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Although Rana chensinensis Ovum (RCO) is enriched with high nutritional value, its quality varies due to the different drying methods used by farmers. This study aims to explore the impact of natural and mechanical drying methods on the nutritional compositions and physicochemical properties of RCO. Five different drying methods were studied, including blast drying (BD), mild breeze light drying (MBLD), natural air drying (NAD), vacuum heat drying (VHD), and vacuum freeze drying (VFD). The quality assessment was based on unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) content, iodine value, estradiol, vitamin E, saponification value, thiobarbituric acid value (TBA), acid value, and antioxidant properties. The results showed that VFD had higher UFA content and lower acid value (139.950 ± 0.397 mg · g−1) and TBA value (0.097 ± 0.003) than others. VFD and NAD had higher iodine values (147.166 ± 1.475 and 146.803 ± 1.209, respectively) than others. There were no significant differences in estradiol, vitamin E, peroxide value and the clearance rates of ABTS+ free radicals and DPPH• free radicals with different drying methods. The findings will provide valuable insights into the industrialization of RCO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Diabetes is considered a significant risk factor for the development of atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF/AFL). However, there is still insufficient evidence to determine the varying effects of different hypoglycemic drugs (HDs) on the incidence of new-onset AF/AFL in diabetic patients. To address this gap, we conducted a network meta-analysis to investigate whether various HDs have different effects on the risk of new-onset AF/AFL compared with insulin. Method: We conducted a comprehensive search in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science to identify all clinical trials investigating the association between various HDs or insulin and incident AF/AFL up until April 1, 2024. Bayesian random-effects model was used for network meta-analysis, and the results were expressed as relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Result: After searching 2070 articles, a total of 12 studies (2,349,683 patients) were included in the network meta-analysis. The treatment regimen comprised insulin and 8 HDs hypoglycemic drugs, which are sodium-dependent glucose transporters 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i), glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA), dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP4i), metformin (Met), sulfonylureas (SU), non-sulfonylureas (nSU), thiazolidinedione (TZD) and α-glycosidase inhibitors (AGI). The use of SGLT2i [RR 0.23, 95%CI (0.11, 0.49)], GLP-1RA [RR 0.28, 95%CI (0.13, 0.57)], and DPP4i [RR 0.34, 95%CI (0.17, 0.67)] demonstrated significant efficacy in reducing the incidence of new-onset AF/AFL when compared to insulin. When HDs were compared in pairs, SGLT2i is more effective than Met [RR 0.35, 95% CI (0.19, 0.62)], SU (RR 0.27, 95% CI (0.14, 0.51)], nSU [RR 0.28, 95% CI (0.08, 0.95)], TZD [RR 0.34, 95% CI (0.17, 0.7)], GLP-1RA is more effective Met [RR 0.42, 95% CI (0.25, 0.71)], SU (RR 0.33, 95% CI (0.18, 0.6)], TZD [RR 0.41, 95% CI (0.21, 0.82)], while Met[RR 1.98, 95% CI (1.23, 3.23)], SU [RR 2.54, 95% CI (1.46, 4.43)], TZD [RR 2.01, 95% CI (1.05, 3.79)] was not as effective as DPP4i. Conclusion: SGLT-2i, GLP-1RA, and DPP4i showed a superior efficacy in reducing the risk of new-onset AF/AFL compared to insulin therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocatalytic conversion of waste nitrogen oxide (NOx) into value-added nitrogenous chemicals, especially amino acid, is an emerging strategy to alleviate NOx pollution. However, this process suffers from the coexistence of multiple competitive reactions leading to complex product distribution and low efficiency, and thus the rational design and modulation of efficient catalysts remains a formidable challenge. Herein, well-designed Co nanoparticles encapsulated in hollow carbon nanofiber (Co-HCNF) were constructed to promote the amino acid electrosynthesis via dealing waste NOx coupling with biomass-derived keto acids. Ascribed to the rapid reactant diffusion, electron transport and efficient contact with abundant accessible Co catalytic sites stemmed from the unique hollow nanotubular structure, Co-HCNF manifested impressive glycine synthesis performance in one-pot adopting NO as the nitrogen source with Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 41.7% and a corresponding yield rate of 222.3 µmol h−1 as well as 120 h robust stability. Interestingly, it also demonstrates an excellent performance with the FE of 42.8% for NO3− solution as the nitrogen source. Specially, this strategy displays a broad universality for the synthesis of other amino acids. This work not only highlights the importance of hollow-structuring electrocatalyst towards upgrading wasted NOx species into amino acids, but also promotes the further development of electrosynthetic systems for high-valued N-containing organic chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant protein‐based adhesives, particularly those derived from soybean meal (SM), have been available for various product applications. However, the high cost of SM has limited large‐scale manufacturing, despite sufficient production capacity. Peony seed meal (PSM) is abundant in proteins, polysaccharides, and polyphenols, the protein in PSM contains highly hydrophobic amino acids, resulting in low water solubility and water holding capacity. It is worth investigating whether the unique composition of hydrophobic amino acids in PSM protein can enhance the water resistance of PSM‐based adhesives. Additionally, the lower price of PSM, which is approximately two‐thirds of the cost of SM, makes it a more valuable raw material for adhesives. Herein, we report a simple and practical approach for preparing PSM‐based wood adhesives by utilizing the highly active cross‐linking agent of polyamidoamine‐epichlorohydrin (PAE). The results showed PSM‐based adhesives possessed excellent adhesion, especially the adhesive of "PSM‐36%", with the wet bond strength and the aged bond strength reaching 1.60 and 0.83 MPa, respectively, meeting the standards outlined for indoor‐use plywood (≥0.98 MPa). Mechanistic studies indicated that the adhesion mechanism of such PSM‐based adhesives might involve high solid content, low viscosity, high thermal stability, and the formulation of covalent bonds and hydrogen bond networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inorganic nitrogen oxide (NOx) species, such as NO, NO2, NO3−, NO2− generated from the decomposition of organic matters, volcanic eruptions and lightning activated nitrogen, play important roles in the nitrogen cycle system and exploring the origin of life. Meanwhile, excessive emission of NOx gases and residues from industry and transportation causes troubling problems to the environment and human health. How to efficiently handle these wastes is a global problem. In response to the growing demand for sustainability, scientists are actively pursuing sustainable electrochemical technologies powered by renewable energy sources and efficient utilization of hydrogen energy to convert NOx species into high‐value organonitrogen chemicals. In this minireview, recent advances of electrocatalytic systems for NOx species valorization in organonitrogen synthesis are classified and described, such as amino acids, amide, urea, oximes, nitrile etc. that have been widely applied in medicine, life science and agriculture. Additionally, the current challenges including multiple side reactions and complicated paths, viable solutions along with future directions ahead in this field are also proposed. The coupling electrocatalytic systems provide a green mode for fixing nitrogen cycle bacteria and bring enlightenment to human sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In fair weather, the vertical atmospheric electric field is oriented downward (positive in the earth surface ordinate system) in the global atmospheric circuit. Some researchers have revealed the unique phenomenon whereby once an upward vertical atmospheric electric field is observed in fair weather, an earthquake (EQ) follows within 2–48 h regardless of the EQ magnitude. However, the mechanism has not been explained with a suitable physical model. In this paper, a physical model is presented considering four types of forces acting on charged particles in the air. It is demonstrated that the heavier positive ions and lighter negative ions are rapidly separated. Finally, a reversed fair weather electrostatic field is formed by the above charge separation process. The simulation results have instructive significance for future observations and hazard predictions and still need further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common clinical chronic degenerative disease characteriszed by articular cartilage degeneration. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) delay OA the development of OA mainly through paracrine effects. The conditioned medium (CM) of MSCs contains all the paracrine components of these cells, and many studies have demonstrated the anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects of CM in vitro. In this study, we investigated the effect of the CM of infrapatellar fat pad-derived MSCs (IPFSCs) on OA in vitro and in vivo, as well as and the potential underlying mechanisms. The results showed that injection of CM into the knee joint inhibited OA development in a rat model induced by destabilisation of the medial meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament transection. The CM increased the deposition of extracellular matrix-related components (type II collagen and Proteoglycan).In addition, CM inhibited the excessive production of pro-inflammatory mediators in human chondrocytes induced by IL-1 β, including COX2, iNOS, TNF- α and IL-6, and reduced the production of MMP13 and ADAMTS5, thus protecting the degradation of extracellular matrix. The activation of PI3K/AKT/NF- κ B signalling pathway was induced by IL-1β in chondrocytes, which was finally inhibited by CM-IPFSCs treatment. In summary, IPFSC-CM may have therapeutic potential for OA., (S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Oxime ethers are attractive compounds in medicinal scaffolds due to the biological and pharmaceutical properties, however, the crucial and widespread step of industrial oxime formation using explosive hydroxylamine (NH 2 OH) is insecure and troublesome. Herein, we present a convenient method of oxime ether synthesis in a one-pot tandem electrochemical system using magnesium based metal-organic framework-derived magnesium oxide anchoring in self-supporting carbon nanofiber membrane catalyst (MgO-SCM), the in situ produced NH 2 OH from nitrogen oxides electrocatalytic reduction coupled with aldehyde to produce 4-cyanobenzaldoxime with a selectivity of 93 % and Faraday efficiency up to 65.1 %, which further reacted with benzyl bromide to directly give oxime ether precipitate with a purity of 97 % by convenient filtering separation. The high efficiency was attributed to the ultrafine MgO nanoparticles in MgO-SCM, effectively inhibiting hydrogen evolution reaction and accelerating the production of NH 2 OH, which rapidly attacked carbonyl of aldehydes to form oximes, but hardly crossed the hydrogenation barrier of forming amines, thus leading to a high yield of oxime ether when coupling benzyl bromide nucleophilic reaction. This work highlights the importance of kinetic control in complex electrosynthetic organonitrogen system and demonstrates a green and safe alternative method for synthesis of organic nitrogen drug molecules., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Objective: The progression of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) can partially predict the occurrence of future cardiovascular events. This network meta-analysis compared the effects of 14 antidiabetic drugs (acarbose, alogliptin, exenatide, glibenclamide, glimepiride, ipragliflozin, metformin, nateglinide, pioglitazone, rosiglitazone, sitagliptin, tofoglifozin, troglitazone, voglibose) on the progression of cIMT., Method: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched to screen all clinical trials of treatment of cIMT with hypoglycemic agents before March 1, 2024. The differences in the changes in cIMT between the treatment group and control group were evaluated., Result: After screening 8395 citations, 25 studies (6675 patients) were included. The results indicated that exenatide had the best efficacy in slowing down cIMT progress, and exenatide [MD=-0.13,95%CI (-0.25, -0.01)], alogliptin [MD=-0.08,95%CI (-0.13, -0.02)] and metformin [MD=-0.05, 95%CI (-0.09, -0.02)] are more effective than placebo., Conclusion: Long-term treatment of exenatide, alogliptin, and metformin may be more effective than other hypoglycemic drugs in slowing the progression of cIMT., Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42024519474., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Lv, Yang, Lv, Wu, Hou, Li, Ye, Yang and Wang.)

Inorganic nitrogen oxide (NO x ) species, such as NO, NO 2 , NO 3 - , NO 2 - generated from the decomposition of organic matters, volcanic eruptions and lightning activated nitrogen, play important roles in the nitrogen cycle system and exploring the origin of life. Meanwhile, excessive emission of NO x gases and residues from industry and transportation causes troubling problems to the environment and human health. How to efficiently handle these wastes is a global problem. In response to the growing demand for sustainability, scientists are actively pursuing sustainable electrochemical technologies powered by renewable energy sources and efficient utilization of hydrogen energy to convert NO x species into high-value organonitrogen chemicals. In this minireview, recent advances of electrocatalytic systems for NO x species valorization in organonitrogen synthesis are classified and described, such as amino acids, amide, urea, oximes, nitrile etc., that have been widely applied in medicine, life science and agriculture. Additionally, the current challenges including multiple side reactions and complicated paths, viable solutions along with future directions ahead in this field are also proposed. The coupling electrocatalytic systems provide a green mode for fixing nitrogen cycle bacteria and bring enlightenment to human sustainable development., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)