Sensitivity enhancement of a Cu (II) metal organic framework-acetylene black-based electrochemical sensor for ultrasensitive detection of imatinib in clinical samples

Imatinib (IMB), an anticancer drug, is extensively used for chemotherapy to improve the quality of life of cancer patients. The aim of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is to guide and evaluate the medicinal therapy, and then optimize the clinical effect of individual dosing regimens. In this work, a highly sensitive and selective electrochemical sensor based on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with acetylene black (AB) and a Cu (II) metal organic framework (CuMOF) was developed to measure the concentration of IMB. CuMOF with preferable adsorbability and AB with excellent electrical conductivity functioned cooperatively to enhance the analytical determination of IMB. The modified electrodes were characterized using X-rays diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometry (UV-vis), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS), brunauer‒emmett‒teller (BET) and barrett‒joyner‒halenda (BJH) techniques. Analytical parameters such as the ratio of CuMOF to AB, dropping volumes, pH, scanning rate and accumulation time were investigated through cyclic voltammetry (CV). Under optimal conditions, the sensor exhibited an excellent electrocatalytic response for IMB detection, and two linear detection ranges were obatined of 2.5 nM-1.0 μM and 1.0–6.0 μM with a detection limit (DL) of 1.7 nM (S/N = 3). Finally, the good electroanalytical ability of CuMOF-AB/GCE sensor facilitated the successful determination of IMB in human serum samples. Due to its acceptable selectivity, repeatability and long-term stability, this sensor shows promising application prospects in the detection of IMB in clinical samples

High prevalence of hyperglycaemia and the impact of high household income in transforming Rural China

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The prevalence of hyperglycaemia and its association with socioeconomic factors have been well studied in developed countries, however, little is known about them in transforming rural China.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study was carried out in 4 rural communities of Deqing County located in East China in 2006-07, including 4,506 subjects aged 18 to 64 years. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) was measured. Subjects were considered to have impaired fasting glucose (IFG) if FPG was in the range from 5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L and to have diabetes mellitus (DM) if FG was 7.0 mmol/L or above.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The crude prevalences of IFG and DM were 5.4% and 2.2%, respectively. The average ratio of IFG/DM was 2.5, and tended to be higher for those under the age of 35 years than older subjects. After adjustment for covariates including age (continuous), sex, BMI (continuous), smoking, alcohol drinking, and regular leisure physical activity, subjects in the high household income group had a significantly higher risk of IFG compared with the medium household income group (OR: 1.74, 95% CI: 1.11-2.72) and no significant difference in IFG was observed between the low and medium household income groups. Education and farmer occupation were not significantly associated with IFG.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>High household income was significantly associated with an increased risk of IFG. A high ratio of IFG/DM suggests a high risk of diabetes in foreseeable future in the Chinese transforming rural communities.</p

Tirofiban for Stroke without Large or Medium-Sized Vessel Occlusion

The effects of the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitor tirofiban in patients with acute ischemic stroke but who have no evidence of complete occlusion of large or medium-sized vessels have not been extensively studied. In a multicenter trial in China, we enrolled patients with ischemic stroke without occlusion of large or medium-sized vessels and with a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of 5 or more and at least one moderately to severely weak limb. Eligible patients had any of four clinical presentations: ineligible for thrombolysis or thrombectomy and within 24 hours after the patient was last known to be well; progression of stroke symptoms 24 to 96 hours after onset; early neurologic deterioration after thrombolysis; or thrombolysis with no improvement at 4 to 24 hours. Patients were assigned to receive intravenous tirofiban (plus oral placebo) or oral aspirin (100 mg per day, plus intravenous placebo) for 2 days; all patients then received oral aspirin until day 90. The primary efficacy end point was an excellent outcome, defined as a score of 0 or 1 on the modified Rankin scale (range, 0 [no symptoms] to 6 [death]) at 90 days. Secondary end points included functional independence at 90 days and a quality-of-life score. The primary safety end points were death and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. A total of 606 patients were assigned to the tirofiban group and 571 to the aspirin group. Most patients had small infarctions that were presumed to be atherosclerotic. The percentage of patients with a score of 0 or 1 on the modified Rankin scale at 90 days was 29.1% with tirofiban and 22.2% with aspirin (adjusted risk ratio, 1.26; 95% confidence interval, 1.04 to 1.53, P = 0.02). Results for secondary end points were generally not consistent with the results of the primary analysis. Mortality was similar in the two groups. The incidence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage was 1.0% in the tirofiban group and 0% in the aspirin group. In this trial involving heterogeneous groups of patients with stroke of recent onset or progression of stroke symptoms and nonoccluded large and medium-sized cerebral vessels, intravenous tirofiban was associated with a greater likelihood of an excellent outcome than low-dose aspirin. Incidences of intracranial hemorrhages were low but slightly higher with tirofiban

Methylprednisolone as Adjunct to Endovascular Thrombectomy for Large-Vessel Occlusion Stroke

Importance It is uncertain whether intravenous methylprednisolone improves outcomes for patients with acute ischemic stroke due to large-vessel occlusion (LVO) undergoing endovascular thrombectomy. Objective To assess the efficacy and adverse events of adjunctive intravenous low-dose methylprednisolone to endovascular thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke secondary to LVO. Design, Setting, and Participants This investigator-initiated, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was implemented at 82 hospitals in China, enrolling 1680 patients with stroke and proximal intracranial LVO presenting within 24 hours of time last known to be well. Recruitment took place between February 9, 2022, and June 30, 2023, with a final follow-up on September 30, 2023.InterventionsEligible patients were randomly assigned to intravenous methylprednisolone (n = 839) at 2 mg/kg/d or placebo (n = 841) for 3 days adjunctive to endovascular thrombectomy. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary efficacy outcome was disability level at 90 days as measured by the overall distribution of the modified Rankin Scale scores (range, 0 [no symptoms] to 6 [death]). The primary safety outcomes included mortality at 90 days and the incidence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage within 48 hours. Results Among 1680 patients randomized (median age, 69 years; 727 female [43.3%]), 1673 (99.6%) completed the trial. The median 90-day modified Rankin Scale score was 3 (IQR, 1-5) in the methylprednisolone group vs 3 (IQR, 1-6) in the placebo group (adjusted generalized odds ratio for a lower level of disability, 1.10 [95% CI, 0.96-1.25]; P = .17). In the methylprednisolone group, there was a lower mortality rate (23.2% vs 28.5%; adjusted risk ratio, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.71-0.98]; P = .03) and a lower rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (8.6% vs 11.7%; adjusted risk ratio, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.55-0.99]; P = .04) compared with placebo. Conclusions and Relevance Among patients with acute ischemic stroke due to LVO undergoing endovascular thrombectomy, adjunctive methylprednisolone added to endovascular thrombectomy did not significantly improve the degree of overall disability.Trial RegistrationChiCTR.org.cn Identifier: ChiCTR210005172

Facile and Sensitive Acetylene Black-Based Electrochemical Sensor for the Detection of Imatinib

A facile and sensitive electrochemical sensor for determining imatinib (IMA) was constructed by modifying a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with a nanocarbon material, acetylene black (AB). The electrochemical behavior of IMA on the prepared GCE/AB was studied using electrochemical techniques, namely, differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The direct determination of IMA by the GCE/AB sensor was accomplished using DPV under optimized conditions. The method verification showed that the oxidation peak current was proportional to the concentrations of IMA in the linear ranges of 0.01–0.5 and 0.5–4 μM, with correlation coefficients of 0.9856 and 0.9946, respectively. The limit of detection of the GCE/AB sensor was 0.15 nM. Moreover, the GCE/AB sensor showed good precision and accuracy. Finally, the GCE/AB sensor was successfully applied to determine IMA in human serum samples, and the recoveries were satisfactory

A Novel Tree Height Extraction Approach for Individual Trees by Combining TLS and UAV Image-Based Point Cloud Integration

Research Highlights: This study carried out a feasibility analysis on the tree height extraction of a planted coniferous forest with high canopy density by combining terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) image&ndash;based point cloud data at small and midsize tree farms. Background and Objectives: Tree height is an important factor for forest resource surveys. This information plays an important role in forest structure evaluation and forest stock estimation. The objectives of this study were to solve the problem of underestimating tree height and to guarantee the precision of tree height extraction in medium and high-density planted coniferous forests. Materials and Methods: This study developed a novel individual tree localization (ITL)-based tree height extraction method to obtain preliminary results in a planted coniferous forest plots with 107 trees (Metasequoia). Then, the final accurate results were achieved based on the canopy height model (CHM) and CHM seed points (CSP). Results: The registration accuracy of the TLS and UAV image-based point cloud data reached 6 cm. The authors optimized the precision of tree height extraction using the ITL-based method by improving CHM resolution from 0.2 m to 0.1 m. Due to the overlapping of forest canopies, the CSP method failed to delineate all individual tree crowns in medium to high-density forest stands with the matching rates of about 75%. However, the accuracy of CSP-based tree height extraction showed obvious advantages compared with the ITL-based method. Conclusion: The proposed method provided a solid foundation for dynamically monitoring forest resources in a high-accuracy and low-cost way, especially in planted tree farms

UCP2 and UCP3 variants and gene-environment interaction associated with prediabetes and T2DM in a rural population: a case control study in China

Abstract Background There are disparities for the association between uncoupling proteins (UCP) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The study was to examine the associations of genetic variants of UCP2 and UCP3 with prediabetes and T2DM in a rural Chinese population. Methods A population-based case-control study of 397 adults with T2DM, 394 with prediabetes and 409 with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) was carried out in 2014 in a rural community in eastern China. Three groups were identified through a community survey and the prediabetes and NGT groups were frequently matched by age and gender with the T2DM group and they were not relatives of T2DM subjects. With r2 ≥ 0.8 and minor allele frequency (MAF) ≥0.05 for tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with potential function, three (rs660339, rs45560234 and rs643064) and six (rs7930460, rs15763, rs647126, rs1800849, rs3781907 and rs1685356) SNPs were selected respectively for UCP2 and UCP3 and genotyped in real time using the MassARRAY system (Sequenom; USA). The haplotypes, gene-environmental interaction and association between genetic variants of UCP2 and UCP3 and prediabetes or T2DM were explored. Results There were no significant differences in age and sex among three study groups. After the adjustment for possible covariates, the A allele of rs1800849 in UCP3 was significantly associated with prediabetes (aORAA vs GG = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.02–2.78), and the association was also significant under the recessive model (aOR AA vs GA + GG = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.02–2.66). Also, rs15763 was found to be marginally significantly associated with T2DM under dominant model (ORGA + AA vs GG = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.52–1.03, P = 0.072). No haplotype was significantly associated with prediabetes or T2DM. Multiplicative interactions for rs660339-overweight on T2DM were observed. In addition, the AA genotype of rs660339 was associated with an increased risk of T2DM in overweight subjects (OR = 1.48, 95%CI: 0.87–2.52) but with a decreased risk in those with normal weight (OR = 0.54, 95%CI: 0.28–1.05). Conclusions Rs1800849 in UCP3 was significantly associated with prediabetes. Overweight might modify the effects of rs660339 of UCP2 on T2DM

Community based promotion on VCT acceptance among rural migrants in Shanghai, China.

Voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) plays an important integral role in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. However, VCT service has not been effectively utilized among rural migrants, a high risk group in China. In this study, we developed a community based intervention to examine if community mobilization with comprehensive VCT is more effective than current HIV preventions with routine VCT service in promoting VCT acceptability among rural migrants in Shanghai, China.A comprehensive intervention with community mobilization and comprehensive VCT services including community-based VCT and mobile VCT was implemented during 2007-2009. Three communities in Minhang District of Shanghai were randomly selected and were designed to receive community mobilization and comprehensive VCT, traditional VCT and none intervention, respectively. After 24 months intervention, effects were evaluated by comparing outcome indicators between the baseline (2,690 participants) and follow-up surveys (1,850 participants).A substantial increase in VCT acceptance was observed among community mobilization group (94.9% vs. 88.5%, P<0.001), whereas the reverse effect was seen in the traditional VCT group (86.1% vs. 94.6%, P<0.001) and control group (69.0% vs. 91.7%, P<0.001). Rural migrants from community mobilization group were more likely to accept VCT (OR = 2.91, 95% CI 1.69-4.97). Rural migrants from community mobilization group also showed significant increase in HIV/AIDS knowledge, positive attitude towards HIV positive individuals and condom use.Community mobilization with comprehensive VCT has significant impact on promotion of VCT acceptance and utilization among rural migrants in Shanghai. These findings provide evidence to support community mobilization as a suitable strategy for VCT promotion among rural migrants in Shanghai, China