Optimizing Droplet-Based Electricity Generator via a Low Sticky Hydrophobic Droplet-Impacted Surface.

Droplet-based electricity generators (DEGs) are increasingly recognized for their potential in converting renewable energy sources. This study explores the interplay of surface hydrophobicity and stickiness in improving DEG efficiency. It find that the high-performance C-WaxDEGs leverage both these properties. Specifically, DEGs incorporating polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with carnauba wax (C-wax) exhibit increased output as surface stickiness decreases. Through experimental comparisons, PDMS with 1wt.% C-wax demonstrated a significant power output increase from 0.07 to 1.2 W m- 2, which attribute to the minimized adhesion between water molecules and the polymer surface, achieved by embedding C-wax into PDMS surface to form microstructures. This improvement in DEG performance is notable even among samples with similar surface potentials and contact angles, suggesting that C-wax's primary contribution is in reducing surface stickiness rather than altering other surface properties. The further investigations into the C-WaxDEG variant with 1wt.% C-wax PDMS uncover its potential as a sensor for water quality parameters such as temperature, pH, and heavy metal ion concentration. These findings open avenues for the integration of C-WaxDEGs into flexible electronic devices aimed at environmental monitoring.

Discovery of LHF418 as a new potent SOS1 PROTAC degrader.

Son of sevenless homolog 1 (SOS1) plays a pivotal role as a molecular switch in the conversion of GDP-bound inactive KRAS to its active GTP-bound form, making SOS1 a promising therapeutic target for KRAS-driven cancers. While the most advanced SOS1 inhibitor has processed to phase I clinical trial, the exploration of novel SOS1 targeting strategies with distinct modes of action remains required. By employing proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology, we obtained a series of new SOS1 degraders. The representative compound LHF418 potently induced SOS1 degradation with a DC50 value of 209.4 nM and a Dmax value of over 80 %. Mechanistic studies have illuminated that compound LHF418 induced the formation of ternary complex involving SOS1-PROTAC-cereblon (CRBN) and triggered SOS1 protein degradation in a CRBN- and proteasome-dependent manner. In addition, compound LHF418 effectively inhibited KRAS-RAF-ERK signalling, leading to the suppression of colony formation in KRAS-driven cancer cells. Overall, compound LHF418 represents a new lead compound in the developing novel and potent therapy for the treatment of KRAS-driven cancers.

Reduction of precious metal ions in aqueous solutions by contact-electro-catalysis.

Precious metals are core assets for the development of modern technologies in various fields. Their scarcity poses the question of their cost, life cycle and reuse. Recently, an emerging catalysis employing contact-electrification (CE) at water-solid interfaces to drive redox reaction, called contact-electro-catalysis (CEC), has been used to develop metal free mechano-catalytic methods to efficiently degrade refractory organic compounds, produce hydrogen peroxide, or leach metals from spent Li-Ion batteries. Here, we show ultrasonic CEC can successfully drive the reduction of Ag(ac), Rh3+, [PtCl4]2-, Ag+, Hg2+, Pd2+, [AuCl4]-, and Ir3+, in both anaerobic and aerobic conditions. The effect of oxygen on the reaction is studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and ab-initio simulation. Combining measurements of charge transfers during water-solid CE, EPR spectroscopy and gold extraction experiments help show the link between CE and CEC. What's more, this method based on water-solid CE is capable of extracting gold from synthetic solutions with concentrations ranging from as low as 0.196 ppm up to 196 ppm, reaching in 3 h extraction capacities ranging from 0.756 to 722.5 mg g-1 in 3 h. Finally, we showed CEC is employed to design a metal-free, selective, and recyclable catalytic gold extraction methods from e-waste aqueous leachates.

Hybrid Cu2O/TiO2 Nanocomposites with Enhanced Photocatalytic Antibacterial Activity toward Acinetobacter Baumannii.

The hybrid Cu2O-TiO2 photocatalytic composite with a p-n heterojunction was synthesized by the supercritical solvothermal route. The uniformly distributed Cu2O was stably combined with TiO2 to benefit the increase of the specific surface area, the harvesting of visible light, and the separation of photogenerated holes and electrons. As a result, photocatalytic inactivation of Acinetobacter baumannii under visible-light irradiation was facilitated. Based on the photogenerated holes acting as the main active species, the Cu2O-TiO2 photocatalytic heterojunction could induce the leakage of K+ ions and serious damage of the cell structure, leading to the final cell death. During the photoantibacterial process on Cu2O-TiO2, the RecA gene played a significant role in enhancing the survival rate of Acinetobacter baumannii. Furthermore, the great bactericidal effect of Cu2O-TiO2 nanocomposites to different bacteria indicated the potential application for the environment-friendly disinfection.

Possibility of early diagnosis in a fetus affected by Prader­Willi syndrome with maternal hetero­UPD15: A lesson to be learned.

Prader­Willi syndrome (PWS), a complicated neurodevelopmental disorder arising from errors in genomic imprinting, is characterized by evident hypotonia along with feeding difficulties and the absence of crying in early infancy. Hyperphagia and obesity are not uncommon in patients with PWS, usually accompanied by intellectual disability, cognitive impairment, short stature, small hands and feet, as well as hypogonadism and typical facial features. Due to the severe complications associated with PWS, a thorough understanding of its features and an early diagnosis, preferably in the fetal period, are important for clinical management. According to previous studies, prenatal diagnosis has been confirmed in only a few cases of PWS, using ultrasound, or as an accidental finding by cytogenetic molecular techniques, as no precise fetal phenotype has been defined. In this present study, an infant with PWS arising from maternal heterodisomy of chromosome 15 is described. This is a typical case of missed diagnosis by fetal ultrasound examination, chromosome karyotype analysis and chromosome microarray (CMA) conducted during the pregnancy. To delineate the complex prenatal characteristics of a fetus with PWS, prenatally­diagnosed cases of PWS described in the literature were reviewed. This present study indicated that although prenatal signs are not sufficient for a diagnosis to be confirmed, a comprehensive consideration of these signs is important in leading to a diagnosis of suspected PWS, and thus prompts further prenatal investigations using molecular genetic tools. Furthermore, this present study also suggested that CMA can lead to a missed diagnosis of PWS/Angelman syndrome and other imprinting disorders despite its high value in the detection of copy­number variants in individuals with developmental delay. If clinical signs strongly suggest PWS, other prenatal molecular genetic investigations, including methylation tests and short tandem repeat­based linkage analysis for uniparental disomy, are recommended as an additional tool to aid diagnosis.

Synergistic Photocatalytic-Photothermal Contribution to Antibacterial Activity in BiOI-Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites.

The threat of environmental microbial contamination to the health of human beings has drawn particular attention. In order to explore the synergistic effect of photocatalytic and photothermal process to the antibacterial property, a stably combined BiOI-graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposite was constructed and prepared through a facile solvothermal method. BiOI crystals were uniformly distributed on the GO nanosheets by the formation of the Bi-C bond. On the basis of various characterizations, the great surface area, the high light harvesting with extension into NIR region, and the efficient transfer of photoinduced electrons by the conductivity of GO were demonstrated, all of which are beneficial for the photocatalytic antibacterial activity. More importantly, the photothermal effect of GO increased the temperature of the BiOI-GO composite with high photothermal conversion efficiency and induced the photogenerated electrons from BiOI crystals to obtain more energy and higher carrier mobility. Conversely, the temperature elevation of BiOI-GO composite improved its capability for light absorption and separation of photoinduced charges. As a result, the BiOI-GO composite enabled the synergistic photocatalytic-photothermal effect for the improvement of the antibacterial property for Acinetobacter baumannii with higher efficiency of TOC removal and leakage of K+ ions, in comparison with the individual photocatalytic process. Thus, the synergistic photocatalytic-photothermal contribution of BiOI-GO composite will provide significance for the potential application of environmental disinfection in the future.

Report about term infants with severe hyperbilirubinemia undergoing exchange transfusion in Southwestern China during an 11-year period, from 2001 to 2011.

OBJECTIVES: This study was intended to explore the etiology and risk factors of severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and to analyze the adverse events associated with ECT (Exchange Transfusion), as well as to identify the factors related to the poor prognosis. METHODS: All of the full-term neonates who had undergone ECT for hyperbilirubinemia at Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2001 to December 2011 were enrolled in this study. General demographic characteristics, comorbidities, pre- and post-exchange TSB(Total Serum Bilirubin) levels, duration and frequency of ECT, and clinical outcomes were recorded and analyzed anonymously. RESULTS: Of 614 total infants, 368 patients (59.9%) with ABO incompatibility were identified, of whom 197 (53.5%) developed acute bilirubin encephalopathy (ABE) and 16 (4.3%) suffered a poor prognosis. The etiology was unidentified in 103 patients (16.8%), of whom 62 (60.1%) developed ABE and 9 (8.7%) had a poor prognosis. Identified adverse events secondary to ECT included thrombocytopenia (54.6%), hyperglycemia (42.8%), apnea (3.3%) and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) (1.3%). No ECT-related mortality was documented in this study. CONCLUSIONS: The etiology, peak TSB level before ECT, and time of ECT had a significant impact on the outcome of severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. ABO incompatibility was the most common cause of extreme neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Pathological weight loss could be involved in the development of extreme hyperbilirubinemia with an unidentified cause.

Sublingual Immunotherapy for Asthmatic Children Sensitized to House Dust Mite: A Meta-Analysis.

The house dust mite is one of the most common allergens worldwide. There is good evidence that house dust mite subcutaneous immunotherapy is efficacious and has long-term benefit in children. However, the evidence of the benefit of house dust mite sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is less convincing. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate that efficacy and safety of dust mite SLIT in children with asthma. Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases until February 2014 were searched. The primary outcome was mean change in asthma symptom score. Secondary outcomes included mean change in serum immunoglobulin G4 (sIgG4), specific Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, and medication score. Safety was also assessed. We found that SLIT significantly decreased asthma symptom score (P = 0.007) and increased sIgG4 levels (P = 0.011) greater than control in children (<18 years of age) with asthma. There was no difference between SLIT and control groups in specific D pteronyssinus IgE levels (P = 0.076) and medication score (P = 0.408). The safety profile was similar between groups. Our study indicates that dust mite SLIT therapy was effective in reducing asthma symptoms and in increasing sIgG4 but did not significantly reduce medication scores or specific D pteronyssinus IgE levels. Our findings are not enough to support the use of dust mite SLIT in children with asthma.

[Imaging assessment of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis].

OBJECTIVE: To improve the understanding of recognizing and diagnosis of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), imaging assessment of neonates with NEC was analyzed retrospectively. METHOD: Data of 211 cases of NEC were retrospectively collected from the Department of Neonatology, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between Jan.1(st) 2006-Dec.31(st) 2011. RESULT: Analysis of abdominal X-ray of 211 cases showed that there were 40 cases (19.0%) who had no changes on each X-ray, 47 cases (22.3%) had improvement and 23 cases (10.9%) became worse. In the group of no changes, positive rate with good prognosis was 97.5% and with poor prognosis, it was 2.5%. In the group of improvement, positive rate with good prognosis was 97.9%, and the contrary was 2.1%. Positive rate with good prognosis was 56.5%, and the contrary was 43.5% in worse group. Chi-square analysis of the three groups showed χ(2) = 31.742, P < 0.01. Comparison of detection rate of pneumoperitoneum on abdominal X-ray (16.0%, 12/75) and Doppler US (1.3%, 1/75), χ(2) = 10.191, P < 0.05, portal pneumatosis on abdominal X-ray(1.3%, 1/75) versus Doppler US (12.0%,9/75), χ(2) = 6.857, P < 0.05. Surgical timing mostly corresponded to pneumoperitoneum (OR = 19.543) and intestinal obstruction (OR = 19.527) of abdominal X-ray. The logistic regression equation is y = -2.915-1.588x1+2.972x4+2.973x7 + 1.711x9 (χ(2) = 101.705, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Abdominal X-ray is the most important method of diagnosis of NEC, the group of deterioration of abdominal X-ray has obvious bad prognosis differ from no change group and better group. Comparison with abdominal X-ray and Doppler US, the former in pneumoperitoneum positive rate was higher than the latter, at the same time, portal pneumatosis on Doppler US is more sensitive to abdominal X-ray, the value of two imaging assessments both supplement each other. Surgical timing mostly corresponds to pneumoperitoneum and intestinal obstruction.