PI3K/AKT mediated De novo fatty acid synthesis regulates RIG-1/MDA-5-dependent type I IFN responses in BVDV-infected CD8+T cells.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) has caused massive economic losses in the cattle business worldwide. Fatty acid synthase (FASN), a key enzyme of the fatty acid synthesis (FAS) pathway, has been shown to support virus replication. To investigate the role of fatty acids (FAs) in BVDV infection, we infected CD8+T lymphocytes obtained from healthy cattle with BVDV in vitro. During early cytopathic (CP) and noncytopathic (NCP) BVDV infection in CD8+ T cells, there is an increase in de novo lipid biosynthesis, resulting in elevated levels of free fatty acids (FFAs) and triglycerides (TG). BVDV infection promotes de novo lipid biosynthesis in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment with the FASN inhibitor C75 significantly reduces the phosphorylation of PI3K and AKT in BVDV-infected CD8+ T cells, while inhibition of PI3K with LY294002 decreases FASN expression. Both CP and NCP BVDV strains promote de novo fatty acid synthesis by activating the PI3K/AKT pathway. Further investigation shows that pharmacological inhibitors targeting FASN and PI3K concurrently reduce FFAs, TG levels, and ATP production, effectively inhibiting BVDV replication. Conversely, the in vitro supplementation of oleic acid (OA) to replace fatty acids successfully restored BVDV replication, underscoring the impact of abnormal de novo fatty acid metabolism on BVDV replication. Intriguingly, during BVDV infection of CD8+T cells, the use of FASN inhibitors prompted the production of IFN-α and IFN-ß, as well as the expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). Moreover, FASN inhibitors induce TBK-1 phosphorylation through the activation of RIG-1 and MDA-5, subsequently activating IRF-3 and ultimately enhancing the IFN-1 response. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that BVDV infection activates the PI3K/AKT pathway to boost de novo fatty acid synthesis, and inhibition of FASN suppresses BVDV replication by activating the RIG-1/MDA-5-dependent IFN response.

Groundwater vulnerability assessment using AHP-DRASTIC-GALDIT comprehensive model: a case study of Binhai New Area, Tianjin, China.

Binhai New Area (BHNA), as one of the most economically and industrially regions in the Haihe River Basin, China, is seriously affected by seawater intrusion and groundwater over-exploitation. Groundwater vulnerability assessment (GVA) is an effective tool to protect the groundwater resources from being polluted. In this study, vertical and horizontal groundwater conditional factors were first assessed separately by two different models. The AHP-DRASTIC model was used to evaluate the intrinsic groundwater vulnerability and the AHP-GALDIT model was used to evaluate the specific groundwater vulnerability to seawater intrusion. Then, a GIS-based overlaying approach was used to get the comprehensive shallow groundwater vulnerability. The results of the comprehensive model showed that the vulnerability areas of very low, low, medium, and high account for 1.37%, 11.36%, 60.56%, and 26.71%, respectively. Finally, to effectively manage the groundwater in the study area, two remediation areas, two control areas, and one protected area were determined based on the comprehensive groundwater vulnerability maps. This study can not only promote the development of rational exploitation of shallow groundwater and prevention of groundwater pollution in BHNA but also provide a framework for future research in the GVA on the coast.

Validation of 4 Estimating Methods to Evaluate 24-h Urinary Sodium Excretion: Summer and Winter Seasons for College Students in China.

Twenty-four-hour urine sample collection is regarded as the gold standard for sodium intake evaluation, but the implementation can be difficult. The objective was to validate and evaluate the accuracy and feasibility of estimating sodium intake by four methods. A group of 268 healthy volunteers aged 18-25 years was enrolled in this study. Twenty-four-hour urine samples as well as timed (morning, afternoon, evening, and overnight) urine samples were randomly collected in summer and winter. The sodium intake was estimated by four published methods-Kawasaki, INTERSALT, Tanaka, and Sun's. The consistencies between estimated sodium intake and real measured values of 24-h urinary sodium excretion were compared by Bland-Altman plots in each of the methods. The 24-h urinary sodium analysis result indicated that average daily sodium intake was 3048.4 ± 1225.9 mg in summer and 3564.7 ± 1369.9 mg in winter. At the population level, the bias (estimated value-measured value) was the least with the INTERSALT method with afternoon (-39.7 mg; 95%CI: -164.7, 85.3 mg) and evening (-43.5 mg; 95%CI: -166.4, 79.5 mg) samples in summer. In winter, the Kawasaki method (162.1 mg; 95%CI: 13.5, 310.7 mg) was superior to others. Estimation of sodium intake using the four methods is affected by the time and temperature. In summer, the INTERSALT method provides the best estimation of the population's mean sodium intake. The Kawasaki method is superior to other methods in winter.

Association of dietary patterns with blood uric acid concentration and hyperuricemia in northern Chinese adults.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that a direct association exists between the diet and blood uric acid concentrations. However, works on the association of dietary patterns with blood uric acid concentrations and hyperuricemia remain limited.  OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the association of dietary patterns with blood uric acid concentrations and hyperuricemia. METHODS: The relationship between dietary patterns and hyperuricemia was explored through a nutritional epidemiological survey in China (n = 4855). Three statistical methods, including principal component analysis, reduced rank regression (RRR), and partial least squares regression, were used to extract dietary patterns. General linear regression and logistic regression analyses were utilized to explore the relationship of dietary patterns with blood uric acid concentrations and hyperuricemia. RESULTS: After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the score for the plant-based dietary pattern was found to be negatively correlated with blood uric acid levels (ß = - 3.225) and that for the animal dietary pattern was discovered to be directly correlated with blood uric acid levels (ß = 3.645). The participants in the highest quartile of plant-based dietary pattern scores were at a low risk of hyperuricemia (OR = 0.699; 95% CI: 0.561-0.870, P < 0.05), whereas those in the highest quartile of animal dietary pattern scores were at a high risk of hyperuricemia (OR = 1.401; 95% CI: 1.129-1.739, P < 0.05). The participants in the third quartile of scores for the RRR dietary pattern, which was characterized by the relatively high intake of poultry, sugary beverages, and animal organs and the low intake of desserts and snacks, had a significantly higher risk of hyperuricemia than those in the first quartile of scores for the RRR dietary pattern (OR = 1.421; 95% CI: 1.146-1.763, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our research indicated that plant-based dietary pattern analyzed by PCA was negatively associated with blood uric acid concentrations, while animal-based dietary pattern was directly associated with blood uric acid concentrations. The RRR dietary pattern may have the potential to induce elevations in blood uric acid concentrations.

Association of Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and depression in the elderly over 55 years in Northern China: analysis of data from a multicentre, cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Our study aimed to assess the association between the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and depression in the elderly over 55 years in Northern China. METHODS: We analysed the data of 2022 Chinese adults aged 55 and over from a community-based neurological disease cohort study from 2018 to 2019. A validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to assess eating habits at the time of inclusion. Multiple logistic regression was used for analysis, and social demographics, lifestyle and health-related factors were adjusted. RESULTS: Among the included population, the prevalence of depression was 23.39%. Mean (SD) and range of the DII in the included population were 1.70 (1.42) and -5.20 to +5.68. The risk of depression was significantly higher in participants in the most pro-inflammatory group (quartile 4) than in the participants in the most anti-inflammatory group (quartile 1) (OR 1.53; 1.37 to 1.82; p-trend=0.01). The subgroup analysis of body mass index (BMI) showed that there is a significant association between DII and the risk of depression in overweight and obese people (p＜0.05). The restricted cubic spline results show that the OR value of depression possesses an upward trend with the increase of the DII score. CONCLUSIONS: Aged patients with depression present a higher potential for dietary inflammation. Pro-inflammatory diets might increase the risk of depressive symptoms. Further research in different populations is crucial to confirm the association between DII and depression.

Molecular Diffusion of Ions in Nanoscale Confinement.

We measured the diffusion of an anion, fluorescein, confined to a nanoscale (10-100 nm) aqueous film between two glass walls. The two glass walls were very slightly angled to form a crack. The diffusion of fluorescein was strongly influenced by the presence of an inert electrolyte, NaCl, in the film prior to the diffusion of charged fluorescein into the crack. The time to reach an equilibrium distribution of fluorescein was 10 times longer without the inert electrolyte than when the electrolyte was present. In applications where rapid diffusion of ions is important, it would therefore be advisable to not prewet a confined space with pure water. We attribute this phenomenon to the effect of the electrical potential of the confining walls. Unscreened surface potential in a thin film severely hinders the diffusion of the fluorescein ion. As salt diffuses into the thin film, the electrostatic double layer shrinks in thickness and further diffusion of ions is less hindered. On the other hand, diffusion of ions into the film is only weakly affected by the Debye length of the solution, provided that the surface potential inside a thin film is initially screened by even a low concentration of electrolyte inside the film. The time evolution of the concentration profile for different Debye lengths matches a diffusion model developed with the finite difference method (FDM).

The Relationship Between Mild Cognitive Impairment and Anti-Inflammatory/Pro-Inflammatory Nutrients in the Elderly in Northern China: A Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression Approach.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the role of nutrients with pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory potential in the risk of mild cognitive impairment in the elderly. METHODS: We evaluated the intake of 22 nutrients in the baseline survey data of 612 elderly people in northern China. Meanwhile, the least absolute contraction and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis was used to screen the nutrients with strong correlation with MCI. Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) was devoted to explore the possible associations between various nutrients with different inflammatory potentials and the risk of mild cognitive impairment. RESULTS: A total of 253 people (41.3%) were diagnosed with mild cognition. Ten nutrients are significantly related to the risk of MCI and were screened by a lasso regression model, including 5 pro-inflammatory nutrients (inflammation effect score >0) and 5 anti-inflammatory nutrients (inflammation effect score <0). We incorporated the inflammatory effect scores of 10 nutrients into the BKMR model, and the results showed that the inflammatory effect of 10 nutrients continued to rise with the increase in inflammation scores, proposing that the overall effect is pro-inflammatory. The BKMR analysis results of the pro-inflammatory group and the anti-inflammatory group showed that multiple nutrients in the two groups had a significant combined effect on mild cognitive impairment. We found that by comparing the overall effect of inflammation and the effect of a single group, we found that the inflammation effect of the pro-inflammatory diet and the anti-inflammatory diet had a certain offsetting effect (P < 0.005). CONCLUSION: In the elderly population in northern China, pro-inflammatory diets are associated with an increased risk of mild cognitive impairment. However, these results need to be further evaluated and verified in more prospective studies.

Association of dietary inflammatory index and metabolic syndrome in the elderly over 55 years in Northern China.

We assessed the association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and the development of metabolic syndrome in the elderly over 55 years in Northern China. The data of 1936 Chinese adults aged 55 years and over from a community-based neurological disease cohort study from 2018 to 2019 were analysed. Multiple logistic regression and restricted cubic splines regression were used for analysis, and social demographics, lifestyle and health-related factors were adjusted. In the fully adjusted model, the risk of metabolic syndrome increased by 1·28-fold in people with a pro-inflammatory diet. When we divide the metabolic syndrome by its components, high pro-inflammatory diet and hyperglycaemia, TAG, hypertension and abdominal obesity, we failed to observe a significant association between a high pro-inflammatory diet and HDL-cholesterol. However, these associations are moving in the expected direction. At the same time, the results of BMI subgroup analysis showed that with the increase of DII, obese people are at increased risk of metabolic syndrome, hyperglycaemia, high TAG, hypertension and abdominal obesity. Also in overweight people, the increase in DII is accompanied by an increased risk of hyperglycaemia and abdominal obesity. Higher inflammatory diet is related to metabolic syndrome, hypertension, hyperglycaemia, abdominal obesity and hypertriglyceridaemia. Further research is needed to confirm the role of inflammation and diet in the development of metabolic syndrome; however, it is desirable to reduce the dietary components associated with inflammation.

Role of BMI in the Relationship Between Dietary Inflammatory Index and Depression: An Intermediary Analysis.

Introduction: This study investigated this association and the role of BMI in the inflammatory process in a large population-based observational study. Methods: A total of 1,865 elderly people (≥55 years) were followed from the Community Cohort Study of Nervous System Diseases (CCSNSD) cohort study from 2018 to 2019 (Mean [SD] age, 66.31 [0.32] years; 716 [38.4%] males). The semi-quantitative FFQ and geriatric depression scale (GDS) were used to evaluate the diet and depressive symptoms of the elderly, respectively. The multivariable logistic regression model estimated the OR and 95% CI between Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DII) and depression. The interaction of E-DII and BMI on depressive events was tested, and the mediation analysis of BMI was performed. Results: As measured by E-DII, the mean (SE) value of the inflammatory potential of the diet in our study was 1.56 (0.12). E-DII ranged from 5.23 to 5.58. In comparison with the first quartile, the elderly from the second quartile (OR: 1.15 [95% CI: 1.09, 1.28]) to the fourth quartile (OR: 1.31 [95% CI: 1.16, 1.42]) have a higher risk of depression before adjustment for BMI. An interaction was observed between E-DII and BMI in terms of the risk of depression (PInteraction < 0.001). The whole related part is mediated by BMI (31.06%). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the higher pro-inflammatory potential of diet is associated with a higher risk of depression, and this association may be mediated by BMI. Further research is needed to verify our findings and clarify the latent mechanism.

Failure-Experiment-Supported Optimization of Poorly Reproducible Synthetic Conditions for Novel Lanthanide Metal-Organic Frameworks with Two-Dimensional Secondary Building Units.

Invited for the cover of this issue are Daisuke Tanaka at Kwansei Gakuin University and co-workers at Kwansei Gakuin University, Hokkaido University, Kyoto University, Japan and KU Leuven, Belgium. The image is a depiction of exploring the desired crystal by decision tree analysis. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.202102404.

Investigating Associations Between Depressive Symptoms and Anti-/Pro-Inflammatory Nutrients in an Elderly Population in Northern China: A Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression Approach.

BACKGROUD: The potential for dietary inflammation has been shown to be associated with a variety of chronic diseases. The relationship between the potential for dietary inflammation and depression in the elderly is unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to exam the relationship between different nutrients and the risk of depression symptoms in the elderly. METHODS: In total, 1865 elderly in northern China were investigated at baseline from 2018 to 2019 and followed up in 2020. We measured the baseline intake of 22 nutrients and used Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator(LASSO) regression analysis and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) to explore the association between exposure to a variety of nutrients with different inflammatory potentials and the risk of depressive symptoms. RESULTS: A total of 447 individuals (24.0%) were diagnosed with depressive symptoms. Through the lasso regression model, it was found that 11 nutrients are significantly related to the risk of depressive symptoms, of which 6 nutrients are pro-inflammatory nutrients (inflammation effect score>0), and 5 are anti-inflammatory nutrients (inflammation effect score<0). We incorporated the inflammatory effect scores of 11 nutrients into the BKMR model at the same time, and found that the overall inflammatory effect of 11 nutrients increased with the increase of total inflammatory scores, suggesting that the overall effect was pro-inflammatory. BKMR subgroup analysis shows that whether in the pro-inflammatory nutrient group or the anti-inflammatory nutrient group, multiple nutrients have a significant combined effect on depressive symptoms. By comparing the overall and group effects, we found that the inflammatory effects of the pro-inflammatory diet and the anti-inflammatory diet in the study's diet are offset by each other (P<0.005). CONCLUSION: We determined the combined effect of multiple nutrients of different inflammatory potential classifications on depressive symptoms in the elderly.

Failure-Experiment-Supported Optimization of Poorly Reproducible Synthetic Conditions for Novel Lanthanide Metal-Organic Frameworks with Two-Dimensional Secondary Building Units*.

Novel metal-organic frameworks containing lanthanide double-layer-based secondary building units (KGF-3) were synthesized by using machine learning (ML). Isolating pure KGF-3 was challenging, and the synthesis was not reproducible because impurity phases were frequently obtained under the same synthetic conditions. Thus, dominant factors for the synthesis of KGF-3 were identified, and its synthetic conditions were optimized by using two ML techniques. Cluster analysis was used to classify the obtained powder X-ray diffractometry patterns of the products and thus automatically determine whether the experiments were successful. Decision-tree analysis was used to visualize the experimental results, after extracting factors that mainly affected the synthetic reproducibility. Water-adsorption isotherms revealed that KGF-3 possesses unique hydrophilic pores. Impedance measurements demonstrated good proton conductivities (σ=5.2×10-4  S cm-1 for KGF-3(Y)) at a high temperature (363 K) and relative humidity of 95 % RH.

[Association between mild cognitive impairment and serum uric acid levels among people aged 55 and above in 4 provinces of China].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between mild cognitive impairment and hyperuricemia among people aged 55 and above. METHODS: Based on the baseline survey data of "community cohort study on neurological diseases" from 2018 to 2019, 4272 residents aged 55 and above with complete data of individual socioeconomic status, lifestyle, mild cognitive impairment and serum uric acid level were selected as the research objects. The Montreal cognitive assessment(MoCA) was used to evaluate the mild cognitive impairment of the research objects. The relationship between serum uric acid level and MoCA score was analyzed. Multivariate Logistic regression model was used to analyze the association of serum uric acid level and mild cognitive impairment. RESULTS: The prevalence of cognitive impairment in the normal and high serum uric acid groups were 38. 6% and 38. 4%, respectively. In the normal serum uric acid level group, the serum uric acid level of the non-cognitive impairment group was significantly higher(291. 4 µmol/L)than that of the cognitive impairment group(283. 7 µmol/L)(F=16. 12, P<0. 05), and the MoCA score of the subjects in this group was significantly positively correlated with the serum uric acid level(r=0. 103, P<0. 05). In the hyperuricemia group, no significant difference was found in serum uric acid level between non-cognitive impairment group(450. 9 µmol/L) and cognitive impairment group(442. 4 µmol/L)(F=2. 44, P>0. 05), and there was no correlation between MoCA score and serum uric acid level(r=0. 064, P>0. 05). Logistic regression analysis showed that hyperuricemia was not a risk factor for cognitive impairment in people aged 55 and above(OR=1. 04, 95% CI 0. 87-1. 25, P=0. 630). CONCLUSION: Within the normal range of serum uric acid, appropriate increase of serum uric acid may play a protective role in cognitive impairment. Hyperuricemia has not been found to increase the risk of cognitive impairment in people 55 years and older.

[Relationship between rs2282679 gene locus polymorphism and vitamin D deficiency in college students].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between vitamin D binding protein gene rs2282679 A/C polymorphism with blood vitamin D levels. METHODS: A total of 286 eligible subjects were selected from one university in Hebei Province. Serum 25-hydroxylated vitamin D levels were measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and gene chip was used for genotyping of rs2282679 locus. Statistical analysis was performed using R software. RESULTS: A total of 285 participants in the study completed the experiment, and result indicated that the distribution of the rs2282679 locus A/C polymorphism in the participants was consistent with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The genotype of rs2282679 was significantly associated with serum vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency(P=0. 031). Allele A was a risk factor for vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency. The OR value of allele C relative to A was 0. 65, and the genetic pattern of allele C relative to A was dominant(P=0. 03). CONCLUSION: The vitamin D-binding protein gene rs2282679 was significantly associated with serum vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in college students, and A-allele is a risk factor accounting for vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in college students.

School lunch satisfaction of primary and middle school students and parents in Hebei Province / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand current situation of school meal program in Hebei Province and the satisfaction among students and their parents.@*Methods@#Multi-stage random cluster sampling was used to select 24 primary and secondary schools in the three cities of Shijiazhuang, Tangshan and Cangzhou in Hebei Province. A total of 2 739 students from grades 2, 5 and 8 were randomly selected, and 2 716 parents were surveyed.@*Results@#There were 958 students who were very satisfied with the school lunch, 717 who were more satisfied, 686 who were generally satisfied, 221 who were less satisfied, and 157 who were very dissatisfied. Among them, the satisfaction of students in Shijiazhuang and Tangshan was higher than that in Cangzhou(Z=51.42, P<0.01), and the satisfaction of students in urban areas was higher than that in suburbs(Z=4.12, P<0.01). The satisfaction of young students was higher than that of high students(Z=151.42, P<0.01). There were statistically significant differences in some aspects which as food hygiene, food appearance, lunch quantity, food tastes, foodpairing and lunch price among parents of students in the three cities(P<0.01).@*Conclusion@#Students and parents are generally statisfied with school lunches, but the taste of meals served in schools needs to be improved, and the government needs to invest more in school meals and provide scientific training for cafeteria staff on a regular basis. Parents’ opinions and suggestions on feeding to improve the quality of feeding.

Y-junction carbon nanocoils: synthesis by chemical vapor deposition and formation mechanism.

Y-junction carbon nanocoils (Y-CNCs) were synthesized by thermal chemical vapor deposition using Ni catalyst prepared by spray-coating method. According to the emerging morphologies of Y-CNCs, several growth models were advanced to elucidate their formation mechanisms. Regarding the Y-CNCs without metal catalyst in the Y-junctions, fusing of contiguous CNCs and a tip-growth mechanism are considered to be responsible for their formation. However, as for the Y-CNCs with catalyst presence in the Y-junctions, the formation can be ascribed to nanoscale soldering/welding and bottom-growth mechanism. It is found that increasing spray-coating time for catalyst preparation generates agglomerated larger nanoparticles strongly adhering to the substrate, resulting in bottom-growth of CNCs and appearance of the metal catalyst in the Y-junctions. In the contrary case, CNCs catalyzed by isolated smaller nanoparticles develop Y-junctions with an absence of metal catalyst by virtue of weaker adhesion of catalyst with the substrate and tip-growth of CNCs.