Biomimetic wafer-scale alignment of tellurium nanowires for high-mobility flexible and stretchable electronics.

Flexible and stretchable thin-film transistors (TFTs) are crucial in skin-like electronics for wearable and implantable applications. Such electronics are usually constrained in performance owing to a lack of high-mobility and stretchable semiconducting channels. Tellurium, a rising semiconductor with superior charge carrier mobilities, has been limited by its intrinsic brittleness and anisotropy.

Ultrafine Pt Nanoparticles Anchored on 2D Metal-Organic Frameworks as Multifunctional Electrocatalysts for Water Electrolysis and Zinc-Air Batteries.

Multifunctional electrocatalysts are crucial to cost-effective electrochemical energy conversion and storage systems requiring mutual enhancement of disparate reactions. Embedding noble metal nanoparticles in 2D metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are proposed as an effective strategy, however, the hybrids usually suffer from poor electrochemical performance and electrical conductivity in operating conditions. Herein, ultrafine Pt nanoparticles strongly anchored on thiophenedicarboxylate acid based 2D Fe-MOF nanobelt arrays (Pt@Fe-MOF) are fabricated, allowing sufficient exposure of active sites with superior trifunctional electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution, oxygen evolution, and oxygen reduction reactions.

2D Metal-Organic Frameworks as Competent Electrocatalysts for Water Splitting.

Hydrogen, a clean and flexible energy carrier, can be efficiently produced by electrocatalytic water splitting. To accelerate the sluggish hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction kinetics in the splitting process, highly active electrocatalysts are essential for lowering the energy barriers, thereby improving the efficiency of overall water splitting. Combining the distinctive advantages of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with the physicochemical properties of 2D materials such as large surface area, tunable structure, accessible active sites, and enhanced conductivity, 2D MOFs have attracted intensive attention in the field of electrocatalysis.

Metal-Layer Assisted Growth of Ultralong Quasi-2D MOF Nanoarrays on Arbitrary Substrates for Accelerated Oxygen Evolution.

Controlled growth of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) nanocrystals on requisite surfaces is highly desired for myriad applications related to catalysis, energy, and electronics. Here, this challenge is addressed by overlaying arbitrary surfaces with a thermally evaporated metal layer to enable the well-aligned growth of ultralong quasi-2D MOF nanoarrays comprising cobalt ions and thiophenedicarboxylate acids. This interfacial engineering approach allows preferred chelation of carboxyl groups in the ligands with the metal interlayers, thereby making possible the fabrication and patterning of MOF nanoarrays on substrates of any materials or morphologies.

Gefitinib-mediated apoptosis is enhanced via inhibition of autophagy by chloroquine diphosphate in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cells.

The development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is associated with activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). EGFR-targeting presents a promising strategy for improving therapeutic efficacy. However, recent studies have suggested that tumours overexpressing EGFR depend on autophagy for survival and exhibit resistance to EGFR-targeting drugs.

Postmenopausal osteoporosis is associated with the regulation of SP, CGRP, VIP, and NPY.

Estrogen deficiency is the main factor underlying postmenopausal osteoporosis. A large number of neuropeptides, which regulate skeletal metabolism, potentially represent a regulatory pathway for the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to explore factors involved in the regulation of bone-related neuropeptides and their association with estrogen deficiency and bone metabolism.

Effects of water extract from epimedium on neuropeptide signaling in an ovariectomized osteoporosis rat model.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: For the past millennium, water extract from Epimedium (dried leaves of Epimedium brevicornu Maxim.) has been widely used for bone disease therapy in traditional Chinese medicine and has been reported to exhibit salutary effects on osteoporosis in clinical trials. The therapeutic effect of Epimedium is associated with the function of the brain in traditional Chinese medicine theory.

Thermal Instability Induced Oriented 2D Pores for Enhanced Sodium Storage.

Hierarchical porous structures are highly desired for various applications. However, it is still challenging to obtain such materials with tunable architectures. Here, this paper reports hierarchical nanomaterials with oriented 2D pores by taking advantages of thermally instable bonds in vanadium-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).

Icaritin induces MC3T3-E1 subclone14 cell differentiation through estrogen receptor-mediated ERK1/2 and p38 signaling activation.

Icaritin (ICT), a hydrolytic product of icariin from the genus Epimedium, has many indicated pharmacological and biological activities. Several studies have shown that ICT has potential osteoprotective effects, including stimulation of osteoblast differentiation and inhibition of osteoclast differentiation. However, the molecular mechanism for this anabolic action of ICT remains largely unknown.

Icariin improves osteoporosis, inhibits the expression of PPARγ, C/EBPα, FABP4 mRNA, N1ICD and jagged1 proteins, and increases Notch2 mRNA in ovariectomized rats.

Icariin (ICA) is a pharmacologically active flavonoid glycoside that shows promise in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis (OP). However, the mechanisms underlying the anti-osteoporotic effects of ICA remain largely unclear. The present study used quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blot and immunohistochemical analysis to examine the effects of ICA on several key targets in the Notch signaling pathway in bone tissue in ovariectomized rats.

Antiosteoporotic effect of icariin in ovariectomized rats is mediated via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Icariin (ICA), the main active flavonoid glucoside isolated from Herba Epimedii, has been shown to prevent postmenopausal bone loss . However, the mechanisms by which ICA prevents bone loss remain poorly understood. In the present study, the effect of ICA in an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model of osteoporosis was evaluated.

Involvement of PI3K/Akt pathway in rat condylar chondrocytes regulated by PTHrP treatment.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the mutual communication of the parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/threonine protein kinase (PI3K/Akt) pathway on the proliferation and differentiation of condylar chondrocytes from Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats.

Methods: Condylar chondrocytes from the condylar cartilage were cultured and an organ culture system of mandibular condyles was employed. The distribution of PI3K, phospho-Akt (p-Akt), and PTHrP in condylar cartilage was detected by either immunohistochemistry or immunofluorescence.