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Abstract Visible and microwave satellite measurements can provide the global whitecap fraction. The bubble clouds are three-dimensional structures, and a space-based lidar can provide complementary observations of the bubble depth. Here, we use lidar measurements of the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite to quantify global bubble depth from the depolarization. The relationship between CALIPSO bubble depth and wind speed from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) and AMSR2 is similar to a recently derived relationship based on buoy measurements. The CALIPSO-based bubble depth data show global distributions and seasonal variations consistent with the high wind speed (> 7 m/s) but with some variance. We also found similarities between the CALIPSO bubble depth and the whitecap fraction from AMSR2 and WindSat. Our findings support the use of spaceborne lidar measurements for advancing the understanding of the 3D bubble properties, and the ocean physics at high wind speeds.

Abstract Background The 4 serotypes of dengue virus (DENV1-4) can each cause potentially deadly dengue disease, and are spreading globally from tropical and subtropical areas to more temperate ones. Nepal provides a microcosm of this global phenomenon, having met each of these grim benchmarks. To better understand DENV transmission dynamics and spread into new areas, we chose to study dengue in Nepal and, in so doing, to build the onsite infrastructure needed to manage future, larger studies. Methods and results During the 2022 dengue season, we enrolled 384 patients presenting at a hospital in Kathmandu with dengue-like symptoms; 79% of the study participants had active or recent DENV infection (NS1 antigen and IgM). To identify circulating serotypes, we screened serum from 50 of the NS1+ participants by RT-PCR and identified DENV1, 2, and 3 – with DENV1 and 3 codominant. We also performed whole-genome sequencing of DENV, for the first time in Nepal, using our new on-site capacity. Sequencing analysis demonstrated the DENV1 and 3 genomes clustered with sequences reported from India in 2019, and the DENV2 genome clustered with a sequence reported from China in 2018. Conclusion These findings highlight DENV’s geographic expansion from neighboring countries, identify China and India as the likely origin of the 2022 DENV cases in Nepal, and demonstrate the feasibility of building onsite capacity for more rapid genomic surveillance of circulating DENV. These ongoing efforts promise to protect populations in Nepal and beyond by informing the development and deployment of DENV drugs and vaccines in real time.

Esophageal cancer, consisting primarily of squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma pathology, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide with rates of metastasis at time of diagnosis up to 50%. Renal metastasis is rare, with most pathological diagnosis yielding squamous cell carcinoma. We present the unique case of a 78-year-old man with biopsy proven adenocarcinoma metastasis to the kidney on routine surveillance following initial esophagectomy, chemoradiation and adjuvant immunotherapy. Imaging features of the solitary renal metastasis highly mimicked a primary renal cell carcinoma. Additional unique features included renal pelvis invasion and disease recurrence despite adjuvant immunotherapy. This case underscores the role of routine surveillance in this patient population, varied radiologic appearance, and importance for pathologic diagnosis.

Background The benefit of intravenous alteplase in acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) is time-dependent. Tenecteplase is non-inferior to alteplase among patients with AIS. We aimed to delineate the association of the stroke onset to treatment time (OTT) with tenecteplase compared with alteplase on therapeutic benefit and clinical risks.Methods This is a post hoc analysis of the Tenecteplase Reperfusion therapy in Acute ischaemic Cerebrovascular Events-2 an open-label, randomised, controlled, non-inferior trial. A total of 1430 AIS within 4.5 hours onset at 53 sites in China from 12 June 2021 to 29 May 2022 were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either tenecteplase 0.25 mg/kg or alteplase 0.9 mg/kg. The primary efficacy outcome was the proportion of participants with a modified Rankin Scale score of 0–1 at 90 days. A post hoc subgroup analysis was conducted with the OTT divided into three intervals (0–90 min, 91–180 min and 181–270 min). The primary safety outcome was symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage within 36 hours post-thrombolytic treatment.Results Treatment was initiated within 270 min of stroke onset in 1412 patients who were randomly allocated to either tenecteplase (n=707) or alteplase (n=705). The OR of primary efficacy outcome was similar as OTT increased (p=0.84). Adjusted odds of an excellent functional outcome were 0.99 (95% CI 0.37 to 2.67) for 0–90 min, 1.23 (95% CI 0.88 to 1.71) for 91–180 min and 1.21 (95% CI 0.88 to 1.65) for 181–270 min. All were in favour of the tenecteplase group. Meta-analysis of 2949 patients yielded a pooled risk difference of 5.54 (95% CI −0.18 to 11.26; p=0.82) in favour of tenecteplase for more than 180 min and 1.77 (95% CI −2.66 to 6.20; p=0.58) for 0–180 min.Conclusions In AIS patients who were treated with either tenecteplase or alteplase within 4.5 hours onset, there was no difference observed in the efficacy and safety between the two groups at the three different OTT time intervals.

Abstract Healthcare‐associated infection (HAI) is the most common adverse medical event that affects patients. Internationally, healthcare workers (HCWs) are monitored for hand hygiene compliance to reduce HAI risk. While direct observation is considered the gold standard for monitoring, it has several disadvantages. To address this, the study focused on developing a comprehensive hand hygiene system that integrates the Internet of Things (IoT) hand hygiene with soap and water (HHW) and alcohol‐based formulation (HHA) monitoring, incorporates real‐time data visualization on a web interface to track HCWs' hand hygiene practices, and provides instant calculations of compliance and accuracy rates. This IoT system uses Bluetooth for HCW positioning and HHW detection, ultrasonic sensors for handwashing duration, and pressure sensors for HHA detection. Furthermore, a cloud server, database, and website are established to manage and display the data received by the IoT devices. To reduce HAI in Taiwan, hospitals must provide both HHW and HHA systems, and HCWs can choose either method when hand hygiene is necessary. The system achieved 72% accuracy in clinical practice within an adult intensive care unit (ICU).

Abstract Electrification plays a crucial role in deep decarbonization. However, electrification and power infrastructure can cause mutual challenges. We use nationwide power outage and electric vehicle adoption data in China to provide empirical evidence on how power infrastructure failures can deter electrification. We find that when the number of power outages per district increases by 1 in a given month, the number of new electric vehicles adopted per month decreases by 0.99%. A doubling of power outages in one year on average across the nation can create a depressed adoption rate for up to a decade, implying a decline of more than $ 31.3 million per year in carbon reduction benefits from electric vehicle adoptions. This paper adds to the policy discussion of the costs of increased power outages due to extreme weather and natural disasters, and the urgency for policy to address this issue to facilitate wide adoption of electrification.

Abstract Sleep onset insomnia is a pervasive problem that contributes significantly to the poor health outcomes associated with insufficient sleep. Auditory stimuli phase-locked to slow-wave sleep oscillations have been shown to augment deep sleep, but it is unknown whether a similar approach can be used to accelerate sleep onset. The present randomized controlled crossover trial enrolled adults with objectively verified sleep onset latencies (SOLs) greater than 30 min to test the effect of auditory stimuli delivered at specific phases of participants’ alpha oscillations prior to sleep onset. During the intervention week, participants wore an electroencephalogram (EEG)-enabled headband that delivered acoustic pulses timed to arrive anti-phase with alpha for 30 min (Stimulation). During the Sham week, the headband silently recorded EEG. The primary outcome was SOL determined by blinded scoring of EEG records. For the 21 subjects included in the analyses, stimulation had a significant effect on SOL according to a linear mixed effects model (p = 0.0019), and weekly average SOL decreased by 10.5 ± 15.9 min (29.3 ± 44.4%). These data suggest that phase-locked acoustic stimulation can be a viable alternative to pharmaceuticals to accelerate sleep onset in individuals with prolonged sleep onset latencies. Trial Registration: This trial was first registered on clinicaltrials.gov on 24/02/2023 under the name Sounds Locked to ElectroEncephalogram Phase For the Acceleration of Sleep Onset Time (SLEEPFAST), and assigned registry number NCT05743114.

ABSTRACT SARS-CoV-2 molecular testing coupled with whole-genome sequencing is instrumental for real-time genomic surveillance. Genomic surveillance is critical for monitoring the spread of variants of concern (VOCs) as well as discovery of novel variants. Since the beginning of the pandemic, millions of SARS-CoV-2 genomes have been deposited into public sequence databases. This is the result of efforts of both national and regional diagnostic laboratories. In this study, we describe the results of SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance from February 2021 to June 2022 at a metropolitan hospital in the United States. We demonstrate that consistent daily sampling is sufficient to track the regional prevalence and emergence of VOCs and recapitulate national trends. Similar sampling efforts should be considered a viable option for local SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance at other regional laboratories.IMPORTANCEIn our manuscript, we describe the results of SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance from February 2021 to June 2022 at a metropolitan hospital in the United States. We demonstrate that consistent daily sampling is sufficient to track the regional prevalence and emergence of variants of concern (VOCs). Similar sampling efforts should be considered a viable option for local SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance at other regional laboratories. While the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has evolved into a more endemic form, we still believe that additional real-world information about sampling, procedures, and data interpretation is valuable for ongoing as well as future genomic surveillance efforts. Our study should be of substantial interest to clinical virologists.

ABSTRACT Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. In Nepal, Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) accounts for ~5-20% of AES cases, but ~75% of AES cases are of unknown etiology. We identified a gemykibivirus in CSF collected in 2020 from an 8-year-old male patient with AES using metagenomic next-generation sequencing. Gemykibiviruses are single stranded, circular DNA viruses in the family Genomoviridae. The complete genome of 2,211 nucleotides was sequenced, which shared 98.69% nucleotide identity to its closest relative, Human associated gemykibivirus 2 isolate SAfia-449D. Two real-time PCR assays were designed, and screening of 337 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and 164 serum samples from AES patients in Nepal collected in 2020 and 2022 yielded 11 CSF and 1 serum sample that were positive in both PCR assays. Complete genomes of seven of the positives were sequenced. These results identify a potential candidate etiologic agent of encephalitis in Nepal.IMPORTANCEViral encephalitis is a devastating disease, but unfortunately, worldwide, the causative virus in many cases is unknown. Therefore, it is important to identify viruses that could be responsible for cases of human encephalitis. Here, using metagenomic sequencing of CSF, we identified a gemykibivirus in a male child from Nepal with acute encephalitis syndrome (AES). We subsequently detected gemykibivirus DNA in CSF or serum of 12 more encephalitis patients by real-time PCR. The virus genomes we identified are highly similar to gemykibiviruses previously detected in CSF of three encephalitis patients from Sri Lanka. These results raise the possibility that gemykibivirus could be an underrecognized human pathogen.

BackgroundAchieving virtual elimination of HIV transmission in Australia requires a combination of high treatment rates and high testing coverage among individuals at risk of acquiring HIV. HIV self-testing (HIVST) is an additional testing approach for key populations.ObjectiveWe aimed to examine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of HIVST among Asian-born gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM).MethodsThis qualitative study used semi-structured interviews of overseas-born GBMSM of Asian background in Australia. Participants were recruited from personal networks, social media platforms, snowballing, and the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre. Twenty-five participants were purposively sampled with a range of ages and previous levels of experience with HIVST. Interview transcripts were imported into Nvivo 12 for data management.ResultsThe age of the participants ranged from 19 to 44 years, with a median of 30 years. Most were unaware of HIVST before the interview, and only a few had ever used one. All had limited sexual health knowledge (i.e., HIV testing, PrEP) before they arrived in Australia. Upon learning about HIVST during the interview, many expressed willingness to use HIVST, but in limited circumstances, such as traveling overseas, interim testing while taking on-demand PrEP, and point-of-sex testing. Almost all were open to distributing HIVST to their casual partners or friends, especially those they knew who engaged in high-risk sexual practice (i.e., condomless anal sex) and were not engaged in sexual healthcare. About half still preferred conventional serology testing because of regular HIV testing as part of PrEP prescription and the need for testing for other sexually transmitted infections.ConclusionHIVST may be an acceptable additional testing approach for HIV testing among Asian-born GBMSM. Peer education and secondary distribution may help raise HIVST awareness and use.

Ganoderma tsugae, a medicinal mushroom and one of Taiwan's significant commercially cultivated species, contains polysaccharides and triterpenoids reported to possess anticancer effects. This study investigated the G. tsugae water extract (GTWE) for its inhibitory mechanism against lung metastatic melanoma (LMM) and B16F10 cells. The antioxidant capacity and flow cytometry showed that GTWE reduced the production of cellular reactive oxygen species dose-dependently. MTT and wound healing assays further demonstrated that GTWE suppressed melanoma cell migration and viability. qRT-PCR and western blotting verified mechanisms of apoptosis, GTWE decreased the BCL2 expressions and upregulated Bax and cleaved caspase-9 protein. These findings suggest GTWE is a potential therapeutic agent in vitro and in vivo for treating melanoma cancer.

Abstract The mechanism of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) nuclear entry, required for productive infection, is not fully understood. Here, we report that in HeLa cells and activated CD4+ T cells infected with HIV-1 pseudotyped with VSV-G and native Env protein, respectively, Rab7+ late endosomes containing endocytosed HIV-1 promote the formation of nuclear envelope invaginations (NEIs) by a molecular mechanism involving the VOR complex, composed of the outer nuclear membrane protein VAP-A, hyperphosphorylated ORP3 and Rab7. Silencing VAP-A or ORP3 and drug-mediated impairment of Rab7 binding to ORP3-VAP-A inhibited the nuclear transfer of the HIV-1 components and productive infection. In HIV-1-resistant quiescent CD4+ T cells, ORP3 was not hyperphosphorylated and neither VOR complex nor NEIs were formed. This new cellular pathway and its molecular players are potential therapeutic targets, perhaps shared by other viruses that require nuclear entry to complete their life cycle.

Abstract Extracellular communication, in other words, crosstalk between cells, has a pivotal role in the survival of an organism. This communication occurs by different methods, one of which is extracellular vesicles. Exosomes, which are small lipid extracellular vesicles, have recently been discovered to have a role in signal transduction between cells inside the body. These vesicles contain important bioactive molecules including lipids, proteins, DNA, mRNA, and noncoding RNAs such as microRNAs (miRNAs). Exosomes are secreted by all cells including immune cells (macrophages, lymphocytes, granulocytes, dendritic cells, mast cells) and tumor cells. The tumor microenvironment (TME) represents a complex network that supports the growth of tumor cells. This microenvironment encompasses tumor cells themselves, the extracellular matrix, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, blood vessels, immune cells, and non-cellular components such as exosomes and cytokines. This review aims to provide insights into the latest discoveries concerning how the immune system communicates internally and with other cell types, with a specific focus on research involving exosomal miRNAs in macrophages, dendritic cells, B lymphocytes, and T lymphocytes. Additionally, we will explore the role of exosomal miRNA in the TME and the immunomodulatory effect.

Bio-optical and physical measurements were collected in the Mississippi Sound (Northern Gulf of Mexico) during the spring of 2018 as part of the Integrated Coastal Bio-Optical Dynamics project. The goal was to examine the impact of atmospheric and tidal fronts on fine-scale physical and bio-optical property distributions in a shallow, dynamic, coastal environment. During a 25-day experiment, eight moorings were deployed in the vicinity of a frontal zone. For a one-week period in the middle of the mooring deployment, focused ship sampling was conducted with aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle overflights, acquiring hyperspectral optical and thermal data. The personnel in the aircraft located visible color fronts indicating the convergence of two water masses and directed the ship to the front. Dye releases were performed on opposite sides of a front, and coincident aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle overflights were collected to facilitate visualization of advection/mixing/dispersion processes. Radiometric calibration of the optical hyperspectral sensor was performed. Empirical Line Calibration was also performed to atmospherically correct the aircraft imagery using in situ remote sensing reflectance measurements as calibration sources. Bio-optical properties were subsequently derived from the atmospherically corrected aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle imagery using the Naval Research Laboratory Automated Processing System.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has inevitably affected the distribution of medical resources, and epidemic lockdowns have had a significant impact on the nursing and treatment of patients with other acute diseases, including intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the manifestations and outcomes of patients with ICH. MethodsPatients with acute ICH before (December 1, 2018-November 30, 2019) and during (December 1, 2019-November 30, 2020) the COVID-19 pandemic at 31 centers in China from the Chinese Cerebral Hemorrhage: Mechanism and Intervention (CHEERY) study were entered into the analysis. Demographic information and clinical manifestations and outcomes were collected and compared between the 2 groups. ResultsFrom December 1, 2018, to November 30, 2020, a total of 3460 patients with ICH from the CHEERY study were enrolled and eventually analyzed. The results showed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with ICH were more likely to be older (P

Background China is one of the countries with the highest burden of stroke. Implementing multidimensional management guidelines will help clinicians practise evidence-based care, improve patient outcomes and alleviate societal burdens. This update of the 2019 edition will provide the latest comprehensive recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of ischaemic cerebrovascular diseases.Methods We conducted a comprehensive search on MEDLINE (via PubMed) up to 31 August 2023. The writing team established the recommendations through multiple rounds of online and offline discussions. Each recommendation was graded using the evidence grading algorithm developed by the Chinese Stroke Association (CSA). The draft was reviewed and finalised by the CSA Stroke Guidelines Writing Committee.Results This update included revisions of 15 existing recommendations and 136 new recommendations in the following areas of stroke care: emergency assessment and diagnosis of ischaemic cerebrovascular disease, acute-phase reperfusion therapy, evaluation of underlying mechanisms, antithrombotic therapy, prevention and treatment of complications, and risk factor management.Conclusions This guideline updated the recommendations for the clinical management of ischaemic cerebrovascular disease from 2019.

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that brain white matter hyperintensities (WMH) are more common in patients receiving epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR‐TKI) and identify clinical risk factors associated with WMH. Experimental design This multiple‐center, prospective cohort study was conducted from March 2017 to July 2020. Two groups of patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received or did not receive EGFR‐TKI were included and followed up for more than 24 months. The progression of WMH was defined as an increase of ≥1 point on the Fazekas visual rating scale between the baseline and at the 2‐year follow‐up. A modified Poisson regression model was performed to evaluate risk factors on increased WMH load. Results Among 286 patients with NSCLC, 194 (68%) patients with NSCLC who received EGFR‐TKI and 92 (32%) patients with NSCLC without EGFR‐TKI treatment were analyzed. Modified Poisson regression analysis showed that EGFR‐TKI treatment was independently associated with the WMH progression (EGFR‐TKI: aRR 2.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.46–5.06, p = .002). Interleukin (IL)‐2, IL‐4, and IL‐10 were associated with increased WMH in the adjusted model (IL‐2: aRR 1.55 [95% CI 1.06–2.25], p = .023; IL‐4: aRR 1.66 [95% CI 1.13–2.43], p = .010; IL‐10: aRR 1.48 [95% CI 1.06–2.06], p = .020). Conclusion Patients with NSCLC who received EGFR‐TKI may be at higher risk of developing WMH or worsening of WMH burden. The impact of increased WMH lesions in these patients is to be further assessed. IL‐2, IL‐4, and IL‐10 may be used as potential biomarkers to monitor the risk of increased WMH burden

ObjectiveThe present study aimed to investigate the impact of angiographic thrombus surface morphology on the angiographic and clinical outcomes of basilar artery occlusion (BAO).MethodsThis retrospective study included 141 patients with acute BAO who underwent mechanical thrombectomy (MT). We categorized thrombus surface phenotypes as either regular (smooth and straight, either convex or concave) or irregular. Patients with BAO were grouped based on the presence of a regular or irregular phenotype, and we compared their angiographic and clinical outcomes.ResultsIn total, 52.5% (74/141) of acute BAO patients exhibited a regular thrombus morphology. These patients had a higher rate of first-pass effect (28.4% vs. 4.5%, p = 0.0002) and fewer retrieval attempts (2 vs. 2; p = 0.0198) compared to those with irregular morphology. Among patients treated with contact aspiration (CA), the regular thrombus morphology showed a higher first-pass success rate (45.7% vs. 12.8%; p = 0.0017), a shorter procedural duration (46 vs. 50 min; p = 0.0159), and fewer retrieval attempts (1 vs. 2; p = 0.0338) compared to stent retriever (SR) thrombectomy. Both the regular thrombus morphology (OR 7.72, 95% CI 2.02–29.52; p = 0.003) and using CA as the first-line treatment (OR 3.37, 95% CI 1.12–10.13; p = 0.031) independently predicted first-pass success.ConclusionFor BAO patients treated with CA as the primary strategy, the presence of a regular thrombus surface might predict higher first-pass success and shorter procedural duration. A diligent assessment of thrombus morphology within the MT workflow could improve the feasibility of procedural techniques.

RNA splicing variations could help identify cancer subtypes, but this task is computationally challenging. Here, the authors develop CHESSBOARD, a Bayesian tile finding algorithm for splicing data which identifies patterns in the form of tiles and can discover leukemia subgroups associated with therapeutic response.

Introduction: Docetaxel, a taxane used in the treatment of solid tumours, exerts pharmacological activity when in its unbound form. We report a sensitive assay to quantify unbound docetaxel after oral administration of docetaxel plus encequidar (oDox+E). Unbound drug quantification is important due to its direct correlation with drug-related toxicity and therapeutic efficacy. We improve on the sensitivity of current assay methods and demonstrate the utility of the assay on a novel formulation of oral docetaxel. Methods: Ultrafiltration followed by high-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was utilized. Long-term stability, precision, accuracy, and recovery experiments were conducted to validate the assay. Additionally, patient samples from a Phase I dose-escalation pharmacokinetic study were analyzed using the developed assay. Results: The assay method exhibited long-term stability with an observed change between 0.8 and 6.9% after 131 days of storage at −60 °C. Precision and accuracy quality controls met the FDA acceptance criteria. An average recovery of 88% was obtained. Patient sample analysis demonstrated successful implementation of the assay. Conclusion: A validated sensitive assay was developed with an LLOQ of 0.084 ng/mL using 485 µL of human plasma. The sensitivity of the assay allowed quantification of unbound docetaxel concentrations in an early-phase oDox+E clinical study to compare it against IV docetaxel using pharmacokinetic modelling. Successful development of oDox+E represents an opportunity to replace the current IV docetaxel regimen with an oral regimen with lower cost, decreased side effects, and improve patient quality of life and experience.

Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the most aggressive gastrointestinal cancers. Despite improvements in therapies, the survival rate of patients with EC remains low. Metastasis accounts for up to 90% of cancer-related deaths, and resistance to anti-neoplastic therapeutics is also a main cause of poor survival. Thus, metastasis and drug resistance are undoubtedly the two main challenges in cancer treatment. Among the different categories of noncoding RNAs, lncRNAs have historically drawn less attention. However, lncRNAs have gradually become a research hotspot, and increasing research has demonstrated that lncRNAs participate in the tumorigenesis of multiple types of cancer, including EC. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are RNA transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides in length that play important roles in epigenetics, transcription regulation, and posttranscriptional processing. In this review, we elucidated the role of lncRNAs in the metastasis and drug resistance of EC and discussed their potential clinical applications and related limitations. With a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of lncRNAs, we can identify therapeutic targets for EC in the future.

The goal of this study is to develop a rapid diagnostic test for rheumatic disease and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) screening. A novel rapid vertical flow assay (VFA) was engineered and used to assay anti-nuclear (ANA) and anti-dsDNA (αDNA) autoantibodies from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and healthy controls (HCs). Observer scores and absolute signal intensities from the VFA were validated via ELISA. The rapid point-of-care VFA test that was engineered demonstrated a limit of detection of 0.5 IU/mL for ANA and αDNA autoantibodies in human plasma with an inter-operator CV of 19% for ANA and 12% for αDNA. Storage stability was verified over a three-month period. When testing anti-dsDNA and ANA levels in SLE and HC serum samples, the duplex VFA revealed 95% sensitivity, 72% specificity and an 84% ROC AUC value in discriminating disease groups, comparable to the gold standard, ELISA. The rapid αDNA/ANA duplex VFA can potentially be used in primary care clinics for evaluating patients or at-risk subjects for rheumatic diseases and for planning follow-up testing. Given its low cost, ease, and rapid turnaround, it can also be used to assess SLE prevalence estimates.

ABSTRACT: Diabetes has become a global concern at present, among which type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) accounts for approximately 90 %–95 % of patients. T2DM is a type of metabolic disorder syndrome that results from a genetic defect, and it is based on insulin resistance and an insulin secretion disorder. The occurrence of T2DM is usually the outcome of both genetic and environmental factors and their interactions. The etiology and pathogenesis of diabetes have not been fully elucidated, and no radical therapeutic cure has been found. Patients with T2DM suffer from complications such as the development of a chronic hyperglycemic condition and even serious metabolic disorders and organ damage in the body and depression and dementia, in addition to other chronic complications. Many studies have suggested that diet is crucial in the development of diabetes and the control of blood glucose. Natural substances have the characteristics of low toxicity and few side effects and may be key to the development of diabetic health products and preventive treatments. This paper reviews the etiology, pathogenesis, risks, treatments and diets related to T2DM to summarize the types of recently available natural products, from both local and foreign sources, for lowering blood glucose at home and their application in supplementary hypoglycemic foods. The key findings and conclusions suggest that there are various known T2DM-inducing factors, including genetic and environmental factors and three types of hybrid factors.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill, posing unprecedented challenges for healthcare systems worldwide. The overwhelming number of patients infected with the virus placed an enormous burden on healthcare providers, who struggled to cope with the sheer volume of cases. Furthermore, the lack of effective treatments or vaccines means that quarantining has become a necessary measure to slow the spread of the virus. However, quarantining places a significant burden on healthcare providers, who often lack the resources to monitor patients with mild symptoms or asymptomatic patients. In this study, we propose an Internet of Things (IoT)-based wearable health monitoring system that can remotely monitor the exact locations and physiological parameters of quarantined individuals in real time. The system utilizes a combination of highly miniaturized optoelectronic and electronic technologies, an anti-epidemic watch, a mini-computer, and a monitor terminal to provide real-time updates on physiological parameters. Body temperature, peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), and heart rate are recorded as the most important measurements for critical care. If these three physiological parameters are aberrant, then it could represent a life-endangering situation and/or a short period over which irreversible damage may occur. Therefore, these parameters are automatically uploaded to a cloud database for remote monitoring by healthcare providers. The monitor terminal can display real-time health data for multiple patients and provide early warning functions for medical staff. The system significantly reduces the burden on healthcare providers, as it eliminates the need for manual monitoring of patients in quarantine. Moreover, it can help healthcare providers manage the COVID-19 pandemic more effectively by identifying patients who require medical attention in real time. We have validated the system and demonstrated that it is well suited to practical application, making it a promising solution for managing future pandemics. In summary, our IoT-based wearable health monitoring system has the potential to revolutionize healthcare by providing a cost-effective, remote monitoring solution for patients in quarantine. By allowing healthcare providers to monitor patients remotely in real time, the burden on medical resources is reduced, and more efficient use of limited resources is achieved. Furthermore, the system can be easily scaled to manage future pandemics, making it an ideal solution for managing the health challenges of the future.