Attitudes and influencing factors of nursing assistants towards hospice and palliative care nursing in chinese nursing homes: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Hospice and palliative care nursing (HPCN) in China is mainly available at public primary care institutions, where nursing homes (NHs) are rarely involved. Nursing assistants (NAs) play an essential role in HPCN multidisciplinary teams, but little is known about their attitudes towards HPCN and related factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was designed to evaluate NAs' attitudes towards HPCN with an indigenised scale in Shanghai. A total of 165 formal NAs were recruited from 3 urban and 2 suburban NHs between October 2021 and January 2022. The questionnaire was composed of four parts: demographic characteristics, attitudes (20 items with four sub-concepts), knowledge (nine items), and training needs (nine items). Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and multiple linear regression were performed to analyse NAs' attitudes, influencing factors, and their correlations. RESULTS: A total of 156 questionnaires were valid. The mean score of attitudes was 72.44 ± 9.56 (range:55-99), with a mean item score of 3.6 ± 0.5 (range:1-5). The highest score rate was "perception of the benefits for the life quality promotion" (81.23%), and the lowest score rate was "perception of the threats from the worsening conditions of advanced patients" (59.92%). NAs' attitudes towards HPCN were positively correlated with their knowledge score (r = 0.46, P < 0.01) and training needs (r = 0.33, P < 0.01). Marital status (ß = 0.185), previous training experience (ß = 0.201), location of NHs (ß = 0.193), knowledge (ß = 0.294), and training needs (ß = 0.157) for HPCN constituted significant predictors of attitudes (P < 0.05), which explained 30.8% of the overall variance. CONCLUSION: NAs' attitudes towards HPCN were moderate, but their knowledge should be improved. Targeted training is highly recommended to improve the participation of positive and enabled NAs and to promote high-quality universal coverage of HPCN in NHs.

Effect of Presurgical Nasoalveolar Molding on Nasal Symmetry in Unilateral Complete Cleft Lip/Palate Patients after Primary Cheiloplasty without Concomitant Nasal Cartilage Dissection: Early Childhood Evaluation.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of presurgical nasoalveolar molding (PNAM) on long-term nasal symmetry and shaping after primary cheiloplasty in patients with unilateral complete cleft lip/palate (UCL/P). DESIGN: This was a two-group, parallel, retrospective, randomized clinical trial. SETTING: The setting for this study was the Chang Gung Craniofacial Center in Taoyuan, Taiwan. PATIENTS: Patients were divided into one of the following two groups: infants with UCL/P who underwent PNAM (PNAM group, n = 42) and infants with UCL/P who did not undergo PNAM (non-PNAM group, n = 42). INTERVENTIONS: Interventions included PNAM and primary cheiloplasty without nasal cartilage dissection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: In this study, 4- to 5-year postoperative full-face and submental oblique photographs were taken of all patients and scored from 1 to 5 points by 10 medical evaluators. The scores were statistically analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance, and P < .05 was considered to represent statistical significance. RESULTS: After 1 to 3 months of PNAM but before primary cheiloplasty, the displaced nasal and alveolar cartilage showed obvious improvement. However, the scores in the PNAM and non-PNAM groups at 4 to 5 years postoperatively were 66.62 ± 14.25 and 66.31 ± 15.08, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups ( F = 0.009, P = .923). CONCLUSION: PNAM as an early-stage adjunctive therapy for nasal deformity correction is beneficial before primary cheiloplasty, but it is insufficient to maintain long-term nostril symmetry after primary cheiloplasty without nasal cartilage dissection.

Bifunctionality of dirhodium tetracarboxylates in metallaphotocatalysis.

Metallaphotocatalysis has been recognized as a pivotal catalysis enabling new reactivities. Traditional metallaphotocatalysis often requires two or more separate catalysts and exhibits flaw in cost and substrate-tolerance, thus representing an await-to-solve issue in catalysis. We herein realize metallaphotocatalysis with a bifunctional dirhodium tetracarboxylate ([Rh2]) alone. The [Rh2] shows an photocatalytic activity of promoting singlet oxygen (1O2) oxidation. By harnessing its photocatalytic activity, the [Rh2] catalyzes a photochemical cascade reaction (PCR) via combination of carbenoid chemistry and 1O2 chemistry. The PCR is characterized by high atom-efficiency, excellent stereoselectivities, mild conditions, scalable synthesis, and pharmaceutically interesting products. DFT calculations-aided mechanistic study rationalizes the reaction pathway and interprets the origin of stereoselectivities of the PCR. The products show inhibitory activity against PTP1B, being promising in the treatment of type II diabetes and cancers. Overall, here we show the bifunctional [Rh2] merges Rh-carbenoid chemistry and 1O2 chemistry.

Dry-Processable Polymer Electrolytes for Solid Manufactured Batteries.

Designing a solid-state electrolyte that satisfies the operating requirements of solid-state batteries is key to solid-state battery applications. The consensus is that solid-state electrolytes need to allow fast ion transport, while providing better interfacial compatibility and mechanical tolerance. Herein, a simple but effective strategy is proposed, combining hard and soft component polymer systems, to exploit a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) with a 3D network via an in situ graft polymerization. The 3D structure is constructed by a hard cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) as the skeleton and a soft polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as the filler through a dry-processing method. The reported systems have several advantages, including ease of processing, only requiring using an exceedingly small amount of solvent, light weight (ρ = 1.2 g cm-3), excellent mechanical stability (tensile strength of 9.5 MPa), and high ionic conductivity (3.9 × 10-4 S cm-1, 18 °C) and migration number (tLi+ = 0.8). In particular, the high conductivity is enabled: the efficient Li+ transportation path constructed between CNC-PAN powders and abundant sulfonate radicals and hydroxyl groups on the CNC surface acts as the bridge of Li+ transition. When the CNCs are grafted onto the PAN polymer, the dipole-dipole interaction between the nitrile groups of the PAN and the hydroxyl groups of the CNCs can help to improve the mechanical stability and ionic conductivity of the SPE. Moreover, a tightly formed interface between SPE and LiFePO4 (LFP)/carbon black/SPE cathode can be achieved in an assembled solid-state battery by hot pressing, thus further enhancing the battery's performance.

Research on depression in Parkinson disease: A bibliometric and visual analysis of studies published during 2012-2021.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis and treatment rate of Parkinson disease (PD) with depression has a low diagnostic rate, and there is no consensus on the choice of treatment mode. This study evaluates the global research trends of scientific outputs related to depression in PD from multiple perspectives, using a bibliometric analysis and visualization tool to scientifically analyze the knowledge from the literature. METHODS: Literature related to depression in PD published from 2012 to 2021 was included and selected from the Web of Science Core Collection database in October 2021. CiteSpace software was used to visualize and analyze co-occurrence analyses for countries, institutions, authors, and keywords. RESULTS: A total of 4533 articles from the Web of Science database were included. The United States made the largest contribution with the majority of publications (1215; 29.40%). Toronto University was the most productive institution. PD, depression, quality of life, dementia, nonmotor symptom, prevalence, anxiety, Alzheimer disease, symptom, and disorder would be significantly correlated with depression in PD. The current hot spots in this field focus on the following: risk factors for depression in PD, assessment scale of depression in PD, and rehabilitation of depression in PD. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis not only reveals the current research trends and hotspots but also provides some instructive suggestions on the development of depression in PD.

Origin of vacuum-assisted chiral self-assembly of cellulose nanocrystals.

To produce functional cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) films with desirable optical and mechanical properties, it is critical to understand and control the chiral self-assembly of CNCs during solvent removal. Here, the formation mechanism of CNC chiral nematic liquid crystal phase during vacuum-assisted self-assembly (VASA) was investigated. To elucidate the structural evolution of CNC aggregations on filter paper, CNC suspensions were "frozen" at various filtration stages in a polyacrylamide matrix. In addition, the flow rate of CNC suspension was monitored in situ. We found that disordered-to-ordered CNC self-assembly occurs at the interface between the filter paper and suspension over four stages. Tactoids develop in the concentrated CNC suspension close to the filter paper, which is also observed in evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) of CNC films. However, compared to EISA, VASA promotes helical axes of CNC tactoids along the flow-field direction, leading to faster liquid crystal formation with long-range order via the nucleation growth.

Electric Field-Induced Assembly and Alignment of Silver-Coated Cellulose for Polymer Composite Films with Enhanced Dielectric Permittivity and Anisotropic Light Transmission.

Multifarious wearable electronics with flexible touch screens have been invented for extensive outdoor activities. One challenge associated with these wearable electronics is the development of materials with both high dielectric permittivity and anisotropic light transmission, which is responsible for high touch sensitivity and screen peep-proof protection, respectively. Herein, we demonstrated a scalable approach for assembling and aligning anisotropic cellulose in a polymer matrix through the thickness direction via the assistance of an electric field to address this challenge. The alignment of silver-coated fibrillated celluloses in the polymer matrix not only significantly increases dielectric permittivity but also effectively enhances optical anisotropy. The impact of alignment degree and filler content on the dielectric and optical properties of polymer composite films has been systematically studied. The kinetics and aligning mechanisms of silver-coated fibrillated celluloses are revealed by in situ optical microscope images while an electric field is applied. We believe that this study provides a facile strategy to enhance both dielectric permittivity and optical anisotropy of polymer composite films by the alignment of embedding nanoparticles via an AC electric field, which is essential for future flexible electronics and display technology.

The attenuation effect of 3,4-dihydroxy-phenyl lactic acid and salvianolic acid B on venular thrombosis induced in rat mesentery by photochemical reaction.

3,4-dihydroxy-phenyl lactic acid (DLA) and salvianolic acid B (SAB) are two major water-soluble components of Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM). Previous works have revealed the ability of DLA and SAB to scavenge oxygen free radicals, inhibiting the expression of adhesion molecules CD11b/CD18 in neutrophil. Cardiotonic pills (CP), which is a traditional Chinese medicine compound preparation containing DLA and SAB, was found to inhibit venular thrombosis induced by photochemical reaction (PR) in rat mesentery. The present study addressed the effect of DLA and SAB on PR-induced thrombosis in rat mesentery by utilizing a microcirculation dynamic viewing system. The result demonstrated that both DLA and SAB delayed thrombus-initiation time, while DLA also prolonged thrombus half-size time. The experiments explored the mechanism underlying that the dihydrorhodamine 123 (DHR) fluorescence in the mesenteric venular walls after PR challenge was diminished by pretreatment with either DLA or SAB, the expression of CD18 in neutrophils elicited by PR was depressed by administration of DLA, while mast cell degranulation in rat mesentery induced by PR was damped by SAB. The antioxidant potential of the two substances is likely to be responsible for their most beneficial effects on thrombosis, through either directly scavenging the peroxides produced and/or indirectly depressing the expression of adhesion molecules in neutrophil.

Protective effects of dihydroxylphenyl lactic acid and salvianolic acid B on LPS-induced mesenteric microcirculatory disturbance in rats.

Salvia miltiorrhiza is a Chinese medicine widely used for treatment of various cardiovascular diseases. However, little is known about the role of dihydroxylphenyl lactic acid (DLA) and salvianolic acid B (SAB), the main ingredients of S. miltiorrhiza, in the microcirculation. This study aimed to investigate the effect of DLA and SAB on LPS-elicited microcirculatory disturbance, focusing especially on leukocyte adhesion and its potential mechanism. Mesenteric venular diameter, velocity of red blood cells in venules, shear rate of the venular wall, numbers of leukocytes adherent to and emigrated across the venular wall, and mast cell degranulation were determined by an inverted microscope in rats after LPS infusion with or without DLA or SAB. Expression of CD11b and CD18 and production of superoxide anion (*O2-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by neutrophils were evaluated in vitro by flow cytometry. LPS exposure induced a significant increase in the number of adherent and emigrated leukocytes and mast cell degranulation, and a prominent decrease in the velocity of red blood cells in venules and shear rate of the venular wall. Additionally, in vitro experiments revealed an apparent enhancement in expression of CD11b and CD18 and production of *O2- and H2O2 by rat neutrophils by LPS stimulation. Treatment with DLA or SAB significantly ameliorated LPS-induced microcirculatory disturbance in rat mesentery and inhibited both the expression of CD11b and CD18 and the production of *O2- and H2O2 by neutrophils caused by LPS.

Effect of notoginsenoside R1 on hepatic microcirculation disturbance induced by gut ischemia and reperfusion.

AIM: To assess the effect of notoginsenoside R1 on hepatic microcirculatory disturbance induced by gut ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in mice. METHODS: The superior mesenteric artery (SMA) of C57/BL mice was ligated for 15 min to induce gut ischemia followed by 30-min reperfusion. In another set of experiments, R1 was continuously infused (10 mg/kg per hour) from 10 min before I/R until the end of the investigation to study the influence of R1 on hepatic microcirculatory disturbance induced by gut I/R. Hepatic microcirculation was observed by inverted microscopy, and the vascular diameter, red blood cell (RBC) velocity and sinusoid perfusion were estimated. Leukocyte rolling and adhesion were observed under a laser confocal microscope. Thirty and 60 min after reperfusion, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) in peripheral blood were determined. The expression of adhesion molecules CD11b/CD18 in neutrophils and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) in plasma were evaluated by flow cytometry. E-selectin and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in hepatic tissue were examined by immunofluorescence. RESULTS: After gut I/R, the diameters of terminal portal venules and central veins, RBC velocity and the number of perfused sinusoids were decreased, while the leukocyte rolling and adhesion, the expression of E-selectin in hepatic vessels and CD18 in neutrophils, IL-6, MCP-1, LDH, ALT and AST were increased. R1 treatment attenuated these alterations except for IL-6 and MCP-1. CONCLUSION: R1 prevents I/R-induced hepatic microcirculation disturbance and hepatocyte injury. The effect of R1 is related to its inhibition of leukocyte rolling and adhesion by inhibiting the expression of E-selectin in endothelium and CD18 in neutrophils.

Improving effect of post-treatment with Panax notoginseng saponins on lipopolysaccharide-induced microcirculatory disturbance in rat mesentery.

Panax notoginseng saponin (PNS) is the collective of the major effective components of Panax notoginseng. The present study intended to explore the effect of post-treatment of PNS on rat mesentery microcirculatory disturbance induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) continuous challenge. By virtue of a microcirculation observation system, the vascular hemodynamics were determined continuously until 60 min of LPS (2 mg/kg/h) infusion through the left femoral vein. After observation, blood was taken for assessment of the expression of CD11b/CD18 in neutrophils and the concentration of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interferon-gamma (INF-gamma) in plasma with flow-cytometry. The number of leukocytes adherent to venular wall, the intensity of hydrogen peroxide dependent dihydrorhodamine 123 (DHR) fluorescence in the venular walls and albumin leakage from venules were increased impressively after 20 min of LPS infusion, the RBCs velocity diminished after 30 min, and degranulated mast cells increased remarkably after 60 min. Post-treatment with PNS (5 mg/kg/h) through the left jugular vein from 20 min of LPS exposure resulted in significant reduction in the number of adherent leukocytes, degranulation of mast cell, expression of CD11b and the concentration of IL-6, INF-gamma, while had no influence on the intensity of DHR fluorescence and albumin leakage. The results suggested that post-treatment with PNS significantly attenuated microcirculatory disturbance induced by LPS.

Protective effects of ginsenoside Rb1, ginsenoside Rg1, and notoginsenoside R1 on lipopolysaccharide-induced microcirculatory disturbance in rat mesentery.

Ginsenoside Rb1 (Rb1), ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1), and notoginsenoside R1 (R1) are major active components of Panax notoginseng, a Chinese herb that is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine to enhance blood circulation and dissipate blood stasis. To evaluate the effect of these saponins on microcirculatory disturbance induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), vascular hemodynamics in rat mesentery was observed continuously during their administration using an inverted microscope and a high speed video camera system. LPS administration decreased red blood cell velocity but Rb1, Rg1, and R1 attenuated this effect. LPS administration caused leukocyte adhesion to the venular wall, mast cell degranulation, and the release of cytokines. Rb1, Rg1, and R1 reduced the number of adherent leukocytes, and inhibited mast cell degranulation and cytokine elevation. In vitro experiments using flow cytometry further demonstrated that a) the LPS-enhanced expression of CD11b/CD18 by neutrophils was significantly depressed by Rb1 and R1, and b) hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) release from neutrophils in response to LPS stimulation was inhibited by treatment with Rg1 and R1. These results suggest that the protective effect of Rb1 and R1 against leukocyte adhesion elicited by LPS may be associated with their suppressive action on the expression of CD11b/CD18 by neutrophils. The protective effect against mast cell degranulation by Rb1 and R1, and the blunting of H(2)O(2) release from neutrophils by Rg1 and R1 suggest mechanistic diversity in the effects of Panax notoginseng saponins in the attenuation of microcirculatory disturbance induced by LPS.

Compound Danshen injection improves endotoxin-induced microcirculatory disturbance in rat mesentery.

AIM: To investigate the effect of compound Danshen injection on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced rat mesenteric microcirculatory dysfunctions and the underlying possible mechanism by an inverted intravital microscope and high-speed video camera system. METHODS: LPS was continuously infused through the jugular artery of male Wistar rats at the dose of 2 mg/kg per hour. Changes in mesenteric microcirculation, such as diameters of arterioles and venules, velocity of RBCs in venules, leukocyte rolling, adhesion and emigration, free radicals released from post-capillary venules, FITC-albumin leakage and mast cell degranulation, were observed through an inverted intravital microscope assisted with CCD camera and SIT camera. Meanwhile, the expression of adhesion molecules CD11b/CD18 and the production of free radical in neutrophils, and the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were quantified by flow cytometry (FACS) in vitro. RESULTS: The continuous infusion with LPS resulted in a number of responses in microcirculation, including a significant increase in the positive region of venule stained with Monastral blue B, rolling and adhesion of leukocytes, production of oxygen radical in venular wall, albumin efflux and enhanced mast cell degranulation in vivo, all of which, except for the leukocyte rolling, were attenuated by the treatment with compound Danshen injection. Experiments performed in vitro further revealed that the expression of CD11b/CD18 and the production of oxygen free radical in neutrophils, and the expression of ICAM-1 in HUVECs were increased by exposure to LPS, and they were attenuated by compound Danshen injection. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that compound Danshen injection is an efficient drug with multi-targeting potential for improving the microcirculatory disturbance.

Cisplatin and paclitaxel co-delivered by folate-decorated lipid carriers for the treatment of head and neck cancer.

CONTEXT: For head and neck cancer therapy, co-delivery of two drugs, cisplatin (DDP) plus paclitaxel (PTX), are more effective than single drug therapy. Lipid carriers are promising drug carriers for anti-cancer delivery. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to construct a folate (FA) decorated nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) as nanocarriers for DDP and PTX delivery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, DDP and PTX were incorporated into NLCs. Folate-PEG-DSPE (FA-PEG-DSPE) was synthesized and decorated the drugs-loaded NLCs (FA-DDP/PTX NLCs). Their average size, zeta potential, drug encapsulation efficiency, drug loading capacity, and in vitro drug release were evaluated. Head and neck cancer cells (FaDu cells) were used for the testing of in vitro cytotoxicity, and in vivo transfection efficiency of NLC was evaluated on mice bearing FaDu cells model. RESULTS: The size of FA-DDP/PTX NLCs was around 127 nm, with a positive zeta potential of 26.7 mV. FA-DDP/PTX NLCs showed the highest cytotoxicity and synergistic effect of two drugs in head and neck cancer cells (FaDu cells) in vitro. The in vivo study revealed the greatest anti-tumor activity than all the other formulations in murine-bearing head and neck cancer model. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: FA-DDP/PTX NLCs effectively improves anticancer efficiency for head and neck cancer in vitro and in vivo. The constructed NLCs could be used as a novel carrier to co-delivery DDP and PTX for head and neck cancer therapy.

TAT modified and lipid - PEI hybrid nanoparticles for co-delivery of docetaxel and pDNA.

BACKGROUND: Co-delivery of anticancer drugs and gene is promising to generate synergistic anticancer effects. Surface modification of nanocarriers with specific ligands could further assist in targeting and internalization of the nanocarriers into specific cell populations, such as cancers and disease organs. PURPOSE: The aim of the study reported here is to develop Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) modified lipid - PEI hybrid nanoparticles (LPNs) for effective co-delivery of docetaxel (DTX) and plasmid DNA (pDNA) for combination chemotherapy. METHODS: RKKRRQRRR peptide (TAT) modified, DTX and pDNA loaded LPNs (TAT-DTX/pDNA LPNs) were prepared and evaluated in PC3 cancer cells (in vitro) and in a murine prostate cancer model (in vivo). RESULTS: The results illustrated that the in vitro anticancer effect, in vitro transfection efficiency, in vivo antitumor and gene delivery efficacy of TAT-DTX/pDNA LPNs have advantages over other formulation tested. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that TAT-DTX/pDNA LPNs could be a promising co-delivery nano-system to achieve therapeutic efficacy for treatment of cancer.

Effects of dihydroxylphenyl lactic acid on inflammatory responses in spinal cord injury.

The initial mechanical tissue disruption of spinal cord injury (SCI) is followed by a period of secondary injury that increases the size of the lesion. Secondary injuries are associated with edema, inflammation, excessive cytokine release, excitotoxicity and cell apoptosis. 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl lactic acid (DLA) is one of the major water-soluble components of chemical constituents from Salvia miltiorrhiza (SM). To investigate the inhibition effects of DLA on secondary injury of SCI, focusing especially on suppression of inflammatory responses and the mechanism of this effect, the following studies were performed: Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) scores to assess motor functions till 10 days after SCI; Nissl and Fast Blue histological staining and immunohistochemistry of inhibitory-kappa B-alpha (IκB-α) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65 subunit protein; levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity analysis as an indicator of polymorphonuclear infiltration; IL-6 production in plasma 10 days after SCI; Western blot analysis to determine cytoplasm levels of IκB-α and NF-κB p65 subunit proteins in the nuclear fractions 10 days after SCI. DLA significantly attenuated the motor function and tissue damage following SCI in rats, significant reduced polymorphonuclear cell infiltration and IL-6 production, as well as reduced cytoplasm IκB-α degradation and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 subunit protein after SCI. In conclusion, the results clearly demonstrate that DLA inhibit the inflammation responses induced by SCI via inhibiting effect of production of IL-6 and nuclear translocation of NF-κB.