Does the pain sensitivity questionnaire correlate with tourniquet pain in patients undergoing ankle surgery?

BackgroundTourniquet pain is the most prominent problem in ankle surgery, and there is no proper method to predict it. It was reported that pain sensitivity questionnaires could evaluate the pain sensitivity of subjects. Its potential to predict tourniquet pain in ankle surgery is constructive and meaningful.MethodsOne hundred and twenty patients undergoing ankle surgery were included in this study. The pain sensitivity questionnaire (PSQ) and self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) were completed before the operation. The methods included an ultrasound-guided popliteal sciatic, a femoral nerve block, and a proximal thigh tourniquet. The pressure of the tourniquet was set according to the systolic blood pressure (SBP + 100 mmHg). A visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess the tourniquet pain. Also, the onset time of tourniquet pain ≥4 VAS units was recorded.ResultsThe PSQ-total and PSQ-minor scores were significantly correlated with the onset time when the tourniquet pain ≥4 VAS units (r = −0.763, r = −0.731, P < 0.001). The PSQ-total score <6.5 group gave significantly lower ratings for items 3, 4, 14, and 16 in the PSQ survey compared to the PSQ-total score ≥6.5 group (P < 0.05). Patients with high pain sensitivity have a higher need for analgesic drugs (P < 0.001). PSQ-total score ≥6.5 (OR = 185.8, 95% CI = 39.8–1,437.6, P < 0.001), sex (male, OR = 0.11, 95% CI = 0.018–0.488, P < 0.05), and age (OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.842–0.995, P < 0.05) were risk factors for reporting a tourniquet pain ≥4 VAS units within 30 min.ConclusionThe PSQ score is found to be correlated with intraoperative tourniquet pain. In addition, sex and age also affect the time of having intraoperative tourniquet pain

Preparation and characterization of gliadin-based core-shell microcapsules by three antisolvent approaches

Gliadin, a versatile wheat-derived protein, has great potential in the creation of nanostructured delivery systems for encapsulating various hydrophobic bioactive substances. Despite gliadin's well-established potential in creating nanostructured delivery systems for hydrophobic substances, its utilization for encapsulating hydrophilic compounds remains a relatively unexplored domain. This study investigated the feasibility of preparing gliadin-based core-shell microcapsules using different antisolvent methods and assessed their controlled release capabilities for hydrophilic compounds. It employed three commonly used food polysaccharides, alginate, κ-carrageenan, and agar, as hydrophilic microbeads and selected thiamine and ethyl maltol as model compounds. The microcapsules were constructed by two steps: 1) The microbeads were prepared by a water-in-oil emulsion template under different gelling conditions; 2) The microbeads were dispersed into aqueous ethanol/urea/acetic acid gliadin solutions, during which the slow migration of water from inside the microbeads to the outer gliadin solution decreased the solubility of gliadin and promoted the deposition of gliadin onto the surface of the microbeads, finally leading to the formation of the core-shell structure. The resulting core-shell microcapsules exhibited adjustable particle sizes from 80.0 to 850.0 μm in diameter and shell thickness ranging from 8.0 to 30.0 μm. Moreover, the microcapsules exhibited controlled release behavior for hydrophilic compounds, with only 20.0% of thiamine being released after 90 min, and this release rate can be finely tuned by controlling the shell thickness. These gliadin-based core-shell microcapsules are considered as promising carriers for the controlled delivery of hydrophilic compounds

Formation, influencing factors, and applications of internal channels in starch: A review

Starch, a natural polymer, has a complex internal structure. Some starches, such as corn and wheat starches, have well-developed surface pores and internal channels. These channel structures are considered crucial in connecting surface stomata and internal cavities and have adequate space for loading guest molecules. After processing or modification, the starch-containing channel structures can be used for food and drug encapsulation and delivery. This article reviews the formation and determination of starch internal channels, and the influence of different factors (such as starch species and processing conditions) on the channel structure. It also discusses relevant starch preparation methods (physical, chemical, enzymatic, and synergistic), and the encapsulation effect of starch containing internal channels on different substances. In addition, the role of internal channels in regulating the starch digestion rate and other aspects is also discussed here. This review highlights the significant multifunctional applications of starch with a channel structure

Exercise ameliorates the FGF21–adiponectin axis impairment in diet-induced obese mice

Objective: The protective effects of exercise against glucose dysmetabolism have been generally reported. However, the mechanism by which exercise improves glucose homeostasis remains poorly understood. The FGF21–adiponectin axis participates in the regulation of glucose metabolism. Elevated levels of FGF21 and decreased levels of adiponectin in obesity indicate FGF21–adiponectin axis dysfunction. Hence, we investigated whether exercise could improve the FGF21–adiponectin axis impairment and ameliorate disturbed glucose metabolism in diet-induced obese mice. Methods: Eight-week-old C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to three groups: low-fat diet control group, high-fat diet group and high-fat diet plus exercise group. Glucose metabolic parameters, the ability of FGF21 to induce adiponectin, FGF21 receptors and co-receptor levels and adipose tissue inflammation were evaluated after 12 weeks of intervention. Results: Exercise training led to reduced levels of fasting blood glucose and insulin, improved glucose tolerance and better insulin sensitivity in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. Although serum FGF21 levels were not significantly changed, both total and high-molecular-weight adiponectin concentrations were markedly enhanced by exercise. Importantly, exercise protected against high-fat diet-induced impaired ability of FGF21 to stimulate adiponectin secretion. FGF21 co-receptor, β-klotho, as well as receptors, FGFR1 and FGFR2, were upregulated by exercise. We also found that exercise inhibited adipose tissue inflammation, which may contribute to the improvement in the FGF21–adiponectin axis impairment. Conclusions: Our data indicate exercise protects against high-fat diet-induced FGF21–adiponectin axis impairment, and may thereby exert beneficial effects on glucose metabolism

Etiologic Diagnosis of Lower Respiratory Tract Bacterial Infections Using Sputum Samples and Quantitative Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification

Etiologic diagnoses of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) have been relying primarily on bacterial cultures that often fail to return useful results in time. Although DNA-based assays are more sensitive than bacterial cultures in detecting pathogens, the molecular results are often inconsistent and challenged by doubts on false positives, such as those due to system- and environment-derived contaminations. Here we report a nationwide cohort study on 2986 suspected LRTI patients across P. R. China. We compared the performance of a DNA-based assay qLAMP (quantitative Loop-mediated isothermal AMPlification) with that of standard bacterial cultures in detecting a panel of eight common respiratory bacterial pathogens from sputum samples. Our qLAMP assay detects the panel of pathogens in 1047(69.28%) patients from 1533 qualified patients at the end. We found that the bacterial titer quantified based on qLAMP is a predictor of probability that the bacterium in the sample can be detected in culture assay. The relatedness of the two assays fits a logistic regression curve. We used a piecewise linear function to define breakpoints where latent pathogen abruptly change its competitive relationship with others in the panel. These breakpoints, where pathogens start to propagate abnormally, are used as cutoffs to eliminate the influence of contaminations from normal flora. With help of the cutoffs derived from statistical analysis, we are able to identify causative pathogens in 750 (48.92%) patients from qualified patients. In conclusion, qLAMP is a reliable method in quantifying bacterial titer. Despite the fact that there are always latent bacteria contaminated in sputum samples, we can identify causative pathogens based on cutoffs derived from statistical analysis of competitive relationship

Stereoscopic Image Quality Evaluation Method for Visual Communication Design

With the development of computer vision technology, the demand for accurate recognition of stereoscopic image quality in the market is increasing. Accurate recognition of stereoscopic image quality is of great significance for providing high-value intelligent image services, which is also the motivation for this study. Accurately recognizing the quality of stereoscopic images is of great significance for image analysis and computer vision applications. In fields such as autonomous driving, medical image analysis, and industrial detection, accurate stereo image quality can provide reliable input for algorithms and improve the accuracy of analysis and recognition. The field or issue of this study is image quality evaluation, which aims to find higher performance stereoscopic image quality evaluation methods. Therefore, this study draws inspiration from the idea of ensemble learning and designs two Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) stereoscopic image quality evaluation methods based on the semantic features of stereoscopic images and the local detail perception module, and fuses them to form a mixed evaluation model. This study aims to solve the problem of image quality assessment, which is to accurately identify the quality of stereoscopic images and provide high-value intelligent image services. With the continuous development of computer vision technology, the demand for accurate recognition of stereoscopic image quality is increasing, which is also the motivation of this study. This study drew inspiration from the idea of ensemble learning and designed two hybrid evaluation models based on stereo image semantic features and local detail perception modules. Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) was used to achieve stereo image quality evaluation. This is one of the main contributions of this article. In order to evaluate the performance of the designed model, the LIVE 3D Phase I dataset was used for testing experiments. The expected results show that when the number of test samples is 500, the overall measurement values of the Spearman rank ordered correlation coefficient (SROCC) and Pearson linear correlation coefficient (PLCC) of the designed ICNN1 and ICNN2 stereo image quality evaluation models are 0.940, 0.949, and 0.940, 0.949, respectively. These results are significantly higher than the selected contrastive deep learning models and machine learning models. In addition, the designed model has relatively low computational time but high computational memory consumption, which is one of the main gaps compared to other studies. In summary, the model designed in this study has great application potential in improving the accuracy of stereo image quality recognition, and is particularly suitable for the Chinese visual design industry. Future research can further explore the market-oriented application of this recognition model

Web-Based Short Video Intervention and Short Message Comparison of Repeat Blood Donation Behavior Based on an Extended Theory of Planned Behavior: Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial Study

BackgroundAlthough blood is an indispensable and important resource for clinical treatment, an imbalance between supply and demand may occur as the population ages and diversifies. Studies indicate that repeat blood donors are safe blood sources because of their voluntary blood donation education and frequent blood screening. However, the high rate of reduction in the number of first-time voluntary blood donors and low rate of repeated blood donation are common problems worldwide. ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the effect of an intervention in nonregular blood donors using web-based videos and SMS text messages, in which the former was guided by the extended theory of planned behavior, to discover effective intervention methods to improve repeat blood donation rates among nonregular blood donors. MethodsA total of 692 nonregular blood donors in Zhejiang province were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The control group received regular, short reminder messages for a 6-month period, whereas the intervention group received web-based videos on the WeChat platform. The intervention group was guided by an extended theory of planned behavior, which included 9 factors: the respondents’ attitude, subjective behavioral norms, perceived behavioral control, the willingness to donate blood, outcome expectations, self-identity, blood donation–related anxiety, cognition of the blood donation environment, and previous blood donation experience. The intervention group was divided into 2 stages: those with an intervention at 3 months and those with a follow-up 3 months later. After 6 months, the redonation rate was evaluated for the 2 groups, and the scale in the intervention group was determined both before and after the intervention. A t test, chi-square test, logistic stepwise regression, and ANOVA were performed. ResultsThe intervention group’s redonation rate was 16.14%, which was significantly higher than the control group’s redonation rate of 5.16%; P<.001. Men who were aged 31 to 45 years and had donated blood twice had a higher redonation rate after the web-based video intervention than after the SMS text messages; P<.05. The repeat donors’ improved blood donation anxiety (P=.01), outcome expectations (P=.008), and cognition of the blood donation environment (P=.005) after the intervention were significantly higher than those of the nonrepeat donors. ConclusionsThe web-based short video intervention based on the extended theory of planned behavior can effectively improve redonation rates. Outcome expectations, blood donation anxiety, and cognition of the blood donation environment can directly influence irregular blood donors to redonate blood

A review of different ventilation methods for controlling the transmission of the virus during the COVID-19 pandemic

With the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping worldwide, much attention has been paid to infectious viruses. Because of the different sizes of pathogen-carrying droplets exhaled by individuals infected with COVID-19, the influence of gravity and inertia on the droplets varies, which leads to different modes of transmission of the virus. Ventilation changes the air distribution in a room, and affects virus transmission. An appropriate ventilation method that reduces the floating time of viruses and the exposure rate of the human body should be selected. Although previous studies have extensively reviewed methods to reduce the airborne transmission of viruses, research on ventilation methods remain limited. This review aimed to explore a ventilation mode that could ensure the thermal comfort and maintain low exposure and infection rates in the human body. This study investigated the transmission modes of the virus and the importance of particle size. The effects of mixing ventilation, displacement ventilation, impinging jet ventilation, and stratum ventilation on the removal of different particle sizes and applications at various locations were compared. The results of this study can contribute to reducing the indoor virus concentrations during the COVID-19 pandemic

Hydrogels for Exosome Delivery in Biomedical Applications

Hydrogels, which are hydrophilic polymer networks, have attracted great attention, and significant advances in their biological and biomedical applications, such as for drug delivery, tissue engineering, and models for medical studies, have been made. Due to their similarity in physiological structure, hydrogels are highly compatible with extracellular matrices and biological tissues and can be used as both carriers and matrices to encapsulate cellular secretions. As small extracellular vesicles secreted by nearly all mammalian cells to mediate cell&ndash;cell interactions, exosomes play very important roles in therapeutic approaches and disease diagnosis. To maintain their biological activity and achieve controlled release, a strategy that embeds exosomes in hydrogels as a composite system has been focused on in recent studies. Therefore, this review aims to provide a thorough overview of the use of composite hydrogels for embedding exosomes in medical applications, including the resources for making hydrogels and the properties of hydrogels, and strategies for their combination with exosomes