Association between Portal Vein Thrombosis and Survival in Non-Liver-Transplant Patients with Liver Cirrhosis: A Systematic Review of the Literature

A systematic review of the literature was performed to analyze the association between portal vein thrombosis (PVT) and survival in non-liver-transplant patients with liver cirrhosis. PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for all relevant papers which evaluated the prognostic value of PVT in predicting the survival of liver cirrhosis. Meta-analyses were not conducted because the ways of data expression and lengths of follow-up were heterogeneous among studies. Overall, 13 papers were included. The 5-day, 6-week, and 1-year mortality were investigated in 1, 3, and 1 studies, respectively; and all of them were not significantly different between cirrhotic patient with and without PVT. By comparison, the 3-year mortality was reported in 1 study; and it was significantly increased by the presence of PVT. The overall mortality was analyzed in 5 studies; and the association with overall mortality and PVT was significant in 4 studies, but not in another one. However, as for the cirrhotic patients undergoing surgical or interventional shunts, the overall mortality was not significantly associated with the presence of PVT in 4 studies. In conclusion, the presence of PVT might be associated with the long-term mortality in non-liver-transplant patients with liver cirrhosis, but not with the short-term mortality

Human enteric a-defensin 5 promotes shigella infection by enhancing bacterial adhesion and invasion

Shigella is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes bacillary dysentery worldwide. It invades the intestinal epithelium to elicit intense inflammation and tissue damage, yet the underlying mechanisms of its host selectivity and low infectious inoculum remain perplexing. Here, we report that Shigella coopts human a-defensin 5 (HD5), a host defense peptide important for intestinal homeostasis and innate immunity, to enhance its adhesion to and invasion of mucosal tissues. HD5 promoted Shigella infection in vitro in a structure-dependent manner. Shigella, commonly devoid of an effective host-adhesion apparatus, preferentially targeted HD5 to augment its ability to colonize the intestinal epithelium through interactions with multiple bacterial membrane proteins. HD5 exacerbated infectivity and Shigella-induced pathology in a culture of human colorectal tissues and three animal models. Our findings illuminate how Shigella exploits innate immunity by turning HD5 into a virulence factor for infection, unveiling a mechanism of action for this highly proficient human pathogen

A Hierarchical Control Strategy Based on Dual-Vector Model Predictive Current Control for Railway Energy Router

The multiport and multidirectional energy flow of railway energy routers (RERs) poses a significant challenge when integrating photovoltaic (PV) systems and energy storage systems (ESSs). To address this issue, this paper proposes an improved hierarchical control strategy for RERs with a reference signal generation layer and an inverter control layer. In the reference signal generation layer, a time-segmentation energy allocation strategy based on a state machine is proposed to manage the multidirectional energy flow in RERs resulting from PV systems and ESSs while minimizing peak power demand. In the inverter control layer, a dual-vector model predictive current control (MPCC) strategy is designed for back-to-back inverters. The dual-vector MPCC strategy eliminates the need for individual PWM blocks, thereby enhancing RER current-tracking accuracy and efficiency. The prominent advantage of the dual-vector MPCC strategy is its ability to achieve high current-tracking accuracy while minimizing active power losses. Simulations and hardware-in-the-loop experiments are conducted to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method

Frequency of Depression-Related Symptoms in Caregivers of Patients with Silicosis

Background. Few studies have evaluated depression in female caregivers of patients with silicosis. Thus, the aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of depression in such caregivers and to clarify the factors associated with symptoms of depression. Methods. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Results. A total of 561 participants met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled in the study. The mean CES-D score was 16.68, with a standard deviation (SD) of 8.57; the sex-classified analysis indicated that the mean CES-D score of female caregivers was 17.79 (SD: 10.17), while the mean score of male caregivers was 14.98 (SD: 8.36) (p<0.05). 68.6% caregivers who were beyond the cutoff score (16) with the following factors were more likely to report depression-related symptoms: unemployed status (OR = 1.752, 95% CI: 1.35–2.01, p=0.032) and caregiver for more than 48 months (OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.61–2.43, p=0.027). Conclusions. Collectively, there is statistical difference between female caregivers of patients with silicosis and male ones. More effort is needed to meet the psychosocial needs of these caregivers

Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity for H₂ Evolution under Irradiation of UV–Vis Light by Au-Modified Nitrogen-Doped TiO₂

<div><p>Background Purpose</p><p>Photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen evolution is a potential way to solve many energy and environmental issues. Developing visible-light-active photocatalysts to efficiently utilize sunlight and finding proper ways to improve photocatalytic activity for H₂ evolution have always been hot topics for research. This study attempts to expand the use of sunlight and to enhance the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ by N doping and Au loading.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Au/N-doped TiO₂ photocatalysts were synthesized and successfully used for photocatalytic water splitting for H₂ evolution under irradiation of UV and UV–vis light, respectively. The samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), and photoelectrochemical characterizations.</p><p>Results</p><p>DRS displayed an extension of light absorption into the visible region by doping of N and depositing with Au, respectively. PL analysis indicated electron-hole recombination due to N doping and an efficient inhibition of electron-hole recombination due to the loaded Au particles. Under the irradiation of UV light, the photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of the as-synthesized samples followed the order Au/TiO₂ > Au/N-doped TiO₂ > TiO₂ > N-doped TiO₂. While under irradiation of UV–vis light, the N-TiO₂ and Au/N-TiO₂ samples show higher H₂ evolution than their corresponding nitrogen-free samples (TiO₂ and Au/TiO₂). This inconsistent result could be attributed to the doping of N and the surface plasmonic resonance (SPR) effect of Au particles extending the visible light absorption. The photoelectrochemical characterizations further indicated the enhancement of the visible light response of Au/N-doped TiO₂.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Comparative studies have shown that a combination of nitrogen doping and Au loading enhanced the visible light response of TiO₂ and increased the utilization of solar energy, greatly boosting the photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production under UV–vis light.</p></div