Hydrogen gas is one of the most promising renewable energy sources, and the final product of hydrogen combustion is nothing but water. However, it is still a big challenge to produce hydrogen and ...store it. Many studies have been conducted into produce hydrogen from water using photocatalysts. Z-scheme photocatalysis is a two-photocatalyst system that comprises a hydrogen catalyst and an oxygen catalyst to produce hydrogen and oxygen respectively. Compared to the one-step system, the two-step system can promote the efficiency of water splitting. In addition, formic acid (FA) is a convenient hydrogen-storage material and can be safely handled in aqueous solutions. Therefore, this study investigated the photocatalytic conversion of FA solution to hydrogen using visible light with several types of hydrogen catalysts (CdS/titanate nanotubes (TNTs), CdS/TiO2, Pt/CdS/TNTs) and WO3 as the oxygen catalyst. The results showed that the yield of hydrogen with CdS/TNTs + WO3 was much higher than with CdS/TiO2 + WO3. Moreover, coating the photocatalysts with metal could further promote the reaction. The optimal platinum loading was 0.01 wt%, and the hydrogen production achieved was 852.5 μmol · h(-1) with 20 vol% FA solution.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a frequent copathogen with HIV. Both viruses appear to replicate in the brain and both are implicated in neurocognitive and peripheral neuropathy syndromes. Interaction of ...the viruses is likely to be complicated and better understanding of the contributions of each virus will be necessary to make evidence-based therapeutic decisions.
This study was designed to determine if active HCV infection, identified by quantitative HCV RNA determination, is associated with increased neurocognitive deficits or excess development of distal sensory peripheral neuropathy in HIV coinfected patients with stable HIV viral suppression. The AIDS Clinical Trials Group Longitudinal Linked Randomized Trials (ALLRT) study was the source of subjects with known HIV treatment status, neurocognitive and neuropathy evaluations, and HCV status. Subjects were selected based on HCV antibody status (249 positive; 310 negative).
HCV RNA viral loads were detectable in 172 participants with controlled HIV infection and available neurologic evaluations in the ALLRT. These participants were compared with 345 participants with undetectable HCV viral load and the same inclusion criteria from the same cohort. Neurocognitive performance measured by Trail-Making A or B and digit symbol testing was not dissimilar between the 2 groups. In addition, there was no significant association between active HCV replication and distal sensory neuropathy.
Clinically significant neurocognitive dysfunction and peripheral neuropathy were not exacerbated by active hepatitis C virus infection in the setting of optimally treated HIV infection.
A new cinnarandanoid (
1
) was isolated from the roots of
Cinnamomum randaiense
(Lauraceae). The structure of the new dimeric benzenoid was elucidated by chemical and physical evidence.
A new 1,3-benzodioxole-4,5-dione, cinnakanehirain (6-methylbenzod1,3dioxole-4,5-dione (
1
) and eight known compounds were isolated from the roots of
Cinnamomum kanehirae
Hayata (Lauraceae). The ...structure of the new constituent was essentially elucidated by spectral evidence.
To investigate whether patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) are at an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD).
A population-based, propensity score-matched, longitudinal follow-up ...cohort study.
The study was conducted using the National Health Insurance (NHI) Research Database.
A total of 10 125 patients with at least 2 ambulatory visits with a diagnosis of SCI in 2001 were enrolled in the SCI group. The non-SCI group comprised 10 125 propensity score-matched patients without SCI. The propensity scores were computed using a logistic regression model that included age, sex, comorbidities and socioeconomic status. The PD-free survival rates of the two groups were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Stratified Cox proportional hazard regression was used to estimate the effect of SCI on subsequent occurrence of PD.
During the 3-year follow-up period, 99 subjects in the SCI group and 59 in the non-SCI group developed PD. The hazard ratio of PD for the SCI group compared with the non-SCI group was 1.65 (95% confidence interval 1.16-2.33, P=0.0049). The PD-free survival rate for the SCI group was lower than that for the non-SCI group (P=0.0017).
This study shows that SCI is associated with a subsequent increased risk of PD. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanism underlying this association.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of noncytotoxic doses of suramin to reverse chemotherapy resistance in advanced chemonaive and chemoresistant non-small-cell lung cancer ...patients.
Patients received paclitaxel (Taxol) (200 mg/m2) and carboplatin (area under the concentration–time curve 6 mg/ml/min) every 3 weeks. The total suramin per cycle dose was calculated using a nomogram derived from the preceding phase I trial to obtain the desirable plasma concentration range of 10–50 μM.
Thirty-nine response-assessable chemonaive patients (arm A) received 213 cycles. Thirty-eight cycles were administered to 15 patients with demonstrated resistance to paclitaxel and carboplatin (arm B). The pattern/frequency of toxic effects was similar to those expected for paclitaxel/carboplatin, and pharmacokinetic analyses (199 cycles) showed suramin plasma concentrations maintained between 10 and 50μm in 94% of cycles. In arm A, response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST) response rate was 36% (95% confidence interval 22% to 54%; two complete, 12 partial); 15 patients (38%) had disease stabilization for ≥4 months; median progression-free survival (intention to treat) was 6.4 months; median overall survival (OS) 10.4 months and 1-year survival rate 38%. In arm B, no RECIST responses occurred; four patients had disease stabilization for ≥4 months; median OS was 132 days and 1-year survival rate 7%. Plasma basic fibroblast growth factor levels were higher in chemopretreated/refractory patients compared with chemonaive patients (P = 0.05). Sequence analysis of the EGFR tyrosine kinase domain in a long-term disease-free survivor revealed an ATP-binding pocket mutation (T790M).
Noncytotoxic suramin did not increase paclitaxel/carboplatin's toxicity and the suramin dose was predicted from clinical parameters. No clinically significant reversal of primary resistance was documented, but a modulatory effect in chemotherapy-naive patients cannot be excluded. Controlled randomization is planned for further evaluation of this treatment strategy.
Background
Aberrant generation of eicosanoids is associated with asthma, but the evidence remains incomplete and its potential utility as biomarkers is unclear. Major eicosanoids in exhaled breath ...condensates (EBCs) were assessed as candidate markers for childhood asthma.
Methods
Ten exhaled eicosanoid species was evaluated using ELISA in the discovery phase, followed by prediction model‐building and validation phases.
Results
Exhaled LTB4, LTE4, PGE2, and LXA4 showed significant difference between asthmatics (N = 60) and controls (N = 20). For validation, an expanded study population consisting of 626 subjects with asthma and 161 healthy controls was partitioned into a training subset to establish a prediction model and a test sample subset for validation. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses of the training subset revealed the level of exhaled LTB4 to be the most discriminative among all parameters, including FeNO, and a composite of exhaled LTB4, LXA4, together with FeNO and FEV1, distinguishing asthma with high sensitivity and specificity. Further, the Youden index (J) indicated the cut point value of 0.598 for this composite of markers as having the strongest discriminatory ability (sensitivity = 85.2% and specificity = 83.6%). The predictive algorithm as “asthma classification ratio” was further validated in an independent test sample with sensitivity and specificity being 84.4% and 84.8%, respectively.
Conclusions
In a pediatric study population in Taiwan, the levels of exhaled LTB4, LTE4, LXA4, and PGE2 in asthmatic children were significantly different from those of healthy controls, and the combination of exhaled LTB4 and LXA4, together with FeNO and FEV1, best characterized childhood asthma.
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