Positive and negative effects of nanoscale zero-valent iron-enriched biochar on sulfamethoxazole remediation in contaminated soil.

This study prepared surface-modified biochar, including acid washing biochar (HBC) and biochar supported with nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI-HBC). The surface-modified biochar was added to sulfamethoxazole (SMX)-contaminated soil with and without earthworms to examine the effects of surface-modified biochar and/or earthworms (Eisenia fetida) on the levels of SMX and its relevant genes (sul1, sul2, and intI1) in the soil. Additionally, the joint toxicity of these exogenous substances on earthworms was investigated. The results showed that although earthworms significantly enhanced the dissipation of SMX in the soils with and without HBC, this effect was not observed in the soil with nZVI-HBC. Among all treatments, nZVI-HBC most effectively accelerated SMX dissipation in the soil, regardless of coexisting earthworms. However, the presence of earthworms significantly increased the total relative abundances of sul1, sul2, and intI1 in the soil. A reasonable explanation for this is the shift in the bacterial community composition rather than the residual level of SMX. When earthworms coexisted, the richness of Proteobacteria evidently increased, which was the main host of the above genes. Both HBC and nZVI-HBC decreased these genes in the soil with earthworms, which was mainly due to the decrease in host genera from Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Gemmatimonadetes. Although there was toxicity of single-surface-modified biochar or SMX on earthworms, the synergistic interaction of surface-modified biochar and SMX resulted in the most serious histopathological changes in earthworms and their highest superoxide dismutase activity.

The effectiveness of a modified advance care planning programme.

BACKGROUND: Frailty is a natural consequence of the aging process. With the increasing aging population in Mainland China, the quality of life and end-of-life care for frail older people need to be taken into consideration. Advance Care Planning has also been used worldwide in long-term facilities, hospitals and communities to improve the quality of end-of-life care, increase patient and family satisfaction, and reduce healthcare costs and hospital admissions in Western countries. However, it has not been practiced in China. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a modified Advance Care Planning intervention in certainty of end-of-life care, preferences for end-of-life care, quality of life concerns, and healthcare utilization among frail older people. RESEARCH DESIGN: This study used a quasi-experimental design, with a single-blind, control group, pretest and repeated posttest approach. PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCH CONTEXT: A convenience sample of 74 participates met the eligibility criteria in each nursing home. A total of 148 frail older people were recruited in two nursing homes in Zhejiang Province, China. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: The study received ethical approval from the Clinical Research Ethics Committee, the Faculty of Medicine, and The Chinese University of Hong Kong, CREC Ref. No: 2016.059. FINDINGS: The results indicated the Advance Care Planning programme was effective at increasing autonomy in decision making on end-of-life care issues, decreasing decision-making conflicts over end-of-life care issues, and increasing their expression about end-of-life care. DISCUSSION: This study promoted the participants' autonomy and broke through the inherent custom of avoiding talking about death in China. CONCLUSION: The modified Advance Care Planning intervention is effective and recommended to support the frail older people in their end-of-life care decision in Chinese society.

Advance care planning for frail older people in China: A discussion paper.

As the aging population, including frail older people, continues to grow in Mainland China, quality of life and end-of-life care for frail older people has attracted much attention. Advance care planning is an effective way to improve end-of-life care for people with advanced diseases, and it is widely used in developed countries; however, it is a new concept in Mainland China. The effects of advance care planning and its acceptability in Mainland China are uncertain because of its culture-sensitive characteristics. The objective of this article is to discuss the serious social issue of caring for frail older people and illustrate the possibility of implementing advance care planning in nursing homes in Mainland China through a review of relevant literature, which will focus on legislation, healthcare system engagement, public engagement, and cultural issues. Recommendations to promote and implement advance care planning include choosing nursing homes as a proper setting, establishing an ethical climate, and enhancing public awareness.

Potential pharmacological mechanisms of tanshinone IIA in the treatment of human neuroblastoma based on network pharmacological and molecular docking Technology.

Tanshinone IIA (Tan-IIA) is the main bioactive component of Chinese herbal medicine salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen). Sodium sulfonate of Tan-IIA is widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Tan-IIA also has inhibitory effects on tumor cells such as gastric cancer, but its therapeutic effect and mechanism on human neuroblastoma have not been evaluated, so its pharmacological mechanism is systematically evaluated by the combined method of network pharmacology and molecular docking. PharmMapper and SwissTargetPrediction predicted 331 potential Tan-IIA-related targets, and 1,152 potential neuroblastoma-related targets were obtained from GeneCards, DisGeNET, DrugBank, OMIM and Therapeutic Target databases (TTD), 107 common targets for Tan-IIA and neuroblastoma. Through gene ontology (GO) functional annotation, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomesa (KEGG) pathway enrichment, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and cytoHubba plug-in, 10 related signal pathways (Pathways in cancer, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Prostate cancer, etc.) and 10 hub genes were identified. The results of molecular docking showed that Tan-IIA could interact with 10 targets: GRB2, SRC, EGFR, PTPN1, ESR1, IGF1, MAPK1, PIK3R1, AKT1 and IGF1R. This study analyzed the related pathways and targets of Tan-IIA in the treatment of human neuroblastoma, as well as the potential anticancer and anti-tumor targets and related signaling pathways of Tan-IIA, which provides a reference for us to find and explore effective drugs for the treatment of human neuroblastoma.

Telephone-Based Behavioral Activation for Improving Sleep Quality in Family Caregivers of People With Dementia: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Sleep disturbances are common among family caregivers of people with dementia (PWD). Although behavioral activation (BA) shows the potential to improve sleep quality, to date, evidence for this treatment's feasibility and efficacy for family caregivers of PWD is limited. Therefore, this study pilot tested an evidence-based BA protocol for improving sleep quality in Chinese family caregivers of PWD. The BA intervention involved eight weekly individual telephone-based sessions designed to teach caregivers specific BA techniques. Sleep quality and depression were measured using the Chinese versions of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale, respectively. This study also measured leisure activity, positive aspect of caregiving, caregiving burden, health status, and relationship satisfaction. All participants were asked to complete the assessments on paper at baseline and immediately after the intervention. After completing the pilot randomized controlled trial, semistructured interviews were conducted to explore participants' experiences participating in the BA intervention. A total of 71 family caregivers of PWD (35 in the intervention group and 36 in the control group) were recruited. The majority of participants were female (n = 53, 74.65%), and their mean age was 54.07 years (SD = 10.95). Compared with controls, caregivers in the intervention group displayed significantly greater improvement in sleep quality, as well as perceptions of positive aspects of caregiving and reduction of depression. Most participants were very satisfied with the intervention. These findings suggest that individual telephone-based BA interventions are feasible, acceptable, and effective in improving sleep quality and psychological health in family caregivers of PWD. These results contribute to the literature by providing evidence for developing effective, accessible, and sustainable BA interventions for family caregivers of PWD.