Effects of 15% Azelaic Acid Gel in the Management of Post-Inflammatory Erythema and Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation in Acne Vulgaris.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of 15% azelaic acid (AzA) gel in treating acne-induced post-inflammatory erythema (PIE) and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). The effects of 15% AzA gel on acne, skin barrier function, and quality of life were also evaluated. METHODS: A total of 72 patients with mild to moderate acne were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Patients were divided into two groups: patients in the AzA group applied 15% AzA gel twice daily for 12 weeks, and those in the placebo group applied AzA-free gel. Clinical evaluations using non-invasive skin detection technologies, including VISIA skin analysis, dermoscopy, and skin physiological function tests, were performed at 0, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Main outcome measures included the post-acne hyperpigmentation index (PAHPI), melanin, hemoglobin, individual typology angle, water content, transepidermal water loss, and sebum. Investigator Global Assessment) and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) assessments were conducted at weeks 0 and 12. Adverse reactions were recorded. RESULTS: Of the 72 patients at study initiation, 60 completed the trial. At 8 and 12 weeks, patients in the AzA group showed significantly reduced PAHPI for PIE lesions compared to baseline and patients receiving placebo (P < 0.05). Patients in both groups exhibited reduced PIH lesions at weeks 8 and 12 that differed significantly from baseline (P < 0.05). Hemoglobin content decreased significantly in AzA-treated PIE lesions compared to those treated with placebo at week 12 (P < 0.05). Melanin content decreased significantly in AzA-treated PIH lesions at week 12 (P < 0.05). The AzA group showed higher improvement in DLQI (P < 0.05), and greater overall satisfaction (P < 0.05) compared to placebo. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that 15% AzA gel effectively improved acne-induced PIE and PIH with minimal adverse reactions, making it a viable clinical application. In the study population, it had no adverse effects on skin barrier function and contributed positively to acne improvement and patient quality of life. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR.org.cn) under the identifier ChiCTR2300076959. The registration date was 25 October 2023, retrospectively registered.

Taming heat with tiny pressure.

Heat is almost everywhere. Unlike electricity, which can be easily manipulated, the current ability to control heat is still highly limited owing to spontaneous thermal dissipation imposed by the second law of thermodynamics. Optical illumination and pressure have been used to switch endothermic/exothermic responses of materials via phase transitions; however, these strategies are less cost-effective and unscalable. Here, we spectroscopically demonstrate the glassy crystal state of 2-amino-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol (AMP) to realize an affordable, easily manageable approach for thermal energy recycling. The supercooled state of AMP is so sensitive to pressure that even several megapascals can induce crystallization to the ordered crystal, resulting in a substantial temperature increase of 48 K within 20 s. Furthermore, we demonstrate a proof-of-concept device capable of programable heating with an extremely high work-to-heat conversion efficiency of ∼383. Such delicate and efficient tuning of heat may remarkably facilitate rational utilization of waste heat.

Atomic Structure and Dynamics of Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Perovskite Formamidinium Lead Iodide.

The atomic dynamic behaviors of formamidinium lead iodide [HC(NH2)2PbI3] are critical for understanding and improving photovoltaic performances. However, they remain unclear. Here, we investigate the structural phase transitions and the reorientation dynamics of the formamidinium cation [HC(NH2)2+, FA+] of FAPbI3 using neutron scattering techniques. Two structural phase transitions occur with decreasing temperature, from cubic to tetragonal phase at 285 K and then to another tetragonal at 140 K, accompanied by gradually frozen reorientation of FA cations. The nearly isotropic reorientation in the cubic phase is suppressed to reorientation motions involving a two-fold (C2) rotation along the N···N axis and a four-fold (C4) rotation along the C-H axis in the tetragonal phase, and eventually to local disordered motion as a partial C4 along the C-H axis in another tetragonal phase, thereby indicating an intimate interplay between lattice and orientation degrees of freedom in the hybrid perovskite materials. The present complete atomic structure and dynamics provide a solid standing point to understand and then improve photovoltaic properties of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites in the future.

Cancer burden and risk in the Chinese population aged 55 years and above: A systematic analysis and comparison with the USA and Western Europe.

Background: We analysed the cancer burden among elderly Chinese people over the age of 55 years and compared them to USA and Western Europe to explore the cancer model in China. Methods: We retrieved data on 29 cancers with 34 risk factors from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease database to evaluate the cancer burden in Chinese elderly individuals aged 55 years and older. We then used the age-standardised incidence rate (ASIR), age-standardised death rate (ASDR), age-standardised disability-adjusted life year (DALY) rate, and average annual percentage change (AAPC) to compare the characteristics and change trend of cancers among China, USA, and Western Europe. Results: In 2019, the number of incident cases of 29 cancers among people aged 55 years and above in China increased more than 3-fold compared to 1990, while the number of deaths and DALYs approximately doubled. We also found that the cancer population in China was ageing; meanwhile, the cancer burden became significantly higher for men than for women, and the gap between men and women had widened. Cancers with the highest cancer DALYs were lung cancer (13 444 500; 95% uncertainty interval (UI) = 11 307 100, 15 853 700), stomach cancer (7 303 900; 95% UI = 6 094 600, 8 586 500), oesophageal cancer (4 633 500; 95% UI = 3 642 500, 5 601 200), colon and rectum cancer (4 386 500; 95% UI = 3 769 500, 5 067 200), liver cancer (2 915 100, 95% UI = 2 456 300, 3 463 900), and pancreatic cancer (2 028 400; 95% UI = 1 725 000, 2 354 900). Compared with 1990, the DALY rate and incidence rate of stomach cancer, oesophageal cancer, and liver cancer had markedly decreased. The DALY rate and incidence rate of lung, colon, rectum, and pancreatic cancer had increased significantly, as did the incidence rate of breast cancer in women. Smoking and diet were the top two cancer risk factors, and the impact of ambient particulate matter pollution on cancer increased each year. The overall 29 cancers age-standardised DALY rate and ASDR in China, USA, and Western Europe were similar, and all showed downward trend in the past 30 years. Compared with the USA and Western Europe, the age-standardised DALY rate of liver, nasopharyngeal, oesophageal, stomach, and cervical cancers in China was more prominent. The age-standardised DALY rate of lung cancer and colon and rectum cancer decreased annually in Western Europe and the USA, but increased in China. Conclusions: Over the past 30 years, China had made progress in controlling stomach, oesophageal, and liver cancer. However, lung, colon, rectum, pancreatic, and breast cancers had become more prevalent, having risen alongside economic development. The risks of smoking and dietary were major issues that need to be addressed urgently. The cancer situation in China remains serious; future cancer prevention efforts need to balance economic development with people's physical health, identify key groups, improve the health environment of residents and guide them to live a healthy life, and expand the scope of cancer screening.

A comprehensive overview of psoriatic research over the past 20 years: machine learning-based bibliometric analysis.

Background: The surge in the number of publications on psoriasis has posed significant challenges for researchers in effectively managing the vast amount of information. However, due to the lack of tools to process metadata, no comprehensive bibliometric analysis has been conducted. Objectives: This study is to evaluate the trends and current hotspots of psoriatic research from a macroscopic perspective through a bibliometric analysis assisted by machine learning based semantic analysis. Methods: Publications indexed under the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) term "Psoriasis" from 2003 to 2022 were extracted from PubMed. The generative statistical algorithm latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) was applied to identify specific topics and trends based on abstracts. The unsupervised Louvain algorithm was used to establish a network identifying relationships between topics. Results: A total of 28,178 publications were identified. The publications were derived from 176 countries, with United States, China, and Italy being the top three countries. For the term "psoriasis", 9,183 MeSH terms appeared 337,545 times. Among them, MeSH term "Severity of illness index", "Treatment outcome", "Dermatologic agents" occur most frequently. A total of 21,928 publications were included in LDA algorithm, which identified three main areas and 50 branched topics, with "Molecular pathogenesis", "Clinical trials", and "Skin inflammation" being the most increased topics. LDA networks identified "Skin inflammation" was tightly associated with "Molecular pathogenesis" and "Biological agents". "Nail psoriasis" and "Epidemiological study" have presented as new research hotspots, and attention on topics of comorbidities, including "Cardiovascular comorbidities", "Psoriatic arthritis", "Obesity" and "Psychological disorders" have increased gradually. Conclusions: Research on psoriasis is flourishing, with molecular pathogenesis, skin inflammation, and clinical trials being the current hotspots. The strong association between skin inflammation and biologic agents indicated the effective translation between basic research and clinical application in psoriasis. Besides, nail psoriasis, epidemiological study and comorbidities of psoriasis also draw increased attention.

Exploration of potential targets and mechanisms of naringenin in the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease through network pharmacology.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to use network pharmacology to investigate the molecular mechanisms and potential targets of naringenin (NR) for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) treatment to offer new drug development ideas. METHODS: The structure and compound information of NR were obtained from PubChem and the traditional Chinese medicine system pharmacology database and analysis platform. The traditional Chinese medicine system pharmacology database and analysis platform Database, Comparative Toxicogenomics Database and Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine Database were then used to predict the related targets of NR. Online mendelian inheritance in man, Disgenet, Gene cards, The therapeutic target database and Drug bank were used to screen NAFLD targets, and the intersection analysis was performed with the targets of NR active components to obtain the targets of NR in the treatment of NAFLD. The protein-protein interaction network of therapeutic targets was constructed by protein-protein interaction networks functional enrichment analysis 11.0, and gene ontology (GO) functional enrichment analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathway enrichment analysis of therapeutic targets was performed by Metascape platform. RESULTS: In this study, 171 NR targets and 1748 potential targets of NAFLD were screened, and 89 crossover targets and 16 core targets were screened and finally obtained. A total of 176 GO items were obtained by GO enrichment analysis (P < .05), including 389 biological process, 6 cell composition and 30 molecular function. A total of 137 signaling pathways were obtained by Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathway enrichment and screening (P < .05). The core targets of NR in the treatment of NAFLD are TP53, CASP3, PRKCA, AKT1, RELA, PPARG, NCOA2, CYP1A1, ESR1, MAPK3, STAT3, JAK1, MAPK1, TNF, PPARA and PRKCB. Enrichment analysis showed that NR mainly involved in biological processes such as cellular response to nitrogen compound, regulation of miRNA transcription and negative regulation of miRNA-mediated gene silencing. It regulates Hepatitis B, Lipid and atherosclerosis, cytomegalovirus infection, Hepatitis C, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic patients complications and other ways play a role in the treatment of NAFLD. CONCLUSIONS: The therapeutic effect of NR on NAFLD has the characteristics of multi-targets and multi-pathways, which provides a preliminary theoretical basis for clinical trials and the development of new drugs.

Heart failure in erythrodermic psoriasis: a retrospective study of 225 patients.

Purpose: Erythrodermic psoriasis (EP) is a severe form of psoriasis that affects multiple organs, including the cardiovascular system. However, few studies have focused on this condition.This study is aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with heart failure in EP patient, and to the measure the serum concentrations of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), a potential predictor of chronic heart failure. Methods: We retrospectively studied patients with EP hospitalized at Peking Union Medical College Hospital between January 2005 to October 2021. The prevalence of heart failure and associated factors was measured. In addition, peripheral blood samples were collected from 17 patients and matched with samples from eight healthy controls, and their serum concentrations of FGF23 were measured by ELISA. Results: We studied 225 patients with EP, with a male: female ratio of 2.7:1 and a mean age of 47.6 ± 16.7 years. Twenty-five (11.1%) participants were diagnosed with heart failure during their hospital stay. The patients with EP and heart failure were older (58.2 years vs. 46.2 years, p = 0.001); had a higher prevalence of a history of coronary heart disease (32.0% vs. 21.5%, p < 0.001), fever (48.0% vs. 23.0%, p = 0.007), infection (56.0% vs. 35.5%, p = 0.046); higher hsCRP concentration (43.2 mg/L vs. 8.2 mg/L, p = 0.005); and higher prevalence of anemia (60.0% vs. 22.0%, p < 0.001), hypoalbuminemia (64.0% vs. 42.0%, p = 0.037), and hyperlipidemia (40.0% vs. 20.0%, p = 0.023) than those without heart failure. The serum FGF23 concentration was significantly higher in patients with EP than controls (493.1 pg/ml vs. 277.8 pg/ml, p = 0.027), and was significantly lower after treatment (395.7 pg/ml vs. 463.1 pg/ml, p = 0.022). Conclusions: Clinicians should be aware of the risk of heart failure in patients with EP, and especially those of advanced age and with a history of coronary heart disease, severe systemic symptoms, high concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers, and poor nutritional status.

Management of priming fluids in cardiopulmonary bypass for adult cardiac surgery: network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is frequently employed for cardiac surgery, and selecting a suitable priming fluid is a prerequisite for CPB. Currently, the commonly used priming fluids in clinics are classified as crystalloids and colloids, including balanced crystalloids, albumin, dextran, gelatin and hydroxyethyl starch (HES). This network meta-analysis compared the effects of eight fluids used during CPB in adults to determine optimal priming fluid during CPB surgery. METHODS: Randomised controlled trials assessing priming fluids for CPB in adult cardiac surgery published before 13 April 2023 were searched across Ovid MEDLINE(R) ALL, OVID EMbase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Various priming fluids were classified into eight categories, including balanced crystalloids, 0.9% NaCl, iso-oncotic human albumin, hyperoncotic human albumin, HES with molecular weight 130k, HES with molecular weight 200k, gelatin and dextran. RESULTS: The NMA of platelet counts revealed no significant differences in any result. In direct comparison results, only the comparison of HES with molecular weight 130k vs. gelatin (standard mean difference = -0.40, 95% confidence interval [95%CI: -0.63, -0.16) revealed a significant difference. According to the SUCRA, balanced crystalloids had the highest platelet count, followed by gelatin, and HES with a molecular weight of 130k had the lowest platelet, followed by HES with a molecular weight of 200k. CONCLUSION: Patients using dextran have a low mortality rate and a short mean CPB time, the use of balanced crystalloids is beneficial in terms of platelet count, and HES with molecular weight 130k is beneficial for postoperative urine volume at 24h. However, all priming fluids have pros and cons quite, and the optimal choice of priming fluids remains unsupported by current evidences. When performing CPB surgery, the type of priming fluid should be selected according to the actual situation in CPB for adult cardiac surgery.

When dextran was used as the CPB priming fluid, patients had the lowest mortality and shortest mean CPB time.With iso-oncotic HA, patients had the shortest length of ICU stay, the least blood loss 24h after surgery, and the lowest chest tube output 24h after surgery.The use of balanced crystalloids was beneficial for platelet count, the use of L-HES was beneficial for urine output 24h after surgery, and the use of H-HES resulted in the shortest hospital stay.In summary, each of these fluids has pros and cons quite, and an optimal choice of priming fluids during CPB surgery remains unsupported by current evidence.When performing CPB surgery, the type of priming fluids should be selected according to the actual condition of the patient's body.

COVID-19 vaccination effectiveness and safety in vulnerable populations: a meta-analysis of 33 observational studies.

Background: Even 3 years into the COVID-19 pandemic, questions remain about how to safely and effectively vaccinate vulnerable populations. A systematic analysis of the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine in at-risk groups has not been conducted to date. Methods: This study involved a comprehensive search of PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Controlled Trial Registry data through 12 July 2022. Post-vaccination outcomes included the number of humoral and cellular immune responders in vulnerable and healthy populations, antibody levels in humoral immune responders, and adverse events. Results: A total of 23 articles assessing 32 studies, were included. The levels of IgG (SMD = -1.82, 95% CI [-2.28, -1.35]), IgA (SMD = -0.37, 95% CI [-0.70, -0.03]), IgM (SMD = -0.94, 95% CI [-1.38, -0.51]), neutralizing antibodies (SMD = -1.37, 95% CI [-2.62, -0.11]), and T cells (SMD = -1.98, 95% CI [-3.44, -0.53]) were significantly lower in vulnerable than in healthy populations. The positive detection rates of IgG (OR = 0.05, 95% CI [0.02, 0.14]) and IgA (OR = 0.03, 95% CI [0.01, 0.11]) antibodies and the cellular immune response rates (OR = 0.20, 95% CI [0.09, 0.45]) were also lower in the vulnerable populations. There were no statistically significant differences in fever (OR = 2.53, 95% CI [0.11, 60.86]), chills (OR = 2.03, 95% CI [0.08, 53.85]), myalgia (OR = 10.31, 95% CI [0.56, 191.08]), local pain at the injection site (OR = 17.83, 95% CI [0.32, 989.06]), headache (OR = 53.57, 95% CI [3.21, 892.79]), tenderness (OR = 2.68, 95% CI [0.49, 14.73]), and fatigue (OR = 22.89, 95% CI [0.45, 1164.22]) between the vulnerable and healthy populations. Conclusion: Seroconversion rates after COVID-19 vaccination were generally worse in the vulnerable than healthy populations, but there was no difference in adverse events. Patients with hematological cancers had the lowest IgG antibody levels of all the vulnerable populations, so closer attention to these patients is recommended. Subjects who received the combined vaccine had higher antibody levels than those who received the single vaccine.

Cu-based high-entropy two-dimensional oxide as stable and active photothermal catalyst.

Cu-based nanocatalysts are the cornerstone of various industrial catalytic processes. Synergistically strengthening the catalytic stability and activity of Cu-based nanocatalysts is an ongoing challenge. Herein, the high-entropy principle is applied to modify the structure of Cu-based nanocatalysts, and a PVP templated method is invented for generally synthesizing six-eleven dissimilar elements as high-entropy two-dimensional (2D) materials. Taking 2D Cu2Zn1Al0.5Ce5Zr0.5Ox as an example, the high-entropy structure not only enhances the sintering resistance from 400 °C to 800 °C but also improves its CO2 hydrogenation activity to a pure CO production rate of 417.2 mmol g-1 h-1 at 500 °C, 4 times higher than that of reported advanced catalysts. When 2D Cu2Zn1Al0.5Ce5Zr0.5Ox are applied to the photothermal CO2 hydrogenation, it exhibits a record photochemical energy conversion efficiency of 36.2%, with a CO generation rate of 248.5 mmol g-1 h-1 and 571 L of CO yield under ambient sunlight irradiation. The high-entropy 2D materials provide a new route to simultaneously achieve catalytic stability and activity, greatly expanding the application boundaries of photothermal catalysis.

Systemic monotherapy with acitretin for erythrodermic psoriasis: results of a retrospective study of 81 patients.

Background: Erythrodermic psoriasis (EP) remains challenging to manage because it is rare and has complex complications. Although acitretin is recommended as an appropriate choice for EP, there is a lack of large-scale evidence. Objectives: This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of acitretin as systemic monotherapy in EP patients. Design: We retrospectively analyzed data from patients with EP who received at least 3 months of acitretin as systemic monotherapy during hospitalization and out-patient follow-up from January 2005 to May 2021 at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital, China. Methods: The efficacy was clinically evaluated after 1, 2, 4, and 12 weeks of treatment, which was classified as a good response (>75% of lesions cleared), partial response (50%-75% cleared), moderate response (25-50% cleared), or no response (<25% cleared). Safety was assessed on the basis of physical examination results and significant changes in laboratory examination results after 12 weeks of treatment. Results: Overall, 81 patients (79.0% men; mean age, 47.9 years) were included. The acitretin dose ranged from 20 to 60 mg/day (0.3 to 0.8 mg/kg/day). The rates of good, partial, and moderate responses were 0.0%, 2.5%, and 42.0% at 1 week; 3.7%, 34.6%, and 61.7% at 2 weeks; 29.6%, 58.0%, and 12.4% at 4 weeks; and 85.2%, 13.6%, and 1.2% at 12 weeks after treatment initiation, respectively. EP patients transformed from psoriasis vulgaris showed a higher good/partial response rate compared with that of EP patients that developed from pustular or articular psoriasis (44.6% vs. 14.3%, p = 0.035). Patients with concurrent infection showed a lower rate of good/partial response compared with that of those without concurrent infection (16.7% vs. 44.4%, p = 0.049). Adverse effects were seen in 45 (55.6%) patients in 12 weeks, and dyslipidemia (n = 31; 38.3%), xerosis (n = 24; 29.6%), and elevated liver enzymes (n = 6; 7.4%) were most commonly reported. Twenty-three patients were followed up for over 3 years, and six (26.1%) patients had EP recurrence. Conclusions: Acitretin as a systemic monotherapy showed satisfactory effectiveness for EP, especially in patients developed from psoriasis vulgaris and without infection.

Deeply Coupled Convolution-Transformer With Spatial-Temporal Complementary Learning for Video-Based Person Re-Identification.

Advanced deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have shown great success in video-based person re-identification (Re-ID). However, they usually focus on the most obvious regions of persons with a limited global representation ability. Recently, it witnesses that Transformers explore the interpatch relationships with global observations for performance improvements. In this work, we take both the sides and propose a novel spatial-temporal complementary learning framework named deeply coupled convolution-transformer (DCCT) for high-performance video-based person Re-ID. First, we couple CNNs and Transformers to extract two kinds of visual features and experimentally verify their complementarity. Furthermore, in spatial, we propose a complementary content attention (CCA) to take advantages of the coupled structure and guide independent features for spatial complementary learning. In temporal, a hierarchical temporal aggregation (HTA) is proposed to progressively capture the interframe dependencies and encode temporal information. Besides, a gated attention (GA) is used to deliver aggregated temporal information into the CNN and Transformer branches for temporal complementary learning. Finally, we introduce a self-distillation training strategy to transfer the superior spatial-temporal knowledge to backbone networks for higher accuracy and more efficiency. In this way, two kinds of typical features from same videos are integrated mechanically for more informative representations. Extensive experiments on four public Re-ID benchmarks demonstrate that our framework could attain better performances than most state-of-the-art methods.

Microbiota-derived tryptophan catabolites mediate the chemopreventive effects of statins on colorectal cancer.

Epidemiological studies have indicated an association between statin use and reduced incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC), and work in preclinical models has demonstrated a potential chemopreventive effect. Statins are also associated with reduced dysbiosis in the gut microbiome, yet the role of the gut microbiome in the protective effect of statins in CRC is unclear. Here we validated the chemopreventive role of statins by retrospectively analysing a cohort of patients who underwent colonoscopies. This was confirmed in preclinical models and patient cohorts, and we found that reduced tumour burden was partly due to statin modulation of the gut microbiota. Specifically, the gut commensal Lactobacillus reuteri was increased as a result of increased microbial tryptophan availability in the gut after atorvastatin treatment. Our in vivo studies further revealed that L. reuteri administration suppressed colorectal tumorigenesis via the tryptophan catabolite, indole-3-lactic acid (ILA). ILA exerted anti-tumorigenic effects by downregulating the IL-17 signalling pathway. This microbial metabolite inhibited T helper 17 cell differentiation by targeting the nuclear receptor, RAR-related orphan receptor γt (RORγt). Together, our study provides insights into an anti-cancer mechanism driven by statin use and suggests that interventions with L. reuteri or ILA could complement chemoprevention strategies for CRC.

Global, regional, and national trends of syphilis from 1990 to 2019: the 2019 global burden of disease study.

BACKGROUND: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum, and the infection source is syphilis patients. This study aimed to estimate the incidence, mortality rate, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of syphilis to improve the understanding of the current global situation of syphilis. METHODS: This study collected data on syphilis incidence, mortality, and DALYs from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease database. RESULTS: The global number of incident cases and age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) increased from 8,845,220 (95% UI: 6,562,510-11,588,860) in 1990 to 14,114,110 (95% UI: 10,648,490-18,415,970) in 2019 and 160.03/100,000 persons (95% UI: 120.66-208.1) to 178.48/100,000 persons (95% UI: 134.94-232.34), respectively. The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) in the ASIR was 0.16 (95% CI: 0.07-0.26). The EAPC in the ASIR associated with high and high-middle sociodemographic indices increased. The ASIR increased among males but decreased among females, and the incidence peaked among males and females between the ages of 20 and 30 years. The EAPCs in the age-standardized death rate and age-standardized DALY rate decreased. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence and ASIR of syphilis increased worldwide from 1990 to 2019. Only the regions with high and high-middle sociodemographic indices showed an increase in the ASIR. Moreover, the ASIR increased among males but decreased among females. The age-standardized death rate and DALY rate both declined worldwide. The increase in the global ASIR of syphilis is a challenge.

Clinical outcomes of recommended active pharmacotherapy agents from NICE guideline for post-traumatic stress disorder: Network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that can emerge after an individual experiences a traumatic event such as physical abuse, sexual/relationship violence, combat exposure, witnessing death, or serious injury. This study aimed to identify the most suitable drugs for the management of PTSD based on a network meta-analysis (NMA). METHODS: Six databases (Ovid Medline, EMBase, CENTRAL, PsycINFO, Ovid Health and Psychosocial Instruments, and Web of Science) were searched from inception to September 6, 2022. RESULTS: Thirty articles with a total of 5170 participants were included. Compared with placebo, active drugs including olanzapine (SMD = -0.66, 95% CI: -1.19 to -0.13), risperidone (SMD = -0.23, 95% CI: -0.42 to -0.03), quetiapine (SMD = -0.49, 95% CI: -0.93 to -0.04), venlafaxine (SMD = -0.29, 95% CI: -0.42 to -0.16), sertraline (SMD = -0.23, 95% CI: -0.34 to -0.11), paroxetine (SMD = -0.48, 95% CI: -0.60 to -0.36) and fluoxetine (SMD = -0.27, 95% CI: -0.42 to -0.12), significantly reduced the total clinician-administered PTSD scale score. CONCLUSION: The results of this study support the use of paroxetine, venlafaxine, and quetiapine as first-line treatment for PTSD. In addition, quetiapine is recommended for patients with PTSD affected by symptoms of hyperarousal and re-experience disorder. Clinicians should prescribe medications based on the severity of PTSD symptoms and other conditions to develop the best treatment strategy for this patient population.

Thermal batteries based on inverse barocaloric effects.

To harvest and reuse low-temperature waste heat, we propose and realize an emergent concept-barocaloric thermal batteries based on the large inverse barocaloric effect of ammonium thiocyanate (NH4SCN). Thermal charging is initialized upon pressurization through an order-to-disorder phase transition, and the discharging of 43 J g-1 takes place at depressurization, which is 11 times more than the input mechanical energy. The thermodynamic equilibrium nature of the pressure-restrained heat-carrying phase guarantees stable long-duration storage. The barocaloric thermal batteries reinforced by their solid microscopic mechanism are expected to substantially advance the ability to take advantage of waste heat.

A colossal barocaloric effect induced by the creation of a high-pressure phase.

As a promising environment-friendly alternative to current vapor-compression refrigeration, solid-state refrigeration based on the barocaloric effect has been attracting worldwide attention. Generally, both phases in which a barocaloric effect occurs are present at ambient pressure. Here, instead, we demonstrate that KPF6 exhibits a colossal barocaloric effect due to the creation of a high-pressure rhombohedral phase. The phase diagram is constructed based on pressure-dependent calorimetric, Raman scattering, and neutron diffraction measurements. The present study is expected to provide an alternative routine to colossal barocaloric effects through the creation of a high-pressure phase.

Global, regional and national burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease over a 30-year period: Estimates from the 1990 to 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the most prevalent chronic respiratory disease. This study investigated the global, regional and country burden of COPD based on gender, age and socio-demographic indices (SDIs) in the last 30-year period from 1990 to 2019. METHODS: The COPD data, including incidence, mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), were obtained from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study. If age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) or death rate (ASDR) remains almost constant or decreases, the number of cases will still increase as the global population increases substantially. Estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was calculated to assess incidence, mortality and DALY trends. RESULTS: The incidence of COPD increased by 85.89% from 8,722,966 cases in 1990 to 16,214,828 cases in 2019, and the ASIR decreased from 216.48/100,000 persons in 1990 (95%UI, 204.56-227.33) to 200.49 per 100,000 persons (95%UI, 188.63-212.57) in 2019. The ASIR increased (EAPC = 0.05, 95%CI, 0.01-0.10) in the low SDI region, was stable in the high SDI region, and fell in the other three SDI regions. Men had a higher ASIR than women over the past 30 years, and there were differences in the incidence rates for different age groups. Male mortality and DALYs were higher than female mortality. ASDR decreased by 2.13% (95%CI, -2.23% to -2.02%) per year and the annual age-standardized DALY rate decreased by 1.97% (95%CI, -2.05% to -1.89%). CONCLUSIONS: The ASIR, ASDR and age-standardized DALY rate of COPD declined overall in the last 30 years, and were highest in the low-middle SDI region.

Three-dimensional optical coherence digital-null deformography of multi-refractive-surface optics with nanometer sensitivity.

Knowledge of the lens deformation during the reliability test is critical for lens design and fabrication. Refractive surface distorts the optical path of probing light, and poses a great challenge to measuring the test-induced nanoscale changes of all refractive lens surfaces simultaneously. In this work, we present an optical coherence digital-null deformography (ODD). A digital null, i.e., the interference signals (including intensity and phase) of the backscattered probing light from each lens surface, was recorded prior to the test with a phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography (OCT). Then the post-test lens was physically aligned to the digital null by actuating a hexapod iteratively with a digital null alignment (DNA) method, so that the refractive distortion was matched. Finally, the changes between the aligned lens and its digital null were measured with an intensity centroid shift (ICS) at micron scale and a joint wavenumber (k)-depth (z) domain phase shift (kz-PhS) at nanoscale. We demonstrate that the proposed kz-PhS has a sensitivity of 4.15 nm and a range of 5 µm without phase wrapping; and the sensitivities of DNA are z translation 0.04 µm, x/y translation 0.24 µm, tilt 0.0003°, and rotation 0.03°. A lens drop test was performed with ODD. Circumventing refractive distortion by the null measurement, ODD can visualize the test-induced changes of all refractive surfaces non-destructively and simultaneously, and it will greatly facilitate lens design and fabrication.

Can information infrastructure development improve the health care environment? Evidence from China.

Existing studies ignore the importance of information infrastructure development in improving regional health care environment. This paper adopts a spatial difference-in-difference (DID) model to assess the impact of information infrastructure development on urban health care environment based on a quasi-natural experiment of the "Broadband China" city pilots (BCCP). A balanced panel of 259 cities from 2010 to 2019 is selected for empirical analysis in this paper. Our findings show that the implementation of BCCP resulted in a 4.1 and 2.9% improvement in local medical workforce and medical infrastructure. In addition, there is significant spatial spillover effects of the implementation of BCCP, with 7.2 and 12.5% improvement in medical workforce and medical infrastructure in the surrounding areas. Our findings also suggest that information infrastructure development enhances the health care environment by driving industrial upgrading and education levels. Further analysis shows that BCCP has the strongest improvement on medical workforce in the eastern region and non-ordinary prefecture-level cities. For medical infrastructure, BCCP has stronger improvement in central region, western region, and non-ordinary prefecture-level cities. Finally, the paper conducts a series of robustness tests to ensure the reliability of the analysis results, including parallel trend tests, placebo tests, and re-estimation with different methods. Policies to improve the health care environment through information infrastructure development are proposed.