Meltblown fabric vs nanofiber membrane, which is better for fabricating personal protective equipments

The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic has led to a great demand on the personal protection products such as reusable masks.As a key raw material for masks,meltblown fabrics play an important role in rejection of aerosols.However,the electrostatic dominated aerosol rejection mechanism of meltblown fabrics prevents the mask from maintaining the desired protective effect after the static charge degradation.Herein,novel reusable masks with high aerosols rejection efficiency were fabricated by the introduction of spider-web bionic nanofiber membrane(nano cobweb-biomimetic membrane).The reuse stability of meltblown and nanofiber membrane mask was separately evaluated by infiltrating water,75%alcohol solution,and exposing under ultraviolet(UV)light.After the water immersion test,the filtration efficiency of meltblown mask was decreased to about 79%,while the nanofiber membrane was maintained at 99%.The same phenomenon could be observed after the 75%alcohol treatment,a high filtration efficiency of 99%was maintained in nanofiber membrane,but obvious negative effect was observed in meltblown mask,which decreased to about 50%.In addition,after long-term expose under UV light,no filtration efficiency decrease was observed in nanofiber membrane,which provide a suitable way to disinfect the potential carried virus.This work successfully achieved the daily disinfection and reuse of masks,which effectively alleviate the shortage of masks during this special period.

An elevated preoperative serum calcium level is a significant predictor for positive peritoneal cytology in endometrial carcinoma

Objective:To evaluate preoperative serum calcium concentration and investigate the association between calcium level and positive peritoneal cytology in endometrial carcinoma(EC).Methods:A total of 510 patients who were diagnosed with EC and had surgery were initially enrolled in this study at Peking University People's Hospital between January 2012 and December 2016.Clinical characteristics and preoperative serum calcium,albumin,carbohydrate antigen(CA)125,CA19-9,carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA)were extracted from patient records and evaluated according to postoperative peritoneal cytology.Predictive factors were assessed with Cox univariate and multivariate analyses.Factors selected from multivariate analysis results were used to build a predictive model.Results:A total of 510 patients are identified in our database and 444 patients who fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria are included in this study.Univariate analysis revealed that ionized calcium concentration was closely related to positive peritoneal cytology,tumor grade and lymph-vascular space invasion(LVSI).Moreover,peritoneal cytology was significantly associated with hypertension,tubal ligation,serum CA125,CA19-9,CEA and ionized calcium level.Multivariate analysis revealed that albumin-adjusted calcium level,CA125 and tubal ligation were independent predictive factors of positive peritoneal cytology(P<0.05).A combination of ionized calcium level with the other two indexes yielded significantly great area under the curve(AUC=0.824).Conclusions:This study enhanced the value of preoperative ionized calcium level.We also identified several potential biomarkers to predict positive peritoneal cytology in EC patients before surgery.

医保管理工作中精细化管理的应用探讨

随着我国医疗保险制度的不断完善,医疗保险范围越来越广,享受待遇人次日益增加,医疗费用不断增长,在医保总额控制的背景下,医院的医保管理工作面临着巨大的挑战.因此,为了强化医保管理工作,近些年大部分医院开始应用精细化管理改进其中存在的不足之处,并积极通过建立医保考核制度、引进智能审核系统与加大医保宣传力度等措施促进管理效能的提升,从而推进医院的可持续发展.

Complexation with pre-formed“empty”V-type starch for encapsulation of aroma compounds

Aroma compounds are low-molecular-weight organic volatile molecules and are broadly utilized in the food industry.However,due to their high volatility and evaporative losses during processing and storage,the stabilization of these volatile ingredients using encapsulation is a commonly investigated practice.Complexation of aroma compounds using starch inclusion complex could be a potential approach due to the hydrophobicity of the left-handed single helical structure.In the present study,we used starch of three different V-type structures,namely V,V,and V,to encapsulate six different aroma compounds,including1-decanol(DN),cis-3-hexen-1-ol(HN),4-allylanisole(AN),γ-decalactone(DA),trans-cinnamaldehyde(CA),and citral(CT).The formed inclusion complexes samples were characterized using complementary techniques,including X-ray diffraction(XRD)and differential scanning calorimetry(DSC).The results showed that upon complexation with aroma compounds,all V-subtypes retained their original crystalline structures.However,different trends of crystallinity were observed for each type of the prepared inclusion complexes.Additionally,among three V-type starches,V-type starch formed inclusion complexes with aroma compounds most efficiently and promoted the formation of FormⅡcomplex.This study suggested that the structure of aroma compounds and the type of V starch could both affect the complexation properties.

Biomechanical Risk Assessment of Non-Contact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in Taekwondo Athletes

Non-contact anterior cruciate ligament(ACL)injury can occur in many sports.It is interrelated with gender,anatomy,biomechanics,and neuromuscular control.Taekwondo athletes have a higher incidence of ACL injury than athletes from other sports.Objective:This study aimed to determine the biomechanical gender differences and mechanism of taekwondo athletes with ACL injury.Methods:A total of 28 taekwondo athletes(aged 14–19 years)were randomly selected and grouped by gender.Feet high floor,one foot high floor,and single leg squat were analyzed by a Vicon motion analysis system and Kistler 3D force platform for action.The knee joint angle and ground force were evaluated.Results:Results demonstrated biomechanical differences in knee joint between male and female athletes.Conclusion:ACL injury in taekwondo female athletes indicated the biomechanical mechanism of the knee joint,and it can be prevented by neuromuscular control training.

The role of oestrogen and oestrogencalcium axis in endometrial carcinoma

Unopposed oestrogen is recognised as an inducer of endometrial cancer.Over the past 50 years,the effects of oestrogen on the endometrium and endometrial cancer have been a hot topic in the field of gynaecological oncology.In recent years,a series of studies by our team revealed that the non-genomic transcriptional effects of oestrogen can influence the progression of endometrial carcinoma by regulating calcium ions,suggesting that inhibiting calcium ion channelproteins could serve as an adjuvant therapy for endometrial cancer.In this review,we retrospectively summarise the sources of oestrogen in vivo,the effects of oestrogens on the uterus and endometrium,oestrogen signalling and the clinical application of oestrogen-related compounds,emphasising the significant role of oestrogen-calcium axis inhibition in adjuvant therapy for endometrial cancer.

Urinary donor-derived cell-free DNA as a non-invasive biomarker for BK polyomavirus-associated nephropathy

BK polyomavirus-associated nephropathy(BKPyVAN)is a common cause of allograft failure.However,differentiation between BKPyVAN and type I T cell-mediated rejection(TCMR)is challenging when simian virus 40(SV40)staining is negative,because of the similarities in histopathology.This study investigated whether donor-derived cell-free DNA(ddcfDNA)can be used to differentiate BKPyVAN.Target region capture sequencing was applied to detect the ddcfDNAs of 12 recipients with stable graft function,22 with type I TCMR,21 with proven BKPy VAN,and 5 with possible Py VAN.We found that urinary ddcfDNA levels were upregulated in recipients with graft injury,whereas plasma ddcfDNA levels were comparable for all groups.The median urinary concentrations and fractions of ddcfDNA in proven BKPyVAN recipients were significantly higher than those in type I TCMR recipients(10.4 vs.6.1 ng/mL,P<0.001 and 68.4%vs.55.3%,P=0.013,respectively).Urinary ddcfDNA fractions(not concentrations)were higher in the BKPyVAN-pure subgroup than in the BKPyVAN-rejection-like subgroup(81.30%vs.56.64%,P=0.025).With a cut-off value of 7.81 ng/m L,urinary ddcf DNA concentrations distinguished proven BKPyVAN from type I TCMR(area under the curve(AUC)=0.848,95%confidence interval(95%CI):0.734 to 0.963).These findings suggest that urinary ddcf DNA is a non-invasive biomarker which can reliably differentiate BKPy VAN from type I TCMR.

Role of steroid receptor-associated and regulated protein in tumor progression and progesterone receptor signaling in endometrial cancer

Background:Steroid receptor-associated and regulated protein(SRARP)suppresses tumor progression and modulates steroid receptor signaling by interacting with estrogen receptors and androgen receptors in breast cancer.In endometrial cancer(EC),progesterone receptor(PR)signaling is crucial for responsiveness to progestin therapy.The aim of this study was to investigate the role of SRARP in tumor progression and PR signaling in EC.Methods:Ribonucleic acid sequencing data from the Cancer Genome Atlas,Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium,and Gene Expression Omnibus were used to analyze the clinical significance of SRARP and its correlation with PR expression in EC.The correlation between SRARP and PR expression was validated in EC samples obtained from Peking University People’s Hospital.SRARP function was investigated by lentivirus-mediated overexpression in Ishikawa and HEC-50B cells.Cell Counting Kit-8 assays,cell cycle analyses,wound healing assays,and Transwell assays were used to evaluate cell proliferation,migration,and invasion.Western blotting and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction were used to evaluate gene expression.The effects of SRARP on the regulation of PR signaling were determined by co-immunoprecipitation,PR response element(PRE)luciferase reporter assay,and PR downstream gene detection.Results:Higher SRARP expression was significantly associated with better overall survival and disease-free survival and less aggressive EC types.SRARP overexpression suppressed growth,migration,and invasion in EC cells,increased E-cadherin expression,and decreased N-cadherin and Wnt family member 7A(WNT7A)expression.SRARP expression was positively correlated with PR expression in EC tissues.In SRARP-overexpressing cells,PR isoform B(PRB)was upregulated and SRARP bound to PRB.Significant increases in PRE-based luciferase activity and expression levels of PR target genes were observed in response to medroxyprogesterone acetate.Conclusions:This study illustrates that SRARP exerts a tumor-suppressive effect by inhibiting the epithelial-mesenchymal transition via Wnt signaling in EC.In addition,SRARP positively modulates PR expression and interacts with PR to regulate PR downstream target genes.

Discovery of ARF1-targeting inhibitor demethylzeylasteral as a potential agent against breast cancer

To the Editor:ADP-ribosylation factor 1 (ARF1) plays a critical role in regulating vesicle formation and transport1. The dysregulation of ARF1 expression and/or activity is involved in many human cancers, such as breast cancer2,3. Therefore, ARF1 is one of the promising therapeutic targets for cancer treatment.