Metal-doped carbon dots for biomedical applications: From design to implementation.

Carbon dots (CDs), as a new kind of fluorescent nanomaterials, show great potential for application in several fields due to their unique nano-size effect, easy surface functionalization, controllable photoluminescence, and excellent biocompatibility. Conventional preparation methods for CDs typically involve top-down and bottom-up approaches. Doping is a major step forward in CDs design methodology. Chemical doping includes both non-metal and metal doping, in which non-metal doping is an effective strategy for modulating the fluorescence properties of CDs and improving photocatalytic performance in several areas. In recent years, Metal-doped CDs have aroused the interest of academics as a promising nano-doping technique. This approach has led to improvements in the physicochemical and optical properties of CDs by altering their electron density distribution and bandgap capacity. Additionally, the issues of metal toxicity and utilization have been addressed to a large extent. In this review, we categorize metals into two major groups: transition group metals and rare-earth group metals, and an overview of recent advances in biomedical applications of these two categories, respectively. Meanwhile, the prospects and the challenges of metal-doped CDs for biomedical applications are reviewed and concluded. The aim of this paper is to break through the existing deficiencies of metal-doped CDs and fully exploit their potential. I believe that this review will broaden the insight into the synthesis and biomedical applications of metal-doped CDs.

The time window for pre-emptive transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt could be extended to 5 days.

As recommended by Baveno VII consensus, the utilization of pre-emptive transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (pTIPS) has been considered as standard therapeutic approach for the management of acute variceal bleeding (AVB) associated with cirrhosis., but the 72-h window for pTIPS is too narrow. This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes between patients who received <72 h pTIPS and 72 h-5d pTIPS. In this study, a total of 63 cirrhotic patients with AVB who underwent pTIPS between October 2016 and December 2021 were included in this retrospective study. They were divided into <72 h group (n = 32) and 72 h-5d group (n = 31), based on the timing of the intervention. The Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated that there were no significant differences in the cumulative incidence of death (22.3% ± 7.4% vs. 19.9% ± 7.3%, log-rank P = 0.849), variceal rebleeding (9.7% ± 5.3% vs. 17.8% ± 7.3%, log-rank P = 0.406), OHE (28.5% ± 8.0% vs. 23.9% ± 8.0%, log-rank P = 0.641) and shunt dysfunction (8.6% ± 6.0% vs. 17.4% ± 8.1%, log-rank P = 0.328) between <72 h and 72 h-5d groups. In the total cohort, sarcopenia was identified as an independent risk factor for mortality (HR = 11.268, 95% CI = 1.435-88.462, P = 0.021) and OHE(HR = 12.504, 95% CI = 1.598-97.814, P = 0.016). In conclusion, the clinical outcomes of cirrhotic patients with AVB who underwent pTIPS within the 72-h to 5-day window were found to be comparable to those treated within the 72-h window.

Critical assessment of missense variant effect predictors on disease-relevant variant data.

Regular, systematic, and independent assessment of computational tools used to predict the pathogenicity of missense variants is necessary to evaluate their clinical and research utility and suggest directions for future improvement. Here, as part of the sixth edition of the Critical Assessment of Genome Interpretation (CAGI) challenge, we assess missense variant effect predictors (or variant impact predictors) on an evaluation dataset of rare missense variants from disease-relevant databases. Our assessment evaluates predictors submitted to the CAGI6 Annotate-All-Missense challenge, predictors commonly used by the clinical genetics community, and recently developed deep learning methods for variant effect prediction. To explore a variety of settings that are relevant for different clinical and research applications, we assess performance within different subsets of the evaluation data and within high-specificity and high-sensitivity regimes. We find strong performance of many predictors across multiple settings. Meta-predictors tend to outperform their constituent individual predictors; however, several individual predictors have performance similar to that of commonly used meta-predictors. The relative performance of predictors differs in high-specificity and high-sensitivity regimes, suggesting that different methods may be best suited to different use cases. We also characterize two potential sources of bias. Predictors that incorporate allele frequency as a predictive feature tend to have reduced performance when distinguishing pathogenic variants from very rare benign variants, and predictors supervised on pathogenicity labels from curated variant databases often learn label imbalances within genes. Overall, we find notable advances over the oldest and most cited missense variant effect predictors and continued improvements among the most recently developed tools, and the CAGI Annotate-All-Missense challenge (also termed the Missense Marathon) will continue to assess state-of-the-art methods as the field progresses. Together, our results help illuminate the current clinical and research utility of missense variant effect predictors and identify potential areas for future development.

Non-nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates and nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates for the treatment of atherosclerosis and vascular calcification: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The role of non-nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (non-N-BPs) and nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (N-BPs) in the treatment of atherosclerosis (AS) and vascular calcification (VC) is uncertain. This meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of non-N-BPs and N-BPs in the treatment of AS and VC. METHODS: The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang databases were searched from their inception to July 5th, 2023. Eligible studies comparing bisphosphonates (BPs) versus no BPs in the treatment of AS and VC were included. The data were analyzed using Review Manager Version 5.3. RESULTS: Seventeen studies were included in this meta-analysis. Twelve were randomized control trials (RCTs), and 5 were nonrandomized studies. Overall, 813 patients were included in the BPs group, and 821 patients were included in the no BPs group. Compared with no BP treatment, non-N-BP or N-BP treatment did not affect serum calcium (P > .05), phosphorus (P > .05) or parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels (P > .05). Regarding the effect on serum lipids, non-N-BPs decreased the serum total cholesterol (TC) level (P < .05) and increased the serum triglyceride (TG) level (P < .01) but did not affect the serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level (P > .05). N-BPs did not affect serum TC (P > .05), TG (P > .05) or LDL-C levels (P > .05). Regarding the effect on AS, non-N-BPs did not have a beneficial effect (P > .05). N-BPs had a beneficial effect on AS, including reducing the intima-media thickness (IMT) (P < .05) and plaque area (P < .01). For the effect on VC, non-N-BPs had a beneficial effect (P < .01), but N-BPs did not have a beneficial effect (P > .05). CONCLUSION: Non-N-BPs and N-BPs did not affect serum calcium, phosphorus or PTH levels. Non-N-BPs decreased serum TC levels and increased serum TG levels. N-BPs did not affect serum lipid levels. Non-N-BPs had a beneficial effect on VC, and N-BPs had a beneficial effect on AS.

Automatic PCB Sample Generation and Defect Detection Based on ControlNet and Swin Transformer.

In order to improve the efficiency and accuracy of multitarget detection of soldering defects on surface-mounted components in Printed Circuit Board (PCB) fabrication, we propose a sample generation method using Stable Diffusion Model and ControlNet, as well as a defect detection method based on the Swin Transformer. The method consists of two stages: First, high-definition original images collected in industrial production and the corresponding prompts are input to Stable Diffusion Model and ControlNet for automatic generation of nonindependent samples. Subsequently, we integrate Swin Transformer as the backbone into the Cascade Mask R-CNN to improve the quality of defect features extracted from the samples for accurate detection box localization and segmentation. Instead of segmenting individual components on the PCB, the method inspects all components in the field of view simultaneously over a larger area. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our method in scaling up nonindependent sample datasets, thereby enabling the generation of high-quality datasets. The method accurately recognizes targets and detects defect types when performing multitarget inspection on printed circuit boards. The analysis against other models shows that our improved defect detection and segmentation method improves the Average Recall (AR) by 2.8% and the mean Average Precision (mAP) by 1.9%.

Validation of the "obturator functioning scale" for Chinese-speaking patients with obturator prostheses after cancer-related maxillectomy.

Objective: The Obturator Functioning Scale (OFS) is a scale without formal measures of validity in any language. This study aimed to translate and adapt the OFS from English to Chinese and check its reliability and validity in Chinese-speaking patients with obturator prostheses after cancer-related maxillectomy. Methods: The 15-item Chinese preversion of the OFS was completed by 133 patients in three tertiary stomatological hospitals. Of these, 41 completed it again one week after the first measurement. The patients also completed the Chinese version of the University of Washington quality of life scale (UW-QOL, Version 4). Results: Item 12 ("upper lip feels numb") was deleted to achieve a better statistical fit. The 14-item Chinese version of the OFS (OFS-Ch) demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.908). The test-retest reliability coefficients for most items exceeded 0.90, indicating substantial reproducibility. Confirmatory factor analysis found that the scale consisted of three correlated factors: 1) eating (four items), 2) speech (five items), and 3) other problems (five items). This explained 70.2 % of the total variance using exploratory factor analysis. The scale was significantly convergent and discriminant and could validly discriminate between patients with Brown I and IId maxillary defects. Conclusions: Our results showed that the OFS-Ch scale is a valid tool for evaluating oral dysfunction and satisfaction with appearance for patients with the obturator prosthesis and identifying those at risk of poor obturator function in clinical settings.

Synergistic utilization, critical mechanisms, and environmental suitability of bauxite residue (red mud) based multi-solid wastes cementitious materials and special concrete.

The energy consumption and carbon emissions in the construction field, coupled with the accumulation of various industrial solid wastes, particularly bauxite residue (red mud), represent formidable barriers to sustainable development. The synergistic utilization of bauxite residue (red mud) in cementitious materials and special concrete is widely considered one of the most practical approaches for these issues. In this comprehensive review, characteristics and composition of red mud worldwide were investigated. By comparing and reviewing the latest research, the current achievements in applying red mud with various solid wastes in cementitious materials and special concrete were discussed. In addition, critical mechanisms and environmental suitability issues are emphasized. In conclusion, the present work culminates in identifying the challenges faced and opportunities for progressing in synergizing red mud and multi-solid wastes, which will contribute to the international research community for sustainable development in the industry.

Point based weakly semi-supervised biomarker detection with cross-scale and label assignment in retinal OCT images.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is currently one of the most advanced retinal imaging methods. Retinal biomarkers in OCT images are of clinical significance and can assist ophthalmologists in diagnosing lesions. Compared with fundus images, OCT can provide higher resolution segmentation. However, image annotation at the bounding box level needs to be performed by ophthalmologists carefully and is difficult to obtain. In addition, the large variation in shape of different retinal markers and the inconspicuous appearance of biomarkers make it difficult for existing deep learning-based methods to effectively detect them. To overcome the above challenges, we propose a novel network for the detection of retinal biomarkers in OCT images. METHODS: We first address the issue of labeling cost using a novel weakly semi-supervised object detection method with point annotations which can reduce bounding box-level annotation efforts. To extend the method to the detection of biomarkers in OCT images, we propose multiple consistent regularizations for point-to-box regression network to deal with the shortage of supervision, which aims to learn more accurate regression mappings. Furthermore, in the subsequent fully supervised detection, we propose a cross-scale feature enhancement module to alleviate the detection problems caused by the large-scale variation of biomarkers. We also propose a dynamic label assignment strategy to distinguish samples of different importance more flexibly, thereby reducing detection errors due to the indistinguishable appearance of the biomarkers. RESULTS: When using our detection network, our regressor also achieves an AP value of 20.83 s when utilizing a 5 % fully labeled dataset partition, surpassing the performance of other comparative methods at 5 % and 10 %. Even coming close to the 20.87 % result achieved by Point DETR under 20 % full labeling conditions. When using Group R-CNN as the point-to-box regressor, our detector achieves 27.21 % AP in the 50 % fully labeled dataset experiment. 7.42 % AP improvement is achieved compared to our detection network baseline Faster R-CNN. CONCLUSIONS: The experimental findings not only demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach with minimal bounding box annotations but also highlight the enhanced biomarker detection performance of the proposed module. We have included a detailed algorithmic flow in the supplementary material.

Preparation of near-infrared photoacoustic imaging and photothermal treatment agent for cancer using a modifiable acid-triggered molecular platform.

Ratiometric near-infrared fluorescent pH probes with various pKa values were innovatively designed and synthesized based on cyanine with a diamine moiety. The photochemical properties of these probes were thoroughly evaluated. Among the series, IR-PHA exhibited an optimal pKa value of approximately 6.40, closely matching the pH of cancerous tissues. This feature is particularly valuable for real-time pH monitoring in both living cells and living mice. Moreover, when administered intravenously to tumor-bearing mice, IR-PHA demonstrated rapid and significant enhancement of near-infrared fluorescence and photoacoustic signals within the tumor region. This outcome underscores the probe's exceptional capability for dual-modal cancer imaging utilizing near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) and photoacoustic (PA) modalities. Concurrently, the application of a continuous-wave near-infrared laser efficiently ablated cancer cells in vivo, attributed to the photothermal effect induced by IR-PHA. The results strongly indicate that IR-PHA is well-suited for NIRF/PA dual-modality imaging and photothermal therapy of tumors. This makes it a promising candidate for theranostic applications involving small molecules.

Recent advances in hepatocellular carcinoma-targeted nanoparticles.

In the field of medicine, we often brave the unknown like interstellar explorers, especially when confronting the formidable opponent of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The global burden of HCC remains significant, with suboptimal treatment outcomes necessitating the urgent development of novel drugs and treatments. While various treatments for liver cancer, such as immunotherapy and targeted therapy, have emerged in recent years, improving their transport and therapeutic efficiency, controlling their targeting and release, and mitigating their adverse effects remains challenging. However, just as we grope through the darkness, a glimmer of light emerges-nanotechnology. Recently, nanotechnology has attracted attention because it can increase the local drug concentration in tumors, reduce systemic toxicity, and has the potential to enhance the effectiveness of precision therapy for HCC. However, there are also some challenges hindering the clinical translation of drug-loaded nanoparticles (NPs). Just as interstellar explorers must overcome interstellar dust, we too must overcome various obstacles. In future researches, the design and development of nanodelivery systems for novel drugs treating HCC should be the first attention. Moreover, researchers should focus on the active targeting design of various NPs. The combination of the interventional therapies and drug-loaded NPs will greatly advance the process of precision HCC therapy.

Donor-acceptor type triphenylamine-based porous aromatic frameworks (TPA-PAFs) for photosynthesis of benzimidazoles.

The development of efficient and recyclable photocatalysts for organic synthesis is of great interest. This study presents the synthesis of triphenylamine-based porous aromatic frameworks (TPA-PAFs) in an alternating donor-acceptor (D-A) manner. The light absorption range and the optical band gaps of TPA-PAFs are effectively tuned by changing the electron acceptor units, which further determine their photocatalytic properties. As a result, TPA-PAFs exhibit excellent catalytic performance for the photosynthesis of benzimidazoles in high yields (up to 99%), broad substrate scope (18 examples), and good recyclability (up to 10 cycles). This work provides a feasible approach toward the facile design and synthesis of efficient and stable PAF-based photocatalysts, which further broadens the application of PAFs catalytic materials in photocatalytic organic synthesis.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of psoriasis patients with COVID-19: A retrospective, multicenter cohort study in China.

BACKGROUND: Limited information exists regarding the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on psoriasis patients. The objective of this study was to identify clinical factors associated with the prognosis of psoriasis following SARS-CoV-2 infection. METHODS: A retrospective, multicenter study was conducted between March and May 2023. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to identify factors associated with COVID-19-related psoriasis outcomes. The study included 2371 psoriasis patients from 12 clinical centers, with 2049 of them having been infected with SARS-CoV-2. RESULTS: Among the infected group, lower exacerbation rates were observed in individuals treated with biologics compared to those receiving traditional systemic or nonsystemic treatments (22.3% [236/1058] vs. 39.8% [92/231] vs. 37.5% [140/373], P <0.001). Psoriasis progression with lesions (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 8.197, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 5.685-11.820, compared to no lesions), hypertension (adjusted OR = 1.582, 95% CI = 1.068-2.343), traditional systemic (adjusted OR = 1.887, 95% CI = 1.263-2.818), and nonsystemic treatment (adjusted OR = 1.602, 95% CI = 1.117-2.297) were found to be associated with exacerbation of psoriasis after SARS-CoV-2 infection, but not biologics (adjusted OR = 0.931, 95% CI = 0.680-1.274, compared to no treatment), according to multivariable logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: A reduced risk of psoriasis exacerbation after SARS-CoV-2 infection was observed with biologics compared to traditional systemic and nonsystemic treatments. Significant risk factors for exacerbation after infection were identified as existing psoriatic lesions and hypertension. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (No. NCT05961605).

Isolation and Characterisation of Streptococcus spp. with Human Milk Oligosaccharides Utilization Capacity from Human Milk.

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) that promote the growth of beneficial gut microbes in infants are abundant in human milk. Streptococcus, one of the dominant genera in human milk microbiota, is also highly prevalent in the infant gut microbiota, possibly due to its adeptness at utilizing HMOs. While previous studies have mainly focused on HMO interactions with gut bacteria like Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides spp., the interaction with Streptococcus spp. has not been fully explored. In this study, Streptococcus spp. was isolated from human milk and identified to exhibit extensive capabilities in utilizing HMOs. Their consumption rates of 2'-fucosyllactose (2'-FL), 6'-sialyllactose (6'-SL), and lacto-N-tetraose (LNT) closely matched those of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis ATCC 15697. Furthermore, we assessed the safety-related genes in the genomes of the Streptococcus species capable of utilizing HMOs, revealing potential virulence and resistance genes. In addition, no haemolytic activity was observed. These findings expand the knowledge of metabolic interactions and networks within the microbiota of human milk and the early life human gut.

Boundary-Repairing Dual-Path Network for Retinal Layer Segmentation in OCT Image with Pigment Epithelial Detachment.

Automatic retinal layer segmentation in optical coherence tomography (OCT) images is crucial for the diagnosis of ocular diseases. Currently, automatic retinal layer segmentation works well with normal OCT images. However, pigment epithelial detachment (PED) dramatically alters the retinal structure, causing blurred boundaries and partial disappearance of the Bruch's Membrane (BM), thus posing challenges to the segmentation. To tackle these problems, we propose a novel dual-path U-shaped network for simultaneous layer segmentation and boundary regression. This network first designs a feature interaction fusion (FIF) module to strengthen the boundary shape constraints in the layer path. To address the challenge posed by partial BM disappearance and boundary-blurring, we propose a layer boundary repair (LBR) module. This module aims to use contrastive loss to enhance the confidence of blurred boundary regions and refine the segmentation of layer boundaries through the re-prediction head. In addition, we introduce a novel bilateral threshold distance map (BTDM) designed for the boundary path. The BTDM serves to emphasize information within boundary regions. This map, combined with the updated probability map, culminates in topology-guaranteed segmentation results achieved through a topology correction (TC) module. We investigated the proposed network on two severely deformed datasets (i.e., OCTA-500 and Aier-PED) and one slightly deformed dataset (i.e., DUKE). The proposed method achieves an average Dice score of 94.26% on the OCTA-500 dataset, which was 1.5% higher than BAU-Net and outperformed other methods. In the DUKE and Aier-PED datasets, the proposed method achieved average Dice scores of 91.65% and 95.75%, respectively.

Environmental enrichment alleviates hyperalgesia by modulating central sensitization in a nitroglycerin-induced chronic migraine model of mice.

BACKGROUND: Chronic migraine (CM) is a debilitating neurofunctional disorder primarily affecting females, characterized by central sensitization. Central sensitization refers to the enhanced response to sensory stimulation, which involves changes in neuronal excitability, synaptic plasticity, and neurotransmitter release. Environmental enrichment (EE) can increase the movement, exploration, socialization and other behaviors of mice. EE has shown promising effects in various neurological disorders, but its impact on CM and the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether EE has the potential to serve as a cost-effective intervention strategy for CM. METHODS: A mouse CM model was successfully established by repeated administration of nitroglycerin (NTG). We selected adult female mice around 8 weeks old, exposed them to EE for 2 months, and then induced the CM model. Nociceptive threshold tests were measured using Von Frey filaments and a hot plate. The expression of c-Fos, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and inflammatory response were measured using WB and immunofluorescence to evaluate central sensitization. RNA sequencing was used to find differentially expressed genes and signaling pathways. Finally, the expression of the target differential gene was investigated. RESULTS: Repeated administration of NTG can induce hyperalgesia in female mice and increase the expression of c-Fos and CGRP in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC). Early exposure of mice to EE reduced NTG-induced hyperalgesia in CM mice. WB and immunofluorescence revealed that EE inhibited the overexpression of c-Fos and CGRP in the TNC of CM mice and alleviated the inflammatory response of microglia activation. RNA sequencing analysis identified that several central sensitization-related signaling pathways were altered by EE. VGluT1, a key gene involved in behavior, internal stimulus response, and ion channel activity, was found to be downregulated in mice exposed to EE. CONCLUSION: EE can significantly ameliorate hyperalgesia in the NTG-induced CM model. The mechanisms may be to modulate central sensitization by reducing the expression of CGRP, attenuating the inflammatory response, and downregulating the expression of VGluT1, etc., suggesting that EE can serve as an effective preventive strategy for CM.

M2 macrophages participate in ILC2 activation induced by Helicobacter pylori infection.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) causes a diversity of gastric diseases. The host immune response evoked by H. pylori infection is complicated and can influence the development and progression of diseases. We have reported that the Group 2 innate lymphocytes (ILC2) were promoted and took part in building type-2 immunity in H. pylori infection-related gastric diseases. Therefore, in the present study, we aim to clarify how H. pylori infection induces the activation of ILC2. It was found that macrophages were necessary for activating ILC2 in H. pylori infection. Mechanistically, H. pylori infection up-regulated the expression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) in macrophages to induce M2 polarization, and the latter secreted the alarmin cytokine Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin (TSLP) to arouse ILC2.

Structural Design and Energy and Environmental Applications of Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Frameworks: A Systematic Review.

Hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs) are emerging porous materials that show high structural flexibility, mild synthetic conditions, good solution processability, easy healing and regeneration, and good recyclability. Although these properties give them many potential multifunctional applications, their frameworks are unstable due to the presence of only weak and reversible hydrogen bonds. In this work, the development history and synthesis methods of HOFs are reviewed, and categorize their structural design concepts and strategies to improve their stability. More importantly, due to the significant potential of the latest HOF-related research for addressing energy and environmental issues, this work discusses the latest advances in the methods of energy storage and conversion, energy substance generation and isolation, environmental detection and isolation, degradation and transformation, and biological applications. Furthermore, a discussion of the coupling orientation of HOF in the cross-cutting fields of energy and environment is presented for the first time. Finally, current challenges, opportunities, and strategies for the development of HOFs to advance their energy and environmental applications are discussed.

Approaches for the Treatment and Resource Utilization of Electroplating Sludge.

The disposal of electroplating sludge (ES) is a major challenge for the sustainable development of the electroplating industry. ESs have a significant environmental impact, occupying valuable land resources and incurring high treatment costs, which increases operational expenses for companies. Additionally, the high concentration of hazardous substances in ES poses a serious threat to both the environment and human health. Despite extensive scholarly research on the harmless treatment and resource utilization of ES, current technology and processes are still unable to fully harness its potential. This results in inefficient resource utilization and potential environmental hazards. This article analyzes the physicochemical properties of ES, discusses its ecological hazards, summarizes research progress in its treatment, and elaborates on methods such as solidification/stabilization, heat treatment, wet metallurgy, pyrometallurgy, biotechnology, and material utilization. It provides a comparative summary of different treatment processes while also discussing the challenges and future development directions for technologies aimed at effectively utilizing ES resources. The objective of this text is to provide useful information on how to address the issue of ES treatment and promote sustainable development in the electroplating industry.

Acoustohydrodynamic micromixers: Basic mixing principles, programmable mixing prospectives, and biomedical applications.

Acoustohydrodynamic micromixers offer excellent mixing efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and flexible controllability compared with conventional micromixers. There are two mechanisms in acoustic micromixers: indirect influence by induced streamlines, exemplified by sharp-edge micromixers, and direct influence by acoustic waves, represented by surface acoustic wave micromixers. The former utilizes sharp-edge structures, while the latter employs acoustic wave action to affect both the fluid and its particles. However, traditional micromixers with acoustic bubbles achieve significant mixing performance and numerous programmable mixing platforms provide excellent solutions with wide applicability. This review offers a comprehensive overview of various micromixers, elucidates their underlying principles, and explores their biomedical applications. In addition, advanced programmable micromixing with impressive versatility, convenience, and ability of cross-scale operations is introduced in detail. We believe this review will benefit the researchers in the biomedical field to know the micromixers and find a suitable micromixing method for their various applications.

Application of the Industrial Byproduct Gypsum in Building Materials: A Review.

The industrial byproduct gypsum is a general term for byproducts discharged from industrial production with calcium sulfate as the main ingredient. Due to the high number of impurities and production volume, the industrial byproduct gypsum is underutilized, leading to serious environmental problems. At present, only desulfurization gypsum and phosphogypsum have been partially utilized in cementitious materials, cement retarders, etc., while the prospects for the utilization of other byproduct gypsums remain worrying. This paper mainly focuses on the sources and physicochemical properties of various types of gypsum byproducts and summarizes the application scenarios of various gypsums in construction materials. Finally, some suggestions are proposed to solve the problem of the industrial byproduct gypsum. This review is informative for solving the environmental problems caused by gypsum accumulation.