Search

Introduction: The objective of this study was to identify relevant aspects for disability evaluation used in scientific literature for older adults., Evidence Acquisition: We employed a systematic review methodology as outlined by the ICF Research Branch. The methodology consists of four steps: 1) identifying studies that focus on disability evaluation among older adults; 2) identifying disability measures used in these studies; 3) linking the concepts contained in these measures to ICF categories; 4) conducting frequency analysis., Evidence Synthesis: A total of 1942 concepts contained in disability measures from 137 studies were extracted. About 97.7% of the concepts could be linked, and 1862 concepts were linked to 52 second-level ICF categories. Of these, 44 categories found in at least 5% of the studies (range 5.1-85.4%) were selected to develop an outcome set that represents the relevant categories, including five categories in the Body Functions component and 39 categories from the Activities and Participation component., Conclusions: The relevant categories identified in our study reflect the essential areas that measure disability for older adults, providing a scientific basis for developing an ICF Core Set for disability evaluation, in combination with further empirical study and expert survey. Information from the outcome set is also valuable for providing a standardized minimal set for disability measurement, which can be used for data comparison across different studies and the development of an ICF-based disability measurement tool.

Background: The rising prevalence of multimorbidity and functional dependence in community-dwelling older adults contribute to the demand for home care services. Evidence on how chronic conditions, especially multimorbidity, affect dependence levels among older adults with functional dependence in a socio-cultural context is much needed to inform policy, workforce, aged care service development to meet the care needs of this population., Objectives: This study aimed to determine the association between chronic conditions, multimorbidity and dependence levels among Chinese community-dwelling older adults with functional dependence., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,235 community-dwelling older adults with functional dependence in Hunan province, China, from June to October 2018. Data on socio-demographic factors, cognitive function, vision and hearing conditions, activities of daily living (ADLs), and health conditions were collected, and binary logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association between chronic conditions, multimorbidity and dependence levels, with adjustments for relevant covariates., Results: Among the participants, 62.9% had multimorbidity. Parkinson's disease, stroke, COPD, hypertension, mood and psychotic disorders (Anx/Sch/Dep) were significantly associated with high levels of functional dependence. After adjusting for demographic variables, cognitive function, vision, and hearing conditions, we observed a significant relationship between multimorbidity and higher functional dependence, but this association became insignificant when including certain chronic diseases closely associated with high-level dependence. Study revealed that Parkinson's disease and stroke notably increase dependency risk across seven ADL domains, demonstrating their extensive impact on daily functioning., Conclusion: The prevalence of multimorbidity among Chinese community-dwelling older adults with functional dependence is very high. The association of multimorbidity with functional dependence is mediated by specific chronic conditions. These findings highlight the necessity of adopting an integrated care model that combines medical and social care, with a particular emphasis on managing multimorbidity and critical chronic conditions that lead to severe functional dependence to preventing and diminish the onset of disabilities., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Hu, Hu, Feng and Cui.)

Objective: To expound the roles of mTOR and NF-kB signaling pathway in intermittent hypoxia (IH)-induced damage of hippocampal neurons., Methods: For rat experiments, mTOR inhibitor (Rapamycin, Rapa) and NF-κB signaling inhibitor (ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, PDTC) were applied to inhibit mTOR and NF-κB signaling, respectively. For neuron experiments, hippocampal neurons from rat were successfully cultured. Different concentrations of Rapa and PDTC were added to the cultured hippocampal neurons. Rat or primary hippocampal neurons were exposed to normoxic or IH conditions after administration of Rapa and PDTC. The effects of Rapa and PDTC administration on learning and memory ability of rats and hippocampal injury after IH exposure were assayed by Morris water maze and H&E staining. Electron microscope was utilized to examine primary hippocampal neuron ultrastructure changes after IH exposure and Rapa or PDTC administration. The expressions of NF-κB-p65, IκBα, IKKβ, BDNF, TNF-α, IL-1β, PSD-95 and SYN in hippocampal neurons were examined., Results: Compared with normal control rats or neurons, IH-treated group had elevated expression levels of NF-kB, TNF-α and IL-1β and suppressed expression level of BDNF, PSD-95 and SYN. These results were reversed upon pre-treatment with Rapa and PDTC. Furthermore, IκBα and IKKβ expressions were down-regulated in IH group. No notable difference was manifested in PDTC pre-treatment group, while a prominent increase was shown after Rapa pre-administration., Conclusion: The administration of PDTC and Rapa could prevent IH-induced hippocampal neuron impairment, indicating that inhibition of the mTOR and NF-κB pathway may likely act as a therapeutic target for obstructive sleep apnea.

DNA methyltransferases may function as important biomarkers of cancers and genetic diseases. Herein, we develop a dye-sensitized and gold plasmon-enhanced cathodic photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensor on the basis of p-type covalent organic polymers (COPs) for the signal-on measurement of M.SssI methyltransferase (M.SssI MTase). The cathodic PEC biosensor is constructed by the in situ growth of p-type COP films onto a glass coated with indium tin oxide and the subsequent assembly of biotin- and HS-labeled double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) probes onto the COP film via biotin-streptavidin interaction. The dsDNA probe contains the recognition sequence of M.SssI MTase. The COP thin films possess a porous ultrathin nanosheet structure with abundant active sites, facilitating the generation of a high photocurrent compared with the hydrothermally synthesized ones. The presence of DNA methyltransferases can prevent the digestion of restriction endonuclease HpaII, consequently inducing the introduction of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to the dsDNA probes via the S-Au bond and the intercalation of rhodamine B (RhB) into the DNA grooves to produce a high photocurrent due to the dye-photosensitized enhancement and AuNP-mediated surface plasmon resonance. However, in the absence of M.SssI MTase, HpaII digests the dsDNA probes, and neither AuNPs nor RhB can be introduced onto the electrode surface, leading to a low photocurrent. This cathodic PEC biosensor possesses high sensitivity and good selectivity, and it can screen the inhibitors and detect M.SssI MTase in serum as well.

Recently, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been investigated as potential materials for CO 2 capture and light hydrocarbon storage/separation due to their high porosity, large surface area, and tunable skeleton structures. In this work, the six cobalt-based MOFs 1 - 6 were successfully synthesized under solvothermal conditions by a mixed-ligand strategy. 1 and 2 have the same framework structure with a topology of {4 2 ·5} 2 {4 4 ·5 10 ·6 7 ·7 6 ·8}, while the structures of the 3 - 6 frameworks are the same with a topology of {4 2 ·5} 2 {4 4 ·5 10 ·6 9 ·7 4 ·8}. The adsorption properties of these MOFs for CO 2 and C 2 hydrocarbons were then investigated, and the effect of the functional groups was discussed. The results revealed that the introduction of amino and bromo groups could effectively strengthen the adsorption performance.

Objective: To explore the level and influencing factors of frontline nurses' post-traumatic growth (PTG) during COVID-19 epidemic., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in February 2020 in three hospitals in China. The Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) was used to investigate the PTG of frontline nurses. Data on related factors, including demographic characteristics and subjective variables, were collected. The Event-Related Rumination Inventory was used to assess rumination. Pearson's or Spearman's correlation was calculated for bivariate analysis. Independent sample t-tests or one-way analysis of variance and multiple linear regression analysis were used to examine the related factors., Results: A total of 179 frontline nurses were recruited, and 167 were included in the analyses. The mean PTG score was 70.53±17.26. The bivariate analyses showed that deliberate rumination was modestly positively correlated with PTG (r=0.557, p<0.01), while intrusive rumination had a modest negative correlation with PTG (r=-0.413, p<0.01). Multiple linear regression demonstrated that working years, self-confidence in frontline work, awareness of risk, psychological intervention or training during the epidemic and deliberate rumination were the main influencing factors of PTG among frontline nurses and accounted for 42.5% of the variance (F=31.626, p<0.001)., Conclusions: The PTG of frontline nurses was at a medium to high level and was influenced by working years, self-confidence in frontline work, awareness of risk, psychological intervention or training and deliberate rumination. It is necessary to strengthen psychological guidance and training for frontline nurses and promote their deliberate rumination on epidemic events to improve their PTG., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Through the development of ligands and reaction conditions, the Rh(III)-catalyzed selective annulation of benzamides with internal alkynes has been achieved to the formation of O -cyclized isochromen-imines. Various substituents are well-tolerated under mild reaction conditions. Density functional theory calculations indicate that silver carbonate could act as a Lewis acid to assist the ligand to improve the chemical selectivity of the reaction in a catalytic system.

Two series of lanthanide-based metal-organic frameworks, namely {[Ln(BIPA-TC)0.5(DMA)2(NO3)]·DMA·H2O}n (1-Ln, Ln = Eu, Dy, Sm, Nd) and {[Ln2(BIPA-TC)1.5(DMA)3(H2O)2]·2DMA·2H2O}n (2-Ln, Ln = Eu, Dy, Sm, Nd), were successfully constructed via a solvent regulation strategy based on a π-electron rich tetra-carboxylate ligand (H4BIPA-TC). 1-Ln shows a 4-connected lvt topology with the point symbol of {42·84}, but 2-Ln displays a new 4,4,6-connected wxk1 topology with the point symbol of {43·83}4{46·66·83}2{86}. The solid-state luminescence property and the microporous nature of Eu-MOFs (1-Eu and 2-Eu) indicate that they can potentially be used as luminescent sensors. Fluorescence measurements indicate that Fe3+ exhibits the quenching effect for 1-Eu with the quenching efficiency of 93.1%. 2-Eu is the first MOF sensor for Mg2+ with the lowest detection limit of 1.53 × 10-10 mol L-1 and displays good recyclable capability. Simultaneously, in the presence of other metal ions (Ca2+, Mn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Cd2+, Pd2+, Al3+, Cr3+and Fe3+), 2-Eu can maintain the selective sensing of Mg2+, indicating its potential for Mg2+ turn-on sensing.

The fabrication of metal-organic frameworks with controlled structure and desired properties is important but still a challenge. In this work, a zinc(II) framework, {[Zn 3 (L) 2 (DABCO)(H 2 O)]·9DMF} (named as Zn-1), has been synthesized based on [1,1':3',1″-terphenyl]-4,4″,5'-tricarboxylic acid (H 3 L) and 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO), which is isostructural to the previously reported copper(II) analogue, {[Cu 3 (L) 2 (DABCO)(H 2 O)]·15H 2 O·9DMF} (named as Cu-1). Interestingly, hybrid zinc(II) and copper(II) bimetallic frameworks have been obtained via metal-ion metathesis and found to show enhanced adsorption and photoluminescence properties. Such a post-metal-ion metathesis method can be used to synthesize new and desired frameworks that could not be obtained by direct synthesis.

Rhodium(III)-catalyzed C-H arylation of arenes with phenylboronic acid pinacol esters has been achieved using a readily removable N-pentafluorophenylbenzamide directing group for the first time. The use of a bidentate phosphine ligand (Binap) significantly increased the yield of the cross-coupling of C-H bonds with organoboron reagents.

Under solvothermal conditions, reactions of pyridine-3,5-bis(phenyl-4-carboxylic acid) (H2L) with lanthanide metal salts give rise to three new metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with the formula {[Ln4(L)3(μ3-OH)4(H2O)4]·(NO3)2·solvent}n [Ln = Er (1), Yb (2) and Lu (3)]. The complexes were characterized by single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, IR and thermogravimetric analyses. They have the same two-fold interpenetrating three-dimensional (3D) framework structures with [Ln4(COO)6(μ3-OH)4(H2O)4] clusters as secondary building units (SBUs) and a rare 6-connected lcy topology with the point (Schläfli) symbol of {3(3)·5(9)·6(3)}. Interestingly, 1-3 show selective and hysteretic sorption of CO2 over N2, and the photoluminescence properties of the complexes were also investigated.

The oxidative olefination of a broad array of arenes and heteroarenes with a variety of activated and unactivated olefins has be achieved via a rhodium(iii)-catalyzed C-H activation reaction. The use of an N -pentafluorophenyl benzamide directing group is crucial for achieving catalytic turnovers in the presence of air as the sole oxidant without using a co-oxidant.