Electroacupuncture ameliorates gastrointestinal dysfunction by modulating DMV cholinergic efferent signals to drive the vagus nerve in p-MCAO rats.

Background: The use of proton pump inhibitors in the acute phase of cerebral infarction may lead to adverse long-term outcomes, this study aims to explore the potential of electroacupuncture (EA) in replacing omeprazole in exerting post-stroke gastrointestinal protection. Methods: A permanent middle cerebral artery infarction model was established using the modified Longa thread occlusion technique. Gastrointestinal motility, gastrointestinal mucosal damage, cerebral infarct volume, and alterations in choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-positive neurons within the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve (DMV) were assessed after 7 days of EA at Zusanli (ST36) or omeprazole intervention. To evaluate the role of the vagal nerve in mitigating post-stroke gastrointestinal dysfunction, we employed subdiaphragmatic vagotomy and the ChAT-specific inhibitor α-NETA. Additionally, we utilized methyllycaconitine (MLA), a selective inhibitor of the α7-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR), and PNU282987, an agonist, to identify the target of EA. Results: EA restored ChAT neurons lost in the DMV, activated the vagus nerve and conferred cerebroprotection while ameliorating gastrointestinal mucosal injury and gastrointestinal motility disorders. In addition, following the administration of the α7nAChR antagonist, the attenuation of gastric mucosal injury and inflammatory factors induced by EA was hindered, although gastrointestinal motility still exhibited improvement. Conclusion: EA at ST36 promotes the restoration of cholinergic signaling in the DMV of stroke-afflicted rats, and its excitation of the vagal nerve inhibits gastrointestinal inflammation after stroke via α7nAChR, while improvement in gastrointestinal motility could be mediated by other acetylcholine receptors.

Superstructure MOF as a framework to composite MoS2 with rGO for Li/Na-ion battery storage with high-performance and stability.

Metal sulfides, one kind of electrode material with very high theoretical capacity, have been widely studied for use in lithium and sodium ion batteries. However, there are some problems hindering their applications in electrodes, such as low conductivity and volume expansion. The MOF introduces metals with different coordination strengths into an existing MOF structure, which improves the performance of the electrode to a certain extent. In this paper, Fe/Zn bimetallic MOF rod-like superstructure was prepared based on Ostwald theory. Accompanied by sulfuration, the MOF was effectively combined with MoS2 and GO, and the objective materials Fe7S8-C/ZnS-C@MoS2/rGO composites were successfully prepared. The MOF material provides a good frame and an efficient electron transport path, while the robust rGO wall effectively inhibits the pulverization of materials during the lithium/sodium intercalation/escalation courses. This particular material exhibited excellent cycling and rate capability performance when used in Li/Na-ion batteries. When used in Li-batteries, the electrode material delivered a specific capacity of 1598.3 mA h g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 and remained at 1196.7 mA h g-1 even after about 100 cycles and further exhibited a specific capacity of 368.68 mA h g-1 at the current rate of 5 A g-1 even after 1000 cycles, respectively. As for sodium batteries, these electrode materials exhibited an initial reversible capacity of 1053.6 mA h g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 and the reversible capacity was still as high as 592.2 mA h g-1 after 200 cycles. It is perhaps that this composite material with its particular architecture and composition is greatly beneficial for electron transfer and Li/Na ion diffusion. In the repeated physicochemical/nutrifying process, the appropriate distance between adjacent MOFs is of great help in preventing volume changes and thus improving the electrochemical performance.

Mixed-Halide Perovskite Film-Based Neuromorphic Phototransistors for Mimicking Experience-History-Dependent Sensory Adaptation.

Sensory adaptation is an essential function for humans to live on the earth. Herein, a hybrid synaptic phototransistor based on the mixed-halide perovskite/organic semiconductor film is reported. This hybrid phototransistor achieves photosensitive performance including a high photoresponsivity over 4 × 103 A/W and an excellent specific detectivity of 2.8 × 1016 Jones. Due to the photoinduced halide-ion segregation of the mixed-halide perovskites and their slow recovery properties, the experience-history-dependent sensory adaptation behavior can be mimicked. Moreover, the light pulse width, intensity, light wavelength, and gate bias can be used to regulate the adaptation processes to improve its adaptability and perceptibility in different environments. The CsPbBrxI3-x/organic semiconductor hybrid films produced by spin coating are beneficial to large-scale fabrication. This study fabricates a novel solution-processable light-stimulated synapse based on inorganic perovskites for mimicking the human sensory adaptation that makes it possible to approach artificial neural sensory systems.

Weak Light-Stimulated Synaptic Hybrid Phototransistors Based on Islandlike Perovskite Films Prepared by Spin Coating.

An artificial synaptic device that can provide color discrimination, image storage, and image recognition is highly required to mimic the human vision for biological robots. All-inorganic halide perovskites have attracted extensive attention for the reason of their high stability and favorable photoelectric properties. In this study, a light-stimulated synaptic phototransistor based on a CsPbBr3/organic semiconductor hybrid film is reported. The fabricated CsPbBr3 film exhibits an island structure, which reduces the hysteresis effectively and at the same time achieves a high specific detectivity of up to 2 × 1015 Jones. The decay of the photocurrent can be delayed by changing the gate bias, which is essential for achieving high-performance light-stimulated synaptic devices. Due to the outstanding detectivity of the device, the obvious synaptic functions can be observed when triggered by a light signal with a power of 1.6 nW that is much weaker than previous most perovskite-based hybrid synaptic phototransistors under a low operating voltage of -1 V. The electrical power consumption of the device could be as low as 0.076 pJ when the power of light spike was 7.36 nW. Taking into account this characterization, with changing of light intensity or wavelength, the contrast of the image was enlarged, which can further promote the image recognition accuracy. More significantly, this CsPbBr3/TIPS hybrid film can be fabricated by facile and low-cost solution processes. This study indicates the great potential of solution-processed perovskite-based light-stimulated synapses for future artificial visual systems.

Hierarchical MoO3/SnS2 core-shell nanowires with enhanced electrochemical performance for lithium-ion batteries.

Two-dimensional (2D) tin disulfide (SnS2) is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of its high theoretical capacity. The main challenges associated with the SnS2 electrodes are the poor cycling stability and low rate capability due to structural degradation in the discharge/charge process. Here, a facile two-step synthesis method is developed to fabricate hierarchical MoO3/SnS2 core-shell nanowires, where ultrathin SnS2 nanosheets are vertically anchored on MoO3 nanobelts to induce a heterointerface. Benefiting from the unique structural and compositional characteristics, the hierarchical MoO3/SnS2 core-shell nanowires exhibit excellent electrochemical performance and deliver a high reversible capacity of 504 mA h g-1 after 100 stable cycles at a current density of 100 mA g-1, which is far superior to the MoO3 and SnS2 electrodes. An analysis of lithiation dynamics based on ab initio molecular dynamics simulations demonstrates that the formation of a hierarchical MoO3/SnS2 core-shell heterostructure can effectively suppress the rapid dissociation of shell-layer SnS2 nanosheets via the interfacial coupling effect and the central MoO3 backbone can trap and support the polysulfide in the discharge/charge process. The results are responsible for the high storage capacity and rate capability of MoO3/SnS2 electrode materials. This work provides a novel design strategy for constructing high-performance electrodes for LIBs.