While full-night polysomnography is the gold standard for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea, its limitations include a high cost and first-night effects. This study developed an algorithm for the detection of respiratory events based on impulse-radio ultra-wideband radar and verified its feasibility for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. A total of 94 subjects were enrolled in this study (23 controls and 24, 14, and 33 with mild, moderate, and severe obstructive sleep apnea, respectively). Abnormal breathing detected by impulse-radio ultra-wideband radar was defined as a drop in the peak radar signal by ≥30% from that in the pre-event baseline. We compared the abnormal breathing index obtained from impulse-radio ultra-wideband radar and apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) measured from polysomnography. There was an excellent agreement between the Abnormal Breathing Index and AHI (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.927). The overall agreements of the impulse-radio ultra-wideband radar were 0.93 for Model 1 (AHI ≥ 5), 0.91 for Model 2 (AHI ≥ 15), and 1 for Model 3 (AHI ≥ 30). Impulse-radio ultra-wideband radar accurately detected respiratory events (apneas and hypopneas) during sleep without subject contact. Therefore, impulse-radio ultra-wideband radar may be used as a screening tool for obstructive sleep apnea.

Vital sign monitoring in neonates requires adhesive electrodes, which often damage fragile newborn skin. Because impulse radio ultrawideband (IR-UWB) radar has been reported to recognize chest movement without contact in adult humans, IR-UWB may be used to measure respiratory rates (RRs) in a non-contact fashion. We investigated the feasibility of radar sensors for respiration monitoring in neonates without any respiratory support to compare the accuracy and reliability of radar measurements with those of conventional impedance pneumography measurements. In the neonatal intensive care unit, RRs were measured using radar (RR _Rd ) and impedance pneumography (RR _IP ) simultaneously. The neonatal voluntary movements were measured using the radar sensor and categorized into three levels (low [M ₀ ], intermediate [M ₁ ] and high [M ₂ ]). RR _Rd highly agreed with RR _IP ( r = 0.90; intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.846 [0.835–0.856]). For the M ₀ movement, there was good agreement between RR _Rd and RR _IP (ICC = 0.893; mean bias −0.15 [limits of agreement (LOA) −9.6 to 10.0]). However, the agreement was slightly lower for the M ₁ (ICC = 0.833; mean bias = 0.95 [LOA −11.4 to 13.3]) and M ₂ (ICC = 0.749; mean bias = 3.04 [LOA –9.30 to 15.4]) movements than for the M ₀ movement. In conclusion, IR-UWB radar can provide accurate and reliable estimates of RR in neonates in a non-contact fashion. The performance of radar measurements could be affected by neonate movement.

Dysbiosis of the gut microbiome is thought to be the developmental origins of the host’s health and disease through the microbiota-gut-brain (MGB) axis: such as immune-mediated, metabolic, neurodegenerative, and neurodevelopmental diseases. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are common neurodevelopmental disorders, and growing evidence indicates the contribution of the gut microbiome changes and imbalances to these conditions, pointing to the importance of considering the MGB axis in their treatment. This review summarizes the general knowledge of gut microbial colonization and development in early life and its role in the pathogenesis of ASD/ADHD, highlighting a promising therapeutic approach for ASD/ADHD through modulation of the gut microbiome using psychobiotics (probiotics that positively affect neurological function and can be applied for the treatment of psychiatric diseases) and fecal microbial transplantation (FMT).

The use of metal oxide nanomaterials as photocatalysts for wastewater treatment has received significant attention in recent years due to their unique physicochemical properties. In this study, we use a polyol-mediated refluxing method to synthesize silver-incorporated copper oxide nanomaterials (Ag@CuO NMs). The use of tetra butyl ammonium bromide (TBAB) as a capping agent and ethylene glycol as a reducing agent for Ag+ to Ag is elaborated upon. The prepared Ag@CuO NMs were tested for their ability to degrade water pollutants, specifically methylene blue (MB) dye. Two different Ag contents, weights of 3% and 5%, were used to produce modified CuO-based nanomaterials. The crystalline structures of the NMs were characterized via XRD diffraction, and the morphology of the materials was investigated using FE-SEM. The optical properties were studied using UV-vis spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the Ag@CuO NMs was evaluated by analyzing the degradation of MB dye when exposed to UV-visible light. Our results showed that the 5% weight Ag@CuO NM sample exhibited the most efficient degradation activity against MB dye. Therefore, these nanomaterials hold potential for photocatalytic applications, particularly for wastewater purification.

The biological synthesis of nanoparticles with copper, silver, and zinc (Cu, Ag, Zn) is reported in this study, adopting a greener, safe, reliable, and eco-friendly approach by using an aqueous leaf extract of Catharanthus roseus. The synthesised trimetallic nanoparticles were characterised using different characterisation techniques. The UV–visible spectroscopic technique was initially used to assess nanoparticle formation, in which absorption bands were observed at 220, 270, and 370 nm for Cu, Zn, and Ag nanocomposites, respectively. XRD revealed that the average crystalline size of the nanocomposites was 34.67 nm. The roles of reducing and capping/stabilising agents in the synthesis of Cu/Ag/Zn nanoparticles were confirmed by FTIR analysis, and the successful biosynthesis of the same was also confirmed by X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) analysis. Potential applications of these synthesised trimetallic nanoparticles were evaluated by assessing their antioxidant and catalytic dye degradation activities. The antioxidant activity of the synthesised nanomaterial was studied using the DPPH assay. The catalytic breakdown of the harmful dyes phenol red and eosin yellow was examined using NaBH₄ as a reducing agent. The results showed that the nanomaterial’s radical scavenging capacity at 1000 ug/mL was 75.76% and the degradation of these dyes was up to 78% in the presence of NaBH₄. Furthermore, the biogenic trimetallic nanomaterial exhibited effective catalytic degradation activity against methyl red and phenol red dyes.