Low intakes of calcium and inadequate vitamin D status often cluster with higher prevalence rates of obesity. Consequently, there has been much interest in the mechanisms by which calcium and vitamin ...D could regulate body weight and adiposity. This review has focused on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that have manipulated these nutrients and studied pathways of energy balance. Overall, there is consistent evidence that calcium and vitamin D increase whole body fat oxidation after single and multiple meals, and that calcium promotes a modest energy loss through increased faecal fat excretion. The evidence is equivocal for a greater diet‐induced thermogenesis, increased lipolysis, suppression of key lipogenic enzymes, decreased hunger ratings or reduced energy/macronutrient intake. Emerging evidence suggests a potential improvement in insulin sensitivity following vitamin D that would impinge on food intake and substrate oxidation. However, the very few RCTs on supplemental vitamin D and energy balance have not explored postprandial avenues of the hormone's actions. Future efforts in this area need to define the threshold intake of these nutrients that would maximize metabolic and gastrointestinal outcomes. Such studies would provide a platform for endorsing the non‐skeletal role of calcium and vitamin D in human pathophysiology.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Physical and mental health and hormonal imbalance are associated with the problems related to infertility and reproductive disorders. The rate of infertility has increased globally over the years, ...due to various reasons. Given the psychosocial implications of infertility and its effects on the life of the affected people, there has been an increased focus on its treatment over the last several years. Assisted reproductive technology can only solve about 50% of the cases. Moreover, it contains significant risks and does not solve the fundamental problem of infertility. As pluripotent stem cells have the potential to differentiate into almost any type of cell, they have been widely regarded as a promising option in the development of stem cell-based fertility treatments, which could even correct genetic diseases in offspring. These advancements in reproductive biotechnology present both challenges and possibilities for solving infertility problems caused by various unexplainable factors. This review briefly presents the different types of infertility disorders and the potential applications of stem cells in the treatment of these reproductive diseases.
Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) based on group 3 and 4 metals are considered as the most promising MOFs for varying practical applications including water adsorption, carbon conversion, and ...biomedical applications. The relatively strong coordination bonds and versatile coordination modes within these MOFs endow the framework with high chemical stability, diverse structures and topologies, and interesting properties and functions. Herein, the significant progress made on this series of MOFs since 2018 is summarized and an update on the current status and future trends on the structural design of robust MOFs with high connectivity is provided. Cluster chemistry involving Y, lanthanides (Ln, from La to Lu), actinides (An, from Ac to Lr), Ti, and Zr is initially introduced. This is followed by a review of recently developed MOFs based on group 3 and 4 metals with their structures discussed based on the types of inorganic or organic building blocks. The novel properties and arising applications of these MOFs in catalysis, adsorption and separation, delivery, and sensing are highlighted. Overall, this review is expected to provide a timely summary on MOFs based on group 3 and 4 metals, which shall guide the future discovery and development of stable and functional MOFs for practical applications.
Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) based on group 3 and 4 metals with high chemical stability, structural diversity, and various interesting properties are reviewed. Cluster and framework chemistry of group 3 and 4 metals are expected to provide a timely summary on MOF development, which shall guide the discovery and development of stable and functional MOFs for practical applications.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Obesity often coexists with low calcium intake and vitamin D insufficiency. There is emerging evidence of a role for these nutrients in the regulation of body weight. However, it is unclear whether ...increasing intakes of calcium and/or vitamin D during energy restriction, is a better strategy for weight and fat loss. We searched the literature from 2000 to date for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on weight loss that had increased calcium or vitamin D per se, or in combination. Primary and secondary studies were included for this analysis. A total of 15 RCTs on calcium with or without vitamin D and seven on vitamin D alone met our criteria. Two studies reported that supplemental calcium significantly increased fat loss during caloric restriction by 1.8 and 2.2 kg, three found differences between 1 and 3.5 kg but were statistically nonsignificant, while nine trials were equivocal (±0.7 kg). The data on vitamin D supplementation during weight loss were too few to make firm conclusions. Current evidence from RCTs did not consistently support the contention that calcium and vitamin D accelerated weight or fat loss in obesity. There were studies that favoured the hypothesis but lacked the statistical power. There is a need for RCTs to examine the influence of vitamin D on body fat.
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DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, VSZLJ, ZAGLJ
Uric acid has been proposed as an independent risk factor of diabetic retinopathy. Although Notch signaling was reported to be affected in the presence of high concentrations of uric acid or glucose, ...the underlying mechanisms of hyperuricemia through the Notch signaling pathway to promote the development of diabetic retinopathy remain unknown.
We incubated human retinal endothelial cells (HRECs) with high glucose, high uric acid and high glucose plus high glucose respectively and evaluated the apoptosis rate in different treated cells by Tunel staining. We induced diabetic model by intraperitoneally streptozotocin. Then healthy rats and diabetic rats were given with adenine and oteracil potassium by gavage. Using automatic biochemical analyzer to detect blood glucose, uric acid, urea nitrogen, creatinine levels, to verify the success of modeling. The expression and mRNA levels of ICAM-1, IL-6, MCP-1, TNF-a, receptors Notch 1, ligands Dll 1, Dll 4, Jagged 1, Jagged 2 were detected by RT-PCR and Western-Blot. Notch1 siRNA was used to interfere Notch signaling pathway, the expression and mRNA levels of ICAM-1, IL-6, MCP-1 and TNF-α was detected by RT-PCR and Western blot respectively.
In vitro models, the apoptosis of HRECs cells in high uric acid plus high glucose group was the most significant. In vitro and vivo models, detection of inflammatory cytokines revealed that the expression of inflammatory cytokines increased most significantly in high uric acid plus high glucose group. Notch signaling pathway activity was also increased most significantly in high uric acid plus high glucose group. After Notch 1 siRNA transfection in high glucose and high glucose plus uric acid group, the activity of Notch signaling pathway was successfully down-regulated. We found that the apoptosis of HRECs was significantly decreased in cells transfected with Notch 1 siRNA compared to the blank vector group, and the expression of inflammatory cytokines in cells was also significantly decreased.
Our study reported that high uric acid can promote the inflammation of the retina and increase the activity of Notch signaling pathway on the basis of high glucose. Hyperuricemia promotes the development of diabetic retinopathy by increasing the activity of Notch signaling pathway. Notch signaling pathway is a potential therapeutic target for diabetic retinopathy.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
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•The concentration change of minocycline in sewage pipeline was revealed.•Community structure of sewer biofilm was changed by minocycline.•The sewage chemical index was influenced by ...the change of microbial community.
With the increasing use of drugs in cities, the sewer is becoming the most suitable place for antibiotic accumulation and transfer. In order to reveal the occurrence and fate of antibiotic sewage during pipeline migration, we used an anaerobic reactor device to simulate the concentration change of minocycline in the sewer and its impact on the sewage quality. The results showed that 90.8 % of minocycline was removed during sewer transportation. In the presence of minocycline, although the consumption of Chemical Oxygen Demand and total nitrogen in the sewage did not change significantly, the consumption rate of total phosphorus, nitrate nitrogen and the growth rate of ammonia nitrogen at the front end of the pipeline were decreased from 29.4 %, 86.3 %, 60.3 % to 3.7 %, 81.5 %, 18.3 % respectively. Minocycline inhibited the reduction of SO42−, while also reducing the production of H2S gas and increasing the release of CH4 gas. Moreover, the decline in the abundance of functional bacteria such as phosphorus accumulating organisms was consistent with the consumption of sewage nutrients. This experiment provides data support for the risk of wastewater leakage of medical and pharmaceutical wastewater into domestic sewage, and will helps to maintain the safe operation of actual sewage pipes.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Purpose
To investigate the relationship between time spent outdoors, at particular ages in childhood and adolescence, and myopia status in young adulthood using serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D 25(OH)D ...concentration as a biomarker of time spent outdoors.
Methods
Participants of the Raine Study Generation 2 cohort had 25(OH)D concentrations measured at the 6‐, 14‐, 17‐ and 20‐year follow‐ups. Participants underwent cycloplegic autorefraction at age 20 years, and myopia was defined as a mean spherical equivalent −0.50 dioptres or more myopic. Logistic regression was used to analyse the association between risk of myopia at age 20 years and age‐specific 25(OH)D concentrations. Linear mixed‐effects models were used to analyse trajectory of 25(OH)D concentrations from 6 to 20 years.
Results
After adjusting for sex, race, parental myopia, body mass index and studying status, myopia at 20 years was associated with lower 25(OH)D concentration at 20 years (per 10 nmol/L decrease, odds ratio (aOR)=1.10, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.18) and a low vitamin D status 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/L at 17 years (aOR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.06, 2.76) and 20 years (aOR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.14, 2.56), compared to those without low vitamin D status. There were no associations between 25(OH)D at younger ages and myopia. Individuals who were myopic at 20 years had a 25(OH)D concentration trajectory that declined, relative to non‐myopic peers, with increasing age. Differences in 25(OH)D trajectory between individuals with and without myopia were greater among non‐Caucasians compared to Caucasians.
Conclusions
Myopia in young adulthood was most strongly associated with recent 25(OH)D concentrations, a marker of time spent outdoors.
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DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
To evaluate the performance of a new electronic screening tool (TARB-Ex) in detecting general practice patients at potential risk of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH).
Medical records for all ...active patients seen between 2012 and 2014 (n=3708) at a large general practice in Perth, Western Australia were retrospectively screened for potential FH risk using TARB-Ex. Electronic extracts of medical records for patients identified with potential FH risk (defined as Dutch Lipid Clinic Network Criteria (DLCNC) score ≥5) through TARB-Ex were reviewed by a general practitioner (GP) and lipid specialist. High-risk patients were recalled for clinical assessment to determine phenotypic FH diagnosis. Performance was evaluated against a manual record review by a GP in the subset of 360 patients with high blood cholesterol (cholesterol ≥7 mmol/L or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ≥4.0 mmol/L).
Thirty-two patients with DLCNC score ≥5 were identified through electronic screening compared with 22 through GP manual review. Sensitivity was 95.5% (95% CI 77.2% to 99.9%), specificity was 96.7% (95% CI 94.3% to 98.3%), negative predictive accuracy was 99.7% (95% CI 98.3% to 100%) and positive predictive accuracy was 65.6% (95% CI 46.9% to 8%). Electronic screening was completed in 10 min compared with 60 h for GP manual review. 10 of 32 patients (31%) were considered high risk and recalled for clinical assessment. Six of seven patients (86%) who attended clinical assessment were diagnosed with phenotypic FH on examination.
TARB-Ex screening is a time-effective and cost-effective method of systematically identifying potential FH risk patients from general practice records for clinical follow-up.
To maintain the precision and stability of the efficacy of classical formulas, this study compared the origins and specifications of Bupleuri Radix and revealed the precise application regularity of ...Bupleurum chinense(Beichaihu) and Bupleurum scorzonerifolium(Nanchaihu) in classical formulas. The efficacy and indications of formulas with Bupleuri Radix as the sovereign drug in the Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases(Shang Han Za Bing Lun) were investigated. The difference in the efficacy of Bupleuri Radix as well as the differences in the chemical composition, and liver-protecting and lipid-lowering effects of the decoctions of Beichaihu and Nanchaihu were analyzed with LC-MS technology based on the CCl_4-induced liver injury model in mice and sodium oleate-induced HepG2 hyperlipidemia cell model. The results showed that seven classical formulas with Bupleuri Radix as the sovereign drug in the Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases were mainly used in the treatment of digestive, met
We determined whether metabolic syndrome (MetS) and the increasing number of its components influenced the resting energy expenditure (REE). Data on adult men (n = 72, 40%) and women (n = 108, 60%) ...from European (n = 154, 86%) and Sub-Saharan African (n = 26, 14%) ancestry were used. Ninety-five (53%) participants had MetS (MetS+), while 85 (47%) were without MetS (MetS−). REE was determined through indirect calorimetry, body composition by DEXA, and clinical biochemistry by standard laboratory techniques. MetS+ had a significantly higher REE (mean ± se: MetS+: 5995 ± 87.3 vs. MetS−: 5760 ± 86.3 kJ/d, p = 0.025) when adjusted for age, gender, fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM), ethnicity, season, 25OHD, insulin sensitivity, and time of data collection. Within each MetS status group, an increase in the number of components (C) resulted in a stepwise increase in REE. Relative to zero components, those with 1C had adjusted REE higher by +526 ± 248.1 kJ/d (p = 0.037), while 2C were higher than 1C by +298 ± 140.8 kJ/d (p = 0.037). Similarly, relative to 3C, those with 4C had REE higher by +242 ± 120.7 kJ/d (p = 0.049). The higher REE of 5C over 4C by 132 ± 174.5 kJ/d did not achieve statistical significance. MetS was associated with a significantly higher REE. This greater energetic cost varied directly with the numbers of its components but was most evident in those not diagnosed with the syndrome.
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