Diazido­bis­[4,4,5,5-tetra­methyl-2-(1,3-thia­zol-2-yl)-2-imidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide-κ2 N 1,O 3]nickel(II)

In the title compound, [Ni(N3)2(C10H14N3O2S)2], the NiII atom lies on an inversion center and adopts a distorted trans-NiO2N4 octa­hedral geometry, coordinated by two N,O-bidentate 4,4,5,5-tetra­methyl-2-(5-methyl­imidazol-4-yl)-2-imidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide nitronyl nitroxide radical ligands and two monodentate azide anions

The Effects of Velvet Antler of Deer on Cardiac Functions of Rats with Heart Failure following Myocardial Infarction

Velvet antler of deer (VAD) is a commonly-used kidney-Yang supplementing traditional Chinese medication. According to the heart-kidney-related theory, heart Yang originates in kidney Yang and heart failure due to heart Yang deficiency can be treated by tonifying kidney Yang. In this study, we investigated therapeutic effects of VAD on cardiac functions in rats with heart failure following myocardial infarction. Forty-eight male Wistar rats were subjected either to left coronary artery ligation (N = 36) or to sham operation (N = 12). One week after the surgery, rats with heart failure received daily treatment of double-distilled water, captopril or VAD by gavage for consecutively four weeks, while sham-operated animals were given double-distilled water. Ultrasonic echocardiography was adopted to examine cardiac structural and functional parameters and serum brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentration was measured using radioimmunoassay. We found that VAD partially reversed changes in cardiac functional parameters and serum BNP levels in rats with heart failure. These results provide further evidence for the heart-kidney-related theory and suggest that VAD might be a potentially alternative and complementary medicine for the treatment of heart failure

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

Graphdiyne-Doped P3CT-K as an Efficient Hole-Transport Layer for MAPbI(3) Perovskite Solar Cells

Here we reported the doping of graphdiyne in P3CT-K in MAPbI(3) perovskite solar cells as hole-transport materials. The doping could improve the surface wettability of P3CT-K, and the resulting perovskite morphology was improved with homogeneous coverage and reduced grain boundaries. Simultaneously, it increased the hole-extraction mobility and reduced the recombination as well as improved the performance of devices. Therefore, a high efficiency of 19.5% was achieved based on improved short-circuit current and fill factor. In addition, hysteresis of the J-V curve was also obviously reduced. This work paves the way for the development of highly efficient perovskite solar cells

Graphdiyne-Doped P3CT‑K as an Efficient Hole-Transport Layer for MAPbI₃ Perovskite Solar Cells

Here we reported the doping of graphdiyne in P3CT-K in MAPbI₃ perovskite solar cells as hole-transport materials. The doping could improve the surface wettability of P3CT-K, and the resulting perovskite morphology was improved with homogeneous coverage and reduced grain boundaries. Simultaneously, it increased the hole-extraction mobility and reduced the recombination as well as improved the performance of devices. Therefore, a high efficiency of 19.5% was achieved based on improved short-circuit current and fill factor. In addition, hysteresis of the <i>J</i>–<i>V</i> curve was also obviously reduced. This work paves the way for the development of highly efficient perovskite solar cells

Impact of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease on Long-Term Outcome in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between COPD and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebral events (MACCE) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods. 2,362 patients who underwent PCI were included in this study. Subjects were divided into 2 groups: with COPD (n=233) and without COPD (n = 2,129). Cox proportional hazards models were analyzed to determine the effect of COPD on the incidence of MACCE. Results. The patients with COPD were older (P<0.0001) and were more likely to be current smokers (P=0.02) and have had hypertension (P=0.02) and diabetes mellitus (P=0.01). Prevalence of serious cardiovascular comorbidity was higher in the patients with COPD, including a history of MI (P=0.02) and HF (P<0.0001). Compared with non-COPD group, the COPD group showed a higher risk of all-cause death (hazard ratio (HR): 2.45, P<0.0001), cardiac death (HR: 2.53, P=0.0002), MI (HR: 1.387, P=0.027), and HF (HR: 2.25, P<0.0001). Conclusions. Patients with CAD and concomitant COPD are associated with a higher incidence of MACCE (all-cause death, cardiac death, MI, and HF) compared to patients without COPD. The patients with a history of COPD have higher in-hospital and long-term mortality rates than those without COPD after PCI

Biologically Active Arborinane-Type Triterpenoids and Anthraquinones from <i>Rubia yunnanensis</i>

Twelve new arborinane-type triterpenoids (<b>1</b>–<b>12</b>) and four new anthraquinones (<b>13</b>–<b>16</b>), together with 50 known compounds, were isolated from the roots of <i>Rubia yunnanensis</i>. The structures of <b>1</b>–<b>16</b> were elucidated by spectroscopic data analysis and chemical methods. All compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic, antibacterial, and antifungal activities. Rubiyunnanol C (<b>5</b>) is the first example of an arborinane-type triterpenoid with a double bond at C-8–C-9

Thermal Adaptability of the Light-Harvesting Complex 2 from <i>Thermochromatium tepidum</i>: Temperature-Dependent Excitation Transfer Dynamics

The photosynthetic purple bacterium <i>Thermochromatium (Tch.) tepidum</i> is a thermophile that grows at an optimal temperature of ∼50 °C. We have investigated, by means of steady-state and time-resolved optical spectroscopies, the effects of temperature on the near-infrared light absorption and the excitation energy transfer (EET) dynamics of its light-harvesting complex 2 (LH2), for which the mesophilic counterpart of <i>Rhodobacter</i> (<i>Rba.</i>) <i>sphaeroides</i> 2.4.1 (∼30 °C) was examined in comparison. In a limited range around the physiological temperature (10–55 °C), the B800-to-B850 EET process of the <i>Tch. tepidum</i> LH2, but not the <i>Rba. sphaeroides</i> LH2, was found to be characteristically temperature-dependent, mainly because of a temperature-tunable spectral overlap. At 55 °C, the LH2 complex from <i>Tch. tepidum</i> maintained efficient near-infrared light harvesting and B800-to-B850 EET dynamics, whereas this EET process was disrupted in the case of <i>Rba. sphaeroides</i> 2.4.1 owing to the structural distortion of the LH2 complex. Our results reveal a remarkable thermal adaptability of the light-harvesting function of <i>Tch. tepidum</i>, which could enhance our understanding of the survival strategy of this thermophile in response to environmental challenges