Elevated serum uric acid (sUA) is associated with increasing risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). However, existing research is limited by potential confounders. Herein, our study aims to probe the ...association between sUA levels and the morphological characteristics of coronary plaque by a propensity score matching (PSM) analysis.All 420 patients with CHD who had undergone optical coherence tomography of culprit lesions were included. Eligible patients were assigned into 2 groups according to sUA level: high-sUA group (sUA ≥ 6.0 mg/dL) and low-sUA group (sUA < 6.0 mg/dL). PSM was applied to control the balance of baseline characteristics.After PSM, a total of 112 patients were included in our study (56 in each group). The high-sUA group showed a higher prevalence of TCFA (35.7% versus 16.1%, P = 0.03) and macrophage infiltration (33.9% versus 14.3%, P = 0.026) compared with the low-sUA group. Plaques in the high-sUA group had a wider maximum lipid arc (166.51° (115.77°, 224.14°) versus 142.29° (93.95°, 169.06°), P = 0.048), longer calcification length (6.77 (3.90, 20.55) mm versus 4.20 (1.95, 7.45) mm, P = 0.040), and thinner minimum fibrous cap thickness (43.81 (28.17, 62.26) μm versus 92.57 (46.25, 135.37) μm, P = 0.003). Correlation analysis indicated that the sUA value was inversely associated with the minimum fibrous cap thickness (r = −0.332, P = 0.015) and positively associated with the maximum lipid arc (r = 0.399, P = 0.003), average lipid arc (r = 0.347, P = 0.011), and calcification length (r = 0.386, P = 0.006).The relationship between high-sUA levels and typical vulnerable features of plaques persisted after balancing the traditional risk factors.
Coronary microvascular disease (CMVD) can affect the structure, function, and metabolism of the heart, and has an important impact on the occurrence, development and prognosis of coronary artery ...disease (CAD). Shexiang Tongxin dropping pill (STDP) can dilate blood vessels, alleviate inflammation, reduce endothelial damage, and improve coronary microvascular function in mice with myocardial infarction. This study aims to assess the impact of STDP on stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) patients with normal FFR and CMVD.
This is a single-center, prospective randomized trial that will enroll 64 SCAD patients, CAD with normal FFR and CMVD. Patients will be randomly divided into study group and control group in a 1:1 fashion. On the basis of conventional drug treatment, the former will receive STDP while the latter will not. The follow-up period of the subjects is 12 months, and clinical follow-up will be conducted before discharge, 30 days, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after procedure to complete the detection of relevant indicators. The primary endpoint is the change of index of microcirculatory resistance (ΔIMR) at 12-month follow-up.
The present study will be the first randomized control study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of STDP on SCAD patients, CAD with normal FFR and CMVD, which will provide a broader idea and more experimental basis for improving the treatment of CMVD.
This is a protocol for the randomized clinical trial which has been registered in the Chinese clinical Trial Registry with an identifier: ChiCTR2000032429.
People in China have become concerned with the health threats associated with severe air pollution. As a result, behavioural adjustments and pollutant filtration product implementation have become ...common means for people to cope with pollution threats in their daily lives. However, a systematic awareness of the basic characteristics and mechanisms of such behaviours is lacking. This paper focuses on how residents engage in inverted quarantine in response to air pollution. We examine in detail their behavioural responses by conducting a questionnaire survey. Results show that individual avoidance behaviours are quite diverse and combined. Masks have been identified as the most widely adopted filtration product with the lowest input costs. High-income groups have a higher tendency to purchase expensive filtering devices compared with low-income groups and prefer to combine multiple protection strategies. In addition to the driving effect of income, individual psychological perception plays an important role in the decision making of households. A lower public confidence in the government further encourages individual self-protection. These findings urge the government to enhance their air pollution control efforts and their timeliness of disclosing pollution information. The significant driving effects of individual cognition factors also call for a proper guidance to achieve a rational public perception of air pollution. Although the health benefits of using pollutant filtering devices have been widely discussed and proven, the increased energy consumption and other environmental impacts resulting from the use of such products are easily neglected. It demands the implementation of stricter market entrance, improved energy efficiency standards and enhanced waste management.
To validate iScore and PLAN score in acute anterior circulation large vessel occlusion stroke patients undergoing thrombectomy.
iScore and PLAN score were calculated for consecutive acute ischemic ...stroke undergoing thrombectomy were included and death at 1 month and death at 3 months were recorded. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to assess the discrimination ability of the scales for death.
Two hundred and twenty-nine patients were included, 25.3% (58 of 229) of patient died at 1 month after thrombectomy and 25.8% (59 of 229) of them died at 3 months after thrombectomy. The receiver operator curve analysis found that iScore (area under the curve AUC = .76, 95% confidence interval CI .69-.83) was numerically better than PLAN score (AUC = .73, 95% CI .66-.81) for predicting death at day 90. The cut-off for iScore is 193, with sensitivity 64%, specificity 79%, positive predictive value 75% and negative predictive value 69%.
The iScore scale is a valid predictive tool for death in anterior circulation large vessel occlusions undergoing thrombectomy.
La-modified NiMgAl catalysts derived from hydrotalcites exhibited remarkably enhanced stability during the carbon dioxide reforming of methane because of their strong resistance to coke deposition. ...The reduced Ni0.5Mg2.5AlO4.5 (a) and Ni0.5Mg2.5Al0.9La0.1O4.5 (b) catalysts and the spent Ni0.5Mg2.5AlO4.5 (c) and Ni0.5Mg2.5Al0.9La0.1O4.5 (d) catalysts. Display omitted
► Ni catalysts showed a narrow Ni0 particle-size distribution between 5 and 11nm. ► Adding La increased the basicity and surface Ni content of the NiMgAl catalysts. ► Introducing La significantly improved the stability of the NiMgAl catalysts. ► La inhibited coking by forming La2O2CO3 and improving basicity and Ni0 dispersion.
La-promoted NiMgAl mixed-oxide catalysts derived from hydrotalcite were synthesized by coprecipitation for the carbon dioxide reforming of methane. X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, temperature-programmed reduction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, temperature-programmed desorption of carbon dioxide, hydrogen chemisorption and transmission electron microscopy were used to investigate the structure and deactivation characteristics of the catalysts. The catalysts exhibited a narrow Ni-metal particle-size distribution between 5 and 11nm. The presence of lanthanum evidently improved reforming activity in the temperature range of 600–700°C, because the introduction of lanthanum into the NiMgAl catalysts increased the total amount of basic sites and the surface Ni content. The activity of the Ni0.5Mg2.5Al0.9La0.1O4.5 catalyst was slightly higher than those of the other lanthanum-containing catalysts. The addition of lanthanum improved the stability of the NiMgAl catalysts significantly because of the suppression of coke deposition. Lanthanum effectively inhibited coking by increasing the basicity of the catalysts, forming the La2O2CO3 phase and improving nickel metal dispersion.
A series of MgO-coated SBA-15 mesoporous silica with MgO contents ranging from 2 wt% to 15 wt% have been successfully synthesized by a simple one-pot synthesis method and further impregnated with ...10 wt% Ni. Ni/SBA-15 modified with 8 wt% MgO was also prepared by conventional impregnation method. The materials were characterized by means of XRD, N2 physisorption, TEM by applying high-angle annular dark field (HAADF), XPS, CO2-TPD, TGA and temperature-programmed hydrogenation (TPH) techniques, and their catalytic performance was tested for methane reforming with CO2. The results showed that MgO was successfully coated on the walls of mesoporous silica and the mesoporous structure of SBA-15 was well maintained after MgO modification. Compared to MgO-impregnated material, MgO-coated counterpart showed a better order in the mesostructure and more medium basic sites. The addition of MgO enhanced initial catalytic activity of Ni/SBA-15, and the catalyst with 8 wt% MgO coating showed the most excellent catalytic activity. The MgO coating induced an improved dispersion of Ni species and larger medium basic sites than that of MgO impregnation, which led to an enhanced long-term stability and resistance to carbon formation. The deposition of graphitic carbon species during the reaction was the main reason for the deactivation of Ni/SBA-15 catalyst.
In comparison with those of MgO-impregnated SBA-15 material, the MgO-coated SBA-15 using one-pot strategy possessed obviously larger medium basic sites and a higher dispersion of Ni species, which inhibited the occurring of carbon formation and resulted in a better catalytic stability. Display omitted
•MgO-coated SBA-15 catalysts were prepared by one-pot method.•The coating by MgO induced an improved Ni dispersion and medium basic sites.•The MgO-coated catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic activity and stability.•Carbon deposition was the main reason for the deactivation of catalyst.
Nonlinear beam shaping refers to spatial reconfiguration of a light beam at a new frequency, which can be achieved by using nonlinear photonic crystals (NPCs). Direct nonlinear beam shaping has been ...achieved to convert second-harmonic waves into focusing spots, vortex beams, and diffraction-free beams. However, previous nonlinear beam shaping configurations in one-dimensional and two-dimensional (2D) NPCs generally suffer from low efficiency because of unfulfilled phase-matching condition. Here, we present efficient generations of second-harmonic vortex and Hermite-Gaussian beams in the recently-developed three-dimensional (3D) lithium niobate NPCs fabricated by using a femtosecond-laser-engineering technique. Since 3D χ
modulations can be designed to simultaneously fulfill the requirements of nonlinear wave-front shaping and quasi-phase-matching, the conversion efficiency is enhanced up to two orders of magnitude in a tens-of-microns-long 3D NPC in comparison to the 2D case. Efficient nonlinear beam shaping paves a way for its applications in optical communication, super-resolution imaging, high-dimensional entangled source, etc.
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