[Association of triglyceride glucose index and risk of incident hypertension: a prospective cohort study].

Objective: To explore the relationship between the triglyceride glucose (TyG) index and the risk of developing hypertension among rural Chinese adults. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted from 2007 to 2008, involving 20 194 adults selected through random cluster sampling from a rural community in Luoyang City, Henan Province. Follow-ups were carried out in 2013-2014 and 2018-2020. After excluding participants with hypertension at baseline, those with missing TyG index data, individuals who passed away during follow-up, and those with incomplete hypertension status at the second visit, 9 802 participants were included in the analysis. Baseline and follow-up assessments included questionnaire interviews, physical measurements (including blood pressure), and blood sample collection for fasting lipid and glucose levels. Participants were divided into four groups according to TyG index quartiles, and a modified Poisson regression model was utilized to assess the association between TyG index quartiles and hypertension risk. Results: The study cohort comprised 9 802 participants with a median age of 48 (39, 57) years, including 3 803 males (38.80%). Participants were distributed across TyG index quartiles as follows: TyG<8.2 group (2 224 individuals), TyG 8.2-8.5 group (2 653 individuals), TyG 8.6-8.9 (2 441 individuals), and TyG≥9.0 (2 484 individuals). Over a follow-up period of (11.1±1.3) years, 3 378 subjects developed hypertension, resulting in a cumulative incidence of 34.46% (3 378/9 802). The risk of hypertension increased with higher TyG index quartiles (Ptrend<0.05). Compared to the TyG<8.2, the TyG 8.2-8.5 (RR=1.11, 95%CI 1.01-1.22, P=0.023), TyG 8.6-8.9 (RR=1.16, 95%CI 1.06-1.27, P=0.023), and TyG≥9.0 (RR=1.20, 95%CI 1.10-1.31, P=0.023) exhibited increased hypertension risk after adjusting for age, gender, educational level, and other potential confounders. Subgroup analyses based on gender and age at baseline yielded results consistent with the main analysis. Conclusions: The TyG index is positively correlated with the risk of developing hypertension in the rural adult population.

First observation of fluid-like eddy-dominant bursty bulk flow turbulence in the Earth's tail plasma sheet.

Turbulence is a ubiquitous phenomenon in neutral and conductive fluids. According to classical theory, turbulence is a rotating flow containing vortices of different scales. Eddies play a fundamental role in the nonlinear cascade of kinetic energy at different scales in turbulent flow. In conductive fluids, the Alfvénic/kinetic Alfvénic wave (AW/KAW) is the new "cell" of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence (frozen-in condition). Wave energy, which has equal kinetic and magnetic energy, is redistributed among multiple-scale Fourier modes and transferred from the large MHD scale to the small kinetic scale through the collision of counter-propagating Alfvénic wave packages propagating along the magnetic field line. Fluid-like eddy-dominant plasma flow turbulence has never been found in space since the launch of the first satellite in 1957. In this paper, we report the first observation of eddy-dominant turbulence within magnetic reconnection-generated fast flow in the Earth's tail plasma sheet by the Magnetospheric Multiscale Spacecraft (MMS). In eddy-dominant turbulent reconnection jet, ions dominate the flow field while electrons dominate current and magnetic fluctuations. Our findings shed new light on the nonlinear kinetic and magnetic energy cascade in MHD turbulence.

[Application value of combined deep inhalation and breath-hold technique guided by four-dimensional CT in preoperative localization of solitary pulmonary nodules].

Objective: To explore the clinical value of four dimensional computed tomography (4 D CT) guided combined with deep inhalation and breath hold (DIBH) technique in the preoperative localization of solitary pulmonary nodules. Methods: The data of a total of 106 patients with solitary pulmonary nodules from March 2018 to May 2021 in the Ningbo First Hospital were collected retrospectively. Among them, there were 26 males and 80 females aged from 21 to 83 (47.4±14.2) years. According to different localization methods, 53 cases were divided into the control group, as the pulmonary nodules were located by CT guided injection of indocyanine green under calm breathing and 53 cases were divided into in the experimental group, as those patients were treated with indocyanine green injection under the guidance of 4 D CT combined with DIBH technology to locate pulmonary nodules. The three-dimensional distance deviation between pulmonary nodules and indocyanine green injection points was compared between the two groups to obtain the accuracy of pulmonary nodule localization. The preoperative positioning time of the two groups was compared by timing. Results: Among the 106 patients, there were 46 pure ground glass nodules, 32 sub solid nodules and 28 solid nodules, all of which were successfully localized before operation, with a success rate of 100%. The size of pulmonary nodules in the control group was (9.1±2.3) mm and the three-dimensional deviation[M(Q1, Q3)]between indocyanine green injection site and pulmonary nodules was X axis [7.0 (3.7, 12.6)] mm, Y axis [6.6 (2.9, 11.2)] mm, Z axis [3.0 (2.0, 6.0)]mm, respectively, and the preoperative positioning time was (11.4±3.8) min. The size of pulmonary nodules in the experimental group was (8.9±2.1) mm, and the deviations in 3 D direction were X axis [4.8 (3.0, 7.9)]mm, Y axis [3.8 (1.3, 7.5)]mm, Z axis [4.0 (2.0, 6.0)] mm, respectively. The preoperative positioning time was (9.3±3.0) min. There were statistically significant differences in preoperative positioning time and deviation of X and Y axis between the experimental group and the control group (P<0.05), but no statistically significant differences was found in deviation of Z axis (P>0.05). Conclusion: 4 D CT guided DIBH technology could improve the accuracy of preoperative localization of pulmonary nodules and save operation time, which is worthy of popularization.

Beam particle identification and tagging of incompletely stripped heavy beams with HEIST.

A challenge preventing successful inverse kinematics measurements with heavy nuclei that are not fully stripped is identifying and tagging the beam particles. For this purpose, the HEavy ISotope Tagger (HEIST) has been developed. HEIST utilizes two micro-channel plate timing detectors to measure the time-of-flight, a multi-sampling ion chamber to measure energy loss, and a high-purity germanium detector to identify isomer decays and calibrate the isotope identification system. HEIST has successfully identified 198Pb and other nearby nuclei at energies of about 75 MeV/A. In the experiment discussed, a typical cut containing 89% of all 198Pb80+ in the beam had a purity of 86%. We examine the issues of charge state contamination. The observed charge state populations of these ions are presented and, using an adjusted beam energy, are well described by the charge state model GLOBAL.

Extraction of proteins and preliminary characterization of physicochemical properties in Toona sinensis fruit.

We investigated the extraction of Toona sinensis fruit proteins and preliminarily characterized their physicochemical properties. The results showed that optimal extraction occurred under conditions of pH 10.5, a duration of 40 min, a liquid-to-solid ratio of 25:1, and a temperature of 40°C by an orthogonal design using T. sinensis fruit protein as the index and single factor. The total nitrogen content was 13.8 g/100 g and included 17 different amino acids. The glutamate level was highest at 35.37%, followed by arginine at 15.31%. The isoelectric point of T. sinensis fruit protein was between 6.8 and 10.0 with a typical absorption peak by infrared chromatography. Three protein bands were analyzed using SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, with relative molecular weights of 55, 51, and 22 kDa. This study provides a theoretical basis for the comprehensive utilization of T. sinensis fruit by further investigating the biological activity of its proteins.

New evidence of Yangtze delta recession after closing of the Three Gorges Dam.

Many deltas are likely undergoing net erosion because of rapid decreases in riverine sediment supply and rising global sea levels. However, detecting erosion in subaqueous deltas is usually difficult because of the lack of bathymetric data. In this study, by comparing bathymetric data between 1981 and 2012 and surficial sediment grain sizes from the Yangtze subaqueous delta front over the last three decades, we found severe erosion and significant sediment coarsening in recent years since the construction of Three Gorges Dam (TGD), the largest dam in the world. We attributed these morphological and sedimentary variations mainly to the human-induced drastic decline of river sediment discharge. Combined with previous studies based on bathymetric data from different areas of the same delta, we theorize that the Yangtze subaqueous delta is experiencing overall (net) erosion, although local accumulation was also noted. We expect that the Yangtze sediment discharge will further decrease in the near future because of construction of new dams and delta recession will continue to occur.

Survey on tetracycline resistance and antibiotic-resistant genotype of avian Escherichia coli in North China.

The experiment was performed to investigate the tetracycline resistance and antibiotic-resistant genotype of avian Escherichia coli in North China and to analyze the correlation of genotype and phenotype. The resistance of 164 E. coli isolates (from Beijing, Tianjin, inner Mongolia, Shanxi, and Hebei regions of China) to tetracycline, doxycycline, and minocycline was investigated by using a drug susceptibility test. The results show that the rate of resistance to tetracycline antibiotics was 89.63% (147/164). The higher resistance rate was 84.76% (139/164) to tetracycline and 70.12% (115/164) to doxycycline, and the lowest resistance rate was 4.88% (8/164) to minocycline. The distribution of tetracycline resistance (Tcr) genes (tetA, tetB, tetC, and tetM) in avian E. coli isolates was detected by PCR. Of the isolates, 82.32% (135/164) carried tetracycline resistance genes. The positive rates of tetA, tetB, and tetM were 57.93% (95/164), 38.41% (63/164), and 10.97% (18/164), respectively. No tetC was amplified in avian E. coli isolates. The total positive rate of resistance genes (82.32%) was almost equal to the total rate of resistance to tetracycline antibiotics (89.63%). Thus, the positive rate of genotype was basically in line with that of phenotype for tetracycline resistance. The tetracycline resistance genes are widely distributed in E. coli and their main resistance mechanism to tetracycline is the active efflux effect mediated by tetA and tetB.

Magnetic reconnection in the near Venusian magnetotail.

Observations with the Venus Express magnetometer and low-energy particle detector revealed magnetic field and plasma behavior in the near-Venus wake that is symptomatic of magnetic reconnection, a process that occurs in Earth's magnetotail but is not expected in the magnetotail of a nonmagnetized planet such as Venus. On 15 May 2006, the plasma flow in this region was toward the planet, and the magnetic field component transverse to the flow was reversed. Magnetic reconnection is a plasma process that changes the topology of the magnetic field and results in energy exchange between the magnetic field and the plasma. Thus, the energetics of the Venus magnetotail resembles that of the terrestrial tail, where energy is stored and later released from the magnetic field to the plasma.

Theoretical study on the electronic structure and optical properties of carbazole-π-dimesitylborane as bipolar fluorophores for nondoped blue OLEDs.

Molecules with D-π-A structures are drawing increased attention for applications in organic electronic devices due to their distinct optoelectronic properties. A study of a new series of bipolar fluorophores that have been chemically modified for use as highly efficient nondoped blue organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) has been carried out based on existing molecular structures and a literature survey. The aim of this study is to provide a profound interpretation of the optical and electronic properties and the structure-property relationships of a series of new bipolar fluorophores. The study also aims to predict the photophysical and optoelectronic properties of the new fluorophores. The density functional theory (DFT) has been confirmed as reliable, especially in predicting the properties of unknown products. The geometry and the electronic structure of these molecules in the ground state were studied with DFT and ab initio HF, whereas the lowest singlet excited-state geometries were optimized by ab initio singlet configuration interaction (CIS). The absorption and emission spectra, both in the gas phase and in THF, and the lowest singlet excited energies were calculated by employing the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) and the polarizable continuum model (PCM). To precisely predict the charge-transporting and charge-confining properties of the new fluorophores, three-layered devices have been simulated. The results show that the molecular geometries, HOMOs, LUMOs, energy gaps, ionization potentials (IP), electron affinities (EA), radiative lifetimes (τ), absorption and emission spectra are all tuned by chemical modifications with different π-conjugated bridges. The results also show that these molecular materials could be used as bipolar light-emitting materials for blue and deep-blue OLEDs.

Establishing an experimental model of photodynamically induced anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.

Numerous methods and drugs have been used to treat anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION); however, further investigations to determine the value of treatments for AION have been impeded by the lack of appropriate animal models of AION, significantly impacting on in-depth study of the disease. A rat model of AION was established, and corresponding functional changes of the fundus were observed using fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and flash visual-evoked potential (F-VEP) in order to confirm the reliability of the AION model histopathologically. One day after model establishment, histopathology demonstrated that portions of the optic disc were highly edematous, with edema of nerve fibers and loose tissue, accompanied by displacement of the surrounding retina. At 23 days, the optic disc and surrounding nerve fiber layers had become thinner. None of the above-mentioned changes was observed in the laser, hematoporphyrin derivative (HPD), or naive groups. The results of fundus, FFA, F-VEP, and OCT-within 90 days after model establishment-confirmed that krypton red laser irradiation (647 nm), applied 2 h after HPD injection, can establish an ideal animal model of AION.

Effects of subchronic inhalation exposure to ethyl tertiary butyl ether on splenocytes in mice.

Ethyl tertiary-butyl ether (ETBE) is a motor fuel oxygenate used in reformulated gasoline. The current use of ETBE in gasoline or petrol is modest but increasing. To investigate the effects of ETBE on splenocytes, mice were exposed to 0 (control), 500 ppm, 1750 ppm, or 5000 ppm of ETBE by inhalation for 6 h/day for 5 days/wk over a 6- or 13-week period. Splenocytes were harvested from the control and exposed mice, and the following cell phenotypes were quantified by flow cytometry: (1) B cells (PerCP-Cy5.5-CD45R/B220), (2) T cells (PerCP-Cy5-CD3e), (3) T cell subsets (FITC-CD4 and PE-CD8a), (4) natural killer (NK) cells (PE-NK1.1), and (5) macrophages (FITC-CD11b). Body weight and the weight of the spleen were also examined. ETBE-exposure did not affect the weight of the spleen or body weight, while it transiently increased the number of RBC and the Hb concentration. The numbers of splenic CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells, the percentage of CD4+ T cells and the CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio in the ETBE-exposed groups were significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner. However, ETBE exposure did not affect the numbers of splenic NK cells, B cells, or macrophages or the total number of splenocytes. The above findings indicate that ETBE selectively affects the number of splenic T cells in mice.

Acyclovir and transmission of HIV-1 from persons infected with HIV-1 and HSV-2.

BACKGROUND: Most persons who are infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) are also infected with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), which is frequently reactivated and is associated with increased plasma and genital levels of HIV-1. Therapy to suppress HSV-2 reduces the frequency of reactivation of HSV-2 as well as HIV-1 levels, suggesting that suppression of HSV-2 may reduce the risk of transmission of HIV-1. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of suppressive therapy for HSV-2 (acyclovir at a dose of 400 mg orally twice daily) in couples in which only one of the partners was seropositive for HIV-1 (CD4 count, > or = 250 cells per cubic millimeter) and that partner was also infected with HSV-2 and was not taking antiretroviral therapy at the time of enrollment. The primary end point was transmission of HIV-1 to the partner who was not initially infected with HIV-1; linkage of transmissions was assessed by means of genetic sequencing of viruses. RESULTS: A total of 3408 couples were enrolled at 14 sites in Africa. Of the partners who were infected with HIV-1, 68% were women, and the baseline median CD4 count was 462 cells per cubic millimeter. Of 132 HIV-1 seroconversions that occurred after randomization (an incidence of 2.7 per 100 person-years), 84 were linked within couples by viral sequencing: 41 in the acyclovir group and 43 in the placebo group (hazard ratio with acyclovir, 0.92, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.60 to 1.41; P=0.69). Suppression with acyclovir reduced the mean plasma concentration of HIV-1 by 0.25 log(10) copies per milliliter (95% CI, 0.22 to 0.29; P<0.001) and the occurrence of HSV-2-positive genital ulcers by 73% (risk ratio, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.20 to 0.36; P<0.001). A total of 92% of the partners infected with HIV-1 and 84% of the partners not infected with HIV-1 remained in the study for 24 months. The level of adherence to the dispensed study drug was 96%. No serious adverse events related to acyclovir were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Daily acyclovir therapy did not reduce the risk of transmission of HIV-1, despite a reduction in plasma HIV-1 RNA of 0.25 log(10) copies per milliliter and a 73% reduction in the occurrence of genital ulcers due to HSV-2. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00194519.)

The modulation of electronic and optical properties of OXD-X through introduction of the electron-withdrawing groups: a DFT study.

A comparative study using density functional theory (DFT) on the molecular structure, electronic structure and relative properties of 1,3,4-oxadiazole dimers 1,3-bis[2-(4-methylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-5-yl]benzene (OXD-X) and its derivatives with alkoxy substituents -O(CH(2))(n-1)CH(3) (OXD-An, n=1, 2) and electron-withdrawing substituents -CN (OXD-C), -CF(3) (OXD-TFM), -NO(2) (OXD-N) added at meta-substitution in the phenyl ring are presented. The ground state structures of the title complexes are optimized at B3LYP/6-31G level of theory. In addition, the time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) method is applied to calculate the absorption and emission spectra of the derivatives based on the ground state geometries. Comparing with the alkoxy substituents, the results show that the electron-withdrawing substituents have remarkable influences on the energy levels of the frontier molecular orbitals, the spectra and the transition compositions. Especially, -NO(2) group plays the prominent role and the fluorine improves the energy level of LUMO further. The experimental absorption wavelengths for OXD-X, OXD-A3 and OXD-A7 are well reproduced by the TDDFT technique. Moreover the absorption wavelengths and the transition compositions can be effectively adjusted through introducing electro-withdrawing groups in the phenyl ring. The reorganization energies for hole and electron are smaller than that of typical hole and electron transport materials.

Detecting drug targets with minimum side effects in metabolic networks.

High-throughput techniques produce massive data on a genome-wide scale which facilitate pharmaceutical research. Drug target discovery is a crucial step in the drug discovery process and also plays a vital role in therapeutics. In this study, the problem of detecting drug targets was addressed, which finds a set of enzymes whose inhibition stops the production of a given set of target compounds and meanwhile minimally eliminates non-target compounds in the context of metabolic networks. The model aims to make the side effects of drugs as small as possible and thus has practical significance of potential pharmaceutical applications. Specifically, by exploiting special features of metabolic systems, a novel approach was proposed to exactly formulate this drug target detection problem as an integer linear programming model, which ensures that optimal solutions can be found efficiently without any heuristic manipulations. To verify the effectiveness of our approach, computational experiments on both Escherichia coli and Homo sapiens metabolic pathways were conducted. The results show that our approach can identify the optimal drug targets in an exact and efficient manner. In particular, it can be applied to large-scale networks including the whole metabolic networks from most organisms.

Sol-gel fabrication and photoluminescence properties of SiO2 @ Gd2O3:Eu3+ core-shell particles.

A uniform nanolayer of europium-doped Gd2O3 was coated on the surface of preformed submicron silica spheres by a Pechini sol-gel process. The resulted SiO2 @ Gd2O3:Eu3+ core-shell structured phosphors were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photoluminescence (PL) spectra as well as kinetic decays. The XRD results show that the Gd2O3:Eu3+ layers start to crystallize on the SiO2 spheres after annealing at 400 degrees C and the crystallinity increases with raising the annealing temperature. The core-shell phosphors possess perfect spherical shape with narrow size distribution (average size: 640 nm) and non-agglomeration. The thickness of the Gd2O3:Eu3+ shells on the SiO2 cores can be adjusted by changing the deposition cycles (70 nm for three deposition cycles). Under short UV excitation, the obtained SiO2@Gd2O3:Eu3+ particles show a strong red emission with 5D0-7F2 (610 nm) of Eu3+ as the most prominent group. The PL intensity of Eu3+ increases with increasing the annealing temperature and the number of coating cycles.

Interactions of Li, Ca, and Al with aromatic carbon materials: an ab initio study.

The interactions of benzene (C6H6), naphthalene (C10H8), and perinaphthene (C13H9) with metal atoms (Li, Ca, and Al) were studied using second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory. By analyzing the frontier molecular orbitals, geometric structures, binding energies, and charge transfers, it was found that these metal atoms can bond strongly with C13H9, but can only bond weakly with C6H6 and C10H8. The bonding nature between a metal atom and C13H9 at their ground state depends significantly on the valence orbital of the metal atom and the pi-bonding distribution of the aromatic hydrocarbons. The spindly shaped 3p valence orbital of an Al atom results in the deviation of the adsorption site to the edge of C13H9, whereas the ball-shaped 2s/4s valence orbitals of a Li and a Ca atom facilitate their overlap with the second lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of C13H9. Further, Hartree-Fock and density-functional theory methods were demonstrated generally to be unreliable in describing the interactions of metal atoms with these pi systems.

D(5h) C50X10: saturn-like fullerene derivatives (X=F, Cl, Br).

Based on the recently reported D(5h) C(50), the geometries and stabilities of its Saturn-like derivatives C(50)X(10) (X=F, Cl, Br) have been investigated by DFT method. Compared with C(50), the equatorial carbon atoms in C(50)X(10) have been saturated by halogens and change to sp(3) hybridization to release the large angle strain. Because the equatorial carbon atoms have been taken out of the pi system by the halogens "ring," the C(50)X(10) system has been split into two well-delocalized conjugated annulene subunits, and then the electronic stabilization has been enhanced.

Prolonged fever and pyuria: a urinary tract infection presentation of incomplete Kawasaki disease.

UNLABELLED: We report two patients with incomplete Kawasaki disease that presented as apparent urinary tract infection. Persistent fever and pyuria were the initial presentation without concomitant signs suggestive of Kawasaki disease; thus the patients were treated as urinary tract infection. Fever persisted despite antibiotic treatment. Diagnostic criteria of Kawasaki disease were not fulfilled for these two patients, yet aneurysmal dilatation of the coronary artery was noted 10 and 18 d, respectively, after the onset of fever. The diagnosis of incomplete Kawasaki disease was assigned when the coronary artery abnormality was detected. Fever subsided within 24 h of administration of intravenous immunoglobulin. CONCLUSION: This report highlights the potentially misleading presentation of fever and pyuria as the sole initial manifestation of incomplete Kawasaki disease. Echocardiography is indicated to detect coronary artery abnormality when fever persists in such patients after adequate antibiotic treatment and thorough urological evaluation.

Epidemiology of hand dermatitis among rural nursing students in mainland China: results from a preliminary study.

INTRODUCTION: Although hand dermatitis (HD) is known to affect nursing students worldwide, no studies of this disease have yet been conducted in China. Similarly, rural populations are often neglected in international research. METHODS: A preliminary study of female students from both grades of a hospital-based nursing school was conducted in Hebei Province, China, approximately 280 km south of Beijing. There were 27 students from the 2nd year of the course (47.4%) and 30 students from the 3rd year (52.6%). The study protocol involved an anonymous questionnaire distributed to a convenience sample of both grades from the nursing school. Statistical differences in prevalence by year of study were calculated using Fisher's exact test for discrete variables and One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for continuous variables. Statistical associations between HD and demographic items were investigated using the chi2 test. Where statistical association with HD were identified, simple logistic regression was also performed to establish a basic risk magnitude. Results were compared with similar populations of student nurses from previous studies in Australia, Japan, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany. RESULTS: HD prevalence fell from 29.6% in the 2nd year to 13.3% in the 3rd year and averaged 21.1% across both grades. Systemic allergic disease among family members was found to be statistically associated with HD (p < 0.05). Overall, our preliminary study showed that HD probably affects Chinese nursing students at rates similar to that of their Japanese counterparts, but at a higher rate than students in other investigations from Germany, Holland and Australia. The identification of familial allergic disease as a possible risk factor for HD was also novel. CONCLUSION: The investigation was conducted as a preliminary investigation, and as such, our results need to be treated with caution. Further research is recommended to more carefully elucidate the prevalence of HD among larger groups of Chinese nursing students.