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Background: Creating activity-friendly communities (AFCs) is an important strategy to increase physical activity (PA). While cross-sectional links between community environments and PA are well documented, their causal relationships remain insufficiently explored. Methods: Using the accelerometer and survey data collected from adults who moved to an AFC (cases) and similar non-AFC-residing adults who did not move (comparisons), this pre–post, case-comparison study examines if moving to an AFC increases PA. Data came from 115 participants (cases = 37, comparisons = 78) from Austin, Texas, who completed 2 waves of 1-weeklong data collection. Difference-in-difference analyses and fixed-effect models were used to test the significance of the pre–post differences in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) between cases and comparisons, for the full sample and the subsample of 37 pairs matched in key covariates using the Propensity Score Matching method. Results: Average treatment effect generated based on Propensity Score Matching and difference-in-difference showed that moving to this AFC led to an average of 10.88 additional minutes of daily MVPA (76.16 weekly minutes, P =.015). Fixed-effect models echoed the result with an increase of 10.39 minutes of daily MVPA after moving to the AFC. We also found that case participants who were less active at baseline and had higher income increased their MVPA more than their counterparts. Conclusions: This study showed that, among our study sample, moving to an AFC increased residents' PA significantly when compared to their premove level and the comparison group. This causal evidence suggests the potential of AFCs as sustainable interventions for PA promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collagen is the oldest and most abundant extracellular matrix protein and has many applications in biomedical, food, cosmetic, and other industries. Previous reviews have already introduced collagen's sources, structures, and biosynthesis. The biological and mechanical properties of collagen-based composite materials, their modification and application forms, and their interactions with host tissues are pinpointed. It is worth noting that self-assembly behavior is the main characteristic of collagen molecules. However, there is currently relatively little review on collagen-based composite materials based on self-assembly. Herein, we briefly reviewed the biosynthesis, extraction, structure, and properties of collagen, systematically presented an overview of the various factors and corresponding characterization techniques that affect the collagen self-assembly process, and summarize and discuss the preparation methods and application progress of collagen-based composite materials in different fields. By combining the self-assembly behavior of collagen with preparation methods of collagen-based composite materials, collagen-based composite materials with various functional reactions can be selectively prepared, and these experiences and outcomes can provide inspiration and practical techniques for the future development directions and challenges of collagen-based composite biomaterials in related applications fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Accurately distinguishing between benign thyroid nodules (BTNs) and papillary thyroid cancers (PTCs) with current conventional methods poses a significant challenge. Objective We identify DNA methylation markers of immune response–related genes for distinguishing BTNs and PTCs. Methods In this study, we analyzed a public reduced representative bisulfite sequencing dataset and revealed distinct methylation patterns associated with immune signals in PTCs and BTNs. Based on these findings, we developed a diagnostic classifier named the Methylation-based Immune Response Signature (MeIS), which was composed of 15 DNA methylation markers associated with immune response–related genes. We validated MeIS's performance in 2 independent cohorts: Z.S.'s retrospective cohort (50 PTC and 18 BTN surgery-leftover samples) and Z.S.'s preoperative cohort (31 PTC and 30 BTN fine-needle aspiration samples). Results The MeIS classifier demonstrated significant clinical promise, achieving areas under the curve of 0.96, 0.98, 0.89, and 0.90 in the training set, validation set, Z.S.'s retrospective cohort, and Z.S.'s preoperative cohort, respectively. For the cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules, in Z.S.'s retrospective cohort, MeIS exhibited a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 82%; in Z.S.'s preoperative cohort, MeIS achieved a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 74%. Additionally, combining MeIS and BRAF V600E detection improved the detecting performance of cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules, yielding sensitivities of 98% and 87%, and specificities of 82% and 74% in Z.S.'s retrospective cohort and Z.S.'s preoperative cohort, respectively. Conclusion The 15 markers we identified can be employed to improve the diagnostic of cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and complications such as chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular symptoms pose a substantial public health burden. Increasing studies have shown that circular RNAs (circRNAs) regulate many gene expressions that are essential in diverse pathological and biological procedures. However, the roles of particular circRNAs in DM are unclear. Methods: In the current investigation, endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) were used to search for abnormal expression of circRNAs by using high-throughput sequencing under high glucose (HG) conditions. The regulatory mechanisms and targets were then studied through bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter analysis, angiogenic differentiation experiments, flow cytometry detection of apoptosis and RT-qPCR analysis. Results: The circ-Astn1 expression in EPCs decreased after HG treatment. Overexpression or circ-Astn1 suppressed HG induced endothelial cell damage. MicroRNA (miR)-138-5p and SIRT5 were found to be the downstream targets of circ-Astn1 through luciferase reporter analysis. SIRT5 downregulation or miR-138-5p overexpression reversed circ-Astn1's protective effect against HG induced endothelial cell dysfunction, including apoptosis and abnormal vascular differentiation. Furthermore, circ-Astn1 overexpression promoted autophagy activation by increasing SIRT5 expression under HG conditions. Our findings suggest that circ-Astn1 mediated promotion of SIRT5 facilitates autophagy by sponging miR-138-5p. Conlusion: Together, our findings show that the overexpression of circ-Astn1 suppresses HG induced endothelial cell damage by targeting miR-138-5p/SIRT5 axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]