Screening for diseases versus screening for health status.

Disease screening aims to identify individuals at risk for specific conditions. It is expected that an early detection allows for early intervention, with improved outcomes. However, large scale screening programs may not only have implications on resources, patient outcomes may not improve but may worsen if screening for the targeted disease has not been carefully designed and executed.

Porous polyurethane biocarriers could enhance system nitrification resilience under high organic loading by retaining key functional bacteria.

Resilience to increasing organic loading rates (OLRs) is the key to maintaining stable performance in treating industrial wastewater. First, this study compared the stability, particularly the nitrification performance, of two lab-scale moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs) filled with porous polyurethane biocarriers with two conventional activated sludge reactors (ASRs) in the treatment of synthetic coking wastewater under OLRs increasing from 0.3 kg to 1.

Regulating the Electronic Band Structure of the Ti-Based Metal-Organic Framework toward Boosting Light-Driven Hydrogen Evolution.

The photocatalytic H evolution rate on the isomorphic nanosheet-based Ti metal organic-frameworks (MOFs) is regulated through changing the length of aromatic carboxylate ligands. For the series of Ti-MOFs, when increasing the length of organic linkers, the band gaps between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) narrow based on density functional theory (DFT) calculation, accompanied by a degree of increase of organic ligand involvement in the LUMO. When increasing the linker length, both the intensities of photoluminescence (PL) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signals related to Ti gradually decrease, which are opposite to their photocatalytic performance, where the longer the linkers, the higher the hydrogen evolution rate.

Microfluidic-engineered Chinese herbal nanocomposite hydrogel microspheres for diabetic wound tissue regeneration.

Microfluidic-engineered hydrogel microspheres have emerged as a promising avenue for advancements in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, particularly through the precise manipulation of fluids to achieve personalized composite biomaterials. In this study, we employed microfluidic technology to fabricate hydrogel microspheres (HMs) using Chinese herbal Bletilla striata polysaccharide (BSP) as the primary material. Concurrently, the natural active ingredient 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD) was encapsulated within the HMs in the form of liposomes (PPD-Lipo), resulting in the formation of nanocomposite hydrogel microspheres (PPD-Lipo@HMs) intended for diabetic wound tissue repair.

Association between dietary calcium intake and constipation in a metabolic syndrome population: evidence from NHANES 2005-2010.

Background: The global prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is increasing, primarily characterized by abdominal obesity, which significantly heightens the risk of cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, and cancers. Constipation is a common gastrointestinal issue that impacts both physiological and psychological health and worsens with age. Calcium, an essential mineral vital for human health, has been proven to be crucial not only for bone health but also beneficial for gastrointestinal health.

Evaluation of ocular surface inflammation and systemic conditions in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: The cross-sectional study was designed to evaluate the association of ocular surface inflammation with systemic conditions in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: The study enrolled 30 SLE patients and 30 controls. Ocular symptoms were evaluated using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire.

Risk related to gestational weight loss among individuals with obesity: a population-based cohort study.

Objective: There is no clear evidence on the risk of gestational weight loss (GWL) for individuals with obesity. Our study aimed to assess the association between GWL and adverse perinatal outcomes among individuals with obesity.

Methods: This population-based retrospective cohort study examined individuals with prepregnancy BMI ≥ 30 kg/m who had a singleton pregnancy, using Ontario, Canada, birth registry data from 2012 to 2020.

The Incidence of Postpartum Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Women Exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are known contributors to lifelong mental health challenges. Despite studies linking ACEs to increased risk of adverse postpartum mental health outcomes, a systematic review on the occurrence of postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in women with ACEs is lacking.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted in seven databases to retrieve studies from inception to January 31, 2024.

Spectroscopic study and in vitro anticancer effect toward colorectal cancer cells of a hydroxyaurone leptosidin compound complexed with transferrin.

This paper investigated the interaction between leptosidin, an aurone-based derivative and a subset of the flavone family, and transferrin using a variety of spectroscopic, molecular docking, and molecular dynamic investigations. The anticancer mechanism of leptosidin and transferrin-leptosidin complex against colorectal cancer cells was then assessed. It was demonstrated that the addition of leptosidin resulted in a significant quenching of transferrin's fluorescence intensity and a redshift of 8 nm.

A novel multi-functional skin-care dry mask based on Bletilla Striata polysaccharide electrospun nanofibers.

The dual challenges of additive safety and environmental sustainability in the current cosmetics market have attracted significant attention. In this study, we obtained raw materials from natural Chinese medicine, combined with electrospinning technology, developed a new type of environmentally friendly dry nanofiber multifunctional mask with Bletilla striata polysaccharide (BSP) as the material and loaded with the sodium ferulate (SF). The optimal manufacturing process was screened by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the diameters of the dry nanofiber facial mask (DNFM) were mainly distributed in the range of 180-240 nm.

Circumferential Crack Detection in Ultra-High-Pressure Tubular Reactors with Pulsed Eddy Current Testing.

Ultra-high-pressure tubular reactors are crucial pieces of equipment for polyethylene production. Long-term operation under high temperature, high pressure, and other extremely harsh conditions can lead to various defects, with circumferential cracks posing a major safety risk. Detecting cracks is challenging, particularly when they are under a protective layer of a certain thickness.

HiCPC: A new 10-km CMIP6 downscaled daily climate projections over China.

Accurate climate projections are critical for various applications and impact assessments in environmental science and management. This study presents HiCPC (High-resolution CMIP6 downscaled daily Climate Projections over China), a novel dataset tailored to China's specific needs. HiCPC leverages outputs from 22 global climate models (GCMs) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6).

Zinc and chitosan-enhanced β-tricalcium phosphate from calcined fetal bovine bone for mandible reconstruction.

Background: Mandibular defects pose significant challenges in reconstructive surgery, and scaffold materials are increasingly recognized for their potential to address these challenges. Among various scaffold materials, Beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) is noted for its exceptional osteogenic properties. However, improvements in its biodegradation rate and mechanical strength are essential for optimal performance.

Accessing the Impact of TikTok's Algorithm on Regional Inequality in Health Information.

This study aims to audit the potential algorithmic bias in TikTok's health-related video recommendation toward geographically diverse groups in China. We employed 120 cloud phones and conducted two agent-based testing experiments simulating users' geographical locations and online behaviors. The results indicated significant regional inequality in video sources recommended by the TikTok algorithm, (118) = 3.

Debates over the role of Traditional Chinese Medicine on COVID-19: A computational comparison between professionals and laypersons in Chinese online knowledge community.

Leveraging a large collection of textual data (N = 21,539) from a Chinese online community, we employed structural topic modeling to investigate the thematic disparities between professionals and laypersons, regarding the effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) on COVID-19. Findings reveal that laypersons are the dominant communicators in terms of discussion volume, who often focus on relevant news events, societal or political aspects of TCM. In contrast, professionals keep concentrating on issues related to medical expertise, and do not shift attentions as frequent as laypersons.

The Association Between Doula Care and Childbirth-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: The Mediating Role of Childbirth Experience.

Introduction: Although the benefits of doula care during childbirth are well-known, its impact on childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder (CB-PTSD) symptoms are less thoroughly characterized. This study aimed to explore the association between doula care and CB-PTSD symptoms and the potential mediating role of childbirth experience on this association.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in a hospital in China, enrolling women with singleton live vaginal births.

Zeta class glutathione S-transferase is involved in phoxim tolerance and is potentially regulated by the transcription factor CncC in Agrotis ipsilon (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

The black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is an important agricultural pest. Phoxim is an organophosphate insecticide that has been widely used to control A. ipsilon.

A motion assessment method for reference stack selection in fetal brain MRI reconstruction based on tensor rank approximation.

Slice-to-volume registration and super-resolution reconstruction are commonly used to generate 3D volumes of the fetal brain from 2D stacks of slices acquired in multiple orientations. A critical initial step in this pipeline is to select one stack with the minimum motion among all input stacks as a reference for registration. An accurate and unbiased motion assessment (MA) is thus crucial for successful selection.

The Prospect of Hepatic Decellularized Extracellular Matrix as a Bioink for Liver 3D Bioprinting.

The incidence of liver diseases is high worldwide. Many factors can cause liver fibrosis, which in turn can lead to liver cirrhosis and even liver cancer. Due to the shortage of donor organs, immunosuppression, and other factors, only a few patients are able to undergo liver transplantation.