The Tryptophan Index Is Associated with Risk of Ischemic Stroke: A Community-Based Nested Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: The relative availability of the essential amino acid tryptophan in the brain, as indicated by the tryptophan index, which is the ratio of tryptophan to its competing amino acids (CAAs) in circulation, has been related to major depression. However, it remains unknown whether tryptophan availability is involved in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke. AIMS: We aimed to investigate the relationship between the tryptophan index and the risk of ischemic stroke. METHODS: We performed a nested case-control study within a community-based cohort in eastern China over the period 2013 to 2018. The analysis included 321 cases of ischemic stroke and 321 controls matched by sex and date of birth. The plasma levels of tryptophan and CAAs, including tyrosine, valine, phenylalanine, leucine, and isoleucine, were measured by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Conditional logistic regression analyses were employed to determine incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: After adjustment for body mass index, current smoking status, educational attainment, physical activity, family history of stroke, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and estimated glomerular filtration rate, an elevated tryptophan index was significantly associated with a reduced risk of ischemic stroke in a dose-response manner (IRR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.63-0.93, per standard deviation increment). The plasma tryptophan or CAAs were not separately associated with the risk of ischemic stroke. CONCLUSIONS: The tryptophan index was inversely associated with the risk of ischemic stroke. Our novel observations suggest that the availability of the essential amino acid tryptophan in the brain is involved in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke.

Assessing the relationship between gut microbiota and endometriosis: a bidirectional two-sample mendelian randomization analysis.

BACKGROUND: An increasing body of observational studies have indicated an association between gut microbiota and endometriosis. However, the causal relationship between them is not yet clear. In this study, we employed Mendelian randomization method to investigate the causal relationship between 211 gut microbiota taxa and endometriosis. METHODS: Independent genetic loci significantly associated with the relative abundance of 211 gut microbiota taxa, based on predefined thresholds, were extracted as instrumental variables. The primary analytical approach employed was the IVW method. Effect estimates were assessed primarily using the odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals. Supplementary analyses were conducted using MR-Egger regression, the weighted median method, the simple mode and the weighted mode method to complement the IVW results. In addition, we conducted tests for heterogeneity, horizontal pleiotropy, sensitivity analysis, and MR Steiger to assess the robustness of the results and the strength of the causal relationships. RESULTS: Based on the IVW method, we found that the family Prevotellaceae, genus Anaerotruncus, genus Olsenella, genus Oscillospira, and order Bacillales were identified as risk factors for endometriosis, while class Melainabacteria and genus Eubacterium ruminantium group were protective factors. Additionally, no causal relationship was observed between endometriosis and gut microbiota. Heterogeneity tests, pleiotropy tests, and leave-one-out sensitivity analyses did not detect any significant heterogeneity or pleiotropic effects. CONCLUSIONS: Our MR study has provided evidence supporting a potential causal relationship between gut microbiota and endometriosis, and it suggests the absence of bidirectional causal effects. These findings could potentially offer new insights for the development of novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of endometriosis.

Large-scale automatic extraction of agricultural greenhouses based on high-resolution remote sensing and deep learning technologies.

Widely used agricultural greenhouses are critical in the development of facility agriculture because of not only their huge capacity in food and vegetable supplies, but also their environmental and climatic effects. Therefore, it is important to obtain the spatial distribution of agricultural greenhouses for agricultural production, policy making, and even environmental protection. Remote sensing technologies have been widely used in greenhouse extraction mainly in small or local regions, while large-scale and high-resolution (~ 1-m) greenhouse extraction is still lacking. In this study, agricultural greenhouses in an important agricultural province (Shandong, China) are extracted by the combination of high-resolution remote sensing images from Google Earth and deep learning algorithm with high accuracy (94.04% for mean intersection over union over test set). The results demonstrated that the agricultural greenhouses cover an area of 1755.3 km2, accounting for 1.11% of the total province and 2.31% of total cultivated land. The spatial density map of agricultural greenhouses also suggested that the facility agriculture in Shandong has obviously regional aggregation characteristics, which is vulnerable in both environment and economy. The results of this study are useful and meaningful for future agriculture planning and environmental management.

Validity and Psychometric Evaluation of the Chinese Version of the 5-Item WHO Well-Being Index.

Aims: This article evaluates the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the 5-item WHO Well-Being Index (WHO-5) in mainland China. Methods: Two cross-sectional studies with 1,414 participants from a university in China were conducted. The Chinese version of the WHO-5 was assessed to determine its internal consistency, concurrent validity, factorial validity, and construct validity. Results: The results indicate that the WHO-5 is unidimensional and has good internal consistency, with Cronbach's a = 0.85 and 0.81 in Study 1 (n = 903) and Study 2 (n = 511), respectively. The findings also demonstrate that the WHO-5 has good concurrent validity with other well-established measures of wellbeing, self-efficacy, self-esteem, and mental wellbeing. The results of confirmatory factor analysis also suggest that the scale has a good model fit. Conclusions: This study provides empirical data demonstrating that the Chinese version of the WHO-5 has good psychometric properties. The scale can be a useful measure in epistemological studies and clinical research related to wellbeing in Chinese populations.

Neuromuscular injury method in different strength sports damage / Método de lesão neuromuscular em danos variados causados por esportes de força / Método de lesión neuromuscular em daños variados causados por deportes de fuerza

ABSTRACT Introduction: Sports muscle injury is a common phenomenon in sports, and most of it is caused by intense exercise done for a long time. Objective: The effect of high intensity mode (HI) speed endurance training on the muscle injury of athletes. Methods: 14 sprinters were recruited; the muscle injury indexes of the subjects were tested 15 min before and 24 h, 48 h and 72 h after speed endurance training in HV mode and HI mode (high volume mode and high intensity mode, respectively). Results: The results of this study showed that both high amount and HI mode speed endurance training caused a certain degree of injury to the subjects' muscles, but the injury caused by HI mode speed endurance training to the muscles was more serious than that caused by high amount (P < 0.05). Conclusions: HI mode speed endurance training causes a certain degree of injury to the subjects' muscle, but it causes more serious injury than high volume mode speed endurance training. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment results.

RESUMO Introdução: As lesões musculares são fenômenos comuns no esporte e a maioria são causadas por exercícios intensos praticados por um longo período. Objetivo: O efeito do treinamento de resistência de velocidade de alta intensidade (AI) nas lesões musculares de atletas. Métodos: 14 corredores foram recrutados; os índices de lesão muscular dos indivíduos foram testados 15 minutos antes e 24h, 48h e 72h após o treino de resistência de velocidade em AV e AI (modos alto volume e alta intensidade, respectivamente). Resultados: Os resultados deste estudo mostram que tanto os treinamentos de resistência de velocidade nos modos alto volume e AI causaram certo grau de lesão aos músculos dos indivíduos, mas a lesão ao músculo por treino de resistência de velocidade no modo AI foi mais severa do que aquela no modo alto volume (P < 0.05). Conclusões: O treinamento de resistência de velocidade no modo AI causa certo grau de lesão aos músculos dos indivíduos, mas causa danos mais sérios do que o treino de resistência de velocidade no modo alto volume. Nível de evidência II; estudos terapêuticos - investigação de resultados de tratamento.

RESUMEN Introducción: Las lesiones musculares son fenómenos comunes en el deporte y la mayoría es causada por ejercicios intensos practicados por un largo periodo. Objetivo: El efecto del entrenamiento de resistencia de velocidad de alta intensidad (AI) en las lesiones musculares de atletas. Métodos: Se reclutaron 14 corredores; se testaron los índices de lesión muscular de los individuos 15 minutos antes y 24h, 48h y 72h después del entrenamiento de resistencia de velocidad en AV y AI (modos alto volumen y alta intensidad, respectivamente). Resultados: Los resultados de este estudio muestran que tanto los entrenamientos de resistencia de velocidad en los modos alto volumen y AI causaron cierto grado de lesión a los músculos de los individuos, pero la lesión al músculo por entrenamiento de resistencia de velocidad en el modo AI fue más severa que aquella en el modo alto volumen (P<0.05) Conclusiones: El entrenamiento de resistencia de velocidad en el modo AI causa cierto grado de lesión a los músculos de los individuos, pero causa daños más serios que el entrenamiento de resistencia de velocidad en el modo alto volumen. Nivel de evidencia II; Estudios terapéuticos - investigación de resultados de tratamiento.

Problematic Internet Usage and Self-Esteem in Chinese Undergraduate Students: The Mediation Effects of Individual Affect and Relationship Satisfaction.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the mediating effects of individual affect and relationship satisfaction on the relationship between self-esteem and Problematic Internet Use (PIU). Affect was measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), relationship satisfaction was assessed using a positive and negative semantic dimension scale, self-esteem was measured using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and PIU was measured using the Problematic Internet Use scale with a sample of 507 Chinese university students (Mage = 20.41 years, SD = 2.49). The relationships between the variables were tested using structural equation modelling with a multiple mediation model. The results revealed that negative affect and the negative semantic dimensions of relationship satisfaction mediated the relationship between self-esteem and PIU. The implications of the results and the study's theoretical contributions are discussed.

[Analysis of deafness gene variant screening of 7875 neonatal cases in Dongying area of Shandong].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the types and frequency of deafness-related variants among 7875 newborns from Dongying area of Shandong Province. METHODS: One hundred loci of 18 common deafness genes were subjected to semiconductor sequencing. Variant site, frequency and distribution of the variants were analyzed. RESULTS: In total 552 deafness gene variants were detected among the 7875 newborns, which yielded a detection rate of 7.01%. Among these, common variant sites for GJB2, SLC26A4 and GJB3 genes were c.235delC, IVS7-2A>G and c.538C>T, respectively. The variant frequencies of matrilinear inheritance deafness genes MT-CO1, MT-RNR1, MT-TL1 and MT-TS1 were 0.38%, 0.25%, 0.1% and 0.01%, respectively. Four newborns were diagnosed with deafness, among which one had unilateral hearing loss. Analysis of the proportions of neonatal deafness-related variants in five counties of Dongying showed that the highest variant rate for the SLC26A4 gene compared with GJB2 was in Lijin county (51.76% vs. 40%), while the lowest was in Hekou county (30.77% vs. 56.41%). CONCLUSION: The carrier rate of deafness-related variants in Dongying area is higher than other regions of China, which may be attributed to the increased types and variant sites covered by the semiconductor sequencing method compared with the chip method and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Due to geographical and population aggregation factors, the proportion of deafness variants in the five counties of Dongying differed significantly. Above results may provide a guide for the prevention of congenital deafness in Dongying area.