Ionic Liquids Functionalized MOFs for Adsorption.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and ionic liquids (ILs) represent promising materials for adsorption separation. ILs incorporated into MOF materials (denoted as IL/MOF composites) have been developed, and IL/MOF composites combine the advantages of MOFs and ILs to achieve enhanced performance in the adsorption-based separation of fluid mixtures. The designed different ILs are introduced into the various MOFs to tailor their functional properties, which affect the optimal adsorptive separation performance. In this Perspective, the rational fabrication of IL/MOF composites is presented, and their functional properties are demonstrated. This paper provides a critical overview of an emergent class of materials termed IL/MOF composites as well as the recent advances in the applications of IL/MOF composites as adsorbents or membranes in fluid separation. Furthermore, the applications of IL/MOF in adsorptive gas separations (CO2 capture from flue gas, natural gas purification, separation of acetylene and ethylene, indoor pollutants removal) and liquid separations (separation of bioactive components, organic-contaminant removal, adsorptive desulfurization, radionuclide removal) are discussed. Finally, the existing challenges of IL/MOF are highlighted, and an appropriate design strategy direction for the effective exploration of new IL/MOF adsorptive materials is proposed.

Association of Childhood Adversity With Frailty and the Mediating Role of Unhealthy Lifestyle: A Lifespan Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Childhood adversity and lifestyle have been associated with frailty in later life, but not much is known about factors that may explain these associations. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the association of childhood adversity with frailty, and the mediating role of unhealthy lifestyle in the association. METHODS: This lifespan analysis included 152,914 adults aged 40-69 years old from the UK Biobank. We measured childhood adversity with five items: physical neglect, emotional neglect, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and emotional abuse through online mental health survey. Frailty was measured by the frailty index; an unhealthy lifestyle score (range: 0-5) was calculated based on unhealthy body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and unhealthy diet at the baseline survey. Multiple logistic regression and mediation analysis were performed. RESULTS: A total of 10,078 participants (6.6%) were defined as having frailty. Participants with any childhood adversity had higher odds of frailty. For example, in the fully adjusted model, with a one-point increase in cumulative score of childhood adversity, the odds of frailty increased by 38% (odds ratio: 1.38; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.36, 1.40). Unhealthy lifestyle partially mediated the associations of childhood adversity with frailty (mediation proportion: 4.4%-7.0%). The mediation proportions were largest for physical (8.2%) and sexual (8.1%) abuse. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood adversity was positively associated with frailty, and unhealthy lifestyle partially mediated the association. This newly identified pathway highlights the potential of lifestyle intervention strategies among those who experienced childhood adversity (in particular, physical, and sexual abuse) to promote healthy aging.

Temperature dependence of carbon metabolism in the leaves in sun and shade in a subtropical forest.

Rising temperatures pose a threat to the stability of climate regulation by carbon metabolism in subtropical forests. Although the effects of temperature on leaf carbon metabolism traits in sun-exposed leaves are well understood, there is limited knowledge about its impacts on shade leaves and the implications for ecosystem-climate feedbacks. In this study, we measured temperature response curves of photosynthesis and respiration for 62 woody species in summer (including both evergreen and deciduous species) and 20 evergreen species in winter. The aim was to uncover the temperature dependence of carbon metabolism in both sun and shade leaves in subtropical forests. Our findings reveal that shade had no significant effects on the mean optimum photosynthetic temperatures (TOpt) or temperature range (T90). However, there were decreases observed in mean stomatal conductance, mean area-based photosynthetic rates at TOpt and 25 °C, as well as mean area-based dark respiration rates at 25 °C in both evergreen and deciduous species. Moreover, the respiration-temperature sensitivity (Q10) of sun leaves was higher than that of shade leaves in winter, with the reverse being true in summer. Leaf economics spectrum traits, such as leaf mass per area, and leaf concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus across species, proved to be good predictors of TOpt, T90, mass-based photosynthetic rate at TOpt, and mass-based photosynthetic and respiration rate at 25 °C. However, Q10 was poorly predicted by these leaf economics spectrum traits except for shade leaves in winter. Our results suggest that model estimates of carbon metabolism in multilayered subtropical forest canopies do not necessitate independent parameterization of T90 and TOpt temperature responses in sun and shade leaves. Nevertheless, a deeper understanding and quantification of canopy variations in Q10 responses to temperature are necessary to confirm the generality of temperature-carbon metabolism trait responses and enhance ecosystem model estimates of carbon dynamics under future climate warming.

Impact of resistance exercise on patients with chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become an increasingly important public health disease with a high incidence rate and mortality. Although several studies have explored the effectiveness of resistance exercise in improving the prognosis of CKD patients, the number of studies is still limited and the results are still controversial. OBJECTIVES: We conducted this meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCT) studies to evaluate the effectiveness of resistance exercise on CKD patients. METHODS: The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from the inception date to October 2023. The meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate 12 main indicators, including glomerular filtration rate (GFR)(ml/(min•1.73m2)), C-reactive protein (CRP) (mg/L), serum creatinine (mg/dL), hemoglobin (g/dL), Glycosylated Hemoglobin, Type A1C (HBA1c) (%), high Density Lipoprotein (HDL) (mg/dL), low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) (mg/dL), 6-min walk(m), body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2), fat-free mass (kg), fat mass (kg), grip strength (kgf). RESULTS: Sixteen RCT studies were included in this meta-analysis from 875 records. GFR exhibited no significant change in CKD patients treated with resistance exercise (WMD 1.82; 95%CI -0.59 to 4.23; P = 0.139). However, 6-min walk (WMD 89.93; 95%CI 50.12 to 129.74; P = 0.000), fat-free mass (WMD 6.53; 95%CI 1.14 to 11.93; P = 0.018) and grip strength (WMD 3.97; 95%CI 1.89 to 6.05; P = 0.000) were significantly improved with resistance exercise. The level of CRP (WMD - 2.46; 95%CI -4.21 to -0.72; P = 0.006) and HBA1c (WMD - 0.46; 95%CI -0.63 to -0.29; P = 0.000) dropped significantly after resistance exercise treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Resistance exercise can improve physical function, metabolic condition, inflammatory response and cardiopulmonary function in CKD patients, specifically reflected in the increase of indicators fat-free mass, grip strength, 6-min walk, as well as the decrease of indicators HBA1c and CRP.

Hydrogel Encapsulated Core-Shell Photonic Barcodes for Multiplex Biomarker Quantification.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the most fatal diseases in the world in recent decades. Because rapid and accurate determination of AMI has the potential to save millions of lives globally, the development of new diagnostic method is of great significance. Here, we designed a magnetic responsive structural color core-shell hydrogel microcarrier as a novel platform for a high-throughput detection of a variety of cardiovascular biomarkers. The composite hydrogel shell was formed from methacrylated gelatin, acrylic acid, and poly(ethylene glycol diacrylate), and the core silica photonic crystals acted as a detector. Fe3O4 nanoparticles were infused into the void of the core-shell structure to impart magnetic response properties to the encoded carrier. The findings indicated that our method possessed high sensitivity and reliable specificity in the high-throughput detection of AMI-related biomarkers Myo, cTnI, and BNP. In addition, the developed method not only showed good specificity and high sensitivity in clinical samples but also was comparable to the clinical gold standard method. Therefore, the magnetic response structural color core-shell hydrogel carriers were regarded as a potential approach to detect some AMI disease-related biomarkers.

Association of frailty with the incidence risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus in long-term cancer survivors: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Comorbidities among cancer survivors remain a serious healthcare burden and require appropriate management. Using two widely used frailty indicators, this study aimed to evaluate whether frailty was associated with the incidence risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among long-term cancer survivors. METHODS: We included 13,388 long-term cancer survivors (diagnosed with cancer over 5 years before enrolment) free of CVD and 6101 long-term cancer survivors free of T2DM, at the time of recruitment (aged 40-69 years), from the UK Biobank. Frailty was assessed by the frailty phenotype (FP_Frailty, range: 0-5) and the frailty index (FI_Frailty, range: 0-1) at baseline. The incident CVD and T2DM were ascertained through linked hospital data and primary care data, respectively. The associations were examined using Cox proportional hazards regression models. RESULTS: Compared with non-frail participants, those with pre-frailty (FP_Frailty [met 1-2 of the components]: hazard ratio [HR]=1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05, 1.32; FI_Frailty [0.10< FI ≤0.21]: HR=1.51, 95% CI: 1.32, 1.74) and frailty (FP_Frailty [met ≥3 of the components]: HR=2.12, 95% CI: 1.73, 2.60; FI_Frailty [FI >0.21]: HR=2.19, 95% CI: 1.85, 2.59) had a significantly higher risk of CVD in the multivariable-adjusted model. A similar association of FI_Frailty with the risk of incident T2DM was observed. We failed to find such an association for FP_Frailty. Notably, the very early stage of frailty (1 for FP_Frailty and 0.1-0.2 for FI_Frailty) was also positively associated with the risk of CVD and T2DM (FI_Frailty only). A series of sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the findings. CONCLUSIONS: Frailty, even in the very early stage, was positively associated with the incidence risk of CVD and T2DM among long-term cancer survivors, although discrepancies existed between frailty indicators. While the validation of these findings is required, they suggest that routine monitoring, prevention, and interventive programs of frailty among cancer survivors may help to prevent late comorbidities and, eventually, improve their quality of life. Especially, interventions are recommended to target those at an early stage of frailty when healthcare resources are limited.

Cancer functional states-based molecular subtypes of gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of gastric cancer remains a challenge. METHODS: We divided gastric cancer into three subtypes based on 14 cancer functional states. We investigated differences between subtypes through multi-omics data, especially at the single-cell level, which allowed us to analyze differences from the perspective of each type of cell rather than the whole. RESULTS: The cluster 1 is characterized by high levels of tumor progression-related cancer functional status, worst survival outcomes, low metabolic level, high infiltration of immunosuppressive cells, high copy number variations (CNV), and low tumor mutational burden (TMB). The cluster 2 is characterized by low levels of tumor progression-related cancer functional status, favorable prognosis, moderate metabolic level, low immune cell infiltration, high CNV, and moderate TMB. Then, the cluster 3 is characterized by the high level of all cancer functional status, high metabolic level, low CNV, high TMB, high infiltration of immune cells with high cytotoxicity, and better response to immunotherapy. We also established a prognostic model based on cancer functional status and validated its robustness. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, our study identified gastric cancer subtypes and provided new insights into the clinical treatment of gastric cancer.

2-DG Re-Normalized IFN-γ Production in T Cells Excluding TEMRA Cells from Patients with Aplastic Anemia.

Aplastic anemia (AA) is a T cell immune mediated autoimmune disease in which cytokines, particularly IFN-γ are pathogenesis factors. Glucose metabolism is closely related to effector functions of activated T cells, such as IFN-γ production. The characteristics of glucose metabolism and whether interfering with glucose metabolism could affect T cells produce IFN-γ ability in AA patients remains unknown. In this study, we examined the characteristics of glucose metabolism in T cells from AA patients and the effects of the glucose metabolism inhibitor 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) on the ability of T cell production IFN-γ. Our data demonstrated abnormal glucose metabolism in stimulated T cells from AA patients, mainly reflected by increased glucose uptake and lactate secretion. In addition, EM and TEMRA cells exhibit higher glucose uptake in patients with AA compared with healthy individuals. Moreover, the frequency of IFN-γ+ was reduced by 2-DG in T cell from AA patients. Unexpectedly, 2-DG re-normalized the frequency of IFN-γ+ in other T cell subsets, except for in the TEMRA. In conclusion, our study reveals for the first time the existence of enhanced aerobic glycolysis in T cells from AA patients, and different T cell subsets exhibit different extent glucose uptake requirements. Aerobic glycolysis regulation may be a potential therapeutic strategy for aberrant T cell immunity. Moreover, TEMRA may have specific metabolic abnormalities, which should receive more attention in future targeted immune metabolism research.

The allocation of anatomical traits determines the trade-off between fine root resource acquisition-transport function.

Cortex radius (CR) and stele radius (SR) are important functional traits associated with the nutrient acquisition and transport functions of fine roots, respectively. However, for developmental and anatomical reasons, the resource acquisition-transport relationship of fine roots is expected to be different for different root orders. To address this issue, critical fine root anatomical traits were examined for the first three orders of roots of 59 subtropical woody plants. Designating the most distal fine roots as order one, SR scaled isometrically with respect to root radius (RR) (i.e., SR ∝ RR1.0) in the three root orders, whereas CR scaled allometrically with respect to RR (i.e., CR ∝ RR>1.0) with the numerical values of scaling exponents increasing significantly with increasing root orders thereby indicating a disproportional increase in CR with increasing root orders. There were also differences between normalized root tissue (CR/RR and SR/RR) and RR in different root orders. A negative isometric relationship (i.e., SR/RR ∝ RR-1.0) existed between SR/RR and RR in three order roots, whereas the allometric exponent between CR/RR and RR increased with root order (from 0.88 to 1.55). Collectively, the data indicate that root anatomical and functional traits change as a function of RR and that these changes need to be considered when modeling fine root resource acquisition-transport functions.

Fatigue reliability analysis of aeroengine blade-disc systems using physics-informed ensemble learning.

For the fatigue reliability analysis of aeroengine blade-disc systems, the traditional direct integral modelling methods or separate independent modelling methods will lead to low computational efficiency or accuracy. In this work, a physics-informed ensemble learning (PIEL) method is proposed, i.e. firstly, based on the physical characteristics of blade-disc systems, the complex multi-component reliability analysis is split into a series of single-component reliability analyses; moreover, the PIEL model is established by introducing the mapping of multiple constitutive responses and the multi-material physical characteristics into the ensemble learning; finally, the PIEL-based system reliability framework is established by quantifying the failure correlation with the Copula function. The reliability analysis of a typical aeroengine high-pressure turbine blade-disc system is regarded as an example to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Compared with the direct Monte Carlo, support vector regression, neural network, ensemble learning and physics-informed neural network, the proposed method exhibits the highest computing accuracy and efficiency, and is validated to be an efficient method for the reliability analysis of blade-disc systems. The current work can provide a novel insight for physics-informed modelling and fatigue reliability analyses. This article is part of the theme issue 'Physics-informed machine learning and its structural integrity applications (Part 1)'.