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Background Currently, there is a lack of clinical competence evaluation tools applicable of general practitioners (GPs) practicing in rural settings in China, resulting in the lack of researches on the clinical competence evaluation of GPs in rural. Objective To explore reliability and validity of an evaluation index system for consultation competency of rural GPs developed previously, and provide an evaluation tool with high reliability and validity for scientific and objective assessment of consultation competence of GPs in rural settings. Methods Based on the evaluation system for consultation competency of rural GPs, a corresponding questionnaire was designed, and points were assigned to each option on a 5-point Likert scale. From September to December 2022, GPs or assistant general practitioners (AGPs) who were working in rural township health centers in Guangxi Province were recruited as the research subjects by using the purposive sampling and stratified sampling methods, the questionnaire was distributed through a national web-based survey platform-"WJX" to them. Cronbach's α coefficient, split-half coefficient, critical ratio (CR) and correlation coefficients were calculated based on questionnaire data. Confirmative factor analysis was employed to fit questionnaire data and assumed model, and calculate three categories of indicators, including preliminary fit criteria (PFC), overall model fit (OMF), and fit of internal structural model (FISM), to verify the degree of fit and structural validity of the measured data. Results A total of 600 questionnaires were distributed and 366 were validly collected, with an effective recovery rate of 61.0%, 86.1% were registered as GPs and 13.9% as AGPs, who came from five cities, including Nanning, Guilin, Wuzhou, Baise, and Guigang, and 204 township health centers in Guangxi Province. Cronbach'α coefficient for the whole questionnaire or for every section was higher than 0.700, and Guttman Split-Half coefficient was 0.931. The initial first-order model met the PFC well; except for goodness of fit index (GFI), adjusted goodness of fit index (AGFI), and normed fit index (NFI), other indicators related to the OMF reached for the best levels in the modified first-order model. Apart from R2 for 9 observable variables less than 0.5, the FISM for the modified first-order model showed good effects. The initial second-order model indicated as similar effects on the PFC as the initial first-order model; the modified second-order model shared similar OMF with the modified first-order model; the modified second-order model was inferior to the modified first-order model in terms of the FISM. Eventually, questionnaire data fitted the modified first-order model better. Conclusion The evaluation index system for consultation competency of rural GPs shows high reliability and validity, which can be used for research and practical work on the evaluation of consultation competence evaluation of GPs in rural settings.

A friction draft gear model was developed to assess the degraded dynamic characteristics of worn draft gears in the vehicle impact condition. It presents an approach to simulate multiple typical wear profiles of wedge shoes and reflect their effects on the draft gear performance. Based on the rated design indexes and existing overhaul regulations of MT-2 type friction draft gears in China, the safety wear limits for wedge shoes with different wear profiles were classified and assessed. The results indicate that wedge shoes with uniform or concave wear can significantly worsen draft gear performance, and the existing maintenance limit of 1 mm only applies to wedge shoes with uniform wear but not to the most common wedge shoes with concave wear. Also, for wedge shoes with concave wear, when the wear area covers 50%, 75%, and 100% of the total main friction surface, the corresponding safety wear limits are 0.5 mm, 0.8 mm, and 1.3 mm, respectively. Therefore, it is proposed to design multiple graded and dynamic maintenance limits to ensure the service safety of MT-2 type friction draft gears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antidiabetic effects of flavonoids have been reported, but it is still unclear whether 5,7,3′,4′,5′-pentamethoxyflavone, isolated from Bauhinia championii Benth. (Fabaceae), also exhibits such properties. To isolate 5,7,3′,4′,5′-pentamethoxyflavone from B. championii using high-speed countercurrent chromatography and examine its potential in treating diabetic nephropathy. The phytochemical constituents from the stems of B. championii were separated and purified with high-speed countercurrent chromatography; 5,7,3′,4′,5′-pentamethoxyflavone (PMF) was identified by mass spectrum, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR. After exposing mesangial cells to 30 mM glucose and either 5 μM or 10 μM PMF for 6 h, the levels of fibronectin (FN) and p-Smad2/3 were analyzed using Western blotting. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were injected intraperitoneally with 55 mg/kg streptozotocin to induce diabetes and then were randomized into three groups (n = 10): vehicle administration, low-dose (5 mg/kg) PMF, and high-dose (25 mg/kg) PMF by intragastric gavage for 3 months. A healthy group was included as the control. Compared to the diabetic group, low-dose and high-dose PMF treatment decreased the phosphorylation of Smad2/3 by 0.54- and 0.52-fold, and the accumulation of FN decreased by 0.82- and 0.77-fold in vitro; the phosphorylation of Smad2/3 was decreased by 0.39- and 0.37-fold, and the accumulation of FN decreased by 0.47- and 0.40-fold in vivo, respectively. Furthermore, PMF alleviated the glomerular basement membrane thickness and foot process fusion. The findings suggest for the first time that PMF may be a promising treatment option for diabetic kidney fibrosis, which warrants additional clinical investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly sensitive homogeneous electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor for folate receptor (FR) has been developed based on hyperbranched rolling circle amplification (HRCA) and terminal protection. FR was combined to folic acid modified single stranded DNA (FA‐ssDNA) through the strong affinity between FA and FR, which prevented ssDNA from enzymolysis of exonuclease I (Exo I). The protected ssDNA was then applied as a template of padlock looping to trigger the HRCA proceeding. The products of HRCA contains large amount of double strand DNA (dsDNA), which provided excellent carries for Ru(phen)32+ intercalation. The extra free Ru(phen)32+ was removed by ultrafiltration and the Ru(phen)32+ embedded into dsDNA can act as a high‐efficiency ECL indicator to quantify the FR concentration. The enhanced ECL intensity had a linear relationship with logarithm of FR concentration in the range of 4 fM to 120 pM with a correlation coefficient of 0.998. Furthermore, the proposed ECL biosensor has been applied to detect FR in Hela cells and showed a linear relationship with the logarithm of cell concentration ranging from 100–5000 cell/mL. Compared to other FR biosensors, the proposed ECL biosensor presents the merits of the simplicity, high sensitivity and specificity, which shows the great potential application in the field of early cancers diagnosis. Let there be light: an electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor for detection of the folate receptor is fabricated in a homogeneous system. The combination of an effective ECL indicator (Ru(phen)32+) and the hyperbranched rolling circle amplification (HRCA) technique promotes the high sensitivity of the fabricated biosensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyaluronidase (HAase), a specific enzyme of hyaluronic acid (HA), has been reported as a potential tumor biomarker in recent years. Hence, developing some simple, rapid, and sensitive methods for HAase assay is necessary. In this work, a simple and sensitive biosensor constructed by a reliable controlled release system and a mature electrochemiluminescence (ECL) analytical technique has been devised for the quantification of HAase with high efficiency and selectivity. Tris (2,2'-bipyridyl) ruthenium(II) chloride hexahydrate doped SiO 2 nanoparticles (Ru@SiO 2 NPs), as ECL signal probes, were trapped in the hydrogel fabricated by HA and polyethylenimine evenly and steadily. When HAase existed, the hydrogel was decomposed by HAase, and the Ru@SiO 2 NPs escaped from the hydrogel into the supernate. The ECL signal produced from the supernate can be detected and used to characterize HAase concentration. The result showed a good linear relationship between ECL intensity, and HAase concentration ranged from 2 to 60 U/mL and the limit of detection was 2 U/mL. The developed controlled release ECL biosensor has been used for HAase quantification in urine samples with satisfactory results.