Bronchial asthma and risk of 4 specific cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular mortality: a meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Objective: It has been shown that asthma is significantly associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Under this background, this study aimed to systematically classify and summarize the epidemiological evidence of asthma and the risk of 4 specific cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and cardiovascular mortality (CVM).

Materials And Methods: PubMed and Embase databases were searched from inception to December 1st, 2021 in order to identify relevant studies.

Rapid screening and quantification of heavy metals in traditional Chinese herbal medicines using monochromatic excitation energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry.

Traditional Chinese herbal medicines are subject to heavy metal contamination. Standard detection methods are too complicated, time-consuming, and expensive for routine analysis, so low-cost methods are in high demand for rapid on-site screening. This study reports a high-sensitivity X-ray fluorescence (HS-XRF) method to determine As, Pb, and Cd residues simultaneously in herbal medicines.

Genome-wide identification and analysis of ACP gene family in Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.

Background: Acyl carrier proteins (ACP) constitute a very conserved carrier protein family. Previous studies have found that ACP not only takes part in the fatty acid synthesis process of almost all organisms, but also participates in the regulation of plant growth, development, and metabolism, and makes plants adaptable to stresses. However, this gene family has not been systematically studied in sorghum.

Active Precipitation of Radiation Belt Electrons Using Rocket Exhaust Driven Amplification (REDA) of Man-Made Whistlers.

Ground-based very low frequency (VLF) transmitters located around the world generate signals that leak through the bottom side of the ionosphere in the form of whistler mode waves. Wave and particle measurements on satellites have observed that these man-made VLF waves can be strong enough to scatter trapped energetic electrons into low pitch angle orbits, causing loss by absorption in the lower atmosphere. This precipitation loss process is greatly enhanced by intentional amplification of the whistler waves using a newly discovered process called rocket exhaust driven amplification (REDA).

Ubiquitination and deubiquitination of 4E-T regulate neural progenitor cell maintenance and neurogenesis by controlling P-body formation.

During embryogenesis, neural stem/progenitor cells (NPCs) proliferate and differentiate to form brain tissues. Here, we show that in the developing murine cerebral cortex, the balance between the NPC maintenance and differentiation is coordinated by ubiquitin signals that control the formation of processing bodies (P-bodies), cytoplasmic membraneless organelles critical for cell state regulation. We find that the deubiquitinase Otud4 and the E3 ligase Trim56 counter-regulate the ubiquitination status of a core P-body protein 4E-T to orchestrate the assembly of P-bodies in NPCs.

Immunohistochemical analysis of the developing mouse cortex.

The cerebral cortex is the most complex structure in the mammalian brain, whose development requires coordinated proliferation of neural stem/precursor cells (NPCs) and their differentiation into neurons and glia. Perturbations in NPC homeostasis can lead to abnormal cortical development which is frequently seen in neurodevelopmental disorders. In this chapter, we describe the preparation of cortical tissues from mice and step-by-step protocol for immunohistochemistry to study cortical development.

Click-iT Plus OPP Alexa Fluor Protein Synthesis Assay in Embryonic Cells.

This protocol describes a method to assess relative changes in the level of global protein synthesis in the preimplantation embryo using the Click-iT Plus OPP Protein Synthesis Assays. In this assay, O-propargyl-puromycin (OPP), an analog of puromycin, is efficiently incorporated into the nascent polypeptide of newly translated proteins in embryonic cells. OPP is fluorescently labeled with a photostable Alexa Fluor dye and detected with fluorescence microscopy.

Location and outcomes of rehospitalizations after critical illness in a single-payer healthcare system.

Purpose: Unplanned rehospitalization at a hospital other than the initial hospital may contribute to poor outcomes. We examined the location of rehospitalizations and assessed outcomes following critical illness in a single-payer healthcare system.

Materials And Methods: Population-based retrospective cohort study using linked datasets (2012-2017) from Ontario, Canada including adults (≥18 years) with an unplanned rehospitalization within 30-days after an index hospitalization that included an ICU stay with mechanical ventilation.

A Multifunctional Fluorinated Polymer Enabling Efficient MAPbI-Based Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells.

Exploring polymeric hole-transporting materials (HTMs) with passivation functions represents a simplified and effective approach to minimize the perovskite defect density. To date, most of reported polymeric HTMs were applied to fabricate n-i-p regular perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The polymers compatible for p-i-n inverted PSCs were very limited.

Do Local Religious Beliefs Affect Firms' Earnings Management Practice? Evidence From the United States.

This paper investigates whether local religious beliefs have a significant impact on the practice of earnings management. We extend the existing literature on the role of firm characteristics in mitigating earnings management by showing that local religious beliefs significantly impact the practice of earnings management. Specifically, exploring firms located in the U.

Upregulated miR-146a Expression in Peripheral Blood Relates to Th17 and Treg Imbalance in Elder Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.

Background: The expression level of microRNA-146a (miR-146a) increased in peripheral blood and synovialis tissue of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patient, and it may play an important role in the pathological process of RA. We investigated its possibility as a diagnostic marker and the correlation with T helper 17 (Th17) and Treg cells in elder RA patients.

Methods: Blood samples were collected from 38 active RA patients, 38 inactive RA patients, and 40 healthy controls.

Protective Effects of Liquiritigenin against Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity via NRF2/SIRT3-Mediated Improvement of Mitochondrial Function.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) induced by cisplatin (CP), a first-line anticancer drug for chemotherapy, is common. To date, there is an urgent need to find effective treatments to reduce the nephrotoxicity caused by CP. Meanwhile, the restoration of mitochondrial dysfunction shows potential to be used as an adjunct to conventional therapeutic strategies.

Black bean husk and black rice anthocyanin extracts modulated gut microbiota and serum metabolites for improvement in type 2 diabetic rats.

Black rice and black bean have not yet been fully investigated as healthy foods for their therapeutic effects on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the antidiabetic effects of black rice, black bean husk anthocyanin extracts, and their combination on glycolipid metabolism, gut microbiota, and serum metabolites in T2DM rats. Black bean husk and black rice anthocyanin extracts were administered to T2DM rats by gavage for 4 weeks.

Demographic Predictors of Mothers' Willingness to Vaccinate Young Children Against COVID-19, Get Tested and Isolate: A Cross-Sectional Survey Before and During the Greater Sydney Lockdown 2021, Australia.

Background And Objectives: Having a COVID-19 vaccination, getting tested, and self-isolating if symptomatic are some of the most important mitigation strategies for preventing the spread of COVID-19. This study aimed to investigate whether demographic factors are associated with mothers' willingness to vaccinate their 4-year-old children against COVID-19 if a suitable vaccine becomes available or to get tested and self-isolate if they themselves have COVID-19 symptoms and whether the willingness could be influenced by the Greater Sydney lockdown 2021.

Methods: A cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted between 24th February and 26th October 2021.

Room-Temperature Annealing-Free Gold Printing via Anion-Assisted Photochemical Deposition.

Metal patterning via additive manufacturing has been phasing-in to broad applications in many medical, electronics, aerospace, and automotive industries. While previous efforts have produced various promising metal-patterning strategies, their complexity and high cost have limited their practical application in rapid production and prototyping. Herein, a one-step gold printing technique based on anion-assisted photochemical deposition (APD), which can directly print highly conductive gold patterns (1.

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor: From pathogenesis to therapeutic targets in aging-related tissue fibrosis.

Aging promotes chronic inflammation, which contributes to fibrosis and decreases organ function. Fibrosis, the excessive synthesis and deposition of extracellular matrix components, is the main cause of most chronic diseases including aging-related organ failure. Organ fibrosis in the heart, liver, and kidneys is the final manifestation of many chronic diseases.

PdAg/Ag(111) Surface Alloys: A Highly Efficient Catalyst of Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

In this article, the behavior of various Pd ensembles on the PdAg(111) surfaces was systematically investigated for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) intermediates using density functional theory (DFT) simulation. The Pd monomer on the PdAg(111) surface (with a Pd subsurface layer) has the best predicted performance, with a higher limiting potential (0.82 V) than Pt(111) (0.

Respiratory pandemics, urban planning and design: A multidisciplinary rapid review of the literature.

COVID-19 is the most recent respiratory pandemic to necessitate better knowledge about city planning and design. The complex connections between cities and pandemics, however challenge traditional approaches to reviewing literature. In this article we adopted a rapid review methodology.

Highly efficient C(CO)-C(alkyl) bond cleavage in ketones to access esters over ultrathin N-doped carbon nanosheets.

Selective oxidative cleavage of the C(CO)-C bond in ketones to access esters is a highly attractive strategy for upgrading ketones. However, it remains a great challenge to realize this important transformation over heterogeneous metal-free catalysts. Herein, we designed a series of porous and ultrathin N-doped carbon nanosheets (denoted as CN-, where represents the pyrolysis temperature) as heterogeneous metal-free catalysts.

Lipid-Poor Renal Angiomyolipoma Mimicking Renal Cell Carcinoma on 68 Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT.

FAPI PET/CT findings of renal tumors have been rarely reported. We describe 68 Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT findings in 1 case with lipid-poor renal angiomyolipoma and 1 case with high-grade clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Both tumors showed intense 68 Ga-FAPI-04 uptake.

Metabolomics analysis reveals molecular linkages for the impact of vitamin D on childhood allergic airway diseases.

Background: Several studies have reported the relevance between serum vitamin D and allergic immunoglobulin E (IgE) responses and atopic diseases. However, a metabolomics-based approach to the impacts of vitamin D on allergic reactions remains unclear.

Methods: A total of 111 children completed a 3-year follow-up were enrolled and classified based on longitudinal vitamin D status (≥ 30 ng/ml, n = 54; 20-29.

Increased fecal human beta-defensin-2 expression in preterm infants is associated with allergic disease development in early childhood.

Background: This study aimed to investigate whether fecal human beta-defensins (HBD)-2 and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) expression in preterm infants are associated with allergic disease development by age 2 years.

Methods: Preterm infants' stool samples were collected at the age of 6 and 12 months postnatally. Information regarding medication exposure histories (antibiotics, antipyretics, probiotics) and physician-diagnosed allergic diseases was obtained using age-specific questionnaires and medical records.

Construction of an infectious full-length and eGFP-tagged cDNA clone of a chilli ringspot virus isolate from Yunnan province, China.

Chilli ringspot virus (ChiRSV; genus Potyvirus) was one of several viruses previously detected in pepper samples with severe yellowing and curling symptoms growing in Wenshan, Yunan province, China. We now report the full-length sequence of ChiRSV-YN/Wenshan (MZ269480), which has 88.5-98.