Structure Recovery and Recycling of Used LiCoO2 Cathode Material.

A large number of lithium batteries have been retiring from the market of energy storage. Thus, recycling of the used electrode materials is becoming urgent. In this study, an industrial machinery processing was used to recover the crystal structure of the waste LiCoO2 materials with the combination of small-scale equipment repair technology. The results show that the crystal parameters of the repaired LiCoO2 material become small, the unit cell volume is reduced, and the crystal structure tends to be stable. The Co-O bond length of 1.9134 nm, O-Co-O bond angle of 94.72°, the (003) interplanar spacing of 0.467 nm indicate the excellent recovery level of the repaired LiCoO2 . In addition, the electrochemical performance of the repaired LiCoO2 material is greatly improved, compared with the waste material. The capacity of the repaired electrode material can be maintained at 120 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles at the current density of 0.2C. The promising rate performance of the repaired electrode material demonstrates the stable structure. This research work provides a large-scale method for the direct recovery of LiCoO2 with the reduction of unnecessary energy and reagent consumption, which will be beneficial to the environmental protection.

Beta-elemene increases chemosensitivity to 5-fluorouracil through down-regulating microRNA-191 expression in colorectal carcinoma cells.

Colorectal carcinoma is a common malignant tumor occurring in the alimentary system. Despite developments of modern medicine, developed resistance to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) may lead to poor prognosis. Herein, we aimed to explore the effects of beta-elemene on colorectal carcinoma cells (HCT116 and HT29) as well as the underlying mechanisms. Beta-elemene reduced cell viability and induced apoptosis in HCT116 and HT29 cells. Increased apoptosis following beta-elemene exposure was due to enhanced sensitivity to 5-FU through down-regulating miR-191. Expression of key kinases, including Wnt3a, and ß-catenin, were down-regulated by beta-elemene through a miR-191 mechanism. Moreover, beta-elemene might improve resistance of colorectal carcinoma cells to 5-FU by down-regulating miR-191, thereby inhibiting the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

Effect of Cu substitution on structures and electrochemical properties of Li[NiCo1-xCuxMn]1/3O2 as cathode materials for lithium ion batteries.

Copper ions are one of the major associated metal ions present in the precursors of the synthesis of Li[NiCoMn]1/3O2 from the recovery of spent Li-ion batteries by wet chemical processes. To evaluate the feasibility of reusing Cu(2+) as a favourable dopant in Li[NiCoMn]1/3O2 instead of as usual removing it as an undesirable impurity, the effect of Cu-doping on the electrochemical behaviour of Li[NiCoMn]1/3O2 is investigated in this work. Li[NiCo1-xCuxMn]1/3O2 (x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06 and 0.08) is synthesized through two steps, roasting the precursors obtained from carbonate co-precipitation, and their structures and electrochemical performances are systemically investigated. The results indicate that substitution of Co with Cu was successfully achieved without any detectable second phases. The initial discharge capacity of Li[NiCo1-xCuxMn]1/3O2 gradually dropped with an increase of x but the rate property and capacity retention were remarkably enhanced. In particular, the capacity retention of the Li[NiCo0.94Cu0.06Mn]1/3O2 sample reached 95.87% within 50 cycles at a current density of 160 mA g(-1). CV and EIS revealed that such improvements are ascribed to a higher Li(+) diffusion coefficient and lower charge-transfer resistance derived from Cu(2+) doping. The results suggest that Cu can be used as a beneficial dopant to partially substitute Co in synthesizing Li[NiCoMn]1/3O2 from spent LIBs instead of having to remove it as an impurity.

Papillary renal cell carcinoma: a clinicopathological and whole-genome exon sequencing study.

Papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC) represents the second most common histological subtype of RCC, and comprises 2 subtypes. Prognosis for type 1 PRCC is relatively good, whereas type 2 PRCC is associated with poor clinical outcomes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinicopathological and mutations characteristics of PRCC. Hence, we reported on 13 cases of PRCC analyzed using whole-exome sequencing. Histologically, type 2 PRCC showed a higher nuclear grade and lymphovascular invasion rate versus type 1 PRCC (P < 0.05). Immunostaining revealed type 1 PRCC had higher CK7 and lower Top IIα expression rates (P < 0.05). Whole-exome sequencing data analysis revealed that the mutational statuses of 373 genes (287 missense, 69 silent, 6 nonsense, and 11 synonymous mutations) differed significantly between PRCC and normal renal tissues (P < 0.05). Functional enrichment analysis was used to classify the 287 missense-mutated genes into 11 biological process clusters (comprised of 61 biological processes) and 5 pathways, involved in cell adhesion, microtubule-based movement, the cell cycle, polysaccharide biosynthesis, muscle cell development and differentiation, cell death, and negative regulation. Associated pathways included the ATP-binding cassette transporter, extracellular matrix-receptor interaction, lysosome, complement and coagulation cascades, and glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism pathways. The missense mutation status of 19 genes differed significantly between the groups (P < 0.05), and alterations in the EEF1D, RFNG, GPR142, and RAB37 genes were located in different chromosomal regions in type 1 and 2 PRCC. These mutations may contribute to future studies on pathogenic mechanisms and targeted therapy of PRCC.

Whole CagA gene amplification of Helicobacter pylori and its fingerprinting by restriction fragment length polymorphism.

To set up a method of amplification for the whole CagA gene of Helicobacter pylori and its fingerprinting by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), nested PCR was employed in combination with TD-PCR to amplify the gene and EcoRI and Hind III were used to generate the RFLP fingerprinting. Target DNA fragments from 13 of 20 samples were successfully amplified and the relevant RFLP fingerprintings were obtained. It is concluded that the method can be used to amplify the whole CagA gene and CagA gene has apparent diversity of RFLP profile.