Hydro electroactive Cu/Zn coated cotton fiber nonwovens for antibacterial and antiviral applications.

In this study, Cu/Zn galvanic electrodes were sputtered on the two surfaces of hydrophilic cotton fiber nonwovens (Cotton) to prepare hydro electroactive Cu/Cotton/Zn composites. When the Cu/Cotton/Zn was used as a functional layer in the face mask, the Cu/Zn galvanic electrodes can be spontaneously activated by water vapor molecules exhaled by the human body and generate galvanic current. Based on this, the hydro electroactive Cu/Cotton/Zn demonstrated excellent antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus and could deactivate Enterovirus 71 (EV71) virions transmitted through the respiratory tract by 97.72% after 15 min of contact. Moreover, the Cu/Cotton/Zn did not affect the particle filtration efficiency and breathability of the face mask's polypropylene (PP) melt-blown layer. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity assessment of Cu/Cotton/Zn showed no cytotoxicity, indicating good biological security. Overall, the Cu/Cotton/Zn may provide a new approach to increase the antibacterial and antiviral performance of current personnel protective equipment on the market.

Tailoring moisture electroactive Ag/Zn@cotton coupled with electrospun PVDF/PS nanofibers for antimicrobial face masks.

Face mask has become an essential and effective apparatus to protect human beings from air pollution, especially the air-borne pathogens. However, most commercial face masks can hardly achieve good particulate matters (PMs) and high bactericidal efficacy concurrently. Herein, a bilayer structured composite filter medium with built-in antimicrobial activities was constructed by combining cotton woven modified by magnetron sputtered Ag/Zn coatings and electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride)/polystyrene (PVDF/PS) nanofibers. With the benefit of external moisture, an electrical stimulation was generated inside the composite fabric and thus endowed the fabric antimicrobial function. The resultant composite fabric presented conspicuous performance for integrated air pollution control, high filtration performance towards PM0.3 (99.1%, 79.2 Pa) and exceptional interception ratio against Escherichia coli (99.64%) and Staphylococcus aureus (98.75%) within 20 min contact. The high efficiency contact sterilization function of the bilayer fabric could further potentially promote disinfection and reuse of the filter media. This work may provide a new perspective on designing high-performance face mask media for public health protection.

A multi-omics investigation of the composition and function of extracellular vesicles along the temporal trajectory of COVID-19.

Exosomes represent a subtype of extracellular vesicle that is released through retrograde transport and fusion of multivesicular bodies with the plasma membrane1. Although no perfect methodologies currently exist for the high-throughput, unbiased isolation of pure plasma exosomes2,3, investigation of exosome-enriched plasma fractions of extracellular vesicles can confer a glimpse into the endocytic pathway on a systems level. Here we conduct high-coverage lipidomics with an emphasis on sterols and oxysterols, and proteomic analyses of exosome-enriched extracellular vesicles (EVs hereafter) from patients at different temporal stages of COVID-19, including the presymptomatic, hyperinflammatory, resolution and convalescent phases. Our study highlights dysregulated raft lipid metabolism that underlies changes in EV lipid membrane anisotropy that alter the exosomal localization of presenilin-1 (PS-1) in the hyperinflammatory phase. We also show in vitro that EVs from different temporal phases trigger distinct metabolic and transcriptional responses in recipient cells, including in alveolar epithelial cells, which denote the primary site of infection, and liver hepatocytes, which represent a distal secondary site. In comparison to the hyperinflammatory phase, EVs from the resolution phase induce opposing effects on eukaryotic translation and Notch signalling. Our results provide insights into cellular lipid metabolism and inter-tissue crosstalk at different stages of COVID-19 and are a resource to increase our understanding of metabolic dysregulation in COVID-19.

COVID-Induced Investor Sentiments and Market Reaction under Extreme Meteorological Conditions: Evidence from Clean Energy Sector of Asia-Pacific

The unprecedented global economic and social crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak has not spared the energy sector. Using a dynamic model, we investigated the effect of COVID-19 cases on investor sentiments and stock returns of clean energy in the Asian-Pacific region. The results show that coronavirus cases negatively affect stock returns using investor sentiments as a transmission channel. We also find a negative effect of air pollution on stock returns. Since COVID-19 restricted trade and plummeted the oil prices, economies relied on non-renewable sources to meet energy demands. Nevertheless, the investor's optimism and high sentiment level may deteriorate this link. On the other hand, we do not find any significant effect of low-high temperature on either investor sentiments or clean energy stock returns. Clean energy stocks were viewed as more sustainable and less vulnerable to external shocks, however, the fear and pessimism among investors induced by coronavirus are spilled over the renewable energy sector. (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Bezprecedensowy globalny kryzys gospodarczy i społeczny wywołany wybuchem koronawirusa uderzył także w sektor energetyczny. Korzystając z modelu dynamicznego, zbadaliśmy wpływ COVID-19 na nastroje inwestorów i stopy zwrotu w sektorze czystej energii w regionie Azji i Pacyfiku. Odkąd COVID-19 wpłynął negatywnie na handel i przyczynił się do gwałtownego spadku ceny ropy, wiele gospodarek wsparło odnawialne źródła energii, aby zaspokoić zapotrzebowanie na energię. Wyniki pokazują jednak, że koronawirus negatywnie wpływa na stopy zwrotu. Stwierdzamy również negatywny wpływ zanieczyszczenia powietrza na stopy zwrotu. Z drugiej strony nie widzimy istotnego wpływu zmian temperatury ani na nastroje inwestorów, ani na stopy zwrotu z czystej energii. Akcje czystej energii były postrzegane jako bardziej zrównoważone i mniej podatne na wstrząsy zewnętrzne, jednak strach i pesymizm inwestorów wywołany koronawirusem może wpłynąć negatywnie na sektor energii odnawialnej. (Polish) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Problemy Ekorozwoju is the property of Faculty of Environmental Engineering and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Omics-Driven Systems Interrogation of Metabolic Dysregulation in COVID-19 Pathogenesis.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presents an unprecedented threat to global public health. Herein, we utilized a combination of targeted and untargeted tandem mass spectrometry to analyze the plasma lipidome and metabolome in mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19 patients and healthy controls. A panel of 10 plasma metabolites effectively distinguished COVID-19 patients from healthy controls (AUC = 0.975). Plasma lipidome of COVID-19 resembled that of monosialodihexosyl ganglioside (GM3)-enriched exosomes, with enhanced levels of sphingomyelins (SMs) and GM3s, and reduced diacylglycerols (DAGs). Systems evaluation of metabolic dysregulation in COVID-19 was performed using multiscale embedded differential correlation network analyses. Using exosomes isolated from the same cohort, we demonstrated that exosomes of COVID-19 patients with elevating disease severity were increasingly enriched in GM3s. Our work suggests that GM3-enriched exosomes may partake in pathological processes related to COVID-19 pathogenesis and presents the largest repository on the plasma lipidome and metabolome distinct to COVID-19.