Risk prediction model for postoperative pneumonia in esophageal cancer patients: A systematic review

BackgroundNumerous studies have developed or validated prediction models to estimate the likelihood of postoperative pneumonia (POP) in esophageal cancer (EC) patients. The quality of these models and the evaluation of their applicability to clinical practice and future research remains unknown. This study systematically evaluated the risk of bias and applicability of risk prediction models for developing POP in patients undergoing esophageal cancer surgery.MethodsPubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), WanFang Database and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database were searched from inception to March 12, 2024. Two investigators independently screened the literature and extracted data. The Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool (PROBAST) checklist was employed to evaluate both the risk of bias and applicability.ResultA total of 14 studies involving 23 models were included. These studies were mainly published between 2014 and 2023. The applicability of all studies was good. However, all studies exhibited a high risk of bias, primarily attributed to inappropriate data sources, insufficient sample size, irrational treatment of variables and missing data, and lack of model validation. The incidence of POP in patients undergoing esophageal cancer surgery ranged from 14.60% to 39.26%. The most frequently used predictors were smoking, age, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD), diabetes mellitus, and methods of thoracotomy. Inter-model discrimination ranged from 0.627 to 0.850, sensitivity ranged between 60.7% and 84.0%, and specificity ranged from 59.1% to 83.9%.ConclusionIn all included studies, good discrimination was reported for risk prediction models for POP in patients undergoing esophageal cancer surgery, indicating stable model performance. However, according to the PROBAST checklist, all studies had a high risk of bias. Future studies should use the predictive model assessment tool to improve study design and develop new models with larger samples and multicenter external validation.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero, identifier CRD42024527085

Proteomics Analysis of the Spinal Dorsal Horn in Diabetic Painful Neuropathy Rats With Electroacupuncture Treatment

BackgroundClinical evidence demonstrates that electro-acupuncture (EA) of the Zu sanli (ST36) and Shen shu (BL23) acupoints is effective in relieving diabetic painful neuropathy (DPN); however, the underlying molecular mechanism requires further investigation, including the protein molecules associated with EA’s effects on DPN.MethodsSprague-Dawley adult male rats (n =36) were randomly assigned into control, DPN, and EA groups (n=12 each). After four weeks of EA treatment, response to mechanical pain and fasting blood glucose were analyzed. A tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling approach coupled with liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry was used to identify potential biomarkers in the spinal dorsal horn. Further, proteomics analysis was used to quantify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), and gene ontology, KEGG pathways, cluster, and string protein network interaction analyses conducted to explore the main protein targets of EA.ResultsCompared with the DPN model group, the mechanical pain threshold was significantly increased, while the fasting blood glucose levels were clearly decreased in EA group rats. Proteomics analysis was used to quantify 5393 proteins, and DEPs were chosen for further analyses, based on a threshold of 1.2-fold difference in expression level (P < 0.05) compared with control groups. Relative to the control group, 169 down-regulated and 474 up-regulated proteins were identified in the DPN group, while 107 and 328 proteins were up- and down-regulated in the EA treatment group compared with the DPN group. Bioinformatics analysis suggested that levels of proteins involved in oxidative stress injury regulation were dramatically altered during the EA effects on DPN.ConclusionsOur results provide the valuable protein biomarkers, which facilitates unique mechanistic insights into the DPN pathogenesis and EA analgesic, antioxidant stress and hypoglycemic effect

A new species of forest hedgehog (Mesechinus, Erinaceidae, Eulipotyphla, Mammalia) from eastern China

The hedgehog genus Mesechinus (Erinaceidae, Eulipotyphla) is currently comprised of four species, M. dauuricus, M. hughi, M. miodon, and M. wangi. Except for M. wangi, which is found in southwestern China, the other three species are mainly distributed in northern China and adjacent Mongolia and Russia. From 2018 to 2023, we collected seven Mesechinus specimens from Anhui and Zhejiang provinces, eastern China. Here, we evaluate the taxonomic and phylogenetic status of these specimens by integrating molecular, morphometric, and karyotypic approaches. Our results indicate that the Anhui and Zhejiang specimens are distinct from the four previously recognized species and are a new species. We formally described it here as Mesechinus orientalis sp. nov. It is the only Mesechinus species occurring in eastern China and is geographically distant from all known congeners. Morphologically, the new species is most similar to M. hughi, but it is distinguishable from that species by the combination of its smaller size, shorter spines, and several cranial characteristics. Mesechinus orientalis sp. nov. is a sister to the lineage composed of M. hughi and M. wangi from which it diverged approximately 1.10 Ma

Implicit and explicit anti-fat bias among Asian females

Obesity is not only associated with an increased risk of numerous health problems, but also with high rates of stigmatization and weight-related bias. Anti-fat attitudes have been shown to be prevalent in Western samples; however, there is a lack of studies investigating both implicit and explicit anti-fat bias in Asian populations. There is also limited research investigating the relationship between anti-fat attitudes and weight-related behavioral intentions. Thus, this study aimed to examine anti-fat bias and its effect on behavioral intentions using three types of measures—implicit, explicit, and a revised behavioral intention measure—in a sample of 104 Asian females in Singapore. Significant differences were found between implicit and explicit bias: on average, participants exhibited strong implicit but no explicit anti-fat bias (p < 0.001). Furthermore, only implicit anti-fat bias was found to be a significant predictor of behavioral intentions (p < 0.05), after accounting for body mass index, and sociodemographic variables. In conclusion, the present study revealed that implicit anti-fat bias is present among Asian females and is a valid predictor of weight-related behavioral intentions. However, anti-fat bias is often not expressed explicitly, possibly influenced by collectivistic beliefs. More studies are needed to better understand similarities and differences between Asian and Western populations regarding attitudes toward overweight and obese individuals

Preparation and absorbing properties of Fe/Fe3C/Fe3O4@C magnetic microspheres

Thinness, lightness, width, strength are people's pursuit of efficient electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption materials. Fe/Fe3C/Fe3O4@C magnetic microspheres were prepared by high temperature calcination of food-grade ferric citrate and source through hydrothermal reaction. By changing the molar ratio of ferric citrate and sucrose, the influence of the content of ferric citrate on the EMW absorption performance of the composite was investigated, and the electromagnetic parameters were effectively controlled to optimize impedance matching. The experimental results show that when the molar ratio of iron citrate and sucrose is 5:3, it has better EMW absorption performance: when the thickness is 2.5 mm, the minimum reflection loss (RL) is -50.17 dB, and the effective absorption band width less than -10 dB is 3.52 GHz. The excellent EMW performance is mainly due to the synergistic effect of the rich interface, porous structure and magnetic properties of Fe/Fe3C/Fe3O4

Research on New Whitening and Water-Saving Technology Based on Industrial Equipment

Energy conservation and consumption reduction have always been the goals pursued by the power industry. Based on these goals, this study explored a new type of whitening and water-saving technology for industrial equipment. Unlike existing direct heating and condensation heating technologies, the main innovation of this work lies in not changing the saturated wet flue gas before it is discharged into the atmospheric environment. A series of experiments were conducted on electrode plates with different wind speeds, supersaturation levels, and porosities using three principles, namely droplet electrostatic adsorption, ionic-wind-enhanced condensation, and droplet dipole deflection, through the construction of a parameter-adjustable and -controllable enthalpy and humidity chamber and a pilot development platform with a wind volume of 10,000 m3/h. In addition, the collection efficiency was calculated using thermodynamic laws. The results showed that, under the working conditions of white mist supersaturation of 5.77 g/kg, a hole opening rate of 70%, and a wind speed of 3 m/s, the water collection efficiency was the highest—close to 60%—verifying the feasibility of this technology. This technology not only eliminates white smoke but also saves water resources and has certain economic benefits, providing support for the development of industrial equipment for smoke removal in the future

Cascade engineering of bagasse into activated porous carbon for wide-pH-range aqueous mercury removal

Summary: Low hierarchy and disruptive functionality of carbonaceous materials from biomass pyrolysis restrict their energy and environmental applications. Here, we report a cascade strategy to engineer bagasse into activated porous carbon with regulated morphology and functional groups. The initial pyrolysis of bagasse at 350°C –850°C facilitates curve sheet morphology and random meso-/micro-porosity. The subsequent alkali calcination leads to a micropore and comb-like structure with specific surface area and pore volume of 1,276.7 m2/g and 579.5 × 10−3 cm3/g, respectively. The last acid rinse removes the remaining –OH and –COO groups on the biochar surface. As a result, activated porous carbon processed at 450°C and activated with KOH/HCl exhibits the highest adsorption capacity of 103.4 mg/g at a rapid equilibrium rate fitted with Freundlich adsorption isotherm and facilitates steady mercury removal under pH 3–11. This study provides an effective approach to engineering agricultural waste into superior adsorbents for wastewater remediation. Science for society: Mercury contamination is a significant public health and environmental problem. Cost-effective and high-performance remediation methods have gained attention in both academic and industrial fields. Agricultural waste is an attractive resource as it provides rich carbon components with a modifiable structure to manufacture commercial adsorbents, namely, activated carbon. We present an approach that overcomes the existing issues in the complex structure and composition of activated carbon from waste heating. Highly orderly and regulated biochar fabricated from bagasse—sugarcane pulp—can be used for effective mercury adsorption under different conditions. This approach may facilitate the remediation of mercury-containing wastewater in a sustainable manner

Thermogravimetric analysis of co-pyrolysis of coal and waste and used tires

Waste tires can be used as a substitute for coal due to the high calorific value. In this study, the co-pyrolysis characteristics of the waste tires (truck tires, liners and nylon tires), pulverized coal and their blends are studied using thermogravimetric analyzer. The pyrolysis of truck tires, liners and coal is characterized by a three stages reaction while the pyrolysis of nylon tires and their blends are four stages. The pyrolysis characteristics of the blends can be expressed by the superposition of the pyrolysis characteristics of the one-component material, indicating the slight interaction of the co-pyrolysis between the waste tire and the coal. The co-pyrolysis kinetics of waste tires, coal and their blends are also investigated. For the blends of coal with truck tires and liners, the increased content of coal reduces the activation energy in the 2nd stage and leads to an increase and then a decrease in the 3rd stage. Different from the former, the activation energy increases with the increase of tire powder in both the 2nd and 3rd stages in the blends of coal and nylon tires. This is attributed to the fact that the nylon tires contain more synthetic rubber than truck tires and liners