Rare earth elements are a nonrenewable and important strategic resource, and China is rich in these elements. However, the substantial exploitation of these resources has caused the migration, ...diffusion, transformation and accumulation of pollution sources, which in turn has a profound impact on the ecological environment of mining areas. Accurate evaluations of resource and environmental carrying capacity (RECC) are important for the green development of mining areas. In this paper, the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method based on the combination of the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and entropy methods is used to study the RECC of mine areas in terms of both support capacity and pressure. The Bayan Obo mine in Inner Mongolia, the Longnan mine in Jiangxi, the Weishan mine in Shandong, the Mianning mine in Sichuan, the Pingyuan mine in Guangdong, and the Chongzuo mine in Guangxi, which are typical representative mines, were selected for a horizontal comparison. The results show that, with the exception of the Bayan Obo mine, the support index was greater than the pressure index in terms of mining and human activities in all mining areas. The RECC index ranked order for the mining areas was Bayan Obo > Longnan > Mianning > Pingyuan > Weishan > Chongzuo. In addition, an obstacle degree model was used to identify and extract the main factors affecting the ecological quality of the mine sites. The ratio of investment in environmental pollution control to GDP was the most important factor, of all factors, which limited the improvement in the mine support index. Through the above research, we identified the main factors affecting the ecological carrying capacity of each mining area, providing a scientific basis for formulating corresponding environmental regulations and reducing the environmental pollution caused by rare earth mining.
Abstract Background: Hypertensive heart disease (HHD) poses a public health challenge, but data on its burden and trends among older adults are scarce. This study aimed to identify trends in the ...burden of HHD among older adults between 1990 and 2019 at the global, regional, and national levels. Methods: Using the Global Burden of Diseases study 2019 data, we assessed HHD prevalence, death, and disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) rates for individuals aged 60–89 years at the global, regional, and national levels and estimated their average annual percentage changes (AAPCs) between 1990 and 2019 using joinpoint regression analysis. Results: In 2019, there were 14.35 million HHD prevalent cases, 0.85 million deaths, and 14.56 million DALYs in older adults. Between 1990 and 2019, the prevalence of HHD increased globally {AAPC, 0.38 (95% confidence interval CI, 0.36, 0.41)} with decreases observed in mortality (AAPC, –0.83 95% CI, –0.99, –0.66) and the DALY rate (AAPC, –1.03 95% CI, –1.19, –0.87). This overall global trend pattern was essentially maintained for sex, age group, and sociodemographic index (SDI) quintile except for non-significant changes in the prevalence of HHD in those aged 70–74 years and in the middle SDI quintile. Notably, males had a higher HHD prevalence rate. However, HHD-related mortality and the DALY rate were higher in females. The middle SDI quintile experienced the largest decreases in mortality and the DALY rate, with a non-significant decline in prevalence between 1990 and 2019. There were significant discrepancies in the HHD burden and its trends across regions and countries. Conclusions: In the past three decades, there has been an overall increasing trend in the prevalence of HHD among older adults worldwide despite decreasing trends in mortality and the DALY rate. Better management of hypertension, and prevention and control of HHD are needed in older adults.
Objectives
Dermatomyositis (DM) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease with notable heterogeneity. The intent of this study was to explore the difference in cytokine profiles of different ...subsets in DM based on the disease activity and myositis-specific antibodies, and to identify the clinical phenotypes associated with different cytokine profiles.
Methods
Serum levels of 34 cytokines were prospectively measured in 47 consecutive DM patients and healthy controls. Concentrations of the cytokines were compared between the active and stable groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify the cytokines associated with DM disease activity. The cytokine profiles of anti-MDA5 and anti-TIF1γ subsets were compared, and the correlation analysis was performed between the elevated cytokines and clinical parameters in the two subsets. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to establish clinical-cytokine subgroups in DM.
Results
Serum levels of MIP-1α, IP-10, IL-8, IL-1RA, MCP-1, GRO-α, and IL-22 were significantly higher in DM patients compared with healthy controls. IP-10, IL-6, IL-1RA, IFN-α, and MCP-1 were significantly elevated in the DM-active subset than the DM-stable subset. The combination of three cytokines (IP-10, IL-1RA, and MCP-1) had a better performance in differentiating between the active subset and the stable subset than the conventional inflammatory markers. SDF-1α, IP-10, IL-7, IL-17A, RANTES, IFN-γ, TNF-α, MIP-1β, IFN-α, MCP-1, GRO-α, and IL-1α were significantly higher in the anti-MDA5 subset than in the TIF1γ subset. Cluster analysis revealed a hypercytokinemic-vasculitis subgroup in patients with DM.
Conclusions
Multiple cytokine signatures were depicted in different subsets of DM. A vasculitis-associated subgroup was firstly identified in DM with regards of cytokinome and deserves further mechanistic study.
Key Points
• The multivariate regression model of three cytokines (IP-10
,
IL-1RA
,
and MCP-1) could be a promising tool for distinguishing between the active and stable subset in DM.
• Cytokine profiles of anti-MDA5-DM and anti-TIF1γ-DM were compared to identify the immunopathological differences between the two subsets.
• Cluster analysis revealed a hypercytokinemic-vasculitis subgroup in patients with DM.
The 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) blood pressure (BP) guideline lowered the threshold defining hypertension to 130/80 mmHg. However, how stage 1 ...hypertension defined using this guideline is associated with cardiovascular events in Chinese adults remains unclear. This study assessed the association between stage 1 hypertension defined by the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline and clinical outcomes in the Chinese population.
Participants with stage 1 hypertension ( n = 69,509) or normal BP ( n = 34,142) were followed in this study from 2006/2007 to 2020. Stage 1 hypertension was defined as a systolic blood pressure of 130-139 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure of 80-89 mmHg. None were taking antihypertensive medication or had a history of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, or cancer at baseline. The primary outcome was a composite of MI, stroke, and all-cause mortality. The secondary outcomes were individual components of the primary outcome. Cox proportional hazards models were used for the analysis.
During a median follow-up of 11.09 years, we observed 10,479 events (MI, n = 995; stroke, n = 3408; all-cause mortality, n = 7094). After multivariable adjustment, the hazard ratios for stage 1 hypertension vs. normal BP were 1.20 (95% confidence interval CI, 1.13-1.25) for primary outcome, 1.24 (95% CI, 1.05-1.46) for MI, 1.45 (95% CI, 1.33-1.59) for stroke, and 1.11 (95% CI, 1.04-1.17) for all-cause mortality. The hazard ratios for participants with stage 1 hypertension who were prescribed antihypertensive medications compared with those without antihypertensive treatment during the follow-up was 0.90 (95% CI, 0.85-0.96).
Using the new definition, Chinese adults with untreated stage 1 hypertension are at higher risk for MI, stroke, and all-cause mortality. This finding may help to validate the new BP classification system in China.
A method to prepare a kind of wet-laid nonwoven fabric that can be used in microwave absorbing honeycomb is proposed. It was prepared through a papermaking process with carbon fiber (CF) and ...poly-p-phenylenebenzobisoxazole (PBO) fibrillated pulp. Fibrillated PBO pulp has a large surface area and lots of micro-fibrils which is beneficial for the uniformity and mechanical strength of the wet-laid nonwoven fabric. The electromagnetic properties and absorbing performances of the wet-laid nonwoven fabric with different content of CF were compared. The results showed that the complex permittivity increased when the content of the CF increased, and then decreased when the content was higher than 10 wt%. The resistivity measured by four probe testers decreased with the increase of the content of CF. Calculated by the measured complex permittivity and permeability, the CF/PBO wet-laid nonwoven fabric had a lowest reflection loss of -27.60 dB at a content of 20 wt%, with an optimum thickness of 1.72 mm.
The STEP (Strategy of Blood Pressure Intervention in the older Hypertensive Patients) trial showed that intensive systolic blood pressure (SBP) control resulted in a lower incidence of cardiovascular ...events than standard treatment. This study analyzed the effects of intensive SBP lowering on cognitive function.
STEP was a multicenter, randomized controlled trial of hypertensive patients aged 60-80 years. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to SBP goals of 110-130 mmHg (intensive treatment) or 130-150 mmHg (standard treatment). Each individual was asked to complete a cognitive function test (Mini-Mental State Examination; MMSE) at baseline and during follow-up. The primary outcome for this study was the annual change in MMSE score. Subjects with a score less than education-specific cutoff point were categorized as cognitive decline.
The analysis enrolled 6,501 participants (3,270 participants in the intensive-treatment and 3,231 participants in the standard-treatment groups). Median follow-up was 3.34 years. There was a minor change in MMSE score, with an annual change of -0.001 95% confidence interval CI -0.020, 0.018 and 0.030 (95% CI 0.011, 0.049) in the intensive- and standard-treatment groups, respectively (
= 0.052). Cognitive decline occurred in 46/3,270 patients (1.4%) in the intensive-treatment group and 42/3,231 (1.3%) in the standard-treatment group (hazard ratio 0.005, 95% CI 0.654, 1.543,
= 0.983).
Compared with standard treatment, intensive SBP treatment did not result in a significant change in cognitive function test score. The impact of intensive blood pressure lowering was not evident using this global cognitive function test.
ClinicalTrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT03015311.
In order to solve the problems of low accuracy and long time of feature extraction existing in traditional agricultural non-point source pollution emission feature research methods, this paper mainly ...studied a method of agricultural non-point source pollution emission feature extraction based on Kuznets fitting curve. The mechanism of agricultural non-point source pollution was analyzed, the data of agricultural non-point source pollution area and other data were obtained by remote sensing technology, and the data set of agricultural non-point source pollution emission was obtained by filling in other types of missing data. Based on the pollution emission data set, the method of combining neural network and Kuznets fitting equation was adopted to construct the emission feature extraction model of agricultural non-point source pollution and realize the emission feature extraction of agricultural non-point source pollution. The experimental results show that the maximum processing time of agricultural non-point source pollution emission data is 3.6s, the accuracy of feature extraction is always above 94%, and the time of feature extraction is always below 0.5s; the practical application effect is good.
Electrospun fi ber has highly structural similarity with natural bone extracelluar matrix(ECM). Many researches about fabricating organic–inorganic composite materials have been carried out in order ...to mimic the natural composition of bone and enhance the biocompatibility of materials. In this work, pearl powder was added to the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)(PHBV) and the composite nano fi ber scaffold was prepared by electrospinning. Mineralization ability of the composite scaffolds can be evaluated by analyzing hydroxyapatite(HA)formation on the surface of nano fi ber scaffolds. The obtained composite nano fi ber scaffolds showed an enhanced mineralization capacity due to incorporation of pearl powder. The HA formed amount of the composite scaffolds was raised as the increase of pearl powder in composite scaffolds. Therefore, the prepared PHBV/pearl composite nano fi ber scaffolds would be a promising candidate as an osteoconductive composite material for bone repairing.
Abstract Saline-sodic stress restricts the absorption of zinc by rice, consequently impacting the photosynthesis process of rice plants. In this experiment, Landrace 9 was selected as the test ...material and the potting method was employed to investigate the influence of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) on zinc absorption and chlorophyll fluorescence in rice grown in saline-sodic land. The research findings demonstrate that the application of ZnO NPs proves to be more advantageous for the growth of rice in saline-sodic soil. Notably, the application of ZnO NPs significantly decreases the levels of Na + and MDA in rice leaves in saline-sodic soil, while increasing the levels of K + and Zn 2+ . Additionally, ZnO NPs enhances the content of chloroplast pigments, specific energy flux, quantum yield, and the performance of active PSII reaction center ( PI ABS ) in rice leaves under saline-sodic stress. Furthermore, the relative variable fluorescence ( W K and V J ) and quantum energy dissipation rate ( φ Do ) of rice are also reduced. Therefore, the addition of ZnO NPs enhances the transfer of electrons and energy within the rice photosystem when subjected to saline-sodic stress. This promotes photosynthesis in rice plants growing in saline-sodic land, increasing their resistance to saline-sodic stress and ultimately facilitating their growth and development.
It is uncertain if mean platelet volume and periodontitis are related. The objective of this study was to examine the association between levels of mean platelet volume and moderate/severe ...periodontitis in adult persons who inhabit the U.S.
We screened 6,809 people from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2009-2012). Mean platelet volume was measured in the Mobile Examination Centers (MECs) using the Beckman Coulter analyzer. The category of periodontitis was defined by the CDC/AAP using clinical periodontal parameters. Multiple logistic regression models were employed to examine the distribution for covariate differences across the various independent groups. Four models were employed to examine the relationship between mean platelet volume level and periodontitis. Smoothed curve fitting was utilized to confirm the linearity of the relationships. To determine the impact of factors on the connection between MPV and periodontitis, subgroup analysis and interaction testing were utilized.
Results from the multiple logistic regression analysis indicate a significant association between moderate/severe periodontitis and the mean platelet level, even after considering any potential confounding variables (OR = 1.090, 95% CI: 1.019-1.166, P-value = 0.01211). Additionally, those in the upper tertile of mean platelet volume levels had a 21.6% higher probability of developing periodontitis when compared with those in the least tertile of mean platelet levels (OR = 1.216, 95% CI:1.052-1.406, P-value = 0.00816). Moreover, it showed a positive correlation between mean platelet volume (MPV) and moderate/severe periodontitis. Subgroup analyses indicated a positive association between the level of mean platelet volume and moderate/severe periodontitis among individuals who were under 60 years of age, had low income, were obese, never smoked, were heavy drinkers, had hypertension, and had no cardiovascular disease (p < 0.05). However, none of the subgroups exhibited significant interactions (p for interaction > 0.05).
A correlation has been found between mean platelet volume levels and periodontal disease in individuals residing in the United States.
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