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Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are considered as a promising energy storage device, but suffer from poor cycling performance. In this work, hierarchical MoSe2 nanotubes have been synthesized for the first time and demonstrated as a highly durable electrode material of SIBs. The hierarchical nanotubes consist of few-layered MoSe2 nanosheets with an expanded (002) interlayer spacing of 1.00 nm (54.8% expansion). The growth of hierarchical nanotubes is a result of oriented attachment and Ostwald ripening effects. As a robust sodium host material, the MoSe2 nanotubes featuring hierarchical organization, hollow interiors, and interlayer expansion are beneficial for (i) lowering diffusion energy barriers and facilitating fast Na+ insertion/extraction reaction kinetics, (ii) accommodating volume changes upon sodiation/desodiation, (iii) preserving structural and morphological stability, and (iv) improving electronic conductivity by in situ carbon modification. By controlling the cut-off voltage in the range of 0.5–3.0 V with an intercalation mechanism, the MoSe2 nanotube electrode shows highly stable cycling performance and delivers a reversible discharge capacity of 228 mA h g−1 after 1500 cycles at a high current density of 1000 mA g−1. This work demonstrates the best cycling performance to date of MoSe2-based anodes for SIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few-layered MoSe2 nanosheets have great promise as a low-cost alternative to noble Pt-based electrocatalysts for electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this work, arrays of ZnSe/MoSe2 nanotubes on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates are synthesized and employed as an efficient binder-free HER electrocatalyst for the first time. The hybrid ZnSe/MoSe2 nanotubes have thicknesses of 3-20 nm. The growth of ZnSe layer is attributed to ion exchange with ZnO nanorods while the formation of MoSe2 layer is resulted from chemical bath deposition. Compared with the bare MoSe2 electrocatalyst, the hybrid ZnSe/MoSe2 nanotube electrocatalyst exhibits striking kinetic metrics with a small Tafel slope (73 mV per decade) and a low onset potential (68 mV). Beside benefits from the nanoarray structure as binder-free electrode as well as interlayer expansion of layered MoSe2, electron transfer from n-type ZnSe to MoSe2 induced by alignment of energy levels at heterointerface contributes to fast electron transport and active electrocatalytic behavior of MoSe2 at the electrocatalyst-electrolyte interface, which is responsible for the significant improvement in HER performance. This work opens up a new door for developing high-performance HER electrocatalysts by designing semiconductor heterojunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we report for the first time a simple solvothermal method to synthesize assembled 1T-MoSe2 nanosheets, which possess expanded (002) interlayer spacings as large as 1.17 nm with an 81% expansion as compared to that (0.646 nm) of the bulk counterpart. The 1T-MoSe2 nanosheets exhibit striking kinetic metrics for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with a low onset potential of 60 mV and a small Tafel slope of 78 mV dec−1, which are better than those of the 2H-MoSe2 counterpart with a normal interlayer spacing of 0.64 nm. The outstanding electrocatalytic activity is attributed to the high concentration of the metallic 1T phase as well as the expanded interlayer distance, contributing to increasing the number and catalytic activity of the active sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new method of determining coenzyme Q10 in human plasma was developed based on column-switching high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). CoQ10 was quantitatively extracted into 1-propanol with a fast one-step extraction procedure, after centrifugation, the supernatant was cleaned on an octadecyl-bonded silica column and then transferred to reversed-phase column by a column-switching valve. Determination of CoQ10 was performed on a reversed-phase analytical column with ultraviolet detection at 275 nm and the mobile phase containing 10% (v/v) isopropanol in methanol at a flow-rate of 1.5 ml/min. The sensitivity of this method allows the detection of 0.1 μg/ml CoQ10 in plasma (S/N=3). The linearity between the concentration and peak height is from 0.05 to 20 mg/l. The reproducibility (R.S.D.%) of the method is less than 2% (within day) and less than 3% (between day), the average recovery is 100.9+2.1%, it takes only 30 min to complete an analysis procedure, suitable for the determination of CoQ10 in human plasma especially for batch analysis in clinical laboratories. Finally, the method was applied to determine the plasma CoQ10 levels in healthy subjects, hyperthyroid and hypothyroid patients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

CD137 is expressed on activated T cells and NK cells, among others, and is a potent co-stimulator of antitumor immune responses. CD137 ligand (CD137L) is expressed by antigen presenting cells (APC), and CD137L reverse signaling into APC enhances their activity. CD137–CD137L interactions as main driver of type 1, cell-mediated immune responses explains the puzzling observation that CD137 agonists which enhance antitumor immune responses also ameliorate autoimmune diseases. Upon co-stimulation by CD137, Th1 CD4+T cells together with Tc1 CD8+T cells and NK cells inhibit other T cell subsets, thereby promoting antitumor responses and mitigating non-type 1 auto-immune diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of caffeine on the behavior and sleep patterns of zebrafish larvae, as well as its underlying mechanisms, has been a topic of great interest. This study aimed to investigate the impact of caffeine on zebrafish larval sleep/wake behavior and the expression of key regulatory genes such as cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) and adenosine (ADA) in the sleep pathway. To begin, the study determined the optimal dose and duration of caffeine exposure, with the optimal doses found to be 31.25 μM, 62.5 μM, and 120 μM. Similarly, the optimal exposure time was established as no more than 120 h, ensuring a mortality rate of less than 10%. The confirmation of these conditions was achieved through the assessment of angiogenesis and the inflammatory reaction. As a result, the treatment time point of 24 h post-fertilization (hpf) was selected to examine the effects of caffeine on zebrafish larval sleep rhythm (48 h, with a light cycle of 14:10). Furthermore, the study analyzed the expression of clock genes (bmal1a, per1b, per2, per3, cry2), adenosine receptor genes (adora1a, adora1b, adora2aa, adora2ab, adora2b), and key regulatory factors (CREB and ADA). The research confirmed that caffeine could induce sleep pattern disorders, significantly upregulate adenosine receptor genes (adora1a, adora1b, adora2a, adora2ab, adora2b) ( p < 0.05), and markedly decrease the total sleep time and sleep efficiency of the larvae. Additionally, the activity of ADA significantly increased during the exposure ( p < 0.001), and the tissue-specific expression of CREB was also significantly increased, as assessed by immunofluorescence. Caffeine may regulate circadian clock genes through the ADA/ADORA/CREB pathway. These findings not only enhance our understanding of the effects of caffeine on zebrafish larvae but also provide valuable insights into the potential impact of caffeine on human behavior and sleep.