Anti-aggregation growth and hierarchical porous carbon encapsulation enables the C@VO_(2) cathode with superior storage capability for aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Self-aggregation and sluggish transport kinetics of cathode materials would usually lead to the poor electrochemical performance for aqueous zinc-ion batteries(AZIBs).In this work,we report the construction of C@VO_(2) composite via anti-aggregation growth and hierarchical porous carbon encapsulation.Both of the morphology of composite and pore structure of carbon layer can be regulated by tuning the adding amount of glucose.When acting as cathode applied for AZIBs,the C@VO_(2)-3:3 composite can deliver a high capacity of 281 m Ah g^(-1) at 0.2 A g^(-1).Moreover,such cathode also exhibits a remarkably rate capability and cyclic stability,which can release a specific capacity of 195 m Ah g^(-1) at 5 A g^(-1) with the capacity retention of 95.4%after 1000 cycles.Besides that,the evolution including the crystal structure,valence state and transport kinetics upon cycling were also deeply investigated.In conclusion,benefited from the synergistic effect of anti-aggregation morphology and hierarchical porous carbon encapsulation,the building of such C@VO_(2) composite can be highly expected to enhance the ion accessible site,boost the transport kinetics and thus performing a superior storage performance.Such design concept can be applied for other kinds of electrode materials and accelerating the development of highperformance AZIBs.

Anti-aggregation dispersion of ultrafine particles by electrostatic technique

The dispersion of ultrafine particles in the air can be achieved by mechanical method or surface modification. In this work, the electrostatic technique was first employed for anti-aggregation of ultrafine particles. When the relative humidity of the air is within the region of 70%-75%, effective storage time of ultrafine particles can reach 72 h after treatment by the electrostatic technique. The experimental results showed that this technique imparted ultrafine particles much more pronounced anti-aggregation property. In the dry air, the critical diameter of ultrafine particles anti-aggregated by the electrostatic technique is the function of particle property and charging field intensity. The critical diameter is inversely proportional to the square of the charging field intensity.

A selective, sensitive and label-free visual assay of fructose using anti-aggregation of gold nanoparticles as a colorimetric probe

A new convenient colorimetric sensor for fructose based on anti-aggregation of citrate-capped gold nanoparticles（Au NPs） is presented. 4-Mercaptophenylboronic acid（MPBA） induces the aggregation of Au NPs, leading to a color change from red to blue. Fructose as a potent competitor has strong affinity for MPBA and a borate ester is formed between MPBA and fructose. There is an obvious color change from blue to red with increasing the concentration of fructose. The anti-aggregation effect of fructose on Au NPs was seen by the naked eye and monitored by UV–vis spectra. Our results showed that the absorbance ratio（A（519）/A（640）） was linear with fructose concentration in the range of 0.032–0.96 μmol/L（R^2= 0.996）, with a low detection limit of 0.01 μmol/L（S/N = 3）. Notably, a highly selective recognition of fructose was shown against other monosaccharide and disaccharide（glucose, mannose, galactose,lactose and saccharose）. With anti-aggregation assays higher selectivity is achievable. The results of this work provide a rapid method for evaluating the quantitative analysis of fructose in human plasma at physiologically meaningful concentrations and at neutral pH. The proposed procedure can be used as an efficient method for the precise and accurate determination of fructose.

Yield of alarm features in predicting significant endoscopic findings among hospitalized patients with dyspepsia

BACKGROUND Dyspepsia is a very prevalent upper gastrointestinal tract symptoms complex.Some of these symptoms might arise from serious underlying diseases,so the promotion of evidence-based guidelines could potentially better align evaluation and treatment.AIM To determine the value of alarm features as a predictive factor for significant endoscopic findings(SEFs)among hospitalized patients presenting with dyspepsia.METHODS We conducted a retrospective case-control study including information about 6208 endoscopic procedures performed for hospitalized patients.Patients were divided into two groups,with and without SEFs,and compared to elucidate the ability of the different alarm features to predict SEFs.RESULTS During the study,605 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria.When the demographics and clinical characteristics of the two groups were compared,tachycardia(P<0.05),normocytic anemia,(P<0.05),leukocytosis(P<0.05),and hypoalbuminemia(P<0.05)documented on admission prior to endoscopy were strong predictors of SEFs.Among the alarm features,upper gastrointestinal bleeding,persistent vomiting,odynophagia[odds ratio(OR)=3.81,P<0.05;OR=1.75,P=0.03;and OR=7.81,P=0.07,respectively]were associated with SEFs.Unexplained weight loss was strongly associated with malignancy as an endoscopic finding(OR=2.05;P<0.05).In addition,long-term use of anti-aggregate medications other than aspirin(P<0.05)was correlated to SEFs.CONCLUSION Novel predictors of SEFs were elucidated in this study.These parameters could be used as an adjunctive in decision making regarding performing upper endoscopy in hospitalized patients with dyspepsia.

Platelet aggregation is affected by nitrosothiols in patients with chronic hepatitis: In vivo and in vitro studies

AIM: To investigate the relationship among the number of platelets and plasma levels of S-nitrosothiols (S-NO), nitrite, total non-protein SH (NPSH), glutathione (GSH), cysteine (CYS), malondialdehyde (MDA), 4-hydroxininenal (4HNE), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) and interleukin (IL)-6 in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CH).METHODS: In vitro the aggregation of platelets derived from controls and CH patients was evaluated before and after the addition of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and collagen, both in basal conditions and after incubation with nitrosoglutathione (GSNO). RESULTS: In vivo , S-NO plasma levels increased significantly in CH patients and they were significantly directly correlated with platelet numbers. Patients with platelet counts < 150 000/μL, had a smaller increase in S-NO, lower levels of GSH, CYS, NPSH, TNFα, and IL-6, and higher levels of nitrite, MDA, and 4-HNE relative to those of patients with platelet counts > 150 000/μL. In vitro, the ADP and collagen aggregation time was increased in platelets from patients and not from controls; in addition, platelets from CH patients but not from controls also showed a latency time after exposure to collagen. CONCLUSION: The incubation of platelets with GSNO improved the percentage aggregation and abolished the latency time.

Intermolecular hydrogen-bonding as a robust tool toward significantly improving the photothermal conversion efficiency of a NIR-II squaraine dye

The photothermal therapy(PTT) has come across as a promising noninvasive therapeutic strategy for tumor treatment. However, low photothermal conversion efficiency(PCE) and hydrophobicity may impede the therapeutic efficacy of organic photothermal agents and an efficient PTT-agent must overcome these two major challenges. In this work, we developed a new strategy to promote higher PCE wherein the intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interaction between the single dye molecule and water facilitated the transformation of the absorbed energy into the heat. A hydrophilic squaraine dye(SCy1) with the second near-infrared region(NIR-II) absorption and extremely low emission were designed to exhibit much higher PCE than that of the analogues of pentamethine-dyes(PCy1, PCy2). The presence of the ‘–O-' at middle of squaric cycle enabled the intermolecular H-bonding formation between the SCy1 and water to promote the energy dissipation channel. Moreover, the introduction of long-chain phenylsulfonate groups helped in to improve the water solubility apart from serving as an additional means of further enhancing PCE through fluorescence quenching. Therefore, SCy1 with a squaraine backbone and long-chain sulfonate moieties revealed outstanding photothermal stability and anti-aggregation activity apart from showing exceptionally high PCE(74%) in water. SCy1 demonstrated excellent therapeutic efficacy when applied in the PTT treatment of tumor-bearing mice under a laser irradiation of 915 nm.

A prourokinase-RGDS chimera——Construction, expression and characterization

A tetrapeptide, RGDS, was inserted into proUK kringle domain G118-L119 by the construction of a mutant proUK-RGDS gene. The gene was expressed in the baculovirus expression system. Immunoaffinity chromatography was used to purify the chimera and protein with purity over 90% was achieved. The chimera was tested for its platelet membrane binding function and showed a calcium-dependent platelet binding activity. Amidolytic activity of the chimera was tested. The result indicated that specific amidolytic activity of plasmin activated chimera was 62 000 lU/mg, comparable to the previously reported 65 355 lU/mg of plasmin activated natural proUK . Activation of plasminogen by the chimera after plasmin treatment followed Michieal-Menten kinetics, and the Km was 0.97 μmol/L, which was also comparable to 1.64 μmol/L of native urokinase. The chimera also showed intensive ability to inhibit platelet aggregation in vitro. These results indicate that this chimera might be useful as a bifunctional thrombolytic agent.