Body weight, weight change and the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with hypertension: a primary-care cohort study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) often co-occur. However, the effects of excessive body weight and weight change on CVD in patients with hypertension are not clearly established. We examined the associations of BMI, weight change and the risk of CVD in patients with hypertension. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Our Data were drawn from the medical records of primary-care institutions in China. A total of 24,750 patients with valid weight measurements attending primary healthcare centers were included. Body weight were grouped in BMI categories of underweight ( < 18.5 kg/m2), healthy weight (18.5-22.9 kg/m2), overweight (23.0-24.9 kg/m2) and obesity ( ≥ 25.0 kg/m2). Weight change over 12 months was divided into: gain >4%, gain 1-4%, stable (-1 to 1%), loss 1-4%, and loss ≥4%. Cox regression analyses were used to estimate hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) between BMI, weight change and the risk of CVD. RESULTS: After multivariable adjustment, patients with obesity were related to higher risks of CVD (HR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.19-1.85). Higher risks were seen in participants with loss ≥4% and gain >4% of body weight compared to stable weight (loss ≥4%: HR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.04-1.70; gain >4%: HR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.04-1.77). CONCLUSION: Obesity and weight change of loss ≥4% and gain >4% were related to higher risks of CVD. Close monitoring and appropriate interventions aimed at achieving an optimal weight are needed to prevent adverse cardiovascular outcomes for patients with hypertension.

Two homologous LHY pairs negatively control soybean drought tolerance by repressing the abscisic acid responses.

The circadian clock plays essential roles in diverse plant biological processes, such as flowering, phytohormone biosynthesis and abiotic stress responses. The manner in which circadian clock genes regulate drought stress responses in model plants has been well established, but comparatively little is known in crop species, such as soybean, a major global crop. This paper reports that the core clock components GmLHYs, the orthologues of CCA1/LHY in Arabidopsis, negatively control drought tolerance in soybean. The expressions of four GmLHYs were all induced by drought, and the quadruple mutants of GmLHYs demonstrated significantly improved drought tolerance. Transcriptome profiling suggested that the abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway is regulated by GmLHYs to respond to drought tolerance. Genetic dissections showed that two homologous pairs of LHY1a and LHY1b redundantly control the drought response. Functional characterization of LHY1a and LHY1b in Arabidopsis and soybean further supported the notion that GmLHYs can maintain cellular homeostasis through the ABA signaling pathway under drought stress. This study improves our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms on soybean drought tolerance. Furthermore, the two homologues of LHY1a and LHY1b provide alternative targets for genome editing to rapidly generate mutant alleles in elite soybean cultivars to enhance their drought tolerance.

Nanoporous aluminum oxide micropatterns prepared by hydrogel templating.

Micropatterned nanoporous aluminum oxide arrays are prepared on silicon wafer substrates by using photopolymerized poly(dimethylacrylamide) hydrogels as porogenic matrices. Hydrogel micropatterns are fabricated by spreading the prepolymer mixture on the substrate, followed by UV photopolymerization through a micropatterned mask. The hydrogel is covalently bonded to the substrate surface. Al2O3 is produced by swelling the hydrogel in a saturated aluminum nitrate solution and subsequent thermal conversion/calcination. As a result, micropatterned porous Al2O3 microdots with heights in µm range and large specific surface areas up to 274 m2 g-1 are obtained. Hence, the hydrogel fulfills a dual templating function, namely micropatterning and nanoporosity generation. The impact of varying the photopolymerization time on the properties of the products is studied. Samples are characterized by light and confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometry, and Kr physisorption analysis.

Systems crosstalk between antiviral response and cancerous pathways via extracellular vesicles in HIV-1-associated colorectal cancer.

HIV-1 associated colorectal cancer (HA-CRC) is one of the most understudied non-AIDS-defining cancers. In this study, we analyzed the proteome of HA-CRC and the paired remote tissues (HA-RT) through data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry (MS). The quantified proteins could differentiate the HA-CRC and HA-RT groups per PCA or cluster analyses. As a background comparison, we reanalyzed the MS data of non-HIV-1 infected CRC (non-HA-CRC) published by CPTAC. According to the GSEA results, we found that HA-CRC and non-HA-CRC shared similarly over-represented KEGG pathways. Hallmark analysis suggested that terms of antiviral response were only significantly enriched in HA-CRC. The network and molecular system analysis centered the crosstalk of IFN-associated antiviral response and cancerous pathways, which was favored by significant up-regulation of ISGylated proteins as detected in the HA-CRC tissues. We further proved that defective HIV-1 reservoir cells as represented by the 8E5 cells could activate the IFN pathway in human macrophages via horizonal transfer of cell-associated HIV-1 RNA (CA-HIV RNA) carried by extracellular vesicles (EVs). In conclusion, HIV-1 reservoir cells secreted and CA-HIV RNA-containing EVs can induce IFN pathway activation in macrophages that contributes to one of the mechanistic explanations of the systems crosstalk between antiviral response and cancerous pathways in HA-CRC.

The Risks of Cardiovascular Disease Following Weight Change in Adults with Diabetes: A Cohort Study and Meta-analysis.

CONTEXT: Weight management is recognized as critical in reducing cardio-metabolic risk factors for adults with diabetes, but the effects of weight change on cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes are unknown. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate 18-month weight change and subsequent risk of macrovascular and microvascular complications in established individuals with type 2 diabetes. DESIGN AND SETTING: This study consisted of a cohort study and a meta-analysis. In the cohort study, weight change over 18 months was divided into: gain ≥5%, gain 1%-5%, stable (-1%-1%), loss 1%-5%, and loss ≥5%. Cox regression analyses were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). We then used random-effect models to pool the results combing our study with other relevant studies. RESULTS: In the cohort study, 8920 participants with valid weight measurements were included. Compared with patients with stable weight, higher risks were seen in those with weight change for total vascular complications (gain ≥5%: HR=1.43, 95% CI: 1.10-1.85; gain 1-5%: HR=1.44, 95% CI: 1.02-2.03; loss ≥5%: HR=1.58, 95% CI: 1.20-2.08), macrovascular complications (gain ≥5%: HR=1.84, 95% CI: 1.16-2.91; loss 1-5%: HR=1.91, 95% CI: 1.06-3.43; loss ≥5%: HR=2.18, 95% CI: 1.36-3.49) and microvascular complications (loss ≥5%: HR=1.48, 95% CI: 1.06-2.06). Meta-analysis also showed similar results. CONCLUSIONS: Weight gain and loss over 18 months among patients with type 2 diabetes, especially weight change ≥5%, may be a warning sign of adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

The Risks of Cardiovascular Disease Following Weight Change in Adults with Diabetes: A Cohort Study and Meta-analysis (jc.2022-01089).

CONTEXT: Weight management is recognized as critical in reducing cardio-metabolic risk factors for adults with diabetes, but the effects of weight change on cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes are unknown. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate 18-month weight change and subsequent risk of macrovascular and microvascular complications in established individuals with type 2 diabetes. DESIGN AND SETTING: This study consisted of a cohort study and a meta-analysis. In the cohort study, weight change over 18 months was divided into: gain ≥5%, gain 1%-5%, stable (-1%-1%), loss 1%-5%, and loss ≥5%. Cox regression analyses were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). We then used random-effect models to pool the results combing our study with other relevant studies. RESULTS: In the cohort study, 8920 participants with valid weight measurements were included. Compared with patients with stable weight, higher risks were seen in those with weight change for total vascular complications (gain ≥5%: HR=1.43, 95% CI: 1.10-1.85; gain 1-5%: HR=1.44, 95% CI: 1.02-2.03; loss ≥5%: HR=1.58, 95% CI: 1.20-2.08), macrovascular complications (gain ≥5%: HR=1.84, 95% CI: 1.16-2.91; loss 1-5%: HR=1.91, 95% CI: 1.06-3.43; loss ≥5%: HR=2.18, 95% CI: 1.36-3.49) and microvascular complications (loss ≥5%: HR=1.48, 95% CI: 1.06-2.06). Meta-analysis also showed similar results. CONCLUSIONS: Weight gain and loss over 18 months among patients with type 2 diabetes, especially weight change ≥5%, may be a warning sign of adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

Highly enhanced soot oxidation activity over 3DOM Co3O4-CeO2 catalysts by synergistic promoting effect.

Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) Co3O4-CeO2 catalysts with controllable Co/Ce molar ratios synthesized by colloidal crystal template method were developed to catalyze the NOx-assisted soot oxidation for the first time, and the obtained 3DOM Co3O4-CeO2 catalysts exhibited highly enhanced soot oxidation activity. Detailed characterizations of 3DOM Co3O4-CeO2 catalysts revealed that the highly enhanced soot oxidation activity was originated from the synergistic promoting effect by combining the macroporous effect resulted from the unique 3DOM framework, the chemical nature associated with more Co3+ reactive sites, the surface enrichment of Ce species and the improved redox properties. Meanwhile, the high NOx storage and oxidation capacity resulted from the integrated respective merits of Co3O4 and CeO2 also accounted for the enhanced soot oxidation activity via NOx-assisted mechanism. Furthermore, the 3DOM Co3O4-CeO2 catalysts demonstrated strong stability because of the surface enrichment of Ce species improving the thermal stability and the robust 3DOM framework inhibiting the structural collapse, showing their potential applications under practical conditions.

Porous Aluminum Oxide and Magnesium Oxide Films Using Organic Hydrogels as Structure Matrices.

We describe the synthesis of mesoporous Al2O3 and MgO layers on silicon wafer substrates by using poly(dimethylacrylamide) hydrogels as porogenic matrices. Hydrogel films are prepared by spreading the polymer through spin-coating, followed by photo-cross-linking and anchoring to the substrate surface. The metal oxides are obtained by swelling the hydrogels in the respective metal nitrate solutions and subsequent thermal conversion. Combustion of the hydrogel results in mesoporous metal oxide layers with thicknesses in the µm range and high specific surface areas up to 558 m²âˆ™g-1. Materials are characterized by SEM, FIB ablation, EDX, and Kr physisorption porosimetry.