Lower serum magnesium concentration and higher 24-h urinary magnesium excretion despite higher dietary magnesium intake in athletes:a systematic review and meta-analysis

Magnesium plays a critical role in the human's life activities and energy metabolism. This study aimed to evaluate the magnesium status of athletes via a systematic review of cross-sectional studies. A comprehensive systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane Library electronic databases, and other sources before April 5, 2021. Fourteen studies were included in the systematic review, involving 855 athletes and 521 control subjects. Serum magnesium concentration was significantly lower in athletes(mean difference(MD):-0.04 mmol/L;95% confidence interval(CI):-0.06 to-0.01;P = 0.02)in spite of significantly higher dietary magnesium intake(MD: 51.72 mg/day;95% CI: 14.62 to 88.83;P = 0.006). Meta-analysis showed that 24-h urinary magnesium excretion in athletes was significantly higher than that in the untrained population(MD: 0.76 mmol/day;95% CI: 0.11 to 1.41;P = 0.02). Despite higher total dietary magnesium intake, athletes generally have lower serum magnesium concentration and higher 24-h urinary magnesium excretion, demonstrating that the magnesium requirement of athletes is higher than the untrained population. It is necessary to carry out a dietary assessment and nutrition counseling to help athletes adopt proper diets to meet their nutritional needs in exercise.

Exercise as a prescription for patients with various diseases

A growing understanding of the benefits of exercise over the past few decades has prompted researchers to take an interest in the possibilities of exercise therapy.Because each sport has its own set of characteristics and physiological complications that tend to occur during exercise training,the effects and underlying mechanisms of exercise remain unclear.Thus,the first step in probing the effects of exercise on different diseases is the selection of an optimal exercise protocol.This review summarizes the latest exercise prescription treatments for 26 different diseases:musculoskeletal system diseases(low back pain,tendon injury,osteoporosis,osteoarthritis,and hip fracture),metabolic system diseases(obesity,type 2 diabetes,type 1 diabetes,and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease),cardio-cerebral vascular system diseases(coronary artery disease,stroke,and chronic heart failure),nervous system diseases(Parkinson’s disease,Huntington’s disease,Alzheimer’s disease,depression,and anxiety disorders),respiratory system diseases(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,interstitial lung disease,and after lung transplantation),urinary system diseases(chronic kidney disease and after kidney transplantation),and cancers(breast cancer,colon cancer,prostate cancer,and lung cancer).Each exercise prescription is displayed in a corresponding table.The recommended type,intensity,and frequency of exercise prescriptions are summarized,and the effects of exercise therapy on the prevention and rehabilitation of different diseases are discussed.

Analysis on the Nutrition Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Different Types of Sweet Potato Cultivars

In this study, we selected four different color fleshed sweet potatoes, purple- (Jizi 01), red- (Xinong 431), yellow- (Beijing 553) and white- (Shangshu 19) fleshed cultivars as test materials, analyzed nutrient composition, dietary fiber content, anthocyanins quantification, and total phenolics content, and also measured their total antioxidant activity in four different types of sweet potato. In view of differences in flesh color, the nutrient contents of different cultivars appeared to be significantly different. Starch contents of Beijing 553 and Shangshu 19 were higher, but fat contents were lower than others. Protein content of Shangshu 19 was the highest followed by Jizi 01 and Xinong 431. In addition, our analysis results confirmed that purple fleshed sweet potato possesses much higher anthocyanins content than others, even up to 6.23 mg/g dry matter. Also, dietary fiber, total phenolics content, and total antioxidant capacity of Jizi 01 were significantly higher.

A nanoplatform with oxygen self-supplying and heat-sensitizing capabilities enhances the efficacy of photodynamic therapy in eradicating multidrug-resistant biofilms

Bacterial biofilms,especially those caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria,have emerged as one of the greatest dangers to global public health.The acceleration of antimicrobial resistance to conventional an-tibiotics and the severe lack of new drugs necessitates the development of novel agents for biofilm eradication.Photodynamic therapy(PDT)is a promising non-antibiotic method for treating bacterial infections.However,its application in biofilm eradication is hampered by the hypoxic microenvironment of biofilms and the physical protection of extracellular polymeric substances.In this study,we develop a composite nanoplatform with oxygen(O_(2))self-supplying and heat-sensitizing capabilities to improve the PDT efficacy against biofilms.CaO_(2)/ICG@PDA nanoparticles(CIP NPs)are fabricated by combining calcium peroxide(CaO_(2))with the photosensitizer indocyanine green(ICG)via electrostatic interactions,followed by coating with polydopamine(PDA).The CIP NPs can gradually generate O_(2)in response to the acidic microenvironment of the biofilm,thereby alleviating its hypoxic state.Under near-infrared(NIR)irradiation,the nanoplatform converts O_(2)into a significant amount of singlet oxygen(^(1)O_(2))and heat to eradicate biofilm.The generated heat enhances the release of O_(2),accelerates the generation of^(1)O_(2)in PDT,increases cell membrane permeability,and increases bacterial sensitivity to^(1)O_(2).This nanoplatform significantly improves the efficacy of PDT in eradicating biofilm-dwelling bacteria without fostering drug resistance.Experiments on biofilm eradication demonstrate that this nanoplatform can eradicate over 99.9999%of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA)biofilms under 5-min NIR irradiation.Notably,these integrated advantages enable the system to promote the healing of MRSA biofilm-infected wounds with negligible toxicity in vivo,indicating great promise for overcoming the obstacles associated with bacterial biofilm eradication.

Superhydrophobic photothermal coatings based on candle soot for prevention of biofilm formation

Bacterial biofilms formed on the material surfaces have posed a series of serious problems for human health and industries.The treatment of mature biofilms is particularly difficult because they are inher-ently highly resistant against antibiotics and other adverse factors.The prevention is strategically advan-tageous over the treatment,and thus the development of innovative surfaces with capability to inhibit biofilm formation is highly demanded.In this work,we developed a superhydrophobic photothermal coating for prevention of biofilm formation,which was based on candle soot with hierarchical structure and excellent light-to-heat conversion ability.This coating was fabricated by deposition of a candle soot layer on the substrate,followed by sequential chemical vapor deposition of tetraethoxysilane and immo-bilization of fluorinated silane to make the coating robust and superhydrophobic.The resulted coating could repel a majority of bacteria from the surface at the early stage,and then eradicate a small number of bacteria remained on the surface under a short-term irradiation of near-infrared laser.The combi-nation of anti-adhesive property and photothermal bactericidal property endowed the coating with good antibiofilm property to prevent biofilm formation for at least 2 weeks.This coating is facile for deposition on various substrates with good storage stability,showing great potential for diverse practical applications to solve the biofilm-associated problems of materials and devices.

Decay stages and meteorological factors affect microbial community during leaf litter in situ decomposition

Litter microorganisms play a crucial role in the biological decomposition in forest ecosystems;however,the coupling effect of meteorological and substrate changes on it during the different stages of leaf decomposition in situ remains unclear.Hence,according to meteorological factors dynamics,a one-year field litter of Quercus wutaishanica in situ decomposition experiment was designed for four decay stages in a warm temperate forest.Microbial community composition was characterized using Illumina sequencing of fungal ITS and bacterial 16S genes.Bacterial(6.6)and fungal(3.6)Shannon indexes were the largest after 125 days’litter decomposition(October).The relative abundance of Acidobacteria after 342 days and Bacteroidetes after 125 days were 3 and 24 times higher than after 31 days,respectively.Some non-dominant species(bacteria:Firmicutes,Planctomycotes,and Verrucomicrobia;fungi:Chytridiomycota and Glomeromomycota)may be absent or present at different decomposition stages due to litter properties or meteorological factors.Chemoheterotrophy and aerobic-chemoheterotrophy were the dominant bacterial functional groups,and the dominant fungal functional groups were saprotrophs,pathotrophs,and symbiotrophs.Precipitation and relative humidity significantly affected bacteria.Temperature,sunlight intensity,and net radiation significantly affected fungi.Besides,among the relative contributions of changes in bacterial and fungal community structure,leaf litter properties alone explained the variation of 5.51%and 10.63%.Microbial diversity and decay stage directly affected the litter mass-loss rate,with meteorological factors(precipitation,relative humidity,air temperature,and sunlight intensity)being indirect.Our findings highlight the importance of microbial diversity for leaf litter decomposition and the influence of meteorological factors.

An injectable alginate/fibrin hydrogel encapsulated with cardiomyocytes and VEGF for myocardial infarction treatment

Myocardial infarction(MI)is one of the typical cardiovascular diseases,which persist as the leading cause of death globally.Due to the poor regenerative capability of endogenous cardiomyocytes(CMs),the transplantation of exogenous CMs becomes a promising option for MI treatment.However,the low retention and survival of transplanted cells still limit the clinical translation of cell therapy.Herein,an alginate/fibrin-based injectable hydrogel was prepared for the delivery of neonatal CMs and an angiogen-esis agent vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)locally to the infarcted area of the heart.This hydro-gel combined the specific advantages of alginate and fibrin with proper mechanical properties and cell affinity,showing good biocompatibility to support the retention and integration of the transplanted CMs to the host myocardium.Moreover,the delivered VEGF was favorable for the blood recovery to mitigate the ischemic microenvironment of the infarcted area and thus improved the survival of the transplanted CMs.Intramyocardial injection of this hydrogel to the infarcted area of the heart promoted angiogenesis,inhibited fibrosis,and improved cardiac function,exhibiting great potential for MI treatment.

Bacterial cellulose-based dressings with photothermal bactericidal activity and pro-angiogenic ability for infected wound healing

For most traditional wound dressings,it is challenging to simultaneously eliminate bacteria and promote angiogenesis to accelerate the healing process of bacteria-infected wounds.In this work,we develop a multifunctional dressing based on bacterial cellulose(BC)deposited with a tannic acid/Cu^(2+)ion/Mg^(2+)ion(TCM)complex film.Overall,the TCM complex exhibits robust interfacial adhesion to modify BC and good photothermal properties to effectively eradicate bacteria in the wound area under near-infrared(NIR)irradiation.The individual components of the TCM complex have several advantageous features for wound healing,such as antibacterial ability and negligible cytotoxicity;in particular,the released Cu^(2+)and Mg^(2+)ions are favorable for the proliferation,migration,and tube formation of endothelial cells in vitro.The results of in vivo experiments demonstrated that with the assistance of NIR irradiation,this composite dressing is more effective than traditional gauze or pristine BC dressing in promotion of angiogenesis and collagen deposition without causing remarkable inflammation,thereby accelerating the healing process of bacteria-infected full-thickness skin wounds.This work thus provides a simple and facile way to fabricate multifunctional BC-based dressings that could be potentially used for treating infected wounds.

Atramacronoids A-C,three eudesmanolide sesquiterpene-phenol hybrids with an unprecedented C-C linkage from the rhizomes of Atractylodes macrocephala

Three eudesmanolide sesquiterpene-phenol hybrids,atramacronoids A-C(1-3),featuring an unusual6/6/5/5/6 skeleton furnished by forming an unexpected C-8-C-16 linkage,were obtained from the rhizomes of Atractylodes macrocephala.Their structures and absolute configurations were elucidated by spectroscopic data analysis,chemical calculations,combined with X-ray diffractions.The plausible biosynthetic pathways for compounds 1-3 are proposed.Surprisingly,compound 1 exhibited cytotoxicity against SGC-7901 cells by inducing cells apoptosis,which might relate to the promotion of synthesis of neutrophil elastase.

Feeding mediated web-building plasticity in a cobweb spider

Behavioral plasticity has been proposed as a means by which animals alter their phenotypes in response to changing conditions.Animals may display behavioral plasticity as a consequence of environmental variation.The detritus-based,bell-shaped cobweb spider Campanicola campanulata is an ideal model to study behavioral plasticity,because its web architecture is easy to be quantified,and the functions of different parts of the web are clear.Though the plasticity of cobweb architecture has been reported in a few species,retreats as impor-tant defensive structures have rarely been considered before because retreats in most cobwebs are relatively small compared with the web size.We studied the web-building behaviors of C.campanulata under different feeding regimes.We set up 3 spider treatments with different feeding conditions:marginally well fed,moderately well fed,and extremely well fed,and observed the differences in the web architecture among them.In addition,we measured the mechanical properties of anchor silk,and also calculated the foraging and defense investment of the spiders.The results showed that marginally well-fed spiders build cobwebs with significantly longer length of anchor silk,lower retreat to the ground,more number and longer gumfooted lines,and larger capture area,while extremely well-fed spiders build cobwebs with significantly bigger retreat volume and higher height of retreat to the ground.In addition,marginally well-fed spiders invest significantly less during cobweb construction.However,there was no significant difference between the breaking force and elongation at break in anchor silk among different treatments.These results demonstrated that marginally well-fed spiders invest more in foraging,and extremely well-fed spiders invest more in defense,and the spider made a balance between foraging and predator avoidance in response to changes in physiological state.Our study strengthens the current understanding of web construction in cobweb spiders,especially those facing high costs during retreat construction.

Safety is increasingly important in cobweb spiders based on life history

Detritus-based,bell-shaped cobwebs are an ideal model to research the plasticity of web architecture due to clearly separate defense and foraging components.We performed a thoroughfield investigation on the web architectures of Campanicola campanulata to research its cobweb architecture variation during the growth process and analyzed the energy trade-offs between foraging and defense at different developmental stages.The results indicated that as female C.campanulata grew,they dedicated more energy to defense and less energy to foraging,while males dedicated less energy to both defense and foraging through the growth period.We hypothesize that cobweb spiders dedicate an increasing amount of energy to safety based on evidence obtained from their life-history.Meanwhile,we present a new model to investigate web architecture variation and provide a new framework to quantify the energy allocation between foraging and predator defense for web-building spiders.