Relation of postoperative serum S100A12 levels to delirium and cognitive dysfunction occurring after hip fracture surgery in elderly patients.

OBJECTIVE: Brain injury is implicated in pathogenesis of postoperative delirium (POD) and cognitive dysfunction (POCD). S100A12 is involved in inflammatory process and is recently known as a biomarker for brain injury. Herein, we clarified whether serum S100A12 levels are related to POD and POCD after hip fracture surgery in elderly patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective, observational study, we gauged S100A12 levels in preoperative and postoperative serum from 186 patients and serum from 186 controls. Patients were categorized according to the presence of POD and POCD. RESULTS: Postoperative, but not preoperative serum S100A12 levels were significantly higher in patients than in controls. There was a positive and independent correlation between postoperative C-reactive protein and S100A12 levels (t = 8.797, p < 0.001). Postoperative S10012 levels and age were independently associated with the risk of developing POD (S100A12 levels: odds ratio [OR] = 1.166, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.045-2.087, p = 0.001; age: OR = 1.243, 95% CI = 1.073-1.419, p = 0.012) and POCD (S100A12: OR = 1.157, 95% CI = 1.030-1.986, p = 0.003; age: OR = 1.228, 95% CI = 1.054-1.387, p = 0.014). In terms of area under receiver operating characteristic curve, postoperative S100A12 levels had a higher predictive ability than age and their combination dramatically exceeded that of each one alone. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative elevated serum S100A12 levels have a strong relation to inflammation and are associated independently with the development of POD and POCD, substantializing serum S100A12 as a potential biomarker for predicting POD and POCD in elderly patients undergoing hip fracture surgery.

Electrochemistry-mass spectrometry for mechanism study of oxygen reduction at water/oil interface.

Electrochemistry methods have been widely employed in the development of renewable energy, and involved in various processes, e.g. water splitting and oxygen reduction. Remarkable progress notwithstanding, there are still many challenges in further optimization of catalysts to achieve high performance. For this purpose, an in-depth understanding of reaction mechanism is needed. In this study, an electrochemistry-mass spectrometry method based on a Y-shaped dual-channel microchip as electrochemical cell and ionization device was demonstrated. Combined solutions of aqueous phase and oil phase were introduced into mass spectrometer directly when electrochemical reactions were happening to study the reduction of oxygen by decamethylferrocene or tetrathiafulvalene under the catalysis of a metal-free porphyrin, tetraphenylporphyrin, at water/1,2-dichloroethane interfaces. Monoprotonated and diprotonated tetraphenylporphyrin were detected by mass spectrometer, confirming the previously proposed mechanism of the oxygen reduction reaction. This work offers a new approach to study electrochemical reactions at liquid-liquid interface.

Synovial fluid concentrations of cold-inducible RNA-binding protein are associated with severity in knee osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND: Cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine. We determined whether serum or synovial fluid concentrations are associated with severity in osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: CIRP concentrations in serum and synovial fluid from 156 knee OA patients and serum from 156 controls were determined. The Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) grade, Lequesne index and Western Ontario McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain score were used to assess radiographic, clinical severity and pain severity respectively. Their scores were dichotomized based on their median values. RESULTS: OA patients had similar serum CIRP concentrations compared to controls. In OA patients, CIRP concentrations in synovial fluid were dramatically higher compared to, but not correlated with paired serum samples. CIRP concentrations in synovial fluid were significantly correlated with synovial fluid or serum C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor- alpha and interleukin-6 concentrations, KL grade, Lequesne index and WOMAC pain score. Synovial fluid CIRP concentrations were independently related to the KL grade>2, Lequesne index >13 and WOMAC pain score>12. Under receiver operating characteristic curves, Synovial fluid CIRP concentrations significantly predicted them. CONCLUSIONS: Increased synovial fluid CIRP concentrations were closely associated with the severity, substantializing CIRP as a potential marker for synovial inflammation of OA.

[Resolution of overlapping Raman signals based on an adaptiveI immune algorithm].

Raman spectroscopy can be used in situ real-time measurement because it's rapid, and it is helpful to real-time online monitoring of process control. With the complexity of the environment and the characteristics of Raman signal, it is hard to avoid some overlapping spectrum peaks. Based on the advantage of immune algorithm, an immune algorithm (IA) was applied to the overlapping Raman signals of aromatics. With extraction of each single Raman spectrum peak signal from the mixture signals for resolution, Results show that the method is effective to identify the overlapped Raman signal for its fast resolution and accurate quantitative determination with the relative error less than 1%. For the overlapping Raman signals with fluorescence background disturbance, we proposed an adaptive immune algorithm, which is combined with independent component analysis. It can effectively resolve the fluorescence background signal, and it provides a new way for Raman spectra analysis of complex samples.