Multimorbidity patterns and the association with health status of the oldest-old in long-term care facilities in China: a two-step analysis.

BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of multimorbidity has created a serious global public health problem in aging populations. Certain multimorbidity patterns across different age ranges and their association with health status remain unclear. The main aim of this study is to identify multimorbidity patterns discrepancies and associated health status between younger-old and oldest-old. METHODS: The Ethics Committee of Nanjing Medical University approved the study protocol (No.2019-473). Convenience sampling method was used to recruit older adults aged ≥ 60 years with multimorbidity from July to December 2021 from 38 Landsea long-term care facilities in China. The multimorbidity patterns were analyzed using network analysis and two-step cluster analysis. One-Way ANOVA was utilized to explore their association with health status including body function, activity of daily living, and social participation. A Sankey diagram visualized the flow of health status within different multimorbidity patterns. This study is reported following the STROBE guidelines. RESULTS: A total of 214 younger-old (60-84 years) and 173 oldest-old (≥ 85 years) were included. Leading coexisting diseases were cardiovascular disease (CD), metabolic and endocrine disease (MED), neurological disease (ND), and orthopedic disease (OD). Cluster 1 (53, 24.8%) of CD-ND (50, 94.3%; 31, 58.8%), cluster 2 (39, 18.2%) of MED-ND-CD (39, 100%; 39, 100%; 37, 94.9%), cluster 3 (37, 17.3%) of OD-CD-MED-ND (37, 100%; 33, 89.2%; 27, 73.0%; 16, 43.2%), and cluster 4 (34, 15.9%) of CD-MED (34, 100%; 34, 100%) were identified in the younger-old. In the oldest-old, the primary multimorbidity patterns were: cluster 1 (33, 19.1%) of CD-respiratory disease-digestive disease-urogenital disease (CD-RD-DSD-UD) (32, 97.0%; 9, 27.3%; 8, 24.2%; 7, 21.2%), cluster 2 (42, 24.3%) of ND-CD-MED (42, 100%; 35, 83.3%; 14, 33.3%), cluster 3 (28, 16.2%) of OD-CD-MED (28, 100%; 25, 89.3%; 18, 64.3%), and cluster 4 (35, 20.2%) of CD-MED (35, 100%; 35, 100%). Younger-old with CD-ND or MED-ND-CD, and oldest-old with ND-CD-MED have worse health status compared with other multimorbidity patterns (e.g., CD-MED and OD-CD-MED). CONCLUSION: Discrepancies in common patterns of multimorbidity across age groups suggest that caregivers in long-term care facilities should consider changes in multimorbidity patterns with ageing when developing prevention plans for individualized management. Neurological disease concurrent with other diseases was the major determinant of health status, especially for the oldest-old. Interventions targeting multimorbidity need to be focused, yet generic. It is essential to assess complex needs and health outcomes that arise from different multimorbidity patterns and manage them through an interdisciplinary approach and consider their priorities to gain high-quality primary care for older adults living in long-term care facilities.

Effects of dietary supplementation with multispecies probiotics on intestinal epithelial development and growth performance of neonatal calves challenged with Escherichia coli K99.

BACKGROUND: Probiotics exhibit antibiotic properties and are capable of treating certain bacterial infections, including diarrhea. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with multispecies probiotic (MSP) on diarrhea, average daily gain (ADG) and intestinal development of neonatal calves challenged with Escherichia coli K99. RESULTS: Thirty-six neonatal Holstein calves were randomly assigned to three treatment groups. After E. coli K99 challenge, calves in the control (C) and MSP treatment groups had significantly higher ADG and feed efficiency, and significantly lower fecal scores than those of calves in the diarrhea (D) group. The mean time of diarrhea resolution was 4.5 and 3.1 days for calves in the D and MSP treatment groups, respectively. Furthermore, the structures of the various segments (duodenum, jejunum and ileum) of the small intestine of the calves, activities of several small intestinal enzymes, and expression of several energy metabolism-related genes in the small intestine segments were significantly affected by MSP treatments. CONCLUSION: Dietary supplementation of MSP had a positive effect in treating calf diarrhea; it improved ADG and feed efficiency and promoted development of the small intestine. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

A Way for Derived Carbon Materials by Thermal Etching Hybrid Borate for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction.

Two hybridized skeleton borates [Zn(en)2]·[B7O12(OH)] (1; en = ethylenediamine) and [Cd(1,3-dap)2]·[B5O8(OH)]·H2O (2; 1,3-dap = 1,3-diaminopropane) were solvothermally synthesized. The boron oxide clusters formed 2D planes, and these planes formed a 3D structure through co-oxygen links of metal complexes. Herein, a novel strategy has been developed, i.e., the derived guest carbon materials from semi-decomposed borate are incorporated into the void of host borate crystals in situ during the thermal etching process. Moreover, the effect of temperature on fluorescence of derived carbon materials was studied. By controlling the calcining temperature, carbon dots with obvious free radicals can be found via ESR technique. Carbon dots in the ethanol phase exhibited variable photoluminescence. Furthermore, it derived semi-decomposition carbon materials via thermal etching based on compounds 1 and 2. In an hydrogen cell reactor, carbon material Zn-based catalyst 1-200 catalyzes CO2 reduction to CO with a selectivity that reaches 50.8% at -1.4 V vs RHE.

High Expression Levels of Long Noncoding RNA Small Nucleolar RNA Host Gene 18 and Semaphorin 5A Indicate Poor Prognosis in Multiple Myeloma.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to detect the expression of long noncoding RNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 18 (SNHG18) andsemaphorin 5A (SEMA5A) genes in multiple myeloma (MM) patients and to explore the correlation of the expression of these genes with the clinical characteristics and prognosis of MM patients. METHODS: Forty-seven newly diagnosed MM, 18 complete remission MM, 13 refractory/relapse MM, and 22 iron deficiency anemia (serving as control) samples were extracted at the Department of Hematology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Xian Jiaotong University between January 2015 and December 2016. The clinical features of the MM patients are summarized. Real-time quantitative PCR was performed to analyze the relative expression levels of the SNHG18 and SEMA5Agenes. The clinical characteristics and overall survival (OS) of the MM patients were statistically analyzed while measuring different levels of SNHG18 and SEMA5Agene expression. At the same time, the correlation between the expression of SNHG18 and SEMA5A was also analyzed. RESULTS: The analysis confirmed that SNHG18 and its possible target gene SEMA5A were both highly expressed in newly diagnosed MM patients. After analyzing the clinical significance of SNHG18 and SEMA5A in MM patients, we found that the expression of SNHG18 and SEMA5A was related to the Durie-Salmon (DS), International Staging System (ISS), and Revised International Staging System (R-ISS) classification systems, and the Mayo Clinic Risk Stratification for Multiple Myeloma (mSMART; p < 0.05). Moreover, we observed a significant difference in OS between the SNHG18/SEMA5A high expression group and the low expression group. We found a positive correlation between SNHG18 and SEMA5A expression (r = 0.709, p < 0.01). Surprisingly, the expected median OS times of both the SNHG18 and SEMA5Ahigh expression groups were significantly decreased, which was in contrast to those of both the SNHG18 and SEMA5Alow expression groups and the single-gene high expression group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: High expression of both SNHG18 and SEMA5A is associated with poor prognosis in patients with MM.

[Expression Level of Protein Kinase D in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma with Diverse Differentiation].

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the expression level of protein kinase D (PKD) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and its relationship with differentiation of OSCC. METHODS: Sample was collected from 10 healthy control subjects and 40 OSCC confirmed by histopathological diagnosis, and the immunohistochemical staining was adopted to detect the expression of PKDs in OSCC tissues. The proportion of stained cell and staining intensity were evaluated to get a score, which used to analyze the difference among PKD1, PKD2 and PKD3 in various differentiation OSCC tissues. The correlations between the staining score of PKDs and differentiation of OSCC were further analyzed. RESULTS: PKD1 and PKD3 were high expression in OSCC tissues. There were statistical significance among the staining score of PKD1, PKD2 and PKD3 in various differentiation OSCC tissues ( P<0.001). In addition, there was a significantly negative correlation between the staining score of PKD1 and PKD2 with the differentiation of OSCC ( r=-0.574, -0.341, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: In OSCC tissues with different degree of differentiation, there might be some differences among PKDs which play a major role. The expression of PKD1 and PKD2 was correlated with the differentiation of OSCC, the poor differentiation of OSCC, the higher expression of PKD1 and PKD2.

In vitro selection of aptamer S1 against MCF-7 human breast cancer cells.

Breast cancer is the most common female cancer. However, the known effective specific biomarkers for breast cancer are still scarce. Abnormal membrane proteins serve as ideal biomarkers for disease diagnoses, therapeutics and prognosis. Thus aptamers (single-stranded oligonucleotide molecules) with molecular recognition properties can be used as efficient tools to sort cells based on differences in cell surface architecture between normal and tumor cells. In this study, we aimed to screen specific aptamer against MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. Cell-SELEX process was performed to isolate aptamers from a combinatorial single-stranded nucleic acid library that selectively targeting surface proteins of MCF-7 cells in contrast with MCF-10A human mammary epithelial cells. The process was repeated until the pool was enriched for sequences that specifically recognizing MCF-7 cells in monitoring by flow cytometry. Subsequently, the enriched pool was cloned into bacteria, and positive clones were sequenced to obtain individual sequences. Representative sequences were chemically synthesized and evaluated their binding affinities to MCF-7 cells. As a result, an aptamer S1 was finally identified to have high binding affinity with equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) value of 29.9 ±â€¯6.0 nM. FAM-labeled aptamer S1 induced fluorescence shift in MCF-7 cells but not in MCF-10A human mammary epithelial cells, or MDA-MB-453 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. Furthermore, result of cell imaging observed from laser confocal fluorescence microscope showed that MCF-7 cells exhibited stronger fluorescence signal resulted from Cy5-labeled aptamer S1 than MCF-10A cells. The above findings suggested that S1 may be a specificity and selectivity aptamer for MCF-7 cells and useful for the breast cancer detection and diagnosis.

[Zhibai Dihuang Decoction improves the activity of sperm mitochondrial respiratory chain complex in rats with Ureaplasma urealyticum infection].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Zhibai Dihuang Decoction (ZDD) on the sperm mitochondrial respiratory chain complex (MRCC) in rats with Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) infection. METHODS: Ninety male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups, sham operation, UU infection model control, ZDD (crude drug at 8.56 g per kg of the body weight per day), doxycycline (DC, at 20 mg per kg of the body weight per day), and ZDD+DC. The model of UU infection was established by injecting UU into the bladder of all the rats except those of the sham operation group. After modeling, the rats were treated intragastrically with respective drugs for 21 days and then executed and their epididymides harvested for examination of sperm quality and determination of the activities of sperm MRCCs I, II, III and IV by spectrophotometry. RESULTS: At 10 days after modeling, the UU-positive rates in the model control, sham operation, ZDD, DC and ZDD+DC groups were 92.9%, 0%, 33.3%, 26.7% and 20.0%, respectively, significantly higher in the model control than in the other groups (P<0.05). The epididymal sperm concentrations in the five groups were (0.97±0.23), (3.02±0.52), (1.21±0.35), (1.02±0.31) and (1.52±0.28) ×106 ml, the sperm motilities were (58.62±15.36), (80.45±7.21), (75.52±8.78), (68.43±10.25) and (78.25±7.67)%, and rates of grade a+b sperm were (6.15±1.02), (10.32±1.14), (10.12±1.08), (9.01+1.27) and (10.74±1.03)%, respectively, all remarkably lower in the model control than in the sham operation group (P<0.01), but markedly higher in the ZDD and ZDD+DC groups than in the model controls (P<0.05). The activities of MRCC I in the model control, sham operation, ZDD, DC and ZDD+DC groups were (31.54±16.25), (136.86±6.34), (100.68±14.41), (81.68±6.78) and (124.06±5.54) µmol/(min·mg), those of MRCC II were (9.50±3.86), (20.34±0.37), (10.88±1.04), (12.93±1.07) and (16.23±0.60) µmol/(min·mg), those of MRCC III were (5.58±1.79), (19.60±0.61), (11.34±1.35), (13.87±1.23) and (15.96±0.69) µmol/(min·mg), and those of MRCC IV were (9.54±1.34), (28.98±3.33), (17.02±2.04), (18.41±2.67) and (21.66±2.93) µmol/(min·mg), respectively, all significantly lower in the model control than in the sham operation group (P<0.01), with the activities of MRCCs I, III and IV remarkably higher in the ZDD, DC and ZDD+DC groups (P<0.01) and that of MRCC II higher in the DC and ZDD+DC groups than in the model control (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: ZDD can improve the epididymal sperm quality and the activity of the sperm MRCC in UU-infected rats, which may be one of the mechanisms of ZDD acting on male infertility caused by UU infection.

[Research progress of structures and pharmacological activities of phthalides from Angelica sinensis].

Angelica sinensis(Umbelliferae)is a worldwide-known medicinal plant and also a famous traditional Chinese medicinal herb. It is recorded to possess the efficacy of enriching the blood and invigorating the circulation of blood of the individual.Danggui was extensively applied to the treatment of gynecological disorders. Modern researches indicate that phthalides are main chemical components related to the bioactivities of A.sinensis, such as anti-tumor, analgesic and neuroprotective effect.The advances in studies on the structures and pharmacological activities of phthalides from A.sinensis are reviewed to provide references for further researches and utilization of their medicinal value.

Determination of enantiomers by FESI-sweeping with an acid-labile sweeper in nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis.

In this work, a facile and highly efficient on-line concentration strategy based on a coupling of field enhanced sample injection (FESI) and sweeping was developed for the determination of trace enantiomers (propranolol, PL) by nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE). In this FESI-sweeping method, the use of a sample of high acidity and low conductivity (pH* = 2.5, 4.0 µS cm(-1)) allowed for a large amount of analyte injection. Then, the concentration of the analytes was carried out by sweeping based on the interaction of an acid-labile anionic selector, di-n-butyl L-tartrate-boric acid complex acid, and cationic analytes. Simultaneously, the concentrated analytes were released and focused at the boundary of the acid sample solution and separation buffer due to the decomposition of the selector in the acid sample solution. Under the optimum conditions, a 21,000-fold sensitivity enhancement upon normal capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was achieved for PL enantiomers. The detection limits of R-propranolol and S-propranolol were 0.26 ng mL(-1) and 0.31 ng mL(-1), respectively. Eventually, the FESI-sweeping method was applied to detect PL enantiomers in plasma, saliva, and urine.

Comparative analysis of diosgenin in Dioscorea species and related medicinal plants by UPLC-DAD-MS.

BACKGROUND: Dioscorea is a genus of flowering plants, and some Dioscorea species are known and used as a source for the steroidal sapogenin diosgenin. To screen potential resource from Dioscorea species and related medicinal plants for diosgenin extraction, a rapid method to compare the contents of diosgenin in various plants is crucial. RESULTS: An ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with diode array detection (DAD) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) method was developed for identification and determination of diosgenin in various plants. A comprehensive validation of the developed method was conducted. Twenty-four batches of plant samples from four Dioscorea species, one Smilax species and two Heterosmilax species were analyzed by using the developed method.The present method presented good sensitivity, precision and accuracy. Diosgenin was found in three Dioscorea species and one Heterosmilax species, namely D. zingiberensis, D. septemloba, D. collettii and H. yunnanensis. CONCLUSION: The method is suitable for the screening of diosgenin resources from plants. D. zingiberensis is an important resource for diosgenin harvesting.

Synthesis of 5α-cholestan-6-one derivatives and their inhibitory activities of NO production in activated microglia: discovery of a novel neuroinflammation inhibitor.

Glial activation-mediated neuroinflammation plays a pivotal role in the process of several neuroinflammatory diseases including stroke, Alzheimer's diseases, Parkinson's diseases, multiple sclerosis and ischemia. Inhibition of microglial activation may ameliorate neuronal degeneration under the inflammatory conditions. In the present study, a number of 5α-cholestan-6-one derivatives were prepared and the anti-inflammatory effects of these compounds were evaluated in LPS-stimulated BV-2 microglia cells. Those derivatives were synthesized from readily available hyodeoxycholic acid (1). Among the tested compounds, several analogs (16-18, 25, 35, 38) exhibited potent inhibitory activities on nitric oxide production with no or weak cell toxicity. Compound 16 also significantly suppressed the expression of TNF-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, cyclooxygenase (COX-2) as well as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in LPS-stimulated BV-2 microglia cells. In addition, compound 16 markedly reduced infarction volume in a focal ischemic mice model.

[Atorvastatin promotes the healing of alveolar bone defect in rats and its effect on Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway].

PURPOSE: To investigate the therapeutic effect of atorvastatin on alveolar bone defect model in rats, and to observe the effect of atorvastatin on Wnt/ß-catenin. METHODS: Thirty rats were randomly divided into normal group (group N), model group (group M) and atorvastatin administration group (group ATV). Except group N, bone defects were made in other rats' alveolar bone to construct alveolar bone defect model. After successful modeling, 20 mg/kg atorvastatin suspension was administered by gavage in group ATV, and the same amount of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose solution was administered by gavage in group N and group M for twenty-one days. After the last administration, tail vein blood was collected to detect the concentrations of serum osteoprotegerin (OPG), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and osteocalcin (BPG). H-E staining was used to observe the pathological changes of maxillary defect area, and lane Sandhu score was performed. Tartrate resistant acid phosphatase(TRAP) staining was used to detect the number of osteoclasts in the defect area. Real time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR) and Western blot(WB) were used to detect Wnt, ß-catenin and Runx2 mRNA protein expression. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 23.0 software package. RESULTS: Compared with group N, the concentrations of OPG, ALP, BGP and Lane Sandhu score in group M decreased, and the number of osteoclasts increased. Compared with group M, the concentrations of OPG, ALP and BGP and lane Sandhu score in group ATV increased, and the number of osteoclasts decreased. After H-E staining, the amount of bone formation in maxillary defect area in group N was more,there was fewer bone tissues in the defect area in group M, the amount of bone tissues in the defect area increased in group ATV. Compared with group N, Wnt, ß-catenin and Runx2 mRNA protein decreased. Compared with group M, Wnt, ß-catenin and Runx2 mRNA protein expression increased. CONCLUSIONS: Atorvastatin can promote the healing of alveolar bone defect and accelerate bone reconstruction in rat models. This effect may be related to the activation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

Ethyl pyruvate protects rats from phosgene-induced pulmonary edema by inhibiting cyclooxygenase2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression.

Phosgene is a poorly water-soluble gas penetrating the lower respiratory tract which can induce acute lung injury characterized by a latent phase of fatal pulmonary edema. Pulmonary edema caused by phosgene is believed to be a consequence of oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. Ethyl pyruvate (EP) has been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties in vivo and in vitro. The potential therapeutic role of EP in phosgene-induced pulmonary edema has not been addressed so far. In the present study, we aim to investigate the protective effects of EP on phosgene-induced pulmonary edema and the underlying mechanisms. Rats were administered with EP (40 mg kg(-1)) and RAW264.7 cells were also incubated with it (0, 2, 5 or 10 µm) immediately after phosgene (400 ppm, 1 min) or air exposure. Wet-to-dry lung weight ratio (W:D ratio), nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) production, cyclooxygenase2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression, and mitogen-activated protein kinases activities (MAPKs) were measured. Our results showed that EP treatment attenuated phosgene-induced pulmonary edema and decreased the level of NO and PGE(2) dose-dependently. Furthermore, EP significantly reduced COX-2 expression, iNOS expression and MAPK activation induced by phosgene. Moreover, specific inhibitors of MAPKs reduced COX-2 and iNOS expression induced by phosgene. These findings suggested that EP has a protective role against phosgene-induced pulmonary edema, which is mediated in part by inhibiting MAPK activation and subsequently down-regulating COX-2 and iNOS expression as well as decreasing the production of NO and PGE(2).

[Advances in the study of steroidal inhibitors of cytochrome P45017alpha].

The steroidal enzyme cytochrome P45017alpha catalyzes the conversion of progesterone and pregnenolone into androgens, androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone, respectively, the direct precursors of estrogens and testosterone. Dihydrotestosterone is the principal active androgen in the prostate, testosterone is also an active stimulant of the growth of prostatic cancer tissue. Inhibition of this enzyme as a mechanism for inhibiting androgen biosynthesis could be a worthwhile therapeutic strategy for the treatment of PCA. In this paper, four categories of steroidal inhibitors of cytochrome P45017alpha will be reviewed, a diverse range of steroidal inhibitors had been synthesized and shown to be potent inhibitors of P45017alpha.

[Recent developments in the application of covalent organic frameworks in capillary electrochromatography].

Capillary electrochromatography (CEC) has received increased attention from the academic community because it combines the excellent selectivity of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the high efficiency of capillary electrophoresis (CE). Selecting the most appropriate stationary phase material is crucial to achieve better separation effects in CEC. In recent years, a considerable number of materials, such as graphene oxide, proteins, metal organic frameworks, and covalent organic frameworks (COFs), have been widely used as stationary phases in CEC to further improve its separation performance and extend its scope of potential applications. Among these materials, COFs have shown great application prospects in CEC owing to their unique properties, which include high porosity, large surface area, excellent stability, tunable pore size, and high designability of the framework structure. This review systematically summarizes published papers on the development and application of COFs in CEC from 2016 to 2023. First, two COF-based capillary columns (i. e., open-tube CEC columns and monolithic CEC columns) and their preparation methods are introduced. Second, the applications of CEC based on COF stationary phases in the separation of environmental endocrine disruptors, pesticides, aromatic compounds, amino acids, and drugs, particularly chiral drugs, are systematically summarized. The separation mechanism of CEC based on COF stationary phases is also introduced. At present, the good separation ability of COF-based CEC is mainly attributed to two factors: 1) The size exclusion effect of the pores of the COF stationary phase. Because of differences in the sizes of their organic molecular building units and side chains, COFs have varying pore sizes and topological structures. Thus, target analytes smaller than the pores of the COFs can enter the frameworks and interact with them during separation. On the other hand, target analytes larger than the pores of the COFs cannot enter the frameworks and interact with them during separation; thus, they can be separated. 2) The interactions between the target analytes and side chains (e. g., hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding, π-π interactions, etc.) of the COFs. Since COFs usually contain alkyl side chains, aromatic structures, and oxygen and/or nitrogen atoms with high electronegativity, various interactions could occur between the COFs and target analytes. Finally, directions for the future development and strategic application of CEC based on COF stationary phases are proposed. We believe that future research in CEC based on COF stationary phases should focus on the following aspects: 1) The use of cheminformatics to design and construct COFs to improve the efficiency of COF capillary column preparation; 2) the development of milder methods to synthesize COFs that can meet the requirements of high performance COF capillary columns; and 3) in-depth research to explore the separation mechanism of CEC based on COF stationary phases to provide theoretical guidance for developing CEC methods suitable for the separation and analysis of complex samples.

Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Feeding and Eating Disorders in Persons with Dementia: Systematic Review and Evidence Summary.

BACKGROUND: Feeding and eating disorders related to cognitive and psycho-behavioral symptoms are strongly associated with health status in persons with dementia (PWD). Non-pharmacological interventions have been the priority selection to address this significant issue. However, the direct targets of non-pharmacological interventions are unclear and there is no consistent evidence of recommendations on the intervention of different dementia stages and the settings of intervention practice. OBJECTIVE: To provide caregivers with a set of self-help non-pharmacological interventions for feeding and eating disorders in PWD. METHODS: Based on the process of evidence summary, a systematic literature search was performed on dementia websites and seven databases. Two researchers screened the studies independently and appraise the quality. The evidence was graded by Joanna Briggs Institute Grades of Recommendation. RESULTS: Twenty-eight articles were included. Twenty-three non-pharmacological intervention recommendations were categorized into six themes containing oral nutritional supplementation, assistance with eating and drinking, person-centered mealtime care, environmental modification, education or training, and multi-component intervention. These interventions corresponded to three direct targets including improving engagement, making up for loss ability, and increasing food intake directly. They were applied to different stages of dementia and most interventions were targeted at PWD in long-term care institutions. CONCLUSION: This article summarized the direct targets and the specific implementation of recommendations at different stages of dementia to provide caregivers with self-help non-pharmacological interventions. The practice of recommendations was more applicable to institutionalized PWD. When applied to PWD at home, caregivers need to identify the specific feeding and eating conditions at different stages and adopted the interventions in conjunction with the wishes of the PWD and professional advice.

A novel cross-H-channel interface for flow injection-capillary electrophoresis to reduce sample requirement and improve sensitivity.

In this study, a cross-H-channel interface was constructed for coupling flow injection with capillary electrophoresis (FI-CE) to reduce sample requirement and sensitivity loss in the typical FI-CE. Based on this cross-H-channel interface, a new FI-CE system was established, in which sample introduction was performed by directly injecting sample solution along a thin capillary (50 µm, i.d.) to the interface from an injection syringe. The sample requirement was reduced distinctly and usual sample dilution in the sample transport process was obviously decreased, thereby spontaneously enhancing the sensitivity. Moreover, because of the unique construction of the cross-H-channel interface, field amplified sample stacking (FASS) and high-speed CE were skillfully combined to further improve the sensitivity and to shorten separation time. The versatility of this new FI-CE was demonstrated by determination of ephedrine (E) and pseudoephedrine (PE) in human urine. Up to 45 repeated injections per hour and clearly baseline separation of E and PE in less than 1 min were achieved, giving limits of detection (LODs) of 0.23 and 0.21 µg mL(-1) for E and PE, respectively, and yielding relative standard deviation (RSD) values of the migration time and the peak height (n=5) of 2.6% and 3.1% for E, 2.3% and 3.3% for PE, respectively. In contrast to typical FI-CE, approximately 8-250-fold decreases in sample volume requirement, 7-fold shortening in separation time and 50-fold improvements in sensitivity were obtained.

The facile preparation of solid-state fluorescent carbon dots with a high fluorescence quantum yield and their application in rapid latent fingerprint detection.

Because of direct π-π interactions and excessive energy resonance transfer, it is very challenging to prepare carbon dots (CDs) with a high fluorescence quantum yield (QY) in the solid state. In this study, novel CDs which gave solid-state fluorescence (SSF) with high brightness were successfully prepared via a simple microwave-assisted method. The prepared ScCDs can emit strong blue fluorescence in the solid state, and the absolute QY of this ScCDs powder reaches 51.7%. Such a high QY means that the ScCDs powder could be successfully applied in rapid latent fingerprint (LFP) detection. The LFP detection performance of this ScCDs powder was studied in detail, and the results show that the LFPs developed using the ScCDs powder can be visualized with high definition and contrast under different conditions. This research not only developed a new type of SSF-emitting CDs, but it also proved that the developed CDs have great potential for applications in LFP detection, and this research may also provide inspiration and ideas for the design of new SSF-emitting CDs.

Novel yellow solid-state fluorescent-emitting carbon dots with high quantum yield for white light-emitting diodes.

Fluorescence quenching of carbon dots (CDs) occurs in their aggregated state ascribed to direct π-π interactions or excessive resonance energy transfer (RET). Thus, CDs have been severely restricted for applications requiring phosphors that emit in the solid state, such as the fabrication of white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs). In this report, novel CDs with bright solid-state fluorescence (SSF) were synthesized by simple microwave-assisted synthesis method, using 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (cyclen) and citric acid as precursors. Under 365 nm UV light, these CDs emit bright yellow SSF, indicating they successfully overcome the aggregation-induced fluorescence quenching (ACQ) effect. When the excitation wavelength (λex) is fixed at 450 nm, the emission peak of the CDs is centered at 546 nm with the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage chromaticity (CIE) coordinates of (0.43, 0.55), which means that they can be combined with a blue-emitting chip in order to fabricate WLEDs. More importantly, the absolute quantum yield (QY) of these CDs powder reached 48% at λex of 450 nm, which was much higher than many previously reported SSF-emitting CDs and indicating their high light conversion ability in solid-state. Thanks to the excellent optical property of these CDs powder, they were successfully used in the preparation of high-performance WLEDs. This study not only enriches SSF-emitting CD-based nanomaterials with good prospects for application, but also provides valuable reference for subsequent research on the synthesis of solid-state fluorescent CDs.

N-acetylcysteine attenuates phosgene-induced acute lung injury via up-regulation of Nrf2 expression.

Previous studies indicated that oxidative stress was involved in phosgene-induced acute lung injury (ALI) and many antioxidants had been used to prevent ALI. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) had been used to protect ALI induced by various types of oxidative stress. Considering the limited information of NAC on phosgene-induced ALI, the purpose of this study was to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of phosgene-induced ALI and the protective effects of NAC. This study discovered that intraperitoneal administration of NAC significantly alleviated phosgene-induced pulmonary edema, as confirmed by decreased lung wet to dry weight ratio and oxidative stress markers. The content of l-gamma-glutamyl-l-cysteinyl-glycine (glutathione; GSH) and the ratio of the reduced and disulfide forms (GSH/GSSG), significant indicators of the antioxidative ability, were apparently inhibited by phosgene exposure. However, both indicators could be reversed by NAC administration, indicating that dysregulation of redox status of glutathione might be the cause of phosgene-induced ALI. The nuclear factor (NF)-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which has been proven to up-regulate the expression of glutathione reductase (GR), was obviously decreased by phosgene exposure. However, NAC administration elevated Nrf2 expression significantly. In conclusion, these data provided the first evidences showing that it was the transcriptional factor Nrf2 that connected phosgene-induced ALI with GSH metabolism. NAC protected against oxidative stress through acting on this newly disclosed Nrf2/GR/GSH pathway, by which NAC elevated the biosynthesis of protective GSH to repair and reconstitute the defense system destroyed by phosgene.