The role of green tea intake in thromboprophylaxis of venous thromboembolism in patients with cancer.

Background: Green tea intake has been reported to improve the clinical outcomes of patients with cardiovascular diseases or cancer. It may have a certain role in the development of venous thromboembolism (VTE) among cancer patients. The current study aimed to address this issue, which has been understudied. Methods: We carried out a retrospective study to explore the role of green tea intake in cancer patients. Patients with and without green tea intake were enrolled in a 1:1 ratio by using propensity scoring matching. The primary and secondary outcomes were VTE development and mortality 1 year after cancer diagnosis, respectively. Results: The cancer patients with green tea intake (n = 425) had less VTE development (10 [2.4%] vs. 23 [5.4%], p = 0.021), VTE-related death (7 [1.6%] vs. 18 [4.2%], p = 0.026), and fatal pulmonary embolism (PE) (3 [0.7%] vs. 12 [2.8%], p = 0.019), compared with those without green tea intake (n = 425). No intake of green tea was correlated with an increase in VTE development (multivariate hazard ratio (HR) 1.758 [1.476-2.040], p < 0.001) and VTE-related mortality (HR 1.618 [1.242-1.994], p = 0.001), compared with green tea intake. Patients with green tea intake less than 525 mL per day had increased VTE development (area under the curve (AUC) 0.888 [0.829-0.947], p < 0.001; HR1.737 [1.286-2.188], p = 0.001) and VTE-related mortality (AUC 0.887 [0.819-0.954], p < 0.001; HR 1.561 [1.232-1.890], p = 0.016) than those with green tea intake more than 525 mL per day. Green tea intake caused a decrease in platelet (p < 0.001) instead of D-dimer (p = 0.297). The all-cause mortality rates were similar between green tea (39 [9.2%]) and non-green tea (48 [11.3%]) intake groups (p = 0.308), whereas the VTE-related mortality rate in the green tea intake group (7 [1.6%]) was lower than that of the non-green tea intake group (18 [4.2%]) (p = 0.026). The incidences of adverse events were similar between the green tea and non-green tea intake groups. Conclusion: In conclusion, the current study suggests that green tea intake reduces VTE development and VTE-related mortality in cancer patients, most likely through antiplatelet mechanisms. Drinking green tea provides the efficacy of thromboprophylaxis for cancer patients.

Melittin induces autophagy to alleviate chronic renal failure in 5/6-nephrectomized rats and angiotensin II-induced damage in podocytes.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Chronic renal failure (CRF) is a complex pathological condition that lacks a cure. Certain Chinese medicines, such as melittin, a major component in bee venom, have shown efficacy in treating CRF patients. On the other hand, the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of melittin are unclear. MATERIALS/METHODS: A 5/6 nephrectomy model (5/6 Nx) of renal failure was established on rats for in vivo assays, and mouse podocyte clone 5 (MPC5) mouse podocyte cells were treated with angiotensin II (AngII) to establish an in vitro podocyte damage model. The 24-h urine protein, serum creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen levels were evaluated after one, 2, and 4 weeks. Hematoxylin and eosin staining, Masson staining, and periodic acid-Schiff staining were used to examine the pathological changes in kidney tissues. A cell counting kit 8 assay was used to assess the cell viability. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were used to assess the mRNA and protein levels in the cells, respectively. RESULTS: In the rat 5/6 Nx, melittin reduced the 24-h urinary protein excretion and the serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels. Furthermore, the renal pathology was improved in the melittin-treated 5/6 Nx rats. Melittin promoted podocin, nephrin, Beclin 1, and the LC3II/LC3I ratio and inhibited phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/mTOR in 5/6 Nx-induced rats and AngII-induced MPC5 mouse podocyte cells. Moreover, inhibiting autophagy with 3-MA weakened the effects of melittin on podocin, nephrin, and the LC3II/LC3I ratio in podocytes. CONCLUSION: Melittin may offer protection against kidney injury, probably by regulating podocyte autophagy. These results provide the theoretical basis for applying melittin in CRF therapy.

Ultrahigh Bifunctional Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction and H2 Evolution by Synergistic Interaction of Heteroatomic Pt-Ru Dimerization Sites.

Diatomic-site catalysts (DASCs) inherit the excellent performance of single-atom catalysts (SACs) by utilizing two adjacent atomic metal species to achieve functional complementarity and synergistic effects that improve the carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR) and H2 evolution reaction (HER) kinetics. Herein, we report a method to further improve the catalytic efficiency of Pt by using Pt and Ru single atoms randomly anchored on a g-C3N4 surface, yielding partial Pt-Ru dimers. The synthesized catalyst exhibits extraordinary photocatalytic activity and stability in both the CO2RR and HER processes. In-depth experimentation, the pH-dependent chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method, and theoretical analyses reveal that the excellent performance is attributed to orbital coupling between the Pt atoms and the neighboring Ru atoms (mainly dxy and dxz), which decreases the orbital energy levels and weakens the bond strength with intermediates, resulting in improved CO2RR and HER performance. This study successfully applies the pH-dependent CEST imaging NMR method to catalytic reactions, and CO2 adsorption is directly observed using CEST 2D imaging maps. This work presents significant potential for a variety of catalytic reaction applications by systematically designing bimetallic dimers with higher activity and stability.

In-sample stability and postsampling analysis of 21 illicit drugs, their metabolites and cotinine in wastewater.

A thorough understanding of the degradation of chemical biomarkers in wastewater after the sampling is critical in the surveillance of illicit drug use based on the back-calculation technique. Herein, three temperatures, eight groups of matrices, and acidification were applied to simulate the preservation condition of 21 illicit drugs, their metabolites, and cotinine for a 240-day stability study. It was proved that the temperature, matrices, and acidification play vital roles in their stability in wastewater. Most of them demonstrated high stability (transformation rates < 20%) during room temperature for 45 days, and the transformation rates decreased while the storage temperature reduced. The stability of the target compounds such as cocaine (COC), 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), and amphetamine (AM) is influenced by matrices. Acidification prevented the majority of analytes from transforming, making it a feasible solution for preservation after sampling. A model that combined the effects of temperature and matrix was developed to back-calculate the concentration of target compounds during the postsampling process. The feasibility of this model was validated by correcting the loss of COC and 6-MAM from 24.2% and 16.2% to 2.98% and 2.77%. This study simulated a typical large-scale sampling and storage scenario. The effect of the temperature, pH, and matrix on in-sample stability and the postsampling analysis of selected target compounds was investigated for the first time in this study.

Ferroelectricity and Thermochromism in a 2D Dion-Jacobson Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Perovskite.

2D organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites (OIHPs) have become one of the hottest research topics due to their excellent environmental stability and unique optoelectronic properties. Recently, the ferroelectricity and thermochromism of 2D OIHPs have attracted increasing interests. Integrating ferroelectricity and thermochromism into perovskites can significantly promote the development of multichannel intelligent devices. Here, a novel 2D Dion-Jacobson OIHP of the formula (3AMP)PbI4 (where 3AMP is 3-(aminomethyl)pyridinium) is reported, which has a remarkable spontaneous polarization value (Ps) of 15.6 µC cm-2 and interesting thermochromism. As far it is known, such a large Ps value is the highest for 2D OIHPs recorded so far. These findings will inspire further exploration and application of multifunctional perovskites.

The protection of CoronaVac against the infection of wild-type SARS-CoV-2 (WH-09) or Omicron variant in nude-hACE2 mice.

BACKGROUND: Immunocompromised individuals have an increased risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and severe outcomes, but we pay less attention to these people. Athymic nude mice are a murine strain with a spontaneous deficiency of the Foxn1 gene, which can result in thymic degeneration or its absence, leading to immunosuppression and a decrease in the number of T cells, and are widely used in preclinical evaluations of disease in immunocompromised populations. METHODS: We investigated the protection of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) inactivated vaccine (CoronaVac) against the infection of wild-type SARS-CoV-2 (WH-09) or Omicron variant utilizing a hybrid-type nude-hACE2 mouse model. RESULTS: Compared with nude-hACE2/W mice, the viral load in the brain and lung tissue of nude-hACE2 mice (nude-hACE2/WV) infected with WH-09 after vaccination significantly decreased, and the histopathological changes were also reduced. The viral load in the brain and lung tissue of nude-hACE2 mice (nude-hACE2/OV) infected with the Omicron variant after vaccination was lower than that in nude-hACE2/O, but histopathological symptoms did not improve significantly. CONCLUSION: CoronaVac provides some protection against infection of both WH-09 and the Omicron variant in the nude-hACE2 mice. Our findings aimed to provide a reference for vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in immunocompromised populations.

Nail analysis for the assessment of caffeine abuse in Northwest China: A population-based study.

Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive agent worldwide and has the potential for abuse, but studies monitoring caffeine abuse in China are scarce. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of caffeine abuse in northwest China and investigate the correlation between caffeine and other drugs in hair and nails using an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Fingernail clippings were collected from 376 participants in northwest China to detect caffeine and 13 other illicit psychoactive drugs and their metabolites. Paired hair and nail samples were collected from 39 participants to investigate the correlation between caffeine and other drugs in hair and nails. The samples were decontaminated, pulverized, and extracted by a high-throughput nail sample preparation method and analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS. The results showed a risk of caffeine abuse in northwest China, with concentrations ranging from 0.43 to 10.6 ng/mg for healthy volunteers, 0.49-246 ng/mg for caffeine abusers, and 0.25-363 ng/mg for drug addicts in community rehabilitation centers. Caffeine was detected together with other illicit psychoactive drugs and their metabolites. Furthermore, positive detection correlations were found between hair and nail samples. This study provides a current perspective on caffeine abuse in northwest China and demonstrates the practical use of UPLC-MS/MS for the simultaneous detection of caffeine and 13 illicit psychoactive drugs and their metabolites in hair and nails. The results highlight the potential of nails as a supplementary matrix when hair samples are unavailable and emphasize the need for handling caffeine carefully given its potential for abuse.

The default mode network is affected in the early stage of simian immunodeficiency virus infection: a longitudinal study.

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome infection can lead to cognitive dysfunction represented by changes in the default mode network. Most recent studies have been cross-sectional and thus have not revealed dynamic changes in the default mode network following acquired immune deficiency syndrome infection and antiretroviral therapy. Specifically, when brain imaging data at only one time point are analyzed, determining the duration at which the default mode network is the most effective following antiretroviral therapy after the occurrence of acquired immune deficiency syndrome. However, because infection times and other factors are often uncertain, longitudinal studies cannot be conducted directly in the clinic. Therefore, in this study, we performed a longitudinal study on the dynamic changes in the default mode network over time in a rhesus monkey model of simian immunodeficiency virus infection. We found marked changes in default mode network connectivity in 11 pairs of regions of interest at baseline and 10 days and 4 weeks after virus inoculation. Significant interactions between treatment and time were observed in the default mode network connectivity of regions of interest pairs area 31/V6.R and area 8/frontal eye field (FEF). L, area 8/FEF.L and caudal temporal parietal occipital area (TPOC).R, and area 31/V6.R and TPOC.L. ART administered 4 weeks after infection not only interrupted the progress of simian immunodeficiency virus infection but also preserved brain function to a large extent. These findings suggest that the default mode network is affected in the early stage of simian immunodeficiency virus infection and that it may serve as a potential biomarker for early changes in brain function and an objective indicator for making early clinical intervention decisions.

Simultaneous quantification of 106 drugs or their metabolites in nail samples by UPLC-MS/MS with high-throughput sample preparation: Application to 294 real cases.

The nail is an alternative matrix to complement hair analysis in proving drug intake over several months in forensic toxicology investigations. However, because of the high hardness and toughness of nails, the existing pretreatment procedures for nails have the disadvantages of either a high degree of time consumption (from hours to days), or low extraction recoveries. This study aims to propose a high-throughput nail sample preparation method and provide a quantitative analytical method for 106 drugs and their metabolites present in nail. We developed cryogenic grinding, coupled with high-speed grinding in the extraction solvent method, which could improve the extraction recovery by thoroughly destroying the nail keratin for approximately 18 min. Subsequently, an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the identification and quantification of 34 synthetic cannabinoids, 26 fentanyls, 18 synthetic cathinones, 10 phenylethylamines, eight opioids, three phencyclidine, two tryptamines, two piperazine, cocaine, benzoylecgonine, and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Nail samples were collected from people with a history of drug abuse from five different regions of China. The analysis of 294 authentic samples resulted in 213 detected samples, and showed a broad concentration range including 5.04-67.26 pg/mg for nine synthetic cannabinoids, 109.29-250.29 pg/mg for a synthetic cathinone, 5.06-434291 pg/mg for four phenylethylamines, 5.06-464278 pg/mg for three phencyclidine, 5.50-192195 pg/mg for six opioids, 19.44-36.11 pg/mg for cocaine, and 50.53 pg/mg for THC in nail. Furthermore, up to 10 different compounds were detected in a single nail sample. This nail analysis method serves as a useful tool for the large-scale surveillance of illicit drugs abuse.

The effects of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and subsequent infection of pregnant mice on the behaviors of offspring.

The mass inoculation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines to induce herd immunity is one of the most effective measures we can deploy in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Pregnant women are prone to a higher risk of COVID-19, and maternal infection is a risk factor for a range of neurological disorders leading to abnormal behavior in adulthood. However, there are limited clinical data to support whether vaccination or infection post-immunization in pregnant women can affect the behavioral cognition of fetuses in adulthood. In this study, human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 pregnant mice (F0 generation) were immunized with CoronaVac and then infected with SARS-CoV-2. Subsequently, we analyzed the behavioral cognition of their adult offspring (F1 generation) using the open-field test and Morris water maze test. The adult F1 generation did not exhibit any impairments in spontaneous locomotor activity or spatial reference memory.

Safety and protective capability of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine on pregnancy, lactation and the growth of offspring in hACE2 mice.

The mass inoculation of a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine to induce herd immunity is one of the most effective measures to fight COVID-19. The vaccination of pregnant women cannot only avoid or reduce the probability of infectious diseases, but also offers the most effective and direct protection for neonates by means of passive immunization. However, there is no randomized clinical data to ascertain whether the inactivated vaccination of pregnant women or women of childbearing age can affect conception and the fetus. We found that human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) mice that were vaccinated with two doses of CoronaVac (an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine) before and during pregnancy exhibited normal weight changes and reproductive performance indices; the physical development of their offspring was also normal. Following intranasal inoculation with SARS-CoV-2, pregnant mice in the immunization group all survived; reproductive performance indices and the physical development of offspring were all normal. In contrast, mice in the non-immunization group all died before delivery. Analyses showed that inoculation of CoronaVac was safe and did not exert any significant effects on pregnancy, lactation, or the growth of offspring in hACE2 mice. Vaccination effectively protected the pregnant mice against SARS-CoV-2 infection and had no adverse effects on the growth and development of the offspring, thus suggesting that inoculation with an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine may be an effective strategy to prevent infection in pregnant women.

UPLC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous quantification of caffeine and illicit psychoactive drugs in hair using a single-step high-speed grinding extraction - Insights into a cut-off value for caffeine abuse.

Caffeine is a commonly consumed psychoactive substance whose addictive potential has long been reported. Excessive caffeine intake may lead to severe health damage or drug addiction problems; however, studies on the surveillance of caffeine abuse by the Chinese population are lacking. This study aimed to propose a concentration value for caffeine based on hair analysis to distinguish excessive intake from normal consumption, and provide an analytical tool for forensic toxicology investigations of caffeine and other frequently abused drugs. A sensitive and accurate ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed to detect caffeine and 13 illicit drugs and their metabolites in hair. Thereafter, this method was employed to test 479 real samples. Briefly, the hair samples were washed with water and acetone, and subsequently extracted by one-step high-speed grinding with acetonitrile-buffer solution. The lower limit of quantifications of 0.05 ng/mg for caffeine and THC, and 0.005 ng/mg for others, were achieved for all substances. The results revealed a mean caffeine concentration of 0.78 (range 0.008-3.5 ng/mg) based on 24 healthy volunteers, 55.0 (range 3.07-292.2 ng/mg) based on 52 self-reported caffeine abuse participants, and 5.78 (range 0-140.34 ng/mg) based on 403 drug addicts. The mean caffeine concentration in hair from self-reported caffeine abusers was 70-fold higher than that in hair from healthy volunteers. A tentative cut-off level of 5.5 ng/mg as an indicator of excessive caffeine consumption was developed based on receiver operating characteristic analysis. Additionally, the assessment of 403 hair samples from drug addicts indicated that illicit drug abusers had potential for caffeine abuse, especially polydrug users. This hair analysis method serves as a useful tool for the large-scale surveillance of caffeine and illicit drug abuse.

Longitudinal white matter alterations in SIVmac239-infected rhesus monkeys with and without regular cART treatment.

Objective: To use SIV-mac239-infected Chinese rhesus monkeys to study white matter changes with and without regular combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) and the relationships between the changes and clinical results. Methods: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data were collected at baseline and 10 days, 4 weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, and 36 weeks after viral inoculation. Plasma CD4 T cell counts, CD4/CD8 ratio, plasma viral load, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) viral load were collected at baseline and 1 week, 5 weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, and 36 weeks after viral inoculation. Microstructural characteristics were examined within 76 white matter areas defined by the DTI-white matter (WM) atlas for rhesus macaques. Corrections for multiple comparisons were performed using a false discovery rate (p < 0.05, FDR). Correlation analyzes between imaging markers and clinical markers (plasma CD4 T cell counts, CD4/CD8 ratio, plasma viral load, and cerebral spinal fluid viral load) were performed using Pearson correlations. Results: White matter changes in SIV-infected macaques were detected in different brain regions as early as 4 weeks after inoculation. As time progressed, cART reversed, ameliorated, or even enhanced the effects. The CD4 T cell count was mainly associated with DTI metrics before cART, while the CD4/CD8 ratio was associated with white matter changes with and without cART. Viral load was positively associated with mean diffusivity in HIV patients without cART, and the opposite results were seen in HIV patients with cART. Conclusion: SIV-mac239 infection may be an ideal tool for studying HIV-induced changes in the brain. The first white matter changes appeared in a structure adjacent to the periventricular area as early as 4 weeks after inoculation. As time progressed, cART had different effects on different regions, reversing, attenuating, or even progressing the pathology. Moreover, these changes were closely related to the CD4/CD8 ratio and viral load, even after cART.

Longitudinal trajectories of brain volume in combined antiretroviral therapy treated and untreated simian immunodeficiency virus-infected rhesus macaques.

OBJECTIVES: We used simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected nonhuman primates to investigate longitudinal changes of brain volume caused by SIV and the effect of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). In addition, the relation between viral load, immune status, and brain volume were explored. DESIGN: A longitudinal study of two healthy controls, five SIVmac239-infected macaques received cART (SIV+cART+) at 40 days postinnoculation, and five SIVmac239-infected macaques received no therapy (SIV+cART-). METHODS: Structural T1-weighted MRI, blood and cerebrospinal fluid testing were acquired at multiple time points for 48 weeks postinfection (wpi). Brain volume was estimated using region of interest (ROI)-based analysis. Volume differences were compared among three groups. Linear regression models tested the associations between brain volumes and biomarkers (viral load, CD4+ T-cell count, CD4+/CD8+ ratio). RESULTS: In our model, brain volume alteration in SIV-infected macaques can be detected at 12 wpi in several brain regions. As the infection progresses, the SIV+cART- macaques displayed generalized gray matter atrophy at the endpoint. Though initiate cART right after acute infection, SIV+cART+ macaques still displayed brain atrophy but showed signs of reversibility. Plasma viral load is mainly associated with subcortical nucleus volume whereas CD4+ T-cell count and CD4+/CD8+ ratio in plasma were associated with widespread cortical volume. CONCLUSION: The SIVmac239-infected Chinese origin macaque is a valid model for neuroHIV. Brain atrophy caused by SIV infection can be relieved, even reversed, by cART. Our model also provides new insights into understanding the pathogenesis of brain injury in people with HIV (PWH).

Supramolecular Chirality Suppresses Molecular Chirality: Selective Chiral Recognition in Hierarchically Coassembled Pyridine-Benzimidazole Conjugates with Precise ee% Detection.

Incorporation of aromatic chiral species with axial, helical, or propeller chirality in surapmolecular chiral motifs would potentially facilitate the chiroptical applications such as enantiomeric excess detection, chiral sensing, and displays, which however suffer from inevitable competition between supramolecular chirality and molecular chirality and remain major challenges. Here, we show the programmable coassembly of pyridine-cored benzimidazole derivatives with intrinsic propeller chirality, which shall form binary and ternary aggregates with chiral acids as well as metal ions though H-bonds and metal-ligand coordination interactions in an orthogonal manner, to enhance and flexibly control the chiroptical properties. Solid-state X-ray structures of pyridine-benzimidazole derivatives suggested they adopted the propeller molecular chirality. Competition between molecular and supramolecular chirality and dynamic binding toward enantiomers of pyridine-benzimidazole derivatives was observed in the coassembly systems based on the chiroptical responses and molecular dynamic simulation. Compared to the intrinsic racemic assembly, coassembly systems produced chiroptical responses including the Cotton effect and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) with relatively high dissymmetry factor (gabs up to 4.9 × 10-2, glum up to 9.6 × 10-3). Furthermore, chiroptical responses were further controlled by introducing metal ions, achieving inverted handedness and tunable dissymmetry factors. This work provides feasible strategies to efficiently regulate and enhance the chiroptical properties of intrinsic aromatics via multiple interactions, which also expressed great potential in quantitative ee% sensing for chiral acids.

Laboratory biosafety emergency management for SARS-CoV-2.

A biosafety laboratory is a prerequisite for studying emerging infectious diseases. Safe and effective operation in laboratories and the handling of pathogens determine the safety of the personnel, pathogens, and the environment in the laboratory, which are among the key factors for successful experimentation. In this article, we aimed to provide ideas for the emergency management of biosafety laboratories, including a discussion on the urgency of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) related experimental activities, tracking clinical information, taking emergency measures, revision of the risk assessment process, and standardization of personal protective equipment and personnel behavior standards.

[Effect of bloodletting at tip of ear with different amounts on pain in patients with early-stage stye: a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the curative effect between bloodletting at tip of ear with different amounts combined with western medication and western medication alone for early-stage stye. METHODS: A total of 108 patients with early-stage stye were randomly divided into a 50 µL group (36 cases, 4 cases dropped off), a 100 µL group (36 cases, 2 cases dropped off) and a western medication group (36 cases, 5 cases dropped off). The patients in the western medication group were treated with levofloxacin eye drops and levofloxacin hydrochloride eye gel. Based on the treatment of the western medication group, the patients in the 50 µL group were treated with 50 µL bloodletting (about 3 drops) at tip of ear while the patients in the 100 µL group were treated with 100 µL bloodletting (about 6 drops) at tip of ear; the bloodletting was given once a day for 3 days. After treatment, the changes of visual analogue scale (VAS) and clinical effect were observed, and the patients were followed up by telephone on the 8th day. RESULTS: After treatment, the VAS score in each group was reduced (P<0.01), and the score in the 50 µL group and 100 µL group was lower than that in the western medication group (P<0.05, P<0.01), and the score in the 100 µL group was lower than that in the 50 µL group (P<0.05). After treatment, the cured rate was 76.5% (26/34) in the 100 µL group, 71.9% (23/32) in the 50 µL group and 51.6% (16/31) in the western medication group, and there were no significant differences among three groups (P>0.05). One week after the onset of the disease, all the patients in the 50 µL group and 100 µL group were cured, and one patient in the western medication group was not cured, and treated with routine surgery. CONCLUSION: Based on the conventional western medication treatment, bloodletting at tip of ear can significantly reduce the pain of stye, and the effect of 100 µL bleeding is better than 50 µL.

Bloodletting at EX-HN6 as an adjunctive therapy to eye drops for stye: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of bloodletting (BL) at ear-apex (EX-HN6) as an adjunctive therapy to eye drops for stye. METHODS: This study systematically searched electronic databases from inception to March 1, 2020 in PUBMED, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journals Full-text Database, and WanFang Database. All potential randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effectiveness and safety of BL at EX-HN6 as an adjunctive therapy to eye drops for stye were included in this study. Study quality of all included studies was assessed by Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool. RevMan 5.3 software was used for statistical analysis and meta-analysis performance. RESULTS: A total of 11 RCTs, involving 1718 subjects, were included in this study. Results showed that BL at EX-HN6 as an adjunctive therapy to eye drops was superior to the eye drops alone in enhancing total effectiveness rate (risk ratio [RR] 1.21, 95% confidence intervals [CIs] [1.11, 1.32], I = 79%), and total cure rate (RR 1.28, 95% CIs [1.14, 1.43], I = 69%). After removing two studies, results of subgroup analysis still showed significant improvements in total effectiveness rate (RR 1.13, 95% CIs [1.08, 1.18], I = 0%), and total cure rate (RR 1.16, 95% CIs [1.08, 1.24], I = 0%). No data of adverse reactions was reported in primary trials, thus, this study did not analyze adverse reactions of BL at EX-HN6 as an adjunctive therapy to eye drops for stye. CONCLUSION: BL at EX-HN6 as an adjunctive therapy to eye drops may benefit stye. However, high-quality RCTs addressing on this issue is still needed to warrant the findings of this study.

A guanosine-based 2-formylphenylborate ester hydrogel with high selectivity to K+ ions.

Guanosine-based supramolecular hydrogels are particularly of interest for biomaterial and biomedical purposes, as they are generally biocompatible and stimuli-responsive. We found a strong and long-life transparent hydrogel made by mixing guanosine (G) with 1 equiv. of 2-formylbenzeneboronic acid (2FPB) and KOH. Alkali cations can assist the stacking of individual G-quartet to give extended nanowires, but only K+ ion induces the formation of a stable and self-supporting network hydrogel for a couple of months. Data from variable temperature NMR indicated that guanosine 2-formylbenzeneborate ester and G are the key components of the self-assembly. Further, G-2FPB-K+ hydrogel solution can induce berberine (BBR) fluorescence, showing high selectivity to K+ ion and anti-ion interference capability. A good linear relationship between fluorescent intensity and K+ concentration allowed us to directly detect K+ levels in human blood serum.

In situ and real-time ToF-SIMS analysis of light-induced chemical changes in perovskite CH3NH3PbI3.

A hybrid light/ToF-SIMS system was used to analyze the dynamic chemical changes of perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 films under light illumination, in order to reveal the mechanism of light instability for perovskite materials. Real-time material degradation and quasi-reversible iodine migration were successfully observed.