Exploring the relationship between malnutrition and the systemic immune-inflammation index in older inpatients: a study based on comprehensive geriatric assessment.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is a prevalent and major challenge among senior citizens, possibly due to the continual low-grade inflammatory state of the body. A novel inflammatory parameter, the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), is highly valuable in evaluating and predicting the prognosis of a wide range of diseases. This study aims to explore the significance of the SII in assessing malnutrition in older inpatients. METHODS: This retrospective study included 500 senior hospitalized patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria from the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment database of the First Hospital of Jilin University. The Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) questionnaire was used to evaluate the nutritional status of patients. The SII was calculated using complete blood counts, and we performed natural logarithm transformation of the SII [ln(SII)]. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the association between ln(SII) and malnutrition. To ensure the stability of the findings, a sensitivity analysis was conducted. RESULTS: The 500 patients had a mean age of 77.29 ± 9.85 years, and 68.6% were male. In accordance with the MNA, 30.4% of the patients were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, and patients in this group had considerably greater levels of ln(SII) than patients with adequate nutrition (P < 0.001). The optimum ln(SII) cutoff value for patients with malnutrition or at risk of malnutrition was 6.46 (SII = 635.87) with 46.7% sensitivity and 80.2% specificity [95% CI: 0.613-0.721, AUC: 0.667, P < 0.001]. Multivariable logistic regression demonstrated that ln(SII) was an independent risk factor for the risk of malnutrition or malnutrition in older individuals (OR 3.984, 95% CI: 2.426-6.543, P < 0.001). Other metrics from the geriatric comprehensive assessment, including body mass index, calf circumference, fat ratio, activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living, and geriatric depression scale scores, were also independently correlated with nutritional status. CONCLUSIONS: According to our research, a high SII is an independent predictor of older inpatient malnutrition, and the SII aids in screening for malnutrition and may be a potential target for intervention. Comprehensive geriatric assessment parameters such as BMI, calf circumference, fat ratio, activities of daily living and depression were also linked to malnutrition.

The prediction model of the short-term outcome in elderly heart failure patients.

This study was designed to investigate the effect of the comprehensive geriatric assessment on the short-term prognosis of the elderly heart failure patients (EHFP), analyze the relevant risk factors, and construct an effective risk prediction model. According to the selection and exclusion criteria, 617 patients were filtered from 800 patients from the cadre ward database of the first Hospital of Jilin University. The EHFP were randomly divided into the model group (432 cases) and the validation group (185 cases). A retrospective study on the general clinical data of patients in the model group was conducted to analyze the risk factors associated with the short-term outcomes of EHFP. Based on the risk factors, the risk prediction model was established and validated through the validation group. In the model group, the following independent risk factors were identified for the short-term outcomes in EHFP in the light of univariate logistic and cox regression analysis: female (ß = 0.989, OR = 1.277, 95% CI: 1.090-1.847, P = 0.024), age (65-75 years, ß = 0.654, OR = 2.320, 95% CI: 1.135-3.136, P = 0.012; 75-85 years, ß = 1.123, OR = 3.159, 95% CI: 1.532-5.189, P = 0.001; age > 85 years old, ß = 1.513, OR = 4.895, 95% CI: 1.866-979, P = 0.001), frailty (ß = 1.015, OR = 2.761, 95% CI: 1.097-6.945, P = 0.031), malnutrition (ß = 1.271, OR = 3.560, 95% CI: 1.122-11.325, P = 0.002), and EF≦40% (ß = 1.250, OR = 3.498, 95% CI: 1.898-6.447, P = 0.001). The simple risk prediction score was set up in line with the five risk factors, including range (1-7), the area under ROC curve (0.771, 95% CI: 0.723-0.819), and H-L test (P = 0.393), so patients were divided into the low-risk group (1-3) and the high-risk group (4-8). As a result, the number of EHFP in the high-risk group was significantly much more than that in the low-risk group (70.1% versus 29.9%, P < 0.001). Besides, the area under ROC curve (0.758, 95% CI: 0.682-0.835) and H-L test (P = 0.669) of the validation group indicated that this model could be a promising prediction model for the short-term outcomes of EHFP. Female, age, frailty, malnutrition, and EF ≦ 40% are independent risk factors for short-term outcomes of EHFP. The risk prediction model based on the five risk factors provided compelling clinic predictive value for the short-term prognosis of EHFP.

Removal of Formaldehyde and Its Analogues Using a Hybrid Assembly of Pyrene-Modified Hydrazide and rGO: A Negative Carbon Emission and Green Chemical Decomposition Method.

Indoor gaseous formaldehyde is the main environmental pollutant that can cause fatal threats to human health. A number of physical and chemical methods have been developed to tackle this issue. However, the existing methods are still unsatisfactory to meet the requirement of sustainable development owing to the flaws of low efficiency and reversible or second pollution. Herein, a chemical method based on a nucleophilic reaction between hydrazine and aldehyde that generates the only by-product of H2O is designed for the removal of formaldehyde. 1-Pyrenebutyric hydrazide was synthesized by a simple esterification reaction and then self-assembled on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with a large surface area by forming π-π stacking to obtain a composite for chemical removal of gaseous formaldehyde under ambient conditions. In a practical test, the formaldehyde removal rate could reach 91% of the theoretical value, which meets the requirement for commercial formaldehyde removal applications. After 10 times recycling, the formaldehyde removal rate still remains as high as 85%. Moreover, the composite could be regenerated in weak acidic media, which greatly reduce the manufacturing cost in practical applications.

Examination of electronically mismatched Diels-Alder reaction by on-line mass spectrometry.

RATIONALE: Electronically mismatched Diels-Alder reactions have gained much attention as an alternative pathway for C-C bond formation. To facilitate the development of facile organic transformations, mechanistic investigations are required. Spectroscopic methods (NMR, electron paramagnetic resonance and UV-visible) are normally adopted for mechanistic examinations, but further improvements in directly obtaining structural information of short-lived intermediates are encouraged. Herein, an electronically mismatched Diels-Alder reaction between indole and 1,3-cyclohexadiene was studied using in situ electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (in situ ESI-MS). Based on direct sampling and detection of the in situ ESI-MS without sample pretreatment, the structures and dynamics of important intermediates were examined on-line. METHODS: A syringe-based photocatalytic reactor and in situ ambient MS (AMS) evaluation system was constructed for mechanism studies. The role of oxygen was confirmed via control reaction employed in the N2 -bubbled system. The stepwise cation radical-based pathway and the [2 + 2] cycloaddition process were determined through a series of experiments, including solvent evaluation, MS/MS experiments and dynamic monitoring. RESULTS: The dependence of the reaction on solvent polarity demonstrated that the reaction occurs via the formation of cation radicals, which were captured, identified and dynamically monitored via in situ ESI-MS. Without pre-separation, the intermediate of [2 + 2] cycloaddition was identified and the cycloaddition process was thereby determined to be the combination of [4 + 2] cycloaddition and [2 + 2] cycloaddition. In addition, oxygen was proved to act as an electron mediator for both catalyst Ru(bpz)3 (PF6 )2 and radical cations. CONCLUSIONS: The mechanism of an electronically mismatched Diels-Alder reaction was successfully deduced by in situ MS associated with a syringe-based photocatalytic reactor. The structures and dynamics of cation radicals, the effect of O2 for the reaction and the detailed process of [2 + 2] cycloaddition have been well demonstrated. This work could not only promote the understanding and development of facile photocatalytic transformations, but also enlarge the application range of AMS in on-line monitoring.

Dual receptor NIR-II organic nanoparticles for multimodal imaging guided tumor photothermal therapy.

The second near-infrared (NIR-II) fluorescence imaging has attracted continuous attention due to its excellent penetration depth and high spatial resolution. Compared with other fluorophores, NIR-II fluorophores, especially NIR-II organic small molecule fluorophores, are favored because of their controllable structure and good biocompatibility. In this study, we designed and synthesized an S-D-A-D-S type small molecule FEA. However, a new molecule was accidentally obtained in the process of synthesis, which was proved to be a double receptor (A-A) type small molecule, namely S-D-A-A-D-S type organic small molecule FEAA. Compared with FEA molecules, FEAA exhibits superior fluorescence performance and can effectively prevent fluorescence quenching. The fluorescence emission of its nanoparticles (NPs) reaches 1109 nm, extends to about 1400 nm, and has a Stokes shift of up to 472 nm. Subsequently, we realized fluorescence/photoacoustic dual-mode imaging (FI/PAI) of nude mouse liver, and finally effectively ablated 4T1 tumor by photothermal therapy (PTT). In general, FEAA NPs exhibit good fluorescence, photoacoustic, and photothermal effects, and are an excellent multifunctional NIR-II organic small molecule fluorophore. As far as we know, there are few reports on A-A type organic small molecules, most of which are cyanines or D-A-D type structures. Therefore, this study has good exploratory significance and reference value for the discovery of NIR-II fluorophores.

Enhanced plasmonic photocatalytic performance of C doped TiN nanocrystals through ultrathin carbon layers.

Carbon-doped TiN nanoparticles on an ultrathin carbon layer, were successfully used for photocatalytic dye degradation synthesised by a simple calcination process. The resulting catalyst exhibited remarkable plasmonic photocatalytic performance under visible light irradiation. In comparison with benchmark rutile TiO2 and g-C3N4/TiO2 heterostructure catalysts, the first-order reaction rate constant of the developed catalyst improved approximately 34.2 and 6.5 times, respectively. The doping concentration of carbon and the crystal size of TiN nanoparticles, predominantly influenced by the amount of urea and calcination temperature, were identified as crucial factors governing the plasmonic photocatalytic activity. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicated that the introduction of carbon-sp bands into the TiN band structure promoted interband excitation of electrons and facilitated the generation of hotter holes, thereby enhancing the degradation of dyes and ultimately contributing to the superior photocatalytic activity observed.

Prevalence of sarcopenia under different diagnostic criteria and the changes in muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical function with age in Chinese old adults.

BACKGROUND: At present, there are several diagnostic criteria of sarcopenia were used in China, and the diagnostic criteria were not unified. This study aims to investigate the consistency between the latest sarcopenia diagnostic criteria Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia(AWGS 2019) and other common diagnostic criteria. The changes of muscle mass, muscle strength and physical function with age and their effects on the diagnosis of sarcopenia were also analyzed. METHODS: A total of 1009 men aged ≥60 years were enrolled from multiple communities. Skeletal muscle mass index, grip strength and 6 m gait speed were measured. The consistency of AWGS 2019 with other diagnostic criteria was analyzed and the trends of these three indicators were observed. The differences of muscle mass, muscle strength and function among different diagnostic criteria and age groups were evaluated. In addition, the change trends of these three indicators with age were observed. RESULTS: According to AWGS 2019 diagnostic criteria, the incidence of sarcopenia in male aged 60-69 years, 70-79 years and over 80 years was 1.5%, 9.6% and 33.1%, respectively. AWGS 2019 was highly consistent with other diagnostic criteria (Kappa = 0.66-0.80, P < 0.01), except the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health(FNIH) (Kappa = 0.32, P < 0.01). When AWGSA2019 diagnostic criteria are applied, the prevalence of decreased muscle strength (39.1%) and physical function (46.4%) was significantly higher than that of low muscle mass (35.9%) in the men over 80 years old. Muscle strength (P < 0.01) and function (P < 0.01) decreased at the same rate with age, both of which were more significant than muscle mass (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: AWGS 2019 was highly consistent with other criteria. Maintaining muscle mass should be the focus of attention before age 80, while improving muscle strength and function should be focused after age 80 to prevent disability.

Molecular Dissection of Perithecial Mating Line Development in Colletotrichum fructicola, a Species with a Nontypical Mating System Featuring Plus-to-Minus Switch and Plus-Minus-Mediated Sexual Enhancement.

The genetic regulation of Colletotrichum (Glomerella) sexual reproduction does not strictly adhere to the Ascomycota paradigm and remains poorly understood. Morphologically different but sexually compatible strain types, termed plus and minus, have been recognized, but the biological and molecular distinctions between these strain types remain elusive. In this study, we characterized the sexual behaviors of a pair of plus and minus strains of C. fructicola with the aid of live-cell nucleus-localized fluorescent protein labeling, gene expression, and gene mutation analyses. We confirmed a genetically stable plus-to-minus switching phenomenon and demonstrated the presence of both cross-fertilized and self-fertilized perithecia within the mating line (perithecia cluster at the line of colony contact) between plus and minus strains. We demonstrated that pheromone signaling genes (a-factor-like and α-factor-like pheromones and their corresponding GPCR receptors) were differently expressed between vegetative hyphae of the two strains. Moreover, deletion of pmk1 (a FUS/KSS1 mitogen-activate protein kinase) in the minus strain severely limited mating line formation, whereas deletion of a GPCR (FGSG_05239 homolog) and two histone modification factors (hos2, snt2) in the minus strain did not affect mating line development but altered the ratio between cross-fertilization and self-fertilization within the mating line. We propose a model in which mating line formation in C. fructicola involves enhanced protoperithecium differentiation and enhanced perithecium maturation of the minus strain mediated by both cross-fertilization and diffusive effectors. This study provides insights into mechanisms underlying the mysterious phenomenon of plus-minus-mediated sexual enhancement being unique to Colletotrichum fungi. IMPORTANCE Plus-minus regulation of Colletotrichum sexual differentiation was reported in the early 1900s. Both plus and minus strains produce fertile perithecia in a homothallic but inefficient manner. However, when the two strain types encounter each other, efficient differentiation of fertile perithecia is triggered. The plus strain, by itself, can also generate minus ascospore progeny at high frequency. This nontypical mating system facilitates sexual reproduction and is Colletotrichum specific; the underlying molecular mechanisms, however, remain elusive. The current study revisits this longstanding mystery using C. fructicola as an experimental system. The presence of both cross-fertilized and self-fertilized perithecia within the mating line was directly evidenced by live-cell imaging with fluorescent markers. Based on further gene expression and gene mutation analysis, a model explaining mating line development (plus-minus-mediated sexual enhancement) is proposed. Data reported here have the potential to allow us to better understand Colletotrichum mating and filamentous ascomycete sexual regulation.

Highly Contiguous Genome Resource of Colletotrichum fructicola Generated Using Long-Read Sequencing.

Colletotrichum fructicola is a plant-pathogenic fungus with a broad host range. It causes significant losses to important crops, including apple, pear, strawberry, and other Rosaceae and non-Rosaceae species. To date, two short read-based C. fructicola genomes are publicly available, but both are fragmented. In this study, we re-sequenced the genome of C. fructicola using nanopore long-read technology and refined the assembly with Hi-C map data. The resulting high-quality assembly is an important resource for further comparative and experimental studies with C. fructicola.

Transcription Factor CfSte12 of Colletotrichum fructicola Is a Key Regulator of Early Apple Glomerella Leaf Spot Pathogenesis.

Glomerella leaf spot (GLS), caused by Colletotrichum fructicola, is a rapidly emerging disease leading to defoliation, fruit spot, and storage fruit rot on apple in China. Little is known about the mechanisms of GLS pathogenesis. Early transcriptome analysis revealed that expression of the zinc finger transcription factor Ste12 gene in C. fructicola (CfSte12) was upregulated in appressoria and leaf infection. To investigate functions of CfSte12 during pathogenesis, we constructed gene deletion mutants (ΔCfSte12) by homologous recombination. Phenotypic analysis revealed that CfSte12 was involved in pathogenesis of nonwounded apple fruit and leaf, as well as wounded apple fruit. Subsequent histological studies revealed that loss of pathogenicity by ΔCfSte12 on apple leaf was expressed as defects of conidium germination, appressorium development, and appressorium-mediated penetration. Further RNA sequencing-based transcriptome comparison revealed that CfSte12 modulates the expression of genes related to appressorium function (e.g., genes for the tetraspanin PLS1, Gas1-like proteins, cutinases, and melanin biosynthesis) and candidate effectors likely involved in plant interaction. In sum, our results demonstrated that CfSte12 is a key regulator of early apple GLS pathogenesis in C. fructicola In addition, CfSte12 is also needed for sexual development of perithecia and ascospores.IMPORTANCE Glomerella leaf spot (GLS) is an emerging fungal disease of apple that causes huge economic losses in Asia, North America, and South America. The damage inflicted by GLS manifests in rapid necrosis of leaves, severe defoliation, and necrotic spot on the fruit surface. However, few studies have addressed mechanisms of GLS pathogenesis. In this study, we identified and characterized a key pathogenicity-related transcription factor, CfSte12, of Colletotrichum fructicola that contributes to GLS pathogenesis. We provide evidence that the CfSte12 protein regulates many important pathogenic processes of GLS, including conidium germination, appressorium formation, appressorium-mediated penetration, and colonization. CfSte12 also impacts development of structures needed for sexual reproduction which are vital for the GLS disease cycle. These results reveal a key pathogenicity-related transcription factor, CfSte12, in C. fructicola that causes GLS.

Influence of electrodeposition parameters on the fabrication of Ni-Co/SiC + TiN composite films through pulse current electrodeposition.

In this investigation, pulsed current electro-deposition (PCE) was used to prefabricate Ni-Co/SiC + TiN composite coatings (NCSTCCs) on mild steel surfaces. The research focused on the influence of two electrodeposition parameters, pulse frequency (PF) and duty cycle (DC), on NCSTCF features including microscopic surface morphology, crystal orientation, grain size, microhardness, SiC and TiN nanoparticles (NPs), deposition quantity, and corrosion resistance properties. The results indicated that NCSTCCs produced under a 10% DC showed minimal SiC and TiN contents with a percent volume of just 5.6 v/v% and 5.4 v/v% respectively under the fixed condition of 60 Hz PF. However, the three-dimensional surface diagram indicated that the Ni-Co/SiC + TiN composite film deposited at 50% DC and 10 Hz PF displayed the highest SiC and TiN contents (11.6 v/v% and 11.7 v/v%) among all the films. Furthermore, NCSTCCs deposited under 50% DC and 10 Hz PF had peak microhardness at 667.4 kg/mm2, while the composite film achieved a microhardness of 514.1 kg/mm2 when prepared using 10% DC and 60 Hz PF. Moreover, when the DC and PF were at 50% and 10 Hz respectively, the Ni-Co/SiC + TiN composite film presented the maximum charge transfer resistance (4915.7-4927.2 Ω·cm2), indicating an excellent corrosion resistance.

Synthesis on NIR-II Multifunctional Imaging and Photothermal Therapy of a Novel Water-Soluble Molecule.

The synthesis of water-soluble symmetric molecules with donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) structure is reported. The compound is connected by π bridge with 2-bromofluorene external polyethylene glycol 2000 as the shielding unit, and donor component and pyrrolopyrrole (DPP) as the acceptor unit. The D-A-D double donor fluorescent molecule P2-DPP is obtained by coupling reaction. The absorption peak and emission peak of the fluorescent molecule P2-DPP are 600 and 1020 nm, respectively. It has potential excellent imaging characteristics. It does not need to use nanoparticles formed by the DSPE-MPEG amphiphilic block to form micelles. The quantum yield reaches 0.6% and the penetration depth can reach 10 mm. The chemical is capable of achieving liver and renal metabolism. It has a good application prospect in the photothermal therapy of mouse tumors and realizes the integration of biological diagnosis and treatment.

Preparation of rare earth-doped nano-fluorescent materials in the second near-infrared region and their application in biological imaging.

Second near-infrared (NIR-II) fluorescence imaging (FLI) has gained widespread interest in the biomedical field because of its advantages of high sensitivity and high penetration depth. In particular, rare earth-doped nanoprobes (RENPs) have shown completely different physical and chemical properties from macroscopic substances owing to their unique size and structure. This paper reviews the synthesis methods and types of RENPs for NIR-II imaging, focusing on new methods to enhance the luminous intensity of RENPs and multi-band imaging and multi-mode imaging of RENPs in biological applications. This review also presents an overview of the challenges and future development prospects based on RENPs in NIR-II regional bioimaging.

Design of donor-acceptor conjugated polymers based on diketopyrrolopyrrole for NIR-II multifunctional imaging.

Diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) is an excellent photosensitizer and photothermal agent with the advantages of good planarity, strong electron affinity, high electron mobility, easy purification, easy structural modification and high molar absorption coefficient. It is regarded as one of the ideal choices for the design and synthesis of efficient organic photovoltaic materials. Therefore, two kinds of donor-acceptor (D-A) conjugated polymers were designed and synthesized with DPP as the acceptor, and their optical properties and applications in the near-infrared region were studied. The quantum yield (QY) of PBDT-DPP is 0.46%, and the highest temperature reached within 10 minutes after irradiation with a 660 nm laser is 60 °C. Another polymer, EDOT-DPP, has a QY of 0.48%, and its semiconductor polymer nanoparticle aqueous solution can reach 60 °C within 12 minutes under laser irradiation, achieving photothermal treatment of nude mice tumors. Both polymer NPs have good biocompatibility and promising applications in bioimaging and photothermal therapy.

Protonated amine and pyrene co-functionalized sodium alginate templated on reduced graphene oxide for highly efficient removal of formaldehyde and acid pollutants.

Indoor formaldehyde pollution can cause inestimable harm to human health and even cancers, thus studies on the removal of formaldehyde attract extensive attentions. In this paper, an environmentally friendly and low-cost biomass material, sodium alginate (SA) was utilized to prepare pyrene functionalized amido-amine-alginic acid (AmAA-Py) by acidification and two-step amidation, which is subsequently self-assembled on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) by π-π stacking interaction, and the final composites were acidified to afford a highly porous composite material for chemical removal of formaldehyde. The formaldehyde chemical removal performance of composite is evaluated at different conditions and find that 1.0 g of acidified alginate derivatives and graphene composites (HCl·AmAA-Py-rGO) can adsorb 69.2 mg of HCHO. Simultaneously, amino groups in amido-amine derivative of acidified sodium alginate (AmAA) can react with acidic pollutants such as H2S and HCl via forming ionic bonding without generating any other by-products, which enables efficient and environment-friendly removal of acidic pollutants. The subtle design of the highly porous composite material utilizing low-cost SA and rGO with large specific surface area opens up a new methodology for fabricating highly porous materials for efficient removal of formaldehyde and other indoor hazardous pollutants.

Platelet-rich plasma-derived exosomes boost mesenchymal stem cells to promote peripheral nerve regeneration.

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) remains a severe clinical problem with debilitating consequences. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapy is promising, but the problems of poor engraftment and insufficient neurotrophic effects need to be overcome. Herein, we isolated platelet-rich plasma-derived exosomes (PRP-Exos), which contain abundant bioactive molecules, and investigated their potential to increase the regenerative capacity of MSCs. We observed that PRP-Exos significantly increased MSC proliferation, viability, and mobility, decreased MSC apoptosis under stress, maintained MSC stemness, and attenuated MSC senescence. In vivo, PRP-Exo-treated MSCs (pExo-MSCs) exhibited an increased retention rate and heightened therapeutic efficacy, as indicated by increased axonal regeneration, remyelination, and recovery of neurological function in a PNI model. In vitro, pExo-MSCs coculture promoted Schwann cell proliferation and dorsal root ganglion axon growth. Moreover, the increased neurotrophic behaviour of pExo-MSCs was mediated by trophic factors, particularly glia-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), and PRP-Exos activated the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway in MSCs, leading to the observed phenotypes. These findings demonstrate that PRP-Exos may be novel agents for increasing the ability of MSCs to promote neural repair and regeneration in patients with PNI.

Correlation analysis between body composition, serological indices and the risk of falls, and the receiver operating characteristic curve of different indexes for the risk of falls in older individuals.

Objective: This study assessed the risk factors for falls and evaluated the correlation between body composition, serological indices, and the risk of falls in older individuals. Method: This cross-sectional study included 387 individuals ≥60 years of age in the cadre ward of the First Hospital of Jilin University. The information used in this study was obtained from the comprehensive geriatric assessment database of the cadre ward. The body composition of the individuals was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis using an InBody S10 device. We assessed fall risk using the fall risk assessment tool. Individuals with ≤2 points were placed in the low-risk group, those with 3-9 points were placed in the medium-risk group, and those with ≥10 points were placed in the high-risk group. Results: Differences in age, educational background, height, cognitive impairment, malnutrition, ability of daily living, depression, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, intracellular water, total body moisture, water ratio, limb moisture (right and left, upper and lower), trunk moisture, fat-free weight, arm girth, body cell mass, skeletal muscle mass, limb muscle (right and left, upper and lower), appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI), sarcopenia, hemoglobin level, hematocrit level, aspartate aminotransferase level, albumin level, anemia, and hypoproteinemia were observed among the three groups (p < 0.001, p = 0.002, p = 0.006, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.008, p = 0.010). Ordinal logistic regression analysis showed that the probability of the fall risk increasing by one level was 1.902 times higher for each unit of decrease in educational background, respectively. In addition, the probability of the fall risk increasing by one level was 2.971, 3.732, 3.804, 1.690 and 2.155 times higher for each additional unit of age, cognitive impairment, lower limb edema, decreased skeletal muscle mass, and sarcopenia, respectively. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that educational background, age, cognitive impairment, lower limb edema, decreased skeletal muscle mass, and sarcopenia were associated with falls in older individuals. Body composition and serological indices can assist in the early identification of falls in the older people.

Recent Advances in UV-Cured Encapsulation for Stable and Durable Perovskite Solar Cell Devices.

The stability and durability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are two main challenges retarding their industrial commercialization. The encapsulation of PSCs is a critical process that improves the stability of PSC devices for practical applications, and intrinsic stability improvement relies on materials optimization. Among all encapsulation materials, UV-curable resins are promising materials for PSC encapsulation due to their short curing time, low shrinkage, and good adhesion to various substrates. In this review, the requirements for PSC encapsulation materials and the advantages of UV-curable resins are firstly critically assessed based on a discussion of the PSC degradation mechanism. Recent advances in improving the encapsulation performance are reviewed from the perspectives of molecular modification, encapsulation materials, and corresponding architecture design while highlighting excellent representative works. Finally, the concluding remarks summarize promising research directions and remaining challenges for the use of UV-curable resins in encapsulation. Potential solutions to current challenges are proposed to inspire future work devoted to transitioning PSCs from the lab to practical application.

Preparation and Characterization for the Thermal Stability and Mechanical Property of PLA and PLA/CF Samples Built by FFF Approach.

Currently, the mechanical performances of polylactic acid (PLA) samples prepared using the fused filament fabrication (FFF) technique are relatively poor. Hence, the carbon fiber (CF) is used to improve the thermal stability and mechanical property of FFF-ed PLA samples in this paper. The crystalline structure, thermal stability, melt flow rate, tensile strength and fractured surface morphology of PLA and PLA/CF samples were investigated with an X-ray diffraction device, differential scanning calorimeter, thermogravimetric analyzer, melt flow rate equipment, universal tensile test machine and scanning electron microscope, respectively. Meanwhile, the reinforcement mechanism of CF on the mechanical property of PLA samples was also analyzed. XRD results revealed that the diffraction peaks intensities of PLA/CF sample were obviously lower than those of PLA sample. TGA and DSC curves illustrated that the initial thermal decomposition temperature, thermal stability and crystallinity of the PLA/CF sample improved significantly. The tensile strength of the PLA/CF sample was 91.58 MPa, which was 42.49% higher than that of the PLA sample. Moreover, SEM images showed that the fractured behavior of the PLA sample varied from brittle fracture to ductile fracture after the introduction of CF. The results concluded the CF is a feasible fiber for enhancing the performances of the PLA sample.

The role of comprehensive geriatric assessment in the identification of different nutritional status in geriatric patients: a real-world, cross-sectional study.

Background: Malnutrition is an often unrecognized problem, but it is common in older patients and leads to adverse outcomes. Aims: The purpose of this study is to analyze the prevalence of the risk of undernutrition in elderly patients and the correlation between CGA and nutritional status, and to determine the nutritional status of elderly patients. Methods: This is a real-world cross-sectional study of continuously enrolled elderly patients aged 65 years or older with a complete CGA database. CGA inventory was prepared by compiling and screening general information, body composition and blood biochemical results. MNA was also conducted for each elderly patient to screen for malnutrition. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between the CGA and nutritional assessment. Result: The average age of the 211 selected elderly patients (160 men and 51 women) was 79.60 ± 9.24 years, and their ages ranged from 65 to 96 years. After controlling for confounders, patients with a history of PUD (OR = 2.353, p = 0.044), increased ADLs & IADLs scores (OR = 1.051, p = 0.042) or GDS scores (OR = 6.078, p < 0.001) may increase the incidence of the risk of undernutrition respectively, while an increase in BMI (OR = 0.858, p = 0.032) may lower the incidence of malnutrition risk. In addition, increased ADLs & IADLs scores (OR = 1.096, p = 0.002) or GDS scores (OR = 11.228, p < 0.001) may increase the incidence of undernutrition. However, increased MMSE (OR = 0.705, p < 0.001), BMI (OR = 0.762, p = 0.034), UAC (OR = 0.765, p = 0.048) and CC (OR = 0.721, p = 0.003) may decrease the incidence of undernutrition, respectively. Conclusion: The study found that the prevalence of risk of undernutrition in elderly patients was the highest. Risk of undernutrition was independently associated with peptic ulcer disease, ADLs & IADLs, GDS and BMI. However, we found that when the nutritional status reached the level of undernutrition, it was related to more factors, including ADLs & IADLs, MMSE, GDS, BMI, UAC and CC. Determining the level of malnutrition through CGA may help to prevent and intervene malnutrition as early as possible.