Establishment of Cephalic Index by Computed Tomography in Sampled Chinese Children.

OBJECTIVE: Cephalic Index (CI), the ratio of head width to length, is one of the indexes reflecting cranial morphological characteristics. Current norms were established by European and American countries. The purpose of the study was to study anthropometry of cranial parameters using computed tomography scans to establish the CI of the sampled Chinese Children. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was carried out on patients of age younger than 14 years old at Shanghai Children's Medical Center. The measurement of maximum cranial breadth and maximum cranial length were taken on a computed tomography scan machine and recorded for analysis. Cephalic Index was calculated for each age and sex group and compared with previously established norms. RESULTS: Five hundred eighteen patients met the inclusion criteria, including 301 males and 217 females. The means for boys and girls were 87.1 (SD: 4.3) and 85.8 (SD: 4.3), respectively. There was a significant difference between boys and girls (P < 0.01). Cephalic Index in different ages and on applying the 1-way analysis of variance association was statistically insignificant (P = 0.19). CONCLUSIONS: Chinese head shape was brachycephalic. A statistically significant correlation was seen between the CI and sex, while not age.

Insight into the regulatory mechanism of ß-arrestin2 and its emerging role in diseases.

ß-arrestin2, a member of the arrestin family, mediates the desensitization and internalization of most G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and functions as a scaffold protein in signalling pathways. Previous studies have demonstrated that ß-arrestin2 expression is dysregulated in malignant tumours, fibrotic diseases, cardiovascular diseases and metabolic diseases, suggesting its pathological roles. Transcription and post-transcriptional modifications can affect the expression of ß-arrestin2. Furthermore, post-translational modifications, such as phosphorylation, ubiquitination, SUMOylation and S-nitrosylation affect the cellular localization of ß-arrestin2 and its interaction with downstream signalling molecules, which further regulate the activity of ß-arrestin2. This review summarizes the structure and function of ß-arrestin2 and reveals the mechanisms involved in the regulation of ß-arrestin2 at multiple levels. Additionally, recent studies on the role of ß-arrestin2 in some major diseases and its therapeutic prospects have been discussed to provide a reference for the development of drugs targeting ß-arrestin2.

Single-molecule detection of SARS-CoV-2 N protein on multilayered plasmonic nanotraps with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has had an unprecedented impact, both by posing a serious risk to human health and by amplifying the burden on the global economy. The rapid identification of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been crucial to preventing and controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infections. In this study, we propose a multilayered plasmonic nanotrap (MPNT) device for the rapid identification of single particles of SARS-CoV-2 virus in ultra-high sensitivity by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The MPNT device is composed of arrays of concentric cylindrical cavities with Ag/SiO2/Ag multilayers deposited on the top and at the bottom. By varying the diameter of the cylinders and the thickness of the multilayers, the resonant optical absorption and local electric field were optimized. The SERS enhancement factors of the proposed device are of the order of 108, which enable the rapid identification of SARS-CoV-2 N protein in concentrations as low as 1.25 × 10-15－12.5 × 10-15 g mL-1 within 1 min. The developed MPNT SERS device provides a label-free and rapid detection platform for SARS-CoV-2 virus. The general nature of the device makes it equally suitable to detect other infectious viruses.

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein predicts microalbuminuria progression in essential hypertensive patients: a 3-year follow-up study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the independent effect of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and the combined effects of hs-CRP and other traditional risk factors on microalbuminuria in hypertensive patients during the 3-year follow-up period. METHODS AND RESULTS: Baseline hs-CRP levels and other risk factors were measured in 280 adults in 2007. In the third year of examination, 199 patients (mean age 62.5 ±â€…9.5, men 59.3%) were approached for the measurement of microalbuminuria. The subjects were classified into two groups by the median of baseline hs-CRP. Compared to the patients with baseline hs-CRP below the median group (n = 99, 50%), the group with baseline hs-CRP above the median (n = 100, 50%) had higher urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) (P = 0.007) at the end of follow-up period. ACR at the end of follow-up period was significantly correlated with baseline diabetes (ß = 0.342; P < 0.001), baseline SBP (ß = 0.148; P = 0.02), and baseline log-transformed hs-CRP (ß = 0.169; P = 0.01), while adversely correlated with baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (ß = -0.163; P = 0.02) in multivariate stepwise linear analysis. In addition, ACR change during follow-up period was significantly correlated with baseline diabetes (ß = 0.359; P < 0.001) and baseline log-transformed hs-CRP (ß = 0.190; P = 0.004) in multivariate stepwise linear analysis. The combined effects of baseline hs-CRP and conventional risk factors, such as male sex, diabetes, smoking status, hyperlipidemia, hyperuricemia, and mildly reduced eGFR had a greater risk for microalbuminuria progression. There was no difference in eGFR changes during the follow-up period between two groups. CONCLUSION: Our findings offer a new piece of evidence on the predictive value of baseline hs-CRP for microalbuminuria progression in essential hypertensive patients, and highlight those who combined with traditional cardiovascular risk factors had a greater risk for developing microalbuminuria.

Complete genome sequence of Kushneria phosphatilytica YCWA18T reveals the P-solubilizing activity of the genus Kushneria.

Kushneria phosphatilytica YCWA18T (= CGMCC 1.9149T = NCCB 100306T) was isolated from sediment collected in a saltern on the eastern coast of Yellow Sea in China. The genome was sequenced and comprised of one circular chromosome with the size of 3,624,619 bp and DNA G + C content of 59.13%. A total of 3267 protein-coding genes, 64 tRNA genes and 12 rRNA genes were obtained. Genomic annotation indicated that the genome of K. phosphatilytica YCWA18T had 34 genes involved in phosphorus (P) solubilization/metabolism, e.g., gdh, pqq, phoA, phoD and phoX, which products can convert insoluble P-containing compounds to more bio-available dissolved inorganic P. Comparative genomic analysis of Kushneria strains revealed that gdh, pqq, phoA, phoD and phoX were widely distributed in these strains, indicating the genus Kushneria may play an important role in the P cycle. Additionally, a multitude of salt tolerance genes were detected in the genome of K. phosphatilytica YCWA18T. This study and the genome sequence data will be available for further research and will provide insights into potential biotechnological and agricultural applications of Kushneria strains.

[Corrigendum] Succinate promotes skeletal muscle protein synthesis via Erk1/2 signaling pathway.

Following the publication of the above article, the authors realized that, in Fig. 1D on p. 7363, the data panel selected for the '0.5 mM Succinate' group was duplicated in Fig. 1B (Control) in another article of theirs published in FASEB J ("α­Ketoglutarate prevents skeletal muscle protein degradation and muscle atrophy through PHD3/ADRB2 pathway": doi: 10.1096/fj.201700670R) due to the fact that they had inadvertently confused the layout of the two figures. The authors apologize for this error. Secondly, in terms of the quantification of the blots shown in Fig. 2A, ß­actin was not in fact used as a loading control; the phosphoproteins were normalized against the levels of the relative total protein, and the layout of Fig. 2A has been revised to reflect this (note that the the figure legend for Fig. 2 has also been revised: The last sentence no longer reads, "ß­actin was used as a loading control."). The revised versions of Figs. 1 and 2 are shown on the next page. Note that these errors did not affect the results or the main conclusions reported in the study, and no corrections were required either to the descriptions in the text or to the histograms shown in these figures. All the authors approve of the publication of this corrigendum, and the authors are grateful to the Editor of Molecular Medicine Reports for allowing them the opportunity to publish this. The authors regret their oversight in allowing these errors to be included in the paper, and apologize to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [Molecular Medicine Reports 16: 7361­7366, 2017; DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2017.7554].

Effects of Tryptophan Supplementation in Diets with Different Protein Levels on the Production Performance of Broilers.

Tryptophan plays an important role in the pig industry but has the potential to improve performance in the poultry industry. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of tryptophan supplementation in diets with different protein levels on the feed intake, average daily gain (ADG), and feed conversion ratio (F/G) of broilers. A total of 180 twenty-one-day-old broilers (half male and half female) were weighed and randomly allocated to twelve groups, with six male and six female groups. Each group consisted of 15 broilers. The broilers were fed low- (17.2%), medium- (19.2%), or high- (21.2%) protein diets with or without extra tryptophan (up to 0.25%) during the 28-day experiment. Food intake and body weight were measured weekly during the trial period. Male broilers fed a medium-protein diet containing more tryptophan showed a lower F/G. In the low-protein diet groups, additional tryptophan caused a significant reduction in the feed intake of female broilers during the first two weeks. Moreover, the serum GLP-1, cholesterol, and bile acid levels, as well as the expression of FXR mRNA in the ileum, were significantly increased. Additionally, the FXR mRNA in the hypothalamus and the GCG and GLP-1R mRNAs in the ileum tended to increase in these broilers. In summary, the tryptophan concentration in the diet can influence the feed intake and metabolism of broilers. Under a standard diet, an appropriate amount of tryptophan is beneficial to the F/G of male broilers, while under a low-protein diet, tryptophan supplementation may cause a short-term reduction in the feed intake of female broilers by increasing serum GLP-1 and bile acid signals.

Targeting OXCT1-mediated ketone metabolism reprograms macrophages to promote antitumor immunity via CD8+ T cells in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The liver is the main organ of ketogenesis, while ketones are mainly metabolized in peripheral tissues via the critical enzyme 3-oxoacid CoA-transferase 1 (OXCT1). We previously found that ketolysis is reactivated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells through OXCT1 expression to promote tumor progression; however, whether OXCT1 regulates antitumor immunity remains unclear. METHODS: To investigate the expression pattern of OXCT1 in HCC in vivo, we conducted multiplex immunohistochemistry experiments on human HCC specimens. To explore the role of OXCT1 in mouse HCC tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), we generated LysMcreOXCT1f/f (OXCT1 conditional knockout in macrophages) mice. RESULTS: Here, we found that inhibiting OXCT1 expression in tumor-associated macrophages reduced CD8+ T-cell exhaustion through the succinate-H3K4me3-Arg1 axis. Initially, we found that OXCT1 was highly expressed in liver macrophages under steady state and that OXCT expression was further increased in TAMs. OXCT1 deficiency in macrophages suppressed tumor growth by reprogramming TAMs toward an antitumor phenotype, reducing CD8+ T-cell exhaustion and increasing CD8+ T-cell cytotoxicity. Mechanistically, high OXCT1 expression induced the accumulation of succinate, a byproduct of ketolysis, in TAMs, which promoted Arg1 transcription by increasing the H3K4me3 level in the Arg1 promoter. In addition, pimozide, an inhibitor of OXCT1, suppressed Arg1 expression as well as TAM polarization toward the protumor phenotype, leading to decreased CD8+ T-cell exhaustion and slower tumor growth. Finally, high expression of OXCT1 in macrophages was positively associated with poor survival in patients with HCC. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our results demonstrate that OXCT1 epigenetically suppresses antitumor immunity, suggesting that suppressing OXCT1 activity in TAMs could be an effective approach for treating liver cancer. IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS: The intricate metabolism of liver macrophages plays a critical role in shaping hepatocellular carcinoma progression and immune modulation. Targeting macrophage metabolism to counteract immune suppression presents a promising avenue for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment. Herein, we found that the ketogenesis gene OXCT1 was highly expressed in tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and promoted tumor growth by reprogramming TAMs toward a protumor phenotype. Pharmacological targeting or genetic downregulation of OXCT1 in TAMs enhances antitumor immunity and slows tumor growth. Our results suggest that suppressing OXCT1 activity in TAMs could be an effective approach for treating liver cancer.

Adaptive two-stage seamless sequential design for clinical trials.

We propose an adaptive sequential testing procedure for the selection and testing of multiple treatment options, such as dose/regimen, different drugs, sub-populations, endpoints, or a mixture of them in a seamlessly combined phase II/III trial. The selection is to be made at the end of phase 2 stage. Unlike in many of the published literature, the selection rule is not required to be to "select the best", and does not need to be pre-specified, which provides flexibility and allows the trial investigators to use any efficacy and safety information/criteria, or surrogate or intermediate endpoint to make the selection. Sample size and power calculations are provided. The calculations have been confirmed to be accurate by simulations. Interim analysis can be performed after the selection, sample size can be modified if the observed efficacy deviates from the assumed. Inference after the trial, including p-value, median unbiased point estimate and confidence intervals, are provided. By applying a dominance theorem, the procedure can be applied to normal, binary, Poisson, negative binomial distributed endpoints and time-to-event endpoints, and a mixture of these distributions (in trials involving endpoint selection).

A systematic approach to adaptive sequential design for clinical trials: using simulations to select a design with desired operating characteristics.

The failure rates of phase 3 trials are high. Incorrect sample size due to uncertainty of effect size could be a critical contributing factor. Adaptive sequential design (ASD), which may include one or more sample size re-estimations (SSR), has been a popular approach for dealing with such uncertainties. The operating characteristics (OCs) of ASD, including the unconditional power and mean sample size, can be substantially affected by many factors, including the planned sample size, the interim analysis schedule and choice of critical boundaries and rules for interim analysis. We propose a systematic, comprehensive strategy which uses iterative simulations to investigate the operating characteristics of adaptive designs and help achieve adequate unconditional power and cost-effective mean sample size if the effect size is in a pre-identified range.

Microbiota-derived 3-phenylpropionic acid promotes myotube hypertrophy by Foxo3/NAD+ signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Gut microbiota and their metabolites play a regulatory role in skeletal muscle growth and development, which be known as gut-muscle axis. 3-phenylpropionic acid (3-PPA), a metabolite produced by colonic microorganisms from phenylalanine in the gut, presents in large quantities in the blood circulation. But few study revealed its function in skeletal muscle development. RESULTS: Here, we demonstrated the beneficial effects of 3-PPA on muscle mass increase and myotubes hypertrophy both in vivo and vitro. Further, we discovered the 3-PPA effectively inhibited protein degradation and promoted protein acetylation in C2C12 and chick embryo primary skeletal muscle myotubes. Mechanistically, we supported that 3-PPA reduced NAD+ synthesis and subsequently suppressed tricarboxylic acid cycle and the mRNA expression of SIRT1/3, thus promoting the acetylation of total protein and Foxo3. Moreover, 3-PPA may inhibit Foxo3 activity by directly binding. CONCLUSIONS: This study firstly revealed the effect of 3-PPA on skeletal muscle growth and development, and newly discovered the interaction between 3-PPA and Foxo3/NAD+ which mechanically promote myotubes hypertrophy. These results expand new understanding for the regulation of gut microbiota metabolites on skeletal muscle growth and development.

Integrating network pharmacology and experimental validation reveals therapeutic effects of D-mannose on NAFLD through mTOR suppression.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a chronic liver condition and metabolic disorder, has emerged as a significant health issue worldwide. D-mannose, a natural monosaccharide widely existing in plants and animals, has demonstrated metabolic regulatory properties. However, the effect and mechanism by which D-mannose may counteract NAFLD have not been studied. In this study, network pharmacology followed by molecular docking analysis was utilized to identify potential targets of mannose against NAFLD, and the leptin receptor-deficient, genetically obese db/db mice was employed as an animal model of NAFLD to validate the regulation of D-mannose on core targets. As a result, 67 targets of mannose are predicted associated with NAFLD, which are surprisingly centered on the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR). Further analyses suggest that mTOR signaling is functionally enriched in potential targets of mannose treating NAFLD, and that mannose putatively binds to mTOR as a core mechanism. Expectedly, repeated oral gavage of supraphysiological D-mannose ameliorates liver steatosis of db/db mice, which is based on suppression of hepatic mTOR signaling. Moreover, daily D-mannose administration reduced hepatic expression of lipogenic regulatory genes in counteracting NAFLD. Together, these findings reveal D-mannose as an effective and potential NAFLD therapeutic through mTOR suppression, which holds translational promise.

Exploring the release mechanism of micro/nanoplastics from different layers of masks in water: towards reduction of plastic contamination in masks.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a substantial quantity of disposable face masks was discarded, consisting of three layers of nonwoven fabric. However, their improper disposal led to the release of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) when they ended up in aquatic environments. To analyze the release kinetics and size characteristics of these masks, release experiments were performed on commercially available disposable masks over a period of 7 days and micro- and nanoplastic releases were detected using fiber counting and nanoparticle tracking analysis. The study's findings revealed that there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the quantity of MPs released among the layers of the masks. However, the quantity of NPs released from the middle layer of the mask was 25.9 ± 1.3 × 108 to 81.3 ± 5.3 × 108 particles/piece, significantly higher than the inner and outer layers (p < 0.05). The release process of micro/nanoplastics (M/NPs) from each layer of the mask followed the Elovich equation and the power function equation, indicating that the release was divided into two stages. MPs in the range of 1-500 µm and NPs in the range of 100-300 nm dominated the release from each layer of the mask, accounting for an average of 93.81% and 67.52%, respectively. Based on these findings, recommendations are proposed to reduce the release of M/NPs from masks during subsequent use.

Adaptive sequential design for phase II single-arm oncology trials: an expansion of Simon's design.

Single-arm phase II trials are very common in oncology. A fixed sample trial may lack sufficient power if the true efficacy is less than the assumed one. Adaptive designs have been proposed in the literature. We propose a Simon's design based, adaptive sequential design. Simon's design is the most used fixed sample design for single-arm phase II oncology trials. A prominent feature of Simon's design is that it minimizes the sample size when there is no clinically meaningful efficacy. We identify Simon's trial as a special group sequential design. Established methods for sample size re-estimation (SSR) can be readily applied to Simon's design. Simulations show that simply adding SSR to Simon's design may still not provide desirable power. We propose some expansions to Simon's design. The expanded design with SSR can provide even more power.

Key residues involved in the interaction between chlorpyrifos and a chemosensory protein in Rhopalosiphum padi: Implication for tracking chemical residues via insect olfactory proteins.

The development of advanced biosensors for tracking chemical residues and detecting environmental pollution is of great significance. Insect chemical sensory proteins, including chemosensory proteins (CSPs), are easy to synthesize and purify and have been used to design proteins for specific biosensor applications. Chlorpyrifos is one of the most commonly used chemicals for controlling insect pests in agriculture. This organophosphate is harmful to aquatic species and has long-term negative consequences for the ecosystem. CSPs can bind and carry a variety of environmental chemicals, including insecticides. However, the mechanism by which CSPs bind to insecticides in aphids has not been clarified. In this study, we discovered that RpCSP1 from Rhopalosiphum padi has a higher affinity for chlorpyrifos, with a Ki value of 4.763 ± 0.491 µM. Multispectral analysis revealed the physicochemical binding mechanism between RpCSP1 and chlorpyrifos. Computational simulation analysis demonstrated that the main factor promoting the development of the RpCSP1-chlorpyrifos complex is polar solvation energy. Four residues (Arg33, Glu94, Gln145, Lys153) were essential in facilitating the interaction between RpCSP1 and chlorpyrifos. Our research has improved knowledge of the relationship between CSPs and organophosphorus pesticides. This knowledge contributes to the advancement of biosensor chips for tracking chemical residues and detecting environmental pollution through the use of CSPs.

Integration of electronic nose, electronic tongue, and colorimeter in combination with chemometrics for monitoring the fermentation process of Tremella fuciformis.

This study proposes an efficient method for monitoring the submerged fermentation process of Tremella fuciformis (T. fuciformis) by integrating electronic nose (e-nose), electronic tongue (e-tongue), and colorimeter sensors using a data fusion strategy. Chemometrics was employed to establish qualitative identification and quantitative prediction models. The Pearson correlation analysis was applied to extract features from the e-nose and tongue sensor arrays. The optimal sensor arrays for monitoring the submerged fermentation process of T. fuciformis were obtained, and four different data fusion methods were developed by incorporating the colorimeter data features. To achieve qualitative identification, the physicochemical data and principal component analysis (PCA) results were utilized to determine three stages of the fermentation process. The fusion signal based on full features proved to be the optimal data fusion method, exhibiting the highest accuracy across different models. Notably, random forest (RF) was shown to be the most accurate pattern recognition method in this paper. For quantitative prediction, partial least squares regression (PLSR) and support vector regression (SVR) were employed to predict the sugar content and dry cell weight during fermentation. The best respective predictive R2 values for reducing sugar, tremella polysaccharide and dry cell weight were found to be 0.965, 0.988, and 0.970. Furthermore, due to its ability to capture nonlinear data relationships, SVR had superior performance in prediction modeling than PLSR. The results demonstrated that the combination of electronic sensor fusion signals and chemometrics provided a promising method for effectively monitoring T. fuciformis fermentation.

Rapid isolation of extracellular vesicles using covalent organic frameworks combined with microfluidic technique.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nano-sized lipid-membrane vesicles involved in intercellular communication and reflecting the physiological and pathological processes of their parental cells. Rapid isolation of EVs with low cost is an essential precondition for downstream function exploration and clinical applications. In this work, we designed a novel EVs isolation device based on the boronated organic framework (BOF) coated recyclable microfluidic chip (named EVs-BD) to separate EVs from cell culture media. Using a reactive oxygen species responsive phenylboronic ester compound, the highly porous BOF with a pore size in the range of 10-300 nm was prepared by crosslinking γ-cyclodextrin metal-organic frameworks. A mussel-inspired polydopamine (PDA)/polyethyleneimine (PEI) coating was employed to pattern BOF on the PDMS substrate of microfluidic channels. The EVs-BD was demonstrated to offer distinct advantages over the traditional ultracentrifugation method, such as operation simplicity and safety, reduced time and expense, and low expertize requirements. All things considered, a novel approach of EV acquisition has been successfully developed, which can be customized easily to meet the requirements of various EV-relevant research.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) reduces intestinal fatty acid uptake and chylomicron formation in HFD-fed mice associated with the inhibition of DHHC7-mediated CD36 palmitoylation and the downstream ERK pathway.

The anti-obesity effect of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been well elucidated, but whether CLA affects fat deposition by regulating intestinal dietary fat absorption remains largely unknown. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of CLA on intestinal fatty acid uptake and chylomicron formation and explore the possible underlying mechanisms. We found that CLA supplementation reduced the intestinal fat absorption in HFD (high fat diet)-fed mice accompanied by the decreased serum TG level, increased fecal lipids and decreased intestinal expression of ApoB48 and MTTP. Correspondingly, c9, t11-CLA, but not t10, c12-CLA induced the reduction of fatty acid uptake and TG content in PA (palmitic acid)-treated MODE-K cells. In the mechanism of fatty acid uptake, c9, t11-CLA inhibited the binding of CD36 with palmitoyltransferase DHHC7, thus leading to the decreases of CD36 palmitoylation level and localization on the cell membrane of the PA-treated MODE-K cells. In the mechanism of chylomicron formation, c9, t11-CLA inhibited the formation of the CD36/FYN/LYN complex and the activation of the ERK pathway in the PA-treated MODE-K cells. In in vivo verification, CLA supplementation reduced the DHHC7-mediated total and cell membrane CD36 palmitoylation and suppressed the formation of the CD36/FYN/LYN complex and the activation of the ERK pathway in the jejunum of HFD-fed mice. Altogether, these data showed that CLA reduced intestinal fatty acid uptake and chylomicron formation in HFD-fed mice associated with the inhibition of DHHC7-mediated CD36 palmitoylation and the downstream ERK pathway.

Secondary metabolites in host pears defense against two fruit borers and cytochrome-P450-mediated counter-defense.

Herbivorous insects have evolved metabolic strategies to survive the challenges posed by plant secondary metabolites (SMs). This study reports an exploration of SMs present in pears, which serve as a defense against invasive Cydia pomonella and native Grapholita molesta and their counter-defense response. The feeding preferences of fruit borers are influenced by the softening of two pear varieties as they ripen. The content of SMs, such as quercetin and rutin, increases due to feeding by fruit borers. Notably, quercetin levels only increase after C. pomonella feeding. The consumption of SMs affects the growth of fruit borer population differently, potentially due to the activation of P450 genes by SMs. These two fruit borers are equipped with specific P450 enzymes that specialize in metabolizing quercetin and rutin, enabling them to adapt to these SMs in their host fruits. These findings provide valuable insights into the coevolution of plants and herbivorous insects.

Association between visceral adipose tissue and total testosterone among the United States male adults: a cross-sectional study.

Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is regarded as an important risk factor for obesity-related diseases. The results of the association between VAT and total testosterone (TT) are controversial and whether this association is nonlinear is still unknown. 3971 male participants who were aged 20-59 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2011-2016 were included. VAT area was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. TT in serum was assessed utilizing the isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry technique. Linear regression models assessed the associations between VAT area and TT. A restricted cubic spline model was employed to investigate nonlinear relationships. A two-piecewise linear regression model was applied to determine the threshold effect. Subgroup analyses were conducted. The weighted methods were utilized in all analyses. VAT area was inversely associated with TT in the crude and adjusted models. In the fully adjusted model, VAT area was associated with TT (ß = -0.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.74, -0.43) and compared to the first tertile of VAT area, the second and the third tertile had a lower TT level, the ß and 95% CI = -65.49 (-83.72, -47.25) and -97.57 (-121.86, -73.27) respectively. We found these inverse associations were nonlinear. The cutoff point of the VAT area was 126 cm2. When the VAT area was <126 cm2, VAT area was significantly associated with a lower TT level (ß = -1.55, 95% CI = -1.93 to -1.17, p < 0.0001). However, when the VAT area was ≥126 cm2, this association was less apparent (ß = -0.26, 95% CI = -0.52 to 0.01, p = 0.06). No significant interactions among different ages (<50 or ≥50 years), marital, and physical activity status were found. These findings underscore the potential for VAT area as a modifiable indicator for improving testosterone deficiency.