Ethyl lactate as a potential green solvent to extract hydrophilic (polar) and lipophilic (non-polar) phytonutrients simultaneously from fruit and vegetable by-products

Phytonutrients extracted from natural resources are receiving much attention among researchers due to their highly antioxidative characteristics which prevent several degenerative diseases including cardiovascular diseases and cancers. These nutraceutical compounds can be used in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products as natural antioxidants, preservatives, colourants and functional foods. Huge volume of food wastes are generated from the processing industry and these low-value food residues are rich in various phytonutrients worth recovering. This approach of valorisation reduces the generation of food wastes and is cost-effective considering the cheap feedstock, reduced waste management expenses and high market value of extracted compounds. In light of the health and safety risks posed by commonly used organic extraction solvents derived from the petrochemical industry, there is a need to recover the phytonutrients using green, sustainable and efficient solvents that are safe for human consumption. This work discusses ethyl lactate as a safe, green, efficient and potentially cheap solvent to recover phytonutrients from fruit and vegetable by-products. Ethyl lactate is compared with other organic solvents commonly used from the aspects of safety, environmental impacts and efficiency. Current challenges when employing ethyl lactate are also discussed.     

心理群体干预对缓解体外受精妇女焦虑作用的随机对照研究

目的：评价东部身体-智力-精神（EBMS）群体干预对进行体外受精（IVF）的中国妇女焦虑缓解的作用。设计：随机对照研究。机构：三级辅助生殖机构。受试者：227例接受第1个IVF周期治疗的妇女。干预：干预组（n=69）接受4次EBMS群体咨询，而对照组（n=115）无任何干预。主要观察指标：状态-特质焦虑问卷。结果：与对照组相比，干预组在干预后状态焦虑平均分显著下降。每组移植同样数目的卵子，但干预组没有明显更高妊娠率的倾向。     

166Ho-DOTMP radiation-absorbed dose estimation for skeletal targeted radiotherapy.

166Ho-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetramethylene-phosphonate (DOTMP) is a tetraphosphonate molecule radiolabeled with 166Ho that localizes to bone surfaces. This study evaluated pharmacokinetics and radiation-absorbed dose to all organs from this beta-emitting radiopharmaceutical. METHODS: After two 1.1-GBq administrations of 166Ho-DOTMP, data from whole-body counting using a gamma-camera or uptake probe were assessed for reproducibility of whole-body retention in 12 patients with multiple myeloma. The radiation-absorbed dose to normal organs was estimated using MIRD methodology, applying residence times and S values for 166Ho. Marrow dose was estimated from measured activity retained after 18 h. The activity to deliver a therapeutic dose of 25 Gy to the marrow was determined. Methods based on region-of-interest (ROI) and whole-body clearance were evaluated to estimate kidney activity, because the radiotracer is rapidly excreted in the urine. The dose to the surface of the bladder wall was estimated using a dynamic bladder model. RESULTS: In clinical practice, gamma-camera methods were more reliable than uptake probe-based methods for whole-body counting. The intrapatient variability of dose calculations was less than 10% between the 2 tracer studies. Skeletal uptake of 166Ho-DOTMP varied from 19% to 39% (mean, 28%). The activity of 166Ho prescribed for therapy ranged from 38 to 67 GBq (1,030-1,810 mCi). After high-dose therapy, the estimates of absorbed dose to the kidney varied from 1.6 to 4 Gy using the whole-body clearance-based method and from 8.3 to 17.3 Gy using the ROI-based method. Bladder dose ranged from 10 to 20 Gy, bone surface dose ranged from 39 to 57 Gy, and doses to other organs were less than 2 Gy for all patients. Repetitive administration had no impact on tracer biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, or organ dose. CONCLUSION: Pharmacokinetics analysis validated gamma-camera whole-body counting of 166Ho as an appropriate approach to assess clearance and to estimate radiation-absorbed dose to normal organs except the kidneys. Quantitative gamma-camera imaging is difficult and requires scatter subtraction because of the multiple energy emissions of 166Ho. Kidney dose estimates were approximately 5-fold higher when the ROI-based method was used rather than the clearance-based model, and neither appeared reliable. In future clinical trials with 166Ho-DOTMP, we recommend that dose estimation based on the methods described here be used for all organs except the kidneys. Assumptions for the kidney dose require further evaluation.     

Modified Epworth Sleepiness Scale in Chinese children with obstructive sleep apnea: a retrospective study

Background and objective  The purpose of this study is to assess whether Chinese children with high apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) are sleepier by a modified Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Materials and methods  Records were retrospectively reviewed. We included children who were between 3 and 12 years old, admitted for overnight polysomnogram because of suspected obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). A modified ESS was used to assess excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) of the children. Results  One hundred ninety-two Chinese children were included. Children with high AHI, defined as AHI > 5.0, were sleepier than children with AHI less than or equal to 5. After adjustment by age, gender, and obesity, children with high AHI remained significantly sleepier. Modified ESS was significantly correlated with AHI (rho = 0.124, 95% CI = 0.004–0.281). Modified ESS score of >8 was the best cutoff point with the sensitivity and specificity of 0.29 and 0.91, respectively. The odds ratio of children with modified ESS > 10 having high AHI was 4.231 (95%CI = 1.248 to 14.338) and children with modified ESS > 8 had the highest odds ratio, 4.295(95%CI = 1.66 to 11.1), of having high AHI. Conclusion   Chinese children with high AHI appear to be sleepier than children with low AHI. Children with suspected OSAS and high modified ESS, i.e., ESS > 8, had significantly higher odds ratio of having high AHI. Increased sleepiness is a specific but not a sensitive symptom in snoring children with high AHI. Screening for EDS in snoring children may help us identify those with high AHI and prioritize the management of those children. All authors worked and the study was carried out in Kwong Wah Hospital in Hong Kong. There was no conflict of interest and no specific source of funding for the study.     

Unusual case of Klüver-Bucy syndrome in a Chinese boy.

Following an encephalopathic illness, a 13-year-old Chinese boy had a partial form of Klüver-Bucy syndrome with emotional disturbance, recent memory loss, hypersexuality, and polyphagia. Other unusual features included narcolepsy, polydipsia, and polyuria. Virologic studies failed to incriminate the etiologic agent, including herpes simplex virus. Brain biopsy of the frontal lobe demonstrated Alzheimer type II astrocytosis.     

Normal obstetric ultrasound reduces the risk of Down syndrome in fetuses of older mothers

The objective of this study is to determine whether a normal fetal morphology ultrasound scan in women older than 35 years reduces the risk of aneuploidy. We reviewed the results of amniocentesis and second trimester sonogram in all women older than 35 years from 1991 to 1995. None had prior screening. We excluded fetuses with structural anomalies. We determined the sensitivity and specificity of minor markers in detecting Down syndrome and also determined the reduction in risk of a normal sonogram. Among the 2060 women older than 35 years giving birth during the study period, 16 (0.78%) delivered an infant with Down syndrome. Of the 16 fetuses, two had no prenatal testing or ultrasound, two had invasive testing but no second trimester sonogram, five had a normal sonogram and seven had one or more sonographic markers of Down syndrome. At least 17% of women older than 35 years did not participate in prenatal testing or ultrasound. Ultrasound detected Down syndrome with a sensitivity of 59% (95% confidence interval: 45–72%), a false‐positive rate of 10.6% (9.4–11.8%) and a positive predictor value of 1 in 9. The likelihood of having normal karyotype if the sonogram was normal was 0.46 (0.31–0.61). In women older than 35 years, a normal second trimester sonogram reduces the risk of Down syndrome by more than 50%. At least 17% of women older than 35 years do not participate in prenatal testing or ultrasound.