In-situ building of multiscale porous NiFeZn/NiZn-Ni heterojunction for superior overall water splitting

The development of efficient nonprecious bifunctional electrocatalysts for water electrolysis is crucial to enhance the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and hydrogen evolution reaction(HER).A self-supporting,multiscale porous NiFeZn/NiZn-Ni catalyst with a triple interface heterojunction on nickel foam(NF)(NiFeZn/NiZn-Ni/NF)was in-situ fabricated using an electroplating-annealing-etching strategy.The unique multiinterface engineering and three-dimensional porous scaffold significantly modify the mass transport and electron interaction,resulting in superior bifunctional electrocatalytic performance for water splitting.The NiFeZn/NiZn-Ni/NF catalyst demonstrates low overpotentials of 187 m V for HER and 320 mV for OER at a current density of 600 mA/cm~2,along with high durability over 150 h in alkaline solution.Furthermore,an electrolytic cell assembled with NiFeZn/NiZn-Ni/NF as both the cathode and anode achieves the current densities of 600 and 1000 m A/cm2 at cell voltages of 1.796 and 1.901 V,respectively,maintaining the high stability at 50 mA/cm2 for over 100 h.These findings highlight the potential of NiFeZn/NiZn-Ni/NF as a cost-effective and highly efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting.

Trimethylamine N-oxide aggravates vascular permeability and endothelial cell dysfunction under diabetic condition:in vitro and in vivo study

AIM:To provide the direct evidence for the crucial role of trimethylamine N-oxide(TMAO)in vascular permeability and endothelial cell dysfunction under diabetic condition.METHODS:The role of TMAO on the in vitro biological effect of human retinal microvascular endothelial cells(HRMEC)under high glucose conditions was tested by a cell counting kit,wound healing,a transwell and a tube formation assay.The inflammation-related gene expression affected by TMAO was tested by real-time polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR).The expression of the cell junction was measured by Western blotting(WB)and immunofluorescence staining.In addition,two groups of rat models,diabetic and non-diabetic,were fed with normal or 0.1%TMAO for 16wk,and their plasma levels of TMAO,vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF),interleukin(IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-αwere tested.The vascular permeability of rat retinas was measured using FITC-Dextran,and the expression of zonula occludens(ZO)-1 and claudin-5 in rat retinas was detected by WB or immunofluorescence staining.RESULTS:TMAO administration significantly increased the cell proliferation,migration,and tube formation of primary HRMEC either in normal or high-glucose conditions.RT-PCR showed elevated inflammation-related gene expression of HRMEC under TMAO stimulation,while WB or immunofluorescence staining indicated decreased cell junction ZO-1 and occludin expression after high-glucose and TMAO treatment.Diabetic rats showed higher plasma levels of TMAO as well as retinal vascular leakage,which were even higher in TMAO-feeding diabetic rats.Furthermore,TMAO administration increased the rat plasma levels of VEGF,IL-6 and TNF-αwhile decreasing the retinal expression levels of ZO-1 and claudin-5.CONCLUSION:TMAO enhances the proliferation,migration,and tube formation of HRMEC,as well as destroys their vascular integrity and tight connection.It also regulates the expression of VEGF,IL-6,and TNF-α.

Bronchial glomus tumor with calcification: A case report

BACKGROUND Glomus tumors(GTs),defined by modified smooth cells and normal glomus body cells,usually present with a small mass occurring in the soft tissue or dermis of an extremity,especially in the subungual region.However,other unusual sites,such as the respiratory tract,have also been reported.They are usually sporadic.Their imaging findings are usually nonspecific and likely to appear as a well-delineated round mass that usually lacks calcification.To our knowledge,we report the first case of bronchial GTs with calcification,reminding clinicians and radiologists that GT is one of the differential diagnoses when a calcified nodular mass is found.CASE SUMMARY We report a case of a 33-yr-old Chinese man with cough and sputum for 11 d and hemoptysis for 5 d.Chest computed tomography revealed a calcified nodular lesion on the compressed posterior wall of the lower left main bronchus and bronchiectasis in the lower lobe of the left lung.To confirm the characteristics of calcified nodules,we performed fiberoptic bronchoscopy.The tumor tissue from the biopsy of bronchial mucosal lesions established the diagnosis of GT.Because the patient had no life-threatening symptoms,he was not treated with surgery.Clinical follow-up for 25 mo showed that the patient survived well without any discomfort.CONCLUSION Bronchial GTs are usually not accompanied by calcification on computed tomography scans.To our knowledge,we report the first calcified bronchial GT.We recommend that clinicians consider GT as a possible differential diagnosis when a calcified mass of the bronchi is found.

Preparative Separation of Four Alkaloids from Gelsemium elegans by High-speed Counter-current Chromatography

Objective To develop an efficient preparative method for the separation of Gelsemium alkaloids from Gelsemium elegans. Methods High-speed counter-current chromatography （HSCCC） with several two-phase solvent systems was investigated for the separation of Gelsemium alkaloids. The purity and structure identification of the purified compounds were performed with HPLC and NMR spectra, respectively. Results In a single operation, 206.6 mg of crude alkaloid sample was separated to yield 28.7 mg of koumine, 24.9 mg of gelsemine, 26.9 mg of humantenine, and 7.2 mg of gelsevirine, with the purities of 97.8%, 95.4%, 97.4%, and 93.5%, respectively. Conclusion A preparative HSCCC method is successfully established for the separation of four Gelsemium alkaloids from G. elegans with a modified two-phase solvent system com posed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-ethanol-O. 5% triethylamine-H2O （3：5：3：4）.

Effects of Irrigation and Nitrogen on the Performance of Aerobic Rice in Northern China

Aerobic rice is a new production system in which specially-developed varieties are grown under non-flooded, non-puddled, and non-saturated soil conditions. In 2003-2004, irrigation x Nitrogen experiments were carried out near Beijing using variety HD297. Water treatments included four irrigation levels, and Nitrogen treatments included different fertilizer N application rates and different numbers of N splits. The highest yields were 4460 kg/ha with 688 mm of total （rain plus irrigation） water input in 2003 and 6 026 kg/ha with 705 mm of water input in 2004. Because of the quite even distribution of rainfall in both years, the four irrigation treatments did not result in large differences of soil water conditions. There were few significant effects of irrigation on biomass accumulation, but yield increased with the total amount of water applied. High yields coincided with high harvest index and high percentages of grain filling. The application of fertilizer N either reduced biomass and yield or kept it at the same level as 0 N and consistently reduced the percentage grain filling and 1 000-grain weight. With the highest water application, five splits of N gave higher yield than three splits, whereas three splits gave higher yield than five splits with lower water applications.