Association between magnesium, copper, and potassium intakes with risk of rheumatoid arthritis: a cross-sectional study from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

BACKGROUND: The relationship between Mg (magnesium), Cu (copper), and K (potassium) intakes and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains limited. The aim of present study was to examine the associations between Mg, Cu and K intakes with RA. METHODS: Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2018, we examined the association between Mg, Cu and K intakes and the risk of RA among US adults. After adjustment for age, sex, race, BMI, educational level, smoking history, alcohol consumption, family Poverty Income Ratio (PIR), diabetes and total daily energy intake, logistic regression models and smooth curve fitting were applied to examine the associations of Mg, Cu and K intakes with RA. RESULTS: A total of 18,338 participants were included (1,008 participants with RA). The multivariate adjusted ORs (95% CI) of RA were [0.66 (0.51, 0.84)], [0.76 (0.60, 0.97)], and [0.75 (0.58, 0.97)] in the highest versus lowest quartile of magnesium intakes, respectively. A nonlinear association between Cu intakes and RA was found. When Cu intake (ln) was between 0.6-2.2 mg, the risk of RA reduced by 26% for every 1 mg increase of intake in Cu [0.74 (0.58, 0.96)]. CONCLUSIONS: Higher Mg, Cu and K intakes may be inversely associated with the risk of RA among US adults, and an inverse L-shaped association between dietary Cu and RA was found.

MiR-30b-5p attenuates the inflammatory response and facilitates the functional recovery of spinal cord injury by targeting the NEFL/mTOR pathway.

BACKGROUND: Neurofilament light chain (NEFL) has been identified as a biomarker for spinal cord injury (SCI), but its effect and underlying mechanism in SCI remain unclear. METHODS: SCI rat models were established for in vivo studies. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cell models were used for in vitro studies. The protein and mRNA expression levels of genes were evaluated by western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The pathological changes in rats after SCI were subjected to histological examinations. The interaction of NEFL and upstream miRNAs was explored using dual-luciferase reporter gene assays. RESULTS: NEFL was highly expressed in SCI rat spinal cord tissues and LPS-stimulated PC12 cells. NEFL silencing showed an inhibitory effect on the morphological changes of SCI rats and the secretion of inflammatory factors and facilitated functional recovery of SCI rats. MiR-30b-5p was demonstrated to target NEFL and negatively regulate NEFL mRNA and protein levels. Downregulation of miR-30b-5p in SCI cell and rat models was demonstrated. MiR-30b-5p alleviated the inflammatory response in SCI rat models and LPS-stimulated PC12 cells and promoted functional recovery in rats by targeting NEFL. NEFL activated mTOR signaling. MiR-30b-5p inactivated mTOR signaling by negatively regulating NEFL. CONCLUSION: MiR-30b-5p alleviated the inflammatory response and facilitated the functional recovery of SCI rats by targeting NEFL to inactivate the mTOR pathway.

Association between Serum Cotinine Levels and Bone Mineral Density: An Analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between serum cotinine and lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) among 7905 participants aged 30 years and over. Method: A total of 3945 men and 3960 women from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2018 were included in this cross-sectional analysis. Independent variable was serum cotinine, which is a biomarker of cigarette exposure. The outcome variable was lumbar BMD. We investigated the associations of serum cotinine levels and lumbar BMD using multivariable linear regression models. Results: Serum cotinine concentration was negatively associated with lumbar BMD after adjustment of relevant covariables (ß = -0.039, 95% CI: -0.078 to -0.014, P = 0.005). However, in the subgroup analysis stratified by gender, this negative association remained only in women (ß = -0.072, 95% CI: -0.132 to -0.012, P = 0.019). Conclusion: Our study suggested that elevated serum cotinine level correlated with decreased lumbar BMD, especially in women. This finding indicated that reducing cigarette exposure and maintaining serum cotinine at a low level may be beneficial to bone health for adults.

Novel combinatorial transdermal drug delivery of alendronate with risedronate for the treatment of osteoporosis.

The presented investigation explores the efficiency of novel transdermal drug delivery system of combination of two drugs i.e risedronate and alendronate in the treatment of osteoporosis. The nanoparticulate transdermal patch was prepared using PLGA as principle polymer which has been found to be suitable for drug delivery. The novel formulation system was found to be more efficient in lowering and maintaining the plasma calcium at a normal level when compared to a pure drug in a study carried out on an excised rat skin.

Constraints from the dehydration of antigorite on high-conductivity anomalies in subduction zones.

Regions with high electrical conductivities in subduction zones have attracted a great deal of attention. Determining the exact origin of these anomalies could provide critical information about the water storage and cycling processes during subduction. Antigorite is the most important hydrous mineral within deep subduction zones. The dehydration of antigorite is believed to cause high-conductivity anomalies. To date, the effects of dehydration on the electrical conductivity of antigorite remain poorly understood. Here, we report new measurements of the electrical conductivity of both natural and hot-pressed antigorite at pressures of 4 and 3 GPa, respectively, and at temperatures reaching 1073 K. We observed significantly enhanced conductivities when the antigorite was heated to temperatures beyond its thermodynamic stability field. Sharp increases in the electrical conductivity occurred at approximately 848 and 898 K following the decomposition of antigorite to forsterite, enstatite and aqueous fluids. High electrical conductivities reaching 1 S/m can be explained by the presence of an interconnected network of conductive aqueous fluids. Based on these results for the electrical conductivity of antigorite, we conclude that high-conductivity regions associated with subduction zones can be attributed to dehydration-induced fluids and the formation of interconnected networks of aqueous fluids during the dehydration of antigorite.

In Situ Raman Spectroscopic Study of Barite as a Pressure Gauge Using a Hydrothermal Diamond Anvil Cell.

In situ Raman measurements of barite were performed at temperatures in the range of 298-673 K and pressures in the range of 105-1217 MPa using a hydrothermal diamond anvil cell combined with laser Raman spectroscopy. The Raman frequency and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the most intense ν1 Raman peak for barite as a function of pressure and temperature were obtained. In the experimental P-T ranges, the ν1Raman band systematically shifted toward low wavenumbers with increasing pressure and temperature. The positive pressure dependence of ν1Raman frequency indicates stress-induced shortening of the S-O bond, whereas the negative temperature dependence shows temperature-induced expansion of the S-O bond. In contrast, the observed ν1Raman band became broadened, which should be attributed to the reduced ordering of molecular structure. Based on the obtained data, the established relationships among the Raman shift or the FWHM, pressure and temperature can be used to obtain good estimates of the internal pressure in natural barite-bearing fluid inclusions or hydrothermal diamond anvil cell. This is a sensitive and reliable approach to the accurate determination of geological pressure.

[Genesis study of omphacite at high pressure and high temperature].

The melting and recrystallizing experiments of alkali basalt powder and mixture of pure oxides mixed as stoichiometry were performed at 3 GPa and 1 200 degrees C. Electronic microprobe analysis and Raman spectra showed that the recrystallized products were omphacites, the FWHM (full width at half maximum) of the Raman peak was narrow and its shape was sharp, which is attributed to the stable Si-O tetrahedral structure and the high degree of order in omphacite. Based on the results of previous studies, the influencing factors of omphacite genesis and its primary magma were discussed. The results showed that the formation of omphacite could be affected by many factors, such as the composition of parent rocks, the concentration of fluid in the system and the conditions of pressure and temperature. This result could support some experimental evidences on the genesis studies of omphacite and eclogite.

The effect of water on the electrical conductivity of olivine.

It is well known that water (as a source of hydrogen) affects the physical and chemical properties of minerals--for example, plastic deformation and melting temperature--and accordingly plays an important role in the dynamics and geochemical evolution of the Earth. Estimating the water content of the Earth's mantle by direct sampling provides only a limited data set from shallow regions (<200 km depth). Geophysical observations such as electrical conductivity are considered to be sensitive to water content, but there has been no experimental study to determine the effect of water on the electrical conductivity of olivine, the most abundant mineral in the Earth's mantle. Here we report a laboratory study of the dependence of the electrical conductivity of olivine aggregates on water content at high temperature and pressure. The electrical conductivity of synthetic polycrystalline olivine was determined from a.c. impedance measurements at a pressure of 4 GPa for a temperature range of 873-1,273 K for water contents of 0.01-0.08 wt%. The results show that the electrical conductivity is strongly dependent on water content but depends only modestly on temperature. The water content dependence of conductivity is best explained by a model in which electrical conduction is due to the motion of free protons. A comparison of the laboratory data with geophysical observations suggests that the typical oceanic asthenosphere contains approximately 10(-2) wt% water, whereas the water content in the continental upper mantle is less than approximately 10(-3) wt%.