High sensitivity C-reactive protein and cardfiac resynchronization therapy in patients with advanced heart failure

Background The data on the prognostic values of high sensitivity C-reactive protein （hsCRP） levels in patients with advanced symp-tomatic heart failure （HF） receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy （CRT） are scarce. The aim of present study was to investigate the association of serum hsCRP levels with left ventricle reverse remodeling after six months of CRT as well as long-term outcome. Methods A total of 232 CRT patients were included. The assessment of hsCRP values, clinical status and echocardiographic data were performed at baseline and after six months of CRT. Long-term follow-up included all-cause mortality and hospitalizations for HF. Results During the mean follow-up periods of 31.3 ± 31.5 months, elevated hsCRP （〉3 mg/L） prior to CRT was associated with a significant 2.39-fold increase （P=0.006） in the risk of death or HF hospitalizations. At 6-month follow-up, patients who responded to CRT showed significant reductions or maintained low in hsCRP levels （–0.5 ± 4.1 mg/L reduction） compared with non-responders （1.7 ± 6.1 mg/L increase, P=0.018）. Com-pared with patients in whom 6-month hsCRP levels were reduced or remained low, patients in whom 6-month hsCRP levels were increased or maintained high experienced a significantly higher risk of subsequent death or HF hospitalizations （Log-rank P〈0.001）. The echocardio-graphic improvement was also better among patients in whom 6-month hsCRP levels were reduced or remained low compared to those in whom 6-month hsCRP levels were raised or maintained high. Conclusions Our findings demonstrated that measurement of baseline and follow-up hsCRP levels may be useful as prognostic markers for timely potential risk stratification and subsequent appropriate treatment strategies in patients with advanced HF undergoing CRT.

The prognostic role of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in patients with acute myocardial infarction

1 Introduction Inflammation is one of the main mechanisms in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis,and the interest to the evaluation of inflammatory biomarkers in coronary artery disease(CAD)has been increasing over the last decade.[1,2]Destabilization of chronic artery plaques,which leads to acute coronary syndromes,has been associated with inflammatory status.[1,3]。

High Sensitivity Acquisition Algorithm for DSSS Signal with Data Modulation

In direct sequence spread spectrum communication both for satelliteto-ground and inter-satellite links, the system constrains due to radio frequency spectral occupation, channel data throughput and link performances in terms of data channel coding which might result in a signal structure where the symbol duration is shorter than the pseudo code period. This can generate some difficulties in the DSSS signal acquisition due to the polarity inversion caused by the data modulation. To eliminate the influence due to polarity inversion, this paper proposes a novel acquisition algorithm based on the simultaneous search of the code phase, data phase and Doppler frequency. In the proposed algorithm the data phase is predicted and the correlation period for the coherent integration can be set equal to the symbol duration. Then non-coherent accumulation over different symbol is implemented in order to enhance the acquisition algorithm sensitivity; the interval of non-coherent accumulation is the least common multiple between the symbol duration and the pseudo code period. The algorithm proposed can largely minimize the SNR loss caused by data polarity inversion and enhance acquisition performance without a noticeable increase in hardware complexity. Theoretical analysis, simulation and measured results verify the validity of the algorithm.

Highly sensitive digital optical sensor with large measurement range based on the dual-microring resonator with waveguide-coupled feedback

We propose a novel high-performance digital optical sensor based on the Mach-Zehnder interferential effect and the dual-microring resonators with the waveguide-coupled feedback. The simulation results show that the sensitivity of the sensor can be orders of magnitude higher than that of aconventional sensor, and high quality factor is not critical in it. Moreover, by optimizing the length of the feedback waveguide to be equal to the perimeter of the ring, the measurement range of the proposed sensor is twice as much as that of the conventional sensor in the weak coupling case.

Relationship between high sensitivity C-reactive protein and angiographic severity of coronary artery disease

Background Coronary artery disease(CAD)remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality.Cytokines play a potential role in atherosclerosis pathogenesis and progression.We investigated the association between high sensitive C-reactive protein(hs CRP)and severity of CAD.Methods CAD patients were stratified according to hs CRP cut-off value into high levels hs CRP group(≥8.4 mg/L)and low levels hs CRP group(<8.4 mg/L).Severity of CAD was assessed according to artery stenosis degree and the number of vessel involved.Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences(SPSS,version 23.0).Results The mean age was 60.3±11.0 years.The level of hs CRP was increased and ranged from 0.2 to 1020.0 mg/L.Biochemical risk factors and severity of CAD didn’t show significant differences between the two groups.In multivariate linear analysis,cardiac troponin I(c Tn I)and serum amyloid A(SAA)were predictors of hs CRP.As shown in receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis performed in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI)and compared to myonecrosis biomarkers,hs CRP(area under the curve(AUC):0.905;95%CI:0.844-0.966;P<0.001)could be a powerful predictor marker in evaluating the infarct size after myocardial infarction but not better than c Tn I.Conclusions Hs CRP levels were not associated with the severity of CAD but could be useful in the evaluation of myocardial necrosis in patients with STEMI.

Highly sensitive and stretchable piezoelectric strain sensor enabled wearable devices for real-time monitoring of respiratory and heartbeat simultaneously

The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 a pandemic.The demand for devices or systems to diagnose and track COVID-19 infections noninvasively not only in hospitals but also in home settings has led to increased interest in consumer-grade wearables.A common symptom of COVID-19 is dyspnea,which may manifest as an increase in respiratory and heart rates.In this paper,a novel piezoelectric strain sensor is presented for real-time monitoring of respiratory and heartbeat signals.A highly sensitive and stretchable piezoelectric strain sensor is fabricated using a piezoelectric film with a serpentine layout.The thickness of the patterned PVDF flexible piezoelectric strain sensor is only 168μm,and the voltage sensitivity reaches 0.97 mV/με.The effective modulus is 13.5 MPa,which allows the device to fit to the skin and detect the small strain exhibited by the human body.Chest vibrations are captured by the piezoelectric sensor,which produces an electrical output voltage signal conformally mapped with respiratory–cardiac activities.The separate heart activity and respiratory signals are extracted from the mixed respiratory–cardiac signal by an empirical mode decomposition data processing algorithm.By detecting vital signals such as respiratory and heart rates,the proposed device can aid early diagnosis and monitoring of respiratory diseases such as COVID-19.

High-Sensitivity Acquisition of Ultrahigh Dynamic Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum Signals in Space Communications

According to the requirements of the high-sensitivity acquisition of Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum(DSSS) signals under ultrahigh dynamic environments in space communications, a three-dimensional joint search of the phase of Pseudo-Noise-code(PN-code),Doppler frequency and its rate-of-change is presented to achieve high sensitivity in sensing high-frequency dynamics. By eliminating the correlation peak loss caused by ultrahigh Doppler frequency and its rate-of-change offset,the proposed method improves the acquisition sensitivity by increasing the non-coherent accumulation time. The validity of the algorithm is proved by theoretical analysis and simulation results. It is shown that signals with a carrier- to-noise ratio as low as 39 dBHz can be captured with high performance when the Doppler frequency is up to ±1 MHz and its rate-of-change is up to ±200 kHz/s.

Sensitivity enhancement of micro-optical gyro with photonic crystal

We propose a core rotation-sensing element for improving the sensitivity of the micro-optical gyroscope using the large nonreciprocal effect with a photonic crystal.The sharp transmission peak of electromagnetically induced transparency in photonic crystal generated from a periodic distribution of cold atoms is sensitive to the rotation.Our numerical results show that the sensitivity of relative rotation is about 50 times higher and the sensitivity of absolute rotation is more than two orders higher than that of the traditional resonant optical gyroscope.Also,the sensitivity of the gyroscope can be manipulated by varying the atomic density,modulation frequency,probe pulse width,and photonic crystal length,etc.

Highly sensitive and stable probe refractometer based on configurable plasmonic resonance with nano-modified fiber core

A dispersion model is developed to provide a generic tool for configuring plasmonic resonance spectral characteristics.The customized design of the resonance curve aiming at specific detection requirements can be achieved.According to the model,a probe-type nano-modified fiber optic configurable plasmonic resonance(NMF-CPR)sensor with tip hot spot enhancement is demonstrated for the measurement of the refractive index in the range of 1.3332-1.3432 corresponding to the low-concentration biomarker solution.The new-type sensing structure avoids excessive broadening and redshift of the resonance dip,which provides more possibilities for the surface modification of other functional nanomaterials.The tip hot spots in nanogaps between the Au layer and Au nanostars(AuNSs),the tip electric field enhancement of AuNSs,and the high carrier mobility of the WSe_(2)layer synergistically and significantly enhance the sensitivity of the sensor.Ex-perimental results show that the sensitivity and the figure of merit of the tip hot spot enhanced fiber NMF-CPR sensor can achieve up to 2995.70 nm/RIU and 25.04 RIU^(−1),respectively,which are 1.68 times and 1.29 times higher than those of the conventional fiber plasmonic resonance sensor.The results achieve good agreements with numerical simulations,demonstrate a better level compared to similar reported studies,and verify the correctness of the dispersion model.The detection resolution of the sensor reaches up to 2.00×10^(−5)RIU,which is obviously higher than that of the conventional side-polished fiber plasmonic resonance sensor.This indicates a high detection accuracy of the sensor.The dense Au layer effectively prevents the intermediate nanomaterials from shedding and chemical degradation,which enables the sensor with high stability.Furthermore,the terminal reflective sensing structure can be used as a practical probe and can allow a more convenient operation.

Reliability and sensitivity analyses of HPT blade-tip radial running clearance using multiply response surface model

To reasonably design the blade-tip radial running clearance(BTRRC) of high pressure turbine and improve the performance and reliability of gas turbine, the multi-object multi-discipline reliability sensitivity analysis of BTRRC was accomplished from a probabilistic prospective by considering nonlinear material attributes and dynamic loads. Firstly, multiply response surface model(MRSM) was proposed and the mathematical model of this method was established based on quadratic function. Secondly, the BTRRC was decomposed into three sub-components(turbine disk, blade and casing), and then the single response surface functions(SRSFs) of three structures were built in line with the basic idea of MRSM. Thirdly, the response surface function(MRSM) of BTRRC was reshaped by coordinating SRSFs. From the analysis, it is acquired to probabilistic distribution characteristics of input-output variables, failure probabilities of blade-tip clearance under different static blade-tip clearances δ and major factors impacting BTRRC. Considering the reliability and efficiency of gas turbine, δ=1.87 mm is an optimally acceptable option for rational BTRRC. Through the comparison of three analysis methods(Monte Carlo method, traditional response surface method and MRSM), the results show that MRSM has higher accuracy and higher efficiency in reliability sensitivity analysis of BTRRC. These strengths are likely to become more prominent with the increasing times of simulations. The present study offers an effective and promising approach for reliability sensitivity analysis and optimal design of complex dynamic assembly relationship.

Tunable and highly sensitive temperature sensor based on graphene photonic crystal fiber

Optical fiber temperature sensors have been widely employed in enormous areas ranging from electric power industry,medical treatment,ocean dynamics to aerospace.Recently,graphene optical fiber temperature sensors attract tremendous attention for their merits of simple structure and direct power detecting ability.However,these sensors based on transfer techniques still have limitations in the relatively low sensitivity or distortion of the transmission characteristics,due to the unsuitable Fermi level of graphene and the destruction of fiber structure,respectively.Here,we propose a tunable and highly sensitive temperature sensor based on graphene photonic crystal fiber(Gr-PCF)with the non-destructive integration of graphene into the holes of PCF.This hybrid structure promises the intact fiber structure and transmission mode,which efficiently enhances the temperature detection ability of graphene.From our simulation,we find that the temperature sensitivity can be electrically tuned over four orders of magnitude and achieve up to~3.34×10^(-3) dB/(cm·℃)when the graphene Fermi level is~35 meV higher than half the incident photon energy.Additionally,this sensitivity can be further improved by~10 times through optimizing the PCF structure(such as the fiber hole diameter)to enhance the light–matter interaction.Our results provide a new way for the design of the highly sensitive temperature sensors and broaden applications in all-fiber optoelectronic devices.

HIGH RESOLUTION, HIGH SENSITIVITY MOIRE METHOD

Based on geometric moire method, moire interferometry and microscopic moire interferometry, a high spatial resolution and high sensitivity geometric microscopic moire method is presented. Geometric micron-moire patterns are produced by the superposition of two high frequency gratings through a microscope system. Compared with other grating-based photo-mechanics methods, microscopic moire method could provide whole-field moire patterns of both high spatial resolution and high sensitivity. The frequency of specimen and reference gratings used in this method can be from 1 line/mm to 10000 lines/mm. Additionally, a 4F optical filter system is used to enhance the contrast of microscopic moire patterns effectively.

Flexible broadband WS_(2)/Si optical position-sensitive detector with high sensitivity and fast speed

Si-based optical position-sensitive detectors(PSDs)have stimulated the interest of researchers due to their wide range of practical applications.However,due to the rigidity and fragility of Si crystals,the applications of flexible PSDs have been limited.Therefore,we presented a flexible broadband PSD based on a WS_(2)/Si heterostructure for the first time.A scalable sputtering method was used to deposit WS_(2)thin films onto the etched ultrathin crystalline Si surface.The fabricated flexible PSD device has a broad spectral response in the wavelength range of 450-1350 nm,with a high position sensitivity of~539.8 mV·mm^(−1)and a fast response of 2.3μs,thanks to the strong light absorption,the built-in electrical field at the WS_(2)/Si interface,and facilitated transport.Furthermore,mechanical-bending tests revealed that after 200 mechanical-bending cycles,the WS_(2)/Si PSDs have excellent mechanical flexibility,stability,and durability,demonstrating the great potential in wearable PSDs with competitive performance.

HIGHLY SENSITIVE SPECTROPHOTOMETRY OF NIOBIUM

In pH 2.0-3.0 medium,niobium(v)forms molybdoniobic acid with sodium molybdate.A spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of niobium based on the formation of ion-associate compound of molybdoniobate with butyl Rhodamine B in aqueous solution in the presence of polyvinyl alcohol and 0.4-0.7 mol/L H_2SO_4.The molar absorptivity is 7.5×10~5 L.mol^(-1).cm^(-1) for niobium at 585 nm.

Elderly patients with non-cardiac admissions and elevated highsensitivity troponin:the prognostic value of renal function

BACKGROUND High-sensitivity cardiac troponin(hs-cTn)levels are frequently elevated in elderly patients presenting to the emergency department for non-cardiac events.However,most studies on the role of elevated hs-cTn in elderly populations have investigated the prognostic value of hs-cTn in patients with a specific diagnosis or have assessed the relationship between hs-cTn and comorbidities.AIM To investigate the in-hospital prognosis of consecutive elderly patients admitted to the Internal Medicine Department with acute non-cardiac events and increased hs-cTnI levels.METHODS In this retrospective study,we selected patients who were aged≥65 years and admitted to the Internal Medicine Department of our hospital between January 2019 and December 2019 for non-cardiac reasons.Eligible patients were those who had hs-cTnI concentrations≥100 ng/L.We investigated the independent predictors of in-hospital mortality by multivariable logistic regression analysis.RESULTS One hundred and forty-six patients(59%female)were selected with an age range from 65 to 100(mean±SD:85.4±7.61)years.The median hs-cTnI value was 284.2 ng/L.For 72(49%)patients the diagnosis of hospitalization was an infectious disease.The overall in-hospital mortality was 32%(47 patients).Individuals who died did not have higher hs-cTnI levels compared with those who were discharged alive(median:314.8 vs 282.5 ng/L;P=0.565).There was no difference in mortality in patients with infectious vs non-infectious disease(29%vs 35%).Multivariable analysis showed that age(OR 1.062 per 1 year increase,95%CI:1.000-1.127;P=0.048)and creatinine levels(OR 2.065 per 1 mg/dL increase,95%CI:1.383-3.085;P<0.001)were the only independent predictors of death.Mortality was 49%in patients with eGFR<30 mL/min/1.73 m2.CONCLUSION Myocardial injury is a malignant condition in elderly patients admitted to the hospital for non-cardiac reasons.The presence of severe renal impairment is a marker of extremely high in-hospital mortality.

Highly Sensitive Detection of Deoxyribonucleic Acid Hybridization Using Au-Gated AlInN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistor-Based Sensors

Gallium nitride- （GaN） based high electron mobility transistors （HEMTs） provide a good platform for biological detection. In this work, both Au-gated AlInN/GaN HEMT and AlGaN/GaN HEMT biosensors are fabricated for the detection of deoxyribonucleic acid （DNA） hybridization. The Au-gated AIInN/GaN HEMT biosensor exhibits higher sensitivity in comparison with the AlGaN/GaN HEMT biosensor. For the former, the drain-source current （VDS = 0.5 V） shows a clear decrease of 69μA upon the introduction of 1μmolL^-1 （μM） complimentary DNA to the probe DNA at the sensor area, while for the latter it is only 38 μA. This current reduction is a notable indication of the hybridization. The high sensitivity can be attributed to the thinner barrier of the AlInN/GaN heterostructure, which makes the two-dimensional electron gas channel more susceptible to a slight change of the surface charge.

Highly Sensitive Fiber-Optic Faraday-Effect Magnetic Field Sensor Based on Yttrium Iron Garnet

The principle and performance of a fiber-optic Faraday-effect magnetic-field sensor based on an yttrium iron garnet (YIG) and two flux concentrations are described. A single polarization-maintaining optical fiber links the sensor head to the source and detection system, in which the technique of phase shift cancellation is used to cancel the phase shift that accumulatein the optical fiber. Flux concentrators were exploited to enhance the YIG crystal magneto-optic sensitivity .The sensor system exhibited a noise-equivalent field of 8 pT/√Hz and a 3 dB bandwidth of ～10 MHz.

Relationship of High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein with Cardiovascular, Diabetic, and Hepatic Biomarkers

Biomarkers are early predictors of various disorders, circulating level of C-reactive protein is a sensitive biomarker of systemic inflammation and may also be associated with the development of diabetic, hepatic, and cardiovascular diseases. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the association between circulating levels of high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and various biomarkers for hepatic, diabetic, and cardiovascular health. The retrospective analysis included 438 individuals who were tested for these panels simultaneously at Vibrant America Clinical Laboratory. The study population included free-living individuals without any preexisting clinical conditions. Among the cardiovascular markers, a positive correlation and significant association was found between high levels of hs-CRP and serum levels of triglycerides (r = 0.0964, p −0.1423, p −0.1216, p < 0.0105) with circulating levels of hs-CRP. Among all the diabetic markers, glucose (r = 0.1547, p < 0.0011) and glycated serum protein (r = 0.1725, p < 0.0003) were positively correlated with circulating hs-CRP. In the hepatic panel, AST, a transaminase that plays a vital role in amino acid metabolism, was found to have a strong positive correlation with hs-CRP (r = 0.2139, p < 0.0001). In conclusion, the results clearly show the association of hs-CRP with diabetic, hepatic, and cardiovascular risk factors indicating its central value as a key marker for several lifestyle-associated disorders.

The Influence of Regular Hemodialysis on the Highly Sensitive Troponin-I Level in Children without Any Symptoms

Backgrounds: Cardiovascular diseases are still the prominent cause of death in cases of end-stage renal disease, cardiac troponin I (cTnI) can be used for detecting cardiac involvement in asymptomatic cases of end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis. Aim: Determine the direct cardiac consequence of dialysis treatments in children on hemodialysis by measuring high-sensitive troponin-I as a marker of myocardial injury. Subjects and Methods: This case-control study included thirty children with end-stage renal disease on regular hemodialysis;the study group was selected from the nephrology hemodialysis unit of Al-Zahraa Hospital, Al-Azhar University. Another group of thirty healthy children matches age and sex with the patient’s group as a control. Highly Sensitive cTnI (hsTnI) was measured pre and post hemodialysis with a sensitive assay;moreover, ECG, lipid profile including cholesterol, triglyceride, low and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in the same line with routine investigations for those patients, we used bioimpedance for dry weight assessment in the hemodialysis (HD) group. Results: Children on (HD) have a significantly higher (hsTnI) pre-dialysis (0.250 ± 0.069 ng/ml) compared to post-dialysis (0.187 ± 0.004 ng/ml) with (p, 0.001). With no significant difference between post HD (0.187 ± 0.004 ng/ml) and the control group (0.189 ± 0.005) with (p, 0.090). cTnI is detected in (73.3%) of children pre-dialysis above the cut-off value compared to (3.31%) had a high-level post-dialysis. cTnI is positively correlated with systolic, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate with (r. 0.333, p, 0.001: r. 0.343, p, 0.001: r. 0.276, p, 0.033) respectively and (hsTnI) is negatively correlated with Hb and HDL (r. -0.333, p, 0.009: r. 0.324, p, 0.011). Meanwhile (hsTnI) is positively correlated with serum urea, creatinine, ph, PTH, serum ferritin and positively correlated with QT interval and QTC. Conclusion: cTnI levels rise significantly before hemodialysis, so those patients are exposed to silent myocardial injury pre HD, and fortunately, it is not persistent after hemodialysis except for a few of them had a high level. We strongly advised not to delay dialysis appointments;the nephrology team should aggressively treat those patients to prevent further myocardial damage.

HIGHLY SENSITIVE SPECTROPHOTOMETRY OF NIOBIUM

In pH2.0-3.0,niobium(V)forms molybdonlobic acid with sodium molybdate.A spectrophotometric method has been developed for the deter- mination of niobium based on the formation of ion-associate compound of molybdoniobate with Butyl Rhodamine B in aqueous solution in the presence of polyvinyl alcohol and 0.4-0.7 mol/L H_2SO_4.The maximum absorption of ion-associate compound exhioits at 85 nm and the molar absorptivity is 7.5×1.0~5 L.mol^(-1).cm^(-1)for niobium.The new method has been applied to the determination of microamounts niobium in silicate rock,when niobium content is at the level of 8×10^(-3)%,with the relative standard deviation of about 3%.