701 research outputs found
The relationship between obesity associated weight-adjusted waist index and the prevalence of hypertension in US adults aged ≥60 years: a brief report
ObjectivesThe main objective was to examine the relationship between weight-adjusted waist index (WWI) and the prevalence of hypertension among individuals aged ≥60 years who participated in the NHANES between 2011 and 2018 years.MethodsThe data for this study were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2018. In this population-based study, we focused on participants who were over 60 years old. Data were collected from the aforementioned survey, and the variable of interest was WWI, which was calculated as waist (cm) divided by the square root of body weight (kg). Multivariable logistic regression model was applied to calculate adjusted ORs with 95% CIs in order to explore any possible correlation between WWI and the prevalence of hypertension. Subgroup analysis were used to verify the stability of the relationship between WWI and the prevalence of hypertension. The interaction tests were also conducted in this research.ResultsResults revealed that adults aged ≥60 years who were in the highest WWI quartile had significantly higher chances of developing hypertension when compared to those in the lowest quartile, after adjusting for covariates and potential confounders (p < 0.001).ConclusionThese findings suggest that there is a strong correlation between elevated levels of WWI and the risk of developing hypertension among older adults. As such, WWI could serve as a unique and valuable biomarker for identifying hypertension risk at an earlier stage in the older adults population
Munc18-1 is a molecular chaperone for α-synuclein, controlling its self-replicating aggregation
Munc 18-1 is a key component of the exocytic machinery that controls neurotransmitter release. Munc 18-1 heterozygous mutations cause developmental defects and epileptic phenotypes, including infantile epileptic encephalopathy (EIEE), suggestive of a gain of pathological function. Here, we used single-molecule analysis, gene-edited cells, and neurons to demonstrate that Munc 18-1 EIEE-causing mutants form large polymers that coaggregate wild-type Munc 18-1 in vitro and in cells. Surprisingly, Munc 18-1 EIEE mutants also form Lewy body like structures that contain a-synuclein (alpha-Syn). We reveal that Munc 18-1 binds alpha-Syn, and its EIEE mutants coaggregate alpha-Syn. Likewise, removal of endogenous Munc 18-1 increases the aggregative propensity of alpha-Syn(wT) and that of the Parkinson's disease-causing a-Syn(A30P) mutant, an effect rescued by Munc18-1(WT) expression, indicative of chaperone activity. Coexpression of the alpha-Syn(A30P) mutant with Munc 18-1 reduced the number of alpha-Syn(A30P) aggregates. Munc 18-1 mutations and haploinsufficiency may therefore trigger a pathogenic gain of function through both the corruption of native Munc 18-1 and a perturbed chaperone activity for a-Syn leading to aggregation-induced neurodegeneration
Towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) in the Internet of Things (IoT): Opportunities and Challenges
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), possessing the capacity to comprehend,
learn, and execute tasks with human cognitive abilities, engenders significant
anticipation and intrigue across scientific, commercial, and societal arenas.
This fascination extends particularly to the Internet of Things (IoT), a
landscape characterized by the interconnection of countless devices, sensors,
and systems, collectively gathering and sharing data to enable intelligent
decision-making and automation. This research embarks on an exploration of the
opportunities and challenges towards achieving AGI in the context of the IoT.
Specifically, it starts by outlining the fundamental principles of IoT and the
critical role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in IoT systems. Subsequently, it
delves into AGI fundamentals, culminating in the formulation of a conceptual
framework for AGI's seamless integration within IoT. The application spectrum
for AGI-infused IoT is broad, encompassing domains ranging from smart grids,
residential environments, manufacturing, and transportation to environmental
monitoring, agriculture, healthcare, and education. However, adapting AGI to
resource-constrained IoT settings necessitates dedicated research efforts.
Furthermore, the paper addresses constraints imposed by limited computing
resources, intricacies associated with large-scale IoT communication, as well
as the critical concerns pertaining to security and privacy
Multiple influence of immune cells in the bone metastatic cancer microenvironment on tumors
Bone is a common organ for solid tumor metastasis. Malignant bone tumor becomes insensitive to systemic therapy after colonization, followed by poor prognosis and high relapse rate. Immune and bone cells in situ constitute a unique immune microenvironment, which plays a crucial role in the context of bone metastasis. This review firstly focuses on lymphatic cells in bone metastatic cancer, including their function in tumor dissemination, invasion, growth and possible cytotoxicity-induced eradication. Subsequently, we examine myeloid cells, namely macrophages, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, dendritic cells, and megakaryocytes, evaluating their interaction with cytotoxic T lymphocytes and contribution to bone metastasis. As important components of skeletal tissue, osteoclasts and osteoblasts derived from bone marrow stromal cells, engaging in ‘vicious cycle’ accelerate osteolytic bone metastasis. We also explain the concept tumor dormancy and investigate underlying role of immune microenvironment on it. Additionally, a thorough review of emerging treatments for bone metastatic malignancy in clinical research, especially immunotherapy, is presented, indicating current challenges and opportunities in research and development of bone metastasis therapies
Fluorescent nanoparticles for sensing
Nanoparticle-based fluorescent sensors have emerged as a competitive
alternative to small molecule sensors, due to their excellent
fluorescence-based sensing capabilities. The tailorability of design,
architecture, and photophysical properties has attracted the attention of many
research groups, resulting in numerous reports related to novel nanosensors
applied in sensing a vast variety of biological analytes. Although
semiconducting quantum dots have been the best-known representative of
fluorescent nanoparticles for a long time, the increasing popularity of new
classes of organic nanoparticle-based sensors, such as carbon dots and
polymeric nanoparticles, is due to their biocompatibility, ease of synthesis,
and biofunctionalization capabilities. For instance, fluorescent gold and
silver nanoclusters have emerged as a less cytotoxic replacement for
semiconducting quantum dot sensors. This chapter provides an overview of recent
developments in nanoparticle-based sensors for chemical and biological sensing
and includes a discussion on unique properties of nanoparticles of different
composition, along with their basic mechanism of fluorescence, route of
synthesis, and their advantages and limitations
Study of the P-wave charmonium state \chi_{cJ} in \psi(2S) decays
The processes , and have been studied using a sample of produced
decays. We determine the total width of the to be
MeV. We present the first
measurement of the branching fraction , where the first error is statistical and the
second one systematic. Branching fractions of and
are also reported.Comment: 10 pages, revtex, 3 figures, 2 table
Observation and study of the decay
We report the observation and study of the decay
using events
collected with the BESIII detector. Its branching fraction, including all
possible intermediate states, is measured to be
. We also report evidence for a structure,
denoted as , in the mass spectrum in the GeV/
region. Using two decay modes of the meson ( and
), a simultaneous fit to the mass spectra is
performed. Assuming the quantum numbers of the to be , its
significance is found to be 4.4, with a mass and width of MeV/ and MeV, respectively, and a
product branching fraction
. Alternatively, assuming , the
significance is 3.8, with a mass and width of MeV/ and MeV, respectively, and a product
branching fraction
. The angular distribution of
is studied and the two assumptions of the
cannot be clearly distinguished due to the limited statistics. In all
measurements the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures and 4 table
Observation of and confirmation of its large branching fraction
The baryonic decay is observed, and the
corresponding branching fraction is measured to be
, where the first uncertainty is statistical
and second systematic. The data sample used in this analysis was collected with
the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII double-ring collider with
a center-of-mass energy of 4.178~GeV and an integrated luminosity of
3.19~fb. The result confirms the previous measurement by the CLEO
Collaboration and is of greatly improved precision, which may deepen our
understanding of the dynamical enhancement of the W-annihilation topology in
the charmed meson decays
Study of and and
We study the decays of and to the final states
and based on a single
baryon tag method using data samples of
and events collected with
the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. The decays to
are observed for the first time. The
measured branching fractions of and
are in good agreement with, and much
more precise, than the previously published results. The angular parameters for
these decays are also measured for the first time. The measured angular decay
parameter for , , is found to be negative, different to the other
decay processes in this measurement. In addition, the "12\% rule" and isospin
symmetry in the and and
systems are tested.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures. This version is consistent with paper published
in Phys.Lett. B770 (2017) 217-22
Observation of in
Using a sample of events recorded with
the BESIII detector at the symmetric electron positron collider BEPCII, we
report the observation of the decay of the charmonium state
into a pair of mesons in the process
. The branching fraction is measured for the first
time to be , where the first uncertainty is
statistical, the second systematic and the third is from the uncertainty of
. The mass and width of the are
determined as MeV/ and
MeV.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure
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