Breaking through diabetes management barriers: Assessing the accuracy of Freestyle Libre Pro flash continuous glucose monitoring in diabetes patients with myocardial infarction.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to assess the accuracy of FreeStyle Libre Pro (FSL-Pro) flash continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: A single-arm, single-center prospective study was conducted in the cardiac care unit from January 2021 to September 2023. Patients underwent finger-prick blood glucose (FPBG) testing before breakfast (6:00 am) and after meals (at 9:00, 13:00, 19:00 pm), along with CGM during their hospitalization. Statistical analyses included mean differences (MDs), mean absolute relative difference (MARDs) of blood glucose levels, and hypoglycemia occurrences. A Bland-Altman plot analysis and Pearson correlation were performed. Results: Ninety-seven T2DM and AMI patients underwent CGM for up to 72 h (1142 monitoring point). Mean daily BG, Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and mean postprandial plasma glucose (PPG) were significantly lower by CGM than by FPBG with an estimated MD of -0.89 mmol/L in BG, -0.88 mmol/L in FPG, and -0.90 mmol/L in PPG, respectively. The maximum effect was mainly in the first day and then the difference was gradually declined (falling range, Day1, -1.24; Day 2, -0.70; Day 3, -0.68, mmol/L, respectively). The incidence rates of hypoglycemia and potential hypoglycemia was 1.57% and 8.5% higher, respectively, in CGM than in FBPG. A Bland-Altman Plot revealed some variability and bias between the two methods of measurement of glucose monitoring (p < .001). Pearson's correlation coefficient demonstrated a significant correlation between the mean BG, FPG, and PPG of CGM and FBPG (Pearson's coefficient: 0.92, 0.87, 0.92, respectively, p < .001). Conclusion: Compared with FPBG, FSL Pro-CGM showed lower mean glucose and higher hypoglycemia detection in T2DM and AMI patients, especially in the first 24 h.

Boosting CO2 Electroreduction on Bismuth Nanoplates with a Three-Dimensional Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Aerogel Matrix.

Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), which uses renewable electricity to produce high-value-added chemicals, offers an alternative clean path to the carbon cycle. However, bismuth-based catalysts show great potential for the conversion of CO2 and water to formate, but their overall efficiency is still hampered by the weak CO2 adsorption, low electrical conductivity, and slow mass transfer of CO2 molecules. Herein, we report that a rationally modulated nitrogen-doped graphene aerogel matrix (NGA) can significantly enhance the CO2RR performance of bismuth nanoplates (BiNPs) by both modulating the electronic structure of bismuth and regulating the interface for chemical reaction and mass transfer environments. In particular, the NGA prepared by reducing graphene oxide (GO) with hydrazine hydrate (denoted as NGAhdrz) exhibits significantly enhanced strong metal-support interaction (SMSI), increased specific surface area, strengthened CO2 adsorption, and modulated wettability. As a result, the Bi/NGAhdrz exhibits significantly boosted CO2RR properties, with a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 96.4% at a current density of 51.4 mA cm-2 for formate evolution at a potential of -1.0 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (vs RHE) in aqueous solution under ambient conditions.

Controlled Synthesis of Intermetallic Au2 Bi Nanocrystals and Au2 Bi/Bi Hetero-Nanocrystals with Promoted Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction Properties.

The electrocatalytic properties of metal nanoparticles (NPs) strongly depend on their compositions and structures. Rational design of alloys and/or heterostructures provides additional approaches to modifying their surface geometric and electronic structures for optimized electrocatalytic performance. Here, a solution synthesis of freestanding intermetallic Au2 Bi NPs, the heterostructures of Au2 Bi/Bi hetero-NPs, and their promoted electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2 RR) performances were reported. It was revealed that the formation and in-situ conversion of heterogeneous seeds (e. g., Au) were of vital importance for the formation of intermetallic Au2 Bi and Au2 Bi/Bi hetero-NPs. It was also found that the Au components would act as the structure promoter moderating the binding strength for key intermediates on Bi surfaces. The alloying of Bi with Au and the formation of heterogeneous Au2 Bi/Bi interfaces would create more surface active sites with modulated electronic structures and stronger adsorption strengths for key intermediates, promoting the CO2 -to-HCOOH conversion with high activity and selectivity. This work presents a novel route for preparing intermetallic nanomaterials with modulated surface geometric/electric structures and promoting their electrocatalytic activities with alloying effects and interfacial effects. Such strategy may find wide application in catalyst design and synthesis for more electrocatalytic reactions.

miR-138 inhibits proliferation by targeting 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 in non-small cell lung cancer cells.

OBJECTIVE: Underlying mechanisms of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) development remain poorly understood. miR-138 and 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1) have been reported to be involved in the genesis of NSCLC. The aim of this study was to investigate the role and mechanisms of miR-138 and PDK1 in human NSCLC cells. METHODS: The effect of miR-138 on proliferation of A549 lung cancer cells was first examined using 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay. The expression of PDK1 in A549 lung cancer cells was assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction further. A luciferase reporter activity assay was conducted to confirm target association between miR-138 and 3' untranslated region (3'-UTR) of PDK1. Finally, the role of PDK1 on proliferation of A549 cells was evaluated by transefection of PDK1 small interfering RNA (siRNA). RESULTS: Proliferation of A549 lung cancer cells was suppressed by miR-138 in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, miR-138 can bind to the 3'-UTR of PDK1 and downregulate expression of PDK1 at both mRNA and protein levels. Knockdown of PDK1 by siRNA significantly inhibits the proliferation of A549 lung cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that miR-138 as a potential tumor suppressor could inhibit cell proliferation by targeting PDK1 in NSCLC cells, which could be employed as a potential therapeutic target for miRNA-based NSCLC therapy.