Trends of global burden related to HBV and HCV from 1990 to 2019: An age-period-cohort analysis.

The spread of disease related to Hepatitis B and C poses a significant public health problem. There have been a few studies that examine the effects of cohort and period on the trend of mortality caused by Hepatitis B and C. This analysis aims to use an age-period-cohort (APC) framework to explore trends in mortality attributed to Hepatitis B and C worldwide and in different socio-demographic index (SDI) regions between 1990 and 2019. The data for this analysis were taken from the Global Burden of Disease study, which was used to perform an APC analysis. The age effects reflect differences in exposure to risk factors at different stages of life. The period effects reflect population-wide exposures at a circumscribed year. The cohort effects indicate different risks across birth cohorts. The results of the analysis include both the net drift and local drift, which are reported as the annual percentage change and that by age group. The age-standardized mortality rate for Hepatitis B declined from 12.36 to 6.74 per 100 000, and for Hepatitis C from 8.45 to 6.67 per 100 000 between 1990 and 2019. The net drifts in mortality were -2.41% (95% confidence interval (CI) -2.47 to -2.34) for Hepatitis B and -1.16% (95% CI, -1.23 to -1.09) for Hepatitis C, with negative local drifts in most age groups. Mortality from Hepatitis B increased with age until 50+ years, while mortality from Hepatitis C rose steadily with age. The period effect for Hepatitis B was profound, suggesting effective national efforts in controlling the disease and the need for similar programs for Hepatitis B and C. Mortality varied across the world and had moderate to weak negative correlations with the SDI, which substantially decreases in the high-middle and middle SDI regions, but has persistently high rates in the low SDI region. Global efforts to manage Hepatitis B and C have shown positive trends, but variations in trends were observed across regions with divergent age, cohort, and period effects. The national efforts of a comprehensive strategy are crucial to further strengthen the elimination of Hepatitis B and C.

Structural Characterization and Tumor Microvascular Inhibition Activity of Total Polysaccharide from Trametes sanguinea Lloyd.

Trametes sanguinea Lloyd total polysaccharide (TsLTP), was obtained by water extraction and ethanol precipitation from T. sanguinea. The structural characterization of TsLTP was elucidated mutually by TsL1 and TsL2, whose mass ratio is 1: 4. TsL1 is mainly composed of mannose, glucose, galactose, and fucose, and consist of T-Linked-Fucp, T-Linked-Manp, T-Linked-Galp, 1,4-Linked-Manp, 1,4-Linked-Glcp, 1,6-Linked-Manp, 1,6-Linked-Galp, 1,3,4-Linked-Glcp, 1,4,6-Linked-Glcp and 1,3,6-Linked-Glcp, with a molar ratio of 2.1: 1.7: 1.4: 1.0: 3.6: 2.0: 8.6: 1.3: 2.2: 1.2, while TsL2 mainly comprise of glucose and consist of T-Linked-Glcp, 1,3-Linked-Glcp, 1,4-Linked-Glcp and 1,4,6-Linked-Glcp, with a molar ratio of 1.0: 2.1: 7.6: 1.4. TsLTP exhibited strong inhibitory effects on the migration, invasion, and tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (iHUVECs) and chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) angiogenesis, whereas no inhibitory activity on human TNBC cell lines. Taken together, our study suggests that TsLTP possesses a significant inhibition of tumor microvascular activity both in vitro and in vivo. The study of TsLTP with novel monosaccharide composition and tumor microvascular inhibitory activity might be a beneficial attempt for application of polysaccharide from the genus Trametes in tumor therapy.

Electrochemiluminescence Biosensor Based on Entropy-Driven Amplification and a Tetrahedral DNA Nanostructure for miRNA-133a Detection.

The early and rapid diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is of great significance to its treatment. Here, we developed an electrochemiluminescence biosensor based on an entropy-driven strand displacement reaction (ETSD) and a tetrahedral DNA nanostructure (TDN) for the detection of the potential AMI biomarker microRNA-133a. In the presence of the target, numerous Ru(bpy)32+-labeled signal probes (SP) were released from the preformed three-strand complexes through the process of ETSD. The ETSD reaction cycle greatly amplified the input signal of the target. The released SP could be captured by the TDN-engineered biosensing interface to generate a strong ECL signal. The rigid structure of TDN could significantly improve the hybridization efficiency. With the assistant of double amplification of TDN and ETSD, the developed biosensor has a good linear response ranging from 1 fM to 1 nM for microRNA-133a, and the detection limit is 0.33 fM. Additionally, the constructed biosensor has excellent repeatability and selectivity, demonstrating that the biosensor possesses a great application prospect in clinical diagnosis.

Label-Free and Sensitive Electrochemical Biosensor for Amplification Detection of Target Nucleic Acids Based on Transduction Hairpins and Three-Leg DNAzyme Walkers.

Nucleic acids are regarded as reliable biomarkers for the early diagnosis of various diseases. By ingeniously combining a transduction hairpin (THP) with the toehold-mediated strand displacement reaction (TSDR) to form three-leg DNAzyme walkers, for the first time, we constructed a label-free and sensitive electrochemical sensing system for the amplification detection of target nucleic acids. With microRNA-155 (miR-155) as a model target, the feasibility of the biosensing strategy and the conformational states of DNA in the recognition process were studied in detail on the basis of electrochemical and dual polarization interferometry techniques. With the assistance of THP, miR-155 indirectly triggered the TSDR between three hairpins (H1, H2, and H3), then massive Mg2+-dependent three-leg DNAzyme walkers were formed in aqueous solutions. After the binding/cleaving/moving process of three-leg DNAzyme walkers on the electrode surface modified with substrate hairpins (SHPs), a number of single-stranded DNAs (ssDNAs) were generated. Hence, the interaction of methylene blue (MB) with the duplex section of SHPs was impeded, which brought about a decreased electrochemical signal. Benefiting from the cyclic amplification of the TSDR and the higher cleavage activity of three-leg DNAzyme walkers, the proposed sensing strategy showed remarkable improvement in sensitivity with a low detection limit of 0.27 fM for miR-155. Owing to the precise design of the THP, this method exhibited excellent specificity to distinguish miR-155 from the single-base and triplex-base mismatched sequences. This sensing strategy importing the flexible THP can be utilized to detect various nucleic acid biomarkers by only redesigning the THP without changing the main circuit or reporter constructs, showing the great versatility and potential for the early diagnostics and biological analysis.

Electrochemical Immunosensor for Cardiac Troponin I Detection Based on Covalent Organic Framework and Enzyme-Catalyzed Signal Amplification.

Herein, a highly sensitive electrochemical immunosensor was presented for the cardiac troponin I (cTnI) determination using a multifunctional covalent organic framework-based nanocomposite (HRP-Ab2-Au-COF) as the signal amplification probe. The spherical COF with a large surface area was synthesized in a short time by a simple solution-based method at room temperature. The good biocompatibility, low toxicity, and high stability in water of the COF guarantee its application in biosensing. Besides, its high porosity makes it an excellent carrier for loading abundant horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The modified gold nanoparticles on the surface of COF not only provide a load platform for secondary antibody (Ab2) but also improve the conductivity of COF. Under the synergistic effect of the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and HRP, hydroquinone (HQ) in the solution is catalytically oxidized to benzoquinone (BQ), which is then reduced on the electrode surface to generate the electrochemical signal. The designed probes not only show the specific recognition behavior of Ab2 to cTnI but also improve the sensitivity of the biosensing system due to the signal amplification caused by the excellent enzyme catalytic performance of HRP. Based on the H2O2-HRP-HQ signal amplification system, the biosensor for cTnI was fabricated and exhibited a linear response as a function of logarithmic cTnI concentration ranging from 5 pg/mL to 10 ng/mL, and the detection limit was 1.7 pg/mL. Moreover, the biosensor exhibited excellent recovery and reproducibility in the actual sample testing. This work provided a simple approach to determine cTnI quantitatively in practical samples and broadened the utilization scope of the COF-based nanocomposite in the electrochemical immunosensor.

Sensitive and Programmable "Signal-Off" Electrochemiluminescence Sensing Platform Based on Cascade Amplification and Multiple Quenching Mechanisms.

A versatile and sensitive quantum dot (QD)-based "signal-off" electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensing system was constructed using target-initiated dual Mg2+-dependent DNAzyme (MNAzyme) recycling and catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) amplification strategies. After the cascade amplification, numerous ferrocene-labeled Y-shaped DNA complexes generated on the QD-modified electrode surface. In the presence of hemin, moreover, the terminal sequence of the formed complex could assemble into hemin/G-quadruplex. Therefore, the highly efficient ECL quenching was achieved due to the multiple quenching mechanisms, including electron/energy transfer between ferrocene and QDs, the steric hindrance effects, and the horseradish peroxidase-mimicking activity of hemin/G-quadruplex. Furthermore, owing to the flexibility in regulating the recognition sequences of MNAzyme, the assaying targets can be programmed. Based on the cascade amplification and multiple ECL quenching mechanisms, the developed programmable "signal-off" ECL sensing platform demonstrates excellent sensitivity and the detection limits of 35.00 aM, 3.71 fM, and 0.28 pM (S/N = 3) for target DNA, aptamer substrate (ATP as a model), and ion (Ag+ as a model), respectively.

Electrochemistry and Electrochemiluminescence of Coumarin Derivative Microrods: Mechanism Insights.

Organic molecules and related nanomaterials have attracted extensive attention in the realm of electrochemiluminescence (ECL). Herein, a well-known electroluminescence (EL) dopant 2,3,6,7-tetrahydro-1,1,7,7,-tetramethyl-1H,5H,11H-10-(2-benzothiazolyl)quinolizino-[9,9a,1gh] coumarin (C545T) is selected as a new ECL illuminant, which shows a high photoluminescence quantum yield of nearly 100% and excellent ECL performance in the organic phase. For utilizing C545T to achieve ECL detection in aqueous solution, organic microrods of C545T (C545T MRs) were synthesized by a precipitation method. Cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry of C545T and C545T MRs in acetonitrile or phosphate buffer showed one reduction and multiple oxidation peaks, suggesting that the multiple charge states of C545T could be produced by continuous electron- or hole-injection processes. The annihilated ECL emission of C545T and C545T MRs was observed using ECL transient technology. In the presence of triethanolamine (TEOA) or potassium persulfate (K2S2O8), C545T MRs can also give bright anodic and cathodic ECL emission at the GCE/water interface. The proposed ECL system not only has multichannel ECL emission but also shows intense yellow emission (569 nm) with a relative ECL efficiency of 0.81 when TEOA was used as a coreactant. Benefiting from the strong ECL emission of the C545T MRs/TEOA system and the quenching effect of dopamine (DA) on ECL, a convenient sensor for DA was developed with high selectivity and sensitivity.

Rational Construction of Ruthenium-Cobalt Oxides Heterostructure in ZIFs-Derived Double-Shelled Hollow Polyhedrons for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

Transition metal oxides (TMOs) and their heterostructure hybrids have emerged as promising candidates for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts based on the recent technological breakthroughs and significant advances. Herein, Ru-Co oxides/Co3 O4 double-shelled hollow polyhedrons (RCO/Co3 O4 -350 DSHPs) with Ru-Co oxides as an outer shell and Co3 O4 as an inner shell by pyrolysis of core-shelled structured RuCo(OH)x @zeolitic-imidazolate-framework-67 derivate at 350 °C are constructed. The unique double-shelled hollow structure provides the large active surface area with rich exposure spaces for the penetration/diffusion of active species and the heterogeneous interface in Ru-Co oxides benefits the electron transfer, simultaneously accelerating the surface electrochemical reactions during HER process. The theory computation further indicates that the existence of heterointerface in RCO/Co3 O4 -350 DSHPs optimize the electronic configuration and further weaken the energy barrier in the HER process, promoting the catalytic activity. As a result, the obtained RCO/Co3 O4 -350 DSHPs exhibit outstanding HER performance with a low overpotential of 21 mV at 10 mA cm-2 , small Tafel slope of 67 mV dec-1 , and robust stability in 1.0 m KOH. This strategy opens new avenues for designing TMOs with the special structure in electrochemical applications.

Label-Free and Regenerable Aptasensor for Real-Time Detection of Cadmium(II) by Dual Polarization Interferometry.

Recently, numerous aptamer-based biosensors have been developed to detect heavy metal ions. Most of aptamer-based biosensors only can be used to get some quantitative information. The mechanism of the interaction between aptamer and metal ions, however, is rarely studied. In this work, a label-free and regenerable aptamer-based biosensor was constructed using dual polarization interferometry (DPI). This aptasensor was used to investigate the real-time interaction process between cadmium(II) and its aptamer. According to the information on mass, thickness, and density obtained by DPI, a Cd2+ concentration-dependent interaction mechanism and conformation of aptamer was proposed. At low Cd2+ concentration, Cd2+ mainly interacted with phosphate groups on aptamer, resulting in the stretched ssDNA and a few vertical hairpin structures. When adding the high concentration of Cd2+, Cd2+ primarily bound with bases of DNA by coordination interaction and the conformation of aptamer transferred to a tight and short hairpin structure. In addition, the association rate constant (ka), dissociation rate constant (kd) and disassociation constant (KD) between Cd2+ and its aptamer were calculated to be 96 M-1 S-1, 2.11 × 10-5 S-1, and 220 nM, respectively. The proposed aptasensor showed high sensitivity for Cd2+ detection with the detection limit of 0.61 µg/L, which was far below the 5.0 µg/L ranked by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The biosensor also exhibited excellent regenerability and could be used for three cycles without obvious change in response signal. Therefore, the developed method could not only provide quantitative information, but also offered the information on conformation and kinetics for molecular interaction. This method can facilely extend to study the interaction of DNA with other ions, small molecules, or biomacromolecules.

Self-Enhanced Chemiluminescence of Tris(bipyridine) Ruthenium(II) Derivative Nanohybrids: Mechanism Insight and Application for Sensitive Silver Ions Detection.

In recent years, self-enhanced tris(bipyridine) ruthenium(II)-based luminescence systems have achieved great development in electrochemiluminescence (ECL) but are seldom mentioned in chemiluminescence (CL). Herein, a self-enhanced CL luminophore with excellent CL behavior was synthesized by covalently cross-linking tris(4,4'-dicarboxylic acid-2,2'-bipyridyl) ruthenium(II) dichloride ([Ru(dcbpy)3]Cl2) with branched polyethylenimine (BPEI) in one molecule (BPEI-Ru(II)), which then self-assembled into nanoparticles (BRuNPs). The nanoparticles exhibited stable and strong CL emission with potassium persulfate (K2S2O8) as the oxidant. After the redox reaction between K2S2O8 and BRuNPs, and the subsequent intramolecular electron-transfer reaction, excited state luminophores were generated to emit light. This self-enhanced CL system shortened the electron transfer distance and reduced energy loss, thus improving the luminous efficiency. In addition, the CL lifetime of BRuNPs/K2S2O8 was longer than classical luminophores such as N-(4-aminobutyl)-N-ethylisoluminol (ABEI), indicating the potential application of this system in CL imaging. Surprisingly, Ag+ was found to greatly improve the CL efficiency of BRuNPs/K2S2O8 by catalyzing the decomposition of K2S2O8 to generate SO4•-. On the basis of the enhancement effect of Ag+, a simple and rapid CL method was proposed for Ag+ detection. The chemosensor showed a wide linear range from 25 to 3000 nM and low detection limit of 9.03 nM, as well as good stability and excellent selectivity. More importantly, this result indicated that Ag+ can be used as a coreaction accelerator to develop a ternary self-enhanced CL system, BRuNPs/K2S2O8/Ag+.

Ratiometric Electrochemiluminescent/Electrochemical Strategy for Sensitive Detection of MicroRNA Based on Duplex-Specific Nuclease and Multilayer Circuit of Catalytic Hairpin Assembly.

In this study, we proposed a ratiometric electrochemiluminescent (ECL)/electrochemical (EC) biosensor based on duplex-specific nuclease (DSN)-assisted target recycling and multilayer catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) amplification cascades for the detection of microRNA (miRNA). The DSN-assisted target recycling transformed miRNAs into a large number of ssDNA, which then catalyzed a multilayer CHA amplification cascade to produce numerous long dsDNA duplexes Hn/Hn+1 (n = 2, 4, 6, ...). Then the Hn/Hn+1 displaced the ferrocene (Fc)-labeled ssDNA (Sx+1, x = 1, 3, 5, ...) to hybridize with the Sx sequence on the gold electrode surface. Consequently, a great number of long Sx/Hn/Hn+1 duplexes were immobilized for binding Ru(phen)32+ to obtain an amplified ECL signal. Meanwhile, the EC signal of Fc was reduced, and the quenching effect of Fc to ECL signal also decreased. By measuring the ratio of the ECL signal of Ru(phen)32+ to the EC signal of Fc, quantitative analysis of miRNA-499 with high accuracy and reproducibility was obtained. The ratiometric biosensor shows high sensitivity and a wide linear range of 6 orders of magnitude. With the help of DSN-assisted target recycling, this strategy can be easily extended to detect other miRNAs without redesigning the CHA cascade system. The proposed "hybrid" ratiometric ECL/EC strategy enriches the ratiometric sensors and can find extensive applications in bioanalysis, especially for multiplex detection.

Identifying the Activation Mechanism and Boosting Electrocatalytic Activity of Layered Perovskite Ruthenate.

SrRuO3 as a rare conductive perovskite ruthenate has attracted increasing attention for application in energy conversion. Here, the electrocatalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) of thermally synthesized layered SrRuO3 is investigated and shows a considerable activation during cathodic polarization in alkaline solution. The analysis demonstrates the electrode activation is caused by the increased hydrophilicity of SrRuO3 surface, revealing the influence of the surface properties on HER performance. For further improving the catalytic activity of perovskite ruthenate, the RuO2 /SrRuO3 (RSRO) heterostructure is fabricated in situ by reducing the thermal decomposition temperature of 1000 °C for SrRuO3 to 600 °C. The appropriate lattice parameter of SrRuO3 ensures a good lattice match, which results in a strong interaction between SrRuO3 and RuO2 . Hence, the RSRO substantially outperforms the corresponding single-component oxides. In addition, the increased active sites induced by the rapid improvement of hydrophilicity of RSRO surface further highlight its structural advantage for catalytic hydrogen generation. The experimental and theoretical computation results consistently validate the positive synergistic effect among SrRuO3 and RuO2 in tuning the atomic and electronic configuration.

Ultrasensitive Immunosensor for Cardiac Troponin I Detection Based on the Electrochemiluminescence of 2D Ru-MOF Nanosheets.

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL)-functionalized metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted increasing attention in biosensing in virtue of their diverse and tunable optical properties. A famous ECL luminophore, carboxyl-rich tris(4,4'-dicarboxylic acid-2,2'-bipyridyl) ruthenium(II) (Ru(dcbpy)32+), possesses the characteristics of good water solubility and excellent ECL performance and also has the potential to be the organic ligand of metal-organic frameworks. Herein, functionalized MOF nanosheets (RuMOFNSs) containing plenty of Ru(dcbpy)32+ in the frameworks were synthesized in aqueous solution by a simple one-pot method. In this protocol, Ru(dcbpy)32+ acted as organic ligand to coordinate with Zn2+ originated from Zn(NO3)2, and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was used as structure-directing agent to control the formation of sheetlike structure. For practical application, a "signal-on" ECL immunosensor was designed for cardiac troponin I (cTnI) detection by employing RuMOFNSs as ECL probe. The immunosensor exhibited high sensitivity and excellent selectivity for cTnI detection in the range from 1 fg/mL to 10 ng/mL with a detection limit as low as 0.48 fg/mL. Finally, the biosensor was successfully applied for the detection of cTnI in human serum sample with satisfactory results, demonstrating its potential application in bioanalysis and clinical diagnosis.

Highly Luminescent and Self-Enhanced Electrochemiluminescence of Tris(bipyridine) Ruthenium(II) Nanohybrid and Its Sensing Application for Label-Free Detection of MicroRNA.

Inspired by the coreactive activity of carbon nanodots (CDs) and branched polyethylenimine (BPEI) toward electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of Ru(bpy)32+, a highly luminescent and self-enhanced ECL nanohybrid (Ru-BCDs) was synthesized through covalently linking BPEI-coated carbon dots (BCDs) with Tris (4,4'-dicarboxylic acid-2,2'-bipyridyl) ruthenium(II) dichloride (Ru(dcbpy)32+). The composition and morphological characterization demonstrated that the spherical Ru-BCDs particles with 12.1 ± 1.4 nm diameter were obtained. The enhanced ECL property of Ru-BCDs was proved to originate from the dual coreactive contribution of BPEI and CDs as coreactants as well as the intramolecular electron transfer process, which could shorten the electron transfer path and minimize energy loss. A carbon nitride nanosheet (CNN) was utilized to stabilize the Ru-BCDs-modified glassy carbon electrode, which greatly improved the stability of solid-state ECL. By utilizing the affinity discrepancy of the CNN to single-stranded and double-stranded nucleic acids, a label-free and signal-on ECL biosensor was constructed for the determination of microRNA-133a (miR-133a), a potential biomarker of acute myocardial infarction. The designed biosensor exhibited good performance of miR-133a detection with a detection limit of 60 fM and could be used for the detection of real human serum with satisfactory results. The self-enhanced ECL nanohybrid with distinguished ECL efficiency holds a promising prospect in biosensing and bioimaging applications.

Dual-Wavelength Ratiometric Electrochemiluminescence Immunosensor for Cardiac Troponin I Detection.

Ratiometric electrochemiluminescence (ECL) has attracted special focus in the biological analysis field, because it could eliminate the environmental interference and allow for precise measurement. Herein, a dual-wavelength ratiometric ECL biosensor was designed for the detection of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), where (4,4'-dicarboxylic acid-2,2'-bipyridyl) ruthenium(II) (Ru(dcbpy)32+) and Au nanoparticle-loaded graphene oxide/polyethylenimine (GPRu-Au) nanomaterial acts as an acceptor, and Au nanoparticle-modified graphitic phase carbon nitride nanosheet composite (Au-CNN) acts as donor. Au-CNN shows a high and steady ECL signal centered at 455 nm, which is well-matched with the adsorption of GPRu-Au; thereby, a highly efficient electrochemiluminescent resonance energy transfer (ECL-RET) sensing platform is designed. AuNPs facilitate the immobilization of antibody on the nanomaterials through a Au-N bond. The high surface area of graphene oxide/polyethylenimine allows a large number of Ru(dcbpy)32+ to be loaded, immensely amplifying the ECL signal. This sensing platform exhibits outstanding analytical performance toward cTnI with a detection limit of 3.94 fg/mL (S/N = 3). The high reliability, selectivity, and sensitivity of this ratiometric ECL biosensor provides a versatile sensing platform for the bioanalysis.

A wavelength-resolved electrochemiluminescence resonance energy transfer ratiometric immunosensor for detection of cardiac troponin I.

In this study, a wavelength-resolved electrochemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (ECL-RET) ratiometric immunosensor from Au nanoparticle functionalized graphite-like carbon nitride nanosheets (Au-g-C3N4) to Au nanoclusters (Au NCs) has been constructed for the first time. At a working voltage of 0 to -1.2 V, Au-g-C3N4 showed a strong cathodic ECL emission with a peak at 460 nm, which overlapped well with the absorption spectra of Au NCs thus stimulating the fluorescence emission of Au NCs at 610 nm. Moreover, within this voltage range, the Au NCs showed no ECL signal; therefore, they would not interfere with the detection of the system. We used cardiac troponin I (cTnI) as an analytical model to construct a sandwich immunosensor based on the ECL-RET ratiometric strategy. By measuring the responses of the ECL460 nm/FL610 nm ratio at different cTnI concentrations, the sensitive detection of cTnI with a wide range of 50 fg mL-1 to 50 ng mL-1 and a low detection limit of 9.73 fg mL-1 can be achieved. This work enriches the wavelength-resolved ECL-RET system and provides an innovative reference for the development of more efficient and sensitive ECL-RET ratiometry.

Universal screening for HCV infection in China: An effectiveness and cost-effectiveness analysis.

Background & Aims: Approximately 10 million people live with chronic HCV infection in China, and less than 20% of people with HCV were diagnosed. We aim to determine the cost-effectiveness of one-time HCV screening compared with no screening in the Chinese population from the healthcare system perspective. Methods: A decision-tree plus Markov model was adopted to project chronic hepatitis C (CHC) prevalence, probability of complications, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and costs in the Chinese general population undiagnosed for CHC for different screening strategies. Once CHC was diagnosed, pan-genotypic direct-acting antiviral agent treatment was administered regardless of fibrosis. The population was simulated in a model spanning a lifetime. Input parameters were obtained from published literature. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio between screening and no screening was estimated. The one-time Chinese gross domestic product per capita in 2021 ($12,558/QALY) was used as the willingness-to-pay threshold. Results: Universal screening in the population aged 3-80 years led to the lowest probability of complications, which yielded a 62% reduction of excess mortality. Compared with no screening, implementing screening and treatment for HCV in populations aged 3-80 years resulted in the greatest marginal QALYs (15.2 per 1,000 population) with an increase in total costs of $109,136. Calculating the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio yields a value of $9,503/QALY (95% uncertainty interval $3,738-$22,566). The robustness of the model was demonstrated through various sensitivity analyses. If the CHC prevalence was over 0.3%, screening could be cost-effective. Conclusions: HCV screening for Chinese people aged 3-80 years may be a cost-effective intervention to reduce the disease burden related to HCV infection. This strategy should certainly be implemented. Impact and implications: This study found that screening Chinese people aged 3-80 years yielded the greatest health benefits and was a cost-effective alternative. The findings indicated that national efforts eliminating HCV should be invested and strengthened in China. The results of this study are important because they provide strong evidence that universal screening can be a cost-effective way to reduce the burden of HCV in China. These findings are important for policymakers, physicians, patients, caregivers, and the public because they promote awareness and inform decision-making for HCV prevention and treatment.

Trends in Mortality Related to Hepatitis B and C from 1990 to 2019 in the Western Pacific Region.

Background/Aims: : This study aimed to analyze the trends in mortality attributed to hepatitis B and C around the Western Pacific region from 1990 to 2019. Methods: : We used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study for a systematic analysis. The deaths related to hepatitis B and C were analyzed by age, sex, year, risk factors, geographical location, and Socio-demographic Index (SDI). Results: : From 1990 to 2019, the annual total deaths from hepatitis B decreased from 0.266 to 0.210 million and those from hepatitis C increased from 0.119 to 0.142 million in the Western Pacific region. The age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) of hepatitis B and C decreased by 63.5% and 48.0%, respectively. The declines in the ASMR related to hepatitis B and C were only detected in 12 and two Western Pacific countries, respectively. As the major risk factors, the contribution of alcohol use to hepatitis B deaths was 52% and drug use to hepatitis C was 80%. In males and females, the ASMR attributed to hepatitis B decreased by 61% and 71%, respectively, and the ASMR attributed to hepatitis C decreased by 43% and 55%, respectively. The association between SDI and ASMRs suggested that hepatitis B and C, respectively, showed an overall decline and stable trends as the SDI improved in the Western Pacific region. Conclusions: : Although the mortality rate from hepatitis B and C decreased from 1990 to 2019, notable variation was observed among 27 Western Pacific countries. Efforts targeting hepatitis B and C prevention and treatment are still required in this region, especially for the pandemic countries.

A Systematic Review of Quality of Life in Patients with Short Bowel Syndrome and Their Caregivers.

Purpose: Understanding the quality of life and the factors that influence it for patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS) and their caregivers is of utmost importance in order to enhance their well-being. Therefore, This study aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of SBS on patients and their caregivers, as well as its associated factors, by synthesizing the available evidence. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was done using PubMed, Embase databases, CNKI, and ISPOR conference papers. Included articles were manually searched to identify any other relevant studies. Quality was assessed using appropriate Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools. Results: This review included 16 studies, comprising 15 observational studies and 1 randomized controlled trial. The findings revealed that the QoL of patients with SBS was lower than that of the general population regarding physical functioning and psychological domain. Meanwhile, caregivers experienced challenges in maintaining their QoL. The QoL of SBS patients was found to be influenced by various factors such as treatment, age, sex, stoma, and small intestine length. Among them, the treatment is the most noteworthy factor that can be effectively improved through external interventions. Conclusion: While numerous studies have provided insights into the compromised QoL experienced by individuals with SBS and their caregivers, there remains a scarcity of large-sample quantitative investigations examining the determinants of QoL. The existing body of literature on caregivers is also notably deficient.

Computational design and preparation of water-compatible noncovalent imprinted microspheres.

Herein, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) was used as a model template in a rational design strategy to produce water-compatible noncovalent imprinted microspheres. The proposed approach involved computational modelling for screening functional monomers and a simple method for preparing monodisperse and highly cross-linked microspheres. The fabricated non-imprinted polymer (NIP) and 2,4-d-imprinted polymer (2,4-d-MIP) were characterised, and their adsorption capabilities in an aqueous environment were evaluated. Results reveal that the pseudo-second-order kinetics model was appropriate for representing the adsorption of 2,4-D on NIP and 2,4-d-MIP, with R2 values of 0.97 and 0.99, respectively. The amount of 2,4-D adsorbed on 2,4-d-MIP (97.75 mg g-1) was considerably higher than those of phenoxyacetic acid (35.77 mg g-1), chlorogenic acid (9.72 mg g-1), spiramycin (1.56 mg g-1) and tylosin (1.67 mg g-1). Furthermore, it exhibited strong resistance to protein adsorption in an aqueous medium. These findings confirmed the feasibility of the proposed approach, providing a reference for the development of water-compatible noncovalent imprinted polymers.