Stakeholder efforts to mitigate antiretroviral therapy interruption among people living with HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic in China: a qualitative study.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected antiretroviral therapy (ART) continuity among people living with HIV (PLHIV) worldwide. We conducted a qualitative study to explore barriers to ART maintenance and solutions to ART interruption when stringent COVID-19 control measures were implemented in China, from the perspective of PLHIV and relevant key stakeholders. METHODS: Between 11 February and 15 February 2020, we interviewed PLHIV, community-based organization (CBO) workers, staff from centres for disease control and prevention (CDC) at various levels whose work is relevant to HIV care (CDC staff), HIV doctors and nurses and drug vendors from various regions in China. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using a messaging and social media app. Challenges and responses relevant to ART continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic were discussed. Themes were identified by transcript coding and mindmaps. RESULTS: Sixty-four stakeholders were recruited, including 16 PLHIV, 17 CBO workers, 15 CDC staff, 14 HIV doctors and nurses and two drug vendors. Many CDC staff, HIV doctors and nurses responsible for ART delivery and HIV care were shifted to COVID-19 response efforts. Barriers to ART maintenance were (a) travel restrictions, (b) inadequate communication and bureaucratic obstacles, (c) shortage in personnel, (d) privacy concerns, and (e) insufficient ART reserve. CBO helped PLHIV maintain access to ART through five solutions identified from thematic analysis: (a) coordination to refill ART from local CDC clinics or hospitals, (b) delivery of ART by mail, (c) privacy protection measures, (d) mental health counselling, and (e) providing connections to alternative sources of ART. Drug vendors contributed to ART maintenance by selling out-of-pocket ART. CONCLUSIONS: Social and institutional disruption from COVID-19 contributed to increased risk of ART interruption among PLHIV in China. Collaboration among key stakeholders was needed to maintain access to ART, with CBO playing an important role. Other countries facing ART interruption during current or future public health emergencies may learn from the solutions employed in China

Decreased expression of transforming growth factor-β1 and α-smooth muscle actin contributes to the protection of lotensin against chronic renal failure in rats

Background: Lotensin has been shown to have a protective function in the early stage of chronic renal failure. However, its role in the intermediate and late stages of chronic renal failure remains largely unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the role and underlying mechanism of lotensin in advanced chronic kidney disease. Methods: Female Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 10): sham group, 5/6 nephrectomy (5/6 Nx) group, and lotensin group (oral administration of lotensin for 9 weeks following 5/6 Nx). Rats were sacrificed and pathological parameters were measured. Western blot assay and immunohistochemical staining were performed to detect the expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in kidney tissues. Results: Compared to the 5/6 Nx group, lotensin administration significantly decreased 5/6 Nx-induced elevation in blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine and 24-h urinary protein excretion (UPE) rates, but markedly increased red blood cell count, plasma albumin and hemoglobin levels, along with improved renal morphology. Mechanistically, lotensin dramatically downregulated the renal expression of TGF-β1 and α-SMA induced by 5/6 Nx. Conclusions: Lotensin protects against advanced chronic kidney disease in rats with 5/6 Nx through the downregulation of TGF-β1 and α-SMA

Modeling of Suspended Particulate Matter Concentration in an Extremely Turbid River Based on Multispectral Remote Sensing from an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

Following consecutive years of governance efforts, there has been a substantial reduction in sediment transport in the Yellow River, resulting in significant changes in its water–sediment dynamics. This necessitates precise monitoring of sediment-bearing tributary inflows, a crucial requirement for effective governance strategies on the Loess Plateau’s current developmental stage. While satellite remote sensing technology has been widely used to estimate suspended particulate matter concentration (CSPM) in open water bodies like oceans and lakes, its application in narrow rivers presents challenges related to hybrid pixel and proximity effects. As a result, the effectiveness and competence of satellite remote sensing in monitoring CSPM in such confined river environments are reduced. This study attempted to use unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing with multispectral technology to invert CSPM in the Wuding River, a sediment-bearing Yellow River tributary. A novel CSPM concentration inversion model was introduced for highly turbid river settings. The results showed that the accuracy of the new band ratio model in this study is significantly improved compared with the existing models. The validation dataset had a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.83, a root mean square error (RMSE) of 3.73 g/L, and a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 44.95% (MAPE is 40.68% at 1–20 g/L, and 12.37% at >20 g/L). On this basis, the UAV also monitored the impacts of heavy rainfall on the CSPM, resulting in a rapid rise and fall in CSPM over a period of ten hours. This study demonstrated the potential of UAV remote sensing for CSPM monitoring in extremely turbid narrow rivers (tens to tens of meters), especially before and after rainfall sediment production events, which can provide technical support for accurate sediment management and source identification in the main tributaries of the Yellow River and help realize the goal of high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin

Recent Progress on Preparation Strategies of Liquid Crystal Smart Windows

Liquid crystal (LC) smart windows that are able to regulate natural light by changing the optical transmittance in response to external stimulus have become an effective way to reduce building energy consumption. The rapid development of technology has brought out a variety of responsive smart windows suitable for daily life, including electrical-, thermal-, and photo-responsive ones. In this review, the recent progress in LC smart windows that switch between transparent and opaque states by different stimuli is overviewed. The preparation strategies for single-/dual-responsive smart windows are outlined, exclusively concentrating on the functional design and working principle. Furthermore, the advantages and current drawbacks of smart windows for each response mode are briefly described. Finally, a perspective on the direction of future responsive LC smart windows is discussed

Realizing high-efficiency perovskite solar cells by passivating triple-cation perovskite films

WOS:000789164100001The photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) prepared by the low-temperature solution method has made rapid progress. However, the surface of the film is prone to defects that trap photogenerated charges, resulting in nonradiative recombination energy loss and limiting the open-circuit voltage and overall performance of the device. Interface passivation as an effective method can significantly reduce defects and inhibit nonradiative recombination. Herein, a simple method is introduced to passivate perovskite films by a carboxylated (-COOH) sensitizer that is applied in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs), 4-(bis(9,9-dimethyl-9H-flouren-2-yl)amino)-1-naphthoic acid (KTN) molecules. The research results show that the chemical interaction between KTN and iodide vacancies exposing Pb2+ can reduce the nonradiative recombination and elongate the carrier lifetime, which leads to an excellent power conversion efficiency (PCE) with 23% with an obvious increase in open-circuit voltage (V-OC) of 60 mV. Moreover, the defect passivation can significantly enhance the stability of corresponding PSC devices. The unencapsulated device with KTN passivation can readily maintain approximate to 90% of its initial efficiency value after 1400 h. These findings may provide a novel approach for interfacial defect passivation to further promote the performance and stability of PSCs