Factors affecting parental role adaptation in parents of preterm infants after discharge: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Parenting a preterm infant can be incredibly challenging and stressful, particularly in the first year after discharge. Desirable parental role adaptation leads to appropriate parenting behaviors and parent-infant interaction, which are essential to child health and development. Aim: To investigate the level of parental role adaptation and its influencing factors among parents of preterm infants in the first year after hospital discharge according to Belsky's parenting process model among parents of preterm infants in the first year after hospital discharge. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was adopted using convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Parental Role Adaptation Scale (PRAS) in parents with preterm infants, the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), the Coping Adaptation Processing Scale (CAPS-15), and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests, Spearman correlation analyses, and multivariate linear regression were used to analyze the data. Results: In total, 300 Chinese parents were included in the analysis. In the multivariate analysis, first-time parent (p = 0.003), master's degree and above (p = 0.042), coping adaptation processing (p = 0.000), residence location (towns: p = 0.019, city: p = 0.028), monthly family income (6000-10,000: p = 0.000, >10,000: p = 0.000), and perceived social support (p = 0.001) were all significant predictors of parental role adaptation and collectively accounted for 56.8% of the variation in parental role adaptation of parents with preterm infants (F = 16.473, p < 0.001). Coping adaptation processing mediated the relationship between perceived social support and parental role adaptation (95% bootstrap CI = 0.022, 0.130). Conclusion: Chinese parents of preterm infants experience a moderate level of parental role adaptation when their child is discharged from the hospital to home. Parents who are not first-time parents, have master's degrees or above, live in towns or cities, have higher coping and adaptation abilities, have high monthly family income, and greater perceived social support have a higher level of parental role adaptation. Healthcare providers should pay more attention to parents with low socioeconomic status and encourage them to improve their coping and adaptation abilities and to utilize their formal and informal social support networks.

Frenkel and Charge-Transfer Excitonic Couplings Strengthened by Thiophene-Type Solvent Enables Binary Organic Solar Cells with 19.8% Efficiency.

Overcoming the trade-off between short-circuited current (Jsc) and open-circuited voltage (Voc) is important to achieving high-efficiency organic solar cells (OSCs). Previous works modulated energy gap between Frenkel local exciton (LE) and charge-transfer (CT) exciton, which is served as driving force of exciton splitting. Differently, our current work focuses on modulation of LE-CT excitonic coupling (tLE-CT) via a simple but effective strategy that the 2-chlorothiophene (2Cl-Th) solvent is utilized in treatment of OSC active-layer films. The results of our experimental measurements and theoretical simulations demonstrated that 2Cl-Th solvent initiates the tighter intermolecular interactions with non-fullerene acceptor in comparison with that of traditional chlorobenzene solvent, thus suppressing the acceptor's over-aggregation and retarding the acceptor crystallization with reduced trap. Importantly, the resulted shorter distances between donor and acceptor molecules in the 2Cl-Th treated blend efficiently strengthen tLE-CT, which not only promotes the exciton splitting but also reduces non-radiative recombination. The champion efficiencies of 19.8% (small-area) with a superior operational reliability (T80: 586 hours) and 17.0% (large-area) were yielded in 2Cl-Th treated cells. This work provided a new insight into modulating the exciton dynamics to overcome the trade-off between Jsc and Voc, which can productively promote the development of OSC field.

Fabrication of ionic liquid self-assemblies based on dicamba with improved herbicidal activity and reduced environmental risks.

The off-target loss of pesticide formulations caused by volatilization and leaching has reduced effective utilization and increased risks to the ecological environment and human health. Self-assembly of pesticides has been widely concerned due to the improved bioactivity and environmental compatibility. Herbicidal ionic liquids (HILs) could effectively decrease off-target loss and increase efficacy and environmental safety by improving the physicochemical properties of herbicides. Herein, HILs were prepared by pairing dicamba with quaternary ammonium salts containing different alkyl chain lengths and aromatic groups and subsequently self-assembled into spherical nanoparticles (HIL NPs) via electrostatic interaction and hydrophobic effect. Compared with dicamba, the obtained HIL NPs with an average particle size of 6-55 nm exhibited improved physicochemical properties, including high zeta potential values (+20.3 to +27.8 mV), low volatilization rate (2.4-3.9 %) and surface tension (22.83-33.07 mN m-1), decreased contact angle (32.25-41.55°) and leaching potential (76.2-86.5 %), and high soil adsorption (12.1-23.8 %), suggesting low risks to the environment. The control efficacy against Amaranthus retroflexus of HIL3 NPs pairing dicamba with octadecyl-trimethyl ammonium chloride was better than that of dicamba sodium salt at different concentrations. Therefore, the ionic liquid self-assembly developed by a facile and green preparation approach to reduce the volatility and leaching of pesticides would have enormous potential in sustainable agriculture.

Effects of patient-based self-assessed fatigue intervention on early postoperative ambulation following gynaecological oncology surgery: a randomised controlled non-inferiority trial.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of a patient-based self-assessed fatigue intervention aimed at promoting early postoperative ambulation. DESIGN: Prospective randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Single-centre, conducted at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of the Xiangyang Central Hospital, China. PARTICIPANTS: Eligible were adult patients undergoing elective gynaecologic oncologic surgery. INTERVENTIONS: The intervention group utilised a modified Borg Rating of Perceived Experience (RPE) scale for self-assessment of fatigue levels. The control group followed fixed-activity distance guidelines postoperatively. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the self-reported the time to first flatus postoperatively. Secondary outcomes encompassed the time to first defecation, incidence of moderate-to-severe abdominal distention, ileus, postambulation adverse events (nausea, vomiting and dizziness), patient satisfaction with early ambulation instructions, compliance with early ambulation and average hospital costs and length of stay. RESULTS: Between June 2021 and October 2022, 552 patients were enrolled. The self-assessed fatigue intervention group demonstrated non-inferior the time to first flatus compared with the fixed-activity distance assessment group (25.59±14.59 hours vs 26.10±14.19 hours, pnon-inferiority<0.001). Compliance with activity was higher in the intervention group (49.40% vs 36.02%, p<0.001), although it did not reach 50%. The intervention group also exhibited significantly higher mean hospital costs, length of stay and incidence of moderate-to-severe abdominal distention (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The self-assessed fatigue intervention for early postoperative ambulation in gynaecologic oncology patients shows promise as an effective strategy; however, compliance is suboptimal. An intervention based on mandatory, yet reasonable, fixed-activity distance may represent the most viable current approach. Further research is warranted to confirm these findings. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CTR2100046035.

Metal nanowire-based transparent electrode for flexible and stretchable optoelectronic devices.

High-quality transparent electrodes are indispensable components of flexible optoelectronic devices as they guarantee sufficient light transparency and electrical conductivity. Compared to commercial indium tin oxide, metal nanowires are considered ideal candidates as flexible transparent electrodes (FTEs) owing to their superior optoelectronic properties, excellent mechanical flexibility, solution treatability, and higher compatibility with semiconductors. However, certain key challenges associated with material preparation and device fabrication remain for the practical application of metal nanowire-based electrodes. In this review, we discuss state-of-the-art solution-processed metal nanowire-based FTEs and their applications in flexible and stretchable optoelectronic devices. Specifically, the important properties of FTEs and a cost-benefit analysis of existing technologies are introduced, followed by a summary of the synthesis strategy, key properties, and fabrication technologies of the nanowires. Subsequently, we explore the applications of metal-nanowire-based FTEs in different optoelectronic devices including solar cells, photodetectors, and light-emitting diodes. Finally, the current status, future challenges, and emerging strategies in this field are presented.

Carrier-free self-assembled nanoparticles based on prochloraz and fenhexamid for reducing toxicity to aquatic organism.

Nanoformulations of pesticides are an effective way to increase utilization efficiency and alleviate the adverse impacts on the environments caused by conventional pesticide formulations. However, the complex preparation process, high cost, and potential environmental risk of nanocarriers severely restricted practical applications of carrier-based pesticide nanoformulations in agriculture. Herein, carrier-free self-assembled nanoparticles (FHA-PRO NPs) based on fenhexamid (FHA) and prochloraz (PRO) were developed by a facile co-assembly strategy to improve utilization efficiency and reduce toxicity to aquatic organism of pesticides. The results showed that noncovalent interactions between negatively charged FHA and positively charged PRO led to core-shell structured nanoparticles arranged in an orderly manner dispersing in aqueous solution with a diameter of 256 nm. The prepared FHA-PRO NPs showed a typical pH-responsive release profile and exhibited excellent physicochemical properties including low surface tension and high max retention. The photostability of FHA-PRO NPs was improved 2.4 times compared with free PRO. The FHA-PRO NPs displayed superior fungicidal activity against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Botrytis cinerea and longer duration against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum on potted rapeseed plants. Additionally, the FHA-PRO NPs reduced the acute toxicity of PRO to zebrafish significantly. Therefore, this work provided a promising strategy to develop nanoformulations of pesticides with stimuli-responsive controlled release characteristics for precise pesticide delivery.

The role of metabolic reprogramming in kidney cancer.

Metabolic reprogramming is a cellular process in which cells modify their metabolic patterns to meet energy requirements, promote proliferation, and enhance resistance to external stressors. This process also introduces new functionalities to the cells. The 'Warburg effect' is a well-studied example of metabolic reprogramming observed during tumorigenesis. Recent studies have shown that kidney cells undergo various forms of metabolic reprogramming following injury. Moreover, metabolic reprogramming plays a crucial role in the progression, prognosis, and treatment of kidney cancer. This review offers a comprehensive examination of renal cancer, metabolic reprogramming, and its implications in kidney cancer. It also discusses recent advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of renal cancer.

Curative Effect of IKAP Nursing in Perioperative Nursing of Endometriosis Treated by Laparoscopic Surgery.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of Information, Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (IKAP) nursing in the perioperative care of endometriosis patients treated with laparoscopic surgery. Methods: A total of 100 patients with endometriosis who underwent laparoscopic surgery in our hospital from June 2020 to December 2021 were recruited and assigned to receive either routine care (control group) or IKAP care (observation group), with 50 cases in each group. Outcome measures included operative time, time-lapse before postoperative passing gas, length of hospital stay, self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), self-rating depression scale (SDS), Generic Quality of Life Inventory-74 (GQOLI-74) scores, and nursing outcomes. Results: Before nursing, the SAS, SDS, and GQOLI-74 scores of the two groups were comparable (P > .05). IKAP care resulted in significantly lower SAS and SDS scores, and higher GQOLI-74 scores than routine care (P < .05). IKAP care was associated with significantly shorter operative time, time-lapse before postoperative passing gas, and length of hospital stay compared to routine care (P < .05). Patients receiving IKAP care showed higher compliance, lower incidence of postoperative complications, and higher nursing satisfaction than those with routine care (P > .05). Conclusion: IKAP nursing shortens the length of hospital stay after laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis, mitigates patients' adverse emotions, reduces postoperative complications, and effectively improves patients' medication adherence and quality of life.

Amphiphilic Superspreading Polymer Membranes Prepared by Capillary Force-Driven Self-Assembly.

To overcome the two main obstacles of large-scale application of superspreading material, self assembly is used to prepare superspreading polymer membrane (SPPM) in this work. An amphiphilic SPPM is prepared by capillary force-driven self assembly using PP melt-blown nonwovens and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The prepared SPPM has low preparation cost and stable performance since self assembly needs low energy consumption, and the production is thermodynamically stable. By using cryo-electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectrum and scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. It is proved that PVA is successfully assembled on the fiber surface of PP melt-blown nonwovens. The prepared SPPM has excellent spreading performance, the "spreading times" of both water and oil are less than 0.5 s. They showed much superior performance compared to traditional materials when applied in oil-water separation, seawater desalination, and ion separation. This work will definitely promote the development of self assembly, superspreading materials, and related sciences.

Population Pharmacokinetic Models of Venetoclax in Hematologic Malignancies: A Systematic Review.

Several population pharmacokinetic (PPK) models of B cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) venetoclax (VEN) have been developed and published to characterize the influencing factors of pharmacokinetics in hematologic malignancies. This review described PPK models of VEN examining the magnitude and types of covariate effects in PK parameters, as well as identified areas that require further investigation in order to facilitate their use. Currently, there are six analyses on PPK models of VEN summarized in this review. Most analyses described the pharmacokinetics of VEN with a two-compartment model and all covariates are categorical. The median estimated apparent clearance (CL/F) was 446 L/Day and apparent volume of distribution of the central compartment (V2/F) was 114.5 L. The median IIV of CL/F reported was 39.5% and V2/F was 46.7%. Most commonly, CYP3A inhibitors, OATP1B3 inhibitors and rituximab co-administration were found to be significant covariates on CL/F. In addition, sex and population were influential covariates on V2/F. A detailed description of the characteristics of PPK models of VEN is provided in this review, as well as the effects of covariates on the PK parameters. For future development of the VEN PPK model, CYP3A inhibitors, rituximab co-administration, OATP1B1 transporter inhibitors, sex, population, and food might be considered. Further research and comprehensive investigations should be undertaken to explore reference ranges for therapeutic drug monitoring, define the potential role of patients with cerebrospinal fluid complications, and assess new or potential covariates. These endeavors will facilitate the development of personalized VEN therapy.

FOXO3 polymorphisms influence the risk and prognosis of rhabdomyosarcoma in children.

Background: Rhabdomyosarcoma(RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children and single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) in certain genes influence risk of RMS. Although FOXO3 had been reported in multiple cancers including RMS, the role of FOXO3 polymorphisms in RMS remains unclear. In this case-control study, we evaluated the association of FOXO3 SNPs with RMS risk and prognosis in children. Methods: Four FOXO3 SNPs(rs17069665 A>G, rs4946936 T>C, rs4945816 C>T and rs9400241 C>A) were genotyped in 110 RMS cases and 359 controls. The associations between FOXO3 polymorphisms and RMS risk were determined by odds ratios(ORs) with 95% confidence intervals(CIs). The associations of rs17069665 and rs4946936 with overall survival in RMS children were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. Functional analysis in silico was performed to estimate the probability that rs17069665 and rs4946936 might influence the regulation of FOXO3. Results: We found that rs17069665 (GG vs. AA+AG, adjusted OR=2.96; 95%CI [1.10-3.32]; P=0.010) and rs4946936 (TC+CC vs. TT, adjusted OR=0.48; 95%CI [0.25-0.90]; P=0.023) were related to the increased and decreased RMS risk, respectively. Besides, rs17069665(P<0.001) and rs4946936(P<0.001) were associated with decreased and increased overall survival in RMS patients, respectively. Functional analysis showed that rs17069665 and rs4946936 might influence the transcription and expression of FOXO3 via altering the bindings to MYC, CTCF, and/or RELA. Conclusions: This study revealed that FOXO3 polymorphisms influence the RMS susceptibility and prognosis in children, and might altered the expression of FOXO3. FOXO3 polymorphism was suggested as a biomarker for RMS susceptibility and prognosis.

Chitosan toughened epoxy resin by chemical cross-linking: Enabling excellent mechanical properties and corrosion resistance.

There is a growing demand for the development of epoxy resin modified with biomaterials, aiming to achieve high toughness. Herein, chitosan crosslinked epoxy resin (CE) was synthesized by diisocyanate as a bridge. With 4,4'-diamino-diphenylmethane (DDM) as the curing agent, thanks to the unique cross-linking structure of the CE resin and the presence of carbamate groups, the cured CE/DDM exhibited superior properties compared to commercially available epoxy resin (E51). The tensile strength of the cured CE-3/DDM reached 90.17 MPa, the elongation at break was 11.2 %, and the critical stress intensity factor (KIC) measured 1.78 MPa m1/2. These values were 21.4 %, 151.6 %, and 81.6 % higher than those of the cured E51/DDM, respectively. It is worth noting that the addition of biomass material chitosan did not reduce the thermal stability of the resin. Additionally, the CE coatings on the metal substrate exhibited exceptional corrosion resistance, as evidenced by higher impedance values in electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and polarization voltages in the Tafel curve compared to those of the E51 coating. This study opens up a novel approach to modifying epoxy resin with biomass materials with high toughness and corrosion resistance, without sacrificing other performance.

Combined Application of Leguminous Green Manure and Straw Determined Grain Yield and Nutrient Use Efficiency in Wheat-Maize-Sunflower Rotations System in Northwest China.

Leguminous green manure (LGM) has a reputation for improving crop productivity. However, little is known about the beneficial interactions with straw on crop yield and nutrient (N, P, K) use efficiency. Herein, a 9-year field experiment (from 2015 to 2023) containing three treatments-(1) chemical fertilizer as the control (CK), (2) NPK + straw return (Straw) and (3) NPK + straw return with LGM (Straw + LGM)-was conducted to investigate whether the combined application of LGM and straw can increase productivity and nutrient use efficiency in the wheat-maize-sunflower diversified cropping rotation. The results showed that in the third rotation (2021-2023), Straw + LGM significantly increased wheat yield by 10.2% and maize yield by 19.9% compared to CK. The total equivalent yield under Straw + LGM was the highest (26.09 Mg ha-1), exceeding Straw and CK treatments by 2.7% and 12.3%, respectively. For each 2 Mg ha-1 increase in straw returned to the field, sunflower yield increased by 0.2 Mg ha-1, whereas for each 1 Mg ha-1 increase in LGM yield from the previous crop, sunflower yield increased by 0.45 Mg ha-1. Compared to CK, the co-application of LGM and straw increased the N use efficiency of maize in the first and third rotation cycle by 70.6% and 55.8%, respectively, and the P use efficiency by 147.8% in the third rotation cycle. Moreover, Straw treatment led to an increase of net income from wheat and sunflower by 14.5% and 44.6%, while Straw + LGM increased the net income from maize by 15.8% in the third rotation cycle. Combining leguminous green manure with a diversified cropping rotation has greater potential to improve nutrient use efficiency, crop productivity and net income, which can be recommended as a sustainable agronomic practice in the Hetao District, Northwest China.

The aging lung: microenvironment, mechanisms, and diseases.

With the development of global social economy and the deepening of the aging population, diseases related to aging have received increasing attention. The pathogenesis of many respiratory diseases remains unclear, and lung aging is an independent risk factor for respiratory diseases. The aging mechanism of the lung may be involved in the occurrence and development of respiratory diseases. Aging-induced immune, oxidative stress, inflammation, and telomere changes can directly induce and promote the occurrence and development of lung aging. Meanwhile, the occurrence of lung aging also further aggravates the immune stress and inflammatory response of respiratory diseases; the two mutually affect each other and promote the development of respiratory diseases. Explaining the mechanism and treatment direction of these respiratory diseases from the perspective of lung aging will be a new idea and research field. This review summarizes the changes in pulmonary microenvironment, metabolic mechanisms, and the progression of respiratory diseases associated with aging.

METTL5 promotes gastric cancer progression via sphingomyelin metabolism.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of gastric cancer (GC) has caused an enormous social burden worldwide. Accumulating studies have reported that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is closely related to tumor progression. METTL5 is a m6A methyltransferase that plays a pivotal role in maintaining the metabolic stability of cells. However, its aberrant regulation in GC has not been fully elucidated. AIM: To excavate the role of METTL5 in the development of GC. METHODS: METTL5 expression and clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed via The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset and further verified via immunohistochemistry, western blotting and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction in tissue microarrays and clinical samples. The tumor-promoting effect of METTL5 on HGC-27 and AGS cells was explored in vitro by Cell Counting Kit-8 assays, colony formation assays, scratch healing assays, transwell assays and flow cytometry. The tumor-promoting role of METTL5 in vivo was evaluated in a xenograft tumor model. The EpiQuik m6A RNA Methylation Quantification Kit was used for m6A quantification. Next, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to evaluate the association between METTL5 and sphingomyelin metabolism, which was confirmed by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and rescue tests. In addition, we investigated whether METTL5 affects the sensitivity of GC cells to cisplatin via colony formation and transwell experiments. RESULTS: Our research revealed substantial upregulation of METTL5, which suggested a poor prognosis of GC patients. Increased METTL5 expression indicated distant lymph node metastasis, advanced cancer stage and pathological grade. An increased level of METTL5 correlated with a high degree of m6A methylation. METTL5 markedly promotes the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells in vitro. METTL5 also promotes the growth of GC in animal models. METTL5 knockdown resulted in significant changes in sphingomyelin metabolism, which implies that METTL5 may impact the development of GC via sphingomyelin metabolism. In addition, high METTL5 expression led to cisplatin resistance. CONCLUSION: METTL5 was found to be an oncogenic driver of GC and may be a new target for therapy since it facilitates GC carcinogenesis through sphingomyelin metabolism and cisplatin resistance.

Stratified Treatment in Pediatric Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma: Result of a Prospective Open-Label Multiple-Institution Study.

Purpose: The risk stratification of pediatric anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) has not been standardized. In this study, new risk factors were included to establish a new risk stratification system for ALCL, and its feasibility in clinical practice was explored. Materials and Methods: On the basis of the non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster 95 (NHL-BFM-95) protocol, patients with minimal disseminated disease (MDD), high-risk tumor site (multiple bone, skin, liver, and lung involvement), and small cell/lymphohistiocytic (SC/LH) pathological subtype were enrolled in risk stratification. Patients were treated with a modified NHL-BFM-95 protocol combined with an anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor or vinblastine (VBL). Results: A total of 136 patients were enrolled in this study. The median age was 8.8 years. The 3-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival of the entire cohort were 77.7% [95% Confidence Interval (CI), 69.0%-83.9%] and 92.3% (95% CI,86.1%-95.8%), respectively. The 3-year EFS rates of low-risk group (R1), intermediate-risk group (R2), and high-risk group (R3) patients were 100%, 89.5% (95% CI, 76.5%-95.5%, and 67.9% (95% CI, 55.4%-77.6%), respectively. The prognosis of patients with MDD (+), stage IV cancer, SC/LH lymphoma, and high-risk sites was poor, and the 3-year EFS rates were 45.3% (95% CI, 68.6%-19.0%), 65.7% (95% CI, 47.6%-78.9%), 55.7% (95% CI, 26.2%-77.5%), and 70.7% (95% CI, 48.6%-84.6%), respectively. At the end of follow-up, one of the 5 patients who received maintenance therapy with VBL relapsed, and seven patients receiving ALK inhibitor maintenance therapy did not experience relapse. Conclusion: This study has confirmed the poor prognostic of MDD (+) ，high risk site and SC/LH ,but patients with SC/LH lymphoma and MDD (+) at diagnosis still need to receive better treatment (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03971305).

Non-linear associations of serum spermidine with type 2 diabetes mellitus and fasting plasma glucose: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Previous animal experiments have demonstrated the potential of spermidine to mitigate glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, and hyperinsulinemia. However, there remains a scarcity of epidemiological evidence supporting these findings. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the associations of serum spermidine with T2DM and FPG. Materials and methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted from June to August 2019 in the rural areas of Fuxin County, Liaoning Province, China. A total of 4,437 participants were included in the study. The serum spermidine was detected using high-performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector. FPG was measured using the hexokinase method. T2DM was defined as participants with a FPG level of 7.0 mmol/L or greater, or self-reported diagnosis of diabetes by a doctor. Restricted cubic spline model and piecewise linear regression model were used to explore the associations of serum spermidine with T2DM and FPG, respectively. Results: The mean (SD) age of the participants was 59.3 (10.0) years, with 622 out of 4,437 participants being defined as T2DM. The serum spermidine in participants stratified by age and BMI categories was significantly different, with p values of 0.006 and 0.001, respectively. Among all the participants, the association of serum spermidine with T2DM was J-shaped. The log (spermidine) was negatively associated with T2DM (OR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.52 to 0.92, p = 0.01) below the inflection point, while log (spermidine) was not significantly associated with T2DM (OR = 1.97, 95% CI: 0.93 to 4.15, p = 0.07) above the inflection point. Among the participants without T2DM, the association of serum spermidine with FPG was inverted J-shaped. The log (spermidine) was positively associated with FPG (ß = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.21, p = 0.001) below the inflection point, while log (spermidine) was negatively associated with FPG (ß = -0.29, 95% CI: -0.42 to -0.16, p < 0.001) above the inflection point. Conclusion: In conclusion, non-linear associations of serum spermidine with T2DM and FPG were found in the cross-sectional study in Chinese rural adults. This provided insights into the use of spermidine for the prevention of T2DM, highlighting the potential role in public health prevention strategies of spermidine.

Introducing Internal Host Component to Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Emitter for Efficient NIR Nondoped Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

Developing thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) near-infrared (NIR) organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on nondoped emitting layers is intriguing yet challenging, limited by low exciton utilization and notorious concentration quenching. Herein, a facile strategy is proposed to address this issue by incorporating an internal host component onto a traditional donor (D)-acceptor (A)-type red TADF molecule. A proof-of-concept emitter with an internal host is accordingly developed as well as a control one without an internal host. In the case of their monomer states, both emitters exhibit similar emission spectra due to their identical D-A pairs. However, under nondoped conditions, significant improvement in exciton utilization and quenching-resistant features are observed for the molecule with the internal host. The corresponding nondoped OLED yielded a maximum external quantum efficiency of 2.4%, with NIR emission peaking at 765 nm, which was a nearly 10-fold improvement relative to the efficiency based on the control molecule without an internal host. To the best of our knowledge, this result is on par with those of state-of-the art nondoped NIR TADF OLEDs in a similar emission region. These results offer a feasible pathway for the design and development of high-efficiency NIR nondoped OLEDs.

The value of combined detection D-dimer and NLR in judging the severity and short-term prognosis of acute cardiogenic cerebral embolism in elderly patients.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the utility of combined neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and D-dimer detection in determining the severity and short-term prognosis of acute cardiogenic cerebral embolism (ACCE) in older adults. METHODS: We selected 202 elderly non-valvular atrial fibrillation patients hospitalized at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from April 1, 2020, to April 1, 2023. They were divided into an observation group (69 cases combined with ACCE) and a control group (133 cases with non-valvular atrial fibrillation alone) based on whether acute cardioembolic cerebral embolism occurred. According to the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), the observation group was divided into a mild cerebral infarction group (MICI group), a moderate cerebral infarction group (MOCI group), and a severe cerebral infarction group (SCI group), with 26 cases, 29 cases, and 14 cases, respectively. According to the modified Rankin scale (mRS), after 3 months, 30 cases were divided into the good prognosis group and 39 cases were divided into the poor prognosis group. We detected and compared the differences in D-dimer and NLR levels among different groups of patients, as well as differences in some important laboratory indicators. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors influencing the short-term prognosis of patients with acute cardioembolic cerebral infarction, and ROC curves were plotted to evaluate the value of D-dimer and NLR in predicting the short-term prognosis of patients with acute cardioembolic cerebral infarction. RESULTS: The levels of D-dimer and NLR in peripheral blood in SCI group [1.82 (0.58-6.71) mg/l, 4.55 (3.14,7.21)] were higher than those in MOCI group [1.16 (0.65-1.90) mg/l, 3.84 (2.31,6.68)] and MICI group [0.53 (0.32-0.90) mg/l, 2.46 (2.09-3.79)]. The difference between groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that D-dimer and NLR were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in patients with acute cardiogenic cerebral embolism (OR values were 1.772 and 1.603, and 95 %CI were 1.060-2.963 and 1.100-2.338, respectively, both P < 0.05). The AUC for the prediction of poor prognosis in acute cardioembolic stroke by combining D-dimer and NLR was 0.812 [95 % CI: 0.710-0.914], higher than the individual detections of D-dimer at 0.756 [95% CI: 0.642-0.869] and NLR at 0.733 [95 % CI: 0.613-0.854]. CONCLUSION: Peripheral blood D-dimer combined with NLR detection is helpful for the risk stratification and short-term prognosis assessment of patients with acute cardiogenic cerebral embolism. Clinical detection is of great significance for the prevention and monitoring of disease development.