Long-term 4-nonylphenol exposure drives cervical cell malignancy through MAPK-mediated ferroptosis inhibition.

4-NP (4-nonylphenol), a prevalent environmental endocrine disruptor with estrogenic properties, is commonly detected in drinking water and food sources. It poses a significant risk of endocrine disruption, thereby influencing the onset and progression of diverse diseases, including tumorigenesis. However, its specific impact on cervical cancer remains to be fully elucidated. Our study focused on the biological effects of sustained exposure to low-dose 4-NP on human normal cervical epithelial cells (HcerEpic). After a continuous 30-week exposure to 4-NP, the treated cells exhibited a significant malignant transformation, whereas the solvent control group showed limited malignant phenotypes. Subsequent analyses of the metabolomic profiles of the transformed cells unveiled marked irregularities in glutathione metabolism and unsaturated fatty acid metabolism. Analyses of transcriptomic profiles revealed significant activation of the MAPK signaling pathway and suppression of ferroptosis processes in these cells. Furthermore, the expression of MT2A was significantly upregulated following 4-NP exposure. Knockdown of MT2A restored the aberrant activation of the MAPK signaling pathway, elevated antioxidant capacity, ferroptosis inhibition, and ultimately the development of malignant phenotypes that induced by 4-NP in the transformed cells. Mechanistically, MT2A increased cellular antioxidant capabilities and facilitated the removal of toxic iron ions by enhancing the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and JNK MAPK pathways. The administration of activators and inhibitors of the MAPK pathway confirmed that the MAPK pathway mediated the 4-NP-induced suppression of ferroptosis and, ultimately, the malignant transformation of cervical epithelial cells. Overall, our findings elucidated a dynamic molecular transformation induced by prolonged exposure to 4-NP, and delineated comprehensive biological perspectives underlying 4-NP-induced cervical carcinogenesis. This offers novel theoretical underpinnings for the assessment of the carcinogenic risks associated with 4-NP.

A comprehensive review of m6A research in cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer (CC) remains one of the most common malignancies among women worldwide, posing a serious threat to women's health. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification, as the most abundant type of RNA methylation modification, and has been found to play a crucial role in various cancers. Current research suggests a close association between RNA m6A modification and the occurrence and progression of CC, encompassing disruptions in m6A levels and its regulatory machinery. This review summarizes the current status of m6A modification research in CC, explores the mechanisms underlying m6A levels and regulators (methyltransferases, demethylases, reader proteins) in CC and examines the application of small-molecule inhibitors of m6A regulators in disease treatment. The findings provide new insights into the future treatment of CC.

Application of Situational Simulation Teaching Method in Respiratory and Cardiac Arrest Induced by Aspiration in Elderly Patients.

Background: Elderly hospitalized patients often have dysphagia, which can cause a variety of complications, the most common being aspiration. Early detection and timely treatment by nurses are needed in the clinic. Objective: To assess the effect of the situational simulation teaching method in respiratory and cardiac arrest induced by aspiration in elderly patients. Design: This was a retrospective study. Setting: This study was performed in the Department of Geriatrics, The Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University. Participants: Fifty patients with aspiration-induced respiratory and cardiac arrest who were hospitalized in our hospital were chosen and divided into 2 groups according to the composition of rescue nursing staff, and each group had 25 cases. Interventions: The patients who were rescued by nurses without scenario simulation training were the control group (routine emergency nursing group). The patients who were rescued by nurses trained via the scenario simulation teaching method were the experimental group. Primary Outcome Measures: (1) Emergency rescue time, (2) survival rate, (3) duration of adverse events, and (4) nursing satisfaction of patients. Results: Compared to the control group, the emergency rescue time, the duration of asphyxia, duration of respiratory and cardiac arrest, and the duration of malignant arrhythmias caused by cardiac arrest in the experimental group was lower (P < .05), while the survival rate and nursing satisfaction of patients in the experimental group was higher (P < .05). Conclusion: The application of situational simulation teaching method in the rescue of patients with respiratory and cardiac arrest has outstanding effects, which can effectively improve the efficiency of first aid, significantly improve the efficiency and standardization of first aid, and control or prevent the occurrence of poor prognosis, which is worth popularizing.

Application study of multidisciplinary collaboration (MDT) integrated management model in perioperative management of patients with infectious nonunion.

Objective: To explore the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary treatment (MDT) integrated intervention model in the perioperative management of patients with infectious nonunion. Methods: 80 patients with infectious bone defects treated in our hospital from January 2020 to January 2023 were selected. They were classified into MDT-integrated perioperative group (study group) and conventional control group according to the different management patterns, with 40 cases each. The incidence of wound infection, pin tract infection, delayed bone healing, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), joint stiffness, and nutritional indicators were compared between the two groups. Results: The rates of wound infection (P = 0.042), pin tract infection of Grade II or above (P = 0.006), delayed bone healing (P = 0.006), DVT (P = 0.033), and joint stiffness (P = 0.023) in the MDT integrated perioperative (study) group were significantly lower than those in the conventional care group (P < 0.05). With the extension of intervention time, the changes in body weight, levels of serum albumin (ALB), pre-albumin (PA), hemoglobin (Hb), and serum sodium (Na) in the study group were higher than those in the conventional care group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The application of the MDT integrated intervention model in the perioperative period of patients with infectious nonunion is beneficial in reducing the risks of wound infection and pin tract infection of Grade II or above, lowering the incidence rates of lower limb DVT and joint stiffness, and reducing the risk of malnutrition, demonstrating high clinical application value.

Comprehensive Analysis of the SUMO-related Signature: Implication for Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Immune Therapeutic Approaches in Cervical Cancer.

SUMOylation, an important post-translational protein modification, plays a critical role in cancer development and immune processes. This study aimed to construct diagnostic and prognostic models for cervical cancer (CC) using SUMOylation-related genes (SRGs) and explore their implications for novel clinical therapies. We analyzed the expression profiles of SRGs in CC patients and identified 15 SRGs associated with CC occurrence. After the subsequent qPCR verification of 20 cases of cancer and adjacent tissues, 13 of the 15 SRGs were differentially expressed in cancer tissues. Additionally, we identified molecular markers associated with the prognosis and recurrence of CC patients, based on SRGs. Next, a SUMOScore, based on SRG expression patterns, was generated to stratify patients into different subgroups. The SUMOScore showed significant associations with the tumor microenvironment, immune function features, immune checkpoint expression, and immune evasion score in CC patients, highlighting the strong connection between SUMOylation factors and immune processes. In terms of immune therapy, our analysis identified specific chemotherapy drugs with higher sensitivity in the subgroups characterized by high and low SUMOScore, indicating potential treatment options. Furthermore, we conducted drug sensitivity analysis to evaluate the response of different patient subgroups to conventional chemotherapy drugs. Our findings revealed enrichment of immune-related pathways in the low-risk subgroup identified by the prognostic model. In conclusion, this study presents diagnostic and prognostic models based on SRGs, accompanied by a comprehensive index derived from SRGs expression patterns. These findings offer valuable insights for CC diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and immune-related analysis.

Expression patterns and pathogenesis of Semaphorin class 4 subfamily proteins in solid tumors.

Semaphorins are originally described as regulators of nervous system development. Besides, members of the semaphorin family play important roles in the growth, metastasis, and angiogenesis of solid tumors. In contrast to the other semaphorin subclasses, semaphorin class 4 has both membrane-bound and active soluble forms. Soluble class 4 semaphorins in body fluids (blood and saliva) may serve as potential biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognosis prediction of specific cancers. The class 4 semaphorins also transduce signal in cancer cells in a cell membrane-bound form, thereby regulating cancer progression. In solid tumors, class 4 semaphorins can act as ligands in active soluble forms, regulating cancer progression via autocrine and paracrine to activate signal transduction in cancer cells or endothelial cells in the tumor microenvironment. Targeting class 4 semaphorins may be a novel strategy for specific cancer therapy. However, the expression of class 4 semaphorins in solid tumors and the responsive pathogenesis are still controversial. Therefore, this review summarizes the specific expression regulation of class 4 semaphorin members in different types of solid tumors and the mechanisms involved in cancer progression.

LINC00426, a novel m6A-regulated long non-coding RNA, induces EMT in cervical cancer by binding to ZEB1.

PURPOSE: To explore the function and molecular mechanism of LINC00426 in Cervical Cancer (CC), and to explore the clinical treatment strategy of LINC00426 for CC. METHODS: Bioinformatics analysis was used to explore the expression of LINC00426 and patient prognosis of CC. Cell function experiments were conducted to explore the potential effect of LINC00426 on CC malignant phenotypes. The difference in m6A modification level between the high and low expression groups of LINC00426 was analyzed by detecting the total m6A level. The luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm the binding of miR-200a-3p to LINC00426. The RIP assay was used to confirm the binding of LINC00426 to ZEB1. Cell viability assay was performed to detect the effect of LINC00426 on cellular drug resistance. RESULTS: LINC00426 is up-regulated in CC, which can enhance the proliferation, migration and invasion of CC cells. METTL3 promotes the expression of LINC00426 by m6A methylation modification. In addition, the LINC00426/miR-200a-3p/ZEB1 axis affects the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CC by regulating the expression of EMT markers. Through the detection of cell viability, we observed that overexpression LINC00426 in cells resulted in resistance to cisplatin and bleomycin, and more sensitive to imatinib. CONCLUSION: LINC00426 is a cancer-promoting lncRNA related to m6A modification. The process of EMT in CC is regulated by the LINC00426/miR-200a/3p/ZEB1 axis. LINC00426 can affect the sensitivity of CC cells to chemotherapy drugs, and is expected to become a therapeutic target for CC.

Elderly hip fracture patients with isolated calf muscle vein thrombosis are more likely to have suffered an intertrochanteric fracture and be hypertensive.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to characterize the preoperative deep venous thrombosis (DVT) of lower extremity by locations and evaluate the diagnostic ability of plasma D-dimer level in elderly patients with hip fracture. METHOD: This retrospective study reviewed the elderly patients presenting with a hip fracture definitely undergoing surgical treatment and identified those who had preoperative DVT. Data on demographics, lifestyle habits, comorbidities and laboratory indexes were extracted and collected. Four groups were divided by presence and locations of thrombi: non-DVT (controls), isolated calf muscle vein thrombosis (CMVT), deep calf vein thrombosis (DCVT) and proximal DVT group. The comparisons were conducted between either DVT group or the non-DVT group. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under the curve (AUC) were used for determining the diagnostic ability of D-dimer for each group. RESULTS: Among 951 eligible patients included, 298 (31.3%) were found have preoperative DVT. Compared to non-DVT group, patients with CMVT had significantly lower albumin and hemoglobin concentration, more likely an intertrochanteric fracture and a higher prevalence of hypertension (P = 0.001, 0.006, 0.002 and 0.024, respectively); DCVT group was not observed to be significantly different in terms of any variables (all P > 0.05); and proximal DVT group had older age and more patients ≥ 80 years, lower albumin and hemoglobin concentration, higher prevalence of hypertension, more likely an intertrochanteric fracture, extended time from injury to imaging examination and higher age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (ACCI) (all P < 0.05). D-dimer demonstrated nonsignificant diagnostic ability for CMVT and DCVT, and a significant but poor ability for proximal DVT (AUC, 0.621; 95% CI 0.542-0.710; P = 0.011). CONCLUSION: Varying characteristics were found among preoperative DVT stratified by locations after elderly hip fractures, and D-dimer level demonstrated no or poor diagnostic ability for DVTs by locations. Level of evidence level III, diagnostic. Trial registration statement Not applicable.

Post-transcriptional regulation of tumor suppressor gene lncRNA CARMN via m6A modification and miRNA regulation in cervical cancer.

PURPOSE: The abnormal regulation of lncRNA CARMN has been proved to be a tumor suppressor gene of cervical cancer (CC). However, its role in CC is still elusive. The regulation of CARMN post-transcriptional level by m6A modification and miRNA has not been studied. This study aims to analyze the molecular mechanism of m6A modification and miRNA on the abnormal expression of CARMN in CC cells, so as to provide a new theoretical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of CC. METHODS: MeRIP-seq was used to identify the differential m6A-modified genes between tumor and normal cervical tissues. RT-qPCR assay was used to detect gene expression levels in tissues or cells. The m6A modification sites of CARMN was predicted by bioinformatics, and the modification of m6A and its regulatory effect on CARMN were analyzed by MeRIP-qPCR, Actinomycin D assay and RIP assay. RIP-microarray combined with bioinformatics methods to screen miRNAs that may target CARMN. The regulation mechanism between miRNA and CARMN was verified by RT-qPCR, nucleo-plasmic separation assay, mRNA stability assay, dual-luciferase reporter assay, and in vivo experiments. RESULTS: MeRIP-seq found that CARMN is a significant different gene in the abundance of m6A in CC, and the modification level of m6A in CC tissues was higher than that in normal cervical tissues. Further, this study verified that m6A reader YTHDF2 could recognize m6A-modified CARMN and promote its degradation in CC cells. miR-21-5p was proved to be the downstream target gene of CARMN, and miR-21-5p could negatively regulate the expression of CARMN. Further experiments showed that miR-21-5p could directly bind to CARMN and lead to the degradation of CARMN. The in vivo experimental results indicated that the level of miR-21-5p in the overexpressed CARMN group was significantly lower than that in the control group. CONCLUSION: m6A modification and miR-21-5p play important roles in promoting the occurrence and development of tumors by regulating CARMN, provide new potential targets for the treatment of CC.

Risk factors for perioperative acute heart failure in older hip fracture patients and establishment of a nomogram predictive model.

AIM: This study aims to explore the risk factors for perioperative acute heart failure in older patients with hip fracture and establish a nomogram prediction model. METHODS: The present study was a retrospective study. From January 2020 to December 2021, patients who underwent surgical treatment for hip fracture at the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University were included. Heart failure was confirmed by discharge diagnosis or medical records. The samples were randomly divided into modeling and validation cohorts in a ratio of 7:3. Relevant demographic and clinic data of patients were collected. IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0 performed univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis, to obtain the risk factors of acute heart failure. The R software was used to construct the nomogram prediction model. RESULTS: A total of 751 older patients with hip fracture were enrolled in this study, of which 138 patients (18.37%, 138/751) developed acute heart failure. Heart failure was confirmed by discharge diagnosis or medical records. Respiratory disease (odd ratio 7.68; 95% confidence interval 3.82-15.43; value of P 0.001), history of heart disease (chronic heart failure excluded) (odd ratio 2.21, 95% confidence interval 1.18-4.12; value of P 0.010), ASA ≥ 3 (odd ratio 14.46, 95% confidence interval 7.78-26.87; value of P 0.001), and preoperative waiting time ≤ 2 days (odd ratio 3.32, 95% confidence interval 1.33-8.30; value of P 0.010) were independent risk factors of perioperative acute heart failure in older patients with hip fracture. The area under the curve (AUC) of the prediction model based on these factors was calculated to be 0.877 (95% confidence interval 0.836-0.918). The sensitivity and specificity were 82.8% and 80.9%, respectively, and the fitting degree of the model was good. In the internal validation group, the AUC was 0.910, and the 95% confidence interval was 0.869-0.950. CONCLUSIONS: Several risk factors are identified for acute heart failure in older patients, based on which pragmatic nomogram prediction model is developed, facilitating detection of patients at risk early.

Incidence, Causes, and Risk Factors of Unplanned Readmissions in Elderly Patients Undergoing Hip Fracture Surgery: An Observational Study.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to examine the incidence and cause of unplanned readmission after Surgically Treated Hip Fractures in Elderly Patients and identify the associated risk factors. Methods: This study retrospectively collected the data on elderly patients who underwent hip fracture surgery at two institutions from January 2020 to December 2021, and identified those who were readmitted within 12 months postoperatively. Based on the presence or not of postoperative readmission, they were divided into readmission and non-readmission groups. Demographics, surgery-related variables, and laboratory parameters were compared between groups. The specific causes for documented readmission were collected and summarized. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the associated risk factors. Results: There were 930 patients including 76 (8.2%) patients who were readmitted within 12 months postoperatively. Overall, cardiac and respiratory complications and new-onset fractures were the first three common causes of readmission, taking an overwhelming proportion of 53.9% (41/76). Over 60% (61.8%, 47/76) of readmissions occurred within 30 days after surgery, with medical complications taking a predominance (89.4%, 42/47). New-onset fractures accounted for a proportion of 18.4% (14/76), occurring at different time points; especially, at 90-365 days, it accounted for 44.4% (8/18). Multivariate analysis revealed that age ≥80 years (OR, 1.0, 95% CI, 1.0 to 1.1; P=0.032), preoperative albumin level ≤21.5 g/L (OR, 1.1, 95% CI, 1.0 to 1.2; P=0.009), the postoperative occurrence of DVT (OR, 4.2, 95% CI, 2.5 to 7.2; P=0.001), and local anesthesia (OR, 2.1, 95% CI, 1.1 to 4.0; P=0.029) were independent risk factors for unplanned readmissions. Conclusion: This study identified several risk factors for unplanned readmissions after elderly hip fractures, and provided detailed information about unplanned readmissions.

Physicochemical and Colon Cancer Cell Inhibitory Properties of Theabrownins Prepared by Weak Alkali Oxidation of Tea Polyphenols.

Existing studies on the biological activity of theabrownins are not based on their free state but on the complexes of theabrownins, polysaccharides, proteins, and flavonoids. In this study, theabrownins (TBs-C) were prepared by weak alkali oxidation of tea polyphenols. The ultraviolet-visible scanning spectrum of TBs-C showed two characteristic absorption peaks at 203 and 270 nm. The zeta potential of the TBs-C aqueous solution was negative, and the values varied from - 6.26 to -19.55 mV with a solution pH of 3-9. Storage conditions of pH 5.0-7.0 and around 25 °C were beneficial for the physical and chemical stability of the TBS-C solution. Cells were treated with series concentrations and examined by MTT, HE staining, PI immunofluorescence staining, flow cytometry, and real-time PCR to investigate the antiproliferative effect of TBs-C on human colon cancer HT-29 cells. The results showed that TBs-C, particularly at 500 µg/mL, inhibited cell growth. TBs-C induced HT-29 cell apoptosis, as confirmed by morphological changes, nucleus propidium iodide staining, and distributions of the cell cycle. The apoptotic mechanism may be due to the intracellular redox imbalance induced by TBs-C.

Incidence and Risk Factors for Surgical Site Infection after Femoral Neck Fracture Surgery: An Observational Cohort Study of 2218 Patients.

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) was a formidable challenge for surgical management of femoral neck fractures; however, there was a lack of studies with comprehensive variables. We conducted this study to investigate the incidence and risk factors of SSI in elderly patients with femoral neck fractures. Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients who presented with femoral neck fractures and underwent surgery in our institution between January 2016 and April 2020. All data were collected from a previously validated database. Patients were divided into SSI and non-SSI groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify the risk factors for SSI. Results: A total of 2218 patients with femoral neck fractures were enrolled in the study, of whom 22 (1%) developed SSI, including 15 (0.7%) superficial and 7 (0.3%) deep SSIs. After multivariable adjustment for confounding factors, patients with and without SSI significantly differ in terms of gender, prolonged time to surgery, CHE < 5 U/L, and injury mechanism. Conclusions: Our results were helpful for stratification of SSI risk and improved management of hip fracture. Clinicians should be alert to patients with these factors and improve modifiable factors such as preoperative waiting time.

Exploring bioactive peptides as potential therapeutic and biotechnology treasures: A contemporary perspective.

In preceding years, bioactive peptides (BAPs) have piqued escalating attention owing to their multitudinous biological features. To date, many potential BAPs exhibiting anti-cancer activities have been documented; yet, obstacles such as their safety profiles and consumer acceptance continue to exist. Moreover, BAPs have been discovered to facilitate the suppression of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (CoVID-19) and maybe ideal for treating the CoVID-19 infection, as stated by published experimental findings, but their widespread knowledge is scarce. Likewise, there is a cornucopia of BAPs possessing neuroprotective effects that mend neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) by regulating gut microbiota, but they remain a subject of research interest. Additionally, a plethora of researchers have attempted next-generation approaches based on BAPs, but they need scientific attention. The text format of this critical review is organized around an overview of BAPs' versatility and diverse bio functionalities with emphasis on recent developments and novelties. The review is alienated into independent sections, which are related to either BAPs based disease management strategies or next-generation BAPs based approaches. BAPs based anti-cancer, anti-CoVID-19, and neuroprotective strategies have been explored, which may offer insights that could help the researchers and industries to find an alternate regimen against the three aforementioned fatal diseases. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review that has systematically discussed the next-generation approaches in BAP research. Furthermore, it can be concluded that the BAPs may be optimal for the management of cancer, CoVID-19, and NDs; nevertheless, experimental and preclinical studies are crucial to validate their therapeutic benefits.

Relationship Between Preoperative Hypoalbuminemia and Postoperative Pneumonia Following Geriatric Hip Fracture Surgery: A Propensity-Score Matched and Conditional Logistic Regression Analysis.

Background: Pneumonia is a devastating complication following geriatric hip fracture surgery, and preoperative hypoalbuminemia may be a potentially modifiable factor leading to improved outcome. This study aimed to quantify the relationship between preoperative hypoalbuminemia and postoperative pneumonia. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of elderly patients (≥60 years) who underwent surgeries for hip fracture in a tertiary referral center between 2016 and 2020. According to the preoperative serum albumin level, they were divided into two groups: <35 g/ L and ≥35 g/ L. To reduce potential confounding, propensity score matching (PSM) in a 1:1 ratio was performed, with the caliper value set as 0.002; and further conditional logistic regression analysis was used to control the other potential confounders to determine the association strength. Results: Among 3,147 eligible patients included, PSM yielded 1,318 matched patients, with 659 in each respective group, suggesting significantly improved balance in most variables (standardized mean deviation improvement range, 20.7% to 99.1%), except for basophil count. The conditional logistic regression analysis, adjusted for PS and other intra- or post-operative variables, showed 6.18-fold (relative ratio, 6.18; 95% CI, 3.15-11.98; P<0.001) increased risk of postoperative pneumonia associated with preoperative hypoalbuminemia. Conclusion: Preoperative hypoalbuminemia was identified to be independently and highly associated with development of postoperative pneumonia in elderly patients undergoing hip fracture surgeries. However, whether the patients who had such condition may benefit from preoperative targeted nutritional support needs to be clarified by more prospective studies.

Characterization of Theabrownins Prepared From Tea Polyphenols by Enzymatic and Chemical Oxidation and Their Inhibitory Effect on Colon Cancer Cells.

Theabrownins (TBs) are prepared from dark tea and contain a large number of complex heterogeneous components, such as carbohydrates, proteins, and flavonoids, which are difficult to remove. In addition, some toxic and harmful extraction solvents are used to purify TBs. These obstacles hinder the utilization and industrialization of TBs. In this study, tea polyphenols were used as substrates and polyphenol oxidase and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) were used successively to prepare theabrownins (TBs-E). The UV-visible characteristic absorption peaks of the TBs-E were located at 203 and 270 nm and Fourier-transform IR analysis showed that they were polymerized phenolic substances containing the hydroxy and carboxyl groups. The TBs-E aqueous solution was negatively charged and the absolute values of the zeta potential increased with increasing pH. A storage experiment showed that TBs-E were more stable at pH 7.0 and in low-temperature environments around 25°C. HT-29 human colon cancer cells were used to evaluate the biological activity of TBs-E through 3-(4,5)-dimethylthiahiazo (-z-y1)-3,5-di- phenytetrazoliumromide (MTT), H&E staining, propidium iodide immunofluorescent staining, flow cytometry, and real-time PCR assays. The TBs-E significantly inhibited cell growth and caused late apoptosis, particularly at the dose of 500 µg/ml. The TBs-E markedly reduced the expression of antioxidant enzyme genes and increased the generation of reactive oxygen species to break the redox balance, which may have led to cell damage and death. These results will promote research and industrialization of TBs.

Incidence and risk factors for postoperative pneumonia following surgically treated hip fracture in geriatric patients: a retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Large sample investigations for risk factors for pneumonia in elderly patients after hip fracture surgeries are lacking. The purpose of this study is to determine the incidence and risk factors for postoperative pneumonia in geriatric patients following hip fracture operations. METHODS: A retrospective study of incidence and risk factors in a tertiary referral center between 2016 and 2020 was conducted. Geriatric patients who developed postoperative pneumonia after surgeries of hip fracture during hospitalization stay were defined as cases and those without as controls. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to evaluate risk factors for postoperative pneumonia. RESULTS: This study included 3147 patients, and 182 developed postoperative pneumonia, denoting the rate of 5.8%. In the multivariate analyses, age (OR 1.04; 95% CI 1.02-1.06), sex (males) (OR 2.27; 95% CI 1.64-3.13), respiratory disease (OR 3.74; 95% CI 2.32-6.04), heart disease (OR 1.68; 95% CI 1.14-2.47), cerebrovascular disease (OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.11-2.27), liver disease (OR 2.61; 95% CI 1.33-5.15), preoperative stay (OR 1.08; 95% CI 1.05-1.11) and general anesthesia (OR 1.61; 95% CI 1.15-2.27) were identified as independent risk factors for postoperative pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified several risk factors for pneumonia in geriatric patients after hip fracture operations, providing a viable preventive strategy for optimizing clinical conditions for reduction of postoperative pneumonia.

Reusable dual-functional SERS sensor based on gold nanoflowers-modified red phosphorus nanoplates for ultrasensitive immunoassay and degradation of CA19-9.

It is tremendously desirable for the timely and effective detection of cancer to facilitate the ultra-highly sensitive monitoring of tumor marker in clinical serum sample. In this study, an electromagnetic and chemical synergistically enabled recyclable immunoassay based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) was proposed by realizing the anisotropic growth of sea-urchin-like gold nanoflowers (Au NFs) on two-dimensional red phosphorus (RP) nanoplates. Besides the achieved enhancement factor as high as 2.24 × 106, it was found that the photocatalytic and SERS activities were kept at a high level for the hybrid substrate of RP/Au NFs throughout 7 cycles of immunoassay. In combination with a non-metallic immunoprobe, the limit of detection was drove to 7.41 × 10-5 IU·mL-1 for cancer antigen 19-9. The comparative experiments of nonspecific monitoring verified the promising selectivity of this strategy. Considering the intriguing features of high sensitivity, recyclability, and specificity, the proposed multifunctional RP/Au NFs exhibited its superior role in the early detection of cancer and can be adapted for point-of-care diagnosis.

An updated review on food-derived bioactive peptides: Focus on the regulatory requirements, safety, and bioavailability.

Food-derived bioactive peptides (BAPs) are recently utilized as functional food raw materials owing to their potential health benefits. Although there is a huge amount of scientific research about BAPs' identification, purification, characterization, and physiological functions, and subsequently, many BAPs have been marketed, there is a paucity of review on the regulatory requirements, bioavailability, and safety of BAPs. Thus, this review focuses on the toxic peptides that could arise from their primary proteins throughout protein extraction, protein pretreatment, and BAPs' formulation. Also, the influences of BAPs' length and administration dosage on safety are summarized. Lastly, the challenges and possibilities in BAPs' bioavailability and regulatory requirements in different countries were also presented. Results revealed that the human studies of BAPs are essential for approvals as healthy food and to prevent the consumers from misinformation and false promises. The BAPs that escape the gastrointestinal tract epithelium and move to the stomach are considered good peptides and get circulated into the blood using different pathways. In addition, the hydrophobicity, net charge, molecular size, length, amino acids composition/sequences, and structural characteristics of BAPs are critical for bioavailability, and appropriate food-grade carriers can enhance it. The abovementioned features are also vital to optimize the solubility, water holding capacity, emulsifying ability, and foaming property of BAPs in food products. In the case of safety, the possible allergenic and toxic peptides often exhibit physiological functions and could be produced during the hydrolysis of food proteins. It was also noted that the production of iso-peptides bonds and undesirable Maillard reaction might occur during protein extraction, sample pretreatments, and peptide synthesis.

Bioinspired surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrate with intrinsic Raman signal for the interactive SERS detection of pesticides residues.

Although biomimetic surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate which makes use of naturally existing raw materials have been fully utilized, it remains challenging to achieve credible quantitative detection. Herein, nanoimprint technology was exploited to engineer internal standard (IS) enabled quantitative flexible biomimetic SERS substrates, in which polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with intrinsic Raman signal was utilized as a tool to reversely duplicate surface structures from different agriculture products and then deposited with Ag nanoparticles. The resultant four kinds of biomimetic SERS substrates with different surface geometries all permit highly sensitive assay with enhancement factors (EFs) of about 106 in both drop-dry and in situ SERS detection modes. Moreover, the quantitative degree in the SERS detection was effectively corrected based on the IS strategy. Finally, an ingenious interactive in situ SERS detection was conducted. Interestingly, the maximum recovery rate was achieved when the template food was used as target surface compared with other foods, indicating the significance of manufacturing the highly conformed SERS-active structure from the surface to be tested. The proposed quantitative biomimetic SERS substrate is expected to be widely used in the field of biochemical supervision.