New insights on the association of weight loss with the reduction in carotid intima-media thickness among patients with obesity: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is a noninvasive marker of atherosclerosis, a typical pathologic process underlying cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). It is essential to explore the relationships between weight loss and the reduction of CIMT.

STUDY DESIGN

This was an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was conducted to collect relevant clinical trials. The pooled results of meta-analyses were assessed by weighted mean difference (WMD) and the corresponding 95 % confidence interval (95% CI).

RESULTS

Thirty-three articles involving 2273 participants were collected in this meta-analysis. Among all participants with obesity, the pooled mean of weight loss was -23.26 kg (95% CI: -27.71 to -18.81), and the pooled mean change of CIMT was -0.06 mm (95% CI: -0.08 to -0.04). Compared with Non-surgical interventions, Surgical ones could lead to much higher weight loss (Pbetween groups < 0.001). A more significant CIMT reduction was identified among Surgical intervention patients than among Non-surgical intervention participants (Pbetween groups < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Effective interventions, especially Surgical interventions, could reduce the weight of patients with obesity, followed by the decline of CIMT, which might further disturb atherosclerosis progression and lower CVD risk.

A pseudo-Double-Network Hydrogel Built upon Layered Double Hydroxides with Self-Strengthening Properties

While great achievements have been made in the development of mechanically robust nanocomposite hydrogels, incorporating multiple interactions on the bases of two demensional inorganic cross-linkers to construct self-strengthening hydrogels has rarely been investigated. To this end, we propose here a new method for the coupling the dynamic covalent bonds and non-covalent interactions within a pseudo double-network system. The pseudo first network, formed through the Schiff Base reation between Tris-modified layered double hydroxides (Tris-LDHs) and oxidized dextran (ODex), is linked to the second network built upon non-covalent interactions between Tris-LDHs and poly(acrylamide-co-2-acrylamido-2-methyl-propanesulfonate) (p-(AM-co-AMPS). The swelling and mechanical properties of the resulting hydrogels have been investigated as a function of the ODex and AMPS contents. The as-prepared hydrogel can swell to 420 times of its original size and retain more than 99.9 wt.% of water. Mechanical tests show that the hydrogel can bear 90 % of compression and is able to be stretched to near 30 times of its original length. Cyclic tensile tests reveal that the hydrogels are capable of self-strengthening after mechanical training. The unique energy dissipation mechanism based on the dynamic covalent and non-covalent interactions is considered to be responsible for the outstanding swelling and mechanical performances.

Regulating Hollow Carbon Cage Supported NiCo Alloy Nanoparticles for Efficient Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

The NiCo alloy is one of the most promising alternatives to the noble-metal electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER); however, its performance is largely restricted by insufficient active sites and low surface area. Here, we fabricated a hierarchical hollow carbon cage supported NiCo alloy (denoted as HC NiCo/C) and a bulk NiCo alloy (denoted as NiCo) by reduction of a partially ZIF-67 etched ZIF-67@NiCo-LDH (LDH = layered double hydroxide) precursor and a fully ZIF-67 etched NiCo-LDH precursor, respectively. The as-prepared HC NiCo/C, in which the Ni₂₉Co₇₁ alloy nanocrystals with an average 6 nm size were encapsulated in graphitic carbon layers, provided a vastly increased electrochemically active surface area (ca. 13 times than the NiCo) and abundant catalytic active sites, which resulted in a higher HER performance with an overpotential of 99 mV than the 198 mV for NiCo at 10 mA cm^-2. Detailed experimental results suggested that only the HC NiCo/C possessed the active alloy surface composed of unsaturated Ni⁰ and Co⁰ atoms, and both the metal-support interaction and alloying effect influenced the electronic structure of Co and Ni in HC NiCo/C, whereas the NiCo exhibited pure Ni surface. Theoretical calculations further revealed the Ni₂₉Co₇₁ alloy surface in HC NiCo/C possessed the appropriate adsorption energy of the intermediate state (adsorbed H*). This work provided new insight into the construction of the stable small-sized bimetallic alloy nanocatalysts by regulating the reduction precursors.

ASPM overexpression enhances cellular proliferation and migration and predicts worse prognosis for papillary renal cell carcinoma

Various studies have recognized the vital role of the abnormal spindle microtubule assembly (ASPM) gene in the progression of numerous tumors and its association with their poorer clinical outcomes. Nonetheless, the clinical significance and regulatory mechanism of ASPM in papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC) have not been illuminated. Herein, we designed a series of experiments to determine the functional significance of ASPM in PRCC. The expression of ASPM was significantly elevated in PRCC tissues and cells, and a higher expression level of ASPM was associated with poor clinical outcomes in patients with PRCC. Following the knockdown of ASPM, the proliferation, invasion, and migration abilities of PRCC cells were all repressed. Moreover, the silencing of ASPM attenuated the expressions of crucial proteins involved in Wnt/b-catenin signaling pathway, including Dvl-2, β-catenin, TCF4, and LEF1. Our study shows the biological significance of ASPM in PRCC and provides new insights for exploring therapeutic targets in PRCC.

The crystal structure of bis(isothiocyanato-κ1 N)-(methanol-κ1 O)-[2-morpholine-4-yl-4,6-di(pyrazol-1-yl)-1,3,5-triazine-κ3 N,N′,N′′] manganese(II), C16H18MnN10O2S2

C16H18MnN10O2S2, triclinic, P1̄ (no. 2), a = 7.8738(7) Å, b = 12.012(2) Å, c = 12.182(2) Å, α = 85.635(16)°, β = 81.077(14)°, γ = 74.540(14)°, V = 1096.3(3) Å3, Z = 2, R gt(F) = 0.0353, wR ref(F 2) = 0.0896, T = 96.5 K.

First-principles computation of electron transfer and reaction rate at a perovskite cathode for hydrogen production

The focus of this research is on the electron transfer and its reaction rate at the perovskite cathode of a photoelectrochemical cell for hydrogen production. By employing the density functional theory (DFT), the electron density, projected density of states (PDOS), electron distribution and electron transfer path between [Fe-Fe] hydrogenase and the perovskite cathode can be obtained. Simulation results show that the perovskite cathode is better than traditional cathodes for hydrogen production. Before transmission to the [Fe-Fe] hydrogenase, electron clouds mainly aggregate at the periphery of amine molecules. Simulations also show that the key to hydrogen production at the perovskite structure lies in the organic molecules. Electrons are transferred to the hydrocarbon structural chain before reaching the Fe atoms. The Rice, Ramsperger, Kassel and Marcus (RRKM) theory was used to predict the reaction rates at different temperatures. It was found that the reaction rates are in good agreement with the experimental results. This research provides more physical insight into the electron transfer mechanism during the hydrogen production process.

Expression and diagnosis of transient receptor potential vanilloid1 in urothelium of patients with overactive bladder

This study was carried out to test expression of transient receptor potential vanilloid1 (TRPV1) in urothelium of female patients with overactive bladder (OAB) and explore clinical significance of TRPV1 in diagnosing female OAB. TRPV1 expression in urothelium of female OAB patients (n=21) and healthy females (n=9) was detected using Strept Avidin-Biotin Complex (SABC), an immunohistochemical method and image analysis system. Relative content of TRPV1 was expressed by average optical density (AOD) and was analyzed through data of urodynamics. Compared to TRPV1 expression in urothelium of healthy females (AOD 0.3658 ± 0.1009), TRPV1 expression in OAB patients was much higher (AOD 0.4834 ± 0.1252) and the difference was significant P less than 0.05. Observation and comparison in clinic of urodynamic parameters of female patients and healthy females revealed that the former had lower indexes with remarkable differences (P less than 0.05) such as Qmax, first desire volume (FDV), strong desire volume (SDV), maximum cyst capacity (MCC) and bladder compliance (BC). Thus high expression of TRPV1 in urothelium of female OAB patients is closely correlated to OAB occurrence, showing great importance of improved bladder sensitivity in female OAB occurrence mechanism.