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Limited studies have explored the association between visceral adipose tissue (VAT) mass and fat-to-muscle mass ratio (FMR) and mortality. We aimed to evaluate the sex-specific association of VAT and FMR with all-cause and cause-specific mortality by age.A total of 438 896 participants (49.8% men, mean age ± standard deviation: 57 ± 8 years for men; 56 ± 8 years for women) were included from the UK Biobank cohort. The nature of VAT was predictive, as obtained by sex-stratified, non-linear prediction models. Fat and muscle mass were estimated using a bioelectrical impedance assessment device. FMR was calculated as the fat mass divided by the muscle mass in the whole body. VAT and FMRs were divided into quintiles in ascending order, and the 3rd quintile was used as the reference. Cox regression analyses were used to estimate the associations between VAT, FMR and mortality.During a median of 12.4 years of follow-up, we documented 29 903 deaths. After adjusting for various covariates, the individuals in the highest quintiles of VAT and FMR had the highest hazard ratios (HRs) of all-cause mortality [1.24 (95% confidence interval: 1.17-1.33) for VAT and 1.24 (1.17-1.31) for FMR in men; and 1.11 (1.03-1.21) for VAT in women], except that the 1st quintile of FMR in women had the greatest HR [1.18 (1.09-1.27)]. Significant interactions were observed in both sexes according to age category (P for interaction 0.05). Among men50 years, participants in the 1st and 5th quintiles of VAT and FMR had significantly higher risks of mortality [1.30 (1.02-1.66) and 1.67 (1.27-2.19) in VAT; 1.25 (0.99-1.56) and 1.41 (1.11-1.79) in FMR, respectively]; in women, this phenomenon was observed in the ≥60 age group [1.16 (1.06-1.27) and 1.19 (1.08-1.31) in VAT; 1.18 (1.08-1.29) and 1.11 (1.01-1.22) in FMR, respectively]. VAT showed a linear positive association with mortality in women60 years and a J-shaped association from respiratory disease in both sexes ≥60 years. FMR showed a linear positive association with mortality from cancer in men60 years and a J-shaped association with mortality from cause-specific mortality in both sexes ≥60 years, except for mortality from cardiovascular disease in men.Most associations of VAT and FMR with all-cause mortality were J-shaped and were significantly modified by age status (50, 50-59 and ≥60 years). The clinical implication is that regarding body composition and VAT mass, different health strategies may be adopted for people of different sexes and ages.

Sleep dysregulation has been linked to gastrointestinal dysfunction and inflammation.To explore the associations between sleep duration, daytime napping and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC).Exposure information was obtained from the baseline questionnaire. Sleep duration was coded as continuous and categorical (≤5, 6, 7, 8, ≥9 h/day) variables. Daytime napping was defined as yes (sometimes/usually) and no (never/rarely). Incident IBD cases were defined from primary care and hospital inpatient records. Polygenic risk scores (PRS) for the outcomes were constructed and categorised into low, intermediate and high risk. Hazard ratio (HR) and confidence interval (CI) were estimated using Cox proportional hazard regression.The analysis included 2604 incident IBD cases (806 CD and 1798 UC) with a median follow-up of 12.0 years. Comparing sleep duration ≤5 with 7 h/day, the HR of IBD, CD and UC was 1.36 (95% CI, 1.17-1.59), 1.53 (95% CI, 1.17-2.00) and 1.29 (95% CI, 1.07-1.56), respectively. Comparing participants with and without daytime napping, the HR of IBD, CD and UC was 1.13 (95% CI, 1.05-1.23), 1.25 (95% CI, 1.08-1.44) and 1.09 (95% CI, 0.90-1.20), respectively. No interaction of sleep duration and daytime napping with PRS was detected. However, the associations appeared stronger in individuals with high rather than low PRS.This study reveals positive associations between short sleep duration and daytime napping and IBD risk.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with incident type 2 diabetes; however, the extent to which NAFLD may confer its risk remains uncertain, especially in Europeans. Emerging evidence suggests that sleep behaviors are linked to NAFLD and diabetes. We aimed to measure whether sleep behaviors modified the association between NAFLD and incident type 2 diabetes.This prospective cohort study included 365 339 participants without type 2 diabetes at baseline in UK Biobank data. Five sleep behaviors, including sleep duration, insomnia, snoring, chronotype, and daytime sleepiness, were collected from the questionnaire. Overall sleep patterns were created by summing the five scores. Liver steatosis was based on the fatty liver index.During a median follow up of 11.0 years, we documented 8774 patients with incident type 2 diabetes. NAFLD was significantly associated with increased diabetes risk. Sleeping 7-8 h/day, no insomnia, no self-reported snoring, and no frequent daytime sleepiness were independently associated with incident type 2 diabetes, with a 20%, 18%, 16%, and 31% lower risk, respectively. About 33.8% and 33.5% of type 2 diabetes events in this cohort could be attributed to NAFLD and poor sleep pattern, respectively. Participants with NAFLD and poor sleep pattern showed the highest risk of type 2 diabetes (relative risk 3.17, 95% confidence interval 2.80, 3.59). Sleep pattern (healthy, intermediate, and poor) did not significantly modify the association between NAFLD and type 2 diabetes. However, when studying separately, we found a significant interaction between NAFLD and insomnia on the risk of incident type 2 diabetes (P for interaction = 0.003).In this large prospective study, both NAFLD and some sleep behaviors were risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Although overall sleep pattern did not modify the association between NAFLD and type 2 diabetes, certain sleep behavior, especially insomnia, showed the modification effect.

A common G risk allele in the melatonin receptor 1B (MTNR1B, rs10830963) gene has been associated with altered melatonin signaling and secretion. Given that melatonin possesses anticancerogenic properties, we hypothesized that breast and prostate cancer risks vary by rs10830963 genotype. A total of 216 702 participants from the UK Biobank without cancer at baseline (aged 56.4 +/- 8.0 years, 50.79% female) were included. Multivariable Cox regression adjusting for known risk factors for breast or prostate cancer was used to estimate the independent effects of the rs10830963 SNP and chronotype on cancer risk. Over a median follow-up of 8 years, 2367 (2.15% of women) incidences of breast cancer and 2866 (2.69% of men) incidences of prostate cancer were documented in females and males, respectively. rs10830963 genotype is not associated with cancer risk independently (female P-trend = .103, male P-trend = .281). A late chronotype is associated with breast cancer risk in females (P-trend = .014), but not prostate cancer risk in males (P-trend = .915). Further stratification analysis revealed that the rs10830963 genotype is associated with a breast cancer risk in females with moderate evening chronotype (P-trend = .001) and late chronotype is associated with breast cancer risk in females who carry rs10830963 G risk allele (P-trend = .015). Our study suggests that having a late chronotype might increase the risk of breast cancer among females, while the effect of MTNR1B rs10830963 genotype on breast cancer risk is mediated by chronotype.

OBJECTIVE: To explore susceptibility loci associated with uveitis in Behçet's disease (BD).METHODS: We conducted a 2-stage study, consisting of a genome-wide association study (GWAS) stage and a replication stage, in a Chinese population. The GWAS stage included 978 cases with BD-related uveitis and 4,388 controls, and the replication stage included 953 cases with BD-related uveitis and 2,129 controls. Luciferase reporter analysis and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay were performed to explore the functional role of susceptibility genetic variants near ZMIZ1.RESULTS: Three independent HLA alleles (HLA-B51 [3.75 × 10-190 ], HLA-A26 [1.50 × 10-18 ], and HLA-C0704 [3.44 × 10-16 ]) were identified as having a genome-wide association with BD-related uveitis. In the non-HLA region, in addition to confirming 7 previously reported loci, we identified 22 novel susceptibility variants located in 16 loci. Meta-analysis of the Chinese cohort consisting of 1,931 cases and 6,517 controls and a published Japanese cohort of 611 cases and 737 controls showed genome-wide significant associations with ZMIZ1, RPS6KA4, IL10RA, SIPA1-FIBP-FOSL1, and VAMP1. Functional experiments demonstrated that genetic variants of ZMIZ1 were associated with enhanced transcription activity and increased expression of ZMIZ1.CONCLUSION: This GWAS study identified a novel set of genetic variants that are associated with susceptibility to uveitis in BD. These findings enrich our understanding of the contribution of genetic factors to the disease.

Cross‐linked polyethylene (XLPE) cables are a critical component of power transmission systems. As operating conditions sometimes exceed the thresholds set in discipline, some cables fail to reach their designed lifespan, and consequently evaluating the aging degree of cables is particularly necessary. Here ten cables with an operating duration between 1 and 11 years from adjacent lines were sampled. Investigations were performed through various aging evaluation methods. Then typical lifespan prediction indices were concluded from test results and filtrated through correlation calculation. Meanwhile, a lifespan prediction method based on GM (1, N) model was proposed to establish the equivalent relationship between operating time and these indices. The research results indicated that, lifespan prediction indices obtained were all significantly correlated with operating time, which can be used to characterize aging degree of XLPE cables. Besides, due to the high prediction accuracy of experimental verification, the GM (1, N) model was proved to be applicable to evaluate the aging degree quantitatively and determine the remaining lifespan (relative to the designed lifespan) of XLPE cables. In future research, this method can be used to formulate a reasonable and economic withdrawal strategy for XLPE cables operating in conditions that exceed the thresholds set in the discipline.

Background The fat‐to‐muscle mass ratio (FMR) might be an indicator to assess type 2 diabetes risk independent of general obesity. However, no longitudinal studies have explored the extent to which total and regional FMRs may confer risks. We aimed to measure the sex‐specific associations between FMRs of the arm, leg, trunk and whole body and incident type 2 diabetes. Methods A total of 464 817 participants (207 286 men and 257 531 women, mean age 56.5 ± 8.2 and 56.2 ± 8.0 years old, respectively) free of diabetes at baseline were included in this prospective cohort study with UK Biobank data. Fat mass and muscle mass were estimated using a bioelectrical impedance assessment device (Tanita BC 418MA). FMR was calculated as fat mass divided by muscle mass in corresponding body parts (total body, arm, leg and trunk). Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the aforementioned associations among men and women. Interaction analyses were performed between FMRs and body mass index (BMI) categories (BMI

Efficient removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from contaminated waters is urgently needed to safeguard public and environmental health. In this work, novel magnetic fluorinated polymer sorbents were designed to allow efficient capture of PFAS and fast magnetic recovery of the sorbed material. The new sorbent has superior PFAS removal efficiency compared with the commercially available activated carbon and ion-exchange resins. The removal of the ammonium salt of hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (GenX) reaches99 % within 30 s, and the estimated sorption capacity was 219 mg g

Hot electron shows the merits of activating reactants and reducing the activation energy barrier (Ea) of a reaction through electron donation. However, a comprehensive understanding on the intrinsic driving force of electron-donating effect is lacking, let alone the precise manipulation of electron donation processes. Herein, the essential and promotional role of hot electron energy on electron-donating effect was elucidated using molecular oxygen activation (MOA) as a model reaction. Through providing an available electron source to the conventional photo-thermal conversion system, the high energy carried by hot electrons was liberated and greatly enhanced the electron donation towards the LUMO (π*) orbit of O2. The energy was also transferred to O2 and elevated the potential energy surface (PES) of MOA, which was reflected by the enhanced formation of superoxide oxygen anions. As predicted, the Ea of MOA decreased by 45.3% and exhibited a substantial light dependence, demonstrating that MOA became energy-efficient due to improved exploitation and conversion of photon energies.

The conjugation of hydrophilic low-fouling polymers to therapeutic molecules and particles is an effective approach to improving their aqueous stability and solubility, and extending their pharmacokinetics. Recent concerns over the immunogenicity of poly(ethylene glycol) has highlighted the importance of identifying alternative low fouling polymers. Herein, we report a new class of synthetic water-soluble homo-fluoropolymers with a sulfoxide side-chain structure. The incorporation of fluorine enables direct imaging of the homopolymer by 19 F MRI, negating the need for additional synthetic steps to attach an imaging moiety. These self-reporting fluoropolymers show outstanding imaging sensitivity and as such represent a new class of low-fouling polymer for bioconjugation and in vivo tracking.

Stimuli-responsive nanoporous materials represent a newly emerging category of functional materials, for which instant and significant response behavior is strongly demanded but still challenging. Here, we report a new kind of conjugated poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) synthesized via a simple one-pot spontaneous nucleophilic substitution and polymerization between 4,4'-vinylenedipyridine and propargyl bromide. A nanoporous membrane actuator was further developed via ionic complexation between the current PIL and trimesic acid. The actuator carries a gradient density in the hydrophobicity content along the membrane cross-section, which results in a fast response to moisture. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

GNA13 has been found overexpressed in various types of cancer, which is related to tumor metastasis and progression. However, the biological functions of GNA13 in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the role of GNA13 in CRC and investigate the mechanism of how GNA13 promotes tumor growth. Interestingly, our findings showed that GNA13 is commonly upregulated in CRC, where these events are associated with a worse histologic grade and poor survival. Increased expression levels of GNA13 promoted cell growth, migration, invasion, and epithelial‐mesenchymal transition, whereas GNA13 silencing abrogated these malignant phenotypes. In addition, overexpressing GNA13 in cancer cells increased the levels of the chemokines CXCL1, CXCL2, and CXCL4, which contributed to CRC proliferation and colony formation. Moreover, our mechanistic investigations suggest that the NF‐κB/p65 signaling pathway was activated by the increase in GNA13 levels. Inhibiting the NF‐κB/p65 pathway with an inhibitor decreased GNA13‐induced migration, invasion and CXCL chemokine level increases, indicating the critical role of NF‐κB/p65 signaling in mediating the effects of GNA13 in CRC. Together, these results demonstrate a key role of GNA13 overexpression in CRC that contributes to malignant behavior in cancer cells, at least in part through stimulating angiogenesis and increasing the levels of the NF‐κB‐dependent chemokines CXCL1, CXCL2, and CXCL4.

We report an environmentally benign and cost‐effective method to produce Fe and Co magnetic metal nanoparticles as well as the Fe/Cao and Co/CaO nanocomposites by using a novel, dry mechanochemical process. Mechanochemical milling of metal oxides with a suitable reducing agent resulted in the production of magnetic metal nanoparticles. The process involved grinding and consequent reduction of low‐costing oxide powders, unlike conventional processing techniques involving metal salts or metal complexes. Calcium granules were used as the reducing agent. Magnetometry measurements were performed over a large range of temperatures, from 10 to 1273 K, to evaluate the Curie temperature, blocking temperature, irreversibility temperature, saturation magnetization, and coercivity. The saturation magnetizations of the iron and cobalt nanoparticles were found to be 191 and 102 emu g−1, respectively. The heating abilities of these nanoparticles suspended in several liquids under alternating magnetic fields were measured and the specific loss power was determined. Our results suggest that the dry mechanochemical process is a robust method to produce metallic nanoparticles and nanocomposites. NRF (Natl Research Foundation, S’pore) Published version

Nd-Fe-B magnets, possessing the highest energy product, are extensively used in cutting-edge applications, including electrical machines and electrical vehicles. An environmentally benign and cost effective synthesis method of Cr alloyed Nd2 (Fe,Co)14 B magnetic nanoparticles using a dry mechanochemical process is reported. The method is solvent free, facile, energy efficient and scalable. The reduction of mixed oxides of Nd, Fe, Co, B and Cr is performed by using Ca. The coercivity (HC ) of the nanoparticles is found to depend on the dispersant content, with the highest value obtained for Nd2 (Fe11.25 Co2 Cr0.75 )B with 40 % CaO dispersant. The HC of isolated Nd2 (Fe11.25 Co2 Cr0.75 )B nanoparticles and nanoparticles embedded in a CaO matrix is found to be 11.5 kOe and 14.4 kOe, respectively, largest values for heavy rare earth free Nd-Fe-B nanoparticles with reasonable saturation and remanent magnetization, regardless of synthesis route. Considering the density of Nd2 Fe14 B, an energy product of 14.2 MGOe is obtained for the nanoparticles. The thermal coefficient of remanence and thermal coefficient of coercivity for aligned samples are -0.06 % and -0.29 %, respectively, in the temperature range between 100 K and 400 K. The spin reorientation temperature is found to be ∼30 K less than that of bulk Nd2 Fe14 B magnets.

In this work, Chlorella pyrenoidosa was chosen as model microalgae, and several pretreatments, including hydroxyl-peroxide-aided ultrasonic pretreatments and mono-ultrasonication (US), were used to rupture the microalgal cells for extracting cellular inclusion. The disruption efficiency and the energy consumption of each technique were estimated through measuring the amount of released protein from cells and the microscopic images after pretreatment. Results showed that the combined pretreatments obtained a much higher lysis efficiency than did the US (over twofold). However, the concentration of H2O2 used (ranging from 0.1 to 5 mM) failed to influence the lysis efficiency significantly (P

Introduction: Patients with chronic kidney disease, especially those with end-stage renal disease, have an increased risk of death. Previous studies have suggested neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was related to worse outcome in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). However, monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR) has not been evaluated in HD patients. In this study, we prospectively studied the predictive value of MLR for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in HD patients and compared it with NLR. Methods: Patients who had been on a HD treatment for at least 6 months were enrolled. MLR was calculated by dividing the monocyte count by the lymphocyte count. Survival outcomes were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the prognostic impact of MLR and other clinical factors on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Results: Mortality rates for the lowest, middle, and highest MLR tertile group were 3.65, 7.02, and 11.15, respectively per 100 patient-years. The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that survival rates were significantly different among three MLR groups (P

Spectrum-based and color-selective electrochemiluminescence (ECL) was crucial for multiple-colored ECL assay strategy. Herein, a spectrum-based ECL immunoassay of high color-purity was performed on a home-made ECL acquiring system by spectrally imaging the ECL emission of highly-passivated CdSe nanocrystals (NCs), i.e. the ECL tags, which were labelled onto sandwich-typed immuno-complexes with CA125 as target molecule. The ECL tags could give off efficient ECL around 555 nm with the full width at half-maximum of 39 nm, so that the spectrum-based ECL strategy could color-selectively determine CA125 with linear response range from 10-4 U/mL to 1 U/mL and the limit of detection of 5  10-5 U/mL. The intrinsically improved signal/noise ratio of ECL to fluorescence might eventually enable the spectrum-based ECL immunoassay a promising alternative to the NCs based multiple-colored fluorescent assay strategy.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an increasingly recognized disease with high global incidence and mortality. Yet, the existing diagnostic tools are not sufficient enough to predict prognosis of CKD and CKD comorbidities. Indoxyl sulfate, a typical uremic toxin, is of great importance in the development of CKD with its nephrotoxicity, cardiovascular toxicity, and bone toxicity. Some reports suggest that indoxyl sulfate directly associate with renal function loss and mortality in CKD patients. This review discusses the diagnostic value of indoxyl sulfate from its biological characteristics, pathophysiological effects, related therapies, and its diagnostic value in clinical studies.

Immunohistochemistry is used to investigate subcellular localization of monoamine oxidase type B (MAOB) in the axon of the rat's peripheral nervous system. Through light and electron microscopy, the presence of MAOB-immunoreactive structures in the propria lamina of tongue and on the outer membranes of mitochondria in both myelinated and unmyelinated axons can be detected. As a result, MAOB may potentially play a crucial role in the axons of the rat's peripheral nervous system and may be closely associated with both axonal transport and nerve conduction.

19 F magnetic resonance imaging (19 F MRI) agents capable of being activated upon interactions with cancer triggers are attracting increasing attention, although challenges still remain for precise and specific detection of cancer tissues. In this study, a novel hybrid 19 F MRI agent for pH-sensitive detection of breast cancer tissues is reported, a composite system designed by conjugating a perfluoropolyether onto the surface of manganese-incorporated layered double hydroxide (Mn-LDH@PFPE) nanoparticles. The 19 F NMR/MRI signals from aqueous solutions of Mn-LDH@PFPE nanoparticles are quenched at pH 7.4, but "turned on" following a reduction in pH to below 6.5. This is due to partial dissolution of Mn2+ from the Mn-LDH nanoparticles and subsequent reduction in the effect of paramagnetic relaxation. Significantly, in vivo experiments reveal that an intense 19 F MR signal can be detected only in the breast tumor tissue after intravenous injection of Mn-LDH@PFPE nanoparticles due to such a specific activation. Thus pH-activated Mn-LDH@PFPE nanoparticles are a potential "smart" 19 F MRI agent for precise and specific detection of cancer diseases.