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Background: Exercise is a known trigger of the inhibitory pain modulation system and its analgesic effect is termed exercise‐induced hypoalgesia (EIH). Previous studies have demonstrated that rats with deficient analgesic response following exercise develop more significant hypersensitivity following nerve injury compared to rats with substantial analgesic response following exercise. Objectives: A rat model of EIH as an indicator of the pain inhibitory system's efficiency was used to explore the association between EIH profiles and the effect of pharmacotherapy on rat's neuropathic pain. Methods: EIH profiles were assessed by evaluating paw responses to mechanical stimuli before and after exercise on a rotating rod. Rats with a reduction of ≤33% in responses were classified as low EIH and those with ≥67% as high EIH. Low and high EIH rats underwent sciatic nerve chronic constriction injury (CCI). Paw responses to mechanical stimuli were measured at baseline, following CCI, and after treatment with diclofenac, duloxetine or pregabalin. In a different group of low and high EIH rats, EIH was measured before and following treatment with the same medications. Results: Low EIH rats developed more significant hypersensitivity following CCI. Duloxetine and pregabalin successfully reduced hypersensitivity, although significantly more so in low EIH rats. Diclofenac had limited effects, and only on low EIH rats. Four days of duloxetine administration transformed low EIH rats' profiles to high EIH. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that EIH profiles in rats can not only predict the development of hypersensitivity following injury but may also support targeted pharmacological treatment. Significance: Exercise is a known trigger of the inhibitory pain modulation. Rats with deficient analgesic response following exercise develop more significant hypersensitivity following nerve injury. Pain modulation profiles in rats can also support targeted pharmacological treatment; rats with deficient analgesic response following exercise benefit more from treatment with duloxetine and gabapentin. Treatment with duloxetine can improve pain modulation profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogel is frequently used as a solid electrolyte for all solid‐state supercapacitors (SCs) because of its liquid‐like ion‐transport property and high conformability. However, due to the higher water content, the hydrogel electrolyte undergoes inevitable freezing and/or dehydration with climate change. Herein, polypyrrole/carbon all‐solid‐state SCs (PCSCs) were developed based on a hierarchical polypyrrole/carbon nanotube electrode and a highly stretchable double‐network polymer hydrogel electrolyte with LiCl/ethylene glycol as a mixed solvent. The PCSCs showed excellent electrochemical performance and cycle stability with a wide operating temperature. The specific capacitances could reach 202.2 and 112.3 mF cm−2 at current densities of 0.5 and 3.0 mA cm−2, respectively. Meanwhile, the PCSCs showed outstanding mechanical properties in maintaining a high areal capacitance under deformations of bending and tension. The excellent water retention of the device also ensured the stable electrochemical performance of PCSCs in a wide temperature range (30–80°C), which could potentially represent a reliable application in various harsh environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring cost‐efficient, high‐active bifunctional electrochemical catalysts with long‐term stability are significant for green economy. Herein, a noble‐metal‐free sandwich‐structured catalyst, prepared with facile hydrothermal method and phosphorization process, in which the amorphous MoSx serves as an intermediate layer between the Fe‐doped Ni2P and Ni foam substrate (Fe‐Ni2P/MoSx/NF) is reported. The obtained free‐standing catalyst performs an enhanced electrochemical activity compared with Fe‐Ni2P/NF and MoSx/NF. The Fe‐Ni2P/MoSx/NF catalyst only requires overpotentials of 246 mV to achieve 10 mA cm−2 and 277 mV to reach 50 mA cm−2 for oxygen evolution reaction process with a low Tafel slope of 59.7 mV dec−1 in alkaline solution. Meanwhile, an overpotential of 112 mV is demanded to reach 10 mA cm−2 for hydrogen evolution reaction. When the Fe‐Ni2P/MoSx/NF is used as two electrodes for overall water splitting, it requires 1.61 V to attain 10 mA cm−2 with prominent durability. This approach provides a versatile strategy to construct excellent bifunctional catalysts for effective water electrolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocatalytic water splitting is one of the most promising green solutions for large‐scale hydrogen production, which has developed rapidly in recent years. The slow reaction rate of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) has become the bottleneck to improve the electrocatalytic efficiency. Herein, Fe‐doped CoF2 nanowire arrays on 3D nickel foam are prepared by two steps of hydrothermal reaction and fluorination process. The increased catalytic activity sites and accelerated charge transfer rate make the self‐supported Fe‐doped CoF2 electrode show excellent OER performance in alkaline electrolyte. An overpotential of 230 mV is only required to release a current density of 10 mA cm−2. The Tafel slope derived from the polarization curves is 59 mV dec−1, indicating outstanding electrochemical kinetics performance. A stable output current density of 84 mA cm−2 for more than 96 h is achieved under an invariant overpotential of 338 mV, attributing to the anion reconstruction making part of CoF2 transform into cobalt hydroxide and further improving its electrocatalytic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: O‐Acetylated pectins are abundant in the primary cell wall of plants and growing evidence suggests they have important roles in plant cell growth and interaction with the environment. Despite their importance, genes required for O‐acetylation of pectins are still largely unknown. In this study, we showed that TRICHOME BIREFRINGENCE LIKE 10 (AT3G06080) is involved in O‐acetylation of pectins in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). The activity of the TBL10 promoter was strong in tissues where pectins are highly abundant (e.g. leaves). Two homozygous knock‐out mutants of Arabidopsis, tbl10‐1 and tbl10‐2, were isolated and shown to exhibit reduced levels of wall‐bound acetyl esters, equivalent of ~50% of the wild‐type level in pectin‐enriched fractions derived from leaves. Further fractionation revealed that the degree of acetylation of the pectin rhamnogalacturonan‐I (RG‐I) was reduced in the tbl10 mutant compared to the wild type, whereas the pectin homogalacturonan (HG) was unaffected. The degrees of acetylation in hemicelluloses (i.e. xyloglucan, xylan and mannan) were indistinguishable between the tbl10 mutants and the wild type. The mutant plants contained normal trichomes in leaves and exhibited a similar level of susceptibility to the phytopathogenic microorganisms Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 and Botrytis cinerea; while they displayed enhanced tolerance to drought. These results indicate that TBL10 is required for O‐acetylation of RG‐I, possibly as an acetyltransferase, and suggest that O‐acetylated RG‐I plays a role in abiotic stress responses in Arabidopsis. Significance statement: TBL10 is required for O‐acetylation of rhamnogalacturonan‐I. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects and mechanisms of salicylic acid (SA) on defense response to Colletotrichum gloeosporioides from mango fruits were investigated by in vitro and in vivo test. In vitro experiment results showed that SA significantly reduced mycelial growth of C. gloeosporioides in a concentration-dependent manner. SA effectively controlled anthracnose decay on inoculated mango fruit, as well as natural infection. Disease incidence and lesion diameter in SA-treated fruit were significantly lower than those of the control fruit. SA treatment increased the activities of chitinase, β-1,3-glucanase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and polyphenoloxidase, and the content of total phenolic compounds and lignin in mango fruit. Moreover, SA treatment effectively maintained fruit firmness by suppressing conversion of insoluble protopectin into water soluble pectin. And correlation analysis showed there is a higher negative correlation between fruit firmness and disease incidence. These findings suggest that the effect of SA on postharvest diseases was attributed to its direct antimicrobial activity and the elicitation of resistant responses, as well maintaining the firmness in mango fruit. Therefore, SA treatment is a promising measure for controlling postharvest anthracnose rot in mango. Practical Applications Induction of fruit resistance against pathogenic infection with biological or chemical elicitors has been thought to be a promising approach for controlling of postharvest diseases and reducing the use of synthetic fungicides. Anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is the predominant postharvest disease in mango production that causes severe postharvest losses and fruit quality deterioration. SA is a natural plant substance involved in plant defense responses to biotic stresses. The present results from in vitro and in vivo experiment suggested that SA treatment could effectively inhibit mycelial growth of C. gloeosporioides, enhance resistance of mango fruit against the pathogen and reduce anthracnose rot, as well maintain fruit firmness. Hence, SA can be applied in mango storage and preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Bone grafts (sinus lift and/or ridge augmentation) may become an obstacle for some patients who desire implant treatment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the success of six- and eight-millimeters rough surface design short dental implants, for up to 2 years in function, when compared to conventional length (11 mm) implants. Materials and Methods A total of 25.6-, 20.8- and 35.11-mm length implants were placed and restored in 30 subjects (11 males, 19 females) between the age of 22 and 80, following a standard protocol. Implant mobility, crestal bone loss as well as periodontal parameters were evaluated immediately after restoration placement, at 6, 12 and 24 months. Results There was one failure of one 6-mm implant during the healing phase and one restorative failure. The median crestal bone loss at 24 months was 0.45 mm for the 6-mm implants, 0.55 mm for the 8 mm implants and 0.65 mm for the 11-mm implants. The success rate for 6-mm implants was 97% and for 8-mm and 11-mm implants 100%. Conclusions Based on this preliminary data, we conclude that rough surface design short dental implants (6 and 8 mm in length) have similar success rate when compared to 11-mm implants. Long-term data with larger number of implants and subjects are needed to confirm these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is a promising material for tissue engineering applications; however, it can be difficult to create scaffolds with the morphology, hydrophilicity, and mechanical properties necessary to support tissue growth. Typically, pure PCL scaffolds have good cellular adhesion, but somewhat low mechanical properties (elastic modulus and tensile strength). This study addresses these issues by incorporating Al2O3 whiskers as reinforcements within PCL membranes generated by electrospinning. Membranes were prepared with Al2O3 content ranging from 1 to 20 wt % and characterized using XRD, TEM, and SEM to determine composition and morphology. The Al2O3 whiskers were well dispersed within the PCL fibers, and the membranes had a highly porous morphology. The elastic modulus was significantly improved by the well aligned whisker reinforcements as verified by tensile testing. The cell morphology and proliferation studies demonstrate Al2O3 whisker reinforced PCL scaffolds maintained the good biocompatibility. These improvements demonstrate that Al2O3 whisker reinforced PCL scaffolds can be considered as a biocompatible material for tissue engineering and dental applications. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A:, 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) play a vital role in improving electrocatalytic activity during constructing various composites. Among them, heteroatoms‐doped GQDs can further improve the conductivity and electrocatalytic properties of the composites. Herein, NH2‐GQDs‐doped NiCo2O4, grown on carbon cloth, is developed through one‐step hydrothermal process. The NH2‐GQDs doping significantly enhances its electrochemical performance due to its high electron transfer rate and synergistic effects. Severing as freestanding electrochemical electrode, the NH2‐GQDs/NiCo2O4 composite on carbon cloth exhibits low detection limit of 0.27 × 10−6m and high sensitivity of 2521.33 µA mm−1 cm−2 for nonenzymatic determination of glucose. Furthermore, the fabricated glucose sensor shows outstanding selectivity and reproducibility. These results indicate that the NH2‐GQDs‐doped NiCo2O4 provides a convenient platform for nonenzymatic determination of glucose in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐performance and flexible supercapacitors (SCs) have great potential for powering wearable and portable devices. Herein, Mo‐doped Co9S8 porous nanosheets on carbon cloth (denoted as Mo–Co–S/CC) are prepared for all‐solid‐state flexible asymmetric SCs via a two‐step method. Na2MoO4 is selected as both Mo source and etching agent to create Mo‐doped porous structure, which provides plenty of reaction sites contributing to the decrease of electrochemical barrier and increase of electrochemical performances. The Mo–Co–S/CC electrode demonstrates a high specific capacity of 771.5 F g−1 at 2 A g−1, excellent rate capability of 660.0 F g−1 at 20 A g−1, and 109% cycling capacitance retention after 30 000 cycles. By using poly(vinyl alcohol)/KOH (PVA/KOH) gel as electrolyte, a flexible all‐solid‐state asymmetric supercapacitor (Mo–Co–S/CC//KOH//AC/CC, FASCs) is assembled, which can work under different bending angles and deliver a specific capacitance of 37.37 F g−1 at 1 A g−1. Furthermore, the FASCs can deliver a maximum energy density of 14.68 Wh kg−1 at power density of 369 W kg−1, with the capacity retention of 80.07% over 30 000 cycles at a high rate of 20 A g−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]