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IntroductionObservational investigations have examined the impact of glucosamine use on the risk of cancer and non-neoplastic diseases. However, the findings from these studies face limitations arising from confounding variables, reverse causation, and conflicting reports. Consequently, the establishment of a causal relationship between habitual glucosamine consumption and the risk of cancer and non-neoplastic diseases necessitates further investigation.MethodsFor Mendelian randomization (MR) investigation, we opted to employ single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as instruments that exhibit robust associations with habitual glucosamine consumption. We obtained the corresponding effect estimates of these SNPs on the risk of cancer and non-neoplastic diseases by extracting summary data for genetic instruments linked to 49 varied cancer types amounting to 378,284 cases and 533,969 controls, as well as 20 non-neoplastic diseases encompassing 292,270 cases and 842,829 controls. Apart from the primary analysis utilizing inverse-variance weighted MR, we conducted two supplementary approaches to account for potential pleiotropy (MR-Egger and weighted median) and assessed their respective MR estimates. Furthermore, the results of the leave-one-out analysis revealed that there were no outlying instruments.ResultsOur results suggest divergence from accepted biological understanding, suggesting that genetically predicted glucosamine utilization may be linked to an increased vulnerability to specific illnesses, as evidenced by increased odds ratios and confidence intervals (95% CI) for diseases, such as malignant neoplasm of the eye and adnexa (2.47 [1.34–4.55]), benign neoplasm of the liver/bile ducts (2.12 [1.32–3.43]), benign neoplasm of the larynx (2.01 [1.36–2.96]), melanoma (1.74 [1.17–2.59]), follicular lymphoma (1.50 [1.06–2.11]), autoimmune thyroiditis (2.47 [1.49–4.08]), and autoimmune hyperthyroidism (1.93 [1.17–3.18]). In contrast to prior observational research, our genetic investigations demonstrate a positive correlation between habitual glucosamine consumption and an elevated risk of sigmoid colon cancer, lung adenocarcinoma, and benign neoplasm of the thyroid gland.ConclusionCasting doubt on the purported purely beneficial association between glucosamine ingestion and prevention of neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases, habitual glucosamine ingestion exhibits dichotomous effects on disease outcomes. Endorsing the habitual consumption of glucosamine as a preventative measure against neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases cannot be supported.

This study uses a coupled atmosphere-ocean model with different numerical settings to investigate the mean and eddy momentum transfer processes responsible for Typhoon Muifa's (2011) early rapid intensification (RI). Three experiments are conducted. Two use the coupled model with a horizontal resolution of either 1 km (HRL) or 3 km (LRL). The third (NoTCFB) is the same as LRL but excludes tropical cyclone (TC)-induced sea-surface temperature (SST) cooling. HRL reasonably reproduces Muifa's intensity during its rapid intensification and weakening periods. The azimuthal mean tangential and radial momentum budgets are analysed before the RI rates diverge between HRL and LRL. Results show that the dominant processes responsible for Muifa's intensification are different in HRL and LRL. For HRL, the net eddy effect intensifies the storm's circulation and contracts the eyewall during early RI, and it dominates the net mean-flow effect inside the radius of maximum wind (RMW), except near the surface and between 2 and 5 km close to the RMW. In contrast, the mean and eddy effects in LRL almost cancel inside the RMW, while the mean-flow effects dominate and intensify tangential winds outside. Without TC-induced SST cooling, Muifa in NoTCFB reaches a similar storm intensity as in HRL but its rapid weakening rate is substantially underestimated. The dominant mechanisms for tangential wind intensification in NoTCFB are similar to those in LRL, but their magnitudes are larger, implying a misrepresentation of the dominant momentum transfer processes in NoTCFB during RI. For the radial momentum budget analysis, the dominant processes are similar among the three experiments except for some differences in their locations and strengths.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinases (MAP3Ks) dual leucine kinase (DLK) and leucine zipper kinase (LZK) are essential mediators of axon damage responses, but their responses are varied, complex, and incompletely understood. To characterize their functions in axon injury, we generated zebrafish mutants of each gene, labeled motor neurons (MNs) and touch-sensing neurons in live zebrafish, precisely cut their axons with a laser, and assessed the ability of mutant axons to regenerate in larvae, before sex is apparent in zebrafish. DLK and LZK were required redundantly and cell autonomously for axon regeneration in MNs but not in larval Rohon-Beard (RB) or adult dorsal root ganglion (DRG) sensory neurons. Surprisingly, in dlk lzk double mutants, the spared branches of wounded RB axons grew excessively, suggesting that these kinases inhibit regenerative sprouting in damaged axons. Uninjured trigeminal sensory axons also grew excessively in mutants when neighboring neurons were ablated, indicating that these MAP3Ks are general inhibitors of sensory axon growth. These results demonstrate that zebrafish DLK and LZK promote diverse injury responses, depending on the neuronal cell identity and type of axonal injury.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The MAP3Ks DLK and LZK are damage sensors that promote diverse outcomes to neuronal injury, including axon regeneration. Understanding their context-specific functions is a prerequisite to considering these kinases as therapeutic targets. To investigate DLK and LZK cell-type-specific functions, we created zebrafish mutants in each gene. Using mosaic cell labeling and precise laser injury we found that both proteins were required for axon regeneration in motor neurons but, unexpectedly, were not required for axon regeneration in Rohon-Beard or DRG sensory neurons and negatively regulated sprouting in the spared axons of touch-sensing neurons. These findings emphasize that animals have evolved distinct mechanisms to regulate injury site regeneration and collateral sprouting, and identify differential roles for DLK and LZK in these processes.

This study examines the concept of the psychological contract strength deriving from an employee's expectation of mutual exchange with regard to their employers' obligation fulfillment. This study explores the role of psychological contract strength and the relationship between the human resources (HR) practice consistency and organizational commitment. We collected data from 226 employees in 50 medium to large enterprises across the manufacturing and service industries in Taiwan. The results support the proposed hypotheses and provide theoretical and empirical contributions, highlighting the importance of the psychological contract strength. This study also advocates for consistency in HR practice as a key antecedent for creating favorable conditions for increased employee exchange belief. This study is the first to investigate the constitution of employee exchange belief, in emphasizing the concept of the psychological contract strength. Therefore, it complements our understanding of an organization's ability to harness employees' efforts more effectively, by enhancing the strength of the psychological contract., Author(s): Jin Feng Uen [sup.1] , Shu-Yuan Chen [sup.2] , David Ahlstrom [sup.3] , Meng-Chun Yang [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.260539.b, 0000 0001 2059 7017, Institute of Business and Management, [...]

Abstract We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the visual, anatomical, and safety outcomes of the intravitreal faricimab, a novel vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) bispecific agent, in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) patients. The follow-up times in the included studies ranged from a minimum of 36 weeks to a maximum of 52 weeks. EMBASE, Ovid-Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science, Scopus, the WHO ICTRP, ClinicalTrial.gov, the EU Clinical Trials Register, and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) were searched (The last literature search was performed on August 17, 2023) for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing faricimab with control groups for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). The risk of bias for eligible RCTs was independently assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool by two authors (W.-T.Y. and C.-S.W.). The meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.4 software. The mean best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central subfield thickness (CST), total choroidal neovascularization (CNV) area, and total lesion leakage were analyzed as continuous variables and the outcome measurements were reported as the weighted mean difference (WMD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). The ocular adverse events and ocular serious adverse events were analyzed as dichotomous variables and the outcome measurements were analyzed as the odds ratios (ORs) with a 95% CI. Random-effects model was used in our study for all outcome synthesizing due to different clinical characteristics. Four RCTs with 1,486 patients were eligible for quantitative analysis. There was no statistically significant difference between intravitreal faricimab and anti-VEGF in BCVA [weighted mean difference (WMD) = 0.47; 95% CI: (− 0.17, 1.11)]. The intravitreal faricimab group showed numerically lower CST [WMD = − 5.96; 95% CI = (− 7.11, − 4.82)], total CNV area [WMD = − 0.49; 95% CI = (− 0.68, − 0.30)], and total lesion leakage [WMD = − 0.88; 95% CI = (− 1.08, − 0.69)] after intravitreal therapy compared with the intravitreal anti-VEGF group. There were no statistically significant differences between intravitreal faricimab and anti-VEGF in ocular adverse events (AEs) [pooled odds ratio (OR) = 1.10; 95% CI = (0.81, 1.49)] and serious adverse events (SAEs) [pooled OR = 0.84; 95% CI = (0.37, 1.90)]. The intravitreal bispecific anti-VEGF/angiopoietin 2 (Ang2) antibody faricimab with a extended injection interval was non-inferior to first-line anti-VEGF agents in BCVA. It was safe and had better anatomical recovery. Large, well-designed RCTs are needed to explore the potential benefit of extended faricimab for nAMD. This systematic review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) database (CRD42022327450).

The fungal diversity of five sweet fermented oats samples in China was studied by Illumina sequencing. The results showed that the abundance of Mucoromycota and Ascomycota peaked in the oats Tianpei samples, and a bit Basidiomycota were also included. As to genus, Rhizopus had the highest abundance, followed by unclassified_p_Ascomycota, Saccharomyces and Issatchenkia. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that five kinds of oats Tianpei samples formed their own fungal clusters. The biomarker taxa of oats Tianpei were identified by Lefse, including Mucor and Pichia. The fungal composition of oats Tianpei was significantlly related to the chemical composition of oats Tianpei (lactic acid, free fatty acid, amino acid, reducing sugar, etc). The fermentation effects of Rhizopus oryzae on the chemical composition of oats Tianpei were studied also. The fermentation of Rhizopus oryzae significantly increased the chemical composition in oats Tianpei. The research provided a theoretical basis for the study of microbial flora, the discovery of related microbial resources, the fermented modification grains, and the improvement of oats Tianpei quality.

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) dietary patterns and bone mineral density (BMD) in adults residing in the United States. To achieve this, data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database for 2011–2018 were utilized. This study utilized the NHANES database from 2011 to 2018, with a sample size of 8,486 US adults, to investigate the relationship between the DASH diet and BMD. The DASH diet was assessed based on nine target nutrients: total fat, saturated fat, protein, fiber, cholesterol, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. The primary outcome measures were BMD values at the total BMD, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, and pelvis. Multivariable linear models were employed to analyze the association between the DASH diet and BMD. Interaction tests, subgroup, and sensitivity analysis were also followed. A negative correlation was observed between the DASH diet and total BMD (OR: − 0.003 [95%CI: − 0.005, − 0.001), pelvic (OR: − 0.005 [95%CI: − 0.007, − 0.002]), and thoracic BMD (OR: − 0.003 [95%CI: − 0.005, − 0.001]). However, the DASH diet does not appear to have a particular effect on lumbar spine BMD (OR: − 0.002 [95%CI: − 0.004, 0.001]). Similarly, when the DASH diet was categorized into tertiles groups, the relationship with total BMD, pelvic BMD, thoracic BMD, and lumbar spine BMD remained consistent. Furthermore, we performed a sensitivity analysis by converting BMD to Z-scores, and the results remained unchanged. Subgroup analyses and interaction tests indicated no significant dependence of BMI, gender, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes on the observed association (all p for interactions > 0.05). The DASH diet has been identified as potentially reducing total BMD, while specifically impacting thoracic and pelvic BMD. However, it appears to have no significant effect on lumbar spine BMD.