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The critical gelation conditions observed in dilute aqueous solutions of multiple nanoscale uranyl peroxide molecular clusters are reported, in the presence of multivalent cations. This gelation is dominantly driven by counterion‐mediated attraction. The gelation areas in the corresponding phase diagrams all appear in similar locations, with a characteristic triangle shape outlining three critical boundary conditions, corresponding to the critical cluster concentration, cation/cluster ratio, and the degree of counterion association with increasing cluster concentration. These interesting phrasal observations reveal general conditions for gelation driven by electrostatic interactions in hydrophilic macroionic solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Adolescents and young adults are the main target population for human papillomavirus (HPV). The study aimed to investigate school students' HPV vaccination intentions and explore the contributing factors from a socio‐ecological perspective. Design: A questionnaire survey was conducted in three secondary schools and three colleges in China. Sample: A total of 1756 students aged 14–22 years participated in this study. Among the 1756 participants, 182 students have received the HPV vaccine. For the remaining 1574 students, we analyzed their HPV vaccination intentions and the influencing factors. Measurements: Survey items for sociodemographics, knowledge and awareness of HPV, sexual intercourse and sexual knowledge, subjective socioeconomic status, self‐efficacy, eHealth literacy, perceived social support from family, and the availability of HPV vaccine information were measured. Results: Only 182 (10.4%) had received the HPV vaccine among the 1756 participants. Among the remaining 1574 students, the majority of the students (1403, 89.1%) were willing to receive the HPV vaccine. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that students who were female, had lower self‐efficacy, scored higher on sexual knowledge, believed vaccination preventing related diseases, worried about side effects after vaccination, thought oneself at risk of contracting HPV, had higher family support, knew the availability of the HPV vaccine in Mainland China from healthcare institutions, and with family residence in rural areas were more willing to receive the HPV vaccine. Conclusions: Students had high HPV vaccination intentions while had low vaccination rate. Intrapersonal, interpersonal and institutional or community factors predicted HPV vaccination intention. Public health nurses in communities and schools could target the modifiable factors to promote students' HPV vaccine uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic, progressive, and inflammatory autoimmune disease of unknown origin that affects the axial skeleton and sacroiliac joints, resulting in pain and loss of function. AS is characterized by the overdifferentiation of T helper 17 (Th17) cells, which contribute to the development of the disease. The Hippo signaling pathway is an important regulator of Th17 differentiation, but its role in patients with AS is unclear. We aimed to investigate the role of key molecules of the Hippo signaling pathway in inflammatory Th17 differentiation in patients with AS and to examine their correlation with disease stages. Methods: We examined the activity of the Hippo pathway in patients with AS and the regulation of Th17 differentiation during AS‐mediated inflammation. Blood samples were collected from 60 patients with AS at various stages and 30 healthy controls. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from peripheral blood by density gradient centrifugation. The Serum Interleukin‐17 (IL‐17) levels in patients with AS and healthy controls were quantified by ELISA. The key molecules of Hippo pathway were assessed by real‐time PCR for their mRNA expression, and protein levels were determined by Western blot analysis. Results: Elevated serum interleukin‐17 (IL‐17) levels were observed in patients with AS compared with healthy controls. The protein and mRNA levels of retinoic acid receptor‐related orphan receptor γt (RORγt), transcriptional coactivator with a PDZ‐binding motif (TAZ), and key upstream transcription factors in the Hippo signaling pathway were measured. The expression of RORγt and TAZ was increased in the blood of patients with AS, whereas the expression of other Hippo pathway proteins, such as MST1/2 and NDR1/2, was significantly decreased. Increased levels of IL‐17 and TAZ were significantly associated with disease activity. In addition, MST1, MST2, and NDR1 levels were negatively correlated with TAZ, RORγt, and IL‐17 levels. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the Hippo pathway plays a significant role in the regulation of Th17 differentiation and disease activity in patients with AS. The upregulation of TAZ and downregulation of key Hippo pathway proteins, such as MST1/2 and NDR1/2, may contribute to AS pathogenesis. These proteins may serve as biomarkers and may lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Transfusion‐related guidelines promote restrictive blood transfusion. However, whether these guidelines have been successfully translated into clinical practice in China is unknown. This study aimed to provide updated information about the temporal trends in the prevalence of perioperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusion in China. Materials and Methods: We analysed data from the Hospital Quality Monitoring System database (2013–2018) to investigate the prevalence of perioperative RBC transfusion in patients undergoing craniotomy for cerebral aneurysms or arteriovenous malformations, sternotomy for mitral valve replacement, open thoracotomy lobectomy, open gastrectomy and hip arthroplasty. Mixed‐effects logistic regression models quantified the likelihood of RBC transfusions. Results: The study included 438,183 patients, with 44,697 (10.20%) receiving perioperative RBC transfusions. Introducing transfusion‐related guidelines in China markedly decreased the prevalence of RBC transfusion among patients who underwent major surgical procedures in the following years. The prevalence of RBC transfusion for hip arthroplasty was 17.34% in 2013 and 7.03% in 2018. After adjusting for patient risk factors, the odds ratio of RBC transfusion for hip arthroplasty was significantly lower in 2018 (0.74, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.53–1.02) than in 2013 (1.84, 95% CI 1.37–2.48). Conclusion: The prevalence of perioperative RBC transfusion decreased from 2013 to 2018 in China, supporting the potential beneficial effects of transfusion‐related guidelines. Considering the geographic variations in RBC transfusion, reducing heterogeneity may impact public health by improving surgical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: microRNAs (miRNAs) and N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) play important roles in ovarian cancer (OvCa). However, the mechanisms by which miRNAs regulate m6A in OvCa have not been elucidated so far. Methods: To screen m6A‐related miRNAs, Pearson's correlation analysis of miRNAs and m6A regulators was implemented using The Cancer Genome Atlas database (TCGA). To determine the level of m6A, RNA m6A quantitative assays were used. Then, colony formation assays, EdU assays, wound healing assays, and Transwell assays were performed. The dual‐luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm the miRNA target genes. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) analysis of the target genes was performed, and hub genes were discovered using the cytoHubba/Cytoscape software. The underlying molecular mechanisms were explored by bioinformatics and RNA stability assays. Results: A total of 126 miRNAs were identified as m6A‐related miRNAs by Pearson's correlation analysis. Among them, the high level of miR‐30c‐5p was associated with good prognosis in OvCa patients. In vitro, the miR‐30c‐5p agomir lowered the m6A level and inhibited OvCa cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. The hub target genes of miR‐30c‐5p were identified as (i) XPO1, (ii) AGO1, (iii) HNRNPA2B1, of which m6A reader HNRNPA2B1 was highly expressed in OvCa tissues and related with poor prognosis. In vitro, knockdown of HNRNPA2B1 significantly reduced m6A level and hampered the proliferation and migration of OvCa cells. The inhibition of m6A reader HNRNPA2B1 attenuated the suppression of proliferation and migration and the low m6A level induced by the miR‐30c‐5p downregulation. Mechanistically, m6A reader HNRNPA2B1 might regulate CDK19 mRNA stability to alter m6A level. Conclusions: miR‐30c‐5p inhibits OvCa progression and reduces the m6A level by inhibiting m6A reader HNRNPA2B1, thus providing new insights into the m6A regulatory mechanism in OvCa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermally chargeable supercapacitors (TCSCs) are emerging and promising devices that could convert thermal energy spontaneously existing in nature into electricity and then store energy for further utilization. Herein, this work reports on the freestanding 3D Ti3C2Tx MXene‐based TCSC, where lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI), poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), and polyvinylidene fluoride‐hexafluoropropylene (PVDF‐HFP) serve as gel electrolyte. Different from the semiconductor‐based thermoelectric materials, the fabricated Ti3C2Tx TCSC exhibits a high Seebeck coefficient of 78.4 mV K−1. Moreover, when applying a temperature difference (ΔT) of 5.8 K between the cold and hot sides, the Ti3C2Tx TCSC devices provide a stable high voltage of 400.6 mV. The charging/discharging cycles of the Ti3C2Tx TCSC devices upon periodic ΔT of 3.3 and 5.8 K demonstrate their excellent stability. To realize the practical application, the four Ti3C2Tx TCSCs devices connected in series are charged by supplying a ΔT of 5.8 K and used to power a digital timer, demonstrating the possibility and application of the TCSCs in self‐powered integrated electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Water‐soluble fluoride (WS‐F) can be absorbed directly by tea plants from soil and comprises a major source of dietary F in tea consumers. To reveal the WS‐F accumulation in tea leaves and assess WS‐F health risks, 70 sets of samples including tea leaves at three maturity stages and corresponding topsoil were collected from Xinyang, China. The WS‐F contents in tea samples and pH values in soil samples were determined. RESULTS: The contents of WS‐F in tea leaves exhibited a positive correlation with leaf maturity. The contents of WS‐F in tea leaves showed a positive correlation with WS‐F contents in the soil as the soil pH value exceeds 5. All the bud with two leaves samples, 84.29% of the third to sixth leaves samples, and 78.57% mature leaves samples in 5‐min infusion tend to be no health threat. The leaching characteristics of WS‐F from tea leaves were influenced by the leaf maturity and soaking time. CONCLUSION: Taking measures to control pH and WS‐F concentration of plantations soil, as well as drinking tea infusion made from young leaves or reducing soaking time could decrease the WS‐F health risk. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple public health and medical research studies have applied matched‐pair cluster randomization design to the evaluation of the intervention and/or prevention effects. One of the most common and severe problems faced by researchers when conducting cluster randomized trials (CRTs) is incomplete observations, which are associated with various reasons causing the individuals to discontinue participating in the trials. Although statistical methods to remedy the problems of missing data have already been proposed, there are still methodological gaps in research concerning the determination of sample size in matched‐pair CRTs with incomplete binary outcomes. One conventional method for adjusting for missing data in the sample size determination is to divide the sample size under complete data by the expected follow‐up rate. However, such crude adjustment ignores the impact of the structure and strength of correlations regarding both outcome data and missing data mechanism. This article provides a closed‐form sample size formula for matched‐pair CRTs with incomplete binary outcomes, which appropriately accounts for different missing patterns and magnitudes as well as the effects of matching and clustering on the outcome and missing data. The generalized estimating equation (GEE) approach treats incomplete observations as missing data in a marginal logistic regression model, which flexibly accommodates various types of intraclass correlation, missing patterns, and missing proportions. In the presence of missing data, the proposed GEE sample size method provides higher accuracy as compared with the conventional method. The performance of the proposed method is assessed by simulation studies. This article also illustrates how the proposed method can be used to design a real‐world matched‐pair CRT to examine the effect of a team‐based approach on controlling blood pressure (BP). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are a growing number of cancer survivors in the United States who are at risk for chronic pain due to cancer disease and treatments. The prevalence of chronic pain among cancer survivors has not been comprehensively reported.Methods: This study used data from the National Health Interview Survey (2010-2017) to compare the prevalence of chronic pain between participants with a cancer diagnosis and participants without one. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) of having chronic pain were assessed by multivariable logistic regression, which included an age (less than the median age vs greater than or equal to the median age) × cancer diagnosis (yes vs no) interaction term. Among cancer survivors, multivariable logistic regression defined the odds of feeling depressed, feeling worried/nervous/anxious, being unable to work, and needing assistance for activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs).Results: Among 115,091 participants, a cancer diagnosis was associated with an increased AOR of chronic pain in comparison with the general population (30.8% vs 15.7%; AOR, 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.38-1.59). Older age was associated with higher odds of chronic pain (P < .001 across all increasing age categories); however, the positive association between older age and chronic pain was seen only in participants without cancer and was not seen in those with a cancer diagnosis (Page×cancer  < .001). Among patients reporting a cancer diagnosis, chronic pain was associated with greater odds of feeling depressed, feeling worried/nervous/anxious, being unable to work, and needing assistance with ADLs or IADLs (P < .001 for all).Conclusions: Cancer survivors appear to have a high prevalence of chronic pain, which is associated with worse mental, functional, and employment outcomes. Screening and management of chronic pain should be addressed by policymakers to improve cancer survivorship care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stratified cluster randomization trials (CRTs) have been frequently employed in clinical and healthcare research. Comparing with simple randomized CRTs, stratified CRTs reduce the imbalance of baseline prognostic factors among different intervention groups. Due to the popularity, there has been a growing interest in methodological development on sample size estimation and power analysis for stratified CRTs; however, existing work mostly assumes equal cluster size within each stratum and uses multilevel models. Clusters are often naturally formed with random sizes in CRTs. With varying cluster size, commonly used ad hoc approaches ignore the variability in cluster size, which may underestimate (overestimate) the required number of clusters for each group per stratum and lead to underpowered (overpowered) clinical trials. We propose closed-form sample size formulas for estimating the required total number of subjects and for estimating the number of clusters for each group per stratum, based on Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel statistic for stratified cluster randomization design with binary outcomes, accounting for both clustering and varying cluster size. We investigate the impact of various design parameters on the relative change in the required number of clusters for each group per stratum due to varying cluster size. Simulation studies are conducted to evaluate the finite-sample performance of the proposed sample size method. A real application example of a pragmatic stratified CRT of a triad of chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and hypertension is presented for illustration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tracheobronchial rupture is an uncommon but potentially serious complication of endotracheal intubation. The most likely cause of tracheal injury is massive overinflation of the endotracheal tube cuff and pre-existing tracheal wall weakness. We review the relevant literature and predisposing factors contributing to this complication. Only articles that reported at least the demographic data (age and sex), the treatment performed and the outcome were included. Papers that did not detail these variables were excluded. We also focus on a case of tracheal laceration after tracheal intubation in a patient with severe thyroid carcinoma. This patient received surgical repair and recovered uneventfully. Two hundred and eight studies that reported cases or case series were selected for analysis. Most of the reported cases (57·2%) showed an uneventful recovery after surgical therapy. The overall mortality was 19·2% (40 patients). Our patient too recovered without any serious complication. Careful prevention, early detection and proper treatment of the problem are necessary when tracheal rupture occurs. The morbidity and mortality associated with tracheal injury mandate a high level of suspicion and expedient management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

JAK/STAT and NFκB signalling pathways play essential roles in regulating inflammatory responses, which are important pathogenic factors of various serious immune-related diseases, and function individually or synergistically. To find prodrugs that can treat inflammation, we performed a preliminary high-throughput screening of 18 840 small molecular compounds and identified scaffold compound L971 which significantly inhibited JAK/STAT and NFκB driven luciferase activities. L971 could inhibit the constitutive and stimuli-dependent activation of STAT1, STAT3 and IκBα and could significantly down-regulate the proinflammatory gene expression in mouse peritoneal macrophages stimulated by LPS. Gene expression profiles upon L971 treatment were determined using high-throughput RNA sequencing, and significant differentially up-regulated and down-regulated genes were identified by DESeq analysis. The bioinformatic studies confirmed the anti-inflammatory effects of L971. Finally, L971 anti-inflammatory character was further verified in LPS-induced sepsis shock mouse model in vivo. Taken together, these data indicated that L971 could down-regulate both JAK/STAT and NFκB signalling activities and has the potential to treat inflammatory diseases such as sepsis shock., (© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)