Hydrogen-peroxide-modified egg albumen for transparent and flexible resistive switching memory.

Egg albumen is modified by hydrogen peroxide with concentrations of 5%, 10%, 15% and 30% at room temperature. Compared with devices without modification, a memory cell of Ag/10% H2O2-egg albumen/indium tin oxide exhibits obviously enhanced resistive switching memory behavior with a resistance ratio of 104, self-healing switching endurance for 900 cycles and a prolonged retention time for a 104 s @ 200 mV reading voltage after being bent 103 times. The breakage of massive protein chains occurs followed by the recombination of new protein chain networks due to the oxidation of amidogen and the synthesis of disulfide during the hydrogen peroxide modifying egg albumen. Ions such as Fe3+, Na+, K+, which are surrounded by protein chains, are exposed to the outside of protein chains to generate a series of traps during the egg albumen degeneration process. According to the fitting results of the double logarithm I-V curves and the current-sensing atomic force microscopy (CS-AFM) images of the ON and OFF states, the charge transfer from one trap center to its neighboring trap center is responsible for the resistive switching memory phenomena. The results of our work indicate that hydrogen- peroxide-modified egg albumen could open up a new avenue of biomaterial application in nanoelectronic systems.

[Effect of Zhifei mixture combined western drugs on symptoms and signs of children with mycoplasma pneumonia].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of three Chinese medical formulae (Zhifei Mixture I , Zhfei Mixture II, and Zhifei Mixture II) on main and secondary symptoms and signs of children with Totally 70 mycoplasma pneumonia in treating three types of children mycoplasma pneumonia. METHODS: children with mycoplasma pneumonia were assigned to the control group (38 cases) and the treatment group (32 case). All patients were intravenously injected with Azithromycin and took Ambroxol Hydrochloride and Clenbuterol Hydrochloride Oral Solution. Those in the treatment group additionally took Zhifei Mixture I , Zhfei Mixture II, and Zhifei Mixture Ill by syndrome typing. Their main and secondary symptoms and signs were observed before and after treatment (main symptoms and signs covered fever, cough, abundant sputum, short breath, and anoxia; secondary symptoms and signs covered aversion to cold, heart rate, facial complexion, spirit, appetite, and sweating). RESULTS: Seven patients were lost in this study. Compared with before treatment in the same group, scores for main and secondary symptoms and signs decreased in the treatment group (P <0.01). The therapeutic effect on fever and cough was obviously better in the control group (P <0.01). The main and secondary symptoms and signs were more obviously improved in the treatment group than in the control group (P <0.01). Commpared with the control group, scores for main and secondary symptoms and signs decreased more in the treatment group (P <0.01). Patients' main and secondary symptoms and signs were more obviously improved (P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Zhifei Mixture combined Western drugs could significantly improve main and secondary symptoms and signs of mycoplasma pneumonia children patients. Its efficacy was superior to that of using Western medicine alone.

Exploring road safety using alignment perspective features in real driving images: A case study on mountain freeways.

INTRODUCTION: While driving, drivers frequently adapt their driving behaviors according to their perception of the road's alignment features. However, traditional two-dimensional alignment methods lack the ability to capture these features from the driver's perspective. METHOD: This study introduces a novel method for road alignment recognition, employing image recognition technology to extract alignment perspective features, namely alignment perspective skewness (APS) and alignment perspective kurtosis (APK), from in-real driving images. Subsequently, the K-means clustering algorithm is utilized for road segment classification based on APS and APK indicators. Various sliding step length for clustering are employed, with step length ranging from 100m to 400m. Furthermore, the accident rates for different segment clusters are analyzed to explore the relationship between alignment perspective features and traffic safety. A 150 km mountain road section of the Erlianhaote-Guangzhou freewway from Huaiji to Sihui is selected as a case study. RESULTS: The results demonstrate that using alignment perspective features as classification criteria produces favorable clustering outcomes, with superior clustering performance achieved using shorter segment lengths and fewer cluster centers. The road segment classification based on alignment perspective features reveals notable differences in accident rates across categories; while traditional two-dimensional parameters-based classification methods fail to capture these differences. The most significant differences in accident rates across categories are observed with segment length of 100m, with the significance gradually diminishing as segment length increases and disappearing entirely when the length exceeds 300m. IMPLICATION: These findings validate the reliability of using alignment perspective features (APS and APK) for road alignment classification and road safety analysis, providing valuable insights for road safety management.

Immunity and Immune Evasion Mechanisms of Epstein-Barr Virus.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the first human oncogenic virus to be identified, which evades the body's immune surveillance through multiple mechanisms that allow long-term latent infection. Under certain pathological conditions, EBVs undergo a transition from the latent phase to the lytic phase and cause targeted dysregulation of the host immune system, leading to the development of EBV-related diseases. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of the mechanism of developing an immune response to EBV and the evasion of immune recognition by EBV is important for the understanding of the pathogenesis of EBV, which is of great significance for finding strategies to prevent EBV infection, and developing a therapy to treat EBV-associated diseases. In this review, we will discuss the molecular mechanisms of host immunological responses to EBV infection and the mechanisms of EBV-mediated immune evasion during chronic active infection.

Potassium stearate doped PEDOT:PSS improves the performance of inverted perovskite solar cells.

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) suffers from lower conductivity and surface defects, which hinders the extraction and transport of effective charges, thereby reducing the Power conversion efficiency (PCE) and long-term stability of PSCs. Therefore, this study introduces potassium stearate (KSt) doping in PEDOT:PSS to regulate its conductivity and interface charge transfer. As a result, KSt-doped PEDOT:PSS increase the PCE of the device from 16.35% to 18.35%. Moreover, the PCE of PSCs with KSt-doped PEDOT:PSS can maintain 87% of its initial value after being stored in a glove box for over 700 hours. This work provides a simple and effective method for designing high-performance and stable PSCs.

An alternative method of Bakri balloon placement for postpartum hemorrhage after vaginal delivery.

OBJECTIVES: We developed a new Bakri balloon tamponade (BBT) placement technique after vaginal delivery, which aimed to be faster without balloon slippage. This study compared the new method with standard placement of BBT in women with postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) after vaginal delivery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was undertaken of women who underwent vaginal delivery at the obstetrics and gynecology departments of the Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Hospital for Women and Children, and Si Chuan JINXIN Women and Children Hospital between January 2014 and December 2020. Women who underwent BBT for PPH were grouped according to placement method into the old-BBT group and the new-BBT group. RESULTS: Of 20487 childbirths by vaginal delivery, 512 (2.50%) had PPH, 77 women underwent BBT (old-BBT n = 28, new-BBT n = 49). Background characteristics were similar except prothrombin time (PT, p < 0.01) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT, p < 0.004) were lower in the new-BBT group than the old-BBT group. The operation time was shorter in the new-BBT group (p < 0.001) with less bleeding (p < 0.003) and saline injection (p < 0.001). A balloon slippage was less likely (p < 0.008) and postoperative bleeding (p < 0.01), transfusion rate (p < 0.03), transfusion volume (p < 0.002), and hospital stay was lower in the new-BBT group (p < 0.015). Multivariate analysis suggested PT (OR = 0.039, 95% CI: 0.002-0.730, p < 0.030), international normalized ratio (OR = 8.244, 95% CI: 3.807-17.850, p < 0.009), and BBT method (OR = 5.200, 95% CI: 1.745-15.493, p < 0.003), were associated with requiring a blood transfusion. CONCLUSIONS: This method of BBT placement reduced operation time, balloon slippage, bleeding, and hospital stay in women with PPH after vaginal delivery.

A novel electrochemical sensor for glyphosate detection based on Ti3C2T x /Cu-BTC nanocomposite.

The copper benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (Cu-BTC) with outstanding chemical and physical properties, is a novel and promising material in the field of electrochemical sensing. However, it has significant limitations for direct application in electrochemical sensing due to the relatively weak conductivity of Cu-BTC. Here, the conductivity of Cu-BTC was improved by loading Cu-BTC onto two-dimensional Ti3C2T x nanosheets with high conductivity. Thanks to the synergistic effect produced by the high conductivity of Ti3C2T x and the unique catalytic activity of Cu-BTC, the Ti3C2T x /Cu-BTC nanocomposite exhibits excellent sensing performance for glyphosate, with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 2.6 × 10-14 M and wider linear sensing range of 1.0 × 10-13 to 1.0 × 10-6 M. Moreover, the electrochemical sensor based on Ti3C2T x /Cu-BTC also shows excellent selectivity, good reproducibility and stability.

Boosting Performance of Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells by Diluting Hole Transport Layer.

In our study, by developing the diluted PEDOT:PSS (D-PEDOT:PSS) to replace PEDOT:PSS stock solution as hole transport layer (HTL) materials for fabricating the inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs), the performance of developed device with ITO/D-PEDOT:PSS/MAPbI3-xClx/C60/BCP/Ag structure is enhanced distinctly. Experimental results reveal that when the dilution ratio is 10:1, the optimal power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the D-PEDOT:PSS device can reach up to 17.85% with an increase of 11.28% compared to the undiluted PEDOT:PSS device. A series of investigations have confirmed that the efficiency improvement is mainly attributed to the two aspects: on one hand, the transmittance and conductivity of D-PEDOT:PSS HTL are improved, and the density of defect states at the interface is reduced after dilution, promoting the separation and transmission of charges, thus the short-circuit current (JSC) is significantly increased; on the other hand, the work function of D-PEDOT:PSS becomes more consistent with perovskite layer, and the voltage loss is reduced, so that the higher open circuit voltage (VOC) is obtained. Our research has indicated that diluting HTL develops a simpler, more efficient and cost-effective method to further improve performance for inverted PSCs.

A novel electrochemical sensor for glucose detection based on a Ti3C2T x /ZIF-67 nanocomposite.

A Ti3C2T x /ZIF-67 nanocomposite with outstanding conductivity has been prepared by loading ZIF-67 onto a two-dimensional Ti3C2T x nanosheet. Ti3C2T x sheets were synthesized by etching Ti3AlC2, and then ZIF-67 was grown in situ on the Ti3C2T x nanosheet. The Ti3C2T x /ZIF-67 nanocomposite exhibits excellent detection performance for glucose, with a low LOD of 3.81 µM and wide linear detection range of 5-7500 µM. This terrific result is contributed by the synergistic effect of the high electrically conductive ability of Ti3C2T x and active catalytic performance of ZIF-67. Moreover, the electrochemical sensor prepared using the Ti3C2T x /ZIF-67 nanocomposite also shows excellent selectivity, stability and repeatability for glucose detection. The Ti3C2T x /ZIF-67 nanocomposite with outstanding performance has potential applications for electrochemical sensors.

Update of treatment for mucopolysaccharidosis type III (sanfilippo syndrome).

Mucopolysaccharidosis III (Sanfilippo syndrome, MPS III) is caused by lysosomal enzyme deficiency, which is a rare autosomal recessive hereditary disease. For now, there is no approved treatment for MPS III despite lots of efforts providing new vision of its molecular basis, as well as governments providing regulatory and economic incentives to stimulate the development of specific therapies. Those efforts and incentives attract academic institutions and industry to provide potential therapies for MPS III, including enzyme replacement therapies, substrate reduction therapies, gene and cell therapies, and so on, which were discussed in this paper.

Wedelolactone facilitates Ser/Thr phosphorylation of NLRP3 dependent on PKA signalling to block inflammasome activation and pyroptosis.

OBJECTIVES: Wedelolactone exhibits regulatory effects on some inflammatory diseases. However, the anti-inflammatory mechanism of wedelolactone has not been entirely unravelled. Therefore, the present study focuses on investigating the mechanism of wedelolactone on NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages and its influence on MSU-induced inflammation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: BMDM, J774A.1 and PMA-differentiated THP-1 macrophages were primed with LPS and then stimulated with ATP or nigericin or MSU crystal in the presence or absence of wedelolactone. The cell lysates and supernatants were collected to detect NLRP3 inflammasome components such as NLRP3, ASC and caspase 1, as well as pyroptosis and IL-1ß production. In addition, the anti-inflammatory effects of wedelolactone on MSU-induced peritonitis and arthritis mice were also evaluated. RESULTS: We found that wedelolactone broadly inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation and pyroptosis and IL-1ß secretion. Wedelolactone also block ASC oligomerization and speck formation. The inhibitory effects of wedelolactone were abrogated by PKA inhibitor H89, which also attenuated wedelolactone-enhanced Ser/Thr phosphorylation of NLRP3 at PKA-specific sites. Importantly, wedelolactone could abate MSU-induced IL-1ß production and neutrophils migration into peritoneal cavity, and reduced caspase 1 (p20) and IL-1ß expression in the joint tissue of MSU-induced arthritis. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that wedelolactone promotes the Ser/Thr phosphorylation of NLRP3 to inhibit inflammasome activation and pyroptosis partly through potentiating PKA signalling, thus identifying its potential use for treating MSU-induced peritonitis and gouty arthritis.

Gallic Acid Alleviates Gouty Arthritis by Inhibiting NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation and Pyroptosis Through Enhancing Nrf2 Signaling.

Gallic acid is an active phenolic acid widely distributed in plants, and there is compelling evidence to prove its anti-inflammatory effects. NLRP3 inflammasome dysregulation is closely linked to many inflammatory diseases. However, how gallic acid affects the NLRP3 inflammasome remains unclear. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the mechanisms underlying the effects of gallic acid on the NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis, as well as its effect on gouty arthritis in mice. The results showed that gallic acid inhibited lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and pyroptosis in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-primed and ATP-, nigericin-, or monosodium urate (MSU) crystal-stimulated macrophages. Additionally, gallic acid blocked NLRP3 inflammasome activation and inhibited the subsequent activation of caspase-1 and secretion of IL-1ß. Gallic acid exerted its inhibitory effect by blocking NLRP3-NEK7 interaction and ASC oligomerization, thereby limiting inflammasome assembly. Moreover, gallic acid promoted the expression of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and reduced the production of mitochondrial ROS (mtROS). Importantly, the inhibitory effect of gallic acid could be reversed by treatment with the Nrf2 inhibitor ML385. NRF2 siRNA also abolished the inhibitory effect of gallic acid on IL-1ß secretion. The results further showed that gallic acid could mitigate MSU-induced joint swelling and inhibit IL-1ß and caspase 1 (p20) production in mice. Moreover, gallic acid could moderate MSU-induced macrophages and neutrophils migration into joint synovitis. In summary, we found that gallic acid suppresses ROS generation, thereby limiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation and pyroptosis dependent on Nrf2 signaling, suggesting that gallic acid possesses therapeutic potential for the treatment of gouty arthritis.

Effect of guanidinium chloride in eliminating O2 - electron extraction barrier on a SnO2 surface to enhance the efficiency of perovskite solar cells.

Owing to their low cost, easy fabrication and excellent chemical stability properties, tin dioxide (SnO2) nanoparticles have been widely employed as an electron transfer material in many high-efficiency perovskite solar cells (PeSCs). However, the adsorbed oxygen species (i.e. O2 -) on the surface of the SnO2 layer, which are induced by the annealing process under ambient environment, have always been overlooked. In general, the adsorption of oxygen creates an energy barrier at the SnO2/perovskite interface, impairing the efficiency of PeSCs. In this work, by using guanidinium (GA) chloride to modify the SnO2 surface, we have successfully improved the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PeSCs from 15.33% (no GA-modification) to 18.46%, with a maximum fill factor of 80%. The performance enhancement is mainly attributed to the reduced energy barrier at the SnO2/perovskite interface due to the strong coupling between the GA and the adsorbed oxygen, which has been supported by the FTIR and XPS results. The strategy of reducing the charge extraction barrier by GA modification has been demonstrated to be an efficient approach to improve both the PCE and stability.

Coordinated Optical Matching of a Texture Interface Made from Demixing Blended Polymers for High-Performance Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells.

The continuing increase of the efficiency of perovskite solar cells has pushed the internal quantum efficiency approaching 100%, which means the light-to-carrier and then the following carrier transportation and extraction are no longer limiting factors in photoelectric conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells. However, the optimal efficiency is still far lower than the Shockley-Queisser efficiency limit, especially for those inverted perovskite solar cells, indicating that a significant fraction of light does not transmit into the active perovskite layer to be absorbed there. Here, a planar inverted perovskite solar cell (ITO/PTAA/perovskite/PC61BM/bathocuproine (BCP)/Ag) is chosen as an example, and we show that its external quantum efficiency (EQE) can be significantly improved by simply texturing the poly[bis (4-phenyl)(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)amine] (PTAA) layer. By washing the film prepared from a mixed polymer solution of PTAA and polystyrene (PS), a textured PTAA/perovskite interface is introduced on the light-input side of perovskite to inhibit internal optical reflection. The reduction of optical loss by this simple texture method increases the EQE and then the photocurrent of the ITO/PTAA/perovskite/PC61BM/BCP/Ag device with the magnitude of about 10%. At the same time, this textured PTAA benefits the band edge absorption in this planar solar cell. The large increase of the short-circuit current together with the increase of fill factor pushes the efficiency of this inverted perovskite solar cell from 18.3% up to an efficiency over 20.8%. By using an antireflection coating on glass to let more light into the device, the efficiency is further improved to 21.6%, further demonstrating the importance of light management in perovskite solar cells.

Nuclei position-control and crystal growth-guidance on frozen substrates for high-performance perovskite solar cells.

Nucleation and crystal growth are key stages for high-quality perovskite films that dominate the performance of perovskite solar cells. However, the position of nuclei in the films and the orientation of the crystal growth have not yet been intendedly controlled during their fabrication. In this study, we developed a method of spin-coating perovskite films on frozen substrates to control the position of the nuclei and the direction of the crystal growth at the same time. In this way, the position of the crystal nuclei and the growth orientation of the perovskite crystals in the perovskite films can be simultaneously controlled. A high-quality perovskite film with grains spanning vertically the entire film thickness has been obtained using this new method. And an efficient inverted planar solar cell (ITO/PEDOT:PSS/CH3NH3PbI3/PC61BM/BCP/Ag) with the highest power conversion efficiency of 17.14% and open-circuit voltage of 1.14 V has been achieved by using this technique.

Resistive switching behaviors and memory logic functions in single MnOx nanorod modulated by moisture.

A device with the lateral structure of Ag|MnOx|Ag was developed using a single MnOx nanorod. The device showed a typical resistor property under dry ambience, while it demonstrated the reversion between resistor and memristor under moisture ambience. Memory logic functions including logic gates and displays were feasible under the dual input of electric and moisture signals.

Evolution map of the memristor: from pure capacitive state to resistive switching state.

Memristors possess great application prospects in terabit nonvolatile storage devices, memory-in-logic algorithmic chips and bio-inspired artificial neural network systems. However, "what is the origin state of the memristor?" has remained an unanswered question for half a century. While many applications rely on the memristor, its origin state is becoming a fundamental issue. Herein, we reveal a new state, the pure capacitance state (PCS), which occurs before the memristor is triggered, and the origin state of the memristor can be verified in the memory cells through controlling the ambience parameters. Discovery of the PCS, a missing earlier stage of the memristor, completes the whole evolution map of the memristor from the very beginning to the final developed state.

High performance planar p-i-n perovskite solar cells based on a thin Alq3 cathode buffer layer.

As a thin cathode buffer layer (CBL) tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline), aluminum (Alq3) is successfully introduced into the planar p-i-n perovskite solar cells (PSC) between the PCBM layer and cathode with a device structure of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/CH3NH3PbI3(Cl)/PCBM/Alq3/Ag. Due to the as-introduced thin Alq3 CBL, a high performance planar PSC has been achieved with a fill factor (FF) of 72% and maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.22%. The PCE value is approximately 29% higher than that of the reference device without Alq3 CBL. Concerning the results of AC impedance spectra and transient photocurrent measurements, such a remarkable improvement of PCE is mainly attributed to the Alq3-caused better charge-extraction at the cathode, which is induced by reducing charge accumulation between PCBM and Ag.

Effect of Qingfei Mixture () on pediatric mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia with phlegm heat obstructing Fei (Lung) syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect and mechanism of Qingfei Mixture (), a Chinese medicine, in treating mycoplasma pneumonia (MP) in MP patients and rat model METHODS: A total of 46 MP children with phlegm heat obstructing Fei (Lung) syndrome were randomly assigned to two groups by the method of random number table, with 23 children in each group. The control group was treated with intravenous infusion of azithromycin; the treatment group received intravenous infusion of azithromycin and oral administration of Qingfei Mixture. The treatment course was 7 days. Major symptoms and minor symptoms were observed and scored before and after treatments. A rat model of MP was also established. A total of 120 wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: a normal group, infection group, Qingfei Mixture treatment group, azithromycin treatment group, and Qingfei Mixture + azithromycin treatment group. Each group contained 24 rats, from which every 6 were euthanatized 1, 3, 7 and 14 days after infection. MP DNA in pulmonary tissue homogenates was detected using real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Pathology was assessed after hematoxylin (HE) staining and lung tissue pathology scores were determined in pulmonary tissue. Transmission electron microscopic detection and electronic image analysis were performed on lung tissue 3 days after infection. Interleukin (IL)-17 was detected in serum using enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) 7 days after infection. RESULTS: In the clinical study, both control and the treatment group showed improved results on removing symptoms of phlegm heat syndrome compared to the control group (P<0.05). In animal experiments, On the 7th day after MP infection, as detected by electron microscopy, the pulmonary capillary basement membranes of the azithromycin + Qingfei Mixture treatment group were much thinner than those of the azithromycin or Qingfei mixture treatment groups (P<0.05). The level of serum IL-17 in the azithromycin + Qingfei Mixture treatment group was lower than that in the azithromycin or Qingfei Mixture groups (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Both Qingfei Mixture and azithromycin have therapeutic effects on mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia, but the combination of both agents had the greatest effect.