Commutability is a prerequisite when using a candidate reference materials (CanRMs) for calibration and trueness control of routine methods or for value transfer from the reference method to end-user calibrators of routine methods through a calibration hierarchy. The CanRMs include commercial general chemistry materials (GCs), enzyme trueness verification materials (ETVs), and secondary reference materials (SRMs). The commutability of CanRMs was evaluated based on the difference in bias and EP14-A3 to investigate their suitability for ALP...

Commutability is a prerequisite when using a candidate reference materials (CanRMs) for calibration and trueness control of routine methods or for value transfer from the reference method to end-user calibrators of routine methods through a calibration hierarchy. The CanRMs include commercial general chemistry materials (GCs), enzyme trueness verification materials (ETVs), and secondary reference materials (SRMs). The commutability of CanRMs was evaluated based on the difference in bias and EP14-A3 to investigate their suitability for ALP...

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive type of breast cancer and still lacks available targeted therapy options. Thioridazine hydrochloride (Thi-hyd), a common phenothiazine antipsychotic drug, has shown great tumor-suppressive potential in several types of cancer cells. In this study, we explored the anti-tumor effects of Thi-hyd on TNBC. Thi-hyd significantly inhibited the viability and migration of TNBC cells in vitro. PI3K/AKT signaling pathway was verified to be related to Thi-hyd-induced tumor inhibition. G0/G1...

Following acute infection, individuals COVID-19 may still shed SARS-CoV-2 RNA. However, limited information is available regarding the active shedding period or whether infectious virus is also shed. Here, we monitored the clinical characteristics and virological features of 38 patients with COVID-19 (long-term carriers) who recovered from the acute disease, but still shed viral RNA for over 3 months. The median carrying history of the long-term carriers was 92 days after the first admission, and the...

Following acute infection, individuals COVID-19 may still shed SARS-CoV-2 RNA. However, limited information is available regarding the active shedding period or whether infectious virus is also shed. Here, we monitored the clinical characteristics and virological features of 38 patients with COVID-19 (long-term carriers) who recovered from the acute disease, but still shed viral RNA for over 3 months. The median carrying history of the long-term carriers was 92 days after the first admission, and the...

The RNA interference (RNAi) pathway directs an important antiviral immunity mechanism in plants and invertebrates. Recently, we and others have demonstrated that the antiviral RNAi response is also conserved in mammals, at least to five distinct RNA viruses, including Zika virus (ZIKV). ZIKV may preferentially infect neuronal progenitor cells (NPCs) in the developing foetal brain. Ex vivo ZIKV infection induces RNAi-mediated antiviral response in human NPCs, but not in the more differentiated NPCs or somatic...

The RNA interference (RNAi) pathway directs an important antiviral immunity mechanism in plants and invertebrates. Recently, we and others have demonstrated that the antiviral RNAi response is also conserved in mammals, at least to five distinct RNA viruses, including Zika virus (ZIKV). ZIKV may preferentially infect neuronal progenitor cells (NPCs) in the developing foetal brain. Ex vivo ZIKV infection induces RNAi-mediated antiviral response in human NPCs, but not in the more differentiated NPCs or somatic...

Stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems (DDSs) are expected to realize site-specific drug release and kill cancer cells selectively. In this study, a pH-responsive micelle was designed utilizing the pH-sensitivity of borate bonds formed between dopamine and boronic acid. First, methyl (polyethylene glycol)-block-polycaprolactone (mPEG-PCL) was conjugated with 4-cyano-4-(thiobenzoylthio)pentanoic acid (CTP) to obtain a macroinitiator. Two different segments poly(dopamine methacrylamide) (PDMA) and poly(vinylphenylboronic acid) (PVBA) were then grafted to the end of mPEG-PCL. Two triblock copolymers, mPEG-PCL-PDMA and...

COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection and was initially discovered in Wuhan. This outbreak quickly spread all over China and then to more than 20 other countries. SARS-CoV-2 fluorescent microsphere immunochromatographic test strips were prepared by the combination of time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay with a lateral flow assay. The analytical performance and clinical evaluation of this testing method was done and the clinical significance of the testing method was verified. The LLOD of SARS-CoV-2 antibody IgG...

Amentoflavone, robustaflavone, 2″,3″-dihydro-3′,3‴-biapigenin, 3′,3‴-binaringenin, and delicaflavone are five major hydrophobic components in the total biflavonoids extract from Selaginella doederleinii (TBESD) that display favorable anticancer properties. The purpose of this study was to develop a new oral delivery formulation to improve the solubilities, dissolution rates, and oral bioavailabilities of the main ingredients in TBESD by the solid dispersion technique. Solid dispersions of TBESD with various hydrophilic polymers were prepared, and different technologies were applied to select...

The dysfunction of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been observed in coronavirus infection disease (COVID-19) patients, but whether RAS inhibitors, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers (ARBs), are associated with clinical outcomes remains unknown. COVID-19 patients with hypertension were enrolled to evaluate the effect of RAS inhibitors. We observed that patients receiving ACEI or ARB therapy had a lower rate of severe diseases and a trend toward a...

The modulatory effect of tranilast on neuropathic pain in type-2 diabetes (T2DM) remains unclear. We monitored interleukin (IL)-1β, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels during the progression of T2DM induced neuropathic pain in rats, and assessed the impact of tranilast treatment of increasing concentrations (0, 200 and 400 mg/kg/day via oral gavage in 1% NaHCO3 delivered as 100 mg/kg twice a day) on the levels of cytokine production, as well as on...

Coxsackievirus A16 (CV-A16) is a major causative pathogen of hand, foot, and mouth diseases (HFMDs). The licensed HFMD vaccine targets EV-A71 without cross-protection against CV-A16. Thus, a CV-A16 vaccine is needed. In this study, the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a live attenuated CV-A16 candidate, K168-8Ac, were evaluated in a rhesus monkey model. Four passages of this strain (P35, P50, P60, and P70) were administered to monkeys, and its protective effect was identified. The immunized...

To investigate the effect of sea buckthorn puree consumption on reducing blood lipid and other risk factors of CVD. A total of 111 patients with hypercholesteromia who were treated with 90 ml sea buckthorn puree or placebo for 90 days were enrolled in this trial. Physical examination and analysis of lipid markers, hsCRP concentrations and cell adhesion protein concentrations with fasting blood samples were performed at 0-day, 45-day and 90-day after treatment. We found that...

To investigate the effect of sea buckthorn puree consumption on reducing blood lipid and other risk factors of CVD. A total of 111 patients with hypercholesteromia who were treated with 90 ml sea buckthorn puree or placebo for 90 days were enrolled in this trial. Physical examination and analysis of lipid markers, hsCRP concentrations and cell adhesion protein concentrations with fasting blood samples were performed at 0-day, 45-day and 90-day after treatment. We found that...

Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China, it has rapidly spread across many other countries. While the majority of patients were considered mild, critically ill patients involving respiratory failure and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome are not uncommon, which could result death. We hypothesized that cytokine storm is associated with severe outcome. We enrolled 102 COVID-19 patients who were admitted to Renmin Hospital (Wuhan, China). All patients were classified into moderate, severe...

This study aimed to estimate the attack rates, and identify the risk factors of COVID-19 infection. Based on a retrospective cohort study, we investigated 11,580 contacts of COVID-19 cases in Guangdong Province from 10 January to 15 March 2020. All contacts were tested by RT-PCR to detect their infection of SARS-COV-2. Attack rates by characteristics were calculated. Logistic regression was used to estimate the risk factors of infection for COVID-19. A total of 515 of...

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has a wide spectrum of disease severity from mild upper respiratory symptoms to respiratory failure. The role of neutralizing antibody (NAb) response in disease progression remains elusive. This study determined the seroprevalence of 733 non-COVID-19 individuals from April 2018 to February 2020 in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and compared the neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses of eight COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with those of 42...

Staff and employees “Zero infection” has been achieved during the whole medical activities in the COVID-19 Fangcang Shelter Hospital in Wuhan, China. This study analyses the personnel and environmental protection status of the East–West Lake Fangcang Shelter Hospital. The HCWs were mostly composed of national medical rescue teams, from different provinces in China. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, 82.64% of the HCWs had already known the proper procedure of wearing masks and other personal protective equipment...

Staff and employees “Zero infection” has been achieved during the whole medical activities in the COVID-19 Fangcang Shelter Hospital in Wuhan, China. This study analyses the personnel and environmental protection status of the East–West Lake Fangcang Shelter Hospital. The HCWs were mostly composed of national medical rescue teams, from different provinces in China. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, 82.64% of the HCWs had already known the proper procedure of wearing masks and other personal protective equipment...

Critically ill patients with coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) are of grave concern. Those patients usually underwent a stage of excessive inflammation before developing acute respiratory distress syndrome. In this study, we test the hypothesis that short-term, low-to-moderate-dose corticosteroids would benefit patients when used in the early phase of excessive inflammation, namely, the therapeutic window. Among a Shanghai cohort and a validation cohort, we enrolled COVID-19 patients showing marked radiographic progression. Short-term, low-to-moderate-dose corticosteroids were considered...

Obtaining ideal gene delivery vectors is still a major goal in cancer gene therapy. CAMEL, a short hybrid antimicrobial peptide, can kill cancer cells by membrane lysis. In this study, we constructed a series of non-viral vectors by attaching fatty acids with different chain lengths to the N-terminus of CAMEL. Our results showed that the cellular uptake and transfection efficiency of acyl-CAMEL started to significantly increase from a chain length of 12 carbons. C18-CAMEL was...

Supplemental Material, Supporting_Information for Thermally driven characteristic and highly photocatalytic activity based on N-isopropyl acrylamide/high-substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose/g-C3N4 hydrogel by electron beam pre-radiation method by Guo Liu, Ting-Ting Li, Xiao-Fang Song, Jin-Yu Yang, Jiang-Tao Qin, Fang-Fang Zhang, Zheng-Xi Wang, Hong-Guo Chen, Ming-Hu Wu and Yue-Sheng Li in Journal of Thermoplastic Composite Materials

Amentoflavone, robustaflavone, 2″,3″-dihydro-3′,3‴-biapigenin, 3′,3‴-binaringenin, and delicaflavone are five major hydrophobic components in the total biflavonoids extract from Selaginella doederleinii (TBESD) that display favorable anticancer properties. The purpose of this study was to develop a new oral delivery formulation to improve the solubilities, dissolution rates, and oral bioavailabilities of the main ingredients in TBESD by the solid dispersion technique. Solid dispersions of TBESD with various hydrophilic polymers were prepared, and different technologies were applied to select...

Social distance is an important tool for evaluating the degree of intimacy between individuals that has been applied in various disciplines. However, while increasing attention has been paid to this topic, little effort has been invested in understanding the construct of social distance between tourism community residents. The purpose of this study was to develop a scale that would assist in understanding and evaluating the social distance between tourism community residents. First, focus group interviews,...