interest for both fundamental physics and potential applications. Here, we report the discovery of a new 2DEG formed at the interface between spinel MgAl2O4 and perovskite SrTiO3. Transport measurements, electron microscopy imaging, and first-principles calculations reveal that the interfacial 2DEG is closely related to the symmetry breaking at the MgAl2O4/SrTiO3 interface. The critical film thickness for the insulator-to-metal transition is approximately 32 Å, which is twice as thick as that reported on the widely studied LaAlO3/SrTiO3 system. Scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging indicates the formation of interfacial Ti-Al antisite defects with a thickness of ∼4 Å. First-principles density functional theory calculations indicate that the coexistence of the antisite defects and surface oxygen vacancies may explain the formation of interfacial 2DEG as well as the observed critical film thickness. The discovery of 2DEG at the spinel/perovskite interface introduces a new material platform for designing oxide interfaces with desired characteristics.

Evaluation of Amorphous Oxide Coatings for High-Voltage Li-Ion Battery Applications Using a First-Principles Framework.

Cathode surface coatings are widely used industrially as a means to suppress degradation and improve electrochemical performance of lithium-ion batteries. However, developing an optimal coating is challenging, as different coating materials may enhance one aspect of performance while hindering another. To elucidate the fundamental thermodynamic and transport properties of amorphous cathode coating materials, here, we present a framework for calculating and analyzing the Li+ and O2- transport and the stability against delithiation in such materials. Our framework includes systematic workflows of ab-initio molecular dynamics calculations to obtain amorphous structures and diffusion trajectories coupled with an analysis of critical changes of the active-ion local environment during diffusion. Based on these data, we provide an estimate of room-temperature diffusivities, including statistical error bars, and the evaluation of the coating suitability in terms of its ability to facilitate Li+ transport while blocking O2- transport. Finally, we add the thermodynamic stability analysis of the coating chemistry within the operating voltage of common Li-ion cathodes. We apply this framework to two commonly used amorphous coating materials, Al2O3 and ZnO. We find that (1) in general, a higher Li+ content increases both Li+ and O2- diffusivities in both Al2O3 and ZnO. Also, Li+ and O2- diffuse much faster in ZnO than in Al2O3. (2) However, neither Al2O3 nor ZnO is expected to retain a significant concentration of Li+ at high charge. (3) ZnO performs much more poorly in terms of O2- blocking, and hence, Al2O3 is preferred for high-voltage cathode applications. These results will help to quantitatively evaluate amorphous materials, such as metal oxides and fluorides, for different performance metrics and facilitate the development of optimal cathode coatings.

Unraveling Reaction Mechanisms of Mo2C as Cathode Catalyst in a Li-CO2 Battery.

First-principles density functional theory calculations are first used to study possible reaction mechanisms of molybdenum carbide (Mo2C) as cathode catalysts in Li-CO2 batteries. By systematically investigating the Gibbs free energy changes of different intermediates during lithium oxalate (Li2C2O4) and lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) nucleations, it is theoretically demonstrated that Li2C2O4 could be stabilized as the final discharge product, preventing the further formation of Li2CO3. The surface charge distributions of Li2C2O4 adsorbing onto catalytic surfaces are studied by using Bader charge analysis, given that electron transfers are found between Li2C2O4 and Mo2C surfaces. The catalytic activities of catalysts are intensively evaluated toward the discharge and charge processes by calculating the electrochemical free energy diagrams to identify the overpotentials. Our studies promote the understanding of electrochemical processes and shed more light on the design and optimization of cathode catalysts for Li-CO2 batteries.

Ultrafine nanosulfur particles sandwiched in little oxygen-functionalized graphene layers as cathodes for high rate and long-life lithium-sulfur batteries.

Although lithium-sulfur batteries are one of the promising candidates for next-generation energy storage systems, the practical applications are still hampered by the poor cycle life, which can be attributed to the insulating properties of sulfur and the shuttle effect of electrochemical intermediate polysulfides. To address these problems, we synthesize sandwich-like composites which consist of ultrafine nanosulfur particles enveloped by little oxygen-functionalized graphene layers (F-GS@S). In this structure, the little oxygen-functionalized graphene backbone can not only accelerate the redox kinetics of sulfur species, but also eliminate the shuttle effect of polysulfides by strong chemical interaction. Moreover, the sandwich confinement structures can further inhibit the dissolution of polysulfides by physical restraint and accommodate the volume contraction/expansion of sulfur during cycling. As a result, the F-GS@S composites used as cathodes for lithium-sulfur batteries display a superior rate capability with the high capacities of 1208 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C and 601.7 mAh g-1 at 2 C and high cycling stability with a capacity retention of 70.5% after 500 cycles at 2 C. In situ characterizations and real-time monitoring experiments during the charge-discharge process are carried out to elucidate the reaction mechanism of the F-GS@S composites as cathodes for high rate and long-life lithium-sulfur batteries.

LncARSR sponges miR-129-5p to promote proliferation and metastasis of bladder cancer cells through increasing SOX4 expression.

Emerging evidences have indicated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are potential biomarkers, playing important roles in the development of cancer. LncRNA Activated in RCC with Sunitinib Resistance (lncARSR) is a novel lncRNA that functions as a potential biomarker and is involved in the progression of cancers. However, the clinical significance and molecular mechanism of lncARSR in bladder cancer (Bca) remains unknow. In this study, we discovered that lncARSR was significantly up-regulated in bladder cancer. In addition, increased expression of lncARSR was positively correlated with higher histological grade and larger tumor size. Further experiments demonstrated that suppression of lncARSR attenuated the proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process of Bca cells. Mechanistically, lncARSR was mainly located in the cytoplasm and acted as a miRNA sponge to positively modulate the expression of Sex-determining region Y-related high-mobility-group box transcription factor 4 (SOX4) via sponging miR-129-5p and subsequently promoted the proliferation and metastasis of Bca cells, thus playing an oncogenic role in Bca pathogenesis. In conclusion, our study indicated that lncARSR plays a critical regulatory role in Bca cells and lncARSR may serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for bladder cancer.

CRISPR-Cas13-Mediated Knockdown of lncRNA-GACAT3 Inhibited Cell Proliferation and Motility, and Induced Apoptosis by Increasing p21, Bax, and E-Cadherin Expression in Bladder Cancer.

The current study is to investigate the expression pattern and biological function of long non-coding RNA Focally gastric cancer-associated transcript3 (GACAT3) in bladder cancer. Real-time quantitative qPCR was used to detect the expression level of GACAT-3 in tumor tissues and paired normal tissues. Human bladder cancer T24 and 5637 cell lines were transiently transfected with specific CRISPR-Cas13 or negative control CRISPR-Cas13. Cell migration, proliferation, and apoptosis were measured by using wound healing assay CCK-8 assay and Caspase-3 ELISA assay, respectively. The expression changes of p21, Bax, and E-cadherin after knockdown of GACAT3 were detected by using Western blot. The results demonstrated that GACAT3 was up-regulated in bladder cancer tissues than that in the paired normal tissues. Inhibition of cell proliferation, increased apoptosis, and decreased motility were observed in T24 and 5637 cell lines transfected by CRISPR-Cas13 targeting GACAT3. Downregulation of GACAT3 increased p21, Bax, and E-cadherin expression and silencing these genes could eliminate the phenotypic changes induced by knockdown of GACAT3. A ceRNA mechanism for GACAT3 was also revealed. By using CRISPR-Cas13 biotechnology, we suggested that GACAT3 may be a novel target for diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer.

Bamboo-Like Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotube Forests as Durable Metal-Free Catalysts for Self-Powered Flexible Li-CO2 Batteries.

The Li-CO2 battery is a promising energy storage device for wearable electronics due to its long discharge plateau, high energy density, and environmental friendliness. However, its utilization is largely hindered by poor cyclability and mechanical rigidity due to the lack of a flexible and durable catalyst electrode. Herein, flexible fiber-shaped Li-CO2 batteries with ultralong cycle-life, high rate capability, and large specific capacity are fabricated, employing bamboo-like N-doped carbon nanotube fiber (B-NCNT) as flexible, durable metal-free catalysts for both CO2 reduction and evolution reactions. Benefiting from high N-doping with abundant pyridinic groups, rich defects, and active sites of the periodic bamboo-like nodes, the fabricated Li-CO2 battery shows outstanding electrochemical performance with high full-discharge capacity of 23 328 mAh g-1 , high rate capability with a low potential gap up to 1.96 V at a current density of 1000 mA g-1 , stability over 360 cycles, and good flexibility. Meanwhile, the bifunctional B-NCNT is used as the counter electrode for a fiber-shaped dye-sensitized solar cell to fabricate a self-powered fiber-shaped Li-CO2 battery with overall photochemical-electric energy conversion efficiency of up to 4.6%. Along with a stable voltage output, this design demonstrates great adaptability and application potentiality in wearable electronics with a breath monitor as an example.

A Quasi-Solid-State Flexible Fiber-Shaped Li-CO2 Battery with Low Overpotential and High Energy Efficiency.

The rapid development of wearable electronics requires a revolution of power accessories regarding flexibility and energy density. The Li-CO2 battery was recently proposed as a novel and promising candidate for next-generation energy-storage systems. However, the current Li-CO2 batteries usually suffer from the difficulties of poor stability, low energy efficiency, and leakage of liquid electrolyte, and few flexible Li-CO2 batteries for wearable electronics have been reported so far. Herein, a quasi-solid-state flexible fiber-shaped Li-CO2 battery with low overpotential and high energy efficiency, by employing ultrafine Mo2 C nanoparticles anchored on a carbon nanotube (CNT) cloth freestanding hybrid film as the cathode, is demonstrated. Due to the synergistic effects of the CNT substrate and Mo2 C catalyst, it achieves a low charge potential below 3.4 V, a high energy efficiency of ≈80%, and can be reversibly discharged and charged for 40 cycles. Experimental results and theoretical simulation show that the intermediate discharge product Li2 C2 O4 stabilized by Mo2 C via coordinative electrons transfer should be responsible for the reduction of overpotential. The as-fabricated quasi-solid-state flexible fiber-shaped Li-CO2 battery can also keep working normally even under various deformation conditions, giving it great potential of becoming an advanced energy accessory for wearable electronics.

[Medication versus health education for patients with type â ¢ prostatitis-like symptoms: A prospective randomized control study].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the necessity of medication for patients with type Ⅲ prostatitis-like symptoms for less than 3 months. METHODS: We enrolled in this study 171 outpatients with type Ⅲ prostatitis-like symptoms for less than 3 months in our hospital from November 2016 to October 2017, and randomly divided them into groups A (n = 57), B (n = 57) and C (n = 57). The patients of group A received tamsulosin, levofloxacin and health education, those of group B tamsulosin and health education, and those of group C health education only. Three months later, we evaluated the therapeutic effects according to the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) scores of the patients, 4-point reduction in the total score indicating effectiveness. RESULTS: After 3 months of treatment, the total NIH-CPSI scores of the patients in groups A, B and C were decreased by (9.0 ± 2.9), (8.2 ± 3.4) and (8.6 ± 3.2) points respectively, all indicating effectiveness, the pain scores (4.2 ± 1.8), (4.0 ± 1.9) and (4.2 ± 1.6) points, the urinary symptom scores decreased by decreased by (2.4 ± 1.2), (2.4 ± 1.4) and (2.2 ± 1.2) points, and quality of life scores decreased by (2.4 ± 1.4), (1.9 ± 1.4) and (2.2 ± 1.3) points, none with statistically significant difference among the three groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Health education is proved to have a therapeutic effect on type Ⅲ prostatitis-like symptoms similar to that of alpha receptor blockers.