Association between dietary behavior and puberty in girls.

INTRODUCTION: Over the decades the trends of early onset of puberty have been observed in children, particularly in girls. Research evidence has reported diet to be among the most important risk factors for puberty onset. This study evaluated the association between dietary behavior and puberty in girls. METHODS: We enrolled 201 girls with the main complaints of breast development as the cases at the Endocrine Department of Nanjing Children's Hospital. The cases were divided into breast development with central priming and breast development without central priming groups and were matched with 223 normal health girls with no breast development (control group). We used the modified Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) to conduct a face-to-face interview about dietary behavior. Sample t-test or Mann Whitney U test or Chi-square test, the analysis of variance or Kruskal Wallis test, and least significant difference (LSD) were used to compare differences between the groups, Bonferroni was used to correct the p-value, and logistic regression was used to analyze risk factors for puberty onset. RESULTS: A total of 424 girls participated in this study, among them, 136 were cases with breast development with central priming, 65 were cases with breast development without central priming, and 223 were normal health girls with no breast development. Age of the participants ranged from 4.5 to 9.3 years. There were significant differences in food response (p < 0.001), dietary restriction (p < 0.001), frequencies of vegetable intake (χ2 = 8.856, p = 0.012), drinking milk (χ2 = 23.099, p = 0.001), and borderline statistical difference in a total score of unhealthy dietary behavior (p = 0.053) among the cases and controls. However, in the post hoc analysis, these dietary behaviors were significant differences between the girls with breast development with central priming and the control groups. Moreover, girls in the breast development with central priming group had significantly higher bone age (BA), uterine body length, ovarian volume, basal luteinizing hormone (LH), basal follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), peak LH, peak FSH, estradiol (E2), and free triiodothyronine (FT3) compared to those in the breast development without central priming group. In the multivariate logistic regression, only uterine body length was associated with increased risk of breast development with central priming (OR = 1.516, 95%CI: 1.243-1.850). CONCLUSION: There were significant differences in dietary behaviors among girls with breast development with central priming and normal health girls with no breast development, and uterine body length was associated with an increasing risk of breast development with central priming among girls with breast development.

Impact of preoperative chemotherapy on cutaneous wound healing in lung cancer patients: A meta-analysis.

As part of their treatment, lung cancer patients frequently endure thoracic oncological surgery, with preoperative chemotherapeutic interventions being the common approach. However, the potential impact of these chemotherapeutic regimens on cutaneous wound healing outcomes following surgery remains the topic of considerable clinical interest. This meta-analysis sought to evaluate comprehensively the effect of preoperative chemotherapeutic regimens on cutaneous wound healing in lung cancer patients following thoracic oncological surgery. Extensive literature searches were conducted using the leading databases PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Scopus. Eight studies out of 1342 identified satisfied the inclusion criteria. Consideration was given to both randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies. Data pertaining to study characteristics, patient demographics, chemotherapeutic regimens and wound healing outcomes were extracted with great attention to detail. The examination of these varied studies provided insights into the fluctuations in rates of recovery following treatment, incidences of wound infections and frequencies of surgical complications. The research studies provided odds ratios for recovery that varied significantly in magnitude from 0.95 to 0.38, with regard to the probability of wound infection. Furthermore, a range of odds ratios for complications were disclosed, with certain odds ratios displaying narrow confidence intervals. The complexity of the effect of preoperative chemotherapy on wound closure subsequent to thoracic oncologic surgery is highlighted by our findings. The results underscore the need for individualized treatment strategies for lung cancer patients undergoing surgical procedures that strike a balance between patient safety and optimal clinical outcomes.

Utilizing the visual analogue scale (VAS) to monitor and manage pain in post-operative skin wounds after thoracic surgery.

Due to the global increase in thoracic interventions, there is greater emphasis on refining post-operative care. The purpose of this study was to validate the visual analogue scale (VAS) as the valid method for measuring post-operative pain in thoracic surgery patients. From January 2020 to June 2022, this cross-sectional study investigated 240 adult patients who underwent elective thoracic surgeries in Thoracic Surgery Department of Heilongjiang Provincial Hospital. The participants were instructed to rate their discomfort using VAS at predetermined intervals after surgery. The following demographic and clinical information was recorded: age, gender, type of thoracic surgery, and history of chronic pain. Results showed a progressive decline in post-operative VAS scores over 72 h: 8.2 immediately after surgery, 6.0 at 24 h, 5.4 at 48 h, and 3.6 by 72 h. There were notable correlations between VAS scores and chronic pain history, with moderately positive correlation of 0.40 being observed. Mean scores for males and females were 3.8 and 3.9, respectively. The analysis by age revealed comparable mean scores for age categories below and above 40. With the exception of thoracic wall resection, which resulted in an average VAS score of 4.1 ± 1.0 (p < 0.05), the type of surgery had the minimal effect on variability of pain scores. The VAS is a reliable method for evaluating post-thoracic surgery discomfort. Given the substantial impact of pain history on VAS scores, there is an urgent need for personalized pain management strategies to improve post-operative care.

Bone disease imaging through the near-infrared-II window.

Skeletal disorders are commonly diagnosed by X-ray imaging, but the radiation limits its use. Optical imaging through the near-infrared-II window (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm) can penetrate deep tissues without radiation risk, but the targeting of contrast agent is non-specific. Here, we report that lanthanide-doped nanocrystals can passively target the bone marrow, which can be effective for over two months. We therefore develop the high-resolution NIR-II imaging method for bone disease diagnosis, including the 3D bone imaging instrumentation to show the intravital bone morphology. We demonstrate the monitoring of 1 mm bone defects with spatial resolution comparable to the X-ray imaging result. Moreover, NIR-II imaging can reveal the early onset inflammation as the synovitis in the early stage of rheumatoid arthritis, comparable to micro computed tomography (µCT) in diagnosis of osteoarthritis, including the symptoms of osteophyte and hyperostosis in the knee joint.

NIR-IIb fluorescence-image guided synergistic surgery/starvation/chemodynamic therapy: an innovative treatment paradigm for malignant non-small cell lung cancers.

Background: Currently, the prognosis and survival rate for patients bearing non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still quite poor, mainly due to lack of efficient theranostic paradigms to exert in time diagnostics and therapeutics. Methods: Herein, for NSCLC treatment, we offer a customized theranostic paradigm, termed NIR-IIb fluorescence diagnosis and synergistic surgery/starvation/chemodynamic therapeutics, with a newly designed theranostic nanoplatform PEG/MnCuDCNPs@GOx. The nanoplatform is composed of brightly NIR-II emissive downconversion nanoparticles (DCNPs)-core and Mn/Cu-silica shell loaded with glucose oxidase (GOx) to achieve synergistic starvation and chemodynamic therapy (CDT). Results: It is found that 10% Ce3+ doped in the core and 100% Yb3+ doped in the middle shell greatly improves the NIR-IIb emission up to even 20.3 times as compared to the core-shell DCNPs without Ce3+ doping and middle shell. The bright NIR-IIb emission of the nanoplatform contributes to sensitive margin delineation of early-stage NSCLC (diameter < 1 mm) with a signal-to-background ratio (SBR) of 2.18, and further assists in visualizing drug distribution and guiding surgery/starvation/chemodynamic therapy. Notably, the starvation therapy mediated by GOx-driven oxidation reaction efficiently depletes intratumoral glucose, and supplies H2O2 to boost the CDT mediated by the Mn2+ and Cu2+, which consequently realized a highly effective synergistic treatment for NSCLC. Conclusion: This research demonstrates an efficient treatment paradigm for NSCLC with NIR-IIb fluorescence diganosis and image-guided synergistic surgery/starvation/chemodynamic therapeutics.

Synergistic Photocatalytic-Adsorption Removal of Basic Magenta Effect of AgZnO/Polyoxometalates Nanocomposites.

The bifunctional photocatalytic-adsorbent AgZnO/polyoxometalates (AgZnO/POMs) nanocomposites were synthesized by combining AgZnO hybrid nanoparticles and polyoxometalates [Cu(L)2(H2O)]H2[Cu(L)2(P2Mo5O23)]⋅4H2O (HL = C6H6N2O) into nanostructures via a sonochemical method. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicated that AgZnO/POMs nanocomposites were uniform with narrow particle size distribution and without agglomeration. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed the nanostructure and composition of AgZnO/POMs nanocomposites. The ultraviolet-visible spectra (UV-Vis) and photoluminescence spectra (PL) confirmed excellent optical properties of the AgZnO/POMs nanocomposites. 94.13% ± 0.61 of basic magenta (BM) in aqueous solution could be removed using the AgZnO/POMs nanocomposites through adsorption and photocatalysis. The kinetic analysis showed that both the adsorption and photocatalysis process conform to pseudo-second-order kinetics. In addition, the removal rate of AgZnO/POMs nanocomposites was found to be almost unchanged after 5 cycles of use. The bifunctional photocatalytic-adsorbent AgZnO/POMs nanocomposites with high stability and cycling performance have broad application prospects in the treatment of refractory organic dye wastewater containing triphenylmethane.

The Median Effective Dose of One Intravenous Bolus of Oxycodone for Postoperative Analgesia After Myomectomy and Hysterectomy With Local Ropivacaine Wound Infiltration: An Up-Down Dose-Finding Study.

BACKGROUND: Oxycodone has been shown to be an effective analgesic for early postoperative analgesia, especially for abdominal operations associated with severe visceral pain. However, the dose needed varies depending on the operation and application of multimodal analgesia, such as local ropivacaine wound infiltration. Therefore, we conducted this study to estimate the median effective dose (ED50) of oxycodone that provides analgesia for hysterectomy and myomectomy with local ropivacaine wound infiltration. METHODS: In this dose-finding study, the ED50 of oxycodone for postoperative analgesia was estimated separately for laparoscopic hysterectomy, transabdominal hysterectomy, laparoscopic myomectomy, and transabdominal myomectomy. We used the sequential allocation designed by Dixon. Trials were conducted simultaneously in the 4 surgical type groups. A predefined dose of oxycodone was injected 30 minutes before the end of the operation with an initial dose of 0.1 mg/kg. A series of trials were performed following the rule of a relative 10% increase in dose after inadequate analgesia and a relative 10% decrease in dose after adequate analgesia. The study was conducted until the collection of 7 crossover points was achieved. Local ropivacaine wound infiltration was administered during abdominal stitching. The mean blood pressure (MBP) and heart rate (HR) were analyzed to assess the hemodynamic changes associated with oxycodone administration. RESULTS: A total of 113 patients were included in the estimation of ED50: 28 each in the laparoscopic hysterectomy group and transabdominal myomectomy group, 27 in the transabdominal hysterectomy group, and 30 in the laparoscopic myomectomy group. The estimated oxycodone ED50 (95% confidence interval [CI]) after laparoscopic hysterectomy, transabdominal hysterectomy, laparoscopic myomectomy, and transabdominal myomectomy was 0.060 mg/kg (0.053-0.068), 0.079 mg/kg (0.072-0.086), 0.060 mg/kg (0.051-0.071), and 0.092 mg/kg (0.086-0.098), respectively, for postoperative analgesia with local ropivacaine wound infiltration. The ED50 of oxycodone was different between laparoscopic surgeries and transabdominal surgeries (P < .001). The MBP and HR before and after oxycodone injection were different, regardless of surgical type. CONCLUSIONS: The oxycodone ED50 for postoperative analgesia was lower for laparoscopic hysterectomy (0.060 mg/kg) and laparoscopic myomectomy (0.060 mg/kg) than for transabdominal hysterectomy (0.079 mg/kg) and transabdominal myomectomy (0.092 mg/kg) when combined with local ropivacaine wound infiltration. A single intravenous injection of oxycodone is associated with an acceptable decrease in MBP and HR within a short time.

Midazolam contributes to neuroprotection against hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced brain injury in neonatal rats via regulation of EAAT2.

Excitotoxicity is one of the main mechanisms related to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury. Excitatory amino acid transporter (EAAT)2 mainly distributes on astrocytes and plays an important role on glutamate reuptake and glutamate homeostasis. Midazolam has a neuroprotective effect in some neuropathological conditions. The present study aimed to detect the role of EAAT2 in the neuroprotective effect of midazolam in neonatal rat brain subjected to H/R. Pretreatment with midazolam reversed H/R-induced apoptosis and downregulation of EAAT2 mRNA and protein expression in the hippocampus. Pretreatment with dihydrokainic acid (a selective inhibitor of EAAT2) exacerbated apoptosis, and thus inhibited the neuroprotective effect of midazolam against H/R injury. We demonstrated for the first time that dysregulation of EAAT2 expression may be related to the neural injury induced by H/R in rat pups, and pretreatment with midazolam attenuated apoptosis and improved learning and memory partly due to regulating EAAT2 expression.

Synthesis, Characterization and Dye Removal Behavior of Core-Shell-Shell Fe3O4/Ag/Polyoxometalates Ternary Nanocomposites.

The ternary nanocomposites Fe3O4/Ag/polyoxometalates (Fe3O4/Ag/POMs) with core-shell-core nanostructure were synthesized by coating [Cu(C6H6N2O)2(H2O)]H2[Cu(C6H6N2O)2(P2Mo5O23)]·4H2O polyoxometalates on the surface of Fe3O4/Ag (core-shell) nanoparticles. The transmission electron microscopy/high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analyses show that the Fe3O4/Ag/POMs ternary nanocomposites reveal a core-shell-core nanostructure, good dispersibility, and high crystallinity. The vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and physical property measurement system (PPMS) demonstrated the good magnetic properties and superparamagnetic behavior of the nanocomposites at 300 K. The UV-vis spectroscopy displayed the broadband absorption of the Fe3O4/Ag/POMs with the maximum surface plasmon resonance of Ag nanostructure around 420 nm. The dye removal capacity of Fe3O4/Ag/POMs was investigated using methylene blue (MB) as a probe. Through adsorption and photocatalysis, the nanocomposites could quickly remove MB with a removal efficiency of 98.7% under the irradiation of visible light at room temperature. The removal efficiency was still as high as 97.5% even after six runs by magnetic separation of photocatalytic adsorbents after processing, indicating the reusability and high stability of the nanocomposites. These Fe3O4/Ag/POMs photocatalytic adsorbents with magnetic properties will hopefully become a functional material for wastewater treatment in the future.

Preparation of Fe3O4@polyoxometalates Nanocomposites and Their Efficient Adsorption of Cationic Dyes from Aqueous Solution.

In this work, two magnetic adsorbents Fe3O4@1 and Fe3O4@2 were prepared by combining Fe3O4 nanoparticles and polyoxometalate hybrids [Ni(HL)2]2H2[P2Mo5O23]·4H2O (1), [H2L]5H[P2Mo5O23]·12H2O (2) (HL = 2-acetylpyridine-thiosemicarbazone). The temperature-dependent zero-field-cooled (ZFC) and field-cooled (FC) measurements indicated the blocking temperature at 160 K and 180 K, respectively. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of Fe3O4@1 and Fe3O4@2 is 8.106 m2/g and 1.787 m2/g, respectively. Cationic dye methylene blue (MB) and anionic dye methyl orange (MO) were investigated for selective dye adsorption on Fe3O4@1 and Fe3O4@2. The two adsorbents were beneficial for selective adsorption of cationic dyes. The adsorption efficiency of MB was 94.8% for Fe3O4@1, 97.67% for Fe3O4@2. Furthermore, the two adsorbents almost maintained the same adsorption efficiency after seven runs. The maximum MB adsorption capacity of Fe3O4@1 and Fe3O4@2 is 72.07 and 73.25 mg/g, respectively. The fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra of the adsorbents collected after adsorption of MB are very similar to the initial as-synthesized Fe3O4@polyoxometalates indicating the high stability of the two adsorbents. The adsorption kinetics indicated that the MB removal followed the pseudo-second-order model. These results showed that the two adsorbents had a potential application in treating wastewater.

Potential biomarkers of acute myocardial infarction based on weighted gene co-expression network analysis.

BACKGROUND: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the common cause of mortality in developed countries. The feasibility of whole-genome gene expression analysis to identify outcome-related genes and dysregulated pathways remains unknown. Molecular marker such as BNP, CRP and other serum inflammatory markers have got the notice at this point. However, these biomarkers exhibit elevated levels in patients with thyroid disease, renal failure and congestive heart failure. In this study, three groups of microarray data sets (GES66360, GSE48060, GSE29532) were collected from GEO, a total of 99, 52 and 55 samples, respectively. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to obtain a classifier which composed of related genes that best characterize the AMI. RESULTS: Here, this study obtained three groups of microarray data sets (GES66360, GSE48060, GSE29532) on AMI blood samples, a total of 99, 52 and 24 samples, respectively. In all, 4672 genes, 3185 genes, 3660 genes were identified in GSE66360, GSE48060, GSE60993 modules, respectively. We preformed WGCNA, GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis on these three data sets, finding function enrichment of the differential expression gene on inflammation and immune response. Transcriptome analysis were performed in AMI patients at four time points compared to CAD patients with no history of MI, to determine gene expression profiles and their possible changes during the recovery from myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that three overlapping genes (FGFBP2, GFOD1 and MLC1) between two modules could be a potential use of gene biomarkers for the diagnose of AMI.

Telmisartan suppresses cardiomyocyte and alveolar wall hypertrophy by the PPARγ-ERK-NFAT complex by changing the balance of PPARγ and ERK.

Telmisartan inhibits cardiomyocytes by activating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPARγ), downregulating extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and inhibiting nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT). However, it has been unclear whether telmisartan is intrinsically associated with PPARγ, ERK, and NFAT. The present study focused on the role of telmisartan with respect to PPARγ, ERK, and NFAT. Angiotensin II was used to stimulate primary cardiomyocytes to create a cardiomyocyte hypertrophy model in vitro with increased pathologic protein synthesis and NFAT nuclear translocation. Telmisartan suppressed angiotensin II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy by inhibiting protein synthesis and NFAT nuclear translocation. The inhibition by telmisartan was reversed by both a PPARγ inhibitor and ERK activator. These results indicated that PPARγ and ERK play opposing roles in regulating telmisartan inhibition of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. When we precipitated cardiomyocyte NFAT, we found that PPARγ and ERK bind to NFAT, indicating that the PPARγ-ERK-NFAT complex mediated telmisartan inhibition of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. In this complex, the balance of PPARγ and ERK is critical to regulate NFAT function. Finally, we created a new model to explain the mechanism by which telmisartan prevents cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.

A Magnetic Adsorbent for the Removal of Cationic Dyes from Wastewater.

In this article, a study was presented on the adsorption activity of a new nanocomposite particle Fe3O4@1, which was synthesized by combining [Cu(HL)2]2H2[P2Mo5O23]·10H2O (1) (HL = 2-acetylpyridine semicarbazone) and Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction analyses revealed that Fe3O4@1 possessed high crystallinity with an average particle size of 19.1 nm. The adsorption activity of the as-prepared Fe3O4@1 was investigated by photometrically monitoring the removal of methylene blue, rhodamine B, safranine T, gentian violet, fuchsin basic, and methyl orange from aqueous solutions. Significantly, we could easily separate Fe3O4@1 from the reaction media by applying an external magnet. Furthermore, the recycling performance was observed using methylene blue, revealing the recyclability and high stability of Fe3O4@1. It was shown that Fe3O4@1 is a promising candidate material for adsorbing cationic dyes in aqueous media.

Motion deblurring with temporally coded illumination in an LED array microscope.

Motion blur, which results from time-averaging an image over the camera's exposure time, is a common problem in microscopy of moving samples. Here, we demonstrate linear motion deblurring using temporally coded illumination in an LED array microscope. By illuminating moving objects with a well-designed temporal coded sequence that varies during each single camera exposure, the resulting motion blur is invertible and can be computationally removed. This scheme is implemented in an existing LED array microscope, providing benefits of being grayscale, fast, and adaptive, which leads to high-quality deblur performance and a flexible implementation with no moving parts. The proposed method is demonstrated experimentally for fast moving targets in a microfluidic environment.

Advanced hyperspectral video imaging system using Amici prism.

In this paper, we propose an advanced hyperspectral video imaging system (AHVIS), which consists of an objective lens, an occlusion mask, a relay lens, an Amici prism and two cameras. An RGB camera is used for spatial reading and a gray scale camera is used for measuring the scene with spectral information. The objective lens collects more light energy from the observed scene and images the scene on an occlusion mask, which subsamples the image of the observed scene. Then, the subsampled image is sent to the gray scale camera through the relay lens and the Amici prism. The Amici prism that is used to realize spectral dispersion along the optical path reduces optical distortions and offers direct view of the scene. The main advantages of the proposed system are improved light throughput and less optical distortion. Furthermore, the presented configuration is more compact, robust and practicable.

Content-adaptive high-resolution hyperspectral video acquisition with a hybrid camera system.

We present a hybrid camera system that combines optical designs with computational processing to achieve content-adaptive high-resolution hyperspectral video acquisition. In particular, we record two video streams: one high-spatial resolution RGB video and one low-spatial resolution hyperspectral video in which the recorded points are dynamically selected using a spatial light modulator (SLM). Then through video-frame registration and a spatio-temporal spreading of the co-located spectral/RGB information, video with high spatial and spectral resolution is produced. The sampling patterns on the SLM are generated on-the-fly according to the scene content, which fully exploits the self-adaptivity of the hybrid camera system. With an experimental prototype, we demonstrate significantly improved accuracy and efficiency as compared to the state-of-the-art.