Scalable Multifunctional Ultra-thin Graphite Sponge: Free-standing, Superporous, Superhydrophobic, Oleophilic Architecture with Ferromagnetic Properties for Environmental Cleaning.

Water decontamination and oil/water separation are principal motives in the surge to develop novel means for sustainability. In this prospect, supplying clean water for the ecosystems is as important as the recovery of the oil spills since the supplies are scarce. Inspired to design an engineering material which not only serves this purpose, but can also be altered for other applications to preserve natural resources, a facile template-free process is suggested to fabricate a superporous, superhydrophobic ultra-thin graphite sponge. Moreover, the process is designed to be inexpensive and scalable. The fabricated sponge can be used to clean up different types of oil, organic solvents, toxic and corrosive contaminants. This versatile microstructure can retain its functionality even when pulverized. The sponge is applicable for targeted sorption and collection due to its ferromagnetic properties. We hope that such a cost-effective process can be embraced and implemented widely

Silicon Derived from Glass Bottles as Anode Materials for Lithium Ion Full Cell Batteries.

Every year many tons of waste glass end up in landfills without proper recycling, which aggravates the burden of waste disposal in landfill. The conversion from un-recycled glass to favorable materials is of great significance for sustainable strategies. Recently, silicon has been an exceptional anode material towards large-scale energy storage applications, due to its extraordinary lithiation capacity of 3579 mAh g-1 at ambient temperature. Compared with other quartz sources obtained from pre-leaching processes which apply toxic acids and high energy-consuming annealing, an interconnected silicon network is directly derived from glass bottles via magnesiothermic reduction. Carbon-coated glass derived-silicon (gSi@C) electrodes demonstrate excellent electrochemical performance with a capacity of ~1420 mAh g-1 at C/2 after 400 cycles. Full cells consisting of gSi@C anodes and LiCoO2 cathodes are assembled and achieve good initial cycling stability with high energy density

KEYNOTE PAPER STOCHASTIC FREQUENCY SIGNATURE FOR CHEMICAL SENSING VIA NONINVASIVE CELL-ELECTRONIC INTERFACE

ABSTRACT Cel

Gastric outlet obstruction caused by focal nodular hyperplasia of the liver: A case report and literature review

AbstractINTRODUCTIONHere, we present a case of gastric outlet obstruction due to focal nodular hyperplasia of the liver.PRESENTATION OF CASEA 23-year-old female presented to our emergency clinic with nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Endoscopy showed that the prepyloric region of the stomach was externally compressed by a lesion. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 70mm solid mass originating from the liver, extending caudally in an exophytic manner, and compressing the stomach. Laparotomy revealed an irregular and exophytic mass originating from the liver, which caused gastric outlet obstruction. The mass was resected with a 10mm safety margin. The histopathology report of the mass returned as focal nodular hyperplasia.DISCUSSIONGastric outlet obstruction is a clinical syndrome characterized by abdominal pain, nausea, and postprandial vomiting. This clinical condition frequently develops as a result of peptic ulcer disease, pyloric stenosis, and obstruction of pylorus by foreign bodies including phytobezoars, congenital duodenal webs, malignant disorders, and various lesions externally compressing the stomach. Gastric outlet obstruction due to hepatic lesions is extremely rare; few cases have been reported.CONCLUSIONThis is the first reported case of gastric outlet obstruction that developed due to focal nodular hyperplasia of the liver

Superporous nanocarbon materials upcycled from polyethylene terephthalate waste for scalable energy storage

Plastic pollution is becoming a universal threat affecting wildlife, marines, the atmosphere, soil, and human wellbeing. The insufficient waste management traditions, along with a growth in the "throw-away" and "single -use" culture, exacerbate the problem. Meanwhile, the fast-growing energy storage industry, such as the lithium -ion battery (LIB), requires renewable resources to provide a steady and reliable production supply chain. This work introduces a scalable industrial mature route to transform polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic waste into a superporous activated carbon material for rechargeable LIBs. We characterized the analytical properties of the waste-derived carbon material and used it to develop LIB anodes. Then, we generated carbon-silicon com-posite anodes by impregnating silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) into the superporous connected architecture network. We conducted density functional-based tight-binding (DFTB+) quantum chemical calculations to elucidate the binding interactions between PET and SiNPs. By implementing electrochemical impedance spec-troscopy (EIS), galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT), and differential capacity analysis (DCA), we investigated the root causes of the degradation mechanisms of the material. Finally, our techno-economical study highlights the merits of a sustainable approach for transferring waste materials into valuable products such as energy storage. This work can create further research and development for recycling plastic wastes towards scalable stationary battery storage with the benefits of environmental sustainability and circular economics

Templated fabrication of InSb nanowires for nanoelectronics

Among various ways to produce nanowires, anodic alumina membrane-(AAM-) based synthesis has constantly received much attention, because AAM has a uniform and parallel porous nanostructure which makes it an ideal template material for fabricating highly ordered nanostructures. In this paper, we report fabrication of InSb nanowire arrays with diameter of 200 nm and 30 nm by direct current electrodeposition inside the nanochannels of anodic alumina membranes without subsequent annealing. The nanowires have four major growth directions, (220) being the most dominant with structure defects such as twins. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results demonstrate that these InSb nanowires are uniform with diameters about 200 nm and 30 nm, corresponding to the pore diameter of the AAMs. The I-V measurement of a single nanowire is also reported with encouraging preliminary results

Original Article Long-term effects of forgotten biliary stents: a case series and literature review

Abstract: There are many studies about the biliary stents, however there is a little information about the long-term stayed forgotten biliary stents except a few case reports. We have reported the results of a number of cases with biliary stents that were forgotten or omitted by the patient and the endoscopist. During February 2010 to May 2013, five patients were referred to the general surgery clinic of Haydarpasa Numune Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul Turkey. Past history and medical documents submitted by the patient did not indicate a replacement of the biliary stent in 3 patients. Two patients knew that they had biliary stents. We also conducted a literature review via the PubMed and Google Scholar databases of English language studies published until March 2014 on forgotten biliary stent. There were 3 men and 2 women ranging in age from 22 to 68 years (mean age 41.6 years). Patients presented with pain in the upper abdomen, jaundice, fever, abnormal liver function tests or dilatation of the biliary tract alone or in combination. Patients' demographic findings are presented i

Enhanced presentation of MHC class Ia, Ib and class II-restricted peptides encapsulated in biodegradable nanoparticles: a promising strategy for tumor immunotherapy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Many peptide-based cancer vaccines have been tested in clinical trials with a limited success, mostly due to difficulties associated with peptide stability and delivery, resulting in inefficient antigen presentation. Therefore, the development of suitable and efficient vaccine carrier systems remains a major challenge.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To address this issue, we have engineered polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) nanoparticles incorporating: (i) two MHC class I-restricted clinically-relevant peptides, (ii) a MHC class II-binding peptide, and (iii) a non-classical MHC class I-binding peptide. We formulated the nanoparticles utilizing a double emulsion-solvent evaporation technique and characterized their surface morphology, size, zeta potential and peptide content. We also loaded human and murine dendritic cells (DC) with the peptide-containing nanoparticles and determined their ability to present the encapsulated peptide antigens and to induce tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) <it>in vitro</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We confirmed that the nanoparticles are not toxic to either mouse or human dendritic cells, and do not have any effect on the DC maturation. We also demonstrated a significantly enhanced presentation of the encapsulated peptides upon internalization of the nanoparticles by DC, and confirmed that the improved peptide presentation is actually associated with more efficient generation of peptide-specific CTL and T helper cell responses.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Encapsulating antigens in PLGA nanoparticles offers unique advantages such as higher efficiency of antigen loading, prolonged presentation of the antigens, prevention of peptide degradation, specific targeting of antigens to antigen presenting cells, improved shelf life of the antigens, and easy scale up for pharmaceutical production. Therefore, these findings are highly significant to the development of synthetic vaccines, and the induction of CTL for adoptive immunotherapy.</p

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London