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Designing molecules with specific scaffolds can facilitate the discovery and optimization of lead compounds. Some scaffold-based molecular generation models have been developed using deep-learning methods based on specific scaffolds, although incorporating scaffold generalization is expected to achieve scaffold hopping. Moreover, most of the existing models focus on the 2D shape of the scaffold and overlook the stereochemical properties of the compound, especially for natural products. In this study, we optimized the scaffold-based molecular generation model designed by Lim et al. (Chemical Science 2020, 11, 1153-1164). Real-time ultrafast shape recognition with pharmacophore constraints (USRCAT) was introduced into the model to search for molecules similar to the 3D conformation and pharmacophore of the input scaffold sourced from the training set; the searched molecules were then used as new scaffolds to execute scaffold hopping. The optimized model could generate new molecules with the same chirality as the input scaffold. Furthermore, the probability distribution of the molecular structure and various physicochemical properties were analyzed to evaluate the model's generation capability. We thus believe that the optimized model can provide a basis for medicinal chemists to explore a wider chemical space toward optimization of the lead compounds and to screen the virtual compound library.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complex metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and pancreatic β-cell dysfunction. There are evidences showed that microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in DM. The purpose of our study was to determine the role of miR-124-3p in DM. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) was applied to measure the level of miR- 124-3p in peripheral blood from healthy control patients and DM patients. Then we explored the effects of miR-124-3p inhibitor on the secretion of insulin of pancreatic β-cells. Moreover, we determined the effects of miR-124-3p inhibitor on the apoptosis and viability of pancreatic β-cells through flow cytometry and MTT assay. And we also used western blotting to detect the protein expression of cleaved-caspase3/pro-caspase3, and the activity of caspase3 was detected. In addition, we confirmed the direct target of miR-124-3p using Dual luciferase reporter assay. Our data showed that in the blood of DM patients, SFRP5 was significantly reduced, while miR-124-3p was increased significantly. Furthermore, we found that down-regulation of miR-124-3p increased total insulin content in INS-1 cells, enhanced insulin secretion in INS-1 cells. Furthermore, we revealed that miR-124-3p inhibitor enhanced INS-1 cell viability, decreased apoptosis of INS-1 cells, increased pro-caspase3 expression, decreased cleaved-caspase3 expression and caspase3 activity. In addition, we proved SFRP5 was a direct target of miR-124-3p in pancreatic β-cells. Moreover, SFRP5-siRNA reversed all the effects of miR-124-3p knockdown on pancreatic β-cells.

Precise isolation and analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood samples offer considerable potential for cancer research and personalized treatment. Currently, available CTC isolation approaches remain challenging in the quest for simple strategies to achieve cell isolation with both high separation efficiency and high purity, which limits the use of captured CTCs for downstream analyses. Here, we present a filter deterministic lateral displacement concept to achieve one-step and label-free CTC isolation with high throughput. Unlike conventional deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) devices, the proposed method uses a hydrodynamic cell sorting design by incorporating a filtration concept into a DLD structure, and enables high-throughput and clog-free isolation by a cascaded microfluidic design. The cascaded filter-DLD (CFD) design demonstrated enhanced performance for size-based cell separation, and achieved high separation efficiency (>96%), high cell purity (WBC removal rate 99.995%), high cell viability (>98%) and high processing rate (1 mL min-1). Samples from lung cancer patients were analyzed using the CFD-Chip, CTCs and tumor cell-leukocyte fusion cells were efficiently collected, and changes in CTC levels were used for treatment response monitoring. The CFD-Chip platform isolated CTCs with good viability, enabling direct downstream analysis with single-cell RNA sequencing. Transcriptome analysis of enriched CTCs identified new subtypes of CTCs such as tumor cell-leukocyte fusion cells, providing insights into cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.

Aim To confirm whether serum bilirubin is an independent risk factor of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) onset in patients with impaired fasting glycemia (IFG) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Methods This was a prospective cohort study carried out at the Diabetic Identification Center of Tianjin Metabolic Diseases Hospital. Serum total bilirubin (TBIL) was measured at baseline and the patients were grouped according to baseline bilirubin quartiles. The outcome was the confirmation of T2DM by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) during the 3-year follow-up. Logistic regression was used to determine the risk factors for T2DM development and whether bilirubin levels are independently associated with T2DM development. Results Finally, 523 patients were analyzed. After 3 years, 310 participants were diagnosed with diabetes based on OGTT. Baseline quartiles of total bilirubin were inversely associated with diabetes risk, even after multivariable adjustment. The adjusted ORs for diabetes were 1.0 (reference), 0.83 (95% CI 0.74–0.96), 0.78 (95% CI 0.68–0.90), 0.74 (95% CI 0.64–0.87) for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quartiles of baseline serum total bilirubin, respectively (P Conclusion In patients with IFG or IGT, low levels of serum total bilirubin were associated with a significantly increased risk of T2DM.

Aim: Vildagliptin (vild) improves diastolic dysfunction and is associated with a lower relative risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in younger patients. The present study aimed to evaluate whether vild prevents the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy in type 2 diabetic mice and identify its underlying mechanisms.Methods: Type 2 diabetic mouse model was generated using wild-type (WT) (C57BL/6J) and miR-21 knockout mice by treatment with HFD/STZ. Cardiomyocyte-specific miR-21 overexpression was achieved using adeno-associated virus 9. Echocardiography was used to evaluate cardiac function in mice. Morphology, autophagy, and proteins levels in related pathway were analyzed. qRT-PCR was used to detect miR-21. Rat cardiac myoblast cell line (H9c2) cells were transfected with miR-21 mimics and inhibitor to explore the related mechanisms of miR-21 in diabetic cardiomyopathy.Results: Vild restored autophagy and alleviated fibrosis, thereby enhancing cardiac function in DM mice. In addition, miR-21 levels were increased under high glucose conditions. miR-21 knockout DM mice with miR-21 knockout had reduced cardiac hypertrophy and cardiac dysfunction compared to WT DM mice. Overexpression of miR-21 aggravated fibrosis, reduced autophagy, and attenuated the protective effect of vild on cardiac function. In high-glucose-treated H9c2 cells, the downstream effectors of sprouty homolog 1 (SPRY1) including extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) and mammalian target of rapamycin showed significant changes following transfection with miR-21 mimics or inhibitor.Conclusion: The results of our study indicate that vild prevents DCM by restoring autophagy through the miR-21/SPRY1/ERK/mTOR pathway. Therefore, miR-21 is a target in the development of DCM, and vild demonstrates significant potential for clinical application in prevention of DCM.

Background: We aimed to determine the role of non-mydriatic fundus examination and artificial intelligence (AI) in screening diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with diabetes in the Metabolic Disease Management Center (MMC) in Tianjin, China. Methods: Adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who were first treated by MMC in Tianjin First Central Hospital and Tianjin 4th Center Hospital were divided into two groups according to the time that MMC was equipped with the non-mydriatic ophthalmoscope and AI system and could complete fundus examination independently (the former was the control group, the latter was the observation group). The observation indices were as follows: the incidence of DR, the fundus screening rate of the two groups, and fundus screening of diabetic patients with different course of disease. Results: A total of 5039 patients were enrolled in this study. The incidence rate of DR was 18.6%, 29.8%, and 49.6% in patients with diabetes duration of ⩽1 year, 1–5 years, and >5 years, respectively. The screening rate of fundus in the observation group was significantly higher compared with the control group (81.3% versus 28.4%, χ2 = 1430.918, p 2 = 797.534, p 2 = 197.124, p 2 = 475.609, p Conclusions: In the case of limited medical resources, MMC can carry out one-stop examination, treatment, and management of DR through non-mydratic fundus examination and AI assistance, thus incorporating the DR screening process into the endocrine clinic, so as to facilitate early diagnosis.

Chronic dietary high fructose leads to various kinds of undesirable metabolic effects. Apigenin, a naturally occurring plant flavone, is plentiful in fruits and vegetables. The aim of this study was to identify the protective effects of apigenin on metabolic syndrome and elucidate potential underlying mechanisms. The animal model was established by 4-weeks high fructose feeding. Insulin resistance was estimated by oral glucose tolerance test and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance index. Liver function was evaluated by serum AST and ALT, hepatic histopathological alternation, and lipid accumulation in the liver. The alterations of lipid profile was evaluated by TG, TC, LDL-C and HDL-C levels in serum. Administration of apigenin exerted beneficial effects through improving insulin resistance, alleviating liver injury, and inhibiting the alterations of lipid profile in high fructose-fed mice. In addition, apigenin potently facilitated the accumulation of Nrf2 nuclear translocation and accompanied by increasing HO-1 and NQO1 protein expressions, which are responsible for attenuating oxidative stress. Molecular docking results demonstrated that potential interaction of apigenin with the Nrf2-binding site in the Keap1 protein. In summary, we demonstrated that apigenin prevented high fructose-induced metabolic syndrome probably by inhibiting binding of Keap1 to Nrf2, and thus Nrf2 nuclear translocation, subsequently resulting in increased the expressions of anti-oxidative genes including HO-1 and NQO1.

Alpha nickel hydroxide has better performances than commercial beta nickel hydroxide. However, the main defect is that α-phase is difficult to synthesize and easily transformed to β-phase Ni(OH)2 upon aging in a strong alkaline solution. In this study, the Al-Co, Al-Yb, Yb-Co and Al-Yb-Co multiple doping was used respectively. By controlling the amount of sodium carbonate, the α-Ni(OH)2 was prepared by ultrasonic-assisted precipitation. And the influence of sodium carbonate on the crystalline phase and structure stability for alpha nickel hydroxide was studied. The results demonstrate that, with increasing amount, the biphase nickel hydroxide transforms to pure alpha nickel hydroxide gradually, and the structure stability is also improved. When the amount of sodium carbonate is 2 g, the sample still keeps α-Ni(OH)2 after being aged for 30 days, for Al-Yb-Co-Ni(OH)2. And when the amount is less than 2 g, the phase transformations exist in the samples with different extents. These results demonstrated that the amount of sodium carbonate is a critical factor to maintain the structural stability of α-Ni(OH)2.

Purpose: The warming-Yang or cooling-heat is the principle rules of traditional Chinese medicine theory. The purpose of this study is to identify the effect of warming-Yang or cooling-heat Chinese medicine prescriptions combining with Gefitinib on lung cancer H1650 cell line. Materials and Methods: The typical warming-Yang prescription, Shen-fu (SF) Injection, and cooling-heat prescription, Qing-kai-ling (QKL) Injection was combined with Gefitinib respectively to treat H1650 cells. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay and Annexin V/PI method. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway proteins were detected by Western blot. Results: QKL combined with Gefitinib significantly suppressed cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in H1650 cell line compared with single drug (P < 0.05). On the contrary, SF and Gefitinib had significant antagonism effects on both cell viability inhibition and apoptosis (48h：0.85 < Q < 1.15, 72h：Q < 0.85). Although higher EGFR protein level was observed in Gefitinib group, which was significantly reduced in QKL + Gefitinib group, no significant differences were observed in the levels of p-EGFR (P > 0.05), downstream AKT/p-AKT (P > 0.05), or ERK/p-ERK (P > 0.05) among Gefitinib, Gefitinib + SF, and Gefitinib + QKL groups. Conclusion: QKL Injection may reduce the level of EGFR and then improve the resistance of H1650 cells to EGFR-TKIs, which may be the mechanism of synergism effect of QKL Injection and Gefitinib. The principle rules of warming-Yang or cooling-heat should be further elucidated, and more research are required to explore the combined effect of Chinese medicine with opposite principle and Gefitinib.

Multi-element-doped α-Ni(OH)2 was prepared by an ultrasonic-assisted co-precipitation method. The crystal structures and morphologies of the prepared samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The results showed that the interlayer spacings of all samples were larger than that of pure α-Ni(OH)2 and that the structural stability became better with increases in the number of doped elements and the doped ratio. The electrochemical performances of the prepared samples, including cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and charge-discharge tests, were also analyzed. The results indicated that Al/Yb/Co/Mn-doped α-Ni(OH)2 had better electrochemical reversibility, lower charge-transfer resistance, a larger proton diffusion coefficient (8.47 × 10−12 cm−2/s) and a higher discharge capacity (288.2 mAh g−1 at 0.5 °C) than Al/Co/Mn-doped α-Ni(OH)2 due to the synergistic effect of the doped elements.

Alpha nickel hydroxide has better performance than commercial beta nickel hydroxide. However, the main defect is that α-phase is easily transformed to β-phase Ni(OH)2 upon aging in a strong alkaline solution. The different effects of the doping cations Al3+, Yb3+ and Co2+ on the chemical composition, morphology, structure and electrochemical properties of Ni(OH)2 are studied, with the same doping ratio. The results demonstrate that the synergistic effect of the ternary doping samples is better than the binary. The Al-Yb-Co-Ni(OH)2 exhibits excellent structural stability, which can stay the pure α-phase in strong alkaline solutions over 60 days. The CV measurements demonstrate that the relevant electrode has the highest proton diffusion coefficient, indicating a higher electrochemical activity and faster reaction kinetics due to the fast ionic transportation. Moreover, the above electrode has the higher charge efficiency, better reversibility and cycle stability.

A solution method for inverse kinematics of automated fiber placement (AFP) trajectory is proposed. The D-H method is used to establish the kinematical model of the AFP head, based on this kinematical model, the mathematical model of the forward solution of the AFP trajectory is constructed; The matrix equation is simplified to general polynomial equation group by using the tangent half-angle substitution method, the correct solution is automatically selected for the iteration according to the joint function of the AFP machine, and an effective algorithm for the reverse solution of the trajectory is obtained. Numerical simulation of the algorithm is carried out. The verification results show that the algorithm is feasible and effective.

A path planning optimization algorithm for automated fiber placement is proposed. According to the STL model file triangle patch and the vertex index number of the triangle, the STL model file is converted into points and faces matrixes, the data reconstruction of the file is realized and a STL model file reading method is constructed. Based on the reconstructed data, a fiber placement path planning algorithm is proposed. The adjacent path to be planned are solved by points, normal vectors, tangent planes and coordinate axes of the laying surface and the corresponding mathematical model is established. The algorithm is simulated and the approximate iterative method is taken as a reference. The simulation verifies that the algorithm is accurate and reliable.

A series of polycrystalline Na4Ca4(Si6O18):Eu3+ orange emitting phosphors were synthesized by a conventional high-temperature solid-state reaction. The phase formation was confirmed by X-ray power diffraction analysis. The excitation spectra show a strong host absorption indicating an efficient energy transfer process from O2− to Eu3+ ions. Upon NUV radiation, the phosphors showed strong red emission around 610 nm (5D0 → 7F2) and orange emission around 591 nm (5D0 → 7F1), but the 5D1,2,3 emission nearly can not be seen. Compared with the luminescence properties of Li+, Na+, and K+ co-doped samples, we deduced that Na+ ions probably prefer to dope into the intrinsic Na vacancies rather than Ca2+ ions vacancies in Na4Ca4(Si6O18) crystal. Thermal stability properties, quantum efficiency and chromaticity coordinates of the phosphors have been investigated for the potential application in white LEDs.

Dual-functional ZnWO4:Dy3+, Bi3+ were synthesized via high-temperature solid-state reaction method. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence spectra and photocatalytic properties. The ZnWO4:Dy3+, Bi3+ phosphor shows photoluminescence with a broad band and the feature Dy3+ emission, and a high photocatalytic activity in degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under simulated UV irradiation. The result shows that doping Bi3+ in ZnWO4:Dy3+ can enhance light harvest capability to generate more electron–hole pairs, and acted as a trap center by decreasing the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes. All of the results obtained by the work suggest that ZnWO4:Dy3+, Bi3+ phosphors are promising materials for the photocatalytic decomposition of pollutants.

Nickel hydroxide with a unique mixed phase α/β-Ni(OH)2 was prepared by partially substituting Ca2+ for Ni2+ with supersonic co-precipitating method firstly. The crystal structure and morphology of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that the Ca-substituted Ni(OH)2 by adding PO4 3− is α/β mixed phase, while the undoped Ni(OH)2 and the Ca-substituted Ni(OH)2 without adding PO4 3− are pure β phase. Furthermore, the Ca-substituted Ni(OH)2 by adding PO4 3− exhibits irregular shape and contains many intercalated water molecules and anions as proven by SEM and FT-IR. Meanwhile, the prepared samples were added into micro-sized beta nickel hydroxide to form biphase electrode materials for Ni-MH battery. The electrochemical performances of the biphase electrodes were characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and charge/discharge tests. The results demonstrate that the biphase electrode with mixed phase α/β-Ni(OH)2 exhibits higher electrochemical activity, better electrochemical reversibility and charge efficient, higher discharge potential, and better cyclic stability. The specific discharge capacity of Ca-substituted α/β-Ni(OH)2 electrode can retain 271.7 and 238 mAh/g after 80 cycles at 0.2 and 0.5 C, respectively. This indicates that it may be a promising positive active material for alkaline secondary batteries. The results reported in this work may be useful for the designing and synthesizing of nickel hydroxide materials with superior performance.

Sn-substituted α-Ni(OH)2 for Ni-MH battery is prepared by supersonic coprecipitating method, using NiSO4 as nickel ion source and SnSO4 as doping material. The crystal structure and morphology of the samples were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results demonstrate that the crystal structure of all samples changes from α/β mixed phase to pure α phase and the interlayer spacing becomes larger with more Sn2+ substitution for Ni2+, while the agglomeration particle size decreases initially and then increases. The electrochemical performances of the prepared nickel hydroxide were characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and charge-discharge tests. The results reveal that 15 % Sn-substituted α-Ni(OH)2 has best electrochemical performance, such as best reaction reversibility, highest proton diffusion coefficient, the maximum discharge capacity (303.6 mAh/g at 0.2 C), and the maximum capacity retention (maintaining 90.5 % after 30 cycles at 0.2 C).

The multi-element doped alpha nickel hydroxide has been prepared by supersonic co-precipitation method. Three kinds of samples A, B and C are prepared by chemically coprecipitating Ni/Al, Ni/Al/Mn and Ni/Al/Mn/Yb, respectively. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), Particle size distribution (PSD) measurement, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) are used to characterize the physical properties of the synthesized α-Ni(OH) 2 samples, such as chemical composition, morphology, structural stability of the crystal. The results show that all samples are nano-sized materials and the interlayer spacing becomes larger and the structural stability becomes better with the increase of doped elements and doped ratio. The prepared alpha nickel hydroxide samples are added into micro-sized beta nickel hydroxide to form biphase electrode materials for Ni-MH battery. The electrochemical characterization of the biphase electrodes, including cyclic voltammetry (CV) and charge/discharge test, are also performed. The results demonstrate that the biphase electrode with sample C exhibits better electrochemical reversibility and cyclic stability, higher charge efficient and discharge potential, larger proton diffusion coefficient (5.81 × 10 −12 cm 2 s −1 ) and discharge capacity (309.0 mAh g −1 ). Hence, it indicates that all doped elements can produce the synergic effect and further improve the electrochemical properties of the alpha nickel hydroxide.

Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is associated with glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Although several studies have revealed that intermittent hypoxia (IH) in OSAHS may further aggravate pancreatic β cell damage and promote the evolution of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) by increasing oxidative stress, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Honokiol, a potent radical scavenger, has been demonstrated to ameliorate oxidative stress in many cases. The present study aimed to explore the potential mechanism of IH and diabetes synergistically damage and destruct the pancreatic β cell, examine the effects of honokiol on ameliorating pancreatic β cell injury in this context and explore the mechanism of such effects. High glucose (HG) cultured INS-1 cells were exposed to 50 μM of honokiol for 24, 48 and 72 h with or without IH intervention. T2DM rats were treated with honokiol and exposed to 80 s of IH followed by 160 s of normoxia for 8 weeks. The cell proliferation, apoptosis and oxidative stress were measured. Blood glucose, insulin, glucagon and HOMA-IR (Homeostasis model assessment -insulin resistence) were also detected, and the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were detected by immunofluorescence staining and western blotting. Honokiol can reduce oxidative stress, cytotoxicity and apoptosis in the INS-1 cells of rats receiving HG treatment or both HG and IH treatment. IH can further aggravate pancreas dysfunction, cause a marked elevation in fasting blood glucose, glucagon, HOMA-IR and oxidative stress levels in DM rats. In addition, honokiol can effectively activate the Nrf2/ARE pathway and reverse this pancreatic dysfunction in vivo and in vitro . These findings indicate that honokiol acts as a potent ROS scavenger via Nrf2/ARE pathway and effectively attenuates oxidative stress and improves pancreatic β cell function of DM rats under IH treatment.

A reduction in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscles is a characteristic of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 agonist liraglutide can reduce blood glucose levels in individuals with T2DM. However, its effect on insulin-induced glucose metabolism in the skeletal muscle of insulin resistance is unknown. We investigated the effects and action mechanisms of liraglutide on insulin resistance (IR) in the skeletal muscle cells treatment with palmitic acid (PA). The cell-surface GLUT4myc levels were determined by an antibody-coupled colorimetric assay. The phosphorylation levels of Akt, PI3K(p85α), AS160, IRS1, IKK, and JNK were determined by western blotting. The quantifications of mRNA levels of TNFα, IL-1β, and IL-6 were determined by real-time PCR. Analysis of variance was used for data analysis. PA elevated not only phosphorylation of JNK, IRS1 serines, and IKKα/β, but also the expression of IL-6, TNFα and IL-1β in C2C12–GLUT4myc cells. PA can reduce phosphorylation of IRS1 tyrosine. These effects of PA were reversed by liraglutide. In addition, liraglutide can reverse PA-decreased insulin-stimulated cell-surface GLUT4 levels, Akt, PI3K(p85α), and AS160 phosphorylation. Liraglutide can enhance insulin-induced GLUT4 translocation by inhibiting IRS1 serine phosphorylation in PA-treated muscle cells.

Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), measured by skin autofluorescence (AF), are a factor in the development or worsening of many degenerative diseases, such as diabetes and atherosclerosis. Irisin levels have been associated with diabetes, endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether circulating irisin levels are correlated with skin AF values in type 2 diabetes patients. A total of 362 Chinese type 2 diabetic patients and 100 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited in the present study. Clinical characteristics, blood biochemistry and circulating irisin levels were measured. Skin AF was measured using an AGE reader. Circulating irisin levels were significantly lower, while skin AF values were increased in type 2 diabetes compared with controls (P

Objective. The present study explored the association between insulin resistance (IR) and the clinical characteristics of thyroid nodules in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods. All the patients were newly diagnosed with T2DM. 201 patients with thyroid nodule disease and 308 patients without the nodular thyroid disease. The participants were evaluated by relevant examination. Correlation analyses and regression analyses were performed to examine the relationships between the two groups.Results. HOMA-IR values, serum FT4 (free thyroxine) levels, and age were higher in the thyroid nodule group than in the control group. The proportion of women in the thyroid nodule group is greater than the proportion of women in the control group. Logistic regression analysis showed that age, sex, FT4, and HOMA-IR were positive factors for thyroid nodule. The volume and size of the thyroid nodule were positively correlated with HOMA-IR, irrespective of gender. The thyroid nodule volume and size and the TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) were greater in females than in males, whereas FT3 (free triiodothyronine) was lower in females.Conclusion. IR might be a risk factor for thyroid nodule. Whether alleviating the IR might slow the growth, or diminish the volume and size of the thyroid nodules, is yet to be elucidated.

Co substituted nanonickel hydroxide, which used NiCl2 and Na2CO3 as nickel source and buffer respectively, was synthesised by ultrasonic method. XRD, TEM, PSD and EDS were used to characterise the physical and electrochemical performance of the prepared samples respectively. The electrochemical performance affected by Co substituted ratio and buffer content were determined by cyclic voltammogram and discharge–charge test. The results demonstrated that the Co substituted nanonickel hydroxide was the mixed phase of α- and β-Ni(OH)2 and the increasing Co content led to the larger proportion of α-nickel hydroxide. An increase in Na2CO3 content was beneficial to form α-nickel hydroxide. The morphology of all samples was the needle-like and the length/diameter ratio decreased with increasing Na2CO3 content. Composite electrodes were made by mixing 8 wt-% nickel hydroxide with commercial β-nickel hydroxide. The discharge capacities of electrodes first increased and then decreased with the change of Na2CO...

Multiple nano-sized α-Ni(OH)2 was synthesized by ultrasonic-assisted precipitation under different conditions. The crystal structure and particle size distribution of the sample were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy, and laser particle size analyzer (PSA). The results show that the samples are anisotropic polycrystalline of α and β Ni(OH)2, and the ratio of α and β changes with the difference of nickel source, resulting in the largest ratio of α-Ni(OH)2 using nickel nitrate as reactant. Larger amount of Na2CO3 is conducive to the formation of α-Ni(OH)2; while the resultant phases are all β with the same conditions but no doping. The results of PSD indicate that the samples are about 100–120 nm in size, and the sample with nickel sulfate as nickel source has the minimum particle size. The three ions of nickel source appear in the absorption peaks in the Fourier transform infrared spectrum showing that the ions change the crystal structure of Ni(OH)2. EDS testing shows that Y and anion distribute in the lattice of α-Ni(OH)2 uniformly.

The nano-nickel hydroxide samples were prepared by means of ultrasonic-assisted precipitation and the impact of source/doping element/buffer on the structure of Ni(OH)2 was studied. The results of XRD, IR and TEM testing clearly revealed that larger anionic radius of the nickel sources or the buffer solution was conducive to the formation of α-Ni(OH)2. The proportion of α-Ni(OH)2 samples doped with two elements was larger than that doped with single element. Additionally, speciation, valence as well as the radius of doping ions can directly affect the phase of Ni(OH)2.

Nano-sized Yb-substituted α-Ni(OH)2 was synthesized by ultrasonic-assisted precipitation, using nickel sulfate as nickel source and Yb(NO3)3⋅5H2O as doping material. The crystal structure, morphology, and particle size distribution of the sample were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and laser particle size analyzer (PSD). The results indicate that the samples are anisotropic polycrystalline α-Ni(OH)2 with particle size of 50–200 nm, and the particle size increases with Yb-doping. The synthesized samples were tested in Ni-MH battery. The specific capacity increases initially and then decreases with increasing Yb-doping ratio with the maximum discharge capacity of 295.1 mAh/g at 0.2 C, which is 60 mAh/g higher than the micro-sized spherical nickel electrode. At the same time, the prepared material has lower charging voltage, higher discharge voltage plateau, and better cycle performance.

Nanometer Y-substituted nickel hydroxide was prepared by supersonic co-precipitation method with Na 2 CO 3 as a buffer and NiCl 2 as a nickel source. The crystal structure, morphology, particle size distribution and electrochemical performance affected by the buffer (Na 2 CO 3 ) content and Ni 2+ concentration are characterized. The results indicate most of the samples are co-existence with α and β phases and the proportion of α-Ni(OH) 2 increases with the increase of Na 2 CO 3 , but decreases with the increase of Ni 2+ concentration. The primary particles of samples are nanometer particles and the shape of primary particles transform from acicular to quasi-spherical with increasing Na 2 CO 3 content, but converse process for the increase of Ni 2+ concentration. The average particle size decreases initially and then increases. Complex electrodes were prepared by mixing 8 wt.% nickel hydroxides with commercial micro-size spherical nickel. The discharge capacities of samples increase initially and then decrease with increasing Na 2 CO 3 content or decreasing Ni 2+ concentration. When Na 2 CO 3 content is 0.08 g and Ni 2+ concentration is 0.2 mol/L, the sample has better electrochemical performance, such as larger discharge capacity (316.3 mAh/g at 0.2 C rate), lower charge voltage and higher discharge plateau, than those of other samples.

Nanometer Cu singly doped and Cu/Al co-doped nickel hydroxides were synthesized by ultrasonic-assisted precipitation method. Their crystal structure, particle size, morphology, tap density and electrochemical performance were investigated. The results show that the samples have α-phase structure with narrow particle size distribution. Cu singly doped nano-Ni(OH) 2 contains irregular particles, while Cu/Al co-doped nano-Ni(OH) 2 displays a quasi-spherical shape and has a relatively higher tap density. Composite electrodes were prepared by mixing 8% (mass fraction) nanometer samples with commercial micro-size spherical nickel. The charge/discharge test and cyclic voltammetry results indicate that the electrochemical performance of Cu/Al co-doped nano-Ni(OH) 2 is better than that of Cu singly doped nano-Ni(OH) 2 , the former's discharge capacity reaches 330 mA·h/g at 0.2 C , 12 mA·h/g and 91 mA·h/g larger than that of Cu singly doped sample and pure spherical nickel electrode, respectively. Moreover, the proton diffusion coefficient of Cu/Al co-doped sample is 52.3% larger than that of Cu singly doped sample.

The single- and multi-element-substituted nano-sized nickel hydroxides have been synthesized by ultrasonic-assisted co-precipitation method. Four kinds of samples a, b, c and d are prepared by chemically co-precipitating Ni/Co, Ni/Cu, Ni/Cu/Co and Ni/Cu/Co/Al, respectively. The crystal structure, morphology and particle size distribution of all samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, laser particle size analyzer and electron microscope (TEM, SEM). The results show that the samples are nano-sized Ni(OH)2 and the crystalline phase of samples b, c and d are pure α-Ni(OH)2 phase while sample a is α/β-Ni(OH)2. The electrochemical performance of the prepared samples, including cyclic voltammetry (CV) and charge/discharge tests, are performed. The results demonstrate that the electrode prepared by sample d exhibits better electrochemical reversibility, larger proton diffusion coefficient (2.58 × 10−12 cm2 s−1) and higher discharge capacity (302.39 mAh g−1) due to the synergic effect of all doped elements.

The additives-doped α-nickel hydroxides were prepared by supersonic co-precipitation method. The crystal structure and grain size of the prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Particle size distribution (PSD), respectively. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) tests show that Al-Co-Y doped Ni(OH)2 has better reaction reversibility, higher proton diffusion coefficient than those of Al-Co doped Ni(OH)2. Al-Co-Y doped Ni(OH)2 also has lower charge-transfer resistance as shown by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Charge/discharge tests show that the discharge capacity of Al-Co-Y doped Ni(OH)2 reaches 328 mAh/g at 0.2 C and 306 mAh/g at 0.5 C, while Al-Co doped Ni(OH)2 can only discharge a capacity of 308 mAh/g at 0.2 C and 267 mAh/g at 0.5 C.

A series of color tunable phosphors K2Ca1−x−yP2O7:xMn2+, yEu3+ are synthesized by solid state reaction method. The energy transfer phenomenon from Mn2+ to Eu3+ has been observed in the Mn2+/Eu3+ codoped non-magnetic K2CaP2O7 host, which was confirmed by PL spectra and decay curves. The Mn2+→Eu3+ energy transfer is controlled by quadrupole–quadrupole interaction between sensitizer and activator. The maximum efficiency of energy transfer is estimated to be 33% with x=0.125 and y=0.03 in K2Ca1−x−yP2O7:xMn2+, yEu3+ phosphor. The phosphors can emit light from green to yellow and eventually to orange under 400 nm excitation by changing the Mn2+/Eu3+ content ratio, indicating that K2CaP2O7: Mn2+, Eu3+ would be potential candidates for use in lighting and displays applications.

Al/Co co-doped α-Ni(OH) 2 samples were prepared by either ultrasonic co-precipitation method (Sample B) or co-precipitation method (Sample A). The crystal structure and particle size distribution of the prepared samples were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and laser particle size analyzer, respectively. The results show that Sample B has more crystalline defects and smaller average diameter than Sample A. The cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements indicate that Sample B has better electrochemical performance than Sample A, such as better reaction reversibility, lower charge-transfer resistance and better cyclic stability. Proton diffusion coefficient of Sample B is 1.96×10 −10 cm 2 /s, which is two times as large as that (9.78×10 −11 cm 2 /s) of Sample A. The charge-discharge tests show that the discharge capacity (308 mA·h/g) of Sample B is 25 mA·h/g higher than that of Sample A (283 mA·h/g).