Frailty is a Risk Factor for Postoperative Complications in Older Adults with Lumbar Degenerative Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Objective: Frailty, representing the physiological reserve and tolerance of the body, serves as a crucial evaluation index of the overall status of the older adults. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of preoperative frailty and its impact on postoperative outcomes among older adults with lumbar degenerative disease in China. Patients and Methods: In this prospective study, a total of 280 patients aged 60 and above, diagnosed with lumbar degenerative disease and scheduled for surgical intervention were enrolled. The prevalence of frailty pre-surgery was evaluated using the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) and the modified Frailty Index 11 (mFI-11). The primary outcome was postoperative complication within 30 days post-surgery. The secondary outcomes were the length of hospital stay, hospital costs, reoperation within 30 days post-surgery and unplanned readmission within 30 days post-discharge. Both univariable and multivariable logistic regression were employed to screen and identify the risk factors predisposing patients to postoperative complications. Results: A total of 272 older adults were included in the study ultimately. The frailty detection rates of TFI and mFI-11 were 15.8% (43/272) and 10.7% (29/272) respectively. Thirty-four patients (12.5%) encountered complications. Significantly elevated rates of complications, prolonged hospital stays, increased hospital costs, and heightened readmission rates were observed in the frail group compared to the non-frail group (P<0.05). Univariable analysis showed that the potential factors related to complications are TFI, mFI-11 and albumin. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that TFI was an independent risk factor for postoperative complications (OR=5.371, 95% CI: 2.338-12.341, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Frailty was an independent predictor of postoperative complications in older adults undergoing lumbar fusion surgery. Frailty assessment should be performed in such patients to improve preoperative risk stratification and optimize perioperative management strategies.

Effect of ultrasonic frequency on the structural and functional properties of pea protein isolation.

BACKGROUND: Pea protein, as a by-product of peas (Pisum sativum L.), is rich in a variety of essential amino acids that can meet the body's protein needs and is a valuable source of protein. Since the function of pea protein is closely related to its structure, pea protein has been subjected to different modifications in recent years to improve its application in food and to develop new products. RESULTS: The effects of sonication frequency (primary and secondary time) on pea protein isolate's (PPI's) structural and functional properties were investigated. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis demonstrated that different sonication frequencies at the same power (600 W) treatment had no effect on PPI's molecular weight. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that treatment at different sonication frequencies caused secondary structural changes in PPI. The particle size distribution, foaming, stability, surface hydrophobicity, emulsification, and oxidation resistance of PPI were improved after primary and secondary sonication, but secondary sonication was not more effective than primary sonication for an extended period of time. CONCLUSION: Overall, ultrasound is able to improve the structural and functional properties of pea proteins within a suitable range. It provides a theoretical basis for elucidating the modification of the structure and function of plant proteins by ultrasound and lays the foundation for the development of plant proteins in food applications as well as development. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of Oral Care Solution on Sore Throat After I-Gel Laryngeal Mask General Anesthesia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Sore throat is a common complication after general anesthesia. Oral care solutions have been used to reduce the incidence of oral complications or ventilator-associated pneumonia, but their effect on postoperative sore throat (POST) is unclear. This study aims to investigate whether oral care solution can alleviate POST in patients undergoing i-gel laryngeal mask general anesthesia. Methods: A total of 120 patients who were scheduled for elective surgery under laryngeal mask general anesthesia were enrolled. The patients were randomly assigned to an experimental group (oral care solution) and a control group (0.9% saline) and gargled for 1 min with 10mL of oral care solution or saline 5 min before anesthesia induction. The primary outcomes were the overall incidence of sore throat within 24 h and incidence at 20 min, 1 h, 6 h, 24 h after removal of i-gel. The secondary outcomes were the severity of sore throat at the four time points and incidence of hoarseness, cough within 24 h after removal of i-gel. Results: A total of 111 patients were included in the analysis. The overall incidence of sore throat within 24 h in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group, as was the incidence at four time points (P<0.05). The VAS scores at the four time points in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05), and the results of repeated measurement analysis of variance showed that time effect and intergroup effect were statistically significant (P<0.001). No differences were found between the groups in the incidence of hoarseness and cough. Conclusion: Gargling with oral care solution before anesthesia induction can significantly reduce the incidence and severity of POST in patients undergoing i-gel laryngeal mask general anesthesia.

Adam SPGD algorithm in freeform surface in-process interferometry.

The adaptive interferometer has been recently proposed to realize the metrology of unknown freeform surfaces with several restructured algorithms for feedback control. The adaptive moment estimation (Adam) stochastic parallel gradient descent (SPGD) algorithm is employed in this paper for fringes release. The proposed algorithm makes considerable progress in relieving conflict of the convergence rate, speed, and parameters intervention. Simulations and experiments show its 37% time saving and 99% convergence rate, with arbitrarily configured parameter increment, compared with the SPGD algorithm. It would have great potential in in-process tests in freeform surface fabrication or large-volume testing.

Excessive weight gain during pregnancy and risk of macrosomia: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: This meta-analysis aimed to estimate the relation between excessive gestational weight gain and macrosomia. METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis by searching PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane library for English-language literature from inception to 1 October 2014. Studies assessing the relationship between excessive gestational weight gain and macrosomia were included. Characteristics including study design, country, sample size, definition of macrosomia, adjusted odds ratios, CIs and adjustment factors were extracted independently by two reviewers. Summary odds ratios were calculated by using a random-effects model meta-analysis. RESULTS: 15 relevant articles were eligible for the meta-analysis. Incorporated by random-effect model before the heterogeneity tests, the value of OR was 2.35 (95 % CI: 1.95, 2.85). Stratified analysis showed no differences regarding different study design, definition of macrosomia and location of study. There was no indication of a publication bias either from the result of Egger's test (P = 0.572) or Begg's test (P = 0.572). CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis indicated that excessive gestational weight gain might increase the risk of macrosomia.

[Effects of starvation on digestive enzyme activities of Monopterus albus].

Starvation is a major environmental stress, which has a broad effect on the physiology and ecology of aquatic animals. In this study, Monopterus albus was starved for 30 days at (20 +/- 0.5) degrees C, and the activities of protease, trypsin, amylase and lipase in its digestive organs were measured on the 0, 3rd, 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, and 30th day of starvation. The results showed that starvation had definite effects on the activities of all test enzymes. With the prolongation of starvation, the activities of test enzymes decreased, which was most significant when the fish was starved for 5-10 days. After 10 days of starvation, the decreasing trend of the enzyme activities became less obvious.