Previous studies on nanofluidic salinity gradient power (NSGP), where energy associated with the salinity gradient can be harvested with ion‐selective nanopores, all suggest that nanofluidic devices ...having higher surface charge density should have higher performance, including osmotic power and conversion efficiency. In this manuscript, this viewpoint is challenged and anomalous counterintuitive pH‐dependent NSGP behaviors are reported. For example, with equal pH deviation from its isoelectric point (IEP), the nanopore at pH < IEP is shown to have smaller surface charge density but remarkably higher NSGP performance than that at pH > IEP. Moreover, for sufficiently low pH, the NSGP performance decreases with lowering pH (increasing nanopore charge density). As a result, a maximum osmotic power density as high as 5.85 kW m−2 can be generated along with a conversion efficiency of 26.3% achieved for a single alumina nanopore at pH 3.5 under a 1000‐fold concentration ratio. Using the rigorous model with considering the surface equilibrium reactions on the pore wall, it is proved that these counterintuitive surface‐charge‐dependent NSGP behaviors result from the pH‐dependent ion concentration polarization effect, which yields the degradation in effective concentration ratio across the nanopore. These findings provide significant insight for the design of next‐generation, high‐performance NSGP devices.
A pH‐regulated nanopore, having smaller surface charge density but remarkably higher performance of nanofluidic salinity gradient power (NSGP), is demonstrated for the first time. The counterintuitive surface‐charge‐dependent NSGP behavior is also shown resulting from the pH‐dependent ion concentration polarization effect, which yields degradation in an effective concentration ratio across a nanopore.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) outbreak, which has caused >46 millions confirmed infections and >1.2 million coronavirus related deaths, is one of the most devastating worldwide crises in ...recent years. Infection with COVID‑19 results in a fever, dry cough, general fatigue, respiratory symptoms, diarrhoea and a sore throat, similar to those of acute respiratory distress syndrome. The causative agent of COVID‑19, SARS‑CoV‑2, is a novel coronavirus strain. To date, remdesivir has been granted emergency use authorization for use in the management of infection. Additionally, several efficient diagnostic tools are being actively developed, and novel drugs and vaccines are being evaluated for their efficacy as therapeutic agents against COVID‑19, or in the prevention of infection. The present review highlights the prevalent clinical manifestations of COVID‑19, characterizes the SARS‑CoV‑2 viral genome sequence and life cycle, highlights the optimal methods for preventing viral transmission, and discusses possible molecular pharmacological mechanisms and approaches in the development of anti‑SARS‑CoV‑2 therapeutic agents. In addition, the use of traditional Chinese medicines for management of COVID‑19 is discussed. It is expected that novel anti‑viral agents, vaccines or an effective combination therapy for treatment/management of SARS‑CoV‑2 infection and spread therapy will be developed and implemented in 2021, and we would like to extend our best regards to the frontline health workers across the world in their fight against COVID‑19.
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•The sensing performance of sensors based on conducting polymers is greatly affected by the presence of water vapor.•The TFB sensor exhibited high sensitivity to acetone, down to ppb ...levels in ambient air.•A humidification tube was designed as an ammonia filter to improve selectivity.
The major merits of organic-based sensors include their low cost, room-temperature operation, and small size. However, their sensitivity and selectivity are concerning, especially in the application of breath analysis. In this work, organic-based sensors were developed based on cylindrical nano-pore structures, which enhanced the sensitivity down to ppb levels. The sensing performance was demonstrated both in pure nitrogen and ambient air. The sensor constructed with poly(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-co-(4,4′-(N-(4-sec-butylphenyl)diphenylamine) (TFB) exhibited a 5% sensing response to 300 ppb of acetone in ambient air. In addition, the sensor’s response to other major breath components, including nitric oxide, ethanol, carbon dioxide, and ammonia, was also established. The results showed that the TFB sensor also exhibited a good response to ammonia. Therefore, a humidification tube was designed as an ammonia filter to improve selectivity. The concept of integrating a highly sensitive sensor with a customized sensing system shows promise for medical applications.
The technology for detecting forged images is good at detecting known forgery methods. It trains neural networks using many original and corresponding forged images created with known methods. ...However, when encountering unseen forgery methods, the technology performs poorly. Recently, one suggested approach to tackle this problem is to use a hand-crafted generator of forged images to create a range of fake images, which can then be used to train the neural network. However, the aforementioned method has limited detection performance when encountering unseen forging techniques that the hand-craft generator has not accounted for. To overcome the limitations of existing methods, in this paper, we adopt a meta-learning approach to develop a highly adaptive detector for identifying new forging techniques. The proposed method trains a forged image detector using meta-learning techniques, making it possible to fine-tune the detector with only a few new forged samples. The proposed method inputs a small number of the forged images to the detector and enables the detector to adjust its weights based on the statistical features of the input forged images, allowing the detection of forged images with similar characteristics. The proposed method achieves significant improvement in detecting forgery methods, with IoU improvements ranging from 35.4% to 127.2% and AUC improvements ranging from 2.0% to 48.9%, depending on the forgery method. These results show that the proposed method significantly improves detection performance with only a small number of samples and demonstrates better performance compared to current state-of-the-art methods in most scenarios.
The inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) is critical for the expression of octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4), which is highly associated with early tumor recurrence and poor ...prognosis of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC). DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) family is closely linked with OCT4 expression and drug resistance. However, the underlying mechanism regarding the interplay between DNMTs and IL-6-induced OCT4 expression and the sorafenib resistance of HCC remains largely unclear.
HCC tissue samples were used to examine the association between DNMTs/OCT4 expression levels and clinical prognosis. Serum levels of IL-6 were detected using ELISA assays (n = 144). Gain- and loss-of-function experiments were performed in cell lines and mouse xenograft models to determine the underlying mechanism in vitro and in vivo.
We demonstrate that levels of DNA methyltransferase 3 beta (DNMT3b) are significantly correlated with the OCT4 levels in HCC tissues (n = 144), and the OCT4 expression levels are positively associated with the serum IL-6 levels. Higher levels of IL-6, DNMT3b, or OCT4 predicted early HCC recurrence and poor prognosis. We show that IL-6/STAT3 activation increases DNMT3b/1 and OCT4 in HCC. Activated phospho-STAT3 (STAT-Y640F) significantly increased DNMT3b/OCT4, while dominant negative phospho-STAT3 (STAT-Y705F) was suppressive. Inhibiting DNMT3b with RNA interference or nanaomycin A (a selective DNMT3b inhibitor) effectively suppressed the IL-6 or STAT-Y640F-induced increase of DNMT3b-OCT4 and ALDH activity in vitro and in vivo. The fact that OCT4 regulates the DNMT1 expressions were further demonstrated either by OCT4 forced expression or DNMT1 silence. Additionally, the DNMT3b silencing reduced the OCT4 expression in sorafenib-resistant Hep3B cells with or without IL-6 treatment. Notably, targeting DNMT3b with nanaomycin A significantly increased the cell sensitivity to sorafenib, with a synergistic combination index (CI) in sorafenib-resistant Hep3B cells.
The DNMT3b plays a critical role in the IL-6-mediated OCT4 expression and the drug sensitivity of sorafenib-resistant HCC. The p-STAT3 activation increases the DNMT3b/OCT4 which confers the tumor early recurrence and poor prognosis of HCC patients. Findings from this study highlight the significance of IL-6-DNMT3b-mediated OCT4 expressions in future therapeutic target for patients expressing cancer stemness-related properties or sorafenib resistance in HCC.
Non-precious bifunctional FeCoNiCuMo high entropy alloy catalysts, together with CoNi layered double hydroxide nanowire arrays enhanced gel electrolytes, make high performance rechargeable flexible ...zinc-air batteries.
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•FeCoNiCuMo high entropy alloy exhibits ultrahigh oxygen electrocatalytic efficiency.•Deliver a remarkable peak power density of 298 mW cm−2 at 412 mA cm−2.•Exhibit excellent cycling stability for 1576 cycles (788 h) at 10 mA cm−2.•Develop CoNi layered double hydroxide nanowire array enhanced gel electrolyte.•Flexible ZAB exhibits a peak power density of 102.9 mW cm−2 and lifespan of 58 h.
Cost-effective highly efficient and stable bifunctional oxygen catalysts are critical for practical applications of rechargeable zinc-air batteries (ZABs). In this study, a non-precious bifunctional FeCoNiCuMo high entropy alloy (HEA) catalyst was developed, exhibiting outstanding dual-functionality toward catalysis of oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions, with an ultralow voltage gap (ΔE10) of 0.67 V. The FeCoNiCuMo HEA based ZAB exhibited a high peak power density of 298 mW cm−2 at a high current density of 412 mA cm−2 and an outstanding cycling stability over 1576 cycles (788 h) at 10 mA cm−2 with a minor voltage gap increase of 6.2 %. Incorporation of CoNi layered double hydroxide nanowire arrays to poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) gel electrolytes significantly enhanced the aqueous electrolyte adsorption and water retention capabilities and ionic conductivities of the PVA gel, leading to much improved efficiency and stability of the flexible ZAB (FZAB), with an increase in peak power densities from 72 to 102.9 mW cm−2 and a prolonged lifespan from 35 to 58 h at 5 mA cm−2. The FZAB exhibited excellent mechanical stability, with no variations in voltage gaps observed under increasing bending.
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•The doping of Si increased the surface acidity and inhibited the NH3 oxidation.•The 0.3Mn/Ce8Si2Ox-R exhibited large amount of Mn4+, Ce3+, and oxygen vacancies.•The interaction ...between Mn and Ce-SiOx was improved by the citric acid method.•The 0.3Mn/Ce8Si2Ox-R-CA exhibited excellent Fast-SCR reaction via NO/NO2 = 1.
A series of Mn/CeSiOx catalysts were synthesized to investigate the Ce/Si ratios and morphology effect of Ce/SiOx support for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH3 at low temperature. The characterization and catalytic test showed that the 0.3Mn/Ce8Si2Ox-R catalyst exhibits high NOx conversion at low temperature. The Ce/Si ratio was 8/2 over the 0.3Mn/Ce8Si2Ox-R catalyst, increasing the surface acidity and inhibiting the side reaction of NH3. The {110} and {100} facts of the nanorod structure are rich in Ce3+ species and oxygen vacancies for the SCR reaction. Moreover, the citric acid method was employed on 0.3Mn/Ce8Si2Ox-R-CA to improve the interaction between Mnn+ and Ce8Si2Ox-R and enhance the strength of surface acidity, leading to the highest NOx conversion and Fast-SCR process. During the suppression effect of SO2 or HCl on catalytic activity, the 0.3Mn/Ce8Si2Ox-R-CA catalyst shows higher poison resistance to HCl than SO2.
Aim
This systematic review and network meta‐analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of adjunctive locally delivered antimicrobials, compared to subgingival instrumentation alone or plus a placebo, on ...changes in probing pocket depth (PPD) and clinical attachment level (CAL), in patients with residual pockets during supportive periodontal care.
Materials and methods
Literature search was performed with electronic databases and by hand until 31 May 2020. Primary outcome was the changes in PPD. The treatment effects between groups were estimated with weighted mean differences (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and prediction intervals (PI) by using random‐effects network meta‐analysis.
Results
Twenty‐two studies were included. Significantly greater PPD reduction was achieved in chlorhexidine chip group (WMD: 0.65 mm, 95% CI: 0.21–1.10) and tetracycline fibre group (WMD: 0.64 mm, 95% CI: 0.20–1.08) over 6‐month follow‐up. Other adjunctive antimicrobial agents achieved non‐significant improvements compared to scaling and root planing alone. All differences between adjunctive therapies were statistically non‐significant. Similar findings were observed for CAL gain.
Conclusion
Adjunctive local antimicrobial agents achieved small additional PPD reduction and CAL gain in residual pockets for a follow‐up of up to 6 months. Tetracycline fibre and chlorhexidine chip achieved better results than other antimicrobials.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are released by cells to mediate intercellular communication under pathological and physiological conditions. While small EVs (sEVs; <100–200 nm, exosomes) are intensely ...investigated, the properties and functions of medium and large EVs (big EVs (bEVs); >200 nm, microvesicles) are less well explored. Here, bEVs and sEVs are identified as distinct EV populations, and it is determined that bEVs are released in a greater bEV:sEV ratio in the aggressive human triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype. PalmGRET, bioluminescence‐resonance‐energy‐transfer (BRET)‐based EV reporter, reveals dose‐dependent EV biodistribution at nonlethal and physiological EV dosages, as compared to lipophilic fluorescent dyes. Remarkably, the bEVs and sEVs exhibit unique biodistribution profiles, yet individually promote in vivo tumor growth in a syngeneic immunocompetent TNBC breast tumor murine model. The bEVs and sEVs share mass‐spectrometry‐identified tumor‐progression‐associated EV surface membrane proteins (tpEVSurfMEMs), which include solute carrier family 29 member 1, Cd9, and Cd44. tpEVSurfMEM depletion attenuates EV lung organotropism, alters biodistribution, and reduces protumorigenic potential. This study identifies distinct in vivo property and function of bEVs and sEVs in breast cancer, which suggest the significant role of bEVs in diseases, diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
Big and small extracellular vesicles circulate differentially and confer tumorigenic function modulatable by extracellular vesicle (EV) membrane proteins. Malignant breast cancers release more big EVs, in addition to small EVs, than normal cells to target organs and individually promote tumor growth via tumor‐progression‐associated EV surface membrane proteins.
Oxidative stress is an important pathomechanism found in numerous ocular degenerative diseases. To provide a better understanding of the mechanism and treatment of oxidant/antioxidant ...imbalance-induced ocular diseases, this article summarizes and provides updates on the relevant research. We review the oxidative damage (e.g., lipid peroxidation, DNA lesions, autophagy, and apoptosis) that occurs in different areas of the eye (e.g., cornea, anterior chamber, lens, retina, and optic nerve). We then introduce the antioxidant mechanisms present in the eye, as well as the ocular diseases that occur as a result of antioxidant imbalances (e.g., keratoconus, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, and glaucoma), the relevant antioxidant biomarkers, and the potential of predictive diagnostics. Finally, we discuss natural antioxidant therapies for oxidative stress-related ocular diseases.
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