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Interleukin-13(IL-13) might play an important role in driving aggregate bronchitic symptoms pathogenesis. However, none of the studies assessed the interaction between air pollutants exposure and IL-13 gene on the risk of aggregate bronchitic symptoms in non-asthma children. To assess the independent and joint effects of the exposure to air pollution and IL-13 haplotypes on the risk of aggregate bronchitic symptoms, we conducted a cross-sectional study and focused on non-asthma children. The study population consisted of 2944 children. The effect of each air pollutant on the risk of aggregate bronchitic symptoms was estimated as odds ratios per interquartile range (IQR) change. In the multiple logistic regressions, adjusted for confounding factors, the risk of chronic phlegm was associated with PM2.5 exposure (aOR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.07–2.37 per 12.51 μg/m3 change), O3 exposure (aOR, 1.54 95% CI, 1.05–2.27 per 8.28 ppb change) and SO2 exposure (aOR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.02–1.39 per 0.98 ppb change). Our study further provides the evidence that gene-environment interactions between IL-13 haplotype and O3 exposure on chronic phlegm (95% CI for interaction, 1.01–1.38). Identifying children who are more sensitive to air pollution helps us to provide them an efficient prevention to avoid aggregate bronchitic symptoms., Highlights • Limited studies explored the interactions between IL-13 gene and air pollutants exposure on the risk of bronchitic symptoms. • Genetic susceptibility of IL-13 may interact with O3 exposure causing the pathogenesis of bronchitic symptoms. • Identifying children susceptible to air pollutants helps us to provide them an efficient prevention of bronchitic symptoms. Genetic susceptibility may interact with specific environmental factors causing the pathogenesis of aggregate bronchitic symptoms. Limited studies have explored the interactions between Interleukin-13 (IL-13) gene and air pollutants exposure on the risk of aggregate bronchitic symptoms. Our study further provides the evidence that gene-environment interactions between IL-13 gene and O3 exposure may play an important role in aggregate bronchitic symptoms. Identifying children who are more sensitive to air pollutants helps us to provide them an efficient prevention to avoid aggregate bronchitic symptoms.

Background/Aim: Exposure to occupational noise might increase the risk of hypertension. However, there is limited cohort studies to address the occupational noise exposure may change over time. Met...

Aims This study aimed to develop a family-centered care survey for Chinese adult intensive care units and to establish the survey's psychometric properties. Background Family-centered care (FCC) is widely recognized as an ideal model of care. Few studies have explored FCC perceptions among family members of adult critical care patients in Asian countries, and no Chinese FCC measurement has been developed. Methods An English version of the 3-factor family-centered care survey for adult intensive care units (FCCS-AICU) was translated into Chinese using a modified back translation procedure. Based on the literature review, two additional concepts, information and empowerment, were added to the Chinese FCCS-AICU. The psychometric properties of the Chinese FCCS-AICU were determined with 249 family members from a medical center in Taiwan and were tested for construct and convergent validity, and internal consistency. Results Both the monolingual and bilingual equivalence tests of the English and Chinese versions of the 3-factor FCCS-AICU were supported. Exploratory factor analysis supported the 5-factor structure of the Chinese FCCS-AICU with a total explained variance of 58.34%. The Chinese FCCS-AICU was correlated with the Chinese Critical Care Family Needs Inventory. Internal consistency, determined by Cronbach's α, for the overall scale was .94. Conclusions The Chinese FCCS-AICU is a valid and reliable tool for measuring perceptions of FCC by family members of adult intensive care patients within Chinese-speaking communities.

Owing to the strong dependence of the resistivity on the dopant concentration, nonuniformity across the thickness of a sample leads to an apparent anisotropy in the resistivity (measured parallel to and perpendicular to the plane of the film). Thus the magnitude of the apparent anisotropy (for nonoriented samples) offers a convenient means for quantifying the degree of dopant nonuniformity in trans-${(\mathrm{CH})}_{x}$. This technique is used to evaluate the uniformity achieved in ${[\mathrm{CH}{(\mathrm{As}{\mathrm{F}}_{5})}_{y}]}_{x}$ by conventional vapor-phase doping as compared with the slow-doping technique developed earlier for susceptibility studies. Using samples which have been demonstrated in this manner to be uniform, we reexamine the semiconductor-metal transition. From the transport data, we find that the better the uniformity in the distribution of dopant, the more abrupt is the transition at ${y}_{c}\ensuremath{\simeq}0.002$. A generalized soliton picture, involving delocalized carriers, appears to be implied by the combination of optical, magnetic, and transport data.