Visceral Adipose Tissue as a Risk Factor for Diabetes Mellitus in Patients with Chronic Pancreatitis: A Cross-sectional, Observational Study

<p><strong>Article full text</strong></p> <p><br> The full text of this article can be found <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13300-017-0304-1"><b>here</b>.</a><br> <br> <strong>Provide enhanced content for this article</strong><br> If you are an author of this publication and would like to provide additional enhanced content for your article then please contact <u>[email protected]</u>.<br> <br> The journal offers a range of additional features designed to increase visibility and readership. All features will be thoroughly peer reviewed to ensure the content is of the highest scientific standard and all features are marked as ‘peer reviewed’ to ensure readers are aware that the content has been reviewed to the same level as the articles they are being presented alongside. Moreover, all sponsorship and disclosure information is included to provide complete transparency and adherence to good publication practices. This ensures that however the content is reached the reader has a full understanding of its origin. No fees are charged for hosting additional open access content.<br> <br> Other enhanced features include, but are not limited to:<br> • Slide decks<br> • Videos and animations<br> • Audio abstracts<br> • Audio slides</p

Pressure-Induced Capillary Encapsulation Protocol for Ultrahigh Loading of Sulfur and Selenium Inside Carbon Nanotubes: Application as High Performance Cathode in Li–S/Se Rechargeable Batteries

There has been a paradigm shift in research foci toward elemental electrodes from the conventional intercalation compound-based electrochemical storage. Replacing intercalation transition metal (oxide) compounds with elemental cathodes (e.g., sulfur, oxygen) theoretically raises the storage capacities by more than one order in magnitude. The insulating nature and complexities of the redox reaction associated with electroactive elements necessitates their housing inside an electronic conductor, which has been mainly carbon. Efficiency of the electrochemical storage using such elemental electrodes, besides depending on factors related to the electrolyte, solid-state diffusion, mainly depends on characteristics of the carbon host. We report here a novel, simple, and efficient pressure-induced capillary encapsulation protocol for the confinement of chalcogens, sulfur (S) and selenium (Se), inside carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Confinement led to lowering of the surface tension of molten S/Se, resulting in superior wetting and ultrahigh loading of the CNTs. Higher than 95% of the CNTs is loaded, and very high loading, nearly 85% of S/Se inside the CNTs, is achieved. When assembled at a very high areal loading (∼10 mg cm^–2) in the Li–S/Se battery, the S/Se-CNT cathodes exhibited very stable cyclability and high values of specific capacity at widely varying operating current densities (0.1–10 C-rates)

Graphene Oxide–MnFe₂O₄ Magnetic Nanohybrids for Efficient Removal of Lead and Arsenic from Water

We show that the hybrids of single-layer graphene oxide with manganese ferrite magnetic nanoparticles have the best adsorption properties for efficient removal of Pb­(II), As­(III), and As­(V) from contaminated water. The nanohybrids prepared by coprecipitation technique were characterized using atomic force and scanning electron microscopies, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and surface area measurements. Magnetic character of the nanohybrids was ascertained by a vibrating sample magnetometer. Batch experiments were carried out to quantify the adsorption kinetics and adsorption capacities of the nanohybrids and compared with the bare nanoparticles of MnFe₂O₄. The adsorption data from our experiments fit the Langmuir isotherm, yielding the maximum adsorption capacity higher than the reported values so far. Temperature-dependent adsorption studies have been done to estimate the free energy and enthalpy of adsorption. Reusability, ease of magnetic separation, high removal efficiency, high surface area, and fast kinetics make these nanohybrids very attractive candidates for low-cost adsorbents for the effective coremoval of heavy metals from contaminated water

Impeding Exciton–Exciton Annihilation in Monolayer WS₂ by Laser Irradiation

Monolayer (1L) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are two-dimensional direct-bandgap semiconductors with promising applications of quantum light emitters. Recent studies have shown that intrinsically low quantum yields (QYs) of 1L-TMDs can be greatly improved by chemical treatments. However, nonradiative exciton–exciton annihilation (EEA) appears to significantly limit light emission of 1L-TMDs at a nominal density of photoexcited excitons due to strong Coulomb interaction. Here we show that the EEA rate constant (γ) can be reduced by laser irradiation treatment in mechanically exfoliated monolayer tungsten disulfide (1L-WS₂), causing significantly improved light emission at the saturating optical pumping level. Time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) measurements showed that γ reduced from 0.66 ± 0.15 cm²/s to 0.20 ± 0.05 cm²/s simply using our laser irradiation. The laser-irradiated region exhibited lower PL response at low excitation levels, however at the high excitation level displayed 3× higher PL intensity and QY than the region without laser treatment. The shorter PL lifetime and lower PL response at low excitation levels suggested that laser irradiation increased the density of sulfur vacancies of 1L-WS₂, but we attribute these induced defects, adsorbed by oxygen in air, to the origin for reduced EEA by hindering exciton diffusion. Our laser irradiation was likewise effective for reducing EEA and increasing PL of chemically treated 1L-WS₂ with a high QY, exhibiting the general applicability of our method. Our results suggest that exciton–exciton interaction in 1L-TMDs may be conveniently controlled by the laser treatment, which may lead to unsaturated exciton emission at high excitation levels

Simple Chemical Treatment to n‑Dope Transition-Metal Dichalcogenides and Enhance the Optical and Electrical Characteristics

The optical and electrical properties of monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides (1L-TMDs) are critically influenced by two dimensionally confined exciton complexes. Although extensive studies on controlling the optical properties of 1L-TMDs through external doping or defect engineering have been carried out, the effects of excess charges, defects, and the populations of exciton complexes on the light emission of 1L-TMDs are not yet fully understood. Here, we present a simple chemical treatment method for n-dope 1L-TMDs, which also enhances their optical and electrical properties. We show that dipping 1Ls of MoS₂, WS₂, and WSe₂, whether exfoliated or grown by chemical vapor deposition, into methanol for several hours can increase the electron density and also can reduce the defects, resulting in the enhancement of their photoluminescence, light absorption, and the carrier mobility. This methanol treatment was effective for both n- and p-type 1L-TMDs, suggesting that the surface restructuring around structural defects by methanol is responsible for the enhancement of optical and electrical characteristics. Our results have revealed a simple process for external doping that can enhance both the optical and electrical properties of 1L-TMDs and help us understand how the exciton emission in 1L-TMDs can be modulated by chemical treatments

Efficient Dendrimer–DNA Complexation and Gene Delivery Vector Properties of Nitrogen-Core Poly(propyl ether imine) Dendrimer in Mammalian Cells

Dendrimers as vectors for gene delivery were established, primarily by utilizing few prominent dendrimer types so far. We report herein studies of DNA complexation efficacies and gene delivery vector properties of a nitrogen-core poly­(propyl ether imine) (PETIM) dendrimer, constituted with 22 tertiary amine internal branches and 24 primary amines at the periphery. The interaction of the dendrimer with pEGFPDNA was evaluated through UV–vis, circular dichroism (CD) spectral studies, ethidium bromide fluorescence emission quenching, thermal melting, and gel retardation assays, from which most changes to DNA structure during complexation was found to occur at a weight ratio of dendrimer:DNA ∼ 2:1. The zeta potential measurements further confirmed this stoichiometry at electroneutrality. The structure of a DNA oligomer upon dendrimer complexation was simulated through molecular modeling and the simulation showed that the dendrimer enfolded DNA oligomer along both major and minor grooves, without causing DNA deformation, in 1:1 and 2:1 dendrimer-to-DNA complexes. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies on dendrimer-pEGFP DNA complex showed an increase in the average <i>z</i>-height as a result of dendrimers decorating the DNA, without causing a distortion of the DNA structure. Cytotoxicity studies involving five different mammalian cell lines, using [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide] (MTT) assay, reveal the dendrimer toxicity profile (IC₅₀) values of ∼400–1000 μg mL^–1, depending on the cell line tested. Quantitative estimation, using luciferase assay, showed that the gene transfection was at least 100 times higher when compared to poly­(ethylene imine) branched polymer, having similar number of cationic sites as the dendrimer. The present study establishes the physicochemical behavior of new nitrogen-core PETIM dendrimer–DNA complexes, their lower toxicities, and efficient gene delivery vector properties