Meta‐analysis of the association between sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitors and risk of skin cancer among patients with type 2 diabetes

A slight increase in melanoma risk was observed among sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 (SGLT‐2) inhibitor users in the regular reports. However, the association remains uncertain. To address this issue, we performed a systematic search of electronic databases up to May 2, 2018 and a meta‐analysis of 21 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 20 308 patients. We did not find a significant increase in risk of melanoma among SGLT‐2 inhibitor users (Peto odds ratio [OR], 2.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80‐5.89; I2, 0%). Similar results were observed in the subgroup analyses according to the type of SGLT‐2 inhibitor, type of control, ages of patients, race/ethnicity, and trial durations. For non‐melanoma skin cancer risk, no significant difference was observed when all trials were combined (Peto OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.47‐1.07; I2, 0%), while a significantly decreased risk was observed among trials with duration <52 weeks (Peto OR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.02‐0.59; I2, 0%). No evidence of publication bias was detected in the analyses. Current evidence from RCTs did not support a significantly increased risk of skin cancer associated with SGLT‐2 inhibitors

Triiodothyronine participates in odontoblast differentiation of apical papilla stem cells through regulation of ERK and p38MAPK signaling pathways

Purpose: To investigate the effect of triiodothyronine (T3) in odontoblast differentiation of apical papilla stem cells, and the mechanism of action involved. Methods: Apical unclosed permanent molars extracted from patients due to orthodontics and impaction were selected. The extracted teeth were cultured in the isolation stage of SCAP cells. The cells were exposed to different concentrations of T3. The effects of ERK and p38 MAPK signaling pathways on activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were determined. Calcium deposition was measured using a calcium determination kit, while the expression of BMP - 2 protein by T3 was determined by Western blot assay. Fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (FqPCR) method was used to determine the mRNA expression of BMP. Results: The ALP activities were significantly higher in T3 groups than in control group. Relative to control, there were marked differences in ALP activity and calcium deposition in T3 group, T3 + PD group and T3 + SB group (p &lt; 0.05). Relative to control, the mRNA and protein expressions of BMP-2 in T3 group were increased significantly (p &lt; 0.05). Conclusion: Triiodothyronine regulates the differentiation of apical papilla stem cells into dentin through ERK and p38MAPK signaling pathways. This provides the mechanism underlying odontoblast differentiation of apical papilla stem cells

Mining Site Reclamation Planning Based on Land Suitability Analysis and Ecosystem Services Evaluation: A Case Study in Liaoning Province, China

Restoration of the degraded ecosystem is a global priority for achieving sustainable development. Although increasing ecosystem service is an important goal of ecological restoration, it is rarely used to inform mine reclamation. This study proposed a reclamation strategy that incorporated land suitability analysis and ecosystem service evaluation for a mining site in Liaoning Province, China. We assessed the land suitability for three reclamation alternatives and identified suitable land uses for each location by comparing their suitability levels. For areas that were suitable for multiple land uses with the same suitability level, the future land uses cannot be identified by land suitability analysis alone, and we employed ecosystem services evaluation to determine the optimal reclamation strategy. The results showed that forest could be restored throughout the entire mining site, agricultural land were most suitable in the western and southern parts, and developed land were in northern parts that were closer to roads and city centers. Our study showed that a large mining site can be reclaimed to different land uses and provided a practical framework for integrating ecosystem services into mine reclamation

The determinants of bank liquidity: An empirical study on Chinese banks

Liquidity risk is considered to be inherent due to banks’ transformation functions. It determines a bank’s solvency and makes bank vulnerable to unexpected cash outflows. If not well managed, this risk will cause considerable loss to banks or even lead to bankruptcy. With the destructive effect of liquidity risk verified in the 2007 financial crisis, managing liquidity risk becomes one of the major tasks of worldwide commercial banks.This dissertation investigates the determinants of liquidity in Chinese banks to identify some practical ways of liquidity risk management. Particularly, intra-industry differences regarding the determinants will be examined. Throughout the whole empirical part, a quantitative method will be applied, including simple ratio analysis and panel data regression. Consequently, it is found that intra-industry differences do exist while big banks and small banks in China have different factors of liquidity. Besides, distinct from bank liquidity in other western countries, liquidity in Chinese banks shows no significant relationship with macro factors such as GDP. It is expected that these empirical results would provide some implications for banks and regulators in monitoring and controlling liquidity risk to some extent

Chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of essential oil from Wedelia prostrata

The following study deals with the chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of essential oils of Wedelia prostrata and their main constituents in vitro. A total of 70 components representing 99.26 % of the total oil were identified. The main compounds in the oil were limonene (11.38 %) and α-pinene (10.74 %). Antioxidant assays (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, superoxide anion radical, and reducing power test) demonstrate moderate activities for the essential oil and its main components (limonene and α-pinene). The essential oil (1000 μg/disc) exhibited promising antimicrobial activity against 10 strains of test microorganisms as a diameter of zones of inhibition (20.8 to 22.2 mm) and MIC values (125 to 250 μg/ml). The activities of limonene and α-pinene were also determined as main components of the oil. α-Pinene showed higher antimicrobial activity than the essential oil with a diameter of zones of inhibition (20.7 to 22.3 mm) and MIC values (62.5 to 125 μg/ml). The antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the essential oil may be attributed to the synergistic effects of its diverse major and minor components

A loss-of-function allele of OsHMA3 associated with high cadmium accumulation in shoots and grain of Japonica rice cultivars

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