Circular RNAs in atrial fibrillation: From bioinformatics analysis of circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network to serum expression.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia in clinical practice, and its incidence is increasing year by year, which seriously affects the survival and prognosis of patients. In recent years, circRNAs has played an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of AF. The purpose of this study was to search for differentially expressed circRNAs(DEcircRNAs) in the serum of AF patients by analyzing the expression profile of existing chips, combining bioinformatics technology and in vitro experiments, and to explore the regulatory mechanism of circRNAs in the occurrence and development of AF. By using the AF datasets in the Gene expression omnibus (GEO) database, serum samples of patients with AF were collected, and the expression level of selected circRNAs was verified by qPCR. We found that the expression of four circRNAs was increased in the serum of patients with AF, suggesting that these four DEcircRNAs may be used as auxiliary diagnostic markers for AF. Bioinformatics predicts the related signaling pathways that differentially expressed genes may regulate in the occurrence and development of AF, providing a new theoretical basis for the molecular mechanism of the occurrence of atrial fibrillation and auxiliary diagnostic targets.

The prognostic value of systemic vascular resistance in heart failure patients with permanent atrial fibrillation: a retrospective study.

Heart failure (HF) and permanent atrial fibrillation (AF) interact mutually, exacerbating hemodynamic effects and causing adverse outcomes and increased healthcare costs. Monitoring hemodynamic indicators in patients with these comorbidities is crucial for effective clinical management. Transthoracic impedance cardiography (ICG) has been widely employed in assessing hemodynamic status in clinical settings. Given the limited research on the prognostic significance of ICG parameters in HF with permanent AF, we undertook this study. A total of 66 HF patients with permanent AF were included in this retrospective study, and the primary outcome was rehospitalization due to worsening HF within 180-day post-discharge. Cox regression analysis was performed to explore the connection between ICG-evaluated parameters and the outcome risk. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis determined the optimal cutoff values of risk factors, subsequently applied in plotting Kaplan Meier (KM) survival curves. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that systemic vascular resistance (SVR) both on admission and at discharge independently predicted rehospitalization for worsening HF. ROC analysis established optimal SVR cutoff values: 320.89 (kPa s/L) on admission and 169.94 (kPa s/L) at discharge (sensitivity 70%, specificity 94.4%, area under the curve (AUC) 0.831, respectively, sensitivity 90%, specificity 55.6%, AUC 0.742). KM survival curves analysis showed that patients with SVR > 320.89 (kPa s/L) on admission had an 8.14-fold (P < 0.001) increased risk of the end-point event compared with those with SVR ≤ 320.89 (kPa s/L). Similarly, patients with SVR > 169.94 (kPa s/L) at discharge faced a risk elevated by 6.57 times (P = 0.002) relative to those with SVR ≤ 169.94 (kPa s/L). In HF patients with permanent AF, SVR measured by ICG emerges as an independent risk factor and clinical predictor for HF deterioration-related readmission within 180 days after discharge. Higher SVR levels, both upon admission and at discharge, correlate with an incremental rehospitalization risk.

Research progress of non-coding RNA in atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia in clinic, and its incidence is increasing year by year. In today's increasingly prevalent society, ageing poses a huge challenge to global healthcare systems. AF not only affects patients' quality of life, but also causes thrombosis, heart failure and other complications in severe cases. Although there are some measures for the diagnosis and treatment of AF, specific serum markers and targeted therapy are still lacking. In recent years, ncRNAs have become a hot topic in cardiovascular disease research. These ncRNAs are not only involved in the occurrence and development of AF, but also in pathophysiological processes such as myocardial infarction and atherosclerosis, and are potential biomarkers of cardiovascular diseases. We believe that the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanism of AF and the study of diagnosis and treatment targets can form a more systematic diagnosis and treatment framework of AF and provide convenience for individuals with AF and the society.

The regulation of the withstand voltage performance of ZnO/GaN vertical heterostructures using external electric field and vacancy defects.

The band gap of the heterostructure determines the withstand voltage. It is very important to regulate the band gap of heterojunctions and to investigate their electrical properties by applying external electric field. Based on density functional theory (DFT), ZnO/GaN vertical heterostructures with two stacking configurations (AB/BA and AB/AB, named H1 and H2, respectively) are constructed. The external electric field and vacancy defects of Zn, Ga, O and N atoms (VZn, VGa, VO and VN) are applied to analyze the electrical properties. The band gap can be tuned from 2.07 eV to 0 eV in H1 and 1.53 eV-0 eV in H2. As the electric field increases, H1 has stronger withstand voltage (-0.84-0.56 V/Å) than H2 (-0.26-0.26 V/Å). In addition, the structures deform obviously with the effect of vacancy defects, but remain stable. The presence of VGa and VN enables H1 and H2 to exhibits metal conductivity and VO change the band types of H1 and H2 from direct to indirect. The results of charge density difference (CDD) prove that a zero potential region and a weak electric field occur at the position of VZn and VO, respectively. Likewise, the external electric field is applied to the defective heterostructures. The bandgap also exhibits strong tunability, and the heterostructure with VO has the largest electric field modulation width. The above results indicate that ZnO/GaN exhibits excellent electrical properties with the influence of VO, which represents potential applications in electronic devices.

Printable All-Paper Pressure Sensors with High Sensitivity and Wide Sensing Range.

With the rapid development of flexible electronics, a large amount of electronic waste is becoming a global concern. Because of the biodegradable and environment-friendly properties, cellulose paper as flexible substrates is an alternative pathway to effectively address the electronic pollution. Recently, paper-based piezoresistive pressure sensors with a simple structure and easy signal detection have been widely used in health monitoring, soft robots, and so forth. However, the low sensitivity and narrow working range of paper-based sensors limit their practical applications. Here, an all paper-based piezoresistive pressure sensor is successfully constructed by assembling a bottom electrode with a screen-printed interdigital Cu electrode on paper and a top sensing electrode. The top electrode is simply fabricated using a one-step impregnation method to coat a thin poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) layer on air-laid paper. The constructed all-paper sensor displays a maximum sensitivity of 768.07 kPa-1, a wide detection range (up to 250 kPa), and excellent cycle stability (5000 cycles). Furthermore, the sensor can clearly respond from low pressure (such as wrist pulse) to high pressure (finger tapping). The outstanding performance can be attributed to the surface and interface design of rough and fiber-structured paper and the high conductivity of copper and PEDOT:PSS. Finally, based on the printing technology, array sensors are fabricated to identify spatial pressure distributions, demonstrating the capability of low-cost and large-area fabrication for the practical production applications. This printable all-paper sensor with excellent sensing performance exhibits great potential for use in new-generation green and portable electronics.

Fabrication of three-dimensional zinc oxide nanoflowers for high-sensitivity fiber-optic ammonia gas sensors.

ZnO is identified as one of the promising coating materials in optical fiber for ammonia gas sensors. In this work, three-dimensional ZnO nanoflowers are fabricated via a facile hydrothermal method and used as sensitive coating materials for optical fiber ammonia gas sensors. Results show that the sensor with ZnO nanoflowers exhibits a high sensitivity of 5.75 pm/(µg·L-1) for ammonia concentration ranging from 0 to 5460 µg·L-1, which is more than 2.6 times higher than that of the sensor with a coating of ZnO microspheres [2.2 pm/(µg·L-1)].

Graphene-oxide-coated interferometric optical microfiber ethanol vapor sensor.

A graphene-oxide-coated interferometric microfiber-sensor-based polarization-maintaining optical fiber is proposed for highly sensitive detecting for ethanol vapor concentration at room temperature in this paper. The strong sensing capability of the sensor to detect the concentration of ethanol vapor is demonstrated, taking advantage of the evanescent field enhancement and gas absorption of a graphene-oxide-coated microfiber. The transmission spectrum of the sensor varies with concentrations of ethanol vapor, and the redshift of the transmission spectrum has been analyzed for the concentration range from 0 to 80 ppm with sensitivity as high as 0.138 nm/ppm. The coated graphene oxide layer induces the evanescent field enhancement and gas selective adsorption, which improves sensitivity and selectivity of the microfiber gas sensor for ethanol vapor detection.

Semi-Transparent ZnO-CuI/CuSCN Photodiode Detector with Narrow-Band UV Photoresponse.

The ZnO homogeneous pn junction photodiode is quite difficult to fabricate due to the absence of stable p-type ZnO. So exploring reliable p-type materials is necessary to build a heterogeneous pn junction with n-type ZnO. Herein, we develop a simple and low-cost solution-processed method to obtain inorganic p-type CuI/CuSCN composite film with compact morphology, high conductivity, and low surface state. The improved performance of CuI/CuSCN composite film can be confirmed based on high-rectification ratio, responsivity, and open voltage of ZnO-CuI/CuSCN photodiode UV detectors. Moreover, photodiodes with novel top electrodes are investigated. Compared with commonly used Au and graphene/Ag nanowire (NWs) electrode, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate) ( PEDOT: PSS) electrode prepared by Meyer rod-coating technique opens one route to obtain a semitransparent photodiode. The photodiode with PEDOT: PSS as the top electrode under reverse illumination has the highest photocurrent density due to higher UV transmittance of PEDOT: PSS transparent electrode compared with ITO glass. The low-energy consumption, and high responsivity, UV to visible rejection ratio and air stability make this ZnO-CuI/CuSCN photodiode quite promising in the UV-A detection field.

[Effects of exogenous AsA and GSH on the growth of Dianthus chinensis seedlings exposed to Cd].

A pot experiment was carried out under greenhouse condition to investigate the effects of different concentrations (0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mg x L(-1)) of exogenous AsA, GSH on Dianthus chinensis seedlings which were stressed by 50 mg x kg(-1) Cd in the soil. The results indicated that 50 mg x kg(-1) of Cd significantly inhibited the growth of D. chinensis seedlings. An appropriate concentration of exogenous AsA significantly improved the biomass, plant height, tiller number, GAT and APX activities, and AsA and GSH contents. However, with the increase of exogenous AsA concentration, the ameliorating effect decreased and prooxidant effect occurred. Exogenous GSH could replenish the non-enzymatic antioxidants of D. chinensis seedlings, but the changes of antioxidant enzyme activities were relatively slight. The main mechanisms of GSH to alleviate Cd toxicity might be promoting root PCs synthesis, thereby reducing the Cd concentration in the seedlings. Both 35-45 mg x L(-1) exogenous AsA and 55-65 mg x L(-1) exogenous GSH could alleviate the Cd toxicity on D. chinensis seedlings, and the former was superior to the latter.

The synthesis and mechanism exploration of europium-doped LiYF4 micro-octahedron phosphors with multilevel interiors.

Multi-layered hollow LiYF4:Eu(3+) micro-octahedrons, with about 400 nm of single-layer thickness and 300 nm of interlayer space, have been synthesized via a facile hydrothermal route in the presence of surfactant ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA). The mechanisms of the morphology evolution of the LiYF4:Eu micro-octahedrons are investigated in detail. Time-dependent experiments indicate that the growth of the micro-octahedrons undergoes four different stages including the aggregation growth of the primary YF3 particle, the transformation of the substance from the orthorhombic-phase YF3 to the tetragonal-phase LiYF4 by the Kirkendall effect with the inward diffusion of quasi-steady state LiF species, adsorption and in situ crystallization, and local Ostwald ripening. The Ostwald ripening process is terminated by the organic adsorption of interlaminar leading to a hollow structure with multilevel interiors. The LiYF4:Eu micro-octahedrons are annealed under the designed temperatures, which leads to the collapse of octahedral structures indicating the role of EDTA on building the octahedron. The spectral measurements show that the calcination approach has a stronger effect on the luminescence tuning of the LiYF4:Eu micro-octahedrons due to the modification of the crystal phase, structure and size. The present study is of great importance in the preparation of rare-earth ion doped LiYF4 hollow materials as well as in applications as building blocks for functional devices.

Employing the plasmonic effect of the Ag-graphene composite for enhancing light harvesting and photoluminescence quenching efficiency of poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene-vinylene].

In this work, we report that the Ag-graphene composite (AGC) can effectively enhance the light harvesting and photoluminescence (PL) quenching efficiency of poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene-vinylene] (MEH-PPV). Loading the AGC on MEH-PPV leads to improved light absorption ability and PL quenching efficiency, which is due to the strong interaction between localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)-activated Ag nanoparticles and the MEH-PPV molecule. Control experiment reveals that the combination of graphene and Ag nanoparticles achieves superior light absorptivity and PL quenching ability compared with individual graphene and Ag NPs. The exponential shape of the Stern-Volmer plot implies that both Ag and graphene in the AGC can offer the quenching pathway for the PL quenching process. We also found that the AGC with a broader LSPR absorption range is competitive in enhancing the light absorption ability and PL quenching efficiency of the MEH-PPV-AGC composite, because it can expand LSPR-induced light harvesting and PL quenching response to a wider absorption range.

Photoluminescence investigation about zinc oxide with graphene oxide & reduced graphene oxide buffer layers.

ZnO with graphene oxide (GO-ZnO) & reduced graphene oxide (rGO-ZnO) buffer layers were fabricated. Photoluminescence (PL) properties of GO-ZnO and rGO-ZnO compositions induced by oxygen vacancies defects were investigated using photoluminescence spectroscopy. The results showed that blue emission is quenched while yellow-orange emissions from GO-ZnO and rGO-ZnO compositions are significantly increased as compared to that of ZnO films. In stark contrast to enhanced yellow-orange emissions, PL spectra show three sharp, discrete emissions that characterize the dominant optical active defect, which is the oxygen vacancies and extended oxygen vacancies. Our results highlight the ability of GO & rGO buffer layers to modulate defect concentrations in ZnO and contribute to understanding the optical properties of deep-level defects, which is significant for development of long-wavelength photoelectric devices related with graphene materials.

Microstructures, surface states and field emission mechanism of graphene-tin/tin oxide hybrids.

The effects of microstructures and surface states on the field emission, which are important to a good understanding of the field emission mechanism, are unclear. In this paper, the microstructures and surface states of graphene-Sn/SnO2 hybrids were analyzed, and the field emission mechanism was explored. Raman spectra and images revealed that SnO2/Sn droplets are strongly bound on graphene surface, and there exist oxygen vacancies at the surface of graphene-Sn/SnO2 hybrids. Among X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra, the peak of O 1s shifts 1.6 eV toward higher binding energies in the 5 min sample with the best field emission properties, which indicates that the field emission improvement in graphene-Sn/SnO2 hybrids arises from the band-bending effect and a lower work function.

Enhancement of field emission and photoluminescence properties of graphene-SnO2 composite nanostructures.

In this study, the SnO(2) nanostructures and graphene-SnO(2) (G-SnO(2)) composite nanostructures were prepared on n-Si (100) substrates by electrophoretic deposition and magnetron sputtering techniques. The field emission of SnO(2) nanostructures is improved largely by depositing graphene buffer layer, and the field emission of G-SnO(2) composite nanostructures can also further be improved by decreasing sputtering time of Sn nanoparticles to 5 min. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the SnO(2) nanostructures revealed multipeaks, which are consistent with previous reports except for a new peak at 422 nm. Intensity of six emission peaks increased after depositing graphene buffer layer. Our results indicated that graphene can also be used as buffer layer acting as interface modification to simultaneity improve the field emission and PL properties of SnO(2) nanostructures effectively.

Transcatheter closure of large atrial septal defects in 18 patients.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of transcatheter closure of large atrial septal defects (ASD). METHODS: Eighteen patients diagnosed as ostium secundum defect with a diameter of 30-40 mm were enrolled in this study. With the guidance of echocardiography and fluoroscopy, the Amplazter occlusion devices were implanted percutaneously through the femoral vein. RESULTS: A small residual left-to-right shunt was detected with echocardiography immediately postprocedure but resolved after 1 week. The occlusion devices remained in proper position, and there was no residual shunt at 1- and 29-month follow-ups. Cardiac function and atrial sizes improved significantly as compared with the preclosure states. CONCLUSIONS: Transcatheter closure of large atrial septal defects with the Amplazter occlusion device is feasible, safe and effective.