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Background and Aims: Both malnutrition and hyponatremia (serum sodium <135 mmol/L) can be induced by the impaired absorption function of the edematous intestinal wall caused by heart failure (HF) and are prognostic factors of mortality in HF. However, little is known about the interrelationship of nutritional status and hyponatremia in mortality risk prediction in HF.Methods and Results: This study enrolled 2882 HF patients admitted to the HF care unit of Fuwai Hospital, Beijing, China from 2008 to 2018; 71.3% were male and the mean age was 56.64 ± 15.96 years. Nutritional status was assessed by prognostic nutritional index (PNI), calculated as serum albumin (g/L) + 5 × total lymphocyte count (109/L). Lower PNI indicates worse nutritional status. Patients were divided into 8 groups based on baseline PNI quartiles (Q1: <43.6, Q2: 43.6-48.55, Q3: 48.55-63.25, Q4: >63.25) and sodium level (normal sodium and hyponatremia). After adjustment, patients in the PNI Q1 associated with hyponatremia had a 2.12-fold higher risk of all-cause death (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.67-2.70) compared with those in the PNI Q4 with normal sodium. A refinement in risk prediction was observed after adding PNI quartile and serum sodium category to the original model (ΔC-statistic = 0.018, 95% CI: 0.007-0.025; net re-classification index = 0.459, 95% CI: 0.371-0.548; integrated discrimination improvement = 0.025, 95% CI: 0.018-0.032).Conclusion: HF patients with both the lowest PNI quartile and hyponatremia are at higher risk of all-cause mortality. The combination of PNI and serum sodium level enhanced the predictive value for all-cause mortality in hospitalized HF patients.Clinical Trial Registration: URL: ClinicalTrials.gov; Unique Identifier: NCT02664818. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium dioxide is widely used as a pigment in industrial processes and life, and the mechanical strength of the coating of titanium dioxide is of vital importance for its quality. The content of iron impurities in aluminum sulfate coatings directly affects their quality; therefore, the removal of iron from aluminum sulfate solutions is of paramount importance. In this study, an aluminum sulfate solution containing iron (18 mg/L) was used as a raw material to explore a composite process to reduce iron content to< 5 mg/L for coating high-quality titanium dioxide products. A novel process consisting of sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC) complexation–precipitation, flocculation by cationic polyacrylamide, and ultrafiltration have been proposed in this study. The reactant structure and thermodynamic equilibrium were determined by quantum chemical calculations to clarify the mechanism of selective iron removal using organic precipitants. The effects of DDTC dosage, reaction temperature, reaction time, stirring speed, and ultrafiltration membrane specifications on iron removal were systematically investigated. The physical and chemical properties of the precipitated particles were analyzed by zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) before and after the addition of flocculants. Before adding the flocculant, the surface zeta potential of the precipitated particles was negative, and the cationic flocculant was added to neutralize the surface charge, eliminate the electrostatic repulsion, and promote the flocculation of precipitated particles for growth; this is beneficial for ultrafiltration. Furthermore, the experimental conditions were optimized to achieve the lowest iron content of 3.8 mg/L in the solution. Finally, the reaction mechanism of the organic precipitation—cationic flocculation—ultrafiltration complex was elucidated. • A novel process combining complexation precipitation, flocculation, and ultrafiltration was proposed in this paper. • Iron content in high concentration aluminum sulfate solution was reduced from 18 mg/L to 3.8 mg/L. • The mechanism of precipitation was clarified by quantum chemical calculations and thermodynamic calculations. • The properties of the precipitates were studied, and the mechanism of deep iron removal was clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The coordination behavior and reactivity of N1,N5-bis(3-methoxysalicylidene)-di-imino-3-azapentane (H2 L) with different transition metal ions have been investigated. The reaction of H2 L with MnCl2·4H2O, Co(OAc)2·4H2O and Cu(OAc)2·H2O produces three new complexes, i.e. [Mn2(L)2Cl3]·H3O·2CH3CN·4H2O (1), [Co2(L)2(OAc)2]·2CH3OH·2H2O (2) and [Cu4(L)2(OAc)4]·2CH3OH·2C2H5OH (3). Single crystal X-ray structural analysis reveals that the ligand adopts η1:η1:η1:η1:μ2 and η1:η1:η1:η1:η1:μ2 modes to coordinate to the metal centers of complexes 1 and 2, respectively, while in the tetranuclear complex 3, possessing two asymmetric [Cu2(μ-O2CCH3)(μ-OCOCH3)(μ2-O)] pairs, the ligand adopts η1:η2:η1:η1:η1:η1:μ3 mode to coordinate to CuII metal centers. The magnetic properties of complexes 1 and 3 have been investigated, which show that both complexes exhibit antiferromagnetic interactions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Our study summarized and analyzed the clinical characteristics and thrombosis distribution of patients diagnosed with both Heart failure(HF) and intracardiac thrombosis, and explored the clinical characteristics of this kind of patients. Patients who were diagnosed HF combined with intracardiac thrombosis and admitted in Fuwai Hospital from October 2008 to May 2018 were enrolled in this study. Demographics characteristics, vital signs, complications, laboratory tests, data about thrombosis, echocardiography data and medication usage were collected. The relationship between the baseline characteristics, basic heart disease, cardiac function and thrombosis distribution were analyzed. At the same time, the application of anticoagulant drugs in this population was analyzed and summarized. A total of 1248 patients were enrolled in this study, of which 72.2% were male. The incidence of left ventricular thrombosis is the highest (66.8%). Besides, thrombi located in the left heart were more common than that in right heart. And there were more ventricular thrombi than atrial thrombi. The most common complications were coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (57.5%), followed by hypertension (39.4%), non-ischemic heart disease (36.2%), and atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter (35%). Transthoracic cardiac ultrasound was the main way to diagnose HF combined with intracardiac thrombosis (75.1%). The rate of anticoagulant usage in these patients was 56.8%, and warfarin was the most commonly used (45.1%). The location of thrombosis was related to the basic heart disease and cardiac function. In the HF patients with coronary heart disease, noncompaction of ventricular myocardium and dilated cardiomyopathy, intracardiac thrombosis mostly occurred in the left ventricle. In the HF patients with atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, restrictive cardiomyopathy and valvular heart disease, the main site of intracardiac thrombosis was the left atrium. Patients with HF and restrictive cardiomyopathy had the highest incidence of right atrial thrombosis. The lower the LVEF, the higher the incidence of left ventricular and left atrium thrombosis (p<0.0001). This trend was not observed in right heart thrombosis. In addition, the inner diameter of the left atrium, left ventricle, and right ventricula were related to whether there was a thrombosis in these cavities: the inner diameter of the heart chamber which the thrombosis located in was significantly larger than that of the same chamber in other patients without thrombosis (P<0.0001). It is common in patients with HF to develop intracardiac thrombosis, and the distribution characteristics of intracardiac thrombosis have certain rules. The left ventricle is the most common site of thrombosis in patients with HF, and should be paid more attention to in clinical work practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is a crucial step in integrated circuit manufacturing, and as chip feature sizes continue to shrink, there is an escalating demand for improved polishing performance. In this study, monodisperse porous CeO 2 nanospheres were synthesized and then modified through Nd doping. The structural and chemical characterization confirmed the enrichment effect on surface defects (Ce3+ and oxygen vacancies) due to the doping, with the percentage of Ce3+ in pCeO 2 -Nd materials (39%) being higher than that of pCeO 2 (31%). Furthermore, for the CMP application on silicon wafers, the material removal rate (MRR) of pCeO 2 -Nd reached 126.3 ± 17.5 nm/min, which is a 56% improvement over that of pCeO 2. In addition, the surface roughness (Ra) of the localized area (3 × 3 μm2) was reduced from initially 0.813 ± 0.02 nm to 0.296 ± 0.02 nm after polishing with pCeO 2. The chemical bonding of Ce–O–Si is considered to be the bridge between the structural characteristics of the abrasive and the polishing properties, whose presence makes the CMP process more efficient and high-quality. 1. Synthesized monodisperse porous abrasives pCeO 2 for polishing of silicon wafer.2. Dopant modification and heat treatment processes were investigated to obtain pCeO 2 -Nd abrasives.3. The material removal rate of pCeO 2 -Nd was increased by 56% compared to that of pCeO 2. [Display omitted] • Synthesized monodisperse porous abrasives pCeO 2 for polishing of silicon wafer. • Dopant modification and heat treatment processes were investigated to obtain pCeO 2 -Nd abrasives. • The material removal rate of pCeO 2 -Nd was increased by 56% compared to that of pCeO 2. • Wafer roughness can be reduced from 0.813 nm to 0.296 nm after polishing with pCeO 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve CeO 2 ultraviolet absorption performance and transparency, this paper puts forward that different proportions of calcium oxide are doped during the formation of CeO 2. Doping calcium ions with larger ion size and lower valence leads to the formation of oxygen defects by inhibiting the precipitation of oxygen from cerium oxide and keeps the fluorite structure of cerium oxide stable. The effects of CaO doping on the crystal structure, morphology, and optical characteristics of CeO 2 were analyzed by XRD, SEM, TEM, TGA, XPS, UV–vis spectrophotometry. The pH of sunscreen, spread ability and some physical as well as chemical evaluations were carried out, while to study its UV protection performance the sunscreen SPF test was performed. The UV–vis results revealed that CeO 2 /20%CaO showed highly efficient UV absorption capacity. After adding calcium oxide, the catalytic activity of the material is reduced, due to which the generation of free radicals is demoted, and the harm to human body is decreased. After the addition of 3 wt% nanomaterials into sunscreen, the sun protection factor（SPF ）values of pure cerium oxide and CeO 2 /20%CaO are 1.95 and 2.81, and their sun protection coefficient is increased by 69.39%. Therefore, it is an ideal candidate as a component of ultraviolet screening agent in sunscreens and provides a new idea for the research direction of cerium oxide in anti-ultraviolet applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead isotopes of Earth's accessible silicate rocks are generally too radiogenic for the planet to have formed from meteoritic material—a problem known as the first Pb paradox. The search for an unradiogenic reservoir to balance Earth's bulk composition has thus focused, with varying degrees of success, on inaccessible rocks in the core, mantle, and lower crust. Whether the lower continental crust balances the radiogenic depleted mantle and upper crust is debated and largely depends on how unradiogenic the lower crust, in particular the Archean lower crust, is. In this work, granulite terrain, granulite xenoliths, and lower crustal-derived granitoids from the same region of the northern North China craton (NCC) are combined to constrain the Pb isotopic compositions of the late Archean lower crust. The Hannuoba pyroxene-rich mafic granulite xenoliths are interpreted as restites left after partial melting of the late Archean lower crust to produce the Mesozoic granitoids. Both the xenoliths and granitoids have similar Pb isotopic compositions that are much more radiogenic than the granulite facies gneisses from the Huai'an terrain. The results rule out the notion that the lower crust is inherently poor in U and Th relative to Pb and suggest that the Pb isotopic compositions of the granulite facies gneisses are not representative of the Archean lower crust. This rule may be generally applicable to other regions because the Huai'an terrain is chemically and isotopically comparable with several other Archean unradiogenic granulite terrains (e.g., the Lewisian). We argue that the late Archean lower crust may not be so extremely unradiogenic in Pb isotopic compositions as commonly thought and the lower crust appears insufficiently unradiogenic to balance the accessible Earth. We also provide evidence that intracrustal differentiation via lower crustal melting could be an important mechanism causing the elevated Th/U and 208Pb/206Pb in the upper crust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of cantharidin on the activities of the drug-metabolizing enzymes CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 in rats. The activities of CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 were measured using specific probe drugs. After pretreatment for 1 week with cantharidin or physiological saline (control group) by intraperitoneal injection, probe drugs phenacetin (5.0 mg/kg; CYP1A2 activity), tolbutamide (1.0 mg/kg; CYP2C9 activity), omeprazole (10 mg/kg; CYP2C19 activity), metoprolol (20 mg/kg; CYP2D6 activity) and midazolam (10 mg/kg; CYP3A4 activity) were administered to rats by oral administration. The blood was then collected at different times for ultra performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) analysis. The data showed that cantharidin exhibits an inhibitory effect on CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 by increasing t 1/2 , C max and AUC (0 − ∞) , and decreasing CL/F compared with those of the control group. In addition, cantharidin has induction effect on CYP2C9 activity. However, no significant changes in CYP1A2 and CYP2C19 activities were observed. In conclusion, the results indicated that cantharidin could inhibit CYP2D6 and CYP3A4, while induce CYP2C9, which may affect the disposition of medicines primarily dependent on these pathways. Our work may be the basis of related herb–drug interactions in the clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intrinsic immune behaviors of nanomaterials and immune systems promote research on their adjuvanticity and the design of next generation nanovaccine-based immunotherapies. Herein, we report a promising multifunctional nanoadjuvant by exploring the immune-potentiating effects of black phosphorus nanosheets (BPs) in vitro and in vivo. The facile coating of BPs with phenylalanine-lysine-phenylalanine (FKF) tripeptide-modified antigen epitopes (FKF-OVAp@BP) enables the generation of a minimalized nanovaccine by integrating high loading capacity, efficient drug delivery, comprehensive dendritic cell (DC) activation, and biocompatibility for cancer immunotherapy. Systemic immunization elicits potent antitumor cellular immunity and significantly augments checkpoint blockade (CPB) against melanoma in a mouse model. Furthermore, near-infrared (NIR) photothermal effects of BPs create an immune-favorable microenvironment for improved local immunization. This study offers new insight into the integration of immunoactivity and photothermal effects for enhanced cancer immunotherapy by using a nanoadjuvant and thus potentially advances the design and application of multifunctional adjuvant materials for cancer nanotreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three kinds of new multifunctional hybrid materials (N X -UiO-67) by introducing nitrogen-containing substances into UiO-67 were successfully synthesized through post-modification. The nitrogen-containing functional groups in MOF not only was involvement of strong interactions with sulfonic acid groups of dye, but also grew the sorption sites and surface area. The as-synthesized materials were used for adsorptive removal of Congo red (CR) dye. The adsorbents showed high adsorption capacity, short adsorption time and excellent performance. • Three new multifunctional hybrid materials were used as high efficiency adsorbent. • Nitrogen-containing substances modify UiO-67 enhanced the adsorption of CR. • The adsorption of N U -UiO-67 (Urea as nitrogen source)to CR was 2360 mg g−1. A post-synthetic approach using nitrogen-containing substances modify UiO-67 was proposed to enhance its adsorption for Congo red (CR). The newly synthesized materials were thoroughly analyzed by SEM, TEM, EDX, XPS, XRD, FT-IR, TGA and BET techniques. Results showed that N was successfully incorporated into UiO-67 frameworks to prepare of N X -UiO-67, through coordination interaction with Zr-O clusters. Compared to parent UiO-67, the obtained N X -UiO-67 exhibited a significant increase in adsorption of CR, and the adsorption capacities for CR were in the following order: N U -UiO-67 (2360 mg g−1) > N T -UiO-67 (1986.3 mg g−1) > N A -UiO-67 (1493 mg g−1). Moreover, the pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Langmuir isothermal model exhibited a better fit to describe the adsorption behavior of CR onto the N X -UiO-67. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The reaction worked smoothly without any catalyst and additives. • A renewable solvent, such as water was used. • High atom economy and no toxic byproducts. A novel and sustainable route for the synthesis of isoquinoline was developed by reacting 2-ethynylbenzaldehyde with ammonium hydroxide in water. This method provides a convenient, atom-economical, and catalyst-free access to diversely substituted isoquinolines with moderate to good yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]