Biomimetic redox-responsive smart coatings with resistance-release functions for reverse osmosis membranes.

Membrane fouling induces catastrophic loss of separation performance and seriously restricts the applications of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. Inspired by the mussel structure, polydopamine (PDA) and cystamine molecules (CA) with excellent anti-fouling properties were used to prepare accessible, biocompatible, and redox-responsive coatings for RO membranes. The PDA/CA-coated RO membranes exhibit a superior water flux of 65 L m-2 h-1 with a favourable NaCl rejection exceeding 99%. The water permeability through the PDA/CA-coated membrane is much higher than that of most membranes with similar rejection rates. Due to the formed protective hydration layers by PDA/CA coatings, anti-fouling properties against proteins, polysaccharides and surfactants were evaluated separately, and ultralow fouling properties were demonstrated. Moreover, the disulfide linkages in CA molecules can cleave in a reducing environment, yielding the degradation of PDA/CA coatings, thereby removing the foulants deposited on the coatings. The degradation endows the coated membranes with satisfying longtime anti-fouling properties, where the flux recovery reaches up to 90%. The construction of redox-responsive smart coatings not only provided a promising route to alleviate membrane fouling but can also be upscaled for use in numerous practical applications like sensors, medical devices, and drug delivery.

Eco-Friendly Silver Nanoparticles/Chitosan/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Composites Exhibit Remarkable EMI Shielding Capabilities and Outstanding Thermal Conductivities.

The integration and miniaturization of contemporary electronics have led to significant challenges in dealing with electromagnetic (EM) radiation and heat accumulation. Despite these issues, achieving high thermal conductivity (TC) and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) in polymer composite films remains an exceptionally difficult task. In this work, we used a straightforward in situ reduction process and a vacuum-drying method to successfully prepare a flexible Ag NPs/chitosan (CS)/PVA nanocomposite with three-dimensional (3D) conductive and thermally conductive network architectures. The 3D silver pathways formed by attaching to the chitosan fibers endow the material with simultaneous exceptional TC and EMI capabilities. At a silver concentration of 25 vol %, the TC of Ag NPs/CS/PVA nanocomposites reaches 5.18 W·m-1·K-1, exhibiting an approximately 25 times increase compared to CS/PVA composites. The electromagnetic shielding performance of 78.5 dB significantly outperforms the specifications of standard commercial EMI shielding applications by a significant margin. Additionally, Ag NPs/CS/PVA nanocomposites have greatly benefited from microwave absorption (SEA), effectively impeding the transmission of EM waves and reducing the reflected secondary EM wave pollution. Meanwhile, the composite material still maintains good mechanical properties and bendability. This endeavor helped develop malleable and durable composites that possess superior EMI shielding capabilities and intriguing heat dissipation properties using innovative design and fabrication methods.

[Chronic Injury of Mice Bone Marrow Multipotent Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells Induced by Ionizing Radiation].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the chronic injury and its possible mechanism of ionizing radiation on multipotent hematopoietic progenitor cells (MPPs) by determining the related indicators of MPPs in bone marrow of mice post-radiation. METHODS: Sixteen C57BL/6 adult mice were randomly divided into normal control and irradiation groups, 8 mice in each group. The mice in irradiation group were exposed to 6 Gy X-ray. The proportion of bone marrow MPPs, their apoptosis and proliferation 2 months after irradiation were detected by flow cytometry. Mitochondrial activity and levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in each MPPs population were detected by Mitotracker Red and DCFDA probes, and the senescent state of MPPs in the bone marrow was analyzed. RESULTS: Ionizing radiation could reduce the proportion of MPPs in mouse bone marrow. The proportions and numbers of MPP1, MPP3 and MPP4 in the bone marrow were significantly decreased after whole-body irradiation with 6 Gy X-ray (P<0.05). In addition, radiation significantly reduced the colony-forming capacity of MPPs in bone marrow (P<0.05), the proportions of apoptotic cells in the MPP1 and MPP4 cell populations increased significantly in the bone marrow (P<0.05). The activity of mitochondria was significantly reduced in the bone marrow MPP2, MPP3 and MPP4 cell populations compared with that of the control group (P<0.05). It was also found that the radiation could significantly increase the ROS levels of MPPs in bone marrow, and the content of ROS in the MPP2, MPP3 and MPP4 cell population of the bone marrow was significantly increased(P<0.05). The senescent cells ratios of MPP1, MPP3 and MPP4 cells in the bone marrow after irradiation were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Ionizing radiation can cause chronic MPPs damage in mice, which is closely associated with persistent oxidative stress, cells apoptosis, and cellular senescence.

Donnan Effect-Engineered Covalent Organic Framework Membranes toward Size- and Charge-Based Precise Molecular Sieving.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), with ordered pores and well-defined topology, are ideal materials for nanofiltration (NF) membranes because of their capacity of transcending the permeance/selectivity trade-off predicament. However, most reported COF-based membranes are focused on separating molecules with different sizes, resulting in low selectivity to similar molecules with different charges. Here, the negatively charged COF layer was fabricated in situ on a microporous support for the separation of molecules with different sizes and charges. Ultrahigh water permeance (216.56 L m-2 h-1 bar-1) was obtained because of the ordered pores and excellent hydrophilicity, which exceeds that of most membranes with similar rejections. For the first time, we used multifarious dyes with different sizes and charges, for the investigation of the selectivity behavior caused by the Donnan effect and size exclusion. The obtained membranes represent superior rejections to negatively and neutrally charged dyes larger than 1.3 nm, while positively charged dyes with a size of 1.6 nm can pass through the membrane, resulting in the separation of negative/positive mixed dyes with similar molecular sizes. This strategy of combining the Donnan effect and size exclusion in nanoporous materials may evolve into a generic platform for sophisticated separation.

Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of severe acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in children.

BACKGROUND: Severe acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in children has recently exhibited a global trend of concentrated occurrence. This review aimed to summarize the current available information regarding the outbreak of severe acute hepatitis and introduce our hospital's previous experiences with the diagnosis and treatment of severe acute hepatitis for reference. DATA SOURCES: Websites including the UK Health Security Agency, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, CDC, WHO, and databases including PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Library, Embase and Web of Science were searched for articles on severe acute hepatitis in children. RESULTS: As of May 26, 2022, a total of 650 cases have been reported in 33 countries; at least 38 (6%) children required liver transplantation, and nine (1%) died. Cases are predominantly aged between 3 and 5 years old, and there are no epidemiological links among them. The common manifestations are jaundice, vomiting and pale stools. Adenovirus tested positive in most cases, and SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses were detected in a few cases, but virus particles were not found in liver tissue. Adenovirus immunohistochemistry showed immunoreactivity in the intrasinusoidal lumen from some liver samples. The hierarchical treatment includes symptomatic and supportive therapy, management of coagulation disorders and hepatic encephalopathy, artificial liver support, and liver transplantation (approximately 6%-10% of cases require liver transplant). CONCLUSIONS: The etiology of this severe acute hepatitis in children is not clear. The clinical features are severe acute hepatitis with significantly elevated liver enzymes. Clinicians need to be alert to children with hepatitis.

Forensic Application of ForenSeqTM DNA Signature Prep Kit in Zhengjiang She Ethnic Group.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the ability of the ForenSeqTM DNA Signature Prep kit (ForenSeq kit) in analyzing the sequence information of STRs in Zhejiang She ethnic group and its forensic application efficacy. METHODS: A total of 50 Zhejiang She ethnic group samples were sequenced with the ForenSeq kit on the MiSeq FGx platform. The data was analyzed using ForenSeqTM universal analysis software to obtain the motif structure and flank regions of the 58 STRs, then compared with PCR-CE typing results to test the consistency. At last, the allele frequency and population genetic parameters were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 448 sequence polymorphic alleles were detected in 50 samples of Zhejiang She ethnic group. Compared with fragment length polymorphism detected by PCR-CE, 82 alleles were increased by MPS detection based on ForenSeq kit, and 7 SNPs variation were detected in the flanking regions of 6 loci. The 22 male individuals were genotyped, and total 19 haplotypes were detected in 24 Y chromosome STRs of these 22 males. The cumulative discrimination power of the 27 autosomal STRs was 1-8.87×10-30, the cumulative probability of exclusion of duo-testing was 0.999 999 962 640 657, the cumulative probability of exclusion of trios-testing was 0.999 999 999 999 633. CONCLUSIONS: Based on MPS typing technology, using the ForenSeq kit greatly improves the detection efficiency. In addition, the 58 STRs have good genetic polymorphisms in Zhejiang She ethnic group, which are suitable for individual identification and paternity identification in forensic application.

A Prognostic Model Based on Six Metabolism-Related Genes in Colorectal Cancer.

An increasing number of studies have shown that abnormal metabolism processes are closely correlated with the genesis and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, we systematically explored the prognostic value of metabolism-related genes (MRGs) for CRC patients. A total of 289 differentially expressed MRGs were screened based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Molecular Signatures Database (MSigDB), and 72 differentially expressed transcription factors (TFs) were obtained from TCGA and the Cistrome Project database. The clinical samples obtained from TCGA were randomly divided at a ratio of 7 : 3 to obtain the training group (n = 306) and the test group (n = 128). After univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, we constructed a prognostic model based on 6 MRGs (AOC2, ENPP2, ADA, GPD1L, ACADL, and CPT2). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis of the training group, validation group, and overall samples proved that the model had statistical significance in predicting the outcomes of patients. Independent prognosis analysis suggested that this risk score might serve as an independent prognosis factor for CRC patients. Moreover, we combined the prognostic model and the clinical characteristics in a nomogram to predict the overall survival of CRC patients. Furthermore, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted to identify the enriched Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways in the high- and low-risk groups, which might provide novel therapeutic targets for CRC patients. We discovered through the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and TF-MRG regulatory network that 7 hub genes were retrieved from the PPI network and 4 kinds of differentially expressed TFs (NR3C1, MYH11, MAF, and CBX7) positively regulated 4 prognosis-associated MRGs (GSTM5, PTGIS, ENPP2, and P4HA3).

A Prognostic Model Based on the Immune-related Genes in Colon Adenocarcinoma.

Background: Immune-related genes (IRGs) are critically involved in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of colon adenocarcinoma (COAD). Here, the study was mainly designed to establish a prognostic model of IRGs to predict the survival of COAD patients. Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Immunology Database and Analysis Portal (ImmPort) database, and Cistrome database were utilized for extracting data regarding the expression of immune gene- and tumor-related transcription factors (TFs), aimed at the identification of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), differentially expressed IRGs (DEIRGs), and differentially expressed TFs (DETFs). Univariate Cox regression analysis was subsequently performed for the acquisition of prognosis-related IRGs, followed by establishment of TF regulatory network for uncovering the possible molecular regulatory association in COAD. Subsequently, multivariate Cox regression analysis was conducted to further determine the role of prognosis-related IRGs for prognostic prediction in COAD. Finally, the feasibility of a prognostic model with immunocytes was explored by immunocyte infiltration analysis. Results: A total of 2450 DEGs, 8 DETFs, and 79 DEIRGs were extracted from the corresponding databases. Univariate Cox regression analysis revealed 11 prognosis-related IRGs, followed by establishment of a regulatory network on prognosis-related IRGs at transcriptional levels. Functionally, IRG GLP2R was negatively modulated by TF MYH11, whereas IRG TDGF1 was positively modulated by TF TFAP2A. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was subsequently performed to establish a prognostic model on the basis of seven prognosis-related IRGs (GLP2R, ESM1, TDGF1, SLC10A2, INHBA, STC2, and CXCL1). Moreover, correlation analysis of immunocyte infiltration also revealed that the seven-IRG prognostic model was positively associated with five types of immunocytes (dendritic cell, macrophage, CD4 T cell, CD8 T cell, and neutrophil), which may directly reflect tumor immune state in COAD. Conclusions: Our present findings indicate that the prognostic model based on prognosis-related IRGs plays a crucial role in the clinical supervision and prognostic prediction of COAD patients at both molecular and cellular levels.

Diagnosis and treatment recommendations for pediatric respiratory infection caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus.

Since December 2019, an epidemic caused by novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection has occurred unexpectedly in China. As of 8 pm, 31 January 2020, more than 20 pediatric cases have been reported in China. Of these cases, ten patients were identified in Zhejiang Province, with an age of onset ranging from 112 days to 17 years. Following the latest National recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of pneumonia caused by 2019-nCoV (the 4th edition) and current status of clinical practice in Zhejiang Province, recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory infection caused by 2019-nCoV for children were drafted by the National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, the National Children's Regional Medical Center, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine to further standardize the protocol for diagnosis and treatment of respiratory infection in children caused by 2019-nCoV.

[The role of actin cytoskeleton in regulating the deployment process of mouse cardiac second heart field progenitor cells].

The vertebrate heart tube originates from cardiogenic mesodermal cells in the early embryo, and subsequently elongates by progressive addition of second heart field (SHF) progenitor cells from adjacent pharyngeal mesoderm and splanchnic mesoderm. Insufficient addition of SHF cells to the heart tube causes the failure of maximal elongation of the heart tube, which results in a series of developmental defects including the most common congenital birth defects, such as right ventricular dysplasia and outflow tract septation, and alignment anomalies. SHF cells form an atypical, apicobasally polarized epithelium which is characterized by apical monocilia, and dynamic actin-rich basal filopodia. In this review, we summarize recent research progresses of actin cytoskeleton in the deployment process of mouse SHF progenitor cells, and reveal the significance of actin cytoskeleton in SHF development, especially in the deployment of SHF cells to the outflow tract, to provide theoretical reference for elucidating and understanding the biological characteristics of SHF deployment.

Clinical application of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in children with refractory cardiopulmonary failure.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to discribe the experience in supporting children with refractory cardiopulmonary failure with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 12 children with refractory cardiopulmonary failure supported with ECMO from February 2009 to August 2015 in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine. RESULTS: Seven of the 12 patients were weaned successfully from ECMO and dischaged from the hospital, with a survival rate of 58.3% (7/12). Among them, five patients had acute fulminant myocarditis (AFM). Complications during ECMO included hemorrhage, hemolysis, thrombosis, acute kidney injury, and secondary hematogenous infection. During 1-24 month follow-up, the seven surviving patients recovered with normal cardiopulmonary function. CONCLUSIONS: ECMO is useful for supporting children with refractory cardiopulmonary failure, especially for treatment of AFM.

Successful rescue of a child with fall-related multi-organ injuries.

BACKGROUND: Fall-related injury is a major cause of accidental death and is rarely reported in children. Even successful treatment of children with multi-organ injuries caused by fall from the extreme height has been rarely reported. METHODS: We herein report a 2-year-old girl who fell from the 10th floor, had multi-organ injuries, and was successfully rescued. RESULTS: The girl sustained multi-organ injuries, such as head injury, closed abdominal injury, as well as fractures of the left limbs, and successfully recovered after two surgeries and supportive treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This case illustrates that a child who falls from extreme heights can occasionally be rescued. Early neuroprotective strategies help to improve neurological recovery.

Pathogenic analysis of sputum from ventilator-associated pneumonia in a pediatric intensive care unit.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a common and sometimes fatal complication in pediatric intensive care units (PICU). The aim of our study was to characterize the distribution and drug susceptibility of the pathogens isolated from the sputum of patients with VAP in the PICU of our hospital and to provide support to the administration of antibiotics early and reasonably in the clinic. Our study was conducted between January 2007 and December 2011 at the PICU of the Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine. The endotracheal aspirates were collected and transported to a microbiology laboratory within 15 min. The pathogens were routinely analyzed and identified with Vitek 60 and Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion methods. Among the 121 VAP patients, 127 pathogenic strains were isolated from sputum specimens. Gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria and fungi accounted for 64.57% (82/127), 29.92% (38/127) and 5.51% (7/127), respectively. Acinetobacter baumannii (25.61%), Escherichia coli (20.27%), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (20.27%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (16.22%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (9.46%) were frequently identified isolates among gram-negative bacteria. Staphylococci were susceptible to vancomycin and linezolid. All fungi were sensitive to the antimicrobial agents. The gram-negative bacteria were more prevalent than gram-positive bacteria and fungi in VAP and demonstrated a higher drug resistance. It is important to administer antimicrobial agents early and reasonably for children with VAP. Knowledge of antibiotic resistance and the characteristics of drug resistance is important for VAP prophylaxis and treatment.

[Analysis of the epidemic characteristics of the etiological agents in children with hand, foot and mouth disease and its clinical significance].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the epidemic characteristics of etiological agents in children with hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) and analyze the differences between the severe and mild cases with HFMD seen from 2008 to 2009 in the Children's Hospital. METHODS: A total of 154 patients with HFMD were enrolled from May 2008 to September 2008 and from May 2009 to September 2009, including 28 severe HFMD patients. Data from 80 cases with suspected herpangina were collected as control. Enterovirus universal type, enterovirus type 71 (EV71) and coxsackie virus group A 16 (CA16) were detected by real-time RT-PCR respectively. RESULTS: The positive rate of enterovirus universal type in the 154 patients with HFMD was 81.82%(126/154). EV71 positive rate in these 126 patients with enterovirus universal type infection was 57.14%(72/126). The positive rate of enterovirus universal type in the 80 cases with suspected herpangina was 68.75%(55/80). There was no EV71 infection in these 80 cases with suspected herpangina. EV71 infection was mainly popular in 2008. Both EV71 and CA16 were prevalent in 2009. The epidemic characteristics of enterovirus infection with HFMD between 2008 and 2009 had significant differences (χ(2) = 23.50, P = 0.000) (P < 0.01). The epidemic characteristics of enterovirus infection between severe and mild HFMD patients also had significant differences (χ(2) = 29.85, P < 0.01). There were 28 cases with severe HFMD, in whom the EV71 positive rate was 92.86% (26/28). EV71 positive rate in the mild HFMD was 36.51% (46/126) (χ(2) = 29.22, P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in the gender (χ(2) = 0.135, P = 0.714) and virus load (t = 0.141, P = 0.889) between the mild and severe HFMD cases. But the age of mild and severe HFMD showed a significant difference (t = 2.926, P = 0.009). Patients who were less than 2 years of age had a proportion of 88.89% (8/9) with severe HFMD. The mean age of mild HFMD patients was 3.19 years. CONCLUSION: HFMD showed different epidemic characteristics at different times of enterovirus infection. There was no significant difference in the gender and virus load between the mild and severe cases with HFMD. Children under 3 years of age with EV71 infection were at high risk for severe HFMD.

Continuous renal replacement therapy for patients with acute kidney injury caused by melamine-related urolithiasis.

BACKGROUND: In 2008 there was an epidemic of renal disease affecting infants after consumption of melamine-tainted milk products. Most of the infected children were asymptomatic or with mild symptoms, and a few suffered from acute obstructive kidney injury secondary to melamine-contained renal stones (8 of 15,577 children screened at our hospital for urolithiasis). This study was intended to retrospectively review the management of acute kidney injury using continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in the 8 children with acute kidney injury. METHODS: The 8 infants with acute kidney injury caused by melamine-related urolithiasis were referred to the pediatric intensive care unit at the hospital in late 2008. CRRT was given to treat their kidney injuries. Medical records of the infants were reviewed for demographic features, diagnosis, CRRT treatment, and outcomes. RESULTS: Before CRRT, hypertension was found in 6 of the 8 children. Varying degrees of oliguria, anuria, elevated levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (13.11-35.6 mmol/L) and creatinine (Cr) (238.8-773.7 mumol/L) were observed in these patients. After CRRT, the levels of BUN, Cr and electrolytes decreased. Urine output and edema were improved clinically. CONCLUSION: CRRT can rapidly improve renal function, avoiding such surgical interventions as lithotripsy, percutaneous nephrolithotomy, and ureteroscopy. It is an efficient modality to treat acute kidney injury caused by melamine-related urolithiasis.