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Abstract Background To investigate whether the mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) rs1937 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is associated with longevity. Methods We conducted a case-control study among Chinese long-lived individuals (≥90 years). Data were obtained on 3294 participants who were able to voluntarily provided a saliva sample during 2008–2009 from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). In this study, 1387 young elderly (65–74 years) were allocated to the control group, and 1907 long-lived individuals were recruited as the case group. SNP rs1937 on TFAM were genotyped. Logistic regression models were applied to evaluate the association between rs1937 SNP and longevity. Results The genotype frequency of the SNP of rs1937 in the two groups had a significant difference (p = 0.003). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that compared to younger elderly, the long-lived individuals with “CC genotype” of rs1937 were more closely related to increased longevity than those with “GG genotype” (OR: 1.989, 95% CI: 1.160–3.411). The positive association between rs1937 SNP and longevity was robust in stratified analyses and sensitivity analyses. Conclusions We found the SNP of rs1937 may be a potential biomarker for longer human life span. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the biological mechanism of rs1937 on TFAM with promoting longevity.

Controlling the structure and chemistry of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) underpins the stability of electrolyte‐electrode interface, and is crucial for advancing rechargeable lithium metal batteries (LMBs). Here, we utilized photo‐controlled copolymerization to achieve the on‐demand synthesis of fluorosulfonyl fluoropolymers as unprecedented artificial SEI layers on Li metal anodes. This work not only enables instant formation of a hybrid polymer‐inorganic interphase that consists of a polymer‐enriched top layer and a LiF‐fortified bottom layer, originating from a single polymeric component, but also imparts various desirable physical properties (e.g. good mechanical strength and flexibility, high ion conductivity, low overpotential) to SEI via a single‐to‐divergent strategy. Model reactions and structural characterizations supported the formation of a divergent fluorinated interphase, which furnished prolonged stabilization of Li deposition, high coulombic efficiency and improved cycling behavior in electrochemical experiments. This work highlights the great potential of exploring reactive polymers as versatile coatings to stabilize Li metal anodes, providing a promising avenue to solve electrode‐electrolyte interfacial problems for LMBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disulfide‐contained vitrimers that possess unprecedented functions, such as reprocessing and self‐healing, are considered to be one of the most promising materials since they also exhibit mechanochromic behaviors. A few reports have given the phenomenon of mechanochromism, but the relationship between their structure and mechanochromic behavior needed to further research. Herein, three aromatic disulfide‐contained epoxy vitrimers with different degree of unsaturation are prepared by changing the epoxy monomer. The effect of network structure on the dynamic and mechanochromic properties are investigated. With increasing the degree of unsaturation from the aliphatic to aromatic epoxy vitrimers, the Tg‐value increases and the chain mobility decreases, so the aliphatic epoxy vitrimers shows the lowest activation energy, the lowest temperature of malleability Tv, and the shortest relaxation times. In addition, these epoxy vitrimers all showes reversible mechanochromic behaviors due to the generation and coupling of sulfenyl radicals, which can be accelerated by the high temperature and solvent. Meanwhile, the epoxy structure has a great influence on the mechanochromic behavior, including the absorption wavelength and fading kinetics of grinding powders. These results can be utilized to design desired vitrimer materials for various applications that requires both the intrinsically self‐report damage and the dynamic properties such as recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It has been suggested that gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) alters the growth trajectory of a fetus and increases the risk of abnormal birth weight. In spite of this, there is still a significant debate regarding the mode and optimal timing of diagnosing this condition. Our aim was to determine fetal growth velocity and birth biometry in pregnant women with GDM at varying risk levels. Methods: We conducted a cohort study involving 1023 pregnant women at a maternity hospital in Ma'anshan, China. All women completed an oral glucose tolerance test at 24–28 weeks' gestation. We measured fetal head circumference (HC), femoral length (FL), abdominal circumference (AC), biparietal diameter (BPD), and estimate fetal weight (EFW) by ultrasound at 17, 24, 31, and 35 weeks' gestation, respectively. Results: Overall, 5115 ultrasound scans were performed. Among both low-risk and medium–high-risk pregnant women at 17–24 weeks' gestation, GDM exposure was associated with an increase in fetal growth velocity. Neonates born to women with GDM at medium–high risk had significantly larger birth weights than those born to women without GDM, while this was not observed in women at low risk. Conclusion: In medium–high-risk pregnant women, exposure to GDM has a greater effect on the fetus, leading to abnormal fetal growth velocity that lasts beyond week 24. It is evident from our results that the effects of GDM on fetal growth differ between medium–high-risk pregnant women and low-risk pregnant women, and therefore a different screening program based on the risk factor for GDM is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xinjiang Qitai is constructing a 110-m fully steerable radio telescope (QiTai radio Telescope [QTT]) equipped with a phased array feeds (PAF) receiver, which will install the focal plane operating from 0.7 to 1.8 GHz. In this article, we introduce a PAF receiver model for beamforming, and the numerical model of the internal and external noise for this PAF receiver is provided using electromagnetic field simulation software. The linear constraint minimum variance (LCMV) algorithm is used to simulate the interference mitigation. The interference mitigation rate is from 0.581 to 0.921, and the signal restoration rate is from 0.998 to 1.512 within the error range of an interference arrival angle of 10°. This conclusion can be used in the signal correction of the PAF receiver for interference mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing an appropriate composition of dephosphorization slag is crucial for effectively reducing phosphorus content in steels and facilitating the development of high-quality steel products. In this study, we conducted dephosphorization equilibrium experiments to elucidate the cationic effect of Ca2+, Fe2+, and Mg2+ on dephosphorization behavior through Raman and 31P MAS-NMR spectroscopy. The results indicate that the addition of CaO, MgO, and FeO induces a consistent transformation from Q2(Si), Q1(Si), and Q1(P) units to Q0(Si) and Q0(P) units, resulting in a reduction in the degree of polymerization of the slag. The dephosphorization rate exhibits a nearly linear increase with CaO and MgO content, reaching its maximum value upon adding 30 mass% FeO. This phenomenon confirms that excessive addition of Fe2+ has an adverse impact on the dephosphorization ability of slag, which can be attributed to a reduced stability of PO4 groups. Moreover, when Fe(II)/(Mg + Ca) is within 0.5, increasing NBO of molten slag is beneficial for improving dephosphorization rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence for the effects of dietary diversity changes and cognitive frailty (CF) in the older adults is not clear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between dietary diversity changes and CF in older adults Chinese. A total of 14,382 participants (mean age: 82.3 years) were enrolled. Dietary diversity scores (DDSs) were collected and calculated using a food frequency questionnaire. DDS changes between baseline and first follow-up were categorized into nine patterns. The associations between DDS changes and the incidence of CF were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. During an 80,860 person-year follow-up, 3023 CF cases were identified. Groups with a decrease in DDS had increased CF risk compared with the high-to-high DDS group, with adjusted hazard ratios (HRs; 95% confidence intervals (Cis)) of 1.30 (1.06, 1.59), 2.04 (1.51, 2.74), and 1.81 (1.47, 2.22) for high-to-medium, high-to-low, and medium-to-low groups, respectively. Lower overall DDS groups were associated with greater CF risks, with HRs (95% CIs) of 1.49 (1.19, 1.86) for the low-to-medium group and 1.96 (1.53, 2.52) for the low-to-low group. Compared with the high-to-high group, significant associations with CF were found in other DDS change groups; HRs ranged from 1.38 to 3.12 for the plant-based DDS group and from 1.24 to 1.32 for the animal-based DDS group. Additionally, extreme and moderate declines in overall DDS increased CF risk compared with stable DDS, with HRs (95% CIs) of 1.67 (1.50, 1.86) and 1.13 (1.03, 1.24), respectively. In conclusion, among older adults, a declining or persistently low DDS and a moderately or extremely declining DDS were linked to higher incident CF. Plant-based DDS changes correlated more strongly with CF than animal-based DDS changes.

Abstract Background While well-conducted systematic reviews (SRs) can provide the best evidence on the potential effectiveness of acupuncture, limitations on the methodological rigour of SRs may impact the trustworthiness of their conclusions. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the methodological quality of a representative sample of SRs on acupuncture effectiveness. Methods Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE, and EMBASE were searched for SRs focusing on the treatment effect of manual acupuncture or electro-acupuncture published during January 2018 and March 2020. Eligible SRs must contain at least one meta-analysis and be published in English language. Two independent reviewers extracted the bibliographical characteristics of the included SRs with a pre-designed questionnaire and appraised the methodological quality of the studies with the validated AMSTAR 2 (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews 2). The associations between bibliographical characteristics and methodological quality ratings were explored using Kruskal-Wallis rank tests and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients. Results A total of 106 SRs were appraised. Only one (0.9%) SR was of high overall methodological quality, zero (0%) was of moderate-quality, six (5.7%) and 99 (93.4%) were of low-quality and critically low-quality respectively. Among appraised SRs, only ten (9.4%) provided an a priori protocol, four (3.8%) conducted a comprehensive literature search, five (4.7%) provided a list of excluded studies, and six (5.7%) performed meta-analysis appropriately. Cochrane SRs, updated SRs, and SRs that did not search non-English databases had relatively higher overall quality. Conclusions Methodological quality of SRs on acupuncture is unsatisfactory. Future reviewers should improve critical methodological aspects of publishing protocols, performing comprehensive search, providing a list of excluded studies with justifications for exclusion, and conducting appropriate meta-analyses. These recommendations can be implemented via enhancing the technical competency of reviewers in SR methodology through established education approaches as well as quality gatekeeping by journal editors and reviewers. Finally, for evidence users, skills in SR critical appraisal remain to be essential as relevant evidence may not be available in pre-appraised formats.

Tripeptide NCW identified in Mizuhopecten yessoensis has been shown to possess in vivo antihypertensive effect. However, the poor understanding of the absorption of NCW across the membrane limits its application. In this study, we have investigated the interaction of NCW with DPPC membrane via 400 ns all-atom molecular dynamic simulation using GROMACS software. The structural variations of NCW during absorption, the location and distribution of NCW in the membrane, and the effect of NCW on the properties of membranes during simulation were analyzed to understand the dynamic behavior of NCW in DPPC membrane system. The results suggested that the structures of NCW were stable during simulation. Further, NCW could bind on the surface of the DPPC membrane and enter the hydrophobic interior of the DPPC membrane. Residue Try played an important role in the absorption of NCW across the membrane. Hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions stabilized the interaction of NCW with the membrane. All the above studies analyzed the interaction mechanism between NCW and DPPC membranes at the atomic level and laid the foundation for further transmembrane studies of NCW.