Enhancing Waterproof Food Packaging with Janus Structure: Lotus Leaf Biomimicry and Polyphenol Particle Technology for Vegetable Preservation.

With the increasing demand for improved food preservation, conventional waterproof food packaging has proven inadequate because of its limited functionality. Although incorporating features such as antibacterial and antioxidant properties into packaging enhances protection, it can compromise the hydrophobicity of the involved material, thereby increasing the risk of contamination from external sources. To address this challenge, a robust and reliable barrier capable of simultaneously integrating multiple protective functions is required.

Outcomes of pediatric patients with suspected allergies to COVID-19 vaccines.

Background: Adverse effects following immunizations (AEFIs) can contribute to vaccine hesitancy.

Objective: We evaluated clinical outcomes of AEFIs subsequent to administration of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine at 2 pediatric allergy centers.

Methods: Data on pediatric patients referred for COVID-19 AEFI concerns between March 2021 and October 2022 were reviewed.

Acute high-intensity interval exercise is superior to moderate-intensity continuous exercise in enhancing endothelial function and its associated biomarkers in sedentary young individuals: the possible involvement of lactate.

Objectives: Our study investigated the effects of acute high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) and moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) on endothelial function and its associated biomarkers in sedentary young individuals.

Methods: Fifteen subjects (10M / 5F; 22 ± 2 years; BMI: 23.07 ± 4.

sp. nov., isolated from a patient with ruptured appendicitis.

A clinical isolate, R131, was isolated from the peritoneal swab of a patient who suffered from ruptured appendicitis with abscess and gangrene in Hong Kong in 2018. Cells are facultatively anaerobic, non-motile, Gram-positive coccobacilli. Colonies were small, grey, semi-translucent, low convex and alpha-haemolytic.

Observation of Extraordinary Vibration Scatterings Induced by Strong Anharmonicity in Lead-Free Halide Double Perovskites.

Lead-free halide double perovskites provide a promising solution for the long-standing issues of lead-containing halide perovskites, i.e., the toxicity of Pb and the low stability under ambient conditions and high-intensity illumination.

Multi-cohort analysis identifying core ocular surface microbiome and bacterial alterations in eye diseases.

Purpose: Inconsistency exists among reported studies on the composition of human ocular surface microbiome (OSM). The roles of OSM in ocular diseases remain uncertain. In this study, we aimed to determine the composition of OSM and to evaluate its potential roles and functions from multiple cohorts.

Transfer from long-term care to acute care and risk of new permanent cognitive or physical disability among long-term care residents in Canada: protocol for a retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Long-term care (LTC) residents are frequently transferred to acute care hospitals. Transfer decisions should align with residents' wishes and goals. Decision to transfer to hospital, when not aligned with the resident's wishes, can result in transfers that are harmful to residents, leaving residents in a state of disability that could be considered worse than death.

Association Between Type 2 Diabetes Onset Age and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality: Two Cohort Studies from United Kingdom and Hong Kong.

Objective: This study evaluated the association between age of onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality.

Method: Two retrospective cohort studies were conducted using the electronic health record from United Kingdom (UK) and Hong Kong (HK) (2008-2013) on adults without CVD. 128,918 and 185,646 patients with newly diagnosed T2DM were assigned to the T2DM group, and control group included 5,052,770 and 3,159,396 patients without T2DM in UK and HK cohort, respectively.

Towards parameter-free attentional spiking neural networks.

Brain-inspired spiking neural networks (SNNs) are increasingly explored for their potential in spatiotemporal information modeling and energy efficiency on emerging neuromorphic hardware. Recent works incorporate attentional modules into SNNs, greatly enhancing their capabilities in handling sequential data. However, these parameterized attentional modules have placed a huge burden on memory consumption, a factor that is constrained on neuromorphic chips.

Comparative risks and clinical outcomes of midazolam versus other intravenous sedatives in critically ill mechanically ventilated patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Objectives: This systematic review synthesized literature evidence and compared midazolam's risks and clinical outcomes with other sedatives in critically ill mechanically ventilated patients.

Methods: We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from databases of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and CINAHL without language restrictions. We used relative risk (RR) for binary outcomes and standardized mean difference (SMD) for continuous outcomes, with corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI).

Antibiotic resistance genes in anaerobic digestion: Unresolved challenges and potential solutions.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens public health, necessitating urgent efforts to mitigate the global impact of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Anaerobic digestion (AD), known for volatile solid reduction and energy generation, also presents a feasible approach for the removal of ARGs. This review encapsulates the existing understanding of ARGs and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) during the AD process, highlighting unresolved challenges pertaining to their detection and quantification.

Acute Sophora alkaloid poisoning in Hong Kong.

Sophora alkaloids, including matrine, oxymatrine, and sophoridine, are quinolizidines found in plants used in traditional Chinese medicine such as Sophora flavescens and Sophora tonkinensis. Reports on acute Sophora alkaloid poisoning in humans outside of mainland China are lacking. This study aimed to characterize the clinical presentations, management, and outcomes of acute poisoning involving Sophora alkaloids in Hong Kong.

Aspirin after completion of standard adjuvant therapy for colorectal cancer (ASCOLT): an international, multicentre, phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Aspirin is a simple, globally available medication that has been shown to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of aspirin in the secondary prevention of colorectal cancer.

Methods: This phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at 66 centres across 11 countries and territories (ten in Asia-Pacific; one in the Middle East).

The influence of simulated worn shoe and foot inversion on heel internal biomechanics during running impact: A subject-specific finite element analysis.

This study explored how systematic changes in running shoe degradation and foot inversion alter the distribution and peak value of heel pressure and calcaneus stress, as well as the total stress-concentration exposure (TSCE) within the calcaneal bone. A foot-shoe finite element model was employed and three shoe wear conditions (new shoe (CON), moderate worn shoe (MWSC), excessive worn shoe (EWSC)) coupled with three foot inversion angles (0°, 10°, 20°) were further modulated. Simulations were conducted at the impact peak instant during running.

Altered Sensorimotor Striatal Network Connectivity in Women With Anorexia Nervosa.

Objective: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with disturbances in reward processing, cognitive control, and body image perception, implicating striatal dysfunction. Evidence suggests that underweight may modulate brain function in AN. We aimed to investigate whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the striatum in patients with AN while controlling for the acute effects of underweight.

mHealth knowledge and usage in maternal healthcare delivery: perspectives and experiences of healthcare practitioners in Ghana.

Objectives: This study explored the knowledge and experiences of health practitioners regarding the use of mobile health (mHealth) for maternal healthcare delivery.

Design: Underpinned by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, this study was an exploratory qualitative design involving in-depth interviews. Data collection occurred between July 2023 and January 2024.

A power dependence model of the impact of leader impostorism on supervisor support and undermining: The moderating role of power distance.

Leaders, often perceived as possessing exceptional confidence and competence, are not immune to feelings of self-doubt. Leader impostorism describes the experience that one's attributes, experiences, skills, and abilities fall short of the standards expected in the leadership role, resulting in a sense of deception in fulfilling leadership responsibilities. While existing research has examined the antecedents and individual outcomes of leader impostorism, its implications for leaders' treatment of subordinates remain largely unexplored.

Electron-Donating Zr Induces Suppressed Ru Over-Oxidation and Accelerated Deprotonation Process Toward Efficient and Durable Water Electrolysis.

The scarcity of cost-effective and durable iridium-free anode electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) poses a significant challenge to the widespread application of the proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE). To address the electrochemical oxidation and dissolution issues of Ru-based electrocatalysts, an electron-donating modification strategy is developed to stabilize WRuO under harsh oxidative conditions. The optimized catalyst with a low Zirconium doping (Zr, 1 wt.

Assembly-enhanced recognition: A biomimetic pathway to achieve ultrahigh affinities.

On the one hand, nature utilizes hierarchical assemblies to create complex biological binding pockets, enabling ultrastrong recognition toward substrates in aqueous solutions. On the other hand, chemists have been fervently pursuing high-affinity recognition by constructing covalently well-preorganized stereoelectronic cavities. The potential of noncovalent assembly, however, for enhancing molecular recognition has long been underestimated.

Extracellular vesicles in liquid biopsies: there is hope for oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Current approaches to oral cancer diagnosis primarily involve physical examination, tissue biopsy, and advanced computer-aided imaging techniques. However, despite these advances, patient survival rates have not significantly improved. Hence, there is a critical need to develop minimally invasive tools with high sensitivity and specificity to improve patient survival and quality of life.

Association of falls with risk of dementia and all-cause mortality: a cohort study of Japanese older adults with a 9-year follow-up.

Objective: Many risk factors affect dementia and all-cause mortality. However, whether falls are a risk factor for dementia and all-cause mortality is unclear. The study examines the association of falls with the risk of dementia and all-cause mortality, and whether dementia mediates the association of falls with all-cause mortality.

Improving influenza forecast in the tropics and subtropics: a case study of Hong Kong.

Influenza forecasts could aid public health response as shown for temperate regions, but such efforts are more challenging in the tropics and subtropics due to more irregular influenza activities. Here, we built six forecast approaches for influenza in the (sub)tropics, with six model forms designed to model seasonal infection risk (i.e.

DECT sparse reconstruction based on hybrid spectrum data generative diffusion model.

Purpose: Dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) enables the differentiation of different materials. Additionally, DECT images consist of multiple scans of the same sample, revealing information similarity within the energy domain. To leverage this information similarity and address safety concerns related to excessive radiation exposure in DECT imaging, sparse view DECT imaging is proposed as a solution.