PurposeThe purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravitreal pirfenidone for inhibition of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) in a model of penetrating ocular ...injury.Patients and methodsPenetrating trauma was induced on the retina of rabbit and treated either with 0.1 ml of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or 0.1 ml of 0.5% pirfenidone, and development of PVR was evaluated clinically and graded after 1 month. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry with transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ), alpha smooth muscle actin (αSMA), and collagen-1 were performed to assess the fibrotic changes. Expression of cytokines in the vitro-retinal tissues at different time points following pirfenidone and PBS injection was examined by RT-PCR. Availability of pirfenidone in the vitreous of rabbit at various time points was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography following injection of 0.1 ml of 0.5% pirfenidone. In normal rabbit eye, 0.1 ml of 0.5% pirfenidone was injected to evaluate any toxic effect.ResultsClinical assessment and grading revealed prevention of PVR formation in pirfenidone-treated animals, gross histology, and histopathology confirmed the observation. Immunohistochemistry showed prevention in the expression of collagen-I, αSMA, and TGFβ in the pirfenidone-treated eyes compared to the PBS-treated eyes. Pirfenidone inhibited increased gene expression of cytokines observed in control eyes. Pirfenidone could be detected up to 48 h in the vitreous of rabbit eye following single intravitreal injection. Pirfenidone did not show any adverse effect following intravitreal injection; eyes were devoid of any abnormal clinical sign, intraocular pressure, and electroretinography did not show any significant change and histology of retina remained unchanged.ConclusionThis animal study shows that pirfenidone might be a potential therapy for PVR. Further clinical study will be useful to evaluate the clinical application of pirfenidone.
Laboratory source X-ray scattering set-up has been used to determine the complete morphology and structure of an optically important composite thin film. Analysis of grazing incidence small angle ...X-ray scattering, X-ray reflectivity and powder diffraction data of Au/LiNbO3thin film prepared by sequential deposition of gold and lithium niobate on float glass substrate suggest that the Au-nanocrystallites are dispersed in amorphous medium, which although have average separation but do not have any long range periodicity other than growth or z-direction. The morphology of the nanocomposite thin film determined through X-ray scattering measurements agrees well with the measured optical absorption.
The influence of the pH value of an aqueous solution of P123 micelles on the growth and formation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), which is of immense importance for their controlled growth in a ...simple, single-step synthesis process, was investigated using time-evolution optical absorption spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The sizes and structures of the AuNPs are found to be pH-dependent, even within the basic region, with a transition near pH 9.5, though the free P123 micelles remain almost unchanged. Below this pH value, the slow reduction rate of the gold ions creates a lower number of nucleation centers, which, through an autocatalytic thermodynamically controlled reduction (ATCR), initially formed chain-like aggregated small AuNPs (of different chain lengths) and subsequently, through further diffusion and coalescence, formed well-faceted near symmetrical large AuNPs of size >19 nm, the size of the free P123 micelles. Above this pH value, the fast reduction rate of the gold ions creates a large number of nucleation centers, the growth of which is restricted by the limited amount of available gold ions for the ATCR and also by the metal-polymer hydrophobic and polymer-water hydrophilic interactions. Accordingly, controlled growth of the majority of the centers takes place through ATCR, diffusion and early capping with near individual micelles to form isolated symmetric small AuNPs of size <19 nm, with a narrow size distribution, which are desirable for different applications and fundamental studies. However, a minority (but not insignificant amount) of the centers still remain in very small sizes and are trapped inside large micellar assemblies or even in the near atomic states, which limit the yield of the isolated small AuNPs.
The transition of the structure and size of AuNPs at a pH value around 9.5, from slowly grown, well-faceted, large (>19 nm), less uniform and near connected to fast grown, near symmetrical, small (<19 nm), more uniform and well-separated, is observed.
A multilayer graphene (MLG) film was grown on thermally oxidized silicon (SiO2/Si) substrate by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD). The formation of the MLG and the presence of ...the oxide on the graphene surface were confirmed by Raman spectroscopy and electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. An energy gap of 0.234 eV was determined by the optical transmission method. The surface morphology of the graphene film was studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and by atomic force microscopy (AFM). A planar device with lateral Pd metal contacts was used for the hydrogen sensor studies. The sensor performance in the temperature range (110 °C-150 °C) revealed a relatively fast response (~12 s) and recovery (~24 s) for hydrogen sensing. The reproducibility, the selectivity, and the stability of the device were also studied. The sensor was found to be selective for hydrogen relative to methane in the temperature range studied. The gas sensing mechanism has been suggested on the basis of the interaction of palladium with hydrogen, the change in the interface barrier, and the adsorption-desorption processes related to the change in the hydrogen partial pressure and temperature. The AFM study indicates the reorientation of the graphene surface after the sensing operation, most probably due to hydrogen passivation.
A Langmuir monolayer of stearic acid on pure water and in the presence of certain divalent metal ions such as Cd and Pb at pH ≈ 6.5 of the subphase water collapses at constant area, while for other ...divalent ions such as Mg, Co, Zn, and Mn at the same subphase pH the monolayer collapses nearly at constant pressure. Films of stearic acid with Cd, Pb, Mn, and Co in the subphase (at pH ≈ 6.5) have been transferred onto hydrophilic Si(001) using a horizontal deposition technique, just after and long after collapse. Electron density profiles obtained from X-ray reflectivity analysis show that a three-molecular-layer structure starts to form just after constant area collapse, where in the lowest molecular layer, in contact with the substrate, molecules are in asymmetric configuration, i.e., both hydrocarbon tails are on the same side of the metal-bearing headgroup that touches the substrate, while the molecules above the first layer are in symmetric conformation of the tails with respect to the headgroups. Further along collapse, when the surface pressure starts to rise again with a decrease in area, more layers with molecules in the symmetric configuration are added, but the coverage is poor. On the other hand, only bimolecular layers form after constant pressure collapse, with the lower and upper layers having molecules in asymmetric and symmetric configurations, respectively, and the upper molecular layer density increases with compression of the monolayer after collapse. A “Ries mechanism” for constant area collapse and a “folding and sliding mechanism” for constant pressure collapse have been proposed.
To evaluate the association between overweight and obesity on the clinical course and outcomes in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
Retrospective, observational cohort study.
We performed a ...multicenter, retrospective, observational cohort study of hospitalized COVID-19 patients to evaluate the associations between overweight and obesity on the clinical course and outcomes.
Out of 1634 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 473 (28.9%) had normal weight, 669 (40.9%) were overweight, and 492 (30.1%) were obese. Patients who were overweight or had obesity were younger, and there were more women in the obese group. Normal-weight patients more often had pre-existing conditions such as malignancy, or were organ recipients. During admission, patients who were overweight or had obesity had an increased probability of acute respiratory distress syndrome OR 1.70 (1.26-2.30) and 1.40 (1.01-1.96), respectively and acute kidney failure OR 2.29 (1.28-3.76) and 1.92 (1.06-3.48), respectively. Length of hospital stay was similar between groups. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 27.7%, and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that overweight and obesity were not associated with increased mortality compared to normal-weight patients.
In this study, overweight and obesity were associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute kidney injury, but not with in-hospital mortality nor length of hospital stay.
The hydrophilic/hydrophobic nature of a Cl-terminated Si surface, which is slightly controversial, was investigated on the molecular level by depositing CTAB-silica 2D-hexagonal mesostructured films ...on it as well as on OH- and H-terminated Si surfaces and determining their structures by combining X-ray reflectivity and grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering measurements. The contact angle measurements, which provide macroscopic level information, confirm that the Cl-Si surface is hydrophilic in nature but less hydrophilic than the OH-Si surface. The initial attachment of a film (through a silica layer) and the (near circular) shape of the micelles, which provide microscopic level information, clearly indicate that the Cl-Si surface is hydrophilic in nature and its hydrophilicity is comparable to that of the OH-Si surface. The relatively strong electronegativity of Cl is probably the reason for the hydrophilic nature of the Cl-Si surface, while the lack of hydrogen bonding and/or the lack of complete chlorination are a hindrance.
The hydrophilic/hydrophobic nature of a Cl-terminated Si surface, which is slightly controversial, was investigated on the molecular level by depositing CTAB-silica 2D-hexagonal mesostructured films on it and determining its structure by combining X-ray reflectivity and grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering measurements.
The paper deals with a numerical method for aerodynamic shape optimization. It is based on simultaneous pseudo-timestepping in which stationary states are obtained by solving the non-stationary ...system of equations representing the state, costate and design equations. The main advantages of this method are that it requires no additional globalization techniques and that a preconditioner can be used for convergence acceleration which stems from the reduced SQP method. A design example for drag reduction for an RAE2822 airfoil, keeping its thickness fixed, is included. The overall cost of computation is less than four times that of the forward simulation run.
Palladium (Pd) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized via polyol route by varying concentration of capping agent, polyvinylepyrollidone (PVP). High resolution TEM study showed that the palladium ...nanoparticles were nearly spherical shape in the size range 11–13 nm. Hydrogen response pattern of the devices fabricated with the synthesized Pd NPs were recorded and were found to vary with the concentration of PVP. Also, response magnitude increased with PVP concentration for a particular pattern. Smooth recovery was observed both with and without the flow of carrier gas. While the sensor performance was found to be best at room temperature, the device performance deteriorated with the increase in temperature. Excellent long-term stability was observed as the devices showed similar response after 30 days of testing. The reproducible hydrogen response of these devices was supported by X-ray diffraction studies done on samples before and after hydrogen sensor study. The variation in response with the concentration of PVP is corroborated with a suitable sensing mechanism.
ROTAVAC® (frozen formulation stored at −20 °C) and ROTAVAC 5D® (liquid formulation stable at 2–8 °C) are rotavirus vaccines derived from the 116E human neonatal rotavirus strain, developed and ...licensed in India. This study evaluated and compared the safety and immunogenicity of these vaccines in an infant population in Zambia.
We conducted a phase 2b, open-label, randomized, controlled trial wherein 450 infants 6 to 8 weeks of age were randomized equally to receive three doses of ROTAVAC or ROTAVAC 5D, or two doses of ROTARIX®. Study vaccines were administered concomitantly with routine immunizations. Blood samples were collected pre-vaccination and 28 days after the last dose. Serum anti-rotavirus IgA antibodies were measured by ELISA, with WC3 and 89–12 rotavirus strains as viral lysates in the assays. The primary analysis was to assess non-inferiority of ROTAVAC 5D to ROTAVAC in terms of the geometric mean concentration (GMC) of serum IgA (WC3) antibodies. Seroresponse and seropositivity were also determined. Safety was evaluated as occurrence of immediate, solicited, unsolicited, and serious adverse events after each dose.
The study evaluated 388 infants in the per-protocol population. All three vaccines were well tolerated and immunogenic. The post-vaccination GMCs were 14.0 U/mL (95% CI: 10.4, 18.8) and 18.1 U/mL (95% CI: 13.7, 24.0) for the ROTAVAC and ROTAVAC 5D groups, respectively, yielding a ratio of 1.3 (95% CI: 0.9, 1.9), thus meeting the pre-set non-inferiority criteria. Solicited and unsolicited adverse events were similar across all study arms. No death or intussusception case was reported during study period.
Among Zambian infants, both ROTAVAC and ROTAVAC 5D were well tolerated and the immunogenicity of ROTAVAC 5D was non-inferior to that of ROTAVAC. These results are consistent with those observed in licensure trials in India and support use of these vaccines across wider geographical areas.
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