Non-cardiac comorbid health outcomes and prevalence after myocardial infarction: an umbrella review

OBJECTIVE

There exists limited comprehensive evidence on the potential association between non-cardiac comorbidities and myocardial infarction (MI). Thus, we conducted an umbrella review of existing meta-analyses to provide a broad understanding of non-cardiac health outcomes associated with MI.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The primary focus on the prevalence of related health outcomes in patients with MI was systemically searched. Each original meta-analysis that was included had its methodological quality evaluated by a Measurement Tool Assessment Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR2). To evaluate the certainty in the evidence for each outcome, we employed GRADE and the Joanna Briggs Institute Prevalence Critical Appraisal Tool. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023458642).

RESULTS

We identified seven meta-analyses comprising 126 studies with 336,581 participants from 22 countries and five continents. The pooled prevalence of comorbidities in patients with MI was 39% anxiety [95% confidence interval (CI), 30-48; GRADE, very low certainty], 29% depression (95% CI, 23-36; very low certainty), 39% frailty (95% CI, 24-55; very low certainty), and 23% failure of returning to work (95% CI, 16-29; very low certainty). The diagnosis of MI was associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment (odds ratio, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.10-1.92; moderate certainty). Among frail patients, MI was associated with an increased risk of major bleeding (relative risk, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.08-3.45; low certainty) and mortality (relative risk, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.48-3.53; moderate certainty). However, we did not find any evidence of cancer risk associated with the development of MI.

CONCLUSIONS

Our umbrella meta-analysis provided comprehensive evidence of the association between MI and several non-cardiac health conditions. The robustness of our study is attributed to the integration of evidence across several studies, thus, these insights offer valuable treatment options for policymakers and physicians to develop personalized health strategies.

Atomic layer deposition of SnS2film on a precursor pre-treated substrate

Two-dimensional (2D) materials are attracting attention because of their outstanding physical, chemical, and electrical properties for applications of various future devices such as back-end-of-line field effect transistor (BEOL FET). Among many 2D materials, tin disulfide (SnS2) material is advantageous for low temperature process due to low melting point that can be used for flexible devices and back-end-of-line (BEOL) devices that require low processing temperature. However, low temperature synthesis method has a poor crystallinity for applying to various semiconductor industries. Hence, many studies of improving crystallinity of tin disulfide film are studied for enhancing the quality of film. In this work, we propose a precursor multi-dosing method before deposition of SnS2. This precursor pre-treatment was conducted by atomic layer deposition cycles for more adsorption of precursors to the substrate before deposition. The film quality was analyzed by x-ray diffraction, Raman, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. As a result, more adsorbates by precursor pre-treatment induce higher growth rate and better crystallinity of film.

Imaging phonon eigenstates and elucidating the energy storage characteristics of a honeycomb-lattice phononic crystal cavity

We extend gigahertz time-domain imaging to a wideband investigation of the eigenstates of a phononic crystal cavity. Using omnidirectionally excited phonon wave vectors, we implement an ultrafast technique to experimentally probe the two-dimensional acoustic field inside and outside a hexagonal cavity in a honeycomb-lattice phononic crystal formed in a microscopic crystalline silicon slab, thereby revealing the confinement and mode volumes of phonon eigenstates-some of which are clearly hexapole in character-lying both inside and outside the phononic-crystal band gap. This allows us to obtain a quantitative measure of the spatial acoustic energy storage characteristics of a phononic crystal cavity. We also introduce a numerical approach involving toneburst excitation and the monitoring of the acoustic energy decay together with the integral of the Poynting vector to calculate the Q factor of the principal in-gap eigenmode, showing it to be limited by ultrasonic attenuation rather than by phonon leakage to the surrounding region.

Cortisol/glucocorticoid receptor: a critical mediator of the ovulatory process and luteinization in human periovulatory follicles

STUDY QUESTION

Do cortisol/glucocorticoid receptors play an active role in the human ovary during ovulation and early luteinization?

SUMMARY ANSWER

The ovulatory hCG stimulation-induced glucocorticoid receptor signaling plays a crucial role in regulating steroidogenesis and ovulatory cascade in human periovulatory follicles.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

Previous studies reported an increase in cortisol levels in the human follicular fluid after the LH surge or ovulatory hCG administration. However, little is known about the role of cortisol/glucocorticoid receptors in the ovulatory process and luteinization in humans.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

This study was an experimental prospective clinical and laboratory-based study. An in vivo experimental study was accomplished utilizing the dominant ovarian follicles from 38 premenopausal women undergoing laparoscopic sterilization. An in vitro experimental study was completed using the primary human granulosa/lutein cells (hGLC) from 26 premenopausal women undergoing IVF.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

This study was conducted in a private fertility clinic and academic medical centers. Dominant ovarian follicles were collected before the LH surge and at defined times after hCG administration from women undergoing laparoscopic sterilization. Primary hGLC were collected from women undergoing IVF. hGLC were treated without or with hCG in the absence or presence of RU486 (20 µM; dual antagonist for progesterone receptor and glucocorticoid receptor) or CORT125281 (50 µM; selective glucocorticoid receptor antagonist) for 12 or 36 h. The expression of genes involved in glucocorticoid receptor signaling, steroidogenesis, and ovulatory cascade was studied with RT-quantitative PCR and western blotting. The production of cortisol, corticosterone, and progesterone was assessed by hormone assay kits.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

hCG administration upregulated the expression of hydroxysteroid 11-beta dehydrogenase 1 (HSD11B1), nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 1 (NR3C1), FKBP prolyl isomerase 5 (FKBP5), and FKBP prolyl isomerase 4 (FKBP4) in human ovulatory follicles and in hGLC (P < 0.05). RU486 and CORT125281 reduced hCG-induced increases in progesterone and cortisol production in hGLC. The expression of genes involved in glucocorticoid receptor signaling, steroidogenesis, and the key ovulatory process was reduced by RU486 and/or CORT125281 in hGLC.

LARGE SCALE DATA

N/A.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

The role of cortisol/glucocorticoid receptors demonstrated using the hGLC model may not fully reflect their physiological roles in vivo.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

Successful ovulation and luteinization are essential for female fertility. Women with dysregulated cortisol levels often suffer from anovulatory infertility. Deciphering the functional role of glucocorticoid receptor signaling in human periovulatory follicles enhances our knowledge of basic ovarian physiology and may provide therapeutic insights into treating infertility in women.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)

This study was supported by P01HD71875 (to M.J., T.E.C., and M.B.) and R01HD096077 (to M.J.) from the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health and the BTPSRF of the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center (P30CA177558). The authors report no competing interests.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

N/A.

Atomic layer deposition for rutile structure TiO2thin films using a SnO2seed layer and low temperature heat treatment

We study the rutile-TiO₂film deposition with a high-kvalue using a SnO₂seed layer and a low temperature heat treatment. Generally, heat treatment over 600 °C is required to obtain the rutile-TiO₂film. However, By using a SnO₂seed layer, we obtained rutile-TiO₂films with heat treatments as low as 400 °C. The XPS analysis confirms that the SnO₂and TiO₂film were deposited. The XRD analysis showed that a heat treatment at 400 °C after depositing the SnO₂and TiO₂films was effective in obtaining the rutile-TiO₂film when the SnO₂film was thicker than 10 nm. The TEM/EDX analysis show that no diffusion in the thin film between TiO₂and SnO₂. The dielectric constant of the TiO₂film deposited on the SnO₂film (20 nm) was 67, which was more than twice as high as anatase TiO₂dielectric constant (Anatase TiO₂dielectric constant : 15-40). The current density was 10^-4A cm^-2at 0.7 V and this value confirmed that the leakage current was not affected by the SnO₂seed layer.

The effect of an annealing process on atomic layer deposited TiO2thin films

In this paper, we study the property changes in TiO₂thin films related to annealing under various conditions. XPS analysis showed that the concentration of oxygen vacancies in TiO₂thin films was reduced by annealing. In the case of annealing in an O₂and air atmosphere, the oxygen vacancy concentration was reduced to the greatest extent as oxygen diffused into the TiO₂thin film and rearrangement of atoms occurred. XRD analysis showed that the anatase structure of annealed TiO₂thin films was clearly present compared to the as-deposited TiO₂thin film.I-Vanalysis showed that the lower the concentration of oxygen vacancy, the lower the leakage current (O₂annealed TiO₂: 10^-4A cm^-2) than as dep TiO₂thin film (∼10^-1A cm^-2). The dielectric constant of annealed TiO₂thin films was 26-30 which was higher than the as-deposited TiO₂thin film (k ∼ 18) because the anatase structure became more apparent.

Accelerated temperature and humidity testing of 2D SnS2 thin films made via four-inch-wafer-scale atomic layer deposition

Tin disulfide (SnS₂) has emerged as a promising two-dimensional (2D) material due to its excellent electrical and optical properties. However, research into 2D SnS₂ has mainly focused on its synthesis procedures and applications; its stability to humidity and temperature has yet to be studied. In this work, 2D SnS₂ thin films were grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and characterized by various tools, such as x-ray diffraction, Raman analysis, and transmission electron spectroscopy. Characterization reveals that ALD-grown SnS₂ thin films are a high-quality 2D material. After characterization, a four-inch-wafer-scale uniformity test was performed by Raman analysis. Owing to the quality, large-area growth enabled by the ALD process, 98.72% uniformity was obtained. Finally, we calculated the thermodynamic equations for possible reactions between SnS₂ and H₂O to theoretically presurmise the oxidation of SnS₂ during accelerated humidity and temperature testing. After the accelerated humidity and temperature test, x-ray diffraction, Raman analysis, and Auger electron spectroscopy were performed to check whether SnS₂ was oxidized or not. Our data revealed that 2D SnS₂ thin films were stable at humid conditions.

Investigation of the growth of few-layer SnS2 thin films via atomic layer deposition on an O2 plasma-treated substrate

Despite increasing interest in tin disulfide (SnS₂) as a two-dimensional (2D) material due to its promising electrical and optical properties, the surface treatment of silicon dioxide (SiO₂) substrates prior to the atomic layer deposition (ALD) deposition of SnS₂ has not been thoroughly studied. In this paper, we prepared two types of SiO₂ substrates with and without using an O₂ plasma surface treatment and compared the ALD growth behavior of SnS₂ on the SiO₂ substrates. The hydrophilic properties of the two SiO₂ substrates were investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle measurements, which showed that using an O₂ plasma surface treatment tuned the surface to be more hydrophilic. ALD-grown SnS₂ thin films on the two different SiO₂ substrates were characterized by x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. To estimate the exact thickness of the ALD-grown SnS₂ thin films, transmission electron microscopy was used. Our data revealed that using O₂ plasma surface treatment increased the growth rate of the initial ALD stage. Thus, the ALD-grown SnS₂ thin film on the SiO₂ substrate treated with O₂ plasma was thicker than the film grown on the non-treated SiO₂ substrate.

Layered deposition of SnS2 grown by atomic layer deposition and its transport properties

In this work, we report on the layered deposition of few-layer tin disulfide (SnS₂) using atomic layer deposition (ALD). By varying the ALD cycles it was possible to deposit poly-crystalline SnS₂ with small variation in layer numbers. Based on the ALD technique, we developed the process technology growing few-layer crystalline SnS₂ film (3-6 layers) and we investigated their electrical properties by fabricating bottom-gated thin film transistors using the ALD SnS₂ as the transport channel. SnS₂ devices showed typical n-type characteristic with on/off current ratio of ∼8.32 × 10⁶, threshold voltage of ∼2 V, and a subthreshold swing value of 830 mV decade^-1 for the 6 layers SnS₂. The developed SnS₂ ALD technique may aid the realization of two-dimensional SnS₂ based flexible and wearable devices.

Characterization of Ti3+-doped TiO2 based composite electrode for lithium polymer secondary batteries

Ti³⁺-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles were synthesized and fabricated into a composite electrode as an anode material for lithium polymer batteries. The composite electrode contained polymer electrolyte (PE) to reduce interfacial resistance between the solid PE and electrode. The effect of PE content on the composite electrodes was analyzed by GITT, and it was found that PE significantly influenced lithium storage as well as internal resistance. A composite electrode was fabricated into a pouch type cell and exhibited a capacity of 160 mAh g^-1 in the bent state, demonstrating the applicability of the Ti³⁺-doped TiO₂ based composite electrode in lithium polymer secondary batteries.

Surface reconstruction and charge modulation in BaFe2As2 superconducting film

Whether or not epitaxially grown superconducting films have the same bulk-like superconducting properties is an important concern. We report the structure and the electronic properties of epitaxially grown Ba(Fe_1-x Co _x )₂As₂ films using scanning tunneling microscopy and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS). This film showed a different surface structure, [Formula: see text]R45° reconstruction, from those of as-cleaved surfaces from bulk crystals. The electronic structure of the grown film is different from that in bulk, and it is notable that the film exhibits the same superconducting transport properties. We found that the superconducting gap at the surface is screened at the Ba layer surface in STS measurements, and the charge density wave was observed at the surface in sample in the superconducting state.

Fabrication of high crystalline SnS and SnS2 thin films, and their switching device characteristics

Representative tin sulfide compounds, tin monosulfide (SnS) and tin disulfide (SnS₂) are strong candidates for future nanoelectronic devices, based on non-toxicity, low cost, unique structures and optoelectronic properties. However, it is insufficient for synthesizing of tin sulfide thin films using vapor phase deposition method which is capable of fabricating reproducible device and securing high quality films, and their device characteristics. In this study, we obtained highly crystalline SnS thin films by atomic layer deposition and obtained highly crystalline SnS₂ thin films by phase transition of the SnS thin films. The SnS thin film was transformed into SnS₂ thin film by annealing at 450 °C for 1 h in H₂S atmosphere. This phase transition was confirmed by x-ray diffractometer and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and we studied the cause of the phase transition. We then compared the film characteristics of these two tin sulfide thin films and their switching device characteristics. SnS and SnS₂ thin films had optical bandgaps of 1.35 and 2.70 eV, and absorption coefficients of about 10⁵ and 10⁴ cm^-1 in the visible region, respectively. In addition, SnS and SnS₂ thin films exhibited p-type and n-type semiconductor characteristics. In the images of high resolution-transmission electron microscopy, SnS and SnS₂ directly showed a highly crystalline orthorhombic and hexagonal layered structure. The field effect transistors of SnS and SnS₂ thin films exhibited on-off drain current ratios of 8.8 and 2.1 × 10³ and mobilities of 0.21 and 0.014 cm² V^-1 s^-1, respectively. This difference in switching device characteristics mainly depends on the carrier concentration because it contributes to off-state conductance and mobility. The major carrier concentrations of the SnS and SnS₂ thin films were 6.0 × 10¹⁶ and 8.7 × 10¹³ cm^-3, respectively, in this experiment.

Engineering the crystallinity of tin disulfide deposited at low temperatures

We report here that SnS₂ films deposited at 150 °C and annealed at below 350 °C have good potential for using 2D SnS₂ in flexible electronic devices.

Uniform ZnO nanorod/Cu2O core–shell structured solar cells by bottom-up RF magnetron sputtering

Uniform ZnO nanorod-Cu₂O core–shell structures are fabricated and studied.

Terahertz Quantum Plasmonics of Nanoslot Antennas in Nonlinear Regime

Quantum tunneling in plasmonic nanostructures has presented an interesting aspect of incorporating quantum mechanics into classical optics. However, the study has been limited to the subnanometer gap regime. Here, we newly extend quantum plasmonics to gap widths well over 1 nm by taking advantage of the low-frequency terahertz regime. Enhanced electric fields of up to 5 V/nm induce tunneling of electrons in different arrays of ring-shaped nanoslot antennas of gap widths from 1.5 to 10 nm, which lead to a significant nonlinear transmission decrease. These observations are consistent with theoretical calculations considering terahertz-funneling-induced electron tunneling across the gap.

Improvement in the Positive Bias Temperature Stability of SnOx-Based Thin Film Transistors by Hf and Zn Doping

We investigated the performance of tin oxide thin film transistors (TFTs) using DC magnetron sputtering. A remarkable improvement in the transfer characteristics was obtained for the Hf-doped tin oxide (HTO) TFT. We also developed amorphous hafnium-zinc-tin oxide (HZTO) thin film transistors and investigated the effects of hafnium doping on the electrical characteristics of the HTO TFTs. Doping with hafnium resulted in a reduced defect density in the tin oxide channel layer related to oxygen vacancies, which may result from increased field effect mobility. Zinc atoms have relatively higher oxidation potential compared to tin atoms, so more oxygen molecules can be absorbed and more electrons are trapped in the HZTO films. The HZTO TFTs exhibited good electrical characteristics with a field effect mobility of 10.98 cm2/Vs, and a high ION/IOFF ratio over 10(8).

Stabilization of Ni conductive filaments using NH3 plasma treatment for electrochemical metallization memory

In this study, NH₃ plasma treatment was utilized to enhance the resistive switching (RS) properties.

Spatially confined electric field effect for improved resistive switching behavior of a Ni/Ta-embedded TaOx/NiSi device

In this study, Ni/TaO_x/NiSi and Ni/TaO_x/Ta/TaO_x/NiSi devices were fabricated, and the resistive switching (RS) behaviors were investigated.