Over 8% efficient CsSnI3-based mesoporous perovskite solar cells enabled by two-step thermal annealing and surface cationic coordination dual treatment

All inorganic tin halide perovskite compounds, such as CsSnI3, have attracted attention in the field of solar cells due to their eco-friend property. It is quite a challenge to fabricate...

Exogenous Application of Melatonin and Methyl Jasmonate as a Pre-Harvest Treatment Enhances Growth of Barhi Date Palm Trees, Prolongs Storability, and Maintains Quality of Their Fruits under Storage Conditions

Fresh date palm fruits (cv. Barhi) have received much attention due to their sweet taste and popularity in marketing. There is a critical need to prolong their storability, as well as maintain their quality during the postharvest and marketing periods. In this study, the effects of spraying date palm trees with melatonin (Mt) and/or methyl jasmonate (Mj) at 10, 20, and 50 ppm, on their growth and yield were investigated. In addition, impacts on quality and storability of the fruits were also studied. In general, application of Mt was mostly more effective than that of Mj, even at 50 ppm, with regard to all evaluated parameters. However, the dual treatment at 50 ppm recorded the highest relative chlorophyll and nutrient content in date palm leaves, as well as the yield and its components. Regarding the date palm fruits stored at 4 °C for 28 days, this dual treatment recorded the lowest weight loss and fruit decay values (0.14 and 2%, respectively), the highest firmness (6 g·cm−2), total soluble solids content (36 °Brix), total sugar content (32.5 g/100 g fresh weight), and the lowest total acidity (0.16 g citric acid/100 mL juice). Moreover, the highest total phenolic content and activity of peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase enzymes in the stored fruits were also recorded for the dual treatment. In contrast to the untreated fruits, scanning electron microscopy observations showed that the sprayed fruits had a very good microstructure, showing intact and thick exocarp tissue with a dense layer of epicuticular wax. The mesocarp tissue showed a normal and clear cellular framework with well organized and arranged cells, after 28 days storage at 4 °C. Based on these results, we can conclude that application of the dual treatment (Mt + Mj) at 50 ppm is a promising way to prolong the storability of date palm fruits and maintain their quality during storage periods.

Impact of Testosterone Therapy on hypogonadal patients unresponsive to phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors alone: A systematic review and a meta-analysis

Background Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors as the first-line treatment for erectile dysfunction, when patients with hypogonadism fail to respond to phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors, the beneficial of addition testosterone therapy is a major concern for clinicians. The objective of this study was to collect and summarize the evidence that evaluated the benefit of addition testosterone therapy in hypogonadism fail to respond to phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. Methods Electronic literature searches of Cochrane Library, PubMed, MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were conducted up to October 2020 and included randomized controlled trials. Specifically, we were looking for papers where Erectile Function Domain Score differences between pre and post-treatment were used as the primary outcome after treatment of testosterone therapy alone, phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors therapy alone, or a dual treatment of both testosterone therapy and phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. Secondary outcomes included the number of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors non-responders who subsequently reported a satisfactory treatment of dual treatment with testosterone therapy and phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. Results A total of 4 studies that met our criteria, consisting of 326 patients. The Erectile Function Domain Score was significantly higher after treatment of testosterone combine with phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors(4.88[4.18–5.57]), phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors with placebo(3.15[1.82–4.47]), and testosterone monotherapy (2.04[0.38–3.71]) compared with baseline. Dual treatment with testosterone and phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors significantly improved Erectile Function Domain Score when compared with testosterone monotherapy (3.16, 95% CI: 1.79–4.53), Of 41.7% patients in the dual treatment group reported an improvement, compared to only 33.0% in phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors treatment group. Conclusions Combination therapy of testosterone and phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors seems most effective in men with both erectile dysfunction and hypogonadism who initial unrespond to phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors.

Reversal of Polymicrobial Biofilm Tolerance to Ciprofloxacin by Blue Light plus Carvacrol

Chronic wound infections are often caused by multi-species biofilms and these biofilm-embedded bacteria exhibit remarkable tolerance to existing antibiotics, which presents huge challenges to control such infections in the wounds. In this investigation, we established a polymicrobial biofilm composed of P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, and A. baumannii. We tested a cocktail therapy comprising 405-nm blue light (BL), carvacrol (Ca), and antibiotics on the multispecies biofilm. Despite the fact that all strains used to form the biofilm were susceptible to ciprofloxacin (CIP) in planktonic cultures, the biofilm was found to withstand ciprofloxacin as well as BL-Ca dual treatment, mainly because K. pneumoniae outgrew and became dominant in the biofilm after each treatment. Strikingly, when ciprofloxacin was combined with BL-Ca, the multispecies biofilms succumbed substantially and were eradicated at an efficacy of 99.9%. Mechanistically, BL-Ca treatment increased membrane permeability and potentiated the anti-biofilm activity of ciprofloxacin, probably by facilitating ciprofloxacin’s entrance of the bacteria, which is particularly significant for K. pneumoniae, a species that is refractory to either ciprofloxacin or BL-Ca dual treatment. The results suggest that bacterial membrane damage can be one of the pivotal strategies to subvert biofilm tolerance and combat the recalcitrant multispecies biofilms.

Legal Nature of Private Video Recordings as Evidence in Criminal Proceedings

The article analyzes the legal nature of private video recordings as evidence in criminal proceedings through the prism of the increasing development of technology and the concept of electronic evidence. The main emphasis in the paper is placed on the derivation of a definition of this particular source of evidence and the possibilities for its dual treatment as physical and non-physical evidence.

Adropin-based dual treatment enhances the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells in rat myocardial infarction

Both weak survival ability of stem cells and hostile microenvironment are dual dilemma for cell therapy. Adropin, a bioactive substance, has been demonstrated to be cytoprotective. We therefore hypothesized that adropin may produce dual protective effects on the therapeutic potential of stem cells in myocardial infarction by employing an adropin-based dual treatment of promoting stem cell survival in vitro and modifying microenvironment in vivo. In the current study, adropin (25 ng/ml) in vitro reduced hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis in rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and improved MSCs survival with increased phosphorylation of Akt and extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) l/2. Adropin-induced cytoprotection was blocked by the inhibitors of Akt and ERK1/2. The left main coronary artery of rats was ligated for 3 or 28 days to induce myocardial infarction. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-labeled MSCs, which were in vitro pretreated with adropin, were in vivo intramyocardially injected after ischemia, following an intravenous injection of 0.2 mg/kg adropin (dual treatment). Compared with MSCs transplantation alone, the dual treatment with adropin reported a higher level of interleukin-10, a lower level of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β in plasma at day 3, and higher left ventricular ejection fraction and expression of paracrine factors at day 28, with less myocardial fibrosis and higher capillary density, and produced more surviving BrdU-positive cells at day 3 and 28. In conclusion, our data evidence that adropin-based dual treatment may enhance the therapeutic potential of MSCs to repair myocardium through paracrine mechanism via the pro-survival pathways.

Chlortalidone and bumetanide in advanced chronic kidney disease: HEBE-CKD Trial

Introduction Current treatment for hypertension and volume overload in chronic kidney disease consists of loop diuretics, nevertheless, chronic use leads to adaptive changes at the distal nephron, which in turn decreases their efficacy. The use of thiazide diuretics could be another treatment option in these patients, notwithstanding, there's not enough evidence to justify their use in this population. Purpose To evaluate the efficacy and safety of treatment with bumetanide plus chlorthalidone in in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease. Methods A double-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted at our hospital. Thirty-two patients with hypertension, chronic kidney disease stage IV/V, and chronic loop diuretic use where divided in two groups. The dual treatment group received bumetanide (4 mg QD) plus chlorthalidone (100 mg QD), while the control group was given bumetanide (4 mg QD) plus placebo, both for twenty-eight days. Systemic blood pressure, bioimpedance, and urinary electrolytes were measured at seven and twenty-eight days of treatment. Results There was a significant decrease of systemic blood pressure in the dual treatment group when compared with the control group; systolic blood pressure −26.1±15.3 vs. −10±23.3 mmHg (p=0.028), diastolic blood pressure −13.5±10.7 vs. −3.4±11.9 mmHg (p=0.018), and mean arterial pressure −18.1±8.7 vs. −5.4±14.3 mmHg (p=0.006). There was also a significant decrease of volume overload in the dual treatment group when compared to the control group; total body water −4.36±3.29 vs. +0.075±1.78 litres (p<0.001), extracellular water −2.55±1.1 vs. +0.150±1.2 litres (p<0.001), and extracellular water to total body water ratio −2.92±4.76 vs. −0.24±1.42 (p=0.039). The treatment group increased its fractional excretion of sodium, while the control group demonstrated an increase, though differences were non-significant. As for adverse effects, there was a non-significant increase of urea and creatinine levels in the dual treatment group when compared with controls. Conclusions In advanced chronic kidney disease plus hypertension patients whose treatment with loop diuretics is insufficient, combined use of bumetanide plus chlorthalidone can be useful for systemic blood pressure and volume overload control. Figure 1 Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public hospital(s). Main funding source(s): Hospital General de México

Effect of Ultrasonic and Microwave Dual-Treatment on the Physicochemical Properties of Chestnut Starch

This work examined the effect of ultrasound and microwave treatments, separate and in combination, on the physicochemical and functional properties of chestnut starch. The results revealed that the ultrasonic-microwave (UM) and microwave-ultrasonic (MU) dually modified samples exhibited more severe surface damage, weaker birefringence, and lower relative crystallinity and gelatinization enthalpy than the native and single-treated starches. The UM samples showed the highest oil absorption capacity, and the MU samples showed the highest water absorption capacity and the best freeze-thaw stability (five cycles) among all samples. The swelling power, peak, trough, final, and breakdown viscosities, and pasting temperature all decreased regardless of single or dual modification. This study provides a reference for potential industrial applications of ultrasound and microwave treatments for the modification of chestnut starch.