Publications

Heart disease is an important cause of death worldwide, and surgery is an important means to treat heart disease. With the progress of science and technology, the success rate of cardiac surgery has increased significantly, but intraoperative complications are still a problem that needs attention. As a serious complication, intraoperative acquired pressure injury will not only prolong the hospital stay, but also increase the psychological burden and medical cost of patients. Patients undergoing surgery for heart disease are more vulnerable to the development of IAPI, as long term postural fixation and tissue compression during operation. Therefore, timely identification and assessment of high-risk patients is critical to developing an effective care plan. The aim of this paper is to review the recent research progress on the risk factors and assessment tools of intraoperative pressure injury in patients with heart disease, in order to provide guidance for the prevention of intraoperative pressure injury in patients with heart disease. (心脏疾病是导致全球死亡的重要原因, 而手术是治疗心脏疾病的重要手段。随着科学技术的进步, 心脏手术的成功率显著提高, 然而术中并发症仍然是需要重视的问题。术中获得性压力性损伤(IAPI)作为一种严重的并发症, 不仅会延长住院时间, 还会增加患者的心理负担和医疗费用。心脏疾病手术患者是发生IAPI的高风险人群, 术中长期的体位固定和手术操作过程中的组织受压, 均可能导致IAPI的发生。IAPI是评估手术患者护理服务质量的重要指标, 及时识别和评估高风险患者对于制定有效的护理计划至关重要。本研究综述近年来关于心脏疾病患者IAPI风险因素及评估工具的研究进展, 以期为预防心脏疾病患者IAPI提供指导。)

Valsartan administration at bedtime as opposed to on wakening improves the sleep time–relative blood pressure decline toward a more dipper pattern without loss in 24-hour efficacy. Yet to be determined is whether this administration time-dependent efficacy is a class-related feature, characteristic of all angiotensin receptor blockers or specific only to valsartan. Terminal half-life is a major difference between angiotensin receptor blockers, being largest (≈24 hours) for telmisartan. This trial investigated the administration time-dependent antihypertensive efficacy of telmisartan. We studied 215 patients with hypertension (114 men and 101 women), 46.4±12.0 years of age, randomly assigned to receive telmisartan (80 mg/d) as a monotherapy either on awakening or at bedtime. Blood pressure was measured for 48 hours before and after 12 weeks of treatment. The significant blood pressure reduction after treatment was similar for both groups. Bedtime administration of telmisartan, however, was more efficient than morning dosing in reducing the nocturnal blood pressure mean. The sleep time–relative blood pressure decline was slightly reduced after telmisartan on awakening but significantly increased with bedtime dosing, thus reducing the prevalence of nondipping from baseline by 76%. Telmisartan administered at bedtime, as opposed to morning dosing, improved the sleep time–relative blood pressure decline toward a more dipper pattern without loss in 24-hour efficacy. Nocturnal BP regulation is significantly better achieved with bedtime dosing of telmisartan. Results from this prospective trial suggest that these beneficial features of bedtime dosing may be class related for angiotensin receptor blockers. These results should be taken into account when prescribing this class of antihypertensive medication for treatment of essential hypertension.

Abstract Nonrandom mating whereby parents are related is expected to cause a reduction in effective population size because their gene frequencies are correlated and this will increase the genetic drift. The published equation for the variance effective size, Ne, which includes the possibility of nonrandom mating, does not take into account such a correlation, however. Further, previous equations to predict effective sizes in populations with partial sib mating are shown to be different, but also incorrect. In this paper, a corrected form of these equations is derived and checked by stochastic simulation. For the case of stable census number, N, and equal progeny distributions for each sex, the equation is [formula: see text], where Sk2 is the variance of family size and alpha is the departure from Hardy-Weinberg proportions. For a Poisson distribution of family size (Sk2 = 2), it reduces to Ne = N/(1 + alpha), as when inbreeding is due to selfing. When nonrandom mating occurs because there is a specified system of partial inbreeding every generation, alpha can be substituted by Wright's FIS statistic, to give the effective size as a function of the proportion of inbred mates.

Lab-on-paper technologies, also known as paper-based analytical devices (PADs), have received increasing attention in the last years, and nowadays, their use has spread to virtually every application area, i.e., medical diagnostic, food safety, environmental monitoring, etc. Advantages inherent to on-field detection, which include avoiding sampling, sample preparation and conventional instrumentation in central labs, are undoubtedly driving many developments in this area. Heavy metals represent an important group of environmental pollutants that require strict controls due to the threat they pose to ecosystems and human health. In this overview, the development of PADs for Hg monitoring, which is considered the most toxic metal in the environment, is addressed. The main emphasis is placed on recognition elements (i.e., organic chromophores/fluorophores, plasmonic nanoparticles, inorganic quantum dots, carbon quantum dots, metal nanoclusters, etc.) employed to provide suitable selectivity and sensitivity. The performance of both microfluidic paper-based analytical devices and paper-based sensors using signal readout by colorimetry and luminescence will be discussed.

Growing evidence suggests that abnormal diurnal blood pressure rhythms may be associated with many adverse health outcomes including increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. This study evaluates methodological aspects of research on bidirectional associations between ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) patterns and cognitive function. By examining the 28 recent studies included in a recent systematic review on association between ABPM patterns with cognitive function and risk of dementia, our review revealed several significant limitations in the current studies of ABPM and cognition in terms of study design, sample characteristics, ABPM protocol, cognitive assessment, and data analysis. The major concerns include lack of diversity in study populations with underrepresentation of Blacks and Latinos, a predominant focus on Alzheimer's disease or all-cause dementia without distinguishing other dementia subtypes, different and not standardized measures of cognition or dementia, the prevalent use of 24-hour monitoring without considering the adaption effect, inconsistent definitions of dipping status, and ignorance of individual differences in timings of daily activities such as bed and awakening times. In addition, confounding variables such as class, dose, and timing of antihypertensive medication are inadequately controlled or considered. Additionally, longitudinal studies were scarce examining the bidirectional relationship between ABPM patterns and cognitive decline over time. Collectively, these deficiencies undermine the reliability and generalizability of current findings. Addressing these methodological challenges is crucial for more comprehensive understanding of diurnal blood pressure rhythms in diverse populations and for developing an evidence-based guideline of ambulatory monitoring and control of blood pressure across the sleep-wake cycle to prevent cognitive decline and dementia.

Nanoparticles are fundamental to modern science and technology. The control over nanocrystal growth allows researchers to tailor the size and morphology of the nanoparticles and therefore its properties enhancing its usefulness for a given application. This special issue was designed to encompass the controlled growth of nanocrystals from different points of view. For instance, Rodríguez-González reviewed the controlled growth of colloidal gold nanoparticles with especial emphasis on the role of the seed crystalline structure and overgrowth mechanism. On the other hand, the formation of biogenic nanocrystals through biomineralization has been reviewed by Addadi. They describe in detail four biological systems that produce nanoscale crystals using different mineralization pathways; bone crystals composites, guanine nanocrystals reflectors, magnetotactic bacteria with single domain magnets and coccoliths. Finally, they addressed the specific and common principles involved in nanocrystal formation in biology. Alternatively, Rodríguez-Fernández provides an overview on the role of biomolecules as active elements to influence the formation of inorganic nanoparticles. They discuss the templating and non-templating roles of different biomolecules such as DNA, amino acids, peptides, proteins and enzymes, in the assisted metal and semiconductor nanoparticle synthesis and growth. The selective deposition of a metal on top of another metal to obtain either multimetallic or nanocomposite architectures is represented by the original contribution from Millstone. The aqueous-based deposition of Cu on the surface of Au nanoprism seeds in either an island or shell motif is described, analysing the different critical parameters to achieve the desired Cu deposition. Alternatively, the original contribution by Guerrero-Martínez shows that the surface chemistry of metal nanoparticles is not only for their controlled growth but also for their further functionalization, demonstrating that thiolated non-ionic surfactants could promote the silica coating of the particles We would like to thank Prof. Ehud Keinan for bringing up the idea, and inviting us to serve as guest editors of this special issue, and to Dr. Brian Johnson of Wiley-VCH, for his kind and continuous support. Finally, we wish to thank all the authors of this issue for their efforts and valuable contributions. 1 1 1 Dr. Isabel Pastoriza-Santos Dr. Marek Grzelczak Dr. Jorge Pérez-Juste University of Vigo CIC Biomagune University of Vigo Guest Editor Guest Editor Guest Editor