ABSTRACT
Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Stigma Scale for Chronic Illness (SSCI) in patients with stroke. Methods In total, 220 patients with stroke were recruited to complete the scale. The reliability of the SSCI was evaluated using internal consistency and test-retest methods. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to identify domains of the SSCI. Convergent validity was determined by analyzing the correlation between SSCI scores, activities of daily living (ADL) and depression. Results Construct validity was determined by factor analysis, extracting three factors with eigenvalues greater than 1, explaining 30.5%, 25.7%, and 8.5% of the variance, respectively, and accounting for 64.8% of the variance. All items had factor loadings above 0.40. The first factor comprised questions related to 'self-stigma' (items 1-13). The second (items 14-22) and third (items 23-24) factors aggregated questions related to 'enacted stigma'. In terms of convergent validity, the SSCI total scale was moderately correlated to the Barthel Index (BI) and the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). Cronbach's alpha value (internal reliability) for the total SSCI score was 0.949, and the intraclass correlation coefficient value (test-retest reliability) was 0.802. Discussion The results provide initial evidence that the SSCI is a reliable and validated measure for evaluating stigma in stroke patients in China.
Subject(s)
Social Stigma , Stroke/complications , Stroke/psychology , Activities of Daily Living , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , China , Chronic Disease , Depression , Factor Analysis, Statistical , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Psychometrics , Quality of Life , Reproducibility of Results , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli colonizes the human small intestine and causes severe diarrhea. Short-chain fatty acids are abundant in the intestine owing to the metabolic activity of the microflora and are important for intestinal health. Here, we found that acetate promotes the adherence of enteropathogenic E. coli O127:H6 to Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cells and its motility on semi-solid Luria-Bertani agar by activating the expression of locus of enterocyte effacement genes and flagellar genes, respectively. The effect of acetate on locus of enterocyte effacement gene expression is mediated by Ler, the master regulator of locus of enterocyte effacement genes, whereas the regulation of flagellar genes by acetate is dependent on the RNA polymerase sigma factor FliA. Conversely, formate, propionate, and butyrate had little or no effect on enteropathogenic E. coli O127:H6 adherence and motility. Finally, the acetate-mediated regulatory pathway was found to be a widespread mechanism used by a range of enteropathogenic E. coli to mediate bacterial virulence and motility. Therefore, upon entering the human small intestine, enteropathogenic E. coli may respond to the higher acetate level to enhance its virulence and motility, leading to efficient colonization of the target niche.
Subject(s)
Acetates/metabolism , Bacterial Adhesion/physiology , Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli/pathogenicity , Escherichia coli Proteins/genetics , Fatty Acids, Volatile/metabolism , Gastroenteritis/pathology , Intestine, Small/microbiology , Sigma Factor/genetics , Trans-Activators/genetics , Caco-2 Cells , Cell Line, Tumor , Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli/genetics , Gastroenteritis/microbiology , Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial , Humans , Movement/physiologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Numerous systematic reviews of prospective studies on the association of stroke risk with the consumption of various food groups have been published. A review of the evidence across the existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses of prospective studies was conducted to provide an overview of the range and validity of the reported associations of food groups with stroke risk. DESIGN: The PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases were searched for articles published up to September 2015 to identify systematic reviews of prospective studies. RESULTS: A total of eighteen studies published from 2008 to 2015 were eligible for analysis. Overall, thirteen specific foods were studied for an association with stroke outcome, including nuts, legumes, fruits and vegetables, refined grains, whole grains, dairy products, eggs, chocolate, red and/or processed meat, fish, tea, sugar-sweetened beverages and coffee. Whereas a high consumption of nuts, fruits, vegetables, dairy foods, fish and tea, and moderate consumption of coffee and chocolate demonstrated a protective effect, a high consumption of red and/or processed meat was associated with increased stroke risk. Refined grain, sugar-sweetened beverage, legume, egg and whole grain intake showed no effect on stroke outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The current overview provided a high level of evidence to support the beneficial effect of specific foods on stroke outcome. Clinicians and policy makers could inform clinical practice and policy based on this overview.
Subject(s)
Diet , Feeding Behavior , Stroke/etiology , Stroke/prevention & control , Fruit , Humans , Meat , VegetablesABSTRACT
With ultrasonic irradiation as assistance, highly dispersed MoO(3) nanospheres were synthesized using silane coupling agent 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane HS-(CH(2))(3)Si(OCH(3))(3) (MPTS) as figuration agent. The results of X-ray powder diffractometer (XRD) showed that the precursor was hexagonal molybdenum oxide hydrate (MoO(3).0.55H(2)O). It was converted into orthorhombic MoO(3) after annealed at 400 degrees C for 2h. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that MoO(3).0.55H(2)O and MoO(3) nanoparticles were spherical with particle-size distribution of ca. 30-80 nm and 25-75 nm, respectively. Results indicated that MPTS and ultrasonic irradiation played important role in formation of highly dispersed MoO(3) nanospheres. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was also adopted to confirm the growth mechanism. The possible cause of formation was based on dispersion function of ultrasonic irradiation and figuration of MPTS.
Subject(s)
Molybdenum/chemistry , Nanospheres/chemistry , Nanotechnology/instrumentation , Nanotechnology/methods , Silanes/chemistry , Sulfhydryl Compounds/chemistry , Ultrasonics , Chemistry/methods , Microscopy, Electron, Transmission , Organosilicon Compounds , Oxides/chemistry , Temperature , Time Factors , Toluene/chemistry , Water/chemistry , X-Ray DiffractionABSTRACT
Large-scale uniform dumbbell-like ZnO microcrystals were successfully synthesized via a facile solution method under mild conditions. The as-prepared dumbbells, with lengths of 3.5-5.4 microm and diameters of 1.3-1.8 microm, possess a single-crystal hexagonal structure and grow along the [0001] direction. The influence of the reactant concentration on the size and shapes of the ZnO samples had been studied, and the results revealed that the reactant concentration plays a crucial role in determining final morphologies of the samples. Moreover, the evolution process of the dumbbell-like ZnO microcrystals was viewed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) characterization, and a possible formation mechanism was proposed. In addition, optical properties of the ZnO samples prepared at different reaction times were also investigated by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The room-temperature PL spectrum of the dumbbell-like ZnO microcrystals shows a strong UV emission peak. The UV emission is further identified to originate from the radiative free-exciton recombination by the temperature-dependent PL.
