Microbial Disruptions in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Comparative Analysis.

Objective: The fecal microbiota was studied in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and the characteristics of gut microbiota were compared among patients with different subtypes and stages of IBD, aiming to identify the gut microbiota associated with IBD. Methods: Fecal samples were collected from 41 IBD patients (18 patients with ulcerative colitis [UC] and 23 patients with Crohn's disease [CD]) in the Department of Gastroenterology of East China Hospital, Fudan University between January 2021 and January 2022. In addition, fecal samples were collected from 20 healthy volunteers. The fecal microbiota was subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing, followed by bioinformatics analysis. Results: There was significant difference in the fecal microbiota between IBD patients and controls. The abundance and diversity of fecal microbiota in the IBD patients were significantly lower than in controls. The relative abundance of Subdoligranulum, Ruminococcus, Anaerostipes and Lachnospira was reduced markedly in the IBD patients. As compared to controls, the relative abundance of Streptococcus increased dramatically in the UC patients. The relative abundance of Lachnoclostridium, Fusobacterium, Cloacibacillus and Erysipelatoclostridium significantly increased in the CD patients. As compared to CD patients, the relative abundance of Alistipes was reduced markedly in the UC patients; the relative abundance of Faecalibacterium, Roseburia and Haemophilus was reduced dramatically in the CD patients. In addition, significant difference was also noted in the fecal microflora between patients with active IBD and those with IBD in remission period. In active IBD patients, the relative abundance of Roseburia, Coprococcus and Ruminiclostridium was reduced significantly. Conclusion: There is intestinal microbiota imbalance in IBD patients, and the abundance of Roseburia, Coprococcus and Ruminiclostridium is reduced significantly in the active period of IBD, which may be related to the active IBD.

Research on Image Stitching Algorithm Based on Point-Line Consistency and Local Edge Feature Constraints.

Image stitching aims to synthesize a wider and more informative whole image, which has been widely used in various fields. This study focuses on improving the accuracy of image mosaic and proposes an image mosaic method based on local edge contour matching constraints. Because the accuracy and quantity of feature matching have a direct influence on the stitching result, it often leads to wrong image warpage model estimation when feature points are difficult to detect and match errors are easy to occur. To address this issue, the geometric invariance is used to expand the number of feature matching points, thus enriching the matching information. Based on Canny edge detection, significant local edge contour features are constructed through operations such as structure separation and edge contour merging to improve the image registration effect. The method also introduces the spatial variation warping method to ensure the local alignment of the overlapping area, maintains the line structure in the image without bending by the constraints of short and long lines, and eliminates the distortion of the non-overlapping area by the global line-guided warping method. The method proposed in this paper is compared with other research through experimental comparisons on multiple datasets, and excellent stitching results are obtained.

The protective effect of teprenone in TNBS-induced ulcerative colitis rats by modulating the gut microbiota and reducing inflammatory response.

OBJECTIVE: Ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic and refractory nonspecific inflammatory bowel disease, affects millions of patients worldwide and increases the risk of colorectal cancer. Teprenone is an acylic polyisoprenoid that exerts anti-inflammatory properties in rat models of peptic ulcer disease. This in vitro and in vivo study was designed to investigate the effects of teprenone on UC and to explore the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Human intestinal epithelial cells (Caco-2 cells) serve as the in vitro experimental model. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1 µg/mL) was employed to stimulate the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL]-6, IL-1ß, and tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α), Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4), MyD88 expression, and NF-κB activation. A trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced chronic UC rat model was employed for the in vivo assay. RESULTS: Pro-inflammatory cytokine stimulation by LPS in Caco-2 cells was inhibited by teprenone at 40 µg/mL through the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. Teprenone attenuated TNBS-induced UC, decreased myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde, induced TLR4 expression and NF-κB activation, and increased glutathione and zonula occludens-1 level in the rat colonic tissue. Moreover, Fusobacterium, Escherichia coli, Porphyromonas gingivalis elevation, and Mogibacterium timidum decline in UC rats were inhibited by teprenone. CONCLUSION: Based on our results, the protective effects of teprenone for UC may be related to its ability to modulate the gut microbiota and reduce the inflammatory response.

Edge-Guided Camouflaged Object Detection via Multi-Level Feature Integration.

Camouflaged object detection (COD) aims to segment those camouflaged objects that blend perfectly into their surroundings. Due to the low boundary contrast between camouflaged objects and their surroundings, their detection poses a significant challenge. Despite the numerous excellent camouflaged object detection methods developed in recent years, issues such as boundary refinement and multi-level feature extraction and fusion still need further exploration. In this paper, we propose a novel multi-level feature integration network (MFNet) for camouflaged object detection. Firstly, we design an edge guidance module (EGM) to improve the COD performance by providing additional boundary semantic information by combining high-level semantic information and low-level spatial details to model the edges of camouflaged objects. Additionally, we propose a multi-level feature integration module (MFIM), which leverages the fine local information of low-level features and the rich global information of high-level features in adjacent three-level features to provide a supplementary feature representation for the current-level features, effectively integrating the full context semantic information. Finally, we propose a context aggregation refinement module (CARM) to efficiently aggregate and refine the cross-level features to obtain clear prediction maps. Our extensive experiments on three benchmark datasets show that the MFNet model is an effective COD model and outperforms other state-of-the-art models in all four evaluation metrics (Sα, Eϕ, Fßw, and MAE).

Chlorogenic Acid Alleviates Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Mitochondria-Mediated Apoptosis In Vivo and In Vitro.

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI) is the main reason for organ failure following liver surgery; however, its underlying causes are complex, and include oxidative stress, sterile inflammatory, and mitochondrial damage. Unfortunately, treatments for HIRI are based on supportive therapy, and no specific drugs or methods are currently available. Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a dietary polyphenol with a wide range of pharmacological effects and it has a protective effect on HIRI; however, its specific mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we investigated that CGA pretreatment exerts protective effects against HIRI and the potential underlying mechanisms. We found that CGA pretreatment reduced ALT, AST, MDA, TNF-α, and IL-1ß levels following HIRI, improved SOD and GSH levels, and alleviated pathological liver tissue damage, with the highest CGA dose (100 mg/kg.d) exerted the strongest effect. In addition, we showed that CGA pretreatment significantly decreased the levels of reactive oxygen species following HIRI, inhibited HMGB1 release by decreasing IRF-1 expression, inhibited the expression of HMGB1, TLR-4, MyD88, P-IκB-α, NF-κB P65, and P-P65, and promoted IκB-α degradation. Thus, CGA appears to inhibit oxidative stress and inflammatory responses during HIRI. Furthermore, we found that CGA pretreatment reduced hepatocyte apoptosis following HIRI, alleviated mitochondrial damage, promoted BCL-2 expression, inhibited Bax upregulation, and inhibited cytochrome C release to prevent caspase activation, thereby reducing the expression of the caspase-independent pathway components, ENDOG and AIF. Together, our findings suggest that CGA can protect against HIRI by inhibiting oxidative stress, the HMGB1/TLR-4/NF-κB signaling pathway-mediated inflammatory responses, and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. Thus, CGA appears to be a promising therapeutic approach for treating HIRI.

Numerical and Experimental Research on Non-Reference Damage Localization Based on the Improved Two-Arrival-Time Difference Method.

The identification of damage based on Lamb waves can hardly avoid obtaining the reference signal under healthy conditions. A non-reference damage localization (NRDL) method is proposed in this paper. The NRDL method is established by the improved two-arrival-time difference method (2/ATDM) and BFGS method. The layout principles of the piezoelectric ceramic lead zirconate titanate (PZT) transducer array in the specimen are proposed. In contrast to existing methods, the damage outside the array in the specimen is identified based on the NRDL. The full-area damage location in the specimen is realized. Furthermore, the optimization of the excitation signal center frequency and transducer array layout is carried out. The damage location accuracy is greatly improved.

LAPTM5 mediates immature B cell apoptosis and B cell tolerance by regulating the WWP2-PTEN-AKT pathway.

Elimination of autoreactive developing B cells is an important mechanism to prevent autoantibody production. However, how B cell receptor (BCR) signaling triggers apoptosis of immature B cells remains poorly understood. We show that BCR stimulation up-regulates the expression of the lysosomal-associated transmembrane protein 5 (LAPTM5), which in turn triggers apoptosis of immature B cells through two pathways. LAPTM5 causes BCR internalization, resulting in decreased phosphorylation of SYK and ERK. In addition, LAPTM5 targets the E3 ubiquitin ligase WWP2 for lysosomal degradation, resulting in the accumulation of its substrate PTEN. Elevated PTEN levels suppress AKT phosphorylation, leading to increased FOXO1 expression and up-regulation of the cell cycle inhibitor p27Kip1 and the proapoptotic molecule BIM. In vivo, LAPTM5 is involved in the elimination of autoreactive B cells and its deficiency exacerbates autoantibody production. Our results reveal a previously unidentified mechanism that contributes to immature B cell apoptosis and B cell tolerance.

Highly Conductive and Mechanically Robust NiFe Alloy Aerogels: An Exceptionally Active and Durable Water Oxidation Catalyst.

Poor stability of nanostructured electrocatalysts at rigorous industrial conditions significantly inhibits their performances in practical electrolyzers. Although many substrate-supported nanostructured electrocatalysts present attractive performance at small currents, they cannot sustain industry-level high current densities for long-term operation. Herein, by chemically organizing nanoscale electrocatalysts into a macroscopic substrate-free metallic alloy aerogel, this NiFe-based nano-catalyst achieves 1000-h durability at industrial-level current densities, with exceptionally high activities of 500 mA at the overpotential of only 281 mV. This NiFe alloy aerogel is constructed by a magnetic-field assisted growth and assembly of ferromagnetic NiFe nanoparticles, in which nanowires are loosely crosslinked by metallic joints. This alloy aerogel shows a high electric conductivity of 500 S m-1 , structural stability for more than 1.5 years in alkaline electrolyte, and almost complete recovery after compression exceeding 50% strain for 1000 cycles. The excellent mechanical stability of this metallic aerogel behaves as the key contributor to the superior electrocatalytic stability under industrially relevant conditions. This work offers a paradigm for electrode design for the practical application of nano-catalysts in industrial alkaline water electrolysis.

Deep Sequencing Discovery and Profiling of Known and Novel miRNAs Produced in Response to DNA Damage in Rice.

Under extreme environmental conditions such as ultraviolet and ionizing radiation, plants may suffer DNA damage. If these damages are not repaired accurately and rapidly, they may lead to chromosomal abnormalities or even cell death. Therefore, organisms have evolved various DNA repair mechanisms to cope with DNA damage which include gene transcription and post-translational regulation. MicroRNA (miRNA) is a type of non-coding single-stranded RNA molecule encoded by endogenous genes. They can promote DNA damage repair by regulating target gene transcription. Here, roots from seedlings of the japonica rice cultivar 'Yandao 8' that were treated with bleomycin were collected for transcriptome-level sequencing, using non-treated roots as controls. A total of 14,716,232 and 17,369,981 reads mapping to miRNAs were identified in bleomycin-treated and control groups, respectively, including 513 known and 72 novel miRNAs. Compared with the control group, 150 miRNAs showed differential expression levels. Target predictions of these differentially expressed miRNAs yielded 8731 potential gene targets. KEGG annotation and a gene ontology analysis indicated that the highest-ranked target genes were classified into metabolic processes, RNA degradation, DNA repair, and so on. Notably, the DNA repair process was significantly enriched in both analyses. Among these differentially expressed miRNAs, 58 miRNAs and 41 corresponding potential target genes were predicted to be related to DNA repair. RT-qPCR results confirmed that the expression patterns of 20 selected miRNAs were similar to those from the sequencing results, whereas four miRNAs gave opposite results. The opposing expression patterns of several miRNAs with regards to their target genes relating to the DNA repair process were also validated by RT-qPCR. These findings provide valuable information for further functional studies of miRNA involvement in DNA damage repair in rice.

Exploration of the form factors of turbulence kinetic energy transfer for shear exfoliation of graphene.

Mass production of defect-free and large-lateral-size 2D materials via cost-effective methods is very important. Recently, shear exfoliation has shown great promise for large-scale production due to its simple operation, environmental-benignity and wide adaptability. However, a long-standing challenge is that with the production of more nanosheets, a ceiling yield and shattered products are encountered, which significantly limits their wider application. The method and efficiency of energy transfer in fluid is undoubtedly the key point in determining exfoliation efficiency, yet its in-depth mechanism has not yet been described. Thus, a thorough investigation of turbulence energy transfer is critically necessary. Herein, we identify two main factors that critically determine the exfoliation yield and provide a statistical analysis of the relationship between these factors and the exfoliation yield. In the initial shearing process, the coexistence of the 2D nanosheets and raw particles is the dominant factor; as time passes, the dimensional change of raw materials gradually has a greater influence on the energy transfer. These factors together lead to attenuated efficiency and a power function relationship between yield and exfoliation time. This investigation gives a statistical explanation of shear exfoliation technology for 2D material preparation and provides valuable insights for mechanical exfoliating high-quality 2D materials.

DEEP GREEN PANICLE1 suppresses GOLDEN2-LIKE activity to reduce chlorophyll synthesis in rice glumes.

Understanding the regulation mechanisms of photosynthesis is key to improving its efficiency and, ultimately, crop yield. In this study, we report that DEEP GREEN PANICLE1 (DGP1) is involved in photosynthesis regulation in rice (Oryza sativa L.). We identified the dgp1 mutant, which has increased chlorophyll content in glumes. The mutated gene was isolated by map-based cloning. Knockout plants, generated using a gene editing approach, mimic the phenotype of dgp1. Overexpression of DGP1 leads to chlorotic leaves and glumes. DGP1 is a plant-specific protein with a conserved TIGR01589 domain. The expression of DGP1 was detected in green tissues and is induced by light. Moreover, genes involved in key steps of chlorophyll synthesis are upregulated in the glumes of dgp1. Importantly, we found that DGP1 interacts with the rice proteins GOLDEN2-LIKE1 (OsGLK1) and GOLDEN2-LIKE2 (OsGLK2), the two transcription factors involved in the regulation of photosynthesis. Transactivation assays showed that DGP1 represses the activation activity of OsGLK1 on its target genes. Our results demonstrate that DGP1 is a repressor of OsGLK activity and thus photosynthesis in rice. Manipulation of this gene and its homologs in other crops may provide new approaches for high photosynthetic efficiency breeding.

Aucubin Attenuates Liver Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury by Inhibiting the HMGB1/TLR-4/NF-κB Signaling Pathway, Oxidative Stress, and Apoptosis.

Liver ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a common clinical event with high morbidity in patients undergoing complex liver surgery or having abdominal trauma. Inflammatory and oxidative stress responses are the main contributing factors in liver IRI. The iridoid glucoside aucubin (AU) has good anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects; however, there are no relevant reports on the protective effect of glucosides on hepatic IRI. The purpose of this study was to determine whether AU pretreatment could prevent liver IRI and to explore the mechanism. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups. The sham operation and IRI control groups were given intraperitoneal injections of normal saline, while the AU low-dose (AU-L) group, AU medium-dose (AU-M) group, and AU high-dose (AU-H) group were given intraperitoneal injections of AU at doses of 1, 5, and 10 mg/kg/day, respectively. After 10 d, liver IRI (70% liver ischemia for 1 h, reperfusion for 6 h) was surgically established in all groups except the sham group. Our results confirmed that liver injury was significantly aggravated after hepatic ischemia-reperfusion. AU alleviated the increase of transaminase and pathological changes induced by ischemia-reperfusion and improved liver damage. AU could also ameliorate the inflammatory and oxidative stress responses induced by ischemia-reperfusion and reduced expression of high mobility group protein (HMG)B1, receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, AU reduced ischemia-reperfusion-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and cells apoptosis, increased peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator (PGC)-1α and uncoupling (UCP)2 protein expression, and reduced caspase-3, cleaved caspase-3, and Cytochrome P450 proteins (CYP) expression. To determine expression levels of the Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway-related proteins in vitro and in vivo, we also measured TLR-4, myeloid differentiation factor88 (MyD88), NF-κB P65, p-P65, I-kappa-B-alpha (IκB-α), and p-IκB-α levels. The results showed that AU effectively inhibited activation of the TLR-4/NF-κB signaling pathway. In conclusion, we showed for the first time a hepatoprotective effect for AU in liver IRI, which acted by inhibiting the HMGB1/TLR-4/NF-κB signaling pathway, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. Pretreatment with AU may be a promising strategy for preventing liver IRI.

Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Effect of Eucommia ulmoides Polysaccharide in Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury by Regulating ROS and the TLR-4-NF-κB Pathway.

Eucommia ulmoides polysaccharide (EUP) has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. However, the mechanism underlying these effects has rarely been reported, and whether EUP can reduce liver injury in hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI) has not been reported. In this study, 40 Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: the sham group, ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) group, and three EUP pretreatment groups (320 mg/kg, 160 mg/kg, and 80 mg/kg). SD rats were pretreated with EUP by gavage once a day prior to I/R injury for 10 days. Except for the sham group, blood flow in the middle and left liver lobes was blocked in all the other groups, resulting in 70% liver ischemia, and the ischemia and reperfusion times were 1 h and 4 h, respectively. Ischemic liver tissue and serum were obtained to detect biochemical markers and liver histopathological damage. Compared with the I/R group, after EUP pretreatment, serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-1ß levels were significantly decreased, malondialdehyde levels in liver tissues were significantly decreased, superoxide dismutase levels were significantly increased, and the area of liver necrosis was notably reduced. To understand the specific mechanism involved, we determined the levels of Toll-like receptor- (TLR-) 4-nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) pathway-associated proteins in vivo and in vitro. The data showed that EUP can reduce liver damage by decreasing ROS levels and inhibiting TLR-4-NF-κB pathway activation and may be a promising drug in liver surgery to prevent HIRI.

OsATM Safeguards Accurate Repair of Meiotic Double-Strand Breaks in Rice.

ATAXIA TELANGIECTASIA-MUTATED (ATM) protein has been well studied for its roles in the DNA damage response. However, its role in meiosis has not been fully explored. Here, we characterized the functions of the rice (Oryza sativa) ATM homolog during meiosis. Aberrant chromosome associations and DNA fragmentations were observed after the completion of homologous pairing and synapsis in Osatm pollen mother cells (PMCs). Aberrant chromosome associations disappeared in Osspo11-1 Osatm-1 double mutants and more severe defects were observed in Osdmc1 Osatm, suggesting that OsATM functions downstream of OsSPO11-1-catalyzed double-strand break formation and in parallel with OsDMC1-mediated homologous recombination. We further demonstrated that phosphorylation of H2AX in PMCs did not depend on OsATM, in contrast to the situation in somatic cells. Moreover, the removal of OsDMC1 from chromosomes in Osatm PMCs was delayed and the number of HEI10 foci (markers of interference-sensitive crossover intermediates) decreased. Together, these findings suggest that OsATM plays important roles in the accurate repair of meiotic double-strand breaks in rice.

Interface metallization enabled an ultra-stable Fe2O3 hierarchical anode for pseudocapacitors.

Despite significant advances in cathode materials, developing high-performance anodes remains a key challenge for future pseudocapacitors. Fe2O3 has been considered as a promising anode candidate due to its high theoretical capacitance, environmental benignity, and earth-abundant characteristics. However, the low electronic conductivity and poor cyclability of Fe2O3 significantly limit its practical application. In this work, a 3D nickel-metalized carbon nanofiber network was developed to deposit an Fe2O3 nanosheet anode. The nickel layer not only improved the electronic conductivity and the wettability of the 3D carbon substrate but also benefit the stability of the Fe2O3/carbon interfaces and the stress-release upon cycling. As a result, the newly designed Fe2O3 anode composite exhibited a high areal capacitance of 1.80 F cm-2 at a high mass loading of 4.2 mg cm-1 and ultra-high capacitance retention of 85.1% after successive 100 000 cycles, outperformed most of the reported Fe2O3-based anode materials. Extended the interface metallization method to a MnO2 cathode, excellent capacitance retention of 108.2% was reached after 26 000 cycles, suggesting a potentially broad application of such an interface-management method in elevating the stability of metal oxide materials in various pseudocapacitive energy storage devices.

Validation of a Weight Threshold-Based Vancomycin Dosing Protocol for Patients Undergoing Intermittent Hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: Patients receiving intermittent hemodialysis (IHD) are at high risk of acquiring gram-positive infections, which are often treated with IV vancomycin. Despite frequent use of vancomycin in the IHD setting, there is variability in dosing and monitoring practices among clinicians at the study institution. There is also a paucity of evidence regarding optimal vancomycin dosing to achieve target pre-IHD serum concentration. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective was to compare the percentage of treatment courses with a serum vancomycin concentration between 15 and 20 mg/L, measured before the third IHD session, before and after implementation of a weight threshold-based dosing protocol. The secondary objectives were to compare the percentage of treatment courses with a pre-third IHD vancomycin concentration between 10 and 22 mg/L and the number of vancomycin measurements per treatment day, before and after protocol implementation. METHODS: This quasi-experimental, single-centre study included inpatients and outpatients who underwent IHD and received at least 2 IV doses of vancomycin, with vancomycin being measured in an appropriately drawn sample before the third IHD session. Before protocol implementation, vancomycin dosing was at the clinician's discretion (usual care). After protocol implementation, each patient received a loading dose of 1000, 1500, or 2000 mg and a maintenance dose of 500, 750, or 1000 mg, depending on body weight. RESULTS: The percentage of treatment courses with a pre-third IHD vancomycin concentration between 15 and 20 mg/L was greater after implementation of the protocol than with usual care, but the difference was nonsignificant (44% [8/18] versus 20% [3/15], p = 0.27). However, the percentage of treatment courses with a pre-third IHD vancomycin concentration between 10 and 22 mg/L was significantly higher after protocol implementation (94% [17/18] versus 53% [8/15], p = 0.012). There was no difference in the median number of vancomycin measurements per treatment day before and after protocol implementation (0.133 versus 0.125, p = 0.99). CONCLUSIONS: At the study institution, the likelihood of achieving recommended vancomycin concentration increased (relative to previous practice) after implementation of a simplified vancomycin dosing protocol for patients undergoing IHD.

CONTEXTE: Les patients recevant une hémodialyse intermittente (HDI) présentent un risque élevé de contracter des infections à Gram positif, souvent traitées à l'aide de vancomycine par intraveineuse (IV). Malgré l'utilisation fréquente de la vancomycine dans les environnements d'HDI, les pratiques portant sur le dosage et le suivi varient entre les cliniciens de l'institution où l'étude s'est déroulée. Il existe également peu de données probantes sur la dose optimale de vancomycine permettant d'atteindre la concentration sérique cible avant l'HDI. OBJECTIFS: L'objectif principal visait à comparer le pourcentage de traitements à la vancomycine, dont la concentration sérique se situait entre 15 et 20 mg/L, lors de la mesure prise avant la troisième séance de HDI, avant et après la mise en place d'un protocole de dosage basé sur le poids. Les objectifs secondaires visaient à comparer le pourcentage de traitements, dont la concentration de vancomycine mesurée avant la troisième séance d'HDI était comprise entre 10 et 22 mg/L, et le nombre de mesures de vancomycine par jour de traitement, avant et après la mise en place du protocole. MÉTHODES: Cette étude quasi expérimentale, menée dans un seul centre, comprenait des patients hospitalisés et ambulatoires ayant subi une HDI et reçu au moins deux doses de vancomycine par IV et dont un échantillon prélevé de manière appropriée avant la troisième séance d'HDI a permis de mesurer la vancomycine. Avant la mise en place du protocole, le dosage de vancomycine était laissé à la discrétion du clinicien (soins habituels). Après sa mise en place, chaque patient recevait une dose de charge de 1000, 1500 ou 2000 mg et une dose de maintenance de 500, 750 ou 1000 mg selon sa masse corporelle. RÉSULTATS: Le pourcentage de traitements dont la concentration de vancomycine mesurée avant la troisième séance d'HDI était comprise entre 15 et 20 mg/L était plus élevé après la mise en place du protocole qu'après les soins habituels, mais la différence n'était pas significative (44 % [8/18] contre 20 % [3/15], p = 0,27). Cependant, le pourcentage de traitements dont la concentration de vancomycine mesurée avant la troisième séance d'HDI était comprise entre 10 et 22 mg/L était significativement plus élevé après la mise en place du protocole (94 % [17/18] contre 53 % [8/15], p = 0,012). Le nombre moyen de mesures de vancomycine par traitement n'avait pas varié entre le jour précédant et le jour suivant la mise en place du protocole (0,133 contre 0,125, p = 0,99). CONCLUSIONS: Dans l'institution où l'étude s'est déroulée, la probabilité d'atteindre la concentration de vancomycine recommandée avait augmenté après la mise en place d'un protocole simplifié de dosage de vancomycine pour les patients recevant une HDI comparativement à une pratique antérieure.

Assessment of Microbiological and Chemical Quality of Bubble Tea Beverages Vended in Taiwan.

Bubble tea beverages (n = 105) purchased from vendors in Taiwan were tested to determine their microbiological and chemical quality. Nearly half of the tested samples (48.6%, 51 of 105) had aerobic plate counts (APCs) higher than the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration guideline of 4.0 log CFU/mL, and 55 (52.4%) had coliform counts (most probable number [MPN]) higher than the 10 MPN/mL guideline. Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, sweeteners, preservatives, maleic acid, and coumarin were not detected in any sample. However, catechins were not detected to 188 mg/mL, and caffeine was 10.1 to 457.6 mg/mL. Bubble tea samples obtained from vendors in southern Taiwan had a mean APC of 2.6 log CFU/mL and a mean coliform count of 61.7 MPN/mL; these values were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than those from samples collected from vendors in northern, eastern, or central Taiwan. Samples obtained from southern Taiwan had the highest mean catechin concentrations of 21.3 mg/mL (P < 0.05). About 60% (63 of 105) of the bubble tea samples were not labeled with the origin of the tea leaves, which is in violation of Taiwanese food labeling regulations. In general, the bubble tea beverages tested had satisfactory microbial and chemical qualities.

Oil Adulteration Identification by Hyperspectral Imaging Using QHM and ICA.

To investigate the feasibility of identification of qualified and adulterated oil product using hyperspectral imaging(HIS) technique, a novel feature set based on quantized histogram matrix (QHM) and feature selection method using improved kernel independent component analysis (iKICA) is proposed for HSI. We use UV and Halogen excitations in this study. Region of interest(ROI) of hyperspectral images of 256 oil samples from four varieties are obtained within the spectral region of 400-720nm. Radiation indexes extracted from each ROI are used as feature vectors. These indexes are individual band radiation index (RI), difference of consecutive spectral band radiation index (DRI), ratio of consecutive spectral band radiation index (RRI) and normalized DRI (NDRI). Another set of features called quantized histogram matrix (QHM) are extracted by applying quantization on the image histogram from these features. Based on these feature sets, improved kernel independent component analysis (iKICA) is used to select significant features. For comparison, algorithms such as plus L reduce R (plusLrR), Fisher, multidimensional scaling (MDS), independent component analysis (ICA), and principle component analysis (PCA) are also used to select the most significant wavelengths or features. Support vector machine (SVM) is used as the classifier. Experimental results show that the proposed methods are able to obtain robust and better classification performance with fewer number of spectral bands and simplify the design of computer vision systems.