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Background: Urinary incontinence (UI) is common among postpartum women, but many do not seek medical help due to limited knowledge. Understanding the level of knowledge about UI in this population is essential for improving care‐seeking behaviors and implementing targeted interventions. Objective: The objective was to examine knowledge regarding UI among postpartum women with UI within 6 weeks to 1 year after delivery. Methods: A cross‐sectional study was conducted at obstetric clinic in two level‐three grade A hospitals in Shenzhen, China, from January 2023 to June 2023. Women in their 6 weeks to 1 year after delivery with UI were asked to complete a questionnaire comprising three sections: (1) demographic variable; (2) International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form (ICIQ‐UI SF); and (3) The Urinary Incontinence Quiz (UIQ). Results: A total of 1228 women completed the questionnaire. Their mean UIQ score was 6.63 ± 3.51 (minimum = 2, maximum = 15), indicating the deficiency of UI knowledge among Chinese postpartum women. A total of 86.4% of participants experienced slight or moderate postpartum UI. The results of multivariate linear regression models for UIQ reveal significant independent associations between questionnaire scores and two variables: experience in pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) (p < 0.001) and UI treatment in the past (p < 0.001). The overall model fit was R2 = 0.559 (p < 0.001). The regression coefficients for the experience in PFMT and UI treatment in the past were 2.301 and 4.916, respectively. However, no other discernible factors were identified to distinguish between those with and without adequate knowledge. Conclusions: Postpartum women with UI within 6 weeks to 1 year after delivery had poor knowledge of UI. Targeted educational interventions focusing on PFMT and early treatment for UI are essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of the small ring strain of five/six-membered cyclic ethers, constructing complex molecules via ring-opening reactions has consistently been a highly challenging topic in organic synthesis. Induced by Lewis acids, the charge redistribution in cyclic ethers forms oxonium ylide intermediates, thereby activating the C–O bond and subsequently facilitating nucleophilic attack for ring opening. In recent years, a variety of novel Lewis acids, encompassing those with new metal centers and frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs), have been effectively utilized to induce the formation of oxonium ylides, offering a diverse array of methods for the ring opening of five/six-membered cyclic ethers. This review conveys the extensive application advancements of diverse Lewis acid types for cyclic ether ring-opening reactions over the past two decades, originating from the perspective of the classification of Lewis acids. Furthermore, the substrate applicability and chemical transformation efficiency of these Lewis acids in the ring-opening reactions of cyclic ethers have also been discussed herein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a Decision‐Making Ability Scale (DMA‐S) for postpartum urinary incontinence (PPUI) women engaging in pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT). Methods: Items were created in line with a review of the literature and exploratory qualitative study with 22 women. The items were submitted for expert opinion and a pilot implementation was made with 58 women with PPUI. Furthermore, the construct validity of the scale was tested with exploratory factor analysis (EFA) (n = 220) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (n = 240). Internal consistency for the Chronbach's α and test–retest reliability for the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were also investigated for the DMA‐S in the study. Results: The results of the EFA indicated a Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin value of 0.85 and Bartlett's test of sphericity showed a χ2 value of 8352.101, p < 0.001. After removing one item with factor loading values below 0.50, the resulting factor structure accounted for 83.38% of the total variance. The fit indices of the scale model tested in the CFA were determined as χ2/df = 1.08 < 3, root mean square error of approximation = 0.018 < 0.08, comparative fit index = 0.996 > 0.90, Tucker–Lewis index = 0.995 > 0.90, goodness‐of‐fit index (GFI) = 0.933 > 0.90, adjusted GFI = 0.916 > 0.90, and incremental fit index = 0.996 > 0.90. The Cronbach's α values were 0.95–0.97 for the subdimensions of the scale and 0.93 for the total scale. Data also showed a good test–retest stability (ICC = 0.984). Conclusion: The DMA‐S is a reliable and valid tool for assessing the decision‐making ability for PPUI women engaging in PFPT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fluorescent and colorimetric poly (acrylamide)-based copolymer probe P(AAm-co-RBNCH) has been designed via free radical polymerization of a commercial acrylamide monomer with a rhodamine-functionalized monomer RBNCH. Metal ion selectivity of RBNCH was investigated by fluorescence and colorimetric spectrophotometry. Upon addition of Fe3+, a visual color change from colorless to red and a large fluorescence enhancement were observed for the ring-opening of the rhodamine spirolactam mechanism. The monomer gives a sensitive method for quantitatively detecting Fe3+ in the linear range of 100–200 μM, with a limit of detection as low as 27 nM and exhibiting high selectivity for Fe3+ over 12 other metal ions. The hydrogel sensor was characterized by FTIR, and the effects of RBNCH amount on gel content and swelling properties were explored. According to the recipe of 1.0 mol% RBNCH to the total monomers, the fabricated hydrogel sensor displayed a good swelling property and reversibility performance and has potential for application in the imaging of Fe3+ level in industrial wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of an in vitro colorectal cancer (CRC) model that reconstructs the physiopathological microenvironment of human colorectal cancer shows great potential in accelerating the study of CRC mechanisms and the development of anti‐CRC drugs. To this end, a pathomimetic colorectal tumor‐on‐a‐chip (CRT‐chip) that can effectively recapitulate the in vivo dynamic physiology and pathology of primary CRC is proposed. It not only allows controllable seeding and cultivation of CRC cells to emulate the site‐specific occurrence of primary CRC, but also provides continuous low‐speed flows and peristalsis‐like deformation on colorectum epithelium to simulate the fluid shearing and peristalsis in human colorectum. Moreover, a channel that transports nutrients to CRC cells is designed specifically to mimic the function of tumor vessels. Based on the pathomimetic CRT‐chip, the therapeutic effect of a photothermal anticancer drug was tested and quantified, exhibiting its great potentials in in vitro evaluation of anti‐CRC drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this short note, we elaborate on a synthetic method for a new terpyridine Schiff base-bearing vanillin motif. The structure of the product was confirmed via 1H and 13C-NMR spectroscopy and FT-IR spectroscopy. Due to the peculiar coordination nature and optical property of the synthesized compound, this work presents a promising colorimetric sensing molecular compound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is more likely to develop a state of chronicity in early life, particularly mother‐to‐child transmission (MTCT) of HBV in the fetus during pregnancy. Till now, little is known about the impact of chronic HBV infection on the immune status of the maternal‐fetus interface, and the immune profile of placental lymphocytes in MTCT of HBV is poorly understood. Method of Study: Thirteen term pregnant women with chronic HBV infection (HBV‐PW) and thirteen normal pregnant women as healthy control (HC‐PW) were enrolled. The profile of placental immune cells and paired peripheral blood were analyzed by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. Results: Compared with HC‐PW, the frequency of CD8+ T cells from the term placenta of HBV‐PW was significantly reduced. These cells showed decreased expression of activation molecules CD69 and HLA‐DR; thus, decidual CD8+ T cells from HBV‐PW demonstrated hypofunctional signature as evidenced by significantly reduced production of IFN‐γ, as well as compromised ability of degranulation and proliferation. Conclusions: These findings supported that hypoactivated decidual CD8+ T cells might possess compromised ability in chronically HBV‐infected term pregnant women. Our study provides robust evidence for the necessity and importance of antiviral intervention in HBV‐PW to prevent MTCT of HBV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detection of transient changes in interaural correlation is based on the temporal precision of the central representations of acoustic signals. Whether schizophrenia impairs the temporal precision in the interaural correlation process is not clear. In both participants with schizophrenia and matched healthy‐control participants, this study examined the detection of a break in interaural correlation (BIC, a change in interaural correlation from 1 to 0 and back to 1), including the longest interaural delay at which a BIC was just audible, representing the temporal extent of the primitive auditory memory (PAM). Moreover, BIC‐induced electroencephalograms (EEGs) and the relationships between the early binaural psychoacoustic processing and higher cognitive functions, which were assessed by the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), were examined. The results showed that compared to healthy controls, participants with schizophrenia exhibited poorer BIC detection, PAM and RBANS score. Both the BIC‐detection accuracy and the PAM extent were correlated with the RBANS score. Moreover, participants with schizophrenia showed weaker BIC‐induced N1‐P2 amplitude which was correlated with both theta‐band power and inter‐trial phase coherence. These results suggested that schizophrenia impairs the temporal precision of the central representations of acoustic signals, affecting both interaural correlation processing and higher‐order cognitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemiluminescence (CL) behaviour of the luminol–potassium periodate system enhanced by CdTe quantum dots capped with thioglycolic acid (TGA–CdTe QDs) was studied using kinetic experiments, CL spectra, UV–vis absorption spectra and fluorescence spectra. The production of oxygen‐containing reactant intermediates (O2•− and OH•) in the present CL system was verified by CL. The possible CL mechanism was discussed in detail. Furthermore, theophylline (THP) was determined based on its enhancement of the CL intensity of the CdTe QDs–luminol–potassium periodate system coupled with a flow‐injection technique. Under these optimized conditions, the linear range was found to be from 1.0 × 10−8 to 1.0 × 10−5 g/mL with a detection limit of 2.8 × 10−9 g/mL (3σ). The recoveries for the determination of THP in tablets were from 98.2 to 99.6%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with schizophrenia exhibit impairments in target-speech recognition (TSR) against multiple-talker-induced informational speech masking. Up to date, the underlying neural mechanisms and its relationships with psychotic symptoms remain largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate whether the schizophrenia-associated TSR impairment contribute to certain psychotic symptoms by sharing underlying alternations in cortical gray-matter volume (GMV) with the psychotic symptoms. Participants with schizophrenia (N = 34) and their matched healthy controls (N = 29) were tested for TSR against a two-talker-speech masker. Psychotic symptoms of participants with schizophrenia were evaluated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. The regional GMV across various cortical regions was assessed using the voxel-based morphometry. The results of partial-correlation and mediation analyses showed that in participants with schizophrenia, the TSR was negatively correlated with the delusion severity, but positively with the GMV in the bilateral superior/middle temporal cortex, bilateral insular, left medial orbital frontal gyrus, left Rolandic operculum, left mid-cingulate cortex, left posterior fusiform, and left cerebellum. Moreover, the association between GMV and delusion was based on the mediating role played by the TSR performance. Thus, in people with schizophrenia, both delusions and the augmented vulnerability of TSR to informational masking are associated with each other and share the underlying cortical GMV reduction, suggesting that the origin of delusion in schizophrenia may be related to disorganized or limited informational processing (e.g., the incapability of adequately filtering information from multiple sources at the perceptual level). The TSR impairment can be a potential marker for predicting delusion severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study aimed to investigate the mediating pathway of 3 factors (psychotic symptoms, attitude toward medication, and cognitive processing speed) on the effect of insight on personal-social functioning in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Chinese inpatients with schizophrenia (n = 168; mean age 18 ± 50 years) diagnosed according to the DSM-IV were randomly assigned to treatment with antipsychotic medication alone or combined treatment. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI), Assessment of Insight (SAI), and Social-Personal Performance Scale (PSPS) scores were evaluated at baseline and at 3, 6, and 12 months. Cognitive function was assessed at baseline. Multiple mediation analyses were conducted with baseline data, end point data, and changes-in-scale scores between baseline and the end point, respectively. Results: At baseline and at 12 months, only psychotic symptoms mediated the effect of insight on personal-social functioning. For changes-in-scale scores over the 12-month follow-up, in patients receiving treatment with medication alone, the effect of improved insight on improved personal-social function was mediated by psychotic symptoms only; in patients receiving a combined treatment, the effect of improved insight on improved personal-social functioning was mediated by both psychotic symptoms and attitudes toward medication, independently. Conclusions: The link between insight and personal-social functions is mainly mediated by psychotic symptoms. Psychosocial intervention improves the predicting effect of insight on personal-social function by improving both the attitude toward medication and psychotic symptoms independently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Living with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) after delivery negatively impacted women's daily living and was detrimental to their psychological health. Aim: The purpose of the present study was to explore the effects of POP after delivery on women's sexual function, quality of life (QoL), and psychological health within the first year following delivery. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 640 female participants at obstetric clinic in 2 hospitals in Shenzhen, China. Outcomes: All women completed following questionnaires: short form of the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire (PISQ-12) on sexual function, Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 (PFDI-20) on well-being and QoL, Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) on psychological health, and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form. Results: Women with symptomatic POP (N = 250) had higher mean scores (P <.05) than those without symptoms (N = 390) in PISQ-12, PFDI-20, and SCL-90-R domains. In the symptomatic POP group (N = 250), the sexually dysfunctional group (N = 137) had significantly higher mean scores (P <.001) than the sexually functional group (N = 113) in PISQ-12, PFDI-20, and SCL-90-R domains. Women with POP duration ≥6 months (N = 132) had significantly higher mean scores (P <.001) than women with POP duration <6 months (N = 118) in PISQ-12, PFDI-20, and SCL-90-R domains. The multiple linear regression model of PISQ-12 showed that constipation history, regular pelvic floor muscle training, parity, and symptomatic POP were independently correlated with the questionnaire score (P <.05). Clinical Implications: The significantly pervasive nature of POP often leads to the neglect of a substantial percentage of sexual problems and related emotional suffering, emphasizing the critical importance of raising awareness about this issue among clinicians and the general public. Strengths and Limitations: The current study brought attention to significant aspects of postpartum POP; the findings suggest issues concerning POP occurrences and their impacts on sexual function, QoL, and psychological health. Primary constraints are linked to the utilization of self-report assessments. Conclusion: The current study reveals a robust correlation between POP in postpartum women and compromised sexual function, QoL, and psychological health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The superior temporal gyrus (STG) is involved in speech recognition against informational masking under cocktail-party-listening conditions. Compared to healthy listeners, people with schizophrenia perform worse in speech recognition under informational speech-on-speech masking conditions. It is not clear whether the schizophrenia-related vulnerability to informational masking is associated with certain changes in FC of the STG with some critical brain regions. Using sparse-sampling fMRI design, this study investigated the differences between people with schizophrenia and healthy controls in FC of the STG for target-speech listening against informational speech-on-speech masking, when a listening condition with either perceived spatial separation (PSS, with a spatial release of informational masking) or perceived spatial co-location (PSC, without the spatial release) between target speech and masking speech was introduced. The results showed that in healthy participants, but not participants with schizophrenia, the contrast of either the PSS or PSC condition against the masker-only condition induced an enhancement of functional connectivity (FC) of the STG with the left superior parietal lobule and the right precuneus. Compared to healthy participants, participants with schizophrenia showed declined FC of the STG with the bilateral precuneus, right SPL, and right supplementary motor area. Thus, FC of the STG with the parietal areas is normally involved in speech listening against informational masking under either the PSS or PSC conditions, and declined FC of the STG in people with schizophrenia with the parietal areas may be associated with the increased vulnerability to informational masking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Graphitic carbon nanofibers (GCNFs) with diameters of approximately 300 nm were developed using bundles of aligned electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers containing phosphoric acid (PA) as the innovative precursors through thermal treatments of stabilization, carbonization, and graphitization. The morphological, structural, and mechanical properties of GCNFs were systematically characterized and/or evaluated. The GCNFs made from the electrospun PAN precursor nanofibers containing 1.5 wt.% of PA exhibited mechanical strength that was 62.3% higher than that of the GCNFs made from the precursor nanofibers without PA. The molecules of PA in the electrospun PAN precursor nanofibers initiated the cyclization and induced the aromatization during stabilization, as indicated by the FT-IR and TGA results. The stabilized PAN nanofibers possessed regularly oriented ladder structures, which facilitated the further formation of ordered graphitic structures in GCNFs during carbonization and graphitization, as indicated by the TEM, XRD, and Raman results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An iron-catalyzed selective N=S coupling of N -methoxy amides and sulfoxides has been developed and was found to be a highly efficient method for the synthesis of N -acyl sulfoximines. Electron-donating as well as electron-withdrawing groups on the phenyl ring are tolerated, and even sensitive substituents are compatible. The current catalytic transformation was conducted under an air atmosphere and can be easily scaled up to a gram scale with a catalyst loading of only 1 mol %. In this case, both coupling partners are used in their native forms, thus obviating prior functionalization and activation., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Problem: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is more likely to develop a state of chronicity in early life, particularly mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HBV in the fetus during pregnancy. Till now, little is known about the impact of chronic HBV infection on the immune status of the maternal-fetus interface, and the immune profile of placental lymphocytes in MTCT of HBV is poorly understood., Method of Study: Thirteen term pregnant women with chronic HBV infection (HBV-PW) and thirteen normal pregnant women as healthy control (HC-PW) were enrolled. The profile of placental immune cells and paired peripheral blood were analyzed by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry., Results: Compared with HC-PW, the frequency of CD8 + T cells from the term placenta of HBV-PW was significantly reduced. These cells showed decreased expression of activation molecules CD69 and HLA-DR; thus, decidual CD8 + T cells from HBV-PW demonstrated hypofunctional signature as evidenced by significantly reduced production of IFN-γ, as well as compromised ability of degranulation and proliferation., Conclusions: These findings supported that hypoactivated decidual CD8 + T cells might possess compromised ability in chronically HBV-infected term pregnant women. Our study provides robust evidence for the necessity and importance of antiviral intervention in HBV-PW to prevent MTCT of HBV., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The chemiluminescence (CL) behaviour of the luminol-potassium periodate system enhanced by CdTe quantum dots capped with thioglycolic acid (TGA-CdTe QDs) was studied using kinetic experiments, CL spectra, UV-vis absorption spectra and fluorescence spectra. The production of oxygen-containing reactant intermediates (O 2 •- and OH • ) in the present CL system was verified by CL. The possible CL mechanism was discussed in detail. Furthermore, theophylline (THP) was determined based on its enhancement of the CL intensity of the CdTe QDs-luminol-potassium periodate system coupled with a flow-injection technique. Under these optimized conditions, the linear range was found to be from 1.0 × 10 -8 to 1.0 × 10 -5  g/mL with a detection limit of 2.8 × 10 -9  g/mL (3σ). The recoveries for the determination of THP in tablets were from 98.2 to 99.6%., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

A novel surface phosphate strategy was adopted to dramatically improve the charge transport, ion diffusion, electroactive sites, and cycle stability of mesoporous NiCo 2 O 4 nanowire arrays (NWAs), drastically boosting their electrochemical properties. Consequently, the as-prepared phosphated NiCo 2 O 4 NWA (P-NiCo 2 O 4 NWA) electrode achieved excellent energy storage performance as a bifunctional anode material for both lithium ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium ion batteries (SIBs). When evaluated as an anode for LIBs, this P-NiCo 2 O 4 NWA electrode showed a high reversible capacity up to 1156 mA h g -1 for 1500 cycles at 200 mA g -1 without appreciable capacity attenuation, while in SIBs, the electrode could also deliver an admirable initial capacity as high as 687 mA h g -1 and maintained 83.5% of this after 500 cycles at the same current density. Most important, when the current density increased from 100 to 1000 mA g -1 , the capacity retention was about 63% in LIBs and 54% in SIBs. This work may shed light on the engineering of efficient electrodes for multifunctional flexible energy storage device applications., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Under a "cocktail-party" listening condition with multiple-people talking, compared to healthy people, people with schizophrenia benefit less from the use of visual-speech (lipreading) priming (VSP) cues to improve speech recognition. The neural mechanisms underlying the unmasking effect of VSP remain unknown. This study investigated the brain substrates underlying the unmasking effect of VSP in healthy listeners and the schizophrenia-induced changes in the brain substrates. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, brain activation and functional connectivity for the contrasts of the VSP listening condition vs. the visual non-speech priming (VNSP) condition were examined in 16 healthy listeners (27.4 ± 8.6 years old, 9 females and 7 males) and 22 listeners with schizophrenia (29.0 ± 8.1 years old, 8 females and 14 males). The results showed that in healthy listeners, but not listeners with schizophrenia, the VSP-induced activation (against the VNSP condition) of the left posterior inferior temporal gyrus (pITG) was significantly correlated with the VSP-induced improvement in target-speech recognition against speech masking. Compared to healthy listeners, listeners with schizophrenia showed significantly lower VSP-induced activation of the left pITG and reduced functional connectivity of the left pITG with the bilateral Rolandic operculum, bilateral STG, and left insular. Thus, the left pITG and its functional connectivity may be the brain substrates related to the unmasking effect of VSP, assumedly through enhancing both the processing of target visual-speech signals and the inhibition of masking-speech signals. In people with schizophrenia, the reduced unmasking effect of VSP on speech recognition may be associated with a schizophrenia-related reduction of VSP-induced activation and functional connectivity of the left pITG.