Correction to: Age at menarche and age at natural menopause in East Asian women: a genome-wide association study.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake.

Facile synthesis of optical pH-sensitive molybdenum disulfide quantum dots.

An effective fabrication of MoS2 quantum dots (QDs) has been developed using alkali metal-intercalation and exfoliation. The obtained MoS2 QDs are monolayers with a uniform lateral size of 4.26 ± 0.

One-pot construction of fused polycyclic heteroarenes involving 7-azaindoles and α,β-unsaturated ketones.

A novel one-pot synthesis of π-conjugated polycyclic compounds, which could undergo further facile transformation to form complex polycyclic heteroarene compounds, has been realized between 7-azaindoles and α,β-unsaturated ketones. This distinctive cascade process proceeds via a rhodium(iii)-catalyzed alkylation/copper-catalyzed radical annulation-aromatization pathway.

The design of 3D artificial leaves with spatially separated active sites for H₂ and O₂ generation and their application to water splitting.

In this study, we report a facile, environmentally friendly sol-gel route for the preparation of 3D TiO2 artificial leaves with spatially separated active sites for H2 and O2 generation. The unique CoOx/TiO2/Pt architecture has multiple merits and exhibits enhanced photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production.

Polycatechol nanosheet: a superior nanocarrier for highly effective chemo-photothermal synergistic therapy in vivo.

The integration of phototherapy and chemotherapy in a single system holds great promise to improve the therapeutic efficacy of tumor treatment, but it remains a key challenge. In this study, we describe our recent finding that polycatechol nanosheet (PCCNS) can be facilely prepared on a large scale via chemical polymerization at 4 °C, as an effective nanocarrier for loading high-density CuS nanocrystals as a photothermal agent. The resulting CuS/PCCNS nanocomposites exhibit good biocompatibility, strong stability, and a high photothermal conversion efficiency of ∼45.

Effects of topology on the adsorption of singly tethered ring polymers to attractive surfaces.

We investigate the effect of topology on the equilibrium behavior of singly tethered ring polymers adsorbed on an attractive surface. We focus on the change of square radius of gyration Rg(2), the perpendicular component Rg⊥(2) and the parallel component Rg‖(2) to the adsorbing surface, the mean contacting number of monomers with the surface , and the monomer distribution along z-direction during transition from desorption to adsorption. We find that both of the critical point of adsorption εc and the crossover exponent ϕ depend on the knot type when the chain length of ring ranges from 48 to 400.

Genome-wide association study in Chinese identifies novel loci for blood pressure and hypertension.

Hypertension is a common disorder and the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease and premature deaths worldwide. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) in the European population have identified multiple chromosomal regions associated with blood pressure, and the identified loci altogether explain only a small fraction of the variance for blood pressure. The differences in environmental exposures and genetic background between Chinese and European populations might suggest potential different pathways of blood pressure regulation.

FTO genetic variants, dietary intake and body mass index: insights from 177,330 individuals.

FTO is the strongest known genetic susceptibility locus for obesity. Experimental studies in animals suggest the potential roles of FTO in regulating food intake. The interactive relation among FTO variants, dietary intake and body mass index (BMI) is complex and results from previous often small-scale studies in humans are highly inconsistent.

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in East Asian-ancestry populations identifies four new loci for body mass index.

Recent genetic association studies have identified 55 genetic loci associated with obesity or body mass index (BMI). The vast majority, 51 loci, however, were identified in European-ancestry populations. We conducted a meta-analysis of associations between BMI and ∼2.

Elevated plasma ferritin is associated with increased incidence of type 2 diabetes in middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults.

Epidemiological studies suggest that elevated circulating ferritin is associated with heightened incident diabetes in mainly Western populations, although the results were not entirely consistent. We aimed to prospectively investigate the ferritin-diabetes association in an Asian population for the first time, to our knowledge, and also to examine this association with an updated meta-analysis. Our prospective study included 2198 community-living Chinese between 50 and 70 y of age in 2005.

Lighting up left-handed Z-DNA: photoluminescent carbon dots induce DNA B to Z transition and perform DNA logic operations.

Left-handed Z-DNA has been identified as a transient structure occurred during transcription. DNA B-Z transition has attracted much attention because of not only Z-DNA biological importance but also their relation to disease and DNA nanotechnology. Recently, photoluminescent carbon dots, especially highly luminescent nitrogen-doped carbon dots, have attracted much attention on their applications to bioimaging and gene/drug delivery because of carbon dots with low toxicity, highly stable photoluminescence and controllable surface function.

Effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on weight loss and cardiometabolic profile in Chinese women: a randomised controlled feeding trial.

Little is known about the potential adherence to and the effectiveness of a low-carbohydrate (LC) diet on weight loss and cardiometabolic risk factors in Chinese adults with a habitually high carbohydrate intake. In the present controlled feeding trial, fifty overweight or obese women (age 47·9 (sem 0·9) years; BMI 26·7 (sem 0·3) kg/m²) were randomly assigned to a LC non-energy-restricted diet (initial carbohydrate intake 20 g/d, with a 10 g increase weekly) or an energy-restricted (ER) diet (carbohydrate intake 156-205 g/d, ER to 5021 or 6276 kJ/d, 35% average energy reduction) for 12 weeks. Over the intervention period, the two diets had comparable compliance (96%) and self-reported acceptability.

Effects of flaxseed supplementation on erythrocyte fatty acids and multiple cardiometabolic biomarkers among Chinese with risk factors of metabolic syndrome.

Purpose: We investigated effects of ground whole flaxseed supplementation on erythrocyte polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and serum biomarkers of inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and thrombosis in Chinese with risk factors of metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of a 12-week, randomized, parallel-group trial in participants screened for MetS. The analysis included only those with 2 or more components of MetS before receiving either lifestyle counseling (LC, n = 90) or LC + 30 g/day flaxseed supplementation (LCF, n = 83).

Thiamine nutritional status and depressive symptoms are inversely associated among older Chinese adults.

Thiamine has been hypothesized to play an important role in mental health; however, few studies have investigated the association between thiamine nutritional status and depression in the general population. Concentrations of free thiamine and its phosphate esters [thiamine monophosphate (TMP) and thiamine diphosphate (TDP)] in erythrocytes were measured by HPLC among 1587 Chinese men and women aged 50-70 y. The presence of depressive symptoms was defined as a Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale score of ≥16.

A genome-wide association study identifies GRK5 and RASGRP1 as type 2 diabetes loci in Chinese Hans.

Substantial progress has been made in identification of type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk loci in the past few years, but our understanding of the genetic basis of T2D in ethnically diverse populations remains limited. We performed a genome-wide association study and a replication study in Chinese Hans comprising 8,569 T2D case subjects and 8,923 control subjects in total, from which 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms were selected for further follow-up in a de novo replication sample of 3,410 T2D case and 3,412 control subjects and an in silico replication sample of 6,952 T2D case and 11,865 control subjects. Besides confirming seven established T2D loci (CDKAL1, CDKN2A/B, KCNQ1, CDC123, GLIS3, HNF1B, and DUSP9) at genome-wide significance, we identified two novel T2D loci, including G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 5 (GRK5) (rs10886471: P = 7.

Hypertriglyceridemic waist, cytokines and hyperglycaemia in Chinese.

Background: Abdominal obesity and hypertriglyceridemia confer high risk for cardiometabolic disease. Few studies have investigated the associations of hypertriglyceridemic waist with cytokines and hyperglycaemia in Chinese.

Methods: Anthropometric indexes, fasting plasma concentrations of glucose, glycohemoglobin, insulin, lipid profile, inflammatory factors and adipokines were measured among 3289 Chinese men and women 50-70 years of age.

Neuronal Cbl controls biosynthesis of insulin-like peptides in Drosophila melanogaster.

The Cbl family proteins function as both E3 ubiquitin ligases and adaptor proteins to regulate various cellular signaling events, including the insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) pathways. These pathways play essential roles in growth, development, metabolism, and survival. Here we show that in Drosophila melanogaster, Drosophila Cbl (dCbl) regulates longevity and carbohydrate metabolism through downregulating the production of Drosophila insulin-like peptides (dILPs) in the brain.

Highly ordered thin films of 5,5''-bis(3'-fluoro-biphenyl-4-yl)-2,2' : 5',2''-terthiophene with two meso-phases.

The growth process and phase state of 5,5''-bis(3'-fluoro-biphenyl-4-yl)-2,2' : 5',2''- terthiophene (m-F2BP3T) thin films were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), in-plane and out-of-plane X-ray diffraction (XRD), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). Two meso-phases (thin film phases) of m-F2BP3T films on SiO(2) surface were obtained in the early stages. The m-F2BP3T films initially exhibited two-dimensional (2D) layers (≤4 ML) followed by three-dimensional (3D) island growth.

Associations between ionomic profile and metabolic abnormalities in human population.

Background: Few studies assessed effects of individual and multiple ions simultaneously on metabolic outcomes, due to methodological limitation.

Methodology/principal Findings: By combining advanced ionomics and mutual information, a quantifying measurement for mutual dependence between two random variables, we investigated associations of ion modules/networks with overweight/obesity, metabolic syndrome (MetS) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in 976 middle-aged Chinese men and women. Fasting plasma ions were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy.

Size-induced variations in bulk/surface structures and their impact on photoluminescence properties of GdVO4:Eu3+ nanoparticles.

This work explores the size-induced lattice modification and its relevance to photoluminescence properties of tetragonal zircon-type GdVO(4):Eu(3+) nanostructures. GdVO(4):Eu(3+) nanoparticles with crystallite sizes ranging from 14.4 to 24.

Associations of type 2 diabetes with common variants in PPARD and the modifying effect of vitamin D among middle-aged and elderly Chinese.

Background: Previous studies have identified that variants in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor PPAR-δ (PPARD), a target gene of vitamin D, were significantly associated with fasting glucose and insulin sensitivity in European populations. This current study sought to determine (1) whether the genetic associations of PPARD variants with type 2 diabetes and its related traits could be replicated in Chinese Han population, and (2) whether the associations would be modified by the effect of vitamin D status.

Methods And Findings: We genotyped 9 tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that cover the gene of PPARD (rs2267664, rs6902123, rs3798343, rs2267665, rs2267668, rs2016520, rs2299869, rs1053049, and rs9658056) and tested their associations with type 2 diabetes risk and its related traits, including fasting glucose, insulin and HbA1c in 3,210 Chinese Hans.

Acidic-functionalized ionic liquid as an efficient, green and reusable catalyst for hetero-Michael addition of nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen nucleophiles to α,β-unsaturated ketones.

A series of acidic-functionalized ionic liquids were synthesized and applied to the hetero-Michael addition of nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen nucleophiles to α,β-unsaturated ketones under solvent-free conditions. Notably, 1-methylimidazolium p-toluenesulfonic ([Hmim]OTs) was found to be the most efficient catalyst and could realize "homogeneous catalysis, two-phase separation". Additionally, the catalytic system has wide substrate scope and good to excellent yields (up to 99%) could be obtained at room temperature.

Joint analysis of multiple biomarkers for identifying type 2 diabetes in middle-aged and older Chinese: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: Identifying individuals with high risk of type 2 diabetes is important. To evaluate discriminatory ability of multiple biomarkers for type 2 diabetes in a Chinese population.

Methods: Plasma adiponectin, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, retinol-binding protein 4, resistin, C-reactive protein, interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor α receptor 2 and ferritin were measured in a population-based sample of 3189 Chinese (1419 men and 1770 women) aged 50-70 years.

The tail-module of yeast Mediator complex is required for telomere heterochromatin maintenance.

Eukaryotic chromosome ends have a DNA-protein complex structure termed telomere. Integrity of telomeres is essential for cell proliferation. Genome-wide screenings for telomere length maintenance genes identified several components of the transcriptional regulator, the Mediator complex.