Distinct epigenetic modulation of differentially expressed genes in the adult mouse brain following prenatal exposure to low-dose bisphenol A.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a common component in the manufacture of daily plastic consumer goods. Recent studies have suggested that prenatal exposure to BPA can increase the susceptibility of offspring to mental illness, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we performed transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling in the adult mouse brain following prenatal exposure to low-dose BPA. We observed a sex-specific transcriptional dysregulation in the cortex, with more significant differentially expressed genes was observed in adult cortex from male offspring. Moreover, the upregulated genes primarily influenced neuronal functions, while the downregulated genes were significantly associated with energy metabolism pathways. More evidence supporting impaired mitochondrial function included a decreased ATP level and a reduced number of mitochondria in the cortical neuron of the BPA group. We further investigated the higher-order chromatin regulatory patterns of DEGs by incorporating published Hi-C data. Interestingly, we found that upregulated genes exhibited more distal interactions with multiple enhancers, while downregulated genes displayed relatively short-range interactions among adjacent genes. Our data further revealed decreased H3K9me3 signal on the distal enhancers of upregulated genes, whereas increased DNA methylation and H3K27me3 signals on the promoters of downregulated genes. In summary, our study provides compelling evidence for the potential health risks associated with prenatal exposure to BPA, and uncovers sex-specific transcriptional changes with a complex interplay of multiple epigenetic mechanisms.

U-shaped association between fasting blood glucose and suicide attempts in Chinese patients with first-episode drug-naïve major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Evidence regarding the relationship between fasting blood glucose (FBG) and suicide attempts (SA) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) was limited. Therefore, the objective of this research was to investigate whether FBG was independently related to SA in Chinese patients with first-episode drug-naïve (FEDN) MDD after adjusting for other covariates. METHODS: The present study was a cross-sectional study. A total of 1718 participants (average age: 34.9 ± 12.4 years, 65.8% females) with FEDN MDD were involved in a hospital in China from September 2016 to December 2018. Multiple logistic regression analysis and smooth curve fitting were used to estimate the association between FBG and the risk of SA. The threshold effect was examined by the two-piecewise linear regression model. Interaction and stratified analyses were conducted according to sex, education, marital status, comorbid anxiety, and psychotic symptoms. RESULTS: The prevalence of SA in patients with FEDN MDD was 20.1%. The result of fully adjusted binary logistic regression showed FBG was positively associated with the risk of SA (odds ratio (OR) = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.13-2.32). Smoothing plots also revealed a nonlinear relationship between FBG and SA, with the inflection point of FBG being 5.34 mmol/l. The effect sizes and the confidence intervals on the left and right sides of the inflection point were 0.53 (0.32-0.88, P = 0.014) and 1.48 (1.04-2.10, P = 0.030), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A U-shaped relationship between FBG and SA in FEDN MDD patients was found, with the lowest risk of SA at a FBG of 5.34 mmol/l, indicating that both the lower and higher FBG levels may lead to an increased risk of SA.

Introduction of ex vivo perfusion of extended-criteria donor hearts in a single center in Asia.

The shortage of organs for heart transplantation has created a need to explore the use of extended-criteria organs. We report the preliminary use of normothermic TransMedics Organ Care System-an ex vivo approach to preserve extended-criteria brain-dead donor hearts. This System maintains a normal temperature, provides continuous perfusion and oxygenation, reduces ischemic time, and enables additional viability assessment options. In a retrospective single-centre study conducted from April 2020 to March 2023, four extended criteria brain-dead donor hearts were perfused and monitored using the Organ Care System. Suitability for transplantation was assessed based on stable or decreasing lactate levels, along with appropriate perfusion parameters. The Organ Care for use of the Organ Care System were coronary artery disease, left ventricular hypertrophy, high-dose inotrope use in the donor, a downtime exceeding 20 min, and a left ventricular ejection fraction of 40-50%. Three out of the four donor hearts were transplanted, while one was discarded due to rising lactate concentration. The three recipients had a higher surgical risk profile for heart transplant. All showed normal cardiac function and no primary graft dysfunction postoperatively. At 2-3 years post-transplant, all recipients have a ventricular function of > 60%, with only one showing evidence of mild rejection. The Organ Care System enables the successful transplantation of marginal donor organs in high-risk recipients, showcasing the feasibility of recruiting donors with extended criteria. This technique is safe and promising, expanding the donor pool and addressing the organ shortage in heart transplantation in Hong Kong.

Establishment of a TaqMan probe-based qPCR assay for detecting microsporidia Enterospora epinepheli in grouper.

Enterospora epinepheli is an intranuclear microsporidian parasite causing serious emaciative disease in hatchery-bred juvenile groupers (Epinephelus spp.). Rapid and sensitive detection is urgently needed as its chronic infection tends to cause emaciation as well as white faeces syndrome and results in fry mortality. This study established a TaqMan probe-based real-time quantitative PCR assays targeting the small subunit rRNA (SSU) gene of E. epinepheli. The relationship between the standard curve of cycle threshold (Ct) and the logarithmic starting quantity (SQ) was determined as Ct = -3.177 lg (SQ) + 38.397. The correlation coefficient (R2 ) was 0.999, and the amplification efficiency was 106.4%. The detection limit of the TaqMan probe-based qPCR assay was 1.0 × 101 copies/µL and that is 100 times sensitive than the traditional PCR method. There is no cross-reaction with other aquatic microsporidia such as Ecytonucleospora hepatopenaei, Nucleospora hippocampi, Potaspora sp., Ameson portunus. The intra-assay and inter-assay showed great repeatability and reproducibility. In addition, the test of clinical samples showed that this assay effectively detected E. epinepheli in the grouper's intestine tissue. The established TaqMan qPCR assays will be a valuable diagnostic tool for the epidemiological investigation as well as prevention and control of E. epinepheli.

Prevalence and clinical correlates of psychotic symptoms in first-episode untreated female chinese patients with major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have reported that psychotic symptoms are common in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, few studies have reported the relationship between thyroid function, lipid metabolism and clinical profiles in female MDD patients. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of psychotic depression (PD) and its risk factors in first-episode and drug naive (FEDN) depression among the female population in China. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving a representative probability sample of 1,130 FEDN female outpatients with MDD (aged 18 years or older) in China. We collected information relating to socio-demographic characteristics, clinical data and blood samples. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale 17-item version (HAMD-17), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale 14-item version (HAMA-14), and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were used to evaluate depressive, anxiety, and psychotic symptoms. RESULTS: The prevalence of psychotic symptoms in female MDD patients was 10.97%. The findings revealed significant differences between MDD female patients with psychotic symptoms and non-PD female patients in the following areas: higher HAMD scores, higher HAMA scores, more severe anxiety and an increased risk of suicide attempts. Further logistic regression analysis showed that psychotic symptoms were associated with higher thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and an odds ratio of 1.168. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings supported the hypothesis that higher TSH levels were correlated with psychotic symptoms in female MDD patients. Therefore, serum TSH levels may be a potential biomarker of PD in female MDD patients. In addition, we found that PD was closely associated with suicide attempts and lipid levels, but did not reach statistical significance.

Temperature-robust optical microphone with a compact grating interferometric module.

The high demand for advanced acoustic sensors has prompted optical microphones to become a current research hotspot; this is especially the case in light of the performance of existing electroacoustic microphones having reached the ceiling. In this work, a thermally stable optical microphone has been developed for sensitive detection of low-frequency acoustic signals. The microphone was prepared using a prestressed nickel diaphragm and a compact grating interferometric module. The adjacent surfaces of the diaphragm and grating form a short Fabry-Perot cavity, which makes the microphone robust to ambient temperature fluctuation due to the reduced thermal drift of its operating point relative to the quadrature point of the interferometer. The cavity length-operating wavelength relationship of the microphone operating at the quadrature point was obtained. The performance of the prepared microphone was tested using various methods. Experimental results show that the microphone enables stable operation at the quadrature point over a wide range of temperatures from 0°C to 60°C with low signal distortion and high sensitivity. The response of the prepared optical microphone to low-frequency drone noise was measured and compared with that obtained with a commercial electret condenser microphone.

MiR-518c-3p alleviates endometriosis by inhibiting ectopic endometrial migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition via targeting ZNF608.

PURPOSE: The present study was performed to clarify the regulatory mechanism of miR-518c-3p in the progression of endometriosis (EMs). METHODS: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) potentially acting on EMs were predicted by bioinformatics databases and validated in normal and ectopic endometrium. The miR-518c-3p mimics were transfected into endometrial stromal cells (ESCs), and cell growth, death, and proliferation marker proteins expression were detected. The targeting relationship of miR-518c-3p with zinc finger protein 608 (ZNF608) was validated by luciferase reporter assay. ESCs were incubated with miR-518c-3p mimics alone or co-transfected with pcDNA-ZNF608, and growth, death, as well as proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker protein expression were detected. A rat model of EMs overexpressing miR-518c-3p alone or ZNF608 simultaneously was constructed to detect ectopic endometrial cell apoptosis and cyst volume in rats. RESULTS: MiR-518c-3p expression was downregulated in ectopic endometrium. MiR-518c-3p mimic inhibited migration, invasion and proliferation of ESCs, and promoted apoptosis. MiR-518c-3p targeted the 3'UTR of ZNF608. ZNF608 expression was upregulated in ESCs and ectopic endometrium, and the regulatory effect of pcDNA-ZNF608 on ESCs was opposite to that of miR-518c-3p mimics. ZNF608 overexpressing rats had greater endometrial cyst weight and volume, and decreased endometrial apoptosis compared with miR-518c-3p overexpressing alone. CONCLUSION: MiR-518c-3p inhibited growth, metastasis and EMT of ESCs and decreased ectopic endometrial area in rats with EMs by targeting ZNF608.

Study on the Antioxidant Effect of Shikonin-Loaded ß-Cyclodextrin Forming Host-Guest Complexes That Prevent Skin from Photoaging.

When the skin is overexposed to ultraviolet rays, free radicals will accumulate in the skin, causing lipid damage and even inducing photoaging of the skin. Combination therapy with antioxidant drugs is a good choice for topical treatment of skin photoaging due to its special physiological structure. In this paper, shikonin was encapsulated in ß-cyclodextrin (SH-ß-CD) by the precipitation crystallization method, which delayed the release of the drug and increased drug solubility. The average diameter of SH-ß-CD was 203.0 ± 21.27 nm with a zeta potential of -14.4 ± 0.5 mV. The encapsulation efficiency (EE%) was 65.9 ± 7.13%. The results of the in vitro permeation across the dialysis membrane and ex vivo transdermal release rates were 52.98 ± 1.21% and 88.25 ± 3.26%, respectively. In vitro antioxidant and antilipid peroxidation model assay revealed the antioxidant potential of SH and SH-ß-CD. In the mice model of skin photoaging, SH and SH-ß-CD had a recovery effect on the skin damage of mice, which could significantly increase the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the skin. Briefly, SH-ß-CD had an obvious therapeutic effect on the skin photoaging of mice caused by UV, and it is promising in skin disease treatment and skin care.

Characterization of Dissolved Organic Matter Released from Aged Biochar: A Comparative Study of Two Feedstocks and Multiple Aging Approaches.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays important roles in environmental ecosystems. While many studies have explored the characteristics of aged biochar, limited information is available about the properties of DOM derived from aged biochar. In this study, biochar obtained from maize stalk and soybean straw were aged using farmland or vegetable-soil solution, as well as soil solution containing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Chemical composition of the extracted DOM from the aged biochar was analyzed via excitation-emission matrix coupled with fluorescence regional integration (FRI) and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). Obtained results showed that biochar aged with H2O2-enriched soil solution had higher water-soluble organic carbon, ranging from 147.26-734.13% higher than the controls. FRI analysis revealed fulvic and humic-like organics as the key components, with a considerable increase of 57.48-235.96% in the humic-like component, especially in soybean-straw-aged biochar. PARAFAC identified four humic-like substance components. Concurrently, the aromaticity and humification of the aged-biochar-derived DOM increased, while the molecular weight decreased. These findings suggest that DOM derived from aged biochar, with a high content of humic-like organics, might impact the mobility and toxicity of pollutants in soil.

Piperazine-Linked Covalent Organic Frameworks with High Electrical Conductivity.

A new kind of piperazine-linked covalent organic framework (COF) was synthesized through the nucleophilic substitution reaction between octaminophthalocyanines and hexadecafluorophthalocyanines. The two-dimensional (2D) frameworks are in tetragonally shaped polygon sheets, which stack in an AA stacking mode to constitute periodically ordered metallophthalocyanine columns and one-dimensional (1D) microporous channels. The piperazine-linked COFs exhibit excellent chemical stability and permanent porosity. By virtue of the neatly arrayed phthalocyanine columns and inbuilt cationic radicals, the piperazine-linked frameworks are highly conductive. The conductivity values of NiPc-NH-CoPcF8 COF reached up to 2.72 and 12.7 S m-1 for pellet and film samples, respectively. Moreover, this p-type conductive COF exhibited a high carrier mobility of 35.4 cm2 V-1 s-1. Both the electric conductivity and carrier mobility set new records for conductive COFs.

A randomized double blind comparison of atosiban in patients with recurrent implantation failure undergoing IVF treatment.

BACKGROUND: Patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) may have more uterine contractions. Several observational studies suggested that atosiban administration around embryo transfer resulted in higher pregnancy rates in RIF patients. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of atosiban given before fresh embryo transfer on pregnancy outcomes of women with RIF. METHODS: A prospective, randomized, double-blind controlled clinical trial was performed in IVF center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital. According to a computer-generated randomization list, 194 infertile women with RIF received fresh embryo transfer between July 2017 and December 2019 were randomly allocated into the atosiban (n = 97) and the placebo (n = 97) groups. Women in the treatment group received atosiban intravenously about 30 min before embryo transfer with a bolus dose of 6.75 mg over one minute. Those in the placebo group received only normal saline infusion for the same duration. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the live birth rate between the atosiban and placebo groups (42.3% vs 35.1%, P = 0.302, RR = 1.206 (0.844-1.723)). No significant differences were found between the two groups in the positive pregnancy test, clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy, miscarriage, multiple pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy and implantation rates. Similar results were found when stratified by the number of embryos previously transferred, number of previous failed embryo transfers, frequency of endometrial peristalsis on embryo transfer day (≥ 3 waves/min) or serum estradiol (E2) on the day of hCG above the median level. And, there was no correlation between the serum E2 level on the day of hCG and the frequency of endometrial peristalsis on embryo transfer day. The frequency of endometrial peristalsis on embryo transfer day, total FSH/HMG dosage and duration were the significant factors which independently predicted the likelihood of a live birth. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that atosiban treatment before fresh embryo transfer might not improve the live birth rate in RIF patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study had been approved by the Institutional Review Board of the hospital (2017 ethics No.43) and was registered under Clinicaltrials.gov with an identifier NCT02893722.

One-Pot Synthesis of 2,3-Disubstituted Indanone Derivatives in Water under Exogenous Ligand-Free and Mild Conditions.

Diverse 2,3-substituted indanones are accessed in an efficient and robust protocol by a rhodium-catalyzed tandem carborhodium/cyclization and intramolecular proton shift pathway. The reaction is compatible with a broad range of functional internal acetylenes, especially for natural and functionalized alkynes derivatives, affording the desired indanones in good to excellent yields. Remarkably, this reaction features very mild and sustainable conditions using water as the sole solvent and without exogenous ligands. Control studies support that indanone is formed through the intramolecular proton transfer process from the key intermediate indenol.

Suicide attempt rate and the risk factors in young, first-episode and drug-naïve Chinese Han patients with major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the rates of suicide among young people have been increasing, and major depressive disorder (MDD) is regarded to be its main cause. Many factors such as thyroid dysfunction and metabolic abnormalities are thought to mediate this process, but the conclusions are inconsistent. This study investigated the rate of suicide attempts and associated risk factors among young, first-episode and drug-naïve Chinese Han patients with MDD. METHODS: A total of 917 patients with MDD (aged 18 ~ 35 years) were recruited. Demographic and clinical data were collected and thyroid function, fasting blood glucose and lipid profiles were measured. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 items (HAMD-17), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), positive symptom subscale of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and clinical global impression of severity scale (CGI-S) were adopted to assess depression, anxiety, psychotic symptoms and disease severity respectively. RESULTS: The rate of suicide attempts was 19.5% in young MDD patients. There were significant differences in age (p = 0.003), education level (p = 0.001), age of onset (p = 0.004) and disease duration (p = 0.001) between patients with and without suicide attempts. Compared with patients without suicide attempts, patients with suicide attempts had significantly higher scores on the HAMD-17, HAMA, PANSS positive symptom subscale and CGI-S (all p < 0.001). Patients with suicide attempts had significantly higher levels of TSH (p < 0.001), TgAb (p = 0.004), TPOAb (p < 0.001), TG (p = 0.016), TC (p < 0.001), LDL (p < 0.001), and fasting glucose (p < 0.001), but significantly lower levels of HDL (p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that marital status (OR = 0.515, 95%CI: 0.280-0.950, p = 0.515), disease duration (OR = 1.100, 95%CI: 1.013-1.194, p = 0.024), HAMA score (OR = 1.313, 95%CI: 1.205-1.430, p < 0.001), CGI-S score (OR = 1.875, 95%CI: 1.339-2.624, p < 0.001), levels of FT3(OR = 0.717, 95%CI: 0.536-0.959, p = 0.025), TPOAb (OR = 1.004, 95%CI: 1.002-1.006, p < 0.001), TC (OR = 1.330, 95%CI: 1.011-1.750, p = 0.042) and LDL (OR = 0.736, 95%CI: 0.558-0.971, p = 0.030) were all independently associated with suicide attempts in young MDD patients. CONCLUSIONS: In China, the rate of suicide attempts in young patients with MDD is quite high and thyroid dysfunction and metabolic abnormalities may be implicated in its pathogenesis.

Peripheral Interleukin-18 is negatively correlated with abnormal brain activity in patients with depression: a resting-state fMRI study.

BACKGROUND: Interleukin-18 (IL-18) may participate in the development of major depressive disorder, but the specific mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to explore whether IL-18 correlates with areas of the brain associated with depression. METHODS: Using a case-control design, 68 subjects (34 patients and 34 healthy controls) underwent clinical assessment, blood sampling, and resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). The total Hamilton depression-17 (HAMD-17) score was used to assess depression severity. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect IL-18 levels. Rest-state fMRI was conducted to explore spontaneous brain activity. RESULTS: The level of IL-18 was higher in patients with depression in comparison with healthy controls. IL-18 was negatively correlated with degree centrality of the left posterior cingulate gyrus in the depression patient group, but no correlation was found in the healthy control group. CONCLUSION: This study suggests the involvement of IL-18 in the pathophysiological mechanism for depression and interference with brain activity.

Fabrication of Glass Diaphragm Based Fiber-Optic Microphone for Sensitive Detection of Airborne and Waterborne Sounds.

A glass-diaphragm microphone was developed based on fiber-optic Fabry-Perot (FP) interferometry. The glass diaphragm was shaped into a wheel-like structure on a 150-µm-thick glass sheet by laser cutting, which consists of a glass disc connected to an outer glass ring by four identical glass beams. Such a structural diaphragm offers the microphone an open air chamber that reduces air damping and increases sensitivity and results in a cardioid direction pattern for the microphone response. The prepared microphone operates at 1550 nm wavelength, showing high stability in a range of temperature from 10 to 40 °C. The microphone has a resonance peak at 1152 Hz with a quality factor of 21, and its 3-dB cut-off frequency is 32 Hz. At normal incidence of 500 Hz sound, the pressure sensitivity of the microphone is 755 mV/Pa and the corresponding minimum detectable pressure is 251 µPa/Hz1/2. In addition to the above characteristics of the microphone in air, a preliminary investigation reveals that the microphone can also work stably under water for a long time due to the combination of the open-chamber and fiber-optic structures, and it has a large signal-to-noise ratio in response to waterborne sounds. The microphone prepared in this work is simple, inexpensive, and electromagnetically robust, showing great potential for low-frequency acoustic detection in air and under water.

Study on the controlled release and synergistic anti-oxidant activity in vitro and ex vivo of ligustrazine hydrochloride encapsulated into liposomes.

Ligustrazine with good antioxidant activity is one of the main active components of chuanxiong. We designed ligustrazine hydrochloride-loaded liposomes (LTH-L) by the thin film dispersion method. The particle size and zeta potential of liposomes was 118±10.61nm and -39.3±3.7mV, entrapment efficiency (EE%) was 75.05±10.67%. In vitro permeation across the dialysis membrane, the release rate (R%) of ligustrazine hydrochloride (LTH) and LTH-L were reached 80% and 60%. Ex Vivo transdermal behavior experiment showed the R% of LTH and LTH-L were between 30%-40%, the R% of LTH-L was slightly lower, because liposomes played the role on the sustained and controlled release of LTH. In addition, LTH, LTH-L and BL reacted with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) solution for two hours, the scavenge rates (SR%) were 55.06±2.73%, 11.3±0.03% and 37.25±1.12% respectively (P<0.001) and the SR% of LTH, LTH-L and BL reacted with H2O2 were 4.13±0.02%, 0.52±0.01% and 75.15±6.10%. The inhibit rate (IR%) of LTH, LTH-L and BL on malondialdehyde (MDA) in liver homogenate were 35.44±1.79%, 1.22±0.01% and 17.92±0.29% (P<0.001), the IR% were 30.82±0.93%, 1.7±0.01% and 25.19±0.60% (P<0.001) in anti-low density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation experiments, perhaps LTH prepared into LTH-L can play a better antioxidant role.

Stable Bimetallic Polyphthalocyanine Covalent Organic Frameworks as Superior Electrocatalysts.

The development of highly stable covalent organic frameworks (COFs) is extremely compelling for their implementation in practical application. In this work, we rationally designed and synthesized new kinds of ultrastable bimetallic polyphthalocyanine COFs, which are constructed with the dioxin linkage through the nucleophilic aromatic substitution between octahydroxylphthalocyanine and hexadecafluorophthalocyanine. The resulting bimetallic CuPcF8-CoPc-COF and CuPcF8-CoNPc-COF exhibited strong robustness under harsh conditions. The eclipsed stacking mode of metallophthalocyanine units supplies a high-speed pathway for electron transfer. With these structural advantages, both COFs displayed considerable activity, selectivity, and stability toward electrocatalytic CO2 reduction in an aqueous system. Notably, CuPcF8-CoNPc-COF showed a faradaic efficiency of 97% and an exceptionally high turnover frequency of 2.87 s-1, which is superior to most COF-based electrocatalysts. Furthermore, the catalytic mechanism was well demonstrated by using a theoretical calculation. This work not only expanded the variety of dioxin-linked COFs, but also constituted a new step toward their practical use in carbon cycle.

Maternal intake of caffeinated products and birth defects: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

Caffeinated products are frequently consumed by women of childbearing age worldwide. It still unclear that whether maternal intake of caffeine associated with an increased risk of birth defects. We searched the databases of PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science for eligible studies through July 2020. All studies examining the association between maternal consumption of caffeine or caffeinated products and birth defects were included. Twenty-nine studies were included in this meta-analysis. Among all the birth defects, maternal caffeine consumption was associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular defects, [odds ratio (OR) 1.17; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.07-1.28], craniofacial defects (OR 1.09; 95% CI, 1.02-1.17), alimentary tract defects (OR 1.35; 95% CI, 1.16-1.56), and abdominal-wall defects and hernia (OR 1.13; 95% CI, 1.03-1.25). No association was found between maternal caffeine intake and musculoskeletal system defects, genitourinary system defects, nervous system defects, or chromosomal abnormalities. Meanwhile, all three of the caffeine consumption categories (low, moderate, and high) were associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular defects and alimentary tract defects.

Direct Access to α,ß-Unsaturated Ketones via Rh/MgCl2-Mediated Acylation of Vinylsilanes.

We report herein the facile and practical construction of α,ß-unsaturated ketones via rhodium-catalyzed direct acylation of vinylsilanes with readily available and abundant carboxylic acids. This protocol features access to a diverse array of synthetically useful functionalities with moderate to excellent yields. More importantly, the late-stage functionalization of pharmaceuticals was also realized with synthetically useful yield.

AI-SNPs screening based on the whole genome data and research on genetic structure differences of subcontinent populations.

The genetic structure differences in population is one of the key elements in medical research involving multi-population samples. A set of ancestry-informative single nucleotide polymorphisms (AI-SNPs) can be utilized to analyze genetic component of a population, infer ancestral origin of individuals and pre-filter samples to reduce the impact of population genetic structure differences on medical research. However, most of the published studies were focused on revealing the differences between populations of continents or regions of a continent. In this paper, AI-SNPs were screened by calculating FST value in each pair of five East Asian populations: Japanese in Tokyo (JPT), Han Chinese in Beijing (CHB), Southern Han Chinese (CHS), Chinese Dai in Xishuangbanna (CDX) and Kinh in Ho Chi Minh City (KHV) in the 1000 Genomes Project phase 3 (GRCh37.p13) to analyze differences in subcontinent populations. The results demonstrate that the five East Asian populations in our study were assigned to three clusters: JPT, CHB and CHS, CDX and KHV. A set of AI-SNPs can be used for analysis of individual genetic composition and selection of representative individuals. Individuals with over 80% population representative genetic components have good representativeness of a population. This paper demonstrated the practical value of the method, which was performed to verify the ancestral composition and select representative samples with a panel of screened AI-SNPs by FST value, thereby reducing the influence of genetic structure differences in subcontinent populations on population-related medical research.