Portal Vein Thrombosis Extending to the Superior Mesenteric and Splenic Veins Secondary to a Hypercoagulable State Due to Prior Abdominal Surgery, Hormonal Replacement Therapy, and Flaxseed Consumption.

Herein is a case of a 50-year-old male diagnosed with a non-cirrhotic acute portal vein thrombosis (PVT). Acute PVT is a rare condition usually presenting in cirrhotic patients. This patient had no past medical history of cirrhosis or hypercoagulable status and no past family history of a hypercoagulable disorder. However, the patient, who has been on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) along with over-the-counter flax seeds (commonly known to contain phytoestrogens), recently underwent an abdominal surgery essentially placing him in a hypercoagulable state which could contribute to the development of acute PVT. This case showed the importance of being aware of possible contributors to hypercoagulable states which can lead to the occurrence of these events.

Clinical outcomes of drug-coated balloon for treatment of de novo coronary artery disease with and without diabetes.

OBJECTIVES: To retrospectively evaluate the efficacy of drug-coated balloon (DCB) in patients with de novo coronary artery disease with and without diabetes. METHODS: Patients with de novo coronary artery and undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with DCB were enrolled from March 2018 and March 2020, including 312 patients being divided into the diabetes group (n=110), pre-diabetes group (n=48) and non-diabetes group (n=154). The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (MACE; cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, target lesion revascularization, and target vessel revascularization) at 24 months. RESULTS: In diabetes group, the incidence of MACE at 24 months (19.1%) was higher than in the non-diabetes group (12.5%) and pre-diabetes group (10.4%) (p<0.05). Cox regression revealed that diabetes (HR [hazard ratios] 2.049, 95% CI 1.056-4.284), bifurcation lesion (HR 5.255, 95% CI 2.765-9.986), Syntax score (HR 1.098, 95% CI 1.040-1.559) and hemoglobin A1c (HR 1.084, 95% CI 1.160-1.741) were independent predictors of MACE in patients performing PCI with DCB (all p<0.05). However, pre-diabetes did not increase the risk of MACE (HR 1.560, 95% CI 0.542-4.490, p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Diabetes increased the risk of MACE in patients performing PCI with DCB.

Intercalation-Mediated Synthesis and Interfacial Coupling Effect Exploration of Unconventional Graphene/PtSe2 Vertical Heterostructures.

Vertical heterostructures formed by stacks of two-dimensional (2D) layered materials with disparate electronic properties have attracted tremendous attention for their versatile applications. The targeted fabrication of such vertical stacks with clean interfaces and a specific stacking sequence remains challenging. Herein, we design a two-step chemical vapor deposition route for the direct synthesis of unconventional graphene/PtSe2 vertical stacks (Gr/PtSe2) on conductive Au foil substrates. Monolayer PtSe2 (1L-PtSe2) was detected to preferentially grow at the interface of the predeposited Gr layer and the Au foil substrate rather than on the Gr surface. The concurrent effect from the strong interaction of PtSe2/Au and the space confinement effect of Gr/Au are proposed to be the essential mechanisms. Particularly, this unique growth system allows us to uncover the intrinsic property of 1L-PtSe2 and the interfacial coupling effect using scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy. Our work should hereby enable significant advances in the synthesis of 2D-based vertical heterostructures and in the exploration of their intrinsic interface properties.

Design of spin-Seebeck diode with spin semiconductors.

We report a new design of spin-Seebeck diode using two-dimensional spin semiconductors such as sawtooth-like (ST) silicence nanoribbons (SiNRs), to generate unidirectional spin currents with a temperature gradient. ST SiNRs have subbands with opposite spins across the Fermi level and hence the flow of thermally excited carriers may produce a net spin current but not charge current. Moreover, we found that even-width ST SiNRs display a remarkable negative differential thermoelectric resistance due to a charge-current compensation mechanism. In contrast, odd-width ST SiNRs manifest features of a thermoelectric diode and can be used to produce both charge and spin currents with temperature gradient. These findings can be extended to other spin semiconductors and open the door for designs of new materials and spin caloritronic devices.