Gender-specific association of decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate and left vertical geometry in the general population from rural Northeast China

Abstract Background Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is common and associated with cardiovascular outcomes among patients with known chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the link between decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and left ventricular (LV) geometry remains poorly explored in general population. In this study, we examined the gender-specific association between eGFR and LVH in the general population from rural Northeast China. Methods This survey was conducted from July 2012 to August 2013. A total of 10907 participants (5,013 men and 5,894 women) from the rural Northeast China were randomly selected and examined. LV mass index (LVMI) was used to define LVH (LVMI\u2009>\u200946.7\ua0g/m 2.7 in women; > 49.2\ua0g/m 2.7 in men). LV geometry was defined as normal, or with concentric remodeling, eccentric or concentric hypertrophy, according to relative wall thickness (RWT) and LVMI. Mildly decreased eGFR was defined as eGFR\u2009\u2265\u200960 and\u2009<\u200990\ua0ml/min/1.73\ua0m 2 , and moderate-severely decreased eGFR was defined as eGFR\u2009<\u200960\ua0ml/min/1.73\ua0m 2 . Results As eGFR decreased, LVH showed a gradual increase in the entire study population. Multivariate analysis revealed a gender-specific relationship between eGFR and LV geometry. Only in men, mildly decreased eGFR was associated with concentric remodeling [odds ratio (OR): =1.58; 95% CI: 1.14\u20132.20; P \u2009<\u20090.01] and concentric LVH OR \u2009=\u20091.63; 95% CI: 1.15\u20132.31; P \u2009<\u20090.01). And only in men, moderate-severely decreased eGFR was a risk factor for concentric LVH ( OR \u2009=\u20094.56; 95% CI: 2.14\u20139.73; P \u2009<\u20090.001) after adjusting for confounding factors. Conclusions These findings suggested that decreased eGFR was a risk factor for LV geometry in men, and a gender-specific difference should be taken into account in clinical practice

Spatial variations in soil-water carrying capacity of three typical revegetation species on the Loess Plateau, China

Re-vegetation is a necessary control measure of soil erosion in the Loess Plateau. However, excessive re-vegetation can aggravate soil water shortage, which can in turn threaten the health and services of restored ecosystems. An optimal plant cover or biomass (i.e., soil-water carrying capacity for vegetation, SWCCV) is important for regional water balance, soil protection and vegetation sustainability. The objective of this study was to determine the spatial distribution of SWCCV for three non-native tree (Robinia pseudoacaia), shrub (Caragana korshinskii) and grass (Medicago sativa) species used in the re-vegetation of the Loess Plateau. The dynamics of actual evapotranspiration (AET), net primary productivity (NPP) and leaf area index (LAI) were simulated using a modified Biome-BGC (Bio-Geochemical Cycles) model. Soil and physiological parameters required by the model were validated using field-observed AET for the three plant species at six sites in the study area. The validated model was used to simulate the dynamics of AET, NPP and LAI for the three plant species at 243 representative sites in the study area for the period 1961–2014. The results show that spatial distributions of mean AET, NPP and LAI generally increased from northwest to southeast, much the same as mean annual precipitation (MAP) gradient. In terms of maximum LAI, the ranges of optimal plant cover were 1.1–3.5 for R. pseudoacaia, 1.0–2.4 for C. korshinskii and 0.7–3.0 for M. sativa. The corresponding SWCCV, expressed as NPP were 202.4–616.5, 83.7–201.7 and 56.3–253.0 g C m−2 yr−1. MAP, mean annual temperature, soil texture and elevation were the main variables driving SWCCV under the plant species; explaining over 86% of the spatial variations in mean NPP in the study area. Further re-vegetation therefore needs careful reconsideration under the prevailing climatic, soil and topographic conditions. The results of the study provide a re-vegetation threshold to guide future re-vegetation activities and to ensure a sustainable eco-hydrological environment in the Loess Plateau

Case report: Novel ETFDH compound heterozygous mutations identified in a patient with late-onset glutaric aciduria type II

Glutaric aciduria type II (GA II) is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder of fatty acid, amino acid, and choline metabolism. The late-onset form of this disorder is caused by a defect in the mitochondrial electron transfer flavoprotein dehydrogenase or the electron transfer flavoprotein dehydrogenase (ETFDH) gene. Thus far, the high clinical heterogeneity of late-onset GA II has brought a great challenge for its diagnosis. In this study, we reported a 21-year-old Chinese man with muscle weakness, vomiting, and severe pain. Muscle biopsy revealed myopathological patterns of lipid storage myopathy, and urine organic acid analyses showed a slight increase in glycolic acid. All the aforementioned results were consistent with GA II. Whole-exome sequencing (WES), followed by bioinformatics and structural analyses, revealed two compound heterozygous missense mutations: c.1034A &gt; G (p.H345R) on exon 9 and c.1448C&gt;A (p.P483Q) on exon 11, which were classified as “likely pathogenic” according to American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). In conclusion, this study described the phenotype and genotype of a patient with late-onset GA II. The two novel mutations in ETFDH were found in this case, which further expands the list of mutations found in patients with GA II. Because of the treatability of this disease, GA II should be considered in all patients with muscular symptoms and acute metabolism decompensation such as hypoglycemia and acidosis

A prioritization metric and modelling framework for fragmented saltmarsh patches restoration

Saltmarsh is a coastal ecosystem providing crucial ecosystem services, and its continued degradation and fragmentation has drawn increasing attention. However, how to effectively restore the connectivity between fragmented saltmarsh patches remains an open challenge. In this study, we developed a metric and modelling framework that prioritised saltmarsh patches for restoration. To demonstrate our approach, we simulated spatially explicit restoration schedules for Suaeda salsa patches at the Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve, China, using three strategies: increasing-patch-area, increasing-number-of-patches and a benchmark unrestrictive prioritization strategy. We prioritised patches for restoration based on a number of widely used graph-theoretic landscape connectivity and metapopulation capacity metrics. Our simulation results suggested the rank connectivity-importance of extant patches was correlated within the group of graph-theoretic connectivity metrics or metapopulation capacity metrics, but unrelated across group. The unrestrictive prioritization strategy clearly outperformed the strategies of increasing-patch-area and increasing-number-of-patches which returned comparable connectivity restoration outcomes. For the more effective unrestrictive prioritization strategy, there were substantial differences in the simulated priority patches between metrics that considered stepping stone effects and those did not. While the former resulted in corridor-building priority patches that led to a more connected landscape throughout the region, the latter led to local clustering. We recommend use of the total probability of connectivity (PC) among the metrics we tested due to similarity of results to other metrics and its simulation efficiency. The proposed framework is readily applicable to prioritise areas for connectivity conservation and restoration in any monospecific ecosystem at the regional scale

Two-step catalytic co-pyrolysis of walnut shell and LDPE for aromatic-rich oil

A novel two-step catalytic co-pyrolysis (TSCCP) process is proposed through coupling advantages of conventional two-step catalytic pyrolysis (TSCP) and one-step catalytic co-pyrolysis (OSCCP) for producing aromaticrich oil using walnut shell (WNS) and LDPE as feedstock. Co-pyrolysis of three WNS components (hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin) with LDPE are performed to validate the necessity and rationality of TSCCP. And effects of first step pyrolysis temperature (T1) and residence time (Rt1) on product distributions of TSCCP are investigated. When T1 and Rt1 are 550 degrees C and 7.5 s respectively, the oil yield is increased by 59.1% and 15.7% respectively compared with that of conventional TSCP and OSCCP. The selectivity toward aromatics is as high as 82.5%, and the selectivity of oxygenates is reduced to less than 1%. The excellent results of TSCCP are attributed to preventing secondary reactions led by higher temperature for hemicellulose and cellulose components, the enhanced conversion due to activation effect from lignin component, and the synergetic effect between WNS-derived oxygenates and LDPE-derived hydrocarbons

Pancorius guiyang sp. nov., a new species of jumping spiders (Araneae, Salticidae) from Guizhou Province, China

Pancorius Simon, 1902 is a relatively large genus of jumping spider family Salticidae and currently contains 42 valid species that are mainly distributed in South East Asia, 11 of which are recorded from China.A new spider species of the genus Pancorius from Guiyang City in southwest China, is described under the name of P. guiyang Yang, Gu & Yu, sp. nov. Detailed descriptions and photographs are provided. DNA barcodes (a partial fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene, COI) of the species were obtained to confirm matching of the sexes and for future use in molecular studies

Enhancement of aromatics production from catalytic co-pyrolysis of walnut shell and LDPE via a two-step approach

A two-step catalytic co-pyrolysis (TSCCP) of walnut shell (WNS) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) was innovatively studied at a lab-scale fixed-bed reactor using HZSM-5 as a catalyst. Various characterization techniques such as FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, SEM, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and Van Krevelen diagram were applied to explore structure evolutions of the derived chars aiming at revealing the step-wise copyrolysis mechanisms. In comparison with conventional one-step catalytic co-pyrolysis (OSCCP), the TSCCP has much higher oil production, and less gas and solid yields. The yield of aromatics increased by 34.2 %. Oxygenated compounds in oil were dramatically reduced. As a result, more water was generated. These experimental results have demonstrated that the two-step approach can significantly enhance the synergy of WNS with LDPE. Characterizations revealed that the TSCCP stages the interactions of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin with LDPE. The interaction of lignin with LDPE was thoroughly examined. Possible mechanisms were put forward to explain the synergistic effects of WNS with LDPE enhanced by the two-step approach

Vanadium-Substituted Dawson-Type Polyoxometalate&ndash;TiO2 Nanowire Composite Film as Advanced Cathode Material for Bifunctional Electrochromic Energy-Storage Devices

Polyoxometalates (POMs) demonstrate potential for application in the development of integrated smart energy devices based on bifunctional electrochromic (EC) optical modulation and electrochemical energy storage. Herein, a nanocomposite thin film composed of a vanadium-substituted Dawson-type POM, i.e., K7[P2W17VO62]&middot;18H2O, and TiO2 nanowires were constructed via the combination of hydrothermal and layer-by-layer self-assembly methods. Through scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy characterisations, it was found that the TiO2 nanowire substrate acts as a skeleton to adsorb POM nanoparticles, thereby avoiding the aggregation or stacking of POM particles. The unique three-dimensional core&minus;shell structures of these nanocomposites with high specific surface areas increases the number of active sites during the reaction process and shortens the ion diffusion pathway, thereby improving the electrochemical activities and electrical conductivities. Compared with pure POM thin films, the composite films showed improved EC properties with a significant optical contrast (38.32% at 580 nm), a short response time (1.65 and 1.64 s for colouring and bleaching, respectively), an excellent colouration efficiency (116.5 cm2 C&minus;1), and satisfactory energy-storage properties (volumetric capacitance = 297.1 F cm&minus;3 at 0.2 mA cm&minus;2). Finally, a solid-state electrochromic energy-storage (EES) device was fabricated using the composite film as the cathode. After charging, the constructed device was able to light up a single light-emitting diode for 20 s. These results highlight the promising features of POM-based EES devices and demonstrate their potential for use in a wide range of applications, such as smart windows, military camouflage, sensors, and intelligent systems

Quasi-Solid-State Lithium-Sulfur Batteries Assembled by Composite Polymer Electrolyte and Nitrogen Doped Porous Carbon Fiber Composite Cathode

Solid-state lithium sulfur batteries are becoming a breakthrough technology for energy storage systems due to their low cost of sulfur, high energy density and high level of safety. However, its commercial application has been limited by the poor ionic conductivity and sulfur shuttle effect. In this paper, a nitrogen-doped porous carbon fiber (NPCNF) active material was prepared by template method as a sulfur-host of the positive sulfur electrode. The morphology was nano fiber-like and enabled high sulfur content (62.9 wt%). A solid electrolyte membrane (PVDF/LiClO4/LATP) containing polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and lithium aluminum titanium phosphate (Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3) was prepared by pouring and the thermosetting method. The ionic conductivity of PVDF/LiClO4/LATP was 8.07 × 10−5 S cm−1 at 25 °C. The assembled battery showed good electrochemical performance. At 25 °C and 0.5 C, the first discharge specific capacity was 620.52 mAh g−1. After 500 cycles, the capacity decay rate of each cycle was only 0.139%. The synergistic effect between the composite solid electrolyte and the nitrogen-doped porous carbon fiber composite sulfur anode studied in this paper may reveal new approaches for improving the cycling performance of a solid-state lithium-sulfur battery