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Methadone maintenance treatment is effective for managing opioid use disorder, but it can have many adverse effects that result in dose reduction. Patients often report persistent withdrawal symptoms after the dose reduction, which can decrease their adherence to treatment and increase the risk for relapse. Acupuncture has been recognized as an appropriate nonpharmacologic treatment for substance dependence. This multicenter, randomized, sham-controlled trial assessed the efficacy of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture on methadone dose reduction. Visual Abstract. Effect of Acupuncture for Methadone Reduction: Methadone maintenance treatment is effective for managing opioid use disorder, but it can have many adverse effects that result in dose reduction. Patients often report persistent withdrawal symptoms after the dose reduction, which can decrease their adherence to treatment and increase the risk for relapse. Acupuncture has been recognized as an appropriate nonpharmacologic treatment for substance dependence. This multicenter, randomized, sham-controlled trial assessed the efficacy of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture on methadone dose reduction. Background: Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is effective for managing opioid use disorder, but adverse effects mean that optimal therapy occurs with the lowest dose that controls opioid craving. Objective: To assess the efficacy of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture on methadone dose reduction. Design: Multicenter, 2-group, randomized, sham-controlled trial. (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2200058123) Setting: 6 MMT clinics in China. Participants: Adults aged 65 years or younger with opioid use disorder who attended clinic daily and had been using MMT for at least 6 weeks. Intervention: Acupuncture or sham acupuncture 3 times a week for 8 weeks. Measurements: The 2 primary outcomes were the proportion of participants who achieved a reduction in methadone dose of 20% or more compared with baseline and opioid craving, which was measured by the change from baseline on a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS). Results: Of 118 eligible participants, 60 were randomly assigned to acupuncture and 58 were randomly assigned to sham acupuncture (2 did not receive acupuncture). At week 8, more patients reduced their methadone dose 20% or more with acupuncture than with sham acupuncture (37 [62%] vs. 16 [29%]; risk difference, 32% [97.5% CI, 13% to 52%]; P  < 0.001). In addition, acupuncture was more effective in decreasing opioid craving than sham acupuncture with a mean difference of −11.7 mm VAS (CI, −18.7 to −4.8 mm; P  < 0.001). No serious adverse events occurred. There were no notable differences between study groups when participants were asked which type of acupuncture they received. Limitation: Fixed acupuncture protocol limited personalization and only 12 weeks of follow-up after stopping acupuncture. Conclusion: Eight weeks of acupuncture were superior to sham acupuncture in reducing methadone dose and decreasing opioid craving. Primary Funding Source: National Natural Science Foundation of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the inhibition effect of nanoscale silver–copper particle (20 nm) against Coriolus versicolor and Gloeophyllumtrabeum. Poplar wood samples (Populus L.) were vacuum-impregnated using aqueous nano-AgCu solutions at concentrations of 0.01 %, 0.02 %, 0.03 %, 0.05 %, 0.075 %, and 0.1 %. Alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ, 0.1 %), boric acid (0.2 %) and untreated control group (CK) were employed for comparisons. Decay resistance and leachability were studied. The anti-fungi effects were compared between nano-AgCu, nano-Ag, Ag+ (silver nitrate), Cu2+ (copper nitrate), and a composite of Ag+–Cu2+. Nano-AgCu particle exhibited effective resistance to fungi after 12 weeks of exposure. The threshold retention of the nano-AgCu against C. versicolor and G. trabeum on poplar wood was 0.19 kg m−3 and 0.62 kg m−3, respectively. The silver–copper nanoparticles demonstrated excellent leach resistance, and the inhibition effect was retained after leaching. The nano-AgCu particle provided better antifungal effects than single ions or metal nanoparticles. This study illustrates the potential of using nano-AgCu particle as an efficient wood preservative compared to commercial water-soluble preservatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nano inorganic antibacterial materials (such as nano silver and nano copper) are popular in preventing the spread of bacteria on wood and protecting human health. However, their antibacterial activity and cost are always difficult to balance, and their leachability during the applied procedure impedes service life. Herein, a low-cost nano AgCu alloy with high antibacterial activity is synthesized by a liquid reduction method and further physically mixed with waterborne paint to fabricate the composite paint. The obtained nano AgCu alloy is demonstrated to possess superior antibacterial performance against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with a low concentration (10 ppm), a short time (1 min), and a 100% antibacterial rate, due to the synergistic effect between Ag and Cu, and the promoted release of Ag ion. Meanwhile, the composite coating containing nano AgCu alloy could endow the effective migration of Ag ions and further facilitate the high durability and maintain the lasting antibacterial effect on the wood surface by reducing the leaching rate of nano alloy particles from 1.58% to 0.62%. This work provides a reference for future research and development on antibacterial coatings of wood surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nucleophilic high molecular-weight organic compounds (HMWOCs) are sensitive to protons (H+) in Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) analysis. A comprehensive evaluation of the diurnal evolution of nucleophilic HMWOCs was performed. HMWOCs aged significantly in daily cycles, accompanied by functionality shifts, particularly oxygenated and reduced nitrogen (CHON and CHN) as well as oxygenated organics. The intensities of high molecular-weight (HMW) oxygenated compounds increased during both daytime and nighttime. The daytime evolution produced more nitrogen-containing compounds with carboxylic group (–COOH) homologues with molecular weights greater than 300, while the nighttime evolution produced mostly small CHON compounds (molecular weights < 300). During evolution, nighttime CHON removals were observed; meanwhile, carboxylation was also identified in CHON groups. The daytime evolution produced significantly more reduced-nitrogen-containing compounds; a day- and nighttime increase in CHN compounds with five members was also observed. This study can provide insights into the aging of less polar organic aerosols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health impact of heavy metals in atmospheric PM 2.5 has garnered increasingly widespread attention. We have collected PM 2.5 samples in a typical city (Kaifeng) within the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration in China during winter and measured the mass concentration of PM 2.5 -bound heavy metals. The pollution of As and Cr in the urban atmosphere requires significant attention. As PM 2.5 concentrations increased, the enrichment factors (EFs) of Mn, Cu, Zn, As, and Pb also rose, suggesting a growing contribution from anthropogenic emissions. The analysis showed that the hazard quotient (HQ) for the non-heating and heating periods (HQ < 1) did not result in a cumulative non-carcinogenic health risk to humans. Regarding carcinogenic effects, As and Cr exhibit significant carcinogenic impacts on both children and adults (ELCR>1 × 10 -6 ), indicating that the carcinogenic risks posed by As and Cr under PM 2.5 exposure in Kaifeng could not be overlooked. It was found that industrial and biomass combustion are the primary sources of carcinogenic risk in Kaifeng city. From the non-heating to the heating period, the industrial carcinogenic risk increased from 37.12 % to 43.39 %, while the contribution of biomass burning remained at 25 %. This result was strongly correlated with the high proportions of heavy metal elements such as As, Mn, Pb, and Ni from the metal refinery industry. The results of this study revealed the equally important source of heavy metals, compared to coal combustion in North China Plain. In addition to residential coal combustion, industrial emissions are a major source of PM 2.5 -bound heavy metals in Kaifeng, contributing significantly to overall air pollution and providing a useful reference to mitigating human health risks in the area., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

We obtained Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a peripheral blood sample of a 19-year-old male schizophrenia patient and successfully established induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line using non-integrated reprogramming technology. This cell line possesses the correct karyotype, shape of an embryonic stem cell, the ability to express particular pluripotency markers, and the capacity to differentiate into three germ layers in vitro. This cell line will serve as an in vitro model for upcoming studies on the etiology of schizophrenia and the creation of novel treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

As a promising direct measurement method of atmospheric hydroperoxyl radicals (HO 2 ), bromide chemical ionization mass spectrometry (Br-CIMS) has been first demonstrated by Sanchez et al. ( Atmos. Meas. Tech. 2016, 9 , 3851-3861). However, field application of this method is currently still sparse, and there is still a gap between measured HO 2 concentrations and calculated ones derived from the atmospheric equilibrium between HO 2 and peroxynitric acid (HO 2 NO 2 ). In this work, we constructed an improved Br-CIMS with optimizations of custom-built front-end devices, chamber pressures, and instrumental voltages to achieve a 3σ detection limit of 0.5 ppt at an integration time of 60 s and a sensitivity of 1-3 cps ppt -1 under a total reagent ion signal of 0.2 MHz for HO 2 detection. HO 2 NO 2 , a product from atmospheric reactions between HO 2 and NO 2 , can also be detected by Br-CIMS, whose interference on the HO 2 measurement was found but nearly eliminated by regulating key CIMS voltages to minimize the decomposition of (BrHO 2 NO 2 ) - ions in the MS. In addition, a 2 week field campaign was carried out in urban Shanghai, demonstrating that the interference of HO 2 from ambient HO 2 NO 2 was less than 10% of the true HO 2 signal under our optimized CIMS voltage setting. Our study suggests that Br-CIMS is a reliable technique for atmospheric HO 2 measurements.