The Effects of Survival Predictors Before Hemodialysis Initiation is Different in Adults and the Elderly

SummaryBackgroundThe aim of this study is to investigate the effects of the risk markers of sex, education, marital status, nephrology referral, and progression of comorbid conditions before hemodialysis (HD) on the survival of incident HD patients in different age groups.MethodsA total of 7729 incident HD patients were recruited in this retrospective cohort study in 2006 and followed up to the end of 2007. Patients were divided according to their age, being classified as Adult (18–64 years), Young Elderly (65–74 years), or Old Elderly ≥ 75 years. The progressive Romano-Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCIp) was used to predict survival outcomes, CCIp = CCI−1–CCI−3, where CCI−1 and CCI−3 are the CCI scores in the 1st year and 3rd year before HD initiation, respectively. The Cox regression model was used to analyze the associated factors of survival.ResultsMale patients were found to have a higher risk of mortality than females in each age group. Education ≤ 6 years was an independent risk marker for mortality in the Adult group. The effect of marital status and early nephrology referral on survival was more significant in the elderly groups. The CCIp and CCI-3 ≥ 3 were independent risk markers for mortality in each group. The CCIp was a more valuable predictor of survival in adults than in elderly HD patients.ConclusionThe effects of sex, education, marital status, early nephrology referral, and severity of CCI-3 and CCIp before HD initiation on patient survival vary in different age groups

Degradation of phenolic compounds in water by non-thermal plasma treatment

A stainless-steel hollow needle type anode was used in the reactor to treat industrial wastewater by gas-liquid phase non-thermal plasma by corona discharge. The results showed that the short electrode gap, 1 cm, has a higher plasma energy density which improves the removal of the phenolic derivatives, reaching 100% after about 60 min. The H₂O₂ concentration was higher in the discharge system when the content of oxygen was increased. The efficiency of the phenol removal by chemical oxygen demand was only 10 – 31% after 60 minutes. The identifie dinterme diates were catechol, hydroquinone,1,4-benzoquinone, 2-nitrophenol,1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, diphenylmethanone, 2-methyl-hydroquinone, 2-methyl-1,4-bezoquinone, and trace amounts of organic

Seabed gas emissions and submarine landslides off SW Taiwan

Methane emissions out of the seabed could seriously affect Earthâs climate and are usually associated with the dissociation of gas hydrates stored in marine sediments on the continental margins. Spatially, gas emissions out of the seafloor are not evenly distributed in continental margins. Gas emissions out of the seabed generally occur through submarine mud volcanoes and gas seeps. To understand the seabed gas emissions off SW Taiwan, we investigate the distributions of active submarine mud volcanoes, gas seeps, and gas plumes off SW Taiwan. We examine all of the available sub-bottom profiler and EK echo sounder data. We identified 19 submarine mud volcanoes, 220 gas seeps, and 295 gas plumes. The gas emissions are generally distributed at the crests of mud diapiric ridges. Most of the active mud volcanoes and gas seeps cluster at the KASMVG (Kaoping submarine mud volcanoes group) area. We speculate that the intensive mud volcanism and gas seepage at the KASMVG area are ascribed to submarine channel erosion along the continental slope base. The erosion causes a deep V-shaped channel and a steep BSR (Bottom-Simulating Reflector) slope curve across the continental margin. The upward migration rate of free gas beneath the BSR is thus increased and intensifies mud volcanism and gas seepage at the KASMVG area. The gas seeps can reduce the slope stability and generate small-scale slides. The development of mud volcanoes in an area could effectively disturb the seabed morphology so that large-scale submarine landslides cannot easily happen

Sequence Variants of ADIPOQ

Diabetes is a serious global health problem. Large-scale genome-wide association studies identified loci for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), including adiponectin (ADIPOQ) gene and transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2), but few studies clarified the effect of genetic polymorphisms of ADIPOQ and TCF7L2 on risk of T2DM. We attempted to elucidate association between T2DM and polymorphic variations of both in Taiwan’s Chinese Han population, with our retrospective case-control study genotyping single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ADIPOQ and TCF7L2 genes both in 149 T2DM patients and in 139 healthy controls from Taiwan. Statistical analysis gauged association of these polymorphisms with risk of T2DM to show ADIPOQ rs1501299 polymorphism variations strongly correlated with T2DM risk (P=0.042), with rs2241766 polymorphism being not associated with T2DM (P=0.967). However, both polymorphisms rs7903146 and rs12255372 of TCF7L2 were rarely detected in Taiwanese people. This study avers that ADIPOQ rs1501299 polymorphism contributes to risk of T2DM in the Taiwanese population

Conference of Microelectronic Research 1991

https://scholarworks.rit.edu/meec_archive/1004/thumbnail.jp

Sol-Gel Hydrothermal Synthesis and Visible Light Photocatalytic Degradation Performance of Fe/N Codoped TiO2 Catalysts

Using Ti(OC4H9)4 as a precursor, Fe(NO3)3⋅9H2O as the source of iron, and NH4NO3 as the source of nitrogen, an Fe/N codoped TiO2 catalyst was prepared using a sol-gel hydrothermal method. The as-prepared powders were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry. Fe and N codoping resulted in decreased crystallite size and increased specific surface area. Results of the photocatalytic degradation of acid orange 7 (AO7) in a continuous-flow fluidized-bed reactor indicated that the maximum decolorization (more than 90%) of AO7 occurred with the Fe/N-TiO2 catalyst (dosage of 20 g/L) when a combination of visible light irradiation for 10 h HRT (hydraulic retention time), and a heterogeneous system was used. The AO7 degradation efficiency was considerably improved by increasing the hydraulic retention time from 2.5 to 10 h or by reducing the initial AO7 concentration from 300 to 100 mg/L. The reaction rate increased with the light intensity and the maximum value occurred at 35 mW/cm2; moreover, the efficiency of the AO7 degradation increased when the pH decreased with maximum efficiency at pH 3

Survival Comparison Among Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy Followed by Esophagectomy, Definitive Chemoradiotherapy, and Esophagectomy Alone for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background: For patients with locoregional esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), survival outcomes among neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by operation (nCRT-OP), definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT), and esophagectomy alone remain controversial. Patients and methods: Information from the 2008-2016 Taiwan Cancer Registry was used. A total of 7637 cT1b-4, N0/+, M0 ESCC patients receiving nCRT-OP (n = 1955), dCRT (n = 4122), or esophagectomy alone (n = 1560) were included. Propensity score matching was performed to balance clinical variables among the three groups. Stage-specific overall survival was compared before and after propensity score matching. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to identify prognostic factors. Results: Propensity score matching resulted in 1407 cases for comparison. The 5-year overall survival rates for matched patients treated via dCRT, nCRT-OP, and esophagectomy alone were 19.77%, 31.23%, and 30.52%, respectively (p < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, treatment modality was still an independent prognostic factor both before and after propensity score matching. nCRT-OP and esophagectomy alone were associated with significantly better overall survival than dCRT for locoregional ESCC patients. Conclusions: This propensity-matched study revealed that nCRT-OP and esophagectomy provided better survival than dCRT in cT1b-4, N0/+, M0 ESCC patients