Assessing perceived participation among older adults total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty patients six months post-surgery: a cross-sectional study

AimsThis research sought to assess the perceived levels of participation and autonomy in senior patients who had received total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in Hangzhou, China. Furthermore, the study aimed to identify the factors linked to these outcomes.Study designThis investigation will utilize a cross-sectional study design to assess perceived participation and autonomy among older adults total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients. The research was conducted in Hangzhou, China, at a tertiary hospital.MethodsConvenient sampling was utilized to select 139 patients who underwent THA or TKA between March 2022 and March 2023 and met the inclusion criteria at a tertiary hospital in Hangzhou. The Impact on Participation and Autonomy Questionnaire, Hip/Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS/KOOS), 5-Item Geriatric Depression Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and Elders Health Empowerment Scale were used to assess perceived participation, hip/knee-related symptoms and functional restrictions, depression symptoms, social support, and health empowerment.ResultsThe mean score for perceived participation and autonomy was 22.554 (SD: 13.042). The mean scores for participation in indoor autonomy, outdoor autonomy, family roles, and social relations were 0.654 (SD: 0.608), 1.324 (SD: 0.792), 1.053 (SD: 0.657), and 0.664 (SD: 0.542), respectively. Negative correlations were observed between perceived participation/autonomy scores and HOOS/KOOS, social support, and health empowerment scores. Conversely, a positive correlation was found between perceived participation/autonomy scores and depression scores. The detrimental effect of HOOS/KOOS, social support, and health empowerment scores on perceived participation and autonomy was notable, while the impact of depressive symptoms was comparatively minor.ConclusionOlder Chinese patients, at first six months post THA/TKA surgery, reported higher levels of perceived participation compared to individuals with other conditions, such as stroke patients. Functional limitations resulting from hip/knee-related symptoms, as well as social support and health empowerment, emerged as significant influencing factors for perceived participation and autonomy. This research enhances our comprehension of the elements influencing perceived participation among older adults individuals who have undergone THA/TKA procedures

The combined effect of a novel formula of herbal extracts on bacterial infection and immune response in Micropterus salmoides

Herbal extracts have been considered as ideal alternative to antibiotics in aquaculture and application of combinatory effective extracts always can exhibit the enhanced bioactivity with high efficiency. In our study, a novel herbal extract combination GF-7, which is composed of Galla Chinensis, Mangosteen Shell extracts as well as the effective parts of Pomegranate peel and Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi extracts, was prepared and applied for the therapy of bacterial infection in aquaculture. The HPLC analysis of GF-7 was also investigated for quality control and chemical identification. In the bioassay, GF-7 had excellent antibacterial activity against various aquatic pathogenic bacteria in vitro, and the related MIC values were between 0.045 and 0.36 mg/mL. After feeding Micropterus salmoide with GF-7 (0.1, 0.3, and 0.6%, respectively) for 28 days, the activities of ACP, AKP, LZM, SOD, and CAT of the liver in each treatment group were significantly increased and the content of MDA was significantly decreased. Meanwhile, the hepatic expression of the immune regulators including IL-1β, TNF-α, and Myd88 at different times was up-regulated in varying degrees. The challenge results exhibited a good dose-dependent protective effect on M. salmoides infected with A. hydrophila, which was further confirmed by liver histopathology. Our results imply that the novel combination GF-7 is a potential natural medicine for the prevention and treatment of numerous aquatic pathogenic infectious diseases in aquaculture

Carcinomas assemble a filamentous CXCL12-keratin-19 coating that suppresses T cell-mediated immune attack.

Cancer immunotherapy frequently fails because most carcinomas have few T cells, suggesting that cancers can suppress T cell infiltration. Here, we show that cancer cells of human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA), colorectal cancer, and breast cancer are coated with transglutaminase-2 (TGM2)-dependent covalent CXCL12-keratin-19 (KRT19) heterodimers that are organized as filamentous networks. Since a dimeric form of CXCL12 suppresses the motility of human T cells, we determined whether this polymeric CXCL12-KRT19 coating mediated T cell exclusion. Mouse tumors containing control PDA cells exhibited the CXCL12-KRT19 coating, excluded T cells, and did not respond to treatment with anti-PD-1 antibody. Tumors containing PDA cells not expressing either KRT19 or TGM2 lacked the CXCL12-KRT19 coating, were infiltrated with activated CD8+ T cells, and growth was suppressed with anti-PD-1 antibody treatment. Thus, carcinomas assemble a CXCL12-KRT19 coating to evade cancer immune attack

Tin Assisted Fully Exposed Platinum Clusters Stabilized on Defect-Rich Graphene for Dehydrogenation Reaction

Tin assisted fully exposed Pt clusters are fabricated on the core-shell nanodiamond@graphene (ND@G) hybrid support (a-PtSn/ND@G). The obtained atomically dispersed Pt clusters, with an average Pt atom number of 3, were anchored over the ND@Gsupport by the assistance of Sn atoms as a partition agent and through the Pt-C bond between Pt clusters and defect-rich graphene nanoshell. The atomically dispersed Pt clusters guaranteed a full metal availability to the reactants, a high thermal stability, and an optimized adsorption/desorption behavior. It inhibits the side reactions and enhances catalytic performance in direct dehydrogenation of n-butane at a low temperature of 450 °C, leading to \u3e98% selectivity toward olefin products, and the turnover frequency (TOF) of a-PtSn/ND@G is approximately 3.9 times higher than that of the traditional Pt3Sn alloy catalyst supported on Al2O3 (Pt3Sn/Al2O3)

Pancreatic cancer cells assemble a CXCL12-keratin 19 coating to resist immunotherapy

How pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) cells stimulate CXCR4 to exclude T cells and resist T cell checkpoint inhibitors is not known. Here, we find that CXCL12, the ligand for CXCR4 that is produced by the cancer-associated fibroblast, “coats” human PDA and colorectal cancer cells as covalent heterodimers with keratin 19 (KRT19). Modeling the formation of the heterodimer with three proteins shows that KRT19 binds CXCL12 and transglutaminase-2 (TGM2), and that TGM2 converts the reversible KRT19-CXCL12 complex into a covalent heterodimer. We validate this model by showing that cancer cells in mouse PDA tumors must express KRT19 and TGM2 to become coated with CXCL12, exclude T cells, and resist immunotherapy with anti-PD-1 antibody. Thus, PDA cells have a cell-autonomous means by which they capture CXCL12 to mediate immune suppression, which is potentially amenable to therapy. One Sentence Summary Cancer cells in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma use transglutaminase-2 to assemble a coating comprised of covalent CXCL12-keratin 19 heterodimers that excludes T cells and mediates resistance to inhibition of the PD-1 T cell checkpoint

Genetic diversity and phylogenetic analyses of 11 cohorts of captive rhesus macaques from Chinese zoos

Rhesus macaques are raised in almost every Chinese zoo due to their likeability and ease in feeding; however, little is yet known about the genetic diversity of rhesus macaques in captivity. In this study, a 475-base pair nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial DNA control region was obtained from the fecal DNA of 210 rhesus macaque individuals in captivity. A total of 69 haplotypes were defined, 51 of which (73.9%) were newly identified. Of all haplotypes, seven were shared between two zoos, and 62 haplotypes (89.8%) appeared only in a specific zoo, indicating a low rate of animal exchange between Chinese zoos. Moreover, there was a relatively high level of genetic diversity among the rhesus macaques (Hd = 0.0623 ± 0.0009, Pi = 0.979 ± 0.003, K = 28.974). Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that all haplotypes were clearly clustered into two major haplogroups—Clade A (southeastern China) and Clade B (southwestern China)—and each major clade contained several small sub-haplogroups. The haplotypes of rhesus macaques from the same zoo were not clustered together for the most part, but scattered among several subclades on the phylogenetic tree. This indicates that the rhesus macaques in most Chinese zoos may originat from a diverse collection of geographical areas. Our results demonstrate that zoos play an important role in the conservation of the genetic diversity of rhesus macaques, as well as provide useful information on the genetic management of captive rhesus macaques

Evaluation of the BlueSky smoke forecasting system and its utility for public health protection in British Columbia

Wildfire smoke is a major contributor to extreme particulate matter (PM) air pollution events and has been associated with respiratory and cardiovascular health effects. With climate change, more frequent and intense wildfires are expected in the future and their impact on public health will likely increase. The existing exposure assessment tools such as the monitoring network and remote sensing platforms have limitations for measuring wildfire smoke, including inadequate coverage and measuring total column instead of ground-level concentrations. From the public health perspective, a system that can supplement these tools and predict smoke concentrations will be valuable. The Western Canada BlueSky Smoke Forecasting System, which can predict PM₂.₅ (PM <2.5μm in diameter) from wildfires up to 60 hours in advance, has been developed since 2008. So far, there has not been any systematic and quantitative evaluation of its performance. The first objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of BlueSky. We compared its forecasting output with monitoring measurements and remote sensing images with several different model evaluation statistics of temporal and spatial agreement. The second objective was to assess the association between BlueSky predictions and respiratory health indicators. Poisson regression was employed between BlueSky predictions and the health outcome indicators, including counts of prescriptions dispensed to relieve respiratory health symptoms and counts of physician visits for asthma. Results suggested that BlueSky predicted smaller smoke plumes within the plumes observed by remote sensing. It predicted PM₂.₅ concentrations comparable to monitor measurements in the middle of the fire period and in areas consistently impacted by wildfire smoke. More frequent and larger-scale overpredictions were observed. A 30μg/m³ increase in BlueSky 24-hour PM₂.₅ predictions was associated with 1% increase in medication dispensations and physician visits for asthma. The relative risks were smaller than those associated with monitoring measurements. Smoke plume coverage predicted by BlueSky was associated with relative risks comparable with those observed by remote sensing. In conclusion, BlueSky predictions were comparable with measurements from other smoke assessment tools and they were significantly associated with respiratory health outcomes. This study provides evidence to support the use of BlueSky in public health protection.Medicine, Faculty ofPopulation and Public Health (SPPH), School ofGraduat

Assessing sub-daily exposure to wildfire smoke and its public health effects in British Columbia

Global climate change has created new public health issues, and evidence-based policies are needed for mitigating the health impacts. The increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires is one of the pressing concerns in Canada and globally. Epidemiological studies have found that daily average exposure to wildfire smoke is associated with a wide range of cardiopulmonary conditions. However, few studies have looked at the health effects of sub-daily exposures measured in hours, and little is known about the lag-response relationship at such temporal scales. Sub-daily impacts are highly relevant for public health response, especially for smoke episodes of limited duration. To address these knowledge gaps, this dissertation presents a machine learning approach to identify variables relevant to the vertical distribution of smoke in the atmosphere, which can improve the application of remote sensing data for population exposure assessment. Relevant variables included fire activity in the vicinity, geographic location of the smoke, and meteorological conditions. These variables were next combined with data from air quality monitors and ecological information, to develop an empirical model for estimating 1-hour average population exposure to fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅) during wildfire seasons from 2010 to 2015 in British Columbia, Canada, at a 5 km² resolution. Compared with observations, model predictions had a correlation of 0.93, root mean squared error of 3.2 μg/m³, mean fractional bias of 15.1%, and mean fractional error of 44.7%. The model estimates were then linked to ambulance dispatches, paramedic assessments, and subsequent hospital admissions. Increased PM₂.₅ was associated with increased dispatches for respiratory and cardiovascular reasons within one hour following exposure, and for diabetic reasons within the first 24-hour period. Each 10 μg/m³ increase in PM₂.₅ was associated with an increase in the cumulative odds over 48 hours of up to 10%, 20% and 10% for respiratory, cardiovascular, and diabetes calls, respectively. These results support further investigation into the health effects of sub-daily exposures and suggest that air quality standards and public health actions during wildfire smoke events should be based on the hourly time scale. Public health agencies and the general public should act promptly to reduce exposure when affected by wildfire smoke.Medicine, Faculty ofPopulation and Public Health (SPPH), School ofGraduat

An Evaluation of the British Columbia Asthma Monitoring System (BCAMS) and PM2.5 Exposure Metrics during the 2014 Forest Fire Season

The British Columbia Asthma Monitoring System (BCAMS) tracks forest fire smoke exposure and asthma-related health outcomes, identifying excursions beyond expected daily counts. Weekly reports during the wildfire season support public health and emergency management decision-making. We evaluated BCAMS by identifying excursions for asthma-related physician visits and dispensations of the reliever medication salbutamol sulfate and examining their corresponding smoke exposures. A disease outbreak detection algorithm identified excursions from 1 July to 31 August 2014. Measured, modeled, and forecasted concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were used to assess exposure. We assigned PM2.5 levels to excursions by choosing the highest value within a seven day window centred on the excursion day. Smoky days were defined as those with PM2.5 levels ≥ 25 µg/m3. Most excursions (57%–71%) were assigned measured or modeled PM2.5 concentrations of 10 µg/m3 or higher. Of the smoky days, 55.8% and 69.8% were associated with at least one excursion for physician visits and salbutamol dispensations, respectively. BCAMS alerted most often when measures of smoke exposure were relatively high. Better performance might be realized by combining asthma-related outcome metrics in a bivariate model