Association between B-type natriuretic peptide and long-term mortality in patients with acute severe hypertension visiting the emergency department.

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a well-established prognostic factor for cardiovascular disorders. However, the association between BNP levels and mortality in patients with acute severe hypertension remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between BNP levels and long-term mortality in patients with acute severe hypertension visiting the emergency department (ED). This retrospective study included patients aged ≥ 18 years who were admitted to the ED between 2016 and 2019 with acute severe hypertension (systolic blood pressure ≥ 180 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 100 mmHg). Patients were categorized into tertiles according to BNP levels upon admission to the ED. Of the 3099 patients with acute severe hypertension, 6.4% in the first (lowest) tertile, 24.8% in the second tertile, and 44.4% in the third (highest) tertile of BNP died within 3-years. After adjusting for clinically relevant variables, patients in the second tertile of BNP (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 2.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.96-3.55), and patients in the third tertile of BNP (adjusted HR 4.18; 95% CI, 3.09-5.64) had a significantly higher risk of 3-year all-cause mortality than those in the first tertile of BNP. Therefore, BNP may be valuable for the initial assessment to identify high-risk patients among those with acute severe hypertension.

Preclinical evaluation of noncontact vital signs monitoring using real-time IR-UWB radar and factors affecting its accuracy

Recently, noncontact vital sign monitors have attracted attention because of issues related to the transmission of contagious diseases. We developed a real-time vital sign monitor using impulse-radio ultrawideband (IR-UWB) radar with embedded processors and software;we then evaluated its accuracy in measuring heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) and investigated the factors affecting the accuracy of the radar-based measurements. In 50 patients visiting a cardiology clinic, HR and RR were measured using IR-UWB radar simultaneously with electrocardiography and capnometry. All patients underwent HR and RR measurements in 2 postures—supine and sitting—for 2 min each. There was a high agreement between the RR measured using radar and capnometry (concordance correlation coefficient [CCC] 0.925 [0.919–0.926];upper and lower limits of agreement [LOA], − 2.21 and 3.90 breaths/min). The HR measured using radar was also in close agreement with the value measured using electrocardiography (CCC 0.749 [0.738–0.760];upper and lower LOA, − 12.78 and 15.04 beats/min). Linear mixed effect models showed that the sitting position and an HR < 70 bpm were associated with an increase in the absolute biases of the HR, whereas the sitting position and an RR < 18 breaths/min were associated with an increase in the absolute biases of the RR. The IR-UWB radar sensor with embedded processors and software can measure the RR and HR in real time with high precision. The sitting position and a low RR or HR were associated with the accuracy of RR and HR measurement, respectively, using IR-UWB radar.

Antiviral Nanomaterials for Designing Mixed Matrix Membranes.

Membranes are helpful tools to prevent airborne and waterborne pathogenic microorganisms, including viruses and bacteria. A membrane filter can physically separate pathogens from air or water. Moreover, incorporating antiviral and antibacterial nanoparticles into the matrix of membrane filters can render composite structures capable of killing pathogenic viruses and bacteria. Such membranes incorporated with antiviral and antibacterial nanoparticles have a great potential for being applied in various application scenarios. Therefore, in this perspective article, we attempt to explore the fundamental mechanisms and recent progress of designing antiviral membrane filters, challenges to be addressed, and outlook.