24 research outputs found
Current smoking status may be associated with overt albuminuria in female patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study
Background
There are very few clinical reports that have compared the association between cigarette smoking
and microangiopathy in Asian patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The objective of this study was to
assess the relationships between urinary protein concentrations and smoking and gender-based risk factors among
patients with T1DM.
Methods
A cross-sectional study of 259 patients with T1DM (men/women = 90/169; mean age, 50.7 years) who
visited our hospital for more than 1 year between October 2010 and April 2011 was conducted. Participants
completed a questionnaire about their smoking habits. Patient characteristics included gender, age, body mass
index, blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c, lipid parameters, and microangiopathy. Diabetic nephropathy (DN) was
categorized as normoalbuminuria (NA), microalbuminuria (MA), or overt albuminuria (OA) on the basis of the
following urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) levels: NA, ACR levels less than 30 mg/g creatinine (Cr); MA, ACR
levels between 30 and 299 mg/g Cr; and OA, ACR levels over 300 mg/g Cr.
Results
The percentages of current nonsmokers and current smokers with T1DM were 73.0% (n = 189) and 27.0%
(n = 70), respectively. In addition, the percentage of males was higher than that of females (52.2% versus 13.6%) in
the current smoking population. The percentage of DN was 61.8% (n = 160) in patients with NA, 21.6% (n = 56) in
patients with MA, and 16.6% (n = 43) in patients with OA. The percentage of males among OA patients was also
higher than that of females (24.4% versus 12.4%). However, current smoking status was associated with OA in
females with T1DM only [unadjusted odds ratio (OR), 4.13; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.45–11.73, P < 0.01;
multivariate-adjusted OR, 5.41; 95% CI, 1.69–17.30, P < 0.01].
Conclusions
Based on our results in this cross-sectional study of Asian patients with T1DM, smoking might be a
risk factor for OA among female patients. Further research is needed of these gender-specific results
Single-Step Synthesis of W2C Nanoparticle-Dispersed Carbon Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reactions Utilizing Phosphate Groups on Carbon Edge Sites
The LDL receptor is not necessary for acute adrenal steroidogenesis in mouse adrenocortical cells
Single-Step Synthesis of W<sub>2</sub>C Nanoparticle-Dispersed Carbon Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reactions Utilizing Phosphate Groups on Carbon Edge Sites
A novel, one-step
protocol for the selective synthesis of W<sub>2</sub>C nanoparticles
from phosphotungstic acid (H<sub>3</sub>PW<sub>12</sub>O<sub>40</sub>), a low-cost and commercially available tungsten
compound, was developed. The nanoparticles had diameters of 1–50
nm and were dispersed on a carbon substrate. The W<sub>2</sub>C nanoparticles
were prepared by a simple operation sequence, involving impregnation
of carbon black with H<sub>3</sub>PW<sub>12</sub>O<sub>40</sub> followed
by calcination at 1000 °C. X-ray diffraction study revealed the
selective formation of the W<sub>2</sub>C phase in the samples prepared,
whereas the tungsten carbide (WC) phase was present in the control
prepared from H<sub>2</sub>WO<sub>4</sub>. Stable W<sub>2</sub>C nanoparticles
were obtained using this method owing to the presence of phosphate
at the interfaces between the W<sub>2</sub>C nanoparticles and the
carbon substrates, which inhibited the diffusion of carbon atoms from
the carbon substrates to the W<sub>2</sub>C nanoparticles, leading
to the formation of WC. The W<sub>2</sub>C nanoparticles prepared
showed an excellent catalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution
reaction (HER), with low Tafel slopes of ∼50 mV/decade. The
HER catalytic activity was notably high, being comparable to that
of MoS<sub>2</sub>, which is a promising alternative to Pt. The present
method can potentially be applied to produce highly effective, low-cost,
Pt-free electrocatalysts for the HER