High-Frequency Quartz Crystal Microbalance and Dual-Signaling Electrochemical Ratiometric Assays of PTP1B Activity Based on COF@Au@Fc Hybrids.

The abnormal expression of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is highly related to several serious human diseases. Therefore, an accurate PTP1B activity assay is beneficial to the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases. In this study, a dual-mode biosensing platform that enabled the sensitive and accurate assay of PTP1B activity was constructed based on the high-frequency (100 MHz) quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and dual-signaling electrochemical (EC) ratiometric strategy. Covalent-organic framework@gold nanoparticles@ferrocene@single-strand DNA (COF@Au@Fc-S0) was introduced onto the QCM Au chip via the chelation between Zr4+ and phosphate groups (phosphate group of the phosphopeptide (P-peptide) on the QCM Au chip and the phosphate group of thiol-labeled single-stranded DNA (S0) on COF@Au@Fc-S0) and used as a signal reporter. When PTP1B was present, the dephosphorylation of the P-peptide led to the release of COF@Au@Fc-S0 from the QCM Au chip, resulting in an increase in the frequency of the QCM. Meanwhile, the released COF@Au@Fc-S0 hybridized with thiol/methylene blue (MB)-labeled hairpin DNA (S1-MB) on the Au NPs-modified indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrode. This caused MB to be far away from the electrode surface and Fc to be close to the electrode, leading to a decrease in the oxidation peak current of MB and an increase in the oxidation peak current of Fc. Thus, PTP1B-induced dephosphorylation of the P-peptide was monitored in real time by QCM, and PTP1B activity was detected sensitively and reliably using this innovative QCM-EC dual-mode sensing platform with an ultralow detection limit. This platform is anticipated to serve as a robust tool for the analysis of protein phosphatase activity and the discovery of drugs targeting protein phosphatase.

Effects of acrylamide exposure during pregnancy and lactation on the development of myelin sheath of corpus callosum in offspring rats.

Acrylamide is an alkene known to induce neurotoxicity in humans and experimental animals. However, the effects of acrylamide on the development of myelin sheath are unclear. The present study was to explore the effects of acrylamide exposure during pregnancy and lactation on the development of myelin sheath in offspring rats. Four groups of thirty-two pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 0, 4.5, 9 and 18 mg/kg BW acrylamide by gavage from gestational day 15 to postnatal day 13. The corpus callosum of nine offspring rats per group were dissected in postpartum day 14. Structural changes and lipid contents in myelin sheaths were examined by transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and Luxol Fast Blue staining(LFB). The expression of MBP and PLP was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. TEM showed that the myelin sheaths in the 18 mg/kg group were disordered compared with control group. Luxol Fast Blue staining gradually decreased with increasing acrylamide maternal exposure. The immunohistochemistry and Western Blotting results showed that maternal exposure to acrylamide caused a decreasing trend in MBP and PLP in the corpus callosum of rats at postnatal day 14. Furthermore, these reduced protein levels may be neurodevelopmental toxicity's mechanism in response to maternal exposure to acrylamide.

Green Synthesis of Au Magnetic Nanocomposites Using Waste Chestnut Skins and Their Application as a Peroxidase Mimic Nanozyme Electrochemical Sensing Platform for Sodium Nitrite.

An electrochemical sensor with high sensitivity for the detection of sodium nitrite was constructed based on the peroxidase-like activity of Au magnetic nanocomposites (Au@Fe3O4). The Au@Fe3O4 composite nanoparticles were green-synthesized via the reduction of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) from waste chestnut skins combined with the sonochemical method. The nanoparticles have both the recoverability of Fe3O4 and the advantage of being able to amplify electrical signals. Furthermore, the synergistic effect of green reduction and sonochemical synthesis provides a functional approach for the preparation of Au@Fe3O4 with significant peroxidase-like activities. The physicochemical properties were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The electrochemical properties of sodium nitrite were determined with cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (i-t). The results revealed that Au@Fe3O4 acted as a peroxidase mimic to decompose hydrogen peroxide to produce free radicals, while ·OH was the primary free radical that promoted the oxidation of sodium nitrite. With the optimal detection system, the constructed electrochemical sensor had a high sensitivity for sodium nitrite detection. In addition, the current response had a good linear relationship with the sodium nitrite concentration in the range of 0.01-100 mmol/L. The regression equation of the working curve was y = 1.0752x + 4.4728 (R2 = 0.9949), and the LOD was 0.867 µmol/L (S/N = 3). Meanwhile, the constructed detection system was outstanding in terms of recovery and anti-interference and had a good detection stability of more than 96.59%. The sensor has been successfully applied to a variety of real samples. In view of this, the proposed novel electrochemical analysis method has great prospects for application in the fields of food quality and environmental testing.

Chromium-Mediated and Ligand-Dependent Activity Engineering of Boron-Doped g-C3N4 Photo-oxidative Nanozymes for Breaking the pH Limitation.

How to overcome the intrinsic low activity of most oxidase and peroxidase mimics at neutral pH has been extremely challenging. Herein, we represent a chromium-mediated and ligand-dependent strategy to activate the oxidase-like activity of boron-doped g-C3N4 (B-g-C3N4, denoted as BG), aiming at breaking the pH limitation. Cr (III) can be in situ oxidized to Cr (IV) by generated •O2- upon UV light irradiation, which then works as a catalysis mediator to oxidize TMB under a neutral environment. Excitingly, the TMB oxidation can be rationally modulated by ligands on the BG coordinating with chromium. We verify that the PEI-Cr3+ coordination outperformed Cit-PEI-Cr3+ on the oxidase-like activity through a more accelerated electron transfer, unveiled by the Gauss theoretical calculations. This study highlights a paradigm of tuning the coordination environment on nanozyme surface via the ligand engineering strategy for boosting the oxidase-mimicking activity and breaking the pH limitation. Meanwhile, the catalysis-based colorimetric assay for accurate and selective identification of Cr3+ was achieved.

Respiratory microbiota imbalance in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia.

Although previous studies have reported the dysregulation of respiratory tract microbiota in infectious diseases, insufficient data exist regarding respiratory microbiota imbalances in the lower respiratory tracts (LRTs) of children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP). Here, we analysed the microbial community using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Finally, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples from 158 children with MPP and 29 with bacterial or viral pneumonia (control group) were collected. The diversity of the microbial community was significantly different between the two groups. A significantly increased abundance of Tenericutes and Mycoplasma was detected in the MPP group, exceeding 67% and 65% of the total bacterial population, respectively. Using Mycoplasma abundance as the diagnostic method, the sensitivity and specificity of the model was 97.5% and 96.6%, respectively. Compared to the mild MPP group, lower alpha diversity and significantly increased Mycoplasma abundance were found in the severe MPP group (P < 0.01). The abundance of Mycoplasma was positively correlated with complications and clinical indices in children with severe MPP compared with children with mild MPP. Our study describes the features of the LRT microbiota of children with MPP and uncovered its association with disease severity. This finding may offer insights into the pathogenesis of MPP in children.

A rare homozygous variant of MC2R gene identified in a Chinese family with familial glucocorticoid deficiency type 1: A case report.

Background: Melanocortin-2 receptor (MC2R), a member of the G protein-coupled receptor family, is selectively activated by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). variants in MC2R are associated with family glucocorticoid deficiency 1 (FGD1). Case presentation: We first reported a Chinese family with two affected siblings with a homozygotic variant of c.712C>T/p.H238Y in MC2R, presenting with skin hyperpigmentation, hyperbilirubinemia, and tall stature. These individuals showed novel clinical features, including congenital heart defects, not been found in other FGD1 patients. Conclusions: We reported a Chinese family with affected siblings having a homozygotic variant of c.712C>T/p.H238Y in MC2R.Our report may expand the genetic and clinical spectrum of FGD1.

Analysis of dynamic change of nutrition status in primary school children of Furong District of Changsha City from 2019 to 2020.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the nutritional status of primary school children in Furong District of Changsha from 2019 to 2020. METHODS: The physical examination data of students from 35 primary schools (grade 1-6) in Furong District of Changsha in Hunan Provincial People's Hospital from September 2019 to October 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. General information of all children was collected for statistical analysis of malnutrition among children of different gender and age groups. RESULT: The overnutrition rate was 32.73% in 2020. This was 7.42% higher than 25.31% in 2019. The undernourishment rate was 4.70% in 2020. This was 3.94% lower than 8.64% in 2019. In 2019 and 2022, the obesity and overweight rates of boys were higher than those of girls (both P < 0.05). The rates of growth retardation (0.36%, 0.37%) for boys were higher than those for girls (0.27%, 0.24%). The rates of mild wasting (4.31%, 2.36%) were lower than those for girls (4.00%, 2.39%) in 2020 and 2019. The rates of moderate and severe wasting (4.06%, 1.98%) were higher than those for girls (2.75%, 1.47%). In 2020, the undernourishment rate for boys decreased by 4.02% compared to 2019. The undernourishment rate for girls decreased by 2.91% compared to 2019. The growth retardation rate for boys increased by 0.01% compared to 2019. The growth retardation rate for girls decreased by 0.03% compared to 2019. The mild wasting rate for boys decreased by 1.95% as compared to 2019. The mild wasting rate for girls decreased by 1.61% as compared to 2019. The moderate to severe emaciation rate in boys was 2.08% lower in 2020 than in 2019 and 1.28% lower in girls than in 2019. The malnutrition rates of children aged 6-11 decreased by 4.20%, 4.85%, 3.83%, 9.45%, 6.65%, and 6.45% in 2020 compared with that of 2019. CONCLUSION: Compared to 2019, the primary school students in Furong District had abnormal nutritional status in 2020. It is necessary to strengthen the management of children's health care to ensure the healthy growth of children.

A high-frequency QCM biosensing platform for label-free detection of the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain: an aptasensor and an immunosensor.

Herein, high-frequency quartz crystal microbalance biosensing platforms were constructed using an aptamer and antibody as bioreceptors for fast and label-free detection of the SARS-CoV-2 RBD.

A novel detection of MicroRNA based on homogeneous electrochemical sensor with enzyme-assisted signal amplification.

Rapid and sensitive detection of microRNAs is of great importance in biological researches and cancer diagnosis. Herein, we proposed a novel homogeneous electrochemical sensor to detect microRNA-21 (miRNA-21) using functionalized magnetic nanoparticles combined with enzyme-assisted signal amplification. The biotinylated capture probe (CP) labeled magnetic nanoparticles can capture miRNA-21 and introduce streptavidin-conjugated hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanoparticles. In the presence of miRNA-21, hybridization between RNA and DNA results in the formation of RNA/DNA duplexes, and then duplex-specific nuclease (DSN) cleave the duplexes to digest the capture chain and release the miRNA-21 in a loop. Meanwhile, the HAP nanoparticles strip from the magnetic nanoparticles and electrochemical signal by the reaction of HAP with molybdate is changed. The current variation before and after incubation with miRNA-21 is linearly correlated with the miRNA-21 concentration between 1 aM and 1 pM with a low detection limit (LOD) of 0.27 aM. Remarkably, the expression of miRNA-21 in human serum and different cell lysate was successfully performed, which fully demonstrates the great practical potentials in biomedical diagnostics and clinical therapeutics.

Protective effect of rutin on spinal motor neuron in rats exposed to acrylamide and the underlying mechanism.

The present study aimed to investigate the protective effect of rutin on the injury of spinal motor neuron in rats exposed to acrylamide (ACR) the underlying mechanism. Fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 7-8 weeks, were randomly divided into control group, ACR group (20 mg/kg), low dose(100 mg/kg), medium dose (200 mg/kg) and high dose(400 mg/kg) rutin groups, ten rats in each group. The rats were given intragastric administration for 21 days. Every week, a neurobehavioral test was conducted. Nissl staining was used to observe the morphological changes in motor neurons in the L4-L6 segment of the spinal cord. Immunohistochemistry was used to identify AChE and ChAT in the rat spinal cord. Western blot was used to identify the expression of AChE, ChAT, P-ERK, ERK, and Nrf2 proteins in the rat spinal cord. The commercial kits were used to detect the presence of SOD, GSH, and LDH in the rat spinal cord. At the start of the second week, the medium and high dosage rutin group's rats' gait scores significantly decreased as compared to those of the ACR group. When rutin dosage was increased, the Nissl staining revealed that Nissl bodies was staining intensified compared to the ACR group. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis revealed that AChE and ChAT expression changed when rutin dose was raised, but P-ERK and Nrf2 expression steadily increased in the spinal cord of rats in the medium and high dose groups compared to the ACR group. In the spinal cord of rats in each dosage group compared to the ACR group, the findings of the oxidative stress indices demonstrated that the expression levels of SOD and GSH rose with the increase of rutin dose, while the expression of LDH reduced with the rise of rutin dose. Rutin has an anti-oxidative impact through up-regulating the expression of P-ERK and Nrf2 proteins in the ERK/Nrf2 pathway, which may be connected to its protective action on motor neurons in the spinal cord of rats exposed to ACR.

Gestational exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances is associated with placental DNA methylation and birth size.

DNA methylation is one potential mechanism for the effects of gestational exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) on fetal growth. We investigated 180 pregnant women who participated in a cohort study conducted in Tangshan City, Northern China, and determined the concentrations of 11 PFASs and the methylation of two genes related to fetal growth [insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) and nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 1 (NR3C1)] and one surrogate marker for global methylation [long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE-1)] in placenta tissue. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to examine the associations of log transformed PFASs with the DNA methylation and birth size. Weighted quantile sum regression was used to determine the mixture effect of PFASs. After adjusting for potential confounders, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was negatively associated with the overall methylation of LINE-1. PFASs mixture was negatively associated with the methylation of all CpG loci of LINE-1 and overall methylation of NR3C1. Perfluorootanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), and the PFASs mixture showed negative associations with head circumference. After stratified by newborns' sex, PFOA, PFNA and the PFASs mixture was negatively associated with overall methylation of LINE-1 only in the male subgroup and the methylation of all CpG loci of LINE-1 was negatively associated with ponderal index only in the female subgroup. The interaction of newborns' sex with PFOS and PFOA on overall methylation of IGF2 was statistically significant and so was the interaction of sex with PFOS on overall methylation of LINE-1. These findings suggested that intrauterine exposure to PFASs affected placental DNA methylation and reduced fetal growth, which might be modified by sex.

Clinical characteristics of central nervous system candidiasis due to Candida albicans in children: a single-center experience.

BACKGROUND: Central nervous system candidiasis due to Candida albicans (CNSC) in children is easily misdiagnosed and is associated with poor outcomes and a high mortality rate. There is no big data research or systematic review of CNSC. METHODS: Patients diagnosed as CNSC with positive culture results of Candida albicans in Beijing Children's Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University from March 2010 to March 2019 were included. Patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy or transplantation, or with malignant tumours were excluded. We analysed the clinical characteristics, follow-up results, drug susceptibility tests and whole-exome sequencing (WES) results. RESULTS: Thirty-three definitive patients were enrolled, including 22 males and 11 females. Twenty-five patients suffered from CNSC when they were less than 1 year old, and a total of 29 patients had high-risk factors. The main clinical manifestations were fever, convulsions, and positive neurological signs. Twenty-two patients had CNS infections alone, and 11 patients had CNS infections combined with invasive infections involving multiple sites. Twenty-seven cases had a positive CSF and/or blood culture at our hospital. All strains were susceptible to fluconazole, and 2 strains had intermediate susceptibility to voriconazole. As for amphotericin B, all the strains were wild type (WT). WES of 16 patients revealed 2 cases with CARD9 mutations, who suffered from recurrent onychomycosis or thrush before. CONCLUSION: CNSC mostly existed in children younger than 1 year old, who all had underlying risk factors. CNSC patients with onset at an older age or with recurrent superficial fungal infections might have primary immunodeficiency.

Systematic review of efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of intravenous and intraventricular vancomycin for central nervous system infections.

Objective: The decision of vancomycin dosage for central nervous system (CNS) infections is still a challenge because its bactericidal nature in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has not been confirmed by human studies. This study systematically reviewed the literatures on vancomycin in patients with meningitis, ventriculitis, and CNS device-associated infections, to assess efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics to better serve as a practical reference. Methods: Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched using terms vancomycin, Glycopeptides, meningitis, and central nervous system infections. Data were extracted including characteristics of participants, causative organism(s), administration, dosage, etc., The clinical response, microbiological response, adverse events and pharmacokinetic parameters were analyzed. Results: Nineteen articles were included. Indications for vancomycin included meningitis, ventriculitis, and intracranial device infections. No serious adverse effects of intravenous (IV) and intraventricular (IVT) vancomycin have been reported. Dosages of IV and IVT vancomycin ranged from 1000-3000 mg/day and 2-20 mg/day. Duration of IV and IVT vancomycin therapy most commonly ranged from 3-27 days and 2-21 days. Therapeutic drug monitoring was conducted in 14 studies. Vancomycin levels in CSF in patients using IV and IVT vancomycin were varied widely from 0.06 to 22.3 mg/L and 2.5-292.9 mg/L. No clear relationships were found between vancomycin CSF levels and efficacy or toxicity. Conclusion: Using vancomycin to treat CNS infections appears effective and safe based on current evidence. However, the optimal regimens are still unclear. Higher quality clinical trials are required to explore the vancomycin disposition within CNS.

Anti-Tumor Secondary Metabolites Originating from Fungi in the South China Sea's Mangrove Ecosystem.

A mangrove is a unique ecosystem with abundant resources, in which fungi are an indispensable microbial part. Numerous mangrove fungi-derived secondary metabolites are considerable sources of novel bioactive substances, such as polyketides, terpenoids, alkaloids, peptides, etc., which arouse people's interest in the search for potential natural anti-tumor drugs. This review includes a total of 44 research publications that described 110 secondary metabolites that were all shown to be anti-tumor from 39 mangrove fungal strains belonging to 18 genera that were acquired from the South China Sea between 2016 and 2022. To identify more potential medications for clinical tumor therapy, their sources, unique structures, and cytotoxicity qualities were compiled. This review could serve as a crucial resource for the research status of mangrove fungal-derived natural products deserving of further development.

Primary pulmonary anaplastic large cell lymphoma: case report and literature review.

Primary anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a rare pulmonary malignancy. Due to its nonspecific clinical and radiologic manifestations, the disease presents a great challenge to pulmonologists. Appropriate invasive biopsy and immunohistochemistry are important for its diagnosis. Here, we report an ALCL case of a 27-year-old Chinese woman who presented to our hospital complaining of coughing for 10+ days and breath holding for 4-5 days after the event. Positive signs on physical examination were dull percussion sounds and decreased right lung breath sounds. Chest CT scans revealed central carcinoma and atelectasis of the right lung, pleural effusion, and lung mass. Pathology consultation showed a right main bronchial ALCL that involved the parabronchial lymph nodes but not the bronchial tangent. The patient discontinued treatment after right pneumonectomy and died two months later. Postoperative lung biopsy showed anaplastic tumor cells with large and multiple nuclei. The ALCL was characterized by the expression of T cell antigens, CD30 and ALK, as indicated by immunohistochemistry. We also reviewed the atypical cases of ALCL that were previously published. The results indicated that primary pulmonary ALCL is an extremely rare and easily misdiagnosed disease with non-specific clinical and imaging manifestations. Its diagnosis is based on biopsy and immunohistochemistry, and its prognosis is poor.

Effects of Comorbidities on Pain and Function After Total Hip Arthroplasty.

Background: The growing number of patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) and postoperative outcomes receive increasing attention from doctors and patients. This study aimed to elucidate the effects of comorbidities on postoperative function, pain, complications, readmission rate, and mortality. Methods: We included consecutive patients who underwent primary unilateral THA between 2017 and 2019. The Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) and the WOMAC and SF-36 (physical function, body pain) scales were assessed preoperatively and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively. The complications, 30-day readmission, and mortality rates assessed the impact of comorbidities and their changes over time on the WOMAC and SF-36 scores during follow-up. We used mixed model linear regression to examine the association of worsening comorbidity post-THA with change in WOMAC and SF-36 scores in the subsequent follow-up periods, controlling for age, length of follow-up, and repeated observations. Results: This study included 468 patients, divided into four groups based on comorbidity burden (CCI-0, 1, 2, and ≥3). The physiological function recovery and pain scores in the CCI ≥ 3 group were inferior to the other groups and took longer than the other groups (6 vs. 3 months) to reach their best level. The four groups preoperative waiting times were 2.41 ± 0.74, 2.97 ± 0.65, 3.80 ± 0.53, and 5.01 ± 0.71 days, respectively. The complications, 30-day readmission, and 1-year mortality rates for the overall and the CCI ≥ 3 group were 1.92% and 4.69%, 0.85% and 2.01%, and 0.43% and 1.34%, respectively, with no mortality in the other groups. Conclusion: Patients with higher CCI were more susceptible to physical function and pain outcome deterioration, experienced longer waiting time before surgery, took longer to recover, and had higher rates of complications, 30-day readmission, and mortality after THA. Older age in the group led to a greater impact.

Multi-Omics Analysis of MCM2 as a Promising Biomarker in Pan-Cancer.

Minichromosome maintenance 2 (MCM2) is a member of the minichromosomal maintenance family of proteins that mainly regulates DNA replication and the cell cycle and is involved in regulating cancer cell proliferation in various cancers. Previous studies have reported that MCM2 plays a pivotal role in cell proliferation and cancer development. However, few articles have systematically reported the pathogenic roles of MCM2 across cancers. Therefore, the present pan-cancer study was conducted. Various computational tools were used to investigate the MCM2 expression level, genetic mutation rate, and regulating mechanism, immune infiltration, tumor diagnosis and prognosis, therapeutic response and drug sensitivity of various cancers. The expression and function of MCM2 were examined by Western blotting and CCK-8 assays. MCM2 was significantly upregulated in almost all cancers and cancer subtypes in The Cancer Genome Atlas and was closely associated with tumor mutation burden, tumor stage, and immune therapy response. Upregulation of MCM2 expression may be correlated with a high level of alterations rate. MCM2 expression was associated with the infiltration of various immune cells and molecules and markedly associated with a poor prognosis. Western blotting and CCK-8 assays revealed that MCM2 expression was significantly upregulated in melanoma cell lines. Our results also suggested that MCM2 promotes cell proliferation in vitro by activating cell proliferation pathways such as the Akt signaling pathways. This study explored the oncogenic role of MCM2 across cancers, provided data on the underlying mechanisms of these cancers for further research and demonstrated that MCM2 may be a promising target for cancer immunotherapy.

Association between sarcopenia and cognitive impairment in the older people: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: The effects of sarcopenia on the older people are profound, increasing the risk of adverse outcomes for older patients. Although the substantial impact of sarcopenia on maintaining functional independence and adverse health outcomes has been described many times in the past, the link between sarcopenia and cognitive impairment in older adults remains lacking in evidence and controversial. Therefore, we conducted a comprehensive search of available national and international databases and carried out a meta-analysis to examine the association between sarcopenia in older people and cognitive impairment. METHODS: Relevant experiments had been recognized via looking out electronic databases and conference sessions. The present study included case-control, cohort, or cross-sectional studies of the association between sarcopenia and cognitive impairment in the older people. RESULTS: The meta-analysis included 26 articles and 18,788 participants were involved after assessment of eligibility. The results of this meta-analysis showed that the risk of developing cognitive impairment was significantly higher in patients with sarcopenia than in those without sarcopenia [OR = 1.75; 95% CI = 1.57, 1.95; P < 0.00001], MMSE score of sarcopenia group was lower than that of non-sarcopenia group, the difference was statistically significant [OR = - 2.23; 95% CI = - 2.48, - 1.99; P < 0.00001]. CONCLUSION: Overall, this meta-analysis showed an association between sarcopenia and cognitive impairment in the older people, demonstrating a significant association between sarcopenia and cognitive impairment. This suggested that providing comprehensive sarcopenia screening and active prevention for the older people with cognitive decline has certain clinical value for improving the quality of life of the older people.

In-situ induced ethanol-water phase separation extraction of phthalate esters in alcoholic liquid sample using potassium triphosphate and analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A novel and efficient analytical method consisting of in-situ potassium triphosphate induced ethanol-water phase separation extraction and followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) detection was developed for determination of eighteen phthalate esters (PAEs) in alcoholic liquid samples. Experimental parameters affecting the extraction efficiency were studied and optimized by univariate analysis. The effects of salt type and concentration, concentration of ethanol, redissolve solvent, vortex and standing time, solution pH on extraction efficiency were investigated. The developed method exhibited good linearity at a concentration range of 5-2500 µg·L-1 for diisononyl phthalate and 1-500 µg·L-1 for other PAEs. In addition, the coefficients of determination (R2) for all PAEs ranged from 0.9979 to 0.9999, the detection limits (LODs) and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were in the range of 0.014-0.530 µg·L-1 and 0.047-1.767 µg·L-1, respectively, the spiked recoveries were in the range of 92.2%-110.2% with the relative standard deviation (RSD) less than 8.6%. As ethanol within alcoholic liquid samples was used to separate PAEs with none solvent added at extraction processing, the proposed method could be considered simple and environmentally friendly.

The Nocebo Response in Pharmacologic Treatments of Primary Headache: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The nature and magnitude of nocebo responses in primary headache disorders are still unknown. To assess the distribution and possible predictors of nocebo responses in primary headache treatments, databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched from 1988 to December 31, 2020, for parallel-group, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trials of pharmacologic treatments of primary headaches. The nocebo responses were calculated using a random effects meta-analysis model. Subgroup and metaregression analyses were performed to determine the associations of study design and demographic characteristics with nocebo responses. A total of 178 randomized controlled trials that satisfied the inclusion criteria were included. Prophylactic treatments elicited stronger nocebo responses than acute treatments. The majority of nocebo adverse events were mild to moderate in severity, with the nervous and digestive systems being the most commonly affected. There was a strong correlation between the active medication and control groups in terms of adverse events, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Long treatment duration, a high proportion of subjects receiving active medications, multicenter design, North America, high body mass index, women, previous treatment experiences, and a high proportion of patients with migraine headache with aura were all found to be significant positive predictors of nocebo responses, whereas the year of publication was found to be inversely related to them. Nocebo effects should be noticed for their contribution to discontinuation of or lack of adherence to active treatments. Clarifying these nocebo-related risk factors can aid in their clinical prevention and management.