The unpredictable resorption of bioresorbable scaffolds-A tale of two ABSORBs.

Bioresorbable stents represent a revolutionary treatment for coronary artery disease. Such a device offers the prospect for complete naturalization of artery lumen after strut resorption and restoration of vasomotion while curtailing the duration of dual anti-platelet therapy. The prototype bioresorbable scaffold (BRS-ABSORB GT1) demonstrated good feasibility and safety in the initial studies compared to metallic drug eluting stent but later fell out of favor due to multiple report of stent thrombosis and target lesion failure. Unpredictable resorption of struts turned out to be one of the "Achilles heel" of the BRS and stent strut were still visible in vessel on optical coherence tomography (OCT) at 3 years. We report a case of differential resorption of two ABSORB BRS implanted simultaneously in the same patient by the same operator. Follow up coronary angiogram revealed only minimal plaques on right coronary artery (RCA) and left anterior descending artery (LAD). The BRS were identified on cine-angiogram by their radio-opaque markers at both ends. The OCT run in LAD artery revealed "ghost remnants" of BRS struts in LAD, whereas the RCA BRS had completely healed with minimal "ghost" struts. The ghost remnants of BRS resembled the original "Check box" appearance on OCT during the index implantation.

Two-Year Outcomes for Patients with Non-ST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome Treated with Magmaris and Absorb Bioresorbable Scaffolds in Large-Vessel Lesions.

BACKGROUND: The acute coronary syndrome (ACS) continues to be a fundamental indication for revascularization by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation remains a part of contemporary practice but permanent caging of the vascular structure with the metallic stent structure may increase the rate of device-related adverse clinical events. As an alternative to classic metallic DESs, the bioresorbable scaffolds (BRSs) have emerged as a temporary vascular support technology. We evaluated the mid-term outcomes of two generations of bioresorbable scaffolds-Absorb (Abbott-Vascular, Chicago, IL, USA) and Magmaris (Biotronik, Germany)-in patients with non-ST-elevation ACS. METHODS: The study cohort consisted of 193 subjects after Magmaris implantation and 160 patients following Absorb implantation in large-vessel lesions. RESULTS: At 2 years, a significantly lower rate of a primary outcome (cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis) was observed with Magmaris (5.2% vs. 15%; p = 0.002). In addition, we observed a significantly lower rate of MI in the target vessel (2.6% vs. 9.4%; p = 0.009) and a lower rate of scaffold thrombosis (0% vs. 3.7%; p = 0.008). The TLF rate between the two groups was not significantly different. CONCLUSION: Magmaris demonstrated a good safety profile and more favorable clinical outcomes when compared to Absorb in patients with non-ST-elevation ACS.

The Absorb GT1 Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold System　- 5-Year Post-Market Surveillance Study in Japan.

BACKGROUND: The 1-year clinical outcomes of the Absorb GT1 Japan post-market surveillance (PMS) suggested that an appropriate intracoronary imaging-guided bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) implantation technique may reduce the risk of target lesion failure (TLF) and scaffold thrombosis (ST) associated with the Absorb GT1 BVS. The long-term outcomes through 5 years are now available. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study enrolled 135 consecutive patients (n=139 lesions) with ischemic heart disease in whom percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with the Absorb GT1 BVS was attempted. Adequate lesion preparation, imaging-guided appropriate sizing, and high-pressure post-dilatation using a non-compliant balloon were strongly encouraged. All patients had at least 1 Absorb GT1 successfully implanted at the index procedure. Intracoronary imaging was performed in all patients (optical coherence tomography: 127/139 [91.4%] lesions) and adherence to the implantation technique recommendations was excellent: predilatation, 100% (139/139) lesions; post-dilatation, 98.6% (137/139) lesions; mean (±SD) post-dilatation pressure, 18.8±3.5 atm. At 5 years, the follow-up rate was 87.4% (118/135). No definite/probable ST was reported through 5 years. The cumulative TLF rate was 5.1% (6/118), including 2 cardiac deaths, 1 target vessel-attributable myocardial infarction, and 3 ischemia-driven target lesion revascularizations. CONCLUSIONS: Appropriate intracoronary imaging-guided BVS implantation, including the proactive use of pre- and post-balloon dilatation during implantation may be beneficial, reducing the risk of TLF and ST through 5 years.

Can energy internet improve corporate ESG performance? -- Evidence from Chinese high energy-consuming companies.

Under the challenges of global crises such as climate warming, ESG performance, which represents sustainable development, has received widespread attention at home and abroad. Using the panel data from 2011 to 2020, comprising 726 high energy-consuming companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen A-shares, this paper takes Energy Internet demonstration project in 2016 as a quasi-natural experiment and builds a difference-in-difference model to study its microscopic policy effects. The study found that, firstly, Energy Internet can markedly enhance ESG performance of high energy-consuming companies. Secondly, the mechanism test finds that Energy Internet can facilitate high energy-consuming enterprises to enhance their ESG performance through three mechanisms: increasing government subsidies for enterprises in energy conservation and environmental protection, absorbing talent employment and improving information environment within the enterprises. Finally, the heterogeneity analysis proves that Energy Internet's policy effects are more pronounced in regions with higher financial expenditures on local science undertakings and among state-owned enterprises. China ought to persist in advancing the development of Energy Internet and provide companies with adequate support on finance, talent and technology. Meanwhile, during the construction of Energy Internet, attention should be paid to adapting to local conditions and enterprises.

Comparative structural, digestion and absorption characterization of three common extruded plant proteins.

Extruded plant proteins, also known as textured vegetable proteins (TVPs), serve as vital components in plant-based meat analogue, yet their structural and nutritional characteristics remain elusive. In this study, we examined the impact of high-moisture (HM) and low-moisture (LM) extrusion on the structures, digestion and absorption of three types of plant proteins. Extrusion transformed plant proteins from spherical to fibrous forms, and formed larger aggregate particles. It also led to the disruption of original disulfide bonds and hydrophobic interactions within protein molecules, and the formation of new cross-links. Intriguingly, compared to native plant proteins, TVPs' α-helix/ß-sheet values decreased from 0.68 to 0.69 to 0.56-0.65. Extrusion increased the proportion of peptides shorter than 1 kD in digesta of TVPs by 1.44-23.63%. In comparison to unextruded plant proteins, TVPs exhibited lower content of free amino acids in cell transport products. Our findings demonstrated that extrusion can modify protein secondary structure by diminishing the α-helix/ß-sheet value, and impact protein tertiary structure by reducing disulfide bonds and hydrophobic interactions, promoting the digestion and absorption of plant proteins. These insights offer valuable scientific backing for the utilization of extruded plant-based proteins, bolstering their role in enhancing the palatability and nutritional profile of plant-based meat substitutes.

Effect evaluation of new dressing URGOTULRANGE in the treatment of pressure injury.

BACKGROUND: Pressure injury (PI) is a local injury of the skin and/or soft tissue located at the bone caused by medical or other equipment and is common in long-term bedridden patients. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effect of Urgotul foam dressing in the treatment of stage 3 ∼ 4 PI and deep tissue PI. METHODS: A total of 38 patients with stage 3 ∼ 4 PI and deep tissue PI admitted to Jinan Central Hospital from January 2016 to December 2018 were selected and randomly divided into a control group (dressing change plus silver ion cream dressing) and an observation group (dressing change plus Urgotul Absorb non-border foam dressing), with 19 cases in each group. After 4 weeks of treatment, the pain intensity during dressing change and the treatment efficacy for PI wounds were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There were no differences in gender (P= 0.740), age (P= 0.130), single wound area (P= 0.673), consultation department (P= 0.972), stage (P= 0.740), presence of undermining (P= 0.721), deep tissue PI (P= 0.721), and systemic antibiotic therapy (P= 1.000) between the two groups, which were comparable. The treatment effect of the observation group was better than that of the control group (P= 0.003), and the pain score of the observation group was lower than that of the control group (P< 0.001). CONCLUSION: Urgotul Absorb non-border foam dressing has a good effect in the treatment of stage 3 ∼ 4 PI and deep tissue PI and can relieve patients' pain, and is thus worth promoting.

Fractionation of poplar wood with different acid hydrotropes: Lignin dissolution behavior and mechanism evaluation.

Acid hydrotropes was considered a green medium for efficient wood fractionation at mild conditions. This study reported a comparative study on the dissolution of lignin in different acid hydrotropes, including p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TsOH), 4-hydroxybenzenesulfonic acid (4-HSA), 5-sulfosalicylic acid (5-SSA), and maleic acid (MA). Under identical treatment conditions (80 °C, 60 min, and 70 % acid concentration), the removal of wood lignin varied significantly among four acid hydrotropes, 4-HSA exhibited the highest removal rate at 88.0 %, followed by p-TsOH at 81.2 %, 5-SSA at 51.1 %, and MA at 26.2 %. The molecular mechanism of the lignin dissolution was analyzed by quantum chemistry (QC) calculation and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The higher absorb free energy (E(absorb)) of the 4-HSA and veratrylglycerol-ß-guaiacyl ether (VG) complex (E(absorb) = 17.97 kcal/mol), and the p-TsOH and VG complex (E(absorb) = 17.16 kcal/mol) contributed to a higher efficiency of lignin dissolution. Under the same level of lignin removal (~ 60 %), the four acid hydrotropes showed variations in the ß-O-4 content of the extracted lignin: 4-HSA (3.1 %) < 5-SSA (10.4 %) < p-TsOH (15.9 %) < MA (63.7 %). The acidity and critical aggregation concentrations of acid hydrotropes were found to influence the content of ß-O-4 bonds in the extracted lignin.

A review of studies on gut microbiota and levodopa metabolism.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease globally. Levodopa (L-dopa) has been the cornerstone for treating Parkinson's since the 1960s. However, complications such as "wearing-off" and dyskinesia inevitably appear with disease progression. With the further development of microbiomics in recent years, It has been recognized that gut microbiota plays a crucial role in Parkinson's disease pathogenesis. However, Little is known about the impact of gut microbiota in PD treatment, especially in levodopa metabolism. This review examines the possible mechanisms of gut microbiota, such as Helicobacter pylori, Enterobacter faecalis, and Clostridium sporogenes, affecting L-dopa absorption. Furthermore, we review the current status of gut microbiota intervention strategies, providing new insights into the treatment of PD.

Advances in transport and toxicity of nanoparticles in plants.

In recent years, the rapid development of nanotechnology has made significant impacts on the industry. With the wide application of nanotechnology, nanoparticles (NPs) are inevitably released into the environment, and their fate, behavior and toxicity are indeterminate. Studies have indicated that NPs can be absorbed, transported and accumulated by terrestrial plants. The presence of NPs in certain edible plants may decrease harvests and threaten human health. Understanding the transport and toxicity of NPs in plants is the basis for risk assessment. In this review, we summarize the transportation of four types of NPs in terrestrial plants, and the phytotoxicity induced by NPs, including their impacts on plant growth and cell structure, and the underlying mechanisms such as inducing oxidative stress response, and causing genotoxic damage. We expect to provide reference for future research on the effects of NPs on plants.

Algal polysaccharides-Selenium nanoparticles regulate the uptake and distribution of selenium in rice plants.

Introduction: Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element required for proper human and animal health. Methods: In this paper, we investigated the uptake and distribution characteristics of a new Se fertilizer, which comprises algal polysaccharides-selenium nanoparticles (APS-SeNPs), in rice plants in both hydroponic and pot experiments. Results: The results from the hydroponic experiments revealed that the rice root uptake of APS-SeNPs fitted the Michaelis-Menten equation, with a V max of 13.54 µg g-1 root dry weight (DW) per hour, which was 7.69 and 2.23 times those of selenite and selenate treatments, respectively. The root uptake of APS-SeNPs was inhibited by AgNO3 (64.81%-79.09%) and carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP; 19.83%-29.03%), indicating that the uptake of APS-SeNPs by rice roots is mainly via aquaporins and is also affected by metabolic activity. Moreover, sulfur deficiency caused rice roots to absorb more APS-SeNPs, but treatment with APS-SeNPs increased the expression of the sulfate transporter OsSULTR1;2 in the roots, suggesting that OsSULTR1;2 is probably involved in the uptake of APS-SeNPs. The application of APS-SeNPs significantly increased the Se content in rice plants and the apparent Se uptake efficiency compared with selenate and selenite treatments. Most of the Se in the roots of rice plants was distributed in the cell wall, while it was primarily located in the cytosol in the shoots when treated with APS-SeNPs. The results from the pot experiments indicated that the application of Se enhanced the Se content of each rice tissue. It is worth noting that the Se content in brown rice under APS-SeNP treatment was higher than that under selenite or selenate treatment and was mainly concentrated in the embryo end, with the Se in organic form. Discussion: Our findings provide important insights into the uptake mechanism and the distribution of APS-SeNPs in rice plants.

Effects of Magnesium on nitrate uptake and sorbitol synthesis and translocation in apple seedlings.

Both magnesium (Mg) and nitrogen (N) play many important roles in plant physiological and biochemical processes. Plants usually exhibit low nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUE) under Mg deficiency conditions, but the mechanisms by which Mg regulates NUE are not well understood. Herein, we investigated biomass, nutrient uptake, sorbitol and sucrose transport, and relative gene expression in apple seedlings under various concentrations of Mg and N treatments in hydroponic cultures. We first observed that low Mg supply significantly limited plant growth and N, Mg concentrations. Increasing the supply of N, but not Mg, partially alleviated the inhibition of plant growth under low Mg stress, which indicated that Mg deficiency had a negative impact on plant growth because it inhibits N absorption. Moreover, we found that the expression of nitrate transporter genes MdNRT2.1 and MdNRT2.4 was significantly downregulated by low Mg stress, and sufficient Mg significantly promoted sucrose and sorbitol synthesis and transport from leaves to roots by regulating relevant enzyme activity and genes expression. Further experiments showed that exogenous sorbitol could rapidly restore MdNRT2.1/2.4 expression and nitrate uptake under low Mg availability without increasing internal Mg level, suggesting that Mg may regulate MdNRT2.1/2.4 expression by regulating more sorbitol transport to roots, the effect of Mg on N was indirect, sorbitol played a key role during this process. Taken together, Mg promoted sorbitol synthesis and transport into roots, thus upregulating the expression of MdNRT2.1/2.4 and increasing the absorption of nitrate.

Efficacy and Safety of Absorb Everolimus-Eluting Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold in Peripheral Artery Disease: A Single-Arm Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the benefits and risks of patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) treated with Absorb everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) by analyzing all the published studies on the clinical characteristics of patients with PAD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched for relevant studies. Efficacy, safety, and basic characteristics were analyzed. RESULTS: Four studies were included in meta-analysis, including a total number of 155 patients with PAD. The pooled overall primary patency, freedom from target lesion revascularization (TLR), symptom resolution, and wound healing were 90%, 96%, 94%, and 86%, respectively. The pooled perioperative complication and all-cause mortality were 4% and 9%, respectively. Preoperative total occlusion was detected in 43 of 192 lesions (22%). The mean lesion length was 27.26 mm. In terms of comorbidities, the pooled percentage of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease history, and smoking were 65%, 74%, 49%, 43%, 20%, and 57%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Among these studies, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes mellitus were the most common comorbidities in patients with PAD. The Absorb everolimus-eluting BVS was safe and showed the favorable clinical outcomes in both patency and TLR, especially in infrapopliteal disease with heavy calcification. The conclusions of this meta-analysis still needed to be verified by more relevant studies with more careful design, more rigorous execution, and larger sample size.

Outcomes of the two generations of bioresorbable scaffolds (Magmaris vs. Absorb) in acute coronary syndrome in routine clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) as a clinical manifestation of coronary artery disease (CAD) remains a significant cause of mortality and morbidity, as reported worldwide annually. The second generation of drug-eluting stents (DES) is a gold standard in percutaneous interventions in ACS patients however, permanent caging of the vessel with metallic DES has some drawbacks. Bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BRS) were designed as a temporal vessel-supporting technology allowing for anatomical and functional restoration. Nevertheless, following the initial encouraging reports, numerous concerns about the safety of BRS occurred. METHODS: In this study, a 1-year performance of 193 patients with magnesium BRS - Magmaris (Biotronik, Berlin, Germany) was evaluated in comparison to 160 patients with polymer BRS - Absorb (Abbott-Vascular, Chicago, USA) in the non-ST-segment elevation-ACS setting. RESULTS: The Magmaris, when compared to Absorb showed a significantly lower rate of primary endpoint (death from cardiac causes, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis) as well as target lesion failure in 30-day and 1 year follow-up. In the Absorb group, a significantly higher rate of stent thrombosis was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Data from the present study suggests encouraging safety a profile and more favorable clinical outcomes of Magnesium BRS in comparison to the polymer Absorb - BRS.

Improving Self-Healing and Shrinkage Reduction of Cementitious Materials Using Water-Absorbing Polymer Microcapsules.

Self-healing cementitious materials are a promising means for ensuring sustainable concrete infrastructure and promoting long-term service lives. To obtain microcapsules that are versatile in varying environments, in this study, absorbing microcapsules with calcium alginate as the shell and epoxy resin as the core were prepared. The absorbing microcapsules exhibit self-healing and can reduce the shrinkage of cementitious materials. Volume changes of the microcapsules in the hardened paste with increasing hydration age were observed using three-dimensional X-ray computed tomography. In the hardened cement paste with a water-cement ratio of 0.29, the absorption of the microcapsules lasted for several days, and the release of water lasted for 28 days. The absorption of microcapsules affected the fluidity of cement paste, and it was significantly weakened and delayed due to the lower absorption rate. The addition of absorbing microcapsules significantly reduced the autogenous and drying shrinkage of mortars. For microcapsules with a core content of 55% added at 3.5% of cement weight, autogenous shrinkage was almost eliminated. Most importantly, the addition of absorbing microcapsules could achieve a certain degree of recovery of compressive strength as well as satisfactory recovery of impermeability in dry and wet environments.

Acute lower extremity ischaemia after surgical interventricular communication closure in a newborn.

We report a 5-month-old infant who developed an unexpected acute ischaemia of the right lower limb following a surgical perimembranous interventricular communication closure. This rare case of ischaemia was due to an occlusive right common iliac artery dissection. It was early managed by angioplasty with two ABSORB® bioresorbable stents, resulted in complete revascularisation of the right leg.

Sex Differences in the Clinical Features and Outcomes of Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome Treated with Two Generations (Absorb and Magmaris) of Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffolds.

BACKGROUND: Despite the developments in percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), women are still more likely than men to have unfavorable outcomes after PCI performed in Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS). The mechanisms of this phenomena are not fully understood. Potential benefits of bioresorbable scaffolds (BRS) may be particularly expressed in the female population. Nevertheless, the data available currently are inconsistent and limited. This study evaluated the gender-related differences in the short-term clinical outcomes in ACS patients treated with implantation of two generations of BRS (first generation, Absorb; second generation, Magmaris). METHODS: The study was divided into two arms. To the first one, we qualified 160 patients with ACS treated with PCI who received 210 Absorb scaffolds. The second arm was composed of 193 patients with ACS who underwent PCI with Magmaris implantation. RESULTS: There were no significant sex-related differences in primary endpoints (cardiovascular-death, myocardial infarction, in-stent thrombosis) or principal secondary endpoints (of target-lesion failure, scaffold restenosis, death from any reason, other cardiovascular events) in either generation of BRS in a 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Both genders tended to have a similar outcome in routine clinical practice following BRS implantation due to ACS. The magnesium bioresorbable scaffold (Magmaris) early outcome seemed to be more favorable in comparison to the Absorb scaffold.

New insights into the construction of wild-type Saba pig-derived Escherichia coli irp2 gene deletion strains.

To construct wild-type E. coli irp2 gene deletion strains, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology was used, and the difficulty and key points of gene editing of wild-type strains were analyzed. Based on the resistance of the CRISPR/Cas9 system expression vector, 4 strains of 41 E. coli strains isolated from Saba pigs were selected as the target strains for the deletion of the irp2 gene, which were sensitive to both ampicillin and kanamycin. Then, CRISPR/Cas9 technology was combined with homologous recombination technology to construct recombinant vectors containing Cas9, sgRNA and donor sequences to knock out the irp2 gene. Finally, the absence of the irp2 gene in E. coli was further verified by iron uptake assays, iron carrier production assays and growth curve measurements. The results showed that three of the selected strains showed single base mutations and deletions (Δirp2-1, Δirp2-2 and Δirp2-3). The deletion of the irp2 gene reduced the ability of E. coli to take up iron ions and produce iron carriers, but not affect the growth characteristics of E. coli. It is shown that the CRISPR/Cas9 knock-out system constructed in this study can successfully knock out the irp2 gene of the wild-type E. coli. Our results providing new insights into genome editing in wild-type strains, which enable further functional studies of the irp2 gene in wild-type E. coli.

Comparison Between Bare-Metal Stents, First-Generation Drug-Eluting Stents, and Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffolds.

BACKGROUND: The long-term clinical outcomes after bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) implantation have been extensively compared with second-generation drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation, but not with bare-metal stent (BMS) or first-generation DES options. OBJECTIVE: To compare the major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) rates after implantation of BVS, first-generation DES, and BMS. METHODS: This was a single-center observational study based on a registry of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The primary endpoint was MACE at 3 years, defined as a composite endpoint of death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and target-vessel revascularization. RESULTS: A total of 170 consecutive patients who underwent PCI with implantation of everolimus-eluting BVS (Absorb; Abbott Cardiovascular) between 2014 and 2017 were compared with a control group of 622 patients implanted with BMS and 604 patients implanted with first-generation DES from 2001 to 2005. In adjusted analysis, DES had a lower risk of MACE at 3 years compared with BMS (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.41-0.81; P<.01), while BVS had a similar risk of MACE compared with BMS (adjusted OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.55-1.52; P=.72). When compared with DES, BVS had a similar risk of MACE (adjusted OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 0.83-2.53; P=.19). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with BVS implantation, the risk of the composite outcome of MACE at 3 years was not significantly different when compared with patients with BMS or first-generation DES implantation.

Black carbon and dust in the Third Pole glaciers: Revaluated concentrations, mass absorption cross-sections and contributions to glacier ablation.

In snow and ice, light-absorbing particles (LAPs), such as black carbon (BC) and dust, accelerate the melting of Third Pole glaciers (TPGs). In this study, we revaluated LAP concentrations in the snow pits of TPGs (SP-TPGs), measured LAP mass absorption cross-sections (MACs), and simulated their effects on glacier darkening and melting based on the Spectral Albedo Model for Dirty Snow and a surface energy and mass balance model. The results indicated that because of their short distances to emission sources, the average BC concentrations measured in snow pits in the periphery of Third Pole were much higher than those measured in the inland Tibetan Plateau, and the average dust concentrations generally decreased from north to south. The average MACs of BC in the SP-TPGs varied from 3.1 to 7.7 m2 g-1 at 550 nm, most of the average spectral values were comparable in the visible and near-infrared bands to those calculated by Mie theory, except those in Urumqi Glacier No. 1 (UR), Syek Zapadniy Glacier (SZ), and Laohugou Glacier No.12 (LH), while the average spectral MACs of dust in the SP-TPGs were considerably smaller in magnitude than most of the variations measured in other regions. Compared with the pure snow surfaces, BC and dust played comparable roles in reducing albedo in UR, SZ, LH, and Renlongba Glacier, whereas BC was the most prominent absorber in the other glaciers. The combined effect of BC and dust accelerated melting by 30.4-345.9 mm w.e. (19.7-45.3% of the total mass balance) through surface albedo darkening (0.06-0.17) and increased radiation absorption (25.8-65.7 W m-2) within one month of the ablation season. This study provides a new data set of LAP concentrations and MACs and helps to clarify the roles of these factors in the cryospheric environment of the Third Pole.

Factors associated with long-term major adverse cardiac events of coronary bioresorbable vascular scaffold.

The long-term clinical outcomes after implantation of bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) in a real-world cohort were not well described. To identify factors associated with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) on long-term follow-up after implantation of BVS in patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This was an observational study based on a hospital registry of percutaneous coronary intervention. Participants were consecutive patients who underwent PCI and implanted with at least one everolimus-eluting BVS (Absorb®) in a single center between 2014 and 2017. Among the 170 cases analyzed (mean age 60.4 ± 10.7), a total of 203 Absorb BVS were implanted. MACE developed in 33 (19.4%) patients over a median follow-up period of 61 months, including 9 (5.3%) deaths, 13 (7.6%) non-fatal myocardial infarction and 19 (11.2%) ischemia driven target vessel revascularization. Definite or probable stent thrombosis developed in 4 (2.4%) patients. In crude analysis, history of smoking and initial presentation of non-ST elevation-acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) were predictors of long-term MACE. In adjusted analysis, presentation with NSTE-ACS was an independent predictor of long-term MACE [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 4.52; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.50 to 13.6, P = 0.007]. Among patients receiving implantation of ABSORB BVS, presentation with NSTE-ACS was an independent predictor of MACE after a median follow-up period of 61 months. Future research is needed to confirm these findings and to determine the long-term safety of BVS in patients with NSTE-ACS.