HemoglobinA1c Is a Risk Factor for Changes of Bone Mineral Density: A Mendelian Randomization Study

BackgroundAs a valuable blood glucose measurement, HemoglobinA1c (HbA1c) is of great clinical value for diabetes. However, in previous observational studies, studies on its effect on bone mineral density (BMD) have different results. This study aimed to use Mendelian randomization (MR) to assess the effect of HbA1c on bone mineral density and fracture risk, and try to further explore whether this association was achieved through glycemic or non-glycemic factors.MethodsTake HbA1c measurement as exposure, and BMD estimated from quantitative heel ultrasounds (eBMD) and bone fractures as outcomes. Two-Sample MR Analysis was conducted to assess the causal effect of HbA1C on heel BMD and risk fracture. Then, we performed the analysis using two subsets of these variants, one related to glycemic measurement and the other to erythrocyte indices.ResultsGenetically increased HbA1C was associated with the lower heel eBMD [odds ratio (OR) 0.91 (95% CI 0.87, 0.96) per %-unit, P = 3 × 10−4(IVW)]. Higher HbA1C was associated with lower heel eBMD when using only erythrocytic variants [OR 0.87 (0.82, 0.93), P=2× 10−5(IVW)]; However, when using only glycemic variants, this casual association does not hold. In further MR analysis, we test the association of erythrocytic traits with heel eBMD.ConclusionOur study revealed the significant causal effect of HbA1c on eBMD, and this causal link might achieve through non-glycemic pathways (erythrocytic indices)

Multi-functional hybrid protonated titanate nanobelts with tunable wettability

We present the preparation of millimetre-sized liquid marbles with strong mechanical strength and good deformability using self-assembled fluoroalkylsilane functionalized titanate nanobelt powder. The strength and deformability of the marbles are adjustable by changing the intrinsic wetting state of the titanate nanoparticles. The excellent chemical stability of surface layer on the liquid marbles consisting of the titanate nanobelts provides the possibility for qualitative and quantitative chemical sensing under a wide range of pH values.Environment and Water Industry Programme Office (EWI) under the National Research Foundation of Singapore[MEWR651/06/160]; National Nature Science Foundation of China[20773100, 51072170, 20620130427]; National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program)[2007CB935603]; Technical Program of Fujian Province, China[2007H0031

Microstructure Evolution of Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr Magnesium Alloy During Partial Remelting

The article deals with the research on the microstructure evolution of Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr magnesium alloy through partial remelting process. It aims at finding out what effects the microstructure of semi-solid Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr alloy will result in under different remelting temperatures and holding times. Based on the results, if to raise the remelting temperature and to prolong the holding time, the size of solid grain will tend to expand and its spheroidization degree also begins to show improvement. In addition, the grain shows tendency of coarsening when the holding time increases. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.20.4.6483</p

Influence of Whey Protein Micro-Gel Particles and Whey Protein Micro-Gel Particles-Xanthan Gum Complexes on the Stability of O/W Emulsions

Appropriate pretreatment of proteins and addition of xanthan gum (XG) has the potential to improve the stability of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions. However, the factors that regulate the enhancement and the mechanism are still not clear, which restricts the realization of improving the emulsion stability by directional design of its structure. Therefore, the effects of whey protein micro-gel particles (WPMPs) and WPMPs-XG complexes on the stability of O/W emulsion were investigated in this article to provide theoretical support. WPMPs with different structures were prepared by pretreatment (controlled high-speed shear treatment of heat-set WPC gels) at pH 3.5–8.5. The impact of initial WPC structure and XG addition on Turbiscan Indexes, mean droplet size and the peroxide values of O/W emulsions was investigated. The results indicate that WPMPs and XG can respectively inhibit droplet coalescence and gravitational separation to improve the physical stability of WPC-stabilized O/W emulsions. The pretreatment significantly enhanced the oxidative stability of WPC-stabilized O/W emulsions. The addition of XG did not necessarily enhance the oxidative stability of O/W emulsions. Whether the oxidative stability of the O/W emulsion with XG is increased or decreased depends on the interface structure of the protein-XG complex. This study has significant implications for the development of novel structures containing lipid phases that are susceptible to oxidation

Assessment of Spatial Accessibility to Residential Care Facilities in 2020 in Guangzhou by Small-Scale Residential Community Data

Population aging has increasingly challenged socio-economic development worldwide, highlighting the significance of relevant research such as accessibility to residential care facilities (RCFs). However, a number of previous studies are carried out only on street (town)-to-district scales, which could cause errors of the accessibility to RCFs for a family. In order to improve the resolution to individual families, we measure and compare the accessibilities to RCFs based on 3494 residential communities and 169 streets of Guangzhou in 2020 through the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method. It was found that the distributions of the elderly and the service-dense blobs of the RCFs show patterns of a three-level spatial distribution, with a characteristic clustering at the center with peripheral dispersion. The resultant accessibility to RCFs in Guangzhou, ranging from 2.5 to 3.45, is generally consistent with the studies focusing on street scales. However, the maximum difference in the accessibility of two residential communities on the same street ranges from less than 0.02 to 0.94 in Guangzhou, indicating large variations. Although the relative errors of the accessibility results based on bi-scale data are relatively low, the cumulative errors can be high, e.g., over 25% in many streets of large cities. Consequently, hundreds of elderly persons per street can be adversely affected by those errors, with six streets over 1000. Therefore, this study focusing on the smaller-scale residential community data may provide more accurate reference to individual households. For the spatial allocation and optimal layout of Guangzhou and similar cities with population aging, we suggest maximizing RCFs in metropolises by taking full advantage of existing residential care facilities with necessary restructuring, improvements, and expansions on service capability. While for less connected cities, we encourage building new RCFs in situ

The Loading of Epigallocatechin Gallate on Bovine Serum Albumin and Pullulan-Based Nanoparticles as Effective Antioxidant

Due to its poor stability and rapid metabolism, the biological activity and absorption of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is limited. In this work, EGCG-loaded bovine serum albumin (BSA)/pullulan (PUL) nanoparticles (BPENs) were successfully fabricated via self-assembly. This assembly was driven by hydrogen bonding, which provided the desired EGCG loading efficiency, high stability, and a strong antioxidant capacity. The encapsulation efficiency of the BPENs was above 99.0%. BPENs have high antioxidant activity in vitro, and, in this study, their antioxidant capacity increased with an increase in the EGCG concentration. The in vitro release assays showed that the BPENs were released continuously over 6 h. The Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) analysis indicated the presence of hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, and electrostatic interactions, which were the driving forces for the formation of the EGCG carrier nanoparticles. Furthermore, the transmission electron microscope (TEM) images demonstrated that the BSA/PUL-based nanoparticles (BPNs) and BPENs both exhibited regular spherical particles. In conclusion, BPENs are good delivery carriers for enhancing the stability and antioxidant activity of EGCG

Fabrication and Characterization of Chitosan–Pea Protein Isolate Nanoparticles

Chitosan (CS) and pea protein isolate (PPI) were used as raw materials to prepare nanoparticles. The structures and functional properties of the nanoparticles with three ratios (1:1, 1:2 1:3, CS:PPI) were evaluated. The particle sizes of chitosan–pea protein isolate (CS–PPI) nanoparticles with the ratios of 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3 were 802.95 ± 71.94, 807.10 ± 86.22, and 767.75 ± 110.10 nm, respectively, and there were no significant differences. Through the analysis of turbidity, endogenous fluorescence spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, the interaction between CS and PPI was mainly caused by electrostatic mutual attraction and hydrogen bonding. In terms of interface properties, the contact angles of nanoparticles with the ratio of 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3 were 119.2°, 112.3°, and 107.0°, respectively. The emulsifying activity (EAI) of the nanoparticles was related to the proportion of protein. The nanoparticle with the ratio of 1:1 had the highest potential and the best thermal stability. From the observation of their morphology by transmission electron microscopy, it could be seen that the nanoparticles with a ratio of 1:3 were the closest to spherical. This study provides a theoretical basis for the design of CS–PPI nanoparticles and their applications in promoting emulsion stabilization and the delivery of active substances using emulsions