Effects of antidiabetic agents on lipid metabolism of skeletal muscle: A narrative review.

Metabolic syndrome-related diseases frequently involve disturbances in skeletal muscle lipid metabolism. The accumulation of lipid metabolites, lipid-induced mitochondrial stress in skeletal muscle cells, as well as the inflammation of adjacent adipose tissue, are associated with the development of insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction. Consequently, when antidiabetic medications are used to treat various chronic conditions related to hyperglycaemia, the impact on skeletal muscle lipid metabolism should not be overlooked.

Impact of Frailty on Antihypertensive Treatment in Older Adults.

Background: The association between systolic blood pressure and all-cause mortality differs between frail and nonfrail individuals, highlighting uncertainties about the effectiveness of antihypertensive treatments in frail populations.

Methods: Using data from the SHEP trial (Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program), a baseline frailty index (FI), including 55 variables, was constructed. Fine-Gray subdistribution hazard models and Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to explore the association between baseline FI and the risks of stroke, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause death, as well as to examine whether the impact of antihypertensive treatment on these outcomes was modified by baseline FI.

Validation Status of Electronic Sphygmomanometers in China: A National Survey.

Background: Although the information on the validation status of electronic sphygmomanometer (ES) devices in use in health care institutions and households is much more clinically relevant than that of ES models available on the market, it remains insufficient.

Methods: A national survey was conducted across all administrative regions of mainland China to assess the validation status of ESs. Fifty-eight cities were selected with stratification by municipality, provincial capital, and other cities, and health care institutions and households in each city were chosen by convenience to identify ES devices in use according to the study protocol.

UV-Aged Nanoplastics Increase Mercury Toxicity in a Marine Copepod under Multigenerational Exposure: A Carrier Role.

Aged plastics possess diverse interactive properties with metals compared to pristine ones. However, the role of aging for nanoplastics (NPs) in being a carrier of mercury (Hg), a common marine environmental pollutant, and their combined effects remain unclear. This study investigated the carrier effect of ultraviolet-aged NPs on Hg and the ensuing toxicity in a marine copepod under a multigenerational scenario.

Reductive Removal of Antimony from Wastewater by a UV/Sulfite Process: Targeted Recovery of Strategic Metalloid Antimony.

The removal of antimony from wastewater using traditional methods such as adsorption and membrane filtration generates large amounts of antimony-containing hazardous wastes, posing significant environmental threats. This study proposed a new treatment strategy to reductively remove and recover antimony from wastewater using an advanced UV/sulfite reduction process in the form of valuable strategic metalloid antimony (Sb(0)), thus preventing hazardous waste generation. The results indicated that more than 99.

Identification of Novel Iodinated Polyfluoroalkyl Ether Acids and Other Emerging PFAS in Soils Using a Nontargeted Molecular Network Approach.

Despite advancements in high-resolution screening techniques, the identification of novel perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) remains challenging without prior structural information. In view of this, we proposed and implemented a new data-driven algorithm to calculate spectral similarity among PFAS, facilitating the generation of molecular networks to screen for unknown compounds. Using this approach, 81 PFAS across 12 distinct classes were identified in soil samples collected near an industrial park in Shandong Province, China, including the first reported occurrence of 12 iodine-substituted PFAS.

The Environmental and Public Health Benefits of Offshore Wind Power Deployment in China.

With the rapid decline in the levelized cost, offshore wind power offers a new option for the clean energy transition of the power sector in China's coastal areas. Here, we develop a power system capacity expansion and operation optimization model to simulate the penetration of offshore wind power in China and quantify the associated health effects. We find that offshore wind power has great potential in mitigating the negative impacts of existing coal-fired power emissions.

Molecular Mechanisms of Humic Acid in Inhibiting Silica Scaling during Membrane Distillation.

Membrane distillation (MD) efficiently desalinizes and treats high-salinity water as well as addresses the challenges in handling concentrated brines and wastewater. However, silica scaling impeded the effectiveness of MD for treating hypersaline water and wastewater. Herein, the effects of humic acid (HA) on silica scaling behavior during MD are systematically investigated.

Effect of Reaction Interface Structure on the Morphology and Performance of Thin-Film Composite Membrane.

Thin-film composite (TFC) membrane has been extensively utilized and investigated for its excellent properties. Herein, we have constructed an active layer (AL) containing cave-like structures utilizing large meniscus interface. Furthermore, the impact of interface structure on the growth process, morphology, and effective surface area of AL has been fully explored with the assistance of sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate (SDBS).

Dynamic Methane Emissions from China's Fossil-Fuel and Food Systems: Socioeconomic Drivers and Policy Optimization Strategies.

In response to the 2023 "Action Plan for Methane Emission Control" in China, which mandates precise methane (CH) emission accounting, we developed a dynamic model to estimate CH emissions from fossil-fuel and food systems in China for the period 1990-2020. We also analyzed their socioeconomic drivers through the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) model. Our analysis revealed an accelerated emission increase (850.

Simultaneous Copper and EDTA Ligands Recovery from Electroless Effluent with Metallic Copper and Formaldehyde.

The traditional treatment of toxic and refractory copper(II)-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid chelate (Cu(II)-EDTA) in electroless effluents often generates hazardous waste and secondary nitrogen-containing pollutants without maximizing the resource recovery. This study demonstrates a facile strategy to simultaneously recover Cu and EDTA ligands from Cu(II)-EDTA electroless effluent with commercially available metallic Cu and formaldehyde. In this strategy, metallic Cu is used to activate formaldehyde, a prevalent yet often overlooked cocontaminant in Cu(II)-EDTA effluents, to produce highly reductive hydrogen radical (H), which in situ decomplex Cu(II)-EDTA, reduces the central Cu(II) into metallic Cu, and release EDTA ligand.

Early Versus Delayed Antihypertensive Treatment After Acute Ischemic Stroke by Hypertension History.

Background: We performed a prespecified subgroup analysis of the CATIS-2 trial (China Antihypertensive Trial in Acute Ischemic Stroke II) to compare the effect of early versus delayed antihypertensive treatment on death and disability in patients with and without medical history of hypertension.

Methods: CATIS-2 is a multicenter randomized clinical trial conducted in 106 hospitals in China. The trial randomized 4810 patients with acute ischemic stroke within 24 to 48 hours of symptom onset and elevated systolic blood pressure between 140 and <220 mm Hg to receive antihypertensive treatment immediately after randomization or to discontinue antihypertensive medications for 7 days and then receive treatment on day 8.

Reversing Cochlear Nucleus Maladaptive Plasticity via Customized Extracochlear Stimulation: A New Approach for Tinnitus Treatment.

Tinnitus, a widespread condition affecting numerous individuals worldwide, remains a significant challenge due to limited effective therapeutic interventions. Intriguingly, patients using cochlear implants (CIs) have reported significant relief from tinnitus symptoms, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear and intracochlear implantation risks cochlear damage and hearing loss. This study demonstrates that targeted intracochlear electrical stimulation (ES) in guinea pigs with noise-induced hearing loss reversed tinnitus-related maladaptive plasticity in the cochlear nucleus (CN), characterized by reduced auditory innervation, increased somatosensory innervation, and diminished inhibitory neural networks.

Green Synthesis of Silver-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles From Adiantum venustum D. Don (Pteridaceae): Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Evaluation.

One of the main difficulties in nanotechnology is the development of an environmentally friendly, successful method of producing nanoparticles from biological sources. Silver-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles (Ag-ZnO NPs), with antibacterial and antioxidant properties, were produced using Adiantum venustum extract as a green technique. Fresh A.

HIV OctaScanner: A Machine Learning Approach to Unveil Proteolytic Cleavage Dynamics in HIV-1 Protease Substrates.

The rise of resistance to antiretroviral drugs due to mutations in human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) protease is a major obstacle to effective treatment. These mutations alter the drug-binding pocket of the protease and reduce the drug efficacy by disrupting interactions with inhibitors. Traditional methods, such as biochemical assays and structural biology, are crucial for studying enzyme function but are time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Aminobenzoic Acid Covalently Modified Polyoxotungstates Based on {XW} Clusters with Proton Conductivity Property.

Three cases of aminobenzoic acid hybrid polyoxotungstates, Na(HO)[(HPWO) (OCCHNH)]·7HO (), K(HO)[(AsWO)(OCCHNH)]·4HO (), and [(HN(CH)]Na(HO)[(SbWO) (OCCHNH)]·7HO (), were successfully synthesized. This is the first report of the successful assembly of the hexanuclear {XW} (X = HP, As, or Sb) clusters and organic carboxylic acid (para aminobenzoic acid) ligands. All three hybrids feature a common {XW} unit composed of a six-membered {WO} octahedral ring capped by one {XO} trigonal pyramid.

Structure of Hydrothermally Stable Acid Sites and their Catalytic Role in P-Modified ZSM-5 Zeolite Revealed by Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy.

The ZSM-5 zeolite is the key active component in high-severity fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts and is routinely activated by phosphorus compounds in industrial production. To date, however, the detailed structure and function of the introduced phosphorus still remain ambiguous, which hampers the rational design of highly efficient catalysts. In this work, using advanced solid-state NMR techniques, we have quantitatively identified a total of seven types of P-containing complexes in P-modified ZSM-5 zeolite and clearly revealed their structure, location, and catalytic role.

Controlled reconstruction of metal-organic frameworks coordination environment tuning as oxygen evolution electrocatalysts.

During the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), metal-organic framework (MOF) catalysts undergo structural reorganization, a phenomenon that is still not fully comprehended. Additionally, designing MOFs that undergo structural reconstruction to produce highly active OER catalysts continues to pose significant challenges. Herein, a bimetallic MOF (CoNi-MOF) with carboxylate oxygen and pyridine nitrogen coordination has been synthesized and its reconstruction behavior has been analyzed.

Quantitative Analysis of Hepatitis D Virus Using gRNA-Sensitive Semiconducting Polymer Dots.

Hepatitis D virus (HDV) significantly influences the progression of liver diseases. Through clinical observations and database analyses, it has been established that patients coinfected with HDV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) experience accelerated progression toward cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and liver failure compared to those infected solely with HBV. A higher viral load correlates with increased replicative activity, enhanced infectivity, and more severe disease manifestations.

All-Electron BSE@GW Method with Numeric Atom-Centered Orbitals for Extended Periodic Systems.

Green's function theory has emerged as a powerful many-body approach not only in condensed matter physics but also in quantum chemistry in recent years. We have developed a new all-electron implementation of the BSE@GW formalism using numeric atom-centered orbital basis sets (Liu, C. 2020, 152, 044105).

Combined transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses reveal the pharmacognostic mechanism of the metabolism of flavonoids in different parts of Polygonum capitatum.

The plant Polygonum capitatum (P. capitatum) contains a variety of flavonoids that are distributed differently among different parts. Nevertheless, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with this heterogeneous distribution have not been identified.

Biomimetic Extracellular Vesicles Containing Biominerals for Targeted Osteoporosis Therapy.

Osteoporosis (OP) is a systemic skeletal disorder characterized by decreased bone mineral density and a heightened risk of fractures. Therapies for OP have primarily focused on balancing bone formation and bone resorption, but enhancing the remineralization of osteoporotic bone is also a key strategy for effective repair. Recent insights into biomineralization mechanisms have highlighted the essential role of mineral-containing extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by osteoblasts in promoting bone marrow mesenchymal stromal/stem cell (BMSC) differentiation and initiating matrix mineralization.

Efficient and Rapid Enrichment of Extracellular Vesicles Using DNA Nanotechnology-Enabled Synthetic Nano-Glue.

Swift and efficient enrichment and isolation of extracellular vesicles (EVs) are crucial for enhancing precise disease diagnostics and therapeutic strategies, as well as elucidating the complex biological roles of EVs. Conventional methods of isolating EVs are often marred by lengthy and laborious processes. In this study, we introduce an innovative approach to enrich and isolate EVs by leveraging the capabilities of DNA nanotechnology.

Flavonoids and Kavalactones Isolated from Seeds of Alpinia katsumadai Hayata. and Their Cytotoxic Activities.

An unrevealed dihydroflavone-monoterpene conjugate (1), two unrevealed kavalactones (2-3, including one with an uncommon side chain), and thirteen previously identified compounds (4-16) were extracted from Alpinia katsumadai Hayata. seeds. The two-dimension structures of the new compounds were authenticated utilizing HRESIMS as well as NMR spectral analysis, while their absolute chiral configurations were ascertained either by correlating the experimental and simulated values of electronic circular dichroism (ECD) patterns or conducting X-ray diffraction experiments.

Photothermal Coating on Zinc Alloy for Controlled Biodegradation and Improved Osseointegration.

Zinc (Zn) and its alloys are promising biomaterials for orthopedic applications due to their degradability and mechanical properties. Zn plays a crucial role in bone formation, but excessive early release may cause cytotoxicity and inhibit osseointegration. To solve this, we developed a near-infrared (NIR) light-controlled polycaprolactone/copper-sulfur (PCL/CuS) coating that slows degradation and enhances osseointegration of Zn alloys.