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We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the protective effects of botulinum toxin-A (Botox-A) on spasticity and nociceptive pain in individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCIs). PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from inception to July 2023. The primary outcome of interest was spasticity and nociceptive pain. We pooled the available data using the generic inverse variance method, and we used a fixed-effect/random-effects model. We then calculated standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) to estimate the effect size. A total of fourteen studies meeting the inclusion criteria comprised two randomized controlled trials, five pre-post studies, and seven case reports. Across the various study designs, the majority of trials were assessed to have fair to high quality. The meta-analysis shows that Botox-A significantly decreased spasticity (SMD, -1.73; 95% CI, -2.51 to -0.95; p

Novel porous structured spinel LiNiMnO (LNMO) microcubes have been synthesized and applied as energy storage materials for Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors. These materials are excellent candidate to replace the existing LiMnO used in the commercially available lithium-ion batteries. In this report, a systematic work has been performed to study the structural and electrochemical performance of the novel porous LNMO microcubes synthesized by facile precipitation routine. Structural stability of the porous LNMO microcubes was confirmed using thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction studies. Field emission scanning electron microscopic images revealed the LNMO microcubes were uniformly distributed with an average size of ~ 163 nm. Transmission electron microscopic images were confirmed the porous LNMO microcubes morphology and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis showed the specific surface area of the synthesized LNMO, which was 36.42 m g with an excellent pore volume of 3.62 cm g and an average pore size of 1.41 nm. Cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance and charge-discharge studies were performed on the LiNiMnO to investigate the potential application of porous LNMO microcubes in lithium-ion battery and supercapacitors. As positive electrode in Li-ion cell, the porous LNMO microcubes exhibit an excellent discharge capacity of 138.4 mA h g at 1 C rate. The porous LNMO microcubes in supercapacitor was exhibited a maximum specific capacity of 294 F g at 0.75 A g with an excellent specific capacitance retention of 97% after 1000 cycles. The described porous LNMO microcubes are highly suitable electrode material for energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work reports an easy way to prepare sulfur doped-carbon nanoparticles on a NiFe2O4 support. By placing the nanocomposite on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE), a sensor is obtained for simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA). The morphology, structural and chemical composition of the nanocomposite was characterized by various surface and physicochemical techniques, and its electrochemical properties were also examined. Modified GCE showed resolved electrocatalytic oxidation activity of AA, DA and UA with well separated peaks at 242 mV, 111 mV and 353 mV (vs. SCE). Under optimized conditions, the sensor has wide linear ranges and detection limits as low as 45, 25 and 17 nM for AA, DA and UA, respectively. The outstanding electrocatalytic performance of this GCE is attributed to the synergistic effect, defined size and unique morphology of the nanocomposite. This provides a benign micro-environment for convenient conjugation of biomolecules and improved charge transfer between the electrode and biomolecules for effective oxidation. The sensor was applied to the determination of AA in commercial vitamin C tablets, DA in injections, and UA in human urine. It showed recoveries in the range of 99.7–102.2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of pharmaceutical active ingredients plays an important role in quality control and clinical trials because they have a significant physiological effect on the human body even at low concentrations. Herein, a flexible three-electrode system using laser-scribed graphene (LSG) technology, which consists of Nafion/Fe 3 O 4 nanohybrids immobilized on LSG as the working electrode and LSG counter and reference electrodes on a single polyimide film, is presented. A Nafion/Fe 3 O 4 /LSG electrode is constructed by drop coating a solution of Nafion/Fe 3 O 4 , which is electrostatically self-assembled between positively charged Fe 3 O 4 and negatively charged Nafion on the LSG electrode and is used for the first time to determine a neurotoxicity drug (clioquinol; CQL) in biological samples. Owing to their porous 3D structure, an enriched surface area at the active edges and polar groups (OH, COOH, and -SO 3 H) in Nafion/Fe 3 O 4 /LSG electrodes resulted in excellent wettability to facilitate electrolyte diffusion, which gave ∼twofold enhancement in electrocatalytic activity over LSG electrodes. The experimental parameters affecting the analytical performance were investigated. The quantification of clioquinol on the Nafion/Fe 3 O 4 /LSG electrode surface was examined using differential pulse voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques. The fabricated sensor displays preferable sensitivity (17.4 μA μM -1 cm -2 ), a wide linear range (1 nM to 100 μM), a very low detection limit (0.73 nM), and acceptable selectivity toward quantitative analysis of CQL. Furthermore, the reliability of the sensor was checked by CQL detection in spiked human blood serum and urine samples, and satisfactory recoveries were obtained., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

The detrimental effect of (NO 2 - ) on environment, a sensitive and selective detection of nitrite (NO 2 - ) ions with point-to-care device is need to be fabricated. Herein, we report the non-enzymatic nitrite sensor using a novel reduced graphene oxide/molybdenum disulfide/poly (3, 4-ethylene dioxythiophene) (rGO/MoS 2 /PEDOT) nanocomposite electrode. The rGO/MoS 2 /PEDOT nanocomposite was synthesized using facile and cost-effective hydrothermal and polymerization approaches. The characteristics of rGO-MoS 2 -PEDOT nanocomposite was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Raman, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analyses. The rGO-MoS 2 -PEDOT nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was directly used for electrocatalytic detection of nitrite ions present in the solution. TEM images show the PEDOT nanoparticles with an average size of 100-120 nm are uniformly covered on the outer face of rGO-MoS 2 nanosheets. The interaction between the PEDOT and rGO-MoS 2 is evidenced in the FTIR, XRD and XPS studies, and they produced synergistic effect, resulting enhanced electrocatalytic performance activity towards oxidation of nitrite. Under optimized conditions, the fabricated electrode exhibited remarkably good sensitivity (874.19 μA μM -1  cm -2 ), low detection limit (LOD) (0.059 μM, S/N = 3), wide linear range (0.001-1 mM) of nitrite with desirable selectivity, long-term stability and reproducibility. Furthermore, the practical feasibility of the fabricated sensor is validated by the successful detection of nitrite ion in some water and milk samples with excellent correlation. Thus, feasible easier synthesis method was adopted first time to fabricate rGO-MoS 2 -PEDOT nanocomposite nitrite sensor in the milk and water samples with enhanced selectivity, sensitivity and LOD., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The calcination temperature plays a significant role in the structural, textural, and energy-storage performance of metal oxide nanomaterials in Li-ion battery application. Here, we report the formation of well-crystallized homogeneously dispersed Li 1.2 Mn 0.54 Ni 0.13 Co 0.13 O 2 hollow nano/sub-microsphere architectures through a simple cost-effective coprecipitation and chemical mixing route without surface modification for improving the efficiency of energy storage devices. The synthesized Li 1.2 Mn 0.54 Ni 0.13 Co 0.13 O 2 hollow nano/sub-microsphere cathode materials are calcined at 800, 900, 950, and 1000 °C. Among them, Li 1.2 Mn 0.54 Ni 0.13 Co 0.13 O 2 calcined at 950 °C exhibits a high discharge capacity (277 mAh g -1 at 0.1C rate) and excellent capacity retention (88%) after 50 cycles and also delivers an excellent discharge capacity of >172 mAh g -1 at 5C rate. Good electrochemical performance of Li 1.2 Mn 0.54 Ni 0.13 Co 0.13 O 2 -950 is directly related to the optimized size of its primary particles (85 nm) (which constitute the spherical secondary particle, ∼720 nm) and homogeneous cation mixing. Higher calcination temperature (≥950 °C) leads to an increase of the primary particle size, poor cycling stability, and inferior rate capacity of Li 1.2 Mn 0.54 Ni 0.13 Co 0.13 O 2 due to smashing of quasi-hollow spheres upon repeated lithium ion intercalations/deintercalations. Therefore, Li 1.2 Mn 0.54 Ni 0.13 Co 0.13 O 2 -950 is a promising electrode for the next-generation high-voltage and high-capacity Li-ion battery application., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2019 American Chemical Society.)