Risk factors for treatment failure of heated humidified high-flow nasal cannula as initial respiratory support for preterm infants. / æ—©äº§å„¿åŠ æ¸©æ¹¿åŒ–é«˜æµé‡ç»é¼»å¯¼ç®¡é€šæ°”åˆå§‹å‘¼å¸æ”¯æŒå¤±è´¥çš„å±é™©å› ç´ åˆ†æž.

OBJECTIVES: To study the risk factors for treatment failure of heated humidified high-flow nasal cannula (HHHFNC) as initial respiratory support for preterm infants. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of the preterm infants who were admitted from January 2018 to April 2021 and received HHHFNC for initial respiratory support after birth. According to whether it was necessary to upgrade to noninvasive continuous positive airway pressure or invasive mechanical ventilation within 72 hours after treatment, they were divided into a failure group and a success group. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the risk factors for failure of HHHFNC as initial respiratory support. RESULTS: A total of 166 preterm infants were included, among whom 48 (28.9%) experienced the treatment failure of HHHNFC as initial respiratory support. The univariate analysis showed that compared with the success group with 118 infants, the failure group had significantly lower gestational age and birth weight and a significantly higher proportion of infants with fraction of inspired oxygen >35%, flow rate >6 L/minute, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), or use of pulmonary surfactant (P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that gestational age <32 weeks, PDA (>1.5 mm and left atrium/aorta diameter ratio >1.4), fraction of inspired oxygen >35%, flow rate >6 L/minute, and presence of RDS were risk factors for the treatment failure of HHHNFC as initial respiratory support (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The preterm infants with a gestational age of <32 weeks or the presence of RDS tend to have a high risk of failure of HHHNFC as initial respiratory support. The risk of failure of HHHFNC as initial respiratory support increases in infants with oxygen concentration >35% and/or flow rate >6 L/minute, or the presence of PDA, suggesting an upgrade of respiratory support should be considered. Citation.

TiO2 nanotube array-modified electrodes for L-cysteine biosensing: experimental and density-functional theory study.

We report a non-enzymatic facile method for the detection of L-cysteine (L-Cyst) using free-standing TiO2 nanotube (TNT) array-modified glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs). Self-organized, highly ordered, and vertically oriented TNT arrays were fabricated by anodization of titanium sheets in ethylene glycol-based electrolyte. Detailed electrochemical measurements were performed and it was found that modified GCE exhibited high current compared to the pristine counterpart. The high current of the modified electrode was attributed to the high surface area and enhanced electrocatalytic activities of the TNTs toward the L-Cyst oxidation. Under the optimum conditions, the modified electrode exhibited a high sensitivity of ∼1.68 µA mM-1 cm-2 with a low detection limit of ∼0.1 mM. The fabricated electrode was found to be sensitive to pH and electrolyte temperature. The real sample analysis of the proposed method showed a decent recovery toward L-Cyst addition in human blood serum. Furthermore, the density-funcational theory (DFT) analysis revealed that TNTs have greater affinity toward L-Cyst, having stronger binding distance after its adsorption. The higher negative E ads values suggested a stable and chemisorption nature. The density of states results show that the E gap of TNTs is significantly reduced after L-Cyst adsorption. The modified GCE showed excellent selectivity, enhanced stability, and fast response, which make TNTs a promising candidate for the enzyme-free detection of other biological analytes.

Performance Evaluation of an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Seven Autoantibodies in Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: To verify and evaluate the performance characteristics of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay kit (Hangzhou Cancer probe Biotech Company) for seven autoantibodies (7-AABS), including p53, GAGE7, PGP9.5, CAGE, MAGEA1, SOX2, and GBU4-5. METHODS: Evaluation was carried out according to "Guidelines for performance evaluation of in vitro diagnostic reagent". The performance parameters included detection limit, reportable range, precision, accuracy, and method comparison. RESULTS: The detection limit was less than 3.75 U/mL. Reportable range was from 3.75 U/mL to 60 U/mL. The coefficient of variations (CVs) of within-run of 7-AABS were 5.15% - 10.13%, and between-run of CVs were 3.41% - 8.80%. For accuracy verification, the relative deviations (Bias) were all lower than 15% in the indicated concentration range. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and ac-curacy were 35.9%, 90.0%, 80.3%, 55.3%, 61.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the verification study demonstrated the performance of the kit meets the testing requirements. It is qualified for clinical applications.

Polymeric indoximod based prodrug nanoparticles with doxorubicin entrapment for inducing immunogenic cell death and improving the immunotherapy of breast cancer.

Immunotherapy based on host immunity has emerged as a powerful therapeutic strategy for tumor treatment. However, utilizing the immune system against tumors often fails to result in a durable immune response due to insufficient immunogenicity and the immunosuppressive conditions in the tumor microenvironment. Herein, we developed prodrug-based nanoparticles (DOX/IND@NPs) for the codelivery of indoximod (IND), an indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) inhibitor that can block the IDO pathway and generate antitumor immunity, and doxorubicin, a DNA-damaging therapeutic agent that can induce tumor immunogenic cell death (ICD). The nanocarrier was designed for tumor chemoimmunotherapy, synergistically promoting immunogenicity and modulating the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (ITME). Our data showed that DOX induced tumor immunogenicity and increased the infiltration of CD8 + T cells into the tumor microenvironment; nevertheless, immunosuppressive immune cell components, such like regulatory T cells (Tregs), myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), and tumor associated macrophages (TAMs), hindered the antitumor efficacy. The introduction of IND reduced the levels of these protumor immune cells within the tumor microenvironment and further enhanced CD8 + T cell infiltration and the CD8 +/Treg cell ratio. Moreover, significant reductions in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), MMP9, and CD31 (a vascular marker) expression levels were observed after DOX-IND nanoparticle treatment. This resulted in obvious tumor regression in a murine breast cancer model compared to reference formulations, indicating that the codelivery of DOX and IND is a potent potential strategy for breast cancer chemoimmunotherapy.

The Impacts of Emotional Intelligence on Students' Study Habits in Blended Learning Environments: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Engagement during COVID-19.

Emotional intelligence is a main area in educational psychology and a key factor in the academic life of students. It deals with deviant behavior through self-awareness and self-motivation, regulates emotional and social skills, and converts emotional energy into positive energy. This study examined direct and indirect relationships between emotional intelligence and study habits in blended learning environments. Blended learning is conceptualized as a hybrid learning approach that combines online learning opportunities and the traditional classroom approach. Furthermore, the study explored the mediating role of cognitive engagement in the relationship between emotional intelligence and study habits. We used 26 items in a paper-based questionnaire in a quantitative study to collect data on emotional intelligence, cognitive engagement and study habits from health sciences students (N = 338) enrolled in blended learning courses in universities in the Hunan province of China. Emotional intelligence included self-awareness, self-motivation, and the regulation of emotion; social skills were also examined. A partial least squares structural-equation modeling approach was applied through SmartPLS software to explore the relationships. The results indicate that self-awareness and self-motivation have direct, significant, and positive connections with study habits. Similarly, the results indicate that all four dimensions of emotional intelligence (self-awareness, self-motivation, emotion regulation and social skills) had indirect, significant, and positive relationships with study habits using cognitive engagement as a mediator variable. It was concluded that students face higher-than-usual challenges in building study habits in blended learning environments during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that emotional intelligence helps them to develop their study habits to greater effect. Similarly, it was concluded that cognitive engagement strengthens the connection between emotional intelligence and study habits. Therefore, it is recommended that universities take specific measures to enhance students' emotional intelligence and cognitive engagement, which will ultimately improve their study habits. Moreover, valuable and practical implications for teachers, practitioners, and university management were also discussed in the study.

How curriculum delivery translates into entrepreneurial skills: The mediating role of knowledge of information and communication technology.

This research examines how curriculum delivery predicts entrepreneurial skills, with knowledge of information and communication technology (ICT) as a mediator. Curriculum delivery with the multiple dimensions of objectives, contents, teaching strategies, and feedback and assessment was used in this study, and a quantitative research design was adopted. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 482 students at six universities in Lahore, Pakistan, and the partial-least-squares structural equation model in SmartPLS 3.2 was used for data analysis. The results show that all dimensions of curriculum delivery (i) do not influence entrepreneurial skills and (ii) positively influence the knowledge of ICT. Also, in the indirect relationships, all dimensions of curriculum delivery (i.e., objectives, contents, teaching strategies, and feedback and assessment) are associated positively with ICT knowledge. Therefore, ICT knowledge plays a mediating role between curriculum delivery and entrepreneurial skills. The results also show that curriculum delivery for educational entrepreneurs is not working effectively and efficiently in Pakistani universities, and it is concluded that curriculum delivery and ICT knowledge boost entrepreneurial skills. Finally, the conclusions, limitations, and practical implications of this study are presented in detail.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in China: a multicentre longitudinal study and whole-genome sequencing.

The aim of this study was to investigate the genomic epidemiology of MRSA in China to identify predominant lineages and their associated genomic and phenotypic characteristics. In this study, we conducted whole-genome sequencing on 565 MRSA isolates from 7 provinces and municipalities of China between 2014 and 2020. MRSA isolates were subjected to MLST, spa typing, SCCmec typing, analysis of virulence determinants and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Among 565 MRSA isolates tested, clonal complex (CC) 59 (31.2%), CC5 (23.4%) and CC8 (13.63%) were the major lineages, and the clonal structure was dominated by ST59-t437-IV (14.9%), ST239-t030-III (6.4%) and ST5-t2460-II (6.0%), respectively. Of note, CC8, the predominant lineage in 2014-2015, was replaced by CC59 after 2016. Interestingly, the extension and unstable structure of the CC5 population was observed, with ST5-t311-II, ST764-t1084-II, ST5-t2460-II and ST764-t002-II existing complex competition. Further analysis revealed that virulence determinant profiles and antibiograms were closely associated with the clonal lineage. The CC59 MRSA was less resistant to most tested antimicrobials and carried fewer resistance determinants. But rifampicin resistance and mupirocin resistance were closely linked with CC8 and CC5, respectively. MRSA isolates conservatively carried multiple virulence genes involved in various functions. PVL encoding genes were more common in ST338, CC30, CC398, ST8 and CC22, while tsst-1 was associated with ST5. In conclusion, the community-associated CC59-ST59-t437-IV lineage was predominant in China, with diverse clonal isolates alternately circulating in various geographical locations. Our study highlights the need for MRSA surveillance in China to monitor changes in MRSA epidemiology.

Identification of an important site for function of the type 2C protein phosphatase ABI2 in abscisic acid signalling in Arabidopsis.

It is known that the clade A protein phosphatase 2Cs (PP2Cs), including ABI1 and ABI2 and other PP2C members, are key players that function directly downstream of the PYR/PYL/RCAR abscisic acid (ABA) receptors. Here, identification of a crucial site for function of ABI2 protein phosphatase in ABA signalling is reported. It was observed that a calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) phosphorylation site-like motif (CPL) in the ABI2 molecule is required for the interactions of ABI2 with the two members of the ABA receptors PYL5 and PYL9 and with a downstream protein kinase SnRK2.6, and for the catalytic activity of ABI2 in vitro, as well as for the response of ABI2 to the ABA receptors PYL5/PYL9 in relation to the ABA receptor-induced inhibition of the ABI2 phosphatase activity. Further, genetic evidence was provided to demonstrate that this CPL is required for the function of ABI2 to mediate ABA signalling. These data reveal that this CPL is an important site necessary for both the phosphatase activity of ABI2 and the functional interaction between ABI2 and PYL5/9 ABA receptors, providing new information to understand primary events of ABA signal transduction.

Safety and effectiveness of percutaneous embolization for late failed renal allograft in patients with graft intolerance syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical safety and effectiveness of percutaneous embolization in treating the late failed renal allograft in patients with graft intolerance syndrome (GIS). METHODS: Transcatheter embolization of renal graft artery was performed in 18 patients with late graft dysfunction and GIS. The subsequent complications, postoperative symptom remission rate, and prognosis were assessed. RESULTS: GIS was relieved in 15 patients (83.3%), of which 6 patients (33.3%) had severer fever and pain in the area of renal graft after embolization, which lasted for a mean of 3.5 days (range: 2-5 days). GIS persisted for more than 2 weeks in 3 patients (16.7%), who ultimately underwent surgical removal of grafts. No severe embolism-associated complications were noted. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous embolization can effectively avoid surgical graft removal in patients with late renal allograft failure, and therefore can be used as a safe and effective treatment for the late failed renal allograft combined with GIS.

Cloning of the correct full length cDNA of NF-kappaB-repressing factor.

NF-kappaB-repression factor (NRF) is a nuclear inhibitor of NF-kappaB proteins that can silence the IFNbeta promoter. Since NRF was cloned in 1999, in-depth studies have been conducted on the biological functions of this constitutive repressor of NF-kappaB proteins. During large-scale sequencing of a human fetal brain cDNA library we isolated a novel human cDNA that proved to be a correct full-length NRF cDNA. The deduced protein contains 690 aa, and has a G-patch and an R3H domain at its C-terminus. The size of the protein is consistent with its counterparts in mouse and rat. There is considerable evidence that there are some mistakes in the NRF cDNA sequence reported by Nourbakhsh. Here we report the correct, full-length cDNA and protein sequences of NRF. Full-length NRF cDNA is 3247 bp long, contains three exons and maps to human chromosome Xq24. RT-PCR shows that NRF is widely expressed in human tissues.

Monitoring gene expression profile changes in bladder transitional cell carcinoma using cDNA microarray.

PURPOSE: Differential gene expression profiles between normal bladder mucosas and bladder transitional cell carcinomas TCC were detected. MATERIALS AND METHODS: cDNA microarrays were prepared by spotting PCR products of 12,800 human genes onto specially treated glass slides. The cDNA probes were prepared by labeling normal bladder mucosa mRNA and TCC tissue mRNA with Cy3-dUTP and Cy5-dUTP respectively through reverse transcription. The arrays were then hybridized against the cDNA probe mixture and the fluorescent signals were scanned. The ratios of Cy5/Cy3 were computed. Northern analysis was used to confirm the results of microarray hybridization. RESULTS: Eighty-three genes (0.65%), whose ratios of Cy5/Cy3 were greater than 4.0 or less than 0.25, were screened out after 10 groups of hybridization. In the cancerous tissues 28 of them showed higher expression and 55 lower. Twenty-three genes are unregistered in GenBank. These differentially expressed genes are always involved in the physiological processes such as signal transduction, apoptosis and cell cycle, etc. CONCLUSIONS: This technique provides a powerful method for quantitative analysis of the expression levels of thousands of genes in parallel, and is used to identify genes involved in TCC carcinogenesis. The data obtained by this means are comparable to those obtained by other methods. Using cDNA microarrays to define alterations in gene expression associated with a specific cancer may be an efficient way to uncover the clues to specific molecular derangements that account for its pathogenesis and thus identify potential targets for therapeutic intervention.

[Expression and clinical significance of serum VEGF and bFGF in children with acute leukemia].

AIM: To study the expression and clinical significance of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in children with acute leukemia (AL). METHODS: The serum VEGF and bFGF level before chemotherapy from 40 cases of children with newly diagnosed AL, after 1 course of treatment from from 37 cases of children with complete remission (CR) and no- remission(NR) , and 40 cases of healthy children (control group) were detected by ELISA technology. RESULTS: Before treatment, the serum VEGF and bF-GF level of the AL group and different types of AL were significantly higher than the control group(P<0.05), while the serum VEGF and bFGF level were no significant difference between the different types of AL ( P > 0.05). Before treatment, the serum VEGF and bFGF level were no significant difference between the AL CR and NR children; After treatment, the serum VEGF and bFGF level of CR children decreased significantly, compared with the prior-treatment and NR children the different was significant ( P < 0. 05); While the serum VEGF and bFGF level of NR children were no significant difference between prior-treatment and post-treatment. CONCLUSION: The serum VEGF and bFGF level have high expression in children with AL, the serum VEGF and bFGF level can be used as indicators of AL efficacy, and are correlation with the prognosis of children with AL.

Evaluation of the biofilm-forming ability and genetic typing for clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-based PCR.

Biofilm formation is an important phenotype associated with chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. In the present study, a total of 48 P. aeruginosa strains isolated from clinical specimens were examined for their biofilm-forming ability using a microtiter plate method. The different biofilm-forming abilities were demonstrated among the strains; however, most strains formed a larger biofilm than strain PAO1, a reference strain. The genetic typing was also carried out by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-based polymerase chain reaction. Although they were divided into five groups (A to E), most of the strains showing the higher biofilm-forming ability were found to be in groups D and E, suggesting a significant relationship between the biofilm-forming ability and the genetic group.