Non-Foster Impedance Wideband Matching Technique for Electrically Small Active Antenna

This paper investigates a non-Foster wideband circuit matching technique for an electrically small antenna (ESA). By introducing a negative impedance convertor into an active network, the active network can obtain an equivalent input gain at input port to improve gain, sensitivity and output ratio of signal to noise. In addition, it also increases the effective height of active antenna. The experimental results have verified the proposed method by using a 100 KHz-30 MHz wideband active receiving monopole antenna

Pea albumin extracted from pea (Pisum sativum L.) seed protects mice from high fat diet-induced obesity by modulating lipid metabolism and gut microbiota

Plant protein has been reported to play a key role in the prevention of obesity and associated complications. It is unknown whether pea albumin may exert anit-obesity and obesity-associated metabolic disorders alleviation. Pea albumin was isolated from pea seed (Pisum sativum L.) and determined its functional role for anti-obesity and metabolic disorders alleviation in high fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. Pea albumin administration reduced body weight gain, improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, reduced inflammatory cytokines secretion, and alleviated hepatic steatosis in HFD-fed mice. Interestingly, pea albumin inhibited lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells in vitro and modulated lipid metabolism by upregulating critical proteins implicated in lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation, and downregulating lipogenesis in vivo. Moreover, pea albumin restored gut microbial composition to normal fat diet condition and selectively promoted the growth of beneficial gut bacteria (Akkermansia, Parabacteroides etc.). Collectively, the data demonstrated that pea albumin protects mice from HFD-induced obesity and associated metabolic disorders

Six macrophage-associated genes in synovium constitute a novel diagnostic signature for osteoarthritis

BackgroundSynovial macrophages play important roles in the formation and progression of osteoarthritis (OA). This study aimed to explore the biological and clinical significance of macrophage-associated genes (MAGs) in OA.MethodsThe OA synovial gene expression profiles GSE89408 and GSE82107 were obtained from the GEO database. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) and GSEA were employed to decipher differences in immune infiltration and macrophage-associated biological pathways, respectively. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis and machine learning were utilized to establish a macrophage-associated gene diagnostic signature (MAGDS). RT-qPCR was performed to test the expression of key MAGs in murine models.ResultsOA synovium presented high levels of immune infiltration and activation of macrophage-associated biological pathways. A total of 55 differentially expressed MAGs were identified. Using PPI analysis and machine learning, a MAGDS consisting of IL1B, C5AR1, FCGR2B, IL10, IL6, and TYROBP was established for OA diagnosis (AUC = 0.910) and molecular pathological evaluation. Patients with high MAGDS scores may possess higher levels of immune infiltration and expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), implying poor biological alterations. The diagnostic value of MAGDS was also validated in an external cohort (AUC = 0.886). The expression of key MAGs was validated in a murine model using RT-qPCR. Additionally, a competitive endogenous RNA network was constructed to reveal the potential posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms.ConclusionsWe developed and validated a MAGDS model with the ability to accurately diagnose and characterize biological alterations in OA. The six key MAGs may also be latent targets for immunoregulatory therapy

National trends in total cholesterol obscure heterogeneous changes in HDL and non-HDL cholesterol and total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio : a pooled analysis of 458 population-based studies in Asian and Western countries

Background: Although high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and non-HDL cholesterol have opposite associations with coronary heart disease, multi-country reports of lipid trends only use total cholesterol (TC). Our aim was to compare trends in total, HDL and nonHDL cholesterol and the total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio in Asian and Western countries. Methods: We pooled 458 population-based studies with 82.1 million participants in 23 Asian and Western countries. We estimated changes in mean total, HDL and non-HDL cholesterol and mean total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio by country, sex and age group. Results: Since similar to 1980, mean TC increased in Asian countries. In Japan and South Korea, the TC rise was due to rising HDL cholesterol, which increased by up to 0.17 mmol/L per decade in Japanese women; in China, it was due to rising non-HDL cholesterol. TC declined in Western countries, except in Polish men. The decline was largest in Finland and Norway, at similar to 0.4 mmol/L per decade. The decline in TC in most Western countries was the net effect of an increase in HDL cholesterol and a decline in non-HDL cholesterol, with the HDL cholesterol increase largest in New Zealand and Switzerland. Mean total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio declined in Japan, South Korea and most Western countries, by as much as similar to 0.7 per decade in Swiss men (equivalent to similar to 26% decline in coronary heart disease risk per decade). The ratio increased in China. Conclusions: HDL cholesterol has risen and the total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio has declined in many Western countries, Japan and South Korea, with only a weak correlation with changes in TC or non-HDL cholesterol.Peer reviewe

Contributions of mean and shape of blood pressure distribution to worldwide trends and variations in raised blood pressure: A pooled analysis of 1018 population-based measurement studies with 88.6 million participants

© The Author(s) 2018. Background: Change in the prevalence of raised blood pressure could be due to both shifts in the entire distribution of blood pressure (representing the combined effects of public health interventions and secular trends) and changes in its high-blood-pressure tail (representing successful clinical interventions to control blood pressure in the hypertensive population). Our aim was to quantify the contributions of these two phenomena to the worldwide trends in the prevalence of raised blood pressure. Methods: We pooled 1018 population-based studies with blood pressure measurements on 88.6 million participants from 1985 to 2016. We first calculated mean systolic blood pressure (SBP), mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and prevalence of raised blood pressure by sex and 10-year age group from 20-29 years to 70-79 years in each study, taking into account complex survey design and survey sample weights, where relevant. We used a linear mixed effect model to quantify the association between (probittransformed) prevalence of raised blood pressure and age-group- and sex-specific mean blood pressure. We calculated the contributions of change in mean SBP and DBP, and of change in the prevalence-mean association, to the change in prevalence of raised blood pressure. Results: In 2005-16, at the same level of population mean SBP and DBP, men and women in South Asia and in Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa would have the highest prevalence of raised blood pressure, and men and women in the highincome Asia Pacific and high-income Western regions would have the lowest. In most region-sex-age groups where the prevalence of raised blood pressure declined, one half or more of the decline was due to the decline in mean blood pressure. Where prevalence of raised blood pressure has increased, the change was entirely driven by increasing mean blood pressure, offset partly by the change in the prevalence-mean association. Conclusions: Change in mean blood pressure is the main driver of the worldwide change in the prevalence of raised blood pressure, but change in the high-blood-pressure tail of the distribution has also contributed to the change in prevalence, especially in older age groups