Toward expert-level medical question answering with large language models.

Large language models (LLMs) have shown promise in medical question answering, with Med-PaLM being the first to exceed a 'passing' score in United States Medical Licensing Examination style questions. However, challenges remain in long-form medical question answering and handling real-world workflows. Here, we present Med-PaLM 2, which bridges these gaps with a combination of base LLM improvements, medical domain fine-tuning and new strategies for improving reasoning and grounding through ensemble refinement and chain of retrieval.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes/TiO/Chitosan nanocomposite for efficient removal of malachite green dye from aqueous system: A comprehensive experimental and theoretical investigation.

This study presents the preparation, characterization, and application of a novel Multi-walled carbon nanotubes/TiO/chitosan (MWCNT/TiO/CS) nanocomposite, prepared using a hydrothermal method, for the removal of malachite green (MG) dye from aqueous solutions. Adsorption studies revealed optimal dye removal within 15 min of adsorption equilibrium time, with maximum removal efficiency of 98.53 % at pH 7.

Plasma Microbial Cell-Free DNA Sequencing for Diagnosis of Pediatric Lyme Disease.

We conducted an exploratory study of plasma microbial cell-free DNA sequencing for the diagnosis of Lyme disease among pediatric patients. Low levels of Borrelia burgdorferi microbial cell-free DNA (<3-5 molecules per microliter) were observed in 6/9 serologically confirmed participants, including 4/5 with arthritis and 2/3 with multiple erythema migrans.

Comparative Absorption and Bioavailability of Various Chemical Forms of Zinc in Humans: A Narrative Review.

Zinc is an essential micronutrient that is needed for numerous critical health functions in the body. It is estimated that 17 to 20% of the global population is at risk for zinc deficiency, with certain groups at higher risk. The provision of supplemental zinc is a convenient and effective option for treating zinc deficiency and maintaining healthy levels of zinc.

Fabrication of novel multifunctional copper-functionalized hemp fibers to remove anionic dye and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs from wastewaters.

This research aims to design a novel selective and multifunctional adsorbent based on Al/Cu modified hemp fibres as a novel and multifunctional adsorbent for removing different classes of pollutants. The adsorbent, which was widely characterized, was shown to be more effective in removing anionic dyes compared to cationic ones. Among the tested dye, methyl orange was selected to understand how different parameters, such as temperature (20-80°C), contact time, pH (2-12), initial dye concentration (50-300 ppm), salinity and adsorbent dosage (1-10 g/L) affect the removal capacity.

The adsorption behavior and mechanism of Cu(Ⅱ), Fe(Ⅱ) and Co(Ⅱ) on straw biochar and their Fenton-like performance for ciprofloxacin decontamination.

In this study, the adsorption of aqueous Cu(Ⅱ), Fe(Ⅱ), and Co(Ⅱ) on biochars at diverse synthesized temperatures was evaluated. The optimal sample BC-800 achieved superior adsorption performance of Cu(Ⅱ), Fe(Ⅱ), and Co(Ⅱ) at 10-50 mg L initial concentration. Due to the larger surface area (349.

Study of methylene blue removal and photocatalytic degradation on zirconia thin films modified with Mn-Anderson polyoxometalates.

Recalcitrant pollutants are challenging to degrade during water treatment processes. Methylene blue (MB), a cationic dye, is particularly resistant to degradation and is environmentally persistent. Heterogeneous photocatalysis has emerged as a suitable strategy for removing such pollutants from water.

Banana peels-derived shape-regulated nanocellulose for effective adsorption of Nile blue A dye.

Industrial wastes, including dyes and other chemicals, are significant sources of water pollution. The adsorption process is often explored in water purification. However, developing low-cost, sustainable adsorbents with good dye removal capacity remains challenging.

Epichlorohydrin/triethylamine modified psyllium as a highly efficient adsorbent for selective adsorption of anionic dyes.

To develop new green sustainable adsorbents, herein, psyllium, a polysaccharide, was transformed into a cationic material by introducing a quaternary ammonium group in its structure through a two-step process. Psyllium was epoxidized with epichlorohydrin to epoxy propyl form (Psy) and the resulting material was reacted with triethylamine to obtain a quaternized psyllium, Psy. Psy demonstrates selective elimination of anionic dyes (CR and MO).

Microplastics as adsorbent for Pb and Cd: A comparative study of polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, high-density polyethylene, and low-density polyethylene.

Microplastics (MPs) in aquatic environments adsorb heavy metals, thereby posing potential environmental risks. However, further research is needed to elucidate the adsorption behavior of different types of MPs for various heavy metals. The aim of this study was to characterize four types of MPs: polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and low-density polyethylene (LDPE).

Advanced analysis via statistical physics model to study the efficiency of catechol removal from wastewater using Brazil nut shell activated carbon.

This paper presented the preparation, characterization, and adsorption properties of Brazil nut shell activated carbon for catechol removal from aqueous solutions. The equilibrium adsorption of catechol molecules on this activated was experimentally quantified at pH 6 and temperatures ranging from 25 to 55 °C, and at 25 °C and pH ranging from 6 to 10. These results were utilized to elucidate the role of surface functionalities through statistical physics calculations.

Efficient removal of Sb(III) from aqueous solution using TiO precipitated onto waste herb-residue biochar.

Increasing antimony (Sb) pollution has become a global concern, but there is still a lack of economically efficient adsorbents for its remediation. In this study, a novel remediation material was developed by precipitating TiO onto waste herb-residue biochar (named TBC). The effectiveness and adsorption mechanisms of the material for Sb(III) removal were investigated through adsorption experiments, and the enhancement pathway of traditional herb decoction on the effectiveness of modified biochar was analyzed.

Association of SARS-CoV-2 Infection during pregnancy with placental weight and histopathologic lesions.

Introduction: The reported gross and histopathologic changes in the placenta associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection are heterogeneous. We sought to summarize placental histopathologic findings from pregnancies affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection according to timing of infection and symptom severity.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy who had deliveries at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, from April 2020 through June 2021.

Proposal of one new family, seven new genera and seventy new basidiomycetous yeast species mostly isolated from Tibet and Yunnan provinces, China.

More than 2 000 yeast strains isolated from 1 200 samples mostly collected from Tibet and Yunnan provinces in China were identified as 462 species according to the internal transcribed spacer including the 5.8S rDNA (ITS) and the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit rDNA (LSU) sequence analyses. Among them, 70 new basidiomycetous yeast species were proposed based on the multi-locus phylogenetic analyses including the D1/D2 domains, the ITS, the small subunit rDNA (SSU), the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (), the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II () and translation elongation factor 1-α (), as well as the phenotypic comparisons.

Cooperative Molecular Interaction-Based Highly Efficient Capturing of Ultrashort- and Short-Chain Emerging Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Using Multifunctional Nanoadsorbents.

The short-chain (C to C) and ultrashort-chain (C to C) per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are bioaccumulative, carcinogenic to humans, and harder to remove using current technologies, which are often detected in drinking and environmental water samples. Herein, we report the development of nonafluorobutanesulfonyl (NFBS) and polyethylene-imine (PEI)-conjugated FeO magnetic nanoparticle-based magnetic nanoadsorbents and demonstrated that the novel adsorbent has the capability for highly efficient removal of six different short- and ultrashort-chain PFAS from drinking and environmental water samples. Reported experimental data indicates that by capitalizing the cooperative hydrophobic, fluorophilic, and electrostatic interaction processes, NFBS-PEI-conjugated magnetic nanoadsorbents can remove ∼100% short-chain perfluorobutanesulfonic acid within 30 min from the water sample with a maximum absorption capacity of ∼234 mg g.

Mechanisms of enhanced Cr (VI) removal by waste lignin derived N-doped hierarchical porous carbon (N-HPC).

N-doped hierarchical porous carbon (N-HPC) is made from waste lignin by a one-pot method, and its mechanisms of Cr (VI) removal was investigated. The specific surface area (S) of N-HPC-Fe3 was 1749.8 m/g, the experimentally determined equilibrium adsorption capacity (q) for Cr (VI) was 386.

How to Evaluate the Chemical Affinity of -OH and -COOH Functional Groups Toward U(VI).

Which functional group shows a stronger affinity for U(VI) and can be introduced into material to enhance selective enrichment? This is crucial for U(VI) capture material design and evaluation. Following these questions, we herein compared and analyzed bare graphene, graphene oxide (GO), and carboxylated graphene oxide (GO-COOH) through experimental and theoretical calculations. Experiments show that U(VI) adsorption on GO-COOH ( = 344.

Enhancing Methylene Blue Adsorption Performance of TiCT@Sodium Alginate Foam Through Pore Structure Regulation.

Pore structural regulation is expected to be a facile way to enhance the adsorption performance of MXene. In this work, spherical foam composites consisting of TiCT and sodium alginate (SA) were synthesized via a vacuum freeze-drying technique. By varying the solution volume of TiCT, four distinct TiCT@SA spherical foams with honeycomb-like and lamellar structures with a pore diameter in the range of 100-300 μm were fabricated.

Tryptophan Ameliorates Metabolic Syndrome by Inhibiting Intestinal Farnesoid X Receptor Signaling: The Role of Gut Microbiota-Bile Acid Crosstalk.

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a progressive metabolic disease characterized by obesity and multiple metabolic disorders. Tryptophan (Trp) is an essential amino acid, and its metabolism is linked to numerous physiological functions and diseases. However, the mechanisms by which Trp affects MS are not fully understood.

Adsorption mechanism of aqueous Cr(vi) by Vietnamese corncob biochar: a spectroscopic study.

Cr(vi) is highly toxic and carcinogenic, posing significant threats to health and ecosystems. This study utilizes solid waste from corncobs to synthesize biochar (CCBC) for the removal of Cr(vi) from water. The most effective Cr(vi) removal was achieved at pH 2.

Precisely controlled electrostatically sprayed sodium alginate/carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogel microbeads as super-adsorbent for adsorption of cationic dye.

In this pioneering study, electrostatic spraying (ES) technology with high voltages is proposed to reduce the size of hydrogel microbeads further, aiming to enhance the adsorption rate of cationic methylene blue (MB) dye. The increased voltages, ranging from 0.0 to 13.

Investigating the efficiency of fixed bed column containing FeO-ZIF8@eggshell membrane matrix in concurrent adsorption of arsenic and nitrate from water.

In the current work, the behavior of a fixed bed column (FBC) containing an innovative nanocomposite, FeO-ZIF8@eggshell membrane matrix (F-ZIF8@EMM), was investigated in the concurrent elimination of arsenic and nitrate, as two potentially harmful elements (PHEs) in drinking water. Flow rate (6-10 mL/min), column height (10-20 cm), reaction time (30-180 min), pH (5-10), primary content of arsenic (25-100 µg/L), primary content of nitrate (100-200 mg/L), and nanocomposite dose (0.25-1 mg/L) were examined as different operational effects on the simultaneous uptake of arsenic and nitrate from actual water via the as-fabricated novel nanocomposite through various experiments.