Patterns of Cytogenomic Findings from a Case Series of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Provide Insight into the Extent of Genetic Defects Causing Miscarriages.

Background A retrospective study was performed to evaluate the patterns of cytogenomic findings detected from a case series of products of conception (POC) in recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) over a 16-year period from 2007 to 2023. Results This case series of RPL was divided into a single analysis (SA) group of 266 women and a consecutive analysis (CA) group of 225 women with two to three miscarriages analyzed. Of the 269 POC from the SA group and the 469 POC from the CA group, a spectrum of cytogenomic abnormalities of simple aneuploidies, compound aneuploidies, polyploidies, and structural rearrangements/pathogenic copy number variants (pCNVs) were detected in 109 (41%) and 160 cases (34%), five (2%) and 11 cases (2%), 35 (13%) and 36 cases (8%), and 10 (4%) and 19 cases (4%), respectively. Patterns with recurrent normal karyotypes, alternating normal and abnormal karyotypes, and recurrent abnormal karyotypes were detected in 74 (33%), 71 (32%), and 80 (35%) of consecutive miscarriages, respectively. Repeat aneuploidies of monosomy X and trisomy 16, triploidy, and tetraploidy were detected in nine women. Conclusions A comparable spectrum of cytogenomic abnormalities was noted in the SA and CA groups of RPL. A skewed likelihood of 2/3 for recurrent normal and abnormal karyotypes and 1/3 for alternating normal and abnormal karyotypes in consecutive miscarriages was observed. Routine cytogenetic analysis should be performed for consecutive miscarriages. Further genomic sequencing to search for detrimental and embryonic lethal variants causing miscarriages and pathogenic variants inducing aneuploidies and polyploidies should be considered for RPL with recurrent normal and abnormal karyotypes.

Cumulative inequality in social determinants of health in relation to depression symptom: An analysis of nationwide cross-sectional data from U.S. NHANES 2005-2018.

Social determinants of health (SDoH) have been linked to a higher likelihood of experiencing mental health problems. This study aimed to investigate whether the accumulation of unfavorable SDoH is associated with depression symptom. Data was gathered from a representative population participating in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey spanning from 2005 to 2018. Self-reported SDoH were operationalized according to the criteria outlined in Healthy People 2030, with a cumulative measure of unfavorable SDoH calculated for analysis. The presence of depression symptom was identified using the Patient Health Questionnaire in a representative sample of 30,762 participants (49.2 % males) representing 1,392 million non-institutionalized U.S. adults, with 2,675 (8.7 %) participants showing depression symptom. Unfavorable SDoH were found to be significantly and independently associated with depression symptom. Individuals facing multiple unfavorable SDoHs were more likely to experience depression symptom (P for trend < 0.001). For instance, a positive association was observed in participants exposed to six or more unfavorable SDoHs with depression symptom (AOR = 3.537, 95 % CI: 1.781, 7.075, P-value < 0.001). The findings emphasize that the likelihood of developing depression symptom significantly increases when multiple SDoHs are present, compared to just a single SDoH.

Marinobacter qingdaonensis sp. nov., a moderately halotolerant bacterium isolated from intertidal sediment.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped and halotolerant bacterium, designated as strain ASW11-75T, was isolated from intertidal sediments in Qingdao, PR China, and identified using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Growth of strain ASW11-75T occurred at 10-45 °C (optimum, 37 °C), pH 6.5-9.0 (optimum, pH 8.0) and 0.5-18.0 % NaCl concentrations (optimum, 2.5 %). Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and 1179 single-copy orthologous clusters indicated that strain ASW11-75T is affiliated with the genus Marinobacter. Strain ASW11-75T showed highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to 'Marinobacter arenosus' CAU 1620T (98.5 %). The digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values between strain ASW11-75T and its closely related strains (Marinobacter salarius R9SW1T, Marinobacter similis A3d10T, 'Marinobacter arenosus' CAU 1620T, Marinobacter sediminum R65T, Marinobacter salinus Hb8T, Marinobacter alexandrii LZ-8T and Marinobacter nauticus ATCC 49840T) were 19.8-24.5 % and 76.6-80.7 %, respectively. The predominant cellular fatty acids were C16 : 0, C18 : 1 ω9c and C16 : 0 N alcohol. The polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, one unidentified aminophospholipid and two unidentified lipids. The major isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone-9. The genomic DNA G+C content was 62.2 mol%. Based on genomic and gene function analysis, strain ASW11-75T had lower protein isoelectric points with higher ratios of acidic residues to basic residues and possessed genes related to ion transport and organic osmoprotectant uptake, implying its potential tolerance to salt. The results of polyphasic characterization indicated strain ASW11-75T represents a novel Marinobacter species, for which the name Marinobacter qingdaonensis sp. nov. with the type strain ASW11-75T is proposed. The type strain is ASW11-75T (=KCTC 82497T=MCCC 1K05587T).

Synergistic microwave and acidic deep eutectic solvent-based pretreatment of Theobroma cacao pod husk biomass for xylooligosaccharides production.

The bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass into novel bioproducts is crucial for sustainable biorefineries, providing an integrated solution for circular economy objectives. The current study investigated a novel microwave-assisted acidic deep eutectic solvent (DES) pretreatment of waste cocoa pod husk (CPH) biomass to extract xylooligosaccharides (XOS). The sequential DES (choline chloride/citric acid, molar ratio 1:1) and microwave (450W) pretreatment of CPH biomass was effective in 67.3% xylan removal with a 52% XOS yield from total xylan. Among different XOS of varying degrees of polymerization, a higher xylobiose content corresponding to 69.3% of the total XOS (68.22 mg/g CPH) from liquid fraction was observed. Enzymatic hydrolysis of residual xylan from pretreated CPH biomass with low commercial xylanase (10 IU/g) concentration yielded 24.2% XOS. The MW-ChCl/citric acid synergistic pretreatment approach holds great promise for developing a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method contributing to the sustainable production of XOS from agricultural waste streams.

T Cell Subsets and Immune Homeostasis.

T cells are a heterogeneous group of cells that can be classified into different subtypes according to different classification methods. The body's immune system has a highly complex and effective regulatory network that allows for the relative stability of immune system function. Maintaining proper T cell homeostasis is essential for promoting protective immunity and limiting autoimmunity and tumor formation. Among the T cell family members, more and more T cell subsets have gradually been characterized. In this chapter, we summarize the functions of some key T cell subsets and their impact on immune homeostasis.

PRaG 3.0 therapy for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly fatal disease with limited effective treatment especially after first-line chemotherapy. The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) immunohistochemistry (IHC) positive is associated with more aggressive clinical behavior and shorter overall survival in PDAC. CASE SUMMARY: We present a case of multiple metastatic PDAC with IHC mismatch repair proficient but HER-2 IHC weakly positive at diagnosis that didn't have tumor regression after first-line nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine and PD-1 inhibitor treatment. A novel combination therapy PRaG 3.0 of RC48 (HER2-antibody-drug conjugate), radiotherapy, PD-1 inhibitor, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interleukin-2 was then applied as second-line therapy and the patient had confirmed good partial response with progress-free-survival of 6.5 months and overall survival of 14.2 month. She had not developed any grade 2 or above treatment-related adverse events at any point. Percentage of peripheral CD8+Temra and CD4+Temra were increased during first two activation cycles of PRaG 3.0 treatment containing radiotherapy but deceased to the baseline during the maintenance cycles containing no radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: PRaG 3.0 might be a novel strategy for HER2-positive metastatic PDAC patients who failed from previous first-line approach and even PD-1 immunotherapy but needs more data in prospective trials.

Sensitive electrochemical flow injection analysis of H2O2 released from cells with a pass-through mode.

Conventional plate electrodes were commonly used in electrochemical flow injection analysis and only part of molecules diffused to the plane of electrodes could be detected, which would limit the performance of electrochemical detection. In this study, a low-cost native stainless steel wire mesh (SSWM) electrode was integrated into a 3D-printed device for electrochemical flow injection analysis with a pass-through mode, which is different compared with previous flow-through mode. This strategy was applied for sensitive analysis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) released from cells. Under the optimal conditions (the applied potentials, the flow rate and the sample volume), the device exhibits high sensitivity toward H2O2. Linear relationships could be achieved between electrochemical responses and the concentration of H2O2 ranging from 1 nM to 1 mM. The excellent analytical performance of the SSWM-based device could be attributed to the pass-through mode based on the mesh microstructure and intrinsic catalytic properties for H2O2 by stainless steel. This approach could be further successfully extended for screening of H2O2 released from HeLa cells with electrochemical responses linear to the number of cells in a range of 3 - 1.35 × 104 cells with an injection volume of 30 µL. This study revealed the potential of mesh electrodes in electrochemical flow injection analysis for cellular function and pathology and its possible extension in cell counting and on-line analysis.

Mobile Apps for Patients with Peritoneal Dialysis: Systematic App Search and Evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is one type of renal replacement therapy. If patients have problems during the dialysis process, healthcare providers may not be able assist the patients immediately. mHealth can provide patients with information and help them to solve problems in real-time, potentially increasing their willingness to choose PD. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to conduct a comprehensive review of free mobile applications for patients with PD on the Internet and to recommend suitable mobile applications to facilitate patient self-management and health. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search for PD mobile applications on Google Play and the Apple iTunes Store from 3 to 16 June 2023. RESULTS: A total of 828 identifiable mobile applications were initially identified, and ultimately, 21 met the inclusion criteria. The Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) assessment of the applications revealed the highest score in the functionality domain, followed by the aesthetics, information, app-specific, subjective quality, and engagement domains, respectively. In the comprehensive self-management of PD, the highest percentage was related to disease-related information. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that some applications, with the highest quality, can be recommended to patients for use in English or traditional Chinese.

Racial discrimination during middle age predicts higher serum phosphorylated tau and neurofilament light chain levels a decade later: A study of aging black Americans.

INTRODUCTION: Recent evidence suggests that exposure to the stress of racism may increase the risk of dementia for Black Americans. METHODS: The present study used 17 years of data from a sample of 255 Black Americans to investigate the extent to which exposure to racial discrimination predicts subsequent changes in serum Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) biomarkers: serum phosphorylated tau181(p-tau181), neurofilament light (NfL), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). We hypothesized that racial discrimination assessed during middle age would predict increases in these serum biomarkers as the participants aged into their 60s. RESULTS: Our findings indicate that exposure to various forms of racial discrimination during a person's 40s and early 50s predicts an 11-year increase in both serum p-tau181 and NfL. Racial discrimination was not associated with subsequent levels of GFAP. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that racial discrimination in midlife may contribute to increased AD pathology and neurodegeneration later in life. HIGHLIGHTS: A 17-year longitudinal study of Black Americans. Assessments of change in serum p-tau181, neurofilament light, and glial fibrillary acidic protein. Exposure to racial discrimination during middle age predicted increases in p-tau181 and neurofilament light. Education was positively related to both p-tau181 and exposure to racial discrimination.

Characterization of iso-LSD metabolism using human liver microsomes in comparison to LSD and its applicability as urinary biomarker for LSD consumption.

Urinalysis of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) poses a challenge due to its rapid metabolism, resulting in little to no LSD detectable in urine. Instead, its primary metabolite, 2-oxo-3-hydroxy-LSD, is predominantly detected. In this study, we observed several urine profiles with iso-LSD detected together with 2-oxo-3-hydroxy-LSD. Iso-LSD is derived from illicit preparation of LSD as a major contaminant, and it was detected at higher abundance than LSD and 2-oxo-3-hydroxy-LSD in certain urine samples. Therefore, the metabolism of iso-LSD and its potential as a viable urinary biomarker for confirming LSD consumption is of interest. For metabolism studies, LSD and iso-LSD were incubated in human liver microsomes (HLMs) at 0 min, 60 min and 120 min to characterize their metabolites using LC-QTOF-MS. For urinary analysis, 500 µL of urine samples underwent enzymatic hydrolysis and clean-up using supported-liquid extraction (SLE) prior to analysis by LC-QTOF-MS. From HLM incubation study of LSD, the metabolites detected were dihydroxy-LSD, 2-oxo-LSD, N-desmethyl-LSD (nor-LSD) and 2-oxo-3-hydroxy-LSD with LSD levels decreasing significantly throughout all time points, consistent with the existing literatures. For HLM study of iso-LSD, metabolites eluting at retention times after the corresponding metabolites of LSD were detected, with iso-LSD levels showing only a slight decrease throughout all time points, due to a slower metabolism of iso-LSD compared to LSD. These findings corroborate with the urinalysis of 24 authentic urine samples, where iso-LSD with 2-oxo-3-hydroxy-LSD was detected in the absence of LSD. Based on our findings, iso-LSD is commonly detected in urine (18 out of 24 samples) sometimes with traces of possible 2-oxo-3-hydroxy-iso-LSD. The slower metabolism and high detection rate in urine make iso-LSD a viable urinary biomarker for confirming LSD consumption, especially in the absence of LSD and/or 2-oxo-3-hydroxy-LSD.

Secular trends in the prevalence of meeting 24-hour movement guidelines among U.S. adolescents: evidence from NHANES 2007-2016.

Background: The 24-Hour Movement Guidelines (24-HMG) recommend a balanced combination of physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB) and sleep (SLP) for optimal health. However, there is limited understanding of how well U.S. adolescents adhere to these guidelines. This study aims to analyze the prevalence trends of meeting the 24-HMG among a nationally representative sample of U.S. general adolescents. Methods: The study included 2,273 adolescents (55.3% boys) aged 16-19 who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) from 2007 to 2016. The researchers categorized the adolescents based on whether they met various PA, SB, and SLP recommendations, as well as different combinations of these recommendations, separately for boys and girls. The prevalence rate, weighted by survey data, was calculated along with a 95% confidence interval (CI) to assess the changes in meeting the 24-HMG among U.S. adolescents across different survey years and sociodemographic subgroups. Results: In the 2015-2016 cycle, approximately 6.3% of adolescents did not meet any of the three recommendations, while only 19.2% of adolescents achieved all three guidelines. Compliance with PA and SB recommendations among adolescents has decreased over time, from 72.5% (65.9% to 79.2%) to 64.2% (57.4% to 70.9%) for PA, and from 59.0% (49.6% to 68.4%) to 46.6% (37.8% to 55.5%) for SB, respectively, from 2007-2008 cycle to 2015-2016 cycle. Boys exhibited more favorable patterns in meeting different sets of recommendations compared to girls (p-value <0.001). This includes meeting both PA and SB guidelines (15.5% for boys and 11.1% for girls) and meeting both PA and SLP guidelines (19.5% for boys and 15.7% for girls). The level of parental education was found to have effect on meeting all three guidelines (Ptrend < 0.05). Conclusion: We analyzed ten consecutive years of representative NHANES data to evaluate the prevalence meeting 24-HMG and found that the proportion of adolescents aged 16-19 in the U.S. who adhered to all three movement guidelines simultaneously has consistently remained low throughout each survey cycle. Notably, there has been a significant decline in the proportion of adolescents meeting the SB guideline.

Outdoor gardening activity with different frequency and duration may be associated with reduction of total and cause-specific mortality risk for general U.S. adults: Findings from the NHANES.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Engaging in recommended levels of physical activity (PA) is associated with reduced overall and cause-specific mortality rates. Our study aims to examine the relationship between gardening-specific PA and all-cause and cause-specific mortality based on representative U.S. adults. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 13,812 adults representing 663.5 million non-institutionalized U.S. adults were included in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Self-reported gardening activity (GA) was assessed by a validated questionnaire, and outcomes of interest were all-cause mortality and mortality specific to certain causes. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using survey-multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. During a median follow-up period of 16.8 years (Interquartile range = 14.8-18.7), there were 3,476 deaths. After adjusting for potential covariates, we found that participants exposed to GA were more likely to have a lower risk of total mortality [HR (95% CI): 0.76 (0.68, 0.85), P-value < 0.001], cancer-specific mortality [HR (95% CI): 0.81 (0.67, 0.99), P-value < 0.05], cardiovascular disease mortality [HR (95% CI): 0.65 (0.53, 0.80), P-value < 0.001], and respiratory disease mortality [HR (95% CI): 0.66 (0.45, 0.98), P-value < 0.05], compared to those without GA exposure. Furthermore, engaging in GA more frequently and for longer durations was significantly associated with a lower total mortality risk. CONCLUSION: Our study provides evidence that engaging in GA is associated with a decreased risk of overall and cause-specific mortality. However, further longitudinal or interventional studies are needed to investigate the potential benefits of GA.

Chromium iodate: the structure and origin of optical second harmonic generation.

Iodate crystal materials are some of the important candidates for mid-infrared nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals. Almost all the structures and NLO properties of monometallic iodates have been studied, except for a few difficult to synthesize crystalline phases. In this work, crystalline Cr(IO3)3 was synthesized and its optical properties were studied. Cr(IO3)3 has a strong powder second-harmonic generation (SHG) effect (1.3 × AgGaS2) and a large birefringence (0.24) at 2100 nm. Theoretical calculations indicate that the 3d orbital of Cr3+ is strongly involved in the SHG process, and the contribution of the metal cation centered unit CrO6 to the SHG response is much greater than that of the non-metal cation centered unit IO3. This study provides a new case among the few NLO materials in which the SHG response is dominated by metal cation centered groups.

Association of acylcarnitines with maternal cardiometabolic risk factors is defined by chain length: the S-PRESTO study.

CONTEXT: Due to the essential role of carnitine as an intermediary in amino acid, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, a detailed characterization of circulating and urinary carnitine concentrations will aid in elucidating the molecular basis of impaired maternal metabolic flexibility and facilitating timely intervention for expectant mothers. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of maternal plasma and urinary free carnitine and acylcarnitines with cardiometabolic risk factors. METHODS: LC-MS/MS-based quantification of free carnitine and acylcarnitines (C2-C18) was performed on 765 plasma and 702 urine samples collected at preconception, 26-28 weeks' pregnancy, and three months postpartum in the Singapore PREconception Study of long-Term maternal and child Outcomes (S-PRESTO) cohort study. RESULTS: Plasma concentrations of free carnitine and acylcarnitines decreased coupled with increased renal clearance in pregnancy compared to preconception and postpartum. Renal clearance of carnitine increased with an increase in pre-pregnancy body mass index (ppBMI) and gestational weight gain. Plasma short-chain acylcarnitines were positively associated with ppBMI, irrespective of the physiological state, while medium- and long-chain acylcarnitines were negatively associated with ppBMI at preconception and postpartum but showed a positive association in pregnancy. Similarly, plasma short-chain acylcarnitines were positively associated with HOMA-IR whereas medium- and long-chain acylcarnitines were negatively associated with HOMA-IR at preconception and in pregnancy. Mothers who developed gestational diabetes mellitus during pregnancy had ∼10% higher plasma propionylcarnitine concentration and ∼18% higher urine tiglylcarnitine concentration compared to mothers with normal glucose metabolism at preconception. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the metabolic and physiological basis of maternal carnitine homeostasis, which can be used in assessment of maternal cardiometabolic health at preconception to improve pregnancy outcomes.

"We need to work towards it, whatever it takes."-participation factors in the acceptability and feasibility of lung cancer screening in Australia: the perspectives of key stakeholders.

Background: Low dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening, targeted at those at high-risk, has been shown to significantly reduce lung cancer mortality and detect cancers at an early stage. Practical, attitudinal and demographic factors can inhibit screening participation in high-risk populations. This study aimed to explore stakeholders' views about barriers and enablers (determinants) to participation in lung cancer screening (LCS) in Australia. Methods: Twenty-four focus groups (range 2-5 participants) were conducted in 2021 using the Zoom platform. Participants were 84 health professionals, researchers, policy makers and program managers of current screening programs. Focus groups consisted of a structured presentation with facilitated discussion lasting about 1 hour. The content was analysed thematically and mapped to the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Results: Screening determinants were identified across each stage of the proposed screening and assessment pathway. Challenges included participant factors such as encouraging participation for individuals at high-risk, whilst ensuring that access and equity issues were carefully considered in program design. The development of awareness campaigns that engaged LCS participants and health professionals, as well as streamlined referral processes for initial entry and follow-up, were strongly advocated for. Considering practical factors included the use of mobile vans in convenient locations. Conclusions: Participants reported that LCS in Australia was acceptable and feasible. Participants identified a complex set of determinants across the proposed screening and assessment pathway. Strategies that enable the best chance for program success must be identified prior to implementation of a national LCS program.

Unveiling the mechanism of high sugar diet induced advanced glycosylation end products damage skin structure via extracellular matrix-receptor interaction pathway.

BACKGROUND: AGEs accumulate in the skin as a result of a high-sugar diet and play an important role in the skin aging process. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to characterize the mechanism underlying the effect of a high-sugar diet on skin aging damage at a holistic level. METHODS: We established a high-sugar diet mouse model to compare and analyze differences in physiological indexes. The effect of a high-sugar diet on skin aging damage was analyzed by means of a transcriptome study and staining of pathological sections. Furthermore, the differences in the protein expression of AGEs and ECM components between the HSD and control groups were further verified by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The skin in the HSD group mice tended toward a red, yellow, dark, and deep color. In addition, the epidermis was irregular with anomalous phenomena, the epidermis was thinned, and the dermis lost its normal structure and showed vacuolated changes. Transcriptomics results revealed significant downregulation of the ECM-receptor interaction pathway, significant upregulation of the expression of AGEs and significant downregulation of the expression levels of COLI, FN1, LM5, and TNC, among others ECM proteins and ECM receptors. CONCLUSIONS: High-sugar diets cause skin aging damage by inducing the accumulation of AGEs, disrupting the expression of ECM proteins and their receptors, and downregulating the ECM-receptor interaction pathway, which affects cellular behavioral functions such as cell proliferation, migration, and adhesion, as well as normal skin tissue structure.

The Association Between Prenatal Food Insecurity and Breastfeeding Initiation and Exclusive Breastfeeding Duration: A Longitudinal Study Using Oregon PRAMS and PRAMS-2, 2008-2015.

Background: In the United States, 11.1% of households experience food insecurity; however, pregnant women are disproportionately affected. Maternal food insecurity may affect infant feeding practices, for example, through being a source of chronic stress that may alter the decision to initiate and continue breastfeeding. Thus, we sought to determine whether prenatal food insecurity was associated with breastfeeding (versus not) and exclusive breastfeeding duration among Oregon women. Method: The Oregon Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data of live births from 2008 to 2015 and the Oregon PRAMS-2 follow-up survey were used (n = 3,624) in this study. Associations with breastfeeding initiation and duration were modeled with multivariable logistic regression and accelerated failure time (AFT), respectively. Models were adjusted for maternal sociodemographic and pre-pregnancy health characteristics. Results: Nearly 10% of women experienced prenatal food insecurity. For breastfeeding initiation, unadjusted models suggested non-significant decreased odds (odds ratio (OR) 0.88 [confidence intervals (CI): 0.39, 1.99]), whereas adjusted models revealed a non-significant increased odds (OR 1.41 [CI: 0.58, 3.47]). Unadjusted AFT models suggested that food-insecure mothers had a non-significant decrease in exclusive breastfeeding duration (OR 0.76 [CI: 0.50, 1.17]), but adjustment for covariates attenuated results (OR 0.89 [CI: 0.57, 1.39]). Conclusions: Findings suggest minimal differences in breastfeeding practices when exploring food security status in the prenatal period, though the persistence of food insecurity may affect exclusive breastfeeding duration. Lower breastfeeding initiation may be due to other explanatory factors correlated with food insecurity and breastfeeding, such as education and marital status.

Clinical grade multiparametric cell sorting and gene-marking of regulatory T cells.

BACKGROUND AIMS: Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are the main mediators of peripheral tolerance. Treg-directed therapy has shown promising results in preclinical studies of diverse immunopathologies. At present, the clinical applicability of adoptive Treg transfer is limited by difficulties in generating Tregs at sufficient cell dose and purity. METHODS: We developed a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliant method based on closed-system multiparametric Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) to purify Tregs, which are then expanded in vitro and gene-marked with a clinical grade retroviral vector to enable in vivo fate tracking. Following small-scale optimization, we conducted four clinical-scale processing runs. RESULTS: We showed that Tregs could be enriched to 87- 92% purity following FACS-sorting, and expanded and transduced to yield clinically relevant cell dose of 136-732×106 gene-marked cells, sufficient for a cell dose of at least 2 × 106 cells/kg. The expanded Tregs were highly demethylated in the FOXP3 Treg-specific demethylated region (TSDR), consistent with bona fide natural Tregs. They were suppressive in vitro, but a small percentage could secrete proinflammatory cytokines, including interferon-γ and interleukin-17A. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the feasibility of isolating, expanding and gene-marking Tregs in clinical scale, thus paving the way for future phase I trials that will advance knowledge about the in vivo fate of transferred Tregs and its relationship with concomitant Treg-directed pharmacotherapy and clinical response.

Associations of muscle mass and strength with new-onset diabetes among middle-aged and older adults: evidence from the China health and retirement longitudinal study (CHARLS).

BACKGROUND: The associations of muscle mass and strength with new-onset Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remain controversial. We aimed to longitudinally evaluate muscle mass and strength in predicting T2DM among Chinese middle-aged and older adults. METHODS: We enrolled 6033 participants aged ≥ 45 years from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a cohort survey, between 2011 and 2012. The appendicular skeletal muscle mass (normalized by weight, ASM/BW%), relative hand grip strength (normalized by weight, HGS/BW), and five-repetition chair stand test (5CST). were all categorized into tertiles (lowest, middle, and highest groups) at baseline, respectively. Individuals were followed up until the occurrence of diabetes or the end of CHARLS 2018, whichever happened first. Cox proportional hazards models to calculate hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and mediation analysis were used. RESULTS: During follow-up, 815 (13.5%) participants developed T2DM. After adjusting for covariates, lower ASW/BW% was not associated with a higher risk of diabetes. Compared with individuals in the highest tertile of HGS/BW, those in the lowest tertile had 1.296 (95%CI 1.073-1.567) higher risk of diabetes. Compared with individuals in the lowest tertile of 5CST, those in the highest tertile had 1.329 times (95%CI 1.106-1.596) higher risk of diabetes. By subgroup, both the lowest HGS/BW and highest 5CST were risk factors for diabetes among obesity. The mediation analysis revealed that the effect of HGS/BW on the risk of diabetes is mainly mediated by insulin resistance. CONCLUSIONS: Lower muscle strength is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, especially in obese populations.

Paraflavitalea pollutisoli sp. nov., Pollutibacter soli gen. nov. sp. nov., Polluticoccus soli gen. nov. sp. nov., and Terrimonas pollutisoli sp. nov., four new members of the family Chitinophagaceae from polluted soil.

A taxonomic investigation was conducted on four bacterial strains isolated from soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these strains belonged to the family Chitinophagaceae. Examination of the 16S rRNA genes indicated that their sequence identities were below 97.6 % compared to any known and validly nominated bacterial species. The genomes of the four strains ranged from 4.12 to 8.76 Mb, with overall G + C molar contents varying from 41.28 % to 50.39 %. Predominant cellular fatty acids included iso-C15:0, iso-C15:1 G, and iso-C17:0 3-OH. The average nucleotide identity ranged from 66.90 % to 74.63 %, and digital DNA-DNA hybridization was 12.5-12.8 %. Based on the genomic and phenotypic features of the new strains, four novel species and two new genera were proposed within the family Chitinophagaceae. The ecological distributions were investigated by data-mining of NCBI databases, and results showed that additional strains or species of the newly proposed taxa were widely distributed in various environments, including polluted soil and waters. Functional analysis demonstrated that strains H1-2-19XT, JS81T, and JY13-12T exhibited resistance to arsenite (III) and chromate (VI). The proposed names for the four novel species are Paraflavitalea pollutisoli (type strain H1-2-19XT = JCM 36460T = CGMCC 1.61321T), Terrimonas pollutisoli (type strain H1YJ31T = JCM 36215T = CGMCC 1.61343T), Pollutibacter soli (type strain JS81T = JCM 36462T = CGMCC 1.61338T), and Polluticoccus soli (type strain JY13-12T = JCM 36463T = CGMCC 1.61341T).