In this work, a feasible one-pot approach to synthesize manganese oxide/graphene composites, the so-called plasma-enhanced electrochemical exfoliation process (PE3P), has been developed. Herein, a ...composite of graphene decorated with manganese oxide nanoparticles was prepared via PE3P from a KMnO4 solution and graphite electrode under a voltage of 70 V in an ambient environment. By controlling the initial KMnO4 concentration, we obtained distinct MnO2/graphene samples. The prepared samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The electrochemical measurements of the MnO2/graphene composites revealed that the specific capacitance of the samples is approximately 320 F g-1 at a scan rate of 10 mV s-1, which is comparably very high for manganese oxide/carbon-based supercapacitor electrode materials. Considering the simple, low-cost, one-step and environmentally friendly preparation, our approach has the potential to be used for the fabrication of MnO2/graphene composites as the electrode materials of supercapacitors.
Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) are one of the most widely used nanomaterials nowadays. CuO NPs have numerous applications in biological processes, medicine, energy devices, environmental ...remediation, and industrial fields from nanotechnology. With the increasing concern about the energy crisis and the challenges of chemical and physical approaches for preparing metal NPs, attempts to develop modern alternative chemistry have gotten much attention. Biological approaches that do not produce toxic waste and therefore do not require purification processes have been the subject of numerous studies. Plants may be extremely useful in the study of biogenic metal NP synthesis. This review aims to shed more light on the interactions between plant extracts and CuO NP synthesis. The use of living plants for CuO NPs biosynthesis is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly process. To date, the findings have revealed many aspects of plant physiology and their relationships to the synthesis of NPs. The current state of the art and potential challenges in the green synthesis of CuO NPs are described in this paper. This study found a recent increase in the green synthesis of CuO NPs using various plant extracts. As a result, a thorough explanation of green synthesis and stabilizing agents for CuO NPs made from these green sources is given. Additionally, the multifunctional applications of CuO NPs synthesized with various plant extracts in environmental remediation, sensing, catalytic reduction, photocatalysis, diverse biological activities, energy storage, and several organic transformations such as reduction, coupling, and multicomponent reactions were carefully reviewed. We expect that this review could serve as a useful guide for readers with a general interest in the plant extract mediated biosynthesis of CuO NPs and their potential applications.
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•This review highlights the various plant extract assisted methods for green synthesis of CuO nanoparticles.•Factors affecting the green synthesis of CuO nanoparticles are studied.•Various multifunctional applications of CuO nanoparticles are also covered.•Future perspectives and challenges are proposed in briefly.
The differences in cost and efficacy between dapagliflozin and empagliflozin in combination with standard of care (SoC) raise the question of which regimen would be cost-effective in treating heart ...failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of dapagliflozin plus SoC (dapagliflozin-SoC) versus empagliflozin plus SoC (empagliflozin-SoC) or SoC alone for treatment of HFrEF.
We developed a Markov model to estimate the cost-effectiveness of dapagliflozin-SoC, empagliflozin-SoC, and SoC alone from the healthcare system perspective over a lifetime horizon. Data on efficacy of dapagliflozin-SoC, empagliflozin-SoC, and SoC were obtained from randomized controlled trials. Costs were measured in 2022 US dollars, and effectiveness was measured in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs).
Among three strategies, dapagliflozin-SoC was the most cost-effective strategy and dominated empagliflozin-SoC in an extended sense. Compared with SoC alone, dapagliflozin-SoC and empagliflozin-SoC had incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) of $56,782 and $89,258 per QALY, respectively. Dapagliflozin-SoC cost more $5524 but yielded more 0.20 QALYs than empagliflozin-SoC, with the ICER of $27,861 per QALY. The cost-effectiveness of dapagliflozin-SoC, empagliflozin-SoC, and SoC alone did not depend on diabetic status. However, empagliflozin-SoC was no longer cost-effective versus SoC alone in HFrEF patients without CKD, and dapagliflozin-SoC was not cost-effective versus empagliflozin-SoC in HFrEF patients with CKD.
Dapagliflozin-SoC was cost-effective versus empagliflozin-SoC or SoC alone for treatment of HFrEF.
•Dapagliflozin is more effective but costs more than empagliflozin for treating HFrEF.•Evidence on the cost-effectiveness of dapagliflozin versus empagliflozin is limited.•Dapagliflozin was cost-effective versus empagliflozin or standard of care for HFrEF.•Cost-effectiveness results varied by CKD status of HFrEF patients.
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Vietnam. The current TB burden is unknown as not all individuals with TB are diagnosed, recorded and notified. The second ...national TB prevalence survey was conducted in 2017-2018 to assess the current burden of TB disease in the country.
Eighty-two clusters were selected using a multistage cluster sampling design. Adult (≥15 years of age) residents having lived for 2 weeks or more in the households of the selected clusters were invited to participate in the survey. The survey participants were screened for TB by a questionnaire and digital chest X-ray after providing written informed consent. Individuals with a positive symptom screen and/or chest X-ray suggestive of TB were asked to provide sputum samples to test for Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Ziehl-Neelsen direct light microscopy, Xpert MTB/RIF G4, BACTEC MGIT960 liquid culture and Löwenstein-Jensen solid culture. Bacteriologically confirmed TB cases were defined by an expert panel following a standard decision tree.
Of 87,207 eligible residents, 61,763 (70.8%) participated, and 4,738 (7.7%) screened positive for TB. Among these, 221 participants were defined as bacteriologically confirmed TB cases. The estimated prevalence of bacteriologically confirmed adult pulmonary TB was 322 (95% CI: 260-399) per 100,000, and the male-to-female ratio was 4.0 (2.8-5.8, p<0.001). In-depth interviews with the participants with TB disease showed that only 57.9% (95% CI: 51.3-64.3%) reported cough for 2 weeks or more and 32.1% (26.3-38.6%) did not report any symptom consistent with TB, while their chest X-ray results showed that 97.7% (95% CI: 94.6-99.1) had abnormal chest X-ray images suggesting TB.
With highly sensitive diagnostics applied, this survey showed that the TB burden in Vietnam remains high. Half of the TB cases were not picked up by general symptom-based screening and were identified by chest X-ray only. Our results indicate that improving TB diagnostic capacity and access to care, along with reducing TB stigma, need to be top priorities for TB control and elimination in Vietnam.
A 27 wt.% Cr white cast iron has been subjected to various destabilization heat treatments. The transformation of the matrix phase as well as the precipitatiopn of secondary carbides by ...destabilization heat treatments, which have been clearly determined in this paper. The results revealed that in the destabilization temperature (about 880°C), the matrix phase is enriched with elements such as C and Cr, due to dissolution of eutectic carbides at high temperature. The secondary carbides were precipitated along grain boundary of C, Cr- rich matrix, they grew up within the matrix phase. When the destabilization temperature increases up to 1000°C the number, volume and size of secondary carbides also increase, respectively (secondary carbide size up to 2,22 µm). At 1050°C/3 h, the size of secondary carbides reduce significantly with a high distribution density in the matrix phase (grain size reduce to below 0,8 µm). At 1100°C and holding time for 3 hours, secondary carbides were dissolved into the matrix, and therefore, reduce the number and grain size of secondary carbides. Effects of secondary carbides on corrosion of alloy were determined by polarization test of alloys in H2SO4 5 vol.% solution at room temperature, by the depth of corrosion layer and by microstructure analyzing of corroded surfaces of alloys. The 1050°C/3 h alloy is the best corrosion resistance between the tested alloys with a large amount of fine secondary carbides and uniformly distributed within the matrix.
From the end of 2019, an unprecedented novel coronavirus, which was named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO) emerged from Wuhan city, China. Despite rigorous global containment and ...quarantine efforts, the incidence of COVID-19 has continued to rise, with over 4 million confirmed-cases and over 300,000 deaths worldwide until mid-May. This study aims to present the effect of the promulgation of social distancing measures on the spread of COVID-19 in the cases of 10 highly infected countries. The authors focus on the statistics of the COVID-19 confirmed-cases and deaths in 10 highly infected countries, including The U.S., Spain, Italy, The U.K., France, Germany, Russia, Turkey, Iran and China, and the response to the pandemic of these countries in the period from January 11 to May 2, 2020. The relationships between the social distancing measures and the statistics of COVID-19 confirmed-cases and deaths were analyzed in order to elucidate the effectiveness of the social distancing measures on the spread of COVID-19 in 10 highly infected countries. The results showed it took1–4 weeks since the highest level of social distancing measures promulgation until the daily confirmed-cases and deaths showed signs of decreasing. The effectiveness of the social distancing measures on the spread of COVID-19 was different between the 10 focused countries. This variation is due to the difference in the levels of promulgated social distancing measures, as well as the difference in the COVID-19 spread situation at the time of promulgation between the countries.
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•The statistics of the COVID-19 confirmed-cases and deaths in 10 highly infected countries was collected•The effectiveness of the social distancing measures on the spread of COVID-19 was analyzed•It takes 1-4 weeks since the promulgation of highest level of measures until the number of cases starts to decrease.•The effectiveness of the social distancing measures on the spread of COVID-19 was different between the 10 focused countries.
Aim
To compare the relative efficacy of sodium‐glucose co‐transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT‐2is), glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists (GLP‐1RAs) and non‐steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor ...antagonists (nsMRAs) in improving the cardiovascular and renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Materials and Methods
We searched PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library from inception through 25 November 2022. We selected randomized controlled trials that studied patients with CKD and T2D with a follow‐up of at least 24 weeks and compared SGLT‐2is, GLP‐1RAs and nsMRAs with each other and with placebo. Primary outcomes were major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and composite renal outcomes (CRO). Secondary outcomes were cardiovascular death, all‐cause death, stroke, myocardial infarction and heart failure hospitalization (HFH). A frequentist approach was used to pool risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results
Twenty‐nine studies with 50 938 participants for MACE and 49 965 participants for CRO were included. SGLT‐2is did not significantly reduce MACE but were associated with significantly lower risks of CRO compared with GLP‐1RAs (RR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.64‐0.91; P = .003) and nsMRAs (RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.68‐0.90; P = .001). Compared with GLP‐1RAs and nsMRAs, SGLT‐2is significantly reduced risks of HFH by 31% (RR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.55‐0.88; P = .002) and 22% (RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.63‐0.95; P = .016), respectively, but did not significantly reduce other secondary outcomes. There were no significant differences between GLP‐1RAs and nsMRAs in lowering all outcomes.
Conclusions
SGLT‐2is were associated with better cardiorenal protection than GLP‐1RAs and nsMRAs in patients with CKD and T2D.
Twelve steroids, including five new compounds 1–5, were isolated and structurally elucidated from a methanol extract of the Vietnamese soft coral Sinularia conferta. Their cytotoxic effects against ...three human cancer cell lines, lung carcinoma (A-549), cervical adenocarcinoma (HeLa), and pancreatic epithelioid carcinoma (PANC-1), were evaluated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays. Among isolated compounds, 10 exhibited potent cytotoxic effects on all three tested cell lines with IC50 values of 3.64±0.18, 19.34±0.42, and 1.78±0.69 µM, respectively.
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