Carbon-Supported High-Loading Sub-4 nm PtCo Alloy Electrocatalysts for Superior Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

Increasing the loading density of nanoparticles on carbon support is essential for making Pt-alloy/C catalysts practical in H2-air fuel cells. The challenge lies in increasing the loading while suppressing the sintering of Pt-alloy nanoparticles. This work presents a 40% Pt-weighted sub-4 nm PtCo/C alloy catalyst via a simple incipient wetness impregnation method. By carefully optimizing the synthetic conditions such as Pt/Co ratios, calcination temperature, and time, the size of supported PtCo alloy nanoparticles is successfully controlled below 4 nm, and a high electrochemical surface area of 93.8 m2/g is achieved, which is 3.4 times that of commercial PtCo/C-TKK catalysts. Demonstrated by electrochemical oxygen reduction reactions, PtCo/C alloy catalysts present an enhanced mass activity of 0.465 A/mg at 0.9 V vs. RHE, which is 2.0 times that of the PtCo/C-TKK catalyst. Therefore, the developed PtCo/C alloy catalyst has the potential to be a highly practical catalyst for H2-air fuel cells.

Evaluation of diagnostic criteria for IgG4-related tubulointerstitial nephritis.

BACKGROUND: IgG4-TIN is the most common pattern of renal involvement in IgG4-related disease. There are several proposed diagnostic criteria of IgG4-TIN recently. Two of them proposed by the Mayo Clinic and JSN are predominant. However, histopathological criteria of the number of IgG4+ plasma cells and several histological features are still under discussion due to low amount of tissue in renal biopsy specimens and low frequency of this kind of specimens. We aimed to screen IgG4-TIN on archived renal biopsy samples and evaluated the application of two proposed diagnostic criteria. METHODS: We selected 480 interstitial inflammation samples for light and electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry of CD138, IgG and IgG4 test. The Mayo Clinic proposed criteria diagnosed high-probability IgG4-TIN and JSN criteria confirmed IgG4-TIN. RESULTS: Twelve high-probability IgG4-TIN were screened by histology, imaging, serology and other organ involvement according to the Mayo Clinic proposed criteria. The previous principal pathological diagnoses were IgAN (n=4), CreGN (n=4), tubulointerstitial nephritis (n=3) and LN (n=1). Three cases showed storiform fibrosis and a bird's eye pattern. The distribution of IgG4+ plasma cells was focal, multifocal or diffuse, with a mixed mild, moderate or strong stainingpattern. Their treatment and clinical outcomes varied depending on different levels of proteinuria, serum creatinine, eGFR and original glomerular disease presentation. Therefore, we applied strict histological criteria of storiform fibrosis and evenly distributed IgG4+ plasma cells by JSN to confirm typical IgG4-TIN. Two cases were finally diagnosed as real IgG4-TIN. One was previously diagnosed as idiopathic interstitial nephritis with rapid response to corticosteroid therapy. The other was CreGN with immune complex deposits, which had poor outcome and long-term hemodialysis. CONCLUSIONS: IgG4-TIN might present concurrently with glomerular disease. The proposed criteria by the Mayo Clinic is flexible, sensitive, and superior in the identification of early-stage or atypical IgG4-TIN, with enhanced risk of misdiagnosis as compared to the proposed criteria by JSN, which is stricter, more specific, and might overlook early-stage or atypical IgG4-TIN. We propose a new set of criteria to improve pathologist-derived diagnosis.

Association of estrogen receptor-alpha and vitamin D receptor genotypes with therapeutic response to calcium in postmenopausal Chinese women.

AIM: To investigate the correlation between calcium treatment in postmenopausal women and estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) Xba I and Pvu II genotype and vitamin D receptor (VDR) Apa I genotype. METHODS: One hundred fifteen postmenopausal Chinese women of Han population were enrolled and treated with calcichew-D3 (1000 mg calcium and 400 U vitamin D3) daily for 1 year. At entry and after 1 year treatment, the bone mineral density (BMD), serum and urinary bone turnover biochemical markers were evaluated. ER-alpha and VDR genotype were analyzed using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. RESULTS: After 1 year of calcium supplementation, a significant increase of BMD and a marked reduction in serum ALP and PTH levels, and a significant increase of serum 25-(OH) vitamin D level were observed (P<0.01 or P<0.05). At entry and after 1 year of treatment, no significant association was found between Xba I, Pvu II, and Apa I genotypes and BMD in L1-4, Neck, and Troch, and all bone turnover marker levels. However, the percentage of change (median, QR) in Neck BMD was significantly different in homozygous XX [-4.14 (from -6.54 to -1.34)] in comparison with Xx [1.72 (from -1.12 to 3.20)] (P<0.001) or xx [1.22 (from -1.74 to 3.06)] Xba I ER-alpha genotype (P=0.001). CONCLUSION: Women with ER-alpha Xba I genotype XX may have a higher risk of relatively fast bone mass loss in femoral neck after menopause and that they may have a poor responsiveness to calcium supplementation. The changes in BMD are not associated with ER-alpha Pvu II genotype and VDR Apa I genotype after 1 year of calcium supplementation.