Favorable Effect Research Articles

A pilot randomised controlled trial of acceptance and commitment therapy for medication decision-making and quality of life in women with breast cancer: The ACTION trial.

Non-adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) in women with breast cancer is common and associated with medication side-effects and distress. We co-designed an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention (ACTION) to enhance medication decision-making and quality of life (QoL). We undertook a pilot trial of ACTION to inform the feasibility of a phase III trial, and to examine intervention acceptability. This was a multi-site, exploratory, two-arm, individually randomised external pilot trial. Women with early breast cancer prescribed AET were randomised (1:1) to receive usual care (UC) or UC+ACTION. The ACTION intervention comprised a remotely delivered one-to-one ACT session followed by three group sessions delivered by clinical psychologists, alongside a website containing ideas for the self-management of side effects. Of the 480 women screened for eligibility, 260 (54.2%) were approached and 79 (30.4%) randomised. 71 (89.9%) women provided data at 3-month and 70 (88.6%) at 6-month 40 women were randomised to receive UC+ACTION and 32 (80.0%) completed the intervention. Most (75.0%) accessed the website at least once. ACTION was acceptable to participants (Borkovec & Nau Scale: mean=7.8 [SD=2.7] out of 10). Signals of effectiveness in favour of the UC+ACTION arm were observed for medication adherence (Adherence Starts with Knowledge questionnaire-12), QoL (work and social adjustment scale), health-related QoL (functional assessment of cancer therapy[FACT] general and FACT-ES-19/23), distress (generalised anxiety disorder -7, patient health questionnaire-9) and psychological flexibility (valuing questionnaire). The ACTION intervention was acceptable to patients. There were promising signals for effectiveness on primary and secondary outcomes. A phase III randomised controlled trial is feasible. ISRCTN12027752.

Flecainide sebagai Antiaritmia untuk Fibrilasi Atrium dan Aritmia Lainnya

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common arrhythmias globally, and its prevalence is projected to increase, including in Indonesia. AF progression is related to lower quality of life and less responsive to therapy or even becomes irreversible. The progression of AF is significantly slower with the rhythm control strategy than with the rate control strategy alone. The options for therapy in Indonesia are limited to amiodarone and propafenone. Amiodarone is one of the most common drugs prescribed for AF rhythm control, but associated with multiple organ toxicities, thus increasing the risk of multiple side effects, especially on long-term usage, potentially leading to drug discontinuation. Flecainide is an antiarrhythmia with a favourable effectiveness and safety profile, especially for AF management, used for acute cardioversion, long-term rhythm control, and as a therapeutic modality for AF with preexcitation syndrome. Flecainide is a potential drug to address the unmet needs of amiodarone as a long-term management for AF.

Pomalidomide improves the effectiveness of CAR-T treatment in the relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma or B-cell leukemia/lymphoma with extramedullary disease.

Relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) and B-cell leukemia/lymphoma with extramedullary disease (EMD) have poor prognosis and high mortality, lack of effective therapeutic approaches. We reported for the first time that 6 patients with malignant hematological diseases with EMD received chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T treatment combined with pomalidomide, and CAR-T cells were treated with pomalidomide in vitro to determine its killing activity and cytokine secretion. Three patients with RRMM were given B cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-CAR-T therapy. All 3 patients with B-cell leukemia/lymphoma received CD19/22-CAR-T sequential infusion. There were no treatment-related deaths. The maximum overall response rate (ORR) was 100%. Median follow-up was 211.5 days (75-407 days). Three patients (50%) experienced cytokine release syndrome, all of which were grade 1, and no neurotoxicity was observed. In vitro experiments showed that the killing activity did not differ significantly between BCMA-CAR-T cells with and without pomalidomide (10, 25, or 50 μg/mL) in 8226/U266 cell cocultures (P > .05). Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interferon (IFN)-γ secretion was significantly higher from 8226 and Raji cells cocultured with BCMA-CAR-T and cluster of differentiation (CD)19-CAR-T cells (P < .05). Based on the cocultures, adding pomalidomide significantly promoted IFN-γ and TNF-α secretion (P < .05). Based on the above clinical and in vitro studies demonstrating the co-administration of pomalidomide with CAR-T cell treatment demonstrated favorable tolerability and therapeutic effectiveness in RRMM or B-cell leukemia/lymphoma.

Saturated Sliding Mode Control Scheme for a New Wearable Back-Support Exoskeleton

Low back pain has been torturing people around the world as a common and chronic disease, the main inducement of which is lumbar disc herniation (LDH). To alleviate patients’ pain noninvasively, this paper proposes a new lumbar spinal rehabilitation exoskeleton. This exoskeleton is composed of two bands connected by four motor-driven piston pushrods, where the range of band can be adjusted to adapt to people with different waistlines. The four pushrods provide support forces to hold the upper body to relieve the burden of lumbar. The joints between pushrods and band are universal pairs and spherical pairs. The whole structure can be regarded as a parallel robot, thus the supporting and waist tracking performance can be determined by motion control effect of pushrods. Considering the motor torque of pushrods is limited, in this paper, a saturated sliding mode control scheme is proposed. Meanwhile, an extended state observer (ESO) is employed to estimate the external disturbance and internal uncertainties, then the estimates of perturbations will be compensated by the feedback scheme. Furthermore, to enhance the disturbance-tracking performance of the ESO an integrated sliding mode observer is proposed to compensate the tracking errors of ESO. The stabilities of controller and observers are proved by Lyapunov stability theory. Finally, a simulation and two experiments are conducted to verify the performance of the proposed controller and the new exoskeleton. The simulation results show that the novel/new controller can drive the new exoskeleton to move along with the desirable trajectory to support the upper body so that alleviating the burden of waist. The results of myoelectricity experiments also show favorable effectiveness of exoskeleton on supporting upper body in different postures. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Note to Practitioners</i> —this article was inspired by the concerns of low back pain that many people are suffering. Most existing rehabilitation robots tend to focus on supporting lower body and arms, while back-support rehabilitation robots are barely seen. Although we can see a few upper-body supporting robots in sporadic papers, these studies have not proposed a good control scheme yet. Besides, it is difficult to find a rehabilitation robot with simple structure as well as conforming to ergonomics. To resolve the shortcomings of the structure of existing robots and control models, we proposed a completely new rehabilitation robot with novel mechanical structure. Meanwhile, a new saturated sliding mode and novel integrated observer are employed in the position-force control system to enhance the stability and controllability of the whole robot control system. Then, some elaborately designed experiments are conducted to test the proposed robot and the control system. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed method can significantly increase the trajectory tracking performance and alleviate low back pain.

Scholarship of Learning of Students at Higher Education: The Role of Study Culture and Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

The study has been designed to examine the study culture, self-fulfilling prophecy, and learning skills of the students at the tertiary level. The study culture is very important for the learning of students at all levels, including primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. In the same case, self-fulfilling prophecy also enhances the learning skills of male and female students in higher education. This study has been conducted at the Hafiz Hayat Campus of the university. A survey method and a proportionate random sampling technique were used to draw a sample of 265 students. However, 235 students participated in the study. A structured questionnaire has been used to collect information from 30 students, and Cronbach Alpha has been reported to be more than .700. The study findings report that students use lecture notes, study online, and try to develop their performativity. The statistical analysis reveals that studying in groups, studying online, and studying lecture notes have favourable effects on the learning skills of students at the tertiary level. Further, communication skills and critical skills have also been found to be strong predictors of the learning skills of university students. Hence, it has been concluded that the learning skills of the students have been predicted by several factors at the tertiary level.

HIIT serves as an efficient training strategy for basketball players by improving blood fluidity and decreasing oxidative stress.

A challenge for coaches and athletes is to find the best combination of exercises during training. Considering its favorable effects, HIIT has been very popular recently. The goal of this study was to investigate anthropometric features, performance, erythrocyte deformability, plasma viscosity (PV) and oxidative stress in response to acute and long-term (6 weeks) HIIT in adolescent basketball players. 22 sportsmen between the ages of 14-16 were included. Tabata protocol was applied to the HIIT group in addition to their routine training program 3 days/week, for 6 weeks. Erythrocyte deformability was determined using an ectacytometer (LORCA), PV with a rotational viscometer. Total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS) were measured by kits. HIIT for 6 weeks induced an improvement in performance tests and waist circumference. 6 weeks of HIIT resulted in a decrement, while the last exercise session yielded an increment in RBC deformability. PV and TOS of HIIT groups were decreased on the 6th week. Our results demonstrate that, HIIT in addition to the routine exercise program is beneficial for improving performance and blood fluidity as well as decreasing oxidative stress in basketball players. Therefore, HIIT seems as an efficient training strategy for highly-trained individuals.

Clinical experience of professor ZHANG Ren in the staging treatment with characteristic acupuncture techniques for oculomotor paralysis.

The paper summarizes the clinical experience of professor ZHANG Ren in the staging treatment with characteristic acupuncture techniques for oculomotor paralysis. According to the symptoms of oculomotor paralysis, the staging treatment is given, in which acupuncture is dominant and the needling techniques are optioned in compliance with the symptoms. In the early, middle and late stages of illness, three different acupuncture therapies are delivered accordingly, i.e. the combination of the point-toward-point needling at the four acupoints located on the forehead and the electroacupuncture with disperse-dense wave, the surrounding needling and the triple needling at the acupoints around the eyeball, as well as the perpendicular needle insertion at the three acupoints within the orbit. Professor ZHANG Ren lays the stress on identifying the etiology and differentiating the symptoms, as well as the early intervention for the disease. For the intractable cases, the comprehensive regimen such as acupoint injection, dermal needling and auricular point sticking is supplemented. During treatment, the spirit harmonization is greatly considered to ensure the effectiveness. On the basis of the staging acupuncture therapy, the acupuncture technique for harmonizing the spirit and regulating qi is combined to obtain the favorable clinical effect on oculomotor paralysis.

Salvage pemetrexed for brain metastases from ALK-positive lung cancer after Gamma Knife radiosurgery: illustrative case.

Systemic therapy for cancer treatment has improved, and therapeutic options for intracranial lesions are increasing. Combinations of treatment modalities are required in certain difficult cases. Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKS) is effective for the treatment of brain metastases, especially for lesions that are inoperable because of their anatomical or functional location. The authors report a case of brain metastases in anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive lung adenocarcinoma initially treated with GKS followed by the combination of repeat GKS and ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (ALK-TKIs) for tumor recurrence. During the clinical course, acquired resistance to ALK-TKIs due to the long exposure period was suspected. After a great deal of thought and discussion with the oncologist responsible for the treatment of the pulmonary lesions, the authors successfully controlled the lesion for the next 17 months by salvage pemetrexed administration. This is the first report on the effectiveness of pemetrexed for recurrent brain metastasis from ALK-positive lung adenocarcinoma resistant to both radiosurgery and ALK inhibitors. Salvage pemetrexed showed a favorable therapeutic effect in this specific case.

Facile Separation of Acetic Acid from 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium Acetate Ionic Liquid with the Aid of a Protic Solvent.

1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (EmimAc), an excellent solvent for cellulosic biomass, is expected to be utilized in chemical conversion, such as in biomass acetylation with acetic anhydride. The corresponding carboxylic acid, acetic acid (AcH), is quantitatively generated as a byproduct and should be separated from EmimAc for recycling. However, the strong interaction between EmimAc and AcH makes their separation difficult under moderate conditions. This study examined the efficacy of protic solvents in distillation and extraction to weaken this interaction through solvation or hydrogen-bonding interactions. The separation efficiency of AcH from EmimAc via distillation increased as the boiling point of the protic solvent increased. Water addition was more effective than the addition of alcohols with boiling points similar to those of water such as 1-propanol and 2-butanol. Furthermore, the favorable effect of water addition on the extraction of AcH was confirmed using common organic solvents, such as diisopropyl ether, diethyl ether, and ethyl acetate. The partition coefficient (α) of AcH between the aqueous and organic phases increased with an increasing dielectric constant of the organic solvent, whereas the α value of EmimAc decreased. Repeated treatments in both distillation and extraction facilitated the complete separation of AcH from EmimAc.

Assessing the Impacts of Climate and Land Use Change on Water Conservation in the Three-River Headstreams Region of China Based on the Integration of the InVEST Model and Machine Learning

The Three-River Headstreams Region (TRHR) serves as the cradle of China’s three major rivers—the Yangtze, Yellow, and Lancang—rendering its water conservation (WC) capacity quintessentially significant for Asian water resource security. This study integrated the InVEST model and random forest model to holistically elucidate the spatiotemporal characteristics and factors influencing WC in the TRHR from 1980 to 2018. The results revealed that the WC growth rate was 5.65 mm/10a in the TRHR during the study period, yet pronounced regional disparities were observed among different basins, especially with the Lancang River Basin (LRB), which exhibited a decrease at a rate of 5.08 mm per decade despite having the highest WC. Through Theil–Sen trend analysis, the Mann–Kendall abrupt change test, and the cumulative deviation method, meteorological, vegetative, and land use abrupt changes in approximately 2000 were identified as the primary drivers for the abrupt surge in WC within the TRHR. Furthermore, precipitation and the aridity index were the core feature variables affecting WC. However, a positive transition in land use patterns post-2000 was also revealed, and its favorable effect on WC was not as significant as the abrupt climatic changes. This study offers new perspectives on managing multidimensional spatiotemporal data and contributes to laying the groundwork for machine learning applications in water conservation. Additionally, it potentially provides useful references for decision-making processes related to ecosystem security.

Five-year clinical outcomes of scanning carbon-ion radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

Carbon-ion radiotherapy (CIRT) has been associated with favorable clinical outcomes in patients with prostate cancer. At our facility, all patients are treated using scanning CIRT (sCIRT). We retrospectively analyzed five-year clinical outcomes of prostate cancer treated with sCIRT to investigate treatment efficacy and toxicity. In this study, we included 253 consecutive prostate cancer patients treated with sCIRT at the Kanagawa Cancer Center from December 2015 to December 2017. The total dose of sCIRT was set at 51.6 Gy (relative biological effect) in 12 fractions over three weeks. We employed the Phoenix definition for biochemical relapse. The overall survival (OS), biochemical relapse-free (bRF) rate, and cumulative incidence of late toxicity were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Toxicity was assessed using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0. The median age of the patients was 70 years (range: 47-86 years). The median follow-up duration was 61.1 months (range: 4.1-80.3 months). Eight (3.2%), 88 (34.8%), and 157 (62.1%) patients were in the low-risk, intermediate-risk, and high-risk groups, respectively, according to the D'Amico classification system. The five-year OS and bRF were 97.5% and 93.3%, respectively. The five-year bRF rates for the low-risk, intermediate-risk, and high-risk groups were 87.5%, 93.7%, and 93.4%, respectively (p = 0.7215). The five-year cumulative incidence of Grade 2 or more late genitourinary and gastrointestinal toxicity was 7.4% and 1.2%, respectively. The results of this study show that sCIRT has a favorable therapeutic effect and low toxicity in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Engineering Matrix-Free Drug Protein Nanoparticles with Promising Penetration through Biobarriers for Treating Corneal Neovascularization.

Protein drugs have been widely used in treating various clinical diseases because of their high specificity, fewer side effects, and favorable therapeutic effect, but they greatly suffer from their weak permeability through tissue barriers, high sensitivity to microenvironments, degradation by proteases, and rapid clearance by the immune system. Herein, we disrupted the standard protocol where protein drugs must be delivered as the cargo via a delivery system and innovatively developed a free entrapping matrix strategy by simply mixing bevacizumab (Beva) with zinc ions to generate Beva-NPs (Beva-Zn2+), where Beva is coordinatively cross-linked by zinc ions with a loading efficiency as high as 99.2% ± 0.41%. This strategy was universal to generating various protein NPs, with different metal ions (Cu2+, Fe3+, Mg2+, Sr2+). The synthetic conditions of Beva-NPs were optimized, and the generated mechanism was investigated in detail. The entrapment, releasing profile, and the bioactivities of released Beva were thoroughly studied. By using in situ doping of the fourth-generation polyamindoamine dendrimer (G4), the Beva-G4-NPs exhibited extended ocular retention and penetration through biobarriers in the anterior segment through transcellular and paracellular pathways, effectively inhibiting corneal neovascularization (CNV) from 91.6 ± 2.03% to 13.5 ± 1.87% in a rat model of CNV. This study contributes to engineering of protein NPs by using a facile strategy for overcoming the weaknesses of protein drugs and protein NPs, such as weak tissue barrier permeability, low encapsulation efficiency, poor loading capacity, and susceptibility to inactivation.

Non-uniformity correction algorithm for DoFP adapted to integration time variations.

Division of the focal plane (DoFP) polarization detector is a pivotal technology in real-time polarization detection. This technology integrates a micropolarization array (MPA) onto the conventional focal plane, introducing a more intricate non-uniformity than traditional focal plane detectors. Current non-uniformity correction algorithms for DoFP are difficult to adapt to changes in integration time and perform poorly in low-polarization scenarios. Analyzing the characteristics of DoFP, formulating a pixel response model, and introducing an adaptive non-uniformity correction algorithm tailored for varying integration time. The DoFP analysis vectors are decomposed into average polarization response and unit analysis vectors for correction separately to improve the performance of the correction algorithm in different polarization scenarios. The performance of modern correction algorithms was tested and evaluated using standard uniform images, and the proposed method outperformed existing algorithms in terms of polarization measurement accuracy under the root mean square error (RMSE) metric. Moreover, in natural scene images, our proposed algorithm shows favorable visual effects and distinguishes itself from its superior stability amid changes in the integration time.

The impact of digital transformation on enterprise performance: An empirical analysis based on China's manufacturing export enterprises.

Currently, countries worldwide are embracing digital strategies, enabling enterprises to utilize digital technology, digital supply chains, blockchain, and additional digital measures to increase their competitiveness. This paper analyzed the correlation between the digital transformation of manufacturing export enterprises and their business and export performance, focusing on China's manufacturing export enterprises through empirical analysis. The study investigated the influence of digital transformation on enterprise performance. Using the Resource Based View theory and Trade theory, hypotheses were proposed and regression models were developed to analyze a sample of 1007 enterprises listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock markets from 2012 to 2019. The study conducted regression analysis, intermediate effect test, robustness test, stage lag, and heterogeneity analysis. The study found that (1) Manufacturing export enterprises listed in the stock market implemented digital transformation, leading to a significant positive impact on their overall performance. (2) Digital transformation led to cost reduction, improved R&D intensity, and enhanced human resources, among other benefits for enterprise performance. (3) According to the fractal analysis, non-state-owned enterprises exhibited more favorable effects on enterprise performance, and the digital transformation of manufacturing export companies in developed regions had a more significant impact on their performance. Finally, the study's empirical results yielded pertinent proposals for digital transformation.

Flexural Behavior of Alkali-Activated Ultra-High-Performance Geopolymer Concrete Beams

Ultra-high-performance geopolymer concrete (UHPGC) emerges as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to Portland cement-based UHPC, offering similar mechanical properties while significantly reducing carbon footprint and energy consumption. Research on UHPGC components is extremely scarce. This study focuses on the flexural and crack behavior of UHPGC beams with different steel fiber contents and longitudinal reinforcement ratios. Five UHPGC beams were tested under four-point bending. The test results were evaluated in terms of the failure mode, load–deflection relationship, flexural capacity, ductility, average crack spacing, and short-term flexural stiffness. The results show that all the UHPGC beams failed due to crack localization. Increases in the reinforcement ratio and steel fiber content had favorable effects on the flexural capacity and flexural stiffness. When the reinforcement ratio increased from 1.18% to 2.32%, the flexural capacity and flexural stiffness increased by 60.5% and 12.3%, respectively. As the steel fiber content increased from 1.5% to 2.5%, the flexural capacity and flexural stiffness increased by 4.7% and 4.4%, respectively. Furthermore, the flexural capacity, flexural stiffness, and crack spacing of the UHPGC beams were evaluated using existing methods. The results indicate that the existing methods can effectively predict flexural capacity and flexural stiffness in UHPGC beams but overestimate crack spacing. This study will provide a reference for the structural design of UHPGC.

Keratosis Pilaris Treatment Paradigms: Assessing Effectiveness Across Modalities.

This review aims to present a comprehensive synthesis of the existing treatment modalities for keratosis pilaris (KP) and evaluate their therapeutic efficacy. Keratosis pilaris (KP) is a prevalent chronic dermatological condition typified by its unique 'chicken skin appearance', with the cheeks being the most commonly involved sites. Numerous therapeutic interventions have emerged, given its substantial prevalence and impact on skin aesthetics and psychological well-being. Nonetheless, a consistent therapeutic response has been challenging to achieve. This review endeavors to collate and critically appraise the current treatment landscape for KP. An exhaustive literature search was performed using databases such as Ovid, PubMed and Scopus. From an initial count of 459 articles identified post-deduplication, 52 were selected for inclusion after a thorough full-text examination for articles with concrete outcome data highlighting the efficacies of different therapeutic modalities while excluding articles that lacked data or were tangential to the core focus on KP treatment. These articles were then cataloged based on the nature of treatment strategies and their respective outcomes. Among the various therapeutic interventions, laser and light modalities appear to be supported by the most substantial evidence base. Notably, the Nd: YAG laser, attributed to its longer wavelength, emerges as a preferred option. While other therapeutic avenues have also exhibited notable improvements in skin texture and discoloration relative to baseline, the inconsistency in outcome measures underscores the imperative need for a standardized, KP-specific scoring system to foster a more coherent comparison across treatments. Based on the current evidence, Nd: YAG laser therapy demonstrates promising effectiveness with a relatively favorable side effect profile. However, the landscape of KP treatment is multifaceted, and further studies are essential to solidify recommendations.

Association of a Skin Dressing Made With the Organic Part of Marine Sponges and Photobiomodulation on the Wound Healing in an Animal Model.

The present study aims to characterize and to evaluate the biological effects of a skin dressing manufactured with the organic part of the Chondrilla caribensis marine sponge (called spongin-like collagen (SC)) associated or not to photobiomodulation (PBM) on the skin wound healing of rats. Skin dressings were manufactured with SC and it was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a tensile assay. In order to evaluate its biological effects, an experimental model of cutaneous wounds was surgically performed. Eighteen rats were randomly distributed into three experimental groups: control group (CG): animals with skin wounds but without any treatment; marine collagen dressing group (DG): animals with skin wounds treated with marine collagen dressing; and the marine collagen dressing + PBM group (DPG): animals with skin wounds treated with marine collagen dressing and PBM. Histopathological, histomorphometric, and immunohistochemical evaluations (qualitative and semiquantitative) of COX2, TGFβ, FGF, and VEGF were done. SEM demonstrates that the marine collagen dressing presented pores and interconnected fibers and adequate mechanical strength. Furthermore, in the microscopic analysis, an incomplete reepithelialization and the presence of granulation tissue with inflammatory infiltrate were observed in all experimental groups. In addition, foreign body was identified in the DG and DPG. COX2, TGFβ, FGF, and VEGF immunostaining was observed predominantly in the wound area of all experimental groups, with a statistically significant difference for FGF immunostaining score of DPG in relation to CG. The marine collagen dressing presented adequate physical characteristics and its association with PBM presented favorable biological effects to the skin repair process.

The glucocorticoid dexamethasone alleviates allergic inflammation through a mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1-dependent mechanism in mice.

Glucocorticoids are widely used in the treatment of allergic and inflammatory diseases. Glucocorticoids have a widespread action on gene expression resulting in their pharmacological actions and also an array of adverse effects which limit their clinical use. It remains, however, to be studied which target gene effects are essential for the anti-allergic activity of glucocorticoids. Mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) inhibits proinflammatory signalling by suppressing the activity of mitogen activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) pathways. MKP-1 is one of the anti-inflammatory genes whose expression is enhanced by glucocorticoids. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the role of MKP-1 in the therapeutic effects of the glucocorticoid dexamethasone in acute allergic reaction. The effects of dexamethasone were studied in wild-type and MKP-1 deficient mice. The mice were first sensitized to ovalbumin, and the allergic reaction was then induced by a subcutaneous ovalbumin injection in the hind paw. Inflammatory edema was quantified with plethysmometer and expression of inflammatory factors was measured by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Dexamethasone reduced the ovalbumin-induced paw edema at 1.5, 3 and 6h time points in wild-type mice by 70%, 95% and 89%, respectively. The effect was largely abolished in MKP-1 deficient mice. Furthermore, dexamethasone significantly attenuated the expression of ovalbumin-induced inflammatory factors cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2); inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS); interleukins (IL) 1β, 6 and 13; C-C motif chemokine 11 (CCL-11); tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) in wild-type mice by more than 40%. In contrast, in MKP-1 deficient mice dexamethasone had no effect or even enhanced the expression of these inflammatory factors. The results suggest that dexamethasone alleviates allergic inflammation through an MKP-1-dependent mechanism. The results also demonstrate MKP-1 as an important conveyor of the favourable glucocorticoid effects in ovalbumin-induced type I allergic reaction. Together with previous findings, the present study supports the concept of MKP-1 enhancing compounds as potential novel anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic drugs.

Efficacy and safety of donepezil in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies: results from a 12-week multicentre, randomised, double-blind, and placebo-controlled phase IV study.

Donepezil has been approved in Japan for the treatment of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) based on clinical trials showing its beneficial effects on cognitive impairment. This phase IV study evaluated the efficacy of donepezil by focusing on global clinical status during a 12-week double-blind phase. Patients with probable DLB were randomly assigned to the placebo (n = 79) or 10 mg donepezil (n = 81) groups. The primary endpoint was changes in global clinical status, assessed using the Clinician's Interview-Based Impression of Change plus Caregiver Input (CIBIC-plus). We also assessed four CIBIC-plus domains (general condition, cognitive function, behaviour, and activities of daily living) and changes in cognitive impairment and behavioural and neuropsychiatric symptoms measured using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), respectively. Although donepezil's superiority was not shown in the global clinical status, a significant favourable effect was detected in the cognitive domain (P = 0.006). MMSE scores improved in the donepezil group after adjustments in post hoc analysis (MMSE mean difference, 1.4 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.42-2.30), P = 0.004). Improvements in NPIs were similar between the groups (NPI-2: -0.2 (95% CI, -1.48 to 1.01), P = 0.710; NPI-10: 0.1 (95% CI, -3.28 to 3.55), P = 0.937). The results support the observation that the efficacy of 10 mg donepezil in improving cognitive function is clinically meaningful in DLB patients. The evaluation of global clinical status might be affected by mild to moderate DLB patients enrolled in this study. No new safety concerns were detected.

Study on the Co-combustion characteristics and synergistic effect of semi-coke and dust coal produced from biomass briquette in fluidized bed gasification

Biomass briquette semi-coke (BFSC) is one of the byproducts of biomass gasification. It is difficult to reuse due to its inadequate carbonization, unsatisfactory pore structure, and surface properties. Co-combustion of BFSC with coal-fired boilers can be a cost-effective usage of biomass gasification semi-coke while also improving dust coal's combustion characteristics. However, research on the optimal blending ratio, co-combustion properties, and synergistic effects of BFSC and dust coal is lacking. This study conducted experimental and theoretical research on the co-combustion and reaction kinetic characteristics of BFSC and dust coal with a 0.3 MW pilot experimental system. The findings indicate that during co-combustion, sawdust semi-coke (SC), eucalyptus bark semi-coke (EBC), rice husk semi-coke (RHC), and corn straw semi-coke (CSC) exhibit favorable synergistic effects. At a 25 % blending ratio, the corresponding synergistic parameter indexes (SPIs) were 1.313, 1.053, 1.001, and 1.042. Adding EBC and SC may significantly promote the combustion of dust coal and make it enter the combustion stage sooner, improving combustion stability. When 25 % RHC or CSC is co-combusted, the activation energy predicted by the kinetic control equations is 17 kJ/mol and 5 kJ/mol lower than theoretical values, with a relative error of less than 3 %. The annual EBC output from a 1-ton biomass boiler may replace roughly 706 tons of normal coal, lowering CO2 emissions by approximately 634 tons and producing a direct economic gain of $33300. Therefore, BFSC is a low-carbon and low-cost coal boiler fuel with great potential for large-scale industrial applications.