A perovskite-structured barium zirconate, BaZrO3 (BZ), support is demonstrated to enhance the activity, relative to γ-Al2O3, of Co nanoparticle catalysts decorated with Pt for CO2 methanation. The CO2 methanation reaction may play a central role in both CO2 utilization and energy storage strategies for renewable energy. These catalysts require cooperative hydrogen transport between the supported Pt and Co species to provide the desired functionality, as CO2 preferentially dissociates on Co with H2 dissociating primarily on Pt. In this work, this interaction is enhanced through an atomic decoration of Pt on the Co nanoparticle surface. This morphology is achieved through immobilization of colloidal Pt particles on the Co/BaZrO3 support followed by selected catalyst pretreatment conditions to atomically disperse the Pt. Furthermore, at the same loading of Co and Pt (1 and 0.2 wt %, respectively), the barium zirconate support provides a more than 6-fold increase in CH4 formation rate in comparison to previously studied γ-Al2O3 supports at 325 °C. This was accompanied by a CH4 selectivity of over 70%, which was maintained over the measured temperature range of 250−350 °C; in fact, the selectivity was 80% at 325 °C, in comparison to only 43% for γ-Al2O3 support. This enhancement is attributed to a strong interaction between the Co particles and the BaZrO3 support. Yttria doping at 5 and 30 atom % levels on the zirconia site led to a reduction of the catalytic performance relative to BaZrO3, although the activity displayed at low levels of substitution was still higher than that over the γ-Al2O3 support.

BackgroundChronic low back pain (CLBP) has a significant effect on quality of life and imposes a great economical burden on society. In a number of studies, validated questionnaires had been given to CLBP patients to determine their health-associated quality of life, sleep disturbance, and psychological status. However, such outcome studies had not been performed previously in Korea.MethodsWe used self-report questionnaires to compare CLBP patients with an age- and sex-matched healthy control group. Between September 2012 and August 2013, we enrolled 47 patients who had CLBP for more than 3 months (group P) and 44 healthy age- and sex-matched controls (group C), who completed the following self-report questionnaires: 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).ResultsThe scores from the ODI, BDI, and BAI were significantly higher in group P than in group C. The SF-36 scores were significantly lower in group P than in group C, suggesting lower quality of life in group P. The incidence of depression and anxiety was significantly higher in group P than in group C. However, neither the PSQI score nor the incidence of sleep disturbance was significantly different between the groups.ConclusionsPatients with CLBP showed considerable functional disability and significant impairment of psychological status with a low quality of life. Hence, it is important to evaluate CLBP patients to provide adequate psychological support.

NCT01100125.

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Abstract. Thyroid hormone has many effects on the heart and cardiovascular system. Thyrotoxicosis is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, primarily due to heart failure and thromboembolism. However, the relationship between thyroid hormone excess and the cardiac complications of angina pectoris and myocardial infarction remains largely speculative. Moreover, few studies have been reported on the effect of thyroid hormone levels within normal range on coronary artery disease (CAD). Therefore we examined the association of thyroid function with coronary artery diseases in euthyroid angina patients. Total 192 subjects (mean age; 60.8 yrs) were enrolled in which coronary angiograms were performed due to chest pain. We measured free thyroxine (FT 4 ), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), serum lipid levels and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels and analyzed their association with the presence of CAD. Serum FT 4 levels were higher in patients with CAD compared with the patients without CAD (1.31 ± 0.30 vs 1.20 ± 0.23, p = 0.006), and high FT 4 level was associated with the presence of multi-vessel disease. Multivariate analysis showed that age (odds ratio (OR) 1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.07, p = 0.007), hypertension (OR 2.04; 95% CI 1.06-3.90, p = 0.036) and FT 4 (OR 4.23; 95% CI 1.12-15.99, p = 0.033), were the determinants for CAD. The relative risk (RR) for CAD in highest tertile of FT 4 showed increased risk compared with the lowest tertile (RR 1.98; 95% CI 0.98-3.99, p<0.001). Our study showed that FT 4 levels were associated with the presence and the severity of CAD. Also, this study suggests that elevated serum FT 4 levels even within normal range could be a risk factor for CAD. Further studies will be necessary to confirm the relationship of thyroid function and CAD.

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Inadvertent intradiscal injection during TFESI is not rare. Physicians who perform interventional pain procedures should increase their awareness of related potential complications. The aspiration test and static image of fluoroscope often fail to detect the intravascular injection during the TFESI. Real-time fluoroscopy should be the gold standard for confirming intravascular injection.