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Abstract Background Early-life cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) are known to be associated with target organ damage during adolescence and premature cardiovascular morbidity and mortality during adulthood. However, contemporary data describing whether the prevalence of CVRFs and treatment and control rates have changed are limited. This study aimed to examine the temporal trends in the prevalence, treatment, and control of CVRFs among US adolescents over the past 2 decades. Methods This is a serial cross-sectional study using data from nine National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey cycles (January 2001—March 2020). US adolescents (aged 12 to 19 years) with information regarding CVRFs (including hypertension, elevated blood pressure [BP], diabetes, prediabetes, hyperlipidemia, obesity, overweight, cigarette use, inactive physical activity, and poor diet quality) were included. Age-adjusted trends in CVRF prevalence, treatment, and control were examined. Joinpoint regression analysis was performed to estimate changes in the prevalence, treatment, and control over time. The variation by sociodemographic characteristics were also described. Results A total of 15,155 US adolescents aged 12 to 19 years (representing ≈ 32.4 million people) were included. From 2001 to March 2020, there was an increase in the prevalence of prediabetes (from 12.5% [95% confidence interval (CI), 10.2%-14.9%] to 37.6% [95% CI, 29.1%-46.2%]) and overweight/obesity (from 21.1% [95% CI, 19.3%-22.8%] to 24.8% [95% CI, 21.4%-28.2%]; from 16.0% [95% CI, 14.1%-17.9%] to 20.3% [95% CI, 17.9%-22.7%]; respectively), no improvement in the prevalence of elevated BP (from 10.4% [95% CI, 8.9%-11.8%] to 11.0% [95% CI, 8.7%-13.4%]), diabetes (from 0.7% [95% CI, 0.2%-1.2%] to 1.2% [95% CI, 0.3%-2.2%]), and poor diet quality (from 76.1% [95% CI, 74.0%-78.2%] to 71.7% [95% CI, 68.5%-74.9%]), and a decrease in the prevalence of hypertension (from 8.1% [95% CI, 6.9%-9.4%] to 5.5% [95% CI, 3.7%-7.3%]), hyperlipidemia (from 34.2% [95% CI, 30.9%-37.5%] to 22.8% [95% CI, 18.7%-26.8%]), cigarette use (from 18.0% [95% CI, 15.7%-20.3%] to 3.5% [95% CI, 2.0%-5.0%]), and inactive physical activity (from 83.0% [95% CI, 80.7%-85.3%] to 9.5% [95% CI, 4.2%-14.8%]). Sex and race/ethnicity affected the evolution of CVRF prevalence differently. Whilst treatment rates for hypertension and diabetes did not improve significantly (from 9.6% [95% CI, 3.5%-15.8%] to 6.0% [95% CI, 1.4%-10.6%]; from 51.0% [95% CI, 23.3%-78.7%] to 26.5% [95% CI, 0.0%-54.7%]; respectively), BP control was relatively stable (from 75.7% [95% CI, 56.8%-94.7%] to 73.5% [95% CI, 40.3%-100.0%]), while glycemic control improved to a certain extent, although it remained suboptimal (from 11.8% [95% CI, 0.0%-31.5%] to 62.7% [95% CI, 62.7%-62.7%]). Conclusions From 2001 to March 2020, although prediabetes and overweight/obesity increased, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cigarette use, and inactive physical activity decreased among US adolescents aged 12 to 19 years, whereas elevated BP, diabetes, and poor diet quality remained unchanged. There were disparities in CVRF prevalence and trends across sociodemographic subpopulations. While treatment and control rates for hypertension and diabetes plateaued, BP control were stable, and improved glycemic control was observed.

Abstract Effective therapeutic targets and early diagnosis are major challenges in the treatment of gastrointestinal tract (GIT) cancers. SALL4 is a well-known transcription factor that is involved in organogenesis during embryonic development. Previous studies have revealed that SALL4 regulates cell proliferation, survival, and migration and maintains stem cell function in mature cells. Additionally, SALL4 overexpression is associated with tumorigenesis. Despite its characterization as a biomarker in various cancers, the role of SALL4 in GIT cancers and the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We describe the functions of SALL4 in GIT cancers and discuss its upstream/downstream genes and pathways associated with each cancer. We also consider the possibility of targeting these genes or pathways as potential therapeutic options for GIT cancers.

Abstract It is a great challenge to discover novel chemical reactions suitable for biological analysis in a living system. The development of novel protein thiol blocking agents is a crucial need for exploring protein thiol functions in protein refolding, signal transduction, and redox regulation. We are always keen on seeking novel chemical reactions applied to endogenous biological macromolecules or protein thiol sensing, blocking, and labeling. In the present work, we have successfully developed a novel agent to block protein thiol by enhanced electron‐withdrawing inductive effects. This sensing and blocking process was detailedly monitored by UV‐vis, fluorescent spectra, and SDS‐Page gel separation. The spectral studies demonstrated that the agent could react ultrafastly with thiol within seconds at μM level. Furthermore, fluorescent imaging in cells and in vivo was further used for the validation of its ability to sensing and blocking thiol, providing evidence of downregulated protein thiols in Parkinson's disease. The enhanced electron‐withdrawing inductive effect strategy in this work may provide a general guideline for designing protein thiol agent.

In this study, ozone catalysts (hydrogenation-modified red mud, HM-RM) successfully prepared by hydrogenation-modification of industrial hazardous solid waste red mud (RM) as a raw material in accordance with the viewpoint of treating waste with waste and using waste. Meanwhile, as for the common phenomenon of membrane fouling, uneven distribution of multiphase solid catalysts and ozone in liquids, the addition of ultrasound can not only disperse materials, but also play a role in online cleaning of ceramic membranes and catalysts. The optimum treatment conditions for Rhodamine B (RhB) solution with volume of 2 L and concentration of 40 mg/L were catalyst concentration of 0.4 mg/L, reaction temperature of 45 °C, ultrasonic time of 1 h, ultrasonic intensity of 600 W, removal rate of RhB was up to 90 %. In addition, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation method was used to investigate the fluid flow between the two gas-liquid phases and the effect of the negative pressure of the membrane pump on the fluid by the analysis of flow, pressure and ozone flux of the ceramic membrane(CM) reaction apparatus. The CFD simulation results showed that at the inlet gas-liquid flow rate of 3 m/s and the negative pressure of 20,000 Pa, the maximum flow rates of CM-1 were 3 m/s, 0.752 m/s for CM-2, and 0.228 m/s for CM-3, respectively. Vortices, which are beneficial to solid-liquid mixing and gas-liquid mass transfer, formed between the suction port CM-1 of CM-1 and the inlets of CM-2 and CM-3. This discovery is consistent with relevant experimental research results. Significantly higher concentrations of both •OH and dissolved ozone were observed in the US/HM-RM/O3 system compared to other systems, indicating the significant improvement in ozone utilization rate through the application of ultrasound. The superiority of the US/HM-RM/O3 device was demonstrated. The real dye effluent was tested under optimum operating conditions and the results showed that COD and TOC were reduced by 81.34 % and 60.23 % respectively after 180 min of treatment. The above research can provide technical support for the treatment of dye wastewater using Ultrasound-enhanced ozone oxidation ceramic membranes.

Background: This study explores the relationship between waist circumference and morbidity of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and all-cause mortality in metabolically healthy individuals. Methods: A cohort of 5775 metabolically healthy participants from the 2001–2014 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and National Death Index database was tracked over a median period of 81 months. These participants were divided into quartiles (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) based on increasing waist circumference. To compensate for missing covariates, multivariate multiple imputation methods were used. Adjusted logistic regression models were employed to examine the correlation between waist circumference and cardiovascular disease prevalence. Furthermore, Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariable Cox regression analysis were utilized to evaluate the association between waist circumference and all-cause mortality, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Results: The adjusted logistic regression model indicated that a 10 cm increase in waist circumference was associated with a 1.45 times higher prevalence of CVD. As a categorical variable, there was a significant upward trend in CVD incidence across quartiles of waist circumference. The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 2.41 (1.13–5.53) for Q2, 2.65 (1.18–6.39) for Q3, and 2.53 (0.9–7.44) for Q4, compared to Q1. Notably, individuals with high waist circumference showed significantly poorer survival compared to those with low waist circumference (p = 0.008). The Cox regression analysis revealed that each 10 cm increase in waist circumference contributed to an ~8% increase in all-cause mortality. Conclusions: This study underscores a positive correlation between waist circumference and both CVD morbidity and all-cause mortality in metabolically healthy individuals. The findings highlight the significance of routinely monitoring waist circumference for effective CVD risk management, regardless of metabolic health status.