The effect of a psychological nursing intervention program based on the "Timing it Right" (TIR) framework on elderly patients' anxiety, psychology, and self-efficacy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the occurrence of anxiety and depression in elderly patients and to explore the effect of a psychological nursing intervention program based on the "Timing it Right" framework on the anxiety, depression, and self-efficacy among elderly patients. METHODS: 135 elderly patients admitted to our hospital were divided into two groups. The 69 patients in the experimental group underwent systematic psychological intervention, and the 66 patients in the control group were given only general psychological support. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the General Self Efficacy Scale (GSEs) scores were used to assess the effect of the psychological intervention program on the elderly patients. RESULTS: The psychological nursing intervention effect of the two groups after the intervention was improved compared with before the intervention (P < 0.05), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores were lower in the experimental group than they were in the control group after the psychological intervention. The general self-efficacy scale scores of the experimental group were significantly improved after the intervention, and the scores in the experimental group were much higher than the scores in the control group after the intervention (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The incidences of anxiety and depression were higher in the elderly patients, and a psychological intervention program based on the "Timing it Right" framework can effectively reduce the negative emotions of anxiety and depression, and enhance the sense of self-efficacy.

Hypertension in Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China.

It is unclear whether patients with hypertension are more likely to be infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) than the general population and whether there is a difference in the severity of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pneumonia in patients who have taken ACEI/ARB drugs compared with those who have not.This observational study included data from all patients with clinically confirmed COVID-19 admitted to Hankou Hospital, Wuhan, China, between January 5 and March 8, 2020. Data were extracted from clinical and laboratory records. Follow-up was cut off on March 8, 2020.A total of 274 patients, 75 with hypertension and 199 without hypertension, were included in the analysis. Compared with patients without hypertension, patients with hypertension were older and were more likely to have preexisting comorbidities, including chronic renal insufficiency, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and cerebrovascular disease. Moreover, patients with hypertension tended to have higher positive rate for SARS-CoV-2 PCR detection. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (P = 0.005) and gender (P = 0.019) were independent risk factors associated with the severity of pneumonia in patients on admission, whereas ACEI/ARB treatment (P = 0.184) was not.Patients with COVID-19 with hypertension were significantly older and were more likely to have underlying comorbidities, including chronic renal insufficiency, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and cerebrovascular disease. ACEI/ARB drugs did not influence the severity of pneumonia in patients with SARS-CoV-2. In future studies, a larger sample size and multi-center clinical data would be needed to support these conclusions.

[Acute kidney injury in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a single-center retrospective observational study].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the predictors and outcomes of acute kidney injury (AKI) among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). OBJECTIVE: This retrospective observational study was conducted among patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 admitted to Hankou Hospital between January, 5 and March 8, 2020. We evaluated the association of AKI with the demographic and biochemical parameters and clinical outcomes of the patients using univariate regression analysis. OBJECTIVE: Atotal of 287 COVID-19 patients, including 55 with AKI and 232 without AKI, were included in the analysis. Compared with the patients without AKI, the patients with AKI were older, predominantly male, and were more likely to have hypoxia and pre-existing hypertension and cerebrovascular diseases. The patients with AKI also had higher levels of white blood cells, D-dimer, aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, a higher prevalence of hyperkalemia, lower lymphocyte counts, and higher chest computed tomographic scores. The incidence of stage 1 AKI was 14.3% and that of stage 2 or 3 AKI was 4.9%. The patients with AKI had much higher mortality rate than those without AKI. OBJECTIVE: AKI is an important complication of COVID-19. An older age, a male gender, multiple pre- existing comorbidities, lymphopenia, increased infection indicators, elevated D-dimer, and impaired heart and liver functions are all potential risk factors ofAKI. COVID- 19 patients with AKI that progresses into stages 2 or 3 AKI have a high mortality rate. Prevention of AKI and monitoring kidney function is critical in the care of COVID-19 patients.

Association Between Serum Vitamin A Levels and Recurrent Respiratory Tract Infections in Children.

To evaluate the association between serum vitamin A levels and the prevalence of recurrent respiratory tract infections (RRTIs) in children and adolescents and to provide evidence that would help decrease the prevalence of respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in children. This cross-sectional study included 8034 children and adolescents in Beijing aged 6 months to 17 years. RRTI and RTI symptoms were diagnosed according to the Clinical Concept and Management of Recurrent Respiratory Tract Infections in Children. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between serum vitamin A levels and RRTIs after adjusting for potential confounders. Among the included children, 721 (8.97%) were diagnosed with vitamin A deficiency, whereas 3,073 (38.25%) were diagnosed with subclinical vitamin A deficiency. Only 28.8% (208/721) of children with vitamin A deficiency and 53.1% (1,631/3,073) of children with subclinical vitamin A deficiency had no RRTI and RTI symptoms, respectively. Compared with children with normal vitamin A levels, those with vitamin A deficiency and subclinical vitamin A deficiency had a greater risk for RRTIs, with an odds ratio (OR) of 6.924 [95% confidence interval (CI): 5.433-8.824] and 2.140 (95% CI: 1.825-2.510), respectively]. Vitamin A levels were also positively associated with RTI symptoms, with those having vitamin A deficiency and subclinical vitamin A deficiency showing an OR of 1.126 (95% CI: 0.773-1.640) and 1.216 (95% CI: 1.036-1.427), respectively. The present cross-sectional study found that low serum vitamin A levels were significantly associated with RRTI or RTI prevalence in children and adolescents.

Crude oil removal from aqueous solution using raw and carbonized Xanthoceras sorbifolia shells.

Fruit shell residue from Xanthoceras sorbifolia was investigated as a potential biosorbent to remove crude oil from aqueous solution. The shell powder and its carbonized material were compared while assessing various factors that influenced oil removal capacity. The structure and sorption mechanism were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The oil removal capacity of the raw material (75.1 mg g-1) was better than the carbonized material (49.5 mg g-1). The oil removal capacity increased with greater saponin content, indicating that hydrophobic and lipophilic surface characteristics of the saponins improved adsorption by the raw X. sorbifolia shell. An orthogonal experimental design was used to optimize the adsorption. Using 4 g L-1 of raw X. sorbifolia shell (particle size of < 0.15 mm), the highest crude oil removal efficiency was obtained using an initial oil concentration of 400 mg L-1, adsorption temperature of 30 °C, adsorption time of 10 min at a shaking speed of 150 rpm. The adsorption of crude oil onto X. sorbifolia shell was best described using a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Raw X. sorbifolia shell material was more efficient than the carbonized material at crude oil removal from aqueous solution. This was attributable to the functional groups of saponins in raw X. sorbifolia shell. This study highlights that some agricultural and forest residues could be a promising source of low-cost biosorbents for oil contaminants from water-without requiring additional processing such as carbonization.

[Astragalus polysaccharide alleviates lipopolysaccharide-induced lung injury in rats by inhibiting neutrophil activation].

Objective To study the effects of Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) on rat lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Methods A total of 36 adult SD rats were randomly divided into control group, LPS model group and APS administration group. Acute lung injury was induced by a single intratracheal injection of LPS. Lung injury in rats was observed by HE staining. The changes of proinflammatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß) were detected by ELISA. The numbers of white blood cells (WBCs) and neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were determined by cell counting. The activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were tested by the respective kits. Results Compared with the control group, the LPS-induced model group showed pulmonary edema and increased vascular permeability, upregulated levels of TNF-α and IL-1ß in BALF, significantly ascended numbers of WBCs and neutrophils, enhanced MPO activity and increased ROS level. However, administration of APS suppressed LPS-induced vascular permeability, tissue injury and inflammation in the rat lung. APS also suppressed LPS-induced neutrophilic inflammation in BALF. MPO activity and ROS level decreased significantly as well. Conclusion Administration of APS suppresses LPS-induced lung injury via inhibiting of neutrophil activation in rats.

Reduced Prefrontal Cortex Activation in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder during Go/No-Go Task: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study.

Objective: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neuropsychiatric disorders in children and affects 3 to 5% of school-aged children. This study is to demonstrate whether functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can detect the changes in the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-HB) in children with ADHD and typically developing children (TD children). Method: In this study, 14 children with ADHD and 15 TD children were studied. Metabolic signals of functional blood oxygen were recorded by using fNIRS during go/no-go task. A statistic method is used to compare the fNIRS between the ADHD children and controls. Results: A significant oxy-HB increase in the left frontopolar cortex (FPC) in control subjects but not in children with ADHD during inhibitory tasks. Moreover, ADHD children showed reduced activation in left FPC relative to TD children. Conclusion: Functional brain imaging using fNIRS showed reduced activation in the left prefrontal cortex (PFC) of children with ADHD during the inhibition task. The fNIRS could be a promising tool for differentiating children with ADHD and TD children.