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Aging is increasingly thought to involve dysregulation of metabolism in multiple organ systems that culminate in decreased functional capacity and morbidity. Here, we seek to understand complex interactions among metabolism, aging, and systems-wide phenotypes across the lifespan. Among 2469 adults (mean age 74.7 years; 38% Black) in the Health, Aging and Body Composition study we identified metabolic cross-sectionally correlates across 20 multi-dimensional aging-related phenotypes spanning seven domains. We used LASSO-PCA and bioinformatic techniques to summarize metabolome-phenome relationships and derive metabolic scores, which were subsequently linked to healthy aging, mortality, and incident outcomes (cardiovascular disease, disability, dementia, and cancer) over 9 years. To clarify the relationship of metabolism in early adulthood to aging, we tested association of these metabolic scores with aging phenotypes/outcomes in 2320 participants (mean age 32.1, 44% Black) of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. We observed significant overlap in metabolic correlates across the seven aging domains, specifying pathways of mitochondrial/cellular energetics, host-commensal metabolism, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Across four metabolic scores (body composition, mental-physical performance, muscle strength, and physical activity), we found strong associations with healthy aging and incident outcomes, robust to adjustment for risk factors. Metabolic scores for participants four decades younger in CARDIA were related to incident cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurocognitive performance, as well as long-term cardiovascular disease and mortality over three decades. Conserved metabolic states are strongly related to domain-specific aging and outcomes over the life-course relevant to energetics, host-commensal interactions, and mechanisms of innate immunity.

Background Cardiotoxicity is a leading cause of mortality among breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy. Therefore, an early risk assessment is vital for the clinical prevention and treatment of cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy, although a recognized tool is scant in our country. Objective To develop a cardiotoxic risk assessment scale for breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and to test its reliability and validity. Methods Through reviewing relevant domestic and international literatures, a pool involving items to assess the risk of cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy was created. Semi-structured interviews with healthcare providers at Jiangsu Cancer Hospital from September to October 2022 were performed by purposive sampling, thus primarily forming a tool of items for the cardiotoxic risk assessment scale. In addition, breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy in Jiangsu Cancer Hospital were randomly selected for a pre-survey and validation of the reliability and validity of the scale. Ranked by the score of the cardiotoxic risk assessment scale, the top 27% of participants were assigned into the high-score group, and the remaining were in the low-score group. Cronbach's α coefficient was used to evaluate the internal consistency of the scale. Validity of the scale was verified by measuring the item-level content validity index (I-CVI) and scale-level content validity index (S-CVI). Exploratory factor analysis was performed to assess the structural validity. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted, and the area under tcurve (AUC) was calculated to determine the predictive validity. Results Twenty healthcare providers were included in the semi-structured interviews. After two rounds of expert consultations, a 19-item cardiotoxic risk assessment scale in breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy was developed. In this study, there were 79 patients in the low-score group and 83 in the high-score group. No significant differences in the history of smoking, endocrine treatment and immunotherapy were detected between the two groups (P>0.05). Correlation analysis showed that the history of smoking and immunotherapy was not significantly correlated with the total scores (P>0.05). Eventually, three items of smoking history, history of endocrine treatment and history of immunotherapy were removed, forming a 16-item scale. The Cronbach's α coefficient, test-retest reliability and inter-rater reliability were 0.739, 0.983 and 0.984, respectively. Content validity results showed that I-CVI ranged from 0.83 to 1.00, and S-CVI was 0.98. Predictive validity results showed the AUC of 0.887 (95%CI=0.827-0.947, P

The synthesis of zeolite nanoparticles is studied comprehensively by adding an organic template as a reflux method, extracted from crystals. The zeolite nano-crystals are quite effectively synthesized by incorporating silica, organic template, and alkali metal. The tetrapropylammoniumhydroxide, tetrapropylammoniumbromide and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as organic templates are added for the assistance of zeolite (albite) crystals. A cross-linker TEOS is also mixed. Adding carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide made the morphology of albite more interesting. Nucleation time is an important feature for the formation of albite crystals. The albite nano-shaped crystal is developed for instance when reaction time is less than 240 h, after this period crystal size increases with time. Batch 1 of zeolite is prepared with additives for testing its morphology, like surface area, particle size shape, and crystal geometry. The general trend (e.g., pore volume, percentage composition, particle size, geometry) of zeolite nano-crystal is explained by the help of robust techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy.

In drug discovery, selecting targeted molecules is crucial as the target could directly affect drug efficacy and the treatment outcomes. As a member of the CCN family, CTGF (also known as CCN2) is an essential regulator in the progression of various diseases, including fibrosis, cancer, neurological disorders, and eye diseases. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms of CTGF in different diseases may contribute to the discovery of novel drug candidates. Summarizing the CTGF-targeting and -inhibitory drugs is also beneficial for the analysis of the efficacy, applications, and limitations of these drugs in different disease models. Therefore, we reviewed the CTGF structure, the regulatory mechanisms in various diseases, and drug development in order to provide more references for future drug discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulose aerogels have great prospects for noise reduction applications due to their sustainable value and superior 3D interconnected porous structures. The drying principle is a crucial factor in the preparation process for developing high-performance aerogels, particularly with respect to achieving high acoustic absorption properties. In this study, multifunctional cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) aerogels were conveniently prepared using two distinct freeze-drying principles: refrigerator conventional freezing (RCF) and liquid nitrogen unidirectional freezing (LnUF). The results indicate that the rapid RCF process resulted in a denser CNC aerogel structure with disordered larger pores, causing a stronger compressive performance (Young's modulus of 40 kPa). On the contrary, the LnUF process constructed ordered structures of CNC aerogels with a lower bulk density (0.03 g/cm3) and smaller apertures, resulting in better thermal stability, higher diffuse reflection across visible light, and especially increased acoustic absorption performance at low–mid frequencies (600–3000 Hz). Moreover, the dissipation mechanism of sound energy in the fabricated CNC aerogels is predicted by a designed porous media model. This work not only paves the way for optimizing the performance of aerogels through structure control, but also provides a new perspective for developing sustainable and efficient acoustic absorptive materials for a wide range of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To study the quality of life and its influencing factors for occupational silicosis patients in a Pearl River Delta city. Methods All surviving occupational silicosis patients who lived in a municipal area of the Pearl River Delta in 2022 and could be detected were selected as the research objects. Their basic information, the symptoms, and the quality of life were surveyed using the Information Form of Occupational Pneumoconiosis Patients Follow-up Cases, the Symptom Questionnaire for Silicosis Patients, and the 36-item Health Survey Scale. The multiple linear regression method was used to analyze the factors influencing the score of the SF-36 questionnaire. Results Among 80 occupational silicosis patients, 32 patients were diagnosed with stage I (40.0%), 32 patients with stage H (40.0%), and 16 patients with stage M (20.0%). The total score of SF-36 in the patients with stages I, H, and M were (52.21 ± 4.56) points, (50.33 ± 4.59) points, and (49.51 ± 4.98) points, respectively, with no statistical significance (P > 0.05). The scores in dimensions of physiological function, physiological role, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social function, and mental health were all lower than the national norm, and the difference was significant (P < 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that, compared with those who could take care of themselves, the total SF-36 score of those who could not take care of themselves decreased by 5.623 points (P < 0.05). Compared with those without dyspnea, the total SF-36 score of those with dyspnea was reduced by 2.647 points (P < 0.05). Conclusions The quality of life of silicosis patients in a Pearl River Delta city was lower than the average level of the general population in China, and the main influencing factors were the inability to take care of oneself and dyspnea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]