Facile Synthesis of Hierarchical CoSeO3‧2H2O Nanoflowers Assembled by Nanosheets as a Novel Anode Material for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries.

As novel anodic materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), transitional metal selenites can transform into metal oxide/selenide heterostructures in the first cycle, which helps to enhance the Li+ storage performance, especially in terms of high discharge capacity. Herein, well-defined hierarchical CoSeO3‧2H2O nanoflowers assembled using 10 nm-thick nanosheets are successfully synthesized via a facile one-step hydrothermal method. When used as anodic materials for LIBs, the CoSeO3‧2H2O nanoflowers exhibit a considerably high discharge capacity of 1064.1 mAh g-1 at a current density of 0.1 A g-1. In addition, the obtained anode possesses good rate capability and cycling stability. Owing to the superior electrochemical properties, the CoSeO3‧2H2O nanoflowers would serve as promising anodic materials for high-performance LIBs.

Cold-inducible RNA-binding protein migrates from the nucleus to the cytoplasm under cold stress in normal human bronchial epithelial cells via TRPM8-mediated mechanism.

BACKGROUND: Cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP or hnRNP A18) is a multifunctional stress-responsive protein. Our previous study demonstrated that cold stress increased CIRP expression and migrated from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in airway epithelial cells. However, the mechanism through which CIRP migrates from the nucleus to the cytoplasm upon cold stress remains unknown. METHODS: The expression of CIRP in the bronchial epithelium was examined using immunofluorescence, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and Western blotting. The expression of inflammatory factors interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were detected by ELISA and RT-PCR. Transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) receptor function was characterized by Ca2+ imaging. RESULTS: Cold stress upregulated the expression of CIRP, inflammatory factors and promoted the translocation of CIRP from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells. Cold stress activated the TRPM8/(Ca2+)/PKCα/glycogen synthase kinase 3ß (GSK3ß) signaling cascade, and that inhibition of this signaling pathway attenuated the migration of CIRP from the nucleus to cytoplasm but did not decrease its overexpression induced by cold stress. Knocked down CIRP expression or blocked CIRP migration between the nucleus and cytoplasm significantly decreased inflammatory factor expression. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that cold stress leads to the migration of CIRP from the nucleus to the cytoplasm with alteration of expression, which are involved in the expression of inflammatory factors (IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α) induced by cold air, through TRPM8/Ca2+/PKCα/GSK3ß signaling cascade.

Development and Psychometric Properties of the Synthetic Drug Dependence Scale in a Chinese Sample.

Objective: In contrast to the drug situation in the rest of the world, synthetic drugs, rather than traditional drugs, have been the dominant abused drugs in China since 2019. However, the public misconception that synthetic drugs are not as addictive as traditional drugs, such as opioids and the scarcity of specific measurement instruments, have hindered the clinical diagnosis and treatment of synthetic drug abusers, thus the development of a localized instrument to evaluate dependence on synthetic drugs is in urgently needed. Method: Using a sample of 618 Chinese synthetic drug abusers (Mean age = 34.69 years; 44.17% female), the present study developed and examined the psychometric properties of a self-reporting instrument, the Synthetic Drug Dependence Scale (SDDS), which consists of four subscales: physical dependence, psychological dependence, health injury, and social function injury. Results: The SDDS revealed a three-factor model structure (weighted root mean square residual (WRMR) = 0.876, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.965, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.953, and Root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.070), with good internal consistency (composite reliability = 0.912, alfa = 0.801) and convergent validity. Elevated scores on the SDDS were associated with a higher level of reward sensitivity, punishment sensitivity, and stronger impulsivity. Interestingly, psychological dependence was the only significant predictor (p < 0.05) of criterion variables compared with the other three subscales, implying the important role of psychological factors in synthetic drugs dependence. Adequate measurement equivalence across sex, age (18-30 and 31-57 years old), and employment group (employed and unemployed) was also established. Conclusion: The SDDS appears to be an effective and reliable instrument that could be used to further investigate the characteristics of synthetic and traditional drug dependence, promoting a deeper understanding of the physical and psychological roles in drug dependence.