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Abstract Background Cancer constitutes a serious burden of disease worldwide and has become the second leading cause of death in China. Alcohol consumption is causally associated with the increased risk of certain cancers. Due to the current lack of data and the imperative need to guide policymakers on issues of cancer prevention and control, we aim to estimate the role of alcohol on the cancer burden in China in 2005. Methods We calculated the proportion of cancers attributable to alcohol use to estimate the burden of alcohol-related cancer. The population attributable fraction was calculated based on the assumption of no alcohol drinking. Data on alcohol drinking prevalence were from two large-scale national surveys of representative samples of the Chinese population. Data on relative risk were obtained from meta-analyses and large-scale studies. Results We found that a total of 78,881 cancer deaths were attributable to alcohol drinking in China in 2005, representing 4.40% of all cancers (6.69% in men, 0.42% in women). The corresponding figure for cancer incidence was 93,596 cases (3.63% of all cancer cases). Liver cancer was the main alcohol-related cancer, contributing more than 60% of alcohol-related cancers. Conclusions Particular attention needs to be paid to the harm of alcohol as well as its potential benefits when making public health recommendations on alcohol drinking.

Triallyl isocyanurate (TAIC, C12H15N3O3) has featured in wastewater treatment as a refractory organic compound due to the significant production capability and negative environmental impact. TAIC degradation was enhanced when an ozone(O3)/ultraviolet(UV) process was applied compared with the application of an independent O3 process. Although 99% of TAIC could be degraded in 5 min during both processes, the O3/UV process had a 70%mineralization rate that was much higher than that of the independent O3 process (9%) in 30 min. Four possible degradation pathways were proposed based on the organic compounds of intermediate products identified during TAIC degradation through the application of independent O3 and O3/UV processes. pH impacted both the direct and indirect oxidation processes. Acidic and alkaline conditions preferred direct and indirect reactions respectively, with a pH of 9 achieving maximum Total Organic Carbon (TOC) removal. Both CO32– and HCO3– decreased TOC removal, however only CO32– negatively impacted TAIC degradation. Effects of Cl– as a radical scavenger became more marked only at high concentrations (over 500 mg/L Cl–). Particulate and suspended matter could hinder the transmission of ultraviolet light and reduce the production of HO$ accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Population aging is an inevitable trend and previous studies have showed the relationship between social health related factors and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in the elderly. The objective of this study is to investigate the association of social health status with HR-QOL among community-dwelling elderly in Zhejiang.Methods: This cross-sectional study was based on community-dwelling elderly individuals from July 2018 to September 2018 in Zhejiang, China. HR-QOL was measured by the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12). Social health status was estimated by the long-form of the Social Health Scale for the Elderly (SHSE-L) and classified into three categories (poor, moderate and good). Multivariable linear regression models were conducted to evaluate the association between social health status and HR-QOL (PCS, MCS and SF-12 total score).Results: A total of 2952 elderly participants were included in this study. The mean age was 70.68 ± 7.75 years (mean ± SD); of the eligible participants, more than half (50.4%) were females; the mean scores were 48.10 ± 8.49, 47.70 ± 7.09 and 47.90 ± 5.86 for PCS, MCS and SF-12 total score, separately. Results from the multivariable models showed that social health status was positively related to HR-QOL after adjusting for covariates. Compared with individuals with a poor social health status, those who had a moderate or good social health status were more likely to report better HR-QOL (for moderate social health status: β = 1.90(95%CI: 1.09, 2.71) for PCS, β = 1.78(1.08, 2.48) for MCS, β = 1.84(1.29, 2.39) for SF-12 total score; for good social health status: β = 3.29(2.24, 4.34) for PCS, β = 3.10(2.12, 4.01) for MCS, β = 3.20(2.48, 3.91) for SF-12 total score).Conclusion: In our study, we found that social health status was positively associated with HR-QOL among the elderly in Zhejiang. Our findings could provide valuable information for decision-makers to develop interventions to improve the HR-QOL of the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of Zn addition on the evolution of IMC at near-eutectic 50In-50Sn/Cu interfaces was investigated at 210°C. In 50In-(50-x)Sn-xZn/Cu(x = 0, 6) diffusion couples, two types of intermetallic compound layers were observed: ε-Cu3(In,Sn) adjacent to the Cu substrate and η-Cu2(In,Sn) adjacent to the solder, which were formed though a solid–solid diffusion reaction and solid–liquid reaction, respectively. The growth of ε-Cu3(In,Sn) was at the expense of η-Cu2(In,Sn). In 50In-44Sn-6Zn/Cu diffusion couple, the growth of ε-Cu3(In,Sn) was grain-boundary diffusion controlled and n (the time constant) was 0.31. But in the 50In-50Sn/Cu diffusion couple, due to the slow growth of η-Cu2(In,Sn), the time constant of ε-Cu3(In,Sn) was down to 0.19. With the addition of Zn in the 50In-50Sn/Cu couple, the diffusion of Cu was alleviated. Zn exhibited high activity and moderated the dissipation of the main atoms (In/Sn) in the solder. So the growth of Cu3(In,Sn) was suppressed significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A candidate reference measurement procedure (RMP) based on isotope dilution coupled with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (ID–LC–MS/MS) was developed and validated for the quantification of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) in human plasma. 17-OHP spiked with a deuterium-labeled internal standard was extracted from plasma by liquid–liquid extraction with 1 mL n-hexane/ethyl acetate (3:2, v/v). Reversed-phase chromatography and positive electrospray ionization were used in the ID–LC–MS/MS. Gradient elution coupled with use of a C18-packed ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography column allowed complete baseline resolution of 17-OHP from its structural analogue desoxycorticosterone in 6 min. To determine the 17-OHP level in human plasma, a bracketing calibration method was used to give higher accuracy and precision. The limit of detection and the lower limit of the measuring interval for the candidate RMP were 2.1 pg/mL (6.4 pmol/L) and 4.6 pg/mL (13.9 pmol/L), respectively. Extraction recovery was determined to be (96.08 ± 3.03)% (n = 3). Imprecision (intra-assay and interassay) was 4.03% or less at 0.83, 15.19, 64.22, and 313.46 ng/mL (2.51, 45.97, 194.34, and 948.56 nmol/L, respectively). Recoveries ranged from 98.05% to 102.24%. When comparing our RMP results with those obtained with an established RMP via International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine external quality assessment scheme for reference laboratories in laboratory medicine (RELA) samples, we found that the biases ranged from -1.99% to 3.08% against the targets. No interference was observed, and the linear response ranged from 0.47 to 958.63 ng/mL (1.42 to 2900.90 nmol/L). Moreover, the candidate RMP was used to measure the concentration of 17-OHP in human plasma and was compared with an immunoassay using 40 plasma samples. The performance of the method meets the needs of an RMP (total coefficient of variation of 5% or less and bias of 3.08% or less). This method can be used for reference material value assignment of 17-OHP in human plasma matrix. It could also serve as an accurate reference baseline for routine methods to increase the accuracy and precision of certain clinical laboratory measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a mixture of multiple components, which is associated with several chronic diseases, including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. We evaluated the association between daily PM2.5 and PM2.5–10 exposure and hospital visits for respiratory diseases. Hospital visits for respiratory diseases were collected from Yinzhou Health Information System database. We used generalized additive models to examine the excess relative risk (ERR) and 95% confidence interval for hospital visits for respiratory diseases associated with each 10-μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 and PM2.5–10 concentration. Non-linear exposure-response relationship between PM exposure and hospital visits for respiratory diseases was evaluated by a smooth spline. The ERRs for hospital visits for respiratory diseases associated with a 10-μg/m3 increase in the 6-day cumulative average concentration of PM2.5 and PM2.5–10 were 5.40 (95% CI 2.32, 8.57) and 6.37% (95% CI 1.84, 11.10), respectively. The findings remained stable when we adjusted other gaseous air pollution. PM2.5 and PM2.5–10 were associated with the increased visits for the acute upper respiratory infection, pneumonia, asthma, and COPD. In this time-series study, we found a positive association between daily particulate matter exposure and hospital visits for respiratory diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key points: Shank3 increases the HCN channel surface expression in heterologous expression systems. Shank3Δ13–16 deficiency causes significant reduction in HCN2 expression and Ih current amplitude in thalamocortical (TC) neurons. Shank3Δ13–16‐ but not Shank3Δ4–9‐deficient TC neurons share changes in basic electrical properties which are comparable to those of HCN2−/− TC neurons. HCN channelopathy may critically mediate events downstream from Shank3 deficiency. Abstract: SHANK3 is a scaffolding protein that is highly enriched in excitatory synapses. Mutations in the SHANK3 gene have been linked to neuropsychiatric disorders especially the autism spectrum disorders. SHANK3 deficiency is known to cause impairments in synaptic transmission, but its effects on basic neuronal electrical properties that are more localized to the soma and proximal dendrites remain unclear. Here we confirmed that in heterologous expression systems two different mouse Shank3 isoforms, Shank3A and Shank3C, significantly increase the surface expression of the mouse hyperpolarization‐activated, cyclic‐nucleotide‐gated (HCN) channel. In Shank3Δ13–16 knockout mice, which lack exons 13–16 in the Shank3 gene (both Shank3A and Shank3C are removed) and display a severe behavioural phenotype, the expression of HCN2 is reduced to an undetectable level. The thalamocortical (TC) neurons from the ventrobasal (VB) complex of Shank3Δ13–16 mice demonstrate reduced Ih current amplitude and correspondingly increased input resistance, negatively shifted resting membrane potential, and abnormal spike firing in both tonic and burst modes. Impressively, these changes closely resemble those of HCN2−/− TC neurons but not of the TC neurons from Shank3Δ4–9 mice, which lack exons 4–9 in the Shank3 gene (Shank3C still exists) and demonstrate moderate behavioural phenotypes. Additionally, Shank3 deficiency increases the ratio of excitatory/inhibitory balance in VB neurons but has a limited impact on the electrical properties of connected thalamic reticular (RTN) neurons. These results provide new understanding about the role of HCN channelopathy in mediating detrimental effects downstream from Shank3 deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the associations of baseline body mass index (BMI) and longitudinal BMI trajectories with all-cause mortality among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We used data from the diabetes surveillance system of Yinzhou Health Information System with T2DM patients registered from 2010 to 2015. Participants aged ≥ 40 years were included and were followed up until September 30, 2021. The latent class growth mixture model was used to identify different changing patterns in BMI for 5 years from registration. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the associations of baseline BMI and 5-year BMI trajectories with all-cause mortality. We observed a nonlinear association between baseline BMI and all-cause mortality (P for nonlinearity < 0.001), with an increased risk of death for low but not high BMI. However, compared with participants with medium-stable BMI for 5 years from baseline, individuals with increasing BMI had higher mortality, with adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) 1.21 (1.02;1.43) for early-increasing and 1.47 (1.19;1.80) for late-sharp increasing groups. These findings suggest that while obesity itself may not be associated with an increased risk for mortality, weight gain, and in particular rapid weight gain, is a risk factor for mortality among patients with T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]