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Chinese Medical Journal Jul 2024Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and diameter, stiffness, and wave reflections, are independent and important clinical biomarkers and risk predictors for...
BACKGROUND
Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and diameter, stiffness, and wave reflections, are independent and important clinical biomarkers and risk predictors for cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of the present study was to establish nationwide reference values of carotid properties for healthy Chinese adults and to explore potential clinical determinants.
METHODS
A total of 3053 healthy Han Chinese adults (1922 women) aged 18-79 years were enrolled at 28 collaborating tertiary centers throughout China between April 2021 and July 2022. The real-time tracking of common carotid artery walls was achieved by the radio frequency (RF) ultrasound system. The IMT, diameter, compliance coefficient, β stiffness, local pulse wave velocity (PWV), local systolic blood pressure, augmented pressure (AP), and augmentation index (AIx) were then automatically measured and reported. Data were stratified by age groups and sex. The relationships between age and carotid property parameters were analyzed by Jonckheere-Terpstra test and simple linear regressions. The major clinical determinants of carotid properties were identified by Pearson's correlation, multiple linear regression, and analyses of covariance.
RESULTS
All the parameters of carotid properties demonstrated significantly age-related trajectories. Women showed thinner IMT, smaller carotid diameter, larger AP, and AIx than men. The β stiffness and PWV were significantly higher in men than women before forties, but the differences reversed after that. The increase rate of carotid IMT (5.5 μm/year in women and 5.8 μm/year in men) and diameter (0.03 mm/year in both men and women) were similar between men and women. For the stiffness and wave reflections, women showed significantly larger age-related variations than men as demonstrated by steeper regression slopes (all P for age by sex interaction <0.05). The blood pressures, body mass index (BMI), and triglyceride levels were identified as major clinical determinants of carotid properties with adjustment of age and sex.
CONCLUSIONS
The age- and sex-specific reference values of carotid properties measured by RF ultrasound for healthy Chinese adults were established. The blood pressures, BMI, and triglyceride levels should be considered for clinical application of corresponding reference values.
PubMed: 38958034
DOI: 10.1097/CM9.0000000000003156 -
Journal of Minimal Access Surgery Jul 2024
PubMed: 38957998
DOI: 10.4103/jmas.jmas_3_24 -
The Journals of Gerontology. Series A,... Jul 2024Recent evidence has linked air pollution with frailty, yet little is known about the role of NO2 in this association. Our aim was to assess the association between...
BACKGROUND
Recent evidence has linked air pollution with frailty, yet little is known about the role of NO2 in this association. Our aim was to assess the association between frailty and NO2 air concentrations in Mexican older adults.
METHODS
We used georeferenced data from the population-based Nutrition and Health Survey in Mexico (NHNS) 2021, representative of national and subnational regions, to measure a frailty index based on 31 health deficits in adults aged 50 and over. Air pollution due to NO2 concentrations was estimated from satellite images validated with data from surface-level stations. Maps were produced using Jensen's Natural break method. The association of frailty and NO2 concentrations was measured using the frailty index (multivariate fractional response logit regression) and a frailty binary variable (FI ≥ 0.36, multivariate logit regression).
RESULTS
There was a positive and significant association of the frailty index with the NO2 concentrations, adjusting for age, sex, urban/ rural area, years of education, socio-economic status, living arrangement, particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns, and indoor pollution. For each standard deviation increase of NO2 concentrations measured ten years before the survey, the odds of being frail were 15% higher, and the frailty index was 14.5% higher. The fraction of frailty attributable to NO2 exposure ranged from 1.8 to 23.5% according to different scenarios.
CONCLUSION
Frailty was positively associated with exposure to NO2 concentrations. Mapping frailty and its associated factors like NO2 air concentrations can contribute to the design of targeted pro-healthy aging policies.
PubMed: 38957979
DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glae168 -
The Journal of Physical Chemistry. A Jul 2024Of late, siloxane-containing vitrimers have gained significant interest due to their fast dynamic characteristics over a reasonable temperature range (180-220 °C),...
Of late, siloxane-containing vitrimers have gained significant interest due to their fast dynamic characteristics over a reasonable temperature range (180-220 °C), making them well-suited for diverse applications. The exchange reaction pathway in the siloxane vitrimers is accountable for the covalent adaptive network, with the reaction's effectiveness being regulated by either organic or organometallic catalysts. However, directly studying the exchange reaction pathway in the bulk phase using experimental approaches is challenging because of the intricate and interconnected structure of these vitrimers. Here, we perform comprehensive density functional theory (DFT) and experimental investigations to discover the detailed catalytic efficacy of siloxane exchange and provide direction for the reaction process using a 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene (TBD) catalyst. The calculated transition barrier energy and catalytic efficiency of hexamethyldisiloxane and dihydroxy-dimethylsilane exchange derived from the nudged elastic band with transition-state calculations strongly agree with the experimental findings. In addition, Fukui indices, along with partial charges, are employed to evaluate the nucleophilic and electrophilic behaviors of silanol and siloxane molecules. Our analysis revealed that by utilizing the Fukui indices of both the acid and the base, we can make an approximate estimation of the respective kinetics of the S2 process in the siloxane exchange reaction mechanism. These findings establish a foundation for comprehending a crucial aspect of the exchange mechanism in siloxane vitrimer systems and could aid in the development of novel catalysts.
PubMed: 38957945
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.4c01394 -
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in... Jul 2024Dual-atom catalysts (DACs) have been proposed to break the limitation of single-atom catalysts (SACs) in the synergistic activation of multiple molecules and...
Dual-atom catalysts (DACs) have been proposed to break the limitation of single-atom catalysts (SACs) in the synergistic activation of multiple molecules and intermediates, offering an additional degree of freedom for catalytic regulation. However, it remains a challenge to synthesize DACs with high uniformity, atomic accuracy, and satisfactory loadings. Herein, we report a facile cascade synthetic strategy for DAC via precise electrostatic interaction control and neighboring vacancy construction. We synthesized well-defined, uniformly dispersed dual Fe sites which were connected by two nitrogen bonds (denoted as Fe-N2-Fe). The as-synthesized DAC exhibited superior catalytic performances towards oxygen reduction reaction, including good half-wave potential (0.91 V), high kinetic current density (21.66 mA cm-2), and perfect durability. Theoretical calculation revealed that the DAC structure effectively tunes the oxygen adsorption configuration and decreases the cleavage barrier, thereby improving the catalytic kinetics. The DAC-based zinc-air batteries exhibited impressive power densities of 169.8 and 52.18 mW cm-2 at 25 oC and -40 oC, which is 1.7 and 2.0 times higher than those based on Pt/C+Ir/C, respectively. We also demonstrated the universality of our strategy in synthesizing other M-N2-M DACs (M= Co, Cu, Ru, Pd, Pt, and Au), facilitating the construction of a DAC library for different catalytic applications.
PubMed: 38957932
DOI: 10.1002/anie.202408914 -
Ecology and Evolution Jul 2024Quantifying the cost-effectiveness of alternative sampling methods is crucial for efficient biodiversity monitoring and detection of population trends. In this study, we...
Quantifying the cost-effectiveness of alternative sampling methods is crucial for efficient biodiversity monitoring and detection of population trends. In this study, we compared the cost-effectiveness of three novel sampling methods for detecting changes in koala () occupancy: thermal drones, passive acoustic recorders and camera trapping. Specifically, we fitted single-season occupancy-detection models to data recorded from 46 sites in eight bioregions of New South Wales, Australia, between 2018 and 2022. We explored the effect of weather variables on daily detection probability for each method and, using these estimates, calculated the statistical power to detect 30%, 50% and 80% declines in koala occupancy. We calculated power for different combinations of sites (1-200) and repeat surveys (2-40) and developed a cost model that found the cheapest survey design that achieved 80% power to detect change. On average, detectability of koalas was highest with one 24-h period of acoustic surveys (0.32, 95% CI's: 0.26, 0.39) compared to a 25-ha flight of drone surveys (0.28, 95% 0.15, 0.48) or a 24-h period of camera trapping consisting of six cameras (0.019, 95% CI's: 0.014, 0.025). We found a negative quadratic relationship between detection probability and air temperature for all three methods. Our power and cost analysis suggested that 148 sites surveyed with acoustic recorders deployed for 14 days would be the cheapest method to sufficiently detect a 30% decline in occupancy with 80% power. We recommend passive acoustic recorders as the most efficient sampling method for monitoring koala occupancy compared to cameras or drones. Further comparative studies are needed to compare the relative effectiveness of these methods and others when the monitoring objective is to detect change in koala abundance over time.
PubMed: 38957698
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11659 -
Public Health Reviews 2024We evaluated studies that used the World Health Organization's (WHO) AirQ and AirQ+ tools for air pollution (AP) health risk assessment (HRA) and provided best practice... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES
We evaluated studies that used the World Health Organization's (WHO) AirQ and AirQ+ tools for air pollution (AP) health risk assessment (HRA) and provided best practice suggestions for future assessments.
METHODS
We performed a comprehensive review of studies using WHO's AirQ and AirQ+ tools, searching several databases for relevant articles, reports, and theses from inception to Dec 31, 2022.
RESULTS
We identified 286 studies that met our criteria. The studies were conducted in 69 countries, with most (57%) in Iran, followed by Italy and India (∼8% each). We found that many studies inadequately report air pollution exposure data, its quality, and validity. The decisions concerning the analysed population size, health outcomes of interest, baseline incidence, concentration-response functions, relative risk values, and counterfactual values are often not justified, sufficiently. Many studies lack an uncertainty assessment.
CONCLUSION
Our review found a number of common shortcomings in the published assessments. We suggest better practices and urge future studies to focus on the quality of input data, its reporting, and associated uncertainties.
PubMed: 38957684
DOI: 10.3389/phrs.2024.1606969 -
Atmospheric Environment (Oxford,... Oct 2014A series of wildfires in northern Quebec, early July 2002, and in southern Quebec, late May 2010, resulted in severe air pollution downwind. Downwind exposures were...
A series of wildfires in northern Quebec, early July 2002, and in southern Quebec, late May 2010, resulted in severe air pollution downwind. Downwind exposures were investigated to estimate the impact on outdoor and indoor environments. The plumes derived from the wildfires resulted in an increase of over 10 ppbv ozone (O) concentrations in both major cities and rural areas, while O enhancement was not observed at locations adjacent to wildfire burning areas. Temporal trend in PM concentration showed a peak of 105.5 μg/m on July 7, 2002, while on May 31, 2010 the peak was 151.1 μg/m in Boston downwind. PM speciation showed similar trends between the episodes, along with spikes in the PM/PM ratio, and in the concentrations of Black Carbon, ΔC (i.e., UV absorbing compounds minus Black Carbon), Organic Carbon (OC), potassium, and chlorine. OC was the most dominant constituent of the PM mass in the wildfires. The dominant specific carbon fractions include OC fraction 3, pyrolysis carbon, and EC fraction 1, likely due to pyrolysis of structural components of wood. Indoor PM peaks at two houses corresponded well with the ambient PM peak, along with the elemental composition, which could indicate an impact of wildfires on indoor air pollution exposure.
PubMed: 38957569
DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.07.008 -
Cureus Jul 2024Pediatric lung abscess is a rare and poorly studied disease entity. In the past, prolonged courses of intravenous (IV) antibiotics have been successfully used; however,...
Pediatric lung abscess is a rare and poorly studied disease entity. In the past, prolonged courses of intravenous (IV) antibiotics have been successfully used; however, with the advent of interventional radiology, the main therapeutic approach is through percutaneous placement of pigtail catheters with ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) direction, where available. The pathogen yield identified from fluid samples of the abscess has dramatically increased owing to the greater invasive measures, such as aspiration and drainage, as well as enhanced microbiological diagnostic methods, which also include polymerase chain reaction testing. In our case report, in 2012 when the patient was two years old, she was diagnosed with pulmonary Koch's and underwent anti-Koch's therapy, category 2. High-resolution CT of the chest revealed a large lobulated cavitary lesion with an air-fluid level suggestive of a right lung abscess. After initial therapy with IV antibiotics for three weeks and a negative tuberculosis work-up, she underwent right limited lateral thoracotomy and drainage with decortication of the right lung abscess (LA) in 2019 via a left endobronchial tube with a bronchial blocker (general endobronchial anesthesia). All samples sent for histopathologic examination after surgery yielded negative results, and she was discharged after a course of injectable antibiotics for 21 days. She remained almost symptom-free for the next four years. Thereafter, she presented with a right LA recurrence due to a thick-walled cavitary lesion, with a severely damaged right lower lung lobe resulting in right lower lobectomy under single-lung ventilation (double-lumen endotracheal tube No. 26 Fr.). Culture results should guide management, particularly for immunocompromised patients, as the LA may be attributed to complications arising from underlying conditions. Primary lung abscesses (PLA) in children are typically caused by and . Compared to adults, children with PLA and secondary lung abscesses have a meaningfully greater rate of recovery.
PubMed: 38957511
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.63579 -
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2024Currently 1.3 billion individuals globally engage in smoking, leading to significant morbidity and mortality, particularly among diabetic patients. There is urgent need... (Review)
Review
Currently 1.3 billion individuals globally engage in smoking, leading to significant morbidity and mortality, particularly among diabetic patients. There is urgent need for a better understanding of how smoking influences antidiabetic treatment efficacy. The review underscores the role of cigarette smoke, particularly polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), in modulating the metabolic pathways of antidiabetic drugs, primarily through the induction of cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes and uridine diphosphate (UDP)-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs), thus impacting drug pharmacokinetics and therapeutic outcomes. Furthermore, the review addresses the relatively uncharted territory of how smoking cessation influences diabetes treatment, noting that cessation can lead to significant changes in drug metabolism, necessitating dosage adjustments. Special attention is given to the interaction between smoking cessation aids and antidiabetic medications, a critical area for patient safety and effective diabetes management. This scoping review aims to provide healthcare professionals with the knowledge to better support diabetic patients who smoke or are attempting to quit, ensuring tailored and effective treatment strategies. It also identifies gaps in current research, advocating for more studies to fill these voids, thereby enhancing patient care and treatment outcomes for this at-risk population.
PubMed: 38957391
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1406860