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Background: The study was to investigate the effects of dexmedetomidine on microcirculation in patients with early septic shock despite initial resuscitation. Methods: This was a single-center prospective study. Patients with early septic shock despite initial fluid resuscitation who still required norepinephrine to maintain target arterial pressure were enrolled. Hemodynamic and gas analysis variables, sublingual microcirculatory parameters were measured at baseline, and during the infusion of dexmedetomidine for 1 h (0.7mcg/kg/h). To elucidate the possible mechanisms of the effect of dexmedetomidine on microcirculation, after interim analysis, the dose-effect relationship of dexmedetomidine on microcirculation and catecholamine level were investigated at baseline, 1h after stabilization at different doses of dexmedetomidine (0.7 and 0.3 mcg/kg/h), and 2h after dexmedetomidine cessation. Results: Forty-four patients with septic shock were enrolled after initial resuscitation. Compared with baseline, total and perfused vascular densities were statistically increased after infusion of dexmedetomidine, which was correlated with the dose of dexmedetomidine. During dexmedetomidine infusion, plasma norepinephrine, and dopamine level were significantly decreased. Changes in plasma norepinephrine level contributed to dexmedetomidine infusion were well correlated with changes in total and perfused vascular densities. Conclusions: In adult patients with resuscitated septic shock, dexmedetomidine improved microcirculation, which might be associated with plasma catecholamine level. However, double-blinded large sample studies should be performed to verify the results. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02270281. Registered October 16, 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogel sensors are widely utilized in soft robotics and tissue engineering due to their excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility. However, in high‐water environments, traditional hydrogels can experience significant swelling, leading to decreased mechanical and electrical performance, potentially losing shape, and sensing capabilities. This study addresses these challenges by leveraging the Hofmeister effect, coupled with directional freezing and salting‐out techniques, to develop a layered, high‐strength, tough, and antiswelling PVA/MXene hydrogel. In particular, the salting‐out process enhances the self‐entanglement of PVA, resulting in an S‐PM hydrogel with a tensile strength of up to 2.87 MPa. Furthermore, the S‐PM hydrogel retains its structure and strength after 7 d of swelling, with only a 6% change in resistance. Importantly, its sensing performance is improved postswelling, a capability rarely achievable in traditional hydrogels. Moreover, the S‐PM hydrogel demonstrates faster response times and more stable resistance change rates in underwater tests, making it crucial for long‐term continuous monitoring in challenging aquatic environments, ensuring sustained operation and monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nb2CTx is a candidate MXene material for lithium-ion batteries because of its advantages in ion movement, diffusion barrier, and average intercalation potentials. However, Nb2CTx nanosheets tend to self-restack when assembled into electrodes because of the strong van der Waals force between them. Electrodes with densely packed Nb2CTx nanosheets can limit the diffusion of Li-ions and impair their electrochemical performance. Here, carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are anchored on the Nb2CTx nanosheets by a hydrothermal reaction to expand the interlayer spacing and create abundant Li-ion transport channels. The CQD-Nb2CTx nanosheets have higher specific surface area (84 m2/g), more active sites, and more Li-ion diffusion paths, which can facilitate the transfer of Li-ions. The CQD-Nb2CTx electrode exhibits a high capacity of 334 mAh/g at 50 mA/g and good long-term cycling stability of 1000 cycles with 260 mAh/g at 1 A/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiber‐based electronic devices can be woven into textiles to provide comfort, durability, and integrated multi‐functionality, and will be widely used in the intelligent wearable field. Herein, by introducing elastic substrates and regulating the external tension during spinning to control the helical structure and optimize mechanical properties, multi‐functional Polyurethane@carbon nanotube (PU@CNT) stretchable fibers with high extensibility and flexibility is prepared for human motion detection and energy storage. A multi‐layered structure consisting of alternating MXene sheets and CNT films is also designed, to promote the relative resistance change of PU@CNT/MXene fibers to 212% (4 times than PU@CNT) when acting as strain sensors, whereas their volume specific capacitance reaches 196 F cm−3 (increases ≈50 times). Additionally, the capacitance of our stretchable fibers supercapacitors maintains at 91.4% and 86.2% when stretched statically (170% strain) or after hundreds of cycles (50% strain), respectively. It is proposed that MXene sheets can fill gaps between CNTs, resulting in more uniform distribution in fibers, which can improve strain sensitivity and long‐cycle capacitance retention. These PU@CNT/MXene fibers with unique multi‐layered hybrid structure and superior performance have potential applications in portable, wearable, and body‐integrated sensors and energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]