Surface Hydroxylation-Induced Electrostatic Forces Thicken Water Films on Quartz.

Aqueous films on mineral surfaces control the physical, chemical, and biological transport processes in the atmosphere, soil, and rocks. Despite the importance of thin films for various research and engineering fields, there are still unanswered questions regarding the roles of the different forces affecting the nature of water films. One of these, the focus of this study, is the development of abnormally thick water films on quartz surfaces. In this study, we developed a density-functional-theory-based model to describe the time-dependent evolution of water films and identify the governing forces responsible for thickening films. We simulated the diffusion of water vapor from ambient air toward mineral surfaces and the formation and thickening of water films at various relative humidity values. Our model predicts an abnormal water film thickness on a hydroxylated quartz surface compared to a surface free of hydroxylation, which explains experimental observations. We further used the model to understand the key interaction forces at different stages of water film formation and thickening. Our model suggests that the attractive hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces initiate a seed layer of water, and the electrostatic forces, generated by the hydroxylated and thus charged surface, lead to the thickening of water films. This generalizable model can provide insights into the peculiarities of water film development on various mineral surfaces

Comparison of short-term clinical and pathological outcomes after transanal versus laparoscopic total mesorectal excision for low anterior rectal resection due to rectal cancer : a systematic review with meta-analysis

Background: Transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) is a new technique that is designed to overcome the limits of the open and laparoscopic approach for rectal resections. Objective: This study is designed to compare TaTME with standard laparoscopic TME (LaTME). Methods: We searched Medline, Embase, and Scopus databases covering a up to October 2018. Inclusion criteria for study enrolment: (1) study comparing laparoscopic resection of rectal cancer vs. TaTME for rectal malignancy, (2) reporting of overall morbidity, operative time, or major complications. Results: Eleven non-randomized studies were eligible with a total of 778 patients. We found statistical significant differences in regard to major complications in favour of TaTME (RR = 0.55; 95% CI 0.31⁻0.97; p = 0.04). We did not found significant differences regarding overall complications intraoperative adverse effects, operative time, anastomotic leakage, intra-abdominal abscess occurrence, Surgical Site Infection, reoperations, Length of stay, completeness of mesorectal excision, R0 resection rate, number of harvested lymph nodes, circumferential resection margin, and distal resection margin. Conclusions: This meta-analysis shows benefits of TaTME technique regarding major postoperative complications. Regarding clinicopathological features transanal approach is not superior to LaTME. Currently, the quality of the evidence on benefits of TaTME is low due to lack of randomized controlled trials, which needs to be taken into consideration in further evaluation of the technique. Further evaluation of TaTME require conducting large randomized control trials

Blood serum calorimetry indicates the chemotherapeutic efficacy in lung cancer treatment

Chemotherapy is a primary treatment for the metastatic lung cancer patients. To select the most effective combination of drugs, we need an efficient way of assessing tumor response. Here, we showed that differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis of blood serum proteins could reveal the patient response to the treatment. If chemotherapy is effective, serum proteins DSC curve of non-small cellular lung cancer (NSCLC) case is similar to the those of the healthy individuals. If treatment fails, notable changes occur in the DSC profile of NSCLC patient's blood serum. Our preliminary work illustrates how thermal analysis of changes in the heat capacity of blood serum proteins can provide an insight into patient response to chemotherapy - the essential information for any successive lung cancer treatment

Relaxation Time of Proton Adsorption from Solution onto Magnetite and Anatase: Classical and New Theoretical Approach

The pH dependence of relaxation time of proton adsorption was analyzed by the classical Theory of Activated Adsorption and Desorption (TAAD) and the recently developed Statistical Rate Theory of Interfacial Transport (SRT). It was found that both models predicted different behaviour of relaxation time as a function of pH. Since SRT and TAAD give an identical result for relaxation time of adsorption of uncharged species, it is suggested that the surface potential is a key factor in ion adsorption kinetics. Additionally, only the order of magnitude of the ion adsorption rate constant can be estimated from the analysis of experimental data because the surface potential and the total concentration of adsorption sites are not known exactly

Relaxation Time of Proton Adsorption from Solution onto Magnetite and Anatase: Classical and New Theoretical Approach*

The pH dependence of relaxation time of proton adsorption was analyzed by the classical Theory of Activated Adsorption and Desorption (TAAD) and the recently developed Statistical Rate Theory of Interfacial Transport (SRT). It was found that both models predicted different behaviour of relaxation time as a function of pH. Since SRT and TAAD give an identical result for relaxation time of adsorption of uncharged species, it is suggested that the surface potential is a key factor in ion adsorption kinetics. Additionally, only the order of magnitude of the ion adsorption rate constant can be estimated from the analysis of experimental data because the surface potential and the total concentration of adsorption sites are not known exactly. Keywords: magnetite anatase proton adsorption kinetics relaxation time statistical rate theory CROATICA CHEMICA ACTA CCACAA 80 (3-4) 345¿349 (2007