Moderate hypothermia within 6 h of birth plus inhaled xenon versus moderate hypothermia alone after birth asphyxia (TOBY-Xe):a proof-of-concept, open-label, randomised controlled trial

SummaryBackgroundModerate cooling after birth asphyxia is associated with substantial reductions in death and disability, but additional therapies might provide further benefit. We assessed whether the addition of xenon gas, a promising novel therapy, after the initiation of hypothermia for birth asphyxia would result in further improvement.MethodsTotal Body hypothermia plus Xenon (TOBY-Xe) was a proof-of-concept, randomised, open-label, parallel-group trial done at four intensive-care neonatal units in the UK. Eligible infants were 36–43 weeks of gestational age, had signs of moderate to severe encephalopathy and moderately or severely abnormal background activity for at least 30 min or seizures as shown by amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG), and had one of the following: Apgar score of 5 or less 10 min after birth, continued need for resuscitation 10 min after birth, or acidosis within 1 h of birth. Participants were allocated in a 1:1 ratio by use of a secure web-based computer-generated randomisation sequence within 12 h of birth to cooling to a rectal temperature of 33·5°C for 72 h (standard treatment) or to cooling in combination with 30% inhaled xenon for 24 h started immediately after randomisation. The primary outcomes were reduction in lactate to N-acetyl aspartate ratio in the thalamus and in preserved fractional anisotropy in the posterior limb of the internal capsule, measured with magnetic resonance spectroscopy and MRI, respectively, within 15 days of birth. The investigator assessing these outcomes was masked to allocation. Analysis was by intention to treat. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00934700, and with ISRCTN, as ISRCTN08886155.FindingsThe study was done from Jan 31, 2012, to Sept 30, 2014. We enrolled 92 infants, 46 of whom were randomly assigned to cooling only and 46 to xenon plus cooling. 37 infants in the cooling only group and 41 in the cooling plus xenon group underwent magnetic resonance assessments and were included in the analysis of the primary outcomes. We noted no significant differences in lactate to N-acetyl aspartate ratio in the thalamus (geometric mean ratio 1·09, 95% CI 0·90 to 1·32) or fractional anisotropy (mean difference −0·01, 95% CI −0·03 to 0·02) in the posterior limb of the internal capsule between the two groups. Nine infants died in the cooling group and 11 in the xenon group. Two adverse events were reported in the xenon group: subcutaneous fat necrosis and transient desaturation during the MRI. No serious adverse events were recorded.InterpretationAdministration of xenon within the delayed timeframe used in this trial is feasible and apparently safe, but is unlikely to enhance the neuroprotective effect of cooling after birth asphyxia.FundingUK Medical Research Council

Direct Synthesis of Highly Siliceous ZnO-FAU Zeolite with Enhanced Performance in Hydrocarbon Cracking Reactions

The hydrothermal stability and catalytic activity of zeolite Y (faujasite, FAU) is highly dependent on its composition. High silicon content is often desirable for catalytic applications; however, direct synthesis of faujasite with high silicon content (Si/Al > 2.5) is nontrivial. Here, we present an organic-free synthesis of FAU-type zeolite with Si/Al = 3.4 using zinc oxide as a modifier. A combination of spectroscopy and microscopy techniques confirms that ZnO is well-distributed within zeolite pores as extra-framework species, and the nature of these species differs from bulk ZnO and framework zinc in Zn-FAU crystals. We demonstrate that the increased Si/Al ratio leads to improved hydrothermal stability, while catalytic cracking of 1-hexene and cumene show that ZnO-FAU exhibits a significantly longer lifetime compared to in-house and commercial zeolite Y. Collectively, this study presents a facile and efficient method to prepare more siliceous FAU with enhanced catalytic performance.J.D.R. received funding primary from the National Science Foundation (Award DMR-2005201) and additional support from The Welch Foundation (Award E-1794). We also wish to thank Albemarle Corporation for their support of this work. J.G.M. and N.L. received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 872102 and the Spanish MINECO and AEI/FEDER, UE, through Project ref. RTI2018-099504-B-C21. N.L. also acknowledges the University of Alicante support (UATALENTO17-05). ToF-SIMS analysis was carried out with support provided by the National Science Foundation (Award CBET-1626418). This work was conducted in part using resources of the Shared Equipment Authority at Rice University. This research used resources of the Advanced Photon Source, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. The authors thank Mahalingam Balasubramanian from APS Sector 20 (now at Oak Ridge National Laboratory) for collecting the EXAFS dataset

The evolution of the image of China in the United States during the cold war

This article describes the evolution of the image of China in the United States (US) during the Cold War. Aware that China-US bilateral relations have been influenced by periods of conflict and animosity, harmony and détente, the article argues that the image of China has always been embedded in a network of events - birth of the PRC (People's Republic of China [PRC], Korean War, Sino-Soviet alliance) that prevented American public opinion from developing an objective and unbiased picture of the PRC. Since 1950s, China has always been linked to the idea of the 'Yellow Peril'. Moreover, the lack of a direct contact between China and America further thwarted the opportunity of shaping a fair picture of the PRC. Although recognising that during the Cold War American political parties played a significant role in conveying a negative image of China, this article shows how media helped in strengthening Chinese stereotypes among the American public. Analysing all articles published by Time, National Geographic and Readers' Digest from 1949 to 1972, the article highlights both similarities and differences of the way in which these magazines introduced China to their readers. © Sage Publication 2009.link_to_subscribed_fulltex