Genetic association of inflammatory marker GlycA with lung function and respiratory diseases.

Association of circulating glycoprotein acetyls (GlycA), a systemic inflammation biomarker, with lung function and respiratory diseases remain to be investigated. We examined the genetic correlation, shared genetics, and potential causality of GlycA (N = 115,078) with lung function and respiratory diseases (N = 497,000). GlycA showed significant genetic correlation with FEV1 (rg = -0.14), FVC (rg = -0.18), asthma (rg = 0.21) and COPD (rg = 0.31). We consistently identified ten shared loci (including chr3p21.31 and chr8p23.1) at both SNP and gene level revealing potential shared biological mechanisms involving ubiquitination, immune response, Wnt/ß-catenin signaling, cell growth and differentiation in tissues or cells including blood, epithelium, fibroblast, fetal thymus, and fetal intestine. Genetically elevated GlycA was significantly correlated with lung function and asthma susceptibility (354.13 ml decrement of FEV1, 442.28 ml decrement of FVC, and 144% increased risk of asthma per SD increment of GlycA) from MR analyses. Our findings provide insights into biological mechanisms of GlycA in relating to lung function, asthma, and COPD.

Early-onset familial essential tremor is associated with nucleotide expansions of spinocerebellar ataxia in China.

BACKGROUND: Essential tremor (ET) is a neurological disease characterized by action tremor in upper arms. Although its high heritability and prevalence worldwide, its etiology and association with other diseases are still unknown. METHOD: We investigated 10 common spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs), including SCA1, SCA2, SCA3, SCA6, SCA7, SCA8, SCA12, SCA17, SCA36, dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA) in 92 early-onset familial ET pedigrees in China collected from 2016 to 2022. RESULT: We found one SCA12 proband carried 51 CAG repeats within PPP2R2B gene and one SCA3 proband with intermediate CAG repeats (55) with ATXN3 gene. The other 90 ET probands all had normal repeat expansions. CONCLUSION: Tremor can be the initial phenotype of certain SCA. For early-onset, familial ET patients, careful physical examinations are needed before genetic SCA screening.

A Porous Perovskite Nanofiber with Reinforced Aerophobicity for High-Performance Anion Exchange Membrane Water Splitting.

Perovskite oxides stand out as emerging oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts on account of their effective electrocatalytic performance and low costs. Nevertheless, perovskite oxides suffer from severe bubble overpotential and inhibited electrochemical performance in large current densities due to their small specific surface areas and structural compactness. Herein, the study highlights the electrospun nickel-substituted La0.5 Sr0.5 FeO3-δ (LSF) porous perovskite nanofibers, that is, La0.5 Sr0.5 Fe1-x Nix O3-δ (denoted as ES-LSFN-x, x = 0, 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5), as high-performance OER electrocatalysts. The most effective La0.5 Sr0.5 Fe0.5 Ni0.5 O3-δ (ES-LSFN-0.5) nanofibers suggest a larger specific surface area, higher porosity, and faster mass transfer than the counterpart sample prepared by conventional sol-gel method (SG-LSFN-0.5), showing notably increased geometric and intrinsic activities. The bubble visualization results demonstrate that the enriched and nano-sized porosity of ES-LSFN-0.5 enables reinforced aerophobicity and rapid detachment of oxygen bubbles, thereby reducing the bubble overpotential and enhancing the electrochemical performance. As a result, the ES-LSFN-0.5-based anion exchange membrane water electrolysis delivers a superior stability of 100 h while the SG-LSFN-0.5 counterpart degrades rapidly within 20 h under a current density of 100 mA cm-2 . The results highlight the advantage of porous electrocatalysts in optimizing the performance of large current density water electrolysis devices by reducing the bubble overpotential.

Trends in Prevalence and Disability-Adjusted Life-Years of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias in China from 1990 to 2019.

INTRODUCTION: China has the largest population of people with dementia in the world and is estimated to have approximately a quarter of the entire population with dementia worldwide, bringing a heavy burden on the public and healthcare systems. We aimed to analyze the burden of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in China over the past three decades. METHODS: The data on disease burden owing to Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in China from 1990 to 2019 were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 datasets. The estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) were calculated to assess the temporal trends, and the ratio of years lived with disability (YLDs) to disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) was used as an indicator to evaluate the healthcare system. RESULT: In China, the overall age-standardized rates (ASRs) of the prevalence and DALYs of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias increased from 1990 to 2019, and their EAPCs were 0.66 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.57-0.75) and 0.26 (95% CI, 0.21-0.31), respectively. ASRs and the total number of dementia in females remained higher than in males, but the upward trend in ASRs among men was more pronounced than in women. The female-to-male ratio of the age-standardized DALY rate peaked in the 75-79 year age group in 2019 (female-to-male ratio of 1.32). The YLDs:DALYs ratio in China experienced a gradual increase and finally stayed above the global average since 2011. CONCLUSION: China has experienced a remarkably rising burden of dementia over the past three decades. The more significant burden of dementia was in females, but the potentially increasing burden of dementia in males cannot be underestimated.

Artificial Intelligence to Predict Lymph Node Metastasis at CT in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Background Although deep learning has brought revolutionary changes in health care, reliance on manually selected cross-sectional images and segmentation remain methodological barriers. Purpose To develop and validate an automated preoperative artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm for tumor and lymph node (LN) segmentation with CT imaging for prediction of LN metastasis in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Materials and Methods In this retrospective study, patients with surgically resected, pathologically confirmed PDAC underwent multidetector CT from January 2015 to April 2020. Three models were developed, including an AI model, a clinical model, and a radiomics model. CT-determined LN metastasis was diagnosed by radiologists. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to develop the clinical and radiomics models. The performance of the models was determined on the basis of their discrimination and clinical utility. Kaplan-Meier curves, the log-rank test, or Cox regression were used for survival analysis. Results Overall, 734 patients (mean age, 62 years ± 9 [SD]; 453 men) were evaluated. All patients were split into training (n = 545) and validation (n = 189) sets. Patients who had LN metastasis (LN-positive group) accounted for 340 of 734 (46%) patients. In the training set, the AI model showed the highest performance (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC], 0.91) in the prediction of LN metastasis, whereas the radiologists and the clinical and radiomics models had AUCs of 0.58, 0.76, and 0.71, respectively. In the validation set, the AI model showed the highest performance (AUC, 0.92) in the prediction of LN metastasis, whereas the radiologists and the clinical and radiomics models had AUCs of 0.65, 0.77, and 0.68, respectively (P < .001). AI model-predicted positive LN metastasis was associated with worse survival (hazard ratio, 1.46; 95% CI: 1.13, 1.89; P = .004). Conclusion An artificial intelligence model outperformed radiologists and clinical and radiomics models for prediction of lymph node metastasis at CT in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. © RSNA, 2022 Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Chu and Fishman in this issue.

Burden of Parkinson Disease in China, 1990-2019: Findings from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study.

INTRODUCTION: China has the most people with Parkinson disease (PD) in the world and is estimated to have over half of the worldwide PD population. The objective of this study was to analyze the corresponding burden of PD in China for the past decades. METHOD: Data on disease burden related to PD in China were retrieved from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 study. The estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) were calculated to assess temporal trends, and the ratio of years lived with disability (YLDs) to disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) was used as an index to evaluate the healthcare system. RESULT: Nationally, the burden of PD increased from 1990 to 2019. Although the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) increased, the age-standardized death rate (ASDR) and age-standardized DALY rate both decreased. Age-standardized rates of PD in males remained higher than those in females, but trends in ASDR and the age-standardized DALY rate for females showed a pronounced decrease. The most remarkable increase in the ASIR was in individuals aged 45-49 years, with an EAPC of 1.74 (95% confidence interval, 1.26-2.21). The YLDs:DALYs ratio continuously increased compared with global figures and even with countries with high sociodemographic index (SDI). CONCLUSION: Although ASDR and age-standardized DALY rates for PD have been declining, the burden of PD still needs attention as the total numbers have increased over the period. Generally, the greater burden of PD was in males. A sound health system with services tailored to PD continues to be required in the future.

Effect of different direct revegetation strategies on the mobility of heavy metals in artificial zinc smelting waste slag: Implications for phytoremediation.

The establishment of vegetation cover is an important strategy to reduce wind and water erosion at metal smelting waste slag sites. However, the mobility of heavy metals in waste slag-vegetation-leachate systems after the application of revegetation strategies is still unclear. Large microcosm experiments were conducted for revegetation of waste slag for 98 d using combined amendments, i.e., phosphate rock and an organic waste coming from the anaerobic digestion of pig manure (named as biogas residue), and by single- and co-planted perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and Trifolium repens (T. repens). The results showed that the application of biogas residue slightly increased the concentrations of Zn and Cd in the leachates; however, the establishment of plants could avoid the excessive leaching of heavy metals coming from the biogas residue. The bioavailability of Cu, Zn, and Cd slightly increased, but Pb bioavailability significantly decreased regardless of single- or co-planting patterns. Additionally, the bioavailability of Cu, Zn, and Cd in the waste slag revegetated with perennial ryegrass was lower than that in T. repens under the single-planting pattern. The change in the heavy metals bioavailability under different revegetation strategies was mainly due to the root-induced change in the pH and speciation of heavy metals in the waste slag. The application of biogas residue and phosphate rock tends to the immobilization of Pb. Heavy metals mainly accumulated in the underground parts of the two herbs, and the heavy metal contents in the underground parts of perennial ryegrass were higher than those in T. repens regardless of single- or co-planting patterns. The heavy metals accumulated in T. repens were lower than those in perennial ryegrass in the single-planting pattern. The bioaccumulation and transportation factors of the two herbs were extremely low. Thus, the two herbs are potential candidates for phytostabilization of zinc smelting waste slag sites.

Bacterial community structure and diversity responses to the direct revegetation of an artisanal zinc smelting slag after 5 years.

This comparative field study examined the responses of bacterial community structure and diversity to the revegetation of zinc (Zn) smelting waste slag with eight plant species after 5 years. The microbial community structure of waste slag with and without vegetation was evaluated using high-throughput sequencing. The physiochemical properties of Zn smelting slag after revegetation with eight plant rhizospheres for 5 years were improved compared to those of bulk slag. Revegetation significantly increased the microbial community diversity in plant rhizospheres, and at the phylum level, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were notably more abundant in rhizosphere slags than those in bulk waste slag. Additionally, revegetation increased the relative abundance of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria such as Flavobacterium, Streptomyces, and Arthrobacter as well as symbiotic N2 fixers such as Bradyrhizobium. Three dominant native plant species (Arundo donax, Broussonetia papyrifera, and Robinia pseudoacacia) greatly increased the quality of the rhizosphere slags. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that the differences in bacterial community structure between the bulk and rhizosphere slags were explained by slag properties, i.e., pH, available copper (Cu) and lead (Pb), moisture, available nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), and organic matter (OM); however, available Zn and cadmium (Cd) contents were the slag parameters that best explained the differences between the rhizosphere communities of the eight plant species. The results suggested that revegetation plays an important role in enhancing bacterial community abundance and diversity in rhizosphere slags and that revegetation may also regulate microbiological properties and diversity mainly through changes in heavy metal bioavailability and physiochemical slag characteristics.