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BackgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common form of arrhythmia. Previous studies have shown a link between AF and mental illness. However, the causal relationship between mental illness and AF remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the bidirectional causal relationship between borderline personality disorder (BPD) and AF.MethodWe used the bidirectional Two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) method to evaluate the causal relationship between BPD and AF. Instrumental variables associated with BPD were derived from a genome-wide association study involving 214,816 Europeans (2,637 cases and 212,179 controls). We then obtained atrial fibrillation data from the GWAS meta-analysis (60,620 cases and 970,216 controls). The TSMR analyses were performed in five methods, namely fixed-effect inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method、random-effect IVW method, MR Egger regression method, Weighted median method and Simple mode method. Several sensitivity analyses are used to test the robustness of positive results.ResultsThe fixed-effect inverse-variance weighted model [Odds ratio (OR), 1.033, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.011-1.056, P = 0.0031], random-effect inverse-variance weighted model (OR, 1.033; 95%CI, 1.005-1.062; P = 0.0191) and Weighted median (OR, 1.034; 95%CI, 1.002-1.068; P = 0.0394) all showed that genetically predicted BPD was associated with an increased risk of AF. Sensitivity analysis using other MR Methods, including the MR-Egger intercept, MR-Presso method, and leave-one-out analyses, showed that the results were robust. In reverse MR analysis, there was no causal relationship of AF on BPD.ConclusionOur study provides a causal relationship between BPD and AF. This means that patients with BPD should be monitored for the occurrence of AF. Early screening and proper management of BPD may show anti-arrhythmic benefits.

The onset of Alzheimer's disease is related to neuron damage caused by massive deposition of Aβ in the brain. Recent studies suggest that excessive Aβ in the brain mainly comes from peripheral blood, and BBB is the key to regulate Aβ in and out of the brain. In this study, we explored the pathogenesis of AD from the perspective of Aβ transport through the BBB and the effect of QKL injection in AD mice. The results showed that QKL could improve the cognitive dysfunction of AD mice, decrease the level of Aβ and Aβ transporter—RAGE, which was supported by the results of network pharmacology, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation. In conclusion, RAGE is a potential target for QKL's therapeutic effect on AD.

Using peanut shells, a sustainable agricultural waste product, as its raw material, the acid group-modified biochar (AMBC) was prepared through phosphoric acid activation, partial carbonization, and concentrated sulfuric acid sulfonation for efficient removal of lead ion from aqueous solutions. Characterization techniques such as N2 isothermal adsorption–desorption, SEM, XRD, FT-IR, TG-DTA, and acid–base titration were utilized to fully understand the properties of the AMBC. It was found that there were high densities of acidic oxygen-containing functional groups (-SO3H, -COOH, Ph-OH) on the surface of the AMBC. The optimal adsorption performance of the AMBC for Pb(II) in water occurred when the initial concentration of Pb(II) was 100 mg/L, the pH was 5, the dosage of the adsorbent was 0.5 g/L, and the contact time was 120 min. Under the optimal conditions, the removal ratio of Pb(II) was 76.0%, with an adsorption capacity of 148.6 mg/g. This performance far surpassed that of its activated carbon precursor, which achieved a removal ratio of 39.7% and an adsorption capacity of 83.1 mg/g. The superior adsorption performance of AMBC can be caused by the high content of acidic oxygen-containing functional groups on its surface. These functional groups facilitate the strong binding between AMBC and Pb(II), enabling effective removal from water solutions.

BackgroundPrevious observational studies have shown that a potential relationship between anti-Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) IgG levels and Myocardial Infarction (MI). Nevertheless, the evidence for the causal inferences remains disputable. To further clarify the relationship between anti-H. pylori IgG levels and MI and explore its pathogenesis, we conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.MethodsIn this study, we used two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) to assess the causality of anti-H. pylori IgG levels on MI and potential pathogenesis, 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to anti-H. pylori IgG levels were obtained from the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI). Summary data from a large-scale GWAS meta-analysis of MI was utilized as the outcome dataset. Summary data of mediators was obtained from the FinnGen database, the UK Biobank, the EBI database, MRC-IEU database, the International Consortium of Blood Pressure, the Consortium of Within family GWAS. Inverse variance weighted (IVW) analysis under the fixed effect model was identified as our main method. To ensure the reliability of the findings, many sensitivity analyses were performed.ResultsOur study revealed that increases of anti-H. pylori IgG levels were significantly related to an increased risk of MI (OR, 1.104; 95% CI,1.042–1.169; p = 7.084 × 10−4) and decreases in HDL cholesterol levels (β, −0.016; 95% CI, −0.026 to −0.006; p = 2.02 × 10−3). In addition, there was no heterogeneity or pleiotropy in our findings.ConclusionThis two-sample MR analysis revealed the causality of anti-H. pylori IgG levels on MI, which might be explained by lower HDL cholesterol levels. Further research is needed to clarify the results.

BackgroundPrevious observational studies have shown that the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is related to particulate matter (PM). However, given the methodological limitations of conventional observational research, it is difficult to identify causality conclusively. To explore the causality of PM on CVDs and cardiovascular biomarkers, we conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.MethodIn this study, we obtained summary-level data for CVDs and cardiovascular biomarkers including atrial fibrillation (AF), heart failure (HF), myocardial infarction (MI), ischemic stroke (IS), stroke subtypes, body mass index (BMI), lipid traits, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and blood pressure from several large genome-wide association studies (GWASs). Then we used two-sample MR to assess the causality of PM on CVDs and cardiovascular biomarkers, 16 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for PM2.5 and 6 SNPs for PM10 were obtained from UK Biobank participants. Inverse variance weighting (IVW) analyses under the fixed effects model were used as the main analytical method to calculate MR Estimates, followed by multiple sensitivity analyses to confirm the robustness of the results.ResultsOur study revealed increases in PM2.5 concentration were significantly related to a higher risk of MI (odds ratio (OR), 2.578; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.611–4.127; p = 7.920 × 10−5). Suggestive evidence was found between PM10 concentration and HF (OR, 2.015; 95% CI, 1.082–3.753; p = 0.027) and IS (OR, 2.279; 95% CI,1.099–4.723; p = 0.027). There was no evidence for an effect of PM concentration on other CVDs. Furthermore, PM2.5 concentration increases were significantly associated with increases in triglyceride (TG) (OR, 1.426; 95% CI, 1.133–1.795; p = 2.469 × 10−3) and decreases in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (OR, 0.779; 95% CI, 0.615–0.986; p = 0.038). The PM10 concentration increases were also closely related to the decreases in HDL-C (OR, 0.563; 95% CI, 0.366–0.865; p = 8.756 × 10−3). We observed no causal effect of PM on other cardiovascular biomarkers.ConclusionAt the genetic level, our study suggested the causality of PM2.5 on MI, TG, as well HDL-C, and revealed the causality of PM10 on HF, IS, and HDL-C. Our findings indicated the need for continued improvements in air pollution abatement for CVDs prevention.

Abstract Background Elevated lipoprotein (a) is recognized as a risk factor for incident cardiovascular events in the general population and established cardiovascular disease patients. However, there are conflicting findings on the prognostic utility of elevated lipoprotein (a) level in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).Thus, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic value of elevated lipoprotein (a) level in CAD patients. Methods and results A systematic literature search of PubMed and Embase databases was conducted until April 16, 2019. Observational studies reporting the prognostic value of elevated lipoprotein (a) level for cardiac events (cardiac death and acute coronary syndrome), cardiovascular events (death, stroke, acute coronary syndrome or coronary revascularisation), cardiovascular death, and all-cause mortality in CAD patients were included. Pooled multivariable adjusted risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the highest vs. the lowest lipoprotein (a) level were utilized to calculate the prognostic value. Seventeen studies enrolling 283,328 patients were identified. Meta-analysis indicated that elevated lipoprotein (a) level was independently associated with an increased risk of cardiac events (RR 1.78; 95% CI 1.31–2.42) and cardiovascular events (RR 1.29; 95% CI 1.17–1.42) in CAD patients. However, elevated lipoprotein (a) level was not significantly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality (RR 1.43; 95% CI 0.94–2.18) and all-cause mortality (RR 1.35; 95% CI 0.93–1.95). Conclusions Elevated lipoprotein (a) level is an independent predictor of cardiac and cardiovascular events in CAD patients. Measurement of lipoprotein (a) level has potential to improve the risk stratification among patients with CAD.

A series of Mg-Zr composite oxide catalysts prepared by the hydrothermal process were used for the transesterification of glycerol (GL) with dimethyl carbonate (DMC) to produce glycerol carbonate (GC). The effects of the preparation method (co-precipitation, hydrothermal process) and Mg/Zr ratio on the catalytic performance were systematically investigated, and the deactivation of the catalyst was also explored. The Mg-Zr composite oxide catalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM, TPD, N2 adsorption-desorption, and XPS. The characterization results showed that compared with the co-precipitation process, the catalyst prepared by the hydrothermal process has a larger specific surface area, smaller grain size, and higher dispersion. Mg1Zr2-HT catalyst calcined at 600 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere exhibited the best catalytic performance. Under the conditions of reaction time of 90 min, reaction temperature of 90 °C, catalyst dosage of 3 wt% of GL, and GL/DMC molar ratio of 1/5, the GL conversion was 99% with 96.1% GC selectivity, and the yield of GC was 74.5% when it was reused for the fourth time.

Ceria in nanoscale with different morphologies, rod, tube and cube, were prepared through a hydrothermal process. The structure, morphology and textural properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and isothermal N2 adsorption-desorption. Ceria with different morphologies were evaluated as catalysts for CO oxidation. CeO2 nanorods showed superior activity to the others. When space velocity was 12,000 mL·gcat−1·h−1, the reaction temperature for 90% CO conversion (T90) was 228 °C. The main reason for the high activity was the existence of large amounts of easily reducible oxygen species, with a reduction temperature of 217 °C on the surface of CeO2 nanorods. Another cause was their relatively large surface area.

A carbon solid acid with large surface area (CSALA) was prepared by partial carbonization of H3PO4 pre-treated peanut shells followed by sulfonation with concentrated H2SO4. The structure and acidity of CSALA were characterized by N2 adsorption–desorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), 13C cross polarization (CP)/magic angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), titration, and elemental analysis. The results demonstrated that the CSALA was an amorphous carbon material with a surface area of 387.4 m2/g. SO3H groups formed on the surface with a density of 0.46 mmol/g, with 1.11 mmol/g of COOH and 0.39 mmol/g of phenolic OH. Densities of the latter two groups were notably greater than those observed on a carbon solid acid (CSA) with a surface area of 10.1 m2/g. The CSALA catalyst showed better performance than the CSA for the hydrolysis of cyclohexyl acetate to cyclohexanol. Under optimal reaction conditions, cyclohexyl acetate conversion was 86.6% with 97.3% selectivity for cyclohexanol, while the results were 25.0% and 99.4%, respectively, catalyzed by CSA. The high activity of the CSALA could be attributed to its high density of COOH and large surface area. Moreover, the CSALA showed good reusability. Its catalytic activity decreased slightly during the first two cycles due to the leaching of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-containing SO3H groups, and then remained constant during following uses.