Effects of oropharyngeal administration of own mother's milk on oral microbial colonization in very low birth weight infants fed by gastric tube: A randomized controlled trial.

AIMS: The aim of the present study was to explore the effect of oropharyngeal mother's milk administration on oral microbial colonization in infants fed by gastric tube at different time points. METHODS: Infants (n = 116) with birth weight <1500 g were randomly allocated into two groups which both received breast milk for enteral nutrition. The control group (n = 51) accepted oropharyngeal normal saline administration. The experimental group (n = 53) accepted oropharyngeal mother's milk administration before fed by gastric tube once every 3 h over 21 days after birth. We analyzed the oral microbiota at initiation and 7 and 14 and 21 days later using 16S DNA amplicon sequencing. RESULTS: There were no difference in oral microbial diversity between the two groups at any time point, but diversity decreased significantly over time in both groups. On the first day of life, the oral microbiota of the infant in the experimental and control groups consisted mainly of Firmicutes (7.75%, 6.18%) and Proteobacteria (68.65%, 68.69%), respectively. As time increases to 21 days after birth, Firmicutes (77.67%, 77.66%) had replaced Proteobacteria (68.65%, 68.69%) as the predominant phylum. DISCUSSION: From birth to 21 days after birth, oropharyngeal mother's milk administration did not change the diversity and structural composition of the oral microbiota. The oral microbial diversity of infants declined significantly over time. Firmicutes had replaced Proteobacteria as the predominant phylum.

Nurses' perspectives on workplace environment needs associated to resilience: a qualitative descriptive study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the demands of nurses on the workplace environment related to psychological resilience. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was employed for this study. Purposeful sampling was chosen from a tertiary hospital in Henan Province, China. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 nurses. The interview data was analyzed using the Colaizzi's method and results were reported following the COREQ standards. Results: Analysis of the interview data revealed three main themes: (1) Career Support and Development, (2) Practical Support & Development, and (3) Personal Support and Development. Conclusion: The perspectives of nurses for a workplace environment demands needs to be appreciated, and in addition, it is worth noting that the key role of building a good workplace environment in strengthening the resilience of nurses emphasizes the need for careful consideration. Nursing administrators should formulate policies and measures from multiple perspectives based on the real needs of nurses in terms of professional, practical, and personal dimensions.

Transitional Care in Patients with Heart Failure: A Concept Analysis Using Rogers' Evolutionary Approach.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to clarify the concept of transitional care in patients with heart failure. Background: Transitional care is increasingly being applied in patients with heart failure, but the concept of transitional care in heart failure patients is not uniform and confused with other definitions, which limits further research and practice on transitional care for these patients. Design: Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using the PUBMED, EMBASE, EBSCO, Chinese Biological Medicine (CBM), CNKI, and WANFANG databases (up to January 26, 2023). We used Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis method to identify related concepts, attributes, antecedents, and consequences of transitional care in patients with heart failure. Results: A total of 33 articles were included. The following attributes belonging to transitional care in patients with heart failure were extracted from the literature: self-care, multidisciplinary collaboration, and information transmission. The antecedents were patients' health status, the health literacy of patients and caregivers, the role functions of the main implementer and social and medical resources. Consequences were separated into two categories: patient-centered health outcomes (all-cause mortality, health-related quality of life, discharge preparedness, self-care behaviors, satisfaction of patients) and healthcare utilization outcomes (hospital readmission, length of hospital stay, emergency department visits). Conclusion: This study found that transitional care in heart failure patients is a systemic care process during a vulnerable period that improves patient self-management and coordination between hospital resources and social support systems for continuous management to promote smooth patient transitions between different locations. This concept analysis will inform healthcare providers in designing evidence-based interventions and quality improvement strategies to ensure that transition processes lead to desired outcomes. In addition, this study will also be helpful for developing specific assessment tools to identify patients with HF who need transitional care.

Diameter of ductus arteriosus on postnatal Day 7 is associated with late pulmonary hypertension in extremely preterm infants.

OBJECTIVES: A clinically feasible biomarker for pulmonary hypertension (PH) prediction is still lacking. Thus, we aim to assess the association between ductus arteriosus (DA) diameter and PH in extremely preterm infants. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective case-control study was performed to compare the diameter of DA in infants with and without late PH. Propensity scores were calculated to match the gestational age in two groups with a match ratio of 1:2. The diameter of DA was measured by echocardiography on postnatal Days 3 and 7. RESULTS: A total of 91 infants were included in the study. The diagnosis of late PH was made in 32 infants between postnatal life of 28-159 days. Univariable analysis showed that late PH was associated with birth weight, invasive mechanical ventilation, hemodynamically significant PDA (hsPDA), duration of PDA exposure, the rate of surgical ligation, and diameter of DA on postnatal Days 3 and 7. After adjusting for these selected factors, the diameter of DA measured on postnatal Day 7 was independently associated with the risk of late PH (odds ratios: 5.511, 95% confidence interval: 1.552-19.562, p = .008). Receiver operator curve analysis indicated that 1.95 mm in DA diameter on postnatal Day 7 was the cutoff value for late PH with an area under the curve of 0.697. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that DA diameter (larger than or equal to 1.95 mm) on postnatal Day 7 might serve as a predictor for late PH in extremely preterm infants.

PBFT optimization algorithm based on community contributions.

Community governance is the basic unit of social governance, and it is also an important direction for building a social governance pattern of co-construction, co-governance and sharing. Previous studies have solved the problems of data security, information traceability and participant enthusiasm in the process of community digital governance by building a community governance system based on blockchain technology and incentive mechanisms. The application of blockchain technology can solve the problems of low data security, difficulty in sharing and tracing and low enthusiasm on the part of multiple subjects regarding participation in community governance. The process of community governance involves the cooperation of multiple government departments and multiple social subjects. Under the blockchain architecture, the number of alliance chain nodes will reach 1000 with the expansion of community governance. The existing consensus algorithms for coalition chains are difficult to meet the high concurrent processing requirements under such large-scale nodes. An optimization algorithm has improved the consensus performance to a certain extent, but the existing systems still cannot meet the data needs of the community and are not suitable for community governance scenarios. Since the community governance process only involves the participation of relevant departments in users, all nodes in the network are not required to participate in the consensus under the blockchain architecture. Therefore, a practical Byzantine fault tolerance (PBFT) optimization algorithm based on community contribution (CSPBFT) is proposed here. First, consensus nodes are set according to different roles of participants in community activities, and participants are given different consensus permissions. Second, the consensus process is divided into different stages, and the amount of data processed by each consensus step is reduced. Finally, a two-level consensus network is designed to perform different consensus tasks, and reduce unnecessary communication between nodes to reduce the communication complexity of consensus among nodes. Compared with the PBFT algorithm, CSPBFT reduces the communication complexity from O(N2) to O(N2/C3). Finally, the simulation results show that, through rights management, network level setting and consensus phase division, when the number of nodes in the CSPBFT network is 100-400, the consensus throughput can reach 2000 TPS. When the node in the network is 1000, the instantaneous concurrency is guaranteed to be above 1000 TPS, which can meet the concurrent needs of the community governance scenario.

Mixed Feedings and Necrotizing Enterocolitis: The Proportion of Human Milk Matters.

Objectives: Impact of the proportion of human milk (HM) in mixed feeding on necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains unknown. This study explores the influence of different proportions of HM on the risk of NEC. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed in infants with very low birth weight (VLBW). A spline smoothing curve was used to evaluate the dose-dependent association between HM and the risk of NEC. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to detect the association between the proportion of HM and NEC. Results: Twenty-four infants developed NEC, with 4 (1.9%) in the high HM group, 18 (28.1%) in the low HM group, and 2 (8.0%) in the exclusive formula group (p < 0.001). After adjusting for the relevant confounders, low HM (proportion of HM ≤54%) (OR 33.526, 95% confidential interval [CI] 7.183-156.475, p < 0.001) and exclusive formula feeding (OR 8.493, 95% CI 1.107-65.187, p = 0.040) significantly increased the incidence of NEC, compared with the high HM feeding (proportion of HM >54%). Similarly, low HM was independently associated with an increased risk of feeding intolerance compared with high HM feeding (OR 4.383, 95% CI 2.243-8.564, p < 0.001). Conclusion: A low ratio of HM (≤54%) significantly increased the risk of intestinal complications in VLBW infants. Mixed feeding should relate to the proportion of HM in premature infants.

Analysis of the mental health status of hospital staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Medical work is a complex and interpersonally sensitive job; clinicians interact with patients, colleagues and society-at-large daily, and they are under pressure from a variety of sources. The doctor-patient relationship is of particular concern. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current mental health status of hospital staff and related influencing factors during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. METHODS: The Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7) were used to survey the current mental health status of hospital employees. The resulting qualitative data was described in the form of frequency and percentage (%), and the quantitative data were expressed as mean±standard deviation (X¯±S). RESULTS: A total of 1,074 employees of The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University participated in the mental health survey, of whom 77.47% were women. The SCL-90 score was 133.89±48.87, and the three highest scoring factors were depression, somatisation and obsessions, with factor scores of 19.10±8.14, 16.78±6.21 and 16.27±6.39, respectively. The GAD-7 score was 3.74±4.17 for women and 2.14±3.55 for men. The number of women with anxiety disorders was higher compared with men. CONCLUSION: The mental health status of hospital workers with different demographic characteristics varied greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Active attention needs to be paid to the mental health status of hospital staff.

Building operation and maintenance scheme based on sharding blockchain.

Blockchain can ensure data security and reliability during the stage of building operation and maintenance (BOM), provide reliable data for decision-making. However, existing schemes based on single-chain architecture have the problems of storage limitation and scalability, and ignore the impact of event's priority and real-time on blockchain transaction. Therefore, for BOM, this paper provides a BOM framework based on sharding blockchain (SBC-BOMF), which constructs two-layer architecture based on master-chain and multiple shards, relieves the storage pressure of blockchain nodes and improves the concurrency capability. Priority-based transaction handling strategy is designed to achieve reasonable and rapid response for multi-level transactions. Finally, an actual BOM project is taken as example to illustrate the effectiveness of proposed scheme; experiments are conducted for performance testing and evaluation. Results show that proposed scheme can effectively solve the scalability problem caused by the application of blockchain in BOM, reduce storage overhead, and realize efficient handling for blockchain transactions.

Survival and care practices of periviable births of <24†weeks' gestation-a single center retrospective study in China, 2015-2021.

Background: Data from the China Neonatal Network currently shows that the survival rate of very preterm infants in China has improved in recent years. However, due to the unequal economic and medical development of each city in China, the national data do not completely represent the level of neonatal care in the metropolitan areas. Though many studies have published their short- or long-term survival, very few have described the care practices and the course of stay of these neonates in detail. Our objective was to examine the survival and clinical practices among preterm infants born at <24 weeks' gestational age (GA) in a high-income city in China, from 2015 to 2021. Methods: Retrospective study of preterm infants <24 weeks GA in a level 3 neonatal intensive care unit in China, over a period of 7 years (2015-2021). Care practices in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and short- and long-term survival were measured. Results: A total of 32 periviable infants were included, with a median GA of 23.0 weeks and mean (SD) birth weight of 497 (94) g; 17 infants (53.1%) were female. While none of the infants born at 21 weeks of gestation survived until discharge, the survival rates were 25.0% (3 of 12) for infants born at 22 weeks and 58.8% (10 of 17) at 23 weeks. Antenatal corticosteroids were used in 56.3%, and 100% were vaginal birth. In the delivery room, surfactant was prescribed for 46.9% of the infants, and postnatal dexamethasone (≥2 courses) was prescribed to 61.5% of the infants. Logistic regression analysis showed that Apgar score at 5 minutes (OR = 2.007, 95% CI, 1.031 to 3.906, P < 0.05) increased the risk of death, while the increase in gestational age (OR = 0.238, 95% CI, 0.060-0.936, P < 0.05), antenatal use of steroids (OR = 0.287, 95% CI, 0.106-0.778, P < 0.01), and premature rupture of membranes (OR = 0.141, 95% CI, 0.024 -0.847, P = 0.032) could decrease the risk. No or mild neurodevelopmental impairment in surviving infants was 76.9% (10 of 13). Conclusions: Although the survival rate of periviable infants was shown to be improved in our study, there is still much room for improvement, and active follow-up information should be conducted.

Risk factors for postoperative delirium in elderly urological patients: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Avoiding postoperative delirium (POD) can have a significant detrimental effect on the rehabilitation and prognosis of elderly urological patients. It is necessary to explore the risk factors associated with POD in elderly urology to provide a basis for clinical recognition of delirium. METHODS: For relevant studies, we comprehensively searched Embase, MEDLINE, Ovid, PubMed, Scopus, The Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. The search deadline was September 2021. RESULTS: We identified 2046 studies, 8 of which were included in the ultimate analysis. A total of 8 articles, including 356 cases in the delirium group and 1813 cases in the non-delirium group, were included in the relevant literature. The 2 groups mentioned above differed significantly in the following factors: history of delirium (odds ratio [OR] = 6.98, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.63-29.86, P = .009); Preoperative use of psychotropic drugs (OR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.11-3.52, P = .02); age (OR = 3.10, 95% CI: 2.08-4.12, P < .0001). The meta-analysis demonstrated that smoking, alcohol consumption, gender (male), mode of anesthesia (general anesthesia) and being unmarried did not have a significant effect on POD in elderly urological patients. CONCLUSION: The risk factors for POD in elderly urological patients include history of delirium, preoperative use of psychotropic drugs, and age. The present study provides guidance for taking targeted preventive measures to reduce risks.

Research on multi-person collaborative design of BIM drawing based on blockchain.

The existing multi-person collaborative design scheme of Building Information Modeling (BIM) integrated with blockchain faces problems such as poor reliability of BIM drawing, inconsistent drawing information, redundant information, and inaccurate protection of copyright interests. This paper proposes a multi-person collaborative design model for BIM drawing that combines blockchain and InterPlanetary File System (IPFS). This model uses blockchain to store drawing design information to protect the copyright interests of designers and combines IPFS to ensure the reliability of drawing. A cycle division mechanism is designed to solve the problem of drawing information synchronization when multiple people collaborate in design. The Semantic Differential Transaction (SDT) method is used to achieve incremental update of drawing and reduce the information redundancy of the blockchain. Finally, a comparative analysis and validation evaluation of the scheme is carried out, and the usability of the scheme is illustrated with an illustrative example. The results show that: (1) proposed scheme is feasible for multi-person collaborative design; (2) proposed scheme can effectively ensure the reliability of drawing and reduce the redundancy of blockchain information, so as to achieve copyright protection for designers.

Tailoring Hybrid Aluminoborate Frameworks by Incorporating Multicomponent Cadmium-Amine Complexes with Various Conformations.

Inorganic-organic hybrid aluminoborates represent a subclass of porous materials, which rely on effective construction method and structure-directing agents. Herein, we prepared a series of hybrid aluminoborates through covalent decoration of unsaturated Cd2+ complexes, whose formation take advantage of chelating amine and long-chain diamine as mixed ligands. These isolated compounds, that is, [Cd(en)(1,4-dab)0.5][AlB5O10] (1a; its analogue with discrete complex [Cd(en)(dien)H2O][AlB5O10] is denoted as 1b), [Cd(1,2-dap)1.5(1,4-dabH)0.5]{Al[B5O8(OH)2](B5O10)0.5} (2), and [Cd(en)(1,3-dap)][AlB5O10] (3) feature open frameworks (1a, 1b, and 3) or a sandwich-like porous layer (2) that are constructed by AlO4 tetrahedra and [B5O10]5-/[B5O8(OH)2]3- clusters. However, they exhibit different structural features in interconnection, channel environment, and topology as a result of diversified interactions between unsaturated complexes and aluminoborate frameworks, that is, through forming two Cd-O bonds with (i) a pair of neighboring BO3 and AlO4, (ii) the same AlO4, or (iii) the same BO3. The variation in connection mode exerts essential influence on binding effects and steric hindrance that are reflected by changes in interatomic distance, bond angle, window configuration, and interlinkage of units. In addition, the incorporation of unsaturated Cd2+ complexes endows these aluminoborate materials with photoluminescence function. Compound 3 with a noncentrosymmetric structure exhibits second harmonic generation (SHG) response approximately 0.7 times that of KDP. The preparation strategy for hybrid aluminoborates proposed here combines well molecular design with templating assembly, whose synergistic effect would be crucial for drawing a rational pathway for inorganic synthesis, especially with focus on structural and functional innovation.

Predicting the Risk of Unplanned Readmission at 30 Days After PCI: Development and Validation of a New Predictive Nomogram.

Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a risk prediction model that can be used to identify percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients at high risk for 30-day unplanned readmission. Patients and Methods: We developed a prediction model based on a training dataset of 1348 patients after PCI. The data were collected from January 2020 to December 2020. Clinical characteristics, laboratory data and risk factors were collected using the hospital database. The LASSO regression method was applied to filter variables and select predictors, and feature selection for a 30-day readmission risk model was optimized using least absolute shrinkage. Multivariate logistic regression was used to construct a nomogram. The performance and clinical utility of the nomogram were evaluated with a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, a calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Internal validation of the predictive accuracy was performed using bootstrapping validation. Results: The predictors included in the prediction nomogram were medical insurance, length of stay, left ventricular ejection fraction on admission, history of hypertension, the presence of chronic lung disease, the presence of anemia, and serum creatinine level on admission. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the predictive model was 0.735 (95% CI: 0.711-0.759). The P value of the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test was 0.326, indicating good calibration, and the calibration curves showed good agreement between the classifications and actual observations. DCA also demonstrated that the nomogram was clinically useful. A high c-index value of 0.723 was obtained during the internal validation. Conclusion: We developed an easy-to-use nomogram model to predict the risk of readmission 30 days after discharge for PCI patients. This risk prediction model may serve as a guide for screening high-risk patients and allocating resources for PCI patients at the time of hospital discharge and may provide a reference for preventive care interventions.

Enteral Feeding/Total Fluid Intake Ratio Is Associated With Risk of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Extremely Preterm Infants.

Background: Nutrition is an essential factor in preventing and managing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a multifactorial chronic respiratory disease in premature infants. This study examined the association between nutritional intakes during the first 2 weeks of life and BPD in extremely preterm infants. Methods: A retrospective single-center cohort study was performed in infants born <28 weeks' gestational age or with a birth weight <1,000 g. Intake of energy and ratio of enteral feeding/ total fluid intake during the first 2 weeks of life and association with outcome of BPD were examined. Results: 134 infants were included in our study, and 43 infants (32.1%) developed BPD. During the first 2 weeks of life, the average of total caloric intake and the ratio of enteral feeding/ total fluid intake were significantly lower in the BPD group (total caloric intake:91.90 vs. 95.72 kcal/kg/d, p < 0.05, ratio of enteral feeding/total fluid intake: 0.14 vs. 0.18, p < 0.05), while the average of total fluid intake, caloric and protein intake from parenteral nutrition did not differ between the groups. The ratio of enteral feeding/ total fluid intake during the second week were significantly lower in the BPD group (0.21 vs. 0.28, p < 0.05), while this ratio during the first week did not differ between the groups. An increase of 10% in the ratio of enteral feeding/ total fluid intake during the second week of life significantly reduced the risk of BPD (OR 0.444, 95% CI: 0.270-0.731). Conclusions: A higher ratio of enteral feeding/ total fluid intake was associated with a lower risk for BPD. Early and rapidly progressive enteral nutrition should be encouraged in extremely preterm infants in the absence of feeding intolerance.

The Impostor Phenomenon Among Nursing Students and Nurses: A Scoping Review.

The impostor phenomenon (IP) refers to a false internal experience of low intelligence or ability that is associated with anxiety, depression, psychological distress, and burnout. The emotions associated with the IP affect not only personal mental health but also patient care. To address this issue, we need to completely understand the prevalence of and factors related to the IP and ways to resolve/overcome IP feelings. The aim of this scoping review was to identify the existing evidence regarding the IP among nursing students and nurses and determine gaps that can be addressed in future research. We conducted our study based on the scoping review methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley (2005) and advanced by Levac et al. (2010). After searching the Embase, PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Library, Web of Science and ProQuest databases, we identified 11 studies for inclusion in this review. We found that while the IP exists in nursing students and nurses, clinical nurse specialist students and final-year nursing students are at significant risk of impostor behavior. We also found that research in the nursing field has focused on the prevalence of and factors related to the IP, but few studies have addressed ways to resolve/overcome IP feelings. Thus, research in this area should be increased. This scoping review presents research gaps that may serve as a starting point for future work on the IP in the nursing field.

Oropharyngeal administration of mother's own milk influences levels of salivary sIgA in preterm infants fed by gastric tube.

The aim of the present study was to explore the effect of oropharyngeal mother's milk administration on salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) levels in preterm infants fed by gastric tube. Infants (n = 130) with birth weight < 1500 g were randomly allocated into two groups which both received breast milk for enteral nutrition. The experimental group (n = 65) accepted oropharyngeal mother's milk administration before gastric tube feeding for 14 days after birth. The control group (n = 65) accepted oropharyngeal 0.9% normal saline administration. Saliva concentration of sIgA were assessed at the 2 h, 7th and 14th day after birth. The level of salivary sIgA in experimental group were significantly higher than those in control group on the 7th day after birth (p < 0.05), but there were no differences in salivary sIgA levels on the 14th day between the two groups. The results of quantile regression analysis showed that oropharyngeal mother's milk administration, delivery mode and gestational age had significant effects on the increase of sIgA. SIgA in experimental group and the total number of intervention had a significant positive correlation (p < 0.05). Oropharyngeal mother's milk administration can improve salivary sIgA levels of preterm infants.

Kangaroo Mother Care Reduces Noninvasive Ventilation and Total Oxygen Support Duration in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants.

OBJECTIVE: Evidence on the safety and influence of kangaroo mother care (KMC) in extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWIs) on ventilation is lacking. STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective cohort study performed in 145 ELBWIs on noninvasive mechanical ventilation from a tertiary center. RESULTS: The duration of nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (nIPPV) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) ventilation was significantly shorter in infants with KMC compared with infants without (21 vs. 13.5 days, p = 0.001 and 29.5 days vs. 20.5 days, p = 0.001, respectively). The frequency of apnea during hospital stay was fewer in KMC infants, compared with no KMC (23 vs. 20 times, p = 0.002). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that KMC was an independent protective factor for shortening nIPPV/CPAP duration (ß = -9.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] [-13.20, -6.60], p < 0.001), total supplemental oxygen support (ß = -10.52, 95% CI [-16.73, -4.30], p = 0.001), and reducing times of apneas (ß = -5.88, 95% CI [-8.56, -3.21], p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: KMC benefits ELBWIs by shortening nIPPV/CPAP ventilation duration and total supplemental oxygen support, and reducing the frequency of apneas.

Simultaneous detection of fungal (1,3)-ß-d-glucan and procalcitonin using a dual-label time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay.

Neonatal infectious diseases are a serious threat to the health of newborns. The aim was to establish a new detection method for the simultaneous measurement of (1,3)-ß-d-glucan and procalcitonin in serum for the early screening and efficacy testing of neonatal infectious diseases. We established a sandwich dual-label time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay (TRFIA): anti-(1,3)-ß-d-glucan/procalcitonin antibodies immobilized on 96-well plates captured (1,3)-ß-d-glucan/procalcitonin antigens and then banded together with the detection antibodies labeled with europium(III) (Eu3+ )/samarium(III) (Sm3+ ) chelates. Finally, time-resolved fluorometry was used to measure the fluorescence intensity. The linear correlation coefficient (R2 ) of the (1,3)-ß-d-glucan standard curve was 0.9913, and the R2 of the procalcitonin standard curve was 0.9911. The detection sensitivity for (1,3)-ß-d-glucan was 0.4 pg/mL (dynamic range: 0.6-90 pg/mL), and the average recovery was 101.55%. The detection sensitivity for procalcitonin was 0.02 ng/mL (dynamic range: 0.05-95 ng/mL), and the average recovery was 104.61%. There was a high R2 between the present TRFIA method and a commercially available assay (R2  = 0.9829 for (1,3)-ß-d-glucan and R2  = 0.9704 for procalcitonin). Additionally, the cutoff values for (1,3)-ß-d-glucan and procalcitonin were 23.95 pg/mL and 0.055 ng/mL, respectively. The present TRFIA method has high sensitivity, accuracy, and specificity and is an effective method for early screening and efficient testing of neonatal invasive fungal infection.

A natural complex product Yaocha reduces uric acid level in a live zebrafish model.

INTRODUCTION: This study was aimed to assess uric acid (UA)-lowering effect and its possible mechanisms of a natural complex product Yaocha in a live zebrafish model. METHODS: The zebrafish high UA model was established by feeding 5 dpf zebrafish with both an uricase inhibitor potassium oxonate at 10 mM and an UA synthesis precursor xanthine sodium at 0.5 mM for 24 h. Yaocha was administered to the high UA zebrafish through soaking at 3 various concentrations, with allopurinol as a positive control. UA level, xanthine oxidase (XOD) activity, and mRNA expression of hypoxanthine guanine-phosphoribosyltransferases transferase (HPRT1) and organic anion transporter 1 (OAT1) were measured. RESULTS: Yaocha effectively reduced UA level and inhibited xanthine oxidase (XO) activity in the high UA zebrafish. Yaocha could be a potential therapeutics for hyperuricemia through up-regulating HPRT1 and OAT1 gene expression and suppressing XO activity. DISCUSSION: These results suggested that Yaocha hold a potential for high UA prevention and therapy, possibly through inhibiting UA production and promoting urate secretion and purine conversion.

The wound healing effects of the Tilapia collagen peptide mixture TY001 in streptozotocin diabetic mice.

BACKGROUND: The Tilapia collagen peptides mixture TY001 is effective in promoting wound healing in acetic acid-induced skin lesions in zebrafish and in protecting against lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation and disruption of glucose metabolism in mice. The present study aimed to further examine the wound healing effects of TY001 in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. METHODS: Full-thickness skin excision wounds were created with 8-mm biopsy punches and TY001 was administered via drinking water (15, 30 and 45 g L-1 in emulsion) for 15 days. RESULTS: Wound healing was delayed in diabetic mice but was promoted by TY001 after 5, 10 or 15 days of treatment. Collagen deposition and tissue hydroxyproline contents were increased by TY001. The expressions of insulin growth factor-1, basic fibroblast growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, transforming growth facts ß1, vascular endothelial growth factor and epidermal growth factor were increased by TY001, as indicated by immunobiochemistry and a quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Diabetes-associated serum pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1ß and IL-8 were decreased, whereas anti-inflammatory IL-10 and nitric oxide were increased by TY001, along with increased tissue antioxidant superoxide dismutase and catalase activities. Diabetes-reduced serum protein levels were also recovered by TY001 CONCLUSION: Taken together, Tilapia collagen peptide mixture TY001 was effective with respect to enhancing diabetes-associated wound healing delay, probably via increasing growth factors and collagen deposition in the wound, attenuating diabetes-induced prolonged inflammation, increasing tissue antioxidants and providing nutritional support in diabetic mice. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.