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Scientific Reports Jun 2024This study explores the modification of silk fibroin films for hydrophilic coating applications using various sugar alcohols. Films, prepared via solvent casting,...
This study explores the modification of silk fibroin films for hydrophilic coating applications using various sugar alcohols. Films, prepared via solvent casting, incorporated glycerol, sorbitol, and maltitol, revealing distinctive transparency and UV absorption characteristics based on sugar alcohol chemical structures. X-ray diffraction confirmed a silk I to silk II transition influenced by sugar alcohols. Glycerol proved most effective in enhancing the β-sheet structure. The study also elucidated a conformational shift towards a β-sheet structure induced by sugar alcohols. Silk fibroin-sugar alcohol blind docking and sugar alcohol-sugar alcohol blind docking investigations were conducted utilizing the HDOCK Server. The computer simulation unveiled the significance of size and hydrogen bonding characteristics inherent in sugar alcohols, emphasizing their pivotal role in influencing interactions within silk fibroin matrices. Hydrophilicity of ozonized silicone surfaces improved through successful coating with silk fibroin films, particularly glycerol-containing ones, resulting in reduced contact angles. Strong adhesion between silk fibroin films and ozonized silicone surfaces was evident, indicating robust hydrogen bonding interactions. This comprehensive research provides crucial insights into sugar alcohols' potential to modify silk fibroin film crystalline structures, offering valuable guidance for optimizing their design and functionality, especially in silicone coating applications.
Topics: Fibroins; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; Sugar Alcohols; Hydrogen Bonding; Coated Materials, Biocompatible; X-Ray Diffraction; Molecular Docking Simulation
PubMed: 38877138
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64450-5 -
Environment International Jun 2024Previous studies of air pollution and respiratory disease often relied on aggregated or lagged acute respiratory disease outcome measures, such as emergency department...
Previous studies of air pollution and respiratory disease often relied on aggregated or lagged acute respiratory disease outcome measures, such as emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalizations, which may lack temporal and spatial resolution. This study investigated the association between daily air pollution exposure and respiratory symptoms among participants with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), using a unique dataset passively collected by digital sensors monitoring inhaled medication use. The aggregated dataset comprised 456,779 short-acting beta-agonist (SABA) puffs across 3,386 people with asthma or COPD, between 2012 and 2019, across the state of California. Each rescue use was assigned space-time air pollution values of nitrogen dioxide (NO), fine particulate matter with diameter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM) and ozone (O), derived from highly spatially resolved air pollution surfaces generated for the state of California. Statistical analyses were conducted using linear mixed models and random forest machine learning. Results indicate that daily air pollution exposure is positively associated with an increase in daily SABA use, for individual pollutants and simultaneous exposure to multiple pollutants. The advanced linear mixed model found that a 10-ppb increase in NO, a 10 μg m increase in PM, and a 30-ppb increase in O were respectively associated with incidence rate ratios of SABA use of 1.025 (95 % CI: 1.013-1.038), 1.054 (95 % CI: 1.041-1.068), and 1.161 (95 % CI: 1.127-1.233), equivalent to a respective 2.5 %, 5.4 % and 16 % increase in SABA puffs over the mean. The random forest machine learning approach showed similar results. This study highlights the potential of digital health sensors to provide valuable insights into the daily health impacts of environmental exposures, offering a novel approach to epidemiological research that goes beyond residential address. Further investigation is warranted to explore potential causal relationships and to inform public health strategies for respiratory disease management.
PubMed: 38875815
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108810 -
Transfusion Medicine and Hemotherapy :... Jun 2024Autologous blood transfusion techniques are well applied in surgery, but the red blood cells (RBCs) collected during laparoscopic surgery may forfeit their ability to...
Ozone Improves Oxygenation and Offers Organ Protection after Autologous Blood Transfusion in a Simulated Carbon Dioxide Pneumoperitoneal Environment in a Rabbit Hemorrhagic Shock Model.
OBJECTIVES
Autologous blood transfusion techniques are well applied in surgery, but the red blood cells (RBCs) collected during laparoscopic surgery may forfeit their ability to oxygenate. O is a potent oxidation gas. This study investigates whether O could improve the oxygen-carrying capacity of RBCs, reduce inflammatory reactions, and offer organ protection.
METHODS
We established a hemorrhagic shock model in rabbits, and simulated CO pneumoperitoneum and O were applied before autologous blood transfusion. Perioperative mean arterial pressure and arterial blood gas were recorded, blood gas and RBC morphology of collected blood were analyzed, plasma IL-6, ALT, AST, CRE, and lung histopathology POD0 and POD3 were tested, as well as postoperative survival quality.
RESULTS
Autologous blood that underwent simulated CO pneumoperitoneum had a lower pH and SaO and a higher PaCO than the control group. After O treatment, PaO and SaO increased significantly, with unchanged pH values and PaCO. RBCs in autologous blood were drastically deformed after CO conditioning and then reversed to normal by O treatment. Rabbits that received CO-conditioned autologous blood had a compromised survival quality after surgery, higher plasma IL-6 levels, higher lung injury scores on POD0, higher ALT and AST levels on POD3, and O treatment alleviated these adverse outcomes.
CONCLUSION
O can restore RBC function, significantly improve blood oxygenation under simulated CO pneumoperitoneum, offer organ protection, and improve the postoperative survival quality in the rabbit hemorrhage shock model.
PubMed: 38867809
DOI: 10.1159/000527934 -
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... Jun 2024The development of high-resolution spatial and spatiotemporal models of air pollutants is essential for exposure science and epidemiological applications. While...
The development of high-resolution spatial and spatiotemporal models of air pollutants is essential for exposure science and epidemiological applications. While fixed-site sampling has conventionally provided input data for statistical predictive models, the evolving mobile monitoring method offers improved spatial resolution, ideal for measuring pollutants with high spatial variability such as ultrafine particles (UFP). The Quebec Air Pollution Exposure and Epidemiology (QAPEE) study measured and modelled the spatial and spatiotemporal distributions of understudied pollutants, such as UFPs, black carbon (BC), and brown carbon (BrC), along with fine particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO), and ozone (O) in Quebec City, Canada. We conducted a combined fixed-site (NO and O) and mobile monitoring (PM, BC, BrC, and UFPs) campaign over 10-months. Mobile monitoring routes were monitored on a weekly basis between 8am - 10am and designed using location/allocation modelling. Seasonal fixed-site sampling campaigns captured continuous 24-hour measurements over two-week periods. Flexible Generalized Additive Models (GAMs), which combined data on pollution concentrations, spatial and spatial and temporal GIS predictors, and spatial and temporal terms, were used to model and predict concentration surfaces. Annual models for PM, NO, O as well as seven of the smallest size fractions in the UFP range, had high out of sample predictive accuracy (range r: 0.54 - 0.86). Varying spatial patterns was observed across UFP size ranges measured as Particle Number Counts (PNC). The monthly spatiotemporal models for PM (r = 0.49), BC (r = 0.27), BrC (r = 0.29), and PNC (r = 0.49) had moderate or moderate-low out of sample predictive accuracy. We conducted a sensitivity analysis and found that the minimum number of 'n visits' (mobile monitoring sessions) required to model annually representative air pollution concentrations was between 24 and 32 visits dependent on the pollutant. This study provides a single source of predictive exposure models for a comprehensive set of air pollutants in Quebec City, Canada. These exposure models will feed into epidemiological research on the health impacts of ambient UFPs and other pollutants.
PubMed: 38866318
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124353 -
Frontiers in Epidemiology 2024Many studies reported associations between long-term exposure to environmental factors and mortality; however, little is known on the combined effects of these factors...
BACKGROUND
Many studies reported associations between long-term exposure to environmental factors and mortality; however, little is known on the combined effects of these factors and health. We aimed to evaluate the association between external exposome and all-cause mortality in large administrative and traditional adult cohorts in Europe.
METHODS
Data from six administrative cohorts (Catalonia, Greece, Rome, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands, totaling 27,913,545 subjects) and three traditional adult cohorts (CEANS-Sweden, EPIC-NL-the Netherlands, KORA-Germany, totaling 57,653 participants) were included. Multiple exposures were assigned at the residential addresses, and were divided into three defined domains: (1) air pollution [fine particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), black carbon (BC) and warm-season Ozone (warm-O)]; (2) land/built environment (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index-NDVI, impervious surfaces, and distance to water); (3) air temperature (cold- and warm-season mean and standard deviation). Each domain was synthesized through Principal Component Analysis (PCA), with the aim of explaining at least 80% of its variability. Cox proportional-hazards regression models were applied and the total risk of the external exposome was estimated through the Cumulative Risk Index (CRI). The estimates were adjusted for individual- and area-level covariates.
RESULTS
More than 205 million person-years at risk and more than 3.2 million deaths were analyzed. In single-component models, IQR increases of the first principal component of the air pollution domain were associated with higher mortality [HRs ranging from 1.011 (95% CI: 1.005-1.018) for the Rome cohort to 1.076 (1.071-1.081) for the Swedish cohort]. In contrast, lower levels of the first principal component of the land/built environment domain, pointing to reduced vegetation and higher percentage of impervious surfaces, were associated with higher risks. Finally, the CRI of external exposome increased mortality for almost all cohorts. The associations found in the traditional adult cohorts were generally consistent with the results from the administrative ones, albeit without reaching statistical significance.
DISCUSSION
Various components of the external exposome, analyzed individually or in combination, were associated with increased mortality across European cohorts. This sets the stage for future research on the connections between various exposure patterns and human health, aiding in the planning of healthier cities.
PubMed: 38863881
DOI: 10.3389/fepid.2024.1327218 -
Infection and Drug Resistance 2024To analyze bacterial distribution and antibiotic resistance in clinical specimens from a Chinese hospital for evaluating environmental factors' impact on pathogen...
Investigating the Distribution and Antibiotic Resistance of Bacterial Pathogens in Clinical Specimens from a Chinese Maternal and Child Hospital: The Role of Environmental Factors.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze bacterial distribution and antibiotic resistance in clinical specimens from a Chinese hospital for evaluating environmental factors' impact on pathogen prevalence.
METHODS
From January 2017 to December 2021, we collected 42,854 clinical specimens from hospitalized children and women. The specimens were cultured on various agar plates and incubated at 35°C for 18-48 h. Their identification was performed using standard biochemical methods and Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF), whereas antibiotic susceptibilities were determined using the VITEK 2 system. Concurrent environmental data from Wuhan were analyzed for correlations with pathogen prevalence using multiple linear stepwise regression.
RESULTS
Of the 24,555 bacterial strains isolated, the majority were gram-positive, and sputum was the most common specimen type. and were the most prevalent pathogens in sputum and urine samples, respectively. Notably, and affected children under 6 years of age the most. Furthermore, showed high ampicillin resistance but low cefotaxime resistance; was sensitive to penicillin G, and was resistant to ampicillin but sensitive to cefotetan. The prevalence of multidrug-resistant organisms was below national averages. In terms of seasonality, peaked during late winter and early spring, and environmental analysis indicated positive correlations between PM2.5 and PM10, and and prevalence. In addition, NO levels were positively correlated with increased and prevalence; prevalence was negatively correlated with ozone levels.
CONCLUSION
This study provides valuable insights into the distribution and antibiotic resistance patterns of bacterial pathogens in maternal and child healthcare facilities in Wuhan, China. Environmental factors significantly influence the epidemiology of certain bacterial pathogens. Implementing integrated health strategies that combine microbial surveillance with environmental monitoring is needed to effectively manage and prevent bacterial infections.
PubMed: 38854782
DOI: 10.2147/IDR.S468419 -
ACS Omega Jun 2024This study investigated the efficacy of low-dose ozone microbubble solution and conventional aqueous ozone as inactivation agents against Tulane virus samples in water...
This study investigated the efficacy of low-dose ozone microbubble solution and conventional aqueous ozone as inactivation agents against Tulane virus samples in water over a short period of time. Noroviruses are the primary cause of foodborne illnesses in the US, and the development of effective inactivation agents is crucial. Ozone has a high oxidizing ability and naturally decomposes to oxygen, but it has limitations due to its low dissolution rate, solubility, and stability. Ozone microbubbles have been promising in enhancing inactivation, but little research has been done on their efficacy against noroviruses. The study examined the influence of the dissolved ozone concentration, inactivation duration, and presence of organic matter during inactivation. The results showed that ozone microbubbles had a longer half-life (14 ± 0.81 min) than aqueous ozone (3 ± 0.35 min). After 2, 10, and 20 min postgeneration, the ozone concentration of microbubbles naturally decreased from 4 ppm to 3.2 ± 0.2, 2.26 ± 0.19, and 1.49 ± 0.23 ppm and resulted in 1.43 ± 0.44, 0.88 ± 0.5, and 0.68 ± 0.53 log viral reductions, respectively, while the ozone concentration of aqueous ozone decreased from 4 ppm to 2.52 ± 0.07, 0.43 ± 0.05, and 0.09 ± 0.01 ppm and produced 0.8 ± 0.28, 0.29 ± 0.41, and 0.16 ± 0.21 log reductions against Tulane virus, respectively ( = 0.0526), suggesting that structuring of ozone in the bubbles over the applied treatment conditions did not have a significant effect, though future study with continuous generation of ozone microbubbles is needed.
PubMed: 38854534
DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c08396 -
Cureus May 2024Cervical intervertebral disc herniation is a common condition and most often presents as neck or upper limb pain causing varying levels of disability and dysfunction.... (Review)
Review
Cervical intervertebral disc herniation is a common condition and most often presents as neck or upper limb pain causing varying levels of disability and dysfunction. Percutaneous injection of ozone into the intradiscal space is a novel and minimally invasive technique for managing this condition and can be an effective alternative to surgical management. A literature search was done using the keywords ozone disc nucleolysis of cervical intervertebral lesions, and five studies were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Meta-analysis was performed to determine safety, effectiveness, and symptomatic relief (determined based on the visual analog scale (VAS)) with the publication bias being removed. Subjects treated with ozone therapy showed significant reduction (p < 0.0001) in VAS score as compared to baseline VAS score with a standardized mean difference of 2.78 (95% CI = 1.48 to 4.07; Z value = 4.20). Ozone nucleolysis is a minimally invasive, relatively safe, and optimally effective treatment option for reducing the pain related to cervical disc. Intradiscal ozone therapy can be considered an alternative treatment modality, and well-designed, randomized clinical trials are required to confirm the long-term superiority of ozone therapy against other treatment modalities available for cervical disc herniation.
PubMed: 38854278
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.59855 -
Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology :... Dec 2024Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) can have negative effects on both the pregnancy and perinatal outcomes, as well as the long-term health of the mother and the child....
BACKGROUND
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) can have negative effects on both the pregnancy and perinatal outcomes, as well as the long-term health of the mother and the child. It has been suggested that exposure to air pollution may increase the risk of developing GDM. This study investigated the relationship between exposure to air pollutants with gestational diabetes.
METHODS
The present study is a retrospective cohort study. We used data from a randomised community trial conducted between September 2016 and January 2019 in Iran. During this period, data on air pollutant levels of five cities investigated in the original study, including 6090 pregnant women, were available. Concentrations of ozone (O), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO), carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter < 2.5 (PM) or <10 μm (PM) were obtained from air pollution monitoring stations. Exposure to air pollutants during the three months preceding pregnancy and the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy for each participant was estimated. The odds ratio was calculated based on logistic regression in three adjusted models considering different confounders. Only results that had a < .05 were considered statistically significant.
RESULTS
None of the logistic regression models showed any statistically significant relationship between the exposure to any of the pollutants and GDM at different time points (before pregnancy, in the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy and 12 months in total) ( > .05). Also, none of the adjusted logistic regression models showed any significant association between PM exposure and GDM risk at all different time points after adjusting for various confounders ( > .05).
CONCLUSIONS
This study found no association between GDM risk and exposure to various air pollutants before and during the different trimesters of pregnancy. This result should be interpreted cautiously due to the lack of considering all of the potential confounders.
Topics: Humans; Female; Pregnancy; Diabetes, Gestational; Air Pollution; Retrospective Studies; Adult; Air Pollutants; Iran; Particulate Matter; Nitrogen Dioxide; Logistic Models; Ozone; Maternal Exposure; Environmental Exposure; Risk Factors
PubMed: 38853776
DOI: 10.1080/01443615.2024.2362962 -
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Jun 2024Air pollution is widely acknowledged as a significant risk factor for human health, especially reproductive health. Nevertheless, many studies have disregarded the...
Air pollution is widely acknowledged as a significant risk factor for human health, especially reproductive health. Nevertheless, many studies have disregarded the potentially mixed effects of air pollutants on reproductive outcomes. We performed a retrospective cohort study involving 8048 women with 9445 cycles undergoing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) in China, from 2017 to 2021. A land-use random forest model was applied to estimate daily residential exposure to air pollutants, including sulfur dioxide (SO), nitrogen dioxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O), and fine particulate matter (PM). Individual and joint associations between air pollutants and oocyte-related outcomes of ART were evaluated. In 90 days prior to oocyte pick-up to oocyte pick-up (period A), NO, O and CO was negatively associated with total oocyte yield. In the 90 days prior to oocyte pick-up to start of gonadotropin medication (Gn start, period B), there was a negative dose-dependent association of exposure to five air pollutants with total oocyte yield and mature oocyte yield. In Qgcomp analysis, increasing the multiple air pollutants mixtures by one quartile was related to reducing the number of oocyte pick-ups by -2.00 % (95 %CI: -2.78 %, -1.22 %) in period A, -2.62 % (95 %CI: -3.40 %, -1.84 %) in period B, and -0.98 % (95 %CI: -1.75 %, -0.21 %) in period C. During period B, a 1-unit increase in the WQS index of multiple air pollutants exposure was associated with fewer number of total oocyte (-1.27 %, 95 %CI: -2.16 %, -0.36 %) and mature oocyte (-1.42 %, 95 %CI: -2.41 %, -0.43 %). O and NO were major contributors with adverse effects on the mixed associations. Additionally, period B appears to be the susceptible window. Our study implies that exposure to air pollution adversely affects oocyte-related outcomes, which raises concerns about the potential adverse impact of air pollution on women's reproductive health.
PubMed: 38852468
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116525