A new method for estimating nanoparticle deposition coverage from a set of weak-contrast SEM images.

Imaging nanomaterials in hybrid systems is critical to understanding the structure and functionality of these systems. However, current technologies such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) may obtain high resolution/contrast images at the cost of damaging or contaminating the sample. For example, to prevent the charging of organic substrate/matrix, a very thin layer of metal is coated on the surface, which will permanently contaminate the sample and eliminate the possibility of reusing it for following processes.

A comprehensive physics-based model for the brachial Artery's full flow mediated dilation (FMD) response observed during the FMD test.

In this study, a physics-based model is developed to describe the entire flow mediated dilation (FMD) response. A parameter quantifying the arterial wall's tendency to recover arises from the model, thereby providing a more elaborate description of the artery's physical state, in concert with other parameters characterizing mechanotransduction and structural aspects of the arterial wall. The arterial diameter's behavior throughout the full response is successfully reproduced by the model.

In vitro Antibacterial Effect Study of Plasma-Activated Saline on .

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the antibacterial effects of plasma-activated saline (PAS) on My-cobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb).

Methods: We conducted a growth assay on 3 strains of Mtb and an antibiotic sensitivity test on 4 strains of Mtb. Both tests included groups treated with normal saline (NS), PAS, and hydrochloric acid (HCl).

Advancements in LAM-based diagnostic kit for tuberculosis detection: enhancing TB diagnosis in HIV-negative individuals.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of urine lipoarabinomannan (LAM) detection based on chemiluminescence assay for pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) in HIV-negative individuals.

Methods: A total of 215 patients and 37 healthy individuals were included according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, including 173 cases of PTB and 42 cases of EPTB. Sputum smears, sputum culture, TB-RNA, GeneXpert, and urine LAM results were obtained from all patients before treatment.

Ability of the MeltPro MTB/PZA Assay to Detect Susceptibility to Pyrazinamide in Rifampin-Resistant Tuberculosis Patients.

Prediction of susceptibility to pyrazinamide (PZA) directly from sputum has been challenging. The MeltPro MTB/PZA assay, based on melting curve analysis, can simultaneously detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the resistance to PZA from sputum. We aimed to evaluate the MeltPro MTB/PZA assay to predict PZA resistance among rifampin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) patients.

Wafer-Scale Full-Coverage Self-Limiting Assembly of Particles on Flexible Substrates.

Self-limiting assembly of particles represents the state-of-the-art controllability in nanomanufacturing processes where the assembly stops at a designated stage, providing a desirable platform for applications requiring delicate thickness control such as optics, electronics, and catalytic systems. Most successes in self-limiting assembly are limited to self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of small molecules on inorganic, chemically homogeneous rigid substrates (e.g.

On the examination of the viscous response of the brachial artery during flow-mediated dilation.

In this study, mechanotransduction is investigated through a physics-based viscoelastic model describing the arterial diameter response during a brachial artery flow mediated dilation (BAFMD) test. The study is a significant extension of two earlier studies by the same group, where only the elastic response was considered. Experimental BAFMD responses were collected from 12 healthy volunteers.

Crystal face dependent wettability of α-quartz: Elucidation by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry techniques combined with molecular dynamics.

Hypothesis: Quartz is one of the most common but important minerals, and its wettability plays a significant role in affecting various natural and industrial processes. Studies have revealed that different crystal faces of quartz are with different wettabilities, but its mechanism is still vague.

Experiments And Simulations: For specifying the mechanism of crystal face dependent wettability, the contact angles of three different liquids on the crystal faces of α-quartz are measured; the time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is employed to establish the crystal surface models; molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with the surface models are performed to understand the wetting behavior at molecular scale.

Hybrid diffusion imaging reveals altered white matter tract integrity and associations with symptoms and cognitive dysfunction in chronic traumatic brain injury.

The detection and association of in vivo biomarkers in white matter (WM) pathology after acute and chronic mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are needed to improve care and develop therapies. In this study, we used the diffusion MRI method of hybrid diffusion imaging (HYDI)to detect white matter alterations in patients with chronic TBI (cTBI). 40 patients with cTBI presenting symptoms at least three months post injury, and 17 healthy controls underwent magnetic resonance HYDI.

On the modeling of mechanotransduction in flow-mediated dilation.

In this paper, we report a physics based mathematical model to describe the mechanotransduction at the luminal surface of the brachial artery during a flow-mediated dilation (FMD) process. To account for the effect of the released vasodilators in response to the sudden blood flow resurgence, a scalar property is introduced as a signal radially diffusing through the arterial wall, locally affecting its compliance. The model was evaluated on 19 in vivo responses of brachial artery FMD (BAFMD) in 12 healthy subjects.

Bedaquiline-containing regimens in patients with pulmonary multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in China: focus on the safety.

Background: World Health Organization recommends countries introducing new drug and short treatment regimen for drug resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) should develop and implement a system for active pharmacovigilance that allows for detection, reporting and management of adverse events. The aim of the study is to evaluate the frequency and severity of adverse events (AEs) of bedaquiline-containing regimen in a cohort of Chinese patients with multidrug-resistant (MDR)/extensively drug-resistant (XDR)-TB based on active drug safety monitoring (aDSM) system of New Drug Introduction and Protection Program (NDIP).

Methods: AEs were prospectively collected with demographic, bacteriological, radiological and clinical data from 54 sites throughout China at patient enrollment and during treatment between February, 2018 and December, 2019.

Traditional Uses, Chemical Constituents, Biological Properties, Clinical Settings, and Toxicities of L.: A Comprehensive Review.

, an annual herbal flowering plant, is widely distributed throughout eastern Europe and in temperate and subtropical regions of Asia. Its flowers have been traditionally used for the treatment of chronic kidney disease in China. Currently, more than 128 phytochemical ingredients have been obtained and identified from the flowers, seeds, stems, and leaves of .

Fluid-Guided CVD Growth for Large-Scale Monolayer Two-Dimensional Materials.

Atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) has been used extensively for synthesizing two-dimensional (2D) materials because of its low cost and promise for high-quality monolayer crystal synthesis. However, the understanding of the reaction mechanism and the key parameters affecting the APCVD processes is still in its embryonic stage. Hence, the scalability of the APCVD method in achieving large-scale continuous film remains very poor.

Fluid-Assisted Sorted Assembly of Graphene on Polymer.

The significant size distribution of as-synthesized nanomaterials presents a challenge for reproducable and reliable applications. In this paper, we report a fluidic-assisted sorted assembly method in which nanomaterial sorting and enhanced assembly can be achieved simultaneously. As a proof of concept, a two-dimensional (2D) graphene flake, with a large size variation, was chosen as the target nanomaterial system.

Characterization of arterial flow mediated dilation via a physics-based model.

In this paper, a physics-based mathematical model is developed to describe the transient behavior of the brachial artery during the Flow Mediated Dilation (FMD) test. The change of the artery's diameter was collected for 7 cases via in vivo, non-invasive ultrasound imaging. A theoretical model was developed to capture the response of the blood vessel to the change of the blood flow, in which the vessel's compliance is modeled as a function of the wall shear stress (WSS).

Th1/Th2 Imbalance and Elevated PD-L1 in Pleural Effusion Predict the Risk of Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculous Pleuritis.

Background: Patient immune status might be indicative of the variance in bacterial genetics in drug-resistant tuberculous pleuritis and could be used for predicting the risk of multi-drug resistant tuberculous pleuritis (MDR-TB).

Objective: To determine the significance of Th2/Th1 ratio and concentration of PD-L1 in the pleural effusions for prediction of MDR-TB.

Methods: We measured the ratio of Th2 to Th1 T cells from pleural effusions in 373 tuberculous pleuritis patients.

On the characterization of interstitial fluid flow in the skeletal muscle endomysium.

In this paper, the interstitial fluid flow in skeletal muscle endomysium was examined using an in-situ indentation testing in combination with theoretical modelling. The objective was to understand the transport properties of the three-dimensional and highly hierarchical muscular interstitial matrices, which play important roles in muscle-bone cross-talk and signaling during musculoskeletal development and maintenance. Gastrocnemius muscles from four 3-month old calves were harvested and subjected to a creeping test using a custom-designed device.

[The effects of curcumin on the 19 000 Mycobacterium tuberculosis protein-induced inflammatory and apoptotic reaction and the expression of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases in WBC264-9C macrophages].

Objective: By using the cell wall component of Mycobacterium tuberculosis 19 000 lipoprotein (P19) and curcumin (CUR) acting on the human macrophage cell line WBC264-9C, and by the blocking of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38 MAPK) signaling pathway, we wanted to investigate the effect of curcumin on P19-induced inflammatory responses and apoptosis in human macrophages and the potential underlying molecular mechanisms.

Methods: P19 and CUR were used to stimulate human macrophages for 48 h. Their effects on growth inhibition and on apoptosis in macrophages were observed.

Microrefugia and Shifts of Hippophae tibetana (Elaeagnaceae) on the north side of Mt. Qomolangma (Mt. Everest) during the last 25000 years.

Microrefugia at high altitudes or high latitudes are thought to play an important role in the post-glacial colonization of species. However, how populations in such microrefugia have responded to climate changes in alternating cold glacial and warm interglacial stages remain unclear. Here we present evidence to indicate the Rongbuk Valley of the Mt.

FRR: fair remote retrieval of outsourced private medical records in electronic health networks.

Cloud computing is emerging as the next-generation IT architecture. However, cloud computing also raises security and privacy concerns since the users have no physical control over the outsourced data. This paper focuses on fairly retrieving encrypted private medical records outsourced to remote untrusted cloud servers in the case of medical accidents and disputes.

Reversible sol-to-gel transformation of uracil gelators: specific colorimetric and fluorimetric sensor for fluoride ions.

A new type of anthracene organogelator based on uracil was obtained using organic aromatic solvents, cyclohexane, DMSO, ethanol, and ethyl acetate. It was further characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Specifically, the resulting organogels were demonstrated to be promising colorimetric and fluorescent sensors toward fluoride ions with high sensitivity and selectivity, accompanying the disruption of the gelators.