Association of the 6-minute walking test ratio and difference with pulmonary function in patients with interstitial lung disease.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the associations between 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and lung functions, blood gas analysis findings, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), and hospital stay in interstitial lung disease (ILD). METHODS: The present retrospective study included patients hospitalized in Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University between September 2018 and December 2019. The outcomes included the difference between the actual and predicted 6MWT values (6MWT difference) and the ratio of the actual to predicted 6MWT value (6MWT ratio). RESULTS: This study included 137 patients. The predicted 6MWT value was 519±61 m and the actual 6MWT value was 449 (196.5,694)m. The 6MWT ratio was 84.7±177.6 and 6MWT difference was 73.9±95.1 m. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) (ß= -2.157, standard error [SE]=0.836, p=0.014) and diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO) (ß= -22.528, SE=7.48, p=0.004) had independent associations with 6MWT difference. The FeNO (ß=0.403, SE=0.163, p=0.018) and DLCO (ß=4.355, SE=1.458, p=0.005) had independent associations with 6MWT ratio. CONCLUSION: In ILD, 6MWT difference and 6MWT ratio were associated with FeNO and DLCO. The 6MWT value was not associated with hospital stay. Therefore, the 6MWT might be a surrogate marker of pulmonary function in clinical ILD.

A Tale of Two Foulants: The Coupling of Organic Fouling and Mineral Scaling in Membrane Desalination.

Membrane desalination that enables the harvesting of purified water from unconventional sources such as seawater, brackish groundwater, and wastewater has become indispensable to ensure sustainable freshwater supply in the context of a changing climate. However, the efficiency of membrane desalination is greatly constrained by organic fouling and mineral scaling. Although extensive studies have focused on understanding membrane fouling or scaling separately, organic foulants commonly coexist with inorganic scalants in the feedwaters of membrane desalination. Compared to individual fouling or scaling, combined fouling and scaling often exhibits different behaviors and is governed by foulant-scalant interactions, resembling more complex but practical scenarios than using feedwaters containing only organic foulants or inorganic scalants. In this critical review, we first summarize the performance of membrane desalination under combined fouling and scaling, involving mineral scales formed via both crystallization and polymerization. We then provide the state-of-the-art knowledge and characterization techniques pertaining to the molecular interactions between organic foulants and inorganic scalants, which alter the kinetics and thermodynamics of mineral nucleation as well as the deposition of mineral scales onto membrane surfaces. We further review the current efforts of mitigating combined fouling and scaling via membrane materials development and pretreatment. Finally, we provide prospects for future research needs that guide the design of more effective control strategies for combined fouling and scaling to improve the efficiency and resilience of membrane desalination for the treatment of feedwaters with complex compositions.

Study on multiple fingerprint profiles control and quantitative analysis of multi-components by single marker method combined with chemometrics based on Yankening tablets.

In this study, we explored the quality consistent evaluation method of Yankening Tablets (YKNT) from different manufacturers by using multiple fingerprint profiles, including dual-wavelength ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) serial fingerprint and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) fingerprint, combined with quantitative analysis of multi-components by single marker (QAMS) method. In the Average method of systematic quantified fingerprint method (AMSQFM), three fingerprint parameters of macro qualitative similarity (Sm-UPLC-FTIR), macro quantitative similarity (Pm-UPLC-FTIR), and the variation coefficient of fingerprint homogeneity (αUPLC-FTIR) were calculated based on the ratio method. The Sm-UPLC-FTIR values of all the samples were greater than 0.80, the αUPLC-FTIR values were less than 0.20, and the Pm-UPLC-FTIR values range from 72.8% to 119.8%. Method validation results showed the established fingerprint method had good precision, solution stability, and method repeatability, all samples could be roughly divided into different levels. The contents of berberine (BBR) and baicalin (BCL) measured by the calibration curve method (CCM) and QAMS method were compared, and t-test results (Pvalue > 0.05) indicated there was no significant difference between the two methods, which showed that QAMS could accurately quantify the markers of the YKNT. The explanatory ability (R2Y) values of BBR and BCL in the PLS model were both greater than 0.94, and the root mean square error of estimation (RMSEE) and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) values were both less than 2.5, indicating that the established model was reliable. Hierarchical cluster analysis divided all samples into four categories. This research made a major contribution to the quality consistent evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and food.

Quality assessment of licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) from different sources by multiple fingerprint profiles combined with quantitative analysis, antioxidant activity and chemometric methods.

Licorice, as a nutritional plant extensively used in food fields, grows in various origins of the world as wild and cultivated types. But existing methods were not adequate for quality estimation of licorice samples from multiple sources till date. In the present research, HPLC, UV and FT-IR were applied together to establish fingerprint profiles of licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) samples. Then, an appropriate quantitative method was adopted to evaluate their qualities. Furthermore, eight active chemical compositions and the potential antioxidant capacities of licorice samples were determined, and their intrinsic characteristics were excavated by chemometric methods. The results showed that the ingredient content and antioxidant capacity of licorice were closely related to the origin and growth type, and the established method was capable of accurately classifying wild and cultivated licorice samples from nine habitats into five quality grades. This study provides a novel and comprehensive strategy for food quality assessment.