Electrochemical degradation of 4-chlorophenol at nickel-antimony doped tin oxide electrode

The effectiveness of a novel nickel-antimony doped tin oxide electrode for electrochemical degradation of organic pollutants was investigated using 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) as a model toxic organic. The experimental results demonstrate that the optimal Ni content was at Ni:Sn = 1:500 in atomic ratio in the precursor coating solution, whereas the Sb:Sn ratio was set at 8:500. Using the electrode prepared with the optimal Ni doping ratio for 4-CP degradation, the charge-based efficiencies were up to 89 μg C -1 for 4-CP destruction and 15 μg C -1 for TOC removal, which were considerably higher than the efficiencies observed for other electrodes. It is suggested that the enhancement of the electrode for electrochemical oxidation of organics could be attributed to the production of hydroxyl radicals in anodic water electrolysis. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.postprin

Elevated blood pressure aggravates intracerebral hemorrhage-induced brain injury

Elevated blood pressure (BP) is commonly seen in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and is independently associated with poor functional outcomes. Little is known about how elevated BP influences ICH-related brain injury. In the present study, we investigated the physiological and brain histological changes, as well as functional recovery following ICH in renovascular hypertensive rats. Renovascular hypertension (RVHT) was achieved by applying a silver clip onto the left renal artery of adult Sprague-Dawley rats. ICH was induced by an intrastriatal injection of bacterial collagenase IV about 5-6 weeks after left renal artery clipping or the sham operation. Following induction of ICH, both the normotensive and RVHT rats demonstrated an ultra-acute elevation in BP. Elevated BP increased hematoma volume, brain swelling, and apoptosis in the perihematomal areas. Brain degeneration, including local atrophy and lateral ventricle enlargement, was greater in the RVHT rats. In addition, many proliferating cells were seen over the ipsilateral striatum in the RVHT rats after ICH. The modified limb placing tests were done weekly for 3 weeks. In line with the histological damage, elevated BP worsened neurological deficits. These results suggest that ICH in the hypertensive rats mimics the clinical scenario of hypertensive ICH and may provide a platform to study the mechanisms of ICH-induced brain injury and potential therapies for ICH. © 2011, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.published_or_final_versio

Increases in absenteeism among health care workers in Hong Kong during influenza epidemics, 2004–2009

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Risk of Atrial Fibrillation and Adverse Outcomes in Patients With Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices.

Background and objectives: Comprehensive epidemiological data are lacking on the incident atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). This study aimed to examine the incidence, risk factors, and AF-related adverse outcomes of patients with CIEDs.Methods: This was an observational cohort study that analyzed patients without prevalent AF who underwent CIED implantation in 2009-2018 using a Korean nationwide claims database. The subjects were divided into three groups by CIED type and indication: pacemaker (n=21,438), implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)/cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) with heart failure (HF) (n=3,450), and ICD for secondary prevention without HF (n=2,146). The incidence of AF, AF-associated predictors, and adverse outcomes were evaluated.Results: During follow-up, the incidence of AF was 4.3, 7.3, and 5.1 per 100 person-years in the pacemaker, ICD/CRT with HF, and ICD without HF cohorts, respectively. Across the three cohorts, older age and valvular heart disease were commonly associated with incident AF. Incident AF was consistently associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke (3.8-11.4-fold), admission for HF (2.6-10.5-fold), hospitalization for any cause (2.4-2.7-fold), all-cause death (4.1-5.0-fold), and composite outcomes (3.4-5.7-fold). Oral anticoagulation rates were suboptimal in patients with incident AF (pacemaker, 51.3%; ICD/CRT with HF, 51.7%; and ICD without HF, 33.8%, respectively).Conclusions: A substantial proportion of patients implanted CIED developed newly diagnosed AF. Incident AF was associated with a higher risk of adverse events. The importance of awareness, early detection, and appropriate management of AF in patients with CIED should be emphasized

Cordycepin enhances cisplatin apoptotic effect through caspase/MAPK pathways in human head and neck tumor cells

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Polysaccharides from wolfberry prevents corticosterone-induced inhibition of sexual behavior and increases neurogenesis

Lycium barbarum, commonly known as wolfberry, has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of infertility and sexual dysfunction. However, there is still a scarcity of experimental evidence to support the pro-sexual effect of wolfberry. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) on male sexual behavior of rats. Here we report that oral feeding of LBP for 21 days significantly improved the male copulatory performance including increase of copulatory efficiency, increase of ejaculation frequency and shortening of ejaculation latency. Furthermore, sexual inhibition caused by chronic corticosterone was prevented by LBP. Simultaneously, corticosterone suppressed neurogenesis in subventricular zone and hippocampus in adult rats, which could be reversed by LBP. The neurogenic effect of LBP was also shown in vitro. Significant correlation was found between neurogenesis and sexual performance, suggesting that the newborn neurons are associated with reproductive successfulness. Blocking neurogenesis in male rats abolished the pro-sexual effect of LBP. Taken together, these results demonstrate the pro-sexual effect of LBP on normal and sexually-inhibited rats, and LBP may modulate sexual behavior by regulating neurogenesis. © 2012 Lau et al.published_or_final_versio

A Smart Card-Based Electronic School Absenteeism System for Influenza-Like Illness Surveillance in Hong Kong: Design, Implementation, and Feasibility Assessment

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Smoking Cessation after Diagnosis of New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation and the Risk of Stroke and Death

Limited data are available regarding the impact of smoking cessation after atrial fibrillation (AF) diagnosis on clinical outcomes. Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, we included patients newly diagnosed with AF and categorized them into four groups as follows: (i) never smokers, (ii) ex-smokers, (iii) smoking cessation after AF diagnosis (“quitters”), and (iv) current smokers. The primary outcomes were incident ischemic stroke and all-cause death during follow-up. Fatal ischemic stroke and death from cerebrovascular events were evaluated as secondary outcomes. Among 97,637 patients (mean age, 61 years; mean CHA(2)DS(2)-VASc score, 2.3), 6.9% stopped smoking after AF diagnosis. The mean follow-up duration was 3.2 ± 2.0 years. After multivariable adjustment, quitters had lower risks of ischemic stroke (hazard ratio (HR), 0.702; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.595–0.827) and all-cause death (HR, 0.842; 95% CI, 0.748–0.948) than current smokers. Quitters after AF diagnosis were associated with lower risks of fatal ischemic stroke (HR, 0.454; 95% CI, 0.287–0.718) and death from cerebrovascular events (HR, 0.664; 95% CI, 0.465–0.949) compared with current smokers. Quitting smoking may reduce the risk of ischemic stroke, the severity of ischemic stroke, and the incidence of cerebrovascular events in patients with new-onset AF