Covalently Functionalized Graphene with Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Selective Adsorption and Electrochemical Detection of Chloramphenicol.

In this report, we have presented a novel route to attach molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) on the surface of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) through covalent bonding. First, the surface of rGO was modified with maleic anhydride (MA) via a Diels-Alder reaction using a deep eutectic solvent (DES). Next, 3-propyl-1-vinylimidazolium molecular units were anchored and polymerized in the presence of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) using chloramphenicol (CAP) as the template. Primarily, we investigated the effect of the molar ratio of individual precursors on the adsorption capacity of synthesized materials and accordingly fabricated the electrochemical sensor for CAP detection. Electrochemical results evidenced that the covalent bonding of MIP units enhanced the sensitivity of the respective sensor toward CAP in water as well as in real honey samples with high selectivity, stability, and reproducibility. This synthesis strategy involves the covalent binding of MIP on rGO materials via click chemisty under sonication power excluding harmful solvents and energy-intensive processes and thus could be a motivation for developing future electrochemical sensors through similar "green" routes.

The relationships among overcommitment, effort-reward imbalance, safety climate, emotional labour and quality of working life for hospital nurses: a structural equation modeling.

BACKGROUND: Quality of working life (QWL) is a highly important issue for nurses. Nurses with lower QWL tend to have lower job performance and intention to stay. The aim of this study was to apply a theoretical model to examine the structural relationships among overcommitment, effort-reward imbalance (ERI), safety climate, emotional labour and QWL for hospital nurses. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design and a simple random sampling method were used to recruit 295 nurses in a teaching hospital and used a structured questionnaire was used to collect data. RESULTS: Overall, the nurses' QWL was moderate. Our theoretical model showed a good model fit. Overcommintment had a significant direct positive effect on ERI (ß = 0.35, p < 0.001) and indirect effects on safety climate (ß = -0.149, p = 0.001), emotional labour (ß = 0.105, p = 0.001) and QWL (ß = -0.061, p = 0.004). Additionally, ERI not only had significant direct effects on safety climate (ß = -0.42, p < 0.001), emotional labour (ß = 0.30, p < 0.001) and QWL (ß = -0.17, p < 0.001) but also indirectly affected QWL through safety climate (ß = -0.304, p = 0.001) and emotional labour (ß = -0.042, p = 0.005). Both safety climate (ß = 0.72, p < 0.001) and emotional labour (ß = -0.14, p = 0.003) showed significant direct effects on QWL. Our final model accounted for 72% of the variance in QWL. CONCLUSION: Our results highlight the necessity of improving the QWL of nurses. Policymakers and hospital administrators should develop policies and strategies that encourage nurses to exhibit an appropriate level of commitment, balance effort and reward, establish a climate of safety, and reduce emotional labour to improve the QWL of hospital nurses.

Examining the Psychometric Properties of the Taiwanese Version of the Hospice Quality of Life Index.

Quality of life is an important outcome for people with cancer throughout their cancer trajectory. Having a valid and reliable instrument to measure the quality of life is critical. This cross-sectional study examined the psychometric properties of the Taiwanese version of the Hospice Quality of Life Index among patients with advanced cancer in Taiwan. There were 3 phases: (1) translation of the Hospice Quality of Life Index from English to Mandarin, (2) pilot testing among 30 targeted participants, and (3) field testing to examine validity and reliability. The results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the original factor structure of the Hospice Quality of Life Index did not fit the data. After 5 items were deleted from the original questionnaire, principal factor extraction with oblique rotation for exploratory factor analysis yielded 3 subscales: Social/Spiritual Well-Being, Psychological Well-Being, and Functional/Physiological Well-Being. For convergent validity, the small to moderate strength of associations showed shared variance with the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale. The internal consistency was supported by Cronbach α ranging from 0.77 to 0.86. This study shows early evidence that the quality of life of people with advanced cancer can be appropriately assessed by the Taiwanese Hospice Quality of Life Index.

Effects of plant density on the aboveground dry matter and radiation-use efficiency of field corn.

The amount of solar radiation intercepted by the plant canopy drives crop plant photosynthesis and the formation and development of plant organs. Radiation-use efficiency (RUE) is an index used to quantify the relationship between solar radiation and biomass, and crop yield can be increased by increasing RUE. The main goals of this study were to initially investigate the effects of plant densities on the aboveground dry matter of corn, and subsequently examine the effects of plant densities on RUE and leaf area index (LAI), and the effects of LAI on RUE. Finally, we provide a comparative assessment of the approaches used to determine RUE. Analyses were conducted using growth and meteorological data obtained for two field corn varieties (TNG1 and TNG7) grown under four different plant density conditions in central Taiwan in 2017. The RUE values obtained in this study were primarily estimated from the slope of the linear relationship between aboveground dry matter measured at periodic harvests and the corresponding cumulative intercepted photosynthetically active radiation up to the time of harvest. TNG1 and TNG7 with a row spacing of 37.5 cm × 20 cm had the largest amounts of aboveground dry matter and highest RUE values of 4.41 and 4.55 g MJ-1, respectively. We established that the higher the plant density, the higher were the values obtained for RUE and LAI. We also compared the different methods of estimating RUE and make recommendations in this regard. Our findings in this study will enable farmers to gain information on the dynamics of crop yield variation at an early stage of growth, and also provide reference values that can be incorporated in future crop yield models.

Click-Chemistry-Mediated Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticle-Supported Polymer-Wrapped Carbon Nanotubes: Glucose Sensor and Antibacterial Material.

We report a novel approach for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (NPs) stabilized on polymer-wrapped carbon nanotubes (Ag@polymer/CNTs) for the non-enzymatic glucose sensing and antibacterial activity applications. Poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride) (PSM) was functionalized with amino furan to obtain furan-modified poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride) (PSMF), which was later grafted onto the surface of CNTs by Diels-Alder "click" reaction to afford a polymer/CNTs hybrid material. The photo-deposition technique was applied to immobilized small-sized (∼10 nm) AgNPs on the surface of the polymer/CNTs hybrid material using visible light irradiation. The resulting material, Ag@polymer/CNTs, showed promising electrocatalytic activity for the non-enzymatic glucose sensing and antibacterial activity in vitro assays toward Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus bacteria strains. Covalent-bonded polymer layer-bearing carboxylic pendent groups to the CNTs might be playing a pivot role in not only stabilizing AgNPs but also facile electron-transfer reaction, thus demonstrating better activity.

GABA-enriched rice bran inhibits inflammation in LPS-stimulated macrophages via suppression of TLR4-MAPK/NF-κB signaling cascades.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-enriched products (GEP) exhibited a wide range of pharmaceutical properties. In this study, anti-inflammatory activity of GEP from Lactobacillus fermentum-fermented water solution of rice bran was evaluated on lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophage model. GABA content in L. fermentum-fermented rice bran solution was determined up to 1.27 g/L. GEP was shown to inhibit the expression levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 enzymes. Moreover, pretreatment of GEP attenuated the generation level of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1ß, tumor necrosis factor α, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. Especially, the activation of signaling pathways due to nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) was interrupted in GEP-exposed cells. Notably, molecular docking result showed a potential binding of GABA to Toll-like receptor 4 with a binding energy of -3.88 kcal/mol, suggesting the role of GABA in suppression of Toll-like receptor 4-MAPK/NF-κB signaling cascades. As the result, GEP from L. fermentum-fermented rice bran solution could be suggested as a promising food for suppression of inflammatory responses. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: GABA-enriched products have been evidenced to possess various pharmaceutical properties and health beneficial effects. In this study, GABA-enriched product from L. fermentum-fermented rice bran solution exhibited the inhibition on inflammatory response in macrophages. Hence, it could be used as a potential ingredient for the mitigation of inflammatory responses.

Assessment of genetic diversity and SNP marker development within peanut germplasm in Taiwan by RAD-seq.

The cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important oil crop but has a narrow genetic diversity. Molecular markers can be used to probe the genetic diversity of various germplasm. In this study, the restriction site associated DNA (RAD) approach was utilized to sequence 31 accessions of Taiwanese peanut germplasm, leading to the identification of a total of 17,610 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). When we grouped these 31 accessions into two subsets according to origin, we found that the "global" subset (n = 17) was more genetically diverse than the "local" subset (n = 14). Concerning botanical varieties, the var. fastigiata subset had greater genetic diversity than the other two subsets of var. vulgaris and var. hypogaea, suggesting that novel genetic resources should be introduced into breeding programs to enhance genetic diversity. Principal component analysis (PCA) of genotyping data separated the 31 accessions into three clusters largely according to the botanical varieties, consistent with the PCA result for 282 accessions genotyped by 14 kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) markers developed in this study. The SNP markers identified in this work not only revealed the genetic relationship and population structure of current germplasm in Taiwan, but also offer an efficient tool for breeding and further genetic applications.

Daily Care Information System Requirements: Professional Service-Driven Service Blueprint Approach.

BACKGROUND: Long-term care (LTC) services are a professional service-driven (PSD) system; to deliver appropriate care services to residents, health care providers first need to collect appropriate patient data and make a professional assessment. A well-designed LTC information system should therefore consider the information requirements of multidisciplinary health care providers to adequately support their care services. OBJECTIVES: This study proposed a modified service blueprint-the PSD service blueprint-for visualizing interdisciplinary service providers' input and output information requirements, which correspond to their service activities. METHODS: The PSD service blueprint comprises five layers and seven elements. We also present a case study to illustrate the blueprint's application to daily LTC services. RESULTS: Our proposed approach could clearly illustrate the daily care activities, service providers (main actors), actors' input and output information, and suggestions for LTC information system-related applications. CONCLUSION: The proposed PSD service blueprint can not only gather interdisciplinary LTC service providers' information system requirements but also act as a mapping tool for visualizing the care service process.

The precaution strategy toward the COVID-19 pandemic in the operating room of a tertiary hospital in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: The pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), which began in December 2019, spread mostly from person to person through respiratory droplets. A recommendation was issued to postpone all elective surgical practices. However, some confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients required life-saving emergent surgeries. METHODS: To facilitate emergent surgical interventions for these patients, we have reviewed the current literature and established an algorithm of precautions to be taken by operating room team members during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: The initial algorithm of preparation for surgical intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic was relatively simple. However, the abrupt increase of confirmed COVID-19 cases due to returned overseas travelers since mid-March 2020 disrupted the routine hospital clinical service. Due to the large number of febrile patients, the algorithm was therefore revised according to travel history, occupation, contact and cluster history (TOCC), unexplained fever/symptoms, and emergent/nonemergent surgery. TOCC (+) patients presenting with otherwise unexplained fever/symptoms would be regarded as belonging to the fifth category of "severe special infectious pneumonia." If the patient requires emergent surgery to relieve the non-life-threatening disorders, two times of negative COVID-19 tests are necessary before the operation is approved. For life-threatening situations without two negative results of COVID-19 tests, the operation schedule should be approved by the Chairman of Surgery Management Committee. CONCLUSION: The application of a clear and integrated algorithm for operating room team members aids in effective personal protective equipment facilitation to keep both healthcare providers and patients safe as well as to prevent hospital-based transmission of COVID-19.

The role of myricetin from Rhodomyrtus tomentosa (Aiton) Hassk fruits on downregulation of FcɛRI-mediated mast cell activation.

Rhodomyrtus tomentosa was reported to contain various bioactive metabolites, especially phenolic compounds. In the present study, the suppressive activity of phenolic compound from R. tomentosa fruits on mast cell activation was investigated in vitro. The result showed that myricetin was isolated from R. tomentosa fruits and its characterization was identified by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Notably, myricetin was found to be effective in inhibition of mast cell degranulation by attenuating the release of ß-hexosaminidase and the elevation of intracellular calcium. Moreover, myricetin exhibited inhibitory effect on the production of IL-4 and Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, high antioxidant activity of myricetin due to scavenging 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and ABTS+ radicals was also evidenced. Notably, the activation of FcɛRI-mediated signaling molecules including Syk, PLCγ, and NF-κB was also suppressed by myricetin treatment. Accordingly, myricetin from R. tomentosa fruits could be suggested as a functional food for the amelioration of allergic diseases. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Polyphenol have been shown to exert various biological activities and health beneficial effects. Results from the present study revealed that myricetin from R. tomentosa fruits possesses the inhibitory effect on allergic response in mast cells. Therefore, myricetin from R. tomentosa fruits could be developed as a functional ingredient for the amelioration of allergic diseases.

Draft genome sequence data of Rhodosporidium toruloides VN1, a strain capable of producing natural astaxanthin.

Rhodosporidium toruloides strain VN1 is of special interest because of its capability for high astaxanthin production. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of R. toruloides VN1, which comprises 20.01 Mb in 424 contigs with an overall G + C content of 61.8%. This whole-genome shotgun project has been deposited at DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank under the accession number SJTE00000000.

The Role of Rhodomyrtus tomentosa (Aiton) Hassk. Fruits in Downregulation of Mast Cells-Mediated Allergic Responses.

Rhodomyrtus tomentosa, a flowering plant of Myrtaceae family from southern and southeastern Asia, was known to possess a rich source of structurally diverse and various biological activities. In this study, the inhibitory effect of R. tomentosa fruit extract (RFE) on allergic responses in calcium ionophore A23187-activated RBL-2H3 mast cells was investigated. The result showed that RFE was able to inhibit mast cell degranulation via decreasing ß-hexosaminidase release and intracellular Ca2+ elevation at the concentration of 400 µg/ml. Moreover, the suppressive effects of RFE on the production of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were evidenced. In addition, RFE effectively scavenged DPPH radical and suppressed the reactive oxygen species generation in a dose-dependent manner. Notably, the pretreatment of RFE caused the downregulation of tyrosine kinase Fyn phospholipid enzyme phospholipase Cγ (PLCγ), extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) phosphorylation. These results indicated that RFE could be a promising inhibitor of allergic responses and may be developed as bioactive ingredient for prevention or treatment of allergic diseases.

An Updated Review on Pharmaceutical Properties of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (Gaba) is a non-proteinogenic amino acid that is widely present in microorganisms, plants, and vertebrates. So far, Gaba is well known as a main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Its physiological roles are related to the modulation of synaptic transmission, the promotion of neuronal development and relaxation, and the prevention of sleeplessness and depression. Besides, various pharmaceutical properties of Gaba on non-neuronal peripheral tissues and organs were also reported due to anti-hypertension, anti-diabetes, anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammation, anti-microbial, anti-allergy, hepato-protection, reno-protection, and intestinal protection. Therefore, Gaba may be considered as potential alternative therapeutics for prevention and treatment of various diseases. Accordingly, this updated review was mainly focused to describe the pharmaceutical properties of Gaba as well as emphasize its important role regarding human health.

Investigation of Biological Activities of Wild Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia Linn. Var. Abbreviata Ser.).

Wild bitter melon (Momordica charantia L. var. Abbreviata Ser.) is a wild edible variety of M. charantia, often used in folk medicine. In this study, the biological activities of its extract and fractions were investigated in vitro. It was found that ethyl acetate (EA) fraction exhibited high 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 0.43 ± 0.04 mg/mL, while the chloroform (CF), EA, and n-butanol (Bu) fractions had strong 2,2-azinobis-3-ethyl benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS)+ scavenging ability with IC50 values of 0.36 ± 0.04 mg/mL, 0.35 ± 0.02 mg/mL, and 0.35 ± 0.05 mg/mL, respectively. Moreover, the EA and Bu fractions exhibited the highest protective effect against H2O2-induced DNA damage in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, the EA fraction was effective in the inhibition of enzyme α-amylase activity with an IC50 value of 0.27 ± 0.029 mg/mL. Finally, it was observed that the production of nitric oxide (NO), a pro-inflammatory mediator, was significantly reduced from LPS-stimulated murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells by the ethanol extract (ET) and the EA fraction. Therefore, wild bitter melon could be considered as a promising biomaterial for the development of pharmaceutical products.

Antiproliferative Effect of Aminoethyl-Chitooligosaccharide on Human Lung A549 Cancer Cells.

The aminoethyl-chitooligosaccharide (AE-COS) was reported to inhibit human gastric cancer cell proliferation and human fibrosarcoma cell invasion. In this study, the role of AE-COS in down-regulation of proliferation of human lung A549 cancer cells was evaluated. It was found that AE-COS was able to reduce A549 cell proliferation to (32 ± 1.3)% at a concentration of 500 µg/ml. Moreover, AE-COS treatment caused suppression on COX-2 expression in a dose-dependent manner. Notably, the role of AE-COS in induction of cell apoptosis was observed via decreasing Bcl-2 expression and increasing caspase-3 and -9 activation. Accordingly, the antiproliferative effect of AE-COS was indicated due to suppression of cell proliferation and induction of cell apoptosis, suggesting AE-COS as a promising chemotherapy agent for treatment of lung cancer.

The Health Beneficial Properties of Rhodomyrtus tomentosa as Potential Functional Food.

Rhodomyrtus tomentosa (Aiton) Hassk. is a flowering plant belonging to the family Myrtaceae, native to southern and southeastern Asia. It has been used in traditional Vietnamese, Chinese, and Malaysian medicine for a long time for the treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, gynecopathy, stomachache, and wound healing. Moreover, R. tomentosa is used to make various food products such as wine, tea, and jam. Notably, R. tomentosa has been known to contain structurally diverse and biologically active metabolites, thus serving as a potential resource for exploring novel functional agents. Up to now, numerous phenolic and terpenoid compounds from the leaves, root, or fruits of R. tomentosa have been identified, and their biological activities such as antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer have been evidenced. In this contribution, an overview of R. tomentosa and its health beneficial properties was focused on and emphasized.

Free radical scavenging and anti-proliferative activities of avocado (Persea americana Mill.) seed extract

Objective: To investigate the chemical components and biological activities of avocado seed extract and fractions in order to determine the nutritional and pharmaceutical values of avocado seed. Methods: Various organic solvents were applied for extraction and fractionation of avocado seed. 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl, 2,2-azinobis-3-ethyl benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid, and DNA oxidation assays were applied for investigation of free radical scavenging activity. Nitric oxide production was measured by Griess reaction assay. Moreover, MTT assay was used to measure cancer cell growth inhibition. Results: The result indicated that the avocado seed contains (7.14 ± 0.40) g lipid/100 g, (1.67 ± 0.03) g protein/100 g, (54.0 ± 1.2) g carbohydrate/100 g, and (62.0 ± 2.3) mg gallic acid equivalent/g dried weight extract. Moreover, dichloromethane and ethyl acetate were revealed to be the highest free radical scavenging fractions with IC

Spirulina maxima peptides suppress mast cell degranulation via inactivating Akt and MAPKs phosphorylation in RBL-2H3 cells.

In this study, the suppressive effects of peptides P1 (LDAVNR) and P2 (MMLDF) from enzymatic hydrolysate of Spirulina maxima on mast cell degranulation was elucidated. It was revealed that P1 and P2 exhibited significant inhibition on cell degranulation via decreasing ß-hexosaminidase release at concentration of 200 µM. Moreover, the inhibitory effects of P1 and P2 on expression and production of interleukin (IL)-13 were evidenced. Furthermore, peptide treatment caused a remarkable inhibition on the phosphorylation of Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) including ERK, p38, and JNK. Notably, the inhibitory activity of P1 on cell degranulation was found due to blockade of FcεRI receptor. Meanwhile, the inhibitory activity of P2 was involved in alleviation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Collectively, peptides P1 and P2 from S. maxima were suggested to be promising inhibitors of mast cell degranulation, contributing to the development of bioactive ingredients for amelioration of allergic diseases.

Acceleration of small bowel motility after oral administration of dai-kenchu-to (TJ-100) assessed by cine magnetic resonance imaging.

Dai-kenchu-to (TJ-100) is an herbal medicine used to shorten the duration of intestinal transit by accelerating intestinal movement. However, intestinal movement in itself has not been evaluated in healthy volunteers using radiography, fluoroscopy, and radioisotopes because of exposure to ionizing radiation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of TJ-100 on intestinal motility using cinematic magnetic resonance imaging (cine MRI) with a steady-state free precession sequence. Ten healthy male volunteers received 5 g of either TJ-100 or lactose without disclosure of the identity of the substance. Each volunteer underwent two MRI examinations after taking the substances (TJ-100 and lactose) on separate days. They drank 1200 mL of tap water and underwent cine MRI after 10 min. A steady-state free precession sequence was used for imaging, which was performed thrice at 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 min. The bowel contraction frequency and distention score were assessed. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used, and differences were considered significant at a P-value <0.05. The bowel contraction frequency tended to be greater in the TJ-100 group and was significantly different in the ileum at 20 (TJ-100, 8.95 ± 2.88; lactose, 4.80 ± 2.92; P < 0.05) and 50 min (TJ-100, 9.45 ± 4.49; lactose, 4.45 ± 2.65; P < 0.05) between the groups. No significant differences were observed in the bowel distention scores. Cine MRI demonstrated that TJ-100 activated intestinal motility without dependence on ileum distention.

The Suppressive Activity of Fucofuroeckol-A Derived from Brown Algal Ecklonia stolonifera Okamura on UVB-Induced Mast Cell Degranulation.

UV light, especially UVB, is known as a trigger of allergic reaction, leading to mast cell degranulation and histamine release. In this study, phlorotannin Fucofuroeckol-A (F-A) derived from brown algal Ecklonia stolonifera Okamura was evaluated for its protective capability against UVB-induced allergic reaction in RBL-2H3 mast cells. It was revealed that F-A significantly suppress mast cell degranulation via decreasing histamine release as well as intracellular Ca2+ elevation at the concentration of 50 µM. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of F-A on IL-1ß and TNF-α productions was also evidenced. Notably, the protective activity of F-A against mast cell degranulation was found due to scavenging ROS production. Accordingly, F-A from brown algal E. stolonifera was suggested to be promising candidate for its protective capability against UVB-induced allergic reaction.