Electrochemical preparation of free-standing carbon-nanotube/Sn composite paper

Toward achieving Li-ion batteries with high energy density, SWCNT/Sn composite paper was electrochemically prepared and the addition effect of formaldehyde (HCHO) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) on Sn electrodeposition morphology was studied. PEG improved the wettability of electroplating bath to enable inhomogeneous Sn embeddedness inside SWCNT paper, and HCHO delivered more nuclear growth. The synergetic effect resulted in a composite paper in which Sn particles with several-hundred nanometer order were distributed. Compared with a commercially-available Cu foil (18 mu m-thickness) with 32 mg at 2 cm(2) (phi 16 mm), the weight of the SWCNT paper (5 mg) is one sixth of that of the Cu foil. The dramatic reduction of the component greatly contributes to the increase in energy density of batteries. (c) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.ArticleMATERIALS LETTERS.220:182-185(2018)journal articl

Successful Treatment of Infectious Endocarditis Associated Glomerulonephritis Mimicking C3 Glomerulonephritis in a Case with No Previous Cardiac Disease

We report a 42-year-old man with subacute infectious endocarditis (IE) with septic pulmonary embolism, presenting rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis and positive proteinase 3-anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (PR3-ANCA). He had no previous history of heart disease. Renal histology revealed diffuse endocapillary proliferative glomerulonephritis with complement 3- (C3-) dominant staining and subendothelial electron dense deposit, mimicking C3 glomerulonephritis. Successful treatment of IE with valve plastic surgery gradually ameliorated hypocomplementemia and renal failure; thus C3 glomerulonephritis-like lesion in this case was classified as postinfectious glomerulonephritis. IE associated glomerulonephritis is relatively rare, especially in cases with no previous history of valvular disease of the heart like our case. This case also reemphasizes the broad differential diagnosis of renal involvement in IE

Impact of Native Coronary Artery Calcification on Lesion Outcome Following Drug-Coated Balloon Angioplasty for Treatment of In-Stent Restenosis

This study aimed to clarify whether native coronary artery（CA） calcification before index percutaneous coronary intervention（PCI） has an impact on the effectiveness of drug-coated balloon（DCB） angioplasty for the treatment of in-stent restenosis（ISR）. 100consecutive patients with 166ISR lesions underwent quantitative coronary angiography（QCA） before and after index PCI and before and after DCB angioplasty for ISR. CA calcification before index PCI was assessed by angiography and results were analyzed to reveal the predictive values for target lesion revascularization（TLR） and major adverse cardiac events（MACE）. During 1.03±1.03years of follow-up, TLR occurred in 44lesions（26.5%） and MACE in 33 patients（33%）. On multivariate analysis, CA calcification before index PCI（p=0.016）, and % diameter of stenosis（%DS）≥73%（p=0.023） and minimal lumen diameter（MLD）<0.65mm（p=0.001） before DCB angioplasty were independent predictors for TLR after DCB angioplasty. MACE was also associated with CA calcification before index PCI（p=0.01）, and %DS≥73%（p=0.001） and MLD<0.65mm（p=0.01） before DCB angioplasty, but only %DS≥73% before DCB angioplasty was an independent predictor for MACE after DCB angioplasty（p=0.039）. The combination of CA calcification before index PCI and these QCA factors before DCB angioplasty was an independent and more powerful predictor for MACE than the QCA factors alone（p<0.001）. Thereafter, the combination of CA calcification and %DS≥73% before DCB angioplasty stratified the risk of MACE after DCB angioplasty（p<0.05）. CA calcification before index PCI, as well as anatomical information at ISR, have an impact on outcome after DCB angioplasty for ISR

Evi1 is essential for hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal, and its expression marks hematopoietic cells with long-term multilineage repopulating activity

A new mouse in which an IRES-GFP cassette is knocked-in to the Evi1 locus reveals that HSC long-term multilineage repopulating activity specifically segregates with expression of the Evi1 transcription factor

Unique proximal tubular cell injury and the development of acute kidney injury in adult patients with minimal change nephrotic syndrome

Abstract Background Adult patients with minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) are often associated with acute kidney injury (AKI). To assess the mechanisms of AKI, we examined whether tubular cell injuries unique to MCNS patients exist. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of clinical data and tubular cell changes using the immunohistochemical expression of vimentin as a marker of tubular injury and dedifferentiation at kidney biopsy in 37 adult MCNS patients. AKI was defined by the criteria of the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) Clinical Practice Guidelines for AKI. Results Thirteen patients (35.1%) were designated with AKI at kidney biopsy. No significant differences in age, history of hypertension, chronic kidney disease, diuretics use, proteinuria, and serum albumin were noted between the AKI and non-AKI groups. Urinary N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (uNAG) and urinary alpha1-microglobulin (uA1MG) as markers of tubular injury were increased in both groups, but the levels were significantly increased in the AKI group compared with the non-AKI group. The incidence of vimentin-positive tubules was comparable between AKI (84.6%) and non-AKI (58.3%) groups, but vimentin-positive tubular area per interstitial area was significantly increased in the AKI group (19.8%) compared with the non-AKI group (6.8%) (p = 0.011). Vimentin-positive injured tubules with tubular simplification (loss of brush-border of the proximal tubule/dilated tubule with flattening of tubular epithelium) were observed in the vicinity of glomeruli in both groups, suggesting that the proximal convoluted tubules were specifically injured. Two patients exhibited relatively severe tubular injuries with vimentin positivity and required dialysis within 2 weeks after kidney biopsy. The percentage of the vimentin-positive tubular area was positively correlated with uNAG but not with uA1MG in the non-AKI group. Conclusions Proximal tubular injuries with increased uNAG exist in MCNS patients without renal dysfunction and were more severe in the AKI group than they were in the non-AKI group. The unique tubular injuries probably due to massive proteinuria might be a predisposing factor for the development of severe AKI in adult MCNS patients