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It has become widely accepted that inflammation is a driving force behind a variety of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, etc. However, the existing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs show a limited utility in clinical patients. Therefore, the novel agents with different inflammation-inhibitory mechanisms are worth pursuing. Metformin, a synthetic derivative of guanidine, has a history of more than 50 years of clinical experience in treating patients with type 2 diabetes. Intense research efforts have been dedicated to proving metformin’s inflammation-inhibitory effects in cells, animal models, patient records, and randomized clinical trials. The emerging evidence also indicates its therapeutic potential in clinical domains other than type 2 diabetes. Herein, this article appraises current pre-clinical and clinical findings, emphasizing metformin’s anti-inflammatory properties under individual pathophysiological scenarios. In summary, the anti-inflammatory effects of metformin are evident in pre-clinical models. By comparison, there are still clinical perplexities to be addressed in repurposing metformin to inflammation-driven chronic diseases. Future randomized controlled trials, incorporating better stratification/targeting, would establish metformin’s utility in this clinical setting.

Regioselective arene C−H bond alkylation is a powerful tool in synthetic chemistry, yet subject to many challenges. Herein, we report the meta -C−H bond alkylation of aromatics bearing N -directing groups using (hetero)aromatic epoxides as alkylating agents. This method results in complete regioselectivity on both the arene as well as the epoxide coupling partners, cleaving exclusively the benzylic C−O bond. Oxetanes, which are normally unreactive, also participate as alkylating reagents under the reaction conditions. Our mechanistic studies reveal an unexpected reversible epoxide ring opening process undergoing catalyst-controlled regioselection, as key for the observed high regioselectivities. Regioselective arene C−H bond alkylation is a powerful tool in synthetic chemistry, yet subject to many challenges. Here, the authors report the meta-C−H bond alkylation of aromatics bearing N-directing groups using (hetero)aromatic epoxides as alkylating agents.

In crops, nitrogen directly determines productivity and biomass. However, the improvement of nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUE) is still a major challenge in modern agriculture. Here, we report the characterization of are1 , a genetic suppressor of a rice fd-gogat mutant defective in nitrogen assimilation. ARE1 is a highly conserved gene, encoding a chloroplast-localized protein. Loss-of-function mutations in ARE1 cause delayed senescence and result in 10–20% grain yield increases, hence enhance NUE under nitrogen-limiting conditions. Analysis of a panel of 2155 rice varieties reveals that 18% indica and 48% aus accessions carry small insertions in the ARE1 promoter, which result in a reduction in ARE1 expression and an increase in grain yield under nitrogen-limiting conditions. We propose that ARE1 is a key mediator of NUE and represents a promising target for breeding high-yield cultivars under nitrogen-limiting condition. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms of nitrogen assimilation is crucial for developing crop cultivars with improved nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUE). Here the authors identify a new negative regulator of NUE and mutation of this gene increases 10–20% rice grain yield under nitrogen-limiting field conditions.

Heavy metal contamination affects lives with concomitant environmental pollution, and seaweed has emerged as a remedy with the ability to save the ecosystem, due to its eco-friendliness, affordability, availability, and effective metal ion removal rate. Heavy metals are intrinsic toxicants that are known to induce damage to multiple organs, especially when subjected to excess exposure. With respect to these growing concerns, this review presents the preferred sorption material among the many natural sorption materials. The use of seaweeds to treat contaminated solutions has demonstrated outstanding results when compared to other materials. The sorption of metal ions using dead seaweed biomass offers a comparative advantage over other natural sorption materials. This article summarizes the impact of heavy metals on the environment, and why dead seaweed biomass is regarded as the leading remediation material among the available materials. This article also showcases the biosorption mechanism of dead seaweed biomass and its effectiveness as a useful, cheap, and affordable bioremediation material.

We study numerically the dynamics of an insoluble surfactant-laden droplet in a simple shear flow taking surface viscosity into account. The rheology of drop surface is modelled via a Boussinesq–Scriven constitutive law with both surface tension and surface viscosity depending strongly on the surface concentration of the surfactant. Our results show that the surface viscosity exhibits non-trivial effects on the surfactant transport on the deforming drop surface. Specifically, both dilatational and shear surface viscosity tend to eliminate the non-uniformity of surfactant concentration over the drop surface. However, their underlying mechanisms are entirely different; that is, the shear surface viscosity inhibits local convection due to its suppression on drop surface motion, while the dilatational surface viscosity inhibits local dilution due to its suppression on local surface dilatation. By comparing with previous studies of droplets with surface viscosity but with no surfactant transport, we find that the coupling between surface viscosity and surfactant transport induces non-negligible deviations in the dynamics of the whole droplet. More particularly, we demonstrate that the dependence of surface viscosity on local surfactant concentration has remarkable influences on the drop deformation. Besides, we analyse the full three-dimensional shape of surfactant-laden droplets in simple shear flow and observe that the drop shape can be approximated as an ellipsoid. More importantly, this ellipsoidal shape can be described by a standard ellipsoidal equation with only one unknown owing to the finding of an unexpected relationship among the drop’s three principal axes. Moreover, this relationship remains the same for both clean and surfactant-laden droplets with or without surface viscosity.

Orexins, also known as hypocretins, are two neuropeptides secreted from orexin-containing neurons, mainly in the lateral hypothalamus (LH). Orexins orchestrate their effects by binding and activating two G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), orexin receptor type 1 (OX1R) and type 2 (OX2R). Orexin/receptor pathways play vital regulatory roles in many physiological processes, especially feeding behavior, sleep-wake rhythm, reward and addiction and energy balance. Furthermore several reports showed that orexin/receptor pathways are involved in pathological processes of neurological diseases such as narcolepsy, depression, ischemic stroke, drug addiction and Alzheimer's disease (AD). This review article summarizes the expression patterns, physiological functions and potential molecular mechanisms of the orexin/receptor system in neurological diseases, providing an overall framework for considering these pathways from the standpoints of basic research and clinical treatment of neurological diseases.

Foldable and deployable flexible composite thin-walled structures have the characteristics of light weight, excellent mechanical properties and large deformation ability, which means they have good application prospects in the aerospace field. In this paper, a simplified theoretical model for predicting the position of the neutral section of a lenticular deployable composite boom (DCB) in tensile deformation is proposed. The three-dimensional lenticular DCB is simplified as a two-dimensional spring system and a rigid rod, distributed in parallel along the length direction. The position of the neutral cross-section can be determined by solving the balance equations and geometric relations. In order to verify the validity of the theoretical model, a finite element model of the tensile deformation of a lenticular DCB was established. The theoretical prediction results were compared with the finite element calculation results, and the two results were in good agreement.

The incorporation of cycling as a mode of transport has been shown to have a positive impact on reducing traffic congestion, improving mental health outcomes, and contributing to the development of sustainable cities. The proliferation of bike-sharing systems, characterised by their wide availability and high usage rates, has made cycling in urban areas more accessible and convenient for individuals. While the existence of a relationship between cycling behaviour and the built environment has been established, few studies have specifically examined this connection for weekdays and weekends. With the emergence of new data sources, new methodologies have become available for research into this area. For instance, bike-sharing spatio-temporal datasets have made it possible to precisely measure cycling behaviour over time, while street-view images and deep learning techniques now enable researchers to quantify the built environment from a human perspective. In this study, we used 139,018 cycling trips and 14,947 street-view images to examine the connection between the built environment consisting of urban greenways and cycling behaviour. The results indicated that the greenness and enclosure of the level of greenway were positively correlated with increased cycling on both weekdays and weekends. However, the openness of the greenway appears to have opposing effects on cycling behaviour depending on the day of the week, with high levels of openness potentially promoting cycling on weekends but hindering it on weekdays. Based on the findings of this study, policymakers and planners should focus on the cycling environment and prioritise improving its comfort and safety to promote green transportation and bicycle-friendly cities.

The C1q complement/TNF-related protein (CTRP) superfamily, which includes the adipokine adiponectin, has been shown in animal models to have positive metabolic and cardiovascular effects. We sought to investigate circulating CTRP1, CTRP9, CTRP12 and CTRP13 concentrations in persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), with age and BMI matched controls, and to examine the effects of a 2 hour 75g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) on serum CTRP1, CTRP9, CTRP12 and CTRP13 levels in persons with T2DM. Cross-sectional study [newly diagnosed T2DM (n = 124) and control (n = 139) participants]. Serum CTRP1, CTRP9, CTRP12 and CTRP13 were measured by ELISA. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol (TCH), Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, triglycerides, TCH/High-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio, triglycerides/HDL ratio, glucose, insulin, homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), C-reactive protein and endothelial lipase were significantly higher, whereas leptin and adiponectin were significantly lower in T2DM participants. Serum CTRP1 were significantly higher and CTRP12 significantly lower in T2DM participants. Age, diastolic blood pressure, glucose and CTRP12 were predictive of serum CTRP1; leptin was predictive of serum CTRP9; glucose and CTRP1 were predictive of serum CTRP12; endothelial lipase was predictive of serum CTRP13. Finally, serum CTRP1 were significantly higher and CTRP12 significantly lower in T2DM participants after a 2 hour 75g OGTT. Our data supports CTRP1 and CTRP12 as potential novel biomarkers for the prediction and early diagnosis of T2DM. Furthermore, pharmacological agents that target CTRP1 and CTRP12 could represent a new strategy in the treatment of T2DM.

Individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at a substantially higher risk for stroke, which may predispose individuals to cognitive impairment. However, the association of low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albuminuria with poorer cognitive performance in patients with stroke is not fully understood, and the current evidence for this association is contradictory. Our aim was to retrospectively investigate whether low eGFR and albuminuria, as indicated by the urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR), are independently or jointly associated with worse cognitive performance in patients with ischemic stroke. This retrospective study included 608 patients with acute ischemic stroke. Their UACR and eGFR values were obtained from inpatient medical records. Global cognitive function was assessed with the mini-mental state exam (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) one month after hospital discharge. The relationship between renal measures and cognitive performance was assessed using univariate and multiple linear regression analyses. Potential confounders included age, gender, BMI, education, diabetes and hypertension history, NIHSS score, smoking and alcohol consumption status, serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, fasting glucose, uric acid, homocysteine, systolic blood pressure, and either eGFR or UACR. Patients had an average age of 66.6±4.1 years, and 48% were females. Average eGFR and UACR were 88.4±12.9 ml/min/1.73m2 and 83.6±314.2 mg/g, respectively. The number of patients with eGFR ≥90, 60-89, and <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 was 371 (61%), 207 (34%), and 30 (5%), respectively, and the percentage of patients with UACR <30 mg/g, 30-300 mg/g, and >300 mg/g was 56%, 39%, and 5%, respectively. Multivariate adjusted models showed that eGFR was independently associated with MMSE (β = -0.4; 95% CI = -0.5,-0.4; p <0.001) and MoCA (β = -0.6; 95% CI = -0.7,-0.5; p <0.001). However, UACR was not significantly correlated with MMSE or MoCA. In patients with ischemic stroke, reduced eGFR but not albuminuria was associated with lower cognitive performance. These results show that the eGFR decline could be an effective indicator of cognitive impairment after a stroke. Therefore, regular monitoring and early detection of mild renal dysfunction in patients with acute ischemic stroke might be needed.