Early identification of infection severity and organ dysfunction is crucial in improving outcomes of patients with sepsis. We aimed to develop a new combination of blood-based biomarkers that can early predict 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis or septic shock. We enrolled 66 patients with sepsis or septic shock and compared 14 blood-based biomarkers in the first 24 h after ICU admission. The serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) (median 217.6 vs. 4809.0 pg/ml, P = 0.001), lactate (median 2.4 vs. 6.3 mmol/L, P = 0.014), N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) (median 1596.5 vs. 32,905.3 ng/ml, P < 0.001), prothrombin time (PT) (median 15.6 vs. 20.1 s, P = 0.030), activated partial thrombin time (APTT) (median 45.1 vs. 59.0 s, P = 0.026), and international normalized ratio (INR) (median 1.3 vs. 1.8, P < 0.001) were significantly lower in the survivor group. IL-6, NT-proBNP, and INR provided the best individual performance in predicting 28-day mortality of patients with sepsis or septic shock. Furthermore, the combination of these three biomarkers achieved better predictive performance (AUC 0.890, P < 0.001) than conventional scoring systems. In summary, the combination of IL-6, NT-proBNP, and INR may serve as a potential predictor of 28-day mortality in critically ill patients with sepsis or septic shock.

Here, we report on the synthesis of α-Mn 2 O 3 complex nanostructures through heattreatment of the precursor MnCO 3 (in similar structure and size) synthesized by a biomineralization route. The phase, microstructure, and morphology of the obtained sample were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum, Raman spectrum, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The self-assembly mechanism of the precursor of MnCO 3 is discussed. The α-Mn 2 O 3 show two weak antiferromagnetic transition Neél temperatures at ∼78.3 and ∼15.8 K and a Curie−Weiss temperature at 48.5 K. Also, the α-Mn 2 O 3 hierarchical nanostructures present superhydrophobicity with a contact angle over 150°.

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