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Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis (HD) are at risk for hyperkalemia (HK), associated with cardiac arrhythmia and sudden death. Data on the burden of HK and management techniques among HD patients in China are still scarce. This study assessed the treatment modalities, recurrence, and prevalence of HK in Chinese HD patients. In this prospective cohort study conducted from May 2021 to July 2022, patients aged ≥18 years who had ESRD and were on HD were enrolled from 15 centers in China (up to 6 months). Overall, 600 patients were enrolled. At the baseline visit, mean (± standard deviation) urea reduction ratio was 68.0% ± 9.70 and Kt/V was 1.45 ± 0.496. Over 6 months, 453 (75.5%) patients experienced HK, of whom 356 (78.6%) recurred. Within 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 months, 203 (44.8%), 262 (57.8%), 300 (66.2%), 326 (72.0%), 347 (76.6%), and 356 (78.6%) patients had at least one HK recurrence event, respectively. The proportions of patients with ≥1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 HK recurrence events were 356 (78.6%), 306 (67.5%), 250 (55.2%), 208 (45.9%), 161 (35.5%), and 110 (24.3%), respectively. Among the 453 patients who experienced HK, only 24 (5.3%) were treated with potassium binders: seven (1.5%) with sodium polystyrene sulfonate, 13 (2.9%) with calcium polystyrene sulfonate, and six (1.3%) with sodium zirconium cyclosilicate. Since HK is a chronic illness, long-term care is necessary. Patients on HD should have effective potassium management on non-dialysis days, yet our real-world population rarely used potassium binders. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT04799067 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LN is a serious complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), affecting up to 60% of patients with SLE and may lead to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Macrophages play multifaceted roles in the pathogenesis of LN, including clearance of immune complexes, antigen presentation, regulation of inflammation, and tissue repair. Macrophages are abundant in the glomeruli and tubulointerstitium of LN patients and are positively correlated with serum creatinine levels and the severity of renal pathology. It has been shown that the infiltration of macrophages is closely associated with several clinical indicators, such as serum creatinine and complement C3 levels, anti-dsDNA antibody titers, Austin score, interstitial fibrosis and renal tubular atrophy. Moreover, cytokines expressed by macrophages were upregulated at LN onset and downregulated after remission, suggesting that macrophages may serve as markers of LN pathogenesis and remission. Therapies targeting macrophages have been shown to alleviate LN. There are two main types of macrophages in the kidney: kidney-resident macrophages (KRMs) and monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs). KRMs and MDMs play different pathological roles in LN, with KRMs promoting leukocyte recruitment at sites of inflammation by expressing monocyte chemokines, while MDMs may exacerbate autoimmune responses by presenting immune complex antigens. Macrophages exhibit high plasticity and can differentiate into various phenotypes in response to distinct environmental stimuli. M1 (proinflammatory) macrophages are linked to the progression of active SLE, whereas the M2 (anti-inflammatory) phenotype is observed during the remission phase of LN. The polarization of macrophages in LN can be manipulated through multiple pathways, such as the modulation of signaling cascades including TLR 2/1, S1P, ERS, metabolic reprogramming, and HMGB1. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the role of macrophages in the progression of lupus nephritis (LN), and elucidates how these cells and their secretory products function as indicators and therapeutic targets for the disease in the context of diagnosis and treatment of LN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to limit the phenomenon that the global stability safety factor (GSF) of the diaphragm wall slurry trench calculated by the two-dimensional (2D) wedge method is too small, the 2D calculation model on global instability of trench wall is established by assuming the whole critical failure surface (CFS) is a quarter elliptic cylindrical surface, and the determination method of CFS is given too. In view of the successful application of the minimum potential energy principle in slope stability checking calculation and on the basis of the new model established, the 2D minimum potential energy method for calculating the GSF is proposed according to the minimum potential energy principle. The correctness of the 2D calculation model built and the rationality of the 2D calculation method proposed are verified based on ten engineering cases, and the sensitivity of the GSF to various parameters is analyzed on the basis of six design examples. Finally, the new calculation method is applied to the global stability checking calculation of trench wall in practical engineering, and the result shows the new calculation method given in this paper is still conservative, so the result calculated by the new calculation method is advised to be multiplied by a modification factor of 1.67 in practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because the soft weak soil layer rich in confined groundwater is prone to local instability and failure in the construction of diaphragm wall trenches, in order to check the local slurry wall stability in the construction of diaphragm wall trenches, a new three-dimensional (3D) calculation method on the local stability safety factor (LSF) of slurry walls is proposed based on the minimum potential energy principle. After the new method is applied to two engineering cases, the value of the LSF solved is 0.82 for engineering case 1, and the values of the LSF solved are 0.84 and 1.05 when the phreatic water levels are 2 and 4.5 m, respectively, for engineering case 2. These results are very close to the calculation results in the existing references, so the rationality of the new method is verified. Then the sensitivity of the LSFs obtained from the new method to various parameters has been analyzed and clarified on the basis of ten design examples. Finally, the new method is used to check the local slurry wall stability in the construction of diaphragm wall trenches for a practical project, and the obtained values of the LSF for three concerned weak soil layers are 1.37, 1.19, and 0.82, respectively. These results are in agreement with the actual situation in the construction site. This reveals that both the 3D model established and the 3D calculation method proposed in this paper are suitable for application in practical projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual-spectral narrow bandwidth surface lattice resonance (SLR) sensors consisting of semiconductor/SiO2 nanoparticle dimer arrays are proposed to achieve two high figures of merit (FOM). We demonstrate that FOM can be optimized by the change of semiconductor nanoparticles' shape. The best shape of Si nanoparticles with high FOM is pillar because of the narrowest FWHM of SLR. The FOM of Si/SiO2 nanopillar dimer array can reach a value of 180 due to the high sensitivity and narrow bandwidth. Besides, the influences of different structural parameters (such as the gap of the Si nanopillars in each dimer, Si nanopillars' diameter and height) on FOM of Si/SiO2 nanopillar dimer arrays are investigated. In the trade-off between the strong SLR and the high FOM, the gap of 50 nm, the Si nanopillars' diameter of 80 nm, and the Si nanopillars' height of 100 nm, are chosen as suitable values. Furthermore, a comparison of FOM between Si, Ge, GaAs nanopillars with fixed sizes is implemented to select the appropriate materials. The best semiconductor material to obtain a high FOM is Si because of a narrower FWHM and higher sensitivity. This work is of great significance for the design of multi-spectral SLR sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to make up for the shortcomings of existing theory calculation methods for circular diaphragm walls, an alternative calculation method was developed with a clear concept based on the circular cylindrical shell theory and superposition principle in elasticity and named the circular cylindrical shell theory calculation method (CCSTCM). We took the north anchorage circular foundation pit of G3 Tongling Yangtze River Highway and Railway Bridge as an example and calculated and analyzed it by the proposed CCSTCM, finite element numerical simulation method (FENSM) and site monitoring. As a result, we obtained the radial displacement, circumferential stress and vertical bending moment of the circular diaphragm wall, and then summarized their regularities. By researching the results of the CCSTCM (TCR), the results of the FENSM (NSR) and the results of the site monitoring (SMR), the following conclusions could be drawn: the numerical calculation model established was reasonable; the variation trends of the data curves of the TCR were highly similar to those of the NSR and SMR; and the TCR were slightly larger than the NSR but slightly smaller than the SMR, and closer to the SMR in general. Finally, the proposed CCSTCM was proven to be correct and applicable and could be used in similar circular diaphragm wall projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]