Nanofiber Filaments Fabricated by a Liquid-Bath Electrospinning Method

In order to investigate the forming process of multi-needle liquid-bath electrospun nanofiber filaments, nanofiber filaments were prepared using the multi-needle liquid-bath electrospinning method in this chapter. The effect of auxiliary electrode on jet state, and bundling and drawing processes of nanofibers were studied. The results show that the forming process of nanofiber filaments was mainly influenced by electrostatic field interference, bundling process, and drawing process, including two processes: forming process of as-spun nanofiber filaments and post-drawing process. In the forming process of as-spun nanofiber filaments, when the auxiliary electrode was added, the electrostatic field interference between needles reduced, inducing the decrease of jet offsets and the enhancement of Taylor cone and jet stability, and nanofibers with skin-core structure were finally deposited on the bath in good condition. The bundling process of nanofiber filament was divided into three processes: wet process, wet-dry process, and dry process; the structure transformation of nanofiber filaments mainly occurred in the wet process. In the post-drawing process, the crystallinity and alignment degree of nanofibers increased, and nanofiber diameter decreased. The initial modulus and breaking stress of filaments increased while the breaking strain of filaments decreased. Finally, nanofiber filaments were produced with better structures and properties

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Bispecific antibodies as monotherapy or in combinations for non-hodgkin B-cell lymphoma: latest updates from the American society of hematology 2022 annual meeting

Abstract Recent evidence suggests that bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) exhibit promising efficacy and low toxicity even in heavily treated non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma (B-NHL). However, the role of BsAbs in previously untreated NHL and the efficacy and safety of BsAbs used in combination remain uncertain. We summarized data published at the 64th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting on BsAb monotherapy or combination therapy for first-line or relapsed/refractory B-NHL. BsAb monotherapy in elderly/unfit newly diagnosed (ND) DLBCL patients achieved ORR and CR rates of 56% and 43%, respectively. In addition, BsAbs combined with chemotherapy or other novel agents raised the ORR higher than 50% without increasing the incidence of grade ≥ 3 CRS. We conclude that BsAb monotherapy or combination therapy for first-line or relapsed/refractory B-NHL has high efficacy and satisfactory safety

The Electroluminescence Mechanism of Solution-Processed TADF Emitter 4CzIPN Doped OLEDs Investigated by Transient Measurements

High efficiency, solution-processed, organic light emitting devices (OLEDs), using a thermally-activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) emitter, 1,2,3,5-tetrakis(carbazol-9-yl)-4,6-dicyanobenzene (4CzIPN), are fabricated, and the transient electroluminescence (EL) decay of the device with a structure of [ITO/PEDOT: PSS/4CzIPN 5 wt % doped 4,40-N,N0-dicarbazolylbiphenyl(CBP)/bis-4,6-(3,5-di-4-pyridylphenyl)-2-methylpyrimidine (B4PyMPM)/lithium fluoride (LiF)/Al], is systematically studied. The results shed light on the dominant operating mechanism in TADF-based OLEDs. Electroluminescence in the host–guest system is mainly produced from the 4CzIPN emitter, rather than the exciplex host materials

Silicon photonics for advanced optical communication systems

In this paper, we demonstrated recent progress on Si based optical components for advanced optical communication systems. The polarization beam splitter with extinction ratio of more than 20dB and the optical 90 degrees hybrid having phase deviation within +/- 5 degrees were obtained using MMI structures. The 12Gb/s modulators and the 20GHz photodetectors were measured. Benefiting from the unique properties of silicon modulator, an error-free 80Km transmission of the signals generated by our silicon carrier-depletion Mach-Zehnder modulator was also demonstrated at 10Gb/s and the power penalty was as low as 1.15dB. These results show that silicon photonics has a great potential in advanced optical communication systems.http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000322973000024&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=8e1609b174ce4e31116a60747a720701Engineering, Electrical & ElectronicOpticsEICPCI-S(ISTP)

Preclinical Evaluation of the Multiple Tyrosine Kinases Inhibitor Anlotinib in Leukemia Stem Cells

Leukemia stem cells (LSCs) constitute the critical barrier to the cure of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) due to their chemoresistance and immune evasion property. Herein, the role of anlotinib, a multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in killing LSCs and regulating chemoresistance and immune evasion was explored. Anlotinib treatment induced apoptosis of LSC-like cells as well as primary AML LSCs, while sparing the normal mononuclear cells in vitro. Moreover, anlotinib could impair the regeneration capacity of LSCs in the patient-derived leukemia xenograft mouse model. Mechanistically, anlotinib inhibited phosphorylation of c-kit, JAK2/STAT3, and STAT5, and downregulated STAT3 and STAT5 expression. In addition, anlotinib downregulated the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, and upregulated Bax, thereby enhancing the sensitivity of LSCs to idarubicin in vitro. Intriguingly, anlotinib could also partially rescue the interferon-g production of T cells cocultured with LSCs by downregulating PD-L1 expression. In conclusion, anlotinib showed anti-LSC activity and the potential to enhance the sensitivity to idarubicin and inhibit the immunosuppressive feature of LSCs via JAK2/STAT signaling pathway downregulation in the preclinical study. Our results provided a rational basis for combinatory strategies involving anlotinib and chemotherapy or immunotherapy

Cysteine-rich peptides promote interspecific genetic isolation in Arabidopsis

Reproductive isolation is a prerequisite for speciation. Failure of communication between female tissues of the pistil and paternal pollen tubes imposes hybridization barriers in flowering plants. Arabidopsis thaliana LURE1 (AtLURE1) peptides and their male receptor PRK6 aid attraction of the growing pollen tube to the ovule. Here, we report that the knockout of the entire AtLURE1 gene family did not affect fertility, indicating that AtLURE1-PRK6-mediated signaling is not required for successful fertilization within one Arabidopsis species. AtLURE1s instead function as pollen tube emergence accelerators that favor conspecific pollen over pollen from other species and thus promote reproductive isolation. We also identified maternal peptides XIUQIU1 to -4, which attract pollen tubes regardless of species. Cooperation between ovule attraction and pollen tube growth acceleration favors conspecific fertilization and promotes reproductive isolation