Assessment of the Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Needle Aspiration of Lactating Breast Abscesses.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided needle aspiration in treating lactating breast abscesses. Methods: This study was conducted in Bach Mai Hospital, from 6/2020 to 7/2021. Lactating patients with breast abscesses underwent ultrasound-guided aspiration followed by antibiotics therapy. Results: There were 59 lactating patients with 82 breast abscesses. Most of the abscesses had heterogeneous echogenicity, no capsule, and a size smaller than 5cm. Bacterial culture results showed that 85.4% of cases were Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The number of aspirations was from 1 to 5. The cure rate was 91.5%, and 5.3% of these cases had a complication associated with galactocele after treatment. Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided needle aspiration is a minimally invasive treatment option for lactating breast abscesses with a high complete cure rate and good cosmetic results.

A glucose-assisted redox hydrothermal route to prepare a Mn-doped CeO2 catalyst for the total catalytic oxidation of VOCs.

In this study, a novel glucose-assisted redox hydrothermal method has been presented to prepare an Mn-doped CeO2 catalyst (denoted as Mn-CeO2-R) for the first time. The obtained catalyst contains uniform nanoparticles with a small crystallite size, a large mesopore volume, and rich active surface oxygen species. Such features collectively contribute to improving the catalytic activity for the total catalytic oxidation of methanol (CH3OH) and formaldehyde (HCHO). Interestingly, the large mesopore volume feature of the Mn-CeO2-R samples could be considered an essential factor to eliminate the diffusion limit, favoring the total oxidation of toluene (C7H8) at high conversion. Therefore, the Mn-CeO2-R catalyst outperforms both bare CeO2 and conventional Mn-CeO2 catalysts with T 90 values of 150 °C and 178 °C for HCHO and CH3OH, respectively, and 315 °C for C7H8, at a high GHSV of 60 000 mL g-1 h-1. Such robust catalytic activities signify a potential utilization of Mn-CeO2-R for the catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Green synthesis of microalgae-based carbon dots for decoration of TiO2 nanoparticles in enhancement of organic dye photodegradation.

TiO2 is a well-known semiconductor used widely in the photocatalyst field, but its photocatalytic applications are hampered by a fast electron-hole recombination rate and low visible light absorption due to a wide-band-gap energy. Herein, we present a simple, low cost, and green approach to obtain carbon dots from microalgae, namely microalgae-based carbon dots (MCDs), using an unprecedented microwave-assisted treatment. The MCDs were successfully decorated on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles. The as-prepared composite exhibited a superior photodegradation of methylene blue, compared with pristine TiO2 (83% and 27%, respectively) under visible light irradiation. The MCDs in TiO2-MCDs serve as electron reservoirs to trap photoinduced electrons and as photosensitizers for the improvement of visible light absorption; both factors play an important role in the improvement of the TiO2 photocatalytic activity. Furthermore, the as-prepared composite photocatalyst also exhibits high photostability and recyclability during the photodegradation of methylene blue. Therefore, this work provides an original approach to the development of environmentally friendly and highly effective photocatalysts for the treatment of various organic pollutants, which can go a long way toward ensuring a safe and sustainable environment.

Superhydrophobic MS@CuO@SA sponge for oil/water separation with excellent durability and reusability.

We present a superhydrophobic material based on commercially melamine sponge (MS) with great durability, recyclability, and excellent sorption performance. The fabrication process of this sponge is facile without using toxic reagents or sophisticated equipment and therefore it is simple to scale up. The CuO layer utilized to give a rough surface of the substrate (MS) was successfully prepared in a commercial microwave to seed copper nucleuses in an alkaline medium. Stearic acid (SA) plays a role as the self-assembled monolayer on the surface of the sponge skeletons. Throughout this study, the properties of the modified sponge were fully characterized, and the changes in wettability were carefully examined. Water contact angle (WCA) measurements revealed the excellent superhydrophobicity of the material with high static WCA of 165.1° and low dynamic WCA of 8°. Furthermore, the as-prepared sponge demonstrated high efficiency in separation (over 99.0%) of different oils from water. Notably, several unique properties of as-modified material were found, consisting of ultrafast sorption capacities of up to 32-52 times of its own weight by using 80 mL of each oil, outstanding reusability with good sorption capacity even after 40 cycles. Even under various harsh environments, the novel materials proved its outstanding durability and ultrafast sorption capacity of oils. The durability, recyclability, and superhydrophobic properties of the novel superhydrophobic sponge provide it a solid basis for oil-water separation applications through an ultrafast sorption capacity of oils as well as quick recovery of the oil by easy squeezing process.

Novel Architecture Titanium Carbide (Ti3C2Tx) MXene Cocatalysts toward Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production: A Mini-Review.

Low dimensional transition metal carbide and nitride (MXenes) have been emerging as frontier materials for energy storage and conversion. Ti3C2Tx was the first MXenes that discovered and soon become the most widely investigated among the MXenes family. Interestingly, Ti3C2Tx exhibits ultrahigh catalytic activity towards the hydrogen evolution reaction. In addition, Ti3C2Tx is electronically conductive, and its optical bandgap is tunable in the visible region, making it become one of the most promising candidates for the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this review, we provide comprehensive strategies for the utilization of Ti3C2Tx as a catalyst for improving solar-driven HER, including surface functional groups engineering, structural modification, and cocatalyst coupling. In addition, the reaming obstacle for using these materials in a practical system is evaluated. Finally, the direction for the future development of these materials featuring high photocatalytic activity toward HER is discussed.