Quantifying instantaneous nitrogen oxides emissions from power plants based on space observations.

Thermal power plants are significant contributors to nitrogen oxides (NOx), impacting global atmospheric conditions and human health. Satellite observations, known for their continuity and global coverage, have become an effective means of quantifying power plant emissions. Previous studies, often accumulating long temporal data into integrated plumes, resulted in substantial errors in annual emissions at the individual power plant level due to neglecting variations in emissions and diffusion conditions. This study presents, for the first time, the quantification of instantaneous NOx emissions based on single overpass observations from the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) aboard the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite. By addressing the temporal variability of power plant emissions, it effectively reduces annual estimation errors. Comparative analysis between the Exponentially-Modified Gaussian (EMG) and Gaussian Plume Model (GPM) simulations demonstrates the capability of EMG to provide instantaneous emission estimates based on actual plumes, exhibiting closer proximity to actual monitoring values than GPM. Applying the EMG method, we quantify the instantaneous emission rates of six power plants in the United States. Comparing annual emission estimations at individual power plants with traditional integrated plume results, our method demonstrates a 63.7 % improvement in annual emission estimations. This study offers more detailed data on power plant emissions, providing a new avenue for better understanding the emission behavior of thermal power plants.

Efficacy of platelet-rich plasma and platelet-rich fibrin in arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Basic scientific studies have demonstrated positive effects of platelet-rich therapies, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), on tendon repair. However, clinical evidence indicating improved prognosis is controversial. In this study, we aimed to determine whether augmentation of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair with PRP and PRF improves outcomes compared to arthroscopic repair alone. LITERATURE SURVEY: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library databases were comprehensively searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published until June 2022 according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. No language restriction was applied. METHODOLOGY: The primary outcomes were the rate of repeat tears after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (retear rate) and clinical function scores (Constant-Murley Score, University of California, Los Angeles Score), and the extracted data were assessed for quality. Statistical analyses were performed using Review manager 5.3, and p < .05 was considered statistically significant. SYNTHESIS: Ten RCTs with 628 patients were included. The results showed that augmenting surgery with PRP reduces retear rates compared to surgery alone (risk ratio [RR] = 0.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.23-0.69, p = .001), whereas PRF has no effect on retear rates (p = .92). Regarding clinical function, PRP improves Constant-Murley scores (mean difference [MD] = 2.03, 95% CI 0.13-3.93, p = .04) and University of California, Los Angeles scores (MD = 1.30, 95% CI 0.36-2.24, p = .007), whereas PRF improves only Constant-Murley scores (MD = 3.93, 95% CI 1.50-6.36, p = .002). However, these differences were small and below the minimum clinically important difference threshold. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that compared to arthroscopic rotator cuff repair alone, the application of PRP in arthroscopic rotator cuff repair reduces retear rate and improves clinical function scores, whereas the application of PRF has no clinically meaningful benefit. The small number and heterogeneity of studies as well as methodological limitations and risk of bias limit confidence in the true effect.

Antibacterial, Adhesive, and Conductive Hydrogel for Diabetic Wound Healing.

Diabetic mellitus is one of the leading causes of chronic wounds and remains a challenging issue to be resolved. Herein, a hydrogel with conformal tissue adhesivity, skin-like conductivity, robust mechanical characteristics, as well as active antibacterial function is developed. In this hydrogel, silver nanoparticles decorated polypyrrole nanotubes (AgPPy) and cobalt ions (Co2+ ) are introduced into an in situ polymerized poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and branched poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) network (PPCA hydrogel). The PPCA hydrogel provides active antibacterial function through synergic effects from protonated PEI and AgPPy nanotubes, with a tissue-like mechanical property (≈16.8 ± 4.5 kPa) and skin-like electrical conductivity (≈0.048 S m-1 ). The tensile and shear adhesive strength (≈15.88 and ≈12.76 kPa, respectively) of the PPCA hydrogel is about two- to threefold better than that of fibrin glue. In vitro studies show the PPCA hydrogel is highly effective against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. In vivo results demonstrate that the PPCA hydrogel promotes diabetic wounds with accelerated healing, with notable inflammatory reduction and prominent angiogenesis regeneration. These results suggest the PPCA hydrogel provide a promising approach to promote diabetic wound healing.

Targeting the resolution pathway of inflammation using Ac2-26 peptide-loaded PEGylated lipid nanoparticles for the remission of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common autoimmune disease characterized by joint inflammation and immune dysfunction. Although various therapeutic approaches have been utilized for the treatment of RA in clinical applications, the low responsiveness of RA patients and undesired systemic toxicity are still unresolved problems. Targeting the resolution pathway of inflammation with pro-resolving mediators would evoke the protective actions of patient for combating the inflammation. Ac2-26, a 25-amino acid peptide derived from Annexin A (a pro-resolving mediator), has shown good efficacy in the treatment of inflammatory disorders. However, the low bioavailability of Ac2-26 peptides hinders their efficacy in vivo. In this paper, we formed PEGylated lipid nanoparticles (LDNPs) by the co-assembly of l-ascorbyl palmitate (L-AP) and N-(carbonyl methoxypolyethylene glycol-2000)-1,2-distearoyl-sn­glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DSPE-PEG2k) to encapsulate and deliver Ac2-26 peptides to the arthritic rats. They showed good stability and biocompatibility. After being intravenously administrated, Ac2-26 peptide-loaded PEGylated lipid nanoparticles (ADNPs) showed the prolonged in vivo circulation time and enhanced accumulation in inflamed sites. In vivo therapeutic evaluations revealed that ADNPs could attenuate synovial inflammation and improve joint pathology. Therefore, the pro-resolving therapeutic strategy using ADNPs is effective in RA treatment.

Injectable Micelle-Incorporated Hydrogels for the Localized Chemo-Immunotherapy of Breast Tumors.

Although immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) holds potential for the treatment of various tumors, a considerable proportion of patients show a limited response to ICB therapy due to the low immunogenicity of a variety of tumors. It has been shown that some chemotherapeutics can turn low-immunogenic tumors into immunogenic phenotypes by inducing a cascade of immune responses. In this paper, we synthesized an injectable micelle-incorporated hydrogel, which was able to sequentially release the chemotherapeutic gemcitabine (GEM) and the hydrophobic indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase inhibitor, d-1-methyltryptophan (d-1MT) at tumor sites. The hydrogel was formed via the thiol-ene click reaction between the thiolated chondroitin sulfate and the micelle formed by amphiphilic methacrylated Pluronic F127, in which hydrophobic d-1MT was encapsulated in the core of the F127 micelles and the hydrophilic GEM was dispersed in the hydrogel network. The successive release of chemotherapeutics and immune checkpoint inhibitors at tumor tissues will first promote the infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes and subsequently induce a robust antitumor immune response, ultimately exerting a synergetic therapeutic efficacy. In a 4T1 tumor-bearing mice model, our results showed that the combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy through the micelle-incorporated hydrogel triggered an effective antitumor immune response and inhibited tumor metastasis to the lung. Our results highlight the potential of the injectable micelle-incorporated hydrogel for the localized chemo-immunotherapy in the treatment of breast tumors.

Dual-Stimuli Responsive Polymeric Micelles for the Effective Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The nontargeted distribution and uncontrolled in vivo release of drugs impede their efficacy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Delivering drugs to arthritic joints and releasing drugs on demand are a feasible solution to achieve the effective treatment of RA. In this paper, we report a facile method to assemble dual-stimuli responsive polymeric micelles from polyethylene glycol-phenylboric acid-triglycerol monostearate (PEG-PBA-TGMS, PPT) conjugates with the aim of delivering dexamethasone (Dex) to arthritic joints and controlling the release of Dex by inflammatory stimuli. We show that the release of Dex from the PPT micelles is accelerated in response to acidic pH and overexpressed matrix metalloproteinases. In an adjuvant-induced arthritis model, the PPT micelles preferentially accumulate in arthritic joints and show an excellent therapeutic efficacy after being intravenously administrated. Our results highlight the potential of the dual stimuli-responsive micelles as a promising therapeutic option for the effective treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Improving the anti-inflammatory efficacy of dexamethasone in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with polymerized stealth liposomes as a delivery vehicle.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints of the body. Although liposomes are a promising drug delivery vehicle, there is still a challenge of using conventional liposomes for the treatment of RA due to their short circulation time and physicochemical instability in blood vessels. Here, we report the formation of polymerized stealth liposomes composed of 1,2-bis(10,12-tricosadiynoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DC8,9PC) and 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-ethanolamine-poly(ethyleneglycol) (DSPE-PEG2000) with a thin-film hydration method, in which DC8,9PC molecules are cross-linked in the bilayer of the liposomes by UV irradiation and the PEG chains present at the surface of the liposomes provide a stealth layer. We demonstrate that the polymerized stealth liposomes are stable and show long circulation time in blood vessels. They can be internalized by cells without significant toxicity. After being injected into arthritic rats, the polymerized stealth liposomes with loaded dexamethasone (Dex) show long blood circulation time and accumulate preferentially in inflamed joints, consequently suppressing the level of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1ß) in joint tissues, reducing the swelling of inflamed joints and alleviating the progression of RA. We believe that polymerized stealth liposomes can be used as a promising drug delivery vehicle for various therapeutic applications.

PLA2-Triggered Release of Drugs from Self-Assembled Lipid Tubules for Arthritis Treatments.

Environment-responsive drug delivery is a promising approach for tailoring the drug release in drug therapy. In this study, we develop lipid tubules by the self-assembly of 1,2-bis(tricosa-10,12-diynoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DC8,9PC). These lipid tubules are capable of encapsulating hydrophobic dexamethasone (Dex) and hydrophilic dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DSP) simultaneously. In vitro studies show that the lipid tubules can be internalized by cells with no significant toxicity. We find that phospholipase (PLA2) is able to slowly digest the lipid tubules and trigger the sustained release of Dex and DSP. After being subcutaneously administrated to the inflammatory sites of arthritic rats, we show that a single dose of drug-loaded lipid tubules can remarkably inhibit the degree of joint swelling at the inflammatory sites and suppress the content of proinflammatory cytokines in inflamed tissues for a long time by this sustained release of both Dex and DSP triggered by the highly expressed PLA2 at the inflamed sites. Our results highlight the potential of using PLA2-responsive lipid tubules as on-demand carriers for treating inflammatory diseases.

Matrix Metalloproteinase-Responsive PEGylated Lipid Nanoparticles for Controlled Drug Delivery in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder. It causes inflammation, swelling, and pain in the joints of the human body. Overexpressed matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) at the inflammatory sites of RA are a target in the construction of inflammation-responsive drug delivery vehicles for enhancing the therapeutic effect of anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of RA. In this paper, we report MMP-responsive PEGylated lipid nanoparticles through the co-assembly of triglycerol monostearate (TGMS) and 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-ethanolamine-poly(ethyleneglycol) (DSPE-PEG2000) in which the ester bond of TGMS is cleavable by MMPs and the PEG chain provides a stealth layer. The lipid nanoparticles show high biocompatibility, extended blood circulation, and preferential distribution in the inflammatory joints of RA. The loaded dexamethasone (Dex) can be rapidly released from the lipid nanoparticles in response to MMPs. After being intravenously administered to arthritic rats, Dex-loaded MMP-responsive PEGylated lipid nanoparticles significantly reduce the degree of joint swelling and inhibit the production of TNF-α and IL-1ß in joint tissues. These results demonstrate that MMP-responsive PEGylated lipid nanoparticles are a smart drug vehicle for the treatment of RA with improved therapeutic efficacy.