Diet Quality Scores Are Positively Associated with Whole Blood-Derived Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number in the Framingham Heart Study.

BACKGROUND: The association between diet quality and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) remains to be examined. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to study the relation between diet quality and mtDNA-CN. METHODS: We analyzed data from 2931 Framingham Heart Study (FHS) participants (mean age of 57 y, 55% females). Whole-genome sequencing was used to calculate mtDNA-CN from whole-blood samples. We examined the cross-sectional associations between 3 diet quality scores, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) score, the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), and the Mediterranean diet score (MDS), and mtDNA-CN. Linear mixed models were used to account for maternal lineage. RESULTS: We observed that a higher DASH score was positively associated with mtDNA-CN after adjusting for sex, age, energy intake, smoking status, alcohol intake, and physical activity level. A 1-SD increase in the DASH score was associated with a 0.042-SD greater mtDNA-CN (95% CI: 0.007, 0.077; P = 0.02). Similarly, for each SD increase in AHEI and MDS, the mtDNA-CN SD increased by 0.056 (95% CI: 0.019, 0.092; P = 0.003) and 0.047 (95% CI: 0.01, 0.083; P = 0.01), respectively. Diet quality scores were associated with neutrophil and lymphocyte counts but not platelet counts, e.g., for a 1-SD increase in the DASH, neutrophils decreased by 0.8% (95% CI: 0.5%, 1.1%; P = 4.1 × 10-6), lymphocytes increased by 0.7% (95% CI: 0.4%, 1%, P = 1.2 × 10-5), and there was no significant change in platelet number (0.1 × 1000/µL; 95% CI: -1.6, 1.9; P = 0.89). Further adjustment for neutrophil, lymphocyte, and platelet counts and the associations between diet quality scores and mtDNA-CN were completely attenuated to nonsignificant (P = 0.95, 0.54, and 0.91, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We observed that higher diet quality is associated with a greater whole-blood derived mtDNA-CN in middle-aged to older adult FHS participants, and that blood cell composition, particularly neutrophil counts, attenuated the association between diet quality and mtDNA-CN.

Progress of the Anterior Transpedicular Screw in Lower Cervical Spine: A Review.

The anterior transpedicular screws (ATPS) fixation is a valuable discovery in the field of lower cervical spine (LCS) reconstruction, as it has the advantages of both anterior and posterior approaches. In recent years, with in-depth research on ATPS fixation related to anatomy, biomechanical tests, and clinical applications, its firm stability and excellent biomechanical properties have been recognized by more and more surgeons. Although ATPS fixation has been gradually applied in clinic settings under the promotion of emerging distinctive instruments, its long-term efficacy still needs to be further clarified due to the lack of large sample size studies and long-term follow-up. Nevertheless, it is believed that with the maturity of digital devices and the development of precision medicine, ATPS fixation has a promising prospect.

Efficient Preparation of Poly(allyl diglycol carbonate) (PADC) Nuclear Track Detectors: UV Photopolymerization.

The decay of radon gas in soil and buildings produces alpha radiation, which is the second leading cause of lung cancer in humans. Therefore, by conveniently detecting radon gas in the environment, potential sources of danger can be identified early, and necessary measures can be taken to protect human health. Solid-state nuclear track detectors prepared from polyallyl diglycol carbonate (PADC) resin are the most sensitive detectors for alpha radiation released by radon gas. The traditional method of preparing PADC resin involves free radical thermal polymerization, which suffers from issues such as low polymerization efficiency, long processing time, and the occurrence of defects in the product. In this study, PADC resin was efficiently prepared using a UV initiator. Starting from the polymerization mechanism, experiments were designed using a controlled variable approach, and a rational polymerization apparatus was devised. By comparing the double bond conversion rate, transparency, hardness, and yellowness index of the polymers, the optimal initiator for PADC resin, 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenyl-1-propanone (1173), was selected. The influence of irradiation intensity, irradiation time, and UV initiator dosage was investigated. The performance of the polymers, including double bond conversion rate, optical properties, dynamic mechanical properties, etching rate, and track detection efficiency, was analyzed. The experimental conditions for preparing PADC resin were optimized: irradiation intensity of 12 mW/cm2, irradiation time of 25 min, and UV initiator dosage of 5 parts. The resulting resin polymer had a double bond conversion rate of 93.2% and a track detection efficiency of 0.714.

Humic acid-mediated mechanism for efficient biodissolution of used lithium batteries.

Resource recovery of valuable metals from spent lithium batteries is an inevitable trend for sustainable development. In this study, external regulation was used to enhance the tolerance and stability of strains in the leaching of spent lithium batteries to radically improve the bioleaching efficiency. The leaching of Li, Ni, Co and Mn increased to 100 %, 85.06 %, 74.25 % and 69.44 % respectively after targeted cultivation with HA as compared to the undomesticated strain. In the process of microbial leaching of spent lithium batteries, the metabolites in the Ⅰ, Ⅳ, and Ⅴ regions of the metabolism of the undomesticated bacterial colony had a positive correlation to the dissolution of spent lithium batteries. The metabolites of Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅴ regions were directly affected by the HA domesticated flora on the dissolution of spent lithium batteries. The excess metabolism of protein substances can significantly promote the reduction of Ni, Co, Mn leaching, and at the same time in the role of a large number of humic substances complexed the toxic metal ions in the system, to ensure the activity of the bacterial colony. It can be seen that the bacteria were domesticated by humic acid, which promoted the bacteria's own metabolism, and the super-metabolised EPS promoted the solubilisation of spent lithium batteries.

Therapeutic pattern and progress of neoadjuvant treatment for triple-negative breast cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous disease, accounting for about 15.0-20.0% of all breast cancer cases. TNBC is associated with early recurrence and metastasis, strong invasiveness and a poor prognosis. Chemotherapy is currently the mainstay of treatment for TNBC, and achievement of a pathological complete response is closely associated with a long-term good prognosis. Improving the long-term prognosis in patients with TNBC is a challenge in breast cancer treatment, and more clinical evidence is needed to guide the choice of treatment strategies. The current study reviews the conventional treatment modality for TNBC and the selection of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) regimens available. The research progress on optimizing NACT regimens is also reviewed, and the uniqueness of the treatment of this breast cancer subtype is emphasized, in order to provide reference for the clinical practice and research with regard to TNBC treatment.

Giant primitive neuroectodermal pelvic tumour: a case report and literature review.

Primitive neuroectodermal tumours (PNETs) are rare malignant small round cell tumours. Notably, despite widespread reports of PNET in multiple parts of the body, it is extremely rare in the pelvis. Here, a rare case of giant PNET of the pelvis, that was treated with surgical intervention comprising hemipelvectomy and amputation, is reported. A 42-year-old female patient presented with an enlarged mass on the left hip and severe pain in the left lower extremity for the previous 6 months. Preoperative imaging examinations indicated an irregular soft tissue-like signal shadow sized 19 × 15 × 12 cm at the left ilium and sacrum. After surgical intervention involving left hemipelvectomy and amputation, the tumour was diagnosed by pathology as PNET. During the courses of postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy, local recurrence and distant metastasis occurred, and the patient died 9 months following surgical treatment. To the best of the authors' knowledge, the current case is the largest pelvic PNET resection reported to date. Pelvic PNET is extremely malignant and has a high mortality rate regardless of surgical treatment, however, surgical resection of the lesion may relieve the symptoms, extend life, and improve quality of life to a certain extent.

Efficacy evaluation of three-dimensional printing assisted osteotomy guide plate in accurate osteotomy of adolescent cubitus varus deformity.

BACKGROUND: This present study is aimed to retrospectively assess the efficacy of three-dimensional (3D) printing assisted osteotomy guide plate in accurate osteotomy of adolescent cubitus varus deformity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-five patients (15 males and 10 females) with the cubitus varus deformity from June 2014 to December 2017 were included in this study and were enrolled into the conventional group (n = 11) and 3D printing group (n = 14) according to the different surgical approaches. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, osteotomy degrees, osteotomy end union time, and postoperative complications between the two groups were observed and recorded. RESULTS: Compared with the conventional group, the 3D printing group has the advantages of shorter operation time, less intraoperative blood loss, higher rate of excellent correction, and higher rate of the parents' excellent satisfaction with appearance after deformity correction (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.019, P = 0.023). Nevertheless, no significant difference was presented in postoperative carrying angle of the deformed side and total complication rate between the two groups (P = 0.626, P = 0.371). CONCLUSIONS: The operation assisted by 3D printing osteotomy guide plate to correct the adolescent cubitus varus deformity is feasible and effective, which might be an optional approach to promote the accurate osteotomy and optimize the efficacy.