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Abstract Long-term fetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring during the antepartum period, increasingly popularized by electronic FHR monitoring, represents a growing approach in FHR monitoring. This kind of continuous monitoring, in contrast to the short-term one, collects an extended period of fetal heart data. This offers a more comprehensive understanding of fetus’s conditions. However, the interpretation of long-term antenatal fetal heart monitoring is still in its early stages, lacking corresponding clinical standards. Furthermore, the substantial amount of data generated by continuous monitoring imposes a significant burden on clinical work when analyzed manually. To address above challenges, this study develops an automatic analysis system named LARA (Long-term Antepartum Risk Analysis system) for continuous FHR monitoring, combining deep learning and information fusion methods. LARA’s core is a well-established convolutional neural network (CNN) model. It processes long-term FHR data as input and generates a Risk Distribution Map (RDM) and Risk Index (RI) as the analysis results. We evaluate LARA on inner test dataset, the performance metrics are as follows: AUC 0.872, accuracy 0.816, specificity 0.811, sensitivity 0.806, precision 0.271, and F1 score 0.415. In our study, we observe that long-term FHR monitoring data with higher RI is more likely to result in adverse outcomes (p = 0.0021). In conclusion, this study introduces LARA, the first automated analysis system for long-term FHR monitoring, initiating the further explorations into its clinical value in the future.

Abstract Objective This study analyzed the causes of sphenoid sinus (SS) infection (SSI) following endoscopic transsphenoidal skull base surgery and determined appropriate treatment methods. Methods This study included 31 cases of secondary SSI following the endoscopic transsphenoidal approach (ETSA; SSI group) and 246 cases without SSI (non‐SSI group). Data collected included post‐ETSA pathological results, types of artificial skull base reconstruction materials, and SS patency. For the SSI group, data included time from ETSA to symptom onset, endoscopic and imaging findings, intraoperative conditions during the second surgery, and changes in visual analog scale (VAS) scores. Results The incidence of secondary SSI was 11.19%. In the SSI group, 26 patients (83.87%) reported headaches, and 24 (77.42%) had stenosis or closure of the SS ostium (SSO). The non‐SSI group reported no symptoms, and 236 patients (95.93%) had well‐opened SSOs. Centripetal hyperosteogeny (CHO) in the SS walls was observed in 20 patients (64.5%) in the SSI group. Absorbable materials were used in five cases (16.13%) and 215 cases (87.40%) in the SSI and non‐SSI groups, respectively, while non‐absorbable materials were used in 24 cases (77.42%) and 20 cases (8.13%), respectively. SSI risk was 9.42 times higher with non‐absorbable synthetic materials. VAS scores for SSI symptoms and Lund–Kennedy scores significantly decreased at 3 and 12 months post‐second surgery. Conclusion Secondary SSI after ETSA can cause persistent symptoms. Non‐absorbable synthetic repair materials should be avoided to prevent secondary SSI. Extended sphenoidectomy and removal of artificial materials can lead to rapid resolution of SSI symptoms. Level of Evidence 4.

BackgroundDementia is a progressive neurodegenerative condition, while metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by a combination of metabolic abnormalities such as hypertension, high blood sugar, and obesity. There exists a connection and overlap between the two conditions in certain aspects, and both are influenced to varying degrees by the process of aging. This study presents an overview of the current research landscape regarding dementia and MetS through bibliometric analysis.MethodsA systematic search was conducted to retrieve relevant literature on dementia and MetS published between 1 January 2000, and 30 November 2023, from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Various bibliometric tools, including VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the R software package “bibliometrix,” were utilized for analysis.ResultsA total of 717 articles were identified, showing an upward trend in annual publications. Leading contributors included the United States, Italy, and China, with institutions such as the University of California System at the forefront. The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease emerged as the top publisher, while research published in Neurology garnered significant citations. Noteworthy authors encompassed Panza, Francesco; Frisardi, Vincenza; and Feldman, Eva L, with Kristine Yaffe being the most cited author (280 citations). Recent studies have focused on themes like “gut microbiota,” “neuroinflammation,” “fatty acids,” and “microglia.”ConclusionThis bibliometric analysis summarizes the foundational knowledge structure in the realm of dementia and MetS from 2000 to 2023. By highlighting current research frontiers and trending topics, this analysis serves as a valuable reference for researchers in the field.

Abstract Background Ossifying fibroma of the paranasal sinuses and skull base in paediatric patients is difficult to operate and can recur easily after surgery. This study aimed to analyse factors associated with recurrence after transnasal endoscopic resection of ossifying fibroma in paediatric patients. Methods This retrospective observational study included 34 patients under 17 years of age who underwent transnasal endoscopic resection of ossifying fibroma of the paranasal sinuses and skull base from 2005 to 2021 at a single tertiary medical centre. Clinical indicators such as age; surgical history; pathological type; intraoperative bleeding; and orbit, anterior skull base, sphenoid bone, sella turcica, clivus, or frontal sinus involvement were subjected to univariate analysis using the χ2 test, to investigate whether any of these factors affected recurrence. Results All 34 patients underwent transnasal endoscopic resection. The follow-up period was 6–120 months (mean: 48.0 months). Five patients experienced local recurrence during the follow-up period (14.7%). Results of χ2 tests indicated that a history of previous surgery, the amount of intraoperative bleeding, and sphenoid and/or sella turcica and clivus involvement were significantly associated with recurrence (P 0.05). Conclusions The increased risk of recurrence after transnasal endoscopic resection of nasal–skull base ossifying fibroma should be considered during endoscopic surgery in paediatric patients with a history of previous surgery, intraoperative bleeding tendency, and sphenoid and/or sella turcica and clivus involvement. These patients require careful postoperative follow-up.

The drug-likeness and pharmacokinetic properties of 23 dairy-protein-derived opioid peptides were studied using SwissADME and ADMETlab in silico tools. All the opioid peptides had poor drug-like properties based on violations of Lipinski’s rule-of-five. Moreover, prediction of their pharmacokinetic properties showed that the peptides had poor intestinal absorption and bioavailability. Following this, two well-known opioid peptides (βb-casomorphin-5, βb-casomorphin-7) from A1 bovine milk and caffeine (positive control) were selected for in silico molecular docking and in vitro inhibition study with two cholinesterase enzyme receptors important for the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. Both peptides showed higher binding free energies and inhibitory activities to butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) than caffeine, but in vitro binding energy values were lower than those from the docking model. Moreover, the two casomorphins had lower inhibitory properties against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) than caffeine, although the docking model predicted the opposite. At 1 mg/mL concentrations, βb-casomorphin-5 and βb-casomorphin-7 showed promising results in inhibiting both cholinesterases (i.e., respectively 34% and 43% inhibition of AChE, and 67% and 81% inhibition of BChE). These dairy-derived opioid peptides have the potential to treat Alzheimer’s disease via cholinesterase inhibition. However, appropriate derivatization may be required to improve their poor predicted intestinal absorption and bioavailability.

In this study, magnetically separable Fe3O4/CeO2 nanocomposite (F/CNc) was first synthesized in hydrothermal and sol-precipitation methods and characterized by techniques including SEM-EDS, XRD, BET, FT-IR and VSM. The adsorption experiments of acid black dye (AB210) onto F/CNc were carried out under the conditions of temperature (30 – 60 ℃), solution pH (1 – 11), Fe-Ce molar ratio (1:2.5 – 4) and initial dye concentrations (20 – 80 mg/L). The adsorption capacity of AB210 increased with increasing initial dye concentration and temperature, and decreased with increasing solution pH. The maximum adsorption capacity of F/CNc for AB210 reached 124.5 mg/g when Fe-Ce molar ratio was 1:3. Pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models were then used to describe the kinetics of adsorption, of which the latter fitted the adsorption process well, and the adsorption process complied also with the intra-particle diffusion model. The isothermal adsorption was described using Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin models and the Langmuir model matched. FT-IR and Zeta-potential measurement proved the physical adsorption process of AB210 onto F/CNc. The saturation magnetizations of Fe3O4 nanospheres and F/CNc were measured to be 69.1 emu/g and 22.9 emu/g respectively, indicating the coating layer reduced the magnetization of Fe3O4 nanospheres, but F/CNc were still separated easily by applying a magnetic field, keeping easy separability. Being easy to recover and remaining adsorption efficiency 90 % in comparison to the original even after four adsorption cycles, demonstrate the effectiveness and practical application of F/CNc as an adsorbent.

Abstract Heat dissipation has become an essential factor affecting the performance and operating life of electronic devices as the development of modern electronic devices continues to miniaturize and integrate to increase power density. The development of new thermal interface materials has been the key solution to heat dissipation. Herein, a high thermal conductive graphene‐based hydrogel (G/PVP‐PVA) with an interpenetrating network is successfully constructed by physical cross‐linking combined with the freeze–thaw process. The effect of the preparation parameters on its all‐around performance is evaluated in detail. When the graphene dosage is 0.33%, the maximal tensile stress of the hydrogel is 322.4 kPa, the self‐recovery is 95.4%, and the thermal conductivity is as high as 1.486 W m−1 K−1. The cooling simulation experiment shows that the hydrogel can adhere closely to the wall to reduce the air thermal resistance effectively, and the cooling rate is as high as 5.04 °C min−1. The simulation experiment of the human body cooling shows that its cooling rate is 1.10 °C min−1, while that for a commercial hydrogel is 0.27 °C min−1. The G/PVP‐PVA can give a practically potential solution for the thermal management of flexible electronic products and provides a new material for an efficient medical cooling application.

Ischemic stroke (IS) is characterized by high recurrence and disability; however, its therapies are very limited. As one of the effective methods of treating acute attacks of IS, intravenous thrombolysis has a clear time window. Quercetin, a flavonoid widely found in vegetables and fruits, inhibits immune cells from secreting inflammatory cytokines, thereby reducing platelet aggregation and limiting inflammatory thrombosis. In pre-clinical studies, it has been shown to exhibit neuroprotective effects in patients with ischemic brain injury. However, its specific mechanism of action remains unknown. Therefore, this review aims to use published data to elucidate the potential value of quercetin in patients with ischemic brain injury. This article also reviews the plant sources, pharmacological effects, and metabolic processes of quercetin in vivo, thus focusing on its mechanism in inhibiting immune cell activation and inflammatory thrombosis as well as promoting neuroprotection against ischemic brain injury.

We developed a simple hydrothermal technique for the fabrication of a flexible integrated composite containing cerium vanadate (CeVO4) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The CeVO4/MWCNTs composite possessed good conductivity and interesting electrochemical catalytic performance when immobilized on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). This CeVO4/MWCNTs-GCE sensor provided excellent analytical performance for the detection of the sulfonamide antibacterial drug sulfamethazine (SMZ). Benefiting from the significantly enlarged surface area of the modified electrode and the catalytic effect of CeVO4-MWCNTs, the sensor offered high sensitivity, good stability, fine selectivity, and a remarkable limit of detection (LOD) of 0.02 μM. Furthermore, the sensor also exhibited ideal performance with good recovery and precision when applied to SMZ residue detection in real aquaculture water samples.

In this study, magnetically separable Fe3O4/CeO2 nanocomposite (F/CNc) was first synthesized in hydrothermal and solprecipitation methods and characterized by techniques including SEM-EDS, XRD, BET, FT-IR and VSM. The adsorption experiments of acid black dye (AB210) onto F/CNc were carried out under the conditions of temperature (30 - 60 °C), solution pH (1 - 11), Fe-Ce molar ratio (1:2.5 - 4) and initial dye concentrations (20 - 80 mg/L). The adsorption capacity of AB210 increased with increasing initial dye concentration and temperature, and decreased with increasing solution pH. The maximum adsorption capacity of F/CNc for AB210 reached 124.5 mg/g when Fe-Ce molar ratio was 1:3. Pseudofirst-order and pseudo-second-order models were then used to describe the kinetics of adsorption, of which the latter fitted the adsorption process well, and the adsorption process complied also with the intra-particle diffusion model. The isothermal adsorption was described using Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin models and the Langmuir model matched. FT-IR and Zeta-potential measurement proved the physical adsorption process of AB210 onto F/CNc. The saturation magnetizations of Fe3O4 nanospheres and F/CNc were measured to be 69.1 emu/g and 22.9 emu/g respectively, indicating the coating layer reduced the magnetization of Fe3O4 nanospheres, but F/CNc were still separated easily by applying a magnetic field, keeping easy separability. Being easy to recover and remaining adsorption efficiency 90 % in comparison to the original even after four adsorption cycles, demonstrate the effectiveness and practical application of F/CNc as an adsorbent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new electrochemical sensor for the determination of lead ions was fabricated by modifying glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with novel laboratory-produced nanomaterials synthesized by the silanization reaction between N-[(3-trimethoxysilyl) propyl] ethylenediamine triacetic acid trisodium (NTMP-EDTA) and hydroxyl functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-OH). The synergistic effect of the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and EDTA groups anchored on the surface of CNTs resulted in improved sensor performance toward the detection of trace lead ions. Under the optimal conditions, the anodic stripping currents of the sensor varied linearly with the concentration of lead ions from 2.0 to 470 µg/L, with the detection limit estimated to 0.7 µg/L. The sensor was also successfully used for the analysis of trace lead ions in real samples with good accuracy, sensitivity, selectivity, and recovery [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The development of atherosclerosis (AS) is closely linked to changes in the plaque microenvironment, which consists primarily of the cells that form plaque and the associated factors they secrete. The onset of inflammation, lipid deposition, and various pathological changes in cellular metabolism that accompany the plaque microenvironment will promote the development of AS. Numerous studies have shown that oxidative stress is an important condition that promotes AS. The accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is oxidative stress’s most important pathological change. In turn, the effects of ROS on the plaque microenvironment are complex and varied, and these effects are ultimately reflected in the promotion or inhibition of AS. This article reviews the effects of ROS on the microenvironment of atherosclerotic plaques and their impact on disease progression over the past five years and focuses on the progress of treatment strategies based on scavenging ROS of nanoparticles for AS. Finally, we also discuss the prospects and challenges of AS treatment.

Abstract Given the leveling off in oxidized nitrogen emissions around the world, the atmospheric deposition of reduced nitrogen (NH x = NH3 + NH4 +) has become progressively critical, especially dry deposition, which presents great threats to plant growth. A combination of historical deposition data of measured wet NH x and modeled dry NH x in China suggests that dry NHx deposition has been increasing substantially (4.50% yr−1, p

This study presents an approach using multiple linear regression to quantify the impact of meteorological parameters and chemical species on aerosol pH variance in an urban setting in the Pearl River Delta, China. Additionally, it assesses the contributions of interactions among these factors to the variance in pH. The analysis successfully explains over 96% of the pH variance, attributing 85.8% to the original variables and 6.7% to bivariate interactions, with further contributions of 2.3% and 1.0% from trivariate and quadrivariate interactions, respectively. Our results highlight that meteorological factors, particularly temperature and humidity, are more influential than chemical components in affecting aerosol pH variance. Temperature alone accounts for 37.3% of the variance, while humidity contributes approximately 20%. On the chemical front, sulfate and ammonium are the most significant contributors, adding 14.3% and 9.1% to the pH variance, respectively. In the realm of bivariate interactions, the interplay between meteorological parameters and chemical components, especially the TNO3–RH pair, is exceptionally impactful, constituting 58.1% of the total contribution from interactions. In summary, this study illuminates the factors affecting aerosol pH variance and their interplay, suggesting the integration of statistical methods with thermodynamic models for enhanced understanding of aerosol acidity dynamics in the future.

Abstract Objective – This research focuses on First-Time-in-College (FTIC) student library usage during the first academic year as number of visits (frequency) and length of stay (duration) and how that might affect first-term grade point average (GPA) and first-year retention using the generalized propensity score (GPS). We also want to demonstrate that GPS is a proper tool that researchers in libraries can use to make causal inferences about the effects of library usage on student academic success outcomes in observation studies. Methods – The sample for this study includes 6,380 FTIC students who matriculated in the fall 2014 and fall 2015 semesters at a large southeastern university. Students’ library usage (frequency and duration), background characteristics, and academic records were collected. The Generalized Propensity Score method was used to estimate the effects of frequency and duration of FTIC library visits. This method minimizes self-selection bias and allows researchers to control for demographic, pre-college, and collegiate variables. Four dose-response functions were estimated for each treatment (frequency and duration) and outcome variable (GPA and retention). Results – The estimated dose-response function plots for first-term GPA and first-year retention rate have similar shapes, which initially decrease to the minimum values then gradually increase as the treatment level increases. Specifically, the estimated average first-term GPA is minimized when the FTIC student only visits the library three times or spends one hour in the library during his/her first semester. The threshold for first-year retention occurs when students visit the library 15 times or spend 21 hours in the library during their first semester. After those thresholds, an increase in students’ library usage is related to an increase in their academic success. Conclusions – The generalized propensity score method gives the library researcher a scientifically rigorous methodological means to make causal inferences in an observational study (Imai & van Dyk, 2004). Using this methodological approach demonstrates that increasing library usage is likely to increase FTIC students’ first-term GPA and first-year retention rates past a certain threshold of frequency and duration.