Effects of MTNR1B Genetic Variants on Individual Susceptibility to Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Whether melatonin receptor 1B (MTNR1B) variants are implicated in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) remains unclear. Therefore, we performed this meta-analysis to obtain a more conclusive result on associations between MTNR1B variants and GDM. STUDY DESIGN: Literature research was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 17 studies were eligible for analyses. Pooled overall analyses showed that rs1387153 (dominant model: p = 0.0002, OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.68-0.89; recessive model: p < 0.0001, OR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.24-1.73; allele model: p < 0.0001, OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.72-0.84), rs4753426 (recessive model: p = 0.01, OR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.14-2.68; allele model: p = 0.01, OR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.51-0.93), and rs10830963 (dominant model: p < 0.0001, OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.65-0.78; recessive model: p < 0.0001, OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.40-1.74; allele model: p < 0.0001, OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.69-0.78) variants were all significantly associated with the susceptibility to GDM. Further subgroup analyses by ethnicity of participants yielded similar positive results. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that MTNR1B rs1387153, rs4753426, and rs10830963 variants might serve as genetic biomarkers of GDM.

Two-Level Self-Thickening Mechanism of a Novel Acid Thickener with a Hydrophobic-Associated Structure during High-Temperature Acidification Processes.

Two acid thickeners, ADMC and ADOM, were prepared by aqueous solution polymerization using acrylamide (AM) and methacryloyloxyethyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (DMC) as raw materials, with or without the introduction of octadecyl polyoxyethylene ether methacrylate (OEMA). It was characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR, and the fluorescence spectra of pyrene. The double-layer thickening mechanism of ADOM was proved by comparing the thickening and rheological properties of ADMC and ADOM tested by a six-speed rotary viscometer and a HAKKE MARSIV rheometer during the acidification process. The results showed that the synthetic product was the target product; the first stage of the self-thickening ADOM fresh acid solution during high-temperature acidification was mainly affected by Ca2+ concentration, and the second stage of self-thickening was mainly affected by temperature. The residual viscosity of the 0.8 wt% ADOM residual acid solution was 250, 201.5, and 61.3 mPa·s, respectively, after shearing at 90, 120, and 150 °C for 60 min at a shear rate of 170 s-1. The thickening acid ADOM with a hydrophobic association structure has good temperature resistance and shear resistance, which can be used for high-temperature deep-well acid fracturing. In addition, no metal crosslinking agent was introduced in the system to avoid damage to its formation, and ADOM exhibited good resistance to Ca2+, which could provide ideas for the reinjection of the acidizing flowback fluid. It also has certain advantages for environmental protection.

Decrease in the residents' accessibility of summer cooling services due to green space loss in Chinese cities.

Urban green spaces (UGSs) reduce the surrounding temperature and create cooling areas as a buffer between people and high temperatures, thus helping residents adapt to the warming climate. However, the accessibility of UGS cooling services to the residents of cities remains largely unknown, which hinders decision-making regarding the formulation of climate adaptation and urban greening schemes. In the present study, we estimated the number of residents who accessed UGSs for cooling by analyzing the annual changes in such cooling areas during summer across 315 Chinese cities from 2003 to 2015. Approximately 93.3% of the cities showed significant decreasing trends (p < 0.05) of the total UGS area; as such the UGS coverage dropped from 12.23 ± 0.32% in 2003 to 7.69 ± 0.22% in 2015. Consequently, with the prevalent loss of UGS, the coverage of cooling spaces decreased from 32.55 ± 0.76% in 2003 to 24.39 ± 0.60% in 2015. This has formed a spatial mismatch between the growing urban population and the remaining UGSs. Accordingly, the number of residents of areas outside these cooling spaces increased by 4.23 million per year. In particular, the shortage of cooling services was more significant in cities with < 20,000 USD gross domestic product per capita and < 5 million residents than in the rest of the cities. To minimize the adverse impacts of increasing temperatures, focused greening plans are warranted, specifically in underdeveloped cities.

[Discussion on the clinical treatment of infantile cerebral palsy with the differentiated intervention of meridian points on the spine and back].

In view of the literature study and clinical practice, the rules of the distribution, the general function and the indication of the meridians points on the spine and back were explored. The TCM mechanism on the rehabilitation of infantile cerebral palsy was studied. The rules of acupoint combination on the spine and back were summarized with meridians, main points and supplementary points involved in the TCM rehabilitation of infantile cerebral palsy. In view of the theoretic study, the advantages on the early infantile motor function, such as body turning, sitting, standing and walking, were analyzed with the long-term intervention of meridian points on the spine and back. It is showed in the rehabilitation of infantile cerebral palsy that the intervention of meridian points on the spine and back improves the motor function on the back and relieves the incoordination in the development between each system and enhances the rehabilitation mechanism of the integration of Chinese and western medicine for the functional development of core stability, which provides much more effective and more precise approach to the diagnosis and treatment of infantile cerebral palsy in clinical practice.