An Atmospheric Water-Harvester with Ultrahigh Uptake-Release Efficiency at Low Humidity.

Atmospheric water harvesting is a practical strategy that is achieved by removing materials from air moisture to relieve global water scarcity. Here we design a water-harvester (i.e., MOF-303/thiolated polymer composite (MTC)) by using a metal-organic framework (MOF-303) and thiolated chitosan (TC) skeleton. Intermolecular hydrogen bonding between TC and MOF-303 facilitates porous structures with enlarged air-polymer interfaces for long cycling life and high capacity at low relative humidity. Benefiting from synergetic effects on porosity and anchorage for accelerating the uptake-release of moisture, MTC exhibits a rapid water uptake capacity of 0.135 g/g in 60 min under 12.5 RH% and ultrafast water desorption kinetics of 0.003 g/g/min at 8.5 RH%, which is superior to the as-reported MOF-303 based adsorbents. At low heat (∼40 °C), the water desorption and collection rate, respectively, are 0.0195 and 0.0168 g/g/min within 210 min, showing ultrahigh harvesting efficiency. These results highlight the enormous potential as promising materials for solving the world's water scarcity crisis. This study offers an insight into the design of AWH materials, which can be extended into applications in some realms, e.g., freshwater development for industry in arid areas, water engineering-related devices and systems, etc.

Resistin: A Potential Indicator of Aortic Stiffness in Non-Dialysis Chronic Kidney Disease Patients.

Background and Objectives: In the progression and development of atherosclerosis, resistin plays a significant role. Chronic kidney disease (CKD), frequently associated with atherosclerosis, exhibits a marked increase in morbidity and mortality rates. This study set out to explore the association between aortic stiffness and serum levels of resistin in non-dialysis-dependent CKD patients ranging from stages 3 to 5. Materials and Methods: We collected fasting blood samples from 240 CKD patients across stages 3 to 5. The concentration of resistin in serum was determined using a commercially available enzyme immunoassay kit. Those patients who exhibited a carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) greater than 10 m/s were identified as the aortic stiffness group. Results: Out of the 240 CKD patients, 88 (36.7%) were classified within the aortic stiffness group. This group demonstrated higher incidences of diabetes, advanced age, increased body weight, body mass index, body fat mass, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, and serum resistin levels. Multivariate logistic regression analysis highlighted resistin, diabetes, and body weight as independent predictors of aortic stiffness. Additionally, body fat mass, logarithmically transformed cfPWV (log-cfPWV) values and log-triglyceride levels were independent predictors of log-resistin levels by multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis. Conclusions: In CKD patients from stages 3 to 5, a positive correlation exists between elevated serum resistin levels and cfPWV values, identifying resistin as a potential predictor of aortic stiffness.