Causal associations between the insulin-like growth factor family and sarcopenia: a bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

Objective: Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) is closely associated with sarcopenia, yet the causal relationship of this association remains unclear. This study aims to explore the potential causal relationship between members of the IGF family and sarcopenia from a genetic perspective through bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using two-sample datasets.

Methods: Five genetically predicted factors of the IGF family (IGF-1, IGF-1R, IGF-2R, IGFBP-3, IGFBP-7) as one sample, while four relevant features of sarcopenia (low hand grip strength, appendicular lean mass, whole body fat-free mass, and walking pace) as another sample, in conducting a two-sample MR analysis.

Response of soil antibiotic resistance genes and bacterial communities to fresh cattle manure and organic fertilizer application.

Livestock manure use in agriculture contributes to pollutants like antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and resistant bacteria. This practice could potentially facilitate ARGs development in soil ecosystems. Our study aimed to explore ARGs and bacterial communities in cattle manure from Ningxia beef cattle farms with varying breeding periods.

Mechanism Analysis of Rock Vitrification by Strip Laser Scanning.

The process of casing the wellbore in oil and gas drilling consumes a significant amount of time and economic resources. High-energy laser rock fracturing, as an efficient and cost-effective new approach, holds the potential to create a glass-like casing by irradiating the rocks as an alternative to traditional casing. The mechanism behind the vitrification of rocks using laser irradiation, a key factor in achieving glassified casings, remains to be studied.

Exosomes from Hypoxic Pretreatment ADSCs Ameliorate Cardiac Damage Post-MI via Activated circ-Stt3b/miR-15a-5p/GPX4 Signaling and Decreased Ferroptosis.

Accumulation studies confirmed that oxidative stress caused by ischemia after myocardial infarction (MI) is an important cause of ventricular remodeling. Exosome secretion through hypoxic pretreatment adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) ameliorates myocardial damaging post-MI. However, if ADSCs exosome can improve the microenvironment and ameliorate cardiac damage post-MI still unknown.

Analytical Modeling of Wave Absorption Performance in Gradient Graphene/Polymer Nanocomposites.

Due to the low impedance matching caused by the high dielectric permittivity of graphene, the strong absorption of electromagnetic waves by graphene/polymer nanocomposites is challenging. In this paper, an analytical model for microwave absorption based on Maxwell's equation and the effective medium theory, considering the interface effect, was constructed to explore the effect of the gradient distribution of graphene in the polymer matrix on its microwave absorption performance. The outcome indicated that the impedance of the composites matched well with the air, and its attenuation ability for electromagnetic waves was obviously improved as the graphene concentration was distributed in a gradient form.

Effects of the coexistence of antibiotics and heavy metals on the fate of antibiotic resistance genes in chicken manure and surrounding soils.

Both heavy metals and antibiotics exert selection pressure on bacterial resistance, and as they are commonly co-contaminated in the environment, they may play a larger role in bacterial resistance. This study examined how breeding cycles affect antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in chicken manure and the surrounding topsoils at 20, 50, 100, 200, and 300 m from twelve typical laying hen farms in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of northwest China. Six antibiotics, seven heavy metals, ten mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and microbial community affected the ARGs profile in chicken dung and soil samples.

The Chinese automobile industry's research and development capability and innovative performance.

The Report of China's Automobile Industry Development 2016 points out that China's automobile industry faces increasingly fierce competition from global peers, and domestic automobile manufacturers shall continuously improve independent innovation and industry innovative performance. Automobile manufacturers' participation in distributed innovation and their research & development (R&D) capability play a key role in the growth of innovative performances of China's automobile industry. With development of China's automobile industry as the background, this study presents a theoretical framework of correlation of distributed innovation embedment, R&D capability and innovative performances of China's automobile industry from the microscopic perspective of single industry.

[Distribution Characteristics of Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Manure and Surrounding Soil of Poultry Farm in Ningxia].

Antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in livestock and poultry manure pose potential ecological risks. In order to understand the distribution characteristic of antibiotics and ARGs in manure and surrounding soils of poultry farms in Ningxia, the poultry manure and relative soil samples were collected from 12 layers of different poultry breeding farms. The compositions of antibiotics and ARGs in the samples were analyzed using UPLC-MS/MS and HT-qPCR.

Profound Anterior ST-Segment Elevation in a Patient with Lung Cancer and Echocardiographic Evidence of Right Ventricle Metastasis.

• Malignant cardiac metastasis can manifest as ECG abnormality masquerading as STEMI. • Extensive RV wall metastasis may cause anterior STE elevation. • Echocardiography is the modality of first choice in diagnosing cardiac metastasis.

Environmental performance and international trade in China: The role of renewable energy and eco-innovation.

Renewable energy and green innovation can enhance environmental performance by encouraging international trade, as anticipated by the current theoretical framework. This study investigates how renewable energy and eco-innovation affect international trade and environmental performance using quarterly data series from 1981 to 2018 for China. The study applies a quantile-based autoregressive distributed lag model.

Effects of microplastics on humification and fungal community during cow manure composting.

The effect of microplastics (MPs) on the biological treatment of organic waste has been extensively studied, but little is known about the influence of different MPs on composting humification and the fungal community. In this study, PE, PVC, and PHA MPs were individually mixed with cow dung and sawdust and then composted. The results showed that different MPs had various influences on humification, and the humic acid to fulvic acid ratio of all MP-added treatments (0.

Adipocyte factor CTRP6 inhibits homocysteine-induced proliferation, migration, and dedifferentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells through PPARγ/NLRP3.

NLRP3 and PPARγ play important roles in the development of atherosclerosis (AS). Studies have shown that PPARγ regulates the expression of NLRP3 in vascular diseases. In addition, the adipocyte factor CTRP6 can improve the activation of PPARγ in vascular diseases.

[Distribution Characteristics of Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Manure and Surrounding Soil of Cattle Farms in Ningxia].

Livestock breeding intensively uses veterinary antibiotics in concentrated feeding operations to improve growth and control disease. Consequently, livestock and poultry manure is an important repository of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). To understanding the distribution of antibiotics and ARGs in manure and surrounding soils of cattle farms in Ningxia, cattle manure from five breeding periods (lactation, calving, growing, pre-fattening, and post-fattening periods) and comparative soil samples were collected from the largest beef-breeding area in Ningxia.

[Characteristics of heavy metals and bacterial community in manure and surrounding soil of cattle farm in Xiji, Ningxia, China].

To understand the contamination status of heavy metals and bacterial community in the manure and surrounding soils of cattle farm in Ningxia, we collected cattle manure at different breeding periods (lactation, calf, growing, pre-fattening and post-fattening periods) and soil samples from the largest beef breeding area in the region by different distances, with the waste land far away as control. We measured heavy metal contents and the composition and diversity of bacterial community in manure and soil samples. The results showed that: 1) The contents of Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb and Hg in cattle manure were 33.

Consideration of Thermo-Vacuum Stability of a MEMS Gyroscope for Space Applications.

Thermo-vacuum stability of the aerospace gyroscopes is one of the crucial issues in the harsh and remote environment of space. This paper reports a bias drift compensation algorithm for the MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) gyroscope with atmosphere package. This approach takes advantage of linear frequency-temperature dependence and linear amplitude-pressure dependence for self-compensation of the gyroscope bias drifts in real-time.

A novel and sensitive electrochemical sensor based on nanoporous gold for determination of As(III).

Three-dimensional porous gold nanoparticles (NPG) were synthesized in situ on indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) substrates by a green and convenient one-step electrodeposition method to achieve super-sensitive As(III) detection. The introduction of NPG method not only greatly improves the electron transfer capacity and surface area of sensor interface but provides more active sites for As(III) enrichment, thus boosting sensitivity and selectivity. The sensor was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersion spectroscopy, differential pulse anode stripping voltammetry (DPASV), and electrochemical impedance to evaluate its morphology, composition, and electrochemical performance.

Effect of Gradient Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Properties of Cu-Al-Mn Shape Memory Alloy.

The columnar-grained Cu-Al-Mn shape memory alloys (SMAs), which have good shape memory properties and are prepared by a unidirectional solidification technique, were subjected to a gradient heat treatment under temperatures ranging from 100 to 450 °C. After this treatment, the microstructure, hardness, transformation temperature and shape memory properties of these samples could exhibit gradient changing trends, all of which were investigated by optical microscope, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), a Vickers microhardness tester, and a compression machine. The microstructure observation result shows that the acicular bainite-precipitated phase produces from scratch and then grows continuously with the increasing of the heat treatment temperature, finally presenting a graded distribution from one end section to another of the sample.

Precipitation is the main factor affecting the variation of foliar nitrogen isotope composition in two leguminous shrub species of northwestern China.

An increase in foliar nitrogen isotope composition (δN) with decreasing precipitation has been shown to occur widely in non-N-fixing plant species. However, similar patterns have not been identified in N-fixing species. Here, we tested the relationships of foliar δN with local environmental factors and leaf properties in two leguminous shrub species ( and ) sampled from 30 populations.

PTEN promotes apoptosis of H2O2‑injured rat nasal epithelial cells through PI3K/Akt and other pathways.

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a form of chronic inflammation of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinus with multi‑causal pathogenesis, including oxidative stress. Several lines of evidence have demonstrated that the phosphatase and tensin homolog gene (PTEN) can inhibit the activation of phosphoinositide 3‑kinase (PI3K) to affect phosphorylation of Akt. Importantly, the PI3K/PTEN/Akt signaling pathway is associated with various types of tumors, chronic inflammatory diseases, and autoimmune disease through its regulation of cell growth, apoptosis, proliferation, and metabolism.

[Hydrolysis and mechanism of wastewater contained protein using immobilized protein enzyme].

Protein-enzyme was immobilized on big-hole resin, activated charcoal and silica particles by a absorption method. This study focuses on effect of enzyme immobilization, thermal stability and hydrolysis efficiency of wastewater. The result of batch test show that the ratio of immobilized enzyme on activated charcoal, big-hole resin and silica particles was 61.