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Abstract Purpose To determine the rate of acute kidney injury (AKI) after laparoscopic colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery and the predictive value of urine neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (uNGAL) for postoperative AKI and mortality during 3 years of follow‐up. Methods A total of 216 CRC patients who had undergone laparoscopic surgery were included in our study. We divided all patients into two groups, including group 1 (n = 31) with postoperative AKI and group 2 (n = 185) without postoperative AKI. Urine NGAL was measured using the ELISA technique. Clinical and laboratory data were collected the day before surgery. Postoperative AKI included events occurring within 7 days of the index operation, and mortality was obtained during 3 years of follow‐up. Results The ratio of postoperative AKI was 14.35% (31/216 patients). The urine NGAL level in group 1 was significantly higher than in group 2, p

Abstract Background and Aim A low serum prealbumin concentration is common in maintenance hemodialysis patients with hepatitis B and C and may be associated with mortality. In this study, we assessed Department of Nephrology and Hemodialysis predictive value of a low serum prealbumin concentration on mortality in HD patients using reused low‐flux dialyzers who were infected with hepatitis B and/or C virus. Methods We used serum prealbumin levels to predict the long‐term mortality of 326 hemodialysis patients. The patients were divided into two groups: group 1 (n = 140, with hepatitis B and/or C virus infections), and group 2 (n = 186, without hepatitis virus infections). Results During a 5‐year follow‐up, there were 75 deaths due to all‐cause mortality (23.0%). Mortality was significantly higher (P

NaGdF4:Dy3+ nanocrystals (NCs) have been synthesized using a precipitation technique. The structural characteristics and morphology of the materials were analyzed using X-ray diffraction patterns and scanning electron microscopy images, respectively. The photoluminescence excitation spectra, emission spectra and decay curves of all samples were recorded at room temperature. The color feature of Dy3+ luminescence was estimated using CIE chromaticity coordinates and the correlated color temperature. The radiative properties of the Dy3+:4F9/2 level in the material were analyzed within the framework of JO theory. In NaGdF4:Dy3+ NCs, the energy transfer from Gd3+ to Dy3+ causes an enhancement in the luminescence of the Dy3+ ions. The rate of the processes taking part in the depopulation of Gd3+ ions was estimated. The energy transfer between Dy3+ ions leads to the luminescence quenching of NaGdF4:Dy3+. In this process, the dipole–dipole interaction, which is found by using the Inokuti–Hirayama model, is the dominant mechanism. The characteristic parameters of the energy transfer processes between Dy3+ ions have also been calculated in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of nanocomposite photocatalysts with high photocatalytic activity, cost-effectiveness, a simple preparation process, and scalability for practical applications is of great interest. In this study, nanocomposites of TiO2 Degussa P25 nanoparticles/activated carbon (TiO2/AC) were prepared at various mass ratios of (4:1), (3:2), (2:3), and (1:4) by a facile process involving manual mechanical pounding, ultrasonic-assisted mixing in an ethanol solution, paper filtration, and mild thermal annealing. The characterization methods included XRD, SEM-EDS, Raman, FTIR, XPS, and UV-Vis spectroscopies. The effects of TiO2/AC mass ratios on the structural, morphological, and photocatalytic properties were systematically studied in comparison with bare TiO2 and bare AC. TiO2 nanoparticles exhibited dominant anatase and minor rutile phases and a crystallite size of approximately 21 nm, while AC had XRD peaks of graphite and carbon and a crystallite size of 49 nm. The composites exhibited tight decoration of TiO2 nanoparticles on micron-/submicron AC particles, and uniform TiO2/AC composites were obtained, as evidenced by the uniform distribution of Ti, O, and C in an EDS mapping. Moreover, Raman spectra show the typical vibration modes of anatase TiO2 (e.g., E1g(1), B1g(1), Eg(3)) and carbon materials with D and G bands. The TiO2/AC with (4:1), (3:2), and (2:3) possessed higher reaction rate constants (k) in photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) than that of either TiO2 or AC. Among the investigated materials, TiO2/AC = 4:1 achieved the highest photocatalytic activity with a high k of 55.2 × 10−3 min−1 and an MB removal efficiency of 96.6% after 30 min of treatment under UV-Vis irradiation (120 mW/cm2). The enhanced photocatalytic activity for TiO2/AC is due to the synergistic effect of the high adsorption capability of AC and the high photocatalytic activity of TiO2. Furthermore, TiO2/AC promotes the separation of photoexcited electron/hole (e−/h+) pairs to reduce their recombination rate and thus enhance photocatalytic activity. The optimal TiO2/AC composite with a mass ratio of 4/1 is suggested for treating industrial or household wastewater with organic pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is an autoethnography of how engaging with my previous autoethnographic article facilitated my recovery and self-growth. I wrote my previous piece (Nguyen-Trung, 2022) while stranded in Australia due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented me from visiting my grandfather one last time before his passing in 2021. If my past autoethnography focused on the themes of death, grief, and loss, the current article's autoethnography revolves around awakening, healing, and self-transformation. In this current article, I reflexively look back on my autoethnographic journey and reflect on how it impacted me as a grandchild and a human being on the one hand, and a qualitative sociologist and a writer on the other. I tell stories of how, since writing my first autoethnography and sharing it with others, whether at an academic conference, a meeting, a social encounter, or via a social media post, I managed to overcome the darkest time of my life and gradually heal my personal crisis and somehow transform myself. There were three key lessons learned from such a journey: the emergence of self-awareness, the significance of empathy and humanity within research communities, and the therapeutic and transformative potential of writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Although stem cell transplantation has been successfully performed for cerebral palsy (CP) related to oxygen deprivation, clinical trials involving the use of stem cell transplantation for CP related to neonatal icterus have not been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of transplantation of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cell (BMMC) for improving gross motor function and muscle tone in children with CP related to neonatal icterus. Methods This open-label, uncontrolled clinical trial, which included 25 patients with CP related to neonatal icterus who had a Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) score between level II and level V, was conducted between July 2014 and July 2017 at Vinmec International Hospital (Vietnam). BMMC were harvested from the patients’ iliac crests. Two procedures involving BMMC transplantation via the intrathecal route were performed: the first transplantation was performed at baseline, and the second transplantation was performed 6 months after the first transplantation. Gross motor function and muscle tone were measured at three time points (baseline, 6 months, and 12 months) using the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) and the Modified Ashworth Scale. Results In this trial, we observed significant improvement in gross motor function and a significant decrease in muscle tone values. Total score on the 88-item GMFM (GMFM-88), scores on each GMFM-88 domain, and the 66-item GMFM (GMFM-66) percentile were significantly enhanced at 6 months and 12 months after the first transplantation compared with the corresponding baseline measurements (p-values

Tin dioxide-modified Pt electrodes with different coverages ( θ SnO 2 ) were prepared by potentiostatically depositing tin on a Pt electrode in 0.1 M H2SO4 solutions containing various concentrations of SnCl2, followed by oxidizing in air. The θ SnO 2 was controlled by the SnCl2 concentration. The CO-stripping voltammogram of the Pt/SnO2 electrode with θ SnO 2 = 0.61 (Pt/SnO2(0.61)) exhibited two peaks, a prepeak due to the oxidation of adsorbed CO at Pt sites adjacent to SnO2 and a main peak due to that at Pt sites far from SnO2. In the kinetic analysis of both peaks using CO-stripping voltammograms at various sweep rates, the rate-determining steps for the prepeak and main peak were the coupling of adsorbed CO on Pt with OH on SnO2 surface by bifunctional effect and the dissociatively adsorption reaction of water to adsorbed OH on Pt, similar to the Pt electrode, respectively. In the linear sweep voltammograms of Pt/SnO2 electrodes in a (0.1 M HClO4 + 1 M ethanol) solution, the current for ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) was the highest for θ SnO 2 = 0.61. The analysis of EOR products at different potentials for the Pt/SnO2(0.61) electrode by in situ infrared reflectance-absorption spectroscopy exhibited the Pt/SnO2(0.61) electrode facilitated acetic acid production. Moreover, rhodium was electrochemically deposited on the Pt sites adjacent to SnO2 using the limited CO-stripping technique. The area-controlled Rh deposition did not change the rate-determining steps of both peaks, but it not only enhanced EOR activity, but also decreased acetic acid selectivity and increased CO2 selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]