Pharmacokinetic Comparison of Ferulic Acid in Normal and Blood Deficiency Rats after Oral Administration of Angelica sinensis, Ligusticum chuanxiong and Their Combination

Radix Angelica Sinensis (RAS) and Rhizome Ligusticum (RLC) combination is a popular herb pair commonly used in clinics for treatment of blood deficiency syndrome in China. The aim of this study is to compare the pharmacokinetic properties of ferulic acid (FA), a main bioactive constituent in both RAS and RLC, between normal and blood deficiency syndrome animals, and to investigate the influence of compatibility of RAS and RLC on the pharmacokinetic of FA. The blood deficiency rats were induced by injecting 2% Acetyl phenylhydrazine (APH) on the first day, every other day, to a total of five times, at the dosage of 100, 50, 50, 30, 30 mg/kg body mass, respectively. Quantification of FA in rat plasma was achieved by using a simple and rapid HPLC method. Plasma samples were collected at different time points to construct pharmacokinetic profiles by plotting drug concentration versus time, and estimate pharmacokinetic parameters. Between normal and blood deficiency model groups, both AUC(0–t) and Cmax of FA in blood deficiency rats after RAS-RLC extract administration increased significantly (P < 0.05), while clearance (CL) decreased significantly. Among three blood deficiency model groups, t1/2α, Vd, AUC(0–t) and AUC(0–∞) all increased significantly in the RAS-RLC extract group compared with the RAS group. The results indicated that FA was absorbed better and eliminated slower in blood deficiency rats; RLC could significantly prolong the half-life of distribution, increase the volume of distribution and the absorption amount of FA of RAS in blood deficiency rats, which may be due to the synergic action when RAS and RLC were used together to treat blood deficiency syndrome

Effect of spark plasma sintering and high-pressure torsion on the microstructural and mechanical properties of a Cu–SiC composite

This investigation examines the problem of homogenization in metal matrix composites (MMCs) and the methods of increasing their strength using severe plastic deformation (SPD). In this research MMCs of pure copper and silicon carbide were synthesized by spark plasma sintering (SPS) and then further processed via highpressure torsion (HPT). The microstructures in the sintered and in the deformed materials were investigated using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM). The mechanical properties were evaluated in microhardness tests and in tensile testing. The thermal conductivity of the composites was measured with the use of a laser pulse technique. Microstructural analysis revealed that HPT processing leads to an improved densification of the SPS-produced composites with significant grain refinement in the copper matrix and with fragmentation of the SiC particles and their homogeneous distribution in the copper matrix. The HPT processing of Cu and the Cu-SiC samples enhanced their mechanical properties at the expense of limiting their plasticity. Processing by HPT also had a major influence on the thermal conductivity of materials. It is demonstrated that the deformed samples exhibit higher thermal conductivity than the initial coarse-grained samples

Graphene-Based Nanocomposites for Energy Storage

Since the first report of using micromechanical cleavage method to produce graphene sheets in 2004, graphene/graphene-based nanocomposites have attracted wide attention both for fundamental aspects as well as applications in advanced energy storage and conversion systems. In comparison to other materials, graphene-based nanostructured materials have unique 2D structure, high electronic mobility, exceptional electronic and thermal conductivities, excellent optical transmittance, good mechanical strength, and ultrahigh surface area. Therefore, they are considered as attractive materials for hydrogen (H2) storage and high-performance electrochemical energy storage devices, such as supercapacitors, rechargeable lithium (Li)-ion batteries, Li–sulfur batteries, Li–air batteries, sodium (Na)-ion batteries, Na–air batteries, zinc (Zn)–air batteries, and vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB), etc., as they can improve the efficiency, capacity, gravimetric energy/power densities, and cycle life of these energy storage devices. In this article, recent progress reported on the synthesis and fabrication of graphene nanocomposite materials for applications in these aforementioned various energy storage systems is reviewed. Importantly, the prospects and future challenges in both scalable manufacturing and more energy storage-related applications are discussed

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)1.

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

An environmentally-benign NaNbO3 based perovskite antiferroelectric alternative to traditional lead-based counterparts

This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry. Perovskite-structured antiferroelectric (AFE) materials, which are dominated by PbZrO3 based solid solutions, are of particular importance owing to their excellent electromechanical properties. The driving force for new development of AFE materials is the result of environmental regulations which require the exclusion of lead components. However, currently reported lead-free AFE materials either show inferior stability or need extremely high driving fields (EA-F) for AFE-FE phase transition. Here we report a new NaNbO3-based solid solution with a room-temperature stable AFE phase and completely reversible field induced AFE-FE phase transition, possessing a relatively low EA-F of ∼8 kV mm-1, a large repeatable strain of ∼0.29%, and a large polarization difference (Pmax ∼ 24 μC cm-2, Pr ∼ 0 μC cm-2). The local and average structures were studied by transmission electron microscopy, in situ Raman spectrum and synchrotron X-ray diffraction, revealing that the solid solution with ≥16 mol% SrTiO3 belongs to the Pnma space group and exhibits nanoscale stripe domains of ∼55 nm, and reversibly responds to large external electric fields. This makes it a competitive lead-free AFE candidate for future applications of high-power energy-storage capacitors and large-displacement actuators

Ultrahigh Energy-Storage Density in NaNbO3-Based Lead-Free Relaxor Antiferroelectric Ceramics with Nanoscale Domains

Dielectric energy-storage capacitors have received increasing attention in recent years due to the advantages of high voltage, high power density, and fast charge/discharge rates. Here, a new environment-friendly 0.76NaNbO3-0.24(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3 relaxor antiferroelectric (AFE) bulk ceramic is studied, where local orthorhombic Pnma symmetry (R phase) and nanodomains are observed based on high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and in/ex situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The orthorhombic AFE R phase and relaxor characteristics synergistically contribute to the record-high energy-storage density Wrecof ≈12.2 J cm−3 and acceptable energy efficiency η≈ 69% at 68 kV mm−1, showing great advantages over currently reported bulk dielectric ceramics. In comparison with normal AFEs, the existence of large random fields in the relaxor AFE matrix and intrinsically high breakdown strength of NaNbO3-based compositions are thought to be responsible for the observed energy-storage performances. Together with the good thermal stability of Wrec (\u3e7.4 J cm−3) and η (\u3e73%) values at 45 kV mm−1 up to temperature of 200 °C, it is demonstrated that NaNbO3-based relaxor AFE ceramics will be potential lead-free dielectric materials for next-generation pulsed power capacitor applications