Marked Increase in Urinary C-peptide Levels after Treatment with Sacubitril/Valsartan in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension.

Sacubitril/valsartan, a novel therapy in chronic heart failure (CHF), inhibits the breakdown of various peptides. However, whether or not sacubitril/valsartan administration affects urinary C-peptide levels is unclear. We herein report a 70-year-old man with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension coexisting with CHF and nephrotic syndrome. The patient's urinary C-peptide levels dramatically increased after sacubitril/valsartan administration and decreased after discontinuation of the drug. Furthermore, sacubitril/valsartan administration to five other patients with hypertension and T2DM markedly increased urinary C-peptide levels. Thus, the insulin secretory capacity of patients with T2DM receiving sacubitril/valsartan may be overestimated when their urinary C-peptide level is measured.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on glycemic control among outpatients with type 2 diabetes in Japan: A hospital-based survey from a country without lockdown.

AIMS: Some studies have reported changes in glycemic control of patients with diabetes mellitus under lockdown. However, no previous study examined the impact of the pandemic on glycemic control in patients with diabetes in countries that did not introduce a lockdown such as Japan. This study aimed to assess changes in glycemic control during the pandemic in patients with type 2 diabetes treated at a Japanese clinic. METHODS: We conducted a historical cohort study, using electronic medical records of patients with type 2 diabetes who visited our clinic between January 2019 and August 2020. Differences in HbA1c values before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 were the primary outcome, examined using the linear mixed model. RESULTS: HbA1c values significantly increased from 7.45% to 7.53% after the state of emergency was introduced (n = 1,009). Furthermore, a deterioration in HbA1c values was observed in particular among women, patients aged ≥ 65 years, those with body mass index of ≥ 25 kg/m2, and those that were not using insulin. CONCLUSIONS: Glycemic control deteriorated in patients with type 2 diabetes during the pandemic even in a country without a national lockdown.

Coupled electronic states in CdTe quantum dot assemblies fabricated by utilizing chemical bonding between ligands.

Semiconductor quantum dot superlattices (QDSLs) have attracted much attention as key materials for realizing new optoelectronic devices such as solar cells with high conversion efficiency and thermoelectric elements with high electrical conductivity. To improve the charge transport properties of QDSL-based optoelectronic devices, it is important that the QD structures form minibands, which are the coupled electronic states between QDs. A shorter inter-QD distance and a periodic arrangement of QDs are the essential conditions for the formation of minibands. In this study, we use CdTe QDs capped with short ligands of N-acetyl-l cysteine (NAC) to fabricate three-dimensional QD assemblies by utilizing chemical bonding between NACs. Absorption spectra clearly display the quantum resonance phenomenon originating from the coupling of the wave functions between the adjacent QDs in CdTe QD assemblies. Furthermore, we demonstrate the formation of minibands in CdTe QD assemblies by examining both, the excitation energy dependence of photoluminescence (PL) spectra and the detection energy dependence of PL excitation spectra. The fabrication method of QD assemblies utilizing chemical bonding between NACs can be applied to all QDs capped with NAC as a ligand.

Photoluminescence color stability of green-emitting InP/ZnS core/shell quantum dots embedded in silica prepared via hydrophobic routes.

In this work, green-emitting InP/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) modified with 1-dodecanethiol were embedded into silica by two methods to improve their photostability while maintaining a high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and a color coordinate. A monolithic QD-silica composite prepared by a non-aqueous route with tetraethyl orthosilicate and lactic acid featured low transparency, a loss of the color purity of green, and a PLQY of 1.6%, which was considerably lower than that of the original QDs (67%). The decrease of the PLQY was attributed to QD aggregation in the sol-gel process and degradation of the QDs by the acid. The alternative method involved stirring a toluene dispersion of the QDs with tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS) for 20 h or 7 days. The PLQY of the TMOS-modified InP/ZnS QDs (20 h) was 62%, which was only slightly lower than that of the original QDs. The PLQY decreased to 52% when the duration of aging was prolonged to 7 days. This decrease was attributed to desorption of surface modifiers from the QD surface and oxidative degradation by oxygen dissolved in toluene. Herein, the color coordinate was maintained stably. Photostability was evaluated by continuous irradiation of the samples by a blue light emitting diode. The decrease of photoluminescence (PL) intensity was suppressed by the silica encapsulation. In particular, the PL intensity of the TMOS-modified InP/ZnS QD sample (7 d) maintained 99% of its initial intensity. Silica encapsulation of InP/ZnS QDs prevented contact of the QDs with oxygen in the air, resulting in improved photostability.

Control of localized surface plasmon resonance energy in monolayer structures of gold and silver nanoparticles.

Monolayer structures of Au and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were fabricated by a dipping method to realize the control of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) energy. The mean inter-particle distance in the monolayer was controlled by changing the concentration of NPs in the colloidal solution used for the monolayer assembly. The extinction-peak energy of the monolayer structure was red-shifted with decreasing inter-particle distance, reflecting plasmon coupling between NPs.

Evidence of Quantum Resonance in Periodically-Ordered Three-Dimensional Superlattice of CdTe Quantum Dots.

Semiconductor quantum dot (QD) superlattices, which are periodically ordered three-dimensional (3D) array structures of QDs, are expected to exhibit novel photo-optical properties arising from the resonant interactions between adjacent QDs. Since the resonant interactions such as long-range dipole-dipole Coulomb coupling and short-range quantum resonance strongly depend on inter-QD nano space, precise control of the nano space is essential for physical understanding of the superlattice, which includes both of nano and bulk scales. Here, we study the pure quantum resonance in the 3D CdTe QD superlattice deposited by a layer-by-layer assembly of positively charged polyelectrolytes and negatively charged CdTe QDs. From XRD measurements, existence of the periodical ordering of QDs both in the lamination and in-plane directions, that is, the formation of the 3D periodic QD superlattice, was confirmed. The lowest excitation energy decreases exponentially with decreasing the nano space between the CdTe QD layers and also with decreasing the QD size, which is apparently indicative of the quantum resonance between the QDs rather than a dipole-dipole Coulomb coupling. The quantum resonance was also computationally demonstrated and rationalized by the orbital delocalization to neighboring CdTe QDs in the superlattice.

Aberrations in hemostasis and coagulation in untreated discordant hepatic xenotransplantation: studies in the dog-to-pig model.

Discordant liver xenotransplantation is a poorly explored entity. Data from the few large animal studies of hepatic xenotransplantation suggest that severe hemorrhage is encountered. The purpose of the studies described here is to characterize the nature of the hemorrhage that accompanies liver xenotransplantation. Canine livers were transplanted into porcine recipients, and lethal hemorrhage was encountered. Analysis of recipient blood showed that factors V, IX, and X were present in adequate levels until after the hemorrhage appeared, suggesting that coagulation factor loss was the result and not the cause of hemorrhage. Platelet counts decreased dramatically in recipients within minutes of graft reperfusion. There also was no evidence of clotting activity in the blood of recipients of liver xenografts within minutes of graft reperfusion. This loss of clotting activity was specific to liver xenografts, was not seen in renal xenografts with or without venovenous bypass, and also was absent in pig-to-pig liver allografts. In brief, the hemorrhage that accompanies liver xenotransplantation occurs because of a decrease in the number and function of circulating platelets in the recipient.