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  1. Du Y, Shahiri H, Wei X
    SSM Popul Health, 2023 Mar;21:101347.
    PMID: 36785547 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101347
    OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of unmet mental healthcare needs is a common challenge faced by many developing countries. This situation may worsen if more attention is not paid to the dramatic changes in the industrial workplace because of the diffusion of new automation and robotisation in the process of production.We aim to examine whether mental health problems are associated with frontline workers' direct experience of process innovation in the firms where they operate and verify whether/which of these mechanisms are involved in this relationship.

    METHODS: Our data were obtained from the Foshan Workplace Employee Survey (FWES). Mental health was proxied by the subjective assessment of workers' need to receive psychological counselling or treatment. To address endogeneity concerns, this study employed an extended ordered probit model and the two-stage least squares (2SLS) method.

    RESULTS: Frontline workers employed in innovative manufacturing firms are significantly more likely than those in firms taking no such action to experience psychological difficulties and to seek psychological counselling or treatment. Firms with a higher likelihood of upgrading their production process are more capable of taking a range of measures to significantly but not sufficiently mitigate the psychological problems of their workers induced by process innovation. In workplaces with a new advanced automation environment, workers believe that they face higher job insecurity (JI) and work stress, which in turn is partially and effectively linked to the deterioration in their mental health and further increases treatment-seeking behaviours.

    CONCLUSION: This study suggests that carrying out process innovation is associated with increased psychological distress and, hence, more needs for mental healthcare services. To narrow the treatment gap originally subject to existing obstacles, it is necessary to face the new challenges posed by automation-induced change in the workplace, which policies should be particularly attentive to.

  2. Tian Z, Albakry NS, Du Y
    PLoS One, 2024;19(8):e0308201.
    PMID: 39141655 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0308201
    Nighttime driving presents a critical challenge to road safety due to insufficient lighting and increased risk of driver fatigue. Existing methods for monitoring driver fatigue, mainly focusing on behavioral analysis and biometric monitoring, face significant challenges under low-light conditions. Their effectiveness, especially in dynamic lighting environments, is limited by their dependency on specific environmental conditions and active driver participation, leading to reduced accuracy and practicality in real-world scenarios. This study introduces a novel 'Illumination Intelligent Adaptation and Analysis Framework (IIAAF)', aimed at addressing these limitations and enhancing the accuracy and practicality of driver fatigue monitoring under nighttime low-light conditions. The IIAAF framework employs a multidimensional technology integration, including comprehensive body posture analysis and facial fatigue feature detection, per-pixel dynamic illumination adjustment technology, and a light variation feature learning system based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and time-series analysis. Through this integrated approach, the framework is capable of accurately capturing subtle fatigue signals in nighttime driving environments and adapting in real-time to rapid changes in lighting conditions. Experimental results on two independent datasets indicate that the IIAAF framework significantly improves the accuracy of fatigue detection under nighttime low-light conditions. This breakthrough not only enhances the effectiveness of driving assistance systems but also provides reliable scientific support for reducing the risk of accidents caused by fatigued driving. These research findings have significant theoretical and practical implications for advancing intelligent driving assistance technology and improving nighttime road safety.
  3. Beaudrot L, Du Y, Rahman Kassim A, Rejmánek M, Harrison RD
    PLoS One, 2011;6(5):e19777.
    PMID: 21625558 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019777
    The extent to which environmental heterogeneity can account for tree species coexistence in diverse ecosystems, such as tropical rainforests, is hotly debated, although the importance of spatial variability in contributing to species co-existence is well recognized. Termites contribute to the micro-topographical and nutrient spatial heterogeneity of tropical forests. We therefore investigated whether epigeal termite mounds could contribute to the coexistence of plant species within a 50 ha plot at Pasoh Forest Reserve, Malaysia. Overall, stem density was significantly higher on mounds than in their immediate surroundings, but tree species diversity was significantly lower. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that location on or off mounds significantly influenced species distribution when stems were characterized by basal area. Like studies of termite mounds in other ecosystems, our results suggest that epigeal termite mounds provide a specific microhabitat for the enhanced growth and survival of certain species in these species-rich tropical forests. However, the extent to which epigeal termite mounds facilitate species coexistence warrants further investigation.
  4. Zhang MW, Yeoh FY, Du Y, Lin KA
    Sci Total Environ, 2019 Aug 15;678:466-475.
    PMID: 31077925 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.04.295
    As methyltheobromine (MTB) has been increasingly detected in wastewater, it would be necessary to develop more intensive and effective approaches to remove MTB. As Co species immobilized on carbonaceous materials appears as a promising catalyst, doping carbon with nitrogen has been also validated to significantly enhance catalytic activities for Oxone activation. Therefore, it is desired to develop a composite of immobilizing Co species on N-doped carbonaceous supports for activating Oxone to degrade MTB. Unfortunately, very few studies have demonstrated such composites for activating Oxone to degrade MTB as this type of composites are conventionally prepared via complex procedures. Alternatively, this study aims to develop such a composite conveniently by using a cobaltic coordination polymer (CP) as a precursor. Specifically Co2+ and 4,4-bipyridine (BIPY) are selected for formulating a special one-dimensional CP, which is then carbonized to convert Co to Co nanoparticles (NPs) and transform BIPY to carbon nitride (CN) matrices. Because of 1-D coordinated structure of CoBIPY, the resulting magnetic Co NPs are well-distributed and protected within CN to form a magnetic Co-embedded carbon nitride composite (MCoCN). In comparison to pristine CN and Co3O4, MCoCN exhibits much higher catalytic activities to activate Oxone for degrading MTB completely within 7 min. MCoCN also shows a much lower activation energy of 24.6 kJ/mol than other reported catalysts for activating Oxone to degrade MTB. The findings of this study validate that the 1-D coordination polymer of CoBIPY is a useful precursor to prepare MCoCN for effectively activating Oxone to degrade MTB.
  5. Du YH, Li Y, Wang RL, Wang HF, Su J, Xu BL, et al.
    Zhonghua Yu Fang Yi Xue Za Zhi, 2018 Nov 06;52(11):1164-1167.
    PMID: 30419702 DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.0253-9624.2018.11.013
    Objective: To confirm the laboratory diagnosis of dengue bordline cases reported in Henan Province and trace its origin from molecular level in 2017. Methods: The study samples were blood samples (3-5 ml), which came from 8 suspected cases of dengue fever reported in the 2017 direct reporting system of Henan provincial infectious disease monitoring network. Meanwhile, case investigation was conducted according to National dengue fever surveillance programme. Serum were separated from blood samples and tested for Dengue NS1 antigen, IgM & IgG antibodies, and dengue RNA. According to dengue diagnosis criteria, confirmed cases were identified by testing results. Samples carried dengue RNA performed for real-time PCR genotyping and amplification of E gene. Then, the amplicons were sequenced and homological and phylogenetic analyses were constructed. Results: 8 serum samples of suspected dengue cases were collected in Henan Province, 2017. Six of them were diagnosed as dengue confirmed cases. All the dengue confirmed cases belonged to outside imported cases, 5 of them were positive by dengue RNA testing. Genotyping results showed there were 1 DENV1 case, 2 DENV2 cases and 2 DENV3 cases. A DENV2 case and a DENV3 case of this study were traced its origin successfully. The sequence of Pakistan imported DENV2 case belongs to cosmopolitan genotype, which was the most consistent with Pakistan's DENV2 KJ010186 in 2013 (identity 99.0%). The sequence of Malaysia imported DENV3 case belongs to genotype I, which was the most consistent with Singapore's DENV3 KX224276 in 2014(identity 99.0%). Conclusion: The laboratory diagnosis and molecular traceability of dengue cases in Henan Province in 2017 confirmed that all cases were imported and did not cause local epidemics.
  6. Li MH, Da Oh W, Lin KA, Hung C, Hu C, Du Y
    Sci Total Environ, 2020 Jul 01;724:138032.
    PMID: 32408427 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138032
    Since 5-sulfosalicylic acid (SFA) has been increasingly released to the environment, SO4--based oxidation processes using Oxone have been considered as useful methods to eliminate SFA. As Co3O4 has been a promising material for OX activation, the four 3D Co3O4 catalysts with distinct morphologies, including Co3O4-C (with cubes), Co3O4-P (with plates), Co3O4-N (with needles) and Co3O4-F (with floral structures), are fabricated for activating OX to degrade SFA. In particular, Co3O4-F not only exhibits the highest surface area but also possesses the abundant Co2+ and more reactive surface, making Co3O4-F the most advantageous 3D Co3O4 catalyst for OX activation to degrade SFA. The mechanism of SFA by this 3D Co3O4/OX is also investigated and the corresponding SFA degradation pathway has been elucidated. The catalytic activities of Co3O4 catalysts can be correlated to physical and chemical properties which were associated with particular morphologies to provide insights into design of 3D Co3O4-based catalysts for OX-based technology to degrade emerging contaminants, such as SFA.
  7. Yang Y, Gupta VK, Du Y, Aghbashlo M, Show PL, Pan J, et al.
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2023 Jul 01;242(Pt 2):124800.
    PMID: 37178880 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124800
    Mucilages are natural compounds consisting mainly of polysaccharides with complex chemical structures. Mucilages also contain uronic acids, proteins, lipids, and bioactive compounds. Because of their unique properties, mucilages are used in various industries, including food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Typically, commercial gums are composed only of polysaccharides, which increase their hydrophilicity and surface tension, reducing their emulsifying ability. As a result of the presence of proteins in combination with polysaccharides, mucilages possess unique emulsifying properties due to their ability to reduce surface tension. In recent years, various studies have been conducted on using mucilages as emulsifiers in classical and Pickering emulsions because of their unique emulsifying feature. Studies have shown that some mucilages, such as yellow mustard, mutamba, and flaxseed mucilages, have a higher emulsifying capacity than commercial gums. A synergistic effect has also been shown in some mucilages, such as Dioscorea opposita mucilage when combined with commercial gums. This review article investigates whether mucilages can be used as emulsifiers and what factors affect their emulsifying properties. A discussion of the challenges and prospects of using mucilages as emulsifiers is also presented in this review.
  8. Qiu R, Zhang L, Hu Z, Du Y, Zheng X, Zhang Z, et al.
    Plant Dis, 2022 Oct 03.
    PMID: 36190300 DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-03-22-0677-PDN
    Anisomeles indica (L.) Kuntze is a perennial erect herb that belongs to the genus Epimeredi, family Labiatae (Hsieh et al., 2008). This herb is distributed in several southern provinces such as Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou in China, and it is also exported to Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore and Malaysia (Li., 2010; Yao et al., 2019). Due to its market potential and broad development prospects, the herb has been cultivated in Yunnan. In August 2021, virus-like symptoms on leaves, including shrinking, mosaic, and yellow mottling(Fig S1. A) appeared on approximately 80% of A. indica in the experimental fields of the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Science, in Kunming, Yunnan. To unveil the possible viral agents associated with the disease symptoms, leaf samples were collected from 5 plants for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis using negative staining (Zhang et al., 2016). Rhabditiform-shaped particles around 300 × 18 nm (Fig S1. C) were observed, which resemble those of tobamoviruses. To identify the exact virus, total RNA was extracted from the 20 leaf samples using the RNA-easy Isolation Reagent (Vazyme, Nanjing, China), followed by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR with a degenerate tobamovirus primer pair (Li et al., 2014). A 480-bp amplicon was obtained from each sample and cloned into the pMD18-T vector for Sanger sequencing (Takara, Dalian, China). BLASTn-analysis revealed that the 20 amplicons were identical and shared 100% nucleotide sequence identity with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) isolate Bei Cang Zhu from Atractylodes lancea (acc. no. KU198186) One sequence was deposited in the GenBank under the accession number OK489807. ELISA testing with TMV-specific antibody (Agdia, USA) produced positive results for all of the 20 leaf samples. In order to understand the difference between TMV isolates from A. indica and those form other host plants, the sequences of movement protein (MP, 807 bp) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp, 3351 bp) of TMV were also obtained from one of the TMV infected samples using the target gene special primers (Tab. S1), and submitted to GenBank under the accession number OM3662406 (MP) and OM366242 (RdRp). BLASTn-analysis revealed that the amplicon of MP shared 97.75% nucleotide sequence identity with TMV isolate Henan 9-2-2017 from sweet potato (MN186255.1) and RdRp shared 97.43% nucleotide sequence identity with TMV isolate SXFQ from Solanum lycopersicum (JX993906.1). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the isolate of A. indica grouped with several TMV isolates (e.g., tomato, AF103779.1 and tobacco, HE818449.1) from Northern China. The virus was successfully transmitted onto healthy A.indica plants (n = 5) upon mechanical inoculation as the plants not only developed foliar distortion symptoms but also tested positive for TMV by RT-PCR with the CP-specific primers (Tab. S1). Taken together, our results demonstrated that the diseased A. indica plants were infected with TMV. To our knowledge, this is the first report of TMV infected A. indica (L.) Kuntze in China. Symptomatic phenotype-based field surveys on some plantations in Yunnan Province indicated that the disease incidence ranged from 70% to 90%, resulting in significant loss of production of A. indica. It is necessary to monitor the viruses in the fields and find effective methods to protect TMV in the A. indica (L.) Kuntze industry.
  9. Du Y, Lin X, Shao X, Zhao J, Xu H, de Cruz CR, et al.
    Front Immunol, 2024;15:1319698.
    PMID: 38646543 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1319698
    This study explored the impacts of supplementation of different levels of coated methionine (Met) in a high-plant protein diet on growth, blood biochemistry, antioxidant capacity, digestive enzymes activity and expression of genes related to TOR signaling pathway in gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibeilo). A high-plant protein diet was formulated and used as a basal diet and supplemented with five different levels of coated Met at 0.15, 0.30, 0.45, 0.60 and 0.75%, corresponding to final analyzed Met levels of 0.34, 0.49, 0.64, 0.76, 0.92 and 1.06%. Three replicate groups of fish (initial mean weight, 11.37 ± 0.02 g) (20 fish per replicate) were fed the test diets over a 10-week feeding period. The results indicated that with the increase of coated Met level, the final weight, weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate initially boosted and then suppressed, peaking at 0.76% Met level (P< 0.05). Increasing dietary Met level led to significantly increased muscle crude protein content (P< 0.05) and reduced serum alanine aminotransferase activity (P< 0.05). Using appropriate dietary Met level led to reduced malondialdehyde concentration in hepatopancreas (P< 0.05), improved superoxide dismutase activity (P< 0.05), and enhanced intestinal amylase and protease activities (P< 0.05). The expression levels of genes associated with muscle protein synthesis such as insulin-like growth factor-1, protein kinase B, target of rapamycin and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E binding protein-1 mRNA were significantly regulated, peaking at Met level of 0.76% (P< 0.05). In conclusion, supplementing optimal level of coated Met improved on fish growth, antioxidant capacity, and the expression of TOR pathway related genes in muscle. The optimal dietary Met level was determined to be 0.71% of the diet based on quadratic regression analysis of WG.
  10. Phyo HM, Al-Maqtari QA, Mi S, Du Y, Khalid MU, Yao W
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2024 Nov;281(Pt 1):136278.
    PMID: 39368575 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.136278
    This study investigated the influence of chitosan (CH) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (H), along with ultrasound power, on the physicochemical properties, antifungal activity, and stability of oil-in-water (O/W) nanoemulsions containing thymol and cinnamaldehyde in a 7:3 (v/v) ratio. Eight O/W formulations were prepared using CH, H, and a 1:1 (v/v) blend of CH and H, both with and without ultrasonication (U). Compared to untreated samples, U-treated nanoemulsions had lower droplet sizes (433-301 nm), polydispersity index (0.42-0.47), and zeta potential (-0.42-0.77 mV). The U treatment decreased L* and b* values, increased a* color attribute values, and increased apparent viscosity (0.26-2.17) at the same shear rate. After 28 days, microbiological testing of nanoemulsions treated with U showed counts below the detection limits (< 2 log CFU mL-1). The U-treated nanoemulsions exhibited stronger antifungal effects against R. stolonifer, with the NE/CH-U and NE/CH-H-U formulations demonstrating the lowest minimum inhibitory and fungicidal concentrations, measured at 0.12 and 0.24 μL/mL, respectively. On day 28, U-treated nanoemulsions demonstrated higher ionic, thermal, and physical stability than untreated samples. These findings suggest that the stability and antifungal efficacy of polysaccharide-based nanoemulsions may be improved by ultrasonic treatment. This study paves the way for innovative, highly stable nanoemulsions.
  11. Zhou X, Qu Y, Kim BH, Choo PY, Liu J, Du Y, et al.
    Bioresour Technol, 2014 Oct;169:265-70.
    PMID: 25062537 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2014.07.012
    The effects of azide on electron transport of exoelectrogens were investigated using air-cathode MFCs. These MFCs enriched with azide at the concentration higher than 0.5mM generated lower current and coulomb efficiency (CE) than the control reactors, but at the concentration lower than 0.2mM MFCs generated higher current and CE. Power density curves showed overshoot at higher azide concentrations, with power and current density decreasing simultaneously. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) showed that azide at high concentration increased the charge transfer resistance. These analyses might reflect that a part of electrons were consumed by the anode microbial population rather than transferred to the anode. Bacterial population analyses showed azide-enriched anodes were dominated by Deltaproteobacteria compared with the controls. Based on these results it is hypothesized that azide can eliminate the growth of aerobic respiratory bacteria, and at the same time is used as an electron acceptor/sink.
  12. Shen S, Deng L, Du Y, Gao J, Zhang C, Wang Y, et al.
    Int J Pharm, 2022 Dec 15;629:122385.
    PMID: 36375685 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2022.122385
    Wound dressings can be applied over the wound sites to provide long-lasting wound management and improve wound healing. Biological wound dressings are superior to synthetic materials due to biodegradability and biocompatibility. These biomaterials have demonstrated huge potential in the field of wound dressings. Applying bibliometric analysis combined with results-based descriptions to characterize the research status, hotspots, and cutting-edge topics, this study is the first in-depth qualitative, quantitative, data-driven overview of biological wound dressings research in recent decades. Filtered data were used to construct co-citation, heatmaps, bi-clustering, strategy maps, and other analyses and visualization. The results show that research on biological wound dressings has progressed considerably in the last 5 years with extensive global collaboration. A clear knowledge base has been developed. Chitosan hydrogels, bacterial cellulose, active agents (silver nanoparticles, growth factors, curcumin, etc.), and electrospinning fibers stand out as research hotspots. The research frontiers include novel starting materials, precise and controlled release systems, and clinical and regenerative medicine applications. We interpreted an overview of the excavated topics and expected the findings here to provide a guide and inspire innovations for developing the next generation wound dressings.
  13. Xin Z, Du Y, Zhang C, Zhang B, Qi M, Meng H, et al.
    J Neurosurg Spine, 2024 Sep 01;41(3):407-415.
    PMID: 38848604 DOI: 10.3171/2024.3.SPINE231161
    OBJECTIVE: Intraspinal cysts are uncommon, and the success rate of complete resection is still low for spinal neurenteric cysts (NCs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacies of an anterior microscopic surgical approach in the treatment of ventral and ventrolateral subaxial cervical NCs (SCNCs).

    METHODS: Between 2019 and 2022, 9 patients with NCs of the subaxial spine underwent an anterior microsurgical approach. Their clinical presentations, radiological features, operative findings, and follow-up data were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed.

    RESULTS: All spinal cysts were intradural and extramedullary in origin. Five patients were first-time cases while 4 patients with recurrence underwent revision surgery. The most common clinical manifestation was pain (77.78%). One patient was found to have a concomitant disorder of Klippel-Feil syndrome. Microscopically confirmed gross-total resection was achieved in 8 patients (88.89%) based on clinical comparisons between pre- and postoperative MRI and intraoperative video. One patient had symptom recurrence 1 year after subtotal resection, while there was no evidence of recurrence during follow-up for the other patients. Dense adhesions within the spinal cord were observed in 8 patients (88.89%) intraoperatively. Most importantly, the surgical outcome was significantly improved in all patients, and the mean (± SE) Japanese Orthopaedic Association score increased from 11.33 ± 0.91 preoperatively to 16.22 ± 0.32 postoperatively (p = 0.008).

    CONCLUSIONS: An anterior surgical approach was proven to be both safe and effective in treating the ventral or ventrolateral SCNCs. The authors believe that an anterior microsurgical approach should be considered as a useful approach especially in patients with ventral recurrent SCNCs. Its clinical efficacy compared with a posterior approach in ventral spinal cyst may be better as most of the neurenteric cysts are ventrally or ventrolaterally located.

  14. Zhang H, Gao J, Ma Z, Liu Y, Wang G, Liu Q, et al.
    Front Cell Infect Microbiol, 2022;12:1082809.
    PMID: 36530420 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1082809
    BACKGROUND: Wolbachia is gram-negative and common intracellular bacteria, which is maternally inherited endosymbionts and could expand their propagation in host populations by means of various manipulations. Recent reports reveal the natural infection of Wolbachia in Aedes Aegypti in Malaysia, India, Philippines, Thailand and the United States. At present, none of Wolbachia natural infection in Ae. aegypti has been reported in China.

    METHODS: A total of 480 Ae. aegypti adult mosquitoes were collected from October and November 2018 based on the results of previous investigations and the distribution of Ae. aegypti in Yunnan. Each individual sample was processed and screened for the presence of Wolbachia by PCR with wsp primers. Phylogenetic trees for the wsp gene was constructed using the neighbour-joining method with 1,000 bootstrap replicates, and the p-distance distribution model of molecular evolution was applied.

    RESULTS: 24 individual adult mosquito samples and 10 sample sites were positive for Wolbachia infection. The Wolbachia infection rate (IR) of each population ranged from 0 - 41.7%. The infection rate of group A alone was 0%-10%, the infection rate of group B alone was 0%-7.7%, and the infection rate of co-infection with A and B was 0-33.3%.

    CONCLUSIONS: Wolbachia infection in wild Ae. aegypti in China is the first report based on PCR amplification of the Wolbachia wsp gene. The Wolbachia infection is 5%, and the wAlbA and wAlbB strains were found to be prevalent in the natural population of Ae. aegypti in Yunnan Province.

  15. Zhang Y, Wang L, Wu W, Zhang S, Zhang M, She W, et al.
    Int J Nurs Stud, 2024 Jan;149:104631.
    PMID: 37963423 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2023.104631
    BACKGROUND: Factors that predict the quality of bowel preparation in older adults are unclear, and current guidelines do not provide specific recommendations.

    OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis aimed to identify risk factors for inadequate bowel preparation in older patients.

    METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and VIP databases were searched from their inception to February 2023. Cohort and cross-sectional studies exploring the risk factors for inadequate bowel preparation were included in this systematic review. Odds ratio (OR) values from individual studies were pooled using fixed-effects and random-effects models. In addition, a sensitivity analysis and assessment of publication bias were performed.

    RESULTS: This meta-analysis included six studies (n = 1553) on previous abdominal surgery, six studies (n = 1494) on constipation, seven studies (n = 1505) on diabetes, eight studies (n = 2093) on non-compliance with the diet regimen, seven studies (n = 1350) on incomplete intake of laxative, and nine studies (n = 2163) on inadequate exercise during preparation. The pooled analysis showed that history of abdominal surgery (OR = 2.72; 95 % confidence interval, CI: 2.07 to 3.56), constipation (OR = 3.56, 95 % CI: 2.41 to 5.25), diabetes (OR = 2.54, 95 % CI: 1.81 to 3.57), non-compliance with the diet regimen (OR = 2.51, 95 % CI: 1.96 to 3.21), incomplete intake of laxative (OR = 2.43, 95 % CI: 1.60 to 3.67), and inadequate exercise during preparation (OR = 3.13, 95 % CI: 2.39 to 4.11) were independent risk factors for inadequate bowel preparation in older patients undergoing colonoscopy.

    CONCLUSIONS: Three comorbid factors and three behavioral factors were significantly associated with inadequate bowel preparation in older adults. This meta-analysis provides valuable information for developing predictive models of poor bowel preparation.

  16. Du Y, Zhen F, Ding S, Zhong Y, Li P, Zhan K, et al.
    PMID: 39540851 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c15588
    Effective heat redistribution in specific directions is vital for advanced thermal management, significantly enhancing device performance by optimizing spatial heat configurations. We have designed and fabricated a hierarchical fibrous membrane that enables precise heat directing. By integrating hierarchical structure design with the anisotropic thermal conductivity of two-dimensional (2D) materials, we developed a fibrous membrane for anisotropic heat transfer. Such a structure is fabricated by aligning a 1D structured fiber in the 2D plane to achieve anisotropy at each scale level. The fiber units, where 2D nanosheets circumferentially and axially aligned, achieved a high axial thermal conductivity of 16.8 W·m-1·K-1 and advanced heat directing ability, confirmed by characterizations and simulations. The assembled membrane demonstrated an exceptional tensile strength (365 MPa) and high thermal conductivity (10.5 W·m-1·K-1) along the fiber axis. Our membranes are seen as a refined model for thermal management materials, combining the benefits of heat spreaders and thermal interface materials, thus being proficient in directing heat along programmed pathways. A practical wireless charging cooling demonstration illustrated this. Our methodology also proved versatile with different 2D fillers and various geometries. This research presents a method to achieve precise heat directing at the material's level, facilitating the systematic design of thermal management in electronics.
  17. Wang G, Fu R, Zhang L, Xue L, Al-Mahdi AY, Xie X, et al.
    PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2023 Apr 21;17(4):e0011243.
    PMID: 37083859 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011243
    Scrub typhus, caused by mite-borne Orientia tsutsugamushi (O. tsutsugamushi), is a major febrile disease in the Asia-Pacific region. The DNA load of O. tsutsugamushi in the blood was previously found to be significantly higher in patients with fatal disease than those with non-fatal disease and correlated with the duration of illness, presence of eschar, and hepatic enzyme levels. In this prospective observation study, we analyzed the association of bacterial DNA load with clinical features, disease severity, and genotype using real-time PCR targeting the 56 kDa TSA gene of O. tsutsugamushi in the blood samples of 117 surviving patients with scrub typhus who had not received appropriate antibiotic treatment. The median O. tsutsugamushi DNA load was 3.11×103 copies/mL (range, 44 to 3.3×106 copies/mL). The severity of patients was categorized as mild, moderate, and severe based on the number of dysfunctional organs, and no significant difference in O. tsutsugamushi DNA load was found among these groups. Patients infected with the Karp group showed a significantly higher O. tsutsugamushi DNA load than those in the Gilliam (P 
  18. Global Retinoblastoma Study Group, Fabian ID, Abdallah E, Abdullahi SU, Abdulqader RA, Adamou Boubacar S, et al.
    JAMA Oncol, 2020 May 01;6(5):685-695.
    PMID: 32105305 DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2019.6716
    IMPORTANCE: Early diagnosis of retinoblastoma, the most common intraocular cancer, can save both a child's life and vision. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many children across the world are diagnosed late. To our knowledge, the clinical presentation of retinoblastoma has never been assessed on a global scale.

    OBJECTIVES: To report the retinoblastoma stage at diagnosis in patients across the world during a single year, to investigate associations between clinical variables and national income level, and to investigate risk factors for advanced disease at diagnosis.

    DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 278 retinoblastoma treatment centers were recruited from June 2017 through December 2018 to participate in a cross-sectional analysis of treatment-naive patients with retinoblastoma who were diagnosed in 2017.

    MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Age at presentation, proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, and tumor stage and metastasis.

    RESULTS: The cohort included 4351 new patients from 153 countries; the median age at diagnosis was 30.5 (interquartile range, 18.3-45.9) months, and 1976 patients (45.4%) were female. Most patients (n = 3685 [84.7%]) were from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Globally, the most common indication for referral was leukocoria (n = 2638 [62.8%]), followed by strabismus (n = 429 [10.2%]) and proptosis (n = 309 [7.4%]). Patients from high-income countries (HICs) were diagnosed at a median age of 14.1 months, with 656 of 666 (98.5%) patients having intraocular retinoblastoma and 2 (0.3%) having metastasis. Patients from low-income countries were diagnosed at a median age of 30.5 months, with 256 of 521 (49.1%) having extraocular retinoblastoma and 94 of 498 (18.9%) having metastasis. Lower national income level was associated with older presentation age, higher proportion of locally advanced disease and distant metastasis, and smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma. Advanced disease at diagnosis was more common in LMICs even after adjusting for age (odds ratio for low-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 17.92 [95% CI, 12.94-24.80], and for lower-middle-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 5.74 [95% CI, 4.30-7.68]).

    CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This study is estimated to have included more than half of all new retinoblastoma cases worldwide in 2017. Children from LMICs, where the main global retinoblastoma burden lies, presented at an older age with more advanced disease and demonstrated a smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, likely because many do not reach a childbearing age. Given that retinoblastoma is curable, these data are concerning and mandate intervention at national and international levels. Further studies are needed to investigate factors, other than age at presentation, that may be associated with advanced disease in LMICs.

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