Non-invasive assessment of skin hydration and sensation with diffuse reflectance spectroscopy.

The skin is a vital organ in the human body, providing essential functions such as protection, sensation, and metabolism. Skin hydration is one of the crucial factors in maintaining normal skin function. Insufficient skin hydration can lead to dryness, shedding of the stratum corneum, a decrease in skin barrier function, and may cause skin inflammation. Therefore, maintaining or improving skin hydration is critical in promoting healthy skin. Currently, the commonly used method for measuring skin hydration is bioelectrical capacitance analysis, which is often affected by environmental humidity and can only provide limited information. To overcome these limitations, this study used diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) in the wavelength range of 400-1000 nm to quantify skin absorption and scattering modulation caused by changes in skin hydration states. The advantages of this technique include rapid measurements, non-invasiveness, a straightforward optical setup, and suitability for prolonged skin monitoring. We found that DRS-derived skin absorption coefficients had a correlation coefficient of 0.93 with the skin capacitance at various skin hydration states. In addition, our findings reveal that absorption and scattering coefficients may be useful in discerning skin hydration enhancement induced by applying soaked cotton pads or cosmeceutical facial masks, as well as evaluating skin sensation. This study verifies that the DRS method could be a convenient and effective tool for evaluating skin hydration related information.

Integrative risk assessment method via combining geostatistical analysis, random forest, and receptor models for potentially toxic elements in selenium-rich soil.

Revealing the spatial features and source of associated potentially toxic elements (PTEs) is crucial for the safe use of selenium (Se)-rich soils. An integrative risk assessment (GRRRA) approach based on geostatistical analysis (GA), random forest (RF), and receptor models (RMs) was first established to investigate the spatial distribution, sources, and potential ecological risks (PER) of PTEs in 982 soils from Ziyang City, a typical natural Se-rich area in China. RF combined with multiple RMs supported the source apportionment derived from the RMs and provided accurate results for source identification. Then, quantified source contributions were introduced into the risk assessment. Eighty-three percent of the samples contain Cd at a high PER level in local Se-rich soils. GA based on spatial interpolation and spatial autocorrelation showed that soil PTEs have distinct spatial characteristics, and high values are primarily distributed in this research areas. Absolute principal component score/multiple line regression (APCS/MLR) is more suitable than positive matrix factorization (PMF) for source apportionment in this study. RF combined with RMs more accurately and scientifically extracted four sources of soil PTEs: parent material (48.91%), mining (17.93%), agriculture (8.54%), and atmospheric deposition (24.63%). Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) demonstrates a 47.73% probability of a non-negligible risk (RI > 150) caused by parent material and 3.6% from industrial sources, respectively. Parent material (64.20%, RI = 229.56) and mining (16.49%, RI = 58.96) sources contribute to the highest PER of PTEs. In conclusion, the GRRRA method can comprehensively analyze the distribution and sources of soil PTEs and effectively quantify the source contribution to PER, thus providing the theoretical foundation for the secure utilization of Se-rich soils and environmental management and decision making.

Rapid detection of hydrogen sulfide in vegetables and monosodium glutamate based on perylene supramolecular aggregates using an indicator displacement assays strategy.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been clearly identified as a hazardous chemical pollutant that seriously affects food safety and human health. In order to develop a rapid, accurate and efficient H2S tracking method, this work propose a strategy based on indicator displacement assays (IDA). A water-soluble histidine-modified perylene diimide fluorescent probe was synthesized by a one-step method, and the probe can form supramolecular aggregates in the presence of Cd2+. There will be a fluorescence transformation of probe, caused by the change of the state of aggregation and adjusted by various concentration of S2-, which can achieve the fluorescence detection of S2-. The limit of detection is as low as 0.41 µmol/L. Particularly worth mentioning is that the probe in this work can be recycled for at least 5 times, which is environmentally friendly and economical. Finally, this method was applied in three kinds of vegetables and monosodium glutamate samples.

Noninvasive transcutaneous bilirubin assessment of neonates with hyperbilirubinemia using a photon diffusion theory-based method.

Transcutaneous bilirubinometers are widely used to screen neonatal jaundice. However, it was reported that their accuracy is compromised at low and high bilirubin levels. We used a photon diffusion theory-based method valid in the 450-600 nm wavelength region to overcome this obstacle. Our clinical study results showed that our system could properly determine the transcutaneous bilirubin concentrations at total serum bilirubin levels higher than 14 mg/dL, where a commercial bilirubinometer failed to provide proper results in several cases. These findings suggested that photon diffusion theory could be employed to improve the core algorithm of modern bilirubinometers and enhance their applicability.

Rapid and low-cost strategy for detecting genome-editing induced deletion: A single-copy case.

Genome editing techniques have been implemented in human daily lives, which has created a high demand for the development of new gene-edited product analysis methods. Conventional assays are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly. This paper proposes a rapid and low-cost strategy for detecting genome-editing induced deletion which works by integrating rapid-multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) with a dual-lateral flow nucleic acid biosensor (LFNAB) cascade in a single-copy case. A rapid-MLPA was first introduced to the LFNAB system as a replacement for the conventional PCR for enhanced specificity and accuracy. A dual-LFNAB was applied for the detection of genome-editing induced deletion without any additional instrumentation or complex operation. After optimization, we achieved the specific detection of wildtype alleles and deletion alleles in spiked samples with a detection limit of 0.4 fM, which is comparable to that of electrophoresis-based detection assays and fluorescent biosensors. To confirm the validity and feasibility of our strategy, we assayed two pork samples from two WUZHISHAN pigs successfully. By comparing the detection results from next-generation sequencing analysis, we found that the proposed cascade demonstrates at least 20-fold shorter assay time and at least 100-fold less assay cost. To this effect, the proposed method is a rapid and low-cost solution to sample-to-answer detection of genome-editing induced deletion and shows remarkable potential in regards to international trade, transparency, and freedom of choice.

Point-of-care and visual detection of P. aeruginosa and its toxin genes by multiple LAMP and lateral flow nucleic acid biosensor.

This study describes a simple and sensitive approach for visual and point-of-care detection of P. aeruginosa and its toxin genes based on multiple loop-mediated isothermal amplification (mLAMP) and lateral flow nucleic acid biosensor (LFNAB). Differentiation of the internal standard gene ecfX and toxin genes (ExoS and ExoU) in P. aeruginosa was determined using FITC-, hex-and digoxin-modified primers in the mLAMP process. In the presence of biotin-and FITC- (hex-, digoxin-) modified primers and Bst DNA polymerase large fragments, the mLAMP produced numerous biotin- and FITC- (hex-, digoxin-) attached duplex DNA products. The products were detected by LFNAB through dual immunoreactions (anti-biotin antibodies on the gold nanoparticle (Au-NP) and biotin on the duplex, anti-FITC (hex, digoxin) antibodies on the LFNAB test line and FITC (hex, digoxin) on the duplex). The accumulation of Au-NPs produced a characteristic red band, enabling visual detection of P. aeruginosa and its toxin genes without instrumentation. After systematic optimization of LFNAB preparation and detecting conditions, the current approach was capable of detecting concentrations as low as 20 CFU/mL P. aeruginosa or its toxin genes within 50min without complicated instrument, which is more sensitive than PCR. Therefore, this approach provides a simple, pollution free, sensitive, and low-cost point-of-care test for the detection of P. aeruginosa and its toxin genes.

Negative short-term impact of intraoperative biliary lavage in patients with hepatolithiasis.

AIM: To evaluate short-term outcomes following intraoperative biliary lavage for hepatolithiasis. METHODS: A total of 932 patients who were admitted to the West China Medical Center of Sichuan University between January 2010 and January 2014 and underwent bile duct exploration and lithotomy were retrospectively included in our study. The patients were divided into the lavage group and the control group. Related pre-, intra-, and postoperative factors were recorded, analyzed, and compared between the two groups in order to verify the effects of biliary lavage on the short-term outcome of patients with hepatolithiasis. RESULTS: Amongst the patients who were included, 678 patients with hepatolithiasis were included in the lavage group, and the other 254 patients were enrolled in the control group. Data analyses revealed that preoperative baseline and related intraoperative variables were not significantly different. However, patients who underwent intraoperative biliary lavage had prolonged postoperative hospital stays (6.67 d vs 7.82 d, P = 0.024), higher hospitalization fees (RMB 28437.1 vs RMB 32264.2, P = 0.043), higher positive rates of bacterial cultures from blood (13.3% vs 25.8%, P = 0.001) and bile (23.6% vs 40.7%, P = 0.001) samples, and increased usage of advanced antibiotics (26.3% vs 38.2%, P = 0.001). In addition, in the lavage group, more patients had fever (> 37.5 °C, 81.4% vs 91.1%, P = 0.001) and hyperthermia (> 38.5°C, 39.7% vs 54.9%, P = 0.001), and higher white blood cell counts within 7 d after the operation compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative biliary lavage might increase the risk of postoperative infection, while not significantly increasing gallstone removal rate.

Accurate and easy-to-use assessment of contiguous DNA methylation sites based on proportion competitive quantitative-PCR and lateral flow nucleic acid biosensor.

Many types of diagnostic technologies have been reported for DNA methylation, but they require a standard curve for quantification or only show moderate accuracy. Moreover, most technologies have difficulty providing information on the level of methylation at specific contiguous multi-sites, not to mention easy-to-use detection to eliminate labor-intensive procedures. We have addressed these limitations and report here a cascade strategy that combines proportion competitive quantitative PCR (PCQ-PCR) and lateral flow nucleic acid biosensor (LFNAB), resulting in accurate and easy-to-use assessment. The P16 gene with specific multi-methylated sites, a well-studied tumor suppressor gene, was used as the target DNA sequence model. First, PCQ-PCR provided amplification products with an accurate proportion of multi-methylated sites following the principle of proportionality, and double-labeled duplex DNA was synthesized. Then, a LFNAB strategy was further employed for amplified signal detection via immune affinity recognition, and the exact level of site-specific methylation could be determined by the relative intensity of the test line and internal reference line. This combination resulted in all recoveries being greater than 94%, which are pretty satisfactory recoveries in DNA methylation assessment. Moreover, the developed cascades show significantly high usability as a simple, sensitive, and low-cost tool. Therefore, as a universal platform for sensing systems for the detection of contiguous multi-sites of DNA methylation without external standards and expensive instrumentation, this PCQ-PCR-LFNAB cascade method shows great promise for the point-of-care diagnosis of cancer risk and therapeutics.

Fast-Track Programs for Liver Surgery: A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Plentiful publications have inspected the feasibility of fast-track surgery programs during hepatic surgery, but the potency of these studies has not been discussed profoundly so far. Our goal was to assess the effects of fast-track programs on surgical outcomes compared with traditional surgical plans for liver surgery. METHODS: The following databases were searched: PubMed, Cochrane library, Embase, Science Citation Index Expanded, etc. Studies meeting our inclusion criteria were included. All interrelated data and the methodological quality of included studies were extracted and assessed. We applied risk ratio and weighted mean difference as the estimated effect measures. Sensitivity analysis was performed to perceive the reliability of our findings. RESULTS: Altogether, 14 studies with 1400 patients were analyzed. Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials demonstrated that implementation of fast-track surgery programs could observably decrease the total length of hospital stay, complication rate, postoperative first flatus time, and hospitalization expense, and did not compromise mortality and readmission rate. The above findings were also in line with the results of case-control studies. CONCLUSIONS: Fast-track surgery programs are feasible and effective for liver surgery. Future studies should optimize fast-track surgery programs catering to liver surgery.

Carbon dioxide insufflation for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography: A meta-analysis and systematic review.

AIM: To assess the safety and efficacy of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) insufflation during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). METHODS: The Cochrane Library, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Excerpta Medica Database, Science Citation Index Expanded, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and references in relevant publications were searched up to December 2011 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing CO(2) insufflation with air insufflation during ERCP. The trials were included in the review irrespective of sample size, publication status, or language. Study selection and data extraction were performed by two independent authors. The meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.1.6. A random-effects model was used to analyze various outcomes. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were performed if necessary. RESULTS: Seven double-blind RCTs involving a total of 818 patients were identified that compared CO(2) insufflation (n = 404) with air insufflation (n = 401) during ERCP. There were a total of 13 post-randomization dropouts in four RCTs. Six RCTs had a high risk of bias and one had a low risk of bias. None of the RCTs reported any severe gas-related adverse events in either group. A meta-analysis of 5 RCTs (n = 459) indicated that patients in the CO(2) insufflation group had less post-ERCP abdominal pain and distension for at least 1 h compared with patients in the air insufflation group. There were no significant differences in mild cardiopulmonary complications [risk ratio (RR) = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.07-2.66, P = 0.36], cardiopulmonary (e.g., blood CO(2) level) changes [standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.97, 95% CI: -2.58-0.63, P = 0.23], cost analysis (mean difference = 3.14, 95% CI: -14.57-20.85, P = 0.73), and total procedure time (SMD = -0.05, 95% CI: -0.26-0.17, P = 0.67) between the two groups. CONCLUSION: CO(2) insufflation during ERCP appears to be safe and reduces post-ERCP abdominal pain and discomfort.