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BACKGROUND: While folic acid (FA) is widely used to treat elevated total homocysteine (tHcy), promoting vascular health by reducing vascular oxidative stress and modulating endothelial nitric oxide synthase, the optimal daily dose and individual variation by MTHFR C677T genotypes have not been well studied. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the efficacy of eight different FA dosages on tHcy lowering in the overall sample and by MTHFR C677T genotypes. METHODS: This multicentered, randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial included 2697 eligible hypertensive adults with elevated tHcy (≥ 10 mmol/L) and without history of stroke and cardiovascular disease. Participants were randomized into eight dose groups of FA combined with 10 mg enalapril maleate, taken daily for 8 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: The intent to treat analysis included 2163 participants. In the overall sample, increasing FA dosage led to steady tHcy reduction within the FA dosing range of 0-1.2 mg. However, a plateau in tHcy lowering was observed in FA dose range of 1.2-1.6 mg, indicating a ceiling effect. In contrast, FA doses were positively and linearly associated with serum folate levels without signs of plateau. Among MTHFR genotype subgroups, participants with the TT genotype showed greater efficacy of FA in tHcy lowering. CONCLUSIONS: This randomized trial lent further support to the efficacy of FA in lowering tHcy; more importantly, it provided critically needed evidence to inform optimal FA dosage. We found that the efficacy of FA in lowering tHcy reaches a plateau if the daily dosage exceeds 1.2 mg, and only has a small gain by increasing the dosage from 0.8 to 1.2 mg. GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT03472508 (Registration Date: March 21, 2018).

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the association between baseline resting heart rate (RHR) and all‐cause death in the China Stroke Primary Prevention Trial (CSPPT). A post hoc analysis was conducted using data from 20,648 hypertensive adults without cardiovascular disease in the CSPPT and with baseline RHR data available. Over a median follow‐up duration of 4.5 years, the baseline RHR and risk for all‐cause death had a nonlinear relationship. The risk of all‐cause death was higher in participants with an RHR ≥85 bpm (hazard ratio 1.42; 95% confidence interval 1.03–1.96, p = .031) than in those with a baseline RHR of 75–80 bpm. The effect of RHR on all‐cause death during the treatment period was modified by the folate level (p = .020) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) during treatment(p = .056). The effect of RHR on the risk of all‐cause death was stronger when the folate level was low than when it was high; the risk was higher when the RHR was

Background: Amino acids are known to play critical roles in cancer metabolism and progression. Among them, taurine, S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), and cysteine have garnered particular attention due to their interconnected metabolic pathways. This study sought to explore the associations between serum levels of these amino acids and cancer risk within Chinese adults. Methods: A nested case-control study was conducted within the China H-Type Hypertension Registry Study cohort, comprising 1,391 cancer cases and 1,391 matched controls. Serum concentrations of taurine, SAM, and cysteine were quantified, and their associations with cancer risk were evaluated using conditional logistic regression and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) models. Results: A total of 1,391 pairs of participants were included in this study. Their average age was 69.3 years ± 7.77 years, and 56% were male. Higher serum taurine levels were associated with a reduced risk of overall cancer. In contrast, elevated serum SAM levels were linked to an increased risk of digestive cancers. The BKMR model identified complex interactions among these amino acids and showed a significant overall negative association between the combined effect of taurine, SAM, and cysteine and cancer risk. Conclusion: Serum taurine levels may offer protective benefits against cancer, particularly for digestive cancers, while its metabolites do not have such significant benefits. The intricate interactions among taurine, SAM, and cysteine underscore the need for a comprehensive approach to understanding their roles in the metabolic processes that drive tumorigenesis. Clinical Trial Registration: https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=28262, identifier ChiCTR1800017274. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytic nitrogen oxides (NOx) oxidation highly depends on the adsorption activation mode of pollutant molecules and the efficient generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Previous research underscores the construction of reactive active site synergistic mechanisms for enhancing reactant adsorption and activation. Herein, Bi‐metal is introduced onto the halogen intercalation by synergistically utilizing the strong electronegativity of Cl atoms and oxygen vacancy sites to promote directional charge transfer, forming an electronically localized layer of Cl and unsaturation‐charged Bi sites, which can change the activation mode of reactants and promote ROS formation. The OVs‐Bi4TaO8Cl/Bi with Bi–Cl synergistic sites immobilized on ceramic foam exhibited nitric oxide (NO) conversion efficiency of 89.0% with great stability (82.1% after 200 min) and extremely lowed toxic nitrogen dioxide (NO2) conversion (0.1%). The OVs‐Bi4TaO8Cl/Bi can convert NO into nitrosyl anion (NO−) during the adsorption activation process, thus effectively oxidizing it into the nitrate (NO3−) with NO2 inhibition. This study provides new insights into the development of effective photocatalysts with synergistic active sites for air pollutant purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College entrepreneurship education relatively lags behind in China at present. The main reason is that the lack of qualified teachers. For the construction of teachers' team training, firstly analysis the characteristics of the entrepreneurship education level, and then divide into two relatively independent levels which are basic entrepreneurship education theory and comprehensive practice. According to the different levels of education need, analyze the state of teachers' team and put forward the ideas and countermeasures of improvement on teacher's quality, including which construct a hierarchical or progressed entrepreneurship education system and configure the qualified teachers based on entrepreneurship education level structure, thus formulate different construction goal.

Environmental temperature and mineral admixtures directly affect the rheological properties of UHPC, and further affect the construction quality of UHPC bridge deck pavement. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the variation law of the UHPC rheological index through rheological tests, and then to establish the calculation model of UHPC rheological performance characterisation parameters considering the combination of temperature and mineral admixtures. The results show that the rheological properties of UHPC with a high content of silica fume are more sensitive to temperature; and, the temperature sensitivity of UHPC can be reduced by an appropriate amount of cenosphere. Meanwhile, considering the combination of temperature, silica fume and cenosphere, the prediction model of flow index and yield stress proposed has high precision and accuracy, which can provide data support for UHPC rheological behaviour regulation and provide theoretical reference for the practical engineering application of UHPC in different construction environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fan, J., Wei, Y., Xinwen, W., & Yang, X. (March-April, 2017). Effect of drip irrigation with saline water on the construction of shelterbelts for soil and groundwater protection in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert, China. Water Technology and Sciences (in Spanish), 8(2), 19-30. In order to perceive the effect of drip irrigation with saline water in the desert hinterland on plant growth of shelterbelts and underground environment (vadose zone and groundwater), by developing water-saving irrigation technology to ensure the scientifically substantiated utilization of water resources, four different irrigation cycle experiments (difference in irrigation period I: 12d; IV: 25d; II & III: 25d in the summer and the respective spring and autumn periods, which were the same: 15d and 20d, respectively) were carried out during the irrigation season in four different regions of well irrigation area. In this paper, regular on-site investigation was adopted to observe soil, water, and salt. Single-factor analysis of variance and least significant difference (LSD) are used to analyze the data acquired by the survey method and for measuring plant growth, complemented with the comparison of groundwater level and chemical index before and after irrigation. The results showed that the reduction of annual irrigation volume from 420 mm to 201.6 mm had almost no effect on plant growth and could save more than 50% of the water as compared to treatment I. Considering the impact on the height-growth of Tamarix, treatment II could be optimized, so that more than 30% of the water could be saved as compared to treatment I. Three days after irrigation, the salt was leached through the soil body into the groundwater. The groundwater level in the shelterbelt area, total dissolved solids (TDS), and total hardness exhibited an upward trend. Six days after irrigation, the high salt concentration region was found at a depth of 0–30 cm.

Wei, Y., Fan, J., Xu, X., & Lei, J. (March-April, 2017). Water table response to a pumping test in the hinterland core area of the Taklimakan Desert, China. Water Technology and Sciences (in Spanish), 8(2), 151-158. In this article, hydrogeological parameters were determined by a single well pumping test. Over the course of the study, BETCO was used to eliminate the effects of atmospheric pressure changes on water level based on the regression deconvolution method. The aquifer test was used to analyze data and to calculate hydrogeological parameters. Finally, from the three unconfined aquifer models, though the Boulton model cannot successfully gain well-fitting results, the Theis model with Jacob correction and the Neuman model results obtained hydrogeological parameters by curve-fitting. Additionally, permeability coefficient of the two models is in good agreement with previous research, which can provide a reference for further study in the hinterland of the desert, especially for the construction of hydrological modeling research.