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Journal articleJiang Q, Otáhalová V, Burré V, et al., 2024,
Variable capacity polymer based energy harvesters with integrated macroporous elastomer springs
, Nano Energy, Vol: 124, ISSN: 2211-2855We introduce a manufacturing concept of variable capacity energy harvesters consisting of macroporous springs integrated within a conducting silicone rubber and dielectric. Printing and polymerising emulsion templates resulted in macroporous spring elements, which were coated with conducting silicone rubber to maintain the active contact surface. By increasing size and number of these springs, the capacitance change of the energy harvesters during compression and recovery increased from 0.4 nF/cm2 to 0.8 nF/cm2. During cyclic loading with 30 N at 2 Hz, the energy harvesters with macroporous springs delivered a power density of 0.58 µW/cm2 at a bias voltage of 50 V, which was 25 times higher than the control without springs. The energy harvesters provided a constant power output over three hours of cyclic loading (21,600 cycles), indicating their structural stability and the durability of the macroporous springs.
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Journal articleWisnom MR, Pimenta S, Shaffer MSP, et al., 2024,
High performance ductile and pseudo-ductile polymer matrix composites: A review
, Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, Vol: 181, ISSN: 1359-835XThe ability of fibre reinforced composites to deform with a non-linear stress–strain response and gradual, rather than sudden, catastrophic failure is reviewed. The principal mechanisms by which this behaviour can be achieved are discussed, including ductile fibres, progressive fibre fracture and fragmentation, fibre reorientation, and slip between discontinuous elements. It is shown that all these mechanisms allow additional strain to be achieved, enabling a yield-like behaviour to be generated. In some cases, the response is ductile and in others pseudo-ductile. Mechanisms can also be combined, and composites which give significant pseudo-ductile strain can be produced. Notch sensitivity is reduced, and there is the prospect of increasing design strains whilst also improving damage tolerance. The change in stiffness or visual indications of damage can be exploited to give warning that strain limits have been exceeded. Load carrying capacity is still maintained, allowing continued operation until repairs can be made. Areas for further work are identified which can contribute to creating structures made from high performance ductile or pseudo-ductile composites that fail gradually.
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Journal articleWalker K, Li IS, Lee K, et al., 2024,
Self-pigmenting textiles grown from cellulose-producing bacteria with engineered tyrosinase expression
, Nature Biotechnology, ISSN: 1087-0156 -
Journal articleWu Z, Spencer LG, Banya W, et al., 2024,
Morphine for treatment of cough in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (PACIFY COUGH): a prospective, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-way crossover trial
, The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, Vol: 12, Pages: 273-280, ISSN: 2213-2600BackgroundIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive fibrotic lung disease, with most patients reporting cough. Currently, there are no proven treatments. We examined the use of low dose controlled-release morphine compared with placebo as an antitussive therapy in individuals with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.MethodsThe PACIFY COUGH study is a phase 2, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-way crossover trial done in three specialist centres in the UK. Eligible patients aged 40–90 years had a diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis within 5 years, self-reported cough (lasting >8 weeks), and a cough visual analogue scale (VAS) score of 30 mm or higher. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to placebo twice daily or controlled-release morphine 5 mg orally twice daily for 14 days followed by crossover after a 7-day washout period. Patients were randomised sequentially to a sequence group defining the order in which morphine and placebo were to be given, according to a computer-generated schedule. Patients, investigators, study nurses, and pharmacy personnel were masked to treatment allocation. The primary endpoint was percentage change in objective awake cough frequency (coughs per h) from baseline as assessed by objective digital cough monitoring at day 14 of treatment in the intention-to-treat population, which included all randomised participants. Safety data were summarised for all patients who took at least one study drug and did not withdraw consent. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04429516, and has been completed.FindingsBetween Dec 17, 2020, and March 21, 2023, 47 participants were assessed for eligibility and 44 were enrolled and randomly allocated to treatment. Mean age was 71 (SD 7·4) years, and 31 (70%) of 44 participants were male and 13 (30%) were female. Lung function was moderately impaired; mean forced vital capacity (FVC) was 2·7 L (SD 0·76), mean predicted FVC was 82%
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Journal articleGuder F, Collins ASP, Kurt H, et al., 2024,
Parallel, Continuous Monitoring and Quantification of Programmed Cell Death in Plant Tissue
, Advanced Science, ISSN: 2198-3844 -
Journal articlevan Haaren C, Byrne B, Kazarian SG, 2024,
Study of Monoclonal Antibody Aggregation at the Air-Liquid Interface under Flow by ATR-FTIR Spectroscopic Imaging.
, Langmuir, Vol: 40, Pages: 5858-5868Throughout bioprocessing, transportation, and storage, therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) experience stress conditions that may cause protein unfolding and/or chemical modifications. Such structural changes may lead to the formation of aggregates, which reduce mAb potency and may cause harmful immunogenic responses in patients. Therefore, aggregates need to be detected and removed or ideally prevented from forming. Air-liquid interfaces, which arise during various stages of bioprocessing, are one of the stress factors causing mAb aggregation. In this study, the behavior of an immunoglobulin G (IgG) at the air-liquid interface was investigated under flow using macro attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopic imaging. This chemically specific imaging technique allows observation of adsorption of IgG to the air-liquid interface and detection of associated secondary structural changes. Chemical images revealed that IgG rapidly accumulated around an injected air bubble under flow at 45 °C; however, no such increase was observed at 25 °C. Analysis of the second derivative spectra of IgG at the air-liquid interface revealed changes in the protein secondary structure associated with increased intermolecular β-sheet content, indicative of aggregated IgG. The addition of 0.01% w/v polysorbate 80 (PS80) reduced the amount of IgG at the air-liquid interface in a static setup at 30 °C; however, this protective effect was lost at 45 °C. These results suggest that the presence of air-liquid interfaces under flow may be detrimental to mAb stability at elevated temperatures and demonstrate the power of ATR-FTIR spectroscopic imaging for studying the structural integrity of mAbs under bioprocessing conditions.
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Journal articleJohnson SR, Shaw DE, Avoseh M, et al., 2024,
Diagnosis of cystic lung diseases: a position statement from the UK Cystic Lung Disease Rare Disease Collaborative Network.
, Thorax, Vol: 79, Pages: 366-377BACKGROUND: Rare cystic lung diseases are increasingly recognised due the wider application of CT scanning making cystic lung disease management a growing part of respiratory care. Cystic lung diseases tend to have extrapulmonary features that can both be diagnostic but also require surveillance and treatment in their own right. As some of these diseases now have specific treatments, making a precise diagnosis is crucial. While Langerhans cell histiocytosis, Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome, lymphoid interstitial pneumonia and lymphangioleiomyomatosis are becoming relatively well-known diseases to respiratory physicians, a targeted and thorough workup improves diagnostic accuracy and may suggest other ultrarare diseases such as light chain deposition disease, cystic pulmonary amyloidosis, low-grade metastatic neoplasms or infections. In many cases, diagnostic information is overlooked leaving uncertainty over the disease course and treatments. AIMS: This position statement from the Rare Disease Collaborative Network for cystic lung diseases will review how clinical, radiological and physiological features can be used to differentiate between these diseases. NARRATIVE: We highlight that in many cases a multidisciplinary diagnosis can be made without the need for lung biopsy and discuss where tissue sampling is necessary when non-invasive methods leave diagnostic doubt. We suggest an initial workup focusing on points in the history which identify key disease features, underlying systemic and familial diseases and a clinical examination to search for connective tissue disease and features of genetic causes of lung cysts. All patients should have a CT of the thorax and abdomen to characterise the pattern and burden of lung cysts and extrapulmonary features and also spirometry, gas transfer and a 6 min walk test. Discussion with a rare cystic lung disease centre is suggested before a surgical biopsy is undertaken. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that this focused workup sho
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Journal articleJoulia RPG, Puttur F, Stölting H, et al., 2024,
Mast cell activation disrupts interactions between endothelial cells and pericytes during early life allergic asthma
, Journal of Clinical Investigation, ISSN: 0021-9738 -
Journal articleKing FJ, Yuen ELH, Bozkurt TO, 2024,
Border Control: Manipulation of the Host-Pathogen Interface by Perihaustorial Oomycete Effectors.
, Mol Plant Microbe Interact, ISSN: 0894-0282Filamentous plant pathogens, including fungi and oomycetes, cause some of the most devastating plant diseases. These organisms serve as ideal models for understanding the intricate molecular interplay between plants and the invading pathogens. Filamentous pathogens secrete effector proteins via haustoria, specialized structures for infection and nutrient uptake, to suppress the plant immune response and to reprogram plant metabolism. Recent advances in cell biology have provided crucial insights into the biogenesis of the extrahaustorial membrane and the redirection of host endomembrane trafficking toward this interface. Functional studies have shown that an increasing number of oomycete effectors accumulate at the perihaustorial interface to subvert plant focal immune responses, with a particular convergence on targets involved in host endomembrane trafficking. In this review, we summarize the diverse mechanisms of perihaustorial effectors from oomycetes and pinpoint pressing questions regarding their role in manipulating host defense and metabolism at the haustorial interface. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Journal articleDevoy E, Hughes D, Alharbi AF, et al., 2024,
What is cystic fibrosis screen positive inconclusive diagnosis? And what is it not?
, Arch Dis Child Educ Pract EdSince screening for cystic fibrosis (CF) was incorporated into the newborn screening program, the number of recognised variants in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene has significantly increased. This has led to the discovery of combinations of gene variants with an uncertain prognosis. One outcome is the designation of 'cystic fibrosis screen positive inconclusive diagnosis' (CFSPID). While the majority of these children are expected to be unaffected by their CFTR variants, a small proportion have been seen to develop symptoms or increasing sweat chloride levels over time, which may reflect dysfunction of the CFTR protein.As the number of children with CFSPID increases, paediatricians and those working in primary care are more likely to encounter them in their practice. It is important that professionals have an understanding of CFSPID: what it is and, importantly, what it is not (ie, they do not have CF). In this article, we hope to explore this using some example cases, illustrating the ways in which these children may present symptomatically and how to manage them.
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