Comparison of echocardiographic pulmonary flow Doppler markers in patients with massive or submassive acute pulmonary embolism and control group: A cross-sectional study.

Background and Aims: Computed tomography angiography (CTA) is the gold standard for the diagnosis of massive (MPE) and submassive pulmonary embolism (SMPE). Ultrasound has not been accepted as a diagnostic tool. We aim to evaluate the pattern of pulmonary Doppler echocardiography in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). Methods: From 2020 to 2022, 30 patients with acute MPE or SMPE confirmed by CTA and normal pulmonary pressures were selected. A control group was created with 30 individuals without PE. All patients had an echocardiography Doppler study of the pulmonary flow with a focus on early systolic notching (ESN), McConnell's (MC) sign, Right ventricular outflow tract velocity time integral (RVOT VTI), segmental thickness variability (STV), right ventricular end-diastolic diameter (RVEDD), tricuspid regurgitation (TR) gradient, pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), and acceleration (AT) or ejection time (ET). Results: ESN was identified in 96.6% of PE patients and 0% of the control group (p < 0.001). In comparison with the control group, STV (p < 0.001), RVOT VTI (p < 0.001), ET (p = 0.04), and AT (p < 0.001) values were lower in patients with PE while RVEDD, TR gradient, PAP, ESN, MC sign, and d-shape were higher (p < 0.001). Identification of the ESN pattern and AT/ET < 0.4 showed excellent predictive ability for MPE and SMPE with a sensitivity of 97.0% and 100%, specificity of 99.0% and 97%, and an area under the ROC curve of 0.967 (95% CI 0.914-1.00) and 0.933 (95% CI 0.844-1.00), respectively. Conclusion: Doppler echocardiography with particular attention to ESN, may be a suitable noninvasive method for the diagnosis of MPE and SMPE. Further studies with more sample sizes are needed to confirm its diagnostic benefit.

Bovine salpingitis: Histopathology, bacteriology, cytology and transcriptomic approaches and its impact on the oocyte competence.

The present study was performed to examine the histopathology, cytology, bacteriology and expression pattern of a targeted set of genes of cytokines in the oviduct of cows with inflammation (Experiment 1). In addition, the effects of oviductal fluid from cows with salpingitis on the oocyte maturation and fertilization in vitro were examined (Experiment 2). The most frequent bacterial co-infection was Escherichia coli and Fusobacterium necrophorum, which was always associated with severe histopathologic salpingitis. Out of 15 cows with histologically healthy uterus, only one cow (6.7%) displayed the histologic signs of mild salpingitis, whereas from 50 cows with endometritis, 48 cows (96%) showed histologically different grades of salpingitis. The mRNA expression of IL1ß, CD14, IL8 and CASP3 was significantly different among all groups of salpingitis (P < 0.05) with the highest level of mRNA expression in the sever grade of salpingitis. Results of experiment 2 showed a significant decline in the oocytes with peripheral free mitochondria and fertilization rate in the salpingitis group than the no- salpingitis group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, our results showed that histologically detected salpingitis is in most cases associated with histologic and cytologic endometritis. The pattern of the gene expression of chemokines and cytokines was altered in association with different grades of salpingitis. Further, we observed a decline in the peripherally located mitochondria and lower fertilization rate in oocytes following addition of oviductal fluid collected from the cows with sapingitis to the maturation media.

Photocatalytic Activity of Supported Metal Nanoparticles and Single Atoms.

Photocatalysis has been known as one of the promising technologies due to its eco-friendly nature. However, the potential application of many photocatalysts is limited owing to their large bandgaps and inefficient use of the solar spectrum. One strategy to overcome this problem is to combine the advantages of heteroatom-containing supports with active metal centers to accurately adjust the structural parameters. Metal nanoparticles (MNPs) and single atom catalysts (SACs) are excellent candidates due to their distinctive coordination environment which enhances photocatalytic activity. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and carbon nitride (g-C3 N4 ) have shown great potential as catalyst support for SACs and MNPs. The numerous combinations of organic linkers with various heteroatoms and metal ions provide unique structural characteristics to achieve advanced materials. This review describes the recent advancement of the modified MOFs, COFs and g-C3 N4 with SACs and NPs for enhanced photocatalytic applications with emphasis on environmental remediation.

Correlation between cystatin-C, acute phase reactants, and retinopathy severity in diabetic patients / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

·AIM: To evaluate correlation of cystatin-C (Cys-C) with severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and acute phase reactants, including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP). ·METHODS: All diabetic patients who were referred for diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening during 1mo were enrolled. Demographic data were recorded. All patients have undergone full ophthalmic exam. At the same day, all patients were tested for hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), ESR,hs-CRP,and Cys-C serum levels. · RESULTS: Sixty seven diabetics were enrolled, including 19 (28.3%) without retinopathy, 22 (32.8%) non - proliferative retinopathy, and 26 ( 38. 8%) proliferative retinopathy patients. The mean age, sex distribution, mean duration of diabetes, prevalence of hypertension and dyslipidemia, smoking status and HbA1c levels were not significantly different among the three groups. The mean levels of Cys - C increase significantly as retinopathy progress [1.1 ± 0. 48; 1. 22 ± 0.38;1.71 ± 0.92 (P=0.007), respectively]. In multiple regression analysis, just Cys - C was significantly associated with severity of DR (P=0.025). ·CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that serum levels of Cys-C increase while DR progress independently of acute phase reactants. Therefore, it could be used as an associated marker by primary care physicians to distinguish patients at higher risk of severe DR. Larger randomized studies are warranted to confirm findings. Reviewing physiological role of the Cys-C, we proposed that the Cys-C may be a protective response to catalytic stress rather than being a pathogenic factor in microangiopathies.

Two novel octamolybdate nanoclusters as catalysts for dye degradation by air under room conditions.

Two novel inorganic-organic hybrid materials, namely, (NH4)2CuMo8O26(C10H8N2)2 (1) and Mo8O26(C10H10N2)2(C10H8N2)·2(H2O) (2) have been synthesized based on ß-octamolybdate cluster and 4,4'-bipyridine (4,4'-bpy) ligand under solvothermal conditions. Their structures have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses and characterized by FT-IR, atomic absorption spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In addition, microcrystals of 1 were used to synthesize its nanocrystals via an ultrasound-assisted top-down method. The nanocrystals were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), PXRD and FT-IR analyses. The prepared hybrid materials have been proved to be active heterogeneous catalysts for catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of some dyes under mild conditions. Leaching experiments showed that the catalysts had good stability under the reaction conditions and could be easily recycled and reused after a simple treatment.