Obese children are vulnerable to vitamin D deficiency and impaired cardiovascular health; vitamin D replenishment might improve their cardiovascular health.
The aims were to determine, in vitamin ...D–deficient overweight and obese children, whether supplementation with vitamin D3 1000 or 2000 IU/d is more effective than 600 IU/d in improving arterial endothelial function, arterial stiffness, central and systemic blood pressure (BP), insulin sensitivity (1/fasting insulin concentration), fasting glucose concentration, and lipid profile and to explore whether downregulation of adipocytokines and markers of systemic inflammation underlies vitamin D effects.
We conducted a randomized, double-masked, controlled clinical trial in 225 10- to 18-y-old eligible children. Change in endothelial function at 6 mo was the primary outcome.
Dose–response increases in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were significant and tolerated without developing hypercalcemia. Changes at 3 and 6 mo in endothelial function, arterial stiffness, systemic-systolic BP, lipids, and inflammatory markers did not differ between children receiving 1000 or 2000 IU vitamin D and children receiving 600 IU. Some secondary outcomes differed between groups. Compared with the 600-IU group, central-systolic, central-diastolic, and systemic-diastolic BP was lower at 6 mo in the 1000-IU group −2.66 (95% CI: −5.27, −0.046), −3.57 (−5.97, −1.17), and −3.28 (−5.55, −1.00) mm Hg, respectively; insulin sensitivity increased at 3 and 6 mo and fasting glucose concentration declined at 6 mo (−2.67; 95% CI: −4.88, −0.46 mg/dL) in the 2000-IU group.
Correction of vitamin D deficiency in overweight and obese children by vitamin D3 supplementation with 1000 or 2000 IU/d versus 600 IU/d did not affect measures of arterial endothelial function or stiffness, systemic inflammation, or lipid profile, but resulted in reductions in BP and fasting glucose concentration and in improvements in insulin sensitivity. Optimization of children’s vitamin D status may improve their cardiovascular health. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01797302.
BackgroundSkin color, a vitamin D status determinant, can be assessed subjectively by Fitzpatrick sun-reactive skin typing (FST) and objectively by melanin index (MI). FST was validated against MI ...for discerning vitamin D deficiency (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) <20 ng/ml) in children.MethodsWe measured FST, MI, and serum 25(OH)D in healthy, 8- to 18-year-old children from one of two vitamin D trials. MI from forehead, hand, and upper arm split at the median of the more racially balanced study cohort and FST (I-III vs. IV-V) were used for discriminating vitamin D deficiency.ResultsA total of 296 participants (mean age, 12.3±2.3 years; black, 208; FST IV-V, 209; 25(OH)D <20 ng/ml, 159) were studied. MI and FST had a strong positive association. Serum 25(OH)D was negatively associated with MI and FST. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values were similar for discriminating vitamin D deficiency between higher vs. lower MI and between FST I-III vs. IV-V. ROC area under the curves for FST (0.59) and MI (forehead (0.63); hand (0.62); and arm (0.64)) were similar.ConclusionsFST is comparable to MI for discerning vitamin D deficiency and can be deemed as an inexpensive, useful surrogate measure of skin color in the context of vitamin D research.
Associations between whole blood transcriptome and clinical phenotypes in vitamin D-deficient overweight and obese children can provide insight into the biological effects of vitamin D and obesity. ...We determined differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in relation to body mass index (BMI) in vitamin D-deficient black children with a BMI ≥ 85th percentile and ascertained the cardiometabolic phenotypes associated with the DEGs. We examined whole-blood transcriptome gene expression by RNA sequencing and cardiometabolic profiling in 41, 10- to 18-year-old children. We found 296 DEGs in association with BMI after adjusting for age, race, sex, and pubertal status. Cardiometabolic phenotypes associated with the BMI-related DEGs, after adjusting for age, sex, pubertal status, and %total body fat, were (i) flow-mediated dilation (marker of endothelial function), (ii) c-reactive protein (marker of inflammation), and (iii) leptin (adipocytokine). Canonical pathways of relevance for childhood obesity and its phenotypes that were significantly associated with the BMI-related DEGs affected immune cell function/inflammation, vascular health, metabolic function, and cell survival/death; several immune and inflammatory pathways overlapped across the three phenotypes. We have identified transcriptome-based biomarkers associated with BMI in vitamin D-deficient, overweight and obese black children. Modulating effects of vitamin D supplementation on these biomarkers and their related phenotypes need further exploration.
Designing and deployment of state-of-the-art electric vehicles (EVs) in terms of low cost and high driving range with appropriate reliability and security are identified as the key towards ...decarbonization of the transportation sector. Nevertheless, the utilization of lithium-ion batteries face a core difficulty associated with environmental degradation factors, capacity fade, aging-induced degradation, and end-of-life repurposing. These factors play a pivotal role in the field of EVs. In this regard, state-of-health (SOH) and remaining useful life (RUL) estimation outlines the efficacy of the batteries as well as facilitate in the development and testing of numerous EV optimizations with identification of parameters that will enhance and further improve their efficiency. Both indices give an accurate estimation of the battery performance, maintenance, prognostics, and health management. Accordingly, machine learning (ML) techniques provide a significant developmental scope as best parameters and approaches cannot be identified for these estimations. ML strategies comparatively provide a non-invasive approach with low computation and high accuracy considering the scalability and timescale issues of battery degradation. This paper objectively provides an inclusively extensive review on these topics based on the research conducted over the past decade. An in-depth introductory is provided for SOH and RUL estimation highlighting their process and significance. Furthermore, numerous ML techniques are thoroughly and independently investigated based on each category and sub-category implemented for SOH and RUL measurement. Finally, applications-oriented discussion that explicates the advantages in terms of accuracy and computation is presented that targets to provide an insight for further development in this field of research.
•An extensive review on machine learning based SOH and RUL estimation and battery degradation is presented.•An in-depth introductory is provided for SOH and RUL estimation highlighting their significance in battery degradation modelling.•Various machine learning techniques have been thoroughly and independently investigated for SOH estimation and RUL prediction.•An applicative-oriented discussion that explicates the advantages in terms of accuracy and computation is presented.
IntroductionEpilepsy is a neurologic condition characterized by spontaneous jerky body movements. It is a chronic morbid condition mostly diagnosed during childhood. Patients are maintained on ...long-term medications to prevent recurrent seizures that can damage the brain. Medications used for the management of epilepsy have several side effects and require proper monitoring. Patients with epilepsy are at increased risk of psychiatric comorbidities.ObjectivesOur aim is to find factors responsible for causing suicidality in patients with epilepsy.MethodsA review was conducted using Pubmed database with the search terms epilepsy OR neurological conditions OR suicide OR suidical attempt OR suicidal ideation OR depression OR psychiatric diseases OR mood disorders OR anxiety OR sleeplessness which yielded around 800 articles. The number was later reduced to be centered around the main area of interest and produced around 40 articles.ResultsResults show that many contributing factors play an unavoidable role in promoting suicidal ideation that can lead to suicidal attempts in epilepsy. The stigma associated with epilepsy leads to social isolation, lack of opportunities, financial constraints, and impact on close relationships which can be the reasons for depression. According to the review, the foremost contributing factor is the underlying social, emotional, and economic condition of epilepsy patients. Depression and anxiety are the most prevalent psychiatric comorbidities in epileptic patients. Epileptic patients who develop psychiatric ailments show decreased adherence to medications that further worsen the problem.ConclusionsThough, this area in neurology has started getting attention for further research and guidelines. But efforts are still inadequate for this to be put into clinical practice. More desperate actions needed to be taken for proper diagnosis and management of suicidal ideations by proper use of assessment tools so that timely actions are planned. This is a highly demanding area due to the impact of depressive symptoms on the prognosis of the chronic neurologic condition.Keywords: Suicidality; Epilepsy; neurology.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared
Rare earth cerium (Ce3+) doped Cu0.5Cd0.25Co0.25CexFe2-x O4 (x = 0, 0.0125, 0.025, 0.0375, 0.05) spinel ferrites nanoparticles were synthesized via co-precipitation technique. XRD, FT-IR, UV-VIS, ...VSM, LCR and current-voltage measurement techniques were utilized to investigate the structural parameters, metal stretching vibrations, indirect energy band gap, magnetic parameters and electrical behavior of synthesized ferrite powders respectively. The XRD patterns confirmed the remarkable reduction in crystallites size, cell volume and lattice constant while both densities (ρx,ρbulk) tends to increase with rise in Ce3+contents(x). The indirect energy band gaps (Eg) and the DC electrical resistivities were found in decreasing order from 3.48 to 2.50 eV and 9.902×107 to 0.142×107(ohm-cm) respectively at room temperature (303 K) with Ce3+ doping concentration. LCR meter inveterate that the dielectric constant had declining, and ac conductivity had growing trend at fix value of cerium concentration with rise of frequency from 8 Hz to 8 MHz. The soft magnetic properties can be significantly improved by the small amount of Ce3+ ion doping (x = 0.0375) with an increase of the saturation magnetization (Ms), and retentivity (Mr).
► Anaerobic digestion is an effective biological process to treat a wide variety of organic waste. ► Co-digestion of different substrates leads to low cost production of biogas. ► Optimization of ...factors is required for an efficient digestion of solid organic waste. ► This technology has tremendous application for sustainability of environment and agriculture.
The accumulation of solid organic waste is thought to be reaching critical levels in almost all regions of the world. These organic wastes require to be managed in a sustainable way to avoid depletion of natural resources, minimize risk to human health, reduce environmental burdens and maintain an overall balance in the ecosystem. A number of methods are currently applied to the treatment and management of solid organic waste. This review focuses on the process of anaerobic digestion which is considered to be one of the most viable options for recycling the organic fraction of solid waste. This manuscript provides a broad overview of the digestibility and energy production (biogas) yield of a range of substrates and the digester configurations that achieve these yields. The involvement of a diverse array of microorganisms and effects of co-substrates and environmental factors on the efficiency of the process has been comprehensively addressed. The recent literature indicates that anaerobic digestion could be an appealing option for converting raw solid organic wastes into useful products such as biogas and other energy-rich compounds, which may play a critical role in meeting the world’s ever-increasing energy requirements in the future.
This research is aimed at synthesizing some novel bio-based ecofriendly finishes for textile applications. A series of curcumin based aqueous polyurethane (PU) dispersions (CUR-WDPU-IPDI) was ...prepared using polyethylene glycol (PEG), isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and dimethylolpropanoic acid (DMPA) via conventional pre-polymer process. The dual functionality is incorporated by hindering the polyurethane pre-polymer with isocyanate (-NCO) groups and curcumin was utilized to extend the polymeric chain to achieve the CUR-WDPU-IPDI dispersion. Structural characteristics of the synthesized polymer were investigated by Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometer. The performance of PU dispersions for increasing the color fastness properties (washing, rubbing and perspiration fastness) of plain weave fabrics (poly/cotton, dyed and printed) was studied. Furthermore, the mechanical strength (pilling, tearing and tensile strength) of the said fabric (dyed, printed and white) was also evaluated. Results clearly exhibited that the color fastness properties and mechanical strength of the dyed, printed and white fabrics were improved significantly after treating with the PU finishes. These synthesized curcumin-based water dispersible polyurethanes (CUR-WDPU-IPDI) finishing agents are greener products which are particularly derivatized from bio-resources. Owing to their biocompatibility, copious availability, less noxious, greener methodology and ecofriendly nature, these can be utilized as attractive ecofriendly alternatives for textile applications.
Novel tri-phase ZnO-Yb2O3–Pr2O3 heterostructured nanocomposite was synthesized by the co-precipitation technique, and its application as an efficient antibacterial agent and photocatalyst were ...studied. The grown sample was characterized by XRD, FTIR, Raman, UV–vis, IV, and SEM to explore the structural, optical, electrical, and morphological properties. The XRD pattern revealed the presence of diffraction peaks related to ZnO (hexagonal), Yb2O3 (cubic) and Pr2O3 (hexagonal) in the nanocomposite. The microstructural parameters were calculated using Scherrer plot, W–H and SSP methods. The optical energy bandgap was 2.8 eV determined from UV–vis spectroscopy, specified that it could be used as a proficient photocatalyst under sunlight illumination. The FTIR spectrum confirmed the presence of characteristics vibrational bands associated with the Zn–O, Pr–O, and Yb–O bond vibrations at 463, 535 and 562 cm−1, respectively. The Raman spectrum exhibits the fundamental optical phonon modes related to ZnO, Yb2O3 and Pr2O3 in the nanocomposite, confirmed the successful formation of the nanocomposite. IV measurement showed the high electrical conductivity of grown nanocomposite. SEM images revealed that nanocomposite has a porous type morphology with high agglomeration. The antibacterial activity was performed against S. aureus (G-positive) and E. coli (G-negative) bacteria. The zone of inhibition (ZOI) shown that the nanocomposite has the highest activity against S. aureus with a ZOI 31 mm. The photocatalytic activity of the ZnO-Yb2O3–Pr2O3 nanocomposite was carried out for the degradation of MB dye under sunlight irradiation, revealed 99.8% degradation in 60 min. The effect of several operational parameters such as catalyst dose, dye concentrations, pH of reaction along with reusability and radical trapping experiments were performed and discussed in detail. A possible schematic model was proposed to elaborate the photocatalytic mechanism. Furthermore, this work introduces a novel material to enhance the photocatalytic and antibacterial activity for environmental and biomedical application.
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