Viscous, Hofmeister Effect-Enhanced Macromolecular Adhesives for Effective Bonding in Seawater.

Deployment of adhesives in natural seawater to in situ bonds is urgently needed in engineering fields. However, stable adhesion in natural seawater remains a challenge due to the turbulent environment and high ion concentration. Herein, we reported a viscous, macromolecular underwater adhesive enhanced by Hofmeister effect (EHUA) for practical application in dynamic seawater. EHUA was synthesized via a facile one-step copolymerization. After transferred into seawater, the solvent of EHUA was exchanged to seawater, and thereby hydrogen bonds inside the adhesive were activated and enhanced by Hofmeister effect. We demonstrated EHUA can adhere on the surface in turbulent seawater, and the adhesive strength could reach 1.691 MPa. In addition, the adhesives also exhibited long-term storage stability and convenient recyclability. These fascinating properties enable adhesives to seal leaky pipelines, repair damaged ships and construct buildings in turbulent seawater. This work may open an avenue for the design of adhesives for seawater environments.

Supportive Communication to Facilitate Chinese Patients' Adaptation to a Permanent Colostomy: A Qualitative Case Study Approach.

This study, which is a part of action research, aims to explore how supportive communication can impact individuals' adaptation to a permanent colostomy in a Chinese cultural context. Two Chinese rectal cancer patients with complexity and difficulty in living with a permanent colostomy were selected using a qualitative case study approach. The researcher (H.T.) interacted with the participants along their journey from the preoperative period until the third postoperative month after discharge via face-to-face or telephone interviews. Content analysis was applied. Supportive communication was characterized by "communication as a supportive tool," which consisted of 4 elements: respect, description, empathy, and empowerment. The nursing strategies included (1) developing a collaborative relationship with patients and families; (2) understanding patients' concerns and problems; (3) discussing potential solutions; (4) encouraging patients to take action; (5) bringing out emotional expression; (6) normalizing negative emotions; and (7) protecting hope. The findings of this study informed that supportive communication is a valuable tool for nurses to provide informational and emotional support to Chinese patients in order to enhance their adaptation to living with a permanent colostomy. Developing an operational manual to enhance supportive communication for patients with colostomy is suggested.

Taking good care of myself: a qualitative study on self-care behavior among Chinese persons with a permanent colostomy.

In Chinese culture, as a possible consequence of Confucianism, caring for the sick is considered a moral obligation of family members, while self-care is only the basis of fulfilling filial piety. This qualitative study aims to explore the self-care behavior among persons with a permanent colostomy in a Chinese cultural context of emphasizing the role of family caregiving. Data from in-depth interviews with seven Chinese adults at a university hospital in southwest China were analyzed using content analysis. Informants' self-care behavior was characterized by "taking good care of myself," which underlined individuals' efforts to manage colostomy-related impacts involving: (i) taking care of my colostomy with a proper degree of independence; (ii) taking care of my life by dealing with limitations; (iii) taking care of my mood in a positive way. Findings revealed that informants' self-care behavior was linked to their Confucian beliefs in family obligations, and also influenced by a happy-go-lucky outlook of life, a likely product of Taoism. The information is useful for nurses to design a culturally appropriate care plan to improve self-care behavior and proper family caregiving.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 breed Longshengcui and its phylogenetic analyses.

Duck breed Longshengcui (Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 breed Longshengcui, LSC) is one of the famous native breed of the Guangxi Zhuang Nationality Autonomous Region in China. In this study, we report the complete mitochondrial genome of LSC. The mitogenome (GenBank accession no. MZ895120) has 16,602 bp in length and consisted of the well-known 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, and the control region. The phylogenetic analysis showed that LSC and Zhijiang duck have highly similar genetic relationship. These results are helpful for the conservation of genetic resources and phylogeny of this species.

Sensitivity evaluation of 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) RT-PCR detection kits and strategy to reduce false negative.

The early detection and differential diagnosis of respiratory infections increase the chances for successful control of COVID-19 disease. The nucleic acid RT-PCR test is regarded as the current standard for molecular diagnosis. However, the maximal specificity confirmation target ORF1ab gene is considered to be less sensitive than other targets in clinical application. In addition, recent evidence indicated that the initial missed diagnosis of asymptomatic patients with SARS-CoV-2 and discharged patients with "re-examination positive" might be due to low viral load, and the ability of rapid mutation of SARS-CoV-2 also increases the rate of false-negative results. Moreover, the mixed sample nucleic acid detection is helpful in seeking out the early community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 rapidly, but the detection kit needs ultra-high detection sensitivity. Herein, the lowest detection concentration of different nucleic acid detection kits was evaluated and compared to provide direct evidence for the selection of kits for mixed sample detection or make recommendations for the selection of validation kit, which is of great significance for the prevention and control of the current epidemic and the discharge criteria of low viral load patients.

Transmission Routes Analysis of SARS-CoV-2: A Systematic Review and Case Report.

The global outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 spread rapidly throughout the world which transmitted among humans through various routes. Asymptomatic (carriers) and possible fecal-oral transmission, resulted into a large-scale spread. These issues pose great challenges to disease diagnosis and epidemic control. We obtained data on 29 cases of COVID-19 patients in Jinan, China, and reported the clinical data of asymptomatic patients confirmed with stool samples positive. Some patients with gastrointestinal infections are secondary to pulmonary infections, and during the patients' recovery period, the virus may still existin the patient's gastrointestinal tract over 7 days. We combined with epidemiological and clinical data of asymptomatic patients to analyze the possible routes of viral transmission and infection, including eyes-nose, hands-eyes, fecal-oral, and eyes-oral, et al., thus first presented the two-way transmission through eyes-oral. Through associating infection symptoms with the transmission routes of virus and the patient course of the disease, we expect to provide guidelines for clinical diagnosis and the basis for suppressing the spread of the virus and antiviral treatment.

A Biochemiluminescent Sialidase Assay for Diagnosis of Bacterial Vaginosis.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common condition among women of reproductive age. A sensitive, quantitative and rapid assay is needed for the diagnosis of and, particularly, therapy monitoring for BV. Bacterial sialidase appears to play an important role in bacterial biofilms on vaginal epithelium, a condition closely associated with BV. Here, we report a biochemiluminescent sialidase assay that uses a substrate derivatized with firefly luciferin. In the presence of sialidase in the reaction, the substrate is cleaved to release luciferin, which is subsequently oxidized by firefly luciferase to generate a light signal. Thus, the light signal intensity can be used to detect and measure the relative concentration of sialidase in a vaginal sample as a means of BV diagnosis. All reagents are present in a reagent bead and sample buffer, enabling essentially a one-step assay. The assay is highly sensitive and quantitative, with a sensitivity and specificity of 95.40% and 94.94%, respectively, compared to the Amsel method. Interestingly, only 27.6% of those with BV had high levels of sialidase activity with a signal to cutoff ratio of 10 or more. The assay may be used for diagnosis of BV, risk assessment of BV patients in terms of sialidase activity levels, and monitoring antibiotic therapy.

Correlation of expression levels of caspase-3 and Bcl-2 in alveolar lavage fluid in neonatal respiratory distress syndrome and prognosis.

This study was designed to investigate the correlation between expression levels of cysteine aspartic protease-3 (caspase-3) and B-cell lymphoma gene-2 (Bcl-2) proteins in alveolar lavage fluid and the prognosis of infants with neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). A total of 150 infants with neonatal RDS undergoing alveolar lavages were divided into four groups: RDS1 (group A, n=42), RDS2 (group B, n=38), RDS3 (group C, n=38) and RDS4 (group D, n=32) according to their thoracic X-ray film grading. The oxygen uptake score, oxygenation saturation, mean airway pressure and expression levels of caspase-3 and Bcl-2 in alveolar lavage fluid of the infants in the four groups were measured and compared. Our results showed higher grading by thoracic X-rays in patients with increased oxygen uptake score, oxygenation index, mean airway pressure, caspase-3 expression level, hospital stay, complications and death rates in all groups; however, the expression levels of Bcl-2 were decreased in those cases, and the differences had statistical significance among the four groups (P<0.05). Analyses for correlation showed a caspase-3 positive area that was positively correlated with oxygen uptake score, oxygenation index and mean airway pressure (P<0.05); and a Bcl-2 expression level that was negatively correlated with oxygen uptake score, oxygenation index and mean airway pressure (P<0.05). Based on our findings, the severity of neonatal RDS is positively correlated with the concentration of caspase-3 in alveolar lavage fluid, and negatively correlated with the expression level of Bcl-2.

Development of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification method for rapid detection of streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin B.

We developed a visual loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technique to detect the streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin B (speB) gene. Fifteen strains (from American Type Culture Collection or clinical isolates) were used to determine the specificity and sensitivity of the LAMP assay. Clinical samples were collected from 132 patients with suspected Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes) infection to verify the feasibility of the LAMP assay for detection of the speB gene. By using a set of five primers (a pair of outer primers, a pair of inner primers and one loop primer) targeting the speB gene, the amplification reaction was rapidly performed in a regular water bath under isothermal conditions at 63 °C for approximately 60 min. Only the two S. pyogenes strains showed positive results which were easily observed with the naked eye, and the other strains showed negative results. The detection limit of the LAMP assay was 0.01 ng/µl of template, showing higher sensitivity than conventional PCR (with a detection limit of 1.0 ng/µl). The detection rate of the speB gene in clinical samples was 71.21% and was consistent with the PCR results. The rapid detection of the speB gene by the LAMP assay is highly specific and sensitive, is simple to perform and cost-effective, and is expected to be a new reliable method for the rapid diagnosis of S. pyogenes infection, that is particularly suitable for rural or community hospitals in developing countries.

Quantitation of poloxamers in pharmaceutical formulations using size exclusion chromatography and colorimetric methods.

Poloxamers have been used as functional excipients in pharmaceutical products. They function as surfactants, emulsifying agents, solubilizing agents, dispersing agents, and in vivo absorbance enhancer. Despite their wide range of applications, limited analytical techniques have been reported in literature for characterizing poloxamers and few are targeted to quantify poloxamer contents in formulations with desired sensitivity and accuracy. In this paper, two distinct analytical methods for quantifying low levels of poloxamers in pharmaceutical formulations have been developed and optimized: a colorimetric method and a size exclusion chromatography method. The colorimetric method is based on the formation of a colored complex between poloxamers and cobalt(II) thiocyanate in aqueous medium, which has a maximum UV absorbance at 624 nm. The feasibility of this method is product specific. In this report, adequate specificity and sensitivity was demonstrated for only one of the several products tested. The size exclusion chromatography (SEC) method utilizes size exclusion columns with THF as mobile phase and refractive index detection. The SEC method provides a limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 0.005 mg/mL (0.0005%, w/w) and at least three orders of magnitudes of linear range. We applied the SEC method to pharmaceutical products containing 0.3-10% poloxamer 188 or poloxamer 407, such as Avapro, Neurontin, Sudafed and other developmental formulations. The results obtained with the SEC method agreed very well with literature and theoretical values with 97-102% recovery. The SEC method was proven to be widely applicable, accurate, precise and simple to use.

Brain­derived neurotrophic factor gene polymorphisms are associated with coronary artery disease­related depression and antidepressant response.

Depression is a well­established risk factor for cardiac morbidity and mortality in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Previous studies have demonstrated that the level of brain­derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is decreased in depressed patients and this depletion may be reversed by antidepressants. Several recent studies have suggested that BDNF is involved in the pathogenesis of CAD. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible association between seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the BDNF gene (SNPs; rs16917204, rs6265, rs7103873, rs16917237, rs56164415, rs13306221 and rs10767664) and coronary artery disease­related depression (CAD­D). In the present study, 616 CAD patients without depression (CAD­nD) and 155 patients with CAD­D were recruited, and the response to an eight week sertraline antidepressant treatment regimen was also evaluated. The results demonstrated that a significant association existed between the SNP rs6265, located in exon 4 of the BDNF gene, and CAD­D [χ2=9.634, P=0.002, odds ratio (OR)=1.486, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.156­1.910]. Another potential association was observed for rs13306221 (χ2=5.194, P=0.023, OR=2.139, 95% CI=1.096­4.175) in the promoter region of the BDNF gene. Strong linkage disequilibrium was observed in block 1 (rs16917204, rs6265; D'>0.9). However, there was no evidence of a significant linkage disequilibrium between the seven SNPs in our sample population. Additionally, carriers of the A allele of rs6265 exhibited improved responses to the sertraline treatment (χ2=8.942, P=0.003, OR=2.136, 95% CI=1.293­3.528). To the best of our knowledge, these results demonstrate, for the first time, the presence of a significant association between BDNF rs6265 and CAD­D, the identification of which may facilitate early diagnosis of CAD­D in the future.

Best practices for extractables and leachables in orally inhaled and nasal drug products: an overview of the PQRI recommendations.

The Product Quality Research Institute Leachables and Extractables Working Group includes pharmaceutical development scientists representing industry, government, and academia. The Working Group was created and constituted to address scientific and regulatory questions concerning the pharmaceutical development process for Orally Inhaled and Nasal Drug Products (OINDP) related to organic extractables and leachables. This effort has resulted in the creation of a detailed "Recommendation Document", which was submitted to the U.S. FDA for consideration in September 2006. The recommendations include proposed safety and analytical thresholds for leachables and extractables, as well as detailed "best practice" recommendations for various aspects of the OINDP pharmaceutical development process, including: materials selection for OINDP container closure system components, Controlled Extraction Studies, Leachables Studies, and Routine Extractables Testing. The Working Group's processes and the detailed and comprehensive recommendations that resulted from those processes, demonstrate that the Product Quality Research Institute collaborative process can result in consensus science-based and data driven recommendations that could have a positive effect on patient care. It is anticipated that the Working Group's recommendations will also contribute to the new "Quality by Design" pharmaceutical development paradigm. This commentary summarizes the best practice recommendations within the context of an overall pharmaceutical development process.