Hierarchically porous and single Zn atom-embedded carbon molecular sieves for H2 separations.

Hierarchically porous materials containing sub-nm ultramicropores with molecular sieving abilities and microcavities with high gas diffusivity may realize energy-efficient membranes for gas separations. However, rationally designing and constructing such pores into large-area membranes enabling efficient H2 separations remains challenging. Here, we report the synthesis and utilization of hybrid carbon molecular sieve membranes with well-controlled nano- and micro-pores and single zinc atoms and clusters well-dispersed inside the nanopores via the carbonization of supramolecular mixed matrix materials containing amorphous and crystalline zeolitic imidazolate frameworks. Carbonization temperature is used to fine-tune pore sizes, achieving ultrahigh selectivity for H2/CO2 (130), H2/CH4 (2900), H2/N2 (880), and H2/C2H6 (7900) with stability against water vapor and physical aging during a continuous 120-h test.

Evaporation-Driven Energy Generation Using an Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile Nanofiber Mat with Different Support Substrates.

Water evaporation-driven energy harvesting is an emerging mechanism for contributing to green energy production with low cost. Herein, we developed polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber-based evaporation-driven electricity generators (PEEGs) to confirm the feasibility of utilizing electrospun PAN nanofiber mats in an evaporation-driven energy harvesting system. However, PAN nanofiber mats require a support substrate to enhance its durability and stability when it is applied to an evaporation-driven energy generator, which could have additional effects on generation performance. Accordingly, various support substrates, including fiberglass, copper, stainless mesh, and fabric screen, were applied to PEEGs and examined to understand their potential impacts on electrical generation outputs. As a result, the PAN nanofiber mats were successfully converted to a hydrophilic material for an evaporation-driven generator by dip-coating them in nanocarbon black (NCB) solution. Furthermore, specific electrokinetic performance trends were investigated and the peak electricity outputs of Voc were recorded to be 150.8, 6.5, 2.4, and 215.9 mV, and Isc outputs were recorded to be 143.8, 60.5, 103.8, and 121.4 µA, from PEEGs with fiberglass, copper, stainless mesh, and fabric screen substrates, respectively. Therefore, the implications of this study would provide further perspectives on the developing evaporation-induced electricity devices based on nanofiber materials.

Climate change and human health in Vietnam: a systematic review and additional analyses on current impacts, future risk, and adaptation.

This study aims to investigate climate change's impact on health and adaptation in Vietnam through a systematic review and additional analyses of heat exposure, heat vulnerability, awareness and engagement, and projected health costs. Out of 127 reviewed studies, findings indicated the wider spread of infectious diseases, and increased mortality and hospitalisation risks associated with extreme heat, droughts, and floods. However, there are few studies addressing health cost, awareness, engagement, adaptation, and policy. Additional analyses showed rising heatwave exposure across Vietnam and global above-average vulnerability to heat. By 2050, climate change is projected to cost up to USD1-3B in healthcare costs, USD3-20B in premature deaths, and USD6-23B in work loss. Despite increased media focus on climate and health, a gap between public and government publications highlighted the need for more governmental engagement. Vietnam's climate policies have faced implementation challenges, including top-down approaches, lack of cooperation, low adaptive capacity, and limited resources.

Minimally invasive resection of heart valve papillary fibroelastoma: two case reports and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac papillary fibroelastomas are rare, accounting for approximately 10% of all cardiac tumors, with 44% of cases located on the aortic valve and only 15% of cases located on the tricuspid valve. However, the optimal management of papillary fibroelastomas remains varied. CASE PRESENTATION: We present two successful instances of treating heart valve papillary fibroelastomas through minimally invasive surgery. These cases involved heart valve papillary fibroelastomas located in two common sites: the aortic valve on the left heart, which was accessed via an upper hemi-sternotomy, and the tricuspid valve on the right heart, which was accessed via beating heart total thoracoscopy. CONCLUSION: The article consistently demonstrates the effectiveness of a minimally invasive surgical approach in managing heart valve papillary fibroelastomas. This study provides further evidence by presenting two cases of heart valve papillary fibroelastomas - one on the aortic valve and the other on the tricuspid valve - that were successfully treated using this approach, resulting in favorable outcomes.

PSMA-Expression Is Highly Associated with Histological Subtypes of Renal Cell Carcinoma: Potential Implications for Theranostic Approaches.

In renal cell carcinoma (RCC), accurate imaging methods are required for treatment planning and response assessment to therapy. In addition, there is an urgent need for new therapeutic options, especially in metastatic RCC. One way to combine diagnostics and therapy in a so-called theranostic approach is the use of radioligands directed against surface antigens. For instance, radioligands against prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) have already been successfully used for diagnosis and radionuclide therapy of metastatic prostate cancer. Recent studies have demonstrated that PSMA is expressed not only in prostate cancer but also in the neovasculature of several solid tumors, which has raised hopes to use PSMA-guided theranostic approaches in other tumor entities, too. However, data on PSMA expression in different histopathological subtypes of RCC are sparse. Because a better understanding of PSMA expression in RCC is critical to assess which patients would benefit most from theranostic approaches using PSMA-targeted ligands, we investigated the expression pattern of PSMA in different subtypes of RCC on protein level. Immunohistochemical staining for PSMA was performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded archival material of major different histological subtypes of RCC (clear cell RCC (ccRCC)), papillary RCC (pRCC) and chromophobe RCC (cpRCC). The extent and intensity of PSMA staining were scored semi-quantitatively and correlated with the histological RCC subtypes. Group comparisons were calculated with the Kruskal-Wallis test. In all cases, immunoreactivity was detected only in the tumor-associated vessels and not in tumor cells. Staining intensity was the strongest in ccRCC, followed by cpRCC and pRCC. ccRCC showed the most diffuse staining pattern, followed by cpRCC and pRCC. Our results provide a rationale for PSMA-targeted theranostic approaches in ccRCC and cpRCC.

Risk of transient vision loss after intravitreal aflibercept using vial-prepared vs. the novel prefilled syringe formulation.

Purpose: To compare the risk of transient vision loss (TVL) probably attributable to a severe intraocular pressure spike after intravitreal aflibercept application using the novel prefilled syringe (PFS) vs. the established vial system (VS). Methods: Datasets of the intravitreal injection service of the Ludwig Maximilians-University Munich and the Technical University Munich, Germany, were screened for documentation of TVL after intravitreal injection of aflibercept. The observation period included two full months prior to the introduction of the novel PFS and two months afterwards. TVL was defined as loss of perception of hand motion for a duration of >30 s. Results: Over a period of four months, 1720 intravitreal injections of aflibercept were administered in 672 patients. There were 842 injections with the old VS, and 878 injections using the novel PFS. Using the VS, TVL was noted during two injections (0.24%) in two patients, as compared to 11 cases of TVL (1.25%) in 10 patients with the PFS (p = 0.015). Using the PFS, patients had a 5.3-fold risk of TVL as compared to the VS (OR: 5.33; 95% CI: 1.2-24.1; p = 0.0298). Conclusion: There was a more than five-fold risk of TVL using the novel pre-filled aflibercept syringe as compared to the established vial system. During informed consent, this risk should be discussed.

Carbon Capture Membranes Based on Amorphous Polyether Nanofilms Enabled by Thickness Confinement and Interfacial Engineering.

Thin-film composite membranes are a leading technology for post-combustion carbon capture, and the key challenge is to fabricate defect-free selective nanofilms as thin as possible (100 nm or below) with superior CO2/N2 separation performance. Herein, we developed high-performance membranes based on an unusual choice of semi-crystalline blends of amorphous poly(ethylene oxide) (aPEO) and 18-crown-6 (C6) using two nanoengineering strategies. First, the crystallinity of the nanofilms decreases with decreasing thickness and completely disappears at 500 nm or below because of the thickness confinement. Second, polydimethylsiloxane is chosen as the gutter layer between the porous support and selective layer, and its surface is modified with bio-adhesive polydopamine (<10 nm) with an affinity toward aPEO, enabling the formation of the thin, defect-free, amorphous aPEO/C6 layer. For example, a 110 nm film containing 40 mass % C6 in aPEO exhibits CO2 permeability of 900 Barrer (much higher than a thick film with 420 Barrer), rendering a membrane with a CO2 permeance of 2200 GPU and CO2/N2 selectivity of 27 at 35 °C, surpassing Robeson's upper bound. This work shows that engineering at the nanoscale plays an important role in designing high-performance membranes for practical separations.

Modeling pressure drop values across ultra-thin nanofiber filters with various ranges of filtration parameters under an aerodynamic slip effect.

Computational fluid dynamics simulations of fibrous filters with 56 combinations of different fiber sizes, packing densities, face velocities, and thicknesses were conducted for developing models that predict pressure drops across nanofiber filters. The accuracy of the simulation method was confirmed by comparing the numerical pressure drops to the experimental data obtained for polyacrylonitrile electrospun nanofiber filters. In the simulations, an aerodynamic slip effect around the surface of the small nanofibers was considered. The results showed that, unlike in the case of conventional filtration theory, pressure drops across the thin layers of electrospun nanofiber filters are not proportional to the thickness. This might be a critical factor for obtaining precise pressure drops across the electrospun nanofiber filters with extremely thin layers. Finally, we derived the product of drag coefficient and Reynolds number as a function of packing density, Knudsen number, and ratio of thickness to fiber diameter to get the correlation equation for pressure drop prediction. The obtained equation predicted the pressure drops across the nanofiber filters with the maximum relative difference of less than 15%.

Palladium-Percolated Networks Enabled by Low Loadings of Branched Nanorods for Enhanced H2 Separations.

Nanoparticles (NPs) at high loadings are often used in mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) to improve gas separation properties, but they can lead to defects and poor processability that impede membrane fabrication. Herein, it is demonstrated that branched nanorods (NRs) with controlled aspect ratios can significantly reduce the required loading to achieve superior gas separation properties while maintaining excellent processability, as demonstrated by the dispersion of palladium (Pd) NRs in polybenzimidazole for H2 /CO2 separation. Increasing the aspect ratio from 1 for NPs to 40 for NRs decreases the percolation threshold volume fraction by a factor of 30, from 0.35 to 0.011. An MMM with percolated networks formed by Pd NRs at a volume fraction of 0.039 exhibits H2 permeability of 110 Barrer and H2 /CO2 selectivity of 31 when challenged with simulated syngas at 200 °C, surpassing Robeson's upper bound. This work highlights the advantage of NRs over NPs and nanowires and shows that right-sizing nanofillers in MMMs is critical to construct highly sieving pathways at minimal loadings. This work paves the way for this general feature to be applied across materials systems for a variety of chemical separations.

Clinical validation of a ctDNA-Based Assay for Multi-Cancer Detection: An Interim Report from a Vietnamese Longitudinal Prospective Cohort Study of 2795 Participants.

The SPOT-MAS assay "Screening for the Presence Of Tumor by Methylation And Size" detects the five most common cancers in Vietnam by evaluating circulating tumor DNA in the blood. Here, we validated its performance in a prospective multi-center clinical trial, K-DETEK. Our analysis of 2795 participants from 14 sites across Vietnam demonstrates its ability to detect cancers in asymptomatic individuals with a positive predictive value of 60%, with 83.3% accuracy in detecting tumor location. We present a case report to support further using SPOT-MAS as a complementary method to achieve early cancer detection and provide the opportunity for early treatment.

Compartment syndrome following minimally invasive mitral valve repair: A case report.

A 38-year-old Asian male with severe mitral valve regurgitation underwent elective minimally invasive mitral valve repair with artificial chordae and concomitant Cox-Maze procedure. Cardiopulmonary bypass required large peripheral cannulas due to the patient's increased body surface area with a total bypass time of 216 min. At 10 h, the patient reported progressive right lower extremity pain with evidence of swelling, diffuse paresthesias, and weak peripheral pulses. The patient underwent double-incision lower leg fasciotomies, revealing significant interstitial fluid and bulging muscle chambers. Compartment syndrome demonstrates non-traumatic etiologies. Elevated body mass index, Kawashima Type D femoral artery classification, prolonged bypass times, driven partially due to concomitant Cox-Maze, and larger cannula sizes should increase the index of suspicion.

Cold Plasmamed Beam as a Supporting Treatment of Soft Tissue Injuries in Severe Covid-19 Patients: A Preliminary Report.

Background: Cold plasma has many characteristics that allow for effective wound healing. Due to its efficacy, we have applied it in treating patients with severe Covid-19 who have soft tissue skin lesions and diseases including burns, pressure ulcers, shingles, and contact or atopic dermatitis. This study aims to assess the general characteristics of Covid-19 patients with soft tissue lesions and to conduct a fundamental evaluation of the efficacy of cold plasmamed beams in treating soft tissue wounds in patients with severe Covid-19. Methods: This prospective study was conducted on 20 severe Covid-19 patients with soft tissue lesions at the Intensive Care Center for Covid-19 of Hue Central Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City from September 25 to November 11, 2021. These patients was performed cold plasma irradiation at any stage of wound progression, including new injuries and chronic wounds. Results: Among 915 severe Covid-19 patients treated at our center, 20 patients had soft tissue lesions. Grade I, II, and III pressure ulcers accounted for 70% of the 20 cases of soft tissue lesions and 1.53% of the total patients at the time of the survey. Pressure ulcers were present in only 0.55% of patients (5/915 patients). Eleven out of 20 patients (55.0%) had lesions before admission, and 9 (45.0%) had lesions that appeared after admission. After 14 days of treatment, 14/20 patients had complete epithelialization (70%), and in 18/20 patients, wound exudation had ceased. The wounds became painless; after 3 weeks, the rashes had completely disappeared. Conclusion: The study emphasizes that irradiation with cold plasma contributes to the wound healing process.

Magnetoimpedance Biosensors and Real-Time Healthcare Monitors: Progress, Opportunities, and Challenges.

A small DC magnetic field can induce an enormous response in the impedance of a soft magnetic conductor in various forms of wire, ribbon, and thin film. Also known as the giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) effect, this phenomenon forms the basis for the development of high-performance magnetic biosensors with magnetic field sensitivity down to the picoTesla regime at room temperature. Over the past decade, some state-of-the-art prototypes have become available for trial tests due to continuous efforts to improve the sensitivity of GMI biosensors for the ultrasensitive detection of biological entities and biomagnetic field detection of human activities through the use of magnetic nanoparticles as biomarkers. In this review, we highlight recent advances in the development of GMI biosensors and review medical devices for applications in biomedical diagnostics and healthcare monitoring, including real-time monitoring of respiratory motion in COVID-19 patients at various stages. We also discuss exciting research opportunities and existing challenges that will stimulate further study into ultrasensitive magnetic biosensors and healthcare monitors based on the GMI effect.

In Situ Growth of Crystalline and Polymer-Incorporated Amorphous ZIFs in Polybenzimidazole Achieving Hierarchical Nanostructures for Carbon Capture.

Mixed matrix materials (MMMs) hold great potential for membrane gas separations by merging nanofillers with unique nanostructures and polymers with excellent processability. In situ growth of the nanofillers is adapted to mitigate interfacial incompatibility to avoid the selectivity loss. Surprisingly, functional polymers have not been exploited to co-grow the nanofillers for membrane applications. Herein, in situ synergistic growth of crystalline zeolite imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8) in polybenzimidazole (PBI), creating highly porous structures with high gas permeability, is demonstrated. More importantly, PBI contains benzimidazole groups (similar to the precursor for ZIF-8, i.e., 2-methylimidazole) and induces the formation of amorphous ZIFs, enhancing interfacial compatibility and creating highly size-discriminating bottlenecks. For instance, the formation of 15 mass% ZIF-8 in PBI improves H2 permeability and H2 /CO2 selectivity by ≈100% at 35 °C, breaking the permeability/selectivity tradeoff. This work unveils a new platform of MMMs comprising functional polymer-incorporated amorphous ZIFs with hierarchical nanostructures for various applications.

Tailoring sub-3.3 Å ultramicropores in advanced carbon molecular sieve membranes for blue hydrogen production.

Carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes prepared by carbonization of polymers containing strongly size-sieving ultramicropores are attractive for high-temperature gas separations. However, polymers need to be carbonized at extremely high temperatures (900° to 1200°C) to achieve sub-3.3 Å ultramicroporous channels for H2/CO2 separation, which makes them brittle and impractical for industrial applications. Here, we demonstrate that polymers can be first doped with thermolabile cross-linkers before low-temperature carbonization to retain the polymer processability and achieve superior H2/CO2 separation properties. Specifically, polybenzimidazole (PBI) is cross-linked with pyrophosphoric acid (PPA) via H bonding and proton transfer before carbonization at ≤600°C. The synergistic PPA doping and subsequent carbonization of PBI increase H2 permeability from 27 to 140 Barrer and H2/CO2 selectivity from 15 to 58 at 150°C, superior to state-of-the-art polymeric materials and surpassing Robeson's upper bound. This study provides a facile and effective way to tailor subnanopore size and porosity in CMS membranes with desirable molecular sieving ability.

Feasibility of [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 PET/CT for detection of nodal and hematogenous spread in high-grade urothelial carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 is a novel positron emission tomography (PET) ligand that targets fibroblast activation protein (FAP) expression as FAP inhibitor (FAPI) and could already show promising results in several tumor entities. It could be demonstrated that an increased FAP expression correlates with tumor aggressivity in urothelial carcinoma (UC). Given the limited value of [18F]FDG in UC, [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 could add diagnostic information in staging and response assessment in UC. We present the first data of [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 PET imaging in a pilot cohort of UC patients evaluating uptake characteristics in metastases and primary tumors. METHODS: Fifteen patients with UC prior to or after local treatment underwent [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 PET/CT imaging for detection of metastatic spread. We compared the biodistribution in non-affected organs and tumor uptake of UC lesions by standard uptake value measurements (SUVmean and SUVmax). Additionally, metastatic sites on PET were compared to its morphological correlate on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT). RESULTS: Overall, 64 tumor sites were detected on PET and/or CT. The highest uptake intensity was noted at the primary site (SUVmax 20.8 (range, 8.1-27.8)) followed by lymph node metastases (SUVmax 10.6 (range, 4.7-29.1)). In 4/15 (26.7%) patients there were [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46-positive lesions that were missed on standard routine CT imaging. On the other hand, 2/15 patients had suspicious prominent bipulmonary nodules as well as pelvic lymph nodes previously rated as suspicious for metastatic spread on CT, but without increased FAPI expression; here histopathology excluded malignancy. CONCLUSION: [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 PET shows distinctly elevated uptake in UC lesions. Therefore, the tracer has potential as a promising new biomarker in metastatic UC patients, as [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 PET might improve detection of metastatic sites compared to CT alone. These findings highly emphasize larger studies investigating FAPI imaging in UC patients.

Health Literacy of Newly-Admitted Cancer Patients in Vietnam: Difficulties Understanding Treatment Options and Processing Health-Related Information.

Having a good understanding of cancer patients' health literacy in the early stage of diagnosis can help to implement strategies to improve the management process and overall health outcomes. The study aims to describe health literacy and its association with socio-demographic characteristics among newly admitted cancer patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 262 newly admitted patients of a cancer hospital in Vietnam using the Vietnamese version of the HLS-SF12 questionnaire. Descriptive analytics and regression analysis were used to describe health literacy and examine associated factors. Older age, lower level of education, and living in rural areas were associated with lower health literacy while there was no significant relationship between gender and health literacy among newly admitted cancer patients. Many newly admitted patients, especially the older patients have difficulties understanding the different treatment options (54%) and evaluating the reliability of health information on the internet (43%). During the early stage of treatment, strategies should be implemented with regards to patients' health literacy, to properly educate patients and their caregivers to improve communication, adherence to medication, lifestyle, and overall better quality of life and treatment outcome.

Facilely Cross-Linking Polybenzimidazole with Polycarboxylic Acids to Improve H2/CO2 Separation Performance.

Polybenzimidazole (PBI) with a strong size-sieving ability exhibits attractive H2/CO2 separation properties for blue H2 production and CO2 capture. Herein, we report that PBI can be facilely cross-linked with polycarboxylic acids, oxalic acid (OA), and trans-aconitic acid (TaA) to improve its separation performance. The acids react with the amines on the PBI chains, decreasing free volume and increasing size-sieving ability. The acid doping increases H2/CO2 selectivity from 12 to as high as 45 at 35 °C. The acid-doped samples demonstrate stable H2/CO2 separation performance when challenged with simulated syngas containing water vapor at 150 °C, which surpasses state-of-the-art polymers and Robeson's upper bound for H2/CO2 separation.

Validity and Reliability Assessment of Attitude Scales for Hepatitis B Vaccination Among Parents in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: Attitudes and beliefs could be associated with the low number of vaccinations in low- to middle-income countries such as Vietnam. This study aims to describe ways to develop and assess the attitudes towards Hepatitis B vaccination. METHODS: A mixed-method study was carried out between April 2015 and July 2017. Qualitative data were gathered via semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The data were then analyzed thematically into four domains of the Health Belief Model (HBM) in order to design the structured questionnaire. The quantitative strand was followed by the evaluation of the reliability and the construct validity, for which data were obtained after interviewing 768 parents whose children aged from 12 to 24 months, who were receiving the vaccines as part of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) schedules at the Commune Health Centers. RESULTS: The findings showed the content validity index value of 13 items ranged from 0.86 to 1.00. The factor analyses showed that 11 items remained in the final questionnaire after deleting 2 problematic items due to no relation to the total scales and revealed four factors (perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers) that jointly accounted for 62.1% of the observed variances. All four factors have good internal consistency with a total Cronbach's alpha of 0.735. A confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated the proposed factor model which fits well in four domains of HBM. CONCLUSION: Attitude scales for Hepatitis B vaccination based on HBM have been developed. This has confirmed to be a valid and reliable instrument that might be useful in assessing parents' attitudes regarding Hepatitis B vaccination and may be used to promote interventions within the increasing vaccination coverage for Vietnamese children.

Quality of life among newly admitted patients to cancer hospital in Vietnam and associated factors.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 262 newly admitted patients of a cancer hospital in Vietnam. The Vietnamese version EORTC-30 questionnaire 3.0 was used to interviews patients during the first week after their admission. Lower global quality of life and physical functioning scores were significantly associated with older age, lung and gastrointestinal cancers. Emotional functioning score was lower among female patients as compared to males. Financial difficulty was an important preditor for almost all functional scales. Management of early symptoms, providing early emotional supports and appropriate policies to reduce financial difficulty are important to improve cancer patients' quality of life.