Partially knocking out NtPDK1a/1b/1c/1d simultaneously in Nicotiana tabacum using CRISPR/CAS9 technology results in auxin-related developmental defects.

The eukaryotic AGC protein kinase subfamily (protein kinase A/ protein kinase G/ protein kinase C-family) is involved in regulating numerous biological processes across kingdoms, including growth and development, and apoptosis. PDK1(3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1) is a conserved serine/threonine kinase in eukaryotes, which is both a member of AGC kinase and a major regulator of many other downstream AGC protein kinase family members. Although extensively investigated in model plant Arabidopsis, detailed reports for tobacco PDK1s have been limited. To better understand the functions of PDK1s in tobacco, CRISPR/CAS9 transgenic lines were generated in tetraploid N. tabacum, cv. Samsun (NN) with 5-7 of the 8 copies of 4 homologous PDK1 genes in tobacco genome (NtPDK1a/1b/1c/1d homologs) simultaneously knocked out. Numerous developmental defects were observed in these NtPDK1a/1b/1c/1d CRISPR/CAS9 lines, including cotyledon fusion leaf shrinkage, uneven distribution of leaf veins, convex veins, root growth retardation, and reduced fertility, all of which reminiscence of impaired polar auxin transport. The severity of these defects was correlated with the number of knocked out alleles of NtPDK1a/1b/1c/1d. Consistent with the observation in Arabidopsis, it was found that the polar auxin transport, and not auxin biosynthesis, was significantly compromised in these knockout lines compared with the wild type tobacco plants. The fact that no homozygous plant with all 8 NtPDK1a/1b/1c/1d alleles being knocked out suggested that knocking out 8 alleles of NtPDK1a/1b/1c/1d could be lethal. In conclusion, our results indicated that NtPDK1s are versatile AGC kinases that participate in regulation of tobacco growth and development via modulating polar auxin transport. Our results also indicated that CRISPR/CAS9 technology is a powerful tool in resolving gene redundancy in polyploidy plants.

[Silencing GmWRKY33B genes leads to reduced disease resistance in soybean].

The WRKYs are a group of plant-specific transcription factors that play important roles in defense responses. In this study, we silenced 2 GmWRKY33B homologous genes using a bean pod mosaic virus (BPMV) vector carrying a single fragment from the conserved region of the GmWRKY33B genes. Silencing GmWRKY33B did not result in morphological changes. However, significantly reduced resistances to Pseudomonas syringae pv. glycinea (Psg) and soybean mosaic virus (SMV) were observed in the GmWRKY33B-silenced plants, indicating a positive role of the GmWRKY33B genes in disease resistance. Kinase assay showed that silencing the GmWRKY33B genes significantly reduced the activation of GmMPK6, but not GmMPK3, in response to flg22 treatment. Reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) analysis of the genes encoding prenyltransferases (PTs), which are the key enzymes in the biosynthesis of glyceollin, showed that the Psg-induced expression of these genes was significantly reduced in the GmWRKY33B-silenced plants compared with the BPMV-0 empty vector plants, which correlated with the presence of the W-boxes in the promoter regions of these genes. Taken together, our results suggest that GmWRKY33Bs are involved in soybean immunity through regulating the activation of the kinase activity of GmMPK6 as well as through regulating the expression of the key genes encoding the biosynthesis of glyceollins.

Silencing GmATG7 Leads to Accelerated Senescence and Enhanced Disease Resistance in Soybean.

Autophagy plays a critical role in nutrient recycling/re-utilizing under nutrient deprivation conditions. However, the role of autophagy in soybeans has not been intensively investigated. In this study, the Autophay-related gene 7 (ATG7) gene in soybeans (referred to as GmATG7) was silenced using a virus-induced gene silencing approach mediated by Bean pod mottle virus (BPMV). Our results showed that ATG8 proteins were highly accumulated in the dark-treated leaves of the GmATG7-silenced plants relative to the vector control leaves (BPMV-0), which is indicative of an impaired autophagy pathway. Consistent with the impaired autophagy, the dark-treated GmATG7-silenced leaves displayed an accelerated senescence phenotype, which was not seen on the dark-treated BPMV-0 leaves. In addition, the accumulation levels of both H2O2 and salicylic acid (SA) were significantly induced in the GmATG7-silenced plants compared with the BPMV-0 plants, indicating an activated immunity. Consistently, the GmATG7-silenced plants were more resistant against both Pseudomonas syringae pv. glycinea (Psg) and Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) compared with the BPMV-0 plants. However, the activated immunity in the GmATG7-silenced plant was not dependent upon the activation of MPK3/MPK6. Collectively, our results demonstrated that the function of GmATG7 is indispensable for autophagy in soybeans, and the activated immunity in the GmATG7-silenced plant is a result of impaired autophagy.

Trends in energy and macronutrient intake among Taiwanese older adults in 1999-2000, 2005-2008 and 2013-2016 periods.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore trends, in 3 periods, in the intake of energy and macronutrients among Taiwanese older adults. METHODS: Study subjects were those aged ≥65 years in the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan 1999-2000 as well as the surveys in 2005-2008 and 2013-2016. Twenty-four-hour dietary recall data were obtained. This study used the 3 nutrition survey datasets for 1999-2000, 2005-2008, and 2013-2016, including data on the questionnaire, physical examination, and dietary intakes. Each nutrition survey involved the face-to-face household interview, and individual's dietary intake of carbohydrate, fat, and protein (% of energy) was estimated. Subsequently, intake statuses of the three macronutrients were classified into below, meeting, and above intake categories. RESULTS: In the 2013-2016 survey, approximately 40% of the older adults had a low intake of energy. The prevalence of older adults with a meeting intake of carbohydrate, fat, and protein have increased from the 1999-2000 to 2013-2016 periods. The prevalence of people having a low intake of carbohydrate declined from the 1999-2000 period to the 2013-2016 period. The prevalence of high fat intake in 2013-2016 was approximately 5% higher than that in 1999-2000. In the 2013-2016 period, the prevalence of low intake of carbohydrate, fat, and protein were 25.9, 24.5, and 4.9%, respectively; moreover, the prevalence of high intake of the aforementioned macronutrients were 38.7, 36.2, and 17.6%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides important evidence on the dietary patterns, as well as their changes over time among Taiwanese older adults. Such information would be useful for health policy makers about the burden of unbalanced diet and for nutrition educators on planning nutrition promotion interventions about well-balanced dietary for the older persons.

Association of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes: a Mendelian randomization study.

INTRODUCTION: Observational studies support the relationship between C-reactive protein (CRP) level and diabetic nephropathy (DN) in patients with diabetes. The research question regarding whether the relationship between serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) level and DN is causal lacks experimental evidence. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the causality between hsCRP and DN based on Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 2332 participants with type 2 diabetes from the Taiwan Biobank database was analyzed. Genetic risk scores (GRSs), which comprise four validated CRP loci as two instrumental variables, were calculated as unweighted and weighted scores to evaluate the causal relationship of hsCRP with DN risk. The two-stage regression model was used to estimate OR and 95% CI. RESULTS: The analyses of the observational study showed that the hsCRP level was significantly associated with DN after multivariate adjustment (adjusted OR 1.15; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.32). Unweighted/weighted GRSs for log-transformed hsCRP satisfied MR assumptions 1 and 3, respectively; that is, a significant association with hsCRP was observed but that with DN was absent (adjusted OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.09; 1.00, 0.72 to 1.39, respectively). The MR analyses demonstrated that a 1-unit increase in the log-transformed genetically predicted hsCRP by unweighted and weighted GRSs was associated with DN, demonstrating ORs of 1.80 (95% CI 1.51 to 2.14) and 1.67 (95% CI 1.40 to 1.98), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The current study provided experimental evidence that hsCRP level was causally related to DN. These findings suggest that the elevated hsCRP may be a causal risk factor for DN in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Risk prediction of nephropathy by integrating clinical and genetic information among adult patients with type 2 diabetes.

AIMS: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major healthcare challenge. We developed and internally and externally validated a risk prediction model of DN by integrating clinical factors and SNPs from genes of multiple CKD-related pathways in the Han Chinese population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1526 patients with type 2 diabetes were randomly allocated into derivation (n = 1019) or validation (n = 507) sets. External validation was performed with 3899 participants from the Taiwan Biobank. We selected 66 SNPs identified from literature review for building our weighted genetic risk score (wGRS). The steps for prediction model development integrating clinical and genetic information were based on the Framingham Heart Study. RESULTS: The AUROC (95% CI) for this DN prediction model with combined clinical factors and wGRS was 0.81 (0.78, 0.84) in the derivation set. Furthermore, by directly using the information of these 66 SNPs, our final prediction model had AUROC values of 0.85 (0.82, 0.87), 0.89 (0.86, 0.91), and 0.77 (0.74, 0.80) in the derivation, internal validation, and external validation sets, respectively. Under the combined model, the results with a cutoff point of 30% showed 70.91% sensitivity, 67.84% specificity, 51.54% positive predictive value, and 82.86% negative predictive value. CONCLUSIONS: We developed and internally and externally validated a model with clinical factors and SNPs from genes of multiple CKD-related pathways to predict DN in Taiwan. This model can be used in clinical risk management practice as a screening tool to identify persons who are genetically predisposed to DN for early intervention and prevention.

Recognition memory for pictures in children with ADHD: an event-related potential study.

OBJECTIVE: Children with ADHD are reported to accompany by various degrees of recognition memory cognitive deficits. We aimed to investigate age-related changes of the amplitude in event-related potential recordings on recognition memory in Chinese children with ADHD and to provide theoretical basis of neuro-electrophysiology for the cognition development of children. METHOD: ERP and behavioral data of 6- to -10-year-old children with ADHD (n = 94) and typically developing controls (TD, n = 96) were collected while the children performed a classical visual study-test paradigm task. RESULTS: Children with ADHD have defects in pictures recognition and showed a significantly smaller P2 component than that of TD children. The development of P2 and P3 component were different between the two groups. Moreover, the TD children showed the frontal old/new effect (N2) taken as a correlate of familiarity at 6 years old, and a parietal old/new effect (P3) taken as a correlate of recollection at 9 years old, while children with ADHD showed a parietal old/new effect (P3) only at 6 years old. CONCLUSION: Our study provided the novel evidence that recognition memory follow different developmental trajectories at the age of 6-10 between TD and ADHD.

The effectiveness of humanoid diagram teaching strategy on care capacity and retention in novice nurses.

AIM: To examine the effectiveness of a Humanoid Diagram Teaching Strategy (HDTS) on care capabilities and retention of novice nurses. BACKGROUND: Guiding novice nurses in clinical practice is a matter of concern and the use of diagrams in assisting the learning process and to promote learning efficiency has been acknowledged. DESIGN: This is a quasi-experimental study with asynchronous repeated measurements for the experimental and control groups. METHODS: The study was conducted in a medical centre in southern Taiwan with 24 novice nurses. The intervention, Humanoid Diagrams Teaching Strategy, contained three parts: the head and neck; trunk; and limbs. The HDTS was applied three time weekly. Each session lasted approximately 30 min and the training lasted 4 weeks. The effectiveness of HDTS was measured using Mini-CEX, CbD and retention rates in the 3rd and 6th months of novice nurses' experience. RESULTS: After the HDTS, although increases in mini-CEX and CbD scores in the experimental group were greater than the control group, these differences were not statistically significant after considering the time interaction. But the 3rd month and 6th month novice nurses' retention rates were statistically significantly different by comparing the differences under the time interaction effects in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: The Humanoid Diagram Teaching Strategy is an effective tool for preceptors to use in assisting novice nurses in learning, improving their nursing care knowledge and technical skills and to increase their retention rate.

[A case of 16p13.11 microdeletion syndrome with febrile convulsion as the main manifestation].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic basis for a girl with febrile convulsion as the main manifestation. METHODS: The child was subjected to whole exome sequencing (WES) and copy number variation sequencing(CNV-seq). Fluorescence quantitative PCR was carried out to validate the microdeletion in her family. RESULTS: The 7-year-old girl was diagnosed with febrile convulsion (complex type) for having fever for 3 days, mild cough and low thermal convulsion once. Her father, mother and aunt also had a history of febrile convulsion. A heterozygous deletion with a size of approximately 1.5 Mb was detected in the 16p13.11 region by WES and CNV-seq. The deletion has derived from her father and was confirmed by fluorescence quantitative PCR. CONCLUSION: 16p13.11 microdeletion syndrome has significant clinical heterogeneity. Different from those with epilepsy, mental retardation, autism, multiple malformations, carriers of 16p13.11 deletion may only manifest with febrile convulsion. Deletion of certain gene(s) from the region may be related to febrile convulsion and underlay the symptom of this child.

A comparison of resin infiltration and microabrasion for postorthodontic white spot lesion.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this research was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of microabrasion and resin infiltration for white spot lesions (WSLs). METHODS: Patients with postorthodontic WSLs were enrolled and randomly assigned to the control, microabrasion, and resin-infiltration groups. Intraoral photographs were taken before and after (6 months later) treatment. WSL sizes were determined through ImageJ (Wayne Rasband, Kensington, Md). Integrated optical density (IOD) was determined for a WSL and its surrounding normal enamel through Image-Pro Plus (version 6.0; Media Cybernetics, Rockville, Md), and their differences of IOD were considered as the IOD surrogate for that WSL. The color change of WSL were measured through ΔE. RESULTS: A total of 27 eligible patients were enrolled; 9 subjects were assigned to each group, resulting in 56 teeth in the control group, 72 in the microabrasion group, and 58 in the resin-infiltration group. The ratios of WSL size (after/before) were similar between the microabrasion and resin-infiltration group (43.94 ± 0.03% vs 45.02 ± 0.03%; P = 0.96 > 0.05), but those of the 2 groups were significantly lower than those of the control group (92.15 ± 0.02%) (P <0.001). Moreover, the ratios of IOD (after/before) were significantly lower in the resin-infiltration group (22.94 ± 0.02%) than in the microabrasion (78.11 ± 0.03%) and control (83.79 ± 0.02%) (P <0.001) groups. The highest ΔE improvement was obtained by infiltration, but there was no significant difference between microabrasion and control group. CONCLUSIONS: Resin infiltration and microabrasion are comparably effective in reducing the sizes of WSL, but resin infiltration enjoys an esthetic advantage over microabrasion.

An objective system for appraising clear aligner treatment difficulty: clear aligner treatment complexity assessment tool (CAT-CAT).

BACKGROUND: Recent years have witnessed a remarkable evolution of clear aligner technology and clear aligners are becoming more and more versatile in treating orthodontic patients. The aim of this study was to develop an objective evaluation system for assessing clear aligner treatment difficulty. METHODS: A total of 120 eligible patients (100 patients for developing and testing the evaluation system and 20 patients for validating this system) were recruited in this retrospective cross-sectional study. Based on clinical data (dental models, radiographs and photographs), complexity levels of cases were evaluated by two experts and regarded as the gold standard. Difficulty scores were determined through an evaluation system encompassing three domains (dental model analysis, radiographic examinations and clinical examinations). The reliability of the evaluation system was examined through analyzing the agreement between complexity levels and difficulty scores. Moreover, multivariable linear regression test was used to examine the independent association of each variable (e.g. overbite and crowding) with the complexity level. RESULTS: The results revealed that the assessment of treatment difficulty by this objective evaluation system substantially matched the gold standard (R2 = 0.80). The multivariable regression test revealed that complexity level was significantly associated with difficulty score (p < 0.001), age (p = 0.015), tooth extraction (p < 0.001), treatment stage (p < 0.01) and the number of difficult tooth movement (p = 0.005). This objective evaluation system elaborated in this study was viable and reliable in appraising clear-aligner treatment difficulty in clinical practice. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest orthodontists and general practitioners use this objective evaluation system (CAT-CAT) to appraise clear aligner treatment difficulty and to select appropriate clear aligner patients.

Interactions among IGF-1, AKT2, FOXO1, and FOXO3 variations and between genes and physical activities on physical performance in community-dwelling elders.

This study assessed the interactions among IGF-1, AKT2, FOXO1, and FOXO3 variations and the interactions of gene and physical activity on handgrip strength, arm muscle mass-adjusted handgrip (armGrip), gait speed (GS), timed up and go (TUG), and leg press strength (LPS). Nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) containing three IGF-1 SNPs (rs6214, rs5742692, and rs35767), two AKT2 SNPs (rs892119 and rs35817154), two FOXO1 SNPs (rs17446593 and rs10507486), and two FOXO3 SNPs (rs9480865 and rs2153960) were genotyped in 472 unrelated elders with a mean age of 73.8 years. We observed significant interactions of IGF-1 SNP rs6214 and rs35767 with regular physical activity on TUG and GS; and AKT2 SNP rs892119 and FOXO3 SNP rs9480865 with regular physical activity on armGrip. Genotype GG of IGF-1 rs6214 and rs35767 in individuals without regular physical activity had poor performance in TUG and GS, as well as GG of AKT2 rs892119 decreased armGrip in individuals without regular physical activity. After FDR adjustment, no significant gene-gene interactions were found. A sedentary lifestyle may increase the risk of impairing physical performance and regular physical activity is a remedy for sarcopenia, even a little regular physical activity can overcome carrying some risk alleles in this pathway.

Evaluation of single nucleotide polymorphisms in 6 candidate genes and carotid intima-media thickness in community-dwelling residents.

Evidence suggests the existence of association between a large panel of modifiable biomarkers representing inflammation, coagulation, paraoxonase, and endothelial activation pathways and carotid atherosclerosis. Thus, this study investigated whether CRP, FGA, FGB, FGG, PON1, and EDNRA gene variants affected plasma hs-CRP, fibrinogen levels, and thickness of carotid intima media thickness (IMT). Nineteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms of CRP, FGA, FGB, FGG, PON1, and EDNRA genes were examined in 480 participants from 160 families. Carotid IMT was measured by ultrasound. Generalized linear models with generalized estimating equation were utilized to consider the dependence of subjects within families. In the recessive model, homozygotes for the minor alleles of rs1800789, rs1800790 and rs4220 SNPs in FGB gene indicated a reduced risk of IMT (Exp. ß = 0.89, 0.89, 0.88), which remained significant after adjustment for confounding factors. Significant interaction effects between CRP SNP rs1130864 and rs3093059 and gender for IMT were observed with a significant association in men only. Men carrying minor-minor genotype of CRP SNP rs1130864 and rs3093059 had 0.70- and 0.78-fold lower IMT than men carrying minor-major/major-major genotype. We also observed that the interaction of CRP SNP rs1130864 and rs3093059 with obesity on IMT, hs-CRP and fibrinogen levels. These results support the hypothesis that inflammatory genes are involved in atherosclerosis, most likely via complex gene-gender and gene-obesity interactions.

FADS Genetic Variants in Taiwanese Modify Association of DHA Intake and Its Proportions in Human Milk.

Our objective was to determine how docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) proportions in human milk are modulated by maternal FADS gene variants and dietary intake in Taiwanese women. Inclusion criteria included being healthy, 20-40 y old, having had a full-term baby that they intended to breast feed for at least 1 month, and willingness to participate in this study. Intake of DHA was assessed by food frequency questionnaire and fatty acids were analyzed in human milk samples collected 3-4 weeks postpartum. Based on multiple linear regression of data from 164 mothers that completed this study, there was 0.28% (FA%) reduction in milk DHA in high versus low genetic risk (stratified by whether minor allele numbers were ≥ 3 in rs1535 and rs174448) and 0.45% reduction in low versus high intake (stratified by whether DHA intake reached 200 mg/d). There was a significant gene-diet interaction; mothers with low genetic risk only had high milk DHA proportions with high DHA intake, whereas for mothers with high genetic risk, dietary effects were quite limited. Therefore, for FADS single nucleotide polymorphism in Taiwanese women, increasing DHA intake did not correct low milk DHA proportions in those with a high-risk genotype. Diet only conferred benefits to those with a low-risk genotype. Trial registration: This trial was retrospectively registered (Feb 12, 2019) in ClinicalTrials.gov (No. NCT03842891, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03842891).

Use of cognitive correction training improves learning for children with mathematics learning disability.

Children with normal intelligence may experience varying degrees of mathematics learning disabilities (MD). This study aims to conduct training to improve the brain's cognitive ability for mathematics learning by focusing on two important mathematical cognitive abilities. This was a prospective study of 70 children in grades 2-5 from two primary schools in Changzhou and with MD enrolled from June 2015 to February 2017. The children were randomized 1:1 to the training and control groups. A training cycle included 40 sessions (5/weeks) (30 min each session). The efficacy of learning was assessed by assessing number learning and graph reasoning, and by using the Raven standard reasoning test score. In the training group, backward number memory (from 6.1 ± 1.8 to 6.7 ± 1.3, P = 0.02), number sequential connection (from 54.4 ± 14.5 to 47.1 ± 12.1, P < 0.01), and rapid graph judgment (from 531.9 ± 76.3 to 557.8 ± 85.7, P = 0.04) were improved by training, while there was no effect on forward number memory (P = 0.13). There were significant differences in total score and scores of b, c, and e series before and after training (all P < 0.05). The children in the control group had no improvement after 8 weeks. There was a correlation between the ability of rapid graphic judgment before and after training and the score of the Raven E series (r = 0.384, P = 0.024), and between the score of the Raven C series and the score of the Raven D series (r = 0.468, P = 0.013). Cognitive correction training improved the sensitivity to numbers and mathematics learning in children with MD.

Genetic risk score for risk prediction of diabetic nephropathy in Han Chinese type 2 diabetes patients.

We evaluated whether genetic information could offer improvement on risk prediction of diabetic nephropathy (DN) while adding susceptibility variants into a risk prediction model with conventional risk factors in Han Chinese type 2 diabetes patients. A total of 995 (including 246 DN cases) and 519 (including 179 DN cases) type 2 diabetes patients were included in derivation and validation sets, respectively. A genetic risk score (GRS) was constructed with DN susceptibility variants based on findings of our previous genome-wide association study. In derivation set, areas under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) curve (95% CI) for model with clinical risk factors only, model with GRS only, and model with clinical risk factors and GRS were 0.75 (0.72-0.78), 0.64 (0.60-0.68), and 0.78 (0.75-0.81), respectively. In external validation sample, AUROC for model combining conventional risk factors and GRS was 0.70 (0.65-0.74). Additionally, the net reclassification improvement was 9.98% (P = 0.001) when the GRS was added to the prediction model of a set of clinical risk factors. This prediction model enabled us to confirm the importance of GRS combined with clinical factors in predicting the risk of DN and enhanced identification of high-risk individuals for appropriate management of DN for intervention.

Important gene-gene interaction of TNF-α and VDR on osteoporosis in community-dwelling elders.

Gene effects on osteoporosis have been studied separately and may have been masked by gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. We evaluated gene-gene and gene-physical activity interactions of the variants of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and vitamin D receptor (VDR) genes on osteoporosis. A total of 472 elders were included. Seven variants (TNF-α: rs1799964, rs1800629, rs3093662; VDR: rs7975232, rs1544410, rs2239185, rs3782905) were genotyped. Bone mineral densities of the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total hip were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Predictive models' ability to discriminate osteoporosis status was evaluated by areas under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) curve. After multivariable adjustment, significant interactions of TNF-α rs1800629 and VDR rs3782905 were observed on overall and lumbar spine osteoporosis. In elderly women, we found that those carrying the CG/CC genotype of VDR rs3782905 were significantly associated with increased odds of overall osteoporosis compared with those carrying the GG genotype of VDR rs3782905 among those carrying TNF-α rs1800629 GG genotype. The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for VDR rs3782905 CG/CC genotype in elderly women carrying TNF-α rs1800629 AG/AA and GG genotypes were 0.1 (0.01, 0.98) and 3.54 (1.51, 8.30), respectively. We observed significant differences in AUROCs between the model with traditional covariates plus variants and their interaction term and the model with traditional covariates only (AUROCs: 0.77 and 0.81; p = 0.028). Although the sample size of this study may have been relatively small, our results suggest that the interaction of the CG/CC genotype of VDR rs3782905 with TNF-α rs1800629 GG genotype was associated with increased odds of overall and lumbar spine osteoporosis in elderly women.

Association between ambient air pollution exposure and infants small for gestational age in Huangshi, China: a cross-sectional study.

Small for gestational age (SGA) is defined as intrauterine growth retardation or small sample, referring to the 10th percentile of birth weight lower or two standard deviations less than the average weight at the same gestational age. SGA infants bring great economic and psychological burdens to families and society. The association between exposure to air pollution and SGA in underdeveloped cities with poor air quality remains unclear. Thus, this study is conducted to estimate the effects of maternal exposure to air pollutants on SGA numbers. Birth information was collected from the Huangshi Maternity and Children's Health Hospital from January 1st to December 31st in 2017. Data of pregnancy exposure were accessed using stationary monitors. These data included particulate matter less than or equal to 10 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10), particulate matter less than or equal to 2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2). Multivariate logistic regression models were performed to estimate the association between ambient air pollution and the risk of SGA during different exposure windows. It was found that a 1 µg/m3 increase in air pollution concentrations during the entire pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of SGA, with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.055 (1.035-1.076), 1.084 (1.053-1.116), 1.000 (0.953-1.049), and 1.051 (0.968-1.141) for PM10, PM2.5, NO2, and SO2, respectively. Thus, it is suggested that exposure to air pollution is associated with an increased risk of SGA. The effects of PM10 and PM2.5 were more stable than NO2 and SO2.

Performance of PATC-PDMDAAC Composite Coagulants in Low-Temperature and Low-Turbidity Water Treatment.

A novel composite was synthesized by using flocculant polyaluminum titanium silicate chloride (PATC) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDMDAAC) monomers to treat low-temperature and low-turbidity water. The structure and physicochemical properties of PATC-PDMDAAC were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetry (TG/DSC), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersion spectrum (SEM-EDS). The compound flocculant produced new functional groups exhibiting great thermal stability, and the complex chemical reaction between the two monomers generated new substances with reticular structures. Coagulation performance results showed that the PATC-PDMDAAC had an organic and inorganic ratio of 0.15 and exhibited excellent removal efficiency at pH 9.0, dosage of 1.80 mg/L, sedimentation time of 40 min, and a stirring speed of 110 r/min. The optimal treatment efficiency reduced the turbidity to 0.56 NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Unit). The removal rates of TOC (Total Organic Carbon) and UV254 (Ultraviolet 254) were 62.18% (from 7.23 mg/L to 2.734 mg/L) and 99.99% (from 10 mg/L to 0.001 mg/L). The 3D fluorescence, zeta potential and kinetic analysis in the flocculation process indicated that coagulant electroneutralization and adsorption bridge in a slightly alkaline environment played a dominant role, and a sufficient and effective collision occurred between the coagulant and particulate matter under the optimal dosage. Lastly, PATC-PDMDAAC has more advantage than conventional flocculants in the treatment of low-temperature and low-turbidity water in the Xiangjiang River.

The alteration of ferritin and transferrin saturation under body mass index and blood pressure in first-time and regular male blood donors in Taiwan.

Iron status, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure (BP) are all important health indicators. In this study, ferritin and transferrin saturation levels and their correlations with BMI and BP were investigated in first-time and regular male blood donors in Taiwan. Serum ferritin and transferrin saturation values represented iron status of blood donors. Serum ferritin, serum iron, and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) were determined by chemiluminescent immunoassay sandwich method, timed-endpoint method, and turbidimetric method, respectively. Transferrin saturation was calculated as 100× serum iron/TIBC. Statistical analyses included 2-sample t test, chi-square test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression. Comparisons of ferritin and transferrin saturation mean values with BMI, age, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and occupation were conducted. A total of 111 first-time donors and 1249 regular blood donors participated in this study. The ferritin and transferrin saturation mean values of regular male blood donors were lower than those of first-time male blood donors, but remained within the safe range. BMI was positively correlated with serum log ferritin, but not with transferrin saturation value in first-time and regular blood donors. First-time donors with BMI ≥24 kg/m and aged more than 40 years demonstrated 1.37-fold higher serum ferritin on average. Among regular donors, significant effects of BMI ≥24 kg/m and age >40 years were observed with 1.25- and 1.18-fold higher serum ferritin levels, respectively. First-time donors with SBP ≥120/DBP ≥80, ≥120/<80, and <120/≥80 mm Hg had on average 1.65-, 1.54-, and 2.59-fold higher serum ferritin levels than those with normal BP. Ferritin level was higher in BMI ≥24 kg/m subgroup than in BMI <24 kg/m subgroup among first time and regular male donors, but no difference was found in transferrin saturation values.Abnormal SBP/DBP was associated with increased ferritin level only in first-time male blood donors.