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Abstract Aims/Introduction Our aim was to investigate the optimal fasting glucose (FPG) range in Chinese older adults with type 2 diabetes, and to clarify whether the optimal range varies according to the control of risk factors. Materials and Methods The baseline survey for the cohort study began in 2018, with follow up ending in 2022. Our study enrolled 59,030 older diabetes patients with no history of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Participants were divided into nine groups based on their baseline glycemic status. The association between FPG and the risk of adverse outcomes was mainly estimated by multivariate Cox proportional risk models and restricted spline analysis. Results During the 4‐year follow‐up period, a total of 5,637 deaths and 4,904 CVD events occurred. The associations of FPG with mortality and CVD events showed J‐shaped curves. Among all‐cause deaths, the hazard ratios for FPG ≤4.50 and >11.50 mmol/L were 1.50 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.31–1.71) and 1.84 (95% CI 1.67–2.02). Among CVD, the hazard ratios for FPG ≤4.50 and >11.50 mmol/L were 1.31 (95% CI 1.13–1.53) and 1.71 (95% CI 1.54–1.89), respectively. The optimal FPG ranges of all‐cause mortality and CVD were 5.50–7.50 and 4.50–7.50 mmol/L, respectively. For participants with at least two risk factors, the optimal FPG levels were higher than those with fewer risk factors. Conclusions In older Chinese diabetes patients, the FPG ranges related to the minimum death and CVD event rates were 5.50–7.50 and 4.50–7.50 mmol/L, respectively. Patients with more cardiovascular risk factors had higher optimal blood glucose ranges than those with fewer risk factors.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of nano-selenium (nano-se) as a dietary supplement on Tibetan naked carp (Gymnocypris przewalskii) and six separate groups were conducted (0 mg/kg, NSEC; 2 mg/kg, NSE2; 4 mg/kg, NSE4; 7 mg/kg, NSE7; 9 mg/kg, NSE9; and 11 mg/kg, NSE11). The growth performance, hemato-biochemical activity, antioxidant activity, immune indices, and intestinal microbiota were subsequently measured at the end of the feeding experiment. The results showed that the hepatosomatic index, viscerosomatic index and condition factor were significantly greater in the NSE4 group (P < 0.05). The NSE4 group presented the highest specific growth rate and weight gain rate, whereas the NSE11 group presented the lowest rates. The survival rate was greater in the NSE2, NSE4, and NSE9 groups, whereas it was lowest in the NSE11 group. The contents of TP and TG and the activities of T-AOC, GSH-Px, T-SOD, CAT and GR first increased but then decreased with increasing dietary selenium content. Compared with the other groups, the NSE4 group presented comparatively lower levels of proinflammatory factors such as IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, but higher amounts of lysozyme LZM and immunoglobulin IgM. The NSE4 and NSE2 groups presented considerably increased levels of anti-inflammatory factors (IL-10 and TGF-β) (P < 0.05). Dietary supplementation with an appropriate amount of nano-se can improve liver vacuolationand hepatocyte swelling in G. przewalskii, but excessive nano-se could cause liver damage. In addition, the results of intestinal microbiota detection revealed that dietary nano-se could improve the diversity of the intestinal microbiota and increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria in G. przewalskii. This research will enhance our understanding of the possible uses of nano-se and lay the groundwork for increasing the resource efficiency of G. przewalskii breeding and releasing.

Abstract The Karakoram fault (KKF) is an important strike‐slip boundary for accommodating deformation following the India‐Asia collision. However, whether the deformation is confined to the crust or whether it extends into the mantle remains highly debated. Here, we show that the KKF is overwhelmingly dominated by crustal degassing related to a 4He‐ and CO2‐rich fluid reservoir (for example, He contents up to ∼1.0–1.6 vol.%; 3He/4He = 0.027 ± 0.013 RA (1σ, n = 47); CO2/N2 up to 3.7–57.8). Crustal‐scale active deformation driven by strike‐slip faulting could mobilize 4He and CO2 from the fault zone rocks, which subsequently accumulate in the hydrothermal system. The KKF may have limited fluid connections to the mantle, and if any, the accumulated crustal fluids would efficiently dilute the uprising mantle fluids. In both cases, crustal deformation is evidently the first‐order response to strike‐slip faulting.

To meet the demand for the track's geometric parameter detection equipment for train speed and high-speed aerodynamics tests, a zero-calibration gauge device is designed with the centering limit, height adjustment and horizontal display function in this paper. The bending situation of the zero-calibration gauge is analyzed and the processing technology is studied, which ensures the rationality and realizability of the design of zero-calibration gauge. Then the gauge zero value and the parallelism of the working surface of zero-calibration gauge have been experimentally tested. The experimental results show that the parameter of gauge zero value is 1434.829 mm with a standard deviation of 1.4 μm. The parallelism of the two upper working surfaces is 1.1 μm, and the parallelism of the two inner working surfaces is 4 μm. Finally, the uncertainty evaluation of zero-calibration gauge is completed. The measurement uncertainty of gauge zero value is 12 μm and the measurement uncertainty of height difference is 6 μm.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy has demonstrated impressive success in the treatment of patients with hematologic tumors yet achieved very limited efficacy for solid tumors due to hurdles unique to solid tumors. It is also noted that the tumor microenvironment composition varies between tumor type, which again imposes unique set of hurdles in each solid tumor. Therefore, elucidation of individual hurdles is key to achieving successful CAR-T therapy for solid tumors. In the present study, we employed an orthotopic human PDAC xenograft model, in which quantitative, spatial and functional dynamics of CAR-T cells in tumor tissues were analyzed to obtain insights into ways of overcoming PDAC related hurdles. Contrary to previous studies that demonstrated a limited persistency and infiltration of CAR-T cells in many solid tumors, they persist and accumulated in PDAC tumor tissues. Ex vivo analysis revealed that CAR-T cells that had been recovered at different time points from mice bearing an orthotopic PDAC tumor exhibited a gradual loss of tumor reactivity. This loss of tumor reactivity of CAR-T cells was associated with the increased expression of AMP-activated protein kinase and Mitofusin 1/ Dynamin-related protein 1 ratio.

Glutinous rice (GR), an important food crop in Asia, provides prolonged energy for the human body due to its high amylopectin content. The non-volatile metabolites generated by different cooking methods that affect the nutritional value and color of GR are still poorly understood. Herein, a widely targeted metabolomics approach was used to understand the effects of different cooking methods (steaming, baking, and frying) on the metabolite profiles of GR. Compared with other treatments, steamed GR had a brighter color and significantly lower contents of total sugar, starch, amylopectin, and amylose, at 40.74%, 14.13%, 9.78%, and 15.18%, respectively. Additionally, 70, 108, and 115 metabolites were significantly altered in the steaming, baking, and frying groups respectively, and amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism were identified as the representative metabolic pathways based on KEGG annotations. Further evaluation of 14 amino acids and 12 carbohydrates in steamed GR, especially 4-aminobutyric acid, suggested its high nutraceutical value. Additionally, multivariate analysis indicated that total sugar content, amylose content, beta-alanine methyl ester hydrochloride, and 4-aminobutyric acid played a critical role in color formation in raw and cooked GR. Finally, the levels of major amino acids and carbohydrates were quantified by conventional methods to verify the reliability of the metabolome. Consequently, this in-depth understanding of metabolite profiling in normal cooking methods has provided a foundation for the processing of GR products.

In this research, Chinese herb Sargentodoxa cuneata was investigated as a natural dyestuff to give novel ultraviolet resistance to silk fabrics. The colorant was prepared using sodium hydroxide as extraction solvent, and the properties of the colorant were characterized using fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and UV-vis spectrophotometric. The functionalized silk fabric was obtained by a typical dyeing process using the prepared Sargentodoxa cuneata extraction (SCE). The effects of dyeing pH, temperature, and time on dyeing properties of silk fabric were investigated. The dyed silk fabric showed excellent UV protection property as well as excellent washing durability. This investigation provides a useful strategy to develop a new class of Chinese herbs with valuable use and silk materials with functional performance.

Maintaining color fastness and endow functionality of the fabrics dyed with natural colorants had been the major constraint of natural dye in modern textile practices. In this work, a natural dye was extracted from wall nut tree wood. The dye solution extracted from wall nut tree wood showed excellent thermal stability until 100°C. The structure and functional groups of the extracted dye were investigated by FTIR. The optimum dyeing process was performed at a pH about 4.5 at 90°C for 60 min. In this experiment, three different mordants were used to make silk fabrics show different colors and can improve the color fastness of wall nut tree wood. Finally, the color fastness of wall nut tree wood dye can be further improved by using a dye-fixing agent, and solve the problem of poor color fastness of natural dyes. The dye-fixing agent formed a protective film on the surface of the dyed silk fabrics. The protective film reduced the water solubility of the wall nut tree wood dye, thereby improving the color fastness of the dyed silk fabrics. The best washing fastness reached grade 3–4, and the sunlight fastness reached grade 4. The natural wall nut tree wood dye also showed excellent UV protection properties, and the UPF value of the dyed fabric was 50 + . The wall nut tree wood was expected to become a functional natural dye in the future.

Background The prevalence of synthetic drug abuse is high. In China, synthetic drugs have become the most commonly abused drugs characterized by strong addiction and great difficulty in quitting. The addicts are easily prone to serious psychological dependence and other psychological problems, which leading to relapse after withdrawal treatment. Therefore, exploring the influencing factors of mental health status in individuals addicted to new synthetic drugs has clinical and social significance for the prevention and management of synthetic drug addicts. Objective To explore the associated factors of mental health status and their intercorrelations in individuals addicted to new synthetic drugs. Methods One hundred and ninety-six people getting addicted to new synthetic drugs with inpatient withdrawal treatment were selected from Ankang Hospital of Tianjin Municipal Public Security Bureau from January 2018 to April 2019. Sociodemographic data and drug abuse-related clinical data were collected. The Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) , Eysenck Personality Questionaire-Revised, Short Scale For Chinese (EPQ-RSC) , and Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ) were used to investigate the mental health. Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to analyze the inercorrelations of the influencing factors of mental health. SPSS 22.0 software was used for statistical analysis, and AMOS 22.0 was used to build a model for path analysis of data. Results The average total score of SCL-90 rated by the participants was (206.62±26.66) , which was higher than that rated by Chinese norm (P

Abstract Background Rice is one of the most important cereal crops in the world but is susceptible to cold stress (CS). In this study, we carried out parallel transcriptomic analysis at the reproductive stage on the anthers of two Japonica rice varieties with contrasting CS resistance: cold susceptible Longjing11 (LJ11) and cold resistant Longjing25 (LJ25). Results According to the obtained results, a total of 16,762 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified under CS, including 7,050 and 14,531 DEGs in LJ25 and LJ11, respectively. Examining gene ontology (GO) enrichment identified 35 up- and 39 down-regulated biological process BP GO terms were significantly enriched in the two varieties, with ‘response to heat’ and ‘response to cold’ being the most enriched. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis identified 33 significantly enriched pathways. Only the carbon metabolism and amino acid biosynthesis pathways with down-regulated DEGs were enriched considerably in LJ11, while the plant hormone signal transduction pathway (containing 153 DEGs) was dramatically improved. Eight kinds of plant hormones were detected in the pathway, while auxin, abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA), and ethylene (ETH) signaling pathways were found to be the top four pathways with the most DEGs. Furthermore, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis identified ten hub genes (co-expressed gene number ≥ 30), including six ABA-related genes. Various DEGs (such as OsDREB1A, OsICE1, OsMYB2, OsABF1, OsbZIP23, OsCATC, and so on) revealed distinct expression patterns among rice types when the DEGs between LJ11 and LJ25 were compared, indicating that they are likely responsible for CS resistance of rice in cold region. Conclusion Collectively, our findings provide comprehensive insights into complex molecular mechanisms of CS response and can aid in CS resistant molecular breeding of rice in cold regions.

Abstract Background Cough caused by endotracheal tube (ETT) placement is ubiquitous and correlates with adverse outcomes. Remifentanil administration via target-controlled infusion (TCI) is one of the cough prevention measures used during recovery. In a pilot study, lidocaine administered via the perforated outer cuff of a dual-cuff endotracheal tube was also found to prevent cough due to ETT placement. We therefore compared these two cough prevention approaches during recovery after thyroidectomy in a single-centre, double-blind, randomised study conducted in China during the period from 09/10/2020 to 30/04/2021. Methods Ninety-eight female patients aged 18–65 years with American Society of Anaesthesiologists Physical Status scores of I and II were scheduled to undergo thyroidectomy. The ETT contained an internal cuff covered by a perforated outer cuff to allow for lidocaine delivery. Patients were randomised to receive either 4 ml of saline solution (Group R, n = 49) or 4 ml of 2% lidocaine in the outer cuff (Group L, n = 49) at the beginning of skin suturing. Remifentanil (2 ng/ml) was maintained in Group R until extubation, while remifentanil was maintained in Group L until the end of skin suturing. The primary outcome was cough during patient transfer, at 1 min before extubation, and at extubation. The secondary outcomes were haemodynamics and other recovery parameters. Results Primary outcomes were compared between remifentanil vs. lidocaine application, namely, the incidence of cough during patient transfer (0% in Group R vs. 0% in Group L), at 1 min before extubation (22.45% in Group R vs. 4.08% in Group L; P = 0.015), and at extubation (61.22% in Group R vs. 20.41% in Group L; P

Hydrogen leakage and explosion accidents have obvious dangers, ambiguity of accident information, and urgency of decision-making time. These characteristics bring challenges to the optimization of emergency alternatives for such accidents. Effective emergency decision making is crucial to mitigating the consequences of accidents and minimizing losses and can provide a vital reference for emergency management in the field of hydrogen energy. An improved VIKOR emergency alternatives optimization method is proposed based on the combination of hesitant triangular fuzzy set (HTFS) and the cumulative prospect theory (CPT), termed the HTFS-CPT-VIKOR method. This method adopts the hesitant triangular fuzzy number to represent the decision information on the alternatives under the influence of multi-attributes, constructs alternatives evaluation indicators, and solves the indicator weights by using the deviation method. Based on CPT, positive and negative ideal points were used as reference points to construct the prospect matrix, which then utilized the VIKOR method to optimize the emergency alternatives for hydrogen leakage and explosion accidents. Taking an accident at a hydrogen refueling station as an example, the effectiveness and rationality of the HTFS-CPT-VIKOR method were verified by comparing with the existing three methods and conducting parameter sensitivity analysis. Research results show that the HTFS-CPT-VIKOR method effectively captures the limited psychological behavior characteristics of decision makers and enhances their ability to identify, filter, and judge ambiguous information, making the decision-making alternatives more in line with the actual environment, which provided strong support for the optimization of emergency alternatives for hydrogen leakage and explosion accidents.

Abstract Background During the past four decades, China’s total health expenditure and health expenditure per capita have both experienced a dramatic increase in growth rate. This study aims to explore the determinants of health expenditure growth and the influencing mechanism of these determinants, with considering the productivity efficiency represented by Baumol’s cost disease. Methods Based on the longitudinal data of 30 provincial-level administrative regions in China, from 2010 to 2017, multi-variates regression models were constructed to assess the determinants, including demography, income, Baumol’s cost disease, technology, their effects on per capital total health expenditure growth and the three financing sources: government, society and out-of-pocket health expenditure. Moreover, the Spatial Durbin Model was used to analyze the influence mechanism of determinants on the increase of health expenditure across provinces. Results Among 210 province-year growth rate observations, all of the average growth rate of total health expenditure (12.78%) was much higher than the growth rate of per capita GDP (8.06%). According to the statistical analysis, we found that:(1) Income and Baumol’s cost disease have a significant positive impact on health expenditure growth(P

The benefits of CAR-T therapy could be expanded to the treatment of solid tumors through the use of derived autologous αβ T cell, but clinical trials of CAR-T therapy for patients with solid tumors have so far been disappointing. CAR-T therapy also faces hurdles due to the time and cost intensive preparation of CAR-T cell products derived from patients as such CAR-T cells are often poor in quality and low in quantity. These inadequacies may be mitigated through the use of third-party donor derived CAR-T cell products which have a potent anti-tumor function but a constrained GVHD property. Vγ9Vδ2 TCR have been shown to exhibit potent antitumor activity but not alloreactivity. Therefore, in this study, CAR-T cells were prepared from Vγ9Vδ2 T (CAR-γδ T) cells which were expanded by using a novel prodrug PTA. CAR-γδ T cells suppressed tumor growth in an antigen specific manner but only during a limited time window. Provision of GITR co-stimulation enhanced anti-tumor function of CAR-γδ T cells. Our present results indicate that, while further optimization of CAR-γδ T cells is necessary, the present results demonstrate that Vγ9Vδ2 T cells are potential source of ‘off-the-shelf’ CAR-T cell products for successful allogeneic adoptive immunotherapy.

Macrobenthos have been used to monitor the self-pollution of cage culture. Will cage culture inevitably reduce their biomass and biodiversity? A one-year investigation was conducted in a lagoon with a history of cage culture for approximately 20 years. In December, the macrobenthos biomass in cage culture area (CCA) was higher than that in FTA (area farthest from CCA). The macrobenthos biodiversity in CCA and NCA (area near CCA) was higher. During the production period, the stabilities of the microbenthic communities in NCA and FRA (area further from CCA) were lower. In the nonproduction period, the stability of the macrobenthic community in CCA was higher than that in FTA. The landform, fishing and organic matter and Ex-P (exchangeable phosphorus) in sediments jointly affected macrobenthos. Cage culture did not inevitably reduce macrobenthos biomass and biodiversity but provided stable microhabitats for macrobenthos. The NCA and FRA may be ecotones between CCA and FTA.

Narcissism is a deep-rooted personality trait that is particularly common in corporate leaders, and narcissistic leaders have a noticeable influence on the R&D investment behavior of enterprises. This paper empirically examines the effect of CEO narcissism on R&D investment and the moderating effects of financing constraints, and the nature of corporate ownership based on the Upper Echelons Theory, using the CEO signature size as a measure of CEO narcissism for the 2007–2020 Chinese A-share listed companies. The results show that CEO narcissism has a significant negative effect on R&D investment; corporate financing constraints play a negative moderating role between CEO narcissism and R&D investment, and the negative effect of CEO narcissism on corporate R&D investment is more significant in non-state-owned firms than in state-owned firms. The study’s findings enrich and expand the theory related to CEO narcissism and have important practical implications for R&D investment decisions and the choice of corporate executives in China.

Purpose. To investigate the risk factors for subretinal fluid (SRF) in diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods. We reviewed the records of 66 patients with DME. Systemic parameters, including hypertension, glycosylated hemoglobin, serum fasting glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and diabetic kidney disease, were evaluated. Renal parameters for diabetic kidney disease included serum albumin, serum creatinine, albuminuria, and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Ocular factors included visual acuity and diabetic retinopathy, and the following parameters are evaluated through optical coherence tomography examination: disorganization of the retinal inner layers, loss of ellipsoid zone, central subretinal fluid thickness, central macular thickness, and presence of SRF. Results. Higher albuminuria (odds ratio, 3.431; 95% confidence interval, 1.039–11.334; P=0.043) was associated with the presence of SRF in patients with DME. Lower serum albumin levels (beta = −14.028, se = 6.646, P=0.044) were associated with increased SRF thickness. Conclusions. Poor kidney function was associated with the presence of SRF in DME. Screening for SRF in DME in patients with higher albuminuria and lower serum albumin levels should be routinely performed.

Crystallization plays a critical role in determining crystal size, purity and morphology. Therefore, uncovering the growth dynamics of nanoparticles (NPs) atomically is important for the controllable fabrication of nanocrystals with desired geometry and properties. Herein, we conducted in situ atomic-scale observations on the growth of Au nanorods (NRs) by particle attachment within an aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope (AC-TEM). The results show that the attachment of spherical colloidal Au NPs with a size of about 10 nm involves the formation and growth of neck-like (NL) structures, followed by five-fold twin intermediate states and total atomic rearrangement. The statistical analyses show that the length and diameter of Au NRs can be well regulated by the number of tip-to-tip Au NPs and the size of colloidal Au NPs, respectively. The results highlight five-fold twin-involved particle attachment in spherical Au NPs with a size of 3–14 nm, and provide insights into the fabrication of Au NRs using irradiation chemistry.