An investigation into the present status and influencing factors of nurse retention in grade-a tertiary general hospitals in Shanxi Province within the framework of the magnet hospital concept.

BACKGROUND: The attrition of nursing staff significantly contributes to the shortage of healthcare professionals. This study entailed an examination of the propensity of nurses to sustain employment within Grade-A tertiary general hospitals and the various influencing factors. METHODS: A total of 2,457 nurses from three grade-A tertiary general hospitals were surveyed. The survey instruments included a general information questionnaire, a scale measuring their willingness to continue working, and a Chinese version of the Magnet Hospital Factor scale. RESULTS: The scores of the willingness to continue working scale and the Magnet Hospital Factor scale were 21.53 ± 4.52 and 145.46 ± 25.82, respectively. There were statistically significant differences in the scores of willingness of nurses to continue working across various factors, including the department, age, marital status, family location, length of service as nurses, professional title, position, and employment type, upon comparison (P < 0.001). The correlation analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between the willingness of nurses to continue working and the magnet hospital factors, with a correlation coefficient of 0.523 (P < 0.01). Regression analysis showed that department, length of service as nurses, professional title, position, average monthly income, number of night shifts, medical care relationship, educational support, and nursing manager support among the magnet hospital factors were important predictors of willingness to continue working (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The willingness of nurses to continue working in grade-A tertiary general hospitals in Shanxi Province was determined to be at an upper-middle level. The magnet status of grade-A tertiary general hospitals needs to be improved, and there are many factors that influenced willingness of nurses to continue working. To cultivate a more favorable environment and bolster nurse recruitment and retention, all healthcare institutions should strive to establish a magnet nursing environment, thereby fostering the robust development of the nursing team.

Quantitation of levetiracetam concentrations in plasma and saliva samples by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: Application to therapeutic drug monitoring for pregnant women with epilepsy.

Although levetiracetam (LEV) has favorable linear pharmacokinetic properties, therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is necessary for pregnant women with epilepsy. This study aims to build a simple, reliable, and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for determining LEV concentrations in plasma and saliva samples, to support the routine TDM of LEV in Chinese pregnant women with epilepsy. The stable isotope-labeled LEV-d6 was used as the internal standard. The extracted samples were analyzed using a UPLC-MS/MS system with positive electrospray ionization. Mobile phase A was water containing 5 mM ammonium acetate and 0.1% formic acid, and phase B was 1:1 methanol-acetonitrile with 0.1% formic acid. The method was validated and utilized to determine LEV concentrations in non-pregnant and pregnant patients with epilepsy. The developed method was validated in both plasma and saliva samples over a concentration range of 0.1-50 µg/mL. The intra- and inter-batch accuracy for LEV ranged from -7.0% to 2.9%, with precisions between 2.7% and 9.3%. In pregnant patients, the mean dose-standardized LEV trough plasma concentrations were significantly lower than those in non-pregnant patients (4.73 ± 2.99 vs. 7.74 ± 3.59 ng/mL per mg/day; P < 0.0001). It is recommended that the TDM of LEV should be routinely performed during the different stages of pregnancy.

Combined Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Exercise Intervention for Improving Psychological Well-Being in Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the clinical effectiveness of combining mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) with exercise intervention in improving anxiety, depression, sleep quality and mood regulation in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: A total of 60 patients with NSCLC who had not received surgical treatment were selected using convenience sampling and divided into an intervention group and control group, with 30 patients in each group. The control group received conventional psychological nursing care, whereas the intervention group received a combination of MBwSR and exercise therapy. Before the intervention, a questionnaire was completed to collect the basic data of the two groups. Further questionnaires were administered at 6 and 8 weeks after treatment to assess anxiety, depression, sleep quality and other items included in the five-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-5). RESULTS: No significant differences between the intervention and control groups were identified in terms of personal and clinical characteristics (p > 0.05). No significant differences were determined in the BSRS-5, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) or Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores between the intervention and control groups before the intervention. However, 6 and 8 weeks after the intervention, scores were significantly lower in both groups (p < 0.001). Significant differences in the BSRS-5, SAS, SDS and PSQI scores were identified between the two groups at different time points (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The combination of MBSR and exercise intervention demonstrated improvements in anxiety, depression, sleep quality and BSRS-5 scores in patients with NSCLC.

Anxiety, depression, and sleep quality among breast cancer patients in North China: Mediating roles of hope and medical social support.

BACKGROUND: Sleep disorders are highly prevalent among breast cancer patients and have a detrimental impact on their quality of life. This study aims to investigate the serial multiple mediating roles of social support and hope in the relationship between anxiety, depression, and sleep quality in breast cancer patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in China from October 2021 to February 2022. A total of 315 breast cancer patients were assessed using self-reported questionnaires, including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS), Herth Hope Index (HHI), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Mediation analysis was performed using the R Statistical Software. RESULTS: Sleep quality exhibited a negative correlation with hope and medical social support (P < 0.01), and a positive correlation with anxiety and depression (P < 0.01). Anxiety and depression accounted for 18.8% and 12.8% of the variance in sleep quality, respectively. Bootstrap analyses of the anxiety-medical social support-hope-sleep quality pathway indicated the presence of direct effects [B = 0.331, 95%CI (0.215, 0.493)] and indirect effects of anxiety on sleep quality mediated solely by medical social support [B = 0.054, 95%CI (0.015, 0.108)] and hope [B = 0.041, 95%CI (0.018, 0.073)], as well as combined effects [B = 0.012, 95%CI (0.004, 0.025)]. Similarly, the depression-medical social support-hope-sleep quality pathway revealed direct effects [B = 0.235, 95%CI (0.104, 0.372)] and indirect effects of depression on sleep quality mediated solely by medical social support [B = 0.078, 95%CI (0.016, 0.150)] and hope [B = 0.049, 95%CI (0.018, 0.086)], as well as combined effects [B = 0.017, 95%CI (0.004, 0.034)]. CONCLUSIONS: This research validates the hypothesis that medical social support and hope serve as mediators between anxiety, depression, and sleep quality in breast cancer patients. Interventions targeting anxiety, depression, medical social support, and hope have the potential to effectively enhance sleep quality.

Effects of 30% vs. 60% inspired oxygen fraction during mechanical ventilation on postoperative atelectasis: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: There is the ongoing debate over the effect of inspired oxygen fraction (FiO2) during mechanical ventilation on postoperative atelectasis. We aimed to compare the effects of low (30%) and moderate (60%) FiO2 on postoperative atelectasis. The hypothesis of the study was that 30% FiO2 during mechanical ventilation could reduce postoperative atelectasis volume compared with 60% FiO2. METHODS: We performed a randomized controlled trial with 120 patients. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive 30% or 60% FiO2 during mechanical ventilation in a 1:1 ratio. The primary outcome was the percentage of postoperative atelectasis volume in the total lung measured using chest CT within 30 min after extubation. The secondary outcomes included different aeration region volumes, incidence of clinically significant atelectasis, and oxygenation index. RESULTS: In total, 113 subjects completed the trial, including 55 and 58 subjects in the 30% and 60% FiO2 groups, respectively. The percentage of the postoperative atelectasis volume in the 30% FiO2 group did not differ from that in the 60% FiO2 group. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the atelectasis volume between the two groups after the missing data were imputed by multiple imputation. Additionally, there were no significant differences in the volumes of the over-aeration, normal-aeration, and poor-aeration regions between the groups. No significant differences in the incidence of clinically significant atelectasis or oxygenation index at the end of surgery were observed between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with 60% FiO2, the use of 30% FiO2 during mechanical ventilation does not reduce the postoperative atelectasis volume. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ( http://www.chictr.org.cn ). Identifier: ChiCTR1900021635. Date: 2 March 2019. Principal invetigator: Weidong Gu.

Oxidative stress as a key event in 2,6-dichloro-1,4-benzoquinone-induced neurodevelopmental toxicity.

2,6-dichloro-1,4-benzoquinone (DCBQ) has been identified as an emerging disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in drinking water and has the potential to induce neurodevelopmental toxicity. However, there is rarely a comprehensive toxicological evaluation of the neurodevelopmental toxicity of DCBQ. Here, neural differentiating SH-SY5Y cells were used as an in vitro model. Our results have found that DCBQ has decreased cell viability and neural differentiation, generated higher level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), increased the percentage of apoptosis and lowered the level of mitochondrial membrane potential, suggesting the neurodevelopmental toxicity of DCBQ. In addition, antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) could significantly attenuate these DCBQ-induced neurotoxic effects, supporting our hypothesis that the neurodevelopmental toxicity may be related with oxidative stress induced by DCBQ. We further demonstrated that DCBQ-induced neurodevelopmental toxicity could promote the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway and inhibit the prosurvival PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway through inducing ROS, which ultimately inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in neural differentiating SH-SY5Y cells. These findings have provided novel insights into the risk of neurodevelopmental toxic effects associated with DCBQ exposure, emphasizing the importance of assessing the potential neurodevelopmental toxicity of DBPs.

Evaluating the relationship between pain empathy, knowledge and attitudes among nurses in North China: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Effective pain management is closely related to nurses' knowledge, attitudes and empathy regarding pain. Nursing educators and managers should understand the relationship between nurses' pain management knowledge, attitudes and empathy level, and take targeted measures accordingly. Currently, there is limited study exploring the relationship between pain empathy and pain knowledge and attitudes among nurses in North China. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of nurses' pain management knowledge and attitudes and pain empathy, to analyze the factors influencing pain empathy, and to explore the relationship between these two variables. DESIGN: This study was a quantitative, descriptive-correlation design. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The study population was registered nurses in North China, the sample included 177 registered nurses in North China. METHODS: Data were collected with the "General data questionnaire", "Knowledge and attitudes survey regarding pain" (KASRP) and the "Empathy for pain scale" (EPS) via Wechat mini program "Questionnaire Star". RESULTS: The 177 registered nurses completed the survey. The averege correct rate for KASRP was (51.94 ± 9.44)%, and none of the respondents achieved a percentage score of >80%. The mean score for pain empathy was (2.78 ± 0.78), the empathy reactions dimension was (2.99 ± 0.77), and the body and mind discomfort dimension was (2.71 ± 0.80). The results of multiple stepwise linear regression showed that whether they had received empathy training, whether they had greater trauma or severe pain and whether they had negative emotions were independent influencing factors for EPS scores. Pearson correlation analysis showed that KASRP scores were positively correlated with EPS scores (r = 0.242, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The pain knowledge and attitudes of nurses in North China are far from optimal. Nurses have a relatively low accuracy rate in areas such as medication knowledge, assessment of patient pain based on case studies, and handling PRN prescriptions. Nursing educators and administrators need to design some pain management courses in a targeted manner. Nurses' empathy for pain was at a moderate level. Pain empathy was positively correlated with pain knowledge and attitudes, suggesting that empathy for pain can be developed postnatally.

The correlation between the expression of ATF4 and procalcitonin combined with the detection of RET mutation and the pathological stage and clinical prognosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma.

To explore the correlation between the activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) and procalcitonin (PCT) expressions combined with RET mutation and the pathological staging and clinical prognosis of sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma (SMTC). Fifty cases (tumor tissue) of SMTC diagnosed by clinicopathology were collected and the patients with nodular goiter were selected as normal control. The RET mutation site was analyzed by detection kit and expressions of PCT and ATF4 in SMTC were analyzed by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the correlation of risk factors (PCT or ATF4 expression, RET mutation, tumor differentiation, SMTC stage, lymphatic metastasis) for 5-year recurrence and survival of SMTC. The ATF4 and PCT expressions were significantly decreased and increased, respectively, with the increase of the SMTC stage. The most frequent mutation of RET gene in cancer tissue was M 22458A in exon 16. The ATF4 and PCT expressions, as well as RET mutation, were significantly associated with a 5-year recurrence, while the ATF4 expression was significantly related to better 5-year survival. ATF4 and PCT expressions combined with RET mutation are related to the clinical prognosis of SMTC and can predict SMTC staging.

Protective effects of isoquercitrin on streptozotocin-induced neurotoxicity.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by irreversible and progressive memory loss and has no effective treatment. Recently, many small molecule nature products have been identified with neuroprotective functions and shown beneficial effects to AD patients. In the current study, we thus performed a small scale screening to determine the protective effects of natural compounds on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced neurotoxicity and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We found that a lead flavonoid compound, isoquercitrin (ISO) display the most effective anti-cytotoxic activities via inhibiting STZ-induced apoptosis, mitochondria dysfunction and oxidative stress. Treatment with ISO largely rescues STZ-induced differentiation inhibition and enhances neurite outgrowth of Neuro2a (N2a) cells in vitro. Moreover, oral administration of ISO protects hippocampal neurons from STZ-induced neurotoxicity and significantly improves the cognitive and behavioural impairment in STZ-induced AD rats. In general, our screening identifies ISO as an effective therapeutic candidate against STZ-induced neurotoxicity and AD-like changes.

Integrative analysis of non-targeted lipidomic data and brain structural imaging identifies phosphatidylethanolamine associated with epileptogenesis.

INTRODUCTION: Epilepsy is a chronic disease, while epileptogenesis is a latent period where brain will be transformed into an epileptic one. Mechanisms of epileptogenesis remain unclear. OBJECTIVES: We aim to provide information of hippocampal lipidomic changes related with epileptogenesis in two kindling models. Combining hippocampal structural imaging indices, our study also attempts to assess biochemical alterations as a function of epileptogenesis in a non-invasive way. METHODS: We constructed two kinds of chemical kindling models, which have long been used as models of epileptogenesis. Two kindling and one control groups were all subjected to structural imaging acquisition after successfully kindled. Voxel-based morphometry, a postprocessing method for brain imaging data, was used to segment and extract hippocampal gray matter volume for subsequent integrative analysis. LC-MS based lipidomic analysis was applied to identify distinct hippocampal lipidomic profiles between kindling and control groups. Further, we regress hippocampal structural indices on lipids to identify those associated with both epileptogenesis and brain structural changes. RESULTS: We report distinct lipidomic profiles between kindling groups and control. A total of 638 lipids were detected in all three groups. Among them were 98 individual lipids, showing significant alterations, in particular lipid class of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), glucosylceramide and phosphatidylcholine. Hippocampal gray matter volumes were found significant different between groups (P = 0.0223). After combining brain imaging data, we demonstrate several individual PE, namely PE(O-18:1_22:3), PE(O-18:1_22:6) and PE(18:1_18:1), are associated with both epileptogenesis and hippocampal gray matter volume. CONCLUSION: This study suggests metabolic pathway of PE might involve in epileptogenesis. Also, for the first time, we link level of PE with structural brain imaging indices, in an attempt to potentiate the futuristic application of noninvasive brain imaging techniques to identify epileptogenesis in its latent period.

Pedestrian Navigation System with Trinal-IMUs for Drastic Motions.

The combination of biomechanics and inertial pedestrian navigation research provides a very promising approach for pedestrian positioning in environments where Global Positioning System (GPS) signal is unavailable. However, in practical applications such as fire rescue and indoor security, the inertial sensor-based pedestrian navigation system is facing various challenges, especially the step length estimation errors and heading drift in running and sprint. In this paper, a trinal-node, including two thigh-worn inertial measurement units (IMU) and one waist-worn IMU, based simultaneous localization and occupation grid mapping method is proposed. Specifically, the gait detection and segmentation are realized by the zero-crossing detection of the difference of thighs pitch angle. A piecewise function between the step length and the probability distribution of waist horizontal acceleration is established to achieve accurate step length estimation both in regular walking and drastic motions. In addition, the simultaneous localization and mapping method based on occupancy grids, which involves the historic trajectory to improve the pedestrian's pose estimation is introduced. The experiments show that the proposed trinal-node pedestrian inertial odometer can identify and segment each gait cycle in the walking, running, and sprint. The average step length estimation error is no more than 3.58% of the total travel distance in the motion speed from 1.23 m/s to 3.92 m/s. In combination with the proposed simultaneous localization and mapping method based on the occupancy grid, the localization error is less than 5 m in a single-story building of 2643.2 m2.

Self-Assembly and Antitumor Activity of a Polyoxovanadate-Based Coordination Nanocage.

A new supramolecular nanocage, VMOP-31, based on polyoxovanadate as the molecular building block, has been designed and synthesized under solvothermal conditions. The structure of VMOP-31 was determined by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectrophotometry, and thermogravimetric analysis. The nanocage exhibits octahedral geometry and is constructed of six {V5 O9 Cl(COO)4 } at the vertices and eight TATB (H3 TATB=4,4',4''-(s-triazine-2,4,6-triyl)tribenzoic acid) ligands on the faces. Impressively, VMOP-31 exhibited high efficiency in the inhibition of cell growth of solid tumors, such as human liver cancer cells SMMC-7721, and superior results in the treatment of liver tumors in mice compared with classic cisplatin. Detailed studies revealed that the potential mechanism of cell death induced by VMOP-31 involves cell cycle arrests, DNA damage, and subsequent apoptosis. Moreover, VMOP-31 exhibited negligible side effects in the mice compared with cisplatin. To the best of our knowledge, VMOP-31 is the first supramolecular nanocage applied to hepatic tumors both in vitro and in vivo.

Do premature and postterm birth increase the risk of epilepsy? An updated meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have reported that premature birth is associated with a higher incidence of epilepsy, and postterm birth also increases the risk of epilepsy. The effects of different gestational ages (GAs) on epilepsy have become a research hotspot, but the findings of these studies remain controversial, and no systematic review has been performed until now. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of different GAs on the incidence of epilepsy. DATA SOURCES: The main databases, including PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, were searched using the terms "preterm/premature/early/postterm/postmature/late/delayed delivery/birth", "gestational age", and "epilepsy/seizure" for eligible studies published up to April 1, 2019. The search was limited to English-language articles. STUDY SELECTION: Observational studies investigating the association between epilepsy and premature or postterm birth were included in this meta-analysis. We only selected studies that had clearly reported GA and the occurrence of epilepsy. DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently extracted the data. The quality of the included studies was examined in accordance with the Newcastle-Ottawa criteria, and the heterogeneity and publication bias were tested. We used sensitivity and subgroup analyses to determine the source of heterogeneity. A logistic randomized-effects model was used to assess the collected data when I2 ≥ 50%. MAIN OUTCOMES: The primary outcome was the odds ratio (OR) of epilepsy. RESULTS: The research included eleven eligible studies with a total of 4,513,577 participants. Studies involving premature birth showed that the risk of epilepsy was 2.16 times higher in the premature birth group (<37 weeks) than in the full-term birth group (≥37 weeks) (OR [99% confidence interval [CI]] = 2.16 [1.80, 2.58]; P < 0.001). Those born before 32 weeks were associated with an increased occurrence of epilepsy when compared with those born at 32-36 weeks (OR [99% CI] = 2.73 [1.90, 3.94]; P < 0.001). However, the difference in the incidence of epilepsy between postterm children (41 weeks or more) and full-term children (37-40 weeks) was not statistically significant (OR [99% CI] = 1.05 [0.98, 1.12]; P = 0.067). CONCLUSIONS: Preterm birth was closely associated with a higher risk of epilepsy throughout childhood that persisted into adulthood, and the association became stronger as GA decreased, while there was no significant difference in the risk of developing epilepsy between postterm and full-term offspring.

[Delineating a case with a complex karyotype by using combined genetic techniques].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the pathogenesis of a child with growth retardation, liver damage and congenital heart disease. METHODS: G-banded chromosomal karyotyping, high-throughput next-generation sequencing (HT-NGS)and fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH) were used to characterize the structural chromosomal aberration. RESULTS: The child was found to have a karyotype of 46, XX, t(1;2) (q25;q21), t(7;20) (q21;p13). HT-NGS has detected a microdeletion at 2q21.3 and 7q21.11, respectively, which were verified by FISH. CONCLUSION: Combined cytogenetic and molecular analysis can detect chromosome micrdeletions more precisely. The abnormalities of the child may be attributed to heterozygous deletion of ZEB2, ABCB4 and SEMA3A genes.

Monitoring levetiracetam concentration in saliva during pregnancy is stable and feasible.

AIMS: This multicenter prospective cohort study (registration no. ChiCTR2000032089) aimed to investigate the relationship between saliva and plasma levetiracetam concentrations to determine whether saliva could be used for routine monitoring of levetiracetam during pregnancy. METHODS: The slot concentrations of levetiracetam in simultaneously obtained saliva and plasma samples were measured using UPLC-MS/MS. The correlations between saliva and plasma levetiracetam concentrations and the dose-normalized concentrations were compared among pregnant women in different stages and nonpregnant control participants with epilepsy. RESULTS: In total, 231 patients with 407 plasma and saliva sample pairs were enrolled from 39 centers. Linear relationships between salivary and plasma levetiracetam concentrations were reported in the enrolled population (r = 0.898, p < 0.001), including pregnant (r = 0.935, p < 0.001) and nonpregnant participants (r = 0.882, p < 0.001). Plasma concentrations were moderately higher than saliva concentrations, with ratios of saliva to plasma concentrations of 0.98 for nonpregnant women, 0.98, 1, and 1.12 for pregnant women during the first trimester, the second trimester, the and third trimester, respectively. The effective range of saliva levetiracetam concentration was found to be 9.98 µg/mL (lower limit) with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.937 (95% confidence intervals, 0.915-0.959), sensitivity of 88.9%, specificity of 86.8%, and p < 0.001, to 24.05 µg/mL (upper limit) with an AUC of 0.952 (0.914-0.99), sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 92.3%, and p = 0.007. CONCLUSION: The saliva/plasma concentration ratio of levetiracetam remains constant during pregnancy and is similar to that in non-pregnant individuals. Monitoring levetiracetam concentration in saliva during pregnancy should be widely promoted.

Computerized tomography-guided therapeutic percutaneous puncture catheter drainage-combined with somatostatin for severe acute pancreatitis: An analysis of efficacy and safety.

BACKGROUND: Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), a condition with rapid onset, critical condition and unsatisfactory prognosis, poses a certain threat to human health, warranting optimization of relevant treatment plans to improve treatment efficacy. AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of computerized tomography-guided therapeutic percutaneous puncture catheter drainage (CT-TPPCD) combined with somatostatin (SS) in the treatment of SAP. METHODS: Forty-two SAP patients admitted to The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University from June 2020 to June 2023 were selected. On the basis of routine treatment, 20 patients received SS therapy (control group) and 22 patients were given CT-TPPCD plus SS intervention (research group). The efficacy, safety (pancreatic fistula, intra-abdominal hemorrhage, sepsis, and organ dysfunction syndrome), abdominal bloating and pain relief time, bowel recovery time, hospital stay, inflammatory indicators (C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and procalcitonin), and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score of both groups were evaluated for comparison. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the research group had a markedly higher total effective rate, faster abdominal bloating and pain relief and bowel recovery, shorter hospital length of stay, fewer complications, and lower posttreatment inflammatory indices and APACHE-II scores. CONCLUSION: CT-TPPCD in combination with SS is effective for SAP patients, which can reduce complications, accelerate symptom resolution, inhibit inflammation, and improve patient condition, with promising prospects for clinical promotion.

Effect of stereo-complexation on crystallization behavior and barrier properties of poly-lactide.

The unique stere-complex crystal formed by poly(ʟ-lactide)/poly(ᴅ-lactide) (PLLA/PDLA) has a significant impact on properties of poly-lactide materials and is considered an effective means to improve the barrier properties of poly-lactide (PLA). In this work, poly-lactide films with different aggregate structures were prepared and the relationship of aggregate structure and barrier properties were explored. The results show that the crystal structure including crystallinity and crystal forms can be controlled by adjusting the isothermal crystallization time and crystallization temperature during the molding process. PLLA/PDLA composite films contain both homochiral crystallites and stereo-complex crystallites, and there is a synergistic crystallization effect between the two of them, which provides the composite films with high crystallinity and excellent barrier properties. Compared to the PLLA with homochiral crystallites, the PLLA/PDLA composite film with only stereo-complex crystallites exhibits higher barrier properties. The linear correlation between the crystallinity and the barrier properties is weak due to the changes in crystallization behavior and then the structure of poly-lactide caused by stereo-complexation. The linear correlation between the crystallinity and the barrier properties of the blend film is strong in the low crystallinity but weak at high crystallinity. Compared to homochiral crystallites, stereo-complex crystallites exhibits lower crystallinity dependence. It has been proven that different crystal forms have different design ideas for preparing high-barrier films, but the stereo-complexation resulting from the intermolecular forces between PLLA and PDLA having complementary chemical structure, is an effective method for enhancing the barrier performances of poly-lactide sustainably.

Effect of auricular acupressure on sleep quality in breast cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Sleep disturbance is a very common problem among breast cancer patients, and auricular acupressure is a non-pharmacologic intervention to improve the sleep quality. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of auricular acupressure to improve sleep quality in breast cancer patients. METHODS: Overall, 8 electronic databases in English and Chinese were systematically searched from inception to August 12, 2023 to identify eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The risk of bias was assessed by version 2 of the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2.0). RESULTS: A total of 16 studies with 1199 participants were included. The synthesized results showed that compared with the control group, auricular acupressure had a significant effect on improving the effective rate of sleep quality improvement in patients with breast cancer (risk ratio [RR] 1.56, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.14 to 2.14; P < 0.001), and that significantly reduced the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) global score (mean difference [MD] -3.47, 95 % CI -4.37 to -2.58; P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis of effective rate and PSQI score showed similar significant effects. Additionally, the improvement of sleep quality was better when auricular acupressure was performed by nurses using Vaccaria seeds. Furthermore, the optimal intervention program was performed 1-2 times a day, 3-5 min each time, and lasted for 2-4 weeks. CONCLUSION: Auricular acupressure may effectively improve the sleep quality of patients with breast cancer. However, more rigorously designed, large-sample, multi-center RCTs are required to further validate the results.

Inhibition of pathogenic microorganisms in solid organic waste via black soldier fly larvae-mediated management.

Inadequately managed solid organic waste generation poses a threat to the environment and human health globally. Biotransformation with the black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) is emerging as talent technology for solid waste management. However, there is a lack of understanding of whether BSFL can effectively suppress potential pathogenic microorganisms during management and the underlying mechanisms. In this study, we investigated the temporal variations of microorganisms in two common types of solid waste, i.e., kitchen waste (KW) and pig manure (PM). Natural composting and composting with BSFL under three different pH levels (pH 5, 7, and 9) were established to explore their impact on microbial communities in compost and the gut of BSFL. The results showed that the compost of kitchen waste and pig manure led to an increase in relative abundance of various potentially pathogenic bacteria. Temporal gradient analyses revealed that the most substantial reduction in the relative abundance and diversity of potentially pathogenic microorganisms occurred when the initial pH of both two wastes were adjusted to 7 upon the introduction of BSFL. Through network and pls-pm analysis, it was discovered that the gut microbiota of BSFL occupied an ecological niche in the compost, inhibiting the proliferation of potentially pathogenic microorganisms. This study has revealed the potential of BSFL in reducing public health risks during the solid waste management process, providing robust support for sustainable waste management.

Bacillus velezensis YXDHD1-7 Prevents Early Blight Disease by Promoting Growth and Enhancing Defense Enzyme Activities in Tomato Plants.

Bacillus velezensis is well known as a plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and biocontrol agent. Nevertheless, there are very few reports on the study of B. velezensis on tomato early blight, especially the biocontrol effects among different inoculation concentrations. In this study, an IAA-producing strain, Bacillus velezensis YXDHD1-7 was isolated from the tomato rhizosphere soil, which had the strongest inhibitory effect against Alternaria solani. Inoculation with bacterial suspensions of this strain promoted the growth of tomato seedlings effectively. Furthermore, inoculations at 106, 107, and 108 cfu/mL resulted in control efficacies of 100%, 83.15%, and 69.90%, respectively. Genome sequencing showed that it possesses 22 gene clusters associated with the synthesis of antimicrobial metabolites and genes that are involved in the production of IAA. Furthermore, it may be able to produce spermidine and volatile compounds that also enhance plant growth and defense responses. Our results suggest that strain YXDHD1-7 prevents early blight disease by promoting growth and enhancing the defense enzyme activities in tomato plants. This strain is a promising candidate for an excellent microbial inoculant that can be used to enhance tomato production.