Electrospinning fabrication for cloth-like carbon nanofiber films with hierarchical porous structure and their application in deep desulfurization.

A strategy for clean fuel by selective adsorption processing was deemed to be convenient and environmental-friendly in past decades. However, the development of adsorption desulfurization was tremendously subject to the fabrication of high-performance adsorbents with large capacity and high stability. Herein, we designed a novel route to fabricate the cloth-like carbon nanofiber film with a hierarchical porous structure by electrospinning. The structure and properties of the cloth-like carbon nanofiber films were determined by a series of characterizations. Subsequently, the desulfurization performance of the cloth-like carbon nanofiber films was examined by the simulated thiophene (TH) oil. Furthermore, the effect of adsorption conditions on the adsorption capacity was intensively investigated, such as carbonization temperature, initial concentration and desulfurization temperature. The results found that at optimal calcination temperature of 700 °C, the cloth-like carbon nanofiber films possessed the highest micropore volume (Vmic = 0.185 m3/g) and adsorption capacity (qe = 96.6 mg/g) at 800 mg/L initial concentration under the adsorption temperature of 25 °C. The results corroborated that the physical properties of the cloth-like carbon nanofiber films with the surface area of 417.8 m2/g, the total pore volume of 0.187 cm3/g and average pore diameter of 1.36 nm had an important influence on the high adsorption capacity. On this basis, the adsorption experimental data were best fitted to pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models. Furthermore, the other highlight of the cloth-like carbon nanofiber films was convenient for the separation from oil, thus achieving the desirable reused performance.

[Clinical characteristics of 22 cases of fungal infective endocarditis].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical characteristics, treatment regimens and outcomes of the patients with fungal infective endocarditis. METHODS: An observational study was conducted at our hospital and recruited 22 consecutive patients with a definite diagnosis of fungal infective endocarditis. Their overall characteristics, treatments, complications and outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age at presentation was 45 years with a slight male preponderance. Among them, 13 cases had healthcare-associated infective endocarditis and 1 patient was an intravenous drug user. Aortic valve (40.9%) was most commonly affected and it was followed by mitral valve (13.6%). The most common etiological agent was Candida (68.2%), followed by Aspergillus (22.7%). Risk factors include the prosthetic valve replacement surgery, impaired immune function, and so on. Major complications during the acute infective phase were also recorded, including heart failure, embolic events, uncontrolled infections and renal dysfunction. The overall hospital mortality rate was 40.9%. There were 15 patients with antifungal treatment, which including fluconazole, itraconazole, caspofungin acetate and voriconazole itraconazole. The remaining 7 patients (31.8%) underwent valve replacement surgery, including 3 cases of cardiac valve re-replacement. A better outcome was observed in patients on a combined regimen of medical and surgical therapies. CONCLUSIONS: Fungal endocarditis is associated with more invasive interventions and immunocompromised patients. The incidence of embolic events and in-hospital mortality is still high in patients with fungal endocarditis, and the larger vegetation is more common. Heart failure, sepsis and repeated arterial embolization are the most common cause of death.

Different clinical characteristics and outcomes of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with and without hypertension: seeking the truth.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the different clinical characteristics and outcomes of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients with and without hypertension (HT). METHODS: A total of 696 HCM patients were included in this study and all HCM diagnoses were confirmed by the genetic test. Patients were analyzed separately in the septal reduction therapy (SRT) cohort and the non-SRT cohort. The primary endpoint was cardiovascular death and the secondary endpoint was all-cause death. Outcome analyses were conducted to evaluate the associations between HT and outcomes in HCM. Medications before enrollment and at discharge were collected in the post-hoc analyses. RESULTS: HCM patients without HT were younger, had a lower body mass index, were more likely to have a family history of HCM, and had a smaller left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic diameter than those with HT in both cohorts. A thicker LV wall, a higher level of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, and a higher extent of LV late gadolinium enhancement were additionally observed in patients without HT in the non-SRT cohort. The presence of HT did not alter the distribution pattern of late gadolinium enhancement, as well as the constituent ratio of eight disease-causing sarcomeric gene variants in both cohorts. Outcome analyses showed that in the non-SRT cohort, patients without HT had higher risks of cardiovascular death (HR = 2.537, P = 0.032) and all-cause death (HR = 3.309, P = 0.032). While such prognostic divergence was not observed in the SRT cohort. Further post-hoc analyses in the non-SRT cohort found that patients without HT received fewer non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers before enrollment and at discharge. CONCLUSIONS: HCM patients without HT had worse clinical conditions and higher mortality than patients with HT overall, which may result from active medical therapy in HT patients. Active SRT may have a substantial de-risking effect on patients meeting the indications.

Epidemiological and clinical features of hypertrophic scar and keloid in Chinese college students: A university-based cross-sectional survey.

Background: Hypertrophic scar (HS) and keloid (KD) are common dermal fibroproliferative growth caused by pathological wound healing. HS's prevalence is currently undetermined in China. Though it primarily occurs in dark-skinned individuals, KD can develop in all races, and its prevalence among Chinese people is poorly documented. Objective: To explore the present epidemiological status of them in Chinese college students. Methods: We conducted a university-based cross-sectional study at one university in Fujian, China. A total of 1785 participants aged 16-34 years (mean age, 20.0 ± 2.0; 58.7% female) were enrolled and statistical analyses were performed. Results: HS and KD were observed in 5.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.2-6.2) and 0.6% (95% CI: 0.3-1.0) of the population respectively. There was a significant difference by sex in HS (P < 0.05), but not in KD. The prevalence of HS and KD both showed a significant difference by age (P < 0.05), but not in ethnic and native place distribution. The occurrence of HS and KD were both concentrated in individuals 9-20 years old (HS: 77.2%; KD: 81.8%). They were mainly distributed in the upper limbs (52.1%; 64.3%), and the main cause was trauma (51.0%; 35.7%). In addition, male sex was a risk factor for HS (adjusted P < 0.001), and KD was associated with age ≥22 years and family history (adjusted P < 0.050). Conclusion: HS and KD are common in Chinese college students, and more attention and research is warranted.

A flexible N-doped carbon-nanofiber film reinforced by halloysite nanotubes(HNTs) for adsorptive desulfurization.

This report introduced the facile synthesis of the carbon-nanofiber films reinforced by halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) via electrospinning. The HNTs-reinforced N-doped carbon-nanofiber films (PAN/HNTs-CNFs) possessed the higher strength and toughness while keeping the prospective adsorption capability for different sulfur compounds in oil due to the higher N doping content. The PAN/HNTs-CNFs were produced by firstly electrospinning for the HNTs-filled polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber films, followed by the high-temperature carbonization for the conversion of the polymer films into the carbon-nanofiber films with the N doping. The characterizations testified that the HNTs were capable of fulfilling the uniform and disordered dispersion in the carbon-nanofibers. For overcoming the toughness of the carbon-nanofiber film, the HNTs filling the obviously improved the mechanical performance of the carbon-nanofiber films by the pulling-out and bridging effect. Due to accessing the lipophilic and acid surface, abundant hierarchical pore structure and highly N-doping content, the PAN/HNTs-CNFs exhibited the remarkable adsorption performances for thiophene, benzothiophene, and dibenzothiophene (46.73 mg S/g, 38.4 mg S/g and 35.03 mg S/g for 800 ppm sulfur model oil), especially being suitable to the adsorption of thiophene. Furthermore, the study on the adsorption kinetics, equilibrium isotherms, and thermodynamics of thiophene over the PAN/HNTs-CNFs were conducted to discuss the adsorption mechanism.

Long-term outcomes and independent predictors of mortality in patients presenting to emergency departments with acute heart failure in Beijing: a multicenter cohort study with a 5-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Acute heart failure (AHF) is the most common disease in emergency departments (EDs). However, clinical data exploring the outcomes of patients presenting AHF in EDs are limited, especially the long-term outcomes. The purposes of this study were to describe the long-term outcomes of patients with AHF in the EDs and further analyze their prognostic factors. METHODS: This prospective, multicenter, cohort study consecutively enrolled 3335 patients with AHF who were admitted to EDs of 14 hospitals from Beijing between January 1, 2011 and September 23, 2012. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis were adopted to evaluate 5-year outcomes and associated predictors. RESULTS: The 5-year mortality and cardiovascular death rates were 55.4% and 49.6%, respectively. The median overall survival was 34 months. Independent predictors of 5-year mortality were patient age (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.027, 95 confidence interval [CI]: 1.023-1.030), body mass index (BMI) (HR: 0.971, 95% CI: 0.958-0.983), fatigue (HR: 1.127, 95% CI: 1.009-1.258), ascites (HR: 1.190, 95% CI: 1.057-1.340), hepatic jugular reflux (HR: 1.339, 95% CI: 1.140-1.572), New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III to IV (HR: 1.511, 95% CI: 1.291-1.769), heart rate (HR: 1.003, 95% CI: 1.001-1.005), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (HR: 0.996, 95% CI: 0.993-0.999), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (HR: 1.014, 95% CI: 1.008-1.020), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP)/N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level in the third (HR: 1.426, 95% CI: 1.220-1.668) or fourth quartile (HR: 1.437, 95% CI: 1.223-1.690), serum sodium (HR: 0.980, 95% CI: 0.972-0.988), serum albumin (HR: 0.981, 95% CI: 0.971-0.992), ischemic heart diseases (HR: 1.195, 95% CI: 1.073-1.331), primary cardiomyopathy (HR: 1.382, 95% CI: 1.183-1.614), diabetes (HR: 1.118, 95% CI: 1.010-1.237), stroke (HR: 1.252, 95% CI: 1.121-1.397), and the use of diuretics (HR: 0.714, 95% CI: 0.626-0.814), ß-blockers (HR: 0.673, 95% CI: 0.588-0.769), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) (HR: 0.714, 95% CI: 0.604-0.845), angiotensin-II receptor blockers (ARBs) (HR: 0.790, 95% CI: 0.646-0.965), spironolactone (HR: 0.814, 95% CI: 0.663-0.999), calcium antagonists (HR: 0.624, 95% CI: 0.531-0.733), nitrates (HR: 0.715, 95% CI: 0.631-0.811), and digoxin (HR: 0.579, 95% CI: 0.465-0.721). CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study demonstrate poor 5-year outcomes of patients presenting to EDs with AHF. Age, BMI, fatigue, ascites, hepatic jugular reflux, NYHA class III to IV, heart rate, DBP, BUN, BNP/NT-proBNP level in the third or fourth quartile, serum sodium, serum albumin, ischemic heart diseases, primary cardiomyopathy, diabetes, stroke, and the use of diuretics, ß-blockers, ACEIs, ARBs, spironolactone, calcium antagonists, nitrates, and digoxin were independently associated with 5-year all-cause mortality.

[Compound graft of porcine small intestinal submucosa with Schwann cells to reconstruct injured cavernous nerves and restore erectile function].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the restoration of rat penile erection by reconstructing injured cavernous nerves (CN) with a compound graft prepared from porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS) and Schwann cells (SC). METHODS: SCs were cultured in vitro and a compound graft was prepared from the SCs and SIS. Thirty-three healthy SD rats were randomly divided into three groups of equal number, sham-operation, CN ablation, and SIS + SC graft. Three months after the operation, all the rats underwent the apomorphine test, followed by immunohistochemical staining of the tissues from the middle part of the corpus cavernosum penis. RESULTS: Combined use of mechanical stripping, mixed-enzyme digestion, different-speed adhesion, short-term Ara-C and some other methods yielded SCs of a purity high enough for nerve tissue engineering. The SIS prepared by mechanical and chemical methods exhibited a good biocompatibility with SCs, which could adhere, grow, propagate and differentiate on its surface. The apomorphine test showed that both the rate and frequency of penile erection were significantly higher in the SIS + SC graft than in the CN ablation group (P < 0.01), but lower than in the sham operation group (P < 0.01). The number of nNOS positive nerve fibers in the SIS + SC graft group was significantly different from that of the CN ablation (P < 0.01), but both were smaller than that of the sham-operation group. CONCLUSION: The compound of SIS with SCs, as a nerve graft, can be used to reconstruct injured cavernous nerves, and to some extent, restore penile erectile function.

Design and fabrication of in-situ N-doped paper-like carbon nanofiber film for thiophene removal from a liquid model fuel.

The novel nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanofibers film (PAN-CNFs) had been successfully prepared by electrospinning with polyacrylonitrile as carbon precursor after calcination under N2 atmosphere. The structure and physical properties of PAN-CNFs were determined by a series of characterizations. The results showed that the PAN-CNFs-800 have the higher N content (10.02 wt.%), larger surface area (354.327 m2/g) and optional Vmic/VTotal (28.14 %). The adsorption desulphurization was examined by thiophene (TH) simulated oil. The experimental results demonstrated that the PAN-CNFs were the desirable adsorption materials as alternative candidate in present adsorption technique. Furthermore, the pseudo order kinetics and adsorption isotherm of the PAN-CNFs-800 was intensive studied, which exhibited good adsorptive capacity for thiophene (TH) reached 113.33 mg/L according to the Langmuir isotherm model and maintained promising recycling reusing performance. The adsorption mechanism was proposed by these models, which should be attributed to the cooperating effect of the proper pore structure and the π-π complexation interactions.

[Role of Rictor in Hematopoietic Stem Cells during Fetal Liver Hematopoiesis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Rictor on the hematopoiesis of fetal liver by specific knock-out of Rictor in hematopoietic cells of Vav-Cre mice. METHODS: E12.5 0.08ee fetal liver cells from the experimental group Vav-Cre; Rictorf/f embryos and control group Rictor f/+ or Rictorf/f embryos were transplanted to recipients respectively to observe the effect of Rictor on reconstitution ability of hematopoietic stem cells. In the meantime, E14.5 0, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80 sorted hematopoietic stem cells from the Vav-Cre; Rictorf/f fetal liver of experimental group and Rictorf/+ or Rictorf/f fetal liver of control group were transplanted in to recipients to analyze the numbers of functional hematopoietic stem cells after Rictor was knocked-out. Furthermore, the self-renewal capacity was investigated by secondary transplantation of BM cells from primary recipients that had been successfully repopulated with E12.5 fetal liver-derived cells and by cell cycle analysis. RESULTS: All the recipients receiving E12.5 Rictorf/+ or Rictorf/f cells were repopulated (8/8, from 2 independent experiments) with an average chimerism of 77.2%±11.1% at 4 months post-transplantation, which resulted in 57 LT-RU per FL. In comparison, 8 out of 8 recipients receiving Vav-Cre; Rictorf/f cells were repopulated with significantly reduced chimerism (37.0%±16.3%) (P＜0.01), which was equivalent to 8 LT-RU per FL. The limiting dilution transplantation experiment showed that there was one functional hematopoietic stem cell out of 17 sorted SLAM cells in the control group, and one functional hematopoietic stem cell out of 39 sorted SLAM cells in the experimental group. The secondary transplantation experiments showed that 2 out of 4 recipients were reconstructed in the control group after 1 month, and 0 was reconstructed in the experimental group by transplanting 4×105 donor cells respectively. What＇s more, the percentage of S/G2/M cells in the experimental group increased when compared with controls. CONCLUSION: In the process of fetal liver hematopoiesis, the specifically knocking-out the Rictor in hematopoietic system can lead to defect of reconstitution ability, decrease of the functional hematopoietic stem cell numbers and reduction of self-renewal ability of hematopoietic stem cells.

Late onset radiation-induced constrictive pericarditis and cardiomyopathy after radiotherapy: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Radiation-induced heart disease (RIHD) is a serious side effect of cancer treatment, including coronary artery disease, valvular cardiac dysfunction, cardiomyopathy, aortopathy, and chronic constrictive pericarditis. Herein, this case we present was diagnosed as radiation-induced constrictive pericarditis and cardiomyopathy by means of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and transthoracic echocardiogram, finally confirmed by pathology after performing heart transplant operation. CONCLUSIONS: This case supports a notion that RIHD often causes multiple heart impairment and CMR is helpful to diagnose cardiomyopathy after radiation.

Characteristics, Management, and Outcomes of Acute Heart Failure in the Emergency Department: A Multicenter Registry Study with 1-year Follow-up in a Chinese Cohort in Beijing.

BACKGROUND: The emergency department (ED) has a pivotal influence on the management of acute heart failure (AHF), but data concerning current ED management are scarce. This Beijing AHF Registry Study investigated the characteristics, ED management, and short- and long-term clinical outcomes of AHF. METHODS: This prospective, multicenter, observational study consecutively enrolled 3335 AHF patients who visited 14 EDs in Beijing from January 1, 2011, to September 23, 2012. Baseline data on characteristics and management were collected in the EDs. Follow-up data on death and readmissions were collected until November 31, 2013, with a response rate of 92.80%. The data were reported as median (interquartile range) for the continuous variables, or as number (percentage) for the categorical variables. RESULTS: The median age of the enrolled patients was 71 (58-79) years, and 46.84% were women. In patients with AHF, coronary heart disease (43.27%) was the most common etiology, and myocardium ischemia (30.22%) was the main precipitant. Most of the patients in the ED received intravenous treatments, including diuretics (79.28%) and vasodilators (74.90%). Fewer patients in the ED received neurohormonal antagonists, and 25.94%, 31.12%, and 33.73% of patients received angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, beta-blockers, and spironolactone, respectively. The proportions of patients who were admitted, discharged, left against medical advice, and died were 55.53%, 33.58%, 7.08%, and 3.81%, respectively. All-cause mortalities at 30 days and 1 year were 15.30% and 32.27%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Substantial details on characteristics and ED management of AHF were investigated. The clinical outcomes of AHF patients were dismal. Thus, further investigations of ED-based therapeutic approaches for AHF are needed.

Soil microbial responses to forest floor litter manipulation and nitrogen addition in a mixed-wood forest of northern China.

Changes in litterfall dynamics and soil properties due to anthropogenic or natural perturbations have important implications to soil carbon (C) and nutrient cycling via microbial pathway. Here we determine soil microbial responses to contrasting types of litter inputs (leaf vs. fine woody litter) and nitrogen (N) deposition by conducting a multi-year litter manipulation and N addition experiment in a mixed-wood forest. We found significantly higher soil organic C, total N, microbial biomass C (MBC) and N (MBN), microbial activity (MR), and activities of four soil extracellular enzymes, including ß-glucosidase (BG), N-acetyl-ß-glucosaminidase (NAG), phenol oxidase (PO), and peroxidase (PER), as well as greater total bacteria biomass and relative abundance of gram-negative bacteria (G-) community, in top soils of plots with presence of leaf litter than of those without litter or with presence of only fine woody litter. No apparent additive or interactive effects of N addition were observed in this study. The occurrence of more labile leaf litter stimulated G-, which may facilitate microbial community growth and soil C stabilization as inferred by findings in literature. A continued treatment with contrasting types of litter inputs is likely to result in divergence in soil microbial community structure and function.

Differential controls on soil carbon density and mineralization among contrasting forest types in a temperate forest ecosystem.

Understanding the controls on soil carbon dynamics is crucial for modeling responses of ecosystem carbon balance to global change, yet few studies provide explicit knowledge on the direct and indirect effects of forest stands on soil carbon via microbial processes. We investigated tree species, soil, and site factors in relation to soil carbon density and mineralization in a temperate forest of central China. We found that soil microbial biomass and community structure, extracellular enzyme activities, and most of the site factors studied varied significantly across contrasting forest types, and that the associations between activities of soil extracellular enzymes and microbial community structure appeared to be weak and inconsistent across forest types, implicating complex mechanisms in the microbial regulation of soil carbon metabolism in relation to tree species. Overall, variations in soil carbon density and mineralization are predominantly accounted for by shared effects of tree species, soil, microclimate, and microbial traits rather than the individual effects of the four categories of factors. Our findings point to differential controls on soil carbon density and mineralization among contrasting forest types and highlight the challenge to incorporate microbial processes for constraining soil carbon dynamics in global carbon cycle models.

Ion pair charge-transfer thiogermanate salts [MV]2Ge4S10·xSol: solvent induced crystal transformation and photocurrent responsive properties.

As most of the chalcogenidometalate anions are well-known electron-rich systems, design and preparation of ion pair compounds, by integrating an organic acceptor (A) with an inorganic chalcogenidometalate donor (D), are an attractive strategy to obtain new functional materials. We report herein the single-crystal structures and properties of three new ion pair charge-transfer (IPCT) compounds by incorporating thiogermanates with methylviologen (MV(2+), N,N'-dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridinium dication), [MV]2Ge4S10·xSol (Sol = solvent). Sharp and fast solvent-induced color changes and switchable fluorescence emission are observed for the compounds. The weak interactions that relate to the solvent and ions in the structures are likely the key points to modulate the cation-anion charge-transfer. A photocurrent response is observed for the photoelectric system of the IPCT compound upon repetitive switching of light on and off.

Comparison of characteristics and short-term outcome from fungal infective endocarditis in prosthetic valve endocarditis versus native valve endocarditis.

Fungal infective endocarditis (IE) is a rare, serious, and potentially lethal disease, yet its clinical characteristics and short-term outcomes remain poorly understood. A detailed comparative analysis of fungal prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) and native valve endocarditis (NVE) has not been performed. This study was designed to explore the general characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes of patients with fungal IE in a Chinese hospital and compare these data between PVE and NVE. Four hundred ninety-three patients were admitted to Fuwai hospital from January 2002 to December 2010. Fungal IE accounted for 7% (32 cases) of cases. Of these patients, 19 (59%) patients had NVE, 12 (37%) PVE, and 1 (3%) cardiac device-related infective endocarditis (CDRIE). Candida albicans remained the predominant causative pathogen (47% of all IE). Patients with NVE, compared with PVE patients, were older (50 years vs 37 years, p = 0.034), had less frequent history of previous endocarditis (0 vs 25%, p = 0.049), and were more likely to have a history of diabetes (37% vs 0, p = 0.026) and be in an immunocompromised state (37% vs 0, p = 0.026). Nearly half of the patients died of refractory heart failure, followed by severe sepsis and stroke. In-hospital mortality rate was 38%, and the 3-month cumulative mortality rate was 47%. Recurrence of IE was more common in fungal PVE patients (42% vs 5%, p = 0.022) during the 90-day follow-up. In conclusion, fungal IE is associated with high mortality and recurrence rates. Surgery performed in selected cases may improve the outcomes, but the recurrence rate remains high.