Global trends and spatial drivers of diabetes mellitus mortality, 1990-2019: a systematic geographical analysis.

Objective: Diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of death worldwide, and multiple risk factors associated with diabetes mortality. Methods: Employing spatial statistics, we characterized the spatial distribution and patterns of diabetes mortality, and revealed the spatial relationship between diabetes mortality and 11 socioeconomic and environmental risk factors at the country level, from 1990 to 2019. Results: Globally, significantly high rates of diabetes mortality were primarily clustered in countries with limited land areas or located on islands, such as Fiji, Kiribati, Eswatini, and Trinidad and Tobago. Countries with weaker economic independence are more likely to have higher diabetes mortality rates. In addition, the impact of socioeconomic and environmental factors was significant at the country level, involving health expenditure, number of physicians, household and ambient air pollution, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Notably, the spatial relationship between diabetes mortality and ambient air pollution, as well as alcohol consumption, showed negative correlations. Countries with high diabetes mortality rates generally had lower levels of ambient air pollution and alcohol consumption. Conclusion: The study highlights the spatial clustering of diabetes mortality and its substantial variation. While many risk factors can influence diabetes mortality, it's also essential to consider the level of these factors at the country level. Tailoring appropriate interventions based on specific national circumstances holds the potential to more effectively mitigate the burden of diabetes mortality.

Preparation and Photovoltaic Performance of a Composite TiO2 Nanotube Array/Polyaniline UV Photodetector.

TiO2 has great potential for application in UV photodetectors due to its excellent photoelectric response. In this work, composite nanomaterials of TiO2 nanotube arrays (TiO2 NTAs) and polyaniline (PANI) were successfully prepared on titanium sheets using an anodic oxidation electrochemical method. The results showed that the TiO2 NTA/PANI composite materials had excellent UV photosensitivity and responsiveness and good stability and reproducibility. This was mainly attributed to the p-n heterostructure formed inside the TiO2 NTA/PANI composites that hindered the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and improved their utilization of UV light. This work provides a theoretical basis for the application of metal oxides in UV photodetectors, which is important for the development of UV photodetectors.

Preparation of ZnO Nanosheet Array and Research on ZnO/PANI/ZnO Ultraviolet Photodetector.

High-performance ultraviolet photodetectors have important scientific research significance and practical application value, which has been the focus of researchers. In this work, we have constructed a highly photosensitive UV photodetector with a unique "sandwich" structure, which was mainly composed of two layers of ZnO nanosheet arrays and one layer of polyaniline (PANI). The results showed that the UV current of ZnO/PANI devices was 100 times higher than that of pure ZnO devices under the same UV irradiation time. At a 365 nm wavelength, the device had excellent photocurrent responsiveness and photoconductivity. This high performance was attributed to the large specific surface area of ZnO nanosheets and the p-n junction formed between P-type PANI nano-porous film and N-type ZnO nanosheets. This provides a solid theoretical basis for the application of ZnO nanosheets in ultraviolet detection, and possesses significance for the development of ultraviolet photodetectors.

Visible-Light-Activated Nickel Thiolates for C-S Couplings.

Thiolates are known as the inhibitors of metal catalysis due to their strong coordination with the metal. Herein, we reported visible-light-induced homolysis of the Ni-S bond to activate the nickel(II) thiolates for the C-S coupling, obviating the use of exogenous photocatalysts and other additives. Various aryl bromides/iodides can efficiently couple with thiols with a wide range of functional groups under mild conditions. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggested the homolysis of the Ni-S bond is the key step for couplings and nickel(0) is not involved in the process.

Photoinduced Nickel-Catalyzed Carbon-Heteroatom Coupling.

Herein, we report visible light-promoted single nickel catalysis for diverse carbon-heteroatom couplings under mild conditions. This mild, general, and robust method to couple diverse nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur nucleophiles with aryl(heteroaryl)/alkenyl iodides/bromides exhibits a wide functional group tolerance and is applicable to late-stage modification of pharmaceuticals and natural products. On the base of preliminary mechanistic studies, a NiI /NiIII cycle via the generation of active NiI complexes that appear from homolysis of NiII -I rather than NiII -aryl bond was tentatively proposed.

Light-Promoted Arylsilylation of Alkenes with Hydrosilanes.

Herein, we report light-promoted photo/hydrogen atom transfer dual catalysis for arylsilylation of alkenes via the radical-radical cross-coupling with diverse hydrosilanes, which provides a simple and efficient method to prepare various organosilicon compounds with a wide range of substrate scope and good functional group tolerance under transition-metal- and chemical-oxidant-free conditions. Furthermore, the arylsilylation of alkenes can also proceed via the possible electron donor-acceptor complex under exogenous photocatalyst-free conditions.

Anti-inflammatory and Pro-apoptotic Effects of 18beta-Glycyrrhetinic Acid In Vitro and In Vivo Models of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

18ß-Glycyrrhetinic acid (18ß-GA), an active component from Glycyrrhiza glabra L. root (licorice), has been demonstrated to be able to protect against inflammatory response and reduce methotrexate (MTX)-derived toxicity. This study was therefore designed to test the therapeutic possibility of 18ß-GA on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to explore the underlying mechanism. LPS or TNF-α-induced inflammatory cell models and collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) animal models were applied in this study. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to measure the mRNA levels of various cytokines and FOXO family members. The protein levels of molecules in the MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway were analyzed using western blot. The cell proliferation assay and colony-forming assay were used to test the influence of 18ß-GA on cell viability. The cell apoptosis assay and cell cycle assay were performed to detect the effect of 18ß-GA on cell proliferative capacity by using flow cytometry. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was performed to evaluate pathological changes after drug administration. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was carried out for the detection of cytokines in serum. In vitro, we found that 18ß-GA decreased the mRNA levels of IL-1ß, IL-6, and COX-2 by inhibiting the MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway in MH7A and RAW264.7 cell lines. Moreover, 18ß-GA was able to suppress cell viability, trigger cell apoptosis, and G1 phase cell cycle arrest in our in vitro studies. 18ß-GA dramatically enhanced the mRNA level of FOXO3 in both TNF-α- and LPS-induced inflammation models in vitro. Interestingly, after analyzing GEO datasets, we found that the FOXO3 gene was significantly decreased in the RA synovial tissue as compared to healthy donors in multiple microarray studies. In vivo, 18ß-GA exhibited a promising therapeutic effect in a collagen-induced arthritis mouse model by alleviating joint pathological changes and declining serum levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6. Finally, we observed that 18ß-GA administration could mitigate liver damage caused by collagen or MTX. Collectively, the current study demonstrates for the first time that 18ß-GA can inhibit inflammation and proliferation of synovial cells, and the underlying mechanism may be associated with its inhibition of MAPK/NF-κB signaling and promotion of FOXO3 signaling. Therefore, 18ß-GA is expected to be a new drug candidate for RA therapy.

Anthocyanin Encapsulated by Ferulic Acid-Grafted-Maltodextrin (FA-g-MD) Microcapsules Potentially Improved its Free Radical Scavenging Capabilities Against H2O2-Induced Oxidative Stress.

This study aimed to investigate the antioxidant activity and release behavior of anthocyanin (ANC) loaded within FA-g-MD wall (ANC-FA-g-MD microcapsule) in vitro. The microencapsulation of ANC was prepared by spray drying and displayed a biphasic release profile. The combination of ANC and FA-g-MD (0.0625-1 mg/mL) showed a higher antioxidant activity than that of both individuals. A possible intermolecular interaction between ANC and FA-g-MD was studied by UV-vis spectra. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) test, and protein expression of quinone oxidoreductase 1(NQO1), glutathione reductase (GSR) and γ-glutamate cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (γ-GCLC) were measured through human colon cancer cells (HT-29). After a 24-hour incubation of the HT-29, the combinations (0-60 µg/mL) exhibited a high potential to diminish the ROS level. And the distinct upregulated expressions of GCLC and NQO1 of HT-29 were detected after treatment with combinations compared to those of single ones. These results suggested that the ANC-FA-g-MD microcapsules exerts enhanced antioxidant effect with capability of the modulation of GCLC and NQO1.

Systematic review and meta-analysis: Tai Chi for preventing falls in older adults.

OBJECTIVE: It remains unclear whether Tai Chi is effective for preventing falls in older adults. We undertook this systematic review to evaluate the preventive effect of Tai Chi by updating the latest trial evidence. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched up to February 2016 to identify randomised trials evaluating Tai Chi for preventing falls in older adults. We evaluated the risk of bias of included trials using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool. Results were combined using random effects meta-analysis. OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of fallers and rate of falls. RESULTS: 18 trials with 3824 participants were included. The Tai Chi group was associated with significantly lower chance of falling at least once (risk ratio (RR) 0.80, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.88) and rate of falls (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.69, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.80) than the control group. Subgroup analyses suggested that the preventive effect was likely to increase with exercise frequency (number of fallers: p=0.001; rate of falls: p=0.007) and Yang style Tai Chi was likely to be more effective than Sun style Tai Chi (number of fallers: p=0.01; rate of falls: p=0.001). The results might be influenced by publication bias as the funnel plots showed asymmetry. Sensitivity analyses by sample size, risk of bias and comorbidity showed no major influence on the primary results. CONCLUSIONS: Tai Chi is effective for preventing falls in older adults. The preventive effect is likely to increase with exercise frequency and Yang style Tai Chi seems to be more effective than Sun style Tai Chi.