Half-life of serum alpha-fetoprotein in prepubertal testicular yolk sac tumors: an index significantly associated with prognosis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the association between serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) half-life (HL) and prognosis in prepubertal children with elevated AFP values 3 to 4 weeks after surgery for testicular yolk sac tumors (YST). METHODS: Prepubertal patients with testicular YST treated with radical orchiectomy between January 2016 and December 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Negative outcomes were defined as relapse, metastasis or death. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to select risk factors for negative outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 42 patients were eventually enrolled into the study. Patients were divided into non-negative and negative outcomes groups, consisting of 35 and 7 patients, respectively. Thirty-five patients were stage I, two cases were stage II, and five cases were stage IV, according to the Children's Oncology Group staging system. The overall survival (OS) rate was 100%. Average AFP values significantly decreased after resection (P < 0.001). A significant positive correlation was shown between pre- and postoperative AFP values (r = 0.60, P < 0.001). Long AFP HL was considered as an independent risk factor for negative outcomes in YST patients underwent radical orchiectomy (P = 0.04). The cut-off value for AFP HL was 5.78 days, regardless of age division. CONCLUSION: Testicular YST is a relatively rare disease in children with an OS of 100%, and salvage chemotherapy is effective even in grade IV patients. The postoperative AFP HL was significantly associated with prognosis in prepubertal patients with testicular YST. The cut-off value for AFP HL is 5.78 days regardless of the effect of physiological AFP elevation.

Highly reversible zinc metal anode enabled by strong Brønsted acid and hydrophobic interfacial chemistry.

Uncontrollable zinc (Zn) plating and hydrogen evolution greatly undermine Zn anode reversibility. Previous electrolyte designs focus on suppressing H2O reactivity, however, the accumulation of alkaline byproducts during battery calendar aging and cycling still deteriorates the battery performance. Here, we present a direct strategy to tackle such problems using a strong Brønsted acid, bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (HTFSI), as the electrolyte additive. This approach reformulates battery interfacial chemistry on both electrodes, suppresses continuous corrosion reactions and promotes uniform Zn deposition. The enrichment of hydrophobic TFSI- anions at the Zn|electrolyte interface creates an H2O-deficient micro-environment, thus inhibiting Zn corrosion reactions and inducing a ZnS-rich interphase. This highly acidic electrolyte demonstrates high Zn plating/stripping Coulombic efficiency up to 99.7% at 1 mA cm-2 ( > 99.8% under higher current density and areal capacity). Additionally, Zn | |ZnV6O9 full cells exhibit a high capacity retention of 76.8% after 2000 cycles.

Icariin inhibits chondrocyte ferroptosis and alleviates osteoarthritis by enhancing the SLC7A11/GPX4 signaling.

BACKGROUND: Chondrocyte ferroptosis plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA), regulated by the SLC7A11/GPX4 signaling pathway. Icariin (ICA), a flavonoid glycoside, exhibits strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. This study investigated whether ICA could modulate the SLC7A11/GPX4 signaling to inhibit chondrocyte ferroptosis and alleviate OA. PURPOSE: The objective was to explore the impact of ICA on chondrocyte ferroptosis in OA and its modulation of the SLC7A11/GPX4 signaling pathway. METHODS: The anti-ferroptosis effects of ICA were evaluated in an interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß)-treated SW1353 cell model, using Ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) and Erastin (Era) as ferroptosis inhibitor and inducer, respectively, along with GPX4 knockdown via lentivirus-based shRNA. Additionally, the therapeutic efficacy of ICA on OA-related articular cartilage damage was assessed in rats through histopathology and immunohistochemistry (IHC). RESULTS: IL-1ß treatment upregulated the expression of OA-associated matrix metalloproteinases (MMP3 and MMP1), a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS-5), and increased intracellular ROS, lipid ROS, and MDA levels while downregulating collagen II and SOX9 expression in SW1353 cells. ICA treatment countered the IL-1ß-induced upregulation of MMPs and ADAMTS-5, restored collagen II and SOX9 expression, and reduced intracellular ROS, lipid ROS, and MDA levels. Furthermore, IL-1ß upregulated P53 but downregulated SLC7A11 and GPX4 expression in SW1353 cells, effects that were mitigated by ICA or Fer-1 treatment. Significantly, ICA also alleviated Era-induced ferroptosis, whereas it had no effect on GPX4-silenced SW1353 cells. In vivo, ICA treatment reduced articular cartilage damage in OA rats by partially restoring collagen II and GPX4 expression, inhibiting cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation and chondrocyte ferroptosis. CONCLUSION: ICA treatment mitigated chondrocyte ferroptosis and articular cartilage damage by enhancing the SLC7A11/GPX4 signaling, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic agent for OA interventions.

Effects of Heat Treatment on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of a Dual-Phase High-Entropy Alloy Fabricated via Laser Beam Power Bed Fusion.

To enhance the applicability of dual-phase high-entropy alloys (HEAs) like Fe32Cr33Ni29Al3Ti3, fabricated via laser beam power bed fusion (LB-PBF), a focus on improving their mechanical properties is essential. As part of this effort, heat treatment was explored. This study compares the microstructure and mechanical properties of the as-printed sample with those cooled in water after undergoing heat treatment at temperatures ranging from 1000 to 1200 °C for 1 h. Both pre- and post-treatment samples reveal a dual-phase microstructure comprising FCC and BCC phases. Although heat treatment led to a reduction in tensile and yield strength, it significantly increased ductility compared to the as-printed sample. This strength-ductility trade-off is related to changes in grain sizes with ultrafine grains enhancing strength and micron grains optimizing ductility, also influencing the content of FCC/BCC phases and dislocation density. In particular, the sample heat-treated at 1000 °C for 1 h and then water-cooled exhibited a better combination of strength and ductility, a yield strength of 790 MPa, and an elongation of 13%. This research offers innovative perspectives on crafting dual-phase HEA of Fe32Cr33Ni29Al3Ti3, allowing for tailorable microstructure and mechanical properties through a synergistic approach involving LB-PBF and heat treatment.

Nomogram for personalized prognostic assessment of children with favorable histology Wilms tumor: A retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This retrospective study aimed to construct and validate a nomogram for personalized prognostic assessment of favorable histology Wilms tumor (FHWT) based on clinical and pathological variables. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This was a retrospective study collected data from patients who underwent surgery for FHWT between March 2007 and November 2022 at Beijing Children's Hospital. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were conducted to determine the significance variables and constructed the nomogram in predicting event-free survival (EFS) in FHWT patients. RESULTS: A total of 401 FHWT patients were included in the study, with the median age of the patients was 3.4 years. The overall 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates were 98.2%, 96.3%, and 93.9%. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year EFS rates were 91.2%, 88.2%, and 86.6%. Subgroup analysis revealed age greater than 2 years was associated with a worse prognosis than age less than or equal to 2 years (P < 0.001), and patients with high-risk Wilms tumors were associated with a higher rate of recurrence and death (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that age (HR: 2.449, 95%CI: 1.004-5.973), stage (HR: 1.970, 95% CI:1.408-2.756), and histological risk (HR:9.414, 95% CI: 4.318-20.525) were identified as independent predictors of EFS (P < 0.05) and used to construct the nomogram. The prognostic nomogram demonstrated good calibration, great clinical utility, and the time-dependent receiver operating curve analysis showed that the nomogram had precise predictability, with area under the curve values of 0.85(95CI:0.796-0.913), 0.85(95CI:0.80-0.91), and 0.88(95CI:0.839-0.937) for 1-,3-year and 5-year EFS. CONCLUSION: This study provides valuable insights into the clinical characteristics and outcomes of FHWT patients. Accurate staging and histological risk assessment are important in predicting outcomes, and the prognostic nomogram we developed can be a useful tool for clinicians to assess patient prognosis and make informed treatment decisions.

Comparative efficacy and safety of Chinese medicine injections as an adjunctive therapy for cervical cancer in Chinese patients: a network meta-analysis.

CONTEXT: Chinese medicine injections (CMIs) are widely used as adjuvant therapy for cervical cancer in China. However, the effectiveness of different types of CMIs remains uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness and safety of CMIs when used in conjunction with radiotherapy (RT) or concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), particularly in combination with cisplatin (DDP), docetaxel plus cisplatin (DP), and paclitaxel plus cisplatin (TP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched in databases including CNKI, WanFang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science from inception to September 2023. We calculated the risk ratio with a 95% confidence interval and the surface under the cumulative ranking area curve (SUCRA) for the clinical efficacy rate (CER), the efficacy rate by Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS), and the rates of leukopenia reduction (LRR) and gastrointestinal reactions (GRR). RESULTS: Forty-seven RCTs were included, including nine CMI types: Aidi, Fufangkushen, Huangqi, Kangai (KA), Kanglaite (KLT), Renshenduotang, Shenqifuzheng (SQFZ), Shenmai (SM), and Yadanzi. KLT and KA were likely optimal choices with radiotherapy for CER and KPS, respectively. KA and KLT were optimal choices with RT + DDP for CER and GRR, respectively. KLT was the likely optimal choice with RT + DP for CER and KA for both KPS and GRR. SM and SQFZ were the likely optimal choices with RT + TP for CER and LRR, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The optimal recommendation depends on whether CMIs are used with radiotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy. More high-quality RCTs are needed to confirm further and update the existing evidence.

Effectiveness of penile ventral curvature correction and the trend of hypospadias repair: a prospective study of the national center in China.

BACKGROUND: Hypospadias repair is a complex surgical procedure that involves correcting penile ventral curvature (VC) and performing urethroplasty. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of different strategies for VC correction and analyse the trends in hypospadias repair at a national centre in China. METHODS: Prospective data collection was conducted from 2019 to 2020 for patients undergoing hypospadias repair. The effectiveness of VC correction was assessed based on the degree of VC change with different strategies. Furthermore, the choice of surgical techniques for different types of hypospadias repair was analysed. RESULTS: A total of 434 patients were included, with a median preoperative VC degree of 50° (35°, 70°). All patients achieved a straight penis postoperatively, with 15.2% undergoing degloving, 28.6% undergoing degloving and dorsal plication (DP), 13.1% undergoing degloving and urethral plate transection (UPT), and 43.1% undergoing degloving, UPT and DP. Degloving alone was effective in correcting VC in 57.6% of patients with VC less than 30°. In our analysis, DP after UPT resulted in a higher degree of correction (25°) compared with DP after degloving alone (20°) (p<0.001). The study identified the current trends in hypospadias repair, with tubularised incised plate urethroplasty (TIP) being the most common technique used in distal hypospadias repair (70.6% of patients) and transverse preputial island flap urethroplasty (TPIFU) being preferred for proximal hypospadias repair (63.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Degloving alone is effective for correcting VC less than 30°. The majority of patients in our centre underwent UPT, and DP after UPT yielded better results compared with DP after degloving alone. Distal hypospadias repair commonly used TIP, while TPIFU was favoured for proximal hypospadias repair. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR1900023055.

Solvent versus Anion Chemistry: Unveiling the Structure-Dependent Reactivity in Tailoring Electrochemical Interphases for Lithium-Metal Batteries.

Electrolytes are critical for the reversibility of various electrochemical energy storage systems. The recent development of electrolytes for high-voltage Li-metal batteries has been counting on the salt anion chemistry for building stable interphases. Herein, we investigate the effect of the solvent structure on the interfacial reactivity and discover profound solvent chemistry of designed monofluoro-ether in anion-enriched solvation structures, which enables enhanced stabilization of both high-voltage cathodes and Li-metal anodes. Systematic comparison of different molecular derivatives provides an atomic-scale understanding of the unique solvent structure-dependent reactivity. The interaction between Li+ and the monofluoro (-CH2F) group significantly influences the electrolyte solvation structure and promotes the monofluoro-ether-based interfacial reactions over the anion chemistry. With in-depth analyses of the compositions, charge transfer, and ion transport at interfaces, we demonstrated the essential role of the monofluoro-ether solvent chemistry in tailoring highly protective and conductive interphases (with enriched LiF at full depths) on both electrodes, as opposed to the anion-derived ones in typical concentrated electrolytes. As a result, the solvent-dominant electrolyte chemistry enables a high Li Coulombic efficiency (∼99.4%) and stable Li anode cycling at a high rate (10 mA cm-2), together with greatly improved cycling stability of 4.7 V-class nickel-rich cathodes. This work illustrates the underlying mechanism of the competitive solvent and anion interfacial reaction schemes in Li-metal batteries and offers fundamental insights into the rational design of electrolytes for future high-energy batteries.

Strongly Solvating Ether Electrolytes for High-Voltage Lithium Metal Batteries.

Ethers are promising electrolytes for lithium (Li) metal batteries (LMBs) because of their unique stability with Li metal. Although intensive research on designing anion-enriched electrolyte solvation structures has greatly improved their electrochemical stabilities, ether electrolytes are approaching an anodic bottleneck. Herein, we reveal the strong correlation between electrolyte solvation structure and oxidation stability. In contrast to previous designs of weakly solvating solvents for enhanced anion reactivities, the triglyme (G3)-based electrolyte with the largest Li+ solvation energy among different linear ethers demonstrates greatly improved stability on Ni-rich cathodes under an ultrahigh voltage of 4.7 V (93% capacity retention after 100 cycles). Ether electrolytes with a stronger Li+ solvating ability could greatly suppress deleterious oxidation side reactions by decreasing the lifetime of free labile ether molecules. This study provides critical insights into the dynamics of the solvation structure and its significant influence on the interfacial stability for future development of high-efficiency electrolytes for high-energy-density LMBs.

Localized Alkaline Environment via In Situ Electrostatic Confinement for Enhanced CO2-to-Ethylene Conversion in Neutral Medium.

Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is one of the most promising routes to facilitate carbon neutrality. An alkaline electrolyte is typically needed to promote the production of valuable multi-carbon molecules (such as ethylene). However, the reaction between CO2 and OH- consumes a significant quantity of CO2/alkali and causes the rapid decay of CO2RR selectivity and stability. Here, we design a catalyst-electrolyte interface with an effective electrostatic confinement of in situ generated OH- to improve ethylene electrosynthesis from CO2 in neutral medium. In situ Raman measurements indicate the direct correlation between ethylene selectivity and the intensities of surface Cu-CO and Cu-OH species, suggesting the promoted C-C coupling with the surface enrichment of OH-. Thus, we report a CO2-to-ethylene Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 70% and a partial current density of 350 mA cm-2 at -0.89 V vs the reversible hydrogen electrode. Furthermore, the system demonstrated a 50 h stable operation at 300 mA cm-2 with an average ethylene FE of ∼68%. This study offers a universal strategy to tune the reaction micro-environment, and a significantly improved ethylene FE of 64.5% was obtained even in acidic electrolytes (pH = 2).

Regulating Frozen Electrolyte Structure with Colloidal Dispersion for Low Temperature Aqueous Batteries.

Electrolyte freezing under low temperatures is a critical challenge for the development of aqueous batteries (ABs). While lowering the freezing point of the electrolyte has caught major research efforts, limited attention has been paid to the structural evolution during the electrolyte freezing process and regulating the frozen electrolyte structure for low temperature ABs. Here, we reveal the formation process of interconnected liquid regions for ion transport in frozen electrolytes with various in situ variable-temperature technologies. More importantly, the low-temperature performance of ABs was significantly improved with the colloidal electrolyte design using graphene oxide quantum dots (GOQDs), which effectively inhibits the growth of ice crystals and expands the interconnected liquid regions for facial ion transport. This work provides new insights and a promising strategy for the electrolyte design of low-temperature ABs.

An Overcrowded Water-Ion Solvation Structure for a Robust Anode Interphase in Aqueous Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The water-in-salt electrolyte (WISE) features intimate interactions between a cation and anion, which induces the formation of an anion-derived solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and expands the aqueous electrolyte voltage window to >3.0 V. Although further increasing the salt concentration (even to >60 molality (m)) can gradually improve water stability, issues about cost and practical feasibility are concerned. An alternative approach is to intensify ion-solvent interactions in the inner solvation structure by shielding off outward electrostatic attractions from nearby ions. Here, we design an "overcrowded" electrolyte using the non-polar, hydrogen-bonding 1,4-dioxane (DX) as an overcrowding agent, thereby achieving a robust LiF-enriched SEI and wide electrolyte operation window (3.7 V) with a low salt concentration (<2 m). As a result, the electrochemical performance of aqueous Li4Ti5O12/LiMn2O4 full cells can be substantially improved (88.5% capacity retention after 200 cycles, at 0.57 C). This study points out a promising strategy to develop low-cost and stable high-voltage aqueous batteries.

A Survey on How Ocular Surface Demodex Infestation Interactively Associates with Diabetes Mellitus and Dry Eye Disease.

PURPOSE: Prevention of ocular surface (OS) Demodex infestation plays an important role in OS hygiene and variety of factors may be associated with it, in which diabetes mellitus (DM) or dry eye disease (DED) has caught the attention of most scholars. However, there has been no research on whether there was a potential interaction between DM and DED in the process of OS Demodex infestation. This cross-sectional study was implemented in Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University. METHODS: Ophthalmologic interviews, questionnaires, and examinations were conducted. Factors including general information, DM status, dry eye condition, etc. were collected to study the correlation of DM and DED on OS Demodex infestation. RESULTS: After statistical analysis, we found that both DM (P < 0.001) and DED (P = 0.013 < 0.05) are closely associated with OS Demodex infestation. Compared with DED, DM has higher priority association with OS Demodex infestation, and patients with both diseases have a significant higher risk of OS Demodex infestation (R = 0.197, P < 0.001). Meanwhile, age (R = 0.299, P < 0.001) and hypertension (P < 0.05) were also correlated with OS Demodex infestation. CONCLUSION: This study provides a new evidence-based basis for clinical prevention and management of OS Demodex infestation.

Silencing circular RNA hsa_circ_009755 promotes growth and metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common and rampant malignancy of the head and neck. However, its pathogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we have investigated the effects of circular RNA hsa_circ_009755 on proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis in OSCC cells in vitro. METHOD: Eight pairs of OSCC and normal adjacent tissues were selected to detect the differential expression of circRNAs by high-throughput sequencing. circRNA hsa_circ_009755 expression was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in OSCC tissues and cell lines. CCK-8, wound healing, Transwell, and flow cytometry assays were used to determine OSCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis, respectively. RESULT: The expression of hsa_circ_009755 was low in OSCC tissues and three OSCC cell lines. Silencing hsa_circ_009755 significantly enhanced the proliferation, migration, and invasion and suppressed the apoptosis of OSCC cells. CONCLUSION: Therefore, hsa_circ_009755 may be important in the tumorigenesis of OSCC.

Achieving Superior Electrocatalytic Performance by Surface Copper Vacancy Defects during Electrochemical Etching Process.

Vacancy defects of catalysts have been extensively studied and proven to be beneficial to various electrocatalytic reactions. Herein, an ultra-stable three-dimensional PtCu nanowire network (NNW) with ultrafine size, self-supporting rigid structure, and Cu vacancy defects has been developed. The vacancy defect-rich PtCu NNW exhibits an outstanding performance for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), with a mass activity 14.1 times higher than for the commercial Pt/C catalyst (20 %.wt, JM), which is currently the best performance. The mass activity of the PtCu NNW for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) is 17.8 times higher than for the commercial Pt/C catalyst. Density-functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the introduction of Cu vacancies enhances the adsorption capacity of Pt atoms to the HO* intermediate and simultaneously weakens the adsorption for the O* intermediate. This work presents a facile strategy to assemble efficient electrocatalysts with abundant vacancy defects, at the same time, provides an insight into the ORR mechanism in acidic solution.

The clinical significance of long non-coding RNA ANRIL level in diabetic retinopathy.

AIM: To analyse the expression of lncRNA-ANRIL and other related factors in different human body fluids, explore the clinical significance of ANRIL and validate whether ANRIL is interrelated with the renin-angiotensin system and NF-κB signalling pathway. METHODS: Ninety-one patients were included in this cross-sectional study and were divided into the NDM group (20 patients), DM group (25 patients), NPDR group (21 patients) and PDR group (25 patients). Basic information and samples of serum, aqueous fluid and vitreous fluid were collected before vitrectomy or intravitreal injection. The transcription and levels of ANRIL and other related factors were detected by RT-PCR and ELISA. Statistical Package for Social Sciences software was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: ANRIL expression varied among different groups and body fluids. There was no difference in ANRIL expression between the NDM and DM groups, but the level of ANRIL was significantly lower in the DM group than in the NPDR and PDR group. In vitreous fluid, ANRIL expression was positively correlated with Ang II, p65 and VEGF expression in the PDR group. The expression of ANRIL in serum was not significantly correlated with age or the random blood sugar but was positively correlated with diabetic duration and HbAc1 level. CONCLUSIONS: Levels of lncRNA-ANRIL are higher in DR patient and correlated with the progression of DR that may be used as an indicator to predict the development of DR. The activation of the RAS and the NF-κB pathway may be closely related to the upregulation of ANRIL. Clinical trial number ChiCTR1800017500. Registry Chinese Clinical Trial Registry.

Circular RNA hsa_circ_009755 downregulation correlates with clinicopathology in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most frequent oral malignancy in humans. Increasing numbers of studies suggest that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a major role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Purpose: We aimed to identify differently expressed circRNA in OSCC and adjacent normal tissue. As well as to study the correlation of circRNA expression with clinicopathological feature in patients with OSCC. Patients and methods: Primary OSCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues from twenty-seven OSCC patients were collected. The expression level of hsa_circ_009755 were analyzed by qRT-PCR. Results: The measurement results from qRT-PCR revealed that hsa_circ_009755 expression was low in OSCC tissue samples and cell lines, and the low expression of hsa_circ_009755 was closely related to a clinicopathological feature in patients with OSCC. Moreover, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.782, which indicates the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic value. Conclusion: Our data indicates that hsa_circ_009755 could serve as a potential biomarker for OSCC diagnosis.

[Effects of interleukin-34 expressed by human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells on THP-1 cells].

To construct recombinant eukaryotic expression plasmid vector of human IL-34 gene, and to study the effects of IL-34 expressed by human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) on THP-1 cells. Full-length IL-34 encoding sequence was amplified by PCR. And this fragment was cloned into the plasmid pIRES2-EGFP. Western blotting and ELISA were used to analyze the expression of IL-34 in hBM-MSCs. THP-1 cells were cultured with hBM-MSCs medium containing IL-34 protein. Real-time PCR detected the effects of IL-34 on the expression of IL-10 and TNFα in THP-1 cells. Restrictive enzyme analysis and sequencing demonstrated that IL-34 eukaryotic expression vector was successfully constructed. IL-34 protein expressed by hBM-MSCs could promote IL-10 and TNFα expression in THP-1 cells. Those results show that IL-34 expressed by hBM-MSCs has regulating effect on THP-1 cells.

A Scalable Method toward Superhydrophilic and Underwater Superoleophobic PVDF Membranes for Effective Oil/Water Emulsion Separation.

A superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic PVDF membrane (PVDFAH) has been prepared by surface-coating of a hydrogel onto the membrane surface, and its superior performance for oil/water emulsion separation has been demonstrated. The coated hydrogel was constructed by an interfacial polymerization based on the thiol-epoxy reaction of pentaerythritol tetrakis (3-mercaptopropionate) (PETMP) with diethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (PEGDGE) and simultaneously tethered on an alkaline-treated commercial PVDF membrane surface via the thio-ene reaction. The PVDFAH membranes can be fabricated in a few minutes under mild conditions and show superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic properties for a series of organic solvents. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis shows that the hydrogel coating was efficient throughout the pore lumen. The membrane shows superior oil/water emulsion separation performance, including high water permeation, quantitative oil rejection, and robust antifouling performance in a series oil/water emulsions, including that prepared from crude oil. In addition, a 24 h Soxhlet-extraction experiment with ethanol/water solution (50:50, v/v) was conducted to test the tethered hydrogel stability. We see that the membrane maintained the water contact angle below 5°, indicating the covalent tethering stability. This technique shows great promise for scalable fabrication of membrane materials for handling practical oil emulsion purification.

[Development of a wearable electrocardiogram monitor with recognition of physical activity scene].

To overcome the problems of current electrocardiogram (ECG) tele-monitoring devices used for daily life, according to information fusion thought and by means of wearable technology, we developed a new type of wearable ECG monitor with the capability of physical activity recognition in this paper. The ECG monitor synchronously detected electrocardiogram signal and body acceleration signal, and recognized the scene information of physical activity, and finally determined the health status of the heart. With the advantages of accuracy for measurement, easy to use, comfort to wear, private feelings and long-term continuous in monitoring, this ECG monitor is quite fit for the heart-health monitoring in daily life.