DataSheet1_Yangjing capsule improves oligoasthenozoospermia by promoting nitric oxide production through PLCγ1/AKT/eNOS pathway.docx

Background: Oligoasthenozoospermia is an important factor leading to male infertility. Yangjing capsule (YC), a traditional Chinese preparation, displays beneficial effects on male infertility. However, whether YC could improve oligoasthenozoospermia remains unclear.Methods: In this study, we aimed to explore the effect of YC in the treatment of oligoasthenozoospermia. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were treated with 800 mg/kg ornidazole once daily for 30 days to induce in vivo oligoasthenozoospermia; primary Sertoli cells were treated with 400 μg/mL ornidazole for 24 h to induce in vitro oligoasthenozoospermia.Results: We found that YC improved the testicle and epididymis weight, sperm concentration, sperm progressive motility, serum testosterone, fertility rate and testis morphology in ornidazole-exposed rats and enhanced cell survival in ornidazole-stimulated primary Sertoli cells. YC also inhibited the ornidazole-caused decrease in nitric oxide (NO) generation and the phosphorylation of phospholipase C γ1 (PLCγ1), AKT, and eNOS in vivo and in vitro in oligoasthenozoospermia. Furthermore, the knockdown of PLCγ1 blunted the beneficial effects of YC in vitro.Conclusion: Collectively, our data suggested that YC protected against oligoasthenozoospermia by promoting NO levels through the PLCγ1/AKT/eNOS pathway.</p

CuO/ZnO/Al₂O₃ Catalyst Prepared by Mechanical-Force-Driven Solid-State Ion Exchange and Its Excellent Catalytic Activity under Internal Cooling Condition

CuO/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared by a mechanical-force-driven solid-state ion-exchange method, and their catalytic performance for methanol synthesis was investigated in a manufactured reactor with an internal cooling system. With the increasing of milling speed during ball-milling, the ion exchange between Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ in catalyst precursors is enhanced. After calcination, CuO nanoparticles are neighboring to ZnO nanoparticles and ZnO nanoparticles serve as spacers to prevent the agglomeration of CuO nanoparticles, leading to a cross-distribution of CuO and ZnO in catalysts. The as-prepared catalysts exhibit excellent catalytic activities, and the highest CO₂ conversion and CH₃OH yield at 240 °C and 4 MPa can reach 59.5% and 43.7%, respectively. The extraordinary catalytic performance can be attributed to both the cross-distribution of CuO and ZnO nanoparticles caused by solid-state ion exchange and the promotion of reversible CO₂ hydrogenation reaction toward methanol synthesis by the internal cooling system

Magnesium Hydride Nanoparticles Self-Assembled on Graphene as Anode Material for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

MgH₂ nanoparticles (NPs) uniformly anchored on graphene (GR) are fabricated based on a bottom-up self-assembly strategy as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Monodisperse MgH₂ NPs with an average particle size of ∼13.8 nm are self-assembled on the flexible GR, forming interleaved MgH₂/GR (GMH) composite architectures. Such nanoarchitecture could effectively constrain the aggregation of active materials, buffer the strain of volume changes, and facilitate the electron/lithium ion transfer of the whole electrode, leading to a significant enhancement of the lithium storage capacity of the GMH composite. Furthermore, the performances of GMH composite as anode materials for LIBs are enabled largely through robust interfacial interactions with poly­(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) binder, which plays multifunctional roles in forming a favorable solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) film, alleviating the volume expansion and detachment of active materials, and maintaining the structural integrity of the whole electrode. As a result, these synergistic effects endow the obtained GMH composite with a significantly enhanced reversible capacity and cyclability as well as a good rate capability. The GMH composite with 50 wt % MgH₂ delivers a high reversible capacity of 946 mA h g^–1 at 100 mA g ^–1 after 100 cycles and a capacity of 395 mAh g^–1 at a high current density of 2000 mA g^–1 after 1000 cycles

Fully Reversible De/hydriding of Mg Base Solid Solutions with Reduced Reaction Enthalpy and Enhanced Kinetics

This paper presents a new approach to tune the de/hydriding thermodynamic properties of Mg via forming reversible Mg base solid solutions in the Mg–In and Mg–In–Al systems by mechanical milling. The effect of solubility of In and Al on the reversible formation of solid solution structure and hydrogen storage properties were investigated. It is found that although the solute atoms unavoidably are rejected upon hydriding, the hydrogenated products of MgH₂ and intermediate MgIn compound could fully transform back to solid solution after dehydrogenation. In the hydriding of Mg­(In, Al) ternary solid solution, Al would get dissolved into MgIn compound rather than forming free Al like the Mg­(Al) binary solid solution. Therefore, the presence of In improves the dehydriding reversibility of Mg­(Al) solid solution, and the reversible Al concentration could be increased up to the 8 at. %, which is just the solubility limit of Al in Mg by mechanical milling. The reversible phase transformation is responsible for the reduction in the desorption enthalpy of MgH₂, being 12 kJ/(mol·H₂) reduction for the alloy Mg_0.9In_0.1 relative to the desorption enthalpy of pure MgH₂. Further, the hydrogen sorption kinetics of Mg­(In) solid solutions are enhanced. Comparatively, both the thermodynamic destabilizing effect and the kinetic enhancing effect due to the Al dissolving are inferior to those due to the In dissolving. This work demonstrates a feasible way to improve the thermodynamics and kinetics of Mg base hydrogen storage alloys through traditional metallurgical method

Intrinsically Coupled 3D nGs@CNTs Frameworks as Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Acquiring high-quality integrated nanographene sheets (nGs) and mitigating their self-aggregation are highly essential to achieving their full potential in energy related applications. The insertion of enthetic spacers into nGs layers can relieve the stacking problems but always results in a change in the intrinsic properties of the nGs and/or the introduction of complexity at the interfaces. In this work, a facile and scalable strategy is used to construct highly integrated, intrinsically coupled, N, S-doped 3D nanographene sheets trapped within carbon nanotubes (nGs@CNTs) through a modified counterion intercalation. The as-obtained nGs@CNTs are composed of two building blocks, in which large amounts of integrated unzipped nanoscale graphene sheets are tightly attached to the intact inner walls of the CNTs. The remaining CNTs serve as inherent spacers to prevent the self-stacking of nGs. Benefiting from the permanent and robust column bracing frameworks, the resultant 3D aerogels are expected to act as effective electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries with superior cyclic performance, delivering a reversible capacity as high as 1089 mAh g^–1 at a current density of 2 A g^–1 even after 300 cycles. The good lithium-ion storage performance is attributed to the hierarchical porous feature, the intrinsically unstacked bridged structure, and the synergistic effects between the N and S. This promising strategy represents a new concept for mitigating the self-aggregation of nGs by using autologous spacers

Three-Dimensional Graphene/Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Aerogel Anchored with SnO₂ Nanoparticles for High Performance Lithium Storage

A unique 3D graphene-single walled carbon nanotube (G-SWNT) aerogel anchored with SnO₂ nanoparticles (SnO₂@G-SWCNT) is fabricated by the hydrothermal self-assembly process. The influences of mass ratio of SWCNT to graphene on structure and electrochemical properties of SnO₂@G-SWCNT are investigated systematically. The SnO₂@G-SWCNT composites show excellent electrochemical performance in Li-ion batteries; for instance, at a current density of 100 mA g^–1, a specific capacity of 758 mAh g^–1 was obtained for the SnO₂@G-SWCNT with 50% SWCNT in G-SWCNT and the Coulombic efficiency is close to 100% after 200 cycles; even at current density of 1 A g^–1, it can still maintain a stable specific capacity of 537 mAh g^–1 after 300 cycles. It is believed that the 3D G-SWNT architecture provides a flexible conductive matrix for loading the SnO₂, facilitating the electronic and ionic transportation and mitigating the volume variation of the SnO₂ during lithiation/delithiation. This work also provides a facile and reasonable strategy to solve the pulverization and agglomeration problem of other transition metal oxides as electrode materials

Table1_The Protective Effects of Bushen Daozhuo Granule on Chronic Non-bacterial Prostatitis.DOCX

Background: Chronic non-bacterial prostatitis (CNP), one of the most common chronic diseases in urology, leads to pain in the prostate and dysuria, critically affecting the physical or mental health of patients. However, there are no standard treatment approaches for the treatment of CNP in the clinic. Although the clinical application of Bushen Daozhuo granule (BSDZG) offers hope to CNP patients in China, the mechanisms of BSDZG in treating CNP are still not entirely clear. Hence, we aimed to investigate the novel therapeutic mechanisms of BSDZG on CNP.Methods: In this study, we first assayed the prostate index of rats and then determined the anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects of BSDZG on CNP in vivo and in vitro by employing ELISA kits and TUNEL staining. Next, we investigated whether the anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic mechanisms of BSDZG on prostate protein-induced rats and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced RWPE-1 cells were related to the AKT, p38 MAPK, and NF-κB pathways with the help of Western blot. Finally, the influence of BSDZG on the interaction between the p38 MAPK and NF-κB pathway in LPS-induced RWPE-1 cells was explored by adopting dehydrocorydaline (DHC, p38 MAPK activator) with the help of ELISA kits and Western blot.Results:In vivo, BSDZG effectively reduced the prostate index. In vivo and in vitro, BSDZG dramatically declined the level of two pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α and IL-1β, as well as the apoptosis rate. Moreover, in vivo and in vitro, BSDZG memorably upregulated the expression level of p-AKT, and substantially downregulated the expression level of p-p38 MAPK and NF-κB2. The activation of p38 MAPK significantly reversed the moderation effects of BSDZG on the level of TNF-α and IL-1β, as well as the expression level of p-p38 MAPK and NF-κB2 in vitro.Conclusion: To sum up, the in vivo and in vitro therapeutic mechanisms of BSDZG on CNP were reflected as the anti-inflammation and anti-apoptosis that was formed by inhibiting the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α and IL-1β, to regulate the AKT, p38 MAPK, and NF-κB pathways, and the anti-inflammatory effect of BSDZG was realized by suppressing the p38 MAPK pathway to inhibit the downstream NF-κB pathway.</p

<i>In Situ</i> Embedding of Mg₂NiH₄ and YH₃ Nanoparticles into Bimetallic Hydride NaMgH₃ to Inhibit Phase Segregation for Enhanced Hydrogen Storage

For the first time, component segregation during cycling was demonstrated to be responsible for the deterioration in the kinetics of bimetallic hydride NaMgH₃. To solve this problem, we propose a method involving <i>in situ</i> embedding of Mg₂NiH₄ and YH₃ into NaMgH₃, which is accomplished with a solid-phase reaction using amorphous Mg₁₂YNi alloy and NaH as starting materials under a H₂ atmosphere. Using this novel method, 12 wt % of the Mg₂NiH₄ phase and 11 wt % of the YH₃ phase were homogeneously embedded in the NaMgH₃ matrix. In comparison to those of pure NaMgH₃, this composite material exhibits no change in thermodynamics but shows greatly enhanced kinetics for hydrogen absorption and desorption cycling. In addition, reasonable mechanisms for the enhanced kinetics have been proposed including the prevention of macroscopic segregation of metallic Na, grain refinement, and a synergistic catalytic effect. All of these mechanisms rely on the intimately interdispersed Mg₂NiH₄ and YH₃ nanoparticles embedded in the NaMgH₃ matrix

Rapid Amorphization in Metastable CoSeO₃·H₂O Nanosheets for Ultrafast Lithiation Kinetics

The realization of high-performance anode materials with high capacity at fast lithiation kinetics and excellent cycle stability remains a significant but critical challenge for high-power applications such as electric vehicles. Two-dimensional nanostructures have attracted considerable research interest in electrochemical energy storage devices owing to their intriguing surface effect and significantly decreased ion-diffusion pathway. Here we describe rationally designed metastable CoSeO₃·H₂O nanosheets synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method for use as a Li ion battery anode. This crystalline nanosheet can be steadily converted into amorphous phase at the beginning of the first Li⁺ discharge cycling, leading to ultrahigh reversible capacities of 1100 and 515 mAh g^–1 after 1000 cycles at a high rate of 3 and 10 A g^–1, respectively. The as-obtained amorphous structure experiences an isotropic stress, which can significantly reduce the risk of fracture during electrochemical cycling. Our study offers a precious opportunity to reveal the ultrafast lithiation kinetics associated with the rapid amorphization mechanism in layered cobalt selenide nanosheets

<i>In Situ</i> Growth of Layered Bimetallic ZnCo Hydroxide Nanosheets for High-Performance All-Solid-State Pseudocapacitor

Two-dimensional (2D) hydroxide nanosheets can exhibit exceptional electrochemical performance owing to their shortened ion diffusion distances, abundant active sites, and various valence states. Herein, we report ZnCo_1.5(OH)_4.5Cl_0.5·0.45H₂O nanosheets (thickness ∼30 nm) which crystallize in a layered structure and exhibit a high specific capacitance of 3946.5 F g^–1 at 3 A g^–1 for an electrochemical pseudocapacitor. ZnCo_1.5(OH)_4.5Cl_0.5·0.45H₂O was synthesized by a homogeneous precipitation method and spontaneously crystallized into 2D nanosheets in well-defined hexagonal morphology with crystal structure revealed by synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data analysis. <i>In situ</i> growth of ZnCo_1.5(OH)_4.5Cl_0.5·0.45H₂O nanosheet arrays on conductive Ni foam substrate was successfully realized. Asymmetric supercapacitors based on ZnCo_1.5(OH)_4.5Cl_0.5·0.45H₂O nanosheets @Ni foam// PVA, KOH//reduced graphene oxide exhibits a high energy density of 114.8 Wh kg^–1 at an average power density of 643.8 W kg^–1, which surpasses most of the reported all-solid-state supercapacitors based on carbonaceous materials, transition metal oxides/hydroxides, and MXenes. Furthermore, a supercapacitor constructed from ZnCo_1.5(OH)_4.5Cl_0.5·0.45H₂O nanosheets@PET substrate shows excellent flexibility and mechanical stability. This study provides layered bimetallic hydroxide nanosheets as promising electroactive materials for flexible, solid-state energy storage devices, presenting the best reported performance to date