A green, efficient and precise hydrogen therapy of cancer based on in vivo electrochemistry

By combined use of traditional Chinese acupuncture Fe needle electrode and in vivo electrochemistry, we achieved in vivo H2 generation in tumors in a controllable manner and exploited it for effective and green therapy of tumors for the first time. The cathodic acupuncture electrodes working under an applied voltage of ∼3 V (with minimal damage to the living body) undergo effective electrochemical reactions in the acidic tumor area that produce sufficient H2 locally to cause cancer cells to burst and die. Due to puncture positioning, the acidic tumor microenvironment and gas diffusion effect, the developed H2 generation electrochemotherapy (H2-ECT) strategy enables precise and large-scale tumor therapy, as demonstrated by in vivo treatment of diseased mice (glioma and breast cancers). Such green H2-ECT is simple, highly efficient and minimally invasive, requiring no expensive medical equipment or nano materials and medication, and is therefore very promising for potential clinical applications.

Dopamine as the dependent variable

Dopamine as the dependent variable discusses how postmortem biochemistry, intracerebral microdialysis, electrophysiological recording, in vivo electrochemistry, and positron emission tomography studies provide compelling evidence that dopaminergic neurons are activated by primary rewarding stimuli including food and water and by numerous conditioned incentives, including money. Early in training, primary rewarding stimuli activate dopaminergic neurons. When a cue is reliably paired with a primary rewarding stimulus over trials, the dopamine response begins to be seen upon presentation of the cue and eventually is not seen upon presentation of the primary rewarding stimulus when it follows the cue. These conditioned cues acquire the ability to act as rewarding stimuli that can produce incentive learning. If conditioned incentive stimuli are repeatedly presented in the absence of primary incentive stimuli, they gradually lose their ability to elicit approach and other responses and to act as rewarding stimuli by producing incentive learning in their own right.

On the Features of Ultramicroelectrodes

Ultramicroelectrodes offer several unique characteristics which enable new types of electrochemical measurements. These include: 1) small size; 2) minimisation of iR effects; 3) rapid response; and 4) steady-state response at moderate times. These features enable experiments as diverse as in vivo electrochemistry, electrochemistry in pharmacology, nanoelectrochemistry, electrochemistry in solvents such as benzene, microsecond electrochemistry, and flow-rate independent electrochemistry. Thus, it is apparent that the use of ultramicroelectrodes has become a rapidly growing area of interest. In this paper, the attributes of ultramicroelectrodes, its construction, the equations of diffusion, and key applications of electrochemistry at ultramicroelectrodes, are analysed.