Transversus abdominis plane block improves postoperative recovery following cesarean delivery under general anesthesia: A propensity score matched retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block on postoperative recovery 24 h after cesarean delivery under general anesthesia. METHODS: A propensity-score-matched, retrospective cohort study was used. A total of 173 pregnancies resulting in elective cesarean delivery under general anesthesia between March 2021 and March 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients receiving TAP block were compared with those receiving only intravenous analgesia. The Quality of Recovery 15 (QoR-15) score, assessed 24 h postoperatively using a 15-item questionnaire, was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included time to first ambulation, time to first flatus postoperatively, ability to tolerate ambulation, visual analog scale (VAS) score, hospitalization cost, and postoperative nausea and/or vomiting. RESULTS: The total QoR-15 score 24 h postoperatively in the TAP group was significantly higher than in the Control group (P < 0.001). Patients in the TAP group had higher Bruggemann comfort scale scores (P < 0.001), could better tolerate early postoperative ambulation (P < 0.001), and had shorter time to first ambulation (P < 0.001) and flatus (P < 0.001). Correlation analysis demonstrated an inverse relationship between the cumulative VAS pain scores, time to first postoperative ambulation, time to first flatus, and total QoR-15 score 24 h postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Following cesarean delivery under general anesthesia, TAP block combined with intravenous analgesia can improve postoperative recovery and shorten the time to postoperative ambulation and recovery of intestinal function.

All-natural oil-in-water high internal phase Pickering emulsions featuring interfacial bilayer stabilization.

HYPOTHESIS: Synergistic stabilization of high internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPPEs) by food-grade colloidal particles are necessary for food, pharmaceuticals or cosmetics owing to their biocompatibility and multi-functionality. By tuning the interfacial structure of adsorbed binary particles, the HIPPE may exhibit extraordinary characteristics compared to conventional all-natural HIPPEs solely stabilized by single-component particle or composite particle, which should have potential applications in varies fields. EXPERIMENTS: HIPPEs were prepared by using zein protein nanoparticles (ZNPs) and starch nanocrystals (SNCs) as stabilizers. We systematically investigated the effect of particle concentration and internal phase fraction on HIPPEs morphology, stability and rheological behaviors. Further, the stabilization mechanism as well as potential applications were demonstrated. FINDINGS: HIPPEs were prepared with excellent stability against centrifugation and high temperature (50 °C). Our result indicates the successful construction of unique bilayer interfacial structures consisting of inner ZNPs layer and outer SNCs layer. Since SNCs could gelatinize at 50 °C, dense shells can form around droplets afterwards. Such thermally responsive interfacial structures can be used to protect hydrophobic bioactive substances at higher temperatures while still allowing controlled release at certain conditions. Furthermore, with high internal phase fraction, HIPPEs can possibly replace mayonnaise and salad dressing on the market due to comparable appearance and properties. Following the removal of inner oil, porous materials can be further fabricated, which have potential applications in environmental protection or tissue engineering.

Pickering Emulsions Simultaneously Stabilized by Starch Nanocrystals and Zein Nanoparticles: Fabrication, Characterization, and Application.

Using two types of colloidal particles having natural origins to synergistically stabilize Pickering emulsions is essential for food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutics, especially when neither particle can stabilize the Pickering emulsions alone. The use of two natural stabilizers avoids the complicated surface treatments of particles and the introduction of poisonous or harmful chemicals. In this work, we report an all-natural Pickering emulsion stabilized synergistically by starch nanocrystals and zein protein nanoparticles. Our result shows that the electrostatic interaction between the two types of particles greatly affects their assembled structure at the oil/water interface, which is closely related to the emulsion stability. Specifically, particle bilayers could form with oppositely charged particles at the interface to endow the emulsion with improved stability. As a demonstration, the resultant Pickering emulsions effectively carry ß-carotene and have high stability against high temperatures and ultraviolet radiation. This type of all-natural Pickering emulsion is a promising tool to protect and deliver liposoluble bioactive components.

Ultra-stable Pickering emulsion stabilized by a natural particle bilayer.

Ultra-stable Pickering emulsions synergistically stabilized by zein nanoparticles and starch nanocrystals were successfully prepared and the stabilization is ascribed to the double-layer shell of binary particles. The as-prepared Pickering emulsions showed unprecedented stability against centrifugation up to 20 000g and against environmental stresses such as pH change and high temperature.