Application of a supporting catheter in surgery for forearm arteriovenous fistula construction.

INTRODUCTION: This study explored the feasibility of a supporting catheter combined with modified end-to-side anastomosis in the operation of radio-cephalic arteriovenous fistula (RC-AVF) and evaluated the clinical application value of this technique. METHODS: Sixty patients underwent RC-AVF operations in our hospital from January 2022 to June 2022. All the patients were treated with modified end-to-side AVF anastomosis and divided into the control group or the test group depending on whether a supporting catheter was applied. The clinical data of 60 cases were analysed retrospectively. Intraoperative related indices, the first time the fistula was used, the success rate of first puncture, the blood flow of first dialysis, the maturity condition of fistula, the size of anastomosis, the diameter of radial artery and drainage vein, the blood flow of brachial artery 8 weeks after operation and the incidence of complications within 6 months after operation were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Compared with that in the control group, the time spent on the vascular anastomosis in the test group was significantly shortened (p<0.05). The blood flow of the first dialysis, the size of the anastomosis, the diameter of the drainage vein, the blood flow of the brachial artery 8 weeks after the operation and the incidence of complications within 6 months after operation were significantly different between the two groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: In the RC-AVF operation, using a supporting catheter can not only increase operation efficiency by reducing surgical injury and difficulty of vascular anastomosis, but also improve postoperative prognosis. RC-AVF is worth promoting in clinical practice.

Unveiling the effect of the structural transformation of CoZn-MOF on BiVO4 photoanode for efficient photoelectrochemical water oxidation.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has been widely investigated for solar-to-hydrogen conversion. However, issues like high charge recombination rate and slow surface water oxidation kinetics severely hinder its (PEC) conversion efficiency. Herein, we constructed MOF-derived CoOOH cocatalyst on BiVO4 photoanode, using a feasible electrochemical activation strategy. The BiVO4-based photoanode obtained shows a high photocurrent density of 3.15 mA/cm2 at 1.23 VRHE and low onset potential. Detailed experiments and theoretical calculations show that during the activation of CoZn-MOFs, there was a partial breakage of 2-methylimidazole (mIM) linker, an increase in the oxidation state of Cobalt ion (Co), and increased O2-. The high PEC performance is mainly attributed to the MOF-derived CoOOH, which provides rich active sites for hole extraction and reduces the overpotential for oxygen evolution reaction. Furthermore, when CoZnNiFe-LDHs were decorated on BiVO4 using the ions exchange method, the photocurrent density of BiVO4/CoZnNiFe-LDHs photoanode got to 4.0 mA/cm2 at 1.23 VRHE, accompanied with high stability. This study provides insights into understanding the key role played by the structural transformation of MOF cocatalyst in PEC water splitting processes.

A case of suspected antibiotic-associated encephalopathy in a patient undergoing long-term peritoneal dialysis.

A man undergoing long-term peritoneal dialysis who had no history of mental illness suffered psychosis and auditory hallucination 2 days after clindamycin was initiated at a single dose of 0.6 g per day for pulmonary infection. His mental symptoms disappeared after clindamycin was discontinued and peritoneal dialysis was strengthened. The patient's body temperature was mildly elevated the day before he was admitted to the hospital, and no abnormalities were observed on head and chest computed tomography imaging at admission, except for a slow rhythm on electroencephalogram. Many factors were involved in this case; antibiotic-related encephalopathy caused by clindamycin may be one factor. Physicians should carefully consider the use of antibiotics, especially in patients with end-stage renal disease.

The impacts of along-channel acupuncture on the protein expressions of the chloride channel of the rats with myocardial ischemia.

Recent evidence suggests that chloride (CL(-)) channels are involved in myocardial ischemia. In this study, the impact of acupuncture on the protein expressions of Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) and CLC-2 CL(-) channel of the rats with myocardial ischemia were tested and its mechanism was explored. The rats for experiment were distributed randomly into 5 groups: blank control group, modeling control group, Neiguan (PC-6) treatment group, Lieque (LU-7) control group, and Non-acupoint control group. The rats of all groups, except the blank control group, had myocardial ischemia via multiple subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol (ISO). Electroacupuncture treatment was given to Neiguan (PC-6) treatment group, Lieque (LU-7) control group, and Non-acupoints control group, respectively, once a day for 7 days. The results show that acupuncture can alleviate the myocardial ischemia of cardiac tissue, decrease significantly the activities of serum SOD and MDA, and thereby influence the protein expressions of CFTR and CLC-2 in CL(-) channels. The results of the study implies that acupuncture suppresses the pathological changes of cardiac tissue of rats with myocardial ischemia and regulates the protein expression of CFTR and CLC-2 CL(-) channels, which may serve as one possible mechanism to reduce myocardial ischemia.