Melanin, the main photoreceptor in living organics, is largely abundant in pigmented hair tissues. Its promising properties have been widely studied in order to fully explore the corresponding applications. However, t...Melanin, the main photoreceptor in living organics, is largely abundant in pigmented hair tissues. Its promising properties have been widely studied in order to fully explore the corresponding applications. However, the photodegradating and aggregating natures of melanin, to some extent, restrict the development of this eco-friendly biomaterial. This study is conducted to overcome both disadvantages by a mature method that coating the original melanin nanoparticles with silica as shells. The results revealed that the aggregation of the melanin/silica nanoparticles (MSNP) was decreased obviously by a 5 h coating and appeared a uniformly mono-dispersed solution. The MSNP that coated for 20 h provided an efficient protection on the photodegradation of the melanin with a 50% maintenance of the melanin content compared with 16% of original melanin and 2% of MSNP-5 h.展开更多
Artificial photosynthesis uses a catalyst to convert CO2 into valuable hydrocarbon products by cleaving the C--O bond. However, this technology is strongly limited by two issues, namely insufficient catalytic efficien...Artificial photosynthesis uses a catalyst to convert CO2 into valuable hydrocarbon products by cleaving the C--O bond. However, this technology is strongly limited by two issues, namely insufficient catalytic efficiency and complicated catalyst-fabrication processes. Herein, we report the development of a novel spray-drying photocatalyst-engineering process that addresses these two issues. Through one-step spray drying, with a residence time of 1.5 s, nanocomposites composed of tin oxide (SnO2) nanoparticles and edge-oxidized graphene oxide (eo-GO) sheets were fabricated without post-treatment. These nanocomposites exhibited 28-fold and five-fold enhancements in photocatalytic efficiency during CO2 reduction compared to SnO2 and commercialized TiO2 (P25), respectively, after irradiation with simulated sunlight for 4 h. This scalable approach, based on short residence times and facile equipment setup, promotes the practical application of artificial photosynthesis through the potential mass production of efficient photocatalysts.展开更多
To the Editor:Transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR)has become an established treatment for patients with severe aortic stenosis(AS)at all levels of surgical risk.^([1,2])With the exploration of TAVR and technol...To the Editor:Transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR)has become an established treatment for patients with severe aortic stenosis(AS)at all levels of surgical risk.^([1,2])With the exploration of TAVR and technological developments,TAVR is an alternative for patients with intermediate or low surgical risk.^([3])There are some studies regarding gender differences in TAVR,but there are few studies on it in Asia.^([4])However,the studies of outcomes based on gender differences in TVAR are still lacking,especially in China and other Asian countries.展开更多
To the Editor:Approximately 2%of people>65 years old have aortic stenosis(AS).[1]Without intervention,AS is a rapidly progressive valvular heart disease with a 2-year mortality of 50%.[1]Since the first transcathet...To the Editor:Approximately 2%of people>65 years old have aortic stenosis(AS).[1]Without intervention,AS is a rapidly progressive valvular heart disease with a 2-year mortality of 50%.[1]Since the first transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR)was performed by Cribier et al[2]in 2002,TAVR has been suggested to be non-inferior in AS patients of various risk stratifications.Post-TAVR complications are essential in predicting patient survival and improving quality of life,especially with the procedure being performed in an increasing population of low-risk patients.[3]Among them,myocardial infarction(MI)is a rare but life-threatening complication usually caused by the obstruction of coronary ostia.[1]In comparison,peri-procedural myocardial injury,primarily characterized by the elevation of cardiac markers,is a relatively common complication of TAVR.Although recent studies have demonstrated promising results of cardiac markers in predicting cardiovascular adverse events,the impact of peri-procedural myocardial injury on short-term and long-term mortality has yet to be established.展开更多
文摘Melanin, the main photoreceptor in living organics, is largely abundant in pigmented hair tissues. Its promising properties have been widely studied in order to fully explore the corresponding applications. However, the photodegradating and aggregating natures of melanin, to some extent, restrict the development of this eco-friendly biomaterial. This study is conducted to overcome both disadvantages by a mature method that coating the original melanin nanoparticles with silica as shells. The results revealed that the aggregation of the melanin/silica nanoparticles (MSNP) was decreased obviously by a 5 h coating and appeared a uniformly mono-dispersed solution. The MSNP that coated for 20 h provided an efficient protection on the photodegradation of the melanin with a 50% maintenance of the melanin content compared with 16% of original melanin and 2% of MSNP-5 h.
文摘Artificial photosynthesis uses a catalyst to convert CO2 into valuable hydrocarbon products by cleaving the C--O bond. However, this technology is strongly limited by two issues, namely insufficient catalytic efficiency and complicated catalyst-fabrication processes. Herein, we report the development of a novel spray-drying photocatalyst-engineering process that addresses these two issues. Through one-step spray drying, with a residence time of 1.5 s, nanocomposites composed of tin oxide (SnO2) nanoparticles and edge-oxidized graphene oxide (eo-GO) sheets were fabricated without post-treatment. These nanocomposites exhibited 28-fold and five-fold enhancements in photocatalytic efficiency during CO2 reduction compared to SnO2 and commercialized TiO2 (P25), respectively, after irradiation with simulated sunlight for 4 h. This scalable approach, based on short residence times and facile equipment setup, promotes the practical application of artificial photosynthesis through the potential mass production of efficient photocatalysts.
基金supported by grants from the West China Hospital“1·3·5”Discipline of Excellence Project-“Mechanisms of aortic stenosis and the clinical applications”,National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.82001899)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81901825).
文摘To the Editor:Transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR)has become an established treatment for patients with severe aortic stenosis(AS)at all levels of surgical risk.^([1,2])With the exploration of TAVR and technological developments,TAVR is an alternative for patients with intermediate or low surgical risk.^([3])There are some studies regarding gender differences in TAVR,but there are few studies on it in Asia.^([4])However,the studies of outcomes based on gender differences in TVAR are still lacking,especially in China and other Asian countries.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.82001899)West China Hospital"1·3·5"Discipline of Excellence Project—"Mechanisms of aortic stenosis and the clinical applications".
文摘To the Editor:Approximately 2%of people>65 years old have aortic stenosis(AS).[1]Without intervention,AS is a rapidly progressive valvular heart disease with a 2-year mortality of 50%.[1]Since the first transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR)was performed by Cribier et al[2]in 2002,TAVR has been suggested to be non-inferior in AS patients of various risk stratifications.Post-TAVR complications are essential in predicting patient survival and improving quality of life,especially with the procedure being performed in an increasing population of low-risk patients.[3]Among them,myocardial infarction(MI)is a rare but life-threatening complication usually caused by the obstruction of coronary ostia.[1]In comparison,peri-procedural myocardial injury,primarily characterized by the elevation of cardiac markers,is a relatively common complication of TAVR.Although recent studies have demonstrated promising results of cardiac markers in predicting cardiovascular adverse events,the impact of peri-procedural myocardial injury on short-term and long-term mortality has yet to be established.