The improvement of right ventricular function after adenotonsillectomy in children with obstructive sleep apnea

Purpose Adenotonsillar hypertrophy (ATH) that causes upper airway obstruction might lead to chronic hypoxemic pulmonary vasoconstriction and right ventricular (RV) dysfunction. We aimed to evaluate whether adenotonsillectomy (T&A) in children suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) due to severe ATH could improve RV function. Methods Thirty-seven children (boy:girl=21:16; mean age, 9.52±2.20 years), who underwent T&A forsleep apnea due to ATH, were included. We analyzedthe mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP), the presence and the maximal velocity of tricuspid regurgitation (TR), the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), and the right ventricular myocardial performance index (RVMPI) with tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) by transthoracic echocardiography pre- and post-T&A. The follow-up period was 1.78±0.27 years. Results Only the RVMPI using TDE improved after T&A (42.18±2.03 vs. 40±1.86, P=0.001). The absolute value of TAPSE increased (21.45±0.90 mm vs. 22.30±1.10 mm, P=0.001) but there was no change in the z score of TAPSE pre- and post-T&A (1.19±0.34 vs. 1.24±0.30, P=0.194). The mPAP was within normal range in children with ATH, and there was no significant difference between pre- and post-T&A (19.6±3.40 vs. 18.7±2.68, P=0.052). There was no difference in the presence and the maximal velocity of TR (P=0.058). Conclusion RVMPI using TDE could be an early parameter of RV function in children with OSA due to ATH

High colloidal stability ZnO nanoparticles independent on solvent polarity and their application in polymer solar cells

Significant aggregation between ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) dispersed in polar and nonpolar solvents hinders the formation of high quality thin film for the device application and impedes their excellent electron transporting ability. Herein a bifunctional coordination complex, titanium diisopropoxide bis(acetylacetonate) (Ti(acac)2) is employed as efficient stabilizer to improve colloidal stability of ZnO NPs. Acetylacetonate functionalized ZnO exhibited long-term stability and maintained its superior optical and electrical properties for months aging under ambient atmospheric condition. The functionalized ZnO NPs were then incorporated into polymer solar cells with conventional structure as n-type buffer layer. The devices exhibited nearly identical power conversion efficiency regardless of the use of fresh and old (2 months aged) NPs. Our approach provides a simple and efficient route to boost colloidal stability of ZnO NPs in both polar and nonpolar solvents, which could enable structure-independent intense studies for efficient organic and hybrid optoelectronic devices

Au–Ag assembled on silica nanoprobes for visual semiquantitative detection of prostate-specific antigen

Background Blood prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels are widely used as diagnostic biomarkers for prostate cancer. Lateral-flow immunoassay (LFIA)-based PSA detection can overcome the limitations associated with other methods. LFIAbased PSA detection in clinical samples enables prognosis and early diagnosis owing to the use of high-performance signal reporters. Results Here, a semiquantitative LFIA platform for PSA detection in blood was developed using Au–Ag nanoparticles (NPs) assembled on silica NPs (SiO2@Au–Ag NPs) that served as signal reporters. Synthesized SiO2@Au–Ag NPs exhibited a high absorbance at a wide wavelength range (400–800 nm), with a high scattering on nitrocellulose membrane test strips. In LFIA, the color intensity of the test line on the test strip differed depending on the PSA concentration (0.30–10.00 ng/mL), and bands for the test line on the test strip could be used as a standard. When clinical samples were assessed using this LFIA, a visual test line with particular color intensity observed on the test strip enabled the early diagnosis and prognosis of patients with prostate cancer based on PSA detection. In addition, the relative standard deviation of reproducibility was 1.41%, indicating high reproducibility, and the signal reporter showed good stability for 10 days. Conclusion These characteristics of the signal reporter demonstrated the reliability of the LFIA platform for PSA detection, suggesting potential applications in clinical sample analysis.This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. NRF2020R1F1A1072702). This study was also supported by the WTU Joint Research Grant of Konkuk University in 2017 (2017-A019-0334)

Symptomatic diverticulosis is characterized by loose stools

Background & Aims: Symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease is considered to be a discreet clinical entity distinct from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but population-based data are unavailable. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and location of diverticulosis in the general population, and its association with colonic symptoms and mental health. We propose that individuals with diverticulosis would report more constipation and IBS. Methods: We performed a population-based study of randomly selected adults born in Sweden (age, 18–70 y; 57.2% women); 745 received a gastroenterology consultation, completed validated abdominal symptom and mental health questionnaires, and were examined by colonoscopy. Logistic regression was used to calculate the associations between diverticulosis and age, sex, gastrointestinal symptoms, anxiety, depression, and self-rated health. Results: Among the 742 participants (54.6% women), 130 (17.5%) had diverticulosis. Age was the strongest predictor of diverticulosis (<i>P</i> < .001), and diverticulosis was rare in participants younger than 40 years (0.7%). All participants with diverticulosis had sigmoid involvement. Participants with diverticulosis were more likely to report loose stools (odds ratio [OR], 1.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20–2.96), urgency (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.02–2.63), passing mucus (OR, 2.26; 95% CI, 1.08–4.72), and a high stool frequency (OR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.11–3.65). Diverticulosis was associated with abdominal pain (OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.01–4.36; <i>P</i> = .047) and diarrhea-predominant IBS (OR, 9.55; 95% CI, 1.08–84.08; <i>P</i> = .04) in participants older than 60 years. The presence of anxiety and depression and self-rated health were similar in participants with and without diverticulosis. Conclusions: The prevalence of diverticulosis is age-dependent. Diverticulosis is associated with diarrhea in subjects across all age ranges. In subjects older than age 60, diverticulosis is associated with abdominal pain and diarrhea-predominant IBS