In this study, acicular nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HA) was used to make a new biomimetic composite with polyamide (poly hexamethylene adipamide) by a unique technique. The physical and chemical ...characteristics of the composites were tested. It was found that these synthesized n-HA crystals were similar to bone apatite in size, phase composition and crystal structure. The biomimetic n-HA crystals were uniformly distributed in the polymer matrix and its content can reach 65%, close to that in natural bone. Chemical binding between inorganic n-HA and polyamide was investigated and discussed. The mechanical properties of the composites were found to match well with those of natural bone.
Remimazolam, an ultra-short-acting and fast-metabolized sedative, has only been sporadically investigated in children. This study was performed to determine the beneficial effects of intranasal ...remimazolam or dexmedetomidine on preoperative anxiety in children undergoing general surgeries.
Ninety children were randomly and equally assigned to Group R (intranasal remimazolam 1.5mg kg
), Group D (intranasal dexmedetomidine 2 mcg kg
), and Group C (intranasal distilled water). The primary outcomes were the preoperative anxiety scores using the modified Yale preoperative anxiety scale (m-Ypas). The secondary outcomes included the cooperation behaviour of intranasal drug application, preoperative sedation levels, parental separation anxiety scores (PSAS), and mask acceptance scores (MAS).
Group R showed a significant low anxiety at 10 min after intranasal premedication (vs group C, P=0.010; vs group D, P = 0.002) and at anaesthesia induction (vs group C, P = 0.004). Group D showed a significantly low anxiety score only prior to anaesthesia induction (vs group C, P = 0.005). Most children in group R achieved mild sedation at 10 min (vs group C, P < 0.001; vs group D, P < 0.001), with a few progressing to deep sedation afterwards, while group D tended toward deep sedation. Compared to Group C, patients in Group R performed significantly better on the MAS (P = 0.014) and PSAS (P = 0.008). However, remimazolam did cause poor cooperation behavior to the intranasal application due to its mucosal irritation (vs group C, P = 0.001; vs group D, P = 0.010).
Both intranasal remimazolam and dexmedetomidine can effectively alleviate preoperative anxiety in children. While intranasal remimazolam has a rapid onset, it produces only mild sedation and causes substantial nasal irritation.
NCT04720963, January 22, 2021, ClinicalTrials.Gov.
A well-documented finding in the literature is that members of many East Asian cultures report lower self-esteem and psychological well-being than do members of Western cultures. The authors present ...the results of four studies that examined cultural differences in reasoning about psychological contradiction and the effects of naive dialecticism on self-evaluations and psychological adjustment. Mainland Chinese and Asian Americans exhibited greater “ambivalence” or evaluative contradiction in their self-attitudes than did Western synthesis-oriented cultures on a traditional self-report measure of self-esteem (Study 1) and in their spontaneous self-descriptions (Study 2). Naive dialecticism, as assessed with the Dialectical Self Scale, mediated the observed cultural differences in self-esteem and well-being (Study 3). In Study 4, the authors primed naive dialecticism and found that increased dialecticism was related to decreased psychological adjustment. Implications for the conceptualization and measurement of self-esteem and psychological well-being across cultures are discussed.
To investigate the psychological impact of cases of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) on medical staff of Beijing Xiaotangshan Hospital.
The 287 online questionnaires were distributed to medical ...staff working at Beijing Xiaotangshan Hospital, comprising three main sections and 17 questions: basic information, current departmental position, and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). The threshold for emotional distress was defined to be a total score of 4 on the GHQ-12 and above.
A total of 255 members of medical staff participating in this study presented an emotional distress rate of 17%. Members who were male, aged 50-59, married with children, positioned as doctors, and in administration were the population with the highest rate of emotional distress. Furthermore, the severity of emotional distress among those under 30 was significantly lower than those aged 30-39 and 50-59. Doctors and other occupations shared a lower level of satisfaction on routine activities compared with nurses, so did staff in the administration compared with those who were working in screening or logistic departments. Besides, males and staff of the confirmation department had more difficulty in concentrating than females and those of the screening department, respectively.
Medical staff working at Xiaotangshan Hospital underwent relatively low levels of emotional distress thanks to sufficient medical and psychological preparations. However, special attention should be paid to those who were male, married with children, senior, doctors, in administration, and in the confirmation department.
•Drug-loaded PVDF fibrous membranes were fabricated by an electrospinning process.•The PVDF fibrous membranes owned excellent mechanical properties which was good for handling and replacement.•The ...drug-loaded fibrous membranes showed a suitable release behaviour for enrofloxacin (Enro) drugs.•The drug-loaded PVDF fibrous membranes were biocompatible and displayed excellent antibacterial activity.
The aim of this study was to synthesis drug-loaded fibrous membrane scaffolds for potential applications as wound dressing. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) fibrous membranes were loaded with enrofloxacin (Enro) drugs by using an electrospinning process, and their mechanical strength, drug release profile and anti-bacterial properties were evaluated. Enro drug-loaded PVDF membranes exhibited good elasticity, flexibility and excellent mechanical strength. The electrospinning Enro/PVDF membranes showed a burst drug release in the initial 12h, followed by sustained release for the next 3 days, which was an essential property for antibiotic drugs applied for wound healing. The drug-loaded PVDF fibrous membranes displayed excellent anti-bacterial activity toward Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The results suggest that electrospinning PVDF membrane scaffolds loaded with drugs can be used as wound dressing.
The nanocrystalline tungsten powder with the minimum grain size of around 5 nm was fabricated by mechanical alloying. The powder refinement process and the influence of ball to powder ratio (BPR) on ...the morphology and microstructure of tungsten powder were investigated. The morphology and microstructure were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Results revealed that the high energy ball milling process has four stages. Compared with the samples with the BPR of 10:1 and 4:1 under the same ball milling conditions, the samples with the BPR of 15:1 experience the whole four stages after 60 h ball milling. One key factor in determining the final morphology and microstructure of tungsten powder by ball milling was revealed. The model to illustrate the fundamental mechanism for refining the particle size was discussed.
The graphical abstract shows the powder refinement process and its schematic diagram. The changes of particle size with different BPR at different milling time was also shown. The nanocrystalline tungsten powder with grain size ranging from 5–15 nm was successfully fabricated by ball milling with the BPR of 15:1. Display omitted
•The effect of ball to powder ratio on W powder refinement process was revealed.•The ball-milled W powder refinement process includes four stages.•Only the W powder with ball to powder ratio of 15:1 experiences the whole stage.•The final particle and grain size decrease with the increase of ball to powder ratio.•Nanocrystalline W powder with grain size of 5 nm–15 nm was fabricated.
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•One-dimensional Ni microwires were synthesized by two-step MFI method.•Ni particles turned from nanospheres to microwires for magnetic field.•Brownian motion and magnetic moments ...affected the morphology of Ni microwires.•The length increased with magnetic field, while the diameter decreased.•The magnetic field improved the spontaneous magnetization of Ni microwires.
One-dimensional nickel (Ni) microwires were synthesized by the magnetic-field-induced (MFI) microemulsion-hydrothermal method using Ni nanospheres as seeds. The influence of the chemical conditions and magnetic field on the morphology and magnetic properties of Ni microwires were investigated by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The strength of magnetic field greatly affected the morphology and magnetic properties of Ni microwires. The growth and morphology of Ni microwires depended on the competition between Brownian motion and magnetic dipole moments from magnetic field. The larger nanoparticles with the higher magnetic moments preferred to form one-dimensional Ni microwires and their length increased up to several millimeters with the increasing magnetic field strength, while the average diameter of Ni microwires decreased. Furthermore, the easy magnetization direction of Ni microwires was parallel to the direction of magnetic field and the Ni microwires axis.
Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is an acute infectious disease that spreads rapidly among pigs and seriously threatens the pig industry. Activation of ERK1/2 is a hallmark of ...most viral infections. RACK1 interacts with a variety of kinases and membrane receptors that closely associated with viral infections and the development and progression of cancer. However, no studies have clearly defined whether RACK1 can regulate PRRSV infection through ERK1/2 activation. In our study, using RT-qPCR, immunoblotting, indirect fluorescent staining, siRNA knockdown and protein overexpression techniques, we found that downregulation of cellular RACK1 inhibited ERK1/2 activation and subsequently suppressed PRRSV infection, while overexpression of RACK1 enhanced ERK1/2 activation and PRRSV infection. Bioinformatic and Co-immunoprecipitation experimental analysis revealed that cellular RACK1 could interact with viral N protein to exert its function. We elaborated that RACK1 promoted PRRSV replication in Marc-145 cells through ERK1/2 activation. Our study provides new insights into regulating the innate antiviral immune responses during PRRSV infection and contributes to further understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying PRRSV replication.
•ERK1/2 inhibitor treatment restrained ERK1/2 activation and the expression of RACK1.•Treatment with ERK1/2 inhibitor reduced viral N protein expression level.•RACK1 promoted PRRSV replication through ERK1/2 activation.•Molecular docking demonstrated that RACK1 can potentially bind viral N protein.•Inhibitors of ERK1/2 pathway might be potential lead compounds to control PRRS.
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