Association Between Circulating Zinc and Risk for Childhood Asthma and Wheezing: A Meta-analysis on 21 Articles and 2205 Children.

Asthma is one of the most frequent chronic diseases in children, and growing focus is placed on the exploration of attributable risk factors. Currently, no consensus has been reached on the implication of circulating zinc in the development of asthma. We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to examine the association between circulating zinc and risk for childhood asthma and wheezing. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Google Scholar from inception until December 1, 2022. All procedures were performed independently and in duplicate. Random-effects model was adopted to derive standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Statistical analyses were completed using the STATA software. Twenty-one articles and 2205 children were meta-analyzed. Overall, there was a statistically significant association between circulating zinc and risk for childhood asthma and wheezing (SMD: -0.38; 95% CI: -0.60 to -0.17; I2=82.6%, p<0.001), without evidence of publication bias as revealed by Begg's (p=0.608) and Egger (p=0.408) tests. Subgroup analyses showed that children with asthma or wheezing in Middle Eastern countries had significantly lower circulating zinc levels than controls (SMD: -0.42; 95% CI: -0.69 to -0.14; p<0.001; I2=87.1%). Additionally, average circulating zinc levels in asthma children were 0.41 µg/dl lower than that in controls, and the difference was statistically significant (SMD: -0.41; 95% CI: -0.65 to -0.16; p<0.001; I2=83.7%). By contrast, children with wheezing were 0.20 µg/dl lower than that in controls, and no between-group difference was noted (SMD=-0.20; 95% CI: -0.58 to 0.17; p=0.072; I2=69.1%). Our findings indicated that circulating zinc was associated with a significant risk for childhood asthma and its related symptom wheezing.

Effects of a chitosan nanoparticles encapsulation on the properties of litchi polyphenols.

Litchi polyphenols have very specific biological activities. Nevertheless, the low and inconsistent oral bioavailability and instability hinder the further application of litchi polyphenols in food systems. This work prepared litchi polyphenols loaded chitosan nanoparticles (LP-CSNPs) by ionic gelation method to enhance the encapsulation on the properties of litchi polyphenols. The optimum conditions of formation via single factors and the Box-Behnken design were chitosan (CS) concentration 1.065 mg/mL, sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) concentration 0.975 mg/mL, and the mass ratios of polyphenols and CS 1:1 with encapsulation efficiency (EE%) of 45.53%. LP-CSNPs presented the nanosized range of particle size (mean 170 nm), excellent polydispersity index (PDI) (0.156 ± 0.025), and zeta potential values (+ 35.44 ± 0.59). The in vitro release in simulated gastric fluid (pH 1.2) and intestinal fluid (pH 6.8) during 100 h was 58.34% and 81.68%, respectively. LP-CSNPs could effectively improve the storage stability and had great antibacterial activity compared with unencapsulated litchi polyphenols.

Prediction of presurgical metabolic syndrome for gastric cancer-specific mortality is more evident in smokers: The FIESTA study.

BACKGROUNDS: We aimed to test whether the prediction of presurgical metabolic syndrome for postsurgical survival outcomes of gastric cancer hinges upon cigarette smoking status. METHODS: This study is a part of the ongoing Fujian prospective investigation of cancer (FIESTA) study. Patients with gastric cancer received radical resection of primary gastric cancer between January 2000 and December 2010, with the latest follow-up ended in December 2015. The 1:1 propensity score matching analysis was adopted to balance confounders between smokers and never-smokers. Effect-size estimates are expressed as hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Model performance was evaluated using the Hosmer and Lemeshow test and 10-fold cross-validated area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Statistical analyses were completed with SAS software (v9.4). RESULTS: Total 2779 patients with gastric cancer were analyzed, including 2223 smokers and 556 never-smokers. Median follow-up time was 45.6 months. Cigarette smoking was not associated with postsurgical survival differences. Presurgical metabolic syndrome complication was significantly associated with increased gastric cancer-specific mortality in smokers (HR [95% CI]: 2.73 [1.53-4.89], p < 0.001), but not in never-smokers. Relative excess risk due to interaction was estimated to be 2.43 (95% CI: 0.40-4.45). After constructing a risk assessment score, one unit increment was associated with 10% reduced risk of gastric cancer-specific mortality (HR [95% CI]: 0.90 [0.88-0.91], p < 0.001), with 10-fold cross-validated AUROC being 0.82 (95% CI: 0.74-0.92). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed that the prediction of presurgical metabolic syndrome for gastric cancer-specific mortality was more evident in smokers. Practically, this study provides evidence base for future personalized prediction and helped risk-stratify gastric cancer patients who might experience serious postsurgical consequences.

Identification and Optimization of Contributing Factors for Precocious Puberty by Machine/Deep Learning Methods in Chinese Girls.

Background and Objectives: As the worldwide secular trends are toward earlier puberty, identification of contributing factors for precocious puberty is critical. We aimed to identify and optimize contributing factors responsible for onset of precocious puberty via machine learning/deep learning algorithms in girls. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed among girls aged 6-16 years from 26 schools in Beijing based on a cluster sampling method. Information was gleaned online via questionnaires. Machine/deep learning algorithms were performed using Python language (v3.7.6) on PyCharm platform. Results: Of 11308 students enrolled, there are 5527 girls, and 408 of them had experienced precocious puberty. Training 13 machine learning algorithms revealed that gradient boosting machine (GBM) performed best in predicting precocious puberty. By comparison, six top factors including maternal age at menarche, paternal body mass index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio, maternal BMI, screen time, and physical activity were sufficient in prediction performance, with accuracy of 0.9530, precision of 0.9818, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.7861. The performance of the top six factors was further validated by deep learning sequential model, with accuracy reaching 92.9%. Conclusions: We identified six important factors from both parents and girls that can help predict the onset of precocious puberty among Chinese girls.

Factors Associated With Lower Respiratory Tract Infection Among Chinese Students Aged 6-14 Years.

Aims: We employed machine-learning methods to explore data from a large survey on students, with the goal of identifying and validating a thrifty panel of important factors associated with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). Methods: Cross-sectional cluster sampling was performed for a survey of students aged 6-14 years who attended primary or junior high school in Beijing within January, 2022. Data were collected via electronic questionnaires. Statistical analyses were completed using the PyCharm (Edition 2018.1 x64) and Python (Version 3.7.6). Results: Data from 11,308 students (5,527 girls and 5,781 boys) were analyzed, and 909 of them had LRTI with the prevalence of 8.01%. After a comprehensive evaluation, the Gaussian naive Bayes (gNB) algorithm outperformed the other machine-learning algorithms. The gNB algorithm had accuracy of 0.856, precision of 0.140, recall of 0.165, F1 score of 0.151, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.652. Using the optimal gNB algorithm, top five important factors, including age, rhinitis, sitting time, dental caries, and food or drug allergy, had decent prediction performance. In addition, the top five factors had prediction performance comparable to all factors modeled. For example, under the sequential deep-learning model, the accuracy and loss were separately gauged at 92.26 and 25.62% when incorporating the top five factors, and 92.22 and 25.52% when incorporating all factors. Conclusions: Our findings showed the top five important factors modeled by gNB algorithm can sufficiently represent all involved factors in predicting LRTI risk among Chinese students aged 6-14 years.

SARS-CoV-Related Pandemic Outbreaks and Mental Disorder Risk.

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to quantify the association between exposure to pandemic outbreaks and psychological health via a comprehensive meta-analysis. Literature retrieval, study selection, and data extraction were completed independently and in duplicate. Effect-size estimates were expressed as odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Data from 22 articles, involving 40,900 persons, were meta-analyzed. Overall analyses revealed a significant association of exposing to SARS-CoV-related pandemics with human mental health (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.24-1.40; p < 0.001). Subgroup analyses showed that anxiety (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.19-1.58; p < 0.001), depression (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.15-1.42; p < 0.001), posttraumatic stress (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.17-1.58; p < 0.001), and psychological distress (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.11-1.40; p < 0.001) were all obviously related to pandemic diseases. In the context of infectious disease outbreaks, the mental health of general populations is clearly vulnerable. Therefore, all of us, especially health care workers, need special attention and psychological counseling to overcome pandemic together.

Association Between Recombinant Growth Hormone Therapy and All-Cause Mortality and Cancer Risk in Childhood: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: The safety of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment in childhood and the role of rhGH therapy in promoting tumorigenesis and progression have been the subject of debate for decades. We aimed to systematically assess the relationship between rhGH therapy in children and adolescents and clinical outcomes, including all-cause mortality, cancer mortality, cancer incidence, and risk of the second neoplasm. Methods: Literature retrieval, study selection, and data extraction were completed independently and in duplicate. Effect-size estimates are expressed as standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), standardized incidence ratio (SIR), and relative risk (RR) with a 95% CI. Results: Data from 24 articles, involving 254,776 persons, were meta-analyzed. Overall analyses revealed the association of rhGH therapy was not statistically significant with all-cause mortality (SMR = 1.28; 95% CI: 0.58-2.84; P = 0.547; I 2 = 99.2%; Tau2 = 2.154) and cancer mortality (SMR = 2.59; 95% CI: 0.55-12.09; P = 0.228; I 2 = 96.7%; Tau2 = 2.361) and also cancer incidence (SIR = 1.54; 95% CI: 0.68-3.47; P = 0.229; I 2 = 97.5%; Tau2 = 2.287), yet statistical significance was observed for second neoplasm (RR = 1.77; 95% CI: 1.33-2.35; P = 0.001; I 2 = 26.7%; Tau2 = 0.055). Differences in the geographic region, gender, treatment duration, mean rhGH dose, overall rhGH exposure dose, and initial disease accounted for heterogeneity in the subgroup analyses. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the rhGH therapy is not related to all-cause mortality and cancer mortality and cancer incidence, yet it seems to trigger a second tumor risk. Future prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings and answer the more challenging question regarding the optimal dose of rhGH therapy in children and adolescents.

Explorations on risk profiles for overweight and obesity in 9501 preschool-aged children.

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity places a major burden on global public health. We aimed to identify and characterize potential factors, both individually and jointly, in association with overweight and obesity in Chinese preschool-aged children. METHODS: We cross-sectionally recruited 9501 preschool-aged children from 30 kindergartens in Beijing and Tangshan. Overweight and obesity are defined according to the World Health Organization (WHO), International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), and China criteria. RESULTS: After multivariable adjustment, eating speed, sleep duration, birthweight, and paternal body mass index (BMI) were consistently and significantly associated with childhood overweight and obesity under three growth criteria at a significance level of 5%. Additional fast food intake frequency, maternal BMI, gestational weight gain (GWG) and maternal pre-pregnancy BMI were significant factors for overweight (WHO criteria) and obesity (both IOTF and China criteria). Importantly, there were significant interactions between parental obesity and eating speed for childhood obesity. Finally, for practical reasons, risk nomogram models were constructed for childhood overweight and obesity based on significant factors under each criterion, with good prediction accuracy. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated a synergistic association of lifestyle, fetal and neonatal, and family-related factors with the risk of experiencing overweight and obesity among preschool-aged children.

Factors Associated With Childhood Asthma and Wheeze in Chinese Preschool-Aged Children.

This study was prepared to identify and characterize potential factors associated with childhood asthma and wheeze in Chinese preschool-aged children. A comprehensive questionnaire was designed for children aged 3-6 years and their parents or guardians in Beijing and Tangshan from September to December 2020. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) model was used to identify factors in a significant association with childhood asthma and wheeze, respectively. The LASSO model was internally validated using bootstrap resampling with 100 replications. A total of 9,529 questionnaires were certified as eligible for inclusion after stringent quality control. The prevalence of doctor-diagnosed childhood asthma and parent-reported wheeze was 2.8 and 6.2%, respectively. Factors simultaneously associated with childhood asthma and wheeze were children with a history of allergic rhinitis, hay fever, eczema, initial age of using antibiotics, body mass index category, and family history of asthma. Specifically, children's vitamin D supplement duration was significantly associated with childhood asthma, whereas the association with childhood wheeze was significant for intake frequency of night meals for children and their screen time. Modeling of significant factors in nomograms had decent prediction accuracies, with C-index reaching 0.728 and 0.707 for asthma and wheeze, respectively. In addition, internal validation was good, with bootstrap C-statistic of being 0.736 for asthma and 0.708 for wheeze. Taken together, our findings indicated that the development of asthma and wheeze among preschool-aged children was probably determined by the joint contribution of multiple factors including inherited, nutritional, unhealthy lifestyles, and history of allergic disease. Further validation in other groups is necessary.

Risk factors for allergic diseases: a cross-sectional survey of 9,501 Chinese preschool-aged children.

BACKGROUND: Childhood allergic diseases are increasing worldwide with unprecedented complexity and severity, and they cause a major burden on health and healthcare costs. We aimed to identify potential factors, both in isolation and in combination, associated with allergic diseases among preschool-aged children, and to construct a nomogram prediction model based on significant factors. METHODS: We cross-sectionally recruited 9,501 preschool-aged children from 30 kindergartens in Beijing and Tangshan. Allergic diseases were ascertained according to the "International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood" questionnaire. Risk for allergic diseases is quantified by odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Four factors were identified to be independently, consistently, and significantly associated with the risk for allergic diseases overall and by four clinical manifestations separately, including bedtime (per 1 hour late) (taking asthma/wheezing as an example, OR, 95% CI, P: 1.21, 1.08 to 1.35, 0.001), outdoor activities ≤1.5 h per day (1.45, 1.26 to 1.68, 3.77E-07), family history of allergic diseases (2.23, 1.92 to 2.60, 0.00E+00), and antibiotic use during childhood (3.64, 2.44 to 5.42, 1.66E-10). Further analyses revealed that family history of allergic diseases acted with antibiotic use during childhood in an additive manner. For practical reasons, risk prediction nomogram models were constructed for allergic diseases respectively in Beijing and Tangshan based on significant and conventional factors, and the prediction accuracy was good, with the C-index 69% in Tangshan and 68% in Beijing (both P=0.00E+00). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings identified four factors in significant association with the risk for allergic diseases, and in particular family history of allergic diseases and antibiotic use during childhood acted additively.

Identification and characterization of factors associated with short stature and pre-shortness in Chinese preschool-aged children.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to identify and characterize potential factors, both individually and jointly as a nomogram, associated with short stature and pre-shortness in Chinese preschool-aged children. METHODS: Total of 9501 children aged 3-6 years were recruited from 30 kindergartens in Beijing and Tangshan from September to December 2020 using a stratified random sampling method. Effect-size estimates are expressed as odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI. RESULTS: The prevalence of short stature and pre-shortness in preschool-aged children was 3.9% (n = 375) and 13.1% (n = 1616), respectively. Factors simultaneously associated with the significant risk for short stature, pre-shortness and both included BMI, paternal height, maternal height, birth weight, birth height, latter birth order (≥2) and less parental patience to children. Besides, breastfeeding duration (≥12 months) was exclusively associated with pre-shortness (OR, 95% CI, P: 1.16, 1.01 to 1.33, 0.037), and childhood obesity with both short stature (3.45, 2.62 to 4.54, <0.001) and short stature/pre-shortness (1.37, 1.15 to 1.64, <0.001). Modeling of significant factors in nomograms had descent prediction accuracies, with the C-index being 77.0, 70.1 and 71.2% for short stature, pre-shortness and both, respectively (all P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate the joint contribution of inherited characteristics, nutrition status from the uterus to childhood, and family psychological environment to short stature and pre-shortness in Chinese preschool-aged children. Further validation in other independent groups is warranted.

Meta-analysis: Early Age at Natural Menopause and Risk for All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality.

AIMS: The aim of this meta-analysis was to comprehensively evaluate the association of early age at natural menopause with the risk for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. METHODS: Literature retrieval was done on August 4, 2020. Article selection and data extraction were completed independently and in duplicate. Early age at natural menopause was grouped into premature menopause (<40 years), early menopause (40-44 years), and relatively early menopause (45-49 years). Effect-size estimates are summarized as hazard ratio (HR) or relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Sixteen articles involving 321,233 women were meta-analyzed. Overall analyses revealed a statistically significant association of early age at natural menopause with all-cause mortality risk (HRadjusted = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.14, P = 0.002; RRadjusted = 1.05, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.08, P = 0.005), but not with cardiovascular mortality risk. In dose-response analyses, the association with all-cause mortality was significant for premature menopause with (HRadjusted = 1.10; 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.21; P = 0.034) and without (RRadjusted = 1.34; 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.66; P = 0.007) considering follow-up intervals. As for cardiovascular mortality, marginal significance was noted for premature menopause after considering follow-up intervals (HR = 1.09; 95% CI: 1.00-1.19; P = 0.045). Subgroup analyses indicated that gender, country, and follow-up periods were possible causes of heterogeneity. There was an overall low probability of publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that premature menopause is a promising independent risk factor for both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.

Susceptibility of ApoB and PCSK9 Genetic Polymorphisms to Diabetic Kidney Disease Among Chinese Diabetic Patients.

This study aimed to investigate the susceptibility of 8 polymorphisms in ApoB and PCSK9 genes to diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. This is a case-control association study, including 575 DKD cases and 653 controls. Genotypes were determined using ligase detection reaction method, and data are analyzed using STATA software. The genotype distributions of rs1042034 and rs12720838 differed significantly between the two groups (P < 0.001 and P = 0.008, respectively). After adjusting for confounding factors, the mutations of rs1042034 and rs12720838 were associated with the significantly increased risk of DKD. For instance, carriers of rs1042034 T allele (CT and TT genotypes) were 1.07 times more likely to have DKD than carriers of rs1042034 CC genotype [odds ratio (OR) = 1.07, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03-1.10, P < 0.001]. Further, haplotype T-A-G-T in ApoB gene was overrepresented in cases (18.10%) compared with controls (12.76%) (PSimulated = 0.045), and haplotype T-A-G-T was associated with a 33% increased risk of DKD (OR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.70). In further haplotype-phenotype analysis, significant association was only noted for hypertension and omnibus haplotypes in ApoB gene (PSimulated = 0.001). Our findings indicate that ApoB gene is a candidate gene for DKD in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Risk profiles of severe illness in children with COVID-19: a meta-analysis of individual patients.

BACKGROUND: We prepared a meta-analysis on case reports in children with COVID-19, aiming to identify potential risk factors for severe illness and to develop a prediction model for risk assessment. METHODS: Literature retrieval, case report selection, and data extraction were independently completed by two authors. STATA software (version 14.1) and R programming environment (v4.0.2) were used for data handling. RESULTS: This meta-analysis was conducted based on 52 case reports, including 203 children (96 boys) with COVID-19. By severity, 26 (12.94%), 160 (79.60%), and 15 (7.46%) children were diagnosed as asymptomatic, mild/moderate, and severe cases, respectively. After adjusting for age and sex, 11 factors were found to be significantly associated with the risk of severe illness relative to asymptomatic or mild/moderate illness, especially for dyspnea/tachypnea (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval, P: 6.61, 4.12-9.09, <0.001) and abnormal chest X-ray (3.33, 1.84-4.82, <0.001). A nomogram modeling age, comorbidity, cough, dyspnea or tachypnea, CRP, and LDH was developed, and prediction performance was good as reflected by the C-index. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide systematic evidence for the contribution of comorbidity, cough, dyspnea or tachypnea, CRP, and LDH, both individually and jointly, to develop severe symptoms in children with asymptomatic or mild/moderate COVID-19. IMPACT: We have identified potential risk factors for severe illness in children with COVID-19. We have developed a prediction model to facilitate risk assessment in children with COVID-19. We found the contribution of five risk factors to develop severe symptoms in children with asymptomatic or mild/moderate COVID-19.

Sleep duration and obesity in children and adolescents: evidence from an updated and dose-response meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The association between sleep duration and obesity in children and adolescents has been widely evaluated, whereas the current findings are mixed and prospective studies are limited. To shed more light on this issue and explore the dose-response relationship, we performed the present updated meta-analysis by synthesizing the results of prospective cohorts. METHODS: Literature retrieval, study selection and data extraction were completed independently and in duplicate. Effect-size estimates are expressed as relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) or standardized regression coefficient (ß) with standard error. RESULTS: Data from 33 articles, involving 57,848 children and adolescents, were meta-analyzed. Overall analyses revealed statistically significant associations of short (adjusted RR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.36 to 1.81, P < 0.001) and long sleep duration (0.83, 0.75 to 0.93, 0.001) with obesity. Short sleep duration was also associated with significant changes in body mass index z-score (mean difference = -0.06; 95% CI: -0.09 to -0.04; P < 0.001). By contrast, long sleep duration was identified as a protective factor for childhood obesity. In dose-response analyses, short sleep duration was significantly associated with obesity in toddlers (1-2 years) (adjusted RR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.07 to 1.34, P = 0.001), preschool-aged (3-5 years) children (1.58, 1.36 to 1.83, <0.001), and school-aged (6-13 years) children (1.82, 1.51 to 2.21, <0.001). In subgroup analyses, geographic region, sleep duration assessment, age, and follow-up interval were possible sources of heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that short sleep duration can increase the risk of obesity in children and adolescents, especially within 3-13 years of age, and long sleep duration seemed beneficial in preventing obesity.

Identification and Characterization of Influential Factors in Susceptibility to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Among Preschool-Aged Children.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder. Currently, increasing amounts of attention have been focused on the epidemiologic profiling of ADHD in children, viewed as a continuously distributed risk dimension throughout the whole lifespan. This study aimed to identify and characterize potential influential factors susceptible to ADHD-related symptoms among preschool-aged children. A comprehensive questionnaire was self-designed for both children and their parents or guardians and was distributed to 30 kindergartens from Beijing and Hebei, collecting potential influential factors in susceptibility to ADHD. ADHD was assessed by the Conner's Abbreviated Symptom Questionnaire (C-ASQ), and 7,938 children were analyzed. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and hierarchical degree of adjustment were used to control possible covariates. Five factors, namely, children's secondhand smoking exposure, breastfeeding duration, sleep mode, maternal pregnancy smoking exposure, and parental self-rating for patience, were identified to be independently and significantly associated with ADHD susceptibility. Meanwhile, dose-response relationships were observed between breastfeeding duration, parental self-rating for patience, and ADHD-related symptoms. Finally, a nomogram model was created for predicting ADHD susceptibility based on significant and conventional attributes under each criterion.

Linker Deficiency, Aromatic Ring Fusion, and Electrocatalysis in a Porous Ni8-Pyrazolate Network.

The cruciform linker molecule here features two designer functions: the pyrazole donors for framework construction, and the vicinal alkynyl units for benzannulation to form nanographene units into the Ni8-pyrazolate scaffold. Unlike the full 12 connections of the Ni8(OH)4(H2O)2 clusters in other Ni8-pyrazolate networks, significant linker deficiency was observed here, leaving about half of the Ni(II) sites capped by acetate ligands, which can be potentially removed to open the metal sites for reactivity. The crystalline Ni8-pyrazolate scaffold also retains the crystalline order even after thermal treatments (up to 300 °C) that served to partially graphitize the neighboring alkyne units. The resultant nanographene components enhance the electroactive properties of the porous hosts, achieving hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity that rivals that of topical nickel/palladium-enabled materials.

The relationship between sleep duration and all-cause mortality in the older people: an updated and dose-response meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Short or long sleep duration is proposed as a potential risk factor for all-cause mortality in the older people, yet the results of published studies are not often reproducible. METHODS: Literature retrieval, study selection and data extraction were completed independently and in duplicate. Only prospective cohort studies were included. Effect-size estimates are expressed as hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Summary data from 28 articles, involving a total of 95,259 older people, were meta-analyzed. Overall analyses revealed a remarkably significant association between long sleep duration and all-cause mortality (adjusted HR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.16-1.33, P < .001), whereas only marginal significance was observed for short sleep duration (adjusted HR = 1.04; 95% CI: 1.00-1.09; P = .033). Funnel plots suggested no publication bias for short sleep duration (P = .392). The probability of publication bias was high for long sleep duration (P = .020), yet the trim-and-fill method strengthened its significance in predicting all-cause mortality. In subgroup analyses, the association of long sleep duration with all-cause mortality was statistically significant in both women (HR = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.18-1.86; P = .001) and men (HR = 1.31; 95% CI: 1.10-1.58; P = .003). By contrast, with regard to short sleep duration, statistical significance was observed in men (HR = 1.13; 95% CI: 1.04-1.24; P = .007), but not in women (HR = 1.00; 95% CI: 0.85-1.18; P = .999) (Two-sample Z test P = .099). Besides gender, geographic region, sleep survey method, baseline age and follow-up interval were identified as possible causes of between-study heterogeneity in subgroup analyses. Further dose-response regression analyses revealed that trend estimation was more obvious for long sleep duration (regression coefficient: 0.13; P < .001) than for short sleep duration (regression coefficient: 0.02; P = .046). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate a significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality associated with long sleep duration, especially in women, as well as with short sleep duration in men only.