Recent Advances on Carbon-Based Metal-Free Electrocatalysts for Energy and Chemical Conversions.

Over the last decade, carbon-based metal-free electrocatalysts (C-MFECs) have become important in electrocatalysis. This field is started thanks to the initial discovery that nitrogen atom doped carbon can function as a metal-free electrode in alkaline fuel cells. A wide variety of metal-free carbon nanomaterials, including 0D carbon dots, 1D carbon nanotubes, 2D graphene, and 3D porous carbons, has demonstrated high electrocatalytic performance across a variety of applications.

AIBI Modified Mesoporous Copper Sulfide Nanocomposites for Efficient Non-Oxygen Dependent Free Radicals-Assisted Photothermal Therapy in Uveal Melanoma.

Uveal melanoma (UM) is an ocular cancer predominantly affecting adults, characterized by challenging diagnostic outcomes. This research endeavors to develop an innovative multifunctional nanocomposite system sensitive to near-infrared (NIR) radiation, serving as both a non-oxygen free-radical generator and a photothermal agent. The designed system combines azobis isobutyl imidazoline hydrochloride (AIBI) with mesoporous copper sulfide (MCuS) nanoparticles.

Simultaneous Imaging and Photodynamic-Enhanced Photothermal Inhibition of Cancer Cells Using a Multifunctional System Combining Indocyanine Green and Polydopamine-Preloaded Upconversion Luminescent Nanoparticles.

This work introduces a novel multifunctional system called UPIPF (upconversion-polydopamine-indocyanine-polyethylene-folic) for upconversion luminescent (UCL) imaging of cancer cells using near-infrared (NIR) illumination. The system demonstrates efficient inhibition of human hepatoma (HepG2) cancer cells through a combination of NIR-triggered photodynamic therapy (PDT) and enhanced photothermal therapy (PTT). Initially, upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP) are synthesized using a simple thermal decomposition method.

A new antioxidant made from a pterostilbene functionalized graphene nanocomposite as an efficient treatment for dry eye disease.

Dry eye disease is a common condition that affects the eyes. It is caused by problems with the tear film and the tear dynamics. Dry eye can be caused by an increase in the amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the corneal epithelium.

The Efficient Regeneration of Corneal Nerves via Tunable Transmembrane Signaling Channels Using a Transparent Graphene-Based Corneal Stimulation Electrode.

The efficient regeneration of corneal nerves is of limited success in the field of ophthalmology. This work reports the use of a non-invasive electrical stimulation technique that uses a transparent graphene-based corneal stimulation electrode and that can achieve efficient regeneration of corneal nerves. The corneal stimulation electrode is prepared using electroactive nitrogen-containing conducting polymers such as polyaniline functionalized graphene (PAG).

High-Performance Intraocular Biosensors from Chitosan-Functionalized Nitrogen-Containing Graphene for the Detection of Glucose.

The noninvasive and real-time detection of glucose sugar from tears is promising for the early diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes. However, its realization is a big challenge. A suitable biosensor electrode that can closely fit the eye and be electrochemically sensitive is still unrealized.

A Metal-Polymer Hybrid Biomimetic System for use in the Chemodynamic-Enhanced Photothermal Therapy of Cancers.

This article reports the fabrication of a smart biomimetic enzyme system, which incorporates a pH-responsive chemodynamic therapy (CDT) combined with a photothermal (PTT) therapy approach in resolving the high recurrence rate of deadly cancers. The resulting enzyme system comprises copper sulfide (CuS) nanoparticle (NP) cores as Fenton-like catalysts, and a photothermal-active generation 5 poly(amidoamine) (G5) dendrimer as a template for the entrapment of Cu NPs and the compression of glucose oxidase (GOD). GOD is introduced to produce H O necessary in the sequential Fenton-like reaction, and this generates hydroxyl radicals that kill the cancerous cells.

The Use of TAT Peptide-Functionalized Graphene as a Highly Nuclear-Targeting Carrier System for Suppression of Choroidal Melanoma.

Tumorous metastasis is a difficult challenge to resolve for researchers and for clinicians. Targeted delivery of antitumor drugs towards tumor cells' nuclei can be a practical approach to resolving this issue. This work describes an efficient nuclear-targeting delivery system prepared from trans-activating transcriptional activator (TAT) peptide-functionalized graphene nanocarriers.

Poly(butylene succinate--salicylic acid) copolymers and their effect on promoting plant growth.

Biodegradable random copolymers were successfully synthesized by melt polycondensation of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and salicylic acid (SA). The obtained copolymers were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The effect of different SA contents on the properties of copolymers was investigated by universal testing machine, thermogravimetric analyser, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction analysis.

Polyaniline Functionalized Graphene Nanoelectrodes for the Regeneration of PC12 Cells via Electrical Stimulation.

The regeneration of neurons is an important goal of neuroscience and clinical medicine. The electrical stimulation of cells is a promising technique to meet this goal. However, its efficiency highly depends on the electrochemical properties of the stimulation electrodes used.

A Transferrin Triggered Pathway for Highly Targeted Delivery of Graphene-Based Nanodrugs to Treat Choroidal Melanoma.

The synthesis of transferrin (Tf)-modified pegylated graphene (PG) and its application as a highly efficient drug delivery carrier for therapy of Ocular Choroidal Melanoma-1 (OCM-1) cells is presented. For the first reported time, nanoscaled PG is prepared using an environmentally friendly ball-milling technique. The unique 2D nanostructure obtained using this PG synthesis approach offers considerable advantages in terms of drug loading and delivery, as well as the conjugation of Tf to PG providing a more targeted delivery vehicle.

Hydroxyl-Functional Groups on Graphene Trigger the Targeted Delivery of Antitumor Drugs.

An efficient and targeted treatment for tumor cells is demonstrated. This targeting is based upon the strong affinity between hydroxyl-functional groups on graphene and acidic tumors. The hydroxylated graphene (GOH) with a unique 2D architecture further improve the targeting capacity of the system via an enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) process.

Stilbenes from Veratrum maackii Regel Protect against Ethanol-Induced DNA Damage in Mouse Cerebellum and Cerebral Cortex.

Ethanol is a principle ingredient of alcoholic beverages with potential neurotoxicity and genotoxicity, and the ethanol-associated oxidative DNA damage in the central nervous system is well documented. Natural source compounds may offer new options to protect the brain against ethanol-induced genotoxicity. Veratrum maackii Regel is a toxic rangeland plant linked to teratogenicity which is also used in traditional Chinese medicine as "Lilu" and is reported to contain a family of compounds called stilbenes that can have positive biological activity.

Large-area gold nanohole arrays fabricated by one-step method for surface plasmon resonance biochemical sensing.

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) nanosensors based on metallic nanohole arrays have been widely reported to detect binding interactions in biological specimens. A simple and effective method for constructing nanoscale arrays is essential for the development of SPR nanosensors. In this work, we report a one-step method to fabricate nanohole arrays by thermal nanoimprinting in the matrix of IPS (Intermediate Polymer Stamp).

The Application of Whole Cell-Based Biosensors for Use in Environmental Analysis and in Medical Diagnostics.

Various whole cell-based biosensors have been reported in the literature for the last 20 years and these reports have shown great potential for their use in the areas of pollution detection in environmental and in biomedical diagnostics. Unlike other reviews of this growing field, this mini-review argues that: (1) the selection of reporter genes and their regulatory proteins are directly linked to the performance of celllular biosensors; (2) broad enhancements in microelectronics and information technologies have also led to improvements in the performance of these sensors; (3) their future potential is most apparent in their use in the areas of medical diagnostics and in environmental monitoring; and (4) currently the most promising work is focused on the better integration of cellular sensors with nano and micro scaled integrated chips. With better integration it may become practical to see these cells used as (5) real-time portable devices for diagnostics at the bedside and for remote environmental toxin detection and this in situ application will make the technology commonplace and thus as unremarkable as other ubiquitous technologies.

Myeloproliferative Disease: An Unusual Cause of Raynaud's Phenomenon and Digital Ischaemia.

We describe a 59-year-old female who presented with ischaemic digits, preceded by a 6-month history of Raynaud's phenomenon affecting her fingers and toes. There were no clinical or laboratory features of primary vasculitis or connective tissue disease, Doppler imaging was normal, and bloods were unremarkable aside from a platelet count of 786 × 109/L (150-400) and white cells of 16 × 109/L (4-11). In view of the thrombocytosis a JAK2 mutation assay was requested which confirmed a JAK2 V617F mutation, suggesting essential thrombocytosis (ET) as the cause.

The Code of Professional Conduct for the Neurocritical Care Society.

Part of the responsibility of a professional society is to establish the expectations for appropriate behavior for its members. Some codes are so essential to a society that the code itself becomes the central document defining the organization and its tenets, as we see with the Hippocratic Oath. In that tradition, we have revised the code of professional conduct for the Neurocritical Care Society into its current version, which emphasizes guidelines for personal behavior, relationships with fellow members, relationships with patients, and our interactions with society as a whole.

C reactive protein may not be reliable as a marker of severe bacterial infection in patients receiving tocilizumab.

This is a case of a 65-year-old man with seropositive erosive rheumatoid arthritis (RA), well controlled on methotrexate, sulfasalazine, low-dose prednisolone and monthly infusions of tocilizumab. He presented with a 3-week history of pain and swelling in his left knee, gradually increasing in severity with an inability to bear weight. He was systemically well with normal vital signs.

Anti-viral cytotoxic T cells inhibit the growth of cancer cells with antibody targeted HLA class I/peptide complexes in SCID mice.

A number of experimental antibody mediated cancer therapies aim to redirect cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) of non-tumour specificity to cancer cells. It has been previously demonstrated that cancer cells targeted with recombinant HLA-class I/viral peptide complexes via antibody delivery systems can be killed by virus specific CTLs. This novel therapeutic system has been developed with a simple pre-clinical model using the recombinant anti-CD20 B9E9 scFvSA fusion protein to target HLA-A2/peptide complexes to CD20 +ve Daudi lymphoma cells.