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Nanodrug delivery systems (NDDSs) are a hotspot of new drug delivery systems with great development potential. They provide new approaches to fighting against diseases. NDDSs are specially designed to serve as carriers for the delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients to their target sites, and their unique physicochemical characteristics allow for prolonged circulation time, improved targeting, and avoidance of drug resistance. Despite remarkable progress achieved in the preparation and efficacy evaluation of NDDSs, the understanding of the in vivo pharmacokinetics of NDDSs is still insufficient. Analysis of NDDSs is far more complicated than that for small molecular drugs; thus, almost all conventional techniques are inadequate for accurate profiling of their pharmacokinetic behaviour in vivo. In this article, we systematically reviewed the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of NDDSs and summarized the advanced bioanalytic techniques for tracing the in vivo fate of NDDSs. We also reviewed the physiologically based pharmacokinetic model of NDDS, which has been a useful tool in characterizing and predicting the systemic disposition, target exposure, and efficacy/toxicity of various types of drugs when coupled with pharmacodynamic modelling. We hope that this review will be helpful in improving the understanding of NDDS pharmacokinetics and facilitating the development of NDDSs.

Aralia continentalis Kitagawa and ginseng are both perennial herbs of Araliaceae. The study aimed to investigate the composite packaging films with better fresh-keeping ability. The different mass concentrations of Aralia continentalis Kitagawa root extract (ARE) 0.05%, 0.10%, and 0.15% (v/w) were compounded with chitosan (CH) to make composite packaging films. Food-based composite film, its thickness, density, water contact angle (WCA), oxygen barrier properties (OP), solubility, swelling, transparency, water vapor permeability (WVP), and other physical properties, as well as tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (EAB), Young’s modulus (YM), and the mechanical properties were measured, and the oxidation resistance, thermal properties, and biodegradability were also evaluated, and the structure was analyzed by infrared spectroscopy. The results showed that when the ARE content in the film was increased from 0.05 to 0.15 mg·mL−1, high antioxidant capacity of the CH/ARE film was exhibited (the DPPH and ABTS+ free radical scavenging rate was increased), and the thickness, density, swelling degree, solubility, TS, EAB, and YM of the CH/ARE composite film increased, while WCA, OP, WVP, transparency, and biodegradability were slightly reduced. We had noticed that with the increase in the ARE content, the surface microstructure in CH/ARE film changed significantly, indicating the good compatibility between CH and ARE. In summary, as a natural active substance, ARE can be combined with CH to form films, and the packaging film made can effectively improve the performance of the composite film.

Background: In hospital management, pinpointing steps that most enhance operating room (OR) throughput is challenging. While prior literature has utilized discrete event simulation (DES) to study specific strategies such as scheduling and resource allocation, our study examines an earlier planning phase, assessing all workflow stages to determine the most impactful steps for subsequent strategy development. Methods: DES models real‐world systems by simulating sequential events. We constructed a DES model for thoracic, gastrointestinal, and orthopedic surgeries summarized from a tertiary Chinese hospital. The model covers preoperative preparations, OR occupation, and OR preparation. Parameters were sourced from patient data and staff experience. Model outcome is OR throughput. Post‐validation, scenario analyses were conducted for each department, including: (1) improving preoperative patient preparation time; (2) increasing PACU beds; (3) improving OR preparation time; (4) use of new equipment to reduce the operative time of a selected surgery type; three levels of improvement (slight, moderate, large) were investigated. Results: The first three improvement scenarios resulted in a 1%–5% increase in OR throughput across the three departments. Large reductions in operative time of the selected surgery types led to approximately 12%, 33%, and 38% increases in gastrointestinal, thoracic, and orthopedic surgery throughput, respectively. Moderate reductions resulted in 6%–17% increases in throughput and slight reductions of 1%–7%. Conclusions: The model could reliably reflect OR workflows of the three departments. Among the options investigated, model simulations suggest that improving OR preparation time and operative time are the most effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many efforts have been taken in recent years to push atomic gravimeters toward practical applications. We demonstrate an atomic gravimeter named NIM-AGRb2 that is transportable and suitable for high-precision gravity measurements. Constraint-structured active vibration isolation (CS-AVI) is used to reduce the ground vibration noise. The constraint structure in CS-AVI ensures that the isolation platform only has vertical translation, with all other degrees of freedom (DoFs) being constrained. Therefore, the stability of active vibration isolation is enhanced. With the implementation of CS-AVI, the sensitivity of NIM-AGRb2 reached as low as 20.5 μGal/Hz1/2. The short-term sensitivity could be further reduced to 10.8 μGal/Hz1/2 in a seismologic observation station. Moreover, we evaluated the system noise of the gravimeter, and the results were consistent with our observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel staining method and the associated fluorescent dye were developed for protein analysis by capillary SDS-PAGE. The method strategy is to synthesize a pseudo-SDS dye and use it to replace some of the SDS in SDS-protein complexes so that the protein can be fluorescently detected. The pseudo-SDS dye consists of a long, straight alkyl chain connected to a negative charged fluorescent head and binds to proteins just as SDS. The number of dye molecules incorporated with a protein depends on the dye concentration relative to SDS in the sample solution, since SDS and dye bind to proteins competitively. In this work, we synthesized a series of pseudo-SDS dyes, and tested their performances for capillary SDS-PAGE. FT-16 (a fluorescein molecule linked with a hexadodecyl group) seemed to be the best among all the dyes tested. Although the numbers of dye molecules bound to proteins (and the fluorescence signals from these protein complexes) were maximized in the absence of SDS, high-quality separations were obtained when co-complexes of SDS-protein-dye were formed. The migration time correlates well with protein size even after some of the SDS in the SDS-protein complexes was replaced by the pseudo-SDS dye. Under optimized experimental conditions and using a laser-induced fluorescence detector, limits of detection of as low as 0.13 ng/mL (bovine serum albumin) and dynamic ranges over 5 orders of magnitude in which fluorescence response is proportional to the square root of analyte concentration were obtained. The method and dye were also tested for separations of real-world samples from E. coli.

Polypyrrole (PPy) nanolayers were introduced on the surface of alumina (Al2O3) particles via admicellar polymerization. The properties of silicone rubbers (SRs) filled with PPy‐coated Al2O3 and pristine Al2O3 as thermally conductive fillers were studied and compared. The results demonstrate that the addition of PPy‐coated Al2O3 leads to a better interfacial compatibility but lower cross‐linking density of the composites than pristine Al2O3. The improvement in the compatibility and the decrease in the cross‐linking density are paradoxes in affecting mechanical properties. The improvement in the compatibility shows a slight predominance on the strength at low‐filler contents. Lower cross‐linking density of modified‐Al2O3/SR composites led to a better processing performance and a higher maximum filler loading amount than the pristine Al2O3/SR composites, which is beneficial to increasing the thermal conductivity and maintaining a relatively good strength. The PPy‐coated Al2O3/SR composite with 83 wt% filler content has a thermal conductivity of 1.98 W/(m K) and a tensile strength of 2.9 MPa, and the elongation at break was 63%. Functionalized fillers by admicellar polymerization used in the fabrication of filler/SR composites not only improve the interfacial compatibility but also optimize and expand the functions of the composites, which has great significance for the production and application of thermally conductive SR in some branches of industry (automotive, electrical engineering, etc.) in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioinorganic chemistry is found as a sizzling field in today's era. It deals with chemistry amongst the heavy metals with natural resources, i.e., air, soil, water, plant byproducts (foods), and environmental essences. The aim of this research is to determine the concentration of heavy metals present in the food waste water sample and to study the environmental effects of metal ion concentration. To conduct the research work, the physicochemical parameters and levels of five heavy metals of food waste water samples were collected from five sampling points of renowned hotels, restaurants, canteens, and confectionaries of a state of India and assessed using the standard analytical procedure. Sampling was carried out from January 2017 up to December 2017. The physicochemical parameters were determined such as pH, temperature, turbidity, conductivity, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, total alkalinity, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, total organic carbon, sulphate, nitrate, and phosphate. The heavy metal concentration was determined by using the UV-spectrophotometer, and the results were compared with the standards prescribed by the WHO, BIS, ICMR, and municipal authorities. The results obtained in the physicochemical analysis revealed that a few parameters were found beyond limits, and the metal ion concentration (iron and zinc) results were found above the permissible limits set by the CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board), ICMR, BIS, and World Health Organization (WHO), most especially, effluent from point P 1. It was concluded that all the effluents required further treatment before releasing them into the water body or land to prevent pollution. The obtained results reveal that waste water used for irrigation and farming of nearby areas and water drained from restaurant kitchens were considerably polluted and not suitable for aquatic organisms, irrigation, and agricultural purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyamide 6 (PA6) was grafted with a monoepoxy compound, glycidyl neodecanoate (GND), through reactive extrusion. The molecular structure of grafted PA6 was characterized by infrared spectroscopy, and its crystalline, rheological and mechanical properties were also investigated. The results indicated that GND could well react with PA6 to form branched PA6 copolymers. The branched chains reduced the crystallization rate and crystallinity degree of PA6, resulting in a change in the mechanical properties of grafted PA6 accordingly. The optimum dosage of GND was found to be in the range of 1~3 phr. There was a decrease in tensile strength by 8 % when 1 phr of GND was grafted into PA6. On the other hand, the elongation at break and notched impact strength increased by 161 % and 35 % compared to those of pure PA6, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to introduce hydrophilic sulfobetaine-type zwitterionic groups to macromolecular chains of copolymers to construct novel copolymer hydrogels with anti-protein-fouling performance that could be used as soft contact lens (SCL) materials. Using hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), N-vinyl pyrrolidinone (NVP) and sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA) as comonomers, several copolymer hydrogels with different SBMA contents, poly(HEMA-NVP-SBMA), are synthesized via radical copolymerization in an aqueous phase. Surface chemistry, structural morphologies, water contact angle (WCA), equilibrium water content (EWC), visible light transmittance and tensile mechanical properties are investigated. The prepared hydrogels exhibit a closed-type porous structure. With increasing SBMA content in the comonomer mixture, the prepared copolymer hydrogel pore size gradually increases up to the micron level, WCA tends to decrease, EWC tends to increase, and visible light transmittance slightly increases, but their tensile mechanical properties decline. The amounts of protein Lyz and BSA adsorbed on the copolymer hydrogels and on commercially available EASY DAY®SCLs as a control are also determined by protein adsorption tests. The amount of protein adsorbed on the copolymer hydrogel decreases with increasing SBMA content. For the hydrogel prepared using the comonomer mixture with 5.0 wt % SBMA, the amount of adsorbed Lyz is 0.91 μg/cm2, which corresponds to only 56.8% of the amount adsorbed on EASY DAY®SCLs. Thus, novel SCL materials with high water content and excellent anti-protein-fouling performance were efficiently constructed by introducing sulfobetaine-type zwitterionic groups into a traditional polymer hydrogel system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In plants, anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins (PAs) play important roles in plant resistance to abiotic stress. In this study, ozone (O 3) treatments caused the up-regulation of Malus crabapple structural genes McANS , McCHI , McANR and McF3H , which promoted anthocyanin and PA accumulation. We identified the WRKY transcription factor (TF) McWRKY71 by screening differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that were highly expressed in response to O 3 stress from an RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis. Overexpressing McWRKY71 increased the resistance of 'Orin' apple calli to O 3 stress and promoted the accumulation of anthocyanins and PAs, which facilitated reactive oxygen species scavenging to further enhance O 3 tolerance. Biochemical and molecular analyses showed that McWRKY71 interacted with McMYB12 and directly bound the McANR promoter to participate in the regulation of PA biosynthesis. These findings provide new insights into the WRKY TFs mechanisms that regulate the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, which respond to O 3 stress, in Malus crabapple. • McWRKY71 is involved in regulating the flavonoid pathway to resist ozone stress. • McWRKY71 promotes proanthocyanidin synthesis through interact with McMYB12. • McWRKY71 binds to the promoter of McANR to participate in proanthocyanidin synthesis. • Overexpression of McWRKY71 promotes the accumulation of anthocyanin in apple calli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Copoly(phenylene-imide)s were synthesized by Ni(0)-catalyzed coupling of aromatic dichlorides containing imide structure and 2,5-dichlorobenzophenone. The route offered the flexibility of incorporating different ratios of benzophenone and imide groups in the polymer backbone in a controlled manner. The resulting copolymers exhibited high molecular weights (high inherent viscosity), and a combination of desirable properties such as good solubility in dipolar aprotic solvents and cresols, film-forming capability and good mechanical properties. Wide-angle X-ray diffractograms revealed that the polymers were amorphous. These copolymers had glass transition temperatures between 209 and 319°C and 10% weight loss temperatures in the range of 502–543°C in nitrogen atmosphere. The tough polymer films, obtained by casting from N-methylpyrrolidone solution, had a tensile strength range of 83–156MPa and a tensile modulus range of 1.6–3.6GPa. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A new high-performance material, poly(sulfone-imide) was prepared by Ni(0)-catalyzed coupling of aromatic dichlorides containing imide structure and 4,4''-dichlorodiphenylsulfone. The copolymers were produced with high yield and moderate to high inherent viscosities of 0.52–1.13 dL/g. Wide-angle X-ray diffractograms revealed that the polymers were amorphous. Most of the polymers exhibited good solubility and could be readily dissolved in various solvents such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone(NMP) and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc). These polysulfone-imides had glass-transition temperatures between 317 and 345 °C and 10% weight loss temperatures in the range of 450–476 °C in nitrogen atmosphere. The tough polymer films, obtained by casting from cresol solution, had a tensile strength range of 21–158 MPa and a tensile modulus range of 2.1–3.3 GPa. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ozone (O 3), an oxidizing toxic air pollutant, is ubiquitous in industrialized and developing countries. To understand the effects of O 3 exposure on apple (Malus) and to explore its defense mechanisms, we exposed 'Hongjiu' crabapple to O 3 and monitored its responses using physiological, transcriptomics, and metabolomics analyses. Exposure to 300 nL L−1 O 3 for 3 h caused obvious damage to the leaves of Malus crabapple, affected chlorophyll and anthocyanin contents, and activated antioxidant enzymes. The gene encoding phospholipase A was highly responsive to O 3 in Malus crabapple. McWRKY75 is a key transcription factor in the response to O 3 stress, and its transcript levels were positively correlated with those of flavonoid-related structural genes (McC4H , McDFR, and McANR). The ethylene response factors McERF019 and McERF109-like were also up-regulated by O 3. Exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA) decreased the damaging effects of O 3 on crabapple and was most effective at 200 μmol L −1. Treatments with MeJA altered the metabolic pathways of crabapple under O 3 stress. In particular, MeJA activated the flavonoid metabolic pathway in Malus, which improved its resistance to O 3 stress. • The mechanism of detoxifying O 3 in plants was evaluated comprehensively. • Flavonoids are the main metabolic pathway for detoxifying O 3. • MeJA alleviate the toxicity of O 3 to plants by flavonoid metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though silicone rubber has been used in the biomedical field, its inherent hydrophobic nature and "hydrophobic recovery" limit its wide application. In this article, cross‐linked and comb‐like sulfobetaine zwitterionic layers were covalently grafted onto the surface of a silicone film (SF) by ultraviolet (UV) curing in the presence and absence of cross‐linking agent, respectively, after the surface was pretreated under high‐energy vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) irradiation. Comparative studies were carried out to investigate the effects of the grafting layers on the surface properties, hydrophilic stability, anti‐bacterial adhesion property, and cytocompatibility. The results showed that VUV‐UV irradiation is an efficient modification method for introducing hydrophilic groups onto SF surface. The covalently linked zwitterions endowed the silicone surface with good hydrophilicity, a better reduction in the adhesion of bacteria relative to the properties of a pristine silicone surface. The cross‐linked layer exhibited better hydrophilic stability, anti‐bacterial adhesion properties and biocompatibility due to better coverage of the surface than the comb‐like layer. The improvement in these properties provides the potential for the extensive application of modified silicone films in silastic implants and medical dressings. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46860. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To discover the effect of propofol intravenous anesthesia along with press-needle therapy on analgesic effect during painless abortion. Methods. A total of 128 cases who experienced painless abortion in our hospital from January 2019 to August 2021 were recruited as the research subjects. They were categorized into control and observation groups through the haphazard number table approach, with 64 patients in each group. Propofol intravenous anesthesia was given to the control group, and the observation group was given combined anesthesia with press-needle on this basis. Ramsay score, hemodynamic indexes, operation-related indexes, and postoperative recovery were studied between the two groups before anesthesia (T0), at the time of uterine aspiration (T1), promptly following the operation (T2), and at the recovery time of directional force (T3). The stress state and the level of pain mediators in the two groups of sufferers were observed at each time period, and the visual analogue scale (VAS) was employed to assess the degree of postoperative uterine contraction pain. Results. Ramsay score at T1 and T2 time points in observation group was lesser than that in control group (P < 0.05). There existed no meaningful discrepancies in operation time and recovery time between both groups (P > 0.05). The total dosage of propofol in the observation group was lesser compared to that in the control group, and the recovery time of directional force was much shorter compared to that in the control group (P < 0.05). There existed no meaningful discrepancies in perioperative diastolic blood pressure (DBP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and heart rate (HR) between both groups (P > 0.05). The levels of norepinephrine (NE), cortisol (Cor), glucose (GLU) and substance P (SP), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HT) in the observation group were lesser than those in the control group immediately after surgery and 24 hours following the operation (P < 0.05). There existed no meaningful discrepancies in vaginal bleeding time, endometrial thickness 3 weeks after operation, and time to start menstruating between both groups (P > 0.05). The score of VAS for the observation group was lesser than that of the control group at 10 min and 30 min after operation (P < 0.05). There existed no substantial discrepancy in the incidence of negative reactions between both groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion. Propofol intravenous anesthesia combined with press-needle therapy can ameliorate the analgesic impacts during painless abortion, reduce postoperative uterine contraction pain, inhibit the release of postoperative pain mediators, and improve the stress state of the body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High expression of ALDH3A2 leads to poor prognosis of ovarian cancer. • ALDH3A2 inhibits ferroptosis in ovarian cancer. • ALDH3A2 knockout decreased intracellular GSH content in ovarian cancer cells. Ovarian cancer (OC) is a malignant gynecologic tumor with high morbidity and mortality. As a newly discovered mode of programmed cell death, ferroptosis has been involved in various pathological processes of kinds of tumors in recent years. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 3 family member A2 (ALDH3A2) catalyzes the oxidation of long-chain aliphatic aldehydes to fatty acid. ALDH3A2 has been shown to be associated with ferroptosis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but the mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed the TCGA and GTEx databases and showed that high ALDH3A2 expression predicted poor prognosis in ovarian cancer. Further studies found that knockout or overexpression of ALDH3A2 correspondingly increased or attenuated the ferroptosis sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells. And sequencing revealed that ALDH3A2 knockout led to the activation of lipid metabolic, GSH metabolic, phospholipid metabolic, and aldehyde metabolic pathways, suggesting that ALDH3A2 induced changes in the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to ferroptosis by affecting these metabolic processes. Our results provide a new promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of OC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, lipogenic and adipokine gene expression patterns in different fat depots during long-term feed restriction in growing lambs are poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the effects of long-term nutritional deficiency on lipogenic and adipokine gene expression in subcutaneous and visceral fat depots in lambs. Twenty male lambs (4 months old; 21.81±0.75 kg body weight) were randomly assigned to either control or feed-restricted groups. After 60 days of maintenance-level feed restriction, femoral, omental, mesenteric, epicardial, and perirenal fat were collected. Gene expressions were estimated by quantitative real-time PCR, and plasma parameters were also determined. The results showed that feed restriction increased the plasma concentration of NEFA ( P <0.05) at 30 days, and decreased the plasma concentration of triglycerides, glucose, and insulin ( P <0.05) at 30 days and 60 days. Feed restriction decreased lipogenic gene expression (acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase alpha and fatty acid synthase) in all five fat depots. The related key regulating gene PPARγ mRNA decreased ( P <0.05) in femoral, omental, and mesenteric fat depots, while sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 1 decreased ( P <0.05) in femoral fat depots. Perilipin, as a barrier to lipolysis, decreased ( P <0.05) in femoral, omental and perirenal fat depots of the feed restriction group. Adipose tissue-derived hormone leptin mRNA decreased ( P <0.05) in all five fat depots, while adiponectin decreased ( P <0.05) only in omental, mesenteric, and epicardial depots. Macrophage marker CD68 mRNA increased ( P <0.05) in femoral and mesenteric fat depots. In addition, tumor necrosis factor-α mRNA increased in femoral, omental, and mesenteric depots, whereas IL-1β mRNA increased in femoral and perirenal depots. IL-6 expression decreased in femoral, omental, and epicardial fat depot at the end of feed restriction. Nutritional deficiency induced different changes in lipogenic and adipokine gene expression between visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue. The decreased leptin, adiponectin, and increased inflammatory factors may inhibit lipogenesis and stimulate lipolysis to protect the body against the threat of starvation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Global population ageing has brought about new challenges for elderly care. Exploring intrinsic capacity (IC) over time, which is designed as a composite measure of an individual's physical and mental capabilities, is essential for promoting healthy ageing and preventing dependency, such as that emerging from disability in activities of daily living (ADL). We aimed to identify and examine the differences between classes of IC trajectory and onset of ADL disability., Methods: We conducted an observational study using data from three waves (2011-15) of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, comprising 2609 participants with 6034 observations. IC was measured by five domains, including locomotion, cognition, psychological, sensory capacities, and vitality. We used joint latent class modelling to identify distinct classes with similar patterns of IC trajectory and onset of ADL disability, as well as to explore the variation in IC trajectory and predict five-year risks of ADL disability considering the heterogeneity in the elderly population., Results: The average baseline IC score was 7.15 (range: 0-15). We observed that IC scores slowly decreased with age, with 17.25% of participants developing ADL disability. We identified three classes of IC, which could be described as moderate health (class 1: n = 1634, 62.63%), at-risk (class 2: n = 716, 27.44%; had the highest risk of ADL disability), and optimal health (class 3: n = 259, 9.93%; had the lowest baseline risk of ADL disability). The probability of being in the moderate health class was decreased the most by emotional problems (odds ratio (OR) = 0.219; P < 0.001). Having a self-rated poor standard of living substantially reduced the chances of moderate (OR = 0.308; P = 0.001) and optimal health (OR = 0.110; P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Observing IC trajectories and the onset of ADL disability can stratify the elderly into heterogeneous groups, as well as provide data for implementing person-centred care plans to reverse the trend and delay the adverse outcomes in clinical practice., Competing Interests: Disclosure of interest: The authors completed the ICMJE Disclosure of Interest Form (available upon request from the corresponding author) and disclose no relevant interests., (Copyright © 2024 by the Journal of Global Health. All rights reserved.)

Background: This is the first real-world study to estimate the direct costs and indirect costs of first-ever ischaemic stroke with 1-year follow-up in China, based on a nationally representative sample., Methods: Patients were chosen from 20 geographically diverse sites from the nationally representative database China National Stroke Registry-III (CNSR-III). The inclusion criteria were surviving patients who were hospitalised with first-ever ischaemic stroke from February 2017 to February 2018 (the index event); aged 18-80 during the index event; no history of other stroke types. The primary endpoints were direct medical costs, direct non-medical costs, indirect costs and total cost (ie, the sum of all cost components). Patient characteristics and clinical data were extracted from CNSR-III. Stroke-related in-hospital direct medical costs were collected from hospital electronic medical records. The patient survey collected data related to out-of-hospital direct medical costs, direct non-medical costs and indirect costs. The secondary objective was to explore clinical factors associated with cost outcomes through univariate analysis and multiple regression., Results: The study enrolled 520 patients. The total cost was 57 567.48 CNY, with 26 612.67 CNY direct medical costs, 2 787.56 CNY direct non-medical costs and 28 167.25 CNY indirect costs. Univariate analysis showed that longer lengths of stay during the index event, higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and modified Rankin Scale scores were associated with higher costs in all categories. Conversely, EuroQol 5 Dimension utility scores were associated with decreased costs except direct non-medical costs. Multiple regressions showed that higher admission NIHSS scores were independently associated with higher direct medical costs, indirect costs and total cost. Higher 3-month utilities were associated with lower total cost., Conclusion: This real-world study showed substantial 1-year economic burden following first-ever ischaemic stroke in China, and that indirect costs are a non-negligible driver of costs., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Advances in cell immunotherapy underscore the need for effective methods to produce large populations of effector T cells, driving growing interest in T-cell bioprocessing and immunoengineering. Research suggests that T cells demonstrate enhanced expansion and differentiation on soft matrices in contrast to rigid ones. Nevertheless, the influence of antibody conjugation chemistry on these processes remains largely unexplored. In this study, we examined the effect of antibody conjugation chemistry on T cell activation, expansion and differentiation using a soft and biocompatible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) platform. We rigorously evaluated three distinct immobilization methods, beginning with the use of amino-silane (PDMS-NH 2 -Ab), followed by glutaraldehyde (PDMS-CHO-Ab) or succinic acid anhydride (PDMS-COOH-Ab) activation, in addition to the conventional physical adsorption (PDMS-Ab). By employing both stable amide bonds and reducible Schiff bases, antibody conjugation significantly enhanced antibody loading and density compared to physical adsorption. Furthermore, we discovered that the PDMS-COOH-Ab surface significantly promoted IL-2 secretion, CD69 expression, and T cell expansion compared to the other groups. Moreover, we observed that both PDMS-COOH-Ab and PDMS-NH 2 -Ab surfaces exhibited a tendency to induce the differentiation of naïve CD4 + T cells into Th1 cells, whereas the PDMS-Ab surface elicited a Th2-biased immunological response. These findings highlight the importance of antibody conjugation chemistry in the design and development of T cell culture biomaterials. They also indicate that PDMS holds promise as a material for constructing culture platforms to modulate T cell activation, proliferation, and differentiation.

Introduction: The detrimental effects of sleep deprivation (SD) on cognitive function and quality of life are well known, and sleep disturbances are a major physical and mental health issue worldwide. Working memory plays an important role in many complex cognitive processes. Therefore, it is necessary to identify strategies that can effectively counteract the negative effects of SD on working memory., Methods: In the present study, we utilized event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate the restorative effects of 8 h of recovery sleep (RS) on working memory impairments induced by total sleep deprivation for 36 h. We analyzed ERP data from 42 healthy male participants who were randomly assigned to two groups. The nocturnal sleep (NS) group completed a 2-back working memory task before and after normal sleep for 8 h. The sleep deprivation (SD) group completed a 2-back working memory task before and after 36 h of total sleep deprivation (TSD) and after 8 h of RS. Electroencephalographic data were recorded during each task., Results: The N2 and P3 components-which are related to working memory-exhibited low-amplitude and slow-wave characteristics after 36 h of TSD. Additionally, we observed a significant decrease in N2 latency after 8 h of RS. RS also induced significant increases in the amplitude of the P3 component and in the behavioral indicators., Discussion: Overall, 8 h of RS attenuated the decrease in working memory performance caused by 36 h of TSD. However, the effects of RS appear to be limited., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Peng, Hou, Xu, Wang, Wu, Song, Shao and Yang.)

Background and Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnoea is associated with excessive daytime sleepiness due to sleep fragmentation and hypoxemia, both of which can lead to abnormal brain morphology. However, the pattern of brain structural changes associated with excessive daytime sleepiness is still unclear. This study aims to investigate the effects of excessive daytime sleepiness on cortical thickness in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea., Materials and Methods: 61 male patients with newly diagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea were included in the present study. Polysomnography and structural MRI were performed for each participant. Subjective daytime sleepiness was assessed using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale score. Surface-based morphometric analysis was performed using Statistical Parametric Mapping 12 and Computational Anatomy 12 toolboxes to extract cortical thickness., Results: Using the median Epworth Sleepiness Scale score, patients were divided into the non-sleepiness group and the sleepiness group. The cortical thickness was markedly thinner in the sleepiness group in the left temporal, frontal, and parietal lobe and bilateral pre- and postcentral gyri (pFWE < 0.05). There was a significant negative correlation between the cortical thickness and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale score. After adjusting for age, body mass index, and obstructive sleep apnoea severity, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale score remained an independent factor affecting the cortical thickness of the left middle temporal lobe, transverse temporal and temporal pole., Conclusion: Subjective daytime sleepiness is associated with decreased cortical thickness, and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale score may be of utility as a clinical marker of brain injury in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Li, Wang, Ji, Cheng, Su, Wu, Han, Cox, Wang and Chen.)

Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) play an important role in controlled cancer drug delivery. Anticancer drugs can be conjugated or encapsulated by polymeric nanocarriers, which are known as polymeric nanomedicine. Polymeric nanomedicine has shown its potential in providing sustained release of drugs with reduced cytotoxicity and modified tumor retention, but until now, few delivery systems loading drugs have been able to meet clinical demands, so more efforts are needed. This research reviews the current state of the cancer drug-loading system by exhibiting a series of published articles that highlight the novelty and functions from a variety of different architectures including micelles, liposomes, dendrimers, polymersomes, hydrogels, and metal-organic frameworks. These may contribute to the development of useful polymeric NPs to achieve different therapeutic purposes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Xiao, Teng, Shi, Chen, Wu, Wang, Meng, Essiet Imeh and Li.)

Aim: China's cost-containment measures increasingly focus solely on the prices of consumable medical supplies without taking a broader perspective on differences in features and overall costs. This study compared two types of endoscopic staplers in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy. Materials & methods: Electronic medical records for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery from 2016 to 2017 were collected from a hospital in Anhui province. Two cohorts were retroactively defined based on stapler type. Total costs were compared using a cost-minimization analysis model. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed. Results: In the base case, the group using more expensive staplers achieved overall cost savings of about $300 per procedure. Sensitivity analysis confirmed this result in 86.5% of cases. Conclusion: A price-only supply selection strategy may have unintended cost consequences.

Aim: This real-world data study investigated the economic burden and associated factors of readmissions for cerebrospinal fluid leakage (CSFL) post-cranial, transsphenoidal, or spinal index surgeries. Methods: Costs of CSFL readmissions and index hospitalizations during 2014-2018 were collected. Readmission cost was measured as absolute cost and as percentage of index hospitalization cost. Factors associated with readmission cost were explored using generalized linear models. Results: Readmission cost averaged US$2407-6106, 35-94% of index hospitalization cost. Pharmacy costs were the leading contributor. Generalized linear models showed transsphenoidal index surgery and surgical treatment for CSFL were associated with higher readmission costs. Conclusion: CSFL readmissions are a significant economic burden in China. Factors associated with higher readmission cost should be monitored.

We aimed to introduce hydrophilic sulfobetaine-type zwitterionic groups to macromolecular chains of copolymers to construct novel copolymer hydrogels with anti-protein-fouling performance that could be used as soft contact lens (SCL) materials. Using hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), N-vinyl pyrrolidinone (NVP) and sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA) as comonomers, several copolymer hydrogels with different SBMA contents, poly(HEMA-NVP-SBMA), are synthesized via radical copolymerization in an aqueous phase. Surface chemistry, structural morphologies, water contact angle (WCA), equilibrium water content (EWC), visible light transmittance and tensile mechanical properties are investigated. The prepared hydrogels exhibit a closed-type porous structure. With increasing SBMA content in the comonomer mixture, the prepared copolymer hydrogel pore size gradually increases up to the micron level, WCA tends to decrease, EWC tends to increase, and visible light transmittance slightly increases, but their tensile mechanical properties decline. The amounts of protein Lyz and BSA adsorbed on the copolymer hydrogels and on commercially available EASY DAY ® SCLs as a control are also determined by protein adsorption tests. The amount of protein adsorbed on the copolymer hydrogel decreases with increasing SBMA content. For the hydrogel prepared using the comonomer mixture with 5.0 wt % SBMA, the amount of adsorbed Lyz is 0.91 μg/cm 2 , which corresponds to only 56.8% of the amount adsorbed on EASY DAY ® SCLs. Thus, novel SCL materials with high water content and excellent anti-protein-fouling performance were efficiently constructed by introducing sulfobetaine-type zwitterionic groups into a traditional polymer hydrogel system.

Whether anastrozole has superior effects to tamoxifen for breast cancer remains controversial. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to compare the efficacy and safety of anastrozole versus tamoxifen as adjuvant therapy in breast cancer. A systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane library were performed to evaluate the survival benefits and toxicity profiles of patients with breast cancer who were treated with anastrozole or tamoxifen. The main outcome measures included disease-free survival (DFS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR), and adverse events. Hazard ratios (HRs) or risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using a fixed-effects model or random-effects model. Nine RCTs with a total of 15,300 patients met the inclusion criteria and were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled estimates suggested that, anastrozole was associated with a significantly improvement in DFS (HR=0.72, 95%CI: 0.55-0.94; P=0.016), and ORR (RR=1.21, 95% CI: 1.05-1.39; P=0.009) than tamoxifen. But it did not prolong OS (HR=0.96, 95%CI: 0.77-1.21; P=0.751). Compared with tamoxifen, anastrozole induced a higher incidence of arthralgia (RR=1.55, 95%CI: 1.20-1.99; P=0.001) and bone pain (RR=1.31, 95%CI: 1.05-1.62; P=0.015), as well as a lower incidence of vaginal bleeding (RR=0.51, 95%CI: 0.28-0.93; P=0.029), vaginal discharge (RR=0.31, 95%CI: 0.12-0.82; P=0.017), and thromboembolic events (RR=0.39, 95%CI: 0.28-0.55; P<0.001). Based on the current evidence, patients with breast cancer would benefit from the anastrozole treatment.