Summary
Background
Tong‐Xie‐Yao‐Fang (TXYF) is a Chinese herbal formula for treating chronic diarrhoea accompanied by abdominal pain. The results were inconsistent in previous trials examining its ...effect.
Aim
To study the efficacy of TXYF granules for treating diarrhoea‐predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS‐D).
Methods
We performed a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled randomised trial and enrolled 160 participants with IBS‐D. The participants had VAS scores ≥3 cm in IBS‐D global symptoms and ≥2 days in a week with abdominal pain and loose stools (Bristol score 5, 6 or 7). They were randomly assigned to received TXYF or placebo during a treatment period of 4 weeks, and they were followed up for 8 weeks after treatment. The primary outcome was adequate relief of IBS‐D global symptoms for at least 2 of 4 weeks during weeks 1‐4. Secondary outcomes included mean weekly VAS scores of IBS‐D major symptoms, mean weekly stool frequency, mean weekly Bristol score, and adverse events.
Results
155 of 160 patients completed the trial. We found a significantly higher rate of adequate relief of global symptoms in TXFY group during weeks 1 to 4 (57.5% vs 37.5%, χ2 = 5.6391, P = 0.017); logistic regression analysis showed a similar result (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2‐4.4, P = 0.016). Most of the secondary outcomes showed superiority of TXYF over placebo in weekly assessment from week 3 to week 7. The adverse event rate was low in both groups (3.8% vs 3.8%, P = 1.000).
Conclusion
During a 4 week trial, TXFY granules were superior to placebo in controlling symptoms of IBS‐D.
Linked ContentThis article is linked to Vitta and Sayuk and Chen et al papers. To view these articles visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.14902 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.14906.
Many neutron star properties, such as the proton fraction, reflect the symmetry energy contributions to the equation of state that dominate when neutron and proton densities differ strongly. To ...constrain these contributions at suprasaturation densities, we measure the spectra of charged pions produced by colliding rare isotope tin (Sn) beams with isotopically enriched Sn targets. Using ratios of the charged pion spectra measured at high transverse momenta, we deduce the slope of the symmetry energy to be 42<L<117 MeV. This value is slightly lower but consistent with the L values deduced from a recent measurement of the neutron skin thickness of ^{208}Pb.
Strong adsorption and catalysis for lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) are critical toward the electrochemical stability of Li‐S batteries. Herein, a hollow sandwiched nanoparticle is put forward to ...enhance the adsorption‐catalysis‐conversion dynamic of sulfur species. The outer ultrathin Ni(OH)2 nanosheets not only confine LiPSs via both physical encapsulation and chemical adsorption, but also promote redox kinetics and accelerate the conversion of sulfur species, which is revealed by experiments and theoretical calculations. Meanwhile, the inner hollow polyaniline soft core provides a strong chemical bonding to LiPSs after vulcanization, which can chemically adsorpt LiPSs, and synergistically confine the shuttle effect. Moreover, the Ni(OH)2 nanosheets with a large specific area can enhance the wettability of electrolyte, and the flexible hollow sandwiched structure can accommodate the volume expansion, promoting sulfur utilization and structural stability. The obtained cathode exhibits excellent electrochemical performance with an initial discharge capacity of 1173 mAh g–1 and a small capacity decay of 0.08% per cycle even after 500 cycles at 0.2 C, among the best results of Ni(OH)2‐based materials for Li–S batteries. It is believed that the combination of adsorption‐catalysis‐conversion will shed a light on the development of cathode materials for stable Li–S batteries.
A sandwiched Ni(OH)2@S@P cathode is designed for stable Li–S batteries. The outer ultrathin Ni(OH)2 nanosheets enhance conversion kinetics of sulfur species, and endows a robust physical encapsulation and chemical adsorption for lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). The inner hollow polyaniline core provides a strong chemical bonding to LiPSs after vulcanization, synergistically inhibiting the LiPSs diffusion. The hollow/flexible structure accommodates volume expansion and improves sulfur utilization.
Bone defect repair is challenging in orthopaedic clinics. For treatment of large bone defects, bone grafting remains the method of choice for the majority of surgeons, as it fills spaces and provides ...support to enhance biological bone repair. As therapeutic agents are desirable for enhancing bone healing, this study was designed to develop such a bioactive composite scaffold (PLGA/TCP/ICT) made of polylactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) and tricalcium phosphate (TCP) as a basic carrier, incorporating a phytomolecule icaritin (ICT), i.e., a novel osteogenic exogenous growth factor. PLGA/TCP/ICT scaffolds were fabricated as PLGA/TCP (control group) and PLGA/TCP in tandem with low/mid/high-dose ICT (LICT/MICT/HICT groups, respectively). To evaluate the in vivo osteogenic and angiogenic potentials of these bioactive scaffolds with slow release of osteogenic ICT, the authors established a 12mm ulnar bone defect model in rabbits. X-ray and high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography results at weeks 2, 4 and 8 post-surgery showed more newly formed bone within bone defects implanted with PLGA/TCP/ICT scaffolds, especially PLGA/TCP/MICT scaffold. Histological results at weeks 4 and 8 also demonstrated more newly mineralized bone in PLGA/TCP/ICT groups, especially in the PLGA/TCP/MICT group, with correspondingly more new vessel ingrowth. These findings may form a good foundation for potential clinical validation of this innovative bioactive scaffold incorporated with the proper amount of osteopromotive phytomolecule ICT as a ready product for clinical applications.
Previous studies found that exercise interventions have positive effects on executive functions of the general population. However, studies seldom target executive functions of children and ...adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study aimed to synthesise empirical studies regarding the effects of exercise interventions on executive functions of children and adolescents with ADHD. A systematic search of the relevant literature was conducted in March 2020 through six electronic databases: CINAHL Complete, Eric, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, SPORTDiscus with Full Text, and Web of Science. Randomised controlled trials/quasi-experimental designs that applied exercise interventions and assessed executive functions through neurocognitive tasks among children and adolescents with ADHD were included. Altogether, 314 studies were identified, from which 31 full texts were independently assessed by two authors for eligibility. Finally, 21 studies underwent systematic reviews and 15 were selected for meta-analysis. Data extraction procedures and risk of bias analysis were conducted by two independent authors using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. The findings indicated that exercise interventions improved overall executive functions of children and adolescents with ADHD (SMD = 0.611, 95% CI 0.386 to 0.836, p < 0.01). Exercise interventions had a moderate-to-large positive effect on inhibitory control (g = 0.761, 95% CI 0.376 to 1.146, p < 0.01) and cognitive flexibility (g = 0.780, 95% CI 0.331 to 1.228, p < 0.001). Likewise, during the subgroup analysis, intervention intensity and sessions of exercise (acute vs chronic) significantly moderated exercise intervention rather than intervention type. Chronic sessions of exercise interventions with moderate intensity should be incorporated as treatment for children with ADHD to promote executive functions.
The Pearl River Delta (PRD) of China, which has a population of more than 58 million people, is one of the largest agglomerations of cities in the world and had severe PM2.5 pollution at the ...beginning of this century. Due to the implementation of strong pollution control in recent decades, PM2.5 in the PRD has continuously decreased to relatively lower levels in China. To comprehensively understand the current PM2.5 sources in the PRD to support future air pollution control strategies in similar regions, we performed regional-scale PM2.5 field observations coupled with a state-of-the-art source apportionment model at six sites in four seasons in 2015. The regional annual average PM2.5 concentration based on the 4-month sampling was determined to be 37 µg m−3, which is still more than 3 times the WHO standard, with organic matter (36.9 %) and SO42- (23.6 %) as the most abundant species. A novel multilinear engine (ME-2) model was first applied to a comprehensive PM2.5 chemical dataset to perform source apportionment with predetermined constraints, producing more environmentally meaningful results compared to those obtained using traditional positive matrix factorization (PMF) modeling. The regional annual average PM2.5 source structure in the PRD was retrieved to be secondary sulfate (21 %), vehicle emissions (14 %), industrial emissions (13 %), secondary nitrate (11 %), biomass burning (11 %), secondary organic aerosol (SOA, 7 %), coal burning (6 %), fugitive dust (5 %), ship emissions (3 %) and aged sea salt (2 %). Analyzing the spatial distribution of PM2.5 sources under different weather conditions clearly identified the central PRD area as the key emission area for SO2, NOx, coal burning, biomass burning, industrial emissions and vehicle emissions. It was further estimated that under the polluted northerly air flow in winter, local emissions in the central PRD area accounted for approximately 45 % of the total PM2.5, with secondary nitrate and biomass burning being most abundant; in contrast, the regional transport from outside the PRD accounted for more than half of PM2.5, with secondary sulfate representing the most abundant transported species.
Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a 3D printing technology that can print metal parts with complex geometries without the design constraints of traditional manufacturing routes. However, the parts ...printed by LPBF normally contain many more pores than those made by conventional methods, which severely deteriorates their properties. Here, by combining in-situ high-speed high-resolution synchrotron x-ray imaging experiments and multi-physics modeling, we unveil the dynamics and mechanisms of pore motion and elimination in the LPBF process. We find that the high thermocapillary force, induced by the high temperature gradient in the laser interaction region, can rapidly eliminate pores from the melt pool during the LPBF process. The thermocapillary force driven pore elimination mechanism revealed here may guide the development of 3D printing approaches to achieve pore-free 3D printing of metals.
PubChem (http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) is a public repository for biological properties of small molecules hosted by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). PubChem BioAssay database currently ...contains biological test results for more than 700 000 compounds. The goal of PubChem is to make this information easily accessible to biomedical researchers. In this work, we present a set of web servers to facilitate and optimize the utility of biological activity information within PubChem. These web-based services provide tools for rapid data retrieval, integration and comparison of biological screening results, exploratory structure-activity analysis, and target selectivity examination. This article reviews these bioactivity analysis tools and discusses their uses. Most of the tools described in this work can be directly accessed at http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/assay/. URLs for accessing other tools described in this work are specified individually.
First principles gyrokinetic simulation of the edge turbulent transport in toroidal plasmas finds a reverse trend in the turbulent transport coefficients under strong gradients. It is found that ...there exist both linear and nonlinear critical gradients for the nonmonotonicity of transport characteristics. The discontinuity of the transport flux slope around the turning gradient shows features of a second order phase transition. Under a strong gradient the most unstable modes are in nonground eigenstates with unconventional mode structures, which significantly reduces the effective correlation length and thus reverse the transport trend. Our results suggest a completely new mechanism for the low to high confinement mode transition without invoking shear flow or zonal flow.
Demands are growing rapidly in the operational prediction and applications communities for forecasts that fill the gap between medium-range weather and long-range or seasonal forecasts. Based on the ...potential for improved forecast skill at the subseasonal to seasonal time range, the Subseasonal to Seasonal (S2S) Prediction research project has been established by the World Weather Research Programme/World Climate Research Programme. A main deliverable of this project is the establishment of an extensive database containing subseasonal (up to 60 days) forecasts, 3 weeks behind real time, and reforecasts from 11 operational centers, modeled in part on the The Observing System Research and Predictability Experiment (THORPEX) Interactive Grand Global Ensemble (TIGGE) database for medium-range forecasts (up to 15 days).
The S2S database, available to the research community since May 2015, represents an important tool to advance our understanding of the subseasonal to seasonal time range that has been considered for a long time as a “desert of predictability.” In particular, this database will help identify common successes and shortcomings in the model simulation and prediction of sources of subseasonal to seasonal predictability. For instance, a preliminary study suggests that the S2S models significantly underestimate the amplitude of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) teleconnections over the Euro-Atlantic sector. The S2S database also represents an important tool for case studies of extreme events. For instance, a multimodel combination of S2S models displays higher probability of a landfall over the islands of Vanuatu 2–3 weeks before Tropical Cyclone Pam devastated the islands in March 2015.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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