Soluble Organic Cathodes Enable Long Cycle Life, High Rate, and Wide-Temperature Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Organic electrode materials free of rare transition metal elements are promising for sustainable, cost-effective, and environmentally benign battery chemistries. However, severe shuttling effect caused by the dissolution of active materials in liquid electrolytes results in fast capacity decay, limiting their practical applications. Here, using a gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) that is in situ formed on Nafion-coated separators, the shuttle reaction of organic electrodes is eliminated while maintaining the electrochemical performance.

Interleukin-37 contributes to the pathogenesis of gout by affecting PDZ domain-containing 1 protein through the nuclear factor-kappa B pathway.

Objective: Our objective was to explore the molecular pathogenesis of the onset of gout and the mechanism underlying the effect of interleukin (IL)-37 on PDZ domain-containing 1 (PDZK1) protein through the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway.

Methods: Real-time PCR and western blotting were used to detect expression of PDZK1 mRNA and protein, respectively, in the HK-2 cell line. The inhibitors pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) and wortmannin were added to HK-2 cells stimulated by IL-37, and changes in PDZK1 protein were detected by western blotting.

Performance Enhancement of Polymer Electrode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries: From a Rigid Homopolymer to Soft Copolymers.

Synthesizing redox-active units containing polymers is a promising route for improving the cycling stability of organic electrode materials. However, constructing uniform electrode architectures with good polymer dispersion is a big challenge in the case of polymer electrode materials. In this work, we design and synthesize two anthraquinone-containing copolymers and compare their electrochemical performance with that of the corresponding homopolymer.

Poorly Soluble 2,6-Dimethoxy-9,10-anthraquinone Cathode for Lithium-Ion Batteries: The Role of Electrolyte Concentration.

In this work, a 9,10-anthraquinone (AQ) derivative functionalized by two methoxy groups, 2,6-dimethoxy-9,10-anthraquinone (DMAQ), was synthesized and its electrochemical performance was comprehensively studied with different electrolyte concentrations. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that there exists a conjugation effect between oxygen atoms of methoxy groups and the AQ skeleton, which could extend the conjugate plane and increase intermolecular interaction. As a result, DMAQ shows considerably reduced solubility in ether solvent/electrolyte and greatly enhanced cycling performance compared with those of AQ.

Benzoquinone- and Naphthoquinone-Bearing Polymers Synthesized by Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization as Cathode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Organic electrode materials have attracted great interest for next-generation lithium-ion batteries owing to their merits of low cost, resource sustainability, and environmental friendliness. Dissolution in organic electrolyte is one of critical factors that limit their development, and constructing corresponding polymers is an effective way to prevent it. Herein, the synthesis of benzoquinone- and naphthoquinone-bearing polymers by ring-opening metathesis polymerization of monomers with an exo-type four-membered ring between polymerizable norbornene and redox-active quinone units is reported.

Optimization of Molecular Structure and Electrode Architecture of Anthraquinone-Containing Polymer Cathode for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Molecular structure and electrode architecture play very important roles in electrochemical performance of polymer electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Here, a series of anthraquinone-containing polymers with linear (with different molecular weights (MWs)) or cross-linked polymer structures were synthesized by (living) ring-opening metatheses (co)polymerization method. The influences of the molecular structures and electrode preparation process on the architectures and electrochemical performance of polymer electrodes were systematically investigated.

Efficacy and Safety of Loxoprofen Hydrogel Transdermal Patch Versus Loxoprofen Tablet in Chinese Patients with Myalgia: A Double-Blind, Double-Dummy, Parallel-Group, Randomized, Controlled, Non-Inferiority Trial.

Background And Objective: Loxoprofen (LOX) is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Although oral administration of LOX has been widely prescribed, clinical guidelines for osteoarthritis generally recommend topical rather than oral NSAIDs in specific patients. However, there is limited information on the effects of loxoprofen sodium oral (LOX-O) versus loxoprofen sodium hydrogel transdermal patch (LOX-T) in myalgia patients.

Ultrasound7 versus ultrasound12 in monitoring the response to infliximab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

This study aimed to assess the responsiveness of ultrasonography (US)-7 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Eighty-two RA patients were recruited and followed up for 22 weeks. The clinical, laboratory, and X-ray assessments, along with grayscale US (GSUS) and power Doppler US (PDUS) examinations were performed at baseline, 6, 14, and 22 weeks after infliximab treatment.

Indirect comparison of teriparatide, denosumab, and oral bisphosphonates for the prevention of vertebral and nonvertebral fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

Objective: This study aims to compare the efficacy of teriparatide, denosumab, and oral bisphosphonates for reducing fracture risk in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

Methods: We searched the literature, via PubMed, Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, to screen citations from January 1996 to October 2014 for inclusion in this study. A mixed-treatment comparison meta-analysis within a Bayesian framework was performed by WinBUGS version 1.

Angiogenic growth factors inhibit chondrocyte ageing in osteoarthritis: potential involvement of catabolic stress-induced overexpression of caveolin-1 in cellular ageing.

Objective: Recently, attention has been attracted by the finding that overexpression of caveolin-1 induces cellular senescence in age-related diseases. We aimed to ascertain whether angiogenic growth factors (AGFs) can inhibit interleukin (IL)-1beta-induced senescence in human chondrocytes by downregulation of caveolin-1.

Methods: We investigated the intracellular signalling pathways involved in chondrocyte ageing.

TLR9/TLR7-triggered downregulation of BDCA2 expression on human plasmacytoid dendritic cells from healthy individuals and lupus patients.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) can produce a large amount of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) upon exposure to TLR9 or TLR7 agonists. Human pDCs have been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) through increased production of IFN-alpha. So, how to negatively regulate activation of pDCs and how to evaluate the activation of pDC in SLE patients attract much attention.

Association of the CTLA-4 gene with rheumatoid arthritis in Chinese Han population.

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) is important for downregulation of T-cell activation, and CTLA-4 gene polymorphisms have been implicated as risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Previous studies of the association between the +49 polymorphism of the CTLA-4 gene in RA have provided conflicting results. In order to determine association of the CTLA-4 gene with RA in Chinese Han population, we used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to genotype polymorphisms of four SNPs (MH30, +49, CT60 and JO31) of the CTLA-4 gene in 326 RA patients and 250 healthy controls.

Prevalence of rheumatic symptoms, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and gout in Shanghai, China: a COPCORD study.

Objective: To carry out a cross-sectional survey on prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and gout.

Methods: In Shanghai, 4 communities comprising 7603 inhabitants over 15 years of age in an urban population were randomly selected from 13 communities. Interviews were conducted from September 1997 to March 1998 by trained physicians using the COPCORD Core Questionnaire.