In December, 2019, a pneumonia associated with the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) emerged in Wuhan, China. We aimed to further clarify the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of ...2019-nCoV pneumonia.
In this retrospective, single-centre study, we included all confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV in Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital from Jan 1 to Jan 20, 2020. Cases were confirmed by real-time RT-PCR and were analysed for epidemiological, demographic, clinical, and radiological features and laboratory data. Outcomes were followed up until Jan 25, 2020.
Of the 99 patients with 2019-nCoV pneumonia, 49 (49%) had a history of exposure to the Huanan seafood market. The average age of the patients was 55·5 years (SD 13·1), including 67 men and 32 women. 2019-nCoV was detected in all patients by real-time RT-PCR. 50 (51%) patients had chronic diseases. Patients had clinical manifestations of fever (82 83% patients), cough (81 82% patients), shortness of breath (31 31% patients), muscle ache (11 11% patients), confusion (nine 9% patients), headache (eight 8% patients), sore throat (five 5% patients), rhinorrhoea (four 4% patients), chest pain (two 2% patients), diarrhoea (two 2% patients), and nausea and vomiting (one 1% patient). According to imaging examination, 74 (75%) patients showed bilateral pneumonia, 14 (14%) patients showed multiple mottling and ground-glass opacity, and one (1%) patient had pneumothorax. 17 (17%) patients developed acute respiratory distress syndrome and, among them, 11 (11%) patients worsened in a short period of time and died of multiple organ failure.
The 2019-nCoV infection was of clustering onset, is more likely to affect older males with comorbidities, and can result in severe and even fatal respiratory diseases such as acute respiratory distress syndrome. In general, characteristics of patients who died were in line with the MuLBSTA score, an early warning model for predicting mortality in viral pneumonia. Further investigation is needed to explore the applicability of the MuLBSTA score in predicting the risk of mortality in 2019-nCoV infection.
National Key R&D Program of China.
Hot flashes, the most bothering symptom of menopause, are linked to a metabolic inflammation. Due to estrogen deficiency in menopause, dysbiosis is observed. The intestinal barrier affects the ...interaction of microbiota in healthy or unhealthy individuals. This study investigates the relationship between hot flashes and gut permeability in postmenopausal women. In this cross-sectional study, we divided 289 women, aged 40-65 years, into four groups based on their hot-flash severity: HF.sub.0 : never experienced hot flashes; HF.sub.m : mild hot flashes; HF.sub.M : moderate hot flashes; HF.sub.S : severe hot flashes. The measured variables included the clinical parameters; hot flashes experience; fasting plasma levels of zonulin, fatty acid binding protein 2 (FABP2), endotoxin, and cytokines/chemokines. We used multiple linear regression analysis to evaluate the relationship between hot flashes and the previously mentioned gut barrier proteins. The study was performed in a hospital medical center. The hot flashes had a positive tendency toward increased levels of circulating FABP2 (P-trend = 0.001), endotoxin (P-trend = 0.031), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (P-trend = 0.033), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) (P-trend = 0.017), and interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP10) (P-trend = 0.021). Spearman's correlation analysis revealed significant correlations of FABP2 with endotoxin, TNF-alpha, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, IP10, and hs-CRP in the 289 postmenopausal women included in this study. Linear regression analysis revealed that hot-flash severity had significant assoiciations with FABP2 (P-trend = 0.002), but not with zonulin. After adjusting for body mass index, age, and menopause duration, multivariate linear regression analysis revealed the differences between HFs (% difference (95% confidence interval), 22.36 (8.04, 38.59), P = 0.01) and HF.sub.0 groups in terms of FABP2 levels. This study shows that hot flashes are significantly associated with FABP2 levels in postmenopausal women. It suggests that severe hot flashes are linked to an increase in intestinal barrier permeability and low-grade systemic inflammation.
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•Pyridinic-N, pyrrolic-N, and quaternary-N dominate biochar N-functional groups.•N-functional groups of biochar can be analyzed by FTIR, XPS, NMR and XANES.•N-functional groups are ...mainly results of biomass, pyrolysis temperature & N-doping.•Biochar N-functional groups favor pollutant removal, redox reaction & energy storage.
Biochar is a carbonaceous material produced by thermal treatment, e.g., pyrolysis, of biomass in oxygen-deficient or oxygen-free environment. Nitrogen containing functional groups of biochar have a wide range of applications, such as adsorption of pollutants, catalysis, and energy storage. To date, many methods have been developed and used to strengthen the function of N-containing biochar to promote its application and commercialization. However, there is no review available specifically on the development of biochar technologies concerning nitrogen-containing functional groups. This paper aims to present a review on fractionation, analysis, formation, engineering, and application of N-functional groups of biochar. The effect of influencing factors on biochar N-functional groups, including biomass feedstock, pyrolysis parameters (e.g., temperature), and additional treatment (e.g., N-doping) were discussed in detail to reveal the formation mechanisms and performance of the N-functional groups. Future prospective investigation directions on the analysis and engineering of biochar N-functional groups were also proposed.
The vapor deposition of polymers on regular stationary substrates is widely known to form uniform thin films. Here we report porous polymer particles with sizes controllable down to the nanometer ...scale can be produced using a fabrication process based on chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on a dynamic substrate, i.e., sublimating ice particles. The results indicate that the vapor deposition of a polymer is directed by the sublimation process; instead of forming a thin film polymer, the deposited polymers replicated the size and shape of the ice particle. Defined size and porosity of the polymer particles are controllable with respect to varying the processing time. Extendable applications are shown to install multiple functional sites on the particles in one step and to localize metals/oxides forming composite particles. In addition, one fabrication cycle requires approximately 60 min to complete, and potential scaling up the production of the porous particles is manageable.
The adaption of brain region is fundamental to the development and maintenance of nervous system disorders. The prelimbic cortex (PrL) participates in the affective components of the pain sensation. ...However, whether and how the adaptation of PrL contributes to the comorbidity of neuropathic pain and depression are unknown.
Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), genetic knockdown or overexpression, we systematically investigated the activity of PrL region in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain/depression comorbid using the combined approaches of immunohistochemistry, electrophysiology, and behavior.
The activity of PrL and the excitability of pyramidal neurons were decreased, and the osteoclastic tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5 (Acp5) expression in PrL neurons was upregulated following the acquisition of spared nerve injury (SNI)-induced comorbidity. Genetic knockdown of Acp5 in pyramidal neurons, but not parvalbumin (PV) neurons or somatostatin (SST) neurons, attenuated the decrease of spike number, depression-like behavior and mechanical allodynia in comorbidity rats. Overexpression of Acp5 in PrL pyramidal neurons decreased the spike number and induced the comorbid-like behavior in naïve rats. Moreover, the expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6), phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3) and acetylated histone H3 (Ac-H3) were significantly increased following the acquisition of comorbidity in rats. Increased binding of STAT3 to the Acp5 gene promoter and the interaction between STAT3 and p300 enhanced acetylation of histone H3 and facilitated the transcription of Acp5 in PrL in the modeled rodents. Inhibition of IL-6/STAT3 pathway prevented the Acp5 upregulation and attenuated the comorbid-like behaviors in rats.
These data suggest that the adaptation of PrL mediated by IL-6/STAT3/Acp5 pathway contributed to the comorbidity of neuropathic pain/depression induced by SNI.
The introduction of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has opened up the potential for personalized cell therapies and ushered in new opportunities for regenerative medicine, disease modeling, ...iPSC-based drug discovery and toxicity assessment. Over the past 10 years, several initiatives have been established that aim to collect and generate a large amount of human iPSCs for scientific research purposes. In this review, we compare the construction and operation strategy of some iPSC banks as well as their ongoing development. We also introduce the technical challenges and offer future perspectives pertaining to the establishment and management of iPSC banks.
Previous studies have demonstrated that bacterial cellulose (BC) can be semi-continuously produced by utilizing the plastic composite support-rotating disk bioreactor (PCS-RDB). In this study, ...different additives, such as microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel was used in this study), carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), agar and sodium alginate, were added to the PCS-RDB culture medium to improve the BC productivity and material properties. The produced BC was then analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scan electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and strength analysis. Adding CMC and Avicel can increase the production of BC in PCS-RDB. The highest BC production reached (0.64 g/slice) when 0.8 % Avicel was added. Data from FTIR, XRD and SEM indicated that CMC and Avicel were incorporated into the BC during production, creating a disordered BC structure and thus reducing crystallinity. Both BCs and additive-altered BCs exhibited similar high water retention abilities (98.6–99 %). Additive-altered BCs exhibit similar strain but lower stress. BC production in PCS-RDB was improved by incorporating different additives, while the material properties of the produced BCs were also modified.
Conjugated polymers (CPs) have recently gained increasing attention as photocatalysts for sunlight-driven hydrogen evolution. However, they suffer from insufficient electron output sites and poor ...solubility in organic solvents, severely limiting their photocatalytic performance and applicability. Herein, solution-processable all-acceptor (A
-A
)-type CPs based on sulfide-oxidized ladder-type heteroarene are synthesized. A
-A
-type CPs showed upsurging efficiency improvements by two to three orders of magnitude, compared to their donor-acceptor -type CP counterparts. Furthermore, by seawater splitting, PBDTTTSOS exhibited an apparent quantum yield of 18.9% to 14.8% at 500 to 550 nm. More importantly, PBDTTTSOS achieved an excellent hydrogen evolution rate of 35.7 mmol h
g
and 150.7 mmol h
m
in the thin-film state, which is among the highest efficiencies in thin film polymer photocatalysts to date. This work provides a novel strategy for designing polymer photocatalysts with high efficiency and broad applicability.
Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from natural seawater faces the severe challenges of abundant salts, which adsorb on the active sites and result in undesirable side reactions and photocatalyst ...poisoning. Herein, a series of main‐chain‐engineered discontinuously conjugated polymer (DCP) photocatalysts is presented with bifunctional crown ether (CE) structures for hydrogen evolution from seawater. The hydrophilic CE can significantly inhibit the aggregation of DCPs induced by salts. Meanwhile, cyclic CE can effectively adsorb cations to uncover the active sites to increase their interaction with protons, which can increase the hydrogen evolution rates and significantly reduce the efficiency roll‐off in natural seawater. Through atomistic studies, the formation of hydrogen bonds with bifunctional CE is elucidated and further analysis of the microscale mechanisms is also conducted using molecular dynamics and ab initio techniques. This work suggests that CE‐based polymer has the potential to enhance its ability to produce hydrogen through photocatalysis using seawater.
The first example of incorporating crown ether structure into polymer photocatalysts is demonstrated via a main‐chain‐engineering strategy. The innovative approach significantly reduces ion adsorption on the active sites, resulting in less hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) roll‐off in natural seawater. P‐8CE, in particaular, shows remarkable results with 200% and 258% higher HER than the model photocatalyst, PCzDBTO, in pure water and natural seawater, respectively.
The effects of the sintering duration and powder fraction (Ag-coated Cu/SnAgCu) on the microstructure and reliability of transient liquid phase sintered (TLPS) joints are investigated. The results ...show that two main intermetallic compounds (IMCs, Cu
Sn
and Cu
Sn) formed in the joints. The Cu
Sn
ratio generally decreased with increasing sintering time, Cu powder fraction, and thermal treatment. The void ratio of the high-Cu-fraction joints decreased and increased with increasing sintering and thermal stressing durations, respectively, whereas the low-Cu-fraction counterparts were stable. We also found that the shear strength increased with increasing thermal treatment time, which resulted from the transformation of Cu
Sn
and Cu
Sn. Such findings could provide valuable information for optimizing the TLPS process and assuring the high reliability of electronic devices.
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