Light-Triggered Inflation of Microdroplets.

Driven systems composed largely of droplets and fuel make up a significant portion of microbiological function. At the micrometer scale, fully synthetic systems that perform an array of tasks within a uniform bulk are much more rare. In this work, we introduce an innovative design for solid-in-oil composite microdroplets. These microdroplets are engineered to nucleate an internal phase, undergo inflation, and eventually burst, all powered by a steady and uniform energy input. We show that by altering the background input, volumetric change and burst time can be tuned. When the inflated droplets release the inner contents, colloidal particles are shown to transiently attract to the release point. Lastly, we show that the system has the ability to perform multiple inflation-burst cycles. We anticipate that our conceptual design of internally powered microdroplets will catalyze further research into autonomous systems capable of intricate communication as well as inspire the development of advanced, responsive materials.

Scaffold-Guided Crystallization of Oriented α-FAPbI3 Nanowire Arrays for Solar Cells.

Perovskite nanowire arrays with large surface areas for efficient charge transfer and continuous highly crystalline domains for efficient charge transport exhibit ideal morphologies for solar-cell active layers. Here, we introduce a room temperature two-step method to grow dense, vertical nanowire arrays of formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3). PbI2 nanocrystals embedded in the cylindrical nanopores of anodized titanium dioxide scaffolds were converted to FAPbI3 by immersion in a FAI solution for a period of 0.5-30 min. During immersion, FAPbI3 crystals grew vertically from the scaffold surface as nanowires with diameters and densities determined by the underlying scaffold. The presence of butylammonium cations during nanowire growth stabilized the active α polymorph of FAPbI3, precluding the need for a thermal annealing step. Solar cells comprising α-FAPbI3 nanowire arrays exhibited maximum solar conversion efficiencies of >14%. Short-circuit current densities of 22-23 mA cm-2 were achieved, on par with those recorded for the best-performing FAPbI3 solar cells reported to date. Such large photocurrents are attributed to the single-crystalline, low-defect nature of the nanowires and increased interfacial area for photogenerated charge transfer compared with thin films.

Irregular particle morphology and membrane rupture facilitate ion gradients in the lumen of phagosomes.

Localized fluxes, production, and/or degradation coupled to limited diffusion are well known to result in stable spatial concentration gradients of biomolecules in the cell. In this study, we demonstrate that this also holds true for small ions, since we found that the close membrane apposition between the membrane of a phagosome and the surface of the cargo particle it encloses, together with localized membrane rupture, suffice for stable gradients of protons and iron cations within the lumen of the phagosome. Our data show that, in phagosomes containing hexapod-shaped silica colloid particles, the phagosomal membrane is ruptured at the positions of the tips of the rods, but not at other positions. This results in the confined leakage at these positions of protons and iron from the lumen of the phagosome into the cytosol. In contrast, acidification and iron accumulation still occur at the positions of the phagosomes nearer to the cores of the particles. Our study strengthens the concept that coupling metabolic and signaling reaction cascades can be spatially confined by localized limited diffusion.

Visit Adherence of Mild to Moderate Psoriasis Patients: A Mobile-Based Randomized Study.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to prospectively evaluate the visit adherence in mild to moderate psoriasis patients. METHODS: Plaque psoriasis patients aged 18 or above who were prescribed with a two-component formula ointment were eligible for the study. The patients were randomly assigned to group A or B, and received management with or without planned patient-doctor communication via a mobile platform. The outpatient visit was scheduled at week 2, 8, 16, 28, 48, and 52. Visit adherence was evaluated as the visit rate of the patients. RESULTS: Two hundred twenty-one patients were included. Generally, the visit adherence dropped over time during follow-up. The visit rates in group A were 5.2-15.7% through the 52 weeks, and similar rates were found in group B (7.5-17.0%, vs group A, P > 0.05). A negative binomial regression model showed that older age and higher BSA were correlated with more frequent visits. CONCLUSION: The visit adherence of mild to moderate psoriasis patients was very low in China. Proactive inquiries of the doctors via the mobile platform failed to improve the visit adherence of the patients.

[Clinical Comparative Analysis of Lupus Panniculitis and Subcutaneous Panniculitis-like T-cell Lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the similarities and differences in clinical pathological features and gene rearrangement of lupus erythematosus profundus(LEP) and subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma(SPTL). METHODS: We compared the clinical presentations, histopathology, immunophenotypical features and T-cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangement findings of 9 cases of LEP and SPTL. RESULTS: For clinical features, most patients of LEP occurred on head and face without systemic symptoms. LEP patients responded well to hydroxycholorquine treatment with good prognosis. Most patients of SPTL tended to lower extremities involvement and accompanied with systemic symptoms, the patients with disseminated lesions or hemophagocytic syndrome(HPS) showed poorer prognosis. For histopathology, LEP patients showed dense inflammatory infiltrate in the dermis consisting predominantly of lymphocytes with less numbers of plasma cells. However, the dermis was spared in SPTL, and rimming of adipocytes and erythrophagocytosis was observed in SPTL. Lymphocytes of LEP expressing CD4+/CD8+, as well as clusters of CD20+. CD138-positive cells and scatter of CD123-positive cells were also observed in LEP. Tumor cells of SPTL were CD4-/CD8+, ßF1+, CD138- and CD123-. The expression of TIA-1 or GrB was more favor in SPTL. Monoclonal T-cell receptor-γ gene rearrangement was found in 89% of SPTL patients while negative for LEP. CONCLUSION: Base on different clinical and pathological features, it is easy to distinguish LEP from SPTL. However, a minority of lesions in LEP localize at subcutaneous tissue, which may turn to immunophenotypical and TCR gene rearrangement test for diagnosis.