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Abstract Objective This study aimed to identify candidate loci and genes related to sleep disturbances in depressed individuals and clarify the co-occurrence of sleep disturbances and depression from the genetic perspective. Methods The study subjects (including 58,256 self-reported depressed individuals and 6,576 participants with PHQ-9 score ≥ 10, respectively) were collected from the UK Biobank, which were determined based on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and self-reported depression status, respectively. Sleep related traits included chronotype, insomnia, snoring and daytime dozing. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of sleep related traits in depressed individuals were conducted by PLINK 2.0 adjusting age, sex, Townsend deprivation index and 10 principal components as covariates. The CAUSALdb database was used to explore the mental traits associated with the candidate genes identified by the GWAS. Results GWAS detected 15 loci significantly associated with chronotype in the subjects with self-reported depression, such as rs12736689 at RNASEL (P = 1.00 × 10− 09), rs509476 at RGS16 (P = 1.58 × 10− 09) and rs1006751 at RFX4 (P = 1.54 × 10− 08). 9 candidate loci were identified in the subjects with PHQ-9 ≥ 10, of which 2 loci were associated with insomnia such as rs115379847 at EVC2 (P = 3.50 × 10− 08), and 7 loci were associated with daytime dozing, such as rs140876133 at SMYD3 (P = 3.88 × 10− 08) and rs139156969 at ROBO2 (P = 3.58 × 10− 08). Multiple identified genes, such as RNASEL, RGS16, RFX4 and ROBO2 were reported to be associated with chronotype, depression or cognition in previous studies. Conclusion Our study identified several candidate genes related to sleep disturbances in depressed individuals, which provided new clues for understanding the biological mechanism underlying the co-occurrence of depression and sleep disorders.

Abstract With the expansion of the global population, the energy shortage is becoming increasingly acute. Phase change materials (PCMs) are considered green and efficient mediums for thermal energy storage, but the leakage problem caused by volume instability during phase change limits their application. Encapsulating PCMs with supporting materials can effectively avoid leakage, but most supporting materials are expensive and consume huge of natural resources. Carbon materials, which are rich and renewable resources, can be used as economical and environmentally friendly supporting skeletons to prepare form‐stable PCMs. Although many researchers have begun to use recyclable materials especially various derivatives of carbon as supporting skeletons to prepare form‐stable PCMs, the preparation methods, thermophysical properties and applications of form‐stable PCMs with recyclable skeletons have rarely been systematically summarized yet. Form‐stable PCMs with a recyclable skeleton can be used as green and efficient thermal storage materials due to their high heat storage capacity and good thermophysical stability after 2000 thermal cycles. This review investigates the effects of recyclable skeletons on the thermophysical properties including phase change temperature, latent heat, thermal conductivity, supercooling, and thermal cycling reliability. Four major kinds of recyclable skeletons are focused on: biomass, biochar, industrial by‐products as well as waste incineration ash. Additionally, the application scales of form‐stable PCMs with recyclable skeletons are explicated in depth. Moreover, the main challenges confronted by form‐stable PCMs with recyclable skeletons are discussed, and future research trends are proposed. This article provides a systematic review of the form‐stable PCMs with recyclable skeletons, giving significant guidance for further reducing carbon emissions and promoting the development of sustainable energy.

Highlights Design principle of a reliable electrolyte based on chelation strength is proposed for high-performance aqueous batteries. The addition of penta-sodium diethylene-triaminepentaacetic acid salt is effective in dynamically modulating anode/electrolyte interface, inhibiting water-related side reactions, and mitigating dendrite generation on zinc anodes. Symmetrical, Zn||Cu half and Zn||NH4V4O10 full cells using the new electrolyte exhibit improved electrochemical performance.

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the possible interaction of mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammatory cytokines in the risk of anxiety and depression. We utilized the UK Biobank for the sample of this study. A mitochondria-wide association(MiWAS) and interaction analysis was performed to investigate the interaction effects of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)×C-reactive protein (CRP) on the risks of self-reported anxiety (N = 72,476), general anxiety disorder (GAD-7) scores (N = 80,853), self-reported depression (N = 80,778), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scores (N = 80,520) in total samples, females and males, respectively, adjusting for sex, age, Townsend deprivation index (TDI), education score, alcohol intake, smoking and 10 principal components. In all, 25 mtSNPs and 10 mtSNPs showed significant level of association with self-reported anxiety and GAD-7 score respectively. A total of seven significant mtDNA × CRP interactions were found for anxiety, such as m.3915G>A(MT-ND1) for self-reported anxiety in total subjects (P = 6.59 × 10−3), m.4561T>C(MT-ND2) (P = 3.04 × 10−3) for GAD-7 score in total subjects. For depression, MiWAS identified 17 significant mtSNPs for self-reported depression and 14 significant mtSNPs for PHQ-9 scores. 17 significant mtDNA associations (2 for self-reported depression and 15 for PHQ-9 score) was identified, such as m.14869G>A(MT-CYB; P = 2.22 × 10−3) associated with self-reported depression and m.4561T>C (MT-ND2; P value = 3.02 × 10−8) associated with PHQ-9 score in all subjects. In addition, 5 common mtDNA shared with anxiety and depression were found in MiWAS, and 4 common mtDNA variants were detected to interact with CRP for anxiety and depression, such as m.9899T>C(MT-CO3). Our study suggests the important interaction effects of mitochondrial function and CRP on the risks of anxiety and depression.

BackgroundAlthough studies have shown that wearing masks can affect the skin microbiome, more detailed and comprehensive research on wearing masks needs to be further explored.ObjectiveThis study aimed to characterize the influence of mask wearing on the diversity and structural characteristics of the facial skin microbial community of medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic by means of metagenomic sequencing (mNGS).MethodsA total of 40 samples were taken by swabbing the cheek in the 2 × 2 cm2 area before and after wearing the masks. DNA was extracted for metagenomic sequencing.ResultsA statistically significant decrease was found in the α diversity between BN and AN groups and between B2 h and A2 h groups. BN and AN mean groups before and after 8 h of wearing the medical protective mask (N95), including 10 volunteers, respectively. B2 h and A2 h mean groups before and after 8 h of wearing masks, including 10 volunteers changing mask every 2 h, respectively. The β diversity was found to be statistically reduced between BS and AS groups (p = 0.025), BN and AN groups (p = 0.009), and B2 h and A2 h group (p = 0.042). The fungal beta diversity was significantly decreased in every group before and after wearing masks. The main bacteria on the face before and after wearing masks were Cutibacterium (68.02 and 71.73%). Among the fungi, Malassezia predominated the facial skin surface before and after wearing masks (35.81 and 39.63%, respectively).ConclusionWearing different types of masks and changing masks according to different frequency will have different effects on the facial skin’s microbiota.

ObjectiveThe study aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum sodium and mortality in critically ill patients with non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage.MethodsThis is a retrospective investigation of critically ill non-traumatic patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) utilizing the MIMIC-IV database. We collected the serum sodium levels at admission and determined the all-cause death rates for the ICU and hospital. We employed a multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model and Kaplan–Meier survival curve analysis to ascertain the relationship between serum sodium and all-cause mortality. In order to evaluate the consistency of correlations, interaction and subgroup analyses were also conducted.ResultsA total of 864 patients with non-traumatic SAH were included in this study. All-cause mortality in the ICU and hospital was 32.6% (282/864) and 19.2% (166/864), respectively. Sodium levels at ICU admission showed a statistically significant J-shaped non-linear relationship with ICU and hospital mortality (non-linear P-value < 0.05, total P-value < 0.001) with an inflection point of ~141 mmol/L, suggesting that mortality was higher than normal serum sodium levels in hypernatremic patients. Multivariate analysis after adjusting for potential confounders showed that high serum sodium levels (≥145 mmol/L) were associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality in the ICU and hospital compared with normal serum sodium levels (135–145 mmol/L), [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.07–2.01, P = 0.017] and (HR = 2.26, 95% CI:1.54–3.32, P < 0.001). Similarly, Kaplan–Meier (K-M) survival curves showed lower survival in patients with high serum sodium levels. Stratified analysis further showed that the association between higher serum sodium levels and hospital all-cause mortality was stronger in patients aged < 60 years with a hospital stay of

Abstract Multiple previous studies explored the associations between early life factors and the age at onset of the depression. However, they only focused on the influence of environmental or genetic factors, without considering the interactions between them. Based on previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) data, we first calculated polygenic risk score (PRS) for depression. Regression analyses were conducted to assess the interacting effects of depression PRS and 5 early life factors, including felt hated by family member (N = 40,112), physically abused by family (N = 40,464), felt loved (N = 35633), and sexually molested (N = 41,595) in childhood and maternal smoking during pregnancy (N = 38,309), on the age at onset of the depression. Genome-wide environment interaction studies (GWEIS) were then performed to identify the genes interacting with early life factors for the age at onset of the depression. In regression analyses, we observed significant interacting effects of felt loved as a child and depression PRS on the age at onset of depression in total sample (β = 0.708, P = 5.03 × 10−3) and males (β = 1.421, P = 7.64 × 10−4). GWEIS identified a novel candidate loci interacting with felt loved as a child at GSAP (rs2068031, P = 4.24 × 10–8) and detected several genes with suggestive significance association, such as CMYA5 (rs7343, P = 2.03 × 10–6) and KIRREL3 (rs535603, P = 4.84 × 10–6) in males. Our results indicate emotional care in childhood may affect the age at onset of depression, especially in males, and GSAP plays an important role in their interaction.

Abstract Background Gut microbiota is closely associated with host health and disease occurrence. Host genetic factor plays an important role in shaping gut microbial communities. The specific mechanism of host-regulated gene expression affecting gut microbiota has not been elucidated yet. Here we conducted a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) for gut microbiota by leveraging expression imputation from large-scale GWAS data sets. Results TWAS detected multiple tissue-specific candidate genes for gut microbiota, such as FUT2 for genus Bifidobacterium in transverse colon (P PERM.ANL = 1.68 × 10–3) and SFTPD for an unclassified genus of Proteobacteria in transverse colon (P PERM.ANL = 5.69 × 10–3). Fine mapping replicated 3 candidate genes in TWAS, such as HELLS for Streptococcus (PIP = 0.685) in sigmoid colon, ANO7 for Erysipelotrichaceae (PIP = 0.449) in sigmoid colon. Functional analyses detected 94 significant GO terms and 11 pathways for various taxa in total, such as GO_NUCLEOSIDE_DIPHOSPHATASE_ACTIVITY for Butyrivibrio (FDR P = 1.30 × 10–4), KEGG_RENIN_ANGIOTENSIN_SYSTEM for Anaerostipes (FDR P = 3.16 × 10–2). Literature search results showed 12 genes prioritized by TWAS were associated with 12 diseases. For instance, SFTPD for an unclassified genus of Proteobacteria was related to atherosclerosis, and FUT2 for Bifidobacterium was associated with Crohn’s disease. Conclusions Our study results provided novel insights for understanding the genetic mechanism of gut microbiota, and attempted to provide clues for revealing the influence of genetic factors on gut microbiota for the occurrence and development of diseases.

BackgroundGrowing evidence supports that alterations in the gut microbiota play an essential role in the etiology of anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric disorders. However, the potential effect of oral microbiota on mental health has received little attention.MethodsUsing the latest genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary data of the oral microbiome, polygenic risk scores (PRSs) of 285 salivary microbiomes and 309 tongue dorsum microbiomes were conducted. Logistic and linear regression models were applied to evaluate the relationship between salivary-tongue dorsum microbiome interactions with anxiety and depression. Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was utilized to compute the causal effects between the oral microbiome, anxiety, and depression.ResultsWe observed significant salivary-tongue dorsum microbiome interactions related to anxiety and depression traits. Significantly, one common interaction was observed to be associated with both anxiety score and depression score, Centipeda periodontii SGB 224 × Granulicatella uSGB 3289 (P depressionscore = 1.41 × 10−8, P anxietyscore = 5.10 × 10−8). Furthermore, we detected causal effects between the oral microbiome and anxiety and depression. Importantly, we identified one salivary microbiome associated with both anxiety and depression in both the UKB database and the Finngen public database, Eggerthia (P IVW − majordepression − UKB = 2.99 × 10−6, P IVW − Self − reportedanxiety/panicattacks − UKB = 3.06 × 10−59, P IVW − depression − Finngen = 3.16 × 10,-16 P IVW − anxiety − Finngen = 1.14 × 10−115).ConclusionThis study systematically explored the relationship between the oral microbiome and anxiety and depression, which could help improve our understanding of disease pathogenesis and propose new diagnostic targets and early intervention strategies.

Abstract Cumulative evidence shows that gut microbiome can influence brain function and behavior via the inflammatory processes. However, the role of interaction between gut dysbiosis and C-reactive protein (CRP) in the development of anxiety and depression remains to be elucidated. In this study, a total of 3321 independent single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci associated with gut microbiome were driven from genome-wide association study (GWAS). Using individual level genotype data from UK Biobank, we then calculated the polygenetic risk scoring (PRS) of 114 gut microbiome related traits. Moreover, regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the possible effect of interaction between gut microbiome and CRP on the risks of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) (N = 113,693) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) (N = 114,219). At last, 11 candidate CRP × gut microbiome interaction with suggestive significance was detected for PHQ-9 score, such as F_Ruminococcaceae (β = − 0.009, P = 2.2 × 10–3), G_Akkermansia (β = − 0.008, P = 7.60 × 10–3), F_Acidaminococcaceae (β = 0.008, P = 1.22 × 10–2), G_Holdemanella (β = − 0.007, P = 1.39 × 10–2) and O_Lactobacillales (β = 0.006, P = 1.79× 10–2). 16 candidate CRP × gut microbiome interaction with suggestive significance was detected for GAD-7 score, such as O_Bacteroidales (β = 0.010, P = 4.00× 10–4), O_Selenomonadales (β = − 0.010, P = 1.20 × 10–3), O_Clostridiales (β = 0.009, P = 2.70 × 10–3) and G_Holdemanella (β = − 0.008, P = 4.20 × 10–3). Our results support the significant effect of interaction between CRP and gut microbiome on the risks of anxiety and depression, and identified several candidate gut microbiomes for them.

In the process of nitric acid dissolving precious metals, a large amount of NOx exhaust gas will be produced. This research aims at the development of a new method for the removal of low-concentration nitrogen oxides from metallurgical flue gas. In this process, a printed three-dimensional large-flow microstructure reactor and urea solution are used for the removal of NOx, which facilitates the greater efficiency of denitrification(≥94%). Urea plays an important role in the redox of NO2, such as NO2 is reduced to N2 in solution. Both the gas and the liquid phase simultaneously react in the microchannels of the microfluidic reactor. The channels allow the proper mixing of urea and NaClO2 during the flow which efficiently removes NOx at low concentrations. The optimum condition for high denitration efficiency is outlined: the urea solution with 3%,temperature of the mixed solution is 293.15 K, gas–liquid flow mass ratio is 1:1, pH value (8.0–10.0), CNaClO2 = 0.02 mol/L. This work successfully describes the use of a microfluidic reactor to enhance and maintain the denitration efficiency. This work describes how to successfully enhance and maintain the denitration efficiency while using a printed three-dimensional large-flow microstructure reactor.

Deformations or remodeling of the lamina cribrosa (LC) induced by elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) are associated with optic nerve injury. The quantitative analysis of the morphology changes of the LC will provide the basis for the study of the pathogenesis of glaucoma. After the chronic high-IOP rat model was induced by cauterizing episcleral veins with 5-Fluorouracil subconjunctival injection, the optic nerve head (ONH) cross sections were immunohistochemically stained at 2 w, 4 w, 8 w, and 12 w. Then the sections were imaged by a confocal microscope, and six morphological parameters of the ONH were calculated after the images were processed using Matlab. The results showed that the morphology of the ONH changed with the duration of chronic high IOP. The glial LC pore area fraction, the ratio of glial LC pore area to the glial LC tissue area, first decreased at 2 w and 4 w and then increased to the same level as the control group at 8 w and continued to increase until 12 w. The number and density of nuclei increased significantly at 8 w in the glial LC region. The results might mean the fraction of glial LC beam increased and astrocytes proliferated at the early stage of high IOP. Combined with the images of the ONH, the results showed the glial LC was damaged with the duration of chronic elevated IOP.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by pulmonary and systemic inflammatory processes, and exacerbation of COPD represents a critical moment in the progression of COPD. Several biomarkers of inflammation have been proposed to have a predictive function in acute exacerbation. However, their use is still limited in routine clinical practice. The purpose of our study is to explore the prognostic efficacy of novel inflammatory hemogram indexes in the exacerbation among stable COPD patients.Method: A total of 275 stable COPD patients from the Shanghai COPD Investigation Comorbidity Program were analyzed in our study. Blood examinations, especially ratio indexes like platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR), platelet × neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio [systemic immune-inflammation index (SII)], and monocyte × neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio [systemic inflammation response index (SIRI)], lung function test, CT scans, and questionnaires were performed at baseline and routine follow-ups. Clinical characteristics and information of exacerbations were collected every 6 months. The relationship between hemogram indexes and diverse degrees of exacerbation was assessed by logistic regression. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the ability of hemogram indexes to predict exacerbation of COPD. Furthermore, the discrimination and accuracy of combined indexes were measured by ROC and calibration curve.Result: There was a significant positive correlation between PLR levels and total exacerbation of COPD patients in a stable stage in a year. Also, the predictive ability of PLR exceeded any other ratio indexes, with an AUC of 0.66. SII and SIRI ranked second only to PLR, with an AUC of 0.64. When combining PLR with other indexes (sex, COPD year, and St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire scores), they were considered as the most suitable panel of index to predict total exacerbation. Based on the result of the ROC curve and calibration curve, the combination shows optimal discrimination and accuracy to predict exacerbation events in COPD patients.Conclusion: The hemogram indexes PLR, SII, and SIRI were associated with COPD exacerbation. Moreover, the prediction capacity of exacerbation was significantly elevated after combining inflammatory hemogram index PLR with other indexes, which will make it a promisingly simple and effective marker to predict exacerbation in patients with stable COPD.

Abstract Background Asthma is a worldwide common chronic airway disease that cannot be cured and results in the huge burden in public health. Oxidative stress was considered an important mechanism in the pathogenesis of asthma. Hydrogen gas been demonstrated to function as a novel antioxidant and exert therapeutic antioxidant activity in a number of diseases and the function of this nontoxic gas in asthma was unclear. The purpose of the study aims to examine the effect of inhalation hydrogen gas on the pathophysiology of a mouse model of asthma. Methods A murine model of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic airway inflammation was used in this study. Briefly, Mice were sensitized to ovalbumin and received inhalation of 67% high concentration of hydrogen gas for 60 min once a day for 7 consecutive days after OVA or PBS challenge respectively. Lung function was assessed in the apparatus with 4 channels of biological signal system. Morphology and goblet cell hyperplasia were stained by H/E and Periodic acid-Schiff staining. Cytologic classification in the bronchial alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was analyzed by Wright Giemsa staining. Serum, BALF and lung tissue were collected for biochemical assay. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine statistical significance between groups. Multiple comparisons were made by Bonferroni’s Multiple Comparison Test by using GraphPad Prism 5 software. Results Inhalation of hydrogen gas abrogated ovalbumin-induced the increase in lung resistance. Concomitantly, the asthmatic mice showed severe inflammatory infiltration and goblet cell hyperplasia which were reversed by hydrogen gas inhalation. Hydrogen gas inhalation reduced significantly the number of total cells, eosinophils and lymphocytes in BALF. Increased level of IL-4, IL-13, TNF-α and CXCL15 in the BALF and IL-4 in the serum were decreased significantly after inhalation. Hydrogen gas inhalation markedly upregulated the activity of decreased superoxide dismutase and significantly attenuated the increased level of malondialdehyde and myeloperoxidase. Conclusions Hydrogen gas inhalation improves lung function and protects established airway inflammation in the allergic asthmatic mice model which may be associated with the inhibition of oxidative stress process. This study provides a potential alternative therapeutic opportunity for the clinical management of asthma.

Cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) signalling affects several cellular processes in Bacillus cereus group bacteria including biofilm formation and motility, and CdgF was previously identified as a diguanylate cyclase promoting biofilm formation in B. thuringiensis. C-di-GMP can exert its function as a second messenger via riboswitch binding, and a functional c-di-GMP-responsive riboswitch has been found upstream of cbpA in various B. cereus group strains. Protein signature recognition predicted CbpA to be a cell wall-anchored surface protein with a fibrinogen or collagen binding domain. The aim of this study was to identify the binding ligand of CbpA and the function of CbpA in cellular processes that are part of the B. cereus group c-di-GMP regulatory network. By global gene expression profiling cbpA was found to be down-regulated in a cdgF deletion mutant, and cbpA exhibited maximum expression in early exponential growth. Contrary to the wild type, a ΔcbpA deletion mutant showed no binding to collagen in a cell adhesion assay, while a CbpA overexpression strain exhibited slightly increased collagen binding compared to the control. For both fibrinogen and fibronectin there was however no change in binding activity compared to controls, and CbpA did not appear to contribute to binding to abiotic surfaces (polystyrene, glass, steel). Also, the CbpA overexpression strain appeared to be less motile and showed a decrease in biofilm formation compared to the control. This study provides the first experimental proof that the binding ligand of the c-di-GMP regulated adhesin CbpA is collagen. Keywords: Bacillus cereus group, Cyclic-di-GMP, Adhesion, Collagen binding

Magnesium-based hydrides are considered as promising candidates for solid-state hydrogen storage and thermal energy storage, due to their high hydrogen capacity, reversibility, and elemental abundance of Mg. To improve the sluggish kinetics of MgH2, catalytic doping using Ti-based catalysts is regarded as an effective approach to enhance Mg-based materials. In the past decades, Ti-based additives, as one of the important groups of catalysts, have received intensive endeavors towards the understanding of the fundamental principle of catalysis for the Mg-H2 reaction. In this review, we start with the introduction of fundamental features of magnesium hydride and then summarize the recent advances of Ti-based additive doped MgH2 materials. The roles of Ti-based catalysts in various categories of elemental metals, hydrides, oxides, halides, and intermetallic compounds were overviewed. Particularly, the kinetic mechanisms are discussed in detail. Moreover, the remaining challenges and future perspectives of Mg-based hydrides are discussed.

Magnesium silicate hydrate (M-S-H) gel is the main product of MgO-based alkali-activated system (MAAS). The molecular structure and phase changes of M-S-H gel at different temperatures were characterised. The results showed that the initial MgO:SiO2 affected the Mg:Si ratio and the bindingwater content of M-S-H gel.With the decrease of Mg:Si ratio, the proportion of structural water in the gel decreases. Compared with structured water, the change of free water can more accurately characterise the content of M-S-H gel in the system. Below 600°C, the molecular structure and phase composition are relatively stable. When the temperature reached 1000°C, M-S-H gel transfers from amorphous phase to crystallized phase. The study characterised the evolution of MASS under different heat treatment conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]