Evaluation of the Observational Associations and Shared Genetics Between Glaucoma With Depression and Anxiety

PURPOSE: Glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness worldwide, is suspected to exhibit a notable association with psychological disturbances. This study aimed to investigate epidemiological associations and explore shared genetic architecture between glaucoma and mental traits, including depression and anxiety.METHODS: Multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression models were employed to investigate longitudinal associations based on UK Biobank. A stepwise approach was used to explore the shared genetic architecture. First, linkage disequilibrium score regression inferred global genetic correlations. Second, MiXeR analysis quantified the number of shared causal variants. Third, specific shared loci were detected through conditional/conjunctional false discovery rate (condFDR/conjFDR) analysis and characterized for biological insights. Finally, two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was conducted to investigate bidirectional causal associations.RESULTS: Glaucoma was significantly associated with elevated risks of hospitalized depression (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-2.34) and anxiety (HR = 2.61; 95% CI, 1.70-4.01) compared to healthy controls. Despite the absence of global genetic correlations, MiXeR analysis revealed 300 variants shared between glaucoma and depression, and 500 variants shared between glaucoma and anxiety. Subsequent condFDR/conjFDR analysis discovered 906 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) jointly associated with glaucoma and depression and two associated with glaucoma and anxiety. The MR analysis did not support robust causal associations but indicated the existence of pleiotropic genetic variants influencing both glaucoma and depression.CONCLUSIONS: Our study enhances the existing epidemiological evidence and underscores the polygenic overlap between glaucoma and mental traits. This observation suggests a correlation shaped by pleiotropic genetic variants rather than being indicative of direct causal relationships.</p

Evaluation of the Observational Associations and Shared Genetics Between Glaucoma With Depression and Anxiety

PURPOSE: Glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness worldwide, is suspected to exhibit a notable association with psychological disturbances. This study aimed to investigate epidemiological associations and explore shared genetic architecture between glaucoma and mental traits, including depression and anxiety.METHODS: Multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression models were employed to investigate longitudinal associations based on UK Biobank. A stepwise approach was used to explore the shared genetic architecture. First, linkage disequilibrium score regression inferred global genetic correlations. Second, MiXeR analysis quantified the number of shared causal variants. Third, specific shared loci were detected through conditional/conjunctional false discovery rate (condFDR/conjFDR) analysis and characterized for biological insights. Finally, two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was conducted to investigate bidirectional causal associations.RESULTS: Glaucoma was significantly associated with elevated risks of hospitalized depression (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-2.34) and anxiety (HR = 2.61; 95% CI, 1.70-4.01) compared to healthy controls. Despite the absence of global genetic correlations, MiXeR analysis revealed 300 variants shared between glaucoma and depression, and 500 variants shared between glaucoma and anxiety. Subsequent condFDR/conjFDR analysis discovered 906 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) jointly associated with glaucoma and depression and two associated with glaucoma and anxiety. The MR analysis did not support robust causal associations but indicated the existence of pleiotropic genetic variants influencing both glaucoma and depression.CONCLUSIONS: Our study enhances the existing epidemiological evidence and underscores the polygenic overlap between glaucoma and mental traits. This observation suggests a correlation shaped by pleiotropic genetic variants rather than being indicative of direct causal relationships.</p

Sensory Characteristics of Two Kinds of Alcoholic Beverages Produced with Spent Coffee Grounds Extract Based on Electronic Senses and HS-SPME-GC-MS Analyses

In this work, the hydrothermal extract of spent coffee grounds (SCG) was used to make alcoholic beverages with commercial S. cerevisiae strain D254. The sensory characteristics of the SCG alcoholic beverages were analyzed using sensory description, electronic nose, electronic tongue, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results suggested that the supplement of 0.20% (NH4)2HPO4 was effective at improving growth and alcohol fermentation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae D254 in SCG extract. SCG fermented beverages (SFB) and SCG distilled spirits (SDS) produced at the optimized fermentation conditions had appropriate physicochemical properties and different sensory characteristics. Fermentation aromas, especially esters, were produced in SFB, increasing the complexity of aroma and lowing the irritating aroma. The combination of original and fermentation components might balance the outstanding sourness, astringency, and saltiness tastes of SFB. The fermentation aroma was partially lost and the sourness, bitterness, astringency, and saltiness tastes were relieved in distillation, leading to the relatively more prominent aroma typicality of coffee and a soft taste. These findings lay a foundation for producing new high-quality coffee-flavored alcoholic beverages or flavoring liquors

Development of a Phenology-Based Method for Identifying Sugarcane Plantation Areas in China Using High-Resolution Satellite Datasets

Sugarcane is an important sugar and biofuel crop with high socio-economic importance, and its planted area has increased rapidly in recent years. China is the world&rsquo;s third or fourth sugarcane producer. However, to our knowledge, no study has investigated the mapping of sugarcane cultivation areas across entire China. In this study, we developed a phenology-based method to identify sugarcane plantations in China at 30-m spatial resolution from 2016&ndash;2020 using the time-series of Landsat and Sentinel-1/2 images derived from Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. The method worked by comparing the phenological similarity in normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) series between unknown pixels and sugarcane samples. The phenological similarity was assessed using the time-weighted dynamic time warping method (TWDTW), which has less sensitivity to training samples than machine learning methods and therefore can be easily applied to large areas with limited samples. More importantly, our method introduced multiple and moving time standard phenological curves of sugarcane to the TWDTW by fully considering the variable crop life-cycle of sugarcane, particularly its long harvest season spanning from December to March of the following year. Validations showed the method performed well in 2019, with overall accuracies of 93.47% and 92.74% for surface reflectance (SR) and top of atmosphere reflectance (TOA) data, respectively. The sugarcane maps agreed well with the agricultural statistical areas from 2016&ndash;2020. The mapping accuracies using TOA data were comparable to SR data in 2019&ndash;2020, but outperformed SR data in 2016&ndash;2018 when SR data had lower availability on GEE. The sugarcane maps produced in this study can be used to monitor growing conditions and production of sugarcane and, therefore, can benefit sugarcane management, sustainable sugarcane production, and national food security

Salt-restriction-spoon improved the salt intake among residents in China.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of an improved salt-restriction spoon on the attitude of salt-restriction, the using rate of salt-restriction-spoon, the actual salt intake, and 24-hour urinary sodium excretion (24HUNa). DESIGN: A community intervention study. SETTING: Two villages in Beijing. PARTICIPANTS: 403 local adult residents being responsible for home cooking. INTERVENTION: Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group or the control group. Those in the intervention group were provided with an improved salt-restriction-spoon and health education, and were informed of their actual salt intake and 24HUNa. Not any intervention was given to those in the control group. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The scores on the variables of Health Belief Model, the using rate of salt-restriction-spoon, the actual salt intake, and 24HUNa. ANALYSIS: Covariance analyses, Chi-square tests, Student's t tests, and repeated measures analyses of variance. RESULTS: After 6 months of intervention, the intervention group felt significantly less objective barriers, and got access to significantly more cues to action as compared to the control group. The using rate and the correctly using rate of salt-restriction-spoon were significantly higher in the intervention group. The daily salt intake decreased by 1.42 g in the intervention group and by 0.28 g in the control group, and repeated measures analysis of variance showed significant change over time (F = 7.044, P<0.001) and significant difference between groups by time (F = 2.589, P = 0.041). The 24HUNa decreased by 34.84 mmol in the intervention group and by 33.65 mmol in the control group, and repeated measures analysis of variance showed significant change over time (F = 14.648, P<0.001) without significant difference between groups by time (F = 0.222, P = 0.870). CONCLUSIONS: The intervention effect was acceptable, therefore, the improved salt-restriction-spoon and corresponding health education could be considered as an alternative for salt reduction strategy in China and other countries where salt intake comes mainly from home cooking

Effects of Sediment Types on the Distribution and Diversity of Plant Communities in the Poyang Lake Wetlands

At small scales, sedimentary deposition types mediate hydrological changes to drive wetland vegetation distribution patterns and species diversity. To examine the effects of sediment types on the distribution and diversity of plant communities in a wetland region, 150 quadrats were investigated (elevation range of 10.5–12.5 m) in the lake basin areas of Poyang Lake. We divided the surface soil into three sediment types (lacustrine sediments, fluvio-lacustrine sediments, and fluvial sediments), and then compared and analyzed the distribution and species diversity of the wetland plants among them. The results revealed the following findings: (i) within this elevation range, Carex cinerascens, Carex cinerascens–Polygonum criopolitanum, Polygonum criopolitanum, and Phalaris arundinacea communities exist; (ii) from lacustrine sediments to fluvial sediments, the distribution of plant communities showed a transition trend—with the Carex cinerascens and Phalaris arundinacea communities shifting into the Polygonum criopolitanum community; (iii) detrended correspondence analysis and redundancy analysis demonstrated that the soil particle composition and flood duration in 2017 generated a differential wetland plant distribution under the conditions of three sediment types along the littoral zones of Poyang Lake; and (iv) the plant communities on the lacustrine sediments had a higher species diversity than those established on the fluvio-lacustrine sediments and fluvial sediments

Dynamically Enhancing Plaque Targeting Via a Positive Feedback Loop using Multifunctional Biomimetic Nanoparticles for Plaque Regression

A paradigm shift from preventive therapy to aggressive plaque regression and eventual eradication is much needed to address increasing atherosclerotic burden and risks. Herein, we report a biologically inspired dual-targeting multifunctional recombinant high-density lipoprotein (rHDL)-mimicking core-shell nanoplatform. It is composed of an ATP-responsive ternary polyplexes core for SR-A siRNA and catalase complexation, and a phosphatidylserine-modified rHDL-based outer shell for SR-BI and CD36 targeting, in which pitavastatin is packaged. We demonstrated that dual-targeting biomimetic core-shell nanoparticles dynamically enhanced macrophage CD36 targeting in the plaques by establishing a positive feedback loop via the reciprocal regulation of SR-A and CD36. Positive feedback-enabled accumulation of the nanoparticles in the atherosclerotic plaques increased by 3.3-fold following 4-week repeated administration. A 3-month dosage regimen of the dual-targeting rHDL-mimicking nanoparticles reduced plaque areas by 65.8%, and decreased macrophages by 57.3%. Collectively, this work shows that dynamically enhancing plaque targeting via a positive feedback loop and dual action of cholesterol deposition inhibition and efflux enhancement accomplished with our novel multifunctional biomimetic nanoparticles provides a new way to regress plaques and alleviate the atherosclerotic burden