Extraction and In Vitro Skincare Effect Assessment of Polysaccharides Extract from the Roots of Abelmoschus manihot (L.).

Obtaining high-added value compounds from agricultural waste receives increasing attention, as it can both improve resource utilization efficiency and reduce waste generation. In this study, polysaccharides are extracted from the discarded roots of Abelmoschus manihot (L.) by the high-efficiency ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). The optimized condition was determined as solid-liquid ratio SL ratio = 1:20, temperature T = 30 °C and time T = 40 min, achieving an extraction yield of 13.41%. Composition analysis revealed that glucose (Glc, 44.65%), rhamnose (Rha, 26.30%), galacturonic acid (GalA, 12.50%) and galactose (Gal, 9.86%) are the major monosaccharides of the extract. The extract showed a low degree of esterification (DE) value of 40.95%, and its Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum exhibited several characteristic peaks of polysaccharides. Inspired by the wide cosmetic applications of polysaccharides, the skincare effect of the extract was evaluated via the moisture retention, total phenolic content (TPC) quantification, 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)-free radical scavenging activity, anti-hyaluronidase and anti-elastase activity experiments. The extract solutions demonstrated a 48 h moisture retention rate of 10.75%, which is superior to that of commercially available moisturizer hyaluronic acid (HA). Moreover, both the TPC value of 16.16 mg GAE/g (dw) and DPPH-free radical scavenging activity of 89.20% at the concentration of 2 mg/mL indicated the strong anti-oxidant properties of the extract. Furthermore, the anti-hyaluronidase activity and moderate anti-elastase activity were determined as 72.16% and 42.02%, respectively. In general, in vitro skincare effect experiments suggest moisturizing, anti-oxidant, anti-radical and anti-aging activities of the A. manihot root extract, indicating its potential applications in the cosmetic industry.

Effects of organic amendments and ridge-furrow mulching system on soil properties and economic benefits of wolfberry orchards on the Tibetan Plateau.

Water scarcity and low soil fertility severely constrain crop growth and sustainable agricultural productivity on the Tibetan Plateau. Organic amendments and ridge-furrow mulching system (RFMS) are widely used to improve soil moisture, soil structure, and crop production in arid and semi-arid areas. However, their combined effects on soil physicochemical properties and economic benefits of wolfberry (Lycium barbarum L.) on the Tibetan Plateau remain unclear. A two-year field experiment was undertaken to evaluate the combined effects of organic amendments and RFMS on soil water, soil structure, soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), and economic benefits on wolfberry. Four cultivation practices were established: traditional flat plot with mulching (FP), traditional flat plot with mulching and organic amendment (FPOA), ridge-furrow planting with mulching (RF), and ridge-furrow planting with mulching and organic amendment (RFOA). The organic amendment and RFMS treatments had higher soil water storage (SWS) and soil desiccation index (SDI) than the FP treatment in both growing seasons, especially at 20-60 cm soil depth. In addition, organic amendment significantly decreased soil bulk density by 6.4% and increased soil saturated hydraulic conductivity by 16.8% in the 0-60 cm soil layer, respectively, and improved the proportion of larger soil aggregates (0.02-2 mm) by 10.8% in the 0-40 cm soil layer. Furthermore, the RFOA treatment significantly improved SOC and TN contents at 0-60 cm soil depth by 47.7% and 19.4%, respectively, relative to FP. The measured soil properties were highly correlated with wolfberry yield and water use efficiency over 2 years. In particular, the RFOA treatment had higher crop yield and economic benefit than the other treatments due to the more favorable soil environment. Therefore, the RFOA treatment could be a sustainable and efficient cultivation practice for alleviating drought stress, improving soil properties, and increasing economic benefit on the Tibetan Plateau.

HoPhage: an ab initio tool for identifying hosts of phage fragments from metaviromes.

SUMMARY: We present HoPhage (Host of Phage) to identify the host of a given phage fragment from metavirome data at the genus level. HoPhage integrates two modules using a deep learning algorithm and a Markov chain model, respectively. HoPhage achieves 47.90% and 82.47% mean accuracy at the genus and phylum levels for ∼1-kb long artificial phage fragments when predicting host among 50 genera, representing 7.54-20.22% and 13.55-24.31% improvement, respectively. By testing on three real virome samples, HoPhage yields 81.11% mean accuracy at the genus level within a much broader candidate host range. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: HoPhage is available at http://cqb.pku.edu.cn/ZhuLab/HoPhage/data/. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Caring behavior perceived by nurses, patients and nursing students in Indonesia.

Caring as a term in nursing, represents all factors used by nurses to provide health services to patients. The aim of this study was to compare the differences of caring behaviors as perceived by nurses, patients and nursing students and to explore the relationship between sociodemographic variables and the perception of caring. This was a descriptive comparative research study. Data were collected from August to September 2015 in Indonesia by using Caring Behavior Inventory-42 composed of five domains: respect, assurance, connectedness, knowledge and skills, and attentiveness. A total of 158 respondents were sought for three study groups and each group had 53 respondents. Results indicated that nurses, patients and nursing students have the same perception regarding caring behaviors. Patients' age was positively correlated with respect (r=0.282, p<0.05) and connectedness (r=0.307, p<0.05) domains. Male students had a higher mean score than female students in assurance (t=2.230, p<0.05), knowledge and skills (t=3.885, p<0.001), and attentiveness (t=3.267, p<0.01), Students with 8-week clinical experiences scored higher in the caring behavior domain of connectedness (t=3.504, p<0.05) than students with 4-week experiences. This study can be used as an additional resource to enhance knowledge about caring behavior and for application in the fields of nursing practice and nursing education.

Lifestyle changes in heart transplant recipients.

The purpose of this study was to understand the lifestyle; examine the relationships among lifestyle, medical factors, and stress status; and determine the predictors of better lifestyle in heart transplant recipients in Taiwan. A prospective design with convenience sampling was used. Data were collected through the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II and demographic questionnaires, which included personal information, stress status, and medical information. Pearson correlations, 1-way analysis of variance, independent t tests, paired t tests, and hierarchical regression were used to analyze the factors related to better lifestyle. A total of 80 heart transplant recipients participated. The mean score for lifestyle decreased from baseline to 3 months and was even lower at 6 months. Nevertheless, the trend for some participants was the opposite-their lifestyle improved over the 6-month period after baseline. Notably, the trend for each of the 6 subscales was not consistent with the mean of the total score. Stress status accounted for 12.8% of lifestyle. When stress status was combined with family income and creatinine, the 3 factors accounted for 32.2% of lifestyle. This study demonstrated that maintenance of a healthy lifestyle fluctuates after transplantation. Demographic factors and stress status can help to identify people who are more likely to have a poor lifestyle.

Assessment of bone mineral density and bone metabolism in young male adults recently diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus in China.

Objective Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease. However, the exact mechanism underlying SLE-related osteopenia and osteoporosis in patients newly diagnosed with SLE remains unknown. Methods 60 male subjects with SLE aged 20-30 years were enrolled. Serum osteocalcin was examined as a marker of bone formation and type I collagen degradation products (ß-crosslaps) as markers of bone resorption. Lumbar spine (L1-L4) and total hip bone mineral density (BMD) were determined by dual energy X-ray absorption (DXA). Results Among the 60 subjects with SLE at the time of diagnosis, the cohort showed a significant reduction of osteocalcin (12.62 ± 2.16 ng/mL), and serum ß-crosslaps level (992.6 ± 162.6 pg/mL) was markedly elevated. Univariate correlation analyses revealed negative correlations between osteocalcin and SLEDAI, dsDNA antibody and ß-crosslaps. A positive correlation was also observed between osteocalcin and C3, C4, 25-OH vitamin D, BMD L1-L4 and BMD total hip (see Table 3). Osteocalcin and ß-crosslaps were strongly associated with SLE disease activity by multiple stepwise logistic regression analysis. Conclusion Osteocalcin was negatively associated with SLE disease activity, and ß-crosslaps was positively associated with SLE disease activity, suggesting SLE disease activity itself directly contributed to the development of SLE-associated osteopenia and osteoporosis.

Differences in the perceptions of self-care, health education barriers and educational needs between diabetes patients and nurses.

This study examined the differing perceptions of diabetic patients and their nurses regarding the completion of self-care activities, barriers to participation in diabetes health education, and diabetic patients' educational needs to promote better health care for patients with diabetes in Taiwan. This study employed a cross-sectional survey. The data were collected during 2009. Questionnaires were developed to collect data on a convenience sample of 312 patients with type 2 diabetes and 202 nurses recruited from diabetes clinics in Taiwan. Perceptions of self-care behavior were statistically significantly different between patients and nurses (t = -5.05, P < 0.000). The patients perceived themselves to be more successful at completing self-care tasks whereas nurses perceived patients to be less successful at completing self-care tasks. Nurses perceived patients to experience greater difficulties in diabetes health education (t = 18.36, P < 0.000). Nurses perceived there to be a greater need for health education as compared with patients (t = 9.03, P < 0.000).

Effects of daily energy expenditure on academic performance of elementary students in Taiwan.

AIM: The objective of the study was to investigate the potential effects of daily energy expenditure on the academic performance (AP) of elementary schoolchildren, the results of which will be used as the basis of planning physical activity (PA) for children in the future. METHODS: Participants were collected from 4th to 6th grade children at an elementary school in southern Taiwan. The effective sample data size was 1065 (79.8%; 528 boys and 537 girls). Daily mean energy expenditure was obtained using the 3 Day Physical Activity Recall (3-DPAR), and the intensive activities degrees of physical activity were categorized into lowest PA, middle PA, and highest PA group, and academic performance assessed with weighted academic score. RESULTS: The significant effect on the academic performance of schoolchildren was only in energy expenditure but not for sexes and tutorials attended. All students in the middle PA group performed better academically than those in the highest PA group. After controlling sexes, male students in the middle PA group performed better than other groups; female students in the lowest PA group performed better than other groups. CONCLUSION: These results may be consulted by schools, academic faculties, and parents in setting up exercise plans for children.

Differences in the perceptions of self-care, health education barriers and educational needs between diabetes patients and nurses.

Abstract This study examined the differing perceptions of diabetic patients and their nurses regarding the completion of self-care activities, barriers to participation in diabetes health education, and diabetic patients' educational needs to promote better health care for patients with diabetes in Taiwan. This study employed a cross-sectional survey. The data were collected during 2009. Questionnaires were developed to collect data on a convenience sample of 312 patients with type 2 diabetes and 202 nurses recruited from diabetes clinics in Taiwan. Perceptions of self-care behavior were statistically significantly different between patients and nurses (t=-5.05, P<0.000). The patients perceived themselves to be more successful at completing self-care tasks whereas nurses perceived patients to be less successful at completing self-care tasks. Nurses perceived patients to experience greater difficulties in diabetes health education (t=18.36, P<0.000). Nurses perceived there to be a greater need for health education as compared with patients (t=9.03, P<0.000).

Social networks and health among rural-urban migrants in China: a channel or a constraint?

This article concentrates on analysing social networks and health among rural-urban migrants in China. The function that social networks substantially play on the issue of health among migrants in China has rarely been discussed in studies. On the basis of a case study of a migrant community in Beijing, this paper examines the range of social networks among migrants, from which they can acquire support, including financial and spiritual, when they are dealing with health problems. Social networks resemble a double-edged sword to rural-urban migrants in terms of health-care access. The fact that migrants lack savings may not be the sole and essential reason for their extreme vulnerability in times of illness. Some migrants, who are in financial difficulties though, may have some assistance, including financial and emotional support from their social networks. But on the other hand, their limited social networks bring them many negative effects on their health, as well as restricting health-care access.