A sequential tape stripping approach for the assessment of the impact of personal cleansing products on the stratum corneum surface layers' acid mantle properties and antimicrobial defense.

BACKGROUND: Stratum corneum (SC) plays a critical role in skin barrier function for protection and defense in nature. The acidic skin pH, which is also known as the acid mantle, is very important in fighting against outer environmental threats, especially, bacteria. Furthermore, recent research has shown that the transient bacteria could potentially penetrate into deeper layer of the SC down to a few micrometers while posing an additional threat to the deeper layers of the skin. AIM: To develop a sequential tape stripping method for assessing the impact of personal cleansing product on the SC surface layers' acid mantle properties and antimicrobial defense against transient bacteria. METHODS: Fifty-five subjects were recruited. High pH soap-based Product 1 and low pH synthetic surfactant-based Product 2 were applied on the left and right forearms of each subject. Sequential tape stripping was performed on the same spots to access multiple layers of the skin SC. Both antimicrobial defense property and skin pH of different skin layers were evaluated at baseline and 12 h after treatment. RESULTS: The skin's antimicrobial defense was significantly higher 12 h after treatment of the low pH Product 2 as compared to the treatment of high pH Product 1. In fact, this trend was consistent across all three skin layers (Layer 1 to Layer 3) as measured in this study (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the skin surface pH of Layer 1 and Layer 3 were also lower 12 h after the treatment of low pH Product 2 as compared to that of the high pH Product 1 (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The results of this investigation demonstrated the benefits of 12-h long lasting and deeper protection of SC acid mantle properties and antimicrobial defense using a low pH skin cleansing product as compared to a high pH product.

[Application of tissue culture technology of medicinal plants in sustainable development of Chinese medicinal resources].

Chinese medicinal resources are the cornerstone of the sustainable development of traditional Chinese medicine industry. However, due to the fecundity of species, over-exploitation, and limitations of artificial cultivation, some medicinal plants are depleted and even endangered. Tissue culture, a breakthrough technology in the breeding of traditional Chinese medicinal materials, is not limited by time and space, and can allow the production on an annual basis, which plays an important role in the protection of Chinese medicinal resources. The present study reviewed the applications of tissue culture of medicinal plants in the field of Chinese medicinal resources, including rapid propagation of medicinal plant seedlings, breeding of novel high-yield and high-quality cultivars, construction of a genetic transformation system, and production of secondary metabolites. Meanwhile, the current challenges and suggestions for the future development of this field were also proposed.

Depression among poor older adults: The role of social support.

RATIONALE: Depression should be investigated not only as a psychiatric symptom but also as a social issue. This research responds to recent calls and contributes to an understanding of the role played by social factors in the route toward the development of depressive symptoms. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to elaborate on the impact of poverty on depressive symptoms among Hong Kong's older people. To do this, we examined the potential of social support to both mediate and moderate the effect of poverty on symptoms of depression. METHODS: Three waves of data were collected from a sample of Hong Kong's older adults (N = 563). Poverty was assessed as being either income-poor, expenditure-poor, asset-poor, or as experiencing material deprivation. Social support was measured in terms of instrumental support, financial support, and informational support. RESULTS: When moderation and mediation were compared in the same model, only the role of moderation was identified as being significant. Instrumental support mitigated the effect of material deprivation on depression, while all three types of social support buffered the impact of expenditure-based poverty on depression. CONCLUSIONS: Social support involves supplying coping resources to weaken the negative impacts of poverty rather than supplying social capital that the poor are deprived of. By its nature, the social support offered to the poor does not aim to provide them with the resources enjoyed by the rich, but to equip them with appropriate tools by which they can handle their own problems.

Novel multimodal analgesia regimen improves post-TACE pain in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUD: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the primary palliative treatment for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it is often accompanied by postoperative pain which hinder patient recovery. This study was to examine whether preemptive parecoxib and sufentanil-based patient controlled analgesia (PCA) could improve the pain management in patients receiving TACE for inoperable HCC. METHODS: From June to December 2016, 84 HCC patients undergoing TACE procedure were enrolled. Because of the willingness of the individuals, it is difficult to randomize the patients to different groups. We matched the patients' age, gender and pain scores, and divided the patients into the multimodal group (n = 42) and control group (n = 42). Patients in the multimodal group received 40 mg of parecoxib, 30 min before TACE, followed by 48 h of sufentanil-based PCA. Patients in the control group received a routine analgesic regimen, i.e., 5 mg of dezocine during operation, and 100 mg of tramadol or equivalent intravenous opioid according to patient's complaints and pain intensity. Postoperative pain intensity, percentage of patients as per the pain category, adverse reaction, duration of hospital stay, cost-effectiveness, and patient's satisfaction were all taken into consideration when evaluated. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, the visual analogue scale scores for pain intensity was significantly lower at 2, 4, 6, and 12 h (all P < 0.05) in the multimodal group and a noticeably lower prevalence of post-operative nausea and vomiting in the multimodal group (31.0% vs. 59.5%). Patient's satisfaction in the multimodal group was also significantly higher than that in the control group (95.2% vs. 69.0%). No significant difference was observed in the duration of hospital stay between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Preemptive parecoxib and sufentanil-based multimodal analgesia regime is a safe, efficient and cost-effective regimen for postoperative pain control in HCC patients undergoing TACE.

Montreal Cognitive Assessment as a screening instrument for cognitive impairments in schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment is one of the core features of schizophrenia. For its evaluation, current clinical practice relies on detailed neuropsychological batteries which require trained testers and considerable amount of time to administer. Therefore, a brief and reliable screening tool for identification of overall cognitive impairment prior to a detailed comprehensive neurocognitive assessment is needed in a busy clinical setting. This study evaluates the clinical utility of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in detecting cognitive impairments in schizophrenia and its relationship with functional outcome and demographic characters. METHODS: The MoCA, the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS), and the Brief UCSD Performance-based Skills Assessment (UPSA-B) were administered to 64 patients with schizophrenia. Mild and severe cognitive impairments were defined as BACS Z-score (calculated with the age and gender adjustments using previously published local norm data) of one or two standard deviations below the mean, respectively. RESULTS: The results showed that the MoCA was significantly correlated with BACS (r=.61, p<.001) and sensitive to detect both mild (AUC=0.82, p<.001) and severe (AUC=0.81, p<.001) cognitive impairments in schizophrenia. The MoCA was significantly correlated with UPSA-B score (r=.51, p<.001), and accounted for significant additional variance in UPSA-B score beyond the BACS. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that MoCA is a useful bedside cognitive screening instrument for people with schizophrenia.

Risk factors for urban road traffic injuries in Hangzhou, China.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors that most influence urban road traffic injuries (RTI) mortality and morbidity. METHODS: The study used linked police and hospital records of RTI patients in the city of Hangzhou during the 3-year period 2004-2006. Three RTI outcome groups were included: (1) fatally injured; (2) severely injured; and (3) mildly injured persons. RESULTS: High risks for fatal road traffic accidents (RTA) were found on urban links, over weekend, during night hours, in male drivers who drove old vehicles without using seat belts, and at exceeding speeds, or with night time accidents and bad weather condition. In case of higher risk for all urban road users on urban junctions, the numbers on mildly injury cases were increasing. The highest combined risk for dying or being severely injured was found in male drivers driving at excessive speed, on urban links, and with night time accidents. CONCLUSIONS: Intensifying safety education of motor vehicle drivers, enhancing traffic management and keeping balance of "person-vehicle-road" system will greatly reduce the urban traffic accidents and casualties.

Micro-electrolysis technology for industrial wastewater treatment.

Experiments were conducted to study the role of micro-electrolysis in removing chromaticity and COD and improving the biodegradability of wastewater from pharmaceutical, dye-printing and papermaking plants. Results showed that the use of micro-electrolysis technology could remove more than 90% of chromaticity and more than 50% of COD and greatly improved the biodegradability of pharmaceutical wastewater. Lower initial pH could be advantageous to the removal of chromaticity. A retention time of 30 minutes was recommended for the process design of micro-electrolysis. For the use of micro-electrolysis in treatment of dye-printing wastewater, the removal rates of both chromaticity and COD were increased from neutral condition to acid condition for disperse blue wastewater; more than 90% of chromaticity and more than 50% of COD could be removed in neutral condition for vital red wastewater.