Improvement of symptoms in children with autism by TOMATIS training: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study.

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological condition that is marked by deficits in social interaction, difficulty expressing oneself, lack of enthusiasm, and stereotypical conduct. The TOMATIS training method is an effective music therapy for children with ASD for its individually developed programs to improve behavioral deficits. Methods: The research employed both longitudinal and crosssectional designs. Results: In the cross-sectional study, the experimental group showed significant improvement in symptoms after TOMATIS training compared to the control group of children with ASD. The results validated the effect of TOMATIS treatment for ASD-related deficits, including perceptual-motor, attentional, social, and emotional issues. Discussion: ASD's auditory hypersensitivity hampers social information processing, but TOMATIS enhances cochlear frequency selectivity, aiding in capturing relevant auditory stimuli. In addition, the longitudinal study confirmed these findings, which proved TOMATIS training effective in clinically treating ASD. This study focused on audiometric indicators and behavioural improvement, elucidating the mechanisms behind the training's success. Behavioral improvements might stem from TOMATIS' frequency selectivity, reshaping auditory organ-cortical feedback loops to filter interference and focus on valid information.

A mitochondria-targeted ratiometric fluorescent sensor based on naphthalimide derivative-functionalized silica-based nanodots for imaging formaldehyde in living cells and zebrafish.

A mitochondria-targeted ratiometric fluorescent sensor (Mito-Si-NA) for formaldehyde (FA) has been constructed by functionalizing silica-based nanodots (silica-based ND). As the fluorescence reference and carrier, the silica-based ND conjugate with small molecule probe for FA via covalent. Further modifying with mitochondria targeting moiety enables the sensor to specifically target mitochondria. In the presence of FA, the emission of silica-based ND remain constant to act as an internal reference (445 nm) while the response signal of small molecule probe was gradually enhanced (545 nm). This sensor exhibits excellent selectivity towards FA with great changes of fluorescence intensity ratio values (I545/I445). The FA ratiometric fluorescence imaging in mitochondria was achieved successfully. In addition, the sensor was also successfully used for imaging FA in zebrafish. The good performance of Mito-Si-NA for FA bioimaging confirms that Mito-Si-NA is an appealing imaging tool to monitor FA in mitochondria and shows great potential to study the functions of FA on mitochondria.

The Phenomenon and Determinants of Healthcare Service Utilization for Older Adults With Multimorbidity in China: An Explanatory, Mixed-Method Study.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to explore the phenomenon and determinants of healthcare service utilization in Chinese older adults with multimorbidity. METHODS: We adopted a mixed-methods explanatory design from July 2022 to May 2023. The quantitative research was a social network analysis to explore the phenomenon of healthcare service utilization in target participants. The quantitative results were further interpreted as the participant's propensity for healthcare services and the potential for information sharing between healthcare providers through shared patients. Logistic regression was conducted to identify individual determinants for healthcare service utilization. The quantitative research was followed by qualitative interviews with stakeholders to deeply understand the phenomenon of interest from the individual, healthcare system, and societal perspectives. RESULTS: We recruited 321 participants for the quantitative study. They preferred using medication services from primary healthcare providers, pharmacists at private pharmacies, and hospital specialists, and preferred using other services from hospital specialists. Dense relationships arose from shared patients among healthcare providers across various professions and settings, making it possible to share patient information. Primary healthcare providers were particularly important in the process, as they were closely related to others through patient sharing. Health status was identified through logistic regression and qualitative interviews as an individual determinant for healthcare service utilization. More determinants were explored in qualitative interviews with 30 stakeholders, including trust, resource allocation, healthcare accessibility, medical treatment process, and healthcare awareness. DISCUSSION: Strategies should be proposed to intervene with patients' nonoptimal propensity toward healthcare services and promote information sharing among healthcare providers.

Social Determinants of Intrinsic Capacity: A National Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: Intrinsic capacity (IC), a composite of physical and mental capacities, is a marker of healthy aging. Social determinants of health (SDOH), namely the economic and social environments across a lifespan, are the most fundamental factors influencing health outcomes and health disparities. However, there is limited evidence on the influence of the individual and combined burden of the SDOH on IC. METHODS: Data were obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011-2015), and data analysis was conducted in 2023. Linear mixed-effect regression was employed to investigate the association between SDOH and IC in a longitudinal analysis. RESULTS: This study comprised 7,669 participants (mean [SD] age, 68.5 [7.1] years; 49.8% female; mean [SD] IC, 7.2 [1.6]). In the longitudinal analysis, all five SDOH domains were independently and significantly associated with IC. The absence of social association within the social and community context domain exhibited the weakest association with IC (ß: -0.11 [95% CI -0.20, -0.02]), while illiteracy within the education access and quality domain demonstrated the strongest association with IC (ß: -0.51 [95% CI -0.60, -0.42]). Furthermore, the adverse effects of SDOH on IC became more distinguishable with the cumulative number of SDOH variables (coefficient for 2 SDOH, -0.41 [-0.64, -0.19]; 3 SDOH, -0.70 [-0.93, -0.48]; ≥4 SDOH, -1.10 [-1.33, -0.88]) compared with those without any SDOH. CONCLUSIONS: Certain SDOH levels were significantly and negatively associated with IC. Targeted interventions may be needed to improve SDOH in individuals at high risk of poor IC.

Facilitators and Barriers of Integrated Care for Older Adults with Multimorbidity: A Descriptive Qualitative Study.

Purpose: A lack of coordinated care leads to multiple adverse effects for older adults with multimorbidity, including high treatment burdens, adverse health outcomes, reduplicated healthcare service utilization, and catastrophic healthcare expenditure. To foster healthy aging, person-centered integrated care that is responsive to older adults has been proposed by the World Health Organization. The objective of this study was to identify factors that impact the successful implementation of integrated care for older adults with multimorbidity in China. Patients and Methods: From July 2022 to May 2023, 33 healthcare providers and managers involved in the delivery and management of healthcare services for older adults with multimorbidity were recruited from Zhejiang Province, China using purposeful and maximum variation sampling methods. Semi-structured, face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted by the same interviewer in the participants' native Chinese language until data saturation was reached. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, and then, themes were mapped onto six dimensions using the Rainbow Model of Integrated Care to allow for a comprehensive view of the study's findings. Results: Eleven themes were generated as facilitators and barriers to integrated care for older adults with multimorbidity in China. These themes include (1) clinical integration: patient-centered care, (2) professional integration: interdisciplinary teams and training, (3) organizational integration: resources and accessibility, (4) system integration: community and funds, incentives, and health insurance, (5) functional integration: electronic health record systems, workforce, and guidelines, and (6) normative integration: shared mission. Conclusion: Guided by the Rainbow Model of Integrated Care, various factors at both micro, meso, and macro levels that impact the implementation of integrated care for older adults with multimorbidity in the Chinese context have been identified in this study. The strategies for future interventions and policies should focus on promoting facilitators and addressing barriers.

Assessing the nexus between green investment and low-carbon development of the transportation industry: does industrial structure and renewable energy matter?

Based on the background of comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, this paper selects panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2000 to 2019, uses the panel fixed effects model and panel threshold effect model, and discusses the nonlinear correlation mechanism between green investment, industrial structure, renewable energy, and low-carbon development of the transportation industry. The results show that, firstly, industrial structure and renewable energy can significantly promote the low-carbon development of the transportation industry, while green investment has a restraining effect on it (the main reason is that currently its scale is small and its investment in the transportation industry is relatively low). Secondly, industrial structure and renewable energy have a negative moderating and threshold effect in the process of green investment restraining low-carbon development of the transportation industry. Thirdly, these threshold effects have obvious regional heterogeneity characteristics. Based on this, decision-makers should not only continue to expand the scale of green investment and optimize resource allocation but also fully utilize the threshold characteristics of industrial structure and renewable energy in different regions to develop different strategies and achieve the promotion of green investment in low-carbon development of the transportation industry as soon as possible.

Healthcare for Older Adults with Multimorbidity: A Scoping Review of Reviews.

Purpose: To summarize adverse healthcare outcomes experienced by older adults with multimorbidity and barriers perceived by stakeholders regarding the healthcare systems primarily designed to address individual health conditions. Healthcare elements that aim to provide coordinated, continuous, and comprehensive services for this population were also identified. Patients and Methods: We applied the methodology framework developed by Arksey and O'Malley to guide the review. The three-step search strategy was used to identify relevant English reviews that focused on adverse healthcare outcomes and barriers encountered by older adults with multimorbidity and other stakeholders regarding the single-disease-focused healthcare systems, as well as those concentrated on healthcare elements that aim to provide coordinated, continuous, and comprehensive services for older adults with multimorbidity. Five electronic databases, including PubMed/Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science Core Collection, Cochrane Library, and Embase, were systematically searched from database inception to February 2022. A standardized table was used to extract data. Thematic analysis was then conducted under the guidance of the Rainbow Model of Integrated Care and the Chronic Care Model. Results: Twenty reviews were included in this study. Therapeutic competitions, high healthcare service utilization, and high healthcare costs were three adverse healthcare outcomes experienced by patients. Both patients and healthcare professionals faced various barriers. Other stakeholders, including informal caregivers, healthcare managers, and policymakers, also perceived several barriers. Numerous healthcare elements were identified that may contribute to optimized services. The elements most frequently mentioned included the implementation of shared decision-making, comprehensive geriatric assessments, and individual care plans. Conclusion: This study conducted a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge related to healthcare for older adults with multimorbidity. In the future, it is necessary to develop more coordinated, continuous, and comprehensive healthcare service delivery models based on the healthcare needs of older adults with multimorbidity and the specific characteristics of different countries.

A novel narnavirus isolated from Colletotrichum curcumae strain 780-2T.

The complete genome of a novel mycovirus, Colletotrichum curcumae narnavirus 1 (CcNV1), derived from the phytopathogenic fungus Colletotrichum curcumae strain 780-2T, was sequenced and analyzed. The full sequence of CcNV1 is 3,374 nucleotides in length and contains a single large open reading frame (ORF) encoding an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of 1,087 amino acids with a molecular mass of 124.2 kDa that shares the closest similarity with that of Monilinia narnavirus H (53.02% identity). RdRp phylogeny analysis showed that CcNV1 is a new member of the proposed genus "Betanarnavirus" within the family Narnaviridae. This is the first report of a novel narnavirus infecting the phytopathogenic fungus C. curcumae, the causal agent of leaf blight of Curcuma wenyujin.

Sedentary behavior patterns and the risk of non-communicable diseases and all-cause mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The association between sedentary behavior and health-related outcomes has been well established, whereas it is inconclusive whether a sedentary behavior pattern is an additional risk factor for health-related outcomes independent of total sedentary time and physical activity. OBJECTIVES: To determine sedentary behavior patterns and their association with risks of noncommunicable diseases and all-cause mortality and to assess whether this association is independent of total sedentary time and physical activity. DESIGN: This was a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: Studies were obtained by searching the Web of Science Core Collection, PubMed/Medline, the Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus up to April 2023. All observational studies published in English or Chinese were included if they explored sedentary behavior patterns and their association with risks of abdominal obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality among individuals who had never experienced the outcome event before the baseline assessment. Data extraction using a standardized form and quality appraisal using two authoritative tools were then performed. All these steps were completed by two independent reviewers from December 2022 to May 2023. If data were sufficiently homogenous, meta-analyses were performed; otherwise, narrative syntheses were employed. Harvest plots were also used to visually represent the distribution of evidence. RESULTS: Eighteen studies comprising 11 prospective cohort studies and seven cross-sectional studies were included. The findings suggested that prolonged sedentary time and usual sedentary bout duration were two metrics that reflected the nonlinear dose-response effect of prolonged sedentary behavior patterns. Only extremely high levels of prolonged sedentary behavior patterns significantly increased the risk of adverse health outcomes, independent of physical activity. Whether prolonged sitting was an additional risk factor for adverse health outcomes, independent of total sedentary time, was inconclusive due to an insufficient number of primary studies that included total sedentary time as one of the potential covariates. There was some evidence that supported a sedentary bout that significantly increased the risk of adverse health outcomes was 30-60 min. The threshold of prolonged sedentary time differed with outcomes, and future studies are needed to make this threshold more precise. CONCLUSION: A prolonged sedentary behavior pattern was associated with increased risks of several major noncommunicable diseases and all-cause mortality. People, especially those who do not reach the recommended level of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, are encouraged to interrupt sedentary bouts every 30 to 60 min and limit prolonged sedentary time per day as much as possible. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Breaking up consecutive sedentary bouts >30 to 60 min and substituting them with brief bouts of physical activity.

Development of a Chinese version of the Stress Adaption Scale and the assessment of its reliability and validity among Chinese patients with multimorbidity. / åŽ‹åŠ›é€‚åº”é‡è¡¨çš„æ±‰åŒ–åŠå ¶åœ¨å¤šç— å ±å­˜æ‚£è€ ä¸­çš„ä¿¡æ•ˆåº¦æ£€éªŒ.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a Chinese version of the Stress Adaption Scale (SAS) and to assess its reliability and validity among Chinese patients with multimorbidity. METHODS: The Brislin model was used to translate, synthesize, back-translate, and cross culturally adapt the SAS. A total of 323 multimorbidity patients selected by convenience sampling method from four hospitals in Zhejiang province. The critical ratio method, total question correlation method, and graded response model (item characteristic curve and item discrimination) were used for item analysis. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and split-half reliability were used for the reliability analysis. Content validity analysis, structural validity analysis, and criterion association validity analysis were performed by expert scoring method, confirmatory factor analysis, and Pearson correlation coefficient method, respectively. RESULTS: The Chinese version of the SAS contained 2 dimensions of resilience and thriving, with a total of 10 items. In the item analysis, the critical ratio method showed that the critical ratio of all items was greater than 3.0 (P<0.001); the correlation coefficient method showed that the Pearson correlation coefficients for all items exceeded 0.4 (P<0.01). The graded response model showed that items of the revised scale exhibited distinct item characteristic curves and all items had discrimination parameters exceeding 1.0. In the reliability analysis, Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the revised Chinese version of the SAS scale was 0.849, and the split-half reliability was 0.873. In the validity analysis, the item-level content validity index and scale-level content validity index both exceeded 0.80. In the confirmatory factor analysis, the revised two-factor model showed satisfactory fit indices (χ2/df=3.115, RMSEA=0.081, RMR=0.046, GFI=0.937, AGFI=0.898, CFI=0.936, TLI=0.915). In the criterion-related validity analysis, the Chinese version of the SAS score was negatively correlated with the Perceived Stress Scale and the Treatment Burden Questionnaire, with correlation coefficients of －0.592 and －0.482, respectively (both P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The Chinese version of the SAS has good reliability and validity, which can be used to evaluate the stress adaption capacity among multimorbidity patients in China, and provides a reference for developing individualized health management measures.

Development and testing of the reliability and validity of a Chinese version of the Long-Term Conditions Questionnaire. / æ ¢æ€§ç— é•¿æœŸçŠ¶æ€é—®å·çš„æ±‰åŒ–åŠä¿¡æ•ˆåº¦æ£€éªŒ.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a Chinese version of the Long-Term Conditions Questionnaire (LTCQ) and to test its reliability and validity in Chinese patients with chronic diseases. METHODS: With the consent of the original authors, a Chinese version of LTCQ was developed according to the cultural adjustment guidelines. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 319 patients with chronic diseases in Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Wuyi County First People's Hospital and Hangzhou Gongchen Bridge Street Health Service Center. The questionnaire was evaluated by item analysis (including frequency analysis, total question correlation method and critical ratio method), reliability analysis (Cronbach's alpha coefficient) and validity analysis [including content validity (expert scoring method) and structural validity (exploratory factor analysis)]. RESULTS: The Chinese version of the LTCQ included 20 entries, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.926, a retest reliability of 0.829, a split-half reliability of 0.878, an entry content validity index of 1, and a content validity index at the questionnaire level of 1. Four common factors were extracted by exploratory factor analysis, namely physical state and daily life, psychological state, support and coping, and safe environment, with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 67.244%. Discussion: The Chinese version of the LTCQ developed in this study has good reliability and validity and it may be used to assess the long-term conditions of patients with chronic diseases in China.

Abnormal volumetric brain morphometry and cerebral blood flow in adolescents with depression.

BACKGROUND: Prior research has demonstrated that the brains of adolescents with depression exhibit distinct structural alterations. However, preliminary studies have documented the pathophysiological changes in certain brain regions, such as the cerebellum, highlighting a need for further research to support the current understanding of this disease. AIM: To study brain changes in depressed adolescents. METHODS: This study enrolled 34 adolescents with depression and 34 age-, sex-, and education-level-matched healthy control (HC) individuals. Structural and functional alterations were identified when comparing the brains of these two participant groups through voxel-based morphometry and cerebral blood flow (CBF) analysis, respectively. Associations between identified brain alterations and the severity of depressive symptoms were explored through Pearson correlation analyses. RESULTS: The cerebellum, superior frontal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, pallidum, middle frontal gyrus, angular gyrus, thalamus, precentral gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, and supplementary motor areas of adolescents with depression showed an increase in brain volume compared to HC individuals. These patients with depression further presented with a pronounced drop in CBF in the left pallidum (group = 98, and peak t = - 4.4324), together with increased CBF in the right percental gyrus (PerCG) (group = 90, and peak t = 4.5382). In addition, 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores were significantly correlated with the increased volume in the opercular portion of the left inferior frontal gyrus (r = - 0.5231, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The right PerCG showed structural and CBF changes, indicating that research on this part of the brain could offer insight into the pathophysiological causes of impaired cognition.

Cardiovascular disease risk perception among community adults in South China: a latent profile analysis.

Objective: Risk perception, a critical psychological construct, influences health behavior modification and maintenance of individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Little is known about CVD risk perception among Chinese adults. This research examined the profiles of CVD risk perception of community adults in South China, and explored the characteristics and factors that influence their perception of CVD risk. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, in South China from March to July 2022 and included 692 participants. Risk perception was assessed using the Chinese version of the Attitude and Beliefs about Cardiovascular Disease Risk Questionnaire. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was performed to extract latent classes of CVD risk perception. These classes of CVD risk perception were compared with 10-year CVD risk categories to define correctness of estimation. Chi-square tests and multinomial regression analyses were used to identify differences between these categories. Results: Three CVD risk perception classes were identified by LPA: low risk perception (14.2% of participants), moderate risk perception (46.8%), high risk perception (39.0%). Individuals who were aged with 40-60 year (OR = 6.94, 95% CI = 1.86-25.84), diabetes (OR = 6.26, 95% CI = 1.34-29.17), married (OR = 4.52, 95% CI = 2.30-8.90), better subjective health status (OR = 3.23, 95% CI = 1.15-9.10) and perceived benefits and intention to change physical activity (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.05-1.27) were more likely to be in the high-risk perception class. Compared to absolute 10-year CVD risk based on China-PAR, a third of participants (30.1%) correctly estimated their CVD risk, 63.3% overestimated it and 6.6% underestimated it. CVD risk underestimation was associated with hypertension (OR = 3.91, 95% CI = 1.79-8.54), drinking (OR = 3.05, 95% CI = 1.22-7.64), better subjective health status (OR = 2.67, 95% CI = 1.18-6.03). Conclusions: Most adults in South China possess a moderate level of CVD risk perception. Advanced age, higher monthly income, diabetes and better health status were significantly related to higher perceived CVD risk. Individuals with hypertension, drinking and better subjective health status were associated with CVD risk underestimation. Healthcare professionals should pay attention to the indicators for different classes and identify underestimation group as early as possible.

Characterization of a novel mycotombus-like virus from the plant-pathogenic fungus Phoma matteucciicola.

Here, we report a novel mycotombus-like mycovirus, tentatively named "Phoma matteucciicola RNA virus 2" (PmRV2), derived from the phytopathogenic fungus Phoma matteucciicola strain HNQH1. The complete PmRV2 genome is comprised of a positive-sense single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA) of 3,460 nucleotides (nt) with a GC content of 56.71%. Sequence analysis of PmRV2 indicated the presence of two noncontiguous open reading frames (ORFs) encoding a hypothetical protein and an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), respectively. PmRV2 contains a metal-binding 'GDN' triplet in motif C of RdRp, while most +ssRNA mycoviruses contained a 'GDD' motif in the same region. A BLASTp search showed that the RdRp amino acid sequence of PmRV2 was most closely related to the RdRp of Macrophomina phaseolina umbra-like virus 1 (50.72% identity) and Erysiphe necator umbra-like virus 2 (EnUlV2, 44.84% identity). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that PmRV2 grouped together with EnUlV2 within the recently proposed family "Mycotombusviridae".

Sedentary time and the risk of metabolic syndrome: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.

The dose-response association between sedentary time and the risk of metabolic syndrome is unclear, which indicates an important knowledge gap in public health. The objective of this study was to determine the categorical and continuous dose-response associations between sedentary time and the risk of metabolic syndrome. A systematic literature search of English articles published in PubMed, CINHAL, Embase, and Web of Science Core Collection prior to June 2022 was conducted. All cohort and cross-sectional studies that examined the association between sedentary time and the risk of metabolic syndrome were considered, and duplicate and non-related studies were excluded. Data extraction using a standardized chart and quality assessment using two appraisal tools were also performed. Two independent reviewers were involved in these processes. In categorical meta-analyses, the pooled effect sizes for metabolic syndrome associated with different categories of sedentary time were calculated by comparing the highest and intermediate with the lowest categories. In continuous meta-analyses, the linear and nonlinear dose-response associations were estimated using generalized least squares and restricted cubic spline models, respectively. Data were collected and analyzed from March to June 2022. Four prospective cohort studies and 22 cross-sectional studies with 105,239 participants and 16,185 MetS cases were included in this study. In categorical analyses, both intermediate (median duration: 4.11 h/day; pooled OR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.08-1.26, P < 0.001) and high levels (median duration: 7.26 h/day; pooled OR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.43-2.04, P < 0.001) of total sedentary time were significantly associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome. Similarly, a significant association between screen time and the risk of metabolic syndrome was also found in intermediate (median duration: 2.22 h/day; pooled OR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.10-1.32, P < 0.001) and high levels (median duration: 3.40 h/day; pooled OR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.44-1.86, P < 0.001) of exposure. Of note, these associations were significantly stronger in women. Different patterns of the behavior-disease association were not observed in children, adolescents, and adults. The findings of continuous meta-analyses could not provide solid evidence for the linearity and nonlinearity of the behavior-disease association. This study demonstrated that long-time sedentary behavior was associated with a higher risk of MetS independent of physical activity and the patterns of association varied by gender instead of age. These findings have implications for future guideline recommendations on physical activity, sedentary behavior, and prevention of metabolic syndrome.

Comparison of effectiveness and postoperative complications of different surgical methods in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: a systematic review and meta-analysis based on randomized controlled trials.

Background: More and more new surgical procedures for the treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) are proposed creatively. However, the existing clinical evidence shows that the effectiveness and safety of various procedures exist inconsistent. Methods: The randomized controlled trials comparing the international prostate score, length of hospital stay, maximum urinary flow rate, operation time, and complication rates of prostatic artery embolization (PAE), Greenlight-XPS Laser prostate vaporization procedure (GLL PVP), diode laser enucleation of prostate (DILEP) and plasmakinetic resection of the prostate (PKRP), transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) in patients with BPH were screened out in databases. The primary outcome was pooled using a restricted maximum likelihood-based random-effect model and inverse variance-based fixed-effect model. Cochrane Q statistics and I2 statistics were computed to quantify between-study heterogeneity. The risk of bias of each included study was assessed using the revised Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results: This meta-analysis ultimately included 14 original research papers, with 1,940 participants enrolled. Eight studies were considered to be at moderate risk of bias, while the others were at mild risk of bias. Although the improvement in functional outcome of the DILEP procedure was equivalent to that of the PKRP procedure, the DILEP procedure group had fewer hospital stays than the PKRP group (P=0.01). In addition, even though the performance of the GLL PVP procedure in the improvement of functional outcome was inferior to the counterpart of TURP (P=0.64), it had a much fewer hospital stays (P=0.01). Moreover, there is still insufficient evidence for the improvement of subjective functional indicators of postoperative patients with PAE compared with TURP [international prostate symptom score (IPSS): P=0.73; IPSS QoL: P=0.91], but achieved less satisfactory objective functional outcomes (Qmax: P=0.06; PVR: P=0.00). Discussion: New surgical procedures such as GLL PVP, PAE, and DILEP were safer than traditional TURP procedures. However, it is not superior to traditional surgery in the improvement of clinical symptoms. In clinical practice, the pros and cons of the new operation and the traditional operation should be carefully weighed, and the operation that is most suitable for the patient's condition should be selected.

Rapid Detection of Multiple Classes of ß-Lactam Antibiotics in Blood Using an NDM-1 Biosensing Assay.

Currently, assays for rapid therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of ß-lactam antibiotics in blood, which might be of benefit in optimizing doses for treatment of critically ill patients, remain challenging. Previously, we developed an assay for determining the penicillin-class antibiotics in blood using a thermometric penicillinase biosensor. The assay eliminates sample pretreatment, which makes it possible to perform semicontinuous penicillin determinations in blood. However, penicillinase has a narrow substrate specificity, which makes it unsuitable for detecting other classes of ß-lactam antibiotics, such as cephalosporins and carbapenems. In order to assay these classes of clinically useful antibiotics, a novel biosensor was developed using New Delhi metallo-ß-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) as the biological recognition layer. NDM-1 has a broad specificity range and is capable of hydrolyzing all classes of ß-lactam antibiotics in high efficacy with the exception of monobactams. In this study, we demonstrated that the NDM-1 biosensor was able to quantify multiple classes of ß-lactam antibiotics in blood plasma at concentrations ranging from 6.25 mg/L or 12.5 mg/L to 200 mg/L, which covered the therapeutic concentration windows of the tested antibiotics used to treat critically ill patients. The detection of ceftazidime and meropenem was not affected by the presence of the ß-lactamase inhibitors avibactam and vaborbactam, respectively. Furthermore, both free and protein-bound ß-lactams present in the antibiotic-spiked plasma samples were detected by the NDM-1 biosensor. These results indicated that the NDM-1 biosensor is a promising technique for rapid TDM of total ß-lactam antibiotics present in the blood of critically ill patients.

Rapid, sensitive and cost-effective determination of immune checkpoint inhibitor activity using a magnetic bead-based binding assay.

Immune checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs) are effective immunno-therapeutic agents for cancer. Rapid and sensitive determination of the blocking activity of ICIs is important for ICIs development and immunological research. Among various immune checkpoint (IC) binding assays, cell-based binding assays are widely regarded, and the functional ELISA is a convenient alternative. However, these methodologies are limited by time-consuming preparation of cell lines stably expressing IC molecules, or long turnaround time with high cost. In this study, two magnetic bead based binding assays were developed to evaluate activity of ICIs, which was determined by a soluble ligand/bead immobilized receptor based binding assay (sL/bR binding assay) that assessed efficacy to block binding of one soluble IC ligand on its cognate receptor immobilized beads, or by a soluble receptor/bead immobilized ligand based binding assay (sR/bL binding assay) that assessed efficacy to block binding of soluble IC receptor on its cognate ligand immobilized beads. Half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of ICIs were calculated to determine ICIs activity. The sL/bR binding assay accurately determined the activity of two TIGIT blocking antibodies, since the relative blocking activity of two TIGIT antibodies determined by the sL/bR binding assay established in this study and that by the cell based binding assay were almost identical. In contrast, the sR/bL binding assay showed significantly improved sensitivity to determine activity of two PD-1 blocking antibodies than the sL/bR binding assay that was tested in this study and previous reports. Moreover, both amount of the used recombinant protein of ICI receptor/ligand and turnaround time of the two binding assays were more than 10 times less than those of the functional ELISA. These data indicate that the two magnetic bead based binding assays are sensitive, rapid and cost-effective methods to determine blocking activity of ICIs.

A new strategy to improve the water solubility of an organic fluorescent probe using silicon nanodots and fabricate two-photon SiND-ANPA-N3 for visualizing hydrogen sulfide in living cells and onion tissues.

A small-molecule fluorescent probe offers unique advantages for the detection of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and other reactive small molecules including high sensitivity, cell permeability and high spatiotemporal resolution. Generally, in order to obtain good cell permeability, fluorescent probes are liposoluble, which in turn leads to poor water solubility. Thus, it is regrettable that most of these fluorescent probes cannot be used in fully aqueous systems and hence, organic solvents are used, which may cause negative effects on living cells. Silicon nanodots (SiNDs) have been widely used in many fields due to good water solubility, benign nature, biocompatibility and low toxicity. Herein, we proposed a two-photon SiND-ANPA-N3 fluorescent probe with good water solubility, excellent biocompatibility and low toxicity; it is suitable to detect H2S in totally aqueous media and living cells. This strategy may provide a technically simple and facile approach for designing fluorescent probes with excellent solubility, benign nature, and biocompatibility for use in fully aqueous systems and in vivo.

Monitoring hip posture in total hip arthroplasty using an inertial measurement unit-based hip smart trial system: An in vitro validation experiment using a fixed pelvis model.

Intraoperative measurement of hip posture is the basis for assessing hip range of motion (ROM) and predicting postoperative functional limits allowable for activities of daily living. Although computer navigation for total hip arthroplasty (THA) has improved the accuracy of intraoperative ROM evaluation, it has not gained widespread popularity due to its complex and time-consuming protocol. We therefore developed an inertial measurement unit-based hip smart trial system (IMUHST) for intraoperative monitoring of hip posture. An in vitro validation experiment was conducted using bone models with a three-dimensional measurement model as the reference standard. The absolute mean error, Bland - Altman analysis and intra-class correlation coefficient demonstrated that the validity and reliability of this system meets the requirement for clinical application. Given that monitoring posture is the basis for evaluating the direction(s) of potential impingement, subluxation and dislocation, the IMUHST is a promising development direction of computer assisted surgery in THA.