Enhancing Efficacy and Safety in Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy for Localized Renal Tuberculosis: The Skirted Continuous Suture Technique.

BACKGROUND Limited research has been conducted on laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for kidney tuberculosis. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the skirted continuous suture technique in laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for localized renal tuberculosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS Five patients with kidney tuberculosis underwent standard retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial nephrectomy after computed tomography evaluation. The skirted continuous suture technique was utilized during the procedure. This retrospective study analyzed the outcomes of these patients who received treatment between January 2011 and December 2020 at Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital and Eighth Medical Center of Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital. RESULTS The surgical success rate was 100%. Renal function was well preserved, with a decrease of glomerular filtration rate by 9.6±9.0 ml/min. Only 1 patient experienced postoperative urinous infiltration and lymphatic fistula, while the others did not have any surgical complications. Antituberculous therapy was continued postoperatively, and 1 patient had recurrence during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS The laparoscopic continuous suturing technique offers a reliable and straightforward method for extensively closing incision edges of the renal parenchyma in laparoscopic surgery. It contributes to the improved efficacy and safety of treating localized renal tuberculosis with exceptional application.

Hierarchically Designed Biodegradable Polylactide Particles with Unprecedented Piezocatalytic Activity and Biosafety for Tooth Whitening.

At-home tooth whitening solutions with good efficacy and biosafety are highly desirable to meet the ever-growing demand for aesthetic dentistry. As a promising alternative to the classic peroxide bleaching that may damage tooth enamel and gums, piezocatalysis has been recently proposed to realize non-destructive whitening by toothbrushing with piezoelectrical particles. However, traditional particles either pose potential threats to human health or exhibit low piezoresponse to weak mechanical stimuli in the toothbrushing. Here, biocompatible and biodegradable polylactide particles constructed from interlocking crystalline lamellae have been hierarchically designed as next-generation whitening materials with ultra-high piezocatalytic activity and biosafety. By simultaneously controlling the chain conformation within lamellae and the porosity of such unique lamellae network at the nano- and microscales, the particles possessing unprecedented piezoelectricity have been successfully prepared due to the markedly increased dipole alignment, mechanical deformability, and specific surface area. The piezoelectric output can reach as high as 18.8 V, nearly 50 times higher than that of common solid polylactide particles. Consequently, their piezocatalytic effect can be readily activated by a toothbrush to rapidly clean the teeth stained with black tea and coffee, without causing detectable enamel damage. Furthermore, these particles have no cytotoxicity. This work presents a paradigm for achieving high piezoelectric activity in polylactide, which enables its practical application in tooth whitening.

Galectin-9 contributes to the survival of fully allogeneic skin grafts by modulating effector T cells and Tregs imbalance.

Allogeneic skin transplantation is an important clinical treatment for many diseases. Although Galectin-9 demonstrates multifaceted roles in modulating immune cell homeostasis and inflammation, its precise impact on balancing effector T cells and Tregs during allogeneic skin transplantation remains uncertain. This work was performed to evaluate the modulation of the survival time of allogeneic skin grafts by Gal-9 and to explore the critical mechanism involved in this process. Skin graft transplantation was conducted using C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice. Additionally, the levels of IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-17A were measured. Hematoxylin and eosin staining assay was performed to analyze the pathological conditions of skin grafts of experiment mice. The results revealed that Gal-9 noticeably prolonged the survival of the allogeneic skin graft and ameliorated the damage caused by acute immune rejection. Furthermore, Gal-9 resulted in selective reduction of effectors T cells such as Th1, and Th17. Simultaneously, Gal-9 didn't attenuate the protective function for allograft, which alleviated the immune rejection caused by abnormal immune imbalance. Gal-9 exhibited a therapeutic effect on the allogeneic skin graft by selectively reducing CD4+TIM-3+ T effector cells and inducing a shift from a Th1 to an anti-inflammatory Th2 response. Furthermore, Gal-9 did not attenuate the protective function. Our present study may represent a novel therapeutic candidate for modulating effector T cells and Tregs imbalance-based therapy of allograft transplantation.

Engeletin suppresses cervical carcinogenesis in vitro and in vivo by reducing NF-κB-dependent signaling.

Cervical cancer is an aggressive human cancer with poor prognosis among women, and urgently requires effective treatments. Engeletin (ENG, dihydrokaempferol 3-rhamnoside), as a flavanonol glycoside, could be found in various kinds of vegetables and fruits, exerting significant anti-inflammatory biological activities. However, its role in regulating cervical cancer, as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms are still unknown. In this study, we found that ENG treatments dose-dependently reduced the proliferation of cervical cancer cells. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in cervical cancer was also restrained by ENG using transwell analysis, as evidenced by the significantly reduced migration and invasion. In addition, ENG treatments restricted vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGFA) expression in cervical cancer cells, contributing to the suppression of angiogenesis. Mechanistically, ENG significantly reduced the expression of chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) in cervical cancer cells associated with the blockage of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Moreover, ENG functioned as an inhibitor of NF-κB, which was involved in the repression of angiogenesis. In xenograft model, ENG treatment effectively reduced the tumor volume and weight, accompanied with decreased expression of phosphorylated NF-κB, CCL2 and VEGFA, and showed little influence on the body weight change. Therefore, ENG might be a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of cervical cancer.

Dedifferentiated Carcinoma of the Endometrium Associated With Low-grade Müllerian Adenosarcoma: A Clinicopathologic Case Report Including the Immunohistochemical and Molecular Profile.

Dedifferentiated carcinoma is defined as undifferentiated carcinoma coexisting with a second component of FIGO grade 1 or 2 endometrioid carcinoma. It is a rare entity with highly aggressive behavior. Dedifferentiated carcinoma combined with another primary uterine tumor is even rarer. We describe a case containing 3 different morphologies comprised of a dedifferentiated carcinoma associated with a low-grade endometrioid carcinoma coexisting with a low-grade Müllerian adenosarcoma. We also used targeted genomic analysis to show all 3 components arise from the same founding clone and identify novel mutations that drive tumor progression.

Outcomes in kidney transplantation with mycophenolate mofetil-based maintenance immunosuppression in China: a large-sample retrospective analysis of a national database.

There is no large data analysis reporting the outcome of Chinese kidney transplant patients using mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). This study analyzed 6719 patients from the Chinese Scientific Registry of Kidney Transplantation using MMF, which included 1153 from donation after cardiac death (DCD), 1271 from donation after brain and cardiac death (DBCD), and 4295 from living donor (LD). Compared with the transplants from deceased donor (DD), better outcomes including 3-year graft survival probabilities (LD = 95.8% vs. DD = 91.3%), incidence of delayed graft function (DGF, LD = 2.4% vs. DD = 17.7%), infection (LD = 10.7% vs. DD = 20.7%), graft loss (LD = 2.3% vs. DD = 6.3), and death (LD = 1.3% vs. DD = 3.2%) were shown in the LD group, with similar incidences of acute rejection (AR, LD = 3.7% vs. DD = 4.7%), hyperuricemia (LD = 21.7% vs. DD = 22.2%) within postoperative 1 year, and serum creatinine (Scr) >133 µmol/l at 1 year (LD = 18.8% vs. DD = 18.6%). Nonsignificant differences were found between the DCD and DBCD group. The 5-year survival of patient and graft in the LD group were 97.5% and 93.0%. Adjusted Cox model for graft loss showed significant associations with DGF [hazard ratio 3.7 (95% CI: 2.4, 5.8)], AR [2.8 (1.7, 4.6)], Scr >133 µmol/l at 1 year [2.6 (1.5, 4.2)], hyperuricemia [2.3 (1.6, 3.3)], and DD [1.6 (1.1, 2.4)].

Elamipretide as a potential candidate for relieving cryodamage to human spermatozoa during cryopreservation.

As a technique widely used in assisted reproduction, human spermatozoa cryopreservation makes it possible to conserve functional sperm for a long time, but the impact of cryodamage on sperm during the process could not be ignored. The objective of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of Elamipretide, a novel small mitochondrial targeting short cytoprotective peptide, in attenuating cryodamage during spermatozoa cryopreservation. Semen samples were collected and cryopreserved in freeze solution containing different concentrations (0.0, 0.1, 1, and 10 µM) of Elamipretide. Sperm motility, viability, membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential, DNA fragmentation, antioxidant profiles, and acrosome reaction were measured and analyzed. The results showed that supplementation of the freeze media with Elamipretide (1 and 10 µM) significantly improved post-thaw sperm parameters including motility and viability, stability of the plasma membrane, and mitochondria and chromosomes. In addition, by adding Elamipretide, excessive oxidation and acrosome dysfunction in sperm cells undergoing freeze-thaw were also significantly attenuated. Therefore, Elamipretide may be a potential candidate for relieving cryodamage to human spermatozoa during cryopreservation.

Superior Antifouling Capability of Hydrogel Forward Osmosis Membrane for Treating Wastewaters with High Concentration of Organic Foulants.

Wastewaters with high concentrations of organic pollutants pose a great challenge for membrane filtration due to their severe fouling propensity. In this study, a hydrogel forward osmosis (FO) membrane is explored for treating wastewaters of high concentration organic pollutants. This FO membrane has an ultrathin hydrogel selective layer, which is highly hydrophilic (water contact angle as low as 18°) and smooth (surface roughness <5 nm). Investigated with typical organic foulants (protein, alginate, humic acid, and oil) of high concentration (2000-20 000 mg/L), this hydrogel FO membrane exhibits remarkably superior antifouling capability, with its water flux decline ratio lower than a quarter that of commercial FO membrane under identical experimental conditions. The foulants on hydrogel membrane surface can be easily removed by simple physical cleaning without any chemical usage. At the same time, this hydrogel FO membrane achieves ∼2 times higher separation efficiency than commercial FO membrane in terms of specific water flux (JW/JS). The antifouling capability and separation efficiency of this FO membrane can be flexibly tailored during selective layer fabrication process. This study opens a new avenue for the treatment of high-strength organic wastewaters by developing a highly antifouling hydrogel-based FO membrane.

Mitochondria-targeted antioxidant MitoTEMPO improves the post-thaw sperm quality.

Human spermatozoa cryopreservation is an important means of assisted reproductive technology and male fertility preservation. Although this technique is particularly useful, sperm cryopreservation significantly reduces the quality of spermatozoa after freezing and thawing. The objective of the study is to examine the efficacy of mitochondria-targeted antioxidant MitoTEMPO in improving sperm quality during semen cryopreservation processes. Semen samples were collected and cryopreserved in extenders containing different concentrations (0.0, 0.5, 5, 50, and 500 µM) of MitoTEMPO. Sperm motility, viability, membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential and antioxidant activities were measured and analyzed. The results showed that the addition of MitoTEMPO (5-50 µM) significantly improved post-thaw sperm motility, viability, membrane integrity and mitochondrial membrane potential (P < .05). Meanwhile, antioxidant enzymes activities were enhanced and MDA content were decreased in the group supplemented with MitoTEMPO. In conclusion, mitochondria-targeted antioxidant MitoTEMPO improves the post-thaw sperm quality and antioxidant enzymes profile.

Recent Advances in Processing of Stereocomplex-Type Polylactide.

Over the past two decades, biomass-derived and biodegradable polylactide (PLA) has sparked tremendous attention as a sustainable alternative to traditional petroleum-derived polymers for diverse applications. Unfortunately, the current applications of PLA have been mainly limited to biomedical and commodity fields, mostly because the poor heat resistance (resulting from low melting temperature) and hydrolysis stability make it hard to use as an engineering plastic. Stereocomplexation between enantiomeric poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) and poly(d-lactide) (PDLA) opens a new avenue toward PLA-based engineering plastics with improved properties. The formation, crystal structure, properties, and potential applications of stereocomplex-type PLA (SC-PLA) are summarized by some research groups. However, since it is challenging to achieve full stereocomplexation from high-molecular-weight PLLA/PDLA blends and to avoid serious thermal degradation of the PLAs after complete melting, the advances and progress in the processing of SC-PLA into useful products are quite rare in open publication. In this review, some important strategies for enhancing stereocomplex crystallization in practical processing operations are presented and recently developed processing technologies for SC-PLA are highlighted, such as low-temperature sintering. Furthermore, major challenges and future developments are briefly discussed. This review is expected to potentially open up new research activities in the processing of SC-PLA.

Graphene Paper Decorated with a 2D Array of Dendritic Platinum Nanoparticles for Ultrasensitive Electrochemical Detection of Dopamine Secreted by Live Cells.

To circumvent the bottlenecks of non-flexibility, low sensitivity, and narrow workable detection range of conventional biosensors for biological molecule detection (e.g., dopamine (DA) secreted by living cells), a new hybrid flexible electrochemical biosensor has been created by decorating closely packed dendritic Pt nanoparticles (NPs) on freestanding graphene paper. This innovative structural integration of ultrathin graphene paper and uniform 2D arrays of dendritic NPs by tailored wet chemical synthesis has been achieved by a modular strategy through a facile and delicately controlled oil-water interfacial assembly method, whereby the uniform distribution of catalytic dendritic NPs on the graphene paper is maximized. In this way, the performance is improved by several orders of magnitude. The developed hybrid electrode shows a high sensitivity of 2 µA cm(-2) µM(-1), up to about 33 times higher than those of conventional sensors, a low detection limit of 5 nM, and a wide linear range of 87 nM to 100 µM. These combined features enable the ultrasensitive detection of DA released from pheochromocytoma (PC 12) cells. The unique features of this flexible sensor can be attributed to the well-tailored uniform 2D array of dendritic Pt NPs and the modular electrode assembly at the oil-water interface. Its excellent performance holds much promise for the future development of optimized flexible electrochemical sensors for a diverse range of electroactive molecules to better serve society.

Green approach for photocatalytic Cu(II)-EDTA degradation over TiO2: toward environmental sustainability.

A green approach was successfully developed to reap three environmental benefits simultaneously: (1) clean water production, (2) hydrogen (H2) generation, and (3) well-dispersed in situ Cu(2+) recovery for direct TiO2-CuO composite reclamation, by exploiting the synergistic integration of photocatalytic reaction of Cu-EDTA and one-dimensional (1D) ultralong and ultrathin TiO2 nanofibers. In this light-initiated system, Cu-EDTA was oxidized by TiO2 thus releasing Cu(2+) which was reduced and recovered through uniform adsorption onto the long and porous TiO2 surface. A win-win platform was thus attained, on which Cu was recovered while providing active sites for H2 generation via photoreduction of H2O and enhancing photo-oxidation of remaining intermediate oxidation byproducts. Experimental results showed a H2 generation rate of 251 µmol/h concomitantly with TOC reduction. The used TiO2 nanofibers deposited with Cu were reclaimed directly as the TiO2-CuO composite after a facile heat treatment without additional chemicals and subsequently reusable for photocatalytic treatment of other wastewater (glycerol) to cogenerate H2 and clean water under both UV-visible and visible light. This study expounds a significant advancement through an ingenious integration which enhances the environmental sustainability of Cu-EDTA treatment via TiO2 photocatalysis. It also represents a promising and adoptable approach to synthesize other functional composite nanomaterials in a green manner thus broadening its environmental application spectrum, as it promotes industrial environmental management via waste segregation and motivates research to recover more resources from wastewater.

Effectiveness and safety of calcineurin inhibitor withdrawal in kidney transplantation: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: The purpose was to compare the effectiveness and safety of calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) withdrawal and continued therapies in kidney transplant recipients. METHODS: We searched the PubMed, MEDLINE, Springer, Elsevier Science Direct, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar up to May 2014. Risk ratio (RR) or weighted mean difference (WMD) and their 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated in fixed-effects model or random-effects model when appropriate. Besides, sensitivity analysis was performed based on the addition of sirolimus in initial immunosuppression protocols. RESULTS: Total seven studies with 1071 kidney transplant recipients received CNIs withdrawal therapy (experimental group) and 792 kidney transplant recipients received CNIs continued therapy (control group) were included in the meta-analysis. The overall estimates of acute rejection rate (RR = 1.64, 95 % CI: 1.19-2.27, P = 0.003), mean measured glomerular filtration rate (WMD = 9.50, 95 % CI = 2.96-16.03, P = 0.004), thrombocytopenia (RR = 3.39, 95 % CI: 2.27-5.05, P < 0.00001) and hypertension (RR = 0.56, 95 % CI: 0.40-0.78, P = 0.0006) showed that there were significant differences between the CNIs withdrawal and continued therapies in kidney transplant recipients, while no significant differences were found between groups in survival rate, graft survival rate, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia and malignancies. In addition, two studies, in which sirolimus was not used in initial immunosuppression protocol, were excluded in sensitivity analysis and the results were still consistent with the overall analysis. CONCLUSIONS: CNIs withdrawal therapy in kidney transplant recipients could significantly decrease risk of hypertension and improve glomerular filtration rate, accompanying with increased risk of acute rejection and thrombocytopenia, compared with the CNIs continued therapy.

Significantly improving oxygen barrier properties of polylactide via constructing parallel-aligned shish-kebab-like crystals with well-interlocked boundaries.

Recently, some attempts have been made to enhance the gas barrier properties of semicrystalline polymers by precisely controlling the arrangement of their impermeable crystalline lamellae. However, it is still a great challenge to achieve regular arrangement of the lamellae along the direction perpendicular to the gas diffusion path, especially using conventional polymer processing technologies. This work presents a novel and simple strategy to dramatically improve oxygen barrier performance of biobased and biodegradable polylactide (PLA) through constructing parallel-aligned shish-kebab-like crystals with well-interlocked boundaries with the aid of a highly active nucleating agent. The nucleating agent was introduced into PLA by melting compounding and the sheet-like specimens were fabricated by compression molding. We demonstrate that the fibrillar nucleating agent dispersed in PLA melt can serve as shish to induce the change of crystallization habit of PLA from isotopic spherulitic crystals to unique shish-kebab-like crystals and the shear flow in the compression molding can induce the highly ordered alignment of the nucleating agent fibrils as well as the subsequent shish-kebab-like crystals along the direction parallel to the sheet surface. More importantly, the growing lamellae are found to interpenetrate and tightly interlock with each other at the boundary regions of the shish-kebab-like crystals in the later stage of the crystallization, forming a densely packed nanobrick wall structure to prevent gas molecules from permeating through the crystals and thus imparting the PLA sheets with unprecedentedly low oxygen permeability. This work provides not only a successful example of preparing semicrystalline polymer with super gas barrier properties by tailoring crystal superstructure but also a promising route to rapidly fabricate high-performance food packaging materials via industrially meaningful melt processing.

Observation of strong nano-effect via tuning distributed architecture of graphene oxide in poly(propylene carbonate).

For optimum reinforcement in polymer nanocomposite, a critical challenge is to realize the full 'nano-effect' of nanofillers at a high content, which is largely hindered by the strong tendency to aggregation of nanofillers. Here, by using a solvent-exchange and solution casting approach, we could incorporate a high-content graphene oxide (GO) into a soft biodegradable CO2-based poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) up to 20 wt% with excellent dispersion. Based on this, the distributed architecture of GO could be tuned from a 'GO dotted dispersion' and 'GO network' to strong 'GO co-continuous structure' with increasing GO content. As a result, a very strong 'nano-effect' of GO in the PPC matrix was observed: (1) the glass transition temperature of PPC was improved from 25 to 45 ° C for slightly confined molecular chains, and even to 100 ° C for highly confined ones; (2) the modified PPC showed drastically enhanced high-temperature mechanical properties, comparable to those of traditional polymers such as polypropylene (PP) and biopolymer poly(lactic acid) (PLA); and (3) such modified PPC exhibited an exciting solvent resistance compared to neat PPC. Our work provides an example to improve the high-temperature properties of a polymer via formation of filler co-continuous structure.

Remarkably enhanced stereocomplex crystallization of high-molar-mass enantiomeric polylactide blends by adding double-grafted copolymers.

Stereocomplex (SC) crystallization can prominently improve the physico-chemical properties of poly(l-lactide)/poly(d-lactide) (PLLA/PDLA) blends, yielding a novel polylactide (PLA) material. However, the predominant formation of SC crystals in the melt-processing of high-molar-mass (high-MW, >100 kg/mol) enantiomeric PLA blends remains a huge challenge due to the competition between SC crystallization and homocrystallization. Herein, double-grafted copolymer having both PLLA and PDLA side chain has been designed and synthesized as an efficient crystallization promoter for the harvest of SC crystals in the high-MW PLLA/PDLA blends. The results show that, with the addition of such a copolymer, the blends can preferentially crystallize into SC crystals in both isothermal and non-isothermal conditions. Promisingly, the SC crystals can be exclusively formed by adding only small amounts (e.g., 0.5 wt%) of the copolymer, without the formation of any homocrystals. This interesting observation can be interpreted by the crucial role of the unique copolymer in suppressing the phase separation of the opposite PLA enantiomers upon melting as an efficient compatibilizer and then encouraging the generation of alternatingly arranged PLLA/PDLA chain clusters favored for SC nucleation and crystal growth. These findings provide new inspiration for the development of high-performance PLA with desirable SC crystallizability.

Current Trends and Future Directions of Malignancy After kidney Transplantation: A 1970-2022 Bibliometric Analysis.

BACKGROUND Malignancy after kidney transplantation (MKT) remains a leading cause of death in transplant recipients and over the past few decades there have been many reports on this topic. However, the task of extracting crucial information from intricate events poses a significant challenge in guiding clinical work. Hence, bibliometrics was employed to summarize and predict the future in this study. MATERIAL AND METHODS Reviews and articles on MKT were extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) and were analyzed by the software VOSviewer, CiteSpace, Scimago Graphica, and R package Bibliometrix for bibliometric analysis. RESULTS The analysis considered 5700 publications from 28 647 authors and 4924 institutions across 100 countries, spanning the years 1970-2022. Reference co-citation analysis showed that "renal cell carcinoma", "skin cancer", "post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder" and "COVID-19 vaccine" were research hotspots. Keywords that co-occurred early were "immunosuppressant", "cancer", "Epstein-Barr virus", "squamous cell carcinoma", and "infection", etc., while "impact","risk factor", "outcomes", "mortality", "management" frequently co-occurred later. From 2020 to 2022, newly emerging keywords such as "SARS-CoV-2" and "COVID-19", together with citation bursts for "immune checkpoint inhibitors" and "ipilimumab," were observed. CONCLUSIONS The focus of MKT-related studies has evolved from exploring the spectrum, risk factors, and outcomes of MKT, to examining the pathogenesis, individualized screening, prevention, and treatment, including appropriate use of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Reports of renal transplant recipients infected with SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 have also gained attention since 2019. These suggest that individualized management remains a frontier for research and a future direction in MKT topics.

Combination of IL-1 receptor antagonist, IL-20 and CD40 ligand for the prediction of acute cellular renal allograft rejection.

PURPOSE: The outcome of renal transplantation is difficult to predict, even with an allograft biopsy. The aim of this study was to develop a sensitive, specific and noninvasive method for prediction of acute cellular rejection (ACR). METHODS: Luminex analysis was used to determine the levels of 95 cytokines/chemokines and their soluble receptors in sera from recipients with: ACR (in the first month post-transplantation, before and during rejection, and after rejection reversal); stable allograft function; delayed graft function (DGF); pulmonary infection. Evaluation of significant differential protein expression in ACR patients compared with stable allograft controls revealed a three-analyte combination as a marker of renal transplantation outcome. The predictive value of this combination was further validated in DGF and infection groups and in a blind binary code study of 24 additional serum samples. RESULTS: Significant differential expression was detected in 26 proteins expressed in patients during the period preceding an ACR episode compared with stable controls. A blood test for discrimination of such patients was developed based on the simultaneous quantification of three analytes (IL-1 receptor antagonist, IL-20 and sCD40 ligand). This test exhibited 90.9 % sensitivity, 96 % specificity, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 95.2 % and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 92.3 %. Moreover, this combination allowed discrimination between patients with ACR and DGF and pulmonary infection. CONCLUSIONS: With further development and validation, this blood test can be used to predict ACR and direct the treatment of transplant patients in the clinic.

Large-scale production of hierarchical TiO2 nanorod spheres for photocatalytic elimination of contaminants and killing bacteria.

We report a facile non-hydrothermal method for the large-scale production of hierarchical TiO(2) nanorod spheres for the photocatalytic elimination of contaminants and killing bacteria. Crescent Ti/RF spheres were prepared by deliberately adding titanium trichloride (TiCl(3)) to the reaction of resorcinol (R) and formaldehyde (F) in an open reactor under heating and stirring. The hierarchical TiO(2) nanorod spheres were obtained by calcining the crescent Ti/RF spheres in a furnace in air to burn off the RF spheres. This method has many merits, such as large-scale production, good crystallisation of TiO(2), and good reproducibility, all of which are difficult to realise by conventional hydrothermal methods. The calcination temperature plays a significant role in influencing the morphology, crystallisation, porosity, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) specific surface area, and hierarchy of the TiO(2) nanorod spheres, thus resulting in different photocatalytic performances under UV light and solar light irradiation. The experimental results have demonstrated that the hierarchical TiO(2) nanorod spheres obtained after calcination of the crescent Ti/RF spheres at different temperatures displayed similar photocatalytic activities under irradiation with UV light. We attribute this to a balance of opposing effects of the investigated factors. A higher calcination temperature leads to greater light absorption capability of the TiO(2) nanorod spheres, thus resulting in higher photocatalytic antibacterial activity under solar light irradiation. It is also interesting to note that the hierarchical TiO(2) nanorod spheres displayed intrinsic antibacterial activity in the absence of light irradiation, apparently because their sharp outward spikes can easily pierce and penetrate the walls of bacteria. In this study, the sharpest hierarchical TiO(2) nanorod spheres were obtained after calcination at 500°C, and these exhibited the highest antibacterial activity without light irradiation. A higher calcination temperature proved detrimental to the sharpness of the TiO(2) nanorods, thus reducing their intrinsic antibacterial activity.

[Spectroscopy analysis of sulfonated poly (arylene ether ketone sulfone) on side chain for proton exchange membrane].

A series of poly (arylene ether ketone sulfone) s containing different amino content (Am-PAEKS) were prepared via direct polycondensation reactions, and then the sulfobutyl groups were grafted onto the Am-PAEKS by amidating reaction between the amide groups in Am-PAEKS and carboxylic acid groups in 4-(N-butane sulfonic) aminobenzoic acid. The structures of the compounds and the polymer were confirmed by FTIR and H-NMR. The new characteristic bands at 1 239 and 1 060 cm(-1) were assigned to O=S=O symmetric stretching vibration and asymmetric stretching vibration of the sulfonic groups in sulfonated poly (arylene ether ketone sulfone) on side chain (S-SPAEKS), and the structures of the polymers were further confirmed by 1H NMR spectra, and the proton peak at 1.64 ppm was assigned to the methyl in the middle of the pendant sulfonated aliphatic side chains, which show that the S-SPAEKS had been prepared successfully. In TGA curves we can observe two distinct weight loss steps, the first step was mainly attributed to the splitting-off of the sulfonic acid groups at 300 degrees C, and the second step was mainly attributed to the decomposition of the main chain of the S-SPAEKS at 450 degrees C. This series of SSPAEKS polymers exhibit excellent thermal properties by thermo gravimetric analysis, which can satisfy the basic requirements of proton exchange membrane (PEM) for fuel cells.