Gut Microbiota in Patients with Prediabetes.

Prediabetes is characterized by abnormal glycemic levels below the type 2 diabetes threshold, and effective control of blood glucose may prevent the progression to type 2 diabetes. While the association between the gut microbiota, glucose metabolism, and insulin resistance in diabetic patients has been established in previous studies, there is a lack of research regarding these aspects in prediabetic patients in Asia. We aim to investigate the composition of the gut microbiota in prediabetic patients and their differences compared to healthy individuals. In total, 57 prediabetic patients and 60 healthy adult individuals aged 18 to 65 years old were included in this study. Biochemistry data, fecal samples, and 3 days of food records were collected. Deoxyribonucleic acid extraction and next-generation sequencing via 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid metagenomic sequencing were conducted to analyze the relationship between the gut microbiota and dietary habits. Prediabetic patients showed a lower microbial diversity than healthy individuals, with 9 bacterial genera being less abundant and 14 others more abundant. Prediabetic patients who consumed a low-carbohydrate (LC) diet exhibited higher diversity in the gut microbiota than those who consumed a high-carbohydrate diet. A higher abundance of Coprococcus was observed in the prediabetic patients on an LC diet. Compared to healthy individuals, the gut microbiota of prediabetic patients was significantly different, and adopting an LC diet with high dietary fiber consumption may positively impact the gut microbiota. Future studies should aim to understand the relationship between the gut microbiota and glycemic control in the Asian population.

Environmental Adaptability and Energy Investment Strategy of Different Cunninghamia lanceolata Clones Based on Leaf Calorific Value and Construction Cost Characteristics.

The calorific value and construction cost of leaves reflect the utilization strategy of plants for environmental resources. Their genetic characteristics and leaf functional traits as well as climate change affect the calorific values. This study explores the differences in energy investment strategies and the response characteristics of energy utilization in leaves to climate change among nine clones of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata). Considering the objectives, the differences in the energy utilization strategies were analyzed by determining the leaf nutrients, specific leaf area, and leaf calorific value and by calculating the construction cost. The results showed a significant difference in the ash-free calorific value and construction cost of leaves among different Chinese fir clones (p < 0.05). There were also significant differences in leaf carbon (C) content, leaf nitrogen (N) content, specific leaf area, and ash content. The correlation analysis showed that leaves' ash-free calorific value and construction cost were positively correlated with the C content. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that P2 is inclined to the "fast investment return" energy investment strategy, while L27 is inclined to the "slow investment return" energy investment strategy. Redundancy analysis (RDA) indicates that the monthly average temperature strongly correlates positively with leaf construction cost, N content, and specific leaf area. The monthly average precipitation positively impacts the ash-free calorific value and construction cost of leaves. In conclusion, there are obvious differences in energy investment strategies among different Chinese fir clones. When temperature and precipitation change, Chinese fir leaves can adjust their energy investment to adapt to environmental changes. In the future, attention should be paid to the impact of climate change-related aspects on the growth and development of Chinese fir plantations.

Aquifer clogging caused by chlorine disinfection during the reclaimed water recharge.

Aquifer clogging plays a critical role in the efficiency of reclaimed water recharge. While chlorine disinfection is commonly used for reclaimed water, its impact on clogging has seldom been discussed. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the mechanism of chlorine disinfection on clogging by establishing a lab-scale reclaimed water recharge system that utilized chlorine-treated secondary effluent as feed water. The findings indicated that increasing the chlorine concentration led to a surge in the total amount of suspended particles, and the median particle size increased from 2.65 µm to 10.58 µm. Furthermore, the fluorescence intensity of dissolved organic matter decreased by 20%, with 80% of these compounds, including humic acid, becoming entrapped within the porous media. Additionally, the formation of biofilms was also found to be promoted. Microbial community structure analysis unveiled a consistent dominance of Proteobacteria consistently exceeded 50% in relative abundance. Moreover, the relative abundance of Firmicutes increased from 0.19% to 26.28%, thereby verifying their strong tolerance to chlorine disinfection. These results showed that higher chlorine concentrations could stimulate microorganisms to secrete an increased quantity of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and form a coexistence system with the trapped particles and natural organic matter (NOM) within the porous media. Consequently, this supported the formation of biofilms, thereby potentially elevating the risk of aquifer clogging.

Horizontal and vertical migration of cyanobacterial blooms in two eutrophic lakes observed from the GOCI satellite.

Under the variations of natural conditions (temperature, wind speed, light, et al.) and self-regulation of buoyancy, cyanobacterial blooms can change rapidly in a short time. The Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) can provide hourly monitoring of the dynamics of algal blooms (eight times per day), and has potential in observing the horizontal and vertical movement of cyanobacterial blooms. Based on the fractional floating algae cover (FAC), the diurnal dynamics and migration of floating algal blooms were evaluated, and the horizontal and vertical migration speed of phytoplankton was estimated from the proposed algorithm in two eutrophic lakes, Lake Taihu and Lake Chaohu in China. The locations, number, and area of algal bloom patches showed the hotspots and horizontal movement of bloom patches. The spatial and seasonal variations of the vertical velocities indicated that both the rising and sinking speed were higher in summer and autumn than those in spring and winter. The factors affecting diurnal horizontal and vertical migrations of phytoplankton were analyzed. Diffuse horizontal irradiance (DHI), direct normal irradiance (DNI), and temperature had significant positive relationships with FAC in the morning. Wind speed contributed 18.3 and 15.1% to the horizontal movement speed in Lake Taihu and Lake Chaohu, respectively. The rising speed was more related to DNI and DHI in Lake Taihu and Lake Chaohu with contribution of 18.1 and 16.6%. The horizontal and vertical movement of algae provide important information for understanding phytoplankton dynamics and the prediction and warning of algal blooms in lake management.

Investigation on the feasibility of large-volume autologous red blood cells donation: A pilot trial in a small cohort of Chinese.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative autologous blood donation (PAD) is used for elective surgical procedures with a predictable blood loss. But a downward trend in PAD is due to the fact that patients with preoperative whole blood donation or two-unit red cell apheresis cannot avoid receiving allogenic blood during intensive surgery. To improve the clinical application of PAD, this study explores the feasibility of large-volume autologous red blood cells (RBCs) donation by a pilot trial in a small cohort of Chinese. METHODS: This was a single-center, prospective study and 16 male volunteers were enrolled from May to October in 2020. Each volunteer donated 627.25 ± 109.74 mL (mean ± SD) RBC with apheresis machine or manually, and received 800 mg of intravenous iron in four divided doses. Blood pressure, oxygen saturation (SpO2 ), respiratory rate and heart rate were monitored throughout the procedure. The RBC count, hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, hematocrit (Hct), reticulocyte count, erythropoietin (Epo), serum iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin saturation, transferrin, and ferritin were dynamically detected and analyzed before and 8 weeks after blood donation. RESULTS: There was no differences in SpO2 , systolic and diastolic blood pressure before and after blood collection (P ≥ .05). The heart rate and respiratory rate after donation were slightly lower than those before (P < .05). The level of RBC, Hb concentration and Hct fell to a nadir on Day 3 (pre-donation vs post-donation on Day 3: RBC 4.81 ± 0.36*1012 /L vs 3.65 ± 0.31, P < .05; Hb 148.59 ± 11.92 g/L vs 113.19 ± 10.43 g/L, P < .05; Hct 44.08 ± 3.06% vs 33.38 ± 2.57%, P < .05) and recovered to the pre-donation levels at the eighth week post donation (pre-donation vs post-donation at the eighth week: RBC 4.81 ± 0.36*1012 /L vs 4.84 ± 0.34*1012 /L, P ≥ .05; Hb 148.59 ± 11.92 g/L vs 150.91 ± 11.75 g/L, P ≥ .05; Hct 44.08% ± 3.06% vs 43.86 ± 3.06%, P ≥ .05). Epo and the reticulocyte count reached the peak values on Days 1 and 7, respectively (Epo: D0 15.30 ± 7.47 mlU/ML vs D1 43.26 ± 10.52 mlU/ML, P < .05; reticulocyte count: D0 0.07 ± 0.02*109 /L vs D7 0.17 ± 0.04*109 /L, P < .05). The red cell net profits on Day 7, the second, fourth and eighth week postdonation were 160.39 ± 144.33 mL, 387.59 ± 128.74 mL, 530.95 ± 120.37 mL, and 614.18 ± 120.10 mL, and accounted for 27.47% ± 24.70%, 63.75% ± 24.91%, 86.20% ± 22.99%, and 99.20% ± 19.19% of RBC donation, respectively. The levels of serum iron, serum ferritin, and transferrin saturation increased during the first week because of the supplement of intravenous iron, and then gradually decreased and declined to the baseline at the end of the study period at the eighth week. CONCLUSIONS: The large-volume autologous RBCs donation of 600 mL is proved safe in our study. Combination support of normal saline to maintain blood volume and intravenous iron supplementation may ensure the safety and effectiveness of large-volume RBC apheresis.

The value of artificial intelligence in the diagnosis of lung cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Lung cancer is a common malignant tumor disease with high clinical disability and death rates. Currently, lung cancer diagnosis mainly relies on manual pathology section analysis, but the low efficiency and subjective nature of manual film reading can lead to certain misdiagnoses and omissions. With the continuous development of science and technology, artificial intelligence (AI) has been gradually applied to imaging diagnosis. Although there are reports on AI-assisted lung cancer diagnosis, there are still problems such as small sample size and untimely data updates. Therefore, in this study, a large amount of recent data was included, and meta-analysis was used to evaluate the value of AI for lung cancer diagnosis. With the help of STATA16.0, the value of AI-assisted lung cancer diagnosis was assessed by specificity, sensitivity, negative likelihood ratio, positive likelihood ratio, diagnostic ratio, and plotting the working characteristic curves of subjects. Meta-regression and subgroup analysis were used to investigate the value of AI-assisted lung cancer diagnosis. The results of the meta-analysis showed that the combined sensitivity of the AI-aided diagnosis system for lung cancer diagnosis was 0.87 [95% CI (0.82, 0.90)], specificity was 0.87 [95% CI (0.82, 0.91)] (CI stands for confidence interval.), the missed diagnosis rate was 13%, the misdiagnosis rate was 13%, the positive likelihood ratio was 6.5 [95% CI (4.6, 9.3)], the negative likelihood ratio was 0.15 [95% CI (0.11, 0.21)], a diagnostic ratio of 43 [95% CI (24, 76)] and a sum of area under the combined subject operating characteristic (SROC) curve of 0.93 [95% CI (0.91, 0.95)]. Based on the results, the AI-assisted diagnostic system for CT (Computerized Tomography), imaging has considerable diagnostic accuracy for lung cancer diagnosis, which is of significant value for lung cancer diagnosis and has greater feasibility of realizing the extension application in the field of clinical diagnosis.

Autophagy in the pathogenesis and therapeutic potential of post-traumatic osteoarthritis.

Autophagy, as a fundamental mechanism for cellular homeostasis, is generally involved in the occurrence and progression of various diseases. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common musculoskeletal disease that often leads to pain, disability and economic loss in patients. Post-traumatic OA (PTOA) is a subtype of OA, accounting for >12% of the overall burden of OA. PTOA is often caused by joint injuries including anterior cruciate ligament rupture, meniscus tear and intra-articular fracture. Although a variety of methods have been developed to treat acute joint injury, the current measures have limited success in effectively reducing the incidence and delaying the progression of PTOA. Therefore, the pathogenesis and intervention strategy of PTOA need further study. In the past decade, the roles and mechanisms of autophagy in PTOA have aroused great interest in the field. It was revealed that autophagy could maintain the homeostasis of chondrocytes, reduce joint inflammatory level, prevent chondrocyte death and matrix degradation, which accordingly improved joint symptoms and delayed the progression of PTOA. Moreover, many strategies that target PTOA have been revealed to promote autophagy. In this review,  we summarize the roles and mechanisms of autophagy in PTOA and the current strategies for PTOA treatment that depend on autophagy regulation, which may be beneficial for PTOA patients in the future.

Short Mediterranean diet screener detects risk of prediabetes in Taiwan, a cross-sectional study.

We aimed to determine whether the 14-item Mediterranean diet adherence screener (MEDAS) is suitable in Taiwan and associate the MEDAS score with the risk of prediabetes. In this cross-sectional study 346 patients were recruited between 2014 and 2019 at Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital. The MEDAS score was obtained with a 14-item MEDAS used in the PREDIMED trial. The blood glucose level is measured by fasting glucose and HbA1c. The results of the screener were analyzed for internal consistency and compared with the blood glucose level using multivariate regression models. The MEDAS score was significantly (p = 0.001) and inversely associated with both measures of blood glucose level. Adjusted data (95% CI) showed that each additional point in the MEDAS score decreases the risk of prediabetes with abnormal fasting glucose (> 100 mg/dL) level by 60% and the risk of prediabetes with abnormal HbA1c (> 5.7%) by 22.4%. Consuming at least 3 servings of legumes each week was significantly (p = 0.007) related to a lower risk of prediabetes under logistic regression. A higher score on the 14-item MEDAS screener was significantly associated with a lower risk of prediabetes.

Evaluation of the Association of Platelet Count, Mean Platelet Volume, and Platelet Transfusion With Intraventricular Hemorrhage and Death Among Preterm Infants.

Importance: Platelet transfusion is commonly performed in infants to correct severe thrombocytopenia or prevent bleeding. Exploring the associations of platelet transfusion, platelet count (PC), and mean platelet volume (MPV) with intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and in-hospital mortality in preterm infants can provide evidence for the establishment of future practices. Objectives: To evaluate the associations of platelet transfusion, PC, and MPV with IVH and in-hospital mortality and to explore whether platelet transfusion-associated IVH and mortality risks vary with PC and MPV levels at the time of transfusion. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study included preterm infants who were transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit on their day of birth and received ventilation during their hospital stay. The study was conducted at a neonatal intensive care unit referral center in Beijing, China, between May 2016 and October 2017. Data were retrieved and analyzed from December 2020 to January 2022. Exposures: Platelet transfusion, PC, and MPV. Main Outcomes and Measures: Any grade IVH, severe IVH (grade 3 or 4), and in-hospital mortality. Results: Among the 1221 preterm infants (731 [59.9%] male; median [IQR] gestational age, 31.0 [29.0-33.0] weeks), 94 (7.7%) received 166 platelet transfusions. After adjustment for potential confounders, platelet transfusion was significantly associated with mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.48; 95% CI, 1.13-1.93; P = .004). A decreased PC was significantly associated with any grade IVH (HR per 50 × 103/µL, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.05-1.22; P = .001), severe IVH (HR per 50 × 103/µL, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.02-1.32; P = .02), and mortality (HR per 50 × 103/µL, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.48-2.03; P < .001). A higher MPV was associated with a lower risk of mortality (HR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.69-0.98; P = .03). The platelet transfusion-associated risks for both IVH and mortality increased when transfusion was performed in infants with a higher PC level (eg, PC of 25 × 103/µL: HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.89-1.62; PC of 100 × 103/µL: HR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.08-1.82). The platelet transfusion-associated risks of IVH and mortality varied with MPV level at the time of transfusion. Conclusions and Relevance: In preterm infants, platelet transfusion, PC, and MPV were associated with mortality, and PC was also associated with any grade IVH and severe IVH. The findings suggest that a lower platelet transfusion threshold is preferred; however, the risk of a decreased PC should not be ignored.

Isolation, Identification and Insecticidal Activity of the Secondary Metabolites of Talaromyces purpureogenus BS5.

The fungal strain BS5 was isolated from a soil sample collected in the Tibetan Plateau, which displayed good insecticidal activity and was identified as Talaromyces purpureogenus based on morphological and molecular analysis. This study aimed to evaluate the insecticidal activity and identify the active compound of the strain BS5 against the locust Locusta migratoria manilensis. The insecticidal activity of the fermented broth of BS5 was at 100% after 7 days against locusts. We extracted the fermented broth of BS5 and then evaluated the insecticidal activity of the extracts against locusts. The ethyl acetate extract exhibited promising activity levels with an LC50 value of 1077.94 µg/mL and was separated through silica gel column chromatography. The UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap/MS system was employed to analyze the active fraction Fr2.2.2 (with an LC50 value of 674.87 µg/mL), and two compounds were identified: phellamurin and rubratoxin B.

Rapid removal of trace haloacetic acids from drinking water by a continuous adsorption process using graphene oxide.

Significant health risks are caused by trace levels of haloacetic acids (HAAs) in drinking water. We used graphene oxide (GO), a high-performance absorbent, to remove monochloroacetic acid (MCAA), dichloroacetic acid (DCAA) and trichloroacetic acid (TCAA). 31.6%, 27.1% and 30.2% of MCAA, DCAA and TCAA in drinking water could be rapidly removed within 2 min by the interaction of intermolecular hydrogen bonds between GO and HAAs. On the other hand, as a type of weak interaction, intermolecular hydrogen bonds are easy to fracture, which leads to the recovery of GO. The removal efficiency of MCAA, DCAA and TCAA monotonously decreased with increasing pH from 3 to 11. Temperature was not an important influence on the removal efficiency of HAAs, and only affected the interaction of intermolecular hydrogen bonds between GO and HAAs. A continuous adsorption process was used for further improving the removal efficiency of HAAs, and the concentration of total HAAs decreased from 436 to 52.5 µg L-1 after five adsorption processes. The total contact time was just 2.25 min, which was faster than other reported adsorbents, and total HAAs could be decreased by 88%. The innovative process in this study provides an effective method for application of GO to rapidly remove HAAs in drinking water.

Oxidation of phthalate acid esters using hydrogen peroxide and polyoxometalate/graphene hybrids.

Phthalate acid esters (PAEs) have been adsorbed and oxidatively degraded into small molecules including lactic acid (LA), formic acid (FA), H2O and CO2 using polyoxometalates (POMs)/graphene hybrids. We demonstrated that super-lower concentrations of PAEs could be oxidized, which was due to their unique structure. POM molecules have been embedded onto graphene to form H5PMo10V2O40@surfactant(n)/Graphene(L wt%) (abbreviated as HPMoV@Surf(n)/GO(L wt%)) using surfactants with the carbon chain length n = 2, 4, 6 and 8 for the loading of HPMoV. The coexistence of the graphene and surfactant layer (on HPMoV@Surf(n)/GO(20 wt%)) adsorbed PAE molecules and transported them rapidly to HPMoV active sites. And n values determined the electron transfer ability between graphene and POMs that promoted PAEs oxidation. The loading of POMs on the surface of graphene permitted HPMoV@Surf(n)/GO(L wt%) act as interfacial catalyst which degraded various PAEs (i.e., diethyl phthalate (DEP), diallyl phthalate (DAP) and di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)) while removed more than 70% of TOC and COD. The degradation of DEP achieved 93.0% with HPMoV@Surf(n)/GO(20 wt%) and H2O2, which followed first-order kinetics and the reaction activation energy (Ea) of 23.1 kJ/mol. Further, HPMoV@Surf(n)/GO(20 wt%) showed potential for the removal of PAEs in Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), and the degradation efficiency for PAE (DEP) in secondary effluent achieved 55.0%. In addition, the loading method for POMs on graphene eliminated the leaching of POMs from graphene, and the degradation efficiency could still reach 88.1% after ten recycles.

Research in Nonlinearity of Surface Acoustic Wave Devices.

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices are one of the indispensable components in the radio frequency (RF) front-end of mobile phones. With the development of mobile communication technology, the requirements for linear specification of devices are more and more strict. Nonlinear distortions of SAW devices have a serious influence on the application of mobile RF modules. To satisfy the strict requirement of linearity of communication system, it is necessary to understand the generation mechanism of nonlinearity and study the accurate modeling, appropriate measurement methods, and nonlinear response elimination technology. In this paper, we summarize the research progress on the nonlinearity of SAW devices in recent years from four aspects: the generation mechanism, simulation methods, measurement system, and suppression technology. The nonlinear harmonics with the nonlinear Mason equivalent circuit model are simulated. Furthermore, harmonics and intermodulation signals of SAW filters are tested by the authors. Thanks to these research studies, it is of great significance to the development of future RF front-end modules with high linear SAW devices.

Fabrication of ordered mesoporous POMs/SiO2-NH2 nanofibers for production of DFF from 5-HMF for cellulose wastewater resource recovery.

5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) is a biomass cellulose platform product that can be transformed into the valuable resource 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF). Polyoxometalates (POMs) have important applications in resource recovery technologies and cellulose wastewater treatment. Ordered mesoporous H5PMo10V2O40/SiO2-NH2 (wt%) nanofibers (HPMoV/meso-SiO2-NH2 (wt%)) were synthesized by the combining in-situ fabrication and electrospinning techniques, using H5PMo10V2O40 (HPMoV) and organic-silica as precursors. Aiming the recovery and transformation of 5-HMF, aerobic oxidation of 5-HMF was explored using these nanofibers as catalysts, while the best yield of DFF (90.0%) was obtained upon HPMoV/meso-SiO2-NH2 (23%) nanofibers after 8 h at 120 °C using oxygen (1.0 MPa). The selectivity to DFF was improved by changing the hydrophilicity of the HPMoV@SiO2 nanofibers to hydrophobicity by modifying SiO2 nanofibers with -NH2R compared to mesoporous SiO2 nanofibers, which allowed the formed DFF to be isolated. In the recycling test, HPMoV@SiO2-NH2 showed good performance, and no leaching of active sites from SiO2-NH2 due to the interactions between them occurred after 10 cycles. The production of DFF from the real cellulosic wastewater was obtained with 118% yield based on 5-HMF conversion by HPMoV/meso-SiO2-NH2 (23) and oxygen, which was contributed to the one-pot conversion of sugar, furan and 5-HMF in the wastewater.

Achieving deep desulfurization with inverse-micellar polyoxometalates and oxygen.

Designing green and efficient catalytic systems that can operate under mild conditions and utilize molecular oxygen as an oxidant for achieving deep desulfurization is highly desirable. In this study, an inverse-micellar polyoxometalate (POM) (NH4)5(CTA)6PMo4V8O40 (CTA = cetyltrimethylammonium), abbreviated as (CTA)PMo4V8, was designed and its activity in desulfurization was evaluated. Almost ∼100% of organic sulfur was removed in 8 h at 100 °C, using only flowing oxygen under atmospheric pressure. (CTA)PMo4V8 exhibited excellent activity in treating sulfur-containing compounds (dibenzothiophene (DBT), 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (DMDBT), benzothiophene (BT) and thiophene) in real oils, i.e. diesel and FCC gasoline, affording clean oils with super-low sulfur content of 8.77 and 6.17 ppm, respectively. Furthermore, (CTA)PMo4V8 showed high activity in the oxidative desulfurization of real oils in the presence of oxygen and nitrogen (volume ratio 1 : 1). Such inverse-micellar POMs could be reused at least six times without significant loss of activity due to their high stability.

Characteristics and temporal variations of organic and elemental carbon aerosols in PM1 in Changchun, Northeast China.

The present study offers the first evaluation of organic and elemental carbon (OC and EC) of submicron (PM1) fraction in Changchun (Northeast China) during a year-long sampling period (October 24, 2016 to October 23, 2017). More than 288 PM1 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 1 µm) samples were collected. The PM1 concentrations ranged from 3.78 to 451.08 µg·m-3, with an average of 57.73 µg·m-3, which was 1.65 times higher than the Chinese National Standard II. Following the concept of the well-known IMPROVE algorithm, OC and EC values were obtained. The OC values ranged from 1.18 to 82.54 µg∙m-3, and the EC values were from 0.30 to 14.19 µg∙m-3. Total carbon (TC = EC + OC) constituted 9.11-40.35% of the total PM1 mass, and OC dominated over EC. The average OC/EC ratio was 4.78, which implied a low percentage for vehicles and a high contribution of coal and biomass consumption to PM1. Among OC, the annual primary organic carbon (POC) value was 7.69 µg∙m-3, accounting for 63% of the OC, while secondary organic carbon (SOC) contributed 37% with 4.12 µg∙m-3. Among EC, CHAR (EC1) dominated over SOOT (EC2 + EC3), and the CHAR/SOOR ratio ranged from 2.91 to 28.55. The results of the OC and EC values as well as the OC/EC and CHAR/SOOT ratios suggest that possible sources of PM1 include vehicles, coal burning, cooking, and biomass burning.

Is vegetarian diet associated with a lower risk of breast cancer in Taiwanese women?

BACKGROUND: Studies on the relationship between vegetarian diet and breast cancer in Asian populations are limited. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between vegetarian diet, dietary patterns, and breast cancer in Taiwanese women. METHODS: This case-control study compared the dietary patterns of 233 breast cancer patients and 236 age-matched controls. A questionnaire about vegetarian diets and 28 frequently-consumed food items was administered to these 469 patients in the surgical department of Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital. Serum biochemical status was also examined. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups for age, education, family history, oral contraceptive usage, or regular exercise. However, the cancer group presented with both a higher body mass index and an older age of primiparity (P < 0.05). Two food items (shellfish and seafood) were highly correlated (correlation coefficient = 0.77), so shellfish was excluded to avoid multicollinearity. A factor analysis of 27 food items produced five dietary patterns: meat, processed meat, fruit/vegetable/soybean, dessert/sugar, and fermented food. Multivariate logistic regression showed that meat/fat and processed meat dietary patterns were associated with breast cancer risk (odds ratio (OR): 2.22, 95% CI 1.67-2.94, P < 0.001; OR: 1.49, 95% CI 1.09-2.04, P = 0.013, respectively). Vegetarian diet, high isoflavone intake, and high albumin levels were inversely associated with breast cancer risk (P < 0.05). Vegetarians had a higher daily soy isoflavone intake than non-vegetarians (25.9 ± 25.6 mg vs. 18.1 ± 15.6 mg, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Vegetarian diets show as protective role against breast cancer risk, while meat and processed meat dietary patterns are associated with a higher breast cancer risk.

Removing of Disinfection By-Product Precursors from Surface Water by Using Magnetic Graphene Oxide.

The magnetic graphene oxide (MGO) was successfully synthesised by the in situ chemical co-precipitation method with Fe3+, Fe2+ and graphene oxide (GO) in laboratory and, was used as an adsorbent for disinfection by-product (DBP) precursors removing from four natural surface water samples. The results indicate that various DBPs formation significantly decreased by 7-19% to 78-98% for the four samples after MGO treatment and, the treatment process was rapidly reached equilibrium within 20 minutes. The DBP precursors removal efficiency decreased with the increasing pH value from 4 to 10. Hydrophobic compounds (humic acid and fulvic acid) are more sensitive to MGO, whereas hydrophilic and nitrogenous compounds (aromatic proteins) are more insensitive. MGO could be regenerated by using 20% (v/v) ethanol and, the DBP precursors removal efficiency can stay stable after five cycles. These results indicate that MGO can be utilized as a promising adsorbent for the removal of DBP precursors from natural surface water.

[Comparison of thromboelastography and routine coagulation tests for evaluation of blood coagulation function in patients].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation and consistency between thromboelastography(TEG) and routine coagulation tests, and to evaluate the value of the two methods in determining the blood coagulation of patients. METHODS: The TEG, routine coagulation tests and platelet counts of 182 patients from the Intensive Care Unit(ICU) and Department of Gastroenterology in our hospital from January to September 2014 were performed and analyzed retrospectively for their correlation, Kappa identity test analysis and chi-square test, and the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of both methods in the patients with bleeding were evaluated. RESULTS: The TEG R time and PT, R time and APTT showed a linear dependence (P<0.01). The relationship between the TEG K value, α-Angle, MA and Fibrinogen showed a linear dependence (P<0.001). And the relationship between the TEG K value, α-Angle, MA and the platelet count were in a linear dependent way (P<0.001). The Kappa values of the TEG R time with PT and APTT were 0.038 (P>0.05) and 0.061 (P>0.05), respectively. The chi-square test values of the TEG R time with PT and APTT were 35.309 (P<0.001) and 15.848 (P<0.001), respectively. The Fibrinogen and the TEG K value, α-Angle, MA value had statistical significance (P<0.001), with a Kappa value of 0.323, 0.288 and 0.427, respectively. The chi-square test values between Fibrinogen and the TEG K value, α-Angle, MA value were not statistically significant, with X2=1.091 (P=0.296), X2=1.361 (P=0.243), X2=0.108 (P=0.742). The Kappa values of the platelet count and the TEG K value, α-Angle, MA value were 0.379, 0.208 and 0.352, respectively, which were also statistically significant difference (P<0.001). The chi-square test values between the platelet count and the TEG K value, α-Angle, MA value showed a statistically significant difference (P<0.001), with X2=37.5, X2=37.23, X2=26.630. The diagnostic sensitivity of the two methods for the patients with bleeding was less than 50%. CONCLUSION: There was a significant correlation between some TEG parameters and routine coagulation tests, but the consistency is weak. Moreover, the diagnostic sensitivity of two methods in the patients with bleeding is low. It was concluded that the TEG cannot replace the conventional coagulation tests, and the preferable method remains uncertain which could reflect the risk of bleeding.

Serum hyperglycemia might be not related to fat composition of diet and vegetable composition of diet might improve sugar control in taiwanese diabetic subjects.

OBJECTIVE: This is an Asian study, which was designed to examine the correlations between biochemical data and food composition of diabetic patients in Taiwan. METHODS: One hundred and seventy Taiwanese diabetic patients were enrolled. The correlations between biochemical data and diet composition (from 24-hour recall of intake food) of these patients were explored (Spearman correlation, p < 0.05). Diet components were also correlated with each other to show diet characteristics of diabetic patients in Taiwan. Linear regression was also performed for the significantly correlated groups to estimate possible impacts from diet composition to biochemical data. RESULTS: Postprandial serum glucose level was negatively correlated with fat percentage of diet, intake amount of polyunsaturated fatty acid and fiber diet composition. Hemoglobin A1c was negatively correlated with fat diet, polyunsaturated fatty acid and vegetable diet. Fat composition, calorie percentage accounted by polyunsaturated fatty acid and monounsaturated fatty acid in diet seemed to be negatively correlated with sugar percentage of diet and positively correlated with vegetable and fiber composition of diet. Linear regression showed that intake amount of polyunsaturated fatty acid, calorie percentage accounted by polyunsaturated fatty acid, fat percentage of diet, vegetable composition of diet would predict lower hemoglobin A1c and postprandial blood sugar. Besides, higher percentage of fat diet composition could predict higher percentage of vegetable diet composition in Taiwanese diabetic patients. CONCLUSION: Fat diet might not elevate serum glucose. Vegetable diet and polyunsaturated fatty acid diet composition might be correlated with better sugar control in Taiwanese diabetic patients.