Search

Stretchable triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) represent a new class of energy‐harvesting devices for powering wearable devices. However, most of them are associated with poor stretchability, low stability, and limited substrate material choices. This work presents the design and demonstration of highly stretchable and stable TENGs based on liquid metalel ectrodes with different phases. The conductive and fluidic properties of eutectic gallium‐indium (EGaIn) in the serpentine microfluidic channel ensure the robust performance of the EGaIn‐based TENG upon stretching over several hundred percent. The bi‐phasic EGaIn (bGaIn) from oxidation lowers surface tension and increases adhesion for printing on diverse substrates with high output performance parameters. The optimization of the electrode shapes in the bGaIn‐based TENGs can reduce the device footprint and weight, while enhancing stretchability. The applications of the EGaIn‐ and bGaIn‐based TENG include smart elastic bands for human movement monitoring and smart carpets with integrated data transmission/processing modules for headcount monitoring/control. Combining the concept of origami in the paper‐based bGaIn TENG can reduce the device footprint to improve output performance per unit area. The integration of bGaIn‐TENG on a self‐healing polymer substrate with corrosion resistance against acidic and alkaline solutions further facilitates its use in various challenging and extreme environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modulating the charge‐transfer pathway is of great significance for boosting the photocatalytic efficiency of the catalysts. Herein, well‐ordered Al doping SrTiO3/TiO2 heterojunction nanorod arrays (Al‐STO/TiO2 HNRAs) via a two‐step hydrothermal protocol for efficient piezo‐photocatalysis are reported. The piezoelectric field generated by the internal polarization of Al‐STO/TiO2 HNRAs can be tailored by Al doping content, which could help to modulate the migration and separation of charge carriers. The doping of Al also makes the charge lifetime from 1.14 ns increased to 1.76 ns. Under the co‐excitation of ultrasonic and ultraviolet irradiation, the oxidation rate constant of Al‐STO/TiO2 HNRAs can reach 0.037 min−1 for the degradation of Rhodamine B molecules, which was 3.42 times higher than that of the un‐doping sample. The piezo‐potential distribution and charge migration within Al‐STO/TiO2 HNRAs were explored by piezoelectric force microscopy and COMSOL simulation. This work provides a promising solution toward modulating charge carrier migration for boosting photocatalytic activities with the assistance of mechanic vibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gestational hypertension is a common disease in clinical practice, which does great harm to the mother and infant. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D, sFlt-1, and PLGF and hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy. Specimen preparation: after delivery or placental caesarean section, in order to avoid calcification and necrosis in the middle of the placenta, an area of about 1.5 cm × 1.5 cm × 1.5 cm should be separated immediately. After dehydration, use a Citadel 2000 dryer to dry it and place it in a block of saline for xylene immunohistochemical staining. Statistical processing was performed according to the proportion of positive cells in each part and the depth of staining. Placental tissue collection and treatment: within 20 minutes after the delivery of the placenta, two pieces of the placental tissue (about 1.0 cm × 1.0 cm × 1.0 cm) were taken from the central zone of the placental maternal surface without obvious bleeding and calcification. They were rinsed repeatedly in normal saline, fixed in 10% neutral formaldehyde solution for 24 hours, dehydrated using an automatic dehydrator, and embedded in paraffin for detection. Before the study, 20 ml of distilled water was added to the sample to stand for 20 minutes; the Cobas E610 immunoanalyzer was turned on, and sFlt-1 and PLGF (placental growth factor) were selected. The serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level of pregnant women was detected in the fasting state at 24–28 weeks of gestation, and the best collection time was 8 : 00–11 : 00 in the morning. 5 ml of the whole blood sample without anticoagulant was collected and stored at 0–4°C in a cold storage and dark environment. The serum was obtained by high-speed centrifugation within 24 hours after collection. The method is suitable for the quantitative determination of 25-OH-vitamin D in human serum. In the hypertensive pregnancy group, the level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D was 18.44 ± 3.48 ng/ml, and the sFlt-1/PLGF level was highest at 0–5 weeks followed by 5–10 weeks, 10–15 weeks, and 15–20 weeks. This study provides new ideas and experimental clues for the prevention and treatment of pre-eclampsia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic wound healing still faces great challenges due to the excessive inflammation, easy infection, and impaired angiogenesis in wound beds. The immunoregulation of macrophages polarization toward M2 phenotype that facilitates the transition from inflammation to proliferation phase has been proved to be an effective way to improve diabetic wound healing. Herein, an M2 phenotype‐enabled anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial conductive hydrogel scaffolds (GDFE) for producing rapid angiogenesis and diabetic wound repair are reported. The GDFE scaffolds are fabricated facilely through the dynamic crosslinking between polypeptide and polydopamine and graphene oxide. The GDFE scaffolds possess thermosensitivity, self‐healing behavior, injectability, broad‐spectrum antibacterial activity, antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory ability, and electronic conductivity. GDFE effectively activates the polarization of macrophages toward M2 phenotype and significantly promotes the proliferation of dermal fibroblasts, the migration, and in vitro angiogenesis of endothelial cells through paracrine mechanisms. The in vivo results from a full‐thickness diabetic wound model demonstrate that GDFE can rapidly promote the diabetic wound repair and skin regeneration, through fast anti‐inflammation and angiogenesis and M2 macrophage polarization. This study provides highly efficient strategy for treating diabetic wound repair through designing the M2 polarization‐enabled anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial bioactive materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer drug screening in patient‐derived cells holds great promise for personalized oncology and drug discovery but lacks standardization. Whether cells are cultured as conventional monolayer or advanced, matrix‐dependent organoid cultures influences drug effects and thereby drug selection and clinical success. To precisely compare drug profiles in differently cultured primary cells, we developed DeathPro, an automated microscopy‐based assay to resolve drug‐induced cell death and proliferation inhibition. Using DeathPro, we screened cells from ovarian cancer patients in monolayer or organoid culture with clinically relevant drugs. Drug‐induced growth arrest and efficacy of cytostatic drugs differed between the two culture systems. Interestingly, drug effects in organoids were more diverse and had lower therapeutic potential. Genomic analysis revealed novel links between drug sensitivity and DNA repair deficiency in organoids that were undetectable in monolayers. Thus, our results highlight the dependency of cytostatic drugs and pharmacogenomic associations on culture systems, and guide culture selection for drug tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dose-response studies are performed to investigate the potency of a compound. EC50 is the concentration of the compound that gives half-maximal response. Dose-response data are typically evaluated by using a log-logistic model that includes EC50 as one of the model parameters. Often, more than one experiment is carried out to determine the EC50 value for a compound, requiring summarization of EC50 estimates from a series of experiments. In this context, mixed-effects models are designed to estimate the average behavior of EC50 values over all experiments by considering the variabilities within and among experiments simultaneously. However, fitting nonlinear mixed-effects models is more complicated than in a linear situation, and convergence problems are often encountered. An alternative strategy is the application of a meta-analysis approach, which combines EC50 estimates obtained from separate log-logistic model fitting. These two proposed strategies to summarize EC50 estimates from multiple experiments are compared in a simulation study and real data example. We conclude that the meta-analysis strategy is a simple and robust method to summarize EC50 estimates from multiple experiments, especially suited in the case of a small number of experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]