No Benefit of Continuing 5-Aminosalicylates in Patients with Crohn’s Disease Treated with Anti-metabolite Therapy

Digestive Diseases and Sciences - 5-aminosalicylates (5-ASA) are frequently used in the management of Crohn’s disease (CD). We used a de-identified administrative claims database to compare...     

Improved control on the morphology and LSPR properties of plasmonic Pt NPs through enhanced solid state dewetting by using a sacrificial indium layer

Platinum (Pt) nanoparticles (NPs) are important nano-material components in various catalytic, photonic and electronic applications, yet face challenges in the fabrication of desired morphology and uniformity with the conventional solid-state dewetting approach. Specifically, the necessity of high annealing temperatures, typically above 800 °C due to the low diffusivity of Pt atoms, limits the morphological and functional tunability of Pt NPs. In this work, the fabrication of Pt NPs with an improved configuration, spacing and uniformity is demonstrated through the enhancement of solid state dewetting by using a sacrificial indium (In) layer on sapphire (0001). The well-defined Pt NPs demonstrate the dynamic localized surface plasmon (LSPR) bands in the visible range between ∼400 and 700 nm depending on the size and spacing of NPs. The LSPR peak intensity and width are also varied depending on the uniformity of Pt NPs. The overall dewetting magnitude is significantly enhanced through the inter-mixing of In and Pt atoms at the In/Pt interface that eventually results in the formation of an In–Pt alloy. During the dewetting process the In atoms desorb from the NP matrix by atomic sublimation, which gives rise to pure Pt NP fabrication. In sharp contrast to the pure Pt film dewetting, the Pt NPs in this approach demonstrate significantly improved spatial arrangement with well-defined configuration and uniformity. In addition, the ratio of In can be readily controlled along with the thickness of the Pt layer to alter the dewetting kinetics and thereby the surface morphology of Pt NPs. Specifically, large hexagonal, semi-spherical and small hexagonal Pt NPs are obtained through the dewetting of In_{75 nm}/Pt_{25 nm}, In_{20 nm}/Pt_{20 nm} and In_{2.5 nm}/Pt_{7.5 nm} bilayers respectively.

Fabrication of Pt NPs with the improved configuration, spacing, uniformity and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) response is demonstrated.     

Measurement of optical path length change following pulsed laser irradiation using differential phase optical coherence tomography

Differential phase optical coherence tomography (DPOCT) is introduced to measure optical path length changes in response to pulsed laser irradiation (585 nm). An analytical equation that includes thermoelastic surface displacement and thermorefractive index change is derived to predict optical path length change in response to pulsed laser irradiation for both "confined surface" and "free surface" model systems. The derived equation is tested by comparing predicted values with data recorded from experiments using two model systems. Thermorefractive index change and the thermal expansion coefficient are deduced from differential phase change (dDeltaphi) and temperature increase (DeltaT0) measurements. The measured n(T0)beta(T0)+dndT[=1.7410(-4)+/-1.710(-6) (1K)] in the free surface experiment matches with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) data value [=1.7710(-4) (1K)]. Exclusion of lateral thermal expansion in the analytical model for the confined surface experiment causes difference between the measured dndT[=-2.310(-4)+/-7.310(-6)(1K)] and the NIST value [=-9.4510(-5) (1K)]. In spite of the difference in the confined surface experiment, results of our studies indicate DPOCT can detect dynamic optical path length change in response to pulsed laser irradiation with high sensitivity, and applications to tissue diagnostics may be possible.     

Identification of novel locus associated with coronary artery aneurysms and validation of loci for susceptibility to Kawasaki disease

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a paediatric vasculitis associated with coronary artery aneurysms (CAA). Genetic variants influencing susceptibility to KD have been previously identified, but no risk alleles have been validated that influence CAA formation. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for CAA in KD patients of European descent with 200 cases and 276 controls. A second GWAS for susceptibility pooled KD cases with healthy paediatric controls from vaccine trials in the UK (n = 1609). Logistic regression mixed models were used for both GWASs. The susceptibility GWAS was meta-analysed with 400 KD cases and 6101 controls from a previous European GWAS, these results were further meta-analysed with Japanese GWASs at two putative loci. The CAA GWAS identified an intergenic region of chromosome 20q13 with multiple SNVs showing genome-wide significance. The risk allele of the most associated SNV (rs6017006) was present in 13% of cases and 4% of controls; in East Asian 1000 Genomes data, the allele was absent or rare. Susceptibility GWAS with meta-analysis with previously published European data identified two previously associated loci (ITPKC and FCGR2A). Further meta-analysis with Japanese GWAS summary data from the CASP3 and FAM167A genomic regions validated these loci in Europeans showing consistent effects of the top SNVs in both populations. We identified a novel locus for CAA in KD patients of European descent. The results suggest that different genes determine susceptibility to KD and development of CAA and future work should focus on the function of the intergenic region on chromosome 20q13.Subject terms: Genetics research, Vasculitis, Aneurysm     

Decreased Health-Seeking Behaviors in People With Depressive Symptoms: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2014, 2016, and 2018

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of depressive symptoms on health-seeking behaviors using the large epidemiological study data of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination (KNHANES). MethodsData from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), which is a large-scale national survey, were used in this study. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to assess the depressive state of the participants. Specialized self-reported questionnaires that included questions about health-seeking behaviors were also performed. To examine the relationships between depression and health-seeking behaviors, complex sample logistic regression models with control for covariates were used. ResultsThere was a significant association between decreased health-seeking behaviors and depressive symptoms in adults (odds ratio [OR]: 3.11, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.44–3.96). The association was found to be especially strong in males (OR: 2.63, 95% CI: 1.69–4.10) versus in females (OR: 2.49, 95% CI: 1.90–3.27). With regard to age group, younger adults (19–44 years of age) showed the highest OR (OR: 3.07, 95% CI: 2.12–4.45). ConclusionOur findings support the idea that there is a significant association between health-seeking behaviors and depressive symptoms in the Korean population. These results suggest that individuals with decreased health-seeking behaviors could be evaluated for depressive symptoms.     

Fasting and Non-Fasting Triglycerides in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke

BackgroundClinical implications of elevated fasting triglycerides (FTGs) and non-fasting triglycerides (NFTGs) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) remain unknown. We aimed to elucidate the correlation and clinical significance of FTG and NFTG levels in AIS patients.MethodsUsing a multicenter prospective stroke registry, we identified AIS patients hospitalized within 24 hours of onset with available NFTG results. The primary outcome was a composite of stroke recurrence, myocardial infarction, and all-cause mortality up to one year.ResultsThis study analyzed 2,176 patients. The prevalence of fasting and non-fasting hypertriglyceridemia was 11.5% and 24.6%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that younger age, diabetes, higher body mass index and initial systolic blood pressure were independently associated with both fasting and non-fasting hypertriglyceridemia (all P < 0.05). Patients with higher quartiles of NFTG were more likely to be male, younger, ever-smokers, diabetic, and have family histories of premature coronary heart disease and stroke (all P < 0.05). Similar tendencies were observed for FTG. The composite outcome was not associated with FTG or NFTG quartiles.ConclusionThe fasting and non-fasting hypertriglyceridemia were prevalent in AIS patients and showed similar clinical characteristics and outcomes. High FTG and NFTG levels were not associated with occurrence of subsequent clinical events up to one year.