Genes and structure of selected cytokines involved in pathogenesis of psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a common skin disease involving 1-4% of human population worldwide, of strong genetic background. The following cytokines are directly involved in psoriasis: TNF, IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-15, IL-18, IL-19, IL-20, IL-23 whereas IL-4, IL-10, IL-12 as well as IL-11, IL-17 and IFN-gamma are rather indirectly engaged. This work is a review of some genetic factors and structure of selected cytokines and receptors and their genes location

Plasma Interleukin-18 and Dendritic Cells in Males with Psoriasis Vulgaris

Peripheral blood dendritic cells seem to play a crucial role in psoriatic inflammatory processes. The aim of our study is to investigate the relationship between plasma interleukin-18 (IL-18) levels and blood dendritic cells in psoriatic patients. IL-18 plasma levels were measured by ELISA. Phenotypes of dendritic cell subsets were analyzed by double-colour flow cytometry. Plasma IL-18 level in psoriatic males was significantly higher, whereas counts of BDCA-2+ cells were lower than in the control group. The myeloid/plasmacytoid ratio was significantly higher in the patient group compared to the control one. In the patient group, significant negative correlations between plasma IL-18 level and both the BDCA-1+ and BDCA-2+ counts were found. BDCA-1+ counts correlated negatively with percentage of skin involvement. IL-18 seems to play a role in psoriasis pathogenesis. The decreased counts of blood plasmacytoid DCs in psoriatic patients might result from IL-18 down-regulation of plasmacytoid DC precursor proliferation

Practical aspects of energy storage

Jednym z kluczowych problemów i wyzwań współczesnej cywilizacji jest efekt cieplarniany i bezpieczeństwo energetyczne (strategia Unii Europejskiej), konkurencyjność polskiej i europejskiej gospodarki oraz zmniejszenie zanieczyszczenia powietrza w miastach. Rozwój nowoczesnych baterii litowo-jonowych i poprawa zdolności magazynowania energii w bateriach ma strategiczne znaczenie dla Europy. Wojna na Ukrainie rozpoczęta w lutym 2022 r. zwróciła uwagę Europy na kwestię dywersyfikacji źródeł energii oraz konieczność inwestowania w odnawialne źródła energii. Rozpoczęto intensywne prace nad systemem energetyki rozproszonej, która nie może istnieć bez rozproszonego magazynowania energii. Kluczem do rozwoju rynku magazynów energii jest opracowanie rozwiązań w zakresie nowoczesnych elektrochemicznych metod magazynowania energii, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem poniższych parametrów: wydajność, przyjazność dla środowiska, koszty, bezpieczeństwo. Celem niniejszego opracowania jest zaprezentowanie strategii projektowania nowego magazynu energii połączonego z instalacją fotowoltaiczną na wybranym modelowym domu, opartego na bateriach jonowo-litowych na podstawie zidentyfikowanych wyzwań technologicznych. Magazyny energii produkowane w oparciu o europejskie łańcuchy dostaw oraz o lokalną myśl techniczną przyczynią się do zwiększenia bezpieczeństwa energetycznego, rozwoju rozproszonej energetyki oraz uniezależnienia od komponentów dostarczanych z Azji. W rozdziale poruszono kwestie technologiczne związane z budową ogniw jonowo-litowych oraz poszczególnych elementów ogniw takich jak katoda, anoda oraz elektrolit. Ponadto zaprezentowane są również dane dotyczące rozwoju rynku baterii na rynku światowym oraz trendy na rynkach europejskich. Na podstawie wyróżnionych wyzwań technologicznych projektowania nowego magazynu energii zaprojektowano strategie zmierzające to pokonania trudności, a co za tym idzie, zbudowania nowego magazynu charakteryzującego się: obniżonymi kosztami produkcji, zwiększoną pojemnością, zwiększoną mocą, zwiększoną żywotnością oraz wzrostem bezpieczeństwa.One of the key problems and challenges of modern civilization is the greenhouse effect and energy security (European Union strategy), the competitiveness of the Polish and European economies and the reduction of urban air pollution. The development of modern lithium-ion batteries and the improvement of battery energy storage capacity is of strategic importance for Europe. The war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022, has drawn Europe’s attention to the issue of diversification of energy sources and the need to invest in renewable energy sources. Intensive work has begun on a distributed energy system, which cannot exist without distributed energy storage. The key to the development of the energy storage market is the development of solutions for modern electrochemical methods of energy storage, with particular attention to the following parameters: efficiency, environmental friendliness, cost, safety. The purpose of this article is to present a strategy for the design of a new energy storage combined with a photovoltaic installation on a selected model house, based on lithium ion batteries on the basis of the identified technological challenges. Energy storages produced on the basis of the European supply chain and local technical thought will contribute to increased energy security, the development of distributed energy and independence from components supplied from Asia. The article addresses technological issues related to the construction of lithium ion cells and individual cell components such as cathode, anode and electrolyte. In addition, data on the development of the battery market in the global market and trends in European markets are also presented. On the basis of the highlighted technological challenges of designing a new energy storage, strategies are designed to overcome the difficulties and thus build a new storage characterized by: reduced production costs, increased capacity, increased power, increased life and increased safety

Imidazole-Based Lithium Salt LiHDI as a Solid Electrolyte Interphase-Stabilising Additive for Lithium-Conducting Electrolytes

Lithium salt LiHDI (lithium 4,5-dicyano-2-(n-heptafluoropropyl)imidazolide) is proposed as a solid electrolyte interphase-stabilising additive for lithium-ion batteries, which can be added in a smaller amount than fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) and vinylene carbonate (VC) additives. Electrolytes containing either lithium 4,5-dicyano-2-(trifluoromethyl)imidazolide (LiTDI) or battery-standard LiPF6 were tested with various amounts of LiHDI additive. Chemical stability in the presence of water and the thermal stability of LiHDI are on par with LiTDI. LiHDI additive does not negatively affect the properties of electrolytes. Conductivity measurements of solutions, galvanostatic cycling of graphite-LiFePO4 cells at room temperature, cells’ cycling at 60 °C, internal cell resistance monitoring during cycling, and XPS analysis of electrodes’ surfaces after cycling have been performed. LiHDI, unlike the FEC-VC mixture, does not negatively affect the properties of the electrolyte. Cycling showed improved capacity retention with LiHDI additive with both graphite and LiFePO4 as capacity-limiting electrodes over samples without additives. At elevated temperatures, samples with LiHDI exhibited better capacity retention during cycling than those with FEC-VC. Internal cell resistance can be correlated with capacity retention. XPS results show changes in the composition of SEI depending on the composition of the electrolyte and the duration of cycling

Embedment of Methylene Blue in natural and synthetic phillipsite

Phillipsite was crystallized from a high siliceous aluminosilicate mixture containing Zn cations and methylene blue (MB). The presence of MB did not affect the crystallization, but it resulted in a substantial amount of dye being anchored to the zeolite, despite its narrow channels. Dye-free synthetic phillipsite modified with MB solution showed markedly lower dye content, which, however was considerably higher than those in the MB-treated natural phillipsite and mordenite. The ultra violet/visible (UV-vis) spectra of the dye-modified synthetic phillipsites indicated the presence of MB monomers and oligomers, whereas the spectra of the modified natural zeolites showed protonated MB also. The electron spin resonance spectra of samples crystallized with MB indicated the presence of paramagnetic species

Electrochemical performance of highly conductive nanocrystallized glassy alluaudite-type cathode materials for NIBs

Alluaudite-type materials are systematically attracting more attention as prospective cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries. It has been demonstrated that optimized thermal nanocrystallization of glassy analogs of various cathode materials may lead to a significant increase in their electrical conductivity. In this paper, three alluaudite-like glasses (Na2Fe3(PO4)3—FFF, Na2VFe2(PO4)3—VFF, and Na2VFeMn(PO4)3—VFM) were synthesized and subjected to an optimized thermal nanocrystallization. This procedure resulted in nanostructured samples with increased electrical conductivity at room temperature: 5×10−7 S/cm (FFF), 7×10−5 S/cm (VFM), and 6×10−4 S/cm (VFF). The nanocrystalline microstructure was also evidenced by ultra-high-frequency impedance spectroscopy (up to 10 GHz) and proposed electrical equivalent circuits. Prototype electrochemical cells were assembled and characterized with voltage cutoffs of 1.5 and 4.5 V. The electrochemical performance was, however, modest. The gravimetric capacity varied between the studied materials, but did not exceed 35 mAh/g. Capacity retention after ca. 100 cycles was satisfactory. Further optimization of the residual-glass-to-nanocrystallite volume ratio would be desirable

Electrochemical Performance of Highly Conductive Nanocrystallized Glassy Alluaudite-Type Cathode Materials for NIBs

Alluaudite-type materials are systematically attracting more attention as prospective cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries. It has been demonstrated that optimized thermal nanocrystallization of glassy analogs of various cathode materials may lead to a significant increase in their electrical conductivity. In this paper, three alluaudite-like glasses (Na2Fe3(PO4)3—FFF, Na2VFe2(PO4)3—VFF, and Na2VFeMn(PO4)3—VFM) were synthesized and subjected to an optimized thermal nanocrystallization. This procedure resulted in nanostructured samples with increased electrical conductivity at room temperature: 5×10−7 S/cm (FFF), 7×10−5 S/cm (VFM), and 6×10−4 S/cm (VFF). The nanocrystalline microstructure was also evidenced by ultra-high-frequency impedance spectroscopy (up to 10 GHz) and proposed electrical equivalent circuits. Prototype electrochemical cells were assembled and characterized with voltage cutoffs of 1.5 and 4.5 V. The electrochemical performance was, however, modest. The gravimetric capacity varied between the studied materials, but did not exceed 35 mAh/g. Capacity retention after ca. 100 cycles was satisfactory. Further optimization of the residual-glass-to-nanocrystallite volume ratio would be desirable

Genes and structure of selected cytokines involved in pathogenesis of psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a common skin disease involving 1-4% of human population worldwide, of strong genetic background. The following cytokines are directly involved in psoriasis: TNF, IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-15, IL-18, IL-19, IL-20, IL-23 whereas IL-4, IL-10, IL-12 as well as IL-11, IL-17 and IFN-gamma are rather indirectly engaged. This work is a review of some genetic factors and structure of selected cytokines and receptors and their genes location

A Comprehensive Investigation of the Structural, Thermal, and Biological Properties of Fully Randomized Biomedical Polyesters Synthesized with a Nontoxic Bismuth(III) Catalyst

Aliphatic polyesters are the most common type of biodegradable synthetic polymer used in many pharmaceutical applications nowadays. This report describes the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of l-lactide (L-LA), ε-caprolactone (CL) and glycolide (Gly) in the presence of a simple, inexpensive and convenient PEG200-BiOct3 catalytic system. The chemical structures of the obtained copolymers were characterized by 1H- or 13C-NMR. GPC was used to estimate the average molecular weight of the resulting polyesters, whereas TGA and DSC were employed to determine the thermal properties of polymeric products. The effects of temperature, reaction time, and catalyst content on the polymerization process were investigated. Importantly, the obtained polyesters were not cyto- or genotoxic, which is significant in terms of the potential for medical applications (e.g., for drug delivery systems). As a result of transesterification, the copolymers obtained had a random distribution of comonomer units along the polymer chain. The thermal analysis indicated an amorphous nature of poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PLACL) and a low degree of crystallinity of poly(ε-caprolactone-co-glycolide) (PCLGA, Xc = 15.1%), in accordance with the microstructures with random distributions and short sequences of comonomer units (l = 1.02–2.82). Significant differences in reactivity were observed among comonomers, confirming preferential ring opening of L-LA during the copolymerization process