Impact of renal dysfunction on surgical outcomes in patients with aortic dissection.

Preoperative renal dysfunction is associated with mortality in patients who undergo coronary artery bypass graft and valve surgery. However, the role of preoperative renal dysfunction in type A aortic dissection (TAAD) remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of preoperative renal dysfunction on the outcome of surgical intervention in patients with TAAD.

Sulfur impregnation in polypyrrole-modified MnO nanotubes: efficient polysulfide adsorption for improved lithium-sulfur battery performance.

Rechargeable lithium-sulfur batteries have emerged as a viable technology for next generation electrochemical energy storage, and the sulfur cathode plays a critical role in determining the device performance. In this study, we prepared functional composites based on polypyrrole-coated MnO nanotubes as a highly efficient sulfur host (sulfur mass loading 63.5%).

Structural Engineering of Semiconductor Nanoparticles by Conjugated Interfacial Bonds.

Surface functionalization of semiconductor nanoparticles plays a significant role in the manipulation of the nanoparticle physicochemical properties and diverse applications. Conventional points of anchor involve mercapto, carboxyl and phenol moieties, forming largely nonconjugated interfacial linkages. In this personal account, we summarize recent progress in surface functionalization of semiconductor nanoparticles with olefin and acetylene derivatives, where the formation of conjugated interfacial bonds leads to ready manipulation of the nanoparticle optical and electronic properties, by using Si and TiO nanoparticles as the illustrating examples.

Synergy between Plasmonic and Electrocatalytic Activation of Methanol Oxidation on Palladium-Silver Alloy Nanotubes.

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) excitation of noble metal nanoparticles has been shown to accelerate and drive photochemical reactions. Here, LSPR excitation is shown to enhance the electrocatalysis of a fuel-cell-relevant reaction. The electrocatalyst consists of Pd Ag alloy nanotubes (NTs), which combine the catalytic activity of Pd toward the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and the visible-light plasmonic response of Ag.

Risk of cardiac arrhythmias in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C infections - A 13-year nationwide population-based study.

Background: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with higher risk of cardiovascular events than chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV). We aimed to investigate whether there is higher risk of arrhythmia in HCV infection.

Methods: Electronic medical records from National Health Institute Research Database during 2000-2012 were retrieved for patients with HBV or HCV.

Long-term renal outcomes in patients with traumatic renal injury after nephrectomy: A nationwide cohort study.

Background: The long-term renal outcomes of patients who underwent nephrectomy for traumatic renal injury (TRI) have rarely been reported. Therefore, we investigated the impact of nephrectomy for TRI on long-term renal outcomes.

Methods And Materials: We extracted data from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan from 1999 to 2013 and identified patients with TRI.

Contemporary management and prognosis of great vessels trauma.

Background: Great vessel trauma (GVT), which is defined as trauma to the aorta or vena cava, remains one of the most challenging injuries to treat and has a high mortality rate despite advances in modern medicine. Additionally, the optimal management of GVT is controversial. In this study, we review the incidence, management, and outcome of GVT, identify the current status and prognostic factors of GVT, and compare treatment outcomes.

Clinical outcomes of second-generation limus-eluting stents compared to paclitaxel-eluting stents for acute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock.

Objective: Whether the cardiovascular (CV) outcomes of second-generation limus-eluting stents (LESs) differ from those of paclitaxel-eluting stents (PESs) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by cardiogenic shock (CS) is still unclear.

Methods: We used the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database to analyse data of 516 patients with AMI and CS diagnosed from January 2007 to December 2011. We used propensity score matching to adjust for the imbalance in covariate baseline values between these two groups.

Long-term outcomes after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in patients with dialysis-requiring acute kidney injury: A cohort study.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment. The aim of this study was to elucidate the long-term outcomes of adult patients with AKI who receive ECMO.

Materials And Methods: The study analyzed encrypted datasets from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database.

Effectiveness and Safety of Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulant and Warfarin in Cirrhotic Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation.

Background Liver cirrhotic patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation have been excluded from randomized clinical studies regarding oral anticoagulants for stroke prevention. Whether non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants ( NOAC s) are superior to warfarin for these patients remains unclear. Methods and Results This nationwide retrospective cohort study, with data collected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, enrolled 2428 liver cirrhotic patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation taking apixaban (n=171), dabigatran (n=535), rivaroxaban (n=732), or warfarin (n=990) from June 1, 2012, to December 31, 2016.

Benefit-risk assessment of commonly consumed fish species from South China Sea based on methyl mercury and DHA.

Even though a growing number of reports indicated favorable health effects with fish consumption, kinds of hazardous substances in fish were detected in fish and to be exceeded advisory limitation. Benefit-risk assessment of commonly consumed fish is urgently needed. We conducted fish consumption survey and fish sampling in the coast of South China Sea to assess benefit-risk effect of commonly consumed fish species.

Long-term Outcomes of Endovascular and Open Repair for Traumatic Thoracic Aortic Injury.

Importance: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has been adopted rapidly for treating traumatic thoracic aortic injury (TAI). The long-term durability and efficacy remain unknown.

Objective: To determine the long-term outcomes of thoracic endovascular aortic repair and those of open repair (OR) for traumatic TAI.

Ruthenium atomically dispersed in carbon outperforms platinum toward hydrogen evolution in alkaline media.

Hydrogen evolution reaction is an important process in electrochemical energy technologies. Herein, ruthenium and nitrogen codoped carbon nanowires are prepared as effective hydrogen evolution catalysts. The catalytic performance is markedly better than that of commercial platinum catalyst, with an overpotential of only -12 mV to reach the current density of 10 mV cm in 1 M KOH and -47 mV in 0.

Direct Neck Exposure for Rescue Endovascular Mechanical Thrombectomy in a Patient with Acute Common Carotid Occlusion Concurrent with Type A Aortic Dissection.

Background: Mechanical thrombectomy is an effective treatment of acute large vessel occlusion. However, when difficult anatomy is encountered in which the reperfusion catheter cannot be positioned well, the outcomes can be suboptimal. We present a patient with right common carotid artery (CCA) and internal carotid artery occlusion after repair of an acute type A aortic dissection.

Hospital level variations in the trends and outcomes of the nonoperative management of splenic injuries - a nationwide cohort study.

Background: The long-term treatment trends of splenic injuries can provide guidance when treating trauma patients. The nonoperative management (NOM) of splenic injuries was introduced in early 1989. After decades of development, it has proven to be safe and is now the primary treatment choice worldwide.

Hierarchically Structured Co(OH)/CoPt/N-CN Air Cathodes for Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries.

For the realization of the large-scale deployment of rechargeable Zn-air batteries, it is crucial to develop cost-effective, efficient, and stable bifunctional electrocatalysts for both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In this work, an integrated electrocatalyst consisting of Co(OH)/CoPt/N-CN was developed to enable both ORR and OER reactions for Zn-air batteries. The hierarchical Co(OH)/CoPt/N-CN electrocatalyst has desirable electrochemical properties, with comparable activity and better durability than commercial Pt/C for ORR and improved activity and long-term stability than commercial IrO catalyst for OER.

Au@PdAg core-shell nanotubes as advanced electrocatalysts for methanol electrooxidation in alkaline media.

Developing active and cost-effective electrocatalysts for methanol electrooxidation is crucial to the commercialization of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). In this study, Au@PdAg core-shell nanotubes are synthesized in an aqueous solution by sequential galvanic displacement between Ag nanowires and AuCl and PdCl . High-resolution transmission electron microscopy studies demonstrate that the obtained Au@PdAg nanotubes consist of a Au-rich interior that is encapsulated with a three-dimensionally dendritic, porous PdAg alloy shell, forming a core-sheath nanostructure.

CoSe Nanoparticles Encapsulated by N-Doped Carbon Framework Intertwined with Carbon Nanotubes: High-Performance Dual-Role Anode Materials for Both Li- and Na-Ion Batteries.

It is of fundamental and technological significance to develop dual-role anode materials for both lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) with high performance. Here, a composite material based on CoSe nanoparticles encapsulated in N-doped carbon framework intertwined with carbon nanotubes (CoSe@N-CF/CNTs) is prepared successfully from cobalt-based zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-67). As anode materials for LIBs, CoSe@N-CF/CNTs composites deliver a reversible capacity of 428 mAh g even after 500 cycles at a current density of 1 A g with almost 100% Coulombic efficiency.

Effectiveness and safety of non-vitamin-K antagonist oral anticoagulants versus warfarin in atrial fibrillation patients with thrombocytopenia.

Patients with thrombocytopenia were excluded from major clinical trials that investigated non-vitamin-K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of NOAC versus warfarin in AF patients with thrombocytopenia. From 2010 to 2017, a cohort study based on electronic medical records of a multi-center healthcare provider in Taiwan and included 8239 anticoagulated AF patients (age 77.

Bretschneider solution-induced alterations in the urine metabolome in cardiac surgery patients.

The development of Bretschneider's histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK) cardioplegia solution represented a major advancement in cardiac surgery, offering significant myocardial protection. However, metabolic changes induced by this additive in the whole body have not been systematically investigated. Using an untargeted mass spectrometry-based method to deeply explore the urine metabolome, we sought to provide a holistic and systematic view of metabolic perturbations occurred in patients receiving HTK.

A population-based analysis of endovascular aortic stent graft therapy in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Background: Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) are effective and minimally invasive treatments for high-risk surgical candidates. However, information about the management of EVAR and TEVAR in liver cirrhosis (LC) is lacking. The aim of our study was to evaluate outcomes after EVAR and TEVAR in patients with LC.

Selection of β-Blocker in Patients With Cirrhosis and Acute Myocardial Infarction: A 13-Year Nationwide Population-Based Study in Asia.

Background It is not clear whether β-selective or nonselective β-blockers should be used in patients with cirrhosis and acute myocardial infarction. Methods and Results Medical records were retrieved from Taiwan NHIRD (National Health Insurance Research Database) during 2001-2013. Patients were excluded for age <20, previous acute myocardial infarction, contraindication to β-blockers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, or atrioventricular conduction disease.

Construction of durable antibacterial and anti-mildew cotton fabric based on P(DMDAAC-AGE)/Ag/ZnO composites.

To prepare antibacterial cotton fabrics with laundering durability, an organic-inorganic P(DMDAAC-AGE)/Ag/ZnO composite was synthesized by free radical polymerization where the epoxy groups were utilized to form covalent bonds with the hydroxyl groups of cotton fabrics. The surface morphology, crystal phase and chemical structure of the obtained P(DMDAAC-AGE)/Ag/ZnO composite were characterized by XRD, FT-IR and TEM measurements. The resulting P(DMDAAC-AGE)/Ag/ZnO composite-functionalized cotton fabrics exhibited outstanding antibacterial activity and excellent laundering durability.

Point of Anchor: Impacts on Interfacial Charge Transfer of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles.

Photoinduced charge transfer across the metal oxide-organic ligand interface plays a key role in the diverse applications of metal oxide nanomaterials/nanostructures, such as photovoltaics, photocatalysis, and optoelectronics. Thus far, most studies are focused on molecular engineering of the organic chromophores, where the charge-transfer properties have been found to dictate the photo absorption efficiency and eventual device performance. Yet, as the chromophores are mostly bound onto the metal oxide surfaces by hydroxyl or carboxyl anchors, the impacts of the bonding interactions at the metal oxide-ligand interface on interfacial charge transfer have remained largely unexplored.