Porphyrin-Based Organic Nanoparticles with NIR-IIa Fluorescence for Orthotopic Glioblastoma Theranostics.

The development of efficient theranostic nanoagents for the precise diagnosis and targeted therapy of glioblastoma (GBM) remains a big challenge. Herein, we designed and developed porphyrin-based organic nanoparticles (PNP NPs) with strong emission in the near-infrared IIa window (NIR-IIa) for orthotopic GBM theranostics. PNP NPs possess favorable photoacoustic and photothermal properties, high photostability, and low toxicity. After modification with the RGD peptide, the obtained PNPD NPs exhibited enhanced blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration capability and GBM targeting ability. NIR-IIa imaging was employed to monitor the in vivo biodistribution and accumulation of the nanoparticles, revealing a significant enhancement in penetration depth and signal-to-noise ratio. Both in vitro and in vivo results demonstrated that PNPD NPs effectively inhibited the proliferation of tumor cells and induced negligible side effects in normal brain tissues. In general, the work presented a kind of brain-targeted porphyrin-based NPs with NIR-IIa fluorescence for orthotopic glioblastoma theranostics, showing promising prospects for clinical translation.

Effects of external verbal cueing on countermovement rebound jump performance.

This study examined the effects of three external verbal cues on countermovement rebound jump (CMRJ) performance. Twenty-five recreational athletes completed nine jumps with distinct height, velocity and combined cue focus. A general linear model analysis of variance was used to evaluate systematic bias between conditions (p < 0.05). The height and velocity cues significantly altered jump height and contact times in both jumps during the CMRJ, respectively (p ≤ 0.002). The combined cue significantly reduced contact time while increasing leg stiffness compared to the height cue (p ≤ 0.038). It also increased jump height compared to the velocity cue (p ≤ 0.005) in both jumps, resulting in the highest explosive power and reactive strength values among all conditions. Furthermore, the combined cue enhanced the positive ankle contribution compared to the height cue (p = 0.020) and increased positive hip and negative knee joint work compared to the velocity cue (p ≤ 0.040) in the second jump of the CMRJ. These findings advise practitioners to use the height cue to maximise jump height, the velocity cue to minimise contact times and the combined cue to maximise explosive power and reactive strength.

Investigation of the feasibility of NRAV as a biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma.

The long non-coding RNA, Negative Regulator of Antiviral Response (NRAV) has been identified as a participant in both respiratory virus replication and immune checkpoints, however, its involvement in pan-cancer immune regulation and prognosis, particularly those of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), remains unclear. To address this knowledge gap, we analyzed expression profiles obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, comparing normal and malignant tumor tissues. We found that NRAV expression is significantly upregulated in tumor tissues compared to adjacent nontumor tissues. Kaplan-Meier (K-M) analysis revealed the prognostic power of NRAV, wherein overexpression was significantly linked to reduced overall survival in a diverse range of tumor patients. Furthermore, noteworthy associations were observed between NRAV, immune checkpoints, immune cell infiltration, genes related to autophagy, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), pyroptosis, tumor mutational burden (TMB), and microsatellite instability (MSI) across different cancer types, including HCC. Moreover, NRAV upregulation expression was associated with multiple pathological stages by clinical observations. Furthermore, our investigation revealed a substantial elevation in the expression of NRAV in both HCC tumor tissues and cells compared to normal tissues and cells. The inhibition of NRAV resulted in the inhibition of cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in HCC cells, while also influencing the expression of CD274 (PD-L1) and CD44, along with various biomarkers associated with EMT, autophagy, and pyroptosis. The aforementioned results propose NRAV as a promising prognostic biomarker for HCC.

Generation and propagation properties of Bessel-Gaussian beams with a rotationally symmetric power-exponent-phase vortex.

In this paper, the generation and propagation properties of Bessel-Gaussian (BG) rotationally symmetric power-exponent-phase vortex beam (RSPEPVBs) were demonstrated and discussed. The results showed that the BG-RSPEPVBs can be directly generated based on the spatial light modulator, of which the phase singularities were verified by the interference patterns with the plane wave. It can be found that the intensity distributions of the BG-RSPEPVBs, with different topological charges (TCs) and power orders, were fan-shaped and polycyclic, which possessed the characteristics of BG beams and RSPEPVBs, simultaneously. Thus, the propagation invariance of the BG-RSPEPVBs is better than that of Laguerre-Gaussian RSPEPVBs and RSPEPVBs. Moreover, the focusing spot of the BG-RSPEPVBs would evolve into a bright ring with the same ring radius at the focal plane, which is independent of the TC and more suitable for the applications of optical coupling, optical communication, optical trapping, and so on.

The Countermovement Rebound Jump: Between-Session Reliability and a Comparison With the Countermovement and Drop Jump Tests.

ABSTRACT: Xu, J, Turner, A, Comyns, TM, Chavda, S, and Bishop, C. The countermovement rebound jump: Between-session reliability and a comparison with the countermovement and drop jump tests. J Strength Cond Res 38(4): e150-e159, 2024-The countermovement jump (CMJ) and drop jump (DJ) are widely used jump tests to evaluate an athlete's neuromuscular performance. Nevertheless, conducting both the CMJ and the DJ assessments during one testing session can demand a considerable time investment that practitioners or coaches might not always have available. This study investigated whether the countermovement rebound jump (CMRJ) could be considered a viable alternative to the CMJ and DJ tests, respectively. Thirty-three physically active students volunteered as subjects (age: 27.2 ± 5.9 years, height: 1.78 ± 0.8 cm, body mass: 77.5 ± 11.5 kg), with 18 jumps completed for each subject across 2 testing sessions. The jump height (JH) and strategy-based metrics (time to take-off [TTTO], countermovement depth [CM depth], and reactive strength index [RSI] modified for CMJ and the first jump of the CMRJ; leg stiffness [ Kleg ], ground contact time [GCT], and RSI for DJ and the second jump for the CMRJ) were calculated simultaneously via the impulse-momentum, flight time, double integration, and motion capture methods. All variables were examined by repeated-measures analysis of variance, 2-way random effects model intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), coefficient of variation (CV), and standard error of measurement, with the significance set at p ≤ 0.05. All 3 jump tests showed good-to-excellent relative reliability (ICC = 0.79-0.98) and good-to-moderate CV (≤9.83), with the only exception being Kleg measured during the DJ and in the second jump of the CMRJ assessment (CV ≤ 16.01%). Of all measured metrics, significant differences were only observed regarding TTTO between jumps ( p ≤ 0.027, effect size [ES] ≤ 0.49). The comparison of calculation methods indicated that the JH calculated by 4 methods were not significantly different between jump actions ( p ≥ 0.254). These findings support the use of the CMRJ as a reliable alternative to the CMJ and DJ tests. However, practitioners should be mindful of using Kleg as a metric, whereas practitioners are also advised to allocate sufficient familiarization trials before implementing the CMRJ into their routine test batteries.

Validity and Reliability of the FlightScope Mevo+ Launch Monitor for Assessing Golf Performance.

ABSTRACT: Brennan, A, Murray, A, Coughlan, D, Mountjoy, M, Wells, J, Ehlert, A, Xu, J, Broadie, M, Turner, A, and Bishop, C. Validity and reliability of the FlightScope Mevo+ launch monitor for assessing golf performance. J Strength Cond Res 38(4): e174-e181, 2024-The purpose of this study was to (a) assess the validity of the FlightScope Mevo+ against the TrackMan 4 and (b) determine the within-session reliability of both launch monitor systems when using a driver and a 6-iron. Twenty-nine youth golfers, with a minimum of 3 years of playing experience, volunteered for this study. All golfers completed 10 shots with a 6-iron and a driver, with 8 metrics concurrently monitored from both launch monitor systems in an indoor biomechanics laboratory. For both clubs, Pearson's r values ranged from small to near perfect ( r range = 0.254-0.985), with the strongest relationships evident for clubhead speed (CHS) and ball speed ( r ≥ 0.92). Bland-Altman plots showed almost perfect levels of agreement between devices for smash factor (mean bias ≤-0.016; 95% CI: -0.112, 0.079), whereas the poorest levels of agreement was for spin rate (mean bias ≤1,238; 95% CI: -2,628, 5,103). From a reliability standpoint, the TrackMan showed intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) ranging from moderate to excellent (ICC = 0.60-0.99) and coefficient of variation (CV) values ranged from good to poor (CV = 1.31-230.22%). For the Mevo+ device, ICC data ranged from poor to excellent (ICC = -0.22 to 0.99) and CV values ranged from good to poor (CV = 1.46-72.70%). Importantly, both devices showed similar trends, with the strongest reliability consistently evident for CHS, ball speed, carry distance, and smash factor. Finally, statistically significant differences ( p < 0.05) were evident between devices for spin rate (driver: d = 1.27; 6-iron: d = 0.90), launch angle (driver: d = 0.54), and attack angle (driver: d = -0.51). Collectively, these findings suggest that the FlightScope Mevo+ launch monitor is both valid and reliable when monitoring CHS, ball speed, carry distance, and smash factor. However, additional variables such as spin rate, launch angle, attack angle, and spin axis exhibit substantially greater variation compared with the TrackMan 4, suggesting that practitioners may wish to be cautious when providing golfers with feedback relating to these metrics.

Interfacial engineering of Ti3C2-TiO2 MXenes by managing surface oxidation behavior for enhanced sonodynamic therapy.

As a kind of reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediated therapy, sonodynamic therapy (SDT) has attracted great interest in cancer therapy. However, highly efficient and biocompatible sonosensitizers are urgently required to improve the therapeutic efficiency of SDT. In this work, Ti3C2-TiO2 MXenes were controllably synthesized as good sonosensitizers through interface engineering by regulating the dissolved oxygen concentration of the aqueous solution. The as-prepared Ar-Ti3C2-TiO2 MXene possessed a narrow band gap of 2.37 eV with promoted charge carrier transformation and efficient electron-hole separation. Compared with pure TiO2 sonosensitizers, the Ar-Ti3C2-TiO2 MXene displayed higher US-triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation efficiency. In addition, the structurally maintained Ar-Ti3C2-TiO2 possessed good photothermal conversion efficiency and the laser irradiation could greatly improve the electron-hole pair separation efficiency to further increase the ROS generation capability. After modification with arginyl-glycyl-aspartic (RGD) peptide, the Ar-Ti3C2-TiO2-RGD could efficiently accumulate in the tumor sites and achieve effective PTT enhanced SDT to eliminate tumors after intravenous injection without causing appreciable long-term toxicity. Therefore, this work presented a new way to construct safe sonosensitizers for enhanced SDT and the as-prepared Ar-Ti3C2-TiO2-RGD displayed good potential for further clinical translation. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: To achieve superior tumor treatment, the nanosized TiO2/Ti3C2 heterostructure was controllably synthesized through interface engineering by regulating the dissolved oxygen concentration of the aqueous solution using inert gas. The oxidation-optimized Ar-Ti3C2-TiO2 MXene possessed good sonodynamic performance with a narrow band gap of 2.37 eV and good photothermal conversion efficiency of 47.3% with structurally maintained Ti3C2 MXene. Additionally, the laser irradiation could greatly improve the electron-hole pair separation efficiency to further boost sonodynamic performance of Ar-Ti3C2-TiO2 MXene. Encouragingly, the Ar-Ti3C2-TiO2-RGD could efficiently accumulate in the tumor sites and achieve effective PTT enhanced SDT to eliminate tumors.

Validity of a Smartphone App Using Artificial Intelligence for the Real-Time Measurement of Barbell Velocity in the Bench Press Exercise.

ABSTRACT: Balsalobre-Fernández, C, Xu, J, Jarvis, P, Thompson, S, Tannion, K, and Bishop, C. Validity of a smartphone app using artificial intelligence for the real-time measurement of barbell velocity in the bench press exercise. J Strength Cond Res 37(12): e640-e645, 2023-The purpose of this study was to explore the validity and within-session reliability of the newly developed My Jump Lab application (app), which uses artificial intelligence techniques to monitor barbell velocity in real time. Twenty-seven sport science students performed 5 repetitions at 50 and 75% of their self-reported bench press 1 repetition maximum (1RM) during a single testing session, whereas barbell velocity was concurrently measured using the app (installed on an iPhone 12 Pro) and the GymAware linear position transducer (LPT). A very high correlation was observed between devices at each loading condition (50% 1RM: r = 0.90 [0.82-0.97]; 75% 1RM: r = 0.92 [0.86-0.98]). Results showed trivial differences between the app and LPT at both 50% 1RM (g = -0.06) and 75% 1RM (g = -0.12). Bland-Altman analysis showed a bias estimate of -0.010 m·s-1 and -0.026 m·s-1 for the 50 and 75% 1RM, respectively. Finally, similar levels of reliability, as revealed by the coefficient of variation, were observed for both devices (50% 1RM: LPT = 6.52%, app = 8.17%; 75% 1RM: LPT = 12.10%, app = 13.55%). Collectively, the findings of this study support the use of My Jump Lab for the measurement of real-time barbell velocity in the bench press exercise.

Generation of rotationally symmetric power-exponent-phase vortex beams based on digital micromirror devices.

In this paper, what we believe to be a new method for the generation of rotationally symmetric power-exponent-phase vortex beams (RSPEPVBs) based on digital micromirror devices (DMD) was proposed and demonstrated. Based on the theory of binary amplitude holography and Lee method, the two-dimensional amplitude holograms for the generation of RSPEPVBs were obtained. Then, the experimental setup was established for the generation of RSPEPVBs based on DMD and to verify the phase structure of RSPEPVBs by the Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The experimental results showed that the RSPEPVBs can be generated based on DMD with high beam quality and stability, and the ±1st-order diffracted beams were respectively corresponding to the RSPEPVBs with contrary TCs, which was the first time to report the RSPEPVBs with negative TC. Besides, the overall and ±1st-order diffraction efficiencies of RSPEPVBs generated by DMD were 7.18% and 1.73%, respectively. The method can be applied for the generation of RSPEPVBs with different parameters and quickly achieve mode switching by loading different binary amplitude holograms, which provides a new choice for the generation of new structure beams based on DMD.

Macrophage-Cancer Hybrid Membrane-Camouflaged Nanoplatforms for HIF-1α Gene Silencing-Enhanced Sonodynamic Therapy of Glioblastoma.

Fabrication of ingenious nanomedicines to penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and blood-brain-tumor barrier (BBTB) for efficient glioblastoma (GBM) therapy remains a big challenge. In this work, macrophage-cancer hybrid membrane-camouflaged nanoplatforms were fabricated for target gene silencing-enhanced sonodynamic therapy (SDT) of GBM. The J774.A.1 macrophage cell membrane and the U87 glioblastoma cell membrane were fused to create a hybrid biomembrane (JUM) with good BBB penetration and glioblastoma targeting capability for camouflaging. The ZIF-8 nanoparticles were synthesized for indocyanine green (ICG) and HIF-1α siRNA encapsulation (ICG-siRNA@ZIF-8, ISZ) with a high loading efficiency. After accumulation in the tumor sites, the pH sensitivity of the nanoplatform enabled release of ICG and HIF-1α siRNA in the tumor cells. Then, the expression of HIF-1α could be efficiently inhibited by the released HIF-1α siRNA to increase the SDT efficiency under hypoxic conditions. In vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that ISZ@JUM showed good BBB penetration and brain tumor-targeting capability and could achieve effective gene silencing-enhanced SDT, demonstrating great promise for clinical applications.

A Systematic Review of the Different Calculation Methods for Measuring Jump Height During the Countermovement and Drop Jump Tests.

BACKGROUND: The heights obtained during the countermovement jump and drop jump tests have been measured by numerous studies using different calculation methods and pieces of equipment. However, the differences in calculation methods and equipment used have resulted in discrepancies in jump height being reported. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this systematic review was to examine the available literature pertaining to the different calculation methods to estimate the jump height during the countermovement jump and drop jump. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was undertaken using the SPORTDiscus, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PubMed electronic databases, with all articles required to meet specified criteria based on a quality scoring system. RESULTS: Twenty-one articles met the inclusion criteria, relating various calculation methods and equipment employed when measuring jump height in either of these two tests. The flight time and jump-and-reach methods provide practitioners with jump height data in the shortest time, but their accuracy is affected by factors such as participant conditions or equipment sensitivity. The motion capture systems and the double integration method measure the jump height from the centre of mass height at the initial flat foot standing to the apex of jumping, where the centre of mass displacement generated by the ankle plantarflexion is known. The impulse-momentum and flight time methods could only measure the jump height from the centre of mass height at the instant of take-off to the apex of jumping, thus, providing statistically significantly lower jump height values compared with the former two methods. However, further research is warranted to investigate the reliability of each calculation method when using different equipment settings. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that using the impulse-momentum method via a force platform is the most appropriate way for the jump height from the instant of take-off to the apex of jumping to be measured. Alternatively, the double integration method via a force platform is preferred to quantify the jump height from the initial flat foot standing to the apex of jumping.

Assessing the impact of COVID-19 interventions on the hand, foot and mouth disease in Guangdong Province, China: a Bayesian modeling study.

Background: The non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) against COVID-19 may have affected the transmission of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). We aimed to assess the impact of the NPIs on HFMD in the high epidemic area of HFMD, Guangdong Province. Methods: The data of HFMD cases, etiological information, and meteorological factors in Guangdong from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2021, were collected. Using a Bayesian structural time series (BSTS) model integrated counterfactual framework, we assessed the effect of NPIs on HFMD by different intervention periods, populations (gender, age, occupation), and cities. We further explored the correlation between the reduction of HFMD and socioeconomic factors in 21 cities. Results: A total of 351,217 HFMD cases were reported and 455,327 cases were averted in Guangdong Province during 2020-2021 with a reduction of 84.94% (95%CI: 81.63-87.22%) in 2020 and 29.49% (95%CI: 15.26-39.54%) in 2021. The impact of NPIs on HFMD differed by age and gender. The effects of NPIs were more remarkable for children aged 0-2 years and scattered children. We found that the relative reductions in 21 cities were related to the composition ratio of children and COVID-19 incidence. Conclusion: The reduction of HFMD incidence was significantly associated with COVID-19 NPIs, and school closure was an effective intervention to prevent HFMD outbreaks. Our findings will contribute to the development of HFMD prevention and control measures.

Development and Application of Gas Production Measurement System of Coal-Rock under Temperature-Pressure Coupling.

In this study, a measurement system for gas generation of coal-rock under temperature-pressure coupling was developed by adding gas extraction, collection, and flow-monitoring devices to the original stainless-steel liquid seepage pipeline of an MTS-815 rock triaxial testing machine, which can be used to study the production mechanism of coalbed methane in a real geological environment. The system has the functions of axial loading, confining pressure loading, continuous heating, gas gathering, etc., and has the advantages of good air tightness, high accuracy and stability, long-term loading and heating, and controllable single variables. The preliminary test for the gas production of anthracite in the Shaanxi Formation of the Qinshui Basin under temperature-pressure coupling was carried out by the developed test system. The results show that the test system can provide accurate and effective measurement means for the study of gas production by coal-rock deformation and is expected to provide effective help for the control and exploitation of coalbed methane.

Observations of atmospheric CO2 and CO based on in-situ and ground-based remote sensing measurements at Hefei site, China.

The characteristics of long time series of CO2 and CO surface concentrations, tropospheric and total column dry-air mole fractions (DMF) from May 2015 to December 2019 were investigated. Both CO2 and CO show different seasonality for the three datasets. The annual increasing trend of CO2 is similar for all three datasets. However, the annual decreasing trend of CO for surface concentration is high compared to the other two measurements, mainly due to the improved combustion efficiency from power generation in recent years. The correlation between the tropospheric and total atmospheric CO2 and CO is higher than that between the surface concentration and tropospheric CO2 and CO. This is because the tropospheric and total atmospheric results both have common vertical profiles for CO2 and CO respective mole fractions that were observed in troposphere. Furthermore, the enhancement ratios of CO2 to CO derived from the three datasets during the period from 2016 to 2019 were compared. The ratio of ∆CO2 to ∆CO has an obvious increase with altitude each year, which means that the combustion efficiencies obtained from the three datasets are different. All ratios for the three datasets showed a slight increasing trend in recent years, which is attributed to increased combustion efficiency due to governmental measures for energy savings and emission reductions.

Pd-Catalyzed [4 + 2] cycloaddition of methylene cyclic carbamates with dihydropyrazolone-derived alkenes: synthesis of spiropyrazolones.

In this paper, a palladium-catalyzed [4 + 2] cycloaddition of 5-methylene-1,3-oxazinan-2-ones with 4-arylidene-2,4-dihydro-3H-pyrazol-3-ones has been developed to produce spiropyrazolones in high yields with excellent diastereoselectivities in nearly all cases. The cycloaddition reaction was scaled-up without significant loss of yield, and its synthetic utility has been demonstrated by further transformations of the products. The reaction type of N-Ts cyclic carbamates under palladium catalysis was extended to include [4 + 2] cycloaddition for the first time.

Genome Sequence Analysis of the Fungal Pathogen Fusarium graminearum Using Oxford Nanopore Technology.

Fusarium graminearum is a plant pathogen of global importance which causes not only significant yield loss but also crop spoilage due to mycotoxins that render grain unsafe for human or livestock consumption. Although the full genome of several F. graminearum isolates from different parts of the world have been sequenced, there are no similar studies of isolates originating from China. The current study sought to address this by sequencing the F. graminearum isolate FG-12, which was isolated from the roots of maize seedlings exhibiting typical symptoms of blight growing in the Gansu province, China, using Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT). The FG-12 isolate was found to have a 35.9 Mb genome comprised of five scaffolds corresponding to the four chromosomes and mitochondrial DNA of the F. graminearum type strain, PH-1. The genome was found to contain an approximately 2.23% repetitive sequence and encode 12,470 predicted genes. Additional bioinformatic analysis identified 437 genes that were predicted to be secreted effectors, one of which was confirmed to trigger a hypersensitive responses (HR) in the leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana during transient expression experiments utilizing agro-infiltration. The F. graminearum FG-12 genome sequence and annotation data produced in the current study provide an extremely useful resource for both intra- and inter-species comparative analyses as well as for gene functional studies, and could greatly advance our understanding of this important plant pathogen.

A bacterial kinase phosphorylates OSK1 to suppress stomatal immunity in rice.

The Xanthomonas outer protein C2 (XopC2) family of bacterial effectors is widely found in plant pathogens and Legionella species. However, the biochemical activity and host targets of these effectors remain enigmatic. Here we show that ectopic expression of XopC2 promotes jasmonate signaling and stomatal opening in transgenic rice plants, which are more susceptible to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola infection. Guided by these phenotypes, we discover that XopC2 represents a family of atypical kinases that specifically phosphorylate OSK1, a universal adaptor protein of the Skp1-Cullin-F-box ubiquitin ligase complexes. Intriguingly, OSK1 phosphorylation at Ser53 by XopC2 exclusively increases the binding affinity of OSK1 to the jasmonate receptor OsCOI1b, and specifically enhances the ubiquitination and degradation of JAZ transcription repressors and plant disease susceptibility through inhibiting stomatal immunity. These results define XopC2 as a prototypic member of a family of pathogenic effector kinases and highlight a smart molecular mechanism to activate jasmonate signaling.

The effect of evidence-based cluster nursing intervention on the incidences of delirium and the prognoses of ICU patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study explored the effect of evidence-based cluster nursing intervention on the incidences of delirium and the prognoses of ICU patients. METHODS: 108 ICU patients admitted to our hospital from January 2020 to June 2020 were recruited as the study cohort and randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, with 54 cases in each group. The patients in the control group underwent routine nursing intervention, and the patients in the observation group underwent evidence-based cluster nursing intervention. The incidences of delirium, the durations of the mechanical ventilation, the ICU hospitalization durations, as well as the satisfaction levels in the two groups of patients were compared. RESULT: The incidences of delirium in the observation group were conspicuously lower than they were in the control group (14.81%, 40.74%, X 2 = 9.0462, P = 0.0026). The duration of the delirium in the observation group was conspicuously lower than it was in the control group (2.87 ± 1.28), (5.21 ± 1.33), t = 9.3155, P = 0.0000. The durations of the mechanical ventilation and the ICU hospitalizations in the observation group were conspicuously shorter than they were in the control group. The differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The nursing satisfaction levels in the observation group were conspicuously higher than they were in the control group (94.44%, 72.22%, X 2 = 9.6000, P = 0.0019). There was no significant difference in the in-hospital mortality between the two groups (X2 = 2.1862, 0.1393). CONCLUSION: Evidence-based cluster nursing intervention can conspicuously reduce the incidences of delirium, shorten the durations of the mechanical ventilation and the ICU stays, and improve patient prognosis, so it is worthy of clinical application.

Base-Catalyzed Sequential 1,4-Addition/Intramolecular Cyclization/Aromatization Reaction: Synthesis of Benzofuro[3,2-b]pyridines.

An efficient K2CO3-catalyzed 1,4-addition/intramolecular cyclization/aromatization reaction of aurone-derived 1-azadienes with trisubstituted allenoates has been developed, giving a series of benzofuro[3,2-b]pyridines in moderate to excellent yields. The reaction proceeded efficiently under an air atmosphere without the use of transition metal catalysts. This protocol provides a concise approach to benzofuro[3,2-b]pyridines.