Efficient Fabrication of Nanoporous Si and Si/Ge Enabled by a Heat Scavenger in Magnesiothermic Reactions

Magnesiothermic reduction can directly convert SiO₂ into Si nanostructures. Despite intense efforts, efficient fabrication of highly nanoporous silicon by Mg still remains a significant challenge due to the exothermic reaction nature. By employing table salt (NaCl) as a heat scavenger for the magnesiothermic reduction, we demonstrate an effective route to convert diatom (SiO₂) and SiO₂/GeO₂ into nanoporous Si and Si/Ge composite, respectively. Fusion of NaCl during the reaction consumes a large amount of heat that otherwise collapses the nano-porosity of products and agglomerates silicon domains into large crystals. Our methodology is potentially competitive for a practical production of nanoporous Si-based materials.Keywords: Energy storage, Nanoparticles, Porous silicon, Nanowires, Chemical reduction, Dioxide, Electrodes, Anode materials, Lithium ion batteries, Crystallin

Myocarditis and sports in the young: data from a nationwide registry on myocarditis - "MYKKE-Sport"

BACKGROUND: Myocarditis represents one of the most common causes of Sudden Cardiac Death in children. Myocardial involvement during a viral infection is believed to be higher as a consequence of intensive exertion. Recommendations for return to sports are based on cohort and case studies only. This study aims to investigate the relationship between physical activity and myocarditis in the young. PATIENT: Every patient in the MYKKE registry fulfilling criteria for suspicion of myocarditis was sent a questionnaire regarding the physical activity before, during and after the onset of myocarditis. METHOD: This study is a subproject within the MYKKE registry, a multicenter registry for children and adolescents with suspected myocarditis. The observation period for this analysis was 93 months (September 2013–June 2021). Anamnestic, cardiac magnetic resonance images, echocardiography, biopsy and laboratory records from every patient were retrieved from the MYKKE registry database. RESULTS: 58 patients (mean age 14.6 years) were enrolled from 10 centers. Most patients participated in curricular physical activity and 36% in competitive sports before the onset of myocarditis. There was no significant difference of heart function at admission between the physically active and inactive subjects (ejection fraction of 51.8 ± 8.6% for the active group vs. 54.4 ± 7.7% for the inactive group). The recommendations regarding the return to sports varied widely and followed current guidelines in 45%. Most patients did not receive an exercise test before returning to sports. CONCLUSION: Sports before the onset of myocarditis was not associated with a more severe outcome. There is still a discrepancy between current literature and actual recommendations given by health care providers. The fact that most participants did not receive an exercise test before being cleared for sports represents a serious omission

Clinical characteristics and outcome of biopsy-proven myocarditis in children - Results of the German prospective multicentre registry "MYKKE"

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) due to myocarditis might not respond in the same way to standard therapy as HF due to other aetiologies. The aim of this study was to investigate the value of endomyocardial biopsies (EMB) for clinical decision-making and its relation to the outcome of paediatric patients with myocarditis. METHODS: Clinical and EMB data of children with myocarditis collected for the MYKKE-registry between 2013 and 2020 from 23 centres were analysed. EMB studies included histology, immunohistology, and molecular pathology. The occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) including mechanical circulatory support (MCS), heart transplantation, and/or death was defined as a combined endpoint RESULTS: Myocarditis was diagnosed in 209/260 patients: 64% healing/chronic lymphocytic myocarditis, 23% acute lymphocytic myocarditis (AM), 14% healed myocarditis, no giant cell myocarditis. The median age was 12.8 (1.4–15.9) years. Time from symptom-onset to EMB was 11.0 (4.0–29.0) days. Children with AM and high amounts of mononuclear cell infiltrates were significantly younger with signs of HF compared to those with healing/chronic or healed myocarditis. Myocardial viral DNA/RNA detection had no significant effect on outcome. The worst event-free survival was seen in patients with healing/chronic myocarditis (24%), followed by acute (31%) and healed myocarditis (58%, p = 0.294). A weaning rate of 64% from MCS was found in AM. CONCLUSIONS: EMB provides important information on the type and stage of myocardial inflammation and supports further decision-making. Children with fulminant clinical presentation, high amounts of mononuclear cell infiltrates or healing/chronic inflammation and young age have the highest risk for MACE

Phylogeny and Biogeography of Hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae): Evidence from Five Nuclear Genes

The 1400 species of hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) comprise one of most conspicuous and well-studied groups of insects, and provide model systems for diverse biological disciplines. However, a robust phylogenetic framework for the family is currently lacking. Morphology is unable to confidently determine relationships among most groups. As a major step toward understanding relationships of this model group, we have undertaken the first large-scale molecular phylogenetic analysis of hawkmoths representing all subfamilies, tribes and subtribes.The data set consisted of 131 sphingid species and 6793 bp of sequence from five protein-coding nuclear genes. Maximum likelihood and parsimony analyses provided strong support for more than two-thirds of all nodes, including strong signal for or against nearly all of the fifteen current subfamily, tribal and sub-tribal groupings. Monophyly was strongly supported for some of these, including Macroglossinae, Sphinginae, Acherontiini, Ambulycini, Philampelini, Choerocampina, and Hemarina. Other groupings proved para- or polyphyletic, and will need significant redefinition; these include Smerinthinae, Smerinthini, Sphingini, Sphingulini, Dilophonotini, Dilophonotina, Macroglossini, and Macroglossina. The basal divergence, strongly supported, is between Macroglossinae and Smerinthinae+Sphinginae. All genes contribute significantly to the signal from the combined data set, and there is little conflict between genes. Ancestral state reconstruction reveals multiple separate origins of New World and Old World radiations.Our study provides the first comprehensive phylogeny of one of the most conspicuous and well-studied insects. The molecular phylogeny challenges current concepts of Sphingidae based on morphology, and provides a foundation for a new classification. While there are multiple independent origins of New World and Old World radiations, we conclude that broad-scale geographic distribution in hawkmoths is more phylogenetically conserved than previously postulated

OXYGEN-TENSION DISTRIBUTION IN HEAD AND NECK CARCINOMAS AFTER PERORAL OXYGEN-THERAPY

Background: It has been shown that the response on radiotherapy in human tumors is correlated to the oxygen supply. Polarographic needle electrodes offer a feasible tool to determine the oxygen tension distribution in human tumors. The peroral administration of oxygen-enhanced water may be able to overcome the radioresistance in reducing hypoxic regions in larger tumors and will be analyzed. Patients and Methods: Oxygen tension distributions were determined in clinically fixed lymph node metastases in 6 patients suffering from a carcinoma of the base of the tongue (n=2), larynx (n=2), hypopharynx and tonsillar fossa before and immediately after drinking oxygen-enhanced water (20 mg/l O-2) From a pooled histogram (n=200) median pO(2), mean pO(2) and hypoxic fraction could be calculated and compared. Results: The determined pO(2) tension values showed a typical distribution for squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck region with the proof of containing hypoxic tumor cells. After administration of oxygen-enhanced water 2 patients revealed only a marginal increase in oxygen supply. A moderate improvement in tissue oxygenation was observed in 3 patients, combined with a therapeutically relevant shift of pO(2) values from the low pO(2) classes (<10 mm Hg) to medium pO(2) classes. In 1 patient an impressive increase in the overall oxygen tissue tension could be observed. The overall mean and median pO(2) values increased after peroral oxygen therapy (POT) from 14.4 to 23.3 mm Hg and from 22.3 to 30.2 mm Hg, respectively. The hypoxic fraction was significantly reduced. Conclusion: The peroral administration of oxygen-enhanced water is a feasible technique to increase the oxygen supply to tumors. The therapeutic role should be evaluated ina larger clinical trial, combined with the invasive determination of oxygen tension distributions. The reduced hypoxic fraction seems to be promising in therapeutic irradiation