Search

As a self-reactive substance, benzaldehyde oxime (BO) is prone to a highly exothermic runaway reaction and thermal hazard analysis and the reaction kinetics calculation of BO have great significance. In this work, the decomposition products of BO in nitrogen atmosphere were identified by GC–MS and HPLC techniques. The impact of the decomposition products on the decomposition behaviors of BO were analyzed by comparison of the ARC test results of pure BO and mixture of BO and decomposition products. It was found that N-benzylidene benzylamine was the intermediate decomposition product and benzoic acid, benzamide, N-benzyl benzamide, and 2,4,5-triphenylimidazole were the final products of BO. A two-step continuous autocatalytic reaction model was established to depict the decomposition process of BO. The kinetic parameters of the model were calculated by applying the nonlinear optimization method. Finally, thermal behaviors under different process temperature were predicted based on the kinetic model, and the time to maximum rate (TMRad) was predicted as 112.04 °C under 24 h, and 122.19 °C of 8 h, which offer crucial safety information to optimize the safety conditions of BO during usage, storage and transportation, which minimizes the industrial disasters.

Background and aims Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors reduce cardiovascular events, but their effects on atherosclerotic plaque remain elusive. Using serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we studied changes in carotid plaque lipid content and neovasculature under PCSK9 inhibition with alirocumab. Methods Among patients with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ≥70 mg/dl but ineligible for high-dose statin therapy, those with lipid core on carotid MRI were identified to receive alirocumab 150 mg every 2 weeks. Follow-up MRI was performed at 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment. Pre- and post-contrast MRI were acquired to measure percent lipid core volume (% lipid core). Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI was acquired to measure the extravasation rate of gadolinium contrast (Ktrans), a marker of plaque neovasculature. Results Of 31 patients enrolled, 27 completed the study (mean age: 69 ± 9; male: 67%). From 9.8% at baseline, % lipid core was progressively reduced to 8.4% at 3 months, 7.5% at 6 months, and 7.2% at 12 months (p = 0.014 for trend), which was accompanied by a progressive increase in % fibrous tissue (p = 0.009) but not % calcification (p = 0.35). Ktrans was not reduced until 12 months (from 0.069 ± 0.019 min−1 to 0.058 ± 0.020 min−1; p = 0.029). Lumen and wall areas did not change significantly during the study period. Conclusions Regression in plaque composition and neovasculature were observed under PCSK9 inhibition on carotid MRI, which provides unique insight into the biological process of plaque stabilization with disease-modifying therapies.

Fe catalyzed Fischer-Tropsch synthesis to lower olefins (FTO) has been recognized as a structure-sensitive reaction. Nanostructure Fe-based catalysts can expose more active surface. But bulk nanostructure Fe catalysts without support interaction show easily sintered and agglomerated, which makes hard to investigate size effect. Therefore, the effect of particle size on bulk Fe catalysts have rarely been reported. Herein, nanoparticles assembled Fe3O4 bulk catalysts were synthesized via a PAA-mediated solvothermal method to solely investigate the size effect of Fe phase. By tuning preparation parameters, a series of porous-Fe3O4 microspheres assembled by different nanoparticle size (8.5–16.5 nm) was obtained, maintaining constant microspheres size. When Fe3O4 nanoparticles are smaller than 10 nm, catalysts show similar catalytic activity (FTY). Beyond 10 nm, the FTY obviously decreases with increasing of particle size. Particularly, Fe3O4 with nanoparticle size of 9.9 nm performs the highest activity as well as C2-C4= selectivity and O/P ratio. The smaller particles attribute to C5+ formation, while inhibit CH4 selectivity. By CO-TPD, TPH-MS and XRD analysis, we discuss size effect on CO adsorption, surface carbon species and carburization degree, building relationship between particle size and catalytic activity. It is found that the carburization degree of iron phase correlates positively with catalytic activity. These results deepen understanding of the structure-performance relationship for bulk iron catalysts in FTO.

N-doped carbon materials as catalyst supports have shown great superiority because of rich porosity, tunable metal-support interaction and electronic promotion effect. Controllable fabrication of carbon materials with specific morphology and different configurations provides wider possibilities for applications in catalysis. Herein, N-doped carbon nanosheets (CNS) were successfully synthesized by using monoclinic ZIF-8 nanosheets as templates. Compared with commercial active carbon and cubic ZIF-8 particles-derived carbon particles, the derived CNS exhibit superior graphitization degree and electronic effect. Consequently, the promoted Fe carburization improved the intrinsic activity for Fe/CNS catalysts in FTS. Further investigation on pyrolysis temperature achieved tunable configuration and content of N dopant. XPS, Raman, Mossbauer spectroscopy, TEM, H2-TPR etc. were combined to elucidate the promotion effect of CNS on dispersion, electronic properties and formation of Fe carbides. By correlating the composition and structure to catalytic performance in FTS, we illustrated the significance of carbon materials in Fe supported catalysts.

The decomposition of many hazardous materials goes through autocatalytic mechanisms. Due to the unpredictably sudden heat evolution companied with the decomposition of these materials, it is of great importance to identify autocatalytic decompositions and treat them with caution. In this work, a kinetic-parameters-free criterion is proposed to determine the autocatalytic decomposition using adiabatic calorimeters. This criterion states that the decompositions are autocatalytic if the values of R T p 2 T f − T p obtained by adiabatic experiments in different conditions are variable; otherwise they follow n-order behavior. Mathematical simulations at different values of φ, α0 and Ton have been conducted for n-order and autocatalytic decompositions to validate the criterion. To further validate the criterion, this method is applied to four representative substances: DCP, 20 % DTBP in toluene, BO and CHP. Overall, the validity of this criterion has been verified by simulation and experiment results.

Among all types of tea, black tea is produced in the largest amount worldwide, and its consumption is still increasing. Enzymatic fermentation is considered majorly contribute to quality formation of black tea, and the information about the roles of bacterial community in black tea processing is scarce. This study aimed to analyze the dynamic changes in composition, structure, and function of microbial communities during black tea processing and reveal the roles of bacterial community in black tea processing. Results showed that the genera Sphingomonas and Variovorax were dominant throughout the processing of black tea. Prediction function analysis of bacterial community showed that the mean proportions of glucuronoarabinoxylan endo - 1,4 - beta - xylanase, aminopeptidase B, phosphoserine phosphatase, homoserine O-acetyltransferase, glycolysis related enzymes, pyruvate dehydrogenase, tricarboxylic acid cycle related enzymes, and glyoxylate bypass were significantly elevated in the rolling and fermentation stages. The contents of amino acids, soluble sugar, theaflavins, thearubigins, and theabrownins increased greatly during the rolling and fermentation processes. Redundancy and Pearson's correlation analyses showed that the relative abundance of bacteria was closely related to the contents of water extract, tea polyphenols, epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, catechin gallate, thearubigins, theaflavins, and theabrownins. Overall, the findings provided new insights into the variation of bacterial community during black tea processing and improved our understanding of the core functional bacteria involved in black tea processing.

The prognostic value of the CHA2DS2-VASc score in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients without atrial fibrillation (AF) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention remains uncertain. We examine the association of the CHA2DS2-VASc score and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in this population and compared its risk prediction with 2 other commonly used risk scores (Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events [GRACE] and thrombolysis in myocardial infarction [TIMI]). A total of 3,745 consecutive ACS patients without AF who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention during 2013 to 2017 were classified into 4 groups according to the CHA2DS2-VASc score: low (0 to 1), moderate (2 to 3), high (4 to 5), and very high (>5). Incidences of MACE including cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or stroke in-hospital and during a median follow-up of 33 months were compared among the 4 groups. Receiver-operating characteristic curves were generated to compare CHA2DS2-VASc with GRACE and TIMI for risk prediction. The incidences of in-hospital MACE (3.5%, 6.6%, 7.6%, and 9.1%, p

TiB2-TiC reinforced Ni55 matrix composite coatings were in-situ fabricated via plasma cladding on steels using Ti, B4C, and Ni55 as precursor materials at different proportions. Effects of TiB2+TiC content of ceramics phase on the microstructure and wear resistance were studied. The results showed that ceramic phases TiB2 and TiC were in-situ synthesized by plasma cladding, and the ceramic phase content significantly affected tribological performance and the wear mechanism of coatings under different loads. The composite ceramics protected coatings from further delamination wear by crack-resistance under a load of 30 N. Severe abrasive wear and adhesive wear were prevented when the load increased to 60 N because of the high hardness and strength of ceramic phases. Moreover, a compacted layer appeared on the wear surface of coatings with high content of ceramic phases, which effectively decreased the friction coefficient and wear rate. The TiB2-TiC composite ceramics significantly improved the wear performance of metal matrix composite coatings by different mechanisms under loads of 30 and 60 N.

Saccharification, the conversion of cellulose to sugar for fermentation-based biofuels, remains problematic for lignocellulosic feedstocks such as wood. Genetic modifications to reduce the amount or change the structure of lignin can improve saccharification efficiency but often result in dwarf plants. Here, we report that overexpression of Pag-MIR408 in hybrid poplar results in a near doubling saccharification efficiency, with no requirement for acid-pretreatment, increased accessibility of secondary cell walls to fungal cellulase and scaffoldin cellulose-binding modules, accompanied by enhanced photosynthesis, and increased number of cambium zone layers, xylem width and vessel diameter. Conversely, Pag-MIR408 loss-of-function plants by CRISPR/Cas9 showed decreased cell wall accessibility. Moreover, miR408 targets LACCASE 19/25, leading to delayed lignification, and modestly reduced lignin content, S/G ratio, as well as the degree of lignin polymerization. This study provides a unique insight into enhanced saccharification efficiency altered wood structure through modulation of the balance between secondary development and lignification.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major neurodegenerative disorder. The functions of lncRNA RMRP have been characterized mainly in various human cancers. However, the functional network of RMRP in AD progression remains unknown.Human serum samples, AD transgenic (Tg) mice as well as SH-SY5Y cells were used in this study. The RNA expression patterns of RMRP, miR-3142 and TRIB3 were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Levels of apoptosis- or autophagy-associated biomarkers and TRIB3 level were evaluated using immunohistochemistry (IHC), western blotting or immunofluorescence assays, respectively. Bioinformatics methods and luciferase assays were used to predict and validate the interactions among RMRP, miR-3142, and TRIB3. Flow cytometry, TUNEL staining and EdU assays were used to examine the apoptosis and proliferation of neurons, respectively.The elevated RMRP and TRIB3 expressions and activation of autophagy were observed in AD. Knockdown of RMRP restrained neuronal apoptosis and autophagy activation in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, TRIB3 overexpression reversed the biological effects of RMRP silencing on AβThese data illustrated that knockdown of RMRP inhibited autophagy and apoptosis via regulating miR-3142/TRIB3 axis in AD, suggesting that inhibition of RMRP maybe a therapeutic strategy for AD.

BACKGROUND Low triiodothyronine (T3) syndrome (LT3S) is frequently seen in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We examined the association between LT3S and severity of myocardial injury and determined whether LT3S adds predictive value over thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) risk score for in-hospital cardiovascular (CV) death. METHODS Of 2459 AMI patients, 529 pairs of euthyroid and LT3S individuals with similar baseline characteristics were identified using 1:1 propensity score matching. LT3S was defined as free T3 (fT3)

A catalyst with a core (FeMnK/Al2O3 powder)-shell (Silicalite-2) structure was successfully synthesized by combination of Strober method and hydrothermal crystallization method. TEM, XRD, and N2 adsorption techniques demonstrated that the supported catalyst FeMnK/Al2O3 was encapsulated by Silicalite-2 zeolite with microporous structure. After eliminating diffusion limitation by removal of residual amorphous SiO2 with alkaline treatment, the micron-scale zeolite core-shell catalyst exhibited a much higher selectivity of lower olefins with a favorable CO conversion in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, while the formation of C5+ was greatly restrained because of the confinement effect of S2. Finally, the encapsulated catalyst was found to be highly stable after a long-time running due to the inhibition of carbon deposit. In summary, this preparation method provides us a new clue for the design of highly selective catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis to lower olefins.

The size and shape of the nanoparticles have a great impact on their performances as catalysts. Traditional method of manually measuring particles from scanning/transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM) images has limited counting ability of only up to hundreds of particles, not enough to support an accurate statistic and besides, the one dimensional (1D) manual measurement by drawing a line across nanoparticles would induce large bias given the practical supported catalysts whose particles always present irregular geometry. To develop an automatic and precise recognition method based on TEM data has been a long-standing demand to facilitate a highly efficient catalytic dispersion evaluation. In this paper, we propose an end-to-end boundary attention deep learning network to recognize nanoparticles in S/TEM images. The proposed model is an extension of the U-Net embedding a residual boundary attention module to extract the edge information of catalyst particles and a fusion module to exploit the edge features, gradient features and the results out from decoder to enhance recognition performance. Results demonstrate that the proposed boundary attention structure is superior to well-accepted U-Net framework in dealing with the precise particle recognition. Using our new method, a particle size distribution of PdCu catalyst at statistic scale of 14,000 + is achieved, through which more reliable and accurate results of S/TEM characterization can be obtained to facilitate efficient and reliable evaluation of catalysts dispersion.

Adiabatic calorimetry is one of the main experimental methods to quantitatively study the thermal hazard in chemical process. In this work, a pressure-identification method has been developed to determine the reaction model and evaluate the kinetic parameters in adiabatic process. A theory, named ‘Equivalent adiabatic theory’ was proposed to verify the accuracy of the pressure correction, which states that the calculated generated gas amount is dependable if the equivalent adiabatic initial temperature is constant; otherwise, it is unreliable. Initial conversion calculated by credible generated gas amount can be used as a truth value to determine the kinetic model from models with good fitting by temperature data. Further, this method is applied to two representative substances: 20% DTBP in toluene and 25% CHP in cumene. The validity of this method has been verified by experiment results.

Fully bio-based benzoxazine is classified into sustainable high-performance thermosetting resin and has become current focus in polybenzoxazine field. But lack of bio-based primary diamine restricted the preparation of bis-benzoxazine with high biomass content. In this report, renewable furan-containing diamine (PDFA) derived from furfurylamine was condensed with cardanol/eugenol and formaldehyde under solventless condition to obtain two biomass-based bis-benzoxazine monomers of BBOZ-Ca and BBOZ-Eu. The curing behaviors of two monomers were investigated by non-isothermal DSC method and the results showed that BBOZ-Ca possessed broad processing window comparing with BBOZ-Eu, the characteristic polymerization temperature and activation energy of two monomers were very close to each other, but the total heat releasing (enthalpy of polymerization) of BBOZ-Eu was higher than that of BBOZ-Ca due to its high oxazine content. The TGA results indicated that cured BBOZ-Eu had better thermal resistance than cured BBOZ-Ca, the char yield of cured BBOZ-Eu was 65.4% at 850 °C. Copolymerization with BBOZ-Eu effectively increased the char yield of cured BBOZ-Ca. Isothermal DMA was utilized to further investigate the curing kinetics and the results showed that the storage modulus increased rapidly when polymerization was initiated. The surface properties of cured films were studied using scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and contact angle measurement.

Niacin (nicotinic acid) has been used for primary and secondary coronary heart disease prevention for over 40 years. Until recently clinical trials incorporating niacin as part of an intervention strategy consistently demonstrated reduction in clinical events and lesion improvement, including ≥6% absolute mortality reduction. Two large clinical event trials in 2011 (Atherothrombosis Intervention in Metabolic Syndrome With Low HDL/High Triglycerides and Impact on Global Health Outcomes) and 2014 (Heart Protection Study 2–Treatment of HDL to Reduce the Incidence of Vascular Events) concluded that niacin added to statin therapy did not provide clinical event benefit over statin alone. This has prompted some individuals to call for an end to the use of niacin in statin-treated patients and the US Food and Drug Administration to halt marketing of statin/niacin combination tablets. There are significant differences between the earlier clinical trials that revealed cardiovascular benefit of niacin and the 2 trials that failed to demonstrate a benefit. These differences include dyslipidemia types, niacin formulation, dosing, and timing. In general, the patient population that benefits the most from incorporating niacin in their treatment regimen can be defined by elevations in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides, and reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The niacin formulation and dose should be capable of achieving adequate lipoprotein change. Mealtime dosing of niacin, as opposed to bedtime dosing, may avoid a counter-regulatory hormone response, including catecholamines, because of altered fuel supply potentially leading to unexpected cardiovascular outcomes.

A series of the graphene oxide-ZnAl-layered double hydroxide composites loaded with pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF/GO-LDH) were fabricated by an exfoliation-restacking method. CPF/GO-LDH composites were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetry analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (TGA-DSC). The interlayer distances of CPF/GO-LDH with various GO/LDH mass ratios were in the range of 0.70–0.87 nm, which were analyzed on the basis of electrostatic interaction between LDH nanosheets and GO substrate. The combustion temperature of CPF in the composites was enhanced 130–170 °C. Release behaviors of CPF/GO-LDH composites in buffer solutions were investigated and analyzed. The sustainable slow releases were observed during the whole stage studied, and the release rates and equilibrium release amounts of CPF were closely dependent on release mediums and GO/LDH mass ratios. The release behaviors of CPF/GO-LDH were fitted with pseudo second-order and parabolic diffusion models. The present study suggested that the CPF/GO-LDH could be potentially applied for controlled-release of the pesticide.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether and what carotid plaque characteristics predict systemic cardiovascular outcomes in patients with clinically established atheros...

A series of the In(OH)3 species modified ZnS (ZnS–In(OH)3X% (X ​= ​2, 5, 7, 10)) photocatalysts were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. ZnS–In(OH)3X% (X ​= ​2, 5, 7, 10) exhibited the improvement of photocatalytic activity for the photoreduction of CO2 into CO compared with ZnS. Characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transforms infrared spectra (FT-IR), high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) valence band spectra, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra, photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved PL decay curves, the crystal structure, band structure and behaviors of photogenerated charge carriers for photocatalyst were explored up. It was revealed that the modification of In(OH)3 surface species on surface of ZnS can prolong the fluorescence lifetimes of photogenerated charge carriers, enhance the separate of photoinduced charge carriers efficiently and promote better matching between the band structure and the redox potential of the CO2/CO, resulting in improvement of photocatalytic activity efficiently for ZnS–In(OH)3X% (X ​= ​2, 5, 7, 10) photocatalysts. This work may offer a new understanding to study the effect of surface species modification on photocatalytic performance of photocatalyst.

BackgroundCardiovascular disease (CVD) begins early in life and is associated with both the number of risk factors present and length of exposure to these risk factors including hyperlipidemia.ObjectivesThe clinical benefit of intensive lipid therapy over 25years was investigated in the Familial Atherosclerosis Treatment Study-Observational Study.MethodsOf 175 coronary artery disease subjects with mean low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) of 191mg/dL and mean age of 50years, who completed the randomized and placebo-controlled Familial Atherosclerosis Treatment Study, 100 chose receiving lipid management by their physicians (usual care [UC]) and 75 elected to receive an intensive treatment [IT] for lipid management with lovastatin (40mg/d), niacin (2.5g/d), and colestipol (20g/d) from 1989 to 2004, followed by double therapy with simvastatin (40-80mg/d) and niacin from 2005 to 2006 and by triple therapy of ezetimibe 10mg and simvastatin 40 to 80mg/d plus niacin during 2007 to 2012. Deaths from CVD, non-CVD, and any cause were compared between UC and IT using Cox proportional hazards model.ResultsUC and IT groups were similar in risk factors with the exception that IT had more severe coronary artery disease. Mean LDL-C levels were 167mg/dL from 1988 to 2004, 97 from 2005 to 2006, and 96 from 2007 to 2012 in surviving subjects receiving UC. IT lowered LDL-C to 119, 97, and 83 mg/dL in the 3 periods, respectively. Compared with UC, IT significantly reduced total mortality (11.1 vs 26.3 per 1000 person years [PY], hazard ratio [HR]=0.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.26-0.77, P=.003) and CVD mortality (10.6 vs 27.7 per 1000 PY, HR=0.34, 95% CI: 0.15-0.80, P=.009). The non-CVD mortality was also reduced but was not of statistical significance (6.8 vs 12.7 per 1000 PY, HR=0.55, 95% CI: 0.27-1.14, P=.11).ConclusionsLong-term intensive lipid therapy significantly reduced total and cardiovascular mortality in Familial Atherosclerosis Treatment Study-Observational Study. These results support the importance of lifetime risk management to improve long-term outcome.

Main-chain type polybenzoxazine precursors (MCPPs) are a current focus in the polybenzoxazine field for their improved char yield, thermal stability and film-forming ability compared to monomeric benzoxazines resins. To improve sustainability, there is an urgent need to utilize renewable feedstocks instead of fossil-based chemicals in the preparation of MCPPs. Here, renewable furfurylamine and salicylaldehyde were used as staring materials to synthesize high biomass content MCPPs through a three-steps polymerization route. The number-average molecular weight of a bio-based MCPP is 6100 g/mol, and it has a polydispersity index of 1.7. The furan-containing MCPP shows two polymerization stages during heating; the main exothermic stage at approximately 250 °C is attributed to the ring-opening polymerization of benzoxazine units, and the secondary stage at higher temperature is due to a crosslinking reaction between furan rings, forming furfurylamine Mannich bridges, and an oxidization-induced coupling reaction. The average activation energy of an MCPP is approximately 173.8 kJ/mol. The 240 °C-cured film is transparent with a glass transition temperature of over 300 °C. The crosslinked film shows a high thermal stability and a char yield of greater than 66% in a nitrogen atmosphere. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images indicated that a defect-free film can be made by controlling the curing parameters.

We examined the association of N-Terminal pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP), a marker of cardiac remodeling, with subsequent major adverse cardiovascular and cerebral event (MACCE) in patients had successful PCI for ACS and normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Of a total of

Excessive formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) impairs voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels in rat coronary artery smooth muscle cells (CSMCs), resulting in weakened Kv-mediated coronary vasodilation. We hypothesized that induction of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway by AGEs plays a significant role in the regulation of Kv channel-mediated vasodilation in Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats. Assays of mRNA transcripts, protein expression, and intracellular localization as well as patch-clamp experiments in cultured CSMCs revealed that AGEs significantly induced activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway, reduced Kv1.2/1.5 expression, and inhibited Kv currents. In addition, silencing of the receptor for AGEs (RAGE) or p65 with siRNA and treatment with alagrebrium (ALA) or pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) alleviated the AGE-induced impairment of Kv channels in CSMCs. Compared with Zucker lean (ZL) rats, the amount of AGEs, RAGE protein expression, and NF-κB activity in coronary arteries were higher in ZDF rats; whereas Kv1.2/1.5 expression was significantly lower in ZDF rats. Reduced Kv1.2/1.5 expression in coronary arteries and impaired Kv-mediated coronary relaxation tested by wire myography in ZDF rats were markedly improved by treatment with aminoguanidine (AG), ALA, or PDTC. These effects were accompanied by diminished NF-κB activity, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Taken together, these results indicate that an increased interaction between AGEs and RAGE in diabetic rats leads to impaired Kv channel-mediated coronary vasodilation. Moreover, activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway and a subsequent increase of inflammation and oxidative stress may play an important role in AGE-induced impairment of coronary vasodilation in diabetes.

Different percentage of PdO composited TiO2 photocatalysts (TiO2-PdOX%, X ≥ 1.5) are prepared using the sol-gel way. It can be revealed that the inducted Pd ions play a role of PdO surface species instead of entering into the TiO2 crystal lattice determined by the characterization measurements of X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The behaviors of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and band structure of the synthesized TiO2-PdOX% (X ≥ 1.5) photocatalysts are investigated by Photoluminescence (PL), PL lifetime decay curves, XPS valence band (VB) spectra, the density-functional theory (DFT) calculation and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra. The TiO2-PdOX% (X ≥ 1.5) photocatalysts exhibit higher activity for conversion of CO2 to CH4 than pristine TiO2 due to the presence of PdO. The inactivation mechanism for TiO2-PdOX% photoreduction is also discussed. This work can further explain the influence of surface species on photocatalytic performance.

Objectives This study sought to examine the relationship between niacin treatment, lipoproteins, and cardiovascular (CV) outcomes in this secondary analysis of the AIM-HIGH (Atherothrombosis Intervention in Metabolic Syndrome With Low HDL/High Triglycerides and Impact on Global Health Outcomes) trial. Background During a 3-year follow-up in 3,414 patients with established CV disease and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, combined niacin + low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)–lowering therapy did not reduce CV events compared with LDL-C–lowering therapy alone. Methods Subjects taking simvastatin and/or ezetimibe were randomized to receive extended-release (ER) niacin 1,500 to 2,000 mg or minimal immediate-release niacin (≤150 mg) as placebo at bedtime. LDL-C levels in both groups were maintained from 40 to 80 mg/dl. Hazard ratios were estimated by using Cox proportional hazards models for relationships between lipoproteins and the composite endpoint of CV death, myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndrome, ischemic stroke, or symptom-driven revascularization. Results CV outcomes were not associated with ER niacin in any baseline lipoprotein tertile. In a subset of patients in both the highest triglyceride (≥198 mg/dl) and lowest HDL-C ( Conclusions Baseline lipoprotein tertiles did not predict differential benefit or harm with ER niacin added to LDL-C–lowering therapy, but a small dyslipidemic subgroup may benefit. ER niacin attenuated expected relationships of lipoprotein risk factors with CV events, raising the possibility that nonlipoprotein actions of niacin could affect risk. (Niacin Plus Statin to Prevent Vascular Events [AIM-HIGH]; NCT00120289 )

In this paper the time-evaluation diagnostics of plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition (PA-ALD) of Al 2 O 3 thin film were performed, in which the spectroscopic ellipsometry and mass spectrometry were used in-situ monitoring group reactions. We obtain that the nucleation density and film growth rate of PA-ALD were increased along with the magnetic field strength. The film growth in the initial cycles was switched from island mode to layer-by-layer mode. Besides, in no magnetic field deposition O radicals were consumed at the surface in whole process by combustion-like reaction with the surface CH 3 ligand when the deposition was processed in O 2 plasma period, whereas under the magnetic field deposition, the O radicals were consumed much quickly in the first several seconds. Additionally, in magnetic field assistance process the main by-product were C 2 H 4 , C 2 H 2 and CH 4 , then releasing gases were CO 2 , CO and H 2 O. We result that the reaction mechanisms under the magnetic field assistance might be totally different from normal PA-ALD, or thermal-ALD process.

Methanol and ethanol sorption and transport in 1100 equivalent weight H+Nafion were compared to water sorption and transport. Sorption isotherms for methanol and ethanol were fit to a solvation shell model, with four molecules in the first solvation shell. The larger molar volume of alcohols resulted in greater swelling from sorption. Proton conductivity is five times greater for water saturated Nafion than alcohol saturated Nafion. Alcohol pervaporation and alcohol vapor permeation is slower than water pervaporation and water vapor permeation. The Nafion/vapor interfacial transport coefficients for alcohols and water scale with vapor pressure. The diffusivity of water is 3–4 times greater than the diffusivity of methanol and ethanol. The results indicate that alcohols sorb by solvating the sulfonic acid groups, similar to the interaction of water with Nafion. Larger alcohol molecules diffuse slower in the hydrophilic channels of Nafion than the smaller water molecules.

Objectives The purpose of this study was to test the lipid depletion hypothesis and to establish the time course of change in carotid plaque morphology and composition during lipid therapy using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Background Lipid therapy is thought to improve plaque stability and reduce cardiovascular events by targeting the plaque rupture risk features such as large lipid core, thin fibrous cap, and high level of inflammatory infiltrates. However, the plaque stabilizing process during lipid therapy has not been clearly demonstrated in humans and in vivo. Methods Subjects with coronary or carotid artery disease, apolipoprotein B ≥120 mg/dl, and lipid treatment history Results After 3 years of lipid therapy, the 33 subjects with measurable lipid-rich necrotic core (LRNC) at baseline had a significant reduction in plaque lipid content: LRNC volume decreased from 60.4 ± 59.5 mm3 to 37.4 ± 69.5 mm3 (p Conclusions Intensive lipid therapy significantly depletes carotid plaque lipid. Statistically significant plaque lipid depletion is observed after 1 year of treatment and continues in the second year, and precedes plaque regression. (Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Evaluate Carotid Artery Plaque Composition in People Receiving Cholesterol-Lowering Medications [The CPC Study]; NCT00715273 ).

Background Alterations in protein composition and oxidative damage of high density lipoprotein (HDL) have been proposed to impair the cardioprotective properties of HDL. We tested whether relative levels of proteins in HDL2 could be used as biomarkers for coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods Twenty control and eighteen CAD subjects matched for HDL-cholesterol, age, and sex were studied. HDL2 isolated from plasma was digested with trypsin and analyzed by high-resolution matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) and pattern recognition analysis. Results Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) of mass spectra clearly differentiated CAD from control subjects with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROCAUC) of 0.94. Targeted tandem mass spectrometric analysis of the model's significant features revealed that HDL2 of CAD subjects contained oxidized methionine residues of apolipoprotein A-I and elevated levels of apolipoprotein C-III. A proteomic signature composed of MALDI-MS signals from apoA-I, apoC-III, Lp(a) and apoC-I accurately classified CAD and control subjects (ROCAUC = 0.82). Conclusions HDL2 of CAD subjects carries a distinct protein cargo and that protein oxidation helps generate dysfunctional HDL. Moreover, models based on selected identified peptides in MALDI-TOF mass spectra of the HDL may have diagnostic potential.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has become the leading cause for mortality in China. We assessed the CVD risk burden and its change in an urban community-based population. Community-organized health checkouts in 2014 and 2016 among residents aged ≥18 years in Beijing Daxing District provided data on

Simultaneous biodegradation of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and organophosphates (OPs) by a recombinant Stenotrophomonas sp. was studied in the study. The broad-host-range plasmid pVGAB, harboring enhanced green fluorescent protein gene ( egfp ) and dehalogenase genes ( linA and linB ), was constructed and transformed into the OP-degrading strain Stenotrophomonas YC-1 to get the recombinant strain YC-H. Over-expression of dehalogenase (LinA and LinB) and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was obtained in YC-H by determining their enzymatic activities and fluorescence intensity. YC-H was capable of rapidly and simultaneously degrading 10 mg/l γ-HCH and 100 mg/l methyl parathion (MP) determined by GC–ECD analysis. A bioremediation assay with YC-H inoculated into fumigated and nonfumigated soil showed that both 10 mg/kg γ-HCH and 100 mg/kg MP could be completely degraded within 32 days. The novel EGFP-marked bacterium could be potentially applied in the field-scale decontamination of HCH and OPs residues in the environment.