Constructing an evaluation model for the comprehensive level of sustainable development of provincial competitive sports in China based on DPSIR and MCDM.

This study focuses on the objective assessment of sport development in socio-economic environments, considering the challenges faced by the industry. These challenges include disparities in regional investments, limited market participation, slow progress towards sports professionalization, and insufficient technological innovations. To tackle these challenges, we suggest implementing an integrated evaluation model that follows the DPSIR (Drivers, Pressures, States, Impacts, Responses) framework and incorporates comprehensive socioeconomic indicators. Subsequently, we utilized the Entropy power method and TOPSIS (Order Preference Technique for Similarity to an Ideal Solution, TOPSIS) analysis to comprehensively assess the progress of competitive sports development in 31 provinces and cities in China. Additionally, we recommended further developments in competitive sports and proposed precise strategies for promoting its growth. The framework and methodology developed in this paper provide an objective and scientifically based set of decision-making guidelines that can be adopted by government agencies and related industries in order to create successful plans that promote the sustainable growth of competitive sport. This is expected to bolster the nation's global influence, enhance social unity, and fuel economic expansion. The findings of this study offer policymakers valuable insights regarding competitive sports and can advance the development of the sports sector in China, thus making it a crucial driver of regional socio-economic progress.

The beneficial effect of synbiotics consumption on Alzheimer's disease mouse model via reducing local and systemic inflammation.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that impairs multiple memory domains without an effective prevention or treatment approach. Amyloid plaque-induced neuroinflammation exacerbates neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment in AD. To reduce neuroinflammation, we applied prebiotics or synbiotics to modulate the gut-brain axis in the AD mouse model. AD-like deficits were reduced in mice treated with synbiotics, suggesting that dietary modulation of the gut-brain axis is a potential approach to delay AD progression.

Harmonizing Formula Prescription Patterns in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: Harmonizing formulas are associated with beneficial renal outcomes in chronic kidney disease (CKD), but the therapeutic mechanisms are unclear. The study aims to explore the associations of intentions and independent factors with harmonizing formulas prescriptions for patients with CKD. Methods: We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study to explore factors associated with harmonizing formulas prescription. Patients who had been prescribed harmonizing formulas after CKD diagnosis was defined as the using harmonizing formulas group. Disease diagnoses when having harmonizing formula prescriptions and patient characteristics related to these prescriptions were collected. Results: In total, 24,971 patients were enrolled in this analysis, and 5,237 (21%) patients were prescribed harmonizing formulas after CKD diagnosis. The three most frequent systematic diseases and related health problems for which harmonizing formula prescriptions were issued in CKD were symptoms, signs, and ill-defined conditions (24.5%), diseases of the digestive system (20.67%), and diseases of the musculoskeletal system (12.9%). Higher likelihoods of harmonizing formula prescriptions were associated with young age (adjusted odds ratio: 0.98, 95% confidence interval: 0.97-0.98), female sex (1.79, 1.68-1.91), no diabetes (1.20, 1.06-1.36), no hypertension (1.38, 1.27-1.50), no cerebrovascular disease (1.34, 1.14-1.56), less disease severity (0.85, 0.83-0.88), using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (1.65, 1.54-1.78), and using analgesic drugs other than NSAIDs (1.47, 1.35-1.59). Conclusion: Harmonizing formulas are commonly used for treating symptoms of the digestive and musculoskeletal systems in CKD cases. Further research on harmonizing formula effectiveness with regard to particular characteristics of CKD patients is warranted.

Association of prescribed Chinese herbal medicine use with risk of end-stage renal disease in patients with chronic kidney disease.

The evidence on whether Chinese herbal medicines affect outcome in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is limited. Here we retrospectively explored the association of prescribed Chinese herbal medicine use and the risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in patients with CKD. Patients with newly diagnosed CKD in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 2000 to 2005 were categorized into new use or nonuse of prescribed Chinese herbal medicine groups. These patients were followed until death, dialysis initiation, or till the end of 2008. Among the 24,971 study patients, 11,351 were new users of prescribed Chinese herbal medicine after CKD diagnosis. Overall, after adjustment for confounding variables, the use group exhibited a significant 60% reduced ESRD risk (cause-specific hazard ratio 0.41, 95% confidence interval 0.37-0.46) compared with the nonuse group. The change was significantly large among patients using wind dampness-dispelling formulas (0.63, 0.51-0.77) or harmonizing formulas (0.59, 0.46-0.74), suggesting an independent association between specific Chinese herbal medicines and reduced ESRD risk. The findings were confirmed using propensity score matching, stratified analyses, and three weighting methods. However, dampness-dispelling and purgative formulas were associated with increased ESRD risk. Thus, specific Chinese herbal medicines are associated with reduced or enhanced ESRD risk in patients with CKD.

The combined effect of individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status on nasopharyngeal cancer survival.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and mortality rates in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is unknown. This population-based study aimed to examine the association between SES and survival of patients with NPC in Taiwan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A population-based follow-up study was conducted of 4691 patients diagnosed with NPC between 2002 and 2006. Each patient was traced to death or for 5 years. Individual SES was defined by enrollee job category. Neighborhood SES was based on household income dichotomized into advantaged and disadvantaged areas. Cox proportional hazards model was used to compare the death-free survival rates between the different SES groups after adjusting for possible confounding factors and risk factors. RESULTS: In NPC patients below the age of 65 years, 5-year overall survival rates were worst for those with low individual SES living in disadvantaged neighborhoods. After adjusting for patient characteristics (age, gender, Charlson Comorbidity Index Score), NPC patients with low individual SES residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods were found to have a 2-fold higher risk of mortality than patients with high individual SES residing in advantaged neighborhoods. We found no significant difference in mortality rates between different SES groups in NPC patients aged 65 and above. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that NPC patients with low individual SES who live in disadvantaged neighborhoods have the higher risk of mortality than their more privileged counterparts. Public health strategies and welfare policies would be well advised to try to offset the inequalities in health care and pay more attention to addressing the needs of this vulnerable group.

Structural analysis of cyclic-loaded nickel-titanium rotary instruments by using resonance frequency as a parameter.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between fatigue life and resonance frequency (RF) of various types of nickel-titanium (NiTi) rotary instruments. In addition, the influence of NiTi instruments with different manufacturing methods on cyclic loading was evaluated by using RF as a parameter. METHODS: Twenty-eight ProFile instruments and 10 Twisted File instruments were subjected to cyclic fatigue-loading until fracture by repeated preparation with simulated root canals made of clear resin. The RF of each sample was recorded immediately after the simulated canal block was prepared. For each sample, the microscopic images on the fracture surface, change in lengthening deformation, number of canal blocks prepared, and corresponding RF changes were recorded. RESULTS: For all the tested instruments, RF values decreased gradually before breakdown when the fatigue failure of the instruments was associated with plastic deformation. In addition, there was a linear relationship between the RF change and the corresponding deformation of the failed instruments. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that the RF analysis has potential as a tool for structural analysis in NiTi instruments.

Quantitative assessment of hepatic fat of intact liver tissues with coherent anti-stokes Raman scattering microscopy.

A fatty liver might progress from being a benign fatty liver, to steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, or even hepatocellular carcinoma. The great prevalence and severe outcome have warranted much investigation of the pathology and the development of effective therapies, which involve animal studies requiring critical evaluation of the hepatic fatty change. Histological examination and wet chemical analysis of liver biopsy specimens are generally employed for this purpose despite numerous procedures being involved. Using coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy, we have demonstrated the specific imaging of fat droplets in intact liver tissues and extracted the hepatic fat content through image analysis while eliminating laborious procedures required by traditional histopathological examination. The content of hepatic fat measured with CARS imaging was correlated strongly with that determined by biochemical analysis (R(2) = 0.89) over a pathologically significant range of the hepatic fat (from 2% to 20% of the total mass of tissue). Our work validates the quantitative assessment of fat in intact tissue through the use of CARS microscopy. When combined with the increasingly diverse animal models of diseases related to metabolic disorders of lipids, our approach is extensible to enable acquiring important insight into the genetic, environmental, and dietary factors affecting the uptake and accumulation of fat within tissues.