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RuO2-rectorite (RuO2-Rec) was prepared by intercalation, deposition and calcination. Its structure was characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM and EDS. It was used as a catalyst for the sulfanilamide (SA) degradation in the presence of H2O2. Unlike sodium-rectorite and RuO2 which couldn’t catalyze the degradation of SA, RuO2-Rec could effectively catalyze the decomposition of H2O2 into hydroxyl radicals to degrade SA. The degradation rate could reach ~ 100% under the optimal conditions of 58 μmol/L of SA, 1.16 mmol/L of H2O2, 0.133 g/L of RuO2-Rec, pH 3.5 and 25 °C in 5 h. The degradation process conformed to pseudo-first-order kinetic correlation. This degradation was affected by pH, the amount of RuO2-Rec and the concentrations of H2O2 and SA. However, under the optimal pH value of 3.5, a high degradation rate could be achieved with the increase in SA concentration from 58 μmol/L to 290 μmol/L as long as the optimal ratio of RuO2-Rec, H2O2 and SA kept unchanged. In addition, RuO2-Rec was stable and possessed low ruthenium leaching rate and excellent reusability. Therefore, RuO2-Rec is expected to be an active catalyst for the pollutant removal in the heterogeneous Fenton-like system.

Background: Graves’ disease (GD) is an autoimmune disease that affects more women than men. In our previous study, a potent bioactive androgen, 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) showed a protective effe...

IntroductionThe management of diabetes has become a critical public health issue in China. The development of community-based type 2 diabetes management in China has not yet reached an ideal state, and the most suitable management methods for diabetic patients are still being explored. Few studies have used community-based family doctors to perform interventions of appropriate intensity. This protocol describes a planned randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a family doctor-led intervention model for diabetes self-management and medication adherence in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.Methods and analysisThis is a Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials-compliant cluster randomised controlled trial. The study will be conducted at four CHCs (community health centers). The control group will receive conventional medical services and health education. The intervention group will receive an intervention led by community family doctors based on the conventional medical services and health education. It will include five parts: usual care, a medication reminder, a 4-week plan, a weekly phone interview and a monthly interview. The primary outcomes are changes in fasting blood glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin, self-management knowledge and behaviour, and medication adherence from baseline to the 3rd and 6th months. The secondary outcome is the proportion of people whose blood sugar and glycosylated haemoglobin are under control in the 3rd and 6th months.Ethics and disseminationThe study proposal was approved by the Biomedical Ethics Committee of the Medical Department of Xi’an Jiaotong University (no. 2021-1371). The findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at scientific conferences.Trial registration numberChinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2100051685.

Based on field experiments at Nanyue Mountain Meteorological Station and Huaihua National Reference Climatological Station in Hunan Province, the camera images of icing weather phenomena, such as glaze, rime and mixing rime, are collected minutely from January to March in 2018. The convolution neural network technology is employed for modelling and training using the camera images of the icing field experiment at Nanyue station, and the results of identification are examined by the camera images. Furthermore, based on deep learning, the environmental layout requirements of ice accretion image identification are discussed. The main conclusions are as follows. When identifying icing weather phenomena at Nanyue station, the probability of correction (PC) is 99.21%, the false acceptance rate (FAR) is 0.28%, and the probability of omission (PO) is 0.51%. The probability of icing identification increases significantly in the initial stage of ice accretion, while that in the sustained stage is stably around 99.0%, and in the dissipation stage it gradually decreases. False acceptance and omission occur occasionally during the initiation and dissipation stages, the transition period between daytime and night, and the nighttime when the pictures are not clear enough. The test results show that the artificial intelligence identification model established in this paper can extract the key features of icing in different stages of an icing lifetime, and the identification result is good. In addition, the false acceptance and omission can be further eliminated by using the meteorological conditions criteria and judging the consistency of identification. This method can provide important technical support for the automatic observation of icing weather phenomena.

ObjectiveThere are scarce reports regarding the prognosis of a second course of antithyroid drug (ATD) therapy on recurrent Graves' disease (GD). The aim of this study was to assess the long-term remission rate after a second ATD therapy and verify significant clinical predictors of a remission.DesignA prospective randomized clinical trial with long-term follow-up was conducted to evaluate the effects of a second course of ATD therapy.MethodsA total of 128 recurrent GD patients who had finished a first regular ATD therapy were enrolled in this study, and prescribed methimazole (MMI) treatment with titration regimen. The patients were randomly assigned to two groups when the drug doses were reduced to 2.5 mg daily (qd). Group 1 was discontinued with 2.5 mg qd after about 5 months. Group 2 was continuously reduced to 2.5 mg every other day (qod) after 5 months and then discontinued with 2.5 mg qod after about a further 5 months. The patients were followed for 48 months after drug withdrawal.ResultsOf the total number of patients, 97 cases (75.78%) achieved permanent remission at the end of follow-up, with the recurrence of 31 cases (24.22%). The remission rate of group 2 (84.62%) was significantly higher than that of group 1 (66.67%) (P=0.024). Cox regression showed that the hazard ratio for recurrence decreased under a high or high normal TSH level at drug withdrawal.ConclusionA second course of ATD therapy can bring about a satisfying long-term remission on recurrent GD. The drug dose of 2.5 mg qod and a high or high normal TSH level at drug withdrawal may increase the likelihood of permanent remission.