Emerging evidence shows allergic diseases, such as atopic dermatitis and asthma, are risk factors of heart failure. However, the causal relationship between allergic diseases and heart failure is not ...clear. We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis between allergic diseases and heart failure using summary statistics of genome-wide association studies from large GWAS consortia, with total sample size of 1.2 million. Independent instrumental variables for asthma and atopic dermatitis (P<1x10.sup.-5) were used as the exposure. We applied five models for the Mendelian randomization analysis. Finally, we performed the sensitivity analyses to assess the robustness of the results. We have identified 55 independent single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for asthma 54 independent SNPs for atopic dermatitis as our instrumental variables. The inverse variance-weighted (IVW) analysis showed asthma was significantly associated with increased risk of heart failure (OR.sub.IVW = 1.04, 95% CI, 1.01-1.07, P = 0.03). The Mendelian randomization analysis using the other four models also showed consistent results with the IVW analysis. Similarly, atopic dermatitis was also significantly associated with an increased risk of heart failure (OR.sub.IVW = 1.03, 95% CI, 1.01-1.06, P = 0.01), consistent with the other four models. The sensitivity analysis showed no evidence of horizontal pleiotropy or results were driven by single SNPs. Our study identified asthma and atopic dermatitis as a causal risk factor for heart failure and suggest inflammatory pathogenesis as a key factor contributing to the underlying mechanism. These findings emphasize the importance of asthma and allergy control in the prevention and management of heart failure.
The homeostasis of metal ions, such as iron, copper, zinc and calcium, in the brain is crucial for maintaining normal physiological functions. Studies have shown that imbalance of these metal ions in ...the brain is closely related to the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common neurodegenerative disorder in the elderly.
Erroneous deposition/distribution of the metal ions in different brain regions induces oxidative stress. The metal ions imbalance and oxidative stress together or independently promote amyloid-β (Aβ) overproduction by activating β- or γ-secretases and inhibiting α-secretase, it also causes tau hyperphosphorylation by activating protein kinases, such as glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), cyclin-dependent protein kinase-5 (CDK5), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), etc., and inhibiting protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). The metal ions imbalances can also directly or indirectly disrupt organelles, causing endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress; mitochondrial and autophagic dysfunctions, which can cause or aggravate Aβ and tau aggregation/accumulation, and impair synaptic functions. Even worse, the metal ions imbalance-induced alterations can reversely exacerbate metal ions misdistribution and deposition. The vicious cycles between metal ions imbalances and Aβ/tau abnormalities will eventually lead to a chronic neurodegeneration and cognitive deficits, such as seen in AD patients.
The metal ions imbalance induces Aβ and tau pathologies by directly or indirectly affecting multiple cellular/subcellular pathways, and the disrupted homeostasis can reversely aggravate the abnormalities of metal ions transportation/deposition. Therefore, adjusting metal balance by supplementing or chelating the metal ions may be potential in ameliorating AD pathologies, which provides new research directions for AD treatment.
•SnO2-Sb/Ti electrode efficiently degraded CIP with low energy in a wide pH range.•Current density and initial CIP concentration greatly affected the process.•Oxidation routes were piperazine ring ...cleavage, hydroxylation and defluorination.•The process was evaluated by energy demand combined with energy efficiency.
The electrochemical oxidation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) using a SnO2-Sb/Ti electrode was systematically investigated. The effects of the current density, initial concentration of CIP, and initial pH were evaluated. The results showed that electrochemical oxidation, using a SnO2-Sb/Ti electrode was highly effective for the degradation of CIP. After 120min, the removals of CIP (50mg/L), COD and TOC at a current density of 30mA/cm2 were about 99.5%, 86.0%, and 70.0%, respectively. The reaction followed a first-order kinetics model. The current density and initial concentration of the CIP exerted a prominent effect on the degradation of CIP, COD, and electrical energy demand, while the initial pH had no effect. The electrochemical degradation pathways, of CIP in aqueous solution, were studied using ion chromatography and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Three major degradation pathways were proposed: oxidation of the piperazine ring, hydroxylation of the quinolone moiety, and defluorination (OH/F substitution). Inorganic N compounds were NH4+ and NO3-. F was reduced to F−.
Mode decomposition is a fundamental issue in applications that exploit few-mode fibers. With a prior knowledge of eigenmode field distribution, the amplitudes and phases of each spatial mode can be ...recovered. In this paper, we propose a simple and accurate Fourier-transform-assisted mode decomposition method by only analyzing the intensity distribution of a few-mode fiber output. Numerical demonstration and experimental verification are executed in a few-mode ring core fiber supporting four mode groups. Simulation results of 1000 random samples show the proposed method's superiority in accuracy and noise immunity. The correlation of preset and reconstructed intensity distributions is as high as 0.9999 in the noiseless condition. The amplitudes of fiber modes can still be recovered when the signal-to-noise ratio is as low as 5 dB. In the experiment, the average correlation between the measured and reconstructed intensity distributions for 300 randomly captured pictures is about 0.9906.
Brown carbon (BrC) plays a significant role in the Earth’s radiative balance, yet its sources and chemical composition remain poorly understood. In this work, we investigated BrC in the atmospheric ...environment of Seoul by characterizing dissolved organic matter in precipitation using excitation–emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). The two independent fluorescent components identified by PARAFAC were attributed to humic-like substance (HULIS) and biologically derived material based on their significant correlations with measured HULIS isolated using solid-phase extraction and total hydrolyzable tyrosine. The year-long observation shows that HULIS contributes to 66 ± 13% of total fluorescence intensity of our samples on average. By using dual carbon (13C and 14C) isotopic analysis conducted on isolated HULIS, the HULIS fraction of BrC was found to be primarily derived from biomass burning and emission of terrestrial biogenic gases and particles (>70%), with minor contributions from fossil-fuel combustion. The knowledge derived from this study could contribute to the establishment of a characterizing system of BrC components identified by EEM spectroscopy. Our work demonstrates that, EEM fluorescence spectroscopy is a powerful tool in BrC study, on the basis of its chromophore resolving power, allowing investigation into individual components of BrC by other organic matter characterization techniques.
Abstract
Purpose
Approximately 30% of patients with hereditary multiple osteochondromas (HMO) have forearm deformity and dysfunction. The aim of this retrospective study was to review our experience ...with the surgical treatment of children with HMO and Masada IIb forearm deformities.
Methods
Data of eight children treated for HMO Masada IIb forearm deformity at our hospital between 2015 and 2019 were collected from the hospital records and retrospectively reviewed. All patients underwent ulnar lengthening by distraction osteogenesis using either the Orthofix or Ilizarov external fixator. Range of movements at the elbow and wrist joints, and forearm supination/pronation, before and after the operation were recorded. Radiographs were evaluated by the Fogel method, and wrist joint function by the Krimmer method.
Results
Follow-up radiographs showed significant improvement in relative ulnar shortening after treatment (pre-operative 9.23 ± 5.21 mm; post-operative 0.33 ± 4.13 mm). Changes in radial articular angle (pre-operative 33.55° ± 3.88° to 32.78° ± 6.57°) and carpal slip (pre-operative 45.00% ± 19.09%; post-operative 43.13% ± 16.68%) were not significant. Elbow flexion and extension, wrist flexion and extension, ulnar and radial deviation at wrist, and forearm rotation were significantly improved after surgery. Wrist function was graded as excellent in seven patients and as good in one patient. One patient treated with the Ilizarov external fixator had poor radial head reduction.
Conclusion
Ulnar lengthening with distraction osteogenesis is an effective treatment for HMO Masada IIb deformities. The optimum site for ulnar osteotomy appears to be at the proximal one-third to one-fourth of the ulna.
The highly selective electrochemical conversion of methanol to formate is of great significance for various clean energy devices, but understanding the structure‐to‐property relationship remains ...unclear. Here, the asymmetric charge polarized NiCo prussian blue analogue (NiCo PBA‐100) is reported to exhibit remarkable catalytic performance with high current density (210 mA cm−2 @1.65 V vs RHE) and Faraday efficiency (over 90%). Meanwhile, the hybrid water splitting and Zinc–methanol‐battery assembled by NiCo PBA‐100 display the promoted performance with decent stability. X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and operando Raman spectroscopy indicate that the asymmetric charge polarization in NiCo PBA leads to more unoccupied states of Ni and occupied states of Co, thereby facilitating the rapid transformation of the high‐active catalytic centers. Density functional theory calculations combining operando Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy demonstrate that the final reconstructed catalyst derived by NiCo PBA‐100 exhibits rearranged d band properties along with a lowered energy barrier of the rate‐determining step and favors the desired formate production.
The asymmetric charge polarized NiCo PBA with different occupying states of Ni and Co atoms can quickly transform to high active Co doped Ni hydroxide towards alkaline methanol oxidation reaction. The obtained final catalyst exhibits an ideal electrocatalytic methanol oxidation reaction and Zinc–methanol–air battery.
Two-dimensional (2D) heterostructured Ni/graphene nanocomposites were constructed via electrostatic-induced spread by following in situ-reduction growth process for magnetically recyclable catalysis ...of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol. The heterostructures with large 2D surface and moderate inflexibility enable the superior catalytic activity and selectivity toward hydrogenation reaction for p-nitrophenol. On the basis of high-efficiency utilization of Ni Nps catalysis activity and electron-enhanced effect from graphene, the coupling effect of Ni/graphene magnetic nanocomposites can lead to highly catalytic activity for the hydrogenation reaction of p-nitrophenol with the pseudo-first-order rate constants of 11.7 × 10–3 s–1, which is over 2-fold compared to Ni Nps (5.45 × 10–3 s–1) and higher than reported noble metal nanocomposites. Complete conversion of p-nitrophenol was achieved with selectivity to p-aminophenol as high as 90% under atmosphere and room temperature. Additionally, this heterostructured magnetic nanocatalyst can be efficiently recycled with long lifetime and stability over 10 successive cycles. This work displayed the value of non-noble metal/graphene nanocomposites in catalysts development for green chemistry.
Power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have been improved by the use of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) hole transport layer. Long-term stability of PSCs ...requires keeping the SAM compact under the perovskite layer during operation. We found that strong polar solvents in the perovskite precursor desorb the SAM if it is anchored on substrates by hydrogen-bonded, rather than covalently bonded, hydroxyl groups. We used atomic-layer deposition to create an indium tin oxide substrate with a fully covalent hydroxyl-covered surface for SAM anchoring, as well as a SAM with a trimethoxysilane group that exhibited strong tridentate anchoring to the substrate. The resulting PSCs achieved PCEs of 24.8 (certified 24.6) and 23.2% with aperture areas of 0.08 and 1.01 square centimeters, respectively. The devices retained 98.9 and 98.2% of the initial PCE after 1000 hours damp-heat test and operation in maximum power point tracking at 85°C for 1200 hours under standard illumination, respectively.
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