Multiple free-radical-trapping and hydrogen-bonding-enhanced polyurethane foams with long-lasting flame retardancy, aging resistance, and toughness.

Flexible polyurethane foam (FPUF) is a ubiquitous material utilized in furniture cushions, mattresses, and various technical applications. Despite the widespread use, FPUF faces challenges in maintaining long-lasting flame retardancy and aging resistance, particularly in harsh environments, while retaining mechanical robustness. Here, we present a novel approach to address these issues by enhancing FPUF through multiple free-radical-trapping and hydrogen-bonding mechanisms. A hindered amine phosphorus-containing polyol (DTAP) was designed and chemically introduced into FPUF. The distinctive synergy between hindered amine and phosphorus-containing structures enables the formation of multiple hydrogen bonds with urethane, while also effectively capturing free radicals across a broad temperature spectrum. As a result, incorporating only 5.1 wt% of DTAP led to the material successfully passing vertical burning tests and witnessing notable enhancements in tensile strength, elongation at break, and tear strength. Even after enduring accelerated thermal aging for 168 hours, the foam maintained exceptional flame retardancy and mechanical properties. This study offers novel insights into material enhancement, simultaneously achieving outstanding long-lasting flame retardancy, toughness, and anti-aging performance.

Macrophages exploit the mannose receptor and JAK-STAT1-MHC-II pathway to drive antigen presentation and the antimycobacterial immune response after BCG vaccination.

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( M. tb), remains one of the leading causes of fatal infectious diseases worldwide. The only licensed vaccine, Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), has variable efficacy against TB in adults. Insufficiency of immune cell function diminishes the protective effects of the BCG vaccine. It is critical to clarify the mechanism underlying the antimycobacterial immune response during BCG vaccination. Macrophage mannose receptor (MR) is important for enhancing the uptake and processing of glycoconjugated antigens from pathogens for presentation to T cells, but the roles of macrophage MR in the BCG-induced immune response against M. tb are not yet clear. Here, we discover that macrophage MR deficiency impairs the antimycobacterial immune response in BCG-vaccinated mice. Mechanistically, macrophage MR triggers JAK-STAT1 signaling, which promotes antigen presentation via upregulated MHC-II and induces IL-12 production by macrophages, contributing to CD4 + T cell activation and IFN-γ production. MR deficiency in macrophages reduces the vaccine efficacy of BCG and increases susceptibility to M. tb H37Ra challenge in mice. Our results suggest that MR is critical for macrophage antigen presentation and the antimycobacterial immune response to BCG vaccination and offer valuable guidance for the preventive strategy of BCG immunization.

Assessing agricultural greenhouse gas emission mitigation by scaling up farm size: An empirical analysis based on rural household survey data.

Agriculture is a major contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Farm size affects agricultural production inputs and thus has impacts on agricultural GHG emissions. However, the effects and mechanisms behind this are still unclear. In this paper, we identified the effects and mechanisms of farm size on agricultural GHG emissions, based on survey data about over 20,000 rural households in China from 2009 to 2016. Firstly, we calculated the agricultural CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions using the life-cycle analysis (LCA). Secondly, the impacts of farm size on GHG emissions intensity were explored with a fixed effect model, based on the long-term rural household survey data. Finally, the mechanisms were tested by the mediation effect model. The results showed that a 1 % increase in farm size, on average, could reduce the GHG emissions intensity of rural households by 0.245 % from 2009 to 2016. The mechanism analysis showed that the larger farm size reduced GHG emissions intensity mainly by reducing the non-fixed input intensity and raising fixed input investment. By identifying the impacts and mechanisms of farm size on agricultural GHG emissions, this paper aims to provide insights for policymakers to achieve China's goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2060.

Self-evolutionary recycling of flame-retardant polyurethane foam enabled by controllable catalytic cleavage.

Polyurethane (PU) foams, pivotal in modern life, face challenges suh as fire hazards and environmental waste burdens. The current reliance of PU on potentially ecotoxic halogen-/phosphorus-based flame retardants impedes large-scale material recycling. Here, our demonstrated controllable catalytic cracking strategy, using cesium salts, enables self-evolving recycling of flame-retardant PU. The incorporation of cesium citrates facilitates efficient urethane bond cleavage at low temperatures (160 °C), promoting effective recycling, while encouraging pyrolytic rearrangement of isocyanates into char at high temperatures (300 °C) for enhanced PU fire safety. Even in the absence of halogen/phosphorus components, this foam exhibits a substantial increase in ignition time (+258.8%) and a significant reduction in total smoke release (-79%). This flame-retardant foam can be easily recycled into high-quality polyol under mild conditions, 60 °C lower than that for the pure foam. Notably, the trace amounts of cesium gathered in recycled polyols stimulate the regenerated PU to undergo self-evolution, improving both flame-retardancy and mechanical properties. Our controllable catalytic cracking strategy paves the way for the self-evolutionary recycling of high-performance firefighting materials.

Repeatability, interocular correlation and agreement of optic nerve head vessel density in healthy eyes: a swept-source optical coherence tomographic angiography study.

AIM: To assess the repeatability, interocular correlation, and agreement of quantitative swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) optic nerve head (ONH) parameters in healthy subjects. METHODS: Thirty-three healthy subjects were enrolled. The ONH of both eyes were imaged four times by a swept-source-OCTA using a 3 mm ×3 mm scanning protocol. Images of the radial peripapillary capillary were analyzed by a customized Matlab program, and the vessel density, fractal dimension, and vessel diameter index were measured. The repeatability of the four scans was determined by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The most well-centered optic disc from the four repeated scans was then selected for the interocular correlation and agreement analysis using the Pearson correlation coefficient, ICC and Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS: All swept-source-OCTA ONH parameters exhibited certain repeatability, with ICC>0.760 and coefficient of variation (CoV)≤7.301%. The obvious interocular correlation was observed for papillary vessel density (ICC=0.857), vessel diameter index (ICC=0.857) and fractal dimension (ICC=0.906), while circumpapillary vessel density exhibited moderate interocular correlation (ICC=0.687). Bland-Altman plots revealed an agreement range of -5.26% to 6.21% for circumpapillary vessel density. CONCLUSION: OCTA ONH parameters demonstrate good repeatability in healthy subjects. The interocular correlations of papillary vessel density, fractal dimension and vessel diameter index are high, but the correlation for circumpapillary vessel density is moderate.

Ursolic acid targets secreted phosphoprotein 1 to regulate Th17 cells against metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has become an increasingly important health challenge, with a substantial rise linked to changing lifestyles and global obesity. Ursolic acid, a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid, has been explored for its potential therapeutic effects. Given its multifunctional bioactive properties, this research further revealed the pharmacological mechanisms of ursolic acid on MASLD. METHODS: Drug target chips and bioinformatics analysis were combined in this study to explore the potential therapeutic effects of ursolic acid on MASLD. Molecular docking simulations, surface plasmon resonance analyses, pull-down experiments, and co-immunoprecipitation assays were used to verify the direct interactions. Gene knockdown mice were generated, and high-fat diets were used to validate drug efficacy. Furthermore, initial CD4+ T cells were isolated and stimulated to demonstrate our findings. RESULTS: In this study, the multifunctional extracellular matrix phosphorylated glycoprotein secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) was investigated, highlighting its capability to induce Th17 cell differentiation, amplifying inflammatory cascades, and subsequently promoting the evolution of MASLD. In addition, this study revealed that in addition to the canonical TGF-ß/IL-6 cytokine pathway, SPP1 can directly interact with ITGB1 and CD44, orchestrating Th17 cell differentiation via their joint downstream ERK signaling pathway. Remarkably, ursolic acid intervention notably suppressed the protein activity of SPP1, suggesting a promising avenue for ameliorating the immunoinflammatory trajectory in MASLD progression. CONCLUSION: Ursolic acid could improve immune inflammation in MASLD by modulating SPP1-mediated Th17 cell differentiation via the ERK signaling pathway, which is orchestrated jointly by ITGB1 and CD44, emerging as a linchpin in this molecular cascade.

Separation and Recovery of Valuable Carbon Components and Li/Ga Metals in Coal Gangue by Using a Flotation Flowsheet.

Coal gangue (CG), an industrial solid waste with high contents of Li and Ga, has attracted the attention of researchers. However, the utilization of CG remains an economic challenge. Pre-enrichment of Li and Ga by flotation was carried out with a view to improving the comprehensive utilization of CG. Mineral composition, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), and elemental composition were used to investigate the embeddedness of each mineral and the mode of elemental occurrence in the CG. The results showed that the main mineral compositions of the CG were kaolinite, quartz, and pyrite. Li and Ga were mainly associated with kaolinite and other clay minerals. Li and Ga had a high correlation with Al2O3 and SiO2, while Li and Ga were highly correlated with SiO2/Al2O3, indicating that Li and Ga may be associated with one or more high-alumina minerals. In addition, flotation tests proved that synergistic sorting of ash impurities and valuable components from the CG was a cost-effective method. The ash content of the final product was increased by 3% under the process of prediscarding concentrate-dissociation-secondary flotation, and the contents of Li and Ga in the final product were also slightly enriched, and the recovery rate of the carrier minerals of Li and Ga can reach 66.1%.

[Development and clinical application of lateral segmental positioning plates of the body surface spine].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy of body-surface guide plates for lateral segmental positioning in the thoracolumbar spine. METHODS: From March 2018 to March 2021, 768 gerontal patientss underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty with balloon dilatation due to thoracolumbar compression fracturess, 356 males and 412 females. aged from 64 to 92 years old with an average of (77.9±13.5) years old. All patients were treated in hospital within 1 week after injury. All patients underwent preoperative localization, and were divided into localization plate group and locator group according to different localization methods. There were 390 patients in the localization plate group, 180 males and 210 females, aged from 64 to 92 years old, with an average age of (78.4±14.3) years old. There were 378 patients in the locator group, 176 males and 202 females, aged from 64 to 90 years old, with an average age of (77.5±13.4) years old. After preliminary positioning with the above two methods, skin markers were made, cloth was routinely disinfected, and the spinal lateral position was fluoroscopically examined after the fine needle was inserted into the marked point and the vertical body at the near tail end. The accuracy of the original positioning method was evaluated. The number of times, time and accuracy of positioning of the two groups of patients were compared and analyzed. RESULTS: The specific data of patient positioning in the two groups were collected for statistical analysis. The number of times of fluoroscopy in the positioning plate group and the locator group was(3.3±0.5) times and (5.0±1.2) times, and the positioning time was (60.4±9.4) s and (105.0±30.9) s, respectively. The accuracy of fluoroscopy was 97.5% (380/390) and 85.7% (324/378), respectively, with statistical significance (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The lateral segmental positioning plate of the body surface spine has the advantages of simple operation, accurate positioning, and reducing X-ray radiation for patients, which is worthy of clinical application.

Adsorption Behavior of NO and NO2 on Two-Dimensional As, Sb, and Bi Materials: First-Principles Insights.

To address the most significant environmental challenges, the quest for high-performance gas sensing materials is crucial. Among numerous two-dimensional materials, this study investigates the gas-sensitive capabilities of monolayer As, Sb, and Bi materials. To compare the gas detection abilities of these three materials, we employ first-principles calculations to comprehensively study the adsorption behavior of NO and NO2 gas molecules on the material surfaces. The results indicate that monolayer Bi material exhibits reasonable adsorption distances, substantial adsorption energies, and significant charge transfer for both NO and NO2 gases. Therefore, among the materials studied, it demonstrates the best gas detection capability. Furthermore, monolayer As and Sb materials exhibit remarkably high capacities for adsorbing NO and NO2 gas molecules, firmly interacting with the gas molecules. Gas adsorption induces changes in the material's work function, suggesting the potential application of these two materials as catalysts.

Efficacy and Safety in Early application of Ruxolinitib for high-risk: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia to prevent GVHD and recurrence after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) has been identified as the potentially curative treatment for high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in adult patients. However, relapse of the disease and/or development of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remain to be the most common barriers for successful allo-HSCT. Preclinical studies showed that ruxolitinib, a Janus tyrosine kinase (Jak)1 and Jak2 inhibitor, has a selective anti-GVHD effects while preserving a potent graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect. Our study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety in early application of ruxolitinib for the high-risk ALL patients to prevent GVHD. METHODS: There were eight patients undergoing allo-HSCT at the Bone Marrow Transplantation Center of the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between April 2020 and April 2021. Ruxolitinib (5-10 mg twice daily) was administered early (median time: 45 days) after stem cell infusion. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 14 months (range from 8 to 18 months), the ALL disease relapse occurred in two cases. Among all eight patients, two of them developed grade I/II acute (a) GVHD, while no patient developed grade III/IV aGVHD, and one patient developed chronic (c) GVHD. As for the virus activation, no patient developed EBV activation or EBV related lymphoproliferative disease, and three patients developed CMV activation. Our results suggest that the early application of ruxolitinib could safely and effectively prevent the occurrence of GVHD after allo-HSCT for the high-risk ALL patients. However, it may have a limited effect on preventing the recurrence of high-risk ALL and thus may require additional therapy with other anti-relapse drugs. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary observations suggest that an early application of ruxolitinib can safely and effectively prevent the occurrence of GVHD after allo-HSCT for the high-risk ALL patients. However, ruxolitinib may have a limited effect on preventing the ALL recurrence of high-risk patients.

Effects of Ocimum basilicum essential oil and ginger extract on serum biochemistry, oxidative stress and gill tissue damage of pearl gentian grouper during simulated live transport.

This study explored the effects of the essential oil of Ocimum basilicum (EOOB) and ginger extract (GE) during the transportation of pearl gentian grouper from water quality, serum biochemistry, oxidative stress, meat flavor, and gill tissue morphology. Fish (450 ± 50 g) were allocated to the following 5 treatments: control group (fish transported in water only), 5 mg/LEOOB, 10 mg/LEOOB, 3 mg/LGE, and 6 mg/LGE and transported in insulation boxes (66 × 51 × 37.8 cm) for 72 h. Samples were taken at 0, 12, 36, 60, and 72 h immediately after transport. It was found that 10 mg/LEOOB and 6 mg/LGE could reduce the levels of total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), dissolved oxygen (DO), water pH, serum glucose (GLU), cortisol (COR), liver superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), increase the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), as well as significantly increase the total free amino acid (TFAA) content in muscle compared to the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, by observing the microstructure of gill tissue, it was found that compared with untreated grouper, the morphological damage of gill tissue in EOOB and GE treatment was alleviated. These results indicated that adding appropriate amounts of EOOB and GE to transport water could improve the water quality, relieve stress, and lower energy metabolism of grouper during transport. The results of this research will help to improve the survival rate of grouper after transportation and decrease economic losses to fishery.

Effects of vitamin C combined with sodium alginate on serum biochemistry, oxidative stress, gill tissue morphology, and muscle quality of pearl gentian grouper during waterless transport.

This research examined the effects of sodium alginate (SA) and vitamin C (Vc) soaking of pearl gentian grouper before waterless transportation from the perspectives of serum parameters, oxidative stress, muscle quality, and gill tissue morphology. After the fish reached semi-dormancy with a cooling rate of 3 °C/h, fish (420 ± 25 g) were distributed to 4 treatments as follows: S1 group (50 mg/L Vc and 0.1% SA were added), S2 group (50 mg/L Vc and 0.3% SA were added), S3 group (50 mg/L Vc and 0.5% SA were added), and control group (without soaking in protective fluid). After oxygenated packaging, samples were taken at 0, 8, and 16 h of waterless transportation and 12 h after rehydration, respectively. It was found that after 16 h of waterless transport, compared with the control group, cortisol, glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), uric acid (UA), creatinine (CREA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were significantly decreased (p < 0.05), while albumin, lysozyme (LZM), muscle pH, and total free amino acid (TFAA) contents were significantly elevated (p < 0.05) in the S3 group. Moreover, by gill tissue microscopy, it was found that the protective solution of group S3 did not cause serious deleterious morphological changes to the gill epithelium. The results showed that the grouper was soaked by protective fluid before waterless could maintain surface moisture, reduce gill and kidney function and oxidative stress damage, and maintain the stability of muscle quality. This study provides a novel transportation method for waterless preservation, which helps to reduce transportation costs and improve transportation efficiency.

Crosstalk-Free Position Mapping for One-Step Reconstruction of Surface Topological Information via Eigenfrequency-Registered Wearable Interface.

Exploring flexible tactile sensors capable of recognizing surface information is significant for the development of virtual reality, artificial intelligence, soft robotics, and human-machine interactions (HMI). However, it is still a challenge for current tactile sensors to efficiently recognize the surface pattern information while maintaining the simplicity of the overall system. In this study, cantilever beam-like magnetized micropillars (MMPs) with height gradients are assembled as a position-registered array for rapid recognition of surface pattern information. After crossing the surface location with convex patterns, the deformed MMPs undergo an intrinsic oscillating process to induce damped electrical signals, which can then be converted to a frequency domain for eigenfrequency extraction. Via precisely defining the specific eigenfrequencies of different MMPs, position mapping is realized in crosstalk-free behavior even though all signals are processed by one communication channel and a pair of electrodes. With a customized LabVIEW program, the surface information (e.g., letters, numbers, and Braille) can be accurately reconstructed by the frequency sequence produced in a single scanning procedure. We expect that the proposed interface can be a convenient and powerful platform for intelligent surface information perception and an HMI system in the future.

Research on multi-target data association of the infrared fish-eye warning system.

The multi-target data association method is studied in order to realize multi-target tracking in infrared fish-eye warning system. The Neural Joint Probabilistic Data Association (NJPDA) algorithm is analyzed. It is found that the NJPDA algorithm only considers the distance information between the measurement and the target in the data association process, and its tracking accuracy needs to be further improved. Therefore, a new method fused with direction information is proposed based on the NJPDA algorithm. The proposed algorithm defines the concept of direction difference, introduces the direction information of target motion, and modifies the likelihood function by Gaussian weighting method, so as to fuse the direction information of target motion into the calculation of data interconnection probability. Experimental results demonstrate that the tracking success rate of the proposed algorithm is nearly 10 % higher than that of JPDA and NJPDA algorithms and its consuming time meets the real-time requirement of the infrared fish-eye warning system.

Comparison of the Immunogenicity and Efficacy of rBCG-EPCP009, BCG Prime-EPCP009 Booster, and EPCP009 Protein Regimens as Tuberculosis Vaccine Candidates.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the only widely used prophylactic tuberculosis (TB) vaccine that can prevent severe TB in infants. However, it provides poor protection in adults, and therefore, there is ongoing research into new TB vaccines and immunization strategies with more durable immune effects. The recombinant BCG and BCG prime-protein booster are two important vaccine strategies that have recently been developed based on BCG and could improve immune responses. In this study, three immune strategies based on four protective antigens, namely, ESAT-6, CFP-10, nPPE18, and nPstS1, were applied to construct recombinant rBCG-EPCP009, EPCP009 subunit protein, and BCG prime-EPCP009 booster vaccine candidates. The short- and long-term immune effects after vaccination in Balb/c mice were evaluated based on humoral immunity, cellular immunity, and the ability of spleen cells to inhibit in vitro mycobacterial growth. At 8 and 12 weeks after the initial immunization, splenocytes from mice inoculated with the BCG prime-EPCP009 protein booster secreted higher levels of PPD- and EPCP009-specific IFN-γ, IL-2, TNF-α, IL-17, GM-CSF, and IL-12 and had a higher IFN-γ+CD4+ TEM:IL-2+CD8+ TCM cell ratio than splenocytes from mice inoculated with the rBCG-EPCP009 and EPCP009 proteins. In addition, the EPCPE009-specific IgG2a/IgG1 ratio was slightly higher in the BCG prime-EPCP009 protein booster group than in the other two groups. The in vitro mycobacterial inhibition assay showed that the splenocytes of mice from the BCG prime-EPCP009 protein booster group exhibited stronger inhibition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) growth than the splenocytes of mice from the other two groups. These results indicate that the BCG prime-EPCP009 protein booster exhibited superior immunogenicity and M. tuberculosis growth inhibition to the parental BCG, rBCG-EPCP009, and EPCP009 proteins under in vitro conditions. Thus, the BCG prime-EPCP009 protein booster may be important for the development of a more effective adult TB vaccine.

A Dietary Source of High Level of Fluoroquinolone Tolerance in mcr-Carrying Gram-Negative Bacteria.

The emergence of antibiotic tolerance, characterized by the prolonged survival of bacteria following antibiotic exposure, in natural bacterial populations, especially in pathogens carrying antibiotic resistance genes, has been an increasing threat to public health. However, the major causes contributing to the formation of antibiotic tolerance and underlying molecular mechanisms are yet poorly understood. Herein, we show that potassium sorbate (PS), a widely used food additive, triggers a high level of fluoroquinolone tolerance in bacteria carrying mobile colistin resistance gene mcr. Mechanistic studies demonstrate that PS treatment results in the accumulation of intracellular fumarate, which activates bacterial two-component system and decreases the expression level of outer membrane protein OmpF, thereby reducing the uptake of ciprofloxacin. In addition, the supplementation of PS inhibits aerobic respiration, reduces reactive oxygen species production and alleviates DNA damage caused by bactericidal antibiotics. Furthermore, we demonstrate that succinate, an intermediate product of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, overcomes PS-mediated ciprofloxacin tolerance. In multiple animal models, ciprofloxacin treatment displays failure outcomes in PS preadministrated animals, including comparable survival and bacterial loads with the vehicle group. Taken together, our works offer novel mechanistic insights into the development of antibiotic tolerance and uncover potential risks associated with PS use.

Sustainable conversion of cottonseed hulls to valuable proanthocyanidins through ultrasound-assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction.

This study presents a novel approach for converting cottonseed hulls (CSHs) into valuable proanthocyanidins (PAs) through deep eutectic solvent (DES)-based ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE-DES). Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize and model this process, resulting in maximum yields of 78.58 mg/g. The ideal PA extraction conditions were determined to be a liquid-to-material ratio of 36.25 mL/g, a water content of 33.21%, and an extraction period of 7.4 min. Molecular dynamic simulations (MDS) were performed to study the interactions between the solvent and target chemicals. Increased van der Waals forces and stronger interactions between DES and the target chemical catechin (CA) compared to those observed with methanol or water were observed. Furthermore, the optimized extract exhibited a higher PA content than can be obtained with conventional extraction methods and demonstrated antioxidant activity in vitro. The cottonseed hulls residues (CSRs) remaining after the extraction process can be used to produce activated carbon (ACCSR), which has some capacity to adsorb methylene blue (MB) contaminants. This study offers a reference for the fruitful transformation of waste biomass into high-value products.

An integrated quorum quenching biocatalytic nanoplatform for synergistic chemo-photothermal eradication of P. aeruginosa biofilm infections.

Decontamination of biofilm-associated infections presents a significant challenge due to the physical and chemical barrier created by the formation of extracellular matrices. This barrier restricts the access of antibiotics to the bacterial communities within the biofilm and provides protection to the persister cells, potentially leading to antibiotic resistance. In this study, we have developed an integrated quorum quenching biocatalytic nanoplatform for the synergistic chemo-photothermal eradication of P. aeruginosa biofilm infections. Ciprofloxacin (Cip), a model antibiotic, was absorbed onto PDA NPs through π-π stacking. Additionally, acylase (AC) was immobilized on PDA NPs through Schiff base reaction and Michael addition, resulting in the formation of the biocatalytic nanoplatform (PDA-Cip-AC NPs). This biocatalytic nanoplatform was able to enzymatically degrade AHL signaling molecules, thus achieving efficient quorum quenching activity to prevent biofilm formation. Furthermore, the NIR light-triggered on-demand Ciprofloxacin release further enhanced the eradication of P. aeruginosa biofilm infections with a synergy of local hyperthermia. We envision that this integrated quorum quenching nanoplatform provides a reliable tool for combating P. aeruginosa biofilm infections. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: An integrated quorum quenching biocatalytic nanoplatform has been developed for the eradication of P. aeruginosa biofilm infections. Quorum-sensing signals play a crucial role in modulating bacterial cell-to-cell communication, biofilm formation, and secretion of virulence factors. This biocatalytic nanoplatform efficiently degrades AHL signaling molecules, thereby blocking cell-to-cell communication and preventing biofilm formation. Additionally, local hyperthermia and on-demand Ciprofloxacin release were achieved through NIR irradiation, working synergistically to eradicate P. aeruginosa biofilm infections.

Health-related quality of life among critically ill patients after discharge from the ICU-A systematic review protocol.

The impact of critical illness on patients is profound, resulting in physical, mental, and social consequences and poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Several studies investigated HRQOL among patients discharged from the intensive care unit (ICU). However, few systematic reviews cover studies conducted in the last decade or using valid instruments for measuring HRQOL in general ICU survivor populations. Herein, we conduct a systematic review of these studies that followed PRISMA guidelines. We will search PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Cochrane Library, and Open Grey for papers. We will search for articles reporting the HRQOL of ICU survivors that were written in English and published from 01 January 2012 onward from the date of this protocol's publication. We will also extract HRQOL data and analyze associate factors. The risk of bias will be measured with a standard quality assessment tool. The strength of the results will depend on the number of studies and the consistency of their results. Trial registration number: PROSPERO CRD 42022304279.