The prevalence and awareness of sleep apnea in patients suffering chronic pain: an assessment using the STOP-Bang sleep apnea questionnaire.

Purpose: Some patient subsets are at higher risk of sleep apnea, including patients with chronic pain. However, it is unclear whether patients and their caregivers are aware of the possibly increased risk of sleep apnea in this population. Chronic pain is often treated with opioids which may decrease both the central respiratory drive and the patency of the upper airway, potentially contributing to this sleep disorder. Using a self-reporting questionnaire approach in the chronic pain population, this study surveyed patient and caregiver awareness surrounding the risk of sleep apnea. In addition, we looked at the influence of opioid therapy on the prevalence of sleep apnea. Participants and methods: Consecutive patients presenting to a pain clinic were invited to participate anonymously in a survey that included the STOP-Bang sleep apnea questionnaire, which assesses patients\u27 knowledge, testing, diagnosis, or treatment of sleep apnea and whether their caregivers had discussed with them their increased risk of sleep apnea and opioid use. Results: Among 305 participating patients, 58.2% (n=173) screened positive for sleep apnea. Among the 202 patients on opioid therapy, 59.2% (116/202) were STOP-Bang positive (score ≥3). However, only 37.5% (n=72/173) of these patients had discussed their risk of sleep apnea with a caregiver and only 30.7% (n=59) underwent testing. Against expectation, opioids did not increase the prevalence of sleep apnea in our study population. Conclusion: Chronic pain patients had a high risk of sleep apnea, regardless of opioid prescription. Most patients were unaware of their increased risk and denied undergoing the necessary testing. Greater attention to screening, testing, and education for sleep apnea needs to be paid in chronic pain patients, especially given the potentially dangerous ramifications of opioid-induced sleep apnea

Sensitive Colorimetric Hg2+ Detection via Amalgamation-Mediated Shape Transition of Gold Nanostars

Reliable and sensitive methods to monitor mercury levels in real samples are highly important for environment protection and human health. Herein, a label-free colorimetric sensor for Hg2+ quantitation using gold nanostar (GNS) has been demonstrated, based on the formation of Au-Hg amalgamate that leads to shape-evolution of the GNS and changes in its absorbance. Addition of ascorbic acid (AA) to GNS solution is important for quantitation of Hg2+, mainly because it can reduce Hg2+ to Hg to enhance amalgamation on the GNSs and stabilize GNSs. In addition to transmission electron microscopy images, the distribution of circular ratios of GNSs in the presence of 2 mM AA and various concentrations of Hg2+ are used to show the morphology changes of the GNSs. Upon increasing the concentration of Hg2+, the average circular ratio of GNSs decreases, proving GNS is approaching to sphere. The morphology change alters the longitudinal localized surface plasmonic resonance (LSPR) absorbance of the GNSs significantly. Under the optimum conditions, our sensor exhibits a dynamic response for Hg2+ in the range of 1–4,000 nM with a detection limit of 0.24 nM. Upon Increasing Hg2+ concentration, the solution color changes from greenish-blue, purple to red, which can be distinguished by the naked eye when the Hg2+ concentration is higher than 250 nM. Owing to having a high surface-to-volume ratio and affinity toward Hg0, the GNS is sensitive and selective (at least 50-fold over tested metal ions like Pb2+) toward Hg2+ in the presence of AA. Practicality of this assay has been validated by the analysis of water samples without conducting tedious sample pretreatment

Effect of Volatile Compounds from Bacillus subtilis PW2 against Aspergillus ochraceus

The composition of antifungal volatile compounds (VC) produced by Bacillus subtilis PW2 was identified by solid phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Then, the identified single components were selected to determine their inhibitory effect against Aspergillus ochraceus by plate buckling method, and the effect and mechanism of the most active VC on the growth and toxicity of A. ochraceu. The results showed that 41 components including esters, aldehydes, alkanes, alcohols, ketones, acids and olefins were identified in the VC produced by PW2. Among these compounds, 2-ethyl hexanol (2-EH) had the strongest inhibitory activity against A. ochraceus. Direct contact with 2-EH at a dose of 1 562.5 μL/L completely inhibited the growth of A. ochraceus and reduced the content of ochratoxin A (OTA) by 23.67%. 2-EH vapor at doses of 112 and 281 μL/L completely inhibited and killed A. ochraceus, respectively. The spores of A. ochraceus treated with 2-EH appeared wrinkled, sunken and shriveled, and the integrity of the cell membrane was destroyed. Furthermore, the mycelial ergosterol content decreased by 42.68%–65.40%, and nucleic acid and protein leaked out of the cells after this treatment. This study shows that 2-EH can inhibit and kill A. ochraceus by destroying its cell membrane, which provides a theoretical basis for the application of 2-EH in the prevention of food mildew

Starch-based food matrices containing protein : recent understanding of morphology, structure, and properties

Starches and proteins are two major types of biopolymer components, especially in many flour (starch)-based foods consumed worldwide, which provide energy and nutrition needed by the human body. In many such starch-based matrices (the main structural component of such foods), proteins and their interactions with starches greatly influence the matrix structure and properties. Studying the different roles played by proteins (endogenous and exogenous) in various starch-based food systems can provide a frame of reference for the design and production of improved starch-based food products with tailored properties and desirable nutritional functions. Scope and approach Significant efforts have recently been made to tailor the morphology, structure, and properties of many starch-based food systems, and thus to design various starch-based food products with satisfactory attributes. This review surveys the latest literature on starch-based matrices containing proteins. Discussed are the influences of proteins and their interactions with starches on the morphologies and structures (e.g. short- and long-range orders) of starch-based matrices, as well as on their pasting, thermal, rheological, textural, sensory, and digestive properties. Also, current understandings of structure–property links are presented, along with their implications on the production of various starchy foods (e.g. pastas, breads, cakes, and biscuits), including gluten-free versions. Key findings and conclusions Proteins in many starchy food matrices can encapsulate the starch phase (or be adsorbed on its surfaces) on a micron scale, and thereby interact with starch chains via both non-covalent (e.g. hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic, and electrostatic) and covalent bonds (e.g. via Maillard reactions). These facts and protein features (e.g. hydration and gelation abilities) can play major roles in inhibiting starch retrogradation (the reassembly of cooked starch chains into ordered structures) and in regulating various other properties of such starch-based matrices, including viscosity, transition temperatures, moduli, hardness, sensory, digestibility, and shelf-life. Despite the fact that the current literature presents considerable information on the structure–property relationships of many different starch-based matrices and their applications in the processing of various starchy foods (e.g. pastas, noodles, and biscuits), it is still highly necessary to define more comprehensive correlations among starch–protein interactions, starch-protein matrix structures, and the resulting properties of such food products

Influence of crosslinker amount on the microstructure and properties of starch-based superabsorbent polymers by one-step preparation at high starch concentration

This work concerns how crosslinker amount (N, N′-methylene-bisacrylamide) affects the microstructural, absorbent and rheological features of one-step prepared starch-based superabsorbent polymers at a high starch concentration (0.27:1 w/w starch-water). The increased crosslinker amount evidently altered the microstructure and the absorbent and rheological features. Then, the variations in starch-based superabsorbent polymer properties were discussed from a microstructure viewpoint. Particularly, the higher crosslinker quantity rose the crosslinking density and the ratio (GR) of grafted anhydroglucose unit on starch backbone (from 27% to 52%), but short the average polyacrylamide (PAM) chain length (LPAM). These structural features suppressed the chain stretch within starch-based superabsorbent polymer fractal gels (confirmed by smaller Rg value) and promoted the formation of smaller chain networks, thus weakening the water absorption to the starch-based superabsorbent polymer chain networks. Also, the increased GR and reduced LPAM, with lowered chain extension and elevated crosslinking density, probably decreased the flexibility and mobility of chain segments in starch-based superabsorbent polymer gel matrixes. This caused the enhanced robustness and storage modulus of the gels with reduced chain energy dissipation ability

Enhanced response of soil respiration to experimental warming upon thermokarst formation

As global temperatures continue to rise, a key uncertainty of terrestrial carbon (C)–climate feedback is the rate of C loss upon abrupt permafrost thaw. This type of thawing—termed thermokarst—may in turn accelerate or dampen the response of microbial degradation of soil organic matter and carbon dioxide (CO2) release to climate warming. However, such impacts have not yet been explored in experimental studies. Here, by experimentally warming three thermo-erosion gullies in an upland thermokarst site combined with incubating soils from five additional thermokarst-impacted sites on the Tibetan Plateau, we investigate how warming responses of soil CO2 release would change upon upland thermokarst formation. Our results show that warming-induced increase in soil CO2 release is ~5.5 times higher in thermokarst features than the adjacent non-thermokarst landforms. This larger warming response is associated with the lower substrate quality and higher abundance of microbial functional genes for recalcitrant C degradation in thermokarst-affected soils. Taken together, our study provides experimental evidence that warming-associated soil CO2 loss becomes stronger upon abrupt permafrost thaw, which could exacerbate the positive soil C–climate feedback in permafrost-affected regions

Influence of amphiphilic structures on the stability of polyphenols with different hydrophobicity

Autooxidation of five polyphenols representing range of different hydrophobicities (catechin gallate (CG), (-) catechin((-)C), epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and epigallocatechin (EGC)) in three different aqueous solutions: molecular solution, micellar solution (Tween-20) and liposomal dispersion (soybean lecithin) was monitored by HPLC. The rate of oxidation of the five polyphenols was higher at pH 4.5 than at pH 3.5. Compared with the control, addition of Tween-20 (micellar structure) and lecithin (liposomal structure) significantly decreased the degradation of polyphenols. In the presence of lecithin the autooxidation of all the five polyphenols was slower than in the presence of Tween-20. The effective protection of the colloidal structures was compared with the hydrophobicity of the polyphenols estimated from the partitioning between octanol and water. The protection from oxidation in the presence of the colloidal structures (micellar or liposomal) increased with increasing partitioning of a polyphenol towards the hydrophobic environment. The protecting effect of the colloidal structures was more effective at pH 4.5 than at pH 3.5

The Impact of Car-Sharing on the Willingness to Postpone a Car Purchase: A Case Study in Hangzhou, China

This paper aims to explore the potential of car-sharing in reducing car ownership and what are the impact factors. Based on the data of Hangzhou “Fun Car-sharing” system, a discrete choice model was established to study the willingness to postpone car purchase with participation in car-sharing. Compared with previous studies, this study included the variables involved in the questionnaire and those related to the usage characteristics extracted from rental data and GPS data. The questionnaire data indicate that about 50% of respondents will postpone car purchase by participating in car-sharing. The discrete choice model indicates that car-sharing in China can play a role in delaying car purchase. The results further suggest that respondents who use car-sharing more frequently, travel to work by car, or have an activity anchor in their trip are more likely to postpone car purchase. Moreover, respondents whose most common travel purpose of car-sharing is work-related or car purchase plan is definite are less likely to postpone car purchase after participating in car-sharing. The insights gained in this study can help cities and car-sharing operators to formulate relevant policies and regulation that optimally integrate car-sharing services into the overall urban transport systems

Exogenous Bioactive Peptides Have a Potential Therapeutic Role in Delaying Aging in Rodent Models

In recent years, some exogenous bioactive peptides have been shown to have promising anti-aging effects. These exogenous peptides may have a mechanism similar to endogenous peptides, and some can even regulate the release of endogenous active peptides and play a synergistic role with endogenous active peptides. Most aging studies use rodents that are easy to maintain in the laboratory and have relatively homogenous genotypes. Moreover, many of the anti-aging studies using bioactive peptides in rodent models only focus on the activity of single endogenous or exogenous active peptides, while the regulatory effects of exogenous active peptides on endogenous active peptides remain largely under-investigated. Furthermore, the anti-aging activity studies only focus on the effects of these bioactive peptides in individual organs or systems. However, the pathological changes of one organ can usually lead to multi-organ complications. Some anti-aging bioactive peptides could be used for rescuing the multi-organ damage associated with aging. In this paper, we review recent reports on the anti-aging effects of bioactive peptides in rodents and summarize the mechanism of action for these peptides, as well as discuss the regulation of exogenous active peptides on endogenous active peptides

Design and implementation of user task offloading algorithm

After the service provider temporarily selects the required edge nodes based on social and storage capabilities, application execution causes the edge nodes to cache part of the application data. Therefore, offloading part of the application computing tasks to the selected edge nodes can effectively improve application execution performance. However, in cases where the resources of user’s IoT devices are insufficient, tasks can be further offloaded to traditional edge servers or even to the cloud to maximize application execution efficiency. In this paper, the entire uninstall utility is modeled as a weighted sum of task completion time and energy consumption. Under the premise of considering users’ preferences for completion time and energy consumption, a game-based uninstallation algorithm is proposed. The algorithm performs uninstallation by optimizing the uninstallation decision. Based on user preferences, the total system overhead is relatively small. The subsequent simulation experiments show that the algorithm can reduce system overhead on the basis of satisfying user preferences and has relatively good adaptability