Identification of Catalytic Active Sites for Durable Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell: Catalytic Degradation and Poisoning Perspectives

Recent progress in synthetic strategies, analysis techniques, and computational modeling assist researchers to develop more active catalysts including metallic clusters to single-atom active sites (SACs). Metal coordinated N-doped carbons (M-N-C) are the most auspicious, with a large number of atomic sites, markedly performing for a series of electrochemical reactions. This perspective sums up the latest innovative and computational comprehension, while giving credit to earlier/pioneering work in carbonaceous assembly materials towards robust electrocatalytic activity for proton exchange membrane fuel cells via inclusive performance assessment of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). M-Nx-Cy are exclusively defined active sites for ORR, so there is a unique possibility to intellectually design the relatively new catalysts with much improved activity, selectivity, and durability. Moreover, some SACs structures provide better performance in fuel cells testing with long-term durability. The efforts to understand the connection in SACs based M-Nx-Cy moieties and how these relate to catalytic ORR performance are also conveyed. Owing to comprehensive practical application in the field, this study has covered very encouraging aspects to the current durability status of M-N-C based catalysts for fuel cells followed by degradation mechanisms such as macro-, microdegradation, catalytic poisoning, and future challenges

The recent advances in the approach of artificial intelligence (AI) towards drug discovery

Artificial intelligence (AI) has recently emerged as a unique developmental influence that is playing an important role in the development of medicine. The AI medium is showing the potential in unprecedented advancements in truth and efficiency. The intersection of AI has the potential to revolutionize drug discovery. However, AI also has limitations and experts should be aware of these data access and ethical issues. The use of AI techniques for drug discovery applications has increased considerably over the past few years, including combinatorial QSAR and QSPR, virtual screening, and denovo drug design. The purpose of this survey is to give a general overview of drug discovery based on artificial intelligence, and associated applications. We also highlighted the gaps present in the traditional method for drug designing. In addition, potential strategies and approaches to overcome current challenges are discussed to address the constraints of AI within this field. We hope that this survey plays a comprehensive role in understanding the potential of AI in drug discovery

Increasing frailty is associated with higher prevalence and reduced recognition of delirium in older hospitalised inpatients: results of a multi-centre study

Purpose: Delirium is a neuropsychiatric disorder delineated by an acute change in cognition, attention, and consciousness. It is common, particularly in older adults, but poorly recognised. Frailty is the accumulation of deficits conferring an increased risk of adverse outcomes. We set out to determine how severity of frailty, as measured using the CFS, affected delirium rates, and recognition in hospitalised older people in the United Kingdom. Methods: Adults over 65 years were included in an observational multi-centre audit across UK hospitals, two prospective rounds, and one retrospective note review. Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), delirium status, and 30-day outcomes were recorded. Results: The overall prevalence of delirium was 16.3% (483). Patients with delirium were more frail than patients without delirium (median CFS 6 vs 4). The risk of delirium was greater with increasing frailty [OR 2.9 (1.8–4.6) in CFS 4 vs 1–3; OR 12.4 (6.2–24.5) in CFS 8 vs 1–3]. Higher CFS was associated with reduced recognition of delirium (OR of 0.7 (0.3–1.9) in CFS 4 compared to 0.2 (0.1–0.7) in CFS 8). These risks were both independent of age and dementia. Conclusion: We have demonstrated an incremental increase in risk of delirium with increasing frailty. This has important clinical implications, suggesting that frailty may provide a more nuanced measure of vulnerability to delirium and poor outcomes. However, the most frail patients are least likely to have their delirium diagnosed and there is a significant lack of research into the underlying pathophysiology of both of these common geriatric syndromes

Tracking development assistance for health and for COVID-19: a review of development assistance, government, out-of-pocket, and other private spending on health for 204 countries and territories, 1990-2050

Background The rapid spread of COVID-19 renewed the focus on how health systems across the globe are financed, especially during public health emergencies. Development assistance is an important source of health financing in many low-income countries, yet little is known about how much of this funding was disbursed for COVID-19. We aimed to put development assistance for health for COVID-19 in the context of broader trends in global health financing, and to estimate total health spending from 1995 to 2050 and development assistance for COVID-19 in 2020. Methods We estimated domestic health spending and development assistance for health to generate total health-sector spending estimates for 204 countries and territories. We leveraged data from the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database to produce estimates of domestic health spending. To generate estimates for development assistance for health, we relied on project-level disbursement data from the major international development agencies' online databases and annual financial statements and reports for information on income sources. To adjust our estimates for 2020 to include disbursements related to COVID-19, we extracted project data on commitments and disbursements from a broader set of databases (because not all of the data sources used to estimate the historical series extend to 2020), including the UN Office of Humanitarian Assistance Financial Tracking Service and the International Aid Transparency Initiative. We reported all the historic and future spending estimates in inflation-adjusted 2020 US$, 2020 US$ per capita, purchasing-power parity-adjusted US$per capita, and as a proportion of gross domestic product. We used various models to generate future health spending to 2050. Findings In 2019, health spending globally reached$8. 8 trillion (95% uncertainty interval UI] 8.7-8.8) or $1132 (1119-1143) per person. Spending on health varied within and across income groups and geographical regions. Of this total,$40.4 billion (0.5%, 95% UI 0.5-0.5) was development assistance for health provided to low-income and middle-income countries, which made up 24.6% (UI 24.0-25.1) of total spending in low-income countries. We estimate that $54.8 billion in development assistance for health was disbursed in 2020. Of this,$13.7 billion was targeted toward the COVID-19 health response. $12.3 billion was newly committed and$1.4 billion was repurposed from existing health projects. $3.1 billion (22.4$2.4 billion (17.9%) was for supply chain and logistics. Only $714.4 million (7.7$1519 (1448-1591) per person in 2050, although spending across countries is expected to remain varied. Interpretation Global health spending is expected to continue to grow, but remain unequally distributed between countries. We estimate that development organisations substantially increased the amount of development assistance for health provided in 2020. Continued efforts are needed to raise sufficient resources to mitigate the pandemic for the most vulnerable, and to help curtail the pandemic for all. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Annealing effects on the structural and optical properties of thermally deposited tin antimony sulfide thin films

We report the deposition and characterization of tin antimony sulfide thin films on a soda glass substrate by a thermal evaporation technique. The thin films were annealed in argon gas at 150, 175, and 300 °C inside glass ampoules. The structural and optical properties of the deposited and annealed films are investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns show that the films are polycrystalline in structure. Photoconductivity plot revealed good response in the NIR and visible regions, while the films show no transmittance below 700 nm. The absorption coefficient was of the order of 106 cm−1. Optical band gaps were also evaluated and a decrease in band gap was observed due to annealing. Hot point probe technique was employed for type of conductivit

Experimental and Theoretical Aspects of MXenes-Based Energy Storage and Energy Conversion Devices

Transition metal carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides (MXenes) have become an appealing framework for developing various energy applications. MXenes with van der Waals (vdW) interactions are facile, highly efficient, affordable, and self-assembled features that improve energy density. MXenes exhibit large surface area, high electric conductivity, and excellent electrochemical characteristics for various energy applications. This review summarizes and emphasizes the current developments in MXene with improved performance for energy storage or conversion devices, including supercapacitors (SCs), various types of rechargeable batteries (RBs), solar cells, and fuel cells. We discuss the crystal structures of MXenes properties of MXenes and briefly discuss them for different types of energy applications. Finally, the critical outlook and perspective for the MXene progress for applications in energy applications are also described.Godkänd;2023;Nivå 0;2023-11-16 (hanlid);Funder: Research Fund for International Scientists, Lanzhou University (52250410342); Full text license: CC BY</p

Facile Synthesis of PdO.TiO₂ Nanocomposite for Photoelectrochemical Oxygen Evolution Reaction

The rapid depletion of fossil fuels and environmental pollution has motivated scientists to cultivate renewable and green energy sources. The hydrogen economy is an emerging replacement for fossil fuels, and photocatalytic water splitting is a suitable strategy to produce clean hydrogen fuel. Herein, the photocatalyst (PdO.TiO2) is introduced as an accelerated photoelectrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The catalyst showed significant improvement in the current density magnitude from 0.89 (dark) to 4.27 mA/cm2 (light) during OER at 0.5 V applied potential. The as-synthesized material exhibits a Tafel slope of 170 mVdec−1 and efficiency of 0.25% at 0.93 V. The overall outcomes associated with the photocatalytic activity of PdO.TiO2 demonstrated that the catalyst is highly efficient, thereby encouraging researchers to explore more related catalysts for promoting facile OER

Development of a biocompatible creatinine-based niosomal delivery system for enhanced oral bioavailability of clarithromycin

Context: Nonionic surfactant vesicles have gained increasing scientific attention for hydrophobic drugs delivery due to their biocompatibility, stability and low cost. Objective: The aim of the present study was to synthesize and evaluate a novel creatinine-based nonionic surfactant in terms of its ability to generate biocompatible niosomal system for the delivery of Clarithromycin. Materials and Methods: The surfactant was synthesized by reacting creatinine with lauroyl chloride followed by characterization using 1HNMR and MS. The drug-loaded niosomal vesicles of the surfactant were characterized for drug encapsulation efficiency (EE) using LC-MS, vesicle size using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and vesicle shape using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The surfactant was also investigated for blood hemolysis, in vitro cytotoxicity against different cell lines and in vivo acute toxicity in mice. Furthermore, the in vivo bioavailability of Clarithromycin encapsulated in the novel niosomal formulation was investigated using rabbits and quantified through validated LC-MS/MS method. Results and discussion: Findings showed that vesicles were able to entrap up to 67.82 � 1.27% of the drug, and were rounded in shape with a size around 202.73 � 5.30 nm and low polydispersity. The surfactant caused negligible blood hemolysis, very low cytotoxicity and was found to be safe up to 2500 mg/kg body weight using mice. The niosomal formulation showed twofold enhanced oral bioavailability of Clarithromycin as compared to commercial formulations of the drug. Conclusion: The study has shown that the creatinine-based niosomes developed in our laboratory were biocompatible, safe and increased the oral bioavailability of the model hydrophobic Clarithromycin using experimental animals.Scopu