Search

The objective of this study was to investigate the feeding value of sheepgrass, including its chemical composition, dry matter intake, nutrient digestibility, and available energy, as well as the prediction equations of dry matter intake (DMI), neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD), dry matter digestibility (DMD), digestible energy (DE), and metabolizable energy (ME). Two independent experiments based on a completely randomized experimental design were performed to evaluate the feeding value. The results showed that there were significant relationships between chemical composition and DMI, digestibility, and available energy. The best-fit equations were as follows: DMI (g/d·W0.75) = 121.75 + 0.06CP (%) − 0.24EE (%) − 0.10ADF (%) − 0.60NDF (%) − 0.15OM (%) (R2 = 0.85, p < 0.01), DMD (%) = −1.37 + 0.23CP (%) + 2.96EE (%) + 0.32ADF (%) − 0.82NDF (%) + 1.27OM (%) (R2 = 0.83, p < 0.01), NDFD (%) = 225.58 − 0.59CP (%) + 0.04EE (%) + 0.09ADF (%) − 2.46NDF (%) + 0.12OM (%) (R2 = 0.67, p < 0.01), DE (MJ/kg) = −5.19 + 0.38OM (%) − 0.26NDF (%) − 0.03ADF (%) + 0.16CP (%) (R2 = 0.91, p < 0.01), and ME (MJ/kg) = 5.55 + 0.67DE (MJ/kg) + 0.01CP (%) − 0.01ADF (%) − 0.08NDF (%) + 0.02OM (%) (R2 = 0.98, p < 0.01). This study found the energy value of sheepgrass to be 11 MJ/kg, which is similar to that of millet grass silage. The NDF was the main component that affected DMI and digestibility. Using a hay replacement ratio of 28.5% to determine the forage value of sheepgrass allowed accurate prediction equations to be established. The NDF demonstrated the strongest correlation with DMI, NDFD, OMD, DE, and ME. DE was estimated to be the best single predictor of ME. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low-temperature heat-exchange section of boiler tails differs from other sections by absorbing latent heat. The subcooling of water vapor droplets in natural gas flue gas in boiler tails is becoming increasingly important. However, little is known about heat transfer and the subcooling mechanism. We report an airtight condensation cavity table and use thermal imaging to monitor the surface temperature and time-dependent size of single droplets. We observed a temperature gradient in droplets; three distinct size distributions; a change in infiltration mode from Wenzel to Cassie when non-condensing gas was introduced; and accelerated departure of droplets in a sound field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presented new field measurement data on the particle size distributions, morphological characteristics, and elemental composition of particulate matter (PM)2.5 (particle diameter less than 2.5 mm) from 12 industrial boilers, including eight circulating fluidized bed boilers (CFB) and four bubbling fluidized bed boilers (BFB). Measurement in situ was taken with an electrical low-pressure impactor equipped with a two-stage dilution sampling system. Morphological characteristics were determinded by electron microscope (SEM), and elemental compositions of the samples were determinded by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP). The results show that before and after the dust removal, the number concentration distributions of PM2.5 display bimodal distributions, one peak is between 0.07 and 0.12 μm, and the other peak is between 0.32 and 0.48 μm. And the particle concentrations of PM2.5 depended mainly on submicron particles (less than 1 µm in diameter), formed by gasification-condensation mechanisms. The mass concentration distributions of PM2.5 showing no peak distribution and increase with the particle size. Compared to electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) and fabric filters (FFs) , the ESPs has a lower removal efficiency of PM2.5. The morphological characteristics of PM2.5 before and after dust removal contain irregular particles and spherical particles. The mass percentages of Na, K, and Fe in PM2.5 after the dust removal are nearly the same as those before the dust removal, but Si, Ca, and Al in PM2.5 decreased after dust removal and S in PM2.5 increased after dust removal. Although the hazardous elements Cr, V, Mn, and Ni in PM2.5 after dust removal did not change significantly, the Pb, Cd, As, Se, and Hg increased after dust removal. These data clearly show that the composition of PM2.5 changes as dust are removed by air pollution control devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and Importance: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. It mainly involves the respiratory system, causing fever, cough, chest tightness, and other symptoms. However, when combined with other common or rare diseases, such as appendicitis and intestinal tuberculosis (TB), it can cause other systemic lesions, thus making the original disease lose its specific clinical manifestations. This case highlights the importance of early identification and clinical precision medicine diagnosis and treatment., Case Presentation: A young woman presented with intermittent pain and discomfort in the right lower quadrant. Ultrasonography suggested appendicitis with a peripheral abscess. The nucleic acid test of COVID-19 was positive, and the chest computed tomography scan showed pulmonary involvement. She was sent for surgery. Postoperative body temperature increased regularly, and the TB T-cell test was positive., Clinical Discussion: Multiple infections caused by common bacteria, pandemic virus, and specific mycobacterium TB cause a series of nonspecific clinical manifestations, which brings challenges to clinical diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, when facing a complex infection case, the authors should consider the possibility of multiple infections and give targeted treatment for the pathogens., Conclusions: During the epidemic of COVID-19, the incidence of intestinal TB is relatively low, which is easy to be overlooked and misdiagnosed, especially in the case of appendicitis. Therefore, clinicians must be highly vigilant in the diagnosis process to avoid missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis, so as to provide the best diagnosis and treatment plan., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Purpose: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a highly invasive and metastatic cancer. The alterations of miRNA deregulation and pathway have been reported to be implicated in NPC progression. Here, we aimed to explore miR-204 role and mechanism in NPC development., Methods: We examined the expression level of miR-204 in NPC tissues and NPC cells (HONE-1, 6-10B, HNE1) using reverse-transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis. MTT, and transwell assays were used to analyze the effects of miR-204 on the proliferation, invasion and migration of NPC cells. Luciferase reporter gene assays were used to confirm the target gene of miR-204 in NPC cells., Results: The results showed that miR-204 was downregulated, while CXCR4 was upregulated in NPC samples and cells with important functional consequences. Also, miR-204 expression was inversely correlated to CXCR4 expression and it was also associated with the clinicopathologic features. Ectopic expression of miR-204 was significantly suppressed, whereas downregulation of miR-204 facilitated the capacities of NPC cells proliferation, invasion and migration. Besides, it was also found that miR-204 mimic strongly decreased CXCR4 expression and miR-204 inhibitor increased CXCR4 expression. Furthermore, luciferase assay results demonstrated that CXCR4 was the direct target of miR-204. Conversely to miR-204 effect, knockdown of CXCR4 showed an inhibitory effect on NPC cell progression. Mechanistic investigations revealed that miR-204 regulated NF-κB signaling via CXCR4., Conclusion: Taken together, our findings suggested that miR-204 regulated NPC progression by targeting CXCR4 through NF-κB signaling pathway.

Background: Radiodermatitis is a common side effect of radiotherapy. However, an effective method for the prevention of radiodermatitis has not yet been identified. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of topical olive oil in the prevention of acute radiodermatitis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who were undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy., Methods: A prospective study was conducted in patients with NPC. The patients were randomized into the intervention (n = 47) and control (n = 47) groups. Patients in the control group were treated with a general skin care regimen (placebo), whereas patients in the intervention group were treated with olive oil thrice daily for 7 weeks during chemoradiotherapy and for two weeks thereafter. On a weekly basis for a total duration of 9 weeks, a blinded observer assessed the severity of dermatitis, which was graded from 0 to 4 according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) criteria and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score., Results: Mild reactions due to radiation (grades I and II) occurred in 93.6% of the intervention group and in 72.3% of the control group. Patients in the intervention group encountered significantly less severe dermatitis during chemoradiotherapy compared with patients in the control group (P < 0.01). A multivariate analysis revealed that the use of olive oil (P < 0.01) was significantly associated with a decrease in skin injuries., Conclusions: The prophylactic use of olive oil was associated with a significant decrease in the intensity of acute dermatitis in NPC patients. The results of this trial indicate that olive oil holds promise as a safe and effective prophylactic treatment for radiodermatitis.

Objective: To show the efficacy and comfort of pneumatic bag packing after the endoscopic nasal surgery. Pneumatic bag packing may be recommendable in terms of comfort and efficacy after endoscopic nasal surgery. Significant findings: There were statistical significant differences between the pneumatic bag packing and the expansive sponge packing regarding subjective symptoms and objective findings after surgery., Conclusions: Pneumatic bag packing may be recommendable in terms of comfort and efficacy after endoscopic nasal surgery.

Objective: To study the characteristics of perioperative treatment of functional endoscopic nasal sinus surgery in elderly patients., Method: Data of 186 patients above 60 years old with chronic sinusitis were retrospectively analyzed., Result: After being received systematics and personal individuality treatment, the rates of curing were 72.5%, the rates of improving were 23.6% and the rates of efficiency were 96%., Conclusion: The treatment of endoscopic sinus surgery is reliable and safe for elderly patients.