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Objective To investigate CT features and reasons for the misdiagnosis of nodular or mass-like type pulmonary cryptococcosis（PC）. Methods The clinical manifestations and imaging data of 60 cases with nodular or mass-like type PC confirmed by pathology in the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine from June 2011 to December 2021were analyzed retrospectively. Results Clinical manifestations: respiratory symptoms were associated with 28 cases, whereas 26 cases were asymptomatic. Imaging findings: 22 cases were in unilateral single lung lesion, 22 cases were in unilateral multiple lung lesions, 16 cases were in bilateral multiple lesions. Fifty-five cases with oval shape, including 38 cases with the long axis are parallel to the pleura, 28 cases with clustering and fusion tendency. Fifty-two cases were uniform in density. Thirteen cases with moderate enhancement, 4 cases with avid enhancement. Moreover, there were 24 cases with proximal air bronchogram, 45 cases with halo sign. Thirteen cases were followed and the volume doubling time ranged from 3.9 to 236.8 days, with the median 24.9 days. Thirty-seven cases were initially misdiagnosed. Conclusions Nodular or mass-like type of PC lesions usually occurs in the inferior lobe of both lungs and close to the pleura, and the long axis is parallel to the pleura. Halo sign and proximal air bronchogram are more specific manifestations. Multiple nodular masses with clustering and fusion tendency are highly suggestive of a PC. Cryptococcal capsular polysaccharide antigen detection can be used in clinical, and puncture biopsy can be performed if necessary.

Patients with myocardial ischemia and infarction are at increased risk of arrhythmias, which in turn, can exacerbate the overall risk of mortality. Despite the observed reduction in recurrent arrhythmias through antiarrhythmic drug therapy, the precise mechanisms underlying their effectiveness in treating ischemic heart disease remain unclear. Moreover, there is a lack of specialized drugs designed explicitly for the treatment of myocardial ischemic arrhythmia. This study employs an electrophysiological simulation approach to investigate the potential antiarrhythmic effects and underlying mechanisms of various pharmacological agents in the context of ischemia and myocardial infarction (MI). Based on physiological experimental data, computational models are developed to simulate the effects of a series of pharmacological agents (amiodarone, telmisartan, E-4031, chromanol 293B, and glibenclamide) on cellular electrophysiology and utilized to further evaluate their antiarrhythmic effectiveness during ischemia. On 2D and 3D tissues with multiple pathological conditions, the simulation results indicate that the antiarrhythmic effect of glibenclamide is primarily attributed to the suppression of efflux of potassium ion to facilitate the restitution of [K+]o, as opposed to recovery of IKATP during myocardial ischemia. This discovery implies that, during acute cardiac ischemia, pro-arrhythmogenic alterations in cardiac tissue's excitability and conduction properties are more significantly influenced by electrophysiological changes in the depolarization rate, as opposed to variations in the action potential duration (APD). These findings offer specific insights into potentially effective targets for investigating ischemic arrhythmias, providing significant guidance for clinical interventions in acute coronary syndrome. Author summary: In acute coronary syndrome, the progression of ischemic, injury, and infarction conditions heightens the risk of ischemic cardiac arrhythmias. Despite the existence of various antiarrhythmic drugs, there remains a scarcity of medications specifically tailored for ischemic cardiac arrhythmias. Moreover, comprehending the diverse drug responses in tissues with multiple ischemic conditions (ischemia 1a, 1b, and infarction) remains incomplete. Therefore, in this study, mathematical models depicting the electrophysiological remodeling induced by different drugs such as amiodarone, telmisartan, E-4031, chromanol 293B, and glibenclamide, are constructed and integrated into multi-scale computational models to assess their antiarrhythmic effects. Simulation results demonstrate the potential of glibenclamide in mitigating ischemic cardiac arrhythmias. It can be attributed to its ability not only to improve the depolarization phase's membrane potential by inhibiting extracellular potassium accumulation during the ischemic stage, leading to an increased dV/dtmax, but also to extend the action potential duration (APD) by suppressing IKATP. Finally, the application of glibenclamide results in heightened conduction velocity and prolonged APD at the tissue level. Consequently, these effects enlarge the wavelength of excitation waves, ultimately reducing the vulnerable window for reentrant wave and exhibiting an anti-ischemic arrhythmic effect. More importantly, it's shown that glibenclamide's inhibition of [K+]o yields a more significant impact on antiarrhythmic effects compared to its prolongation of APD. This is partly due to the more pronounced enhancement in the wavelength of excitation waves resulting from CV elevation compared with APD prolongation. Additionally, in tissues with coexisting multiple ischemic conditions, suppressing [K+]o reduces the spatial dispersion of CV, especially at the boundaries of different ischemic tissues like ischemia 1b and infarction, facilitating a more uniform excitation wave propagation. This study offers insights into the anti-arrhythmic mechanisms of established agents during acute coronary syndrome and identifies potential targets for novel anti-arrhythmic drug development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orthorhombic Nb2O5 (T-Nb2O5) nanocrystal@carbon hybrid spheres were synthesized via the controlled hydrolysis of niobium ethoxide, the assembly effect of oleylamine, and subsequent carbonization. The size of the T-Nb2O5 nanocrystals was ~ 26.6 nm, and the diameter of the hybrid spheres was 300–400 nm. The contents of T-Nb2O5 and carbon were 87.84% and 11.91%, respectively. The hybrid spheres exhibited excellent Li storage performance, including high reversible capacity (447 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1/2.5C), good rate capability (186 mAh g−1 at 5 A g−1/25C), and excellent cycling stability (279 mAh g−1 after 600 cycles at 1 A g−1/5C). The capacity decay rate was only 0.06% per cycle. It has been found that the electrochemical performance of the hybrid spheres is superior to those of other reported Nb2O5 composites. Moreover, the reaction kinetics of the hybrid spheres are also outstanding. The impedance is low, while the Li+ diffusion coefficient is high. The hybrid spheres maintain good structural integrity after 600 cycles. The superior Li storage performance is associated with the unique architecture of the hybrid spheres. The ultrafine size of Nb2O5 nanocrystals ensures high electrochemical activity. The surface carbon and internal carbon of the hybrid spheres not only protect Nb2O5 but also promote the rapid transfer of electrons and Li+. These results demonstrate that T-Nb2O5 nanocrystal@carbon hybrid spheres are a promising candidate material for lithium-ion storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A composite of Fe3O4 and carbon is constructed by a one-step calcination method with polystyrene spheres as template, polyvinyl pyrrolidone as assembling agent, and Fe(NO3)3 as Fe source. Material characterization demonstrates that Fe3O4 hollow nanospheres 10–16 nm in diameter are closely grown in situ inside three-dimensional honeycomb macroporous carbon with a pore diameter of about 200 nm. The composite material exhibits high specific capacity, delivering an average discharge capacity of 1618 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1. The long-term cycling performance is excellent, achieving discharge capacity of 770 mA h g−1 at 1 A g−1 after 1000 cycles and 429 mA h g−1 at 5 A g−1 after 200 cycles. Even at 10 A g−1, the rate capability is outstanding. Kinetics analyses reveal predominant capacitive behavior and low reaction impedance in electrochemical reaction. The excellent performance mainly benefits from the beneficial structural effects of Fe3O4 hollow nanospheres and honeycomb macroporous carbon. Fe3O4 hollow nanospheres@three-dimensional honeycomb macroporous carbon is a superior anode material for lithium-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, octahedral shaped PbTiO3-TiO2 nanocomposites have been synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method, where perovskite ferroelectric PbTiO3 nanooctahedra were employed as substrate. The microstructures of the composites were investigated systemically by using XRD, SEM, TEM and UV-Vis spectroscopy. It was revealed that anantase TiO2 nanocrystals with a size of about 5 nm are dispersed on the surface of the {111} facets of the nanooctahedron crystals. Photocatalytic hydrogen production of the nanocomposites has been evaluated in a methanol alcohol-water solution under UV light enhanced irradiation. The H2 evolution rate of the nanocomposites increased with an increased loading of TiO2 on the nanooctahedra. The highest H2 evolution rate was 630.51 μmol/h with the highest concentration of TiO2 prepared with 2 mL tetrabutyl titanate, which was about 36 times higher than that of the octahedron substrate. The enhanced photocatalytic reactivity of the nanocomposites is possibly ascribed to the UV light absorption of the nanooctahedral substrates, efficient separation of photo-generated carriers via the interface and the reaction on the surface of the TiO2 nanocrystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]