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Association between serum uric acid, hyperuricemia and low muscle mass in middle-aged and elderly adults: A national health and nutrition examination study
Backgrounds Recent research suggests that uric acid, as a metabolite with antioxidant properties, may affect muscle function and health. However, the association between serum uric acid (SUA) and low muscle mass remains relatively obscure. This study focuses on the association between SUA and low muscle mass in a middle-aged and elderly population in the United States. Methods Utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a total of 12,106 patients aged ≥45 years, possessing complete analytical data, were incorporated. Low muscle mass in our study is defined as indices below 0.789 for males and 0.512 for females, according to the FNIH Biomarkers Consortium. Gender stratified analyses were conducted employing a multivariate weighted logistic regression model. When examining serum uric acid (SUA) levels, the SUA dataset was stratified into deciles, and odds ratios (ORs) were calculated across distinct subgroups of males and females. A restricted cubic spline (RCS) method was employed to investigate the potential nonlinear association between SUA levels and low muscle mass. A series of subgroup analyses stratified by demographic variables and clinical experience were conducted. Results A total of 2,185 participants (18.05%) were identified with low muscle mass, comprising 1,121 males and 1,064 females. Females with low muscle mass had higher SUA levels and an increased incidence of hyperuricemia compared to those without low muscle mass. In females, a fully adjusted multivariable weighted regression model revealed a positive association between hyperuricemia and low muscle mass (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.92; P = 0.021). No significant association was observed in males. Additionally, RCS curves indicated a J-shaped relationship between increasing SUA levels and the risk of low muscle mass in females, and an inverse J-shaped relationship in males. Conclusions This study reveals a significant positive correlation between hyperuricemia and the risk of low muscle mass in middle-aged and older women in the United States, whereas the relationship between SUA levels and low muscle mass did not attain statistical significance. In the male cohort, neither SUA levels nor hyperuricemia demonstrated a significant association with low muscle mass.
Geospatial modeling of near subsurface temperatures of the contiguous United States for assessment of materials degradation
AbstractUnderstanding subsurface temperature variations is crucial for assessing material degradation in underground structures. This study maps subsurface temperatures across the contiguous United States for depths from 50 to 3500 m, comparing linear interpolation, gradient boosting (LightGBM), neural networks, and a novel hybrid approach combining linear interpolation with LightGBM. Results reveal heterogeneous temperature patterns both horizontally and vertically. The hybrid model performed best achieving a root mean square error of 2.61 °C at shallow depths (50–350 m). Model performance generally decreased with depth, highlighting challenges in deep temperature prediction. State-level analyses emphasized the importance of considering local geological factors. This study provides valuable insights for designing efficient underground facilities and infrastructure, underscoring the need for depth-specific and region-specific modeling approaches in subsurface temperature assessment.
Human brain dynamics are shaped by rare long-range connections over and above cortical geometry
A fundamental topological principle is that the container always shapes the content. In neuroscience, this translates into how the brain anatomy shapes brain dynamics. From neuroanatomy, the topology of the mammalian brain can be approximated by local connectivity, accurately described by an exponential distance rule (EDR). The compact, folded geometry of the cortex is shaped by this local connectivity, and the geometric harmonic modes can reconstruct much of the functional dynamics. However, this ignores the fundamental role of the rare long-range (LR) cortical connections, crucial for improving information processing in the mammalian brain, but not captured by local cortical folding and geometry. Here, we show the superiority of harmonic modes combining rare LR connectivity with EDR (EDR+LR) in capturing functional dynamics (specifically LR functional connectivity and task-evoked brain activity) compared to geometry and EDR representations. Importantly, the orchestration of dynamics is carried out by a more efficient manifold made up of a low number of fundamental EDR+LR modes. Our results show the importance of rare LR connectivity for capturing the complexity of functional brain activity through a low-dimensional manifold shaped by fundamental EDR+LR modes.
Child welfare worker perspectives on documentation and case recording practices in Canada: A mixed-methods study protocol
In health care and child welfare, clinical records and case notes serve multiple functions. When records are aggregated and processed to create administrative data, they can be analyzed and used to inform policy development and decision-making. To be useful, such data should be complete, accurate, and recorded in a standardized way. However, sources of bias and error can impact the quality of administrative data. During the development of national child welfare data in Canada, child welfare sector partners expressed concerns about the accuracy and completeness of data about children and families. This protocol describes a study that seeks to answer two questions: 1) What individual and institutional factors influence how client data is recorded by child welfare workers in Canada? 2) What data quality issues are created through documentation and case recording practices that may impact the use of clinical case management system data for public health statistics? In this protocol, we describe an exploratory mixed methods study that involves an online survey, interviews with a purposive sample of child welfare workers, and a document review of case recording guidelines. To be eligible for the study, participants must have worked at a child welfare agency or department with clinical documentation responsibilities as a part of their job. We will use descriptive statistics to analyze the survey data and thematic analysis to analyze the qualitative data. This study will help uncover strengths, limitations, and possible sources of bias created through case recording and documentation practices in child welfare. Study results will be shared through presentations to interest holders and will inform the further development of national child welfare data in Canada.
The fastest nonprofessional age group IRONMAN triathletes in the world originate from Europe
Unveiling the potential anticancer activity of Spirulina maxima extract-nanoemulsion through in vitro and in vivo studies
AbstractBeing the second leading cause of death globally, cancer has been a long-standing and rapidly evolving focus of biomedical research and practice in the world. Recently, there has been growing interest in cyanobacteria. This focus is particularly evident in developing innovative anticancer treatments to reduce reliance on traditional chemotherapy. This study investigates the anticancer potential of the Spirulina maxima extract nanoemulsion (SMNE) technique to improve the delivery, stability, and solubility of the S. maxima extract (SME). SMNE, prepared in three concentrations (SMNEC1, SMNEC2, SMNEC3), was characterized and confirmed to successfully load SME into silica-coated nanoparticles. Cytotoxicity tests on HepG2 and MCF-7 cell lines revealed a significant reduction in cell viability after 48-hour SMNE treatment, with IC50 values of 1488 µg/mL and 1721.936 µg/mL, respectively. SMNE also demonstrated efficacy in inhibiting tumor growth in mice with Ehrlich ascites carcinoma, normalizing alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, and reducing oxidative stress markers such as catalase (CAT) and malondialdehyde (MDA). Histopathological examination showed that SMNEC3-treated groups had almost normal liver architecture. Additionally, SMNE downregulated oncogenic miR-221-3p and miR-222-3p, activating cancer suppression genes p27 and PTEN. The study concludes that SMNE, with its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and ability to modulate key miRNAs, enhances SME delivery and shows promise as an effective cancer treatment.
Spatiotemporal expansion of dengue in Brazilian Amazon between 2001 and 2021
Heptamethine cyanine-based polymeric nanoparticles for photothermal therapy in HCT116 human colon cancer model
A lightweight multi scale fusion network for IGBT ultrasonic tomography image segmentation
Renal glomerular and tubular injury in the offspring of the preeclampsia-like syndrome
Temporal and spatial variations of urban surface temperature and correlation study of influencing factors
Epidemiology of respiratory viruses according to age group, 2023–24 winter season, Kyoto, Japan
Dye removal from textile wastewater using scoria-based of vertical subsurface flow constructed wetland system
Sulfoxidation of pyrimidine thioate derivatives and study their biological activities
AbstractIn a quest to innovate biologically active molecules, the benzoylation of 4,6-dimethylpyrimidine-2-thiol hydrochloride (1) with benzoyl chloride derivatives was employed to produce a series of pyrimidine benzothioate derivatives (2–5). Subsequent sulfoxidation of these derivatives (2–5) using hydrogen peroxide and glacial acetic acid yielded a diverse array of pyrimidine sulfonyl methanone derivatives (6–9). In parallel, the sulfoxidation of pyrimidine sulfonothioates (10–12) yielded sulfonyl sulfonyl pyrimidines (13–15), originating from the condensation of compound 1 with sulfonyl chloride derivatives. The newly synthesized compounds underwent characterization via FT-IR, NMR, mass spectrometry, and elemental analyses. Biological screenings unveiled interesting properties: compounds 1 and 6 exhibited significant antimicrobial potency against S. epidermidis and S. haemolyticus, whereas compound 11 showed distinct insensitivity. Excitingly, compounds 12 and 6 showcased robust antioxidant activity by efficiently scavenging DPPH• radical, underscoring their potential in oxidative stress mitigation. Notably, compounds 10 and 12 displayed promising anti-tumor effects, with compound 12 demonstrating superior efficacy against the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line compared to compound 10. The study revealed a spectrum of biological activities across the synthesized derivatives, with modifications often resulting in diminished bioactivity compared to the parent compound 1. These findings shed light on the intricate relationship between chemical modifications and biological properties, offering valuable insights for future drug discovery endeavors.
Interpretable real-time monitoring of short-term rockbursts in underground spaces based on microseismic activities
Application of big data technology in enterprise information security management
When curiosity gaps backfire: effects of headline concreteness on information selection decisions
Abstract The selection of information by individuals is a basic process in democratic institutions, including journalism. Publishers attempt to attract readers with “curiosity gap” headlines that offer vague descriptions rather than summarize an article. Lab and field experiments that compare the influence of these two styles have found conflicting results on their efficacy. In this registered report, we propose a theory, based on the psychology of curiosity, to harmonize these results. We introduce and validate an automated linear scale of headline concreteness to differentiate summary and curiosity gap headlines. In a meta-analysis of 8977 headline experiments, we confirm that the effects of headline concreteness on clickthrough rates vary with the overall concreteness of other headlines. When the baseline headline is too vague, higher headline concreteness increases clickthrough rates. When headlines are too concrete, higher headline concreteness decreases clickthrough rates. These findings suggest a curvilinear relationship between information selection decisions and the amount of information conveyed in text, implying that headlines that convey just the right amount of information maximize clickthrough rates at scale. Protocol registration The protocol for this study was pre-registered following in-principle acceptance at https://osf.io/fbzvw/ on September 21st, 2023. The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on 30/08/23. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/FBZVW.