Thin films of unsubstituted and fluorinated palladium phthalocyanines: structure and sensor response toward ammonia and hydrogen

In the present work, we study and compare the structure and sensing properties of thin films of unsubstituted palladium phthalocyanine (PdPc) and hexadecafluorosubstituted palladium phthalocyanine (PdPcF16). Thin films of PdPc and PdPcF16 were obtained by the method of organic molecular beam deposition and their structure was studied using UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy techniques. The electrical sensor response of PdPc films toward ammonia and hydrogen was investigated and compared with that of PdPcF16 films. The nature of interaction between the phthalocyanines films and some gaseous analyte molecules has been clarified using Quantum chemical (DFT) calculations

The effects of the PEDOT:PSS acidity on the performance and stability of P3HT:PCBM-based OSCs

The optical transmittance, electrical conductivity and morphology of PEDOT:PSS treated with ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) have been investigated. Transmittance spectra of spun PEDOT:PSS layers were enhanced slightly as a result NH4OH treatment while surface of the films has exhibited variation in the roughness and an increase in the electrical conductivity. Improvement in the physical properties of PEDOT:PSS is shown to be the key factor in enhancing the power conversion effeciency (PCE) with values as high as 4% associated with high fill factor (FF) of 57%, open circuit voltage (VOC) of 0.64 V and larger short circuit current density (JSC) of 11 mA cm−2. Stabiltiy test of the devices has been carried out over a period of 2 months, when a device incorporating PEDOT:PSS with pH ~ 4 as the hole transport layer has shown an improved stability with a degredation in PCE in about 43% whereas JSC has decreased in about 20% compared to a device incorporating pristine PEDOT:PSS with PCE decreased in about 66% and JSC in about 50% over the stated period of test. These effects have been ascribed to the increased acidity of the hole transport layer

Projected valve area at normal flow rate improves the assessment of stenosis severity in patients with low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis : the multicenter TOPAS (truly or pseudo-severe aortic stenosis) study

Background— We sought to investigate the use of a new parameter, the projected effective orifice area (EOAproj) at normal transvalvular flow rate (250 mL/s), to better differentiate between truly severe (TS) and pseudo-severe (PS) aortic stenosis (AS) during dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE). Changes in various parameters of stenosis severity have been used to differentiate between TS and PS AS during DSE. However, the magnitude of these changes lacks standardization because they are dependent on the variable magnitude of the transvalvular flow change occurring during DSE. Methods and Results— The use of EOAproj to differentiate TS from PS AS was investigated in an in vitro model and in 23 patients with low-flow AS (indexed EOA <0.6 cm2/m2, left ventricular ejection fraction =40%) undergoing DSE and subsequent aortic valve replacement. For an individual valve, EOA was plotted against transvalvular flow (Q) at each dobutamine stage, and valve compliance (VC) was derived as the slope of the regression line fitted to the EOA versus Q plot; EOAproj was calculated as EOAproj=EOArest+VC×(250-Qrest), where EOArest and Qrest are the EOA and Q at rest. Classification between TS and PS was based on either response to flow increase (in vitro) or visual inspection at surgery (in vivo). EOAproj was the most accurate parameter in differentiating between TS and PS both in vitro and in vivo. In vivo, 15 of 23 patients (65%) had TS and 8 of 23 (35%) had PS. The percentage of correct classification was 83% for EOAproj and 91% for indexed EOAproj compared with percentages of 61% to 74% for the other echocardiographic parameters usually used for this purpose. Conclusions— EOAproj provides a standardized evaluation of AS severity with DSE and improves the diagnostic accuracy for distinguishing TS and PS AS in patients with low-flow, low-gradient AS

Promising Antiviral Activity of Agrimonia pilosa Phytochemicals against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Supported with In Vivo Mice Study

The global emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has focused the entire world&rsquo;s attention toward searching for a potential remedy for this disease. Thus, we investigated the antiviral activity of Agrimonia pilosa ethanol extract (APEE) against SARS-CoV-2 and it exhibited a potent antiviral activity with IC50 of 1.1 &plusmn; 0.03 &micro;g/mL. Its mechanism of action was elucidated, and it exhibited a virucidal activity and an inhibition of viral adsorption. Moreover, it presented an immunomodulatory activity as it decreased the upregulation of gene expression of COX-2, iNOS, IL-6, TNF-&alpha;, and NF-&kappa;B in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced peripheral blood mononuclear cells. A comprehensive analysis of the phytochemical fingerprint of APEE was conducted using LC-ESI-MS/MS technique for the first time. We detected 81 compounds and most of them belong to the flavonoid and coumarin classes. Interestingly, isoflavonoids, procyanidins, and anthocyanins were detected for the first time in A. pilosa. Moreover, the antioxidant activity was evidenced in DPPH (IC50 62.80 &micro;g/mL) and ABTS (201.49 mg Trolox equivalents (TE)/mg) radical scavenging, FRAP (60.84 mg TE/mg), and ORAC (306.54 mg TE/g) assays. Furthermore, the protective effect of APEE was investigated in Lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice. Lung W/D ratio, serum IL-6, IL-18, IL-1&beta;, HO-1, Caspase-1, caspase-3, TLR-4 expression, TAC, NO, MPO activity, and histopathological examination of lung tissues were assessed. APEE induced a marked downregulation in all inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis markers, and TLR-4 expression. In addition, it alleviated all histopathological abnormalities confirming the beneficial effects of APEE in ALI. Therefore, APEE could be a potential source for therapeutic compounds that could be investigated, in future preclinical and clinical trials, in the treatment of patients with COVID-19