Environmental pollution and price dimension of renewable and nonrenewable energy, economic growth, and financial inclusion in Asia: analysis for carbon mitigation to achieve UN Agenda-13.

This study scrutinizes the impacts of oil price fluctuations, financial inclusion, and energy consumption on carbon flare-ups in 20 Asian developing nations. For empirical analysis panel data for the period from 1990 to 2020, and the CS-ARDL model is applied. Furthermore, our data confirm the existence of CD), slope parameter heterogeneity (SPH), and panel co-integration among the variables. For the stationarity of variables, this study applies a cross-sectional augmented IPS (CIPS) unit root test. The outcomes of the study depict that the price volatility of oil in the selected countries affects carbon emissions positively and significantly. This is because these nations use oil as a primary source of energy for the production of electricity, for manufacturing activities, and mainly in the transport sector. Financial inclusion helps to mitigate carbon emissions in developing Asian economies by motivating the industrial sector to adopt clean environmentally friendly production methods. Therefore, the study suggests that reducing dependency on oil and promoting renewable energies, and improving access to affordable and financial products will provide a pathway to achieve UN Agenda-13, a clean environment by mitigating carbon emissions in developing Asian nations.

[Applications and perspectives of ketone body D-ß-hydroxybutyrate in the medical fields].

Human body can obtain energy from either carbohydrate or fat digestion. Although glucose metabolism derived from carbohydrate-based diets has long been utilized for energy supply, it has been recently discovered that shifting from glucose to fatty acid metabolism may become a novel way for improving human health especially when carbohydrate is deprived. In recent years, intermittent fasting and ketogenic diets have received a lot of attention in respect to favoring fatty acid metabolism. In all cases, fatty acid metabolism produces D-ß-hydroxybutyrate (D3HB), which is a natural ketone body, as well as, a monomer of microbial poly-D-ß-hydroxybutyrate (PHB). D3HB can be utilized by different cells of the body as an alternative energy fuel or an intracellular signaling molecule with multiple downstream signaling pathways. Usually, the serum level of D3HB is increased during ketogenic diets, however, requires a very long period of adaptation (over 3-months) and exhibits unwanted adverse effects. Hence, exogenous ketone supplements using D3HB have become a more effective approach to induce and maintain nutritional ketosis for subsequent functional effects. This review describes how D3HB is produced and metabolized within the body, the functional roles played by D3HB, and a detailed summary of the different applications of exogenous ketones that have been explored to date in both nutritional and therapeutical context.

[Mortality of HIV infected clients treated with methadone maintenance treatment in Yili Kazakh autonomous prefecture].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mortality of HIV infected clients from methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) clinics in Yili Kazakh autonomous prefecture as well as the factors associated with mortality of HIV infected clients. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed. Data of 860 cases were collected from National Methadone Maintenance Treatment database, National AIDS/HIV database and antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment database for adults. Information collected included demographic information of HIV infected clients, methadone daily treatment information, CD4 testing information, ART treatment information and death information. Recruiting began from August, 2005 through May, 2011. Cox proportional regression was used to identify factors associated with mortality. The proportional hazard assumption was assessed using Schoenfeld's residuals test. Missing values were imputed using the multiple linear regression method. R software (version 2.13.0) was used to perform data analysis. RESULTS: A total of 860 HIV positive MMT clients were analyzed. The methadone dose for study subjects was (38.2 ± 20.7) mg/d. 27.8% (239/860) of study subjects participated in ART treatment, 38.7% (333/860) had never tested for CD4 count. The age for study subjects was (32.9 ± 6.4) years old. Among all these subjects, 67.3% (579/860) were married. During the observation period, 151 deaths were observed in 2192.9 person years. The average observation time was 2.6 year for each subject. The all-cause mortality rate was 68.9‰. Cox proportion model showed that ART treatment (HR = 0.53, 95%CI: 0.32 - 0.88), baseline CD4 count at 200 - 350 cells/µl (HR = 0.35, 95%CI: 0.20 - 0.60), baseline CD4 count more than 350 cells/µl (HR = 0.16, 95%CI: 0.09 - 0.29), and marriage (HR = 0.55, 95%CI: 0.37 - 0.82) were associated with less mortality compared with control group. Age (more than 45 years old) (HR = 5.20, 95%CI: 2.60 - 10.20) and sharing needles (HR = 1.40, 95%CI: 1.02 - 2.00) were risk factors associated with death. CONCLUSION: High mortality rate was observed among HIV infected clients. Methadone clinic should provide ART treatment or ART referral services.