Electrochemically durable perovskite electrodes of nickel foam/TiO
2
/FA(Pb
1−
x
Ge
x
)I
3
, passivated using various surfactants of tetra-
n
-alkyl ammonium halides (alkyl = ethyl, butyl, hexyl, or ...octyl; halide = I, I
0.5
Br
0.5
, Br, Br
0.5
Cl
0.5
, or Cl), were successfully applied as good electro-catalysts on the counter electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The longer alkyl chain of a surfactant resulted in a higher water contact angle, but poorer film conductivity. Based on the optimal tetra-
n
-hexyl ammonium (THA) cation, shrinking the halide radius of THA from I to I
0.5
Br
0.5
formed an appropriate amount of FAPbBr
3
nano-crystals covering on the FA(Pb
1−
x
Ge
x
)I
3
grain surface. This phenomenon not only suppressed the perovskite decomposition under electrochemical measurements, but also created additional electro-catalytic active sites for triggering the iodide/triiodide redox reaction. Further shrinking the halide radius of THA from I
0.5
Br
0.5
to Cl resulted in a severe self-aggregation of THACl, leading to an insufficient passivation and thereby poor electrochemical performance. In an ambient environment with a relative humidity higher than 75%, the optimal perovskite electrode of nickel foam/TiO
2
/FA(Pb
1−
x
Ge
x
)I
3
-THAI
0.5
Br
0.5
maintained the good crystallinity of α-FAPbI
3
at least for 6 months, without obvious decomposition. Compared to the DSSC couple with a common counter electrode of nickel foam/Pt (8.74%), a better cell performance of 8.87% was achieved using the counter electrode of nickel foam/TiO
2
/FA(Pb
1−
x
Ge
x
)I
3
-THAI
0.5
Br
0.5
, which was attributed to its good intrinsic electro-catalytic activity, large surface area, multiple active sites, and decent thermodynamic stability. Under room light illumination, higher cell efficiencies were obtained at 1 klux (21.5% for an office), 3 klux (22.9% for a shopping window), and 6 klux (22.3% for a lampshade). There is no doubt that air-stable perovskites have great potential in showing high performance for various electrochemical devices.
An electrochemically active and air-stable FA(Pb
1−
x
Ge
x
)I
3
perovskite was supported by effective passivation with tetra-
n
-hexylammonium (THA) iodide/bromide, providing a hydrophobic surface by the THA cation and forming FAPbBr
3
by the mixed halide.
Heterogeneity exists in sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI). This study aimed to perform unsupervised consensus clustering in critically ill patients with dialysis-requiring SA-AKI.
This ...prospective observational cohort study included all septic patients, defined by the Sepsis-3 criteria, with dialysis-requiring SA-AKI in surgical intensive care units in Taiwan between 2009 and 2018. We employed unsupervised consensus clustering based on 23 clinical variables upon initializing renal replacement therapy. Multivariate-adjusted Cox regression models and Fine-Gray sub-distribution hazard models were built to test associations between cluster memberships with mortality and being free of dialysis at 90 days after hospital discharge, respectively.
Consensus clustering among 999 enrolled patients identified three sub-phenotypes characterized with distinct clinical manifestations upon renal replacement therapy initiation (n = 352, 396 and 251 in cluster 1, 2 and 3, respectively). They were followed for a median of 48 (interquartile range 9.5-128.5) days. Phenotypic cluster 1, featured by younger age, lower Charlson Comorbidity Index, higher baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate but with higher severity of acute illness was associated with an increased risk of death (adjusted hazard ratio of 3.05 95% CI, 2.35-3.97) and less probability to become free of dialysis (adjusted sub-distribution hazard ratio of 0.55 95% CI, 0.38-0.8) than cluster 3. By examining distinct features of the sub-phenotypes, we discovered that pre-dialysis hyperlactatemia ≥3.3 mmol/L was an independent outcome predictor. A clinical model developed to determine high-risk sub-phenotype 1 in this cohort (C-static 0.99) can identify a sub-phenotype with high in-hospital mortality risk (adjusted hazard ratio of 1.48 95% CI, 1.25-1.74) in another independent multi-centre SA-AKI cohort.
Our data-driven approach suggests sub-phenotypes with clinical relevance in dialysis-requiring SA-AKI and serves an outcome predictor. This strategy represents further development toward precision medicine in the definition of high-risk sub-phenotype in patients with SA-AKI.
Key messages
Unsupervised consensus clustering can identify sub-phenotypes of patients with SA-AKI and provide a risk prediction.
Examining the features of patient heterogeneity contributes to the discovery of serum lactate levels ≥ 3.3 mmol/L upon initializing RRT as an independent outcome predictor.
This data-driven approach can be useful for prognostication and lead to a better understanding of therapeutic strategies in heterogeneous clinical syndromes.
The stability of membranes formed by ionizable cationic lipids, which constitute the primary components in lipid nanoparticles capable of endosomal escape, is explored using coarse-grained ...dissipative particle dynamics. Three types of ionizable model lipids with different tail structures are considered. Endosome acidification causes the ionization of lipids, leading to an increased repulsive range between their headgroups. When electrostatic repulsion is modeled as a conservative force with a long-range cutoff distance (rc,HH), the membrane and vesicle experience a loss of structural integrity and develop holes as rc,HH is beyond a critical value, which varies with the tail structure. When Coulombic repulsion is explicitly incorporated and intensified, a fully ionized lipid membrane undergoes a loss of structural integrity, displaying a qualitative similarity to the effect observed with the increase in rc,HH on the membrane stability. Qualitatively similar results are obtained for partially ionized membranes as the fraction of charged lipids increases. The stability of a mixed lipid membrane containing both ionizable and conventional lipids is also investigated. The disruption of the bilayer structure occurs for a sufficiently high charged fraction. The membrane instability can be attributed to the decrease in the packing parameter, which significantly deviates from unity as the interaction range increases.
•Three ionizable lipid models with varying tail structures are analyzed.•Membrane integrity can be compromised by long-ranged repulsion between headgroups.•Membrane stability is also influenced by the lipid tail structure.•Membrane ruptures as the degree of ionization past a threshold.
Security is critical to today's interconnected world, and hardware protection is equally important as security at the network and system levels. Silicon physically unclonable functions (PUFs) are ...increasingly used as a hardware root of trust and an entropy source for cryptography applications. In those applications, the reliability of PUF output is key to a successful implementation. Both weak and strong PUFs obtain output by amplifying analog signals from physical properties on IC blocks (e.g. propagation delay, ring oscillator, time-controlled oxide breakdown 1 or threshold voltage of SRAM transistors 2,3,4). These physical measurements are by nature sensitive to environmental conditions, such as temperature, operating voltage, thermal/interface noise of transistors, process corners and aging. As a result, it is difficult to obtain a stable PUF output without taking additional stabilization and error-correction techniques, e.g. temporal majority voting (TMV), pre-burning on PUF bits for end-of-life (EOL) prediction and reliability screening, masking algorithms, as well as leveraging parity bits for an Error-Correcting-Code (ECC) 3,4. This paper presents a PUF architecture fabricated in 55nm ultra-low-power (ULP) CMOS and 55nm embedded Flash. The scheme is able to produce reliable and uniformly random PUF output without the need for complex error correction or error bit testing.
Some lichens provide the resources of common traditional medicines and show anticancer effects. However, the anticancer effect of Usnproliea barbata (U. barbata) is rarely investigated, especially ...for oral cancer cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the cell killing function of methanol extracts of U. barbata (MEUB) against oral cancer cells. MEUB shows preferential killing against a number of oral cancer cell lines (Ca9-22, OECM-1, CAL 27, HSC3, and SCC9) but rarely affects normal oral cell lines (HGF-1). Ca9-22 and OECM-1 cells display the highest sensitivity to MEUB and were chosen for concentration effect and time course experiments to address its cytotoxic mechanisms. MEUB induces apoptosis of oral cancer cells in terms of the findings from flow cytometric assays and Western blotting, such as subG1 accumulation, annexin V detection, and pancaspase activation as well as poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage. MEUB induces oxidative stress and DNA damage of oral cancer cells following flow cytometric assays, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS)/mitochondrial superoxide (MitoSOX) production, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) depletion as well as overexpression of γH2AX and 8-oxo-2′deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG). All MEUB-induced changes in oral cancer cells were triggered by oxidative stress which was validated by pretreatment with antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC). In conclusion, MEUB causes preferential killing of oral cancer cells and is associated with oxidative stress, apoptosis, and DNA damage.
Background:
Fucus vesiculosus-derived fucoidan, a multifunctional bioactive polysaccharide sourced from marine organisms, exhibits a wide range of therapeutic properties, including its anti-tumor ...effects. While previous research has reported on its anti-cancer potential, limited studies have explored its synergistic capabilities when combined with other natural bioactive ingredients. In this current study, we present the development of an integrative functional beverage, denoted as VMW-FC, which is composed of a fucoidan complex (FC) along with a blend of various herbal components, including vegetables (V), mulberries and fruits (M), and spelt wheat (W).
Objective:
Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a significant cause of mortality, particularly in metastatic cases. Therefore, the urgent need for novel alternative medicines that comprehensively inhibit CRC persists. In this investigation, we assess the impact of VMW-FC on CRC cell proliferation, cell cycle dynamics, metastasis, in vivo tumorigenesis, and potential side effects.
Methods:
Cell growth was assessed using MTT and colony formation assays, while metastatic potential was evaluated through wound healing and transwell migration assays. The underlying signaling mechanisms were elucidated through qPCR and western blot analysis. In vivo tumor formation and potential side effects were evaluated using a subcutaneous tumor-bearing NOD/SCID mouse model.
Results:
Our findings demonstrate that VMW-FC significantly impedes CRC proliferation and migration in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, it induces sub-G1 cell cycle arrest and an increase in apoptotic cell populations, as confirmed through flow-cytometric analysis. Notably, VMW-FC also suppresses xenograft tumor growth in NOD/SCID mice without causing renal or hepatic toxicity.
Conclusion:
The integrative herbal concoction VMW-FC presents a promising approach for inhibiting CRC by slowing proliferation and migration, inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and suppressing markers associated with proliferation (Ki-67, PCNA, and CDKs) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) (Vimentin, N-cadherin, and β-catenin).
The aim of this study was to explore the respective use of angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors (ACEis) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) on the outcomes of patients who could be weaned ...from dialysis-requiring acute kidney injury (AKI-D).
This case-control study enrolled 41,731 patients who were weaned from AKI-D for at least 7 days from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Administration. We further grouped AKI-D patients according to ACEi and ARB use to evaluate subsequent risks of all-cause mortality and re-dialysis. The outcomes included the all-cause mortality and new-onset of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD; re-dialysis) following withdraw from AKI-D.
A total of 17,141 (41.1%) patients surviving AKI-D could be weaned from dialysis for at least 7 days. The overall events of mortality were 366 (48.9%) in ACEi users, 659 (52.1%) in ARB users, and 6,261 (41.3%) in ACEi/ARB nonusers, during a mean follow-up period of 1.01 years after weaning from AKI-D. In regard to all-cause of mortality, pre-dialysis ARB users had lower incidence than ACEi users hazard ratio (HR 0.82),
= 0.017. Compared with ACEi/ARB nonusers, continuing ARB users had a significantly low risk of long-term all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 0.51,
= 0.013) after propensity score matching. However, new users of ACEi at the acute kidney disease (AKD) period had a higher risk of re-dialysis after weaning than ACEi/ARB nonusers (aHR 1.82,
< 0.001), whereas neither ACEi nor ARB users confronted significantly increased risks of hyperkalemia after weaning.
Compared with patients without ACEi/ARB, those continuing to use ARB before the event and after weaning had low all-cause mortality, while new users of ACEi at AKD had increased risk of re-dialysis. AKI-D patients continuing to use ACEi or ARB did not have higher risk of hyperkalemia. Future prospective randomized trials are expected to confirm these findings.
Complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) range from acute to chronic conditions, leading to multiorgan disorders such as nephropathy, retinopathy, and neuropathy. However, little is known about the ...influence of DM on intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). Moreover, traditional surgical outcomes in DM patients have been found poor, and to date, no definitive alternative treatment exists for DM-induced IVDD. Recently, among various novel approaches in regenerative medicine, the concentrated platelet-derived biomaterials (PDB), which is comprised of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), etc., have been reported as safe, biocompatible, and efficacious alternatives for various disorders. Therefore, we initially investigated the correlations between DM and IVDD, through establishing in vitro and in vivo DM models, and further evaluated the therapeutic effects of PDB in this comorbid pathology. In vitro model was established by culturing immortalized human nucleus pulposus cells (ihNPs) in high-glucose medium, whereas in vivo DM model was developed by administering streptozotocin, nicotinamide and high-fat diet to the mice. Our results revealed that DM deteriorates both ihNPs and IVD tissues, by elevating reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced oxidative stress, inhibiting chondrogenic markers and disc height. Contrarily, PDB ameliorated IVDD by restoring cellular growth, chondrogenic markers and disc height, possibly through suppressing ROS levels. These data imply that PDB may serve as a potential chondroprotective and chondroregenerative candidate for DM-induced IVDD.
Inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs) mainly adopt polytriarylamine (PTAA) for the hole transport material (HTM), which usually brings about inferior interfacial contact owing to their ...hydrophobicity, high‐lying highest occupied molecular orbital energy level, and deficiency of passivation groups. Herein, a series of donor–π–acceptor (D–π–A) type small molecules is demonstrated based on 2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine (TPy) as the acceptor moiety, benzene ring as the π‐linker, and incorporating various donors to act as HTMs. These TPy‐based molecules coated atop PTAA manipulate the energy level and surface wettability, but the incorporation of the phenoxazine (POZ) donor can be prominent for enhancing charge transport and defect passivation, thereby simultaneously addressing the above‐mentioned issues. The highest power conversion efficiency of 22.36% can be achieved with an open‐circuit voltage (
V
OC
) of 1.15 V, a short‐circuit current density (
J
SC
) of 23.96 mA cm
−2
, and a fill factor (FF) of 81.16% for the optimized
POZ‐TPy
‐modified device. Moreover, the power PCE of a large
POZ‐TPy
‐modified device (1.96 cm
2
) can still reach more than 21%. These results are among one of the highest efficiencies for inverted PSCs, indicating the enormous potential of
POZ‐TPy
HTM in future perovskite applications.
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