The effects of supervised exercise training on weight control and other metabolic outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis

Few studies have investigated the dose–response relationship between exercise and weight control. This study aimed to assess the effects of different types of supervised exercise training on weight control and other metabolic outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and explore the dose–response relationship between exercise volume/duration and these outcomes. PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched for studies between January 1980 and June 2019. Randomized control trials in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with supervised exercise training versus control treatment were included. The primary outcome was changes in body weight (kg). The secondary outcomes included changes in waist circumference (cm) and total body fat percentage (%). Forty-two randomized control trials, including 3,625 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were included. Overall, exercise treatment was associated with significant reduction in body weight (weighted mean differences, −1.10 kg; 95% CI [−1.58, −0.62], p

Full-length transcriptome sequencing reveals the molecular mechanism of monoterpene and sesquiterpene biosynthesis in Cinnamomum burmannii

Essential oil of Cinnamomum burmannii is rich in monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes and is widely used in cosmetics and medicines. Knowledge about the enzymes that catalyze the formation of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes in C. burmannii is insufficient. Therefore, anatomy observation of C. burmannii at the four developmental stages (7 days, CBS1; 14 days, CBS2; 21 days, CBS3, and 28 days, CBS4) were conducted to elucidate the origins of essential oil production. Twelve full-length transcriptomes of C. burmannii leaves at the four stages were generated using Oxford Nanopore Technologies. GC-MS analysis revealed 15 monoterpene and sesquiterpenes dramatically increased from CBS1 to CBS4. A weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) in association and differentially expressed genes across four developmental stages were performed. A total of 44 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were involved in terpenoid syntheses during leaf development. Among them, the DEGs of the mevalonate acid (MVA) pathway were predominantly expressed at CBS1, while those of the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway showed increased expression from CBS2 to CBS4. Besides, fourteen genes were associated with monoterpene synthesis and nine with sesquiterpene synthesis. Functions of these DEGs were further predicted with regard to gene expression profile and phylogenetic relationship with those characterized in previous studies. In addition, 922 long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) were detected, of which twelve were predicted to regulate monoterpene and sesquiterpene biosynthesis. The present study provided new insights the molecular mechanisms of monoterpenoid and sesquiterpenoid syntheses of C. burmannii

Identification of Chemical Components in Gannan Navel Orange Pulp by UPLC-QTOF-MS Coupled with HS-SPME-GC-MS

Using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS), we separated and identified 148 non-volatile organic compounds including flavonoids, organic acids and amino acids in navel orange pulp in 37 min. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the pulp of navel oranges from four major production regions in southern Jiangxi Province, Ruijin, Xinfeng, Anyuan and Nankang were detected by headspace solid phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). In total, 97 VOCs were identified including esters, alcohols, aldehydes and terpenes. The results of this study provide detailed data for further research on chemical substances in the pulp of Gannan navel oranges

Experimental impacts of grazing on grassland biodiversity and function are explained by aridity

Grazing by domestic herbivores is the most widespread land use on the planet, and also a major global change driver in grasslands. Yet, experimental evidence on the long-term impacts of livestock grazing on biodiversity and function is largely lacking. Here, we report results from a network of 10 experimental sites from paired grazed and ungrazed grasslands across an aridity gradient, including some of the largest remaining native grasslands on the planet. We show that aridity partly explains the responses of biodiversity and multifunctionality to long-term livestock grazing. Grazing greatly reduced biodiversity and multifunctionality in steppes with higher aridity, while had no effects in steppes with relatively lower aridity. Moreover, we found that long-term grazing further changed the capacity of above- and below-ground biodiversity to explain multifunctionality. Thus, while plant diversity was positively correlated with multifunctionality across grasslands with excluded livestock, soil biodiversity was positively correlated with multifunctionality across grazed grasslands. Together, our cross-site experiment reveals that the impacts of long-term grazing on biodiversity and function depend on aridity levels, with the more arid sites experiencing more negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality. We also highlight the fundamental importance of conserving soil biodiversity for protecting multifunctionality in widespread grazed grasslands

Crosstalk-free achromatic full Stokes imaging polarimetry metasurface enabled by polarization-dependent phase optimization

Imaging polarimetry is one of the most widely used analytical technologies for object detection and analysis. To date, most metasurface-based polarimetry techniques are severely limited by narrow operating bandwidths and inevitable crosstalk, leading to detrimental effects on imaging quality and measurement accuracy. Here, we propose a crosstalk-free broadband achromatic full Stokes imaging polarimeter consisting of polarization-sensitive dielectric metalenses, implemented by the principle of polarization-dependent phase optimization. Compared with the single-polarization optimization method, the average crosstalk has been reduced over three times under incident light with arbitrary polarization ranging from 9 μm to 12 μm, which guarantees the measurement of the polarization state more precisely. The experimental results indicate that the designed polarization-sensitive metalenses can effectively eliminate the chromatic aberration with polarization selectivity and negligible crosstalk. The measured average relative errors are 7.08%, 8.62%, 7.15%, and 7.59% at 9.3, 9.6, 10.3, and 10.6 μm, respectively. Simultaneously, the broadband full polarization imaging capability of the device is also verified. This work is expected to have potential applications in wavefront detection, remote sensing, light-field imaging, and so forth

Continuously Adjustable Micro Valve Based on a Piezoelectric Actuator for High-Precision Flow Rate Control

A MEMS-based micro valve fitted with a piezoelectric actuator is presented in order to achieve a continuously adjustable flow rate control. The micro valve is realized using a cost-effective fabrication scheme with simple polyimide (PI) bonding, which has an average shear strength of up to 39.8 MPa, indicating a relatively high reliability. The simulation results based on the finite element method (FEM) show that the valve membrane is able to seal the inlet and cut off the flow successfully with a piezoelectric force of 3N when the differential pressure is 200 kPa. The measurement of the flow rate through the outlets shows that the micro valve can control the flow rate effectively in a large range under different actuation voltages and differential pressures. When the actuation voltage is 140 V, the measured leak flow of the closed micro valve is smaller than 0.5 sccm with a differential pressure of 200 kPa

Comparison of presepsin and Mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin in the diagnosis of sepsis or septic shock: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background The early diagnosis of sepsis is hampered by the lack of reliable laboratory measures. There is growing evidence that presepsin and Mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin (MR-proADM) are promising biomarkers in the diagnosis of sepsis. This study was conducted to evaluate and compare the diagnostic value of MR-proADM and presepsin in sepsis patients. Methods We searched Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, China national knowledge infrastructure, and Wanfang up to 22th July, 2022, for studies evaluating the diagnosis performance of presepsin and MR-proADM in adult sepsis patients. Risk of bias was assessed using quadas-2. Pooled sensitivity and specificity were calculated using bivariate meta-analysis. Meta-regression and subgroup analysis were used to find source of heterogeneity. Results A total of 40 studies were eventually selected for inclusion in this meta-analysis, including 33 for presepsin and seven for MR-proADM. Presepsin had a sensitivity of 0.86 (0.82–0.90), a specificity of 0.79 (0.71–0.85), and an AUC of 0.90 (0.87–0.92). The sensitivity of MR-proADM was 0.84 (0.78–0.88), specificity was 0.86 (0.79–0.91), and AUC was 0.91 (0.88–0.93). The profile of control group, population, and standard reference may be potential sources of heterogeneity. Conclusions This meta-analysis demonstrated that presepsin and MR-proADM exhibited high accuracy (AUC ≥ 0.90) in the diagnosis of sepsis in adults, with MR-proADM showing significantly higher accuracy than presepsin

The Economic Impact of Green Credit: From the Perspective of Industrial Structure and Green Total Factor Productivity

Promoting economic growth while achieving sustainable development is the original purpose of green credit. Based on panel data of 30 Chinese provinces from 2008 to 2020, we systematically evaluate the economic impact of green credit by exploring the influencing factors, regional differences, and underlying mechanisms. The results show that: (1) Green credit is more prevalent in provinces with higher foreign direct investment (FDI), research and development expenditures (R&D), financial development, urbanization rates, and lower government fiscal spending. At the regional level, green credit issuance gradually decreases as the region moves towards the west. (2) From a national perspective, green credit issuance has a significant impact on local economies. Local GDP increases by 0.482% for every 1% increase in green credit. (3) The underlying mechanisms are the rationalization of intra-industry structure and the improvement of green total factor productivity. These findings are robust against alternative measures of economic growth, quantile regression estimation, and the construction of instrumental variables. Finally, we propose policy recommendations for China’s continued implementation of green credit policies