Is there an association between mild cognitive impairment and dietary pattern in chinese elderly? Results from a cross-sectional population study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Diet has an impact on cognitive function in most prior studies but its association with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in Chinese nonagenarians and centenarians has not been explored.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>870 elder dujiangyan residents aged 90 years or more in 2005 census were investigated at community halls or at home. They underwent the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for assessment of cognitive function and replied to our questionnaire comprised of 12 food items and other risk factors. MCI was defined by two steps: first, subjects with post-stroke disease, Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease and MMSE< 18 were excluded; and then subjects were categorized as MCI (MMSE scores between 19 and 24) and normal (MMSE scores between 25 and 30). Logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between diet and the prevalence of MCI. The model was adjusted for gender, ages, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, smoking habits, alcohol and tea consumption, educational levels and exercise in baseline dietary assessment.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>364 elderly finally included, 108 (38.71%) men and 171 (61.29%) women of whom were classified as MCI. A significant correlation between MCI and normal in legume was observed (OR, 0.84; 95%CI, 0.72-0.97), and also in animal oil (any oil that obtained from animal substances) (OR, 0.93; 95%CI, 0.88-0.98). There was no statistical difference of other food items between normal and MCI.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Among Chinese nonagenarians and centenarians, we found there were significant associations between inadequate intake of legume and animal oil and the prevalence of MCI. No significant correlation between other food items and the prevalence of MCI were demonstrated in this study.</p

Recalcitrant compounds removal in raw leachate and synthetic effluents using the white-rot fungus Bjerkandera adusta

Recalcitrant compounds limit the efficiency of conventional biological processes for wastewater treatment, representing one of the major issues in the field. This study focused on the treatment of three effluents with White-Rot-Fungus (WRF) Bjerkandera adusta MUT 2295 in batch tests, with biomass cultivated in attached form on polyurethane foam cubes (PUFs) to test its efficiency in the removal of the target effluents' recalcitrant fraction. Treatment efficiency of B. adusta was evaluated on landfill leachate (Canada) and two solutions containing synthetic recalcitrant compounds, which were prepared with tannic and humic acid. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and color removal, the production of manganese peroxidases, and the consumption of a co-substrate (glucose) were monitored during the experiment. Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5) and fungal dry weight were measured at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. After co-substrate addition, effluent COD was 2300 ± 85, 2545 ± 84, and 2580 ± 95 (mg/L) in raw leachate and tannic and humic acids, respectively. COD removal of 48%, 61%, and 48% was obtained in raw leachate and in the synthetic effluents containing tannic and humic acids, respectively. Color removal of 49%, 25%, and 42% was detected in raw leachate and in tannic and humic acid solutions, respectively. COD and color removals were associated with the increase of fungal dry weight, which was observed in all the trials. These results encourage the use of the selected fungal strain to remove tannic acid, while further investigations are required to optimize leachate and humic acid bioremediation

Towards barrier free contact to MoS2 using graphene electrodes

The two-dimensional (2D) layered semiconductors such as MoS2 have attracted tremendous interest as a new class of electronic materials. However, there is considerable challenge in making reliable contacts to these atomically thin materials. Here we present a new strategy by using graphene as back electrodes to achieve Ohmic contact to MoS2. With a finite density of states, the Fermi level of graphene can be readily modified by gate potential to ensure a nearly perfect band alignment with MoS2. We demonstrate, for the first time, a transparent contact can be made to MoS2 with essentially zero contact barrier and linear output behaviour at cryogenic temperatures (down to 1.9 K) for both monolayer and multilayer MoS2. Benefiting from the barrier-free transparent contacts, we show that a metal-insulator-transition (MIT) can be observed in a two-terminal MoS2 device, a phenomenon that could be easily masked by Schottky barrier and only seen in four-terminal devices in conventional metal-contacted MoS2 system. With further passivation y born nitride encapsulation, we demonstrate a record high extrinsic (two-terminal) field effect mobility over 1300 cm2/Vs in MoS2

Wafer-scale growth of large arrays of perovskite microplate crystals for functional electronics and optoelectronics

Methylammonium lead iodide perovskite has attracted intensive interest for its diverse optoelectronic applications. However, most studies to date have been limited to bulk thin films that are difficult to implement for integrated device arrays because of their incompatibility with typical lithography processes. We report the first patterned growth of regular arrays of perovskite microplate crystals for functional electronics and optoelectronics. We show that large arrays of lead iodide microplates can be grown from an aqueous solution through a seeded growth process and can be further intercalated with methylammonium iodide to produce perovskite crystals. Structural and optical characterizations demonstrate that the resulting materials display excellent crystalline quality and optical properties. We further show that perovskite crystals can be selectively grown on prepatterned electrode arrays to create independently addressable photodetector arrays and functional field effect transistors. The ability to grow perovskite microplates and to precisely place them at specific locations offers a new material platform for the fundamental investigation of the electronic and optical properties of perovskite materials and opens a pathway for integrated electronic and optoelectronic systems.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

Identification of six new susceptibility loci for invasive epithelial ovarian cancer

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 12 epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) susceptibility alleles. The pattern of association at these loci is consistent in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers who are at high risk of EOC. After imputation to 1000 Genomes Project data, we assessed associations of 11 million genetic variants with EOC risk from 15,437 cases unselected for family history and 30,845 controls and from 15,252 BRCA1 mutation carriers and 8,211 BRCA2 mutation carriers (3,096 with ovarian cancer), and we combined the results in a meta-analysis. This new study design yielded increased statistical power, leading to the discovery of six new EOC susceptibility loci. Variants at 1p36 (nearest gene, WNT4), 4q26 (SYNPO2), 9q34.2 (ABO) and 17q11.2 (ATAD5) were associated with EOC risk, and at 1p34.3 (RSPO1) and 6p22.1 (GPX6) variants were specifically associated with the serous EOC subtype, all with P < 5 × 10(-8). Incorporating these variants into risk assessment tools will improve clinical risk predictions for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers

Identification of six new susceptibility loci for invasive epithelial ovarian cancer.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 12 epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) susceptibility alleles. The pattern of association at these loci is consistent in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers who are at high risk of EOC. After imputation to 1000 Genomes Project data, we assessed associations of 11 million genetic variants with EOC risk from 15,437 cases unselected for family history and 30,845 controls and from 15,252 BRCA1 mutation carriers and 8,211 BRCA2 mutation carriers (3,096 with ovarian cancer), and we combined the results in a meta-analysis. This new study design yielded increased statistical power, leading to the discovery of six new EOC susceptibility loci. Variants at 1p36 (nearest gene, WNT4), 4q26 (SYNPO2), 9q34.2 (ABO) and 17q11.2 (ATAD5) were associated with EOC risk, and at 1p34.3 (RSPO1) and 6p22.1 (GPX6) variants were specifically associated with the serous EOC subtype, all with P < 5 × 10(-8). Incorporating these variants into risk assessment tools will improve clinical risk predictions for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers.COGS project is funded through a European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme grant (agreement number 223175 ] HEALTH ]F2 ]2009 ]223175). The CIMBA data management and data analysis were supported by Cancer Research.UK grants 12292/A11174 and C1287/A10118. The Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium is supported by a grant from the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund thanks to donations by the family and friends of Kathryn Sladek Smith (PPD/RPCI.07). The scientific development and funding for this project were in part supported by the US National Cancer Institute GAME ]ON Post ]GWAS Initiative (U19 ]CA148112). This study made use of data generated by the Wellcome Trust Case Control consortium. Funding for the project was provided by the Wellcome Trust under award 076113. The results published here are in part based upon data generated by The Cancer Genome Atlas Pilot Project established by the National Cancer Institute and National Human Genome Research Institute (dbGap accession number phs000178.v8.p7). The cBio portal is developed and maintained by the Computational Biology Center at Memorial Sloan ] Kettering Cancer Center. SH is supported by an NHMRC Program Grant to GCT. Details of the funding of individual investigators and studies are provided in the Supplementary Note. This study made use of data generated by the Wellcome Trust Case Control consortium, funding for which was provided by the Wellcome Trust under award 076113. The results published here are, in part, based upon data generated by The Cancer Genome Atlas Pilot Project established by the National Cancerhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ng.3185This is the Author Accepted Manuscript of 'Identification of six new susceptibility loci for invasive epithelial ovarian cancer' which was published in Nature Genetics 47, 164–171 (2015) © Nature Publishing Group - content may only be used for academic research

Land Use Multifunctions in Metropolis Fringe: Spatiotemporal Identification and Trade-Off Analysis

As the transition zone between urban and rural, the metropolis fringe is an area where various functions permeate and compete fiercely with each other. Understanding land use functions (LUFs) and their relationships are crucial for both urban and rural sustainable development. In this study, we established a conceptual framework of land use multifunctions in the urban fringe and proposed an improved evaluation method to quantify LUFs at the grid scale. The bivariate spatial autocorrelation method was used to explore the trade-offs among LUFs. Taking Qingpu District in Shanghai as a case study, we found that LUFs displayed pronounced spatiotemporal heterogeneity. The economic- and social-dominated functional trade-off mainly occurred in the east part of Qingpu, whereas the ecological function dominated in the west. Human preference and corresponding policies were the key factors leading to these trade-offs. Additionally, land use function zoning was proposed to resolve existing conflicts. These findings can provide scientific information for efficient land use management in the metropolis fringe