Due to the benefits brought by progress in digital technology, the digital economy is profoundly changing the production and lifestyles of human beings, thus promoting the dual digital transformation ...of the energy supply side and demand side and having a profound impact on energy consumption. Based on 2011–2018 panel data on 30 provinces and 205 cities in China, this study empirically investigates the direct and indirect impacts of digital economy development on the scale and structure of energy consumption. The empirical results indicate that digital economy development promotes an increase in the scale of energy consumption and optimizes the structure of energy consumption. This result is still valid after robustness tests involving the selection of historical data as an instrumental variable (IV) and the “Broadband China” policy as a quasi-natural experiment. Mechanism analysis shows that digital economy development mainly impacts energy consumption by affecting economic growth, energy efficiency and the industrial structure. Moreover, the results of heterogeneity analysis and spatial model estimation indicate that the effects of digital economy development on energy consumption have obvious regional heterogeneity and spatial spillovers.
•Digital economy development in various provinces and cities in China is estimated.•The influence of digital economy development on energy consumption is investigated.•Instrumental variable estimation and DID model are used to investigate causality.•Digital economy development influences energy consumption scale and structure.•Influential mechanism includes scale, structural, and technology effects.
Epidemiological evidence suggests that smoking has been associated with emergence of metabolic syndrome. However, data on this issue are inconsistent and controversial. We therefore conducted a ...meta-analysis to examine the association between smoking and metabolic syndrome.
We searched the Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library database up to March 2012 to identify prospective cohort studies related to smoking and metabolic syndrome. Reference lists of retrieved articles were also reviewed. Summary effect estimates were derived using a random-effects model and stratified by gender, smoking dose, follow-up duration and geographical area. Primary analysis of 13 studies involving 56,691 participants and 8,688 cases detected a significant positive association between active smoking and risk of metabolic syndrome (pooled relative risk RR 1.26, 95% CI: 1.10-1.44). Estimates of effects were substantially consistent in the stratified analyses. In the dose-response analysis, risk of metabolic syndrome was stronger for active male smokers (pooled RR 1.34, 95% CI: 1.20-1.50) than it was for former male smokers (pooled RR 1.19, 95% CI: 1.00-1.42), and greater for heavy smokers (pooled RR 1.42, 95% CI: 1.27-1.59) compared with light smokers (pooled RR 1.10, 95% CI: 0.90-1.35). No evidence of statistical publication bias was found (Egger' s test P=0.227, Begg' s test P=0.113).
Active smoking is associated with development of metabolic syndrome. Smoking cessation appears to reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome.
The incidence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is increasing year by year, the clinical manifestations are complex and diverse, and the adverse effects of long-term use of proton pump ...inhibitors and gastrointestinal motility drugs have been of great concern in recent years. The effectiveness of tegoprazan in the treatment of GERD is still controversial. This protocol describes a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tegoprazan in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease.
PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science will be searched from the database inception to 1 March 2023. All randomized controlled trials related to tegoprazan for GERD will be included. Extracted data will include publication details, basic information, demographic data, intervention details and patient outcomes. The primary outcome will be complete resolution of major symptoms, complete resolution of heartburn, proportion of heartburn-free days, chronic cough, hoarseness, and adverse events. Risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias. Article selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment will be performed in duplicate by two independent reviewers. If the meta-analysis is precluded, we will conduct a descriptive synthesis using a best-evidence synthesis approach.
The results of this study will provide reliable evidence to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tegoprazan in the treatment of GERD and help patients, physicians and clinical investigators choose the most appropriate treatment.
Based on annual data over the period 2003 to 2017 covering 31 provinces in China, the environmental pollution index and environmental regulation index are constructed. Moran’s I, the widely used ...spatial autocorrelation index, is used to analyze the spatial distribution of environmental pollution, which provides a fairly high stability of the positive spatial correlation of environmental pollution. Then, the 0-1 matrix, distance weighting matrix, and economic distance mixed matrix are carried out to weigh space separately. To analyze the impact of fiscal decentralization on environmental pollution, the spatial Durbin model is employed. In the meanwhile, fiscal decentralization is measured from the perspective of both fiscal expenditure decentralization and fiscal revenue decentralization. The results show that the impact of fiscal decentralization on environmental pollution is positive and appears the phenomenon of “race to bottom.” To improve environmental quality, appropriate environmental regulation target, implementing green GDP accounting, and adjusting economic structure should be adopted.
Objective
The decreased stability of atherosclerotic plaques increases the risk of ischemic stroke. However, the specific characteristics of dysregulated immune cells and effective diagnostic ...biomarkers associated with stability in atherosclerotic plaques are poorly characterized. This research aims to investigate the role of immune cells and explore diagnostic biomarkers in the formation of unstable plaques for the sake of gaining new insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms and providing new perspectives for disease detection and therapy.
Method
Using the CIBERSORT method, 22 types of immune cells between stable and unstable carotid atherosclerotic plaques from RNA-sequencing and microarray data in the public GEO database were quantitated. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were further calculated and were analyzed for enrichment of GO Biological Process and KEGG pathways. Important cell types and hub genes were screened using machine learning methods including least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and random forest. Single-cell RNA sequencing and clinical samples were further used to validate critical cell types and hub genes. Finally, the DGIdb database of gene–drug interaction data was utilized to find possible therapeutic medicines and show how pharmaceuticals, genes, and immune cells interacted.
Results
A significant difference in immune cell infiltration was observed between unstable and stable plaques. The proportions of M0, M1, and M2 macrophages were significantly higher and that of CD8
+
T cells and NK cells were significantly lower in unstable plaques than that in stable plaques. With respect to DEGs, antigen presentation genes (CD74, B2M, and HLA-DRA), inflammation-related genes (MMP9, CTSL, and IFI30), and fatty acid-binding proteins (CD36 and APOE) were elevated in unstable plaques, while the expression of smooth muscle contraction genes (TAGLN, ACAT2, MYH10, and MYH11) was decreased in unstable plaques. M1 macrophages had the highest instability score and contributed to atherosclerotic plaque instability. CD68, PAM, and IGFBP6 genes were identified as the effective diagnostic markers of unstable plaques, which were validated by validation datasets and clinical samples. In addition, insulin, nivolumab, indomethacin, and α-mangostin were predicted to be potential therapeutic agents for unstable plaques.
Conclusion
M1 macrophages is an important cause of unstable plaque formation, and CD68, PAM, and IGFBP6 could be used as diagnostic markers to identify unstable plaques effectively.
Abstract
BACKGROUND
The rupture risk assessment of unruptured intracranial aneurysms (IAs) is still challenging. Aneurysm wall enhancement (AWE) on vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging (VW-MRI) is ...suggested as a potential marker for wall inflammation, but its relationship with rupture risk of unruptured IAs has not been well described.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the correlation between AWE and conventional rupture risk factor of unruptured IAs.
METHODS
Clinical data and VW-MRI images were retrospectively reviewed in patients with unruptured IAs from January 2015 to December 2016 in our center. One hundred ten patients harboring 140 unruptured IAs were included. The presence of AWE was determined by comparing the postcontrast VW-MRI images with the precontrast ones. The rupture risk based on the PHASES score was calculated for each case. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed to investigate the association of AWE with rupture risk and other conventional risk factors.
RESULTS
AWE was present in 82 (58.6%) lesions. Unruptured IAs with AWE had significantly larger size (P < .001), more irregular shape (P = .003), and different distribution of locations (P = .023) comparing with aneurysms without AWE. The rupture risk score of AWE group was significantly higher than non-AWE group (P < .001). Aneurysm size (odds ratio = 1.536; 95% confidential interval 1.312-1.798; P < .001) and location (odds ratio = 1.592; 95% confidential interval 1.237-2.049; P < .001) were independently related with AWE in multivariate analysis.
CONCLUSION
The presence of AWE on VW-MRI was highly associated with conventional rupture-related characteristics, including aneurysmal size and location, and was detected more frequently in unruptured IAs with high rupture risk based on the PHASES score.
A combined study of whole-rock major and trace elements, Sr–Nd isotopes, zircon U–Pb dating, and in situ zircon Hf–O isotopes has been carried out for late Mesozoic magmatic rocks in the Lower ...Yangtze River Belt. The results provide insights into the origin of mantle sources of magma above a subduction zone, and thus into the petrogenesis of high-K calc-alkaline rocks, shoshonites, and A-type granites on continental margins, and the associated tectonic transformation from a continental arc to a back-arc extensional setting. The late Mesozoic magmatism can be subdivided into three stages: high-K calc-alkaline intrusions (148–133Ma), shoshonitic rocks (133–127Ma), and A-type granitoids (127–123Ma). All the rocks have consistent arc-like trace element characteristics with positive anomalies of Rb, Th, U, Pb, and LREE, negative anomalies of Nb, Ta, and Ti, and enriched Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic signatures. The first-stage intrusions in the Tongling area usually host dark enclaves of diorite, have high Sr/Y ratios, and low Y contents, and contain zircons with relatively low εHf(t) values (−38.6 to −6.6) and high δ18O values (5.7‰ to 10.1‰). A few inherited zircons with Neoarchean to Paleoproterozoic ages and highly enriched Hf isotopic compositions were detected in both the host intrusive rocks and the enclaves. The second-stage Ningwu volcanics contain zircons with moderate εHf(t) values (−13.3 to −3.8) and elevated δ18O values (5.4‰ to 7.6‰). The third-stage intrusions can be divided into A1- and A2-type granitoids, and their zircons have relatively high δ18O values of 6.7‰ to 10.3‰ and high εHf(t) values of 0 to −7.9. Based on these geochemical data we drew the following conclusions. Before 148Ma, following metasomatism by slab-derived fluid/melts, partial melting of the lithospheric mantle produced basaltic magma in the context of a subducting paleo-Pacific plate. This basaltic magma mixed with magma derived from the Archean lower crust, and the underplated and thickened juvenile lower crust. From 148 to 133Ma, continuous production of these mixed magma resulted in their intrusions as basic rocks at shallow levels. Meanwhile, partial melting of the thickened juvenile crust formed the intermediate-acid rocks of the first stage. As subduction continued, and the dip angle of the subducting plate increased, the continental arc tectonic setting was transformed to one of back-arc extensions. Metasomatism and decompression induced intensive partial melting of the lithospheric mantle, and these magmas, together with a limited amount of assimilated crustal materials, formed the second-stage volcanics. Roll-back of the subducted slab resulted in extension, causing disassembling of the lower lithosphere and lithospheric thinning, and the upwelling of hot asthenosphere. The A2-type granites were the result of the reworking of the Mesoproterozoic juvenile crust in this tectonic setting of extension. On the other hand, the A1-type granitoids were formed from magmas that were derived both from the matasomatized mantle and from the A2-type granitic material that had its origins in the Mesoproterozoic juvenile crust. We suggest that an integrated and comparative study of the multiple stages of development of these magmatic rocks is the key to understanding the tectonic evolution and associated magmatic activities in this continental intraplate setting.
•Three stages of Late Mesozoic magmatisms in the LRYB were studied.•Three stages of magmatisms are characterized by different zircon Hf–O isotopes.•Petrogenesis of the three stage magmatisms reveals progressive deep processes.•These magmatisms were genetically related to Paleo-pacific plate subduction.•Tectonic setting transformed from continental arc to back arc at ca. 130±3Ma.
To find more effective microflora for the pretreatment and bioconversion of coal to methane, the combined effects of exogenous aerobic and anaerobic bacteria were studied. The changes in ultimate ...composition, chemical bonds, intermediates, and coal surface morphology were also investigated via the ultimate analyses, including infrared spectroscopy (IR), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Aerobic activated sludge samples and biogas slurry were used as aerobic and anaerobic bacterial sources, respectively, after acclimatization. It was found that the community composition and the relative abundances of the anaerobic microflora at the level of phylum and class were very similar to those in the formation water as recently reported. The enriched anaerobic microflora efficiently converted coal to methane with a methane yield of 77.68μmol/g. An aerobic pretreatment preceding anaerobic methane production tripled the methane yield (222.50μmol/g). The cessation of methane production during the bioconversion process did not occur because the substrates available to the microflora were depleted, but rather because of the generation of some inhibitors. Variations in the compositions of intermediates agreed well with the three stages of methane generation, indicating that different intermediates played the dominant role in each stage. Compared to the raw coal, hydrogen content decreased 11.08% after anaerobic gas production, indicating that at least part of the hydrogen in methane was derived from coal. Changes in the IR spectra of coal suggested that coal geopolymers were partially depolymerized. SEM results indicated that aerobic and anaerobic microflora could both grow on the coal surface, causing changes in the coal surface morphology.
•Microflora from non-coal source was effective in conversion of coal to methane.•An aerobic pretreatment preceding anaerobic methane production tripled methane yield.•Result of intermediates, SEM and IR indicating some of coal backbone was degraded.•Different intermediates played the dominant role in each stage of coal gasifying.•Inhibitors generated in the bioconversion process likely impeded methane generation.
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