Double Nanofoaming Enhanced Interfacial Polymerization toward Ultra-High-Performance Nanofiltration Membranes.

Polyamide (PA) nanofiltration (NF) membranes represent a promising approach to safe drinking water production. Yet, selective removal of contaminants while retaining essential minerals remains a critical challenge for cost-effective water treatment processes. Here, we employed ammonia bicarbonate (AB) as an economical additive to modify interfacial polymerization (IP) for developing high-performance NF membranes suitable for drinking water applications.

Clinical value of serum iPTH, ALP and serum markers levels in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism receiving paricalcitol combined with cinacalcet.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of combining paricalcitol with cinacalcet on the levels of intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical records of 129 patients diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and secondary hyperparathyroidism who received MHD between June and December 2022. The patients were categorised into three groups based on their treatment regimen: Group A (paricalcitol alone, n=43), Group B (cinacalcet alone, n=43), and Group C (combined paricalcitol and cinacalcet, n=43).

Comparison of safety and efficacy of different endovascular treatments for symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis: results from a single center.

Background: Symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (sICAS) is one of the common causes of ischemic stroke. However, the treatment of sICAS has remained a challenge in the past with unfavorable findings. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of different endovascular treatment methods for sICAS.

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair under venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for acute aortic dissection patients: a case report.

Background: Open repair and replacement of the diseased aorta is still the standard treatment for type A aortic dissection (TAAD) in most patients. In endovascular treatment alone, ensuring adequate blood supply to the brain while covering the dissection with a stent is difficult.

Case Presentation: This study includes a 71-year-old male patient with type A aortic dissection presented at a recent follow-up examination after having undergone thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) plus left subclavian artery chimney stent reconstruction for descending aortic dissection 5 years ago.

Inhibition of the MLCK/MLC2 pathway protects against intestinal heat stroke-induced injury in rats.

Intestinal barrier dysfunction often exists in the heat stroke (HS) pathological process, which increases intestinal permeability and induces endotoxemia. The upregulation of MLCK is a crucial player affecting intestinal permeability. This study aimed to explore whether inhibiting myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) can improve HS-induced intestinal injury in rats.

Early versus Delayed Minimally Invasive Intervention for Acute Necrotizing Pancreatitis: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Nowadays, minimally invasive intervention (MII) has largely replaced delayed open surgery in acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP). However, the timing of MII remains unclear. The present study investigated the effect of early versus delayed MII on complications in ANP.

Label-free detection of histone based on cationic conjugated polymer-mediated fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

A simple and homogeneous histone assay is developed based on histone-induced DNA compressing coupled with cationic conjugated polymer (CCP)-mediated fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). In this strategy, the CCP serves as the FRET donor and SYBR Green I (SG), which can strongly fluoresce not at its free state but after intercalated into the double stranded calf thymus DNA (dsDNA), serves as the acceptor of FRET. In the absence of histone, the dsDNA-SG and CCP combine with each other through electrostatic interaction and the strong FRET from CCP to SG occurs due to the overlapping between the fluorescent emitting spectrum of the CCP and the absorption spectrum of SG.

Similarity of plant functional traits and aggregation pattern in a subtropical forest.

The distribution of species and communities in relation to environmental heterogeneity is a central focus in ecology. Co-occurrence of species with similar functional traits is an indication that communities are determined in part by environmental filters. However, few studies have been designed to test how functional traits are selectively filtered by environmental conditions at local scales.

Copper ion-induced fluorescence band shift of CdTe quantum dots: a highly specific strategy for visual detection of Cu(2+) with a portable UV lamp.

We have developed a new colorimetric strategy that allows visual detection of Cu(2+) under the irradiation of a UV lamp with high specificity based on the phenomenon that copper ions may lead to a fluorescence band shift of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) while other concomitant ions will not.

Three-dimensional modeling of the dynamics of therapeutic ultrasound contrast agents.

A 3-D thick-shell contrast agent dynamics model was developed by coupling a finite volume Navier-Stokes solver and a potential boundary element method flow solver to simulate the dynamics of thick-shelled contrast agents subjected to pressure waves. The 3-D model was validated using a spherical thick-shell model validated by experimental observations. We then used this model to study shell break-up during nonspherical deformations resulting from multiple contrast agent interaction or the presence of a nearby solid wall.

[Simulation research on the movement and deposition of inhalational particles in the human respiratory tract].

An entire 3-dimensional geometry model from mouth, pharynx, larynx, trachea to triple bifurcation and the mathematics models for the calculation of the fluid flow and inhalational particle movement in the respiratory tract were proposed in this paper. The deposition fraction of inhalational particles in the respiratory tract obtained from the numerical simulation was coincident with the experimental data basically. Particles were traced in the Lagrangian frame, and at the same time, particle deposition fraction and position were recorded based on the models.

A field experimental study of lignin sand stabilizing material (LSSM) extracted from spent-liquor of straw pulping paper mills.

A new technique was introduced for sand stabilization and re-vegetation by use of lignin sand stabilizing material (LSSM). LSSM is a reconstructed organic compound with lignin as the most dominant component from the extracts of black-liquor issued by straw pulp paper mills. Unlike the polyvinyl acetate or foamed asphalt commonly used for dune stabilization, the new material is plant-friendly and can be used with virescence actions simultaneously.

Harmonic enhancement of single-bubble sonoluminescence.

It is known from experiment that the light emission from a sonoluminescing bubble can be increased by using more than one driving frequency. In this paper, a systematic method to determine the optimal conditions of pressure amplitude and relative phase for this effect is described. As a specific application, a two-frequency system--26.