Enhance the Performance of CZTSSe Solar Cells Through Inhibiting the Cu2+, Tu, and (─COOH) Association Reaction.

The Sol-gel precursor solution reaction mechanism has a significant impact on the Cu2ZnSn(S, Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells. It is discovered that in the Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) precursor solution (CZTS-PS) in the preparation, there is an association reaction among Cu2+, thiourea (Tu), and carboxyl (-COOH), which is an important reason for the undesirable CZTSSe solar cells. The strong association reaction generates excessive Cu2+ ions, forming the CuxSe secondary phase on the surface of the CZTSSe absorber. The secondary phase causes a short circuit and deterioration of gadget performance. Following a 6-h aging period for the CZTS-PS, the average photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of the device is enhanced to 8.02%, and there is also an improvement in device uniformity, as evidenced by a decrease in the standard deviation to less than 1. To inhibit the association reaction and eliminate the aging time phenomenon, a strategy is developed using hydrochloric acid to regulate the CZTS-PS environment. This strategy shifts the REDOX reaction in Cu2++Sn2+ toward the formation of Cu1++Sn4+, leading to a decrease in the defect concentrations of VSn(-/0) and CuSn(-/0), which increases the carrier concentration and reduces the impact of band tailing. The average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the devices improved from 7.45% to 9.26%, the PCE of the best-performing CZTSSe solar cells increased from 9.25% to 9.83%, and the consistency among the devices is further enhanced, as indicated by a reduction in the standard deviation from 0.98 to 0.44. Ultimately, the device performance of the Cu2++Sn2+-DMF system improved by 11.01% (without the MgF2 layer) after optimization. This study serves as a reference for regulating the environment of the CZTS-PS to further enhance the CZTSSe devices' performance, and the photoelectric conversion efficiency is improved by ≈30%.

Acidification is required for calcium and magnesium concentration measurements in equine urine.

BACKGROUND: Acidification of equine urine to promote dissociation of ion complexes is a common practice for urine ion concentration measurements. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of acidification and storage after acidification on calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and phosphate (P) concentrations and on fractional excretion (FE) of these electrolytes. Thirty-two fresh equine urine samples were analysed between December 2016 and July 2020. Complete urinalysis (stick and sediment) was performed on all samples. Ca, Mg, P and creatinine concentrations were measured in supernatant of centrifuged native urine, urine directly centrifuged after acidification and urine centrifuged 1 hour after acidification. Urine was acidified with hydrochloric acid to reach a pH of 1-2. Ca, Mg, P and creatinine concentrations were also measured in blood plasma, and fractional excretion of each electrolyte was calculated. Equality of medians was tested with Friedman tests and Bland-Altman bias plots were used to show the agreement between conditions. RESULTS: Acidification had a statistically significant effect on Ca and Mg concentrations, FECa and FEMg. Bland-Altman plot revealed a strong positive proportional bias between Ca concentration in native and acidified urine with a mean bias of 17.6 mmol/l. For Mg concentration, the difference between native and acidified urine was small with a mean bias of 1.8 mmol/l. The increase in FECa was clinically relevant. Storage of acidified urine had no effect on any of the measured ion concentrations. All P concentrations in native urine samples were below the detection limit of the assay and statistical analysis and calculation of FEP was not possible. CONCLUSIONS: Urine acidification is essential for accurate measurement of Ca and Mg concentrations and therefore FE calculations in equine urine. Storage time of 1 hour after acidification does not significantly change Ca and Mg concentrations.

Effects of fixation and demineralization on histomorphology and DNA amplification of canine bone marrow.

Fixation and demineralization protocols for bone marrow (BM) across diagnostic laboratories are not standardized. How different protocols affect histomorphology and DNA amplification is incompletely understood. In this study, 2 fixatives and 3 demineralization methods were tested on canine BM samples. Twenty replicate sternal samples obtained within 24 hours of death were fixed overnight in either acetic acid-zinc-formalin (AZF) or 10% neutral-buffered formalin (NBF) and demineralized with formic acid for 12 hours. Another 53 samples were fixed in AZF and demineralized with hydrochloric acid for 1-hour, formic acid for 12 hours, or ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) for 24 hours. Histologic sections were scored by 4 raters as of insufficient, marginal, good, or excellent quality. In addition, DNA samples extracted from sections treated with the different fixation and demineralization methods were amplified with 3 sets of primers to conserved regions of T cell receptor gamma and immunoglobulin heavy chain genes. Amplification efficiency was graded based on review of capillary electrophoretograms. There was no significant difference in the histomorphology scores of sections fixed in AZF or NBF. However, EDTA-based demineralization yielded higher histomorphology scores than demineralization with hydrochloric or formic acid, whereas formic acid resulted in higher scores than hydrochloric acid. Demineralization with EDTA yielded DNA amplification in 29 of 36 (81%) samples, whereas demineralization with either acid yielded amplification in only 2 of 72 (3%) samples. Although slightly more time-consuming and labor-intensive, tissue demineralization with EDTA results in superior morphology and is critical for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification with the DNA extraction method described in this article.

Assessment of isolation strategies to remove caseins for high-quality milk-derived extracellular vesicles.

Increasing studies have highlighted the significance of milk-derived extracellular vesicles (MEVs) in mother-newborn integration, as well as their application as novel drug delivery systems and diagnostic biomarkers. However, conventional ultracentrifugation (UC) often results in the co-precipitation of casein micelles in MEV pellets. In this study, we compared methods with different principles to screen the optimal pretreatment in caseins removal, and found that isoelectric precipitation by hydrochloric acid (HA) could most effectively remove caseins in porcine milk. We further characterized MEV populations isolated by UC and HA/UC from diverse aspects, including particle methodology via nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), RNA and protein contents, and purity analysis. Importantly, the proliferative and anti-inflammatory effects of MEVs were evaluated in vitro, showing the superiority of MEVs via HA/UC in functionality compared with UC. Our results suggest that HA pretreatment before ultracentrifugation could effectively remove caseins and other protein complexes, leading to MEVs via HA/UC with higher purity and more significant effects in vitro. This study provides valuable insights for the advancement of MEVs isolation techniques across different species and accurate function analysis of MEVs.

How to Personalize General Anesthesia-A Prospective Theoretical Approach to Conformational Changes of Halogenated Anesthetics in Fire Smoke Poisoning.

Smoke intoxication is a central event in mass burn incidents, and toxic smoke acts at different levels of the body, blocking breathing and oxygenation. The majority of these patients require early induction of anesthesia to preserve vital functions. We studied the influence of hemoglobin (HMG) and myoglobin (MGB) blockade by hydrochloric acid (HCl) in an interaction model with gaseous anesthetics using molecular docking techniques. In the next part of the study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed on the top-scoring ligand-receptor complexes to investigate the stability of the ligand-receptor complexes and the interactions between ligands and receptors in more detail. Through docking analysis, we observed that hemoglobin creates more stable complexes with anesthetic gases than myoglobin. Intoxication with gaseous hydrochloric acid produces conformational and binding energy changes of anesthetic gases to the substrate (both the pathway and the binding site), the most significant being recorded in the case of desflurane and sevoflurane, while for halothane and isoflurane, they remain unchanged. According to our theoretical model, the selection of anesthetic agents for patients affected by fire smoke containing hydrochloric acid is critical to ensure optimal anesthetic effects. In this regard, our model suggests that halothane and isoflurane are the most suitable choices for predicting the anesthetic effects in such patients when compared to sevoflurane and desflurane.

HSP70 Is a Critical Regulator of HSP90 Inhibitor's Effectiveness in Preventing HCl-Induced Chronic Lung Injury and Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Exposure to hydrochloric acid (HCl) can provoke acute and chronic lung injury. Because of its extensive production for industrial use, frequent accidental exposures occur, making HCl one of the top five chemicals causing inhalation injuries. There are no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatments for HCl exposure. Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) inhibitors modulate transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) signaling and the development of chemical-induced pulmonary fibrosis. However, little is known on the role of Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70) during injury and treatment with HSP90 inhibitors. We hypothesized that administration of geranylgeranyl-acetone (GGA), an HSP70 inducer, or gefitinib (GFT), an HSP70 suppressant, alone or in combination with the HSP90 inhibitor, TAS-116, would improve or worsen, respectively, HCl-induced chronic lung injury in vivo and endothelial barrier dysfunction in vitro. GGA, alone, improved HCl-induced human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HLMVEC) barrier dysfunction and, in combination with TAS-116, improved the protective effect of TAS-116. In mice, GGA reduced HCl toxicity and while TAS-116 alone blocked HCl-induced chronic lung injury, co-administration with GGA, resulted in further improvement. Conversely, GFT potentiated HCl-induced barrier dysfunction and impaired the antidotal effects of TAS-116. We conclude that combined treatments with HSP90 inhibitors and HSP70 inducers may represent a novel therapeutic approach to manage HCl-induced chronic lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis.

Corrosion Inhibition of Expired Cefazolin Drug on Copper Metal in Dilute Hydrochloric Acid Solution: Practical and Theoretical Approaches.

In this work, we studied the corrosion of Cu metal in 0.5 mol L-1 HCl and the inhibition effect of the expired Cefazolin drug. The inhibition efficiency (IE) of Cefazolin varied according to its concentration in solution. As the Cefazolin concentration increased to 300 ppm, the IE increased to 87% at 298 K and decreased to 78% as the temperature increased to 318 K. The expired drug functioned as a mixed-type inhibitor. The adsorption of the drug on the copper surface followed Temkin's adsorption model. The magnitudes of the standard free energy change (ΔGoads) and adsorption equilibrium constant (Kads) indicated the spontaneous nature and exothermicity of the adsorption process. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques showed that the drug molecules were strongly attached to the Cu surface. The electrochemical frequency modulation (EFM), potentiodynamic polarization (PP), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results were in good agreement with the results of the weight loss (WL) method. The density functional tight-binding (DFTB) and Monte Carlo (MC) simulation results indicated that the expired drug bound to the copper surface through the lone pair of electrons of the heteroatoms as well as the π-electrons of the tetrazole ring. The adsorption energy between the drug and copper metal was -459.38 kJ mol-1.

Amino acid analysis for peptide quantitation using reversed-phase liquid chromatography combined with multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry.

Amino acid analysis (AAA) can be used for absolute quantitation of standard peptides after acid hydrolysis using 6 M HCl. Obtained individual amino acids can then be quantified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Achieving baseline separation of non-derivatized amino acids is challenging when reversed-phase (RP) chromatography is used. Several derivatization methods are commonly utilized to address this issue; however, derivatization has several drawbacks, such as derivative instability and lack of reproducibility. Currently, separation of non-derivatized amino acids is typically done using HILIC, but HILIC has problems of poor reproducibility and long column equilibration times. We developed a method to quantify non-derivatized amino acids, including methionine and cysteine, from peptide hydrolysates by RP-LC-MS without special pre-treatment of the samples. Samples were spiked with certified isotopically labeled (13C- and/or 15N-) amino acids as internal standards. The amino acids released from acid hydrolysis were then analyzed by RP-UPLC-MRM-MS and quantified using the analyte/internal standard chromatographic peak area ratios. Peptide quantitation was based on the sum of the individual amino acid concentrations from the known peptide sequences. The resulting method did not require derivatization, used standard C18-based reversed-phase liquid chromatography, did not require external calibration, was robust, and was able to quantify all 17 amino acids for which we had internal standards, including the sulfur-containing amino acids, cysteine and methionine, in their respective oxidized forms. This simple and robust method enabled the absolute quantitation of standard peptides using only acid hydrolysis and a standard RP-UPLC-MRM-MS setup.

Synthesis of Ammonium-Based ILs with Different Lengths of Aliphatic Chains and Organic Halogen-Free Anions as Corrosion Inhibitors of API X52 Steel.

In the present work, synthesis and characterization of 15 ionic liquids (ILs) derived from quaternary ammonium and carboxylates were carried out in order to proceed to their evaluation as corrosion inhibitors (CIs) of API X52 steel in 0.5 M HCl. Potentiodynamic tests confirmed the inhibition efficiency (IE) as a function of the chemical configuration of the anion and cation. It was observed that the presence of two carboxylic groups in long linear aliphatic chains reduced the IE, whereas in shorter chains it was increased. Tafel-polarization results revealed the ILs as mixed-type CIs and that the IE was directly proportional to the CI concentration. The compounds with the best IE were 2-amine-benzoate of N,N,N-trimethyl-hexadecan-1-ammonium ([THDA+][-AA]), 3-carboxybut-3-enoate of N,N,N-trimethyl-hexadecan-1-ammonium ([THDA+][-AI]), and dodecanoate of N,N,N-trimethyl-hexadecan-1-ammonium ([THDA+][-AD]) within the 56-84% interval. Furthermore, it was found that the ILs obeyed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model and inhibited the corrosion of steel through a physicochemical process. Finally, the surface analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed less steel damage in the presence of CI due to the inhibitor-metal interaction.

On the Use of Pseudo-Protic Ionic Liquids to Extract Gold(III) from HCl Solutions.

Solvent extraction of gold(III) from HCl media using pseudo-protic ionic liquids (PPILs) dissolved in toluene as the extractant phase is investigated. Three PPILs are generated from the reaction of commercially available amines and 1 M HCl solution and named as pri-NH2H+Cl- (derived from the primary amine Primene 81R), sec-NHH+Cl- (derived from the secondary amine Amberlite LA2) and ter-NH+Cl- (derived from the tertiary amine Hostarex A327). In the above structures, -NH2H+Cl-, -NHH+Cl- and -NH+Cl- represented the active groups (anion exchangers) of the respective PPIL. In the case of gold(III) extraction, the experimental variables investigated included the equilibration time (2.5-30 min), temperature (20-60 °C), HCl concentrations (1-10 M) in the aqueous phase, gold(III) concentration (0.005-0.05 g/L) in this same phase, and PPILs concentrations in the organic phase. From the experimental data, and using the Specific Interaction Theory, the interaction coefficients (ε) for the pair AuCl4-, H+ are estimated for the systems involving the three PPILs. Gold(III) is recovered from the metal-loaded organic phases using sodium thiocyanate solutions, and from these, gold is finally recovered by the precipitation of zero-valent gold (ZVG) nanoparticles.

Potential application of modified date powder by microwave radiation, ultrasonication and chemical pretreatments as coffee substitute: its biochemical properties and consumer preferences.

To consider the suitability of modified date powder as a coffee substitute, the biochemical and antioxidant properties of date powder were modified by hydrochloric acid-ethanol (HAE), alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP), combined with ultrasound (U) microwave (MW) radiation. The results showed that the highest antioxidant activity was observed in HAE and HAE-U treated date powders. The total flavonoid content of the date powder increased by 40.8% and 100% in response to the AHP-MW and HAE-U treatments, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy did not show any abnormal or unknown peaks in the analyzed range of the treated samples. Therefore, modification of biochemical and sensory properties of date powder by chemical and irradiation treatments did not have a detrimental effect on changing the structure of its chemical compounds or the formation of harmful compounds in it. Sensory evaluations showed that replacing coffee powder with modified date powder by up to 25% did not have significant effects on the sensory properties of the coffee drink. Finally, the results showed that modifying the biochemical and antioxidant properties of date powder by the HAE method as coffee substitute can increase the nutritional properties of coffee drinks while also reducing the expenses of the coffee industry.

The Impact of Simulated Gastric Acid and Toothbrushing on Surface Characteristics of Resin-Modified Glass-Ionomer Cements.

Background and Objectives: The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of simulated gastric acid associated with toothbrushing on the surface condition of three resin-modified glass-ionomer cements (RMGIC). Materials and Methods: One hundred and sixty samples of each material were obtained and included in three study groups according to the tested material: Group I (Ionolux, VOCO GmbH, Cuxhaven, Germany); Group II (Vitremer, 3 M-ESPE, St. Paul, MN, USA); and Group III (Fuji II LC, GC Corporation, Tokyo, Japan). The samples were submersed in hydrochloric acid 0.01 M (pH 3.8) for 3 h and exposed to a toothbrushing procedure at a frequency of 10,000 cycles with medium and hard bristles immediately or 30 min after the acid attack. Profilometric measurements were performed by using a non-contact profilometer (Dektak XT, Bruker, Billerica, MA, USA) in order to assess the surface roughness. ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests were used for the statistical analysis at a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: Exposure of RMGICs to the erosive effect of hydrochloric acid in association with toothbrushing 30 min after the chemical attack increased the surface roughness of all three RMGICs. Exposure of the three tested materials exclusively to the action of hydrochloric acid did not affect the surface roughness. Conclusions: One year of hydrochloric acid challenge associated with one year of toothbrushing with medium-hardness bristles performed 30 min after the acid attack increase the surface roughness of two of the three types of RMGIC tested (Ionolux and Fuji II LC).

In Vitro Evaluation of Gastric Acid and Toothbrushing Effect on the Surface State of Different Types of Composite Resins.

Background and Objectives: The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of gastric acid associated with the effect of toothbrushing on the surface roughness of different types of composite resin used for direct restorations. Materials and Methods: The materials used in this study were two microhybrid (Filtek Z250, Herculite XRV) and two nanohybrid (Filtek Z550, Herculite XRV Ultra) composite resins. Two hundred and forty cylindrical samples with a height of 2 mm and a diameter of 6 mm were divided into four groups (groups A, B, C and D) corresponding to each tested material (n = 60). Each group was divided in two subgroups: subgroup I-the samples were submersed in hydrochloric acid and immediately submitted to toothbrushing; subgroup II-the samples were submitted only to toothbrushing. The simulation of the acid attack was performed by immersing the samples in a 0.01 M hydrochloric acid solution for 90 min. This procedure was followed immediately by toothbrushing simulation with 10,000 cycles. The acid attack and toothbrushing simulation were performed for two times. The surface roughness evaluation was performed with a Proscan 2100 profilometer. Repeated Measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc tests were used to perform the statistical analysis. Results: Simulation of one year of toothbrushing associated or not to hydrochloric acid exposure increases the surface roughness of microhybrid and nanohybrid composite resins. Six months of toothbrushing associated to six months of hydrochloric acid exposure increase the surface roughness of nanohybrid composite resins. Conclusions: Microhybrid composite resins surface becomes rougher after toothbrush and acid submersion when comparing to nanohybrid composite resins.

Sex-Related Differences in Murine Models of Chemically Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis.

We developed two models of chemically induced chronic lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis in mice (intratracheally administered hydrochloric acid (HCl) and intratracheally administered nitrogen mustard (NM)) and investigated male-female differences. Female mice exhibited higher 30-day survival and less weight loss than male mice. Thirty days after the instillation of either HCl or NM, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid displayed a persistent, mild inflammatory response, but with higher white blood cell numbers and total protein content in males vs. females. Furthermore, females exhibited less collagen deposition, milder pulmonary fibrosis, and lower Ashcroft scores. After instillation of either HCl or NM, all animals displayed increased values of phosphorylated (activated) Heat Shock Protein 90, which plays a crucial role in the alveolar wound-healing processes; however, females presented lower activation of both transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) signaling pathways: ERK and SMAD. We propose that female mice are protected from chronic complications of a single exposure to either HCl or NM through a lesser activation of TGF-ß and downstream signaling. The understanding of the molecular mechanisms that confer a protective effect in females could help develop new, gender-specific therapeutics for IPF.

Age-Dependent Chronic Lung Injury and Pulmonary Fibrosis following Single Exposure to Hydrochloric Acid.

Exposure to hydrochloric acid (HCl) represents a threat to public health. Children may inhale higher doses and develop greater injury because of their smaller airways and faster respiratory rate. We have developed a mouse model of pediatric exposure to HCl by intratracheally instilling p24 mice (mice 24 days old; 8-10 g) with 2 µL/g 0.1 N HCl, and compared the profile of lung injury to that in HCl-instilled adults (10 weeks old; 25-30 g) and their age-matched saline controls. After 30 days, alveolar inflammation was observed with increased proteinosis and mononuclear cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in both HCl-instilled groups. Young p24 animals-but not adults-exhibited higher NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome levels. Increased amounts of Transforming Growth Factor-ß (TGF-ß) mRNA and its intracellular canonical and non-canonical pathways (p-Smad2 and p-ERK) were found in the lungs of both young and adult HCl-instilled mice. Constitutive age-related differences were observed in the levels of heat shock protein family (HSP70 and HSP90). HCl equally provoked the deposition of collagen and fibronectin; however, significant age-dependent differences were observed in the increase in elastin and tenascin C mRNA. HCl induced pulmonary fibrosis with an increased Ashcroft score, which was higher in adults, and a reduction in alveolar Mean Alveolar Linear Intercept (MALI). Young mice developed increased Newtonian resistance (Rn) and lower PV loops, while adults showed a higher respiratory system resistance and elastance. This data indicate that young p24 mice can suffer long-term complications from a single exposure to HCl, and can develop chronic lung injury characterized by a stronger persistent inflammation and lesser fibrotic pattern, mostly in the airways, differently from adults. Further data are required to characterize HCl time- and dose-dependent injury in young animals and to identify new key-molecular targets.

[A case of oral hydrochloric acid poisoning treatment].

The case of oral hydrochloric acid poisoning is rare in clinic, and it is easy to be misdiagnosed when the poison is not clear. The clinical data of 1 case of oral hydrochloric acid poisoning successfully treated was retrospectively analyzed to provide reference for diagnosis and treatment of similar clinical cases.

Impact of the dialysate acid component on haemodialysis mortality rates.

BACKGROUND: No prospective study has evaluated the long-term effect on mortality of the new acid concentrates added to bicarbonate dialysate. The aim of this pharmacoepidemiological study was to evaluate the association between hydrochloric or citric acid-based dialysate and mortality on haemodialysis (HD). METHODS: This study included 117 796 patients with 3 723 887 months on HD recorded in the national French Renal Epidemiology and Information Network registry. Dialysate acid components were retrospectively reconstructed for each facility. All patients on HD were associated each month with an exposure based on that at their facility of treatment. We took each patient's time-varying exposure into account to calculate the monthly mortality rates for each exposure. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for mortality were calculated with a Poisson regression, with acetic acid as the reference. Regressions were adjusted for initial clinical characteristics (age, gender, previous cardiovascular events, active malignancy, diabetes, pulmonary disease, mobility), dialysis technique and location (in-centre, outpatient centre, self-care unit) and ESRD vintage, updated monthly. RESULTS: The crude mortality rate per 1000 patient-months with citric acid {11.5 [95% confidence interval (CI) 11.1-12.0]} was lower than with either acetic acid [12.9 (95% CI 12.8-13.1)] or hydrochloric acid [12.8 (95% CI 12.2-13.5)]. For the 2014-17 period, the IRR for mortality with citric acid [adjusted IRR 0.94 (95% CI 0.90-0.99)] and with hydrochloric acid [adjusted IRR 0.86 (95% CI 0.79-0.94)] were significantly lower than with acetic acid. CONCLUSION: This post-marketing study of long-term exposure to dialysate acidifiers at the patient level found the use of citric and hydrochloric acid-based dialysates, compared with acetic acid, was associated with lower mortality.

Post-treatment with a heat shock protein 90 inhibitor prevents chronic lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis, following acute exposure of mice to HCl.

Aim/Purpose: Exposure to high levels of hydrochloric acid (HCl) is associated with severe lung injury including both acute inflammation and chronic lung disease, which leads to the development of pulmonary fibrosis. Currently, there are no specific therapeutic agents for HCl-induced lung injury. Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. Thus, we have used a murine model of intra-tracheal acid instillation to investigate the antidotal effects of AUY-922, a small molecule HSP90 inhibitor, already in clinical trials for various types of cancer, against HCl-induced chronic lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis.Methods: HCl (0.1 N, 2 µl/g body weight) was instilled into male C57Bl/6J mice at day 0. After 24 h, mice began receiving 1 mg/kg AUY-922, 2x/week for 15 or 30 days.Results: AUY-922 suppressed the HCl-induced sustained inflammation, as reflected in the reduction of leukocyte and protein concentrations in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and inhibited the activation of pro-fibrotic biomarkers, ERK and HSP90. Furthermore, AUY-922 improved lung function, decreased the overexpression and accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins and dramatically reduced histologic evidence of fibrosis in the lungs of mice exposed to HCl.Conclusions: We conclude that AUY-922, and possibly other HSP90 inhibitors, successfully block the adverse effects associated with acute exposures to HCl and may represent an effective antidote against HCl-induced chronic lung injury and fibrosis.

Recovery of hydrochloric acid using positively-charged nanofiltration membrane with selective acid permeability and acid resistance.

An acid-recovering nanofiltration (NF) membrane with both acid resistance and selective acid permeability was fabricated via a water-based coating process for the recovery of hydrochloric acid. To achieve this, a thermally cross-linked branched-polyethyleneimine (b-PEI) layer was introduced to a loose polyethersulfone NF membrane by dip-coating of b-PEI and an epoxy linker and heat treatment in a sealed oven with a high-humidity atmosphere. The resulting membrane displayed a positive surface charge with a zeta potential, and exhibited a rejection performance order of MgCl2> MgSO4> NaCl > Na2SO4 characteristic of positive-charge-separation membranes. Mg rejection and Cl permeation experiments showed that the selective permeation of hydrochloric acid was achieved with Mg rejection above 95% and Cl permeation above 70%, and this allowed the acid to be recovered by obtaining permeate at the same pH as the feed. Moreover, the NF membrane maintained selective separation performance and flow rate for a month.

Liquid-Liquid Extraction of Indium(III) from the HCl Medium by Ionic Liquid A327H+Cl- and Its Use in a Supported Liquid Membrane System.

Ionic liquid A327H+Cl- was generated by reaction of tertiary amine A327 and HCl, and the liquid-liquid extraction of indium(III) from the HCl medium by this ionic liquid dissolved in Solvesso 100 was investigated. The extraction reaction is exothermic. The numerical analysis of indium distribution data suggests the formation of A327H+InCl4- in the organic phase. The results derived from indium(III) extraction have been implemented in a supported liquid membrane system. The influence of the stirring speed (600-1200 min-1), carrier concentration (2.5-20% v/v) in the membrane phase, and indium concentration (0.01-0.2 g/L) in the feed phase on metal transport have been investigated.