Association of antioxidants use with the risk of dementia among community-dwelling adults in the United Kingdom biobank

BackgroundData regarding the association between antioxidant supplementation and incident dementia are limited.MethodsWe included 494,632 adults (54.5% females) aged 40–71 years at baseline from the United Kingdom Biobank in the final analysis. Incident dementia was ascertained using hospital inpatient and death records up to January 2021.ResultsOver a median follow-up of 11.9 years, 7,128 new cases of all-cause dementia, 2,772 cases of Alzheimer’s disease, and 1,397 cases of vascular dementia were recorded. The hazard ratio (95% CI) for incident dementia associated with zinc supplementation was 0.84 (0.74–0.96), and the association remained significant after adjusting for all confounders (0.84 (0.74–0.96)). In the full model, zinc supplementation was associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease [HR (95% CI): 0.71 (0.57–0.88)]. There was no significant association between zinc supplementation and the risk of vascular dementia. No significant associations with incident dementia were observed for other antioxidant supplementation. The association between zinc supplementation and incident dementia was significant among individuals with [HR (95% CI): 0.34 (0.15–0.77)] and without cataract [0.87 (0.77–0.99)] but it was stronger among those with cataract (p value for interaction = 0.0271).ConclusionOur findings suggest that zinc supplementation may help reduce the risk of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in middle-aged or older adults, especially among those with cataracts

Type One Protein Phosphatase 1 and Its Regulatory Protein Inhibitor 2 Negatively Regulate ABA Signaling

The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) regulates plant growth, development and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. The core ABA signaling pathway consists of three major components: ABA receptor (PYR1/PYLs), type 2C Protein Phosphatase (PP2C) and SNF1-related protein kinase 2 (SnRK2). Nevertheless, the complexity of ABA signaling remains to be explored. To uncover new components of ABA signal transduction pathways, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screen for SnRK2-interacting proteins. We found that Type One Protein Phosphatase 1 (TOPP1) and its regulatory protein, At Inhibitor-2 (AtI-2), physically interact with SnRK2s and also with PYLs. TOPP1 inhibited the kinase activity of SnRK2.6, and this inhibition could be enhanced by AtI-2. Transactivation assays showed that TOPP1 and AtI-2 negatively regulated the SnRK2.2/3/6-mediated activation of the ABA responsive reporter gene RD29B, supporting a negative role of TOPP1 and AtI-2 in ABA signaling. Consistent with these findings, topp1 and ati-2 mutant plants displayed hypersensitivities to ABA and salt treatments, and transcriptome analysis of TOPP1 and AtI-2 knockout plants revealed an increased expression of multiple ABA-responsive genes in the mutants. Taken together, our results uncover TOPP1 and AtI-2 as negative regulators of ABA signaling. © 2016 Hou et al

Regional Geological Survey of Hanggai, Xianxia and Chuancun, Zhejiang Province in China

This Open Access book introduces readers to the regional geology of Hanggai, Xianxia and Chuancun, the area between China's northern Zhejiang Province and southern Anhui Province and explores the strata, magmatic rocks and tectonic structures in 1:50,000 scale geological maps. Based on studies of multiple stratigraphic divisions, the standard stratigraphic section of the upper Ordovician Hirnantian in the lower Yangtze region is established, revealing for the first time numerous “Burgess Shale-type” sponge fossils in Hirnantian strata and identifying 10 grapholite fossil belts and various fossil categories, including chitin, trilobites, gastropods, brachiopods, and cephalopods. Moreover, the book identifies for the first time Late Ordovician volcanic events in northern Zhejiang province. The work represents a major contribution to research on Paleozoic strata in the Lower Yangtze region, and sheds new light on understanding the Hirnantian glacial event and biological extinction event in South China by providing a high-precision time scale. In addition, the book opens an important avenue for future research on sponge evolution after the Cambrian life explosion. As such, it offers a unique and valuable asset for researchers and graduate students alike

High blood pressure and intraocular pressure: a Mendelian randomization study

Purpose: To test for causality with regard to the association between blood pressure (BP) and intraocular pressure (IOP) and glaucoma. Methods: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with BP were identified in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis of 526,001 participants of European ancestry. These SNPs were used to assess the BP versus IOP relationship in a distinct sample (n = 70,832) whose corneal-compensated IOP (IOPcc) was measured. To evaluate the BP versus primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) relationship, additional Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were conducted using published GWAS summary statistics. Results: Observational analysis revealed a linear relationship between BP traits and IOPcc, with a +0.28 mm Hg increase in IOPcc per 10-mm Hg increase in systolic BP (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.26–0.29); for diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and pulse pressure (PP), these estimates were +0.41 mm Hg and +0.36 mm Hg, respectively. An inverse-variance weighted MR analysis did not support a causal relationship, as the estimated causal effect was +0.01 mm Hg IOPcc per 10-mm Hg increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP); +0.13 mm Hg IOPcc per 10-mm Hg increase in DBP; and +0.02 mm Hg IOPcc per 10-mm Hg increase in PP (all P > 0.05). With regard to the risk of POAG, MR analyse yielded causal effect estimate of odds ratio = 0.98 (95% CI, 0.92–1.04) per 10-mm Hg increase in SBP. Neither DBP nor PP demonstrated evidence of a causal effect on POAG. Conclusions: A range of different MR analysis methods provided evidence, in general, that the causal effect of BP on IOP (and POAG) was modest, or even zero. However, interpretation was complicated by SNPs associated with BP potentially having pleiotropic effects on IOP

Highlights from the 2019 International Myopia Summit on 'controversies in myopia'.

Myopia is an emerging public health issue with potentially significant economic and social impact, especially in East Asia. However, many uncertainties about myopia and its clinical management remain. The International Myopia Summit workgroup was convened by the Singapore Eye Research Institute, the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness in 2019. The aim of this workgroup was to summarise available evidence, identify gaps or unmet needs and provide consensus on future directions for clinical research in myopia. In this review, among the many 'controversies in myopia' discussed, we highlight three main areas of consensus. First, development of interventions for the prevention of axial elongation and pathologic myopia is needed, which may require a multifaceted approach targeting the Bruch's membrane, choroid and/or sclera. Second, clinical myopia management requires co-operation between optometrists and ophthalmologists to provide patients with holistic care and a tailored approach that balances risks and benefits of treatment by using optical and pharmacological interventions. Third, current diagnostic technologies to detect myopic complications may be improved through collaboration between clinicians, researchers and industry. There is an unmet need to develop new imaging modalities for both structural and functional analyses and to establish normative databases for myopic eyes. In conclusion, the workgroup's call to action advocated for a paradigm shift towards a collaborative approach in the holistic clinical management of myopia

Community Compensatory Trend Prevails from Tropical to Temperate Forest

Community compensatory trend (CCT) is thought to facilitate persistence of rare species and thus stabilize species composition in tropical forests. However, whether CCT acts over broad geographical ranges is still in question. In this study, we tested for the presence of negative density dependence (NDD) and CCT in three forests along a tropical-temperate gradient. Inventory data were collected from forest communities located in three different latitudinal zones in China. Two widely used methods were used to test for NDD at the community level. The first method considered relationships between the relative abundance ratio and adult abundance. The second method emphasized the effect of adult abundance on abundance of established younger trees. Evidence for NDD acting on different growth forms was tested by using the first method, and the presence of CCT was tested by checking whether adult abundance of rare species affected that of established younger trees less than did abundance of common species. Both analyses indicated that NDD existed in seedling, sapling and pole stages in all three plant communities and that this effect increased with latitude. However, the extent of NDD varied among understory, midstory and canopy trees in the three communities along the gradient. Additionally, despite evidence of NDD for almost all common species, only a portion of rare species showed NDD, supporting the action of CCT in all three communities. So, we conclude that NDD and CCT prevail in the three recruitment stages of the tree communities studied; rare species achieve relative advantage through CCT and thus persist in these communities; CCT clearly facilitates newly established species and maintains tree diversity within communities across our latitudinal gradient

Determination of 4-vinylgaiacol and 4-vinylphenol in top-fermented wheat beers by isocratic high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detector

This work aimed at determining 4-vinylguaiacol and 4-vinylphenol in the top-fermented wheat beers using different wavelength and the mobile phase for HPLC. Best results for isocratic elution were obtained at 260 nm and the mobile phase comprising methanol/ultrapure water/phosphoric acid (400/590/10, V/V). Under these conditions, the retention time of 4-vinylguaiacol and 4-vinylphenol was 25 and 27min, respectively