Ubiquitous micro(nano)plastics (MNPs) are emerging environmental pollutants, which pose a potential threat to human health. When MNPs enter the blood circulatory system, vascular endothelium is one ...of the most important target organs that directly interact with the MNPs. However, little is known about the cytotoxicity of MNPs to vascular endothelial cells. In this study, we investigated the uptake and cytotoxic effects of polystyrene MNPs with a particle size of 1 μm (1‐μm PS‐MNPs) on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro. Our study found that interaction between HUVECs and 1‐μm PS‐MNPs was at a very low level. Even at the high exposure concentration of 25 μg/mL, the percentage of HUVECs combined with fluorescent 1‐μm PS‐MNPs was only 3.80% using flow cytometry analysis. Moreover, there were no significant differences in inflammation, autophagy, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, and adhesion molecule expression following exposure to 1‐μm PS‐MNPs (5, 10, and 25 μg/mL) for 48 h, except for a remarkable decrease in cell viability at the extremely high concentration of 100 μg/mL. Herein, 1‐μm PS‐MNPs showed a low level of acute toxicity to HUVECs in vitro, and we expect these results contribute to the further risk assessment of MNPs on human health.
Polystyrene micro(nano)plastics with a diameter of 1 μm (1‐μm PS‐MNPs) interacted weakly with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and there was no significant effect on autophagy, inflammation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, and adhesion molecule expression following exposure to 1‐μm PS‐MNPs (5,10, and 25 μg/mL) in HUVECs, except for a detectable decrease in cell viability at extremely high exposure concentration (100 μg/mL).
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Binders, though often used in small doses, play a crucial role in determining the electrochemical performance of lithium ion batteries with high energy density. The traditional PVDF binder, which ...interacts with electrode materials via weak Van der Waals forces and consequently lacks the necessary capabilities (e.g., the suppression of significant volume variations, the interface maintenance etc.), could not fulfill the high demands of batteries with high energy density. Besides, extensive usage of the PVDF binder in the lithium ion battery is cost‐ineffective and may raise environmental concerns as its handling often needs the assistance of organic solvents. Herein, recent progresses on the development of novel eco‐friendly, low‐cost and water‐soluble binders which recently have gained increasing attention as a promising performance booster for lithium ion batteries with high energy density are reviewed. Such water soluble polymer binders are either natural, or modified, or synthesized, and they were observed with profoundly enhanced chemical/physical interactions with the electrode materials, stronger mechanical adhesion and evidently improved volume variation durability, leading to dramatic improvements in the electrochemical performances of Si‐based anodes, spinel/layered oxide cathodes and S cathodes. Perspectives for future research directions on water soluble binders are also discussed.
Water soluble polymer binders with profoundly enhanced chemical/physical interactions with the electrode materials, stronger mechanical adhesion and evidently improved volume variation durability, leading to dramatic improvements in the electrochemical performances of Si‐based anodes, spinel/layered oxide cathodes and S cathodes.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
How to manipulate the phase separation and molecular arrangement to meet the need of efficient charge generation and extraction remains a long-standing challenge in all-small-molecule organic solar ...cells (ASM-OSCs). Herein, a small molecule acceptor
Y7
as a morphology modulator was incorporated into a
B1
:
BO-4Cl
matrix to fabricate ternary ASM-OSCs.
Y7
possesses excellent compatibility with the acceptor
BO-4Cl
but poor compatibility with the donor
B1
. The two acceptors prefer to form an alloy-like structure in ternary blends due to their good compatibility, which is conducive to fine-tuning the molecular arrangement for facilitating charge extraction. The inferior compatibility originating from the strong intermolecular interaction between
Y7
and
B1
can provide a driving force to manipulate the phase separation between the donor and acceptor for gaining well-formed nanofibrous and bi-continuous interpenetrating networks, leading to efficient charge separation, transport and collection in ternary blends. The ternary ASM-OSCs with 10 wt%
Y7
in acceptors achieve a top-ranked power conversion efficiency of 16.28% with a holistic improvement of short-circuit current density, open-circuit voltage and fill factor. This work opens a new avenue to optimize the morphology for further boosting the performance of OSCs.
The ternary all-small-molecule organic solar cells deliver a top-ranked power conversion efficiency of 16.28%, benefiting from the rational compatibility in the
B1
:
BO-4Cl
:
Y7
matrix.
In recent years, the integration of graphene and related two-dimensional (2D) materials in optical fibers have stimulated significant advances in all-fiber photonics and optoelectronics. The ...conventional passive silica fiber devices with 2D materials are empowered for enhancing light-matter interactions and are applied for manipulating light beams in respect of their polarization, phase, intensity and frequency, and even realizing the active photo-electric conversion and electro-optic modulation, which paves a new route to the integrated multifunctional all-fiber optoelectronic system. This article reviews the fast-progress field of hybrid 2D-materials-optical-fiber for the opto-electro-mechanical devices. The challenges and opportunities in this field for future development are discussed.
If long chains of a polyelectrolyte are densely affixed to colloidal spheres, a spherical polyelectrolyte brush (SPB) results. It has been demonstrated that most of the counterions that balance the ...charges of the polyelectrolyte chains in aqueous solution are confined within the brush layer. Some years ago it has been shown that metal ions confined within a SPB can be reduced to yield well-defined metal nanoparticles with high catalytic activity. In a similar way, metal oxides as TiO2 and MnOx can be generated within the brush layer. Here we review this work with special emphasis on catalysis. We first discuss recent papers that study the confinement of the counterions within SPB and the consequences thereof for the solution properties of the SPB. Then a survey of synthetic studies on these composite particles is presented. Finally, a comprehensive review of the investigations on the catalytic activity of metallic and oxidic nanoparticles generated on SPB will be given. All results obtained on these systems demonstrate SPB act as true “nanoreactors” that can be used for an efficient and safe handling of metallic and oxidic nanoparticles in catalysis without impeding their catalytic activity.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Online weight-loss communities (OWCs) provide individuals with various tools to support their weight management, such as weight recorders and weight-loss journals. These tools enable individuals to ...focus on different aspects of their self-regulation, including weight-loss outcomes and behavioral routines. Prior research, however, has not fully incorporated individuals’ self-regulation focuses; thus, there is limited understanding of individuals’ online weight-management dynamics as well as the operating mechanisms of OWCs. This gap in the literature motivates us to develop a framework that is able to account for individuals’ multiple self-regulation focuses, termed
self-regulatory dimensions
in this study. We propose a multidimensional, continuous-time hidden Markov model, which can not only capture individuals’ self-regulatory dimensions jointly as a multidimensional vector, but also can incorporate a hidden layer of dynamics that depicts individuals’ cognitive states in producing weight-management behaviors. By investigating a leading noncommercial OWC in the United States, we find that individuals tend to increase their journal-recording behaviors while decreasing self-weighing behaviors after they have participated in online social activities. Given that individuals usually expend limited effort toward weight management, this result suggests that individuals may shift their focus from weight-loss outcomes (i.e., changes in weight) to weight-management behavioral routines. Therefore, neglecting either self-regulatory dimension would result in an underestimation of individuals’ engagement in conducting self-management in OWCs. Our results also provide insight into social influence on individuals’ weight-management behaviors. This study contributes to the extant literature on individuals’ engagement in online healthcare communities and the functionality of OWCs.
This paper was accepted by Anandhi Bharadwaj, information systems.
Vitiligo, whose treatment remains a serious concern and challenge, is an autoimmune skin disease characterized by patches of depigmentation. The increasing application of molecular-targeted therapy ...in skin diseases, such as psoriasis and systemic lupus erythematosus, has dramatically improved their condition. Besides, there is a favorable effect of repigmentation in the treatment of the above diseases combined with vitiligo, implying that molecular-targeted therapy may also have utility in vitiligo treatment. Recently, the role of cytokine and signaling pathways in vitiligo pathogenesis are increasingly recognized. Thus, investigations are underway targeting the molecules described above. In this paper, we present a synopsis of current practices in vitiligo treatment and introduce the improvement in identifying new molecular targets and applying molecular-targeted therapies, including those under development in vitiligo treatment, providing valuable insight into establishing further precision medicine for vitiligo patients.
Background
Treacher Collins Ι syndrome (TCS1, OMIM:154500) is an autosomal dominant disease with a series of clinical manifestations such as craniofacial dysplasia including eye and ear ...abnormalities, small jaw deformity, cleft lip, as well as repeated respiratory tract infection and conductive hearing loss. Two cases of Treacher Collins syndrome with TCOF1(OMIM:606847) gene variations were reported in the article, with clinical characteristics, gene variants and the etiology.
Methods
The clinical data of two patients with Treacher Collins syndrome caused by TCOF1 gene variation were retrospectively analyzed. The whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed to detect the pathogenic variants of TCOF1 gene in the patients, and the verification of variants were confirmed by Sanger sequencing.
Results
Proband 1 presented with bilateral craniofacial deformities, conductive hearing loss and recurrent respiratory tract infection. Proband 2 showed bilateral craniofacial malformations with cleft palate, which harbored similar manifestations in her family. She died soon after birth due to dyspnea and feeding difficulties. WES identified two novel pathogenic variants of TCOF1 gene in two probands, each with one variant. According to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, the heterozygous variation NM_001371623.1: c.877del (p. Ala293Profs*34) of TCOF1 gene was detected in Proband 1, which was evaluated as a likely pathogenic (LP) and de novo variant. Another variant found in Proband 2 was NM_001135243.1: c.1660_1661del (p. D554Qfs*3) heterozygous variation, which was evaluated as a pathogenic variation and the variant inherited from the mother. To date, the two variants have not been reported before.
Conclusion
Our study found two novel pathogenic variants of TCOF1 gene and clarified the etiology of Treacher Collins syndrome. We also enriched the phenotypic spectrum of Treacher Collins syndrome and TCOF1 gene variation spectrum in the Chinese population, and provided the basis for clinical diagnosis, treatment and genetic counseling.
Our study identified two novel pathogenic variants of TCOF1 gene, clarified the etiology of Treacher Collins syndrome, enriched the phenotypic spectrum of Treacher Collins syndrome and TCOF1 gene variation spectrum in the Chinese population, and provided the basis for clinical diagnosis, treatment and genetic counseling.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
We review recent work on the preparation, characterization and application of “smart” microgel particles. A general feature of all systems under consideration here is their ability to react to ...external stimuli as e.g. the pH or the temperature in the system. Special emphasis is laid on our recent research work on the thermosensitive core–shell microgel particles, which are composed of a PS core and a cross-linked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) shell. Work done on these core–shell systems is compared to developments on the investigations of similar systems. A novel synthesis method, namely photo-emulsion polymerization, has been described for the preparation of monodisperse, thermosensitive core–shell particles. Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) has recently been employed to investigate the morphology and the volume transition of the core–shell type microgels. This method furnishes information about the thermosensitive particles that had not been available through other methods employed in previous investigations. Very recently, it has been shown that these core–shell microgels can be used as “nanoreactors” for the immobilization of metal nanoparticles. The metal nanocomposite particles show “smart” catalytic behaviour, inasmuch as the catalytic activity of nanoparticles can be switched on and off through the volume transition that takes place within the thermosensitive shell of the carrier system. We also discuss possible future applications of these systems.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Despite our understanding that social media and online healthcare communities can help to eliminate health information asymmetry and improve patients’ self‐care engagement, we have yet to understand ...what happens when patients have access to others’ health data and how patients’ access to these shared experiences and opinions influence their health knowledge and perceived treatment outcome. In this study, we apply social information processing theory and incorporate (1) uncertainty of a treatment, (2) information exposure, and (3) credibility of the information source into patients’ information evaluation function to assess how patients utilize shared health information and experiences. An empirical model, which combines various aspects of patients’ firsthand experiences about treatments into a single construct, yields empirical evidence that patients’ perceived treatment outcome is prone to social influence from other patients’ shared experiences. By disaggregating the sources of social influence, we find that social influence created by generalized others in the community outweighs that by familiar others of one's intimate social group. In addition, we find that other factors, such as positive sentiment in comments and patients’ prior experiences, also affect patients’ perceived treatment outcome. Based on our findings, implications for health promotion and health behaviors are presented.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
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