Hearing Loss Prevalence, Years Lived With Disability, and Hearing Aid Use in the United States From 1990 to 2019: Findings From the Global Burden of Disease Study.

OBJECTIVES: This article describes key data sources and methods used to estimate hearing loss in the United States, in the Global Burden of Disease study. Then, trends in hearing loss are described for 2019, including temporal trends from 1990 to 2019, changing prevalence over age, severity patterns, and utilization of hearing aids. DESIGN: We utilized population-representative surveys from the United States to estimate hearing loss prevalence for the Global Burden of Disease study. A key input data source in modeled estimates are the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), years 1988 to 2010. We ran hierarchical severity-specific models to estimate hearing loss prevalence. We then scaled severity-specific models to sum to total hearing impairment prevalence, adjusted estimates for hearing aid coverage, and split estimates by etiology and tinnitus status. We computed years lived with disability (YLDs), which quantifies the amount of health loss associated with a condition depending on severity and creates a common metric to compare the burden of disparate diseases. This was done by multiplying the prevalence of severity-specific hearing loss by corresponding disability weights, with additional weighting for tinnitus comorbidity. RESULTS: An estimated 72.88 million (95% uncertainty interval (UI) 68.53 to 77.30) people in the United States had hearing loss in 2019, accounting for 22.2% (20.9 to 23.6) of the total population. Hearing loss was responsible for 2.24 million (1.56 to 3.11) YLDs (3.6% (2.8 to 4.7) of total US YLDs). Age-standardized prevalence was higher in males (17.7% [16.7 to 18.8]) compared with females (11.9%, [11.2 to 12.5]). While most cases of hearing loss were mild (64.3%, 95% UI 61.0 to 67.6), disability was concentrated in cases that were moderate or more severe. The all-age prevalence of hearing loss in the United States was 28.1% (25.7 to 30.8) higher in 2019 than in 1990, despite stable age-standardized prevalence. An estimated 9.7% (8.6 to 11.0) of individuals with mild to profound hearing loss utilized a hearing aid, while 32.5% (31.9 to 33.2) of individuals with hearing loss experienced tinnitus. Occupational noise exposure was responsible for 11.2% (10.2 to 12.4) of hearing loss YLDs. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate large burden of hearing loss in the United States, with an estimated 1 in 5 people experiencing this condition. While many cases of hearing loss in the United States were mild, growing prevalence, low usage of hearing aids, and aging populations indicate the rising impact of this condition in future years and the increasing importance of domestic access to hearing healthcare services. Large-scale audiometric surveys such as NHANES are needed to regularly assess hearing loss burden and access to healthcare, improving our understanding of who is impacted by hearing loss and what groups are most amenable to intervention.

Small airway dysfunction associated with poor short-term outcomes in patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although small airway dysfunction is a common respiratory dysfunction, its prognosis after lung cancer surgery is often neglected. This study investigated the relationship between small airway dysfunction and outcomes in patients who underwent thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent thoracoscopic surgery was conducted between December 2019 and March 2021 at Ningbo First Hospital. We used univariate and multivariate analyses to assess the possible associations between postoperative outcomes and clinical variables, including small airway dysfunction. To balance the potential confounding factors, propensity score matching was performed to establish 1:1 small airway dysfunction and small airway normal function group matching. RESULTS: In this study, 1,012 patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer were enrolled. Small airway dysfunction was present in 18.7% of patients (189/1,012). The incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications in the small airway dysfunction group was higher than that of the small airway normal function group (16.4% vs 6.2%, P < .001). The most significant postoperative pulmonary complications were pneumonia (7.4% vs 2.4%, P < .001) in the small airway dysfunction and normal function groups, respectively. In addition, a significantly prolonged median hospital length of stay was observed in the small airway dysfunction group compared to the small airway normal function group (median [interquartile range], 9 [7-12] vs 8 [7-9], P < .001). After 1:1 propensity score matching, 298 patients (149 pairs) were included in the comparison between small airway dysfunction and small airway normal function, and this association remained. Postoperative pulmonary complications (13.4% vs 6.0%, P = .032) were still higher, and length of stay (median [interquartile range] 9 [7-11] vs 8 [6-10] days, P = .001) was still longer in the small airway dysfunction group. Multivariate analysis indicated that small airway dysfunction was the independent risk factor associated with both postoperative pulmonary complications (odds ratio = 2.694, 95% confidence interval: 1.640-4.426, P < .001) and prolonged length of stay (beta = 1.045, standard error = 0.159, 95% confidence interval: 0.733-1.357, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Our study showed that small airway dysfunction increased the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications and prolonged length of stay in patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer.

Trends and Cancer-Specific Patterns of Physical Activity, Sleep Duration, and Daily Sitting Time Among US Cancer Survivors, 1997-2018.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity, sufficient sleep, and limiting sedentary time may improve cancer survivorship. METHODS: Utilizing US nationally representative samples from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 1997-2018 and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2018, this study investigated the trends of meeting physical activity guidelines (PAG), insufficient sleep duration, and sitting time in US cancer survivors (n = 58,527) and non-cancer adults (n = 640,109). RESULTS: From 1997-2018, the prevalence of meeting PAG was consistently lower in cancer survivors than in non-cancer adults. Among cancer survivors, the prevalence of meeting PAG increased from 34.9% (95% CI, 33.1-36.8) to 46.5 (95% CI, 45.0-48.1) for aerobic (≥150 minutes/week at moderate-intensity or 75 minutes/week at vigorous-intensity), from 13.9 (95% CI, 12.8-15.1) to 23.1 (95%, 21.8-24.4) for muscle-strengthening (≥2 days/week) activities, and from 9.5 (95% CI, 8.4-10.7) to 17.9 (95% CI, 16.7-19.1) for both combined (all P for trend <.001). From 2004 to 2018, the prevalence of insufficient sleep duration (<7 h/d) increased from 28.4% (95% CI, 26.3- 30.5) to 30.8% (95% CI, 29.3-32.2) (Ptrend=0.004). Daily sitting time increased from 6.09 h/d (95% CI, 5.71-6.46) in 2007-2008 to 7.36 h/d (95% CI, 7.05-7.68) in 2013-2014 and attenuated to 6.20 h/d (95% CI, 5.74-6.65) in 2017-2018. The pattern of physical activity, sleep, and sitting time varied by sex, race/ethnicity, BMI, cancer type, and time since cancer diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: More than half of US cancer survivors did not meet PAG and a large proportion had insufficient sleep duration and prolonged sitting time.

Safety of Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines Among Adults with Experience of Allergies to Food or Medicines.

The global pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), commonly known as COVID-19, poses significant risk to human health worldwide. The primary strategy for controlling the disease is through vaccination. However, there is an urgent need to establish confidence in the safety of global vaccination efforts, particularly among populations with allergies, as evidence on the adverse effects of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in this group remains limited. To address this gap, our study aimed to evaluate the safety of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in individuals with food and/or drug allergies. The study enrolled a total of 150 participants, who were subjected to a series of questionnaires to evaluate local and systemic reactions within 7 days after each dose. The results revealed that the most prevalent adverse reactions were pain at the injection site (30%) and fatigue (16%) following the initial vaccination. Notably, the incidence of both local and systemic adverse reactions decreased after the second vaccination, which was unexpected. The food allergy and drug allergy subgroups exhibited a similar phenomenon. Furthermore, the incidence of adverse events observed in this study was consistent with the range reported in Phase III clinical trials of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Our findings suggest that individuals with pre-existing food and/or drug allergies have a favorable safety profile when receiving inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.

ATM participates in fine particulate matter-induced airway inflammation through regulating DNA damage and DNA damage response.

The relationship between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and chronic airway inflammatory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, have garnered public attention, while the detailed mechanisms of PM2.5-induced airway inflammation remain unclear. This study reveals that PM2.5 induces airway inflammation both in vivo and in vitro, and, moreover, identifies DNA damage and DNA damage repair (DDR) as results of this exposure. Ataxia telangiectasia-mutated heterozygous (ATM+/- ) and wild-type C57BL/6 (WT) mice were exposed to PM2.5. The results show that, following exposure to PM2.5, the number of neutrophils in broncho alveolar lavage fluid and the mRNA expression of CXCL-1 in lung tissues of the ATM+/- mice were lower than those of the WT mice. The mRNA expression of FANCD2 and FANCI were also down-regulated. Human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells were transfected with ATM-siRNA to induce down-regulation of ATM gene expression and were subsequently stimulated with PM2.5. The results show that the mRNA expression of TNF-α decreased in the ATM-siRNA-transfected cells. The mRNA expression of CXCL-1 and CXCL-2 in peritoneal macrophages, derived from ATM-null mice in which experiments showed that the protein expression of FANCD2 and FANCI decreased, were also decreased after PM2.5 exposure in ATM-siRNA-transfected HBE cells. In conclusion, PM2.5-induced airway inflammation is alleviated in ATM+/- mice compared with WT mice. ATM promotes PM2.5-induced airway inflammation, which may be attributed to the regulation of DNA damage and DDR.

Attachment of facile synthesized NaCo2O4 nanodots to SiO2 nanoflakes for sodium-rich boosted Pt-dominated ambient HCHO oxidation.

Surface alkali metal ions are typically utilized as available promoters for ambient HCHO oxidation. In this study, NaCo2O4 nanodots with two different preferential crystallographic orientations are synthesized by facile attachment to SiO2 nanoflakes with varying degrees of lattice defects. A unique Na-rich environment is established through interlayer Na+ diffusion based on the small size effect. The optimized catalyst Pt/HNaCo2O4/T2 can deal with HCHO below 5 ppm in the static measurement system with a sustained release background and produces approximately 40 ppm of CO2 in 2 h. Combining the experimental analyses with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the possible catalytic enhancing mechanism is proposed from the support promotion perspective, and the positive synergistic effect of Na-rich, oxygen vacancies and optimized facets for Pt-dominant ambient HCHO oxidation via both kinetic and thermodynamic processes is confirmed.

Glycolytic Activation of CD14+ Intestinal Macrophages Contributes to the Inflammatory Responses via Exosomal Membrane Tumor Necrosis Factor in Crohn's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Macrophage (Mφ) activation plays a critical role in the inflammatory response. Activated Mφ go through profound reprogramming of cellular metabolism. However, changes in their intracellular energy metabolism and its effect on inflammatory responses in Crohn's disease (CD) remain currently unclear. The aim of this study is to explore metabolic signatures of CD14+ Mφ and their potential role in CD pathogenesis as well as the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: CD14+ Mφ were isolated from peripheral blood or intestinal tissues of CD patients and control subjects. Real-time flux measurements and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to determine the inflammatory states of Mφ and metabolic signatures. Multiple metabolic routes were suppressed to determine their relevance to cytokine production. RESULTS: Intestinal CD14+ Mφ in CD patients exhibited activated glycolysis compared with those in control patients. Specifically, macrophagic glycolysis in CD largely induced inflammatory cytokine release. The intestinal inflammatory microenvironment in CD elicited abnormal glycolysis in Mφ. Mechanistically, CD14+ Mφ derived exosomes expressed membrane tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which engaged TNFR2 and triggered glycolytic activation via TNF/nuclear factor κB autocrine and paracrine signaling. Importantly, clinically applicable anti-TNF antibodies effectively prevented exosomal membrane TNF-induced glycolytic activation in CD14+ Mφ. CONCLUSIONS: CD14+ Mφ take part in CD pathogenesis by inducing glycolytic activation via membrane TNF-mediated exosomal autocrine and paracrine signaling. These results provide novel insights into pathogenesis of CD and enhance understanding of the mechanisms of anti-TNF agents.

Using complete blood count, serum immunoglobulins G/A/M and complement C3/C4 levels to predict the risk of COPD acute exacerbation: 2-year follow-up in a single-center prospective cohort study.

Autoimmunity is present in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), playing a role in indirect and direct ways. We aimed to explore whether autoimmunity could play a role in COPD exacerbations and construct autoimmunity-related prediction models. This prospective, longitudinal, observational cohort study enrolled 155 patients with acute COPD exacerbations (AECOPD) followed for at least two years. The laboratory parameters, including complete blood count, serum immunoglobulins G/A/M and complement C3/C4 levels, were collected at enrollment. We studied the demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics and laboratory parameters to identify independent risk factors and build predictive models. The results showed that lower lymphocyte count was associated with noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in patients with AECOPD (the odds ratio [OR] 0.25, the 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.08-0.81, P = 0.02). Lymphocyte count performed well with an area under the curves (AUC) of 0.75 (P < 0.0001, sensitivity: 78.1%, specificity: 62.3%, cutoff value [Cov] ≤ 1.1). The C index, calibration plot, decision curve analysis (DCA) and bootstrap repetitions indicated that this clinical prediction model based on lymphocyte count for NIV in patients with AECOPD performed well. Having prior home oxygen therapy (OR: 2.82, 95% CI: 1.25-6.36, P = 0.013) and higher COPD Assessment Test (CAT) scores (OR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.03-1.25, P = 0.011) were associated with the increased risk for respiratory failure. For predicting respiratory failure, CAT scores and home oxygen therapy combined had an AUC-ROC of 0.73 (P < 0.0001). This clinical prediction model based on lymphocyte count may help to assist in treatment decisions for NIV in patients with AECOPD. Lower complement C3 seems to be associated with worse outcomes in patients with AECOPD.

Secondhand Smoke Exposure and the Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Many studies have shown that active smoking leads to an increasing incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, studies interested in the effects of secondhand smoke exposure (SHS exposure) on COPD were less or underappreciated. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the association between SHS exposure and the risk of COPD. Three databases (PubMed, Embase and Web of Science) were searched to obtain data. After assessing the study quality, stratified analyses were performed according to the region, gender, and duration of exposure. Cochran's Q and I2 were utilized for heterogeneity assessment. To assess publication bias, we used a funnel plot and Egger's test. Results: A total of 15 studies (6 cross-sectional studies, 6 case-control studies, and 3 cohort studies) with 25,592 participants were involved in this meta-analysis. This study showed that SHS exposure was associated with an increased risk of COPD (odds ratio (OR): 2.25, 95% CI: 1.40-3.62, I2 = 98%, p < 0.01 for heterogeneity based on a random-effects analysis model), especially in those with a longer time exposure of more than 5 years was 4.38 (95% CI: 1.28-15.00, I2 = 89%, p < 0.01 for heterogeneity based on a random-effects analysis model). In addition, SHS exposure also increases the risk of COPD in women (odds ratio (OR): 2.02, 95% CI: 1.52-2.67, I2 = 0%, p = 0.89 for heterogeneity based on a random-effects analysis model). Conclusion: The findings suggest that SHS exposure is associated with the risk of COPD, especially for individuals with a long time exposed. Trial Registry: Prospero CRD42022329421.

CircSSNN: circRNA-binding site prediction via sequence self-attention neural networks with pre-normalization.

BACKGROUND: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a significant role in some diseases by acting as transcription templates. Therefore, analyzing the interaction mechanism between circRNA and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) has far-reaching implications for the prevention and treatment of diseases. Existing models for circRNA-RBP identification usually adopt convolution neural network (CNN), recurrent neural network (RNN), or their variants as feature extractors. Most of them have drawbacks such as poor parallelism, insufficient stability, and inability to capture long-term dependencies. METHODS: In this paper, we propose a new method completely using the self-attention mechanism to capture deep semantic features of RNA sequences. On this basis, we construct a CircSSNN model for the cirRNA-RBP identification. The proposed model constructs a feature scheme by fusing circRNA sequence representations with statistical distributions, static local contexts, and dynamic global contexts. With a stable and efficient network architecture, the distance between any two positions in a sequence is reduced to a constant, so CircSSNN can quickly capture the long-term dependencies and extract the deep semantic features. RESULTS: Experiments on 37 circRNA datasets show that the proposed model has overall advantages in stability, parallelism, and prediction performance. Keeping the network structure and hyperparameters unchanged, we directly apply the CircSSNN to linRNA datasets. The favorable results show that CircSSNN can be transformed simply and efficiently without task-oriented tuning. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, CircSSNN can serve as an appealing circRNA-RBP identification tool with good identification performance, excellent scalability, and wide application scope without the need for task-oriented fine-tuning of parameters, which is expected to reduce the professional threshold required for hyperparameter tuning in bioinformatics analysis.

Reproductive performance and transcriptome analysis of ovaries at different parities in female rabbits.

This study investigated the reproductive performance and ovarian molecular regulation associated with parity in commercial rabbit systems. The pregnancy data of 658 female rabbits from the first to sixth parities (P1 to P6) under the same mating pattern were analyzed, showing a significant decrease in the conception rate in P6. Compared to P1 (N = 120) and P2 (N = 105), P6 (N = 99) had significantly lower performance indices in terms of total litter size, live litter size, survival rate at birth, and weight of 3 and 5 wk old kits (P < 0.05). Using H&E staining, we found that the ovarian primordial follicle reservoir of P6 was significantly lower than that of P1 and P2, and the number of atretic follicles at P6 was significantly higher (P < 0.05). Blood (N = 30 per group) and ovaries (N = 6 per group) in P1, P2, and P6 were collected for measurement of the serum anti-oxidant capacity and indices of ovarian function by ELISA. It was found that serum glutathione, ovarian Klotho protein, and telomeres of P1 and P2 were significantly higher than those of P6 (P < 0.05). The serum levels of ROS and MDA at P1 and P2 were significantly lower than those at P6 (P < 0.05). Additionally, transcriptome analysis showed 213 up-regulated and 747 down-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between P2 and P6 ovaries. Several DEGs were related to reproduction, including CYP21A2, PTGFR, SGK1, PIK3R6, and SRD5A2. These results demonstrate the influence of parity on reproduction in female rabbits, reflected in a loss of follicle reservoir, disordered levels of anti-oxidants, and indices associated with ovarian function and molecular regulation. This study provides a basis for the strategies to increase reproductive rate in female rabbits.

The pregnancy data of 658 female rabbits from the first to sixth parities (P1 to P6) under the same mating pattern were used to assess the rate of conception at different parities. The reproductive performance and follicular development of P1, P2, and P6 female rabbits were analyzed. The results showed that conception rate was dramatically reduced in P6. Compared with P1 and P2, P6 rabbits showed evidence of lower fertility in terms of total litter size, live litter size, survival rate at birth, and weights of kits at 3 and 5-wk-old. The primordial follicle storage at P6 was significantly reduced, with greater numbers of atretic follicles compared with P1 and P2. In terms of serum glutathione, reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde, and ovarian Klotho protein, telomeres, the anti-oxidant capacity and ovarian function at P6 was significantly affected by parity. Further, based on the ovarian transcriptomes at P2 and P6, several genes related to reproductive regulation were identified. These findings provide a basis for improving the reproductive rate of female rabbits.

Transcriptional Characterization of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid Reveals Immune Microenvironment Alterations in Chemically Induced Acute Lung Injury.

Purpose: Chemically induced acute lung injury (CALI) has become a serious health concern in our industrialized world, and abnormal functional alterations of immune cells crucially contribute to severe clinical symptoms. However, the cell heterogeneity and functional phenotypes of respiratory immune characteristics related to CALI remain unclear. Methods: We performed scRNA sequencing on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples obtained from phosgene-induced CALI rat models and healthy controls. Transcriptional data and TotalSeq technology were used to confirm cell surface markers identifying immune cells in BALF. The landscape of immune cells could elucidate the metabolic remodeling mechanism involved in the progression of acute respiratory distress syndrome and cytokine storms. We used pseudotime inference to build macrophage trajectories and the corresponding model gene expression changes, and identified and characterized alveolar cells and immune subsets that may contribute to CALI pathophysiology based on gene expression profiles at single-cell resolution. Results: The immune environment of cells, including dendritic cells and specific macrophage subclusters, exhibited increased function during the early stage of pulmonary tissue damage. Nine different subpopulations were identified that perform multiple functional roles, including immune responses, pulmonary tissue repair, cellular metabolic cycle, and cholesterol metabolism. Additionally, we found that individual macrophage subpopulations dominate the cell-cell communication landscape. Moreover, pseudo-time trajectory analysis suggested that proliferating macrophage clusters exerted multiple functional roles. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that the bronchoalveolar immune microenvironment is a fundamental aspect of the immune response dynamics involved in the pathogenesis and recovery of CALI.

Characteristics and 6-Month Mortality of Medical Oncology Patients With Incidental and Symptomatic Pulmonary Embolism: A Single-Institutional Retrospective Longitudinal Analysis.

This study aimed to identify clinical characteristics of cancer patients with incidental pulmonary embolism (IPE) and assess the variables associated with 30-day mortality in cancer patients with PE including symptomatic pulmonary embolism (SPE) and IPE. 6-Month mortality rate in cancer patients with SPE and IPE were also compared. We retrospectively analyzed electronic medical records of cancer patients with newly diagnosed PE between January 2016 and June 2021. We compared clinical and radiological characteristics in cancer patients with IPE and SPE and identified variables associated with the overall 30-day mortality on multivariate analysis. All patients were followed up for 6 months and survival analysis was performed by use of Kaplan-Meier. Five hundred and nine eligible cancer patients with pulmonary embolism were identified during the study period. IPE is associated with lower BMI, colorectal and pancreas cancers, stage III/IV of cancer, recent antiangiogenic therapy, central venous catheter (CVC) and chronic cardiac or respiratory disease compared to SPE. The factors associated with 30-day mortality included poor performance status, lung/pleura or upper gastrointestinal cancers, stage III/IV of cancer, previous VTE, oxygen saturation < 95%, lactic acid > 2 mmol/l and bilateral PE. The overall survival in patients with IPE at 6-month follow-up was similar to those diagnosed with SPE. The present study has allowed the identification of factors associated with 30-day mortality in cancer patients with IPE and SPE. We also found similar mortality rate in cancer patients with IPE compared with patients with SPE at 6-month follow-up.

New Method of NPOH Equation-Based to Estimate the Physicochemical Properties of Noncyclic Alkanes.

Changes in various physicochemical properties (P (n)) of noncyclic alkanes can be roughly classified as linear and nonlinear changes. In our previous study, the NPOH equation was proposed to express nonlinear changes in the properties of organic homologues. Until now, there has been no general equation to express nonlinear changes in the properties of noncyclic alkanes involving linear and branched alkane isomers. This work, on the basis of NPOH equation, proposes a general equation to express nonlinear changes in the physicochemical properties of noncyclic alkanes, including a total of 12 properties, boiling point, critical temperature, critical pressure, acentric factor, heat capacity, liquid viscosity, and flash point, named as the "NPNA equation", as follows: ln(P (n)) = a + b(n - 1) + c(S CNE) + d (ΔAOEI) + f(ΔAIMPI), where a, b, c, and f are coefficients, and P (n) represents the property of the alkane with n carbon atom number. n, S CNE, ΔAOEI, and ΔAIMPI are number of carbon atoms, sum of carbon number effects, average odd-even index difference, and average inner molecular polarizability index difference, respectively. The obtained results show that various nonlinear changes in the properties of noncyclic alkanes can be expressed by the NPNA equation. Nonlinear and linear change properties of noncyclic alkanes can be correlated with four parameters, n, S CNE, ΔAOEI, and ΔAIMPI. The NPNA equation has the advantages of uniform expression, usage of fewer parameters, and high estimation accuracy. Furthermore, using the above four parameters, a quantitative correlation equation can be established between any two properties of noncyclic alkanes. Employing the obtained equations as model equations, the property data of noncyclic alkanes, involving 142 critical temperatures, 142 critical pressures, 115 acentric factors, 116 flash points, 174 heat capacities, 142 critical volumes, and 155 gas enthalpies of formation, a total of 986 values, were predicted, which have not be experimentally measured. NPNA equation not only can provide a simple and convenient estimation or prediction method for the properties of noncyclic alkanes but also can provide new perspectives for studying quantitative structure-property relationships of branched organic compounds.

Micro-mechanism study on tissue removal behavior under medical waterjet impact using coupled SPH-FEM.

To fully grasp the numerical characteristics of the interaction process between medical waterjet and soft tissue, the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH)-finite element method (FEM) was used in the simulation of this complex process to avoid the unstable error caused by indirect measurement in experiments. The SPH was applied to the numerical simulation of medical waterjet, and a three-dimensional model of gelatin sample was proposed with the FEM. The impact process between two extremely deformed materials was reproduced, and the established model was verified by comparison with experimental data; the comparison showed relatively consistent results. The separation effect under three operating modes was deduced with the stress and strain range. For the vertical impact condition, the higher the waterjet impact pressure is, the higher the biological tissue deformation bulge height is. For oblique intrusion, the longitudinal separation rate decreases and the kerf width increases with the increase of the incident angle. For the moving impact condition, with the increase of the waterjet moving speed, the longitudinal high-stress distribution range of the impact object decreases slightly.

Derivation and External Validation of a Risk Prediction Model for Pulmonary Embolism in Patients With Lung Cancer: A Large Retrospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk factors of pulmonary embolism in patients with lung cancer and develop and validate a novel nomogram scoring system-based prediction model. METHOD: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data and laboratory characteristics of 900 patients with lung cancer who were treated, including patients with lung cancer without pulmonary embolism (LC) and patients with lung cancer with pulmonary embolism (LC + PE). The patients were randomly divided into derivation and internal validation groups in a 7:3 ratio. Using logistic regression analysis, a diagnostic model of the nomogram scoring system was developed by incorporating selected variables in the derivation group and validated in the internal and external validation groups (n = 108). RESULT: Seven variables (adenocarcinoma, stage III-IV LC, indwelling central venous catheter, chemotherapy, and the levels of serum albumin, hemoglobin, and D-dimer) were identified as valuable parameters for developing the novel nomogram diagnostic model for differentiating patients with LC and LC + PE. The scoring system demonstrated good diagnostic performance in the derivation (area under the curve [AUC]; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.918; 0.893, 0.943; sensitivity, 88.5%; specificity, 80.5%), internal validation (AUC; 95% CI, 0.921; 0.884, 0.958; sensitivity, 90.5%; specificity, 80.4%), and external validation (AUC; 95% CI, 0.929; 0.875, 0.983; sensitivity; 85.0%; specificity; 87.5%) groups. CONCLUSION: In this study, we constructed and validated a nomogram scoring system based on 7 clinical parameters. The scoring system exhibits good accuracy and discrimination between patients with LC and LC + PE and can effectively predict the risk of PE in patients with LC.

The usefulness of liquid-based cytology of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid combined with bronchial brush specimens in lung cancer diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the diagnostic value of liquid-based cytology (LBC) of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) combined with bronchial brushing (BB). METHODS: One hundred patients with pulmonary masses or nodules found by chest computed tomography (CT) or X-ray before bronchoscopy or other diagnostic biopsy examinations were selected consecutively for this retrospective study. BALF and BB were performed for all patients. After conventional smear via BB, we mixed the BALF and BB samples in a prepared thin-layer bottle. RESULTS: The sensitivity of LBC of BALF combined with BB was noticeably higher than that of BB alone in the total sample group (65.15% vs. 32.84%, respectively). Similarly, in both the bronchoscopically visible group and invisible group, a higher sensitivity for LBC of BALF with BB vs BB alone (68.89% vs. 39.13%, respectively; 57.14% vs. 19.05%, respectively) was observed. Additionally, the negative predictive value of LBC of BALF with BB was higher than that with BB alone (58.56% vs. 42.31%; 61.29% vs. 44.73%; 53.47% vs. 37.83%; total sample vs visible vs invisible groups, respectively). CONCLUSION: Regardless of whether lesions or nodules are bronchoscopically visible or invisible, LBC of BALF combined with BB may increase the diagnostic value over BB alone in lung cancer diagnosis.

Ultra-processed foods and allergic symptoms among children and adults in the United States: A population-based analysis of NHANES 2005-2006.

Design: There is a strong correlation between dietary intake and allergic diseases. Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are gradually becoming dominant worldwide and causing health problems for children and adults. We hope to determine whether links exist between UPFs and allergic symptoms. Methods: We investigated data from 2,736 children (16-19 years) and 4,256 adults (≥20 years) from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2006. The associations between the mean UPFs contribution to total energy intake and all allergic symptoms (IgE, current asthma, allergy, rash, sneeze, wheeze, eczema, and hay fever) were estimated by weighted multivariate logistic regression. Results: Logistic regression analysis showed UFPs were negatively associated with IgE levels in children. Those with higher quartiles had a reduced risk from 16% (OR, 0.84, 95%CI, 0.55 to 1.28) to 34% (OR, 0.66, 95%CI, 0.49 to 0.89), p for trend = 0.006. UPFs were also positively related to current asthma in children with an increased risk of 11% (OR, 1.11, 95%CI, 0.79 to 1.56) to 76% (OR, 1.76, 95%CI, 1.10 to 2.82), p for trend = 0.0393. UPFs were also associated with eczema in girls. But there was no association observed between UPFs and allergic symptoms in adults. Conclusion: Our results suggested that UPFs assessed by the NOVA system were associated with IgE, current asthma in children, and eczema in girls. These results further support the need to test the association of modern dietary patterns with allergic symptoms.

Association of daily sitting time and leisure-time physical activity with body fat among U.S. adults.

BACKGROUND: Prolonged sitting and reduced physical activity lead to low energy expenditures. However, little is known about the joint impact of daily sitting time and physical activity on body fat distribution. We investigated the independent and joint associations of daily sitting time and physical activity with body fat among adults. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional analysis of U.S. nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2018 among adults aged 20 years or older. Daily sitting time and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) were self-reported using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. Body fat (total and trunk fat percentage) was determined via dual X-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS: Among 10,808 adults, about 54.6% spent 6 h/day or more sitting; more than one-half reported no LTPA (inactive) or less than 150 min/week LTPA (insufficiently active) with only 43.3% reported 150 min/week or more LTPA (active) in the past week. After fully adjusting for sociodemographic data, lifestyle behaviors, and chronic conditions, prolonged sitting time and low levels of LTPA were associated with higher total and trunk fat percentages in both sexes. When stratifying by LTPA, the association between daily sitting time and body fat appeared to be stronger in those who were inactive/insufficiently active. In the joint analyses, inactive/insufficiently active adults who reported sitting more than 8 h/day had the highest total (female: 3.99% (95% confidence interval (95%CI):3.09%-4.88%); male: 3.79% (95%CI: 2.75%-4.82%)) and trunk body fat percentages (female: 4.21% (95%CI: 3.09%-5.32%); male: 4.07% (95%CI: 2.95%-5.19%)) when compared with those who were active and sitting less than 4 h/day. CONCLUSION: Prolonged daily sitting time was associated with increased body fat among U.S. adults. The higher body fat associated with 6 h/day sitting may not be offset by achieving recommended levels of physical activity.

Synergistic influence of air temperature and vaccination on COVID-19 transmission and mortality in 146 countries or regions.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the influence of vaccination and air temperature on COVID-19 transmission and severity. METHODS: The study data in 146 countries from January 6, 2020 to July 28, 2022 were aggregated into 19,856 weeks. Country-level weekly incidence, time-varying reproduction number (Rt), mortality, and infection-fatality ratio (IFR) were compared among groups of these weeks with different vaccination rates and air temperatures. RESULTS: Weeks with <15 °C air temperature and 60% vaccination showed the highest incidence (mean, 604; SD, 855; 95% CI, 553-656, unit, /100,000 persons; N = 1073) and the highest rate of weeks with >1 Rt (mean, 41.6%; SD, 1.49%; 95% CI, 39.2-45.2%; N = 1090), while weeks with >25 °C and <20% showed the lowest incidence (mean, 24; SD, 75; 95% CI, 22-26; N = 5805) and the lowest rate of weeks with >1 Rt (mean, 15.3%; SD, 0.461%; 95% CI, 14.2-16.2%; N = 6122). Mortality in weeks with <15 °C (mean, 2.1; SD, 2.8; 95% CI, 2.0-2.2, unit, /100,000 persons; N = 4365) was five times of the mortality in weeks with >25 °C (mean, 0.44; SD, 1; 95% CI, 0.41-0.46; N = 7741). IFR ranged between 2% and 2.6% (SD, 1.9%-2.4%; 95% CI, 2.0-2.7%) at < 20% vaccination level, 1.8% (SD, 2%-2.2%; 95% CI, 1.7-2.0%) at 20-60% vaccination level, and 0.7%-1% (SD, 1%-1.8%; 95% CI, 0.7-1.1%) at > 60% vaccination level and at all air temperatures (all P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Vaccination was insufficient to mitigate the transmission since the significantly elevated weekly incidence and >1 Rt rate in weeks with high vaccination, while IFR was reduced by high vaccination. Countries with long-term low air temperature were affected by high transmission and high mortality.