Association of C-Reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio With Mortality in Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective: This study examines the C-reactive protein (CRP)/albumin ratio (CAR) as an inflammation-based prognostic score for predicting mortality in patients with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Methods: We systematically searched the electronic databases PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane up to February 2024. Our inclusion criteria encompassed studies investigating CAR-predicted mor- tality in patients with TBI. We calculated the Odds Ratio (OR) and associated 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI) using a random-effects model. Quality assessment of the included studies was appraised using a Newcastle–Ottawa scale. Results: A total of five studies comprising 1040 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled results indicated that CAR was associated with mortality in patients with TBI (OR = 1.88, 95 % CI: 1.05–3.36, P \u3c 0.0001). The findings of subgroup analysis indicated that the relationship between CAR and mortality in patients with TBI did not vary with the severity of the condition. Conclusions: CAR emerges as a valuable prognostic tool for mortality in patients with TBI, underscoring its potential role in early risk stratification and management strategies

Adjuvant Chemotherapy Versus Adjuvant Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy After Radical Surgery for Early-Stage Cervical Cancer: A Randomized, Non-Inferiority, Multicenter Trial

We conducted a prospective study to assess the non-inferiority of adjuvant chemotherapy alone versus adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) as an alternative strategy for patients with early-stage (FIGO 2009 stage IB-IIA) cervical cancer having risk factors after surgery. The condition was assessed in terms of prognosis, adverse effects, and quality of life. This randomized trial involved nine centers across China. Eligible patients were randomized to receive adjuvant chemotherapy or CCRT after surgery. The primary end-point was progression-free survival (PFS). From December 2012 to December 2014, 337 patients were subjected to randomization. Final analysis included 329 patients, including 165 in the adjuvant chemotherapy group and 164 in the adjuvant CCRT group. The median follow-up was 72.1 months. The three-year PFS rates were both 91.9%, and the five-year OS was 90.6% versus 90.0% in adjuvant chemotherapy and CCRT groups, respectively. No significant differences were observed in the PFS or OS between groups. The adjusted HR for PFS was 0.854 (95% confidence interval 0.415-1.757; P = 0.667) favoring adjuvant chemotherapy, excluding the predefined non-inferiority boundary of 1.9. The chemotherapy group showed a tendency toward good quality of life. In comparison with post-operative adjuvant CCRT, adjuvant chemotherapy treatment showed non-inferior efficacy in patients with early-stage cervical cancer having pathological risk factors. Adjuvant chemotherapy alone is a favorable alternative post-operative treatment

The developmental trajectory of task-related frontal EEG theta/beta ratio in childhood

Attention control, the ability to focus on task-relevant information while blocking out irrelevant information, is crucial for successful task completion throughout development. However, the neurodevelopment of attention control during tasks remains underexplored, particularly from an electrophysiogical perpective. Therefore, the present study investigated the developmental trajectory of frontal TBR, a well-established EEG correlate of attention control, in a large sample of 5, 207 children aged 5–14 during a visuospatial working memory task. Results revealed that frontal TBR in tasks exhibited a different developmental trajectory (quadratic) compared to the baseline condition (linear). More importantly, we found that the association between task-related frontal TBR and age was modulated by task difficulty, with the age-related decrease in frontal TBR being more pronounced in more challenging conditions. Overall, by demonstrating a fine-grained age-related change in the frontal TBR based on a large dataset covering continuous age groups, our study provided electrophysiogical evidence about the maturation of attention control, suggesting potentially distinct developmental paths for attention control across the baseline and task conditions

Land scale division and multifunctional evaluation for Fuping County, China, based on DEM-based watershed analysis

Abstract Land is the spatial background and basic carrier of human survival and development. The study of land function evaluation at different scales can promote the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature. Taking Fuping County, Hebei Province, China, as an example, this study establishes the theoretical framework of county-level land scale division using a digital elevation model (DEM)-based watershed analysis method and establishes the theory and methodological system of land function evaluation from the perspective of the characteristic scale. The multifunctionality of the land was evaluated using the Carnegie–Ames–Stanford approach (CASA), the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model and comprehensive index evaluation. By using the methods of DEM-based watershed analysis, dominant factor differentiation and layer superposition, a three-level scale system of ‘subwatershed scale-land chain scale-land segment scale’ and a multifunctional multiscale evaluation index system containing 18 evaluation indices were established. The single-function and multifunction evaluation results of land at different scales were obtained by the comprehensive index method and Getis-Ord Gi* index method. The accuracy of land function evaluation results mainly depends on the selection of the measurement scale. The land measurement scale determined by DEM-based watershed analysis is close to the intrinsic scale of land function evaluation. The scale effect of land function in different temporal and spatial ranges is also evident and shows obvious spatial heterogeneity and difference. At larger scales, individual functions show synergistic effects

Rational Design of Ratiometric Fluorescent Probe for Zn2+ Imaging under Oxidative Stress in Cells

Zn2+ is a vital ion for most of the physiological processes in the human body, and it usually has a mutual effect with oxidative stress that often occurs in pathological tissues. Detecting fluctuation of Zn2+ level in cells undergoing oxidative stress could be beneficial to understanding the relationship between them. Herein, a ratiometric fluorescent Zn2+ probe was rationally designed. The wavelength corresponding to the maximum fluorescence intensity bathometrically shifted from 620 nm to 650 nm after coordinating with Zn2+. The intensity ratio of two fluorescence channels changed significantly in cells treated by oxidative stress inducers. It was shown from the results that the labile zinc level was generally elevated under oxidative stress stimulated by various inducers

Dynamic changes in water and salinity in saline-alkali soils after simulated irrigation and leaching.

Soil salinization is a global problem that limits agricultural development and impacts human life. This study aimed to understand the dynamic changes in water and salinity in saline-alkali soil based on an indoor soil column simulation. We studied the changes in the water and salt contents of soils with different degrees of salinization under various irrigation conditions. The results showed that after seven irrigations, the pH, conductivity and total soluble salt content of the percolation samples after irrigation generally increased initially then decreased with repeated irrigation. The soil moisture did not change significantly after irrigation. The pH, conductivity, and total soluble salt content of each layer of the soil profile exhibited general declining trends. In the soil profile from Changguo Township (CG), the pH decreased from 8.21-8.35 to 7.71-7.88, the conductivity decreased from 0.95-1.14 ms/cm to 0.45-0.68 ms/cm, and the total soluble salt content decreased from 2.63-2.81 g/kg to 2.28-2.51 g/kg. In the soil profile from Zhongjie Industrial Park (ZJ), the pH decreased from 8.36-8.54 to 7.73-7.96, the conductivity decreased from 1.58-1.68 ms/cm to 1.45-1.54 ms/cm, and the total soluble salt decreased from 2.81-4.03 g/kg to 2.56-3.28 g/kg. The transported salt ions were primarily K+, Na+ and Cl-. After several irrigations, a representative desalination effect was achieved. The results of this study can provide technical guidance for the comprehensive management of saline-alkali soils

Rational Design of Ratiometric Fluorescent Probe for Zn²⁺ Imaging under Oxidative Stress in Cells

Zn2+ is a vital ion for most of the physiological processes in the human body, and it usually has a mutual effect with oxidative stress that often occurs in pathological tissues. Detecting fluctuation of Zn2+ level in cells undergoing oxidative stress could be beneficial to understanding the relationship between them. Herein, a ratiometric fluorescent Zn2+ probe was rationally designed. The wavelength corresponding to the maximum fluorescence intensity bathometrically shifted from 620 nm to 650 nm after coordinating with Zn2+. The intensity ratio of two fluorescence channels changed significantly in cells treated by oxidative stress inducers. It was shown from the results that the labile zinc level was generally elevated under oxidative stress stimulated by various inducers

EA Improves the Motor Function in Rats with Spinal Cord Injury by Inhibiting Signal Transduction of Semaphorin3A and Upregulating of the Peripheral Nerve Networks

Peripheral nerve networks (PNNs) play a vital role in the neural recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). Electroacupuncture (EA), as an alternative medicine, has been widely used in SCI and was proven to be effective on neural functional recovery. In this study, the interaction between PNNs and semaphrin3A (Sema3A) in the recovery of the motor function after SCI was observed, and the effect of EA on them was evaluated. After the establishment of the SCI animal model, we found that motor neurons in the ventral horn of the injured spinal cord segment decreased, Nissl bodies were blurry, and PNNs and Sema3A as well as its receptor neuropilin1 (NRP1) aggregated around the central tube of the gray matter of the spinal cord. When we knocked down the expression of Sema3A at the damage site, NRP1 also downregulated, importantly, PNNs concentration decreased, and tenascin-R (TN-R) and aggrecan were also reduced, while the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) motor function score dramatically increased. In addition, when conducting EA stimulation on Jiaji (EX-B2) acupoints, the highly upregulated Sema3A and NRP1 were reversed post-SCI, which can lessen the accumulation of PNNs around the central tube of the spinal cord gray matter, and simultaneously promote the recovery of motor function in rats. These results suggest that EA may further affect the plasticity of PNNs by regulating the Sema3A signal and promoting the recovery of the motor function post-SCI

Changes in the pH, conductivity and total soluble salt in the percolation water samples from CG and ZJ.

<p>Changes in the pH, conductivity and total soluble salt in the percolation water samples from CG and ZJ.</p

Changes in the soil water content in the CG and ZJ profiles.

<p>Changes in the soil water content in the CG and ZJ profiles.</p