Global, regional and national trends in the burden of low bone mineral density from 1990 to 2030: A Bayesian age-period-cohort modeling study.

Low bone mineral density (LBMD) remains a global public health concern. To provide deeper insights, we retrieved and calibrated LBMD death and Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) data from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 (GBD 2021) database. We calculated the age-standardized rate (ASR) and estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) to delineate LBMD trends across sexes, age groups, Sociodemographic Index (SDI) regions, and countries. Spearman rank order correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between SDI and ASR. Additionally, we constructed Bayesian age-period-cohort (BAPC) models to predict future trends in LBMD up to 2030, with the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) used to evaluate prediction accuracy. Our analyses revealed that global deaths related to LBMD nearly doubled, from 250,930 in 1990 to 463,010 in 2021, and are projected to rise to 473,690 by 2030. However, the ASR exhibited an opposite trend, decreasing from 17.91 per 100,000 in 1990 to 15.77 per 100,000 in 2021, and is expected to further decline to 13.64 per 100,000 by 2030. The EAPC indicated descending trends in 1990-2021 and 2022-2030. Trends in LBMD varied across different subgroups by sex, age, and location. Males are projected to continue experiencing higher death numbers than females, though the gap is narrowing. The 90 to 94 age group consistently had the highest ASR from 1990 to 2030. Lower SDI remains a critical factor contributing to the higher burden of LBMD. Spearman rank order correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between SDI and ASR. We categorized 6 distinct trends in ASR across different countries, with most expected to experience a decline by 2030. The MAPE value (0.038 < 0.1) indicated that the BAPC model produced reliable predictions even under the COVID-19 pandemic.

Novel endoscopic techniques for the diagnosis of gastric Helicobacter pylori infection: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Objective: This study aimed to conduct a network meta-analysis to compare the diagnostic efficacy of diverse novel endoscopic techniques for detecting gastric Helicobacter pylori infection. Methods: From inception to August 2023, literature was systematically searched across Pubmed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. Cochrane's risk of bias tool assessed the methodological quality of the included studies. Data analysis was conducted using the R software, employing a ranking chart to determine the most effective diagnostic method comprehensively. Convergence analysis was performed to assess the stability of the results. Results: The study encompassed 36 articles comprising 54 observational studies, investigating 14 novel endoscopic techniques and involving 7,230 patients diagnosed with gastric H. pylori infection. Compared with the gold standard, the comprehensive network meta-analysis revealed the superior diagnostic performance of two new endoscopic techniques, Magnifying blue laser imaging endoscopy (M-BLI) and high-definition magnifying endoscopy with i-scan (M-I-SCAN). Specifically, M-BLI demonstrated the highest ranking in both sensitivity (SE) and positive predictive value (PPV), ranking second in negative predictive value (NPV) and fourth in specificity (SP). M-I-SCAN secured the top position in NPV, third in SE and SP, and fifth in PPV. Conclusion: After thoroughly analyzing the ranking chart, we conclude that M-BLI and M-I-SCAN stand out as the most suitable new endoscopic techniques for diagnosing gastric H. pylori infection. Systematic review registration: https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2023-11-0051/, identifier INPLASY2023110051.

High expression of HM13 correlates with poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a high mortality rate, and the identification of early prognostic markers is crucial for improving patient outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the expression of Histocompatibility Minor 13 (HM13) and the prognosis of HCC patients. HM13 protein expression was assessed in HCC tissues and cells through immunohistochemistry (IHC), quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR), and western blot. The relationship between HM13 expression and clinicopathological data of HCC was evaluated. Bioinformatics analyses, including Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), and Kaplan-Meier plotter (K-M plotter), were employed to analyze HM13 expression and its association with patient survival. HM13 was significantly overexpressed in HCC tissues and cells compared to normal controls. IHC revealed that HM13 protein was primarily localized in the cytoplasm and highly expressed in HCC tissues. Interestingly, patients with high HM13 expression had significantly poorer overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and disease-specific survival (DSS) than those with low expression. HM13 expression was associated with Edmondson grade, metastasis, microvascular invasion, and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels. Multivariate analysis identified HM13 as an independent prognostic factor for poor OS in HCC. HM13 was markedly overexpressed in HCC and correlated with poor prognosis, suggesting its potential as a promising biomarker for early prognostic detection in HCC patients.

Apigenin inhibits proliferation and differentiation of cardiac fibroblasts through AKT/GSK3ß signaling pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (S. miltiorrhiza) is an important Traditional Chinese herbal Medicine (TCM) used to treat cardio-cerebrovascular diseases. Based on the pharmacodynamic substance of S. miltiorrhiza, the aim of present study was to investigate the underlying mechanism of S. miltiorrhiza against cardiac fibrosis (CF) through a systematic network pharmacology approach, molecular docking and dynamics simulation as well as experimental investigation in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic pharmacological analysis was conducted using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacology (TCMSP) database to screen the effective chemical components of S. miltiorrhiza, then the corresponding potential target genes of the compounds were obtained by the Swiss Target Prediction and TCMSP databases. Meanwhile, GeneCards, DisGeNET, OMIM, and TTD disease databases were used to screen CF targets, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of drug-disease targets was constructed on S. miltiorrhiza/CF targets by Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STING) database. After that, the component-disease-target network was constructed by software Cytoscape 3.7. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis were performed for the intersection targets between drug and disease. The relationship between active ingredient of S. miltiorrhiza and disease targets of CF was assessed via molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation. Subsequently, the underlying mechanism of the hub compound on CF was experimentally investigated in vitro. RESULTS: 206 corresponding targets to effective chemical components from S. miltiorrhiza were determined, and among them, there were 82 targets that overlapped with targets of CF. Further, through PPI analysis, AKT1 and GSK3ß were the hub targets, and which were both enriched in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, it was the sub-pathways of the lipid and atherosclerosis pathway. Subsequently, compound-disease-genes-pathways diagram is constructed, apigenin (APi) was a top ingredients and AKT1 (51) and GSK3ß (22) were the hub genes according to the degree value. The results of molecular docking and dynamics simulation showed that APi has strong affinities with AKT and GSK3ß. The results of cell experiments showed that APi inhibited cells viability, proliferation, proteins expression of α-SMA and collagen I/III, phosphorylation of AKT1 and GSK3ß in MCFs induced by TGFß1. CONCLUSION: Through a systematic network pharmacology approach, molecular docking and dynamics simulation, and confirmed by in vitro cell experiments, these results indicated that APi interacts with AKT and GSK3ß to disrupt the phosphorylation of AKT and GSK3ß, thereby inhibiting the proliferation and differentiation of MCFs induced by TGFß1, which providing new insights into the pharmacological mechanism of S. miltiorrhiza in the treatment of CF.

Associations of sleep behaviors and genetic risk with risk of incident osteoporosis: A prospective cohort study of 293,164 participants.

BACKGROUND: Unhealthy sleep behaviors are associated with higher risks of osteoporosis (OP), while prospective evidence is limited. This study aimed to prospectively investigate this association, quantify the attributable burden of OP incidence reduction due to unhealthy sleep behaviors, and explore potential modifications by genetic risk factors. METHODS: This longitudinal cohort study was conducted utilizing data from the UK Biobank, comprising 293,164 participants initially free of OP and with requisite sleep behaviors data at baseline. We followed the participants after recruitment until November 30, 2022, to ascertain incident OP. We assessed the associations of five sleep behaviors including sleep duration, chronotype, insomnia, daytime napping, and morning wake-up difficulties, as well as sleep behavior patterns identified based on the above sleep behaviors, with the risk of OP, using Cox models adjusted for multiple confounders. The analyses were then performed separately among individuals with different OP susceptibility, indexed by standard polygenetic risk scores(PRS) for OP. Our secondary outcome was OP with pathologic fracture. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. Additionally, attributable risk percent in the exposed population (AR%) and population attributable fraction (PAF) of sleep behaviors were calculated. RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 13.7 years, 8253 new-onset OP cases were documented. Unhealthy sleep behaviors, such as long or short sleep duration, insomnia, daytime napping, morning wake-up difficulties, and unhealthy sleep patterns, were associated with elevated risks of OP (HRs ranging from 1.14 to 1.46, all P-value <0.001) compared to healthy sleep behaviors. Similar associations were observed for OP with pathologic fractures. Insomnia exhibited the largest AR% of 39.98 % (95%CI: 36.46, 43.31) and PAF of 33.25 % (95%CI: 30.00, 36.34) among healthy sleep patterns and components. A statistically significant multiplicative interaction was noted between sleep behaviors and OP PRS on OP risk (all P-interaction <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Four unhealthy sleep behaviors and sleep behavior patterns were associated to increased OP risk, with insomnia contributing the most to OP incidence, while genetic risk for OP modified this association. These findings underscore the crucial role of adhering to healthy sleep behaviors for effective OP prevention.

Rapid and simultaneous detection of cadmium and mercury in foods based on solid sampling integrated electrothermal vaporization technique.

This work presents an innovative solid sampling (SS) integrated electrothermal vaporization (ETV) approach for simultaneous determination of Cd and Hg based on differentiated elemental vaporization and transportation behavior characteristics. A miniature N2/H2 generator, only consuming electricity and H2O, was utilized to yield reducing atmosphere for Cd vaporization; MgO filler was modified to absorb matrix interferent and keep Hg and Cd transportation via 1st catalytic pyrolysis furnace (CPF); and a gearing was employed to move 2nd CPF to receive and trap (amalgamation) the vaporized Hg from ETV and then thermo-release them for simultaneous detection. Under optimized conditions, the limits of detection of Cd and Hg reached 0.02-0.04 ng/g using 0.4 g sample size. The linearities (R2) exceeded 0.998 and recoveries were 85.0-111.9%, indicating favorable analysis precision and accuracy within ∼3 min without sample digestion process. The proposed HgCd analyzer is suitable for rapid monitoring food with simplicity, green and safety.

Soil respiration and its response to climate change and anthropogenic factors in a karst plateau wetland, southwest China.

It is important to investigate the responses of greenhouse gases to climate change (temperature, precipitation) and anthropogenic factors in plateau wetland. Based on the DNDC model, we used meteorological, soil, and land cover data to simulate the soil CO2 emission pattern and its responses to climate change and anthropogenic factors in Guizhou, China. The results showed that the mean soil CO2 emission flux in the Caohai Karst Plateau Wetland was 5.89 ± 0.17 t·C·ha-1·yr-1 from 2000 to 2019, and the annual variation showed an increasing trend with the rate of 23.02 kg·C·ha-1·yr-1. The soil total annual mean CO2 emissions were 70.62 ± 2.04 Gg·C·yr-1 (annual growth rate was 0.28 Gg·C·yr-1). Caohai wetland has great spatial heterogeneity. The emissions around Caohai Lake were high (the areas with high, middle, and low values accounted for 3.07%, 70.96%, and 25.97%, respectively), and the emission pattern was characterized by a decrease in radiation from Caohai Lake to the periphery. In addition, the cropland and forest areas exhibited high intensities (7.21 ± 0.15 t·C·ha-1·yr-1 and 6.73 ± 0.58 t·C·ha-1·yr-1, respectively) and high total emissions (54.97 ± 1.16 Gg·C·yr-1 and 10.24 ± 0.88 Gg·C·yr-1, respectively). Croplands and forests were the major land cover types controlling soil CO2 emissions in the Caohai wetland, while anthropogenic factors (cultivation) significantly increased soil CO2 emissions. Results showed that the soil CO2 emissions were positively correlated with temperature and precipitation; and the temperature change had a greater impact on soil respiration than the change in precipitation. Our results indicated that future climate change (increased temperature and precipitation) may promote an increase in soil CO2 emissions in karst plateau wetlands, and reasonable control measures (e.g. returning cropland to lakes and reducing anthropogenic factors) are the keys to controlling CO2 emissions.

Reconstruction and validation of ground motions across dip-slip faults: an application to response analysis of a long-span suspension bridge.

Recent seismic events have unequivocally highlighted the susceptibility of fault-crossing bridges to the synergistic effects of ground surface vibrations on either side of the fault plane and the tectonic dislocations arising from fault-induced surface ruptures. This study delineates both seismic and parametric response analyses of fault-crossing suspension bridges, employing a straightforward yet efficacious method for simulating desired ground motions near fault-rupture zones. Herein, we introduce a user-friendly method to incorporate predicted fault-induced displacements, accounting for both fling-step and directivity effects, into processed ground motion chronologies, enabling the generation of dip-slip fault ground motions. The accuracy and efficacy of the proposed method are affirmed by juxtaposing the generated ground motions with the observed ones (MGM). An exhaustive parametric analysis, addressing factors like fault-crossing location, fault-crossing angle, and frequency components of fault-crossing ground motions, of a suspension bridge over a rupture fault, is executed using the fashionable ANSYS software. This study provides clear and specific guidelines for the seismic design of suspension bridges traversing rupture faults.

Green potassium fertilizer from enzymatic hydrolysis lignin: Effects of lignin fractionation on wheat seed germination and seedling growth.

Sustainably sourced lignin presents great potential as a green feedstock for fertilizer production but commercial fulfillment is still challenging owing to the mediocre fertilizer activity of lignin. To address this issue, an effective strategy to enhance the activity of lignin-based potassium fertilizer (LPF) is proposed through lignin fractionation. Three lignin fractions subdivided from enzymatic hydrolysis lignin (EHL) were adopted as the feedstock for LPF preparation, and the effect of lignin fractionation on wheat seed germination and seedling growth was investigated. Compared with the potassium fertilizer from unfractionated lignin, LPF-F1 showed significantly improved effects on promoting seed germination and seedling growth, which can be attributed to the high potassium content resulted from its abundant phenolic hydroxyl and carboxyl contents. Under the optimal treatment concentration (100 mg/L), LPF-F1 showed comparable promotion effect to commercial fulvic acid potassium on wheat seedling growth, suggesting the potential of LPF-F1 as commercial potassium fertilizer. Overall, this work reveals that lignin heterogeneity presents critical effects on the wheat seed germination and seedling growth of LPF, and the fertilizer activity of LPF can be substantially improved using fractionated lignin with low molecular weight as the raw material.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals the immunoregulatory roles of PegIFN-α in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is caused by HBV infection and affects the lives of millions of people worldwide by causing liver inflammation, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Interferon-alpha (IFN-α) therapy is a conventional immunotherapy that has been widely used in CHB treatment and achieved promising therapeutic outcomes by activating viral sensors and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) suppressed by HBV. However, the longitudinal landscape of immune cells of CHB patients and the effect of IFN-α on the immune system are not fully understood. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Here, we applied single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to delineate the transcriptomic landscape of peripheral immune cells in CHB patients before and after PegIFN-α therapy. Notably, we identified three CHB-specific cell subsets, pro-inflammatory (Pro-infla) CD14+ monocytes, Pro-infla CD16+ monocytes and IFNG+ CX3CR1- NK cells, which highly expressed proinflammatory genes and positively correlated with HBsAg. Furthermore, PegIFN-α treatment attenuated percentages of hyperactivated monocytes, increased ratios of long-lived naive/memory T cells and enhanced effector T cell cytotoxicity. Finally, PegIFN-α treatment switched the transcriptional profiles of entire immune cells from TNF-driven to IFN-α-driven pattern and enhanced innate antiviral response, including virus sensing and antigen presentation. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, our study expands the understanding of the pathological characteristics of CHB and the immunoregulatory roles of PegIFN-α, which provides a new powerful reference for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of CHB.

Fabrication modulation of lignin-derived carbon nanosphere supported Pd nanoparticle via lignin fractionation for improved catalytic performance in vanillin hydrodeoxygenation.

Nano-lignin presents great potential in advanced carbon materials preparation since it integrates the advantages of nanomaterials as well the preferable properties of lignin (e.g. high carbon content and highly aromatic structure). Herein, lignin-derived carbon nanosphere supported Pd catalysts (Pd@LCNS) were prepared via a two-step carbonization of Pd2+ adsorbed lignin nanospheres (LNS) and applied in vanillin hydrodeoxygenation. The effect lignin heterogeneity on the synthesis of Pd@LCNS as well as its catalytic performance was further investigated through the synthesis of Pd@LCNS using three lignin fractions with different molecular weight. The results showed that the three Pd@LCNSs exhibited significant differences in the morphology of both carbon support and Pd nanoparticles. Pd@LCNS-3 prepared from high molecular weight lignin fraction (L-3) presented stable carbon nanosphere support with the smallest particle size (∼150 nm) and the highest Pd loading amount (3.78 %) with the smallest Pd NPs size (∼1.6 nm). Therefore, Pd@LCNS-3 displayed superior catalytic activity for vanillin hydrodeoxygenation (99.34 % of vanillin conversion and 99.47 % of 2-methoxy-4-methylphenol selectivity) at 90 °C without H2. Consequently, this work provides a sustainable strategy to prepare uniformly dispersed lignin-based carbon-supported Pd catalyst using high molecular weight lignin as the feedstock and further demonstrate its superior applicability in the selective transfer hydrogenation of vanillin.

Immunomodulatory and Antiviral Therapy Improved Functional Cure Rate in CHB Patients with High HBsAg Level Experienced NA.

Background and Aims: A functional cure, or hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg) loss, is difficult to achieve in patients with hepatitis B virus e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B. The HBV vaccine and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) have been reported to help reduce HBsAg levels and promote HBsAg loss. In this prospective randomized trial, we evaluated HBsAg loss in patients receiving pegylated interferon-α2b (PEGIFN-α2b) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), with and without GM-CSF and HBV vaccination. Methods: A total of 287 patients with HBeAg positive chronic hepatitis B and seroconversion after nucleot(s)ide analog treatment were assigned randomly to three treatment groups for 48 weeks, TDF alone (control), PEGIFN-α2b + TDF, and PEGIFN-α2b + TDF + GM-CSF + HBV vaccine. The primary endpoints were the proportions of patients with HBsAg loss and seroconversion at 48 and 72 weeks. Results: The cumulative HBsAg loss rates in the control, PEGIFN-α2b + TDF, and PEGIFN-α2b + TDF + GM-CSF + HBV vaccine groups at week 48 were 0.0%, 28.3%, and 41.1%, respectively. The cumulative HBsAg seroconversion rates in these groups at week 48 were 0.0%, 21.7%, and 33.9%, respectively. Multivariate regression analysis showed that GM-CSF use plus HBV vaccination was significantly associated with HBsAg loss (p=0.017) and seroconversion (p=0.030). Conclusions: In patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B and seroconversion after nucleot(s)ide analog treatment, immunomodulatory/antiviral treatment regimens effectively improved HBsAg loss, and the regimen including GM-CSF and HBV vaccination was most effective.

Lignin-coordinated highly dispersed PdZn alloy nanocluster supported on N-doped nanolayer carbon and its application in hexavalent chromium detoxification.

As a renewable and low-cost biomacromolecule with high aromaticity and carbon content, lignin is a promising raw material for preparation of versatile carbon materials. Herein, we present a facile one-pot approach to prepare PdZn alloy nanocluster catalysts supported on N-doped lignin-derived nanolayer carbon through facile pyrolysis of melamine-mixed lignin-Pd-Zn complex. The dispersion of the PdZn alloy nanoclusters could be effectively modulated by varying the addition of melamine and the molar ratio of Pd and Zn salts. PdZn alloy nanocluster catalysts (Pd-Zn29@N10C) with ultra-small particle size (about 0.47 nm) were prepared when 10 times of melamine (relative to lignin weight) was added and the molar ratio of Pd and Zn salts was 1:29. Thereby, the catalyst presented superior catalytic activity for reduction of Cr(VI) to harmfulless Cr(III), significantly better than the two references Zn@N10C (without Pd addition) and Pd-Zn29@C (without N doping), as well as the commercial Pd/C. In addition, thanks to the strong anchoring of the PdZn alloy on the N-doped nanolayer support, the Pd-Zn29@N10C catalysts also exhibited good reusability. Consequently, the current study provides a straightforward and feasible method for producing highly dispersed PdZn alloy nanoclusters by lignin coordination, and further demonstrates its excellent applicability in hexavalent chromium reduction.

Text Matching in Insurance Question-Answering Community Based on an Integrated BiLSTM-TextCNN Model Fusing Multi-Feature.

Along with the explosion of ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence question-answering system has been pushed to a climax. Intelligent question-answering enables computers to simulate people's behavior habits of understanding a corpus through machine learning, so as to answer questions in professional fields. How to obtain more accurate answers to personalized questions in professional fields is the core content of intelligent question-answering research. As one of the key technologies of intelligent question-answering, the accuracy of text matching is related to the development of the intelligent question-answering community. Aiming to solve the problem of polysemy of text, the Enhanced Representation through Knowledge Integration (ERNIE) model is used to obtain the word vector representation of text, which makes up for the lack of prior knowledge in the traditional word vector representation model. Additionally, there are also problems of homophones and polyphones in Chinese, so this paper introduces the phonetic character sequence of the text to distinguish them. In addition, aiming at the problem that there are many proper nouns in the insurance field that are difficult to identify, after conventional part-of-speech tagging, proper nouns are distinguished by especially defining their parts of speech. After the above three types of text-based semantic feature extensions, this paper also uses the Bi-directional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) and TextCNN models to extract the global features and local features of the text, respectively. It can obtain the feature representation of the text more comprehensively. Thus, the text matching model integrating BiLSTM and TextCNN fusing Multi-Feature (namely MFBT) is proposed for the insurance question-answering community. The MFBT model aims to solve the problems that affect the answer selection in the insurance question-answering community, such as proper nouns, nonstandard sentences and sparse features. Taking the question-and-answer data of the insurance library as the sample, the MFBT text-matching model is compared and evaluated with other models. The experimental results show that the MFBT text-matching model has higher evaluation index values, including accuracy, recall and F1, than other models. The model trained by historical search data can better help users in the insurance question-and-answer community obtain the answers they need and improve their satisfaction.

A Prospective Review on the Research Progress of Citric Acid Modified Starch.

Citric acid (CA) treatment is a convenient, mild and environmentally friendly strategy to modify the composition, structure and function of starch through hydrolysis and esterification, which expands the application of starch in industry. In this paper, the effects of CA modification on amylose content, amylopectin chain length distribution, microscopic morphology, solubility and swelling ability, thermodynamic properties, gelatinization properties, digestibility properties, texture properties and the film-forming properties of starch were summarized. The application status and development trend of CA modified starch were reviewed, which has important implications for the targeted utilization of CA modified starch in the future.

Construction and validation of the perioral moisture-related skin damage (PMASD) risk prediction model in patients with colorectal cancer.

This study aims to analyse the risk factors of Peristomal Moisture-Associated Skin Damage (PMASD) in colorectal cancer patients, construct a prediction model, and verify its effect. A total of 375 patients who underwent rectal cancer stoma surgery at the Liaoning Cancer Hospital between January and December 2020 were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The clinical data were retrospectively analysed for modelling and internal validation (modelling group). According to the same criteria, the clinical data of 242 patients from January and June 2021 were retrospectively analysed for external validation (validation group). Baseline patient data were recorded. Patients in the modelling group were divided into those with and without PMASD based on the occurrence of PMASD during hospitalisation. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the factors of PMASD and the PMASD nomogram model of colorectal cancer. Internal model validation was performed with the Bootstrap method, using the ROC and H-L goodness of fit test to evaluate the differentiation and calibration of the model. Last, external validation of the model was performed. In the modelling group, 212 patients with colorectal cancer developed PMASD. According to the results of the logistic regression analysis, high fasting plasma glucose and fasting blood glucose (FPG), a history of radiotherapy, the height of the stoma opening (i.e., flat or lower than the skin surface), and skin folds around the stoma are risk factors for PMASD (OR > 1, P < 0.05). The stool shaping and colostomy are protective factors for PMASD in patients with colorectal cancer (OR < 1, P < 0.05). To establish the prediction of colorectal cancer, patient development of PMASD line, graph model, and internal verification was carried out using the Bootstrap method: H-L test P = 0.846, area under curve, area under the ROC curve (0 > 0.75, 95% CI: 0.778-0, AUC = 0.820). The external validation included the H-L test (P = 0.137, AUC [0.862] > 0.75, 95% CI: 0.815-0.909), with the maximum value of the Youden index as the best cut-off value for the model. The ROC curve had a Youden index of 0.559, a sensitivity of 0.877, and a specificity of 0.657. The prompt model area showed good calibration and discrimination. The PMASD in patients with colorectal cancer is affected by defecation traits, the stoma opening height, stoma type, FPG, skin folds around the stoma, and previous radiotherapy history. The nomogram model can provide an effective means to reasonably predict the risk of PMASD in patients with colorectal cancer.

Analyzing Temperature Distribution Patterns on the Facing and Backside Surface: Investigating Combustion Performance of Flame-Retardant Particle Boards Using Aluminum Hypophosphite, Intumescent, and Magnesium Hydroxide Flame Retardants.

Particle boards are manufactured through a hot pressing process using wood materials (natural polymer materials) and adhesive, which find common usage in indoor decorative finishing materials. Flame-retardant particleboard, crucial for fire safety in such applications, undergoes performance analysis that includes assessing temperature distribution across its facing surface and temperature increase on the backside surface during facade combustion, yielding critical insights into fire scenario development. In this study, a compact flame spread apparatus is utilized to examine the flame retardancy and combustion behavior of particle boards, with a specific emphasis on the application of cost-effective flame retardants, encompassing aluminum hypophosphite (ALHP), an intumescent flame retardant (IFR) comprising ammonium polyphosphate (APP), melamine (MEL), and Dipentaerythritol (DPE), alongside magnesium hydroxide (MDH), and their associated combustion characteristics. The D300°C values, representing the vertical distance from the ignition point (IP) to P300°C (the temperature point at 300 °C farthest from IP), are measured using a compact temperature distribution measurement platform. For MDH/PB, APP + MEL + DPE/PB, and ALHP/PB samples, the respective D300°C values of 145.79 mm, 117.81 mm, and 118.57 mm indicate reductions of 11.11%, 28.17%, and 27.71%, compared to the untreated sample's value of 164.02 mm. The particle boards treated with ALHP, IFR, and MDH demonstrated distinct flame-retardant mechanisms. MDH/PB relied on the thermal decomposition of MDH to produce MgO and H2O for flame retardancy, while APP + MEL + DPE/PB achieved flame retardancy through a cross-linked structure with char expansion, polyphosphate, and pyrophosphate during combustion. On the other hand, ALHP/PB attained flame retardancy by reacting with wood materials and adhesives, forming a stable condensed P-N-C structure. This study serves as a performance reference for the production of cost-effective flame-resistant particleboards and offers a practical method for assessing its fire-resistant properties when used as a decorative finishing material on facades in real fire situations.

Fast and Sensitive Determination of Cadmium and Selenium in Rice by Direct Sampling Electrothermal Vaporization Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry.

In this work, a direct solid sampling device based on modified graphite furnace electrothermal vaporization (GF-ETV) with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was established for the simultaneous detection of trace selenium and cadmium in rice samples. A bypass gas was first designed in GF-ETV to improve the device's analytical sensitivity and precision. The ashing and vaporization conditions, the flow rates of the Ar carrier and the bypass gases of ICP-MS were all investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the limits of detection (LODs) for Se and Cd were 0.5 µg kg−1 and 0.16 µg kg−1, respectively; the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of repeated measurements were within 8% (n = 6). The recoveries of Cd and Se in rice samples were in the range of 89−112% compared with the microwave digestion ICP-MS method, indicating good accuracy and precision for the simultaneous detection of Se and Cd in rice matrix. The whole analysis time is <3 min without the sample digestion process, fulfilling the fast detection of Se and Cd in rice samples to protect food safety.

Fast Detection of Cadmium in Chocolate by Solid Sampling Electrothermal Vaporization Atomic Absorption Spectrometry and Its Application on Dietary Exposure Risk Assessment.

In this work, a rapid detection method using solid sampling electrothermal vaporization atomic absorption spectrometry (SS-ETV-AAS) was established for cadmium in chocolate. The instrumental system includes a solid sampling ETV unit, a catalytic pyrolysis furnace, an AAS detector, and a gas supply system with only an air pump and a hydrogen generator. Herein, MgO material with 1.0−1.5 mm particle size was first employed to replace the kaolin filler previously used to further shorten the peak width and to thereby improve the sensitivity. With 350 mL/min of air, a chocolate sample was heated for 25 s from 435 to 464 °C to remove water and organic matrices; then, after supplying 240 mL/min hydrogen and turning down air to 120 mL/min, a N2/H2 mixture gas was formed to accelerate Cd vaporization from chocolate residue under 465 to 765 °C. Under the optimized conditions, the detection limit (LOD) was obviously lowered to 70 pg/g (vs. previous 150 pg/g) with R2 > 0.999; the relative standard deviations (RSD) of repeated measurements for real chocolate samples ranged from 1.5% to 6.4%, indicating a favorable precision; and the Cd recoveries were in the range of 93−107%, proving a satisfied accuracy. Thus, the total analysis time is less than 3 min without the sample digestion process. Thereafter, 78 chocolate samples with different brands from 9 producing countries in China market were collected and measured by this proposed method. Based on the measured Cd concentrations, a dietary exposure assessment was performed for Chinese residents, and the target hazard quotient (THQ) values are all less than 1, proving no significant health risk from intaking chocolate cadmium for Chinese residents.

Pegylated interferon-α-2b combined with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and hepatitis B vaccine treatment for naïve HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients: A prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled study.

Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss or seroconversion is an ideal treatment endpoint for patients with chronic hepatitis B but is rarely achievable in  hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients using existing treatment strategies. In this study, the effect of pegylated interferon (peg-IFN) alfa-2b plus tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and hepatitis B vaccine was evaluated. This randomized controlled trial was conducted at nine liver centers in Chinese university hospitals from May 2018 to July 2020. Patients (n = 303) enrolled were randomly administered peg-IFN-α-2b combined with TDF, GM-CSF, and hepatitis B vaccine (experimental group); peg-IFN-α-2b plus TDF (control group 2); or interferon-α-2b alone (control group 1). The primary efficacy endpoint was HBsAg seroconversion at 48 weeks and the secondary endpoint included safety. No differences in baseline HBsAg levels were observed among the groups. The primary endpoint was achieved in three (3.0%), one (1.03%), and one (1.19%) patient in the experimental group, control group 2, and control group 1, respectively. The incidence of HBsAg seroconversion at week 48 was not significantly different among the three groups (p = 0.629). However, the decrease in serum levels of HBsAg at week 48 was significantly higher in the experimental and control group 2 compared with that in control group 1 (p = 0.008 and 0.006, respectively). No significant difference between the experimental and control group 2 was observed (p = 0.619). Adverse events were not significantly different among the groups except for the lower incidence of neutropenia in the experimental group. Peg-IFN-α-2b combined with TDF, GM-CSF, and hepatitis B vaccine is not superior to peg-IFN-α-2b combined with TDF in HBeAg-positive naïve patients. Clinical Trials Registration: ChiCTR1800016173.