Association between caffeine intake and fat free mass index: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Caffeine, identified as a central nervous system stimulant in foods, beverages (coffee, tea, chocolate), and medications, has been focused on its ergogenic properties, enhancing physical performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the caffeine intake (from coffee) and fat-free mass index (FFMI).

Materials And Methods: We carried out a cohort study that included 3,466 women and 3,145 men aged ≥20 years who were intaking caffeine.

Comprehensive characterization and phylogenetic analysis of the complete plastomes of two ant-orchids, Caularthron bicornutum and Myrmecophila thomsoniana.

Background: Myrmecophytes, characterized by specialized structures like hollow stems that facilitate mutualistic relationships with ants, serve as an important system for studying ant-plant interactions and the adaptation mechanisms. Caularthron and Myrmecophila are exemplary myrmecophytes within Orchidaceae. Previous studies suggested a genetic relationship between these two genera, placing them within Laeliinae (Epidendreae), yet the precise phylogenetic positioning remained uncertain.

Blood-brain barrier dysfunction mediated by the EZH2-Claudin-5 axis drives stress-induced TNF-α infiltration and depression-like behaviors.

Growing evidence suggests that neurovascular dysfunction characterized by blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown underlies the development of psychiatric disorders, such as major depressive disorder (MDD). Tight junction (TJ) proteins are critical modulators of homeostasis and BBB integrity. TJ protein Claudin-5 is the most dominant BBB component and is downregulated in numerous depression models; however, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive.

High glucose-increased miR-200c contributes to cellular senescence and DNA damage in neural stem cells.

Background: Maternal diabetes increases the risk for neural tube defects (NTDs). It is unclear if miRNAs, senescence, and DNA damage are involved in this process. In this study, we used neural stem cells as an in vitro proxy of embryonic neuroepithelium to investigate whether high glucose triggers neural stem cell senescence and DNA damage by upregulating miR-200c, which may be responsible for NTDs.

Salt solution etching to construct micro-gullies on the surface of Zn anodes enhances anodes performance in aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have caused significant research attention due to their low redox potential of 0.76 V, high theoretical capacity of 820 mAh g. However, the dendrite growth of zinc anode and the side reactions caused by water seriously affect the cycle life of AZIBs.

Printing 3D mesh-like grooves on zinc surface to enhance the stability of aqueous zinc ion batteries.

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) are receiving broad attention owing to their high safety and low cost. However, the high mechanical strength and irreversible growth of zinc dendrites limit the practical application of AZIBs. Herein, regular mesh-like gullies are built on the surface of zinc foil (M150 Zn) by using simple model pressing method and stainless steel mesh as a mold.

Hierarchical NiO nanotube arrays/CoP nanosheets heterostructure enables robust alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction.

Rational design of low-cost and high-efficiency electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is critical for scalable and sustainable hydrogen production from economical water-alkali splitting. Herein, density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that coupling NiO and CoP could effectively boost overall HER kinetics through lowing the HO dissociation barrier, accelerating the OH* transfer process, and providing the rapid H* migration kinetics as well as the appropriate H* energetics. Based on these findings, we successfully prepared a three-dimensional (3D) self-supported electrode of ultrathin CoP nanosheets directly grown on the surface-oxidized Ni nanotube arrays via a simple and scalable electrochemical synthesis method.

Exact Analytic Spectra of Asymmetric Modulation Instability in Systems with Self-Steepening Effect.

Nonlinear waves become asymmetric when asymmetric physical effects are present within the system. One example is the self-steepening effect. When exactly balanced with dispersion, it leads to a fully integrable system governed by the Chen-Lee-Liu equation.

Tanshinone I, a new EZH2 inhibitor restricts normal and malignant hematopoiesis through upregulation of and .

Tanshinone, a type of diterpenes derived from , is a particularly promising herbal medicine compound for the treatment of cancers including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the therapeutic function and the underlying mechanism of Tanshinone in AML are not clear, and the toxic effect of Tanshinone limits its clinical application. Our work utilizes human leukemia cell lines, zebrafish transgenics and xenograft models to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms of how Tanshinone affects normal and abnormal hematopoiesis.

[Adsorption Behavior of Phosphate by CaO Remolded Sediment].

This study simulated the state of CaO loss after in situ coverage and examined the bottom 2 cm of sediment after restoration. Observations and elemental analysis of the sediment using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray energy spectrometry (EDX) were also performed. The CaO remodeling notably changed the structure of the sediment; most of the organic matter and iron-manganese oxide attached to the sediment surface was removed, the porosity of the sediment particles increased, and the Ca content was also increased.

[Effect of Oxidation Strengthening on In-situ Phosphorus Immobilization of Calcium Hydroxide].

In this research, calcium hydroxide[Ca(OH)] and hydrogen peroxide (HO) were injected into the bottom mud in the form of plum blossom scatterers to investigate the effect on the control of endogenous phosphorus. The results showed that Ca(OH) used singly effectively immobilized in the order of 90% of endogenous phosphorus approximately 20 mm below the sediment-water interface (SWI); however, at the same time, the anaerobic environment was enhanced, resulting in the transformation of stable phosphorus to easily released phosphorus and the accumulation of potential active phosphorus. Nevertheless, the addition of HO greatly reduced the amount of potential active phosphorus in deep sediments after adding Ca(OH).

Complete chloroplast genome sequence of link (Calycanthaceae): an endemic plant species in China.

, a deciduous shrub tree, is endemic to China and widely cultivated in the world as a popular garden and ornamental plant. Here, we have reported its complete chloroplast genome with a length of 153,181 bp, containing a large single copy (LSC) region of 86,916 bp, a small single copy (SSC) region of 19,767 bp and two identical inverted repeat regions (IRs) of 23,249 bp. The overall GC contents of the plastome were 39.

Optimal number of harvested lymph nodes for curatively resected gallbladder adenocarcinoma based on a Bayesian network model.

Background And Objectives: To identify the optimal range and the minimum number of lymph nodes (LNs) to be examined to maximize survival time of patients with curatively resected gallbladder adenocarcinoma (GBAC).

Methods: Data were collected from the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results database on patients with GBAC who underwent curative resection between 2004 and 2015. A Bayesian network (BN) model was constructed to identify the optimal range of harvested LNs.

Electrospun Poly (Aspartic Acid)-Modified Zein Nanofibers for Promoting Bone Regeneration.

Background: Critical-sized bone defects raise great challenges. Zein is of interest for bone regeneration, but it has limited ability to stimulate cell proliferation. In this regard, a poly (aspartic acid) (PAsp)-zein hybrid is promising, as PAsp can promote rat bone marrow stromal cell (rBMSCs) proliferation and osteogenic differentiation.

Intermediate-Valence Ytterbium Compound YbGaPt: Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Physical Properties.

The title compound was synthesized by a reaction of the elemental educts in a corundum crucible at 1200 °C under an Ar atmosphere. The excess of Ga used in the initial mixture served as a flux for the subsequent crystal growth at 600 °C. The crystal structure of YbGaPt was determined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data: new prototype of crystal structure, space group C2/m, Pearson symbol mS74, a = 7.

1s2p resonant inelastic X-ray scattering combined dipole and quadrupole analysis method.

In this study an analysis strategy towards using the resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) technique more effectively compared with X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is presented. In particular, the question of when RIXS brings extra information compared with XAS is addressed. To answer this question the RIXS plane is analysed using two models: (i) an exciton model and (ii) a continuum model.

A novel method of surface modification by electrochemical deoxidation: Effect on surface characteristics and initial bioactivity of zirconia.

The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the surface characteristics and initial bioactivity of ceria-stabilized zirconia/alumina nanocomposite (NANOZR) with those of yttria-stabilized zirconia (3Y-TZP) and pure titanium (CpTi) following the use of three surface modification methods; polishing, sandblasting/acid-etching (SB-E) and electrochemical deoxidation (ECD). Physical properties including surface morphology, chemical composition, X-ray diffraction, surface wettability, surface roughness, and hardness were measured. Osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells were used to examine cell morphology and attachment to the surfaces of the materials.

Transparent conducting oxide induced by liquid electrolyte gating.

Optically transparent conducting materials are essential in modern technology. These materials are used as electrodes in displays, photovoltaic cells, and touchscreens; they are also used in energy-conserving windows to reflect the infrared spectrum. The most ubiquitous transparent conducting material is tin-doped indium oxide (ITO), a wide-gap oxide whose conductivity is ascribed to n-type chemical doping.

Effects of quercetin on LPS-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in rabbits.

Introduction: Quercetin is widely distributed in plants and has been reported to have effects of anti-inflammation and anti-thrombosis. In this study, we evaluated the protective effect of quercetin on LPS-induced experimental DIC in rabbits, and tried to clarify its mechanism against DIC.

Materials And Methods: LPS-induced DIC model in rabbits was established through continuous infusion of 100 ug · kg(-1) · h(-1) LPS for a period of 6h.

Evaluation of short-axis and long-axis myocardial function with two-dimensional strain echocardiography in patients with different degrees of coronary artery stenosis.

This study was designed to characterize the changes in the peak systolic longitudinal, circumferential and radial strains by using 2-D strain echocardiography in patients with coronary artery stenosis without segmental wall motion abnormalities on conventional 2-D echocardiography. 2D strain echocardiography was performed in 44 patients with different degrees of coronary artery stenosis. Myocardial longitudinal, circumferential and radial strain profiles were obtained and peak systolic strain values were measured.