Cold Atmospheric Plasma Induces Growth Arrest and Apoptosis in Neurofibromatosis Type 1-Associated Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Cells.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant disorder resulting from mutations in the gene. Patients harboring these mutations are predisposed to a spectrum of peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNSTs) originating from Schwann cells, of which malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are the deadliest, with limited treatment options. Therefore, an unmet need still exists for more effective therapies directed at these aggressive malignancies.

Structural Properties of HEHN- and HAN-Based Ionic Liquid Mixtures: A Polarizable Molecular Dynamics Study.

Molecular dynamics simulations of binary mixtures comprising 2-hydroxyethylhydrazinium nitrate (HEHN) and hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN) were conducted using the polarizable APPLE&P force field to investigate fundamental properties of multimode propulsion (MMP) propellants. Calculated densities as a function of temperature were in good agreement with experiments and similar simulations. The structural properties of neat HEHN and HAN-HEHN provided insights into their inherent, protic nature.

Cold atmospheric plasma for addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has greatly stressed the global community, exposing vulnerabilities in the supply chains for disinfection materials, personal protective equipment, and medical resources worldwide. Disinfection methods based on cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) technologies offer an intriguing solution to many of these challenges because they are easily deployable and do not require resource-constrained consumables or reagents needed for conventional decontamination practices. CAP technologies have shown great promise for a wide range of medical applications from wound healing and cancer treatment to sterilization methods to mitigate airborne and fomite transfer of viruses.

Portable air-fed cold atmospheric plasma device for postsurgical cancer treatment.

Surgery represents the major option for treating most solid tumors. Despite continuous improvements in surgical techniques, cancer recurrence after surgical resection remains the most common cause of treatment failure. Here, we report cold atmospheric plasma (CAP)–mediated postsurgical cancer treatment, using a portable air-fed CAP (aCAP) device.

In situ microscopy for plasma erosion of complex surfaces.

A novel method for the in situ visualization and profilometry of a plasma-facing surface is demonstrated using a long-distance microscope. The technique provides valuable in situ monitoring of the microscopic temporal and morphological evolution of a material surface subject to plasma-surface interactions, such as ion-induced sputter erosion. Focus variation of image stacks enables height surface profilometry, which allows a depth of field beyond the limits associated with high magnification.

Persistent Sputtering Yield Reduction in Plasma-Infused Foams.

Aluminum microfoams are found to exhibit persistent sputtering yield reductions of 40%-80% compared to a flat aluminum surface under 100 to 300 eV argon plasma bombardment. An analytical model reveals a strong dependency of the yield on the foam geometry and plasma sheath. For foam pore sizes near or larger than the sheath thickness, the plasma infuses the foam and transitions the plasma-surface interactions from superficial to volumetric phenomena.

Cold atmospheric plasma for SARS-CoV-2 inactivation.

Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infectious virions are viable on various surfaces (e.g., plastic, metals, and cardboard) for several hours.

Transdermal cold atmospheric plasma-mediated immune checkpoint blockade therapy.

Despite the promise of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy against cancer, challenges associated with low objective response rates and severe systemic side effects still remain and limit its clinical applications. Here, we described a cold atmospheric plasma (CAP)-mediated ICB therapy integrated with microneedles (MN) for the transdermal delivery of ICB. We found that a hollow-structured MN (hMN) patch facilitates the transportation of CAP through the skin, causing tumor cell death.

Algorithm to optimize transient hot-wire thermal property measurement.

The transient hot-wire method has been widely used to measure the thermal conductivity of fluids. The ideal working equation is based on the solution of the transient heat conduction equation for an infinite linear heat source assuming no natural convection or thermal end effects. In practice, the assumptions inherent in the model are only valid for a portion of the measurement time.