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Background Normoalbuminuric diabetic kidney disease (NADKD) is a newly defined DKD, the clinical features and pathogenesis for which are still being understood. This study aimed to investigate the features and risk factors for NADKD in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted. The related clinical and laboratory data of patients with T2DM hospitalized between August 2012 and January 2020 were collected for statistical analysis. We classified the patients with T2DM into four groups on the basis of the presence or absence of albuminuria and reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Analysis of variance, the Kruskal–Wallis test, and the chi-square test were used to compare the groups. Binary logistic regression analyses with a forward stepwise method were performed to explore the risk factors for renal dysfunction in hospitalized patients with normoalbuminuric T2DM. Results Among the 1620 patients evaluated, 500 (30.9%) had DKD, of which 9% had NADKD. The prevalence of stroke, cardiovascular events, carotid plaque, and peripheral arterial disease in NADKD was significantly higher than in a non-DKD control group (normoalbuminuric T2DM patients with eGFR of ≥60 ml/min/1.73 m2). Regression analyses revealed that three significant independent factors were associated with NADKD: age (OR = 1.089, confidence interval [CI] 95% [1.055–1.123], p p = 0.011), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c; OR = 0.839, CI 95% [0.716–0.983], p = 0.03). Conclusions NADKD is mainly associated with macrovascular rather than microvascular complications. NADKD is more common in patients with normoalbuminuric T2DM with older age, previous use of RASIs, and good glycemic control.

Geometric diffraction is based on Keller's principle, and one of its major disadvantages is that it causes caustics point and the field volume is singular. Although the consistent geometric diffraction takes into account the calculation of the shadow area, the influence on the caustic area cannot be ignored. Therefore, a better algorithm is needed to deal with the problem of caustics and its singularity. There are two kinds of frequency approximation algorithms that can effectively solve the caustics problem. One is the physical theory of diffraction (PTD) proposed by Ufimtsev, another solution is the equivalent electromagnetic current algorithm. In the above two algorithms, the equivalent electromagnetic flow method can perform more effectively on calculate the field of the diffraction caustics area. Their common way is use source to make diffraction integration. In 3D calculations, the physical optics (PO) algorithm is based on the integration of surface current or surface magnetic current. The equivalent electromagnetic current method is based on the integration of line current or line magnetic current. For 2D calculation, the equivalent electromagnetic current method does not require integration. PO algorithms are simplified to line integrals.

In the integral equation approach for solving electromagnetic (EM) problems, the Nystrom Method (NM) and Point-Matching Method (PMM) could be the two alternative or competitive methods to the widely-applied method of moments (MoM). The NM has been increasingly applied to solve various EM problems in recent years, but it is thought of as the same as the PMM by some researchers. We clarify their similarity and difference and propose a hybrid scheme by combining their advantages. A numerical example is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and merit of the scheme.

Anisotropic dielectric objects are reconstructed by an integral equation method. Since the objects are anisotropic and imaging domain is inhomogeneous, volume integral equations (VIEs) must be employed to describe the problem. Traditionally, the VIEs are solved by the method of moments (MoM) with the Schaubert-Wilton-Glisson (SWG) basis function in the forward scattering VIEs (FSVIEs). We use a Nystrom method to solve the FSVIEs and it may be more suitable than the MoM due to the anisotropy. For the inverse scattering VIEs (ISVIEs), we use a Gauss-Newton method (GNM) to solve it. A numerical example is presented to illustrate the approach and its good performance has been validated.

Transient analysis of electromagnetic (EM) scattering by penetrable objects is formulated by time-domain Poggio-Miller-Chang-Harrington-Wu-Tsai (TD-PMCHWT) equations. Traditionally, the equations are solved by discretizing the space domain with the method of moments (MoM) and discretizing the time domain with a march-on-in-time (MoT) scheme. The MoM may be very inconvenient in the time-domain environment and the MoT scheme will give rise to a late-time instability. We propose a different approach to solve the TD-PMCHWT equations by incorporating the Nystrom method of discretizing the space domain and Galerkin’s scheme with Laguerre function for discretizing the time domain. The approach can overcome the drawbacks of traditional approach and a numerical example is provided to demonstrate its performance.

Effects of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) were investigated in human colorectal cancer, and the influence of cantharidinate in inhibiting TGF-β1 expression was explored. Relationships among TGF-β1 and sex, age, tumor size, tumor location, tumor stage were also analyzed. H and E and immunohistochemistry staining were employed to assess colorectal cancer and TGF-β1 expression, respectively. Then, HCT-116 CRC cells were randomly divided into four groups, controls, no serum-treated, chemotherapy and cantharidinate-treated. Immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR were employed to assess the expression of TGF-β1 in CRC cells. Our data showed that the expression of TGF-β1 might be associated with tumor size and tumor location (P

The proposed method for Miniature Inertial Measurement Unit (MIMU) system enables the exact measurement of sports parameter even under challenging conditions. With the aid of sports biomechanical parameter, proposed method suppresses the drift. The Hilbert-spectrum responds the sports rhythm law. It will provide aided information for trainer.

To compare the flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) among the newly diagnosed impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and the normal controls (NC) and to analyze relevant factors under different glucose levels.The study included IGT (n=34), DM1 (n=52), DM2 (n=33) and NC (n=25). Levels of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postprandial plasma glucose (PPG), fasting insulin (FINS), 2-hour postprandial insulin (PINS), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) were determined in all participants. High resolution ultrasound examining FMD was performed to measure vascular endothelial function subsequently.There was statistically significant difference between IGT, DM, HG and NC group in FMD (P=0.008). Partial correlation analysis found that a significant negative correlation existed between FMD and homeostasis model assessment-index (HOMA-IRI), difference of plasma glucose (DPG), FPG and PPG (P0.01), and a negative correlation between FMD and HbA1C (P0.05). Setting FMD as dependent variable to conduct multiple linear stepwise regression, in IGT group it was the waist/hip ratio (WHR) and HOMA-IRI that entered the regression equation; in DM1 group it was HOMA-IRI, PPG and DPG that entered the regression equation; in DM2 group it was FPG and HOMA-beta that entered the regression equation.There exists a flow-mediated vasodilatation dysfunction in patients of newly diagnosed IGT and T2DM. Effect of relevant factors on FMD differs with different glucose levels.

To explore the diagnostic value of procalcitonin (PCT) quantification in ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP).Sixty-one patients on ventilators were divided into VAP group and non-VAP group depending on whether the patients developed VAP in 7 days or not. The PCT levels were determined with the method of semi-solid phase immunoassay before and 7 days after instillation of mechanical ventilation in these patients. The PCT levels were graded into four categories, i.e.0.5 microg/L, 0.5-2.0 microg/L, 2.0-10.0 microg/L andor =10.0 microg/L. At the same time, C reactive protein (CRP) content and white blood cell (WBC) count were also determined.Before mechanical ventilation, the CRP and WBC count showed no obvious difference in both groups (all P0.05). The CRP content and WBC count were found to be obviously elevated in VAP group compared with non VAP group (all P=0.000). The diagnostic sensitivity of CRP and WBC count for VAP were 73.5% (25/34 cases) and 82.3% (28/34 cases) respectively, their specificity was 48.1% (13/27 cases) and 55.5% (15/27 cases), respectively, and their positive prediction rates were 64. 1% (25/39 cases) and 70.0% (28/40 cases), respectively, and their negative prediction rates were 59.1% (13/22 cases) and 71.4% (15/21 cases), respectively. If serum PCTor =0.5 microg/L was regarded as the cutoff value, the PCT positive percentage did not show difference between VAP group and non VAP group before mechanical ventilation (P0.05). However, after VAP, the PCT positive percentage of VAP group was much higher than that of non VAP group. The sensitivity of serum PCT determination for the diagnosis of VAP was 85.3% (29/34 cases), with specificity rate 74.1% (20/27 cases), positive prediction rate 80.5% (29/36 cases), and negative prediction rate 80.0% (20/25 cases).The value of serum PCT has high sensitivity rate in the diagnosis of VAP, so that timely surveillance of serum PCT change is helpful for the diagnosis of VAP in the early stage.