Cardiovascular disease (CVD), principally heart disease and stroke, is the leading cause of death for both males and females in developed countries. Aspirin is the most widely used and tested antiplatelet drug in CVD, and it is proven to be the cornerstone of antiplatelet therapy in treatment and prevention of CVD in clinical trials in various populations. In acute coronary syndrome, thrombotic stroke, and Kawasaki's disease, acute use of aspirin can decrease mortality and recurrence of cardiovascular events. As secondary prevention, aspirin is believed to be effective in acute coronary syndrome, stable angina, revascularization, stroke, TIA, and atrial fibrillation. Aspirin may also be used for patients with a high risk of future CVD for primary prevention, but the balance between benefits and the possibility of side effects must be considered.

The combined therapy of TFGs with sulfonylureas hypoglycemic drug could lower the blood glucose level and ameliorate clinical symptoms in the treatment of T2DM, and the therapy was relatively safe.

This work discusses the preparation and characterization of hollow nanospheres based on kraft lignin (KL). Kraft lignin is a by-product of the papermaking industry and an abundant renewable resource. It was determined that adding water to a KL/THF solution induced KL to form hollow nanospheres via self-assembly. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the hollow nanosphere morphology. The shell thickness of the hollow nanospheres was tunable by adjusting the initial KL concentration in THF, making the nanospheres a potential material for the encapsulation and controlled release of guest molecules. Ultraviolet (UV) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed the π-π stacking of aromatic rings as an important and distinctive mechanism for the formation of hollow KL nanospheres. The nanospheres were obtained simply and inexpensively, and they exhibited the characteristics of biocompatibility, biodegradability, and low toxicity. These advantages make hollow KL nanospheres attractive for applications in nanoscience and nanotechnology. This study developed an economically feasible and facile strategy for the effective use of biomass waste in sustainable chemistry.

This retrospective, single-center study assessed the prognostic value of several emerging inflammatory markers as predictors of in-stent restenosis (ISR) after drug-eluting stent implantation for coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) lesions. Consecutive patients (n = 416) who underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for documented CTO lesions and with follow-up angiography were enrolled. Preprocedural high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and red cell distribution width (RDW) were analyzed. At mean follow-up of 14.4 ± 3.3 months, ISR occurred in 72 patients. Compared with the non-ISR group, preprocedural hsCRP level, PLR, NLR, and RDW were significantly higher in the ISR group. The ISR group also had significantly greater proportions of patients with diabetes and smoking history, lower estimated glomerular filtration rate, higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level and neutrophil count, longer stent length, and higher rate of severe dissection. In multivariate analysis, NLR (odds ratio [OR]: 3.110; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.102-4.063; P < .001) and PLR (OR: 1.029; 95% CI, 1.016-1.143; P < .001) were independent predictors of ISR, along with LDL-C level and stent length. In conclusion, higher preprocedural NLR and PLR levels were independent risk factors for the development of ISR in patients who underwent PCI for CTO lesions.

Lignocellulosic-biomass-derived transparent nanopaper is an emerging substrate or functional component for next-generation green optoelectronics. The fabrication of such transparent nanopaper typically needs the delignification of lignocellulose; however, delignification not only is environmentally unfriendly but also impairs the nanopaper properties such as water stability and UV-shielding capacity. In this study, we present a green and facile lignin modification method instead of delignification to fabricate transparent nanopaper from agro-industrial waste with the combined intriguing properties of lignin and cellulose. Because lignin modification selectively removes chromophores without affecting the bulk lignocellulosic structures, the as-prepared lignocellulose nanopaper (LNP) achieved a comparable optical transmittance (∼90%) but superior UV-blocking ability and haze (∼46%) compared with previously reported cellulose (or delignified) nanopaper. The well-preserved lignin structures endowed the transparent LNP with a low surface energy and a small mesoporous size and volume. In addition to a high thermal stability, the transparent LNP exhibited excellent water stability, evidenced by an up to 103° initial water contact angle, a low equilibrium water absorption (<60 wt %), and a high wet mechanical strength (nearly 40% tensile strength and 92% toughness retained in the wet state). Furthermore, we fabricated a GaAs solar cell with the transparent LNP as an advanced light-management layer that leads to significantly improved power conversion efficiency, even under damp conditions. This work sheds light on the conversion of agro-industrial waste to nanopaper with desirable performances for optoelectronics and brings us a step closer toward the scalable production and application of LNP.

SUMMARYComplement component C6 is a part of the membrane attack complex that forms a pore-like structure in cell membranes following complement activation. De®ciency of terminal complement components including C6 predisposes individuals to infection with Neisseriae. Using polymerase chain reaction/ single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis followed by DNA sequencing, we screened genomic DNA from 200 randomly chosen blacks and an equal number from whites for three loss-of-function C6 mutations. Ten blacks and two whites were found to be heterozygous for one of the mutations. Two of the mutations, 1195delC and 1936delG, were found exclusively in black individuals. A third previously undescribed mutation, 878delA, was found at equal frequency among the two groups. The difference between the two groups was signi®cant (P 0´027), indicating that C6 de®ciency due to these three mutations is more common among blacks than whites in the local area, principally Jefferson County, Alabama. In addition, three previously undescribed point mutations, two of which result in amino acid substitutions, were identi®ed within exon 6. A review of the county health department records over the past 6 years revealed a higher incidence of meningococcal meningitis in blacks due to serogroups Y and W-135 which paralleled the difference in the estimated prevalence of C6 de®ciency. Among black residents of the county (n 235 598) there were 15 cases of meningitis due to these two serogroups, compared with two cases in the white population (n 422 604) (P 0´002). We conclude that C6 de®ciency is more common among blacks than whites in the south-eastern United States, with a frequency approaching 1 in 1600 black individuals.

We assessed the association between neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and chronic coronary total occlusion (CTO), as well as clinical prognosis of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Patients referred for elective coronary angiography for stable angina pectoris were enrolled, including a CTO (n = 160) and a non-CTO group (n = 160). Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio on admission and post-PCI was measured, and NLR was defined as the change between the 2 values. Subgroup analysis was performed based on the value of NLR (≥0.5 vs <0.5). Clinical characteristics, angiographic data, and follow-up data were recorded. Compared with the non-CTO group, the total white blood cell count, neutrophil counts, and NLR were significantly higher in the CTO group. In the NLR ≥ 0.5 subgroup, the incidence of severe dissection, slow coronary flow, in-stent restenosis (ISR), and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) was obviously higher. In multivariate analysis, NLR was independently and positively associated with higher risks of ISR and MACE. The NLR could be a potential predictor of CTO, and NLR is independently associated with the adverse clinical outcomes in patients who underwent PCI.

Functional probes are a leading contender for the recognition and manipulation of nervous behavior and are characterized by substantial scientific and technological potential. Despite the recent development of functional neural probes, a flexible biocompatible probe unit that allows for long-term simultaneous stimulation and signaling is still an important task. Here, a category of flexible tiny multimaterial fiber probes (<0.3 g) is described in which the metal electrodes are regularly embedded inside a biocompatible polymer fiber with a double-clad optical waveguide by thermal drawing. Significantly, this arrangement enables great improvement in mechanical properties, achieves high optical transmission (>90%), and effectively minimizes the impedance (by up to one order of magnitude) of the probe. This ability allows to realize long-term (at least 10 weeks) simultaneous optical stimulation and neural recording at the single-cell level in behaving mice with signal-to-noise ratio (SNR = 30 dB) that is more than 6 times that of the benchmark probe such as an all-polymer fiber.