Prognosis of HIV Patients Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy According to CD4 Counts: A Long-term Follow-up study in Yunnan, China

We aim to evaluate the overall survival and associated risk factors for HIV-infected Chinese patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART). 2517 patients receiving ART between 2006 and 2016 were prospectively enrolled in Yunnan province. Kaplan-Meier analyses and Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were performed. 216/2517 patients died during a median 17.5 (interquartile range [IQR] 6.8-33.2) months of follow-up. 82/216 occurred within 6 months of starting ART. Adjusted hazard ratios were10.69 (95%CI 2.38-48.02, p = 0.002) for old age, 1.94 (95%CI 1.40-2.69, p < 0.0001) for advanced WHO stage, and 0.42 (95%CI 0.27-0.63, p < 0.0001) for heterosexual transmission compared to injecting drug users. Surprisingly, adjusted hazard ratios comparing low CD4 counts group (<50 cells/μl) with high CD4 counts group (≥500 cells/μl) within six months after starting ART was 20.17 (95%CI 4.62-87.95, p < 0.0001) and it declined to 3.57 (95%CI 1.10-11.58, p = 0.034) afterwards. Age, WHO stage, transmission route are significantly independent risk factors for ART treated HIV patients. Importantly, baseline CD4 counts is strongly inversely associated with survival in the first six months; whereas it becomes a weak prognostic factor after six months of starting ART

Mono- and bi-functional arenethiols as surfactants for gold nanoparticles: synthesis and characterization

Stable gold nanoparticles stabilized by different mono and bi-functional arenethiols, namely, benzylthiol and 1,4-benzenedimethanethiol, have been prepared by using a modified Brust's two-phase synthesis. The size, shape, and crystalline structure of the gold nanoparticles have been determined by high-resolution electron microscopy and full-pattern X-ray powder diffraction analyses. Nanocrystals diameters have been tuned in the range 2 ÷ 9 nm by a proper variation of Au/S molar ratio. The chemical composition of gold nanoparticles and their interaction with thiols have been investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In particular, the formation of networks has been observed with interconnected gold nanoparticles containing 1,4-benzenedimethanethiol as ligand

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Preparation and Magnetic Property of Carbon Nanotube/NiZnCo Ferrite Composite

Precipitation hydrothermal method was used to synthesis carbon nanotubes (CNTs) /Ni0.5Zn0.45Co0.05Fe2O4 composites, and then lwt%CNTs/Ni0.5Zn0.45Co0.05Fe2O4 ceramics were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. The phase, microstructure and magnetic properties of 1wt%CNTs/Ni0.5Zn0.45Co0.05Fe2O4 were investigated. The results show that, the substitution of zinc ions by cobalt didn't change the spinel phase of Ni-Zn ferrite. In the SPS process, CNTs promoted the sintering kinetics, and the liquid state of Ni can act as sintering aid to accelerate the grain boundary extension. After sintered by SPS at 750 degrees C for 5min, the density of the bulk is about 5.2g/cm(3), the grain size increased to 91m, and the saturation magnetization of the lwt%CNTs/Ni0.5Zn0.45Co0.05Fe2O4 composite ceramics reached at 79.7emu/g

Preparation and Magnetic Property of Carbon Nanotube/NiZnCo Ferrite Composite

Precipitation hydrothermal method was used to synthesis carbon nanotubes (CNTs) /Ni0.5Zn0.45Co0.05Fe2O4 composites, and then 1wt%CNTs/Ni0.5Zn0.45Co0.05Fe2O4 ceramics were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. The phase, microstructure and magnetic properties of 1wt%CNTs/Ni0.5Zn0.45Co0.05Fe2O4 were investigated. The results show that, the substitution of zinc ions by cobalt didn’t change the spinel phase of Ni-Zn ferrite. In the SPS process, CNTs promoted the sintering kinetics, and the liquid state of Ni can act as sintering aid to accelerate the grain boundary extension. After sintered by SPS at 750 0C for 5min, the density of the bulk is about 5.2g/cm3, the grain size increased to 91nm, and the saturation magnetization of the 1wt%CNTs/Ni0.5Zn0.45Co0.05Fe2O4 composite ceramics reached at 79.7emu/g