Visceral fat is a risk factor for non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). A reduction in sex hormones is associated with increased abdominal fat. Thus, we investigated whether reduced testosterone ...(T) or oestradiol (E2) levels in men are associated with NAFLD and central obesity. The study involved a survey of 1,882 men between 20 and 60 years of age. We detected hepatic fat infiltration by ultrasound. Early morning serum was analyzed for total testosterone (TT), E2, sex hormone‐binding globulin (SHBG), follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). Free testosterone (FT) was calculated using the Vermeulen method. In the studied population, the prevalence of NAFLD, FSH, LH and SHBG increased with age, TT and FT declined with age, and E2 remained stable. However, in the NAFLD group, TT remained stable, FT and E2 declined, and hepatic fat infiltration increased (P < 0.001 for both). Using multivariate analysis, a correlation was found between E2 and NAFLD, with an odds ratio of 0.954 (95% confidence interval: 0.946–0.967). E2 is one of the protective factors against NAFLD in healthy men. T has no significant correlation with NAFLD. Further investigation would be required to assess the clinical consequences of reduced E2 in men with NAFLD, particularly for men whose TT remained stable.
The independent control of two magnetic electrodes and spin-coherent transport in magnetic tunnel junctions are strictly required for tunneling magnetoresistance, while junctions with only one ...ferromagnetic electrode exhibit tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance dependent on the anisotropic density of states with no room temperature performance so far. Here, we report an alternative approach to obtaining tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance in α'-FeRh-based junctions driven by the magnetic phase transition of α'-FeRh and resultantly large variation of the density of states in the vicinity of MgO tunneling barrier, referred to as phase transition tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance. The junctions with only one α'-FeRh magnetic electrode show a magnetoresistance ratio up to 20% at room temperature. Both the polarity and magnitude of the phase transition tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance can be modulated by interfacial engineering at the α'-FeRh/MgO interface. Besides the fundamental significance, our finding might add a different dimension to magnetic random access memory and antiferromagnet spintronics.Tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance is promising for next generation memory devices but limited by the low efficiency and functioning temperature. Here the authors achieved 20% tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance at room temperature in magnetic tunnel junctions with one α'-FeRh magnetic electrode.
Aim
To systematically review the association between breastfeeding and childhood allergic disease.
Methods
Predetermined inclusion/exclusion criteria identified 89 articles from PubMed, CINAHL and ...EMBASE databases. Meta‐analyses performed for categories of breastfeeding and allergic outcomes. Meta‐regression explored heterogeneity.
Results
More vs. less breastfeeding (duration) was associated with reduced risk of asthma for children (5–18 years), particularly in medium‐/low‐income countries and with reduced risk of allergic rhinitis ≤5 years, but this estimate had high heterogeneity and low quality. Exclusive breastfeeding for 3–4 months was associated with reduced risk of eczema ≤2 years (estimate principally from cross‐sectional studies of low methodological quality). No association found between breastfeeding and food allergy (estimate had high heterogeneity and low quality). Meta‐regression found differences between study outcomes may be attributable to length of breastfeeding recall, study design, country income and date of study inception. Some of the protective effect of breastfeeding for asthma may be related to recall bias in studies of lesser methodological quality.
Conclusion
There is some evidence that breastfeeding is protective for asthma (5–18 years). There is weaker evidence for a protective effect for eczema ≤2 years and allergic rhinitis ≤5 years of age, with greater protection for asthma and eczema in low‐income countries.
Aim
To synthesise the current evidence for the associations between breastfeeding and dental caries, with respect to specific windows of early childhood caries risk.
Methods
Systematic review, ...meta‐analyses and narrative synthesis following searches of PubMed, CINAHL and EMBASE databases.
Results
Sixty‐three papers included. Children exposed to longer versus shorter duration of breastfeeding up to age 12 months (more versus less breastfeeding), had a reduced risk of caries (OR 0.50; 95%CI 0.25, 0.99, I2 86.8%). Children breastfed >12 months had an increased risk of caries when compared with children breastfed <12 months (seven studies (OR 1.99; 1.35, 2.95, I2 69.3%). Amongst children breastfed >12 months, those fed nocturnally or more frequently had a further increased caries risk (five studies, OR 7.14; 3.14, 16.23, I2 77.1%). There was a lack of studies on children aged >12 months simultaneously assessing caries risk in breastfed, bottle‐fed and children not bottle or breastfed, alongside specific breastfeeding practices, consuming sweet drinks and foods, and oral hygiene practices limiting our ability to tease out the risks attributable to each.
Conclusion
Breastfeeding in infancy may protect against dental caries. Further research needed to understand the increased risk of caries in children breastfed after 12 months.
Transition metal–based materials have become significant family of electrocatalysts for hydrogen and oxygen evolution because of their low cost, various compositions and structures, and their ...excellent electronic transfer ability. Because of their tunable compositions and diverse structures, polyoxometalates (POMs) are promising catalytic components and are promising precursors for the fabrication of early transition metal–based materials, especially for Mo and W, for hydrogen and oxygen evolution electrocatalysis. By incorporating POMs into metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) , the target POM/MOF will promote the dispersion of POMs and increase the compositional and structural complexity of the derived materials. In this review, recent relevant research fruits focusing on POM/MOF composites and their derivatives (such as carbides, oxides, phosphides, sulfides, and selenides) are summarized. Their designable synthesis, structure modulation, and electrocatalytic performance in HER and OER are highlighted to figure out the structure-property relationship. The existing problems of POM/MOF materials and their derivatives in electrocatalysis are also discussed. Then we propose the future prospective, providing a brand new vision of design and development of other POM/MOF-based/derived advanced electrocatalysts for water splitting.
This review will highlight the recent progress of polyoxometalate (POM)/metal–organic framework (MOF) hybrids and their derived functional materials, including metal carbides, oxides, phosphides, and chalcogenides, for hydrogen and oxygen evolution electrocatalysis. It will also focus on the structure modulation to boost the activity and figure out the structure–property relationship. This review will provide insightful guidance for design and development of other POM/MOF-based/derived advanced electrocatalysts for water splitting. Display omitted
•The applications of polyoxometalate / metal–organic framework hybrids and their derivatives in both hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction are discussed.•Heterostructure, hollow structure, core/shell structure, carbon coating, and heteroatoms doping are summarized.•The synthesis and structure design strategies and the structure–activity relationship are figured out.•Mo- and W-based materials are focused.
Purpose
Life-threatening bleeding may occur following percutaneous portal venous access procedures. Various embolic agents have been utilised to minimise this risk, each with their own disadvantages, ...including inadvertent embolization of the portal vein and inadequate tract embolization. We aim to assess the feasibility of a novel approach to percutaneous portal venous access closure by utilising the MYNXGRIP
®
vascular closure device (Cardinal Health, USA).
Materials and Methods
This retrospective study analysed 20 patients who underwent interventional radiological procedures with closure of the percutaneous transhepatic portal venous access tract using the MYNXGRIP® closure device with either N-butyl cyanoacrylate or thick gelatin paste.
Results
None of these patients demonstrated clinical evidence of post-procedural haemorrhage, which was further confirmed on abdominal imaging in 15 of these patients.
Conclusion
MYNXGRIP®-assisted percutaneous transhepatic portal venous access closure is feasible and able to achieve haemostasis with minimal embolization risk.
•A simple apparatus is valid to measure dissolved H2 concentration in liquid phase.•Higher H2 production leads to higher methane production.•Dissolved H2 and H2 gas are not in equilibrium for ...supersaturation of H2 in liquid.•Dissolved H2 concentration controls pathways of volatile fatty acids production.•Higher dissolved H2 concentration forces pathway towards less H2 production.
Hydrogen (H2) produced in the rumen is a major energy source for the growth of methanogens, and is present in two forms: dissolved H2 (dH2) and H2 gas (gH2). Methanogens use only dH2, and we developed a simple procedure to estimate dH2 in liquid samples. We then used this simple apparatus to measure dH2 in the liquid phase of in vitro ruminal cultures, and to investigate the effects on methane (CH4) and volatile fatty acids (VFA) production of different dH2 concentrations generated by eight substrates of concentrates and forages. Higher dH2 concentrations in the liquid phase did not lead to higher gH2 concentrations in the gas phase, indicating that Henry's law might not describe the relationship between the gas and liquid phases for in vitro incubations. The supersaturation factor was larger than unity across eight substrates, indicating that dH2 and gH2 were not in equilibrium, and H2 was supersaturated in the liquid phase. The concentrates generated greater amounts of H2 than the forages, leading to more CH4 per unit of feed. However, the concentrates were degraded to a greater extent, as indicated by the higher VFA concentrations, and less H2 was produced relative to VFA from the concentrates. The dH2 concentration was positively correlated with molar proportion of butyrate (R2=0.621) and propionate (R2=0.904), and negatively correlated with ratio of acetate to propionate (R2=0.853), molar proportion of acetate (R2=0.902) and the net H2 production per VFA (R2=0.744). The results indicated that higher dH2 concentrations forced the fermentation pathways towards those producing less H2, and more butyrate and propionate, which as electron sinks that spare H2 production. In summary, the dH2 concentration could not be predicted by the gH2 concentration, and the dH2 concentration controlled CH4 formation and the pathways of VFA and H2 production.
PDF
