Conversion to Alzheimer's disease dementia from normal cognition directly or with the intermediate mild cognitive impairment stage.

Introduction: Progression to Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia from normal cognition (NC) can follow different trajectories, with most progressing through a recognizable mild cognitive impairment stage (NC-MCI-AD), while some individuals transition quickly from NC to AD dementia (NC-AD).

Methods: We compared demographic characteristics, health factors, and cognitive and functional assessments across three time points: the first NC visit, the last NC visit, and the first AD dementia visit.

Results: The NC-MCI-AD group showed greater impairment in cognitive and functional scores at AD dementia diagnosis, despite maintaining better cognitive function during the NC stage.

Comparison of Pocock and Simon's covariate-adaptive randomization procedures in clinical trials.

When multiple influential covariates need to be balanced during a clinical trial, stratified blocked randomization and covariate-adaptive randomization procedures are frequently used in trials to prevent bias and enhance the validity of data analysis results. The latter approach is increasingly used in practice for a study with multiple covariates and limited sample sizes. Among a group of these approaches, the covariate-adaptive procedures proposed by Pocock and Simon are straightforward to be utilized in practice.

Validation of the Keele STarT MSK Tool for Patients With Musculoskeletal Pain in United States-based Outpatient Physical Therapy Settings.

The STarT MSK tool was developed to enable risk stratification of patients with common musculoskeletal (MSK) pain conditions and help identify individuals who may require more targeted interventions or closer monitoring in primary care settings, however, its validity in U.S.-based outpatient physical therapy settings has not been investigated.

Sarcopenia Transitions and Influencing Factors Among Chinese Older Adults With Multistate Markov Model.

Background And Objectives: Little is known about the sarcopenia transition process across different stages among Chinese community-dwelling older adults. We aimed to explore dynamic transitions of sarcopenia and its influencing factors in Chinese older adults.

Research Design And Methods: Data were derived from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.

Two-stage response adaptive randomization designs for multi-arm trials with binary outcome.

In recent years, adaptive randomization methods have gained significant popularity in clinical research and trial design due to their ability to provide both efficiency and flexibility in adjusting the statistical procedures of ongoing clinical trials. For a study to compare multiple treatments, a multi-arm two-stage design could be utilized to select the best treatment from the first stage and further compare that treatment with control in the second stage. The traditional design used equal randomization in both stages.

Comparison of two frailty screening tools in older patients with colorectal cancer.

Introduction: Geriatric assessment (GA) is widely used to detect vulnerability in older patients. As this process is time-consuming, prescreening tools have been developed to identify patients at risk for frailty. We aimed to assess whether the Geriatric 8 (G8) or the Korean Cancer Study Group Geriatric Score (KG-7) shows better performance in identifying patients who are in need of full GA.

Role of Multiple Vanadium Centers on Redox Buffering and Rates of Polyvanadomolybdate-Cu(II)-Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidations.

A recent report established that the tetrabutylammonium (TBA) salt of hexavanadopolymolybdate TBAH[PMoVO] () serves as the redox buffer with Cu(II) as a co-catalyst for aerobic deodorization of thiols in acetonitrile. Here, we document the profound impact of vanadium atom number ( = 0-4 and 6) in TBA salts of PVMoO () on this multicomponent catalytic system. The cyclic voltammetric peaks from 0 to -2000 mV vs Fc/Fc under catalytic conditions (acetonitrile, ambient T) are assigned and clarify that the redox buffering capability of the /Cu catalytic system derives from the number of steps, the number of electrons transferred each step, and the potential ranges of each step.

Associations of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone with metabolic syndrome during the menopausal transition from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Background: The increased risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) during the menopausal transition might partly attribute to the changes in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). However, few studies were conducted to examine the associations of FSH and LH concentrations with MetS at the full range of reproductive aging, especially in the US population. The aim of this study is to examine the associations of FSH, LH, and LH/FSH ratio with the risk of MetS and severity score in the US women.

Catalytic System for Aerobic Oxidation That Simultaneously Functions as Its Own Redox Buffer.

The control of the solution electrochemical potential as well as pH impacts products in redox reactions, but the former gets far less attention. Redox buffers facilitate the maintenance of potentials and have been noted in diverse cases, but they have not been a component of catalytic systems. We report a catalytic system that contains its own built-in redox buffer.

Availability of and Obstacles to Providing COVID-19 Vaccinations at Syringe Services Programs in the United States, 2021.

Many syringe services programs (SSPs) have established trusting, long-term relationships with their clients and are well situated to provide COVID-19 vaccinations. We examined characteristics and practices of SSPs in the United States that reported providing COVID-19 vaccinations to their clients and obstacles to vaccinating people who inject drugs (PWID). We surveyed SSPs in September 2021 to examine COVID-19 vaccination practices through a supplement to the 2020 Dave Purchase Memorial survey.

Sex and Race Differences in the Evaluation and Treatment of Young Adults Presenting to the Emergency Department With Chest Pain.

Background Acute myocardial infarctions are increasingly common among young adults. We investigated sex and racial differences in the evaluation of chest pain (CP) among young adults presenting to the emergency department. Methods and Results Emergency department visits for adults aged 18 to 55 years presenting with CP were identified in the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey 2014 to 2018, which uses stratified sampling to produce national estimates.

Structurally Precise Two-Transition-Metal Water Oxidation Catalysts: Quantifying Adjacent 3d Metals by Synchrotron X-Radiation Anomalous Dispersion Scattering.

Mixed 3d metal oxides are some of the most promising water oxidation catalysts (WOCs), but it is very difficult to know the locations and percent occupancies of different 3d metals in these heterogeneous catalysts. Without such information, it is hard to quantify catalysis, stability, and other properties of the WOC as a function of the catalyst active site structure. This study combines the site selective synthesis of a homogeneous WOC with two adjacent 3d metals, [CoNi(PWO)] () as a tractable molecular model for CoNi oxide, with the use of multiwavelength synchrotron X-radiation anomalous dispersion scattering (synchrotron XRAS) that quantifies both the location and percent occupancy of Co (∼97% outer-central-belt positions only) and Ni (∼97% inner-central-belt positions only) in .

Harm reduction and health services provided by syringe services programs in 2019 and subsequent impact of COVID-19 on services in 2020.

Objectives: This study describes harm reduction and health services provided by U.S syringe services programs (SSPs) in 2019 and changes in provision of those services in 2020.

Methods: SSPs were invited to participate in the Dave Purchase Memorial survey in August 2020.

Noninvasively ventilated and easily operated mouse model of myocardial infarction.

The laboratory mouse is an animal model commonly used in cardiovascular research; however, it has technical challenges as a model for myocardial infarction (MI). In this study, a novel noninvasively ventilated and easily operated experimental mouse model of MI was established in Kunming mice based on a left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery rupture. Overall, 95% of sham mice and 84% of mice with a ruptured LAD survived the surgery.

Resveratrol protects against myocardial ischemic injury via the inhibition of NF‑κB‑dependent inflammation and the enhancement of antioxidant defenses.

Resveratrol (RES) is a natural phenol which possesses multiple pharmacological actions. The present study aimed to determine whether RES protects against myocardial ischemic injury in association with the inhibition of NF‑κB‑dependent inflammation and the enhancement of antioxidant defenses in mice following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Male C57/BL mice were randomly assigned to 3 groups as follows: The sham‑operated (sham) group, AMI + vehicle group and AMI + RES group.

Multilevel Manipulation of Supramolecular Structures of Giant Molecules via Macromolecular Composition and Sequence.

We have successfully synthesized a series of monodispersed chain-like giant molecules with precisely controlled macromolecular composition and sequence based on polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) nanoparticles using an orthogonal "click" strategy. Their nonspherical supramolecular structures, such as lamellae, double gyroids, and hexagonal packed cylinders, are mainly determined by the composition (namely, the number of incorporated amphiphilic nanoparticles). In addition, by precisely alternating the sequence of arranged nanoparticles in the giant molecules with identical chemical compositions, the domain sizes of their supramolecular structures could be fine-tuned.

Sequence-Mandated, Distinct Assembly of Giant Molecules.

Although controlling the primary structure of synthetic polymers is itself a great challenge, the potential of sequence control for tailoring hierarchical structures remains to be exploited, especially in the creation of new and unconventional phases. A series of model amphiphilic chain-like giant molecules was designed and synthesized by interconnecting both hydrophobic and hydrophilic molecular nanoparticles in precisely defined sequence and composition to investigate their sequence-dependent phase structures. Not only compositional variation changed the self-assembled supramolecular phases, but also specific sequences induce unconventional phase formation, including Frank-Kasper phases.

Rational controlled morphological transitions in the self-assembled multi-headed giant surfactants in solution.

A series of multi-headed giant surfactants based on polystyrene (PS)-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane(s) (POSS) conjugates, with a different number and topology of POSS heads, are found to self-assemble into different supramolecular structures including vesicles, cylindrical and spherical micelles in H2O/DMF mixed solvents. The transitions among different morphologies can be rationally controlled by tuning the number and topology of POSS heads, as well as the macromolecular concentration.

Baicalin inhibits inflammation and attenuates myocardial ischaemic injury by aryl hydrocarbon receptor.

Objectives: Recent evidence indicates that suppressing inflammation by specific drug target and treatment measures contributes to attenuate ischaemic injury and the related heart diseases. This study aimed to investigate the potential effect of baicalin on myocardial ischaemic injury through inhibition of inflammation by inactivating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR).

Methods: The mouse model with myocardial ischaemic injury was prepared by the left anterior descending coronary artery-amputation and then treated using baicalin.