11 research outputs found

    Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

    Get PDF
    Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

    Model-Based Investigations of Porous Si-Based Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries with Effects of Volume Changes

    No full text
    The large volume change of Si has been a roadblock in deploying high-capacity Si-based electrodes in lithium-ion batteries, causing salient structural changes and prominent chemo-mechanical coupled degradation. However, the effects of the volume change of Si-based active materials on the structural parameters have not been fully understood, especially for theoretical prediction through fundamental parameters. In this work, we develop a real-time porosity model featuring volume changes of active materials and electrode dimensions for Si-based anodes, predicting the evolution of porosity and electrode dimensions well through the use of basic electrode parameters. The allowable design space of mass fractions of Si is predicted to be lower than 6% for initial porosity in the range of 26–60% based on the permitted limits of maximum volume change of electrode dimensions and minimum porosity at full lithiation. Subsequently, the effects of changes in porosity and electrode dimensions on the gravimetric and volumetric capacities are emphasized, showing that the accurate estimation of electrochemical performance calls more attention to the effects of structural parameters for Si-based anodes. This study provides a simple and practicable method for the design of electrode parameters, and sheds light on the estimation of electrochemical performance for Si-based anodes

    Dietary baicalein improves growth performance, antioxidant activity, and intestinal flora of koi carp (Cyprinus carpio)

    No full text
    Baicalein is a flavonoid that is widely found in plants. Studies have shown that baicalein has growth promoting, antioxidant, antitumor, and antibacterial effects. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of baicalein on growth, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal flora of koi carp (Cyprinus carpio). A total of 216 koi weighing 15.34 ± 0.21 g were divided into four treatment groups, with three replicates of 18 fish per group. Baicalein was supplemented to the basal diet at 0 % (control), 0.1 %, 0.3 %, or 0.5 %. Fish were fed at 1–2 % of initial body weight per day for eight weeks. Blood and tissue samples were collected at the end of the trial to determine immune and intestinal bacterial communities. The results showed that dietary supplementation with 0.1 % and 0.3 % baicalein significantly increased the weight gain rate (P < 0.01), specific growth rate (P < 0.01), and liver-to-body ratio (P < 0.01), and the fatness was significantly increased in the 0.3 % group (P < 0.01). The activities of liver catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were significantly increased in the 0.3 % and 0.5 % groups (P < 0.01). The activity of liver malondialdehyde (MDA) was significantly decreased, and the activity of liver lysozyme (LZM) was significantly increased in the 0.3 % group (P < 0.01). The activity of renal lysozyme (LZM) was significantly increased in the 0.3 % and 0.5 % groups (P < 0.01), and IL-1α was significantly decreased in the 0.3 % group (P < 0.01). LEfSe analysis showed that at the genus level, Mycobacterium and Streptococcus were enriched in the 0.1 % baicalein-treated group, and Polynucleobacter and Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia were enriched in the control group. In summary, baicalein significantly improved the growth performance, antioxidant index, immune response, and intestinal flora of koi, and the optimum inclusion rate of baicalein was 0.3 %

    The tumor suppressor gene ARHI regulates autophagy and tumor dormancy in human ovarian cancer cells

    No full text
    The role of autophagy in oncogenesis remains ambiguous, and mechanisms that induce autophagy and regulate its outcome in human cancers are poorly understood. The maternally imprinted Ras-related tumor suppressor gene aplasia Ras homolog member I (ARHI; also known as DIRAS3) is downregulated in more than 60% of ovarian cancers, and here we show that re-expression of ARHI in multiple human ovarian cancer cell lines induces autophagy by blocking PI3K signaling and inhibiting mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), upregulating ATG4, and colocalizing with cleaved microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3) in autophagosomes. Furthermore, ARHI is required for spontaneous and rapamycin-induced autophagy in normal and malignant cells. Although ARHI re-expression led to autophagic cell death when SKOv3 ovarian cancer cells were grown in culture, it enabled the cells to remain dormant when they were grown in mice as xenografts. When ARHI levels were reduced in dormant cells, xenografts grew rapidly. However, inhibition of ARHI-induced autophagy with chloroquine dramatically reduced regrowth of xenografted tumors upon reduction of ARHI levels, suggesting that autophagy contributed to the survival of dormant cells. Further analysis revealed that autophagic cell death was reduced when cultured human ovarian cancer cells in which ARHI had been re-expressed were treated with growth factors (IGF-1, M-CSF), angiogenic factors (VEGF, IL-8), and matrix proteins found in xenografts. Thus, ARHI can induce autophagic cell death, but can also promote tumor dormancy in the presence of factors that promote survival in the cancer microenvironment
    corecore