Search

According to the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) theory, Qi is the essential component maintaining life. Mitochondria are the cellular organelles that generate energy. Qi exhibits abundant common characteristics in bioenergetics compared with mitochondria which control the cellular energy through fusion and fission. Studies have proven that the qi-tonifying function of Chinese medicinal plants and their components facilitates mitochondrial fusion, therefore enhancing ATP synthesis. These studies provide a framework for deciphering the pharmacological mechanisms of Qi-tonifying herbs. This article introduces the common source and function shared by Qi and mitochondria and the regulatory effects of herbal remedies on energy from mitochondria dynamics. This review aims to interpret the connotation of tonifying qi in TCM theory based on the modern biomedical theory.

Although the emerging interfacial solar steam generation technology is sustainable and eco-friendly for generating clean water by desalinating seawater and purifying wastewaters, salt deposition on the evaporation surface during solar-driven evaporation severely degrades the purification performances and adversely affect the long-term performance stability of solar steam generation devices. Herein, to construct solar steam generators for efficient solar steam generation and seawater desalination, three-dimensional (3D) natural loofah sponges with both macropores of the sponge and microchannels of the loofah fibers are hydrothermally decorated with molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) sheets and carbon particles. Benefiting from fast upward transport of water, rapid steam extraction, and effective salt-resistant capacity, the 3D hydrothermally decorated loofah sponge with MoS 2 sheets and carbon particles (HLMC) with an exposed height of 4 cm can not only obtain heat by its top surface under the downward solar light irradiation based on the solar-thermal energy conversion but also gain environmental energy by its porous sidewall surface, achieving a competitive water evaporation rate of 3.45 kg m -2 h -1 under 1 sun irradiation. Additionally, the 3D HLMC evaporator exhibits long-term desalination stability during the solar-driven desalination of an aqueous salt solution with 3.5 wt % NaCl for 120 h without apparent salt deposition because of its dual type of pores and uneven structure distribution.

Pocahemiketone A, a novel sesquiterpenoid possessing a unique spirocyclic skeleton with a hemiketal endoperoxide unit, was isolated from the essential oil of Pogostemon cablin . Its structure was determined by spectroscopic methods and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. Pocahemiketone A exhibits a significant neuroprotective effect against Aβ 25-35 -induced damage in SH-SY5Y cells by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis and oxidative stress. These results indicate that pocahemiketone A has great potential for use in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.