Shuangshuang Xie

In this paper we discuss an on-line electrokinetic extraction and electrochemical hydride generation system for inorganic arsenic speciation developed using an H-type integrated cell. The integrated cell, mainly consisting of a working chamber and an auxiliary chamber, was used as both an electrokinetic extraction and an electrochemical hydride generation unit. The As(V) ions in the sample solution was firstly extracted into the working chamber of the H-type integration cell and reduced into As(III). Subsequently, the integrated cell was converted to an electrochemical hydride generation unit to generate arsine by changing power supply and the direction of the electrical field. Finally, the arsine generated in the working chamber was separated using a gas–liquid separator and detected by atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Potential factors that affect the extraction and hydride generation were investigated in detail. The precision (RSD, n = 10) ranged from 2.3–3.5% for peak area response for As(V) at the 2 μg L−1 level. A detection limit (3σ) of 0.020 μg L−1 As(V) was achieved. The recoveries of three samples ranged from 98 to 104%. The results obtained by the method for As(V) in the certified reference material (BW3210) agreed well with the certified values. The proposed method was successfully applied to pre-concentration and speciation of arsenic species in natural water samples.

Objective To investigate the effect of nasal irrigation on the duration of symptoms and nucleic acid conversion in adults infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Methods This quasi-experimental study enrolled patients diagnosed with asymptomatic, mild, or moderate Omicron infection at the Shandong Public Health Clinical Center between April 1, 2022 and May 1, 2022. Patients were divided into two groups to receive Lianhua Qingwen granules and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescriptions (conventional group) and 3% hypertonic saline nasal irrigation based on conventional treatment (nasal irrigation groups), respectively. Primary outcomes were symptom disappearance time and nucleic acid negative conversion time. Secondary outcomes were peripheral blood white blood cell (WBC), lymphocyte (LYM) count, neutrophil (NEU) count, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and chest CT examination findings. Results Eighty patients were included (40 patients/group). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that, after adjustment for comorbidities, smoking history, LYM count, and Ct values of N gene, the patients in the nasal irrigation group were more likely to get lower nucleic acid negative conversion time (β = −11.052, 95% CI: −8.277–13.827, P < 0.001) compared with the conventional group. The symptom disappearance time showed no significant improvement ( P > 0.05). Subgroup analysis for treatment-naïve patients in the nasal irrigation group showed similar nucleic acid negative conversion time improvement ( P = 0.038). Conclusion Early nasal irrigation shortens the nucleic acid negative conversion time in adults infected with the Omicron variant but without improvements in symptom disappearance time.

BACKGROUND: Due to the high heterogeneity among hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients receiving transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), the prognosis of patients varies significantly. Various predictive scoring systems have been developed to identify the patients who could benefit from TACE. However, there is no consensus on which is better. This study aims to validate and compare the predictive capabilities of scoring systems for first and subsequent TACE. MATERIALS: A total of 524 HCC patients were treated with TACE, and 222 patients who met the inclusion criteria were included. Log-rank test was used to verify the predictive value of six scoring systems for the first TACE and four TACE retreatment scoring systems. Harrell's concordance (C)-index, likelihood ratio and integrated Brier score (IBS) were used to compare the predictive performance. RESULTS: For the scoring systems of TACE, the overall survival (OS) of candidates screened by Hepatoma Arterial-embolization Prognostic (HAP), modified HAP (mHAP), mHAP3, alpha-fetoprotein, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer, Child-Pugh and Response (ABCR), albumin-bilirubin grade (ALBI), tumor size, alpha-fetoprotein, first TACE response and pre-/post-TACE was significantly longer than that of the noncandidates (all P < 0.05), whereas the mHAP2 and assessment for retreatment with TACE did not distinguish the candidates from noncandidates (P = 0.206, 0.115, respectively). The predictive and calibration performances of mHAP and ABCR were the highest for the first TACE and TACE retreatment, respectively. CONCLUSION: mHAP identifies the patients who could benefit from the first TACE, whereas ABCR distinguishes patients who could benefit from subsequent TACE sessions.