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Juan Chen,1,* Qiqiang Liang,1,* Shuo Ding,1 Yongshan Xu,1 Yanting Hu,1 Jingyu Chen,2,3 Man Huang1,3 1Department of General Intensive Care Unit, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2Wuxi Lung Transplant Center, Wuxi People’s Hospital affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Lung Transplantation, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Man Huang, Department of General Intensive Care Unit, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 571 89713427, Email huangman@zju.edu.cn Jingyu Chen, Wuxi Lung Transplant Center, Wuxi People’s Hospital affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China, Email chenjy@wuxiph.comBackground: Experience of ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ/AVI) for carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) infection in recipients after lung transplantation (LT) is relatively limited.Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted on lung transplant recipients receiving CAZ/AVI therapy for CRPA infection. The primary outcomes were the 14-day and 30-day mortality. The secondary outcomes were clinical cure and microbiological cure.Results: Among 183 LT recipients, a total of 15 recipients with CRPA infection who received CAZ/AVI therapy were enrolled in this study. The mean age of recipients was 54 years and 73.3% of recipients were male. The median time from infection onset to initiation of CAZ/AVI treatment was 4 days (IQR, 3– 7) and the mean duration of CAZ/AVI therapy was 10 days. CAZ/AVI was mainly administered as monotherapy in LT recipients (80%). Among these eligible recipients, 14-day and 30-day mortality were 6.7% and 13.3%, respectively. The clinical cure and microbiological cure rates of CAZ/AVI therapy were 53.3% and 60%, respectively. Three recipients (20%) experienced recurrent infection. In addition, the mean lengths of ICU stay and hospital stay were 24 days and 35 days, respectively, among LT recipients.Conclusion: CAZ/AVI may be an alternative and promising regimen for CRPA eradiation in lung transplant recipients.Keywords: carbapenem-resistantPseudomonas aeruginosa, ceftazidime/avibactam, lung transplantation, infection, efficacy, mortality

The unique intermolecular van der Waals force in emerging two-dimensional inorganic molecular crystals (2DIMCs) endows them with highly tunable structures and properties upon applying external stimuli. Using high pressure to modulate the intermolecular bonding, here we reveal the highly tunable charge transport behavior in 2DIMCs for the first time, from an insulator to a semiconductor. As pressure increases, 2D α-Sb2O3 molecular crystal undergoes three isostructural transitions, and the intermolecular bonding enhances gradually, which results in a considerably decreased bandgap by 25% and a greatly enhanced charge transport. Impressively, the in-situ resistivity measurement of the α-Sb2O3 flake shows a sharp drop by 5 orders of magnitude in 0 - 3.2 GPa. This work sheds new light on the manipulation of charge transport in 2DIMCs and is of great significance for promoting the fundamental understanding and potential applications of 2DIMCs in advanced modern technologies.

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors have emerged both as an ideal platform for fundamental studies and as promising channel materials in beyond-silicon field-effect-transistors due to their outstanding electrical properties and exceptional tunability via external field. However, the lack of proper dielectrics for 2D semiconductors has become a major roadblock for their further development towards practical applications. The prominent issues between conventional 3D dielectrics and 2D semiconductors arise from the integration and interface quality, where defect states and imperfections lead to dramatic deterioration of device performance. In this review article, we will briefly analyze the root causes of such issues, summarize recent advances on some possible solutions, including various approaches of adapting conventional dielectrics to 2D semiconductors, and the development of novel dielectrics with van der Waals surface toward high-performance 2D electronics. Then, in the perspective, we will outline the requirements of ideal dielectrics for state-of-the-art 2D devices, and provide an outlook for their future development. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Silicon semiconductor technology is approaching its downscaling limit in state-of-the-art electronics. Atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors allow exceptional gate electrostatics in field-effect transistors (FETs), thus holding potential as the candidate channel materials beyond silicon. However, it remains challenging to integrate ultrathin and uniform high-κ dielectrics on 2D materials to fabricate FETs with large gate capacitances, though this is highly required to reduce the device operating voltage toward the energy-efficient electronics. Here we report a versatile two-step approach to integrating high-quality dielectric film with sub-1-nm equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) on 2D materials. Inorganic molecular crystal Sb2O3 is homogeneously deposited on 2D materials as a van der Waals buffer layer, which forms a high-quality oxide-to-semiconductor interface and offers a highly hydrophilic surface, enabling the integration of diverse high-κ dielectrics via atomic layer deposition. Using such an approach, we can fabricate monolayer molybdenum disulfide-based FETs with the ever-reported thinnest EOT (0.67 nm). The transistors exhibit an on/off ratio of over 106 using an ultralow operating voltage of 0.4 V, i.e., an unprecedentedly high gating efficiency not matched by any previous FETs. Our results may pave the way for the applications of 2D materials in the future low-power ultra-scaling electronic devices.

Background Carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria (CRGNB) have become a public health concern worldwide. The risk factors associated with CRGNB infection after colonization are unknown, nor is the optimal timing of antibiotic treatment, warranting further investigation. Methods A 4-year single-center prospective observational study was conducted. CRGNB-colonized patients were incorporated on admission into our observation cohort for an active surveillance culture program, and analysis of risk factors associated with infections after CRGNB colonization was performed. We divided patients into empirical antibiotic therapy groups and standard antibiotic therapy groups according to whether antibiotics were used before or after cultures yielded a result to explore the relationship between the timing of antibiotics and clinical efficacy. Results 152 out of 451 CRGNB-colonized patients in the prospective observational cohort developed CRGNB infection. The risk factors associated with CRGNB infection after colonization included CRKP (P P P P P = 0.004, OR = 0.32). Conclusions CRGNB colonized patients who are prone to infection have some high-risk factors included CRKP and CRPA colonization, immunocompromise, and prior carbapenems use. Once infection occurs in CRGNB-colonized patients, early use of effective antibiotics may be associated with reduced mortality, but more studies are needed.

Lung transplants are still limited by the shortage of suitable donor lungs, especially during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. A heterotopic lung transplant (HLTx), as a flexible surgical procedure, can maximize the potential of donor lungs in an emergency, but its widespread use is hindered by difficulties in anastomosis and paucity of outcome data. We performed a retrospective review of 4 patients, each of whom received an HLTxs over 1 year, including 1 left-to-right single HLTx, 2 right-to-left single HLTxs and 1 lobar HLTx (right upper lobe-to-left). The median recipient age was 58.5 years (46–68); 3 patients were male. The postoperative hospital stay was 33 days (30–42). One recipient lived for 10 years and died of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome; the others were alive with no major morbidity at 12 to 31 months after the operation with a 1-year survival of 100%. The follow-up chest images showed that transplanted lungs could be inflated well and adapted morphologically to fill the thoracic cavity in the short and long term. This study demonstrates that an HLTx is a feasible alternative to a conventional lung transplant in emergency cases and could be considered in selected patients at advanced medical centres.

The morphological and structural design provides an efficient protocol to optimize the performance of gas sensing materials. In this work, a gas sensor with high sensitivity for triethylamine (TEA) detection is developed based on p-type NiCo2O4 hierarchical microspheres. The NiCo2O4 microspheres, synthesized by a hydrothermal route, have a three-dimensional (3D) urchin-like structure assembled by nanorod building blocks. The structure-property correlation has been investigated by powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscope, N2 adsorption-desorption tests and comprehensive gas sensing experiments. The influence of calcination temperature on the morphological structure and sensing performances has been investigated. Results reveal that the material annealed at 300 °C has a very large specific surface area of 125.27 m2/g, thereby demonstrating the best TEA sensing properties including high response and low limit of detection (145 ppb), good selectivity and stability. The further increase of the calcination temperature leads to the collapse of the 3D hierarchical structure with significantly decreased surface area, which is found to decline the sensing performances. This work indicates the promise of ternary p-type metal oxide nanostructures for application in highly sensitive gas sensors.

Detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at room temperature (RT) currently remains a challenge for metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) gas sensors. Herein, for the first time, we report on the utilization of porous SnO2 thin films for RT detection of VOCs by defect engineering of oxygen vacancies. The oxygen vacancies in the three-dimensional-ordered SnO2 thin films, prepared by a colloidal template method, can be readily manipulated by thermal annealing at different temperatures. It is found that oxygen vacancies play an important role in the RT sensing performances, which successfully enables the sensor to respond to triethylamine (TEA) with an ultrahigh response, for example, 150.5-10 ppm TEA in a highly selective manner. In addition, the sensor based on oxygen vacancy-rich SnO2 thin films delivers a fast response and recovery speed (53 and 120 s), which can be further shortened to 10 and 36 s by elevating the working temperature to 120 °C. Notably, a low detection limit of 110 ppb has been obtained at RT. The overall performances surpass most previous reports on TEA detection at RT. The outstanding sensing properties can be attributed to the porous structure with abundant oxygen vacancies, which can improve the adsorption of molecules. The oxygen vacancy engineering strategy and the on-chip fabrication of porous MOS thin film sensing layers deliver great potential for creating high-performance RT sensors.

Ternary metal oxides containing two different metal cations are highly promising candidates for sensor materials due to their intriguing properties. Herein, we report on the application of CoSnO3 nanoboxes with a porous structure as a sensing layer for highly sensitive detection of triethylamine at a relatively low temperature. The CoSnO3 nanoboxes are obtained by calcination of CoSn(OH)6 precursors derived from a solution precipitation method. The dosage of cobalt is found to strongly influence the structure of the products and the sensing properties. The morphological structure and chemical composition of the materials are investigated in detail by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N2 adsorption–desorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Gas sensing measurements demonstrate that the CoSnO3 nanoboxes exhibit a p-type response and can efficiently detect triethylamine at a low temperature of 100 °C with a limit of detection of 134 ppb. The gas sensing mechanism is discussed by the modulation of a hole accumulation layer (HAL) on the adsorption of gas molecules.

Single atom Pt functionalized SnO2 ultrathin films are synthesized by atomic layer deposition (ALD) for application as sensing layers in resistive gas sensors. Here it is shown that the electronic conductivity of the SnO2 ultrathin films is very sensitive to the exposure to triethylamine (TEA), and that the thickness of the SnO2 films (from 4 to 18 nm) has a crucial effect on the sensor response. The 9 nm thick SnO2 film shows the best response to TEA, while a further decrease in the film thickness, i.e., 4 nm, leads to a very weak response due to the two orders of magnitude lower carrier concentration. Single atom Pt catalysts deposited on the 9 nm SnO2 film result in an unexpectedly high enhancement in the sensor response and also a decrease of the sensor working temperature. Consequently, Pt/SnO2 thin film sensors show the highest response of 136.2 to 10 ppm TEA at an optimal temperature of 200 °C (that of a pristine SnO2 film sensor is 260 °C), which is improved by a factor of 9 compared to that of pristine SnO2. Moreover, the Pt/SnO2 sensor exhibits an ultrahigh sensitivity of 8.76 ppm−1 and an extremely low limit of detection (LOD) of 7 ppb, which to our best knowledge are far superior to any previous report. Very fast response and recovery times (3/6 s) are also recorded, thus making our sensor platform highly suitable for highly-demanding applications. Mechanistic investigations reveal that the outstanding sensing performances originate from the synergistic combination of the optimized film thickness comparable to the Debye length of SnO2 and the spillover activation of oxygen by single atom Pt catalysts, as well as the oxygen vacancies in the SnO2 films.

Encapsulation is critical for devices to guarantee their stability and reliability. It becomes an even more essential requirement for devices based on 2D materials with atomic thinness and far inferior stability compared to their bulk counterparts. Here a general van der Waals (vdW) encapsulation method for 2D materials using Sb

Design of metal/semiconductor hybrid nanostructures provides an important strategy for developing efficient chemical gas sensors. Herein, a highly sensitive gas sensing material for detection of triethylamine is designed by loading Au nanoparticles on porous In2O3 microspheres. The In2O3 microspheres are prepared by thermally annealing the precursor of 3D nanosheets assembled In2S3 microspheres. Then, Au nanoparticles are functionalized onto In2O3 to obtain a novel Au/In2O3 hybrid microspheres. The morphological structure and chemical composition of the prepared materials were studied in detail by different techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The gas sensing properties of the Au/In2O3 microspheres have been systematically investigated. Results reveal that the amount of Au has a large influence on the sensor performances. The Au/In2O3 sensor with Au content of 0.53 at.% exhibits the best response to triethylamine at 280 °C. An extremely high response of 648.2 is registered on exposure to 100 ppm triethylamine. The sensor also possess fast response-recovery and very stability, as well as a low detection limit of 108 ppb. The sensing mechanism behind the enhanced sensor performances are also discussed.

A strong interface coupling is of vital importance to develop metal oxide/carbon nanocomposite anodes for next-generation lithium ion batteries. Herein, a rational N-doped carbon riveting strategy is designed to boost the lithium storage performance of Fe3O4/N-doped carbon tubular structures. Polypyrrole (PPy) has been used as the precursor for N-doped carbon. N-doped carbon-riveted Fe3O4/N-doped carbon (N C@Fe3O4@N C) nanocomposites were obtained by pyrolysis of PPy-coated FeOOH@PPy nanotubes in Ar atmosphere. When tested as an anode for LIBs, the N C@Fe3O4@N C displays a high reversible discharge capacity of 675.8 mA h g−1 after 100 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g−1 and very good rate capability (470 mA h g−1 at 2 A g−1), which significantly surpasses the performance of Fe3O4@N C. TEM analysis reveals that after battery cycling the FeOx particles detached from the carbon fibers for Fe3O4@N C, while for N C@Fe3O4@N C the FeOx particles were still trapped in the carbon matrix, thus preserving good electrical contact. Consequently, the superior performance of N C@Fe3O4@N C is attributed to the synergistic effect between Fe3O4 and N-doped carbon combined with the unique structure properties of the nanocomposites. The strategy reported in this work is expected to be applicable for designing other electrode materials for LIBs.

Heterostructures of metal oxide semiconductors present great potential for chemical sensor devices due to the fascinating properties endowed by the multiple materials and the heterointerface. In the present work, W18O49/α-Fe2O3 hollow heterostructures with different α-Fe2O3 contents are prepared by a hydrothermal method. The chemical composition and structure properties are characterized by multiple techniques. The gas sensing study demonstrates that the W18O49/α-Fe2O3 hollow heterostructures exhibit superior sensing performances toward acetone against pure W18O49. The composite containing 6.3 wt% α-Fe2O3 delivers the best sensor response and fast response–recovery speed (10 and 31 s), good selectivity, and low limit of detection (86 ppb). The superior gas sensing performance is interpreted by the functions of porous hollow structure and heterojunctions when introducing α-Fe2O3. This work provides a novel structure design for synthesis of high performances gas sensing materials for ppb-level acetone detection.

The rational design of heterostructures is highly important for innovative sensor technology to acquire efficient gas detection with optimized gas sensing properties. In the present work, a novel heterostructure of Au/Co3O4/W18O49 hollow spheres is constructed and applied for gas sensor application. The structure-property correlation has been studied by means of X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscope and Transmission electron microscope, as well as comprehensive gas sensing tests. Experiments demonstrate that the Au/Co3O4/W18O49 heterostructure delivers outstanding performances in terms of high sensitivity, fast response-recovery, good selectivity, and very low limit of detection against pristine W18O49 and Co3O4/W18O49. Notably, a very high response (16.7) to 2 ppm triethylamine and a state-of-the-art limit of detection (81 ppb) are obtained. The superior gas sensing properties are attributed to a synergistic combination of the unique porous structure, the p-n heterojunctions between Co3O4/W18O49, and the catalytic spillover effect of Au nanoparticles.

The major mechanism of sepsis is immunosuppression caused by host response dysfunction. It has been found that α-Mangostin (α-M) is a potential candidate as a treatment for multiple inflammatory and immune disorders. To date, the role of α-M in host response during sepsis remains unexplored. Herein, we examined the effect of α-M on macrophages-mediated host response in the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and the vital organ function, inflammatory response, and survival rate in septic mice. In murine peritoneal macrophages, α-M induced autophagy and then inhibited LPS-stimulated NLRP3 inflammasome activation, as well as interleukin-1β (IL-1β) production. Moreover, α-M improved phagocytosis and killing of macrophages, and increased M2 macrophages numbers after LPS stimulation. Furthermore, in vivo experiment suggested that α-M reduced serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), IL-1β, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and creatinine (Cr), whilst increased that of interleukin-10 (IL-10) in caecal ligation and puncture (CLP) mice. Taken together, these findings showed that α-M-mediated macrophages autophagy contributed to NLRP3 inflammasome inactivation and α-M exerted organ protection in septic mice.

Multishelled hollow micro/nanostructures hold great potential for a variety of important applications due to their fascinating properties. However, the synthesis of multishelled hollow micro/nanostructures mainly relies on template-involved methods. A template-free protocol for multishelled hollow structures remains quite challenging. In this work, a solution strategy based on inside-out and outside-in Ostwald ripening is developed to manipulate hematite hollow spheres with single or double shells without using any hard or soft templates. The structure evolution of the hematite hollow spheres is comprehensively studied to reveal the formation mechanism. As a potential application, the hematite hollow spheres have been utilized for chemical gas sensors to investigate the structure–property correlations. Results demonstrate that the double-shelled hematite spheres exhibit much higher response than the single-shelled ones due to structure sensitization. An improved sensor response is further obtained by cata...

Metal sulfides are interesting materials for utilization as anodes in Li-ion Batteries (LIBs). However, the poor conductivity and huge volume change during the discharge/charge cycles severely limit their potential application. In the present work, a sheet-on-fiber structure of In2S3@N-doped carbon (In2S3@N-Carbon) is designed through a hydrothermal method, and the materials were characterized by methods of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. When applied to LIBs, In2S3@N-Carbon shows better electrochemical performances in comparison to pristine In2S3. In2S3@N-Carbon retains a reversible capacity of 485 mA h g−1 after 200 cycles at 0.1 A g−1, which is significantly higher than that (34.6 mA h g−1) of pure In2S3. The enhanced electrochemical properties of In2S3@N-Carbon nanocomposite are attributed to the N-doped carbon fibers, which enhances the conductivity and relaxes the volume expansion of electrodes. This study provides a rational design of nanostructure for high-performance anode materials.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs, typically MoS2) have shown great promise as anodes for high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to the layered structure. However, the low electric and ionic conductivities and the large volume expansion of MoS2 during lithiation inevitably result in a fast capacity decrease and limited cycling life. In this work, a unique sheet-on-tube micro/nanostructure was designed and realized to tackle the above mentioned drawbacks. In detail, MoS2 nanosheets are perpendicularly anchored on the N-doped carbon microtubes (NCMs) by a facile approach. NCMs was selected as the support to prevent aggregation of MoS2 nanosheets, and serve as the pathway for electron conduction, as well as a media to alleviate the volume change of MoS2 during lithiation/delithiation. Due to the advantageous structure, the MoS2@NCMs show significantly enhanced lithium storage properties in comparison to pure MoS2. The design strategy and mechanism demonstrated in this work is potentially useful for developing high-capacity electrode materials for LIBs.

Background: Refeeding syndrome (RFS) is a group of metabolic disorders associated with refeeding after starvation. However, the diagnostic criteria of RFS are highly heterogeneous. This study aimed to identify the best diagnostic criteria of RFS in critically ill patients.Methods: A multicenter, parallel, prospective trial enrolled patients (≥18 years) with mechanical ventilation for more than 3 days. RFS, defined as new-onset hypophosphatemia (Results: Between May 1, 2019 and April 30, 2020, 312 patients were enrolled. Of these, 302 patients were included and completed the trial. Except for APACHE II, there were no significant differences in age, gender, admission type, diagnosis, furosemide application, and hormone application. In the RFS2 and RFS3 groups, the APACHE II score was significantly higher than the non-RFS group (p=0.009 and p=0.01, respectively). In the nutritional baseline data, there were no significant differences between the groups in the PNI index, time to start of nutrition treatment, percentage of start nutrition within 48 hours, parenteral nutrition, feeding intolerance, and caloric intake and protein intake within first week. The NRS2002 score in group 2 and 3 was higher than the non-RFS group (pConclusions: The optimal criterion of RFS was a decrease in serum phosphate level of 0.65mmol/L and below, and a reduction of greater than 0.16 mmol/L within 72 h after starting nutritional support. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov database, NCT04005300. Registered 1 July 2019, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/ NCT04005300

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) hold great promise for room temperature (RT) NO

Detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at room temperature (RT) currently remains a challenge for metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) gas sensors. Herein, for the first time, we report on the utilization of porous SnO

Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) nanomembranes hold a great potential for electronic devices. In this work, tubular SnO2 nanomembranes were fabricated by the rolled-up technology and investigated as the sensing element for chemiresistive gas sensors. Due to the high accessibility to both surfaces of nanomembranes and the large amount of adsorbed oxygen species, the sensor based on SnO2 nanomembranes displayed high and fast response for selective detection of acetone, as well as good repeatability, stability and low detection limit of ppb-level. The very good sensing performances derived from the tubular nanomembrane structure suggests a new platform that can be used for chemical gas sensors. This work will drive the integration of tubular MOS nanomembranes into a real microsensor based on the lab-in-tube concept.

Graphene/metal oxide (MO) nanocomposites hold great promise for application as anodes in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the restacking of graphene during subsequent processing remains a challenge to overcome for enhanced lithium storage properties. Herein, the fabrication of sandwich-architecture carbon-riveted graphene/SnO2 nanorods, in which the SnO2 nanorods are confined in the nanospaces formed by the carbon layers on graphene, by a two-step hydrothermal process followed by thermal treatment, is reported. Electrochemical tests show that the carbon-riveted nanolayers significantly improve the lithium storage performance of graphene/SnO2 . The nanocomposite displays a high reversible capacity of 815 mAh g-1 after 150 cycles at 100 mA g-1 and high cycling stability at 1000 mA g-1 . This work provides an efficient way to manipulate graphene/MO-based nanocomposites for LIBs with improved performance.

Nanocomposite of graphene/α-Fe 2 O 3 (G/α-Fe 2 O 3 ) nanospindles was synthesized by a simple hydrothermal assembly method followed by thermal treatment. The α-Fe 2 O 3 nanospindles were evenly enwrapped by the graphene nanosheets. When evaluated as an anode for Li-ion batteries (LIBs), the G/α-Fe 2 O 3 nanocomposite showed enhanced cycling performance and rate capability compared to pure α-Fe 2 O 3 . G/α-Fe 2 O 3 retained a reversible capacity of 607 mAh g −1 after 100 cycles at 100 mA g −1- , which is far higher than that (160 mAh g −1 ) of α-Fe 2 O 3 . The superior electrochemical performance of G/α-Fe 2 O 3 can be attributed to the protection effect of graphene nanosheets to accommodate the volume change of α-Fe 2 O 3 during lithiation/delithiation.

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of total percutaneous closure of the femoral artery access site after veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) with the Perclose ProGlide device. This retrospective observational study during an almost 2-year period included 21 patients who underwent VA-ECMO in whom the femoral artery puncture site was closed percutaneously with Perclose ProGlide devices. Technical success was defined as successful arterial closure of the common femoral artery, without the need for additional surgical or endovascular procedures. Access site complications were recorded at 24 hours and 30 days after arterial closure, such as major bleeding requiring transfusion or surgical intervention, minor bleeding, groin infection, pseudoaneurysm, and lymphocele. Technical success was achieved in 20 patients (95.2%). One patient required surgical repair for an access site pseudoaneurysm. Eighteen femoral arteries were closed with 2 devices each, while 3 patients required the use of a third device for femoral artery access site closure to achieve adequate hemostasis. No arterial thrombosis, arterial dissection, arterial stenosis, groin infection, or arteriovenous fistula occurred during the periprocedural period (within 24 hours of arterial closure) or during 30-day follow-up. Percutaneous closure with the Perclose ProGlide device is a feasible procedure for closing femoral arterial access sites after VA-ECMO, with a low incidence of access site complications.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) hold great promise for room temperature (RT) NO2 sensors. However, the exposure of the edges of TMDs with high adsorption capability and electronic activity remains a great obstacle to achieve high sensor sensitivity. Herein, we demonstrate a high-performance RT NO2 gas sensor based on WS2 nanosheets/carbon nanofibers (CNFs) composite with abundant intentionally exposed WS2 edges. Few-layer WS2 nanosheets are anchored on CNFs through a hydrothermal process. The approach permits to achieve a coating presenting an optimized active surface area and accessibility of the sensing layers. The exposure of WS2 edges remarkably improves the sensing properties. Consequently, the WS2@CNFs composite exhibits excellent selectivity to NO2 at RT with improved response and much lower detection limit in comparison to the WS2 and CNFs counterparts. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations verify a surprisingly strong NO2 adsorption on WS2 edge sites (adsorption energy 3.40 eV) with a partial charge transfer of 0.394e, while a week adsorption on the basal surface of WS2 (adsorption energy 0.25 eV) with a partial charge transfer of 0.171e. The strategy proposed herein will be instructive to the design of efficient material structures for low-power NO2 sensors with optimized performances.

Metal oxide semiconductors (MOS) are important candidates as the sensing layer for chemical gas sensors to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, the low surface activity limits the use of MOS in future high performance gas sensors. The design of susceptive nanostructures with prominent surface modification can be an effective strategy to achieve high sensitivity and high selectivity. Herein, Pt nanoparticles with a fine size of below 1 nm serving as the sensitizers are functionalized on porous W18O49 nanospheres via atomic layer deposition and investigated for acetone detection. The W18O49/Pt spheres combine the advantages of fast gas diffusion enabled by the porous shells and catalytic properties of Pt nanocatalysts. Gas sensing tests reveal that W18O49/Pt has a very high response to 20 ppm acetone (Ra/Rg = 85), which is ∼40 times higher than that of pure W18O49 (Ra/Rg = 2.1) at a low operating temperature of 180 °C. Meanwhile, W18O49/Pt shows fast response-recovery speed and good stability as well as excellent selectivity to acetone against other interfering gases. In addition, an ultrahigh sensitivity of 1.01 ppm−1 and a very low limit of detection of 52 ppb is obtained. The superior gas sensing performances of the W18O49/Pt materials indicates a strong potential for detection of biomarkers for exhaled breath diagnosis, and also paves the way to manipulate other metal oxide semiconductor-based sensors with high performances.

Efficient electronic sensors for detection of volatile organic compounds are increasingly in great demand due to its indispensable utilization in healthcare and environment monitoring systems. Assembly of complex nanostructures from diverse host and guest materials proves to be an effective way to create new sensing materials with improved performances. Yet it still remains a challenge to manipulate efficient heterostructures for acetone detection to acquire high sensitivity and selectivity. Herein, a high performance nanosensor is realized based on p-type Co3O4 sensitized n-type SnO2 porous nanospheres. The rich grain boundaries between adjacent SnO2 nanoparticles serve as the active sites for molecules adsorption and electron transportation. The p-n heterointerface formed between Co3O4 and SnO2 allows for the fast sensing reactions on materials surface. Consequently, the sensor device delivers outstanding properties in terms of fast response-recovery, low detection limit (103 ppb), high sensitivity and excellent selectivity toward acetone detection. The strategy presented here is generally applicable and can provide some hints to design efficient electronic sensors with an optimized selectivity.

Graphene/metal oxide (MO) nanocomposites hold great promise for application as anodes in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the restacking of graphene during subsequent processing remains a challenge to overcome for enhanced lithium storage properties. Herein, the fabrication of sandwich-architecture carbon-riveted graphene/SnO

Sensitization of metal oxide semiconductors is crucial for developing high performance electronic gas sensors. Herein, a unique dual sensitization protocol is proposed to boost the sensing performances of metal oxide nanowires. As a proof-of-concept, W18O49 nanowires are selected as the host materials, and Ag, Pt nanoparticles are loaded on W18O49 by an in-situ redox reaction to fabricate the novel Ag/Pt/W18O49 hybrid nanowires. Gas sensing tests demonstrate the superiority of the ternary nanowires in detecting triethylamine vapor against the binary Ag/W18O49 and Pt/W18O49 nanowires. The sensor based on Ag/Pt/W18O49 nanowires manifests fast response and recovery features and very high response over a wide concentration of 0.1–50 ppm, as well as good selectivity and stability. An ultrahigh sensitivity of 1.13 ppm−1 is registered by the Ag/Pt/W18O49 nanowires and a low detection limit of 71 ppb is obtained. The excellent performances are attributed to the dual sensitization mechanism, i.e., a synergy of both electronic and chemical interactions derived from the Ag and Pt functionalization. This work establishes a new strategy for constructing multi-metal functionalized nanowires and their utilization in functional nanodevices with enhanced performances.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most frequent intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired infection that is independently associated with mortality. Accurate diagnosis and timely treatment have been shown to improve the prognosis of VAP. Chest X-ray or computed tomography imaging are used for conventional assessment of VAP, but these methods are impractical for real-time measurement in critical patients. Therefore, lung ultrasound (LUS) has been increasingly used for the assessment of VAP in the ICU. Traditionally, LUS has seemed unsuitable for the detection of lung parenchyma owing to the high acoustic impedance of air; however, the fact that the reflection and reverberation in the detection region of the ultrasound reflect the underlying pathology of lung diseases has led to the increased use of ultrasound imaging as a standard of care supported by evidence-based and expert consensus in the ICU. Considering that any type of pneumonia causes air volume changes in the lungs, accumulating evidence has shown that LUS effectively measures the presence of VAP as well as dynamic changes in VAP. This review offers evidence for ultrasound as a noninvasive, easily repeatable, and bedside means to assess VAP; in addition, it establishes a protocol for qualitative and quantitative monitoring of VAP. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13054-016-1487-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Purpose: Large-scale genome-wide association studies have identified TREM2 variants to be significantly associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in caucasian population. The goal of this systematic study and meta-analysis was to assess the association between Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 ( TREM2) variants and AD in East Asian population. Methods: In this study, literatures were searched in PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library to screen citations from January 1990 to June 2014. Data analysis was done by using the Stata 12 software. Results: Twelve studies were considered for analysis. A total of 13 535 patients with AD and 22 976 healthy controls were studied. The results showed that rs75932628 variant was significantly associated with AD in caucasian population ( P < .001, odds ratio = 3.17, 95% confidence interval 2.45-4.09). However, the association was not found in East Asian population. Conclusion: In our study, we found that TREM2 variant is likely not associated with AD in East Asian population.