The design of highly durable, electroactive, and cost-effective catalysts to replace the currently prevalent Pt-based ones has long been a major milestone for expanding the market penetration of fuel ...cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Over the past decades, catalyst degradation in automotive fuel cells under transient conditions (e.g., startup/shutdown and cell reversal) has attracted much attention due to its irreversible consequences for the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). Herein, we evaluate IrRun/C as alternative catalysts to increase MEA anode durability under cell reversal conditions and investigate their suitability for use in FCEVs. Among the various Ir:Ru ratios, the best hydrogen oxidation activity was observed for Ir:Ru = 1:4 (mol/mol), as confirmed by rotating disk electrode measurements. The performances of IrRu4/C and Pt/C as anode catalysts were compared side by side, with the corresponding I-V and anode polarization tests carried out under various operating conditions (cell temperature, relative humidity, and backpressure). Importantly, IrRu4/C showed Pt-comparable (∼100%) MEA performance and hydrogen oxidation activity, additionally exhibiting a ∼120 times better durability under cell reversal conditions.
Aims
The clinical application of doxorubicin (DOX), a potent anthracycline anticancer drug that effectively treats various malignancies, is limited by its side effects, such as cardiomyopathy. ...Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1/redox factor‐1 (APE1/Ref‐1) is a multifunctional protein that can be secreted and is a promising target for the reduction of DOX‐induced inflammation and oxidative stress. We aimed to investigate the protective role of secretory APE1/Ref‐1 against DOX‐induced cardiac injury.
Methods and results
Designated adenoviral preprotrypsin‐leading sequence APE1/Ref‐1 (Ad‐PPTLS‐APE1/Ref‐1) was used to overexpress secretory APE1/Ref‐1 and assess its role in preventing DOX‐induced cardiomyopathy in vitro. Our findings revealed that exposure to secretory APE1/Ref‐1 significantly decreased N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide levels in DOX‐treated H9C2 cells. In addition, secretory APE1/Ref‐1 reduced the severity of cardiomyocyte injury and apoptosis in both in vitro and in vivo DOX‐induced cardiotoxicity models. The observed cardioprotective effects of secretory APE1/Ref‐1 were mediated via inhibition of the p53 signalling pathway and enhancement of cell viability through attenuation of oxidative stress in DOX‐treated cardiomyocytes.
Conclusions
Our study provides evidence that secretory APE1/Ref‐1 has the potential to inhibit DOX‐induced cardiac toxicity by inhibiting oxidative stress and p53 related apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. These findings suggest that secretory APE1/Ref‐1 supplementation is a promising strategy to attenuate DOX‐induced cardiomyocyte damage in a preclinical model. Further clinical investigations are essential to validate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of the intervention in human subjects.
We sought to investigate the relation between worsening renal function (WRF) at 1-year follow-up and clinical outcomes at 3 years after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We analyzed data from 13,104 ...patients enrolled in the national AMI registry from November 2011 to December 2015. Patients with all-cause death, recurrent myocardial infarction (re-MI), and rehospitalization for heart failure at 1-year follow-up after AMI were excluded. A total of 6,235 patients were extracted and divided into WRF and non-WRF groups. WRF was defined as a ≥25% decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from baseline to 1-year follow-up. The primary outcome was 3-year major adverse cardiac events, a composite of all-cause death, re-MI, and rehospitalization for heart failure. On average, a −1.5 ml/min/1.73 m2/y rate of decrease in eGFR was exhibited, and 575 patients (9.2%) exhibited WRF at 1-year follow-up. After multiple adjustments, WRF at 1-year follow-up was independently associated with increased risks of major adverse cardiac events (adjusted hazard ratio 1.498, 95% confidence interval 1.113 to 2.016, p = 0.01), all-cause death, and re-MI at 3-year follow-up. Older age, female, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, non–ST-segment elevation AMI, anterior AMI, anemia, left ventricular ejection fraction <35%, and baseline eGFR <30 ml/min/1.73 m2 were identified as independent predictors of WRF after AMI. In conclusion, WRF at 1-year follow-up after AMI intuitively seems like a risk marker indicating multiple co-morbidities. Monitoring serum creatinine in patients at 1-year follow-up after AMI may help to identify those who are at the highest risk and guide effective long-term therapeutics.
•3D graphene oxide based material design.•Fabrication of a label-free dengue DNA and RNA impedimetric biosensor.•Design of a surface-based dengue sensor with good selectivity and detection limit.
A ...composite of 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) functionalized graphene oxide (APTES-GO) wrapped on SiO2 particles (SiO2@APTES-GO) was prepared via self-assembly. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and ATR-Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) confirmed wrapping of the SiO2 particles by the APTES-GO sheets. An impedimetric biosensor was constructed and used to sensitively detect dengue DNA and dengue RNA via primer hybridization using different oligonucleotide sequences. The results demonstrated that the SiO2@APTES-GO electrode material led to enhanced dengue RNA detection sensitivity with selectivity and detection limit (1 femto-Molar), compared to both APTES-GO and APTES-SiO2. The three-dimensional structure, higher contact area, electrical properties and the ability for rapid hybridization offered by the SiO2@APTES-GO led to the successful design of a dengue biosensor with the lowest detection limit reported to date.
Constipation is a common condition that affects individuals of all ages, and prolonged constipation needs to be prevented to avoid potential complications and reduce the additional stress on ...individuals with pre-medical conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of heat-inactivated Lactobacillus plantarum (HLp-nF1) on loperamide-induced constipation in rats. Constipation-induced male rats were treated orally with low to high doses of HLp-nF1 and an anti-constipation medication Dulcolax for five weeks. Study has 8 groups, control group; loperamide-treated group; Dulcolax-treated group; treatment with 3.2 × 1010, 8 × 1010 and 1.6 × 1011, cells/mL HLp-nF1; Loperamide + Dulcolax treated group. HLp-nF1 treated rats showed improvements in fecal pellet number, weight, water content, intestinal transit length, and contractility compared to the constipation-induced rats. Also, an increase in the intestine mucosal layer thickness and the number of mucin-producing crypt epithelial cells were observed in HLp-nF1-treated groups. Further, the levels of inflammatory cytokines levels were significantly downregulated by treatment with HLp-nF1 and Dulcolax. Notably, the metagenomics sequencing analysis demonstrated a similar genus pattern to the pre-preparation group and control with HLp-nF1 treatment. In conclusion, the administration of >3.2 × 1010 cells/mL HLp-nF1 has a positive impact on the constipated rats overall health.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Operating conditions for low-temperature pyrolysis and steam reforming of plastics over a ruthenium catalyst were investigated. In the range studied, the highest gas and lowest coke fractions for ...polystyrene (PS) with a 60
g
h
−1 scale, continuous-feed, two-stage gasifier were obtained with a pyrolyzer temperature of 673
K, steam reforming temperature of 903
K, and weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 0.10
g-sample g-catalyst
−1
h
−1. These operating conditions are consistent with optimum conditions reported previously for polypropylene. Our results indicate that at around 903
K, the activity of the ruthenium catalyst was high enough to minimize the difference between the rates of the steam reforming reactions of the pyrolysates from polystyrene and polypropylene. The proposed system thus has the flexibility to compensate for differences in chemical structures of municipal waste plastics. In addition, the steam reforming temperature was about 200
K lower than the temperature used in a conventional Ni-catalyzed process for the production of hydrogen. Low-temperature steam reforming allows for lower thermal input to the steam reformer, which results in an increase in thermal efficiency in the proposed process employing a Ru catalyst. Because low-temperature steam reforming can be also expected to reduce thermal degradation rates of the catalyst, the pyrolysis-steam reforming process with a Ru catalyst has the potential for use in small-scale production of hydrogen-rich gas from waste plastics that can be used for power generation.
Background
A system that combines technology and web-based coaching can help treat chronic conditions such as diabetes. However, the effectiveness of apps in mobile health (mHealth) interventions is ...inconclusive and unclear due to heterogeneous interventions and varying follow-up durations. In addition, randomized controlled trial data are limited, and long-term follow-up is lacking, especially for apps integrated into electronic medical records.
Objective
We aimed to assess the effect of an electronic medical record–integrated mobile app for personalized diabetes self-care, focusing on the self-monitoring of blood glucose and lifestyle modifications, on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Methods
In a 26-week, 3-arm, randomized, controlled, open-label, parallel group trial, patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level of ≥7.5% were recruited. The mHealth intervention consisted of self-monitoring of blood glucose with the automatic transfer of glucose, diet, and physical activity counseling data (iCareD system). Participants were randomly assigned to the following three groups: usual care (UC), mobile diabetes self-care (MC), and MC with personalized, bidirectional feedback from physicians (MPC). The primary outcome was the change in HbA1c levels at 26 weeks. In addition, diabetes-related self-efficacy, self-care activities, and satisfaction with the iCareD system were assessed after the intervention.
Results
A total of 269 participants were enrolled, and 234 patients (86.9%) remained in the study at 26 weeks. At 12 weeks after the intervention, the mean decline in HbA1c levels was significantly different among the 3 groups (UC vs MC vs MPC: −0.49% vs −0.86% vs −1.04%; P=.02). The HbA1c level decreased in all groups; however, it did not differ among groups after 26 weeks. In a subgroup analysis, HbA1c levels showed a statistically significant decrease after the intervention in the MPC group compared with the change in the UC or MC group, especially in patients aged <65 years (P=.02), patients with a diabetes duration of ≥10 years (P=.02), patients with a BMI of ≥25.0 kg/m2 (P=.004), patients with a C-peptide level of ≥0.6 ng/mL (P=.008), and patients who did not undergo treatment with insulin (P=.004) at 12 weeks. A total of 87.2% (137/157) of the participants were satisfied with the iCareD system.
Conclusions
The mHealth intervention for diabetes self-care showed short-term efficacy in glycemic control, and the effect decreased over time. The participants were comfortable with using the iCareD system and exhibited high adherence.
Trial Registration
Clinical Research Information Service, Republic of Korea KCT0004128; https://tinyurl.com/bdd6pa9m
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), found in patients with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), are shown to correlate with overall survival (OS) rate. Although majority of TILs ...consist of CD8
/CD4
T cells, the presence of NK cells and their role in the pathogenesis of PDAC remains elusive. We performed comprehensive analyses of TIL, PBMC, and autologous tumor cells from 80 enrolled resectable PDAC patients to comprehend the NK cell defects within PDAC. Extremely low frequencies of NK cells (<0.5%) were found within PDAC tumors, which was attributable not to the low expression of tumor chemokines, but to the lack of chemokine receptor, CXCR2. Forced expression of CXCR2 in patients' NK cells rendered them capable of trafficking into PDAC. Furthermore, NK cells exhibited impaired cell-mediated killing of autologous PDAC cells, primarily due to insufficient ligation of NKG2D and DNAM-1, and failed to proliferate within the hypoxic tumor microenvironment. Importantly, these defects could be overcome by
stimulation of NK cells from such patients. Importantly, when the proliferative capacity of NK cells
was used to stratify patients on the basis of cell expansion, patients whose NK cells proliferated <250-fold experienced significantly lower DFS and OS than those with ≥250-fold.
activation of NK cells restored tumor trafficking and reactivity, hence provided a therapeutic modality while their fold expansion could be a potentially significant prognostic indicator of OS and DFS in such patients.
Background
The primary aim of this study was to assess the utility of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and HbA1c to identify diabetes by the 2‐hour plasma glucose (PG) criterion in the Korean population ...at high risk for diabetes.
Methods
A total of 1646 participants with a body mass index of ≥23 kg/m2 without having a history of diabetes were recruited in this study. The cut‐off values of FPG and HbA1c for detecting diabetes were identified using the Youden index using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The gold standard for diabetes prediction was defined by the 2‐hour PG level of ≥200 mg/dL.
Results
The participants comprised 54.0% women, and the mean age of all participants was 55.0 ± 8.1 years. At baseline, FPG was 104.1 ± 14.2 mg/dL, the 2‐hour PG value was 162.9 ± 55.3 mg/dL, and HbA1c was 5.9% ± 0.5%. Four hundred and forty‐six subjects (27.1%) were diagnosed with diabetes and 976 subjects (59.3%) were determined to be at prediabetes. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of FPG and HbA1c for diabetes were 0.776 and 0.802, while the AUC of FPG and HbA1c for prediabetes were 0.515 and 0.477. The optimal cut‐off value for diagnosing diabetes of FPG and HbA1c were 104.5 mg/dL (sensitivity 75.8%, specificity 67.5%) and 5.9% (sensitivity 80.6%, specificity 63.8%), respectively.
Conclusions
FPG of 104.5 mg/dL and HbA1c value of 5.9% (41 mmol/mol) can be used as an optimal screening value for diabetes by 2‐hour PG criterion in the Korean population at high risk for diabetes.
The hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) activity of PdRu bimetallic catalysts in acidic media is first investigated by preparing PdRu nanoparticles of various compositions (Pd:Ru atomic ratios of 1:0, ...9:1, 3:1, 1:1, 1:9, 1:20 and 0:1) supported on carbon supports. Pd is under compressive strain when Pd and Ru atoms are alloyed, and PdRu(1:1) forms phase-separated nanoparticles. The crystallite size of PdRu/C can be reduced to ∼4 nm depending on the PdRu composition. While Ru/C shows a slightly faster HOR kinetics than Pd/C, the introduction of Ru to Pd improves the HOR kinetics leading to the highest kinetic current on PdRu9/C. The kinetic current and single-cell performance of PdRu9/C is comparable to those of commercial PtRu/C. First-principle calculations based on density functional theory indicate that the most stable position of the Pd atom is the 1st layer of the surface, which represents the possibility of surface segregation of Pd atoms. The theoretical calculations clearly unravel that the presence of strong electronic effect owing to Ru alloying with Pd, which would correspond to an optimum composition of PdRu9/C in the experiments, demonstrates a superior hydrogen oxidation activity to the other PdRu compositions.
Display omitted
•The hydrogen oxidation activity of PdRu/C in acidic media was first examined.•PdRu/C has a better hydrogen oxidation activity than Pd/C and Ru/C.•The single-cell performance of PdRu9/C is on the same level as commercial PtRu/C.•Theoretical calculations show both strain and ligand effects boost the activity.
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