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The aim of this study was to develop a population pharmacokinetic (PK) model to simultaneously describe both total and unbound concentrations of ciprofol and its major glucuronide metabolite, M4, and to link it to the population pharmacodynamics (PD) model in subjects with various renal functions.A total of 401 and 459 pairs of total and unbound plasma concentrations of ciprofol and M4, respectively, as well as 2190 bispectral index (BIS) data from 24 Chinese subjects with various renal functions were available. Covariates that may potentially contribute to the PK and PD variability of ciprofol were screened using a stepwise procedure. The optimal ciprofol induction dosing regimen was determined by model-based simulations.The PK of unbound ciprofol could best be described by a three-compartment model, while a two-compartment model could adequately describe unbound M4 PK. The concentrations of total and unbound ciprofol and M4 were linked using a linear protein binding model. The relationship between plasma concentrations of ciprofol and BIS data was best described by an inhibitory sigmoidal EThe developed model fully characterized the population PK and PD profiles of ciprofol. No dose adjustment is required in patients with mild and moderate renal impairment.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the cardiac-differentiation potential of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) generated from human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal cells. Spontaneous beating colonies were observed at day 7 after the sequential addition of CHIR99021 and IWP-4. The combined use of CHIR99021 and IWP-4 downregulated the expression of pluripotency markers while upregulating cardiac transcription factors and cardiomyocyte-specific markers. The derived cardiomyocytes demonstrated typical sarcomeric structures and action-potential features; most importantly, the derived cells exhibited responsiveness to β-adrenergic and muscarinic stimulations. The analyses of molecular, structural, and functional properties revealed that the derived cardiomyocytes were similar to cardiomyocytes derived from BJ foreskin fibroblast cells. In summary, our results demonstrate that functional cardiomyocytes can be generated from human umbilical cord-derived cells. The methodology described here has potential as a means for the production of functional cardiomyocytes from discarded human umbilical cord tissue.

The high-temperature solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) is one of the most promising devices for hydrogen mass production. To make SOEC suitable from an economical point of view, each component of the SOEC has to be optimized. At this level, the optimization of the oxygen electrode is of particular interest since it contributes to a large extent to the cell polarization resistance. The present paper is focused on an alternative oxygen electrode of Zr0.84Y0.16O2–δ-Sr2Fe1.5Mo0.5O6–δ (YSZ-SFM). YSZ-SFM composite oxygen electrodes were fabricated by impregnating the YSZ matrix with SFM, and the ion-impregnated YSZ-SFM composite oxygen electrodes showed excellent performance. For a voltage of 1.2 V, the electrolysis current was 223 mA cm−2, 327 mA cm−2 and 310 mA cm−2 at 750 °C for the YSZ-SFM10, YSZ-SFM20, and YSZ-SFM30 oxygen electrode, respectively. A hydrogen production rate as high as 11.46 NL h−1 has been achieved for the SOEC with the YSZ-SFM20 electrode at 750 °C. The results demonstrate that YSZ-SFM fabricated by impregnating the YSZ matrix with SFM is a promising composite electrode for the SOEC.

Bi1.4Er0.6O3-(La0.74Bi0.10Sr0.16)MnO3-δ (ESB-LBSM) composite cathodes were fabricated by impregnating the ionic conducting ESB matrix with the LBSM electronic conducting materials. The ion-impregnated ESB-LBSM cathodes were beneficial for the O2 reduction reactions, and the performance of these cathodes was investigated at temperatures below 700 °C by AC impedance spectroscopy and the results indicated that the ion-impregnated ESB-LBSM system had an excellent performance. At 700 °C, the lowest cathode polarisation resistance (Rp) was only 0.07 Ω cm2 for the ion-impregnated ESB-LBSM system. For the performance testing of single cells, the maximum power density was 1.0 W cm–2 at 700 °C for a cell with the ESB-LBSM cathode. The results demonstrated that the unique combination of the ESB ionic conducting matrix with electronic conducting LBSM materials was a valid method to improve the cathode performance, and the ion-impregnated ESB-LBSM was a promising composite cathode material for the intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells.

50 wt.-% of Ce0.8Sm0.2O2 (SDC) is added to La0.85Sr0.15Cr0.9 Ni0.1O3 (LSCN) to investigate its use as an alternative anode for solid oxide fuel cells, especially for hydrocarbon fuels. When LSCN is mixed and sintered together with SDC or YSZ at 1,500 °C for 12 h, no obvious second phase is observed from the XRD patterns. Although the conductivity of LSCN-SDC is lower than LSCN, the polarization overpotential is reduced by a factor of 10. The mixed electronic-ionic conductivity of SDC enlarges the reaction zone and improves the catalytic activity of the anode. The interface bonding between LSCN and the YSZ electrolyte is also modified by the nanometer SDC. An improved output performance on a self supported SOFC (LSCN-SDC/YSZ/PSM-YSZ) is obtained with H2 fuel compared with CH4 fuel.