Z-Scheme Modulated Charge Transfer on InVO4 @ZnIn2 S4 for Durable Overall Water Splitting.

The charge transfer within heterojunction is crucial for the efficiency and stability of photocatalyst for overall water splitting (OWS). Herein, InVO4 nanosheets have been employed as a support for the lateral epitaxial growth of ZnIn2 S4 nanosheets to produce hierarchical InVO4 @ZnIn2 S4 (InVZ) heterojunctions. The distinct branching heterostructure facilitates active site exposure and mass transfer, further boosting the participation of ZnIn2 S4 and InVO4 for proton reduction and water oxidation, respectively. The unique Z-scheme modulated charge transfer, visualized by simulation and in situ analysis, has been proved to promote the spatial separation of photoexcited charges and strengthen the anti-photocorrosion capability of InVZ. The optimized InVZ heterojunction presents improved OWS (153.3 µmol h-1  g-1 for H2 and 76.9 µmol h-1  g-1 for O2 ) and competitive H2 production (21090 µmol h-1  g-1 ). Even after 20 times (100 h) of cycle experiment, it still holds more than 88% OWS activity and a complete structure.

The impact of ABCB1 and CES1 polymorphisms on dabigatran pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in patients with atrial fibrillation.

AIMS: Our study aimed to determine the impact of genetic polymorphisms of ABCB1 and CES1 on the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of dabigatran in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). METHODS: We conducted a prospective study and enrolled NVAF patients treated with dabigatran. Blood samples were obtained from each patient and used for genotyping and determination of plasma dabigatran concentration (PDC) and coagulation parameters including activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and thrombin time. Patients' demographics and clinical outcomes from scheduled follow-up visits were all recorded. Statistical analysis was performed to identify the impact of genetic polymorphisms on the PK/PD and bleeding risk of dabigatran. RESULTS: A total of 198 patients were included in analysis. For the ABCB1 polymorphisms rs4148738 and rs1045642, no significant association was found with dabigatran PK/PD. For the CES1 polymorphism rs8192935, the minor allele(C) was associated with increased trough PDCs (ANOVA: P < .001; CC vs. TT genotype, P < .001; CT vs. TT genotype, P = .014) and with APTT values at trough level (P = .015). For the CES1 polymorphism rs2244613, the minor allele(A) carriers had higher levels of trough PDC than noncarriers (ANOVA: P < .001; AA vs. CC genotype, P < .001; CA vs. CC genotype, P = .004) and increased risk for minor bleeding (P = .034; odds ratio = 2.71, 95% confidence interval 1.05-7.00). CONCLUSION: Our study indicated that the minor allele(C) on the CES1 SNP rs8192935 was associated with PDCs and APTT values at trough level. The minor allele(A) on the CES1 SNP rs2244613 was associated with increased trough PDCs and higher risk for minor bleeding in NVAF patients treated with dabigatran.

UV/H2O2 oxidation of tri(2-chloroethyl) phosphate: Intermediate products, degradation pathway and toxicity evaluation.

Tri(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) with the initial concentration of 5 mg/L was degraded by UV/H2O2 oxidation process. The removal rate of TCEP in the UV/H2O2 system was 89.1% with the production of Cl- and PO43- of 0.23 and 0.64 mg/L. The removal rate of total organic carbon of the reaction was 48.8% and the pH reached 3.3 after the reaction. The oxidative degradation process of TCEP in the UV/H2O2 system obeyed the first order kinetic reaction with the apparent rate constant of 0.0025 min-1 (R2=0.9788). The intermediate products were isolated and identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer. The addition reaction of HO• and H2O and the oxidation reaction with H2O2 were found during the degradation pathway of 5 mg/L TCEP in the UV/H2O2 system. For the first time, environment risk was estimated via the "ecological structure activity relationships" program and acute and chronic toxicity changes of intermediate products were pointed out. The luminescence inhibition rate of photobacterium was used to evaluate the acute toxicity of intermediate products. The results showed that the toxicity of the intermediate products increased with the increase of reaction time, which may be due to the production of chlorine compounds. Some measures should be introduced to the UV/H2O2 system to remove the highly toxic Cl-containing compounds, such as a nanofiltration or reverse osmosis unit.

Association between activated partial thromboplastin time, age and bleeding events in NVAF patients receiving dabigatran.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between bleeding events and coagulation assays including activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and prothrombin time (PT), and to determine the risk factors for bleeding in Chinese patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) receiving dabigatran. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study including NVAF patients receiving dabigatran 110 mg twice daily between March 2016 and November 2017. We obtained the clinical features and demographic data from the medical records and compared the baseline characteristics of the bleeding group and the no bleeding group. Receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curves and a logistic regression model were used to determine the relation between APTT and bleeding events and the predictors of bleeding. Model performance was evaluated using the derivation cohort and an independent validation cohort by area under the ROC curve (AUC). RESULTS: A total of 346 patients were included and bleeding events occurred in 39 (11.2%) patients. Patients with age over 65 years (OR = 2.56 [95% CI 1.20-5.43]), hypertension (OR = 2.42 [95% CI 1.11-5.26]), decreased renal function (OR = 4.27 [95% CI 1.22-14.91]) and with concomitant use of an antiplatelet drug (OR = 3.53 [95% CI 1.28-9.74]) showed higher risk for bleeding, and APTT value of the bleeding group was higher than the no bleeding group (P = 0.014). By ROC analysis we found that the appropriate overall cut-off value the of APTT ratio was 1.30, with a sensitivity of 72% and specificity of 58%. Multivariate logistic regression showed that higher age (P = 0.003; OR = 1.05 [95% CI 1.02-1.09]) and APTT ratio > 1.30 (P = 0.002; OR = 3.20 [95% CI 1.23-6.73]) were independent risk factors for bleeding in patients with dabigatran therapy. The logistic regression model exhibited moderate discrimination ability, with an AUC of 0.73 [95% CI 0.65-0.81] and 0.77 [95% CI 0.59-0.96] in the derivation cohort (n = 346) and the validation cohort (n = 71) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that APTT ratio > 1.30 (at trough level) and higher age were independent risk factors for bleeding, and the logistic regression model based on these two predictors showed moderate performance, which may be useful for assessment of bleeding risk in NVAF patients with dabigatran therapy.

Plasma microRNAs reflecting cardiac and inflammatory injury in coronary artery bypass grafting surgery.

BACKGROUND: Circulating microRNAs (miRs) may act as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for cardiovascular events in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery patients. This study measured changes in cardiac- and muscle-related miRs and cardiac and inflammatory biomarkers in acute coronary syndrome patients undergoing CABG surgery as well as investigated the correlations between these indicators. METHODS: Creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), cardiac troponin T (cTnT), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, IL-10, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and tumor necrosis factor-α were measured, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to determine the plasma levels of miR-1, miR-133a, miR-208a, and miR-499 before and after surgery in 27 acute coronary syndrome patients. Left ventricular ejection fraction was also analyzed in a 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: miR-1, miR-133a, and miR-208a increased significantly (P = 0.0011; P = 0.0057; P = 0.0197, respectively) and the CK-MB, cTnT, BNP, and IL-6 levels were augmented after surgery. miR-133a, miR-208a, and miR-499 positively correlated with cTnT (r = 0.302, P = 0.027; r = 0.326, P = 0.016; r = 0.298, P = 0.029, respectively), but only miR-208a significantly correlated with CK-MB (r = 0.278, P = 0.041). miR-133a and miR-208a were significantly related to IL-6 (r = 0.287, P = 0.036; r = 0.292, P = 0.032, respectively). However, there were no significant associations between miRs and BNP or 3-month left ventricular ejection fraction. CONCLUSIONS: CABG surgery-induced myocardial reperfusion damage and subsequent inflammation were related to changes in miR-1, miR-133a, and miR-208a. Notably, miR-208a was the only indicator associated with CK-MB, cTnT, and IL-6, which may reflect heart injury and inflammation in these patients.

Insight into the adsorption behaviors and bioaccessibility of three altered microplastics through three types of advanced oxidation processes.

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) can significantly alter the structural properties, environmental behaviors and human exposure level of microplastics in aquatic environments. Three typical microplastics (Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS)) and three AOPs (Heat-K2S2O8 (PDS), UV-H2O2, UV-peracetic acid (PAA)) were adopted to simulate the process when microplastics exposed to the sewage disposal system. 2-Nitrofluorene (2-NFlu) adsorption experiments found the equilibrium time decreased to 24 hours and the capacity increased up to 610 µg g-1, which means the adsorption efficiency has been greatly improved. The fitting results indicate the adsorption mechanism shifted from the partition dominant on pristine microplastic to the physical adsorption (pore filling) dominant. The alteration of specific surface area (21 to 152 m2 g-1), pore volume (0.003 to 0.148 cm3 g-1) and the particle size (123 to 16 µm) of microplastics after AOPs are implying the improvement for pore filling. Besides, the investigation of bioaccessibility is more complex, AOPs alter microplastic with more oxygen-containing functional groups and lower hydrophobicity detected by XPS and water contact angle, those modifications have increased the sorption concentration, especially in the human intestinal tract. Therefore, this indicates the actual exposure of organic compounds loaded in microplastic may be higher than in the pristine microplastic. This study can help to assess the human health risk of microplastic pollution in actual environments.

Lead aggravates Alzheimer's disease pathology via mitochondrial copper accumulation regulated by COX17.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease that is associated with multiple environmental risk factors, including heavy metals. Lead (Pb) is a heavy metal contaminant, which is closely related to the incidence of AD. However, the research on the role of microglia in Pb-induced AD-like pathology is limited. To determine the mechanism by which Pb exposure aggravates AD progression and the role of microglial activation, we exposed APP/PS1 mice and Aß1-42-treated BV-2 cells to Pb. Our results suggested that chronic Pb exposure exacerbated learning and memory impairments in APP/PS1 mice. Pb exposure increased the activation of microglia in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice, which was associated with increased deposition of Aß1-42, and induced hippocampal neuron damage. Pb exposure upregulated copper transporter 1 (CTR1) and downregulated copper P-type ATPase transporter (ATP7A) in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice and Aß1-42-treated BV-2 cells. Moreover, Pb enhanced mitochondrial translocation of the mitochondrial copper transporter COX17, leading to an increase in mitochondrial copper concentration and mitochondrial damage. This could be reversed by copper-chelating agents or by inhibiting the mitochondrial translocation of COX17. The increased mitochondrial copper concentration caused by increased mitochondrial translocation of COX17 after Pb exposure may be related to the enhanced mitochondrial import pathway of AIF/CHCHD4. These results indicate that Pb induces the activation of microglia by increasing the concentration of copper in the mitochondria of microglia, and microglia release inflammatory factors to promote neuroinflammation, thus aggravating the pathology of AD. The present study provides new ideas for the prevention of Pb-induced AD.

Insights into adsorption mechanisms of nitro polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on common microplastic particles: Experimental studies and modeling.

Nitro polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) and microplastics (MPs) are emerging contaminants that pose a threat to the aquatic ecosystem. Knowledge of the NPAHs and MPs interaction will help the understanding of their fate and risks in natural environment. Here, the adsorption behavior and mechanism of typical NPAHs on microplastics were investigated. The adsorption kinetic and isotherm data showed that the adsorption of NPAHs was controlled by chemical adsorption and hydrophobic partition, because of excellent fit of kinetic and isothermal equations (R2 > 0.9). The adsorption capacity (587-744 µg g-1) was largely dependent on the hydrophobicity of NPAHs. The experiment of environmental factors confirmed the important role of pollutant hydrophobicity, with 1-Npyr of the highest hydrophobicity having the greatest adsorption on MPs (adsorption rate >90%) and less affected by solution pH and ionic strength (changer <5%). In the mixture system, MPs displayed high adsorption capacity for each compound; Interestingly, because compounds with smaller size were easy to occupy the adsorption sites in the pores of MPs, the adsorption of 2-Nflu (724 µg g-1) was even greater than that of 9-Nant (713 µg g-1) and 1-Npyr (703 µg g-1). The model calculation of adsorption also shows that there is surface adsorption and hydrophobic distribution in the adsorption process. The findings provide new insights into the interactions of MPs with organic pollutants in complex environments.

Occurrence and risk of iodinated X-ray contrast media in source and tap water from Jiangsu province, China.

Microcontaminants in the water environment have received increasing attention due to their adverse effects on human health and wildlife. However, iodinated X-ray contrast media (ICM), a type of microcontaminants, have not yet been systematically documented in source and tap water. This study investigated ICM in water samples via a sampling activity from 25 drinking water sources and their corresponding 30 household taps in south-central Jiangsu Province, China. The total concentrations of ICM ranged from 14.2 to 138.5 ng/L in source water and 3.7 to 101.3 ng/L in tap water, respectively. The calculated average water treatment efficiency to remove ICM is 38.3% with large variation under different processes (ranging from 7.3% to 75.7%), which implied that ICM could not be effectively removed using current treatment technologies. By integrating other ICM into the predominant compound iohexol with relative potency factors, the health risks of total ICM through water consumption were assessed using the Monte Carlo simulation. The results concluded that the risk of ingesting ICM through tap water was not a major health concern for adults, teens, or children in the study area. Nevertheless, due to the lack of long-term toxicity data relevant for humans for ICM, this risk may be underestimated, which requires further research.

Interaction of Lipids, Mean Platelet Volume, and the Severity of Coronary Artery Disease Among Chinese Adults: A Mediation Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Currently, coronary artery disease (CAD) is regarded as one of the leading global disease burdens. Evidence proved that platelet activation in dyslipidemia induced CAD, however, their interaction has not been well-established in vivo. This study aims to assess the mediation effects of mean platelet volume (MPV) in lipids and the severity of CAD. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 5,188 consecutive subjects who underwent coronary angiography between 2015 and 2020. Participants were grouped according to their CAD events, which was defined as stenosis ≥50% in at least one coronary artery, and whose severity was evaluated by the Gensini score (GS). A lipid index was drawn by principal component analysis to weight related lipid parameters including total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), non-HDL-C, apolipoprotein (apo) A1 B. The interaction of lipids and MPV in atherosclerosis was evaluated by the mediation analysis. RESULTS: Lipid index increased with elevated GS irrespective of statin status (not on statin: ß = 0.100, p < 0.001; on statin: ß = 0.082, p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression indicated positive correlation between MPV and GS after adjustment (ß = 0.171, p < 0.001). Subjects in the highest MPV tertile had higher levels of atherogenic lipid parameters and lipid index (p < 0.001). The adjusted odds ratios were greater among individuals undergoing statin medications who had high GS and higher MPV levels by elevated lipid index tertiles [1.168 (0.893-1.528) vs. 2.068 (1.552-2.756) vs. 1.764 (1.219-2.551)]. The combination of lipid index and MPV provided better prediction for high GS than individual lipid index or MPV, as shown by receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves (areas under ROC curves were 0.700 and 0.673 in subjects on or not on statin treatment, respectively). Significantly, mediation analysis revealed the mediation interaction of lipid index on GS by MPV, whose effect size reached 20.71 and 20.07% in participants with or without statin medications. CONCLUSION: The increased risk of dyslipidemia on CAD was partly enhanced by elevated MPV levels, whose mediating effect was around 20%.

Heterogeneous Fenton-like removal of tri(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate by ilmenite (FeTiO3): Kinetic, degradation mechanism and toxic assessment.

Tri(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCPP), a common organophosphate flame retardant, was frequently detected in the environment and posed threats to human health. In this work, the main component of ilmenite FeTiO3 was synthesized by the sol-gel method and employed as the catalyst for the degradation of TCPP by activating persulfate (PS) under UV irradiation. The degradation processes were fitted by the pseudo-first-order kinetic. The kobs value in UV/FeTiO3/PS system was up to 0.0056 min-1 and much higher than that in UV/PS (0.0014 min-1), UV/FeTiO3 (0.0012 min-1) and FeTiO3/PS (0.0016 min-1) systems, demonstrating a distinct synergistic effect in TCPP removal. The degradation efficiency of TCPP increased with the increase of UV intensity, PS concentration and catalyst dosage, and with the decrease of pH. By quenching experiment and EPR analysis, ·OH was confirmed to be the dominant radical in the reaction of the UV/FeTiO3/PS system. The possible degradation pathways of TCPP were dechlorination, dealkylation, and further oxidation of alkyl groups based on the theoretical calculation of frontier molecular orbits. The toxicity of degradation intermediates evaluated by luminescence inhibition rate of photoluminescence was higher than TCPP. Thus, TCPP can be degraded in the UV/FeTiO3/PS system effectively at the premise of introducing controlling measures to reduce the toxicity of degradation intermediates.

A comparative study on adsorption behavior of iodinated X-ray contrast media iohexol and amidotrizoic acid by magnetic-activated carbon.

As persistent and ubiquitous contaminants in water, iodinated X-ray contrast media (ICM) pose a non-negligible risk to the environment and human health. In this study, we investigated the adsorption behavior of two typical ICM compounds, iohexol (IOH) and amidotrizoic acid (DTZ), on magnetic activated carbon. Theoretical investigations, using density functional theory, identified the molecule structures and calculated the molecular diameters of IOH (1.68 nm) and DTZ (1.16 nm), which revealed that ICM could be adsorbed by mesopores and larger micropores. Therefore, magnetic activated carbon with a porous structure was prepared by the co-precipitation method to investigate the adsorption mechanism of IOH and DTZ. MAC--5 (magnetic activated carbon with a theoretical iron oxide content of 37%) showed the best adsorption ability for both IOH and DTZ, with maximum adsorption capacities of 86.05 and 43.00 mg g-1, respectively. Adsorption kinetics and isotherm models were applied to explore the mechanisms involved, and the effects of solution pH, initial concentration, temperature, ionic strength, and natural organic matter were also investigated. The pore filling effect, π-π stacking, hydrogen bonding, and electrostatic interaction, were found to be the main adsorption mechanisms. The co-adsorption data showed that competition may occur in ICM coexisting environments. Interestingly, the used MAC--5 could be successfully regenerated and its adsorption efficiency did not decrease significantly after five cycles, indicating that it is a promising adsorbent for ICM. The results from this study provide some new insights for the treatment of water containing ICM.

Perylene diimide supermolecule (PDI) as a novel and highly efficient cocatalyst for photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline in water: A case study of PDI decorated graphitic carbon nitride/bismuth tungstate composite.

Employing perylene diimide supermolecule (PDI) as metal-free cocatalyst, a novel PDI/g-C3N4/Bi2WO6 (PCB) photocatalyst was constructed for the effective degradation of antibiotics. Both the photocatalytic activity and photostability of g-C3N4/Bi2WO6 (gCB) were further improved after loading PDI. Under simulated sunlight illumination, the apparent rate constant of tetracycline (TC) degradation by PCB reached 2.6 times that of gCB. The photocatalytic activity of PCB still kept over 80% after 4 cycle experiments, while gCB only remained around 21%. The superior activity of PCB was ascribed to the synergism between the extended visible light absorption range through the participation of PDI cocatalyst and facilitated gCB-to-PDI photoelectron transfer. TC would finally be transformed into non-toxic ring opening products and mineralized. This work demonstrated that PDI was an excellent metal-free cocatalyst and exhibited great potential to boost the activity of photocatalysts.

Impact of Renal Function on Effectiveness and Safety Associated With Low Dose Dabigatran in Non-valve Atrial Fibrillation Patients After Catheter Ablation.

Aim: The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness and safety of 110 mg dabigatran in non-valve atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients with different eGFRs. Methods: We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study to investigate the effectiveness and safety of 110 mg dabigatran for NVAF patients between January 2017 and December 2018 based on the eGFR category. Results: A total of 560 NVAF patients who treated with 110 mg dabigatran were included for analysis. In 12 months, the Kaplan-Meier survival curves indicated that the lower eGFR subgroups were more likely to experience thrombosis, bleeding, and cumulative events earlier (P = 0.021 for thrombosis; P = 0.026 for bleeding; P = 0.001 for cumulative events). Gastrointestinal bleeding occurred more frequently in the moderate group than in other groups (6.94% in the moderate group vs. 1.54% in the mild group vs. 1.22% in the normal group, P = 0.028). By multivariate analysis, chronic kidney disease (P = 0.043; OR = 4.273, 95% CI 1.043-17.543) and diabetes mellitus (P = 0.023; OR = 2.194, 95% CI 1.114-4.323) were independent predictors of the composite endpoints. A positive linear relationship was observed between eGFR levels and occurrence rate of thrombosis and bleeding under anticoagulation patients with 110 mg dabigatran (R 2 = 0.432 and R 2 = 0.784, respectively). Conclusions: Impaired renal function was associated with decreased safety and increased thrombosis risks in NVAF patients taking low dose dabigatran.

Body Mass Index Influence on the Clinical Outcomes for Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation Patients Admitted to a Hospital Treated with Direct Oral Anticoagulants: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Considering that the current fixed dose of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) might have insufficient anticoagulation effect for overweight patients, the aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness and safety of anticoagulation between dabigatran and rivaroxaban in different body mass index (BMI) population. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 2402 DOAC anticoagulated patients with atrial fibrillation who underwent catheter ablation (1290 dabigatran, 53.7% and 1112 rivaroxaban, 46.3%) between January 2017 and December 2018. Patients were distributed based on the BMI into nonobese (1362, BMI <25 kg/m2), preobese (521, BMI 25.0-29.9 kg/m2), class I obese (344, BMI 30.0-34.9 kg/m2) and class II+ obese (175, BMI ≥35.0 kg/m2). We collected information regarding clinical features, laboratory data, bleeding complications and systemic embolic events from the electrical medical records system during 12 months. RESULTS: The incidence of systemic embolism and stroke complications was higher in the class II+ obese group (P=0.001 and P=0.003). The incidence of bleeding complications and the levels of anticoagulation parameters under the bleeding threshold were similar among the four groups (P>0.05). Cumulative Kaplan-Meier analysis illustrated that rivaroxaban-treated patients who belonged to higher BMI subgroups were more likely to experience shorter time to thrombosis (TTT) (12-month TTT rates of 0.5% for nonobese vs 1.7% for class I obese patients, HR=3.716, P=0.005; 12-month TTT rates of 0.5%, for nonobese vs 4.0% for class II+ obese patients, HR=6.843, P=0.001). However, no statistical significant difference in terms of the time to bleeding complications and the time to cumulative events among the four groups was observed. By multivariate analysis, a higher BMI value (BMI ≥25 kg/m2) (P=0.019; OR=2.094, 95%CI: 1.129-3.883) was an independent predictor for thrombosis in patients treated with dabigatran or rivaroxaban. Positive linear relationship was observed between BMI levels and occurrence rate of thrombosis and bleeding in under anticoagulation patients with NVAF (R2=0.451 and R2=0.383, respectively). CONCLUSION: The fixed dose of 15 mg rivaroxaban might carry a risk of under exposure, which would lead to an increase of thromboembolic complications in patients with high BMI. Therefore, rivaroxaban dose increase was suggested for obese patients. Use of DOACs appears to have considerable safety in obese patients.

Genetic Polymorphisms and Perioperative Bleeding in Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Clopidogrel use before coronary artery bypass graft surgery may increase risk for perioperative hemorrhage. The effect of genetic polymorphisms related to clopidogrel responses on bleeding during or after off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery is unknown. METHODS: This prospective study included 206 coronary artery disease patients scheduled for off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Genotypes were determined using Sequenom MassARRAY system. Severe bleeding was defined by the universal definition of perioperative bleeding in cardiac surgery. RESULTS: Patients carrying the ABCB1 3435 wild-type genotype (CC) had a higher risk of severe perioperative bleeding compared with patients carrying the variant genotype (CT or TT; 33.9% vs 16.5%, P = .009). Low baseline hemoglobin level (odds ratio 0.944; 95% confidence interval, 0.917 to 0.972; P < .001), low baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (odds ratio 0.977; 95% confidence interval, 0.956 to 0.999; P = .041), discontinuing clopidogrel 5 days or less before surgery (odds ratio 2.458; 95% confidence interval, 1.044 to 5.786; P = .039), and the ABCB1 wild-type genotype (CC; odds ratio 2.941; 95% confidence interval, 1.250 to 6.944; P = .014) were independent risk factors for severe perioperative bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Patients carrying the ABCB1 wild-type genotype (CC) had a higher rate of severe perioperative bleeding compared with patients carrying the variant genotype (CT or TT). Discontinuation of clopidogrel 5 days or less before surgery and the ABCB1 wild-type genotype (CC) were independent risk factors for severe perioperative bleeding.

Review on application of perylene diimide (PDI)-based materials in environment: Pollutant detection and degradation.

Environment pollution is getting serious and various poisonous contaminants with chemical durability, biotoxicity and bioaccumulation have been widespreadly discovered in municipal wastewaters and surface water. The detection and removal of pollutants show great significance for the protection of human health and other organisms. Due to its distinctive physical and chemical properties, perylene diimide (PDI) has received widespread attention from different research fields, especially in the area of environment. In this review, a comprehensive summary of the development of PDI-based materials in fluorescence detection and advanced oxidation technology for environment was introduced. Firstly, we chiefly presented the recent progress about the synthesis of PDI and PDI-based nanomaterials. Then, their application in fluorescence detection for environment was presented and categorized, principally including the detection of heavy metal ions, harmful anions and organic contaminants in the environment. In addition, the application of PDI and PDI-based materials in different advanced oxidation technologies for environment, such as photocatalysis, photoelectrocatalysis, Fenton and Fenton-like reaction and persulfate activation, was also summarized. At last, the challenges and future prospects of PDI-based materials in environmental applications were discussed. This review focuses on presenting the practical applications of PDI and PDI-based materials as fluorescent probes or catalysts (especially photocatalysts) in the detection of hazardous substances or catalytic elimination of organic contaminants. The contents are aimed at supplying the researchers with a deeper understanding of PDI and PDI-based materials and encouraging their further development in environmental applications.

MiR-223 levels predicting perioperative bleeding in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the predictive value of platelet-related microRNAs (miRNAs) for bleeding during and after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG) and the influence of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) on miRNAs. METHODS: This prospective study included 59 patients scheduled for OPCABG. The plasma miR-126 and miR-223 levels were measured and platelet aggregation was determined by thromboelastography during DAPT. The plasma miRNA levels were compared between patients treated with ticagrelor or clopidogrel. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the independent risk factors for bleeding during and after surgery. Active bleeding was defined as a blood loss >1.5 mL/kg/h for 6 consecutive hours within the first 24 hours or in case of reoperation during the first 12 postoperative hours. Severe perioperative bleeding was defined using the universal definition of perioperative bleeding in adult cardiac surgery. RESULTS: Higher circulating miR-223 levels [odds ratio (OR) =1.348, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.001-1.814, P=0.047] and lower body mass index (OR =0.648, 95% CI: 0.428-0.980, P=0.040) were independent predictors for severe perioperative bleeding in OPCABG. Ticagrelor treatment led to significant increases in circulating miR-223 levels compared with clopidogrel treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The plasma miR-223 levels served as a predictor for bleeding during and after OPCABG. Circulating miR-223 levels were significantly elevated with ticagrelor treatment compared with clopidogrel treatment. MiR-223 may be a novel biomarker for bleeding in cardiac surgery and can help explain the different efficacies of ticagrelor and clopidogrel.

Enhancing the performance of pollution degradation through secondary self-assembled composite supramolecular heterojunction photocatalyst BiOCl/PDI under visible light irradiation.

A novel n-n type inorganic/organic heterojunction of flaky-like BiOCl/PDI photocatalyst was constructed by water bath heating method. Meanwhile, a simple method - secondary self-assembly was used to prepare the BiOCl/PDI with a special band structure. The photocatalytic activities were evaluated by degrading aqueous organic pollutants under visible light (λ > 420 nm). The removal rates of 5 mg L-1 phenol (non-ionic type), methyl orange (MO, anionic type), rhodamine B (RhB, cationic type) and 10 mg L-1 RhB by secondary self-assembly BiOCl/PDI (BiOCl/PDI-2) were 8.0%, 3.4%, 27.8% and 78.9% higher than self-assembly BiOCl/PDI (BiOCl/PDI-1) under visible light (λ > 420 nm). The better photocatalytic activity for BiOCl/PDI-2 was attributed to the optimization of energy-band structures, which arose from different exposed surfaces, narrower interplanar spacing and stronger visible light absorption performance. Under acidic condition, BiOCl/PDI-2 showed a good photocatalytic activity, which was not affected by neutral ionic intensity and had good recycling properties. Moreover, the photocatalytic mechanism was explored by free radical capture test and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and contribution of active species was calculated. The main active species of BiOCl/PDI-2 were ·O2-, 1O2 and h+. Our work may provide a route to design efficient inorganic/organic heterojunctions for organic pollutants degradation.

Release of taste and odour compounds during Zizania latifolia decay: A microcosm system study.

Organic matter-induced black bloom frequently occurs in a number of large eutrophic shallow lakes; this can result in the release of malodorous compounds and has a negative impact on water quality. In the study, a microcosm system containing Zizania latifolia (Z. latifolia), a common aquatic plant, was established and the release of seven taste and odour compounds, dimethyl sulphide (DMS), dimethyl disulphide (DMDS), dimethyl trisulphide (DMTS), 2-methylisoborneol (MIB), geosmin (GSM), ß-cyclocitral, and ß-ionone, was investigated. The results showed that these compounds were all detected during Z. latifolia decay, and that volatile organic sulphur compounds (VOSCs), such as DMS, DMDS, and DMTS, were the main factors responsible for the strong foul odour (the maximum reached 5.0 µg L-1). The release of odorous compounds was stronger during the initial seven days, and then progressively decreased in the middle stage of the experiment. Furthermore, large amounts of nutrients were released into the overlying water; nutrient concentration increased with increasing plant biomass. A positive correlation was observed between the odorant concentration and plant biomass. These results indicate that the density of aquatic plants should be controlled as part of future management of aquatic ecosystems.