In this paper, Cu nanoparticles with narrow size distribution are synthesized by reduction of CuO films produced by atomic layer deposition (ALD), which are used as catalysts for the catalytic growth of carbon nanostructures. By properly adjusting the ALD cycle numbers, the size of produced Cu nanoparticles can be well controlled. Uniform carbon nanocoils with near 100% purity can be obtained by using 50-80 nm Cu nanoparticles, while thin straight fibers and thick straight fibers are produced by applying 5-35 and 100-200 nm Cu nanoparticles, respectively. The mechanism of the particle size-dependent growth of the carbon nanostructure was analyzed based on the experimental results and theoretical simulation. Our results can provide important information for the preparation of helical carbon nanostructures with high purity. Moreover, this work also demonstrates that ALD is a viable technique for synthesizing nanoparticles with highly controllable size and narrow size distribution suitable for studying particle size-dependent catalytic behavior and other applications.

Background. Inconsistent data have been reported for the effectiveness of intramuscular botulinum toxin type A (BTXA) in patients with limb spasticity after stroke. This meta-analysis of available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of BTXA in adult patients with upper and lower limb spasticity after stroke. Methods. An electronic search was performed to select eligible RCTs in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane library through December 2018. Summary standard mean differences (SMDs) and relative risk (RR) values with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were employed to assess effectiveness and safety outcomes, respectively. Results. Twenty-seven RCTs involving a total of 2,793 patients met the inclusion criteria, including 16 and 9 trials assessing upper and lower limb spasticity cases, respectively. For upper limb spasticity, BTXA therapy significantly improved the levels of muscle tone (SMD=-0.76; 95% CI -0.97 to -0.55; P<0.001), physician global assessment (SMD=0.51; 95% CI 0.35-0.67; P<0.001), and disability assessment scale (SMD=-0.30; 95% CI -0.40 to -0.20; P<0.001), with no significant effects on active upper limb function (SMD=0.49; 95% CI -0.08 to 1.07; P=0.093) and adverse events (RR=1.18; 95% CI 0.72-1.93; P=0.509). For lower limb spasticity, BTXA therapy was associated with higher Fugl-Meyer score (SMD=5.09; 95%CI 2.16-8.01; P=0.001), but had no significant effects on muscle tone (SMD=-0.12; 95% CI -0.83 to 0.59; P=0.736), gait speed (SMD=0.06; 95% CI -0.02 to 0.15; P=0.116), and adverse events (RR=1.01; 95% CI 0.71-1.45; P=0.949). Conclusions. BTXA improves muscle tone, physician global assessment, and disability assessment scale in upper limb spasticity and increases the Fugl-Meyer score in lower limb spasticity.

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A potential ecological risk assessment was conducted based on the analyzing results of the typical pollutants (Pb, Cu, Cr, Cd, and Zn) contents in the sediments of Yangtze River within the Wanzhou section using the index number techniques of single factor and Hakanson method for the quality status of the sediments. The results indicted that cadmium (Cd) had the largest pollution index and was the main pollution factor among the metals. The ecological risk sequence of the metals was Cd > Zn >Pb > Cu >Cr, while the sequence of the potential ecological risk posed by the metals was Cd > Pb > Cu> Zn >Cr. The index range of potential ecological risk was from 101.39 to 184.31, and the average index of potential ecological risk factors (RI) was 152.35. The Yangtze River within the Wanzhou section has a middle potential ecological risk.

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Background: Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) inChina, respiratory manifestations of the disease have been observed. However, as a fatal comorbidity, acute myocardial injury (AMI) in COVID-19 patients has not been previously investigated in detail. We investigated the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients with AMI and determined the risk factors for AMI in them. Methods:We analyzed data from 53 consecutive laboratory-confirmed and hospitalized COVID-19 patients (28 men, 25 women; age, 19-81 years). We collected information on epidemiological and demographic characteristics, clinical features, routine laboratory tests (including cardiac injury biomarkers), echocardiography, electrocardiography, imaging findings, management methods, and clinical outcomes.Results: Cardiac complications were found in 42 of the 53 (79.25%) patients: tachycardia (n=15), electrocardiography abnormities (n=11), diastolic dysfunction (n=20), elevated myocardial enzymes (n=30), and AMI (n=6). All the six AMI patients were aged >60 years; five of them had two or more underlying comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) severity was higher in the AMI patients than in patients with non-definite AMI (p<0.001). All the AMI patients required care in intensive care unit; of them, three died, two remain hospitalized.Multivariate analyses showed that C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, NCP severity, and underlying comorbidities were the risk factors for cardiac abnormalities in COVID-19 patients.All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.

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