Search

BACKGROUND Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China in December 2019, the overall fatality rate of severe and critical patients with COVID-19 is high and the effective therapy is limited. CASE SUMMARY In this case report, we describe a case of the successful combination of the prone position (PP) and high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) therapy in a spontaneously breathing, severe COVID-19 patient who presented with fever, fatigue and hypoxemia and was diagnosed by positive throat swab COVID-19 RNA testing. The therapy significantly improved the patient's clinical symptoms, oxygenation status, and radiological characteristics of lung injury during hospitalization, and the patient showed good tolerance and avoided intubation. Additionally, we did not find that medical staff wearing optimal airborne personal protective equipment (PPE) were infected by the new coronavirus in our institution. CONCLUSION We conclude that the combination of PP and HFNO could benefit spontaneously breathing, severe COVID-19 patients. The therapy does not increase risk of healthcare workers wearing optimal airborne PPE to become infected with virus particles.

As a well-known multimodal-acting antidepressant, vortioxetine is thought to aim at several serotonin (5-HT) receptors and the 5-HT transporter. However, recently more and more proteins besides 5-HT are being reported to participate in the antidepressant mechanism of vortioxetine. As a widely known nuclear hormone receptor, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α (PPARα) possesses transcriptional activity and is very important in the brain. Several reports have suggested that hippocampal PPARα is implicated in antidepressant responses. Here we speculate that hippocampal PPARα may participate in the antidepressant mechanism of vortioxetine. In this study, chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), chronic social defeat stress (CSDS), behavioral tests, the western blotting and adenovirus associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene knockdown methods were used together. It was found that vortioxetine administration significantly reversed the inhibitory actions of both CUMS and CSDS on the hippocampal PPARα expression. Pharmacological blockade of PPARα notably prevented the antidepressant actions of vortioxetine in the CUMS and CSDS models. Moreover, genetic knockdown of PPARα in the hippocampus also significantly blocked the protecting effects of vortioxetine against both CUMS and CSDS. Therefore, the antidepressant effects of vortioxetine in mice require hippocampal PPARα.

Hard carbons attract myriad interest as anode materials for high-energy rechargeable batteries due to their low costs and high theoretical capacities; practically, they deliver unsatisfactory performance due to their intrinsically disordered microarchitecture. Here we report a facile ion-catalyzed synthesis of a phenol–formaldehyde resin-based hard-carbon aerogel that takes advantage of the chelation effect of phenol and Fe3+, which consists of a three-dimensionally interconnected carbon network embedded with hydrogen-rich, ordered microstructures of expanded nanographites and carbon micropores. The chelation effect ensures the homodispersion of Fe in the polymer segments of the precursor, so that an effective catalytic conversion from sp3 to sp2 carbon occurs, enabling free rearrangement of graphene sheets into expanded nanographite and carbon micropores. The structural merits of the carbon offer chances to achieve lithium/sodium storage performance far beyond that possible with the conventional carbon a...

The practical application of lithium-sulfur batteries is usually hindered by the unstable discharge intermediates and the low conductivity of the sulfur cathode. Herein, we propose to improve the performance of the sulfur cathode by introducing a built-in carbon nanotube network inside a biomass-derived hierarchically porous carbon for the subsequent sulfur loading. This balanced structural design of the carbon substrate enables effective trapping of active sulfur within the cathode and provides a highly efficient pathway for electron transmission, contributing to an increased conductivity and structural integrity of the cathode. By using a potentiostatic process at the end of charge, the reversibility of the electrode reaction of sulfur is improved. The sulfur cathode delivers an initial discharge capacity of 1739 mA h g−1 and reaches a high initial Columbic efficiency of 87.6 %, and maintains its efficiency to >97.5 % from the 2nd cycle. It also shows admirable cycling and rate performance.

Inspired by the egg-like yolk–shell structure, a novel kind of graphene-wrapped graphitic hollow carbon spheres (G-graphitic HCS) was designed and fabricated by iron-catalyzed carbonization of double-coated polystyrene (PS) spheres. Herein, a thin carbon shell and hollow, hierarchically porous G-graphitic HCS facilitate ionic transport, while also providing more active sites for the storage of ions. Both graphitic components result in a seamless and highly efficient transmission pathway for electrons. Thus, G-graphitic HCS demonstrate admirable multifunctions in energy-storage devices, including lithium batteries, sodium batteries, and supercapacitors. It delivers an unprecedentedly high initial discharge capacity of 2007 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, and preserves 92.4 % of the initial charge capacity after 100 cycles in a prototype lithium half-cell. The present concept may shed light on designing the key materials for next-generation energy-storage devices.

In view of the existing problem of the traditional aluminium ingot stacking practices, it was important significance to research and develop a stack-manipulator that includes various functions to do portage and stack. According to the demand of stacking, the motion system of the Stack-manipulator based on four degrees was finished. The kinematics equation of the manipulator was set up using the D-H theory, On this base, Some of the kinematics problems of this stack-manipulator were discussed and these reliable basis were provided for the research of the manipulators dynamics and control and trajectory planning.

Plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) method can decrease film growing temperature, and allow in-situ plasma treatment. LaAlO3 films were deposited with PEALD at 180°C. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) results exhibited amorphous microstructure of both films even after rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at 800°C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra suggested that the valence-band offset between the LaAlO3 film and the substrate was 3.3 eV. The electrical experimental results indicated that the leakage current densities were 0.10mA/cm2 and 0.03mA/cm2 respectively at a gate bias of |Vg-Vfb|=1V and the equivalent oxide thicknesses (EOT) of them were 1.2 nm and 1.4 nm, respectively. The densities of interfacial states were calculated to be 1.70×1012eV-1cm-2 and 1.09×1012eV-1cm-2, respectively.

In this work, La2O3 gate dielectric film was deposited by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition. we investigate the effect of surface preparation of GaAs substrate, for example, native oxide, S-passivation, and NH3 plasma in situ treatment. The interfacial reaction mechanisms of La2O3 on GaAs is studied by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). As-O bonding is found to get effectively suppressed in the sample GaAs structures with both S-passivation and NH3 plasma surface treatments.

Aim: To study the efficacy of antiviral treatment with PNA for the duck model of HBV (DHBV)-infected ducks. PNA is a 2-amine-9-(2,3-dideoxy-2,3-dihydro-β-D-arabinofuranosyl)-6-methoxy-9H-purine. Methods: The Sichuan Mallard ducklings in the hepatitis B virus model were treated with PNA, a new antiviral agent. DHBV DNA from the blood serum and liver tissues were measured at 0, 5, and 10 d during the treatment and at 3 d withdrawal by real-time PCR. The duck hepatitis B surface antigen (DHBsAg) in the liver cells was observed by Immunohistochemistry (IHC). Pathological changes in the liver tissues were also observed. Control group I was administered with distilled water and control group II was administered with 3-thiacytidine. Treatment group I was administered with PNA at a dose of 40 mg/kg and treatment group II was administered perorally (po) with PNA at a dose of 80 mg/kg. Treatment group III was administered with PNA at a dose of 20 mg/kg and treatment group IV was intravenously administered with PNA at a dose of 40 mg/kg. Each group contained 15 ducklings. Results: PNA can significantly lower the DHBV replication levels in serum and liver. Compared with control group II, there were no significant differences in inhibiting efficacy in treatment groups I and III (P>0.05) and there were significant differences in inhibiting efficacy in treatment groups II and IV (P

Objective— To gain insights into mechanisms by which intimal hyperplasia interferes with the repair process by investigating expression and function of the catalytic telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) subunit after vascular injury. Methods and Results— Functional telomerase is essential to the replicative longevity of vascular cells. We found that TERT was de novo activated in the intima of injured arteries, involving activation of the nuclear factor κB pathway. Stimulation of the isolated intimal smooth muscle cell (SMC) by basic fibroblast growth factor or tumor necrosis factor α resulted in increased TERT activity. This depends on the activation of c-Myc signaling because mutation of the E-box in the promoter or overexpression of mitotic arrest deficient 1 (MAD1), a c-Myc competitor, abrogated the transcriptional activity. Inhibition of nuclear factor κB in both intimal SMCs and the injured artery attenuated TERT transcriptional activity through reduction of c-Myc expression. Pharmacological blockade of TERT led to SMC senescence. Finally, depletion of telomerase function in mice resulted in severe intimal SMC senescence after vascular injury. Conclusion— These results support a model in which vascular injury induces de novo expression of TERT in intimal SMCs via activation of nuclear factor κB and upregulation of c-Myc. The resumed TERT activity is critical for intimal hyperplasia.