A recyclable Eu3+-functionalized dual-emissive metal-organic framework for portable, rapid detection and efficient removal of malachite green.

A europium-functionalized, dual-emissive, metal-organic framework-based fluorescence sensor (EuUCNDA) was constructed via post-synthetic modification of an UiO-66-type precursor through coordination interactions. EuUCNDA exhibited extremely high selectivity and sensitivity for malachite green (MG) with a low detection limit of 13.01 nM, a wide linear concentration range (0.05-50 µM), excellent anti-interference properties, a rapid response (<1 min), and the possibility of recycling. The good sensing performance of EuUCNDA enables the practical detection of MG in fish pond water and grass carp with good recoveries. Moreover, EuUCNDA can be reused for sensing MG and over 90% of fluorescence intensity can be restored after 7 cycles. Furthermore, EuUCNDA-embedded paper-based sensors combined with smartphone imaging afford portable and visual monitoring of MG in real samples. Notably, besides good sensing performance, EuUCNDA could efficiently remove MG from water. Hence, this work provides a recyclable and sensitive fluorescence sensor for portable, visual, rapid detection and efficient removal of MG.

Assessment of grip force sense test-retest reliability in healthy male participants.

There has been a lack of research to date regarding the test-retest reliability of grip force sense in healthy adult males. This study was therefore designed to explore this topic across a series of target force levels using an ipsilateral force reproduction task. The same experienced research staff conducted two testing sessions for each study participant, with 1 week between test sessions. Intraclass correlation coefficient values indicated that these force sensing tests exhibited good to fair reliability with respect to both absolute error (0.42-0.63) and constant error (0.49-0.60), although variable error was indicative of poor reliability (-0.85 to 0.14). Together, these results suggest that researchers can achieve a fair level of test-retest reliability when analysing grip force sense in healthy adult males, with results being most reliable at force levels of 20 N and 50 N, as determined based upon measured constant error and absolute error. Practitioner summary: To ensure that grip force sense can be accurately interpreted over time, it is important to assess the test-retest reliability. It is recommended that practitioners measure the absolute error and constant error at force levels of 20 N and 50 N when assessing grip force sense in a clinical setting.

A novel chiral inorganic mesoporous silica used as a stationary phase in GC.

Chiral mesoporous silica (CMS) has attracted widespread attention because of some unique properties, such as high surface area, uniformly structured nanoscale cavities, and excellent chemical and thermal stability. In this work, we report the utilization of a CMS as the stationary phase for the separation of racemates in gas chromatography (GC). A CMS-coated capillary column was fabricated by a dynamic coating method. Eighteen racemates belonging to different classes of organic compounds were separated on this column, including chiral alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, organic acids, halohydrocarbons, alkenes, alcohol amines, epoxides, and amino acid derivatives. In addition, linear alkanes, alcohols, and aromatic hydrocarbons have also been resolved.

Homochiral Metal-Organic Cage for Gas Chromatographic Separations.

Metal-organic cages (MOCs) as a new type of porous material with well-defined cavities were extensively pursued because of their relative ease of synthesis and their potential applications in host-guest chemistry, molecular recognition, separation, catalysis, gas storage, and drug delivery. Here, we first reported that a homochiral MOC [Zn3L2] is explored to fabricate [Zn3L2] coated capillary column for high-resolution gas chromatographic separation of a wide range of analytes, including n-alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and positional isomers, especially for racemates. Various kinds of racemates such as alcohols, diols, epoxides, ethers, halohydrocarbons, and esters were separated with good enantioselectivity and reproducibility on the [Zn3L2] coated capillary column. The fabricated [Zn3L2] coated capillary column exhibited significant chiral recognition complementary to that of a commercial ß-DEX 120 column and our recently reported homochiral porous organic cage CC3-R coated column. The results show that the homochiral MOCs will be very attractive as a new type of chiral selector in separation science.

Risk factors for incomplete healing of the uterine incision after cesarean section.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze related risk factors of post-cesarean scar defects (PCSDs). METHODS: A retrospective study of full-term women delivered by cesarean with singleton infants at our hospital from April 2014 to December 2015 was performed. 69 cases of diagnosed PCSDs and 107 cases with no PCSD who accepted cesarean were recruited for analysis. Individual medical case and operative report review were retrieved for maternal clinical characteristics analysis. RESULTS: There was no difference in age, gestational age, BMI and baby's weight between the two groups. PCSD group has more cases of anemia, higher neutrophil percentage and more cases of elected cesarean and emergency cesarean than controls (all p < 0.05). For woman who received emergency cesarean, there were more cases with cervix dilated larger than 3 cm in operation and more cases received cesarean at least one time before. In addition, women with cesarean interval of at least 5 years, women with ultrasonic measured echo longer than 3 cm, women with poor healing in uterine incision, women with retroposition of uterus and women who had intrauterine separation are more prone to develop PCSDs. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of a defective uterine scar after cesarean section is primarily a by-product of the combination of multiple factors: age ≥30 years, BMI ≥27.30, premature rupture of membranes, elective cesarean section, post-operative anemia, WBC count ≥12.5 × 109 g/L and retroposition of uterus. These are high risk factors of PCSDs.

Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog (PTEN) Represses Colon Cancer Progression through Inhibiting Paxillin Transcription via PI3K/AKT/NF-κB Pathway.

The tumor suppressor gene phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is frequently mutated in colon cancer. However, the potential contribution of loss of PTEN to colon cancer progression remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that PTEN overexpression or knockdown in Lovo colon cancer cells decreased or increased paxillin expression, respectively. Moreover, paxillin reversed PTEN-mediated inhibition of Lovo cell invasion and migration. Overexpression of PTEN in an orthotropic colon cancer nude mice model inhibited tumor formation and progression. In addition, PTEN protein level was negatively correlated with that of paxillin in human colon cancer tissues. Mechanistically, we identified three NF-κB binding sites on paxillin promoter and confirmed that paxillin was a direct transcriptional target of NF-κB. Our findings reveal a novel mechanism by which PTEN inhibits the progression of colon cancer by inhibiting paxillin expression downstream of PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway. Thereby, PTEN/PI3K/AKT/NF-κB/paxillin signaling cascade is an attractive therapeutic target for colon cancer progression.

Correlation study of knee joint proprioception test results using common test methods.

[Purpose] To study the correlation of the results obtained from different proprioception test methods, namely, the joint angle reset method, the motion minimum threshold measurement method, and the force sense reproduction method, performed on the same subjects' knees. [Subjects and Methods] Different proprioception test methods, the joint angle reset method, the motion minimum threshold measurement method and the force sense reproduction method were used to test the knees of 30 healthy young men. [Results] Correlations were found in the following descending order from strong to weak: the correlation between the joint angle reset method and the force sense reproduction method (correlation coefficient of 0.41), the correlation between the joint angle reset method and the motion minimum threshold measurement method (correlation coefficient of 0.29), the correlation between the motion minimum threshold measurement method and the force sense reproduce method (correlation coefficient of 0.15). [Conclusion] No correlation was found among the results obtained using the joint angle reset method, the motion minimum threshold measurement method and the force sense reproduction method. Therefore, no correlation was found among the position sense, the motion sense and the force sense represented by these methods. Using the results of only one of the test methods to represent proprioception is one-sided. Force sensation depends more on the sensory input of information from the Golgi tendon organs, motion sense depends more on the input information of the muscle spindles, and position sense relies on the double input information of the muscle spindles and the Golgi tendon organs.

Sequence analysis of the HBV S protein in Chinese patients with coexisting HBsAg and anti-HBs antibodies.

The coexistence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibodies to HBsAg (anti-HBs) in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been discovered and explained for several decades, but debate still exists. This study was to explore the relationship between this special serological pattern and mutations in S gene region. Fifteen patients with coexisting HBsAg and anti-HBs were selected as the experimental group, and 27 patients with HBsAg positive only were selected as the control group. The S gene region was amplified and sequenced. No significant differences were observed between the two groups with regard to age, gender, alanine aminotransferase level, HBsAg titer, genotype, and HBV DNA level. The patients from the two groups were infected with HBV of the genotype B and C. Compared with the control group, the experimental group showed a higher variability in amino acid within the N-terminal region and the MHR, especially the "a" determinant. The most frequent change in patients from the experimental group was located at positions s126. The coexistence of HBsAg and anti-HBs might be associated with the increased amino acid mutations in the "a" determinant. Further studies should be performed to determine the clinical implication of this serological pattern, including the binding of anti-HBs to HBsAg, escape from immune system, and efficacy of antiviral therapy.

[Protective effect of Acai berries on chronic alcoholic hepatic injury in rats and their effect on inflammatory cytokines].

OBJECTIVE: To study the protective effect of Acai berries(Euterpe oleraceae) on chronic alcoholic hepatic injury in rats and their mechanism. METHOD: Wistar rats were fed for 1 week and randomly divided into blank group, model group, Dongbao Gantai group, Acai 1.6, 0.8, 0.4 g . kg-1 groups. The blank group was given distilled water, and the other groups were orally given 56% white spirit (Erguotou) for eight weeks at the dosages of 8 mL . kg-1 in the 1st week, which increased by 0.1 mL week by week till to 15 mL . kg-1, in order to establish the chronic hepatic injury model, and observe the effect of Acai berry freeze-dried powder on hepatocyte membrane permeability, liver lipid peroxidation, changes in inflammatory cytokines and pathological changes in hepatocytes. RESULT: Acai berries could significantly reduce serum ALT and AST(P<0.05), MDA(P<0.05), TG(P<0.05) and serum TNF-α and IL-6(P <0.05) and increase GSH and SOD(P <0.05). According to liver histopathological observation, livers in the model group were dominated by steatosis, some livers suffered spotty necrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration; The positive drug and Acai groups showed different changes in pathologic changes in rat livers. CONCLUSION: Acai berries show s specific protective effect on alcoholic hepatic injury. Its mechanism may be correlated with the inhibition of such inflammatory factors as TNF-α and IL-6.

Multifunctional Eu3+-MOF for simultaneous quantification of malachite green and leuco-malachite green and efficient adsorption of malachite green.

Multi-target detection combined with in-situ removal of contaminants is a challenging issue difficult to overcome. Herein, a dual-emissive Eu3+-metal organic framework (Eu3+-MOF) was constructed by pre-functionalization with a blue-emissive ligand and post-functionalization with red-emissive Eu3+ ions using a UiO-66 precursor. The fluorescence of the synthesized Eu3+-MOF is highly selective and sensitive toward malachite green (MG) and its metabolite leuco-malachite green (LMG), which are environmentally persistent and highly toxic to humans. The limit of detection of MG and LMG are 34.20 and 1.98 nM, respectively. Interestingly, the fluorescence of this Eu3+-MOF showed ratiometric but different responsive modes toward MG and LMG, which enabled the simultaneous quantification of MG and LMG. Furthermore, a paper-based sensor combined with the smartphone was fabricated, which facilitated not only the dual-channel detection of MG, but also its portable, visual, rapid, and intelligent determination. Furthermore, the high surface area of MOFs, together with the coordinate bonding interaction, π-π stacking, and electrostatic interaction sites, endows Eu3+-MOF with the efficient ability toward MG removal. This multifunctional Eu3+-MOF can be successfully used for trace detection, simultaneous determination of MG and LMG, as well as efficient removal of MG. Thus, it exhibits bright prospects for widespread applications in the field of food and environmental analysis.

Double-nylon purse-string suture in closing postoperative wounds following endoscopic resection of large (≥ 3 cm) gastric submucosal tumors.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR) of gastric submucosal tumors (SMTs) is safe and effective; however, postoperative wound management is equally important. Literature on suturing following EFTR for large (≥ 3 cm) SMTs is scarce and limited. AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and clinical value of double-nylon purse-string suture in closing postoperative wounds following EFTR of large (≥ 3 cm) SMTs. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 85 patients with gastric SMTs in the fundus of the stomach or in the lesser curvature of the gastric body whose wounds were treated with double-nylon purse-string sutures after successful tumor resection at the Endoscopy Center of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University. The operative, postoperative, and follow-up conditions of the patients were evaluated. RESULTS: All tumors were completely resected using EFTR. 36 (42.35%) patients had tumors located in the fundus of the stomach, and 49 (57.65%) had tumors located in the body of the stomach. All patients underwent suturing with double-nylon sutures after EFTR without laparoscopic assistance or further surgical treatment. Postoperative fever and stomach pain were reported in 13 (15.29%) and 14 (16.47%) patients, respectively. No serious adverse events occurred during the intraoperative or postoperative periods. A postoperative review of all patients revealed no residual or recurrent lesions. CONCLUSION: Double-nylon purse-string sutures can be used to successfully close wounds that cannot be completely closed with a single nylon suture, especially for large (≥ 3 cm) EFTR wounds in SMTs.

A facile and intelligent detection method for diclazuril based on a stable dual emissive Eu3+-dopped metal-organic framework.

Diclazuril (DIC) is a broad-spectrum anti-coccidiosis drug of the triazine class, widely used in poultry farming. The overuse of DIC may lead to its accumulation in animal bodies, which may enter the food chain and threaten human health. In this work, we fabricated a stable Eu3+-doped UiO-66 fluorescence sensor (EuUHIPA-30) for the sensitive detection of DIC. Among 20 veterinary drugs, the fluorescence of EuUHIPA-30 selectively responds to DIC, with a low detection limit (0.19 µM) and fast response (10 s). EuUHIPA-30 is recyclable and can detect DIC in chicken and eggs with good recoveries. Moreover, a smartphone-integrated paper-based sensor enables the instrument-free, rapid, visual, and intelligent detection of DIC in chickens and eggs. This work provides a promising candidate for practical fluorescent DIC sensing in animal-derived food to promote food safety.

Dual-emissive Eu(III)-functionalized metal-organic frameworks for visual, rapid, and intelligent sensing of albendazole and albendazole sulfoxide in animal-origin food.

Albendazole (ABZ), a benzimidazole-based anthelmintic, is widely used to treat helminth infections. The extensive and improper use of ABZ may cause drug residues in animal-origin food and anthelmintics resistance, which potentially threaten human health. Meanwhile, albendazole sulfoxide (ABZSO), a metabolite of ABZ, also exhibits toxic effects. Therefore, the detection of ABZ and ABZSO in animal-derived food is significantly necessary. Herein, a dual-emission europium fluorescent sensor (EuUHC-30) was rationally designed and constructed. EuUHC-30 exhibits high selectivity and sensitivity towards ABZ and ABZSO with a detection limit of 0.10 and 0.13 µM, respectively. Furthermore, EuUHC-30 was successfully applied for quantification of ABZ and ABZSO in milk and pig kidney, which were verified by HPLC analysis. Moreover, a smartphone-assisted EuUHC-30 fluorescent paper sensor was fabricated for the practical determination of ABZ and ABZSO in real food. Overall, this work provides a visual, rapid, and intelligent method for the detection of ABZ and ABZSO in animal-origin food.

A highly selective turn-on fluorescent chemosensor for zinc ion in aqueous media.

In the paper, a novel rhodamine6G based fluorescent chemosensor bearing 3-carbaldehyde chromone was designed and synthesized. According to the fluorescence behavior toward several metal ions, it showed highly selectivity and sensitivity to Zn(II) over other commonly coexistent metal ions (Cu(II), Cd(II), Hg(II), Mg(II), K(I), Pb(II), Fe(III) and Cr(III)) in aqueous environment (pH = 7.4). Meanwhile the binding constant between Zn(II) and chemosensor achieved 6.21 × 10(11) M(-1) in aqueous media. Moreover, according to the Job plot, 1:1 stoichiometry between Zn(II) and sensor was deduced in aqueous media (pH = 7.4). The good selectivity and sensitivity in aqueous media effectively enhanced the application value of the fluorescent chemosensor for Zn(II).

The residues and environmental risks of multiple veterinary antibiotics in animal faeces.

To understand the residues and ecological risks of veterinary antibiotics (VAs) in animal faeces from concentrated animal feeding operations in northeastern China, 14 VAs were identified by high performance liquid chromatography, and the preliminary risks of six antibiotics were assessed using the hazard quotient (HQ). The investigated VAs occurred in 7.41 to 57.41 % of the 54 samples, and the levels ranged from 0.08 to 56.81 mg kg(-1). Tetracyclines were predominant with a maximum level of 56.81 mg kg(-1) mostly detected in pig faeces. Sulfonamides were common and detected with the highest concentration of 7.11 mg kg(-1). Fluoroquinolones were more widely detected in chicken faeces rather than in pig or cow faeces, which contained the dominant antibiotic enrofloxacin. In comparison, the residue of tylosin was less frequently found. The risk evaluations of the six antibiotics revealed that tetracyclines, especially oxytetracycline, displayed the greatest ecological risk because of its high HQ value of 15.75. The results of this study imply that multiple kinds of VAs were jointly used in animal feeding processes in the study area. These medicine residues in animal faeces may potentially bring ecological risks if the animal manure is not treated effectively.

[Evaluation on clinical effectiveness of modified laparoscopic sacral colpopexy].

OBJECTIVE: To study clinical curative effect and complications of modified laparoscopic sacral colpopexy and evaluate the efficacy and safety of this procedure in treatment of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) . METHODS: From Jan. 2008 to Sept. 2012, 66 patients who had undergone modified laparoscopic sacral colpopexy for POP in the first affiliated hospital of Guangzhou medical university were studied retrospectively. Primary outcomes were assessed with POP quantitation ( POP-Q) system that was measured before or after operation respectively to evaluate the objective cure rate and recurrence rate.Secondary outcomes were measured by the pelvic floor distress inventory short form (PFDI-20) to evaluate the subjective cure rate, as well as to evaluate the improvement of postoperative lower urinary tract symptoms. RESULTS: Sixty-three patients were followed up for 6 to 57 months, and the median follow-up time was 16 months, the overall objective cure rate was 95% (60/63). Postoperative each indicator point was reset anatomically according to POP-Q, the overall objective cure rate was 90% (57/63), and the total recurrence rate was 10% (6/63). The median postoperative vaginal length was slightly shortened than preoperative length[7.5 cm versus 8.0 cm, P < 0.01]; the median score of postoperative PFDI-20 was obviously improved compared to the preoperative (21 versus 75 scores, P < 0.05); there was no statistically significant difference in POP-Q staging and questionnaire score at more than 3 years, >2- ≤ 3 years, >1- ≤ 2 years, <0.5-1 year after operation (P > 0.05). Among 23 patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and 5 patients with mixed urinary incontinence (MUI), 15 cases underwent transvaginal tension free vaginal tape-obturator (TVT-O) procedure simultaneously, 13 cases did not. The cure rate of SUI was 14/15 and 10/13, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Modified laparoscopic sacral colpopexy can not only reach the anatomical replacement stage but significantly improve the postoperative quality of life with high subjective and objective cure rate and few complications. The long-term curative effect is stable.

Envafolimab combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of combined small cell lung cancer: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Combined small cell lung cancer (C-SCLC) is a special subtype of small cell lung cancer that is relatively rare, aggressive, and prone to early metastasis and has a poor prognosis. Currently, there are limited studies on C-SCLC, and there is no uniform standard treatment, especially for extensive C-SCLC, which still faces great challenges. In recent years, the development and progress of immunotherapy have provided more possibilities for the treatment of C-SCLC. We used immunotherapy combined with first-line chemotherapy to treat extensive-stage C-SCLC to explore its antitumor activity and safety. CASE SUMMARY: We report a case of C-SCLC that presented early with adrenal, rib, and mediastinal lymph node metastases. The patient received carboplatin and etoposide with concurrent initiation of envafolimab. After 6 cycles of chemotherapy, the lung lesion was significantly reduced, and the comprehensive efficacy evaluation showed a partial response. No serious drug-related adverse events occurred during the treatment, and the drug regimen was well tolerated. CONCLUSION: Envafolimab combined with carboplatin and etoposide in the treatment of extensive-stage C-SCLC has preliminary antitumor activity and good safety and tolerability.

Stochastic resonance analysis of a coupled high-speed maglev vehicle-bridge coupled system under bounded noise.

Coupled oscillations typically occur in maglev vehicle-bridge coupled systems excited by bounded noise caused by guideway irregularities. The paper employed Hamilton equations to derive the corresponding canonical transformation equations and determined the critical stable regions for two kinds of resonances using the largest Lyapunov exponents. The results show that the critical stable region between the excitation amplitude and the resonant frequency ratio is a valley shape when the system has external resonance only. When considering both internal and external resonances, the critical stable region between the excitation amplitude and resonant frequency ratio presents a small saddle shape. Energy transfers from the first to the second oscillator under with both internal and extrinsic resonance. As the guideway irregularities' coefficients increase, the maximum Lyapunov exponents of the two conditions change from negative to positive, which means that the system varies from a stable state to instability.

The effect of pinch span on pinch force sense in healthy participants.

The purpose of the current investigation was to evaluate the effect of pinch span on the perception of pinch force in typical participants. The healthy participants (10 males and 10 females) conducted an ipsilateral force reproduction test with three distinct pinch spans (2, 4, and 6 cm) at three distinct forces of 10%, 30%, and 50% maximum voluntary isometric contraction. The findings revealed a significantly greater consistency (lower variable error (VE)) of 4 cm compared with 2 and 6 cm pinch spans. Our study also showed that the participants might use a larger force (more overestimated) output for larger pinch spans (4 and 6 cm) than small pinch spans (2 cm). These results may offer significant insights into the higher rates of musculoskeletal disorders among females, enabling researchers and clinicians to design novel interventions and tools to improve pinch force perception and reduce hand injury rates in males and females.

Recovery of pinch force sense after short-term fatigue.

The aim of this study was to identify the exact origin of force sense and identify whether it arises centrally or peripherally. The present study was designed to analyze the effects of short-term fatigue on pinch force sense and the duration of these effects. During the fatigue protocol, twenty (10 men and 10 women; Mage = 22.0 years old) young Chinese participants were asked to squeeze maximally until the pinch grip force decreased to 50% of its maximal due to fatigue. Participants were instructed to produce the target force (10% of maximal voluntary isometric contraction) using the same hand before and after fatigue (immediately, 10, 30, 60, 180, 300 s). The results showed significantly higher absolute error immediately after fatigue (1.22 ± 1.06 N) than before fatigue (0.68 ± 0.34 N), and 60 s (0.76 ± 0.69 N), 180 s (0.67 ± 0.42 N), and 300 s (0.75 ± 0.37 N) after fatigue (all P < 0.05) but with no effect on the variable error (P > 0.05). It was also revealed that there was a significant overestimate of the constant error values before (0.32 ± 0.61 N) and immediately after fatigue (0.80 ± 1.38 N, all P < 0.05), while no significant overestimation or underestimation exceeded 300 s after fatigue (P > 0.05). Our study results revealed that short-term fatigue resulted in a significant decrease in force sense accuracy, but it did not affect force sense consistently; however, force sense accuracy recovered to a certain extent within 10 s and 30 s, whereas it recovered fully within 60 s, and force sense directivity improvement exceeded 300 s after fatigue. The present study shows that the sense of tension (peripherally) is also an important factor affecting force sense. Our study supports the view that the periphery is part of the origin of force sense.