Construction of Hierarchical Fouling Resistance Surfaces onto Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Membranes for Combating Membrane Biofouling

Owing to the highly hydrophobic nature, fluoropolymer membranes usually suffer from serious fouling problem, and therefore largely limited their practical applications. Also, the development of environmentally benign and nonreleasing antifouling coatings onto the inert fluoropolymer membranes remains a great challenge and is of prime importance for various scientific interests and industrial applications. In the present work, a facile and effective approach for the construction of hierarchical fouling resistance surfaces onto the poly­(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes was developed. Graft copolymers of PVDF with poly­(hyperbranched polyglycerol methacrylamide) side chains (PVDF-<i>g</i>-PHPGMA copolymers) were synthesized via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) graft copolymerization of pentafluorophenyl methacrylate (PFMA) with the ozone-preactivated PVDF, followed by activated ester-amine reaction of PPFMA chains with amino-terminated hyperbranched polyglycerol (HPG-NH₂). The copolymers could be simply processed into microfiltration (MF) membranes with surface-tethered PHPGMA side chains on the membrane and pore surfaces by nonsolvent induced phase inversion. Furthermore, the PVDF-<i>g</i>-PHPGMA-<i>g</i>-PSBMA membrane was prepared via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) of zwitterionic monomer, <i>N</i>-(3-sulfopropyl)-<i>N</i>-(methacryloxyethyl)-<i>N</i>,<i>N</i>-dimethylammonium betaine (SBMA) from the PVDF-<i>g</i>-PHPGMA membrane and pore surfaces. Arise from a synergistic effect of the dendritic architecture of PHPGMA branches and “superhydrophilic” nature of PSBMA brushes, the PVDF-<i>g</i>-PHPGMA-<i>g</i>-PSBMA membranes exhibit superior resistance to protein and bacteria adhesion with insignificant cytotoxicity effects, making the membranes potentially useful for water treatment and biomedical applications. One may find the present study a general and effective method for the fabrication of antifouling fluoropolymer membranes in a controllable and green manner

Improvement of Expressed Breast Milk in Mothers of Preterm Infants by Recording Breast Milk Pumping Diaries in a Neonatal Center in China

<div><p>Objectives</p><p>Because inadequate expression of human milk (EBM) in mothers of hospitalized infants were noticed in a neonatal center of our hospital, family education program was carried out to increase the EBM.</p><p>Methods</p><p>A breast milk pumping diary was introduced to the mothers with preterm infant(s) admitted in the NICU. The ratios of EBM (days of EBM to NICU/hospitalized days), breast milk feeding (BMF) (days of infants fed with exclusive human milk/hospitalized days), mixed feeding (MF) (days of infants fed with partial breast milk and partial formula/hospitalized days), and formula feeding (FF) (days of infants fed with preterm formula/hospitalized days) were evaluated.</p><p>Results</p><p>During January to April, 2014, the ratios of EBM to the NICU, BMF, MF and FF were 28.11%, 6.6%, 32.8% and 60.6%, respectively. After the introduction of breast milk pumping diary to the mothers from May 2014, the ratio of EBM to the NICU increased significantly to 53.3% (p<0.01) within the following eight months. Both the ratios of BMF and MF also rose to 23.8% and MF 55.3%, respectively. Consequently, the ratio of FF was reduced to 20.9%. Exclusive breast milk feeding also significantly reduce the duration of nil per oral (NPO) of the very low birth weight infants during hospital stay as compared to those fed with mixed feeding and formula feeding.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>The introduction of a breast milk pumping diary was associated with a significant increase in the intake of EBM of the hospitalized preterm newborns.</p></div

Clinical factors and outcomes by discharge of VLBWI.

<p>Abbreviation: BMF, breast milk feeding; MF, mixed feeding; FF, formula feeding; PN, parenteral nutrition; NPO, nil per oral; DW, discharge weight; CVC, central venous catheter; MV, mechanical ventilation; BPD, bronchopulmonary dysplasia; ROP, retinopathy of prematurity; NEC, necrotizing colitis. Infectious diseases were diagnosed by positive blood culture or clinical symptoms.</p

Back page of the breast milk pumping diary.

<p>Back page of the breast milk pumping diary.</p

Monthly constituent ratio of feeds of preterm infants in 2014 (blue bar is BMF, red bar is MF, and green bar is FF).

<p>Monthly constituent ratio of feeds of preterm infants in 2014 (blue bar is BMF, red bar is MF, and green bar is FF).</p

Monthly rate of expression of human milk and constituent ratio of feeds of preterm infants in 2014.

<p>Abbreviation: EHM, expressed human milk; BMF, breast milk feeding; MF, mixed feeding; FF, formula feeding</p

Additional file 1: of Efficient induction of functional ameloblasts from human keratinocyte stem cells

Figure S1. Showing immunohistochemistry expression patterns of MSX2, SP3, and SP6 in developing human primary tooth germ. A MSX2, B SP3, and C SP6 protein distribution in cap and bell stages of tooth germs: (a, b) 12-week human primary incisor; (c, d) 16-week human primary incisor; (e, f) 19-week human primary incisor. Scale bar = 100 Îźm (a, c, e), 50 Îźm (b, d, f). (TIFF 6518 kb

Additional file 1 of Using a new human milk fortifier to optimize human milk feeding among very preterm and/or very low birth weight infants: a multicenter study in China

Supplementary Material