China has a high burden of gonorrhea, but an imbalanced male-to-female (M/F) ratio of reported cases. Therefore, the prevalence of gonorrhea in China may be underestimated due to inadequate testing ...of potentially infected females. The objective of this study is to investigate the cause of this imbalanced M/F ratio and develop strategies to enhance gonorrhea surveillance, particularly among females.
The national center for STD control (NCSTDC) of China CDC collected data in Zhongshan city over the year 2018 from the National Notifiable Disease Report System (NNDRS) and the Hospital and Laboratory Information Systems (HIS and LIS) that obtains information from 24 hospitals.
Analysis of 1,542 reported cases of gonorrhea and the case distribution among different hospitals showed that most of the female cases (80.31%) were reported by gynecological clinics. The M/F ratio of reported cases varied between different hospitals and was dependent on the intensity of testing of females by their gynecological clinics.
This study showed a significant correlation between M/F ratios and the relative contribution of female gonorrhea testing, especially in gynecology clinics. Enhancing gonorrhea testing among females should be advocated to improve surveillance in China.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Objectives
We sought to evaluate the impact of the time interval from surgical resection to local recurrence (TTLR) on clinical outcomes in head and neck soft tissue sarcoma (HNSTS).
Methods
A total ...of 401 patients who underwent R0 resection for primary HNSTS were included in this study. Patients with local recurrence as the first event after their initial resection were divided into early local recurrence (ELR) or late local recurrence (LLR) groups according to TTLR. Multiple survival analyses were performed to identify the independent prognostic predictors of overall survival (OS) and survival after local recurrence (SAR).
Results
Two hundred and nine of the 401 patients (52.1%) developed local recurrence during a median follow‐up period of 134.6 months. Patients in the ELR group had a shorter median OS time (35.0 vs. 120.6, p < 0.001) and lower 5‐year OS rate (47.7% vs. 80.9%, p < 0.001) than those in the LLR group. Moreover, the ELR group exhibited worse SAR (p = 0.001) than the LLR group, and multivariate analyses demonstrated TTLR as an independent prognostic factor for SAR (p = 0.048) and OS (p = 0.004). Additionally, re‐resection significantly prolonged SAR than other salvage interventions or no treatment (p < 0.001).
Conclusion
In patients with HNSTS, ELR after R0 resection presents adverse effects on OS and SAR than those with LLR, and TTLR could serve as a promising predictor for survival. Salvage therapies, especially the re‐resection could improve SAR and should be recommended when there are surgical indications after recurrence.
Level of Evidence
3 Laryngoscope, 133:2174–2182, 2023
The present study demonstrated that local recurrence, especially ELR, had an unfavourable effect on OS and SAR, and it showed that TTLR could serve as a promising predictor for prognosis in patients with HNSTS. Moreover, for patients with local recurrence, aggressive secondary surgical treatment may improve long‐term survival.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
By combining the double identity of a redox center and a Lewis acid site of the pyridinium derivative, the first bifunctional small molecule photocatalyst has been developed for the one-pot tandem ...oxidation-acetalization reaction. A mechanism study reveals that pyridinium-mediated electron transfer and the photoactivation of molecular oxygen greatly facilitate the transformation of benzyl alcohols into the corresponding aldehydes, while the Lewis acid site of this bifunctional photocatalyst promotes a highly efficient acetalization reaction without any significant loss in activity after multiple reaction cycles, thus achieving the direct conversion of various alcohols into either cyclic or acyclic acetals in good yields under mild conditions without any additives.
A bifunctional photocatalyst combining a redox center and a Lewis acid site has been developed for one-pot tandem oxidation-acetalization, which involves pyridinium-mediated molecular oxygen activation, as well as Lewis-acid promoted acetalization.
•Computational simulation of 3D structures of two molecules and four phenothiazines.•Synthesis of two dummy templates based molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP).•Develop a MIP-SPE column for ...determination of phenothiazines residues in meats.
The 3D structures of two dummy templates and four phenothiazine drugs were studied by using computational simulation method. Then the two dummy templates were used to synthesize two molecularly imprinted polymers respectively. Results showed that the recognition abilities of the two polymers were consistent with the theoretical calculation. Then a solid phase extraction column was developed for extraction of the four phenothiazines in meat (pork, chicken) followed by determination with high performance liquid chromatography. The column showed high adsorption capacities (850–962ng analyte per milligram of polymer) and high recoveries (93–98%) to the four drugs, and could be recycled for sixty times. The limits of detection were in the range of 1.0–10ng/g, and the recoveries from the fortified blank samples were in the range of 70.3–96.1%. This is the first study reporting the use of molecularly imprinted polymer-based method for determination of phenothiazines residues in foods.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Increasingly, organizations find that they need to be more flexible and innovative in responding to unexpected and emergent human resource (HR) issues affecting their members, such as outbreaks of ...infectious diseases (e.g., COVID-19) forcing massive transition to remote work, changes in industry landscape altering learning and development, and politically-driven global mobility regulations restricting people flow. Organizations have long utilized informal structures known as “skunk works”, flexible groups empowered to work rapidly with minimal management constraints, to address technological challenges. In this article, we aim to better understand when and how organizations similarly employ skunk works-like structures to help them deal with rapidly evolving HR-related challenges. We discuss three examples of organizations that have utilized this approach. We then integrate the learning insights from these examples to develop a framework supported by a set of research questions to guide future scholarship into HR skunk works. We emphasize that there are both benefits and drawbacks of innovative organizational structures for addressing HR challenges alongside regular, established ways of working.
•Organizations have long utilized informal structures known as skunk works to address technological challenges affecting products/services.•In a similar manner, skunk works teams may be assembled to generate solutions related to people management.•The COVID-19 pandemic is a stark example for how swiftly organizations need to respond to rapidly evolving HR-related challenges.•Three examples of skunk works teams illustrate unconventional routes to solutions for specific HR issues affecting organizational members.•We develop a framework for future research around the antecedents, processes and characteristics, moderators and outcomes of HR skunk works.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
At the turn of this century, Herbert Kroemer, the 2000 Nobel Prize winner in Physics, famously commented that "the interface is the device". This statement has since opened up unparalleled ...opportunities at the interface of conventional three-dimensional (3D) materials (H. Kroemer, Quasi-Electric and Quasi-Magnetic Fields in Non-Uniform Semiconductors,
RCA Rev.
, 1957,
18
, 332-342). More than a decade later, Sir Andre Geim and Irina Grigorieva presented their views on 2D heterojunctions which further cultivated broad interests in the 2D materials field. Currently, advances in two-dimensional (2D) materials enable us to deposit layered materials that are only one or few unit-cells in thickness to construct sharp in-plane and out-of-plane interfaces between dissimilar materials, and to be able to fabricate novel devices using these cutting-edge techniques. The interface alone, which traditionally dominated overall device performance, thus has now become the device itself. Fueled by recent progress in atomically thin materials, we are now at the ultimate limit of interface physics, which brings to us new and exciting opportunities, with equally demanding challenges. This paper endeavors to provide stalwarts and newcomers a perspective on recent advances in synthesis, fundamentals, applications, and future prospects of a large variety of heterojunctions of atomically thin materials.
At the turn of this century, Herbert Kroemer, the 2000 Nobel Prize winner in Physics, famously commented that "the interface is the device".
Ovarian cancer is a highly aggressive malignant disease in gynecologic cancer. It is an urgent task to develop three-dimensional (3D) cell models in vitro and dissect the cell progression-related ...drug resistance mechanisms in vivo. In the present study, RADA16-I peptide has the reticulated nanofiber scaffold networks in hydrogel, which is utilized to develop robust 3D cell culture of a high metastatic human ovarian cancer HO-8910PM cell line accompanied with the counterparts of Matrigel and collagen I.
Consequently, HO-8910PM cells were successfully cultivated in three types of hydrogel biomaterials, such as RADA16-I hydrogel, Matrigel, and collagen I, according to 3D cell culture protocols. Designer RADA16-I peptide had well-defined nanofiber networks architecture in hydrogel, which provided nanofiber cell microenvironments analogous to Matrigel and collagen I. 3D-cultured HO-8910PM cells in RADA16-I hydrogel, Matrigel, and collagen I showed viable cell proliferation, proper cell growth, and diverse cell shapes in morphology at the desired time points. For a long 3D cell culture period, HO-8910PM cells showed distinct cell aggregate growth patterns in RADA16-I hydrogel, Matrigel, and collagen I, such as cell aggregates, cell colonies, cell clusters, cell strips, and multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTS). The cell distribution and alignment were described vigorously. Moreover, the molecular expression of integrin β1, E-cadherin and N-cadherin were quantitatively analyzed in 3D-cultured MCTS of HO-8910PM cells by immunohistochemistry and western blotting assays. The chemosensitivity assay for clinical drug responses in 3D context indicated that HO-8910PM cells in three types of hydrogels showed significantly higher chemoresistance to cisplatin and paclitaxel compared to 2D flat cell culture, including IC
values and inhibition rates.
Based on these results, RADA16-I hydrogel is a highly competent, high-profile, and proactive nanofiber scaffold to maintain viable cell proliferation and high cell vitality in 3D cell models, which may be particularly utilized to develop useful clinical drug screening platform in vitro.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Two doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine are highly effective against SARS-CoV-2. Here, we tested the antibody neutralization against Omicron SARS-CoV-2 after 2 and 3 doses of BNT162b2. Serum from ...vaccinated individuals was serially tested for its ability to neutralize wild-type SARS-CoV-2 (USA-WA1/2020) and an engineered USA-WA1/2020 bearing the Omicron spike glycoprotein. At 2 or 4 weeks post dose 2, the neutralization geometric mean titers (GMTs) against the wild-type and Omicron-spike viruses were 511 and 20, respectively; at 1 month post dose 3, the neutralization GMTs increased to 1,342 and 336; and at 4 months post dose 3, the neutralization GMTs decreased to 820 and 171. The data support a 3-dose vaccination strategy and provide a glimpse into the durability of the neutralization response against Omicron.
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•Two doses of BNT162b2 are not sufficient to elicit robust neutralization against Omicron•Three doses of BNT162b2 confer substantial neutralization against Omicron•Neutralization against Omicron remains robust at 4 months after dose 3 of BNT162b2
Through serially testing BNT162b2-vaccinated human sera against SARS-CoV-2 and its Omicron variant, Xia et al. found that 2 doses of BNT162b2 are insufficient to elicit robust neutralization against Omicron. Three doses increase the magnitude and breadth of neutralization against Omicron and remains robust for up to 4 months post dose 3.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Objective
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of blood flow restriction training (BFRT) in the treatment of patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).
Method
Seven electronic databases were searched to ...identify trials comparing BFRT and conventional resistance training in a population with knee OA. Studies were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) or risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated to compare outcome measures of the groups. The methodologic quality of selected studies and the quality of evidence were evaluated for included studies.
Results
A total of 5 studies were included in this meta‐analysis, with very low to moderate risk of bias. The pooled results showed no significant difference between BFRT and conventional resistance training for knee OA, including pain (SMD –0.04 95% CI –0.31, 0.24, P = 0.79), physical function performance (SMD 0.12 95% CI –0.55, 0.78, P = 0.73), self‐reported function (SMD 0.14 95% CI –0.24, 0.52, P = 0.48), and adverse events (RR 0.45 95% CI 0.20, 1.01, P = 0.05). In subgroup analysis, BFRT had a lower incidence of adverse events when compared with high‐load resistance training (HLRT).
Conclusion
Data from pooled studies showed that BFRT may not have greater efficacy for treating patients with knee OA, and it is less likely to have a higher risk of adverse events. However, limited evidence supports the idea that BFRT is likely safer than HLRT. More evidence with high quality is needed in further research on efficacy and safety.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
In this paper, a new calibration device for an air flow sensor of the VAV terminal unit is designed. Multi-aperture air outlets are designed to meet the calibration requirements of the air flow ...sensor in a variety of measurement range. The device can calibrate the air flow sensors of different types of VAV terminal unit by a movable flow rectifier without repeating the design of a different calibration pipeline. The Raspberry PI is used to design the high-performance GUI interface and controlling algorithm to achieve a one-button intelligent calibration. The air flow sensors in three different types of VAV terminal units are used to calibrate the experiment. After testing, the differential pressure value measured by the air flow sensor can accurately measure the air flow within the accuracy of 5% after the formula conversion. The conversion from differential pressure values to air flow values requires precise calibration in order to establish an accurate air flow equation, and here the calibration device plays a key role. The negative effect caused by the distance between the flow rectifiers and the VAV terminal unit is discovered. In other words, the distance between the inlet flow rectifier and the air inlet of VAV terminal unit should be kept as close as possible, or within a range of 2~3 cm. Moreover, the distance between the air outlet of VAV terminal unit and the middle-flow rectifier should be kept as close as possible; otherwise, any slight gap will cause a huge error in the calibration result. The research contributes to the further study of airflow sensing technology through the conversion and calibration of differential pressure measurements to accurate air flow values.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
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