Clinical effects of Special Pressure Ulcer Intervention Combined with Gel Positioning Pad Intervention on Preventing Acute Stress Injury in Patients Undergoing Long-Term Lateral Position Spinal Surgery.

Objective: Prevention of acute pressure injuries (PS) is critical in patients undergoing certain surgeries. This type of pressure injury can develop during and after surgery, causing unnecessary pain and complications for the patient. However, preventing PS in these high-risk patients may present some challenges and require specific nursing measures. To explore the clinical effects of special pressure ulcer intervention combined with gel positioning pad intervention on the prevention of acute stress injury in patients undergoing long-term lateral position spinal surgery. Methods: The simple randomization method was used in this study; 100 patients with lateral position spinal surgery from March 2022 to March 2023 were selected as research subjects and were divided into an observation group and control group with 50 cases in each group by the random number table method. The control group was given routine intervention, and the observation group carried out special pressure ulcer intervention and gel positioning pad intervention. Special pressure ulcer intervention was performed, using appropriate surface support to relieve pressure, keeping the patient's skin clean and dry, and turning regularly to relieve pressure. In addition, we use a gel positioning pad intervention to disperse pressure, improve local blood circulation, and reduce the risk of pressure injuries. The occurrence of acute stress injury, VAS scores at different time points after surgery, local skin infrared thermography analysis results at 72 hours after surgery, incidence rates of complications and nursing satisfaction were compared between the two groups of patients. Results: The incidence rates of acute stress injury during surgery, within 2 hours after surgery and within 72 hours after surgery in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P < .0046). The number and area of injury in the observation group were smaller than those in the control group (P < .0037). The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) grading of acute stress injury in the observation group was lower compared with that in the control group (P < .0021). The pain VAS scores in the observation group at 2 hours, 24 hours and 72 hours after surgery were lower than those in the control group (P < .001). The local skin infrared thermography analysis temperature values of the neck, shoulder, hip, knee and ankle were lower in the observation group than those in the control group at 72 hours after surgery (P < .001). The incidence rates of postoperative lumbago and shoulder-neck pain in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P < .001). The scores of three aspects of nursing technology and nursing operation satisfaction, service attitude and humanistic care satisfaction, and nursing environment satisfaction were higher in the observation group than compared to the control group (P < .001). The findings of this study highlight the importance of specific pressure ulcer interventions that can be widely used in clinical practice and have the potential to reduce the incidence of pressure injuries and improve patient satisfaction with care. Conclusion: Special pressure ulcer intervention combined with gel positioning pad intervention has a good preventive effect on acute stress injury in patients undergoing long-term lateral position spinal surgery. Limitations of this study include the small sample size and single study institution, which may affect the external validity of the study. In addition, data collection in this study was limited to a specific time period and does not reflect long-term outcomes. Future studies could consider multi-center, broader samples, and longer follow-up to confirm the benefits of these interventions and to investigate in depth the long-term rehabilitation and quality of life of patients.

Polysaccharide of Taxus chinensis var. mairei Cheng et L.K.Fu attenuates neurotoxicity and cognitive dysfunction in mice with Alzheimer's disease.

CONTEXT: Polysaccharide of Taxus chinensis var. mairei Cheng et L.K.Fu (Taxaceae) (PTM) functions in anti-apoptosis and antioxidation, but its function on Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of PTM on AD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into three groups: control, d-galactose (d-gal), and d-gal + PTM. AD-like symptom was induced by d-gal for 6 weeks, followed with PTM (0.4 g/kg/d) for 14 days. PTM was added to BV2 cells stimulated with d-gal (1, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 500 µg/mL). Cell viability was evaluated by MTT assay. The expression of NRF2, SOD, cleaved caspase-3, Bax and Bcl-2 were detected with Western blot analysis. Cognitive function was evaluated by Morris water maze test. RESULTS: Decreased cleaved caspase-3 (1.30 ± 0.09) and Bax/Bcl2 ratio (1.32 ± 0.11) were observed in BV2 cells induced by d-gal + PTM (50 µg/mL). Increased MDA and ROS and decreased SOD were observed in d-gal group. However, decreased MDA (175 ± 9 ng/mL) and ROS level (188 ± 38 ng/mL) were observed after treated with PTM group (p < 0.05). In addition, the expression of NRF2 decreased in d-gal group (0.75 ± 0.09) but increased after treated with PTM (p < 0.05). Furthermore, decreased Aß1-42 was observed and the cognitive function was improved after PTM intervention (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report that PTM inhibited oxidative stress and apoptosis in AD. The result will further accelerate the applications of Taxus chinensis var. mairei and the treatment for AD.

An integrated process for the advanced treatment of hypersaline petrochemical wastewater: A pilot study.

An integrated process combining ozonation, ceramic membrane filtration with biological activated carbon filtration (O3+CMF + BAC process) was designed and evaluated using a pilot scale (10 m3/d) test for the advanced treatment of hypersaline petrochemical wastewater in a coastal wastewater plant. The membrane flux and ozone dosage were optimized for the optimal treatment performance of this integrated process. The results showed that this integrated process performed well in pollutant removal. The concentrations of CODCr, phosphate and color in the effluents were 17.9 mg/L, 0.25 mg/L, and 5 dilution times in average, respectively. The effluent quality met the local discharge standard even under a high influent COD concentration (195 mg/L in average). The synergistic effect of the ozonation and ceramic membrane filtration was investigated through the fluorescence characteristics and hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties of organic compounds. It revealed that ozonation mitigated the membrane fouling and the nanopores in the ceramic membranes enhanced the ozonation efficiency. Meanwhile, the Fenton process had a slightly better effluent quality than the integrated process, but Fenton process consumed much more chemicals and required the sludge disposal, resulting in higher cost. The estimated unit cost for this integrated process was only 34% of that for the Fenton process. Overall, the integrated process demonstrated high stability, reliable effluents and low cost, providing a promising and cost-efficient technology for the treatment of hypersaline petrochemical wastewater.

Coreceptor-Based Hematopoietic Stem Cell Gene Therapy for HIV Disease.

Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has significantly reduced the mortality rate and morbidity, and has increased the life expectancy of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients. However, the current cART is incapable of eradicating viruses from the human body, and HIV remains one of the most notorious viruses mankind has ever faced. HIV-1 enters target cells through the binding of gp120 viral protein to a CD4 receptor and then to a coreceptor, C-C chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) or C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4). Individuals homozygous for a 32-bp deletion in the CCR5 allele, CCR5Δ32, are almost completely resistant to HIV-1 acquisition. Moreover, several of natural CXCR4 mutants which have been identified can reduce HIV-1 entry without impairing either ligand binding or signaling. In order to get rid of indefinite treatment for HIV patients, there is a growing interest in creating an HIV-resistant immune system through the use of CCR5 and CXCR4-modified hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Proof of concept for this approach has been provided in the instance of "Berlin patient" transplanted with allogeneic stem cells from a donor with homozygosity for the CCR5Δ32 deletion. Here, we review the progress of coreceptor-based HSC gene therapy for HIV disease and present new strategies.