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Objective Method Results Conclusion To investigate the correlation between lipid levels during gestation and the incidence rate of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and macrosomia.Clinical records of 607 pregnant women with GDM (GDM group) who delivered in the Obstetrics Department of Fujian Maternal and Child Health Hospital from May to December 2018 and of 833 women with uncomplicated pregnancies (control group) were retrospectively analyzed. After delivery, the entire cohort was further grouped based on the weight of the neonates: women who delivered newborns with body mass <4 kg comprised the normal group (n = 1367), and pregnancies that resulted in delivery of neonates with body mass >4 kg were classified as the macrosomia group (n = 73). Fasting serum levels of triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C), low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C), and TG/HDL‐C ratio were compared between the groups at the early (10–12 weeks), middle (24–28 weeks), and late (28 weeks‐delivery) stages of pregnancy, and the correlation between the lipid indices and the rates of GDM and macrosomia were analyzed.There was a gradual increase in TC, TG, LDL‐C, and TG/HDL‐C levels with increasing gestational weeks in pregnant women. TG and TG/HDL‐C levels were markedly higher, while HDL‐C was lower in women with GDM compared with women of the same gestational age with uncomplicated pregnancies (p < 0.05).Lipid metabolism disorders exist in pregnant women with GDM at different gestational stages and are closely related to the higher incidence of macrosomia. TG, TG/HDL‐C, and HDL‐C in early and late pregnancy are independent risk factors for macrosomia in all trimesters, and TG/HDL‐C ratio at different gestational stages has a good predictive value for macrosomia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid‐state lithium‐metal batteries are considered as one of the most promising candidates for next‐generation energy storage devices with high energy density and enhanced safety. Great efforts have been made to design solid‐state electrolytes with enhanced ionic conductivity and to protect the electrochemical interface of the lithium anode. However, the obstruction of ionic‐electronic transport within the cathode remains as another key challenge that needs to be addressed for the practical application of solid‐state batteries. Here, we prepared organic mixed ionic‐electronic conductors (OMIECs) by in‐situ co‐polymerization of three organic monomers (boron‐type crosslinker, ionic liquid, and sulfolene) in the network of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(4‐styrenesulfonate). The as‐prepared OMIECs show an electronic conductivity up to 33.6 S cm−1 and ionic conductivity of 1.7×10−4 S cm−1 at 30 °C, and also binder functionality, providing a combined path for Li+/e− transport in cathodes and maintaining mechanical/(electro−)chemical stability. As a result, solid‐state cathodes composed of 90.0 wt % active materials and only 10.0 wt % OMIECs display exceptional electrochemical characteristics at 30 °C, including high C‐rate capabilities and prolonged cycle life. This novel design of all‐in‐one OMIECs for carbon‐free cathodes demonstrates a promising strategy for developing multifunctional additives for high‐performance solid‐state batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The environment in which rice is stored has a big influence on rice quality. Four rice cultivars with various amylose content types were kept at low temperatures (LT, 4 °C) and room temperature (RT, 20 °C) in this study: NAC: (Low‐amylose content <2%), LAC: (low‐amylose content, about 10%), MAC: (medium‐amylose content, about 17%) and HAC: (high‐amylose content, about 25%). After storage at two temperatures and comparison to the harvest year, the amylose content of 4 types increased, and the change range of the HAC was the lowest. The gel consistency held at LT was higher than that at RT. Under LT storage, the breakdown values of MAC and HAC greatly increased (0.47%–0.65%), but NAC significantly reduced. The enthalpy of gelatinisation (▵Hg) drastically reduced (7.81%–49.10%) from the harvest year. Regeneration enthalpy increased at the grain after being sealed for a year at LT (except HAC) and reduced noticeably at RT. With the exception of ▵Hg and pasting temperature, the DSC profiles had a positive correlation with gel consistency. HPV, CPV and SBV showed a positive correlation with amylose content. As a result, the ideal storage temperature should be chosen based on the amylose type and use of the rice during storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Somatic mutations related to clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) are risk factors for stroke. The impact of DNMT3A, the most mutated gene in CHIP, on clinical functional outcomes of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) remains unclear. In a well‐characterized cohort of 8524 ischemic stroke patients, we demonstrated that DNMT3A‐driven CHIP was significantly associated with neurological disability in these patients. With a stroke mouse model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO), we demonstrated that DNMT3A protein levels in the brain penumbra increased. The DNMT3A inhibitor RG108 administration amplified neutrophil proliferation in the blood, promoted neutrophil infiltration into the brain penumbra, and exaggerated proinflammatory activation in tMCAO male mice. DNMT3A inhibition also significantly increased infarct volume and worsened neurobehavioral function in tMCAO male mice. In conclusion, DNMT3A somatic mutations are associated with worsened neurological disability in some patients with AIS, potentially through increased neutrophil proliferation and infiltration in the ischemic brain region. These findings suggest a possible mechanism for proinflammatory activation and tissue damage in the affected brain tissue, highlighting the need for further research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Periodontitis is an immuno‐inflammatory disease caused by dental plaque biofilms and inflammations. The regeneration of bone tissue in inflammatory environment is of great significance for the treatment of periodontal disease, but the specific molecular mechanism of bone formation in periodontitis still needs further exploration. The objective of this study was to identify key osteogenesis‐related genes (ORGs) in periodontitis. Methods: We used two datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to find differentially expressed mRNAs and miRNAs, further performed Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. Then we predicted the downstream genes of the differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) by the TargetScan database and established a miRNA‐mRNA regulatory network. Finally, the osteogenic mechanism of periodontitis was explored through quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR) by inducing inflammatory environment and osteogenic differentiation of hPDLSCs. Results: Through differential expression analysis and prediction of downstream target genes of DEMs, we created a miRNA‐mRNA regulatory network consisting of 29 DEMs and 11 differentially expressed osteogenesis‐related genes (DEORGs). In addition, the qRT‐PCR results demonstrated that BTBD3, PLAT, AKAP12, SGK1, and GLCE expression levels were significantly upregulated, while those of TIMP3, ZCCHC14, LIN7A, DNAH6, NNT, and ITGA6 were downregulated under the dual effects of inflammatory stimulation and osteogenic induction. Conclusion: DEORGs might be important factors in the osteogenic phase of periodontitis, and the miRNA‐mRNA network may shed light on the clarification of the role and mechanism of osteogenesis in periodontitis and contribute to the development of novel therapeutic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the domains of biomedical applications, wearable devices, and soft robotics, recent advancements have underscored the potential of soft, stretchable, and biocompatible devices. The design of optical soft devices has emerged as an ideal candidate for many applications owing to their high flexibility and immunity to electromagnetic interference. In this review, recent advances in soft optical waveguides, including advanced material selection, fabrication strategies, and characterization, are discussed. Herein, a comprehensive summary of the soft‐waveguide sensing strategies and actuation approaches are provided. Furthermore, the extensive applications of soft optical waveguides in the fields of biomedicine, wearable devices, and soft robotics are explored. Lastly, the challenges and opportunities for the future of soft optical waveguides, including multimodal sensing, algorithm optimization, and manufacturing scalability, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pathogenic variants in KCNQ4 cause DFNA2 nonsyndromic hearing loss. However, the understanding of genotype–phenotype correlations between KCNQ4 and hearing is limited. Here, we identified a novel KCNQ4 mutation p.G228D from a Chinese family, including heterozygotes characterized by high‐frequency hearing loss that is progressive across all frequencies and homozygotes with more severe hearing loss. We constructed a novel murine model with humanized homologous Kcnq4 mutation. The heterozygotes had mid‐frequency and high‐frequency hearing loss at 4 weeks, and moved toward all frequencies hearing loss at 12 weeks, while the homozygotes had severe‐to‐profound hearing loss at 8 weeks. The degeneration of outer hair cells (OHCs) was observed from basal to apical turn of cochlea. The reduced K+ currents and depolarized resting potentials were revealed in OHCs. Remarkably, we observed the loss of inner hair cells (IHCs) in the region corresponding to the frequency above 32 kHz at 8–12 weeks. The results suggest the degeneration of OHCs and IHCs may contribute to high‐frequency hearing loss in DFNA2 over time. Our findings broaden the variants of KCNQ4 and provide a novel mouse model of progressive hearing loss, which contributes to an understanding of pathogenic mechanism and eventually treatment of DFNA2 progressive hearing loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power electronic transformer (PET) should have a satisfying low‐voltage ride‐through (LVRT) ability to cope with different kinds and severities of voltage sags. To solve the LVRT issue, this paper proposes to coordinate mode switching control (MSC) and superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES), and it is to realize the targets of promoting voltage recovery, keeping DC‐link stabilization, and alleviating current inrush. First, the theoretical modeling of a PET incorporating with a SMES unit is implemented, and the PET's fault transient characterizes as well as the SMES's potential supportability is analyzed. Then, the coordination philosophy of the MSC and the SMES is presented. For that the voltage sag reaches a certain threshold, the MSC is enabled to remove the PET's normal control, and the SMES collaboratively operates to lower the DC‐link overvoltage, while avoiding the PET damage. In the process of the coordination control handling the voltage transients, a proper reactive current injection is carried out at the PET's output stage to assist the voltage recovery, and the PET can possess a better LVRT margin. Using MATLAB, a 3 MW PET with an 8 H/1.2 MJ SMES unit is modeled, and different voltage sag scenarios and utilization ways of the MSC and the SMES are simulated. The comparative analysis results show that the proposed approach realizes a satisfying LVRT for the PET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing penetration of renewable energy resources into regional‐integrated energy systems (RIES) holds higher standards on operational flexibility. To alleviate the negative effects of insufficient operational flexibility, this paper proposes a joint market equilibrium model to obtain flexible resources in microgrids (MGs) and district heating networks (DHNs) through economic incentives. Based on the incorporation of the flexiramp (FRP) into the energy markets, a joint market mechanism is first established. Through multi‐energy synergy, the FRP provisions on the supply and demand sides in MGs are then introduced. Considering the flexibility exploitation of DHNs, a collaborative FRP supply method is developed to formulate the optimal bidding strategy for MGs. Moreover, a hierarchical model is designed to achieve joint market equilibrium, where MGs strategically bid in the external layer and the RIES operator optimally clears the market in the internal layer. The combined utilization of the Q‐learning algorithm and path‐tracking interior point method is applied to solve the hierarchical model efficiently. The performance of the proposed approach is verified by case studies. The results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach for operational flexibility improvement through minimizing renewable energy curtailment, the overall cost, and the average energy prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inkjet printing is a powerful technology for realizing high‐density pixelated perovskite light‐emitting diodes (PeLEDs). However, the coffee‐stain effect in the inkjet printing process often leads to uneven thickness and poor crystallization of printed perovskite features, which deteriorates the performance of PeLEDs. Here, a strategy is developed to suppress the coffee‐stain effect via enhancing Marangoni flow strength. An interfacial poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) layer is incorporated to tune the surface tension of the underlying hole transport layer (HTL) and enhance the perovskite crystallization. The substrate temperature is also carefully controlled to tune the printing solvent evaporation rate rationally. By optimizing the thickness of the PVP layer and the temperature of the printing stage, the coffee‐stain effect is dramatically restrained. In addition, the interfacial insulating PVP layers play a positive role in suppressing leakage current level of PeLEDs by avoiding any direct electrical contact between HTL and electron transporting layer. Finally, an inkjet‐printed PeLED with a brightness of 3640 cd m–2 and external quantum efficiency of 9.0% is achieved. This work highlights the availability of inkjet‐printing technology for fabricating patterned PeLEDs in information display applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite single crystals, compared with their polycrystalline counterparts in thin films, are free from grain boundaries and have fewer defects, and therefore are promising in high‐performance optoelectronic devices. Recently, the crystal‐structure anisotropy in perovskites has been utilized to achieve polarization‐sensitive photodetectors. Here, it is shown that under 532 nm linearly polarized illumination, although MAPbBr3 (MA=CH3NH3+1) single crystals possess weak in‐plane anisotropy, nanogratings made on the crystal surface lead to high polarization photodetection sensitivity of ≈2.2 comparable with that of the isotropic perovskite crystals and nanowires, while enhancing both the photodetection responsivity and external quantum efficiency. The surface nanopattern induced polarization sensitivity may find interesting applications in future optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gene alterations are recognized as important events in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) progression. Studies on hematopoiesis of altered genes contribute to a better understanding on their roles in AML progression. Our previous work reported a DEAH box helicase 15 (DHX15) R222G mutation in AML patients, and we showed DHX15 overexpression is associated with poor prognosis in AML patients. In this work, we further study the role of dhx15 in zebrafish developmental hematopoiesis by generating dhx15−/− zebrafish using transcription activator‐like effector nuclease technology. Whole‐mount in situ hybridization (WISH) analysis showed hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells were dramatically perturbed when dhx15 was deleted. Immunofluorescence staining indicated inhibited hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSPC) proliferation instead of accelerated apoptosis were detected in dhx15−/− zebrafish. Furthermore, our data showed that HSPC defect is mediated through the unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway. DHX15 R222G mutation, a recurrent mutation identified in AML patients, displayed a compromised function in restoring HSPC failure in dhx15−/−; Tg (hsp: DHX15 R222G) zebrafish. Collectively, this work revealed a vital role of dhx15 in the maintenance of definitive hematopoiesis in zebrafish through the unfolded protein respone pathway. The study of DHX15 and DHX15 R222G mutation could hold clinical significance for evaluating prognosis of AML patients with aberrant DHX15 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In non‐fullerene‐based photovoltaic devices, it is unclear how excitons efficiently dissociate into charge carriers under small driving force. Here, we developed a modified method to estimate dielectric constants of PM6 donor and non‐fullerene acceptors. Surprisingly, most non‐fullerene acceptors and blend films showed higher dielectric constants. Moreover, they exhibited larger dielectric constants differences at the optical frequency. These results are likely bound to reduced exciton binding energy and bimolecular recombination. Besides, the overlap between the emission spectrum of donor and absorption spectra of non‐fullerene acceptors allowed the energy transfer from donor to acceptors. Hence, based on the synergistic effect of dielectric property and energy transfer resulting in efficient charge separation, our finding paves an alternative path to elucidate the physical working mechanism in non‐fullerene‐based photovoltaic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Halide perovskites are promising emitters for light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) due to their outstanding optoelectronic properties, i.e., tunable bandgap, high photoluminescence quantum efficiency, and excellent color purity. However, in contrast to their green and red cousins, the present blue perovskite LEDs are still suffering from poor operational lifetime and electroluminescence shift during bias operation, hindering their practical applications in full‐color information displays. Developing rational strategies to achieve efficient and stable blue perovskite LEDs is one of the urgent tasks in this community. Herein, through substituting the Pb site with strontium ions, blue perovskite films with stable emission under relatively harsh working conditions, i.e., high electrical bias, constant thermal heating, and UV illumination, are obtained, which accordingly guarantees spectrally stable blue perovskite LEDs with external quantum efficiency of 4.1%. Moreover, different alkaline‐earth metal ions are also investigated to further explore the effects of B‐site ion substitution on the performance of perovskite LEDs. This work demonstrates an alternative path for the development of spectral‐stable blue perovskite LEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric cancer is the third leading cause of cancer‐related deaths worldwide. Novel biomarkers circRNAs can play an important role in the development of gastric cancer as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between the abnormal expression of multiple circRNAs and their prognostic value in gastric cancer patients through a meta‐analysis. We researched articles reporting the relationship between circRNAs and the prognosis of gastric cancer published in PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, Web of Science, Wanfang, CNKI, and VIP databases before 31 December 2019. Thirty‐five articles were selected for the meta‐analysis, involving 3135 gastric cancer patients. The total HR values (95% CI) of OS and DFS related to highly expressed circRNAs that indicated worse prognosis were 1.83 (1.64‐2.03; p < 0.001) and 1.66 (1.33‐2.07; p < 0.001), respectively. The total HR (95% CI) of OS and DFS related to highly expressed circRNAs that indicated better prognosis was 0.54 (0.45‐0.66; p < 0.001) and 0.58 (0.43‐0.78; p < 0.001), respectively. Two panels of five circRNAs predicted a more considerable HR value (circ_0009910, hsa_circ_0000467, hsa_circ_0065149, hsa_circ_0081143, and circDLST; and circSMARCA5, circLMTK2, hsa_circ_0001017, hsa_circ_0061276, and circ‐KIAA1244). The results of the meta‐analysis were 2.63 (2.08‐3.33; p < 0.001) and 0.39 (0.27‐0.59; p < 0.001) for OS, respectively. The two panels of dysregulated circRNAs can be considered as more suitable potential prognostic tumor biomarkers in patients with gastric cancer because of their larger HR values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To elucidate the influence of rape straw returning on soil reducibility and to understand its effects on rice growth and yield in rape‐rice rotation system, 3 years field experiment with 8 treatments of straw incorporation carried out at Mianyang Sichuan Province of China. Results showed that the lowest RCEh value founded at 14–18 d after rice planting; With the increasing of rape straw incorporation, the amount of root (number, weight and length) and root bleeding intensity both increased significantly during 27–32 d after rice planting; 0–20 d are the fast decomposing period of rape straw in rice field. At 10–22 d after rice planting, there is negative correlation between rice root growth and soil reducibility and a negative correlation between rice root and straw incorporation. Oil seed rape straw returning into soil, either by mulching or by ploughing, make the soil more reducible with lower Eh and higher content of reducing material, Fe2+ and hinder the growth of rice root with lower amount (length, weight and number) and bleeding density during this period. Comparing with other straw returning methods, straw returning by ploughing method with the rape straw of 3.0 t/hm2 is more suitable in rice‐rape rotation farms where is convenient for mechanical operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myeloid‐derived suppressor cells with polymorphonuclear morphology (PMN‐MDSCs) contribute to the progression and immune evasion of prostate cancer. However, the spatial distribution of tumor‐infiltrating PMN‐MDSCs in primary and metastatic prostate cancer, especially in the context of comparison between the epithelial and stromal compartments of the tumor, has not been characterized. Here, we describe a multicolor immunofluorescence staining study of 90 primary tumors, 37 lymph node metastases (all with matched primary tumors) and 35 bone metastases using archived samples. CD11b+ CD15+ cells were identified as PMN‐MDSCs and pan‐cytokeratin+ cells were identified as prostate epithelial cells. We found that, in both primary tumor and metastases, PMN‐MDSCs infiltrate much more readily in the stromal area compared with the epithelial area of the tumor regions. In comparison to the stromal area of primary tumors, the stromal area of either lymph node metastases or bone metastases was infiltrated with more PMN‐MDSCs. In primary tumors, stromal PMN‐MDSCs were associated with vascularization, segmented neutrophils, patient age and close juxtaposition to neoplastic epithelial cells. These results reveal the stroma rather than the epithelia of prostate cancer as the major hotbed for PMN‐MDSCs and support the role of PMN‐MDSCs in the metastatic progression of prostate cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light‐sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) allows volumetric live imaging at high‐speed and with low photo‐toxicity. Various LSFM modalities are commercially available, but their size and cost limit their access by the research community. A new method, termed sub‐voxel‐resolving (SVR) light‐sheet add‐on microscopy (SLAM), is presented to enable fast, resolution‐enhanced light‐sheet fluorescence imaging from a conventional wide‐field microscope. This method contains two components: a miniature add‐on device to regular wide‐field microscopes, which contains a horizontal laser light‐sheet illumination path to confine fluorophore excitation at the vicinity of the focal plane for optical sectioning; an off‐axis scanning strategy and a SVR algorithm that utilizes sub‐voxel spatial shifts to reconstruct the image volume that results in a twofold increase in resolution. SLAM method has been applied to observe the muscle activity change of crawling C. elegans, the heartbeat of developing zebrafish embryo, and the neural anatomy of cleared mouse brains, at high spatiotemporal resolution. It provides an efficient and cost‐effective solution to convert the vast number of in‐service microscopes for fast 3D live imaging with voxel‐super‐resolved capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compatibilizing agents, namely, maleic anhydride‐grafted polyolefin elastomer (POE‐g‐MAH) and maleic anhydride‐grafted polypropylene (PP‐g‐MAH), were simultaneously employed in isotactic polypropylene (PP)/titanate whisker composites for high impact toughness and improved mechanical properties. POE‐g‐MAH was used in the composites for reinforcing impact strength of PP. In the meanwhile, PP‐g‐MAH compatibilized counterpart was enrolled for modulating the composite properties. With 3‐aminopropyl triethoxysilane modified whiskers, compatible compatibilizing agent PP‐g‐MAH contributed to maintain the tensile property, while POE‐g‐MAH compatibilized content was prone to improve the composites of PP/whisker with notch impact strength of 9.9 ± 0.7 kJ/m2, which was ~220% higher than that of PP. Validity of interface regulation revealed that POE‐g‐MAH and PP‐g‐MAH were dominated separately to improve impact and tensile strengths with the diversely compatibilized part ratio, and strived in combination for more superior mechanical properties. β‐Form crystals detected by differential scanning calorimetry in the composites favored the extra improvement of tenacity, and crystalline morphology confirmed the promoted heterogeneous nucleation of PP composites with addition of PP‐g‐MAH. Variations of glass transition temperature and loss factor also indicated the different effects of the two compatibilizers on the interface between whiskers and PP matrix. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:3421–3428, 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Although microalgae had been widely used in wastewater treatment, the treatment efficiency is affected by the carbon limitation of the carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio in wastewater. In the present study, the performance on nutrients removal and biomass production was investigated when Chlorococcum sp. GD was inoculated into non‐sterile municipal wastewater and cattle farm wastewater. RESULTS: Although wastewater had indigenous microalgae and bacteria, microalgae could grow and the growth of indigenous bacteria was inhibited when exogenous Chlorococcum sp. GD was inoculated into non‐sterile municipal wastewater and cattle farm wastewater. Nevertheless, both biomass production and nutrients removal were relatively low due to the low C/N ratio in both wastewaters. When sodium acetate was supplemented to both wastewaters in the late exponential growth stage, biomass production and nutrients removal were enhanced. Moreover, the lipid accumulation from microalgal cells grown in municipal wastewater and cattle farm wastewater were 33.2% and 20.9%, respectively. Linoleic and linolenic acids accounted for 47.64 to 56.41% of the total fatty acids, and were in great demand for dietary supplements and aquacultures. CONCLUSION: Chlorococcum sp. GD could be a potential candidate for bioremediation of both wastewaters. The exponential sodium acetate feeding would be an efficient approach for enhancing biomass production and nutrients removal efficiency from wastewater with a low C/N ratio. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytokines play an important role in the pathogenesis of hypertension. The authors hypothesized that interleukin 17 (IL-17) might contribute to the prehypertensive state. This study evaluated the relationship between serum levels of IL-17 and prehypertension. A total of 394 participants were enrolled, after excluding for hypertension or treated hypertension, and divided into two groups (optimal blood pressure [BP] and prehypertension) based on the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure classification of BP. Optimal BP was defined as systolic BP <120 mm Hg and diastolic BP <80 mm Hg. Prehypertension was defined as systolic BP of 120 to 139 mm Hg or diastolic BP of 80 to 89 mm Hg. IL-17A levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mean serum IL-17 concentration in the prehypertension group was significantly higher than in the optimal BP group. The cohort was divided into quartiles Q1 (≤3.5 ng/L), Q2 (3.60 to 6.10 ng/L), Q3 (6.20 to 10.00 ng/L), and Q4 (≥10.10 ng/L) based on IL-17 levels. The Q2 to Q4 groups had increasing odds ratios for having prehypertension compared with the Q1 group. Elevated serum IL-17 was accompanied by a rise in systolic BP. Thus, increased serum IL-17 levels are associated with prehypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A type of compact and cost‐effective light‐sheet imaging device, termed sub‐voxel‐resolving light‐sheet add‐on module (SLAM), is developed to cooperate with conventional 2D epifluorescence microscope, allowing high‐contrast, resolution‐improved 3D imaging of various biological samples at high throughput. Further details can be found in the article by Fang Zhao, Yicong Yang, Yi Li, et al. (e201960243). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND RESULTS CONCLUSION Nitrogen is a key factor affecting the quality of rice. Studying the impact of nitrogen fertilizer on the taste, physicochemical properties, and starch structure of Indica rice with different amylose contents is of great significance for scientifically fertilizing and cultivating high‐quality rice varieties for consumption.The results indicate that increasing nitrogen fertilizer application reduces the amylose content and increases the protein content, resulting in a decrease in taste quality. Simultaneously, it reduces the intergranular porosity of starch particles, improving the appearance and milling quality of rice. Compared to the N1 treatment (nitrogen fertilizer application rate of 90 kg ha−1), the taste of low‐amylose rice (Yixiangyou 2115) and high‐amylose rice (Byou 268) decreased by 14.24% and 19.79%, respectively, under N4 treatment (nitrogen fertilizer application rate of 270 kg ha−1). The effect of nitrogen fertilizer on low‐amylose rice is mainly reflected in increased rice hardness, enthalpy value, and setback viscosity, resulting in a decline in taste. The effect of nitrogen fertilizer on high‐amylose rice is mainly reflected in a decrease in peak viscosity, an increase in gelatinization temperature, and crystallinity under high nitrogen levels.Increasing nitrogen fertilizer application can improve the appearance and milling quality of rice, but it also leads to an increase in protein content, hardness, gelatinization enthalpy, decrease in breakdown value, and a decline in palatability. In practical production, different production measures should be taken according to different production goals. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]