Diabetes mellitus is a risk factor of acute kidney injury in liver transplantation patients

Background: Diabetes mellitus has become an increasing global health burden with rapid growing prevalence. Patients with diabetes have higher susceptibility to acute kidney injury(AKI). Liver transplantation(LT) predisposes the kidney to injury. However, the association between diabetes and AKI in LT patients remains unclear. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study examining risk factors for AKI in patients undergone orthotopic LT. Potential risk factors including baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate(e GFR), the model for end-stage liver disease(MELD) score, diabetes, hypertension and intraoperative blood loss were screened. The primary endpoint was AKI occurrence. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the association between potential risk factors and AKI. Results: A total of 291 patients undergone orthotopic LT were included in the present study. Among them, 102 patients(35.05%) developed AKI within 5 days after LT. Diabetes was identified as an independent risk factor for AKI. Patients who developed AKI had worse graft function recovery and higher mortality within 14 days after LT compared to those who did not develop AKI. AKI patients with diabetes had a significant decline of e GFR within the first postoperative year, compared with patients who did not develop AKI and who developed AKI but without diabetes. Conclusions: Diabetes is an independent risk factor for AKI after orthotopic LT. AKI is associated with delayed graft function recovery and higher mortality in short-term postoperative period. Diabetic patients who developed AKI after LT experience a faster decline of e GFR within the first year after surgery.

Study protocol:A cross-sectional study on psychology and behavior investigation of Chinese residents,PBICR

Objective:This study protocol identifies the basic research route and framework of psychological and behavioral surveys among Chinese residents,aims establishing a database through a multicenter,large-sample cross-sectional survey in China to provide strong data support for research development in various fields and a more comprehensive and systematic understanding of the physical and mental health status of the public.Method:The study was conducted from June 20,2022 to August 31,2022,using stratified sampling and quota sampling methods,a total of 148 cities,202 districts and counties,390 townships/towns/sub-districts,and 780 communities/villages(excluding Hong Kong,Macao,and Taiwan)from 23 provinces,5 autonomous regions,and 4 municipalities directly under the central government in China were selected.The questionnaire was distributed one-on-one and face-to-face to the public by trained investigators,and the questionnaire included eight aspects:personal basic information,personal health status,family basic information,social environment in which they were located,psychological level scale,behavioral level scale,other scales,and attitude towards social hot issues.Data analysis will be performed after questionnaire return.Results:Data collection is ongoing.These findings will support physical and mental health research and strategy development in China and even globally,guiding policy-makers and health care organizations to reform their programs to ensure the best interests of residents and their families.

Effect of uninterrupted dabigatran or rivaroxaban on achieving ideal activated clotting time to heparin response during catheter ablation in patients with atrial fibrillation

BACKGROUND Uninterrupted use of oral anticoagulants before atrial fibrillation(AF)ablation can reduce the incidence of perioperative thromboembolic events.However,the effect of new oral anticoagulants on activated clotting time(ACT)in respo-nse to heparin during AF ablation in Chinese populations remains unknown.The aim of the present retrospective study was to investigate the value of ACTs in response to intraoperative heparin administration in patients using dabigatran or rivaroxaban.METHODS From January 2018 to December 2021,a total of 173 patients undergoing AF ablation were included in the study,in which 101 patients were treated with dabigatran,72 patients were treated with rivaroxaban.The intraoperative ACT values were examined in both groups.The incidence of periprocedural complications was evaluated.RESULTS Initial heparin dosage(88±19 U/kg vs.78±27 U/kg,P<0.05),total heparin dosage(137±41 U/kg vs.106±52 U/kg,P<0.05)during the ablation procedure were higher in the dabigatran group than those in the rivaroxaban group.Mean ACT(280±36 s vs.265±30 s,P<0.05),and the percentage of ACTs within the therapeutic range(250-350 s)(74%±26%vs.60%±29%,P<0.05)were significantly lower in the dabigatran group than those in the rivaroxaban group,particularly in male pati-ents.Furthermore,the average time of achieving the target ACT(250-350 s)was also found longer in the dabigatran group(P<0.05)as compared with the rivaroxaban group.No significant difference was found in the incidence of periprocedural complica-tions between the two groups.CONCLUSIONS The anticoagulant effect of uninterrupted rivaroxaban therapy appears to be more stable and efficient than dabigatran administration during catheter ablation in patients with AF.

A numerical study of hydrodynamic characteristics and hydrological processes in the coastal wetlands during extreme events

Providing accurate predictions of extreme water levels through numerical simulation has become essential for disaster prevention and damage mitigation in coastal wetland areas.This study applies the FVCOM model to simulate storm surges caused by several typhoons in the Bohai Sea and the North Huanghai Sea.The vegetation drag force caused by salt marsh plants is inserted into the FVCOM model for model improvement with vegetation effect by integrating RS and GIS technologies.A parametric typhoon model is coupled with background wind fields derived to acquire the spatio-temporal variations of wind and pressure fields in the computational domain.The simulation results reproduce the extreme storm surges induced by typhoon events very well.The modeling results are compared by validating with literature results to examine the effect of vegetation on tidal waves in tidal mud flats.Moreover,the coupled model is also applied to explore storm surge attenuation and land intrusion during Typhoon Winnie in the wetlands of the Liao River Estuary.The simulation results indicate that salt marsh plants can reduce the flow current with little impact on tide flooding/ebbing in vegetated regions.Furthermore,the results show that typhoon presence increases the inundation depth and extendes the flood time in the tidal wetlands of the study region.The FVCOM model incorporating the method with vegetation drag force can provide new insights to understand the comprehensive impact of tidal wetland plants on hydrodynamic characteristics in the Bohai Sea and other waters,hence presents a more accurate quantification of the hydrological process of storm surge in the tidal wetlands.

Expanded mesocarbon microbead cathode for sodium-based dual-ion battery with superior specific capacity and long-term cycling stability

Dual-ion batteries(DIBs)have attracted tremendous attention owing to their high operating voltage and are considered promising candidates for low-cost clean energy storage devices.However,the decomposition of electrolytes and collapse of the cathode structure may lead to low Coulombic efficiency(CE)and low cycling stability of DIBs.Wide-layered electrode materials can accommodate the intercalation/deintercalation of large anions,which is believed to overcome these issues.Herein,expanded mesocarbon microbeads(200HRO-MCMB)possessing an enlarged interlayer spacing(0.405 nm)were prepared via modified Hummers and subcritical hydrothermal reduction methods.After the indispensable electrochemical activation,200HRO-MCMB(hydrothermal reduction at 200℃)exhibited a high specific capacity(120 mAh·g^(-1)at50 mA·g^(-1))when used as a cathode for a sodium-based DIB,and the CE significantly improved within the 2.0-4.5 V voltage range.Additionally,the cycling stability exceeded over 600 cycles.Remarkably,this cathode possessed enlarged interlayers that decreased the barrier of PF6^(-)transport,and the battery storage mechanism corresponded to a transitioning state between double-layer capacitance and Faradaic intercalation.Undoubtedly,this work will expand the scope of the practical application of low-cost sodium-based DIBs.

Impairment of liver regeneration by the histone deacetylase inhibitor valproic acid in mice

Background and objective:Liver regeneration is a complex process regulated by a group of genetic and epigenetic factors.A variety of genetic factors have been reported,whereas few investigations have focused on epigenetic regulation during liver regeneration.In the present study,valproic acid(VPA),a histone deacetylase(HDAC) inhibitor,was used to investigate the effect of HDAC on liver regeneration.Methods:VPA was administered via intraperitoneal injection to 2/3 partially hepatectomized mice to detect hepatocyte proliferation during liver regeneration.The mice were sacrificed,and their liver tissues were harvested at sequential time points from 0 to 168 h after treatment.DNA synthesis was detected via a BrdU assay,and cell proliferation was tested using Ki-67.The expressions of cyclin D1,cyclin E,cyclin dependent kinase 2(CDK2),and CDK4 were detected by Western blot analysis.Chromatin immunoprecipitation(ChIP) assay was used to examine the recruitment of HDACs to the target promoter regions and the expression of the target gene was detected by Western blot.Results:Immunohistochemical analysis showed that cells positive for BrdU and Ki-67 decreased,and the peak of BrdU was delayed in the VPA-administered mice.Consistently,cyclin D1 expression was also delayed.We identified B-myc as a target gene of HDACs by complementary DNA(cDNA) microarray.The expression of B-myc increased in the VPA-administered mice after hepatectomy(PH).The ChIP assay confirmed the presence of HDACs at the B-myc promoter.Conclusions:HDAC activities are essential for liver regeneration.Inhibiting HDAC activities delays liver regeneration and induces liver cell cycle arrest,thereby causing an anti-proliferative effect on liver regeneration.

Criteria for assessing carbon emissions peaks at provincial level in China

China has pledged to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and neutralize emissions by 2060.There is an urgent need to develop a comprehensive and reliable methodology to judge whether a region has reached its carbon emissions peak(CEP),as well as to schedule and prioritize mitigation activities for different regions.In this study,we developed an approach for identifying the CEP status of 30 provincial areas in China,considering both the carbon emissions trends and the main socioeconomic factors that influence these trends.According to the results of the Mann-Kendall(MK)tests,changes in carbon emissions for the 30 provincial areas can be grouped inlo four clusters:those with significant reductions,marginal reductions,marginal increases,and significant increases.Then,total energy consumption(TEC),the proportion of coal consumption(PCC),the proportion of the urban population(PUP),the proportion of secondary industry(PASP),and per capita GDP(PGDP)were further identified as the main factors influencing carbon emissions,by applying Redundancy analysis(RDA)and Monte Carlo permutation tests.To balance efficacy with fairness,we assigned scores from 1 to 4 to trends in carbon emissions,and the Group Analysis results of the main influencing factors above except for TEC;for TEC,main basis is the relevant assessment results.And finally,according to the actual condition of total scores,provincial areas were assigned to the first,second,third and fourth stage of progress toward CEP,using the method of Natural Breaks(Jenks).Based on the method,differentiated plans should be adopted from the perspective of fair development and emissions reduction efficiency,in accordance with the basic principles of Doing the Best within Capacity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities.This classification method can also be adopted by other developing countries which have not yet achieved CEP.

Insight into the roles of long non-coding RNAs in ultraviolet-induced skin diseases

Long non-coding RNAs(LncRNAs)comprise different types of RNA polymerase II-transcripted molecules,exhibit nucleotide lengths of greater than 200 nucleotides and do not undergo protein translation.Due to their characteristic feature of open reading frame,they have often been labelled as the"noise"of genomic transcription.Even though lncRNAs are widely transcribed genes,their expression level is lower than that of the protein-coding genes.Depending on their position relative to the protein-coding genes in the genome,lncRNAs are categorized as sense,antisense,bidirectional,intronic,and intergenic.