Owing to the vast diversity of linkers, nodes, and topologies, metal-organic frameworks can be tailored for specific tasks, such as chemical separations or catalysis. Accordingly, these materials ...have attracted significant interest for capture and/or detoxification of toxic industrial chemicals and chemical warfare agents. In this paper, we review recent experimental and computational work pertaining to the capture of several industrially-relevant toxic chemicals, including NH
3
, SO
2
, NO
2
, H
2
S, and some volatile organic compounds, with particular emphasis on the challenging issue of designing materials that selectively adsorb these chemicals in the presence of water. We also examine recent research on the capture and catalytic degradation of chemical warfare agents such as sarin and sulfur mustard using metal-organic frameworks.
Toxic gases can be captured or degraded by metal-organic frameworks.
Benzoic acid modulators that “cap” the Zr 6 -oxo-hydroxo cluster nodes in UiO-66 metal–organic frameworks can be removed to increase the number of “open” sites ( i.e. , those that are terminated with ...μ 1 -OH + μ 1 -OH 2 ) up to 5 per node, enabling the “decapped” materials to exhibit enhanced catalytic activity in the oxidation of methyl phenyl sulfide. Computational modeling reveals that the labile Zr-μ 1 -OH groups on these open sites are likely converted into Zr-μ 1 -OOH species that are active in oxidizing the sulfide as well as its sulfoxide product. In solvents such as CH 3 CN and CH 2 Cl 2 , the sulfoxide product can additionally replace the aquo ligands of the Zr-μ 1 -OH 2 moieties to increase the concentration of the sulfoxide adjacent to the active Zr-μ 1 -OOH species, resulting in overoxidation to the sulfone. However, the use of CH 3 OH, a solvent that can compete with the sulfoxide and suppress this binding mode, can retard the overoxidation and lead to higher selectivities for the sulfoxide product.
Computational materials research is vital in improving our understanding of various class of materials and their properties, contributing valuable information that helps predict innovative structures ...and complement empirical investigations. In this context, DHQ-graphene recently emerged as a stable two-dimensional carbon allotrope composed of decagonal, hexagonal, and quadrilateral carbon rings. Here, we employ density functional theory calculations to investigate the mechanical, electronic, and optical features of its boron nitride counterpart (DHQ-BN). Our findings reveal an insulating band gap of 5.11 eV at the HSE06 level and good structural stability supported by phonon calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. Moreover, DHQ-BN exhibits strong ultraviolet (UV) activity, suggesting its potential as a highly efficient UV light absorber. Its mechanical properties, including Young's modulus (230 GPa) and Poisson's ratio (0.7), provide insight into its mechanical resilience and structural stability.
Summary
Background
Prosthetic heart valve thrombosis is a life‐threatening condition for which treatment has not been evaluated by randomized trials.
Objectives
To compare surgery with thrombolytic ...therapy for the treatment of prosthetic valve thrombosis.
Methods
A comprehensive systematic review was carried out by independent researchers using PubMed, Web of Knowledge, HINARI, LILACS and EMBASE, including papers indexed up to 23 October 2013 with at least 10 patients, evaluating one or both treatment options. Outcomes of interest were death, stroke, bleeding, embolic events and success. Study quality was assessed by the Newcastle‐Ottawa Scale (ranges from 0 to 9). Comprehensive Meta Analysis Software was used to pool study results, for publication bias analysis and for meta‐regression.
Results
Forty‐eight studies were included (2302 patients). No randomized study was identified, and all were observational in design. Study quality varied from 4 to 6 stars using the Newcastle‐Ottawa Scale. Mortality for surgery was 18.1% (95%CI, 14.6–22.1; I2, 62% 42–75), while mortality for thrombolytic therapy was 6.6% (95% CI, 4.8–8.9; I2, 0% 0–13). Surgical mortality appeared to increase with NYHA‐class, according to meta‐regression. Other results related to surgery and thrombolytic therapy, respectively, were: embolic events, 4.6% (2.9–7.3) and 12.8% (10.8–15.2); stroke, 4.3%,(2.7–6.6%) and 5.6%,(4.3–7.4%); success rate, 81.9% (77.2–85.8) and 80.7% (75.6–85.0); bleeding, 4.6% (2.9–7.1) and 6.8% (5.4–8.6); and death or stroke, 19.0% (14.8–24.2) and 11.4% (8.7–14.7).
Conclusion
Mortality in patients treated by thrombolytic therapy for valve prosthesis thrombosis is significantly lower than in patients treated surgically. As we cannot yet ascertain whether this difference is due to the treatment alone, more studies are now necessary to further clarify these findings.
Abstract Since May 2015, Brazil’s Ministry of Health has reported autochthonous transmission of Zika virus (ZIKV) in some states of the country. Simultaneous circulation of Dengue, Chikungunya and ...ZIKV in the country hinder both the diagnosis and the therapeutic approach of patients seeking care with acute febrile illnesses especially in patients with comorbidities. The association between HIV infection and endemic diseases has been described especially in tropical regions with varying levels of complications, although there has been no report of ZIKV in HIV-infected patients. We report the first autochthonous case of laboratory confirmed ZIKV infection in a HIV-infected patient in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He evolved with only mild symptoms and recovered well without major laboratory abnormalities. Phylogenetic analysis of the ZIKV detected in the patient sera clustered within the Asian clade. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that Zika virus co-infection is reported in a HIV-infected patient.
Pregnancy toxemia (PT) is considered one of the most common metabolic diseases with high impact on the production of small ruminants. The objective of this study was investigate possible myocardial ...damage in goats affected with PT by the determination of serum myocardial biomarkers CK-MB and cTnI. A total of 44 goats affected with PT, and 10 apparently healthy goats (control group or CG) were used in the study. In goats with PT, the serum concentrations of cTnI (0.43 ng/mL) were significantly higher than that in CG goats (0.06 ng/mL). Although CK-MB showed no significant difference, it was approximately three times higher in animals with PT. The serum concentrations of insulin were significantly lower in PT goats (5.03 ppmol/L) compared to CG goats (10.66 pmol/L). The serum concentrations of cortisol in PT goats (155.41 nmol/L) were significantly higher than that in CG goats (36.58 nmol/L). Results of this study indicate that a clinically significant myocardial damage might occur in goats affected with PT leading to significant elevations in values of cTnI and CK-MB. Therefore, these parameters could be used as a potential prognostic indicator in goats affected with this important disease.
•The cTnI concentrations in the PT group (0.43 ng/mL) were higher than goats of control group (0.06 ng/mL) (p = .0238).•Higher concentrations of β-OHB, NEFA, glucose, cortisol, AST and GGT were observed in the goats of the PT group.•Elevations in the concentrations of cardiac biomarkers in PT group were sufficient to evidence cardiac injury.
Automatized scalable healthcare support solutions allow real-time 24/7 health monitoring of patients, prioritizing medical treatment according to health conditions, reducing medical appointments in ...clinics and hospitals, and enabling easy exchange of information among healthcare professionals. With recent health safety guidelines due to the COVID-19 pandemic, protecting the elderly has become imperative. However, state-of-the-art health wearable device platforms present limitations in hardware, parameter estimation algorithms, and software architecture. This paper proposes a complete framework for health systems composed of multi-sensor wearable health devices (MWHD), high-resolution parameter estimation, and real-time monitoring applications. The framework is appropriate for real-time monitoring of elderly patients' health without physical contact with healthcare professionals, maintaining safety standards. The hardware includes sensors for monitoring steps, pulse oximetry, heart rate (HR), and temperature using low-power wireless communication. In terms of parameter estimation, the embedded circuit uses high-resolution signal processing algorithms that result in an improved measure of the HR. The proposed high-resolution signal processing-based approach outperforms state-of-the-art HR estimation measurements using the photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor.
The transition from late gestation to early lactation is characterized by substantial metabolic stress and altered immune function. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of ...supplementing a yeast product derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae on immunity and uterine inflammation in transition cows. Forty multiparous Holstein cows were blocked by expected parturition date and randomly assigned within block to 1 of 4 treatments (n=10) from 21d before expected parturition to 42d postpartum. Rations were top-dressed with a product containing yeast culture plus enzymatically hydrolyzed yeast (YC-EHY; Celmanax, Vi-COR, Mason City, IA) at the rate of 0, 30, 60, or 90g/d throughout the experiment. Cows were injected subcutaneously with ovalbumin on d −21, −7, and 14 to assess their humoral response. Data were analyzed using mixed models with repeated measures over time. Concentrations of colostrum IgG were unaffected by treatments. A treatment × week interaction was observed for somatic cell linear score, reflecting a tendency for a quadratic dose effect on wk 1 (2.34, 2.85, 1.47, and 4.06±0.59 for 0, 30, 60, and 90g/d, respectively) and a quadratic dose effect on wk 5 (1.36, −0.15, −1.07, and 0.35±0.64 for 0, 30, 60, and 90g/d, respectively). Platelet count was increased by YC-EHY. Increasing YC-EHY dose linearly increased plasma anti-ovalbumin IgG levels following 3 ovalbumin challenges, suggesting that treatments enhanced humoral immunity. Increasing YC-EHY dose also quadratically increased fecal IgA concentrations in early lactation, suggesting that 30 and 60g/d doses enhanced mucosal immunity. Uterine neutrophil populations were much greater in samples collected on d 7 compared with those on d 42 (32.1 vs. 7.6±3.5% of cells), reflecting neutrophil infiltration immediately after calving, but no treatment effect was detected. Significant day effects were detected for mRNA of IL-6, IL-8, neutrophil myeloperoxidase (MPO), and neutrophil elastase (ELANE) in the uterine samples, reflecting greater abundance of these transcripts collected on d 7 compared with d 42. A quadratic dose effect was detected for IL-6, indicating that 30 and 60g/d doses decreased uterine IL-6 mRNA. The mRNA abundance of MPO and ELANE was increased linearly by YC-EHY. Supplementation with YC-EHY enhanced measures of humoral and mucosal immunity and modulated uterine inflammatory signals and mammary gland health in transition dairy cows.
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