Plasmonic cellulose microfilament assisted SERS detection in microfluidics.

Limited by the narrow enhanced area of nanoscale on the metal surface, the sensitivity of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) detection in solution is usually much lower than the detection in a solid substrate, which is dramatic in microfluidics for online detection. In this work, a cellulose microfilament embraced by Ag nanoparticles, called plasmonic cellulose microfilament, is located in a microchannel for SERS detection in microfluidics. Benefiting from the congestion caused by the plasmonic cellulose microfilament in a microchannel, the trace molecule in the solution is much easier to gather in Ag nanoparticles for Raman enhancement. To obtain high sensitivity, the structure of plasmonic cellulose microfilament is optimized. The SERS spectra collected in this novel microfluidics demonstrate that the plasmonic cellulose microfilament presents a high sensitivity at 10-13 M and good reproducibility in SERS detection. In addition, automatic identification of urea presence or absence was achieved based on deep learning (DL) here. The results show excellent diagnostic accuracy (99 %), which suggests that a fast, label-free urea screening tool can be developed. These results point out this SERS microfluidics with plasmonic cellulose microfilament has a great application prospective in online SERS detection with high sensitivity.

Mxenes-Au NP Hybrid Plasmonic 2D Microplates in Microfluidics for SERS Detection.

Combined with microfluidics, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) exhibits huge application prospective in sensitive online detection. In current studies, the design and optimization of plasmonic enhanced structures in microfluidics for SERS detection could be an interesting challenge. In this work, hybrid plasmonic 2D microplates composed of Mxenes (Ti3C2Tx) microplates and in-situ synthesized Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) are fabricated in a microchannel for enhanced structures in SERS microfluidics. Benefiting from the 2D Mxenes microplates with complex distributions, the enhanced areas generated by Au NPs are quite enlarged in a microchannel, which exhibits high sensitivity in SERS detection at 10-10 M for Nile blue (NB) molecules in microfluidics. The mechanism of electromagnetic enhancement (EM) and chemical enhancement (CM) is analyzed. The experimental data indicate the ultrasonic times of Mxenes and the concentration of Au3+ play important roles in the sensitivity of SERS detection, which is confirmed by the simulated electric field distributions. Furthermore, a typical pesticide (thiram) at 100 ppm in water is detected on these SERS microfluidics with hybrid plasmonic enhanced structures, which demonstrates that our work not only strengthens the knowledge of plasmonics but also enlarges the application of SERS.

Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Family Resilience Questionnaire (FaRE Questionnaire) in patients with breast cancer: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Family Resilience (FaRE) Questionnaire among patients with breast cancer in China. DESIGN: It was a cross-sectional study, which involved translation, back-translation, cultural adjustment and psychometric testing of a 24-item FaRE Questionnaire. SETTING: Three tertiary hospitals in Zhengzhou, China: respectively are the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Second Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University and Henan Provincial People's hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 559 patients with breast cancer volunteered to participate in the study PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Data analysis was performed using the IBM SPSS software V.21.0 and AMOS software V.21.0. Cronbach's α coefficient was used to examine the internal consistency. The test-retest reliability was calculated using the intraclass correlation coefficient on 30 participants. The content validity index was calculated based on the values obtained from six expert opinions. Construct validity test was performed using factor analysis including exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS: For the Chinese version of FaRE Questionnaire, the Cronbach's α coefficient of the total questionnaire was 0.909, and Cronbach's α coefficients of four factors were 0.902, 0.932, 0.905 and 0.963, respectively. The test-retest reliability index of the total questionnaire was 0.905. The Scale-Content Validity Index was 0.97, and Item-Content Validity Index ranged from 0.83 to 1.00. The questionnaire included 24 items, exploratory factor analysis extracted four factors with loading >0.4, which could explain 72.146% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis showed the Chinese version of FaRE Questionnaire had an excellent four-factor model consistent with the original questionnaire. CONCLUSION: The Chinese version of FaRE Questionnaire has acceptable reliability and validity among patients with breast cancer in China. It can effectively assess family resilience and provide basis for personalised family resilience interventions for patients with breast cancer.

Efficacy of escitalopram for poststroke depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Depression is very common after stroke, causing multiple sequelae. We aimed to explore the efficacy of escitalopram for poststroke depression (PSD). PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Clinical trials. gov, Wan fang Data (Chinese), VIP (Chinese) and CNKI (Chinese) were retrieved from inception to May 2021. We recruited Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) which met the inclusion criteria in our study. The depression rating scores, the incidence of PSD, adverse events as well as functional outcomes were analyzed. 11 studies and 1374 participants were recruited in our work. The results were depicted: the reduction of depression rating scores was significant in the escitalopram groups and the standard mean difference (SMD) was - 1.25 (P < 0.001), 95% confidence interval (95% CI), - 1.82 to - 0.68; the risk ratio (RR) of the incidence of PSD was 0.52 (95% CI, 0.29 to 0.91; P = 0.007 < 0.05), which was significantly lower in the escitalopram groups; Escitalopram is safe for stroke patients; there was improvement of the motor function. However, in sensitivity analyses, the conclusions of the motor function and the incidence of drowsiness were altered. The study suggests that escitalopram has a potentially effective role compared with control groups and demonstrates escitalopram is safe. However, the results of the motor function and the incidence of drowsiness should be considered carefully and remain to be discussed in the future.

The efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture against urinary incontinence after stroke: A protocol for systematic review and meta analysis.

BACKGROUND: Urinary incontinence (UI) is still a persistent challenge in many stroke survivors, affecting the quality of life and emotional being of these individuals. Numerous studies have demonstrated the curative effect of electroacupuncture on post-stroke incontinence, however they were mired with questionable quality and inconsistencies in safety and efficacy. Therefore, the main objective of this meta-analysis is to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture against urinary incontinence after stroke, with a view of providing more reliable evidence-based solutions for UI. METHODS: A systematic literature search will be conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, and 4 Chinese databases from inception to June 2020 to identify randomized control trials that report on electroacupuncture against urinary incontinence after stroke. Two reviewers will independently identify eligible studies and extract data. The risk of bias of the included randomized control trials will be evaluated according to the Cochrane tool. Risk ratio and 95% confidence intervals will be used to estimate the efficacy of treatment,. and the grading of recommendations, assessment, development, and evaluation approach to rate the certainty of evidence. The statistical heterogeneity will be evaluated by Cochran's Q and the I. Data will be analyzed using Stata software (Version 13.0, Stata Corp, College Station, TX, USA). RESULTS: This study will provide a comprehensive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture against UI after stroke, with a view of providing more reliable evidence-based solutions for UI. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This work synthesises evidence from previously published studies and does not require ethics review or approval. A manuscript describing the findings will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202050073.

Effect of sertraline in the treatment and prevention of poststroke depression: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Morbidity of poststroke depression (PSD) remains high worldwide. Additionally, PSD causes multiple sequelae. Although sertraline has been reported to be effective in treating PSD, many studies remain inconsistent. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Clinical trials. gov, Wan fang Data (Chinese), VIP (Chinese), and CNKI (Chinese) were retrieved from inception to April 2017. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and self-controlled trials (SCTs) were recruited, which met the inclusion criteria in our study. The depression rating scores, the incidence of PSD, activities of daily living (ADL), neurological impairment scores, and adverse effects were assessed. RESULTS: Around 11 studies were recruited in our work, including 1258 participants. For trials enrolled, the results were depicted: the reduction of depression rating scores was significant in sertraline groups (WMD -6.38; 95% CI -8.63 to -4.14; P < .00001); the incidence of PSD was significantly lower in sertraline groups (RR 0.48; 95%CI 0.35-0.67; P < .0001); there was obvious improvement of ADL (WMD 11.48; 95% CI 4.18-18.78; P = .002 <0.05) and neurological impairment (WMD -3.44; 95% CI -6.66 to -0.21; P = .04 <0.05); no significant difference between sertraline and control groups in the morbidity of adverse events (RR 0.94; 95% CI 0.83-1.06; P = .33 >0.05). However, in sensitivity analyses, the conclusions of the reduction of depression rating scores and the improvement of ADL were altered. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that sertraline has a potentially protective role compared with control groups and demonstrates sertraline is safe. However, the reduction of depression rating scores and the improvement of ADL should be considered carefully.