Assessing Dietary Consumption of Sodium and Potassium in China through Wastewater Analysis

A causal relationship has been reported between the average population salt(sodium chloride)intake and the increased risk of stroke and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in some epidemiological and clinical studies.The World Health Organization has recommended that a sodium intake of<2 g/day is preventive against cardiovascular disease,although the current intake is in excess in most countries.

Effect of Dietary Potassium on Growth, Nitrogen Metabolism, Osmoregulation and Immunity of Pacific White Shrimp （Litopenaeus vannamel） Reared in Low Salinity Seawater

An 8 weeks feeding experiment was conducted to determine the effect of dietary potassium on the growth and physio-logical acclimation of Pacific white shrimp （Litopenaeus vannamei） reared in diluted seawater （salinity 4）. Six semi-purified practical diets containing 0.59, 0.96, 1.26, 1.48, 1.74, and 2.17 g potassium K＋ per 100 g diet were formulated, respectively. The survival and feed conversion rate did not show significant difference among groups of shrimps given these diets （P〉0.05）. The shrimps fed the diets containing 0.96-1.48 g K＋ per 100g diet gained the highest weight, specific growth rate, and protein efficiency ratio. Their ammonium-N excretion rate as well as hemolymph concentration of Na＋ and C1- were significantly lower than those of the control （P〈0.05）, but a reverse trend was observed for their gill Na＋/K＋-ATPase. Moreover, the shrimps fed with 1.48 g K＋ per 100 g diet were the highest in hemolymph urea level, and the phenoloxidase and lysozyme activities were significantly higher than those of the control （P〈0.05）. The growth and physiological response of the test shrimps suggested that diet containing 1.48 g K＋ per 100 g diet improved the growth of L. vannamei in low-salinity seawater, and enhanced the physiological acclimation of the organism.

Potassium and calcium channels in different nerve cells act as therapeutic targets in neurological disorders

The central nervous system, information integration center of the body, is mainly composed of neurons and glial cells. The neuron is one of the most basic and important structural and functional units of the central nervous system, with sensory stimulation and excitation conduction functions. Astrocytes and microglia belong to the glial cell family, which is the main source of cytokines and represents the main defense system of the central nervous system. Nerve cells undergo neurotransmission or gliotransmission, which regulates neuronal activity via the ion channels, receptors, or transporters expressed on nerve cell membranes. Ion channels, composed of large transmembrane proteins, play crucial roles in maintaining nerve cell homeostasis. These channels are also important for control of the membrane potential and in the secretion of neurotransmitters. A variety of cellular functions and life activities, including functional regulation of the central nervous system, the generation and conduction of nerve excitation, the occurrence of receptor potential, heart pulsation, smooth muscle peristalsis, skeletal muscle contraction, and hormone secretion, are closely related to ion channels associated with passive transmembrane transport. Two types of ion channels in the central nervous system, potassium channels and calcium channels, are closely related to various neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and epilepsy. Accordingly, various drugs that can affect these ion channels have been explored deeply to provide new directions for the treatment of these neurological disorders. In this review, we focus on the functions of potassium and calcium ion channels in different nerve cells and their involvement in neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, depression, epilepsy, autism, and rare disorders. We also describe several clinical drugs that target potassium or calcium channels in nerve cells and could be used to treat these disorders. We concluded that there are few clinical drugs that can improve the pathology these diseases by acting on potassium or calcium ions. Although a few novel ion-channelspecific modulators have been discovered, meaningful therapies have largely not yet been realized. The lack of target-specific drugs, their requirement to cross the blood–brain barrier, and their exact underlying mechanisms all need further attention. This review aims to explain the urgent problems that need research progress and provide comprehensive information aiming to arouse the research community's interest in the development of ion channel-targeting drugs and the identification of new therapeutic targets for that can increase the cure rate of nervous system diseases and reduce the occurrence of adverse reactions in other systems.

Effects of Nitrogen Fertilizer Regulation with Straw-return on Wheat Yield and Different Forms of Potassium in the Soil

In order to study the effects of nitrogen fertilizer application methods and nitrogen fertilizer regulation with straw-return on wheat yield and potassium forms in the soil, field experiment was arranged in Pinyuan County, and the effects of the regulation of different ratios of basal to topdressed nitrogen on the yield of wheat and the contents of different forms of potassium in the soil were studied. The re- sults indicated that in the condition of straw-return, the yield of wheat was the high- est after the treatments of the ratios of basal to topdressed nitrogen of 7：3 and 6：4. As to the contents of different forms of potassium, the contents of water-soluble potassium, exchangeable potassium and total potassium treated by the ratios of basal to topdressed nitrogen of 7：3 and 6：4 were the highest, and the differences of non-exchangeable potassium among all treatments were not significant. Under the experiment condition, the ratios of basal to topdressed nitrogen of 7：3 and 6：4 were the best treatments, they can increase the wheat yield and the contents of available potassium and total potassium in the soil.

Dietary Surveys Carried out among Diabetic Patients Hospitalized in the Metabolic and Endocrine Diseases Department of the C.H.U-B

A varied and balanced diet has always been essential in the optimal management of diabetes. The objective of this work was to evaluate dietary surveys among 50 diabetic patients hospitalized in the metabolic and endocrine diseases department of the Brazzaville Hospital and University Center. This survey was carried out using two methods: dietary history and 24-hour recall. The results relating to the dietary history revealed in the patients a dietary imbalance characterized by snacking at meals, non-compliance with a balanced diet and a high frequency of consumption of foods rich in simple sugar. and saturated fats. Regarding the 24-hour recall, the survey showed that the average blood sugar levels of hospitalized patients increased depending on the number of meals. This meant that these hyperglycemias (2 to 5 g/L) observed in these patients exceeded three meals per day and required, among other things, an increase in insulin intake or doses. The age groups of diabetic patients were also divided. These age groups had partly defined the types of diabetes encountered. Regarding body mass index, women had a body mass index greater than 30 kg/m2 compared to men. This increase in body mass index was explained by being overweight or even obese due to excess body fat.

Nonaqueous potassium-ion full-cells:Mapping the progress and identifying missing puzzle pieces

This review addresses the growing interest for potassium-ion full-cells(KIFCs)in view of the transition from potassium-ion half-cells(KIHCs)toward commercial K-ion batteries(KIBs).It focuses on the key parameters of KIFCs such as the electrode/electrolyte interfaces challenge,major barriers,and recent advancements in KIFCs.The strategies for enhancing KIFC performance,including interfaces co ntrol,electrolyte optimization,electrodes capacity ratio,electrode material screening and electrode design,are discussed.The review highlights the need to evaluate KIBs in full-cell configurations as half-cell results are strongly impacted by the K metal reactivity.It also emphasizes the importance of understanding solid electrolyte interphase(SEI)formation in KIFCs and explores promising nonaqueous as well as quasiand all-solid-state electrolytes options.This review thus paves the way for practical,cost-effective,and scalable KIBs as energy storage systems by offering insights and guidance for future research.

Characteristics of Potassium-Enriched, Flue-Cured Tobacco Genotype in Potassium Absorption, Accumulation, and In-Ward Potassium Currents of Root Cortex

This study was to investigate the main traits of potassium-enriched, flue-cured tobacco genotypes related to potassium absorption, accumulation, and in-ward potassium currents of the root cortex. Hydroponic methods, K^＋-depletion methods, and patch-clamp, whole-cell recordings were conducted to study the accumulation of dry matter and potassium in different organs, and to measure potassium absorption and dynamic and in-ward potassium currents in potassium-enriched, fluecured tobacco genotypes. The average dry weights of leaves and whole plant of potassium-enriched, flue-cured tobacco genotype ND202 were 10.20, and 14.85 g, respectively, higher than JYH （8.50 and 13.11 g, respectively） and NC2326 （8.39 and 12.72 g, respectively）, when potassium concentration in the solution ranged from 0.1 to 50 mmol L^-1. Potassium accumulation in the leaves of ND202 was 18.6% higher than JYH and 34% higher than NC2326 when potassium concentration in the solution was superior to 0.5 mmol L^-1. The Vmax （the maximum velocity） of ND202 was 118.11 lamol FW g^-1 h^-1, obviously higher than that of JYH （58.87 μmol FW g^-1 h^-1） and NC2326 （64.40 μmol FW g^-1 h^-1）. In the in-ward potassium currents, the absolute value of current density （pA/pF） of ND202 was 60, higher than that of JYH （50） and NC2326 （40）. Potassium concentration in leaves, Vmax, and in-ward potassium currents, could be used to screen potassium-enriched, flue-cured tobacco genotypes.

Role of potassium in acid secretion

Potassium (K+) ions are critical for the activation and catalytic cycle of the gastric H+,K+-ATPase, resulting in the secretion of hydrochloric acid into the parietal cell canaliculus. As both symptom, severity and esophageal mucosal damage in gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) are related to the degree of acid exposure, K+ is a logical target for approaches to inhibit acid production.The probable K+ binding site on the gastric H+,K+-ATPase has recently been described and studies are elucidating how K+ activates the enzyme. K+ channels in the apical membrane of the parietal cell are implicated in the recycling of K+ and, to date, three potential K+ channels (KCNQ1, Kir2.1 and Kir4.1) have been identified. The channels represent theoretical sites for agents to control acid secretion but it will be difficult to develop selective blockers. An alternative strategy is to prevent K+ from activating gastric H+,K+-ATPase; the potassiumcompetitive acid blocker (P-CAB) class inhibits acidsecretion by binding at or near the K+ binding site.Ongoing research is further defining the role of K+ in the functioning of the gastric H+,K+-ATPase, as well as determining the clinical utility of agents directed toward this important cation.

Resilience effects for household food expenditure and dietary diversity in rural western China

A more resilient livelihood is increasingly recognized as an efficient way to improve vulnerable households’food security and optimize their dietary decisions.This study quantifies rural household resilience in western China,identifies the three pillars(absorptive capacity,adaptive capacity,and transformative capacity)contribution to resilience,and then establishes the estimated Resilience Capacity Index(RCI)linked with food security and dietary diversity supported by the multiple indicator multiple cause(MIMIC)model.Results show that,despite geographical heterogeneity,the RCI consistently increased from 2015 to 2021.Households with a higher RCI inheriting better capacity to deal with risk and shocks are significantly and positively correlated with increasing food expenditure and diversifying food choices.It can be because resilient households will allocate more money to food expenditure instead of saving for livelihood uncertainty.Thus,policymakers can provide more incentives for rural households to adopt more dynamic and effective risk management strategies.This,in turn,could yield positive spillover effects by preventing human capital loss associated with dietary-related chronic diseases and mortality.

Carbon Emission Effects Driven by Evolution of Chinese Dietary Structure from 1987 to 2020

Exploring carbon emission effects based on the evolution of residents’ dietary structure to achieve the carbon neutrality goal and mitigate climate change is an important task.This study took China as the research object(data excluding Hong Kong,Macao and Taiwan) and used the carbon emission coefficient method to quantitatively measure the food carbon emissions from 1987–2020,then analyzed the carbon emission effects under the evolution of dietary structure.The results showed that during the study period,the Chinese dietary structure gradually changed to a high-carbon consumption pattern.The dietary structure of urban residents developed to a balanced one,while that of rural residents developed to a high-quality one.During the study period,the per capita food carbon emissions and total food consumption of Chinese showed an increasing trend.The per capita food carbon emissions of residents in urban and rural showed an overall upward trend.The total food carbon emissions in urban increased significantly,while that in rural increased first and then decreased.The influence of beef and mutton on carbon emissions is the highest in dietary structure.Compared with the balanced dietary pattern,the food carbon emissions of Chinese residents had not yet reached the peak,but were evolving to a high-carbon consumption pattern.

The impact of Internet access on household dietary quality:Evidence from rural China

Over the past few decades,the Internet has rapidly diffused across China.The spread of the Internet has had a profound economic and social impact on Chinese rural areas.Existing research shows that Internet access significantly impacts agricultural production and improves smallholder farmers’income.Beyond these,the Internet can affect other dimensions of social welfare.However,research about the impact of Internet access on dietary quality in rural China remains scarce.This study utilizes multi-period panel data from Fixed Observation Point in rural China from 2009 to 2015 to estimate the impact of Internet access on dietary quality and food consumption of rural households and conducts a causal analysis.Regression models with time and household fixed effects allow robust estimation while reducing potential issues of unobserved heterogeneity.The estimates show that Internet access has significantly increased rural household dietary quality(measured by the Chinese Diet Balance Index).Further research finds that Internet access has increased the consumption of animal products,such as aquatic and dairy products.We also examine the underlying mechanisms.Internet access improves dietary quality and food consumption mainly through increasing household income and food expenditure.These results encourage the promotion of Internet access as a valuable tool for nutritional improvements,especially in rural areas.

Off-farm employment,agriculture production activities,and household dietary diversity in environmentally and economically vulnerable areas of Asia

Access to off-farm employment has been expected to be a critical approach to ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition,two important targets of achieving Zero Hunger.This study aims to investigate the role of off-farm employment in improving dietary diversity through substitution effect and complementary effect with agricultural production activities and income effect.This study adopts Poisson/Tobit/Probit/OLS regressions and the instrument variable method based on the primary survey data collected among 1,282 households at 12 sites in environmentally and economically vulnerable areas of China,Nepal,Cambodia,Thailand,and Myanmar in 2019.The results show that off-farm employment is positively associated with household dietary diversity and the consumption of flesh meat,fish and other aquatic animals,fruits,and milk and dairy products,which are rich in protein and micronutrients.The results of mechanism analysis show that off-farm employment contributes to household dietary diversity by improving crop diversity,especially for poor households,boosting the probability of livestock raising for households with the middle one-third disposal income,and increasing household income.The positive association between off-farm employment and household dietary diversity is much higher for households with the bottom one-third disposal income,low illiteracy,and from upper-middle income countries.These findings imply that off-farm employment does play a vital role in achieving multiple benefits of poverty alleviation,malnutrition reduction,and agrobiodiversity conservation in environmentally and economically vulnerable areas.However,it may enlarge the gaps in dietary diversity between households with low human capital and from low and lower-middle income countries and those with high human capital and from middle-high countries.

Preliminary discussion on the ignition mechanism of exploding foil initiators igniting boron potassium nitrate

Exploding foil initiator(EFI)is a kind of advanced device for initiating explosives,but its function is unstable when it comes to directly igniting pyrotechnics.To solve the problem,this research aims to reveal the ignition mechanism of EFIs directly igniting pyrotechnics.An oscilloscope,a photon Doppler velocimetry,and a plasma spectrum measurement system were employed to obtain information of electric characteristics,impact pressure,and plasma temperature.The results of the electric characteristics and the impact pressure were inconsistent with ignition results.The only thing that the ignition success tests had in common was that their plasma all had a relatively long period of high-temperature duration(HTD).It eventually concludes that the ignition mechanism in this research is the microconvection heat transfer rather than the shock initiation,which differs from that of exploding foil initiators detonating explosives.Furthermore,the methods for evaluating the ignition success of semiconductor bridge initiators are not entirely applicable to the tests mentioned in this paper.The HTD is the critical parameter for judging the ignition success,and it is influenced by two factors:the late time discharge and the energy of the electric explosion.The longer time of the late time discharge and the more energy of the electric explosion,the easier it is to expand the HTD,which improves the probability of the ignition success.

Dietary Diversity and Food Security Status among Cameroonian Adults Living in Semi-Urban Areas: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Food security is one of the greatest challenges that most African countries face. It is a concept that considers not only food quantity but also food quality. The objective of this study was to describe dietary diversity and food security status at the individual level in Cameroonian populations. Methods: A total of 1180 men and women aged 20 and over and living in the West, North West, and Littoral regions of Cameroon were recruited. Data on dietary habits were collected through the frequency of consumption of various food groups. Dietary diversity was assessed using a 24-hour dietary recall. Food security status was determined by combining two indicators (food consumption score and individual food diversity score). Results: The mean dietary diversity score of the population was 3.53 ± 1.44, p Conclusion: The diet diversity of adults living in the West, North West, and Littoral regions of Cameroon is medium. Although half of the study population was food secure, there is a need to implement food security policies further to reduce food insecurity among the Cameroonian population.

The Impact of Social Media on Dietary Behaviors and Body Image of College Students: A Qualitative Approach

Background: The use of social media platforms for health and nutrition information has become popular among college students. Although social media made information readily accessible in different formats, nutritional misinformation promoted by influencers and non-experts caused negative impact on diet behavior and perception of body image. Previous research indicated that extensive use of social media was positively linked to disordered eating behaviors. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram that allow users to follow celebrities intensified exposure to influencers’ messages and images and resulted in negative moods and body dissatisfaction. Objective: This paper aims to explore the impact of social media on college students’ dietary behaviors and body image. Participants: 18 undergraduate students from a public university in the Southern United States were recruited through a mass email. Methods: A cross-sectional qualitative study of three focus groups was conducted. The focus groups were based on guiding open-ended questions. Atlas.ti was used to code and analyze the data using inductive and deductive codes. Results: Three main themes were identified. The conditions theme included elements that explain why and how social media influences the participants’ actions. The actions theme included eating behavior, physical activity, and dietary supplement intake. The consequences theme describes anticipated or actual outcomes of actions such as body image and ideal weight. Conclusions: Social media has had a negative influence on diet behaviors and a positive influence on physical activity. Evidence-based nutrition and weight management information is needed to thwart potential misinformation.

Study on synergistic leaching of potassium and phosphorus from potassium feldspar and solid waste phosphogypsum via coupling reactions

To achieve the resource utilization of solid waste phosphogypsum(PG)and tackle the problem of utilizing potassium feldspar(PF),a coupled synergistic process between PG and PF is proposed in this paper.The study investigates the features of P and F in PG,and explores the decomposition of PF using hydrofluoric acid(HF)in the sulfuric acid system for K leaching and leaching of P and F in PG.The impact factors such as sulfuric acid concentration,reaction temperature,reaction time,material ratio(PG/PF),liquid–solid ratio,PF particle size,and PF calcination temperature on the leaching of P and K is systematically investigated in this paper.The results show that under optimal conditions,the leaching rate of K and P reach more than 93%and 96%,respectively.Kinetics study using shrinking core model(SCM)indicates two significant stages with internal diffusion predominantly controlling the leaching of K.The apparent activation energies of these two stages are 11.92 kJ·mol^(-1)and 11.55 kJ·mol^(-1),respectively.

Vacancy healing for stable perovskite solar cells via bifunctional potassium tartrate

Perovskite solar cell has gained widespread attention as a promising technology for renewable energy.However, their commercial viability has been hampered by their long-term stability and potential Pb leakage. Herein, we demonstrate a bifunctional passivator of the potassium tartrate(PT) to address both challenges. PT minimizes the Pb leakage in perovskites and also heals cationic vacancy defects, resulting in improved device performance and stability. Benefiting from PT modification, the power conversion efficiency(PCE) is improved to 23.26% and the Pb leakage in unencapsulated films is significantly reduced to 9.79 ppm. Furthermore, the corresponding device exhibits no significant decay in PCE after tracking at the maximum power point(MPP) for 2000 h under illumination(LED source, 100 mW cm^(-2)).

Plant-based dietary patterns and risk of esophageal cancer:A prospective cohort study spanning 17 years

Objective: Plant-based diets have multiple health benefits for cancers;however, little is known about the association between plant-based dietary patterns and esophageal cancer(EC).This study presents an investigation of the prospective associations among three predefined indices of plant-based dietary patterns and the risk of EC.Methods: We performed endoscopic screening for 15,709 participants aged 40-69 years from two high-risk areas of China from January 2005 to December 2009 and followed the cohort until December 31, 2022. The overall plant-based diet index(PDI), healthful plant-based diet index(h PDI), and unhealthful plant-based diet index(u PDI), were calculated using survey responses to assess dietary patterns. We applied Cox proportional hazard regression to estimate the multivariable hazard ratios(HRs) and 95% confidence intervals(95% CIs) of EC across 3plant-based diet indices and further stratified the analysis by subgroups.Results: The final study sample included 15,184 participants in the cohort. During a follow-up of 219,365person-years, 176 patients with EC were identified. When the highest quartile was compared with the lowest quartile, the pooled multivariable-adjusted HR of EC was 0.50(95% CI, 0.32-0.77) for h PDI. In addition, the HR per 10-point increase in the h PDI score was 0.42(95% CI, 0.27-0.66) for ECs. Conversely, u PDI was positively associated with the risk of EC, and the HR was 1.80(95% CI, 1.16-2.82). The HR per 10-point increase in the u PDI score was 1.90(95% CI, 1.26-2.88) for ECs. The associations between these scores and the risk of EC were consistent in most subgroups. These results remained robust in sensitivity analyses.Conclusions: A healthy plant-based dietary pattern was associated with a reduced risk of EC. Emphasizing the healthiness and quality of plant-based diets may be important for preventing the development of EC.

Association of hypertension and plant-based dietary patterns on cognitive impairment: a nationwide cohort study in China

This study investigated the association of hypertension with cognitive impairment and determined whether better adherence to plant-based diet(PBD)patterns may modify the association.We analyzed 4485 elderly individuals with normal cognition at baseline from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey(2011−2018).Cognitive function was assessed by the Mini-mental State Examination(MMSE),and cognitive impairment was defined as an MMSE score below 18 points.Diet patterns were assessed using the overall plant-based diet index(PDI),healthful plant-based diet index(hPDI),and unhealthful plant-based diet index(uPDI)derived from a simplified food frequency questionnaire(FFQ).Blood pressure was measured through physical examination.Cox proportional hazard regression and restricted cubic spline were performed.Participants with hypertension had an increased risk of cognitive impairment compared with normal group.The associations between hypertension and cognitive impairment were more pronounced among participants with lower PDI than those with higher PDI,among participants with lower hPDI than those with higher hPDI,and among participants with higher uPDI than those with lower uPDI.A healthful PBD pattern may attenuate hypertension-induced cognitive impairment,while an unhealthful PBD pattern may exacerbate hypertensioninduced cognitive impairment in elderly.Adherence to healthful PBD pattern could be used to prevent or mitigate adverse neurological effects in the hypertensive population.

Examining dietary interventions in Crohn’s disease

This editorial builds on the article by Shakhshir et al.We conducted an overview of evidence-based dietary interventions in adults with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD).In the IBD population,there may be a role for the Mediterranean diet due to its anti-inflammatory effects,long-term sustainability,and role in improving cardiovascular health.In active Crohn’s disease,the use of exclusive enteral nutrition,the Crohn’s disease exclusion diet,or the specific carbohydrate diet may be used as a short-term adjunct to medical therapy and may improve mucosal healing.The low-FODMAP diet can assist in reducing symptoms for patients without evidence of active bowel inflammation.As interest in nutritional therapy increases amongst clinicians and patients alike,it is integral that dietary therapies are understood and discussed in routine management of patients with IBD as part of holistic care,ideally through a multidisciplinary setting with involvement of experienced dietitians.This serves to improve clinician-patient engagement and reduce complications of IBD including micro and micronutrient deficiencies.