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Purpose: This study analyzed the relation of energy and macronutrient intake at dinner versus breakfast with the risk of hyperhomocysteinemia (Hhcy). Methods: Up to 12,474 adults, in which 1,387 with Hhcy, completed a questionnaire about energy and macronutrient intake in the National Health and Nutrition Examination. The differences (Δ) in that between dinner and breakfast (Δ = dinner – breakfast) were categorized into quartiles. Logistic regression analyses or restrictive cubic spline regressions were conducted to determine the relation in Δ and the risk of Hhcy, as well as the change in risk when 5% energy at dinner was substituted with those at breakfast through isocaloric substitution models. Results: After adjusted the confounders, results showed that compared to the research objects in the lowest quartile, those in the highest quartile were more prone to get Hhcy (odds ratio (OR)Δ energy = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.03–1.56; ORΔ protein = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.01–1.55; ORΔ PUFA = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.01–1.49, respectively). Isocalorically replacing 5% energy at dinner with energy at breakfast was related to 5% lower Hhcy risk. Replacing 5% of energy provided by protein at dinner with that by protein or PUFA at breakfast was related to 10% and 11% lower Hhcy risk, respectively. Replacing 5% energy provided by PUFA at dinner with that by protein or PUFA at breakfast were associated with 8% and 6% lower Hhcy risk, respectively. Conclusion: The optimal intake period for energy, protein, and polyunsaturated fatty acid intake for reducing Hhcy risk in adults was the morning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism of the difference in bacterial community composition caused by environmental factors in the underground coal mine is unclear. In order to reveal the influence of coal mining activities on the characteristics of bacterial community structure in coal seam, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing technology was used to determine the species abundance, biodiversity, and gene abundance of bacterial community in a coal mine in Shanxi Province, and the environmental factors such as metal elements, non-metal elements, pH value, and gas concentration of coal samples were determined. The results showed that environmental factors and bacterial communities had obvious regional characteristics. Mining activities greatly affected the α diversity of bacterial communities, mining working face > main airway > roadway roof > unexposed coal seam > tunneling roadway. The bacterial community composition of each sample point is also very different. The main airway, roadway roof, and unexposed coal seam are dominated by Actinobacteria while the mining working face and tunneling roadway are dominated by Proteobacteria. Among the gene abundances of metabolic pathways in each site, Citrate cycle had the greatest difference, followed by glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, and oxidative phosphorylation and methane metabolism had little difference. RDA analysis showed that the environmental factors affecting the bacterial community were mainly cadmium, oxygen, hydrogen, and gas content. CCA analysis divided the bacterial community into three categories. Degradation functional bacteria are located in mining working face, bacteria that tolerate poor environments are located in main airway and tunneling roadway, and human pathogens are mostly located in roadway roof and unexposed coal seam. The research results would provide support for realizing green and safe mining in coal mines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the effectiveness and cutoffs of axial length/corneal radius (AL/CR) ratio for myopia detection in children by age. Methods: Totally, 21 kindergartens and schools were enrolled. Non-cycloplegic autorefraction (NCAR), axial length (AL), horizontal and vertical meridian of corneal radius (CR1, CR2), and cycloplegic autorefraction were measured. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to obtain the effectiveness and cutoff for myopia detection. Results: Finally, 7803 participants aged 3–18 years with mean AL/CR ratio of 2.99 ± 0.16 were included. Area under the ROC curve (AUC) of AL/CR ratio for myopia detection (0.958 for AL/CR1, 0.956 for AL/CR2, 0.961 for AL/CR) was significantly larger than that of AL (0.919, all P < 0.001), while AUCs of the three were similar with different cutoffs (> 2.98, > 3.05, and > 3.02). When divided by age, the ROC curves of AL/CR ratio in 3- to 5-year-olds showed no significance or low accuracy (AUCs ≤ 0.823) in both genders. In ≥ 6-year-olds, the accuracies were promising (AUCs ≥ 0.883, all P < 0.001), the cutoffs basically increased with age (from > 2.93 in 6-year-olds to > 3.07 in 18-year-olds among girls, and from > 2.96 in 6-year-olds to > 3.07 in 18-year-olds among boys). In addition, boys presented slightly larger cutoffs than girls in all ages except for 16 and 18 years old. For children aged 3–5 years, AL/CR ratio or AL combined with NCAR increased AUC to > 0.900. Conclusion: AL/CR ratio provided the best prediction of myopia with age-dependent cutoff values for all but preschool children, and the cutoffs of boys were slightly larger than those of girls. For preschool children, AL/CR ratio or AL combined with NCAR is recommended to achieve satisfactory accuracy. AL/CR ratio calculated by two meridians showed similar predictive power but with different cutoffs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Orthokeratology (OK) and low-concentration atropine are recommended approaches for controlling myopia. However, children with younger age and lower myopia are more likely to experience rapid axial progression during OK or atropine monotreatment. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of OK combined with low-concentration atropine for myopia control in children over 24 months and to determine whether the effect was sustainable. Methods: In this retrospective study, we reviewed medical records of baseline and follow-up visits from children (7–14 years) applying OK for myopia control. Sixty-eight children receiving monoorthokeratology treatment (OK group) and 68 children who received 0.01% atropine in combination with orthokeratology simultaneously (AOK group) were included. A series of ophthalmic tests at baseline were conducted, and axial length (AL) was measured every 6 months. The comparison of AL change at different visits between the two groups was performed by repeated measures multivariate analyses of variance (RM–MANOVA). Results: There were no significant differences in baseline characters between the two groups (p > 0.05). The AL significantly increased over time in both groups (all p < 0.05), and the 2-year change in AOK was 0.16 mm (36%) lower than in OK (0.28 ± 0.22 mm versus 0.44 ± 0.34 mm, p = 0.001). Compared with OK group, the significant suppression of AL elongation in the AOK group was observed in 0–6, 6–12, and 12–18 month periods (suppression rate: 62.5%, 33.3%, 38.5%, respectively, p < 0.05), while there was no significant difference in the 18–24 month period (p = 0.105). The multiple regression analysis showed an interaction between age and treatment effect (interaction coefficient = 0.06, p = 0.040), indicating one year age decrease approximately associated with 0.06 mm increased retardation in AL elongation in the AOK group. Conclusion: The add-on effect of 0.01% atropine in OK wearers only occurred within 1.5 years, and younger children benefited more from the combination treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few nationwide investigations on hair selenium (Se) and Keshan disease (KD) have been conducted. KD is closely associated with Se deficiency. Hair Se is an important biomarker for selenium nutrition. This research aimed to provide evidence for assessment of KD prevention, control, and elimination at the molecular level from the etiological perspective of selenium nutrition. The hair Se of the residents living in the KD endemic and non-endemic areas were determined through atomic fluorescence spectrometer. The median of the hair Se levels of the inhabitants living in KD endemic counties was significantly lower than that in KD non-endemic counties (0.34 vs 0.39 mg/kg, U = −10.03, P < 0.0001). The proportion of Se-deficient or Se-marginal residents in KD endemic counties was significantly higher than that in KD non-endemic counties (56.9% vs 36.6%, U = −9.57, P < 0.0001). The medians of the hair Se levels in KD endemic provinces of Shannxi, Heilongjiang, and Gansu were the lowest (0.35mg/kg), and in the category of Se-marginal status. The hair Se level featured a positive Spearman correlation with per capita disposable income (rs = 0.20, P < 0.0001). In conclusion, the median of the hair Se contents of residents living in KD endemic counties was significantly lower than that in KD non-endemic counties. The hair Se contents of nearly 57% of inhabitants living in KD endemic regions were in Se-deficient or Se-marginal status. The KD endemic provinces of Shannxi, Heilongjiang, and Gansu should be given high priority in KD prevention and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims at developing novel thermal protective fabrics with three-dimensional spacer woven structure, using basalt fibers and polyimide fibers. Different properties of three-dimensional spacer woven fabrics were discussed, such as flame retardant, thermal insulation, thermal protection performance and thermal stability. In addition, the effects of spacing heights on different thermal protection properties were also explored. The limiting oxygen index and vertical burning tests were used to evaluate flame retardant performance. Results demonstrated that the LOI value of the outer basalt fabric is greater than 69% and that of the inner polyimide fabric is greater than 35%, indicating an excellent flame retardant property. The thermal insulation performance of fabrics was characterized by the thermal resistance and insulation rate. Results confirmed that the insulation rate and thermal resistance of fabric spaced at a height of 0 mm are much lower than other fabrics with spacer yarn height, which means that the thermal insulation performance of three-dimensional fabrics has been greatly improved compared with two-dimensional fabrics. In terms of thermal protection performance, the fabric with a spacing height of 8 mm has the highest TPP value and consequently shows the best thermal protection performance. Furthermore, the shape and quality of the sample are stable after heat treatment, suggesting that the designed fabric has good thermal stability. Finally, the heat transfer process of the fabric was observed by performing numerical simulations at high temperature on fabrics with a spacing height of 8 mm. The simulation results showed that the air layer in the middle of the fabric acted as a heat insulation barrier, which makes the heat transfer slower and thus effectively improves the thermal protection performance of the fabric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Due to pubertal development and crystalline lens compensation, axial length (AL) continues to increase among non-progressive myopic children (absolute annual spherical equivalent (SE) progression less than 0.25 diopter), but the amount is unknown. This study was to investigate the cutoff of AL change to accurately differentiate between progressive and non-progressive myopes. Methods: A total of 8,546 myopic and treatment-naive children aged 6–10 years were enrolled from two cohort studies. AL with optical biometer and cycloplegic SE with auto refraction were evaluated at baseline and annually. Annual AL change was calculated, and the percentiles of annual axial elongation among progressive and non-progressive myopes were estimated by quantile regression with restricted cubic spline. Area under receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUROC), positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were applied to evaluate the accuracy of predicting progressive and non-progressive myopes. Results: Among 8,546 myopic children, 603 (7.06%) were non-progressive myopes. Annual AL changes among non-progressive myopes remained stable with the median annual change being 0.25 mm, while the median for progressive myopes decreased with age from 0.58 to 0.42 mm. AUROC for distinguishing between non-progressive and progressive myopes was 0.88 and was > 0.85 for each age group. Annual AL change, the cutoff of 0.20 mm/year, had significantly high PPV and NPV in predicting progressive myopes with high proportion of progressive myopes and non-progressive myopes with low proportions of progressive myopes. Conclusion: Myopic children with non-progressive status had markedly less axial elongation than progressive ones. AL changes with cutoff of 0.20 mm/year could differentiate between non-progressive and progressive status and may be an alternative for evaluating progressive status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple electrochemically mediated method for the conversion of nitroarenes to aryl boronic esters is presented. Electrochemical borylation of a diverse range of nitroarenes, including the late-stage borylation of bioactive molecules, is furnished at room temperature under simple conditions, thereby demonstrating the broad utility and functional-group tolerance of this protocol. This transformation provides a convenient and practical access to aryl boronic esters from widely available nitroarenes, which would significantly streamline the synthetic process of diverse functionalized arenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: A major resistance QTL was identified on chromosome 6 in rice variety Wuke; both overexpression and knockdown experiments confirmed that OsGLK1 is the candidate gene for association with Rice black-streaked dwarf virus disease. Rice black-streaked dwarf virus disease is one of the most destructive rice viral diseases in China and East Asia. Progress has been limited in RBSDVD resistance breeding due to inadequate knowledge on the underlying functional genes. In this study, a major QTL for RBSDV (rice black-streaked dwarf virus) independent of SBPH (small brown planthopper) resistance was mapped in a 1.8 Mb interval on chromosome 6 by using an F2:3 population originated from resistant rice variety Wuke. Representative transcripts within this region were analysed and three genes showing amino acid sequence variation in functional domains were selected for transformation. Overexpression experiments showed that one gene exhibited significant enhanced resistance compared to control lines, encoding protein involving Myb domain and probable transcription factor Golden 2-like1 (GLK1). Furthermore, OsGLK1 knockdown rice lines were investigated and the resistance ability was significantly declined without this gene compared to the wild type. Taken together, both overexpression and knockdown experiments strongly suggested that OsGLK1 plays an important role for RBSDV resistance and contributes to the major QTL. The study paves the way for elucidating the molecular mechanism underlying RBSDVD resistance and the molecular markers associated with OsGLK1 may be used for marker-assisted selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Irrigation with mine water not only improves water resource utilization rates and alleviates water shortages but can also promote crop growth and yields. However, long-term irrigation with mine water can significantly change the physicochemical properties of soil due to its unique mineral content. In this study, two groups of experiments were conducted (pot experiments and soilless cultivation) using mine water from the Fushun mining area to explore its effects on the physiological and photosynthetic characteristics of ryegrass, as well as soil properties. Mine water irrigation inhibited all of the indicators evaluated in this study, whereas a mixture of clean water and mine water had a stimulatory effect. Interestingly, this stimulatory effect was weakened as the proportion of mine water increased but reached its maximum when the ratio was 2:1. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of the irrigation water was weakened as the proportion of clean water increased. The contents of K+, Na+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ in soil were higher than those in the soil matrix, and the content of the nutrient elements N, P and K, and metal cations increased gradually as the mine water ratio increased, and the electrical conductivity increased significantly. Moreover, the pH of the soil decreased steadily (i.e. acidity increased) with increased soil salinity. Our findings indicated that a mixture of mine water from Fushun mining area and clean water at a 1:2 ratio could improve the physiological, growth, and photosynthetic characteristics of ryegrass by enhancing soil quality. Our study thus provides an experimental precedent for the utilization of mine water in ecological restoration and agricultural irrigation, and could therefore serve as a basis for the development of novel strategies for environmental restoration and the utilization of water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel organic–inorganic hybrid particle (JF633-SBA-15A) was successfully prepared by solution blending method using hybrid hyperbranched polyether polyol (JF633) and surface-modified mesoporous (SBA-15). Further, JF633-SBA-15A/EP composites were fabricated by melt-blending method. The structure and morphology of JF633-SBA-15A were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry analysis, nitrogen adsorption–desorption, and scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of JF633-SBA-15A/EP were also studied. The results demonstrated that the prepared JF633-SBA-15A hybrid particles had excellent thermal stability and unique mesoporous structural characteristics. Compared with pure EP, the maximum degradation temperature of the composites decreased and the thermal stability increased at high temperature. Notably, the JF633-SBA-15A/EP composite had better comprehensive performance. The impact strength and temperature of the glass transition (Tg) of JF633-SBA-15A/EP composites with 1.0 wt% JF633-SBA-15A increased by 32% and 23 °C, respectively. SEM images of the cross-section of the composite which reinforced with hybrid particles exhibited a rough surface and multiple dimples, indicating a ductile fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize rough dwarf disease (MRDD) is one of the most serious viral diseases of maize in China. The object of this study is to develop a reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for rapid and sensitive detection of MRDD pathogen. Four RT-LAMP primers were designed on the basis of S10. Template RNA from infected leaves were used for RT-LAMP which were carried out under isothermal conditions at 61 °C for 90 min. RT-LAMP products were analyzed by electrophoresis in agarose gels or visual inspection of color change after staining with calcein. Sensitivity of the RT-LAMP assay was 100-fold higher than RT-PCR. This method can distinguish RBSDV from SRBSDV and the vectors carrying RBSDV from Rice stripe virus (RSV). The RT-LAMP assay shows excellent potential for application in the rapid and sensitive detection of MRDD pathogens in field samples or vector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we prepared nano-SiO2-coated graphite films using a novel laser-assisted sol–gel method. The SiO2 sol–gel prepositioned on the graphite substrate was irradiated by the fiber laser at different energy densities. The growth mechanism of the coatings under laser irradiation was studied and the effects of processing parameters on the coating structure were systematically investigated. In addition, the high-temperature oxidation resistance of these samples was examined. Surface morphology and elemental composition were examined using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectrometer. Phase constituents and microstructure were identified by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The oxidation resistance was analyzed by thermal gravimetric analysis. The results found that laser irradiation significantly modifies the sol–gel-deposited nano-SiO2 layer. A uniform and compact nano-SiO2 coating was obtained when irradiated by laser energy density of 14.4 kJ/cm2. Optimum high-temperature oxidation resistance was achieved for the two-layer SiO2-coated films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Helminth infection has been proven to reduce the severity of experimental inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The excretory-secretory proteins of helminths play an important role in the process of immunomodulation.Aims: In the present study, we aimed to investigate the protective potential of recombinant Trichinella spiralis (TS) 53-kDa protein (rTsP53), a component of excretory-secretory proteins, on experimental colitis in mice.Methods: BALB/c mice were treated subcutaneously with 50 μg rTsP53 three times at an interval of 5 days. Colitis was induced by intrarectal administration of 5 mg trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). Disease activities and macroscopic and microscopic scores were evaluated. To determine immune response provoked by rTsP53, we measured specific IgG1 and IgG2a values against rTsP53 in sera of mice. We also detected cytokine profiles as well as the markers of alternatively activated macrophages (M2) in mice.Results: RTsP53 ameliorated significantly the disease activity index (DAI) as well as the macroscopic and microscopic scores. IgG1 but not IgG2a was the predominant specific antibody detected in the sera of immunized mice, indicating the potential of stimulating T-helper (Th) 2 bias response by rTsP3. Pre-treatment with rTsP53 decreased serum Th1 cytokines (TNF-a, IFN-γ) and elevated serum levels of serum Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-13); it also decreased colonic Th1 cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6) and colonic regulatory cytokines (IL-10, TGF-β1). RTsP53 increased colonic M2 markers, arginase-1 (Arg-1), and found in inflammatory zone 1 (FIZZ1), compared to mice without rTsP53 pretreatment.Conclusions: RTsP53 is a potential protective agent for IBD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice black-streaked dwarf disease, caused by rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV), is transmitted by small brown planthoppers (Laodelphax striatellus Fallén, SBPH) and causes severe yield loss in epidemic years in China and other East Asian countries. Breeding for resistance to RBSDV is a promising strategy to control the disease. We identified Tetep that showed resistance to RBSDV using a field test and artificial inoculation test. An evaluation of the resistance mechanism revealed that Tetep was resistant to RBSDV but not to SBPH. Genetic analysis showed that the resistance of Tetep to RBSDV was controlled by quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Three new QTLs for RBSDV resistance were identified in this study, i.e., qRBSDV-3, qRBSDV-10 and qRBSDV-11. The LOD scores of qRBSDV-3, qRBSDV-10 and qRBSDV-11 were 4.07, 2.24 and 2.21, accounting for 17.5%, 0.3% and 12.4% of the total phenotypic variation, respectively. All the resistance loci identified in this study were associated with virus resistance genes. The alleles for enhancing resistance on chromosomes 3 and 11 originated from Tetep, whereas the other allele on chromosome 10 originated from a susceptible parent. The identified new resistance QTLs in this study are useful resources for efficiently breeding resistant rice cultivars to RBSDV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]