Hollow spherical SiO2 micro-container encapsulation of LiCl for high-performance simultaneous heat reallocation and seawater desalination

Energy & fresh water have both become scarce resources in the modern era of human society. Sorption-based technology is environmentally friendly and energy-efficient and can be driven by low-grade energy to transfer energy and produce fresh water. Here, we report a solid sorbent fabricated by encapsulating a hygroscopic salt, lithium chloride (LiCl), inside micro-sized hollow-structured SiO2. This composite sorbent (LiCl@HS) exhibits 6 times faster water vapor sorption kinetics than pure LiCl and a water vapor sorption capacity of 1.7 kg kg-1 at a relative humidity (RH) of 50%, which is the highest ever reported for any solid sorbent in the literature. The low regeneration temperature (<80 °C) and good cycling stability ensure the feasibility of the composite sorbent for use in practical applications. The thermodynamic calculations reveal that the sorbent is able to continuously supply 20 °C temperature lift with a maximum coefficient of performance (COP) for cooling of 0.97 and COP for heating of 1.89 while simultaneously producing 9.05 kg potable water per kilogram sorbent daily using seawater as the source water and solar energy as the sole energy source. A homemade system is developed and its practical performance in providing seasonally switchable heating and cooling along with clean water production from source water with an impaired quality is successfully verified, indicating its great potential

Causal relationship between iron deficiency anemia and asthma: a Mendelian randomization study

BackgroundObservational studies have suggested an association between iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and asthma, which may affect the occurrence of asthma. However, whether IDA is a new management goal for asthma remains to be determined.ObjectiveWe conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization(MR)analysis to assess the association between IDA and asthma.MethodsWe performed a two-sample MR study to assess a causal relationship between IDA (ncase = 12,434, ncontrol = 59,827) and asthma (ncase = 20,629, ncontrol = 135,449). Inverse variance weighted (IVW) was used as the primary method for the analyses. Furthermore, we used weighted medians and MR-Egger to enhance robustness. Data linking genetic variation to IDA and asthma were combined to assess the impact of IDA on asthma risk.ResultsThere are five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were used as genetic tool variables for exposure factors. Genetically determined IDA was significantly associated with an increased risk of asthma (OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.09–1.72, p = 0.007). There was little heterogeneity in the MR studies and no evidence of level pleiotropy was found.ConclusionsIn our MR study, our findings emphasize that IDA may be associated with a high risk of asthma, indicating a potential role for IDA in the development of asthma. Future research needs to elucidate its potential mechanisms to pave the way for the prevention and treatment of asthma

Safety and feasibility of transumbilical single-port laparoscopic uterine artery embolization combined with surgical embryo retrieval for the treatment of cesarean scar pregnancy

Objective To evaluate the safety and feasibility of transumbilical single-port laparoscopic uterine artery embolization combined with incision and embryo retrieval in the treatment of cesarean scar pregnancy. Methods Eleven patients with cesarean scar pregnancy who underwent transumbilical single-hole laparoscopic uterine artery embolization combined with incision and embryo retrieval were recruited in the study group， and ten patients who underwent multi-hole laparoscopic uterine artery embolization combined with incision and embryo retrieval were assigned into the control group. Baseline data and perioperative clinical data were compared between two groups. Results No significant differences were found in age， number of pregnancies， number of cesarean sections， time interval from last cesarean section， clinical classification， number of days of menopause， and the presence or absence of symptoms of vaginal bleeding between two groups （all P &gt; 0.05）. No significant differences were observed in operation time， intraoperative bleeding and postoperative retention time of catheterization between two groups （all P &gt; 0.05）. In the study group， postoperative numeric rating scale （NRS） score was significantly lower and the length of hospital stay was significantly shorter compared with those in the control group （both P &lt; 0.05）. Conclusions Compared with traditional multi-port laparoscopic uterine artery embolization combined with incision and embryo retrieval， transumbilical single-port laparoscopic uterine artery embolization combined with incision and embryo retrieval is a feasible and safe procedure， which can alleviate postoperative pain， shortern the length of hospital stay and yield better cosmetic results

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance findings in Danon disease: a case series of a family

BackgroundCardiac involvement constitutes the primary cause of mortality in patients with Danon disease (DD). This study aimed to explore the cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) features and progressions of DD cardiomyopathies in a family with long-term follow-up.MethodsSeven patients (five females and two males), belonging to the same family and afflicted with DD, were enrolled in this study between 2017 and 2022. The cardiac structure, function, strain, tissue characteristics on CMR and their evolutions during follow-up were analyzed.ResultsThree young female patients (3/7, 42.86%) exhibited normal cardiac morphology. Four patients (4/7, 57.14%) displayed left ventricle hypertrophy (LVH), and mostly with septal thickening (3/4, 75%). A single male case (1/7, 14.3%) showed decreased LV ejection fraction (LVEF). Nonetheless, the global LV strain of the four adult patients decreased in different degree. The global strain of adolescent male patients was decreased compared to the age-appropriate female patients. Five patients (5/7, 71.43%) exhibited late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), with proportion ranging from 31.6% to 59.7% (median value 42.7%). The most common LGE location was the LV free wall (5/5, 100%), followed by right ventricle insertion points (4/5, 80%) and intraventricular septum (2/5, 40%). Segmental radial strain (rs = −0.586), circumferential strain (r = 0.589), and longitudinal strain (r = 0.514) were all moderately correlated with the LGE proportions of corresponding segments (P &lt; 0.001). T2 hyperintense and perfusion defect foci were identified, overlapping with the LGE areas. During follow-up, both the young male patients exhibited notable deterioration of their cardiac symptoms and CMR. The LVEF and strain decreased, and the extent of LGE increased year by year. One patient underwent T1 mapping examination. The native T1 value was sensitively elevated even in regions without LGE.ConclusionsLeft ventricular hypertrophy, LGE with sparing or relatively less involved IVS, and LV dysfunction are prominent CMR features of Danon cardiomyopathy. Strain and T1 mapping may have advantages in detecting early-stage dysfunction and myocardial abnormalities in DD patients, respectively. Multi-parametric CMR can serve as an optimal instrument for detecting DD cardiomyopathies

One Small Step for Generative AI, One Giant Leap for AGI: A Complete Survey on ChatGPT in AIGC Era

OpenAI has recently released GPT-4 (a.k.a. ChatGPT plus), which is demonstrated to be one small step for generative AI (GAI), but one giant leap for artificial general intelligence (AGI). Since its official release in November 2022, ChatGPT has quickly attracted numerous users with extensive media coverage. Such unprecedented attention has also motivated numerous researchers to investigate ChatGPT from various aspects. According to Google scholar, there are more than 500 articles with ChatGPT in their titles or mentioning it in their abstracts. Considering this, a review is urgently needed, and our work fills this gap. Overall, this work is the first to survey ChatGPT with a comprehensive review of its underlying technology, applications, and challenges. Moreover, we present an outlook on how ChatGPT might evolve to realize general-purpose AIGC (a.k.a. AI-generated content), which will be a significant milestone for the development of AGI.Comment: A Survey on ChatGPT and GPT-4, 29 pages. Feedback is appreciated ([email protected]

The safety and tolerability of linezolid in novel short-course regimens containing bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid to treat rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis: an individual patient data meta-analysis

Background: Effectiveness, safety, tolerability, and adherence are critical considerations in shifting to shorter tuberculosis (TB) regimens. Novel 6-month oral regimens that include bedaquiline (B), pretomanid (Pa), and linezolid (L), with or without a fourth drug, have been shown to be as or more effective than the established longer regimens for the treatment of multidrug-resistant/rifampicin-resistant TB (MDR/RR-TB). We aimed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of linezolid in BPaL-containing regimens for the treatment of MDR/RR-TB among recently completed clinical trials. Methods: A review and meta-analysis was undertaken including published and unpublished data from clinical trials, conducted between 2010 and 2021, that evaluated regimens containing BPaL for the treatment of MDR/RR-TB. Individual patient data were obtained. For each BPaL-containing regimen, we evaluated the frequency and severity of treatment-related adverse events. The risk difference of adverse events for each regimen was calculated, in comparison to patients assigned to receiving the lowest cumulative exposure of linezolid. Results: Data from 3 clinical trials investigating 8 unique BPaL-containing regimens were included, comprising a total of 591 participants. Adverse events were more frequent in groups randomized to a higher cumulative linezolid dose. Among patients who were randomized to a daily dose of 1200 mg linezolid, 68 of 195 (35%) experienced a grade 3–4 adverse event versus 89 of 396 (22%) patients receiving BPaL-containing regimens containing 600 mg linezolid. Conclusions: Regimens containing BPaL were relatively well tolerated when they included a daily linezolid dose of 600 mg. These novel regimens promise to improve the tolerability of treatment for MDR/RR-TB

Access and Unmet Needs of Orphan Drugs in 194 Countries and 6 Areas: A Global Policy Review With Content Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Three hundred million people living with rare diseases worldwide are disproportionately deprived of in-time diagnosis and treatment compared with other patients. This review provides an overview of global policies that optimize development, licensing, pricing, and reimbursement of orphan drugs. METHODS: Pharmaceutical legislation and policies related to access and regulation of orphan drugs were examined from 194 World Health Organization member countries and 6 areas. Orphan drug policies (ODPs) were identified through internet search, emails to national pharmacovigilance centers, and systematic academic literature search. Texts from selected publications were extracted for content analysis. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-two drug regulation documents and 77 academic publications from 162 countries/areas were included. Ninety-two of 200 countries/areas (46.0%) had documentation on ODPs. Thirty-four subthemes from content analysis were categorized into 6 policy themes, namely, orphan drug designation, marketing authorization, safety and efficacy requirements, price regulation, incentives that encourage market availability, and incentives that encourage research and development. Countries/areas with ODPs were statistically wealthier (gross national income per capita = $10 875 vs$3950, P < .001). Country/area income was also positively correlated with the scope of the respective ODP (correlation coefficient = 0.57, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Globally, the number of countries with an ODP has grown rapidly since 2013. Nevertheless, disparities in geographical distribution and income levels affect the establishment of ODPs. Furthermore, identified policy gaps in price regulation, incentives that encourage market availability, and incentives that encourage research and development should be addressed to improve access to available and affordable orphan drugs