Ultrafine Metal Nanoparticles/N‐Doped Porous Carbon Hybrids Coated on Carbon Fibers as Flexible and Binder‐Free Water Splitting Catalysts

By employing in situ reduction of metal precursor and metal‐assisted carbon etching process, this study achieves a series of ultrafine transition metal‐based nanoparticles (Ni–Fe, Ni–Mo) embedded in N‐doped carbon, which are found efficient catalysts for electrolytic water splitting. The as‐prepared hybrid materials demonstrate outstanding catalytic activities as non‐noble metal electrodes rendered by the synergistic effect of bimetal elements and N‐dopants, the improved electrical conductivity, and hydrophilism. Ni/Mo₂C@N‐doped porous carbon (NiMo‐polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)) and NiFe@N‐doped carbon (NiFe‐PVP) produce low overpotentials of 130 and 297 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm^?2 as catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction, respectively. In addition, these binder‐free electrodes show long‐term stability. Overall water splitting is also demonstrated based on the couple of NiMo‐PVP||NiFe‐PVP catalyzer. This represents a simple and effective synthesis method toward a new type of nanometal–carbon hybrid electrodes.     

二甲双胍片联合糖脉康颗粒对2型糖尿病患者血清IL-6、TNF-?琢、CRP、APN水平的影响

摘要 目的：研究二甲双胍片联合糖脉康颗粒对2型糖尿病患者血清白介素-6(IL-6)、肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)、C反应蛋白(CRP)、脂联素(APN)水平的影响。方法：选择2013年2月至2016年10月在我院接受治疗的2型糖尿病患者130例，按照给药方法不同分为对照组和观察组，对照组采用二甲双胍片治疗，观察组以对照组为基础联合糖脉康治疗。治疗8周后，对比两组患者治疗前后血清IL-6、TNF-α、CRP、APN、总胆固醇(TC)、甘油三酯(TG)、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇(LDL-C)、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇(HDL-C)，空腹血糖(FBC)、餐后2小时血糖(2hPBG)、糖化血红蛋白(HbAlc)、胰岛抵抗指数( HOMA-IR)、胰岛β细胞分泌功能指数(HOMA-IS)和胰岛素敏感指数(ISI)的变化。结果：治疗后，两组患者血清IL-6、TNF-α、CRP、TC、TG、LDL-C，FBC、2hPBC、HbAlc，HOMA-IR均较治疗前均明显降低，而血清APN、HDL-C、HOMA-IS、ISI均明显增高(P<0.05)；与对照组相比，观察组患者血清IL-6、TNF-α、CRP、TC、TG、LDL-C，FBC、2hPBC、HbAlc、HOMA-IR水平均较低(P<0.05)，血清APN、HDL-C，HOMA-IS、ISI水平较高(P<0.05)。结论：二甲双胍片联合糖脉康治疗2型糖尿病患者可有效稳定其血脂血糖，改善胰岛功能，可能与其降低血清IL-6、TNF-α、CRP水平，增加血清APN水平有关。     

Isolation of microsatellite markers from the drepanosiphid aphid Tuberculatus quercicola (Homoptera,Aphididae)

We isolated five polymorphic microsatellite loci from the drepanosiphid aphid Tuberculatus quercicola (Matsumura) that is associated with the Daimyo oak, Quercus dentata Thunberg, using the magnetic particles method. The isolated loci were polymorphic, with four to 16 alleles in 40 aphids. Expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.4 to 0.82. These loci can be used to quantify seasonal changes in clonal diversity in the metapopulation and the extent of clonal mixing in the colonies.     

Kinetics of ultrastructural changes during electrically induced fusion of human erythrocytes

Summary The sequence of events during the electrically induced fusion of human erythrocytes was studied by rapid quench freeze-fracture electron microscopy. A single electric field pulse was used to induce fusion of human erythrocytes treated with pronase and closely positioned by dielectrophoresis. The electronic circuit was coupled to a rapid freezing mechanism so that ultrastructural changes of the membrane could be preserved at given time points. Pronase treatment enabled adjacent cells to approach each other within 15 nm during dielectrophoresis. The pulse caused a brief disruption of the aqueous boundaries which separated the cells. Within 100 msec following pulse application, the fracture faces exhibited discontinuous areas which were predominantly free of intramembranous particles. At 2 sec after the pulse, transient point defects attributed to intercellular contact appeared in the same membrane areas and replaced the discontinuous areas as the predominant membrane perturbation. At 10 sec after the pulse, the majority of the discontinuous areas and point defects disappeared as the intercellular distance returned to approximately 15 to 25 nm, except at sites of cytoplasmic bridge formation. Intramembranous particle clearing was observed at 60 sec following pulse application in discrete zones of membrane fusion.     

Accumulation of defective interfering viral particles in only a few passages in Vero cells attenuates mumps virus neurovirulence

Immunization programs have implemented live attenuated mumps vaccines which reduced mumps incidence ≥97%. Some of the vaccine strains were abandoned due to unwanted side effects and the genetic marker of attenuation has not been identified so far. Our hypothesis was that non-infectious viral particles, in particular defective interfering particles (DIPs), contribute to neuroattenuation. We showed that non-infectious particles of the mumps vaccine L-Zagreb attenuated neurovirulence of wild type mumps virus 9218/Zg98. Then, we attenuated recent wild type mumps virus MuVi/Zagreb.HRV/28.12 in Vero cells through 16 passages but already the fifth passage (p5) showed accumulation of DIPs and attenuated neurovirulence in a newborn rat model when compared to the second passage (p2). Sequence analysis of the p2 and p5 revealed a single mutation in the 5′ untranslated region of the HN gene. Analysis of the expression level of the HN protein showed that this mutation does not affect the expression of the protein. We conclude that the passages of MuVi/Zagreb.HRV/28.12 in Vero cells for only three passages accumulated DIPs which attenuate neurovirulence.These findings reveal DIPs as a very promising and general neuroattenuating factor which should be considered in the rational design of the new mumps vaccine.     

前列地尔联合益肾化湿颗粒对糖尿病肾病患者血糖、血脂、肾功能以及尿足细胞相关蛋白的影响

目的:分析前列地尔联合益肾化湿颗粒对糖尿病肾病患者血糖、血脂、肾功能以及尿足细胞相关蛋白的影响。方法:98例糖尿病肾病患者按抽签法分为对照组与实验组,各49例,对照组予以前列地尔治疗,实验组基于对照组加用益肾化湿颗粒治疗,比较两组疗效,糖化血红蛋白(Hb A1c)、血糖(FPG)、餐后2 h血糖低(2h PG),甘油三脂(TG)、总胆固醇(TC)、高密度脂蛋白(HDL-C)、低密度脂蛋白(LDL-C),血尿素氮(BUN)、肌酐(Cr)、β2微球蛋白(β2-MG)、胱抑素(Cys-C),尿足细胞标志蛋白(PCX)nephrin,安全性。结果:实验组总有效率高于对照组(P0.05)。治疗后,两组Hb Alc、FPG、2h PG比较无差异(P0.05)。实验组TG、TC、LDL-C、BUN、Cr、β2-MG、Cys-c、PCX、尿nephrin/尿Cr低于对照组(P0.05)。实验组HDL-C高于对照组(P0.05)。结论:前列地尔联合益肾化湿颗粒治疗对糖尿病肾病的疗效确切,可利于血糖、血脂、肾功能的改善,降低尿足细胞相关蛋白的浓度。     

小柴胡颗粒联合盐酸氨溴索雾化对慢性支气管炎急性发作期患者临床疗效的影响

目的:研究小柴胡颗粒联合盐酸氨溴索雾化治疗慢性支气管炎急性发作期的临床效果及对炎症因子的影响。方法:选择2016年1月至2016年7月我院治疗的160例慢性支气管急性发作患者作为研究对象,按照治疗方法将其分为观察组和对照组,对照组使用盐酸氨溴索雾化吸入方式治疗,观察组在此基础上联合服用小柴胡颗粒治疗,观察比较两组患者治疗后临床效率、临床症状消失时间以及治疗前后两组患者肺功能、炎症因子水平的变化。结果:观察组总有效率高于对照组,两组比较差异显著(P0.05);观察组的血清IL-6、IL-8、TFN-α水平明显低于对照组,且肺功能、临床症状消失时间均明显的优于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:使用小柴胡颗粒联合盐酸氨溴索雾化治疗急性发作期的慢性支气管炎患者能显著的缩短其临床症状消失时间,改善患者的肺功能,提高其临床疗效,可能与其有效抑制炎症反应有关。     

Characterization of tubule and monomer derived from VP4 protein of infectious bursal disease virus

The VP4 protein of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) is a serine protease that processes the polyprotein for viral assembly. VP4 has been found to associate primarily with type II IBDV tubules that are 24 nm in diameter. In this study, a chimeric VP4, assigned as HS1VP4, was constructed with a VP4-autocleavage site inserted between the N-terminal His-tag and the VP4 sequence. The results showed that the VP4 forms tubules after the self-cleavage of HS1VP4 when expressed in Escherichia coli. Furthermore, a deletion of 28 amino acids at the C-terminus of VP4 resulted in monomers and dimers instead of tubule formation; mutants of S652A and K692A at active site destroyed the activity. The endopeptidase activity of these monomers and dimers was approximately 12.5 times higher than that of VP4 tubules. Additionally, the formation of tubules inhibited VP4 protease activity, as demonstrated through in vitro assays. The production and characterization of monomers or dimers that have greater endopeptidase activity and protease activity than tubules can provide further insight into VP4 tubule assembly and the regulation of VP4 activity in host cells; this insight will facilitate the development of new anti-IBDV strategies.     

Visualization of mitochondrial coupling factor F1(ATPase) by freeze-drying

It is known that the negatively stained preparations of inner mitochondrial membrane display characteristic ∼9 nmF ₁ (ATPase) knobs projecting from the matrix surface. Freeze-etch studies have reported the absence of such knobs from the “etched” surface of the inner mitochondrial membranes. We have demonstrated their presence on the surface of SMP (submitochondrial particles) prepared by freeze-drying for transmission electron microscopy. This identification has been substantiated by comparison with the freeze-dried TU particles (trypsin-urea treated SMP) that are devoid ofF ₁ (ATPase). It has been suggested that a layer of water molecules is strongly adsorbed to the surface of SMP and does not sublime during normal freeze-“etching.”     

Future applications of magic lite technology

The features that Magic Lite products offer as an immunoassay delivery system are discussed. The use of paramagnetic particles and acridinium ester labels confers advantages of speed, sensitivity, and stability. The technology has been used to measure analytes of widely varying molecular weights and serum concentrations, indicating its potential to detect the full range of clinically relevant analytes. Initial development efforts have indicated that the advantages of the system can be effectively exploited in an automated instrument.