Densification effect on field emission characteristics of CNT film emitters for electron emission devices.

Field electron emission characteristics of the carbon nanotube (CNT) film emitters were investigated according to densification conditions such as nitric acid, acetic acid, and salicylic acid. The emission performance of the CNT film emitters was strongly affected by the densification conditions. Salicylic acid exhibits the best field electron emission properties of the CNT film emitters, followed by nitric acid and acetic acid. The efficient densification of the CNT film emitter by salicylic acid is caused by the role of polarity and p orbitals, nitric acid by hydrogen ions, and acetic acid by weak polarity. After the densification with salicylic acid, the turn-on field of the CNT film emitter decreases from 1.94 Vµm-1to 1.86 Vµm-1, the threshold field decreases from 3.41 Vµm-1to 2.95 Vµm-1, the emission current significantly increases from 20.92 mA to 43.98 mA, and the degradation rate from the long-term emission stability decreases from 49.9% to 21%. The improved emission characteristics are attributed to the increased emission sites at the CNT film and the increased electrical conductivity of the CNT film. The densification is a useful way to enhance the field electron emission properties of CNT film emitters.

Root-Associated Microbiomes of Panax notoginseng under the Combined Effect of Plant Development and Alpinia officinarum Hance Essential Oil.

Essential oils (EOs) have been proposed as an alternative to conventional pesticides to inhibit fungal pathogens. However, the application of EOs is considerably limited due to their highly volatile nature and unpredictable effects on other microbes. In our study, the composition of bacterial and fungal communities from the rhizosphere soil of P. notoginseng under four treatment levels of Alpinia officinarum Hance EO was characterized over several growth stages. Leaf weight varied dramatically among the four EO treatment levels after four months of growth, and the disease index at a low concentration (0.14 mg/g) of EO addition was the lowest among the P. notoginseng growth stages. The content of monomeric saponins was elevated when EO was added. Bacterial and fungal diversity in the absence of plants showed a decreasing trend with increasing levels of EO. Bacterial diversity recovery was more correlated with plant growth than was fungal diversity recovery. Compared with the control (no EO addition), a low concentration of EO significantly accumulated Actinomycota, including Acidothermus, Blastococcus, Catenulispora, Conexibacter, Rhodococcus, and Sinomonas, after one month of plant-microbial interaction. Overall, the results showed that both the plant growth stage and EOs drive changes in the microbial community composition in the rhizosphere of P. notoginseng. Plant development status had a stronger influence on bacterial diversity than on fungal diversity. EO had a more significant effect on fungal community composition, increasing the dominance of Ascomycota when EO concentration was increased. Under the interaction of P. notoginseng growth and EO, a large number of bacterial genera that have been described as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) responded positively to low concentrations of EO application, suggesting that EO may recruit beneficial microbes in the root zone to cope with pathogens and reduce root rot disease. These results offer novel insights into the relationship between EO application, altered microbial communities in the plant roots, plant growth stage, and disease occurrence.

Clinical value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in complicated infectious diseases. / å®åŸºå› ç»„äºŒä»£æµ‹åºåœ¨ç–‘éš¾æ„ŸæŸ“æ€§ç–¾ç— ä¸­çš„ä¸´åºŠåº”ç”¨ä»·å€¼.

Infectious diseases are commonly seen in clinical practice, and pathogen diagnosis is the key link in diagnosis and treatment; however, conventional pathogen detection methods cannot meet clinical needs due to time-consuming operation and low positive rate. As a new pathogen detection method, metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has a wide detection range and can detect bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, rare pathogens, and even unknown pathogens. The technique of mNGS is unbiased and can rapidly, efficiently, and accurately obtain all nucleic acid information in test samples, analyze pathogens, and guide clinical diagnosis and treatment, thereby playing an important role in complicated infectious diseases. This article reviews the diagnostic advantages and clinical value of mNGS in bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasitic infections.

The reduction of lipid-sourced energy production caused by ATGL inhibition cannot be compensated by activation of HSL, autophagy, and utilization of other nutrients in fish.

The adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL)-mediated lipolysis play important roles in lipid catabolism. ATGL is considered the central rate-limiting enzyme in the mobilization of fatty acids in mammals. Currently, severe fat accumulation has been commonly detected in farmed fish globally. However, the ATGL-mediated lipolysis and the potential synergy among ATGL, HSL, and autophagy, which is another way for lipid breakdown, have not been intensively understood in fish. In the present study, we added Atglistatin as an ATGL-specific inhibitor into the zebrafish diet and fed to the fish for 5 weeks. The results showed that the Atglistatin-treated fish exhibited severe fat deposition, reduced oxygen consumption, and fatty acid ß-oxidation, accompanied with increased oxidative stress and inflammation. Furthermore, the Atglistatin-treated fish elevated total and phosphorylation protein expressions of HSL. However, the free fatty acids and lipase activities in organs were still systemically reduced in the Atglistatin-treated fish, and the autophagy marker LC3 was also decreased in the liver. On the other hand, glycogenolysis was stimulated but blood glucose was higher in the Atglistatin-treated fish. The transcriptomic analysis also provided the hint that the protein turnover efficiency in Atglistatin-treated fish was likely to be accelerated, but the protein content in whole fish was not affected. Taken together, ATGL plays crucial roles in energy homeostasis such that its inhibition causes loss of lipid-sourced energy production, which cannot be compensated by activation of HSL, autophagy, and utilization of other nutrients.

Follow-up study of preterm infants with thyroid dysfunction after medication. / ç”²çŠ¶è ºåŠŸèƒ½å¼‚å¸¸æ—©äº§å„¿å¹²é¢„æ²»ç–—çš„éšè®¿ç ”ç©¶.

OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of levothyroxine sodium tablets on the growth and development and thyroid function in preterm infants with thyroid dysfunction. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for 82 preterm infants who were born in the Department of Obstetrics of the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017, and these infants were hospitalized after birth in the Department of Neonatology of the hospital. They were regularly followed up to observe growth and development and thyroid function at the outpatient service of the Department of Neonatology. According to thyroid function test results, they were divided into an abnormal thyroid function group (observation group; n=31) and a normal thyroid function group (control group; n=51). The infants in the observation group were given oral administration of levothyroxine sodium tablets, while those in the control group were not given any treatment. The two groups were compared in terms of the physical and intelligence development and thyroid function of preterm infants with various gestational ages (28-<32 weeks, 32-<34 weeks, and 34-<37 weeks) after regular follow-up to the corrected age of 12 months. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in physical development indices (body length, body weight, and head circumference) between the observation and control groups at various gestational ages after follow-up to the corrected age of 12 months (P>0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the scores of each functional area of the Gesell Developmental Scale among the preterm infants with a gestational age of 28-<32 weeks and 32-<34 weeks after follow-up to the corrected age of 12 months (P>0.05). For the preterm infants with a gestational age of 34-<37 weeks, compared with the control group, the observation group had a significantly lower score of gross motor ability at the age of 3 and 12 months, significantly lower scores of fine motor ability, language ability, and adaptation ability at the age of 12 months (P<0.05), and a significantly lower score of personal-social ability at the age of 3 months (P<0.05). However, the score of personal-social ability in the observation group was not significantly different from the control group at the age of 12 months (P>0.05). After 2-4 weeks of treatment with levothyroxine sodium tablets, the thyroid function of the 31 preterm infants with thyroid dysfunction returned to normal. Among the 31 infants, 21 (68%) achieved complete drug withdrawal, with normal results of neonatal screening (100%); 10 infants (32%) failed to achieve drug withdrawal, and only 2 (20%) out of the 10 infants had normal neonatal screening results (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Early diagnosis and reasonable treatment can reduce the impact on growth and development in preterm infants with thyroid dysfunction. Most preterm infants tend to have transient thyroid dysfunction, while those with positive results of neonatal screening are more likely to develop permanent thyroid dysfunction.

Cluster of Coronavirus Disease Associated with Fitness Dance Classes, South Korea.

During 24 days in Cheonan, South Korea, 112 persons were infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 associated with fitness dance classes at 12 sports facilities. Intense physical exercise in densely populated sports facilities could increase risk for infection. Vigorous exercise in confined spaces should be minimized during outbreaks.

4-O-methylascochlorin activates autophagy by activating AMPK and suppressing c-Myc in glioblastoma.

A prior study identified that 4-O-methylascochlorin (MAC), a methylated derivative of ascochlorin (ASC) from the fungus Ascochyta viciae, activates autophagy in leukemia cells by suppressing c-Myc phosphorylation. However, the effects of MAC on autophagy in other cancer cells remain unknown. In the present study, we demonstrated that MAC activated autophagy in human glioblastoma. MAC increased expression of autophagy-related proteins, such as LC3-II and Beclin-1. Moreover, MAC stimulated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation and suppressed phosphorylation of the mTOR, p70S6K, and 4EBP1. The well-known AMPK activator metformin increased LC3-II levels, which were augmented by MAC cotreatment. AMPK knockdown decreased LC3-II levels and inhibited MAC activation of autophagy. Furthermore, MAC suppression of c-Myc expression activated autophagy. Treatment with the c-MYC inhibitor, 10058-FA, induced autophagy, as did c-Myc small interfering RNA knockdown. These effects were augmented by MAC cotreatment. Taken together, these findings indicated that MAC induces autophagy in human glioblastoma by activating AMPK signaling and inhibiting c-Myc protein expression in human glioblastoma.

Impaired peroxisomal fat oxidation induces hepatic lipid accumulation and oxidative damage in Nile tilapia.

Many metabolic diseases in fish are often associated with lowered peroxisomal fatty acid (FA) ß-oxidation. However, the physiological role of peroxisomal FA oxidation in lipid metabolism in fish still remains unclear. In the present study, a specific peroxisomal FA ß-oxidation inhibitor, 10,12-tricosadiynoic acid (TDYA), was used to investigate the effects of impaired peroxisomal ß-oxidation on growth performance, health status, and lipid metabolism in Nile tilapia. The results showed that the dietary TDYA treatment did not affect weight gain, but significantly decreased peroxisomal ß-oxidation in the liver, and increased body fat accumulation. The fish with impaired peroxisomal ß-oxidation exhibited higher contents of serum lipid and peroxidation products, and alanine aminotransferase activity, and significantly lowered hepatic activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase. The inhibited peroxisomal ß-oxidation did not enhance mitochondrial ß-oxidation activity, but compensatorily upregulated FA ß-oxidation-related gene expression, and downregulated the gene expressions in lipolysis and lipogenesis. Taken together, TDYA treatment markedly induced lipid accumulation and hepatic oxidative damage via systemically depressing lipid catabolism and antioxidant capacity. Our findings reveal the pivotal roles of peroxisomal ß-oxidation in maintaining health and lipid homeostasis in fish, and could be helpful in understanding metabolic diseases in fish.

Inhibition of intestinal lipases alleviates the adverse effects caused by high-fat diet in Nile tilapia.

Intestinal lipases are fat-digesting enzymes, which play vital roles in lipid absorption in the intestine. To study the regulation of intestinal lipase activity in systemic lipid metabolism in fish, especially in the metabolic diseases caused by high-fat diet (HFD) feeding, we inhibited intestinal lipases in Nile tilapia to investigate the physiological consequences. In the present study, Nile tilapia were firstly fed with HFD (12% fat) for 6 weeks to establish a fatty fish model. Afterwards, Orlistat as a potent intestinal lipase inhibitor was added into the HFD for the following 5-week feeding trial, with two dietary doses (Orlistat16 group, 16 mg/kg body weight; Orlistat32 group, 32 mg/kg body weight). After the trial, both doses of Orlistat treatment significantly reduced intestinal lipase activity, fat absorption, hepatic lipid accumulation, and gene expression of lipogenesis, whereas increased gene expression of lipid catabolism. Moreover, intestinal lipase inhibition increased immune enzyme activities, antioxidant capacity, and gene expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines, whereas lowered gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Besides, Orlistat could also improve the structure of the intestine and increase expression of intestinal tight-coupling protein. Taken together, intestinal lipase inhibition alleviated the adverse effects caused by HFD in Nile tilapia. Thus, intestinal lipases played key roles in absorbing dietary lipid and could be a promising target in regulating systemic lipid metabolism in fish.

The PX Motif of DNA Binds Specifically to Escherichia coli DNA Polymerase I.

The PX motif of DNA is a four-stranded structure in which two parallel juxtaposed double-helical domains are fused by crossovers at every point where the strands approach each other. Consequently, its twist and writhe are approximately half of those of conventional DNA. This property has been shown to relax supercoiled plasmid DNA under circumstances in which head-to-head homology exists within the plasmid; the homology can be either complete homology or every-other-half-turn homology, known as PX homology. It is clearly of interest to establish whether the cell contains proteins that interact with this unusual and possibly functional motif. We have examined Escherichia coli extracts to seek such a protein. We find by gel mobility studies that the PX motif is apparently bound by a cellular component. Fractionation of this binding activity reveals that the component is DNA polymerase I (Pol I). Although the PX motif binds to Pol I, we find that PX-DNA is not able to serve as a substrate for the extension of a shortened strand. We cannot say at this time whether the binding is a coincidence or whether it represents an activity of Pol I that is currently unknown. We have modeled the interaction of Pol I and PX-DNA using symmetry considerations and molecular dynamics.

Fasting enhances cold resistance in fish through stimulating lipid catabolism and autophagy.

KEY POINTS: In a cold environment, mammals increase their food intake while fish decrease or stop feeding. However, the physiological value of fasting during cold resistance in fish is currently unknown. Fasting for more than 48 h enhanced acute cold resistance in zebrafish, which correlated with lipid catabolism and cell damage attenuation. Lipid catabolism and autophagy were necessary for cold resistance in fish and the inhibition of mitochondrial fatty acid ß-oxidation or autophagy weakened the fasting-induced cold resistance. Repression of mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling pathway by rapamycin largely mimicked the beneficial effects of fasting in promoting cold resistance, suggesting mTOR signalling may be involved in the fasting-induced cold resistance in fish. Our study demonstrates that fasting may be a protective strategy for fish to survive under cold stress. ABSTRACT: In cold environments, most homeothermic animals increase their food intake to supply more energy to maintain body temperature, whereas most poikilothermic animals such as fishes decrease or even stop feeding under cold stress. However, the physiological value of fasting during cold resistance in poikilotherms has not been explained. Here, we show that moderate fasting largely enhanced cold resistance in fish. By using pharmacological (fenofibrate, mildronate, chloroquine and rapamycin) and nutritional approaches (fatty acids diets and amino acids diets) in wild-type or specific gene knock-out zebrafish models (carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1b-deficient strain, CPT1b-/- , or autophagy-related protein 12-deficient strain, ATG12-/- ), we verified that fasting-stimulated lipid catabolism and autophagy played essential roles in the improved cold resistance. Moreover, suppression of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway by using rapamycin mostly mimicked the beneficial effects of fasting in promoting cold resistance as either the physiological phenotype or transcriptomic pattern. However, these beneficial effects were largely reduced when the mTOR pathway was activated through high dietary leucine supplementation. We conclude that fasting helps fish to resist cold stress by modulating lipid catabolism and autophagy, which correlates with the mTOR signalling pathway. Therefore, fasting can act as a protective strategy of fish in resisting coldness.

Rational Molecular Design Overcoming the Long Delayed Fluorescence Lifetime and Serious Efficiency Roll-Off in Blue Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescent Devices.

Blue thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) devices with short excited-state lifetime, high reverse intersystem crossing rate, and low-efficiency roll-off were developed by managing the molecular structure of donor-acceptor-type blue emitters. Three isomers of blue TADF emitters with a diphenyltriazine acceptor and three carbazole donors were synthesized. The position of the donor moieties in the phenyl linker connecting the donor and acceptor moieties was controlled to devise compounds with a short delayed fluorescence lifetime. A blue TADF emitter with three carbazole donors at 2-, 3-, and 4- positions of a phenyl linker shortened the excited state lifetime to 4.1 µs, showed a high external quantum efficiency of 20.4 %, and low efficiency roll-off of less than 10 % at 1000 cd m-2 . Therefore, a molecular design distorting the donors by aligning them in a consecutive way is useful to resolve the issues of long delayed fluorescence lifetime and efficiency roll-off of blue TADF devices.

Molecular Design Approach Managing Molecular Orbital Superposition for High Efficiency without Color Shift in Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescent Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

Molecular design principles of thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) emitters having a high quantum efficiency and a color tuning capability was investigated by synthesizing three TADF emitters with donors at different positions of a benzonitrile acceptor. The position rendering a large overlap between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) enhances the quantum efficiency of the TADF emitter. Regarding the orbital overlap, donor attachments at 2- and 6-positions of the benzonitrile were more beneficial than 3- and 5-substitutions. Moreover, an additional attachment of a weak donor at the 4-position further increased the quantum efficiency without decreasing the emission energy. Therefore, the molecular design strategy of substituting strong donors at the positions allowing a large molecular orbital overlap and an extra weak donor is a good approach to achieve both high quantum efficiency and a slightly increased emission energy.

Inhibited autophagy impairs systemic nutrient metabolism in Nile tilapia.

Autophagy is a conserved cellular degradation process through which intracellular components are degraded by the lysosome, but its roles in fish metabolism have not been studied in depth. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate whether autophagy plays a key role in maintaining metabolic homeostasis in fish. In an 8-week feeding trial, Nile tilapia were fed either a control diet with medium fat and medium carbohydrate (Control), or a control diet supplemented with a classic autophagy inhibitor (chloroquine, CQ). CQ supplementation significantly inhibited autophagy and impaired fish growth and protein synthesis, and the glycolysis was stimulated, accompanied by fat accumulation, high oxidative stress and inflammation. Physiological status and gene expressions suggested that impaired autophagy might be at least one cause of the metabolic diseases which has been commonly seen in aquaculture. These results indicate that inhibition of autophagy could significantly affect the metabolism of lipid, carbohydrate and protein in fish; hence, autophagy could play important roles in maintaining homeostasis of nutrient metabolism in cultured fish.

A comparative study on oxidative stress response in the hepatopancreas and midgut of the white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei under gradual changes to low or high pH environment.

White shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei were reared under conditions of gradual changes to a low pH (gradual-low pH, 6.65-8.20) or a high pH (gradual-high pH, 8.20-9.81) versus a normal pH environment (8.14-8.31) during a 28-day period. Survival of shrimp, and ROS production, antioxidant responses and oxidative damage in the hepatopancreas and midgut were investigated. Consequently, shrimp enhanced MnSOD, GPx, and Hsp70 transcripts as early defense mechanism in the hepatopancreas and midgut to scavenge excessive ROS during short-term (≤ 7 days) gradual-low and high pH stress. Meanwhile, the hepatopancreas was more sensitive to ROS than midgut because of earlier ROS production increase, antioxidant response and oxidative damage. Then, suppressed antioxidant response in the hepatopancreas and midgut of shrimp suggested a loss of antioxidant regulatory capacity caused by aggravated oxidative damage after long-term (≥ 14 days) gradual-high pH stress, leading to continuous death. However, enhanced GPx, GST, and Hsp70 transcripts in the hepatopancreas and midgut might be long-term(≥ 14 days) antioxidant adaptation mechanism of shrimp to gradual-low pH stress, which could prevent further ROS perturbation and weaken oxidative damage to achieve a new immune homeostasis, contributing to stable survival rate. Therefore, we have a few insights that it is necessary to protect hepatopancreas for controlling shrimp death under gradual-high pH stress.

Adaptation of the white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei to gradual changes to a low-pH environment.

pH variation could cause a stress response in euryhaline penaeids, we evaluated the mortality, growth performance, osmoregulation gene expression, digestive enzyme activity, histology, and resistance against Vibrio parahemolyticus of white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei reared under conditions of gradual changes to a low-pH environment (gradual-low pH, 6.65-8.20) or a high-pH environment (gradual-high pH, 8.20-9.81) versus a normal pH environment (8.14-8.31) during a 28-d experiment. Consequently, under gradual-high pH, the cumulative mortality rate (CMR) rose with time until 39.9% on days 28; the weight gain percentage (WGP) and length gain percentage (LGP) decreased continuously. However, under gradual-low pH, the CMR of shrimp stabilized at 6.67% during 7-28 d; the WGP and LGP decreased first and then returned to normal. These results indicated that L. vannamei displayed a moderate tolerance to gradual-low pH, compared with gradual-high pH. Under gradual-low pH, the Na+/K+-ATPase, cytoplasmic carbonic anydrase (CAc), and glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-linked carbonic anhydrase (CAg) transcripts of shrimp increased continuously or then back to normal; the amylase, lipase, and trypsin activities decreased first and then returned to normal or increased; the hepatopancreases and midguts showed histopathological lesions first and then got remission. Thus, the major adaptation mechanism of shrimp to gradual-low pH might be its high osmoregulation ability, which made shrimp achieve a new, balanced steady-state, then promoted longer intestinal villi and recuperative hepatopancreases of shrimp with enhanced digestive enzyme activities to increase nutrient absorption after long-term exposure. Meanwhile, the enhanced resistance against V. parahemolyticus under gradual-low pH would probably inhibit disease outbreak in the shrimp farming.

Selective F or Br Functionalization of Dibenzofuran for Application as Host Materials of Phosphorescent Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

Four dibenzofuran-type host materials substituted with a carbazolylcarbazole moiety were synthesized to investigate the effect of substitution position on the material parameters and device performances of host materials. The carbazolylcarbazole moiety was substituted at the 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-positions of dibenzofuran by F or Br for a comprehensive study of the positional effect of dibenzofuran-derived host materials. Systematic synthesis and comparison of the four host materials revealed that 1-, 2-, and 4-position modification was better than 3-position modification for high triplet energy and high external quantum efficiency.

Prevalence and risk factors for cardiovascular disease among chronic kidney disease patients: results from the Chinese cohort study of chronic kidney disease (C-STRIDE).

BACKGROUND: Although a high incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is observed among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients in developed countries, limited information is available about CVD prevalence and risk factors in the Chinese CKD population. The Chinese Cohort of Chronic Kidney Disease (C-STRIDE) was established to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of CVD among Chinese CKD patients. METHODS: Participants with stage 1-4 CKD (18-74 years of age) were recruited at 39 clinical centers located in 28 cities from 22 provinces of China. At entry, the socio-demographic status, medical history, anthropometric measurements and lifestyle behaviors were documented, and blood and urine samples were collected. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated by the CKD-EPI creatinine equation. CVD diagnosis was based on patient self-report and review of medical records by trained staff. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to estimate the association between risk factors and CVD. RESULTS: Three thousand four hundred fifty-nine Chinese patients with pre-stage 5 CKD were enrolled, and 3168 finished all required examinations and were included in the study. In total, 40.8% of the cohort was female, with a mean age of 48.21 ± 13.70 years. The prevalence of CVD was 9.8%, and in 69.1% of the CVD cases cerebrovascular disease was observed. Multivariable analysis showed that increasing age, lower eGFR, presence of hypertension, abdominal aorta calcification and diabetes were associated with comorbid CVD among CKD patients. The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for these risk factors were 3.78 (2.55-5.59) for age 45-64 years and 6.07 (3.89-9.47) for age ≥65 years compared with age <45 years; 2.07 (1.28-3.34) for CKD stage 3a, 1.66 (1.00-2.62) for stage 3b, and 2.74 (1.72-4.36) for stage 4 compared with stages 1 and 2; 2.57 (1.50-4.41) for hypertension, 1.82 (1.23-2.70) for abdominal aorta calcification, and 1.70 (1.30-2.23) for diabetes, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We reported the CVD prevalence among a CKD patient cohort and found age, hypertension, diabetes, abdominal aorta calcification and lower eGFR were independently associated with higher CVD prevalence. Prospective follow-up and longitudinal evaluations of CVD risk among CKD patients are warranted.

Laparoscopically assisted suprapubic surgery for adnexal tumors under epidural anesthesia.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of laparoscopically assisted surgery for benign ovarian tumors via a single suprapubic incision under epidural anesthesia. METHODS: Forty-three patients underwent laparoscopically assisted surgery via a single suprapubic incision under epidural anesthesia. Types of surgery were classified as follows: type I - suprapubic incision surgery without laparoscopic support, type II - suprapubic incision surgery with laparoscopic support but without CO2 inflation; and type III - suprapubic incision surgery with laparoscopic support and CO2 inflation. RESULTS: Type I, II, and III procedures were performed on 16, 21, and six patients, respectively. Most patients (n = 35) were discharged on postoperative day 1 or 2. No surgical complication was encountered. Types of surgery exhibited different surgical characteristics. Type I was adopted for larger diameter tumors than types II or III (p = .016), whereas type III had a longer operative time (p = .024) than types I and II. Other characteristics, such as age, body mass index, and length of hospital stay, did not differ significantly among surgical types. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopically assisted surgery for adnexal tumors via a single suprapubic incision under epidural anesthesia is feasible and safe, and should be viewed as an alternative approach to conventional minimally invasive surgery.

Dehydrozingerone exerts beneficial metabolic effects in high-fat diet-induced obese mice via AMPK activation in skeletal muscle.

Dehydrozingerone (DHZ) exerts beneficial effects on human health; however, its mechanism of action remains unclear. Here, we found that DHZ suppressed high-fat diet-induced weight gain, lipid accumulation and hyperglycaemia in C57BL/6 mice and increased AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation and stimulated glucose uptake in C2C12 skeletal muscle cells. DHZ activated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling in an AMPK-dependent manner. Inhibiting AMPK or p38 MAPK blocked DHZ-induced glucose uptake. DHZ increased GLUT4 (major transporter for glucose uptake) expression in skeletal muscle. Glucose clearance and insulin-induced glucose uptake increased in DHZ-fed animals, suggesting that DHZ increases systemic insulin sensitivity in vivo. Thus, the beneficial health effects of DHZ could possibly be explained by its ability to activate the AMPK pathway in skeletal muscle.