Predictors of Difficult Laryngeal Exposure in Suspension Laryngoscopy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: Considerable research has been focused on independent predictors of difficult laryngeal exposure (DLE) during suspension laryngoscopy. However, previous studies have yielded inconsistent results and conclusions. Consequently, we performed a meta-analysis of the existing literature with the aim of identifying significant parameters for a standardized preoperative DLE prediction system.

KDM5B promotes metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition via Wnt/β-catenin pathway in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Metastasis determines clinical management decision and restricts the therapeutic efficiency in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Epigenetic factor KDM5B serves as an oncogene in multiple cancers. However, its role in SCCHN metastasis remains unclear.

Effects of Scallop Visceral Mass and Mantle as Dietary Supplements on the Growth, Immune Response and Intestinal Microflora of Juvenile Sea Cucumber .

Scallop visceral mass and mantle are aquatic byproducts and waste, but they have high contents of protein. In this study, scallop visceral mass and mantle were used as supplements in the diet of juvenile sea cucumber () and their effects on the growth, fatty acid and amino acid compositions, the non-specific immune responses and the intestinal microflora of were investigated through a 40 d feeding experiment. The results showed that dietary supplementation of scallop visceral mass significantly accelerated the specific growth rate (SGR) of juvenile by 3 times within 20 days, and also raised the contents of ω-3 fatty acids including EPA and DHA and the ω-3/ω-6 ratio of the sea cucumber tissue, which is favorable to the health and commercial value of the sea cucumber.

Effect of antibiotic and/or heavy metal on nitrogen cycle of sediment-water interface in aquaculture system: Implications from sea cucumber culture.

Antibiotics and heavy metals can have a negative impact on the nitrogen (N) cycle and microbial metabolism in coastal aquaculture environment. An indoor simulated culture experiment was conducted to explore how sulfadiazine and lead influence the N cycling in aquatic environment. Specifically, the experiment involved adding sulfadiazine (SDZ), lead (Pb), a combination of SDZ and Pb (SP), and a control group (CK).

Guidelines for the prevention and management of children and adolescents with COVID-19.

Unlabelled: Children are the future of the world, but their health and future are facing great uncertainty because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In order to improve the management of children with COVID-19, an international, multidisciplinary panel of experts developed a rapid advice guideline at the beginning of the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020. After publishing the first version of the rapid advice guideline, the panel has updated the guideline by including additional stakeholders in the panel and a comprehensive search of the latest evidence.

Methodology and experiences of rapid advice guideline development for children with COVID-19: responding to the COVID-19 outbreak quickly and efficiently.

Background: Rapid Advice Guidelines (RAG) provide decision makers with guidance to respond to public health emergencies by developing evidence-based recommendations in a short period of time with a scientific and standardized approach. However, the experience from the development process of a RAG has so far not been systematically summarized. Therefore, our working group will take the experience of the development of the RAG for children with COVID-19 as an example to systematically explore the methodology, advantages, and challenges in the development of the RAG.

Protocol for developing the reporting guidelines for radiological case reports: Case Report for Radiology statement.

Background: In radiology, case reports play an important role in the presentation of a new disease or an unusual form of a common disease using radiological images. Radiology practitioners can refer to the CAse REport (CARE) statement to write and improve the quality of case reports; however, some CARE items are not applicable to the field of radiology. This protocol seeks to describe the methods and processes used to develop CARE extensions for radiology.

Profiling of widely targeted metabolomics for the identification of chemical composition in epidermis, xylem and pith of Gleditsiae Spina.

Gleditsiae Spina, the thorn of Gleditsia sinensis Lam., has a long history of being used as a traditional medicine in East Asian countries. However, only a few biologically active substances have been identified from it.

A Comparison of Lung Ultrasound and Computed Tomography in the Diagnosis of Patients with COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background Lung ultrasound (LUS) and computed tomography (CT) can both be used for diagnosis of interstitial pneumonia caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but the agreement between LUS and CT is unknown. Purpose to compare the agreement of LUS and CT in the diagnosis of interstitial pneumonia caused by COVID-19. Materials and Methods We searched PubMed, Cochrane library, Embase, Chinese Biomedicine Literature, and WHO COVID-19 databases to identify studies that compared LUS with CT in the diagnosis of interstitial pneumonia caused by COVID-19.

Erratum to rapid advice guidelines for management of children with COVID-19.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.21037/atm-20-3754.].

Chest computed tomography for the diagnosis of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a rapid review and meta-analysis.

Background: The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a massive impact on the whole world. Computed tomography (CT) has been widely used in the diagnosis of this novel pneumonia. This study aims to understand the role of CT for the diagnosis and the main imaging manifestations of patients with COVID-19.

Protocol of reporting items for public versions of guidelines: the Reporting Tool for Practice Guidelines in Health Care-public versions of guidelines.

Introduction: Patient and public versions of guidelines (PVGs) can help with individual decision making and enhance the patient-clinician relationship by providing easily understandable and reliable information. An increasing number of guideline organisations are developing PVGs. However, the reporting of PVGs by different groups and organisations varies widely.

An Investigation into the Gastrointestinal Stability of Exenatide in the Presence of Pure Enzymes, Everted Intestinal Rings and Intestinal Homogenates.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the gastrointestinal stability of exenatide to determine the key factor(s) contributing to peptide degradation during the oral delivery process. The effects of pH and various digestive enzymes on the degradation kinetics of exenatide were determined. Moreover, the degradation clearances of peptide were also examined using rat everted intestinal rings and intestinal homogenates from various intestinal locations.

Permeability of exendin-4-loaded chitosan nanoparticles across MDCK cell monolayers and rat small intestine.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the permeability of exendin-4-loaded chitosan nanoparticles using the Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell monolayer as an in vitro model and the rat intestine as an ex vivo model of the human intestinal barrier. A series of formulations of sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) and chitosan with different molecular weights and degrees of deacetylation was evaluated. The formulation consisting of 0.

Non-hydroxyl radical mediated photochemical processes for dye degradation.

Using solar energy for the decontamination of wastewater is a promising solution to the water-energy nexus. Current advanced oxidation processes have an unsatisfactory efficiency in the treatment of dye wastewater due to the non-selectivity of hydroxyl radicals. More efficient photochemical approaches for dye degradation are highly needed.

Application potential of carbon nanotubes in water treatment: A review.

Water treatment is the key to coping with the conflict between people's increasing demand for water and the world-wide water shortage. Owing to their unique and tunable structural, physical, and chemical properties, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have exhibited great potentials in water treatment. This review makes an attempt to provide an overview of potential solutions to various environmental challenges by using CNTs as adsorbents, catalysts or catalyst support, membranes, and electrodes.

Photodegradation of Acid Orange 7 in a UV/acetylacetone process.

Acetylacetone (AcAc) was employed as a photo-activator for the degradation of Acid Orange 7 (AO7) under UV irradiation. The feasibility of this process (named as UV/AcAc) was evaluated through comparison with the well-established UV/H2O2 process in terms of absorption spectrum and the biodegradability of the solutions. A complete decoloration of the AO7 solution could be fulfilled with AcAc at mM level.

Preparation, characterization, and in vitro and in vivo investigation of chitosan-coated poly (d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles for intestinal delivery of exendin-4.

Background: Exendin-4 is an incretin mimetic agent approved for type 2 diabetes treatment. However, the required frequent injections restrict its clinical application. Here, the potential use of chitosan-coated poly (d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (CS-PLGA) nanoparticles was investigated for intestinal delivery of exendin-4.

Investigation of transport mechanism of exendin-4 across Madin Darby canine kidney cell monolayers.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the transport mechanism of exendin-4 using Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell monolayer as an in vitro model of the human intestinal barrier. The roles of active and passive mechanisms of exendin-4 in the cell models were well studied and the corresponding contributions of the transcelluar and paracellular pathway to exendin-4 transport were also evaluated. Moreover, the apparent permeability coefficient (P(app)) values of exendin-4 were determined in the presence of chitosan, sodium decanoate and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) to further confirm the relative transport mechanism and to evaluate their potential utility in future formulation design.

Improvement of enzymatic stability and intestinal permeability of deuterohemin-peptide conjugates by specific multi-site N-methylation.

The deuterohemin-peptide conjugate, DhHP-6 (Dh-β-AHTVEK-NH(2)), is a microperoxidase mimetic, which has demonstrated substantial benefits in vivo as a scavenger of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, specific multi-site N-methylated derivatives of DhHP-6 were designed and synthesized to improve metabolic stability and intestinal absorption, which are important factors for oral delivery of therapeutic peptides and proteins. The DhHP-6 derivatives were tested for (1) scavenging potential of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)); (2) permeability across Caco-2 cell monolayers and everted gut sacs; and (3) enzymatic stability in serum and intestinal homogenate.

[Non-invasive assessment of renal oxygenation with BOLD MRI in patients with type 2 diabetes].

Objective: To evaluate renal oxygenation in patients with type 2 diabetes using blood oxygenation level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD MRI).

Methods: The R2* values of cortex and medulla as well as cortical thickness were measured in 25 patients with type 2 diabetes and 30 normal controls. The associations between R2* values and clinical parameters were analyzed.

Preparation, characterization, and pharmacodynamics of exenatide-loaded poly(DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres.

Exenatide (synthetic exendin-4), a 39-amino acid peptide, was encapsulated in poly(DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres as a sustained release delivery system for the therapy of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The microspheres were prepared by a double-emulsion solvent evaporation method and the particle size, surface morphology, drug encapsulation efficiency, in vitro release profiles and in vivo hypoglycemic activity were evaluated. The results indicated that the morphology of the exenatide PLGA microspheres presented as a spherical shape with smooth surface, and the particle sizes distributed from 5.