Photochemical synthesis of group 10 metal nanoclusters for electrocatalysis.

Four group 10 metal nanoclusters, Ni10(4-MePhS)20, Ni11(PhS)22, Pd9(PhS)18 and Pd10(PhS)20 were synthesized from disulfides based on a photochemical reduction-oxidation cascade process, which proceeds via a different mechanism to that of the conventional two-step reduction process. The as-obtained nanoclusters possess oxidative resistance and structural robustness under different conditions. Their atomically precise structures are determined to be nickel or palladium rings in which the metal atoms are bridged by Ar-S groups. Their catalytic performance in oxygen reduction reaction was compared, and the ring size-dependent catalytic activity of the group 10 metal nanoclusters was revealed. This work provides an efficient route to atomically precise and structurally stable group 10 metal nanoclusters, and sheds light on their further applications in electrocatalysis.

Treatment choice by patients with obstructive sleep apnea: data from two centers in China.

BACKGROUND: Standard management has been recommended for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) by several guidelines, but patient choice in the practical setting is unclear. METHODS: A survey nested in two prospective cohort studies of OSA (enrollment: 2001-2010) in China. The last interview was conducted between July 2014 and May 2015, using a comprehensive 10-point questionnaire administered in a face-to-face or telephone interview, and assessed (I) whether the participant had received any OSA treatment; (II) why he or she had decided for or against treatment; (III) what treatment was received; (IV) whether the participant used continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or OA daily; and (V) the perceived efficacy of therapy. RESULTS: A total of 4,097 subjects with a mean age of 45 years [37-55] responded to this survey, with a response rate of 79.4% (4,097/5,160); 2,779 subjects (67.8%) did not receive any treatment: 1,485 (53.4%) believed that their condition was not serious, despite severe OSA in 53.7% of the patients. A multivariate regression showed that the decision to receive treatment was associated with: age between 45-59 years [odds ratio (OR) 0.805, 95% CI: 0.691-0.936; P<0.001], female gender (OR 0.492, 95% CI: 0.383-0.631; P<0.001), severe OSA (OR 1.92, 95% CI: 1.01-3.64; P<0.001), hypertension (OR 1.414, 95% CI: 1.209-1.654; P<0.001) and diabetes (OR 1.760, 95% CI: 1.043-2.972; P=0.034). In subjects receiving treatment (n=1,318), 50.9% reported negative perceptions about the treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly two thirds of Chinese patients choose not to receive treatment after OSA diagnosis, and nearly half are negative about their treatments for OSA. This requires clinical attention, and warrants further study in different geographic settings.

Estradiol Regulates Txnip and Prevents Intermittent Hypoxia-Induced Vascular Injury.

Chronic intermittent hypoxia (IH) contributes to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)-related cardiovascular diseases through increasing oxidative stress. It has been widely recognized that estradiol decreases the risk for cardiovascular disease, but the estrogen replacement therapy is limited for its side effects. Thioredoxin (Trx) and its endogenous inhibitor, thioredoxin-interacting protein (Txnip), are associated with the protective effect of estradiol in some conditions. In this study, we aimed to explore whether estradiol could protect against IH-induced vascular injury, and the possible effect of Trx-1/Txnip in this process. Forty-eight adult female C57/BL6J mice were randomly divided into 4 groups, ovariectomy combined with IH group, sham operation combined with IH group, IH group and the control group. The mice treated with IH for 8 hrs/day, and 28 days. IH induced the injury of aorta, and ovariectomized mice were more prone to the IH-induced aortic injury, with higher level of oxidative stress. In vitro, estradiol increased Trx-1 level, but decreased the level of Txnip and oxidative stress in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) treated with IH for 16 hrs. Knock-down of Txnip by specific siRNA rescued oxidative stress and apoptosis. In conclusion, estradiol protects against IH-induced vascular injury, partially through the regulation of Trx-1/Txnip pathway.

[Spatial variation of soil carbon and stable isotopes in the southern margin desert of Junggar Basin, China]. / å‡†å™¶å°”ç›†åœ°å—ç¼˜è’æ¼ åŒºåœŸå£¤ç¢³åˆ†å¸ƒåŠå ¶ç¨³å®šåŒä½ç´ å˜åŒ–.

The southern margin desert of Junggar Basin in the central arid region of Asia was selec-ted as the study area. To gain insight into the distribution characteristic of stable carbon isotope and the relationship between the change of soil carbon and the distance to oasis of soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil inorganic carbon (SIC), three belt transects were set according to the distance between the desert and the oasis in edge, middle and hinterland of the desert respectively, and collected the soil profile samples with depth of 2 m. The results indicated that the SOC content reduced with the soil depth, and the variation with the distance to oasis was the edge> the middle> the hinterland. The δ13C value of SOC varied in the range of -21.92‰ to -17.41‰, and decreased with the depth; the range in the middle and hinterland was -25.20‰ to -19.30‰, and increased then declined with the depth. Therefore, we could infer that the C3 plants played a dominant role in the central of desert, and had experienced the succession from C3 plants to C4 plants. The average content of SIC was 38.98 g·kg-1 in the edge of desert, which was about 6.01 folds as large as the content in the hinterland. This indicated that a large number of SIC with 0-2 m depth were clustered in the edge of the desert. The δ13C value of SIC increased first then decreased with the soil depth, and enriched in the bottom layer, which was mainly affected by the original carbonate content and soil carbon dioxide.

Combined effect of obstructive sleep apnea and chronic smoking on cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVES: Little is known about combined effect of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and chronic smoking on cognitive impairment. We aimed to determine whether smoking synergizes with OSA in deteriorating cognitive function and whether smoking cessation contributes to cognitive benefits. METHODS: One hundred and eighteen male patients were enrolled in the study and asked to complete neurocognitive function tests including Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), clock drawing test (CDT), and verbal fluency test (VFT). Variables of those neurocognitive function tests were analyzed with two factors: OSA and smoking. RESULTS: After adjustment of potential confounding factors, an OSA-by-smoking interaction was found in CDT-C scores and a main smoking effect were showed in MoCA scores. Smoking patients with OSA had the worst performance in the four tests compared with the other three groups (smoking patients without OSA, non-smoking patients with and without OSA). Ex-smokers with OSA tended to perform better than current smokers, but still worse than never-smokers with OSA in those tests. CONCLUSION: The results suggested that the coexistence of OSA and chronic smoking resulted in more pronounced cognitive deficits than either factor along. Smoking cessation may benefit cognitive function to some extents in patients with OSA.

Factors affecting blood pressure profile in pre and postmenopausal women with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome.

PURPOSE: Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is an independent risk factor for development of hypertension. Epidemiological surveys have found that risk of cardiovascular diseases increased in postmenopausal women. However, it is not well known about the profiles of hypertension of women with OSAHS in their different reproductive stages. This study aimed to investigate the difference of blood pressure profile between pre and postmenopausal women with OSAHS. METHODS: Women who were tested by polysomnography (PSG) (n = 207) in Ruijin Hospital were recruited in the study. The subjects were divided into two groups of premenopausal women (24 with and 30 without OSAHS), and two groups of postmenopausal women (116 with and 37 without OSAHS). Among the groups, the differences of demographic and PSG variables were compared. The factors influencing blood pressure were further studied. RESULTS: The prevalence of hypertension (56.9 %) in postmenopausal OSAHS patients was higher than the other three groups. Among OSAHS patients, both average systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of postmenopausal women were higher than those of premenopausal ones [(129.9 ± 16.16 mmHg vs. 123.7 ± 18.89), (84.96 ± 9.88 mmHg vs. 78.81 ± 10.34), P = 0.05, P < 0.01, respectively], with the elevation of DBP being more pronounced. For premenopausal women, body mass index (BMI) was the only factor affecting blood pressure (p < 0.05); in postmenopausal women, BMI was a factor affecting SBP, while BMI and apnea hypopnea index (AHI) affecting DBP (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Blood pressure profile of postmenopausal women with OSAHS was affected by both BMI and AHI. But those of premenopausal ones were predominantly related to BMI.

The effect of non-benzodiazepine hypnotics on sleep quality and severity in patients with OSA: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Although there is a high co-occurrence of insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the administration of sedative hypnotics in patients with OSA is still inconsistent. The aim is to study the effect of non-benzodiazepine hypnotics (non-BZDs) on sleep quality and severity in patients with OSA. METHODS: We conducted a systemic search for controlled clinical trials in multiple databases and pooled analysis of the impact of non-BZDs on objective sleep quality and the severity of OSA, including the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and mean and nadir arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) in patients with OSA. Sensitivity analysis was carried out to explore the robustness of results. RESULTS: Eight relevant placebo-controlled clinical trials involving 448 patients were included. Objective sleep quality, including sleep latency, sleep efficiency, and wake time after sleep onset, was significantly improved in patients taking non-BZDs compared with those taking placebo (p<0.01). The weighted estimate indicated that the administration of non-BZDs prior to bedtime had no significant effect on AHI or SaO2 in OSA patients (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The administration of non-BZDs at the commonly recommended dose has been shown to improve objective sleep quality in OSA patients without worsening sleep apnea. It suggests that OSA patients with a complaint of insomnia symptoms may benefit from taking non-BZDs.

[Changes of China agricultural climate resources under the background of climate change. VII. Change characteristics of agricultural climate resources in arid and semi-arid region of Tibet Plateau].

Based on the 1961-2007 ground observation data from 55 meteorological stations in arid and semi-arid region of Tibetan Plateau, and by using 5-day moving average method and ArcGIS-IDW module, this paper analyzed the spatiotemporal change characteristics and climatic trend rates of agricultural climate resources in the region in 1961-1980 (period I) and 1981-2007 (period II). In 1961-2007, the sunshine duration during the growth season of chimonophilous crops in the study region changed less, while that during the growth season of thermophilic crops increased but with little spatial change. Comparing with those in period I, the average value of accumulated temperature in period II showed an increasing trend, and the area with > or = 1500 degrees C x d during the growth season of thermophilic crops increased by 33.9%. The precipitation decreased gradually from southeast to northwest. During the growth season of chimonophilous crops, the precipitation in the southeast in the two periods reached 800 mm, but the climatic trend in other areas was positive or negative, and the change rate was small. The area with precipitation > or = 400 mm during the growth season of thermophilic crops in period II expanded by 40%, as compared in period I. The reference crop evapotranspiration (ET0) generally increased slightly, and shared the similar spatial distribution pattern with sunshine duration and accumulated temperature. During the growth season of thermophilic crops, the area with ET0 > or = 400 mm in period II expanded by 35.7%, compared with that in period I. In the study period, the heat and precipitation resources during crop growth seasons in Tibet Plateau increased in a certain degree, which was very beneficial to the agriculture-stock production. However, the increase of reference crop evapotranspitation indicated the increase of potential evaporation. Thereby, the researches about the possible effects of climate change on agriculture-stock production should be further strengthened.

[Changes of China agricultural climate resources under the background of climate change. V. Change characteristics of agricultural climate resources in Ningxia].

Based on the 1961-2009 weather data from 21 meteorological stations in Ningxia, this paper analyzed the spatiotemporal variation trend of regional agricultural climate resources in Ningxia, Northwest China. In 1961-2009, the air temperature in Ningxia increased gradually from south to north, with the mean annual temperature increased by 0.4 degrees C x (10 a)(-1) , while the annual precipitation in most regions decreased gradually, with a decrement 4.26 mm x (10 a)(-1). Both the frost-free period and the duration of crop growth season prolonged. The regions with > or = 10 degrees C accumulated temperature being > or = 3200 degrees C x d extended southwardly, and thereby, the regions adaptive for planting mid and late rice increased. In 2001-2009, most regions were adaptive for plating winter wheat, and the whole Ningxia was adaptive for plating spring wheat. In the southern mountain regions, the region with mean temperature in July being < or = 20 degrees C decreased gradually, and accordingly, the regions adaptive for planting potato decreased.