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To summarize and analyze the clinical efficacy and safety of neuroendoscopic surgery (NES) in the treatment of patients for severe thalamic hemorrhage with ventricle encroachment (THVE). Eighty-three patients with severe THVE were treated in the Neurosurgery Department of Anqing Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University from July 2019 to August 2021. Our study was approved by the ethics committee. The patients were randomly divided into NES group and extraventricular drainage (EVD) group. The hospital stay, Glasgow coma scale (GCS) scores on the 1st and 14th days postoperatively, the incidence of intracranial infections, and the clearance of postoperative hematomas were compared and analyzed between the two groups. The patients had follow-up evaluations 6 months postoperatively. The prognosis was evaluated based on the activity of daily living (ADL) score. A head CT or MRI was obtained to determine whether there was hydrocephalus, cerebral infarction, or other related complications. Eighty-three patients were randomly divided into 41 cases of NES group and 42 cases of EVD group. The length of postoperative hospital stay was 17.42 ± 1.53 days, the GCS scores were 6.56 ± 0.21, and 10.83 ± 0.36 on days 1 and 14, respectively; intracranial infections occurred in 3 patients (7.31%) and the hematoma clearance rate was 83.6 ± 5.18% in the NES group, all of which were significantly better than the EVD group (P 0.05). After 6 months of follow-up, 28 patients (68.29%) had a good prognosis, 5 patients (12.19%) died, and 4 patients (9.75%) had hydrocephalus in the NES group. In the EVD group, the prognosis was good in 15 patients (35.71%), 12 patients (28.57%) died, and 17 patients (40.47%) had hydrocephalus. The prognosis, mortality rate, and incidence of hydrocephalus in the NES group were significantly better than the EVD group (P 0.05). Compared to traditional EVD, NES for severe THVE had a higher hematoma clearance rate, and fewer intracranial infections and patients with hydrocephalus, which together improve the clinical prognosis and is thus recommended for clinical use.

Obesity is associated with elevated levels of free fatty acids (FFAs). Excessive saturated fatty acids (SFAs) exhibit significant deleterious cytotoxic effects in many types of cells. However, the effects of palmitic acid (PA), the most common circulating SFA, on cell cycle progression in neuronal cells have not been well-examined. The aim of this study was to examine whether PA affects the proliferation and cell cycle progression in mouse neuroblastoma Neuro-2a (N2a) cells. Our studies found that 200 µM PA significantly decreased DNA synthesis and mitotic index in N2a cells as early as 4 h following treatment. 24 h treatment with 200 µM PA significantly decreased the percentage of diploid (2 N) cells while dramatically increasing the percentage of tetraploid (4 N) cells as compared to the BSA control. Moreover, our studies found that 24 h treatment with 200 µM PA increased the percentage of binucleate cells as compared to the BSA control. Our studies also found that unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs), including linoleic acid, oleic acid, α-linolenic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid, were able to abolish PA-induced decrease of 2 N cells, increase of 4 N cells, and accumulation of binucleate cells. Taken together, these results suggest that PA may affect multiple aspects of the cell cycle progression in N2a cells, including decreased DNA synthesis, G2/M arrest, and cytokinetic failure, which could be abolished by UFAs. Abbreviations: 4-PBA, 4-Phenylbutyric Acid; ALA, α-linolenic acid; BrdU, 5-bromo-2’-deoxyuridine; DAPI, 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole; ER, endoplasmic reticulum; FFA, free fatty acids; FITC, fluorescein isothiocyanate; LA, linoleic acid; MTT, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide; N2a, Neuro-2a; NAC, N-acetyl cysteine; OA, oleic acid; PA, palmitic acid; pHH3, Phosphorylation of histone H3; PI, propidium iodide; SFA, saturated fatty acids; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acids; TUNEL, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling; UFA, unsaturated fatty acids

Hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) is a life-threatening disease with high short-term mortality. Early and accurate prognosis is significant for clinical decisions, in which liver volume (LV) imparts important information. However, LV has not been considered in current prognostic models for HBV-ACLF.Three hundred and twenty-three patients were recruited to the deriving cohort, while 163 were enrolled to validation cohort. The primary end-point was death within 28 days since admission. Estimated liver volume (ELV) was calculated by the formula based on healthy population. Logistic regression was used to develop a prediction model. Accuracy of models were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.The ratio of LV to ELV (LV/ELV%) was significantly lower in non-survivors, and LV/ELV% ≤82% indicated poor prognosis. LV/ELV%, Age, prothrombin time (PT), the grade of hepatic encephalopathy (HE), ln-transformed total bilirubin (lnTBil), and log-transformed HBV DNA (LogLiver volume was an independent predictor, and LEAP-HBV, a prediction model based on LV, was developed for the short-term mortality in HBV-ACLF. This study was registered on ClinicalTrails (NCT03977857).

Clarification of the miR-56a-mediated effect of Wnt/β-catenin pathway in glioma cells on radiosensitization. miRNA arrays were used to analyze the differential expression of miRNAs in biopsies from glioma patients. qRT-PCR to detect the levels of miR-56a and Wnt/β-catenin expressed in glioma cells and tissues. Evaluation of the impact of miR-56a on cell growth, invasion, and migrationforming ability by MTT assay and colony formation experiments. To analyze the involvement of miR-56a-mediated Wnt/β-catenin pathway in glioma biological processes and to examine the impact of miR-56a in glioma cell radiosensitivity. After miRNA array analysis, we found that miR-56a expression was significantly increased, and further studies showed that ectopic miR-56a expression in glial cells was sensitive to radiotherapy. miR-56a induction of Wnt/β-catenin promotes the upregulation of Parp in glioma cells. miR-56a can promote glioma cell migration and invasion in vitro as an important potential target for glioma disease.

Objectives Evidence suggests that obesity may represent a risk factor for neurodegenerative pathologies including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). With excessive accumulation of adipose tissue, obesity is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation, increased production of adipokines, elevated levels of free fatty acids (FFAs) including palmitic acid (PA), the most abundant saturated fatty acid (SFA) in circulation. Excessive PA has been shown to induce lipotoxicity in many different types of cells including microglia and neuronal cells. We hypothesized that PA may contribute to the development of obesity-associated neurological conditions. Methods This study was designed to examine how increased PA may affect microglia activation and neurodegeneration using QIAGEN Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). Kramer analysis was used to quantitatively characterize the impact of PA on microglia activation and neurodegeneration. Results Simulated increase of PA enhanced the activities of intermediating molecules including CCL5, IL1β, IL1RN, IL6, NF-κB, NOS2, PTGS2, TLR2, TLR4, and TNF. Increased PA level induced microglia activation with a z score of 2.38 (p=0.0173) and neurodegeneration with a z score of 1.55 (p=0.121). Increased PA level also activated neuroinflammation signaling pathway, the top canonical pathway associated with both microglia activation and neurodegeneration. Conclusions Our IPA analysis demonstrated that increased PA significantly induced microglia activation and might augment neurodegeneration by altering the activities of key intermediating molecules and canonical pathways. Our findings shed light on how increased PA level may contribute to the development of neurodegenerative pathologies in the course of obesity.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the ability of achieving low dose and high-quality head CT images for children with acute head trauma using 100 kVp and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR-V) algorithm in single rotation on a 16 cm wide-detector system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the CT dose index (CTDI) and image quality of 104 children aged 0–6 years with acute head trauma (1 hour –3 days) in two groups: Group 1(n = 50) on a 256-row CT with single rotation at a reduced-dose of 100 kVp/240 mA and reconstructed using ASIR-V at 70%level; Group 2(n = 54) on a 64-row CT with multiple rotations at a standard dose of 120 kVp/ 180mA and reconstructed using a conventional filtered back-projection (FBP). Both groups used the 0.5 s/r axial scan mode. CT dose index (CTDI) and quantitative image quality measurements were compared using the Student t test; qualitative image quality comparison was carried out using Mann-Whitney rank test and the inter-reviewer agreement was evaluated using Kappa test. RESULTS: The exposure time was 0.5 s for Group 1 and 3.27±0.29 s for Group 2. The CTDI in Group 1 was 9.74±0.86mGy, 36.38%lower than the 15.31mGy in Group 2 (p < 0.001). Group 1 and Group 2 had similar artifact index (2.06±1.06 vs. 2.37±1.18) in the cerebellar hemispheres, and similar contrast-to-noise ratio (2.32±0.83 vs. 1.69±0.68), (1.47±0.72 vs. 1.10±0.43) respectively for cerebellum and thalamus (p > 0.05). Image quality was acceptable for diagnosis, and motion artifacts were reduced in Group 1 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Single rotation CT with 100 kVp and 70%ASIR-V on 16 cm wide-detector CT reduces radiation dose and motion artifacts for children with acute head trauma without compromising diagnostic quality as compared with standard dose protocol. Thus, it provides a novel imaging method in management of pediatric acute head trauma.

Background: Cardiac surgery and coronary examination, such as invasive coronary angiography (CAG), are both possibly associated with acute kidney injury (AKI). Preoperative CAG examination and cardiac surgery within a short interval may increase the incidence of AKI. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 1112 patients who underwent CAG examination within 30 days prior to the cardiac operation in this study. Postoperative AKI was defined, according to Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes Definition and Staging (KDIGO) criteria. Results: The total incidence of AKI was 40.8% and cystatin C level was 1.260 (1.028, 1.672) mg/L. For patients who received CAG, age, body mass index, cardiopulmonary time, and the time interval between preoperative CAG examination and cardiac operation within 48h was shown to be independent predictors of postoperative AKI. The incidence of AKI in patients undergoing preoperative CAG within 48h was 11.2% higher than in those more than 48h (P < 0.001). Patients undergoing valve surgery with or without coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) exhibited a higher AKI risk than those only accepting CABG. The in-hospital stay of patients who developed AKI was 2 days longer than those without AKI. However, undergoing CAG within 48h prior to cardiac operation did not prolong ICU length of stay or hospital length of stay, nor did it increase the risk of death or renal failure after an operation. Conclusion: Undergoing CAG within 48 hours before cardiac surgery increases the risk of postoperative AKI.

Obesity is a major risk factor for the development of various pathological conditions including insulin resistance, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Central to these conditions is obesity-associated chronic low-grade inflammation in many tissues including adipose, liver, muscle, kidney, pancreas, and brain. There is increasing evidence that saturated fatty acids (SFAs) increase the phosphorylation of MAPKs, enhance the activation of transcription factors such as nuclear factor (NF)-κB, and elevate the expression of inflammatory genes. This paper focuses on the mechanisms by which SFAs induce inflammation. SFAs may induce the expression inflammatory genes via different pathways including toll-like receptor (TLR), protein kinase C (PKC), reactive oxygen species (ROS), NOD-like receptors (NLRs), and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. These findings suggest that SFAs act as an important link between obesity and inflammation.

By investigating the responding behavior of Li modified (K,Na)NbO3 ceramics under external electrical field, a coincidence phenomenon had been observed. It was found that the amplitude of piezoelectricity enhancement for these ceramics with pure orthorhombic, coexistence and tetragonal phase were consistent with the variation amplitude for the transition temperature from orthorhombic to tetragonal (TO-T). The interpretation of the remnant polarization (Pr) had rationally demonstrated the enhancement of piezoelectricity for these three kinds of ceramics. The residual polarization energy induced by remnant polarization (Pr) was about to affect the thermodynamic equilibrium state of these ceramics and accordingly ΔTO-T varied with these poled ceramics.

Elevated level of palmitic acid (PA), a long-chain saturated fatty acid (SFA), is lipotoxic to many different types of cells including Neuro-2a (N2a) neuroblastoma cells. CD36 is a multifunctional membrane glycoprotein that acts as a fatty acid translocase (FAT) facilitating the transport of long-chain free fatty acids (FFAs) into cells, serves a fatty acid (FA) sensing function in areas including taste buds and the proximal gut, and acts as a scavenger receptor that binds to many ligands, including FAs, collagen, oxidized low-density lipoproteins, and anionic phospholipids. However, the involvement of CD36 in FA uptake and PA lipotoxicity in N2a cells remains unclear. In this study, we examined FA uptake in BSA- and PA-treated N2a cells and investigated the involvement of CD36 in FA uptake and PA lipotoxicity in N2a cells. Our data showed that PA treatment promoted FA uptake in N2a cells, and that treatment with sulfo-N-succinimidyl oleate (SSO), a CD36 inhibitor, significantly decreased FA uptake in BSA- and PA-treated N2a cells, and ameliorated PA-induced decrease of cell viability, decrease of diploid cells, and increase of tetraploid cells. We also found that CD36 knockdown significantly decreased FA uptake in both BSA- and PA-treated cells as compared to their corresponding wild-type controls, and dramatically attenuated PA-induced cell cycle defects in N2a cells. Our data suggest that CD36 may play a critical role in FA uptake and PA lipotoxicity in N2a cells. CD36 may therefore represent a regulatory target against pathologies caused by excess FAs.

Background: Cardiac paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors that will cause significant morbidity if left undiagnosed. Because of the paucity of cohort data, their rapid diagnosis and appropriate management still pose unique challenges to cardiac surgeons. We aimed to investigate the clinical features and surgical management of primary cardiac paragangliomas in our single center. Methods: From May 2014 to October 2020, patients diagnosed with primary cardiac paragangliomas retrospectively were reviewed. Demographic data, clinical presentation, preoperative imaging methods, surgical resection, perioperative management, histological analysis, and outcomes were recorded. Postoperative follow up also was reviewed. Results: With multiple imaging methods, including echocardiography, computed tomography, positron-emission tomographic-computed tomography, and biochemical tests, there were five cases of primary cardiac paraganglioma verified by postoperative immunohistochemical staining, two of which were hormonally active. There were no metastatic cardiac paragangliomas, according to positron-emission tomographic-computed tomography, and all patients accepted surgical treatment. Preoperative adrenoceptor blockade was given to hormonally active patients, accordingly. Complete resection of the tumor was accomplished under cardiopulmonary bypass in each case. Tumor distribution included two masses on the roof of the left atrium, two masses in the right atrioventricular groove, and one between the ascending aorta and main pulmonary artery. Immunohistochemical staining for chromogranin, neuron-specific enolase, synaptophysin, and S-100 were positive, which were typical of cardiac paraganglioma. There were no operative deaths. All the patients had an uneventful recovery except one patient who underwent low cardiac output syndrome. During follow up (mean 4.2 years, range 0.6-7.0 years), all patients were well with New York Heart Association class I or II. Only one patient developed thyroid carcinoma three years after surgery but with no paraganglioma recurrence during periodic computed tomography, and this patient recovered well after thyroidectomy. Conclusion: Although cardiac paragangliomas are rare and may present surgical challenges for clinicians, surgical resection remains the choice of treatment with favorable outcomes through a multidisciplinary heart team. Moreover, lifelong surveillance still is recommended to detect possible recurrence or associated nonchromaffin tumors in time.

The use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques is ondemand for many biological applications...

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has claimed over 2.7 million lives globally. Obesity has been associated with increased severity and mortality of COVID-19. However, the molecular mechanisms by which obesity exacerbates COVID-19 pathologies are not well-defined. The levels of free fatty acids (FFAs) are elevated in obese subjects. This study was therefore designed to examine how excess levels of different FFAs may affect the progression of COVID-19. Biological molecules associated with palmitic acid (PA) and COVID-19 were retrieved from QIAGEN Knowledge Base, and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis tools were used to analyze these datasets and explore the potential pathways affected by different FFAs. Our study found that one of the top 10 canonical pathways affected by PA was the coronavirus pathogenesis pathway, mediated by key inflammatory mediators, including PTGS2, cytokines, including IL1β and IL6, chemokines, including CCL2 and CCL5, transcription factors, including NFκB, translation regulators, including EEF1A1, and apoptotic mediators, including BAX. In contrast, n-3 fatty acids may attenuate PA’s activation of the coronavirus pathogenesis pathway by inhibiting the activity of such mediators as IL1β, CCL2, PTGS2, and BAX. Furthermore, PA may modulate the expression of ACE2, the main cell surface receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

Graphic Abstract SARS-CoV-2 infection begins with the attachment of its spike (S) protein to angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) followed by complex host immune responses with cardiovascular and neurological implications. Our meta-analyses used QIAGEN Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) and Knowledge Base (QKB) to investigate how the expression of amyloid precursor protein (APP) was modulated by attachment of SARS-CoV-2 S protein in the brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMVECs) and during COVID-19 in progress. Published 80 host response genes reported to be modulated in BMVECs following SARS-CoV-2 S protein binding were used to identify key canonical pathways and intermediate molecules mediating the regulation of APP production following the attachment of S protein to endothelial cells. This revealed that the attachment of SARS-CoV-2 S protein may inhibit APP expression in the BMVECs. Our results shed light on the molecular mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 infection may potentiate the incidence of stroke by inhibiting the production of APP in the BMVECs. We also analyzed molecules associated with COVID-19, which revealed six upstream regulators, TNF, IFNG, STAT1, IL1β, IL6, and STAT3. The upstream regulators mediate the increased production of APP via intermediators, with eleven regulated by all six upstream regulators. These COVID-19 upstream regulators increased APP expression with a statistically significant Z-score of 3.705 (p value = 0.000211). These findings have revealed molecular mechanisms by which COVID-19 disease may lead to long-term neurological manifestations resulting from the elevated APP expression in line with immune response in the host. Altogether, our study revealed two distinct scenarios which may have differential impact on APP expression. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11481-021-10012-9.

The deposition of amyloid-beta (Aβ) through the cleavage of amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP) is a biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study used QIAGEN Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) to conduct meta-analysis on the molecular mechanisms by which methamphetamine (METH) impacts AD through modulating the expression of APP. All the molecules affected by METH and APP were collected from the QIAGEN Knowledge Base (QKB), 78 overlapping molecules were identified. Upon simulation of METH exposure using the “Molecule Activity Predictor” feature, eight molecules were found to be affected by METH and exhibited activation relationships on APP expression at a confidence of p = 0.000453 (Z-score = 3.51, two-tailed). Core Analysis of these eight molecules identified High Mobility Group Box protein 1 (HMGB1) signaling pathway among the top 5 canonical pathways with most overlap with the 8-molecule dataset. Simulated METH exposure increased APP expression through HMGB1 at a confidence of p &lt, 0.00001 (Z-score = 7.64, two-tailed). HMGB1 is a pathogenic hallmark in AD progression. It not only increases the production of inflammatory mediators, but also mediates the disruption&nbsp, of the blood-brain barrier. Our analyses suggest the involvement of HMGB1 signaling pathway in METH-induced modulation of APP as a potential casual factor of AD.

In view of the existing under mulch drip irrigation frequency, high energy consumption, low utilization rate of shallow soil moisture, plastic pollution problem, the irrigation infiltration characteristics of subsurface drip irrigation on irrigation with depth, irrigation quota, irrigation frequency, sowing depth of 4 factors and 3 levels for infiltration irrigation and CK1 orthogonal method (drip irrigation sowing depth of 5 cm), CK2 (sowing depth 5 cm membrane infiltration depth 15 cm) contrast test of maize field. The results show that: (1) no membrane infiltration irrigation corn average germination rate is 94.2% and the average germination rate of CK1 and CK2 between 97% and 95%, growth stage of maize plant height, leaf area index, root length, root dry weight, root diameter, cell physiology section was lower than that of CK1 and CK2, but with the difference of fertility to corn especially the mid asymptotic root length, root dry weight was higher than that of the control, the growth of normal corn sowing; (2) moisture infiltration irrigation quota of 4200 m3/hm2 irrigation 7 times, reduced by 30% and 7% respectively compared with CK1 irrigation with 10 times irrigation quota of 4500 m3/hm2, but the maize were significantly increased by 25.23%, and CK2 were not obviously, infiltration irrigation can reduce the irrigation frequency water quota and energy saving; (3) infiltration irrigation soil moisture and crop water consumption intensity showed a small increase in topsoil, lower steady state and just on the contrary, reflects the infiltration of irrigation soil moisture soil moisture diffusion drying operation Small and deep moisture effect, provides a useful exploration for energy-saving and environment-friendly agricultural efficient water-saving irrigation quality and efficiency.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a worldwide crisis caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Many COVID-19 patients present with fever in the early phase, with some progressing to a hyperinflammatory phase. Ethanol (EtOH) exposure may lead to systemic inflammation. Network meta-analysis was conducted to examine possible relationships between EtOH consumption and COVID-19 pathologies. METHODS: Molecules affected by EtOH exposure were identified by analysis with QIAGEN Knowledge Base. Molecules affected by COVID-19 were identified from studies in MEDLINE, bioRxiv, and medRxiv reporting gene expression profiles in COVID-19 patients, QIAGEN Coronavirus Network Explorer, and analysis of the RNA-sequencing data of autopsied lungs of COVID-19 patients retrieved from the GEO database. Network meta-analysis was then conducted on these molecules using QIAGEN Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). RESULTS: Twenty-eight studies reporting significant gene expression changes in COVID-19 patients were identified. One RNA-sequencing dataset on autopsied lungs of COVID-19 patients was retrieved from GEO. Our network meta-analysis suggests that EtOH exposure may augment the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on hepatic fibrosis signaling pathway, cellular metabolism and homeostasis, inflammation, and neuroinflammation. EtOH may also enhance the activity of key mediators including cytokines, such as IL-1s, IL-6, and TNF, and transcription factors, such as JUN and STAT, while inhibiting the activity of anti-inflammatory mediators including glucocorticoid receptor. Furthermore, IL-1s, IL-6, TNF, JUN, and STAT were mapped to 10 pathways predicted to associate with SARS-CoV-2 proteins, including HMGB1, IL-1, and IL-6 signaling pathways. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analyses demonstrate that EtOH exposure may augment SARS-CoV-2-induced inflammation by altering the activity of key inflammatory mediators. Our findings suggest that it is important for clinicians to caution patients about the risk of alcohol consumption, which has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings also call for further investigation into how alcohol exposure affects viral infections.

Elevated levels of free fatty acids have been suggested as the main factors contributing to the development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. This study conducted network meta-analysis using the QIAGEN Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) to examine the roles of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and n-3 unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) in the activation of Hepatic Fibrosis Signaling Pathway and collagen accumulation. Our analysis identified the shortest paths from palmitic acid (PA), a SFA, to the Hepatic Fibrosis Signaling Pathway, and found that elevated level of PA may increase the activities of transcription factors, such as CEBPβ, JUN/FOS, NFκB, and PPARγ, cytokines/chemokines/growth factors, such as TNF, IL1, CCL2, CCN2, LEP, and TGFβ1, oxidative stress mediators, such as NOX, and fibrinolysis regulators, such as SERPINE1, which may in turn activate the Hepatic Fibrosis Signaling Pathway. Our analysis also identified the shortest paths from PA to collagen accumulation and found that elevated level of PA may increase the activities of signaling mediators, such as ERK1/2, cytokines/chemokines/growth factors, such as TNF, IL6, CCL2, CCN2, LEP, and TGFβ1, which may in turn increase the accumulation of collagens. In contrast, the increased levels of n-3 UFAs inhibited the activities of PDGFA, PDGFB, TNF, IL1, and CCL2. Our analysis also identified seven PA- and liver fibrosis-associated molecules mapped to the shortest paths from PA the Hepatic Fibrosis Signaling Pathway and from PA to collagens. Mapping of these seven molecules, TNF, IL1A, CCL2, TGFβ1, CCN2, LEP, and SERPINE1, to the Hepatic Fibrosis Signaling Pathway showed that these molecules may lead to proinflammatory response in the liver, reduced ECM degradation, and enhanced ECM accumulation. Our studies shed light on the molecular mechanisms by which PA contributes to liver fibrosis and the key mediating molecules that may be used for further research and therapeutic intervention.

Background: As global healthcare system is overwhelmed by novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), early identification of risks of adverse outcomes becomes the key to optimize management and improve survival. This study aimed to provide a CT-based pattern categorization to predict outcome of COVID-19 pneumonia.Methods: One hundred and sixty-five patients with COVID-19 (91 men, 4–89 years) underwent chest CT were retrospectively enrolled. CT findings were categorized as Pattern 0 (negative), Pattern 1 (bronchopneumonia pattern), Pattern 2 (organizing pneumonia pattern), Pattern 3 (progressive organizing pneumonia pattern), and Pattern 4 (diffuse alveolar damage pattern). Clinical findings were compared across different categories. Time-dependent progression of CT patterns and correlations with clinical outcomes, i.e.„ discharge or adverse outcome (admission to ICU, requiring mechanical ventilation, or death), with pulmonary sequelae (complete absorption or residuals) on CT after discharge were analyzed.Results: Of 94 patients with outcome, 81 (86.2%) were discharged, 3 (3.2%) were admitted to ICU, 4 (4.3%) required mechanical ventilation, 6 (6.4%) died. 31 (38.3%) had complete absorption at median day 37 after symptom onset. Significant differences between pattern-categories were found in age, disease severity, comorbidity and laboratory results (all P < 0.05). Remarkable evolution was observed in Pattern 0–2 and Pattern 3–4 within 3 and 2 weeks after symptom-onset, respectively; most of patterns remained thereafter. After controlling for age, CT pattern significantly correlated with adverse outcomes [Pattern 4 vs. Pattern 0–3 [reference]; hazard-ratio [95% CI], 18.90 [1.91–186.60], P = 0.012]. CT pattern [Pattern 3–4 vs. Pattern 0–2 [reference]; 0.26 [0.08–0.88], P = 0.030] and C-reactive protein [>10 vs. ≤ 10 mg/L [reference]; 0.31 [0.13–0.72], P = 0.006] were risk factors associated with pulmonary residuals.Conclusion: CT pattern categorization allied with clinical characteristics within 2 weeks after symptom onset would facilitate early prognostic stratification in COVID-19 pneumonia.

ObjectiveAs a pandemic, a most-common pattern resembled organizing pneumonia (OP) has been identified by CT findings in novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). We aimed to delineate the evolution of CT findings and outcome in OP of COVID-19.Materials and Methods106 COVID-19 patients with OP based on CT findings were retrospectively included and categorized into non-severe (mild/common) and severe (severe/critical) groups. CT features including lobar distribution, presence of ground glass opacities (GGO), consolidation, linear opacities and total severity CT score were evaluated at three time intervals from symptom-onset to CT scan (day 0-7, day 8-14, day>14). Discharge or adverse outcome (admission to ICU or death), and pulmonary sequelae (complete absorption or lesion residuals) on CT after discharge were analyzed based on the CT features at different time interval.Results79(74.5%) patients were non-severe and 103(97.2%) were discharged at median day 25 (range, day 8-50) after symptom-onset. Of 67 patients with revisit CT at 2-4 weeks after discharge, 20(29.9%) had complete absorption of lesions at median day 38 (range, day 30-53) after symptom-onset. Significant differences between complete absorption and residuals groups were found in percentages of consolidation (1.5% vs. 13.8%, P=0.010), number of involved lobe >3 (40.0% vs. 72.5%, P=0.030), CT score >4 (20.0% vs. 65.0%, P=0.010) at day 8-14.ConclusionsMost OP cases had good prognosis. Approximately one-third of cases had complete absorption of lesions during 1-2 months after symptom-onset while those with increased frequency of consolidation, number of involved lobe>3, and CT score >4 at week 2 after symptom-onset may indicate lesion residuals on CT.

To delineate the evolution of CT findings in patients with mild COVID-19 pneumonia. CT images and medical records of 88 patients with confirmed mild COVID-19 pneumonia, a baseline CT, and at least one follow-up CT were retrospectively reviewed. CT features including lobar distribution and presence of ground glass opacities (GGO), consolidation, and linear opacities were analyzed on per-patient basis during each of five time intervals spanning the 3 weeks after disease onset. Total severity scores were calculated. Of patients, 85.2% had travel history to Wuhan or known contact with infected individuals. The most common symptoms were fever (84.1%) and cough (56.8%). The baseline CT was obtained on average 5 days from symptom onset. Four patients (4.5%) had negative initial CT. Significant differences were found among the time intervals in the proportion of pulmonary lesions that are (1) pure GGO, (2) mixed attenuation, (3) mixed attenuation with linear opacities, (4) consolidation with linear opacities, and (5) pure consolidation. The majority of patients had involvement of ≥ 3 lobes. Bilateral involvement was more prevalent than unilateral involvement. The proportions of patients observed to have pure GGO or GGO and consolidation decreased over time while the proportion of patients with GGO and linear opacities increased. Total severity score showed an increasing trend in the first 2 weeks. While bilateral GGO are predominant features, CT findings changed during different time intervals in the 3 weeks after symptom onset in patients with COVID-19. • Four of 88 (4.5%) patients with COVID-19 had negative initial CT. • Majority of COVID-19 patients had abnormal CT findings in ≥ 3 lobes. • A proportion of patients with pure ground glass opacities decreased over the 3 weeks after symptom onset.

Objectives To delineate the evolution of CT findings in patients with mild COVID-19 pneumonia outside of Wuhan.Methods CT images and medical records of 88 patients with confirmed mild COVID-19 pneumonia outside of Wuhan, a baseline and at least one follow-up CT were retrospectively reviewed. CT features including lobar distribution and presence of ground glass opacities (GGO), consolidation, and linear opacities, were analyzed on per patient basis during each of five time intervals spanning the three weeks after disease onset. Total severity scores were calculated.Results 85.2 % of patients had travel history to Wuhan or known contact with infected individuals. The most common symptoms were fever (84.1%) and cough (56.8%). The baseline CT was obtained on average 5 days from symptom onset. Four patients (4.5%) had negative initial CT. Significant differences were found among the time intervals in the proportion of pulmonary lesions that are 1) pure GGO, 2) mixed attenuation, 3) mixed attenuation with linear opacities, 4) consolidation with linear opacities, and 5) pure consolidation. The majority of patients had involvement of ≥ 3 lobes. Bilateral involvement was more prevalent than unilateral involvement. The proportions of patients observed to have pure GGO or GGO and consolidation decreased over time while proportion of patients with GGO and linear opacities increased. Total severity score showed an increasing trend in the first two weeks. Conclusions While bilateral GGO are predominant features, CT findings changed during different time intervals in the three weeks after symptom onset in patients with COVID-19.

To examine the feasibility of using a computer tool for stratifying the severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) based on computed tomography (CT) images. We retrospectively examined 44 confirmed COVID-19 cases. All cases were evaluated separately by radiologists (visually) and through an in-house computer software. The degree of lesions was visually scored by the radiologist, as follows, for each of the 5 lung lobes: 0, no lesion present; 1, 1/3 and 2/3 involvement. Lesion density was assessed based on the proportion of ground-glass opacity (GGO), consolidation and fibrosis of the lesions. The parameters obtained using the computer tool included lung volume (mL), lesion volume (mL), lesion percentage (%), and mean lesion density (HU) of the whole lung, right lung, left lung, and each lobe. The scores obtained by the radiologists and quantitative results generated by the computer software were tested for correlation. A Chi-square test was used to test the consistency of radiologist- and computer-derived lesion percentage in the right/left lung, upper/lower lobe, and each of the 5 lobes. The results showed a strong to moderate correlation between lesion percentage scores obtained by radiologists and the computer software (r ranged from 0.7679 to 0.8373, P, Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Lesion percentage calculated by computer and radiologist are highly correlated. • Lesion density quantifiedby computer was correlated with the visually scored proportion of ground glass opacity and consolidation. • The computer tool could reliably and accurately assess the distribution of pneumonia.

Herein we proposed an approach to quantitatively evaluate the individual contribution of orthorhombic and tetragonal phase in the polymorphic phase transition (PPT) region of Li modified (K,Na)NbO3 during the poling process. Through investigating the feature of domain switching in orthorhombic and tetragonal phase, it found that the essence for the switching of polarization vectors 〈110〉 in orthorhombic phase and 〈001〉 in tetragonal phase was tiny ion displacement. With the increase of Li content the volume ratio of tetragonal phase in the coexistence phase at room temperature went up as well as the value of ion displacement and X-ray diffraction results could clearly elaborate the validity of the above statement.

Purpose To compare image quality, patient preparation time, and radiation dose using a single axial rotation with 16-cm wide-detector computed tomography (CT) in imaging the infant chest without sedation with those in infants examined by using a 64-row CT and sedation. Materials and Methods Thirty-two infants (group 1) were prospectively enrolled to undergo nonenhanced chest CT without sedation using a single axial rotation on a 16-cm wide-detector CT scanner. Patients were imaged with automatic tube current modulation and tube voltages of 80 kVp for patients weighing 5 kg or less and 100 kVp for patients weighing more than 5 kg. Patient preparation time, CT dose index (CTDI), dose-length product (DLP), and image quality were compared with those in a historical control group consisting of 30 infants (group 2) who underwent conventional helical scanning with sedation performed by using a 64-row volume CT scanner. The Student t test for independent samples was used to assess continuous variables. The Mann-Whitney rank test and the κ test were used to evaluate image quality. Results There was no statistically significant difference in body weight, age, mean CT attenuation value, image noise, and subjective image quality score between the two groups. However, compared with the group scanned by using a 64-row volume CT scanner (group 2), group 1 experienced significantly reduced scan time by 83% (0.35 second vs 2.01 seconds ± 0.21 [standard deviation]), preparation time by 57% (41.25 minutes ± 103.78 vs 96.5 minutes ± 151.77), CTDI by 42% (2.03 mGy ± 0.4 vs 3.52 mGy ± 0.03), and DLP by 52% (27.07 mGy·cm ± 6.97 vs 55.84 mGy·cm ± 6.46) (P < .05 for all). Conclusion Compared with conventional 64-row helical CT with sedation, use of a single axial rotation with 16-cm wide-detector CT in imaging the infant chest without sedation can reduce radiation dose, preparation time, and total scan time, while providing comparable image quality. © RSNA, 2017.

The temperature dependent properties of (K,Na)NbO3-based piezoelectric materials enlightened us that the combination of compositions gradient could remedy the fluctuation of the electrical properties induced by the temperature variation. Then Li modified (K,Na)NbO3 ceramics was chosen as target materials and a multi-layered structure containing a series of composition gradient layers was prepared via a conventional solid state reaction. The results of relative permittivity against temperature demonstrated that the as-called relaxor feature was observed in this proposed multi-layered structure and the change rate of the dielectric anomaly peak got evidently reduced. Besides, the field-induced strain varying less than 10% from the room temperature to 100 °C was also achieved in this layered-structure ceramics. Moreover, the investigation here could render us an important reference for designing ferroelectric materials to satisfy the diversified requirements in the functional device.

Application products moving from small-sized devices to large-scale energy storage systems have pushed the development of lithium-ion batteries towards high-energy densities, high-power densities, and long cycle life. Germanium-based anode materials with high theoretical capacities are expected as promising anode candidates to fulfill those requirements, but suffer from the huge volume expansion upon lithiation, leading to serious material pulverization and capacity fading. Herein, a convenient and cost-effective strategy was conceived focusing on construction of dually-protected Zn 2 GeO 4 /graphene composites. The rationally designed composite was composed of hollowed Zn 2 GeO 4 nanostructures and flexible graphene layers, which acted as two functional nanoframes to synergistically alleviate the volume change during lithiation/delithiation. As a result, the Zn 2 GeO 4 /graphene composite exhibited high specific capacities, excellent cycling stability and desirable rate capability. Specifically, the Zn 2 GeO 4 /graphene composite electrode delivered specific capacity of 702 mA h g −1 at 300 mA g −1 after 600 cycles with capacity retention of 85%. In addition, a high reversible capacity of 600 mA h g −1 was retained over 1000 cycles at a high current density of 800 mA g −1 . Those achieved-results suggested that rational design of electrode nanostructures offers an effective insight for obtaining high-performance batteries.

Obesity and metabolic syndrome are associated with cognitive decline and dementia. Palmitic acid (PA) is increased in the cerebrospinal fluid of obese patients with cognitive impairment. This study was therefore designed to examine fatty acid (FA) lipotoxicity in BV2 microglia cells. We found that PA induced time- and dose-dependent decrease in cell viability and increase in cell death without affecting the cell cycle profile and that PA lipotoxicity did not depend on cell surface free fatty acid receptors but rather on FA uptake. Treatment with sulfosuccinimidyl oleate (SSO), an irreversible inhibitor of fatty acid translocase CD36, significantly inhibited FA uptake in BSA- and PA-treated cells and blocked PA-induced decrease in cell viability. Inhibition of ER stress or treatment with N-acetylcysteine was not able to rescue PA lipotoxicity. Our study also showed that unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs), such as linoleic acid (LA), oleic acid (OA), α-linolenic acid (ALA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), were not lipotoxic but instead protected microglia against PA-induced decrease in cell viability. Co-treatment of PA with LA, OA, and DHA significantly inhibited FA uptake in PA-treated cells. All UFAs tested induced the incorporation of FAs into and the amount of neutral lipids, while PA did not significantly affect the amount of neutral lipids compared with BSA control.

Novel two-dimensional materials with a layered structure are of special interest for a variety of promising applications. Herein, MoS 2 and MoS 2 /Graphene nanocomposite with hierarchical nanostructure were successfully synthesized employing a one-step hydrothermal method. Photo-degradation of methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine (RHB) were adopted to assess the photo-degradation ability of the products. Comparing with bare MoS 2 , the hierarchical MoS 2 /Graphene nanocomposite achieved relatively higher degradation rate of 99% in 28 min for MB as well in 50 min for RHB. These results verified that this proposed hierarchical nanocomposite is a good photo-degradation semiconductor. The excellent performance was mainly ascribed to the synergistic effect of MoS 2 and graphene layers. The MoS 2 possessing a band gap of 1.9 eV would provide abundant electron-hole pairs. The graphene layers with excellent electro-conductivity could realize the quick transport of electrons via its extended π-conjugation structure, consequently benefiting the separation of photo-generated carriers. These findings indicate that the graphene layer is a promising candidate as a co-catalyst for MoS 2 photo-catalyst, and also provide useful information for understanding the observed enhanced photocatalytic mechanism in experiments.

Rare earth doped perovskite oxides have attracted much attention due to their multifunctional properties (such as photoluminescence, ferro-/piezoelectricity and so forth). In the current work, Er3+-doped (Li,K,Na)NbO3 nano-ceramics were successfully synthesized by spark plasma sintering and as-obtained ceramics exhibited excellent up-conversion photoluminescence (UC PL) behavior. The influences of the doping of Er3+ on the phase structure, microstructure, and UC PL properties were systematically investigated. The XRD and Raman analysis demonstrated that Er3+ ion entered into A site of (Li,K,Na)NbO3 perovskite structure. The most obvious enhancement of UC PL emission was achieved in the ceramics with 0.25 mol% of Er3+ doped, and the intensity of UC PL emission dropped with the further increase of Er3+ doping. Moreover, it found that two photons contributed to this observed UC PL behavior. These findings here rendered potential application of Er3+ doped (Li,K,Na)NbO3 smart materials in novel multifunctional devices.

Lead-free (K 0.49 Na 0.51 )(Nb 1−x Sb x )O 3 piezoelectric ceramics were prepared via the conventional sintering method and the effect of the substitution of Nb with Sb on the phase structure, microstructure and electrical properties of the prepared (K 0.49 Na 0.51 )(Nb 1−x Sb x )O 3 ceramics was systematically investigated. The prepared ceramics exhibited a single-phase perovskite structure which changed from a standard orthorhombic structure to a pseudocubic structure as x was increased from 0 to 0.1. X-ray diffraction patterns and Raman spectra obtained for the prepared ceramics clearly revealed that the degree of structural symmetry increased with x . Substituting an appropriate amount of Sb 5+ for Nb 5+ was found to improve the microstructure and thereby enhance the piezoelectric/ferroelectric properties. Further increasing the Sb content resulted in a decrease of the average grain size and a deterioration of the performance. The peak values of the piezoelectric constant d 33 (182 pC/N) and the electromechanical coupling coefficient k p (41%) were obtained for the ceramic with x =0.06.

Constructing hybrids of transition metal oxides with different kinds of carbon based materials has attracted a lot of attention recently. However, scalable synthesis of homogeneous hybrids with active controllable of microstructure remains great challenge. Here, we proposed a convenient and efficient strategy named freeze-drying process for scalable production of 3D NiO/graphene hybrids. With a controllable procedure, NiO microflowers and graphene layers could preserve uniform configuration from fully mixed solvent to final hybrids materials. The mechanical stability and electrical conductivity of NiO microflowers was increased by graphene. NiO microflowers as spacers intercalated into graphene layers and effectively prevented it from aggregation or restacking, leading to a high specific surface area in hybrids. The NiO/graphene exhibited enhanced cycle stability and rate performance when evaluated as an anode for lithium ion batteries. It rendered high specific capacities about 1000 mA h g−1 after 70 cycles, and 770 mA h g−1 after 100 cycles at 300 mA g−1. Excellent electrochemical properties were probably ascribed to the synergistic effect of NiO microflowers and graphene layers, as a result of smart structure design by a freeze-drying route. This strategy with merits of rational construction and scalable production could establish new aspects for diverse hybrid towards industrialization.

Morphologies and sizes of V 2 O 5 had crucial effect on their optic and catalytic performance. Diverse dimensional V 2 O 5 were successfully synthesized by the combination of a hydrothermal and post heat treatment method. The as-obtained samples were characterized by X-ray power diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectra. Moreover, the optic properties of diverse dimensional V 2 O 5 were examined by Fourier transform imaging spectrometer and UV–vis-spectrophotometer. It showed that the IR transmittance of nanowire (at 1019 cm −1 is 85%) and UV absorbance of microflowers (at 480 nm) were high. Furthermore, the catalytic properties of diverse dimensional V 2 O 5 on the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate were evaluated and compared by Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis and Differential Scanning Calorimetry. Moreover, the best catalytic performance was obtained with the morphology of nanowire. It showed the thermal decomposition temperatures of AP with nanowire, microflowers and microsphere were reduced to 373 °C, 382 °C and 376 °C (decreased by 52 °C, 43 °C and 49 °C).

A series of Co 2+ doped NiO materials (Ni 1 −x Co x O with x = 0, 0.125, 0.25 and 0.5) were synthesized using a facile hydrothermal method followed by a calcination process. The effects of Co 2+ doping on the structural, morphological, magnetic and catalytic properties of NiO were systematically investigated. The results indicated that Co 2+ doping would bring about a series influence to the as-obtained NiO product. The XRD results indicated that within the region of 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.25 the doped products revealed a pure NiO phase. The elementary unit for the hierarchy NiO gradually transformed from nanosheets to nanoneedles with the increase of Co 2+ doping content. As-obtained Co 2+ doped NiO products showed ferromagnetism at room temperature and the magnetization value was increased with the increase of Co 2+ doping content. The catalytic properties of NiO concerning the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) were significantly improved via the introduction of Co 2+ . The Ni 1 −x Co x O products with x = 0.25 showed the best catalytic performance to AP, which could decrease the beginning and ending decomposition temperature of AP by 44 and 108 °C. The change of morphology, enhancement of electrical conductivity and the synergistic effect between Co 2+ and NiO were the main factors responsible for the improvement of physicochemical behaviors.

Multifunctional luminescent materials based on rare earth doped ferro-/piezoelectrics have attracted much attention due to their potential applications in novel multifunctional devices. Herein, we choose Li modified (K 0.49 Na 0.51 )NbO 3 system benefitting from both of the effect of morphotropic phase boundary and polymorphic phase transition as the target materials, and systematically studied the influence of the doping of Er 3+ on the phase structure, composition, up-conversion photoluminescence property and so forth. A significantly enhanced ferro-/piezoelectric behavior had been achieved in 0.5% Er 2 O 3 doped (Li,K,Na)NbO 3 ceramic. Our results reveal that in addition to the admirable intrinsic piezoelectric properties of (Li,K,Na)NbO 3 ceramic, the donor doping behavior of Er 3+ could enhance the ferro-/piezoelectric properties and obviously improve the up-conversion photoluminescence property of the matrix materials. These findings show great potential of Er 3+ doped (Li,K,Na)NbO 3 materials a future application in novel multifunctional devices.

Obesity is a major risk factor for the development of various pathological conditions including insulin resistance, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Central to these conditions is obesity-associated chronic low-grade inflammation in many tissues including adipose, liver, muscle, kidney, pancreas, and brain. There is increasing evidence that saturated fatty acids (SFAs) increase the phosphorylation of MAPKs, enhance the activation of transcription factors such as nuclear factor (NF)-κB, and elevate the expression of inflammatory genes. This paper focuses on the mechanisms by which SFAs induce inflammation. SFAs may induce the expression inflammatory genes via different pathways including toll-like receptor (TLR), protein kinase C (PKC), reactive oxygen species (ROS), NOD-like receptors (NLRs), and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. These findings suggest that SFAs act as an important link between obesity and inflammation.

The Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) test guideline 236 (fish embryo acute toxicity test; 2013) relies on 4 endpoints to describe exposure‐related effects (coagulation, lack of somite formation, tail‐bud detachment from the yolk sac, and the presence of a heartbeat). Danio rerio (zebrafish) embryos were used to investigate these endpoints along with a number of additional sublethal effects (cardiac dysfunction, pericardial edema, yolk sac edema, tail curvature, hatch success, pericardial edema area, craniofacial malformation, swim bladder development, fin development, and heart rate) following 5‐d exposures to 7 petroleum substances. The substances investigated included 2 crude oils, 3 gas oils, a diluted bitumen, and a petrochemical containing a mixture of branched alcohols. Biomimetic extraction–solid‐phase microextraction (BE–SPME) was used to quantify freely dissolved concentrations of test substances as the exposure metric. The results indicated that the most prevalent effects observed were pericardial and yolk sac edema, tail curvature, and lack of embryo viability. A BE–SPME threshold was determined to characterize sublethal morphological alterations that preceded embryo mortality. Our results aid in the understanding of aquatic hazards of petroleum substances to developing zebrafish beyond traditional OECD test guideline 236 endpoints and show the applicability of BE–SPME as a simple analytical tool that can be used to predict sublethal embryo toxicity. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:1302–1312. © 2019 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.

The specific heat (CP), thermal diffusivity (η), thermal conductivity (κ), magnetization, resistivity (ρ), and magnetocaloric effect (MCE) were studied in fast-quenched ribbon samples of the Ni50Mn37-xAlxSn13 alloy (x = 2, 4). Anomalies are observed in the form of a jump for the temperature-dependent η(T) and κ(T) near the magnetic and magnetostructural phase transitions, which are associated with critical scattering of heat carriers by distortions of the crystal structure, fluctuations of the order parameter, or structural/magnetic inhomogeneities. The transition to the martensitic phase is found to be accompanied by a sharp increase in the resistivity, suggesting an increase in the electron relaxation rate due to structural distortions inherent in martensite. The value of the magnetoresistive effect at 1.8 T near the martensitic transition reaches ∼40%. The temperature hysteresis was investigated in terms of ρ(T) near TC, which is explained based on the coexistence of the magnetic two-phase state of FM + AFM and the structural magnetic heterogeneity of the samples with dominant austenitic phase. For a sample with x = 2, the electron and phonon components of thermal conductivity were estimated (κph » κe).

Owing to scientific importance associated with highly reactive surfaces, the research concerning inorganic single crystals with a large percentage of exposed high-index facets has attracted much attention. In current research, α-Fe2O3 nanocubes exposed with (012) active facet was firstly synthesized via a hydrothermal method. And then a freeze-drying approach was utilized to construct nanostructured Fe2O3/graphene composite. The as-obtained composite exhibited s higher BET surface area than that of bare α-Fe2O3 nanocubes. When evaluated for lithium storage properties, the Fe2O3/graphene rendered remarkable electrochemical cycle stability and high rate performance. At the rate of 300 mA g−1, a high reversible discharge capacity of 1136 mAh g−1 was obtained up to 200 cycles. In addition, the excellent rate performance was also achieved. Excellent electrochemical properties are probably ascribed to the synergistic effect of α-Fe2O3 nanocubes and graphene sheets, as a result of smart structure design via a freeze-drying route. This strategy with merits of rational construction and scalable production could establish new perspective for diverse composites towards commercial application.

Er 3+ doped (K 0.52 Na 0.48 ) 1− x Li x NbO 3 ceramics had been prepared through a conventional solid state reaction routine and their phase structure, ferroelectric, piezoelectric, and photoluminescence properties were systematically investigated. X-ray diffraction results clearly illustrated a phase transition from the orthorhombic to coexistence and further to tetragonal phase with the increase of Li content. Via measuring the ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of the ceramics, it found that the polymorphic phase transition (PPT) effect contributed the obvious enhancement in electrical properties of the Er 3+ doped (K 0.52 Na 0.48 ) 0.94 Li 0.06 NbO 3 ceramic which lay in the composition region of coexistence phase structure. The up-conversion photoluminescence intensity of green emission and red emission first increased as x increase from 0 to 0.06 and then decreased for x = 0.08. The most obvious enhancement in the up-conversion photoluminescence intensity was also achieved in the composition lying in the vicinity of PPT region. And the above circumstance caused the consideration that here the essence of the coexistence phase may be a phase structure with lower crystal symmetry instead of just physical combination of orthorhombic and tetragonal phase.

Reactive template grain growth method was applied to prepare grain oriented 0.94(Na0.52K0.48)NbO3–0.06LiNbO3 ceramics using plate-like NaNbO3 particles as template. A two-step sintering procedure was put forward to obtain textured ceramics with electromechanical coupling factor kp = 64%, piezoelectric constant d33 = 220 pC/N, and in practical application the value of available d33∗ (converse piezoelectric constant) is about 516 pm/V, which are much higher than these of random form with same composition. Based on the analysis for the behavior of piezoelectricity against the measuring frequency and the intensity of external field, a possible mechanism considering the interaction between defect dipoles induced by the doping of Cu2+ and spontaneous polarization dipoles was proposed to elucidate the field-induced giant strain in textured ceramics. This study does not only provide an insight to the origin and coupling effect of two kinds of dipole but also renders a general approach of defect engineering to take advantage of point defect in ceramics realizing certain function enhancement.

NiO nanorods and microflowers were successfully achieved via a hydrothermal reaction without any surfactant and then a post heat treatment process. Characterization methods, such as X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, were employed to systematically investigate the mechanism for the morphology evolution, as well as the transformation of phase structure. Furthermore, the physicochemical properties of NiO with different morphologies were also examined and it was found that these properties were pretty sensitive to the morphology. Compared with the nanorods, the flower-like NiO nanostructures showed a great enhancement of the ferromagnetic properties. The catalytic activities of NiO with different morphologies were investigated through the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP). AP exhibited relatively low decomposition temperature and fast reaction rate in the catalyzed formations making NiO with microflower structure an effective catalyst. This study provided a facile way to control the morphology of NiO nanostructures, which also indicates the potential application of the nanostructures, with the modified magnetic properties, in modern science and technology.