Decoration of Ag nanoparticle on MXene sheets for SERS studies.

MXene sheets with the unique electrical and optical properties show the excellent potential for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) applications. In this study, we chose Ti3C2Tx, a type of MXene, to decorate silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on the ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) MXene sheets. The designed Ag-MXene substrates with SERS activity showed high sensitivity, high stability, and reproducibility. The SERS signal was enhanced by the synergistic contribution of both charge-transfer (CT) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) involving the Ag NPs and the MXene sheets. Due to the strong interaction between the probe molecules and Ag NPs which provided the nanoscale gap, the substrate exhibited remarkable SERS performance. A novel experimental strategy was developed to facilitate the controlled synthesis of noble metal NPs and MXene sheets and provide insights for further improving the practical applications of these materials in SERS detection.

ELMO1 ameliorates intestinal epithelial cellular senescence via SIRT1/p65 signaling in inflammatory bowel disease-related fibrosis.

Background: Intestinal fibrosis is a common complication in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which still lacks of reliable markers and therapeutic options. Cellular senescence has been considered an important mechanism of intestinal fibrosis, but the underlying molecular link remains elusive. Methods: Tissues were stained using α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), fibronectin, and collagen I as markers of myofibroblastic differentiation. Cellular senescence was confirmed through Lamin B1 staining, senescence-associated ß-galactosidase staining, and the expression of senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) factors. We explored the relationship between senescence of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and intestinal fibrosis, as well as the molecular mechanism underlying this interaction. The effects of irisin on cellular senescence and fibrosis were determined. Results: Here, we identify engulfment and cell motility protein 1 (ELMO1) as a novel biomarker for intestinal cellular senescence and fibrosis. In fibrostrictured tissues from patients and murine models with IBD, significantly high levels of cellular senescence score and factors were noted, which positively correlated with the fibrotic regulator fibronectin. Senescent IECs, not fibroblast itself, released SASP factors to regulate fibroblast activation. Prolonging exposure to severe and persistent injurious stimuli decreased ELMO1 expression, which dampened SIRT1 deacetylase activity, enhanced NF-κB (p65) acetylation, and thereby accelerated cellular senescence. Deletion of ELMO1 led to senescent IECs accumulation and triggered premature fibrosis in murine colitis. Furthermore, irisin, inhibiting the degradation of ELMO1, could downregulate p65 acetylation, reduce IECs senescence, and prevent incipient intestinal fibrosis in murine colitis models. Conclusions: This study reveals ELMO1 downregulation is an early symbol of intestinal senescence and fibrosis, and the altered ELMO1-SIRT1-p65 pathway plays an important role in intestinal cellular senescence and IBD-related fibrosis.

Biomimetic immobilization of α-glucosidase inspired by antibody-antigen specific recognition for catalytic preparation of 4-methylumbelliferone.

Immobilization technology plays an important role in enhancing enzyme stability and environmental adaptability. Despite its rapid development, this technology still encounters many challenges such as enzyme leakage, difficulties in large-scale implementation, and limited reusability. Drawing inspiration from natural paired molecules, this study aimed to establish a method for immobilized α-glucosidase using artificial antibody-antigen interaction. The proposed method consists of three main parts: synthesis of artificial antibodies, synthesis of artificial antigens, and assembly of the artificial antibody-antigen complex. The critical step in this method involves selecting a pair of structurally similar compounds: catechol as a template for preparing artificial antibodies and protocatechualdehyde for modifying the enzyme to create the artificial antigens. By utilizing the same functional groups in these compounds, specific recognition of the antigen by the artificial antibody can be achieved, thereby immobilizing the enzymes. The results demonstrated that the immobilization amount, specific activity, and enzyme activity of the immobilized α-glucosidase were 25.09 ± 0.10 mg/g, 5.71 ± 0.17 U/mgprotein and 143.25 ± 1.71 U/gcarrier, respectively. The immobilized α-glucosidase not only exhibited excellent reusability but also demonstrated remarkable performance in catalyzing the hydrolysis of 4-methylumbelliferyl-α-D-glucopyranoside.

SERS monitoring of methylene blue degradation by Au-Ag@Cu2O-rGO nanocomposite.

A combination of multiple materials effectively improves and enhances the performance of the materials. Thus, a gold-silver@cuprous oxide (Au-Ag@Cu2O)-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) structure was designed and fabricated. We decorated the Au nanoparticles (NPs) on the Ag@Cu2O-rGO composite surface by a redox reaction to form a Au-Ag@Cu2O-rGO structure with two noble metals attached to a Cu2O semiconductor. A comparable Au-Ag@Cu2O structure was also fabricated. After decorating Au NPs into the Ag@Cu2O-rGO composite, the Au-Ag@Cu2O composite structure was loosened, and the surface and interior of the Cu2O shell were decorated with Au and Ag NPs. Moreover, the addition of Au NPs resulted in a proper surface plasmon resonance effect and a significant broadening of the absorption range. The loose structure increased the adsorption of the probe molecules, which increased the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) intensity. In addition, the fabricated Au-Ag@Cu2O-rGO exhibited excellent catalytic reduction of methylene blue (MB) with sodium borohydride (NaBH4). Therefore, the SERS-based monitoring of the MB degradation was obviously improved.

Association of socioeconomic status and poststroke cognitive function: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Stroke survivors are at high risk of coping with cognitive problems after stroke. In recent decades, the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and health-related outcomes has been a topic of considerable interest. Learning more about the potential impact of SES on poststroke cognitive dysfunction is of great importance. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to summarize the association between SES and poststroke cognitive function by quantifying the effect sizes of the existing studies. METHOD: We searched studies from PubMed, Ovid, Embase, Cochrane, Scopus, and PsychINFO up to January 30th 2024 and the references of relevant reviews. Studies reporting the risk of poststroke cognitive dysfunction as assessed by categorized SES indicators were included. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality were used to evaluate the study quality. Meta-analyses using fixed-effect models or random-effect models based on study heterogeneity were performed to estimate the influence of SES on cognitive function after stroke, followed by subgroup analyses stratified by study characteristics. RESULTS: Thirty-four studies were eligible for this systematic review and meta-analysis. Of which, 19 studies reported poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) as the outcome, 13 reported poststroke dementia (PSD), one reported both PSCI and PSD, and one reported vascular cognitive impairment no dementia. The findings showed that individuals with lower SES levels had a higher risk of combined poststroke cognitive dysfunction (odds ratio (OR) = 1.91, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.59-2.29), PSCI (OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.57-2.78), and PSD (OR = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.48-2.57). Subgroup analyses stratified by SES indicators demonstrated the protective effects of education and occupation against the diagnoses of combined poststroke cognitive dysfunction, PSCI, and PSD. CONCLUSIONS: Stroke survivors belonging to a low SES are at high risk of poststroke cognitive dysfunction. Our findings add evidence for public health strategies to reduce the risk of poststroke cognitive dysfunction by reducing SES inequalities.

Impacts of spatial symmetries on stimulated Brillouin scatterings in nanoscale silicon waveguides: a theoretical and numerical study considering material anisotropies.

Fully considering the mechanical and photoelastic anisotropies of monocrystalline silicon, the impacts of spatial symmetries on the stimulated Brillouin scatterings (SBSs) in nanoscale suspended silicon waveguides are studied theoretically and numerically based on group theory. First, starting from an assumption that the principal material coordinate system can be arbitrarily orientated in a waveguide with fixed geometry, the silicon waveguides are systematically classified into a number of point groups according to their spatial symmetry features. Thereafter, the symmetry characteristics of physical fields and SBS opto-mechanical coupling characteristics in the silicon waveguides belonging to different point groups are further examined, and the major new findings can be summarized as follows: The SBS opto-mechanical couplings in several kinds of silicon waveguides with certain nontrivial symmetry features exhibit relatively predictable behaviors in that the opto-mechanical coupling coefficients can be deterministically vanishing or nonvanishing under very few constraints, which can thus serve as general symmetry selection rules for SBSs in suspended silicon waveguides. The results obtained in the present study could be a useful theoretical reference for the design of novel SBS-active silicon photonic devices.

Application of a centrifugal disc fertilizer spreading system for UAVs in rice fields.

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) granular fertilizer spreading technology has been gradually applied in agricultural production. However, in the process of spreading operation, the actual influence effect of each factor in field operation is still unclear. Based on the self-developed UAV fertilizer spreading system, this paper explores the effects of three factors, the baffle retraction (B), spreading disc speed (D), and UAV flight altitude (H), on the granular fertilizer spreading effect in the actual field scenarios through the orthogonal test and taking the coefficient of variation (Cv) and relative error of fertilizer application rate (λ) as the evaluation indexes. The results showed that the optimal factor level combination of Cv was 11.23 % for BbDbHa (the baffle retraction is 6 %, spreading disc speed is 600r/min, and UAV flight height is 1.5 m) at UAV flight speed of 2 m/s. The best factor level combination for λ was BbDbHb of 7.99 % (the baffle retraction is 6 %, spreading disc speed is 600r/min, and UAV flight height is 2 m). In addition, by analysing the influence of the weather and the vortex of the rice canopy on the actual spreading effect, it was found that the weather has less influence on the spreading effect of this system, while the vortex caused by the airflow of the UAV rotor has a certain influence on the spreading effect, which is also relatively easy to ignore in fertilizer spreading operations. The results of the study can be used to explore the operational effects of actual fertilizer application by UAVs in rice field, which will help promote the development of UAV spreading technology and provide a reference for precision fertilizer application through agricultural aviation.

Study on the interaction protein of transcription factor Smad3 based on TurboID proximity labeling technology.

TurboID is a highly efficient biotin-labelling enzyme, which can be used to explore a number of new intercalating proteins due to the very transient binding and catalytic functions of many proteins. TGF-ß/Smad3 signaling pathway is involved in many diseases, especially in diabetic nephropathy and inflammation. In this paper, a stably cell line transfected with Smad3 were constructed by using lentiviral infection. To further investigate the function of TGF-ß/Smad3, the protein labeling experiment was conducted to find the interacting protein with Smad3 gene. Label-free mass spectrometry analysis was performed to obtain 491 interacting proteins, and the interacting protein hnRNPM was selected for IP and immunofluorescence verification, and it was verified that the Smad3 gene had a certain promoting effect on the expression of hnRNPM gene, and then had an inhibitory effect on IL-6. It lays a foundation for further study of the function of Smad3 gene and its involved regulatory network.

Protective effect of alizarin on vascular endothelial dysfunction via inhibiting the type 2 diabetes-induced synthesis of THBS1 and activating the AMPK signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we investigated the protective effects of alizarin (AZ) on endothelial dysfunction (ED). AZ has inhibition of the type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)-induced synthesis of thrombospondin 1 (THBS1). Adenosine 5'-monophosphate- activated protein kinase (AMPK), particularly AMPKα2 isoform, plays a critical role in maintaining cardiac homeostasis. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the ameliorative effect of AZ on vascular injury caused by T2DM and to reveal the potential mechanism of AZ in high glucose (HG)-stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and diabetic model rats. STUDY DESIGN: HUVECs, rats and AMPK-/- transgenic mice were used to investigate the mitigating effects of AZ on vascular endothelial dysfunction caused by T2DM and its in vitro and in vivo molecular mechanisms. METHODS: In type 2 diabetes mellitus rats and HUVECs, the inhibitory effect of alizarin on THBS1 synthesis was verified by immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF) and Western blot (WB) so that increase endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) content in vitro and in vivo. In addition, we verified protein interactions with immunoprecipitation (IP). To probe the mechanism, we also performed AMPKα2 transfection. AMPK's pivotal role in AZ-mediated prevention against T2DM-induced vascular endothelial dysfunction was tested using AMPKα2-/- mice. RESULTS: We first demonstrated that THBS1 and AMPK are targets of AZ. In T2DM, THBS1 was robustly induced by high glucose and inhibited by AZ. Furthermore, AZ activates the AMPK signaling pathway, and recoupled eNOS in stressed endothelial cells which plays a protective role in vascular endothelial dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: The main finding of this study is that AZ can play a role in different pathways of vascular injury due to T2DM. Mechanistically, alizarin inhibits the increase in THBS1 protein synthesis after high glucose induction and activates AMPKα2, which increases NO release from eNOS, which is essential in the prevention of vascular endothelial dysfunction caused by T2DM.

Evaluating the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for spray applications in mountain Nanguo pear orchards.

BACKGROUND: Nanguo pear is a distinctive pear variety in northeast China, grown mainly in mountainous areas. Due to terrain limitations, ground-based pesticide application equipment is difficult to use. This limitation could be overcome by using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for pesticide application in Nanguo pear orchards. This study evaluated the spraying performance of two UAVs in the Nanguo pear orchards and compared them with a manually used backpack electric sprayer (BES). The study also analyzed the effect of canopy size on droplet deposition and ground loss, and evaluated two sampling methods, leaf sampling and telescopic rod sampling. RESULTS: Compared to BESs, droplet deposition is lower for UAVs, but the actual pesticide active ingredient deposition is not necessarily lower given the solution concentration. The droplet deposition varies among different UAVs due to structural differences. Under the same UAV operating parameters, droplet deposition on trees with smaller canopy sizes is typically greater than that on trees with larger canopy sizes, and the ground loss was also more severe. Although telescopic rod sampling is a quick and convenient method, it can only reflect the trend of droplet deposition, and the data error is greater compared with leaf sampling. CONCLUSION: UAVs can achieve better droplet deposition in mountainous Nanguo pear orchards and does almost no harm to the operators compared with the BES. However, canopy size needs to be considered to adjust the application volume rate. Telescopic rods can be used for qualitative analyses, but are not recommended for quantitative analyses. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Ultrasoft and High-Adhesion Block Copolymers for Neuromorphic Computing.

The "von Neumann bottleneck" is a formidable challenge in conventional computing, driving exploration into artificial synapses. Organic semiconductor materials show promise but are hindered by issues such as poor adhesion and a high elastic modulus. Here, we combine polyisoindigo-bithiophene (PIID-2T) with grafted poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) to synthesize the triblock-conjugated polymer (PIID-2T-PDMS). The polymer exhibited substantial enhancements in adhesion (4.8-68.8 nN) and reductions in elastic modulus (1.6-0.58 GPa) while maintaining the electrical characteristics of PIID-2T. The three-terminal organic synaptic transistor (three-terminal p-type organic artificial synapse (TPOAS)), constructed using PIID-2T-PDMS, exhibits an unprecedented analog switching range of 276×, surpassing previous records, and a remarkable memory on-off ratio of 106. Moreover, the device displays outstanding operational stability, retaining 99.6% of its original current after 1600 write-read events in the air. Notably, TPOAS replicates key biological synaptic behaviors, including paired-pulse facilitation (PPF), short-term plasticity (STP), and long-term plasticity (LTP). Simulations using handwritten digital data sets reveal an impressive recognition accuracy of 91.7%. This study presents a polyisoindigo-bithiophene-based block copolymer that offers enhanced adhesion, reduced elastic modulus, and high-performance artificial synapses, paving the way for the next generation of neuromorphic computing systems.

Dysfunction of duplicated pair rice histone acetyltransferases causes segregation distortion and an interspecific reproductive barrier.

Postzygotic reproductive isolation, which results in the irreversible divergence of species, is commonly accompanied by hybrid sterility, necrosis/weakness, or lethality in the F1 or other offspring generations. Here we show that the loss of function of HWS1 and HWS2, a couple of duplicated paralogs, together confer complete interspecific incompatibility between Asian and African rice. Both of these non-Mendelian determinants encode the putative Esa1-associated factor 6 (EAF6) protein, which functions as a characteristic subunit of the histone H4 acetyltransferase complex regulating transcriptional activation via genome-wide histone modification. The proliferating tapetum and inappropriate polar nuclei arrangement cause defective pollen and seeds in F2 hybrid offspring due to the recombinant HWS1/2-mediated misregulation of vitamin (biotin and thiamine) metabolism and lipid synthesis. Evolutionary analysis of HWS1/2 suggests that this gene pair has undergone incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) and multiple gene duplication events during speciation. Our findings have not only uncovered a pair of speciation genes that control hybrid breakdown but also illustrate a passive mechanism that could be scaled up and used in the guidance and optimization of hybrid breeding applications for distant hybridization.

Expressway traffic flow prediction based on MF-TAN and STSA.

Highly accurate traffic flow prediction is essential for effectively managing traffic congestion, providing real-time travel advice, and reducing travel costs. However, traditional traffic flow prediction models often fail to fully consider the correlation and periodicity among traffic state data and rely on static network topology graphs. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a expressway traffic flow prediction model based on multi-feature spatial-temporal adaptive periodic fused graph convolutional network (MFSTAPFGCN). First, we make fine preprocessing of the raw data to construct a complete and accurate dataset. Second, by deeply investigating the correlation properties among section speed, traffic flow, and section saturation rate, we incorporate these features into a multi-feature temporal attention mechanism in order to dynamically model the correlation of traffic flow in different time periods. Next, we adopt a spatial-temporal adaptive fusion graph convolutional network to capture the daily cycle similarity and potential spatial-temporal dependence of traffic flow data. Finally, the superiority of the proposed MFSTAPFGCN model over the traditional baseline model is verified through comparative experiments on real Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) gantry transaction data, and the effectiveness of each module is demonstrated through ablation experiments.

Puerarin inhibits NHE1 activity by interfering with the p38 pathway and attenuates mitochondrial damage induced by myocardial calcium overload in heart failure rats.

Previous studies have shown that puerarin plays a key role in protecting humans and animals from cardiovascular diseases. The exact mechanism of the therapeutic effect of puerarin on various cardiovascular diseases (protective effect on cardiomyocytes) is still unclear. In the present study, we identify the role of puerarin in an animal model of experimental heart failure (HF) and explore its underlying mechanisms. The HF rat model is induced by intraperitoneal injection of adriamycin (ADR), and puerarin is administered intragastrically at low, medium, and high concentrations. We demonstrate that puerarin significantly improves myocardial fibrosis and inflammatory infiltration and, as a result, improves cardiac function in ADR-induced HF rats. Mechanistically, we find for the first time that puerarin inhibits overactivated Na +/H + exchange isoform 1 (NHE1) in HF, which may improve HF by decreasing Na + and Ca 2+ ion concentrations and attenuating mitochondrial damage caused by calcium overload; on the other hand, puerarin inhibits the activation of the p38 pathway in HF, reduces the expressions of TGF-ß and proinflammatory cytokines, and suppresses myocardial fibrosis. In conclusion, our results suggest that Puerarin is an effective drug against HF and may play a protective role in the myocardium by inhibiting the activation of p38 and its downstream NHE1.

Effect of a Ag-rGO structure on the SERS activity of PEDOT:PSS films.

π-Conjugated organic semiconductors with tunable electronic structures are new prospective active substrate materials for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). However, observing higher SERS activity when using organic semiconductors as substrates could be difficult because there is no plasmonic effect of hot electrons. Here, we designed a Ag-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) structure, introduced it into a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) solution, and spin-coated the solution to obtain a Ag-rGO/PEDOT:PSS (ARPP) film. Our analyses demonstrate that the introduction of this Ag-rGO structure can not only enhance the electromagnetic field effect based on plasmon resonance but also improve the interaction between the target molecule and the substrate in the ARPP film. This innovative approach not only improves the SERS activity of π-conjugated organic polymers but also provides novel ideas for the preparation of other organic semiconductor-based SERS substrates.

Metabolic-Related Gene Prognostic Index for Predicting Prognosis, Immunotherapy Response, and Candidate Drugs in Ovarian Cancer.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is a highly heterogeneous disease, with patients at different tumor staging having different survival times. Metabolic reprogramming is one of the key hallmarks of cancer; however, the significance of metabolism-related genes in the prognosis and therapy outcomes of OC is unclear. In this study, we used weighted gene coexpression network analysis and differential expression analysis to screen for metabolism-related genes associated with tumor staging. We constructed the metabolism-related gene prognostic index (MRGPI), which demonstrated a stable prognostic value across multiple clinical trial end points and multiple validation cohorts. The MRGPI population had its distinct molecular features, mutational characteristics, and immune phenotypes. In addition, we investigated the response to immunotherapy in MRGPI subgroups and found that patients with low MRGPI were prone to benefit from anti-PD-1 checkpoint blockade therapy and exhibited a delayed treatment effect. Meanwhile, we identified four candidate therapeutic drugs (ABT-737, crizotinib, panobinostat, and regorafenib) for patients with high MRGPI, and we evaluated the pharmacokinetics and safety of the candidate drugs. In summary, the MRGPI was a robust clinical feature that could predict patient prognosis, immunotherapy response, and candidate drugs, facilitating clinical decision making and therapeutic strategy of OC.

Mesenchymal stem cells overexpressing XIST induce macrophage M2 polarization and improve neural stem cell homeostatic microenvironment, alleviating spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a significant cause of disability worldwide, with limited treatment options. This study investigated the potential of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) modified with XIST lentiviral vector to modulate macrophage polarization and affect neural stem cell (NSC) microenvironment reconstruction following SCI. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that MID1 might be crucial for BMSCs' treatment of SCI. XIST overexpression enriched Zmynd8 to the promoter region of MID1 and inhibited MID1 transcription, which promoted macrophage M2 polarization. In vitro experiments showed that BMSCs-XIST promoted NSC proliferation, migration, differentiation, and axonal growth by inducing macrophage M2 polarization, suppressing inflammation, and accelerating the re-establishment of the homeostatic microenvironment of NSCs. In vivo, animal experiments confirmed that BMSCs-XIST significantly alleviated SCI by promoting NSC differentiation and axon formation in the injured area. The study demonstrated the potential of XIST-overexpressing BMSCs for treating SCI by regulating macrophage polarization and homeostasis of the NSC microenvironment. These findings provide new insights into the development of stem cell-based therapies for SCI.

3D-Printed Biomimetic Structural Colors.

Resolution control and expansibility have always been challenges to the fabrication of structural color materials. Here, a facile strategy to print cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers (CLCEs) into complex structural color patterns with variable resolution and enhanced expansibility is reported. A volatile solvent is introduced into the synthesized CLC oligomers, modifying its rheological properties and allowing direct-ink-writing (DIW) under mild conditions. The combination of printing shear flow and anisotropic deswelling of ink drives the CLC molecules into an ordered cholesteric arrangement. The authors meticulously investigate the influence of printing parameters to achieve resolution control over a wide range, allowing for the printing of multi-sized 1D or 2D patterns with constant quality. Furthermore, such solvent-cast direct-ink-writing (DIW) strategy is highly expandable and can be integrated easily into the DIW of bionic robots. Multi-responsive bionic butterfly and flower are printed with biomimetic in both locomotion and coloration. Such designs dramatically reduced the processing difficulty of precise full-color printing and expanded the capability of structural color materials to collaborate with other systems.

Bibliometric study and review of Klotho research: global characteristics and trends from 2000 to 2023.

BACKGROUND: Although Klotho-related research has seen a significant upsurge, the field lacks comprehensive analytical representation and in-depth exploration of pertinent areas such as prevailing research trends and key focus areas. METHOD: This review presents a bibliometric analysis of literature data gathered from the Web of Science Core Collection databases from January 1, 2000, to April 30, 2023. Parameters such as co-authorship, co-citation, co-occurrence, and the emergence of publications, countries, categories, references, and keywords were scrutinized predominantly using Citespace software. RESULTS: Our investigation amassed a total of 3548 papers, with the United States leading in the quantity of publications (1175, accounting for 33.12%), followed by China (867, representing 24.44%), and Japan (439, accounting for 12.37%). While the United States is preeminent in the overall volume of publications, Scotland holds prominence in terms of centrality. Out of a total of 96 subject categories, urology and nephrology (573), and endocrinology and metabolism (542) were the two leading domains of Klotho-related publications. The 2011 paper titled "FGF23 induces left ventricular hypertrophy" by Faul C et al. holds the distinction of being the most frequently cited. The keywords "fibroblast growth factor 23," "phosphate homeostasis," and "functional variants" demonstrated the highest intensity, underscoring the potential of these research areas. CONCLUSION: As the volume of literature grows, the role of Klotho in disease management and its applicability as a marker in disease progression warrant vigilant tracking and study.

Associations Between Life's Essential 8 and Abdominal Aortic Calcification Among Middle-Aged and Elderly Populations.

BACKGROUND: Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We aim to examine the associations between Life's Essential 8 (LE8), the recently updated measurement of cardiovascular health (CVH), and AAC among participants aged ≥40 years. METHODS AND RESULTS: This population-based cross-sectional study used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2013 to 2014. AAC (AAC score>0) and severe AAC (AAC score>6) were quantified by the Kauppila score system. Multiple linear, multivariable logistic, and restricted cubic spline models were used to assess the associations. A total of 2369 participants were included with a mean AAC score of 1.41 (0.13). Participants in the high-cardiovascular-health group had lower AAC scores, lower prevalence of AAC, and lower prevalence of severe AAC. After the adjustment of potential confounders (age, sex, race and ethnicity, education levels, marital status, poverty income ratio, estimated glomerular filtration rate, serum creatinine, serum uric acid, serum phosphorus, and serum total calcium), higher cardiovascular health was significantly associated with lower risk of AAC. Meanwhile, elevated nicotine exposure score, blood glucose score, and blood pressure score within the LE8 components were significantly associated with lower risk of AAC. Also, nonlinear dose-response relationships were observed. Subgroup analyses (age strata, sex, poverty income ratio, education levels, marital status) indicated the inverse associations of LE8 and AAC were generally similar in different populations. CONCLUSIONS: LE8 was negatively and nonlinearly related to the risk of AAC among middle-aged and older populations. Meanwhile, LE8 components should prioritize higher scores for nicotine exposure, blood glucose, and blood pressure evaluations.