Heteroaromatic organic compound with conjugated multi-carbonyl as cathode material for rechargeable lithium batteries

The heteroaromatic organic compound, N,N\u27-diphenyl-1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetra-carboxylic diimide (DP-NTCDI-250) as the cathode material of lithium batteries is prepared through a simple one-pot N-acylation reaction of 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetra-carboxylic dianhydride (NTCDA) with phenylamine (PA) in DMF solution followed by heat treatment in 250 °C. The as prepared sample is characterized by the combination of elemental analysis, NMR, FT-IR, TGA, XRD, SEM and TEM. The electrochemical measurements show that DP-NTCDI-250 can deliver an initial discharge capacity of 170 mAh g-1 at the current density of 25 mA g-1. The capacity of 119 mAh g-1 can be retained after 100 cycles. Even at the high current density of 500 mA g-1, its capacity still reaches 105 mAh g-1, indicating its high rate capability. Therefore, the as-prepared DP-NTCDI-250 could be a promising candidate as low cost cathode materials for lithium batteries

Effects of empagliflozin on serum uric acid level of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract Background Serum uric acid levels are higher in patients with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes compared to healthy individuals, and hyperuricemia causes a significant rate of complications and mortality through heart and kidney diseases. Accordingly, the present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effect of empagliflozin on serum uric acid levels. Materials and methods Electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Google Scholar, were used to search papers until May 22, 2023. Data analysis was conducted by STATA Version 14, and P-value < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results The results obtained from the combination of 12 studies with 7801 samples of diabetic patients indicated that in the empagliflozin group, the serum uric acid levels of the patients decreased ([standardized mean difference (SMD): − 1.97 (95%CI − 3.39, − 0.55)], Systolic blood pressure (SBP) [SMD: − 2.62 (95%CI − 3.87, − 1.37)] and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) [SMD: − 0.49 (95%CI − 0.68, − 0.29)]). On the other side, empagliflozin treatment did not affect the patients’ HbA1c levels ([SMD: − 2.85 (95%CI − 6.14, 0.45)], eGFR [SMD: 0.78 (95%CI − 0.63, 2.18)], creatinine [SMD:0.11 (95%CI − 0.10, 0.31)], LDL [SMD: 0.14 (95%CI − 0.43, 0.71)], and HDL [SMD:1.38 (95%CI − 0.22, 2.99)]). Compared with the placebo, empagliflozin was more effective in reducing the uric acid levels ([SMD: − 1.34 (95%CI − 2.05, − 0.63)], SBP [SMD: − 2.11 (95%CI − 3.89, − 0.33)], and HbA1c [SMD: − 1.04 (95%CI − 1.95, − 0.13)]). Moreover, compared with sitagliptin also, empagliflozin was more effective in reducing uric acid levels ([SMD: − 1 (95%CI − 1.78, − 0.22)], and creatinine [SMD: − 1.60 (95%CI − 2.28, − 0.92)]) and increasing eGFR levels [SMD: 0.99 (95%CI: 0.37, 1.62)] of the patients. Compared with dapagliflozin also, empagliflozin caused a reduction in eGFR level [SMD: − 0.45 (95%CI − 0.82, − 0.08)]. Conclusion Empagliflozin treatment was effective in controlling diabetic patients’ hyperuricemia and hypertension

Selection of appropriate reference genes for RT-qPCR analysis in Propylea japonica (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae).

Reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is a reliable technique commonly used in molecular biology to analyze RNA expression. The selection of suitable reference genes for data normalization is a precondition for credible measurements of gene expression levels using RT-qPCR. Propylea japonica is one of the most common pests of many crop systems throughout East Asia, and has often been used in the testing of non-target impacts during environmental risk assessments of genetically engineered plants. The present study assessed the suitability of nine frequently used reference genes for comparisons of P. japonica gene expression. Expression stability was compared across developmental stages, sex, a range of tissues, and following exposure to different temperatures. Data were analyzed using RefFinder, which integrated the results obtained using NormFinder, geNorm, BestKeeper, and the ΔCt method. This led to the identification of unique sets of reference genes for each experimental condition: ribosomal protein S18 (RPS18) and elongation factor 1 α (EF1A) for developmental stage comparisons, RPS18 and EF1A for sex comparisons, EF1A and ribosomal protein L4 for tissue comparisons, and RPS18 and EF1A for analyses of temperature-mediated effects. These reference genes will help to enhance the accuracy of RT-qPCR analyses of P. japonica gene expression. This work represents an initial move towards building a standardized system for RT-qPCR analysis of P. japonica, providing a basis for the ecological risk assessment of RNAi-based insect control products

Host plants influence the composition of the gut bacteria in Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata.

The gut bacteria of insects positively influence the physiology of their host, however, the dynamics of this complicated ecosystem are not fully clear. To improve our understanding, we characterized the gut prokaryotic of Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata that fed on two host plants, Solanum melongena (referred to as QZ hereafter) and Solanum nigrum (referred to as LK hereafter), by sequencing the V3-V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene using the Illumina MiSeq system. The results revealed that the gut bacterial composition varied between specimens that fed on different host plants. The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean analyses and principal coordinate analysis showed that the bacterial communities of the LK and QZ groups were distinct. Four phyla (Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria) were present in all H. vigintioctopunctata gut samples. It is noteworthy that bacteria of the phylum Cyanobacteria were only found in the LK group, with a low relative abundance. Proteobacteria and Enterobacteriaceae were the predominant phylum and family, respectively, in both the LK and QZ groups. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) analyses showed that the QZ group enriched the Bacilli class and Lactococcus genus; while the LK group enriched the Alphaproteobacteria class and Ochrobactrum genus. PICRUSt analysis showed that genes predicted to be involved in xenobiotic biodegradation and metabolism, metabolism of other amino acids, signaling molecules, and interaction were significantly higher in the QZ group. Genes predicted to be involved in the metabolism of cofactors and vitamins were significantly higher in the LK group. Furthermore, the complexity of the network structure and the modularity were higher in the LK group than in the QZ group. This is the first study to characterize the gut bacteria of H. vigintioctopunctat, our results demonstrate that the two host plants tested had a considerable impact on bacterial composition in the gut of H. vigintioctopunctata and that the bacterial communities were dominated by relatively few taxa