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Vanadium thin films were deposited on sapphire substrates by DC magnetron sputtering and then oxidized in a tube furnace filled with oxygen under different temperatures and oxygen flow rates. The significant influence of the oxygen flow rate and oxidation temperature on the electrical and structural properties of the vanadium oxide thin films were investigated systematically. It shows the pure vanadium dioxide (VO2) state can only be obtained in a very narrow temperature and oxygen flow rate range. The resistivity change during the metal-insulator transition varies from 0.2 to 4 orders of magnitude depending on the oxidation condition. Large thermal hysteresis during the metal-insulator phase transition was observed during the transition compared to the results in literature. Proper oxidation conditions can significantly reduce the thermal hysteresis. The fabricated VO2 thin films showed the potential to be applied in the development of electrical sensors and other smart devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the sensitivity of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model to the nudging parameters in simulating July--August (JJA) precipitation was assessed with 16 experiments over the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment East Asia II (CORDEX-EA-II) domain. The effects of various nudging parameters in spectral nudging (referred to as SN) and grid nudging (referred to as AN) experiments are examined, including wavenumbers, relaxation time, nudging levels, and nudging variables for SN and relaxation time and nudging variables for AN. Results showed that the applications of spectral nudging and grid nudging methods in WRF simulations can improve the model's ability to reproduce the JJA extreme precipitation event and accompanying large-scale fields in 2003. The major findings include 1) spectral nudging is superior to grid nudging in simulating heavy rainfall and low-level circulation, 2) nudging both kinematic and thermodynamic variables is efficient to better simulate the JJA precipitation for both SN and AN simulations, 3) in SNsimulations, the options of wavenumbers display stronger impact on JJA precipitation if nudging solely the kinematic variables instead of both kinematic and thermodynamic variables over wet subregions, and 4) the free developed large-scale processes associated with small nudging wavenumbers can diminish the improvement from nudging both kinematic and thermodynamic variables in simulating subseasonal variations of precipitation. Overall, the experiment that adopts spectral nudging of both kinematic and thermodynamic variables, 1-h relaxation time, and four or eight nudging wavenumbers captures the characteristics of summer climate more reasonably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed an ultrasensitive micro-DSC (differential scanning calorimeter) for liquid protein sample characterization. This design integrated vanadium oxide thermistors and flexible polymer substrates with microfluidics chambers to achieve a high sensitivity (6 V/W), low thermal conductivity (0.7 mW/K), high power resolutions (40 nW), and well-defined liquid volume (1 μl) calorimeter sensor in a compact and cost-effective way. We further demonstrated the performance of the sensor with lysozyme unfolding. The measured transition temperature and enthalpy change were in accordance with the previous literature data. This micro-DSC could potentially raise the prospect of high-throughput biochemical measurement by parallel operation with miniaturized sample consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) protein kinase is a master growth regulator that responds to multiple environmental cues. Amino acids stimulate, in a Rag-, Ragulator-, and vacuolar adenosine triphosphatase--dependent fashion, the translocation of mTORC1 to the lysosomal surface, where it interacts with its activator Rheb. Here, we identify SLC38A9, an uncharacterized protein with sequence similarity to amino acid transporters, as a lysosomal transmembrane protein that interacts with the Rag guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) and Ragulator in an amino acid--sensitive fashion. SLC38A9 transports arginine with a high Michaelis constant, and loss of SLC38A9 represses mTORC1 activation by amino acids, particularly arginine. Overexpression of SLC38A9 or just its Ragulator-binding domain makes mTORC1 signaling insensitive to amino acid starvation but not to Rag activity. Thus, SLC38A9 functions upstream of the Rag GTPases and is an excellent candidate for being an arginine sensor for the mTORC1 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chromosomal abnormalities and the 22q11 microdeletion are implicated in congenital heart defects (CHDs). This study was designed to detect these abnormalities in fetuses and determine the effect of genetic factors on CHD etiology. Between January 2010 and December 2011, 113 fetuses with CHD treated at the Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital were investigated, using chromosome karyotyping of either amniotic fluid cell or umbilical cord blood cell samples. Fetuses with a normal result were then investigated for the 22q11 microdeletion by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Of the 113 patients, 12 (10.6%) exhibited chromosomal abnormalities, while 6 (5.3%) of the remaining 101 cases presented with a 22q11 microdeletion. The incidence of chromosomal abnormalities was significantly higher in the group of fetuses presenting with extracardiac malformations in addition to CHD (P<0.001), although the detection of the 22q11 microdeletion was not significantly different between the two groups (P=0.583). In addition, all fetuses with the 22q11 microdeletion occurred de novo. In conclusion, genetic factors are important in the etiology of CHD. Where fetuses present with cardiac defects, additional chromosomal analysis is required to detect extracardiac abnormalities. Fetuses with heart defects should also be considered for 22q11 microdeletion detection to evaluate fetal prognosis, particularly prior to surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the future climatic trends in China. The Regional Integrated Environment Modeling System (RIEMS) was used to simulate the present and future climate in the country under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) A2 scenario of carbon dioxide emission. It compares the simulated climatic belts, climatic seasons, and Yellow River ice phenology between the present climate during 1975 to 1984, and the future climate during 2035 to 2044. Moreover, the long-term trends of the regional climate in the country are estimated. Among the findings include the shift of the sub-tropical belt and warm extra-tropical belt, longer summer compared to spring, autumn, and winter, and the dominance of greenhouse effect after 2010.

Improving the simulation of regional climate change is one of the high-priority areas of climate study because regional information is needed for climate change impact assessments. Such information is especially important for the region covered by the East Asian monsoon where there is high variability in both space and time. To this end, the Regional Climate Model Intercomparison Project (RMIP) for Asia has been established to evaluate and improve regional climate model (RCM) simulations of the monsoon climate. RMIP operates under joint support of the Asia–Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN), the Global Change System for Analysis, Research and Training (START), the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and several projects of participating nations. The project currently involves 10 research groups from Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, and the United States, as well as scientists from India, Italy, Mongolia, North Korea, and Russia. RMIP has three simulation phases: March 1997–August 1998, which covers a full annual cycle and extremes in monsoon behavior; January 1989–December 1998, which examines simulated climatology; and a regional climate change scenario, involving nesting with a global model. This paper is a brief report of RMIP goals, implementation design, and some initial results from the first phase studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The aim of this study was to understand the global incidence and disability-adjusted life years (DALY) of oral disorders by age, gender, region, and Sociodemographic Index (SDI) from 1990 to 2019. Material and methods: The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the trends in age-standardized incidence and DALY rates from 1990 to 2019. Results: The global age-standardized incidence rate (EAPC = 0.01) of oral disorders increased slightly from 1990 to 2019. From 1990 to 2019, the age-standardized DALY rate decreased in high-SDI (EAPC = -0.43) and highmiddle-SDI (EAPC = -0.14) regions, but it showed increasing trends in low-SDI (EAPC = 0.22), low-middle-SDI (EAPC = 0.36), and middle-SDI (EAPC = 0.17) regions. The EAPC in the age-standardized DALY rate was negatively correlated with the regional SDI value (? = -0.402, p = 0.001). From 1990 to 2019, the region with the largest increase in age-standardized DALY rate was South Asia (EAPC = 0.67), while the country with the greatest increase in age-standardized DALY rate was India (EAPC = 0.82). Conclusions: From 1990 to 2019, the global age-standardized incidence rate of oral disorders showed a slight increasing trend. It is necessary to control the increase in DALY and the disease burden associated with oral disorders in low-, low-middle-, and middle-SDI regions, such as South Asia, particularly in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present an improved method to bond poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) with polyimide (PI) to develop flexible substrate microfluidic devices. The PI film was separately fabricated on a silicon wafer by spin coating followed by thermal treatment to avoid surface unevenness of the flexible substrate. In this way, we could also integrate flexible substrate into standard micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication. Meanwhile, the adhesive epoxy was selectively transferred to the PDMS microfluidic device by a stamp-and-stick method to avoid epoxy clogging the microfluidic channels. To spread out the epoxy evenly on the transferring substrate, we used superhydrophilic vanadium oxide film coated glass as the transferring substrate. After the bonding process, the flexible substrate could easily be peeled off from the rigid substrate. Contact angle measurement was used to characterize the hydrophicity of the vanadium oxide film. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis was conducted to study the surface of the epoxy. We further evaluated the bonding quality by peeling tests, which showed a maximum bonding strength of 100 kPa. By injecting with black ink, the plastic microfluidic device was confirmed to be well bonded with no leakage for a day under 1 atm. This proposed versatile method could bond the microfluidic device and plastic substrate together and be applied in the fabrication of some biosensors and lab-on-a-chip systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The parameterization of physical processes is one of the critical elements to properly simulate the regional climate over eastern China. It is essential to conduct detailed analyses on the effect of physical parameterization schemes on regional climate simulation, to provide more reliable regional climate change information. In this paper, we evaluate the 25-year (1983-2007) summer monsoon climate characteristics of precipitation and surface air temperature by using the regional spectral model (RSM) with different physical schemes. The ensemble results using the reliability ensemble averaging (REA) method are also assessed. The result shows that the RSM model has the capacity to reproduce the spatial patterns, the variations, and the temporal tendency of surface air temperature and precipitation over eastern China. And it tends to predict better climatology characteristics over the Yangtze River basin and the South China. The impact of different physical schemes on RSM simulations is also investigated. Generally, the CLD3 cloud water prediction scheme tends to produce larger precipitation because of its overestimation of the low-level moisture. The systematic biases derived from the KF2 cumulus scheme are larger than those from the RAS scheme. The scale-selective bias correction (SSBC) method improves the simulation of the temporal and spatial characteristics of surface air temperature and precipitation and advances the circulation simulation capacity. The REA ensemble results show significant improvement in simulating temperature and precipitation distribution, which have much higher correlation coefficient and lower root mean square error. The REA result of selected experiments is better than that of nonselected experiments, indicating the necessity of choosing better ensemble samples for ensemble. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Effect of isopropanolic Cimicifuga racemosa extract (iCR) on uterine fibroid size compared with tibolone. Method. The randomized, double-blind, controlled study in China enrolled 244 patients aged 40-60 years with menopausal symptoms (Kupperman Menopause Index ≥ 15). The participants were treated with either iCR of 40mg crude drug/day (N = 122) or tibolone 2.5mg/day (N = 122) orally for 3 months in 2004. Now, we investigated the subset of all women (N = 62) with at least one uterine fibroid at onset of treatment for the effect of iCR (N = 34) on fibroid size compared with tibolone (N = 28) by transvaginal ultrasonography. Results. The median myoma volume decreased upon iCR by as much as -30% (P = 0.016) but increased upon tibolone by +4.7%.The percentage of volume change, mean diameter change and geometricmean diameter change of the iCR group compared to tibolone were statistically significant (P = 0.016, 0.021, 0.016 respectively). Conclusion. Our results suggest that iCR (Remifemin) is a valid herbal medicinal product in patients with uterine myomas as it provides adequate relief from menopausal symptoms and inhibits growth of the myomas in contrast to tibolone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because DNA damage is so rare, DNA glycosylases interact for the most part with undamaged DNA. Whereas the structural basis for recognition of DNA lesions by glycosylases has been studied extensively, less is known about the nature of the interaction between these proteins and undamaged DNA. Here we report the crystal structures of the DNA glycosylase A1kA in complex with undamaged DNA. The structures revealed a recognition mode in which the DNA is nearly straight, with no amino acid side chains inserted into the duplex, and the target base pair is fully intrahelical. A comparison of the present structures with that of AIkA recognizing an extrahelical lesion revealed conformational changes in both the DNA and protein as the glycosylase transitions from the interrogation of undamaged DNA to catalysis of nucleobase excision. Modeling studies with the cytotoxic lesion 3-methyladenine and accompanying biochemical experiments suggested that A1kA actively interrogates the minor groove of the DNA while probing for the presence of lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Associations between the TAQIB and I405V polymorphisms and obesity risk were studied for a single locus as well as in combination. A total of 934 obese subjects and 924 normal controls were included in the study. TAQIB was associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels ( P < 0.001), while I405V was associated with levels of low-density lipoprotein ( P = 0.03) and total cholesterol ( P = 0.007). Less common alleles of TAQIB and I405V were associated with decreased obesity risk and further drops in odds ratio (OR) were observed in carriers with rare homozygous alleles on both loci (OR = 0.659, P = 0.02). The TAQIB B2 allele was associated with reductions in both hip circumference ( P = 0.034) and triceps skinfold thickness (TST) ( P = 0.045), although this effect was completely abolished after controlling for HDL levels. The 405V variant was associated with reductions in hip circumference ( P = 0.031), body fat composition ( P = 0.039) and TST ( P = 0.036); these effects were weakened ( P < 0.1) after controlling for HDL levels. In conclusion, less common alleles of TAQIB and I405V appear to be modestly associated with obesity risk in an adult Chinese population. Adjustments for HDL levels completely (TAQIB) or partially (I405V) abolished the observed association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neutral point clamped (NPC) three-level inverter is widely used in highvoltage and high-power applications. However, neutral point voltage oscillation (NPVO) and common-mode voltage (CMV) problems exist in the NPC three-level inverter. In this paper, an improved virtual space vector modulation (VSVM) is proposed based on the reconstruction of a virtual small vector and a virtual medium vector. Compared with the traditional VSVM, an improved VSVM can effectively reduce the CMV. On this basis, a vector conversion method is proposed to further reduce the NPVO in the whole range. Simulation results verify the effectiveness and superiority of the improved VSVM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: DNA methylation was considered to play an important role in hypertension. However, the direct association between dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) promoter methylation and hypertension remains unclear. We thus aimed to investigate the relationship between DNA methylation of DHFR promoter and hypertension. Materials and Methods: A total of 371 hypertensive patients (diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg and/or systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg or a history of antihypertensive treatment) and 320 age- and sex-matched healthy controls from the Hypertension Management Information System in Nanshan Community Health Service Centers were included in this case-control study. Quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the level of DHFR promoter methylation, which was presented as the percentage of methylated reference (PMR). A multivariate logistic regression model was used to explore the risk of DHFR promoter methylation. Results: Our results indicated that the level of DHFR promoter methylation was higher in hypertensive patients (median PMR, 34.32%; interquartile range, 11.34-119.60) than in healthy controls (median PMR, 18.45%; interquartile range, 8.16-35.40) (P < 0.001). Multivariable analysis showed that the risk of DHFR promoter hypermethylation was significantly higher in hypertensive patients than in healthy controls (odds ratio = 3.94, 95% confidence interval = 2.56-6.02, P < 0.001). Furthermore, hypermethylation was positively associated with sex, high blood homocysteine levels, and alcohol drinking. In particular, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.688 (0.585-0.668) for the male hypertensive patients, suggesting the potential diagnostic value of DHFR promoter methylation in male hypertension. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that DHFR promoter hypermethylation is positively associated with the risk of hypertension in Chinese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Management of women with reduced ovarian reserve or poor ovarian response (POR) to stimulation is one of the major challenges in reproductive medicine. The primary causes of POR remain elusive and oxidative stress was proposed as one of the important contributors. It has been suggested that focus on the specific subpopulations within heterogeneous group of poor responders could assist in evaluating optimal management strategies for these patients. This study investigated the effect of anti-oxidant treatment with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) on ovarian response and embryo quality in young low-prognosis patients with POR. Methods: This prospective, randomized controlled study included 186 consecutive patients with POR stratified according to the POSEIDON classification group 3 (age < 35, poor ovarian reserve parameters). The participants were randomized to the CoQ10 pre-treatment for 60 days preceding IVF-ICSI cycle or no pre-treatment. The number of high quality embryos was a primary outcome measure. Results: A total of 169 participants were evaluated (76 treated with CoQ10 and 93 controls); 17 women were excluded due to low compliance with CoQ10 administration. The baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were comparable between the groups. CoQ10 pretreatment resulted in significantly lower gonadotrophin requirements and higher peak E2 levels. Women in CoQ10 group had increased number of retrieved oocytes (4, IQR 2–5), higher fertilization rate (67.49%) and more high-quality embryos (1, IQR 0–2); p < 0.05. Significantly less women treated with CoQ10 had cancelled embryo transfer because of poor embryo development than controls (8.33% vs. 22.89%, p = 0.04) and more women from treatment group had available cryopreserved embryos (18.42% vs. 4.3%, p = 0.012). The clinical pregnancy and live birth rates per embryo transfer and per one complete stimulation cycle tended to be higher in CoQ10 group but did not achieve statistical significance. Conclusion: Pretreatment with CoQ10 improves ovarian response to stimulation and embryological parameters in young women with poor ovarian reserve in IVF-ICSI cycles. Further work is required to determine whether there is an effect on clinical treatment endpoints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diminished ovarian reserve(DOR) is associated with female infertility and poor response to ovarian stimulation. Our objective was to assess the effect of dehydroepiandrosterone(DHEA) on DOR women and to explore whether the improvement of ovarian response after DHEA supplementation was dependent on the expression levels of androgen receptor(AR). Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed in the Department of Human Reproductive Medicine, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital during August 2014 to August 2016. 103 DOR women who completed the study were divided into the DHEA group (n = 53), which received DHEA supplementation (25 mg three times a day) for 8 weeks, and the control group (n = 50), which did not receive DHEA, before the IVF cycles. Serum hormone levels(FSH, LH, E2, T, DHEAs, AMH, INHB), antral follicle count(AFC) and the expression of AR and FSH receptor(FSHR) in granulosa cells(GCs) were measured, meanwhile ovarian response parameters and IVF outcomes were compared. The GCs from another36DORwomenwereculturedwithdifferentconcentrations of DHEA in vitro. Then, we compared the expression of AR and FSHR in GCs according to the different numbers of oocytes retrieved both in DHEA and control group. Results: In the present study, DHEA supplementation resulted in significantly higher levels of serum T(P =0.047), DHEAs(P = 0.019) and AR mRNA expression in GCs(P = 0.049). In vitro experiment, the protein and mRNA expression of AR and FSHR in the preovulatory GCs were significantly increased in response to DHEA supplementation(P <0.05). No significant differences were found in ovarian reserve, ovarian response, or IVF outcomes between the two groups. Subgroup analyses showed the levels of AR and FSHR mRNA in GCs were significantly increased in DHEA group with ≥5 oocytes retrieved(P <0.05). Conclusion: DHEA supplementation can increase the expression of AR in preovulatory GCs both in vivo and in vitro. The selective beneficial effects of DHEA supplementation on ovarian response in DOR women may depend on the increasing expression of AR and FSHR in GCs. Trial registration: The Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR-IPR-15006126). Retrospectively Registered 19 March 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to determine the effect and mechanism of fuzhisan (FZS) and donepezil on the SIRT1 signaling pathway and the metabolism of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) in PC12 cells. An experimental cell model of PC12 cells with Aβ25-35-induced neurotoxicity was established and cell proliferation was determined by the MTT assay following treatment with donepezil and FZS. In addition, cell apoptosis was determined using DAPI staining and light microscopy. Furthermore, western blot analysis and ELISA were utilized to evaluate the expression levels of associated APP, Aβ40, Aβ42, sAPPα, sAPPβ, ADAM10, sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and forkhead box O (FoxO) protein. The results indicated that the cell model was successfully established and FZS protected the PC12 cells from the neurotoxic effects of Aβ25-35, in a similar effect to donepezil, in a dose-dependent manner. The expression of APP remained at the same level during the experimental period. The levels of Aβ40, Aβ42 and sAPPβ were downregulated, where as sAPPα, ADAM10, SIRT1 and FoxO expression levels were upregulated. In conclusion, FZS treatment attenuated the Aβ25-35-induced neurotoxicity in vitro. The neuroprotective mechanism of FZS was determined, including the induction of ADAM10 and SIRT1-FoxO pathway, which participated in the process of neuroprotection. The present study identified the neuroprotective function of FZS, which may protect against Aβ-induced toxicity. Therefore, FZS may be used clinically as a beneficial therapeutic drug for the development or progression of Alzheimer's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inflammatory mechanisms are important in stroke risk, and genetic variations in components of the inflammatory response have been implicated as risk factors for stroke. We tested the inflammatory gene polymorphisms and their association with ischemic stroke in a Chinese Han population. Methods: A total of 1,124 ischemic stroke cases and 1,163 controls were genotyped with inflammatory panel strips containing 51 selected inflammatory gene polymorphisms from 35 candidate genes. We tested the genotype-stroke association with logistic regression model. Results: We found two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CCL11 were associated with ischemic stroke. After adjusting for multiple testing using false discovery rate (FDR) with a 0.20 cut-off point, CCL11 rs4795895 remained statistically significant. We further stratified the study population by their hypertension status. In the hypertensive group, CCR2 rs1799864, CCR5 rs1799987 and CCL11 rs4795895 were nominally associated with increased risk of stroke. In the non-hypertensive group, CCL11 rs3744508, LTC4S rs730012, FCER1B rs569108, TGFB1 rs1800469, LTA rs909253 and CCL11 rs4795895 were associated with ischemic stroke. After correction for multiple testing, CCR2 rs1799864 and CCR5 rs1799987 remained significant in the hypertensive group, and CCL11 rs3744508, LTC4S rs730012, FCER1B rs569108, TGFB1 rs1800469, LTA rs909253 remained significant in the non-hypertensive group. Conclusions: Our results indicate that inflammatory genetic variants are associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke in a Chinese Han population, particularly in non-hypertensive individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) protein kinase is a master growth regulator that is stimulated by amino acids. Amino acids activate the Rag guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases), which promote the translocation of mTORC1 to the lysosomal surface, the site of mTORC1 activation. We found that the vacuolar H+-adenosine triphosphatase ATPase (v-ATPase) is necessary for amino acids to activate mTORC1. The v-ATPase engages in extensive amino acid-sensitive interactions with the Ragulator, a scaffolding complex that anchors the Rag GTPases to the lysosome. In a cell-free system, ATP hydrolysis by the v-ATPase was necessary for amino acids to regulate the v-ATPase-Ragulator interaction and promote mTORC1 translocation. Results obtained in vitro and in human cells suggest that amino acid signaling begins within the lysosomal lumen. These results identify the v-ATPase as a component of the mTOR pathway and delineate a lysosome-associated machinery for amino acid sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between metabolic syndrome and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in a study population from a developing country. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (as most recently defined by the international Diabetes Federation) and CKD (defined as an estimated giomerular flitration rate of <60 mL/min per 1.73 m² and/or aibuminuria) was determined in 2310 study participants (age ⩾40 years) from Beijing, China, between May 12 and December 7, 2004. The relationship between metabolic syndrome and CKD was then analyzed. RESULTS: Participants with metabolic syndrome had a higher prevalence of CKD (15.4% vs 8.3%; P<.001) than those without the syndrome. As the number of metabolic syndrome traits increased, so did the prevalence of CKD. Strong unadjusted and adjusted associations were observed between metabolic syndrome and CKD. For participants without hypertension and diabetes, metabolic syndrome was also associated with CKD (odds ratio, 2.03; 95% confidence lnterval, 1.05-3.94). CONCLUSION: in these 2310 Chinese study participants aged 40 years and older, metabolic syndrome was associated with CKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a public health problem, while data from developing countries are limited. We sought to investigate the epidemiological features of kidney damage in metropolis-residing Chinese adults (>40 years old), and to determine the associated factors of CKD.Methods. Two thousand three hundred and fifty-three residents in one district of Beijing were interviewed and tested for albuminuria, reduced renal function, haematuria and pyuria. The associations between demographic characteristics, health characteristics and indicators of kidney damage were examined.Results. Albuminuria was detected in 6.2% of subjects; reduced renal function was found in 5.2% of subjects; haematuria was found in 0.8% and non-infective pyuria was found in 0.09%. Approximately, 11.3% (95% confidence interval: 10.0–12.8%) of subjects had at least one indicator of kidney damage. The awareness rate of CKD was only 7.2%. Systolic blood pressure and diabetes were independently associated with albuminuria. Age, diastolic blood pressure, hypercholesteraemia, hypertriglyceridaemia and hyperuricaemia were independently associated with reduced renal function.Conclusions. This is the first report on the prevalence of CKD in a community-based population within a developing country, determined using protocols recommended by kidney disease improving global outcomes (KDIGO). The prevalence of CKD in our population was close to the levels observed in developed countries, and the spectrum of CKD and associated factors were similar to developed countries. Results from this study suggest that strategies aimed at an intervention of hypertension and other metabolic disorders might prove effective in controlling the pandemic of CKD in China, as well as other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the synthesis and structure of duplex deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) which comprises the genotoxic nucleobase lesion N7-methylguanine. It discusses that the spontaneous methylation of DNA by endogenous methylating factors holds a sort of genotoxic adducts, revelation of which is N&-methylguanine.