Objective-Increased risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) has been explained by accelerated atherosclerosis and impaired angiogenesis, in which endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) may play key roles. We hypothesized that altered EPC biology may contribute to the pathophysiology of CRF. Methods and Results-EPCs were isolated from CRF patients on maintenance hemodialysis (nϭ44) and from a normal control group (nϭ30). CRF patients showed markedly decreased numbers of EPC (44.6%) and colonies (75.3%) when compared with the controls (PϽ0.001). These findings were corroborated by 30.5% decrease in EPC migratory function in response to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (Pϭ0. T he lifespan of patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) is reduced, and coronary artery disease is the most important cause of morbidity and mortality in these patients. 1,2 Even the results of therapeutic strategies such as percutaneous coronary intervention and bypass surgery have shown poor procedural success rates and dismal long-term eventfree survival in CRF patients. 3,4 Most of the increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in CRF has been accounted for by the rapid progression of atherosclerosis, which is clinically shown to be accelerated in CRF. 5,6 Experimental studies have also shown that even mild renal dysfunction causes a dramatic acceleration of atherosclerosis. 7 Angiogenesis, which is an essential compensation for myocardial ischemia, is also impaired in CRF. 8 However the mechanism underlying the acceleration of atherosclerosis and impaired angiogenesis by CRF has not been examined closely. Although the phenomenon has been partially explained by the higher prevalence of established risk factors in CRF, such as hypertension, abnormal carbohydrate metabolism, and increased low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the extent and severity of cardiovascular disease is clearly disproportionately high relative to the underlying risk factor profile. 9,10 Recent studies have identified that normal adults have a small amount of circulating endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) in the peripheral blood. In response to cytokine stimulation and ischemic insult, these cells are mobilized from bone marrow, home to the ischemic tissue, and contribute to neovascularization and angiogenesis. 11-14 Moreover, EPC is regarded to have a key role in the maintenance of vascular integrity and to act as "repair" cells in response to the endothelial injury, 15,16 which has been regarded as an initial step in atherosclerosis and a result of the actions of various cardiovascular risk factors. 17 Current data suggest that decrease in circulating EPC contributes not only to impaired angiogenesis but also to the progression of atherosclerosis, 18 and patients at risk for coronary artery disease have a decreased number of circulating EPC with impaired activity. 19 -22 Therefore, we reasoned that EPC, which is critical for neovascularization and the maintenance of vascular integrity, Methods Study SubjectsWe...

Carrier multiplication (CM) is a process in which high-energy free carriers relax by generation of additional electron-hole pairs rather than by heat dissipation. CM is promising disruptive improvements in photovoltaic energy conversion and light detection technologies. Current state-of-the-art nanomaterials including quantum dots and carbon nanotubes have demonstrated CM, but are not satisfactory owing to high-energy-loss and inherent difficulties with carrier extraction. Here, we report CM in van der Waals (vdW) MoTe2 and WSe2 films, and find characteristics, commencing close to the energy conservation limit and reaching up to 99% CM conversion efficiency with the standard model. This is demonstrated by ultrafast optical spectroscopy with independent approaches, photo-induced absorption, photo-induced bleach, and carrier population dynamics. Combined with a high lateral conductivity and an optimal bandgap below 1 eV, these superior CM characteristics identify vdW materials as an attractive candidate material for highly efficient and mechanically flexible solar cells in the future.

BackgroundThe urine dipstick is widely used as an initial screening tool for the evaluation of proteinuria; however, its diagnostic accuracy has not yet been sufficiently evaluated. Therefore, we evaluated its diagnostic accuracy using spot urine albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) and total protein/creatinine ratio (PCR) in proteinuria.MethodsUsing PCR ≥0.2 g/g or ≥0.5 g/g and ACR ≥300 mg/g or ≥30 mg/g as the reference standard, we calculated the diagnostic accuracy profile: sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve.ResultsPCR and ACR were available for 10,348 and 3,873 instances of dipstick testing. The proportions with PCR ≥0.2 g/g, ≥0.5 g/g and ACR ≥300 mg/g, ≥30 mg/g were 38.2%, 24.6% and 8.9%, 31.7%, respectively. The AUCs for PCR ≥0.2 g/g, ≥0.5 g/g, and ACR ≥300 mg/g were 0.935 (trace: closest to ideal point), 0.968 (1+), and 0.983 (1+), respectively. Both sensitivity and specificity were >80% except for PCR ≥0.5 g/g with trace cutoff. For the reference standard of ACR ≥30 mg/g, the AUC was 0.797 (trace) and the sensitivity was 63.5%.ConclusionUrine dipstick test can be used for screening in older outpatients with ACR ≥300 mg/g or PCR as the reference standard for proteinuria. However, we cannot recommend the test as a screening tool with ACR ≥30 mg/g as the reference owing to its low sensitivity.

Understanding the mutual interaction between electronic excitations and lattice vibrations is key for understanding electronic transport and optoelectronic phenomena. Dynamic manipulation of such interaction is elusive because it requires varying the material composition on the atomic level. In turn, recent studies on topological insulators (TIs) have revealed the coexistence of a strong phonon resonance and topologically protected Dirac plasmon, both in the terahertz (THz) frequency range. Here, using these intrinsic characteristics of TIs, we demonstrate a new methodology for controlling electron-phonon interaction by lithographically engineered Dirac surface plasmons in the BiSe TI. Through a series of time-domain and time-resolved ultrafast THz measurements, we show that, when the Dirac plasmon energy is less than the TI phonon energy, the electron-phonon coupling is trivial, exhibiting phonon broadening associated with Landau damping. In contrast, when the Dirac plasmon energy exceeds that of the phonon resonance, we observe suppressed electron-phonon interaction leading to unexpected phonon stiffening. Time-dependent analysis of the Dirac plasmon behavior, phonon broadening, and phonon stiffening reveals a transition between the distinct dynamics corresponding to the two regimes as the Dirac plasmon resonance moves across the TI phonon resonance, which demonstrates the capability of Dirac plasmon control. Our results suggest that the engineering of Dirac plasmons provides a new alternative for controlling the dynamic interaction between Dirac carriers and phonons.