The different profiles of e-cigarette users in different age groups have seldom been investigated, particularly in populations facing a high prevalence of cigarette smoking. This study aims to ...examine the prevalence and correlates of e-cigarette use separately for adolescents and adults in nationally representative samples in Taiwan.
Among 17,837 participants in the 2014 National Survey of Substance Use in Taiwan, 4445 were aged 12 to 17 years and 13,392 were aged 18 to 64 years. Individuals' lifetime tobacco use was divided into four groups: non-use, exclusive e-cigarette use, exclusive cigarette use, and dual use. Questions on sociodemographic features, use and problematic use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, and psychosocial distress, among others, were administered using a computer-assisted self-interview on tablet computers.
Among lifetime users of e-cigarette (2.2% for adults and 0.8% for adolescents), 4.5% for adults and 36.6% for adolescents were exclusive e-cigarette users. From use of exclusive e-cigarettes to use of exclusive cigarettes to dual use, those usage groups were related to an increasing trend of adjusted odds ratios for use of other psychoactive substances, particularly problematic use of alcohol or drugs, and with more depressive symptoms. Two correlates were specific to e-cigarette use: alcohol use had stronger relationships with e-cigarette use among adolescents, and younger adults (18-34) were more likely to try e-cigarettes compared to older adults.
These results provide essential information regarding e-cigarette use in the general population, and future prevention strategies should account for its specific correlates in young people.
This study aims at developing lightweight and high performance composite bipolar plates for use in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The thin polymer composite bipolar plates (the ...thickness <1.5
mm) containing of vinyl ester resin, graphite powder, organoclay have been fabricated by bulk molding compound (BMC) process. Organoclay was prepared by ionic exchange of montmorillonite (MMT) with three different molecular weight (
M
w) of poly(oxypropylene)-backboned diamine intercalating agents. Results indicate that the basal spacing and content of MMT varied with
M
w of POP-diamines are critical in determining the resultant mechanical properties for bipolar plates. Flexural strength of MMT composite plates was increased from 30.21 to 45.66
MPa by adding 2
phr of MMT. The flexural strength of the plate was also ca. 38% higher than the pristine graphite plate as the basal spacing of MMT was increased from 1.71 to 5.43
nm. Meanwhile, the unnotched impact strength of the composite plates was increased from 58.11 to 80.21
J
m
−1. The unnotched impact strength of the plate was ca. 30% higher than that of the original graphite plates as the basal spacing of MMT was increased from 1.71 to 5.43
nm. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) and the UL-94 test revealed that the bipolar plate possesses excellent flame retardant with LOI >50 and UL-94-V0. The thermal decomposition temperature of each MMT composite plate is also higher than 250
°C. In addition, the bulk electrical conductivity of the bipolar plate with different MMT contents and basal spacing of MMT is higher than 100
S
cm
−1. The corrosion current is less than 10
−7
A
cm
−2. Results confirm that the addition of MMT leads to a significant improvement on the performance of the composite bipolar plate.
Tissues and cells in organism are continuously exposed to complex mechanical cues from the environment. Mechanical stimulations affect cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration, as well as ...determining tissue homeostasis and repair. By using a specially designed skin-stretching device, we discover that hair stem cells proliferate in response to stretch and hair regeneration occurs only when applying proper strain for an appropriate duration. A counterbalance between WNT and BMP-2 and the subsequent two-step mechanism are identified through molecular and genetic analyses. Macrophages are first recruited by chemokines produced by stretch and polarized to M2 phenotype. Growth factors such as HGF and IGF-1, released by M2 macrophages, then activate stem cells and facilitate hair regeneration. A hierarchical control system is revealed, from mechanical and chemical signals to cell behaviors and tissue responses, elucidating avenues of regenerative medicine and disease control by demonstrating the potential to manipulate cellular processes through simple mechanical stimulation.
Various spatially enlarged organoclays were prepared by using poly(oxyproplene)-backboned quaternary ammonium salts of various molecular weights
M
w 230, 400 and 2000 as the intercalating agents for ...Na
+-montmorillonite. The modified MMT was utilized to improve the compatibility with Nafion
®. Sufficient interaction of the modified MMT with Nafion
® was studied by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS). The performance of the Nafion
®/
m-MMT composite membranes for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFCs) was evaluated in terms of water uptake, ion exchange capacity (IEC), methanol permeability, proton conductivity, and cell performance. The methanol permeability of the composite membrane decreased with the increasing of
m-MMT content. The proton conductivity of the membrane was lowered slightly from that of pristine Nafion
® membrane. These results led to an essential improvement in the single-cell performance of DMFCs.
Reliable energy modules and higher-sensitivity, higher-density, lower-powered sensing systems are constantly required to develop wearable electronics and the Internet of Things technology. As an ...emerging technology, triboelectric nanogenerators have been potentially guiding the landscape of sustainable power units and energy-efficient sensors. However, the existing triboelectric series is primarily populated by polymers and rubbers, limiting triboelectric sensing plasticity to some extent owing to their stiff surface electronic structures. To enrich the current triboelectric group, we explore the triboelectric properties of the topological insulator nanofilm by Kelvin probe force microscopy and reveal its relatively positive electrification charging performance. Both the larger surface potential difference and the conductive surface states of the nanofilms synergistically improve the charge transfer behavior between the selected triboelectric media, endowing the topological insulator-based triboelectric nanogenerator with considerable output performance. Besides serving as a wearable power source, the ultra-compact device array demonstrates innovative system-level sensing capabilities, including precise monitoring of dynamic objects and real-time signal control at the human-machine interface. This work fills the blank between topological quantum matters and triboelectric nanogenerators and, more importantly, exploits the significant potential of topological insulator nanofilms for self-powered flexible/wearable electronics and scalable sensing technologies.
Objective
To evaluate human glymphatics and meningeal lymphatics noninvasively.
Methods
This prospective study implemented 3‐dimensional (3D) isotropic contrast‐enhanced T2 fluid‐attenuated inversion ...recovery (CE‐T2‐FLAIR) imaging with a 3T magnetic resonance machine to study cerebral glymphatics and meningeal lymphatics in patients with reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) with (n = 92) or without (n = 90) blood–brain barrier (BBB) disruption and a diseased control group with cluster headache (n = 35). The contrast agent gadobutrol (0.2mmol/kg 0.2ml/kg) was administered intravenously in all study subjects.
Results
In total, 217 patients (182 RCVS, 35 cluster headache) were analyzed and separated into 2 groups based on the presence or absence of visible gadolinium (Gd) leakage. Para‐arterial tracer enrichment was clearly depicted in those with overt BBB disruption, while paravenous and parasinus meningeal contrast enrichment was evident in both groups. Paravenous and parasinus contrast enrichment remained in RCVS patients in the remission stage and in cluster headache patients, suggesting that these meningeal lymphatic channels were universal anatomical structures rather than being phase‐ or condition‐specific. Additionally, we demonstrated nodular leptomeningeal enhancement in 32.3% of participants, which might represent potential lymphatic reservoirs. Four selected RCVS patients who received consecutive contrasted 3D isotropic FLAIR imaging after gadobutrol administration showed that the Gd persisted for at least 54 minutes and was completely cleared within 18 hours.
Interpretation
This large‐scale in vivo study successfully demonstrated the putative human para‐arterial glymphatic transports and meningeal lymphatics by clear depiction of para‐arterial, parasinus, and paravenous meningeal contrast enrichment using high‐resolution 3D isotropic CE‐T2‐FLAIR imaging noninvasively; this technique may serve as a basis for further studies to delineate clinical relevance of glymphatic clearance. ANN NEUROL 2021;89:111–124
This study was undertaken to investigate migraine glymphatic and meningeal lymphatic vessel (mLV) functions.
Migraine patients and healthy controls (HCs) were prospectively recruited between 2020 and ...2023. Diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) index for glymphatics and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging parameters (time to peak TTP/enhancement integral EI/mean time to enhance MTE) for para-superior sagittal (paraSSS)-mLV or paratransverse sinus (paraTS)-mLV in episodic migraine (EM), chronic migraine (CM), and CM with and without medication-overuse headache (MOH) were analyzed. DTI-ALPS correlations with clinical parameters (migraine severity numeric rating scale/disability Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS)/bodily pain Widespread Pain Index/sleep quality Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)) were examined.
In total, 175 subjects (112 migraine + 63 HCs) were investigated. DTI-ALPS values were lower in CM (median interquartile range = 0.64 0.12) than in EM (0.71 0.13, p = 0.005) and HCs (0.71 0.09, p = 0.004). CM with MOH (0.63 0.07) had lower DTI-ALPS values than CM without MOH (0.73 0.12, p < 0.001). Furthermore, CM had longer TTP (paraSSS-mLV: 55.8 12.9 vs 40.0 7.6, p < 0.001; paraTS-mLV: 51.2 8.1 vs 44.0 3.3, p = 0.002), EI (paraSSS-mLV: 45.5 42.0 vs 16.1 9.2, p < 0.001), and MTE (paraSSS-mLV: 253.7 6.7 vs 248.4 13.8, p < 0.001; paraTS-mLV: 252.0 6.2 vs 249.7 1.2, p < 0.001) than EM patients. The MIDAS (p = 0.002) and PSQI (p = 0.002) were negatively correlated with DTI-ALPS index after Bonferroni corrections (p < q = 0.01).
CM patients, particularly those with MOH, have glymphatic and meningeal lymphatic dysfunctions, which are highly clinically relevant and may implicate pathogenesis for migraine chronification. ANN NEUROL 2024;95:583-595.
Objective
The purpose of this study was to investigate the significance of circulating micro RNAs (miRNAs) in the pathogenesis of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS).
Methods
We ...prospectively recruited 3 independent cohorts of patients with RCVS and age‐matched and sex‐matched controls in a single medical center. Next‐generation small RNA sequencing followed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify and validate differentially expressed miRNAs, which was cross‐validated in migraine patients in ictal stage or interictal stage. Computational analysis was used to predict the target genes of miRNAs, followed by in vitro functional analysis.
Results
We identified a panel of miRNAs including miR‐130a‐3p, miR‐130b‐3p, let‐7a‐5p, let‐7b‐5p, and let‐7f‐5p that well differentiated patients with RCVS from controls (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve AUC was 0.906, 0.890, and 0.867 in the 3 cohorts, respectively). The abundance of let‐7a‐5p, let‐7b‐5p, and let‐7f‐5p, but not miR‐130a‐3p nor miR‐130b‐3p, was significantly higher in patients with ictal migraine compared with that of controls and patients with interictal migraine. Target prediction and pathway enrichment analysis suggested that the transforming growth factor‐β signaling pathway and endothelin‐1 responsible for vasomotor control might link these miRNAs to RCVS pathogenesis, which was confirmed in vitro by transfecting miRNAs mimics or incubating the patients’ cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in 3 different vascular endothelial cells. Moreover, miR‐130a‐3p was associated with imaging‐proven disruption of the blood‐brain barrier (BBB) in patients with RCVS and its overexpression led to reduced transendothelial electrical resistance (ie, increased permeability) in in vitro human BBB model.
Interpretation
We identified the circulating miRNA signatures associated with RCVS, which may be functionally linked to its headache, BBB integrity, and vasomotor function. ANN NEUROL 2021;89:459–473
UNAIDS' HIV treatment targets require that 90% of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART) achieve viral suppression and 90% of people with viral suppression have ...good health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study aimed to examine the association of depression and antidepressant therapy with ART adherence and HRQOL in HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM). From 2018 through 2020, HIV-infected MSMs were consecutively recruited (N = 565) for the evaluation of ART adherence and HRQOL at Taipei City Hospital HIV clinics. Non-adherence to ART was defined as a Medication Adherence Report Scale score of < 23. HRQOL in PLWHHA was evaluated using WHOQOL-BREF, Taiwan version. Overall, 14.0% had depression and 12.4% exhibited non-adherence to ART. The nonadherence proportion was 21.8% and 10.5% in depressed and nondepressed HIV-infected MSM, respectively. After adjusting for other covariates, depression was associated with a higher risk of nonadherence to ART (adjusted odds ratio = 2.02; 95% confidence interval: 1.02-4.00). Physical, psychological, social, and environmental HRQOL were significantly negatively associated with depression. Considering antidepressant therapy, ART nonadherence was significantly associated with depression without antidepressant therapy but not with antidepressant therapy. The depressed HIV-infected MSM without antidepressant therapy had worse psychological, social, and environmental HRQOL than those with antidepressant therapy. Our study suggests that depression is associated with poor ART adherence and HRQOL, particularly in those without antidepressant therapy. Adequate diagnosis and treatment of depression should be provided for PLWHA to improve their ART adherence and HRQOL.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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