ABSTRACT
Background: The yearly escalation in hypertension prevalence signifies a noteworthy public health challenge. Adhering to a nutritious diet is crucial for enhancing the quality of life among individuals managing hypertension. However, the relationship between vitamin C and hypertension, as well as homocysteine, remains unclear. Objective: The primary aim of this investigation was to scrutinize the potential mediating role of Vitamin C in the association between homocysteine levels and blood pressure, utilizing data extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. Methods: A total of 7,327 participants from the NHANES 2003-2006 were enrolled in this cross-sectional survey. The main information was obtained using homocysteine, Vitamin C, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Correlation analysis was used to assess the correlation between homocysteine, SBP, DBP and vitamin C. Linear regression analysis was utilized to determine the ß value (ß) along with its 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Mediation analysis was performed to investigate whether the relationship between homocysteine and blood pressure was mediated by Vitamin C, and to quantify the extent to which Vitamin C contributed to this association. Results: The results manifested that the homocysteine was positively associated with SBP (r = 0.24, p < 0.001) and DBP (r = 0.03, p < 0.05), while negatively correlated with Vitamin C (r = -0.008, p < 0.001). Vitamin C was found to be negatively associated with SBP (r = -0.03, p < 0.05) and DBP (r = 0.11, p < 0.001). Mediation effect analysis revealed that a partial mediation (indirect effect: 0.0247[0.0108-0.0455], p < 0.001) role accounting for 11.5% of total effect, among homocysteine and SBP. However, the mediating effect of Vitamin C between homocysteine and DBP was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Hypertension patients should pay attention to homocysteine and Vitamin C level. What is more, hypertension patients ought to formulate interventions for Vitamin C supplementation as well as homocysteine reduce strategies to lower blood pressure.
ABSTRACT
Mussel-inspired coating is a substrate-independent surface modification technology. However, its application is limited by time-consuming, tailoring specific functions require tedious secondary reaction. To overcome those drawbacks, a strategy for the rapid fabrication of diverse coatings by expanding the library of precursors using oxidation coupled with polyamine was proposed. Based on DFT simulations of the reaction pathways, a method was developed to achieve rapid deposition of coatings by coupling oxidation and polyamines, which simultaneously accelerated the oxidation of precursors and polymer chain growth. The feasibility and generalizability of the strategy was validated by the rapid coating of 10 catechol derivatives and polyamines on various substrates. The surface properties of the substrates such as functional group densities, Zeta potential and contact angles can be easily tuned. The tailored surface engineering application of the strategy was demonstrated by the heavy metal adsorbents and superwetting materials prepared through the delicate combination of different building blocks. Our strategy was flexible in terms of diverse surface engineering design which greatly enriched the connotation of mussel-inspired technique.
ABSTRACT
Polymer-based pH-responsive fluorescent materials have the characteristics of fast response, real-time monitoring, visualisation, and easy forming. Consequently, they have attracted widespread attention in wound healing, sweat monitoring, security and anti-counterfeiting, freshness detection of aquatic products, metal-ion sensing and bioimaging. This paper analyses the preparation principles and characteristics of pH-responsive fluorescent materials based on cellulose, chitosan and proteins. It then outlines the fluorescence properties, environmental response mechanisms and applications of various luminescent materials. Next, the research indicates that amines, N-heterocyclic rings, carboxyl groups and amino plasmonic groups on the fluorescent molecule structure and polymer skeleton appear to change the degree of ionisation under acid or alkali stimulation, which affects the light absorption ability of chromophore electrons, thus producing fluorescence changes in fluorescent materials under different pH stimuli. On this basis, the challenges and growth encountered in the development of proteins and polysaccharides-based pH-responsive fluorescent materials were prospected to provide theoretical references and technical support for constructing pH-responsive fluorescent materials with high stability, high sensitivity, long-lasting pH-response and wide detection range.
Subject(s)
Fluorescent Dyes , Polysaccharides , Fluorescent Dyes/chemistry , Chemical Phenomena , Polymers , Hydrogen-Ion ConcentrationABSTRACT
Herein, we introduced a liquid-metal/polymerisable deep eutectic solvent (LM/PDES) system to the carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and acrylic acid solution to prepare a double-cross-linked CMC-polyacrylic acid (PAA)-LM/PDES superabsorbent hydrogel via graft crosslinking polymerisation for 5 min. FTIR and XRD provided evidence for the coordinate crosslinking between Ga3+ and carboxy groups in the CMC-PAA-LM/PDES gel structure and chemical crosslinking between CMC and PAA components. The pore size of the obtained hydrogels gradually decreases with the increase of LM-AA/PDES content. The rigid CMC polysaccharide chains increased the distance between the ionic groups on the flexible PAA molecular chains, resulting in high osmotic pressure. In addition, the synergistic effects of hydrophilic groups, electrostatic repulsion, macroporous structures and double crosslinking on the CMC and PAA structures provided a driving force and space for the gel to absorb electrolyte containing liquid. The absorption capacity of the CMC-PAA-LM/PDES gel for physiological saline reached 97 g/g, which exceeded that of a single cross-linked CMC-PAA gel and a reported superabsorbent material (71 g/g). This work solved the problem of long heating times and insufficient mechanical properties for the preparation of superabsorbent gels, providing a theoretical reference for improving the absorption capacity of superabsorbent materials for electrolyte-containing aqueous solutions.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the positivity rates and drug resistance characteristics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) among suspected tuberculosis (TB) patients in Shandong Province, the second-largest population province in China. Methods: A prospective, multi-center study was conducted from April 2022 to June 2023. Pathogen and drug resistance were identified using nucleotide matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (nucleotide MALDI-TOF MS). Results: Of 940 suspected TB patients included in this study, 552 cases were found to be infected with MTB giving an overall positivity rate of 58.72%. Total of 346 cases were resistant to arbitrary anti-TB drug (62.68%), with Zibo (76.47%), Liaocheng and Weihai (both 69.23%) ranking top three and TB treatment history might be a related factor. Monoresistance was the most common pattern (33.53%), with isoniazid the highest at 12.43%, followed by rifampicin at 9.54%. Further analysis of gene mutations conferring resistance revealed diverse types with high heteroresistance rate found in multiple anti-TB drugs. Conclusion: A relatively high rate of MTB positivity and drug resistance was found in Shandong Province during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating the need for strengthening rapid identification of species and drug resistance among suspected TB patients to guide better medication and minimize the occurrence of drug resistance.