Evaluation of the effectiveness of preventive nursing measures for pressure injuries in patients in the neurology intensive care unit

BACKGROUND Patients in neurology intensive care units(ICU)are prone to pressure injuries(PU)due to factors such as severe illness,long-term bed rest,and physiological dysfunction.PU not only causes pain and complications to patients,but also increases medical burden,prolongs hospitalization time,and affects the recovery process.AIM To evaluate and optimize the effectiveness of pressure injury prevention nursing measures in neurology ICU patients.METHODS A retrospective study was conducted,and 60 patients who were admitted to the ICU of the Department of Neurology were selected and divided into an observation group and a control group according to the order of admission,with 30 people in each group.The observation group implemented pressure injury prevention and nursing measures,while the control group adopted routine care.RESULTS Comparison between observation and control groups following pressure injury prevention nursing intervention revealed significantly lower incidence rates in the observation group compared to the control group at 48 h(8.3%vs 26.7%),7 d(16.7%vs 43.3%),and 14 d(20.0%vs 50.0%).This suggests a substantial reduction in pressure injury incidence in the observation group,with the gap widening over time.Additionally,patients in the observation group exhibited quicker recovery,with a shorter average time to get out of bed(48 h vs 72 h)and a shorter average length of stay(12 d vs 15 d)compared to the control group.Furthermore,post-intervention,patients in the observation group reported significantly improved quality of life scores,including higher scores in body satisfaction,feeling and function,and comfort(both psychological and physiological),indicating enhanced overall well-being and comfort following the implementation of pressure injury prevention nursing measures.CONCLUSION Implementing pressure injury preventive care measures for neurology ICU patients will have better results.

The Preventive Effect of Comprehensive Nursing Intervention on Arteriovenous Fistula Failure in Patients in the Hemodialysis Room

Objective:To explore the preventive effect of comprehensive nursing intervention on arteriovenous fistula failure in patients in the hemodialysis room.Methods:82 patients with arteriovenous fistula in the hemodialysis chamber treated in our hospital from July 2022 to October 2023 were selected as the research subjects.The random number table method divided them into a control group and an experimental group of 41 cases each.The control group received general nursing intervention measures,while the experimental group underwent comprehensive nursing intervention.The incidence of complications(internal fistula failure,bleeding,thrombosis,infection),psychological emotions(SAS scale,SDS scale),quality of life(physical pain,physiological function,emotional function,social function),and nursing satisfaction(very satisfied,basically satisfied,satisfied,dissatisfied)were compared between the two groups of patients.Results:The incidence of complications in the experimental group(4,9.76%)was significantly lower than that in the control group(29,70.73%);the SAS scores and SDS scores of the patients in the experimental group after intervention were both lower than those in the control group;the quality of life score(physical pain,physiological function,emotional function,and social function)was all higher than those of the control group;the post-intervention nursing satisfaction of the experimental group(40,97.57%)was also significantly higher than that of the control group(29,73.17%);and the listed differences were statistically significant(P<0.01).Conclusion:For patients with hemodialysis ventricular arteriovenous fistula failure,comprehensive nursing intervention can reduce the incidence of complications,relieve anxiety and stress,improve quality of life and nursing satisfaction,and achieve better preventive effects.

Probiotics' Preventive Effect on Pediatric Food Allergy: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective To investigate the preventive effect of probiotics on pediatric food allergy. Methods From MEDLINE bibliographical database, we searched and reviewed all randomized controlled trials on the preventive effects of probiotics on pediatric food allergies up to September 2013 and excluded the studies that do not meet inclusion criteria and extracted the data. Meta-analysis for the results of homogenous studies was performed using RevMan 5.0 and the co-effect was pooled by using fixed-effects model of relative risk(RR) ratios. Results Ten trials published between 2007 and 2012 including 2701 cases were included. Meta-analysis based on included data showed that the preventive effect of prenatal and postnatal probiotic supplementation on food allergies was not significant with the RR=0.88(95% CI: 0.76-1.03). Conclusion Present evidences cannot show in unequivocal terms that prenatal and postnatal probiotic supplementation will prevent food allergic diseases.

Effects of preventive acupuncture or moxibustion at the Guanyuan acupoint on expression of interleukin-2 and its receptors in hypothalamus, serum, and uterus of menopausal rats

BACKGROUND： Previous studies have indicated preventive acupuncture and moxibustion at the Guanyuan point have positive effects on the immune system of menopausal rats. OBJECTIVE： To observe the effects of preventive acupuncture or moxibustion at the Guanyuan point on interleukin-2 （IL-2） and its receptor （IL-2R mRNA） levels in hypothalamus, serum, and uterus of menopausal rats. DESIGN： Randomized control animal experiment. SETTING： School of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. MATERIALS： This study was performed at the Laboratory of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine from November 2004 to July 2005. The vaginal smear method was used to determine the estrus cycle of 9.5-month-old Sprague Dawley （SD） female rats. Three continuous estrus cycles were measured, and 160 rats with estrus cycle disorder, weighing （300 _＋ 20） g, were included in this study. The rats were randomly divided into four groups： preventive acupuncture group （n =48）, preventive moxibustion group （n =48）, model groups （n =48）, and 10-month-old group （n =16）. Sixteen 3.5-month-old healthy SD female rats, weighing （240 ± 20） g, were also assigned to the young group. All rats were clean grade and were purchased from the Laboratory Animal Center, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. The experiment was in accordance with animal ethics standards. METHODS： Acupuncture was applied to the preventive acupuncture group at 10 months of age. The needle was inserted upward and perpendicularly two fen to a point that was two fen below the Guanyuan point. The rats freely moved around during needle retention （20 minutes）. Acupuncture was administered twice a week and continued for eight weeks. A moxa cone （small） moxibustion was applied to the preventive moxibustion group at 10 months of age. The rats were caught gently and kept at the same position as the preventive acupuncture group. The moxa cone was ignited and held to the Guanyuan point directly. Only one moxa cone was used each time. After moxibustion, the local skin turned slightly red. Moxibustion was used twice a week and continued for eight weeks. Nothing except gently catching and lying was administered to the model group and the young group. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Radioimmunoassay, in situ hybridization, and similar methods were employed to detect IL-2 in serum and the uterus, as well as IL-2R mRNA expression in the hypothalamus and uterus arcuate nuclei, of the preventive acupuncture group, preventive moxibustion group, model groups （at 12, 14, and 16 months）, 10 month old group （at 10 months）, and the young group （at 4 months）. RESULTS： All 176 rats were included in the final analysis. （1） IL-2R mRNA： IL-2R mRNA expression decreased significantly in the uterus of 12-, 14-, and 16-month-old model groups and in the hypothalamus of 14- and 16-month-old model groups （P 〈 0.05-0.01）. Compared to the same month-aged model groups, the expression of IL-2R mRNA increased significantly in the hypothalamus and uterus of 16-month-old preventive acupuncture or moxibustion groups （P 〈 0.05-0.01）.（2） IL-2：IL-2 in serum of 12- and 14-month-old model groups and in the uterus of 12-, 14-, and 16-month-old model groups decreased significantly compared to the young group （P 〈 0.05-0.01）. IL-2 serum levels increased significantly in the 16-month-old group with preventive moxibustion; in addition, IL-2 expression levels increased significantly in the uterus of the 12-month-old group with preventive moxibustion, as well as the 12- and 16-month-old groups with preventive acupuncture （P 〈 0.05-0.01）. CONCLUSION： As a rat ages and becomes menopausal, IL-2R mRNA expression in the hypothalamus and uterus, as well as IL-2 levels in the serum and uterus, decrease. However, preventive acupuncture and preventive moxibustion can repress the decrease to some extent. This effect is even greater in the late stages of menopause （16-month-old rats）.

Preventive effect of Qianggan-Rongxian Decoction on rat liver fibrosis

AIM: To study the preventive effects of Qianggan-Rongxian Decoction on liver fibrosis induced by dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) in rats. METHODS: Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into hepatic fibrosis model group, control group and 3 treatment groups (12 rats in each group). Except for the normal control group, all the rats received 1% DMN (10 μL/kg body weight, i.p), 3 times a week for 4 wk. The rats in the 3 treatment groups including a high-dose DMN group (10 mL/kg), a medium-dose DMN group (7 mL/kg), and a low-dose DMN group (4 mL/kg) were daily gavaged with Qianggan-Rongxian Decoction, and the rats in the model and normal control groups were given saline vehicle. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the changes in serum hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), and type IV collagen levels. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were measured using routine laboratory methods. Pathologic changes, particularly fibrosis, were examined by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Sirius red staining. Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) were examined by transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: Compared with the model control group, the serum levels of HA, LN, type Ⅳ collagen, ALT and AST were decreased markedly in the other groups after treatment with Qianggan-Rongxian Decoction, especially in the medium-dose DMN group (P < 0.05).Moreover, the area-density percentage of collagen fibrosis was lower in the Qianggan-Rongxian Decoction treatment groups than in the model group, and a more significant drop was observed in the medium-dose DMN group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Qianggan-Rongxian Decoction can inhibit hepatic fibrosis due to chronic liver injury, delay the development of cirrhosis, and notably ameliorate liver function. It may be used as a safe and effective thera-peutic drug for patients with fibrosis.

Research progress on chemopreventive effects of phytochemicals on colorectal cancer and their mechanisms

Colorectal cancer(CRC) is a type of cancer with high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide and has become a global health problem. The conventional radiotherapy and chemotherapy regimen for CRC not only has a low cure rate but also causes side effects. Many studies have shown that adequate intake of fruits and vegetables in the diet may have a protective effect on CRC occurrence, possibly due to the special biological protective effect of the phytochemicals in these foods. Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that phytochemicals play strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer roles by regulating specific signaling pathways and molecular markers to inhibit the occurrence and development of CRC. This review summarizes the progress on CRC prevention using the phytochemicals sulforaphane, curcumin and resveratrol, and elaborates on the specific underlying mechanisms. Thus, we believe that phytochemicals might provide a novel therapeutic approach for CRC prevention, but future clinical studies are needed to confirm the specific preventive effect of phytochemicals on cancer.

Study on Preventive Effect of Cecropin and Lysozyme on Skin Fester Disease in Trionyx sinensis

[ Objective ] This study was to investigate the preventive effect of cecropin and lysozyme on skin fester disease in Trionyx sinensis. [ Method ] By employing intramuscular injection method, the preventive effect of mixtures of cecropin （10 mg/kg） and lysozyme（ 10 mg/kg） and of cecropin（6 mg/kg） and lysozyme（ 5 mg/kg） were challenged on Aeromonas encheleia-caused skin fester disease in T. sinensis. The mortality and relative percent survival were used evaluate the preventive effect of different drugs. The serum agglutination titer, cytophagocytosis and bactericidal activity were detected to compare the effect of drugs on the immunity and disease resistance of T. sinensis. [ Result] The residue concentrations of gentamicin and lysozyme in serum were compared to evaluate the side effect of drugs used challenged. The results showed that combined use of cecropin and lysozyme gave the best preventive effect and immunity in T. sinensis, with an extremely significant difference from other treatments （ P 〈 0.01 ）. Analysis of drug residue in serum indicated that lysozyme was completely metabolized 6 days after medication, while gentamicin residue was still observed 12 days later. [ Conclusion] The combined application of cecropin and lysozyme showed better preventive effect than antibiotics in fester disease of T. sinensis. Moreover, no drug residue and side effect were observed in the combined use treatment. This method avoids the side effect of antibiotics, worthy of extension at commercial scale.

Experimental study on the effect of water absorption level on rockburst occurrence of sandstone

To investigate the mechanism of rockburst prevention by spraying water onto the surrounding rocks,15 experiments are performed considering different water absorption levels on a single face.High-speed photography and acoustic emission(AE)system are used to monitor the rockburst process.The effect of water on sandstone rockburst and the prevention mechanism of water on sandstone rockburst are analyzed from the perspective of energy and failure mode.The results show that the higher the ab-sorption degree,the lower the intensity of the rockburst after absorbing water on single side of sand-stone.This is reflected in the fact that with the increase in the water absorption level,the ejection velocity of rockburst fragments is smaller,the depth of the rockburst pit is shallower,and the AE energy is smaller.Under the water absorption level of 100%,the magnitude of rockburst intensity changes from medium to slight.The prevention mechanism of water on sandstone rockburst is that water reduces the capacity of sandstone to store strain energy and accelerates the expansion of shear cracks,which is not conducive to the occurrence of plate cracking before rockburst,and destroys the conditions for rockburst incubation.

Progress in preventive effects of cordyceps sinensis on ischemic brain

Cerebral ischemia is due to cerebral blood supply disorders caused by ischemia and hypoxia resulting in localized ischemic brain necrosis or brain softening of the disease,leading to irreversible brain damage and subsequent loss of neuronal function is a serious threat to human health One of several diseases.For patients with cerebral ischemia,often the lack of effective and extensive treatment.In addition,cerebral ischemia with morbidity,morbidity and mortality are characterized by high,so by the medical profession at home and abroad attention.As a traditional Chinese medicine,cordyceps sinensis(CS)is a complex of ergot fungus,which is parasitized on the larvae of the bat-moth family.The compound is composed of cordycepin,cordyceps polysaccharide,cordyceps sinensis peptides,ergosterol,mannitol,fatty acids and trace elements such as a variety of ingredients,with a wide range of pharmacological effects.Over the years,domestic and foreign scholars on the pharmacological effects of cordyceps sinensis were more comprehensive study of its prevention and treatment of cerebral ischemia is also deepening,found that cordyceps sinensis on cerebral ischemia with anti-inflammatory,reduce oxidative damage and neuronal ischemia damage,reduce neuronal apoptosis,improve memory cognition,reduce thrombosis,inhibit NO production,enhance mitochondrial energy supply,scavenging free radicals and other prevention and treatment.But no relevant review.In this paper,the domestic and foreign literatures on the prevention and treatment of cerebral ischemia by cordyceps sinensis were summarized,analyzed and summarized in order to provide useful information for the research and further development of cordyceps sinensis.

Preventive Effects of Five Drugs on Mycoplasma Pneumonia of Swine (MPS)

The paper was to explore the preventive effects of five drugs on mycoplasma pneumonia of swine （MPS） and to provide reference for clinical medication of pig farms in Hainan Province. A total of 444 health piglets were randomly divided into 6 groups, including five medication groups （72 piglets in group A, 74 pig- lets in group B, 72 piglets in group C, 76 piglets in group D, 76 piglets in group E） and one control group （74 piglets）. The piglets in experimental groups were treated drugs once a day for successive 5 days at 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 of age. The piglets in control group were free of medication. At 70 and 140 days of age, 15 piglets of each group were randomly selected to collect their blood sermn. The Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae （M-Hyo） antibodies in serum were measured by en- zyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. During the experiment, the incidence rates of respiratory disease, lung lesion, feed conversion rate, average daily gain （ADG）, and mortality rate of pigs were also observed and recorded. The results showed that the five drugs had significant difference in preventative effects. Group C （Zhiyuanjing group） received the best preventive effect and the highest economic benefits. Compared with control group, the ADG and feed conversion rate in group C were increased by 7.53% and 9.09%, respectively; the incidence rate of respiratory disease was reduced by 13.44% and lung lesion was alleviated by 81.43% ; and the earnings of each pig could rise by 132.70 yuan. The preventative effect and economic benefit of the drugs was sequenced by Chansu Kechuanling and Bingchan Kechuanwang. Wante Feilin and amoxicillin had weaker preventive effects against MPS but greatly influenced growth performance of pigs, so they should be used alternatively with other drugs.

Chemopreventive and Growth Inhibitory Effects of Selenium

There is very convincing evidence that a high dietary level of selenium substantially reduces the incidence of a wide variety of animal cancers. The human epidemiological evidence is less clear cut, but overall suggests that selenium may be protective: the evidence is strongest in men in relation to gastro-intestinal cancers. There is evidence that dietary selenium compounds reduce the formation of DNA adducts by carcinogens. Selenium compounds also inhibit growth in vitro and induce apoptosis. In general, there is a good correlation between the effectiveness of selenium compounds in chemoprevention and growth inhibition, implying that the mechanisms of growth inhibition and chemoprevention may be similar and that a major factor in the chemopreventive effects of selenium compounds in vivo is their ability to retard outgrowth of pre-malignant cells. Various hypotheses have been advanced as to how selenium compounds might prevent tumour cellgrowth. One is that they cause apoptosis by inducing oxidative stress. However, we have shown that the most potent selenium compound, selenodiglutathione (SDG), a natural metabolite of selenite, does not induce oxidative stress, at least not in the sarne way as other oxidants such as H2O2 and diamide. Firstly, a partially selenium-resistant variant cell line does not show increased resistance to H2O2. Moreover, SDG does not induce widespread tyrosine phosphorylation, including MAP and SAN kinases, like other oxidants such as H2O2 and diamide and its effects are not reversed by pretreatment with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor, herbimycin. Our experiments with the selenium-resistant variant suggest that a novel selenium-binding protein may be involved in growth inhibition by selenium

Preventive and Therapeutic Effects of New Fungicides on Rice Blast

[Objectives]The paper was to identify the characteristics and the potency of new fungicides to rice blast disease,and study their preventive and therapeutic effects on the disease.[Methods]Six new and conventional fungicides with different mechanisms of action were selected to compare their preventive and therapeutic effects on rice seedling blast in greenhouse.[Results]The agents which showed to be highly efficacious in blast prevention(greater than 90%)were 25%pyraclostrobin EC,20%fenoxanil SC,75%tricyclazole WP and 50%prochloraz-manganese WP sprayed at the dosages of 112.5-150,180-360,270-450 and 450-600 g/ha,respectively.The therapeutic effect of new fungicides 25%pyraclostrobin EC and 50%prochloraz-manganese WP on rice blast were above 90%when the dosages were 90-150 and 360-600 g/ha,respectively.The therapeutic effect of the conventional fungicide 40%isoprothiolane EC on rice blast was 69.04%when the dosage was 480 g/ha,while those of other fungicides were worse.[Conclusions]Both 25%pyraclostrobin EC and 50%prochloraz-manganese WP have good preventive and therapeutic effects on rice blast,which will provide a reference for the use of these fungicides in the field.

PREVENTIVE EFFECTS ON SENILE ANEMIA IN RATS BY MOXIBUSTION

The aim of the present study is to observe the preventive effects of moxibustion onseniIe anemia in rats and certify the anti-aging effects of moxibustion. The results show that thehemoglobin in 20 months old rats is lower than that in young rats, and the osmotic fragility and thehematocrit are higher than those in young rats. The hernoglobin in moxibustion group rats is signifi-cantly higher than that in old group, and the osmotic fragility and the hematocrit are markedly lowerthan those in old group, suggesting that moxibustion can delay the age-related changes of erythrocytein the rat and decrease the incidence rate of senile anemia of rat.

Chemopreventive Effects of Black Tea Polyphenols in Mouse Skin Model of Carcinogenesis

In the present investigations, the antitumorigenic effect of black tea polyphenols (BTP) in twcrstage mouse skin model of carcinogenesis was studied. The animals were initiated with a single 'subcarcinogenic' topical dose (52 μg/200 μl acetone ) of 7, 12-dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA). To evaluate the anti-tumour initiating activity, BTP was topically applied twice a week for three weeks prior to DMBA application, followed by topical treatment with 12-o-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) (5 μg/200 μl acetone, 2x/wk. ) as promoter. For evaluation of antitumor promoting activity, BTP was applied prior to each treatment of TPA. BTP application showed marked inhibitory effect as antitumour initiator as well as antitumour promoter in mouse skin medel of two-stage carcinogenesis. Since initiation involves genetic pathway and tumour promotion involves epigenetic pathway, it seems that BTP exerts its antitumorigenic effect by altering both genetic and epigenetic pathways

240 nm AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet micro-LEDs:size effect versus edge effect

240 nm AlGaN-based micro-LEDs with different sizes are designed and fabricated.Then,the external quantum efficiency(EQE)and light extraction efficiency(LEE)are systematically investigated by comparing size and edge effects.Here,it is revealed that the peak optical output power increases by 81.83%with the size shrinking from 50.0 to 25.0μm.Thereinto,the LEE increases by 26.21%and the LEE enhancement mainly comes from the sidewall light extraction.Most notably,transversemagnetic(TM)mode light intensifies faster as the size shrinks due to the tilted mesa side-wall and Al reflector design.However,when it turns to 12.5μm sized micro-LEDs,the output power is lower than 25.0μm sized ones.The underlying mechanism is that even though protected by SiO2 passivation,the edge effect which leads to current leakage and Shockley-Read-Hall(SRH)recombination deteriorates rapidly with the size further shrinking.Moreover,the ratio of the p-contact area to mesa area is much lower,which deteriorates the p-type current spreading at the mesa edge.These findings show a role of thumb for the design of high efficiency micro-LEDs with wavelength below 250 nm,which will pave the way for wide applications of deep ultraviolet(DUV)micro-LEDs.

The Protective Effects of Preventive Atomisation Inhalation of Edaravone on the Lung Tissues of Rats with Smoke Inhalation Injury

Objective: To investigate the protective effects of the atomisation inhalation of edaravone on the lung tissues of rats with smoke inhalation injury. Methods: Forty male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into four groups of ten rats each: normal control group (group A), normal saline atomisation group (group B), edaravone aerosol group (group C) and edaravone atomisation prevention group (group D). Barring group A, the groups were used to create a model of severe smoke inhalation injury. However, before developing the model, group D rats were made to inhale edaravone (3.6 mg/mL) for 10 min. Six hours following smoke inhalation injury, abdominal artery blood samples were centrifuged, the lung tissue homogenate was prepared and carotid artery blood samples were used for blood gas analysis and oxygenation index (PaO2/FiO2) calculation. The levels of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL) 6 and IL-10 in serum and the levels of cysteine protease 3 (caspase-3), malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in lung tissues were examined. The wet-dry ratio (W/D) and water content of the lung tissue were calculated, and the TUNEL method was used to determine the rate of lung tissue apoptosis in each group. Tissue specimens were obtained from the partial lung for histopathological examination. Results: Compared with those in group A, the water content of the lung tissue, the rate of lung tissue apoptosis, W/D and the caspase-3, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, MDA and MPO levels were significantly greater in other groups (PP< 0.05). Compared with those in group B, the levels of W/D, the water content of the lung tissue, the rate of lung tissue apoptosis and the levels of caspase-3, TNF-α, IL-6, MDA and MPO were significantly low (P and the levels of IL-10, SOD and PaO2/FiO2 were significantly high in groups C and D (P The expression of the aforementioned factors was more evident in Group D (P < 0.05). Histopathological examination revealed that groups C and D had greater levels of inflammatory granulocytes than group B. This was more evident in group D. Conclusions: The inhalation of edaravone can reduce smoke inhalation-induced lung injury. This may be related to the inhibition of apoptosis, the reduction of peroxidation injury and the production/release of inflammatory mediators/free radicals. It exerts a remarkable preventive effect.

Evaluation of the intracellular lipid-lowering effect of polyphenols extract from highland barley in HepG2 cells

Active ingredients from highland barley have received considerable attention as natural products for developing treatments and dietary supplements against obesity.In practical application,the research of food combinations is more significant than a specific food component.This study investigated the lipid-lowering effect of highland barley polyphenols via lipase assay in vitro and HepG2 cells induced by oleic acid(OA).Five indexes,triglyceride(TG),total cholesterol(T-CHO),low density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-C),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),and alanine aminotransferase(ALT),were used to evaluate the lipidlowering effect of highland barley extract.We also preliminary studied the lipid-lowering mechanism by Realtime fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction(q PCR).The results indicated that highland barley extract contains many components with lipid-lowering effects,such as hyperoside and scoparone.In vitro,the lipase assay showed an 18.4%lipase inhibition rate when the additive contents of highland barley extract were 100μg/m L.The intracellular lipid-lowering effect of highland barley extract was examined using 0.25 mmol/L OA-induced HepG2 cells.The results showed that intracellular TG,LDL-C,and T-CHO content decreased by 34.4%,51.2%,and 18.4%,respectively.ALT and AST decreased by 51.6%and 20.7%compared with the untreated hyperlipidemic HepG2 cells.q PCR results showed that highland barley polyphenols could up-regulation the expression of lipid metabolism-related genes such as PPARγand Fabp4.

Engineering Strategies for Suppressing the Shuttle Effect in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Lithium–sulfur(Li–S)batteries are supposed to be one of the most potential next-generation batteries owing to their high theoretical capacity and low cost.Nevertheless,the shuttle effect of firm multi-step two-electron reaction between sulfur and lithium in liquid electrolyte makes the capacity much smaller than the theoretical value.Many methods were proposed for inhibiting the shuttle effect of polysulfide,improving corresponding redox kinetics and enhancing the integral performance of Li–S batteries.Here,we will comprehensively and systematically summarize the strategies for inhibiting the shuttle effect from all components of Li–S batteries.First,the electrochemical principles/mechanism and origin of the shuttle effect are described in detail.Moreover,the efficient strategies,including boosting the sulfur conversion rate of sulfur,confining sulfur or lithium polysulfides(LPS)within cathode host,confining LPS in the shield layer,and preventing LPS from contacting the anode,will be discussed to suppress the shuttle effect.Then,recent advances in inhibition of shuttle effect in cathode,electrolyte,separator,and anode with the aforementioned strategies have been summarized to direct the further design of efficient materials for Li–S batteries.Finally,we present prospects for inhibition of the LPS shuttle and potential development directions in Li–S batteries.

Diabetes and susceptibility to COVID-19:Risk factors and preventive and therapeutic strategies

Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)is a highly infectious disease caused by a novel human coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2).Diabetes is a well-known risk factor for infectious diseases with high prevalence and increased severity.Here,we elucidated the possible factors for the increased vulnerability of diabetic patients to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the more severe COVID-19 illness.The worsened prognosis of patients with both COVID-19 and diabetes may be attributable to host receptor angiotensinconverting enzyme 2-assisted viral uptake.Moreover,insulin resistance is often associated with impaired mucosal and skin barrier integrity,resulting in microbiota dysbiosis,which increases susceptibility to viral infections.It may also be associated with higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines resulting from an impaired immune system in diabetics,inducing a cytokine storm and excessive inflammation.This review describes diabetes mellitus and its complications,explains the risk factors,such as disease characteristics and patient lifestyle,which may contribute to the high susceptibility of diabetic patients to COVID-19,and discusses preventive and therapeutic strategies for COVID-19-positive diabetic patients.

Preventive effect of essential oil of Cinnamomum camphora leaves against mice allergic contact dermatitis

This article was aimed to study the antiinflammatory and antipruritic effects of essential oil of camphor leaves and its possible mechanism. The chemical constituents of essential oil of camphor leaves were analyzed by GC-MS. Mice allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) models were induced 0.5% 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) solution. The contents of IL-4, 5-LOX, LTB4 and LTR1 in serum and the histomorphology of mice ear cutaneous tissue were measured after induction. Pathological examination showed a large number of inflammatory cells in the model group. Inflammatory cells were not seen in essential oil high dose group. The dermis slightly thickened in the low doses of essential oil group. The contents of 5-LOX, LTB4 and LTR1 of the drug groups were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) compared with that of the model group. However, the essential oil of camphor leaf had no significant effect on IL-4 (P > 0.05). Essential oil of camphor leaves has significant antiinflammatory and antipruritic effects on ACD by inhibiting the 5-LOX-LTB4-LTR1 pathway.