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Dysphagia, the swallowing disorder, is a common disease among the elders and stroke patients. Therefore, based on the bionic swallowing device (BSD) in vitro of similar human-tongue motion during swallowing, the development of functional food is necessary to improve the food swallowing quality of the deglutition disorders patients. In this study, the tongue motion was thoroughly investigated by extracting the characteristic data, and appropriate mechanisms in vitro were adopted to replicate the motion of the tongue swallowing according to the normal swallowing oropharyngeal data. The application of the BSD was also investigated at different swallowing grades (SGs). The study results indicated that the tongue motion consisted of tongue root point (TRP) and several tongue motor points (TMPs). The cam-link and push-rod mechanisms showed ellipse lines for TRP motion and straight lines for TMPs, respectively. Higher correlation coefficients between the tongue trajectories in the oropharyngeal data and simulated curves of the combined mechanism were observed. The average correlation coefficients between the tongue trajectories of patients at five SGs and those of the BSD were 0.87, proving its effectiveness and potential application. Furthermore, the corn-paste experiments of the BSD showed that dysphagia at five SGs could be a suitable choice for certain food concentrations. This will provide valuable insight into developing more functional foods in vitro for high deglutition disorders.

Background: High sodium intake is an important risk factor for hypertension and cardiovascular disease. However, the association between gut microbiota composition and metabolomic profiles with dietary sodium intake and blood pressure (BP) is not well-understood. The metabolome, microbiome, and dietary salt intervention (MetaSalt) study aimed to investigate microbial and metabolomic profiles related to dietary sodium intake and BP regulation. Methods: This family-based intervention study was conducted in four communities across three provinces in rural northern China in 2019. Probands with untreated prehypertension or stage-1 hypertension were identified through community-based BP screening, and family members including siblings, offspring, spouses, and parents were subsequently included. All participants participated in a 3-day baseline examination with usual diet consumption, followed by a 10-day low-salt diet (3 g/d of salt or 51.3 mmol/d of sodium) and a 10-day high-salt diet (18 g/d of salt or 307.8 mmol/d of sodium). Differences in mean BP levels were compared according to the intervention phases using a paired Student's t-test. Results: A total of 528 participants were included in this study, with a mean age of 48.1 years, 36.7% of whom were male, 76.8% had a middle school (69.7%) or higher (7.1%) diploma, 23.4% had a history of smoking, and 24.4% were current drinkers. The mean arterial pressure at baseline was 97.2 ± 10.5 mm Hg for all participants, and significantly decreased during the low-salt intervention (93.8 ± 9.3, P

BACKGROUND Differentiating nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) from nasopharyngeal lymphoma (NPL) is useful for deciding the appropriate treatment. However, the diagnostic accuracy of current imaging methods is low. PURPOSE To explore the feasibility of arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion imaging in the qualitative and quantitative differentiation between NPC and NPL to improve the diagnosis of malignancies in the nasopharynx. STUDY TYPE Retrospective. POPULATION Ninety seven patients: NPC (65 cases) and NPL (32 cases), histologically confirmed. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE 3T/3D fast spin echo pseudo-continuous ASL imaging with spiral readout scheme, 3D inverse recovery- fast spoiled gradient recalled echo brain volume (BRAVO) imaging. ASSESSMENT Cerebral blood flow (CBF) images from ASL perfusion imaging were assessed by three radiologists. Each tumor was visually scored based on CBF images. Intratumoral CBF and intramuscular CBF values were obtained from intratumoral and lateral pterygoid muscle areas, respectively. Through dividing intratumoral CBF by intramuscular CBF, normalized CBF (nCBF) was further calculated. STATISTICAL TESTS Fleiss's kappa and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to assess interobserver agreement among the three readers. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare visual scoring, and an unpaired t-test was performed to compare CBF value between the NPC and NPL groups. The area under the curve (AUC) value was used to quantify the diagnostic ability of each parameter. RESULTS Good interobserver agreements were validated by high Fleiss's kappa and ICC values (all >0.80). NPCs showed significantly higher visual scores than NPLs (P

This meta-analysis was performed to quantitatively evaluate the dose-response association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched up to 12 December 2018 for articles that assessed the OSA-T2DM association. Random effects models were used to analyze the quantitative association between OSA and risk of T2DM. Restricted cubic splines were used to model the dose-response association between apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), used to assess the severity of OSA according to events/h, and risk of T2DM.We included 16 cohort studies in our meta-analysis. During a median follow-up of 10.5 years (range: 3.0-22.0), 19 355 T2DM cases were reported among 338 912 study participants. The pooled relative risk of T2DM was 1.40 (95% CI, 1.32-1.48) for OSA in the binary meta-analysis and 1.08 (1.01-1.14) for each 5-event/h increase in AHI value. We found a positive linear association between OSA and T2DM risk.Our dose-response meta-analysis revealed a linear association between OSA and T2DM.背景: 该研究对阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停综合征(obstructive sleep apnea, OSA)和2型糖尿病发病风险的关系进行定量评价, 并探索其潜在的剂量-反应关系。 方法: 检索PubMed、Embase和 Web of Science数据库中2018年12月12日前发表的关于OSA和2型糖尿病的相关性研究。采用随机效应模型定量分析OSA和2型糖尿病发病风险的关系。通过限制性立方样条模型评估呼吸暂停低通气指数(基于次数/小时评价OSA严重程度的指标)和2型糖尿病发病风险的剂量-反应关系。 结果: 本研究共纳入16个队列研究, 包括研究对象 338,912人, 随访时间为中位数10.5年(范围为3.0-22.0年), 随访期间19,355名研究对象确诊2型糖尿病。二元meta分析显示OSA使2型糖尿病的发病相对风险度为1.40 ( 95%CI:1.32-1.48), 呼吸暂停低通气指数每增加5次/小时, 2型糖尿病的发病相对风险度为1.08(95%CI:1.01-1.14)。OSA与2型糖尿病的发病风险成线性正相关。 结论: OSA的严重程度和2型糖尿病的发病风险有关, 且存在线性剂量-反应关系。.

Developing 3 D self-assembled nanoarchitectures with well-defined crystal structures is an effective strategy to enhance the electrochemical performances of electrode materials. (1 1 0)-oriented and bridged-nanoblocks self-assembled VS4 microspheres are controllably synthesized by a facile one-step hydrothermal method. The (1 1 0)-bridged structure sets up open pathways for Na+ diffusion among nanoblocks, and the (1 1 0)-oriented structure provides unobstructed pathways for Na+ diffusion in the nanoblocks, which collectively constructs multidimensional Na+ transfer channels in the VS4 microspheres, promoting the electrochemical kinetics. As an anode for Na-ion batteries (SIBs), this material exhibits pseudocapacitive Na+ storage and excellent rate capability, delivering high capacities of 339 and 270 mAh g-1 at rates of 0.1 and 2.0 A g-1 , respectively, with a capacity retention of 79 % in the voltage window of 0.5-3.0 V. In particular, the reversible capacity reaches 575 mAh g-1 after 300 cycles even at 1.0 A g-1 in the voltage window of 0.05-3.0 V, outperforming those of the ever-reported VS4 -based anode materials. This work presents an effective strategy to the exploration and design of high-performance anodes for SIBs.

Background Although cancer has become one of the leading health burdens, to the authors' knowledge, evidence regarding its relationship with a healthy lifestyle in the Chinese population remains limited. Methods The authors evaluated the association between clustering of healthy lifestyle factors and cancer risk using 3 prospective cohort studies with 101,208 Chinese adults from the general population. Hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidential intervals (95% CIs) related to healthy lifestyle factors were calculated using Cox proportional hazard models, and population-attributable risk percentages were estimated further. Results The results demonstrated that each additional healthy lifestyle factor was associated with a 6% (range, 3%-9%) lower risk of overall cancer. Compared with having none to 3 healthy lifestyle factors, HRs related to adherence to all 6 healthy lifestyle factors were 0.78 (95% CI, 0.60-1.02) and 0.82 (95% CI, 0.67-1.00), respectively, for men and women. It was estimated that approximately 18.4% and 2.3%, respectively, of overall cancer cases for men and women were attributable to nonadherence to all 6 healthy lifestyle factors. Conclusions The results of the current study indicate that adherence to clustering of healthy lifestyle factors was associated with a reduced risk of cancer incidence among Chinese adults. Greater efforts urgently are needed to promote the adoption of multiple healthy lifestyle behaviors to reduce the increasing burden of cancer.

Background and objective Population-specific pulmonary function reference data are essential to identify the nature and severity of respiratory diseases. However, there is a lack of reference data for Chinese neonates and infants. The objective of this study was to develop reference data for tidal breathing and plethysmographic measurements for Chinese subjects during the first 2 years of life. Methods Data of tidal breathing and plethysmography from healthy Chinese neonates (≤28 days) and infants (1–24 months) using the Jaeger MasterScreen BabyBody were collated. All subjects were sedated for the tests. Multivariable analyses were performed to determine predictive variables for the pulmonary function parameters. Reference equations for outcomes were constructed using multilevel modelling and the LMS (lambda–mu–sigma) method was used for establishing smoothed reference percentiles. Results Four hundred and ten healthy subjects were tested. Acceptable measurements of tidal breathing analysis and plethysmography outcomes were obtained in 396 (96.6%) and 370 (90.4%) subjects, respectively. Normal reference percentiles and equations for the main parameters of tidal breathing and plethysmography were derived from test occasions of 211 neonates and 185 infants. Body weight, crown–heel length and age were significantly associated with lung function, of which length was the strongest predictor. Conclusion This study provides reference data of BabyBody-plethysmographic measurements for healthy Chinese subjects in their first 2 years of life. Weight and length are the strongest predictors for neonatal and infant lung function, respectively.

Objective: This study aims to determine the distribution of observed atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) incidence in contemporary cohorts in China, and to identify cut-off points for ASCVD risk classification based on traditional criteria and new equations developed by Prediction for ASCVD Risk in China (China-PAR). Methods: The study populations included cohorts in the China-PAR project, with 34,757 participants eligible for the current analysis. Traditional risk stratification was assessed by using Chinese guidelines on prevention of CVD and hypertension, and 5 risk groups were classified based on these guidelines after slight modification for available risk factors. KaplanâMeier analysis was conducted to obtain the cumulative incidence of observed ASCVD events for all subjects and sub-groups. The predicted 10-year ASCVD risk was obtained using the China-PAR equations. Results: A total of 1922 ASCVD events were identified during an average follow-up of 14.1 years. According to the group classification based on traditional risk stratification, the observed 10-year risks for ASCVD were 4.61% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.11â5.10%) in the moderate-risk group and 8.74% (95% CI: 7.82â9.66%) in the high-risk group. Based on the China-PAR equations for risk assessment of ASCVD, those with predicted risks of

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has attracted tremendous attention in photocatalysis due to its extraordinary features, such as good thermal and chemical stability, metal-free composition, and easy preparation. However, the photocatalytic performance of g-C3N4 is still restricted by the limited surface area, inefficient visible light absorption, and high recombination rate of photoinduced charge carriers. Herein, a facile synthesis to produce freestanding g-C3N4 photonic crystals (PCs) by crack-free, highly ordered colloid crystals templating is reported. The PC structure succeeded from the silica opals induces bicontinuous framework, stronger optical absorption, and increase in the lifetime of photoexcited charge carriers compared to that of the bulk g-C3N4, while the chemical structure remains similar to that of the bulk g-C3N4. As such, the g-C3N4 PCs have a much higher photodegradation kinetic of methyl orange and photocatalytic hydrogen production rate which is nearly nine times the rate of bulk g-C3N4.

Background Identification of the population at high risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is critical for its prevention. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the use of fasting blood glucose (FBG) to predict ASCVD. Methods In all, 18 610 participants, aged 35–74 years at enrollment, were included in this prospective study. Baseline information was collected using a standardized questionnaire, physical examinations, and laboratory tests. During follow-up, disease status and vital information were updated. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to estimate associations, with normal FBG (70–99 mg/dL) as the reference group. Anthropometric measurements, socioeconomic status, and conventional cardiovascular risk factors were included in the multivariate-adjusted model. Results After 7.8 years follow-up (145 223 person-years), there were 519 cases of ASCVD. The multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (HR), with 95% confidence intervals (CI), for ASCVD in patients with low FBG (

Direct synthesis of hierarchical zeolites currently relies on the use of surfactant-based templates to produce mesoporosity by the random stacking of 2D zeolite sheets or the agglomeration of tiny zeolite grains. The benefits of using nonsurfactant polymers as dual-function templates in the fabrication of hierarchical zeolites are demonstrated. First, the minimal intermolecular interactions of nonsurfactant polymers impose little interference on the crystallization of zeolites, favoring the formation of 3D continuous zeolite frameworks with a long-range order. Second, the mutual interpenetration of the polymer and the zeolite networks renders disordered but highly interconnected mesopores in zeolite crystals. These two factors allow for the synthesis of single-crystalline, mesoporous zeolites of varied compositions and framework types. A representative example, hierarchial aluminosilicate (meso-ZSM-5), has been carefully characterized. It has a unique branched fibrous structure, and far outperforms bulk aluminosilicate (ZSM-5) as a catalyst in two model reactions: conversion of methanol to aromatics and catalytic cracking of canola oil. Third, extra functional groups in the polymer template can be utilized to incorporate desired functionalities into hierarchical zeolites. Last and most importantly, polymer-based templates permit heterogeneous nucleation and growth of mesoporous zeolites on existing surfaces, forming a continuous zeolitic layer. In a proof-of-concept experiment, unprecedented core–shell-structured hierarchical zeolites are synthesized by coating mesoporous zeolites on the surfaces of bulk zeolites.

A preform-decomposition process is employed to prepare a composite of MoO2 nanoparticles (≈100 nm) anchored on graphene oxide (MoO2/GO) for sodium-ion battery anodes. The discharge gravimetric (volumetric) capacity of the MoO2/GO is 483 mAh g−1 (by active material ≈2318 mAh cm−3) at the current density of 100 mA g−1 after 10 cycles. After 100 cycles, the discharge gravimetric (volumetric) capacity was maintained at 345 mAh g−1 (≈1656 mAh cm−3) and stabilized. During the first 1000 cycles, the capacity degradation is only 1.9 % for each 100 cycles, and the electrode is still able to deliver 276 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles. Moreover, the nanostructures are able to withstand high rate cycling, the capacity can be fully recovered after being cycled at a rate as high as 2000 mA g−1. The promising electrochemical performance can be attributed to the high electronic conductivity of MoO2 and the connected nanostructures, which facilitate both fast electronic and ionic transport.

Background The aim of the present study was to estimate the incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and the number of diabetes events attributable to abdominal obesity in China. Methods A cohort study was conducted in a sample of 24 996 Chinese adults aged 35–74 years, with 19.9% of subjects lost to follow-up. Waist circumference (WC) was measured at baseline in 1998 and 2000–01, and abdominal obesity was defined as WC ≥ 90 cm in men and ≥80 cm in women. Information on incident diabetes was collected during follow-up in 2007–08. We estimated the number of T2D events attributed to abdominal obesity using confounder-adjusted population-attributable risk, incidence of diabetes, and the population size of China in 2010. Results After a mean follow-up of 8.0 years, the age-standardized incidence of T2D was 9.6 and 9.2 per 1000 person-years in men and women, respectively. Abdominal obesity accounted for 28.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 14.8%, 40.5%) of incident diabetes among men and 41.2% (95% CI 28.3%, 52.6%) among women using the diagnostic criteria of abdominal obesity recommended by the International Diabetes Federation. We estimated that, in 2010, 2.4 (95% CI 1.5, 3.2) million diabetes events were attributable to abdominal obesity: 1.0 (95% CI 0.5, 1.4) million in men and 1.4 (95% CI 1.0, 1.8) million in women. Conclusions Abdominal obesity is a major risk factor for T2D. Strengthening programs and initiatives for preventing and controlling obesity focusing on lifestyle changes should be a priority in the national strategy to reduce diabetes burden in China.

Background The prognostic significance of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with heart failure remains inconclusive. Aims To perform a meta-analysis of the published data to study the prognostic significance of AF in heart failure patients and to determine whether this relates to the presence of preserved or reduced left ventricular systolic function. Methods and results We searched the MEDLINE (from inception to May 2014) supplemented by manual searches of references of relevant retrieved articles. Randomized clinic trials and observational studies were included with hazard ratios (HRs) of AF for mortality in chronic heart failure patients. The search strategy yielded 20 studies that met our eligibility criteria. A total of 61 240 AF patients in 152 306 heart failure participants were included, with 39 879 deaths occurring during follow-up. Pooled HRs for AF in mortality in heart failure was 1.17 (95% confidence intervals: 1.11–1.23) using random-effect model (I2 = 44.5%). There was a significant difference of combined HRs between heart failure patients with preserved and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in separate analysis. Sensitivity analysis supported the consistence of the results. Conclusions Atrial fibrillation is significantly associated with increased mortality in heart failure patients. The prognostic significance of AF may be different between heart failure with preserved and reduced LVEF, and AF is associated with poorer prognosis in heart failure patients with preserved LVEF.