Clinical relevance of miR-423-5p levels in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients

Objective: This study aimed to examine changes in miRNAs expression profile of COPD patients. Methods: Thirty-six COPD patients as well as thirty-three healthy volunteers were recruited. Total RNAs were collected from the plasma of each participant. The differentially expressed miRNAs in COPD were screened from the GEO database. RT-qPCR was carried out to detect miRNA expression. Results: In total, 9 out of 55 miRNAs were expressed differentially in COPD patients. Confirmed by RT-qPCR validation, 6 miRNAs increased while 3 miRNAs decreased. Further analysis of miR-423-5p, which has not been reported in COPD, showed that AUC for the diagnosis of COPD was 0.9651, and miR-423-5p levels was inversely correlated with the duration of smoking. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that miR-423-5p is a potential marker for identifying COPD patients

Molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor based on electrode modified by functionalized carbon nanotube for selective detection of uric acid

1151-1158In this study, we have developed a novel biomimetic electrochemical sensor sensitized with functionalized carbon nanotubes using a molecularly imprinted film as a recognition element for the rapid detection of uric acid. Using K3[Fe(CN)6] as a probe, uric acid imprinted films on electrodes are characterized by voltammetry measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The optimizations of experimental steps are conducted by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. When the imprinted sensor is immersed in the solution containing a certain concentration of uric acid and incubated for a period of time, the oxidation peak current of K3[Fe(CN)6] decreases with the increase of uric acid concentration. Under optimal conditions, the peak current of K3[Fe(CN)6] has a good linear relationship with uric acid concentration at range from 0.1 μM to 3.3 μM with the detection limit of 0.03 μM. The proposed sensor shows high selectivity for rapid detection of uric acid in human serum samples

Patterns and Determinants of Antibiotic Use Behaviors among Rural Community Residents in Eastern China

Inappropriate antibiotic use may lead to antibiotic resistance, which has become a serious global crisis. Addressing suboptimal antibiotic use in the general population can play a significant role in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. This study aims to describe antibiotic use and sources of acquisition, and to identify factors influencing antibiotic access among rural community residents in Eastern China. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from July to August 2020, and 1494 participants from two villages in Eastern China were enrolled. Information was obtained using face-to-face interviews with a structured electronic questionnaire. Chi-squared and multinominal logistic regression analysis were used to explore possible determinants. In total, 1379 participants were eligible for the analysis. In the past 12 months, nearly half the respondents had taken any antibiotic (48.4%), and this proportion varied across marital status and age group. Two thirds of them (59.9%) obtained antibiotics from medical facilities with a prescription when they last took antibiotics, while 17.7% and 22.4% chose retail pharmacies and other sources, respectively. Multinominal analysis found that a higher proportion obtained antibiotics outside medical facilities among those aged 15 to 44 years, unmarried, non-white collar workers, with more years of education, lower annual household income per capita and lower levels of antibiotic knowledge. The antibiotic use behavior of rural community residents in Eastern China remains suboptimal. Antibiotic use and access behaviors need to be further addressed. Effective antibiotic stewardship in non-medical facility sources and training programs targeted for rural Chinese is warranted in future

Real Time Ultrasound-Guided Thoracic Epidural Catheterization with Patients in the Lateral Decubitus Position without Flexion of Knees and Neck: A Preliminary Investigation

Objectives: For some patients, such as pregnant women, it can be difficult to maintain the ideal “forehead to knees” position for several minutes for epidural catheter placement. We conducted this study to investigate the feasibility of real-time ultrasound-guided (US) epidural catheterization under a comfortable lateral position without flexion of knees and neck. Materials and Methods: 60 patients aged 18-80 years with a body mass index of 18-30 kg/m2 after general surgery were included. In a comfortable left lateral position, thoracic epidural catheterization was performed under real-time US for postoperative analgesia. The visibility of the neuraxial structures, procedural time from needle insertion to loss of resistance in the epidural space, the number of needle redirections, success rate of epidural catheter placement and postoperative analgesic effect were recorded. Results: In the paramedian oblique sagittal view, the well visible of vertebral lamina, intervertebral space and posterior complex under ultrasound were as high as 93.33%, 81.67% and 70.00%, respectively. The success rate of thoracic epidural catheterization was as high as 91.67%, and the satisfactory postoperative analgesic effect was 98.2% for patients without nausea, pruritus and other discomfort. Discussion: Thoracic epidural catheterization with patients in the lateral position without flexion of knees and neck under real time ultrasound guidance has a high success rate and strong feasibility. This visual manipulation makes epidural catheterization not only “easier” to perform, but also reduces the requirements of the procedure

Research on modelling and simulation of a new variable displacement oil pump

A new variable displacement oil pump has been modelled and simulated by using AMESim. Through the comparison and analysis of the simulation curve and the test data of this pump, it is found that the volume efficiency of it is unsatisfactory when the rotational speed is too high. The mechanical structure model of the pump was established by using ADAMS to confirm that the cause of the problem is redundant force on the variable device. On this basis, the redundant force acting on the variable device is theoretically deduced to prepare for the improvement of the pump

Constructing Biopolymer-Inorganic Nanocomposite through a Biomimetic Mineralization Process for Enzyme Immobilization

Inspired by biosilicification, biomimetic polymer-silica nanocomposite has aroused a lot of interest from the viewpoints of both scientific research and technological applications. In this study, a novel dual functional polymer, NH2-Alginate, is synthesized through an oxidation-amination-reduction process. The “catalysis function” ensures the as-prepared NH2-Alginate inducing biomimetic mineralization of silica from low concentration precursor (Na2SiO3), and the “template function” cause microscopic phase separation in aqueous solution. The diameter of resultant NH2-Alginate micelles in aqueous solution distributed from 100 nm to 1.5 μm, and is influenced by the synthetic process of NH2-Alginate. The size and morphology of obtained NH2-Alginate/silica nanocomposite are correlated with the micelles. NH2-Alginate/silica nanocomposite was subsequently utilized to immobilize β-Glucuronidase (GUS). The harsh condition tolerance and long-term storage stability of the immobilized GUS are notably improved due to the buffering effect of NH2-Alginate and cage effect of silica matrix

Improvement of Electroacupuncture on APP/PS1 Transgenic Mice in Spatial Learning and Memory Probably due to Expression of Aβ and LRP1 in Hippocampus

Objectives. To explore the alterations of β-amyloid (Aβ) and low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-1 (LRP1) in APP/PS1 mice after electroacupuncture (EA) treatment and further to explore the mechanism. Methods. Forty 6-month-old APP/PS1 mice were randomly divided into a model group and an EA group, with twenty wild-type mice used as a normal control group. Mice in the EA group were treated with EA at GV 20 (băi huì) and bilateral KI 1 (yŏng quán) acupoints for 6 weeks. The Morris water maze was applied to assess the spatial memory in behavior. Immunohistochemistry (IHC), ELISA, Western blotting, and so forth were used to observe the expression of LRP1 and Aβ. Results. The Morris water maze test showed that, compared with the normal control group, the model group’s learning and memory capabilities were significantly decreased (P<0.05; P<0.01). The EA group was reversed (P<0.05; P<0.01). The hippocampal expression of Aβ in the EA group was significantly decreased compared to the model group (P<0.01). The expression of LRP1 in the model group was significantly lower than that in the normal control group (P<0.01); the expression in the EA group was significantly higher than that in the model group (P<0.01). Conclusions. EA therapy can improve the learning and memory capabilities of APP/PS1 mice. The underlying mechanism may lie in the upregulation of an Aβ transport receptor and LRP1

Graphdiyne Quantum Dots for Much Improved Stability and Efficiency of Perovskite Solar Cells

Comparing to other carbon materials, the general graphyne structure is much superior in terms of adaptable bandgap, uniformly distributed pores, more design flexibility, easier for chemical synthesis, pliable electronic properties, and smaller atomic density. Herein, novel -graphdiyne quantum dots (GD QDs) are used in perovskite solar cells as a surface modifier or dopant to TiO2, CH3NH3PbI3, and Spiro-OMeTAD to realize multiple advantageous effects, in hoping that it would form a more effective carrier transport channel for boosted solar cell performance. First, the presence of GD QDs on TiO2 surface increases perovskite grain size for higher current density and fill factor. Second, the GD QDs at each interface reduce the conduction band offset, passivate the surface for suppressed carrier recombination to attain higher open-circuit voltage. Third, it improves hydrophobicity and eliminates pinholes in the Spiro-OMeTAD film for enhanced solar cell stability. As a result, the optimized device shows &gt;15% enhancement in power conversion efficiency (from 17.17 to 19.89%) comparing to the reference device. More significantly, the device stability was improved in harsh environment (moist air, UV irradiation, or thermal conditions). It is expected that GD QDs will find their applications in efficient and stable perovskite solar cells and optoelectronic devices

Associations of Dietary Patterns and Risk of Hypertension in Southwest China: A Prospective Cohort Study

Empirical data on the association between diet and incident hypertension in Southwest China is lacking. We examined the associations between various dietary patterns and the risk of incident hypertension in this prospective population cohort of Southwest China. A total of 5442 eligible adults were included from Guizhou Province, China, since 2010. Dietary information was obtained using face-to-face interviews with a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and dietary patterns were characterized using factor analysis. The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated for the associations between various dietary patterns and incident hypertension risk using a Cox proportional hazard model. Until 2020, a total of 1177 new hypertension cases were identified during an average follow-up of 6.97 years. In the multivariable-adjusted analysis, a low intake of the junk food pattern was significantly associated with the reducing risk of incident hypertension (HR: 0.772, 95% CI: 0.671, 0.887) and a high intake of the vegetable&ndash;grain pattern statistically lowered the risk of incident hypertension (HR: 0.774, 95% CI: 0.669, 0.894) compared with the medium intake of such patterns. Higher adherence to the vegetable&ndash;grain pattern and lower adherence to the junk food pattern significantly lowered the hypertension incidence among the population in Southwest China. Those findings suggested healthy diet guidelines should be developed for the prevention of hypertension