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Aging population is set to increase in the near future, and will need specialized care when admitted to ICUs. The elderly are beset with chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular, COPD, diabetes, renal complications and depression. Specialist opinions can now be made available through telemedicine facilities. Tele-ICU is a specialized hub consisting of highly skilled staff trained in critical care able to deliver timely, quality care service to patients admitted to ICUs in remote areas using highly advanced information technology services. These specialists in the tele-ICU hub are able to analyze and gather data arriving at timely interventional management decisions and provide this vital feedback to the nursing staff and doctors manning remote ICU locations where specialized intensivist may not be available. Known clinical benefits of such a system include better patient outcomes, reduced medical errors, mortality and reduced hospital length of stay. The main disadvantage in implementation could be the upfront high cost involved, for which low-cost models are being explored. In the face of delivering such remote care, it is up to the local health policy to make legislative changes to include associated legal and ethical issues. Considering the burgeoning aging population, tele-ICU could become the way forward in delivering geriatric critical care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waterlogging is drained by pump stations set on the inner river network in riverside cities. More importance is given to avoiding waterlog through an applicable design capacity of pump stations, confirmed by a reasonable method to deal with the complicated boundary of the pump drainage. Node's Water-level Control Method (NWCM) has been proposed in this paper. The core idea of NWCM was to transform the pump drainage boundary into the water level boundary, in accordance with the storage capacity curve and the characteristic of a less different water level in riverside cities. The design capacity of each pump station was obtained by unsteady flow calculation. In the case study, the design capacities of the eight pump stations of Hexi New Town in Nanjing City were confirmed conveniently by NWCM. The total design capacity was less than that obtained through regular methods due to the full consideration for storage capacity of inner river channels in the new method, which was designed in accordance with actual conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fine motor skills are closely related to cognitive function. However, there is currently no comprehensive assessment of fine motor movement and how it corresponds with cognitive function. To conduct a complete assessment of fine motor and clarify the relationship between various dimensions of fine motor and cognitive function., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with 267 community-based participants aged ≥ 60 years in Beijing, China. We assessed four tests performance and gathered detailed fine motor indicators using Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) motion capture technology. The wearable MEMS device provided us with precise fine motion metrics, while Chinese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to assess cognitive function. We adopted logistic regression to analyze the relationship between fine motor movement and cognitive function., Results: 129 (48.3%) of the participants had cognitive impairment. The vast majority of fine motor movements have independent linear correlations with MoCA-BJ scores. According to logistic regression analysis, completion time in the Same-pattern tapping test (OR = 1.033, 95%CI = 1.003-1.063), Completion time of non-dominant hand in the Pieces flipping test (OR = 1.006, 95%CI = 1.000-1.011), and trajectory distance of dominant hand in the Pegboard test (OR = 1.044, 95%CI = 1.010-1.068), which represents dexterity, are related to cognitive impairment. Coordination, represented by lag time between hands in the Same-pattern tapping (OR = 1.663, 95%CI = 1.131-2.444), is correlated with cognitive impairment. Coverage in the Dual-hand drawing test as an important indicator of stability is negatively correlated with cognitive function (OR = 0.709, 95%CI = 0.6501-0.959). Based on the above 5-feature model showed consistently high accuracy and sensitivity at the MoCA-BJ score (ACU = 0.80-0.87)., Conclusions: The results of a comprehensive fine-motor assessment that integrates dexterity, coordination, and stability are closely related to cognitive functioning. Fine motor movement has the potential to be a reliable predictor of cognitive impairment., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) is an important environmental factor affecting human health. However, most studies on PM 2.5 and health have used data from fixed monitoring sites to assess PM 2.5 exposure, which may have introduced misleading information on the exposure-response relationship. We aimed to assess the effect of short-term personal PM 2.5 exposure on lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. To achieve this, we conducted a longitudinal panel study among 37 COPD patients and 45 asthma patients from Beijing, China. The COPD group and the asthma group completed 148 and 180 lung function tests, respectively. We found that in COPD patients, for every 10-μg/m 3 increase in PM 2.5 exposure at lag2, the FEV 1 , FVC and DLco decreased by -0.014 L (95% CI -0.025, -0.003), -0.025 L (95% CI -0.050, -0.003) and -0.089 mmol/min/kPa (95% CI -0.156, -0.023), respectively. There was also a decrease of -0.023 L/s (95% CI -0.042, -0.003) and -0.017 L/s (95% CI -0.032, -0.002) in MMEF at lag3 and lag03, respectively. In the asthma group, every 10-μg/m 3 increase in PM 2.5 exposure led to a reduction of -0.012 L (95% CI -0.023, -0.001), -0.042 L (95% CI -0.081, -0.003) and -0.061 L/s (95% CI -0.116, -0.004) in the FEV 1 , FVC and PEF at lag3, respectively. Our findings suggest that PM 2.5 exposure may primarily affect both airway function and lung diffusion function in COPD patients, and airway function in asthma patients., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Scientists are increasingly aware that heavy metal contamination in soils, especially in farmland ecosystems, can negatively affect human health and alter the bacterial community that plays a critical role in plant growth and heavy metal accumulation. The goal of the present paper was to uncover how various heavy metals and non-metallic elements affect human health and bacterial diversity in cornfields and to explore the contribution of soil bacteria to heavy metal accumulation in crops. Soil samples were collected from five counties in Shandong Province, China, where abnormally high levels of heavy metals and metalloids were caused by mining and heavy industry. We calculated a hazard quotient (HQ) to evaluate the health risk these heavy metals cause and analyzed the soil bacterial community using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The HQ results showed that As posed the greatest threat to human health followed by Pb although concentrations of all metals did not reach the health risk threshold. Meanwhile, principal component analysis (PCA) and redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed soil bacterial richness was significantly influenced by As, Ni, and Cr as well as pH and phosphorus, but not by the species diversity of aboveground weeds. The most abundant bacteria in our study region were heavy metal tolerant groups, specifically Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. Moreover, correlation analysis suggested that Actinobacteria might reduce the phytoaccumulation of Cr, Cu, Zn, and Hg in corn, while Proteobacteria might weaken phytoaccumulation of Pb, Ni, As, and Cd. Our results verified that heavy metals play an important role in shaping the soil bacterial community. Using native bacteria in farmland provides a potential biological strategy for reducing the health risk posed by heavy metals related to food consumption., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Intake of n -3 polyunsaturated fatty acids ( n -3 PUFAs) may protect against mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, there is still a lack of the n -3 PUFAs intervention in the elderly with MCI in China. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of n -3 PUFA supplementation on cognitive function in the Chinese elderly with MCI., Methods: Eighty six MCI individuals aged 60 years or older were randomly assigned to receive either n -3 PUFAs (480 mg DHA and 720 mg EPA per day, n = 44) or placebo (olive oil, n = 42) capsules. The changes of cognitive functions were assessed using Basic Cognitive Aptitude Tests (BCAT)., Results: The mean age of participants was 71 years old, and 59% of the participants were men. n -3 PUFA supplementation was associated with improved total BCAT scores, perceptual speed, space imagery efficiency, and working memory ( p < 0.01), but not with mental arithmetic efficiency or recognition memory ( p > 0.05). Subgroup analysis by sex showed that n -3 PUFAs significantly improved perceptual speed ( p = 0.001), space imagery efficiency ( p = 0.013), working memory ( p = 0.018), and total BCAT scores ( p = 0.000) in males. However, in females, the significant beneficial effects can only be observed in perceptual speed ( p = 0.027), space imagery efficiency ( p = 0.006), and total BCAT scores ( p = 0.015)-not working memory ( p = 0.113)., Conclusion: n -3 PUFAs can improve cognitive function in people with MCI. Further studies with different fish oil dosages, longer intervention periods, and larger sample sizes should be investigated before definite recommendations can be made., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Objective: To investigate the levels of cardiovascular disease risk factors and their relations to clinical phenotype associated with coronary artery disease (CAD)., Methods: The subjects were recruited from five independent cardiovascular centers. Coronary angiography was employed to define the CAD with stenosis in each major vessel > or = 70% and control with stenosis < 10% in every lesion. The classic risk factors including family history, body mass index, smoking habits, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and serum lipid levels were surveyed according to established criteria. Associations between risk levels and clinical phenotypes were assessed by case control and correlation analysis., Results: A total of 762 individuals were collected, including 481 men and 281 women, aged from 17 to 81 (mean 60 +/- 10) years. The patients with CAD accounted for 55.5% of all participants, and controls 44.5%, respectively. Compared with the pattern in published data, our study showed that mean serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level was significantly lower (P < 0.001) and triglycerides was significantly higher (P < 0.001), while total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were comparative (both P > 0.05). The prevalence of low HDL-C (< 40 g/L) and hypertriglyceridemia (> 150 g/L) were 27.2% and 41.4%, respectively. Mean serum levels of HDL-C and apolipoprotein A1 were significantly higher in female subjects than in male (P < 0.001). Lower HDL-C functioned as an independent risk factor for CAD only in men (RR = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.5-4. 2, P < 0.001), yet increased non-HDL cholesterol combined with diabetes mellitus and obesity seemed to play a key role in the development of CAD in women. Similarity in risk association with CAD was found for hypertension and TC/HDL ratio in male and female subjects, while family history had no relationship with the presence of CAD., Conclusion: It is remarkable that emphasis of intervention in future should be given on the prevalent low serum HDL-C and its strong risk correlation with the presence of CAD in male subjects of Chinese Han population.

Objective: To study the single nucleotide polymorphisms in genes associated with the high density lipoprotein (HDL) metabolism in Chinese population., Methods: Two hundred and nine normal Han ethnic subjects, aged 59+/-10 years, were recruited from 5 medical centers in western part of China. DNA was extracted by proteinase K digestion, phenol and chloroform extraction as well as isopropanol precipitation. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) in conjunction with sequencing were employed to test the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABCA1), cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) genes., Results: The allelic frequencies of A and G of ABCA1 gene are 53.4% and 46.6%; of B2 and B1 allele of CETP, 41.0% and 59.0%; of HindIII (-) and (+) allele of LPL, 18.9% and 81.1%; and of PvuII(+) and (-) allele of LPL, 66.0% and 34.0%, respectively. All genotype frequencies fit well with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium; the significant linkage disequilibrium exists between LPL HindIII(+)and PvuII(+) polymorphisms. All of the RFLP in these genes result from the single nucleic substitution in fragment recognized by corresponding restriction enzymes., Conclusion: The genetic polymorphisms of ABCA1, LPL-HindIII and LPL-PvuII in Chinese Han ethnic population are significantly different from Caucasians residing in USA or Europe.