Sex Differences in Clinical Outcomes and Surgical Interventions for Infective Endocarditis: A Nationwide Registry.

Background: Sex differences in infective endocarditis (IE) remain underexplored in large-scale studies. Current findings on clinical outcomes, particularly in surgical IE, are inconsistent, highlighting critical knowledge gaps.

Methods: We conducted a nationwide cohort study using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (2001-2022) and a total of 28 976 adults with IE were identified.

Outcomes of End Stage Renal Disease in Patients With Infective Endocarditis: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is a serious and potentially lethal condition in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). This study aimed to describe the clinical features, provide epidemiology information, and compare short and long-term outcomes of IE in patients with ESRD.

Methods: Patients who were admitted due to IE from 2001 to 2021 were identified from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database and grouped based on whether they were undergoing chronic dialysis with ESRD.

Nickel Hydroxide/Carbon Dot Nanocomposites as Effective Antibacterial Agents.

Antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains are an ever-present hurdle for human health. A route to overcoming this threat is the development of effective antimicrobial agents based on carbon-supported nanocomposites. In this study, carbon dots (CD) are synthesized by a facile hydrothermal treatment of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and melamine and further functionalized with nickel hydroxide colloids.

Dialysis Modality and Risk of Infective Endocarditis in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease.

Background: Although hemodialysis (HD) is a significant risk factor for infective endocarditis (IE), risks associated with peritoneal dialysis (PD) and specific types of HD access remain underexplored.

Methods And Results: This retrospective study analyzed 215,965 patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and 1,076,532 age- and sex-matched individuals without ESRD from the general population (control group). ESRD patients were grouped into those undergoing HD or PD, with the HD group further subdivided by access type: arteriovenous fistula (AVF), catheter, or graft.

Infected native aortic aneurysms: epidemiology, management, and outcomes based on a nationwide population-based study.

Background And Aims: Large-scale investigations with longitudinal data on infected native aortic aneurysms (INAAs), a rare but life-threatening emergency, are lacking. The epidemiology, treatment trends, and outcomes of INAAs were investigated in a nationwide population-based cohort.

Methods: A total of 2387 hospitalisations for INAAs were identified between 2001 and 2021 in the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database.

Outcomes of Frozen Elephant Trunk for Type 1A Acute Aortic Dissection: A Nationwide, Population Based Study.

Objective: Type A acute aortic dissection (TAAAD) is associated with a high risk of surgical mortality despite early diagnosis and treatment. The optimal extent of aortic arch repair for primary TAAAD remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the outcomes of the frozen elephant trunk (FET) procedure compared with non-FET procedures in patients with primary TAAAD.

Glycohemoglobin Variations and Long-term Risk of Incident Heart Failure in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.

Objective: To investigate the association between long-term glycohemoglobin variations and the onset of incident heart failure (HF) in individuals with diabetes, addressing the phenotype concerning left ventricular ejection fraction and etiology.

Patients And Methods: This retrospective study identified patients with type 2 diabetes from a multicenter database between January 2007 and December 2010 who had multiple hemoglobin A (HbA) measurements during the 4 years after the initial diagnosis of diabetes, calculating variations using average real variability. Patients were followed from the end of run-in period, with HF hospitalization as the primary outcome.

Recent advancements of bismuth titanate photocatalysis.

Bismuth titanate has found widespread applications in photocatalysis for hydrogen production, degradation of organic pollutants, nitrogen oxide removal, and carbon dioxide reduction, among others, due to its unique crystal structure and electronic energy band configuration. In this paper, we summarize the recent progress in the preparation of bismuth titanate, mainly BiTiO, which is classified into four categories according to their morphological and structural characteristics, explore the manipulation of the materials morphology, and analyze the influence of the materials structures on the photocatalytic performance. The review is concluded with a perspective highlighting the key challenges and future research directions.

Hospital volume and outcomes of surgical repair in type A acute aortic dissection: A nationwide cohort study.

Background: Over the last decade, the number of patients treated with open repair for TAAAD in Taiwan has dramatically increased. This study aims to assess the hospital-volume relationship with surgical outcomes of type A acute aortic dissection (TAAAD) across hospitals in Taiwan.

Methods: Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance (NHI) Research Database (NHIRD), we include only the patients who underwent first open repair for TAAAD from 01/01/2005, to 31/12/2020, in Taiwan.

Adverse kidney events with initiation of SGLT2 inhibitors versus DPP4 inhibitors in diabetic people with a history of acute kidney injury.

Background: The benefits of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) versus dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4is) in type 2 diabetes people with varying acute kidney injury (AKI) intervals or recovery remain unclear.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed 3127 paired patients with a prior history of AKI within 60 months before drug initiation, who received either SGLT2i or DPP4i between June 2016 and December 2021, utilizing 1:1 propensity score matching to balance baseline characteristics. AKI was defined as a serum creatinine (sCr) increase of ≥50% or an absolute rise of ≥.

Anticoagulation therapy and related outcomes among Asian patients after bioprosthetic valve replacement.

Importance: An inadequate number of studies focused on Asian populations have investigated the safety of warfarin usage among Asian patients with tissue valve aortic valve replacement (AVR) or mitral valve replacement (MVR).

Objective: This study aimed to identify the optimal international normalized ratio (INR) range for Asian patients during a 1-year follow-up after tissue valve replacement.

Design, Setting, Participants: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent tissue valve AVR, MVR, and double valve replacement (DVR) between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2018.

Ruthenium/Carbon Nanocomposites for Efficient Hydrogen Electrocatalysis: Impacts of Halide Residues.

Ruthenium has emerged as a promising substitute for platinum toward the hydrogen evolution/oxidation reaction (HER/HOR). Herein, ruthenium/carbon composites are prepared by magnetic induction heating (300 A, 10 s) of RuCl, RuBr or RuI loaded on hollow N-doped carbon cages (HNC). The HNC-RuCl-300A sample consists of Ru nanoparticles (dia.

Bubble-triggered piezocatalytic generation of hydrogen peroxide by copper nanosheets-modified polyvinylidene fluoride films for organic pollutant degradation and water disinfection.

Piezocatalysis has emerged as an attractive technology for environmental remediation by the effective transformation of mechanical energy into electrical energy. Herein, copper nanosheets-modified polyvinylidene fluoride films (CuNS/PVDF) are synthesized via a facile wet-chemistry route and exhibit a much-enhanced piezoelectric property, as compared to pristine PVDF. This is ascribed to CuNS that increases the stress response point and Young's modulus of the PVDF host.

Impact of ejection fraction changes on long-term outcomes in VA-ECMO patients.

There is limited evidence regarding the association between myocardial function requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and long-term survival rate in patients who reach hospital discharge. This study investigates the association between myocardial function parameters collected at different times from weaning from ECMO to long-term follow-up and the long-term mortality rate. This retrospective study investigates the effect of EF timing in the long-term.

Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants by Sulfate Radicals Activated by Defective NH-MIL-88B.

Photocatalysis has been recognized as a viable technology for pollutant degradation in wastewater, owing to its ability to generate reactive radicals under photoirradiation. Among these, sulfate radicals have been attracting significant attention due to their strong oxidizing properties; yet the specific mechanism of action has remained elusive thus far. In this study, defective NH-MIL-88B (DNMB) is prepared via a facile hydrothermal procedure in the presence of potassium sodium tartrate and found to facilitate the production of sulfate radicals from sulfate anions under visible light irradiation, due to partial reduction of Fe to Fe in the NMB skeleton by the added tartrate that enriches the Fe/Fe redox couples, in addition to other reactive species like superoxide radicals and hydroxy radicals.

The influence and association of blood on transfer catheter and vaginal microbiota on pregnancy outcomes in frozen-embryo transfer cycles.

The effect of blood and mucus on the catheter on pregnancy outcomes in frozen-embryo transfer (FET) cycles remains relatively under-investigated. To evaluate the influence of the presence of blood and mucus on the transfer catheter, along with the characteristics of vaginal microbiota on pregnancy outcomes in FET cycles, we comprehensively analyzed the clinical data of 816 patients. We meticulously recorded the potential traces of blood and mucus on the catheter following embryo transfer (ET).

Effect of Initial eGFR and Albuminuria Changes on Clinical Outcomes in People With Diabetes Receiving SGLT2 Inhibitors.

Context: The relationship between initial changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urine albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR), and their independent association with clinical outcomes in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients receiving sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is), remains unclear.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between initial changes in eGFR and UACR with consequent cardiovascular and kidney outcomes in an Asian population with T2D following SGLT2i treatment in a real-world setting.

Methods: Using a large multicenter medical database in Taiwan, we analyzed 8222 T2D patients with baseline and 3-month follow-up eGFR and UACR measurements, receiving SGLT2is between June 1, 2016, and December 31, 2021.

A Nomogram for Predicting the Risk of Twin and Preterm Births After Two Cleavage-Stage Embryo Transfer.

Objective: To propose a prediction model aimed at increasing the live birth rate of patients undergoing two-cell embryo transfer while eliminating multiple pregnancy complications.

Methods: Women who underwent their first In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) cycle with transferred cleavage-stage embryos at the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University between January 2016 and December 2024 were included. This study recruited women who received the GnRH agonist long protocol (GnRH-a) or antagonist protocol (GnRH-ant) for ovarian stimulation.

Photo-induced ring-maintaining hydrosilylation of unactivated alkenes with hydrosilacyclobutanes.

Increasing attention has been paid to silacyclobutanes because of their wide application in ring opening and ring extension reactions. However, the synthesis of functionalized silacyclobutanes remains an unmet challenge because of the limited functional group tolerance of the reactions with organometallic reagents and chlorosilacyclobutanes. Herein, we report a conceptually different solution to this end through a visible-light-induced metal-free hydrosilylation of unactivated alkenes with hydrosilacyclobutanes.

Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Management in Patients After Repair of Type A Aortic Dissection.

Background: The long-term optimal targets for blood pressure and heart rate in patients after surgical repair of acute type A aortic dissection (TAAD) remain unclear. This study evaluated the long-term association of blood pressure and heart rate control on patients after TAAD surgical repair.

Methods: We identified 839 patients who underwent TAAD surgical repair and survived to discharge between 2003 and 2018 from the Chang Gung Research Database.

Emerging heterostructures derived from metal-organic frameworks for electrochemical energy storage: Progresses and perspectives.

Heterostructures are a novel class of advanced materials have attracted considerable attention because they combine components with different structures and properties, exhibiting unique activity and function due to synergistic interactions at the interface. Over the last decade, there has been increasing research interest in constructing advanced heterostructures nanomaterials possessing efficient charge/ion transportation, optimize ion absorption behavior and rich accessible active sites for electrochemical energy storage (EES). Nonetheless, the conventional methodology for constructing heterostructures typically involves the self-assembly of active materials and conductive components, which poses significant challenges in achieving large-scale, uniformly atomically matched interfaces.

Beyond the infection: mapping the risk of cardiovascular events post-scrub typhus in a nationwide cohort study.

Scrub typhus, caused by , often involves multiple organs, but its cardiovascular (CV) sequelae in survivors remain under-researched. This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) spanning 2010-2015 to assess CV risks among scrub typhus survivors. Excluding those with prior CV events, we focused on outcomes such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure hospitalization (HFH), strokes, new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF), aortic aneurysm or dissection, venous thromboembolism (VTE), and CV death.

Validation of insurance claims data on aetiology, surgical type and prosthesis for isolated valve surgery: a retrospective observational surgery.

Objectives: Administrative database research is pivotal for developing guidelines in cardiovascular surgery and valvular heart disease. However, validation studies specific to Asia are lacking. This study validated the coding of valvular heart repair and replacement surgeries in Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) Research Database using International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modification (ICD-CM) codes.