Association of food insecurity with successful aging among older Indians: study based on LASI.

PURPOSE: Whether food insecurity (FI), a social determinant of health, is linked with successful aging (SA) in the older generation remains uncertain. This study explored the association of FI with SA among older Indians. METHODS: Data were collected from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) wave 1 (2017-2018). Older adults (≥ 60 years) who completed both the FI and the SA surveys were selected. FI was indicated by the lack of access to enough food in the past year. SA was determined by five components: (1) low probability of diseases; (2) low probability of disability; (3) high cognitive functionality; (4) low probability of depression; and (5) active social engagement. The association of FI and SA was assessed using multivariable logistic regression adjusted for potential covariates. Subgroup analyses were performed to evaluate interactions with age, sex, alcohol use, smoking, and place of residence. RESULTS: 27,579 participants met the eligibility criteria. Overall prevalence was 7.13% for FI and 19.41% for SA. Following full adjustment, FI was inversely associated with SA (OR 0.56; 95% CI 0.49-0.65) and with each of SA's five components. No significant interactions of FI and SA were observed in subgroup analyses stratified by age, sex, alcohol use, smoking, or place of residence. CONCLUSIONS: FI was inversely associated with SA among older Indians. These findings need to be validated by future studies which should also explore potential underlying mechanisms, and whether interventions decreasing FI might increase SA.

The association between polluted fuel use and self-reported insomnia symptoms among middle-aged and elderly Indian adults: a cross-sectional study based on LASI, wave 1.

BACKGROUND: Insomnia predisposes the aging population to reduced quality of life and poor mental and physical health. Evidence of the association between polluted fuel use and insomnia symptoms is limited and is non-existent for the Indian population. Our study aimed to explore the link between polluted fuel use and insomnia symptoms in middle-aged and older (≥ 45 years) Indian populations. METHODS: We utilized data from nationally representative Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI) Wave 1. Participants with complete information on fuel use, insomnia symptoms, and covariates were included. Insomnia symptoms were indicated by the presence of at least one of three symptoms: difficulty in initiating sleep (DIS), difficulty in maintaining sleep (DMS), or early morning awakening (EMA), ≥ 5 times/week. Survey-weighted multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the association between polluted fuel use and insomnia symptoms. We also assessed the interaction of association in subgroups of age, gender, BMI, drinking, and smoking status. RESULTS: Sixty thousand five hundred fifteen participants met the eligibility criteria. Twenty-eight thousand two hundred thirty-six (weighted percentage 48.04%) used polluted fuel and 5461 (weighted percentage 9.90%) reported insomnia symptoms. After full adjustment, polluted fuel use was associated with insomnia symptoms (OR 1.16; 95%CI 1.08-1.24) and was linked with DIS, DMS, and EMA (OR 1.14; 95%CI 1.05-1.24, OR 1.12; 95%CI 1.03-1.22, and OR 1.15; 95%CI 1.06-1.25, respectively). No significant interactions for polluted fuel use and insomnia symptoms were observed for analyses stratified by age, sex, BMI, drinking, or smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Polluted fuel use was positively related to insomnia symptoms among middle-aged and older Indians. Suggestions are offered within this article for further studies to confirm our results, to explore underlying mechanisms, and to inform intervention strategies.

Overexpression of phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 4 (PEBP4) associates with recurrence of meningiomas.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Abnormal expression of phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 4 (PEBP4) has been identified in various types of malignant tumors. In the present study, we investigated the expression of PEBP4 in meningioma cases and examined whether PEBP4 expression was correlated with outcomes among these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression levels of PEBP4 and Ki-67 in human meningioma tissues from 65 patients were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. The correlation between PEBP4 immunoreactivity in meningioma samples and patients' clinical outcomes was examined using the Kruskal-Wallis correlation test. The prognostic value of PEBP4 expression in meningiomas patients also was investigated. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical analysis revealed up-regulated PEBP4 expression in both atypical and anaplastic meningiomas compared with classical meningiomas (13.38 ± 4.19% vs. 3.64 ± 2.04%, P < 0.001). PEBP4 immunoreactivity in meningioma samples was closely correlated with that for Ki-67 (Spearman r = 0.7922, P < 0.0001). PEBP4 expression was also associated with tumor differentiation grade and clinical recurrence (P < 0.05). Multivariate regression analysis showed with high PEBP4 expression was associated with a longer recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio=0.252, 95% confidence interval: 0.067-0.940, P = 0.040). CONCLUSION: PEBP4 may play an important role in the progression of meningioma, as high PEBP4 expression was associated with a higher pathological grade of meningioma. Moreover, PEBP4 expression may be a meaningful prognostic biomarker in meningioma.

[Role and Significance of Bioactive Substances in Sputum
 in the Diagnosis of Lung Cancer].

The incidence rate of lung cancer is one of the highest incidence of malignancies in China. The gold standard for diagnosis requires pathological examination or cytological examination of biopsy. The invasive and sensitive nature of the two limits their use. Sputum contains a large number of nucleic acids and proteins, which is a good reflection of lung function. Lung cancer tissue will also affect the biological components in sputum. The detection of bioactive substances in sputum can contribute to the diagnosis of lung cancer. Based on the current research results at home and abroad, this paper reviews the bioactive substances in sputum that can be used for the diagnosis of lung cancer.
.

Interactions of Zinc Oxide Nanostructures with Mammalian Cells: Cytotoxicity and Photocatalytic Toxicity.

This article presents a state-of-the-art review and analysis of literature studies on the morphological structure, fabrication, cytotoxicity, and photocatalytic toxicity of zinc oxide nanostructures (nZnO) of mammalian cells. nZnO with different morphologies, e.g., quantum dots, nanoparticles, nanorods, and nanotetrapods are toxic to a wide variety of mammalian cell lines due to in vitro cell-material interactions. Several mechanisms responsible for in vitro cytotoxicity have been proposed. These include the penetration of nZnO into the cytoplasm, generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) that degrade mitochondrial function, induce endoplasmic reticulum stress, and damage deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), lipid, and protein molecules. Otherwise, nZnO dissolve extracellularly into zinc ions and the subsequent diffusion of ions into the cytoplasm can create ROS. Furthermore, internalization of nZnO and localization in acidic lysosomes result in their dissolution into zinc ions, producing ROS too in cytoplasm. These ROS-mediated responses induce caspase-dependent apoptosis via the activation of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2), Bcl2-associated X protein (Bax), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (chop), and phosphoprotein p53 gene expressions. In vivo studies on a mouse model reveal the adverse impacts of nZnO on internal organs through different administration routes. The administration of ZnO nanoparticles into mice via intraperitoneal instillation and intravenous injection facilitates their accumulation in target organs, such as the liver, spleen, and lung. ZnO is a semiconductor with a large bandgap showing photocatalytic behavior under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation. As such, photogenerated electron-hole pairs react with adsorbed oxygen and water molecules to produce ROS. So, the ROS-mediated selective killing for human tumor cells is beneficial for cancer treatment in photodynamic therapy. The photoinduced effects of noble metal doped nZnO for creating ROS under UV and visible light for killing cancer cells are also addressed.

Significantly enhanced base activation of peroxymonosulfate by polyphosphates: Kinetics and mechanism.

Base activation of peroxydisulfate (PDS) is a common process aiming for water treatment, but requires high doses of PDS and strongly basic solutions. Peroxymonosulfate (PMS), another peroxygen of sulfurate derived from PDS, may also be activated by a less basic solution. However, enhancing the base-PMS reactivity is still challenging. Here it is reported that pyrophosphate (PA) and tripolyphosphate (PB) can efficiently enhance PMS activation under weakly alkaline conditions (pH 9.5) via the formation of superoxide anion radical (O2•-) and singlet oxygen (1O2). The rate constant of Acid Orange 7 (AO7) degradation in PA/PMS system (kPA/PMS) was nearly 4.4-15.9 fold higher than that in PMS/base system (kPMS/base) without any polyphosphates. Increases in PA (or PB) concentration, PMS dose and pH favored the rapid dye degradation. Gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) data confirmed AO7 and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) were decomposed to a series of organic intermediates. The radical quenching and probe oxidation experiments indicate the degradation of organic compounds in the PA/PMS and PB/PMS processes was not reliant on sulfate radical (SO4•-) and hydroxyl radical (OH) species but on O2- and 1O2 reactive species. Comparison experiments show that the polyphosphate/PMS process was much more favorable than PDS/base process. The present work provides a novel way to activate PMS for contaminant removal using industrial polyphosphate wastewaters.

Epstein-Barr virus antibody titer and its association with the domain scores from the World Health Organization's Quality of Life questionnaire: Findings from Rural Hainan Province, China.

OBJECTIVE: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibody titer has recently been used as a biomarker of psychological stress. This is the first study to investigate the association between EBV antibody titer and perceived quality of life (QOL) in Hainan Island, China. METHODS: Participants from two regions of Hainan Island, recruited into a larger study investigating the health impact of rapid economic development among rural residents, were stratified by age, sex, and region; 15 people were randomly selected from each of the 16 subgroups, to give a total sample size of 240. EBV antibody titer in dried blood spot samples was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The abbreviated version of the World Health Organization's Quality of Life questionnaire was used to gather information on six categories of QOL. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between EBV antibody titer and QOL. RESULTS: After adjusting for the effects of age, sex, region and C-reactive protein concentration, EBV antibody titer was negatively associated with the physical (P = 0.044) and psychological QOL domains (P = 0.039). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that among individuals living in an environment in the initial stages of economic development EBV antibody titer, a biomarker of psychological stress, is not only associated with the psychological aspects of QOL but is also linked to physical problems.

Impact of lifestyle changes on stress in a modernizing rural population in Hainan Island, China.

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about inter-individual variation in psychological stress in modernizing rural populations in developing countries. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibody titer, a biomarker of psychological stress, and lifestyle parameters in rural communities in Hainan Island, China. METHODS: EBV antibody titer was measured in dried blood spot (DBS) samples collected from 240 adults living in rural communities in Hainan Island. Measures of two major lifestyle changes in rural areas of Hainan Island, i.e., diet and commercial goods possession, were examined by using information on the weekly frequency of pork consumption and monthly mobile phone fees. Both parameters were standardized to create two composite scores: a total affluence index (TAI--the sum of these scores), and an investment tendency index (ITI--the difference between them). Least-squares regression analysis was used to investigate the association between EBV antibody titer and these lifestyle parameters. RESULTS: A positive association was found between the frequency f pork consumption and EBV antibody titer (P = 0.040), whereas a negative association was found between mobile phone fees and EBV antibody titer (P = 0.028). A negative association was also observed between ITI and EBV antibody titer (P = 0.002) after adjusting for the effect of TAI. CONCLUSION: Psychological stress among local residents was linked to the type of lifestyle changes they had experienced, where the adoption of a more market-oriented lifestyle, irrespective of current affluence, was associated with less psychological stress.

[Superiority of modified method in urine drainage for hypospadias repair: a 20 years' experience with 864 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To explore an ideal urine drainage method and new urethral secretions of hypospadias repair. METHODS: The authors retrospectively analyzed 864 cases of hypospadias undergoing hypospadias repair and different post-operative urine drainages. The patients were divided into 5 groups based on the methods of urine drainage. RESULTS: The rates of such complications as cystospasm, infection of incisional wound and urinary fistula were as follows: modified method group: 2.86%, 3.33%, 1.90%; 3-tube method group: 10.77%, 11.54%, 8.46%; He's method group: 20.89%, 15.04%, 9.75%; traditional method group: 36.25%, 41.25%, 37.50%; 1-tube method group: 56.47%, 58.82%, 48.23%. The modified method was significantly better than all the other four methods (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: As an ideal drainage method of urine and new urethral secretions of hypospadias repair, the modified method boosts the success ratio of hypospadias repair.