Search

The Shenqi Fuzheng injection (SFI) represents a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulation integrating Astragalus membranaceus (Huangqi, HQ) and Codonopsis pilosula (Danshen, DS). This investigation delved into elucidating the potential mechanisms and molecular targets of SFI in the context of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) through comprehensive network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses. Initially, we probed the databases for potential bioactive compounds of SFI and identified relevant COPD-related target genes. Subsequent analyses, conducted using Cytoscape 3.9.1 and STRING, facilitated the construction of a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network to discern key target genes. Following this, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were employed to delineate putative SFI-related signaling pathways, and the results were validated through molecular docking analyses. The network pharmacology analyses revealed a total of 65 active components (35 associated with DS and 30 with HQ) and 233 key targets. Notably, the top five bioactive components (quercetin, apigenin, daidzein, kaempferol, and luteolin) and the top five targets (TP53, AKT1, EP300, MAPK1, and JUN) exhibited substantial affinity and stable binding, with a binding energy ≤ -5.0 kcal/mol in molecular docking analyses. These findings suggested that SFI potentially exerted therapeutic effects on COPD through the concerted action of multiple compounds and pathways. Additionally, the outcomes of this study laid a solid foundation for understanding the pharmacological aspects of SFI, offering valuable insights for its prospective clinical application as an adjuvant therapeutic agent for COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the corneal permeability and water-solubility of disulfiram (DSF), which is an ocular drug for cataract, P188 was selected as a matrix to prepare solid dispersion of DSF (DSF SD ) by hot melt method. The DSF SD was characterized by DSC, XRD, and IR, and the results suggested that DSF was amorphous in DSF SD . The DSF SD was added to borate buffer solution (BBS) contained 20% poloxamer P407 and 1.2% poloxamer P188 to form in-situ gel. In vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that DSF SD combined with in-situ gel (DSF SD /in-situ gel) increased the residence time and the amount of DSF penetrated through the corneal. The pharmacodynamics studies exhibited DSF SD /in-situ gel delayed the development of selenium-induced cataract at some content. These results investigated that DSF SD /in-situ gel as a drug delivery system can improve DSF ocular permeability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the use of ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) and a single-sided solid oxide electrochemical cell (SOC), we have studied the mechanism of electrocatalytic splitting of water (H2O + 2e- → H2 + O2-) and electro-oxidation of hydrogen (H2 + O2- → H2O + 2e-) at 700 °C in 0.5 Torr of H2/H2O on ceria (CeO2-x) electrodes. The experiments reveal a transient build-up of surface intermediates (OH- and Ce3+) and show the separation of charge at the gas-solid interface exclusively in the electrochemically active region of the SOC. During water electrolysis on ceria, the increase in surface potentials of the adsorbed OH- and incorporated O2- differ by 0.25 eV in the active regions. For hydrogen electro-oxidation on ceria, the surface concentrations of OH- and O2- shift significantly from their equilibrium values. These data suggest that the same charge transfer step (H2O + Ce3+ ⇔ Ce4+ + OH- + H•) is rate limiting in both the forward (water electrolysis) and reverse (H2 electro-oxidation) reactions. This separation of potentials reflects an induced surface dipole layer on the ceria surface and represents the effective electrochemical double layer at a gas-solid interface. The in situ XPS data and DFT calculations show that the chemical origin of the OH-/O2- potential separation resides in the reduced polarization of the Ce-OH bond due to the increase of Ce3+ on the electrode surface. These results provide a graphical illustration of the electrochemically driven surface charge transfer processes under relevant and nonultrahigh vacuum conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoelectron spectroscopic measurements have the potential to provide detailed mechanistic insight by resolving chemical states, electrochemically active regions and local potentials or potential losses in operating solid oxide electrochemical cells (SOCs), such as fuel cells. However, high-vacuum requirements have limited X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of electrochemical cells to ex situ investigations. Using a combination of ambient-pressure XPS and CeO2−x/YSZ/Pt single-chamber cells, we carry out in situ spectroscopy to probe oxidation states of all exposed surfaces in operational SOCs at 750 °C in 1 mbar reactant gases H2 and H2O. Kinetic energy shifts of core-level photoelectron spectra provide a direct measure of the local surface potentials and a basis for calculating local overpotentials across exposed interfaces. The mixed ionic/electronic conducting CeO2−x electrodes undergo Ce3+/Ce4+ oxidation-reduction changes with applied bias. The simultaneous measurements of local surface Ce oxidation states and electric potentials reveal the active ceria regions during H2 electro-oxidation and H2O electrolysis. The active regions extend ∼150 μm from the current collectors and are not limited by the three-phase-boundary interfaces associated with other SOC materials. The persistence of the Ce3+/Ce4+ shifts in the ∼150 μm active region suggests that the surface reaction kinetics and lateral electron transport on the thin ceria electrodes are co-limiting processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A response by Al Sokolov and colleagues to a letter to the editor on their article on the conductance of ferromagnetic point contacts at room temperature as a function of the angle of an applied magnetic field, published in a 2007 issue of "Nature Nanotechnology," is presented.