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Inflammation is thought to affect the development of prostate cancer (PCa). By retrospectively investigating the database of the National Health Insurance Service, this study attempted to perform a relevant analysis of patients with prostatitis and PCa.Participants were aged ≥ 50 years. Patients diagnosed with prostatitis between 2010 and 2013 and matched controls were followed up until 2019. We selected controls with matched propensity scores for age, diabetes, hypertension, and the Charlson comorbidity index. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was conducted to determine the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of the association between prostatitis and PCa. The HR for PCa according to the presence of prostatitis was classified as acute, chronic, or other prostatitis.A total of 746,176 patients from each group were analyzed. The incidence of PCa was significantly higher in the group with prostatitis (1.8% vs 0.6%, p 0.001). The HR for PCa was significantly higher in patients with prostatitis (HR 2.99; 95% CI 2.89-3.09, p 0.001). The HR for PCa was significantly higher in acute prostatitis than in chronic prostatitis (3.82; 95% CI 3.58-4.08; p 0.001; HR 2.77; 95% CI 2.67-2.87, p 0.001). The incidence of all-cause death in patients diagnosed PCa was significantly lower in prostatitis group (HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.53-0.63, p 0.001).Prostatitis is associated with an increased incidence of PCa. Acute prostatitis is associated with higher risk of PCa than chronic prostatitis. Clinicians should inform patients with prostatitis that they may have an increased risk of diagnosing PCa, and follow-up is needed.

A unique electrocatalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of aldehydes and its facile kinetics on a Cu-based porous electrode enables an ultra-low voltage bipolar H2 production system with industrial-relevant current densities.

A product-oriented electrolyzer design offers a remarkably high nitrate-to-ammonia performance on a simple nickel electrode in an aqueous NaOH/KOH/H2O electrolyte.

Bicarbonate electrolyzer can achieve the direct conversion of CO

The seasonality of hip fracture in haemodialysis (HD) patients and kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) have not been reported. We assessed seasonal variations in hip fractures among patients with end-stage kidney disease who undergo maintenance HD and KTRs.Using the Korean National Health Insurance System database from January 2012 to December 2017, monthly counts of hip fracture were calculated among HD patients (n = 77 420) and KTRs (n = 8921). The 6-year normalized monthly fraction and seasonal fractions of hip fractures were calculated. A cosinor analysis was performed to determine the seasonality of the monthly incidence of hip fractures.The 6-year average monthly fraction of hip fractures was lowest in June and highest in October in HD patients, and lowest in February and highest in November in KTRs. The 6-year average seasonal fraction among HD patients was lowest in summer and highest in winter, and lowest in summer and highest in autumn among KTRs, but there was no significant difference. The incidence ratio of hip fractures was lowest in June and highest in January in HD patients, and lowest in August and highest in November in KTRs. On cosinor analysis, HD patients showed significant seasonality in hip fracture incidence, with a trough in summer and a peak in winter (p = .031), whereas KTRs did not exhibit a significant trend (p = .44).Hip fractures occurred more frequently in winter and less frequently in summer in patients undergoing HD, whereas KTRs did not show a seasonal trend.

Background: Despite the benefits of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs), whether NOAC therapy has a better risk-benefit profile than warfarin therapy in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), including end-stage renal disease (ESRD), remains uncertain. We investigated the efficacy and safety of NOACs compared to warfarin in these patients using a nationwide database.Methods: We evaluated patients with incident non-valvular AF and CKD in the Korea National Health Insurance Database from 2013 to 2018. The primary and secondary efficacy outcomes were ischemic stroke and all-cause mortality, respectively. The primary safety outcomes included intracranial hemorrhage, gastrointestinal bleeding, and extracranial or unclassified major bleeding.Results: Among the 1,885 patients, 970 (51.5%) initiated warfarin therapy, whereas 915 (48.5%) initiated NOAC therapy. Although NOAC users had a lower proportion of patients with ESRD than warfarin users (6.6% vs. 32.5%, p 2DS2-VASC score, and modified HAS-BLED score compared with warfarin users. During a mean follow-up period of 23.8 months, there were 293 and 214 cases of ischemic stroke and all-cause death, respectively. There was no difference in ischemic stroke between the two groups. However, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that all-cause mortality was significantly lower in NOAC users than in warfarin users. In multivariate Cox regression analyses, the hazard ratio for all-cause mortality compared to warfarin therapy was 0.41 (95% CI, 0.30-0.56; p < 0.001) in NOAC therapy. Additionally, NOAC therapy significantly reduced intracranial hemorrhage and gastrointestinal bleeding in multivariate Cox regression analyses.Conclusions: This study showed that NOAC therapy had a better risk-benefit profile than warfarin therapy in patients with AF and CKD. To clarify the benefits of NOACs in patients with AF and CKD, further well-designed clinical trials are needed.

Silver and palladium ion-exchanged BEA zeolites (Si/Al = 12.5) and silver ion-exchanged ZSM-5 zeolites (Si/Al = 15) were studied for their ability to adsorb and desorb propylene and NO under simulated diesel exhaust conditions. The adsorption experiment results demonstrated the excellent ability of bare BEA zeolites to adsorb propylene, but only a small amount of NO. The presence of H2O inhibited the adsorption of both C3H6 and NO. Ion-exchanging BEA zeolites with Ag (1.2 and 5.1 wt.% Ag/BEA) attenuated the inhibiting effect of H2O on C3H6 adsorption, while NO storage remained inhibited. Adsorption experiments indicated that C3H6 and NO competed with each other for Pd sites with C3H6 showing stronger adsorption compared to NO, whereas Ag sites preferentially adsorbed C3H6. DRIFTS data indicated the formation of nitrate, formate and acetate species on Ag and Pd, while C3H6 and NO adsorption was also observed on the zeolite hydroxyl groups in the absence of H2O. However, the C3H6 and NO adsorption on the zeolite hydroxyl groups was significantly inhibited in the presence of H2O. Additionally, nitrosyl, acrolein and carbonate species were formed over 1.0 wt.% Pd/BEA. The effluent analysis during the temperature-programmed desorption in the DRIFTS reactor revealed that adsorbed C3H6 and NO reacted during the release to form oxidation reaction byproducts. The 1.0 wt.% Pd/BEA zeolite showed the greatest oxidation ability during desorption with the majority of stored C3H6 converted to CO2.

Three potential adsorption sites within the Ag/SSZ-13 zeolite are compared for their ethylene and water adsorption capacity. Ethylene acts as a model hydrocarbon molecule in this work to stand in f...

Electrochemical reduction of biomass-derived feedstocks holds great promise to produce value-added chemicals or fuels driven by renewable electricity. However, mechanistic understanding of the aldehyde reduction toward valuable products at the molecular level within the interfacial regions is still lacking. Herein, through tailoring the local environments, including H/D composition and local H3O+ and H2O content, we studied the furfural reduction on Pb electrodes in acid conditions and elucidated the detailed pathways toward three key products: furfuryl alcohol (FA), 2-methylfuran (MF), and hydrofuroin. By combining isotopic labeling and electrokinetic studies, we revealed the source of protons (H2O and H3O+) plays a critical but different role in the hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis pathways toward FA and MF, respectively. In particular, the product-selective kinetic isotopic effect of H/D and the surface property-dependent hydrogenation/deuteration pathway strongly impacted the generation of FA but not MF. This is because FA and MF are produced from Langmuir-Hinshelwood and Eley-Rideal pathways, respectively. Through modifying the double layer by cations with large radii, we further correlated the product selectivity (FA and MF) qualitatively and quantitively with interfacial environments (local H3O+ and H2O content, interfacial electric field, and differential capacitances). Experimental and computational investigations further suggested competitive pathways toward hydrofuroin and FA: Hydrofuroin is favorably produced through the self-coupling of ketyl radicals in the electrolyte, which are formed from the outer-sphere single-electron transfers, while FA is generated from hydrogenation of the adsorbed furfural/ketyl radical on the electrode surface.

Ammonia (NH3) is a primary form of reactive nitrogen (Nr) which is an essential nutrient for all lives on the earth. Over the past century, the anthropological N2-fixing process in the industry (i.e., the Haber-Bosch process) has contributed to a significant portion of NH3 production, and has also led to the continued accumulation of Nr in our ecosystems that has caused alarming and profound damages to the ecosystems as well as human welfare, as the rate of Nr generation is not balanced by the natural nitrification-denitrification process for its elimination. For example, leakage of excessive nitrate (NO3 −) into the water bodies caused by overfertilization of crop fields and discharged streams from food processing facilities has led to the formation of “dead zones” in coastal areas created by eutrophication. Denitrification in nature is also accompanied by the considerable generation of nitrous oxide (N2O) which possesses century-long stability and a 300-time greater potential for greenhouse effect than CO2. Therefore, restoring the balance between the generation and elimination of Nr is a challenging but urgent task faced by our human beings today. Sustainable solutions to this human-induced matter have been actively pursued in recent years either by converting Nr to harmless N2 (i.e., denitrification), or by enhancing the effective circulation and utilization of Nr in the cycle of the nitrogen element. For instance, the electrochemical reduction of nitrate (NO3RR) is a promising approach as it can eliminate Nr without the need for additional oxidant/reductant. Selective NO3RR toward N2 is highly desirable but remains difficult to achieve due to the high activation barrier for linking two N atoms on typical catalyst surfaces, and thus the coexistence of competing pathways toward other N-containing products. Alternatively, if other forms of Nr in waste resources can be converted to NH3 in an electrochemical device, this process will not only alleviate the environmental impacts of those Nr, but also simultaneously produce NH3 that could substantially decrease the NH3 demand from the Haber-Bosch process, reduce the use of fossil-derived H2 in NH3 production, and decelerate the accumulation of Nr. In this work, we seek to develop an electricity-driven process that can convert various forms of Nr in real waste resources into manageable NH3 products. The key component is a membrane-free alkaline electrolyzer (MFAEL) which transforms Nr into NH3 as the sole N-containing product. With the inexpensive and robust MFAEL system, we achieved an ampere-level partial current density towards NH3 production. By properly choosing the conditions of NH3 collection from MFAEL, continuous production of pure NH3-based chemicals can be realized without the need for additional separation procedures. Techno-economic analysis (TEA) suggests the potential economic feasibility of the waste-to-NH3 process by coupling electrodialysis (ED) for Nr concentration and the MFAEL process for Nr conversion, offering an all-sustainable route for upcycling waste N into the highest-demanded N-based chemical product, so that the growing trend of Nr buildup can be largely decelerated and reversed.

OBJECTIVE We investigated the long-term clinical efficacy of fenofibrate use with regard to mortality and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We performed a population-based cohort study using data of the South Korean National Health Insurance Service from 2003 to 2014. Of 63,727 participants with diabetes aged 40–79 years, 5,057 users of fenofibrate only were compared with 5,057 nonusers of fenofibrate and/or omega-3 fatty acid with 1:1 propensity matching. The primary end point was a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, percutaneous coronary revascularization, and cardiac death for a median of 3 years. RESULTS The primary end point was significantly lower in fenofibrate users compared with those using neither fenofibrate nor omega-3 fatty acid (13.4 vs. 15.5 per 1,000 person-years; hazard ratio [HR] 0.76; 95% CI 0.62–0.94; P = 0.010). Cardiac death (1.8 vs. 3.1 per 1,000 person-years; HR 0.59; 95% CI 0.352–0.987; P = 0.0446), all-cause death (7.6 vs. 15.3 per 1,000 person-years; HR 0.437; 95% CI 0.340–0.562; P < 0.0001), and stroke (6.5 vs. 8.6 per 1,000 person-years; HR 0.621; 95% CI 0.463–0.833; P = 0.0015) were significantly lower in the fenofibrate group. When the duration of fenofibrate use was stratified by quartile, the risk decreased in quartile 4, with an HR of 0.347 (95% CI 0.226–0.532; P < 0.0001). In subgroup analysis, the favorable effect of fenofibrate was sustained consistently across all subsets of patients, including those classified by LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. CONCLUSIONS Use of fenofibrate was associated with a lower rate of total and cardiac mortality and cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes during a 3-year follow-up in real-world large populations.

Heart failure (HF) is a disease with high morbidity and mortality. With ageing society and increasing prevalence of risk factors of HF, the prevalence of HF is expected to increase, as well. In this official report of the Korean Society of Heart Failure the epidemiology of HF in Korea is presented.The data of Korean National Health Insurance big data, the Korean Heart Failure (KorHF) and the Korean Acute Heart Failure (KorAHF) registries have been used.In 2018, the prevalence, incidence, mortality of HF patients, and mortality due to HF were 2,261, 579, 245, and 10.4 per 100.000 persons, respectively. Regarding the temporal trend, there was a continuous increase in HF prevalence (0.77% in 2002, 1.48% in 2013, and 2.24% in 2018) and HF related deaths. The most common etiology for HF was ischemic origin, and the dominant subtype was HF with reduced ejection fraction (EF), defined as EF ≤40%. Of these, 77.6%, 58.0%, and 55.1% received renin-angiotensin-system inhibitors (angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin-receptor-blockers), beta-blockers, and aldosterone-antagonists, respectively. In 2018, 1,542 implantable cardiac defibrillators and 272 cardiac resynchronization therapy devices were implanted, and 176 patients received heart transplantation. With improvement of pharmacologic and non-pharmacological therapy, the survival time of HF has been improving in the last 2 decades; nonetheless, it is associated with enormous increase in medical costs.The prevalence of HF has been increasing in Korea. With improvement of therapy, the prognosis of HF has been improving, too. Nonetheless, appropriate interventions are necessary to prevent HF.

The modern three-way catalyst (TWC) is very effective for treating the hydrocarbons (HCs), carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) from stoichiometric gasoline engines once the TWC has achieved its minimum operating temperature (e.g., 250 to 400 °C, depending on the gas species). Likewise, the diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst with urea injection, and the diesel particulate filter (DPF) are effective for treating the HCs, CO, NOx, and particulate matter (PM) emissions from diesel engines once the catalysts are warmed up, although this can require a significant length of time (e.g., 1 to 3 min) because of the relatively low exhaust temperatures from diesel engines. For both types of engines, excess fueling is often used to accelerate the heating of the catalyst system after a cold start, although this decreases the fuel economy of the vehicle. Even with excess fueling, a high portion (up to 80%) of the total vehicle emissions is emitted during the cold start period (i.e., the period before the catalysts are functional). To treat the HC emissions during this cold start period, one approach is to employ a HC trap (HCT) that can adsorb the HC emissions at low temperatures and then oxidize the stored HCs to carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) at higher temperatures. To treat the NOx emissions during the cold start period, a passive NOx adsorber (PNA) can adsorb the NOx at low temperatures. For stoichiometric gasoline applications, the PNA can then reduce the stored NOx to nitrogen (N2) at higher temperatures. On diesel engines, the PNA can release the stored NOx back into the exhaust once the downstream urea/SCR system is operational. Some adsorber technologies have the capability of adsorbing HCs and NOx simultaneously. In this review, the HC trapping and passive NOx adsorbing technologies will be discussed in separate sections. This review will describe how the current trapping technologies can be applied in vehicle exhaust systems, the material properties required for efficient HCTs and PNAs, and the exhaust conditions that can inhibit/enhance their trapping properties. First, the performance of HCTs will be discussed in terms of their physical properties (e.g., pore size, acidity, presence of metal ions) and the trapping conditions (e.g., storage temperature, space velocity, and the presence of other exhaust species such as H2O and CO2). This will be followed by in-depth coverage of the reactions occurring during HC desorption. The second part of this review will focus on the composition of various PNA formulations, the effects of the trapping conditions (e.g., temperature, space velocity, the presence of other exhaust species such as CO2, H2O, CO, and C2H4), and the effects of sulfur poisoning on their trapping performance. The effect of hydrothermal aging and the regenerability of HCTs and PNAs will also be discussed. A significant amount of literature has emerged recently regarding HCTs and PNAs; this review is primarily focused on summarizing this literature and reconciling the differences presented.

The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) has attracted enormous attention as a promising technology not only to mitigate CO2 accumulation, but also to convert CO2 into valuable chemicals and fuels.Formate/formic acid is a value-added product from CO2RR that is an important intermediate for chemical industries such as medicines, rubbers, leather and deicing materials. Moreover, it can be used as a source for hydrogen storage, transportation, as well as a fuel for direct formic acid fuel cells. Bismuth nanosheets (BiNSs) have been recognized as a promising catalyst for electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2RR) to formate, but its preparation typically involves an elaborate synthesis of Bi-precursors under elevated temperature and pressure. Here, we have demonstrated a simple, low-cost preparation method for BiNSs by in-situ morphology transformation of Bi2O3 particles by simple electrochemical processing. SEM analysis showed that such transformation is exceedingly facile on the precipitated Bi2O3 particles compared to BiNPs and Oxi-BiNPs, revealing the crucial roles of oxygen and the initial morphology of Bi precursor in the exfoliation of BiNSs. The OD-BiNS exhibited superior CO2RR performance compared to the BiNPs and Oxi-BiNPs. 93% of FE was achieved with the current density of 62 mA cm−2 at −0.95 VRHE in the H-type cell. The enhanced CO2RR performance of OD-BiNSs can be attributed to its higher intrinsic activity and increased ECSA. 94% of FE with a high current density of 200 mA cm−2 was achieved in the flow cell, suggesting OD-BiNSs as a promising catalyst for practical applications of CO2RR. Our recent research on flow electrolytic cells for CO2 reduction will also be presented.

A series of Ag ion-exchanged ZSM-5 (Si/Al = 11.5) zeolites with different Ag loadings (0.5, 0.8, 1.6, 3.0, 4.6 wt%) were investigated for their ability to adsorb and desorb C2H4 and C7H8 under simulated diesel exhaust conditions. Ion-exchanging ZSM-5 zeolites with Ag (Ag(0.8)/ZSM-5) led to an increase in the adsorption capacities of C2H4 and C7H8 compared to HZSM-5 in the absence of H2O. The C2H4 and C7H8 adsorption capacities of Ag(0.8)/ZSM-5 slightly decreased in the presence of H2O, indicating that H2O competes with both C2H4 and C7H8 for adsorption sites. Minor competitive adsorption between C2H4 and C7H8 was observed. Density functional theory calculations suggested that C2H4 is preferentially adsorbed in the sinusoidal channel of ZSM-5, while C2H4 and C7H8 are competing at the straight channels and the intersection of the sinusoidal and straight channels. With an increase in Ag loading from 0.5 to 4.6 wt% both C2H4 and C7H8 adsorption capacities increased from 38 to 163 and from 127 to 304 μmol/g, respectively. Temperature programmed desorption experiments indicated that an increase in Ag loading can lead to an increase in C2H4 and C7H8 desorption temperatures. During desorption the adsorbed C7H8 reacted to form CO, CH2O and C6H6, while C2H4 desorbed as is. Reductive pretreatments at 200 and 600 °C over Ag(4.6)/ZSM-5 resulted to a 33 and 58% decrease in C2H4 adsorption capacity, respectively, compared to its oxidized form. The C2H4 adsorption capacity can be mostly recovered after oxidation treatments at 600 °C, indicating that Ag+ reduction is reversible in ZSM-5 zeolites. Reductive pretreatments did not alter the C7H8 adsorption capacity.

Electrodes composed of multilayered graphene grown on a metal foam (GMF) were prepared by directly growing multilayer graphene sheets on a three-dimensional (3D) Ni-foam substrate via a self-catalyzing chemical vapor deposition process. The multilayer graphene sheets are successfully grown on the Ni-foam substrate surface, maintaining the unique 3D macroporous structure of the Ni foam. The potential use of GMF electrodes in nonaqueous redox flow batteries (RFBs) is carefully examined using [Co(bpy)3]+/2+ and [Fe(bpy)3]2+/3+ redox couples. The GMF electrodes display a much improved electrochemical activity and enhanced kinetics toward the [Co(bpy)3]+/2+ (anolyte) and [Fe(bpy)3]2+/3+ (catholyte) redox couples, compared with the bare Ni metal foam electrodes, suggesting that the 2D graphene sheets having lots of interdomain defects provide sufficient reaction sites and secure electric-conduction pathways. Consequently, a nonaqueous RFB cell assembled with GMF electrodes exhibits high Coulombic and voltage ef...

The effects of the ultrasonic irradiation on the colloidal stability of B4C and PbO fillers suspended in low-viscosity hardener and the subsequent preparations of the epoxy composites were studied. The ultrasonic dispersion ensured a long-period colloidal stability of the filler particles with their initial particle size levels in liquid hardener. For less hard PbO microparticles, the particle size decreased with an increase in ultrasonication time by fragmentation. The effectiveness of ultrasonication was remarkable for the nanoparticles owing to the presence of greater surface area. FT-IR measurements revealed that a particle-to-hardener interaction became stronger. Virtually, this interaction was critical to yield both the homogeneous distribution and strong interface of the B4C and PbO particles in the epoxy matrices, resulting in the improved mechanical and thermal performances of the B4C/epoxy and PbO/epoxy composites. POLYM. COMPOS., 2014. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers

High functional epoxy nanocomposites with three different filler materials, i.e., B 4 C, PbO, and Al(OH) 3 , were fabricated using an effective fabrication method consisting of an ultrasonic dispersion of nanoparticles in low-viscosity hardener and a subsequent mixing of a hardener-nanoparticle colloid with epoxy resins. It was confirmed that this approach provided not only an uniform dispersion but also an excellent wetting with enhanced interfacial adhesion of nano-particulate fillers within the matrix. By incorporating those three fillers, a synergistic effect was verified in multiple properties such as mechanical strength properties, thermal degradation, flame retardancy, and radiation shielding performance.