Oxide perovskite BaSnO3: A promising high-temperature thermoelectric material for transparent conducting oxides

The new technology of energy conversion must be developed to ensure energy sustainability. Thermoelectric (TE) materials provide an effective means to solve the energy crisis. As a potential TE candidate, the TE properties of perovskite have received extensively attention. We here investigate the TE transport properties of the transparent conducting oxide (TCO) BaSnO3 by first-principles calculations. We find that the BaSnO3 perovskite exhibits outstanding dynamic and thermal stabilities, which provide excellent electronic and thermal transport properties simultaneously. These properties contribute to the remarkable Seebeck coefficient and power factor, which gives rise to the ZT of n-1.03 and p-3.64 at 900 K. Additionally, doping and nanostructure open prospects for effectively improving the TE properties of BaSnO3. Our work provides a basis for further optimizing the TE transport properties of cubic BaSnO3 and may have worthwhile practical significance for applying cubic perovskite to the high-temperature thermoelectric field.Comment: 29 pages,6 figures,1 tabl

Synergistic suppression effect on tumor growth of ovarian cancer by combining cisplatin with a manganese superoxide dismutase-armed oncolytic adenovirus

Gene therapy on the basis of oncolytic adenovirus is a novel approach for human cancer therapeutics. We aim to investigate whether it will synergistically reinforce their antiovarian cancer activities when the combined use of ZD55-manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and cisplatin was performed. The experiments in vitro showed that ZD55-MnSOD enhances cisplatin-induced apoptosis and causes remarkable ovarian cancer cell death. Apoptosis induction by treatment with ZD55-MnSOD and/or cisplatin was detected in SKOV-3 by apoptotic cell staining, flow cytometry, and western blot analysis. In addition, the cytotoxicity caused by ZD55-MnSOD to normal cells was examined by the 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide assay and western blot analysis. Animal experiment further confirmed that combination of ZD55-MnSOD and cisplatin achieved significant inhibition of SKOV-3 ovarian tumor xenografted growth. In summary, we have demonstrated that ZD55-MnSOD can sensitize human ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin-induced cell death and apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. These findings indicate that the combined treatment with ZD55-MnSOD and cisplatin could represent a rational approach for antiovarian cancer therapy

Urban-Rural Disparity in Cancer Incidence, Mortality, and Survivals in Shanghai, China, During 2002 and 2015

Introduction: Disparities in the incidence, mortality, and survival of cancer types between urban and rural areas in China reflect the effects of different risk factor exposure, education, and different medical availability. We aimed to characterize the disparities in the incidence, mortality, and survivals of cancer types between urban and rural areas in Shanghai, China, 2002-2015.Materials and Methods: The incidence and mortality were standardized by Segi's world standard population. Trends in the incidence and mortality of cancers were compared using annual percent change. The 5-year observed and relative survivals were calculated with life table and Ederer II methods.Results: Age-standardized incidences and mortalities were 212.55/105 and 109.45/105 in urban areas and 210.14/105 and 103.99/105 in rural areas, respectively. Female breast cancer and colorectal cancer occurred more frequently in urban than in rural areas, quite in contrast to liver cancer and cervical cancer. Cancers of lung and bronchus, liver, stomach, and colon and rectum were the leading causes of cancer death in both areas. Age-standardized incidence of female breast cancer and colorectal cancer in urban areas increased while gastric cancer and liver cancer decreased in both areas. Age-standardized mortalities of cancers of breast, esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum, liver, and lung and bronchus decreased in both areas. For all cancers combined, the 5-year observed and relative survivals of cancer patients were higher in urban than in rural areas. The 5-year observed and relative survivals of cancers of liver, pancreas, stomach, brain and central nervous system (CNS), and prostate were higher in urban than in rural areas. The 5-year observed and relative survivals of cervical cancer were higher in rural than in urban areas.Conclusions: Factors promoting female breast cancer and colorectal cancer in urban areas and liver cancer and cervical cancer in rural areas should be specifically intervened in cancer prophylaxis. Improved medical services can greatly prolong the survival of major cancers in rural areas

Research on the Assessment Method of Heavy-Duty Vehicle Emission Levels Using Remote Monitoring Data

The emission problem of heavy-duty vehicles constitutes an urgent environmental challenge within the transportation sector. Scientifically assessing the emission levels of heavy-duty vehicles forms the foundation for their effective control. This paper utilizes remote monitoring data from heavy-duty vehicles to compare five widely employed methods for assessing heavy-duty vehicle emissions: the power-based window method, moving average window method, three-bin moving average window method, VSP-Bin window di- vision method, and data reconstruction PEMS window division method. The fundamental principles and op- erational adaptability characteristics of the five emission assessment methods are introduced. The distinctive evaluation characteristics of each method for assessing heavy-duty vehicle emissions are delineated. The re- search findings reveal that each evaluation method demonstrates unique adaptability under high-load, low- load, and complex mixed conditions, thereby laying a crucial foundation for enhancing the accuracy and effectiveness of emission assessments

Probability of Premature Mortality Caused by Major Non-communicable Diseases in Pudong New Area of Shanghai，2002—2020

BackgroundNon-communicable diseases (NCDs) pose a major threat to population health. Probability of premature mortality is an index recommended by WHO for the evaluation of the threat of NCDs.ObjectiveTo explore the mortality and probability of premature mortality caused by four major NCDs (cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease) in Pudong New Area of Shanghai from 2002 to 2020, providing a reference for the development of measures to the target of reducing the probability of premature mortality due to these four major NCDs in the Health China 2030 plan.MethodsThis analysis was conducted in May 2021 based on data collected from Pudong New Area's Residents Death Surveillance Database, involving registered residents of Pudong New Area who died of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease between 2002-01-01 and 2020-12-31. Crude mortality, age-standardized mortality and probability of premature mortality were used for analyzing deaths due to the four above-mentioned NCDs. The annual percent change (APC) was adopted to analyze the temporal trend of mortality and probability of premature mortality.ResultsThe crude mortality of four major NCDs ascended from 526.82/100 000 in 2002 to 678.84/100 000 in 2020 (APC=1.56%, Z=13.715, P<0.001) . The age-standardized mortality of four major NCDs decreased from 404.05/100 000 in 2002 to 260.87/100 000 in 2020 (APC=-2.09%, Z=-12.428, P<0.001) . The probability of premature mortality caused by four major NCDs decreased from 13.09% in 2002 to 8.45% in 2020 (APC=-2.31%, Z=-15.847, P<0.001) . The probability of premature mortality caused by cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases was declined from 3.57% in 2002 to 2.38% in 2020 (APC=-2.21%, Z=-9.739, P<0.001) , and that caused by cancer decreased from 8.36% to 5.49% (APC=-2.24%, Z=-19.476, P<0.001) , and that by chronic respiratory disease reduced from 1.08% to 0.24% (APC=-7.23%, Z=-13.326, P<0.001) . No significant temporal trend for the probability of premature mortality caused by diabetes was found (Z=-0.395, P=0.698) . The probability of premature mortality caused by four major NCDs in males was higher than that in females. According to the annual increase rates during 2015 to 2020, it is estimated that the probability of premature mortality caused by these four major NCDs would be 6.67%.ConclusionThe crude mortality of the four major NCDs in Pudong New Area ascended during 2002—2020, and both the age-standardized mortality and the probability of premature mortality showed a downward tendency in the same period. Pudong New Area had achieved the goal in the Health China 2020 plan of reducing the probability of premature mortality of four NCDs in 2020. However, according to the present annual increase rates, the task of achieving the Health China 2030 target of the decent of the probability of premature mortality caused by four major NCDs would be daunting. Thus, more measures should be taken to strengthen the containment of such NCDs. Moreover, males should be treated as the key group, and more attention should be paid to the premature death caused by diabetes in males

The relationship between oxygen therapy, drug therapy, and COVID-19 mortality

Since December, 2019, Wuhan, China, has experienced an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We conducted a retrospective study of COVID-19 inpatients in Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital (Wuhan, China) from January 1 to February 29, 2020. The subjects were divided into four groups due to different treatment regimes. We used the Kaplan–Meier method to determine the cumulative rates of in-hospital death and the Cox proportional hazard model to calculate the risk factors and corresponding hazard ratios. A total of 185 patients were included in this study. The median age of the patients was 62 years, including 94 men and 91 women. Kaplan–Meier analysis demonstrated that mortality was higher in older patients, higher in men, and lower in the low-flow oxygen therapy group. Body mass index (BMI) had no influence on mortality, as well as high flow oxygen therapy, Lopinavir–ritonavir (LPV/r) therapy, and the interferon-alpha add LPV/r therapy. Cox proportional hazard regression confirmed that the low flow oxygen therapy was independent protective factor for in-hospital death after adjusting for age, gender, and BMI. In conclusion, the mortality was higher in older patients, higher in men, and lower in the low-flow oxygen therapy group. BMI had no influence on mortality, as well as high flow oxygen therapy, LPV/r therapy, and interferon-alpha add LPV/r therapy

Diversities of disability caused by lung cancer in the 66 Belt and Road initiative countries: a secondary analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

ObjectivesDue to the increase in life expectancy and the aging of the global population, the “Belt and Road” (“B&R”) countries are faced with varying degrees of lung cancer threat. The purpose of this study is to analyze the differences in the burden and trend of lung cancer disability in the “B&R” countries from 1990 to 2019 so as to provide an analytical strategic basis to build a healthy “B&R”.MethodsData were derived from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 (GBD 2019). Incidence, mortality, prevalence, the years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of lung cancer and those attributable to different risk factors were measured from 1990 to 2019. Trends of disease burden were estimated by using the average annual percent change (AAPC), and the 95% uncertainty interval (UI) was reported.ResultsChina, India, and the Russian Federation were the three countries with the highest burden of lung cancer in 2019. From 1990 to 2019, the AAPC of incidence, prevalence, mortality, and DALYs generally showed a downward trend in Central Asia (except Georgia) and Eastern Europe, while in China, South Asia (except Bangladesh), most countries in North Africa, and the Middle East, the trend was mainly upward. The AAPC of age-standardized incidence was 1.33% (1.15%–1.50%); the AAPC of prevalence, mortality, and DALYs from lung cancer in China increased by 24% (2.10%–2.38%), 0.94% (0.74%–1.14%), and 0.42% (0.25%–0.59%), respectively. A downward trend of the AAPC values of age-standardized YLD rate in men was shown in the vast majority of “B&R” countries, but for women, most countries had an upward trend. For adults aged 75 years or older, the age-standardized YLD rate showed an increasing trend in most of the “B&R” countries. Except for the DALY rate of lung cancer attributable to metabolic risks, a downward trend of the DALY rate attributable to all risk factors, behavioral risks, and environmental/occupational risks was shown in the vast majority of “B&R” countries.ConclusionThe burden of lung cancer in “B&R” countries varied significantly between regions, genders, and risk factors. Strengthening health cooperation among the “B&R” countries will help to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind

The impact of screening on the survival of colorectal cancer in Shanghai, China: a population based study

Background Shanghai is one of the earliest cities in developing countries to introduce an organized colorectal screening program for its residents to fight against the rising disease burden of colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aims to investigate the impact of the Shanghai screening program implemented in 2013 on the survival rates of CRC patients. Methods We calculated up to 5-year survival rates for 18,592 CRC patients from a representative district of Shanghai during 2002–2016, using data from the Shanghai Cancer Registry. We performed joinpoint regressions to examine temporal changes in the trends of the CRC survival rates. We then conducted Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards modelling to study the association of the survival rates with screening behaviors of the patients. In all the model specifications, we took into account the gender, age and TNM stage at diagnosis, and level of treatment hospital of the patients. Results We find that the annual percentage changes of the survival rates increased faster after somewhere around 2013, however, the differential trends were not significant. Results from the Cox multivariate regression analysis suggest that patients who did not participate in the screening program showed significantly lower cancer-specific survival (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.46; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12–1.91) and all-causes survival (HR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.05–1.77), compared to those who did. Among program participants, delayed colonoscopy was associated with poor cancer-specific survival (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.93; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.64–5.23) and all-causes survival (HR = 3.29; 95% CI: 1.85–5.84). Conclusion Screening participation and high level of colonoscopy compliance can improve the survival of CRC participants