Design of XS2 (X = W or Mo)-Decorated VS2 Hybrid Nano-Architectures with Abundant Active Edge Sites for High-Rate Asymmetric Supercapacitors and Hydrogen Evolution Reactions.

Two-dimensional layered transition metal dichalcogenides have emerged as promising materials for supercapacitors and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) applications. Herein, the molybdenum sulfide (MoS2 )@vanadium sulfide (VS2 ) and tungsten sulfide (WS2 )@VS2  hybrid nano-architectures prepared via a facile one-step hydrothermal approach is reported. Hierarchical hybrids lead to rich exposed active edge sites, tuned porous nanopetals-decorated morphologies, and high intrinsic activity owing to the strong interfacial interaction between the two materials. Fabricated supercapacitors using MoS2 @VS2  and WS2 @VS2  electrodes exhibit high specific capacitances of 513 and 615 F g- 1 , respectively, at an applied current of 2.5 A g- 1  by the three-electrode configuration. The asymmetric device fabricated using WS2 @VS2  electrode exhibits a high specific capacitance of 222 F g- 1  at an applied current of 2.5 A g- 1  with the specific energy of 52 Wh kg- 1  at a specific power of 1 kW kg- 1 . For HER, the WS2 @VS2  catalyst shows noble characteristics with an overpotential of 56 mV to yield 10 mA cm- 2 , a Tafel slope of 39 mV dec-1 , and an exchange current density of 1.73 mA cm- 2 . In addition, density functional theory calculations are used to evaluate the durable heterostructure formation and adsorption of hydrogen atom on the various accessible sites of MoS2 @VS2  and WS2 @VS2  heterostructures.

Knowledge and practices of critical care health professionals related to ventilator associated pneumonia in tertiary care hospitals of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

OBJECTIVE: To assess knowledge and practices of critical care health professionals related to ventilator associated pneumonia. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey was conducted at eight tertiary care public and private hospitals of Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from September 2015 to March 2016, and comprised healthcare professionals. Stratified random sampling was used. Data was collected using close-ended validated questionnaire. SPSS 22 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of the 153 participants, 45(29.4%) were doctors, 91(59.4%) were nurses and 17(11.1%) were respiratory therapists. The overall mean age was 31±8.14 years. The overall mean knowledge and practice scores regarding prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia were 11.14±3.12 and 8.83±1.53, respectively. The mean knowledge score was 11.77±3.84 for physicians, 10.84± 2.91 for nurses and 10.82±1.94 for respiratory therapists. However, the best practice scores were seen in the respiratory therapists 9.64±0.78 (p=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of the participants had adequate knowledge and even better practices, particularly respiratory therapists.

Frequency and Predictors of Acute Kidney Injury in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Retrospective Study.

Introduction Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a complex condition marked by rapid deterioration of renal function (within hours or days), with clinical symptoms ranging from a minor rise in serum creatinine to anuric renal failure needing renal replacement therapy. AKI is one of the complications of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This study aims to determine the frequency of AKI among patients with ACS and identify its predictors. Method This study is a retrospective observational study conducted at the Dow University of Health Sciences, a tertiary care hospital located in Karachi, Pakistan. This study was conducted from January 2020 to June 2021. All patients aged 18-75 years admitted with ACS and admitted for more than 48 hours were included in the study. A pre-set questionnaire was used to collect data from the hospital management information system (HMIS). Results The frequency of AKI among patients with ACS was 24.18%. The factors associated with AKI among patients with ACS on multivariable logistic regression included the age of patients (odds ratio (OR) = 1.04, p-value = 0.018), having diabetes mellitus (OR = 2.33, p-value = 0.031), admission Killip ≥ II (OR = 2.12, p-value = 0.041), previous history of myocardial infarction (MI) (OR = 3.64, p-value = 0.001), baseline glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (OR = 0.94, p-value = 0.001), in-hospital ejection fraction (EF) (OR = 0.93, p-value = 0.001), and serum creatinine at admission (OR = 1.02, p-value = 0.001). Conclusion Age, comorbidities including diabetes mellitus and previous history of MI, admission Killip ≥ II, baseline GFR, in-hospital EF, and serum creatinine level at admission are significant independent predictors of AKI in patients with ACS.

Retraction: Frequency and Predictors of Acute Kidney Injury in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Retrospective Study.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.21869.].

Retraction: Comparison of Outcomes of Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL) Between Adults and Pediatrics Population: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.22690.].

Comparison of Outcomes of Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL) Between Adults and Pediatrics Population: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

INTRODUCTION: Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) has almost completely replaced open surgery for kidney stones because of continuous advancements in the method since the first PCNL was performed in 1976. The aim of this study is to compare the characteristics and outcomes of adult patients and pediatric patients who had undergone PCNL. METHODOLOGY: A retrospective study was conducted at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. It included the data of patients who underwent PCNL from January 2015 to January 2022 at the SIUT hospital. The primary outcome variable was the stone-free rate (SFR). Secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay, and complications were assessed using modified Clavien classification system Results: There is no significant difference in the SFR at discharge between pediatric and adult patients (86.67% vs 88.69%, p=0.634). There is no significant difference between the two groups in relation to the total length of hospital stay (p=0.446). Moreover, 12.50% and 11.11% of adults and children developed complications, respectively, after the procedure. The percentages are not significantly different between the two groups (p=0.266). CONCLUSION: The current study using standardized and consistent PCNL techniques shows that SFR is similar in both adults and children, and there is no difference in complications between adults and children.