Regular follow-up attendance in primary care and routine blood glucose monitoring are essential in diabetes management, particularly for patients at higher cardiovascular (CV) risk. We sought to ...examine the regularity of follow-up attendance and blood glucose monitoring in a primary care sample of type 2 diabetic patients at moderate-to-high CV risk, and to explore factors associated with poor engagement. Cross-sectional data were collected from 2130 patients enrolled in a diabetic retinopathy screening programme in Guangdong province, China. Approximately one-third of patients (35.9%) attended clinical follow-up <4 times in the past year. Over half of patients (56.9%) failed to have blood glucose monitored at least once per month. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that rural residents (adjusted odds ratio aOR = 0.420, 95% confidence interval CI = 0.338-0.522,
< 0.001, for follow-up attendance; aOR = 0.580, 95%CI: 0.472-0.712,
< 0.001, for blood glucose monitoring) and subjects with poor awareness of adverse consequences of diabetes complications (aOR = 0.648, 95%CI = 0.527-0.796,
< 0.001, for follow-up attendance; aOR = 0.770, 95%CI = 0.633-0.937,
= 0.009, for blood glucose monitoring) were both less likely to achieve active engagement. Our results revealed an urban-rural divide in patients' engagement in follow-up attendance and blood glucose monitoring, which suggested the need for different educational approaches tailored to the local context to enhance diabetes care.
Background
Facilitating the recurrence of spontaneous voiding is considered to be a way to prevent urinary retention after surgery, which is of great importance in cholecystectomy. This study aimed ...to assess the effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on spontaneous voiding recovery after laparoscopic cholecystectom.
Methods
Participants who underwent elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly assigned to either the TEAS group or the sham group. Active TEAS or sham TEAS at specific acupuncture points was conducted intraoperatively and postoperatively. The primary outcome was the recovery speed of spontaneous voiding ability after surgery and secondary outcomes included postoperative urinary retention (POUR), voiding dysfunction, pain, anxiety and depression, and early recovery after surgery.
Results
A total of 1,948 participants were recruited and randomized to TEAS (
n
= 975) or sham (
n
= 973) between August 2018 and June 2020. TEAS shortens the time delay of the first spontaneous voiding after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (5.6 h IQR, 3.7–8.1 h in the TEAS group vs 7.0 h IQR, 4.7–9.7 h in the sham group) (
p
< 0.001). The TEAS group experienced less POUR (
p
= 0.020), less voiding difficulty (
p
< 0.001), less anxiety and depression (
p
< 0.001), reduced pain (
p
= 0.007), and earlier ambulation (
p
= 0.01) than the sham group.
Conclusions
Our results showed that TEAS is an effective approach to accelerate the recovery of spontaneous voiding and reduce POUR which facilitates recovery for patients after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
A hybrid composite of organic–inorganic semiconductor nanomaterials with atomic Au clusters at the interface decoration (denoted as PF3T@Au‐TiO2) is developed for visible–light‐driven H2 production ...via direct water splitting. With a strong electron coupling between the terthiophene groups, Au atoms and the oxygen atoms at the heterogeneous interface, significant electron injection from the PF3T to TiO2 occurs leading to a quantum leap in the H2 production yield (18 578 µmol g−1 h−1) by ≈39% as compared to that of the composite without Au decoration (PF3T@TiO2, 11 321 µmol g−1 h−1). Compared to the pure PF3T, such a result is 43‐fold improved and is the best performance among all the existing hybrid materials in similar configurations. With robust process control via industrially applicable methods, it is anticipated that the findings and proposed methodologies can accelerate the development of high‐performance eco‐friendly photocatalytic hydrogen production technologies.
OBJECTIVESTo investigate the association between childhood trauma and game addiction in adolescents, as well as the mediating effect of self-control.METHODSA cross-sectional study was conducted using ...cluster random sampling. The participants were 2 664 adolescents from a senior high school in Henan Province. The research tools included a demographic data questionnaire, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, Self-Control Scale, and Game Addiction Scale for Adolescents. The Bootstrap method was used to test the parallel mediating effect, with the five dimensions of self-control as mediators.RESULTSThe prevalence of game addiction among the adolescents was 17.68% (471/2 664). There was a positive correlation between childhood trauma and game addiction scores (P<0.01), and a negative correlation between childhood trauma scores and each dimension of self-control (P<0.01). Moreover, all five dimensions of self-control were negatively correlated with game addiction scores (P<0.01) and acted as parallel mediators
Islet autophagy plays a role in glucose/lipid metabolism in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Meanwhile, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) has been found to regulate insulin sensitivity and glucose ...homeostasis. Whether FGF21 induces islet autophagy, remains to be elucidated. This study aimed to explore the physiological roles and signaling pathways involved in FGF21-stimulated islet autophagy under glucolipotoxic conditions.
C57/BL6J mice were fed a standard diet or high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks, and islets were isolated from normal and
knockout (KO) mice. Isolated islets and INS-1E cells were exposed to normal and high-concentration glucose and palmitic acid with/without FGF21 or AMPK inhibitor compound C. Real-time PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry/transmission electron microscopy were performed for the expression of targeted genes/proteins.
HFD-treated mice showed increases in fasting plasma glucose, body weight and impaired glucose tolerance; islet protein expression of FGF21 was induced after HFD treatment. Protein expression levels of FGF21 and LC3-II (autophagy marker) were induced in mouse islets treated with high concentrations of palmitic acid and glucose, while phosphorylation of AMPK was reduced, compared with controls. In addition, induction of LC3-II protein expression was reduced in islets isolated from
KO mice. Furthermore, exogenous administration of FGF21 diminished phosphorylation of AMPK and stimulated protein expression of LC3-II. Consistently, compound C significantly induced increased expression of LC3-II protein.
Our data indicate that glucolipotoxicity-induced FGF21 activation mediates islet autophagy via AMPK inhibition, and further consolidate the evidence for the FGF21/analog being a pharmacotherapeutic target for obesity and its related T2DM.
Intermittent theta burst (iTBS) powered by direct current stimulation (DCS) can safely be applied transcranially to induce neuroplasticity in the human and animal brain cortex. tDCS-iTBS is a special ...waveform that is used by very few studies, and its safety needs to be confirmed. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the safety of tDCS-iTBS in an animal model after brain stimulations for 1 h and 4 weeks. Thirty-one Sprague Dawley rats were divided into two groups: (1) short-term stimulation for 1 h/session (sham, low, and high) and (2) long-term for 30 min, 3 sessions/week for 4 weeks (sham and high). The anodal stimulation applied over the primary motor cortex ranged from 2.5 to 4.5 mA/cm2. The brain biomarkers and scalp tissues were assessed using ELISA and histological analysis (H&E staining) after stimulations. The caspase-3 activity, cortical myelin basic protein (MBP) expression, and cortical interleukin (IL-6) levels increased slightly in both groups compared to sham. The serum MBP, cortical neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and serum IL-6 slightly changed from sham after stimulations. There was no obvious edema or cell necrosis seen in cortical histology after the intervention. The short- and long-term stimulations did not induce significant adverse effects on brain and scalp tissues upon assessing biomarkers and conducting histological analysis.
Abstract
Gastric cancer (GC) is notoriously resistant to current therapies due to tumor heterogeneity. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) possess infinite self-renewal potential and contribute to the inherent ...heterogeneity of GC. Despite its crucial role in chemoresistance, the mechanism of stemness maintenance of gastric cancer stem cells (GCSCs) remains largely unknown. Here, we present evidence that lengsin, lens protein with glutamine synthetase domain (LGSN), a vital cell fate determinant, is overexpressed in GCSCs and is highly correlated with malignant progression and poor survival in GC patients. Ectopic overexpression of LGSN in GCSC-derived differentiated cells facilitated their dedifferentiation and treatment resistance by interacting with vimentin and inducing an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Notably, genetic interference of LGSN effectively suppressed tumor formation by inhibiting GCSC stemness maintenance and provoking gasdermin-D-mediated pyroptosis through vimentin degradation/NLRP3 signaling. Depletion of LGSN combined with the chemo-drugs 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin could offer a unique and promising approach to synergistically rendering this deadly cancer eradicable in vivo. Our data place focus on the role of LGSN in GCSC regeneration and emphasize the critical importance of pyroptosis in battling GCSC.
The tumor-associated antigen mucin 1 (MUC1) is an attractive target of antitumor vaccine, but its weak immunogenicity is a big challenge for the development of vaccine. In order to enhance immune ...responses against MUC1, herein, we conjugated small molecular toll-like receptor 7 agonist (TLR7a) to carrier protein BSA
MUC1 glycopeptide to form a three-component conjugate (BSA-MUC1-TLR7a). Furthermore, we combined the three-component conjugate with Alum adjuvant to explore their synergistic effects. The immunological studies indicated that Alum adjuvant and built-in TLR7a synergistically enhanced anti-MUC1 antibody responses and showed Th1-biased immune responses. Meanwhile, antibodies elicited by the vaccine candidate effectively recognized tumor cells and induced complement-dependent cytotoxicity. In addition, Alum adjuvant and built-in TLR7a synergistically enhanced MUC1 glycopeptide-specific memory CD8+ T-cell immune responses. More importantly, the vaccine with the binary adjuvant can significantly inhibit tumor growth and prolong the survival time of mice in the tumor challenge experiment. This novel vaccine construct provides an effective strategy to develop antitumor vaccines.
Abstract
Background
Helicobacter pylori
(HP) infection is associated with various diseases. Early detection can prevent the onset of illness. We constructed a nomogram to predict groups at high risk ...of HP infection.
Methods
Patients who underwent regular medical check-ups at hospital in Chaoshan, China from March to September 2022 were randomly allocated to the training and validation cohorts. Risk factors including basic characteristics and lifestyle habits associated with HP infection were analyzed by logistic regression analyses. The independent varieties were calculated and plotted into a nomogram. The nomogram was internally validated by receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration, and decision curve analyses (DCAs).
Results
Of the 945 patients, 680 were included in the training cohort and 265 in the validation cohort. 356 patients in training cohort with positive 13 C-UBT results served as the infected group, and 324 without infection were the control group. The multivariate regression analyses showed that the risk factors for HP infection included alcohol consumption (OR = 1.29, 95%CI = 0.78–2.13,
P
= 0.03), family history of gastric disease (OR = 4.35, 95%CI = 1.47–12.84,
P
= 0.01), living with an HP-positive individual (OR = 18.09, 95%CI = 10.29–31.82,
P
< 0.0001), drinking hot tea (OR = 1.58, 95%CI = 1.05–2.48,
P
= 0.04), and infection status of co-drinkers unknown (OR = 2.29, 95%CI = 1.04–5.06,
P
= 0.04). However, drinking tea > 3 times per day (OR = 0.56, 95%CI = 0.33–0.95,
P
= 0.03), using serving chopsticks (OR = 0.30, 95%CI = 0.12–0.49,
P
< 0.0001) were protective factors for HP infection. The nomogram had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.85 in the training cohort. The DCA was above the reference line within a large threshold range, indicating that the model was better. The calibration analyses showed the actual occurrence rate was basically consistent with the predicted occurrence rate. The model was validated in the validation cohort, and had a good AUC (0.80), DCA and calibration curve results.
Conclusions
This nomogram, which incorporates basic characteristics and lifestyle habits, is an efficient model for predicting those at high risk of HP infection in the Chaoshan region.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), which have layered stacking structures, extended π-conjugation, and periodic frameworks have become a promising class of materials for a wide range of ...applications. However, their synthetic pathways frequently need high temperatures, enclosed systems under high pressures, an inert atmosphere, and extended reaction time, which restrict their practicality in real-world applications. Herein, the use of gamma irradiation is presented to synthesize highly crystalline COFs at room temperature under an open-air condition within a short time. This is demonstrated that there is no significant difference in crystallinity of COFs by gamma irradiation under air, N
or Ar atmosphere conditions. Moreover, this approach can successfully fabricate COFs in the vessel with different degrees of transparency or even in a plastic container. Importantly, this strategy is applicable not only to imine linkage of COFs but also effective to the imide linkages of COFs. Most importantly, these COFs demonstrate improved crystallinity, surface area, and thermal stability in comparison to the corresponding materials synthesized via the solvothermal method. Finally, a COF synthesized through gamma irradiation exhibits remarkable photocatalytic activity in promoting the sacrificial hydrogen evolution from water, displaying a more catalytic efficiency compared with that of its solvothermal analogue.
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