Clinical review and literature analysis of hepatic epithelioid angiomyolipoma in alcoholic cirrhosis: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic epithelioid angiomyolipoma (HEA) has a low incidence and both clinical manifestations and imaging lack specificity. Thus, it is easy to misdiagnose HEA as other tumors of the liver, especially in the presence of liver diseases such as hepatitis cirrhosis. This article reviewed the diagnosis and treatment of a patient with HEA and alcoholic cirrhosis, and analyzed the literature, in order to improve the understanding of this disease. CASE SUMMARY: A 67-year-old male patient with a history of alcoholic cirrhosis was admitted due to the discovery of a space-occupying lesion in the liver. Based on the patient's history, laboratory examinations, and imaging examinations, a malignant liver tumor was considered and laparoscopic partial hepatectomy was performed. Postoperative pathology showed HEA. During outpatient follow-up, the patient showed no sign of recurrence. CONCLUSION: HEA is difficult to make a definite diagnosis before surgery. HEA has the potential for malignant degeneration. If conditions permit, surgical treatment is recommended.

Diagnostic Value of Single LH and LH/FSH Ratio at 60-minute after GnRHa Stimulation Test for Central Precocious Puberty.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the diagnostic value of luteinizing hormone (LH) and LH/follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio at 60 min after gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs (GnRHa) stimulation test for central precocious puberty (CPP) in girls. METHODS: Two hundred and fifty-seven girls, aged 3 to 7.5 y, suspected of precocious puberty at authors' hospital from April 2020 through November 2023 were enrolled in the study. The blood was taken at 0, 30, 60 min after GnRHa stimulation test, and LH and LH/FSH were detected by chemiluminescence assay. The diagnostic efficacy was analysed by Mann-Whitney U test, spearman's correlation analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The proportion of obesity was analysed by Chi-square test. RESULTS: LH and LH/FSH at different times were statistically significantly different (P <0.05) between the CPP and non-CPP groups. Spearman's correlation analysis showed that the level of LH and LH/FSH at 60 min had the strongest consistency with the peak of LH (r = 0.9988, P <0.001) and LH/FSH (r = 0.9981, P <0.001). ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the ROC curves at 60 min of LH and LH/FSH were 0.975 and 0.997 with a cut-off value of 5.70 IU/L and 0.609, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The peak of LH and LH/FSH in the diagnosis of CPP can be determined by LH and LH/FSH at 60 min after the triptorelin acetate is injected. This will reduce the number of blood draws required compared with the traditional stimulation test, which is more effective and acceptable for children.

Ethyl pyruvate alleviates pulmonary arterial hypertension via PI3K-Akt signaling.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a pathophysiological syndrome that is extremely difficult to manage, and there is currently no effective treatment. We want to elucidate the therapeutic effect of ethyl pyruvate (EP) on PAH and its possible mechanism. Pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs) were cultured in conventional low-oxygen environments, and cellular proliferation was monitored after treatment with EP. Expression of p-PI3K/Akt, LC3-II, and Beclin-1 was detected by Western blot. After hyperkinetic PAH rabbits' models were treated with EP, hemodynamic data were collected. Right ventricular hypertrophy and pulmonary vascular remodeling were evaluated. Expression of p-PI3K/Akt, LC3-II, and Beclin-1 protein was also detected after using autophagy inhibitor and agonists. We found that EP could inhibit PAECs proliferation. After EP treatment, expression of p-PI3K/Akt was upregulated in vitro and in vivo. LC3-II and Beclin-1 were inhibited and their expression was lower after autophagy inhibitor was given, while after administration of autophagy agonists, their expression was higher than that in the EP alone group. Besides, EP attenuated PAH, and right ventricular hypertrophy and pulmonary vascular remodeling were also reversed. EP can reduce PAH and reverse vascular remodeling which is associated with inhibition of autophagy in PAECs based on PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. The results of this study can provide surgical opportunities for patients with severe PAH caused by congenital heart disease in clinical cardiovascular surgery.

Uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery versus open thoracotomy for chronic pain after surgery: a prospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: The potential of uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (U-VATS) to reduce chronic pain after thoracic surgery (CPTS) compared to open thoracotomy (OT) remains unexplored. This prospective study aims to assess the incidence of CPTS following U-VATS or OT and identify associated risk factors. METHODS: Patients undergoing thoracic surgery were recruited from March 2021 to March 2022, categorized by surgical approach (U-VATS vs. OT). Standard clinical protocols for surgery, anesthesia, and analgesia were followed. Pain symptoms were assessed using the Short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire, with follow-ups up to 6 months. Perioperative factors influencing CPTS at 3 months were analyzed through univariate and multivariate methods. RESULTS: A total of 694 patients were analyzed. Acute pain after thoracic surgery (APTS) was significantly less severe in the U-VATS group (p < 0.001). U-VATS patients exhibited a lower incidence of CPTS at 3 months (63.4% vs. 80.1%, p < 0.001), with reduced severity among those experiencing CPTS (p = 0.007) and a decreased occurrence of neuropathic pain (p = 0.014). Multivariate analysis identified OT incision, moderate to severe APTS (excluding moderate static pain at 24 h postoperative), nocturnal surgery, and lung surgery as risk factors for CPTS. CONCLUSION: This study underscores the potential of U-VATS to reduce both the incidence and severity of CPTS at 3 months compared to OT. Furthermore, it highlights risk factors for CPTS, including OT incision, inadequately managed APTS, lung surgery, and nocturnal surgery. These findings emphasize the importance of considering surgical approach and perioperative pain management strategies to mitigate the burden of CPTS.

Room-Temperature Cascade Electrophilic Addition/Cyclization/Oxidation Reactions: Divergent Selective Synthesis of Brominated 2H-Chromenes, 2H-Chromen-2-ols and 2H-Chromen-2-ones.

The room temperature metal-free cascade electrophilic addition/cyclization/oxidation reactions of (3-phenoxyprop-1-yn-1-yl)benzenes to divergently synthesize various brominated benzopyran derivatives (3-bromo-2H-chromenes, 3-bromo-2H-chromen-2-ols and 3-bromo coumarins) by tuning the amount of Br2 and H2O have been developed. The method exhibited high selectivity, mild reaction conditions, broad substrate scope, high efficiency, and the applicability for derivatization of the brominated products. The importance of the strategies provides a great advantage for selective synthesis of brominated benzopyran derivatives.

A metabolic mechanism analysis of Gentiana radix and wine-processed Gentiana radix effects on damp-heat jaundice syndrome in Rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Gentiana radix (GR) and wine-processed Gentiana radix (WGR) are commonly used in folk medicine for the treatment of bile or liver disorders, including jaundice, hepatitis, swelling or inflammation for thousands of years. However, the therapeutic effects of gentian root (GR) and wine-made gentian root (WGR) treatment on damp-heat jaundice syndrome (DHJS) have not been studied in animal experiments. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to investigate the protective effects and mechanisms of GR and WGR on DHJS in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a high-fat and high-sugar diet in a humidified hot environment, hepatic injury induced by giving of alpha-naphthalene isothiocyanate (ANIT) in rats were used as a DHJS model. Histological analysis, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), PCR analysis, and metabolomics were used to elucidate the mechanism of GR and WGR for DHJS. RESULTS: The results indicated that GR and WGR affected DHJS by inhibiting the release of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), direct bilirubin (D-BIL), total bilirubin (TBIL), total bile acid (TBA), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione S-transferase (GST) (P < 0.05). In addition, they significantly reduced the gene expression levels of Na+/taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP), bile salt export pump (BESP), multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2) and multidrug resistance-associated protein 3 (MRP3) (P < 0.05). The WGR group improved the above function indicators better than the GR group. GR and WGR could restore 11 potential biomarkers in rats with DHJS tended to return to normal levels, these biomarkers were involved in arachidonic acid metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, retinol metabolism, arginine biosynthesis. The results of the metabolic pathway showed that WGR was significantly better than GR in the improvement of porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that treatment with GR and WGR has a beneficial effect on DHJS in rats, the major mechanisms may be involved in improving functional indicators of the body and endogenous metabolism, and WGR is more effective than GR. It provides important evidence for the clinical application of GR and WGR in the treatment of DHJS.

Prediction of lymph node metastasis in patients with papillary thyroid cancer based on radiomics analysis and intraoperative frozen section analysis: A retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the diagnostic efficiency among the clinical model, the radiomics model and the nomogram that combined radiomics features, frozen section (FS) analysis and clinical characteristics for the prediction of lymph node (LN) metastasis in patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). METHODS: A total of 208 patients were randomly divided into two groups randomly with a proportion of 7:3 for the training groups (n = 146) and the validation groups (n = 62). The Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression was used for the selection of radiomics features extracted from ultrasound (US) images. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were used to select predictors associated with the status of LN. The clinical model, radiomics model and nomogram were subsequently established by logistic regression machine learning. The area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity were used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the different models. The Delong test was used to compare the AUC of the three models. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis indicated that age, size group, Adler grade, ACR score and the psammoma body group were independent predictors of lymph node metastasis (LNM). The results showed that in both the training and validation groups, the nomogram showed better performance than the clinical model, albeit not statistically significant (p > .05), and significantly outperformed the radiomics model (p < .05). However, the nomogram exhibits a slight improvement in sensitivity that could reduce the incidence of false negatives. CONCLUSION: We propose that the nomogram holds substantial promise as an effective tool for predicting LNM in patients with PTC.

Substance P in the medial amygdala regulates aggressive behaviors in male mice.

Behavioral and clinical studies have revealed a critical role of substance P (SP) in aggression; however, the neural circuit mechanisms underlying SP and aggression remain elusive. Here, we show that tachykinin-expressing neurons in the medial amygdala (MeATac1 neurons) are activated during aggressive behaviors in male mice. We identified MeATac1 neurons as a key mediator of aggression and found that MeATac1→ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMHvl) projections are critical to the regulation of aggression. Moreover, SP/neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R) signaling in the VMHvl modulates aggressive behaviors in male mice. SP/NK-1R signaling regulates aggression by influencing glutamate transmission in neurons in the VMHvl. In summary, these findings place SP as a key node in aggression circuits.

Improving the accuracy of cotton seedling emergence rate estimation by fusing UAV-based multispectral vegetation indices.

Timely and accurate estimation of cotton seedling emergence rate is of great significance to cotton production. This study explored the feasibility of drone-based remote sensing in monitoring cotton seedling emergence. The visible and multispectral images of cotton seedlings with 2 - 4 leaves in 30 plots were synchronously obtained by drones. The acquired images included cotton seedlings, bare soil, mulching films, and PE drip tapes. After constructing 17 visible VIs and 14 multispectral VIs, three strategies were used to separate cotton seedlings from the images: (1) Otsu's thresholding was performed on each vegetation index (VI); (2) Key VIs were extracted based on results of (1), and the Otsu-intersection method and three machine learning methods were used to classify cotton seedlings, bare soil, mulching films, and PE drip tapes in the images; (3) Machine learning models were constructed using all VIs and validated. Finally, the models constructed based on two modeling strategies [Otsu-intersection (OI) and machine learning (Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest (RF), and K-nearest neighbor (KNN)] showed a higher accuracy. Therefore, these models were selected to estimate cotton seedling emergence rate, and the estimates were compared with the manually measured emergence rate. The results showed that multispectral VIs, especially NDVI, RVI, SAVI, EVI2, OSAVI, and MCARI, had higher crop seedling extraction accuracy than visible VIs. After fusing all VIs or key VIs extracted based on Otsu's thresholding, the binary image purity was greatly improved. Among the fusion methods, the Key VIs-OI and All VIs-KNN methods yielded less noises and small errors, with a RMSE (root mean squared error) as low as 2.69% and a MAE (mean absolute error) as low as 2.15%. Therefore, fusing multiple VIs can increase crop image segmentation accuracy. This study provides a new method for rapidly monitoring crop seedling emergence rate in the field, which is of great significance for the development of modern agriculture.

Oxidative Dissolution Process of Sphalerite in Fe2(SO4)3-O3 System: Implications for Heavy Metals Removal and Recovery.

Metal sulfides in waste rocks and tailings are susceptible to serious soil and water contamination due to the generation of acid mine drainage (AMD) during stockpiling. The hydrometallurgical process is one of the most essential heavy metal remediation technologies through harmless disposal and resource utilization of the waste sulfides. However, atmospheric hydrometallurgy of sulfides still faces great challenges due to low leaching efficiency and high cost. In this work, we proposed a cooperative leaching system (Fe2(SO4)3-O3) and investigated the oxidative dissolution process of sphalerite (ZnS). Under the optimal conditions, the extracted zinc reached 97.8%. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) (·OH, 1O2 and ·O2-) were identified in the radical quenching experiments. The dissolution of sphalerite did not show passivation due to the ozone's capability to oxidize the sulfur in sphalerite to sulfate. In addition, stirring rate, O3 inlet concentration, and Fe2(SO4)3 concentration had a significant effect on the dissolution of sphalerite. Meanwhile, the apparent activation energy was 24.11 kJ/mol based on kinetic fitting, which indicated that the controlling step of the reaction was mainly a diffusion process. This work demonstrated the cooperative effect of sphalerite leaching in the O3-Fe2(SO4)3 system and provided a theoretical reference for efficient and atmospheric dissolution of sphalerite.

Associations between weight-adjusted-waist index and telomere length: Results from NHANES: An observational study.

Previous studies have demonstrated the connection between obesity and telomere length. A recently devised metric for determining obesity, the weight-adjusted-waist index (WWI), offers a distinct advantage in predicting fat and lean mass by depicting weight-independent abdominal adiposity. This article presents the results of the inaugural study on the relationship between WWI and telomere length in adult populations. The cross-sectional investigation analyzed data from 3479 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted from 1999 to 2000. To inspect linear and nonlinear correlations, we adopted weighted multiple logistic regression analysis and smooth curve fit, respectively. In addition, threshold effects and subgroup analyses were accomplished. In the fully adapted model, a significant adverse association of WWI with telomere length was detected [ß = -0.02, 95% CI: (-0.03, -0.00), P value = 0.01]. The adverse correlation remained consistent across all subcategories. We also discovered an inverted U-shaped curve linking WWI and telomere length, with a conspicuous inflection point of 10.07 cm/√kg. For the first time, our research demonstrated strong links between WWI and telomere length. The inflection point suggests that controlling WWI within an optimum range might be essential for aging and health.

An outbreak of hepatitis E virus genotype 4d caused by consuming undercooked pig liver in a nursing home in Zhejiang Province, China.

Hepatitis E infection is typically caused by contaminated water or food. In July and August 2022, an outbreak of hepatitis E was reported in a nursing home in Zhejiang Province, China. Local authorities and workers took immediate actions to confirm the outbreak, investigated the sources of infection and routes of transmission, took measures to terminate the outbreak, and summarized the lessons learned. An epidemiological investigation was conducted on all individuals in the nursing home, including demographic information, clinical symptoms, history of dietary, water intake and contact. Stool and blood samples were collected from these populations for laboratory examinations. The hygiene environment of the nursing home was also investigated. A case-control study was conducted to identify the risk factors for this outbreak. Of the 722 subjects in the nursing home, 77 were diagnosed with hepatitis E, for an attack rate of 10.66 %. Among them, 18 (23.38 %, 18/77) individuals had symptoms such as jaundice, fever, and loss of appetite and were defined as the population with hepatitis E. The average age of people infected with hepatitis E virus (HEV) was 59.96 years and the attack rate of hepatitis E among women (12.02 %, 59/491) was greater than that among men (7.79 %, 18/231). The rate was the highest among caregivers (22.22 %, 32/144) and lowest among logistics personnel (6.25 %, 2/32); however, these differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Laboratory sequencing results indicated that the genotype of this hepatitis E outbreak was 4d. A case-control study showed that consuming pig liver (odds ratio (OR) = 7.50; 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 3.84-16.14, P < 0.001) and consuming raw fruits and vegetables (OR = 5.92; 95 % CI: 1.74-37.13, P = 0.017) were risk factors for this outbreak of Hepatitis E. Moreover, a monitoring video showed that the canteen personnel did not separate raw and cooked foods, and pig livers were cooked for only 2 min and 10 s. Approximately 1 month after the outbreak, an emergency vaccination for HEV was administered. No new cases were reported after two long incubation periods (approximately 4 months). The outbreak of HEV genotype 4d was likely caused by consuming undercooked pig liver, resulting in an attack rate of 10.66 %. This was related to the rapid stir-frying cooking method and the hygiene habit of not separating raw and cooked foods.

Inhibition of human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase enzyme by entrectinib: Implications for drug-drug interactions.

As a new type of oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor, entrectinib can act on multiple targets and exert efficacy and has been approved for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and solid tumors. However, whether entrectinib affects the activities of recombinant human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) remains unclear. Herein, we aimed to investigate the inhibitory effects of entrectinib on human UGTs and to assess the potential risk of causing drug-drug interactions (DDIs) based on the inhibition against UGTs. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to evaluate the inhibitory effects of entrectinib on UGTs according to the product formation rate of UGT substrate with or without entrectinib, and the inhibition kinetics experiment was conducted to assess the inhibitory type of entrectinib on UGTs. Our results showed that entrectinib exhibited extensive inhibitory effects on most human UGTs, and especially inhibited the activities of UGT1A7, UGT1A8, and UGT2B15 with Ki (Inhibition constant) of lower than 5 µM (0.95-4.38 µM). Furthermore, the results from quantitative prediction research suggested that the combination of entrectinib at 600 mg/day with substrates primarily metabolized by hepatic UGT2B15 or intestinal UGT1A7 and UGT1A8 might cause clinical DDIs. Thus, special attention should be paid to avoid adverse reactions induced by DDIs when co-administration of entrectinib and drugs metabolized by UGTs.

Effect of liposomal bupivacaine for preoperative erector spinae plane block on postoperative pain following video-assisted thoracoscopic lung surgery: a protocol for a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, clinical trial.

Background: There is still a controversy about the superiority of liposomal bupivacaine (LB) over traditional local anesthetics in postoperative analgesia after thoracic surgery. This study aims to determine the effect of LB versus bupivacaine hydrochloride (HCl) for preoperative ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block (ESPB) on postoperative acute and chronic pain in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic lung surgery. Methods: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial will include 272 adult patients scheduled for elective video-assisted thoracoscopic lung surgery. Patients will be randomly assigned, 1:1 and stratified by site, to the liposomal bupivacaine (LB) group or the bupivacaine (BUPI) HCl group. All patients will receive ultrasound-guided ESPB with either LB or bupivacaine HCl before surgery and patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) as rescue analgesia after surgery. The numeric rating scale (NRS) score will be assessed after surgery. The primary outcome is the area under the curve of pain scores at rest for 0-72 h postoperatively. The secondary outcomes include the total amount of opioid rescue analgesics through 0-72 h postoperatively, time to the first press on the PCIA device as rescue analgesia, the area under the curve of pain scores on activity for 0-72 h postoperatively, NRS scores at rest and on activity at different time points during the 0-72 h postoperative period, Quality of Recovery 15 scores at 72 h after surgery, and NRS scores on activity on postsurgical day 14 and postsurgical 3 months. Adverse events after the surgery are followed up to the postsurgical day 7, including postoperative nausea and vomiting, fever, constipation, dizziness, headache, insomnia, itching, prolonged chest tube leakage, new-onset atrial fibrillation, severe ventricular arrhythmia, deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary atelectasis, cardiac arrest, ileus, urinary retention, chylothorax, pneumothorax, and organ failure. Analyzes will be performed first according to the intention to treat principle and second with the per-protocol analysis. Discussion: We hypothesize that LB for preoperative ultrasound-guided ESPB would be more effective than bupivacaine HCl in reducing postoperative pain in video-assisted thoracoscopic lung surgery. Our results will contribute to the optimization of postoperative analgesia regimens for patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic lung surgery.Clinical trial registration:http://www.chictr.org.cn, identifier ChiCTR2300074852.

The Influences of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Social Support on Male Teenagers' Gaming Motivation: A Moderated Network Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Strong gaming motivations can lead to gaming-related health problems, but how gaming motivations are formed is unclear. Therefore, we examined the impact of early life experiences on gaming motivations. METHODS: Questionnaire data on the gaming motivations, adverse childhood experiences, and social support of 2,171 teenaged online game players were modeled using moderated network analysis. RESULTS: All adverse childhood experience components positively correlated with achievement and escapism motivations (weight range: 0.08-0.40). Social support from friends (weight = -0.04) negatively moderated the relationship between achievement motivation and other adverse childhood experiences and positively moderated (weight = 0.01) the relationship between escapism motivation and familial dysfunction. DISCUSSION: The findings indicate that adverse childhood experiences foster negative gaming motivations. Additionally, social support moderates the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and gaming motivations. These findings offer valuable insights that nursing practitioners can apply to gaming-related health problem interventions and prevention in teenagers.

The outcome of early screening and treatment of developmental dysplasia of the hip in infants and toddlers in the Northern Guizhou region.

This study is an observation of the early screening and treatment effect of infant developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in an area in China. From January 2016 to December 2017, we selected infants and toddlers with high-risk factors for DDH, such as asymmetric gluteal folds, unequal length of lower limbs, and limited hip joint abduction, who visited the Department of Child Health Care and the Outpatient Clinic of Pediatric Orthopedics at the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University. In total, 1485 cases were divided into age groups, examined using Graf ultrasound and X-ray, and the results were analyzed. Meanwhile, early interventions were actively adopted for cases with abnormalities during the screening. The detection rates of DDH were 24.0%, 2.8%, 9.3%, and 12.2% among those with 0 to 6 months, 7 to 12 months, 13 to 18 months, and 19 to 24 months of age, respectively. Early and individualized corrective conservative treatment was considered for children with abnormalities, and the cure rates were 87.0%, 65.7%, 41.0%, and 16.7% among those with 0 to 6 months, 7 to 12 months, 13 to 18 months, and 19 to 24 months of age, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the detection and cure rates of DDH in infants and toddlers of different ages (P < .01).

Insights into the Efficient Release of the Polyacrylamide Drag Reducer via a pH-Responsive Inverse Polymer Emulsion.

The enormous demand for petroleum consumption has resulted in the shortage of fossil resources, prompting the need to explore unconventional reservoirs. Polyacrylamide emulsion drag reducers are capable of inhibiting the turbulence of fracturing fluids for enhancing the reservoir stimulation results, but the poor dissolution efficiency of polyacrylamide emulsion drag reducers is the primary limitation to their large-scale application. Here, a pH-responsive ionic liquid surfactant, oleic acid/cyclohexanediamine (HOA/HMDA), is synthesized by using oleic acid (HOA) and cyclohexanediamine (HMDA). HOA/HMDA shows a remarkable pH-responsive behavior due to the pH-induced deconstruction of the HOA/HMDA structure. Interestingly, the HOA/HMDA-stabilized monomer emulsion exhibits an obvious pH-induced emulsion structure transformation behavior. In addition, the HOA/HMDA-stabilized monomer emulsion possesses excellent dynamic and storage stability, supporting the inverse emulsion polymerization of the polymer P(AM/AMPS/AA). The obtained P(AM/AMPS/AA) polymer inverse emulsions maintained stability for 30 days. Our finding proposes that the structure of the P(AM/AMPS/AA) polymer inverse emulsions changes with pH stimulation, which is capable of facilitating the release of polymers. P(AM/AMPS/AA) is released from the P(AM/AMPS/AA) polymer inverse emulsions within 30 s at a pH value of 12.06, along with a drag reduction rate of 62.54%. Obviously, the HOA/HMDA-stabilized P(AM/AMPS/AA) polymer inverse emulsions eliminate the contradiction between the stability and release of polyacrylamide emulsion drag reducers, which is promising for meeting the demands of reservoir stimulation.

Epidemiological characteristics of Epstein-Barr virus infection in children and distribution of disease spectrum in hospitalized patients in shandong province.

This study aims to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in children and the distribution of disease spectrum in hospitalized patients in Shandong Province. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of children with EBV infection admitted to hospitals in Shandong Province from January 2022 to December 2022. The epidemiological characteristics, including age, gender, and clinical manifestations, were analyzed. The detection rate of EBV antibodies and the seropositivity rates of different antibodies were also examined. A total of 7124 children with EBV infection were included in this study, with an average age of 7.5 years. The male-to-female ratio was 1.43:1. Among the patients, the positive detection rate of EBV antibodies was 78.40%. The seropositivity rate of Epstein-Barr viral capsid antigen-Immunoglobin G antibodies was 57.09%. The highest incidence of EBV infection was observed in the age group 36-72 months. The urban positive rate was higher than that in rural areas. EBV infection in children in Shandong Province exhibits specific epidemiological characteristics, with a higher incidence in the age group of 36-72 months. Fever, sore throat, and fatigue are the main clinical manifestations. The detection rate of EBV antibodies is relatively high among hospitalized patients. These findings provide valuable information for controlling the transmission of children with suspected Epstein-Barr virus infection.

A Mendelian randomization-based study of the causal relationship between leisure sedentary behavior and delirium.

BACKGROUND: Delirium is an acute or subacute change in mental status caused by various factors. We evaluated the causal relationship between leisure sedentary behaviors (LSBs) and delirium. METHODS: A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was performed to evaluate the causal relationship between sedentary behaviors (time spent watching television, time spent using computer, and time spent driving) and delirium. Statistical information for the associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the traits of interest was obtained from independent consortia that focused on European populations. The dataset for LSBs was acquired from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) comprising a substantial sample size: 437887 samples for time spent watching television, 360,895 for time spent using computer, and 310,555 for time spent driving. A GWAS with 1269 delirium cases and 209,487 controls was used to identify genetic variation underlying the time of LSBs. We used five complementary MR methods, including inverse variance weighted method (IVW), MR-Egger, weighted median, weighted mode, and simple mode. RESULTS: Genetically predicted time spent watching television (odds ratio [OR]: 2.921, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.381-6.179) demonstrated significant association with delirium (P = 0.005), whereas no significant associations were observed between time spent using computer (OR: 0.556, 95 % CI: 0.246-1.257, P = 0.158) and time spent driving (OR: 1.747, 95 % CI: 0.09-3. 40, P = 0.713) and delirium. Sensitivity analyses supported a causal interpretation, with limited evidence of significant bias from genetic pleiotropy. Moreover, our MR assumptions appeared to be upheld, enhancing the credibility of our conclusions. LIMITATIONS: Larger sample sizes are needed to validate the findings of our study. CONCLUSION: Time spent watching television is a significant risk factor for delirium. Reducing television time may be an important intervention for those at higher risk of delirium.

Optimal intraventricular hemorrhage volume cutoff for predicting poor outcome in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The prognosis of patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is often influenced by hematoma volume, a well-established predictor of poor outcome. However, the optimal intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) volume cutoff for predicting poor outcome remains unknown. METHODS: We analyzed 313 patients with spontaneous ICH not undergoing evacuation, including 7 cases with external ventricular drainage (EVD). These patients underwent a baseline CT scan, followed by a 24-hour CT scan for measurement of both hematoma and IVH volume. We defined hematoma growth as hematoma growth > 33 % or 6 mL at follow-up CT, and poor outcome as modified Rankin Scale score≥3 at three months. Cutoffs with optimal sensitivity and specificity for predicting poor outcome were identified using receiver operating curves. RESULTS: The receiver operating characteristic analysis identified 6 mL as the optimal cutoff for predicting poor outcome. IVH volume> 6 mL was observed in 53 (16.9 %) of 313 patients. Patients with IVH volume>6 mL were more likely to be older and had higher NIHSS score and lower GCS score than those without. IVH volume>6 mL (adjusted OR 2.43, 95 % CI 1.13-5.30; P = 0.026) was found to be an independent predictor of poor clinical outcome at three months in multivariable regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Optimal IVH volume cutoff represents a powerful tool for improving the prediction of poor outcome in patients with ICH, particularly in the absence of clot evacuation or common use of EVD. Small amounts of intraventricular blood are not independently associated with poor outcome in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. The utilization of optimal IVH volume cutoffs may improve the clinical trial design by targeting ICH patients that will obtain maximal benefit from therapies.