Association of exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances with liver injury in American adults

Epidemiological data are scarce regarding the association of exposure to mixtures of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFASs)with liver injury in the general population.In the current study,therefore,we examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey(2009–2018).The PFAS exposure levels were defined by the serum concentrations of PFASs with over 70%detection in samples,namely perfluorooctanoic acid,perfluorononanoic acid,perfluorohexane sulfonic acid,perfluorodecanoic acid,and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid(PFOS).We evaluated liver injury from two aspects:first,the degree of liver inflammation was determined based on levels of the serum alanine aminotransferase,aspartate aminotransferase,glutamyltransferase,and total bilirubin;second,the degree of liver fibrosis was determined based on the fibrosis-4 index.We assessed the associations of individual or total PFAS exposure with these liver injury outcomes using multivariable linear and logistic regression models,restricted cubic splines,and weighted quantile sum regression.Among the samples of 7484 American adults,the median concentration of PFOS was the highest,followed by perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid.Using multivariable linear regression,we observed positive correlations between all PFAS exposure and liver enzyme levels,such as alanine aminotransferase,aspartate aminotransferase,and total bilirubin.Additionally,the weighted quantile sum model indicated an overall positive association between exposure to the five PFASs and liver injury risk.For liver function biomarkers and liver fibrosis,perfluorononanoic acid and PFOS were the most heavily weighted chemicals,respectively.Our findings provide new epidemiological evidence indicating potential associations between PFAS exposure and adverse effects on liver injury biomarkers,highlighting the potentially harmful effects of PFAS exposure on human liver health.

Critical precipitation behavior of MnTe inclusions in resulfurized steels during solidification

Te treatment is an effective method for modifying sulfide inclusions,and MnTe precipitation has an important effect on thermal brittleness and steel corrosion resistance.In most actual industrial applications of Te treatment,MnTe precipitation is unexpected.The critical precipitation behavior of MnTe inclusions was investigated through scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy,machine learning,and first-principles calculation.MnTe preferentially precipitated at the container mouth for sphere-like sulfides and at the interface between MnS grain boundaries and steel matrix for rod-like sulfides.The MnS/MnTe interface was semicoherent.A composition transition zone with a rock-salt structure exhibiting periodic changes existed to maintain the semicoherent interface.The critical precipitation behavior of MnTe inclusions in resulfurized steels involved three stages at varying temperatures.First,Mn(S,Te)precipitated during solidification.Second,MnTe with a rock-salt structure precipitated from Mn(S,Te).Third,MnTe with a hexagonal NiAs structure transformed from the rock-salt structure.The solubility of Te in MnS decreased with decreasing temperature.The critical precipitation behavior of MnTe inclusions in resulfurized steels was related to the MnS precipitation temperature.With the increase in MnS precipitation temperature,the critical Te/S weight ratio decreased.In consideration of the cost-effectiveness of Te addition for industrial production,the Te content in resulfurized steels should be controlled in accordance with MnS precipitation temperature and S content.

Socioeconomic traits and the risk of Barrett’s esophagus and gastroesophageal reflux disease: A Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND Previous observational studies have shown that the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD)and Barrett’s esophagus(BE)is associated with socioeconomic status.However,due to the methodological limitations of traditional observational studies,it is challenging to definitively establish causality.AIM To explore the causal relationship between the prevalence of these conditions and socioeconomic status using Mendelian randomization(MR).METHODS We initially screened single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)to serve as proxies for eight socioeconomic status phenotypes for univariate MR analysis.The inverse variance weighted(IVW)method was used as the primary analytical method to estimate the causal relationship between the eight socioeconomic status phenotypes and the risk of GERD and BE.We then collected combinations of SNPs as composite proxies for the eight socioeconomic phenotypes to perform multivariate MR(MVMR)analyses based on the IVW MVMR model.Furthermore,a two-step MR mediation analysis was used to examine the potential mediation of the associations by body mass index,major depressive disorder(MDD),smoking,alcohol consumption,and sleep duration.RESULTS The study identified three socioeconomic statuses that had a significant impact on GERD.These included household income[odds ratio(OR):0.46;95% confidence interval(95%CI):0.31-0.70],education attainment(OR:0.23;95%CI:0.18-0.29),and the Townsend Deprivation Index at recruitment(OR:1.57;95%CI:1.04-2.37).These factors were found to independently and predominantly influence the genetic causal effect of GERD.Furthermore,the mediating effect of educational attainment on GERD was found to be mediated by MDD(proportion mediated:10.83%).Similarly,the effect of educational attainment on BE was mediated by MDD(proportion mediated:10.58%)and the number of cigarettes smoked per day(proportion mediated:3.50%).Additionally,the mediating effect of household income on GERD was observed to be mediated by sleep duration(proportion mediated:9.75%)CONCLUSION This MR study shed light on the link between socioeconomic status and GERD or BE,providing insights for the prevention of esophageal cancer and precancerous lesions.

What are the changes in the hotspots and frontiers of microRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma over the past decade?

BACKGROUND Emerging research suggests that microRNAs(miRNAs)play an important role in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).A comprehensive analysis of recent research concerning miRNAs in HCC development could provide researchers with a valuable reference for further studies.AIM To make a comprehensive analysis of recent studies concerning miRNAs in HCC.METHODS All relevant publications were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database.Bibliometrix software,VOSviewer software and CiteSpace software were used to visually analyze the distribution by time,countries,institutions,journals,and authors,as well as the keywords,burst keywords and thematic map.RESULTS A total of 9426 publications on this topic were found worldwide.According to the keywords analysis,we found that the studies of miRNAs focused on their expression level,effects,and mechanisms on the biological behaviour of HCC.Keywords bursting analysis showed that in the early years(2013–2017),“micro-RNA expression”,“gene expression”,“expression profile”,“functional polymorphism”,“circulating microRNA”,“susceptibility”and“mir 21”started to attract attention.In the latest phase(2018–2022),the hot topics turned to“sorafenib resistance”,“tumor microenvironment”and so on.CONCLUSION This study provides a comprehensive overview of the role of miRNAs in HCC development based on bibliometric analysis.The hotspots in this field focus on miRNAs expression level,effects,and mechanisms on the biological behavior of HCC.The frontiers turned to sorafenib resistance,tumor microenvironment and so on.

Effectiveness and Influencing Factors of Comprehensive Rehabilitation Therapy in Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of comprehensive rehabilitation for patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) and to explore the factors influencing the prognosis of rehabilitation. This was a retrospective study. Twenty-five patients with aSAH were treated with physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, cognitive therapy, music therapy, Chinese acupuncture, hyperbaric oxygen, and transcranial magnetic stimulation. The general data of all patients were collected, and the functional scores at admission were compared with those at discharge. The Mini Mental State Examination, Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scale (FMAS) for motor and balance assessment, Holden Functional Ambulation Classification (FAC), modified Rankin Scale, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale, Modified Barthel Index for activities of daily living (ADL), and Glasgow Outcome Scale were significantly improved among 25 patients with aSAH after 1 month of comprehensive rehabilitation training. Hydrocephalus was an independent factor of the ability to perform ADLs (odds ratio, 0.29;95% confidence interval, 2.03. 3.15;p = 0.000). The improvement of ADLs in aSAH patients was not related to sex, surgical method, aneurysm location, age, or smoking status. Comprehensive and professional rehabilitation is effective for the cognition, movement, walking, ADLs, and functional prognosis of patients with aSAH, while early hydrocephalus may be a risk factor for poor ADLs.

Physical rehabilitation for sensorineural hearing loss in childhood:Progress and challenges

Early intervention for sensorineural hearing loss(SNHL)in childhood is crucial for auditory and language development.In recent years,innovative auditory stimulation techniques and speech therapy strategies,such as middle ear implants,cochlear implants,auditory brainstem implants,and midbrain implants,have provided new avenues for improving patient outcomes.Additionally,basic research advancements in cell reprogramming and regeneration,stem cell therapy,and targeted drug delivery offer promising approaches to meet the individualized needs of children with SNHL.However,many challenges and unresolved issues remain in the treatment of SNHL.This article comments on the case report,which describes a female pediatric patient with SNHL who underwent foot reflexology which led to the normalization of hearing thresholds.Reflexology is considered to have potential benefits in physical rehabilitation,but its efficacy in hearing restoration requires further scientific validation through rigorous clinical trials and large-scale prospective studies.

Characteristics of gas evolution profiles during coal pyrolysis and its relation with the variation of functional groups

Strict relation between the substituents or functional groups attached to the coal macromolecules and the generation of the volatile products, e.g., CH4 H2O, CO, CO2, etc., during the coal pyrolysis is an important but confusing subject. In this paper, quadrupole mass spectronletry, gas chromatography, and ^l3C nuclear magnetic resonance are applied to real-time monitoring the formations of volatile products, off-line quantitative determination of the total products from the pyrolysis of a sub-bituminous coal (SC), and the changes of diverse substitents in the SC along with coke foamation, respectively. These measurements are also performed for the pyrolysis of a caking coal to contrast SC. The qualitative and quantitative data reveal that, during coal pyrolysis, the functional groups related with the formation of CO, i.e., ether, carbonyl, and anhydride, can directly gen erate CO via bond breaking, or take a detour of the formation of other intermediates via condensation and recombination firstly. Moreover, the formations of CO2 and CH4 are related to the direct removal of -COO- and -CH3,respectively.

Application of acoustic radiation force impulse imaging for the evaluation of focal liver lesion elasticity

BACKGROUND: Acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging is a new elastography method for the evaluation of tissue stiffness. This study aims to evaluate the performance of ARFI in noninvasive assessment of the tissue stiffness of focal liver lesion (FLL) and to explore its potential value in the differential diagnosis of FLL. METHODS: ARFI was performed in 140 patients with 154 FLLs, which included 28 hemangiomas (ANGIs), 14 focal nodular hyperplasias (FNHs), 61 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs), 39 metastases and 12 cholangiocellular carcinomas (CCCs). Virtual touch tissue quantification (VTTQ) values were obtained, analyzed and compared. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and optimal cut-off values were obtained using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to assess diagnostic performance. All cases were definitively diagnosed using histopathology, CT, MRI or contrast-enhanced ultrasound. RESULTS: The VTTQ median values of ANGI, FNH, HCC metastasis and CCC were 1.30, 1.80, 2.52, 3.08 and 3.89 m/s respectively. A significant increase in the VTTQ values of different lesions was observed: ANGI【FNH【HCC【metastasis 【CCC (P【0.001). The AUROC (95% CI) of VTTQ values was 0.94 (0.90-0.98) for ANGI, 0.91 (0.87-0.96) for malignant lesions and 0.87 (0.79-0.94) for CCC. The sensitivity and specificity for ANGI (86.5%, 89.3%, respectively), malignancy (81.3% 92.9%, respectively), and CCC (91.7%, 72.5%, respectively) were associated with VTTQ cut-off values of 1.76, 2.22 and 3.00 m/s respectively.CONCLUSIONS: ARFI can accurately and objectively assess the elasticity of lesions by obtaining the shear wave elastic value of FLL with VTTQ. Therefore, ARFI is a novel, simple, noninvasive and useful diagnostic method for the characterization of FLL.

Site-specific and seasonal variation in habitat use of Eurasian otters(Lutra lutra)in western China:implications for conservation

As a top predator,the Eurasian otter(Lutra lutra)is an indicator of healthy freshwater ecosystems and a flagship species for conservation.Once widespread in China,the species is now distributed mainly in the upper reaches of the great rivers of western China.However,a lack of knowledge on local otter populations continues to hinder their conservation in China.Here,we conducted a detailed study on habitat use of Eurasian otters in Yushu City and Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve in western China using transect surveys.At both study sites,otters preferred to defecate on large rocks close to or protruding from the river and about 50 cm above the waterline.In Yushu,no spraints were found along the 5 km river bank section in the downtown area,with otters preferring sprainting sites with natural banks,riparian zones,and lower human population density.However,this pattern was not obvious at Tangjiahe,where river transformation and human disturbance are minor.Otter river use intensity was negatively correlated with elevation and human population density in Yushu in both seasons.In Tangjiahe,otter river use intensity was positively correlated with prey mass and flow rate and negatively correlated with human population in spring,but positively correlated with human population and negatively correlated with flow rate in autumn.These results reflect the flexible habitat use strategies of otters at different sites,underlining the necessity to study otters living in different regions and habitat types.We provide suggestions for river modification and call for more site-specific studies to promote otter conservation in China.

A 3D-printed microfluidic gradient concentration chip for rapid antibiotic-susceptibility testing

The rise of antibiotic resistance as one of the most serious global public health threats has necessitated the timely clinical diagnosis and precise treatment of deadly bacterial infections.To identify which types and doses of antibiotics remain effective for fighting against multi-drug-resistant pathogens,the development of rapid and accurate antibiotic-susceptibility testing(AST)is of primary importance.Conventional methods for AST in well-plate formats with disk diffusion or broth dilution are both labor-intensive and operationally tedious.The microfluidic chip provides a versatile tool for evaluating bacterial AST and resistant behaviors.In this paper,we develop an operationally simple,3D-printed microfluidic chip for AST which automatically deploys antibiotic concentration gradients and fluorescence intensity-based reporting to ideally reduce the report time for AST to within 5 h.By harnessing a commercially available,digital light processing(DLP)3D printing method that offers a rapid,high-precision microfluidic chip-manufacturing capability,we design and realize the accurate generation of on-chip antibiotic concentration gradients based on flow resistance and diffusion mechanisms.We further demonstrate the employment of the microfluidic chip for the AST of E.coli to representative clinical antibiotics of three classes:ampicillin,chloramphenicol,and kanamycin.The determined minimum inhibitory concentration values are comparable to those reported by conventional well-plate methods.Our proposed method demonstrates a promising approach for realizing robust,convenient,and automatable AST of clinical bacterial pathogens.

Living in forests:strata use by Indo-Chinese gray langurs(Trachypithecus crepusculus)and the effect of forest cover on Trachypithecus terrestriality

Studies on behavioral flexibility in response to habitat differences and degradation are crucial for developing conservation strategies for endangered species.Trachypithecus species inhabit various habitats and display different patterns of strata use;however,the effect of habitat structure on strata use remains poorly studied.Here,we investigated strata use patterns of Indo-Chinese gray langurs(Trachypithecus crepusculus)in a primary evergreen forest in Mt.Wuliang,southwest China,from June2012 to January 2016.In addition,we compared T.crepusculus strata use and terrestriality with five other Trachypithecus species from previous studies.Unlike langurs living in karst forests,our study group was typically arboreal and spent only 2.9%of time on the ground.The group showed a preference for higher strata when resting and lower strata(<20 m)when moving.The langurs primarily used time on the ground for geophagy,but otherwise avoided the ground during feeding.These strata use patterns are similar to those of limestone langurs(T.francoisi)when using continuous forests.At the genus level(n=6 species),we found a negative relationship between habitat forest cover and terrestriality.This negative relationship was also true for the five limestone langur species,implying limestone langurs increase territoriality in response to decreased forest cover.Our results document behavioral flexibility in strata use of Trachypithecus langurs and highlight the importance of the protection of continuous forests to promote langur conservation.

New technique for removal of perfluorocarbon liquid related sticky silicone oil and literature review

AIM:To investigate the safety and efficacy of sticky silicone oil(SSO)removal using a 22-gauge vein detained needle and inner limiting membrane(ILM)wrap-and-peel technique.METHODS:This retrospective consecutive case series reviewed the records of patients with a history of retinal detachment who had received silicone oil and perfluorocarbon liquid(PFCL)as intraocular tamponades.Patients were included in the analysis if they exhibited SSO remnants during silicone oil removal.The aspiration of most of the SSO remnants was performed by a 22-gauge vein detained needle.The small amounts of droplets adhered to the macula and epi-macular membrane were subsequently removed by the ILM warp-and-peel technique.The anatomical and functional outcomes,and postoperative complications were recorded.In vitro experiments were performed to simulate the formation of SSO remnants in four groups.RESULTS:Of 711 patients who underwent silicone oil removal during the study period,9 patients exhibited SSO remnants and underwent follow-up for at least 3mo.Seven eyes(78%)underwent the ILM wrap-and-peel technique to completely remove small droplets of SSO that were glued to the macula and epi-macular membrane.No obvious complications occurred.Postoperative optical coherence tomography revealed normal retinal structure in all patients.In vitro analyses showed that balanced salt solution and prolonged vibration(for 1wk)had the strongest effects on silicone oil and PFCL compound opacities.CONCLUSION:SSO remnants could be removed in an intact manner and without complications,using a vein detained needle-assisted and ILM wrap-and-peel technique.The findings suggest that PFCL and infusion fluid should be completely removed before silicone oil injection to prevent SSO formation.

Energy consumption,air quality,and air pollution spatial spillover effects:evidence from the Yangtze River Delta of China

Based on analysis of the theoretical impact of energy consumption on air quality,taking 20 heavily polluted cities in the Yangtze River Delta of China as the object,we construct a Spatial Dubin Model,and estimate the effect of energy consumption on air quality and the spatial spillover effects of air pollution.We come to the following conclusions:First,the regional air quality has significant spatial dependence and spatial heterogeneity.Second,under three kinds of spatial associated mode,energy consumption has a negative impact on air quality,and the air pollution arising from energy consumption has a negative intra-regional spillover effect.The effect is strongest under the spatial distance weight matrix,followed by the economic distance,and the adjacent spatial weight matrix,which are−0.7926,−0.4547,and−0.4539,respectively.Third,in addition,under the adjacent space and economic distance space matrix,energy consumption has a significant negative effect on air quality,and the inter-regional spillover effects are−0.1513 and−2.5736,respectively.Meanwhile,considering spatial distance and economic development,the inter-regional spillover effect is much larger than is the intra-regional spillover effect.In general,the total spillover effect is at−0.6053 and−3.0284.

The Predictive Value of On-treatment Virological Response for Sustained Virological Response in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Receiving a Personalized Treatment Program

To investigate the effects of individualised treatment with peginterferon alpha-2a(40 kD)plus ribavirin in Chinese patients with CHC.Methods Total of 297 consecutive Chinese patients were enrolled,including 250 nave cases and 47 cases who were previously treated.Treatment duration was determined according to viral genotypes,prior treatment history and viral responses at week 4,12 and 24.Results Totally,235 patients(79.1%)completed treatment and 186(87.3%)achieved SVR.And 219 out of 289(75.8%)patients achieved HCV RNA negative at week 4(RVR)and 259 of 276(93.8%)at week 12.Among the 164 patients with RVR who completed follow-up,158(96.3%)achieved SVR.Patients with RVR had lower baseline viral loads than patients without RVR(P=0.034).The positive predictive value(PPV)of RVR for SVR was 90.7%(OR 2.10 vs.non-RVR,95%CI:0.50-8.7).Similar outcomes were observed among patients with HCV undetectable at week 12.Conclusions Viral suppression by week 4 is associated with a high rate of treatment success in treatment nave and experienced patients receiving individualized CHC therapy.

Facile oxalic acid-assisted construction of laminated porous N-deficient graphitic carbon nitride: Highly efficient visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution photocatalyst

The laminated porous N-deficient g-C3N4(CN–H)is successfully synthesized by a facile two-step hydrothermal calcination method using oxalic acid-assisted melamine as the precursor.Compared with pristine g-C3N4(224μmol g-1h-1),the CN–H shows superior photocatalytic hydrogen production activity(up to 728μmol g-1h-1),which is three times higher than the unmodified counterpart.To draw out the multifaceted influences of oxalic acid modification on the visible-light-induced photocatalytic activity,various techniques are utilized to investigate the formation mechanism,structural characteristics and photoelectrical properties of CN–H.The results indicate that the addition of a trace amount of oxalic acid to the precursor melamine results in a g-C3N4 structure possessing the advantage of both nitrogen defects and laminated porosity.These properties can enlarge specific surface areas of g-C3N4,enhance an efficient separating of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and extend the range of spectral response,all contributing to the enhancement of the visible-light-induced photocatalytic activity.

Influence of Waterside Buildings’ Layout on Wind Environment and the Relation with Design Based on a Case Study of the She Kou Residential District

It is important to improve residential thermal comfort in the high dense cities,in which wind environment is crucial.Waterside buildings take an advantage of micro-hydrological-climate in summer that should be used to enhance residential thermal comfort especially in the subtropical region.In order to propose design approaches according to the outdoor thermal comfort of the waterside residential,a case study of Shenzhen She Kou res­idential district has been made.It focused on various factors that could have influence on wind environment for improving thermal comfort.Using wind velocity ratio(ΔRi)criterion,factors of building development volume,building direction and layout pattern,open space arrangement etc.have been broadly explored using FLUENT simulation.To planning parameters,the Floor Area Ratio(FAR)is significantly influence wind environment,the smaller FAR is better.To the vertical layout of the buildings,multi-storey layout and multi-storey&sub high-rise mixed layout would provide better wind environment.To the horizontal layout,the determinant is better than the peripheral.Other factors such as the buildings’direction towards the road,buildings’height,and open space setting,have influence on wind environment yet.In general,the more benefit of design layout for wind breezing,the better wind environment it could get.

Evolution of incommensurate superstructure and electronic structure with Pb substitution in(Bi2-xPbx)Sr2CaCu2O8+δ superconductors

High-quality Bi2-xPbxSr2 CaCu2O8+δ(Bi2212) single crystals have been successfully grown by the traveling solvent floating zone technique with a wide range of Pb substitution(x = 0–0.8).The samples are characterized by transmission electron microscope(TEM) and measured by high resolution laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy(ARPES) with different photon energies.A systematic evolution of the electronic structure and superstructure with Pb substitution has been revealed for the first time.The superstructure shows a significant change with Pb substitution and the incommensurate modulation vector(Q) decreases with increasing Pb substitution.In the meantime, the superstructure intensity from ARPES measurements also decreases dramatically with increasing Pb concentration.The superstructure in Bi2212 can be effectively suppressed by Pb substitution and it nearly disappears with a Pb substitution of x = 0.8.We also find that the superstructure bands in ARPES measurements depend sensitively on the photon energy of lasers used;they can become even stronger than the main band when using a laser photon energy of 10.897 eV.These results provide important information on the origin of the incommensurate superstructure and its control and suppression in bismuth-based high temperature superconductors.

Implications of vitamin D for flesh quality of grass carp(Ctenopharyngodon idella):antioxidant ability,nutritional value,sensory quality,and myofiber characteristics

Background Muscle represents a unique and complex system with many components and comprises the major edible part of animals.Vitamin D is a critical nutrient for animals and is known to enhance calcium absorption and immune response.In recent years,dietary vitamin D supplementation in livestock has received increased attention due to biological responses including improving shear force in mammalian meat.However,the vitamin D acquisition and myofiber development processes in fish differ from those in mammals,and the effect of vitamin D on fish flesh quality is poorly understood.Here,the influence of dietary vitamin D on fillet quality,antioxidant ability,and myofiber development was examined in grass carp(Ctenopharyngodon idella).Methods A total of 540 healthy grass carp,with an initial average body weight of 257.24±0.63 g,were allotted in 6 experimental groups with 3 replicates each,and respectively fed corresponding diets with 15.2,364.3,782.5,1,167.9,1,573.8,and 1,980.1 IU/kg vitamin D for 70 d.Results Supplementation with 1,167.9 IU/kg vitamin D significantly improved nutritional value and sensory quality of fillets,enhancing crude protein,free amino acid,lipid,and collagen contents;maintaining an ideal pH;and reduc-ing lactate content,shear force,and cooking loss relative to respective values in the control(15.2 IU/kg)group.Average myofiber diameter and the frequency of myofibers>50μm in diameter increased under supplementation with 782.5–1,167.9 IU/kg vitamin D.Levels of oxidative damage biomarkers decreased,and the expression of antioxi-dant enzymes and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 signaling molecules was upregulated in the 1,167.9 IU/kg vitamin D treatment compared to respective values in the control group.Furthermore,vitamin D supplementation activated cell differentiation by enhancing the expression of myogenic regulatory factors and myocyte enhancer factors compared to that in the control group.In addition,supplementation with 1,167.9 IU/kg vitamin D improved protein deposition associated with protein synthesis molecule(target of rapamycin)signaling and vitamin D receptor paralogs,along with inhibition of protein degradation(forkhead box protein 1)signaling.Conclusions Overall,the results demonstrated that vitamin D strengthened antioxidant ability and myofiber devel-opment,thereby enhancing nutritional value and sensory quality of fish flesh.These findings suggest that dietary vitamin D supplementation is conducive to the production of nutrient-rich,high quality aquaculture products.

Amorphous 3D pomegranate-like NiCoFe nanoassemblies derived by bi-component cyanogel reduction for outstanding oxygen evolution reaction

As a representative type of self-supported templates, cyano-bridged cyanogels provide ideal plateaus for synthesis of three-dimensional(3 D) nanostructures. Herein, 3 D pomegranate-like Fe-doped NiCo nanoassemblies(3 D PG-NiCoFe NAs) were synthesized via facile one-step bi-component cyanogel reduction with NaBH_4 as the reducing agent. Specifically, the influence of the incorporated Fe amount was carefully investigated by finely adjusting the feeding molar ratios of the Ni/Co/Fe atoms in the precursors.By virtue of the unique structure and enriched oxygen vacancies originated from well-modulated electronic structures, the 3 D PG-NiCoFe-211 NAs exhibited outstanding electrocatalytic performances for oxygen evolution reaction(OER) in alkaline solution, outperforming commercial RuO_2 catalyst. The current incorporation of foreign metal atom into host material provides some valuable insights into design and synthesis of metal-based nanocatalysts for constructing practical water splitting devices.

Effect of captopril or verapamil on intracellular sodium in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells

The effects of captopril (Cap) and verapamil (Ver)alone and in combination on intracellular Na+ concentration ([Na+]i) in cultured aortic smooth muscle cells (ASMC) of rabbits was evaluated by a direct measurement of [Na+]i with fluorescent dye sodium-binding benzofuran isophthalate (SBFI) combined with digital image. [Na+]i in resting cells was found to be 11.9 ± 0. 7 mmol/L. Angiotensin II (Ang-II, 0.1-10μmol/L) induced an increase of [Na+]i in concentration-dependent manner. Ver (0.1-10μmol/L) inhibited Ang-II (1 μmol/L)-induced increase in [Na+]i, while Cap enhanced Ang-II-induced increase in [Na+]i at 10μmol/L but not at 0.1-1μmol/L. Ver (0.1-1μmol/L)abolished enhancement of Ang-II-induced increase in [Na+]i by Cap. Thus, the inhibition of Capenhanced [Na+]i by Ver may provide a new hypothesis for the underlying molecular mechanism of synergistic effect of the combination of Ca2+ antagonists and angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitors in controlling blood pressure.