Methylated Biochemical Fulvic Acid-Derived Hydrogels with Improved Swelling Behavior and Water Retention Capacity.

Although humic acids (HAs) have been used to prepare absorbent hydrogels, their applications in many areas, such as agriculture, wastewater treatment and hygienic products, are not satisfactory due to their low solubility in organic solvents. In this work, biochemical fulvic acid (BFA), as a kind of HA, was initially methylated for preparation of the methylated BFA (M-BFA), which contributed to enhancing the solubility in organic solvents. Then, M-BFA reacted with N,N'-methylene (MBA) in the N,N-Dimethylacrylamide (DMAA) solution, and the expected hydrogel (M-BFA/DMAA) was successfully obtained.

Expanded Vermiculite/D-Mannitol as Shape-Stable Phase Change Material for Medium Temperature Heat Storage.

Aiming to promote the application of D-mannitol in the field of phase change thermal storage, obstacles, including low thermal storage efficiency and high supercooling, should be properly disposed of. The adoption of adaptable and low-cost supporting materials to make shape-stable phase change materials (ss-PCMs) affordable is a primary solution to solve the above shortcomings. In this study, high-performance ss-PCM for effective medium-temperature heat storage was prepared using expanded vermiculite as the support for D-mannitol preservation.

Spent Yeast-Derived 3D Porous Carbon Skeleton as Low-Cost D-Mannitol Supporting Material for Medium Temperature Thermal Energy Storage.

Shape-stable phase change materials (ss-PCMs) are extensively applied in renewable energy storage. The core for realizing high latent heat and good thermal stability of ss-PCMs is the designation of suitable supporting skeletons that can effectively preserve the PCMs from leaking out. In this study, ss-PCMs impregnated by D-mannitol were prepared using a waste yeast-derived carbon (YC) as the support material.

Waste Plastic Polypropylene Activated Jujube Charcoal for Preparing High-Performance Phase Change Energy Storage Materials.

The research on the high-value utilization of biomass has good application prospects and is conducive to sustainable development. In this paper, three different types of activators (potassium hydroxide, phosphoric acid, and polypropylene) were used to carbonize jujube branches at high temperatures of 600 °C and 800 °C, and then the PEG/jujube charcoal composite phase change materials (PCM) were prepared by vacuum impregnation of polyethylene glycol (PEG). The results showed that the carbon support activated by polypropylene (PP) had a richer pore size distribution than the other two activation methods, and the 800 °C carbonization carrier loaded PEG had a higher phase change enthalpy than the composite material at 600 °C.

Multilayer Graphene Oxide Supported ZIF-8 for Efficient Removal of Copper Ions.

To address the performance deterioration of ZIF-8 for the adsorption of copper ions caused by powder volume pressure and particle aggregation, we employed multilayer graphene oxide (MGO) as a support to prepare composite adsorbents (MGO@ZIF-8) by using the in situ growth of ZIF-8 on MGO. Due to a good interfacial compatibility and affinity between ZIF-8 and graphene nanosheets, the MGO@ZIF-8 was successfully prepared. The optimal Cu adsorption conditions of MGO@ZIF-8 were obtained through single factor experiments and orthogonal experiments.

Preparation of Organic-Inorganic Coupling Phase Change Materials with Enhanced Thermal Storage Performance via Emulsion Polymerization.

The serious phase separation in inorganic phase change materials, and easy leakage of organic phase change materials are the main obstacles to the practical batch application of phase change heat storage materials. To solve these problems, in this work, emulsion polymerization is introduced as the method for preparing organic-inorganic coupling phase change material (oic-PCM) with high heat storage performance using polyacrylamide (PAM) as the wall material and organic phase change material of cetyl alcohol as the core material, and diatomite is used as a supporting substrate to absorb inorganic sodium sulfate decahydrate (SSD). A differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), dust morphology and dispersion analyzer, and thermal conductivity tester were used to characterize the prepared organic-inorganic coupled phase change materials and investigate their performance.

Hypophosphatemia is an independent risk factor for AKI among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infection.

Background: This study sought to investigate incidence and risk factors for acute kidney injury (AKI) in hospitalized COVID-19.

Methods: In this retrospective study, we enrolled 823 COVID-19 patients with at least two evaluations of renal function during hospitalization from four hospitals in Wuhan, China between February 2020 and April 2020. Clinical and laboratory parameters at the time of admission and follow-up data were recorded.

Non-invasive urinary metabolomics reveals metabolic profiling of polycystic ovary syndrome and its subtypes.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous endocrine disorder, which affects 4-10 % women of reproductive age. Though accumulating scientific evidence, its pathogenesis remains unclear. In the current study, metabolic profiling as well as diagnostic biomarkers for different phenotypes of PCOS was investigated using non-invasive urinary GCMS based metabolomics.

FTY720 Attenuates Angiotensin II-Induced Podocyte Damage via Inhibiting Inflammatory Cytokines.

FTY720, a new chemical substance derived from the ascomycete , is used for treating multiple sclerosis, renal cancer, and asthma. Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive sphingolipid metabolite and exists in red blood cells. FTY720 is a synthetic S1P analog which can block S1P evoking physiological effects.

Peritoneal catheter fixation to the abdominal wall in surgical catheter implantation to prevent malfunction.

Background: Catheter failure, especially catheter displacement and obstruction remain the major barriers for peritoneal dialysis. We have developed a new surgery technique of catheter fixation on the lower abdominal wall in the catheter planting to avert the catheter mechanical complications.

Method: A retrospective study was performed on 93 patients; among them, 52 patients underwent the traditional method of surgery for catheter insertion and 41 patients received additional catheter fixation.

PCB77 Inducing Renal Tubular Cell Apoptosis.

PCBs are a family of persistent environmental toxicants with a wide spectrum of toxic features, such as neurotoxic, hepatoxicity, immunotoxicity, endocrine disruption effects, and oncogenic effects. The kidney is the most important organ involved in the elimination of toxins and drugs. To date, little has been done to investigate the potential influence of nephrotoxicity of 3,3',4,4'- tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB77).