PVdF nanofiber membranes loaded with GO were prepared via an electrospinning method and they showed excellent performances including low fouling due to hydrophilic property of GO.

Polymer nanocomposites based on polyaniline (PANi) and graphene nanosheets (GNS) modified with poly(sodium 4-styrensulfonate) (PSS-GNS) were prepared, and their structure and properties were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-vis spectroscopy, ATR-IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and electrical conductivity measurements. The results revealed that for the PANi/PSS-GNS nanocomposites, the disordered structure of PSS-GNS was fully destroyed and PSS-GNS exists in the form of a single GNS or stacked PSS-GNS elements in a PANi matrix. PSS-GNS was partly covered by PANi due to hydrogen bonding that occurs between the PSS-GNS and PANi. By incorporating PSS-GNS, the electrical conductivity of PANi increased linearly from 0.84 S/cm for neat PANi to 4.96 S/cm for a PANi/PSS-GNS (5%) nanocomposite. The thermal stability of the PANi was also improved significantly to approximately 100 o C by the nanocomposite.

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Objective To investigate the effect of gestational weight gain (GWG) on maternal and neonatal outcomes based on the Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines for twin pregnancies. Methods This study included women with twin pregnancies who delivered at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. Based on the weight gain per gestational week according to the 2009 IOM guidelines, the subjects were divided into the following 3 groups: inadequate, adequate, and excessive GWG. We compared the maternal and neonatal outcomes of each group. Results A total of 1,738 twin pregnancies were included in our study. Of these cases, 881, 694, and 163 (50.7%, 39.9%, and 9.4%, respectively) twin pregnancies were categorized into the inadequate, adequate, and excessive GWG groups, respectively. In the inadequate GWG group, the risks of preterm birth <34 weeks (aOR, 2.33, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.63-3.34) and delivering neonates who were small for gestational age (aOR, 1.92, 95% CI, 1.42-2.60) were increased, and the risk of preeclampsia (aOR, 0.49, 95% CI, 0.32-0.76) was decreased. The excessive GWG group had an increased risk of the neonates being large for gestational age (aOR, 1.79, 95% CI, 1.15-2.81). Conclusion The 2009 IOM recommendations for GWG can be applied to Korean women with twin pregnancies to help achieve optimal maternal and neonatal outcomes. However, more than half of the women were categorized as having inadequate weight gain according to the guidelines. Further studies should be performed to obtain Korean national references for GWG in twin pregnancies.

Background: Hypertension is one of the risk factors for obesity-related cardiovascular diseases. We investigated whether genetic variations in serotonin 2A receptor (HTR2A) were associated with hypertension. Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study in cohorts A (Ansan-Ansung cohort, N = 6039) and B (Wonju-Pyengchang cohort, N = 7524). Several genetic variants in HTR2A including rs7330636, rs9590999, rs2183057, and rs4942595 were selected and genotyped. Results: In hypertensive participants in cohort A, the baseline systolic blood pressure and body mass index were 141.80 ± 17.20 mg/dL and 24.48 ± 4.75 kg/m 2 , respectively, which were higher than in those without hypertension (p < 0.001). rs4942595TC genotype was associated with hypertension in cohort A (OR = 0.739), after adjusting for variables. Subjects with rs4942578AA genotype had a decreased risk of hypertension after adjusting for clinical factor (OR = 0.735) in cohort B, and an elevated risk of hypertension in cohort A (OR = 1.562). The logistic regression analysis showed that participants with rs4941573TC genotype were 1.327 times more likely to have a higher blood pressure than those with TT genotype (95% CI 1.101-1.599) in cohort B. Whereas, the OR for developing hypertension in subjects with rs17069883CC genotype compared to those with AA genotype was 1.447 (95% CI 1.018-2.056; p for trend = 0.040) in cohort A. Conclusions: HTR2A genetic variations were associated with hypertension risk in our study.

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