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Abstract: Introduction: In the pathogenesis of asthma, an imbalance between helper T (Th) 1/Th2 and Th17/Treg cells is believed to play a key role in asthmatic inflammatory responses. Some studies indicated that zinc deficiency increases inflammatory factor production and worsens asthma. However, the effects of zinc on T cell profiles to reduce inflammatory response remain unclear. Objectives: We investigated the beneficial effects of zinc on isolated cell populations and cytokine levels from patients with asthma. Methods: Thirty‐six individuals Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p)‐allergic and 31 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected. Harvested PBMCs were stimulated with recombinant Der p antigen in the presence or absence of zinc sulfate (25 μM or 50 μM) for 48 h. Cell surface markers and intracellular cytokine levels were examined by flow cytometry. The pro‐inflammatory factors in plasma and culture supernatants were measured by commercial enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Zinc sulfate dramatically reduced the proportions of Th2 and Th17 cells, but increased that of Th1 and Treg cells. Zinc sulfate also markedly reduced the levels of interleukin (IL)‐4 and IL‐17, but increased the levels of IFN‐γ. Conclusions: Zinc ameliorates the imbalance in T cell profiles and could be a potential adjuvant therapy for Der p‐induced allergic hypersensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment of known complex [Cp2Fe2 (μ-SEt)2(CH3CN)2](BF4) 2 (1(BF4) 2) with 2 equiv of 1,4-bis(isocyanomethyl)benzene (1,4-CNCH2C6H4CH2NC; L1) or 4,4'-diisocyanophenyl ether (4,4'-CNC6H4OC6H4NC; L2) result in the formation of two new-type diisocyanide complexes [Cp2Fe2 (μ-SEt)2(1,4-CNCH2C6H4CH2NC)2](BF4) 2 (2a(BF4) 2) or [Cp2Fe2 (μ-SEt)2(4,4'-CNC6H4OC6H4NC)2](BF4) 2(2b(BF4) 2), respectively. The new-type 24-membered ring tetranuclear iron-thiolate-aryldiisocyanide metallocyclophane complex [Cp4Fe4 (μ-SEt)4(μ-1,4-CNCH2C6H4CH2NC)2](BF4) 4 (3a(BF4) 4) has been synthesized by using a self-assembly reaction between equimolar amounts of 1(BF4) 2 and 1,4-bis(isocyanomethyl)benzene or by a stepwise route involving mixing a 1:1 molar ratio of complexes 1(BF4) 2 and 2a(BF4) 2. A similar approach was used through the application of equal molar ratio of complexes 1(BF4) 2 and 2b(BF4) 2 to give a 30-membered ring tetranuclear iron-thiolate-aryldiisocyanide metallocyclophane complex [Cp4Fe4 (μ-SEt)4(4,4'-CNC6H4OC6H4NC)2][BF4 ]4 (3b(BF4)4). The spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of four iron-sulfur core complexes were determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Posttraumatic syringomyelia with an initial presentation of involuntary movement is rare. We describe a 25-year-old patient who sustained complete traumatic spinal cord injury at the thoracic level and presented with rhythmic neck muscle spasms and upper limb muscle myoclonic jerks 1 month after trauma. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed syrinx formation between C3 and T1. Lumbar-peritoneal shunt and decompression were performed. The symptoms completely disappeared after surgery. This report highlights that rhythmic neck muscle spasms and upper limb muscle myoclonic jerks can be the initial and only manifestations of syringomyelia. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Multi-junction solar cells offer extremely high power conversion efficiency with minimal semiconductor material usage, and hence are promising for large-scale electricity generation. However, suppressing optical reflection in the UV regime is particularly challenging due to the lack of adequate dielectric materials. In this work, bio-inspired antireflective structures are demonstrated on a monolithically grown Ga0.5In0.5P/In0.01Ga0.99As/Ge triple-junction solar cell, which overcome the limited optical response of reference devices. The fabricated device also exhibits omni-directional enhancement of photocurrent and power conversion efficiency, offering a viable solution to concentrated illumination with large angles of incidence. A comprehensive design scheme is further developed to tailor the reflectance spectrum for maximum photocurrent output of tandem cells. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A series of biodegradable thermo‐sensitive hydrogels were synthesized by ring‐opening polymerization of methoxy‐poly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG) and various ester monomers, i.e. D,L‐lactide, glycolide, β‐propiolactone, δ‐valerolactone and ε‐caprolactone. The copolymers were characterized using 1H NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. The micelle properties were also measured. The results indicated that the diblock copolymers formed nano‐micelles at low concentrations in aqueous phase. The lower critical solution temperatures of the diblock copolymers were above 35 °C at 1 wt%. As the temperature increased above room temperature, the diblock copolymer solutions underwent a sol‐to‐gel phase transition, which was manifested in viscosity increases, indicative of the formation of a gel. The mPEG–polyester diblock copolymer solutions exhibited sol‐gel transition behavior as a function of temperature and polymer concentration. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UV‐sensing devices have received significant recent attention for applications in areas such as human health, fire detection, and optical communication. One key factor for product commercialization is determining the optimal materials that allow for integration of excellent UV‐sensing properties with compatibility with industrial fabrication processes. However, current UV sensors often fail to achieve this due to either mismatched materials or a device that must be excessively large in order to produce enough photocurrent for UV detection. The UV‐light‐sensing properties of an amorphous InGaZnO4 (IGZO) thin‐film transistor with a dual‐gate structure and relatively small device size (width/length = 50 µm/10 µm) that achieves high sensitivity through a threshold‐voltage‐(Vth)‐adjustment method is proposed. Comparing the drain currents under UV exposure to those under darkened conditions indicates that the ratio between the photoinduced and dark current reaches 106. Furthermore, the UV sensitivity of the dual‐gate transistors can be adjusted by varying the bottom gate voltage, with each pixel of the sensor then being read out separately via scan line pulses. This allows the dual‐gate a‐IGZO transistor to be used for high‐performance UV sensing while being effectively integrated in display applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]