Effectiveness of Rehabilitation Interventions in Individuals With Emerging Virtual Respiratory Tract Infectious Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Assessing rehabilitation effectiveness for persistent symptoms post-infection with emerging viral respiratory diseases. DATA SOURCES: Systematic review of seven databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PEDro, MedRxiv, CNKI, Wanfang) until 30 December 2023. REVIEW METHODS: Evaluated 101 studies (9593 participants) on respiratory function, exercise capacity, and quality of life. Methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's Risk of Bias tool for randomized controlled trials (RCTs), the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for observational studies and non-RCTs, and the NIH Quality Assessment Tools for before-after studies. RESULTS: The most common rehabilitation program combined breathing exercises with aerobic exercise or strength training. Rehabilitation interventions significantly enhanced respiratory function, as evidenced by improvements on the Borg Scale (MD, -1.85; 95% CI, -3.00 to -0.70, low certainty), the mMRC Dyspnea Scale (MD, -0.45; 95% CI, -0.72 to -0.18, low certainty), and the Multidimensional Dyspnoea-12 Scale (MD, -4.64; 95% CI, -6.54 to -2.74, moderate certainty). Exercise capacity also improved, demonstrated by results from the Six-Minute Walk Test (MD, 38.18; 95% CI, 25.33-51.03, moderate certainty) and the Sit-to-Stand Test (MD, 3.04; 95% CI, 1.07-5.01, low certainty). CONCLUSION: Rehabilitation interventions are promising for survivors of viral respiratory diseases, yet gaps in research remain. Future investigations should focus on personalizing rehabilitation efforts, utilizing remote technology-assisted programs, improving research quality, and identifying specific subgroups for customized rehabilitation strategies to achieve the best outcomes for survivors.

Application of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose to improve the wettability of chitosan coating and its preservation performance on tangerine fruits.

Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) was employed as an intermediate layer to enhance interfacial interaction between chitosan (CS) coating and tangerine fruits, thereby improving the preservation effect. Owing to the low surface tension of tangerine fruit (26.04 mN/m), CS coating solutions showed poor wetting properties on fruit peels (contact angle > 100°). However, by applying a 1.0 % (w/v) HPMC coating on fruits, the contact angle of CS solutions with concentrations of 0.5 %, 1.0 %, and 1.5 % (w/v) decreased to 47.0°, 47.4°, and 48.5°, respectively, whereas the spreading coefficient increased to -16.0 mN/m, -17.6 mN/m and -19.8 mN/m, respectively. Subsequently, the effects of the coatings on fruit quality were investigated. The results demonstrated the promising performance of HPMC-CS two-layer coating in inhibiting fruit respiration, reducing decay rate, and maintaining nutrient content. Notably, HPMC-1.5%CS coating not only reduced the decay rate of tangerine fruit by 45 % and 31 %, in comparison to the uncoated group (CK) and pure CS coating respectively, but also maintained a high content of ascorbic acid. Therefore, this study confirmed that the use of amphiphilic polymers for improving the surface properties of fruits can effectively facilitate the wetting of hydrophilic coatings on fruits, and significantly improve the fresh-keeping performance of edible coatings.

Magnetically separable Pd-iron-oxides composites as highly efficient and recyclable catalysts for ultra-rapid degradation and debromination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers.

When precious nano-metals are used as environmental catalysts, it is important to tune the particle sizes and the reusability of the nano-metals for achieving their highly efficient catalytic performance at a low cost. In the present work, magnetic iron oxides (FeOx-Y) nanoparticles were pre-prepared as supports of nano-metals, where Y represented the mole percentage of Fe(III) in the total iron (Y ≥ 50 %). FeOx-Y (support), PdCl42- (Pd source) and NaBH4 (reducing agent) were added into the organic pollutant solution containing 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE47). After the NaBH4 was added, the followed reaction realized not only the rapid in-situ preparation of a Pd-loaded FeOx-Y composite catalyst (Pd-FeOx-Y), but also the ultra-fast and complete debromination of BDE47 within 30 s. Comparing the case without adding FeOx-Y, the debromination efficiency of BDE47 was much promoted in the presence of FeOx-Y. The support-induced enhancing effect on the catalytic ability of Pd nanoparticles was improved by increasing the Fe(III) content in the support, being attributed to the much more hydroxyl groups on the support surface. Considering both the catalytic and recovery abilities of Pd-FeOx-Y, Pd-FeOx-75 was the optimal choice because it could be magnetically recovered and re-used for multiple cycles with high catalytic activities. The presently developed "catalyst preparation-pollutant degradation" one-pot system could be applied to conduct complete debromination of all the PBDEs.

What influences newly graduated registered nurses' intention to leave the nursing profession? An integrative review.

BACKGROUND: Newly graduated registered nurses leaving the nursing profession in the early stages of their career have enormous financial and time implications for nursing organizations and affect the quality of nursing care. OBJECTIVE: To identify the factors influencing newly graduated registered nurses' intention to leave the nursing profession over the past 10 years. METHODS: The framework developed by Whittemore and Knafl was used to conduct this integrative review. An electronic search was conducted for English articles to identify research studies published between 2011-2022 using the following databases of PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus. Eligible publications were critically reviewed and scored using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program Checklist and the Center for Evidence-Based Management appraisal. RESULTS: Twenty-one studies were analyzed. The main factors affecting newly graduated registered nurses' intention to leave the nursing profession included demographic factors (age, educational level, year of experience, professional title, employment status, health status, shift, hospital location and size), supervisor and peer support, challenges in the workplace, cognitive and affective response to work, work environment (collegial nurse-physician relations, insufficient staffing level, person-work environment fit), gender stereotypes, autonomous motivation, role models, and resilience. CONCLUSIONS: The factors affecting newly graduated registered nurses' intention to leave the nursing profession are multifaceted and should receive continuous attention from nurse managers. The findings provide more comprehensive for nurse administrators to develop intervention strategies to mitigate newly graduated registered nurses' turnover intention.

Bacteriology of Different Phenotypes of Chronic Rhinosinusitis.

OBJECTIVES: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) reduces the health-related quality of life and subsequently causes a tremendous socio-economic impact. Although many studies have been conducted, few have identified a relationship between bacteriological characteristics and different phenotypes or endotypes. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the recent trends in bacterial cultures from different types of CRS in the Asian population. METHODS: This retrospective case-control study recruited patients diagnosed with CRS who underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) at a tertiary hospital in Taiwan. The patients were classified into those with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP)/chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps (CRSsNP), eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (eCRS)/non-eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (NECRS), and central compartment atopic disease (CCAD)/lateral-dominant nasal polyp (LDNP) groups. The demographic data and bacteriological characteristics of the groups were analyzed. RESULTS: We included 503 patients, identifying no significant difference between CRSwNP and CRSsNP for several common bacteria in CRS. The number of Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates in culture was significantly higher in the NECRS group (50.46% vs. 32.56%, p = 0.0003) than that in the eCRS group. The number of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA; 8.51% vs. 2.35%, p = 0.0221) positive isolates was significantly higher in the CCAD group than that in the LDNP group. CONCLUSIONS: This was the first study in Asia to analyze the relationship between bacteriological characteristics and CCAD. MRSA is significantly higher in the CCAD group than that in the LDNP group. Recognizing the unique microbiology of CRSwNP, eCRS, and CCAD is crucial when selecting antimicrobial therapy to lessen the socio-economic impact. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Laryngoscope, 134:1071-1076, 2024.

Clinical feature-based diagnosis criteria of eosinophil and non-eosinophil chronic rhinosinusitis in Taiwan.

Background: The prevalence of eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (ECRS) has increased in Taiwan with a higher recurrence rate of nasal polyps after surgery. Therefore, we aimed to formulate the pre-operative diagnostic criteria for patients with ECRS in Taiwan. Methods: This case-control study included patients diagnosed with CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) who underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) at a tertiary hospital in Taiwan. The patients were classified into ECRS and non-eosinophilic CRS (NECRS) groups based on their histopathology. Demographic data, symptom severity scores, and computed tomography findings of the two groups were analyzed. We utilized receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis to evaluate parameters that could predict the diagnosis of ECRS. Results: Total 408 CRSwNP patients were enrolled (ECRS group: 163; NECRS group: 245). ECRS group was strongly associated with asthma (6.1% vs. 2.0%, p = .03), higher blood eosinophil counts (4.3% vs. 2.7%, p < .01), higher serum IgE (285.3 vs. 50.2 IU/mL, p = .02), and higher 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) score (40.5 vs. 36.7, p = .03). The ECRS criteria based on ROC curve included the SNOT-22 (>45, 2 points), serum eosinophil count percentage (>4%, 4 points), asthma (4 points), total serum IgE (>140 IU/mL, 4 points), Lund-Mackay score (>9.5, 4 points), and ethmoid-to-maxillary opacification ratio on CT (>1.5, 5 points). The cutoff score was 14 points (sensitivity, 70.2%; specificity, 93.3%). Conclusions: Clinical-feature-based criteria may predict the diagnosis of ECRS before FESS in Taiwan. Level of Evidence: Level 3.

MmisAT and MmisP: an efficient and accurate suite of variant analysis toolkit for primary mitochondrial diseases.

Recent advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology have greatly accelerated the need for efficient annotation to accurately interpret clinically relevant genetic variants in human diseases. Therefore, it is crucial to develop appropriate analytical tools to improve the interpretation of disease variants. Given the unique genetic characteristics of mitochondria, including haplogroup, heteroplasmy, and maternal inheritance, we developed a suite of variant analysis toolkits specifically designed for primary mitochondrial diseases: the Mitochondrial Missense Variant Annotation Tool (MmisAT) and the Mitochondrial Missense Variant Pathogenicity Predictor (MmisP). MmisAT can handle protein-coding variants from both nuclear DNA and mtDNA and generate 349 annotation types across six categories. It processes 4.78 million variant data in 76 min, making it a valuable resource for clinical and research applications. Additionally, MmisP provides pathogenicity scores to predict the pathogenicity of genetic variations in mitochondrial disease. It has been validated using cross-validation and external datasets and demonstrated higher overall discriminant accuracy with a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve area under the curve (AUC) of 0.94, outperforming existing pathogenicity predictors. In conclusion, the MmisAT is an efficient tool that greatly facilitates the process of variant annotation, expanding the scope of variant annotation information. Furthermore, the development of MmisP provides valuable insights into the creation of disease-specific, phenotype-specific, and even gene-specific predictors of pathogenicity, further advancing our understanding of specific fields.

Water Quality Degradation Due to Heavy Metal Contamination: Health Impacts and Eco-Friendly Approaches for Heavy Metal Remediation.

Water quality depends on its physicochemical and biological parameters. Changes in parameters such as pH, temperature, and essential and non-essential trace metals in water can render it unfit for human use. Moreover, the characteristics of the local environment, geological processes, geochemistry, and hydrological properties of water sources also affect water quality. Generally, groundwater is utilized for drinking purposes all over the globe. The surface is also utilized for human use and industrial purposes. There are several natural and anthropogenic activities responsible for the heavy metal contamination of water. Industrial sources, including coal washery, steel industry, food processing industry, plastic processing, metallic work, leather tanning, etc., are responsible for heavy metal contamination in water. Domestic and agricultural waste is also responsible for hazardous metallic contamination in water. Contaminated water with heavy metal ions like Cr (VI), Cd (II), Pb (II), As (V and III), Hg (II), Ni (II), and Cu (II) is responsible for several health issues in humans, like liver failure, kidney damage, gastric and skin cancer, mental disorders and harmful effects on the reproductive system. Hence, the evaluation of heavy metal contamination in water and its removal is needed. There are several physicochemical methods that are available for the removal of heavy metals from water, but these methods are expensive and generate large amounts of secondary pollutants. Biological methods are considered cost-effective and eco-friendly methods for the remediation of metallic contaminants from water. In this review, we focused on water contamination with toxic heavy metals and their toxicity and eco-friendly bioremediation approaches.

Molecular epidemiology and phylogenetic analyses of human adenovirus in pediatric patients with acute respiratory infections from Hangzhou during COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Acute Respiratory Infections (ARIs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Human Adenovirus (HAdV), responsible for 5%-10% of children's ARIs, is one of the most prevalent pathogens. Our study aimed to analyze the epidemiology and phylogenesis of HAdV in pediatric patients with ARIs in Hangzhou during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Between November 2020 and March 2021, we collected 1,442 nasopharyngeal swabs from children with ARIs at Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine. Epidemiological statistics, phylogenetic and amino acid (AA) mutation analysis were conducted. Results: Our findings revealed that 386 (26.77%) samples tested positive for HAdV, with the highest rate in children aged 6-18 years and the lowest in children aged 0-1 year, indicating a different age preference of HAdV compared with pre-pandemic period. Outpatients had a significantly higher positive rate than inpatients. Moreover, patients with HAdV-coinfection exhibited more severe clinical symptoms than those with HAdV-single infection. Our phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that species HAdV-C (type 1, 2, 6) were the predominant circulating strains in Hangzhou during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further AA mutation analysis identified seventeen mutations of particular concern for biological characterization. Conclusion: In conclusion, our study provides valuable epidemiological and molecular data that will aid in epidemiological surveillance, antiviral therapies and the development of specific vaccine types, leading to improve public health.

Association of IL-4 and IL-18 genetic polymorphisms with atopic dermatitis in Chinese children.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease, adversely affecting nearly 20% of the pediatric population worldwide. Interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-18 (IL-18) are considered to be involved in the pathogenesis and development of AD. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of IL-4 and IL-18 gene polymorphisms with the susceptibility and severity of AD in Chinese children. Methods: Six candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IL-4 and IL-18 genes were genotyped through multi-PCR combined with next-generation sequencing in 132 AD children and 100 healthy controls, and all the analyses were performed on blood genome DNA. Results: The frequencies of G allele, CG genotype and CG + GG genotype of IL-4 rs2243283, as well as the haplotype IL-4/GTT (rs2243283-rs2243250-rs2243248) were all significantly decreased in AD patients compared with the controls [G vs. C: P = 0.033, OR = 0.59; CG vs. CC: P = 0.024, OR = 0.47; CG + GG vs. CC: P = 0.012, OR = 0.49; GTT vs. CCT: P = 0.011, OR = 0.65]. Moreover, the frequencies of A allele, AA genotype and AG + AA genotype of IL-18 rs7106524, along with the haplotype IL-18/CAA (rs187238-rs360718-rs7106524) were statistically increased in the severe AD patients (A vs. G: P < 0.001, OR = 2.79; AA vs. GG: P = 0.003, OR = 5.51; AG + AA vs. GG: P = 0.036, OR = 2.93; CAA vs. CAG: P = 0.001, OR = 2.86). Conclusions: Our findings suggested that genetic variation in IL-4 rs2243283 such as G allele, CG genotype and CG + GG genotype might confer the reduced susceptibility to AD in Chinese children. Furthermore, A allele, AA genotype and AG + AA genotype of IL-18 rs7106524 explored the strong association with severity in Chinese AD children.

Association between IL-6 polymorphisms and Atopic Dermatitis in Chinese Han children.

Introduction: Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that affects almost 20% of children and 2 -10% of adults worldwide. Previous studies revealed that Interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays an essential role in autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases. This study aims to investigate the associations between IL-6 polymorphisms and AD. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 132 AD patients and 100 controls, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IL-6 (rs2069840 (C/G), rs2066992 (G/T), rs2069837 (A/G) and rs1800796 (G/C)) were analyzed using Multiplex PCR-Based Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). Results: Results showed that the A/G genotype of IL-6/rs2069837 was significantly associated with a 1.933-fold increased risk of AD compared to those patients with A/A genotype (OR 1.933; 95%CI 1.086-3.438; p=0.024). The combined A/G-G/G genotype raised AD risk by 1.856 times compared to patients with the A/A genotype in dominant model (OR: 1.856; 95% CI: 1.056-3.261; p=0.030). No association was observed for 3 other SNPs and 4 haplotypes. Discussion: These findings suggested that the A/G genotype of IL-6/rs2069837 was more susceptible to AD than A/A genotype in Chinese Han children, indicating the risk role of IL-6/rs2069837 in the occurrence of AD.

Na+ Migration Mediated Phase Transitions Induced by Electric Field in the Framework Structured Tungsten Bronze.

Framework structured tungsten bronzes serve as promising candidates for electrode materials in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, the tungsten bronze framework structure changes drastically as mediated by the sodium ion concentration at high temperatures. While the three-dimensional ion channels facilitate fast ion storage and transport capabilities, the structural instability induced by Na+ migration is a big concern regarding the battery performance and safety, which unfortunately remains elusive. Here, we show the real-time experimental evidence of the phase transitions in framework structured Na0.36WO3.14 (triclinic phase) by applying different external voltages. The Na+-rich (Na0.48WO3, tetragonal phase) or -deficient (NaxWO3, x < 0.36, hexagonal phase) phase nucleates under the positive or negative bias, respectively. Combined with the theoretical calculations, the atomistic phase transition mechanisms associated with the Na+ migration are directly uncovered. Our work sheds light on the phase instability in sodium tungsten bronzes and paves the way for designing advanced SIBs with high-stability.

High red blood cell distribution width is associated with the mortality of critically ill cancer patients: A propensity-matching study.

BACKGROUND: The red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is related to the mortality of patients with malignant tumors, but the relationship between RDW and the prognosis of cancer patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) has not been fully clarified. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the role of RDW in predicting the prognosis of critically ill cancer patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A propensity score matching (PSM) study was conducted using data from adult patients with cancer, admitted to the ICU from the Intensive Care Medical Information Market IV (MIMIC-IV, v. 1.4) database. The correlation between RDW and ICU all-cause mortality was evaluated using a logistic regression model; stratification factors were considered. Additionally, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to compare the prognostic values of various blood biomarkers. RESULTS: Overall, 4836 cancer patients were included. The optimal critical RDW value was 15%. The RDW levels were independently correlated with ICU mortality in critically ill cancer patients, with odds ratios (ORs) of 1.56 (1.12-2.18) in the original cohort, 1.64 (1.27-2.12) in the imputation cohort, 1.65 (1.22-2.24) in the matched cohort, and 1.55 (1.19-2.03) in the weighted cohort. The forecasted performance of RDW is better than other blood biomarkers with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.637 (0.591-0.683). CONCLUSIONS: The RDW has a prognostic value in critically ill cancer patients and a high RDW is independently associated with high mortality.

Investigation of Antibody Levels During Three Doses of Sinopharm/BBIBP Vaccine Inoculation.

Levels of neutralizing antibodies (NAb) after vaccine against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can be detected using a variety of methods. A critical challenge is how to apply simple and accurate methods to assess vaccine effect. In a population inoculated with three doses of the inactivated Sinopharm/BBIBP vaccine, we assessed the performance of chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) in its implementation to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) specific antibodies, as well as the antibody kinetics of healthcare workers throughout the course of vaccination. The antibody levels of NAb, the receptor-binding-domain (RBD) antibodies and IgG peaked one month after the second and remained at a relatively high level for over three months after the booster injection, while IgM and IgA levels remained consistently low throughout the course of vaccination. The production of high-level neutralizing antibodies is more likely when the inoculation interval between the first two doses is within the range of one to two months, and that between the first and booster dose is within 230 days. CLIA showed excellent consistency and correlation between NAb, RBD, and IgG antibodies with the cytopathic effect (CPE) conventional virus neutralization test (VNT). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that the optimal cut-off levels of NAb, RBD and IgG were 61.77 AU/ml, 37.86 AU/ml and 4.64 AU/ml, with sensitivity of 0.833, 0.796 and 0.944, and specificity of 0.768, 0.750 and 0.625, respectively, which can be utilized as reliable indicators of COVID-19 vaccination immunity detection.

Broad and durable antibody response after vaccination with inactivated SARS-CoV-2 in individuals with a history of 2003 SARS-CoV infection.

In vaccinees who were infected with SARS-CoV in 2003, we observed greater antibody responses against spike and nucleoprotein of both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV after a single dosage of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. After receiving the second vaccination, antibodies against RBD of SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan, Beta, Delta, and recently emerged Omicron are significantly higher in SARS-CoV experienced vaccinees than in SARS-CoV naïve vaccinees. Neutralizing activities measured by authentic viruses and pseudoviruses of SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan, Beta, and Delta are greater in SARS-CoV experienced vaccinees. In contrast, only weak neutralizing activities against SARS-CoV-2 and variants were detected in SARS-CoV naïve vaccinees. By 6 months after the second vaccination, neutralizing activities were maintained at a relatively higher level in SARS-CoV experienced vaccinees but were undetectable in SARS-CoV naïve vaccinees. These findings suggested a great possibility of developing a universal vaccine by heterologous vaccination using spike antigens from different SARS-related coronaviruses.

TLR4 polymorphisms as potential predictors of atopic dermatitis in Chinese Han children.

BACKGROUND: Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is considered to be involved in the pathogenesis and progression of atopic dermatitis (AD). In the present study, we evaluated the relationship between TLR4 gene polymorphisms and the susceptibility or severity of AD among Chinese Han children. METHODS: A total of 132 AD patients and 100 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs19277914, rs11536891, rs7869402, and rs11536889) of the TLR4 gene were genotyped by multiplex PCR combined with next-generation sequencing. RESULTS: Our results showed that a significantly reduced risk for AD was associated with C allele [p = 0.008; odds ratio (OR) = 0.41, C vs. T], TC genotype (p = 0.022; OR = 0.41, TC vs. TT), and TC + CC genotype (p = 0.010; OR = 0.39, TC + CC vs. TT) of TLR4 rs11536891. The frequency of the haplotype GCCG (rs1927914-rs11536891-rs7869402-rs11536889) in AD patients was lower than that in the controls (p = 0.010; OR = 0.38). Moreover, the results indicated that a higher risk of severe AD was related to the T allele (p = 0.019; OR = 2.97, T vs. C) and the TC genotype (p = 0.021; OR = 3.34, TC vs. CC) of TLR4 rs7869402. A risk haplotype of TLR4 (GTTG) was found in severe AD patients (p = 0.010; OR = 5.26). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggested that TLR4 rs11536891 polymorphism was associated with the susceptibility to AD in Chinese Han children. And TLR4 rs7869402 might confer the severity of pediatric AD patients.

A comparison of central compartment atopic disease and lateral dominant nasal polyps.

BACKGROUND: The characteristics and surgical outcomes of central compartment atopic disease (CCAD) vary by region and race. Therefore, we aimed to identify the risk factors, symptom severity, and prognosis of CCAD in the Asian population. METHODS: This case-control study recruited patients diagnosed with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps who underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) at a tertiary hospital in Taiwan. Patients were classified into CCAD and lateral-dominant nasal polyp (LDNP) groups based on endoscopic and computed tomography imaging findings. The demographic data, symptom severity scores, and surgical outcomes of the 2 groups were analyzed. RESULTS: Our study included 442 patients (CCAD group: n = 51; LDNP group: n = 391). We found that CCAD was strongly related to both asthma (9.8% vs 3.5%, p = 0.04) and allergic rhinitis symptoms (43.3% vs 26.6%, p = 0.01). Higher eosinophil counts were detected in blood serum (5.8% vs 2.8%, p < 0.01) and histopathologic profiles (57.0 vs 17.3, p < 0.01) among patients with CCAD. Improvements in 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) score and mucociliary clearance time (MCT) after surgical intervention revealed that the CCAD group had a better response to FESS (SNOT-22 score: -31.82 vs -22.66, p < 0.01; MCT: -233.06 vs -191.93 seconds, p = 0.03). The revision FESS rate was not different between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: Polyps originating from the central compartment were found to be related to asthma and allergic rhinitis in Taiwanese patients. A higher eosinophil count was suggested in both serum and local nasal tissue from patients with CCAD. FESS serves as an effective treatment for symptom relief in patients with CCAD.

Room-temperature oxygen vacancy migration induced reversible phase transformation during the anelastic deformation in CuO.

From the mechanical perspectives, the influence of point defects is generally considered at high temperature, especially when the creep deformation dominates. Here, we show the stress-induced reversible oxygen vacancy migration in CuO nanowires at room temperature, causing the unanticipated anelastic deformation. The anelastic strain is associated with the nucleation of oxygen-deficient CuOx phase, which gradually transforms back to CuO after stress releasing, leading to the gradual recovery of the nanowire shape. Detailed analysis reveals an oxygen deficient metastable CuOx phase that has been overlooked in the literatures. Both theoretical and experimental investigations faithfully predict the oxygen vacancy diffusion pathways in CuO. Our finding facilitates a better understanding of the complicated mechanical behaviors in materials, which could also be relevant across multiple scientific disciplines, such as high-temperature superconductivity and solid-state chemistry in Cu-O compounds, etc.

Zein-Polyglycerol Conjugates with Enhanced Water Solubility and Stabilization of High Oil Loading Emulsion.

To increase the water solubility of zein as a stabilizing agent for oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions, three zein-polyglycerol (Zein-PG) conjugates, Zein-PG-2, Zein-PG-6, and Zein-PG-10, were prepared by dehydration between zein and polyglycerol aldehydes obtained by NaIO4 oxidation of polyglycerol-2, -6, and -10 and characterized by free amine content, grafting degree, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectra. All conjugates dispersed in water as nanoparticles were verified by transmission electron microscopy. Conjugation with PG changed the isoelectric point of zein from 6.2 to 6.8 and to 4.0. Zein-PG-6 and Zein-PG-10 showed strong stabilization on the O/W emulsions with 18-fold loading of soybean oil on the basis of conjugate mass, displaying high oil loading capacity. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) confirmed the O/W structure of emulsions and that the absorption of Zein-PG-10 on the oil droplet surface offered the driving force to be stable. The present Zein-PG conjugates thus produced an enticing resource for use as nanocarriers or bioemulsifiers in food or pharmaceutical industries.

Improved Physicochemical Properties of Curcumin-Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Stabilized by Sodium Caseinate-Lactose Maillard Conjugate.

To improve the water solubility, antioxidant activity, and chemical stability of curcumin, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) were fabricated using equal masses of propylene glycol monopalmitate and glyceryl monostearate as the lipid matrix and sodium caseinate-lactose (NaCas-Lac) Maillard conjugate as the emulsifier. The entrapment efficiency was more than 90% when curcumin was 2.5% and 5.0% of lipid mass, and the SLNs were stable during 30-day storage. SLNs stabilized by NaCas-Lac showed better physicochemical properties than those prepared with NaCas, including higher sphericity and homogeneity; higher entrapment efficiency; better stability against pH, ionic strength, and simulated gastrointestinal digestions; and more controlled release. SLNs also greatly enhanced the antioxidant activity of encapsulated curcumin and the retention of curcumin during storage. Therefore, the present SLNs may find applications to deliver lipophilic compounds in functional foods and beverages.