Copper incorporated in Li3V2(PO4)(3)/C cathode materials for high-rate Li-ion batteries were prepared by a self-catalysed sol-gel approach followed by a sintering process. The effect of copper incorporating amounts on the crystal structure, morphology and related electrochemical properties of Li3V2(PO4)(3)/C was investigated. It is noteworthy that the impurity Li3PO4 phase can be effectively affected by copper-incorporating without any significant influence on the surface morphology and crystal structure; moreover, the carbon layer coated onto Li3V2(PO4)(3)/C-Cu-0.05/C can be separated into the porous inner layer and the graphene-type outer layer. Benefiting from above two factors, copper-incorporated Li3V2(PO4)(3)/C composite with improved electrochemical properties has been achieved. In comparison with pure Li3V2(PO4)(3)/C, the Li3V2(PO4)(3)-Cu-0.05/C composite delivers a reversible specific capacity of 123.3 mAh g(-1) after 50 cycles at a current rate of 1C and 116.2 mAh g(-1) at 10C, maintaining 98.2% and 89.5% of capacity retention, respectively, and even cycled at 20C rate, it still possesses 105.4 mAh g(-1) of discharge capacity, demonstrating an excellent rate capability and cycling stability. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Zhang, Yong
Du, Peipei
Wang, Lizhen
Zhang, Aiqin
Song, Yanhua
Li, Xiaofeng
Lv, Yan
Gyroscope-like microparticle of lithium iron phosphate/multiwalled carbon nanotubes composites is synthesized by microwave-assisted sal-gel method with ferrous oxalate, lithium carbonate, and ammonium dihydric phosphate as raw materials. This new composites with gyroscope-like have not been reported in the literature. The crystal structure and surface morphology of the as-prepared particles are characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy tests, and their electrochemical properties are investigated by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge tests. The results demonstrated that the composites have an olivine structure and superior electrochemical performances in terms of discharge capacity, cycling stability and rate capability. These favorable electrochemical properties should be attributed to its special gyroscope-like microstructure. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Yu, Wenxin
Zhu, Jiafang
Wang, Lizhen
Qiu, Yajing
Chen, Yijie
Yang, Xi
Chang, Lei
Ma, Gang
Lin, Xiaoxi
OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of double-pass pulsed dye laser (DWL) and single-pass PDL (SWL) in treating virgin port wine stain (PWS).; BACKGROUND: The increase in the extent of vascular damage attributed to the use of double-pass techniques for PWS remains inconclusive. A prospective, side-by-side comparison with a histological study for virgin PWS is still lacking.; MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-one patients (11 flat PWS, 10 hypertrophic PWS) with untreated PWS underwent 3 treatments at 2-month intervals. Each PWS was divided into three treatment sites: SWL, DWL, and untreated control. Chromametric and visual evaluation of the efficacy and evaluation of side effects were conducted 3 months after final treatment. Biopsies were taken at the treated sites immediately posttreatment.; RESULTS: Chromametric and visual evaluation suggested that DWL sites showed no significant improvement compared with SWL (p>0.05) in treating PWS. The mean depth of photothermal damage to the vessels was limited to a maximum of 0.36-0.41mm in both SWL and DWL sides. Permanent side effects were not observed in any patients.; CONCLUSIONS: Double-pass PDL does not enhance PWS clearance. To improve the clearance of PWS lesions, either the depth of laser penetration should be increased or greater photothermal damage to vessels should be generated.=20
Eighty-five percent of the population has experienced low back pain (LBP), which may result in decreasing muscle strength and endurance, functional capacity of the spine, and so on. Traction and vibration are commonly used to relieve the low back pain. The effect of the combing traction and vibration on back muscles, heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) was investigated in this study. Thirty healthy subjects participated in 12 trials lying supine on the spine-combing bed with different tilt angle (0=C2=B0, 10=C2=B0, 20=C2=B0 and 30=C2=B0) and vibration modes (along with the sagittal and coronal axis with 0 Hz, 2 Hz and 12 Hz separately). EMG was recorded during each trial. Power spectral frequency analysis was applied to evaluate muscle fatigue by the shift of median power frequency (MPF). Pulse pressure (PP) was calculated from BP. HR and PP were used to estimate the effect of the combination of traction and vibration on the cardio-vascular system. It was shown that vibration could increase HR and decrease PP. The combination of traction and vibration (2 Hz vibration along Z-axis and 12 Hz vibration along Y-axis) had no significant effect on the cardio-vascular system. The MPF of lumbar erector spinae (LES) and upper trapezius (UT) decreased significantly when the angle reached 20=C2=B0 under the condition of 2 Hz vibration along Z-axis compared with it of 0=C2=B0. Furthermore, the MPF also decreased significantly compared with it of static mode at 20=C2=B0 for LES and at 30=C2=B0 for UT. However at 12 Hz vibration along Y-axis, the MPF had significant increase when the angle reached 20=C2=B0 in LES and 30=C2=B0 in UT compared to 0=C2=B0. For LES, the MPF also had significant difference when the angle was increased from 10=C2=B0 to 20=C2=B0. Therefore, combining 2 Hz vibration along Z-axis and traction (tilt angles that less than 20=C2=B0) may to reduce muscle fatigue both for LES and UT compared with either vibration or traction alone. The combination of 12 Hz vibration along Y-axis and traction (tilt angles greater than 10=C2=B0 for LES and more than 20=C2=B0 for UT) could provide good treatment of lower muscle fatigue for back pain compared with either vibration or traction alone. It is helpful to provide biomechanical quantitative basis for the selection of the clinical treatment methods. Copyright =C2=A9 2014 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Nanosized Mg(0.8)Cu(0.2)O powders were prepared by sol-gel method. In order to improve the electrochemical performances of Li/S rechargeable batteries, Mg(0.8)Cu(0.20)O was used as an additive for crystalline vanadium pentoxide (c-V(2)O(5))/S composite cathode. The composite electrodes with and without additive were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, galvanostatic charge-discharge, rate capability and cycle performance. The results showed that not only the cycle life and discharge capacity were improved, but also the rate capability was improved after the addition of Mg(0.8)Cu(0.20)O. The improvements of electrochemical performances were due to the adsorbing effect on polysulfide of M(90.8)Cu(0.20)O. Furthermore, the additive also had catalytic effect on promoting redox reaction of the Li/S batteries. (C) 2008 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Wang, Lizhen
Wu, Fan
Zhao, Ling
Zhang, Haimeng
Shen, Xueyong
Huang, Yi
Lao, Lixing
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) manifests with pain, joint stiffness, and limited function. In traditional Chinese medicine, knee OA is differentiated into three patterns: yang deficiency and cold coagulation, kidney deficiency, and blood stasis. The objective of this study was to determine whether yang deficiency cold coagulation patients respond better to thermal laser acupuncture treatment than do non-yang deficient patients. Fifty-two patients with OA were allocated to group A (yang deficient, n =3D 26) or B (non-yang deficient, n =3D 26). All patients received a 20-min thermal laser acupuncture treatment at acupoint Dubi (ST 35) three times a week for two weeks and twice a week for another four weeks. Outcome assessments were performed immediately after the first treatment, and at weeks 2, 6, and 10. Group A function scores were significantly better than those of Group B at weeks 2 (P =3D 0.049), 6 (P =3D 0.046), and 10 (P =3D 0.042), but no significant differences were found between the two groups in pain and stiffness scores at any time point. No significant adverse effect was observed. The combined 10.6 mu m-650 nm laser treatment might be most beneficial to yang deficiency cold coagulation knee OA patients, particularly in improving function.
Our objective was to assess the efficacy and safety of combined 10.6 mu m and 650 nm laser irradiation on patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Forty patients with OA were randomly allocated to an active laser group or to a placebo laser group (20 per group). They either received active or sham laser treatment at acupoint Dubi (ST 35) in a total of 12 sessions. There was significant difference between the two groups in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) osteoarthritis index pain score change from baseline after 2 weeks of treatment (P = 0.047). The pain reduction of the active laser treatment group was 49%, whereas that of the placebo control group was only 13%. However, due to the high patient drop-out rate, the 4-week assessment could not be analyzed. Combined laser treatment seems beneficial to patients with knee OA. However, due to the small sample size and the high drop-out rate of patients in the placebo group, a large sample-size clinical trial is warranted to determine further the therapeutic efficacy of the device.
Accurate tumor localization is critical to early-stage cancer diagnosis and therapy. The recent force-guided technique allows to determine the depth of a suspicious tumor on the insertion path, while the spatial localization is still a great challenge. In this paper, a novel force-guided procedure was proposed to identify spatial tumor location using force signals during needle rotation. When there is a harder tumorous tissue around the needle rotation, an abnormal force signal will point to the location of the suspicious tissue. Finite element simulation and phantom experiment were conducted to test the feasibility of the procedure for the tumor localization. The simulation results showed that the harder tumorous tissue made a significant difference on the stress and deformation distributions for the surroundings, changing the needle-rotation force signals when the needle rotated towards the harder tissue. The experimental results indicated that the direction of the tumor location can be identified by the rotation-needle force signals. The intersection point of the two identified directions, derived from force signals of twice needle rotations, determined the tumor location ultimately. Also, parametric sensitivity tests were performed to examine the effective distance of the tumor location centre and the needle insertion point for the tumor localization. This procedure is expected to be used in robot-assisted system for cancer biopsy and brachytherapy. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Li, Lingzhi
Wang, Lizhen
Sun, Yuhuan
Yang, Chi
He, Dongmei
PURPOSE: To establish a goat model for traumatic temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and describe the gross appearance and histopathologic changes for the prognostic comparison of different types of TMJ trauma.; MATERIALS AND METHODS: According to clinical traumatic types, 16 adult goats were randomly divided into 4 groups based on outcome of surgical induction: 1) disc displacement without reduction (DD), 2) condylar cartilage defect (CCD), 3) DD plus CCD, and 4) control. TMJs were removed and observed 2 weeks and 1 month after the operation. These specimens were compared and evaluated based on gross appearance and histopathologic observations with hematoxylin and eosin and toluidine blue stains. The histopathologic score of condylar cartilage was observed and compared across the 4 groups using SPSS 17.0 software.; RESULT: Three traumatic TMJ goat models were successfully established. At 2 weeks and 1 month after surgical induction, the DD group showed slightly irregular cartilage compared with the C group, with disordered cartilage composition, little angiogenesis, and proteoglycan degradation. The CCD group showed fibrous adhesion between the condyle and the disc without reparative cartilage tissues; the remaining cartilage was normal in composition and proteoglycan content. The DD + CCD group showed fibrous adhesions and irregular condylar cartilage with disordered cartilage composition and decreased matrix proteoglycans. The scores of cartilage degeneration among the 4 groups showed significant differences at 2 weeks and 1 month (DD + CCD > DD > CCD; P < .05).; CONCLUSION: Among the 3 traumatic TMJ models, DD plus CCD can cause osteoarthritis (OA) and adhesions in the joint, DD can cause only OA, and CCD with the disc in normal position merely affects the remnant cartilage. Copyright =C2=A9 2015 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Lv, Zhongjing
Wu, Xiangbing
Cao, Wei
Shen, ZongZe
Wang, Lizhen
Xie, FuRong
Zhang, JianJun
Ji, Tong
Yan, Ming
Chen, WanTao
Background: In our previous study, parathyroid hormone-like hormone (PTHLH) which encodes parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) was revealed to be up-regulated in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) compared with paired apparently normal surgical margins using microarray method. However, the function and prognostic indicators of PTHLH/PTHrP in OSCC remain obscure. Methods: The mRNA levels of PTHLH and its protein levels were investigated in 9 OSCC cell lines and in 36 paired OSCC specimens by real-time PCR and western blotting. The biological function of PTHLH/PTHrP was investigated using small interfering RNA (siRNA) in 3 OSCC cell lines, and immunohistochemistry was used to estimate the prognostic value of PTHrP in 101 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), including OSCC and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Cell cycle was tested by flow cytometry and cell cycle related genes were investigated by western blotting and immunocytochemistry assay. Results: This study showed that the mRNA and protein levels of PTHLH in 9 OSCC cell lines were much higher than that in normal epithelial cells (P < 0.0001). In 36 paired OSCC tissues, PTHLH mRNA expressions were found higher in 32 OSCC tissues than that of paired apparently normal surgical margins (P =3D 0.0001). The results revealed that the down-regulation of PTHLH/PTHrP by siRNAs could reduce cell proliferation and inhibit plate and soft agar colony formation as well as affect the cell cycle of OSCC cells. The key proteins related to the cell cycle were changed by anti-PTHLH siRNA. The results showed that cyclin D1 and CDK4 expressions were significantly reduced in the cells transfected with anti-PTHLH siRNA. On the other hand, the expression of p21 was increased. The results also showed that high PTHrP level was associated with poor pathologic differentiation (P =3D 0.0001) and poor prognosis (P =3D 0.0003) in patients with HNSCC. Conclusions: This study suggests that PTHLH/PTHrP is up-regulated in OSCCs. Therefore, PTHLH/PTHrP could play a role in the pathogenesis of OSCC by affecting cell proliferation and cell cycle, and the protein levels of PTHrP might serve as a prognostic indicator for evaluating patients with HNSCCs.
Overexpression of the gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) in prostate cancer provides a promising target for detection the disease. MATBBN is a new bombesin analog originating from the GRPR antagonists with a hydrophilic linker. In this study NOTA-conjugated MATBBN was labeled by the Al(18)F method and the potential of (18)F-Al-NOTA-MATBBN for prostate tumor PET imaging was also evaluated. NOTA-MATBBN was radiolabeled with (18) F using Al(18)F complexes. Partition coefficient, in vitro stability and GRPR binding affinity were also determined. PET studies were performed with (18)F-Al-NOTA-MATBBN in PC-3 tumor-bearing mice. (18)F-Al-NOTA-MATBBN can be produced within 30 min with a decay-corrected yield of 62.5 =C2=B1 2.1% and a radiochemical purity of >98%. The logP octanol-water value for the Al(18)F-labeled BBN analog was -2.40 =C2=B1 0.07 and the radiotracer was stable in phosphate-buffered saline and human serum for 2 h. The IC50 values of displacement for the (18)F-Al-NOTA-MATBBN with MATBBN was 126.9 =C2=B1 2.75 nm. The PC-3 tumors were clearly visible with high contrast after injection of the labeled peptide. At 60 min post-injection, the tumor uptakes for (18)F-Al-NOTA-MATBBN and (18)F-FDG were 4.59 =C2=B1 0.43 and 1.98 =C2=B1 0.35% injected dose/g, and tumor to muscle uptake radios for two tracers were 6.77 =C2=B1 1.10 and 1.78 =C2=B1 0.32, respectively. Dynamic PET revealed that (18) F-Al-NOTA-MATBBN was excreted mainly through the kidneys. GRPR-binding specificity was also demonstrated by reduced tumor uptake of (18)F-Al-NOTA-MATBBN after coinjection with excess unlabeled MATBBN peptide at 1 h post-injection. NOTA- MATBBN could be labeled rapidly with (18)F using one step method. (18)F-Al-NOTA-MATBBN may be a promising PET imaging agent for prostate cancer. Copyright =C2=A9 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Feng, RenWei
Lei, Lei
Liu, BiXiu
Chen, WenXiang
Zhang, RuiRui
Wang, LiZhen
Li, YuanPing
Su, JunMing
Dai, JiaXin
Wang, RenJie
Lin, ZiTing
Ben Fekih, Ibtissem
Mazhar, Sohaib H.
Rensing, Christopher
Background and aims Antimony is an analogue of arsenic (As), but its uptake mechanisms are not as well understood as As. Antimonite [Sb(III)] probably enters into plant roots via aquaporins but antimonate [Sb(V)] not through the phosphate [P(V)] uptake system as with arsenate [As(V)]. However, previous studies observed a dose-dependent interaction between As(V) and P(V) in some plants. This study was conducted mainly to identify that 1) whether the uptake of Sb(III) by plants will be via aquaporin channels; 2) whether the interaction effects between Sb(V) and P(V) might be dose-dependent; 3) whether the uptake of Sb(III) or Sb(V) is at the cost of energy. Methods Two hydroponic culture systems were set up using a rice plant (YeXiangYou No.3) to investigate the effects of different chemicals on the uptake of Sb in the rice plants subjected to Sb(III) and Sb(V). These chemicals included malonic acid (C3H4O4), Na3PO4 [P(V)] and HgCl2. Results Sb was mainly sequestrated in the roots of the rice plants, suggesting a low transport capacity of Sb from roots to shoots. The plants took up Sb more easily under Sb(III) exposure than under Sb(V) exposure. 10 mg L-1 Sb(III) increased the Sb concentration in the bleeding sap rather than the weight of the bleeding sap; but the situation reversed when rice plants were exposed to Sb(V), suggesting different transport mechanisms of Sb from roots to shoots between Sb(III) and Sb(V). The addition of C3H4O4 generally reduced the Sb concentrations in the shoots and roots subjected to Sb(V), suggesting the uptake of Sb(V) to be energy dependent. The addition of Na3PO4 also significantly reduced the concentrations of Sb in the shoots and roots when plants were exposed to Sb(V). Interestingly, the addition of HgCl2 significantly reduced the concentrations of Sb in the shoots and roots when rice plants were exposed to both Sb(III) or Sb(V), possibly implying that uptake of Sb(III) might be via aquaporins and Cl- played a role in affecting the uptake of Sb(V). Conclusions The results of this study suggested that uptake of Sb(III) is via aquaporins, and Cl- as well as PO43- may compete with Sb(V) for uptake pathway.
beta-Site APP cleavage enzyme 1 (BACE 1) is the beta-secretase responsible for generating amyloid-beta (A beta) peptides in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previous studies suggest that activation of protein kinase C (PKC) modulates the beta-secretase-mediated cleavage of APP and reduces the production of A beta. The mechanism of PKC-mediated modulation of beta-secretase activity, however, remains elusive. We report here that activation of PKC modulated beta-secretase activity through either suppressing the accumulation or promoting the translocation of BACE1 protein in a cell type-dependent manner. We found that activation of PKC suppressed the accumulation of BACE1 protein in fibroblasts through an enhancement of intracellular protease activities. In neurons, activation of PKC did not alter the expression level of BACE1, but led to more BACE1 translocated to the cell surface, resulting in a decreased cleavage of APP at the beta 1 site. Together, Our findings provide novel mechanisms of PKC-mediated modulation of beta-secretase activity, suggesting that alteration of the intracellular trafficking of BACE1 may serve as a useful therapeutic strategy to lower the production of A beta in AD. Published by Elsevier Inc.