Effects of transparent online open procurement on prices, volumes, and costs of medicines: an interrupted time series study in Ningxia, China.

Objectives: To assess the effects of the transparent online open procurement arrangement on the prices, volumes, and costs of medicines in Ningxia, China.

Methods: Data were extracted from the Ningxia pharmaceutical procurement platform, covering 16 months of purchase orders (December 2019 to March 2021) prior to the implementation of the transparent online open procurement policy and 20 months of purchase orders after the implementation of the policy (April 2021 to November 2022). Interrupted time series (ITS) analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of the transparent online open procurement policy on the prices, volumes, and total costs of the purchase orders.

Policy text analysis of antimicrobial resistance governance in China: A focus on national-level policies.

Objective: To explore the structure and characteristics of China's national policies regarding antimicrobial resistance (AMR) governance.

Method: This research constitutes a quantitative content analysis of AMR policies issued by the central government from 2004 to 2023. A systematic search identified 112 policy documents, which were analysed using a three-dimensional framework.

A review of low-carbon technologies and projects for the global cement industry.

Carbon dioxide (CO) emissions from the cement industry account for 26% of the total industrial emissions, and the need to develop low-carbon techniques within the cement industry is extremely urgent. Low-carbon projects and technologies for the cement industry in different regions and countries have been thoroughly reviewed in this manuscript, and the low-carbon development concept for each county has been analyzed. For developing countries such as China and India, energy saving and efficiency enhancement are currently the key points, while for developed countries and regions such as Europe, more efforts have been focused on carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS).

Chlorine and heavy metals removal from municipal solid waste incineration fly ash by electric field enhanced oxalic acid washing.

Electric field enhanced oxalic acid (HCO) washing was conducted to examine the simultaneously removal efficiency of heavy metals (HMs) and chlorine, especially insoluble chlorine from municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSW FA). Results show that chlorine and HMs can be effectively removed with a total chlorine, As, Ni and Zn removal rate of 99.10%, 79.

Degradation of COD in antibiotic wastewater by a combination process of electrochemistry, hydroxyl-functionalized ball-milled zero-valent iron/FeO and Oxone.

In this study, the significant iron-based material, hydroxyl-functionalized ball-milled zero-valent iron/Fe3O4 (HFB-ZVI/Fe3O4) was employed for the experiments. The performance of the Electro + HFB-ZVI/Fe3O4 + Oxone system for the degradation of chemical oxygen demand (COD) in antibiotic wastewater was investigated. A direct current was applied between a graphite plate anode and two iron plate cathodes, and a series of operational parameters, such as applied electric current, the dosage of HFB-ZVI/FeO composite, the dosage of Oxone, and initial solution pH, were explored to evaluate the oxidation process.

Concentrations, congener patterns, and correlations of unintentional persistent organic pollutants in cement kilns co-processing hazardous waste.

Emissions from two typical cement kilns co-processing different kind of hazardous waste were analyzed for 143 congeners of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated naphthalenes, polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers. The congener distributions in different process stages were investigated. One of the plants co-processed waste chemical reagents from laboratories.

Method development for determination of polyhalogenated carbazoles in industrial waste through gas chromatography/triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry.

Rationale: Polyhalogenated carbazoles (PHCZs) are dioxin-like compounds that are ubiquitous in the environment. However, their unintentional emissions from industrial sources have received little attention and there is no method available for determination of PHCZs in industrial waste. This research develops a method for determination of PHCZs in industrial waste.

Analysis of the heavy metals (As, Pb, Cu, Zn) by leaching and sequential extraction procedure from a municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash co-processing cement kiln plant.

The municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash has been a major problem with the rapid development of the cities in China. And the cement rotary kiln co-processing technique is accepted as an effective method to dispose detrimental heavy metals in MSWI fly ash. This study focused on presented the total leaching content and the morphological distribution of the heavy metals in cement solid samples doped with MSWI fly ash.

TDP-43 aggregation induced by oxidative stress causes global mitochondrial imbalance in ALS.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was initially thought to be associated with oxidative stress when it was first linked to mutant superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1). The subsequent discovery of ALS-linked genes functioning in RNA processing and proteostasis raised the question of how different biological pathways converge to cause the disease. Both familial and sporadic ALS are characterized by the aggregation of the essential DNA- and RNA-binding protein TDP-43, suggesting a central role in ALS etiology.

Removal of heavy metals in medical waste incineration fly ash by NaEDTA combined with zero-valent iron and recycle of NaEDTA: Acolumnar experiment study.

In this study, an effective circulating system was developed to remove heavy metals in medical waste incineration (MWI) fly ash. MWI fly ash (MWIFA)-column experiments were performed to remove Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, and Ni from MWIFA using EDTA disodium (NaEDTA). Iron-column experiments were conducted to study the removal effect of zero-valent iron on the five heavy metals from washing wastewater.

[Influence of thyroid dysfunction on male sexual and reproductive functions and its mechanisms].

Thyroid dysfunction may affect the body growth metabolism and the synthesis and secretion of sex steroids. A large number of clinical and basic studies suggest that thyroid hormone abnormality can cause sexual and reproductive problems. Patients with hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism may develop not only premature ejaculation but also erectile dysfunction.

Effects of music videos on sleep quality in middle-aged and older adults with chronic insomnia: a randomized controlled trial.

Listening to soothing music has been used as a complementary therapy to improve sleep quality. However, there is no empirical evidence for the effects of music videos (MVs) on sleep quality in adults with insomnia as assessed by polysomnography (PSG). In this randomized crossover controlled trial, we compared the effects of a peaceful Buddhist MV intervention to a usual-care control condition before bedtime on subjective and objective sleep quality in middle-aged and older adults with chronic insomnia.

A nationwide survey of nurses' attitudes toward music therapy and their need for education in its application.

Background: Music therapy is increasingly used to help heal patients. However, there is a significant gap in the literature about nurses' attitudes toward and need for education in music therapy for nursing practice. This cross-sectional study was conducted to describe nurses' attitudes toward music therapy and determine their need for education in music therapy.

Effects of music intervention with nursing presence and recorded music on psycho-physiological indices of cancer patient caregivers.

Aims And Objectives: To compare the effects of music intervention with nursing presence and recorded music on blood volume pulse amplitude, the low/high frequency ratio component of heart rate variability, depression, anxiety and sleep quality in cancer patient caregivers; to compare the participants evaluation of these two forms of musical intervention.

Background: Presence is one of the activities of caring. However, little is known about the effect of music intervention with nursing presence on psycho-physiological indices.

Sleep disorder in Taiwanese nurses: a random sample survey.

This study determined the prevalence of and factors associated with insomnia in rotating-shift nurses. A two-stage, cross-sectional, hospital-based study was conducted in eastern Taiwan. Participants were randomly-sampled, rotating-shift nurses (n=661), ranging in age from 21 to 62 years, with a mean age of 31.

The effect of music on biochemical markers and self-perceived stress among first-line nurses: a randomized controlled crossover trial.

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of music on stress indices and to examine the association between music preference and stress.

Background: Although clinical studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of music on stress, study results have been inconsistent. At the time of writing, no known publications had investigated the effects of preferred music on workers in high-stress professions such as nursing.

The risk factors for ultrasound-diagnosed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among adolescents.

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is garnering increasing interest and acceptance as one of the most important causes of chronic liver disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors for NAFLD among selected adolescent students in Hualien City, Taiwan.

Materials And Methods: A stratified random sampling scheme was carried out among 1724 adolescent students aged 12 or 13 years old in Hualien City.

Alcohol-related Injuries at an emergency department in Eastern Taiwan.

Background/purpose: Injuries are major causes of mortality and morbidity in Taiwan. Alcohol involvement often plays a role in injuries. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of alcohol-related injuries at an emergency department in Eastern Taiwan and their associated factors.

Maternal demographic and psyhosocial factors associated with low birth weight in eastern Taiwan.

The relationship between birth weight and maternal sociodemographic characteristics was examined in a sample from two teaching hospitals in eastern Taiwan. Using a structured questionnaire, we conducted face-to-face interviews with women at antenatal clinics between 1998 and 1999 in Hualien City. One year later, we took the outcome of pregnancy from medical records and birth certificates from the Public Health Bureau of Hualien County.

Using hyperaccumulator plants to phytoextract soil Ni and Cd.

Two strategies of phytoextraction have been shown to have promise for practical soil remediation: domestication of natural hyperaccumulators and bioengineering plants with the genes that allow natural hyperaccumulators to achieve useful phytoextraction. Because different elements have different value, some can be phytomined for profit and others can be phytoremediated at lower cost than soil removal and replacement. Ni phytoextraction from contaminated or mineralized soils offers economic return greater than producing most crops, especially when considering the low fertility or phytotoxicity of Ni rich soils.

Feasibility of identification of alcohol intoxication by nurses in emergency departments.

Vehicle-related injuries are the major cause of death and injuries in Hualien County, and driving under the influence of alcohol plays a major role in such crashes. From December 1997 to May 1998, we determined the blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) of injured individuals from vehicle crashes at two emergency departments in Hualien. Nurses were asked to record whether the patient presented with an alcohol odor.