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Human translation always has an incomparable role in the process of English learning, especially in the promotion of English reading comprehension. This paper centers on the research problem of selecting suitable research objects, combining questionnaire surveys and test methods to obtain relevant data on artificial translation and English reading comprehension. Then, it analyzes the correlation between the dimensions of artificial translation and the effect on English reading comprehension, constructs the multiple regression model of artificial intelligence on English reading comprehension, and proposes the corresponding significance test method. The results show that the correlation coefficients between the five dimensions of human translation and English reading comprehension scores are, in descending order: accuracy (0.824) > completeness (0.636) > fitness (0.579) > fluency (0.485) > consistency (0.372), which are all significantly positively correlated with English reading scores. The regression results showed that the level of manual translation dimension explained 26.7% of the variation in reading achievement. Among the human translation dimensions, accuracy, completeness, and consistency have significant positive effects on English reading comprehension. The study suggests that human translation accuracy, completeness, and consistency can be optimized to improve English reading comprehension.

Nekrasov matrices play an important role in various scientific disciplines. The estimation of infinity norm bounds for the inverse of Nekrasov matrices brings a lot of convinces in many fields. In this paper, we introduce two new bounds for the inverse of Nekrasov matrices. The advantages of our bounds and numerical examples are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempts to disclose the characteristics of knowledge integration in an interdisciplinary field by looking into the content aspect of knowledge.

Objective To analyze the effect and prognosis of COMP gene mutation on the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome with ultrasound-guided dental crochet knife. Methods A total of 35 carpal tunnel syndrome patients with Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein gene mutation (COMP) who were treated in the outpatient department from June 2022 to June 2023 were selected as the control group. Another 40 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome without mutation of COMP gene who received treatment during the same period were selected as the observation group. All patients were treated with ultrasound-guided lower tooth crochet knife. The Transverse carpal ligament thickness, paresthesia score, muscle loss score and transverse carpal ligament thickness were compared between the two groups. Pisiform cross section median nerve cross section area, pisiform cross section median nerve cross section area, CSA), Anterior and posterior diameter of median nerve in cross section of uncinate bone (D), clinical efficacy and incidence of adverse events. Results After treatment, compared with observation group, paresthesia score, hand function satisfaction score, TTCL, CSA and D in control group were all increased, while muscle loss score was decreased, with statistical difference (P < 0.05). In addition, the total clinical efficiency increased significantly and the incidence of adverse effects decreased significantly in the observation group. The prognosis of carpal tunnel syndrome patients with COMP gene mutation was evaluated according to the satisfaction degree of hand function, which showed that compared with the good prognosis group, the hand function score of the poor prognosis group increased significantly, with statistical difference (P < 0.05). Before treatment, there was no significant difference in clinical manifestations between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusions The application of ultrasound-guided crochet in carpal tunnel syndrome patients with COMP gene mutation plays an important role in the development of carpal tunnel syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a new basis of quasisymmetric functions, the row-strict dual immaculate functions. We construct a cyclic, indecomposable 0-Hecke algebra module for these functions. Our row-strict immaculate functions are related to the dual immaculate functions of Berg-Bergeron-Saliola-Serrano-Zabrocki (2014-15) by the involution \psi on the ring \operatorname {QSym} of quasisymmetric functions. We give an explicit description of the effect of \psi on the associated 0-Hecke modules, via the poset induced by the 0-Hecke action on standard immaculate tableaux. This remarkable poset reveals other 0-Hecke submodules and quotient modules, often cyclic and indecomposable, notably for a row-strict analogue of the extended Schur functions studied in Assaf-Searles (2019). Like the dual immaculate function, the row-strict dual immaculate function is the generating function of a suitable set of tableaux, corresponding to a specific descent set. We give a complete combinatorial and representation-theoretic picture by constructing 0-Hecke modules for the remaining variations on descent sets, and showing that all the possible variations for generating functions of tableaux occur as characteristics of the 0-Hecke modules determined by these descent sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative bone disease associated with aging. The rising global aging population has led to a surge in OA cases, thereby imposing a significant socioeconomic burden. Researchers have been keenly investigating the mechanisms underlying OA. Previous studies have suggested that the disease starts with synovial inflammation and hyperplasia, advancing toward cartilage degradation. Ultimately, subchondral-bone collapse, sclerosis, and osteophyte formation occur. This progression is deemed as "top to bottom." However, recent research is challenging this perspective by indicating that initial changes occur in subchondral bone, precipitating cartilage breakdown. In this review, we elucidate the epidemiology of OA and present an in-depth overview of the subchondral bone's physiological state, functions, and the varied pathological shifts during OA progression. We also introduce the role of multifunctional signal pathways (including osteoprotegerin (OPG)/receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL)/receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B (RANK), and chemokine (CXC motif) ligand 12 (CXCL12)/CXC motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4)) in the pathology of subchondral bone and their role in the "bottom-up" progression of OA. Using vivid pattern maps and clinical images, this review highlights the crucial role of subchondral bone in driving OA progression, illuminating its interplay with the condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applying hyperspectral remote sensing technology to the prediction of soil moisture content (SMC) during the growth stage of soybean emerges as an effective approach, imperative for advancing the development of modern precision agriculture. This investigation focuses on SMC during the flowering stage under varying nitrogen application levels and film mulching treatments. The soybean canopy's original hyperspectral data, acquired at the flowering stage, underwent 0–2-order differential transformation (with a step size of 0.5). Five spectral indices exhibiting the highest correlation with SMC were identified as optimal inputs. Three machine learning methods, namely support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), and back propagation neural network (BPNN), were employed to formulate the SMC prediction model. The results indicate the following: (1) The correlation between the optimal spectral index of each order, obtained after fractional differential transformation, and SMC significantly improved compared to the original hyperspectral reflectance data. The average correlation coefficient between each spectral index and SMC under the 1.5-order treatment was 0.380% higher than that of the original spectral index, with mNDI showing the highest correlation coefficient at 0.766. (2) In instances of utilizing the same modeling method with different input variables, the SMC prediction model's accuracy follows the order: 1.5 order > 2.0 order > 1.0 order > 0.5 order > original order. Conversely, with consistent input variables and a change in the modeling method, the accuracy order becomes RF > SVM > BPNN. When comprehensively assessing model evaluation indicators, the 1.5-order differential method and RF method emerge as the preferred order differential method and model construction method, respectively. The R2 for the optimal SMC estimation model in the modeling set and validation set were 0.912 and 0.792, RMSEs were 0.005 and 0.004, and MREs were 2.390% and 2.380%, respectively. This study lays the groundwork for future applications of hyperspectral remote sensing technology in developing soil moisture content estimation models for various crop growth stages and sparks discussions on enhancing the accuracy of these different soil moisture content estimation models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study applies an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Ming period courtesans (ji 妓) and their activities, combining the close reading of literature and Ming era visual presentations, with insights drawn from the fields of modern courtship and nonverbal behavioral studies to investigate their strategies of signaling seduction. In the Ming era, courtesans used a series of seduction strategies to achieve their goals in the process of interacting with male clients, dividing the entire courtship process into four phases: attention catching, interacting, and developing intimacy, lovemaking, and post-passion transition back to mundane interaction. This study pays close attention to the first two phases. The strategies of the first stage include posture readiness, prop handling, gestural movements, and vocal manipulation. The strategies of the second stage include conversations and touching. Developing high-level skills in signaling seduction was crucial to success in the career of a Ming courtesan. The specific strategies and the order in which they occurred did not appear to be fixed, but courtesans had to be sensitive and adaptable depending to the personalities and needs of their guests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring how functional traits vary along environmental gradients has long been one of the central questions of trait-based community ecology. Variation in functional traits includes both intraspecific trait variation (ITV) and interspecific trait variation (Vinter); however, the effects of ITV on functional diversity and community assembly remain to be explored. In this study, we compared functional diversity among three communities (i.e., riverbank, transition zone, and desert margin communities) at three spatial scales (i.e., 10 m × 10 m, 20 m × 20 m, and 50 m × 50 m) in the desert ecosystem of the Ebinur Lake basin in Xinjiang. We also analyzed the effects of ITV and environmental and spatial factors on functional diversity. Our results showed that incorporating ITV increased measurements of functional richness at the 10 m × 10 m scale in all three communities (p < 0.01). Rao's quadratic entropy (RaoQ) represents the differences in functional traits between different species. ITV significantly increased RaoQ at the 50 m × 50 m scale in the riverbank and desert margin community, whereas it significantly decreased RaoQ in the transitional zone community. Similarly, ITV significantly increased functional β-diversity at the 10 m × 10 m and 20 m × 20 m scales in the transitional zone community. Spatial factors mainly influenced functional diversity at smaller scales, whereas environmental factors were influential mainly at larger scales. After considering ITV, spatial factors had less of an effect on functional β-diversity, except for the 50 m × 50 m scale in the transitional zone and desert margin community, indicating that ITV can reduce the measured effect of dispersal on functional β-diversity. Considering ITV did not change the interpretation of the main ecological processes affecting functional diversity. However, it did change the extent to which environmental filtering and dispersal effects explained functional diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to previous studies that generally detect scientific breakthroughs based on citation patterns, this article proposes a knowledge entity‐based disruption indicator by quantifying the change of knowledge directly created and inspired by scientific breakthroughs to their evolutionary trajectories. Two groups of analytic units, including MeSH terms and their co‐occurrences, are employed independently by the indicator to measure the change of knowledge. The effectiveness of the proposed indicators was evaluated against the four datasets of scientific breakthroughs derived from four recognition trials. In terms of identifying scientific breakthroughs, the proposed disruption indicator based on MeSH co‐occurrences outperforms that based on MeSH terms and three earlier citation‐based disruption indicators. It is also shown that in our indicator, measuring the change of knowledge inspired by the focal paper in its evolutionary trajectory is a larger contributor than measuring the change created by the focal paper. Our study not only offers empirical insights into conceptual understanding of scientific breakthroughs but also provides practical disruption indicator for scientists and science management agencies searching for valuable research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to give an insight into the development trends and patterns of social organizations (SOs) in China from the perspective of network science integrating geography and public policy information embedded in the network structure. Firstly, we constructed a first-of-its-kind database which encompasses almost all social organizations established in China throughout the past decade. Secondly, we proposed four basic structures to represent the homogeneous and heterogeneous networks between social organizations and related social entities, such as government administrations and community members. Then, we pioneered the application of graph models to the field of organizations and embedded the Organizational Geosocial Network (OGN) into a low-dimensional representation of the social entities and relations while preserving their semantic meaning. Finally, we applied advanced graph deep learning methods, such as graph attention networks (GAT) and graph convolutional networks (GCN), to perform exploratory classification tasks by training models with county-level OGNs dataset and make predictions of which geographic region the county-level OGN belongs to. The experiment proves that different regions possess a variety of development patterns and economic structures where local social organizations are embedded, thus forming differential OGN structures, which can be sensed by graph machine learning algorithms and make relatively accurate predictions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first application of graph deep learning to the construction and representation learning of geosocial network models of social organizations, which has certain reference significance for research in related fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The purpose of this study is to detect the clinical efficacy of Jiedu Pingsou Decoction combined with azithromycin in the treatment of children with mycoplasma pneumonia and the effect on inflammatory factors and immune function in children. MethodsA total of 68 children with mycoplasma pneumonia in our hospital from January 2021 to January 2022 were included in this study, and they were randomly divided into the control group and the observation group with 34 cases in each group. The children in the control group were treated with azithromycin, and the children in the observation group were treated with Jiedu Pingsou Decoction on this basis. The clinical manifestations, treatment effects, blood routine, serum inflammatory factor levels, and T cell subsets before and after treatment were compared between the two groups. ResultsThe total effective rate in the observation group was 94.12%, which was higher than that in the control group, which was 82.35%, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). After treatment, the levels of CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+ in the two groups were higher than those before treatment, and the level of CD8+ was lower than before treatment. The difference between groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The levels of serum C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the two groups after treatment were lower than those before treatment, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The difference between groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). There were 4 cases and 2 cases of adverse reactions in the control group and the observation group, respectively, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P > 0.05). ConclusionJiedu Pingsou Decoction combined with azithromycin can effectively improve the levels of T cell subsets, immune function, and inflammatory factors in children with mycoplasma pneumonia, improve clinical symptoms, and is safe and stable, and can be used in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prolonging shelf life of fresh‐cut water chestnuts (FCWC) by vitamin E (vit E) was investigated. Browning degree, decay degree, and edible quality (EQ) of FCWC were evaluated as evaluation indexes of shelf life. Meanwhile, total soluble solids concentration, titratable acid (TA) concentration, ascorbic acid (AA) concentration, hardness, ethylene concentration, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity, peroxidase (POD) activity, total phenols (TP) concentration, counts of thermophilic bacteria, yeasts, and molds colonies were analyzed. Shelf life of FCWC could be prolonged for 4 days by soaking them in 0.04% (v v−1) vit E anhydrous ethanol (1% [v v−1]) solution for 30 min. Vit E probably inhibited the increasing of PPO and POD activities, and the declining of TP concentration and hardness. Vit E had little effect on counts of thermophilic bacteria, yeasts, and molds colonies of FCWC. These results indicated that vit E could prolong shelf life of FCWC. Novelty impact statement: Vitamin E (vit E) extents shelf life of fresh‐cut water chestnuts for 4 days.Vit E inhibits browning by reacting with oxygen or by reducing polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase activities.Vit E has no effect on total soluble solids, titratable acid, ascorbic acid, and ethylene concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: RYR is a commonly used lipid-lowering dietary supplements in Asian and European countries, showing considerable benefits and low toxicity. This quantitative study aims to present high-quality evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of RYR in treating hyperlipidemia, in order to promote its clinical application. Methods: PubMed, embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were systematically searched, and high-quality randomized controlled trials comparing RYR with non-RYR interventions were included. RevMan5.3 software was used to conduct the meta-analysis. Results: A total of 1,012 individuals participated in this study (481 in the experimental and 531 in the control group). In comparison to statins, RYR was more effective in lowering TG (MD, −19.90; 95% CI, −32.22 to −7.58; p = 0.002), comparable in lowering LDL-C and elevating HDL-C, and less effective in lowering TC (MD, 12.24; 95% CI, 2.19 to 22.29; p = 0.02). Compared with nutraceutical, RYR significantly reduced TC (MD, −17.80; 95% CI, −27.12 to −8.48; p = 0.0002) and LDL-C (MD, −14.40; 95% CI, −22.71 to −6.09; p = 0.0007), and elevated HDL-C (MD, 7.60; 95% CI, 4.33 to 10.87; p < 0.00001). Moreover, RYR effectively synergized nutraceutical to further reduce TC (MD, −31.10; 95% CI, −38.83 to −23.36; p < 0.00001), LDL-C (MD, −27.91; 95% CI, −36.58 to −19.24; p < 0.00001), and TG (MD, −26.32; 95% CI, −34.05 to −18.59; p < 0.00001). Additionally, RYR significantly reduced apoB (MD, −27.98; 95% CI, −35.51 to −20.45; p < 0.00001) and, whether alone or in combination, did not increase the risk of adverse events in patients with hyperlipidemia. Conclusion: RYR at 200–4800 mg daily appears to be a safe and effective treatment for hyperlipidemia, effectively regulating blood lipid levels with an exceptional impact on TG. Looking forward, high-quality clinical trials with longer observation periods are required to evaluate the efficacy and safety of RYR as a long-term medication. Systematic Review Registration : (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/), identifier (CRD4202128450). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing upon a social media perspective, this study explores the phenomenon of opportunistic behaviour in supply chain finance (SCF). Based on research into the factors that drive opportunistic behaviour in the context of SCF and the associated effects, this study conceptualises and empirically examines a research model by leveraging social media data related to the 'Noah event'. The data was collected from Sina Weibo, the biggest Chinese microblog platform. A text mining approach utilising Python programming and R technique was employed for data analysis. The results reveal interesting findings. Opportunistic behaviour had negative effects on all the SCF participants involved in the study. Information uncertainty was the factor that induced opportunistic behaviour, whereas information governance played a moderating role that could mitigate information uncertainty and, thus, opportunistic behaviour. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first research endeavour investigating opportunistic behaviour in SCF. The insights provided by the study are of significance for both academia and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-agency, the sense that one is the author or owner of one's behaviors, is impaired in multiple psychological and neurological disorders, including functional movement disorders, Parkinson's Disease, alien hand syndrome, schizophrenia, and dystonia. Existing assessments of self-agency, many of which focus on agency of movement, can be prohibitively time-consuming and often yield ambiguous results. Here, we introduce a short online motion tracking task that quantifies movement agency through both first-order perceptual and second-order metacognitive judgments. The task assesses the degree to which a participant can distinguish between a motion stimulus whose trajectory is influenced by the participant's cursor movements and a motion stimulus whose trajectory is random. We demonstrate the task's reliability in healthy participants and discuss how its efficiency, reliability, and ease of online implementation make it a promising new tool for both diagnosing and understanding disorders of agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present several new upper bounds for the infinity norm of the inverse of Nekrasov matrices by using scaling matrices with two values on their diagonals, which improve the corresponding results of Gao et al. and Kolotilina. Numerical examples and comparisons with the existing bounds are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The common copy number variant (CNV) in the haptoglobin (Hp) gene may influence the susceptibility to diabetic macrovascular diseases. We aimed to investigate the relationship of the genetic variant rs2000999, located in the haptoglobin-related protein (HPR) gene, with serum Hp levels and diabetic macrovascular diseases in Chinese type 2 diabetes patients.Methods: The Hp CNV and rs2000999 were genotyped in a group of 5457 Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. Associations of rs2000999 with the common Hp CNV, susceptibility to diabetic macrovascular diseases and related metabolic traits were analysed. Furthermore, 886 patients were selected to detect serum Hp levels and to evaluate the correlation between rs2000999 and serum Hp levels.Results: The genetic variant rs2000999 was not associated with diabetic macrovascular diseases (P = 0.6109), while subjects carrying the A allele had higher levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.0578) and a smaller inter-adventitial diameter of the common carotid artery (P = 0.0266). Additionally, rs2000999 exhibited strong association with serum Hp levels (P = 2.03 × 10-21).Conclusions: The genetic variant rs2000999 was not associated with diabetic macrovascular diseases but showed an association with metabolic traits and serum Hp levels in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to compare the causal effect of overall obesity and abdominal obesity on type 2 diabetes among Chinese Han individuals.Methods: The causal relationship of BMI and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) with the risk of glucose deterioration and glycemic traits was compared using two different genetic instruments based on 30 BMI loci and 6 WHR loci with Mendelian randomization (MR) in three prospective cohorts (n = 6,476).Results: Each 1-SD genetically instrumented higher WHR was associated with a 65.7% higher risk of glucose deterioration (95% CI = 1.069-2.569, P = 0.024), whereas no significant association of BMI with glucose deterioration was observed. Furthermore, a causal relationship was found only between BMI and homeostatic model assessment β-cell function (HOMA-B) (β = 0.143, P = 0.001), and there was a nominal association with Stumvoll second-phase insulin secretion traits (β = 0.074, P = 0.022). The significance level did not persist in sensitivity analyses, except in the causal estimate of WHR on the Gutt index in MR-Egger (β = -0.379, P = 0.022) and the causal estimate of BMI on homeostatic model assessment β-cell function in weighted median MR (β = 0.128, P = 0.017).Conclusions: The data from this study support the potential causal relationship between abdominal obesity and hyperglycemia, which may be driven by aggravated insulin resistance, in contrast with the potential causal relationship between overall obesity and insulin secretion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Haptoglobin (Hp) functions as an antioxidant by binding with haemoglobin. We investigated whether serum Hp has a causal effect on macroangiopathy via Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis with common variants of the Hp gene in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: A total of 5687 type 2 diabetes patients were recruited and genotyped for the Hp gene. Clinical features and vascular imaging tests were applied to diagnose macroangiopathy. The association between common Hp genotypes and macroangiopathy was analyzed in the whole population. Serum Hp levels were measured by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay in a subset of 935 patients. We individually analyzed the correlations among Hp levels, Hp genotypes and macroangiopathy. Further, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), an oxidative marker of DNA damage, was examined to evaluate the levels of oxidative stress. Results: Common Hp genotypes were correlated with macroangiopathy (OR = 1.140 [95% CI 1.005-1.293], P = 0.0410 for the Hp 1 allele). Serum Hp levels were associated with both common Hp genotypes (P = 3.55 × 10-31) and macroangiopathy (OR = 2.123 [95% CI 1.098-4.102], P = 0.0252) in the subset of 935 patients. In the MR analysis, the directional trends of the observed and predicted relationships between common Hp genotypes and macroangiopathy were the same (OR 1.357 and 1.130, respectively). Furthermore, common Hp genotypes and Hp levels were associated with serum 8-OHdG levels (P = 0.0001 and 0.0084, respectively). Conclusions: Our study provides evidence for a causal relationship between serum Hp levels and macroangiopathy in Chinese type 2 diabetes patients by MR analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebral ischemia damages central neurons, and abnormal microenvironment in ischemic condition is the key factor to the damages. The increase of local concentration of glutamic acid, the overload of Ca 2+ , and the mitochondrial stress caused by release of cytochrome C are important factors of abnormal microenvironment in cerebral ischemia. In this study ginsenoside Rb1, a compound from Panax Notoginseng, was used to intervene abnormal environment of neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region in two animal models (microperfusion model and photothrombosis model). Results: Compared with the vehicle in the sham group, ginsenoside had following effects. a) ginsenoside Rb1 increased the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and the stability of neuronal ultrastructure in in the hippocampal CA1 region and improved the adaptability of neurons in two models. b) ginsenoside Rb1 improved the expression level of glial glutamate transporter1 (GLT-1) and reversed the uptake of glutamate (Glu) after ischemia, and as a result thereby decreased the excitability of Glu and the expression level of GLT-1 was proportional to the dose of ginsenoside Rb1 and similar to that of Nimodipine. c) ginsenoside Rb1 inhibited the expression level of NMDAR and the overload of Ca 2+ , thereby reducing neuronal damages. Meanwhile, the expression level of NMDAR was inversely proportional to the dose of ginsenoside Rb1, which was similar to that of Nimodipine. d) ginsenoside Rb1 decreased the release of cytochrome C (Cyt-C) and reduced the damages caused by neuronal mitochondrial stress. Meanwhile, the release of Cyt-C was inversely proportional to the dose of ginsenoside Rb1, which was similar to that of Nimodipine. Ginsenoside Rb1 may be as an effective drug for neuroprotection and improve cerebral blood flow after acute ischemia and prevent the secondary brain damage induced by stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims/hypothesis: We aimed to evaluate the combined effects of type 2 diabetes risk variants on predicting deterioration of blood glucose and progression of beta cell function and insulin sensitivity in a 9 year prospective cohort from the Chinese population. Methods: We constructed a weighted genetic risk score (GRS) model based on 40 variants associated with type 2 diabetes validated in an established cross-sectional Chinese population ( n = 6,822). The weighted scores were categorised into tertiles to assess the predictive capacity for incidence of type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose regulation (IGR), as well as for changes in Stumvoll first- and second-phase insulin secretion indices and Gutt's insulin sensitivity index (ISI) in a community-based 9 year prospective cohort ( n = 2,495), including 2,192 individuals with normal glucose tolerance and 303 with IGR at baseline, through logistic, Cox and multiple linear regression tests. Results: Weighted GRS predicted the incidence of type 2 diabetes and IGR in logistic regression (OR 1.236, 95% CI 1.100, 1.389, p = 0.0004) as well as in the Cox model (HR 1.129, 95% CI 1.026, 1.242, p = 0.0128) after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, smoking and alcohol status at baseline. Moreover, we observed that weighted GRS was able to predict deterioration in beta cell function (β = −0.0480, p = 9.66 × 10 and β = −0.0303, p = 3.32 × 10 for first- and second-phase insulin secretion, respectively), but not insulin sensitivity ( p = 0.3815), during the 9 year follow-up period. Conclusions/interpretation: The weighted GRS predicted blood glucose deterioration arising from change in beta cell function in the Chinese population. Individuals in the intermediate- or high-weighted GRS group exhibited progressive deterioration of beta cell function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Association between hyperuricaemia and chronic kidney disease has been studied widely, but the influence of uric acid on the kidneys remains controversial. We aimed to summarize the association between uric acid and diabetic kidney disease (DKD), and to evaluate the role of uric acid in DKD. Methods: We enrolled 3,212 type 2 diabetic patients in a cross-sectional study. The patients’ basic characteristics (sex, age, BMI, duration of disease, and blood pressure) and chemical parameters (triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), microalbuminuria, creatinine, and uric acid) were recorded, and the association between uric acid and DKD was evaluated. Results: In the 3,212 diabetic patients, the prevalence of diabetic kidney disease was higher in hyperuricaemic patients than in patients with normouricaemia (68.3% vs 41.5%). The prevalence of DKD increased with increasing uric acid (p <0.0001). Logistic analysis identified uric acid as an independent predictor of DKD (p <0.0001; adjusted OR (95%CI) = 1.005 (1.004–1.007), p <0.0001). Uric acid was positively correlated with albuminuria and creatinine levels (p<0.0001) but negatively correlated with eGFR (p<0.0001) after adjusting for confounding factors. Conclusions: Hyperuricaemia is a risk factor for DKD. Serum uric acid levels within the high-normal range are independently associated with DKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]