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Metabolic disorders are prevalent worldwide and have recently become public health problems recently. Previous studies have proposed different body composition indices for predicting future cardiovascular risks. We hypothesized an association among fat-to-muscle ratio (FMR), metabolic syndrome (MetS), hypertension (HTN), prediabetes, type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), and cardiovascular risk in an adult population. A total of 66829 eligible subjects composed of 34182 males and 32647 females aged 20 years or older were obtained from health examinations in the Tri-Service General Hospital from 2011 to 2017. The body composition indices included fat and muscle mass measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. A multivariable regression model was performed in a large population-based cross-sectional study. FMR was significantly associated with MetS, prediabetes, DM and HTN in all models of both genders. Based on quartile analysis, higher FMR had higher predictive ability for adverse health outcomes. The association between different definitions of MetS and the Framingham risk score was analyzed, and FMR-incorporated MetS was more useful for predicting higher Framingham risk scores than traditional definitions. FMR was a useful indicator for the presence of adverse cardiometabolic risks. Compared to traditional definition of MetS, FMR-incorporated MetS had a greater ability to predict incident cardiovascular risks. FMR seemed to be a simple and effective index for the early prevention and management of cardiometabolic events.

Ibis study adds to the growing research exploring the consequences of knowledge hiding in organizations. Drawing from the social exchange theory and the norm of reciprocity, this paper examines the direct and indirect—via distrust in supervisor—relationships between supervisor knowledge hiding (SKH) and supervisee organizational citizenship behavior directed at the supervisor (OCB-S) in the context of the Middle East. Using a supervisor-supervisee dyadic design, two-source data were obtained from 317 employees (local and foreign) of 41 Saudi firms. The findings suggest that supervisees' distrust in their supervisors mediates the significant and negative relationship between SKH and supervisees' OCB-S. Furthermore, the significant and positive relationship between SKH and distrust in supervisor is more pronounced for foreign workers than for local workers. This study provides empirical support and a better understanding of the existence and consequences of SKH for local and foreign workers and also discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the findings.

Polyphenols are classified as an organic chemical with phenolic units that display an array of biological functions. However, polyphenols have very low bioavailability and stability, which make polyphenols a less bioactive compound. Many researchers have indicated that several factors might affect the efficiency and the metabolism (biotransformation) of various polyphenols, which include the gut microbiota, structure, and physical properties as well as its interactions with other dietary nutrients (macromolecules). Hence, this mini-review covers the two-way interaction between polyphenols and gut microbiota (interplay) and how polyphenols are metabolized (biotransformation) to produce various polyphenolic metabolites. Moreover, the protective effects of numerous polyphenols and their metabolites against various gastrointestinal disorders/diseases including gastritis, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) like ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn’s disease (CD), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) like celiac disease (CED) are discussed. For this review, the authors chose only a few popular polyphenols (green tea polyphenol, curcumin, resveratrol, quercetin), and a discussion of their proposed mechanism underpinning the gastroprotection was elaborated with a special focus on clinical evidence. Overall, this contribution would help the general population and science community to identify a potent polyphenol with strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, prebiotic, and immunomodulatory properties to combat various gut-related diseases or disorders (complementary therapy) along with modified lifestyle pattern and standard gastroprotective drugs. However, the data from clinical trials are much limited and hence many large-scale clinical trials should be performed (with different form/metabolites and dose) to confirm the gastroprotective activity of the above-mentioned polyphenols and their metabolites before recommendation.

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase that exhibits high expression in various tumors and is associated with a poor prognosis. FAK activation promotes tumor growth, invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis via both kinase-dependent and kinase-independent pathways. Moreover, FAK is crucial for sustaining the tumor microenvironment. The inhibition of FAK impedes tumorigenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance in cancer. Therefore, developing targeted inhibitors against FAK presents a promising therapeutic strategy. To date, numerous FAK inhibitors, including IN10018, defactinib, GSK2256098, conteltinib, and APG-2449, have been developed, which have demonstrated positive anti-tumor effects in preclinical studies and are undergoing clinical trials for several types of tumors. Moreover, many novel FAK inhibitors are currently in preclinical studies to advance targeted therapy for tumors with aberrantly activated FAK. The benefits of FAK degraders, especially in terms of their scaffold function, are increasingly evident, holding promising potential for future clinical exploration and breakthroughs. This review aims to clarify FAK’s role in cancer, offering a comprehensive overview of the current status and future prospects of FAK-targeted therapy and combination approaches. The goal is to provide valuable insights for advancing anti-cancer treatment strategies.

The current outbreak of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) poses unprecedented challenges to global health 1 . The new coronavirus responsible for this outbreak—severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)—shares high sequence identity to SARS-CoV and a bat coronavirus, RaTG13 2 . Although bats may be the reservoir host for a variety of coronaviruses 3 , 4 , it remains unknown whether SARS-CoV-2 has additional host species. Here we show that a coronavirus, which we name pangolin-CoV, isolated from a Malayan pangolin has 100%, 98.6%, 97.8% and 90.7% amino acid identity with SARS-CoV-2 in the E, M, N and S proteins, respectively. In particular, the receptor-binding domain of the S protein of pangolin-CoV is almost identical to that of SARS-CoV-2, with one difference in a noncritical amino acid. Our comparative genomic analysis suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may have originated in the recombination of a virus similar to pangolin-CoV with one similar to RaTG13. Pangolin-CoV was detected in 17 out of the 25 Malayan pangolins that we analysed. Infected pangolins showed clinical signs and histological changes, and circulating antibodies against pangolin-CoV reacted with the S protein of SARS-CoV-2. The isolation of a coronavirus from pangolins that is closely related to SARS-CoV-2 suggests that these animals have the potential to act as an intermediate host of SARS-CoV-2. This newly identified coronavirus from pangolins—the most-trafficked mammal in the illegal wildlife trade—could represent a future threat to public health if wildlife trade is not effectively controlled. A newly identified coronavirus found in Malayan pangolins shares considerable sequence identity with SARS-CoV-2, which suggests that the latter may have originated from a recombination event involving SARS-related coronaviruses from bats and pangolins.

ABSTRACT Background Falls constitute a significant public health concern among older adults, particularly those with diminished muscle health integrity. The relative contributions of reduced muscle mass versus impaired muscle function to fall risk remain debated. Discrepant conclusions in previous studies exist due to divergent muscle health categorizations and parameter measurements. This study investigated longitudinal risk of falls across a spectrum of muscle health statuses among older people in the community. Methods Community‐dwelling participants aged 65 years and older, undergoing annual health assessments, were enrolled between 2015 and 2023. Measurements included handgrip strength, walking speed and appendicular skeletal muscle mass. Dynapenia was defined as impaired muscle function with preserved muscle mass, presarcopenia was characterized as reduced muscle mass with maintained muscle function, and sarcopenia was identified as concurrent losses in both muscle mass and muscle function. Older people with normal muscle mass and muscle function were defined as having a robust muscle health status. Participants without a history of falls at baseline were monitored continuously and were censored if a fall incident was recorded during later yearly assessment. Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to compare fall risk across different muscle health statuses. Results The final analysis included a total of 863 participants with a mean age of 71.93 ± 6.62 years, and 57.58% were female. Compared with the other groups, the dynapenic group exhibited a lower physical activity, greater body mass index and slower gait speed. The participants with dynapenia experienced the highest fall incidence (27.15%). The hazard ratios (HRs) for fall were 2.65 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.72–4.08, p < 0.001) for dynapenia, 1.54 (95% CI = 0.92–2.57, p = 0.095) for presarcopenia and 1.87 (95% CI = 1.04–3.33, p = 0.034) for sarcopenia. After adjustment for multiple covariates, the fall risk remained significantly greater in the dynapenic group (HR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.28–3.43, p = 0.003) than in the sarcopenic group (HR = 1.31, 95% CI = 0.69–2.46, p = 0.402). Female dynapenic participants with coronary artery disease, arthritis and sedative agent use had a high fall risk, especially those with two or more risk factors (HR = 2.82, 95%CI = 1.37–5.82, p = 0.005). Conclusions Older adults with dynapenia exhibited a greater fall risk than did those with sarcopenia. Dynapenic older people with two or more risk factors, such as female sex, coronary artery disease, arthritis and sedative agent use, may have an increased longitudinal fall risk. Promoting muscle function should be prioritized as a preventive strategy to mitigate adverse clinical outcomes.

Disability became increasingly common with age, and crude rates of disability were rising around the globe. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between calf circumference (CC) and disability in the U.S. elderly population. From the 1999–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a total of 4,245 participants with an age range of 60–84 years were included. Disability was defined as the total number of difficulties within the following 5 major domains of disability, such as activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental ADL, general physical activities, lower extremity mobility, and leisure and social activities. The association between CC and disability was investigated through the regression model adjusted for multiple covariates. According to the fully adjusted model regarding disability, the β coefficients for each quartile of increasing CC were −0.041 for quartile 2 (P = 0.096), −0.060 for quartile 3 (P = 0.027), and −0.073 for quartile 4 (P = 0.026) respectively, compared with lowest quartile. There was a negative association between CC and disability among the elderly population. Calf circumference may be a novel risk assessment for disability of elderly people.

Hearing loss was a common, chronically disabling condition in the general population and had been associated with several inflammatory diseases. Metabolic syndrome, which was associated with insulin resistance and visceral obesity, was considered a chronic inflammatory disease. To date, few attempts had been made to establish a direct relationship between hearing loss and metabolic syndrome. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between metabolic syndrome and hearing loss by analyzing the data in the reports of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004. This study included 2100 participants aged ≤ 65 years who enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2004). We examined the relationship between the presence of different features of metabolic syndrome in the participants and their pure-tone air-conduction hearing thresholds, including low-frequency and high-frequency thresholds. After adjusting for potential confounders, such as age, medical conditions, and smoking status, the participants with more components of metabolic syndrome were found to have higher hearing thresholds than those with fewer components of metabolic syndrome (p < 0.05 for a trend). The low-frequency hearing threshold was associated with individual components of metabolic syndrome, such as abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, and a low level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (p < 0.05 for all parameters). The results indicated that the presence of a greater number of components of metabolic syndrome was significantly associated with the hearing threshold in the US adult population. Among the components of metabolic syndrome, the most apparent association was observed between low HDL and hearing loss.

Systemic autoinflammatory diseases (SAIDs) are a group of monogenic diseases characterized by disordered innate immunity, which causes excessive activation of inflammatory pathways. Nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat-containing receptor 12-related autoinflammatory disease (NLRP12-AID) is a newly identified SAID and a rare autosomal dominant disorder caused by mutations in the NLRP12 gene, which is also known as familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome 2 (FCAS2) and mostly occurs in childhood. A total of 33 cases of NLRP12-AID in children and 21 different mutation types have been reported to date. The disease is mainly characterized by periodic fever, accompanied by multisystem inflammatory damage. NLRP12-AID is diagnosed through early clinical identification and genetic detection. Emerging drugs targeting interleukin-1-related inflammatory pathways are expected to change the treatment options and improve the quality of life of pediatric patients. This article aims to summarize the characteristics and pathogenesis of reported NLRP12-AID cases in children and provide ideas for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Glycolytic reprogramming is one of the most important features of cancer and plays an integral role in the progression of cancer. In cancer cells, changes in glucose metabolism meet the needs of self-proliferation, angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, metastasis, and also affect the immune escape, prognosis evaluation and therapeutic effect of cancer. The n6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification of RNA is widespread in eukaryotic cells. Dynamic and reversible m6A modifications are widely involved in the regulation of cancer stem cell renewal and differentiation, tumor therapy resistance, tumor microenvironment, tumor immune escape, and tumor metabolism. Lately, more and more evidences show that m6A modification can affect the glycolysis process of tumors in a variety of ways to regulate the biological behavior of tumors. In this review, we discussed the role of glycolysis in tumor genesis and development, and elaborated in detail the profound impact of m6A modification on different tumor by regulating glycolysis. We believe that m6A modified glycolysis has great significance and potential for tumor treatment.