Objective
Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a common complication among premature infants, which may be responsible for prematurity‐related complications such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). It ...is unclear whether different interventional methods contribute to the severity of BPD, given the original National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) 2001 definition. To date, surgical ligation and the transcatheter approach have been equally successful in premature infants with hemodynamically significant PDA after medical treatment failure. Immediate improvement in the respiratory condition has been reported after transcatheter closure. However, the short‐term pulmonary outcome has not been clarified yet.
Methods
This retrospective study investigated infants born with a body weight <1000 g and who underwent either surgical ligation or transcatheter closure of PDA in a single tertiary institution. The infants were divided into groups according to the type of procedure (surgical ligation or transcatheter occlusion). The primary outcome was the severity of BPD at discharge or at a postmenstrual age of 36 weeks. The outcome was analyzed with logistic regression.
Results
Forty‐four patients met the inclusion criteria, of whom 14 underwent transcatheter occlusion and 30 underwent surgical ligation. The overall birth body weights and gestational age ranges were not different. The univariate model revealed an association between the procedure type and BPD severity. After adjusting for confounders, the multivariate model confirmed associations between BPD severity and procedure type and severe respiratory distress syndrome requiring surfactant.
Conclusion
Compared with the transcatheter approach, surgery for PDA in extremely preterm infants is associated with severe BPD at discharge. Further large‐scale studies are needed to determine the exact mechanism.
The development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) depends on interactions between genetic and environmental factors, and a better understanding of gene-diet interactions in T2DM will be useful for ...disease prediction and prevention. Ascorbic acid has been proposed to reduce the risk of T2DM. However, the links between ascorbic acid and metabolic consequences are not fully understood. Here, we report that glucose transporter 10 (GLUT10) maintains intracellular levels of ascorbic acid to promote adipogenesis, white adipose tissue (WAT) development and protect mice from high-fat diet (HFD)-induced metabolic dysregulation. We found genetic polymorphisms in SLC2A10 locus are suggestively associated with a T2DM intermediate phenotype in non-diabetic Han Taiwanese. Additionally, mice carrying an orthologous human Glut10G128E variant (Glut10G128E mice) with compromised GLUT10 function have reduced adipogenesis, reduced WAT development and increased susceptibility to HFD-induced metabolic dysregulation. We further demonstrate that GLUT10 is highly expressed in preadipocytes, where it regulates intracellular ascorbic acid levels and adipogenesis. In this context, GLUT10 increases ascorbic acid-dependent DNA demethylation and the expression of key adipogenic genes, Cebpa and Pparg. Together, our data show GLUT10 regulates adipogenesis via ascorbic acid-dependent DNA demethylation to benefit proper WAT development and protect mice against HFD-induced metabolic dysregulation. Our findings suggest that SLC2A10 may be an important HFD-associated susceptibility locus for T2DM.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
ObjectivesThis study aims to develop an assessment tool for health literacy and knowledge specific to chronic kidney disease (CKD) for use in examining the associations between health literacy, ...disease-specific knowledge and disease awareness among patients with CKD in Taiwan.DesignAn assessment tool in Mandarin and Taiwanese was developed based on patient input, panel discussions with experts and a literature review, and checked for validity and reliability in a pilot test. Formal data were collected through population-based sampling with a set quota according to region and hospital accreditation level. Cross-sectional data were collected to confirm the reliability and validity of the assessment tool. Levels of health literacy, disease knowledge, and disease awareness were then reported and analysed.SettingSample hospitals included 10 medical centres, 18 regional hospitals and 15 local hospitals in Taiwan. Researchers were granted Internal Review Board approval and obtained agreement to collect data in all study settings.ParticipantsPatients at least 20 years old who had been diagnosed with CKD of any stage were eligible to participate. The formal assessment collected 1155 valid questionnaires, yielding an 87.3% response rate. The mean age of participants was 67.48 years (SD=12.87, range 22–98), while 484 (41.95%) were female and 78% were aware they had CKD.ResultsThe self-devised instrument proved to have excellent reliability and validity. Use of the instrument in the main study showed that CKD-specific health literacy was significantly associated with age (β=−0.33, p<0.00), educational attainment and disease awareness (β=0.13, p<0.00). CKD-specific knowledge was also significantly associated with age (β=−0.18, p<0.00), educational attainment and disease awareness (β=0.19, p<0.00).ConclusionsThis CKD-specific health literacy and knowledge assessment tool developed for Mandarin and Taiwanese-speaking patients is reliable and well validated. Patients with CKD who are aware of and understand their disease performed better in the assessment.
In this paper, the instability mechanism of resistive random access memory (RRAM) was investigated, and a technique was developed to stabilize the distribution of high resistance states (HRS) and ...better concentrate the set voltage. Due to the accumulation of oxygen, an interface-type switching characteristic was observed on the
I
-
V
curves beneath the filament-type switching behavior. In this work, the interface-type switching characteristic is used to fit the natural distribution of HRS as an analysis of the instability mechanism. According to the results, the HRS distribution is attributed to the accumulation of excess oxygen ions left from the lower oxygen content and oxygen vacancy recombination during the reset process. The proposed solution with simple plasma treatment, can create an excess oxygen reservoir by changing the surface topography of the electrode to store the surplus oxygen ions from the reset process, eliminating the oxygen accumulation effect and further improving the device stability.
In this paper, the instability mechanism of resistive random access memory was investigated, and a technique was developed to stabilize the distribution of high resistance states and better concentrate the set voltage.
Bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) is an effective additive used to enhance radiography resolution for dental materials. However, there are potential concerns regarding its biocompatibility and connection to ...tissue discoloration. In the present study, we modified the radiopacity properties of Bi2O3 with zirconium oxide (ZrO2) using a sol-gel process and investigated the composition, as well as the effects of heat treatment temperature using Thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The harvested Bi2−xZrxO3+x/2 particles showed that the dominant phase transferred from α-Bi2O3 to β-Bi7.38Zr0.62O12.31 after a heat treatment of over 750 °C for 2 h. As the x values of Bi2−xZrxO3+x/2 increased from 0.2 to 1.0, more zirconium oxide precipitated onto the particle surface, thus enhancing the surface roughness of particles. For sol-gel Bi1.8Zr0.2O3.1 powders (x = 0.2), the radiopacity values became 4.90 ± 0.23 and 5.83 ± 0.22 mmAl after a heat treatment of 500 °C and 750 °C, respectively.
The hydrazine‐based deposition of Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 (CIGS) thin films has attracted considerable attention in recent years due to its potential for the high‐throughput production of photovoltaic ...devices based on this absorber material. This article provides an introduction as well as presenting a complete picture of the current status of hydrazine‐based CIGS solar‐cell fabrication, including the three major steps of this deposition process: dissolution of the precursor materials in hydrazine, deposition of a film from the resulting precursor solution, and the completion and characterization of a photovoltaic device following absorber deposition. Recent discoveries are then discussed, regarding the dissolution chemistry of the relevant precursor complexes in hydrazine, which together represent the true foundation of this processing method. Recent studies on CIGS film formation are then summarized, including the control and analysis of the crystalline phase, electronic bandgap, and film morphology. Finally, the latest progress in high‐performance device fabrication is highlighted, with a focus on optoelectronic characterization including current–voltage, junction capacitance, and minority carrier lifetime measurements. Finally, a discussion and future outlook is provided.
Hydrazine‐based semiconductor processing represents a powerful and versatile tool for the formation of many chalcogenides and related materials. The fundamentals of solution‐phase CIGS film deposition and photovoltaic device fabrication are discussed in detail, with respect to both the basic science and engineering principles that govern the steady growth in performance of devices based on this processing method.
Because of the mutagenic consequences of mobile genetic elements, elaborate defenses have evolved to restrict their activity. A major system that controls the activity of transposable elements (TEs) ...in flies and vertebrates is mediated by Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), which are ∼24–30 nucleotide RNAs that are bound by Piwi-class effectors. The piRNA system is thought to provide primarily a germline defense against TE activity.
Here, we describe a second system that represses Drosophila TEs by using endogenous small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), which are 21 nucleotide, 3′-end-modified RNAs that are dependent on Dicer-2 and Argonaute-2. In contrast to piRNAs, we find that the TE-siRNA system is active in somatic tissues, and particularly so in various immortalized cell lines. Analysis of the patterns and properties of TE-derived small RNAs reveals further distinctions between TE regions and genomic loci that are converted into piRNAs and siRNAs, respectively. Finally, functional tests show that many transposon transcripts accumulate to higher levels in cells and animal tissues that are deficient for Dicer-2 or Argonaute-2.
Drosophila utilizes two small-RNA systems to restrict transposon activity in the germline (mostly via piRNAs) and in the soma (mostly via siRNAs).
Metabolic syndrome and its associated conditions, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), are a major public health issue in modern societies. Dietary interventions, including ...microbiota-directed foods which effectively modulate the gut microbiome, may influence the regulation of obesity and associated comorbidities. Although research on probiotics and prebiotics has been conducted extensively in recent years, diets with the use of synbiotics remain relatively unexplored. Here, we investigated the effects of a novel synbiotic intervention, consisting of an adlay seed extrusion cooked (ASEC)-based prebiotic and probiotic (Lactobacillus paracasei and Bacillus coagulans) on metabolic disorders and microbial dysbiosis in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. The ASEC-based synbiotic intervention helped improve HFD-induced body weight gain, hyperlipidemia, impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, and inflammation of the adipose and liver tissues. In addition, data from fecal metagenomics indicated that the ASEC-based synbiotic intervention fostered reconstitution of gut bacterial diversity and composition in HFD-induced obese mice. In particular, the ASEC-based synbiotic intervention increased the relative abundance of families Ruminococcaceae and Muribaculaceae and order Bacteroidales and reduced that of families Lactobacillaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae, and Streptococcaceae in HFD-induced obese mice. Collectively, our results suggest that delayed dietary intervention with the novel ASEC-based synbiotic ameliorates HFD-induced obesity, metabolic disorders, and dysbiosis.
In this study, Little Tern (
Sternula albifrons
) populations in Taiwan are examined based on two different types of data: mitochondrial control region DNA sequences and double digest ...restriction-site associated DNA (ddRAD) sequencing data. Feather samples were collected from 59 chicks across four known breeding colonies located on the eastern (Yilan and Hualien) and western (Penghu and Changhua) coasts of Taiwan. The results obtained are consistent in analyses and do not cluster into two geographical groups with respect to the eastern and western Taiwan. Furthermore, AMOVA analyses and pairwise
Φ
ST
/
F
ST
estimations based on both types of data reveal little to no differentiation among populations and between groups. The findings of this study suggest high population connectivity among Taiwan’s breeding colonies. Additionally, control region sequences of Taiwan’s Little Terns are compiled with those from Japan deposited in GenBank to compare genetic diversity and examine for phylogeographic breaks that could shape the diversity pattern of the species in eastern Asia. The resulting haplotype network does not clearly separate Taiwanese and Japanese populations, but the three most common haplotypes are prevalent for mainland Japan, Okinawa, and Taiwan. Little Tern populations may be frequently connected, but with some restrictions on gene flow causing moderate to great differentiation among the three. This is further supported by AMOVA analyses, pairwise
Φ
ST
estimations, and pattern of positive yet significant isolation by distance.
Piwi proteins, a subclass of Argonaute-family proteins, carry approximately 24-30-nt Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) that mediate gonadal defense against transposable elements (TEs). We analyzed the ...Drosophila ovary somatic sheet (OSS) cell line and found that it expresses miRNAs, endogenous small interfering RNAs (endo-siRNAs), and piRNAs in abundance. In contrast to intact gonads, which contain mixtures of germline and somatic cell types that express different Piwi-class proteins, OSS cells are a homogenous somatic cell population that expresses only PIWI and primary piRNAs. Detailed examination of its TE-derived piRNAs and endo-siRNAs revealed aspects of TE defense that do not rely upon ping-pong amplification. In particular, we provide evidence that a subset of piRNA master clusters, including flamenco, are specifically expressed in OSS and ovarian follicle cells. These data indicate that the restriction of certain TEs in somatic gonadal cells is largely mediated by a primary piRNA pathway.
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