The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is associated with mild cognitive impairment in community-dwelling older women aged over 70 years: a population-based cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a marker of inflammation that can be obtained quickly, conveniently, and cheaply from blood samples. However, there is no research to explore the effects of sex and age on the relationship between the NLR and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in community-dwelling older adults.MethodsA total of 3,169 individuals aged over 60 years in Shanghai were recruited for face-to-face interviews, and blood samples were collected. MCI was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scale, and neutrophil count and lymphocyte counts were measured in fasting blood samples. The NLR was calculated by dividing the absolute neutrophil count by the absolute lymphocyte count.ResultsIn females, the NLR in the MCI group was significantly higher than that in the cognitively normal group (2.13 ± 0.94 vs. 1.85 ± 0.83, p < 0.001) but not in men. Logistic regression showed that a higher NLR was an independent risk factor for MCI in women [odds ratio (OR) = 1.28; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.09–1.49]. In addition, the elevated NLR quartile was associated with an increased risk of MCI, especially in women older than 70 years (p-value for trend = 0.011).ConclusionCompared with males, female MCI patients had a significantly higher NLR than cognitively normal controls. In addition, elevated NLR was found to be significantly associated with MCI risk in women older than 70 years. Therefore, elderly Chinese women with a higher NLR value may be the target population for effective prevention of MCI

Quasi-Mono-Energetic Electron Beams from a Laser–Driven Argon Clustered Gas Target for Radiation Medicine

Purpose: To propose a promising alternative for conventional accelerators forhigh energy electron radiation therapy by generating quasi-mono-energeticelectron beams.Methods: Electron beams with energy up to hundred MeV, 1.8% energy spread,125 pC charges and a few mrad divergences have been achieved from a 3-mmlongclustered gas plasma, driven by laser pulse with peak power up to 100 TW.Optimization of experimental parameters, such as laser contrast and laser-plasmainteraction timing leads to stable laser propagation and high-quality electronbeams.Results: Clustered gas, in addition to the self-focusing effect, owns two importantfeatures: local solid electron density and efficient absorption of ultra-short laserpulses. Therefore, high ionization levels and high electron densities could generatehigh-charge energetic electron beams. Our experiment has verified that clustersin the gas jet influence the laser propagation and Wakefield evolution, producingstable laser guiding and good quality electron beams.Conclusion: The results demonstrated that the laser-driven clustered gas targetprovides a unique method for electron injection and has great potential ingenerating mono-energetic collimated electron beams with large beam charge.Stable and reproducible mono-energetic electron beams with sufficient electronintensities are required in medical applications, e.g., radiotherapy. Manyengineering issues remain to be solved before clinical application, but laseracceleratedelectron beams present a promising scheme for future radiationtherapy

Data set for Wide-field Fourier magnetic imaging with electron spins in diamond：research data

Purpose of the datasetThis is an experimental dataset in support of the study titled "Wide-field Fourier magnetic imaging with electron spins in diamond". This is an experimental dataset to support the study entitled "Wide-field Fourier magnetic imaging with electron spins in diamond". For the images that appear in the article, the original experimental data can be obtained from this dataset. The data for each image is saved in a separate folder in .mat format, and the data analysis code is provided in the dataset in .m file format. To obtain the images in the article, the .m file can be opened with matlab software and run directly.AbstractWide-field magnetic imaging based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond has been shown the applicability in material and biological science. However, the spatial resolution is limited by the optical diffraction limit (>200 nm) due to the optical real-space localization and readout of NV centers. Here, we report the wide-field Fourier magnetic imaging technique to improve spatial resolution beyond the optical diffraction limit while maintaining the large field of view. Our method relies on widefield pulsed magnetic field gradient encoding of NV spins and Fourier transform under pixel-dependent spatial filters. We have improved spatial resolution by a factor of 20 compared to the optical resolution and demonstrated the wide-field super-resolution magnetic imaging of a gradient magnetic field. This technique paves a way for efficient magnetic imaging of large-scale fine structures at the nanoscale.</p

Discovery of Selective P2Y₆R Antagonists with High Affinity and <i>In Vivo</i> Efficacy for Inflammatory Disease Therapy

As a member of purinoceptors, the P2Y6 receptor (P2Y6R) plays a crucial role in modulating immune signals and has been considered as a potential therapeutic target for inflammatory diseases. On the basis of the speculated probable conformation and binding determinants of P2Y6R, a hierarchical strategy that combines virtual screening, bioassays, and chemical optimization was presented. A potent P2Y6R antagonist (compound 50) was identified to possess excellent antagonistic activity (IC50 = 5.914 nM) and high selectivity. In addition, binding assays and chemical pull-down experiments confirmed that compound 50 was nicely bound to P2Y6R. Notably, compound 50 could effectively ameliorate DSS-induced ulcerative colitis in mice through inhibiting the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in colon tissues. Moreover, treatment with compound 50 reduced LPS-induced pulmonary edema and infiltration of inflammatory cells in mice. These findings suggest that compound 50 could serve as a specific P2Y6R antagonist for treating inflammatory diseases and deserve further optimization studies

Supplementary data for: "Association between AGEs and sarcopenia among community-dwelling older adults in China: The mediating role of osteoporosis"

Background: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are a group of molecules formed through non-enzymatic reactions. These compounds are associated to several age-related diseases, including sarcopenia and osteoporosis. Objective: To investigate the relationships between AGEs, osteoporosis, and sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults in China.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1991 older adults aged ≥ 65 years from Shanghai, China. AGE levels were measured by AGE ReaderTM device. Bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and osteoporosis was diagnosed based on a T score less than -2.5. Sarcopenia was defined as a loss of muscle mass plus loss of muscle strength and/or reduced physical performance. Presarcopenia was defined as a low muscle mass with normal muscle strength and normal physical performance. The ‘RMediation’ package and Iacobacci's method were utilized to assess the mediation effect. Results: Among the 1991 participants (854 men) with a mean age of 72.37 ± 5.90 years, the prevalence of sarcopenia was 18.5% (n=368), and that of osteoporosis was 40.5% (n=807). The mean AGE value was 1.67±0.44 arbitrary units (AU). Compared to the lowest AGEs quartile (Q1), the highest AGE quartile (Q4) showed a significant association with sarcopenia (OR 2.42, 95% CI [1.60, 3.66]) (P for trend a*Zb=18.81, 95% CI [8.07, 32.32]—the 95% CI does not contain zero, representing a significant mediating effect) or a categorical variable (the size of the mediating effect is expressed as Zmediation=3.01>1.96, which represents a significant mediating effect ), osteoporosis played a partial mediating role in the association between AGEs and sarcopenia. Conclusions: This study revealed an association between AGEs and sarcopenia, but not presarcopenia, among community-dwelling older adults in China. Osteoporosis was identified as a mediating factor in the link between AGEs and sarcopenia.</p

Discovery of Selective P2Y₆R Antagonists with High Affinity and <i>In Vivo</i> Efficacy for Inflammatory Disease Therapy

As a member of purinoceptors, the P2Y6 receptor (P2Y6R) plays a crucial role in modulating immune signals and has been considered as a potential therapeutic target for inflammatory diseases. On the basis of the speculated probable conformation and binding determinants of P2Y6R, a hierarchical strategy that combines virtual screening, bioassays, and chemical optimization was presented. A potent P2Y6R antagonist (compound 50) was identified to possess excellent antagonistic activity (IC50 = 5.914 nM) and high selectivity. In addition, binding assays and chemical pull-down experiments confirmed that compound 50 was nicely bound to P2Y6R. Notably, compound 50 could effectively ameliorate DSS-induced ulcerative colitis in mice through inhibiting the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in colon tissues. Moreover, treatment with compound 50 reduced LPS-induced pulmonary edema and infiltration of inflammatory cells in mice. These findings suggest that compound 50 could serve as a specific P2Y6R antagonist for treating inflammatory diseases and deserve further optimization studies

Discovery of Selective P2Y₆R Antagonists with High Affinity and <i>In Vivo</i> Efficacy for Inflammatory Disease Therapy

As a member of purinoceptors, the P2Y6 receptor (P2Y6R) plays a crucial role in modulating immune signals and has been considered as a potential therapeutic target for inflammatory diseases. On the basis of the speculated probable conformation and binding determinants of P2Y6R, a hierarchical strategy that combines virtual screening, bioassays, and chemical optimization was presented. A potent P2Y6R antagonist (compound 50) was identified to possess excellent antagonistic activity (IC50 = 5.914 nM) and high selectivity. In addition, binding assays and chemical pull-down experiments confirmed that compound 50 was nicely bound to P2Y6R. Notably, compound 50 could effectively ameliorate DSS-induced ulcerative colitis in mice through inhibiting the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in colon tissues. Moreover, treatment with compound 50 reduced LPS-induced pulmonary edema and infiltration of inflammatory cells in mice. These findings suggest that compound 50 could serve as a specific P2Y6R antagonist for treating inflammatory diseases and deserve further optimization studies