Validation of the YuWell YE900 oscillometric blood pressure monitor for professional office use in adults and children according to the AAMI/ESH/ISO Universal Standard (ISO 81060-2:2018).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of the YuWell YE900 oscillometric upper-arm professional office blood pressure monitor in adults and children according to the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation/European Society of Hypertension/International Organization for Standardization (AAMI/ESH/ISO) Universal Standard (ISO 81060-2:2018). METHODS: Subjects were recruited to fulfill the age, sex, blood pressure and cuff distribution criteria of the AAMI/ESH/ISO Universal Standard in adults and children (aged 3-12 years) using the same arm sequential blood pressure measurement method. Three cuffs of the test device were used for arm circumference 18-22 cm (small), 22-32 cm (medium) and 32-42 cm (large). RESULTS: Ninety-two subjects were recruited, and 85 (50 adults and 35 children) were analyzed. For validation criterion 1, the mean ± SD of the differences between the test device and reference blood pressure readings was 1.7 ± 6.62/3.1 ± 5.76 mmHg (systolic/diastolic). For validation criterion 2, the SD of the averaged blood pressure differences between the test device and reference blood pressure per subject was 5.25/5.13 mmHg (systolic/diastolic). CONCLUSION: The YuWell YE900 professional electronic blood pressure monitor has passed the requirements of the AAMI/ESH/ISO Universal Standard (ISO 81060-2:2018) in adults and children and can be recommended for clinical use.

Hyaluronic acid derivative-modified nano-structured lipid carrier for cancer targeting and therapy.

To reduce the problems of poor solubility, high in vivo dosage requirement, and weak targeting ability of paclitaxel (PTX), a hyaluronic acid-octadecylamine (HA-ODA)-modified nano-structured lipid carrier (HA-NLC) was constructed. HA-ODA conjugates were synthesized by an amide reaction between HA and ODA. The hydrophobic chain of HA-ODA can be embedded in the lipid core of the NLC to obtain HA-NLC. The HA-NLC displayed strong internalization in cluster determinant 44 (CD44) highly expressed MCF-7 cells, and endocytosis mediated by the CD44 receptor was involved. The HA-NLC had an encapsulation efficiency of PTX of 72.0%. The cytotoxicity of the PTX-loaded nanoparticle HA-NLC/PTX in MCF-7 cells was much stronger than that of the commercial preparation Taxol®. In vivo, the HA-NLC exhibited strong tumor targeting ability. The distribution of the NLCs to the liver and spleen was reduced after HA modification, while more nanoparticles were aggregated to the tumor site. Our results suggest that HA-NLC has excellent properties as a nano drug carrier and potential for in vivo targeting.

Effects of time delay and space on herbivore dynamics: linking inducible defenses of plants to herbivore outbreak.

Empirical results indicate that inducible defenses of plants have effects on herbivore populations. However, little is known about how inducible defenses of plants have influences on herbivore outbreak when space effect is considered. To reveal the relationship between inducible defenses and herbivore outbreak, we present a mathematical model to describe the interaction of them. It was found that time delay plays dual effects in the persistence of herbivore populations: (i) large value of time delay may be associated with small density of herbivore populations, and thus causes the populations to run a higher risk of extinction; (ii) moderate value of time delay is beneficial for maintaining herbivore density in a determined range which may promote the persistence of herbivore populations. Additionally, we revealed that interaction of time delay and space promotes the growth of average density of herbivore populations during their outbreak period which implied that time delay may drive the resilience of herbivore populations. Our findings highlight the close relationship between inducible defenses of plants and herbivore outbreak.

Association between the XPG Asp1104His and XPF Arg415Gln polymorphisms and risk of cancer: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The XPG (xeroderma pigmentosum type G) Asp1104His and XPF (xeroderma pigmentosum type F) Arg415Gln polymorphisms had been implicated in cancer susceptibility. The previous published data on the association between XPG Asp1104His and XPF Arg415Gln polymorphisms and cancer risk remained controversial. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To derive a more precise estimation of the association between the XPG Asp1104His and XPF Arg415Gln polymorphisms and overall cancer risk, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate the association between cancer susceptibility and XPG Asp1104His (32,162 cases and 39,858 controls from 66 studies) and XPF Arg415Gln polymorphisms (17,864 cases and 20,578 controls from 32 studies) in different inheritance models. We used odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals to assess the strength of the association. Overall, significantly elevated cancer risk was found when all studies were pooled into the meta-analysis of XPG Asp1104His (dominant model: OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.00-1.10; Asp/His vs. Asp/Asp: OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.01-1.11). In the further stratified and sensitivity analyses, significantly decreased lung cancer risk was found for XPF Arg415Gln (dominant model: OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.71-0.96; Arg/Gln versus Arg/Arg: OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.71-0.97; additive model: OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.72-0.95) and significantly increased other cancer risk was found among hospital-based studies for XPG Asp1104His (dominant model: OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.02-1.49). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: In summary, this meta-analysis suggests that XPF Arg415Gln polymorphism may be associated with decreased lung cancer risk and XPG Asp1104His may be a low-penetrant risk factor in some cancers development. And larger scale primary studies are required to further evaluate the interaction of XPG Asp1104His and XPF Arg415Gln polymorphisms and cancer risk in specific populations.

Association between the CYP1A1 T3801C polymorphism and risk of cancer: evidence from 268 case-control studies.

T3801C is a common polymorphism in CYP1A1, showing differences in its biological functions. Case-control studies have been performed to elucidate the role of T3801C in cancer, although the results are conflicting and heterogeneous. Hence, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate the association between cancer susceptibility and T3801C (55,963 cases and 76,631 controls from 268 studies) polymorphism in different inheritance models.We used odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals to assess the strength of the association. Overall, significantly increased cancer risk was observed in any genetic model (dominant model: odds ratio [OR]=1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.09­1.19; recessive model: OR=1.23, 95% CI=1.12­1.34; CC vs. TT: OR=1.31, 95% CI=1.19­1.45; TC vs. TT: OR=1.12, 95% CI=1.07­1.18; additive model: OR=1.14, 95% CI=1.09­1.19) when all eligible studies were pooled into the meta-analysis. In further stratified and sensitivity analyses, the elevated risk remained for subgroups of cervical cancer, head and neck cancer, hepatocellular cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer. In addition, significantly decreased colorectal cancer risk was also observed. In summary, this meta-analysis suggests that the participation of CYP1A1 T3801C is a genetic susceptibility for some cancer types.Moreover, our work also points out the importance of new studies for T3801C association in some cancer types, such as gallbladder cancer, Asians of acute myeloid leukemia, and thyroid cancer, where at least some of the covariates responsible for heterogeneity could be controlled, to obtain a more conclusive understanding about the function of the CYP1A1 T3801C polymorphism in cancer development.

Association between the XRCC3 T241M polymorphism and risk of cancer: evidence from 157 case-control studies.

The T241M polymorphism in the X-ray cross-complementing group 3 (XRCC3) had been implicated in cancer susceptibility. The previous published data on the association between XRCC3 T241M polymorphism and cancer risk remained controversial. Hence, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate the association between cancer susceptibility and XRCC3 T241M (61,861 cases and 84,584 controls from 157 studies) polymorphism in different inheritance models. We used odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals to assess the strength of the association. Overall, significantly increased cancer risk was observed in any genetic model (dominant model: odds ration [OR]=1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.00-1.13; recessive model: OR=1.15, 95% CI=1.08-1.23; additive model: OR=1.17, 95% CI=1.08-1.28) when all eligible studies were pooled into the meta-analysis. In further stratified and sensitivity analyses, the elevated risk remained for subgroups of bladder cancer and breast cancer, especially in Caucasians. In addition, significantly decreased lung cancer risk was also observed. In summary, this meta-analysis suggests the participation of XRCC3 T241M in the susceptibility for bladder cancer and breast cancer, especially in Caucasians, and XRCC3 T241M polymorphism is associated with decreased lung cancer risk. Moreover, our work also points out the importance of new studies for T241M association in some cancer types, such as gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, and melanoma skin cancer, where at least some of the covariates responsible for heterogeneity could be controlled, to obtain a more conclusive understanding about the function of the XRCC3 polymorphism in cancer development.

[Pilot validation of sludge concentration partition at small reflux ratio condition].

Using sub-milliFiltration (SMF) module get the sludge of the system divide into high concentration part and low concentration part, in order to make the high concentration part retain activated sludge to strengthen removal rate of organics and the low concentration part meet the need of MBR. Discussing the sludge concentration partition effect under the conditions of small reflux ratio(R 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0), In addition, investigating the COD removal efficiency of the system with SMF Module, comparing the measured and theoretical value of the MLVSS at each small reflux ratio. Results show that: the method of sludge concentration partition at small reflux ratio condition is feasible, the MLSS of the low concentration part is below 9 g x L(-1) and the high concentration part is above 20 g x L(-1); average removal rate of COD is above 90%; measured value of the two part is related to theoretical value.