The influence of crystal structures on the performance of CoMoO4 battery-type supercapacitor electrodes.

CoMoO4 is a promising battery-type supercapacitor electrode material that can offer relatively high storage capacity and cycle stability. In this work, we investigate the role of the crystalline phase of CoMoO4 in determining these performance parameters. The hydrate phase of CoMoO4 was synthesized on a nickel foam substrate via hydrothermal reaction with subsequent annealing under an inert atmosphere leading to the formation of the ß-phase CoMoO4. Similar nanoplate morphologies were observed in all of the samples. The hydrate-phase CoMoO4 demonstrates larger specific capacity than the annealed ß-phase CoMoO4. Besides, the samples synthesized at lower temperatures have better rate capability than the sample annealed at higher temperatures. However, the hydrate phase had worse long-term stability compared to the ß-phase samples.

Antifatigue Effect of Asiaticoside in Mice by Attenuating Oxidative Stress.

BACKGROUND: Asiaticoside is one of the main components of triterpenoid saponins extracted from Centella asiatica. Asiaticoside has shown the effects of wound healing, osteoclastogenesis, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and improving cognition in multiple human disease models. However, studies on the antifatigue effects of asiaticoside have not been explored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the potential antifatigue effect and underlying mechanism of asiaticoside administration on exhaustive exercise performance. METHODS: Male Kunming mice were divided into four groups randomly (n = 20/group). Saline (10 mL/kg) was administered to the model control group and the other three experimental groups were fed with low (10 mg/kg), medium (20 mg/kg) and high (40 mg/kg) asiaticoside once/daily for 14 days. The antifatigue effect of asiaticoside on mice was estimated by analyzing changes in body weight, weight-loaded swimming time, rotating time, lactic acid, urea nitrogen, liver/muscle glycogen, serumal superoxide dismutase, superoxide dismutase and the liver tissues of hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. RESULTS: The results indicated that no significant differences were observed in the body weight of each group (p > 0.05). Compared with the model control group, supplementation of asiaticoside significantly prolonged the weight-loaded swimming time and rotating time; Decreased the blood lactic acid (LA), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and serumal malonaldehyde (MDA); And increased the content of liver/muscle glycogen and serumal superoxide dismutase levels (SOD) (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the pathological results of the liver were improved greatly. The maximal effect was observed in the medium group of 20 mg/kg. CONCLUSIONS: Asiaticoside is capable of reducing the fatigue effect by regulating energy consumption, energy metabolism and improving antioxidant activity after exercise. While there are still some shortcomings in this study, our findings provide a scientific basis for developing an asiaticoside-based antifatigue supplement.

Hydrogen Sulfide Attenuates Neuroinflammation by Inhibiting the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD Pathway in Retina or Brain Neuron following Rat Ischemia/Reperfusion.

Gasdermin D-executing pyroptosis mediated by NLRP3 inflammasomes has been recognized as a key pathogenesis during stroke. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) could protect CNS against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced neuroinflammation, while the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The study applied the middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) model to investigate how the brain and the retinal injuries were alleviated in sodium hydrogen sulfide (NaHS)-treated rats. The rats were assigned to four groups and received an intraperitoneal injection of 50 µmol/kg NaHS or NaCl 15 min after surgery. Neurological deficits were evaluated using the modified neurologic severity score. The quantification of pro-inflammatory cytokines, NLRP3, caspase-1, and GSDMD were determined by ELISA and Western blot. Cortical and retinal neurodegeneration and cell pyroptosis were determined by histopathologic examination. Results showed that NaHS rescued post-stroke neurological deficits and infarct progression, improved retina injury, and attenuated neuroinflammation in the brain cortexes and the retinae. NaHS administration inhibits inflammation by blocking the NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD pathway and further suppressing neuronal pyroptosis. This is supported by the fact that it reversed the high-level of NLRP3, caspase-1, and GSDMD following I/R. Our findings suggest that compounds with the ability to donate H2S could constitute a novel therapeutic strategy for ischemic stroke.

Ultrasound-Guided Median Nerve Electrical Stimulation to Promote Upper Limb Function Recovery after Stroke.

Peripheral electrical nerve stimulation enhances hand function during stroke rehabilitation. Here, we proposed a percutaneous direct median nerve stimulation guided by ultrasound (ultrasound-guided median nerve electrical stimulation, UG-MNES) and evaluated its feasibility and effectiveness in the treatment of stroke patients with upper limb extremity impairments. Sixty-three stroke patients (2-3 months of onset) were randomly divided into control and UG-MNES groups. Both groups received routine rehabilitation and the UG-MNES group received an additional ultrasound-guided electrical stimulation of the median nerve at 2 Hz, 0.2 ms pulse-width for 20 minutes with gradual intensity enhancement. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment for upper extremity motor function (FMA-UE) was used as the primary outcome. The secondary outcomes were the Functional Test for the Hemiplegic Upper Extremity (FTHUE-HK), Hand Function Rating Scale, Brunnstrom Stages, and Barthel Index scores for motor and daily functions. All the participants completed the trial without any side effects or adverse events during the intervention. After 4 weeks of intervention, the functions of the upper limbs on the hemiplegic side in both groups achieved significant recovery. Compared to the control group, all evaluation indices used in this trial were improved significantly in the UG-MNES group after 2 and 4 weeks of intervention; particularly, the first intervention of UG-MNES immediately improved all the assessment items significantly. In conclusion, the UG-MNES is a safe and feasible treatment for stroke patients with upper limb extremity impairments and could significantly improve the motor function of the affected upper limb, especially in the first intervention. The UG-MNES could be an effective alternative intervention for stroke with upper limb extremity impairments.

Vitamin B6 prevents Isocarbophos-induced posterior cerebral artery injury in offspring rats through up-regulating S1P receptor expression.

We have previously reported that the long-term exposure of Isocarbophos, a kind of organophosphorus compounds, induces vascular dementia (VD) in rats. Studies have also shown that organophosphorus compounds have adverse effects on offsprings. Vitamin B6 is a coenzyme mainly involved in the regulation of metabolism and has been demonstrated to ameliorate VD. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a biologically active lipid, plays a vital role in the cardiovascular system. However, whether S1P is involved in the therapeutic effects of Vitamin B6 on posterior cerebral artery injury has yet to be further answered. In the present study, we aimed to explore the potential influence of Vitamin B6 on Isocarbophos-induced posterior cerebral artery injury in offspring rats and the role of the S1P receptor in this process. We found that Vitamin B6 significantly improves the vasoconstriction function of the posterior cerebral artery in rats induced by Isocarbophos by the blood gas analysis and endothelium-dependent relaxation function assay. We further demonstrated that Vitamin B6 alleviates the Isocarbophos-induced elevation of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, IL-1, and IL-6 by using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. By performing immunofluorescence and the western blot assay, we revealed that Vitamin B6 prevents the down-regulation of S1P in posterior cerebral artery injury. It is worth noting that Fingolimod, the S1P inhibitor, significantly inhibits the Vitamin B6-induced up-regulation of S1P in posterior cerebral artery injury. Collectively, our data indicate that Vitamin B6 may be a novel drug for the treatment of posterior cerebral artery injury and that S1P may be a drug target for its treatment.

[Effect of Beclin-1 shRNA on hypoxia-induced autophagy in SH-SY5Y cells].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of hypoxia on autophagy in Beclin-1-knockdown SH-SY5Y cells by constructing a stable transfected SH-SY5Y cell lines of silencing Beclin-1 gene. METHODS: Beclin-1shRNA lentiviral vector and negative control lentiviral vector were constructed; the vector was transfected into SH-SY5Y cells; then the expression of Beclin-1 mRNA was detected by RT-PCR, the level of Beclin-1 protein was detected by Western blot. CCK-8 method was used to determine the effect of Beclin-1 knockdown on the viability of SH-SY5Y cells. Next, the blank control, negative control and transfected cells were cultured under 21% normoxia and 5% hypoxia conditions. The expression of LC3 protein in each group was detected by Western blot and the autophagic bodies were observed by electron microscopy. RESULTS: Beclin-1 shRNA significantly inhibited the expression of Beclin-1 mRNA and protein in SH-SY5Y cells; after silencing Beclin 1 gene, the survival rate of Beclin-1 shRNA group cells was no different from that of negative control (NC) group. After 5% hypoxia treatment, compared with NC group, the ratio of LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰand the number of autophagy bodies were all decreased in Beclin-1 shRNA group. CONCLUSIONS: Beclin-1 knockdown SH-SY5Y cell lines and negative control cell lines were successfully established. Lentivirus-mediated Beclin-1 shRNA has no effect on the viability of SH-SY5Y cells, but can inhibit hypoxia-induced autophagy.