Low-temperature processed GQDs and SnO2 nanoparticles composites (G@SnO2) have been prepared through a facile synthetic path. Facilitated electron transfer and suppressed interfacial charge recombination enable flexible perovskite solar cells with superb efficiency and excellent durability.

Plastic microfluidic devices with embedded chitosan-modified Fusion 5 filter paper (unmodified one purchased from GE Healthcare) have been successfully developed for DNA extraction and concentration, utilizing two different mechanisms for DNA capture: the physical entanglement of long-chain DNA molecules with the fiber matrix of the filter paper and the electrostatic adsorption of DNA to the chitosan-modified filter fibers. This new method not only provided a high DNA extraction efficiency at a pH of 5 by synergistically combining these two capture mechanisms together, but also resisted the elution of DNA from filters at a pH > 8 due to the entanglement of DNA with fibers. As a result, PCR buffers can be directly loaded into the extraction chamber for "in situ PCR", in which the captured DNA were used for downstream analysis without any loss. We demonstrated that the capture efficiencies of a 3-mm-diameter filter disc in a microchip were 98% and 95% for K562 human genomic DNA and bacteriophage λ-DNA, respectively. The washes with DI water, PCR mixture, and TE buffer cannot elute the captured DNA. In addition, the filter disc can enrich 62% of λ-DNA from a diluted sample (0.05 ng/μL), providing a concentration factor more than 30-fold. Finally, a microdevice with a simple two-chamber structure was developed for on-chip cell lysis, DNA extraction, and 15-plex short tandem repeat amplification from blood. This DNA extraction coupled with "in situ PCR" has great potential to be utilized in fully integrated microsystems for rapid, near-patient nucleic acid testing.

Background The efficacy of intravenous acetaminophen compared to its oral formulation for postoperative analgesia is unknown. We hypothesized that the addition of acetaminophen to a multimodal analgesia regimen would provide improved pain management in patients following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and that the effect of acetaminophen would be variable based upon route of delivery. Methods The study was a single center, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial on the efficacy of intravenous versus oral acetaminophen in patients undergoing unilateral TKA. One hundred and seventy-four subjects were randomized to one of three groups: intravenous acetaminophen group (IV Group, n=57) received 1-gram intravenous acetaminophen and oral placebo prior to post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) admission; oral acetaminophen group (PO Group, n=58) received 1-gram oral acetaminophen and volume-matched intravenous normal saline; placebo group (Placebo Group, n=59) received oral placebo and volume-matched intravenous normal saline. Pain scores were obtained every 15 minutes during PACU stay. Average pain scores, maximum pain score, and pain scores before physical therapy were compared among the three groups. Secondary outcomes included total opiate consumption, time to PACU discharge, time to rescue analgesia, and time to breakthrough pain. Results The average PACU pain score was similar in the IV Group (0.56 ±0.99 [mean ±SD]) compared to the PO Group (0.67 ±1.20) (P=0.84) and Placebo Group (0.58 ±0.99) (P=0.71). Total opiate consumption at 6 hours (0.47mg hydromorphone equivalents ±0.56 vs 0.54 ±0.53 vs 0.54 ±0.61; P=0.69) and 24 hours (1.25 ±1.30 vs 1.49 ±1.34 vs 1.36 ±1.31; P=0.46) were also similar between the IV, PO, and Placebo Groups. No significant differences were found between all groups for any other outcome. Conclusion Neither intravenous nor oral acetaminophen provides additional analgesia in the immediate postoperative period when administered as an adjunct to multimodal analgesia in patients undergoing TKA in the setting of a spinal anesthetic.

Critical roles of potassium in charge-carrier balance and diffusion induced defect passivation for highly efficient inverted PSCs are revealed.

No abstract

The performance of low-temperature carbonbased perovskite solar cells (C-PSCs) with high commercial potential was hampered by the inferior interface between the absorber and carbon electrode. In this work, poly[bis(4phenyl)(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)amine] (PTAA) was dissolved in an antisolvent for spin-coating perovskite (CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 , MAPI) films, which was applied to modify both the MAPI films and the interface between the MAPI layer and carbon electrode by gradient engineering. Finally, the C-PSCs based on MAPI-PTAA gradient bulk heterojunction films achieved a power conversion efficiency of 13.0% with an active area of 1 cm 2 , 26% higher than that of pristine MAPI cells, because of the passivated trap states, accelerated hole extraction, and improved crystalline properties in absorber films.

An in situ solution growth method to prepare preferentially assembled and well-distributed α-CsPbI3 nanocrystals/reduced graphene oxide heterostructures is presented.

Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of death worldwide. Recent studies have emphasized the significance of gut microbiota and lipid metabolism in the development of atherosclerosis. Herein, the effects and molecular mechanisms involving ferulic acid (FA) was examined in atherosclerosis using the ApoE-knockout (ApoE-∕-, c57BL/6 background) mouse model. Eighteen male ApoE−/− mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks and then randomly divided into three groups: the model group, the FA (40 mg/kg/day) group and simvastatin (5 mg/kg/day) group. As results, FA could significantly alleviate atherosclerosis and regulate lipid levels in mice. Liver injury and hepatocyte steatosis induced by HFD were also mitigated by FA. FA improved lipid metabolism involving up-regulation of AMPKα phosphorylation and down-regulation of SREBP1 and ACC1 expression. Furthermore, FA induced marked structural changes in the gut microbiota and fecal metabolites and specifically reduced the relative abundance of Fimicutes, Erysipelotrichaceae and Ileibacterium, which were positively correlated with serum lipid levels in atherosclerosis mice. In conclusion, we demonstrate that FA could significantly ameliorate atherosclerotic injury, which may be partly by modulating gut microbiota and lipid metabolism via the AMPKα/SREBP1/ACC1 pathway.