The mediating effect of body mass index on the relationship between cigarette smoking and atopic sensitization in Chinese adults

Background: It is unclear whether the relationship between cigarette smoking and atopy is mediated by body fat mass, such as the Body Mass Index (BMI). We assessed the mediating role of BMI on the relationship between smoking and atopy in Chinese adults. Methods: A hospital-based case-control study of 786 atopic cases and 2771 controls was conducted in adults aged 18 years or older from March 2010 to September 2014 in Harbin, China. Mediation models were used to estimate the indirect effects of smoking on atopic sensitization through BMI. Results: Compared to non-smokers, light smokers and moderate smokers had a lower risk of inhalant allergen sensitization. The indirect effect of smoking and sensitization to aeroallergens were only observed in light smokers (point estimate, -0.026; 95% CI, -0.062 to -0.004). The mediating roles of BMI on the relationships between smoking and other types of allergic sensitization were not statistically significant. Conclusion: BMI appeared to partially mediate the effect of light smoking on sensitization to aeroallergens. However, considering the other harmful health effects of cigarette smoking, the effective method to lower the incidence of atopy would be to decrease body fat mass by physical exercise and employing other more healthy ways of living rather than smoking

Evaluation of grinding performance for micromotor rotor shaft by microcrystalline ceramic corundum grinding wheel

In view of frequent dressing of grinding wheel in process of centerless cylindrical grinding of micromotor rotor shaft, this paper proposes to use microcrystalline ceramic corundum grinding wheel instead of traditional corundum grinding wheel to grind micromotor rotor shaft. By building a surface grinding process platform and referring to the dressing and grinding parameters of centerless grinding wheel, grinding performance of microcrystalline ceramic corundum grinding wheel and corundum grinding wheel was compared and analyzed in grinding temperature, surface processing quality, and grinding ratio. Compared with corundum grinding wheel, microcrystalline ceramic corundum grinding wheel can not only effectively improve the grinding temperature (reduce 38.5%), improve the surface processing quality (reduce the surface roughness by 78.6%), but also has a higher grinding ratio (increase 2.2 times). In addition, microcrystalline ceramic corundum grinding wheel was selected to verify centerless grinding production of micromotor rotor shaft. The test results of centerless grinding sample of micromotor rotor shaft meet requirements of actual production index, and dressing cycle is twice longer than that of traditional corundum grinding wheel, which improves processing quality and production efficiency significantly

ICT and AIE Characteristics Two Cyano-Functionalized Probes and Their Photophysical Properties, DFT Calculations, Cytotoxicity, and Cell Imaging Applications

Two probes, AIE-1 and AIE-2, were synthesized to investigate the effect of substitutional functional group on aggregation (aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) or aggregation-induced emission (AIE)) and intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) behavior as well as on the cell imaging aspect. The yellow-color non-substituted probe AIE-1 showed weak charge-transfer absorption and an emission band at 377 nm and 432 nm, whereas the yellowish-orange color substituted probe AIE-2 showed a strong charge-transfer absorption and an emission band at 424 nm and 477 nm in THF solvent. The UV-Vis studies of AIE-1 and AIE-2 in THF and THF with different water fractions showed huge absorption changes in AIE-2 with high water fractions due to its strong aggregation behavior, but no such noticeable absorption changes were observed for AIE-1. Interestingly, the fluorescence intensity of AIE-1 at 432 nm gradually decreased with increasing water fractions and became almost non-emissive at 90% water. However, the monomer-type emission of AIE-2 at 477 nm was shifted to 584 nm with a 6-fold increase in fluorescence intensity in THF-H2O (1:9, v/v) solvent mixtures due to the restriction of intramolecular rotation on aggregation in high water fractions. This result indicates that the probe AIE-1 shows ACQ and probe AIE-2 shows AIE behaviors in THF-H2O solvent mixtures. Furthermore, the emission spectra of AIE-1 and AIE-2 were carried out in different solvent and with different concentrations to see the solvent- or concentration-dependent aggregation behavior. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments were also conducted to assess the morphology and particle size of two probes before and after aggregation. Both of the probes, AIE-1 and AIE-2, showed less toxicity on HeLa cells and were suitable for cell imaging studies. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation was also carried out to confirm the ICT process from an electron-rich indole moiety to an electron-deficient cyano-phenyl ring of AIE-1 or AIE-2

The quality of invasive breast cancer care for low reimbursement rate patients: A retrospective study

<div><p>Though evidence-based treatments have been recommended for breast cancer, underuse of the treatments was still observed. To certain extent, patients’ access to care, which can be enhanced by increasing the coverage of health insurance, could account for the current underuse in recommended care. This study aimed to examine the association between different proportions of reimbursement and quality of recommended breast cancer care, as well as length of hospital stay. In this retrospective study, 3669 patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 1 June, 2011 and 30 June, 2013 were recruited. Seven quality indicators from preoperative diagnosis procedures to adjuvant therapy and one composite indicator were selected as dependent variables. Logistic regression and generalized linear models were used to explore the association between quality of care and length of hospital stay with different reimbursement rates. Compared with UEBMI (urban employment basic medical insurance), which represented high level reimbursement rate, patients with lower rates of reimbursement were less likely to receive core biopsy, HER-2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor-2) testing, BCS (breast conserving surgery), SLNB (sentinel lymph nodes biopsy), adjuvant therapy and hormonal treatment. No significant difference in preoperative length of hospital stay was observed among the three insurance schemes, however URBMI (urban resident basic medical insurance) insured patients stayed longer for total length of hospital stay. Significant disparities in utilization of evidence-based breast cancer care among patients with different proportions of reimbursement were observed. Patients with lower rate of reimbursement were less likely to receive recommended care. Our findings could provide important support for further healthcare reform and quality improvement in breast cancer care.</p></div