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•Fe-doped carbon dots (FeCDs) with high peroxidase-like activity were synthesized.•FeCDs were immobilized on cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) to obtain a nanopaper.•H2O2 and glucose were ...colorimetrically detected by TMB as a chromogen.•The blue coloration of the composite nanopaper was monitored by a smartphone app.•CNF served as an excellent matrix and rendered the nanozyme reusable and stable.
Fe-doped carbon dots (FeCDs) with high peroxidase (POD)-like activity were prepared by a rapid microwave-assisted method and immobilized on cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) to produce a composite nanopaper. The POD activity of the nanopaper was evaluated by the oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and applied to the colorimetric detections of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and glucose. CNF acted as a support for the nanozyme, thus imparting it with reusability. It also adsorbed the chromogen during the reaction to induce a color change, thus acting as a test strip for portable on-site detection. A smartphone was employed to monitor this color change which made the whole detection process simple and economical. Under optimal conditions, this method afforded linear ranges of 6–42 μM and 10–70 μM and detection limits of 0.93 and 1.73 μM for the H2O2 and glucose, respectively. The results of the quantification of glucose in human serum samples were comparable to those of the standard glucose oxidase (GOD)–POD method. Further, the nanopaper was potentially reused for ten cycles and presented over a month of shelf life.
Nanozyme-based dye degradation methods are promising for the remediation of water pollution. Though Pd nanoparticles (PdNPs) are known to act as nanozymes, their dye degradation capability has not ...been investigated. Low nanozyme activities, easy aggregation, difficulties in recovery and reuse are the major challenges in achieving this. For the first time, cellulose nanofibrils-supported PdNPs (PdNPs/PCNF) as a novel nanozyme with good peroxidase and oxidase-mimicking activities and easy recyclability is explored for dye degradation. An efficient and rapid method of PdNPs/PCNF preparation was demonstrated by adjusting the pH and microwave irradiation. Enzyme kinetic studies revealed good kinetic parameters and specific activities of 415 and 277 U/g for peroxidase and oxidase, respectively. PdNPs/PCNF offered 99.64% degradation of methylene blue within 12 min (0.468 min−1) with 0.4 M H2O2 at pH 5.0. Mechanistic studies revealed the involvement of hydroxyl and superoxide radicals. Owing to the network-like structure of PCNF, films and foams were prepared, their dye degradation potentials were compared, and recyclability was tested. Successful degradation of mixed dye solutions and spiked real water samples was achieved and a continuous flow method was demonstrated using a foam-packed column.
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•Rapid in-situ growth of Pd nanoparticles on cellulose nanofibrils (PdNPs/PCNF).•PdNPs/PCNF exhibited high peroxidase and oxidase-like activities.•PdNPs/PCNF was applied for the H2O2 assisted dye degradation for the first time.•Degradation of mixed dye solution, and spiked real water samples.•Comparison of degradation capabilities of PdNPs/PCNF suspension, film and foam.
To investigate the efficacy and safety of pioglitazone compared to placebo when added to metformin plus dapagliflozin, a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, for patients with type 2 ...diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
In a multicentre study, with a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, 249 Korean patients with T2DM suboptimally managed on metformin and dapagliflozin were assigned to receive either pioglitazone (15 mg daily) or placebo for 24 weeks, followed by a 24-week pioglitazone extension. Primary outcomes included changes in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), with secondary outcomes assessing insulin resistance, adiponectin levels, lipid profiles, liver enzymes, body weight and waist circumference.
Pioglitazone administration resulted in a significant reduction in HbA1c levels (from 7.80% ± 0.72% to 7.27% ± 0.82%) compared with placebo (from 7.79% ± 0.76% to 7.69% ± 0.86%, corrected mean difference: -0.42% ± 0.08%; p < 0.01) at 24 weeks. Additional benefits from pioglitazone treatment included enhanced insulin sensitivity, increased adiponectin levels, raised high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and reduced liver enzyme levels, resulting in improvement in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease liver fat score. Despite no serious adverse events in either group, pioglitazone therapy was modestly but significantly associated with weight gain and increased waist circumference.
Adjunctive pioglitazone treatment in T2DM inadequately controlled with metformin and dapagliflozin demonstrates considerable glycaemic improvement, metabolic benefits, and a low risk of hypoglycaemia. These advantages must be weighed against the potential for weight gain and increased waist circumference.
Copper nanomaterials suffer from severe oxidation problem despite the huge cost effectiveness. The effect of two different processes for conventional tube furnace heating and selective laser ...sintering on copper nanoparticle paste is compared in the aspects of chemical, electrical and surface morphology. The thermal behavior of the copper thin films by furnace and laser is compared by SEM, XRD, FT-IR, and XPS analysis. The selective laser sintering process ensures low annealing temperature, fast processing speed with remarkable oxidation suppression even in air environment while conventional tube furnace heating experiences moderate oxidation even in Ar environment. Moreover, the laser-sintered copper nanoparticle thin film shows good electrical property and reduced oxidation than conventional thermal heating process. Consequently, the proposed selective laser sintering process can be compatible with plastic substrate for copper based flexible electronics applications.
Transparent and stretchable energy storage devices have attracted significant interest due to their potential to be applied to biocompatible and wearable electronics. Supercapacitors that use the ...reversible faradaic redox reaction of conducting polymer have a higher specific capacitance as compared with electrical double-layer capacitors. Typically, the conducting polymer electrode is fabricated through direct electropolymerization on the current collector. However, no research have been conducted on metal nanowires as current collectors for the direct electropolymerization, even though the metal nanowire network structure has proven to be superior as a transparent, flexible, and stretchable electrode platform because the conducting polymer's redox potential for polymerization is higher than that of widely studied metal nanowires such as silver and copper. In this study, we demonstrated a highly transparent and stretchable supercapacitor by developing Ag/Au/Polypyrrole core-shell nanowire networks as electrode by coating the surface of Ag NWs with a thin layer of gold, which provide higher redox potential than the electropolymerizable monomer. The Ag/Au/Polypyrrole core-shell nanowire networks demonstrated superior mechanical stability under various mechanical bending and stretching. In addition, proposed supercapacitors showed fine optical transmittance together with fivefold improved areal capacitance compared to pristine Ag/Au core-shell nanowire mesh-based supercapacitors.
Chlorogenic acid is a major polyphenolic component of many plants and beverages, and is particularly abundant in coffee. We evaluated the neuroprotective effects of chlorogenic acid on learning and ...memory impairment induced by scopolamine (0.5
mg/kg, i.p.), a muscarinic antagonist, using the Y-maze, passive avoidance, and Morris water maze tests. The chlorogenic acid significantly improved the impairment of short-term or working memory induced by scopolamine in the Y-maze test, and significantly reversed cognitive impairments in mice as measured by the passive avoidance test. In addition, chlorogenic acid decreased escape latencies in the Morris water maze test. In a probe trial session, chlorogenic acid increased the latency time in the target quadrant in a dose-dependent manner.
Ex vivo, chlorogenic acid inhibited acetylcholinesterase activity in the hippocampus and frontal cortex. Chlorogenic acid also decreased malondialdehyde levels in the hippocampus and frontal cortex.
In vitro, chlorogenic acid was found to inhibit acetylcholinesterase activity (IC
50
=
98.17
μg/ml) and free radical scavenging activity (IC
50
=
3.09
μg/ml) in a dose-dependent manner. These results indicate that chlorogenic acid may exert anti-amnesic activity via inhibition of acetylcholinesterase and malondialdehyde in the hippocampus and frontal cortex.
A novel simple laser digital patterning process to fabricate Ni‐based flexible transparent conducting panels using solution‐processed nonstoichiometric nickel oxide (NiOx) thin films and their ...applications for flexible transparent devices are reported in this study. A large‐scale synthesis route to produce NiOx nanoparticle (NP) ink is also demonstrated. A low‐power continuous‐wave laser irradiation photothermochemically reduces and sinters selected areas of a NiOx NP thin film to produce Ni electrode patterns. Owing to the innovative NiOx NP ink and substantially lowered applied laser power density, Ni conductors can be fabricated, for the first time to the best of the authors' knowledge, even on a polyethylene terephthalate substrate, which is known to have one of the lowest glass‐transition temperatures among polymers. The resultant Ni electrodes exhibit a high‐temperature oxidation resistance up to approximately 400 °C, and high corrosion resistance in tap water and even in seawater. Moreover, a superior mechanical stability of the Ni conductors is confirmed by tape‐pull, ultrasonic‐bath, bending/twisting, and cyclic bending (up to 10 000 cycles) tests. Finally, flexible transparent touch screen panels and electrical heaters are fabricated with mesh‐type Ni conductors to demonstrate possible applications.
Ni‐based flexible transparent conducting panels are fabricated by a laser digital patterning process using solution‐processed NiOx thin films. Superior electromechanical properties of the conductors as well as high thermal stability against oxidation up to 400 °C and high corrosion resistance in seawater are verified. Successful demonstration of flexible touch screen panels and high‐temperature flexible transparent heaters confirms the potential applications.
MicroRNAs (miRNA) are a class of small (∼22 nucleotides) noncoding RNAs that regulate diverse biological processes at the post‐transcriptional level. MiRNAs have great potential for forensic body ...fluid identification because they are expressed in a tissue specific manner and are less prone to degradation. Previous studies reported several miRNAs as body fluid specific, but there are few overlaps among them. Here, we used a genome‐wide miRNA microarray containing over 1700 miRNAs to assay 20 body fluid samples and identify novel miRNAs useful for forensic body fluid identification. Based on Shannon Entropy and Q‐statistics, 203 miRNAs specifically expressed in each body fluid were first selected. Eight miRNAs were then selected as novel forensically relevant miRNA markers: miR‐484 and miR‐182 for blood, miR‐223 and miR‐145 for saliva, miR‐2392 and miR‐3197 for semen, and miR‐1260b and miR‐654–5p for vaginal secretions. When the eight selected miRNAs were evaluated in 40 additional body fluid samples by qRT‐PCR, they showed high sensitivity and specificity for the identification of the target body fluid. We suggest that the eight miRNAs may be candidates for developing an effective molecular assay for forensic body fluid identification.
Blood pressure (BP) is directly and causally associated with body size in the general population. Whether muscle mass is an important factor that determines BP remains unclear.
To investigate whether ...sarcopenia is associated with hypertension in older Koreans.
We surveyed 2,099 males and 2,747 females aged 60 years or older.
Sarcopenia was defined as an appendicular skeletal muscle mass divided by body weight (ASM/Wt) that was <1 SD below the gender-specific mean for young adults. Obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m(2). Subjects were divided into four groups based on presence or absence of obesity or sarcopenia. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP (SBP) ≥ 140 mmHg, a diastolic BP (DBP) ≥ 90 mmHg, or a self-reported current use of antihypertensive medications.
The overall prevalence of hypertension in the four groups was as follows 49.7% for non-obese non-sarcopenia, 60.9% for non-obese sarcopenia, 66.2% for obese non-sarcopenia and 74.7% for obese sarcopenia. After adjustment for age, gender, regular activity, current smoking and alcohol use, the odds ratio (OR) for having hypertension was 1.5 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.23-1.84) in subjects in the non-obese sarcopenia group, 2.08 (95% CI = 1.68-2.57) in the obese non-sarcopenia group and 3.0 (95% CI = 2.48-3.63) in the obese sarcopenia group, compared with the non-obese non-sarcopenia group (p for trend <0.001). Controlling further for body weight and waist circumference did not change the association between hypertension and sarcopenia. The association between sarcopenia and hypertension was more robust in the subjects with diabetes mellitus.
Body composition beyond BMI has a considerable impact on hypertension in elderly Koreans. Subjects with sarcopenic obesity appear to have a greater risk of hypertension than simply obese or sarcopenia subjects.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
In February 2020, a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was reported in fitness centers in Cheonan, Korea.
From February 24 to March 13, an epidemiological investigation was conducted on the ...fitness center outbreak. All those who were screened were tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS CoV-2) using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Contacts were traced and self-isolated for 14 days. We determined the epidemiological characteristics of confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and estimated the time-dependent reproduction number to assess the transmission dynamics of the infection.
A total of 116 cases were confirmed, and 1,687 contacts were traced. The source cases were 8 Zumba instructors who led aerobics classes in 10 fitness centers, and had the largest average number of contacts. A total of 57 Zumba class participants, 37 of their family members, and 14 other contacts were confirmed as cases. The attack rate was 7.3%. The contacts at Zumba classes and homes had a higher attack rate than other contacts. The mean serial interval (± standard deviation) were estimated to be 5.2 (± 3.8) days. The time-dependent reproduction number was estimated to be 6.1 at the beginning of the outbreak, but it dropped to less than 1, 2 days after the epidemiological investigation was launched.
The results suggest that the COVID-19 outbreak was effectively contained with rigorous contact tracing, isolating, and testing in combination with social distancing without a lock-down.
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