Outcomes in Overactive Bladder Treatment: Patient Perception—A Key to Success

To highlight the importance of patient perception as a measure of the success of overactive bladder (OAB) treatment, we reviewed the results of the IMprovement in Patients: Assessing Symptomatic Control with Tolterodine (IMPACT) trial. Patients were eligible for the IMPACT trial, an open-label, multicentre study, if they had OAB symptoms for at least 3 mo and were at least moderately bothered by their most bothersome OAB symptom. Patients were treated with tolterodine extended release (ER) for 12 wk, with assessments made at screening, baseline, and weeks 4 and 12. Of the 896 patients enrolled in the IMPACT trial, most (82%) were white women, with a mean age of 56 yr. Both continent and incontinent patients identified daytime frequency as their most bothersome OAB symptom. Tolterodine ER was effective in decreasing frequency in patients who identified this as their most bothersome symptom and was also effective in decreasing urgency and urgency urinary incontinence. Improvements were noted on patient-reported outcome measures, including the Overactive Bladder Questionnaire and American Urological Association Symptom Index. On the Patient Perception of Bladder Condition, nearly 80% of patients perceived an improvement in their bladder-related problems. Tolterodine ER was well tolerated, with dry mouth, constipation, and headache among the most common adverse events. Our review of the IMPACT trial results indicates that patient input can be a key measure in assessing the efficacy of OAB treatment. We recommend that clinicians obtain their patients’ perspective on treatment when managing OAB symptoms.     

Chemical,Mechanical, and Durability Properties of Concrete with Local Mineral Admixtures under Sulfate Environment in Northwest China

Over the vast Northwest China, arid desert contains high concentrations of sulfate, chloride, and other chemicals in the ground water, which poses serious challenges to infrastructure construction that routinely utilizes portland cement concrete. Rapid industrialization in the region has been generating huge amounts of mineral admixtures, such as fly ash and slags from energy and metallurgical industries. These industrial by-products would turn into waste materials if not utilized in time. The present study evaluated the suitability of utilizing local mineral admixtures in significant quantities for producing quality concrete mixtures that can withstand the harsh chemical environment without compromising the essential mechanical properties. Comprehensive chemical, mechanical, and durability tests were conducted in the laboratory to characterize the properties of the local cementitious mineral admixtures, cement mortar and portland cement concrete mixtures containing these admixtures. The results from this study indicated that the sulfate resistance of concrete was effectively improved by adding local class F fly ash and slag, or by applying sulfate resistance cement to the mixtures. It is noteworthy that concrete containing local mineral admixtures exhibited much lower permeability (in terms of chloride ion penetration) than ordinary portland cement concrete while retaining the same mechanical properties; whereas concrete mixtures made with sulfate resistance cement had significantly reduced strength and much increased chloride penetration comparing to the other mixtures. Hence, the use of local mineral admixtures in Northwest China in concrete mixtures would be beneficial to the performance of concrete, as well as to the protection of environment.     

Interaction of bacteria and archaea in a microbial fuel cell with ITO anode

A microbial fuel cell with an indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass anode was used to study the mechanism of electricity generation and electron transfer of electrochemically active microbes (EAMs). A simple method of ITO anode pretreatment (pickling) was developed to improve the performance of the microbial fuel cell. After proper treatment, ITO-glass anodes maintained their conductivity with a slight increase in resistance. Using this pickling pretreatment, the ITO-glass microbial fuel cell with an anode area of only 8.3 cm², was successfully initiated and obtained a stable voltage and power output of 418.8 mW m⁻². The electrode material with pretreatment showed optimal performance for the in situ study of EAMs. DNA was extracted from various parts of the reactor and the microbial communities were analyzed. The results indicated that the large proportion of methane-related microbes on the cathode of the MFC was one of the reasons for its high COD removal and low columbic efficiency. ITO glass is suitable as an anode material for the in situ study of EAMs, and shows potential for practical application.

A microbial fuel cell with an indium tin oxide coated glass anode was used to study the mechanism of electricity generation and electron transfer of electrochemically active microbes.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are one type of “green energy generating” device that is able to convert the chemical energy of organic matter into electrical energy.¹ The process of conversion from chemical energy to electrical energy takes place during wastewater treatment using MFCs. This type of device utilizes microorganisms as the biocatalyst and has attracted a great deal of attention from researchers around the world.^1–4Studies of MFCs have been mainly focused in a few specific areas: increasing the efficiency of converting organic matter into electrical energy, reducing the cost of assembling the reactors, and the mechanism of MFCs that converts chemical energy into electrical energy.^2,4–6In the first step of energy conversion, microorganisms at the MFC anode consume organic matter from their growth medium and release electrons.⁷ To study this critical step involving the anode, the microorganisms located their, and their mechanism of electron deposition, it is necessary to choose proper anodic materials.⁸At present, more and more choices have got to fabricate or modify the electrode of MFCs, with nanomaterials, nanocomposites, graphene sheet and graphene oxides owing to their high surface area, porosity and prompt electron conduction properties.^9–13 The results showed that the electrodes fabricated or modified by nonamaterials exhibited excellent electrochemical activity. Significant redox peaks have found in cyclic voltammograms and electricity production of the MFCs also obtained.To harvest the largest columbic efficiencies and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies, most MFC anodes are carbon-felt brushes with a large surface area.^1,14 These types of anodes are three-dimensional and are not easy to observe in their working state or after operation under the microscope.^15,16 Most electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) are located on the anode, so the observation is critical for the study of the mechanism of electricity generation.¹⁷ From the level of microbial communities, observing the anode can supplement high-throughput sequencing. From the level of the microstructure of microorganisms, it can provide direct evidence of electrochemically active microbe (EAM) nanowires.^15,16 To achieve these objectives in this experiment, flat-shaped conductive anodes were used by the researchers.^18,19Among the flat anodes with good conductivity, ITO-glass has been widely used in both industrial and scientific applications. ITO-glass is a type of glass that is coated with indium tin oxide, which is one of the most widely used transparent conducting oxides because of its bulk properties, electrical conductivity, optical transparency, and ease in which it can be deposited as a thin film.¹⁵ With these properties, this material is ideal for observing the growth of EAMs communities. Some studies have already used ITO-glass as the anodes in MFCs for different purposes. To study the bacterial extracellular electron-transfer (ET) respiration of Shewanella loihica PV-4, an extensively researched electrochemically active bacterium, the Nakamura and Marsili groups both chose to use a tin-doped indium oxide electrode (ITO) in MFCs as the working electrode.^15,16 Later, researchers used ITO electrodes to study the mechanism of extracellular electron transfer in the MFCs of pure Geobacter sulfurreducens and mixed communities.¹⁶ To enhance the power output, modifications were made to increase the roughness and conductivity of the ITO electrodes, such as nanostructured polyaniline/titanium dioxide composite, hydroxylated polyaniline, chitosan (CS), α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles, and others.^20–22Most studies have used ITO electrodes with a single culture, while mixed culture grown on ITO electrodes is largely unstudied. In this study, MFCs were operated with ITO electrodes and a mixed culture, laying a foundation for the future study of extracellular electron-transfer (ET) respiration in the multispecies communities.This low cost and easy to fabricate material was selected for use and a simple pretreatment was conducted to improve its properties. The microbes in the anode, cathode and media were systematically analyzed. The interaction of the different microbes and their effects on electrogenesis are discussed. The results have an important reference both in theoretical and practical fields.     

Ascorbic acid/Fe0 composites as an effective persulfate activator for improving the degradation of rhodamine B

An ascorbic acid/Fe⁰ composite (H₂A/Fe⁰)-activated persulfate (PS) process was provided for rhodamine B (RhB) removal. Experimental results demonstrated that the H₂A/Fe⁰–PS system exhibits a rapid and continuous oxidation of organic contaminants, and shows great advantages over the conventional Fe⁰–PS system by significantly improving removal efficiency. This H₂A induced dramatic enhancement for RhB degradation could be attributed to both the reduction and chelating ability of H₂A. The H₂A/Fe⁰ composites were characterized using TEM, FE-SEM, FTIR and XPS, indicating that the obtained H₂A/Fe⁰ composites were prepared successfully. Key factors affecting the treatment were determined for the H₂A/Fe⁰–PS system, including H₂A/Fe⁰ dosage, PS dosage, initial solution pH and temperature. Moreover, radical quenching tests revealed that sulfate radicals (SO₄˙⁻), hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) and superoxide radicals (O₂˙⁻) were generated in the H₂A/Fe⁰–PS system, and SO₄˙⁻ was the main radical species responsible for RhB degradation. Finally, possible degradation pathways are proposed. These findings prove that the H₂A/Fe⁰–PS system may provide a simple and effective technology for improving the degradation of refractory organic pollutants.

An ascorbic acid/Fe⁰ composite (H₂A/Fe⁰)-activated persulfate (PS) process was provided for rhodamine B (RhB) removal.     

Safety evaluation of metal exposure from commonly used moisturizing and skin-lightening creams in Nigeria

The concentrations of ten metals (Cd, Pb, Ni, Cr, Cu, Co, Fe, Mn, Zn and Al) were measured in some commonly used moisturizing and skin-lightening creams in Nigeria with a view to providing information on the risk of exposure to metals from the use of these products. The metal concentrations in these products were measured by atomic absorption spectrometry after acid digestion of the samples. The measured concentrations of metals in the skin moisturizing creams ranged from <0.15 to 6.3 μg/g Cd, <0.02 to 17.5 μg/g Cu, 2.25 to 6.25 μg/g Cr, <0.25 to 124.3 μg/g Al, 0.2 to 7.3 μg/g Pb, <0.03 to 10.7 μg/g Ni, 17.3 to 372.0 μg/g Zn, <0.02 to 1.0 μg/g Co, 17.75 to 28.8 μg/g Mn, <0.1 to 89.8 μg/g Fe while the concentrations of metals in the skin-lightening products ranged from <0.15 to 16.5 μg/g Cd, <0.02 to 10.0 μg/g Cu, 4.25 to 8.0 μg/g Cr, <0.25 to 128.0 μg/g Al, 0.5 to 4.5 μg/g Pb, <0.03 to 1.65 μg/g Ni, 24.7 to 267.5 μg/g Zn, <0.02 to 2.5 μg/g for Co, 19.3 to 31.8 μg/g Mn, 9.5 to 211.63 μg/g Fe. In a significant number (>93%) of the samples investigated the concentrations of Pb, Cd, Ni and Co were below the specified limit, or the maximal limit for impurities in colour additives in cosmetics for external use. However, Cr was found at concentrations above the allergenic limit of 1 μg/g. The results also showed that skin-lightening creams contained higher concentrations of the studied metals than the moisturizing creams, except for Ni, which indicates that persons who uses skin-lightening creams in preference to moisturizing ones, are exposed to higher concentrations of metals.     

Correction: Ascorbic acid/Fe0 composites as an effective persulfate activator for improving the degradation of rhodamine B

Correction for ‘Ascorbic acid/Fe⁰ composites as an effective persulfate activator for improving the degradation of rhodamine B’ by Xiangyu Wang et al., RSC Adv., 2018, 8, 12791–12798.

The authors regret that the unit on the x-axis of Fig. 1 was incorrectly written as “% wt” rather than “‰ wt” in the original article. The correct version of Fig. 1 is presented below.Open in a separate windowFig. 1(a) Comparison of removal efficiency of RhB in different systems (C₀ = 50 mg L⁻¹, PS dosage = 1.4 g L⁻¹, Fe⁰ dosage = 1 g L⁻¹, H₂A/Fe⁰ dosage = 1 g L⁻¹, H₂A dosage = 1.6 g L⁻¹ and T = 298 K); (b) effect of H₂A concentration on removal efficiency of RhB in the H₂A/Fe⁰–PS system (C₀ = 50 mg L⁻¹, Fe⁰ dosage = 0.8 g L⁻¹, T = 298 K and the solution volume is 50 mL).The Royal Society of Chemistry apologises for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers.     

人工髋关节置换术后早期活动的近期疗效分析

目的评价人工髋关节置换术(THR)术后患者康复情况及其疗效。方法选择84例行人工THR治疗患者,其中男性48例,女性36例;年龄32~89岁,平均年龄60.7岁。行人工THR。术后进行近期康复情况随访,应用髋关节Harris功能评分法与视觉模拟评分法(VAS)对疗效进行分析。同时对比分析单侧及双侧人工THR后疗效差异。结果 84例病例均获访,平均随访时间12~18个月。其中股骨头缺血坏死、髋关节骨性关节炎、先天性髋关节发育不良的随访患者Harris评分由术前的39.81±8.73提高到术后的79.05±5.13。病因为股骨粗隆间骨折、股骨颈骨折的随访患者VAS由术前6.42±0.89降低到术后1.28±0.50。行同期双侧人工THR治疗的随访患者与行单侧THR治疗患者术后Harris评分比较,差异无显著统计学意义。结论单侧、同期双侧THR后早期活动有助于患者术后髋关节功能的改善,提高日常功能。同期双侧THR治疗对髋关节疾病患者的近期预后疗效可靠,不会因一期遭受双侧同时手术,受手术时间长、出血多、创伤大等因素影响近期预后恢复。     

中国成年双生子高脂血症的分布特征

目的描述中国双生子登记系统(CNTR)成年双生子高脂血症的分布特征, 初步探索遗传和环境因素对高脂血症的影响。方法研究对象来自CNTR在全国11个项目地区募集的双生子, 纳入成年且具有高脂血症信息的69 130名(34 565对)双生子进行分析。采用随机效应模型描述高脂血症的人群、地区分布特征。分别计算不同卵型双生子的高脂血症同病率, 估算遗传度。结果研究对象年龄为(34.2±12.4)岁。双生子人群高脂血症患病率为1.3%(895/69 130)。男性、年长、城镇、已婚、大专及以上文化程度、超重、肥胖、体力活动不足、当前吸烟和曾经吸烟、当前饮酒和曾经饮酒人群中高脂血症患病率较高。双生子对内分析发现, 同卵双生子高脂血症同病率为29.1%(118/405), 高于异卵双生子的18.1%(57/315), 差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。在不同年龄、地区及性别分层中, 同卵双生子同病率仍呈现高于异卵双生子的趋势。进一步同性别双生子对内分析发现, 在北方组和女性组中, 高脂血症遗传度分别为13.04%(95%CI:2.61%～23.47%)、18.59%(95%CI:4.43%～3...