Interfacing MXene Flakes on a Magnetic Fiber Network as a Stretchable, Flexible, Electromagnetic Shielding Fabric.

A unique self-standing membrane composed of hierarchical thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers is prepared by the electrospinning technique, followed by a simple dip-coating process. Fe3O4 nanoparticles are uniformly anchored on TPU/PAN fibers during the electrospinning process, enabling the membrane to achieve effective electromagnetic interference shielding (EMI SE) performance. Such a hybrid membrane has a high magnetization of 18.9 emu/g. When MXene (Ti3C2Tx) layers are further loaded on the TPU/PAN/Fe3O4NPs hybrid membrane, its EMI SE performance in the X band can exceed 30 dB due to the hydrogen bonds generated between the macromolecular chain of PAN and the functional group (Tx) on the surface of MXene. Simultaneously, the interfacial attraction between MXene and the TPU/PAN/Fe3O4NPs substrate is enhanced. The EMI SE mechanism of the hybrid membrane indicates that this film has great potential in the fields of wearable devices and flexible materials.

Da-Cheng-Qi Decoction () Combined with Lactobacillus Acidophilus Improves Gastrointestinal Function of Traumatic Brain-Injured Model Mice.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Da-Cheng-Qi Decoction (DCQD, ) combined with Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA) on the recovery of gastrointestinal (GI) function in traumatic brain-injured (TBI) mice. METHODS: A total of 150 male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into sham-injury, normal saline (NS), DCQD (0.4 mL/day), LA (⩾1 × 1010 cfu/day LA), DCQD+LA (LA administration at the same dosage after 4 h of feeding DCQD), and ½ DCQD+LA groups (LA administration at the same dosage after 4 h of feeding ½ DCQD dose) by a random number table, 5-8 mice in each group. The sever TBI model was constructed according to Feeney's enhanced gravitational forces of free falling. On days 1, 3, and 7 post-TBI, plasma diamine oxidase (DAO) and D-lactic acid levels were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Occludin expression in the intestinal epithelium was assessed by Western blot analysis. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to observe the morphological changes in the network structure of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) and change of enteric nervous system-ICC-smooth muscle cell (ENS-ICC-SMC). Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect changes in the network structure of the ICC. RESULTS: Compared with the NS group, occludin expression in the DCQD+LA group significantly increased on Day 1, 3, and 7 post-TBI (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The concentration of DAO significantly decreased in the LA, DCQD, and DCQD+LA groups on Day 3 and 7, whilst the D-lactate concentrations in the LA and ½ DCQD+LA groups decreased on Day 1 and 3 post-injury (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The NS group experienced a great damage on the ENS-ICC-SMC network morphology and ICC network structure, and all treatment groups had some improvements, among which the DCQD+LA group presented relatively intact network morphology. CONCLUSIONS: DCQD combined with LA treatment could effectively repair the intestinal mucosal barrier and improve GI motility in mice after TBI. The combination of DCQD and LA was more effective than their respective monotherapies.

Carbon nanotubes-CuO/SnO2 based gas sensor for detecting H2S in low concentration.

Porous CuO/SnO2 nanofibers were prepared by co-dissolution and electrospinning, followed by annealing, and compounded with different amounts of carbon nanotubes (CNTs, 0-5 wt%). The performance of the composite based sensor was tested in different concentrations of H2S range from 0.1 to 0.5 ppm. The results showed that the gas sensor based CuO/SnO2 doped by CNTs (CNTs-CuO/SnO2) has a low optimum operating temperature, 40 °C, good behavior in detecting low concentration H2S, short response and recovery time (8.3 and 11.5 s, respectively). And at the same time, compared with other gases, 3 wt% CNTs-CuO/SnO2 composite nanomaterial had excellent selectivity to H2S at low concentrations. The prepared gas sensor had great advantages in detecting low concentration H2S.

Lactobacillus acidophilus Exerts Neuroprotective Effects in Mice with Traumatic Brain Injury.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes dysbiosis and intestinal barrier disruption, which further exacerbate brain damage via an inflammatory pathway. Gut microbiota remodeling by Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA) is a potential intervention. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the neuroprotective effects of LA in TBI and elucidated underlying mechanisms. METHODS: C57BL/6 male mice (aged 8-9 wk) were subjected to weight-drop impact and gavaged with saline (TBI + vehicle) or LA (1 × 1010 CFU) (TBI + LA) on the day of injury and each day after for 1, 3, or 7 d. The sham + vehicle mice underwent craniotomy without brain injury and were gavaged with saline. Sensorimotor functions were determined pre-TBI and 1, 3, and 7 d postinjury. Indexes of neuroinflammation, peripheral inflammation, and intestinal barrier function were measured on days 3 and 7. Microbiota composition was measured 3 d postinjury. The data were mainly analyzed by 2-factor ANOVA. RESULTS: Compared with sham + vehicle mice, the TBI + vehicle mice exhibited impairments in the neurological severity score (+692%, day 3; +600%, day 7) and rotarod test (-58%, day 3; -45%, day 7) (P < 0.05), which were rescued by LA. The numbers of microglia (total and activated) and astrocytes and concentrations of TNF-α and IL1-ß in the perilesional cortex were elevated in the TBI + vehicle mice on day 3 or 7 compared with sham + vehicle mice (P < 0.05) and were normalized by LA. Compared with sham + vehicle mice, the TBI + vehicle mice exhibited increased serum concentrations of endotoxin and TNF-α, and intestinal barrier permeability (D-lactate) on days 3 and 7 (P < 0.05), and these changes were alleviated by LA. Three days postinjury, the microbiota composition was disrupted in the TBI + vehicle mice compared with sham + vehicle mice (P < 0.05), which was restored by LA. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that LA exerts neuroprotective effects that may be associated with gut microbiota remodeling in TBI mice.

Tunable phase resonances in a compound metallic grating with perpendicular bumps and cuts.

We propose a compound metallic grating with perpendicular bumps in each slit and investigate its transmission property theoretically. As the bumps are set symmetrically in the slits, the waveguide resonant peaks for the even (odd) modes exhibit a red-shift (blue-shift) compared with the resonant peaks of grating composed of bare slit. As the bumps are set asymmetrically, we show that the dips in transmission spectrum can be tuned by shifting the position and changing the size of bumps in the slit. The corresponding physical mechanisms for above phenomenon are discussed, followed by some qualitative explanations in terms of field distribution. We also investigate the optical transmission through a compound metallic grating with perpendicular bumps in one slit and cuts in another slit, and find that the dips in transmission spectrum are more sensitive to the simultaneous change of the bumps and cuts.