A 2-year prospective evaluation of the Prostate Health Index in guiding biopsy decisions in a large cohort.

OBJECTIVES: To prospectively evaluate how the Prostate Health Index (PHI) impacts on clinical decision in a real-life setting for men with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level between 4 and 10 ng/mL and normal digital rectal examination. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Since 2016, the PHI has been available at no cost to eligible men in all Hong Kong public hospitals. All eligible patients who received PHI testing in all public Urology units (n = 16) in Hong Kong between May 2016 and August 2017 were prospectively included and followed up. All included men had a PHI test, with its result and implications explained; the subsequent follow-up plan was then decided via shared decision-making with urologists. Patients were followed up for 2 years, with outcomes including prostate biopsy rates and biopsy findings analysed in relation to the initial PHI measurements. RESULTS: A total of 2828 patients were followed up for 2 years. The majority (82%) had PHI results in the lower risk range (score <35). Knowing the PHI findings, 83% of the patients with elevated PSA decided not to undergo biopsy. In all, 11% and 45% opted for biopsy in the PHI score <35 and ≥35 groups, respectively. The initial detection rate of International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) Grade Group (GG) ≥2 cancer was higher in the PHI score ≥35 group (23%) than in the PHI score <35 group (7.9%). Amongst patients with no initial positive biopsy findings, the subsequent positive biopsy rate for ISUP GG ≥2 cancer was higher in the PHI score ≥35 group (34%) than the PHI score <35 group (13%) with a median follow-up of 2.4 years. CONCLUSION: In a real-life setting, with the PHI incorporated into the routine clinical pathway, 83% of the patients with elevated PSA level decided not to undergo prostate biopsy. The PHI pathway also improved the high-grade prostate cancer detection rate when compared to PSA-driven strategies. Higher baseline PHI predicted subsequent biopsy outcome at 2 years. The PHI can serve as a tool to individualise biopsy decisions and frequency of follow-up visits.

Artificial Channels Based on Bottlebrush Polymers: Enhanced Ion Transport Through Polymer Topology Control.

Synthetic structures mimicking the transport function of natural ion channel proteins have a wide range of applications, including therapeutic treatments, separation membranes, sensing, and biotechnologies. However, the development of polymer-based artificial channels has been hampered due to the limitation on available models. In this study, we demonstrate the great potential of bottlebrush polymers as accessible and versatile molecular scaffolds for developing efficient artificial ion channels. Adopting the bottlebrush configuration enhanced ion transport activity of the channels compared to their linear analogs. Matching the structure of lipid bilayers, the bottlebrush channel with a hydrophilic-hydrophobic-hydrophilic triblock architecture exhibited the highest activity among the series. Functionalized with urea groups, these channels displayed high anion selectivity. Additionally, we illustrated that the transport properties could be fine-tuned by modifying the chemistry of ion binding sites. This work not only highlights the importance of polymer topology control in channel design, but also reveals the great potential for further developing bottlebrush channels with customized features and diverse functionalities.

Chlorocholine Perchlorate is an Organic Ferroelectric with Two-Step Ladder-like Dielectric, Second Harmonic Generation Effects, and Ferroelectricity.

The organic salt chlorocholine perchlorate [ClCH2 CH2 N(CH3 )3 ⋅ClO4 ] (CCP) is found to be a molecular ferroelectric with a high theoretical spontaneous polarization (Ps) value up to 17.09 µC cm-2 . CCP exhibits two successive order-disorder phase transition at 332 and 365 K with space groups changing from Cc to Cmc21 and then P63 /mmc, accompanied by unusual two-step ladder-like dielectric, SHG signal with obvious "on/off" contrasts. These findingings provides a further instance of exploring successive thermal-stimuli multi-responsive switching materials applied as switches and sensors.

The effectiveness of parenting programs in regard to improving parental reflective functioning: a meta-analysis.

Although parenting interventions aiming to improve parental RF have been developed, there have been conflicting results in regard to intervention effectiveness. This meta-analytic review seeks to synthesize the available evidence that group-based parenting interventions improve parental RF, in order to provide conclusive evidence regarding their effectiveness. A systematic search was performed to retrieve relevant studies published before November 2019. A total of 15 studies met the selection criteria, of which 3 studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The studies yielded a significant intervention effect with a small pooled effect size (Hedge's g = 0.279, p = 0.002) on parental RF. However, the pooled effect size of the 3 RCTs was non-significant (pooled effect size: Hedge's g = 0.189, p = 0.244), indicating that current best evidence is limited. As the heterogeneity test was significant (Q = 32.486, df = 14, p = 0.003), which suggests the presence of heterogeneity among the selected studies, a series of moderator analyses were performed to examine factors that may influence intervention effects. Interventions that involved children in middle childhood had a larger effect size than those involving children in infancy and early childhood.

The combination of ciprofloxacin and indomethacin suppresses the level of inflammatory cytokines secreted by macrophages in vitro.

PURPOSE: The combined use of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medicine to manage bacterial endotoxin-induced inflammation following injuries or diseases is increasing. The cytokine level produced by macrophages plays an important role in this treatment course. Ciprofloxacin and indomethacin, two typical representatives of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medicine, are cost-effective and has been reported to show satisfactory effect. The current study aims to investigate the effect of ciprofloxacin along with indomethacin on the secretion of inflammatory cytokines by macrophages in vitro. METHODS: Primary murine peritoneal macrophages and RAW 264.7 cells were administrated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 24 h. The related optimal dose and time point of ciprofloxacin or indomethacin in response to macrophage inflammatory response inflammation were determined via macrophage secretion induced by LPS. Then, the effects of ciprofloxacin and indomethacin on the secretory functions and viability of various macrophages were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow cytometry analysis, especially for the levels of interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. The optimal dose and time course of ciprofloxacin affecting macrophage inflammatory response were determined by testing the maximum inhibitory effect of the drugs on pro-inflammatory factors at each concentration or time point. RESULTS: According to the levels of cytokines secreted by various macrophages (1.2 × 106 cells/well) after administration of 1 µg/mL LPS, the optimal dose and usage timing for ciprofloxacin alone were 80 µg/mL and 24 h, respectively, and the optimal dose for indomethacin alone was 10 µg/mL. Compared with the LPS-stimulated group, the combination of ciprofloxacin and indomethacin reduced the levels of IL-1ß (p < 0.05), IL-6 (p < 0.05), IL-10 (p < 0.01)), and TNF-α (p < 0.01). Furthermore, there was greater stability in the reduction of inflammatory factor levels in the combination group compared with those in which only ciprofloxacin or indomethacin was used. CONCLUSION: The combination of ciprofloxacin and indomethacin suppressed the levels of inflammatory cytokines secreted by macrophages in vitro. This study illustrates the regulatory mechanism of drug combinations on innate immune cells that cause inflammatory reactions. In addition, it provides a new potential antibacterial and anti-inflammatory treatment pattern to prevent and cure various complications in the future.

[Research progress on regulation of mitophagy by traditional Chinese medicine in prevention and treatment of chronic kidney diseases].

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease(CKD) increases year by year and has become a highly prevalent disease, seriously affecting the quality of life of patients and bringing heavy family burden. There are many diseases causing CKD, including va-rious primary and secondary glomerulonephritis, renal tubular injury, and renal vascular lesions. Although routine medical treatment for CKD can alleviate the clinical symptoms to a certain extent, it is sometimes difficult to prevent the progression of CKD. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is advantageous in high safety, few adverse reactions, and definite clinical efficacy in the treatment of CKD. The active components contained can play a synergistic effect through multiple pathways and multiple targets to delay disease progression, but its mechanism of action has not been fully elucidated. As revealed by the literature in this field in China and abroad, abnormal mitophagy is a common feature of the pathogenesis of CKD of different types. In recent years, a large number of studies have proved that the regulation of mitophagy through the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway and mitophagy receptor pathway could delay the progression of CKD and protect renal function. Therefore, the regulation of mitophagy by TCM in the prevention and treatment of CKD through related pathways has become a potential therapeutic target in recent years. This paper reviewed the research articles on the definite efficacy of TCM in preventing and treating CKD by regulating mitophagy through relevant pathways to provide new targets and stra-tegies for preventing and treating CKD and delaying their entry into end-stage renal diseases.

Isatin-derived azoles as new potential antimicrobial agents: Design, synthesis and biological evaluation.

Novel antibiotics are forced to be developed on account of multidrug-resistant bacteria with serious threats to human health. This work developed isatin-derived azoles as new potential antimicrobial agents. Bioactive assay revealed that isatin hybridized 1,2,4-triazole 7a exhibited excellent inhibitory activity against E. coli ATCC 25,922 with an MIC value of 1 µg/mL, which was 8-fold more potent than reference drug norfloxacin. The active molecule 7a possessed the ability to kill some bacteria and fungi as well as displayed low propensity to induce resistance towards E. coli ATCC25922. Preliminary mechanism investigation indicated that hybrid 7a might block deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) replication by intercalating with DNA and possibly interacting with DNA polymerase III, thus exerting its antimicrobial potency.

[Clinical Study of the Impact of ACE I/D Gene Variation on the Clinical Parameters of Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between angiotensin Ⅰ-converting enzyme (ACE) insertion/deletion (I/D) gene polymorphism and the genetic risks for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and to evaluate the impact of ACE I/D genotypes on clinical, hormonal, metabolic and oxidative stress parameters in patients with PCOS. METHODS: This was a retrospective case-control study involving a total of 1 020 PCOS patients and 825 female controls who visited the outpatient clinic of the Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, West China Second Hospital of Sichuan University between 2006 and 2019. The ages of the subjects ranged between 17 and 44. The ACE I/D genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gel electrophoresis. 667 PCOS patients and 527 controls were selected for an analysis of their genotypes and the hormonal, metabolic and oxidative stress parameters. RESULTS: The genotype distributions of the ACE I/D single nucleotide polymorphism was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in both the PCOS group and the control group (all P>0.05), which was representative of the population. There were no statistically significant differences in genotype and allele frequencies between the PCOS and the control groups ( P>0.05). After adjusting for both age and body mass index (BMI), there was no statistically significant difference in clinical characteristics among all genotypes in either the PCOS group or the control group. In the PCOS group, compared with the II genotype subgroup, the ID genotype subgroup had lower luteinizing hormone (LH)/follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio, while the DD genotype subgroup had higher homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Compared with the ID genotype subgroup, the DD genotype subgroup had lower serum sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) level, but higher total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels ( P<0.05). In the control group, II genotype subgroup had a higher level of total oxidant status (TOS) than that of the DD genotype subgroup. CONCLUSION: ACE I/D genetic polymorphism is not associated with risks for PCOS. The I/D variation of ACE gene may be related to insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia, hyperandrogenemia and oxidative stress in PCOS patients.

Design and biological evaluation of a novel type of potential multi-targeting antimicrobial sulfanilamide hybrids in combination of pyrimidine and azoles.

This work explored a novel type of potential multi-targeting antimicrobial three-component sulfanilamide hybrids in combination of pyrimidine and azoles. The hybridized target molecules were characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS spectra. Some of the developed target compounds exerted promising antimicrobial activity in comparison with the reference drugs norfloxacin and fluconazole. Noticeably, sulfanilamide hybrid 5c with pyrimidine and indole could effectively inhibit the growth of E. faecalis with MIC value of 1 µg/mL. The active molecule 5c showed low cell toxicity and did not obviously trigger the development of resistance towards the tested bacteria strains. Mechanism exploration indicated that compound 5c could not only exert efficient membrane permeability, but also intercalate into DNA of resistant E. faecalis to form 5c-DNA supramolecular complex, which might be responsible for its antimicrobial action. The further investigation showed that this molecule could be effectively transported by human serum albumins through hydrogen bonds and van der Waals force.

Ethylenic conjugated coumarin thiazolidinediones as new efficient antimicrobial modulators against clinical methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

In an effort for the development of novel antimicrobial agents, ethylenic conjugated coumarin thiazolidinediones as potential multi-targeting new antimicrobial compounds were synthesized through convenient procedures from commercially available resorcinol and were evaluated for their antimicrobial potency. Bioactive evaluation revealed that some of the prepared compounds showed strong antimicrobial activities towards the tested microorganisms including clinically drug-resistant strains. Especially, propargyl derivative 12b exhibited effective anti-MRSA potency with MIC value of 0.006 µmol/mL, which was highly advantageous over clinical antibacterial drug norfloxacin. Compound 12b showed rapid killing effect, low toxicity against hepatocyte LO2 cell line, and no obvious drug resistance development against MRSA. Preliminary exploration of action mechanism manifested that molecule 12b acted upon MRSA through forming stable supramolecular complex with bacterial DNA which might impede DNA replication. Molecular docking showed that compound 12b could bind with DNA-gyrase through hydrogen bonds.

The role of Nrf2 in astragaloside IV-mediated antioxidative protection on heart failure.

CONTEXT: Heart failure is one of the most serious diseases worldwide. Astragaloside IV (ASI) is widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the antioxidative mechanism of ASI in a rat model of left coronary artery ligation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Left coronary artery of Sprague-Dawley rats was ligated to establish the model of heart failure, and then vehicle (saline) or ASI (1 mg/kg/day) was orally administered to the rats (n = 15) for 6 weeks. Echocardiography was used to evaluate the cardiac function. Myocardial infarct size was measured by triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. Oxidative stress in the ventricular myocardium was determined. Molecular mechanisms were investigated by Western blot and chromatin immunoprecipitation. RESULTS: ASI improved the cardiac function, especially ejection fraction (75.27 ± 5.75% vs. 36.26 ± 4.14%) and fractional shortening (45.39 ± 3.66% vs. 17.88 ± 1.32%), and reduced the infarct size of left ventricle (20.69 ± 2.98% vs. 39.11 ± 3.97%). ASI maintained the levels of glutathione, catalase and superoxide dismutase and prevented the leakage of creatine kinase. In addition, ASI induced the protein expression of Nrf2 (1.97-fold) and HO-1 (2.79-fold), while reduced that of Keap-1 (0.77-fold) in the ventricular myocardium. In H9c2 cells, a rat cardiomyocyte cell line, ASI induced the translocation of Nrf2 from cytoplasm to nucleus, followed by transcriptional activation of NQO-1 (8.27-fold), SOD-2 (3.27-fold) and Txn-1 (9.83-fold) genes. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: ASI prevented heart failure by counteracting oxidative stress through the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. Application in clinical practice warrants further investigation.

Astragaloside IV alleviates heart failure by promoting angiogenesis through the JAK-STAT3 pathway.

CONTEXT: Heart failure (HF) is one of the most serious diseases worldwide. Astragaloside IV (ASI) is widely used for the treatment of cardiovascular disease in China. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the protective effect of ASI on the HF in a Sprague-Dawley rat model of left coronary artery ligation, and investigate the angiogenesis-related mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Left coronary artery was ligated to induce a rat model of HF, and the rats were treated with vehicle (saline) or different doses of ASI (0.1, 0.3 and 1 mg/kg/day) by oral gavage for 6 weeks. Cardiac function was evaluated by echocardiography. Infarct size was determined by triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. Cardiac vascular density was analyzed by microangiography. Real-time PCR, Western blot and chromatin immunoprecipitation were performed to investigate the mechanisms. RESULTS: ASI treatment improved the body weight and survival rate of HF rats, as well as the cardiac function of HF rats, with significantly improved ejection fraction (75.27 ± 5.75% vs. 36.26 ± 4.14%) and fractional shortening (45.39 ± 3.66% vs. 17.88 ± 1.32%). ASI reduced the infarct size of the HF rats by 47%. ASI promoted angiogenesis, with increased vascular density (2.08-fold) and induced mRNA expression of CD31 (1.81-fold) and VEGF (2.70-fold) in the ischemic heart. Furthermore, ASI induced the phosphorylation of JAK (1.89-fold) and STAT3 (2.95-fold), as well as the activity of VEGF promoter which was regulated by STAT3. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: ASI alleviated HF by promoting angiogenesis through JAK-STAT3 pathway, providing novel alternative strategies to prevent HF in the future.

Series of Lanthanide-Mercury Compounds with Three-Dimensional Structures: Rational Preparation, Structures and Properties.

Three novel Ln-Hg complexes [Ln(H2O)2(µ-IA)3Hg3Br6] n (Ln = Pr (1), Nd (2), and Er (3); HIA is isonicotinic acid) are synthesized and characterized. They feature three-dimensional (3-D) motifs. Solid-state UV/vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy found that their band gaps are 4.91, 4.59, and 2.68 eV. It is found that lanthanide ions could adjust the band structures of semiconductors. Their photoluminescence comes from their characteristic emissions of 1D2 → 3H4 of Pr3+, 7F7/2 → 4S3/2 and 4F3/2 → 4I9/2 of Nd3+, and 4I15/2 → 4F7/2 and 4I15/2 → 4S3/2 of Er3+. The CIE chromaticity coordinate is ( x = 0.5726, y = 0.4206), ( x = 0.7268, y = 0.2732), and ( x = 0.2923, y = 0.4317). Their magnetization susceptibility totally obeys the Curie-Weiss equation with antiferromagnetic performances.

Myosin VI targeting to clathrin-coated structures and dimerization is mediated by binding to Disabled-2 and PtdIns(4,5)P2.

Vesicle transport is essential for the movement of proteins, lipids and other molecules between membrane compartments within the cell. The role of the class VI myosins in vesicular transport is particularly intriguing because they are the only class that has been shown to move 'backwards' towards the minus end of actin filaments. Myosin VI is found in distinct intracellular locations and implicated in processes such as endocytosis, exocytosis, maintenance of Golgi morphology and cell movement. We have shown that the carboxy-terminal tail is the key targeting region and have identified three binding sites: a WWY motif for Disabled-2 (Dab2) binding, a RRL motif for glucose-transporter binding protein (GIPC) and optineurin binding and a site that binds specifically and with high affinity (Kd = 0.3 microM) to PtdIns(4,5)P2-containing liposomes. This is the first demonstration that myosin VI binds lipid membranes. Lipid binding induces a large structural change in the myosin VI tail (31% increase in helicity) and when associated with lipid vesicles, it can dimerize. In vivo targeting and recruitment of myosin VI to clathrin-coated structures (CCSs) at the plasma membrane is mediated by Dab2 and PtdIns(4,5)P2 binding.

Prospective Blinded Comparison of Computed Tomographic Enterography and Small Bowel Endoscopy in Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study investigated the value of computed tomographic enterography with new techniques, such as multi-planar reformation, curved planar reformation, and blood vessel reformation technique, in evaluation of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding by comparing computed tomographic enterography and small bowel endoscopy. METHODOLOGY: We retrospectively evaluated 30 patients with pathologically proven obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding were excluded. All patients successfully underwent computed tomographic enterography and small bowel endoscopy at Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital. Results of both methods in the same patient were compared with pathologic biopsy results from clinical operations or endoscopy. RESULTS: Among the 30 patients retrospectively examined by computed tomographic enterography and small bowel endoscopy, the clinical diagnostic accuracy of the two methods was 70% (21/30) and 80% (24/30), respectively. Computed tomographic enterography and small bowel endoscopy showed no statistical difference in the diagnosis of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (P = 0.37). CONCLUSIONS: Computed tomographic enterography can supplement or partly replace small bowel endoscopy in the diagnosis of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Computed tomographic enterography not only costs patients less and causes them less suffering, but is also technically easy to perform.

[Effect of blood activating water relieving method on heart functions and serum levels of NT-proBNP in patients with heart failure with normal ejection fraction].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of blood activating water relieving method (BAWRM) on heart functions and serum levels of NT-proBNP in patients with heart failure with normal ejection fraction (HFNEF). METHODS: Sixty-four HFNEF patients were admitted to our hospital during January 2011 to June 2012. They were randomly assigned to the treatment group (32 cases) and the control group (32 cases). Patients in the control group received routine Western medical treatment, while those in the treatment group additionally took Chinese medical recipes for activating blood circulation and relieving water retention. Changes of Chinese medical syndromes, E/E', serum NT-proBNP contents were observed between the two groups. RESULTS: Compared with before treatment, their Chinese medical syndromes and E/E' were significantly improved, and serum NT-proBNP contents decreased in the two groups (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, Chinese medical syndromes, E/E', serum NT-proBNP contents obviously decreased in the treatment group, showing statistical difference (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: BAWRM was an effective way to improve the diastolic function of HFNEF patients and lower the serum level of NT-proBNP with confirmative efficacy.

Construction of multi-scale feature fusion segmentation model of MRI knee images based on dual attention mechanism weighted aggregation.

BACKGROUND: Early diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis is an important area of research in the field of clinical medicine. Due to the complexity in the MRI imaging sequences and the diverse structure of cartilage, there are many challenges in the segmentation of knee bone and cartilage. Relevant studies have conducted semantic fusion processing through splicing or summing forms, which results in reduced resolution and the accumulation of redundant information. OBJECTIVE: This study was envisaged to construct an MRI image segmentation model to improve the diagnostic efficiency and accuracy of different grade knee osteoarthritis by adopting the Dual Attention and Multi-scale Feature Fusion Segmentation network (DA-MFFSnet). METHODS: The feature information of different scales was fused through the Multi-scale Attention Downsample module to extract more accurate feature information, and the Global Attention Upsample module weighted lower-level feature information to reduce the loss of key information. RESULTS: The collected MRI knee images were screened and labeled, and the study results showed that the segmentation effect of DA-MFFSNet model was closer to that of the manually labeled images. The mean intersection over union, the dice similarity coefficient and the volumetric overlap error was 92.74%, 91.08% and 7.44%, respectively, and the accuracy of the differential diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis was 84.42%. CONCLUSIONS: The model exhibited better stability and classification effect. Our results indicated that the Dual Attention and Multi-scale Feature Fusion Segmentation model can improve the segmentation effect of MRI knee images in mild and medium knee osteoarthritis, thereby offering an important clinical value and improving the accuracy of the clinical diagnosis.

Site engineering of linear conjugated polymers to regulate oxygen adsorption affinity for boosting photocatalytic production of hydrogen peroxide without sacrificial agent.

Artificial photosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a hopeful alternative to the industrial anthraquinone process. However, rational fabrication of the photocatalysts for the production of H2O2 without any sacrificial agents is still a formidable challenge. Herein, two kinds of linear conjugated polymers (LCPs) including pyridinic N functionalized polymer (DEB-N2) and pyridinic N non-contained polymer (DEB-N0) were successfully synthesized. DEB-N2 displays enhanced light capturing ability and good dispersion in water, leading to a substantial initial H2O2 generation rate of 3492µmol g-1h-1 as well as remarkable photocatalytic stability in pure water. Furthermore, the temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and density functional theory (DFT) analysis reveal that highly electronegative pyridine-N atoms in DEB-N2 boost the adsorption affinity of oxygen molecules, which facilitates the occurrence of the oxygen reduction reaction, therefore enhancing the performance of photocatalytic H2O2 production. This study unveils that the presence of pyridinic N in DEB-N2 has a significant impact on photocatalytic H2O2 production, suggesting the precise manipulation of the chemical structure of polymer photocatalysts is essential to achieve efficient solar-to-chemical energy conversion.

Synergistically active Fe3O4 magnetic and EDTA modified cellulose cotton fabric using chemical method and their effective pollutants removal ability from wastewater.

A unique combination of cotton fabric (CF) with a mixture of EDTA and APTES Fe3O4 magnetic particles was developed and utilized for the first time as an adsorbent for removing pollutants from wastewater. Initially, Fe3O4 was synthesized using the co-precipitation method. Further, the surface of Fe3O4 was modified by introducing amino functional groups through a reaction with APTES, resulting in Fe3O4-NH2. Following this, the surface of carbon fiber (CF) was altered using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) to create CF@EDTA. Through the use of EDC-HCl and NHS, Fe3O4-NH2 was attached to the surface of CF@EDTA, resulting in the final product CF@EDTA/Fe3O4. Subsequently, the prepared CF@EDTA/Fe3O4 was utilized to adsorb metal pollutants from wastewater, with a thorough analysis conducted using various characterization techniques including FTIR, SEM, EDX, XRD, VSM, and XPS to study the materials. The study specifically aimed to assess the adsorption performance of our cotton-based material towards As(III) and Cr3+ metal ions. The pH study was also performed. Results indicated that the material exhibited an adsorption capacity of approximately 714 mg/g for As(III) ions and 708 mg/g for Cr3+ ions. The Langmuir and Freundlich models, as well as pseudo-first and second-order models were also analyzed. The Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models were found to best fit the data. In terms of regeneration and reusability, the materials showed straightforward regeneration and recyclability for up to 15 cycles. The remarkable adsorption capacity, combined with the unique blend of cotton and Fe3O4 magnet, along with its recyclability, positions our material CF@EDTA/Fe3O4 as a promising contender for wastewater treatment and other significant areas in water research.

Application of intelligent X-ray image analysis in risk assessment of osteoporotic fracture of femoral neck in the elderly.

The paper focuses on establishing a risk assessment model of femoral neck osteoporotic fracture (FNOF) in the elderly population and improving the screening efficiency and accuracy of such diseases in specific populations. In literature research, the main risk factors of femoral neck osteoporosis (FNOP) in the elderly were studied and analyzed; the femur region of interest (ROI) and the hard bone edge segmentation model were selected from the X-ray digital image by using the image depth learning method. On this basis, the femoral trabecular score and femoral neck strength (FNS) in the set region were selected as the main evaluation elements, and the quantitative analysis method was established; an X-ray image processing method was applied to the feasibility study of FNOP and compared with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measurements of bone mineral density; Finally, the main risk factors of FNOP were selected and the prediction model of FNOP in the elderly population was established based on medical image processing, machine learning model construction and other methods. Some FNOP health records were selected as test samples for comparative analysis with traditional manual evaluation methods. The paper shows the risk assessment model of FNOF in the elderly population, which is feasible in testing. Among them, the artificial neural network model had a better accuracy (95.83%) and recall rate (100.00%), and the support vector machine prediction model had high specificity (62.50%). With the help of a machine learning method to establish the risk assessment model of FNOF for the elderly, one can provide decision support for the fracture risk assessment of the elderly and remind the clinic to give targeted interventions for the above high-risk groups in order to reduce the fracture risk.