β-arrestin 2 attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced liver injury via inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathwaymediated inflammation in mice

AIM To study the role and the possible mechanism of β-arrestin 2 in lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced liver injury in vivo and in vitro.METHODS Male β-arrestin 2^(+/+) and β-arrestin 2^(-/-)C57 BL/6 J mice were used for in vivo experiments, and the mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7 was used for in vitro experiments. The animal model was established via intraperitoneal injection of LPS or physiological sodium chloride solution. Blood samples and liver tissues were collected to analyze liver injury and levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Cultured cell extracts were collected to analyze the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and expression of key molecules involved in the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.RESULTS Compared with wild-type mice, the β-arrestin 2 knockout mice displayed more severe LPS-induced liver injury and significantly higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin(IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α, and IL-10. Compared with the control group, pro-inflammatory cytokines(including IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-10) produced by RAW264.7 cells in the β-arrestin 2 si RNA group were significantly increased at 6 h after treatment with LPS. Further, key molecules involved in the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, including phosphoIκBα and phosho-p65, were upregulated.CONCLUSION β-arrestin 2 can protect liver tissue from LPS-induced injury via inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathwaymediated inflammation.

Mechanism of cancer-induced fatigue

Cancer related fatigue(CRF)is one of the most common and painful reactions in cancer patients.Due to the negative effects of cancer itself and long-term treatment,patients often feel continuous burnout,fatigue and powerlessness in both mental and physical aspects.Fatigue related to cancer and cancer treatment will affect the physical and mental health of cancer patients for a long time and continuously,and it is hard to be relieved through rest.Nowadays,most of the researches focus on the clinical manifestations of patients with cancer,such as pain,nausea and vomiting,weight loss and so on.The fatigue feeling of cancer patients is often one of the most easily overlooked pain symptoms in the treatment process.The influence of CRF on cancer patients may be one of the reasons for reducing the survival time of cancer patients.This paper aims to summarize and explore the pathogenesis of cancer-related fatigue,in order to analyze the related factors of cancer-related fatigue from multi-dimensional and multi-angle,and provide reference for its comprehensive treatment in clinic.

The efficacy and safety of Shuxuening injection combined with western medicine in vascular dementia treatment:a meta-analysis

Background:To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of the Chinese patent medicine Shuxuening injection combined with western medicine in vascular dementia treatment.Methods:Randomized controlled trials of the Chinese patent medicine Shuxuening injection in vascular dementia treatment is searched in the databases of CNKI,Wanfang,VIP,CBM,PubMed,The Cochrane Library,Embase and Web of Science from the establishment time to December 2020.After screen the literature,extract the data and evaluate the bias risk of studies included;tRevMan5.3 was used for met-analysis.Results:Nine randomized controlled trials including 932 patients were included.The results of meta-analysis included:(1)the total effective rate(RR=1.27,95%CI(1.18,1.36),P<0.00001);(2)MMSE score(MD=4.78,95%CI(1.75,7.80),P=0.002);(3)ADL score(MD=8.87,95%CI(6.70,11.05),P<0.00001);(4)NIHSS score(MD=−6.60,95%CI(−7.04,−6.16).P<0.00001).The results of meta-analysis of the test group are better than those in the control group.Conclusion:The Chinese patent medicine Shuxuening injection combined with conventional western medicine has showed some advantages in the total effective rate,MMSE score,ADL score,NIHSS score than conventional western medicine without more side effects in vascular dementia treatment.More randomized,double-blind,large sample clinical studies are needed to confirm the above conclusions.

Boosting lithium storage performance of Si nanoparticles via thin carbon and nitrogen/phosphorus co-doped two-dimensional carbon sheet dual encapsulation

Silicon(Si)is a promising anode candidate for next-generation lithium-ion batteries(LIBs),but it suffers from poor electronic conductivity and dramatic volume variation during cycling,which poses a critical challenge for stable battery operation.To mitigate these issues simultaneously,we propose a"double carbon synergistic encapsulation"strategy,namely thin carbon shell and nitrogen/phosphorus co-doped two-dimensional(2D)carbon sheet dual encapsulate Si nanoparticles(denoted as 2D NPC/C@Si).This double carbon structure can serve as a conductive medium and buffer matrix to accommodate the volume expansion of Si nanoparticles and enable fast electron/ion transport,which promotes the formation of a stable solid electrolyte interphase film during cycling.Through structural advantages,the resulting 2 D NPC/C@Si electrode demonstrates a high reversible capacity of592 mAh·g^(-1) at 0.2 A·g^(-1) with 90.5%excellent capacity retention after 100 cycles,outstanding rate capability(148 mAh·g^(-1) at 8 A·g^(-1)),and superior long-term cycling stability(326 mAh·g^(-1) at 1 A·g^(-1) for 500 cycles,86%capacity retention).Our findings elucidate the development of high-performance Si@C composite anodes for advanced LTBs.

High-capacity potassium ion storage mechanisms in a soft carbon revealed by solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Carbon materials are crucially important for the realization of potassium-ion batteries.However,the potassium storage mechanisms in various carbon materials are incompletely understood.Herein,solid-state ^(13)C nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) spectroscopy coupled with Raman and X-ray diffraction(XRD) techniques are employed to study the reaction mechanism in a soft carbon quantitatively.It is revealed that the insertion of potassium ions into the soft carbon firstly induces a transformation of the disordered region to short-range ordered stacking,involving both the pristine local unorganized and organized carbon layers.Subsequently,potassium ions intercalate into the rearranged carbon structure,finally producing the nano-sized KC_(8).Moreover,a remarkable c apacity of 322 mAh·g^(-1) with a low mid potassiation voltage of <0.3 V is present for the prepared soft carbon,which is on account of the underlying potassium storage sites,including the disordered stacking carbon as a main component of the soft carbon.These results suggest that regulating the disordered stacking region in the turbostratic structure of soft carbon is a critical issue for further improving the potassium storage performance.