Global, regional, and national burden of diet high in processed meat from 1990 to 2019: a systematic analysis from the global burden of disease study 2019.

Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the prevalence and attributable burden of diet high in processed meat (DHIPM) in global, regional, and national level due to the burden caused by unhealthy dietary pattern worldwide. Design: Cross-sectional study. Materials and design: All the data involved in this research were obtained from Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019. DisMod-MR 2.1, a Bayesian meta-regression tool, was used to estimate the prevalence, which was measured by summary exposure value (SEV) and attributable burden of DHIPM. The Spearman rank order correlation method was performed to measure the correlation between sociodemographic index (SDI) and the prevalence as well as attributable burden. The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was calculated to demonstrate the temporal trends. Results: Globally, there were 304.28 thousand deaths and 8556.88 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) caused by DHIPM in 2019 and increased by 34.63 and 68.69%, respectively. The prevalence had decreased slightly from 1990 to 2019, however increased in most regions and countries, especially in middle SDI regions, despite the implicitly high prevalence in high SDI regions. Countries with higher SDI values were facing higher prevalence and attributable burden of DHIPM while developing countries were observed with severer temporal trends. Compared with women, men had suffered from lower exposure level however graver attributable burden of DHIPM in the past three decades. Conclusion: The progress of continuous urbanization allowed increasingly severe prevalence and attributable burden of DHIPM, thus the challenge to alleviate this trend was acute. Effective measures such as education on beneficial dietary pattern and supplement on healthy food were urgently required, especially in developing regions and countries.

Highly sensitive and wide-detection range pressure sensor constructed on a hierarchical-structured conductive fabric as a human-machine interface.

With the booming development of flexible pressure sensors, the need for multifunctional and high-performance pressure sensor has become increasingly important. Although great progress has been made in the novel structure and sensing mechanism of the pressure sensor, the trade-off between the sensitivity and the wide-detection range has prevented its development, further restricting its application in wearable human-machine interfaces (WHMIs). Herein, a novel pressure sensor based on the hierarchical conductive fabric was fabricated and purposed as a WHMI. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) nanowires (PEDOT NWs) and cellulose nanofibers (CNF) were stacked on a conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) fabric to form a special spatial multi-level hierarchical structure inside the fabric, which is a breakthrough for the improvement of the sensor's performance and makes the fabrication process of in situ polymerization suitable for large-scale production. The multi-level hierarchical structures endowed the pressure sensor with characteristics of high sensitivity (15.78 kPa-1), a wide-detection range from 30 Pa to 700 kPa, and outstanding stability toward compression and bending deformation. Benefiting from its excellent performance, a human-machine interface based on arrayed pressure sensors and signal processing system can control the illumination of the LED array and effectively capture finger motion to control the eight-direction movement of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). This improved performance of the pressure sensor based on the hierarchical conductive fabric made it a widespread application in intelligent fabric, electronic skin, human-machine interfaces, and robotics.

Investigation of the association between obesity and insulin-induced gene 1 polymorphism at 7q36.3 region in Uygur population in Xinjiang, China.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a common heritable trait and a major risk factors of chronic and metabolic diseases. Insulin-induced gene 1 (INSIG1) is known to play important roles in cholesterol and triacylglycerol (TAG) metabolism. In the present study, our primary objective was to explore whether the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in INSIG1 gene were associated with obesity in Uygur subjects, in Xinjiang, China. METHODS: We designed a case-control study including 516 obese patients and 463 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Three SNPs (rs2721, rs9767875 and rs9719268) were genotyped using TaqMan SNP genotyping assays. RESULTS: For rs2721, the distribution of genotypes, dominant model (GT + TT vs GG), recessive model (TT vs GT + GG) showed significant differences between obese patients and the controls (P = 0.008, P = 0.005 and P = 0.035, respectively). For rs9719268, the distribution of genotypes showed significant differences between obese patients and the controls (P = 0.004). The dominant model (GT + TT vs GG) of rs2721 and rs9719268 GT genotype remain significantly associated with obesity after adjustment for confounders (OR = 1.393, 95% CI = 1.047-1.853, P = 0.023; OR = 1.631, 95% CI = 1.059-2.512, P = 0.026). The TG levels were significantly higher in rs2721 GT/TT genotypes than that in GG genotypes (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Rs2721 and rs9719268 of INSIG1 gene are associated with obesity in Uygur subjects. Subjects with GT/TT genotype or T allele of rs2721 and GT genotype of rs9719268 were associated with an increased risk of obesity.

Enhanced photoelectrochemical sensing based on novel synthesized Bi2S3@Bi2O3 nanosheet heterostructure for ultrasensitive determination of L-cysteine.

The design of a low-cost and highly efficient photoactive heterojunction material for sensing is still a challenging issue. On the basis of the formation of sheet-like Bi2O3 via coating Bi2S3, a novel Bi2O3@Bi2S3 heterostructure is controllably synthesized via a facile water bath approach. The prepared Bi2O3@Bi2S3 nanosheets show a superior photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance for the detection of L-cysteine (L-Cys), and the photocurrent signal is three and four times higher than those of Bi2S3 and Bi2O3 under visible irradiation, respectively. Also, the heterostructure presents an outstanding linear range for the detection of L-Cys: 0.1-10,000 µM. In addition, the mechanism of improved PEC response of Bi2O3@Bi2S3 nanosheets is investigated according to the estimated energy band positions. Thus, the integration of the novel heterostructure and the photoelectrochemical technique demonstrates a rapid photocurrent response, showing a great effect on the performance of the sensing system and a new PEC method for highly selective and sensitive chemical detection. Graphical abstract.

The effect of beta-blockers on mortality in patients with heart failure and atrial fibrillation: A meta-analysis of observational cohort and randomized controlled studies.

BACKGROUND: Beta-blockers (BB) are the cornerstone of therapy for heart failure (HF); however, the effects of these drugs on the prognosis of patients with concomitant atrial fibrillation (AF) remain controversial. The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of BB on mortality in HF coexisting with AF. METHODS: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library databases was conducted. Observational cohort studies and randomized controlled trials reporting outcomes of mortality or HF hospitalizations for patients with HF and AF, being assigned to BB treatment. A non-BB group was also included. RESULTS: A total of 8 clinical studies (5 randomized controlled trials and 3 observational cohort studies) involving 34197 patients were included in the analysis. The pooled analysis demonstrated that BB treatment was associated with a 22% reduction in relative risk of all-cause mortality in patients with HF and AF (RR: 0.78; 95% CI 0.71-0.86; p < 0.00001; I2 = 27%). The pooled analysis of 5 studies reported the outcome of HF hospitalization (2774 patients) which showed that BB therapy was not associated with a reduction of HF hospitalizations (RR: 0.94; 95% CI 0.79-1.11; p = 0.46; I2 = 38%). CONCLUSIONS: Meta-analysis suggests the potential mortality benefit of BB in patients with HF and AF. It was concluded herein that it is premature to deny patients with AF and HF to receive BB therapy considering current evidence.

A novel "signal-on" photoelectrochemical sensor for ultrasensitive detection of alkaline phosphatase activity based on a TiO2/g-C3N4 heterojunction.

The use of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) as a biomarker in some diseases including hepatitis, obstructive jaundice, osteoblastic bone cancer, and osteomalacia is important in clinical diagnosis. Furthermore, ALP activity detection is an essential hot topic in environmental monitoring, biomedical research, and other research fields. In this study, a novel "signal-on" photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensor based on the ALP-catalyzed phosphorylation reaction was designed to sensitively detect ALP activity. In this design, ascorbic acid-an electron donor-was catalytically produced by ALP from l-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate trisodium salt in situ, which results in an increased photocurrent response signal. For immobilizing the ALP on the electrode surface, poly diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride was used for the conjugation of ALP, and titanium dioxide (TiO2)-a photoactive material-and graphite-like carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanocomposites were prepared and characterized. TiO2 attached on g-C3N4 plays an important role for the biosensing purpose due to their good biocompatibility and chemical/thermal stability, while g-C3N4 provides the PEC response signal. Furthermore, the prepared TiO2/g-C3N4 nanocomposites can effectively suppress electron-hole recombinations, improve the excitation conversion efficiency, and make the best use of solar energy. The PEC biosensor for ALP activity detection displays a detection limit of 0.03 U L-1 (S/N = 3), which offers a new route for the ALP activity assay in human serum samples.

Wearable Wide-Range Strain Sensors Based on Ionic Liquids and Monitoring of Human Activities.

Wearable sensors for detection of human activities have encouraged the development of highly elastic sensors. In particular, to capture subtle and large-scale body motion, stretchable and wide-range strain sensors are highly desired, but still a challenge. Herein, a highly stretchable and transparent stain sensor based on ionic liquids and elastic polymer has been developed. The as-obtained sensor exhibits impressive stretchability with wide-range strain (from 0.1% to 400%), good bending properties and high sensitivity, whose gauge factor can reach 7.9. Importantly, the sensors show excellent biological compatibility and succeed in monitoring the diverse human activities ranging from the complex large-scale multidimensional motions to subtle signals, including wrist, finger and elbow joint bending, finger touch, breath, speech, swallow behavior and pulse wave.

Direct physical vapor deposition and flexible photoelectrical properties of large-area free-standing films of metal octaethylporphyrin on ionic liquid surface.

Free-standing films of metal octaethylporphyrins (MOEPs) were prepared for the first time by a physical vapor deposition on surface of an ionic liquid (IL). Different from those on solid surfaces, the as-obtained films were very compact and with plannar structure. The monitoring of time-dependent process indicated that the high surface energy of IL and the strong π…π interaction between MOEP molecules played key roles in forming such films. Furthermore, the as-obtained film showed good transferability, which made it possible to be easily transferred to any substrates for further device application. More importantly, the prototype photodetectors based on free-standing films of MOEP showed ultra flexibility, mechanical stability, and durability.

Highly sensitive broadband flexible photodetectors based on a blend film with zinc octaethylporphyrin long nanowires embedded in an insulating polymer.

Blend films with long nanowires of zinc octaethylporphyrin (ZnOEP) embedded in an insulating polymer of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) have been successfully fabricated by a one-step spin-coating process. Concerning photoactive blends based on small-molecule semiconductors, this is quite a novel strategy and allows us to greatly reduce the issues related to low device performance, such as phase-separation, poor connectivity of the semiconducting layer, and higher densities of interfacial defects. Intensive studies on the correlation between the film morphology and device performance have revealed that excellent photodetector performance is derived from efficient charge transport and good connectivity observed in highly crystalline, interconnected ZnOEP nanowires embedded in an insulating PMMA matrix. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a blend-film-based organic photodetector, which exhibits high sensitivity, high stability, high I(on)/I(off) ratio, excellent mechanical flexibility, and a broadband responsivity region extending up to 1050 nm. The unique characteristics of facile fabrication, high sensitivity, excellent mechanical stability, and broadband responsivity can make the blend film of ZnOEP and PMMA promising in large-area flexible photodetectors.

[Influences of meteorological factors on larch caterpillar population.] / æ°”è±¡å› å­å¯¹è½å¶æ¾æ¯›è™«ç§ç¾¤æ•°é‡çš„å½±å“.

To explore the relationship between larch caterpillar population and meteorological factors, a suite of linear regression models were developed. We used a stepwise regression approach to obtain the best model based on the Akaike information criterion (AIC). We also identified the key meteorological factors based on relative weight, and analyzed their marginal influences on larch ca-terpillar population. Our modeling results showed that meteorological conditions during the young larva stage and breeding stage played a key role in impacting larch caterpillar population. In contrast, meteorological conditions during the middle larva stage and old larva stage had a weaker effect. The mean daily relative humidity during young larva stage, the accumulated daily temperature less than -22 ℃ during young larva's overwintering stage, and the total rainfall in breeding stage were the key meteorological factors affecting the population of larch caterpillar. With the increase of one standard deviation from the mean daily relative humidity during young larva stage and the total rainfall in breeding stage, the larch caterpillar population would be reduced by 62% and 35% of standard deviation, respectively. In contrast, one standard deviation increase of the accumulated daily temperature less than -22 ℃ during young larva's overwintering stage would increase larch caterpillar population by 40% of standard deviation. Our study suggests that the larch caterpillar population in the future may explode in response to global warming, and its infestation could exhibit a new pattern. It is therefore very important to establish a long-term population monitoring system.

[Diversity of Endogeny Eumycetes in Gynostemma pentaphyllum and Its Correlation with Gypenoside XLIX].

OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between active components and endogeny eumycetes in Gynostemma pentaphyllum of different types from different habitats. METHODS: Endogeny eumycetes from different parts of Gynostemma pentaphyllum were isolated by general isolation methods. Insert method and point planting method were used for identification. The content of gypenoside XLIX were determined by HPLC. RESULTS: 125 endogeny eumycetes inhabiting in Gynostemma pentaphyllum were isolated from roots, rhizomes and leaves. By colony morphology and microscopic characteristics, 22 genera from 10 families, 7 orders, 2 classes were identified. Fusarium was the most abundant endogeny eumycetes in Gynostemma pentaphyllum with the account of 22. 4%. Penicillium and Leptosphaeria was 12. 8% and 9. 6% respectively. The correlation between Gypenoside XLIX and endogeny eumycetes in Gynostemma pentaphyllum was revealed. CONCLUSION: Endogeny eumycetes are diverse in species and quantity. The endogeny eumycetes species is related to the quality of Gynostemma pentaphyllum.

Preparation and Optical Waveguiding Property of Single-Crystal Organic NPB Microsheets.

2D microstructures of N,N'-diphenyl-N,N'-bis(1-naphthyl)-1,1'-biphenyl-4,4'-di-amine (NPB) have been prepared by a facile solution method and fully characterized. The as-prepared NPB microsheets have well-defined shapes and very smooth surfaces, and are ideal building blocks for 2D optical waveguides. The results indicate that the optic losses within NPB microsheets are closely related to the direction of propagation, and the shape of microsheets can change the direction of waveguiding light. Such 2D optical waveguides may have potential applications in future miniaturized light-based circuits serve as interconnectors different from 1 D optical waveguides.

Investigation of transport properties of coronene·TCNQ cocrystal microrods with coronene microrods and TCNQ microsheets.

Coronene·TCNQ cocrystal microrods, coronene microrods, and TCNQ microsheets were constructed by a drop-casting method. Prototype devices were fabricated and their field-effect-transistor (FET) performances were investigated. It is found that coronene·TCNQ microrods had exhibited an n-type characteristic and showed better FET performances than TCNQ microsheets.

One-step fabrication of ultralong nanobelts of PI-PTCDI and their optoelectronic properties.

The ultralong nanobelts of N,N-bis-(1-propylimidazole)-3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic diimide (PI-PTCDI) were fabricated by a one-step solution process. The prototype devices based on the PI-PTCDI nanobelts exhibited excellent photodetector and photoswitching performance. The highest Ion/Ioff ratio and photoresponsivity of photodiodes could reach 240 and 5.6 mA W(-1), respectively.

Facile microwave-assisted synthesis of Klockmannite CuSe nanosheets and their exceptional electrical properties.

Klockmannite copper selenide nanosheets (CuSe NSs) are synthesized by a facile microwave-assisted method and fully characterized. The nanosheets have smooth surface and hexagonal shape. The lateral size is 200-500 nm × 400-800 nm and the thickness is 55 ± 20 nm. The current-voltage characteristics of CuSe NS films show unique Ohmic and high-conducting behaviors, comparable to the thermally-deposited gold electrode. The high electrical conductivity of CuSe NSs implies their promising applications in printed electronics and nanodevices. Moreover, the local electrical variation is observed, for the first time, within an individual CuSe NS at low bias voltages (0.1 ~ 3 V) by conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM). This is ascribed to the quantum size effect of NS and the presence of Schottky barrier. In addition, the influence of the molar ratio of Cu(2+)/SeO2, reaction temperature, and reaction time on the growth of CuSe NSs is explored. The template effect of oleylamine and the intrinsic crystal nature of CuSe NS are proposed to account for the growth of hexagonal CuSe NSs.

Preparation of cocrystal nanofibres of cobalt octaethylporphyrin and tetracyanoquinodimethane with good photoresponse.

Cocrystal nanofibres of cobalt octaethylporphyrin and tetracyanoquinodimethane were prepared by a facile solution method and fully characterized by SEM, AFM, XRD, Raman, EDX, and UV-vis-NIR. The as-prepared cocrystal nanofibres had smooth surfaces and uniform dimension. When incorporated into prototype devices, they exhibited good photoresponse at ambient conditions. Additionally, the phototransistor characteristics with a maximum I(on)/I(off) ratio of -460 was demonstrated. The facile synthesis and good photoresponse may boost the potential applications of cocrystal-based nanostructures in future miniaturized devices.

A novel protein from Eupolyphaga sinensis inhibits adhesion, migration, and invasion of human lung cancer A549 cells.

Eupolyphaga sinensis Walker is an important insect used in Chinese traditional medicine. In this study, we purified a 72-kDa anticancer protein, designated as EPS72, from this species using ammonium sulfate precipitation, ultrafiltration, CM Sepharose Fast Flow cation exchange, Q Sepharose High Performance (HP) anion exchange, Butyl Sepharose HP hydrophobic chromatography, and Superdex 75 gel filtration chromatographic techniques. EPS72 exhibited a potent anticancer activity against the human lung cancer A549 cell line (IC50, 18.76 µg/mL). Further study showed that EPS72 could induce A549 cell detachment and apoptosis, inhibit cell adhesion to fibronectin and collagen IV, and restrain cell migration and invasion. Moreover, EPS72 significantly decreased the expression of ß1-integrin. This study suggests that EPS72 could potentially be developed as a novel anticancer therapeutic agent due to its possible antimetastatic activity.

Aerosol-jet printing of nanowire networks of zinc octaethylporphyrin and its application in flexible photodetectors.

Nanowire networks of zinc octaethylporphyrin (ZnOEP) were printed using an aerosol-jet printer on a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flexible substrate. The prototype photodetector based on the as-printed network exhibited high photosensitivity, fast photoresponse, and excellent mechanical stability.

Synthesis and characterisation of seleno-Cynomorium songaricum Rupr. polysaccharide.

In this article, the structural properties of Cynomorium songaricum Rupr. polysaccharide (CSP) after selenylation were investigated. The crude polysaccharide was obtained from C. songaricum Rupr. by water extraction followed by ethanol precipitation and freeze vacuum drying. Then selenylation of CSP has been accomplished by employing sodium selenite to modify the polysaccharide under the catalysis of nitric acid-barium chloride. After selenylation, the sugar content and the molecular weight increased but the protein content reduced. The maximum selenic content determined by ICP-AES was 2925 microg g(-1). The selenide CSP (Se-CSP) was characterised by the methods of UV spectra, FT-IR, Raman spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results showed that the hydroxyl hydrogen of the sugar moieties was substituted by Se=O. Thermal stability of Se-CSP was also measured by TG-DTA.

[Library search of UV spectra of organic environmental pollutants based on neural network].

The effects of optimization of network parameters, noise, and impurity on the network were investigated detailedly. To speed up the convergence of the network and enhance the resolution of the library search of UV spectra, the derivative spectra for BP-ANN library search was proposed. The method has a higher tolerance to noise and impurity levels than using ordinary UV spectra, especially to slop background levels. Finally, the resolutions of library search of UV spectra with ANN with optimized parameters were compared with conventional correlation coefficient method. Results showed that the ANN is superior to conventional correlation coefficient method and is an effective method for library search of UV spectra.