Acoustic Wave-Induced FeRh Magnetic Phase Transition and Its Application in Antiferromagnetic Pattern Writing and Erasing.

We explore the FeRh magnetic phase transition (MPT) and magnetic phase domain (MPD) with the introduction of surface acoustic waves (SAWs). The effects of the SAW pulses with different pulse widths and powers on resistance-temperature loops are investigated, revealing that the SAW can reduce the thermal hysteresis. Meanwhile, the SAW-induced comb-like antiferromagnetic (AFM) phase domains are observed. By changing the pulse width and SAW frequency, we further realize a writing-erasing process of the different comb-like AFM phase domains in the mixed-phase regime of the cooling transition branch. Resistance measurements also display the repeated SAW writing-erasing and the nonvolatile characteristic clearly. MPT paths are measured to demonstrate that short SAW pulses induce isothermal MPT and write magnetic phase patterns via the dynamic strain, whereas long SAW pulses erase patterns via the acoustothermal effect. The Preisach model is introduced to model the FeRh MPT under the SAW pulses, and the calculated results correspond well with our experiments, which reveals the SAW-induced energy modulation promotes FeRh MPT. COMSOL simulations of the SAW strain field also support our results. Our study not only can be used to reduce the thermal hysteresis but also extends the application of the SAW as a tool to write and erase AFM patterns for spintronics and magnonics.

Efficacy and safety of Tuina and intermediate frequency electrotherapy for frozen shoulder: MRI-based observation evidence.

BACKGROUND: Tuina and Intermediate Frequency (IF) electrotherapy are commonly used treatments for frozen shoulder (FS). This study aimed to compare the clinical efficacy of Tuina and IF electrotherapy in the treatment of stage II frozen shoulder and to provide evidence-based treatment for FS. METHODS: The FS patients were randomized into two groups, the observation group, which received Tuina, and the control group, which received IF electrotherapy. The total treatment duration was 20 minutes per treatment, 3 times per week; the treatment period was 6 weeks. Assessments were performed at baseline, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, and 16 weeks after follow-up. Primary assessments included visual analog scale (VAS), Constant-Murley scale (CMS), and secondary assessments included shoulder MRI, rotator cuff muscle diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). RESULTS: A total of 57 patients participated in this study, in the observation group (n = 29) and the control group (n = 28). At the end of the 3rd and 6th weeks of treatment, Tuina was significantly more effective than IF electrotherapy in reducing the VAS score and improving the Constant-Murley total score (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in scores between the two groups at the 16-week follow-up (P>0.05). MRI results in both groups: compared to the control group, the observation group had better results in reducing the degree of periapical edema and reducing the thickness of the axillary humeral capsule (P<0.05); and the observation group had significantly more efficacy than the control group in improving the diffusion state of water molecules in the rotator cuff muscles (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Tuina is more effective than IF electrotherapy in improving the symptoms of FS patients as it can rapidly relieve the pain and restore the function of the affected shoulder, reduce the edema of the shoulder capsule, restore the function of the rotator cuff muscles, and shorten the natural course of FS. Name of the registry: This study was registered in the Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital; Grant No. (2021) Lun Audit No. (033) - KY; Date of registration: 2021.4.27.

Galangin induces the osteogenic differentiation of human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells via the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.

The regulation of stem cell directional differentiation is a core research topic in regenerative medicine, and modulating the fate of stem cells is a promising strategy for precise intervention through the utilization of naturally small molecule compounds. The present study aimed to explore the potential pro-osteogenic differentiation effect of galangin, a flavonoid derived from Alpinia officinarum, on human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) and the underlying molecular mechanism. The results showed that galangin had no cytotoxicity towards hAMSCs when the concentration was less than 50 µM. Treatment with 10 µM galangin significantly increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) secretion and calcium deposition in hAMSCs. Meanwhile, galangin upregulated the mRNA and protein expression of early osteoblast-specific markers, namely ALP, RUNX2, and OSX, and late osteoblast-specific markers, CoL1α1, OPN, and OCN, in hAMSCs. Furthermore, signaling pathway screening studies showed that galangin enhanced the phosphorylation of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). In addition, molecular docking results suggest there is a promising interaction between galangin and JAK2. Finally, treatment with the JAK2 specific inhibitor AG490 effectively reversed the induction of osteogenic differentiation, upregulation of osteoblast-specific marker expression, and activation of JAK2/STAT3 signaling induced by galangin. These results show that galangin induces the osteogenic differentiation of hAMSCs through the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway and could serve as a promising small molecular osteoinducer for application to hAMSCs in regenerative medicine.

No Causal Association Between Adiponectin and the Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background: Accumulating evidence from observational studies suggested that circulating adiponectin levels are associated with the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but the causality remains unknown. We aimed to assess the causal relationship of adiponectin with RA risk. Methods: Based on summary statistics from large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS), we quantified the genetic correlation between adiponectin and RA. Then bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed to assess the causal relationship. Twenty single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with adiponectin were selected as instrumental variables from a recent GWAS (n = 67,739). We applied theses SNPs to a large-scale GWAS for RA (14,361 cases and 43,923 controls) with replication using RA data from the FinnGen consortium (6,236 cases and 147,221 controls) and the UK Biobank (5,201 cases and 457,732 controls). The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) and multiple pleiotropy-robust methods were used for two-sample MR analyses. Results: Our analyses showed no significant genetic correlation between circulating adiponectin levels and RA [rG = 0.127, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.012 to 0.266, P = 0.074]. In MR analyses, genetically predicted adiponectin levels were not significantly associated with the RA risk (odds ratio: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.88-1.09, P = 0.669). In the reverse direction analysis, there is little evidence supporting an association of genetic susceptibility to RA with adiponectin (ß: 0.007, 95% CI: -0.003 to 0.018, P = 0.177). Replication analyses and sensitivity analyses using different models yielded consistent results. Conclusions: Our findings provided no evidence to support the causal effect of adiponectin levels on RA risk and of RA on circulating adiponectin levels.

Causal association of monounsaturated fatty acids with rheumatoid arthritis but not osteoarthritis: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have indicated that dietary monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) are associated with decreased risk of osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the causality of the observed associations is largely undetermined. We sought to ascertain the potential causal roles of two of the most common MUFAs, oleic acid and palmitoleic acid, in RA and OA risk using a two-sample Mendelian randomization approach. METHODS: For the outcomes, we used summary-level data for RA (14 361 people with RA and 43 923 controls) and OA (10 083 people with OA and 40 425 controls) from two genome-wide association studies in European ancestry. For the exposures, five single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with palmitoleic acid and one associated with oleic acid with genome-wide significance (P < 5 × 10-8) were selected as instrumental variables. The causal effects were estimated using the inverse-variance weighted method with several sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: For genetically predicted levels, an increase of one SD in palmitoleic acid (odds ratio, 0.24; 95% confidence interval, 0.10-0.59; P = 0.002) and oleic acid (odds ratio, 0.78; 95% confidence interval, 0.67-0.90; P < 0.001) was significantly associated with lower risk of RA. However, genetic predisposition to either of the two individual MUFAs was not associated with OA risk. Sensitivity analyses yielded similar results. CONCLUSIONS: Our Mendelian randomization analyses suggest a causal relationship between higher genetically predicted MUFA levels and lower risks of RA. However, the causality between MUFAs and OA cannot be inferred from this study. Further research is required to unravel the role of MUFA supplementation in arthritis prevention.

Physical activity and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis: evidence from meta-analysis and Mendelian randomization.

BACKGROUND: There is very little information about the association between physical activity (PA) and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The purpose of this study is to understand the effect of PA on subsequent risk of developing RA. METHODS: A literature search was performed in PubMed and Web of Science up to 19 September 2020. Observational studies examining associations between PA and the RA development were identified. Categorical and dose-response meta-analyses were both performed. Then two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted to interrogate the causal relationship by utilizing genetic instruments identified from a genome-wide association study of self-reported and accelerometer-based PA traits. RESULTS: Four eligible studies were included in the meta-analyses, involving 4213 RA cases among 255 365 participants. The summary relative risk (RR) of RA risk was 0.79 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.72, 0.87] for the highest vs the lowest PA, and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.79, 0.92) for PA vs inactivity/occasional PA. However, we found no convincing evidence supporting a causal role of genetically predicted accelerometer-measured PA [odds ratio (OR): 0.97; 95% CI: 0.88, 1.08 per 1-SD unit increment], genetically predicted moderate-to-vigorous PA (OR: 1.08; 95% CI: 0.49, 2.39 per 1-SD unit increment) or genetically predicted vigorous PA ≥3 days/week (OR: 2.63; 95% CI: 0.05, 130.96) with RA risk. CONCLUSIONS: The meta-analyses of the observational studies indicated that higher PA levels correlate with reduced risk of RA. In contrast to meta-analyses, the MR analyses reported here suggested PA may not help to prevent RA.

Association of urinary phthalate metabolites with osteoarthritis in American adults: Results from the national health and nutrition examination survey 2003-2014.

Phthalates have extensive existence in the living environment of human, probably tightly associated with multiple human diseases. The present study aimed to exploratorily investigate the association of urinary phthalate metabolites with osteoarthritis (OA) in American adults by exploiting the data extracted from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2014 with levels of eleven urinary phthalate metabolites as exposure. The multivariable logistic regression models were performed after controlling for urinary creatinine, age, gender, race/ethnicity, education level, marital status, smoking, body mass index, physical activity in recreational time, family poverty income ratio, diabetes, hypertension, as well as survey cycle. Compared with those in the lowest quantile, we observed higher prevalence of OA in the maximal quantile of MCOP (OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.06-2.27) in adjusted model. A one-unit increase in log-transformed phthalate metabolites was significantly associated with higher OA prevalence, including MCOP (OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.02-1.26) and MBzP (OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.00-1.26) in adjusted model. In subgroup analysis, the positive associations between phthalate metabolites and OA prevalence remained robust both in males and females. In brief, this study first presented positive evidence for the association of urinary level of phthalate metabolites with OA prevalence in American adults. Additional causal research is required to confirm the finding from our analysis and elucidate the potential underlying mechanisms of phthalates exposure on OA.

Circulating chemerin level and risk of cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: Circulating chemerin level has been reported to be higher in patients with various types of cancer. However, the conclusions obtained are not unified. The aim of present study is to draw an evidence-based conclusion on the relationship between circulating chemerin and risk of cancer. Materials & methods: A systematic search was carried out in PubMed and Web of Science up to 30 June 2019. The random-effects model was applied to calculate summary standardized mean differences with 95% CIs. Results: The meta-analysis included a total of 12 separate studies, 876 cases and 739 healthy controls. The results showed that the expression level of circulating chemerin was significantly higher in cancer patients than that in control group (pooled standardized mean difference = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.03-1.90). Conclusion: This meta-analysis concludes that a high level of circulating chemerin is strongly associated with cancer risk.

Relationship between urinary bisphenol a levels and cardiovascular diseases in the U.S. adult population, 2003-2014.

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence has identified cardiovascular system as a potential target of Bisphenol A (BPA). Although a few studies have revealed the relationship between BPA and the risk of several cardiovascular diseases (CVD) outcomes and CVD risk factors, no published studies have investigated the link between urinary BPA and the risk of stroke. METHODS: Data were derived from the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), with a representative sample aged ≥20 years (n = 9139) from 2003 to 2014. We performed multivariable logistic regression model to estimate associations between quartiles and natural logarithm transformed urinary BPA concentrations and five specific CVD outcomes and total CVD. RESULTS: In quartile analysis, highest level of urinary BPA was associated with increased prevalence of myocardial infarction (MI) (OR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.11-2.69) and stroke (OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.09-2.36), when compared with those at the lowest quartile. Per unit (µg/g creatinine) increment in ln-transformed BPA concentration was shown to be significantly associated with 19%, 19%, 25%, 29%, 20%, and 16% increased odds ratios of prevalence of congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease (CHD), angina pectoris, MI, stroke and total CVD among total participants, respectively. Similar associations were found in males rather than in females. CONCLUSION: We provided the premier evidence of positive relationship between urinary BPA concentration and stroke in U.S. POPULATION: Urinary BPA levels were also positively correlated with congestive heart failure, CHD, angina pectoris, MI, as well as total CVD. These associations were more evident in males. Well-coordinated and prospective studies are warranted to gain the human effects of BPA on CVD.

Association between dietary inflammatory index and upper aerodigestive tract cancer risk: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The relationship between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) cancer risk have been investigated in a growing number of epidemiological studies. However, their findings were inconsistent, and no systematic review or meta-analysis has been conducted up to now. This meta-analysis was carried out to examine potential dose-response relationship between DII score and UADT cancer risk. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic search was conducted for relevant studies in PubMed and Web of Science up to March 28, 2019. Categorical meta-analysis as well as linear and non-linear dose-response meta-analysis were performed to evaluate association between DII and UADT cancer risk. RESULTS: Nine case-control studies with a total of 4138 cases and 15,326 healthy controls were eligible in the present meta-analysis. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) of UADT cancer risk were 2.07 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.82, 2.35] for the highest DII score compared with the lowest and 1.53 (95% CI: 1.39, 1.69) for higher DII score compared with lower score, respectively. Furthermore, a one-unit increment in DII score was associated with an increased risk of 18% for UADT cancers (OR: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.15, 1.21). An upward trend towards a positive association between elevated DII score and UADT cancer risk was also observed in non-linear dose-response meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The present meta-analysis provides evidence of highly pro-inflammatory diets that might increase risk of UADT cancers. Therefore, reducing pro-inflammatory components in diets should be considered to prevent and control UADT cancers.

Association between total sleep time and all cancer mortality: non-linear dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies.

OBJECTIVE: Appropriate total sleep time is reported to be associated with several important health outcomes. However, the relationship between total sleep time and all cancer mortality is not well defined because of inconsistent results from published studies, and no dose-response meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the exact dose-response relationship. METHODS: We conducted a literature search of PubMed and Web of Science to identify all relevant epidemiological studies published before August 9, 2018. We performed categorical and non-linear dose-response meta-analyses to quantify the association between total sleep time and all cancer mortality. RESULTS: Finally, we included 14 cohort studies in the present meta-analyses enrolling 866,877 participants with 43,021 cancer deaths. We found that total sleep time less than seven hours was not significantly associated with increased risk of all cancer mortality [relative risk (RR) = 1.02; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.99-1.05]. However, four to five hours total sleep time was related to an 8% increased risk of all cancer mortality (RR = 1.08; 95% CI = 1.02-1.13) in dose-response meta-analysis. Furthermore, long total sleep time (≥8 hours) was weakly associated with all cancer mortality (RR = 1.05; 95% CI = 1.02-1.08). However, the increment in total sleep time longer than nine hours was notably associated with an increased risk of cancer mortality. CONCLUSION: The current meta-analysis provides evidence of a positive association between total sleep time of four to five hours and total sleep time longer than eight hours with the risk of all cancer mortality among the general population. Additional studies are needed to establish causality.

Single-step synthesis of eucalyptus sawdust magnetic activated carbon and its adsorption behavior for methylene blue.

Eucalyptus wood-based magnetic activated carbon (MAC) was prepared using single-step carbonization activation magnetization with FeCl3 and utilized for the adsorption of methylene blue (MB). The MAC was prepared using the following conditions: the mass ratio of FeCl3 to eucalyptus sawdust was controlled to 2 : 1, the one-step carbonated activated magnetization temperature and time was 700 °C and 75 min. The prepared MAC was evaluated for textural characteristics such as the adsorption capacity, pore structure, surface chemical functional groups, magnetic properties, microcrystalline structure, and the surface morphology using the test methods described in the National Standard of China, these were N2-adsorption-desorption isotherms, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), value stream mapping (VSM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Batch experiments were carried out to evaluate the adsorption behavior of MB on the prepared MAC at different temperatures of 298-328 K and MB initial concentration of 50.0-500.0 mg L-1. The results were as follows: the iodine number, methylene blue adsorption and phenol adsorption of the prepared MAC were 473.14, 228.22 and 70.90 mg g-1, respectively; MAC exhibited a microporous and mesoporous structure with a mesoporosity of 36%, the BET specific surface area, average pore diameter and pore volume were 645.23 m2 g-1, 2.71 nm and 0.44 cm3 g-1, respectively, and for the magnetic parameters the following results were found, a H c of 108.51 Oe, M s of 30.37 emu g-1 and M r of 2.46 emu g-1; there were OH, C-O, C[double bond, length as m-dash]O, C[double bond, length as m-dash]C, COO, C-N, and Fe-O groups on the MAC surface, and Fe3O4 existed in the pores and surfaces of the MAC. The MB adsorption on the MAC followed the Langmuir isotherm and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm model, the adsorption process was a spontaneous, endothermic chemisorption progress, followed by the pseudo-second-order model, and the adsorption process was influenced by multiple diffusion steps, the pore diffusion process was the rate-controlling step, however, the adsorption process was also affected by the film diffusion and surface adsorption. The results reveal that MAC efficiently adsorbs MB and can be easily separated and recovered by an external magnetic field. The as-prepared MAC could be used as a potential adsorbent for organic pollutant wastewater treatment.