Fractional flow reserve measured left internal mammary artery after coronary artery bypass grafting: Two case reports.

Background: The fractional flow reserve (FFR) has made the treatment of coronary heart disease more precise. However, there are few reports on the measurement of FFR the left internal mammary artery (LIMA). Herein, we described the determination of further treatments by measuring FFR the LIMA in 2 cases after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Free-Standing Single Ag Nanowires for Multifunctional Optical Probes.

Miniaturized and manipulable optical probes are the foundation for developing in situ characterization devices in confined space. We developed two methods for fabricating free-standing single Ag nanowires (AgNWs) directly at the tip of a glass capillary either by chemical or electrochemical reduction. The electrochemical nature of both methods resulted in a rapid growth rate of AgNWs up to 1.

[Water Sources and Factors Controlling Hydro-chemical Compositions in the Yiluo River Basin].

An important tributary in the middle stream of the Yellow River, the Yiluo River consists of the Luohe River and Yihe River, which converge at Yanshi City. Mining activities were widely distributed in the upstream of the Yiluo River Basin (YRB), while residential areas concentrated in the downstream were coupled with extensively industrial and agricultural activities. To illustrate the influences of variable anthropogenic activities on the hydro-chemical composition of river water of the YRB, water samples from the main stream and tributaries were collected in the flood season (August) and normal season (December), respectively.

SERS Detection of Nucleobases in Single Silver Plasmonic Nanopores.

Conventional ion current-based nanopore techniques that identify single molecules are hampered by limitations of providing only the ionic current information. Here, we introduce a silver nanotriangle-based nanopore (diameter < 50 nm) system for detecting molecule translocation using surface-enhanced Raman scattering. Rhodamine 6G is used as a model molecule to study the effect of an electric field (-1 V) on the mass transport.

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Probing the Translocation of DNA and Amino Acid through Plasmonic Nanopores.

DNA and amino acids are important biomolecules in living organisms. Probing such biomolecules with structural characters can provide valuable information for life study. Here, gold plasmonic nanopores (GPNs) with high SERS activity (a local enhancement factor higher than 10) are synthesized at the tip of a glass nanopipette.

An in situ SERS study of ionic transport and the Joule heating effect in plasmonic nanopores.

Understanding the ionic transport behaviour as well as temperature change caused by the Joule heating effect is important for the application of plasmonic nanopores. To explore the basic properties of ionic transport through nanopores, we assemble gold nanoparticles on the tip of a glass nanopipette to form a hydrophilic gold porous structure (hydro-GPS) that exhibits high Raman activity.

Nanopipette-Based SERS Aptasensor for Subcellular Localization of Cancer Biomarker in Single Cells.

Single cell analysis is essential for understanding the heterogeneity, behaviors of cells, and diversity of target analyte in different subcellular regions. Nucleolin (NCL) is a multifunctional protein that is markedly overexpressed in most of the cancer cells. The variant expression levels of NCL in subcellular regions have a marked influence on cancer proliferation and treatments.

Impact of Palliative Care Consultation Service on Terminally Ill Cancer Patients: A 9-Year Observational Cohort Study in Taiwan.

The palliative care consultation service (PCCS) that has been enthusiastically promoted in Taiwan since 2005 was designed to provide comprehensive end-of-life care for terminally ill patients with qualified interdisciplinary specialists in acute care ward setting. This study aims to evaluate the impact of PCCS on terminally ill cancer patients.A total of 10,594 terminal cancer patients who were referred to PCCS from a single medical center in Taiwan between 2006 and 2014 were enrolled.

Combination of initial palliative prognostic index and score change provides a better prognostic value for terminally ill cancer patients: a six-year observational cohort study.

Context: The Palliative Prognostic Index (PPI) is among the most popular scores used to predict life expectancy in terminally ill patients worldwide. PPI assessed on the first day of palliative care might be inappropriate because the contribution from subsequent changes in a patient's condition are not taken into account.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine the utility of sequential PPI assessments as a better prognostic tool for patients with terminal cancer.

[Distribution and characters of heavy metals from municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash].

The distribution and characters of heavy metals from municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash was studied in East China. The result indicate that heavy metals in fly ash were mainly distributed in fine particles. The heavy metals including Cd, Pb, Mg, and Cu could migrate easily from fly ash while Ag and Sn would be more stable.