NRG2 family members of Arabidopsis and maize regulate nitrate signalling and promote nitrogen use efficiency.

Nitrogen (N) is an essential nutrient for plant growth, and most plants absorb it as nitrate. AtNRG2 has been reported to play an important role in nitrate regulation. In this study, we investigated the functions of AtNRG2 family members of Arabidopsis thaliana and maize in nitrate signalling and metabolism. Our results showed that both AtNRG2.10 and AtNRG2.15 regulated nitrate signalling and metabolism. Overexpression of AtNRG2.11 (AtNRG2) could promote plant growth and improve nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). In addition, the maize genome harbors 23 ZmNRG2 members. We detected the expression of these genes treated with nitrate and the expression of four genes was strongly induced with ZmNRG2.7 having the highest levels. Overexpression of ZmNRG2.7 in the atnrg2 mutant could restore the defects of atnrg2, suggesting that ZmNRG2.7 is involved in nitrate signalling and metabolism. Moreover, the overexpression lines of ZmNRG2.7 showed increased biomass and NUE. These findings demonstrate that at least a part of NRG2 family genes in Arabidopsis and maize regulate nitrate signalling and provide a molecular basis for improving the NUE of crops.

Age-specific differences in association of glycosylated hemoglobin levels with the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases among nondiabetics: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2018.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has supported the presence of an association between high glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The objective of the present study was to determine whether increased HbA1c levels are associated with high CVD prevalence among nondiabetics. Furthermore, we aimed to explore the possible interaction of HbA1c levels and age in regard to CVD. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed data of 28,534 adult participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2018. The association between HbA1c and CVD was assessed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Propensity score matching was used to reduce selection bias. Subgroup analysis and restricted cubic spline (RCS) were used to further characterize the association between HbA1c levels and CVD. We modeled additive interactions to further assess the relationship between HbA1c levels and age. RESULTS: In the multivariate logistic regression model, a positive association was found between CVD and increased HbA1c levels (highest quartile [Q4] vs. lowest quartile [Q1]: odds ratio [OR] = 1.277, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.111-1.469, P = 0.001). In the stratified analyses, the adjusted association between HbA1c and CVD was significant for those younger than 55 years (Q4 vs. Q1: OR = 1.437, 95% CI = 1.099-1.880, P = 0.008). RCS did not reveal a nonlinear relationship between HbA1c levels and CVD among nondiabetics (P for nonlinearity = 0.609). Additionally, a high HbA1c level was favorably connected with old age on CVD, with a synergistic impact. CONCLUSIONS: Increased HbA1c levels were associated with high CVD prevalence among nondiabetics. However, we still need to carefully explain the effect of age on the relationship between HbA1c and CVD in nondiabetic population. Given the correlations of HbA1c with CVDs and CV events, HbA1c might be a useful indicator for predicting CVDs and CV events in the nondiabetic population.

Increased regional body fat is associated with depressive symptoms: a cross-sectional analysis of NHANES data obtained during 2011-2018.

AIMS: The findings from previous epidemiological studies of the association between regional body fat and depressive symptoms have been unclear. We aimed to determine the association between the body fat in different regions and depressive symptoms based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). METHODS: This study included 3393 participants aged ≥ 20 years from the NHANES performed during 2011-2018. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The fat mass (FM) was measured in different regions using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to determine the total FM, trunk FM, arm FM, and leg FM. The FM index (FMI) was obtained by dividing the FM in kilograms by the square of the body height in meters. Weighted data were calculated in accordance with analytical guidelines. Linear logistic regression models were used to quantify the association between regional FMI and depressive symptoms. Univariate and stratified analyses were also performed. RESULTS: The participants in this study comprised 2066 males and 1327 females. There were 404 (11.91%) participants with depressive symptoms, who were aged 40.89 ± 11.74 years and had a body mass index of 30.07 ± 7.82 kg/m². A significant association was found between total FMI and depressive symptoms. In the fully adjusted multivariate regression model, a higher total FMI (odds ratio = 2.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.08-4.39) was related to a higher risk of depressive symptoms, while increased total FMI (ß = 1.55, 95% CI = 0.65-2.44, p = 0.001), trunk FMI (ß = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.04-1.10, p = 0.036), and arm FMI (ß = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.33-1.59, p = 0.004) were significantly associated with PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) scores, whereas the leg FMI was not (p = 0.102). The weighted association between total FMI and depressive symptoms did not differ significantly between most of the subpopulations (all p values for interaction > 0.05). The risk of having depression was higher in individuals who were non-Hispanic Whites, smokers, drinkers, obese, and had diabetes and thyroid problems (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the population with a higher regional FMI is more likely to have depressive symptoms, especially in those who also have an increased total FMI. The association is more pronounced in individuals who are smokers, drinkers, obese, and have diabetes and thyroid problems.

A Fetus with Maternal Uniparental Disomy on Chromosome 20: Case Report with Genetic Analysis and Prenatal Diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: A fetus with increased copy number of chromosome 20 was identified by NIPT. Here we utilize several genetic tests and analyses to illuminate the etiology of such aneuploidy. METHODS: Amniotic fluid cells were extracted from pregnant woman and sent for karyotype and chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA). Trio pedigree analysis was conducted with Chromosome Analysis Suite and uniparental disomy (UPD)-tool software. RESULTS: CMA identified consistent results, which were 2 regions of homozygosity: arr[GRCh37]20p12.2q11.1 (11265096_26266313)hmz and arr[GRCh37]20q11.21q13.2(29510306_54430467)hmz. The trio pedigree analysis discovered that the fetal chromosome 20 was the entire maternal UPD mosaic with isodisomy and heterodisomy. CONCLUSIONS: When a large segment of chromosome is homozygous, appropriate genetic tests are required to find the potential mechanisms for UPD formation.

Oxygen-Bridged Long-Range Dual Sites Boost Ethanol Electrooxidation by Facilitating C-C Bond Cleavage.

Optimizing the interatomic distance of dual sites to realize C-C bond breaking of ethanol is critical for the commercialization of direct ethanol fuel cells. Herein, the concept of holding long-range dual sites is proposed to weaken the reaction barrier of C-C cleavage during the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). The obtained long-range Rh-O-Pt dual sites achieve a high current density of 7.43 mA/cm2 toward EOR, which is 13.3 times that of Pt/C, as well as remarkable stability. Electrochemical in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicates that long-range Rh-O-Pt dual sites can increase the selectivity of C1 products and suppress the generation of a CO intermediate. Theoretical calculations further disclose that redistribution of the surface-localized electron around Rh-O-Pt can promote direct oxidation of -OH, accelerating C-C bond cleavage. This work provides a promising strategy for designing oxygen-bridged long-range dual sites to tune the activity and selectivity of complicated catalytic reactions.

Association of maternal pre-pregnancy dietary intake with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies.

This study aimed to summarize the evidence regarding the effects of dietary intake before conception on pregnancy outcomes by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Electronic databases were searched from inception up to August 2021. Overall, 65 studies involving 831 798 participants were included and 38 studies were quantitatively pooled. With regard to maternal outcomes, pre-pregnancy intake of fried food, fast food, red and processed meat, heme iron and a low-carbohydrate dietary pattern was positively associated with the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) (all P < 0.05). However, a high dietary fiber intake and folic acid supplementation were negatively associated with GDM risk (both P < 0.05). With regard to neonatal outcomes, maternal caffeine intake before pregnancy significantly increased the risk of spontaneous abortion, while folic acid supplementation had protective effects on total adverse neonatal outcomes, preterm birth, and small-for-gestational age (SGA, all P < 0.05). However, no significant associations were found between adverse pregnancy outcomes (i.e., GDM and SGA) and the pre-pregnancy dietary intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, potato, fish, and carbohydrates and the Healthy Eating Index. Our study suggests that maintaining a healthy diet before conception has significant beneficial effects on pregnancy outcomes.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2021.1989658.

Bonding character, electronic properties, and electronic transitions of perfluorocubane as a small electron acceptor.

Perfluorocubane is a fluorinated analogue of a polyhedral hydrocarbon observed recently in experiment (M. Sugiyama, M. Akiyama, Y. Yonezawa, K. Komaguchi, M. Higashi, K. Nozaki and T. Okazoe, Electron in a cube: Synthesis and characterization of perfluorocubane as an electron acceptor, Science, 2022, 377, 756-759). Inspired by its unique structure and electronic properties, we systematically explored its chemical stabilities, bonding character, electronic properties, and electronic transitions using density functional theory calculations. Analysis of the binding energies and Mayer bond orders reveals that the C8F8 molecule has high chemical stability with a special electronic structure, and the addition of an extra electron to the neutral molecule may generate a radical anion with a hosted electron inside the cubane frame. The induced ring currents under an external magnetic field reveal that perfluorocubane exhibits an overall small diamagnetic current supported by anisotropy of the current-induced density (ACID) and gauge-including magnetically induced currents (GIMIC). AdNDP analysis indicates that the localized two-center two-electron (2c-2e) σ-bonds are responsible for structural stabilization of the molecule. Further study into the electronic excitations shows that the main electronic transitions of perfluorocubane come from the surface of the cubic frame to its inner structure. Consequently, perfluorocubane can be recognized as a small electron acceptor material due to its special electron-carrying capacity, which will promote further applications of novel conducting and semiconducting materials.

The association between serum albumin and depressive symptoms: a cross-sectional study of NHANES data during 2005-2018.

AIMS: The association between serum albumin and depressive symptoms has been unclear in previous epidemiological studies. We explored whether serum albumin is associated with depressive symptoms based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 13,681 participants aged ≥ 20 years from the NHANES performed during 2005-2018, which produced nationally representative database. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Serum albumin concentration was measured using the bromocresol purple dye method, and participants were divided into quartiles of serum albumin concentrations. Weighted data were calculated according to analytical guidelines. Logistics regression and linear regression models were used to assess and quantify the association between serum albumin and depressive symptoms. Univariate and stratified analyses were also performed. RESULTS: There were 1551 (10.23%) adults (aged ≥ 20 years) with depressive symptoms among the 13,681. A negative association was found between serum albumin concentration and depressive symptoms. Compared with the lowest albumin quartile, the multivariate-adjusted effect size (95% confidence interval) for depressive symptoms of the fully adjusted model in the highest albumin quartile was 0.77 (0.60 to 0.99) and - 0.38 (- 0.66 to - 0.09) using logistics regression and linear regression models respectively. Current smoking status modified the association between serum albumin concentration and PHQ-9 scores (p for interaction = 0.033). CONCLUSION: This cross-sectional study revealed that albumin concentration is significantly more likely to be a protective factor for depressive symptoms, with the association being more pronounced in non-smokers.

Associations of screen-based sedentary activities with all cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia: a longitudinal study based on 462,524 participants from the UK Biobank.

BACKGROUND: Current drug treatments for dementia aren't effective. Studying gene-environment interactions can help develop personalized early intervention strategies for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, no studies have examined the relationship between screen-based sedentary activities and genetic susceptibility to AD risk, and further understanding of the causal relationship is also crucial. METHODS: This study included 462,524 participants from the UK Biobank with a follow-up of 13.6 years. Participants' screen-based sedentary activities time was categorized into three groups based on recorded time: ≥ 4 h/day, 2-3 h/day, and ≤ 1 h/day. Cox proportional risk models were used to analyze the association between computer use/TV viewing groups and the risk of all-cause dementia, AD and vascular dementia (VD). Generalized linear model (GLM) were used to examine the relationship between screen-based sedentary activities and brain structure. Bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) was used to validate the causal relationship between TV viewing and AD. RESULTS: Compared to TV viewing ≤ 1 h/day, 1)TV viewing 2-3 h/day was correlated with a higher risk of all-cause dementia (HR = 1.09, 95% CI:1.01-1.18, P < 0.05), and TV viewing ≥ 4 h/day was associated with a higher risk of all-cause dementia (HR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.19-1.40, P < 0.001), AD (HR = 1.25, 95% CI:1.1-1.42, P < 0.001), and VD (HR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.04-1.49, P < 0.05); 2) TV viewing ≥ 4 h/day was correlated with a higher AD risk at intermediate (HR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.03-1.75, P < 0.001) and high AD genetic risk score (AD-GRS) (HR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.65-2.87, P < 0.001);3) TV viewing 2-3 h/day [ß = (-94.8), 95% CI: (-37.9) -(-151.7), P < 0.01] and TV viewing ≥ 4 h/day [ß = (-92.94), 95% CI: (-17.42) -(-168.46), P < 0.05] were correlated with a less hippocampus volume. In addition, a causal effect of TV viewing times was observed on AD analyzed using MR Egger (OR = 5.618, 95%CI:1.502-21.013, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There was a causal effect between TV viewing time and AD analyzed using bidirectional MR, and more TV viewing time exposure was correlated with a higher AD risk. Therefore, it is recommended that people with intermediate and high AD-GRS should control their TV viewing time to be less than 4 h/ day or even less than 1 h/day.

Effect of acupuncture and metformin on insulin sensitivity in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and insulin resistance: a three-armed randomized controlled trial.

STUDY QUESTION: Does acupuncture improve insulin sensitivity more effectively than metformin or sham acupuncture in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and insulin resistance (IR)? SUMMARY ANSWER: Among women with PCOS and IR, acupuncture was not more effective than metformin or sham acupuncture in improving insulin sensitivity. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Uncontrolled trials have shown that acupuncture improved insulin sensitivity with fewer side effects compared with metformin in women with PCOS and IR. However, data from randomized trials between acupuncture and metformin or sham acupuncture are lacking. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This was a three-armed randomized controlled trial enrolling a total of 342 women with PCOS and IR from three hospitals between November 2015 and February 2018, with a 3-month follow-up until October 2018. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Women aged from 18 to 40 years with PCOS and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) ≥2.14 were randomly assigned (n = 114 per group) to receive true acupuncture plus placebo (true acupuncture), metformin plus sham acupuncture (metformin, 0.5 g three times daily) or sham acupuncture plus placebo (sham acupuncture) for 4 months, with an additional 3-month follow-up. True or sham acupuncture was given three times per week, and 0.5 g metformin or placebo was given three times daily. The primary outcome was change in HOMA-IR from baseline to 4 months after baseline visit. Secondary outcomes included changes in the glucose AUC during an oral glucose tolerance test, BMI and side effects at 4 months after baseline visit. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: After 4 months of treatment, the changes of HOMA-IR were -0.5 (decreased 14.7%) in the true acupuncture group, -1.0 (decreased 25.0%) in the metformin group and -0.3 (decreased 8.6%) in the sham acupuncture group, when compared with baseline. True acupuncture is not as effective as metformin in improving HOMA-IR at 4 months after baseline visit (difference, 0.6; 95% CI, 0.1-1.1). No significant difference was found in change in HOMA-IR between true and sham acupuncture groups at 4 months after baseline visit (difference, -0.2; 95% CI, -0.7 to 0.3). During the 4 months of treatment, gastrointestinal side effects were more frequent in the metformin group, including diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue, vomiting and stomach discomfort (31.6%, 13.2%, 11.4%, 8.8%, 14.0% and 8.8%, respectively). Bruising was more common in the true acupuncture group (14.9%). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: This study might have underestimated the sample size in the true acupuncture group with 4 months of treatment to enable detection of statistically significant changes in HOMA-IR with fixed acupuncture (i.e. a non-personalized protocol). Participants who withdrew because of pregnancy did not have further blood tests and this can introduce bias. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: True acupuncture did not improve insulin sensitivity as effectively as metformin in women with PCOS and IR, but it is better than metformin in improving glucose metabolism (which might reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes) and has less side effects. Metformin had a higher incidence of gastrointestinal adverse effects than acupuncture groups, and thus acupuncture might be a non-pharmacological treatment with low risk for women with PCOS. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of acupuncture combined with metformin on insulin sensitivity in these women. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This work was supported by grants 2017A020213004 and 2014A020221060 from the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province. The authors have no conflicts of interest. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Clinicaltrials.gov number: NCT02491333. TRIAL REGISTRATION DATE: 8 July 2015. DATE OF FIRST PATIENT'S ENROLLMENT: 11 November 2015.

PHB3 regulates lateral root primordia formation via NO-mediated degradation of AUXIN/INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID proteins.

We have previously shown that Arabidopsis thaliana Prohibitin 3 (PHB3) controls auxin-stimulated lateral root (LR) formation; however, the underlying molecular mechanism is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that PHB3 regulates lateral root (LR) development mainly through influencing lateral root primordia (LRP) initiation, via affecting nitric oxide (NO) accumulation. The reduced LRP in phb3 mutant was largely rescued by treatment with a NO donor. The decreased NO accumulation in phb3 caused a lower expression of GATA TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR 23 (GATA23) and LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN 16 (LBD16) through inhibiting the degradation of INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID INDUCIBLE 14/28 (IAA14/28). Overexpression of either GATA23 or LBD16 in phb3 mutant background recovered the reduced density of LRP. These results indicate that PHB3 regulates LRP initiation via NO-mediated auxin signalling, by modulating the degradation of IAA14/28.

Dietary inflammatory index, inflammation biomarkers and preeclampsia risk: a hospital-based case-control study.

This study evaluated the association between inflammatory diets as measured by the Dietary Inflammatory index (DII), inflammation biomarkers and the development of preeclampsia among the Chinese population. We followed the reporting guidelines of the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology statement for observational studies. A total of 466 preeclampsia cases aged over 18 years were recruited between March 2016 and June 2019, and 466 healthy controls were 1:1 ratio matched by age (±3 years), week of gestation (±1 week) and gestational diabetes mellitus. The energy-adjusted DII (E-DII) was computed based on dietary intake assessed using a seventy-nine item semiquantitative FFQ. Inflammatory biomarkers were analysed by ELISA kits. The mean E-DII scores were -0·65 ± 1·58 for cases and -1·19 ± 1·47 for controls (P value < 0·001). E-DII scores positively correlated with interferon-γ (r s = 0·194, P value = 0·001) and IL-4 (r s = 0·135, P value = 0·021). After multivariable adjustment, E-DII scores were positively related to preeclampsia risk (Ptrend < 0·001). The highest tertile of E-DII was 2·18 times the lowest tertiles (95 % CI = 1·52, 3·13). The odds of preeclampsia increased by 30 % (95 % CI = 18 %, 43 %, P value < 0·001) for each E-DII score increase. The preeclampsia risk was positively associated with IL-2 (OR = 1·07, 95 % CI = 1·03, 1·11), IL-4 (OR = 1·26, 95 % CI = 1·03, 1·54) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß) (OR = 1·17, 95 % CI = 1·06, 1·29). Therefore, proinflammatory diets, corresponding to higher IL-2, IL-4 and TGF-ß levels, were associated with increased preeclampsia risk.

Deep transfer learning to quantify pleural effusion severity in chest X-rays.

PURPOSE: The detection of pleural effusion in chest radiography is crucial for doctors to make timely treatment decisions for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We used the MIMIC-CXR database to develop a deep learning model to quantify pleural effusion severity in chest radiographs. METHODS: The Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care Chest X-ray (MIMIC-CXR) dataset was divided into patients 'with' or 'without' chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The label of pleural effusion severity was obtained from the extracted COPD radiology reports and classified into four categories: no effusion, small effusion, moderate effusion, and large effusion. A total of 200 datasets were randomly sampled to manually check each item and determine whether the tags are correct. A professional doctor re-tagged these items as a verification cohort without knowing their previous tags. The learning models include eight common network structures including Resnet, DenseNet, and GoogleNET. Three data processing methods (no sampling, downsampling, and upsampling) and two loss algorithms (focal loss and cross-entropy loss) were used for unbalanced data. The Neural Network Intelligence tool was applied to train the model. Receiver operating characteristic curves, Area under the curve, and confusion matrix were employed to evaluate the model results. Grad-CAM was used for model interpretation. RESULTS: Among the 8533 patients, 15,620 chest X-rays with clearly marked pleural effusion severity were obtained (no effusion, 5685; small effusion, 4877; moderate effusion, 3657; and large effusion, 1401). The error rate of the manual check label was 6.5%, and the error rate of the doctor's relabeling was 11.0%. The highest accuracy rate of the optimized model was 73.07. The micro-average AUCs of the testing and validation cohorts was 0.89 and 0.90, respectively, and their macro-average AUCs were 0.86 and 0.89, respectively. The AUC of the distinguishing results of each class and the other three classes were 0.95 and 0.94, 0.76 and 0.83, 0.85 and 0.83, and 0.87 and 0.93. CONCLUSION: The deep transfer learning model can grade the severity of pleural effusion.

Consensus on intratympanic drug delivery for Menière's disease.

PURPOSE: Intratympanic (IT) drug delivery receives attention due to its effectivity in treatment for Menière's disease (MD). Due to the release of the consensuses and new evidence on IT drug delivery for MD have been published, the review with a view to supplementing the details of IT treatment of MD is indispensable. METHODS: The literatures on IT injection for MD treatment over the last two decades are retrieved, International consensus (ICON) on treatment of Menière's disease (2018), Clinical Practice Guideline (2020) and European Position statement on Diagnosis and Treatment of Meniere's Disease (2018) are taken into account for reference, and follow advice from experts from Europe, USA and China. RESULTS: Experts agree on the following: (1) The effectiveness of IT methylprednisolone (ITM) on vertigo control seems to be somewhat better than that of IT dexamethasone (ITD), and ITM can restore hearing in some cases. (2) Due to the ototoxicity of aminoglycosides, the application of intratympanic gentamicin (ITG) in MD patients with good hearing is conservative. However, some studies suggest that ITG with low doses has no significant effect on hearing, which needs to be further proved by clinical studies with high levels of evidence. (3) Currently, generally accepted treatment endpoint of ITG is no vertigo attack in a 12-month period or a vestibular loss in objective tests in the affected ear. CONCLUSION: More studies with high level of evidence are needed to evaluate the drug type, efficacy, and therapeutic endpoint of IT therapy for MD.

Semi-Supervised Deep Learning Model for Efficient Computation of Optical Properties of Suspended-Core Fibers.

Suspended-core fibers (SCFs) are considered the best candidates for enhancing fiber nonlinearity in mid-infrared applications. Accurate modeling and optimization of its structure is a key part of the SCF structure design process. Due to the drawbacks of traditional numerical simulation methods, such as low speed and large errors, the deep learning-based inverse design of SCFs has become mainstream. However, the advantage of deep learning models over traditional optimization methods relies heavily on large-scale a priori datasets to train the models, a common bottleneck of data-driven methods. This paper presents a comprehensive deep learning model for the efficient inverse design of SCFs. A semi-supervised learning strategy is introduced to alleviate the burden of data acquisition. Taking SCF's three key optical properties (effective mode area, nonlinear coefficient, and dispersion) as examples, we demonstrate that satisfactory computational results can be obtained based on small-scale training data. The proposed scheme can provide a new and effective platform for data-limited physical computing tasks.

Gradient-assisted focusing light through scattering media.

Focusing light through a scattering medium is a longstanding challenge in biomedical optics, to which wavefront shaping is a powerful solution. The state-of-the-art feedback-based approach is the widely used genetic algorithm method. However, it can only achieve relatively low enhancement of the focus, and the genetic algorithm is known to be time-consuming. To tackle those issues, we propose a gradient-assisted strategy for wavefront shaping. The proposed method conducts optimization in the function distribution space. Specifically, when optimizing the parameters along each iteration, the consequent function distribution changes within a distance as measured by the Kullback-Leibler divergence. Taking advantage of the gradient information, the proposed method is over 60× faster to obtain the same peak-to-background ratio (PBR) level. Compared with the genetic algorithm that is able to optimize a number of 64×64 phase segments, the proposed gradient strategy is able to optimize 256×256 phase segments, and gives 20× higher focus enhancement as quantified by the PBR.

Association between blood urea nitrogen and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in a Chinese population: a cohort study.

To examine the association between blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) among Chinese adults, we performed an ongoing cohort study of 38578 Chinese adults (56.3% males; average age, 41.6 y) who underwent repeated health check-up examinations between 2009 and 2016 and without T2DM at baseline. During follow-up, incident T2DM cases were identified based on self-report, medication use, measurements of fasting plasma glucose, 2 h post oral glucose, or haemoglobinA1c. 2009 (5.2%) cases confirmed with incident T2DM were identified during median follow-up of 3.1 years. With increasing quartiles of BUN levels, the incidences of T2DM gradually increased with 0.69%, 1.11%, 1.53%, and 1.87% for quartile 1 to quartile 4 (p trend <0.001). Compared with quartile 1, the multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and its 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for T2DM risk were 1.16 (0.97-1.38) for quartile 2, 1.28 (1.07-1.51) for quartile 3, and 1.28 (1.08-1.52) for quartile 4 (p trend = 0.005). HR for per each standard deviation increase in BUN level was 1.10 (1.04-1.16) (p trend <0.001). This association tended to be more pronounced in those with a lower body mass index at baseline (p-interaction <0.001). Our results suggested that BUN levels were positively associated with incident T2DM risk among Chinese adults. Future prospective investigations in other populations are necessary to confirm our findings.

Characterization on gut microbiome of PCOS rats and its further design by shifts in high-fat diet and dihydrotestosterone induction in PCOS rats.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with gut microbiota disturbance. Emerging evidence has shown that gut microbiota plays a major role in the development of PCOS. To better understand how the gut microbiota contributes to the development of PCOS, we investigated the influences of high-fat diet and hyperandrogenism, independently or synergistically, have on the gut microbiota in rats. Furthermore, we explored the associations between gut microbiota and hyperandrogenism or other hallmarks of PCOS. Twenty female SD rats were randomized at aged 3 weeks into 4 groups (n = 5, each); HA: PCOS rats fed with ordinary diet; HF: rats with high-fat diet (HFD); HA-HF: PCOS rats fed with HFD; and C: control rats with ordinary diet. PCOS rat model was induced by 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) injection for 6 weeks. The fasting blood glucose (FBG), plasma insulin, testosterone, free testosterone, TNF-α, MDA, SOD, LPS, TLR4, TG, TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C levels were measured. The molecular ecology of the fecal gut microbiota was analyzed by 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that rats in the HA and HA-HF group displayed abnormal estrous cycles with increasing androgen level and exhibited multiple large cysts with diminished granulosa layers in ovarian tissues. Compare with the C group, relative abundance of the Bacteroidetes phylum decreased significantly in the other groups (P < 0.05). The Chao1 was the highest in the group C and significantly higher than the HA-HF group (P < 0.05). T, FT, insulin, MDA, LPS, and TNF-α levels had the negative correlation with the richness of community (Chao1 index) in the gut. The rats in the HF and HA-HF groups tended to have lower Shannon and Simpson indices than the C group (P < 0.01, respectively). However, there were no significant differences between C group and the HA group in the Shannon and Simpson values. Beta diversity analysis was then performed based on a weighted UniFrac analysis. The PCoA plots showed a clear separation of the C group from the other groups. ANOSIM analysis of variance confirmed that there were statistically significant separations between the C group and the HA, HA-HF, and HF groups (P < 0.01, respectively). These results showed that DHT with HFD could lower diversity of the gut microbial community. Both HFD and DHT could shift the overall gut microbial composition and change the composition of the microbial community in gut. Furthermore, our analyses demonstrated that the levels of TG, MDA, TNF-α, LPS, TLR4, T, FT, FINS, and HDL-C were correlated with the changes of in the gut microbiome. HFD and DHT were associated with the development and pathology of PCOS by shaping gut microbial communities.

Effects of dairy products, calcium and vitamin D on ovarian cancer risk: a meta-analysis of twenty-nine epidemiological studies.

Findings for the roles of dairy products, Ca and vitamin D on ovarian cancer risk remain controversial. We aimed to assess these associations by using an updated meta-analysis. Five electronic databases (e.g. PubMed and Embase) were searched from inception to 24 December 2019. Pooled relative risks (RR) with 95 % CI were calculated. A total of twenty-nine case-control or cohort studies were included. For comparisons of the highest v. lowest intakes, higher whole milk intake was associated with increased ovarian cancer risk (RR 1·35; 95 % CI 1·15, 1·59), whereas decreased risks were observed for higher intakes of low-fat milk (RR 0·84; 95 % CI 0·73, 0·96), dietary Ca (RR 0·71; 95 % CI 0·60, 0·84) and dietary vitamin D (RR 0·80; 95 % CI 0·67, 0·95). Additionally, for every 100 g/d increment, increased ovarian cancer risks were found for total dairy products (RR 1·03; 95 % CI 1·01, 1·04) and for whole milk (RR 1·07; 95 % CI 1·03, 1·11); however, decreased risks were found for 100 g/d increased intakes of low-fat milk (RR 0·95; 95 % CI 0·91, 0·99), cheese (RR 0·87; 95 % CI 0·76, 0·98), dietary Ca (RR 0·96; 95 % CI 0·95, 0·98), total Ca (RR 0·98; 95 % CI 0·97, 0·99), dietary vitamin D (RR 0·92; 95 % CI 0·87, 0·97) and increased levels of circulating vitamin D (RR 0·84; 95 % CI 0·72, 0·97). These results show that whole milk intake might contribute to a higher ovarian cancer risk, whereas low-fat milk, dietary Ca and dietary vitamin D might reduce the risk.

Distinct Expression Patterns of Apoptosis and Autophagy-Associated Proteins and Genes during Postnatal Development of Spiral Ganglion Neurons in Rat.

Autophagy and apoptosis have a complex interplay in the early embryo development. The development of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) in addition to Corti's organ in the mammalian cochlea remains crucial in the first two-week postnatal period. To investigate the roles of apoptosis and autophagy in the development of SGNs, light microscopy was used to observe the morphological changes of SGNs. The number of SGNs was decreased from P1 to P7 and plateaued from P10 to P14. Immunohistochemistry results revealed positive expression of cleaved-caspase3, bcl-2, microtubule-associated protein light chain 3-II (LC3-II), Beclin1, and sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1/P62) in SGNs. The apoptotic bodies and autophagosomes and autolysosomes were also identified by transmission electron microscopy at P1 and P7. Real-time PCR and western blotting results revealed that the apoptotic activity peaked at P7 and the autophagy activity was gradually upregulated along with the development. Taken together, our results for the first time showed that autophagy and apoptosis in SGNs play distinct roles during specific developmental phases in a time-dependent manner.