BackgroundTo assess the non-adherence rate among pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients in Anhui Province, eastern China and to explore the influential factors, so as to identify targets for intervention.Matreial/MethodsA total of 339 TB patients were recruited from TB dispensaries in 8 counties of Anhui Province, eastern China using a stratified sampling method. All study subjects were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. Differences between groups involving categorical data were analyzed using the chi-square test.ResultsOverall, of the 339 patients, 33.63% missed medication. Divorced and widowed patients were more likely to miss medication compared with those who were married or unmarried (P<0.01). Regarding the knowledge related to topics such as transmission route, preventive measures, and suspicious symptoms, the awareness rate in the group with good medication compliance was higher than in the group with poor compliance (P<0.05). We found that compliance was not significantly associated with seeking medical treatment in professional institutions, the national free TB treatment policy, or discrimination (P>0.05). The rate of non-compliance under supervision (26.10%) was lower than that without supervision (64.18%) (P<0.001).ConclusionsThe anti-TB treatment non-adherence rate in TB patients is relatively high in Anhui Province, eastern China, and is associated with marital status, annual income, TB knowledge, and medical staff visits.

Biofilm microenvironment (BME)-activated antimicrobial agents display great potential for improved biofilm-related infection therapy because of their superior specificities and sensitivities, effective eliminations, and minimal side effects. Herein, BME-activated Fe-doped polydiaminopyridine nanofusiform-mediated single-atom nanozyme (FePN SAzyme) is presented for photothermal/chemodynamic synergetic bacteria-infected wound therapy. The photothermal therapy (PTT) function of SAzyme can be specifically initiated by the high level of H 2 O 2 and further accelerated through mild acid within the inflammatory environment through "two-step rocket launching-like" process. Additionally, the enhanced chemodynamic therapy (CDT) for the FePN SAzyme can also be endowed by producing hydroxyl radicals through reacting with H 2 O 2 and consuming glutathione (GSH) of the BME, thereby contributing to more efficient synergistic therapeutic effect. Meanwhile, FePN SAzyme could catalyze biofilm-overexpressed H 2 O 2 decomposing into O 2 and overcome the hypoxia of biofilm, which significantly enhances the susceptibility of biofilm and increases the synergistic efficacy. Most importantly, the synergistic therapy of bacterial-induced infection diseases can be switched on by the internal and external stimuli simultaneously, resulting in minimal nonspecific damage to healthy tissue. These remarkable characteristics of FePN SAzyme not only develop an innovative strategy for the BME-activated combination therapy but also open a new avenue to explore other nanozyme-involved nanoplatforms for bacterial biofilm infections.

Nanozyme-based tumor collaborative catalytic therapy has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. However, their cooperative outcome remains a great challenge due to the unique characteristics of tumor microenvironment (TME), such as insufficient endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) level, hypoxia, and overexpressed intracellular glutathione (GSH). Methods: Herein, a TME-activated atomic-level engineered PtN 4 C single-atom nanozyme (PtN 4 C-SAzyme) is fabricated to induce the “butterfly effect” of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through facilitating intracellular H 2 O 2 cycle accumulation and GSH deprivation as well as X-ray deposition for ROS-involving CDT and O 2 -dependent chemoradiotherapy. Results: In the paradigm, the SAzyme could boost substantial ∙OH generation by their admirable peroxidase-like activity as well as X-ray deposition capacity. Simultaneously, O 2 self-sufficiency, GSH elimination and elevated Pt 2+ release can be achieved through the self-cyclic valence alteration of Pt (IV) and Pt (II) for alleviating tumor hypoxia, overwhelming the anti-oxidation defense effect and overcoming drug-resistance. More importantly, the PtN 4 C-SAzyme could also convert O 2 ·- into H 2 O 2 by their superior superoxide dismutase-like activity and achieve the sustainable replenishment of endogenous H 2 O 2 , and H 2 O 2 can further react with the PtN 4 C-SAzyme for realizing the cyclic accumulation of ∙OH and O 2 at tumor site, thereby generating a “key” to unlock the multi enzymes-like properties of SAzymes for tumor-specific self-reinforcing CDT and chemoradiotherapy. Conclusions: This work not only provides a promising TME-activated SAzyme-based paradigm with H 2 O 2 self-supplement and O 2 -evolving capacity for intensive CDT and chemoradiotherapy but also opens new horizons for the construction and tumor catalytic therapy of other SAzymes.

No abstract

No abstract

Abstract. It is increasingly recognized that the land-use change, especially urbanization has influenced hydrological attributes intensely. Flood characteristics variation could likewise increase flood risks and pose higher demand on water management. The paper aims to evaluate temporal and spatial processes of urbanization affecting flood events at catchment level. The study sites were Xiaoqinhe catchment and its sub-catchments, a part of lower Yellow river basin in northern China. Historic cities Jinan and Zibo in the area have experienced dramatic urban expansion in recent decades, about 5 % growth of urban build-up area annually from 1990s to 2010s, and also pressed alarm for increasing flood disasters. In the paper, a HEC-HMS model was set up to simulate flood processes for different land-use scenarios. The possible effects of urbanization on flood characteristics were checked in study catchment and its sub-catchments.

No abstract

Equifinality is unavoidable when transferring model parameters from gauged catchments to ungauged catchments for predictions in ungauged basins (PUB). A framework for estimating the three baseflow parameters of variable infiltration capacity (VIC) model, directly with soil and topography properties is presented. When the new parameters setting methodology is used, the number of parameters needing to be calibrated is reduced from six to three, that leads to a decrease of equifinality and uncertainty. This is validated by Monte Carlo simulations in 24 hydro-climatic catchments in China. Using the new parameters estimation approach, model parameters become more sensitive and the extent of parameters space will be smaller when a threshold of goodness-of-fit is given. That means the parameters uncertainty is reduced with the new parameters setting methodology. In addition, the uncertainty of model simulation is estimated by the generalised likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE) methodology. The results indicate that the uncertainty of streamflow simulations, i.e., confidence interval, is lower with the new parameters estimation methodology compared to that used by original calibration methodology. The new baseflow parameters estimation framework could be applied in VIC model and other appropriate models for PUB