IL-33 at the Crossroads of Metabolic Disorders and Immunity

As a cytokine in interleukin-1(IL-1) family, interleukin-33(IL-33) usually exists in the cytoplasm and cell nucleus. When the cells are activated or damaged, IL-33 can be secreted into extracellular and regulate the functions of various immune cells through binding to its specific receptor suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (ST2). Except regulating the function of immune cells including T cells, B cells, dendritic cells (DCs), macrophages, mast cells, and innate lymphoid cells, IL-33 also plays an important role in metabolic diseases and has received an increasing attention. This review summarizes the regulation of IL-33 on different immune cells in lipid metabolism, which will help to understand the pathology of abnormal lipid metabolic diseases, such as atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes

An economic evaluation of a primary care-based technology-enabled intervention for stroke secondary prevention and management in rural China : a study protocol

Introduction: Secondary prevention of stroke is a leading challenge globally and only a few strategies have been tested to be effective in supporting stroke survivors. The system-integrated and technology-enabled model of care (SINEMA) intervention, a primary care-based and technology-enabled model of care, has been proven effective in strengthening the secondary prevention of stroke in rural China. The aim of this protocol is to outline the methods for the cost-effectiveness evaluation of the SINEMA intervention to better understand its potential economic benefits. Methods: The economic evaluation will be a nested study based on the SINEMA trial; a cluster-randomized controlled trial implemented in 50 villages in rural China. The effectiveness of the intervention will be estimated using quality-adjusted life years for the cost-utility analysis and reduction in systolic blood pressure for the cost-effectiveness analysis. Health resource and service use and program costs will be identified, measured, and valued at the individual level based on medication use, hospital visits, and inpatients' records. The economic evaluation will be conducted from the perspective of the healthcare system. Conclusion: The economic evaluation will be used to establish the value of the SINEMA intervention in the Chinese rural setting, which has great potential to be adapted and implemented in other resource-limited settings

Dynamic alterations in the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation in patients with cerebral small vessel disease

Background and purposePrevious studies have focused on the changes of dynamic and static functional connections in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). However, the dynamic characteristics of local brain activity are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the dynamic cerebral activity changes in patients with CSVD using the dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (d-ALFF).MethodsA total of 104 CSVD patients with cognitive impairment (CSVD-CI, n = 52) or normal cognition (CSVD-NC, n = 52) and 63 matched healthy controls (HCs) were included in this study. Every participant underwent magnetic resonance imaging scans and a battery of neuropsychological examinations. The dynamics of spontaneous brain activity were assessed using dynamic changes in the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) with the sliding-window method. We used voxel-wise one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare dynamic ALFF variability among the three groups. Post-hoc t-tests were used to evaluate differences between each group pair. Finally, the brain regions with d-ALFF values with differences between CSVD subgroups were taken as regions of interest (ROI), and the d-ALFF values corresponding to the ROI were extracted for partial correlation analysis with memory.Results(1) There was no significant difference in age (p = 0.120), sex (p = 0.673) and education (p = 0.067) among CSVD-CI, CSVD-NC and HC groups, but there were significant differences Prevalence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus among the three groups (p < 10−3). There were significant differences in scores of several neuropsychological scales among the three groups (p < 10−3). (2) ANOVA and post-hoc t-test showed that there were dynamic abnormalities of spontaneous activity in several brain regions in three groups, mainly located in bilateral parahippocampal gyrus and bilateral hippocampus, bilateral insular and frontal lobes, and the static activity abnormalities in bilateral parahippocampal gyrus and bilateral hippocampal regions were observed at the same time, suggesting that bilateral parahippocampal gyrus and bilateral hippocampus may be the key brain regions for cognitive impairment caused by CSVD. (3) The correlation showed that d-ALFF in the bilateral insular was slightly correlated with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score and disease progression rate. The d-ALFF value of the left postcentral gyrus was negatively correlated with the Clock Drawing Test (CDT) score (r = −0.416, p = 0.004), and the d-ALFF value of the right postcentral gyrus was negatively correlated with the Rey’s Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) word recognition (r = −0.320, p = 0.028).ConclusionThere is a wide range of dynamic abnormalities of spontaneous brain activity in patients with CSVD, in which the abnormalities of this activity in specific brain regions are related to memory and execution or emotion

Synthesis and characterization of high entropy (TiVNbTaM)2AlC (M = Zr, Hf) ceramics

The high-entropy design of MAX phases is expected to confer superior properties, but its study was hindered by the complex synthesis method and limited purity of samples. In this work, two noteworthy types of high-entropy MAX phase structural ceramics, high-entropy (TiVNbTaM)2AlC (M = Zr, Hf), were designed and prepared by the in-situ synthesis using spark plasma sintering (SPS). The microstructure and lattice parameters of sintered samples were determined. Compared with the single-component MAX phases, the highly pure high-entropy (TiVNbTaZr)2AlC sample had good physical and mechanical properties, including electrical conductivity of 0.96×106 Ω−1·m−1, thermal expansion coefficient of 3.65×10−6 K−1, thermal conductivity of 8.98 W·m−1·K−1, Vickers hardness of 9.80 GPa, flexural strength of 507 MPa, fracture toughness of 5.62 MPa·m1/2, and compressive strength of 1364 MPa, which exhibited the remarkable hardening-strengthening effect

Non-invasive quantification of brain glycogen absolute concentration

The only currently available method to measure brain glycogen in vivo is C-13 NMR spectroscopy. Incorporation of C-13-labeled glucose (Glc) is necessary to allow glycogen measurement, but might be affected by turnover changes. Our aim was to measure glycogen absolute concentration in the rat brain by eliminating label turnover as variable. The approach is based on establishing an increased, constant C-13 isotopic enrichment (IE). C-13-Glc infusion is then performed at the IE of brain glycogen. As glycogen IE cannot be assessed in vivo, we validated that it can be inferred from that of N-acetyl-aspartate IE in vivo: After [1-C-13]-Glc ingestion, glycogen IE was 2.2 +/- 0.1 fold that of N-acetyl-aspartate (n = 11, R-2 = 0.77). After subsequent Glc infusion, glycogen IE equaled brain Glc IE ( n = 6, paired t-test, p = 0.37), implying isotopic steady-state achievement and complete turnover of the glycogen molecule. Glycogen concentration measured in vivo by C-13 NMR (mean +/- SD: 5.8 +/- 0.7 mu mol/g) was in excellent agreement with that in vitro (6.4 +/- 0.6 mu mol/g, n = 5). When insulin was administered, the stability of glycogen concentration was analogous to previous biochemical measurements implying that glycogen turnover is activated by insulin. We conclude that the entire glycogen molecule is turned over and that insulin activates glycogen turnover

Modified local soil (MLS) technology for harmful algal bloom control, sediment remediation, and ecological restoration

Harmful algal blooms (HABs), eutrophication, and internal pollutant sources from sediment, represent serious problems for public health, water quality, and ecological restoration worldwide. Previous studies have indicated that Modified Local Soil (MLS) technology is an efficient and cost-effective method to flocculate the HABs from water and settle them onto sediment. Additionally, MLS capping treatment can reduce the resuspension of algae flocs from the sediment, and convert the algal cells, along with any excessive nutrients in-situ into fertilisers for the restoration of submerged macrophytes in shallow water systems. Furthermore, the capping treatment using oxygen nanobubble-MLS materials can also mitigate sediment anoxia, causing a reduction in the release of internal pollutants, such as nutrients and greenhouse gases. This paper reviews and quantifies the main features of MLS by investigating the effect of MLS treatment in five pilot-scale whole-pond field experiments carried out in Lake Tai, South China, and in Cetian Reservoir in Datong city, North China. Data obtained from field monitoring showed that the algae-dominated waters transform into a macrophyte-dominated state within four months of MLS treatment in shallow water systems. The sediment-water nutrient fluxes were substantially reduced, whilst water quality (TN, TP, and transparency) and biodiversity were significantly improved in the treatment ponds, compared to the control ponds within a duration ranging from one day to three years. The sediment anoxia remediation effect by oxygen nanobubble-MLS treatment may further contribute to deep water hypoxia remediation and eutrophication control. Combined with the integrated management of external loads control, MLS technology can provide an environmentally friendly geo-engineering method to accelerate ecological restoration and control eutrophication