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Aims: Fractional excretion of urea nitrogen (FEUN), used to differentiate the cause of acute kidney injury, has emerged as a useful fluid index in patients with heart failure (HF). We hypothesized that FEUN could be useful in identifying worsening renal function (WRF) associated with poor outcomes in patients with acute HF (AHF). Methods and results: Overall, 1103 patients with AHF (median age, 78 years; male proportion, 60%) were categorized into six groups according to the presence of WRF and FEUN values (low, ≤32.1%; medium, >32.1% and ≤38.0%; and high, >38.0%) at discharge. WRF was defined as an increase of ≥0.3 mg/dL in the serum creatinine level from admission to discharge. FEUN was calculated by the following formula: (urinary urea × serum creatinine) × 100/(serum urea × urinary creatinine). The cut‐off values for low, medium, and high FEUN were based on a previous study. The primary outcome of this study was HF readmission after hospital discharge. During the 1 year follow‐up, 170 HF readmissions occurred. Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed significantly higher HF readmission rates in patients with WRF than in those without WRF (log‐rank test, P < 0.001). Additionally, among patients with WRF, HF readmission rates were lowest in those with medium FEUN values, followed by those with low FEUN values and those with high FEUN values. On multivariable analysis, the presence of WRF with low or high FEUN values was independently associated with increased HF readmission, as compared with the absence of WRF with medium FEUN values. Notably, no association was noted between WRF with medium FEUN values and HF readmission. Conclusions: The prognostic impact of WRF was significantly mediated by the FEUN values and was associated with worse outcomes only when the FEUN values were either low or high. Our study suggests that FEUN can identify prognostically relevant WRF in patients with AHF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Carrier control of p and n in type-I crystal clathrates Ba8Ga16 Ge30’s (BGG’s) is studied for their single crystals. The polycrystalline precursors with regulated various stoichiometric compositions are employed for single crystal growth under excess amount Ga as a flux. Hall coefficient measurements prove that both p and n type BGG single crystals are produced by modifying the relative ratios between the endohedral alkaline-earth atoms and the Ga atoms residing in the framework. ICP analyses together with Rietveld refinement based on the high resolution synchrotron X-ray diffraction suggests that the occupancy of Ba is less than one, and this explains the reason why p type can be possible in BGGs in contrast to the fact only n type is obtained in Sr8Ga16Ge30’s. Superconductivity is not observed when the high doping levels are searched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is a life-threatening cardiovascular emergency. Therefore, identifying modifiable risk factors for AAD is of great public health significance. An association between ambient temperature (AT) and AAD has been reported; however, not all findings have been elucidated. This study examined the association between AAD-related hospitalization and AT using data from the Japanese Registry of All Cardiac and Vascular Diseases Diagnostic Procedure Combination (JROAD-DPC), which is a nationwide claims-based database., Methods: This nationwide time-stratified case-crossover study evaluated data of hospitalized patients with AAD from 1,119 certified hospitals between 2012 and 2020 using the JROAD-DPC database. Conditional logistic regression and distributed lag non-linear models were used to investigate the association between average daily temperature and AAD-related hospitalization., Results: Among the 96,812 cases analyzed. The exposure-response curve between AT and AAD-related hospitalization showed an increase in the odds ratio for lower temperatures, with a peak at timed -10°C (odds ratio: 2.28, 95% confidence interval: 1.92-2.71, compared with that at 20°C). The effects of temperature on lag days 0 and 1 were also significant.Stratified analyses showed a greater association between AT and AAD-related hospitalization for the following variables: older age (≥75 years), female sex (44.4%, the mean age ± SD was 76 ± 12 years), low body mass index (<22), winter season, and warmer regions., Conclusions: Low AT is associated with an increased risk of AAD-related hospitalization. Several susceptible groups are affected by cold temperatures and have a higher risk of hospitalization., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)