Neurologic Abnormalities in Workers of a 1-Bromopropane Factory

We reported recently that 1-bromopropane (1-BP; n-propylbromide, CAS Registry no. 106-94-5), an alternative to ozone-depleting solvents, is neurotoxic and exhibits reproductive toxicity in rats. The four most recent case reports suggested possible neurotoxicity of 1-BP in workers. The aim of the present study was to establish the neurologic effects of 1-BP in workers and examine the relationship with exposure levels. We surveyed 27 female workers in a 1-BP production factory and compared 23 of them with 23 age-matched workers in a beer factory as controls. The workers were interviewed and examined by neurologic, electrophysiologic, hematologic, biochemical, neurobehavioral, and postural sway tests. 1-BP exposure levels were estimated with passive samplers. Tests with a tuning fork showed diminished vibration sensation of the foot in 15 workers exposed to 1-BP but in none of the controls. 1-BP factory workers showed significantly longer distal latency in the tibial nerve than did the controls but no significant changes in motor nerve conduction velocity. Workers also displayed lower values in sensory nerve conduction velocity in the sural nerve, backward recalled digits, Benton visual memory test scores, pursuit aiming test scores, and five items of the Profile of Mood States (POMS) test (tension, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and confusion) compared with controls matched for age and education. Workers hired after May 1999, who were exposed to 1-BP only (workers hired before 1999 could have also been exposed to 2-BP), showed similar changes in vibration sense, distal latency, Benton test scores, and depression and fatigue in the POMS test. Time-weighted average exposure levels in the workers were 0.34–49.19 ppm. Exposure to 1-BP could adversely affect peripheral nerves or/and the central nervous system

Rationale for Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients with Oligometastatic Hormone-Naïve Prostate Cancer

Despite advances in treatment for metastatic prostate cancer, patients eventually progress to castrate-resistant disease and ultimately succumb to their cancer. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the standard treatment for metastatic prostate cancer and has been shown to improve median time to progression and median survival time. Research suggests that castrate-resistant clones may be present early in the disease process prior to the initiation of ADT. These clones are not susceptible to ADT and may even flourish when androgen-responsive clones are depleted. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a safe and efficacious method of treating clinically localized prostate cancer and metastases. In patients with a limited number of metastatic sites, SBRT may have a role in eliminating castrate-resistant clones and possibly delaying progression to castrate-resistant disease

Improved Irritative Voiding Symptoms 3 Years after Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Background: Irritative voiding symptoms are common in elderly men and following prostate radiotherapy. The impact of hypofractionated treatment on irritative voiding symptoms has not been determined. This study sought to evaluate urgency, frequency and nocturia following SBRT for prostate cancer. Methods: Patients treated with SBRT monotherapy for localized prostate cancer from August 2007 to July 2011 at Georgetown University Hospital were included in this study. Treatment was delivered using the CyberKnife® with doses of 35 Gy-36.25 Gy in 5 fractions. Patient-reported urinary symptoms were assessed using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) before treatment and at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 months post-treatment and every 6 months thereafter.Results: 204 patients at a median age of 69 years received SBRT with a median follow-up of 4.8 years. Prior to treatment, 50.0% of patients reported moderate to severe lower urinary track symptoms and 17.7% felt that urinary frequency was a moderate to big problem. The mean prostate volume was 39 cc and 8% had prior procedures for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). A mean baseline IPSS-irritative score of 4.8 significantly increased to 6.5 at 1 month (p 8) at baseline, the mean IPSS-I decreased from a baseline score of 6.8 to 4.9 at three years post-SBRT. This decrease was both statistically (p < 0.0001) and clinically significant (MID = 1.45). Only 14.6% of patients felt that urinary frequency was a moderate to big problem at three years post-SBRT (p = 0.23).Conclusions: Treatment of prostate cance

Interfacial Li⁺ Diffusion Booster Accelerated by Enhanced Metal‐Organic Framework Sieving and Wettability for High‐Voltage Solid‐State Lithium Metal Batteries

Solid-state lithium metal batteries (SSLMBs) are promising for realizing higher energy density. However, the poor interfacial Li+ transport kinetics and Li dendrite growth inhibit SSLMBs, leading to sluggish interfacial ion diffusion and depressive lifespan, which is attributed to high barriers blocked by anions or interface space in solid-state electrolytes. Herein, a flexible solid-state polymer skeleton employed with ionic liquid and metal-organic frameworks (PIM) electrolyte is proposed to strengthen interfacial Li ion exchange by improving the Li+ sieving effect and interfacial wettability. Thanks to the immobilization effect of TFSI− anions affected by positive metal atom centers and pore morphology, the PIM electrolyte exhibits exceptional properties, i.e., a high ionic conductivity up to 3.1 mS cm−1 at 60 °C and an improved Li+ transference number of 0.65, enabling symmetric cells of Li metal to run steadily for over 1000 h with lower voltage hysteresis (25 mV). Meanwhile, matching with high-voltage electrodes, the solid-state PIM electrolyte exhibits good compatibility and stability toward LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 and LiFePO4 electrodes, showing the capacity retentions of 85.5% and 96.5% after 120 and 400 cycles, respectively. This work suggests low interfacial diffusion resistances and high compatibility for make it a promising candidate for future solid-state battery

Using technology-based learning tool to train facial expression recognition and emotion understanding skills of Chinese pre-schoolers with autism spectrum disorder

Objectives: Given the pervasiveness of emotional and behavioral deficits of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), there is a pressing need for effective interventions to address their difficulties on Facial Expression Recognition and Emotion Understanding (FER/EU). Qunatiandi, a structured, app-based intervention program that is designed for Chinese children with ASD was utilized in this study. Three young children (two girls and one boy; age M = 4.94 years) completed an 8-week one-on-one intervention in a rehabilitation center setting. It was hypothesized that the three children would show greater progress in their FER/EU. Methods: In this study, a modified multiple probe across the program phases design was used; the dependent variable was the percentage of unprompted correct receptive identification responses for FER/EU tests during instruction and probes. Data were taken during baseline, the endpoint of instruction sessions, and a maintenance stage followed by intervention termination. Results: Findings of the study revealed that all participants demonstrated significant improvements in social acuity, gains were mostly achieved on emotion distinguishing and understanding (above 80% of accuracy). A similar scoring pattern was also found in the maintenance probe phase. Conclusion: The study is one of only a few early intervention projects to improve FER/EU skills for children with ASD using an app-based intervention. The results demonstrated that children with ASD can experience increases in emotion distinguishing and understanding skills. Maintenance probe results showed that the interventional effect can be maintained for a period of time after intervention

The landscape of miRNA-mRNA regulatory network and cellular sources in inflammatory bowel diseases: insights from text mining and single cell RNA sequencing analysis

BackgroundInflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBDs), encompassing Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn’s Disease (CD), are chronic, recurrent inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. The microRNA (miRNA) -mRNA regulatory network is pivotal in the initiation and progression of IBDs. Although individual studies provide valuable insights into miRNA mechanisms in IBDs, they often have limited scope due to constraints in population diversity, sample size, sequencing platform variability, batch effects, and potential researcher bias. Our study aimed to construct comprehensive miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks and determine the cellular sources and functions of key miRNAs in IBD pathogenesis.MethodsTo minimize potential bias from individual studies, we utilized a text mining-based approach on published scientific literature from PubMed and PMC databases to identify miRNAs and mRNAs associated with IBDs and their subtypes. We constructed miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks by integrating both predicted and experimentally validated results from DIANA, Targetscan, PicTar, Miranda, miRDB, and miRTarBase (all of which are databases for miRNA target annotation). The functions of miRNAs were determined through gene enrichment analysis of their target mRNAs. Additionally, we used two large-scale single-cell RNA sequencing datasets to identify the cellular sources of miRNAs and the association of their expression levels with clinical status, molecular and functional alternation in CD and UC.ResultsOur analysis systematically summarized IBD-related genes using text-mining methodologies. We constructed three comprehensive miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks specific to IBD, CD, and UC. Through cross-analysis with two large-scale scRNA-seq datasets, we determined the cellular sources of the identified miRNAs. Despite originating from different cell types, hsa-miR-142, hsa-miR-145, and hsa-miR-146a were common to both CD and UC. Notably, hsa-miR-145 was identified as myofibroblast-specific in both CD and UC. Furthermore, we found that higher tissue repair and enhanced glucose and lipid metabolism were associated with hsa-miR-145 in myofibroblasts in both CD and UC contexts.ConclusionThis comprehensive approach revealed common and distinct miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks in CD and UC, identified cell-specific miRNA expressions (notably hsa-miR-145 in myofibroblasts), and linked miRNA expression to functional alterations in IBD. These findings not only enhance our understanding of IBD pathogenesis but also offer promising diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for clinical practice in managing IBDs

Open Design and 3D Printing of Face Shields: The Case Study of a UK-China Initiative

At the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, many countries lacked personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect healthcare workers. To address this problem, open design and 3D printing technologies were adopted to provide much-in-need PPEs for key workers. This paper reports an initiative by designers and engineers in the UK and China. The case study approach and content analysis method were used to study the stakeholders, the design process, and other relevant issues such as regulation. Good practice and lessons were summarised, and suggestions for using distributed 3D printing to supply PPEs were made. It concludes that 3D printing has played an important role in producing PPEs when there was a shortage of supply, and distributed manufacturing has the potential to quickly respond to local small-bench production needs. In the future, clearer specification, better match of demands and supply, and quicker evaluation against relevant regulations will provide efficiency and quality assurance for 3D printed PPE supplies

Duplex recombinase aided amplification-lateral flow dipstick assay for rapid distinction of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium avium complex

ObjectivesThis study aims to develop a novel diagnostic approach using the recombinase aided amplification-lateral flow dipstick(RAA-LFD) assay for the distinction of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), enabling rapid and convenient as well as accurate identification of them in clinical samplesMethodsOur study established a duplex RAA-LFD assay capable of discriminating between MTB and MAC. Based on the principles of RAA primer and probe design, specific primers and probes were developed targeting the MTB IS6110 and the MAC DT1 separately. Optimization of reaction time points and temperatures was conducted, followed by an evaluation of specificity, sensitivity, and reproducibility. The established detection method was then applied to clinical samples and compared with smear microscopy, liquid culture, LAMP, and Xpert/MTB RIF in terms of diagnostic performanceResultsThe complete workflow allows for the effective amplification of the MTB IS6110 and MAC DT1 target sequences at constant 37°C within 20min, and the amplification products can be visually observed on the LFD test strip. This method exhibits high specificity, showing no cross-reactivity with nucleic acids from M. kansassi, M. abscessus, M. gordonae, M. chelonae, M. fortuitum, M. scrofulaceum, M. malmoense, M. chimaera, M. szulgai and common respiratory pathogens. It also demonstrates high sensitivity, with a detection limit as low as 102 CFU/mL. Additionally, the method’s Coefficient of Variation (CV) is less than 5%, ensuring excellent repeatability and reliability. Furthermore, clinical performance evaluations, using Xpert/MTB RIF as the gold standard, demonstrated that the duplex RAA-LFD assay achieves a sensitivity of 92.86% and a specificity of 93.75%. It is also noteworthy that the assay exhibits considerable diagnostic efficacy in smear-negative patientsConclusionsOur study introduces a rapid, specific, and sensitive duplex RAA-LFD assay for the discriminatory diagnosis of MTB and MAC. This method represents a significant advancement in the field of infectious disease diagnostics, offering a valuable tool for rapid detection and management of MTB and MAC infections. The implementation of this approach in point-of-care settings could greatly enhance TB control and prevention efforts, especially in resource-limited environments