Temporal relationship between hepatic steatosis and fasting blood glucose elevation: a longitudinal analysis from China and UK.

BACKGROUND: The link between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes has not been fully established. We investigated the temporal relationship between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D), quantitatively assessed the impact, and evaluated the related mediation effect. METHODS: This study involved participants from the China Multi-Ethnic Cohort Study and the UK Biobank. We performed cross-lagged path analysis to compare the relative magnitude of the effects between NAFLD and T2D using two-period biochemical data. Hepatic steatosis and fasting blood glucose elevation (FBG) represented NAFLD and T2D respectively. We fitted two separate Cox proportional-hazards models to evaluate the influence of hepatic steatosis on T2D. Furthermore, we applied the difference method to assess mediation effects. RESULTS: In cross-lagged path analyses, the path coefficients from baseline hepatic steatosis to first repeat FBG (ßCMEC = 0.068, ßUK-Biobank = 0.033) were significantly greater than the path coefficients from baseline FBG to first repeat hepatic steatosis (ßCMEC = 0.027, ßUK-Biobank = -0.01). Individuals with hepatic steatosis have a risk of T2D that is roughly three times higher than those without the condition (HR = 3.478 [3.314, 3.650]). Hepatic steatosis mediated approximately 69.514% of the total effect between obesity and follow-up T2D. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings contribute to determining the sequential relationship between NAFLD and T2D in the causal pathway, highlighting that the dominant pathway in the relationship between these two early stages of diseases was the one from hepatic steatosis to fasting blood glucose elevation. Individuals having NAFLD face a significantly increased risk of T2D and require long-term monitoring of their glucose status as well.

Role of metabolic risk factors in the relationship between ambient fine particulate matter and depressive symptoms: Evidence from a longitudinal population study.

BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence indicating a connection between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and depressive symptoms. Metabolic risk factors are critical determinants of depressive symptoms. However, the mediating role of these factors on the association between PM2.5 and depressive symptoms remains elusive. We aimed to investigate whether and to what extent metabolic risk factors mediated the link between long-term PM2.5 exposure and depressive symptoms. METHODS: This study comprised 7794 individuals aged between 30 and 79 years who participated in two waves of the on-site surveys in the China Multi-Ethnic Cohort. Ambient PM2.5 concentrations were assessed utilizing a random forest method based on satellite data. We employed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 to assess depressive symptoms at wave 2, and the overall as well as three sub-domain symptom scores (emotional, neurovegetative, and neurocognitive symptoms) were calculated. Three metabolic risk factors, including hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, were considered. Mediation analyses were conducted to assess the indirect effects of PM2.5 on depressive symptoms through metabolic risk factors. RESULTS: We found a positive association between chronic exposure to ambient PM2.5 and overall depressive symptoms as well as the three sub-domains. In mediation analyses, metabolic risk factors partially mediated the associations of PM2.5 on depressive symptoms. The natural indirect effects (RR, 95% CI) of PM2.5 on overall, emotional, neurovegetative, and neurocognitive symptoms mediated through metabolic risk factors were 1.004(1.001, 1.007), 1.004 (1.001, 1.008), 1.004 (1.001, 1.007), and 1.003(0.999, 1.007), respectively. Larger indirect effects were found in elderly participants (mediated proportion, 29.3%), females (13.3%), and people who did not consume alcohol (19.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Metabolic risk factors may act as mediators in the relationship between chronic PM2.5 exposure and depression. Treatment of metabolic risk factors may be an opportunity to reduce the burden of depression caused by long-term exposure to PM2.5.

Mediation of metabolic syndrome in the association between long-term exposure to particulate matter and incident cardiovascular disease: Evidence from a population-based cohort in Chengdu.

BACKGROUND: Particulate matter (PM) exposure has been linked with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and metabolic syndrome (MetS), the latter characterized by concurrent multiple metabolic disorders. As a result, the mechanisms assumption from PM to CVD through MetS have emerged, thus requiring further epidemiological evidence. This cohort study aimed to assess whether MetS mediates the associations of PM with CVD risk. METHODS: This study included 14,195 participants from the Chengdu cohort of the China Multi-Ethnic Cohort (CMEC) study in 2018. The primary outcome of incident CVD diagnoses was identified using matched hospital records from the Health Information Center of Sichuan Province. Residence-specific levels of PM with aerodynamic diameters of ≤ 1 µm (PM1), ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5), and ≤ 10 µm (PM10) were estimated by spatiotemporal models. Causal mediation analyses were applied to evaluate the indirect effect of MetS. RESULTS: Increased exposure levels to PM were significantly associated with MetS and CVD. Mediation analyses indicated that the associations between PM exposure and CVD were mediated by MetS, with the proportion of multiple mediations being 19.3%, 12.1%, and 13.5% for PM1, PM2.5, and PM10, respectively. Further moderated mediation analyses suggested that male, overweight individuals, alcohol drinkers, and those suffering from indoor air pollution may experience more significant adverse effects from PM exposure on CVD via MetS than others. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that MetS partially mediates the association between long-term exposure to PM and CVD. These mediation effects appear to be amplified by demographic characteristics and unhealthy lifestyles.

Association between pregnancy termination history and metabolic syndrome in southwestern Chinese women: modification effect of physical activity.

STUDY QUESTION: Is there a relationship between pregnancy termination history and metabolic syndrome (MetS), and if so, is the relationship moderated by physical activity (PA)? SUMMARY ANSWER: Induced abortion, and both miscarriage and induced abortion, increased the risk of MetS, while leisure PA attenuated the effects of induced abortion, and both miscarriage and induced abortion, on the risk of MetS. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Pregnancy termination history is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but studies on women's history of pregnancy termination and MetS are limited. PA is a preventive behavior for MetS, but its modification effect on any association between pregnancy termination history and MetS is unknown. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: The cross-sectional study included 53 702 women (age range of 30-79 years old) from southwestern China who participated in the China Multi-Ethnic Cohort (CMEC) study from May 2018 to September 2019. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Participants self-reported both the number and type of pregnancy termination. PA was assessed primarily by asking participants about the cumulative time they spent doing PA either as their occupation, transportation, housework, and leisure activity in the past year. MetS was defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: After adjusting for all confounders, the risk of MetS was significantly increased in women who experienced induced abortion alone, and both miscarriage and induced abortion, with odds ratios (ORs) of 1.08 (95% CI = 1.03-1.13) and 1.20 (95% CI = 1.08-1.33), respectively. A dose-response relationship was observed between the number of induced abortions and MetS, with the risk increasing by 3.0% for every additional induced abortion (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01-1.05). Leisure PA had a significant modification effect on the relationship between pregnancy termination history and MetS, as leisure PA attenuates the negative effects of induced abortion on MetS. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Causality cannot be established in this study. Information on pregnancy termination and PA was collected by self-report, which might be subject to recall bias. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: A history of induced abortion was associated with an increased risk of MetS, and the risk increased with the number of induced abortions. Leisure PA attenuated the negative effect of induced abortion on MetS, whereas occupational and transportation PA amplified the negative effect of induced abortion on glucose. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (grant no.: 2017YFC0907300) and the National Nature Science Foundation of China (grant no.: 82273745). The authors declare no conflicts of interest. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

Risk model and factors for prediction of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer-a two-center cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Due to inconsistency in neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) response in advanced gastric cancer (GC), the indications remain the source of controversy. This study focused on identifying factors related to NACT chemosensitivity and providing the best treatment for GC cases. METHODS: Clinical data in 867 GC cases treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy were downloaded from two medical centers between January 2014 and December 2020, and analyzed by logistic regression and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) for identifying potential factors that predicted NACT response and might be incorporated in constructing the prediction nomogram. RESULTS: After the inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, totally 460 cases were enrolled, among which, 307 were males (66.74%) whereas 153 were females (33.26%), with the age of 24-77 (average, 59.37 ± 10.60) years. Consistent with RECIST standard, 242 patients were classified into effective group (PR or CR) while 218 were into ineffective group (PD or SD), with the effective rate of 52.61%. In training set, LASSO and logistic regression analysis showed that five risk factors were significantly associated with NACT effectiveness, including tumor location, Smoking history, T and N stages, and differentiation. In terms of our prediction model, its C-index was 0.842. Moreover, calibration curve showed that the model-predicted results were in good consistence with actual results. Validation based on internal and external validation sets exhibited consistency between training set results and ours. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified five risk factors which were significantly associated with NACT response, including smoking history, clinical T stage, clinical N stage, tumor location and differentiation. The prediction model that exhibited satisfying ability to predict NACT effectiveness was constructed, which may be adopted for identifying the best therapeutic strategy for advanced GC by gastrointestinal surgeons.

Analysis of factors with low positive predictive value in the diagnosis of urinary tract infection by flow cytometry.

PURPOSE: Culture-negative urine specimens can be rapidly screened by urine flow cytometry (UFC), while low positive predictive value (PPV) limits the clinical application. We explored the factors associated with a low PPV. METHODS: A total of 5095 urine specimens were analyzed with UFC and culture. Diagnostic performance of leukocytes, bacteria, and BACT-info flags was evaluated by sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and negative predictive value (NPV). The association of contaminated culture and squamous epithelial cell count and BACT-info flag was performed by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The NPVs of parallel combination of bacteria and leucocytes were 98.9% in males and 97.9% in females, and PPVs of serial combination were 86.6% and 77.8% in men and women, respectively. The PPV of Gram-negative flag was higher than that of Gram-positive flag. The proportions of contamination in the urine culture results of false positive specimens were 86.9% in males and 98.5% in females at the cutoff points of the serial combination, and these parameters were 53.2% in males and 85.6% in females for the Gram-positive flag. There was a statistically significant association between contaminated cultures and squamous epithelial cells count in females, but not in males. Associations between contaminated cultures and Gram-positive flags or Gram-pos/-neg flags were statistically significant, but there was no association between contaminated cultures and Gram-negative flags. CONCLUSIONS: A serial combination of leukocytes and bacteria may maximize PPV in the diagnosis of bacterial urinary tract infection by urine flow cytometry, and contamination is the main reason for a low PPV.

Host-Guest Recognition Boosts Biomimetic Mono/Multivalent Cation Separation.

Biomimetic ion permselective membranes with ultrahigh ion permeability and selectivity represent a research frontier in ion separation, yet the successful fabrication of such membranes remains a formidable challenge. Here, we demonstrate a 4-sulfocalix[4]arene (4-SCA)-modified graphene oxide (GO) membrane that shows extraordinary performance in separating mono-from multivalent cations, as well as having reversible pH-responsiveness. The resulting 4-SCA-modified GO (SCA-GO) membrane preferentially transports potassium ions (K+) over radionuclide cations (Co2+, UO22+, La3+, Eu3+, and Th4+). The ion selectivities are an order of magnitude higher than that of the unmodified GO membrane. Theoretical calculations and experimental investigations demonstrate that the much-improved ion selectivity arises from the specific recognition between 4-SCA and radionuclide cations. The transport of multivalent radionuclides is impeded by a binding-obstructing mechanism from the host-guest interactions. Interestingly, the host-guest interactions are responsive to the protonation/deprotonation transformation of the 4-SCA. Therefore, the SCA-GO membrane mimics pH-regulated ion selective behavior found in biological ion channels. Our strategy of designing a biomimetic permselective GO membrane may allow efficient nuclear wastewater treatment and, more importantly, deepen our understanding of biomimetic ion transport mechanisms.

Prognostic significance of the systemic inflammation response index in gastrointestinal malignancy patients: a pooled analysis of 10,091 participants.

Background: We performed a meta-analysis to investigate the association of the systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) with long-term survival outcomes in patients with gastrointestinal malignancy. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science and Embase were searched for relevant studies evaluating the prognostic significance of the SIRI in gastrointestinal malignancies until May 2023. Results: 30 studies with 10,091 patients were included. The pooled results identified that patients in the high SIRI group had a worse overall survival and disease-free survival, which was observed across various tumor types, tumor stages and primary treatments. Conclusion: An elevated SIRI is negatively associated with worse survival outcomes of gastrointestinal malignancy patients and can be used as a risk stratification index for gastrointestinal malignancies.

'On Water'-Promoted Three-Component Tandem Michael Addition/D-A Cycloaddition Reaction to Construct Polycyclic N-Heterocycles Derivatives.

'On Water'-promoted the three-component tandem Michael addition/D-A cycloaddition reaction in 80 °C at 3 h has been developed without employing any catalyst and organic solvent. The process allows facile access to polycyclic N-heterocycles derivatives contain indole and maleimide from easily accessible starting materials in moderate to high yields (up to 91 %). Compared with conventional reaction conditions, this reaction not only improves the reaction efficiency and rate but also minimizes the side reaction.

Indoor Localization Algorithm Based on a High-Order Graph Neural Network.

Given that fingerprint localization methods can be effectively modeled as supervised learning problems, machine learning has been employed for indoor localization tasks based on fingerprint methods. However, it is often challenging for popular machine learning models to effectively capture the unstructured data features inherent in fingerprint data that are generated in diverse propagation environments. In this paper, we propose an indoor localization algorithm based on a high-order graph neural network (HoGNNLoc) to enhance the accuracy of indoor localization and improve localization stability in dynamic environments. The algorithm first designs an adjacency matrix based on the spatial relative locations of access points (APs) to obtain a graph structure; on this basis, a high-order graph neural network is constructed to extract and aggregate the features; finally, the designed fully connected network is used to achieve the regression prediction of the location of the target to be located. The experimental results on our self-built dataset show that the proposed algorithm achieves localization accuracy within 1.29 m at 80% of the cumulative distribution function (CDF) points. The improvements are 59.2%, 51.3%, 36.1%, and 22.7% compared to the K-nearest neighbors (KNN), deep neural network (DNN), simple graph convolutional network (SGC), and graph attention network (GAT). Moreover, even with a 30% reduction in fingerprint data, the proposed algorithm exhibits stable localization performance. On a public dataset, our proposed localization algorithm can also show better performance.

Development of SDS-Modified PbO2 Anode Material Based on Ti3+ Self-Doping Black TiO2NTs Substrate as a Conductive Interlayer for Enhanced Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Methylene Blue.

Efficient and stable electrode materials are urgently required for wastewater treatment in the electrocatalytic degradation of toxic and refractory organic pollutants. Ti3+ self-doping black TiO2 nanotube arrays (Ti/B-TiO2-NTs) as an interlayer were used for preparing a novel PbO2 electrode via an electrochemical reduction technology, and a sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-modified PbO2 catalytic layer was successfully achieved via an electrochemical deposition technology. The physicochemical characterization tests showed that the Ti/B-TiO2-NTs/PbO2-SDS electrodes have a denser surface and finer grain size with the introduction of Ti3+ in the interlayer of Ti/TiO2-NTs and the addition of SDS in the active layer of PbO2. The electrochemical characterization results showed that the Ti3+ self-doping black Ti/TiO2-NTs/PbO2-SDS electrode had higher oxygen evolution potential (2.11 V vs. SCE), higher electrode stability, smaller charge-transfer resistance (6.74 Ω cm-2), and higher hydroxyl radical production activity, leading to it possessing better electrocatalytic properties. The above results indicated that the physicochemical and electrochemical characterization of the PbO2 electrode were all enhanced significantly with the introduction of Ti3+ and SDS. Furthermore, the Ti/B-TiO2-NTs/PbO2-SDS electrodes displayed the best performance on the degradation of methylene blue (MB) in simulated wastewater via bulk electrolysis. The removal efficiency of MB and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) could reach about 99.7% and 80.6% under the optimal conditions after 120 min, respectively. The pseudo-first-order kinetic constant of the Ti/B-TiO2-NTs/PbO2-SDS electrode was 0.03956 min-1, which was approximately 3.18 times faster than that of the Ti/TiO2-NTs/PbO2 electrode (0.01254 min-1). In addition, the Ti/B-TiO2-NTs/PbO2-SDS electrodes showed excellent stability and reusability. The degradation mechanism of MB was explored via the experimental identification of intermediates. In summary, the Ti3+ self-doping black Ti/TiO2-NTs/PbO2-SDS electrode is a promising electrode in treating wastewater.

Humoral responses after inactivated COVID-19 vaccination in individuals with and without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection: A prospective cohort study.

We evaluated and compared humoral immune responses after inactivated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination among naïve individuals, asymptomatically infected individuals, and recovered patients with varying severity. In this multicenter, prospective cohort study, blood samples from 666 participants were collected before and after 2 doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccination. Among 392 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-naïve individuals, the seroconversion rate increased significantly from 51.8% (median antispike protein pan-immunoglobulins [S-Igs] titer: 0.8 U/ml) after the first dose to 96% (median S-Igs titer: 79.5 U/ml) after the second dose. Thirty-two percent of naïve individuals had detectable neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against the original strain but all of them lost neutralizing activity against the Omicron variant. In 274 individuals with natural infection, humoral immunity was significantly improved after a single vaccine dose, with median S-Igs titers of 596.7, 1176, 1086.5, and 1828 U/ml for asymptomatic infections, mild cases, moderate cases, and severe/critical cases, respectively. NAb titers also improved significantly. However, the second dose did not substantially increase antibody levels. Although a booster dose is needed for those without infection, our findings indicate that recovered patients should receive only a single dose of the vaccine, regardless of the clinical severity, until there is sufficient evidence to confirm the benefits of a second dose.

Assessment of indocyanine green fluorescence lymphography on lymphadenectomy during minimally invasive gastric cancer surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, indocyanine green fluorescence lymphography has been introduced for lymphatic mapping in gastric cancer surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of ICGFL in lymph node dissection during minimally invasive surgery for gastric cancer. METHODS: A systematic review of electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure was performed from the inception to January 2021 for all studies comparing ICGFL with non-ICGFL in GC patients undergoing minimal access gastrectomy. The primary outcome was the total number of harvested lymph nodes. The secondary endpoints were the number of metastatic LNs, operative time, estimated blood loss, and postoperative complications. The registration number of this protocol is PROSPERO CRD42020203443. RESULTS: A total of 13 studies including 1882 participants were included. In this meta-analysis, the use of ICGFL was associated with a higher number of harvested LNs (40.33 vs. 33.40; MD = 6.93; 95%CI: 4.28 to 9.58; P < 0.0001; I2 = 86%). No significant difference was found between the ICGFL and control groups in terms of metastatic LNs (2.63 vs. 2.42; MD = 0.21; 95%CI: -0.46 to 0.87; P = 0.54; I2 = 0%). In addition, the use of ICGFL could be safely performed without increasing the operative time (P = 0.49), estimated blood loss (P = 0.26) and postoperative complications (P = 0.54). CONCLUSION: The use of ICGFL may be a useful tool facilitating complete lymph node dissection during minimally invasive GC resection. However, more high-quality RCTs with large sample size are needed to validate this issue.

The effect of smartphones on the self-rated health levels of the elderly.

BACKGROUND: Due to the penetration of Internet use and the popularity of "Internet + elderly care" among seniors in recent years, the elderly are gradually integrating into the information society. This study examined the impact of smartphones on the self-rated health levels of the elderly. METHODS: We studied 3042 elderly people over 55 years of age in Jiangxi, China in 2018. The effect of smartphones was measured from three aspects: smartphone usage, smartphone usage ability, and smartphone usage purpose, and the multivariate ordered logistic model was applied. Furthermore, considering the potential endogeneity of the smartphone usage of elderly people, the propensity score matching (PSM) method was used to analyze the net effect of smartphones on the health levels of the elderly. RESULTS: (1) The use of smartphones had a significant positive impact on the self-rated health levels of the elderly, with its significance being at the level of 1%. Smartphone usage ability, and using smartphone to learn or search for health information, had significant positive impacts (at the level of 5%) on the self-rated health levels of the elderly. (2) The k-nearest neighbor matching, kernel matching and radius matching methods were used to calculate the net effect of smartphone usage on the self-rated health levels of the elderly. The results were 13.26, 15.33 and 14.80%, respectively. (3) The age of the participants significantly (at the level of 1%) negatively affected their self-rated health levels. Other characteristics of the elderly, including income, education level, living with children or spouse and children's living conditions, significantly (all at the level of 1%) positively affected their self-rated health levels. CONCLUSIONS: Smartphone usage, smartphone usage ability, and smartphone usage purposes all improved the self-rated health of the elderly. The Internet factor should be focused on in the process of active aging. We should improve the Internet use ability of the elderly through voluntary training or public lectures.

An aryl thiol-vinyl azide coupling reaction and a thiol-vinyl azide coupling/cyclization cascade: efficient synthesis of ß-ketosulfides and arene-fused 5-methylene-2-pyrrolidinone derivatives.

The addition reaction of thiol to vinyl azide has been extensively studied. Variously substituted aryl thiols are all viable for this coupling process. The scope of the other partner is successfully expanded from α-aryl vinyl azide to α-alkyl vinyl azide. A thiol-vinyl azide coupling/cyclization cascade is realized with substituted aryl vinyl azides carrying a 2-methoxycarbonyl group. The value of ß-ketosulfide products was demonstrated by its application in S-heterocycle synthesis.

On the mechanism behind enhanced antibacterial activity of alkyl gallate esters against foodborne pathogens and its application in Chinese icefish preservation.

The objective of this study was to investigate antibacterial activities and action mode of alkyl gallates against three food-related bacteria. Results show that the length of the alkyl chain plays a critical role in eliciting their antibacterial activities and octyl gallate (GAC8) exhibited an outstanding bactericidal effect against these strains. A possible bactericidal mechanism of GAC8 against E. coli was fully elucidated by analyzing associated changes in cellular functions of E. coli, including assessments of membrane modification and intracellular oxidation state. Our data strongly suggested that GAC8 functions outside and inside the bacterial membrane and causes increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (hydroxyl radicals) and subsequent oxidative damage. We demonstrated that the hydroxyl radical formation induced by GAC8 is the end product of an oxidative damage cellular death pathway involving a transient depletion of NADH, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, intrinsic redox cycling activities, and stimulation of the Fenton reaction. Also, chitosan-based edible films containing GAC8 have unique superiorities for icefish preservation at 4 °C. This research highlights the effectiveness of GAC8 as an attractive antibacterial, which possesses both antioxidant and antibacterial activities and can be used as a multifunctional food additive combined with the benefit of active packaging for food preservations.

Sulfonated Microporous Polymer Membranes with Fast and Selective Ion Transport for Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage.

Membranes which allow fast and selective transport of protons and cations are required for a wide range of electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices, such as proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells (PEMFCs) and redox flow batteries (RFBs). Herein we report a new approach to designing solution-processable ion-selective polymer membranes with both intrinsic microporosity and ion-conductive functionality. Polymers are synthesized with rigid and contorted backbones, which incorporate hydrophobic fluorinated and hydrophilic sulfonic acid functional groups, to produce membranes with negatively charged subnanometer-sized confined ionic channels. The ready transport of protons and cations through these membranes, and the high selectivity towards nanometer-sized redox-active molecules, enable efficient and stable operation of an aqueous alkaline quinone redox flow battery and a hydrogen PEM fuel cell.

miR-135a deficiency inhibits the AR42J cells damage in cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis through targeting FAM129A.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common clinical critical disease with high mortality and the exact pathogenesis is not fully elucidated. The present study aimed to uncover the function of miR-135a in the proliferation, apoptosis, and inflammatory characteristics of diseased pancreatic cells and the potential molecular mechanisms. The expression patterns of miR-135a and family with sequence similarity 129 member A (FAM129A) in patients with AP were analyzed on the basis of the GEO database. The transfection efficiency and expression level of miR-135a in AR42J cells were determined by qRT-PCR. The biological characteristics of AR42J cells treated with cerulein were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), flow cytometry, and western blot assays. The potential interaction between miR-135a and FAM129A was confirmed by bioinformatics prediction softwares and luciferase reporter assay. MiR-135a inhibitor and pcDNA3.1-FAM129A were co-transfected to determine the regulation of miR-135a/FAM129A on inflammatory AR42J cell injury. We observed that miR-135a was highly expressed in AP samples. Depletion of miR-135a could alleviate the condition so that the AR42J cells proliferation increased, apoptosis decreased, and the expression of inflammatory cytokines enhanced. In addition, mRNA and protein expression of FAM129A were negatively regulated by miR-135a, and over-expression of FAM129A could strengthen the relief effect of miR-135a inhibitor in AP induced by cerulein. In summary, our data demonstrates that silencing miR-135a reduces AR42J cells injury and inflammatory response in AP induced by cerulein through targeting FAM129A.

Stereoselective synthesis of all-cis boryl tetrahydroquinolines via copper-catalyzed regioselective addition/cyclization of o-aldiminyl cinnamate with B2Pin2.

A copper catalyzed intramolecular 1,2-carboboration of o-aldiminyl cinnamate has been realized in both regio- and stereoselective fashions. This reaction provides a convenient entry to highly valuable and otherwise challenging cis-2,3,4-trisubstituted tetrahydroquinolines carrying a 4-boryl group. An unusual non-Michael addition intermediate or alternatively, a cyclic enolate is proposed to account for the intriguing all-cis configuration in the final products.