Pressureless Welding of Temperature-Invariant Multifunctionality Body Based on Hydroxyl-Functionalized Boron Nitride Nanosheets and Bifunctional Monoethanolamine Cross-linker.

Bulk hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) ceramics with structural integrity, high-temperature resistance and low expansion rate are expected for multifunctional applications in extreme conditions. However, due to its sluggish self-diffusion and intrinsic inertness, it remains a great challenge to overcome high-energy barrier for h-BN powder sintering. Herein, a cross-linking and pressureless-welding strategy is reported to produce bulk boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) ceramics with well-crystalized and dense B-N covalent-welding frameworks. The essence of this synthesis strategy lies in the construction of >B─O─H2C─H2C─H2N:→B< bond bridge connection structure among hydroxyl functionalized BNNSs (BNNSs-OH) using bifunctional monoethanolamine (MEA) as cross-linker through esterification and intermolecular-coordination reactions. The prepared BNNSs-interlaced ceramics have densities not less than 1.2 g cm-3, and exhibit exceptional mechanical robustness and resiliency, excellent thermomechanical stability, ultra-low linear thermal expansion coefficient of 0.06 ppm °C-1, and high thermal diffusion coefficient of 4.76 mm2 s-1 at 25 °C and 3.72 mm2 s-1 at 450 °C. This research not only reduces the free energy barrier from h-BN particles to bulk ceramics through facile multi-step physicochemical reaction, but also stimulates further exploration of multifunctional applications for bulk h-BN ceramics over a wide temperature range.

Nonlinear relationship between untraditional lipid parameters and the risk of prediabetes: a large retrospective study based on Chinese adults.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal lipid metabolism poses a risk for prediabetes. However, research on lipid parameters used to predict the risk of prediabetes is scarce, and the significance of traditional and untraditional lipid parameters remains unexplored in prediabetes. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the association between 12 lipid parameters and prediabetes and their diagnostic value. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included data from 100,309 Chinese adults with normal baseline blood glucose levels. New onset of prediabetes was the outcome of concern. Untraditional lipid parameters were derived from traditional lipid parameters. Multivariate logistic regression and smooth curve fitting were used to examine the nonlinear relationship between lipid parameters and prediabetes. A two-piecewise linear regression model was used to identify the critical points of lipid parameters influencing the risk of prediabetes. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve estimated the predictive value of the lipid parameters. RESULTS: A total of 12,352 participants (12.31%) were newly diagnosed with prediabetes. Following adjustments for confounding covariables, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were negatively correlated with prediabetes risk. Conversely, total cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), lipoprotein combine index (LCI), atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), non-HDL-C, atherogenic coefficient, Castelli's index-I, remnant cholesterol (RC), and RC/HDL-C ratio displayed positive correlations. In younger adults, females, individuals with a family history of diabetes, and non-obese individuals, LCI, TG, and AIP exhibited higher predictive values for the onset of prediabetes compared to other lipid profiles. CONCLUSION: Nonlinear associations were observed between untraditional lipid parameters and the risk of prediabetes. The predictive value of untraditional lipid parameters for prediabetes surpassed that of traditional lipid parameters, with LCI emerging as the most effective predictor for prediabetes.

Native Approach to Controlled-Z Gates in Inductively Coupled Fluxonium Qubits.

The fluxonium qubits have emerged as a promising platform for gate-based quantum information processing. However, their extraordinary protection against charge fluctuations comes at a cost: when coupled capacitively, the qubit-qubit interactions are restricted to XX interactions. Consequently, effective ZZ or XZ interactions are only constructed either by temporarily populating higher-energy states, or by exploiting perturbative effects under microwave driving. Instead, we propose and demonstrate an inductive coupling scheme, which offers a wide selection of native qubit-qubit interactions for fluxonium. In particular, we leverage a built-in, flux-controlled ZZ interaction to perform qubit entanglement. To combat the increased flux-noise-induced dephasing away from the flux-insensitive position, we use a continuous version of the dynamical decoupling scheme to perform noise filtering. Combining these, we demonstrate a 20 ns controlled-z gate with a mean fidelity of 99.53%. More than confirming the efficacy of our gate scheme, this high-fidelity result also reveals a promising but rarely explored parameter space uniquely suitable for gate operations between fluxonium qubits.

Prediction of M3 B4 -type MBenes as Promising Catalysts for CO2 Capture and Reduction.

The rational design of novel catalysts with high activity and selectivity for carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2 RR) is highly desired. In this work, we have extensive investigations on the properties of two-dimensional transition metal borides (MBenes) to achieve efficient CO2 capture and reduction through first-principles calculations. The results show that all the investigated M3 B4 -type MBene exhibit remarkable CO2 capture and activation abilities, which proved to be derived from the lone pair of electrons on the MBene surface. Then, we emphasize that the investigated MBenes can further selectively reduce activated CO2 to CH4 . Moreover, a new linear scaling relationship of the adsorption energies of potential-determining intermediates (*OCH2 O and *HOCH2 O) versus ΔG(*OCHO) has been established, where the CO2 RR limiting potentials on MBenes are determined by the different fitting slopes of ΔG(*OCH2 O) and ΔG(*HOCHO), allowing significantly lower limiting potentials to be achieved compared to transition metals. Especially, two promising CO2 RR catalysts (Mo3 B4 and Cr3 B4 MBene) exist quite low limiting potentials of -0.48 V and -0.66 V, as well as competitive selectivity concerning hydrogen evolution reactions have been identified. Our research results make future advances in CO2 capture by MBenes easier and exploit the applications of Mo3 B4 and Cr3 B4 MBenes as novel CO2 RR catalysts.

Boron nitride microfiber reinforced polyacrylic acid hydrogels with excellent self-adhesion, fast pH response, and strain sensitivity.

Hydrogels are widely utilized in the sensor field, but their inadequate adhesion presents a significant obstacle. Herein, a new multifunctional BNMFs/PAA composite hydrogel was prepared via the incorporation of one-dimensional porous boron nitride microfibers (BNMFs) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) hydrogels. BNMFs, as a reinforcing filler, play a very important role in enhancing the properties of the composite hydrogels. In particular, the porous micrometer structure plays a unique role in improving the adhesion properties of PAA hydrogels. The steric hindrance and the rich hydroxyl functional groups coming from BNMFs are key factors for the excellent adhesion of the composite hydrogels. The composite hydrogels show strong adhesion to various substrate materials. For iron plates and biological tissues, the adhesion energy can reach 1377 J m-2 and 317 J m-2, respectively. In addition, the developed BNMFs/PAA composite hydrogels exhibit excellent mechanical properties. The fracture strain of the composite hydrogels is increased by 2.4 times compared to pure PAA hydrogels. The hydrogen bonds formed between BNMFs and PAA are conducive to the mechanical properties of the BNMFs/PAA composite hydrogels. Meanwhile, BNMFs as fillers play a role in carrying and dissipating force. Furthermore, the BNMFs/PAA composite hydrogels have excellent strain and pH response characteristics. This is because the crosslinking network of the composite hydrogels becomes loose after the addition of BNMFs, resulting in rapid ion transport pathways. Therefore, the developed BNMFs/PAA composite hydrogels will have broad application prospects in the fields of motion monitoring, intelligent skin and biological adhesives.

Carbon doped hexagonal boron nitride as an efficient metal-free catalyst for NO capture and reduction.

The electrochemical NO reduction reaction (NORR) towards NH3 is considered a promising strategy to cope with both NO removal and NH3 production. Currently, the research on NORR electrocatalysts mainly focuses on metal-based catalysts, while metal-free catalysts are quite scarce. In this work, we have systematically investigated the properties of pristine and C/O doped h-BN for efficient NO capture and reduction. Our results reveal that the basal plane of pristine h-BN is inert to the adsorption of NO, while doping C or O can significantly enhance the NO capture abilities of h-BN. Then, we highlight that C-doped h-BN exhibits excellent NORR catalytic performance with a relatively low limiting potential of -0.28 V. Further analysis shows that the suitable adsorption strength of NO on the C-doped h-BN surface is the prime reason for its excellent NO reduction activity, which is shown to be due to appropriate electronic interactions between the active site and NO. Last but not least, the catalytic selectivity of h-BN towards the NORR is confirmed by inhibiting the competing hydrogen evolution reaction. Our findings not only provide deeper insight into the essential effect of element doping on the catalytic activities of h-BN, but also propose general design principles for high-performance metal-free NORR electrocatalysts.

Upregulation of the key biomarker kinesin family member 20A (KIF20A) is associated with pulmonary artery hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) is a complex, fatal disease with limited treatments. This study aimed to investigate possible key targets in PAH through bioinformatics. METHODS: GSE144274 were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Then, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between idiopathic pulmonary hypertension (IPAH) and healthy subjects were identified and analyzed. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were analyzed, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using STRING. The hub genes were identified by MCODE method. The expression levels of hub genes were validated in vitro and in vivo models. Finally, the ROC analysis was performed based on the level of hub genes in clinical plasma samples. RESULTS: A total of 363 DEGs were identified. GO analysis on these DEGs were mainly enriched in cell division, inflammatory response, among others. In the KEGG pathways analysis, DEGs mainly involved in cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, rheumatoid arthritis, and IL-17 signaling pathways were enriched. The DEGs were analyzed with the STRING for PPI network analysis, and 62 hub genes were identified by MCODE. Finally, 6 central genes, KIF18B, SPC25, DLGAP5, KIF20A, CEP55 and ANLN, were screened out due to their novelty role in PAH. The expression of KIF20A was validated to be significantly upregulated both in the lung tissue of hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (HPH) mice and proliferative PASMCs. Additionally, KIF20A levels is evelated in PAH plasma and the area under the curve (AUC) to identify PAH was 0.8591 for KIF20A. CONCLUSION: The level of KIF20A elevates during the progression of PAH, which suggestes it could be a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for the PAH.

MiR-411-5p Promotes Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotype Switch by Inhibiting Expression of Calmodulin Regulated Spectrin-Associated Protein-1.

When stimulated, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) change from a differentiated to a dedifferentiated phenotype. Dedifferentiated VSMCs have a key activity in cardiovascular diseases such as in-stent restenosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have crucial functions in conversion of differentiated VSMCs to a dedifferentiated phenotype. We investigated the activity of miR-411-5p in the proliferation, migration, and phenotype switch of rat VSMCs.Based on a microRNA array assay, miR-411-5p expression was found to be significantly increased in cultured VSMCs stimulated by platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB). A CCK-8 assay, transwell assay, and scratch test were performed to measure the effect of miR-411-5p on the proliferation and migration of PDGF-BB-treated VSMCs. MiR-411-5p promoted expression of dedifferentiated phenotype markers such as osteopontin and tropomyosin 4 in PDGF-BB-treated VSMCs. Using mimics and inhibitors, we identified the target of miR-411-5p in PDGF-BB-treated VSMCs and found that calmodulin-regulated spectrin-associated protein-1 (CAMSAP1) was involved in the phenotypic switch mediated by PDGF-BB.By inhibiting expression of CAMSAP1, miR-411-5p enhanced the proliferation, migration, and phenotype switch of VSMCs.Blockade of miR-411-5p interaction with CAMSAP1 is a promising approach to treat in-stent restenosis.

Identification of hub genes based on integrated analysis of single-cell and microarray transcriptome in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a devastating chronic cardiopulmonary disease without an effective therapeutic approach. The underlying molecular mechanism of PAH remains largely unexplored at single-cell resolution. METHODS: Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database (GSE210248) was included and analyzed comprehensively. Additionally, microarray transcriptome data including 15 lung tissue from PAH patients and 11 normal samples (GSE113439) was also obtained. Seurat R package was applied to process scRNA-seq data. Uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) was utilized for dimensionality reduction and cluster identification, and the SingleR package was performed for cell annotation. FindAllMarkers analysis and ClusterProfiler package were applied to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for each cluster in GSE210248 and GSE113439, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG) were used for functional enrichment analysis of DEGs. Microenvironment Cell Populations counter (MCP counter) was applied to evaluate the immune cell infiltration. STRING was used to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of DEGs, followed by hub genes selection through Cytoscape software and Veen Diagram. RESULTS: Nineteen thousand five hundred seventy-six cells from 3 donors and 21,896 cells from 3 PAH patients remained for subsequent analysis after filtration. A total of 42 cell clusters were identified through UMAP and annotated by the SingleR package. 10 cell clusters with the top 10 cell amounts were selected for consequent analysis. Compared with the control group, the proportion of adipocytes and fibroblasts was significantly reduced, while CD8+ T cells and macrophages were notably increased in the PAH group. MCP counter revealed decreased distribution of CD8+ T cells, cytotoxic lymphocytes, and NK cells, as well as increased infiltration of monocytic lineage in PAH lung samples. Among 997 DEGs in GSE113439, module 1 with 68 critical genes was screened out through the MCODE plug-in in Cytoscape software. The top 20 DEGs in each cluster of GSE210248 were filtered out by the Cytohubba plug-in using the MCC method. Eventually, WDR43 and GNL2 were found significantly increased in PAH and identified as the hub genes after overlapping these DEGs from GSE210248 and GSE113439. CONCLUSION: WDR43 and GNL2 might provide novel insight into revealing the new molecular mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets for PAH.

Porous boron nitride nanofibers enhanced sodium acrylate and acrylamide copolymer hydrogels for effective adsorption of Pb2.

A new composite hydrogel adsorbent for adsorption of Pb2+ has been prepared by combining porous boron nitride nanofibers (BNNFs) and the acrylamide and sodium acrylate copolymer (P(AANa-co-AM)) via a chemical crosslinking method. Porous BNNFs with abundant hydroxyl functional groups can form hydrogen bond interactions with carboxyl and amino functional groups of the copolymer in the composite hydrogel and carry and dissipate forces for the composite hydrogels. So the mechanical performances of the copolymer hydrogels can be effectively improved, which is very valuable for the practical application of the composite hydrogel to remove Pb2+ from waste water. The thermal stability and swelling performance of the pure copolymer hydrogels were also greatly improved. This is not only because of the strong hydrogen bond interactions but also the good thermal stability and flexibility of BNNFs. The composite hydrogel adsorbent shows superior adsorption capacity for Pb2+ (490.2 mg g-1) to most of the reported hydrogel adsorbents. The chemisorption dominates the whole adsorption process according to the pseudo-second-order kinetic and the Langmuir models. The composite hydrogel adsorbent also shows good reusability. Therefore, we believe that the prepared composite hydrogels will play an important role in removing Pb2+ from wastewater.

Fasting blood glucose predicts high risk of in-stent restenosis in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention: a cohort study.

Objectives. Studies have shown that fasting blood glucose (FBG) is closely associated with poor prognosis in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), but its association with in-stent restenosis (ISR) is still unclear. Therefore, this study was to explore the association between FBG with ISR in patients with CHD after PCI. Design. In this cohort study, we included 531 patients with CHD who underwent PCI. Logistic regression, receiver operating characteristic (ROC), subgroup analysis and restricted cubic spline (RCS) were used to assess the association between FBG with ISR. Results. A total of 124 (23.4%) patients had ISR. Patients with higher levels of FBG had higher incidence of ISR compared to those with lower levels of FBG (p = 0.002). In multivariable logistic regression analyses, higher levels of FBG remained strongly associated with higher risk of ISR (as a categorical variable, OR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.21-2.94, p = 0.005; as a continuous variable, OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.03-1.23, p = 0.011). ROC analysis also showed that FBG might be associated with the occurrence of ISR (AUC = 0.577, 95% CI: 0.52-0.64, p = 0.013). Subgroup analyses showed the association of FBG with ISR was also stable in several subgroups (< 60 years or ≥ 60 years, male, with or without smoking, without diabetes and without hypertension). And RCS analysis showed that FBG was linearly and positively associated with the risk of ISR. Conclusions. Higher levels of FBG were closely associated with higher risk of ISR in patients with CHD after PCI.

Visceral adiposity index is positively associated with fasting plasma glucose: a cross-sectional study from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017-2020.

BACKGROUND: Visceral adiposity index (VAI) has been recognized as a reliable indicator for visceral adiposity. However, it remains largely unexplored on its association with fasting plasma glucose (FPG). The current study aims to explore the association between VAI and FPG using a representative dataset. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out based on the dataset from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017-2020. Univariate and Multiple linear regression analysis were performed to explore the relationship between VAI and FPG. Generalized additive model (GAM) and smooth curve fitting analysis were performed to explore the nonlinear relationship between VAI and FPG. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of VAI for FPG elevation. RESULTS: A total of 4437 participants with complete data were finally included in the research. Individuals were divided into 4 quartiles according to the calculated VAI value: Q1 (VAI<0.69), Q2 (0.69 ≤ VAI < 1.18), Q3 (1.18 ≤ VAI < 2.02) and Q4 (VAI ≥ 2.02). FPG significantly increased with the increasing VAI quartile. Multiple linear regression analysis showed VAI was independently positively associated with FPG after adjusting confounding factors. As a continuous variable, an increase of one unit in VAI was correlated with 0.52 mmol/L (95% CI: 0.41-0.63, p < 0.0001) higher FPG level. As a categorical variable, 4th VAI quartile group was related to 0.71 mmol/L (95% CI: 0.47-0.95, p < 0.001) higher FPG level compared with 1st VAI group. GAM and smooth curve fitting analysis identified the non-linear relationship between VAI and FPG, and 4.02 was identified as the inflection point using two-piecewise linear regression. The positive association between VAI and FPG existed when VAI was lower (ß = 0.73, p < 0.0001) and higher than 4.02 (ß = 0.23, p = 0.0063). ROC analysis indicated VAI has a good predictive value for FPG elevation (AUC = 0.7169, 95% CI: 0.6948-0.7389), and the best threshold of VAI was 1.4315. CONCLUSION: VAI was an independently risk indicator for FPG, and VAI was nonlinearly positively associated with FPG. VAI had a good predictive value for elevated FPG. VAI might become a useful indicator for risk assessment and treatment of hyperglycemia in clinical practice.

Fluxonium: An Alternative Qubit Platform for High-Fidelity Operations.

Superconducting qubits provide a promising path toward building large-scale quantum computers. The simple and robust transmon qubit has been the leading platform, achieving multiple milestones. However, fault-tolerant quantum computing calls for qubit operations at error rates significantly lower than those exhibited in the state of the art. Consequently, alternative superconducting qubits with better error protection have attracted increasing interest. Among them, fluxonium is a particularly promising candidate, featuring large anharmonicity and long coherence times. Here, we engineer a fluxonium-based quantum processor that integrates high qubit coherence, fast frequency tunability, and individual-qubit addressability for reset, readout, and gates. With simple and fast gate schemes, we achieve an average single-qubit gate fidelity of 99.97% and a two-qubit gate fidelity of up to 99.72%. This performance is comparable to the highest values reported in the literature of superconducting circuits. Thus our work, within the realm of superconducting qubits, reveals an alternative qubit platform that is competitive with the transmon system.

Porous boron nitride nanofibers as effective nanofillers for poly(vinyl alcohol) composite hydrogels with excellent self-healing performances.

New composite hydrogels with excellent self-healing properties were prepared by combining poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and boron nitride nanofibers (BNNFs) via a facile one-pot assembly method. One-dimensional porous BNNFs with high aspect ratio, abundant hydroxyl functional groups, especially excellent flexibility which has been first demonstrated in experiments, can act as a decent inorganic nanofillers to effectively improve the mechanical and self-healing properties of PVA hydrogels. Both the tensile and compression performances of hydrogels have been greatly improved by the trace addition of BNNFs (only ∼1.25 wt%). Compared with other BN nanofillers with spherical particles and lamellar morphologies, BNNFs with high aspect ratios and good flexibility play a unique role in the preparation of PVA composite hydrogels with cross-linked three-dimensional polymeric networks. This can be explained by the different topological structures of composite hydrogels formed. The abundant hydroxyl functional groups can form a lot of reversible hydrogen bonds with the molecular chains of PVA, so the as-prepared hydrogels have a high self-healing efficiency. The best healing efficiency of the composite hydrogels with 2.25 wt% BNNFs reaches as high as 97.31% after self-healing for 30 minutes. The good flexibility of BNNFs is beneficial to the movement of the PVA chain, which is beneficial to the self-healing process of composite hydrogels. The outstanding self-healing performance is very important for the application of composite hydrogels in the biomedical field and wearable flexible devices.

Dapagliflozin Attenuates Contrast-induced Acute Kidney Injury by Regulating the HIF-1α/HE4/NF-κB Pathway.

ABSTRACT: Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) causes clinically acquired nephropathy in patients who undergo coronary interventions. Hypoxic injury to proximal tubular epithelial cells is a pathological mechanism of CI-AKI. Previous studies have shown that hypoxia activates HIF-1α/HE4/NF-κB to enhance renal fibrosis, and the SGLT-2 inhibitor luseogliflozin inhibits hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α expression to reduce the progression of diabetic nephropathy. However, the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of SGLT-2 inhibitors on CI-AKI are unclear. We explored the role of the HIF-1α/HE4/NF-κB pathway in CI-AKI and how dapagliflozin effectively treats CI-AKI by inhibiting this pathway. In vitro, cells were divided into the control, hypoxia, hypoxia + dapagliflozin, and hypoxia + pSilencer-HIF-1α groups. Cellular hypoxia, apoptosis, and related protein expression were evaluated by immunofluorescence, western blotting, and flow cytometry, respectively. Dapagliflozin significantly decreased oxygen consumption, HIF-1α, human epididymis protein 4 (HE4), NF-κB expression, and apoptotic cells compared with the control (P < 0.01). In vivo, rats were divided into the control (C), diabetes (D), diabetes + contrast media, and diabetes + contrast media + dapagliflozin groups. Rats in the latter 2 groups were treated with dapagliflozin for 2 days. CI-AKI was induced by intravenously injecting indomethacin, N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester, and iohexol. The effects of dapagliflozin on CI-AKI rats were elucidated by assessing renal function, H&E staining, and immunohistochemistry. Serum creatinine, urea nitrogen, TUNEL-positive tubular cells, HIF-1α, HE4, NF-κB expression, and histopathological scores were increased in diabetes + contrast media rats compared with C, D, and diabetes + dapagliflozin + contrast media rats (P < 0.01). Thus, dapagliflozin may ameliorate CI-AKI through suppression of HIF-1α/HE4/NF-κB signaling in vitro and in vivo.

Microalbuminuria Complicated with Low Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate: Early Risk Factors for Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury After Coronary Intervention.

BACKGROUND We aimed to investigate the impact of microalbuminuria complicated with low estimate glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) on the incidence and prognosis of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) in patients with coronary artery disease after coronary intervention. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 943 patients were enrolled in the study. Based on microalbumin/creatinine (ACR) measurements, the patients were divided into a microalbuminuria cohort (MA; 222 patients) and a normal albuminuria cohort (NA; 721 patients). According to eGFR levels, the cohorts were further subdivided into normal, mild, moderate, and severe renal dysfunction groups. The basic data and indicators of all enrolled patients were collected. The patients were followed up at 30 days, 6 months, 1 year, and 3 years after surgery. RESULTS The overall incidence of CI-AKI in the MA cohort was higher than that in the NA cohort (17.6% vs 8.2%, P.

Association between uric acid level and contrast-induced acute kidney injury in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus after coronary angiography: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: This study assessed the predictive value of uric acid (UA) for contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who underwent coronary angiography (CAG). A nomogram to aid in the prediction of CI-AKI was also developed and validated, and the construction of a prognostic nomogram combined with clinical features was attempted. METHODS: This study retrospectively enrolled T2DM patients who underwent CAG between December 2019 and December 2020 at the Affiliated Zhongda Hospital of Southeast University. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used for the analysis of clinical outcomes. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed to determine the area under the ROC curve (AUC) and the cut-off points for continuous clinical data. The prediction accuracies of models for CI-AKI were estimated through Harrell's concordance indices (C-index). Nomograms of the prognostic models were plotted for individualized evaluations of CI-AKI in T2DM patients after CAG. RESULTS: A total of 542 patients with T2DM who underwent CAG were included in this study. We found that a high UA level (≥ 425.5 µmol/L; OR = 6.303), BUN level (≥ 5.98 mmol/L; OR = 3.633), Scr level (≥ 88.5 µmol/L; OR = 2.926) and HbA1C level (≥ 7.05%; OR = 5.509) were independent factors for CI-AKI in T2DM patients after CAG. The nomogram model based on UA, BUN, Scr and HbA1C levels presented outstanding performance for CI-AKI prediction (C-index: 0.878). Decision curve analysis (DCA) showed good clinical applicability in predicting the incidence of CI-AKI in T2DM patients who underwent CAG. CONCLUSION: High UA levels are associated with an increased incidence of CI-AKI in T2DM patients after CAG. The developed nomogram model has potential predictive value for CI-AKI and might serve as an economic and efficient prognostic tool in clinical practice.

Enhanced Adsorption of Polysulfides on Carbon Nanotubes/Boron Nitride Fibers for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are one of the most promising high-energy-density storage systems. However, serious capacity attenuation and poor cycling stability induced by the shuttle effect of polysulfide intermediates can impede the practical application of Li-S batteries. Herein we report a novel sulfur cathode by intertwining multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and porous boron nitride fibers (BNFs) for the subsequent loading of sulfur. This structural design enables trapping of active sulfur and serves to localize the soluble polysulfide within the cathode region, leading to low active material loss. Compared with CNTs/S, CNTs/BNFs/S cathodes deliver a high initial capacity of 1222 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C. Upon increasing the current density to 4 C, the cell retained a capacity of 482 mAh g-1 after 500 cycles with a capacity decay of only 0.044 % per cycle. The design of CNTs/BNFs/S gives new insight on how to optimize cathodes for Li-S batteries.

Synthesis of Perovskite CsPbBr3 Quantum Dots/Porous Boron Nitride Nanofiber Composites with Improved Stability and Their Reversible Optical Response to Ammonia.

All-inorganic CsPbX3 (X = Cl, Br, I) perovskite quantum dots (QDs) have great potential for various applications due to their excellent photoluminescence properties. However, poor stability under long-term storage hinders their applications. Herein we report the utilization of porous boron nitride nanofibers (BNNFs) as a promising carrier for anchoring of CsPbBr3 QDs. Due to the good dispersion and immobilization of CsPbBr3 QDs, the resulting CsPbBr3/BNNF composites show excellent photostability and superior long-term storage stability in an air environment. Moreover, the CsPbBr3/BNNF composites exhibit an interesting ammonia-responsive behavior: i.e., a distinct decrease in photoluminescence intensity upon exposure to ammonia gas and the subsequent photoluminescence recovery after post-treatment in nitrogen gas. Even after treatment with ammonia gas for 3 h, the composites can still be recovered under nitrogen gas treatment. The fast response, reversibility, and stability of CsPbBr3/BNNF composites in the presence of ammonia gas could inspire a broader range of applications.

Predictive value of random blood glucose versus fasting blood glucose on in-hospital adverse events in patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: We aim to find out the relationship between random blood glucose (RBG), fasting blood glucose (FBG) and in-hospital adverse events in ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. We evaluate and compare the predictive value of RBG and FBG on in-hospital adverse events, and give an appropriate cut-off value of RBG and FBG. METHOD: A retrospective study enrolled 958 consecutive AMI patients undergoing emergency coronary angiography at Zhongda Hospital were enrolled from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2018 was performed. RBG and FBG, baseline data and adverse events were recorded. Major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) were defined as death, nonfatal recurrent myocardial infarction and stroke. Other adverse events included malignant arrhythmia, cardiac shock and hemorrhage. Patients with RBG > 11.1 mmol/L were divided into elevated RBG group. Patients with FBG > 6.1 mmol/L were divided into elevated FBG group. The incidence of in-hospital adverse events were compared in elevated RBG/FBG group and the control group. ROC curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of RBG and FBG on in-hospital adverse events. RESULT: The incidence of death, hemorrhage, cardiac shock and malignant arrhythmia significantly increases in elevated RBG and FBG group. Binary logistic regression showed that age, hypertension, diabetes, FBG and RBG were independent risk factors for in-hospital adverse events in STEMI patients. The AUC and 95% CI of RBG and FBG in predicting death of AMI patients were 0.789, 0.759~0.816; 0.810, 0.783~0.835, respectively. The cut-off values ​were 13.82 and 7.35 mmol/L. RBG and FBG also had fine predictive value on cardiac shock and malignant arrhythmia, no statistical difference was found in the predictive value on in-hospital adverse events (P = 0.462, P = 0.570, P = 0.694). CONCLUSION: Incidence of in-hospital adverse events significantly increases in AMI patients combined with elevated RBG or FBG. Both RBG and FBG were independent risk factors for in-hospital adverse events, they had good value on predicting in-hospital adverse events and there was no statistical difference in their predictive value.