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It is imperative to achieve the co-phase state for large segmented mirrors of telescopes. This paper proposes a novel method for quantifying the co-phase errors of the segmented mirrors, as well as to detect any residual errors by analyzing the surface shape of segmented mirrors using conformal mapping after the correction of the co-phase errors, aiming to achieve a more precise co-phase state. This method applies a dual-wavelength phase-shifting interferometry based on optical vortex to measure the co-phase errors (i.e., tip, tilt, and piston), and measures the surface shape of segmented mirrors based on conformal mapping phase-shifting interferometry to identify which kind of co-phase errors still exist there, and then adjust the segmented mirrors to achieve a more precise co-phase state. The functional relationships between piston error or tip/tilt error and phase distribution in the image plane are derived, and the mathematical tool of conformal mapping is used for surface shape demodulation. The experiment results indicate that the resolution of the piston error measurements is 1.878 nm, and the resolution of the tip/tilt error measurements is 0.760″. Furthermore, the surface shape measurement after adjustment based on conformal mapping phase-shifting interferometry is 7.503 nm (RMS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to investigate sex differences in risk factors for suicide attempts in first‐episode and drug naive (FEDN) major depressive disorder (MDD) with comorbid subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH). Methods: A total of 1034 FEDN MDD patients with comorbid SCH were enrolled. The Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) positive subscale were used to assess patients' symptoms. Thyroid hormone levels and metabolic parameters were measured. Results: MDD patients with SCH had a significantly higher risk of suicide attempts than those without SCH (25.4% vs. 12.2%). Logistic regression showed that HAMA score, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, and thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) levels were significantly associated with an increased risk for suicide attempts in both male and female MDD patients comorbid SCH, while low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) was significantly associated with an increased risk for suicide attempts only in male patients, HAMD score and systolic blood pressure were significantly associated with an increased risk for suicide attempts only in female patients. Conclusion: SCH comorbidities may increase suicide attempts in MDD patients. Our results showed significant sex differences in clinical and metabolic factors associated with suicide attempts among FEDN MDD patients with comorbid SCH, highlighting appropriate sex‐based preventive interventions are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ginkgo diterpene lactone meglumine (GDLM) could improve the functional outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of GDLM on cognitive function in patients with AIS. Methods: This is a predefined exploratory analysis of the Efficacy and Safety of Ginkgo Diterpene Lactone Meglumine in Acute Ischemic Stroke trial, which was primarily designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of GDLM versus placebo on functional outcome at 100 centers in China. Cognitive function was measured using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test. The primary outcomes were changes of MoCA from baseline to Day 14 and Day 90 after randomization. Results: A total of 3163 patients with completed data on MoCA were enrolled. There was statistically significant difference of changes in MoCA scores between the GDLM group and the placebo group from baseline to Day 14 (mean difference, 0.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.08–0.53; P = 0.007) and to Day 90 after randomization (mean difference, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.22–0.72; P < 0.001). Additionally, GDLM was associated with a higher proportion of patients who reached a clinically significant level of improvement in MoCA from baseline to Day 14 (odds ratio [OR], 1.25; 95% CI, 1.08–1.44; P = 0.002) and Day 90 after randomization (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.03–1.41; P = 0.02). Specially, GDLM could significantly improve the scores of visuo-spatial and executive function and language. Conclusions: In this predefined analysis of patients with AIS, GDLM could improve the 14-day and 90-day cognitive function compared with the placebo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Autologous blood transfusion techniques are well applied in surgery, but the red blood cells (RBCs) collected during laparoscopic surgery may forfeit their ability to oxygenate. O3 is a potent oxidation gas. This study investigates whether O3 could improve the oxygen-carrying capacity of RBCs, reduce inflammatory reactions, and offer organ protection. Methods: We established a hemorrhagic shock model in rabbits, and simulated CO2 pneumoperitoneum and O3 were applied before autologous blood transfusion. Perioperative mean arterial pressure and arterial blood gas were recorded, blood gas and RBC morphology of collected blood were analyzed, plasma IL-6, ALT, AST, CRE, and lung histopathology POD0 and POD3 were tested, as well as postoperative survival quality. Results: Autologous blood that underwent simulated CO2 pneumoperitoneum had a lower pH and SaO2 and a higher PaCO2 than the control group. After O3 treatment, PaO2 and SaO2 increased significantly, with unchanged pH values and PaCO2. RBCs in autologous blood were drastically deformed after CO2 conditioning and then reversed to normal by O3 treatment. Rabbits that received CO2-conditioned autologous blood had a compromised survival quality after surgery, higher plasma IL-6 levels, higher lung injury scores on POD0, higher ALT and AST levels on POD3, and O3 treatment alleviated these adverse outcomes. Conclusion: O3 can restore RBC function, significantly improve blood oxygenation under simulated CO2 pneumoperitoneum, offer organ protection, and improve the postoperative survival quality in the rabbit hemorrhage shock model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bee venom serves as an essential defensive weapon for bees and also finds application as a medicinal drug. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) serve as critical regulators and have been demonstrated to perform a variety of biological functions. However, the presence of miRNAs in bee venom needs to be confirmed. Therefore, we conducted small RNA sequencing and identified 158 known miRNAs, 15 conserved miRNAs and 4 novel miRNAs. It is noteworthy that ame‐miR‐1‐3p, the most abundant among them, accounted for over a quarter of all miRNA reads. To validate the function of ame‐miR‐1‐3p, we screened 28 candidate target genes using transcriptome sequencing and three target gene prediction software (miRanda, PITA and TargetScan) for ame‐miR‐1‐3p. Subsequently, we employed real‐time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT‐PCR), Western blot and other technologies to confirm that ame‐miR‐1‐3p inhibits the relative expression of antizyme inhibitor 1 (AZIN1) by targeting the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of AZIN1. This, in turn, caused ODC antizyme 1 (OAZ1) to bind to ornithine decarboxylase 1 (ODC1) and mark ODC1 for proteolytic destruction. The reduction in functional ODC1 ultimately resulted in a decrease in polyamine biosynthesis. Furthermore, we determined that ame‐miR‐1‐3p accelerates cell death through the AZIN1/OAZ1‐ODC1‐polyamines pathway. Our studies demonstrate that ame‐miR‐1‐3p diminishes cell viability and it may collaborate with sPLA2 to enhance the defence capabilities of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.). Collectively, these data further elucidate the defence mechanism of bee venom and expand the potential applications of bee venom in medical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although sleep duration and depression were correlated, their temporal sequence and how the sequence influence on future risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) remained undetermined. This study aimed to explore the temporal relationship between sleep duration and depression, and its association with future CVD risk. We included 10,629 middle-aged and elderly participants with repeated measurements of sleep duration and depressive symptoms (measured by Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale [CES D]) at the first two visits from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Cross-lagged analysis and mediation analysis were used to examine the temporal relationship between sleep duration and depression and its impact on future risk of CVD. The adjusted cross-lagged path coefficient from baseline sleep duration to follow-up CES-D (β 1 = −0.191; 95 % confidence interval [CI], −0.239 to −0.142) was significantly greatly than that from baseline CES-D to follow-up sleep duration (β 2 = −0.031; 95 % CI, −0.031 to −0.024) (P difference < 0.0001). Similarly, the path coefficient from baseline sleep duration to annual changes in CES-D was significantly greater than that from baseline CES-D to annual changes in sleep duration (β 1 = −0.093 versus β 2 = −0.015, P difference < 0.0001). The path coefficient from baseline sleep duration to follow-up CES-D in CVD group was significantly greater than that in those without CVD (P difference of β 1 = 0.0378). Furthermore, 27.93 % of the total association of sleep duration with CVD was mediated by depression symptoms. The findings provide evidence that decrease in sleep duration probably precedes the increased in depressive symptoms, and depression partially mediated the pathway from sleep duration to incident CVD. • Decrease in sleep duration preceded the increase in depressive scores. • The relationship was significantly stronger in subjects with CVD. • 27.93 % of the association of sleep duration with CVD was mediated through depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the event of a large-scale radiological accident, rapid and high-throughput biodosimetry is the most vital basis in medical resource allocation for the prompt treatment of victims. However, the current biodosimeter is yet to be rapid and high-throughput. Studies have shown that ionizing radiation modulates expressions of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in healthy human cell lines and tumor tissue. circRNA expressions can be quantified rapidly and high-throughput. However, whether circRNAs are suitable for early radiation dose classification remains unclear. We employed transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis to screen for radiation-differentially expressed circRNAs in the human lymphoblastoid cell line AHH-1 at 4 h following exposure to 0, 2, and 5 Gy 60Co γ-rays. The dose–response relationships between differentially expressed circRNA expressions and absorbed doses were investigated using real-time polymerase chain reaction and linear regression analysis at 4 h, 24 h, and 48 h post-exposure to 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 Gy. Six distinct dose classification models of circRNA panels were established and validated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. A total of 11 radiation-differentially expressed circRNAs were identified and validated. Based on dose–response effects, those circRNAs changed in a dose-responsive or dose-dependent manner were combined into panels A through F at 4 h, 24 h, and 48 h post-irradiation. ROC curve analysis showed that panels A through C had the potential to effectively classify exposed and non-exposed conditions, which area under the curve (AUC) of these three panels were all 1.000, and the associate p values were.009. Panels D through F excellently distinguished between different dose groups (AUC = 0.963–1.000, p <.05). The validation assay showed that panels A through F demonstrated consistent excellence in sensitivity and specificity in dose classification. Ionizing radiation can indeed modulate the circRNA expression profile in the human lymphoblastoid cell line AHH-1. The differentially expressed circRNAs exhibit the potential for rapid and high-throughput dose classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Elevated homocysteine levels are associated with increased blood coagulation and platelet activity and may modulate the response to antiplatelet therapies. We aimed to investigate the effects of homocysteine levels on the efficacy and safety of ticagrelor–acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) versus clopidogrel–ASA among patients with minor stroke or transient ischemic attack who carried CYP2C19 loss-of-function alleles. Methods: We conducted a post hoc analysis of the CHANCE-2 (The Clopidogrel in High-risk Patients with Acute Nondisabling Cerebrovascular Events–II) trial. Participants were randomly assigned to treatment with ticagrelor–ASA or clopidogrel–ASA. We categorized participants into groups with elevated and non-elevated homocysteine levels, based on the median level. The primary efficacy outcome was recurrent stroke within 90-day follow-up. The primary safety outcome was severe or moderate bleeding within 90 days. Results: A total of 2740 participants were randomly assigned to receive ticagrelor–ASA and 2700 to receive clopidogrel–ASA. Use of ticagrelor–ASA was associated with a reduced risk of recurrent stroke among participants with elevated homocysteine levels (74 [5.3%] v. 119 [8.5%]; hazard ratio [HR] 0.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.45–0.81), but not among those with non-elevated levels (86 [6.4%] v. 87 [6.7%]; HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.71–1.32; p = 0.04 for interaction). When analyzed as a continuous variable, the benefits of ticagrelor–ASA with regard to recurrent stroke increased as homocysteine levels increased (p = 0.04 for interaction). No significant interaction between homocysteine levels and treatment with regard to severe or moderate bleeding was observed (p = 0.7 for interaction). We found a significant interaction between homocysteine levels and therapy with regard to recurrent stroke in females (p = 0.04 for interaction) but not males. Interpretation: In comparison with clopidogrel–ASA, ticagrelor–ASA conferred more benefit to patients with elevated homocysteine levels, particularly to female patients, in this secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial involving patients with minor ischemic stroke or TIA. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, no. NCT04078737 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surgical removal of the thyroid gland (TG) for treating thyroid disorders leaves the patients on lifelong hormone replacement that partially compensates the physiological needs, but regenerating TG is challenging. Here, an approach is reported to regenerate TG within the spleen for fully restoring the thyroid's functions in mice, by transplanting thyroid tissue blocks to the spleen. Within 48 h, the transplanted tissue efficiently revascularizes, forming thyroid follicles similar to the native gland after 4 weeks. Structurally, the ectopically generated thyroid integrates with the surrounding splenic tissue while maintaining its integrity, separate from the lymphatic tissue. Functionally, it fully restores the native functions of the TG in hormone regulation in response to physiological stimuli, outperforming the established method of oral levothyroxine therapy in maintaining systemic homeostasis. The study demonstrates the full restoration of thyroid functions post‐thyroidectomy by intrasplenic TG regeneration, providing fresh insights for designing novel therapies for thyroid‐related disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the wave characteristics of true surface waves (TSWs) and pseudo surface waves (PSWs) in two-dimensional (2D) seismic metamaterials are explored. The 2D seismic metamaterial is formed by placing periodic concrete pillars on the surface of the soil substrate. The complex dispersion curves of the seismic metamaterial are numerically calculated by the ω–kapproach. The Kelvin–Voigt model is adopted to describe the material viscoelasticity. The results show that not only the TSW modes but also the PSW modes should be taken into account to evaluate the mitigation capacity of the seismic metamaterials. Due to the introduction of material viscoelasticity, the TSWs and PSWs convert from the propagative mode to the evanescent mode. When the PSW modes propagate along the substrate surface, their energy gradually leaks into the bulk of the substrate, leading to their transmission coefficient smaller than that of the TSW modes. Compared to the concrete pillars on the substrate surface, the viscoelasticity of the soil substrate plays a more important role in surface wave reduction. Moreover, the wave propagating length in the seismic metamaterials can be predicted by using complex dispersion relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To characterize the efficiency of glabridin alone and in combination with clinical antifungals in Aspergillus fumigatus keratitis. Methods: The broth microdilution method was performed to investigate whether glabridin exerted an antifungal role on planktonic cells and immature and mature biofilm. Antifungal mechanism was evaluated by Sorbitol and Ergosterol Assays. The synergistic effect of glabridin and antifungals was assessed through the checkerboard microdilution method and time-killing test. Regarding anti-inflammatory role, inflammatory substances induced by A. fumigatus were assessed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Drug toxicity was assessed by Draize test in vivo. Macrophage phenotypes were examined by flow cytometry. Results: Regarding antifungal activity, glabridin destroyed fungal cell wall and membrane on planktonic cells and suppressed immature and mature biofilm formation. After combining with natamycin or amphotericin B, glabridin possessed a potent synergistic effect against A. fumigatus. Regarding anti-inflammatory aspects, Dectin-1, toll‑like receptor (TLR)-2 and TLR-4 expression of human corneal epithelial cells were significantly elevated after A. fumigatus challenge and reduced by glabridin. The elevated expression of interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-alpha induced by A. fumigatus or corresponding agonists were reversed by glabridin, equivalent to the effect of corresponding inhibitors. Glabridin could also contribute to anti-inflammation by downregulating inflammatory mediator expression to suppress macrophage infiltration. Conclusions: Glabridin contributed to fungal clearance by destroying fungal cell wall and membrane, and disrupting biofilm. Combining glabridin with clinical antifungals was superior in reducing A. fumigatus growth. Glabridin exerted an anti-inflammatory effect by downregulating proinflammatory substance expression and inhibiting macrophage infiltration, which provide a potential agent and treatment strategies for fungal keratitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimony‐based anode materials are recognized for their high potassium storage capacities and appropriate operating potentials. However, the large volume expansion of Sb during the potassiation/depotassiation process, which results in a quick capacity decay, severely limits its practical application in potassium‐ion batteries (PIBs). Here, a carbon‐coated Sb/MXene heterostructure composite (CSM) is synthesized by adsorption of Sb3+ on MXene nanosheets via Sb‐O‐Ti bonds followed by carbothermic reduction to construct dual‐confined MXene@carbon conductive framework capable of withstanding high volume expansion of Sb and conducive to enabling accelerated electron transfer kinetics. The CSM composite, particularly CSM‐700, when configured as an anode for PIBs, realized high capacity (484.4 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1), an ultra‐stable cycling performance with a high reversible capacity of 435.9 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 after 100 cycles corresponding to a capacity retention rate of 90.0%, and superior rate performance of 323.0 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1. The proposed strategy offers a simple route to construct high‐performance Sb‐based anodes for advanced PIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the acoustic flatbands (FBs) in phononic crystal (PnC) defect lattices. The defects are introduced into a PnC composed of periodic rigid rods in the air background. Since the acoustic energy is highly confined inside the PnC defects, the interaction between the defects can be described by the tight-binding model. We construct the PnC defects in two bipartite lattices, namely, the stub and Lieb lattices. The acoustic FBs can be observed for both of the lattices. Moreover, the acoustic FBs are protected by the chiral symmetry. That is, the FBs can be preserved even though the hopping strengths between the neighboring defects are perturbed. The proposed PnC defect lattices provide a feasible platform for the study of acoustic FB systems and topological insulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transparent ferroelectric materials have excellent electro-optic properties, suitable to be used to develop high-performance optical communication devices. La-doped 88Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3)O 3 –12PbTiO 3 (88PMN-12PT) transparent ceramics with excellent comprehensive performances, including high transparency of 70.5% at near-infrared wavelength (close to its theoretical value), large quadratic electro-optic coefficient of 23.6 × 10−16 m2 V−2, low half-wave voltage (V π) of 146 V, and good extinction ratio of 34 dB, are successfully prepared in this paper. Based on the electro-optic effect of PMN-PT transparent ceramics, laser polarization state is transformed continuously from linear polarization to elliptical polarization, later to circularly polarization by applying electric field. Furthermore, dual-channel optical communication with a tunable laser intensity ratio is first reported here. Results indicate that PMN-PT transparent ceramic is a promising candidate for electro-optic material in polarization controller, optical switch, and information monitor in optical communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultivation of creativity is closely related to language learning. How to design the creativity promotion mechanism of English teaching in the public environment is the challenge faced by English teachers. With the advent of the era of big data, English teachers can apply the latest research results to classroom teaching. For example, the rational use of social media helps students to learn and communicate in the language, cultivate students' creativity in learning English, and improves the quality of teaching. Corporate social media has become the most important way for corporate employees to record their lives, express opinions, share and communicate, and it is also one of the reliable and real-time sources of big data that reflects the true state of English learners. Real, accurate, and timely enterprise social media big data samples contain an enormous educational value, providing more possibilities for educational research. From the perspective of value, through sentiment analysis, topic mining, social network analysis, etc. on social media big data, learner portraits can be realized, thereby providing decision-making reference and support for stakeholders. This paper first builds a learning interest classification model based on TCNN-GRU deep learning, collects experimental data sets from an online English learner's social media platform and performs learning interest classification and labeling, and then uses the TCNN-GRU model to determine the user's learning interest tendency. On this basis, the concept of learning interest index is further proposed, and a neural network-based corporate social platform English learner portrait model is established. The experimental results show that, compared with the traditional machine learning model, convolutional neural network model, and recurrent neural network model, the TCNN-GRU model can obtain better results in learning interest classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we aimed to determine whether liraglutide could effectively reduce insulin resistance (IR) by regulating Sestrin2 (SESN2) expression in L6 rat skeletal muscle cells by examining its interactions with SESN2, autophagy, and IR. L6 cells were incubated with liraglutide (10–1000 nM) in the presence of palmitate (PA; 0.6 mM), and cell viability was detected using the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. IR-related and autophagy-related proteins were detected using western blotting, and IR and autophagy-related genes were analyzed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Silencing SESN2 was used to inhibit the activities of SESN2. A reduction in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake was observed in PA-treated L6 cells, confirming IR. Meanwhile, PA decreased the levels of GLUT4 and phosphorylation of Akt and affected SESN2 expression. Further investigation revealed that autophagic activity decreased following PA treatment, but that liraglutide reversed this PA-induced reduction in autophagic activity. Additionally, silencing SESN2 inhibited the ability of liraglutide to up-regulate the expression of IR-related proteins and activate autophagy signals. In summary, the data showed that liraglutide improved PA-induced IR in L6 myotubes by increasing autophagy mediated by SESN2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilization of N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) as an amine source and reductant for synthesizing tertiary amines is a promising way to replace the substrates formaldehyde and dimethylamine, and it is desirable to seek porous acid‐resistant catalysts for heterogeneous catalysis of this reaction. Herein, a robust metal–organic framework (MOF) {[Th6O4(OH)4(H2O)6(BCP)3]⋅10 DMF}n (1) containing stacked nanocages with a diameter of 1.55 nm was constructed. Compound 1 can maintain its single‐crystal structure even kept in air at 400 °C for 3 h, and in DMF or water at 200 °C for 7 days. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggested that the high interaction energy between the [Th6O4(OH)4(H2O)6]12+ clusters and ligands was responsible for the excellent stability of 1. Catalytic investigations revealed that 1 can effectively and size‐selectively catalyze the reductive amination of aldehydes with DMF, and it can be reused at least five times without obvious loss in catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilization of N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) as an amine source and reductant for synthesizing tertiary amines is a promising way to replace the substrates formaldehyde and dimethylamine, and it is desirable to seek porous acid‐resistant catalysts for heterogeneous catalysis of this reaction. Herein, a robust metal–organic framework (MOF) {[Th6O4(OH)4(H2O)6(BCP)3]⋅10 DMF}n (1) containing stacked nanocages with a diameter of 1.55 nm was constructed. Compound 1 can maintain its single‐crystal structure even kept in air at 400 °C for 3 h, and in DMF or water at 200 °C for 7 days. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggested that the high interaction energy between the [Th6O4(OH)4(H2O)6]12+ clusters and ligands was responsible for the excellent stability of 1. Catalytic investigations revealed that 1 can effectively and size‐selectively catalyze the reductive amination of aldehydes with DMF, and it can be reused at least five times without obvious loss in catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A large SUA variation was associated with a higher risk of CVD and its subtypes. • Both a large rise or fall in SUA was associated with a higher risk of CVD. • The harmful effect of a large variation of SUA on CVD was more pronounced in older adults than that in young adults. • The hazardous effect of SUA variation on CVD was mainly induced by excessive inflammation and elevated blood pressure. The association of serum uric acid (SUA) with cardiovascular disease (CVD) is inconsistent and limited by a single measurement of SUA. This study aimed to investigate the association of SUA variation, considering its magnitude and direction, with the risk of CVD. This study included 41,578 participants with four biennial measurements of SUA during 2006–2012 from the Kailuan study. SUA variation was measured using the coefficient of variation (primary index), standard deviation, average real variability, and variability independent of mean, and the direction of variation was also assessed. Multivariate-adjusted Cox regressions were used to assess the associations, and Bayesian network was utilized to find the most important pathway from SUA variation to CVD. During a median follow-up of 6.74 (interquartile range: 6.45–7.03) years, we identified 1,852 (4.45%) cases of incident CVD. A large SUA variation (top vs. bottom tertiles) was associated with a higher risk of CVD (hazard ratio [HR], 1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11–1.40), especially in older adults than that in young adults (P int =0.0137). The higher risk of CVD was observed with both large rises (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.10–1.39) and falls (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.03–1.38) in SUA variation. The hazardous effect of SUA variation on CVD was mainly induced by excessive inflammation and elevated blood pressure. Similar results were observed for CVD subtypes. Elevated SUA variation was associated with a higher risk of CVD, irrespective of the direction of SUA variation, and inflammation played an important role in the pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Increase SUA levels preceded the development of hypertension. • The unidirectional relationships from SUA to SBP and DBP were significantly stronger in subjects with incident CVD. • the total association between SUA and subsequent risk of CVD and its subtypes were partially mediated through SBP and DBP. • Interventions on hyperuricemia are needed to reduce the burden of hypertension and CVD. Although hyperuricemia and hypertension are significantly correlated, their temporal relationship and whether this relationship is associated with risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) are largely unknown. This study aimed to examine temporal relationship between hyperuricemia and hypertension, and its association with future risk of CVD. This study included 60,285 participants from the Kailuan study. Measurement of serum uric acid (SUA), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) were obtained twice at 2006 (baseline) and 2010. Cross-lagged and mediation analysis were used to examine the temporal relationship between hyperuricemia and hypertension, and the association of this temporal relationship with CVD events risk after 2010. After adjusting for covariates, the cross-lagged path coefficients (β 1) from baseline SUA to follow-up SBP and DBP were significantly greatly than path coefficients (β 2) from baseline SBP and DBP to follow-up SUA (β 1 =0.041 versus β 2 =0.003; P difference <0.0001 for SBP; β 1 =0.040 versus β 2 =0.000; P difference <0.0001 for DBP). The path coefficients from baseline SUA to follow-up SBP and DBP in group with incident CVD were significantly greatly than that in group without incident CVD (P difference of β 1 in the two groups was 0.0018 for SBP and 0.0340 for DBP). Furthermore, SBP and DBP partially mediated the effect of SUA on incident CVD, the mediation effect was 57.64% for SBP and 46.27% for DBP. Similar mediated results were observed for stroke and myocardial infarction. Increased SUA levels probably precede elevated BP, and BP partially mediates the pathway from SUA to incident CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research was used to uncover the mechanism of glabridin in Aspergillus fumigatus keratitis in anti-fungus and anti-inflammation. In vitro, RAW 264.7 cells were infected with A. fumigatus with incubation of glabridin in different concentrations. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‑qPCR), Western blot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to assess the inflammatory severe and alternation with the intervention of Dectin-2 siRNA and glabridin. In vivo, A. fumigatus keratitis mouse models were established by spore intra-stromal injection and treated with glabridin or PBS. And disease scores, inflammatory mediators, and periodic acid-schiff (PAS) staining were exhibited to demonstrate the therapeutic efficiency of glabridin in vivo. Morphological interference assay monitored fungal germination. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy were used to observe the growth of fungi. In RAW 264.7 cells and mouse keratitis models, noncytotoxic 16 μg/mL glabridin showed significant inhibition in the expression of Dectin-2, NLRP3, Caspase-1, IL-1β, and TNF-α after A. fumigatus infection, almost similar to the intervention of Dectin-2 siRNA. PAS staining illustrated the reduced hyphal distribution in cornea stroma with glabridin treatment. Glabridin remarkably inhibited A. fumigatus growth through delaying germination and disrupting the integrity of the hyphae membrane. Glabridin plays an anti-inflammatory role in A. fumigatus challenge via suppression of the Dectin-2 and NLRP3 inflammasome, and plays an anti-fungal role through delaying germination and changing the hyphal integrity. Glabridin plays an anti-inflammatory role in A. fumigatus infection of RAW264.7 cells in a concentration-dependent manner and through Dectin-2 mediation. Glabridin decreases fungal distribution and inflammation in mouse A. fumigatus keratitis. Glabridin inhibits A. fumigatus growth by delaying germination and disrupting cellular structure in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we numerically and experimentally investigate topological rainbow trapping and energy amplification of acoustic waves in a gradient phononic crystal (PC) structure. Thanks to the acoustic valley Hall effect, topological interface states (TISs) are generated along the interface between two PCs with different topological phases. To achieve rainbow trapping, we introduce the gradient into a 3D-printed PC structure by varying the geometrical parameter of scatterers along the interface. The incident acoustic waves at different frequencies split, stop, and, hence, are significantly amplified at different positions. Notably, the rainbow trapping of TISs is immune to random structural disorders. The topological rainbow trapping is promising for the design of broadband energy harvesters with excellent robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Asprosin is a newly discovered adipose factor secreted by white fat, which is involved in glucose metabolism and inflammation. Neuregulin-4 (Nrg-4) is a new adipose factor released from brown adipose tissue and is considered to play an important role in metabolism. This study aims to explore the association between serum Asprosin, Nrg-4 level and coronary heart disease(CHD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) and the diagnostic value. Patients and methods: 157 patients with T2DM were enrolled from Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical University between December 2020 to July 2021. These patients were divided into T2DM without CHD group (T2DM-0, n = 80) and T2DM with CHD (T2DM-CHD, n = 77). Serum Asprosin and Nrg-4 expression was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the correlations between Asprosin or Nrg-4 and clinical and biochemical indicators were analyzed. A receiver operating characteristics curve analysis and area under the curve (AUC) were used to evaluate diagnostic accuracy. Results: Serum Asprosin level of the T2DM-CHD group were significantly higher and Nrg-4 level significantly lower than those of the T2DM-0 group.Spearman correlation analysis showed that serum Asprosin levels were significantly positively correlated with diabetes course,history of hypertension, fasting plasma glucose(FPG), glycosylated hemoglobin A1c(HbA1C), triglycerides(TG),triglyceride glucose index(TyG index) and urea, and negatively correlated with ALT (all p < 0.05). Nrg-4 was negatively correlated with history of hypertension, body mass index(BMI), FPG, HbA1C, TG, and TyG indexes (all p < 0.05), and positively correlated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)(p < 0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting potential confounders, Asprosin was a risk factor for diabetes mellitus, Nrg-4 was a protective factor.The AUC of Asprosin for diagnosing T2DM-CHD was 0.671 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.584–0.759), and the AUC of the Nrg4 index for diagnosing T2DM-CHD was 0.772 (95% CI 0.700-0.844). The AUC of Asprosin and Nrg-4 for the combined diagnosis of T2DM-CHD was 0.796 (95% CI 0.726–0.864). Conclusion: Asprosin and Nrg-4 may be novel diagnostic biomarkers for T2DM with CHD, as they effectively improved the diagnostic accuracy for T2DM-CHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Due to general unavailability and common side effects of tetracycline, the clinical application of bismuth quadruple therapy (BQT) is greatly limited. Whether amoxicillin can replace tetracycline in BQT remains unknown. This study aimed to compare the eradication rate, safety and compliance between amoxicillin‐containing and tetracycline‐containing BQT as a first‐line regimen for Helicobacter pylori eradication. Methods: This randomized trial was conducted on 404 naïve patients for H. pylori eradication. The participants were randomly assigned to 14‐day amoxicillin‐containing (bismuth potassium citrate 110 mg four times/day, esomeprazole 20 mg twice daily, metronidazole 400 mg four times/day and amoxicillin 500 mg four times/day) and tetracycline‐containing (tetracycline 500 mg four times/day and the other three drugs used as above) BQT. Safety and compliance were assessed within 3 days after eradication. Urea breath test was performed 4–8 weeks after eradication to evaluate outcome. Results: As for the eradication rates of amoxicillin‐containing and tetracycline‐containing BQT, the results of both intention‐to‐treat and per‐protocol analyses showed that the difference rate of the lower limit of 95% confidence interval was above −10.0% (intention‐to‐treat analysis: 81.7% vs. 83.2%, with a rate difference of −1.5% [−6.3% to 9.3%]; per‐protocol analysis: 89.0% vs. 91.6%, −2.6% [−4.1% to 9.3%]). The incidence of adverse events in amoxicillin‐containing BQT was significantly lower than tetracycline‐containing BQT (29.5% vs. 39.7%). Both groups achieved relatively good compliance (92.0% vs. 89.9%). Conclusion: The eradication efficacy of amoxicillin‐containing BQT was non‐inferior to tetracycline‐containing BQT as a first‐line regimen for H. pylori eradication with better safety and similar compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies showed a controversial result on the relationship between probiotics treatment duration and blood pressure (BP). The present meta‐analysis is performed to summarize the effects of long‐term (≥8 weeks) use of probiotics on office and ambulatory BP using combined evidence from randomized, controlled trials. We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, and the ClinicalTrials.gov till January, 2021 to identify eligible articles. Primary outcomes were changes in office BP. In the presence of heterogeneity, a random‐effects model was used to calculate the combined treatment effect. Begg's funnel plots and Egger's regression test were used to assess the publication bias. Meta‐analysis of 26 trials in 1624 participants demonstrated that probiotic consumption significantly decreased office systolic BP by 2.18 mmHg (95% confidence interval [CI], −3.41 to −0.94 mmHg) and diastolic BP by 1.07 mmHg (95% CI, −1.72 to −0.41 mmHg). The analysis on ambulatory BP from three trials showed a similar reduction by −2.35/−1.61 mmHg (p ≤.052). Subgroup analysis in hypertensive and diabetic patients showed a significant reduction in systolic and diastolic BP (p ≤.02). The reductions in diabetic and hypertensive patients were comparatively larger than nondiabetic and normotensive patients (p ≥.052). With the increase of age, baseline body mass index (BMI), treatment duration, and systolic BP, the effects of probiotics on BP did not increase significantly (ptrend ≥.18). The present meta‐analysis suggests a beneficial effect of probiotics on BP by a modest degree, especially in the diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Prolonging the treatment duration could not improve the antihypertensive effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The mechanisms linking obesity to cardiovascular disease (CVD) are still not clearly defined. Individuals who are overweight or obese often develop insulin resistance, mediation of the association between obesity and CVD through the insulin resistance seems plausible and has not been investigated. This study aimed to evaluate whether and to what extend the effect of general and central obesity on cardiovascular disease (CVD) is mediated by insulin resistance. Methods: A total of 94,136 participants without CVD at baseline were recruited from the Kailuan study. Insulin resistance was evaluated by the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, calculating as ln [fasting triglyceride (mg/dL) × fasting glucose (mg/dL)/2]. Mediation analysis using a new 2-stage regression method for survival data proposed by Valeri and VanderWeele was to explore the mediating effects of the TyG index on the association between obesity and CVD. Results: During a median follow-up of 13.01 years, we identified 7327 cases of CVD. Mediation analyses showed that 47.81% of the total association (hazard ratio [HR], 1.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12–1.24) between overweight and CVD was mediated through the TyG index (HR [indirect association], 1.07; 95% CI, 1.07–1.09), and the proportion mediated was 37.94% for general obesity. For central obesity, analysis by waist circumference, waist/hip, and waist/height categories yielded an attenuated proportion mediated of 32.01, 35.02, and 31.06% for obesity, taken normal weight as reference. Conclusions: The association between obesity and CVD was mediated by TyG index, suggesting proper control of insulin resistance can be effective to reduce the effects of obesity on CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main problem: The prognostic value of soluble lectin‐like oxidized low‐density lipoproteinreceptor‐1 (sLOX‐1) for stroke was unclearly. This study aimed to investigate the association between sLOX‐1 and recurrent stroke in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Methods: Data were obtained from the Third China National Stroke Registry. Eligible cases consisted of 400 patients who developed recurrent stroke within 1‐year follow‐up, 800 controls were selected using age‐ and sex‐matched with a 1:2 case–control ratio. Conditional logistic regressions were used to evaluate the association between sLOX‐1 and recurrent stroke. Results: Among 1200 patients included in this study, the median (interquartile range) of sLOX‐1 was 247.12 (132.81–413.58) ng/L. After adjustment for conventional confounding factors, the odds ratio with 95% confidence interval in the highest tertile versus the lowest tertile was 2.23 (1.61–3.08) for recurrent stroke, 2.31 (1.64–3.24) for ischemic stroke, 2.30 (1.66–3.19) for combined vascular events within 1‐year follow‐up. Furthermore, the addition of sLOX‐1 to a conventional risk model had an incremental effect on predictive value for recurrent stroke (C‐statistics 0.76, p < 0.0001; integrated discrimination improvement 13.38%, p < 0.0001; net reclassification improvement 55.39%, p < 0.0001). Similar results were observed when the timepoint was set up as 3 months. Subgroup analysis showed the association between higher sLOX‐1 and recurrent stroke was more pronounced in patients with a history of stroke (p for interaction = 0.0062). Conclusions: sLOX‐1 was positively associated with the risk of recurrent stroke, which may be a candidate biomarker to improve risk stratification of recurrent stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As typical transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDC), tungsten selenide (WSe2) nanosheets (nano-WSe2) are widely used in various fields due to their layered structures and highly tunable electronic and magnetic properties, which results in the unwanted release of tungsten (W) and selenium (Se) into the environment. However, the environmental effects of nano-WSe2 in plants are still unclear. Herein, we evaluated the impacts and fate of nano-WSe2 and micro-WSe2 in rice plants (Oryza sativa L.). It was found that both nano-WSe2 and micro-WSe2 did not affect the germination of rice seeds up to 5000 mg/L but nano-WSe2 affected the growth of rice seedlings with shortened root lengths. The uptake and transportation of WSe2 was found to be size-dependent. Moreover, W in WSe2 was oxidized to tungstate while Se was transformed to selenocysteine, selenomethionine, SeIV and SeVI in the roots of rice when exposed to nano-WSe2, suggesting the transformation of nano-WSe2 in rice plants. The exposure to nano-WSe2 brought lipid peroxidative damage to rice seedlings. However, Se in nano-WSe2 did not contribute to the synthesis of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) since the latter did not change when exposed to nano-WSe2. This is the first report on the impacts and fate of nano-WSe2 in rice plants, which has raised environmental safety concerns about the wide application of TMDCs, such as WSe2 nanosheets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Risk profiles for premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) are unclear. This study aimed to examine baseline risk profiles for incident CVD by age at onset in Chinese population.Methods: A total of 97,841 participants without CVD were enrolled from the Kailuan cohort study. Four age groups were examined (< 55, 55 to < 65, 65 to < 75, and ≥ 75 years) for CVD onset. Risk profiles included clinical, lipid, metabolic, and inflammatory risk factors and biomarkers.Results: Of the clinical factors, diabetes was associated with the highest relative risk for incident CVD in participants younger than 55 years (sub-distributional hazard ratio [sHR], 4.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.47-4.80). Risk factors that were also noted for CVD onset in participants younger than 55 years included hypertension, metabolism syndrome, overweight or obese, dyslipidemia, and smoking. Among the biomarkers, insulin resistance measured by triglyceride-glucose index had the highest sHR (1.42; 95% CI, 1.35-1.49) for CVD in participants younger than 55 years. In comparison, weaker but significant associations with CVD in participants younger than 55 years were noted for most lipids, metabolic biomarkers, and inflammatory biomarkers. Most risk factors and biomarkers had associations that attenuated with increasing age at onset. Some biomarkers had similar CVD age association, while a few had no association with CVD onset at any age.Conclusions: These findings showed that diabetes and insulin resistance, in addition to hypertension, metabolism syndrome, overweight or obese, dyslipidemia, and smoking, appeared to be the strongest risk factors for premature onset of CVD, and most risk factors had attenuated relative rates at older ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: The role of serum uric acid (SUA) in prognosis is controversial because SUA levels largely depend on renal clearance function. This study aimed to investigate the association between renal function‐normalized SUA (SUA to serum creatinine [SCr] ratio [SUA/SCr ratio]) and poor functional outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Methods: All patients were recruited from the Third China National Stroke Registry. Poor functional outcomes were defined by modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores of 3–6 or 2‐6 at 3 months and 1 year. Results: Among 8169 enrolled patients, the median (interquartile range) SUA/SCr ratio was 4.19 (3.47–5.08). Compared with patients in the fourth quintile group, those in the first quintile group had higher proportions of mRS scores 3–6 (odds ratio [OR] 1.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.24–1.93) and mRS scores 2–6 (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.08–1.53) at 3 months. The addition of SUA/SCr ratio to the conventional risk model had a greater incremental value than the addition of either SUA or SCr alone. Subgroup analysis showed that the association was only significant in patients with normal kidney function (p for interaction<0.05). Similar results were found for outcomes at 1 year. Conclusions: A lower SUA/SCr ratio was associated with poor functional outcomes in patients with AIS at 3 months and at 1 year, suggesting the potential use of SUA/SCr ratio in clinical practice as a preferable marker for stroke outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new type of Noether theorem with Caputo Δ -derivative of Birkhoffian systems is the focus of this paper based upon the fractional time-scales calculus, which constructs a model to unify continuous fractional systems and discrete fractional systems. The Caputo Δ -type fractional time-scales Pfaff-Birkhoff principle is given, and its Birkhoff equations are deduced. According to the definition of fractional time-scales Noether symmetry of Birkhoffian systems, its criterion is proved and its Noether theorem is formulated by the generalized Jost method. Furthermore, the corresponding transformation conditions are given to study the relationship among fractional time-scales Birkhoffian systems, Hamiltonian systems and Lagrangian systems. Taking the fractional time-scales Hojman-Urrutia model as an example, the simulation results show the validity of the new Noether theorem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restoration and protection of ancient towns is an essential approach and a material carrier of inheriting cultural context, realizing economic transformation, revitalizing the tertiary industry, building a strong county and making a better life for peoples. This paper took Ancient Luanzhou Town in Luanzhou City, Tangshan of Hebei for example, used Photoshop to compare different elements of the town in pictures taken from Baidu Street View in 2014 and 2016, and calculated weights and scores of different elements using yaahp software. Based on this, the paper analyzed the space development tendency of Ancient Luanzhou Town, evaluated the changes of its space quality, and proposed suggestions for the improvement of space quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Future risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality is associated with cumulative amount TyG index (cumTyG) exposure, while whether time course of TyG accumulation modulates the risk remains unclear. This study sought to examine the associations of cumTyG index accumulation time course with the risk of CVD and all-cause mortality. Methods: We enrolled 51,734 participants free of CVD and underwent three examinations at year 2006, 2008, and 2010. CumTyG from baseline to the third examination was calculated. Time course of cumTyG accumulation was calculated as the slope of TyG versus time from 2006 to 2010, or as splinting the overall TyG index accumulation into early (cumTyG06 − 08) and late accumulation (cumTyG08 − 10). Participants were categorized by the combination of cumTyG < or ≥ median (34.44 × years) and a negative or positive TyG slope. Results: During a median follow-up of 9.04 years, we identified 3,602 incident CVD cases and 3,165 deaths. The risk of CVD and all-cause mortality increased with decreased TyG slope, the corresponding adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was 1.11 (1.04–1.19) and 1.18 (1.10–1.26) for patients with a negative TyG slope, respectively. Consistently, a later accumulation of TyG index was not associated with the risk of CVD and all-cause mortality after adjustment for an early accumulation. When considering the combination of cumTyG index and time course, participants with a cumTyG ≥ median and a negative TyG slope had elevated risk of CVD (aHR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.24–1.51) and all-cause mortality (aHR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.15–1.43). Additionally, the association was more prominent in young adults. Conclusion: Early TyG index accumulation resulted in a greater risk of CVD and all-cause mortality than later TyG later accumulation with the same overall cumulative exposure, emphasizing the importance of optimal TyG index control earlier in life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the influence of changing the piperidine ring on the fungicidal activity, at the same time based on the successful experience of opening the oxazoline ring, a series of novel ethylenediamine bridged thiazole derivatives containing oxime ether and oxime ester moieties were designed, synthesized, and first evaluated for their fungicidal activities against phytophthora capsaicae in vitro. The bioassays results showed that the target compounds possessed moderate fungicidal activities against phytophtho‐ra capsaicae. Compound 28b showed 53.6% fungicidal activity at 50 μg/ml. Oxime ether and oxime ester derivatives showed the similar level of activities. However, the activities of these compounds were lower than that of oxathiapiprolin, suggesting the piperidine ring was essential to maintain the fungicidal activities of these compounds. For the oxime ether derivatives, 16b, 22a, 25b, and 28b, the substituents on ethylenediamine have certain influence on the activity. Increasing the chain length of substituents is beneficial to the fungicidal activity. Meanwhile, these compounds were tested their fungicidal activities against other 9 fungi, and these compounds showed broad spectrum fungicidal activities. Some compounds exhibited more than 70% fungicial activities against specific fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: To advance blood transfusion safety, the Chinese Haemovigilance Network (CHN) was put into operation in 2018. This report describes the development of the CHN and evaluates its role by analysing reported adverse transfusion reactions (ATRs) from 2018 to 2020. Materials and Methods: All data in this study were obtained from the CHN online reporting platform. A timeline of CHN development is presented, and the activities of CHN‐enrolled facilities are analysed by year. The reported ATRs were analysed in detail for ATR types, blood components involved and adherence to case definition, severity and imputability criteria. Incidence rates were calculated and compared with international examples. Results: During 2018–2020, a total of 3061 ATRs were reported through the CHN online reporting system. The rate of reported ATRs in all facilities and the 10 highest reporting facilities was 0.7‰ and 1.8‰, respectively. When analysed by year, the incidence rate showed an increasing trend from 2018 to 2020. Allergic (68.2%) and febrile non‐haemolytic transfusion reaction (27.1%) were the most common. The vast majority of ATRs (92.0%) were not serious, but serious cases of transfusion‐associated circulatory overload, transfusion‐associated dyspnoea and hypotensive reaction were common. Most (86.0%) of reported cases were definitely or probably associated with transfusion. Conclusion: Under‐reporting of ATRs occurs in many Chinese hospitals, but the establishment of CHN has increased ATR recognition and management. More effort will be needed in the future to detect transfusion problems and improve transfusion practice in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory processes could potentially impact both mood and suicide risk, however, the relationship between cytokines and suicidal ideation remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between plasma levels of cytokines and suicidal ideation in population with major depressive disorders (MDD). A cross-sectional study was performed to assess the peripheral plasma levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in 88 Chinese Han first-episode drug-naïve MDD patients. Suicidal ideation in the past week were identified using the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation-Chinese Version (BSI-CV). The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 (HAMD-17), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale-14 (HAMA-14) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) was used to assess depression, anxiety and childhood trauma. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between cytokines and suicidal ideation. Interaction and stratified analyses were conducted according to age, sex, marital status, education, smoking status, BMI and physical activity. Among the 88 participants, 42 individuals (47.7%) reported suicidal ideation within the past week. In the fully adjusted model, a statistically significant trend was observed in the association between IL-2 level and suicidal ideation (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.00–1.97). The stratified analysis showed a statistically significant association between IL-6 level and suicidal ideation among younger people (OR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.01–1.36) and a significant positive association between IL-8 (OR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.03–2.44) and IL-10 (OR: 2.51, 95% CI: 1.27–4.96) levels and suicide ideation among higher educated populations. The cross-sectional design, residual confounding effects and small sample size Our findings indicate a significant positive association between plasma IL-2 level and suicidal ideation in MDD patients. IL-2 has the potential to be a biomarker of suicidal ideation in patients with depression. • 42 patients with first-episode drug-naïve MDD (47.7%, 42/88) experienced suicidal thoughts within one week. • The logistic regression analysis revealed a positive association between plasma IL-2 level and suicidal ideation. • The stratified analysis revealed IL-6 levels are associated with suicidal ideation in young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Green tea manufacturing process improved Penthorum chinense leaf tea (PLT) flavor for beverages. • Grassy odor reduced due to dodecanal and geranylacetone decrease with 1-hexadecanol increasing. • Bitterness was weakened by flavonols reduction and masked by increased dihydrochalcones. • Increasing of pinocembrins and catechins maintained the NAFLD-alleviation effects of PLT. • New-identified functional agents: norbergenin, gomisin K2, pseudolaric acid B and tanshinol B. The green-tea manufacturing process showed good effect of flavor improving, debittering and shaping in making Penthorum chinense Pursh leaf (PL) tea (PLT), which serves as a polyphenol dietary supplement and beverage raw material. GC–MS results showed that its unpleasant grassy odor decreased by 42.8% due to dodecanal, geranylacetone, and (E)-2-nonenal reduction, coupled with 1-hexadecanol increasing. UPLC-ESI-TOF-MS identified 95 compounds and showed that the debittering effect of green-tea manufacturing process was attributed to decreasing of flavonols and lignans, especially quercetins, kaempferols and luteolins, and increasing of dihydrochalcones which act as sweeteners bitterness-masking agents, while astringency was weakened by reducing delphinidin-3,5- O -diglucoside chloride, kaempferol-7- O -β- d -glucopyranoside, and tannins. The increase of pinocembrins and catechins in aqueous extracts of PLT, maintained its hepatoprotective, NAFLD-alleviation, and hepatofibrosis-prevention activities similar to PL in high fat–diet C57BL/6 mice, with flavonoids, tannins, tannic acids, and some newfound chemicals, including norbergenin, gomisin K2, pseudolaric acid B, tanshinol B, as functional ingredients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Mo-based MXene is first applied as a cathode catalyst for Li-CO 2 batteries. • An innovative surface modification strategy, mild oxidation by CO 2 , is employed. • The catalyst optimizes the growth and decomposition of discharge products. • This MoO 2 @Mo 2 C-based Li-CO 2 battery outperforms most other MXene-based catalysts. The lithium-carbon dioxide (Li-CO 2) batteries hold promise for energy storage, given their capacity to capture and convert carbon dioxide (CO 2). However, the practical application of Li-CO 2 batteries continues to face substantial obstacles caused by sluggish CO 2 reduction/evolution kinetics, resulting in high overpotential and short lifespan. This work presents the fabrication of a highly effective MoO 2 @Mo 2 C heterostructure hybrid catalyst using a CO 2 oxidation strategy. This strategy integrated (in-situ) MoO 2 onto the surface of two-dimensional (2D) Mo 2 C MXene, enhancing catalytic activity while preserving 2D electron/ion pathways. As a result, the MoO 2 @Mo 2 C, when used as a catalyst in Li-CO 2 battery showcased a discharge capacity of 20790.8 mAh g−1 at a current density of 200 mA g−1. Notably, it achieved a long cycling life of 230 cycles at a cutoff capacity of 1000 mAh g−1 with a voltage gap as low as 1.85 V, which was significantly superior to that of a pristine Mo 2 CT x catalyst (3.61 V after twenty cycles). This work provides critical insights into the design of MXenes-based high-performance catalysts for advanced Li-CO 2 batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulating Lewis acid–base sites in catalysts to investigate their influence in the chemical fixation of CO2 is significant but challenging. A metal–organic framework (MOF) with open metal Co sites, {(NH2Me2)[Co3(μ3‐OH)(BTB)2(H2O)]⋅9 H2O⋅5 DMF}n (1), was obtained and the results of the catalytic investigation show that 1 can catalyze cycloaddition of CO2 and aziridines to give 99 % yield. The efficiency of the cyclization of CO2 with propargyl amines is only 32 %. To improve the catalytic ability of 1, ligand XN with Lewis base sites was introduced into 1 and coordinated with the open Co sites, resulting in a decrease of the Lewis acid sites and an increase in the Lewis base sites in a related MOF 2 ({(NH2Me2)[Co3(μ3‐OH)(NHMe2)(BTB)2(XN)]⋅8 H2O⋅4 DMF}n). Selective regulation of the type of active centers causes the yield of oxazolidinones to be enhanced by about 2.4 times, suggesting that this strategy can turn on/off the catalytic activity for different reactions. The catalytic results from 2 treated with acid solution support this conclusion. This work illuminates a MOF‐construction strategy that produces efficient catalysts for CO2 conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulating Lewis acid–base sites in catalysts to investigate their influence in the chemical fixation of CO2 is significant but challenging. A metal–organic framework (MOF) with open metal Co sites, {(NH2Me2)[Co3(μ3‐OH)(BTB)2(H2O)]⋅9 H2O⋅5 DMF}n (1), was obtained and the results of the catalytic investigation show that 1 can catalyze cycloaddition of CO2 and aziridines to give 99 % yield. The efficiency of the cyclization of CO2 with propargyl amines is only 32 %. To improve the catalytic ability of 1, ligand XN with Lewis base sites was introduced into 1 and coordinated with the open Co sites, resulting in a decrease of the Lewis acid sites and an increase in the Lewis base sites in a related MOF 2 ({(NH2Me2)[Co3(μ3‐OH)(NHMe2)(BTB)2(XN)]⋅8 H2O⋅4 DMF}n). Selective regulation of the type of active centers causes the yield of oxazolidinones to be enhanced by about 2.4 times, suggesting that this strategy can turn on/off the catalytic activity for different reactions. The catalytic results from 2 treated with acid solution support this conclusion. This work illuminates a MOF‐construction strategy that produces efficient catalysts for CO2 conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: At present, the diagnosis and efficacy evaluation of acute leukemia (AL) are assessed by bone marrow aspiration, which is invasive and subject to sampling errors. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop a noninvasive and accurate imaging method to evaluate bone marrow changes in patients with AL. This study aimed to compare the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values obtained from fluid-attenuated inversion recovery diffusion-weighted imaging (FLAIR-DWI) and conventional DWI in the lumbar bone marrow of patients with AL and to investigate their performance for evaluating response to induction chemotherapy.Methods: A total of 28 patients with newly diagnosed AL and 25 patients with AL after induction chemotherapy underwent MRI scans at 1.5 Tesla using a conventional DWI and a FLAIR-DWI sequence on sagittal planes covering the lumbar bone marrow. Further, the ADC values from these two sequences, denoted as ADCCON and ADCFLAIR, were measured on multiple vertebrae. The percentage of leukemia cells in bone marrow was recorded, and bone marrow aspiration was performed on treated patients to determine complete remission (CR) and nonremission (NR).Results: ADCFLAIR [(0.453 ± 0.103) × 10-3 mm2/s] was significantly lower than ADCCON [(0.486 ± 0.096) × 10-3 mm2/s] in the 28 untreated patients (t = 3.051, P = 0.005). In the 25 treated patients, ADCFLAIR and ADCCON values [(0.566 ± 0.239) × 10-3 mm2/s] and [(0.716 ± 0.235) × 10-3 mm2/s], respectively, were higher compared with the untreated patients. The ADCCON values showed a nonsignificant difference between the CR (n = 18) and NR (n = 7) groups (t = 1.409, P = 0.305). However, the ADCFLAIR values exhibited statistically significant difference (t = 2.542, P = 0.018) between the two groups. In a receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) using ADCFLAIR (0.770) was larger than that of ADCCON (0.611) in distinguishing the CR and NR patients following the chemotherapy.Conclusion: Although both ADCCON and ADCFLAIR are sensitive to tissue changes induced by chemotherapy, FLAIR-DWI outperformed conventional DWI in separating AL patients with CR from NR after chemotherapy. A possible mechanism is that FLAIR-DWI suppresses signals from free water, making the ADC measurement more sensitive to structural changes in the bone marrow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezoelectric materials are widely used in electromechanical energy conversion, such as in sensors, transducers, and self-powered materials. In this paper, the influence of the Sm doping content on the microstructure and ferroelectric, piezoelectric, dielectric, and field-induced strain properties of 0.70Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3)O 3 -0.30PbTiO 3 (PMN-PT) ceramics was investigated. Sm-doped PMN-PT ceramics with both high piezoelectric properties (d 33 ∼1406 pC/N) and a large electromechanical coupling coefficient (k p ∼0.69) were synthesized. Based on their piezoelectric effect, a maximum output voltage of 31 V was achieved under external forces. The output voltages showed satisfactory stability, repeatability, and sensitivity under periodic external forces; hence, Sm-doped PMN-PT piezoelectric ceramics are potential candidates for energy conversion and signal monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective * To examine the association of triglyceride-glucose index with cardiovascular disease (CVD) in participants without atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) risk factors. Methods * This study included 32 532 participants [64.01% male, mean age (48.26±12.89) years] who had no history of CVD and no ASCVD risk factors (including dyslipidemia, hypertension, smoking and diabetes) at baseline from Kailuan Study during 2006-2007. Participants were divided into 4 groups according to the quintiles of TyG index at baseline (Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4). TyG index was calculated as ln[triglyceride (mg/dL)×fasting blood glucose (mg/dL)/2]. The outcome was the first occurrence of CVD from baseline to the end of follow-up (December 31, 2019). Baseline characteristics were compared with one-way ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis test for continuous variables, and chi-square for categorized variables. Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were performed to evaluate the associations. Restricted cubic spline with 5 knots at the 5th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 95th percentile was used to explore the dose-response association between TyG index and incident CVD. A two-sided P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results * During a median follow-up of 12.97 (12.67, 13.17) years, we observed 1 324 incident CVD events (including 1 084 cases of stroke and 255 cases of myocardial infarction). Compared with participants in the Q1 group, the multivariable adjusted hazard ratios in the Q2, Q3 and Q4 group were 1.16 (95%CI 0.97-1.38), 1.29 (95%CI 1.08-1.53) and 1.60 (95%CI 1.35-1.90) for CVD, 1.12 (95%CI 0.93-1.36), 1.21 (95%CI 1.00-1.46) and 1.44 (95%CI 1.20-1.73) for stroke, and 1.32 (95%CI 0.84 - 2.06), 1.64 (95%CI 1.07 - 2.51) and 2.41 (95%CI 1.60 - 3.65) for myocardial infarction, respectively. Sensitivity analyses yielded similar results. Subgroup analysis showed that the association between TyG index and CVD was consistent across different gender populations, and there was no significant interaction between gender and TyG index in relation to the risk of CVD. Multivariable-adjusted spline regression model showed a J-shaped association between TyG index and the risk of CVD, stroke and myocardial infarction. Similar results were observed when stroke and myocardial infarction were the interest of outcomes. Conclusion * Among the individuals without traditional ASCVD risk factors, there is an increased risk of incident CVD with increasing TyG index level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and obesity are two serious public health problems. Although there have been some research on both, there have few studies on differences in obesity among MDD patients at different ages of onset. The study aims to evaluate the prevalence and factors associated with obesity in MDD patients at different ages of onset. This study totally recruited 1718 first-episode drug-naive MDD patients aged from 18 to 60 years. All subjects were divided into two subgroups: early adulthood onset (EAO, 18–45 years) and mid-adulthood onset (MAO, 45–60 years). Clinical symptoms of patients were evaluated using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) positive subscale. Baseline parameters including body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and hematological biochemical parameters were assessed to investigate the association between these parameters and weight gain risk. The percentages of overweight and obesity patients with MDD in EAO group were 54.4% and 4.1%, respectively, and the percentages of overweight and obesity patients with MDD in MAO group were 60.4% and 2.8%, respectively. MDD patients in the MAO group had a longer duration of illness and higher scores in HAMD, HAMA, and PANSS positive subscale. They also had higher levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroglobulin (TgAb), fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP) levels. BMI did not differ significantly between the two groups. In the EAO group, statistically significant differences were found among normal weight, overweight and obese group in duration of illness, age of onset, TSH, TgAb, thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb), free thyroxine (FT4), TC, triglycerides (TG), SBP and DBP. The TSH, TgTb and SBP were identified as risk factors for weight gain. In the MAO group, statistically significant differences were found among normal weight, overweight and obese group in TSH and FBG. The two indicators were identified as risk factors for weight gain. There were no significant differences in the weight of MDD patients at different ages of onset, while the factors that could potentially lead to obesity did show some differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungal keratitis (FK) is a refractory keratitis caused by excessive inflammation and fungal damage. Excessive inflammation can lead to tissue damage and corneal opacity, resulting in a poor prognosis for FK. Oxymatrine (OMT) is a natural alkaloid, which has rich pharmacological effects, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammation. However, its antifungal activity and the mechanism of action in FK have not been elucidated. This study confirmed that OMT suppressed Aspergillus fumigatus growth, biofilm formation, the integrity of fungal cell and conidial adherence. OMT not only effectively reduced corneal fungal load but also inflammation responses. OMT lessened the recruitment of neutrophils and macrophages in FK. In addition, OMT up-regulated the expression of Nrf2 and down-regulated the expression of IL-18, IL-1β, caspase-1, NLRP3 and GSDMD. Pre-treatment with Nrf2 inhibitor up-regulated the expression of IL-1β, IL-18, caspase-1, NLRP3 and GSDMD supressed by OMT. In conclusion, OMT has efficient anti-inflammatory and antifungal effects by suppressing fungal activity and restricting pyroptosis via Nrf2 pathway. OMT is considered as a potential option for the treatment of FK. • Oxymatrine alleviated the severity of mouse fungal keratitis. • Oxymatrine exerted antifungal effects to suppress A. fumigatus growth. • Oxymatrine lessened infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages in mouse fungal keratitis. • Oxymatrine suppressed the excessive inflammatory response by inhibiting pyroptosis via Nrf2 pathway during fungal infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the association of baseline and long-term mean hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) with the risk of stroke. A total of 11,220 participants aged over 45 years and without stroke at baseline were enrolled from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Mean HbA1c was calculated as the mean of HbA1c at all previous visits before stroke occurred or the end of follow-up. Multivariable-adjusted Cox regressions and Bayesian network were used for the analysis. During a median follow-up of 7.50 years, a total of 626 cases of stroke occurred. The risk of stroke increased with quintiles of baseline and mean HbA1c, the hazard ratio (HR) in Q5 versus Q1 was 1.30 (95 % confidence interval [CI],1.03–1.64) and 1.79 (95 % CI, 1.38–2.34), respectively. Per 1 unit increase in baseline and mean HbA1c was associated with 10 % (HR, 1.10; 95 % CI, 1.02–1.18) an 12 % (HR, 1.12; 95 % CI, 1.05–1.19) higher risk of stroke. Bayesian network analysis showed that the pathway from HbA1c to stroke was through hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, and inflammation. Elevated levels of both baseline and long-term HbA1c were associated with increased risk of stroke, and hypertension and obesity played an important role in the pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT)-based fluorophores with two-photon excitation fluorescence (TPEF) are rare. Our aim with this research was to develop ESIPT-based fluorophores exhibiting TPEF. Herein, we used 4-hydroxyisoindoline-1,3-dione as a scaffold to develop a two-photon fluorescent probe BHID-Bpin, for the detection of peroxynitrite (ONOO−). BHID-Bpin exhibits excellent selectivity, sensitivity, and fast response towards ONOO− in PBS buffer solution (10 mM, pH = 7.40). Additionally, BHID-Bpin displays high photo-stability under two-photon irradiation at 750 nm. Furthermore, the probe can image endogenous ONOO− in HeLa cells and exogenous ONOO− in rat hippocampal slices at a depth of 110 μm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a photoelectron imaging study of three glyoxal derivatives: the ethylenedione anion (OCCO-), ethynediolide (HOCCO-), and glyoxalide (OHCCO-). These anions provide access to the corresponding neutral reactive intermediates: the OCCO diradical and the HOCCO and OHCCO radicals. Contrasting the straightforward deprotonation pathway in the reaction of O- with glyoxal (OHCCHO), which is expected to yield glyoxalide (OHCCO-), OHCCO- is shown to be a minor product, with HOCCO- being the dominant observed isomer of the m/z = 57 anion. In the HOCCO/OHCCO anion photoelectron spectrum, we identify several electronic states of this radical system and determine the adiabatic electron affinity of HOCCO as 1.763(6) eV. This result is compared to the corresponding 1.936(8) eV value for ethylenedione (OCCO), reported in our recent study of this transient diradical [A. R. Dixon, T. Xue, and A. Sanov, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 54, 8764--8767 (2015)]. Based on the comparison of the HOCCO-/OHCCO- and OCCO- photoelectron spectra, we discuss the contrasting effects of the hydrogen connected to the carbon framework or the terminal oxygen in OCCO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Triglyceride glucose (TyG) index and its related parameters have been introduced as cost-effective surrogate indicators of insulin resistance, while prospective evidence of their effects on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remained scattered and inconsistent. We aimed to evaluate the association of TyG and its related parameters with new-onset ASCVD, and the predictive capacity were further compared. Method: A total of 95,342 ASCVD-free participants were enrolled from the Kailuan study. TyG and its related parameters were defined by fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, body mass index (BMI), waist circumstance (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). The primary outcome was incident ASCVD, comprising myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemic stroke (IS). Cox proportional hazard models and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analyses were adopted to investigate the association between each index and ASCVD. The C-index, integrated discrimination improvement (IDI), and net reclassification improvement (NRI) were used for comparison of their predictive value for ASCVD. Results: During a median follow-up of 15.0 years, 8,031 new cases of ASCVD were identified. The incidence rate of ASCVD increased along with elevated levels of each index, and the relationships were found to be nonlinear in the RCS analyses. The hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for ASCVD was 1.39 (1.35, 1.43), 1.46 (1.41, 1.50), 1.50 (1.46, 1.55), and 1.52 (1.48, 1.57) per 1 IQR increase of baseline TyG, TyG-BMI, TyG-WC, and TyG-WHtR, respectively, and the association were more pronounced for females and younger individuals aged < 60 years (Pfor interaction<0.05). Using the updated mean or time-varying measurements instead of baseline indicators did not significantly alter the primary findings. Additionally, TyG-WC and TyG-WHtR showed better performance in predicting risk of ASCVD than TyG, with the IDI (95% CI) of 0.004 (0.001, 0.004) and 0.004 (0.001, 0.004) and the category-free NRI (95% CI) of 0.120 (0.025, 0.138) and 0.143 (0.032, 0.166), respectively. Similar findings were observed for MI and IS. Conclusions: Both the TyG index and its related parameters were significantly and positively associated with ASCVD. TyG-WC and TyG-WHtR had better performance in predicting incident ASCVD than TyG, which might be more suitable indices for risk stratification and enhance the primary prevention of ASCVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Methods Results Conclusion Although the advantages of postoperative braces have been verified in many fields, it is not clear whether postoperative braces can help reduce patients' adverse psychological emotions such as kinesiophobia, anxiety, and depression. This study aims to analyze whether the use of a postoperative brace helps reduce adverse psychological emotions in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients undergoing spinal deformity surgeries.All consecutive patients who underwent spinal corrective surgeries at our institution between April 2023 and July 2023 formed the prospective cohort. Outcome measures were collected in the preoperative period, 3 months after surgery, and 6 months after surgery. All patients were assessed using the Tampa scale for kinesiophobia (TSK), the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS), and the numerical rating scale (NRS). A statistical model of propensity score matching was used to eliminate potential selection bias and maintain comparability. Multivariate linear regression models were used to determine the relationship between postoperative brace and adverse psychological emotions.After propensity score matching, this study ultimately enrolled 150 patients. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of demographic and perioperative variables. The fully adjusted model showed that the TSK scores of the non‐brace group at the 3‐month (ꞵ = 2.50, 95% CI 0.80–4.20, p = 0.005) and 6‐month follow‐up (ꞵ = 2.75, 95% CI 0.75–4.74, p = 0.007) were significantly higher than those of the brace group. The HADS score of the non‐brace group at the 3‐month follow‐up was significantly higher than that of the brace group (ꞵ = 1.75, 95% CI 0.28–3.22, p = 0.019). The NRS score of the non‐brace group at the 3‐month follow‐up was significantly higher than that of the brace group (ꞵ = 0.69, 95% CI 0.05–1.33, p = 0.034). At the 6‐month follow‐up, there were no significant difference for HADS score or NRS score between the two groups.In the early postoperative period, the postoperative brace could provide AIS patients with psychological supports and help them reduce the frequency of adverse psychological emotions. The postoperative brace could continuously improve the fear of movement within 6 months after surgery, and help reduce anxiety, depression, and pain within 3 months after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]