Dietary and serum n-3 PUFA and polycystic ovary syndrome: a matched case-control study.

The results of epidemiological studies involving n-3 PUFA and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are scarce. This matched case-control study assessed the associations between n-3 PUFA and PCOS prevalence in 325 pairs of PCOS cases and healthy controls. Dietary information was assessed using a 102-item FFQ. Fatty acids in serum phospholipids were measured with a GC method. We found that n-3 PUFA in serum phospholipids were inversely associated with PCOS prevalence, including total, long-chain and individual PUFA (e.g. docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), EPA and DHA). Compared with the lowest tertile (T1), the adjusted OR and their 95% CI for the highest tertile (T3) were 0·63 (0·40, 0·93) for total n-3 PUFA, 0·60 (0·38, 0·92) for long-chain n-3 PUFA, 0·68 (0·45, 1·01) for DHA, 0·70 (0·45, 1·05) for EPA and 0·72 (0·45, 1·08) for DPA. For dietary intake of n-3 PUFA, significant inverse associations were found only for long-chain n-3 PUFA (Ptrend = 0·001), EPA (Ptrend = 0·047) and DHA (Ptrend = 0·030). Both dietary and serum n-3 PUFA, mainly EPA and DPA, were negatively correlated with PCOS-related parameters, such as BMI, fasting insulin, total testosterone and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, but positively correlated with follicle-stimulating hormone and sex hormone-binding globulin. These results indicated inverse associations between n-3 PUFA, especially long-chain n-3 PUFA, and PCOS prevalence. Higher intakes of n-3 PUFA might be considered a protective factor for PCOS among Chinese females.

Two-Dimensional Polycyclic Photovoltaic Molecule with Low Trap Density for High-Performance Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

Typical organic semiconductors show a high trap density of states (1016 -1018  cm-3 ), providing a large number of centers for charge-carrier recombination, thus hindering the development of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Here, we design and synthesize a two-dimensional polycyclic photovoltaic material, named as TPP, to reduce the trap density to as low as 2.3×1015  cm-3 , which is 1-3 orders of magnitude lower than those of typical organic semiconductors. Moreover, TPP exhibits a broad and strong absorption, ordered molecular packing with a large crystalline coherence length and enhanced electron mobility. Then, the bulk heterojunction nanoparticles (BHJ-NPs) based on a blend of polymer donor (PM6) and TPP exhibit an average hydrogen evolution rate (HER) of 64.31 mmol h-1 g-1 under AM1.5G sunlight (100 mW cm-2 ), and 72.75 mmol h-1 g-1 under 330-1100 nm illumination (198 mW cm-2 ) higher than that of the control NPs based on typical PM6 : Y6 (62.67 mmol h-1 g-1 ).

Identification of Soybean Varieties Using Hyperspectral Imaging Coupled with Convolutional Neural Network.

Soybean variety is connected to stress resistance ability, as well as nutritional and commercial value. Near-infrared hyperspectral imaging was applied to classify three varieties of soybeans (Zhonghuang37, Zhonghuang41, and Zhonghuang55). Pixel-wise spectra were extracted and preprocessed, and average spectra were also obtained. Convolutional neural networks (CNN) using the average spectra and pixel-wise spectra of different numbers of soybeans were built. Pixel-wise CNN models obtained good performance predicting pixel-wise spectra and average spectra. With the increase of soybean numbers, performances were improved, with the classification accuracy of each variety over 90%. Traditionally, the number of samples used for modeling is large. It is time-consuming and requires labor to obtain hyperspectral data from large batches of samples. To explore the possibility of achieving decent identification results with few samples, a majority vote was also applied to the pixel-wise CNN models to identify a single soybean variety. Prediction maps were obtained to present the classification results intuitively. Models using pixel-wise spectra of 60 soybeans showed equivalent performance to those using the average spectra of 810 soybeans, illustrating the possibility of discriminating soybean varieties using few samples by acquiring pixel-wise spectra.

Unequal Declines in Absolute and Relative Disparities in HIV Diagnoses Among Black Women, United States, 2008 to 2016.

OBJECTIVES: To assess changes in disparities of HIV diagnosis rates among Black women aged 18 years or older living in the United States. METHODS: We calculated estimated annual percent changes (EAPCs) in annual diagnosis rates, rate differences (absolute disparity), and rate ratios (relative disparity) for groups (total, US-born, and non-US-born) of Black women (referent was all White women) with diagnosed HIV infection, using data reported to the National HIV Surveillance System. RESULTS: Of 39 333 Black women who received an HIV diagnosis during 2008 to 2016, 21.4% were non-US-born. HIV diagnosis rates declined among all Black women, with the smallest decline among non-US-born groups (EAPC = -3.1; P ≤ .001). Absolute disparities declined for both US-born and non-US-born Black women; however, the relative disparity declined for Black women overall and US-born Black women, whereas it increased for non-US-born (including Caribbean- and Africa-born) Black women. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in disparities in HIV diagnoses exist between US-, and non-US-born (specifically Caribbean- and Africa-born) Black women. Accounting for the heterogeneity of the Black women's population is crucial in measuring and monitoring progress toward eliminating health disparities among Black women.

HIV Care Outcomes Among Men Who Have Sex With Men With Diagnosed HIV Infection - United States, 2015.

Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (collectively referred to as MSM) represent approximately 2% of the U.S. population (1), yet in 2015, MSM accounted for 70% of all diagnoses of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, including 3% who also were persons who inject drugs (2). During 2008-2014, incidence of HIV infection decreased for groups in all transmission categories except MSM (3). Testing, linkage to and retention in care, and viral suppression are important in reducing HIV transmission. National HIV Surveillance System (NHSS)* data are used to monitor progress toward reaching national goals.† To better guide prevention measures, CDC analyzed data from NHSS for MSM aged ≥13 years (excluding MSM who inject drugs) to determine stage at diagnosis of HIV infection and care outcomes. Among the 19,170 MSM with HIV infection diagnosed in 2015 in 38 jurisdictions with complete laboratory reporting, 3,666 (19.1%) had infection classified as stage 3 (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome [AIDS]) at diagnosis and 74.7% and 84.0% were linked to care within 1 month and 3 months, respectively. Among MSM living with diagnosed HIV infection at year-end 2014, 74.1% received any HIV care, 57.7% were retained in continuous care, and 61.2% had achieved viral suppression. Younger MSM and black or African American (black) MSM had the least favorable HIV care outcomes. Strengthening interventions that increase care and viral suppression among MSM, particularly those aged <25 years and black MSM with public and private partners is important.

HIV Care Outcomes Among Blacks with Diagnosed HIV - United States, 2014.

Since the release of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) (1) and the establishment of the federal Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Care Continuum Initiative (2), federal efforts have accelerated to improve and increase HIV testing, care, and treatment and to reduce HIV-related disparities in the United States. National HIV Surveillance System (NHSS)* data are used to monitor progress toward reaching NHAS goals,† and recent data indicate that blacks have lower levels of care and viral suppression than do persons of other racial and ethnic groups (3). Among persons with HIV infection diagnosed through 2012 who were alive at year-end 2013, 68.1% of blacks received any HIV medical care compared with 74.4% of whites (3). CDC used NHSS data to describe HIV care outcomes among blacks who received a diagnosis of HIV. Among blacks with HIV infection diagnosed in 2014, 21.9% had infection classified as HIV stage 3 (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome [AIDS]) at the time of diagnosis compared with 22.5% of whites; 71.6% of blacks were linked to care within 1 month after diagnosis compared with 79.0% of whites. Among blacks with HIV infection diagnosed through 2012 who were alive on December 31, 2013, 53.5% were receiving continuous HIV medical care compared with 58.2% of whites; 48.5% of blacks achieved viral suppression compared with 62.0% of whites. Intensified efforts and implementation of effective interventions and public health strategies that increase engagement in care and viral suppression among blacks (1,4) are needed to achieve NHAS goals.

Associations between the dietary intake of antioxidant nutrients and the risk of hip fracture in elderly Chinese: a case-control study.

The role of oxidative stress in skeletal health is unclear. The present study investigated whether a high dietary intake of antioxidant nutrients (vitamins C and E, ß-carotene, animal-derived vitamin A, retinol equivalents, Zn and Se) is associated with a reduced risk of hip fracture in elderly Chinese. This 1:1 matched case-control study involved 726 elderly Chinese with hip fracture and 726 control subjects, recruited between June 2009 and May 2013. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to determine habitual dietary intakes of the above-mentioned seven nutrients based on a seventy-nine-item FFQ and information on various covariates, and an antioxidant score was calculated. After adjustment for potential covariates, dose-dependent inverse associations were observed between the dietary intake of vitamin C, vitamin E, ß-carotene, and Se and antioxidant score and the risk of hip fracture (P for trend ≤ 0·005). The OR of hip fracture for the highest (v. lowest) quartile of intake were 0·39 (95 % CI 0·28, 0·56) for vitamin C, 0·23 (95 % CI 0·16, 0·33) for vitamin E, 0·51 (95 % CI 0·36, 0·73) for ß-carotene, 0·43 (95 % CI 0·26, 0·70) for Se and 0·24 (95 % CI 0·17, 0·36) for the antioxidant score. A moderate-to-high dietary intake of retinol equivalents in quartiles 2-4 (v. 1) was found to be associated with a lower risk of hip fracture (OR range: 0·51-0·63, P< 0·05). No significant association was observed between dietary Zn or animal-derived vitamin A intake and hip fracture risk (P for trend >0·20). In conclusion, a higher dietary intake of vitamins C and E, ß-carotene, and Se and a moderate-to-high dietary intake of retinol equivalents are associated with a lower risk of hip fracture in elderly Chinese.

Gender-specific risk factors for virologic failure in KwaZulu-Natal: automobile ownership and financial insecurity.

We sought to examine which socioeconomic indicators are risk factors for virologic failure among HIV-1 infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A case-control study of virologic failure was conducted among patients recruited from the outpatient clinic at McCord Hospital in Durban, South Africa between October 1, 2010 and June 30, 2012. Cases were those failing first-line ART, defined as viral load >1,000 copies/mL. Univariate logistic regression was performed on sociodemographic data for the outcome of virologic failure. Variables found significant (p < 0.05) were used in multivariate models and all models were stratified by gender. Of 158 cases and 300 controls, 35 % were male and median age was 40 years. Gender stratification of models revealed automobile ownership was a risk factor among males, while variables of financial insecurity (unemployment, non-spouse family paying for care, staying with family) were risk factors for women. In this cohort, financial insecurity among women and automobile ownership among men were risk factors for virologic failure. Risk factor differences between genders demonstrate limitations of generalized risk factor analysis.

Simultaneous determination of eight active components in the traditional Chinese Medicine Dan Deng Tong Nao capsules by HPLC-MS/MS.

An high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method has been optimised and established for the quality evaluation of the traditional Chinese medicine Dan Deng Tong Nao capsules through simultaneous determination of the following eight active components: danshensu, salvianolic acid A, salvianolic acid C, puerarin, scutellarin, apigenin, 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, and ferulic acid. All of the analytes were separated on a Waters Xbridge™ C18 column (4.6 × 150 mm, 3.5 µm particle size) with a mobile phase consisting of methanol/acetonitrile (50 : 50, v/v) and water containing 0.1 % formic acid. All of the compounds showed good linearity (R2 > 0.997). The recoveries, measured at three concentration levels, varied from 94.94 to 107.3 %. The validated method was successfully applied to evaluate the eight active components in Dan Deng Tong Nao capsules collected from different production batches. The results suggested that the method established in this study could be considered a good approach to controlling the quality of Dan Deng Tong Nao capsules and other related botanical drugs.

Articulating vs. Static antibiotic impregnated spacers in revision total knee arthroplasty for sepsis. A systematic review.

Periprosthetic infection after total knee arthroplasty is a devastating complication, and two-stage exchange is the standard of care in North America. Articulating and static spacers have been developed to treat these infections but controversy exists over which method is superior. We performed a systematic review using MEDLINE and other literature search engines identifying 47 articles meeting inclusion criteria producing 2011 spacers for comparison. Articulating spacers had increased range of motion 100.1° vs. 82.9° (P<0.003), lower re-infection rate 7.5% (P<0.0031), facilitated re-implantation (P<0.0011), and developed less bone loss (P<.0001) than did static spacers. This study answers several clinically relevant questions and provides useful information in guiding clinical decision making in treating periprosthetic infection.

Corrigendum: Associations between omega-3 fatty acids and insulin resistance and body composition in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1016943.].

Anomalous location of the vertebral artery in relation to the neural foramen. Implications for cervical transforaminal epidural steroid injections.

OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the prevalence of an anomalous posterior vertebral artery (VA) in the neural foramen and to see if any factors might correlate with proximity of the VA to needle location in a cervical transforaminal epidural steroid injection (CTFESI). METHODS: A radiologist with subspecialty training in neuroradiology documented VA location in relation to the neural foramen on axial views of 198 consecutive computed tomography angiograms done for various reasons, 11 were excluded because of poor imaging or occluded VA. The levels of C2-3 through C6-7 were evaluated, where the VA courses within the foramen. The distance was measured from VA to ideal needle location for a CTFESI. Other data were collected including severity of foraminal stenosis, loss of disc height, and medical history. Analysis was done to see if any factor correlated with anomalous VA location. RESULTS: The VA was in the posterior foramen and within 2 mm of ideal needle location in at least one location in 29% of patients. When looking at the more commonly injected levels of C4-5 through C6-7, the prevalence was 18%. Severity of foraminal stenosis and loss of disc height correlated with VA proximity to typical needle location (both with P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The VA can sometimes be in close proximity to the typical target location of a CTFESI. This proximity correlates with severity of foraminal stenosis and loss of disc height. Physicians should be mindful of this and evaluate the T2 axial magnetic resonance imaging before doing CFTESIs.

Unveiling the Morphological and Physical Mechanism of Burn-in Loss Alleviation by Ternary Matrix Toward Stable and Efficient All-Polymer Solar Cells.

All-polymer solar cells (All-PSCs) are considered the most promising candidate in achieving both efficient and stable organic photovoltaic devices, yet the field has rarely presented an in-depth understanding of corresponding device stability while efficiency is continuously boosted via the innovation of polymer acceptors. Herein, a ternary matrix is built for all-PSCs with optimized morphology, improved film ductility and importantly, boosted efficiency and better operational stability than its parental binary counterparts, as a platform to study the underlying mechanism. The target system PQM-Cl:PTQ10:PY-IT (0.8:0.2:1.2) exhibits an alleviated burn-in loss of morphology and efficiency under light soaking, which supports its promoted device lifetime. The comprehensive characterizations of fresh and light-soaked active layers lead to a clear illustration of opposite morphological and physical degradation direction of PQM-Cl and PTQ10, thus resulting in a delicate balance at the optimal ternary system. Specifically, the enlarging tendency of PQM-Cl and shrinking preference of PTQ10 in terms of phase separation leads to a stable morphology in their mixing phase; the hole transfer kinetics of PQM-Cl:PY-IT host is stabilized by incorporating PTQ10. This work succeeds in reaching a deep insight into all-PSC's stability promotion by a rational ternary design, which booms the prospect of gaining high-performance all-PSCs.

Surface charge density determination of single conical nanopores based on normalized ion current rectification.

Current rectification is well known in ion transport through nanoscale pores and channel devices. The measured current is affected by both the geometry and fixed interfacial charges of the nanodevices. In this article, an interesting trend is observed in steady-state current-potential measurements using single conical nanopores. A threshold low-conductivity state is observed upon the dilution of electrolyte concentration. Correspondingly, the normalized current at positive bias potentials drastically increases and contributes to different degrees of rectification. This novel trend at opposite bias polarities is employed to differentiate the ion flux affected by the fixed charges at the substrate-solution interface (surface effect), with respect to the constant asymmetric geometry (volume effect). The surface charge density (SCD) of individual nanopores, an important physical parameter that is challenging to measure experimentally and is known to vary from one nanopore to another, is directly quantified by solving Poisson and Nernst-Planck equations in the simulation of the experimental results. The flux distribution inside the nanopore and the SCD of individual nanopores are reported. The respective diffusion and migration translocations are found to vary at different positions inside the nanopore. This knowledge is believed to be important for resistive pulse sensing applications because the detection signal is determined by the perturbation of the ion current by the analytes.

[Mechanism of platycodin D-induced apoptosis in A549 human lung cancer cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the molecular mechanism of platycodin D showing the inhibitory effect on proliferation and induced apoptosis of humane long cancer cells A549. METHOD: Humane long cancer cells A549 were cultured in vitro, with the final PD concentration of 5-20 micromol x L(-1). PD's inhibitory effect on cell proliferation was examined by MTT assay. Morphological changes in cells were observed with microscope. The cell apoptosis rate was detected by Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining. The change of mitochondrial membrane potential was detected by JC-1. The protein expressing of leaved Caspase-3, cleaved Caspase-9, cleaved PARP, Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, Bak and Bax were detected by Western blot analysis. RESULT: PD could inhibit the proliferation of A549 cells and show stronger effect with the increase of concentration and over time. Compared with the control group, PDs of different concentration showed significant increase in the cell apoptosis rate, decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential after 24 h. Protein electrophoresis inspection showed cut segments in both protein Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 and notable fractures with time. Further study found that PD decreased Bcl-2, Bcl-xl proteins and increased Bax, Bak proteins after processing A549 cells. CONCLUSION: PD shows notable effect on cytotoxicity and can induce A549 cell apoptosis. It causes decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential by regulating Bax, Bak, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl expressions, and thus activating caspase and finally causing long cancer cell apoptosis.

CircMED12L Protects Against Hydrogen Peroxide-induced Apoptotic and Oxidative Injury in Human Lens Epithelial Cells by miR-34a-5p/ALCAM axis.

PURPOSE: Cataract is the leading cause of visual impairment and reversible blindness. Despite advances in surgical removal of cataracts, cataract continues to be a leading public-health issue due to the complications after surgery. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been showed to be implicated in the pathophysiology of age-related cataract (ARC). Herein, this work elucidated the role and mechanism of circMED12L in the process of ARC. METHODS: Human lens epithelial cells (HLECs) were exposed to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in experimental groups. Levels of genes and proteins were measured by qRT-PCR and western blotting. Cell growth was evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The oxidative stress was assessed by detecting the activity of malondialdehyde, catalase, and superoxide dismutase. The interaction between miR-34a-5p and circMED12L or ALCAM (activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule) was validated using dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. RESULTS: CircMED12L expression was lower in the lens epithelium of ARC patients and H2O2-induced HLECs compared with the normal individuals and untreated cells. Functionally, forced expression of circMED12L could alleviate H2O2-induced viability inhibition, as well as apoptotic and oxidative injury in HLECs. Mechanistically, circMED12L/miR-34a-5p/ALCAM constituted a feedback loop in HLECs. MiR-34a-5p was increased, while ALCAM was decreased in ARC patients and H2O2-induced HLECs. High expression of miR-34a-5p reversed the protective effects of circMED12L on HLECs under H2O2 treatment. Besides, inhibition of miR-34a-5p could repress H2O2-induced apoptotic and oxidative injury in HLECs, which were abolished by subsequent ALCAM knockdown. CONCLUSION: Overexpression of circMED12L could protect against H2O2-induced apoptosis and oxidative stress in HLECs by miR-34a-5p/ALCAM axis.

Associations between omega-3 fatty acids and insulin resistance and body composition in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is strongly associated with abdominal obesity and insulin resistance and effective approaches to nutrition (e.g., omega-3 fatty acids intake) might improve the cardiometabolic risk profile. This study aimed to examine the associations of dietary and serum omega-3 fatty acids with insulin resistance (IR) and body composition among PCOS patients. Methods: A total of 185 patients with PCOS were included in our analysis. Dietary information was collected through face-to-face interviews using a 102-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Serum omega-3 fatty acid levels were measured with the gas chromatography method. Body composition was measured by both dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and bioelectrical impedance (BIA) methods. The multivariable linear regression model was applied to analyze the associations of dietary and serum omega-3 fatty acids with the levels of Homeostasis Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) and body composition parameters among PCOS patients. Results: Our results indicated that the dietary long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) intakes were negatively associated with HOMA-IR (ß = -0.089, P = 0.040), fat mass (ß = -0.022, P = 0.047), and body fat percentage (ß = -0.026, P = 0.032). For serum biomarkers, higher total omega-3 PUFAs levels (ß = -0.158, P = 0.021) and long-chain omega-3 PUFAs levels (ß = -0.187, P < 0.001), particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (ß = -164, P = 0.011) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (ß = -0.158, P = 0.001) were also associated with decreased HOMA-IR. In addition, generally, dietary and serum long-chain omega-3 PUFA levels, DPA, and DHA levels were both positively associated with muscle mass measured by DXA; whereas serum total, long-chain and individual omega-3 PUFA levels (e.g., DPA, EPA, and DHA) were all negatively associated with fat mass and body fat percentage. These findings were further confirmed by the findings for body composition measured by the BIA method. Conclusion: Higher levels of dietary and serum omega-3 PUFAs, particularly long-chain omega PUFAs (DPA and DHA), might have beneficial effects on metabolic parameters and body composition among PCOS patients.

End-to-End Fusion of Hyperspectral and Chlorophyll Fluorescence Imaging to Identify Rice Stresses.

Herbicides and heavy metals are hazardous substances of environmental pollution, resulting in plant stress and harming humans and animals. Identification of stress types can help trace stress sources, manage plant growth, and improve stress-resistant breeding. In this research, hyperspectral imaging (HSI) and chlorophyll fluorescence imaging (Chl-FI) were adopted to identify the rice plants under two types of herbicide stresses (butachlor (DCA) and quinclorac (ELK)) and two types of heavy metal stresses (cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu)). Visible/near-infrared spectra of leaves (L-VIS/NIR) and stems (S-VIS/NIR) extracted from HSI and chlorophyll fluorescence kinetic curves of leaves (L-Chl-FKC) and stems (S-Chl-FKC) extracted from Chl-FI were fused to establish the models to detect the stress of the hazardous substances. Novel end-to-end deep fusion models were proposed for low-level, middle-level, and high-level information fusion to improve identification accuracy. Results showed that the high-level fusion-based convolutional neural network (CNN) models reached the highest detection accuracy (97.7%), outperforming the models using a single data source (<94.7%). Furthermore, the proposed end-to-end deep fusion models required a much simpler training procedure than the conventional two-stage deep learning fusion. This research provided an efficient alternative for plant stress phenotyping, including identifying plant stresses caused by hazardous substances of environmental pollution.

Dietary Acid Load Was Positively Associated with the Risk of Hip Fracture in Elderly Adults.

Previous studies have shown that dietary acid load (DAL) harms bone health, but the evidence is inconsistent and insufficient. This study examined the relationships between DAL and the risk of hip fracture. This case−control study contained 1070 pairs of 1:1 age-, city-, and gender-matched incident cases and controls (mean age, 71 years) recruited in Guangdong, China. Dietary information was collected using a validated 79-item food frequency questionnaire through face-to-face interviews. DAL was estimated based on established algorithms for the potential renal acid load (PRAL) and net endogenous acid production (NEAP). Higher PRAL and NEAP were dose-dependently associated with a higher risk of hip fracture in both the conditional logistic regression model and restricted cubic spline analysis after adjusting for potential covariates. The multivariate-adjusted odds ratios and 95% CI of hip fracture for tertiles 2 and 3 (vs. 1) of DAL were 1.63 (1.18, 2.25) and 1.92 (1.36, 2.71) for PRAL and 1.81 (1.30, 2.53) and 2.55 (1.76, 3.71) for NEAP in all participants (all p-trends < 0.001), respectively. Subgroup analyses showed more pronounced associations in participants with a lower body mass index. Our findings suggested positive associations between the estimated DAL and the risk of hip fractures in the elderly Chinese population.

Nonhalogenated Dual-Slot-Die Processing Enables High-Efficiency Organic Solar Cells.

Organic solar cells (OSCs) are promising candidates for next-generation photovoltaic technologies, with their power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) reaching 19%. However, the typically used spin-coating method, toxic halogenated processing solvents, and the conventional bulk-heterojunction (BHJ), which causes excessive charge recombination, hamper the commercialization and further efficiency promotion of OSCs. Here, a simple but effective dual-slot-die sequential processing (DSDS) strategy is proposed to address the above issues by achieving a continuous solution supply, avoiding the solubility limit of the nonhalogen solvents, and creating a graded-BHJ morphology. As a result, an excellent PCE of 17.07% is obtained with the device processed with o-xylene in an open-air environment with no post-treatment required, while a PCE of over 14% is preserved in a wide range of active-layer thickness. The unique film-formation mechanism is further identified during the DSDS processing, which suggests the formation of the graded-BHJ morphology by the mutual diffusion between the donor and acceptor and the subsequent progressive aggregation. The graded-BHJ structure leads to improved charge transport, inhibited charge recombination, and thus an excellent PCE. Therefore, the newly developed DSDS approach can effectively contribute to the realm of high-efficiency and eco-friendly OSCs, which can also possibly be generalized to other organic photoelectric devices.