Pharmacokinetic/pharma-codynamic study of pralurbactam (FL058) combined with meropenem in a neutropenic murine thigh infection model.

Introduction: Pralurbactam (FL058) is a novel β-lactamase inhibitor with good inhibitory activity on class A, C, and D β-lactamases. This study aimed to evaluate the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) relationship of pralurbactam/meropenem in a neutropenic murine thigh infection model.

Methods: After 2-h infection, neutropenic mice was treated with meropenem every 2 h alone or in combination with pralurbactam at different dosing frequencies for 24 h, and the colony count in the thighs was determined before and after treatment.

Association between sensitivity to thyroid hormone indices and type 2 diabetic microvascular complications in euthyroid patients.

The correlation between thyroid hormone (TH) sensitivity and microvascular complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains uncertain. This study aimed to explore the association between TH sensitivity and the risk of diabetic kidney disease (DKD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), and diabetic neuropathy (DNP) in euthyroid T2DM patients. This study included a total of 946 hospitalized T2DM patients and calculated their sensitivity to the TH index, and each patient completed screenings for DKD, DR, and DNP.

Experimental Study and Hydration Mechanism Analysis of Geopolymer Multielement Net Slurry Self-Leveling Slurry Material.

In this project, cement-based composites reinforced with slag powder (abbreviated as SP), steel slag powder (abbreviated as SSP), and desulfurization gypsum (abbreviated as FGD) were used as the research objects, and the preparation, mechanical properties, and strengthening mechanism of the composites were systematically studied. A laser particle analyzer (Malvern Instruments Analysis) was used to determine that the particle sizes of the raw SSP, SP, and FGD materials were concentrated between 5 and 40 μm, indicating that they were fine-grained minerals. SSP and SP are highly active alkaline substances.

An Integrated Nanoplatform via Dual Channel Excitation for Both Precise Fluorescence Imaging and Photodynamic Therapy of Orthotopic Breast Tumor in NIR-II Region.

Although research on photodynamic therapy (PDT) of malignant tumor has made considerable progress in recent years, it is a remaining challenge to extend PDT to the second near-infrared window (NIR-II) along with real-time and accurate NIR-II fluorescence imaging to determine drug enrichment status and achieve high treatment efficacy. In this work, lanthanide nanoparticles (Ln NPs)-based nanoplatform (LCR) equipped with photosensitizer Chlorin e6 (Ce6) and targeting molecular NH-PEG-cRGDfK are developed, which can achieve NIR-II photodynamic therapy (PDT) and NIR-II fluorescence imaging by dual channel excitation. Under 808 nm excitation, Nd in the outer layer can absorb the energy and transfer inward to emit strong NIR-II emissions (1064 and 1525 nm).

Evidence on COVID-19 Mortality and Disparities Using a Novel Measure, COVID excess mortality percentage: Evidence from Indiana, Wisconsin, and Illinois.

COVID-19 mortality rates increase rapidly with age, are higher among men than women, and vary across racial/ethnic groups, but this is also true for other natural causes of death. Prior research on COVID-19 mortality rates and racial/ethnic disparities in those rates has not considered to what extent disparities reflect COVID-19-specific factors, versus preexisting health differences. This study examines both questions.

Selection Effects and COVID-19 Mortality Risk after Pfizer vs. Moderna Vaccination: Evidence from Linked Mortality and Vaccination Records.

Prior research generally finds that the Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) and Moderna (mRNA1273) COVID-19 vaccines provide similar protection against mortality, sometimes with a Moderna advantage due to slower waning. However, most comparisons do not address selection effects for those who are vaccinated and with which vaccine. We report evidence on large selection effects, and use a novel method to control for these effects.

Understanding COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness against Death Using a Novel Measure: COVID Excess Mortality Percentage.

COVID-19 vaccines have saved millions of lives; however, understanding the long-term effectiveness of these vaccines is imperative to developing recommendations for booster doses and other precautions. Comparisons of mortality rates between more and less vaccinated groups may be misleading due to selection bias, as these groups may differ in underlying health status. We studied all adult deaths during the period of 1 April 2021-30 June 2022 in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, linked to vaccination records, and we used mortality from other natural causes to proxy for underlying health.

A pH-Responsive Charge-Convertible Drug Delivery Nanocarrier for Precise Starvation and Chemo Synergistic Oncotherapy.

A pH-responsive charge-convertible drug delivery nanocarrier (MSN-TPZ-GOx@ZnO@PAH-PEG-DMMA, abbreviated as MTGZ@PPD) was prepared, which could specifically release hypoxia-activated chemotherapeutic Tirapazamine (TPZ) and glucose oxidase (GOx) in the tumor site for precise starvation and chemo synergistic oncotherapy. Acid-responsive Schiff base structure modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) co-load with GOx and TPZ, then link with ZnO quantum dots (QDs). PAH-PEG-DMMA (PPD) polymer makes MTGZ@PPD with biocompatibility and charge-convertible feature.

Understanding COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Against Death Using a Novel Measure: COVID Excess Mortality Percentage.

COVID-19 vaccines have saved millions of lives and prevented countless adverse patient disease outcomes. Understanding the long-term effectiveness of these vaccines is imperative to developing recommendations for precautions and booster doses. Comparisons between more and less vaccinated groups may be misleading due to selection bias, as these groups may differ in underlying health status and thus risk of adverse COVID-19 outcomes.

Resveratrol activates CD8 T cells through IL-18 bystander activation in lung adenocarcinoma.

Resveratrol, a natural product, has demonstrated anti-tumor effects in various kinds of tumor types, including colon, breast, and pancreatic cancers. Most research has focused on the inhibitory effects of resveratrol on tumor cells themselves rather than resveratrol's effects on tumor immunology. In this study, we found that resveratrol inhibited the growth of lung adenocarcinoma in a subcutaneous tumor model by using the β-cyclodextrin-resveratrol inclusion complex.

The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Elderly: Population Fatality Rates, COVID Mortality Percentage, and Life Expectancy Loss.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected the elderly. This Article provides a detailed analysis of those effects, drawing primarily on individual-level mortality data covering almost three million persons aged 65+ in three Midwest states (Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin). We report sometimes surprising findings on population fatality rates ("PFR"), the ratio of COVID to non-COVID deaths, reported as a percentage, which we call the "Covid Mortality Percentage," and mean life expectancy loss ("LEL").

Environmental justice and the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from New York State.

The decline in human mobility and socioeconomic activities during the COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by reports of significant improvements in air quality. We evaluate whether there was a uniform improvement in air quality across neighborhoods, with a special attention on differences by race. We focus on the COVID-19 lockdown in New York State, an early epicenter of the pandemic in the United States.

Economic impact payment, human mobility and COVID-19 mitigation in the USA.

Unlabelled: This paper studies the effect of the economic impact payment (EIP) on individual contributions to COVID-19 mitigation efforts in the USA, where the mitigation efforts are measured by the reduction of daily human mobility. I empirically estimate the effect of the EIP in April 2020 and use cellphone GPS data of 45 million smartphone devices as a proxy for human mobility across 216,069 Census Block Groups. The results show that when receiving the EIP, households significantly increased "Median Home Dwell Time" by an average of 3-5% (about 26-45 min).

Identification of Potential Biomarkers From Hepatocellular Carcinoma With MT1 Deletion.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide. Metallothioneins (MTs) are metal-binding proteins involved in multiple biological processes such as metal homeostasis and detoxification, as well as in oncogenesis. Copy number variation (CNV) plays a vital role in pathogenesis and carcinogenesis.

Synergistic Chemo-Photothermal Antibacterial Effects of Polyelectrolyte-Functionalized Gold Nanomaterials.

With the increasing threat of bacterial infection to human health, the development of different antimicrobial agents is essential. Therefore, based on the photothermal conversion properties of gold nanomaterials, the polyelectrolyte (PE)-coated gold nanorods (GNR@PE) and gold nanostars (GNS@PE) are designed and synthesized. Consequently, the chemo-photothermal synergistic antibacterial effect is achieved.

Comprehensive analysis of hepatitis B virus infections in blood donors in southern China that are surface antigen positive but nucleic acid testing negative.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the major concerns for the safety of blood transfusion in high-prevalent countries such as in China. Prior studies outside of China have shown hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) false-reactive rate of 0.02% to 0.