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Abstract: A novel Fe2O3/carbon composite is prepared using a facile one-step hydrothermal method. Its structure, morphology and performance as anode of lithium ion battery are investigated with X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetry, cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. It is found that the as-prepared composite is composed of α-Fe2O3 nanorods of about 75 nm in diameter and 1 μm in length, which are enwrapped with soft and curly carbon nanofibers, and exhibits superior charge/discharge performance compared to bare α-Fe2O3 nanorods, especially at high current rate. The discharge capacity is 1069 mAh g−1 at the first cycle and remains 560 mAh g−1 after 30 cycles at 0.2C for the bare nanorods, but improved to 1278 mAh g−1 and 960 mAh g−1 for the composite. At 12C, the discharge capacity is only 798 mAh g−1 initially and becomes 98 mAh g−1 after 30 cycles for the bare nanorods, while 844 mAh g−1 and 292 mAh g−1 for the composite. The improved performance of the composite is attributed to the bondage from carbon nanofibers, which contributes to the improvement in electronic conductivity and structure stability of α-Fe2O3 nanorods. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cu/Zr42Si9N49/Si contact systems were deposited by direct current-pulsed magnetron sputtering (DC-PMS) technique. The contact systems were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and four-point probe sheet resistance measurements (Rs), respectively. The sheet resistances of Cu/Zr42Si9N49/Si contact systems annealed in N2/H2 gas mixture were lower than those of specimens annealed in vacuum at 800 °C. It is evident that the residual oxygen contamination from vacuum annealing ambience can affect the sheet resistances of Cu/Zr42Si9N49/Si contact systems. Compared with vacuum annealing, the thermal stabilities of the contact systems were generally improved after annealing in N2/H2 gas mixture. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Dysregulated chondrocyte metabolism is an essential risk factor for osteoarthritis (OA) progression. Maintaining cartilage homeostasis represents a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of OA. However, no effective disease-modifying therapy is currently available to OA patients. To discover potential novel drugs for OA, we screened a small-molecule natural product drug library and identified deapi-platycodin D3 (D-PDD3), which was subsequently tested for its effect on extracellular matrix (ECM) properties and on OA progression. We found that D-PDD3 promoted the generation of ECM components in cultured chondrocytes and cartilage explants and that intra-articular injection of D-PDD3 delayed disease progression in a trauma-induced mouse model of OA. To uncover the underlying molecular mechanisms supporting these observed functions of D-PDD3, we explored the targets of D-PDD3 via a screening approach integrating surface plasmon resonance (SPR) with liquid chromatography -tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The screening results suggested that D-PDD3 targeted tyrosine-protein phosphatase non-receptor type 1 (PTP1B), deletion of which restored chondrocyte homeostasis and markedly attenuated destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM)-induced OA. Further cellular and molecular analyses showed that D-PDD3 maintained cartilage homeostasis by directly binding to PTP1B and consequently suppressing the PKM2/AMPK pathway. These findings demonstrated that D-PDD3 was a potential therapeutic drug for the treatment of OA and that PTP1B served as a protein target for the development of drugs to treat OA. This study provided significant insights into the development of therapeutics for OA treatment, which in turn helpd to improve the quality of life of OA patients and to reduce the health and economic burden., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The central nervous system (CNS) plays a role in regulating heart rate and myocardial contractility through sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves, and the heart can impact the functional equilibrium of the CNS through feedback signals. Although heart and brain diseases often coexist and mutually influence each other, the potential links between heart and brain diseases remain unclear due to a lack of reliable models of these relationships. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which can differentiate into multiple functional cell types, stem cell biology and regenerative medicine may offer tools to clarify the mechanisms of these relationships and facilitate screening of effective therapeutic agents. Because calcium ions play essential roles in regulating both the cardiovascular and nervous systems, this review addresses how recent iPSC disease models reveal how dysregulation of intracellular calcium might be a common pathological factor underlying the relationships between heart and brain diseases., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Association of Neuropathologists, Inc. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Main obstacles from the shuttle effect and slow conversion rate of soluble polysulfide compromise the sulfur utilization and cycling life for lithium sulfur (Li-S) batteries. In pursuit of a practically viable high performance Li-S battery, a separator configuration (CoS 2 /HPGC/interlayer) as efficient polysulfide trapping barrier is reported. This configuration endows great advantages, particularly enhanced conductivity, promoted polysulfide trapping capability, accelerated sulfur electrochemistry, when using the functional interlayer for Li-S cells. Attributed to the above merits, such cell shows excellent cyclability, with a capacity of 846 mAh g -1 after 250 cycles corresponding to a high capacity retention of 80.2% at 0.2 C, and 519 mAh g -1 after 500 cycles at 1C (1C = 1675 mA g -1 ). In addition, the optimized separator exhibits a high initial areal capacity of 4.293 mAh cm -2 at 0.1C. Moreover, with CoS 2 /HPGC/interlayer, the sulfur cell enables a low self-discharge rate with a very high capacity retention of 97.1%. This work presents a structural engineering of the separator toward suppressing the dissolution of soluble Li 2 Sn moieties and simultaneously promoting the sulfur conversion kinetics, thus achieving durable and high capacity Li-S batteries., (© 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)