Serum stromal cell-derived factor-1 concentrations are increased and associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in children with obesity.

INTRODUCTION: Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) is a newly discovered small molecule adipocytokine, and research has shown that it is closely related to the occurrence and development of obesity. However, there are currently few research reports on SDF-1 in childhood obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and this study aims to explore the relationship between SDF-1 and obesity related indicators in obese children. METHODS: Serum SDF-1 concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Clinical and biochemical data were collected, such as body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumference, blood pressure, liver enzymes, cholesterol, and fasting insulin. Children with NAFLD or not were evaluated through Color Doppler Ultrasound. RESULTS: Serum SDF-1 concentrations were significantly higher in obese subjects than in non-obese subjects (P < 0.05), and were elevated in the NAFLD obese subjects than in the non-NAFLD obese subjects (P < 0.05). SDF-1 was positively correlated with BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, body fat percentage (BFP), basal metabolic rate (BMR), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), glutyltranspeptidase (GT), and homoeostasis model of HOMA-IR, independent of their uric acid (UA), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), gender and age. BFP and BMR were associated with the serum SDF-1 concentrations in multivariable linear regression analysis. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that SDF-1 levels are elevated in obese children and are associated with NAFLD, indicating that SDF-1 may play a role in the development of childhood obesity and metabolic disorders.

In vitro digestion and fecal fermentation of basidiospore-derived exopolysaccharides from Naematelia aurantialba.

Mushroom polysaccharides exhibit numerous health-enhancing attributes that are intricately linked to the breakdown, assimilation, and exploitation of polysaccharides within the organism. Naematelia aurantialba polysaccharides (NAPS-A), highly prized polysaccharides derived from mushrooms, remain shrouded in uncertainty regarding their characteristics pertaining to gastrointestinal digestion and gut microbial fermentation. The study aimed to understand the digestion and fecal fermentation patterns of NAPS-A. After simulated digestion, NAPS-A's physicochemical properties remained unchanged. However, during in vitro fecal fermentation, indigestible NAPS-A underwent significant changes in various properties, such as reducing sugar, chemical composition, constituent monosaccharides, Molecular weight, apparent viscosity, FT-IR spectra, and microscopic morphology. Notably, NAPS-A was effectively utilized by the gut microbiota, with unchanged properties after digestion but altered after fermentation. It influenced gut microbe composition by increasing beneficial bacteria (Lactobacillus, Faecalibacterium, and Roseburia), lowering pH, and producing short-chain fatty acids. NAPS-A fermentation enriches carbohydrate, fatty acid, and amino acid metabolic pathways through PICRUSt prediction analysis. Overall, these findings emphasize NAPS-A's role in regulating gut bacteria and their metabolic functions, despite its challenging digestibility.

Beneficial Effects of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens D1 Soy Milk Supplementation on Serum Biochemical Indexes and Intestinal Health of Bearded Chickens.

This study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens D1 (B. amyloliquefaciens D1) on growth performance, serum anti-inflammatory cytokines, and intestinal microbiota composition and diversity in bearded chickens. To investigate the effects of Bacillus amyloliquefaciensa and fermented soy milk, 7-day-old broilers were orally fed different doses of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens D1 fermented soy milk for 35 days, with the unfermented soy milk group as the Placebo group. This study found that B. amyloliquefaciens D1 fermented soy milk improved the intestinal microbiota of broilers, significantly increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria and decreasing the abundance of harmful bacteria in the gut. B. amyloliquefaciens D1 fermented soy milk also significantly reduced the serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) content. The body weight and daily weight gain of broilers were increased. In conclusion, the results of this study are promising and indicate that supplementing the diets of bearded chickens with B. amyloliquefaciens D1 fermented soy milk has many beneficial effects in terms of maintaining intestinal microbiota balance and reducing inflammation in chickens.

Elucidating the Mechanism of Simultaneous Activation of CH4 and CO2 Mediated by Single Group 10 Metal Anions in Gas Phase.

Quantum chemistry calculations predict that besides the reported single metal anion Pt- , Ni- can also mediate the co-conversion of CO2 and CH4 to form [CH3 -M(CO2 )-H]- complex, followed by transformation to C-C coupling product [H3 CCOO-M-H]- (A), hydrogenation products [H3 C-M-OCOH]- (B) and [H3 C-M-COOH]- . For Pd- , a fourth product channel leading to PdCO2 - …CH4 becomes more competitive. For Ni- , the feed order must be CO2 first, as the weaker donor-acceptor interaction between Ni- and CH4 increases the C-H activation barrier, which is reduced by [Ni-CO2 ]- . For Ni- /Pt- , the highly exothermic products A and B are similarly stable with submerged barrier that favors B. The smaller barrier difference between A and B for Ni- suggests the C-C coupling product is more competitive in the presence of Ni- than Pt- . The charge redistribution from M- is the driving force for product B channel. This study adds our understanding of single atomic anions to activate CH4 and CO2 simultaneously.

Insight into boron-doped biochar as efficient metal-free catalyst for peroxymonosulfate activation: Important role of -O-B-O- moieties.

In recent years, metal-free catalysts for persulfate-mediated oxidation processes have been widely applied to remove contaminants in the aquatic environment. Herein, a simple pyrolysis approach was used to synthesize the boron doped biochars (B@TBCs) derived from boric acid mixed with tea seed shells powders. The obtained B@TBCs exhibited fantastic capability to boost PMS (0.5 mM) activation for 90%∼ removal of oxytetracycline (OTC) within 20 min. Through the correlation analysis and DFT calculations, it was concluded that the apparent rate constant of pollutants removal was greatly related to the -O-B-O- groups on the biochars, which could improve the electron-donating capacity of the biochar. In addition, the degradation process of OTC was pH-dependent because of the changed roles of ROSs under different pH. Finally, according to the DFT calculation, LC-MS and toxicological analysis, the degradation pathways of pollutants and the toxicity changes during the degradation process were obtained. These findings consolidated the theoretical basis for further boosting the catalytic activity of B-doped biochars and expanded the imagination for the modification of other metal-free biochar catalysts for PMS activation.

Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopic Study of Tricalcium Silicate.

In this study, the terahertz (THz) spectra of C3S were obtained in the 0.4-2.3 THz frequency range using different sample preparation methods. In the spectra, a sharp absorption peak of C3S was found at 2.03 THz. Under controlled conditions, the mass ratio of C3S was the most critical factor affecting the strength of the absorption peak, and the absorption coefficient followed the Beer-Lambert law, exhibiting a linear relationship with the mass ratio of C3S. The intrinsic dielectric constants of C3S and polyethylene (PE) were calculated in accordance with the Maxwell-Garnett (MG), Bruggeman (BM), and Landau-Lifshitz-Loovenga (LLL) models, using two-phase composite samples. The results show that the LLL model had the highest accuracy.

Deep learning-based classification of the anterior chamber angle in glaucoma gonioscopy.

In the proposed network, the features were first extracted from the gonioscopically obtained anterior segment photographs using the densely-connected high-resolution network. Then the useful information is further strengthened using the hybrid attention module to improve the classification accuracy. Between October 30, 2020, and January 30, 2021, a total of 146 participants underwent glaucoma screening. One thousand seven hundred eighty original images of the ACA were obtained with the gonioscope and slit lamp microscope. After data augmentation, 4457 images are used for the training and validation of the HahrNet, and 497 images are used to evaluate our algorithm. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed HahrNet exhibits a good performance of 96.2% accuracy, 99.0% specificity, 96.4% sensitivity, and 0.996 area under the curve (AUC) in classifying the ACA test dataset. Compared with several deep learning-based classification methods and nine human readers of different levels, the HahrNet achieves better or more competitive performance in terms of accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity. Indeed, the proposed ACA classification method will provide an automatic and accurate technology for the grading of glaucoma.

PPM EMAT for Defect Detection in 90-Degree Pipe Bend.

Aircraft pipelines are mainly used for the storage and transportation of fuel, hydraulic oil and water, which are mostly bent pipes of non-ferromagnetic materials. We used PPM (Periodic Permanent Magnet) EMAT (Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer) to detect the defects at 90-degree bends. A simulation model was established by finite element software to study the propagation characteristics and defect detection capability of T (0, 1) mode-guided wave in aluminum pipe bend. In terms of propagation characteristics, the energy of the guided wave was focused in the extrados of the bend, and the guided waves in the intrados and extrados of the bend were separated due to the difference in propagation distance. Regarding defect detection capability, T (0, 1) mode-guided wave had the highest detection sensitivity for the defect in the extrados of the bend and the lowest detection sensitivity for the defect in the middle area of the bend. We designed a PPM EMAT for 320 kHz to verify the simulation results experimentally, and the experimental results are in good agreement with the simulation results.

Image quality and lesion detectability in low-dose pediatric 18F-FDG scans using total-body PET/CT.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of dose reduction on image quality and lesion detectability of oncological 18F-FDG total-body PET/CT in pediatric oncological patients and explore the minimum threshold of administered tracer activity. METHODS: A total of 33 pediatric patients (weight 8.5-58.5 kg; age 0.8-17.6 years) underwent total-body PET/CT using uEXPLORER scanner with an 18F-FDG administered dose of 3.7 MBq/kg and an acquisition time of 600 s were retrospectively enrolled. Low-dose images (0.12-1.85 MBq/kg) were simulated by truncating the list-mode PET data to reducing count density. Subjective image quality was rated on a 5-point scale. Semi-quantitative uptake metrics for low-dose images were assessed using region-of-interest (ROI) analysis of healthy liver and suspected lesions and were compared with full-dose images. The micro-lesion detectability was compared among the dose-dependent PET images. RESULTS: Our analysis shows that sufficient subjective image quality and lesion conspicuity could be maintained down to 1/30th (0.12 MBq/kg) of the administered dose of 18F-FDG, where good image quality scores were given to 1/2- and 1/10- dose groups. The image noise was significantly more deranged than the overall quality and lesion conspicuity in 1/30- to 1/10-dose groups (all p < 0.05). With reduced doses, quantitative analysis of ROIs showed that SUVmax and SD in the liver increased gradually (p < 0.05), but SUVmax in the lesions and lesion-to-background ratio (LBR) showed no significant deviation down to 1/30-dose. One hundred percent of the 18F-FDG-avid micro-lesions identified in full-dose images were localized down to 1/15-dose images, while 97% of the lesion were localized in 1/30-dose images. CONCLUSION: The total-body PET/CT might significantly decrease the administered dose upon maintaining the image quality and diagnostic performance of micro-lesions in pediatric patients. Data suggests that using total-body PET/CT, optimal image quality could be achieved with an administered dose-reduction down to 1/10-dose (0.37 MBq/kg).

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Coated by the Extracellular Matrix Promote Wound Healing in Diabetic Rats.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) coated by the extracellular matrix (ECM) on wound healing in diabetic rats. METHODS: Mesenchymal stem cells were cocultured with ECM. Cell viabilities were evaluated using MTT assay. The diabetes model was established using both STZ and high-glucose/fat methods in SD rats. A wound area was made on the middle of the rats' back. MSCs or ECM-MSCs were used to treat the rats. HE staining and CD31 immunohistochemistry were used to detect the skin thickness and angiogenesis. Western blotting and qRT-PCR were conducted to determine the level of VEGF-α, PDGF, and EGF. RESULTS: It was observed that treatment of ECM had no significant effects on the cell viability of ECM-MSCs. Wound area assay showed that both MSCs and ECM-MSCs could enhance the wound healing of diabetic rats and ECM-MSCs could further promote the effects. Both MSCs and ECM-MSCs could enhance angiogenesis and epithelialization of the wounds, as well as the expression of VEGF-α, PDGF, and EGF in wound tissues, while ECM-MSC treatment showed more obvious effects. CONCLUSION: Mesenchymal stem cells coated by the extracellular matrix could promote wound healing in diabetic rats. Our study may offer a novel therapeutic method for impaired diabetic wound healing.

[Study on willingness to participate and willingness to pay for hypothetical industrial injury insurance scheme].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate workers' willingness to participate and wiliness to pay for a hypothetical industrial injury insurance scheme, to analyze the influential factors, and to provide information for policy making of the government. METHODS: Multistage cluster sampling was used to select subjects: In the first stage, 9 small, medium, orlarge enterprises were selected fromthree cities (counties) in Zhejiang province, China, according to the level of economic development, transportation convenience, and cooperation of government agencies; in the second stage, several workshops were randomly selected from each of the 9 enterprises. Face-to-face interviews among all workers in the workshops were conducted by trained interviewers using a pre-designed questionnaire. RESULTS: It was found that 73.87% (2095) of all workers were willing to participate in the hypothetical work injury insurance scheme and to pay 2.21% of monthly wage (51.77 yuan) on average, and more than half of the workers were willing to pay less than 1%of monthly wage (35 yuan). Of the 741 workers who were not willing to participate, 327 thought that the premium should be borne by the state or enterprises, instead of individuals, and others were not willing to participate because of low income, unstable job, or poor understanding of the hypothetical industrial injury insurance scheme. Logistic regression analysis showed that workers with higher education levels, longer length of services, longer weekly working time, or more knowledge of occupational diseases showed higher willingness to participate in the scheme; workers who were exposed to physical hazards, had health records, or had participated in the existing medical insurance or industrial injury insurance were more willing to participate. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that with increasing average monthly wage, weekly working time, and self?health evaluation, the proportion of workers with willingness to pay increased; however, with increasing work intensity and awareness of occupational disease, the proportion of workers with willingness to pay decreased. The workers who were not covered by the industrial injury insurance paid more than those covered by the industrial injury insurance. CONCLUSION: The hypothetical industrial injury insurance scheme increased the applicability and advantage of independent third-party running and lifetime insurance, which significantly increased the workers' willingness to participate in or to pay for the insurance scheme. Therefore, the industrial injury insurance can be improved in these aspects to promote workers' willingness to participate in and to pay for the insurance scheme. This conclusion provided a reference for the solution of delayed or shirking corporate responsibility for paying the premium.

[The coverage of work injury insurance and its affecting factors in Zhejiang province, China].

OBJECTIVE: In China, the coverage rate of work injury insurance was 23.2%in 2011, which was far lower than expected. The factors affecting the insurance's enrollment has very little known. This paper aims to study the existing coverage of work injury insurance scheme and its influencing factors. METHODS: The data were collected from 2 836 workers who came from 9 industries in three cities of Zhejiang province using face-to-face questionnaire interview. RESULTS: Of these 2836 workers, the work injury insurance coverage was 50.1%, and 29.6% were not sure if they were covered or not. The results showed that the awareness of occupational disease and industrial injury insurance was helpful in increasing the coverage rate. Besides, the logistic regression analysis showed that in certain circumstances working population shared higher coverage of work injury insurance. For examples, male workers with local household registration and longer working years; people who had been informed about occupational risk factors, and thus gained more training on the issue; people who had exposed to occupational hazards or involved in administrative duties; and people who had already insured by a medical insurance scheme. In the contrary, the heavier family burden with longer working hours per week they needed, the lower possibility they joined the insurance scheme. CONCLUSIONS: The coverage of work injury insurance is higher than native average level but much lower than the average international level. The awareness of occupational disease and injury insurance was closely associated with the coverage of work injury insurance. Therefore, it is imperative to popularize the knowledge on OHS for migrant workers, as well as to reinforce the supervision and management of the issue would have been an effective way to elevate the coverage rate of work injury insurance.

[Study on optimal model of hypothetical work injury insurance scheme].

OBJECTIVE: To explore an optimal model of hypothetical work injury insurance scheme, which is in line with the wishes of workers, based on the problems in the implementation of work injury insurance in China and to provide useful information for relevant policy makers. METHODS: Multistage cluster sampling was used to select subjects: first, 9 small, medium, and large enterprises were selected from three cities (counties) in Zhejiang Province, China according to the economic development, transportation, and cooperation; then, 31 workshops were randomly selected from the 9 enterprises. Face-to-face interviews were conducted by trained interviewers using a pre-designed questionnaire among all workers in the 31 workshops. RESULTS: After optimization of hypothetical work injury insurance scheme, the willingness to participate in the scheme increased from 73.87%to 80.96%; the average willingness to pay for the scheme increased from 2.21% (51.77 yuan) to 2.38% of monthly wage (54.93 Yuan); the median willingness to pay for the scheme increased from 1% to 1.2% of monthly wage, but decreased from 35 yuan to 30 yuan. The optimal model of hypothetical work injury insurance scheme covers all national and provincial statutory occupational diseases and work accidents, as well as consultations about occupational diseases. The scheme is supposed to be implemented worldwide by the National Social Security Department, without regional differences. The premium is borne by the state, enterprises, and individuals, and an independent insurance fund is kept in the lifetime personal account for each of insured individuals. The premium is not refunded in any event. Compensation for occupational diseases or work accidents is unrelated to the enterprises of the insured workers but related to the length of insurance. The insurance becomes effective one year after enrollment, while it is put into effect immediately after the occupational disease or accident occurs. CONCLUSION: The optimal model of hypothetical work injury insurance scheme actually realizes cross-regional mobility of workers, minimizes regional differences, and embodies the fairness. The proposed model will, to some extent, protect the rights and interests of enterprises, as well as the healthy rights and interests of workers when they are unemployed.