Risk factors and safe contrast volume thresholds for postcontrast acute kidney injury after peripheral vascular interventions.

Objective: Postcontrast acute kidney injury (PC-AKI) is a dreaded complication of peripheral vascular interventions (PVIs) that depends on the volume of contrast administered as well as a patient's baseline kidney function. However, there is currently no guidance on the volume of contrast that is considered safe especially for patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study aims to characterize the incidence, risk factors for, and outcomes after PC-AKI and define thresholds of safety for contrast volume.

Plasma sTNFR1 and IL8 for prognostic enrichment in sepsis trials: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Enrichment strategies improve therapeutic targeting and trial efficiency, but enrichment factors for sepsis trials are lacking. We determined whether concentrations of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 (sTNFR1), interleukin-8 (IL8), and angiopoietin-2 (Ang2) could identify sepsis patients at higher mortality risk and serve as prognostic enrichment factors.

Methods: In a multicenter prospective cohort study of 400 critically ill septic patients, we derived and validated thresholds for each marker and expressed prognostic enrichment using risk differences (RD) of 30-day mortality as predictive values.

Multiscale Simulation on Product Distribution from Pyrolysis of Styrene-Butadiene Rubber.

Pyrolysis of styrene-butadiene rubber receives renewed attention due to its application in tackling the waste tire disposal problem while allowing energy recovery. The density functional theory calculation (DFT) and ReaxFF molecular dynamics simulation (MD) are adopted to study the pyrolysis process with the variation of temperature and pressure. The bond dissociation energies of intramonomer and intermonomer bonds in trimers with different linking methods are calculated by DFT, where the bond with low energy tends to break during the pyrolysis process.

Contrast-Enhanced MRI Texture Parameters as Potential Prognostic Factors for Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma Patients Receiving High-Dose Methotrexate-Based Chemotherapy.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of texture features on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL).

Methods: In this retrospective study, fifty-two patients diagnosed with PCNSL were enrolled from October 2010 to March 2017. The texture feature of tumor tissue on the histogram-based matrix (histo-) and the grey-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) was retrieved by contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging before any antitumor treatment.

Osteochondral allograft transplantation for large Hill-Sachs lesions: a retrospective case series with a minimum 2-year follow-up.

Purpose: To investigate the clinical outcomes after osteochondral allograft transplantation for large Hill-Sachs lesions.

Methods: Patients who underwent osteochondral allograft transplantation for large Hill-Sachs lesions were identified. Clinical assessment consisted of active range of motion (ROM), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score (ASES), Constant-Murley score, Rowe score, and patient satisfaction rate.

Peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length is associated with survival of sepsis patients.

Shorter peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) telomere length (TL) has been associated with poor outcomes in various chronic lung diseases. Whether PBL-TL is associated with survival from critical illness was tested in this study.We analysed data from a prospective observational cohort study of 937 critically ill patients at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC).

Benzo[ghi]perylene and coronene as ratiometric fluorescence probes for the selective sensing of nitroaromatic explosives.

A simple and efficient fluorometric sensing method is developed for the rapid detection of nitroaromatic explosives, based on the quenching of monomer and excimer emission of benzo[ghi]perylene and coronene. The ratiometric method (I/I) offers a linear response as a function of the concentration of picric acid (PA, i.e.

Three-Dimensional Texture Analysis Based on PET/CT Images to Distinguish Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Hepatic Lymphoma.

This study compared the diagnostic ability of image-based parameters with texture parameters in the differentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatic lymphoma (HL) by positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT). Patients with pathological diagnosis of HCC and HL were included in this study. Image-based and texture parameters were obtained by manual drawing of region of interest.

Safety and efficacy of venous ablation in octogenarians.

Objective: Venous ablation (VA) is the recommended treatment of superficial venous insufficiency affecting the lower extremities. The safety and efficacy of the procedure in octogenarians have not been well studied. We postulate that VA in octogenarians is as safe and effective as in younger age groups.

Soil heavy metal contamination and health risk assessment associated with development zones in Shandong, China.

Heavy metal pollution in soils of development zones has attracted wide attention. In this study, soil heavy metal pollution levels and health risks in 15 selected development zones in Shandong Province were investigated for the first time. Geo-accumulation and potential ecological risk indexes were used to assess pollution levels, and health risk was assessed using the US Environmental Protection Agency model.

Sonic hedgehog selectively promotes lymphangiogenesis after kidney injury through noncanonical pathway.

Kidney fibrosis is associated with an increased lymphangiogenesis, characterized by the formation and expansion of new lymphatic vessels. However, the trigger and underlying mechanism responsible for the growth of lymphatic vessels in diseased kidney remain poorly defined. Here, we report that tubule-derived sonic hedgehog (Shh) ligand is a novel lymphangiogenic factor that plays a crucial role in mediating lymphatic endothelial cell proliferation and expansion.

[Clinicopathological analysis for IgA nephropathy with isolated hematuria and/or mild proteinuria].

To investigate the correlation of different types of urinary abnormalities or different proteinuria and hematuria with the pathological injury of kidney in IgA nephropathy with isolated hematuria and/or mild proteinuria.
 Methods: Patients with primary IgA nephropathy, isolated hematuria and/or mild proteinuria were enrolled in the Department of Nephrology, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University from January 2013 to January 2018. According to the difference of red blood cell count in urinary sediment and quantitative of 24-hour urinary protein (24 h-UP) during renal biopsy, the patients were grouped in 3 ways: a simple hematuria group, a hematuria and proteinuria group, and a simple proteinuria group; a proteinuria I group, a proteinuria II group, and a proteinuria III group; a hematuria I group, a hematuria II group, and a hematuria III group.

Persistence of risk of death after hospital discharge to locations other than home after cardiac surgery.

Objective: Temporal changes in the risk of postoperative death following cardiac surgery are uncharacterized. We aimed to quantify the duration of postoperative phase with elevated risk of death in patients who underwent cardiac surgery and were discharged to home and destinations other than home.

Method: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 6894 patients who underwent cardiac surgery between 2008 and 2016 at a tertiary care center in the United States.

Surface-modified PtNi-Ni(OH) nanoparticles with abundant Pt-Ni(OH) interfaces enhance electrocatalytic properties.

Pt-Based catalysts for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) are highly susceptible to poisoning due to the surface adsorption of reaction intermediates such as CO. Depositing Pt nanoparticles (NPs) on Ni(OH) to fabricate Pt-Ni(OH) interfaces is considered as a promising method to improve the stability of Pt-based catalysts because Ni(OH) could facilitate water dissociation in alkaline electrolytes to form OH adspecies and assist in the oxidative removal of CO on adjacent Pt sites. However, this supported structure rather limited Pt-Ni(OH) interfaces because only a small fraction of the Pt NP surface could come into contact with Ni(OH).

Serum and tissue proteomic signatures of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma using 2‑D gel electrophoresis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for ~85% of primary liver cancer cases and is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. Effective early diagnosis is difficult for HCC; however, effective biomarkers may be beneficial for diagnosis. In the current study, serum samples, and HCC and adjacent tissue samples were obtained from patients with HCC for the detection of biomarkers using 2‑D gel electrophoresis (2‑DE) and matrix‑assisted laser desorption/ionization‑time of flight (TOF)/TOF mass spectrometry.

Pulmonary Dead Space Monitoring: Identifying Subjects With ARDS at Risk of Developing Right Ventricular Dysfunction.

Background: ARDS is a highly morbid condition characterized by diffuse pulmonary inflammation, which results in hypoxemic respiratory failure. Approximately 25% of patients with ARDS develop right ventricular dysfunction, with cor pulmonale being a common final pathway in a significant number of non-survivors. ARDS-related right ventricular dysfunction occurs due to acute elevation in ventricular afterload caused by mechanisms that are associated with increased pulmonary dead space fraction.

Source analysis and risk assessment of heavy metals in development zones: a case study in Rizhao, China.

The effects of heavy metal pollution in parks have caused widespread concern. This study investigated the concentrations and sources of eight heavy metals in the economic and technological development zone in Rizhao City. Geo-accumulation index ([Formula: see text]) and potential ecological risk index (PERI) were used to assess the pollution level of the development zone.

[Study on puerarin dispersible tablet based on solubilization effect of glycyrrhizic acid].

Based on the fact that glycyrrhizic acid can form micelles in aqueous solution and play a role in solubilization, the optimal compatibility ratio between puerarin and glycyrrhizic acid was screened to prepare puerarin-glycyrrhizic acid dispersible tablets and investigate the dissolution of puerarin. The particle size, Zate potential and puerarin dissolution were compared among the micellar solutions with mass ratio of 7∶1, 6∶1, 5∶1, 4∶1, 3∶1 and 2∶1(puerarin to glycyrrhizic acid), and it was found that when the mass ratio of puerarin and glycyrrhizic acid was 5∶1, the micelle showed smallest particle size, uniform distribution, and largest puerarin dissolution, so mass ratio of 5∶1 was determined as the optimal condition. The formulation of puerarin-glycyrrhizic acid dispersible tablets was optimized by single factor and orthogonal test: puerarin 100.

Dual-Specificity Tyrosine Phosphorylation-Regulated Kinase 3 Loss Activates Purine Metabolism and Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression.

Cancer cells metabolize different energy sources to generate biomass rapidly. The purine biosynthetic pathway was recently identified as an important source of metabolic intermediates for these processes. However, very little was known about the regulatory mechanisms of purine metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Single and double boron atoms doped nanoporous CN-h2D electrocatalysts for highly efficient N reduction reaction: a density functional theory study.

The electrocatalytical process is the most efficient way to produce ammonia (NH) under ambient conditions, but developing a highly efficient and low-cost metal-free electrocatalysts remains a major scientific challenge. Hence, single atom and double boron (B) atoms doped 2D graphene-like carbon nitride (CN-h2D) electrocatalysts have been designed (B@CN and B@CN), and the efficiency of N reduction reaction (NRR) is examined by density functional theory calculation. The results show that the single and double B atoms can both be strongly embedded in natural nanoporous CN with superior catalytic activity for N activation.

Characteristics of Nonpulmonary Organ Dysfunction at Onset of ARDS Based on the Berlin Definition.

Background: The Berlin definition of ARDS does not account for nonpulmonary organ failure, which is a major determinant of outcome. We examined whether an increasing severity of hypoxemia across the Berlin definition classifications also corresponded with evidence of multiple organ dysfunction on the day of ARDS onset. We also examined the representation of major etiologies for ARDS across the Berlin definition classifications.

Cellulose carbon aerogel/PPy composites for high-performance supercapacitor.

Energy storage and conversion systems have recently attracted great interest in application of various electronic devices. Conductive polymers are promising pseudocapacitive materials for supercapacitors due to their low cost, low environmental impact, high pseudo capacitance, and ease of fabrication. However, the poor cycling stability limits their application.

Metabolic Profiling of Tumors, Sera, and Skeletal Muscles from an Orthotopic Murine Model of Gastric Cancer Associated-Cachexia.

Cachexia is a complex metabolic derangement syndrome that affects approximately 50-80% of cancer patients. So far, few works have been reported to provide a global overview of gastric cancer cachexia (GCC)-related metabolic changes. We established a GCC murine model by orthotopicly implanting BGC823 cell line and conducted NMR-based metabolomic analysis of gastric tissues, sera, and gastrocnemius.

Tumor endothelial cell-derived cadherin-2 promotes angiogenesis and has prognostic significance for lung adenocarcinoma.

In lung cancer, antiangiogenic strategies targeting tumor-derived endothelial cells (TECs) afford a survival advantage, but the characteristics of TECs have not been comprehensively elucidated. Herein, high-purity (> 98%) TECs were obtained, and these cells retained expression of EC markers and exhibited high viability. ITRAQ-2DLC-MS/MS was performed to profile the proteome and the heterogeneity of ECs.