Poly (vinyl alcohol)/ß-Cyclodextrin Composite Fiber with Good Flame Retardant and Super-Smoke Suppression Properties.

Fibers with good flame retardant (FR) and smoke suppression performances are highly desirable for the purpose of eliminating fire hazard. This study developed a novel FR fiber by wet-spinning poly (vinyl alcohol)/ß-cyclodextrin (PVA/ßCD) composite fiber and crosslinking it with hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI). ßCDs showed good compatibility with PVA matrix, and the resulting PVA/CD/HDI fibers showed mechanical strength at the same level as natural cotton fiber. The PVA/CD/HDI fibers also showed excellent flame retardance (the LOI value of PVA/CD/HDI could reach 41.7%, and their peak of heat release (PHRR) could be reduced by up to 77.7% by neat PVA), and super-smoke suppression (the value of total smoke production (TSP) was only 28.6% compared to PVA). These dramatic reductions of fire hazard were ascribed to the char formation of ßCD and crosslinking structure of PVA/CD/HDI, which formed a compact char layer during combustion, thus preventing heat transmission and smoke release.

Amino-Functionalized ß-Cyclodextrin to Construct Green Metal-Organic Framework Materials for CO2 Capture.

The adsorption of CO2 by conventional liquid alkanolamine adsorbents does not meet the requirements for green-friendly development in industrial applications. In this work, we constructed NH2-ß-CD-MOF for the first time through the amino-functionalization of the lowest-priced, readily available, and biocompatible ß-CD. Subsequently, the samples were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, elemental analysis, and N2 adsorption/desorption. The CO2 adsorption capacity of NH2-ß-CD-MOF was found to be 12.3 cm3/g, which is 10 times that of ß-CD-MOF. In addition, NH2-ß-CD-MOF has outstanding selective adsorption of CO2/N2 (947.52) compared with the reported materials. The adsorption mechanism of CO2 was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Furthermore, we have found that NH2-ß-CD-MOF has better water stability relative to ß-CD-MOF and γ-CD-MOF, and it can be recycled by an ultrasonic method.

High ALDH1A1 expression correlates with poor survival in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: High expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) has been confirmed in many tumors. This enzyme plays an important role in tumor proliferation, metastasis, and drug resistance. However, in the case of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), the relationship between ALDH1 expression and prognosis remains unknown. METHOD: We used tissue microarrays to evaluate ALDH1A1 expression in 247 surgically resected PTC specimens by immunochemistry, and correlated the findings with the clinicopathological parameters. RESULT: ALDH1A1 levels were significantly higher than in normal thyroid tissues. Moreover, ALDH1A1 overexpression was significantly associated with extrathyroid extension (P = 0.001), pT status (P < 0.001), pN status (P = 0.016) and TNM stage (P < 0.001). The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis suggested that high ALDH1A1 expression reflects a poorer lymph node recurrence-free survival (LN-RFS) and distant recurrence-free survival (DRFS) in PTC patients, as compared with patients having low ALDH1A1 expression. Multivariate analysis confirmed the ALDH1A1 expression was an independent prognostic factor for LN-RFS and DRFS in PTC patients. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, high ALDH1A1 expression correlates with poor survival in PTC patients.

[Acupuncture and moxibustion in Tunisia].

The development status of acupuncture and moxibustion in Tunisia is introduced in this article. Although acupuncture and moxibustion only has a history of more than 30 years in Tunisia, it is very popular among the local people. Until now, there is one acupuncture and moxibustion center aided and built with the help of the Chinese government. Acupuncture and moxibustion clinical department has been set in some of the hospitals, and acupuncture and moxibustion clinical practice is also carried out in some private clinics. Cost of acupuncture and moxibustion in public hospitals has already been covered by medical insurance. As for education of acupuncture and moxibustion, training courses were set up in medical colleges of Tunisia by Tunisian government which is lectured by Chinese acupuncture experts. Acupuncture and moxibustion has been used to treat many diseases in Tunisia and is warmly welcomed by Tunisian.