Higher metabolic variability increases the risk of depressive disorder in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a longitudinal nationwide cohort study

Background and objectivesWhile variabilities in metabolic parameters (METv) have been linked to adverse health outcomes in type 2 DM, their association with depression is yet to be studied. This research aimed to investigate the association between METv and depressive disorder in patients with type 2 DM.MethodsThe study involved a nationwide cohort of 1,119,631 type 2 DM patients who had undergone three or more serial health examinations between 2005 and 2012. At each visit, body mass index (BMI), fasting glucose (FG), systolic blood pressure (BP), and total cholesterol (TC) were measured and stratified into quartiles, with Q4 being the highest and Q1 the lowest. The risk of depressive disorder was evaluated using Cox proportional hazard regression models, which accounted for METs in the indexes, after adjusting for sex, income status, lifestyle habits, medical comorbidities, DM severity, and baseline levels of BMI, FG, BP, and TC.ResultsDuring a mean follow-up period of 6.00 ± 2.42 years, 239,477 (21.4%) cases of type 2 DM patients developed depressive disorder. The risk of developing depressive disorder was gradually increased as the number of METv increased (HR 1.18; 95% CI 1.13, 1.23 for the group with the highest METv in all parameters compared to those with the lowest METv in all parameters). In the subgroup analysis, the risk of developing depressive disorder was 43% higher in men (HR 1.43; 95% CI 1.34, 1.51), and 31% higher in those younger than 65 years of age (HR 1.31; 95% CI 1.23, 1.39) in the group with the highest number of METv compared to the group with the lowest number of METv.ConclusionIn type 2 DM, higher METv was an independent risk factor for depressive disorder. This risk is notably elevated in men and individuals under the age of 65 years

Interfacial modification in perovskite-based tandem solar cells

Abstract With photovoltaic performance of metal halide perovskite-based solar cells skyrocketing to approximately 26% and approaching the theoretical Shockley–Queisser limit of single junction solar cells, researchers are now exploring multi-junction tandem solar cells that use perovskite materials to achieve high efficiency next-generation photovoltaics. Various types of bottom subcells, including silicon solar cells used commercially in industry, chalcogenide thin film cells, and perovskite cells, have been combined with perovskite top subcells on the strength of facile fabrication methods based on solution processes. However, owing to the nature that photovoltages of the subcells are added up and the structure containing numerous layers, interfacial issues that cause open-circuit voltage (VOC) deficit need to be handled carefully. In addition,morphological issues or process compatibility make it difficult to fabricatesolution-processed perovskite top cells. In this paper, we summarize and review the fundamentals and strategies to overcome interfacial issues in tandem solar cells for high efficiency and stability confronting this field. Graphical Abstrac

Growth Performance, Relative Meat and Organ Weights, Cecal Microflora, and Blood Characteristics in Broiler Chickens Fed Diets Containing Different Nutrient Density with or without Essential Oils

The present study was conducted to investigate whether dietary essential oils could affect growth performance, relative organ weights, cecal microflora, immune responses and blood profiles of broiler chickens fed on diets containing different nutrient densities. A total of eight hundred-forty 1-d-old male broiler chicks were randomly allotted into twenty-eight pens (7 pens per treatment, 30 chicks per pen). There were four experimental diets containing two different nutrient densities and supplemented with or without essential oils. Experimental period lasted for 35 days. No clear interaction between nutrient density and essential oils on any of growth performance-related parameters was observed. Live body weights were affected (p<0.05) by nutrient density at 21 days and by dietary essential oils at 35 days. Essential oils significantly (p<0.05) increased daily body weight gain and feed conversion ratio during the periods of 22 to 35 and 1 to 35 days, but failed to affect feed intake during the entire experimental period. Daily weight gain at 1 to 21 days and feed intake at 1 to 21 and 1 to 35 days were significantly impaired (p<0.05) by nutrient density. There were significant treatment interactions (p<0.05) on relative weights of bursa of Fabricius and abdominal fat contents. Finally, either essential oil or nutrient density did not influence the relative percentages of breast and leg meats, the population of cecal microflora, blood parameters and antibody titers against Newcastle disease and infectious bronchitis in broiler chickens. It was concluded that dietary essential oils, independent to nutrient density, failed to stimulate feed intake, but increased growth performance in broiler chickens

Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma of Chest Wall

Primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of the chest wall is rare. We report a case of primary MFH arising from the chest wall, which was thought to be a metastasis or myeloma. The imaging study revealed a single mass of the chest wall involving a rib. Resection and chest wall reconstruction was done. The histologic diagnosis was storiform-pleomorphic primary MFH. Although MFH of the chest wall is an uncommon pathology, it should be considered in the differentiation of a single bony destructive lesion involving the rib with a soft tissue component

Linguistic, visuospatial, and kinematic writing characteristics in cognitively impaired patients with beta-amyloid deposition

IntroductionBeta-amyloid (Aβ) deposition, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), begins before dementia and is an important factor in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Aβ deposition is a recognized risk factor for various cognitive impairments and has been reported to affect motor performance as well. This study aimed to identify the linguistic, visuospatial, and kinematic characteristics evident in the writing performance of patients with cognitive impairment (CI) who exhibit Aβ deposition.MethodsA total of 31 patients diagnosed with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) with Aβ deposition, 26 patients with Alzheimer’s-type dementia, and 33 healthy control (HC) participants without deposition were administered tasks involving dictation of 60 regular words, irregular words, and non-words consisting of 1–4 syllables. Responses from all participants were collected and analyzed through digitized writing tests and analysis tools.ResultsIn terms of linguistic aspects, as cognitive decline progressed, performance in the dictation of irregular words decreased, with errors observed in substituting the target grapheme with other graphemes. The aMCI group frequently exhibited corrective aspects involving letter rewriting during the task. In terms of visuospatial aspects, the AD group displayed more errors in grapheme combination compared to the HC group. Lastly, in the kinematic aspects, both the aMCI group and the AD group exhibited slower writing speeds compared to the HC group.DiscussionThe findings suggest that individuals in the CI group exhibited lower performance in word dictation tasks than those in the HC group, and these results possibly indicate complex cognitive-language-motor deficits resulting from temporal-parietal lobe damage, particularly affecting spelling processing. These results provide valuable clinical insights into understanding linguistic-visuospatial-kinematic aspects that contribute to the early diagnosis of CI with Aβ deposition

The Protective Effects of Melittin on Propionibacterium acnes–Induced Inflammatory Responses In Vitro and In Vivo

Melittin is the main component in the venom of the honey bee (Apis mellifera). It has multiple effects including antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory activities in various cell types. However, the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of melittin have not been elucidated in Propionibactierium acnes (P. acnes)–induced keratinocyte or inflammatory skin disease animal models. In this study, we examined the effects of melittin on the production of inflammatory cytokines in heat-killed P. acnes–induced HaCaT cells. Heat-killed P. acnes–treated keratinocytes increased the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and Toll-like receptor 2. However, melittin treatment significantly suppressed the expression of these cytokines through regulation of the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. Subsequently, the living P. acnes (1 × 107 CFU) were intradermally injected into the ear of mice. Living P. acnes–injected ears showed cutaneous erythema, swelling, and granulomatous response at 24 hours after injection. However, melittin-treated ears showed markedly reduced swelling and granulomatous responses compared with ears injected with only living P. acnes. These results demonstrate the feasibility of applying melittin for the prevention of inflammatory skin diseases induced by P. acnes

Marked Suppression of Ghrelin Concentration by Insulin in Prader-Willi Syndrome

The plasma ghrelin has been reported to be elevated in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and modulated by insulin. It was hypothesized that insulin might have a more pronounced effect on reducing plasma ghrelin in PWS patients, which would influence appetite. This study investigated the degree of ghrelin suppression using an euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp in children with PWS (n=6) and normal children (n=6). After a 90-min infusion of insulin, the plasma ghrelin level decreased from a basal value of 0.86±0.15 to 0.58±0.12 ng/mL in the controls, and from 2.38±0.76 to 1.12±0.29 ng/mL in children with PWS (p=0.011). The area under the curve below the baseline level over the 90 min insulin infusion was larger in children with PWS than in controls (-92.82±44.4 vs. -10.41±2.87 ng/mL/90 min) (p=0.011). The insulin sensitivity measured as the glucose infusion rate at steady state was similar in the two groups (p=0.088). The decrease in the ghrelin levels in response to insulin was more pronounced in the children with PWS than in the controls. However, the level of ghrelin was always higher in the children with PWS during the clamp study. This suggests that even though insulin sensitivity to ghrelin is well maintained, an increase in the baseline ghrelin levels is characteristic of PWS