Association of life's essential 8 with risk of recurrent cardiovascular events among patients with coronary heart disease.

AIMS: To examine the association of Life's Essential 8 (LE8) with the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events among patients with CHD. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 11,997 patients with CHD from the UK Biobank. The LE8 score was generated using five lifestyle factors (diet, body mass index, physical activity, smoking, and sleep) and three biological factors (blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure). LE8 score ranged from 0 to 100 and was categorized into quartiles. Cox proportional hazards regression models were applied to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% CI (confidence interval). RESULTS: During a median follow up of 12.5 years, we documented 3366 recurrent cardiovascular events, 1068 myocardial infarction, 1829 heart failure events, 703 strokes, and 934 cardiovascular deaths. The multivariable-adjusted HR (95% CI) for the highest versus the lowest quartile of LE8 score was 0.57 (0.50, 0.65) for recurrent cardiovascular events, 0.66 (0.52, 0.83) for myocardial infarction, 0.54 (0.45, 0.67) for heart failure, 0.50 (0.36, 0.68) for stroke, and 0.46 (0.37, 0.56) for cardiovascular death. Furthermore, the population attributable fraction of the lowest to the highest quartile of LE8 score were ranged from 16.2% to 32.5% for the various cardiovascular outcomes. In addition, biomarkers including renal function and inflammation collectively explained 47.6%-87.7% of the associations between the lifestyle factors and recurrent cardiovascular events. CONCLUSIONS: Better cardiovascular health as measured by LE8 was associated with significantly lower risk of recurrent cardiovascular events among patients with CHD. Clinicians should prioritize educating patients with CHD on the importance of optimal cardiovascular health for secondary prevention. In addition, our findings indicated significant mediation effect of biomarkers involving of glycemic control, renal function, liver function, lipid profile, and systemic inflammation on the associations between overall lifestyle factors and recurrent cardiovascular events.

Macronutrient digestion and polyphenol bioaccessibility in oat milk tea products: an in vitro gastrointestinal tract study.

People are increasingly preparing milk tea using plant-based milks rather than cow's milk, e.g., vegans, those with lactose intolerance, and those with flavor preferences. However, adding plant-based milks to tea may impact the digestion, release, and bioaccessibility of nutrients and nutraceuticals in both the tea and milk. In this study, oat milk tea model systems (OMTMSs) containing different fat and tea polyphenol concentrations were used to explore the impact of tea on macronutrient digestion in oat milk, as well as the impact of oat milk matrix on the polyphenol bioaccessibility in the tea. An in vitro gastrointestinal model that mimics the mouth, stomach, and small intestine was used. Tea polyphenols (>0.25%) significantly reduced the glucose and free fatty acids released from oat milk after intestinal digestion. Tea polyphenols (>0.10%) also inhibited protein digestion in oat milk during gastric digestion but not during intestinal digestion. The bioaccessibility of the polyphenols in the tea depended on the fat content of oat milk, being higher for medium-fat (3.0%) and high-fat (5.8%) oat milk than low-fat (1.5%) oat milk. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) analysis showed that lipids improved the tea polyphenol bioaccessibility by influencing the release of flavonoids and phenolic acids from the food matrices. These results provide important information about the impact of tea on the gastrointestinal fate of oat milk, and vice versa, which may be important for enhancing the healthiness of plant-based beverages.

Natural Products with Potential Effects on Hemorrhoids: A Review.

Hemorrhoid disease is a common anorectal disorder affecting populations worldwide, with high prevalence, treatment difficulties, and considerable treatment costs. Compared to other treatment options, medical therapy for hemorrhoids offers minimal harm, more dignity to patients, and is more economical. Unfortunately, there are few chemical hemorrhoid medications available clinically, which makes the search for efficacious, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly new medication classes a focal point of research. In this context, searching for available natural products to improve hemorrhoids exhibits tremendous potential. These products are derived from nature, predominantly from plants, with a minor portion coming from animals, fungi, and algae. They have excellent coagulation pathway regulation, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and tissue regeneration activities. Therefore, we take the view that they are a class of potential hemorrhoid drugs, prevention products, and medication add-on ingredients. This article first reviews the factors contributing to the development of hemorrhoids, types, primary symptoms, and the mechanisms of natural products for hemorrhoids. Building on this foundation, we screened natural products with potential hemorrhoid improvement activity, including polyphenols and flavonoids, terpenes, polysaccharides, and other types.

Fabrication, characterization, and bioactivity of self-assembled carrier-free colloidal dispersions from Citrus × Limon 'Rosso' essential oil and tea polyphenols.

Carrier-free nanodelivery systems are fully self-assembled from active ingredients through interactions, offering the advantages of green, safe, and large-scale manufacturing. To improve the dispersion of Citrus × limon 'Rosso' peel essential oil (CEO) in water and boost the biological activity of CEO and tea polyphenols (TP), self-assembled CEO-TP colloidal dispersions (CEO-TP Colloids) were fabricated through sonication without surfactants or carriers. The optimal CEO and TP concentrations in the CEO-TP Colloids were determined to be 10.0 and 20.0 mg/mL by particle size and stability analyzer, respectively. The CEO self-assembled with TP to form spherical nanoparticles through hydrophobic and hydrogen-bonding interactions, whereas the CEO in CEO-TP Colloids weakened TP intramolecular aggregation. Meanwhile, the CEO-TP Colloids showed synergistic effects with better antibacterial, cellular antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities than single components. This study opens up the possibility of carrier-free co-delivery of hydrophobic and hydrophilic active components developed into food-grade formulations with multiple bioactivities.

Associations Between Beverage Consumption and Risk of Microvascular Complications Among Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes.

CONTEXT: The relationship between the consumption of different beverages and the risk of microvascular complications in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of individual beverage consumption, including artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs), sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), tea, coffee, natural juice, and yogurt, with the risk of microvascular complications in adults with T2D. METHODS: This cohort study included 6676 participants with T2D who were free of macrovascular and microvascular complications at baseline in the UK Biobank. Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 11.7 years, 1116 cases of composite microvascular complications were documented. After multivariable adjustment, a linear dose-response relationship was demonstrated between the consumption of ASBs and SSBs and the risk of microvascular complications. Compared with nonconsumers, those who consumed ≥2.0 units/day of ASBs and SSBs had an HR (95% CI) of 1.44 (1.18-1.75) and 1.32 (1.00-1.76) for composite microvascular complications, respectively. In addition, higher tea consumption was associated with a lower risk of diabetic retinopathy, with an HR (95% CI) of 0.72 (0.57-0.92) for whom consuming ≥4.0 units/day. There was no significant association between individual beverage consumption and the risk of diabetic neuropathy. No significant association was observed between the consumption of coffee, natural juice, or yogurt and the risks of microvascular complications. Moreover, substituting half units/day of ASBs or SSBs with tea or coffee was associated with a 16% to 28% lower risk of microvascular complications. CONCLUSION: Higher consumption of ASBs and SSBs was linearly associated with an increased risk of microvascular complications in adults with T2D.

Associations of Lower-Carbohydrate and Lower-Fat Diets with Mortality among People with Cardiovascular Disease.

BACKGROUND: Although low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets have been shown to have short-term metabolic benefits, the associations of these dietary patterns, particularly different food sources and macronutrient quality, with mortality in people with cardiovascular disease (CVD) remain unclear. OBJECTIVES: To examine the associations of different types of lower-carbohydrate diets (LCDs) and lower-fat diets (LFDs) with mortality in individuals with CVD. METHODS: This study included 3971 adults with CVD from the NHANES 1999-2014. Mortality status was linked to National Death Index mortality data through 31 December 2019. Overall, unhealthy and healthy LCD and LFD scores were determined based on the percentages of energy from total and subtypes of carbohydrate, fat, and protein. Cox proportional hazards regression models were applied to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Higher healthy LCD score was associated with favorable blood lipids and higher homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, whereas higher unhealthy LFD score was associated with lower high-density lipoprotein and higher C-reactive protein at baseline (all P-trend < 0.05). During 35,150 person-years of follow-up, 2163 deaths occurred. For per 20-percentile increment in dietary scores, the multivariate-adjusted HRs of all-cause mortality were 0.91 (95% CI: 0.86, 0.96) for healthy LCD score (P < 0.001), 0.94 (95% CI: 0.89, 1.00) for healthy LFD score (P = 0.04), and 1.07 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.14) for unhealthy LFD score (P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Overall LCD and LFD scores are not associated with total mortality. Unhealthy LFD scores are associated with higher total mortality, whereas healthy LCD and LFD scores are associated with lower mortality in people with CVD.

Associations of Regional Body Fat with Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality among Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to prospectively examine the association between regional body fat and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D), who often exhibit changes in relative fat distribution and have increased CVD risk. METHODS: The main analysis included 21,472 participants with T2D from the UK Biobank. Regional body fat was measured by bioelectric impedance assessment. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Over a median of 7.7 years of follow-up, 3,976 CVD events occurred. After multivariable adjustment, upper and lower body fat were independently and oppositely associated with CVD risk among patients with T2D. Higher arm fat percentage was linearly associated with increased CVD risk (P nonlinear >0.05), while higher trunk fat percentage was nonlinearly associated with increased CVD risk (P nonlinear <0.05). In contrast, higher leg fat percentage was nonlinearly associated with lower CVD risk (P nonlinear <0.05). When comparing extreme quartiles, the multivariable-adjusted HR (95% CI) of CVD was 0.72 (0.58, 0.90) for leg fat percentage, 1.63 (1.29, 2.05) for arm fat percentage, and 1.27 (1.06, 1.52) for trunk fat percentage. Similar patterns of associations were observed for all-cause and CVD mortality. In addition, leg fat percentage, but not other regional fat percentage, was associated with CVD risk independently of traditional measures of obesity. CONCLUSIONS: Among people with T2D, arm fat and trunk fat were positively, whereas leg fat was inversely, associated with the risk of CVD and mortality. These findings highlight the importance of considering both the amount and the location of body fat when assessing CVD and mortality risk among individuals with T2D.

Identification and Analysis of PEPC Gene Family Reveals Functional Diversification in Orchidaceae and the Regulation of Bacterial-Type PEPC.

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) gene family plays a crucial role in both plant growth and response to abiotic stress. Approximately half of the Orchidaceae species are estimated to perform CAM pathway, and the availability of sequenced orchid genomes makes them ideal subjects for investigating the PEPC gene family in CAM plants. In this study, a total of 33 PEPC genes were identified across 15 orchids. Specifically, one PEPC gene was found in Cymbidium goeringii and Platanthera guangdongensis; two in Apostasia shenzhenica, Dendrobium chrysotoxum, D. huoshanense, Gastrodia elata, G. menghaiensis, Phalaenopsis aphrodite, Ph. equestris, and Pl. zijinensis; three in C. ensifolium, C. sinense, D. catenatum, D. nobile, and Vanilla planifolia. These PEPC genes were categorized into four subgroups, namely PEPC-i, PEPC-ii, and PEPC-iii (PTPC), and PEPC-iv (BTPC), supported by the comprehensive analyses of their physicochemical properties, motif, and gene structures. Remarkably, PEPC-iv contained a heretofore unreported orchid PEPC gene, identified as VpPEPC4. Differences in the number of PEPC homolog genes among these species were attributed to segmental duplication, whole-genome duplication (WGD), or gene loss events. Cis-elements identified in promoter regions were predominantly associated with light responsiveness, and circadian-related elements were observed in each PEPC-i and PEPC-ii gene. The expression levels of recruited BTPC, VpPEPC4, exhibited a lower expression level than other VpPEPCs in the tested tissues. The expression analyses and RT-qPCR results revealed diverse expression patterns in orchid PEPC genes. Duplicated genes exhibited distinct expression patterns, suggesting functional divergence. This study offered a comprehensive analysis to unveil the evolution and function of PEPC genes in Orchidaceae.

Association between green tea intake and digestive system cancer risk in European and East Asian populations: a Mendelian randomization study.

PURPOSE: Previous observational studies have shown that green tea consumption is associated with a reduced incidence of digestive system cancers (DSCs). However, the observed association could be due to confounding factors. Therefore, we used a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to assess the causal effect of green tea intake on the risk of five common DSCs. METHODS: Independent genetic variants strongly associated with green tea consumption in European and East Asian populations were selected as instrumental variables in genome-wide association studies involving up to 64,949 European individuals and 152,653 East Asian individuals, respectively. The associations between genetic variants and DSCs were extracted from the FinnGen study and the Japan Biobank. The primary analysis was performed using random-effects inverse variance weighting (IVW). Other MR analyses, including weighted mode-based estimate, weighted-median, MR-Egger regression, Mendelian Randomization-Pleiotropy Residual Sum and Outlier (MR-PRESSO) analysis, were used for sensitivity analyses. In addition, a multivariate MR design was performed to adjust for smoking and alcohol consumption. RESULTS: The IVW results showed no causal relationship between tea intake and DSCs risk in European population (esophagus cancer: odds ratio (OR) = 1.044, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.992-1.099, p = 0.096; stomach cancer: OR = 0.988, 95% CI 0.963-1.014, p = 0.368; colorectal cancer: OR = 1.003, 95% CI 0.992-1.015, p = 0.588; liver cancer: OR = 0.996, 95% CI 0.960-1.032, p = 0.808; pancreatic cancer: OR = 0.990, 95% CI 0.965-1.015, p = 0.432). The MR-Egger regression, MR-PRESSO analysis and other methods also confirmed the reliability of the conclusion. Similarly, no significant association was found between green tea consumption and the incidence of DSCs among East Asians. This relationship is not significant even after adjusting for smoking and alcohol consumption (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our study provides evidence that genetically predicted green tea intake is not causally associated with the development of DSCs in the European and East Asian population.

Binding FSI- to Construct a Self-Healing SEI Film for Li-Metal Batteries by In situ Crosslinking Vinyl Ionic Liquid.

The solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) membrane on the Li metal anode tends to breakdown and undergo reconstruction during operation, causing Li metal batteries to experience accelerated decay. Notably, an SEI membrane with self-healing characteristics can help considerably in stabilizing the Li-electrolyte interface; however, uniformly fixing the repairing agent onto the anode remains a challenging task. By leveraging the noteworthy film-forming attributes of bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (FSI-) anions and the photopolymerization property of the vinyl group, the ionic liquid 1-vinyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (VMI-FSI) was crosslinked with polyethylene oxide (PEO) in this study to form a self-healing film fixing FSI- groups as the repairing agent. When they encounter lithium metal, the FSI- groups are chemically decomposed into LiF & Li3N, which assist forming SEI membrane on lithium sheet and repairing SEI membrane in the cracks lacerated by lithium dendrite. Furthermore, the FSI- anions exchanged from film are electrochemically decomposed to generate inorganic salts to strengthen the SEI membrane. Benefiting from the self-healing behavior of the film, Li/LiCoO2 cells with the loading of 16.3 mg cm-2 exhibit the initial discharge capacities of 183.0 mAh ⋅ g-1 and are stably operated for 500 cycles with the retention rates of 81.4 % and the average coulombic efficiency of 99.97 %, operated between 3.0-4.5 V vs. Li+/Li. This study presents a new design approach for self-healing Li metal anodes and durable lithium metal battery.

Development of a fluorometric and colorimetric dual-mode sensing platform for acid phosphatase assay based on Fe3+ functionalized CuInS2/ZnS quantum dots.

BACKGROUND: The spectral dual-mode response towards analyte has been attracted much attention, benefiting from the higher detection accuracy of such strategy in comparison to single signal readout. However, the currently reported dual-mode sensors for acid phosphatase (ACP) activity are still limited, and most of them more or less exist some deficiencies, such as complicated construction procedure, high-cost, poor biocompatibility, aggregation-caused quenching and limited emission capacity. RESULTS: Herein, we employed Fe3+ functionalized CuInS2/ZnS quantum dots (CIS/ZnS QDs) as nanosensor to develop a novel fluorometric and colorimetric dual-mode assay for ACP activity, combing with ACP-triggered hydrolysis of ascorbic acid 2-phosphate (AAP) into ascorbic acid (AA). The Fe3+ binding to CIS/ZnS QDs can be reduced into Fe2+ during the determination, resulting in the dramatically weakened photoinduced electron transfer (PET) effect and the disappearance of competition absorption. Thus, a highly sensitive ACP assay in the range of 0.22-12.5 U L-1 through fluorescence "turn-on" mode has been achieved with a detection of limit (LOD) of 0.064 U L-1. Meanwhile, the ACP activity can also be quantified by spectrophotometry based on the chromogenic reaction of the formed Fe2+ with 1,10-phenanthroline (Phen). Moreover, the designed nanosensor with good biocompatibility was successfully applied to image and monitor the ACP levels in living cells. SIGNIFICANCE: We believe that the proposed method has remarkable advantages and potential application for ACP assay in terms of the high accuracy, simplicity, low cost, as well as its adequate sensitivity.

Beverage Consumption, Genetic Predisposition, and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease among Adults with Type 2 Diabetes.

BACKGROUND: The evidence regarding the relationship between different types of beverages and cardiovascular health in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) is scarce. AIMS: To prospectively examine the associations between individual beverage consumption, genetic predisposition, and risk of incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) among adults with T2D. METHODS: We analyzed the associations of individual beverage intake with risks of CVD and ischemic heart disease (IHD) in 7315 participants with T2D, overall or stratified by genetic risk to CVD, using data from the UK Biobank study. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 6.1 years, 878 incident CVD cases were identified, including 517 IHD cases. Higher intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), artificially-sweetened beverages (ASBs), and natural juices were each linearly associated with a higher CVD (Pnonlinearity > 0.05). Comparing the highest to lowest groups of beverage consumption, the multivariable-adjusted HRs (95% CIs) of CVD were 1.54 (1.14, 2.07) for SSBs, 1.34 (1.07, 1.69) for ASBs, and 1.33 (1.01, 1.76) for natural juices. Similar results were observed for incident IHD. Moreover, no significant interactions between these beverages and the CVD genetic risk score were observed. Replacing half-unit/day of SSBs or natural juices with coffee, tea, or yogurt, but not ASBs, was associated with a 20%-46% lower risk of CVD and IHD. INTERPRETATION: Higher intakes of SSBs, ASBs, and natural juices were each linearly associated with an increased risk of CVD among individuals with T2D, regardless of genetic predisposition. Our findings highlight the importance of selecting healthy beverage options to improve cardiovascular health in patients with T2D.

A review of nanomaterials for biosensing applications.

A biosensor is a device that reacts with the analyte to be analyzed, detects its concentration, and generates readable information, which plays an important role in medical diagnosis, detection of physiological indicators, and disease prevention. Nanomaterials have received increasing attention in the fabrication and improvement of biosensors due to their unique physicochemical and optical properties. In this paper, the properties of nanomaterials such as the size effect, optical and electrical properties, and their advantages in the field of biosensing are briefly summarized, and the application of nanomaterials can effectively improve the sensitivity and reduce the detection limit of biosensors. The advantages of commonly used nanomaterials such as gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), quantum dots (QDs), graphene, and magnetic nanobeads for biosensor applications are also reviewed. Besides, the two main types of biosensors using nanomaterials involved in their construction and their working principles are described, and the toxicity and biocompatibility of nanomaterials and the future direction of nanomaterial biosensors are discussed.

Robust and self-lubricating polyvinyl alcohol tubes with a mucosa-like hierarchical architecture for endotracheal intubation.

Mechanical mismatch between interventional intubation tubes and human tissues often triggers inevitable friction and causes secondary injury to patients during interventional therapy. Herein, we propose a fabrication strategy of a self-lubricating polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) tube by industrial extrusion technology followed by simple infiltration with water. First, biocompatible glycerin was introduced to weaken the intrinsic hydrogen interaction of PVA by new molecular complexation, broadening the gap between the melting and decomposition temperatures and enabling the stable extrusion of the PVA tube. Subsequently, the as-prepared PVA tube was infiltrated with an aqueous solution to construct a strong hydrogen bonding network between PVA and water molecules, forming a soft hydration layer similar to the upper epithelium layer of mucosa. Benefiting from the solid and liquid properties of the hydration layer as well as the small proportion relative to the whole, the infiltrated PVA tube exhibited excellent hydration lubrication behavior and robust mechanical property. The friction coefficient, tensile strength and elongation at break were measured to be 0.05, 26.2 MPa and 654%, respectively, surpassing the values of 0.5, 16.4 MPa and 240% observed in a commercial polyvinyl chloride tube. In vitro, the PVA intubation tube demonstrated significant biocompatibility, and short-term exposure exhibited minimal impacts on the morphology and proliferation of L929 cells. Ultimately, the potential of the infiltrated PVA tube for interventional intubation was demonstrated successfully using an in vivo rabbit model, providing a new idea for the follow-up development of interventional intubation tubes.

Modifiable Lifestyle Factors, Genetic Risk, and Incident Peripheral Artery Disease Among Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective Study.

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively evaluate the association between modifiable lifestyle factors and peripheral artery disease (PAD) among individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We included 14,543 individuals with T2D from the UK Biobank. We defined a weighted healthy lifestyle score using nonsmoking, regular physical activity, high-quality diet, moderate alcohol consumption, optimal waist-to-hip ratio, and adequate sleep duration, and categorized into unfavorable, intermediate, and favorable lifestyles. We created a genetic risk score (GRS) using 19 single nucleotide polymorphisms previously found to be associated with PAD. We modeled the association between lifestyle score and PAD, overall and stratified by PAD genetic susceptibility. RESULTS: After a median 13.5 years of follow-up, 628 incident cases of PAD were documented. A linear inverse association between the weighted lifestyle score and PAD was observed, with a hazard ratio (HR) (95% CI) of 0.27 (0.19, 0.38) for favorable compared with unfavorable lifestyle (Ptrend < 0.0001). An estimated 58.3% (45.0%, 69.1%) of PAD in this population could be potentially avoidable if all participants attained a favorable lifestyle. Moreover, the PAD GRS was associated with increased PAD risk (HR [95% CI] per SD increment: 1.13 [1.03, 1.23]). A favorable lifestyle was able to partially mitigate the excess risk of PAD associated with higher GRS, albeit as a nonsignificant interaction. Several biomarkers in the lipid metabolism, hepatic/renal function, and systemic inflammation pathways collectively explained 13.3% (8.5%, 20.1%) of the association between weighted lifestyle score and PAD. CONCLUSIONS: A favorable lifestyle was associated with lower risk of PAD among individuals with T2D, independent of genetic predisposition to PAD.

Associations of socioeconomic status and healthy lifestyle with incident early-onset and late-onset dementia: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Modifiable risk factor estimates are sparse for early-onset dementia incidence. This study aimed to estimate and compare the risk factor profiles of early-onset dementia and late-onset dementia, and to explore the complex relationships between socioeconomic status, lifestyles, and early-onset dementia risk. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, we used data from the UK Biobank for analysis of early-onset dementia and late-onset dementia. For early-onset dementia analyses, data were collected on those aged younger than 60 years without prevalent dementia at baseline. For late-onset dementia analyses, data were collected on those aged 65 years or older at the end of follow-up. Participants with missing information on socioeconomic factors were excluded. Two models were used to test associations between early-onset dementia incidence and socioeconomic status. The first model tested associations between socioeconomic status and early-onset and late-onset dementia incidence, adjusting for covariates. Participant socioeconomic status was defined using education level, income, and employment status via latent class analysis. The second model additionally included a healthy lifestyle score, which was constructed using data on smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and the Healthy Diet Index. Incident early-onset dementia was defined as a dementia case diagnosed before 65 years of age. Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) for risk of dementia. We used multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional-hazard regression models to estimate the HR for risk of both early-onset dementia and late-onset dementia. FINDINGS: Between 2007 and 2010, 257 345 individuals were included in the analysis of early-onset dementia, and 294 133 older individuals were included in the analysis of late-onset dementia. During a mean follow-up of 11·9-12·5 years, 502 early-onset dementia cases and 5768 late-onset dementia cases were documented. Risk factor profiles were typically dissimilar between early-onset dementia and late-onset dementia. For instance, the age and sex adjusted HR for low socioeconomic status (vs high) was 4·40 (95% CI 3·43-5·65) for early-onset dementia and 1·90 (1·74-2·07) for late-onset dementia, yielding a ratio of HRs of 2·32 (1·78-3·02). After adjusting for various risk factors, participants with low socioeconomic status (vs high) had increased risk for early-onset dementia (3·38, 2·61-4·37), and overall lifestyle mediated 3·2% (1·8-5·7) of the association. Individuals with both low socioeconomic status and unhealthy lifestyles had a higher risk of early-onset dementia (5·40, 3·66-7·97). No significant interaction was observed between lifestyle and socioeconomic status. The association between socioeconomic status and early-onset dementia seemed to be more pronounced in individuals with type 2 diabetes (HR 11·21, 95% CI 2·70-46·57). INTERPRETATION: Early-onset dementia and late-onset dementia might have different risk factor profiles; although risk factors were similar, the magnitude of associations between risk factors and dementia incidence was greater for early-onset dementia. Only a small proportion of the socioeconomic inequity in dementia risk was mediated by healthy lifestyles, which indicates that measures other than healthy lifestyle promotion to improve social determinants of health are warranted. FUNDING: The National Key Research and Development Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Hubei Province Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.

Combined exposure to multiple air pollutants and incident ischemic heart disease in individuals with and without type 2 diabetes: A cohort study from the UK Biobank.

BACKGROUND: Air pollution and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are both associated with an increased risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD). Little is known about the combined effects of multiple air pollutants on IHD risk, especially among individuals with T2D. We sought to assess the association of combined exposure to multiple air pollutants with incident IHD and examine the modification effect of T2D. METHODS: This study included 388780 individuals (20036 individuals with T2D) free of cardiovascular disease and cancer from the UK Biobank. The combined exposure to multiple air pollutants, including particulate matter (PM) with diameters ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5), PM with diameters between 2.5 and 10 µm (PMcoarse), PM with diameters ≤ 10 µm (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and nitrogen dioxides (NOx), was assessed by creating a weighted air pollution score (APS), with a higher APS representing a higher level of air pollution exposure. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for incident IHD were assessed by multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS: During a median of 12.9 years of follow-up, 27333 incident IHD cases were observed. Compared with the lowest tertile of the APS, the multivariable-adjusted HR (95 % CI) of IHD risk for the highest tertile was 1.13 (1.03-1.23) among individuals with T2D, while the HR was 1.06 (1.03-1.10) among individuals without T2D. Additionally, the associations between APS and IHD incidence showed a linear relationship among individuals with T2D (nonlinearity: P = 0.37), whereas a non-linear relationship was observed among individuals without T2D (nonlinearity: P = 0.02). For the joint analysis, individuals in the highest tertile of APS and with T2D had a 54 % higher risk of IHD compared to individuals in the lowest tertile of APS and without T2D, with a significant additive interaction (Pinteraction < 0.01). The proportion of relative excess risk was 17 % due to the interaction in categorical analyses. CONCLUSIONS: The combined exposure to multiple air pollutants has been associated with an elevated risk of incident IHD, and the association is more pronounced among individuals with T2D.

Purification and characterization of a glycoprotein from Sipunculus nudus and its immune-enhancing activity to RAW 264.7 macrophages.

Sipunculus nudus, an edible marine invertebrate, has long been used as traditional Chinese medicine in folk remedies. In order to assess the immunoregulatory activity of glycoproteins in Sipunculus nudus and conduct a structure-activity relationship, a glycoprotein (SGP1) with molecular mass of 9.26 kDa was purified from Sipunculus nudus, and its chemical structure as well as immune-enhancing activity was investigated in this study. Structure analysis revealed that SGP1, a protein-dominate glycoprotein with O-glycosidic bonds, contained 92.8 % protein and 3.1 % saccharide. GC-MS result indicated that the saccharide moieties of SGP1 basically consisted of lyxose (Lyx), xylose (Xyl) as well as glucose (Glu) at a molar proportion of 0.87:4.16:1.36. The fourier transform infrared specoscopy (FT-IR) result proved that SGP1 have a typical characteristic of glycoprotein. Besides, circular dichroism (CD) result showed that SGP1 contained 4.1 % α-helix, 42.5 % ß-sheet, 21.4 % ß-turn, and 32.0 % random coil, indicating it's mainly a ß-sheet glycoprotein. The amino acid sequence of SGP1 shared a similarity to the Myohemerythrin (sp|Q5K473|HEMTM) with protein sequence coverage of 28.3 %. Moreover, the activity evaluation results showed that SGP1 exhibited significant immune-enhancing activity to the RAW 264.7 macrophages by promoting macrophages proliferation, enhancing phagocytic capacity, and simultaneously stimulating the secretions of nitric oxide (NO), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) via NF-κB pathways. In this study, SGP1 as a novel glycoprotein had an obvious immune-enhancing activity to macrophages, and thus could be applied in the functional foods as a potential immunopotentiator for the hypoimmune population.

Reacting Molecular Oxygen with Butanone under Visible Light Irradiation: A General Aerobic Oxidation of Alkenes, Sulfides, Phosphines, and Silanes.

Here, we present a novel oxidation technique by reacting molecular oxygen with butanone under visible light irradiation. This method enables the mild oxidation of various functionalized compounds, including olefins, sulfides, phosphines, and silanes. Preliminary mechanistic experiments and theoretical calculations suggest that visible light triggers molecular oxygen to produce singlet oxygen in butanone. This singlet oxygen then reacts with butanone, producing an active oxidizing species.

Characteristics and Comparative Analysis of Seven Complete Plastomes of Trichoglottis s.l. (Aeridinae, Orchidaceae).

Trichoglottis exhibits a range of rich variations in colors and shapes of flower and is a valuable ornamental orchid genus. The genus Trichoglottis has been expanded by the inclusion of Staurochilus, but this Trichoglottis sensu lato (s.l.) was recovered as a non-monophyletic genus based on molecular sequences from one or a few DNA regions. Here, we present phylogenomic data sets, incorporating complete plastome sequences from seven species (including five species sequenced in this study) of Trichoglottis s.l. (including two species formerly treated as Staurochilus), to compare plastome structure and to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships of this genus. The seven plastomes possessed the typical quadripartite structure of angiosperms and ranged from 149,402 bp to 149,841 bp with a GC content of 36.6-36.7%. These plastomes contain 120 genes, which comprise 74 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes, all ndh genes were pseudogenized or lost. A total of 98 (T. philippinensis) to 134 (T. ionosma) SSRs and 33 (T. subviolacea) to 46 (T. ionosma) long repeats were detected. The consistent and robust phylogenetic relationships of Trichoglottis were established using a total of 25 plastid genomes from the Aeridinae subtribe. The genus Trichoglottis s.l. was strongly supported as a monophyletic group, and two species formerly treated as Staurochilus were revealed as successively basal lineages. In addition, five mutational hotspots (trnNGUU-rpl32, trnLUAA, trnSGCU-trnGUCC, rbcL-accD, and trnTGGU-psbD) were identified based on the ranking of PI values. Our research indicates that plastome data is a valuable source for molecular identification and evolutionary studies of Trichoglottis and its related genera.