Heterogeneous catalytic oxidation of glycerol over a UiO-66-derived ZrO2@C supported Au catalyst at room temperature.

The catalytic conversion of biomass-derived glycerol into high-value-added products, such as glyceric acid (GLYA), using catalyst-supported Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) at room temperature presents a significant challenge. In this study, we constructed a series of supported Au catalysts, including Au/ZrO2@C, Au/C, Au/ZrO2, and Au/ZrO2-C, and investigated their effectiveness in selectively catalytic oxidizing glycerol to GLYA at room temperature. Among these catalysts, the Au/ZrO2@C catalyst exhibited the best catalytic performance, achieving a glycerol conversion rate of 73% and a GLYA selectivity of 79% under the optimized reaction conditions (reaction conditions: 30 mL 0.1 M glycerol, glycerol/Au = 750 mol mol-1, T = 25 °C, p(O2) = 10 bar, stirring speed = 600 rpm, time = 6 h). Physical adsorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and other characterization methods were employed to analyze the texture properties of the catalyst. The findings indicated that the support structure, the strong metal-support interactions between Au NPs and the support, and the presence of small metallic Au NPs were the primary factors contributing to the catalyst's high activity and selectivity. Moreover, the reusability of the Au/ZrO2@C catalyst was investigated, and a probable reaction mechanism for the oxidation of glycerol was proposed.

Etiology and clinical features of children with bronchiectasis in China: A 10-year multicenter retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION: The current study aims to investigate the etiology spectrum and the clinical characteristics of bronchiectasis in Chinese children. METHODS: The study is designed as a multicenter retrospective study. 193 cases were enrolled in 13 centers in China between 2008 and 2017. The inclusive cases must meet the clinical as well as the HRCT criteria. Only if both two radiologists confirmed the diagnosis, the case could be enrolled. The cases that could not provide clinical and imageology data were excluded. The data were entered into the specialized system and then analyzed. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-nine cases (87%) were found to have the underlying etiology. Post-infective (46%), primary immunodeficiency (14%), and PCD (13%) were the common causes. All cases came from 28 provinces in Mainland China. The median age of symptom onset was 5.8 (2.0, 8.9) years. The median age of diagnosis was 8.4 (4.5, 11.6) years. The main symptoms were cough, sputum expectoration, and fever during the exacerbation. Nineteen percent of patients suffered from limited exercise tolerance. Clubbing was found in 17% of cases. Nearly 30% of patients presented growth limitations. On the HRCT findings, 126 cases had diffused bronchiectasis, and bilateral involvement was found in 94 cases. The lower lobes and right middle lobes were most commonly involved. Approximately 30% of cultures of sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage were positive. CONCLUSION: A majority of cases could be found the underlying etiology. Post-infective, primary immunodeficiency, and PCD were the most common causes. Some clinical figures might indicate a specific etiology.

Surges of hospital-based rhinovirus infection during the 2020 coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic in Beijing, China.

BACKGROUND: A series of public health preventive measures has been widely implemented in Beijing to control the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic since January 2020. An evaluation of the effects of these preventive measures on the spread of other respiratory viruses is necessary. METHODS: Respiratory specimens collected from children with acute respiratory infections were tested by NxTAG™ respiratory pathogen panel assays during January 2017 and December 2020. Specimens characterized as rhinoviruses (RVs) were sequenced to identify the RV species and types. Then, the epidemiology results of respiratory pathogens in 2020 were compared with those from 2017 to 2019 using SPSS statistics 22.0. RESULTS: The positive rates of adenovirus (ADV), influenza virus (flu), RVs, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) dropped abruptly by 86.31%, 94.67%, 94.59%, and 92.17%, respectively, from February to May 2020, compared with the average level in the same period during 2017-2019. Positive rates of RVs then steeply increased from June 2020 (13.77%), to an apex (37.25%) in August 2020, significantly higher than the average rates (22.51%) in August 2017-2019 (P = 0.005). The increase, especially in group ≥ 3 years, was accompanied by the reopening of schools and kindergartens after the 23rd and 24th week of 2020 in Beijing. CONCLUSIONS: Whereas the abrupt drop in viral pathogen positive rates from February to May 2020 revealed the remarkable effects of the COVID-19 preventive measures, the sharp increase in positive rates of RVs from the 23rd week of 2020 might be explained by the reopening of schools and kindergartens in Beijing.

Antibiotic usage in Chinese children: a point prevalence survey.

BACKGROUND: Children as a population have high antimicrobial prescribing rates which may lead to high resistance of bacteria according to data from some single-center surveys of antibiotic prescribing rates in China. The acquirement of baseline data of antibiotic prescribing is the basis of developing intervention strategies on inappropriate antimicrobial prescriptions. Few studies show clearly the pattern and detailed information on classes of antibiotics and distribution of indications of antibiotic prescriptions in children in China. This study aims to assess the antibiotic prescribing patterns among children and neonates hospitalized in 18 hospitals in China. METHODS: A 24-hour point prevalence survey on antimicrobial prescribing was conducted in hospitalized neonates and children in China from December 1st, 2016 to February 28th, 2017. Information on the antibiotic use of patients under 18 years of age who were administered one or more on-going antibiotics in the selected wards over a 24-hour period was collected. These data were submitted to the GARPEC (Global Antimicrobial Resistance, Prescribing and Efficacy in Children and Neonates) web-based application ( https://pidrg-database.sgul.ac.uk/redcap/ ). For statistical analysis, Microsoft Excel 2007 and SPSS 22.0 were used. RESULTS: The antibiotic data were collected in 35 wards in 18 hospitals from 9 provinces. In total, 67.76% (975/1439) of the patients (n = 1439) were given at least one antibiotic, including 58.1% (173/298) of neonates (n = 298) and 70.3% (802/1141) of children (n = 1141). In neonates, the three most frequently prescribed antibiotics were third-generation cephalosporins (41.7%), penicillins plus enzyme inhibitor (23.8%), and carbapenems (11.2%). In children, the three most frequently prescribed antibiotics were third-generation cephalosporins (35.5%), macrolides (23.2%), and penicillins plus enzyme inhibitors (15.9%). The most common indication for antibiotics was proven or probable bacterial lower respiratory tract infection (30.9% in neonates and 66.6% in children). CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotics are commonly prescribed in the Chinese children population. It is likely that the third-generation cephalosporins and macrolides are currently overused in Chinese children. Efforts must be made to ensure safe and appropriate antibiotic prescribing to reduce and prevent the future development of antibiotic resistance.

Intrapulmonary lipoma: a case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Intrapulmonary lipoma is extemely rare in children. So far, all reported pulmonary lipomas were from adult patients. METHODS: We present herein a case of intrapulmonary lipoma in a child and a review of the related literature. RESULTS: A 13-month-old boy was hospitalized because of cough and fever. Chest CT showed patchy infiltration and round-shape, hypodense homogeneous lesions located in the lung. After 19 days of antibiotic treatment, his clinic symptoms disappeared, but the round lesions remained without any change. One month and one year later, he was examined by chest MRI with technique of fat suppression. The child was diagnosed as having an intrapulmonary lipoma without biopsy. CONCLUSIONS: Intrapulmonary lipoma is rare in children. Chest CT and MRI are very important for the correct diagnosis of intrapulmonary lipoma.

Pt-Cu bimetallic electrocatalysts with enhanced catalytic properties for oxygen reduction.

A highly active Pt-Cu bimetallic catalyst for the electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction, with an average diameter of 2.9 nm and a Cu/Pt ratio of 0.30 for the bimetallic nanoparticles, was prepared by capturing Pt-Cu alloy nanoparticles on melem-modified carbon, followed by removing 90% of copper from the alloy NPs.

[Pulmonary surfactant protein gene mutation associated with pediatric interstitial lung disease: a case study and the review of related literature].

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of pulmonary surfactant protein (SP) gene mutation associated with pediatric interstitial lung disease, and study the clinical diagnosis process and review of related literature, to understand the relationship between interstitial lung disease and SP gene mutation in infants and children. METHOD: The clinical, radiological, histological, and genetic testing information of a case of SP gene mutation related pediatric interstitial lung disease were analyzed and related literature was reviewed. RESULT: A 2-year-old girl without a history of serious illness was hospitalized because of the shortness of breath, cough, excessive sputum, and the progressive dyspnea. Physical examination on admission revealed tachypnea, slight cyanosis, and the retraction signs were positive, respiratory rate of 60 times/minute, fine crackles could be heard through the lower lobe of both lungs; heart rate was 132 beats/minute. No other abnormalities were noted, no clubbing was found. Laboratory test results: pathologic examination was negative, multiple blood gas analysis suggested hypoxemia. Chest CT showed ground-glass like opacity, diffused patchy infiltration. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid had a large number of neutrophils, and a few tissue cells. Eosinophil staining: negative. Fluconazole and methylprednisolone were given after admission, pulmonary symptoms and signs did not improve, reexamination showed no change in chest CT. Then lung biopsy was carried out through thoracoscopy. Histopathology suggested chronic interstitial pneumonia with fibrosis. The heterozygous mutation of R219W in the SFPTA1 and the S186N in SFTPC were identified by SP-related gene sequencing. The review of related literature showed that polymorphisms at the 219th amino acid in SP-A1 allele were found in adults with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), but there is no related literature in pediatric cases. The patient in this report had a mutation at the SP-A1 allele consistent with related literature. Data of 17 young children with mutation in SP-C gene showed that all the 17 cases had dyspnea and tachypnea, chest CT revealed diffuse opacities in lungs, the pathology of lungs was NSIP and CPI. There were 17 kinds of mutation and the common mutation was I73T. The mutation of S186N in SFTPC in our case has never been shown in previously published literature. CONCLUSION: A case of interstitial lung disease with S186N gene mutation in SFTPC was preliminarily diagnosed in an infant. The SP-C gene mutations and polymorphisms are associated with pediatric interstitial lung disease.