Biventricular noncompaction induced heart failure in premature newborn

Deep intertrabecular recesses and overly pronounced trabeculations in one ventricle are the hallmarks of noncompaction cardiomyopathy (NCCM), a rare congenital cardiomyopathy but very rarely right ventricle (RV), or both ventricles may be involved. We reported a 5-day-old preterm newborn with signs of congestive heart failure that the transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) revealed deep intertrabecular recesses perfused from the left ventricle (LV) and RV cavity, as well as significantly increased wall thickness of the right ventricles and hypertrabeculations in the apical and midventricular segments.

One New Steroidal Saponin from the Leaves of Cordyline fruticosa (L.) A. Chev

Abstract:

A new steroidal saponin was isolated from the leaves of Cordyline fruticosa (L.) A. Chev. The structure of the compound was determined as 26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-furosta-5,(25)27-diene-1β,3β,22α,26-tetrol-1-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, which was determined by spectroscopic analysis 1D and 2D NMR, and mass spectroscopy (HR-ESI-MS in positive mode).

Electrochemical Plasma for Treating 2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid in a Water Environment Using Iron Electrodes

Herbicide compounds containing aromatic rings and chlorine atoms, such as 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic (2,4,5-T), cause serious environmental pollution. Furthermore, these compounds are very difficult to decompose by chemical, physical, and biological techniques. Fortunately, the high-voltage direct current electrochemical technique can be controlled to form a plasma on metallic electrodes. It creates active species, such as H2, O2, and H2O2, and free radicals, such as H•, O•, and OH•. Free radicals that have a high oxidation potential (e.g., OH•) are highly effective in oxidizing benzene-oring compounds. Iron electrodes are used in the study to combine the dissolving process of the iron anode electrode to create Fe2+ ions and the electrochemical Fenton reaction. In addition, the flocculation process by Fe(OH)2 also occurs and the plasma appears with a voltage of 5 kV on the iron electrode in a solution of 30 mg L-1 of 2,4,5-T. After a period of time of the reaction, the aromatic-oring compounds containing chlorine were effectively treated, and the electric conductivity of the solution increased due to the amount of Cl- ions released in the solution and the decrease in the pH value. The degradable products of 2,4,5-T were qualitatively characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and it was determined that straight-chain carboxylic acids are formed in the solution. These compounds are easy to oxidize thoroughly under appropriate conditions in a solution via OH• free radicals. Moreover, 2,4,5-T was also quantitatively analyzed using a calibration curve from GC-MS and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Furthermore, this work also suggests that the performance of the treatment process can be optimized by controlling the technological factors, such as the input voltage, the distance between anodic and cathodic electrodes, the initial concentration of 2,4,5-T, and flowing air through the solution that represents an approximately 99.83% degradable efficiency. Finally, the work demonstrates a potential technology for treating the 2,4,5-T compound, particularly for environmental pollution treatments.

Single-composition Al3+-singly doped ZnO phosphors for UV-pumped warm white light-emitting diode applications

The development of full-visible-spectrum phosphors is essential for next-generation light-emitting devices with better light quality. Herein, we report on a novel broad-band-emitting phosphor based on single-composition Al-doped ZnO phosphors. Under the UV excitation of 325 nm, the ZnO : Al phosphor exhibits a full spectrum emission in the visible wavelength range from 400 to 800 nm with a CIE chromaticity coordinate of (0.42, 0.48), a quantum efficiency of 43%, a color rendering index (CRI) of 74, a correlated color temperature (CCT) value of 3873 K and an activation energy of 0.22 eV. A prototype of a UV-pumped warm WLED with a high CRI of 87 and a CCT of 4067 K has been achieved by using only this broad-band-emitting Al3+-doped ZnO phosphor. The obtained results indicate that the single-composition Al3+-singly doped warm white emitting phosphor is a promising candidate for UV-pump warm white light-emitting diodes.

Anti-inflammatory secondary metabolites from the stems of Millettia dielsiana Harms ex Diels

A phytochemical investigation for the constituents of the stems of Millettia dielsiana Harms ex Diels resulted in the isolation of a new isoflavone glycoside, mildiside A (1), and 14 known compounds (2-15). Their chemical structures were determined using a combination of IR, NMR, MS, and optical rotation analysis, as well as comparison with the literature data. The ethanolic (EtOH) extract and several isolated compounds exert the inflammatory effect of nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine RAW264.7 macrophage cells.

Lignan derivatives from Selaginella tamariscina and their nitric oxide inhibitory effects in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells

The chemical characterization of Selaginella tamariscina leaves resulted in the isolation of five lignanoside derivatives (1-4 and 6) and one neolignan (5). These compounds include three new lignanosides, tamariscinosides D-F (1-3), and one liriodendrin (4) that were isolated for the first time from this plant, together with two known compounds, (2R,3S)-dihydro-2-(3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)-7-methoxy-5-acetyl-benzofuran (5) and moellenoside B (6). The chemical structures of these isolated compounds were determined using 1D and 2D NMR, MS, and CD spectroscopic data, and the results were compared to data previously reported in the literatures. These compounds were also evaluated in terms of their inhibition of NO production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated activity in the macrophage cell line RAW 264.7. Among them, compounds 1, 2, 5, and 6 exhibited a significant inhibition with IC₅₀ values ranging from 32.3 to 55.8μM.

Integrating palliative care into HIV outpatient clinical settings: preliminary findings from an intervention study in Vietnam

Symptom assessment and treatment for people living with HIV (PLHIV) cannot only lead to improvements in quality of life but contribute to combination antiretroviral adherence and early detection of virologic rebound. The majority of PLHIV in Vietnam receive their care in HIV outpatient settings, whereas very few clinics provide palliative care. The Ministry of Health has called for palliative care to be incorporated into existing HIV and cancer services, but there is limited guidance regarding how to operationalize integration. An HIV outpatient clinic palliative care intervention was tested in northern Vietnam to explore the accessibility, acceptability, and feasibility of integrated services. Primary outcome measures included changes in identification and treatment of pain and other symptoms, the prevalence of depression and anxiety, and perceived social support. The palliative care intervention included introduction of tools and mentoring to assess and treat pain and other symptoms as well as mental health and social support screening, counseling, and treatment services. The intervention resulted in significant changes in provider practice and service delivery. Providers and patients reported overall satisfaction with the intervention and resulting improvements in quality of care.

Generation of tunable subpicosecond pulses using low-Q dye cavities

The design and operation characteristics of a low-Q cavity dye laser chain pumped by a single laser (seeded Q-switched Nd:YAG) for generating high-power tunable subpicosecond pulses are presented. Two low-Q short dye cavities in cascade pumped well above threshold followed by extracavity pulse shaping in a highly saturated absorber and amplifiers lead to stable generation of single 500-fs pulses, i.e., a pulse-shortening factor > 10(4) (from a smooth 6-ns pump pulse). Output pulse energies of 500 microJ (1-GW peak power) are produced from 40-mJ pump energy and used to generate high-power tunable subpicosecond pulses from 450 to 700 nm by supercontinuum generation, spectral selection, and amplification in dye amplifiers pumped by the same Nd:YAG laser. The spectral and time processes involved in these pulse-shortening methods are discussed with a rate-equation model.