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Sepsis, a life‐threatening condition stemming from an uncontrolled host immune response to bacterial infections, continues to impose a significant global burden with high morbidity and mortality. Addressing the challenges posed by antimicrobial resistance and uncontrollable inflammation remains a challenge in sepsis treatment. Moreover, traditional antibacterial materials have low bacterial trapping efficiency and inevitable prolonged circulation within the bloodstream, resulting in suboptimal antibacterial effects, metabolic complications, and undesirable side effects. In this study, an innovative solution is introduced through the development of Fe3O4@SH@TBTCP‐PMB, an aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) photosensitizer (PS)‐armored magnetic nanoparticles (NPs). It has high reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation efficiency and an exceptional ability to capture Gram‐positive bacteria with over 80% enrichment efficiency within just 1 h, even at low bacterial concentrations. Under white light illumination, 100 µg mL−1 of Fe3O4@SH@TBTCP‐PMB effectively eliminated more than 99.9% of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Furthermore, its magnetic separation properties efficiently prevent systemic blood circulation and associated side effects. Most importantly, Fe3O4@SH@TBTCP‐PMB demonstrates superior anti‐inflammatory effects by regulating cytokines, reducing adhesion molecule expression, and managing oxidative stress levels. This multifunctional approach significantly enhances sepsis survival rates, offering a promising strategy for combating multidrug‐resistant (MDR) bacterial infections in sepsis patients while addressing inflammation‐related complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two‐dimensional titanium disulfide (TiS2) nanosheet film is prepared on a YAG crystal substrate. The saturated absorption behavior of TiS2 on the YAG substrate is investigated. Then, TiS2 is successfully employed as a modulation element to develop a Tm:YAG ceramic eye‐safe pulsed laser. With a 7.04 W absorbed pump light and a 3% transmission of output coupler, the greatest average optical power, and the least pulse width (PD) are 233 mW and 524 ns, separately. The pulse repeated frequency of 69 kHz is generated, while the single pulse energy (SPE) is 3.38 µJ. Based on the experimental results, TiS2 nanosheet films possess the practical value as saturable absorbers for 2.0 μm eye‐safe pulsed lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, compact micro‐/nanofiber sensors with fast response and high resolution have become a hot field in sensing and nanotechnology. In addition to the unique properties of microfibers such as strong evanescent field, low optical loss, and easy integration, microfiber knot resonators further improve the sensing capability due to their resonance properties. The potential high‐quality factor allows higher sensing sensitivity and resolution, which is very attractive for optical sensing at the micro‐/nano scale. More application potential can be effectively stimulated by improving the structure shape or principle or combining with functional sensitive materials. This paper first introduces the preparation process and spectral characteristics of conventional microfiber knots and then focuses on three new types of devices for enhancing the sensing performance, namely material‐coated, shape‐improved, and principle‐extended, and briefly analyzes their spectral properties. In addition, the research progress and applications of these sensors are summarized. Finally, the existing problems in this field are analyzed, and the directions for further development are discussed and prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrilase‐mediated bioprocesses exhibited great potential in the production of value‐added carboxylic acids. However, poor thermostability of nitrilases usually restricts their industrial applications. Herein, the thermostability of nitrilase BaNITM0 was significantly improved by engineering the amino acid residues on the intersection of two dimers (C interface). Except for simultaneous enhancement of enantioselectivity and activity, the best variant V82L/M127I/L159M/F166Q/C237S/Q260H (BaNITM4) showed a 10.8‐fold increase in half‐life at 30°C compared with BaNITM0. Structural analysis demonstrated that additional hydrogen bonds were formed between the residues on the C interface, which strengthened the interactions of two symmetrical regions and spirals. Subsequently, the engineered nitrilase was immobilized onto epoxy resins LXTE‐603 and the immobilized nitrilase exhibited excellent stability over 12 repeated cycles, which indicated a great industrial potential for biosynthesis of Pregabalin precursor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Li−S batteries with high energy density have the potential to become a viable alternative to Li‐ion batteries. However, Li−S batteries still face several challenges, including the shuttle effect, low conversion kinetics, and Li dendrite growth. Natural clay minerals with porous structures, abundant Lewis‐acid sites, high mechanical modulus, and versatile structural regulation show great potential for improving the performance of Li−S batteries. However, so far, relevant reviews focusing on the applications of natural clay minerals in Li−S batteries are still missing. To fill the gap, this review first presents an overview of the crystal structures of several natural clay minerals, including 1D (halloysites, attapulgites, and sepiolite), 2D (montmorillonite and vermiculite), and 3D (diatomite) structures, providing a theoretical basis for the application of natural clay minerals in Li−S batteries. Subsequently, research advancements in the natural clay‐based energy materials in Li−S batteries have been comprehensively reviewed. Finally, the perspectives concerning the development of natural clay minerals and their applications in Li−S batteries are provided. We hope this review can provide timely and comprehensive information on the correlation between the structure and function of natural clay minerals in Li−S batteries and offer guidance for material selection and structure optimization of natural clay‐based energy materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Epidural clonidine improves analgesia but may induce adverse effects in labor. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of epidural clonidine as local anesthetics (LA) adjuvant by continuous infusion or patient‐controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) in labor. Search Strategy: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and CENTRAL were searched from inception to May 10, 2022 without language restriction; references of the retrieved studies were hand searched. Selection Criteria: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing epidural LA with and without clonidine using continuous infusion or PCEA in labor were included. Data Collection and Analysis: A random effects model was used to pool the data on analgesia and adverse effects. Main Results: Eight RCTs were included. Clonidine did not reduce the incidence of parturients requiring additional epidural boluses but reduced LA consumption and pain scores without increasing adverse effects, except for a higher incidence of instrumental delivery when clonidine was combined with LA and opioid (risk ratio 2.38, 95% confidence interval 1.26–4.50). Clonidine offered similar analgesia to opioids but had reduced opioid‐related adverse effects. Trial sequential analysis showed that the evidence was insufficient. Conclusions: Epidural clonidine by continuous infusion or PCEA does not increase significant adverse effects and offers similar analgesia to opioids in labor. PROSPERO registration no. CRD42022306565. Synopsis: Epidural clonidine by continuous infusion or patient‐controlled analgesia provides analgesia similar to opioids without significantly increasing maternal and neonatal adverse effects in labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The market demand for Panax notoginseng (P. notoginseng) is growing rapidly because of its useful properties in food and medicine. However, the frequent adulteration of P. notoginseng seriously affects the health of consumers and is a great challenge to food safety. In this study, low‐ and high‐field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF/HF‐NMR) were applied to detect the transverse relaxation distribution of P. notoginseng contaminated with different ratios of Caulis clematidis armandii (CCA) and the components in P. notoginseng and CCA, respectively. RESULTS: Fifty‐seven kinds of major and minor components in P. notoginseng and CCA were identified and quantified from their high‐resolution NMR spectra, and there were significant differences in ginsenosides, sucrose, and glucose between P. notoginseng and CCA. Furthermore, the partial least squares regression analysis results indicated that LF‐NMR parameters (T21 and S21) changed linearly as the ratio of CCA increased, and these changes were attributed to the variations in polysaccharide and sucrose in adulterated P. notoginseng. CONCLUSION: In the relaxation time‐based pattern recognition models, the authentic P. notoginseng powder could be classified with 100% accuracy from adulterated P. notoginseng when the adulteration ratio was greater than 30%, demonstrating the possibility of LF‐NMR, in combination with pattern recognition, for rapid discrimination of food authenticity. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the molecular energy transfer mechanism, relative gains at 1067 and 637 nm wavelengths are achieved in thermally activated delayed fluorescence molecule AQ(PhDPA)2 and Nd complex with chelating phosphine oxide as ligands codoped polymer waveguides, with the excitation of low‐power UV light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) instead of traditional semiconductor lasers as pump sources. For AQ(PhDPA)2‐Nd(DBTTA)3(DBFDPO) (DBTTA = dibenzotetrathienoacene, DBFDPO = 4,6‐bis (diphenylphosphoryl) dibenzofuran) ‐codoped polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and AQ(PhDPA)2‐Nd(DBTTA)3(FDPO) (FDPO = 9,9‐bis (diphenylphosphorylphenyl) fluorene)‐codoped PMMA polymers with a mass ratio of 1:4 respectively, when they are spin‐coated as upper claddings, the relative gains of 2.2 and 1.8 dB cm−1 at 1067 nm are obtained in evanescent‐field waveguides with cross‐section of 4 × 8 µm2 under excitation of 300 mW 405 nm LED, and the gains of 3.9 and 4.9 dB cm−1 at 637 nm are achieved with pumping of 530 mW 450 nm LED respectively. By growing a 100 nm‐thick aluminum reflector with the waveguides, the optical gain at 1067 and 637 nm can be enhanced to 3.5 and 6.1 dB cm−1, corresponding to AQ(PhDPA)2‐Nd(DBTTA)3(DBFDPO) and AQ(PhDPA)2‐Nd(DBTTA)3(FDPO)‐codoped PMMA polymers, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Large hepatocellular carcinoma (LHCC) is prone to short‐term recurrence and poor long‐term survival after hepatectomy, and there is still a lack of effective neoadjuvant treatments to improve recurrence‐free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). We retrospectively analyzed the efficacy of preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in solitary LHCC (≥5 cm). Materials and Methods: A multicenter medical database was used to analyze preoperative TACE's effects on RFS, OS, and perioperative complications in patients with solitary LHCC who received surgical treatment from January 2005 to December 2015. The patients were divided into Group A (5.0–9.9 cm) and Group B (≥10 cm), with 10 cm as the critical value, and the effect of preoperative TACE on RFS, OS and perioperative complications was assessed in each subgroup. Results: In the overall population, patients with preoperative TACE had better RFS and OS than those without preoperative TACE. However, after stratifying the patients into the two HCC groups, preoperative TACE only improved the survival outcomes of patients with Group B (≥10 cm). Multivariate Cox‐regression analysis showed that lack of preoperative TACE was an independent risk factor for RFS and OS in the overall population and in Group B but not in Group A. Conclusions: Preoperative TACE is beneficial for patients with solitary HCC (≥10 cm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the long‐term efficacy of no‐touch radiofrequency ablation (NT‐RFA) for treating single hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) less than 3 cm. Methods: A total of 331 patients with HCC less than 3 cm undergoing RFA in Southwest Hospital from 2015 to 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were divided into NT‐RFA group (n = 113) and conventional RFA (C‐RFA) group (n = 218). The survival rate, local tumor progression (LTP) and intrahepatic distant recurrence (IDR) of the two groups were calculated and compared. Results: A significant difference was observed in ablation range (p = 0.000) and safety margin (p = 0.000) between the two groups. The 1‐, 2‐, 3‐, 4‐and 5‐year overall survival (OS) rates in NT‐RFA and C‐RFA group were 99.12%, 93.73%, 76.18%, 57.00%, 45.17% and 99.08%, 89.91%, 71.26%, 54.28%, 41.77%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.281). The 1‐, 2‐, 3‐, 4‐and 5‐year recurrence‐free survival (RFS) rates in NT‐RFA and C‐RFA group were 78.51%, 52.59%, 41.02%, 34.36%, 30.92% and 68.81%, 44.95%, 30.88%, 23.73%, 22.88%, respectively. The two groups differed significantly (p = 0.044). The 1‐, 3‐and 5‐year LTP‐free survival rates in NT‐RFA and C‐RFA group were 87.12%, 74.99%, 72.32% and 75.75%, 65.52%, 65.52%, respectively. The two groups also differed significantly (p = 0.024). Furthermore, the RFS rates of D ≤ 2 cm subgroups in NT‐RFA and C‐RFA groups differed significantly (p = 0.037), while the RFS rates of 2 cm < D ≤ 3 cm subgroups in two groups showed no significant difference (p = 0.578). Conclusions: The RFS rates of single HCC less than 3 cm treated by NT‐RFA was significantly higher than that of C‐RFA. Due to a larger ablation range and safety margin, NT‐RFA could significantly reduce LTP and improve RFS. Dual‐electrode NT‐RFA can significantly improve the RFS rate of patients with HCC less than 2 cm, but there is no obvious advantage compared with C‐RFA in the treatment of HCC over 2 cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from secondary education to higher education could be challenging for most freshmen. For students who fail to adjust to university life smoothly, their status may worsen if the university cannot offer timely and proper guidance. Helping students adapt to university life is a long‐term goal for any academic institution. Therefore, understanding the nature of the maladaptation phenomenon and the early prediction of "at‐risk" students are crucial tasks that urgently need to be tackled effectively. This article aims to analyze the relevant factors that affect the maladaptation phenomenon and predict this phenomenon in advance. We develop a prediction framework (MAladaptive STudEnt pRediction, MASTER) for the early prediction of students with maladaptation. First, our framework uses the SMOTE (Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique) algorithm to solve the data label imbalance issue. Moreover, a novel ensemble algorithm, priority forest, is proposed for outputting ranks instead of binary results, which enables us to perform proactive interventions in a prioritized manner where limited education resources are available. Experimental results on real‐world education datasets demonstrate that the MASTER framework outperforms other state‐of‐art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the formation of atherosclerotic plaque in the intima of arteries. Among the known regulators of atherosclerosis, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to play critical roles in lipoprotein homeostasis and plaque formation. But the roles of microRNA‐125a‐3p (miR‐125a‐3p) in the pathogenesis of AS remain unknown. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with oxidized low‐density lipoprotein (ox‐LDL) to construct the vascular injury model of AS pathogenesis in vitro. miR‐125a‐3p and BMP and activin membrane‐bound inhibitor (BAMBI) expression levels in HUVECs were then measured by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction and western blot. The viability and apoptosis of HUVECs were analyzed by Cell Counting Kit‐8 assay, TUNEL assay, and flow cytometry, respectively. The relationship between BAMBI 3′‐untranslated region and miR‐125a‐3p was validated by dual luciferase reporter gene assay. miR‐125a‐3p expression was raised in HUVECs induced with ox‐LDL. In HUVECs, miR‐125a‐3p enhanced the effects of ox‐LDL treatment on repressing the viability and promoting the apoptosis of cells. Additionally, BAMBI was confirmed as a direct target of miR‐125a‐3p and BAMBI overexpression reversed the effects of miR‐125a‐3p on HUVECs. miR‐125a‐3p aggravates the dysfunction of HUVECs induced by ox‐LDL via BAMBI, which implies that miR‐125a‐3p is involved in the pathogenesis of AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simultaneous evolution of multiple enzyme properties remains challenging in protein engineering. A chimeric nitrilase (BaNITM0) with high activity towards isobutylsuccinonitrile (IBSN) was previously constructed for biosynthesis of pregabalin precursor (S)‐3‐cyano‐5‐methylhexanoic acid ((S)‐CMHA). However, BaNITM0 also catalyzed the hydration of IBSN to produce by‐product (S)‐3‐cyano‐5‐methylhexanoic amide. To obtain industrial nitrilase with vintage performance, we carried out engineering of BaNITM0 for simultaneous evolution of reaction specificity, enantioselectivity, and catalytic activity. The best variant V82L/M127I/C237S (BaNITM2) displayed higher enantioselectivity (E = 515), increased enzyme activity (5.4‐fold) and reduced amide formation (from 15.8% to 1.9%) compared with BaNITM0. Structure analysis and molecular dynamics simulations indicated that mutation M127I and C237S restricted the movement of E66 in the catalytic triad, resulting in decreased amide formation. Mutation V82L was incorporated to induce the reconstruction of the substrate binding region in the enzyme catalytic pocket, engendering the improvement of stereoselectivity. Enantio‐ and regio‐selective hydrolysis of 150 g/L IBSN using 1.5 g/L Escherichia coli cells harboring BaNITM2 as biocatalyst afforded (S)‐CMHA with >99.0% ee and 45.9% conversion, which highlighted the robustness of BaNITM2 for efficient manufacturing of pregabalin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obstructed hemivagina and ipsilateral renal agenesis (OHVIRA) is a rare congenital malformation of the female reproductive organs, including uterine dysplasia, blind hemivagina, and ipsilateral renal dysplasia. It has a serious impact on patients' quality of life and fertility. We report a rare case of OHVIRA with a complete septate uterus, ectopic dysplasia of the left kidney, left ectopic ureter, and three oblique vaginal septa. The dysplastic left kidney and the ectopic ureter were removed during laparoscopy. In addition, the two layers of vaginal septa, which were ignored in the past 10 years, were removed by hysteroscopy. As the detection rate of OHVIRA has gradually increased, manifestations that previous classification systems could not recapitulate have emerged. By retrieving the relevant cases, we have tried to propose a new classification system, which would allow clinicians to have a complete understanding of the manifestations of OHVIRA and would be helpful in the treatment of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Literacy can be a better measure of quality of education. Its association with brain health in midlife has not been thoroughly investigated. Methods: We studied, cross‐sectionally, 616 middle‐aged adults (mean age of 55.1 ± 3.6 years, 53% female and 38% Black) from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. We correlated literacy with cognitive tests, gray matter volumes, and fractional anisotropy (FA) values (indirect measures of white matter integrity) using linear regression. Results: The higher‐literacy group (n = 499) performed better than the low‐literacy group (n = 117) on all cognitive tests. There was no association between literacy and gray matter volumes. The higher‐literacy group had greater total‐brain FA and higher temporal, parietal, and occipital FA values after multivariable adjustments. Discussion: Higher literacy is associated with higher white matter integrity as well as with better cognitive performance in middle‐aged adults. These results highlight the importance of focusing on midlife interventions to improve literacy skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Al–11.5Si–xCu–yNi–Mg alloys with different Cu and Ni contents are prepared. The microstructure of the alloy and phase transformation of Al3CuNi are investigated by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscope, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy‐dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The nickel‐rich phase in Al–11.5Si–3Cu–2Ni–Mg alloy is only Al3CuNi phase. With the increase in Cu and Ni content, the Al3Ni phase and the Al7Cu4Ni phase appear, respectively. The alloys are subjected to thermal exposure treatment at 350 and 425 °C, respectively, and hardness tests are performed on alloys of different exposure times. The Brinell hardness of the alloy decreases with the extension of thermal exposure time. It is found that the microstructure of nickel‐rich phases dissolved and granulated after thermal exposure, and the decrease in the Brinell hardness of the alloy is related to the transformation of nickel‐rich phases. The changes of Al3CuNi during thermal exposure are studied by means of in situ follow‐up observation. A large number of serrated new phases are deposited on the smooth Al3CuNi phase interface during thermal exposure. In addition, the Al3CuNi phase break and granulates with time. TEM analysis shows that the new jagged phase formed at the interface of Al3CuNi phase is Al7Cu4Ni phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of ultrasonic melt treatment (USMT) at different ultrasonic powers (0, 900, 2400, and 3000 W) on the morphology and chemical composition of Ni‐containing intermetallic phases (T‐Al9FeNi and δ‐Al3CuNi phases) in an Al‐11.5Si‐4Cu‐2Ni‐1Mg‐0.45Fe (wt%) piston alloy is investigated. The morphological characterization reveals that the USMT not only decrease the size of the T‐Al9FeNi and δ‐Al3CuNi phases but also change the morphology of T‐Al9FeNi from skeleton‐ to block‐shaped. The block‐shaped T‐Al9FeNi contributes the most to the high‐temperature properties because this morphology is beneficial in the formation of semi‐continuous network structures. The chemical composition of T and δ phases is analyzed. The Cu → Fe in the T phase and Ni ↔ Cu in the δ phase existing in the examined alloys are estimated. With increasing the ultrasonic power from 0 to 3000 W, the ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation are increased from 98.46 to 124.57 MPa, 82.4 to 101.87 MPa, and 2.95% to 5.12%, respectively, at 350 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein engineering is a powerful tool for improving the properties of enzymes. However, large changes in enzyme properties are still challenging for traditional evolution strategies because they usually require multiple amino acid substitutions. In this study, a feasible evolution approach by a combination of fragment swapping and semi‐rational design was developed for the engineering of nitrilase. A chimera BaNIT harboring 12 amino acid substitutions was obtained using nitrilase from Arabis alpine (AaNIT) and Brassica rapa (BrNIT) as parent enzymes, which exhibited higher enantioselectivity and activity toward isobutylsuccinonitrile for the biosynthesis of pregabalin precursor. The semi‐rational design was executed on BaNIT to further generate variant BaNIT/L223Q/H263D/Q279E with the concurrent improvement of activity, enantioselectivity, and solubility. The robust nitrilase displayed a 5.4‐fold increase in whole‐cell activity and the enantiomeric ratio (E) increased from 180 to higher than 300. Molecular dynamics simulation and molecular docking demonstrated that the substitution of residues on the A and C surface contributed to the conformation alteration of nitrilase, leading to the simultaneous enhancement of enzyme properties. The results obtained not only successfully engineered the nitrilase with great industrial potential for the production of pregabalin precursor, but also provided a new perspective for the development of novel industrially important enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The exact pathogenesis of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) remains unclear. A variety of cytokines are involved, but few studies have been performed to explore the novel roles of interleukin‐22 (IL‐22) and interleukin‐35 (IL‐35) in NMOSD. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate serum levels of IL‐22 and IL‐35, and their correlations with clinical and laboratory characteristics in NMOSD. Methods: We performed a cross‐section study, 18 patients with acute NMOSD, 23 patients with remission NMOSD, and 36 healthy controls were consecutively enrolled. Serum levels of IL‐22 and IL‐35 were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The correlations between serum IL‐22 and IL‐35 levels and clinical and laboratory characteristics were evaluated by Spearman's rank or Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: The serum levels of IL‐22 and IL‐35 were significantly lower in patients with acute NMOSD and remission NMOSD than in healthy controls (IL‐22: 76.96 ± 13.62 pg/mL, 87.30 ± 12.79 pg/mL, and 94.02 ± 8.52 pg/mL, respectively, P <.0001; IL‐35: 45.52 ± 7.04 pg/mL, 57.07 ± 7.68 pg/mL, and 60.05 ± 20.181 pg/mL, respectively, P <.0001). Serum levels of IL‐35 were negatively correlated with EDSS scores and cerebrospinal fluid protein levels (r = −.5438, P =.0002 and r = −.3523, P =.0258, respectively) in all patients. Conclusions: Lower serum levels of IL‐22 and IL‐35 are associated with disease status in NMOSD. Additionally, lower serum levels of IL‐35 are associated with disease severity in NMOSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prior studies have reported a link between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and risk of adverse neuropsychiatric outcomes including dementia. However it is unclear how prevalent these conditions are prior to TBI and if they are predisposing factors in addition to sequalae. Methods: We studied older (age >55 years) US veterans who were followed for care at Veterans Affairs Medical Centers across the nation from 2000 to 2019. We first identified all veterans with an incident TBI diagnoses defined as no prior TBI diagnosis, having been seen in an emergency department (ED), having a brain imaging scan (primarily CT) within one day of ED visit and with a subsequent new TBI diagnosis in the electronic medical record (EMR). We then determined 2‐year age‐adjusted prevalence rates (rate per 1000 person‐years and 95% confidence interval or CI) for dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) prior to and post incident TBI. We also compared prior TBI prevalence to prevalence among 1:3 matched (on age and index date) veterans without TBI. Results: There were 13,709 primarily male veterans with incident TBI with mean age of 77.7 sd 9.1 years, 81% were non‐Hispanic White. Compared to the 41,127 veterans without TBI (mean age = 77.9, sd 9.1), veterans prior to having an incident TBI had almost a six‐fold greater pre‐TBI age‐adjusted prevalence of dementia (104.9; 95% CI 100.8‐109.0 vs 18.6; 95% CI 17.6‐19.7, p<0.001) and MCI (48.0; 95% CI 45.2‐50.7 vs 8.1; 95% CI 7.4‐8.8, p<0.001). After the incident TBI diagnosis, the age‐adjusted prevalence rates were even higher: dementia (193.5; 95% CI 187.7‐199.2) and MCI (59.3; 95% CI 56.0‐62.6). Conclusions: Among older US veterans, there is a bidirectional association with dementia/ MCI and TBI with very high prevalence prior to TBI (compared to those without TBI) and even greater prevalence after TBI. These findings highlight the importance of prevention strategies for both pre‐ and post‐TBI cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Residence in a disadvantaged neighborhood is associated with adverse health exposures and outcomes, and may increase risk for cognitive impairment and dementia. We investigated the association of the area deprivation index (ADI) with dementia in in a sample of the national Veteran population. Methods: We examined data from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the largest integrated health care system in the United States. We studied 1,613,337 patients who obtained VHA care from 10/1/1999 to 9/30/2021, (n = 1,395,872 White; n = 147,530 Black) aged ≥55 years (mean: 68.6, SD: 7.7), 98% male. We characterized neighborhood deprivation with the ADI, a validated measure that combines 17 specific indicators (e.g., income, education, employment and housing) into an index of disadvantage. Participant zip codes from residential addresses were geocoded and assigned an ADI national rank according to their census block group. We used these data to categorize participants into ADI rank quintiles, where higher ADI rank quintile corresponds with more deprivation. We estimated adjusted incidence rates of dementia (International Classification of Diseases, 9th and 10th Edition codes) using Cox proportional hazards regression with age as the time scale. Results: During a mean follow‐up of up to 11 (SD 4.8) years, 208,909 participants (12.8%) developed dementia. Compared to the least disadvantaged neighborhood quintile, all other groups had an increased risk of developing dementia in models adjusted for sex, race/ ethnicity, and psychiatric and medical comorbidities. The association was dose‐dependent, with the most disadvantaged quintile demonstrating the greatest risk (Quintile 2 HR: 1.09 95% CI: 1.07, 1.11; Quintile 3 HR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.16; Quintile 4 HR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.16, 1.19, Quintile 5 HR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.22, 1.26, Quintile 1 reference group). Repeating our main analysis using competing risks regression led to similar results. Conclusion: We found a dose‐dependent association between ADI and dementia The ADI may be a valuable tool for identifying high‐risk communities for dementia intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of carbon nanotubes (CNT)‐graphene (GE) or CNT‐graphite (GP) was chosen as inorganic fillers to form synergetic modification of poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO). Microstructure, electrical conductivity, dielectric permittivity and heat dissipation were characterized to investigate the performance difference of the composites containing CNT‐GE and CNT‐GP. The results indicated that PPO‐based composites with CNT‐GE could exhibit better electric and thermal performance than those with CNT‐GP when the adding filler was at same content. PPO‐based composite with 1.0 wt% GE and 7.5 wt% CNT exhibited glass transition temperature of 148.2°C, electrical conductivity of 3.7 × 10−6 S·cm−1 at 1 kHz, dielectric permittivity of 283 at 1 kHz and thermal conductivity of 0.73 W·m−1·K−1. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:E1920–E1927, 2018. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate resource requests prediction is essential to achieve optimal job scheduling and load balancing for cloud Computing. Existing prediction approaches fall short in providing satisfactory accuracy because of high variances of cloud metrics. We propose a deep belief network (DBN)-based approach to predict cloud resource requests. We design a set of experiments to find the most influential factors for prediction accuracy and the best DBN parameter set to achieve optimal performance. The innovative points of the proposed approach is that it introduces analysis of variance and orthogonal experimental design techniques into the parameter learning of DBN. The proposed approach achieves high accuracy with mean square error of [10−6,10−5], approximately 72 % reduction compared with the traditional autoregressive integrated moving average predictor, and has better prediction accuracy compared with the state-of-art fractal modeling approach. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ad-hoc social networks (ASNETs) explore social properties of nodes in communications. The usage of various social applications in a resource-scarce environment and the dynamic nature of the network create unnecessary congestion that might degrade the quality of service dramatically. Traditional approaches use drop-tail or random-early discard techniques to drop data packets from the intermediate node queue. Nonetheless, because of the unavailability of the social properties, these techniques are not suitable for ASNETs. In this paper, we propose a Bio-inspired packet dropping (BPD) algorithm for ASNETS. BPD imitates the matching procedure of receptors and epitopes in immune systems to detect congestions. The drop probability settings depend on the selection of data packets, which is based on node popularity level. BPD selects the most prioritized node through social properties, which is inspired by the B-cell stimulation in immune systems. To fairly prioritize data packets, two social properties are used: (1) similarity and (2) closeness centrality between nodes. Extensive simulations are carried out to evaluate and compare BPD to other existing schemes in terms of mean goodput, mean loss rate, throughput, delay, attained bandwidth, and overhead ratio. The results show that the proposed scheme outperforms these existing schemes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although the US military is increasingly diverse, the association of race/ethnicity and geographical region with incidence of dementia diagnosis among older Veterans is unknown. Method: We identified a random sample of 1,869,090 patients age ≥ 55 years [mean age: 69.4 (standard deviation 7.9), 2% female] who received care at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the largest integrated health care system in the United States, between October 1, 1999 and September 30, 2019. Participants self‐reported race/ethnicity: White: 88.6% (n = 1,655,376); Black, 9.5% (n = 176,795); Hispanic (1.0%, n = 20,663), Asian (0.5%, n = 9,391), or American Indian/Alaska Native [AIAN (0.4%, n = 6,895). US region was derived using residential ZIP codes and categorized based on 10 Center for Disease Control and Prevention Health Promotion regions. Incident dementia was defined using International Classification of Diseases, 9th (ICD‐9) and 10th (ICD‐10) edition codes; age‐adjusted dementia incidence was estimated using direct standardization to compare rates by race/ethnicity overall and by US region. Result: Over a mean follow‐up of 10.1 years, 243,272 (13%) participants received a diagnosis of dementia. Age‐adjusted incidence per 1,000 person‐years was 14.2 [95% confidence interval (CI), 13.3‐15.1] for AIAN participants, 12.4 (95% CI, 11.7‐13.1) for Asian participants, 19.4 (95% CI, 19.2‐19.6) for Black participants, 20.7 (95% CI, 20.1‐21.3) for Hispanic participants, and 11.5 (95% CI, 11.4‐11.6) for White participants. Across US regions, a similar pattern was observed; compared to White participants, rates were significantly higher for Black participants across all regions (15.5 to 20.7, p values <0.001), and for Hispanic participants in all regions except the Southeast (14.0 to 21.7, p values ≤ 0.03). Across most regions, AIAN (8.6 to 16.2,) and Asian participants (8.4 to 15.6,) showed a pattern of rates that was similar to or slightly higher than for White participants (9.8 to 12.0, p values >0.05). Conclusion: Among older Veterans receiving care at VHA, where access to care for enrollees is held relatively equal, differences in dementia incidence were observed based on race/ethnicity. Across US regions, rates varied, but incidence was consistently higher for Black and Hispanic Veterans. Further research is needed to elucidate drivers of these differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brown adipocytes (BAs) are specialized for adaptive thermogenesis and, upon sympathetic stimulation, activate mitochondrial uncoupling protein (UCP)-1 and oxidize fatty acids to generate heat. The capacity for brown adipose tissue (BAT) to protect against obesity and metabolic disease is recognized, yet information about which signals activate BA, besides β3-adrenergic receptor stimulation, is limited. Using single-cell transcriptomics, we confirmed the presence of mRNAs encoding traditional BAT markers (i.e., UCP1, expressed in 100% of BAs Adrb3, expressed in <50% of BAs) in mouse and have shown single-cell variability (>1000-fold) in their expression at both the mRNA and protein levels. We further identified mRNAs encoding novel markers, orphan GPCRs, and many receptors that bind the classic neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, chemokines, cytokines, and hormones. The transcriptome variability between BAs suggests a much larger range of responsiveness of BAT than previously recognized and that not all BAs function identically. We examined the in vivo functional expression of 12 selected receptors by microinjecting agonists into live mouse BAT and analyzing the metabolic response. In this manner, we expanded the number of known receptors on BAs at least 25-fold, while showing that the expression of classic BA markers is more complex and variable than previously thought.--Spaethling, J. M., Sanchez-Alavez, M., Lee, J., Xia, F. C., Dueck, H., Wang, W., Fisher, S. A., Sul, J.-Y., Seale, P., Kim, J., Bartfai, T., Eberwine, J. Single-cell transcriptomics and functional target validation of brown adipocytes show their complex roles in metabolic homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Although a high viral load is an independent risk factor for recurrence of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after surgery, the prognostic impact of viral load on advanced HCC is unclear. This study investigated the impact of baseline HBV load and antiviral therapy on survival of patients with advanced HCC treated with sorafenib. Methods Of 130 patients with advanced HBV-related HCC received first-line sorafenib therapy were evaluated in a multicenter, retrospective study. Results No patients experienced severe hepatic impairment because of HBV reactivation during sorafenib therapy. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of all patients were 5.7 and 9.6 months respectively. Patients with a baseline HBV DNA ≤104 copies/ml had significantly better OS than those with >104 copies/ml (10.4 vs 6.6 months; P = 0.002), but PFS showed an increasing trend (5.8 vs 4.8 months; P = 0.068). Patients who received antiviral therapy had a better trend in OS than those who did not (12.0 vs 8.3 months; P = 0.058), but there was no difference in PFS (6.4 vs 4.1 months; P = 0.280). In a multivariate analysis, the baseline HBV DNA level >104 copies/ml ( P = 0.001; hazard ration [HR] = 2.294; 95% CI 1.429-3.676) and antiviral therapy ( P = 0.038; HR 0.617; 95% CI 0.390-0.975) were independent predictors of OS. Conclusion In patients with advanced HBV-related HCC treated with sorafenib, a high baseline HBV load was an adverse prognostic factor for survival. However, survival was significantly improved with the use of antiviral therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: People living with HIV (PLWH) may be at increased risk for dementia because of increased major risk factors, chronic infection (and inflammation), and long‐term use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Our goal was to determine whether HIV‐infection is associated with incident dementia diagnosis in older U.S. veterans accounting for important potential confounders and competing risk of death. Methods: We included 1114 veterans, ages ≥ 55 years (mean age=62 years, SD 6), with HIV in the Veterans Health Administration health care system from 2004 to 2015, and a propensity‐matched comparison group (n= 1114) without HIV. HIV and dementia diagnoses were determined using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes and Diagnostic Related Group codes in electronic medical records. We conducted Fine‐Gray proportional hazards models to determine whether HIV status was associated with greater risk of incident dementia and adjusting for demographics and co‐morbidities. Result: During follow‐up (mean=7 years, SD 4 from date of HIV diagnosis) 5% of veterans living with HIV developed dementia compared to 3% without (p=0.01). Accounting for the competing risk of death, in a model adjusted only for demographics, veterans with HIV had a 60% increased risk of dementia compared to those without HIV (adjusted hazard ratio 1.59, 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.04 ‐2.43.) In a model adjusted for age, sex, race, substance use, education and income PLWH were still 50% more likely to receive a dementia diagnosis (aHR 1.50, 95% CI 0.96‐2.35). Conclusion: In a cohort of older US veterans, we found that HIV infection increases risk of developing dementia. As the population of PLWH in the US ages, understanding general and unique dementia risk factors for this group is key to developing appropriate prevention and mitigation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although the U.S. military is increasingly diverse, the impact of sex and race on incidence of dementia diagnosis among older Veterans is unknown. Method: We compared incidence of dementia diagnosis among self‐reported race groups (Non‐Hispanic White, Non‐Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and Asian) and by sex among a random sample of all Veterans > 65 years in the Veterans Health Administration between 10/1/2003 and 9/30/2015. We included Veterans without baseline prevalent dementia (over a 2‐year baseline) with >1 visit during the follow‐up period (< 12 years). Dementia was defined as inpatient/ outpatient diagnoses using International Classification of Disease 9th Edition (ICD‐9) codes recommended by the VA Dementia Steering Committee, dementia medication prescription, or both. We calculated crude incidence by age, sex, and race; and conducted Cox models adjusted for age and sex/race. We further adjusted models for education, income, cardiac/metabolic, and military (post‐traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury) risk factors. Result: The analytic cohort included 497,127 Veterans (mean age 75.4) after excluding 18,314 with baseline dementia and 11,058 without follow‐up. About eight percent (n=40,352) were diagnosed with dementia during follow‐up. Overall incidence increased by age (50/1000 people, ages 65‐74; 112/1000 for 75‐84, and 116/1000 among 85+; p<0.001). Across all ages, males' incidence (81/1000) was similar to females' (77/1000; p=0.10); adjusted Hazard ratio (HR) for females vs. males: 0.96, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.89‐1.03. Hispanic Veterans had highest incidence (154/1000), while Asian veterans had lowest (71/1000); incidence for white Veterans was 79/1000, and 101/1000 for Black Veterans. Compared to white Veterans, Asian Veterans had borderline lower risk of dementia diagnosis (HR: 0.87, 95% CI 0.76‐1.01), and Black (HR: 1.61, 95% CI 1.55‐1.66) and Hispanic Veterans (HR: 1.80, 1.68‐1.93) had increased risk. The pattern of results was similar after full adjustment (Hispanic HR 1.59, 95% CI 1.48‐ 1.71; Black HR 1.49, 95% CI 1.44‐1.54; Asian HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.77‐1.04). Conclusion: Among older U.S. Veterans, there were differences in incidence of dementia diagnosis by race: Black and Hispanic Veterans had almost two‐fold greater risk compared to white Veterans. Asian Veterans had lower risk. Females and males had similar incidence. These results highlight health disparities requiring further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Repeated bacterial and viral infections are known to contribute to worsening lung function in several respiratory diseases, including asthma, cystic fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Previous studies have reported alveolar wall cell apoptosis and parenchymal damage in adult pulmonary VEGF gene ablated mice. We hypothesized that VEGF expressed by type II cells is also necessary to provide an effective host defense against bacteria in part by maintaining surfactant homeostasis. Therefore, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1) levels were evaluated in mice following lung-targeted VEGF gene inactivation, and alterations in VEGF-dependent type II cell function were evaluated by measuring surfactant homeostasis in mouse lungs and isolated type II cells. In VEGF-deficient lungs increased PAO1 levels and pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNFα and IL-6, were detected 24 h after bacterial instillation compared to control lungs. In vivo lung-targeted VEGF gene deletion (57% decrease in total pulmonary VEGF) did not alter alveolar surfactant or tissue disaturated phosphatidylcholine (DSPC) levels. However, sphingomyelin content, choline phosphate cytidylyltransferase (CCT) mRNA, and SP-D expression were decreased. In isolated type II cells an 80% reduction of VEGF protein resulted in decreases in total phospholipids (PL), DSPC, DSPC synthesis, surfactant associated proteins (SP)-B and -D, and the lipid transporters, ABCA1 and Rab3D. TPA-induced DSPC secretion and apoptosis were elevated in VEGF-deficient type II cells. These results suggest a potential protective role for type II cell-expressed VEGF against bacterial initiated infection. J. Cell. Physiol. 228: 371-379, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Liver resection offers a chance of cure for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Hepatic pedicle clamping (HPC) is commonly used to reduce blood loss during hepatectomy. Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury has recently been reported to be a major factor in accelerated tumor growth. We therefore evaluated the effect of intermittent HPC on the prognosis of patients after liver resection. Methods: The clinicopathological features and serum/tissue samples of 386 HCC patients who underwent curative liver resection were prospectively collected. The patients were divided into the HPC group (over 30 min) and the non-HPC group. Disease-free survival and overall survival were analyzed using multivariate analyses, Kaplan-Meier curves, and log-rank tests. Matrix metalloproteinases and E-selectin were measured to study hepatic I/R injury. Results: The preoperative clinicopathological data were comparable between the HPC group ( n = 224) and the non-HPC group ( n = 162). During the study period, 257 of the 386 patients (66.6 %) developed tumor recurrence. The overall tumor recurrence and intrahepatic tumor recurrence rates were not significantly different between the two groups. There were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to the 1-, 3-, and 5-year disease-free and overall survival rates. Similarly, subgroup analyses also showed no marked difference in survival rates for patients with cirrhosis in the two groups. The levels of mRNA in liver tissues and serum concentrations of MMP-2, MMP-9, and E-selectin showed no significant differences between the pre- and post-occlusion periods. Conclusions: Intermittent HPC produced no adverse effect on disease-free and overall survival for patients who underwent liver resection for HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY Internet of Things and broadband communication are promoting the pervasive mobile services with their advanced features. However, security problems baffled the development. This paper proposes a trust model to protect the user's security. The billing or trust operator works as an agent to provide a trust authentication for all the service providers. The services are classified by sensitive value calculation. With the combined location-aware and identity-aware information and authentication history, the user's trustiness for corresponding service can be obtained. For decision, three trust regions are divided and referred to three ranks as follows: high, medium and low. The trust region tells the customer which authentication methods should be used for access. Penalty coefficient is also involved for forbidding force-crack. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY In wireless mesh networks (WMNs), if nonoverlapped channels or partially overlapped channels are used properly, the throughput can be improved drastically. However, the number of nonoverlapped channels is limited in wireless communication standards. An effective channel assignment algorithm for a WMN is necessary to increase the utilization rate of space and nonoverlapped channels. Static channel assignment algorithms can improve network throughput, but their accuracies are not satisfactory in common scenarios. Dynamic channel assignment algorithms can allocate channels according to the status of adjacent links in WMNs. A dynamic channel assignment algorithm needs cross-layer design to get the information of routing. A routing-information-aware channel assignment algorithm based on a cross-layer design is proposed, which is named R-CA. The proposed method can dynamically allocate channels for wireless nodes when they need communication and release channels after data transmission. In R-CA, limited channel resources can be used efficiently by more wireless nodes, and hence the communication throughput can be improved. Simulation results show that our channel allocation strategy can effectively ensure and enhance the network throughput and packet delivery rate in WMNs. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY Localization based on received signal strength indication (RSSI) is a low cost and low complexity technology, and it is widely applied in distance-based localization of wireless sensor networks. The error of existing localization technologies is significant. This paper presents the N-times trilateral centroid weighted localization algorithm, which can reduce the error considerably. Considering the instability of RSSI, we use the weighted average of many RSSIs as current RSSI. To improve the accuracy, we select a number of (no less than three) reliable beacon nodes to increase the localization times. Then we calculate the distances between reliable beacon nodes and the mobile node using an empirical formula. The mobile node is located N times using the trilateral centroid algorithm. Finally, we take the weighted average of the filtered reference coordinates as the mobile node's coordinates. We conduct experiments with the STM32W108 chip, which supports IEEE 802.15.4. The results show that the proposed algorithm performs better than the trilateral centroid algorithm. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To identify soluble liver antigen (SLA)-specific dominant epitopes and analyse the correlation between SLA-specific T cell response and the status of the disease. A cross-sectional analysis of SLA-specific T cell responses to 54 overlapping peptides covering the entire SLA sequence was performed using an interferon (IFN)-γ ELISpot assay in 31 patients with auto-immune hepatitis (AIH)-1, 15 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis, 16 hepatitis B virus, seven hepatitis C virus infection and 10 healthy subjects, in order to assess the correlation between SLA-specific T cell responses and the clinical outcome. Soluble liver antigen-specific IFN-γ responses in AIH were significantly more frequent in AIH patients (58.1%) than those in controls (6.7% in PBC, P=0.001; 4.3% in hepatitis B/C, P<0.001 and 0% in healthy subjects, P=0.0015). Among 31 AIH patients, the frequency of recognition and the magnitude of response to SLA peptides in anti-SLA antibody-positive patients were higher and stronger than those negative for anti-SLA antibodies ( P=0.02 and 0.037 respectively). We further analysed T-cell restriction and found that six individual SLA peptides (4, 9, 11, 12, 41 and 44) were recognized by CD4 T cells, and the most frequently recognized peptides were peptides 12 (61.1% of participants), followed by peptide 4 and peptide 44 (55.6 and 38.9% respectively). Moreover, a positive association was found between the breadth of recognition of SLA peptides and the indices of liver damage. T cell response to SLA in Chinese patients with AIH is broad and associated with hepatocyte damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A growing body of evidence suggests that social support is associated with cognitive outcomes including dementia in late‐life. Yet few studies have examined the association between social support and cognition in mid‐life, a critical time of transition to aging. Furthermore, little is known about the effects of other aspects of social function such as emotional support, social strain and loneliness on cognition. Our goal was to investigate the association between several social support factors and cognitive performance in mid‐life. Method: We studied 2,732 Black and White adults from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study who completed a social support questionnaire at baseline (CARDIA Year 20, mean age 45.2 years, 57% female, 45% Black) which assessed aspects of emotional support, social strain, and loneliness. At the 10‐year follow‐up, cognitive performance was evaluated with a battery of five tests: Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), Stroop Test, Verbal Fluency (category and letter fluency), and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) and standardized to z‐scores. We used linear regression to determine the association between emotional support, social strain, and loneliness, categorized as tertiles (comparing high to low), with mid‐life cognition. Result: In unadjusted models, all three social support factors were associated with cognition 10 years later. After adjusting for age, sex, race, education, marital status, income, and depression, participants reporting higher levels of emotional support performed better on all cognitive tests (DSST High vs. Low (z‐score)=0.13 [95%CI 0.03, 0.23]; RAVLT=0.17 [95%CI 0.07, 0.27]; reverse Stroop=0.15 [95%CI 0.05, 0.26]; Verbal Fluency=0.12 [95%CI 0.01, 0.23]; MOCA=0.19 [95%CI 0.09, 0.28]). Less social strain was associated with higher scores on most tests (DSST Low vs. High=0.16 [95%CI 0.06, 0.26]; RAVLT=0.11 [95%CI 0.01, 0.21]; and MOCA=0.13 [95%CI 0.04, 0.23]). Loneliness was not associated with mid‐life cognition. Conclusion: Greater level of social support, particularly emotional support, was associated with better mid‐life cognitive outcomes 10 years later. To better inform risk and prevention efforts, more research should be conducted to investigate the associations between various dimensions of social support and cognitive outcomes across the life course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the crystal structure of the title compound, [Zn3(C11H7O8)2--(H2O)10]·2H2O, the trianionic carboxylate unit uses one oxyacetate -CH2CO2-arm to chelate a Zn atom through the ether and carboxylate O atoms. The other oxyacetate arm is free; the CO2 end has a formal negative charge. The central Zn atom lies on a special position of site symmetry 1¯ The uncoordinated water molecules form a three-dimensional hydrogen-bonded network. One solvent water molecule is disordered over two positions in a 2:1 ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: It is acknowledged that autonomic nerves play an important role on liver function. Sympathetic nerve is the main component of them. This study is to evaluate the effects of sympathetic denervation of the liver on liver function in the normal and chemically injured liver, and its influence on liver regeneration. Eighty healthy male Wistar rats were divided randomly into four groups: Sham group, carbon tetrachloride group (CCL4), 6-hydroxydopamine group (6-OHDA), and CCL4+6-OHDA group. Chemical denervation model was made by injection of 6-OHDA (2ml, 100mg/l) through the mesenteric vein of jejunum loop. Acute liver injury model was established by using CCL4. Blood chemistry, ATP, arterial ketone body ratio (AKBR) and indocyanine green (ICG15) were measured in each group after administration of sympathetic denervation or/and acute liver injury. Liver regeneration was assessed with hepatic mass index (HMI), rate of liver regeneration (RLR), mitotic index (MI) and the rates of DNA synthesis under sympathetic denervation. Chemical denervation resulted in significant changes of liver function tests under acute liver injury, and had beneficial effects on protein anabolism, metabolism of bilirubin and energy, and ICG excretion, meanwhile, alleviated low potassium in serum. However, sympathetic denervation only had no effects on liver function tests. It decreased significantly in sympathetic denervation group for HMI, RLR, MI and the rate of DNA synthesis with 3H-TdR (P <0.01). It is concluded that sympathetic denervation can alleviate liver injury by CCL4, impair liver regeneration, but has no effects on liver function tests under normal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Cardiovascular risk factors are associated with worse cognition, yet less is known about the impact of cardiac structure and function and their adverse effects on the brain possibly from decreased perfusion. The few studies included older patients with cardiovascular disease and relied on single echocardiographic assessment. Method: We included 2256 subjects from the CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) study (60% women, 44% black). Echocardiograms were repeated at Years 5, 25, 30 (mean age 30, 50, 55 years, respectively) to assess cardiac structure: left ventricular mass (LVMi), left atrial volume (LAVi) and systolic function: left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Diastolic function was assessed at Year 25 as the ratio of early peak mitral velocity (E)/early peak mitral annular velocity (e'). Five cognitive domains were assessed at Year 30: verbal memory [Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT)], category and letter fluency, processing speed [Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST)], executive function [Stroop] and global cognition [Montreal Cognitive Assessment MoCA]. We investigated the association of (1) 25‐year change and (2) Year 25 cardiac structure and function on midlife cognition using linear regressions. Result: Over 25 years, LVMi and LAVi increased with mean change (SD) of 5.7 g/m² (21.7) and 9.6 mL/m² (7.4) while LVEF decreased by mean (SD) change of 1.5% (9.0). After adjustment for demographics and education, abnormal cardiac structure assessed by greater 25‐year increase (≥ 1‐SD) in LVMi was associated with lower cognition on most tests: RAVLT (6.2 vs. 6.8, p<0.001), DSST (59.7 vs. 61.7, p=0.02), Stroop (29.0 vs. 27.2, p=0.01) and MoCA (19.1 vs 19.7, p=0.001). Similarly, greater 25‐year increase in LAVi was associated with lower MoCA (19.8 vs. 20.3, p=0.04). Further adjustment for hypertension, diabetes and smoking reported similar findings. 25‐year decrease in LVEF was not associated with cognition. In addition, higher Year 25 LVMi, LAVi and E/e' ratio were significantly associated with worse cognition on most cognitive tests. Conclusion: Midlife cardiac structure and its change from early to middle adulthood are associated with lower midlife cognition. Moreover, midlife diastolic but not systolic function is linked to cognition. Our results provide novel information linking cardiac structure and function to cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]