The aldosterone index could be used to diagnose the dominant gland in primary aldosteronism — a retrospective study

Introduction: Failed cannulation in the right adrenal vein, which makes the sampling results in the contralateral vein and inferior vena cava (IVC) nonsense, is the main obstacle of using adrenal vein sampling (AVS) in the lateralisation diagnosis in primary aldosteronism (PA). We performed a retrospective study to evaluate the specificity and sensitivity of using the aldosterone index (AI) in PA lateralisation diagnosis. Material and methods: We enrolled 116 patients who were diagnosed with PA and then underwent AVS in the West China Hospital of Sichuan University from April 2015 to April 2017. The AI, calculated by dividing the aldosterone concentration of the failed side by the aldosterone concentration of IVC, was used for lateralisation diagnosis if the cannulation was judged to be failed by traditional method. Patients with dominant adrenal gland based on successful AVS were included in subgroup 2 (n = 75), while the patients diagnosed with a dominant gland using AI method were enrolled in subgroup 1 (n = 41). Results: No significant difference of clinical and biochemical findings between the two groups was detected (p value after operation > 0.05). ROC analysis was performed to test the specificity and sensitivity based on the AI in subgroup 2. The AUC for dominant gland detection was 0.76, which resulted in 91.3% sensitivity and 67.53% specificity. The positive and negative likelihood ratios were 2.81. Conclusions: Our data suggested that the modified strategy using AI to diagnose the dominant gland in PA is an efficient method when cannulation has failed in the right side

A culture of conservation: How an ancient forest plantation turned into an old-growth forest reserve – The story of the Wamulin forest

The global expansion of forest plantations at the expense of natural forests, especially old-growth forests, raises concerns about habitat loss and a decline in ecosystem services. Natural regeneration of second-growth forests with minimal human assistance has been suggested as a cost-effective way to restore forests and increase forest ecosystem service potential. However, it is unclear whether natural regeneration will lead to the development of second-growth forests similar to natural forests because most naturally regenerated second-growth forests are still young. We present a case study of a very old second-growth forest in southeastern China in which a forest plantation established approximately six centuries ago has now developed into an old forest with extraordinary high biodiversity levels, an immense carbon pool, and a rich culture. The forest was established in the 14th century because of a charitable contribution, became protected under the Chinese cultural norm of ‘unity between humans and the nature’, and was conserved because of the belief that the prosperity of people is closely linked to the prosperity of trees. The recent designation of the forest as a nature reserve further protects it from development despite competing land-use demands related to recent economic growth. This case illustrates that, although human activity is the main cause for the disappearance and degradation of many forests, when human interests and cultural values align second-growth restoration and subsequent forest conservation can lead to the successional development of old-growth forests. Because this development takes multiple centuries, the protection of current second-growth forests within conservation easements (e.g. nature reserves) and the reformation of culture values for the linkage of forests to human well-being are key aspects of the continued conservation-aided succession of second-growth forests. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article

Chlorofullerenes featuring triple sequentially fused pentagons

通讯作者地址: Tan,YZ(通讯作者),Xiamen Univ, State Key Lab Phys Chem Solid Surfaces, Xiamen 361005, Peoples R China 地址: 1. Xiamen Univ, State Key Lab Phys Chem Solid Surfaces, Xiamen 361005, Peoples R China 2. Xiamen Univ, Coll Chem & Chem Engn, Dept Chem, Xiamen 361005, Peoples R China 电子邮件地址: [email protected], [email protected] triple sequentially fused pentagons (TSFP) motif is one of the basic subunits that could be used for constructing fullerenes, but it violates the isolated pentagon rule (IPR) and has not been found in carbon cages to date. The properties of TSFP-incorporating fullerenes are thus poorly explored both theoretically and experimentally. Reported herein are four chlorinated derivatives of three different fullerene cages, all with the TSFP motif. X-ray crystallographic analyses indicate that the molecular strain inherent to the pentagon adjacency of a TSFP is significantly relieved upon exohedral chlorination, leaving one of the four pentagon fusion sites unsaturated and rendering the present derivatives chiral. This unique reactivity, in stark contrast to that of previously reported non-IPR fullerenes containing double fused pentagons or triple directly fused pentagons, can be rationalized by density functional theory calculations, and are expected to stimulate further studies of these new members of the fullerene family, both theoretically and experimentally.NNSF of China 20525103,20531050,20721001,20423002 20673088 973 Program 2007CB81530

Two I-h-symmetry-breaking C-60 isomers stabilized by chlorination

通讯作者地址: Xie, SY (通讯作者), Xiamen Univ, State Key Lab Phys Chem Solid Surfaces, Coll Chem & Chem Engn, Xiamen 361005, Peoples R China 地址: 1. Xiamen Univ, State Key Lab Phys Chem Solid Surfaces, Coll Chem & Chem Engn, Xiamen 361005, Peoples R China 2. Xiamen Univ, Dept Chem, Coll Chem & Chem Engn, Xiamen 361005, Peoples R China 电子邮件地址: [email protected] abiding surprise in fullerene science is that I-h-symmetric buckminsterfullerene C-60 (ref. 1) (I-h-C-60 or C-#1,812(60), the nomenclature specified by symmetry or by Fowler's spiral algorithm(2)) remains the sole C-60 species experimentally available. Setting it apart from the other 1,811 topological isomers (isobuckminsterfullerenes) is its exclusive conformity with the isolated-pentagon rule(3), which states that stable fullerenes have isolated pentagons. Although gas-phase existence of isobuckminsterfullerenes has long been suspected(4-7), synthetic efforts have yet to yield successful results. Here, we report the realization of two isobuckminsterfullerenes by means of chlorination of the respective C-2v-and C-s-symmetric C-60 cages. These chlorinated species, (C60Cl8)-C-#1,809(1) and (C60Cl12)-C-#1,804(2), were isolated in experimentally useful yields. Structural characterization by crystallography unambiguously established the unique pentagon-pentagon ring fusions. These distinct structural features are directly responsible for the regioselectivity observed in subsequent substitution of chlorines, and also render these unprecedented derivatives of C60 isomers important for resolving the long-standing puzzle of fullerene formation by the Stone-Wales transformation scheme(8-11).NNSF of China,20525103 ,20531050 ,20721001 , 20571062 ,20425312 973 Program 2007CB81530

An Entrant of Smaller Fullerene: C-56 Captured by Chlorines and Aligned in Linear Chains

A smaller fullerene C-56 (#913) is stabilized, isolated, and crystallographically characterized as C56Cl10. The geometric parameters of C56Cl10 imply the otherwise unstable cage of C-56 can be stabilized by chlorination through releasing its surface strains and maintaining fragmental aromaticity. An unexpected C Cl center dot center dot center dot Cl C short contact, as well as the linear alignment with pearl - necklace-shaped, is revealed in C56Cl10 crystal.NSFC,20525103,20531050,20721001,20425312, 20423002 973 Program,2007C13815301

Graphene-Based Nanocomposites for Energy Storage

Since the first report of using micromechanical cleavage method to produce graphene sheets in 2004, graphene/graphene-based nanocomposites have attracted wide attention both for fundamental aspects as well as applications in advanced energy storage and conversion systems. In comparison to other materials, graphene-based nanostructured materials have unique 2D structure, high electronic mobility, exceptional electronic and thermal conductivities, excellent optical transmittance, good mechanical strength, and ultrahigh surface area. Therefore, they are considered as attractive materials for hydrogen (H2) storage and high-performance electrochemical energy storage devices, such as supercapacitors, rechargeable lithium (Li)-ion batteries, Li–sulfur batteries, Li–air batteries, sodium (Na)-ion batteries, Na–air batteries, zinc (Zn)–air batteries, and vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB), etc., as they can improve the efficiency, capacity, gravimetric energy/power densities, and cycle life of these energy storage devices. In this article, recent progress reported on the synthesis and fabrication of graphene nanocomposite materials for applications in these aforementioned various energy storage systems is reviewed. Importantly, the prospects and future challenges in both scalable manufacturing and more energy storage-related applications are discussed

Genomic and Immune Features in an Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Patient with Microsatellite Instability-High Suffered Rapid Acquired Resistance to PD-1 Inhibitor

Introduction: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a highly aggressive liver malignancy with poor prognosis. Recently, the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), such as programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors, has emerged as a promising strategy in multiple tumor types, including ICC. Microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) is an important biomarker for ICIs in solid tumors. The response rate in patients with MSI-H is significantly higher than in those with microsatellite stability/ microsatellite instability-low (MSS/MSI-L). And approximately 80% to 90% of the patients with MSI-H could maintain sustained clinical benefits once they had an initial response. However, some patients could have primary resistance at the beginning, and some might have acquired resistance after long-term treatment. Case Presentation: We present the case of an ICC patient with MSI-H who suffered rapid progression after a short-term remission with Camrelizumab, a kind of PD-1 inhibitor, as second-line treatment. The patient’s genomic and immune features were analyzed by next-generation sequencing and multiplex immunofluorescence staining (mIF) to explore the possible mechanisms of the rapidly acquired resistance of ICIs in this MSI-H case. Discussion/Conclusion: The genomic and immunohistochemical analysis showed that TGFBR2 mutation, loss of HLA B44 supertype, carrying B62 supertype, and increased PD-L1+ cells, macrophages and Tregs in the tumor microenvironment might be related to the non-sustain benefit of ICIs in this MSI-H patient