Decorated Au NPs on agar modified FeO NPs: Investigation of its catalytic performance in the degradation of methylene orange, and anti-human breast carcinoma properties.

This work describes an eco-friendly approach for in situ immobilization of Au nanoparticles on the surface of FeO nanoparticles, with help of Agar and ultrasound irradiations, without using any toxic reducing and capping agents. The structure, morphology, and physicochemical properties were characterized by various analytical techniques such as Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The desired catalyst showed great efficiency in the reductive degradation of methylene orange (MO) dye over NaBH at room temperature.

Addressing Food Insecurity through a Health Equity Lens: a Case Study of Large Urban School Districts during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Reduced access to school meals during public health emergencies can accelerate food insecurity and nutritional status, particularly for low-income children in urban areas. To prevent the exacerbation of health disparities, there is a need to understand the implementation of meal distribution among large urban school districts during emergencies and to what degree these strategies provide equitable meal access. Our case study of four large urban school districts during the COVID-19 pandemic aims to address these knowledge gaps.

[Analysis on the use of radiation protective equipment for the accompanying examinees].

To investigate the situation of wearing protective equipment in the process of X-ray radiation examination (including DR and CT) in a 3A general hospital, so as to provide technical basis and solutions for better reducing the radiation dose of accompanying patients. From November 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019, the accompanying examinee 6 who had to stay in the examination room during the radiology examination (X-ray and CT examination) of a 3A general hospital from June 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019 was selected 535 people were divided into three groups according to whether they were reminded and instructed to wear protective equipment: group A was not reminded (group A) , group B was reminded to wear protective equipment, and group C was reminded and instructed to wear protective equipment (Group C) . The wearing rates of protective equipment of the three groups were 35.

Spectral dynamic causal modelling of resting-state fMRI: an exploratory study relating effective brain connectivity in the default mode network to genetics.

We conduct an imaging genetics study to explore how effective brain connectivity in the default mode network (DMN) may be related to genetics within the context of Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment. We develop an analysis of longitudinal resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and genetic data obtained from a sample of 111 subjects with a total of 319 rs-fMRI scans from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database. A Dynamic Causal Model (DCM) is fit to the rs-fMRI scans to estimate effective brain connectivity within the DMN and related to a set of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) contained in an empirical disease-constrained set which is obtained out-of-sample from 663 ADNI subjects having only genome-wide data.

Exposure to nicotine-free and flavor-free e-cigarette vapors modifies the pulmonary response to tobacco cigarette smoke in female mice.

Most of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) users are also smoking tobacco cigarettes. Because of the relative novelty of this habit, very little is known on the impact of vaping on pulmonary health, even less on the potential interactions of dual e-cigarette and tobacco cigarette use. Therefore, we used well-established mouse models to investigate the impact of dual exposure to e-cigarette vapors and tobacco cigarette smoke on lung homeostasis.

Overexpressed microRNA-140 inhibits pulmonary fibrosis in interstitial lung disease via the Wnt signaling pathway by downregulating osteoglycin.

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) comprises of a group of diffuse parenchymal lung disorders that are strongly associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have highlighted the therapeutic significance of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the treatment of ILD. Thus this study aims to investigate the mechanism by which miR-140 affects ILD through the regulation of osteoglycin (OGN)Wnt signaling pathway.

Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Treatment of Brain Metastases during the COVID-19 Outbreak.

Introduction: The WHO declared 2019 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) a public health emergency of international concern. The National and Regional Health System has been reorganized, and many oncological patients died during this period or had to interrupt their therapies. This study summarizes a single-centre experience, during the COVID-19 period in Italy, in the treatment of brain metastases with Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery (GKRS).

Room Temperature Zero Thermal Expansion in a Cubic Cobaltite.

Zero thermal expansion (ZTE) materials are highly desired in modern industries where high-precision processing is necessary. However, ZTE materials in pure form are extremely rare. The most widely used are Invar alloys, where the ZTE is intimately associated with spontaneous magnetic ordering, known as the magnetovolume effect (MVE).

ANO1 in urethral SMCs contributes to sex differences in urethral spontaneous tone.

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is more common in women than in men, and sex differences in anatomic structure and physiology have been suggested as causes; however, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remain unclear. The spontaneous tone (STT) of the urethra has been shown to have a fundamental effect on preventing the occurrence of SUI. Here, we investigated whether the urethral STT exhibited sex differences.

Evaluation of Lumbar Spine Bracing as a Postoperative Adjunct to Single-level Posterior Lumbar Spine Surgery.

Background: Clinical practice in postoperative bracing after posterior single-level lumbar spine fusion (PLF) is inconsistent between providers. This study seeks to assess the effect of bracing on short-term outcomes related to safety, quality of care, and direct costs.

Methods: Retrospective cohort analyses of consecutive patients undergoing single-level PLF with or without bracing at a three-hospital urban academic medical center (2013-2017) were undertaken ( = 906).

Critical importance of dietary methionine and choline in the maintenance of lung homeostasis during normal and cigarette smoke exposure conditions.

Genetic predispositions and environmental exposures are regarded as the main predictors of respiratory disease development. Although the impact of dietary essential nutrient deficiencies on cardiovascular disease, obesity, and type II diabetes has been widely studied, it remains poorly explored in chronic respiratory diseases. Dietary choline and methionine deficiencies are common in the population, and their impact on pulmonary homeostasis is currently unknown.

Structure refinement of black phosphorus under high pressure.

The structure refinement of black phosphorus was performed at pressures of up to 3.2 GPa at room temperature by powder neutron diffraction techniques. The bond lengths and bond angles between the phosphorus atoms at pressures were precisely determined and confirmed to be consistent with those of the previous single crystal x-ray analysis [A.

Transcriptomic modifications in developmental cardiopulmonary adaptations to chronic hypoxia using a murine model of simulated high-altitude exposure.

Mechanisms driving adaptive developmental responses to chronic high-altitude (HA) exposure are incompletely known. We developed a novel rat model mimicking the human condition of cardiopulmonary adaptation to HA starting at conception and spanning the in utero and postnatal timeframe. We assessed lung growth and cardiopulmonary structure and function and performed transcriptome analyses to identify mechanisms facilitating developmental adaptations to chronic hypoxia.

Sex differences and the effects of intrauterine hypoxia on growth and in vivo heart function of fetal guinea pigs.

We hypothesized that the physiological adaptations of the fetus in response to chronic intrauterine hypoxia depend on its sex and the gestational age of exposure. Pregnant guinea pigs were exposed to room air (normoxia, NMX) or 10.5% O (hypoxia, HPX) at either 25 days (early onset) or 50 days (late onset) of gestation until term (~65 days).

Pediatric Distraction on Induction of Anesthesia With Virtual Reality and Perioperative Anxiolysis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Perioperative pediatric anxiety is common and can have a negative psychological impact on children undergoing surgery and anesthesia. Studies have shown an incidence of anxiety at induction of up to 50%. Audiovisual distraction, including virtual reality (VR), is a noninvasive, nonpharmacological modality that may reduce perioperative anxiety.

The Importance of Neurological Examination for the Indication of Computed Tomography of the Brain in Pediatric Emergency Room.

Objectives: In this study, records of the children who underwent Computed Tomography of the Brain (CTB) were reviewed to increase the awareness of pediatricians to protect patients from radiation, whether CTB was used with right indications or if it was determinative for diagnosis.

Methods: In total, in this study, 342 cases applied to our Pediatric Emergency Polyclinic between January 2005-December 2010 were retrospectively evaluated regarding complaints at admission, neurological examination and CTB results. The sensitivity and specificity of the neurological examination in detecting the CTB pathology was determined.

Teaching old precursors new tricks: Fast room temperature synthesis of surfactant-free colloidal platinum nanoparticles.

A fast, simple, instrument-free room temperature synthesis of stable electroactive surfactant-free colloidal Pt nanoparticles in alkaline methanol and methanol-water mixtures is presented. Pair distribution function (PDF) analysis suggests that methoxy substitution of chloride ligands from HPtCl occurs in methanol. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) studies and UV-vis measurements show that solutions of HPtCl in methanol age and are reduced to Pt(II) species over time.

Gambling-related harms attributable to lotteries products.

Lotteries products (lottery tickets and scratch tickets) are the most popular forms of gambling worldwide, however little research has investigated whether these products are associated with gambling-related harm. The limited available research suggests these products are linked to problematic gambling behaviors and a range of resulting negative outcomes, with certain sub-groups appearing to be more vulnerable to experiencing harms. The present study examined risk of gambling-related harm (measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index) from lotteries products use in an Australian sample of lotteries-only gamblers (n = 540).

Biocompatible alkyne arms containing Schiff base fluorescence indicator for dual detection of Cd and Pb at physiological pH and its application to live cell imaging.

An alkyne arms containing salen-type Schiff base ligand, 6,6'-((1E,1'E)-(1,2-phenylenebis(azanylylidene))bis(ethan-1-yl-1-ylidene))bis(3-(prop-2-yn-1-yloxy)phenol) (HL), is reported here as a dual chemosensor for Cd and Pb ions. The ligand HL was characterized by various spectral methods. The ligand HL acts as a dual sensor for Cd and Pb in methanol/HEPES buffer (5 mM, pH 7.

Determining the prevalence of palliative needs and exploring screening accuracy of depression and anxiety items of the integrated palliative care outcome scale - a multi-centre study.

Background: patients with palliative needs often experience high symptom burden which causes suffering to themselves and their families. Depression and psychological distress should not be considered a "normal event" in advanced disease patients and should be screened, diagnosed, acted on and followed-up. Psychological distress has been associated with greater physical symptom severity, suffering, and mortality in cancer patients.

Poverty, Caregiving, and HPA-Axis Activity in Early Childhood.

The association between poverty and the activity of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis in early childhood is well established. Both ecological and transactional theories suggest that one way in which poverty may influence children's HPA-axis activity is through its effects on parents' behaviors, and over the past three decades a substantial literature has accumulated indicating that variations in these behaviors are associated with individual differences in young children's HPA-axis activity. More recent research suggests that non-parental caregiving behaviors are associated with HPA-axis activity in early childhood as well.

Overexpression of in mice leads to altered lung alveolar development and worsens lesions induced by hyperoxia.

SPARC/osteonectin, cwcv and kazal-like domains proteoglycan 2 () was previously associated with genetic susceptibility to bronchopulmonary dysplasia in a French population of very preterm neonates. Its expression increases during lung development and is increased after exposure of rat pups to hyperoxia compared with controls bred in room air. To further investigate the role of SPOCK2 during lung development, we designed two mouse models, one that uses a specific anti-Spock2 antibody and one that reproduces the hyperoxia-induced expression with a transgenic mouse model resulting in a conditional and lung-targeted overexpression of .

Outcomes related to intravenous fluid administration in sickle cell patients during vaso-occlusive crisis.

While fluid replacement therapy is a primary treatment modality used in vaso-occlusive crises for sickle cell disease, data is limited on its safety, efficacy, and variability. We performed a retrospective analysis on 157 unique patient encounters from 49 sickle cell patients hospitalized with a vaso-occlusive episode at our institution from 2013 to 2017. The median length of hospital stay was 4 days (IQR 2-7).

Predictive value of circulating plasma mitochondrial DNA for Sepsis in the emergency department: observational study based on the Sepsis-3 definition.

Background: The definition of sepsis is regularly updated; however, there is no standard diagnostic test. To improve diagnosis and prognostic prediction, the aim of this study was to determine the predictive value of circulating plasma mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) levels in patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) with sepsis.

Methods: A total of 107 patients hospitalized from June 2018 to January 2019 were divided into the sepsis (n = 72) and septic shock (n = 35) groups based on the sepsis-3 definition.