Summary
Background
Recent evidence has revealed an elevation of total homocysteine (tHcy) in patients with vitiligo. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is one of the main enzymes regulating ...homocysteine (Hcy) metabolism. Thus, polymorphisms of MTHFR could potentially contribute to the development of vitiligo by affecting MTHFR activity and tHcy levels.
Objectives
To evaluate the potential association between MTHFR polymorphisms and vitiligo susceptibility.
Methods
In total, 1000 patients with vitiligo and 1000 age‐ and sex‐matched controls were enrolled in this hospital‐based case–control study. Two single‐nucleotide polymorphisms of the MTHFR gene (rs1801133 C>T and rs1801131 A>C) were selected and genotyped using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–restriction fragment length polymorphism and allele‐specific PCR, respectively. The MTHFR activity concentration and tHcy level in serum were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.
Results
We found that allele T of rs1801133 in the MTHFR gene was associated with a significantly reduced risk of vitiligo (adjusted odds ratio 0·58, 95% confidence interval 0·43–0·76, P < 0·001). In addition, the patients with vitiligo had a lower activity concentration of MTHFR and higher level of tHcy than the controls. Correlation between these markers and the risk of vitiligo was also observed. Furthermore, the individuals with a no‐risk genotype (CT + TT) of rs1801133 and higher activity concentration of MTHFR or lower level of tHcy had a significantly decreased risk of vitiligo.
Conclusions
Our data suggest that MTHFR gene polymorphisms may play a vital role in genetic susceptibility to vitiligo.
What's already known about this topic?
Previous findings have suggested that patients with vitiligo have an elevated level of total homocysteine.
Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is an enzyme affecting homocysteine metabolism, and polymorphisms of the MTHFR gene impact the enzyme's activity.
What does this study add?
Our study demonstrates the association between functional mutations of the MTHFR gene and vitiligo susceptibility.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Charge exchange between highly charged ions and neutral atoms and molecules has been considered as one of the important mechanisms controlling soft X-ray emissions in many astrophysical objects and ...environments. However, for modeling charge exchange soft X-ray emission, the data of n- and l-resolved state-selective capture cross sections are often obtained by empirical and semiclassical theory calculations. With a newly built cold target recoil-ion momentum spectroscopy (COLTRIMS) apparatus, we perform a series of measurements of the charge exchange of Ne(8,9)+ ions with He and H2 for collision energy ranging from 1 to 24.75 keV/u. n-resolved state-selective capture cross sections are reported. By comparing the measured state-selective capture cross sections to those calculated by the multichannel Landau–Zener method (MCLZ), it is found that MCLZ calculations are in good agreement with the measurement for the dominant n capture for He target. Furthermore, by using nl-resolved cross sections calculated by MCLZ and applying l distributions commonly used in the astrophysical literature to experimentally derived n-resolved cross sections, we calculate the soft X-ray emissions in the charge exchange between 4 keV/u Ne8+ and He by considering the radiative cascade from the excited Ne7+ ions. Reasonable agreement is found in comparison to the measurement for even and separable models, and MCLZ calculations give results in a better agreement.
Due to the complex geometric distribution of discontinuities, the determination of the shear strength of rock masses has become a difficult task limiting the stability analysis of surrounding rock ...masses in underground tunnels. This problem might be attributed not only to the size effect of fractured rock masses but also due to the difficult quantification of the geometric distribution of fracture systems. To find a solution to this problem, a series of direct shear tests were numerically simulated by utilizing the synthetic rock mass method (SRM) in the PFC
3D
software to estimate the shear strength of a rock mass in Qingdao Metro tunnels, located in Shandong province, China. The numerical simulation results show that the shear strength parameters vary significantly with the orientation of the fracture network contained in the rock mass. Meanwhile, it was found that the fracture tensor component in the direction
z
,
F
zz
, which is in the perpendicular direction to the shearing plane (
x
–
y
plane) of the rock mass displayed an inversely varying trend with the shear strength parameters. Accordingly, a shear strength model was established for the rock mass by introducing
F
zz
to reflect the effect of the geometric distribution of the complex fracture system. The developed shear strength model was verified by conducting direct shear tests in the field, and a good agreement has been achieved.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Fatigue and other deleterious mood alterations resulting from prolonged efforts such as a long work shift can lead to a decrease in vigilance and cognitive performance, increasing the likelihood of ...errors during the execution of attention-demanding activities such as piloting an aircraft or performing medical procedures. Thus, a method to rapidly and objectively assess the risk for such cognitive fatigue would be of value. The objective of the study was the identification in saliva-borne exosomes of molecular signals associated with changes in mood and fatigue that may increase the risk of reduced cognitive performance. Using integrated multiomics analysis of exosomes from the saliva of medical residents before and after a 12 h work shift, we observed changes in the abundances of several proteins and miRNAs that were associated with various mood states, and specifically fatigue, as determined by a Profile of Mood States questionnaire. The findings herein point to a promising protein biomarker, phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1), that was associated with fatigue and displayed changes in abundance in saliva, and we suggest a possible biological mechanism whereby the expression of the PGK1 gene is regulated by miR3185 in response to fatigue. Overall, these data suggest that multiomics analysis of salivary exosomes has merit for identifying novel biomarkers associated with changes in mood states and fatigue. The promising biomarker protein presents an opportunity for the development of a rapid saliva-based test for the assessment of these changes.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Interspecific competition and plant–soil feedbacks are powerful drivers of plant community structure. However, across a range of edaphic conditions the interactive effects of these drivers on complex ...plant communities remain unclear. For example, plant–soil feedback studies focus on soil trained by a single plant species. We developed a method to assess effects of plant–microbial interactions (PMI) on a complex plant community. We established mesocosms with 13 grassland species, grown individually or together, in overgrazed or restored soil, with or without soil microbial inoculum collected from a productive and diverse native grassland. We assessed biomass production as influenced by edaphic conditions, interspecific competition and PMI. Furthermore, we assessed potential influences of interspecific competition and edaphic conditions on strength and direction of PMI. Our results indicate PMI drives negative growth responses for graminoids while forbs experience positive growth responses. Generally, interspecific competition did not alter the magnitude or direction of PMI‐mediated growth responses. Edaphic conditions altered the influence of soil microbial communities on individual plant growth while PMI facilitated plant evenness. In plant community mesocosms, PMI‐associated benefits were observed in overgrazed soil. However, interspecific competition overwhelmed plant growth benefits associated with soil microbial communities when plant communities were grown in restored soil. In mesocosms containing dominant grass species, interspecific competition had negative effects on species coexistence, but both positive and negative PMI partially counterbalanced this influence on plant species evenness. Understanding these mechanisms may improve our capacity to manage diverse and productive grasslands by enabling prediction of plant community composition following disturbance and subsequent restoration.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident led to the release of large amounts of radionuclides into the atmosphere as well as direct discharges into the sea. In contrast to the ...intensive studies on the distribution of the released high volatility fission products, such as 131I, 134Cs and 137Cs, similar studies of the actinides, especially the Pu isotopes, are limited. To obtain the vertical distribution of Pu isotopes in marine sediments and to better assess the possible contamination of Pu from the FDNPP accident in the marine environment, we determined the activities of 239+240Pu and 241Pu as well as the atom ratios of 240Pu/239Pu and 241Pu/239Pu in sediment core samples collected in the western North Pacific off Fukushima from July 2011 to July 2012. We also measured surface sediment samples collected from seven Japanese estuaries before the FNDPP accident to establish the comprehensive background baseline data. The observed results of both the Pu activities and the Pu atom ratios for the sediments in the western North Pacific were comparable to the baseline data, suggesting that the FDNPP accident did not cause detectable Pu contamination to the studied regions prior to the sampling time. The Pu isotopes in the western North Pacific 30 km off the Fukushima coast originated from global fallout and Pacific Proving Ground close-in fallout.
The starry batfish Halieutaea stellata (Vahl) is a small, benthic fish found in Indo‐West Pacific Oceans. However, our present knowledge of the helminth parasites of this fish is still fragmentary. ...In this study, a total of 29 fish collected from the East and South China Sea were examined to determine the prevalence, intensity and species composition of helminth parasites in H. stellata. Using morphological and molecular approaches, four species of nematodes were found parasitic in this fish host, including the adults and fourth‐stage larvae of Raphidascaroides nipponensis Yamaguti 1941; adults and third‐stage larvae of Raphidascaris lophii (Wu 1949), third‐ and fourth‐stage larvae of Hysterothylacium larval type IV‐A of Shamsi, Gasser & Beveridge 2013 and third‐stage larvae of Hysterothylacium amoyense (Hsü 1993). Halieutaea stellata represents a new host record for the three last‐named nematodes. Raphidascaroides nipponensis with the highest prevalence (82.5%) and intensity (mean = 13.5) of infection was considered as the dominant parasite species in H. stellata. The detailed morphology of the different developmental stages of the four nematode species was studied using light and scanning electron microscopy. All nematode species were also genetically characterized by sequencing and analysing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of the ribosomal DNA. This study provides further data on the occurrence of nematode parasites in H. stellata and also contributes to facilitate an accurate and rapid diagnosis of the infection by these little‐known nematodes.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
This paper presents formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds (VOC) concentrations, potential sources and impact factors in 100 homes. The 24-h average formaldehyde concentration in 37 homes ...exceeded the good class of the Hong Kong Indoor Air Quality Objectives (HKIAQO), whereas the total VOCs concentration in all homes was lower than the HKIAQO. Compared to other East Asian cities, indoor formaldehyde and styrene in Hong Kong was the highest, reflecting that the homes in Hong Kong were more affected by household products and materials. The formaldehyde concentration in newly built apartments was significantly higher than that in old buildings, whereas no relationship between the concentration and the building age was found for VOCs. There was no difference for formaldehyde and toluene between smoking and non-smoking homes, suggesting that cigarette smoking was not the major source of these two species. Homes of a couple with a child had higher formaldehyde and acetic acid concentrations, while homes with more than three people had higher concentrations of 1-butanol, heptane and d-limonene. When shoes were inside the homes, heptane, acetic acid, nonane and styrene concentrations were statistically higher than that when shoes were out of the homes. Furthermore, higher levels of 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, styrene, nonane and heptane were found in gas-use families rather than in electricity-use homes.
Long-term exposure to formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in indoor environments may cause a number of adverse health effects such as asthma, dizziness, respiratory and lung diseases, and even cancers. Therefore, it is critical to minimize indoor air pollution caused by formaldehyde and VOCs. The findings obtained in this study would significantly enhance our understanding on the levels, emission sources and factors which affect indoor concentrations of formaldehyde and VOCs. The results can help housing designers, builders, home residents, and housing department of the government to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) by means of appropriate building materials, clean household products and proper life styles. It can also help policy makers reconcile the IAQ objectives and guidelines.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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