Understanding adherence to continuous positive airway pressure in patients with obstructive sleep apnea post-stroke: A prospective study based on the Andersen model.

Adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) post-stroke is often problematic, despite potential benefits. This study aimed to evaluate CPAP adherence in patients with OSA post-stroke based on the Andersen behavioral model of health services utilization. A total of 227 eligible participants were recruited from a Chinese hospital. After baseline assessment, participants were followed for 6 months to determine short-term CPAP adherence. Those with good short-term adherence were followed for an additional 6 months to explore long-term adherence and influencing factors. Short-term CPAP adherence rate was 33%. Being married or living with a partner, having an associate degree or baccalaureate degree or higher, and stronger health beliefs independently predicted short-term CPAP adherence. Only 25% of participants from the adherent group showed good long-term adherence. The factor associated with long-term CPAP adherence was participants not using alcohol. Adherence to CPAP is suboptimal among patients having OSA post-stroke. Addressing unfavorable predisposing factors and modifying health beliefs are suggested.

Transient thermal effect, nonlinear refraction and nonlinear absorption properties of graphene oxide sheets in dispersion.

The nonlinear refraction (NLR) properties of graphene oxide (GO) in N, N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) was studied in nanosecond, picosecond and femtosecond time regimes by Z-scan technique. Results show that the dispersion of GO in DMF exhibits negative NLR properties in nanosecond time regime, which is mainly attributed to transient thermal effect in the dispersion. The dispersion also exhibits negative NLR in picosecond and femtosecond time regimes, which are arising from sp(2)- hybridized carbon domains and sp(3)- hybridized matrix in GO sheets. To illustrate the relations between NLR and nonlinear absorption (NLA), NLA properties of the dispersion were also studied in nanosecond, picosecond and femtosecond time regimes.

Clinical Application of Noninvasive Prenatal Testing for Pregnant Women with Assisted Reproductive Pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: This paper analyzes the clinical significance of noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for fetal chromosome aneuploidy in the screening of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF) pregnancies. METHODS: The study subjects consisted of 3163 IVF-pregnant women who underwent NIPT at the Women's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University and Taizhou Hospital, Zhejiang Province from February 2015 to June 2019. Fetal or neonatal karyotype analysis was carried out in high-risk patients, with subsequent follow-up on pregnancy outcomes. RESULTS: NIPT results of 3163 pregnant women suggested 20 cases of high-risk fetal chromosome aneuploidy, of which 2185 cases were a single pregnancy. Of the 13 cases of high-risk chromosome aneuploidy in single pregnancies, seven were true positive, and six were false positive according to fetal or newborn chromosomal karyotype diagnosis. Twin pregnancies accounted for 978 cases in which NIPT indicated seven cases of high-risk chromosome aneuploidy; six of these cases were true positive, and one case was false positive according to fetal or newborn chromosomal karyotype diagnosis. The specificity, positive predictive value, and false-positive rate of trisomy 21 syndrome in IVF single embryo NIPT were 99.86%, 62.5%, and 0.14%, respectively. The specificity, positive predictive value, and false-positive rate of trisomy 18 syndrome were 99.95%, 66.67%, and 0.05%, respectively. The specificity of trisomy 13 syndrome was 99.91%, and the false-positive rate was 0.09%. The specificity of trisomy 21 syndrome in IVF twin NIPT was 99.89%, the positive predictive value was 83.33%, and the false-positive rate was 0.11%. The specificity and positive predictive value of fetal trisomy 18 syndrome were 100.00%, and the false-positive rate of it were 0.00%. Sensitivity and false-negative rates were 100% in all cases. CONCLUSION: NIPT is an ideal prenatal test for IVF-pregnant women due to its high sensitivity and specificity in screening for fetal aneuploidy.

Porphyrin and fullerene covalently functionalized graphene hybrid materials with large nonlinear optical properties.

The nonlinear optical properties of two novel graphene nanohybrid materials covalently functionalized with porphyrin and fullerene were investigated by using the Z-scan technique at 532 nm in the nanosecond and picosecond time scale. Results show that covalently functionalizing graphene with the reverse saturable absorption chromospheres porphyrin and fullerene can enhance the nonlinear optical performance in the nanosecond regime. The covalently linked graphene nanohybrids offer performance superior to that of the individual graphene, porphyrin, and fullerene by combination of a nonlinear mechanism and the photoinduced electron or energy transfer between porphyrin or fullerene moiety and graphene.

[Impact of progesterone in peritoneal fluid on sperm motility in infertile patients with endometriosis].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of progesterone in the peritoneal fluid on human sperm motility in the infertile patients with endometriosis. METHODS: Peritoneal fluids were collected from 41 patients by laparoscopy, of which 17 were infertile patients with endometriosis, 11 were fertile patients with endometriosis and 13 were fertile controls. The concentrations of progesterone in the peritoneal fluids were measured by the immulyze-enzyme amplified luminescence system. After 4 h of incubation in vitro with the collected peritoneal fluids, sperm motility was assessed by the computer-assisted analyzer (CASA). RESULTS: The concentrations of progesterone in the peritoneal fluids in the patients (infertile patients with endometriosis, fertile patients with endometriosis and the fertile controls) did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) in the proliferate phase. The sperms incubated with the peritoneal fluids from the patients with endometriosis had significant lower sperm motion parameters (A, VCL, VSL, VAP, ALH) than those of the fertile controls (P < 0.05). Although the sperm motility incubated with the peritoneal fluids from the patients with endometriosis was enhanced by the exogenous progesterone, no significant correlation was established between the concentrations of progesterone in the peritoneal fluids and the sperm motility (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The peritoneal fluids of infertile patients with endometriosis inhibit the sperm motility. The inhibition is not associated with the concentrations of progesterone in the peritoneal fluids. However, the sperm motility can be enhanced by adding exogenous progesterone to the peritoneal fluids.

[Impact of NO in peritoneal fluid on sperm motility in patients with endometriosis].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the level of NO in the peritoneal fluids in patients with endometriosis and to evaluate the impact of NO on human sperm motility. METHODS: Peritoneal fluids were taken from 19 patients with Endometriosis, 16 infertile patients with Endometriosis, and 21 patients without Endometriosis (control group). The macrophages in the peritoneal fluids were segregated and cultivated. The concentrations of NO metabolin (nitrate and nitrite) were measured. Human sperms were incubated with the culture fluids to detect the motility of the sperms. RESULTS: The patients with Endometriosis had significant higher levels of NO in the peritoneal fluids than the controls (P < 0.05). The motility of sperms declined significantly in the culture fluids of infertile patients with Endometriosis compared with the fertile patients with Endometriosis and the controls (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Elevated NO in the peritoneal fluids in patients with endometriosis may play a role in the pathogeneses of Endometriosis-associated infertility.