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This study investigated the impact of 24-h urinary calcium excretion (UCaE) on renal function decline in hospitalized patients with and without chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study enrolled 3815 CKD patients in stages 1–4 and 1133 non-CKD patients admitted to the First Center of the Chinese PLA General Hospital between January 2014 and July 2022. The primary outcome for CKD patients was a composite of CKD progression, defined as a 40% decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) or end-stage kidney disease. Annual eGFR change was the secondary outcome. For non-CKD patients, the primary outcome was an eGFR decline of ≥20% or CKD incidence, while annual eGFR change was the secondary outcome. The association between UCaE and kidney function decline was assessed using Cox proportional hazards and generalized linear models. Primary outcomes were observed in 813 CKD patients and 109 non-CKD patients over a median follow-up of 3.0 and 4.1 years, respectively. For CKD patients, every 1-mmol/d increase in UCaE was associated with a 15% decreased risk of CKD progression. The hazard ratio (HR) was 0.85, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.77–0.93. For non-CKD patients, the risk of renal function decline decreased by 11%. The multivariate models indicated that there was an annual decrease in eGFR in both CKD and non-CKD patients, with a reduction of 0.122 mL/min/1.73 m2/year (p < 0.001) and 0.046 mL/min/1.73 m2/year (p = 0.004), respectively, for every 1-mmol/d increase in UCaE. CKD experiences a decrease in 24-h UCaE as early as stage 1, with a significant decline in stage 4. CKD and non-CKD patients with lower UCaE levels are at an increased risk of renal decline, regardless of other variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle thinking analysis (LCT) was conducted on the production of vanillin via bamboo wet air oxidation compared to vanillin production from crude oil or Kraft lignin. Synthetic vanillin has been produced from crude oil and paper pulping process "waste" for nearly a century. Bamboo is a quick growing, lignin rich biomass with the potential for the generation of aromatic products including vanillin. Wet air oxidation experiments were performed, using CuSO4 and Fe2O3 catalysts in alkaine environments, on raw bamboo with the purpose of determining the aromatic compound yields in order to investigate bamboo as a potential source of fine chemical products. From the LCT approach, production of vanillin from Kraft Lignin compared to crude oil has a lower environmental impact across all categories per kg produced of vanillin. Kraft lignin production of vanillin is shown to reduce smog formation and CO2 emissions from non energy sources to negligible levels while decreasing acidification potential by 6.8 times, toxic inhalation by 1.3 times and toxic ingestion potential by 0.3 times compared to crude oil. The proposed bamboo oxidation route has the potential to have the least environmental impact with negligible impact on smog formation potential and ozone depletion potential if a green polar extractive solvent can be utilised in future while also decreasing toxicity by inhalation by a further 115 fold and ingestion by 9458 fold. This work has the potential to contribute to the United Nation Sustainable Development Goal for Responsible Consumption and Production, Goal 12. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate a non-contact trapping of a yeast cell by an optical fiber probe with a micron-size concave cavity both theoretically and experimentally. We fabricate the optical fiber tip with a micron-size concave cavity by the improved tube etching method. The size of the concave cavity can be controlled by the etching parameters, such as the etching time, the etching solution, and so on. The output fields from the fiber tips with concave cavities of two geometrical sizes (microns and tens of microns) are computed and analyzed. Then the optical forces on a yeast cell by these concave fiber tips (CFTs) are calculated and discussed. The theoretical results predicate that a micron-size CFT can be used for non-contact trapping of a yeast cell. We observe the non-contact trapping of a yeast cell by a micron-size CFT in the experiments and measure the trapping forces. The optical trapping and manipulation based on these micron-size CFTs may provide versatile applications in bio-science and medical research. • A non-contact trapping of a yeast cell has been observed by a micron-size CFT. • A micron-size CFT can be fabricated by the improved tube etching method. • The impacts of the cavity size on the optical trapping have been investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Silver niobate (AgNbO3) with different morphologies is obtained by annealing the precursors prepared at different temperatures by solvothermal method at 800°C. Scanning electron microscope images of the samples show the formation process of the morphologies. The weakest photovoltaic and the highest photocatalytic properties of the sample obtained from the precursors prepared at 190°C are possibly caused by the synergetic effects between several kinds of particles, and between AgNbO3 and Nb2O5. Both the temperature and the amount of Nb2O5 are crucial for the morphologies, the photoelectric and photocatalytic properties of the samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The visible-light-active xAgSbO/NaNbO ( x=0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6) composite photocatalysts were prepared by a conventional solid-state reaction method. Composition dependences on the structure, optical, surface photoelectronic and photocatalytic properties were investigated. The absorption edge of the composites could be red-shifted increasing the amount of AgSbO in comparison with that of NaNbO. The surface photovoltage response shows the selectivity for the amount of AgSbO in the samples. The photocatalytic activities for Rhodamine B degradation exhibit a parabola-like behavior with the amount of AgSbO. The highest photocatalytic activity is observed on the AgSbO/NaNbO composite due to the better dispersiveness, electron transfer and surface photoelectric properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Silver antimonite samples with different Ag/Sb ratios were prepared via ion exchange method through the mediator of silver proton-exchanged compounds. With the rise in the ratio of Ag to Sb in the samples, the optical band gap decreases due to the increasing contribution of Ag4d to the valence band; the surface photovoltage decreases and photocatalytic activity increases due to surface states related to the Sb3+ in the samples. The present results indicate that appropriate amount of Sb3+ is favorable for improving the photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Simple Summary: The ammonia content in aquaculture waterbodies can easily achieve a relatively high level, largely due to the excretion of intensively farmed aquatic animals and the decomposition of residual food particles. Excess ammonia may exert prominent toxicities to all aquatic species. Many freshwater turtles have become economically important aquaculture species in some countries. The evaluation of the toxic effects of ammonia on these cultured turtle species is rarely considered, despite having been extensively conducted in many invertebrates and fish. Various omics techniques can be applied to comprehensively analyze diverse biological responses at different levels in pollutant-exposed individuals. In order to increase our understanding of the physiological changes under ammonia stress in cultured turtle species, we exposed juveniles of the red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans) to different concentrations (0, 0.3, 3.0, and 20.0 mg/L) of ammonium chloride solution for 30 days, and then measured their swimming performance, growth rate, gut microbial composition, and liver metabolic profiling. No significant change in swimming ability was found in ammonia-exposed turtles, but a relatively low growth rate was exhibited in the 20.0 mg/L ammonia-exposed turtles. Although no significant differences in the alpha and beta diversity measures of the gut microbial community were observed, the microbial composition seemed to be different among different treatment groups. Some pathogenic bacteria were found to increase in ammonia-exposed turtles. Liver metabolic profiling based on liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry showed that a series of metabolites (such as leucine, valine, arginine, glutamine, adenosine diphosphate, glyceric acid, myo-inositol, gamma-aminobutyric acid, etc.) were significantly altered in ammonia-exposed turtles. Accordingly, ammonia exposure might alter the health status of guts due to increased pathogenic bacteria, and disturb multiple metabolic pathways (such as amino acid, nucleotide, lipid metabolism, energy metabolism, etc.) in juveniles of T. scripta elegans. As the most common pollutant in aquaculture systems, the toxic effects of ammonia have been extensively explored in cultured fish, molluscs, and crustaceans, but have rarely been considered in turtle species. In this study, juveniles of the invasive turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans, were exposed to different ammonia levels (0, 0.3, 3.0, and 20.0 mg/L) for 30 days to evaluate the physiological, gut microbiomic, and liver metabolomic responses to ammonia in this turtle species. Except for a relatively low growth rate of turtles exposed to the highest concentration, ammonia exposure had no significant impact on the locomotor ability and gut microbial diversity of turtles. However, the composition of the microbial community could be altered, with some pathogenic bacteria being increased in ammonia-exposed turtles, which might indicate the change in their health status. Furthermore, hepatic metabolite profiles via liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry revealed extensive metabolic perturbations, despite being primarily involved in amino acid biosynthesis and metabolism. Overall, our results show that ammonia exposure causes gut dysbacteriosis and disturbs various metabolic pathways in aquatic turtle species. Considering discrepant defense mechanisms, the toxic impacts of ammonia at environmentally relevant concentrations on physiological performance might be less pronounced in turtles compared with fish and other invertebrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite evidence that high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy (HFNC) promotes oxygenation, its application in sedated gastroscopy in elderly patients has received little attention. This study investigated the effect of different inhaled oxygen concentrations (FiO2) of HFNC during sedated gastroscopy in elderly patients. Methods: In a prospective randomized single-blinded study, 369 outpatients undergoing regular gastroscopy with propofol sedation delivered by an anesthesiologist were randomly divided into three groups (n = 123): nasal cannula oxygen group (Group C), 100% FiO2 of HFNC group (Group H100), and 50% FiO2 of HFNC (Group H50). The primary endpoint in this study was the incidence of hypoxia events with pulse oxygen saturation (SpO2) ≤ 92%. The secondary endpoints included the incidence of other varying degrees of hypoxia and adverse events associated with ventilation and hypoxia. Results: The incidence of hypoxia, paradoxical response, choking, jaw lift, and mask ventilation was lower in both Group H100 and Group H50 than in Group C (P < 0.05). Compared with Group H100, Group H50 showed no significant differences in the incidence of hypoxia, jaw lift and mask ventilation, paradoxical response, or choking (P > 0.05). No patients were mechanically ventilated with endotracheal intubation or found to have complications from HFNC. Conclusion: HFNC prevented hypoxia during gastroscopy with propofol in elderly patients, and there was no significant difference in the incidence of hypoxia when FiO2 was 50% or 100%. Trial registration: This single-blind, prospective, randomized controlled trial was approved by the Ethics Committee of Nanjing First Hospital (KY20201102-04) and registered in the China Clinical Trial Center (20/10/2021, ChiCTR2100052144) before patients enrollment. All patients signed an informed consent form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the association between the platelet-derived growth factor/platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGF/PDGFR) system and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) susceptibility through a comprehensive search of the PubMed database to study the expression of the PDGF/PDGFR system in RA. Review Manager software version 5.3 was used for statistical analysis. Six eligible studies published in the English language were included, including 108 rheumatoid arthritis cases and 85 controls with the corresponding 126 and 97 tests, respectively, relating the expression of the PDGF/PDGFR system to the risk of RA. The overall results indicated a significant association between the PDGF/PDGFR system expression and RA (OR = 5.25 , 95% CI: 3.00-9.18, p < 00001), RA patients in Asian countries (OR = 4.13 , 95% CI = 2.04 -8.39, p < 0.0001) and in Western countries (OR = 9.18 , 95% CI = 2.04 -8.39, p = 0.03), and only PDGF expression in RA patients (OR = 5.28 , 95% CI = 2.73 -10.21, p < 0.00001). Thus, only the PDGFR expression was insignificantly associated with RA susceptibility (OR = 9.25 , 95% CI = 0.63 -136.30, p = 0.11). Hence, the PDGF/PDGFR system most likely contributes to susceptibility to RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: N-doped TiO2/C3N4 composite samples were synthesized by heating the mixture of the hydrolysis product of TiCl4 and C3N4 at different weight ratios. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectrum, UV–vis absorption spectrum, photoluminescence spectrum, X-ray photon electron spectrum (XPS) and surface photovoltage spectrum (SPS). The XRD and Raman results indicate that the introduction of C3N4 could inhibit the formation of rutile TiO2. The composite samples show slight visible light absorption due to the introduction of C3N4. The XPS result reveals that some amount of nitrogen is doped into TiO2, and C3N4 exists in the composite sample. The intensities of the SPS signal in the composite samples decrease with the rise in the amount of C3N4 in the samples. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated from the Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation under fluorescence light irradiation. The composite samples show significantly enhanced photocatalytic activities and the RhB self-sensitized photodegradation in this system was observed by measuring the photocurrent in the dye sensitized solar cell using the composite as the working electrode. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: NaNbO3, (AgNbO3)0.5(NaNbO3)0.5 and AgNbO3 films on FTO conducting glass substrates were fabricated by pulsed laser deposition at 973K for 1h under 10Pa oxygen pressure with the laser energy of 400mJ. The energy band structure and photoelectrochemical behavior were investigated by measuring the flatband potential (V fb) and photocurrent. The optical band gaps for NaNbO3, (AgNbO3)0.5(NaNbO3)0.5 and AgNbO3 are 3.50, 3.25 and 2.93eV, respectively. And the V fb for the NaNbO3, (AgNbO3)0.5(NaNbO3)0.5 and AgNbO3 films are −0.91, −0.76 and −0.88V (vs. Ag/AgCl), respectively, indicating that the conduction band bottom of (AgNbO3)0.5(NaNbO3)0.5 is more positive than those of NaNbO3 and AgNbO3, and the valence band top becomes more positive in order of AgNbO3, (AgNbO3)0.5(NaNbO3)0.5 and NaNbO3. The AgNbO3 film shows the largest photocurrent density due to the more light harvesting, the relative higher donor density and large contact surface area between the electrode and the electrolyte solution. The (AgNbO3)0.5(NaNbO3)0.5 film shows lowest photocurrent due to lower donor density. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A procedure is suggested to separating a minimum-boiling azeotrope of toluene and ethanol via heat integration pressure swing distillation (PSD), and an optimized separation configuration is obtained via taking the minimization of the total annual cost (TAC) as an objective function. The result demonstrates that PSD with heat integration is more economical than conventional PSD without heat integration. Based on steady-state simulation results, several control structures were explored using Aspen Dynamics. The results indicate that the composition/temperature cascade control structure and the pressure-compensated temperature control of a PSD process with partial heat integration with stage 21 selected as the control stage in the low pressure column can handle disturbances well. As for the PSD with full heat integration, stage 20 of the low pressure column can act as the control stage because of its more efficient controllability under feed flow rate and feed composition disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BaSnO grains with a rhombic dodecahedron shape have been synthesized via a facile modified hydrothermal approach. The structure and morphology evolution during hydrothermal treatment have been investigated with X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The sample with the single-phase of BaSnO can be obtained at the hydrothermal temperature of 24 °C, and the grain size grows with an increasing temperature from 10 to 15 μm below 270 °C. But the grain size decreases sharply to 4 μm when the temperature reaches 280 °C. The optical absorption and surface photovoltage spectroscopy analysis indicate that controlling the size and shape is of great importance in tuning photophysical properties of BaSnO powders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perioperative neurocognitive disorder (PND) is a common complication of elderly patients after surgery and lacks effective prevention and treatment measures. We investigated the effect and mechanism of gastrodin (GAS), a natural plant ingredient, on postoperative cognition induced by laparotomy in aged mice. Male aged (18 months) mice were subjected to laparotomy and orally treated with GAS (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg) 3 weeks before surgery and 1 week after surgery. In addition, some male aged (18 months) mice were subjected to viral vector or GSK-3β expression virus injection followed by laparotomy with or without 100 mg/kg GAS treatment. GAS improved learning and memory in aged mice after surgery. Surgery increased the levels of pro-inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6) and decreased the level of an anti-inflammatory factor (IL-10) in the mouse hippocampus, and these changes were reversed by GAS treatment. GAS also suppressed the activation of microglia. GAS inhibited the phosphorylation of GSK-3β and Tau. Furthermore, surgery induced more serious cognitive dysfunction, inflammatory factors, activation of microglia, and phosphorylation of GSK-3β and Tau in GSK-3β overexpressing aged mice. The improvement of learning and memory, the reduction of inflammation and microglia activation, and the suppression of GSK-3β and Tau phosphorylation by GAS were prevented when GSK-3β was overexpressed in aged mice subjected to surgery. Our finding suggested that GAS exerts neuroprotective effects in aged mice subjected to laparotomy by suppressing neuroinflammation and GSK-3β and Tau phosphorylation. Thus, these findings suggest that GAS may be a promising agent for PND. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimonic acid and N-doped antimonic acid, solid acids with d10electron configuration, are reported as novel photocatalysts for rhodamine B (RhB) degradation under visible light irradiation. They show much higher activities in comparison with P25 and photolysis. However, the extent of degradation abilities for RhB was not consistent with the formation rate of the active OH radicals under visible light irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]