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BackgroundPrevious researches have implicated a vital association between gut microbiota (GM) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) based on the association of the “gut-retina” axis. But their causal relationship has not been elucidated.MethodsInstrumental variables of 211 GM taxa were obtained from genome wide association study (GWAS), and Mendelian randomization study was carried out to estimate their effects on DR risk from FinnGen GWAS (14,584 DR cases and 202,082 controls). Inverse variance weighted (IVW) is the main method to analyze causality, and MR results are verified by several sensitive analyses.ResultsAs for 211 GM taxa, IVW results confirmed that family- Christensenellaceae ( P = 1.36×10-2) and family- Peptococcaceae ( P = 3.13×10-2) were protective factors for DR. Genus- Ruminococcaceae_UCG_011 ( P = 4.83×10-3), genus- Eubacterium_rectale_group ( P = 3.44×10-2) and genus- Adlercreutzia ( P = 4.82×10-2) were correlated with the risk of DR. At the phylum, class and order levels, we found no GM taxa that were causally related to DR ( P >0.05). Heterogeneity ( P >0.05) and pleiotropy ( P >0.05) analysis confirmed the robustness of MR results.ConclusionWe confirmed that there was a potential causal relationship between some GM taxa and DR, which highlights the association of the “gut-retina” axis and offered new insights into the GM-mediated mechanism of DR. Further explorations of their association are required and will lead to find new biomarkers for targeted prevention strategies of DR.

The vaginal and uterine microbiota play important roles in the health of the female reproductive system. However, the interactions among the microbes in these two niches and their effects on uterine health remain unclear. Here we profile the vaginal and uterine microbial samples of 145 women, and combine with deep mining of public data and animal experiments to characterize the microbial translocation in the female reproductive tract and its role in modulating uterine health. Synchronous variation and increasing convergence of the uterine and vaginal microbiome with advancing age are shown. We also find that transplanting certain strains of vaginal bacteria into the vagina of rats induces or reduces endometritis-like symptoms, and verify the damaging or protective effects of certain vaginal bacteria on endometrium. This study clarifies the interdependent relationship of vaginal bacterial translocation with uterine microecology and endometrial health, which will undoubtedly increase our understanding of female reproductive health. Here, the authors present a comparative analyses on vaginal and uterine microbiota in 1223 samples derived from 655 women with chronic endometritis, which, combined with animal experiments, characterize the microbial translocation in the female reproductive tract and its role in modulating uterine health.

Background The American Heart Association (AHA) has recently introduced the concept of Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) syndrome, which is the result of an increasing emphasis on the interplay of metabolic, renal and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Furthermore, there is substantial evidence of a correlation between the triglyceride glucose-body mass index (TyG-BMI ) and CVD as an assessment of insulin resistance (IR). However, it remains unknown whether this correlation exists in population with CKM syndrome. Methods All data for this study were obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The exposure was the participants’ TyG-BMI at baseline, which was calculated using a combination of triglycerides (TG), fasting blood glucose (FBG) and body mass index (BMI). The primary outcome was CVD, which were determined by the use of a standardised questionnaire during follow-up. To examine the relationship between TyG-BMI and CVD incidence in population with CKM syndrome, both Cox regression analyses and restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression analyses were performed. Results A total of 7376 participants were included in the final analysis. Of these, 1139, 1515, 1839, and 2883 were in CKM syndrome stages 0, 1, 2, and 3, respectively, at baseline. The gender distribution was 52.62% female, and the mean age was 59.17 ± 9.28 (years). The results of the fully adjusted COX regression analyses indicated that there was a 6.5% increase in the risk of developing CVD for each 10-unit increase in TyG-BMI,95% confidence interval (CI):1.041–1.090. The RCS regression analyses demonstrated a positive linear association between TyG-BMI and the incidence of CVD in the CKM syndrome population (P for overall < 0.001, P for nonlinear = 0.355). Conclusions This cohort study demonstrated a positive linear association between TyG-BMI index and increased CVD incidence in a population with CKM syndrome stage 0–3. This finding suggests that enhanced assessment of TyG-BMI index may provide a more convenient and effective tool for individuals at risk for CVD in CKM syndrome stage 0–3.

Aims/Introduction To compare the association of hypertension plus hyperuricemia with four insulin resistance surrogates, including glucose and triglycerides (TyG index), TyG index with body mass index (TyG‐BMI), the ratio of triglycerides divided by high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL‐C) and metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS‐IR). Materials and Methods Data from a cross‐sectional epidemiological study enrolling a representative population sample aged ≥65 years were used to calculate the four indexes. The association with hypertension plus hyperuricemia and insulin resistance surrogates was examined with multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic. Results A total of 4,352 participants were included, including 93 (2.1%) patients with hyperuricemia alone, 2,875 (66.1%) with hypertension alone and 587 (13.5%) with hypertension plus hyperuricemia. Mutivariate logistic regression showed that TyG index, TyG‐BMI, TG/HDL‐C and METS‐IR were all significantly correlated with hyperuricemia, hypertension and hypertension plus hyperuricemia. Compared with the lowest quartile, the odds ratios (OR) of the highest quartile of the four indicators for hypertension plus hyperuricemia were TyG index: OR 6.39 (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.17–9.78); TyG‐BMI: OR 8.54 (95% CI 5.58–13.09); TG/HDL‐C: OR 7.21 (95% CI 4.72–11.01); METS‐IR: OR 9.30 (95% CI 6.00–14.43), respectively. TyG‐BMI and METS‐IR had moderate discriminative abilities for hypertension plus hyperuricemia and the AUC values were 0.72 (95% CI 0.70–0.74) and 0.73 (95% CI 0.70–0.75). Conclusions The present study suggested that TyG index, TyG‐BMI, TG/HDL‐C and METS‐IR had a significant correlation with hypertension plus hyperuricemia, and TyG‐BMI and METS‐IR had discriminative abilities for hypertension plus hyperuricemia. Our study suggested that glucose and triglycerides (TyG index), TyG index with body mass index, the ratio of triglycerides divided by high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol and metabolic score for insulin resistance had a significant correlation with hypertension plus hyperuricemia, and TyG index with body mass index and metabolic score for insulin resistance had discriminative abilities for hypertension plus hyperuricemia.

Nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (NGQDs) are made by heating a mixture of GQDs and ammonia using a thermochemical method. The optical properties of the samples were studied. Here, the role of the temperature used in the annealing process is investigated. It is found that with the increase in heating temperature, the sp2 fraction content continuously increases, and the photoluminescence (PL) blue shift continuously increases. The 550 nm peak of GQDs shifts from 550 nm to 513 nm NGQDs synthesized at 300 °C. The normalized PL intensity shows a significant blue shift in the emission peak of the NGQD samples compared to the GQDs. The peak position of the GQDs is 555 nm, while the peak positions of the NGQDs are 511 nm for NGQDs-250, 488 nm for NGQDs-300, and 480 nm for NGQDs-350. Using a simple thermochemical method, we can effectively dope N into GQDs, and it is evident from the electron energy loss spectra that N doping induces the emergence of a new energy level in the electronic structure, which alters the optical properties of NGQDs.

A novel adsorbent derived from banyan aerial roots was prepared via modification and employed to aqueous gentian violet (GV) and rhodamine B (RhB) removal. The surface morphology and physicochemical properties of modified banyan aerial roots (MBARs) were investigated by SEM, EDS, N 2 adsorption/desorption, zeta potential, XRD, and FT-IR characterization experiments. Adsorption factors were tested, and the optimal conditions for GV and RhB removal were pH of 6 and 3, doses of 0.02 g and 0.03 g, and reaction time of 540 min. Adsorption isotherm simulation illustrated that theoretical monolayer adsorption capacities of GV and RhB were 456.64 mg/g and 115.23 mg/g, respectively. Kinetics data was assessed with pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models, and the latter described GV and RhB adsorption better at 288 K, 298 K, 308 K, and 318 K. Thermodynamic analysis indicated that GV and RhB adsorption processes were endothermic and spontaneous. From the research results, it could be inferred that GV adsorption was mainly dominated by electrostatic interaction, while RhB adsorption might be primarily attributed to electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding. The study based on full utilization of waste plant fibers facilitates recycling of biomass resources, and due to simplicity, safety, and eco-friendliness of the preparation, as well as low cost and high efficiency of the application, MBARs may be potential absorbents for the treatment of dyestuff wastewater.

Aging impairs the functions of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), thereby severely reducing their beneficial effects on myocardial infarction (MI). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in regulating the senescence of MSCs; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated the significance of miR‐155‐5p in regulating MSC senescence and whether inhibition of miR‐155‐5p could rejuvenate aged MSCs (AMSCs) to enhance their therapeutic efficacy for MI. Young MSCs (YMSCs) and AMSCs were isolated from young and aged donors, respectively. The cellular senescence of MSCs was evaluated by senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase (SA‐β‐gal) staining. Compared with YMSCs, AMSCs exhibited increased cellular senescence as evidenced by increased SA‐β‐gal activity and decreased proliferative capacity and paracrine effects. The expression of miR‐155‐5p was much higher in both serum and MSCs from aged donors than young donors. Upregulation of miR‐155‐5p in YMSCs led to increased cellular senescence, whereas downregulation of miR‐155‐5p decreased AMSC senescence. Mechanistically, miR‐155‐5p inhibited mitochondrial fission and increased mitochondrial fusion in MSCs via the AMPK signaling pathway, thereby resulting in cellular senescence by repressing the expression of Cab39. These effects were partially reversed by treatment with AMPK activator or mitofusin2‐specific siRNA (Mfn2‐siRNA). By enhancing angiogenesis and promoting cell survival, transplantation of anti‐miR‐155‐5p‐AMSCs led to improved cardiac function in an aged mouse model of MI compared with transplantation of AMSCs. In summary, our study shows that miR‐155‐5p mediates MSC senescence by regulating the Cab39/AMPK signaling pathway and miR‐155‐5p is a novel target to rejuvenate AMSCs and enhance their cardioprotective effects. Inhibition of miR‐155‐5p, via the Cab39/AMPK signaling pathway, rejuvenates aged MSCs by regulating mitochondrial dynamics. Inhibition of miR‐155‐5p rejuvenated AMSCs and increased cell survival and angiogenesis in infarcted mouse hearts, thereby promoting the cardioprotective effects of AMSCs.

The widespread prevalence of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) which is caused by severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, has resulted in a severe global public health emergency. However, there are no sensitive biomarkers to predict the disease prognosis of COVID-19 patients. Here, we have identified interleukin-8 (IL-8) as a biomarker candidate to predict different disease severity and prognosis of COVID-19 patients. While serum IL-6 become obviously elevated in severe COVID-19 patients, serum IL-8 was easily detectible in COVID-19 patients with mild syndromes. Furthermore, lL-8 levels correlated better than IL-6 levels with the overall clinical disease scores at different stages of the same COVID-19 patients. Thus, our studies suggest that IL-6 and IL-8 can be respectively used as biomarkers for severe COVID-19 patients and for COVID-19 disease prognosis.

Purpose of ReviewThis meta-analysis and systematic review was conducted to evaluate the effect of probiotics on blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), and blood glucose changes in patients with hypertension.Recent FindingsWe searched the PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and ProQuest databases using a combination of MeSH and free text, from the inception of these databases to 20 January 2020, with no language restrictions. The quantitative PEDro scale method was used to assess the quality of the included studies. We used the random effects models to estimate the outcomes, with heterogeneity among the studies assessed using Cochran’s Q statistic. Fourteen included studies published between 2002 and 2019 were included in the meta-analysis, reporting results of 846 hypertension participants. A significant reduction in SBP by − 2.05 mmHg (95% CI − 3.87, −0.24, P = 0.03), DBP by − 1.26 mmHg (95% CI − 2.51, − 0.004, P = 0.047), BMI by − 1.03 (95% CI – 1.28, − 0.97, P < 0.01), and blood glucose by − 0.18 mmol/L (95% CI − 0.30 − 0.05, P = 0.007) was observed following probiotics intervention.SummaryOur meta-analysis showed a modest but a significant reduction in SBP and DBP in patients with hypertension, particularly in those with diabetes mellitus, following probiotic supplementation. This effect was associated with treatment duration, dosage, and the age of subject but was not associated with single or multiple strains usage. Additionally, probiotic supplement had a beneficial effect in reducing BMI and blood glucose.

Donepezil hydrochloride thermosensitive gel for nasal delivery was prepared by using Poloxamer 407 and Poloxamer 188 as thermoreversible polymers, hydroxypropyl- -cyclodextrin and ethylparaben as permeation enhancer and preservative, respectively. The gelation temperature and time, pH value of the gel formulation were found to meet the requirements for nasal administration. The erosion and release tests exhibited obvious drug sustained release behavior. Meantime, main pharmacokinetic parameters such as , and in plasma as well as in brain were significantly different between the nasal gel formulation and intragastric drug solution in rats ( < 0.01). The relative bioavailability and drug targeting efficiency of the gel formulation were calculated to be 385.6 and 151.2 %, respectively. Thus, the drug gel formulation might be a potential new delivery system for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease due to its higher bioavailability and better distribution to brain when compared to oral route.