Role Of Plasma Research Articles

Role of plasma and blood-cell co-metagenomic sequencing in precise diagnosis and severity evaluation of sepsis, a prospective cohort study in sepsis patients.

Sepsis caused great clinical burden all over the world. This study clarified the value of plasma metagenomic next-generation sequencing (p-mNGS) and blood cell mNGS (bc-mNGS) in sepsis diagnosis and evaluation. One hundred and fourty-seven blood samples were collected from sepsis patients who met sepsis 3.0 criteria. Blood culture (BC), qPCR, p-mNGS, bc-mNGS and necessary routine assays were conducted. Taking BC and qPCR as reference, diagnosis performance of p-mNGS and bc-mNGS was analyzed. Blood transcriptome was conducted to evaluate the immunological response of patients in groups with different p/bc-mNGS results. Impact of antibiotic use on different methods was also analyzed. The p-mNGS demonstrated a sensitivity of 100% for bacteria/fungi and 97% for viruses, which was higher than bc-mNGS (88% for bacteria and fungi, 71% for viruses). However, bc-mNGS showed higher concordance with BC results, which indicated that co-mNGS (p-mNGS plus bc-mNGS) protocol increase sensitivity and helpful to justify viable blood pathogens in sepsis patients. This study showed that p-mNGS(+) & bc-mNGS(+) samples represented more activated immunity response (low expression of interferon-induced genes and high expression of JAK-STAT pathway genes), poorer clinical laboratory indicators (higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment, higher procalcitonin and higher C-reactive protein) and lower survival rate. This study also proved that the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics affected much less on p/bc-mNGS diagnostic ability than on BC. This research highlighted the potential value of plasma and blood-cell co-metagenomic sequencing in precise diagnosis and severity evaluation of sepsis patients, which will benefit the management of sepsis patients.

Detrimental effect of prenatal progesterone exposure on anxiety and depressive-like responses in adult male and female rat offspring: Role of plasma, hippocampal corticosterone and hippocampal progesterone receptors

In clinical practice, the use of exogenous progesterone (Pro) is often required in assisted reproduction programs due to reduced levels of the hormone and the risk of miscarriage. Exposure to the hormone reduces anxiety in rodents, but the long-term effects of prenatal exposure in adult offspring are unknown. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the effect of prenatal Pro treatment on anxiety- and depression-like behavior and the effect on plasma, hippocampal corticosterone (CORT) and hippocampal progesterone receptor (PR) in young adult male and female rat offspring. The behavioral responses of offspring of both sexes were tested in the open field, and the elevated plus maze tests, and for depressive-like behavior in the sucrose preference test, the forced swimming test and the splash test. CORT levels and PR expression were measured by ELISA. The results indicate that prenatal Pro exposure at low and high doses (10 and 50 mg kg-1, s.c. during G0-G10) induces anxiogenic and depressive-like effects compared to vehicle-treated controls, which are associated with high plasma and hippocampal CORT levels and upregulated hippocampal PR in male and female adult offspring. Our results demonstrate that prenatal Pro exposure has detrimental effects on the emotional status of male and female adult offspring, which may be associated with long-term changes in hormonal homeostasis.

Analysis of application range of simplified models for field to thermo-field to thermionic emission processes from the cathode

Electron emission plays a dominant role in plasma–cathode interactions and is a key factor in many plasma phenomena and industrial applications. It is necessary to illustrate the various electron emission mechanisms and the corresponding applicable description models to evaluate their impacts on discharge properties. In this study, detailed expressions of the simplified formulas valid for field emission to thermo-field emission to thermionic emission typically used in the numerical simulation are proposed, and the corresponding application ranges are determined in the framework of the Murphy–Good theory, which is commonly regarded as the general model and to be accurate in the full range of conditions of the validity of the theory. Dimensionless parameterization was used to evaluate the emission current density of the Murphy–Good formula, and a deviation factor was defined to obtain the application ranges for different work functions (2.5‒5 eV), cathode temperatures (300‒6000 K), and emitted electric fields (105 to 1010 V·m−1). The deviation factor was shown to be a nonmonotonic function of the three parameters. A comparative study of particle number densities in atmospheric gas discharge with a tungsten cathode was performed based on the one-dimensional implicit particle-in-cell (PIC) with the Monte Carlo collision (MCC) method according to the aforementioned application ranges. It was found that small differences in emission current density can lead to variations in the distributions of particle number density due to changes in the collisional environment. This study provides a theoretical basis for selecting emission models for subsequent numerical simulations.

Metal evaporation dynamics in electron cyclotron resonance ion sources: plasma role in the atom diffusion, ionisation, and transport

We present a numerical study of metals dynamics evaporated through resistively heated ovens in electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma traps, used as metal ion beam injectors for accelerators and multi-disciplinary research in plasma physics. We use complementary numerical methods to perform calculations in the framework of the PANDORA trap. The diffusion and deposition of metal vapours at the plasma chamber’s surface are explored under molecular flow regime, with stationary and time-dependent particle fluid calculations via COMSOL Multiphysics®. The ionisation of vapours is then studied in the strongly energised ECR plasma. We have developed a Monte Carlo (MC) code to simulate the in-plasma metal ions’ dynamics, coupled to particle-in-cell simulations of the plasma physics in the trap. The presence of strongly inhomogeneous plasmas leads to charge-exchange and electron-impact ionisations of metals, in turn affecting the deposition rate/pattern of the metal on the walls of the trap. Results show how vapours dynamics depends both on evaporated metals and the plasma target. The 134Cs, 176Lu, and 48Ca isotopes were investigated, the first two being radioisotopes interesting for the PANDORA project, and the third as one of the most required rare isotope by the nuclear physics community. We present an application of the study: MC computing the γ activity due to the deposited radioactive neutral nuclei during the measurement time, we quantitatively estimated the overall γ-detection system’s efficiency using GEANT4, including the poisoning γ-signal from the walls of the trap, relevant for the γ-tagging of short-lived nuclei’s decay rate in the PANDORA experiment. This work can give valuable support both to the evaporation technique and plasma source optimisation, for improving the metal ion beam production, avoiding huge deposit/waste of metals known to affect the long-term source stability, as well as for radio-safety aspects and reducing material waste in case of rare isotopes.

Assessment of the relationship between plasma fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio and slow coronary flow phenomenon in patients without obstructive coronary artery disease

BackgroundPrior studies have suggested that the chronic inflammatory response has an important role in the pathophysiology of slow coronary flow phenomenon (SCFP). However, data are scarce regarding the role of plasma fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (PFAR) in patients having SCFP without obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). In this study, we investigated the relationship between PFAR and the presence of SCFP in patients without obstructive CAD.MethodsFrom January 2021 to January 2023, we consecutively recruited 1085 patients without obstructive CAD according to the diagnostic and exclusion criteria. In total, SCFP was diagnosed in 70 patients. A 1:2 age-matched case–control study was then conducted using comparators without SCFP. Ultimately, this study enrolled 70 patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries and SCFP, along with 140 comparators with angiographically normal coronary arteries and normal coronary flow. Plasma fibrinogen and albumin levels were measured, and the PFAR was then calculated for each patient.ResultsPFARs were significantly greater in the SCFP group than in the comparators with normal coronary flow (82.8 ± 15.4 vs 73.1 ± 19.5, p < 0.001). PFAR increased with increasing numbers of vessels affected by SCFP. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that PFAR was an independent predictor of SCFP (odds ratio: 1.818, p = 0.015). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated that PFAR showed a better predictive value of SCFP than fibrinogen or albumin, although not significantly (p > 0.05).ConclusionPFAR is an independent predictor of SCFP in patients without obstructive CAD. PAFR could improve the predictive value of SFCP than albumin or fibrinogen alone, but not significantly.

Recent applications in dielectric barrier discharge and radio frequency plasmas‐engineered transition metal electrocatalysts for water splitting

AbstractHydrogen generated by water electrolysis is considered as one of the most promising protocols to partly replace the roles of traditional fossil fuels. However, high‐performance electrocatalyst satisfied with the industrial requirement still faces significant challenges. Low‐temperature plasma contains numerous high‐energy ions, electrons and other reactive species, which can provide a highly reactive environment for tuning the physio‐chemical structures of catalysts through plasma milling, etching, doping and/or deposition. It is well‐known that high‐temperature micro‐filaments contained in plasmas can cause some special modifications of the catalyst surface, thus effectively adjusting the physio‐chemical structure of latterly engineered compounds. Therefore, low‐temperature plasma technologies, especially the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and radio frequency (RF) plasmas, can be considered as a green and sustainable strategy for engineering high‐performance electrocatalysts for water splitting (hydrogen evolution reaction [HER]; oxygen evolution reaction [OER]). Herein, recent progress of DBD and RF plasmas for fabricating and modifying transition metal‐based electrocatalysts (e.g. sulphide, phosphide, selenide, oxide, hydroxide) for hydrogen evolution reaction or OER is comprehensively reviewed, and the role of plasma is also discussed.

Harvesting energy driven by Comisso-Asenjo process from Kerr-MOG black holes

Magnetic reconnection is a process that plays a critical role inplasma astrophysics by converting magnetic energy into plasmaparticle energy. Recently, Comisso and Asenjo demonstrated thatrapid magnetic reconnection within a black hole's ergosphere canefficiently extract energy from a rotating black hole. In thispaper, by considering a Kerr black hole in the MOdified gravity(MOG) framework, we investigate the impact of the MOG parameter α on the rotational energy extraction via theComisso-Asenjo process (CAP). To model energy extraction from supermassive black holes located in the center of galaxies, we set the value of α within the range inferred from the recent observation of Sgr A* by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). Ourresults indicate that the Kerr-MOG black hole is a more efficienthost for CAP-based rotational energy extraction compared to theKerr black hole, since it amplifies the power of energy extractionand efficiency of the plasma energization process. We show that,from the energy extraction viewpoint, the CAP is more efficientthan the Blandford-Znajek process (BZP). The latter is anothermagnetic field-based energy extraction model which is widelybelieved to be an engine for powering the high-energyastrophysics jets emerging from the supermassive black holes atactive galactic nuclei. In particular, we show that the ratio ofthe energy extraction power of CAP to BZP in the presence of theMOG parameter is greater than that of the Kerr black hole. Ourresults promise this phenomenological message that theMOG-induced correction on the Kerr black hole background plays animportant role in favor of energy extraction via the CAP.

The role of plasma β in global coronal models: Bringing balance back to the force

Context. COolfluid COrona uNstrUcTured (COCONUT) is a global coronal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model that was recently developed and will soon be integrated into the ESA Virtual Space Weather Modelling Centre (VSWMC). In order to achieve robustness and fast convergence to a steady state for numerical simulations with COCONUT, several assumptions and simplifications were made during its development, such as prescribing filtered photospheric magnetic maps to represent the magnetic field conditions in the lower corona. This filtering leads to smoothing and lower magnetic field values at the inner boundary (i.e. the solar surface), resulting in an unrealistically high plasma β (greater than 1 in a large portion of the domain). Aims. We aim to examine the effects of prescribing such filtered magnetograms in global coronal simulations and formulate a method for achieving more realistic plasma β values and improving the resolution of electromagnetic features without losing computational performance. Methods. We made use of the newly developed COCONUT solver to demonstrate the effects of the highly pre-processed magnetic maps set at the inner boundary and the resulting high plasma β on the features in the computational domain. Then, in our new approach, we shifted the inner boundary to 2 R⊙ from the original 1.01 R⊙ and preserved the prescribed highly filtered magnetic map. With the shifted boundary, the boundary density and pressure were also naturally adjusted to better represent the considered physical location. This effectively reduces the prescribed plasma β and leads to a more realistic setup. The method was applied on a magnetic dipole, a minimum (2008) and a maximum (2012) solar activity case, to demonstrate its effects. Results. The results obtained with the proposed approach show significant improvements in the resolved density and radial velocity profiles, and far more realistic values of the plasma β at the boundary and inside the computational domain. This is also demonstrated via synthetic white light imaging (WLI) and with the validation against tomography data. The computational performance comparison shows similar convergence to a limit residual on the same grid when compared to the original setup. Considering that the grid can be further coarsened with this new setup, as its capacity to resolve features or structures is superior, the operational performance can be additionally increased if needed. Conclusions. The newly developed method is thus deemed as a good potential replacement of the original setup for operational purposes, providing higher physical detail of the resolved profiles while preserving a good convergence and robustness of the solver.

#6499 The CIRCRNA–MIRNA–MRNA REGULATORY NETWORK AND THE POTENTIAL ASSOCIATIONS WITH THE PATHOGENESIS OF SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS

Abstract Background and Aims This study aimed to explore the possible role of plasma and PBMCs circular RNA (circRNA) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Method Total RNA was extracted from blood plasma samples obtained from 10 patients with SLE and 10 healthy controls and subjected to microarray analysis to define the profile of circRNA expression. The quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction amplification (qRT-PCR) was conducted. The overlapped circRNA between PBMCs and plasma was performed, the interactions with microRNAs were predicted, the miRNA target mRNA was predicted, and the GEO database was used. The Gene ontology and pathway analysis was performed. Results 131 upregulated and 314 significantly downregulated circRNAs were identified in the plasma of patients with SLE by the Fold change criteria (≥2.0) and P &amp;lt; 0.05. The qRT-PCR results showed that the expression of has-circRNA-102531, has-circRNA-103984, and has-circRNA-104262 was increased in plasma of SLE, and the expression of has-circRNA-102972, has-circRNA-102006, has-circRNA-104313 was decreased in plasma of SLE. 28 upregulated circRNAs and 119 downregulated circRNAs were overlapped from PBMCs and plasma, and ubiquitination was enriched. Furthermore, the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was constructed in SLE after analyzing dataset GSE61635 from GEO. The circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network comprises 54 circRNAs, 41 miRNAs, and 580 mRNAs. In addition, the TNF signaling pathway and the MAPK pathway were enriched from the mRNA of the miRNA target. Conclusion We described differentially expressed circRNAs in plasma and PBMCs, and the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was constructed. The network's circRNAs could be a potential diagnostic biomarker and potentially play an important role in the pathogenesis and development of SLE.

An assessment of renal function by neutrophil lipocalin and cystatin C in obese adolescents with or without obesity-induced hypertension

Introduction: Obesity and hypertension are associated with organ complications, including kidney diseases. It is necessary to search for the methods of early detection of these complications. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess renal function in obese adolescents, based on lipocalin-2 and cystatin C levels in relation to creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate and leptin levels. Materials and methods: The study included 76 children aged 11–17 years, with obesity or with obesity and obesity- induced hypertension or normosthenic children with tension headaches (control group). Renal function was assessed based on serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate (Schwartz equation). Plasma and urine lipocalin-2, serum cystatin C and leptin levels were determined by ELISA. Results: Renal function assessed by creatinine level and estimated glomerular filtration rate was normal in all patients, but mean creatinine levels were significantly higher and estimated glomerular filtration rate was significantly lower in the study groups compared to controls. No significant differences were found in plasma and urine lipocalin-2 levels. Mean cystatin C level was significantly higher in the obese group. We have found a weak positive correlation between plasma lipocalin-2 and creatinine levels and its weak negative correlation with estimated glomerular filtration rate, as well as a positive correlation for leptin and cystatin C levels in the obese group. Conclusion: The role of plasma and urine lipocalin-2 and serum cystatin C in the assessment of renal function in obese adolescents with or without obesity-induced hypertension is ambiguous. The relationship between cystatin C and leptin levels in obese children also requires further research.

"The Role of Plasma and Platelet Transfusion in Patient Blood Management – A Narrative Review"

Patient blood management (PBM) has been defined as the timely application of evidence-based medical and surgical concepts designed to maintain hemoglobin concentration, optimize hemostasis, and minimize blood loss in an effort to improve patient outcome.

Target Density Effects on Charge Transfer of Laser-Accelerated Carbon Ions in Dense Plasma.

We report on charge state measurements of laser-accelerated carbon ions in the energy range of several MeV penetrating a dense partially ionized plasma. The plasma was generated by irradiation of a foam target with laser-induced hohlraum radiation in the soft x-ray regime. We use the tricellulose acetate (C_{9}H_{16}O_{8}) foam of 2 mg/cm^{3} density and 1mm interaction length as target material. This kind of plasma is advantageous for high-precision measurements, due to good uniformity and long lifetime compared to the ion pulse length and the interaction duration. We diagnose the plasma parameters to be T_{e}=17 eV and n_{e}=4×10^{20} cm^{-3}. We observe the average charge states passing through the plasma to be higher than those predicted by the commonly used semiempirical formula. Through solving the rate equations, we attribute the enhancement to the target density effects, which will increase the ionization rates on one hand and reduce the electron capture rates on the other hand. The underlying physics is actually the balancing of the lifetime of excited states versus the collisional frequency. In previous measurement with partially ionized plasma from gas discharge and z pinch to laser direct irradiation, no target density effects were ever demonstrated. For the first time, we are able to experimentally prove that target density effects start to play a significant role in plasma near the critical density of Nd-glass laser radiation. The finding is important for heavy ion beam driven high-energy-density physics and fast ignitions. The method provides a new approach to precisely address the beam-plasma interaction issues with high-intensity short-pulse lasers in dense plasma regimes.

Quantification of plasma produced OH and electron fluxes at the liquid anode and their role in plasma driven solution electrochemistry

Plasma–liquid interactions enable various applications through the generation of a large range of reactive species in solution. In this work, we report on the interaction of a pulsed atmospheric pressure glow-like discharge with a liquid anode. Particularly, the flux of hydroxyl (OH) radicals and electrons in the plasma at the liquid anode are measured by laser induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy and current measurements to investigate the role of OH and electrons in plasma-enabled redox chemistry in solution. The impact of the voltage pulse width, voltage amplitude, liquid temperature and conductivity on the OH density distribution was also investigated. We observed a significant OH density near the liquid surface, which showed a transition from a ring-shaped structure to a more uniform structure with increasing plasma power. This transition coincided with a similar transition in the plasma emission intensity and electron density profile. A Raman laser scattering study indicated that this transition can be attributed to an enhanced N2 mixing at larger plasma-dissipated powers. Besides, a time resolved measurement showed that the OH density segregates radially in the afterglow at velocities exceeding the gas velocity at room temperature due to enhanced gas convection resulting from the plasma-induced gas heating. While the OH flux was of the order of ∼1021 m−2 s−1, approximately two orders of magnitude lower than the electron flux, significant reduction in the solution occurs during the voltage pulse. Nonetheless, a slow oxidation was observed in the afterglow due to the much longer lifetime of OH radicals compared to electrons. The Faradaic efficiency of the liquid redox chemistry was evaluated with H cell measurements and showed a good agreement with a 1D liquid phase model with the measured electron and OH fluxes as the input. This result shows the capability to quantitatively describe the plasma-driven solution electrochemistry for a model redox couple based on OH and electron driven reactions.

Role of plasma 8-OXO-2’-deoxyguanosine in target organ damage in patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes

Background: The aim of the study was to determine the prognostic value of 8-oxo-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) plasma levels for cardiovascular complications (CVC) development in hypertension (HTN) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) comorbidity. Material and methods: One hundred fifty-six patients (mean age 61.71 ± 0.87 years) with the combined course of HTN stage II and T2DM (group 1) and 100 non-diabetic patients with HTN stage II (mean age 60.59 ± 0.87 years, group 2) were examined. Lipid, carbohydrate metabolism, plasma insulin, plasma 8-OHdG (by ELISA), blood pressure levels were measured. Observation period was 12 months. Results: Plasma levels of 8-OHdG in the patients’ groups were significantly higher than in the controls (p &lt; 0.001), in the group 1 higher than in group 2 (15.37 ± 0.27 ng/L vs . 14.00 ± 0.29 ng/L, respectively, p = 0.002). Plasma levels of 8-OHdG in group-2 patients who developed cardiovascular complications during observation period were significantly higher than in those without cardiovascular complications (16.47 ± 0.62 ng/L vs. 15.11 ± 0.29 ng/L, respectively, p = 0.046). The ROC analysis made it possible to propose the 8-OHdG plasma level ≥ 15.68 ng/L as an identifier for the cardiovascular complications in patients with studied comorbidity. In group 1, in patients with 8-OHdG plasma level ≥ 15.68 ng/L such cardiovascular risk factors as total cholesterol (TC) (p = 0.034), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (p = 0.035), systolic blood pressure (p = 0.022), HOMA-IR (p = 0.046) were significantly higher compared with those whose level of this indicator was &lt; 15.68 ng/L. Conclusion: Determination of the plasma 8-OHdG allows not only for assessment of the severity of oxidative stress, but also for determination of the course and prognosis in comorbidity of HTN and T2DM.

Human papillomavirus DNA resides in surgical drain fluid exosomes from HPV+ oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients and can be spread to neighboring HPV-negative cells.

e18050 Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the primary driver of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPC) in the US. Previous studies have investigated the role of plasma and saliva-based cell-free HPV DNA in OPC, yet the pathophysiological impact of exosomes in HPV+ OPC remains unknown. Exosomes are nanometer-sized membrane vesicles of endocytic origin carrying DNA, RNA and proteins, and have been shown to exist in blood, plasma, and in urine. We hypothesize that serosanguinous fluid drained from the postoperative bed, which we call “surgical drain fluid” (SDF) also contains exosomes. We further hypothesize that exosomes derived from SDF in HPV+ OPC patients contain HPV DNA that can be directly transmitted into HPV-negative cells. Methods: Twenty-six 5-mL SDF samples were collected following surgical neck dissections directly from the surgical drain; 21 from HPV+ and 5 from HPV- OPC patients. Exosomes were isolated from SDF using the Qiagen exoEasy kit. Exosome structure was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). Western blotting (WB) targeted known exosomal surface markers. Exosomes were pretreated with DNase (New England Biolabs) to cleave the surface DNA, then exosomal DNA was extracted using a cell-free DNA isolation kit (Sigma). TaqMan real-time PCR was employed to detect HPV16 copy numbers. Lastly, exosomes isolated from 3 HPV+ patients’ SDF and 1 HPV- patient’s SDF were incubated with HPV- cell lines, SCC22A and SCC25, in order to query exosome-mediated HPV transmission. Results: TEM identified exosomes as round/oval-shaped vesicles measuring between 70 and 150 nm. NTA enumerated an average of 1.5 x 1011 particles per mL of SDF. WB further confirmed exosomal identity with strong CD63, CD9, and TSG101 signal detected. Among SDF exosomes from HPV+ OPC, 81% (n = 17) had detectable HPV16 DNA by real-time PCR, while all HPV- SDF exosomes (n = 5) showed undetectable HPV16. Paired comparison of HPV16 levels within exosomes to total HPV16 in SDF revealed an average of 90% of HPV16 in SDF was contained within exosomes. In an in vitro assay, SCC22A and SCC25 cells treated with HPV16 + exosomes became real-time PCR-positive for HPV16, while cells treated with HPV16- exosomes remained HPV16 negative. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that SDF, a novel post-surgical biofluid analyte, is enriched for HPV-containing exosomes in HPV+ OPC patients. We also found that exosomes from HPV+ OPC patients can transmit HPV to HPV-negative cells, suggesting a novel mode of virus-mediated spread of disease.

Nanosecond-pulsed DBD plasma treatment on human leukaemia Jurkat cells and monoblastic U937 cells in vitro

Plasma therapy offers an exciting and novel way of cancer treatment. Specifically, it is shown that Jurkat death rates are closely governed by the plasma treatment time. However, apart from time, alterations to different parameters of treatment process may yield better results. Here, Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactors excited by a nanosecond-pulse energy source are used to investigate cell viability for longer exposure times as well as the effects of polarity of reactor on treatment. Plasma discharge regimes are discussed and assessed using imaging and thermal imaging methods. We found that by changing the polarity of reactor i.e. changing the direction of plasma discharge, the plasma discharge regime changes influencing directly the effectiveness of treatment. Our results showed that ns-DBD− reactor could induce both apoptosis and necrosis of human Jurkat and U937 cells, and this cytotoxic effect of plasma was not completely antagonized by N-acetyl cysteine. It indicates that plasma could induce ROS-independent cell death. Gene expression analyses revealed that p53, BAD, BID and caspase 9 may play vital roles in plasma caused cell death. In addition, our findings demonstrate how different parameters can influence the effectiveness of our reactors. Our assay reveals the custom ability nature of plasma reactors for hematologic cancer therapy and our findings can be used for further development of such reactors using multi-objective optimisation techniques.

Hydrogen and aromatics recovery through plasma-catalytic pyrolysis of waste polypropylene

Plasma-catalysis pyrolysis is a promising way to solve the problem of catalyst deactivation during plastic recycling. In this study, pyrolysis of polypropylene (PP) over zeolite ZSM-5 has been carried out in a two-stage fixed bed pyrolysis system with a coaxial dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma reactor. The role of plasma on the pyrolysis process, as well as the stability of the plasma-catalytic system was investigated. Compared to conventional catalytic pyrolysis, plasma-catalysis pyrolysis increased gas products from 29 wt% to 47 wt% with 4.19 mmol/g H2 formed, and improved the selectivity of BTX (benzene, toluene, xylene) whilst inhibiting the production of wax simultaneously. After 10 cycles, clear decreases in gas and oil yield (from 86 wt% to 48 wt%) and BTX selectivity (from 71 wt% to 39 wt%) were found in the conventional catalytic pyrolysis, however, nearly no variation was shown in the plasma-catalysis mode. The coupling of catalyst and plasma modified the catalysts acidic sites, while the radicals enhanced the pre-cracking of volatiles, resulting in less deposited coke. Overall, the introduction of plasma resulted in an obvious reduction in total costs and presented a feasible strategy for the recycling of waste plastic.

Preface: Non-equilibrium transport, interfaces, and mixing in plasmas

Non-equilibrium transport, interfaces, and interfacial mixing play an important role in plasmas in high and low energy density regimes, at astrophysical and at atomic scales, and in nature and technology. Examples include the instabilities and interfacial mixing in supernovae and in inertial confinement fusion, the particle-field interactions in magnetic fusion and in imploding Z-pinches, the downdrafts in stellar interiors and in the planetary magneto-convection, magnetic flux ropes and structures in the solar corona, and plasma thrusters and nano-fabrication. This Special Topic exposes the state-of-the-art research on non-equilibrium transport, interfaces, and interfacial mixing in plasmas, including theory, experiment, and simulations. The works were presented at the invited mini-conference “Non-equilibrium Transport, Interfaces and Mixing in Plasmas” at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Division of Plasma Physics of the American Physical Society.

Abstract 9180: Importance of Preventing Decreased Levels of Lysophosphatidylcholine—DHA in Brain and Plasma for Attenuating Brain Injury After Cardiac Arrest

Introduction: Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) was found to be decreased in plasma in the early phase of resuscitation after cardiac arrest (CA), including a species containing docosahexaenoic acid (LPC-DHA). Supplementing this deficiency of plasma LPC-DHA post-CA significantly attenuated brain dysfunction implicating a causative role of plasma decreased LPC-DHA for brain injury. Previous studies showed the importance of LPC-DHA as a carrier of DHA to maintain proper brain function. However, the role of LPC-DHA for brain function has not been fully understood. Objective: This study is aimed at determining the importance of maintaining proper brain LPC-DHA level via plasma supplementation to prevent brain damage after CA using human patients, animal model, and in-vitro cell studies. Methods and Results: We first evaluated associations between the plasma LPC-DHA levels and neurological outcomes using 45 post-CA patients. We then measured LPC-DHA levels and histological, biochemical, metabolic alterations in the plasma and brain after 10 min CA rat model and examined how these alterations were attenuated by supplementing LPC-DHA. Finally, we further investigated the beneficial effect of LPC-DHA using cell cultures. We found that the decreased plasma LPC-DHA was strongly associated with neurological outcomes and disappearance of difference between gray and white matter in the brain after CA in human patients. In rats, the decreased plasma LPC-DHA was associated with decreased level of brain LPC-DHA after CA, and supplementing plasma LPC-DHA normalized the brain levels of LPC-DHA and alleviated neuronal cell death, activation of astrocyte, and expression of various inflammatory and mitochondrial dysfunction genes. We also found normalized overall metabolic alterations from the untargeted metabolomics analysis. Furthermore, LPC treatment showed a similar protective effect for neurons and astrocytes in mixed primary brain cell cultures. Conclusion: The attenuation of biochemical and physiologic alterations, and the normalization of decreased brain LPC-DHA post-CA with LPC-DHA supplementation demonstrate plasma LPC-DHA is important for the maintenance of proper brain LPC-DHA levels, which is essential for preventing brain damage post-CA.

Cold atmospheric plasma technology for removal of organic micropollutants from wastewater\u2014a review

Water bodies are being contaminated daily due to industrial, agricultural and domestic effluents. In the last decades, harmful organic micropollutants (OMPs) have been detected in surface and groundwater at low concentrations due to the discharge of untreated effluent in natural water bodies. As a consequence, aquatic life and public health are endangered. Unfortunately, traditional water treatment methods are ineffective in the degradation of most OMPs. In recent years, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) techniques have received extensive attention for the mineralization of OMPs in water in order to avoid serious environmental problems. Cold atmospheric plasma discharge-based AOPs have been proven a promising technology for the degradation of non-biodegradable organic substances like OMPs. This paper reviews a wide range of cold atmospheric plasma sources with their reactor configurations used for the degradation of OMPs (such as organic dyes, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides) in wastewater. The role of plasma and treatment parameters (e.g. input power, voltage, working gas, treatment time, OMPs concentrations, etc.) on the oxidation of various OMPs are discussed. Furthermore, the degradation kinetics, intermediates compounds formed by plasma, and the synergetic effect of plasma in combination with a catalyst are also reported in this review.Graphic