COVID-19 severity correlates with airway epithelium-immune cell interactions identified by single-cell analysis

To investigate the immune response and mechanisms associated with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on nasopharyngeal and bronchial samples from 19 clinically well-characterized patients with moderate or critical disease and from five healthy controls. We identified airway epithelial cell types and states vulnerable to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. In patients with COVID-19, epithelial cells showed an average three-fold increase in expression of the SARS-CoV-2 entry receptor ACE2, which correlated with interferon signals by immune cells. Compared to moderate cases, critical cases exhibited stronger interactions between epithelial and immune cells, as indicated by ligand–receptor expression profiles, and activated immune cells, including inflammatory macrophages expressing CCL2, CCL3, CCL20, CXCL1, CXCL3, CXCL10, IL8, IL1B and TNF. The transcriptional differences in critical cases compared to moderate cases likely contribute to clinical observations of heightened inflammatory tissue damage, lung injury and respiratory failure. Our data suggest that pharmacologic inhibition of the CCR1 and/or CCR5 pathways might suppress immune hyperactivation in critical COVID-19

Using metallic noncontact atomic force microscope tips for imaging insulators and polar molecules: tip characterization and imaging mechanisms

We demonstrate that using metallic tips for noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) imaging at relatively large (>0.5 nm) tip-surface separations provides a reliable method for studying molecules on insulating surfaces with chemical resolution and greatly reduces the complexity of interpreting experimental data. The experimental NC-AFM imaging and theoretical simulations were carried out for the NiO(001) surface as well as adsorbed CO and Co-Salen molecules using Cr-coated Si tips. The experimental results and density functional theory calculations confirm that metallic tips possess a permanent electric dipole moment with its positive end oriented toward the sample. By analyzing the experimental data, we could directly determine the dipole moment of the Cr-coated tip. A model representing the metallic tip as a point dipole is described and shown to produce NC-AFM images of individual CO molecules adsorbed onto NiO(001) in good quantitative agreement with experimental results. Finally, we discuss methods for characterizing the structure of metal-coated tips and the application of these tips to imaging dipoles of large adsorbed molecules. © 2014 American Chemical Society

Creating a regular array of metal-complexing molecules on an insulator surface at room temperature

Controlling self-assembled nanostructures on bulk insulators at room temperature is crucial towards the fabrication of future molecular devices, e.g., in the field of nanoelectronics, catalysis and sensor applications. However, at temperatures realistic for operation anchoring individual molecules on electrically insulating support surfaces remains a big challenge. Here, we present the formation of an ordered array of single anchored molecules, dimolybdenum tetraacetate, on the (10.4) plane of calcite (CaCO3). Based on our combined study of atomic force microscopy measurements and density functional theory calculations, we show that the molecules neither diffuse nor rotate at room temperature. The strong anchoring is explained by electrostatic interaction of an ideally size-matched molecule. Especially at high coverage, a hard-sphere repulsion of the molecules and the confinement at the calcite surface drives the molecules to form locally ordered arrays, which is conceptually different from attractive linkers as used in metal-organic frameworks. Our work demonstrates that tailoring the molecule-surface interaction opens up the possibility for anchoring individual metal complexing molecules into ordered arrays

Increased fragmentation efficiency by enhancement of cavitation for extracorporal shock wave lithotripsy [Steigerung der fragmentationseffizienz durch verstärkung von kavitation zur berührungsfreien nierensteinzertrümmerung]

The non-invasive disintegration of kidney stones using shock waves, referred to as extracorporal shock wave lithotripsy, has been successful for more than twenty years in treating patients having renal and ureteral stones. Two modified shock wave generators are described in this article. The novel systems produce two similar shock waves (tandem shock waves) generated with a short time delay. The second shock wave arrives during collapse of the bubbles generated in the neighborhood of the stone due to the first shock wave. This may increase cavitation bubble collapse and could enhance cavitation-induced damage to kidney stones during shock wave lithotripsy. In vitro comparison of standard systems with the new designs showed that fragmentation efficiency of artificial kidney stones was significantly enhanced using tandem shock waves

Increased fragmentation efficiency by enhancement of cavitation for extracorporal shock wave lithotripsy [Steigerung der fragmentationseffizienz durch verstärkung von kavitation zur berührungsfreien nierensteinzertrümmerung]

The non-invasive disintegration of kidney stones using shock waves, referred to as extracorporal shock wave lithotripsy, has been successful for more than twenty years in treating patients having renal and ureteral stones. Two modified shock wave generators are described in this article. The novel systems produce two similar shock waves (tandem shock waves) generated with a short time delay. The second shock wave arrives during collapse of the bubbles generated in the neighborhood of the stone due to the first shock wave. This may increase cavitation bubble collapse and could enhance cavitation-induced damage to kidney stones during shock wave lithotripsy. In vitro comparison of standard systems with the new designs showed that fragmentation efficiency of artificial kidney stones was significantly enhanced using tandem shock waves