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The construction of heterojunctions is an effective strategy to improve the photogenerated carrier mobility rate and enhance the photocatalytic performance. The main bottlenecks in developing semiconductor photocatalysts lie in the poor light absorption and the fast recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. In order to enhance the photocatalytic conversion of CO2, in this work, a kind of 2D/2D CuS/Ti3C2 heterostructure nanocomposites were designed. The formation of the heterojunction structure resulted in a significant enhancement of the light absorption range in the visible region of pristine Ti3C2 and a slight increase in the semiconductor bandgap width (2.58 eV), which in turn increased the generation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and facilitated the acceleration of the carrier mobility efficiency, leading to a substantial improvement of the photocatalytic activity. After controlling the molar ratio of CuS/Ti3C2 at the optimum value of 1 : 8, the photocatalytic CO2 reduction conversion rate was the highest in the absence of co-catalysts. The yields of CO and CH4 were 10.68 and 25.21 μmol g−1 h−1, respectively, and were 5.51 and 3.15 times higher than that of pristine Ti3C2. Moreover, it resolved the bottleneck of the single CuS reduction product being only CO. In addition, the CuS/Ti3C2 (1 : 8) photocatalyst exhibited 35.07% selectivity and a C2H4 yield of 10.05 μmol g−1 h−1. The presence of large amounts of C1 and C2 intermediates on the catalyst surface was observed by in situ FTIR. Notably, after a cycling stability test lasting 40 h, the best samples retained 88.8% of the initial efficiency with good stability. This study further elucidates the mechanism of action and synergistic effects of CuS and Ti3C2 semiconductors in enhancing photoactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore 1) the level of shared decision-making (SDM) participation in intraocular lens (IOL) selection in cataract patients and the factors that influence this participation and 2) the relationships between preparation for decision-making (PrepDM)and the level of SDM participation and satisfaction with the decision (SWD). Provide guidance for improving SDM in ophthalmology. Patients and Methods: 176 cataract patients were asked to complete the PrepDM scale, the 9-item Shared Decision Making Questionnaire (SDM-Q-9) and the SWD instrument in IOL decision-making process. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of the level of SDM. The Process program and bootstrap sampling method was used to test whether the level of participation in SDM was a mediating variable among the three. Results: The SDM-Q-9 median score was 77.78 (IQR 31.11– 88.89). Patients with a history of surgery in the operative eye (P=0.022) or PrepDM < 60 points (P< 0.001) had lower SDM-Q-9 scores than patients with no history of surgery in the operative eye or PrepDM ≥ 60 points. Patients with an education level lower than primary school had lower SDM-Q-9 scores than patients with other education levels (P< 0.05). The PrepDM of cataract patients was positively correlated with the level of SDM (r=0.768, P< 0.001) and with the SWD (r=0.727, P< 0.001), and the level of SDM was positively correlated with the SWD (r=0.856, P< 0.001). The level of SDM fully mediated PrepDM and SDW, with a mediating effect value of 0.128 and a mediating effect of 86.66% of the total effect. Conclusion: The SDM of cataract patients involved in IOL selection was in the upper middle range. Education, history of surgery in the operated eye, and PrepDM were factors that influenced the level of SDM. The level of participation in SDM fully mediated the relationship between PrepDM and SWD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective was to discover possible clinical outcome predictors in COVID-19 patients treated in intensive care units (ICUs) and to provide useful information for future preventative efforts and therapies. Methods: This retrospective study included 173 COVID-19 critically ill patients and reviewed the 28-day survival outcome in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. Competing risk analysis was performed to predict the cumulative incidence function (CIF) of mortality in hospital. The independent prognostic factors were identified by applying the Fine–Gray proportional subdistribution hazard model. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate model efficacy, and calibration curves were used to validate the model. Finally, we compared the competing risk model with the traditional proportional hazards model (Cox regression model) using CIF. Results: Of these 173 patients, 66 (38.2%) survived, 55 (31.8%) died, and 52 (30.0%) discharged. In univariate analysis, 12 variables were significantly correlated with mortality. In multivariate analysis, Age, Neutrophil ratio, Direct Bilirubin (DBIL) and Renal disease were independent predictors of 28-day outcome. The ROC curve of the multivariate prediction model showed an AUC (area under the curve) of 0.790. The results of the calibration curve and the concordance index (C-index) show that the model has good discriminatory power. The competing risk model we applied was more accurate than the Cox model. Conclusion: We presented a more accurate multivariate prediction model for 28-day in-hospital mortality for ICU COVID-19 patients using a competing risk model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Treatment with programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) antibodies has minimal response rates in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and, actually, they are treated with chemotherapy combined with anti-PD-1 therapy clinically. Reliable markers based on circulating immune cell subsets to predict curative effect are still scarce., Methods: We included 30 patients with NSCLC treated with nivolumab or atezolizumab plus platinum drugs between 2021 and 2022. Whole blood was collected at baseline (before treatment with nivolumab or atezolizumab). The percentage of circulating PD-1 + Interferon-γ (IFN-γ + ) subset of CD8 + T cell was determined by flow cytometry. The proportion of PD-1 + IFN-γ + was calculated after gating on CD8 + T cells. Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), relative eosinophil count (%), and Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) concentration at baseline of included patients were extracted from electronic medical records., Results: The percentage of circulating PD-1 + IFN-γ + subset of CD8 + T cell at baseline in responders was significantly higher than those in non-responders (P < 0.05). Relative eosinophil count (%) and LDH concentration in responders showed no significance between non-responders and responders. NLR in responders was significantly lower than those in non-responders ( P < 0.05). Receiver operation characteristic (ROC) analysis found that the areas under the ROC curve for PD-1 + IFN-γ + subset of CD8 + T cell and NLR were 0.7781 (95% CI, 0.5937-0.9526) and 0.7315 (95% CI, 0.5169-0.9461). Moreover, high percentage of PD-1 + IFN-γ + subset in CD8 + T cells was relevant to long progression-free survival in patients with NSCLC treated with chemotherapy combined with anti-PD-1 therapy., Conclusion: The percentage of circulating PD-1 + IFN-γ + subset of CD8 + T cell could be a potential marker at baseline to predict early response or progression in patients with NSCLC receiving chemotherapy combined with anti-PD-1 therapy., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Chen, Hua, Shan, Wei, Zhou and Pan.)