Partial Surface Oxidation of Manganese Oxides as an Effective Treatment To Improve Their Activity in Electrochemical Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Enhancing the electrocatalytic activity of low-cost transition-metal oxides for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a crucial challenge for extensive application of fuel cells. A promising approach demonstrated previously is the formation of catalysts with mixed valent metal active sites. Because catalysis happens primarily on the surface of the catalyst, we hypothesize that creating such active sites only on the surface will be an effective strategy for improving the catalytic activities. Here, we present a partial oxidation approach that grows δ-MnO2 nanoflakes on the surface of octahedron Mn3O4 nanocrystals for increasing their ORR activity. The δ-MnO2/Mn3O4 nanocomposite exhibits significantly improved ORR activity with a half-wave potential of 0.75 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, which is ∼110 and ∼90 mV lower than those of the Mn3O4 nanocrystal and δ-MnO2 nanoflakes in their pure forms, respectively. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveals that the δ-MnO2/Mn3O4 nanocomposite possesses a lower ORR charge transfer resistance than either component alone. We propose that the reason for such significant improvement in catalytic activities is due to the tuning of the position of δ-MnO2 nanoflake d-band center by the Mn3O4 nanocrystal which can effectively facilitate the electron transfer between the active sites and adsorbed oxygen molecules. This work illustrates a facile pathway to improve catalytic activity of mixed valence metal oxides

Exploration of risk factors of platelet transfusion refractoriness and its impact on the prognosis of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a retrospective study of patients with hematological diseases

Platelet transfusion refractoriness (PTR) is an intractable issue in hematological patients, which increases bleeding risks and hospitalization costs to a great extent. We reviewed 108 patients with hematological diseases including acute leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, aplastic anemia, and others who received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) from January 2019 through December 2020. After multivariable logistic regression, we found that splenomegaly (odds ratio [OR] = 26.98, p p = .024) were independent risk factors for PTR. During the period of transplantation, patients in the PTR group had a significantly higher platelet transfusion demand, which was reflected in the increased number of platelet transfusions (10.23 ± 6.696 vs. 5.06 ± 1.904, p p = .034). In conclusion, we found that splenomegaly and JAK gene mutation were independent risk factors for PTR in patients with hematological diseases. A history of PTR prior to allo-HSCT indicates a poor prognosis. What is the context?Platelet transfusion refractoriness is a critical issue, and it greatly increases bleeding risks and hospitalization costs.Patients with hematological diseases tend to develop PTR.PTR results from immune and nonimmune factors and the latter account for 80–90%.At present, there are few studies focused on the inducing factors of PTR, and the specific mechanism is not clear. Platelet transfusion refractoriness is a critical issue, and it greatly increases bleeding risks and hospitalization costs. Patients with hematological diseases tend to develop PTR. PTR results from immune and nonimmune factors and the latter account for 80–90%. At present, there are few studies focused on the inducing factors of PTR, and the specific mechanism is not clear. What is new?In this study, we investigated 108 patients with hematological disorders who received allogeneic HSCT from January 2019 to December 2020.We found that splenomegaly and JAK gene mutation were independent risk factors for PTR in patients with hematological diseases.PTR had a passive effect on the prognosis of patients after HSCT, as indicated by worse OS and a trend toward lower platelets after transplantation.PTR might affect megakaryocyte reconstitution after transplantation. In this study, we investigated 108 patients with hematological disorders who received allogeneic HSCT from January 2019 to December 2020. We found that splenomegaly and JAK gene mutation were independent risk factors for PTR in patients with hematological diseases. PTR had a passive effect on the prognosis of patients after HSCT, as indicated by worse OS and a trend toward lower platelets after transplantation. PTR might affect megakaryocyte reconstitution after transplantation. What is the impact?This study provides evidence that hematological patients with splenomegaly should be alert to the occurrence of PTR, which often indicates a worse prognosis of transplantation.Spleen reduction and JAK inhibitors in the treatment of PTR are worth exploring. This study provides evidence that hematological patients with splenomegaly should be alert to the occurrence of PTR, which often indicates a worse prognosis of transplantation. Spleen reduction and JAK inhibitors in the treatment of PTR are worth exploring. Abbreviations PLT: platelets; PTR: platelet transfusion refractoriness; HSCT: hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; OR: odds ratio; HR: hazard ratio; CI: confidence interval; IQR: interquartile range; SD: standard deviation; HLA: human leukocyte antigen; HPA: human platelet antigen; OS: overall survival; RFS: relapse free survival; PI: post-transfusion increment; PPR: percentage platelet recovery; CCI: corrected count increment; ICU: intensive care unit; AA: aplastic anemia; MDS: myelodysplastic syndrome; AML: acute myeloid leukemia; ALL: acute lymphocytic leukemia; CML: chronic myeloid leukemia; CMML: chronic myelomonocytic leukemia; MPN: myeloproliferative neoplasm; SI: splenic irradiation; Abs: antibodies; CR: complete remission; DAC: decitabine; GVHD: graft-versus-host disease; BM: bone marrow; PB: peripheral blood</p

Efficacy and safety of caplacizumab in the treatment of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare and life-threatening thrombotic microangiopathy. Several studies have demonstrated the efficacy of caplacizumab in iTTP. However, the effect on different populations remains controversial. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness and safety of caplacizumab for treating iTTP. We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for studies until 24 March 2023. Participants were hospitalized patients with iTTP. Interventions included caplacizumab versus placebo or standard of care (SOC). Outcomes assessed included all-cause mortality, exacerbation, relapse, refractory, time-to-platelet-count-recovery, length of TPE and hospital stay, bleeding, and thrombosis. A total of 1119 patients from eight studies were subjected to meta-analysis. The results of the meta-analysis showed that iTTP patients treated with caplacizumab achieved a reduction in mortality (RR 0.38, 95% CI: 0.19–0.75), exacerbation (RR 0.29, 95% CI: 0.14–0.61) and refractory (RR 0.50, 95% CI: 0.31–0.81). Besides, adding caplacizumab to SOC was associated with a shorten time-to-platelet-count-recovery (MD − 2.31, 95% CI: −3.86 to −0.77) and length of TPE (MD − 4.61, 95% CI: −6.20 to −3.02). In terms of safety, the bleeding rate was higher in the caplacizumab group (RR 1.57, 95% CI: 1.21–2.02), while there was no significant difference in hospital stay and thrombosis between the two groups. Caplacizumab is an effective treatment for patients with iTTP, especially in reducing all-cause mortality, exacerbations, refractoriness, and the time-to-platelet-count-recovery. Although the risk of bleeding may be increased, it is generally modest and manageable.</p

Additional file 6 of DLC1 deficiency at diagnosis predicts poor prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia

Additional file 6: Table S1. Clinical characteristics of 48 AML patients. Table S2. Basic information for the included GEO databases

Additional file 2 of DLC1 deficiency at diagnosis predicts poor prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia

Additional file 2: Figure S2. A Venn diagram shows the overlap of 22 optimal hub genes between GEO differential genes and WGCNA grey gene set

Additional file 4 of DLC1 deficiency at diagnosis predicts poor prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia

Additional file 4: Figure S4. The expression levels of DLC1, NFIB, DENND5B, TANC2, and ELAVL4 in AML patients with different survival status. Scatter plots of the five gene’s expression level in AML patients with different survival status based on GEO dataset. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001. Abbreviations: GEO, Gene Expression Omnibus

Additional file 1 of DLC1 deficiency at diagnosis predicts poor prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia

Additional file 1: Figure S1. Correlation between gene significance and related module membership. A. The correlation between gene significance and module membership in the gray module. B. The correlation between gene significance and module membership in the blue module. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001

Efficacy and safety of thrombopoietin receptor agonists in the treatment of thrombocytopenia after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a meta-analysis and systematic review

Thrombocytopenia is a tough complication after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) with elusive pathogenesis and lack of well-established therapies. Thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs) have been used for thrombocytopenia post HSCT in recent years, but the outcomes remain debatable. We conducted this meta-analysis and systematic-review to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TPO-RAs for platelet recovery after HSCT. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases for studies on the application of TPO-RAs (eltrombopag and romiplostim) in the settings of primary or secondary thrombocytopenia after HSCT by 17 March 2021. Efficacy outcomes included response rate and survival rate, and adverse events were also evaluated. A total of 19 studies involving 378 patients were included. The pooled response rate was 73% (95%CI: 68–78%), which was significantly higher than recombinant human thrombopoietin (rhTPO) (27.8%). The pooled survival rate was 66% (95%CI: 54–77%), and infection was found to be the main cause of death. In addition, the pooled rate of adverse events was 3% (95%CI: 1–7%), with no severe adverse events reported. TPO-RAs could effectively and safely promote the recovery of platelets in patients after HSCT.</p