Graphitic nanocapsules: design, synthesis and bioanalytical applications.

Graphitic nanocapsules are emerging nanomaterials which are gaining popularity along with the development of carbon nanomaterials. Their unique physical and chemical properties, as well as good biocompatibility, make them desirable agents for biomedical and bioanalytical applications. Through rational design, integrating graphitic nanocapsules with other materials provides them with additional properties which make them versatile nanoplatforms for bioanalysis.

In situ targeted MRI detection of Helicobacter pylori with stable magnetic graphitic nanocapsules.

Helicobacter pylori infection is implicated in the aetiology of many diseases. Despite numerous studies, a painless, fast and direct method for the in situ detection of H. pylori remains a challenge, mainly due to the strong acidic/enzymatic environment of the gastric mucosa.

Identifying Factors Associated with Risk Assessment Competencies of Public Health Emergency Responders.

This study aimed to better understand the current situation of risk assessment and identify the factors associated with competence of emergency responders in public health risk assessment. The participants were selected by a multi-stage, stratified cluster sampling method in Heilongjiang Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The questionnaires that measured their perceptions on risk assessment competences were administered through the face-to-face survey.

Perceived challenges to achieving universal health coverage: a cross-sectional survey of social health insurance managers/administrators in China.

Objective: China has achieved over 96% health insurance coverage. However, universal health coverage (UHC) entails population coverage and the range of services covered and the extent to which health service costs are covered. This study aimed to determine the performance of the health insurance system in China in terms of its role in UHC and to identify challenges in the progress of UHC as perceived by health insurance managers/administrators.

Change of Cognitive Function in U.S. Chinese Older Adults: A Population-Based Study.

Background: This study aims to assess cognitive change in a 2-year period among U.S. Chinese older adults and examine sociodemographic characteristics associated with the change.

Coexisting cortical atrophy plays a crucial role in cognitive impairment in moderate to severe cerebral small vessel disease patients.

Whether white matter lesion (WML) is associated with vascular cognitive impairment in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) remains controversial; some severe CSVD patients retain normal cognitive function, and cortical thinning associated with WMLs has also been recently reported. The contribution of cortical atrophy to vascular cognitive impairment in severe CSVD and whether WML affects cortical atrophy remain unknown. From November 2012 to January 2015, 50- to 80-year-old patients with moderate to severe WMLs or more than four lacunar infarctions and cognitive complaints, excluding those with large vascular diseases diagnosed by transcranial cerebral Doppler, were recruited.

The economic burden of physical inactivity: a systematic review and critical appraisal.

Objective: To summarise the literature on the economic burden of physical inactivity in populations, with emphases on appraising the methodologies and providing recommendations for future studies.

Design: Systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PROSPERO registration number CRD42016047705).

Data Sources: Electronic databases for peer-reviewed and grey literature were systematically searched, followed by reference searching and consultation with experts.

Identification of multiple sources of the acidic charge variants in an IgG1 monoclonal antibody.

Charge variants, especially acidic charge variants, of recombinant monoclonal antibodies are the major critical quality attributes in the biotechnology industry due to their potential influence on stability and biological activity. The chemical properties of the acidic charge variants have been challenging to fully characterize, and it is critical for process development and optimization. To completely understand the multiple sources of acidic charge variants, the major charge forms of an IgG1 monoclonal antibody were firstly isolated and then analyzed by a battery of characterization tools.

Immunomodulation-accelerated neuronal regeneration following selective rod photoreceptor cell ablation in the zebrafish retina.

Müller glia (MG) function as inducible retinal stem cells in zebrafish, completely repairing the eye after damage. The innate immune system has recently been shown to promote tissue regeneration in which classic wound-healing responses predominate. However, regulatory roles for leukocytes during cellular regeneration-i.

Self-management Following a Cardiac Event in People of Chinese Ethnicity Living in Western Countries: A Scoping Review.

Health outcomes and impact of cardiovascular disease vary between populations, where ethnic minorities and immigrant groups are more likely to be disadvantaged. Compared with the majority residents, health outcomes, especially short-term mortality from coronary heart disease event are worse in people of Chinese ethnicity, potentially due to poor self-management and experiences with the healthcare system in host countries. A scoping review was conducted.

Multiscale structural and electronic control of molybdenum disulfide foam for highly efficient hydrogen production.

Hydrogen production through water splitting has been considered as a green, pure and high-efficient technique. As an important half-reaction involved, hydrogen evolution reaction is a complex electrochemical process involving liquid-solid-gas three-phase interface behaviour. Therefore, new concepts and strategies of material design are needed to smooth each pivotal step.

Prolactin, a potential mediator of reduced social interactive behavior in newborn infants following maternal perinatal depressive symptoms.

Background: The hormone prolactin (PRL) plays a crucial role for the initiation and maintenance of maternal behavior, and is also associated with the etiology of mood disorders in women, especially for depression. The present study aimed to determine whether maternal peripheral prolactin would be associated with newborn behavior disorders following maternal perinatal depressive symptoms, and further to explore the efficacy of the Newborn Behavioral Observations (NBO) in improving newborn social interactive behavior.

Methods: Interview and the 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) were used to assess the hospitalized pregnant women waiting for delivery at 37-42weeks of gestation.

Physicochemical and Biological Characterization of the Proposed Biosimilar Tocilizumab.

HS628 has been developed as a proposed biosimilar product of originator tocilizumab (Actemra®). An extensive physicochemical and biological characterization was conducted to assess similarity between HS628 and originator tocilizumab. The amino acid sequence was shown to be identical between HS628 and originator tocilizumab.

Fruit and vegetable consumption and psychological distress: cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses based on a large Australian sample.

Objectives: Growing evidence suggests a link between diet and mental health. This study aimed to investigate the association between fruit and vegetable consumption and the prevalence and incidence of psychological distress in middle-aged and older Australians.

Design: Cross-sectional and prospective.

Lifestyle Changes After a Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes.

Objective: Whether patients with type 2 diabetes change their lifestyle in response to their diagnosis and maintain behavior changes is unclear. This study aimed to ) compare changes in lifestyle behaviors among participants who were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and those never diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and ) investigate changes in lifestyle behaviors in relation to the duration of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

Methods: We used self-reported information from the New South Wales 45 and Up Study and a follow-up study.

Amino acid-mediated 'turn-off/turn-on' nanozyme activity of gold nanoclusters for sensitive and selective detection of copper ions and histidine.

Herein, we presented a facile strategy for highly sensitive and selective detection of both Cu and histidine (His) by combining the peroxidase-like nanozyme activity of gold nanoclusters with amino acid's ambidentate nature. The peroxidase-like catalytic ability of histidine-Au nanoclusters (His-AuNCs) can be inhibited by the addition of Cu. The sensitivity of this probe to Cu is significant with a linear range of 1-100nM, and a low detection limit of 0.

Patterns and predictors of sitting time over ten years in a large population-based Canadian sample: Findings from the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study (CaMos).

Our objective was to describe patterns and predictors of sedentary behavior (sitting time) over 10 years among a large Canadian cohort. Data are from the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study, a prospective study of women and men randomly selected from the general population. Respondents reported socio-demographics, lifestyle behaviors and health outcomes in interviewer-administered questionnaires; weight and height were measured.

[Development and Output Characteristics of 785 nm Portable Grating-Coupled External Cavity Tunable Semiconductor Laser].

Aiming at the miniaturization requirement of shifted excitation Raman spectroscopy test system, a portable grating-coupled external cavity (EC) tunable semiconductor laser in Littrow configuration is designed and fabricated with a commercial 785 nm high-power laser diode as the gain device. By using a new wavelength tuning method, aiming to change the position of gain device relative to the collimating lens in the horizontal direction, a miniaturized device with the size of 140 mm×65 mm×50 mm is designed. Compared to the traditional wavelength tuning method which is to change the light incident angle by rotating the diffraction grating, this new tuning method reduces the translational distance of semiconductor gain device effectively, thus it is conductive to the fast and broad wavelength tuning of portable EC laser.

Use of Both Serum Cystatin C and Creatinine as Diagnostic Criteria for Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury and Its Clinical Implications.

Background: Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) was traditionally defined as an increase in serum creatinine (sCr) after contrast media exposure. Recently, serum cystatin C (sCyC) has been proposed as an alternative to detect acute changes in renal function. The clinical implications of combining sCyC and sCr to diagnose CI-AKI remain unknown.

The prognostic role of the cancer stem cell marker CD44 in ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis.

Background: CD44 has recently been reported as a cancer stem cell marker in ovarian cancer. However, the clinicopathological and prognostic value of this marker in ovarian cancer remains controversial; Here, we aimed to investigate the correlation between CD44 expression and the clinicopathological features or survival of ovarian cancer patients.

Methods: An extensive literature search in the PubMed, EMBASE, and Wanfang databases (up to June 1, 2016) was conducted to identify studies that assessed the clinical or prognostic significance of CD44 expression in ovarian cancer.

Multiple lifestyle behaviours and mortality, findings from a large population-based Norwegian cohort study - The HUNT Study.

Background: Lifestyle risk behaviours are responsible for a large proportion of disease burden and premature mortality worldwide. Risk behaviours tend to cluster in populations. We developed a new lifestyle risk index by including emerging risk factors (sleep, sitting time, and social participation) and examine unique risk combinations and their associations with all-cause and cardio-metabolic mortality.

Vegetarian diet and all-cause mortality: Evidence from a large population-based Australian cohort - the 45 and Up Study.

The vegetarian diet is thought to have health benefits including reductions in type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Evidence to date suggests that vegetarians tend to have lower mortality rates when compared with non-vegetarians, but most studies are not population-based and other healthy lifestyle factors may have confounded apparent protective effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between categories of vegetarian diet (including complete, semi and pesco-vegetarian) and all-cause mortality in a large population-based Australian cohort.

Validation of the Chinese Version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment Basic for Screening Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Chinese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Basic (MoCA-BC) as a screening tool for detecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in Chinese elderly adults.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: Huashan Hospital, Shanghai, China.