Urine Reagent Strip (Urobilinogen-Blood-Ketone-Glucose-Protein-pH-Bilirubin-Nitrite-SG-Leukocytes)

The luminescence intensity ratio method, exploiting the temperature-dependent luminescence of the thermally coupled energy levels, is regarded as a very promising approach for optical temperature measurement at the cellular level. In this study, it was found that bare NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+ nanoparticles cannot be used as a cellular thermosensor in principle because of their tendency to aggregate, which significantly affects the luminescent properties of the complex, introducing uncertainty in the intensity ratio measurement. NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+ upconversion nanoparticles, coated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and carboxyl groups (COON), on the other hand, proved to be promising candidates for the role of thermosensors. For the first time the temperature sensitivity of the NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+@PEG@COOH thermosensor was calculated in water and in biotissues. It was found that the sensitivity of the thermosensor increased by 1.3 times during the transition from water to egg while and urine - from 1.17% x K-1 to 158% x K-1. This effect is associated with the chemical composition of the studied media. The results obtained suggest that using upconversion nanocomplexes as primary thermosensors is still difficult. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Introduction Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), with an incidence of 1-2%, is a clinical syndrome with significant morbidity and mortality despite therapeutic advancements and ongoing clinical trials. A recent therapeutic approach to patients with ADHF includes combination therapy with hypertonic saline solution (HSS) and furosemide, based on the hypothesis that resistance to loop diuretics occurs because of achievement of plateau in water and sodium excretion in patients receiving long-term loop diuretic therapy. Objective Our aim was to conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficiency of combination HSS plus furosemide therapy in patients with ADHF in terms of mortality, readmissions, length of hospital stay, kidney function, urine output, body weight, and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). Methods A total of 14 studies-four observational and ten randomized studies (total 3398 patients)-were included in the meta-analysis. Results Our results demonstrate the superiority of combination HSS plus furosemide therapy over furosemide alone in terms of kidney function preservation (mean creatinine difference - 0.33 mg/dL; P < 0.00001), improved diuresis (mean difference [MD] 581.94 mL/24 h; P < 0.00001) and natriuresis (MD 57.19; P < 0.00001), weight loss (MD 0.99 kg; P < 0.00001), duration of hospital stay (MD - 2.72 days; P < 0.00001), readmissions (relative risk 0.63; P = 0.01), and mortality (relative risk 0.55; P < 0.00001). However, no difference in BNP levels was detected (MD 19.88 pg/mL; P = 0.50). Conclusion Despite the heterogeneity and possible risk of bias among the studies, results appear promising on multiple aspects. A clear need exists for future randomized controlled trials investigating the role of combination HSS plus furosemide therapy to clarify these effects and their possible mechanisms.