Handgrip Strength and Low Muscle Strength Rate in Chinese Adults - China, 2020.

What is already known on this topic?: Handgrip strength (HS) serves as a diagnostic marker for low muscle strength rate (LMSR) and reflects the level of skeletal muscle. Over the past two decades, global data indicate a downward trend in HS across various countries. What is added by this report?: According to the latest national data, the mean HS among Chinese adults aged 20 years and older was recorded at 40.4 kg for males and 25.1 kg for females in 2020. A decline in HS was observed with increasing age, particularly among women. Additionally, lower HS values were reported in rural areas, whereas LMSR was more prevalent in these regions. What are the implications for public health practice?: The analysis of HS and LMSR among Chinese adults is essential for the development and implementation of targeted interventions aimed at improving HS prevalence rates. This analysis is highly significant for public health, contributing to increased public awareness of LMSR and the promotion of preventative measures.

Comprehensive genome-wide identification of Snf2 gene family and their expression profile under salt stress in six Brassica species of U's triangle model.

MAIN CONCLUSION: We comprehensively identified and analyzed the Snf2 gene family. Some Snf2 genes were involved in responding to salt stress based on the RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analysis. Sucrose nonfermenting 2 (Snf2) proteins are core components of chromatin remodeling complexes that not only alter DNA accessibility using the energy of ATP hydrolysis, but also play a critical regulatory role in growth, development, and stress response in eukaryotes. However, the comparative study of Snf2 gene family in the six Brassica species in U's triangle model remains unclear. Here, a total of 405 Snf2 genes were identified, comprising 53, 50, and 46 in the diploid progenitors: Brassica rapa (AA, 2n = 20), Brassica nigra (BB, 2n = 16), and Brassica oleracea (CC, 2n = 18), and 93, 91, and 72 in the allotetraploid: Brassica juncea (AABB, 2n = 36), Brassica napus (AACC, 2n = 38), and Brassica carinata (BBCC, 2n = 34), respectively. These genes were classified into six clades and further divided into 18 subfamilies based on their conserved motifs and domains. Intriguingly, these genes showed highly conserved chromosomal distributions and gene structures, indicating that few dynamic changes occurred during the polyploidization. The duplication modes of the six Brassica species were diverse, and the expansion of most Snf2 in Brassica occurred primarily through dispersed duplication (DSD) events. Additionally, the majority of Snf2 genes were under purifying selection during polyploidization, and some Snf2 genes were associated with various abiotic stresses. Both RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analysis showed that the expression of BnaSnf2 genes was significantly induced under salt stress, implying their involvement in salt tolerance response in Brassica species. The results provide a comprehensive understanding of the Snf2 genes in U's triangle model species, which will facilitate further functional analysis of the Snf2 genes in Brassica plants.

Research Progress on the Effect of Nitrogen on Rapeseed between Seed Yield and Oil Content and Its Regulation Mechanism.

Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is one of the most important oil crops in China. Improving the oil production of rapeseed is an important way to ensure the safety of edible oil in China. Oil production is an important index that reflects the quality of rapeseed and is determined by the oil content and yield. Applying nitrogen is an important way to ensure a strong and stable yield. However, the seed oil content has been shown to be reduced in most rapeseed varieties after nitrogen application. Thus, it is critical to screen elite germplasm resources with stable or improved oil content under high levels of nitrogen, and to investigate the molecular mechanisms of the regulation by nitrogen of oil accumulation. However, few studies on these aspects have been published. In this review, we analyze the effect of nitrogen on the growth and development of rapeseed, including photosynthetic assimilation, substance distribution, and the synthesis of lipids and proteins. In this process, the expression levels of genes related to nitrogen absorption, assimilation, and transport changed after nitrogen application, which enhanced the ability of carbon and nitrogen assimilation and increased biomass, thus leading to a higher yield. After a crop enters the reproductive growth phase, photosynthates in the body are transported to the developing seed for protein and lipid synthesis. However, protein synthesis precedes lipid synthesis, and a large number of photosynthates are consumed during protein synthesis, which weakens lipid synthesis. Moreover, we suggest several research directions, especially for exploring genes involved in lipid and protein accumulation under nitrogen regulation. In this study, we summarize the effects of nitrogen at both the physiological and molecular levels, aiming to reveal the mechanisms of nitrogen regulation in oil accumulation and, thereby, provide a theoretical basis for breeding varieties with a high oil content.

Investigation of Novel Thermosetting Copolymer-Based Monomethylolurea-Glyoxal for Wood Manufacturing.

The purpose of this investigation was to design novel alternating copolymers (monomethylolurea-glyoxal, MMU-G) as adhesives for wood manufacturing. MMU-G were synthesized under acid (pH = 5) conditions. After the 120-day storage period, the MMU-G resins were used for plywood production, which exhibited a wet shear strength of about 2.15 MPa, similar to the freshly prepared MMU-G resin. The excellent water resistance and long storage stability showed that MMU-G has particular characteristics and properties all of their own, which, in certain respects, are very different from those of urea-formaldehyde (UF) adhesives. The X-ray diffraction results showed that only a few crystallinities occurred in MMU-G resins, indicating the presence of long side chains in the MMU-G polymer structures, leading to better adhesion strength than UF resins. The structure characteristics of the MMU-G resin were studied by Fourier transform infrared and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and a possible molecular structure has been inferred, which is consistent with spectroscopic results.

Using Mobile Health Technology to Deliver a Community-Based Closed-Loop Management System for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients in Remote Areas of China: Development and Prospective Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Mobile health (mHealth) technology is an increasingly recognized and effective method for disease management and has the potential to intervene in pulmonary function, exacerbation risk, and psychological status of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of an mHealth-based COPD management system designed for Chinese remote areas with many potential COPD patients but limited medical resources. METHODS: The system was implemented based on a tailored closed-loop care pathway that breaks the heavy management tasks into detailed pieces to be quantified and executed by computers. Low-cost COPD evaluation and questionnaire-based psychological intervention are the 2 main characteristics of the pathway. A 6-month prospective observational study at the community level was performed to evaluate the effect of the system. Primary outcomes included changes in peak expiratory flow values, quality of life measured using the COPD assessment test scale, and psychological condition. Acute exacerbations, compliance, and adverse events were also measured during the study. Compliance was defined as the ratio of the actual frequency of self-monitoring records to the prescribed number. RESULTS: A total of 56 patients was enrolled; 39 patients completed the 6-month study. There was no significant difference in the mean peak expiratory flow value before and after the 6-month period (366.1, SD 106.7 versus 313.1, SD 116.6; P=.11). Psychological condition significantly improved after 6 months, especially for depression, as measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scale (median 6.0, IQR 3.0-9.0 versus median 4.0, IQR 0.0-6.0; P=.001). The COPD assessment test score after 6 months of intervention was also lower than that at the baseline, and the difference was significant (median 4.0, IQR 1.0-6.0 versus median 3.0, IQR 0.0-6.0; P=.003). The median overall compliance was 91.1% (IQR 67%-100%). In terms of acute exacerbation, 110 exacerbations were detected and confirmed by health care providers (per 6 months, median 2.0, IQR 1.0-5.0). Moreover, 72 adverse events occurred during the study, including 1 death, 19 hospitalizations, and 52 clinic visits due to persistent respiratory symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: We designed and validated a feasible mHealth-based method to manage COPD in remote Chinese areas with limited medical resources. The proposed closed-loop care pathway was effective at the community level. Proper education and frequent communication with health care providers may encourage patients' acceptance and use of smartphones to support COPD self-management. In addition, WeChat might play an important role in improving patient compliance and psychological distress. Further research might explore the effect of such systems on a larger scale and at a higher evidence level.

A high brightness probe of polymer nanoparticles for biological imaging.

Conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CPNs) with high brightness in long wavelength region were prepared by the nano-precipitation method. Based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) mechanism, the high brightness property of the CPNs was realized by four different emission polymers. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) displayed that the CPNs possessed a spherical structure and an average diameter of ~75nm. Analysis assays showed that the CPNs had excellent biocompatibility, good photostability and low cytotoxicity. The CPNs were bio-modified with a cell penetrating peptide (Tat, a targeted element) through covalent link. Based on the entire wave fluorescence emission, the functionalized CPNs1-4 can meet multichannel and high throughput assays in cell and organ imaging. The contribution of the work lies in not only providing a new way to obtain a high brightness imaging probe in long wavelength region, but also using targeted cell and organ imaging.

Biological Functionalization of Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles for Targeted Imaging and Photodynamic Killing of Tumor Cells.

Conjugated polymer nanoparticles composed of PFT/PS as a core and PEG-COOH on the surface were prepared by a reprecipitating method. The CPNs diaplay excellet properties such as good photostability, low cytotoxicity, and strong brightness, etc. The average diamater of CPNs is 30 nm with a spherical morphology. To realize specific imaging in different parts of tumor cells, the bare CPNs with the carboxyls on the surface were conjugated with antibody or peptide by a covalent mode. Studies display that CPNs modified with anti-EpCAM can recognize MCF-7 tumor cells and locate on the membrane, while CPNs conjugated with transcriptional activator protein (Tat) specifically locate in the cytoplasm of MCF-7 cells. On the basis of the ability of CPNs for producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) under light irradiation, photodynamic therapy for tumor cells was investigated. Due to the long distance and wide diffusion range, MCF-7 tumor cells with CPNs/anti-EpCAM have no obvious change with or without white light irradiation. However, CPNs/Tat exhibits higher killing ability for MCF-7 cells. Noticeably, multifunctional CPNs linked with anti-EpCAM and Tat simultaneously not only can specifically target MCF-7 tumor cells, but also may inhibit and kill these cells. This work develops a potential application platform for multifunctional CPNs in locating imaging, photodynamic therapy, and other aspects.