Lifeboat Foundation

USC scientists have developed a new battery that could solve the electricity storage problem constraining widespread use of renewable energy.

The technology is a new spin on a known design that stores electricity in solutions, sorts the electrons and releases power when it’s needed. So-called redox flow batteries have been around awhile, but the USC researchers have built a better version based on low-cost and readily available materials.

“We have demonstrated an inexpensive, long-life, safe and eco-friendly flow battery attractive for storing the energy from solar and wind energy systems at a mass-scale,” said chemistry professor Sri Narayan, lead author for the study and co-director of the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute at USC.

The role of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the pathophysiology of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is not well understood. Inducible NOS is upregulated during physiologic stress; however, if NOS substrate is insufficient then NOS can uncouple and switch from NO generation to production of damaging peroxynitrites. We hypothesized that NOS substrate levels are low in patients with severe sepsis and that low levels of the NOS substrate citrulline would be associated with end organ damage including ARDS in severe sepsis.

Plasma citrulline, arginine and ornithine levels and nitrate/nitrite were measured at baseline in 135 patients with severe sepsis. ARDS was diagnosed by consensus definitions.

Plasma citrulline levels were below normal in all patients (median 9.2 uM, IQR 5.2 — 14.4) and were significantly lower in ARDS compared to the no ARDS group (6.0 (3.3 — 10.4) vs. 10.1 (6.2 — 16.6), P = 0.002). The rate of ARDS was 50% in the lowest citrulline quartile compared to 15% in the highest citrulline quartile (P = 0.002). In multivariable analyses, citrulline levels were associated with ARDS even after adjustment for covariates including severity of illness.

2004…

https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(04)00052-9/fulltext

“During the SARS epidemic, Chen and colleagues included inhalation of NO gas in the treatment of a number of SARS patients. Medicinal NO gas, a gaseous blend of nitric oxide (0.8%) and nitrogen (99.2%), was given for three days or longer, initially at 30 ppm and then at 20 and 10 ppm on the second and third day (unpublished data). Their findings suggest not only an immediate improvement of oxygenation but also a lasting effect on the disease itself after termination of inhalation of NO.

Continue reading “Inhibition of SARS-coronavirus infection in vitro” »

Many virus infections elicit vigorous host immune responses, both innate and acquired. The immune responses are frequently successful in controlling and then clearing the virus, using both cellular effectors such as natural killer (NK) cells and cytolytic T lymphocytes and soluble factors such as interferons (IFNs). However, some immune responses lead to pathologic changes or are unable to prevent the pathogen’s growth. This review will not be devoted to the different strategies viruses have taken to promote their transmission or survival but rather to one aspect of the innate immune response to infection: the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the antiviral repertoire. Recently, data from many laboratories, using both RNA and DNA viruses in experimental systems, have implicated a role for NO in the immune response. The data do not indicate a magic bullet for all systems but suggest that NO may inhibit an early stage in viral replication and thus prevent viral spread, promoting viral clearance and recovery of the host.

The earliest host responses to viral infections are nonspecific and involve the induction of cytokines, among them, IFNs and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Gamma IFN (IFN-γ) and TNF-α have both been shown to be active in many cell types and induce cascades of downstream mediators (reviewed in references 25, 34, and 41). Others have found that NO synthase type 2 (NOS-2, iNOS) is an IFN-γ-inducible protein in macrophages, requiring IRF-1 as a transcription factor (12, 17). We have observed that the isoform expressed in neurons, NOS-1, is IFN-γ, TNF-α, and interleukin-12 (IL-12) inducible (20). Thus, NOS falls into the category of IFN-inducible proteins, activated during innate immune responses.

NO is produced by the enzymatic modification of l-arginine to l-citrulline and requires many cofactors, including tetrahydrobiopterine, calmodulin, NADPH, and O₂. NO rapidly reacts with proteins or with H₂O₂ to form ONOO⁻, peroxynitrite, which is highly toxic (Fig. (Fig.1). 1 ). NO also readily binds heme proteins, including Hb and its own enzyme.

New system uses small camera drones fired from greande launchers to provide advanced sueveullance for troops. Two models each have 90-minute battery life.

Neuroscientists have just created an artificially intelligent algorithm that detects human brain activity and translates it into English sentences—and they said it was the first time such translations could be done on a 1:1 speed with natural human speech; faster-than-light.

#Repost “Some doctors are experimenting with adding nitric oxide to the mix, to help improve blood flow and oxygen to the least damaged parts of the lungs.”

Ironically enough nitric oxide improves blood oxygen flow, and also clears blood clots. Some patients who survive COVID19 have clots in the blood vessels in their lungs. We just have to wait and see.

(NEW YORK) — As health officials around the world push to get more ventilators to treat coronavirus patients, some doctors are moving away from using the breathing machines when they can. The reason: Some hospitals have reported unusually high death rates for coronavirus patients on ventilators, and some doctors worry that the machines could be harming certain patients.

Continue reading “Why Some Doctors Are Now Moving Away From Ventilator Treatments for Coronavirus Patients” »

Health hysteria has plagued the communications industry for decades despite the lack of evidence. 5G is no different.

A mutant bacterial enzyme that breaks down plastic bottles for recycling in hours has been created by scientists.

The enzyme, originally discovered in a compost heap of leaves, reduced the bottles to chemical building blocks that were then used to make high-quality new bottles. Existing recycling technologies usually produce plastic only good enough for clothing and carpets.

The company behind the breakthrough, Carbios, said it was aiming for industrial-scale recycling within five years. It has partnered with major companies including Pepsi and L’Oréal to accelerate development. Independent experts called the new enzyme a major advance.