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Background The role of social environment, that is, the aggregate effect of social determinants of health (SDOHs), in determining dementia is unclear. Methods We developed a novel polysocial risk score for dementia based on 19 SDOH among 5 199 participants in the Health and Retirement Study, United States, to measure the social environmental risk. We used a survival analysis approach to assess the association between social environment and dementia risk in 2006–2020. We further studied the interaction between social environment and lifestyles, and explored racial disparities. Results The study participants (mean age = 73.4 years, SD  = 8.3; 58.0% female; 11.6% African American) were followed up for an average of 6.2 years, and 1 089 participants developed dementia. Every 1-point increase in the polysocial risk score (ranging from 0 to 10) was associated with a 21.6% higher risk (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.21, 95% confidence intervals [95% CI] = 1.15–1.26) of developing dementia, other things being equal. Among participants with high social environmental risk, regular exercise and moderate drinking were associated with a 43%–60% lower risk of developing dementia (p  < .001). In addition, African Americans were 1.3 times (aHR = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.96–2.66) more likely to develop dementia than European Americans, other things being equal. Conclusion An adverse social environment is linked to higher dementia risk, but healthy lifestyles can partially offset the increased social environmental risk. The polysocial risk score can complement the existing risk tools to identify high-risk older populations, and guide the design of targeted social environmental interventions, particularly focusing on improving the companionship of the older people, to prevent dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects one in 66 children in Canada, and its symptoms may be particularly challenging for parents from a Chinese background. Further, when working with Chinese families, Western-educated service providers may experience difficulty in applying culturally relevant and family-centered care. This study examined the experiences of one Chinese-Canadian family as they receive intervention services for their two children with ASD. This pilot, single-case design, qualitative case study included semi-structured interviews with the parents, grandparents, as well as three service providers' views. Three major themes emerged from the data in the form of tensions: (1) within the family members; (2) within the therapeutic relationships, and (3) in addressing culture in therapy. Results suggested that although the family identified key cultural differences, service providers did not sufficiently address these within the therapeutic relationship, and the need for culturally-relevant and family-centered care was not fulfilled. Chinese-Canadian parents for children with autism spectrum disorder adopt both Chinese and Western values that fit best for their circumstances. Service providers and family members can have conflicting priorities, making family-centered care, culturally-relevant care challenging. Culture plays an important role in family expectations, and should be incorporated with more intention in the rehabilitation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractZearalenone (ZEN), a nonsteroidal estrogenic mycotoxin, causes enormous economic losses in the food and feed industries. Simple, rapid, low-cost, and quantitative analysis of ZEN is particularly urgent in the fields of food safety and animal husbandry. Using the bioluminescent bacterium Photobacterium phosphoreum T3, we propose a bioluminescence inhibition assay to evaluate ZEN levels quickly. The limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), and quantitative working range of this bioluminescence inhibition assay were 0.1 µg/mL, 5 µg/mL, and 5-100 µg/mL, respectively. The concentration-response curve of the bioluminescence inhibition rate and ZEN concentration was plotted within the range 5 to 100 μg/mL, as follows: y = 0.0069x2 – 0.0190x + 7.9907 (R2 = 0.9943, y is luminescence inhibition rate, x is ZEN concentration). First, we used the bioluminescence inhibition assay to detect the remaining ZEN in samples treated with purified lactonohydrolase ZHD101. The bioluminescence inhibition assay results showed a strong correlation with the HPLC analysis. Furthermore, we successfully evaluated the overall toxicity of samples treated with purified peroxidase Prx and H2O2 using the P. phosphoreum T3 bioluminescence inhibition assay. The results indicate that the degradation products of ZEN created by purified peroxidase Prx and H2O2 showed little toxicity to P. phosphoreum T3. In this study, a simple, rapid, and low-cost assay method of zearalenone by bioluminescent P. phosphoreum T3 was developed. The bioluminescence inhibition assay could be used to estimate the efficiency of enzymatic degradation of ZEN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) offers a striking solution to solve problems encountered in step‐growth condensation polymerization, including precise control over molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, and topology. This has inspired our interest in ROP of cycloalkanes with an ultimate goal to rethink polyolefins, which clearly poses a number of challenges. Practicality of ROP of cycloalkanes is actually limited by their low polymerizability and elusive mechanisms which arise from significantly varied ring size and non‐polar C−C bonds in monomers. In this work, by using Lewis acid/Brønsted base/C(sp3)‐H initiator system previously developed in our laboratory, we focus on cyclobutanes and explore the positional and electronic effects of substituents on the ring, namely electron push‐pull effect, in promoting controlled polymerization to afford densely functionalized poly(cyclobutanes), as well as catalytic degradation of obtained polymers for upcycling. More importantly, experiments and DFT calculations unveil considerable population of Lewis‐acid‐induced thermostabilized 1,4‐zwitterions, which distinguish cyclobutanes from cyclopropanes and others. All these findings would shed light on catalytic synthesis and degradation of saturated all‐carbon main‐chain polymers, as well as small molecule transformations of cyclobutanes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we propose a scheme to control the deflection of the warhead based on the configuration of the hypersonic glide body (HGB) to solve the problems posed by its large control surface load and severe aerodynamic heat under hypersonic flight conditions. We conducted numerical simulations on the configurations of deflection of the warhead of an HGB analog under different flight modes as well as varying angles and directions of deflection. The results showed that once the warhead had been deflected, the overall configuration of the HGB analog still exhibited static longitudinal stability. An increase in the angle of deflection significantly reduced the lift-to-drag ratio of the configuration at large angles of attack. When the warhead was deflected upward, the configuration of the HGB analog exhibited static lateral instability, while it exhibited a high static lateral stability when the warhead was deflected downward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports the first attempt to characterize the quality, defects, and strain of as‐grown monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC)‐based 2D materials through exciton anisotropy. A standard ellipsometric parameter (Ψ) to observe anisotropic exciton behavior in monolayer 2D materials is used. According to the strong exciton effect from phonon–electron coupling processes, the change in the exciton in the Van Hove singularity is sensitive to lattice distortions such as defects and strain. In comparison with Raman spectroscopy, the variations in exciton anisotropy in Ψ are more sensitive for detecting slight changes in the quality and strain of monolayer TMDC films. Moreover, the optical power requirement for TMDC characterization through exciton anisotropy in Ψ is ≈10−5 mW cm−2, which is significantly less than that of Raman spectroscopy (≈106 mW cm−2). The standard deviation of the signals varies with strain (defects) in Raman spectra and exciton anisotropies in Ψ are 0.700 (0.795) and 0.033 (0.073), indicating that exciton anisotropy is more sensitive to slight changes in the quality of monolayer TMDC films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractBackgroundAimsMethodsResultsConclusionPositive psychological interventions (PPIs) are known to be effective in alleviating depression. However, the effect of PPIs on positive and negative emotions in depressed participants is not unclear.To systematically investigate the effects of PPIs on positive and negative emotions in depressed individuals.6 databases were searched for randomized controlled trials of PPIs in individuals with depressive disorders or depressive symptoms. Hedges’ g value was computed using a random-effects model to determine effect sizes.14 trials from 13 studies were included. Our meta-analysis showed that PPIs had significant but small effects on improving positive affect (g = 0.33, p = .02), life satisfaction (g = 0.26, p = .03), happiness (g = 0.62, p = .03) and depression (g = −0.32, p = .001), and negligible effects on improving well-being (g = 0.13, p = .24) and negative affect (g = −0.15, p = .31). Subgroup analyses of depression showed that PPIs have experienced benefits in improving depression in most subgroups. In addition, none of the subgroup analyses performed for outcomes other than depression found PPIs to be more effective than controls.PPIs can improve positive affect, life satisfaction, happiness and depression in depressed individuals, but further studies are needed to validate their effects on well-being, and negative affect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid assembly of valuable cyclic amine architectures in a single step from simple precursors has been recognized as an ideal platform in term of efficiency and sustainability. Although a vast number of studies regarding cyclic amine synthesis has been reported, new synthetic disconnection approaches are still high in demand. Herein, we report a catalytic radical‐polar crossover cycloaddition to cyclic amine synthesis triggered from primary sulfonamide under photoredox condition. This newly developed disconnection, comparable to established synthetic approaches, will allow to construct β, β‐disubstituted cyclic amine and β‐monosubstituted cyclic amine derivatives efficiently. This study highlights the unique utility of primary sulfonamide as a bifunctional reagent, which acts as a radical precursor and a nucleophile. The open‐shell methodology demonstrates broad tolerance to various functional groups, drug derivatives and natural products in an economically and sustainable fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid assembly of valuable cyclic amine architectures in a single step from simple precursors has been recognized as an ideal platform in term of efficiency and sustainability. Although a vast number of studies regarding cyclic amine synthesis has been reported, new synthetic disconnection approaches are still high in demand. Herein, we report a catalytic radical‐polar crossover cycloaddition to cyclic amine synthesis triggered from primary sulfonamide under photoredox condition. This newly developed disconnection, comparable to established synthetic approaches, will allow to construct β, β‐disubstituted cyclic amine and β‐monosubstituted cyclic amine derivatives efficiently. This study highlights the unique utility of primary sulfonamide as a bifunctional reagent, which acts as a radical precursor and a nucleophile. The open‐shell methodology demonstrates broad tolerance to various functional groups, drug derivatives and natural products in an economically and sustainable fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "A novel HIF1α-STIL-FOXM1 axis regulates tumor metastasis" published in the Journal of Biomedical Science. The correction addresses errors in figures 6, supplementary figure s5, and Supplementary Figure S8. The incorrect figures have been replaced with the correct ones. The original publication has been updated to reflect these corrections. The authors of the article are Yi-Wei Wang, Shu-Chuan Chen, De-Leung Gu, Yi-Chen Yeh, Jhih-Jie Tsai, Kuo-Tai Yang, Yuh-Shan Jou, Teh-Ying Chou, and Tang K. Tang. [Extracted from the article]

In this study, three kinds of electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) processes (electrospraying, electrospinning, and coaxial electrospinning) are implemented to create hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) based ultra‐thin products for providing the fast dissolution of a poorly water‐soluble drug ketoprofen (KET). An EHDA apparatus, characterized by a novel spinneret, is homemade for conducting the three processes. The three types of products are electrospun nanofibers E1, electrosprayed microparticles E2, and core‐shell nanofibers E3. SEM and TEM results indicate that they have the anticipated morphologies and inner structures. X‐ray diffraction and Fourier Transform Infrared results verify that KET is mainly amorphous in all the composites due to its fine compatibility with HPMC. In vitro dissolution tests demonstrate that the drug rapid release performances has an order of E3>E1>E2≫KET powders. The fast dissolution mechanisms are suggested and the advantages of the three products are compared. The super performance of E3 in furnishing the rapid release is attributed to a synergistic action of small size (of the shell thickness), high porosity, amorphous state of drug, and the solubility of HPMC. EHDA nanostructures can support the development of nano drug delivery systems (DDSs) through tailoring the spatial distribution of drug molecules within the nano products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explored the correlation between the presence of isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) mutations and the incidence of postoperative epilepsy in patients with glioblastoma, as well as assessed the efficacy of preemptive administration of antiepileptic medications in mitigating the occurrence of postoperative epilepsy. Methods: Fifty-three patients who received a postoperative pathological diagnosis of glioblastoma, were enrolled in this study. Tumor specimens were subjected to IDH1 gene analysis. The patient cohort was stratified based on their IDH1 mutation status and the administration of prophylactic antiepileptic drugs during the postoperative phase. We subsequently conducted a comparative analysis of postoperative epileptic complications within each patient subgroup. Results: In the cohort of 53 patients under study, the occurrence of epilepsy was observed in 10 out of 21 patients carrying IDH1 mutations, while 5 out of 32 patients with wild-type IDH1 also experienced epilepsy, revealing a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). Among the 27 patients who received prophylactic antiepileptic drugs, 6 of them developed epilepsy, whereas 9 out of 26 patients who did not receive prophylactic antiepileptic drugs exhibited concurrent epilepsy, with no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05). However, when performing a subgroup analysis, it was found that 3 out of 12 patients with IDH1 mutations who received prophylactic antiepileptic drugs experienced epilepsy, whereas 7 out of 9 patients who did not receive prophylactic antiepileptic drugs developed epilepsy, demonstrating a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). Furthermore, within the group of 15 patients with wild-type IDH1, 3 patients who received prophylactic antiepileptic drugs developed epilepsy, while 2 cases of epilepsy occurred among the 17 patients who did not receive prophylactic antiepileptic drugs, with no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05). Conclusion: In individuals with IDH1 mutant glioblastoma who have undergone surgical resection, the implementation of preventive antiepileptic therapy demonstrates a potential to diminish the occurrence of postoperative epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(N‐vinylcaprolactam) (PVCL), a salt responsive ligand, was grafted from electrospun cellulose nanofiber membranes by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The membranes were used for hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The modified PVCL‐cellulose membranes were used to separate BSA dimers from monomers as well as monoclonal antibody (mAb) aggregates. Fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) was used for protein separation and fraction collection. High performance liquid chromatography with a size exclusion column (HPLC‐SEC) analysis confirmed the separation of monomers and aggregates from both BSA and the mAb. The results suggest that use of a responsive ligand that changes its conformation with ionic strength could improve the performance of hydrophobic interaction chromatography enabling the separation of compounds based on slight differences in hydrophobicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: As a serious complication of moderately severe acute pancreatitis (MSAP) and severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) can lead to a prolonged course of interventional therapy. Most predictive models designed to identify such patients are complex or lack validation. The aim of this study was to develop a predictive model for the early detection of IPN in MSAP and SAP. Methods: A total of 594 patients with MSAP or SAP were included in the study. To reduce dimensionality, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression analysis was used to screen potential predictive variables, a nomogram was then constructed using logistic regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to evaluate the discrimination, accuracy, and clinical efficacy of the model. External data were also obtained to further validate the constructed model. Results: There were 476, 118, and 82 patients in the training, internal validation, and external validation cohorts, respectively. Platelet count, hematocrit, albumin/globulin, severity of acute pancreatitis, and modified computed tomography severity index score were independent factors for predicting IPN in MSAP and SAP. The area under the ROC curves were 0.923, 0.940, and 0.817, respectively, in the three groups. There was a good consistency between the actual probabilities and the predicted probabilities. DCA revealed excellent clinical utility. Conclusion: The constructed nomogram is a simple and feasible model that has good clinical predictive value and efficacy in clinical decision‐making for IPN in MSAP and SAP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Immunization is a cornerstone of public health. Despite great success, China's National Immunization Program (NIP) faces challenges, such as the integration of several World Health Organization-recommended vaccines and other systemic issues. The Innovation Laboratory for Vaccine Delivery Research (VaxLab), supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and established in 2021 at Duke Kunshan University, focuses on enhancing China's NIP through research and policy advocacy. This editorial aims to summarize the key findings of the manuscripts published in the collection contributed by VaxLab team and set the future research agenda. Key findings: The collection contains eleven manuscripts discussing China's immunization landscape and strategies to improve coverage, particularly for non-NIP vaccines like human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV), pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine (Hib), and rotavirus vaccines. Key findings include: (i) The COVID-19 vaccination campaign demonstrated China's capacity for rapid, large-scale immunization efforts, suggesting potential for broader vaccine coverage improvements; (ii) Efforts in combating cervical cancer through the HPV vaccine indicate progress but also highlight challenges like vaccine supply and equitable access; (iii) The lag in adopting higher-valent paediatric combination vaccines in China needs attention to address regulatory and health system hurdles; (iv) Disparities in access to non-NIP vaccines underscore the need for government initiatives to improve vaccine coverage, especially for remote areas and marginalized populations; (v) Original studies emphasize the influence of caregivers' knowledge, health workers' financial incentives, and concerns about vaccine efficacy on immunization rates; (vi) Case studies from the Weifang City of China and Indonesia to introduce PCV offer insights on successful vaccine introduction strategies and the impact of innovative financing and government support. Conclusion: The articles emphasize the need for government leadership, strategic policymaking, and public awareness to enhance vaccine coverage and equity. The VaxLab will continue strengthening China's NIP by focusing on vaccine financing, emphasizing diversity, equity, and inclusion, and improving maternal vaccination coverage. Research will extend to Southeast Asian and Western Pacific regions, especially in middle-income countries facing challenges in vaccine financing and delivery. The collective efforts outlined in this collection show a commitment to evolving and adapting immunization strategies to meet global health goals and to provide equitable access to vaccines for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The associations between people with severe mental illnesses (SMI) and the risks of stroke, suicide, and death remain unclear. We examined healthcare service usage among adults with and without SMI and explored the risk of stroke, suicide, and death. We divided 18–80-year-old adults with SMI into catastrophic and non-catastrophic illness groups. These groups were subjected to a 1:5:5 propensity score matching with people without SMI. Data on demographic characteristics, economic factors, environmental factors, comorbid conditions, self-injury behavior, the number of outpatients and ED visits, and hospitalization were collected. The primary outcomes were risks of stroke, suicide, and death. We included 19,570 people with catastrophic SMI, 97,850 with non-catastrophic SMI, and 97,850 controls. Patients with SMI, especially those with catastrophic illnesses, had higher stroke risk, suicide, and death than those without SMI. People with SMI used health services more frequently than those without SMI. Patients with a history of hospitalization or ED access had a higher risk of stroke, suicide, and death. Our data indicate that special attention should be given to patients with SMI, particularly those with a history of healthcare service utilization, such as through more extended hospital stays with high-intensity interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphing aircraft is an important trend in the future development of next-generation aircraft. This paper focuses on aircraft with a small aspect ratio flying wing configuration that includes morphing tails. The unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of the morphing tail configuration are numerically simulated using the unstructured overset grid technique and the dual-time method, focusing on the effects of the tail deflection angle over time, Mach number, and side slip angle on the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of the entire aircraft and tails. The second derivative of the tail deflection angle with time should be continuous, and the maximum angular velocity and maximum angular acceleration should be minimized. The hysteresis loop area is closely related to the Mach number. The sideslip angle aggravates the nonlinearity of the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of the entire aircraft. The unsteady aerodynamic characteristics during tail morphing are affected by static (wing downwash effect and projected area effect) and dynamic (flow field hysteresis effect, additional motion effect, and wall implication effect) characteristics. The enclosed research provides a reference for the aerodynamic and control system designs of morphing tail configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suicidal risk has been a significant mental health problem. However, the predictive ability for repeated self-harm (SH) has not improved over the past decades. This study thus aimed to explore a potential tool with theoretical accommodation and clinical application by employing traditional logistic regression (LR) and newly developed machine learning, random forest algorithm (RF). Starting with 89 items from six commonly used scales (i.e., proximal suicide risk factors) as preliminary predictors, both LR and RF resulted in a better solution with much fewer items in two phases of item selections and analyses, with prediction accuracy 88.6% and 79.8%, respectively. A combination with 12 selected items, named LR-12, well predicted repeated self-harm in 6-month follow-up with satisfactory performance (AUC = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.76–0.92; cut-off point by 1/2 with sensitivity 81.1% and specificity 74.0%). The psychometrically appealing LR-12 could be used as a screening scale for suicide risk assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective was to investigate the association between thyroid hormone changes within normal range and bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Materials and methods: A total of 661 T2DM patients with normal thyroid function were included in our study, and they were classified into three groups: normal group, osteopenia group, and osteoporosis group. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the differences in variables between the three groups. Pearson's correlation analysis was performed to assess the association between clinical parameters and BMD, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the potential risk factors for osteoporosis. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Evaluation of the sensitivity and specificity of thyroid hormone by ROC curves to determine more reliable thresholds for experimental indicators. Results: The three groups showed significantly different population groups (male and female groups) (p < 0.05). Age, fasting blood glucose (FBG), and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) were higher in the osteoporosis group (p < 0.05). In contrast, body mass index (BMI), serum uric acid (SUA), and free triiodothyronine (FT3) were lower in osteoporosis group (p < 0.05). Thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) and anti-thyroid globulin antibodies (TgAb) positive proportion was significantly higher in osteoporosis group. BMD of lumbar vertebrae was positively correlated with BMI, SUA, and FT3 (p < 0.05), while it was negatively correlated with age and FBG (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that TPOAb positive and TgAb positive levels were associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis (p < 0.05), while higher SUA and FT3 levels were associated with a decreased risk of osteoporosis (p < 0.05). The ROC curves demonstrated that FT3, FT4, and TSH had a good discriminative ability, with AUC values of 0.840, 0.602, and 0.522. Conclusion: The circulating concentration of FT3 was positively correlated with BMD. Maintaining normal and slightly higher levels of FT3 and SUA may prevent the reduction of BMD and the incidence of osteoporosis in T2DM patients. Besides, T2DM patients with TPOAb positive and TGAb positive levels should be routinely checked for BMD to prevent osteoporosis development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the different ground reaction force (GRF) characteristics from different stride types. This study included 30 Taiwanese elite college and professional baseball pitchers. Each pitcher was classified into one of the following stride types: tall and fall (TF), dip and drive (DD), or mixed (MX). Our findings indicated that DD pitchers pressed their bodies forward earlier than TF pitchers. In contrast, the GRF of the pivot leg of TF pitchers increased slowly in the first half of the stride phase and continued to increase even after the stride leg touched the ground. This type of continuous pressing in TF was different from that in DD and MX pitchers, which decreased rapidly into the arm-cocking & acceleration phases. We conclude that the lower extremities were used differently by TF, DD and MX pitchers. This information could serve as a training guideline for coaches and pitchers to enhance training effectiveness, while simultaneously lowering injury risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sharp esophageal foreign body (SEFB) impaction can cause varying degrees of damage to the esophagus. There are few studies analyzing the postoperative fasting time in SEFB patients. Methods: We retrospectively collected 835 SEFB patients. According to the fasting time after the endoscopic removal (ER) of SEFBs, the patients were divided into two groups: short fasting time (SFT, fasted ≤ 24 h) and long fasting time (LFT, fasted > 24 h). Results: There were 216 and 619 patients in the SFT and LFT group, respectively. The average age of the SFT group (52.97 years) was younger than that of the LFT group (55.96 years) (p = 0.025). The LFT group had lower proportion of duration of impaction (DOI) within 12 hours (14.2% vs 22.2%, p = 0.006) and erosion rates (89.0% vs 94.0%, p = 0.034) as well as higher proportion of esophageal perforation (19.5 vs 6.5%, p = 0.010) and patients who got intravenous anesthesia (63.78% vs 31.9%, p = 0.000) than the SFT group. The longest diameter of the foreign body (Lmax) in the LFT group (2.60 ± 1.01 cm) was greater than that in the SFT group (2.41 ± 0.83 cm; p = 0.01). Multivariate regression analysis found that age (OR = 1.726[1.208– 2.465], p = 0.003), DOI (OR = 1.793[1.175– 2.737], p = 0.007), Lmax (OR = 1.477[1.033– 2.111], p = 0.032), perforation (OR = 3.698[2.038– 6.710]; p < 0.01) and intravenous anesthesia (OR = 3.734[2.642– 5.278]; p < 0.01) were the independent factors that prolonged fasting time in patients with SEFBs, while esophageal mucosal erosion (OR = 0.433[0.229– 0.820]; p = 0.01) was the influencing factor leading to shortened fasting time. Conclusion: For the first time, we analyzed factors influencing the fasting time after ER in SEFB patients. Age, DOI, Lmax, perforation and intravenous anesthesia were risk factors for a prolonged postoperative fasting time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) stands as a prevalent malignancy globally, characterized by significant morbidity and mortality. Despite continuous advancements in the treatment of HCC, the prognosis of patients with this cancer remains unsatisfactory. This study aims at constructing a disulfidoptosis‑related long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) signature to probe the prognosis and personalized treatment of patients with HCC. Methods: The data of patients with HCC were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. Univariate, multivariate, and least absolute selection operator Cox regression analyses were performed to build a disulfidptosis-related lncRNAs (DRLs) signature. Kaplan–Meier plots were used to evaluate the prognosis of the patients with HCC. Functional enrichment analysis was used to identify key DRLs-associated signaling pathways. Spearman's rank correlation was used to elucidate the association between the DRLs signature and immune microenvironment. The function of TMCC1-AS1 in HCC was validated in two HCC cell lines (HEP3B and HEPG2). Results: We identified 11 prognostic DRLs from the TCGA dataset, three of which were selected to construct the prognostic signature of DRLs. We found that the survival time of low-risk patients was considerably longer than that of high-risk patients. We further observed that the composition and the function of immune cell subpopulations were significantly different between high- and low-risk groups. Additionally, we identified that sorafenib, 5-Fluorouracil, and doxorubicin displayed better responses in the low-score group than those in the high-score group, based on IC50 values. Finally, we confirmed that inhibition of TMCC1-AS1 impeded the proliferation, migration, and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Conclusions: The DRL signatures have been shown to be a reliable prognostic and treatment response indicator in HCC patients. TMCC1-AS1 showed potential as a novel prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing the design variable space is crucial in multi-objective airfoil profile optimization to improve optimization efficiency and reduce computational costs. Based on random forest and deep neural networks (DNNs), this work performs range reduction on ten design variables obtained through a fourth-order class shape transformation parameterization method for subsonic airfoil profiles. Three aerodynamic performance objectives (lift coefficient, drag coefficient, and lift-to-drag ratio) are evaluated using the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations, and two radar stealth performance objectives (horizontal and vertical polarization radar cross sections) are assessed through the method of moments. By combining a DNN architecture with an improved regression prediction capability, predictive models are trained for mapping design variables to design objectives. The prediction errors are below 3% for the aerodynamic performance design objectives and below 1% for the stealth performance design objectives. The particle swarm optimization algorithm provides optimized airfoil profiles for three scenarios. First is a higher lift coefficient with a lower radar cross section. Second is a lower radar cross section. Third is a higher lift coefficient. Increasing the airfoil curvature and reducing the maximum thickness improves the lift coefficient by 386 counts and reduces the drag coefficient by 17 counts. By curving the airfoil leading edge, the radar cross section for the transverse electric and transverse magnetic polarizations decreased by 2.78 and 2.09 dBsm, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bonding of thick Cu and AlN is necessary in power modules with the development of high‐frequency communication technology. In this work, 2 mm‐thick Cu was successfully bonded with AlN by using Sn9Zn solder with the assistance of ultrasonication at 230°C. Results showed that an AlN/Sn9Zn/Cu joint without crack was manufactured with a cooling rate of 7°C/min. Nonreactive wetting was realized between AlN and Sn9Zn, forming an amorphous transition layer. CuZn2 and CuZn were formed at the Sn9Zn/Cu interface. A joint with the highest bonding strength of 30.07 MPa was obtained, in which the AlN/Sn9Zn interface was no longer the weakest location. This work provides a low‐temperature manufacturing method for thick Cu/AlN joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A doubly mononuclear cobalt(II) complex [Co(Hpmt)2(N3)2]2 (1) (Hpmt = 2-(2-pyridylmethylamino)ethanesulfonic acid; N3 = azide anion) has been synthesized and structurally characterized. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis showed that 1 has crystallized in orthorhombic crystal system, Cmc21 space group. In the two independent and identical complexes, the cobalt(II) centers are both hexa-coordinated in distorted CoN6 octahedrons. The reduced Schiff base ligand Hpmt displayed a new coordination mode of bidentate chelate (κ2-N,N′). The careful comparisons between Hpmt upon coordination and as free acid form demonstrated that the conformation flexibility might be responsible for its multiple coordination modes. The N–H⋯O and C–H⋯N hydrogen bonds constructed the 3D network, and this mainly agreed with the Hirshfeld surface analysis results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-National Immunization Program (NIP) vaccines have played an important role in controlling vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) in China. However, these vaccines are paid out of pocket and there is room to increase their coverage. We focused on four selected non-NIP vaccines in this study, namely Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), and rotavirus vaccine. We aimed to conduct a scoping review of their vaccination rates and the major barriers faced by health systems, providers, and caregivers to increase coverage. Methods: We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). We searched five English databases (PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Scopus, and WHO IRIS) and four Chinese databases using the search strategy developed by the study team. Two independent reviewers screened, selected studies, and examined their quality. We summarized the non-NIP vaccine coverage data by vaccine and applied the 5A framework (Access, Affordability, Acceptance, Awareness, Activation) to chart and analyze barriers to increasing coverage. Results: A total of 28 articles were included in the analysis (nine pertaining to vaccine coverage, and another 19 reporting challenges of increasing uptake). Among the four selected vaccines, coverage for the Hib vaccine was the highest (54.9–55.9% for 1 dose or more from two meta-analyses) in 2016, while the coverage of the other three vaccines was lower than 30%. Eight of the nine included articles mentioned the regional disparity of coverage, which was lower in under-developing regions. For example, the three-dose Hib vaccination rate in eastern provinces was 38.1%, whereas the rate in central and western provinces was 34.3% and 26.2%, respectively in 2017. Within the 5A framework, acceptance, awareness, and affordability stood out as the most prominent themes. Among the 12 identified sub-themes, high prices, low vaccine awareness, concerns about vaccine safety and efficacy were the most cited barriers to increasing the uptake. Conclusions: There is an urgent need to increase coverage of non-NIP vaccines and reduce disparities in access to these vaccines across regions. Concerted efforts from the government, the public, and society are required to tackle the barriers and challenges identified in this study, both on the demand and supply side, to ensure everybody has equal access to life-saving vaccines in China. Particularly, the government should take a prudent approach to gradually incorporate non-NIP vaccines into the NIP step by step, and make a prioritizing strategy based on key factors such as disease burden, financial resources, and market readiness, with special attention to high-risk populations and underdeveloped regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are five subdialects of Southern Min in Taipei City: Old Quanshan ..., New Quanshan, Old Tong'an ..., New Tong'an, and Zhanghai ... Southern Min. We discovered that at least 80% of the words in the "Qing/Geng colloquial ..." rhyme group were pronounced as [ĩ] in the Quan-based Southern Min areas. Secondly, the most representative features of Tong'an-based Southern Min are the "Guan/Guan colloquial ..." rhyme group, pronounced as [ũaĩ], and the "Xiong/Gan colloquial ..." rhyme group, pronounced as [aĩ]. Nonetheless, young people in two areas of Tong'an-based Southern Min no longer use the [ũaĩ] variation in the "Guan/Guan colloquial" rhyme group. As for [aĩ] in the "Xiong/Gan colloquial" rhyme group, this variation can still be sporadically found in all the other areas. These two rhyme groups might no longer be the criterion for determining whether an accent belongs to Tong'an-based Southern Min in Taipei. Moreover, the tendency of the Southern Min vowel system in Taipei City is towards a five-vowel system without /ᵒ/ and /ᵓ/ being differentiated. The "Gao/Gao literary ..." rhyme group is, as a result, mostly pronounced as [ᵓ]. However, this is caused by the restructuring of the vowel system. Finally, contact between the subdialects in Taipei leads to dialect levelling, in which distinctive and marked phonetic features gradually vanish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional wind tunnels cannot simulate actual flight Reynolds numbers because of testing condition constraints. The changes in aerodynamic characteristics caused by differences in the Reynolds number are especially sensitive on transonic supercritical airfoils and wings. Accordingly, this study proposes a correction method for the Reynolds number effect based on feature extraction of multi-fidelity aerodynamic distributions. Correcting wind tunnel test results at low Reynolds numbers with large amounts of numerical simulation data across various Reynolds numbers allows this method to achieve greater precision on airfoil pressure distribution predictions at high Reynolds numbers. The first step is to extract the primary features of the surface pressure distribution of the supercritical airfoil using the proper orthogonal decomposition technique. Next, a multi-fidelity neural network model is employed to relate the (low-fidelity) simulation data to the (high-fidelity) wind tunnel data acquired at low Reynolds numbers. Finally, the model is used to predict the airfoil pressure distributions at high Reynolds numbers, and the predictions are validated using wind tunnel test data collected from the RAE2822 airfoil. The results indicate that this approach can provide more accurate estimations than numerical simulations and single-fidelity models. Additionally, it can effectively reduce the impact of the Reynolds number difference on the transonic aerodynamic properties of supercritical airfoils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by joint swelling, pain, and deformation. RA patients have an increased risk of thyroid dysfunction, and drugs of RA treatment may have potential effects on thyroid function. Methods: This is a single-center cross-sectional study including 281 inpatients with RA in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. The purpose of this study is to explore the correlation between RA therapeutic drugs and thyroid function. The medical records of 281 inpatients with RA were collected, including general data, laboratory examination, complications, and RA treatment. Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the association of independent variables with thyroid function and antibodies in RA patients. Multinomial logistics and binary logistic regression were used for multivariate analysis. The statistically significance level was set as P < 0.05. SPSS 22.0 was used for statistical analysis. Results: Patients taking methotrexate (OR = 0.067, 95%CI: 0.008–0.588, P = 0.015) had lower levels of total thyroxine (TT4) (TT4 < 78.38 nmol/L). There was a negative correlation between glucocorticoids (r = − 0.153, P = 0.010) and total triiodothyronine (TT3) level (TT3 ≥ 1.34 nmol/L), but it was not significant in the multivariate regression model of TT3, although the regression model was statistically significant (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Methotrexate is associated with decreased TT4 levels in RA patients, and glucocorticoids is associated with decreased TT3 levels. Drugs of RA treatment may affect the thyroid function of patients while treating RA, which may be one of the causes of secondary thyroid diseases in RA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cannabis use is common among post-secondary students. As cannabis use becomes a normalized activity, there is potential for cultural change in post-secondary campuses. Exploring students' attitudes, beliefs, and perspectives can provide a better understanding of the evolution and cultural transformation of cannabis use on campus. This study took a meta-ethnographic approach to explore students' perception and attitudes about cannabis use. A database search and quality appraisal were used to identify relevant papers. Using the procedures of Noblit and Hare (1988), nine qualitative studies were synthesized to identify themes. Five themes emerged: "differences between users and non-users is negligible," "expectations of cannabis use are gendered," "cannabis use is influenced by sociocultural networks," "cannabis can be used responsibly or irresponsibly," and "perceived mediating factors in the relationship between students and cannabis use." The findings create an integral understanding of factors influencing students' cannabis use behaviors, informing future research on cannabis legalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COTE1 was recently described as an oncogene in hepatocellular carcinoma and gastric cancer. However, the roles of COTE1 in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) are little known. Our study is aimed at clarifying novel functions of COTE1 in ICC progression, including proliferation, invasion, and autophagy. By using quantitative real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry staining, and western blotting, we found that COTE1 expression was frequently upregulated in ICC tissues, compared to paracarcinoma tissues. High COTE1 expression was significantly correlated with aggressive clinical features and predicted poor prognosis of ICC patients. Functional experiments revealed that ectopic COTE1 expression promoted ICC cell proliferation, colony formation, cellular invasion, migration, and in vivo tumorigenicity; in contrast, COTE1 knockdown resulted in the opposite effects. At molecular mechanism in vitro and vivo, our study revealed that COTE1 overexpression suppressed autophagy via Beclin1 transcription inhibition; conversely, COTE1 silencing facilitated autophagy through promoting Beclin1 expression. Furthermore, the suppression of COTE1 knockdown on cellular growth and invasion was rescued/aggravated by Beclin1 inhibition/accumulation. Our data, for the first time, illustrate that COTE1 is an oncogene in ICC pathogenesis, and the ectopic COTE1 expression promotes ICC proliferation and invasion via Beclin1-dependent autophagy inhibition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among females worldwide. During the past 15 years, quality of life (QOL) has become an important aspect of breast cancer treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate QOL of breast cancer patients in China, and investigate its associations with sociodemographic and clinical variables. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 246 breast cancer patients in China. Recruited patients were surveyed for QOL using the QOL instruments for cancer patients-breast cancer QLICP-BR (V2.0). We assessed the associations between potential influencing factors and QOL using multiple linear regression models. The general mean QOL score for our population was 70.24 with SD = 8.70. Results indicated that medical insurance, drinking history, alkaline phosphatase, serum chloride ion level, serum calcium ion level, serum phosphorus ion level, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, red cell volume distribution width and platelet had significant associations with QOL of breast cancer patients. Our results emphasized that many factors are affecting QOL of breast cancer patients, which may provide a reference for targeted management or intervention strategies of breast cancer patients to improve their QOL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cry11Aa and Cyt1Aa are two pesticidal toxins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis. To improve our understanding of the nature of their oligomers in the toxic actions and synergistic effects, we performed the atomic force microscopy to probe the surfaces of their natively grown crystals, and used the L‐weight filter to enhance the structural features. By L‐weight filtering, molecular sizes of the Cry11Aa and Cyt1Aa monomers obtained are in excellent agreement with the three‐dimensional structures determined by x‐ray crystallography. Moreover, our results show that the layered feature of a structural element distinguishes the topographic characteristics of Cry11Aa and Cyt1Aa crystals, suggesting that the Cry11Aa toxin has a better chance than Cyt1Aa for multimerization and therefore cooperativeness of the toxic actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dielectric capacitors as energy storage electronics have drawn much attention due to ultrahigh power densities with quick charging and discharging rates. In this report, A-site Nd-doped (1- x)BiFeO 3 - x BaTiO 3 (x = 0.2–0.45) relaxor ferroelectric ceramics with superior storage efficiencies were prepared with 0.1 wt% MnO 2 additive. Energy-storage efficiency (η) increases from 63.7% to 89% at 190 kV/cm as BaTiO 3 increases accompanied by recoverable energy densities (W rec) in the range of 2.5–2.7 J/cm3. The energy-storage performance persists thermally stable up to 125 °C. The superior storage efficiency is associated with growth of the cubic Pm -3 m symmetry and the core-shell structure with increasing BaTiO 3 content. The formation of nanocluster/nanomosaic structure also plays an essential role as a barrier in suppressing the long-range polarization order. This work provides a design of binary rare-earth doped BiFeO 3 –BaTiO 3 dielectric ceramics for thermally stable and high-efficiency electrical energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common haematological malignancy. Despite the development of new drugs and treatments in recent years, the therapeutic outcomes of patients are not satisfactory. It is necessary to further investigate the molecular mechanism underlying MM progression. Herein, we found that high E2F2 expression was correlated with poor overall survival and advanced clinical stages in MM patients. Gain‐ and loss‐of‐function studies showed that E2F2 inhibited cell adhesion and consequently activated cell epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migration. Further experiments revealed that E2F2 interacted with the PECAM1 promoter to suppress its transcriptional activity. The E2F2‐knockdown‐mediated promotion of cell adhesion was significantly reversed by the repression of PECAM1 expression. Finally, we observed that silencing E2F2 significantly inhibited viability and tumour progression in MM cell models and xenograft mouse models respectively. This study demonstrates that E2F2 plays a vital role as a tumour accelerator by inhibiting PECAM1‐dependent cell adhesion and accelerating MM cell proliferation. Therefore, E2F2 may serve as a potential independent prognostic marker and therapeutic target for MM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a compact configured 5G dual-band MIMO loop antenna system for laptop computers. The antenna system consists of two identical 95 × 2 mm2 four-antenna units that are arranged on the top edge of the display ground plane and are 10 mm away from the left and right sides. The four-antenna unit, each being a two-dimensional loop antenna of the same structure and size, are constructed on the on a 0.4 mm-thick FR4 substrate. The loop antenna with only 23 × 2 mm2 size is composed of a T-shaped feed-in section and a double short-circuit loop. In addition, the four loop antennas are arranged in the same direction and side by side with only 1 mm space to form a high-isolation four-antenna unit. The two sets of four-antenna units can cover 5G dual-band operation at 3300–3600 MHz and 4800–5000 MHz. The measured isolation between eight antennas is all better than 15 dB, the measured antenna efficiency is between 35% and 62%, and the measured envelop correlation coefficient ECC calculated from the electric-field radiation pattern is all less than 0.2. This compactly configured eight-antenna system is only 2 mm high in profile, making it ideal for use in 5G laptops with a high screen-to-body ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish bone fermented using Monascus purpureus (FBF) has total phenols and functional amino acids that contribute to its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Colorectal cancer, one of the most prevalent cancers and the third largest cause of death worldwide, has become a serious threat to global health. This study investigates the anti-cancer effects of FBF (1, 2.5 or 5 mg/mL) on the cell growth and molecular mechanism of HCT-116 cells. The HCT-116 cell treatment with 2.5 or 5 mg/mL of FBF for 24 h significantly decreased cell viability (p < 0.05). The S and G2/M phases significantly increased by 88–105% and 25–43%, respectively (p < 0.05). Additionally, FBF increased the mRNA expression of caspase 8 (38–77%), protein expression of caspase 3 (34–94%), poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) (31–34%) and induced apoptosis (236–773%) of HCT-116 cells (p < 0.05). FBF also increased microtubule-associated protein 1B light chain 3 (LC3) (38–48%) and phosphoinositide 3 kinase class III (PI3K III) (32–53%) protein expression, thereby inducing autophagy (26–52%) of HCT-116 cells (p < 0.05). These results showed that FBF could inhibit HCT-116 cell growth by inducing S and G2/M phase arrest of the cell cycle, apoptosis and autophagy. Thus, FBF has the potential to treat colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of novel anti‐infectives requires unprecedented strategies targeting pathways which are solely present in pathogens but absent in humans. Following this principle, we developed inhibitors of lipoic acid (LA) salvage, a crucial pathway for the survival of LA auxotrophic bacteria and parasites but non‐essential in human cells. An LA‐based probe was selectively transferred onto substrate proteins via lipoate protein ligase (LPL) in intact cells, and their binding sites were determined by mass spectrometry. Probe labeling served as a proxy of LPL activity, enabling in situ screenings for cell‐permeable LPL inhibitors. Profiling a focused compound library revealed two substrate analogs (LAMe and C3) as inhibitors, which were further validated by binding studies and co‐crystallography. Importantly, LAMe exhibited low toxicity in human cells and achieved killing of Plasmodium falciparum in erythrocytes with an EC50 value of 15 μM, making it the most effective LPL inhibitor reported to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Die Entwicklung neuer Antiinfektiva erfordert innovative Strategien zur gezielten Ausnutzung von Stoffwechselwegen in Krankheitserregern, die in menschlichen Zellen abwesend sind. Basierend auf diesem Prinzip haben wir Hemmstoffe der Liponsäure (LA) Wiederverwertung entwickelt, einem entscheidenden Stoffwechselweg für das Überleben von LA‐auxotrophen Bakterien und Parasiten, der jedoch in menschlichen Zellen nicht essentiell ist. Eine auf LA basierende Sonde wurde selektiv über die Lipoatproteinligase (LPL) auf Substratproteine in intakten Zellen übertragen, und ihre Bindungsstellen wurden mittels Massenspektrometrie bestimmt. Die Intensität der Markierung mit der Sonde diente als Maß für die Aktivität von LPL und ermöglichte intrazelluläre Selektion für zellpermeable LPL‐Hemmer. Das Testen einer vorselektierten Substanzbibliothek ergab zwei Substratanaloga (LAMe und C3) als Hemmstoffe, die durch Bindungsstudien und Co‐Kristallographie weiter validiert wurden. Bemerkenswert ist, dass LAMe eine geringe Toxizität in menschlichen Zellen aufwies und eine Abtötung von Plasmodium falciparum in Erythrozyten mit einem EC50‐Wert von 15 μM erreichte, was diesen Stoff zum bisher wirksamsten LPL‐Hemmer macht, der jeher berichtet wurde. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing apicobasal polarity, involving intricate interactions among polarity regulators, is key for epithelial cell function. Though phosphatase of regenerating liver (PRL) proteins are implicated in diverse biological processes, including cancer, their developmental role remains unclear. In this study, we explore the role of Drosophila PRL (dPRL) in photoreceptor cell development. We reveal that dPRL, requiring a C-terminal prenylation motif, is highly enriched in the apical membrane of developing photoreceptor cells. Moreover, dPRL knockdown during retinal development results in adult Drosophila retinal degeneration, caused by hid-induced apoptosis. dPRL depletion also mislocalizes cell adhesion and polarity proteins like Armadillo, Crumbs, and DaPKC and relocates the basolateral protein, alpha subunit of Na+/K+-ATPase, to the presumed apical membrane. Importantly, this polarity disruption is not secondary to apoptosis, as suppressing hid expression does not rescue the polarity defect in dPRL-depleted photoreceptor cells. These findings underscore dPRL's crucial role in photoreceptor cell polarity and emphasize PRL's importance in establishing epithelial polarity and maintaining cell survival during retinal development, offering new insights into PRL's role in normal epithelium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol use is prevalent among post-secondary students and negatively impacts their academic achievement. Socially constructed gender-based perceptions can promote alcohol misuse on campus. This is a community-based participatory action research aiming to raise awareness of alcohol use and its relation to gender, bridge campus networks targeting alcohol misuse, and develop a sustainable health promotion intervention. Twelve student-peer researchers from two Canadian universities led the project during the 2017–2018 school year. One multi-phased health promotion initiative consisting of poster/video campaigns, a health promotion website, and on-campus events, was implemented on each campus. Student leadership was empowered through the Action Research Cycle and Fletcher's Ladder of Student Involvement. Data were collected through field notes, activity logs, and semi-structured interviews. A thematic analysis determined that student-peer researchers experienced a sense of accomplishment, empowerment, greater interest in the topic, and a desire to sustain the project, but faced challenges regarding the initiative structures, inter-researcher communication, and teamwork distribution. The results demonstrated that both initiatives successfully reached broad student bodies and increased student awareness of alcohol misuse. This intervention addressed culturally manifested drinking norms and demonstrated effective student-led participatory action research. However, the findings were unique to the specific campus culture and may be of limited generalizability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The aim of the current study was to develop and validate a Perceived Relocation Stress Scale. Methods A cross-sectional research design was used. A total of 175 older adults residing in long-term care facilities in Southern Taiwan for at least 1 y were recruited. An exploratory factor analysis was performed to examine item convergent and discriminant validity. Concurrent validity was checked using the Depression Anxiety and Stress scale. The reliability was analyzed using Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlation coefficients. Results The face and content validity of the scale were verified by adequately measuring the scale items. Factor analysis consisted of four components (challenge/chance, positive appraisal, threat, loss), with a total variance of 67.35%. The content validity was determined by an expert panel to systematically examine the relevance of all items. The results of item convergent and discriminant validity supported the constructs of the scale. The alpha coefficient for the overall scale was.958, indicating good internal consistency reliability. Conclusions The Perceived Relocation Stress Scale is a reliable and valid measurement to assess the stress perceived by older individuals being transferred to a long-term care facility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work devises heuristic logarithmic pressure augmentation to overcome shock instability encountered by the nonlinear entropy stable Riemann solver under supersonic and hypersonic flows. The entropy stable Riemann solver involves three key ingredients: entropy variable, entropy conservative flux and entropy dissipation. Based on the derivation of wave strengths within entropy dissipation, the reasonable domination of the logarithmic pressure diffusion jump on entropy wave is conducive to shock stability. Thus, the basic idea of this approach is to introduce the additional logarithmic pressure diffusion term. The heuristic logarithmic pressure sensor with tanh function is constructed to detect shock discontinuities and activate this logarithmic diffusion term. In addition, the nonlinear eigenvalues are slightly modified by the neighboring cell values. Then, numerical test cases demonstrate its high shock robustness and shear layer resolution with attractive application to supersonic and hypersonic flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

γ-Secretase is an aspartyl intramembrane protease that cleaves the amyloid precursor protein (APP) involved in Alzheimer's disease pathology and other transmembrane proteins. Substrate-bound structures reveal a stable hybrid β-sheet immediately following the substrate scissile bond consisting of β1 and β2 from the enzyme and β3 from the substrate. Molecular dynamics simulations and enhanced sampling simulations demonstrate that the hybrid β-sheet stability is strongly correlated with the formation of a stable cleavage-compatible active geometry and it also controls water access to the active site. The hybrid β-sheet is only stable for substrates with 3 or more C-terminal residues beyond the scissile bond. The simulation model allowed us to predict the effect of Pro and Phe mutations that weaken the formation of the hybrid β-sheet which were confirmed by experimental testing. Our study provides a direct explanation why γ-secretase preferentially cleaves APP in steps of 3 residues and how the hybrid β-sheet facilitates γ-secretase proteolysis. MD simulations and enhanced sampling methods reveal a stepwise cleavage mechanism of amyloid precursor protein by γ-secretase, confirmed by experimental testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, the incidence of thyroid cancer keeps growing at a shocking rate, which has aroused increasing concerns worldwide. Autophagy is a fundamental and ubiquitous biological event conserved in mammals including humans. Basically, autophagy is a catabolic process that cellular components including small molecules and damaged organelles are degraded for recycle to meet the energy needs, especially under the extreme conditions. The dysregulated autophagy has indicated to be involved in thyroid cancer progression. The enhancement of autophagy can lead to autophagic cell death during the degradation while the produced energies can be utilized by the rest of the cancerous tissue, thus this influence could be bidirectional, which plays either a tumor-suppressive or oncogenic role. Accordingly, autophagy can be suppressed by therapeutic agents and is thus regarded as a drug target for thyroid cancer treatments. In the present review, a brief description of autophagy and roles of autophagy in tumor context are given. We have addressed summary of the mechanisms and functions of autophagy in thyroid cancer. Some potential autophagy-targeted treatments are also summarized. The aim of the review is linking autophagy to thyroid cancer, so as to develop novel approaches to better control cancer progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To analyze the treatment outcomes and prognostic factors of mucosal melanoma of the head and neck (MMHN) from a single institution. Methods: From December 1989 to November 2018, 190 patients diagnosed with MMHN were included. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan–Meier method for univariate analysis with a log‐rank test for significance and Cox regression for multivariate analysis. Results: With a median follow‐up time of 43.5 months, 126 (68.5%) patients died. The median DSS was 35 months. The 3‐ and 5‐year disease‐specific survival (DSS) rates were 48.1% and 33.7%, respectively. The median overall survival (OS) was 34 months. The 3‐ and 5‐year OS rates were 47.0% and 32.9%, respectively. In univariate analysis, the T3 stage, received surgery, R0 resection, and combined therapy (surgery+biotherapy/biochemotherapy) were significantly associated with better survival. Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that the T4 stage (HR = 1.692; 95% CI, 1.175–2.438; p =.005) and the N1 stage (HR = 1.600; 95% CI, 1.023–2.504; p =.039) were strong prognostic factors for poor survival, and that combined therapy (surgery+biotherapy/biochemotherapy) was a strong prognostic factor for better survival outcome (HR = 0.563; 95% CI, 0.354–0.896; p =.015). Conclusion: The prognosis of MMHN remains poor. Systemic treatment is warranted to reduce MMHN progression. Surgery combined with biotherapy may improve survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metallization of the SiC ceramic was realized with Sn0.5Zn at a relatively low temperature of 250 °C with the assistance of ultrasonication. This process avoided the use of high temperature, vacuum, or long holding time in traditional metallization methods. Results indicate that fine metallization without defects can be completed under ultrasonication excitation for 20 s. The bonding mechanism was forming a nano-scale layer of non-uniform but continuous amorphous zinc suboxide (ZnO 1-x) (even when the Zn was only 0.5 (wt%)), which acted as a transition region from the SiC ceramic substrate to the Sn0.5Zn metal layer. The tensile strength between the Sn0.5Zn layer and the SiC was 12.3 MPa. The acoustic pressure in the liquid Sn0.5Zn pool was calculated via COMSOL Multiphysics software. The simulation results show that alternating positive and negative acoustic pressure existed in the liquid Sn0.5Zn metal, with the highest amplitude of more than 107 Pa, thereby generating the cavitation effect. The collapse of cavitation bubbles resulted in micro-jets, hot spots, and a high cooling rate, promoting the movement of Zn atoms toward the SiC surface and the formation of ZnO 1-x. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the contribution of early-life factors on intrinsic capacity of Chinese adults older than 45 years. Methods We used data on 21 783 participants from waves 1 (2011) and 2 (2013) of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), who also participated in the 2014 CHARLS Life History Survey to calculate a previously validated measure of intrinsic capacity. We considered 11 early-life factors and investigated their direct association with participants' intrinsic capacity later in life, as well as their indirect association through four current socioeconomic factors. We used multivariable linear regression and the decomposition of the concentration index to investigate the contribution of each determinant to intrinsic capacity inequalities. Findings Participants with a favourable environment in early life (that is, parental education, childhood health and neighbourhood environment) had a significantly higher intrinsic capacity score in later life. For example, participants with a literate father recorded a 0.040 (95% confidence interval, CI: 0.020 to 0.051) higher intrinsic capacity score than those with an illiterate father. This inequality was greater for cognitive, sensory and psychological capacities than locomotion and vitality. Overall, early-life factors directly explained 13.92% (95% CI: 12.07 to 15.77) of intrinsic capacity inequalities, and a further 28.57% (95% CI: 28.19 to 28.95) of these inequalities through their influence on current socioeconomic inequalities. Conclusion Unfavourable early-life factors appear to decrease late-life health status in China, particularly cognitive, sensory and psychological capacities, and these effects are exacerbated by cumulative socioeconomic inequalities over a person's life course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although multitargeted PtIV anticancer prodrugs have shown significant activities in reducing drug resistance, the types of bioactive ligands and drugs that can be conjugated to the Pt center remain limited to O‐donors. Herein, we report the synthesis of PtIV complexes bearing axial pyridines via ligand exchange reactions. Unexpectedly, the axial pyridines are quickly released after reduction, indicating their potential to be utilized as axial leaving groups. We further expand our synthetic approach to obtaining two multitargeted PtIV prodrugs containing bioactive pyridinyl ligands: a PARP inhibitor and an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor; these conjugates exhibit great potential for overcoming drug resistance, and the latter conjugate inhibits the growth of Pt‐resistant tumor in vivo. This research adds to the array of synthetic methods for accessing PtIV prodrugs and significantly increases the types of bioactive axial ligands that can be conjugated to a PtIV center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]