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To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the eight-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) in Chinese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).The survey was conducted with a consecutive sampling of 158 Chinese SLE patients attending public hospitals from January to March 2021. We used the translated Chinese version of the MMAS-8 to collect related data. Reliability, item, and factor analyses were used to test the reliability and validity of the MMAS-8 scale in the selected patients. The internal consistency reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's α coefficient. Test-retest reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) in a subset of 30 participants. Construct validity was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis and correlations between the Self-efficacy for Appropriate Medication Use Scale (SEAMS) and related measures.The internal consistency reliability of the Chinese version of the MMAS-8 was high (Cronbach's α = 0.817), and the test-retest reliability was excellent (intraclass correlation = 0.947; P 0.001). There were significant differences in the F test and t test between the two extreme groups before and after the ranking of 27% of the questionnaire scores (P 0.001). The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) value of construct validity was 0.860. The spherical test value of Bartlettgers was 417.8822. Factor analysis yielded three components that accounted for 69.375% of the total variance. Exploratory factor analysis identified three dimensions of the Chinese version of the MMAS-8. In terms of criterion validity, the correlation of the MMAS-8 score in SEAMS indicated that the convergent validity was good (r = 0.926; P 0.001).This study shows that the Chinese version of the Medication Adherence Scale-8 is a reliable and valid tool for assessing medication adherence in Chinese SLE patients. Key Points • Many factors affect medication adherence in SLE patients. • Many questionnaires measure medication adherence levels. • There is a lack of reliable validation of medication adherence questionnaires specifically for SLE patients.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may cause damage to multiple organs and may further restrict the patient's physical, psychological and social functions. This meta-analysis aimed to explore the prevalence of frailty and prefrailty and the influential factors in RA patients.PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, Embase, and CNKI were searched to identify related articles. Articles published before July 23rd, 2021 that assessed frailty in patients with RA qualified for the systematic review and meta-analysis. A quality appraisal of the studies was performed using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and Newcastle-Ottawa Scales. The pooled results were displayed as odds ratios or standardized mean differences (ORs/SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).The article search generated 2273 articles, of which 16 satisfied the inclusion criteria and were merged in the final review. A total of 8556 RA patients were finally included. The pooled prevalence of frailty in the patients with RA was 33.5% (95% CI: 25.2-41.7%), and the pooled prevalence of prefrailty was 39.9% (95% CI: 29.4-50.3%). Subgroup analyses showed that frailty was more prevalent in females (24.7%) than in males (19.1%). The prevalence of prefrailty in females was similar to that in males among the RA patients. Frailty in RA was associated with the female sex (OR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.04-2.07) and disease activity (OR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.03-2.09).Frailty is prevalent in RA patients. Female gender and disease activity are associated with the prevalence of frailty in RA patients.

Accurate prediction of the material removal rate (MRR) distribution is very important for the control of the polishing process. However, the widely used prediction method of MRR based on the Preston equation is still incapable of predicting the roll-off phenomenon in polishing process. One of the reasons is that many of the researchers’ neglected the effect of the surface profile of the workpiece on the MRR. In this paper, the evolutionary process of MRR distribution with the change of surface profile using two different polishing pad is studied, it is found that MRR varies gradually with the change of surface profile and tends to be uniform finally. Based on the analysis of contact pressure considering the actual surface profile of workpiece and modified Preston equation, the distribution of MRR is analyzed. It is found that the Preston coefficient distribution on workpiece surface is stable when the surface profile variation is small and shows obvious differences from the center to the edge of the workpiece. Through the comparison it is found that correlation between the regularities of Preston coefficient distribution and the type of polishing pad is significant. The research results in this paper will play an important guiding role in the quantitative prediction method research of polishing process.

Nanoparticles comprising chitosan-graft-poly (methyl methacrylate) (CS-g-PMMA) copolymer were successfully synthesized in aqueous solution by using potassium diperiоdatоnickelate (Ni (IV)) as an initiator. The nanoparticles were characterized in terms of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicated that chitosan was covalently linked to poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and the particles were uniform, spherical and well dispersed with narrow size distribution. Paclitaxel-loaded nanoparticles were prepared and in vitro release showed that these nanoparticles provided an initial burst release followed by a slowly sustained release for more than 16 days. Therefore, this process method would be used for synthesizing natural polymer graft copolymer nanoparticles with wide prospect.

Allyl-functionalized copolymers with well-defined structure have been successfully prepared via selective reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) copolymerization of styrene and allyl methacrylate possessing a higher reactive methacrylate and a lower reactive allyl. By employing a fast RAFT equilibrium, the polymerization for AMA completely occurred in methacrylate double bonds, whereas allyl double bonds remained intact and were introduced into the side-chains. GPC and 1H NMR analyses have confirmed the high chain-end functionality of the resultant copolymer.