Mitochondria and the Repurposing of Diabetes Drugs for Off-Label Health Benefits.

This review describes our current understanding of the role of the mitochondria in the repurposing of the anti-diabetes drugs metformin, gliclazide, GLP-1 receptor agonists, and SGLT2 inhibitors for additional clinical benefits regarding unhealthy aging, long COVID, mental neurogenerative disorders, and obesity. Metformin, the most prominent of these diabetes drugs, has been called the "Drug of Miracles and Wonders," as clinical trials have found it to be beneficial for human patients suffering from these maladies. To promote viral replication in all infected human cells, SARS-CoV-2 stimulates the infected liver cells to produce glucose and to export it into the blood stream, which can cause diabetes in long COVID patients, and metformin, which reduces the levels of glucose in the blood, was shown to cut the incidence rate of long COVID in half for all patients recovering from SARS-CoV-2.

Real-Time Quantification of Molecular-Level Dynamic Behaviors Underpinning Shear Thinning in End-Linked Associative Polymer Networks.

Shear thinning of associative polymers is tied to bond breakage under deformation and retraction of dangling chains, as predicted by transient network theories. However, an in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms is limited by our ability to measure the molecular states of the polymers during deformation. Herein, utilizing a custom-built rheo-fluorescence setup, bond dissociation in model end-linked associative polymers is quantified in real time with nonlinear shear deformation based on a fluorescence quench transition when phenanthroline ligands bind with Ni.

Persistent organic pollutants exposure and risk of depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Recently, more and more epidemiological studies have examined the impact of exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on depression, but the results are inconsistent. Thus, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to better understand the effects of POPs exposure on the risk of depression in the general population. We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus databases for studies before March 20, 2024.

Regulation of Intestinal Inflammation by Walnut-Derived Bioactive Compounds.

Walnuts ( L.) have shown promising effects in terms of ameliorating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), attributed to their abundant bioactive compounds. This review comprehensively illustrates the key mechanisms underlying the therapeutic potential of walnuts in IBD management, including the modulation of intestinal mucosa permeability, the regulation of inflammatory pathways (such as NF-kB, COX/COX2, MAPCK/MAPK, and iNOS/NOS), relieving oxidative stress, and the modulation of gut microbiota.

Association between being large for gestational age and cardiovascular metabolic health in children conceived from assisted reproductive technology: a prospective cohort study.

Background: To the best of our knowledge, no study has investigated the potential joint effect of large for gestational age (LGA) and assisted reproductive technology (ART) on the long-term health of children.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study that recruited children whose parents had received ART treatment in the Center for Reproductive Medicine, Shandong Provincial Hospital, affiliated to Shandong University, between January 2006 and December 2017. Linear mixed model was used to compare the main outcomes.

Influence of Nucleation on Relaxation, Molecular Cooperativity, and Physical Stability of Celecoxib Glass.

Although nucleation is considered the first step in the crystallization of glass materials, the structure and properties of the nuclei are not understood well. Influence of nucleation on the structure and dynamics of celecoxib glass was evaluated in this study. The nuclei for Form III were induced by annealing the glass at freezing temperature, and their impact on the relaxation behavior was investigated using thermal analysis and broadband dielectric spectroscopy to find accelerated α relaxation and suppressed β relaxation.

Quantitative anatomical analysis of lumbar interspaces based on 3D CT imaging: optimized segment selection for lumbar puncture in different age groups.

Background: Optimal lumbar puncture segment selection remains controversial. This study aims to analyze anatomical differences among L3-4, L4-5, and L5-S1 segments across age groups and provide quantitative evidence for optimized selection.

Methods: 80 cases of CT images were collected with patients aged 10-80 years old.

Characteristics and Functional Properties of Maillard Reaction Products from α-Lactalbumin and Polydextrose.

The characteristics and the functions of Maillard reaction products (MRPs) produced by polydextrose (PD), a new type of prebiotic, and α-lactalbumin (α-LA) were valued. PD and α-LA were incubated at 60 °C and 79% relative humidity for up to 72 h to prepare MRPs. The results showed that the absorbance and fluorescence intensity of heated α-LA-PD increased, and the amount of free amino groups reduced as the reaction progressed, which confirmed the formation of different stages of MRPs.

Associations of maternal obesity, frozen embryos, and offspring adverse cardiometabolic alterations.

Objective: To evaluate the long-term cardiometabolic health of offspring conceived by frozen embryo transfer and born to mothers with overweight/obesity.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Center for Reproductive Medicine.