Effective dosing of L-carnitine in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: L-carnitine supplementation has been associated with a significant reduction in all-cause mortality, ventricular arrhythmia, and angina in the setting of acute myocardial infarction (MI). However, on account of strict homeostatic regulation of plasma L-carnitine concentrations, higher doses of L-carnitine supplementation may not provide additional therapeutic benefits. This study aims to evaluate the effects of various oral maintenance dosages of L-carnitine on all-cause mortality and cardiovascular morbidities in the setting of acute MI. METHODS: After a systematic review of several major electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library) up to November 2013, a meta-analysis of five controlled trials (n = 3108) was conducted to determine the effects of L-carnitine on all-cause mortality and cardiovascular morbidities in the setting of acute MI. RESULTS: The interaction test yielded no significant differences between the effects of the four daily oral maintenance dosages of L-carnitine (i.e., 2 g, 3 g, 4 g, and 6 g) on all-cause mortality (risk ratio [RR] = 0.77, 95% CI [0.57-1.03], P = 0.08) with a statistically insignificant trend favoring the 3 g dose (RR = 0.48) over the lower 2 g dose (RR = 0.62), which was favored over the higher 4 g and 6 g doses (RR = 0.78, 0.78). There was no significant differences between the effects of the daily oral maintenance dosages of 2 g and 6 g on heart failure (RR = 0.53, 95% CI [0.25-1.13], P = 0.10), unstable angina (RR = 0.90, 95% CI [0.51-1.58], P = 0.71), or myocardial reinfarction (RR = 0.74, 95% CI [0.30-1.80], P = 0.50). CONCLUSIONS: There appears to be no significant marginal benefit in terms of all-cause mortality, heart failure, unstable angina, or myocardial reinfarction in the setting of acute MI for oral L-carnitine maintenance doses of greater or less than 3 g per day

Multi-year mapping of flood autumn irrigation extent and timing in harvested croplands of arid irrigation district

Flood irrigation after crop harvest, e.g. autumn irrigation (AI), is a common irrigation practice in arid and semi-arid regions like Hetao Irrigation District (HID) in Northwest China to increase soil moisture and leach soil salt. Detailed information about the extent, timing, and amount of AI is imperative for modeling agro-hydrological processes and irrigation management. However, little attention is given to the identification of the above AI factors. There are basically three major difficulties in estimating the annual changes in AI, including a suitable index to identify AI, temporal instability of thresholds, and an effective validation method for irrigation timing. Therefore, this study proposes a simple and effective threshold-based method to extract the extent and timing of AI in the HID using MODIS water indices at a daily timescale. The Multi-Band Water Index (MBWI) time series is first reconstructed using an adaptive weighted Savitzky-Golay filter and then used to identify the AI extent and time. The proposed model has a stronger generalization capability both in time and space due to robust thresholds selected from the Z-score normalized feature variable. The model is validated both at pixels generated by the segmentation of Sentinel-derived MBWI using a threshold-based model and at sampling points from the field survey. Results show that the model performed well with an overall accuracy of more than 90.0% for the irrigation area. The overall accuracies of irrigation timing are 76.4% and 91.7% based on the middle-to-late and whole irrigation periods, respectively. We found a decreasing trend in the AI area and a gradual delay in the starting time of AI in the HID, mainly due to changes in cropping patterns, climate, and irrigation fees. Overall, the model is promising in identifying flood irrigation extent and timing in large irrigation districts and is helpful for irrigation scheduling

Suppressing a mitochondrial calcium uniporter activates the calcium signaling pathway and promotes cell elongation in cotton

Mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) is a conserved calcium ion (Ca2+) transporter in the mitochondrial inner membrane of eukaryotic cells. How MCU proteins regulate Ca2+ flow and modulate plant cell development remain largely unclear. Here, we identified the gene GhMCU4 encoding a MCU protein that negatively regulates plant development and fiber elongation in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). GhMCU4 expressed constitutively in various tissues with the higher transcripts in elongating fiber cells. Knockdown of GhMCU4 in cotton significantly elevated the plant height and root length. The calcium signaling pathway was significantly activated and calcium sensor genes, including Ca2+ dependent modulator of interactor of constitutively active ROP (GhCMI1), calmodulin like protein (GhCML46), calcium-dependent protein kinases (GhCPKs), calcineurin B-like protein (GhCBLs), and CBL-interacting protein kinases (GhCIPKs), were dramatically upregulated in GhMCU4-silenced plants. Metabolic processes were preferentially enriched, and genes related to regulation of transcription were upregulated in GhMCU4-silenced plants. The contents of Ca2+ and H2O2 were significantly increased in roots and leaves of GhMCU4-silenced plants. Fiber length and Ca2+ and H2O2 contents in fibers were significantly increased in GhMCU4-silenced plants. This study indicated that GhMCU4 plays a negative role in regulating cell elongation in cotton, thus expanding understanding in the role of MCU proteins in plant growth and development

Dose-response association of sleep duration with anxiety symptoms in Chinese type 2 diabetes mellitus

Objectives Anxiety is a disorder with a high prevalence in T2DM, and some studies have found that sleep problems can cause anxiety. Therefore, this study explored the independent effects of night sleep duration on anxiety symptoms in T2DM patients. Research Design and Methods A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted using self-reported questionnaires and taking into account several socio-demographic, lifestyle and health related characteristics. The 1,611 participants enrolled in our study. Anxiety was assessed by the Zung self-rating anxiety scale (SAS). A multivariate logistic regression model and restricted cubic spline with anxiety symptoms as the dependent variable were fitted. Results Of the T2DM patients in this study, 891 (55.31%) were male, 720 (44.69%) were female and 207 (12.85%) had anxiety symptoms. Controlling for potential confounders and intermediates, sleep duration >8 h relative to intermediate sleep (7–8 h) was significantly associated with anxiety syndrome (OR: 1.46, 95% CI [1.06–2.02], p = 0.02) and a J-shaped association was found between sleep duration and anxiety. The prevalence of anxiety symptoms was higher in the male group (>8 h/night) compared to the female. Study participants under the age of 50 who had a shorter sleep duration had a higher prevalence of anxiety compared to those between the ages of 50 and 60. Conclusion Among Chinese T2DM patients, there is a dose-response relationship between night sleep duration and anxiety, these findings may propose important public health implications for diabetes management

Optimization of Rice-Based Double-Cropping System with Conservation Practice Mitigates Carbon Emission While Ensuring Profitability

Including green manure into a rice-based double-cropping system has effects on both crop production and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Yet, few studies have considered the trade-off between crop productivity, profitability, and carbon footprint (CF) in this cropping system of China. Thus, the impacts of different cropping regimes on crop productivity, economic benefits, carbon footprint, and net ecosystem economic budget (NEEB) were investigated. The treatments were rice–wheat (R–W), rice–rape (R–R), rice–hairy vetch (R–H), rice–barley (R–B), rice–faba bean (R–F), and rice–fallow (R). Compared to R–W treatment, planting rape (R–R), green manure (R–F, R–H), or fallow (R) in winter season tended to improve rice yield, but they were not conducive to yield stability. Treatments of R–H, R–F, and R reduced both direct and indirect GHG emission, and thus mitigated the area-scaled carbon footprint by 34.4%, 44.2%, and 49.7%, respectively, compared to R–W treatment. The economic benefits under R–R, R–B, or R system were not different from those of R–W treatment, while R–H reduced the economic benefit by 70.1%. In comparison with R–W treatment, R–H treatment reduced the NEEB, while R–F significantly increased the NEEB by USD 4065 ha−1. The present results indicate that as a measure to realize the combination of food security and environmental cost reduction, substituting leguminous crops with wheat can mitigate carbon emissions while ensuring profitability, on the premise of yield stability

Optimization of Rice-Based Double-Cropping System with Conservation Practice Mitigates Carbon Emission While Ensuring Profitability

Including green manure into a rice-based double-cropping system has effects on both crop production and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Yet, few studies have considered the trade-off between crop productivity, profitability, and carbon footprint (CF) in this cropping system of China. Thus, the impacts of different cropping regimes on crop productivity, economic benefits, carbon footprint, and net ecosystem economic budget (NEEB) were investigated. The treatments were rice–wheat (R–W), rice–rape (R–R), rice–hairy vetch (R–H), rice–barley (R–B), rice–faba bean (R–F), and rice–fallow (R). Compared to R–W treatment, planting rape (R–R), green manure (R–F, R–H), or fallow (R) in winter season tended to improve rice yield, but they were not conducive to yield stability. Treatments of R–H, R–F, and R reduced both direct and indirect GHG emission, and thus mitigated the area-scaled carbon footprint by 34.4%, 44.2%, and 49.7%, respectively, compared to R–W treatment. The economic benefits under R–R, R–B, or R system were not different from those of R–W treatment, while R–H reduced the economic benefit by 70.1%. In comparison with R–W treatment, R–H treatment reduced the NEEB, while R–F significantly increased the NEEB by USD 4065 ha−1. The present results indicate that as a measure to realize the combination of food security and environmental cost reduction, substituting leguminous crops with wheat can mitigate carbon emissions while ensuring profitability, on the premise of yield stability

Multiple dynamic Al-based floc layers on ultrafiltration membrane surfaces for humic acid and reservoir water fouling reduction

The integration of adsorbents with ultrafiltration (UF) membranes is a promising method for alleviating membrane fouling and reducing land use. However, adsorbents typically are only injected into the membrane tank once, resulting in a single dynamic protection layer and low removal efficiency over long-term operation. In addition, the granular adsorbents used can cause membrane surface damage. To overcome these disadvantages, we injected inexpensive and loose aluminum (Al)-based flocs directly into a membrane tank with bottom aeration in the presence of humic acid (HA) or raw water taken from the Miyun Reservoir (Beijing, China). Results showed that the flocs were well suspended in the membrane tank, and multiple dynamic floc protection layers were formed (sandwich-like) on the membrane surface with multiple batch injections. Higher frequency floc injections resulted in better floc utilization efficiency and less severe membrane fouling. With continuous injection, acid solutions demonstrated better performance in removing HA molecules, especially those with small molecular weight, and in alleviating membrane fouling compared with the use of high aeration rate or polyacrylamide injection. This was attributed to the small particle size, large specific surface area, and high zeta potential of the flocs. Additionally, excellent UF membrane performance was exhibited by reservoir water with continuous injection and acid solution. Based on the outstanding UF membrane performance, this innovative integrated filtration with loose Al-based flocs has great application potential for water treatment