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This study assessed the hand hygiene performance in French nursing homes using the consumption of alcohol-based hand rubs (AHRs) as a surrogate. Nursing homes from the 17 French regions were contacted to collect their AHR consumption and occupancy in 2018 and 2019. A total of 1290 nursing homes from 15 French regions participated in the survey. The estimated median number of hand hygiene actions per resident-day was 1.48 (interquartile range: 1.04-2.03) in 2018 and 1.60 (1.10-2.26) in 2019. A significantly higher AHR consumption was observed in public nursing homes with an infection control team or link nurse.

AbstractThe co‐occurrence of chronic pain and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) involves complex interactions between genetic and neurophysiological aspects, and the research has reported mixed findings when they both co‐occur. There is also an indication of a gender‐dependent effect; males are more likely to use alcohol to cope with chronic pain problems than females. Recently, a new conceptualization has emerged, proposing that the negative affective component of pain drives and maintains alcohol‐related behaviors. We studied in a longitudinal fashion alterations in alcohol drinking patterns and pain thresholds in a mouse model of chronic neuropathic pain in a sex‐dependent manner. Following partial denervation (spared nerve injury [SNI]), stimulus‐evoked pain responses were measured before chronic alcohol consumption, during drinking, during a deprivation phase, and following an episode of excessive drinking. During the course of alcohol drinking, we observed pronounced sex differences in pain thresholds. Male mice showed a strong increase in pain thresholds, suggesting an analgesic effect induced by alcohol over time, an effect that was not observed in female mice. SNI mice did not differ from sham‐operated controls in baseline alcohol consumption. However, following a deprivation phase and the reintroduction of ethanol, male SNI mice but not female mice showed more pronounced excessive drinking than controls. Finally, we observed decreased central ethanol sensitivity in male SNI mice but not in females. Together with our finding, that ethanol is able to decrease a pain‐induced negative affective memory we come to following conclusion. We propose that a lower sensitivity to the intoxicating effects of alcohol together with the ability of alcohol to reduce the negative affective component of pain may explain the higher co‐occurrence of AUD in male chronic pain patients.

ABSTRACTA novel design for a high temperature SOFC, based on lamellar electrode-electrolyte segments obtained by solidification of an oxidic eutectic melt on an electrolyte substrate is presented. Such “composite” electrodes contain NiO or MnO - 8Y-ZrO2 lamellae, which after reduction / oxidation yield electrode-electrolyte lamellae with 1–2 μm width and a vertical dimension of> 100 μm, depending upon the amount of eutectic melt solidified on a polycrystalline substrate. The nucleation of the eutectic on a polycrystalline substrate followed by a semi-directional crystallization of the two phases yields a gradient of 3-phase boundaries over the height of such an electrode, with the number of 3-phase boundaries increasing towards the substrate.

Xuanwei City (formerly known as Xuanwei County) locates in the northeastern of Yunnan Province and is rich in coal, iron, copper and other mines, especially the smoky (bituminous) coal. Unfortunately, the lung cancer morbidity and mortality rates in this region are among China's highest, with a clear upward trend from the mid-1970s to mid-2000s. In 2004-2005, the crude death rate of lung cancer was 91.3 per 100,000 in the whole Xuanwei City, while that for Laibin Town in this city was 241.14 per 100,000. The epidemiologic distribution (clustering patterns by population, time, and space) of lung cancer in Xuanwei has some special features, e.g., high incidence in rural areas, high incidence in females, and an early age peak in lung cancer deaths. The main factor that associates with a high rate of lung cancer incidence was found to be indoor air pollution caused by the indoor burning of smoky coal. To a certain extent, genetic defects are also associated with the high incidence of lung cancer in Xuanwei. Taken together, lung cancer in this smoky coal combustion region is a unique model for environmental factor-related human cancer, and the current studies indicate that abandoning the use of smoky coal is the key to diminish lung cancer morbidity and mortality.

In developing an algal treatment system, selenium (Se) removal efficiency by Chlorella vulgaris was evaluated under various conditions such as Se concentration, algal density, temperature and pH. A maximum removal efficiency plateau of ∼90% was observed between 1000-3000 μg Se/L while the tolerance of Se toxicity was found at 6000 μg Se/L. C. vulgaris of 0.75 g DW/L showed the highest removal efficiency (84%), and volatilization was dominant below 1.37 g DW/L. Se volatilization was two times higher at 25 °C than at 20 °C in the first 24 h. Moreover, the highest removal efficiency (77%) was obtained at pH 8.0, compared to 66.5% at pH 6.5 and 40% at pH 10.0. To prevent ecotoxicity, Se laden algae were further burned to ashes or filtered out by Anodonta woodiana. After burning, biomass Se was reduced by 99%, with organo-Se entirely converted into inorganic Se, lowering Se bioavailability. A. woodiana removed 54% of Se in 24 h, leading to Se bioaccumulation in soft tissues, which may serve as dietary Se supplements for human health. Our results suggest the cleanup of Se-contaminated water from either agricultural runoff or industrial discharge could be achieved using an algal treatment system with minimum potential ecotoxicity.

Anaphylactic reactions to ethanol are rare with only seven cases reported in the literature. All previous cases have occurred following ingestion of alcoholic beverages or food to which an alcoholic beverage has been added. To date there are no cases in the literature of ethanol-induced anaphylaxis caused by the accumulation of endogenous ethanol in overripe fruit.We report a patient with ethanol-induced anaphylaxis who developed anaphylaxis following ingestion of overripe, but not fresh rock melon (Cucumis melo). The patient is a 24-year-old, previously well woman who experienced five episodes of acute anaphylaxis following ingestion of various alcoholic beverages and, on one occasion, following ingestion of overripe rock melon to which no ethanol was added. Ethanol-induced anaphylaxis was confirmed on blinded challenge; however, challenge with freshly prepared rock melon was negative. The patient declined further challenges.Ingestion of overripe fruits may cause anaphylaxis in patients with ethanol-induced anaphylaxis. These patients should therefore, be advised to avoid ingestion of overripe fruits.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can lead to environmental pollution and threaten human health due to their toxic and carcinogenic nature. The emission of VOCs increases dramatically with the accelerated industrialization and economic growth. Adsorption is identified as one of the most promising recovery technologies owing to its cost-effectiveness, flexible operation, and low energy consumption. In particular, adsorption-based technologies have a high potential to recycle both adsorbents and adsorbates, typically to capture valuable aromatic VOCs from industrial exhaust. Porous materials such as carbon-based materials, zeolite-based materials, and organic polymers and their composites have been extensively developed for VOCs adsorption focusing in adsorption capacity, hydrophobic property, thermal stability and regenerability. Among them, porous carbons as VOCs adsorbents have attracted increasingly attention, because they can be regulated by tuning the pore structure for VOCs accessibility during the adsorption process. Moreover, porous carbons can adsorb target VOCs by controlling the pore structure and surface functional groups. Significantly, the pore size distribution of porous carbons mostly controls the VOCs sorption process. Micropores provide the main adsorption sites, while mesopores enhance the diffusion of VOCs. In this review, the adsorption mechanism of VOCs onto porous carbons was generally concluded. Porous carbons can be designed as a specific structure for adsorption of aromatic VOCs by controlling the pore structure, hydrophobic sites, π-electronic structure, and surface functional groups. Since there are limited review literatures on porous carbons derived from renewable resources for VOCs adsorption, this paper will provide an overview on the synthesis of porous carbons from biomass and other organic wastes for VOCs adsorption or integrated oxidation processes (e.g., photocatalysis, non-thermal plasma catalysis, chemical catalysis) under ambient conditions with the objective of guiding ...

Abstract Aims Alcohol use alters the reward signaling processes contributing to the development of addiction. We studied the effects of alcohol use disorder (AUD) on brain regions and blood of deceased women and men to examine sex-dependent differences in epigenetic changes associated with AUD. We investigated the effects of alcohol use on the gene promoter methylation of GABBR1 coding for GABAB receptor subunit 1 in blood and brain. Methods We chose six brain regions associated with addiction and the reward pathway (nucleus arcuatus, nucleus accumbens, the mamillary bodies, amygdala, hippocampus and anterior temporal cortex) and performed epigenetic profiling of the proximal promoter of the GABBR1 gene of post-mortem brain and blood samples of 17 individuals with AUD pathology (4 female, 13 male) and 31 healthy controls (10 female, 21 male). Results Our results show sex-specific effects of AUD on GABBR1 promoter methylation. Especially, CpG −4 showed significant tissue-independent changes and significantly decreased methylation levels for the AUD group in the amygdala and the mammillary bodies of men. We saw prominent and consistent change in CpG-4 across all investigated tissues. For women, no significant loci were observed. Conclusion We found sex-dependent differences in GABBR1 promoter methylation in relation to AUD. CpG-4 hypomethylation in male individuals with AUD is consistent for most brain regions. Blood shows similar results without reaching significance, potentially serving as a peripheral marker for addiction-associated neuronal adaptations. Further research is needed to discover more contributing factors in the pathological alterations of alcohol addiction to offer sex-specific biomarkers and treatment.

ObjectivesThe poor safety profile of sunitinib capsules has encouraged the identification of targeted drug delivery systems against renal cell carcinoma. This study aimed to explore the effect of sunitinib‐loaded microbubbles along with ultrasound (US) treatment on proliferation and apoptosis of human GRC‐1 granulocyte renal carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo (xenograft tumor growth in nude mice).MethodsLiposomes containing sunitinib were prepared by using the transmembrane ammonium sulfate gradient method and then absorbed into polymer microbubbles to generate sunitinib‐loaded microbubbles. Entrapment of sunitinib was verified by 25‐25‐[N‐[(7‐nitro‐2‐1,3‐benzoxadiazol‐4‐yl)methyl]amino]‐27‐norcholesterol staining. GRC‐1 cells were treated with microbubbles alone, liposomes alone, sunitinib alone, sunitinib‐loaded microbubbles without and with US, and no treatment (control). Cell survival and apoptosis were assessed at 12, 24, and 48 hours after treatment. Xenograft tumors were induced by implantation of GRC‐1 cells in nude mice. The animals with tumors were then randomly assigned to sunitinib alone, sunitinib‐loaded microbubbles − US, sunitinib‐loaded microbubbles + US, and no treatment (control; n = 10 per group). The tumor volumes were analyzed on the 7th, 15th, and 21st days.ResultsThe sunitinib entrapment efficiency in the liposomes was approximately 78%. The effective sunitinib concentration in each group was 0.1 μg/mL. The sunitinib‐loaded microbubble + US group showed a lower in vitro cell survival rate (P < .001) compared with the other groups. Greater in vivo inhibition of xenograft tumor growth was also observed in the sunitinib‐loaded microbubble + US group compared with the other groups.ConclusionsCombined sunitinib‐loaded microbubbles and US treatment significantly inhibits growth of renal carcinoma cells both in vitro and in vivo.