N-(2-Chloro-2-nitro-1-phenyl­prop­yl)-4-methyl­benzene­sulfonamide

In the title compound, C16H17ClN2O4S, the dihedral angle between the phenyl and benzene rings is 19.4 (2)°. The crystal packing is stabilized by inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, as well as by intra- and inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

A New ZrCuSiAs-Type Superconductor: ThFeAsN

We report the first nitrogen-containing iron-pnictide superconductor ThFeAsN, which is synthesized by a solid-state reaction in an evacuated container. The compound crystallizes in a ZrCuSiAs-type structure with the space group P4/nmm and lattice parameters a=4.0367(1) {\AA} and c=8.5262(2) {\AA} at 300 K. The electrical resistivity and dc magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate superconductivity at 30 K for the nominally undoped ThFeAsN.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl

Maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy is associated with risk of low birth weight: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis

Background: Considerable controversy exists regarding the relation between maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy and risk of low birth weight (birth weight <2,500 g). We aim to assess this association using a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis of prospective studies. Methods: Potential articles were identified by searching MEDLINE and SCOPUS databases through 17 July 2013. Two authors independently extracted information on study design, participant characteristics and estimates of associations. Random-effects models were used to derive the summary relative risks (RRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Dose–response relationships were assessed using generalized least-squares trend estimation. Results: In our meta-analysis, we included 13 prospective studies: 9 with low birth weight as a binary outcome variable (90,747 participants and 6,303 cases) and 6 with birth weight as a continuous outcome variable (10,015 participants; 2 studies reported both types of outcomes). Compared with the reference category with no or very low caffeine intake, the RR (95% CI) of low birth weight was 1.13 (1.06 to 1.21; I2 0.0%) for low intake (50 to 149 mg/day), 1.38 (1.18 to 1.62; I2 31.9%) for moderate intake (150 to 349 mg/day), and 1.60 (1.24 to 2.08; I2 65.8%) for high intake (≥350 mg/day). In the dose–response analysis, each 100-mg/day increment in maternal caffeine intake (around one cup of coffee) was associated with 13% (RR 1.13, 1.06 to 1.21) higher risk of low birth weight. The association persisted in strata defined according to various study characteristics. Moderate (−33 g, 95% CI −63 to −4; I2 0.3%) and high (−69 g, 95% CI −102 to −35; I2 0.0%) caffeine intakes were also associated with a significantly lower birth weight as compared with the reference category. Conclusions: Higher maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of delivering low birth weight infants. These findings support recommendations to restrict caffeine intake during pregnancy to low levels. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12916-014-0174-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Serum lactate dehydrogenase activities as systems biomarkers for 48 types of human diseases

Most human diseases are systems diseases, and systems biomarkers are better fitted for diagnostic, prognostic, and treatment monitoring purposes. To search for systems biomarker candidates, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), a housekeeping protein expressed in all living cells, was investigated. To this end, we analyzed the serum LDH activities from 172,933 patients with 48 clinically defined diseases and 9528 healthy individuals. Based on the median values, we found that 46 out of 48 diseases, leading by acute myocardial infarction, had significantly increased (p  0.8) for hepatic encephalopathy and lung fibrosis

Impact of the central refractive index dip of fibers on high-power applications

Central refractive index dip is a common phenomenon in the fibers fabricated by the modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) technology, which is the main fabrication technique for high-power laser fibers. In this paper, we present a numerical analysis of the dip effect on high-power-related parameters for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. Three aspects including mode field parameter, beam quality, and bending performance are studied under different dip parameters and bending radii. It is found that the dip is possible to increase the effective mode area and the bending loss, which offers a flexible way to suppress the non-linear effects and filter the higher-order modes by optimizing the dip parameters. Besides, different from the mode area and bending loss, beam quality exhibits an interesting trend when the dip radius increases. The results could facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the dip fiber properties, which also offer guidance to evaluate and design the fiber with central refractive index dip for high-power applications

The nucleolar protein NIFK promotes cancer progression via CK1α/β-catenin in metastasis and Ki-67-dependent cell proliferation.

Nucleolar protein interacting with the FHA domain of pKi-67 (NIFK) is a Ki-67-interacting protein. However, its precise function in cancer remains largely uninvestigated. Here we show the clinical significance and metastatic mechanism of NIFK in lung cancer. NIFK expression is clinically associated with poor prognosis and metastasis. Furthermore, NIFK enhances Ki-67-dependent proliferation, and promotes migration, invasion in vitro and metastasis in vivo via downregulation of casein kinase 1α (CK1α), a suppressor of pro-metastatic TCF4/β-catenin signaling. Inversely, CK1α is upregulated upon NIFK knockdown. The silencing of CK1α expression in NIFK-silenced cells restores TCF4/β-catenin transcriptional activity, cell migration, and metastasis. Furthermore, RUNX1 is identified as a transcription factor of CSNK1A1 (CK1α) that is negatively regulated by NIFK. Our results demonstrate the prognostic value of NIFK, and suggest that NIFK is required for lung cancer progression via the RUNX1-dependent CK1α repression, which activates TCF4/β-catenin signaling in metastasis and the Ki-67-dependent regulation in cell proliferation

Y Chromosomes of 40% Chinese Are Descendants of Three Neolithic Super-grandfathers

Demographic change of human populations is one of the central questions for delving into the past of human beings. To identify major population expansions related to male lineages, we sequenced 78 East Asian Y chromosomes at 3.9 Mbp of the non-recombining region (NRY), discovered >4,000 new SNPs, and identified many new clades. The relative divergence dates can be estimated much more precisely using molecular clock. We found that all the Paleolithic divergences were binary; however, three strong star-like Neolithic expansions at ~6 kya (thousand years ago) (assuming a constant substitution rate of 1e-9/bp/year) indicates that ~40% of modern Chinese are patrilineal descendants of only three super-grandfathers at that time. This observation suggests that the main patrilineal expansion in China occurred in the Neolithic Era and might be related to the development of agriculture.Comment: 29 pages of article text including 1 article figure, 9 pages of SI text, and 2 SI figures. 5 SI tables are in a separate ancillary fil

Listen to genes : dealing with microarray data in the frequency domain

Background: We present a novel and systematic approach to analyze temporal microarray data. The approach includes normalization, clustering and network analysis of genes. Methodology: Genes are normalized using an error model based uniform normalization method aimed at identifying and estimating the sources of variations. The model minimizes the correlation among error terms across replicates. The normalized gene expressions are then clustered in terms of their power spectrum density. The method of complex Granger causality is introduced to reveal interactions between sets of genes. Complex Granger causality along with partial Granger causality is applied in both time and frequency domains to selected as well as all the genes to reveal the interesting networks of interactions. The approach is successfully applied to Arabidopsis leaf microarray data generated from 31,000 genes observed over 22 time points over 22 days. Three circuits: a circadian gene circuit, an ethylene circuit and a new global circuit showing a hierarchical structure to determine the initiators of leaf senescence are analyzed in detail. Conclusions: We use a totally data-driven approach to form biological hypothesis. Clustering using the power-spectrum analysis helps us identify genes of potential interest. Their dynamics can be captured accurately in the time and frequency domain using the methods of complex and partial Granger causality. With the rise in availability of temporal microarray data, such methods can be useful tools in uncovering the hidden biological interactions. We show our method in a step by step manner with help of toy models as well as a real biological dataset. We also analyse three distinct gene circuits of potential interest to Arabidopsis researchers

Adherence to a planetary health diet, environmental impacts, and mortality in Chinese adults

mportance Although the EAT-Lancet Commission has recently proposed a planetary health diet (PHD) to promote human and environmental health, little is known about how PHD affects environment and mortality risk among an Asian population. Objective To investigate whether a PHD score is associated with environmental impacts and mortality outcomes in a Chinese cohort living in Singapore. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study used data from the Singapore Chinese Health Study. Eligible participants were without known cardiovascular disease and cancer at baseline; they were recruited between 1993 and 1998 and followed up using record linkage data until 2020. Data were analyzed from September 2022 to April 2023. Exposures PHD score was calculated based on the reference consumption of 14 dietary components in PHD and individual energy intake assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire in this cohort. Main Outcomes and Measures Diet-related environmental impacts were estimated using a food frequency questionnaire. Mortality outcomes (all-cause, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory disease) were identified via linkage with a nationwide registry. Results A total of 57 078 participants were included in this study (mean [SD] age, 56.1 (7.9) years; 31 958 women [56.0%]). During a median (IQR) follow-up of 23.4 (18.7-26.2) years, 22 599 deaths occurred. Comparing the highest and lowest quintiles, higher PHD scores were associated with lower greenhouse gas emissions (β = −0.13 kg CO2 equivalent; 95% CI, −0.14 to −0.12 kg CO2 equivalent), but with higher total water footprint (β = 0.12 m3; 95% CI, 0.11-0.13 m3) and land use (β = 0.29 m2; 95% CI, 0.28-0.31 m2). In the adjusted multivariable model, compared with the lowest quintile, participants in the highest quintile of PHD score had lower risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 0.85; 95% CI, 0.81-0.89), cardiovascular disease mortality (HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.73-0.85), cancer mortality (HR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.86-1.00), and respiratory disease mortality (HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.74-0.89). Conclusions and Relevance In this study of Singapore Chinese adults, higher adherence to PHD was associated with reduced risk of chronic disease mortality. However, environmental impacts were uncertain, as higher adherence was associated with lower greenhouse gas emissions but higher total water footprint and land use

Seminal Plasma Metabolome in Relation to Semen Quality and Urinary Phthalate Metabolites Among Chinese Adult Men

Background: A growing body of evidence has found links between endocrine disruptor phthalates and male reproductive disorders, but the mechanisms underlying these relationships are poorly known. Seminal plasma metabolomes may mediate associations of phthalate exposure with impaired semen quality. Objective: To identify seminal plasma metabolomes associated with poor semen quality and evaluate their associations with urinary phthalate metabolites among 660 Chinese adult men. Method: The seminal plasma metabolic profiles were acquired using an untargeted approach based on liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry. We explored the differences in seminal plasma metabolites between participants with poor and good semen quality and evaluated cross-sectional associations between discriminatory metabolic biomarkers and urinary phthalate metabolites. Results: Differences between poor and good semen quality groups were observed in relation to 25 seminal plasma metabolites, mostly related to the metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and acylcarnitine (all p \u3c 0.05). After adjusting for various confounders and multiple tests, metabolites were all significantly associated with one or more individual sperm quality parameters (motility, concentration, total count, and morphology) (all p \u3c 0.05). Among identified metabolic biomarkers, seminal plasma L-palmitoylcarnitine, linoelaidyl carnitine, and oleic acid were inversely associated with urinary mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), and seminal plasma L-acetylcarnitine was inversely associated with the proportion of di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate metabolites (DEHP) excreted as MEHP in urine (%MEHP) (all p \u3c 0.05). Mediation analysis revealed that oleic acid and L-acetylcarnitine mediated significant proportions (6.7% and 17%, respectively) of the positive associations between urinary DEHP metabolites and the percentage of spermatozoa with an abnormal head. Conclusions: Elevated urinary phthalate metabolites may impact semen quality by causing metabolic disorders of seminal plasma PUFAs and acylcarnitine. These pathways warrant further investigation