The spread of new coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2) follows a different pattern than previous respiratory viruses, posing a serious public health risk worldwide. World Health Organization (WHO) named the ...disease as COVID-19 and declared it a pandemic. COVID-19 is characterized by highly contagious nature, rapid transmission, swift clinical course, profound worldwide impact, and high mortality among critically ill patients. Chest X-ray, computerized tomography (CT), and ultrasound are commonly used imaging modalities. Among them, ultrasound, due to its portability and non-invasiveness, can be easily moved to the bedside for examination at any time. In addition, with use of 4G or 5G networks, remote ultrasound consultation can also be performed, which allows ultrasound to be used in isolated medial areas. Besides, the contact surface of ultrasound probe with patients is small and easy to be disinfected. Therefore, ultrasound has gotten lots of positive feedbacks from the frontline healthcare workers, and it has played an indispensable role in the course of COVID-19 diagnosis and follow up.
End-of-life tire (ELT) rubber has been widely researched to replace fine or coarse aggregates in cementitious composites. While most studies paid attention to its effect on the engineering ...properties, very few considered chemical reactions with pore solution and the potential for environmental leachate. Recently the authors developed a methodology to remove zinc from the ELT rubber, since zinc can be toxic if it is leached into the environment. In this study, the authors utilized ELT rubber before and after the zinc extraction process to partially replace fine aggregate in a mortar. Flowability, compressive strength, flexural strength, and ultrasonic pulse velocity were measured for the engineering properties of rubberized mortars. Simultaneously, isothermal calorimetry was also employed to investigate the effects of ELT rubber on the hydration process of the rubberized mortars. In addition, the pore solution and leaching solutions were taken at different curing ages and then analyzed for elemental and total organic carbon (TOC) contents. The results showed a remarkable loss in engineering properties of rubberized mortar when ELT rubber was utilized, and the decrease in performance was more pronounced in the samples with zinc-extracted ELT rubber. The pore solution was found to contain significant quantities of zinc and TOC. However, the authors also found that using silica fume to partially replace cement could effectively recover the loss in strength and could reduce the leachability of zinc and TOC.
•A metallurgical processing technique is implemented to leach zinc from end-of-life tire rubber.•The fate of zinc and organic carbon leached from end-of-life tire rubber is studied.•Cement-based materials are proven effective to immobilize zinc and organic carbon leached from tire rubber.
Objective To explore the role of estrogen receptor-α36 (ER-α36) in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-related carcinogenesis in endometrial cancer. Study Design The expression of ER-α36, EGFR, ...and phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase was analyzed using immunohistochemistry in endometrial cancer samples. The cellular localization of ER-α36 and EGFR was determined using immunofluorescence in the endometrial cancer Hec1A cells. The level of phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase of Hec1A cells was determined using Western blotting after treatment with epidermal growth factor. Results Positive rate of ER-α36 was increased in high-stage ( P = .03) and high-grade ( P = .224) endometrial cancer; expression of ER-α36 and EGFR exhibited a significant positive correlation (r = 0.334, P = .025) and they showed substantial colocalization on the plasma membrane of glandular cells; phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase positive rate in ER-α36 positive group and EGFR positive group was higher than that of ER-α36 negative group ( P = .014) and EGFR negative group ( P = .016); finally, ER-α36 mediated epidermal growth factor-stimulated extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation in Hec1A cells. Conclusion ER-α36 mediates EGFR-related extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation in endometrial cancer.
Stroke has a greater effect on women. However, sex differences in outcome and factors associated with outcome among elderly patients are unknown. From January 2009 to December 2011, 810 patients with ...acute ischemic stroke aged 75 years or older were recruited in China. Clinical profile and risk factors were recorded. Outcomes and associated risk factors at 12 and 36 months after stroke were assessed by sex. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemias, and obesity prevalence rates were higher in women than in men; opposite trends were found for smoking and alcohol consumption. The mortality rate at 12 months after stroke was significantly greater in men than in women (23.3% versus 16.6%, P = .015). Large-artery atherothrombotic and cardioembolic stroke subtypes were risk factors for mortality, recurrence, and dependency in both sexes. In men, atrial fibrillation was a risk factor of mortality at 12 months after stroke (relative ratio RR, 2.12; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.38-3.27), but obesity was a protective factor of mortality at 36 months after stroke (RR, .30; 95% CI, .10-.94). However, in women, atrial fibrillation was a risk factor of recurrence at 12 months (RR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.31-4.12) and dependency at 36 months after stroke (RR, 7.68; 95% CI, 1.60-36.82). We assessed sex differences in stroke outcomes and associated risk factors at 12 and 36 months after stroke in a large hospital-based stroke registry of elderly patients from Northern China. Thus, it is crucial to emphasize risk management to elderly patients to reduce mortality, recurrence, and dependency after stroke.
Abstract Background Stroke is the leading cause of death in rural areas and the third cause of death in urban areas in China, but the epidemiological transition of stroke during periods of rapid ...economic development is unknown in China, especially in rural areas. We aimed to investigate the secular trends in incidence, prevalence, and the 30-day case fatality of first-ever stroke in rural China between 1992 and 2014. Methods We assessed the secular trends in the epidemiological transition of stroke in Tianjin, China. The study population was from the Tianjin Brain Study, a population-based stroke surveillance study among low-income residents in a township in Tianjin, China, where stroke events and all deaths have been registered annually from 1992 to 2014. We used data from the Tianjin Brain Study to estimate case-fatality rates, the age-standardised incidence and prevalence of first-ever stroke per 100 000 population with the world standardisation population. Trends in age-standardised incidence and prevalence of stroke were assessed from annual percentage of change by sex and subtypes using the regression model: log(rt)=a+bt, where log denotes the natural logarithm and t is the year, and 100b represents the estimated annual percentage of change. Findings Between 1992 and 2014, the age-standardised incidence of first-ever stroke per 100 000 population increased annually by 6·3% overall, by 5·5% in men, and by 7·8% in women (p<0·0001); the case fatality decreased annually by 3·9% overall (p=0·024) and by 6·0% in women (p=0·015), but did not change in men (p=0·072). Simultaneously, the age-standardised prevalence of first-ever stroke per 100 000 population increased annually by 10·6% overall, by 9·9% in men, and by 11·5% in women (p<0·0001). With respect to stroke subtypes, the age-standardised incidence of first-ever stroke from intracerebral haemorrhage increased annually by 4·6% overall (p=0·022), by 3·5% in men (p=0·009), and by 4·8% in women (p=0·016), whereas the incidence of ischaemic stroke increased annually by 7·2% overall, by 6·6% in men, and by 8·3% in women (p<0·0001). The corresponding prevalence of intracerebral haemorrhage increased annually by 8·0% overall, 7·0% in men, and 9·9% in women, whereas the prevalence of ischaemic stroke increased annually by 11·4% overall, by 10·9% in men, and by 12·4% in women. Interpretation The epidemiological transition of stroke was found among a low-income population in China. The incidence and prevalence of stroke from intracerebral haemorrhage and ischaemic stroke increased rapidly in both men and women. These findings suggest that it is crucial to prevent stroke among low-income population in China to reduce the burden of disease worldwide. Funding The Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China and National Key Project of Clinical Neurology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital.
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