A new kind of Al-ion battery with carbon paper as the cathode, high-purity Al foil as the anode and ionic liquid as the electrolyte is proposed in this work. The significance of the presented battery is going to be an extremely high average voltage plateau of ca. 1.8 V vs. Al(3+)/Al.

We explored the anti-cancer capacity of (−)-oleocanthal in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). (−)-Oleocanthal inhibited proliferation and cell cycle progression and induced apoptosis in HCC cells in vitro and suppressed tumor growth in an orthotopic HCC model. (−)-Oleocanthal also inhibited HCC cell migration and invasion in vitro and impeded HCC metastasis in an in vivo lung metastasis model. ( )-Oleocanthal acted by inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through downregulation Twist, which is a direct target of STAT3. (−)-Oleocanthal also reduced STAT3 nuclear translocation and DNA binding activity, ultimately downregulating its downstream effectors, including the cell cycle protein Cyclin D1, the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and survivin, and the invasion-related protein MMP 2. Overexpression of constitutively active STAT3 partly reversed the anti cancer effects of (−)-oleocanthal, which inhibited STAT3 activation by decreasing the activities of JAK1 and JAK2 and increasing the activity of SHP-1. These data suggest that (−)-oleocanthal may be a promising candidate for HCC treatment.

In the present study, polyphenols from green tea (GTP), oolong tea (OTP) and black tea (BTP) were prepared by extraction with hot water and polyamide column chromatography. In antioxidant assay in vitro, each tea polyphenols exhibited potential activity; the intestinal absorption of GTP, OTP and BTP was investigated individually by Caco-2 transwell system, and each sample was poorly transported, illustrating a low transport rate for tea polyphenols through cell monolayers. The effects of GTP, OTP and BTP on human intestinal microbiota were also evaluated, and each sample induced the proliferation of certain beneficial bacteria and inhibited - and . Moreover, the short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) produced in cultures with tea polyphenols were relatively higher. Together, these results suggested GTP, OTP and BTP may modulate the intestinal flora and generate SCFA, and contribute to the improvements of human health.

With the growing demands for large-scale applications, rechargeable batteries with cost-effective and environmental-friendly characteristics have gained much attention in recent years. However, some practical challenges still exist in getting ideal electrode materials. In this work, three-dimensional FeWO 4 /graphene mesoporous composites with incredibly tiny nanospheres of 5−15 nm in diameter have been synthesized by an in situ self-assembled hydrothermal route. First-principles density functional theory has been used to theoretically investigate the crystal structure change and the insertion/ extraction mechanism of Li and Na ions. Unlike most graphene-coated materials, which suffer the restacking of graphene layers and experience significant irreversible capacity losses during charge and discharge process, the as-prepared composites have alleviated this issue by incorporating tiny solid nanospheres into the graphene layers to reduce the restacking degree. High capacity and excellent cyclic stability have been achieved for both Li-ion and Na-ion batteries. At the current density of 100 mA g −1 , the discharge capacity for Li-ion batteries remains as high as 597 mAh g −1 after 100 cycles. The Na-ion batteries also exhibit good electrochemical performance with a capacity of 377 mAh g −1 at 20 mA g −1 over 50 cycles. The synthetic procedure is simple, cost-effective and scalable for mass production, representing a step further toward the realization of sustainable batteries for efficient stationary energy storage. ■ INTRODUCTIONDue to energy demand and the rapid growth in the price of fossil fuels as well as environmental problems, renewable energy sources will be of vital importance. 1−3 The development of rechargeable batteries as energy storage devices has gained much attention in recent years. 4−8 Among the various available energy storage technologies, lithium-ion batteries, with high energy and power densities, have been widely used in portable electric vehicles and electric power storage devices. 9−12 As the smallest (effective radius) metal ion, lithium is an ideal ionic guest for transferring electronic charges into different insertion hosts. However, there is a serious concern about the availability of lithium for the limit of lithium reserves in the earth, especially in large-scale applications. 13−15 Owing to the low cost and natural abundance of sodium and magnesium, recent research is focusing on rechargeable Na-based and Mg-based batteries as potential alternatives to lithium-ion batteries for electric energy storage. 16−18 Most recently, the eco-friendly Naion batteries operable at room temperature have received growing interest spurred by the rapid advances in rechargeable battery technology and fast increasing demand in the market. 19−24 However, the radius of Na ions is 55% larger than Li ions, making it more difficult for them to be reversibly inserted into and extracted from host materials. In consideration of the aforementioned reason, among various electrode materials for Li-ion batteries, o...

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