Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Study of Chinese Outpatients (PDNSCOPE): A Multicentre Cross-Sectional Registry Study of Clinical Characteristics and Treatment in Mainland China.

INTRODUCTION: This aim of this study was to delineate current clinical scenarios of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (PDN) and associated anxiety and depression among patients in Mainland China, and to report current therapy and clinical practices. METHODS: A total of 1547 participants were enrolled in the study between 14 June 2018 and 11 November 2019. Recruitment was conducted using a multilevel sampling method. Participants' demographics, medical histories, glucose parameters, Douleur Neuropathique 4 Questionnaire (DN4) scores, visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores, Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) scores, Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) scores and therapies were recorded. RESULTS: The male-to-female ratio was 1.09:1 (807:740), and the mean age at onset was 61.28 ± 11.23 years. The mean DN4 score (± standard deviation) was 4.91 ± 1.88. The frequencies of DN4 sub-item phenotypes were: numbness, 81%; tingling, 68.71%; pins and needles, 62.90%; burning, 53.59%; hypoaesthesia to touch, 50.16%; electronic shocks, 43.31%; hypoaesthesia to pinprick, 37.94%; brushing, 37.82%; painful cold, 29.61%; and itching, 25.86%. Age, diabetic duration, depression history, PHQ-9 score and GAD-7 score were identified as risk factors for VAS pain score. Peripheral artery disease (PAD) was a protective factor for VAS pain score. For all participants currently diagnosed with PDN and for those previously diagnosed PDN, fasting blood glucose (FBG) was a risk factor for VAS; there was no association between FBG and VAS pain score for PDN diagnosed within 3 months prior to recruitment. Utilisation rate of opium therapies among enrolled participants was 0.71% , contradiction of first-line guideline recommendation for pain relief accounted for 9.43% (33/350) and contradiction of second-line guideline recommendation for opium dosage form was 0.57% (2/350). CONCLUSION: Moderate to severe neuropathic pain in PDN was identified in 73.11% of participants. Age, diabetic duration, depression history, PHQ-9 score, GAD-7 score and FBG were risk factors for VAS pain scores. PAD was protective factor. The majority of pain relief therapies prescribed were in accordance with guidelines. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT03520608, retrospectively registered, 2018-05-11.

Plasma Tuning Local Environment of Hexagonal Boron Nitride for Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane.

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) has lately received great attention in the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) reaction of propane to propylene for its extraordinary olefin selectivity in contrast to metal oxides. However, high crystallinity of commercial h-BN and elusive cognition of active sites hindered the enhancement of utilization efficiency. Herein, four kinds of plasmas (N2 , O2 , H2 , Ar) were accordingly employed to regulate the local chemical environment of h-BN. N2 -treated BN exhibited a remarkable activity, i.e., 26.0 % propane conversion with 89.4 % selectivity toward olefins at 520 °C. Spectroscopy demonstrated that "three-boron center" N-defects in the catalyst played a pivotal role in facilitating the conversion of propane. While the sintering effect of the "BOx " species in O2 -treated BN, led to the suppressed catalytic performance (12.4 % conversion at 520 °C).

Plasma-enhanced direct conversion of CO2 to CO over oxygen-deficient Mo-doped CeO2.

Plasma CO2 splitting to CO over oxygen-deficient Mo-doped CeO2 under mild conditions was investigated for the first time, showing ∼20 times higher CO2 conversion compared to pure CeO2, which can be attributed to the increased oxygen vacancies (VO) and the formation of Ce3+-VO-Mo on the catalyst surface. Importantly, VO sites showed excellent catalytic stability.

One-Step Reforming of CO2 and CH4 into High-Value Liquid Chemicals and Fuels at Room Temperature by Plasma-Driven Catalysis.

The conversion of CO2 with CH4 into liquid fuels and chemicals in a single-step catalytic process that bypasses the production of syngas remains a challenge. In this study, liquid fuels and chemicals (e.g., acetic acid, methanol, ethanol, and formaldehyde) were synthesized in a one-step process from CO2 and CH4 at room temperature (30 °C) and atmospheric pressure for the first time by using a novel plasma reactor with a water electrode. The total selectivity to oxygenates was approximately 50-60 %, with acetic acid being the major component at 40.2 % selectivity, the highest value reported for acetic acid thus far. Interestingly, the direct plasma synthesis of acetic acid from CH4 and CO2 is an ideal reaction with 100 % atom economy, but it is almost impossible by thermal catalysis owing to the significant thermodynamic barrier. The combination of plasma and catalyst in this process shows great potential for manipulating the distribution of liquid chemical products in a given process.

Plasma-Triggered CH4/NH3 Coupling Reaction for Direct Synthesis of Liquid Nitrogen-Containing Organic Chemicals.

Nitrogen-containing organic chemicals such as amines, amides, nitriles, and hydrazones are crucial in chemical and medical industries. This paper reports a direct synthesis of N,N-dimethyl cyanamide [(CH3)2NCN] and amino acetonitrile (NH2CH2CN) through a methane/ammonia (CH4/NH3) coupling reaction triggered by dielectric barrier discharge plasma, with by-products of hydrazine, amines, and hydrazones. The influence of CH4/NH3 molar ratio, feedstock residence time, and specific energy input on the CH4/NH3 plasma coupling reaction has been investigated and discussed. Under the optimized conditions, the productivities of (CH3)2NCN and NH2CH2CN reached 0.46 and 0.82 g·L-1·h-1, respectively, with 8.83% CH4 conversion. In addition, through combining the optical emission spectra diagnosis and the reaction results, a possible CH4/NH3 plasma coupling reaction mechanism has been proposed. This paper provides a potential fine application of CH4 and NH3 in green synthesis of liquid nitrogen-containing organic chemicals, such as nitriles, amines, amides, and hydrazones.