Intolerance of uncertainty and psychological flexibility as predictors of mental health from adolescence to old age.

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it significant social, economic and health uncertainties. These were proposed to impact young people more compared to adults, leading adolescents to report more mental health problems during the pandemic. The current study examined whether differences in cognitive risk (tolerance of uncertainty) and protective (psychological flexibility) factors accounted for age-related differences in depression and anxiety. METHODS: These associations were investigated in the COVID-19 Risks Across the Lifespan (CORAL) cohort (N = 2280, 11-89 years). RESULTS: The results showed that adolescents experienced greater intolerance of uncertainty and lower psychological flexibility compared to adults and older adults. Tolerance of uncertainty did not account for age-related differences in depression or anxiety. However, psychological flexibility conferred more protective advantage for anxiety in adults compared to adolescents. CONCLUSION: The observed age-related differences in risk and protective factors advance our understanding of developmental vulnerabilities to depression and anxiety. Implications for mental health interventions in the context of future pandemics are discussed.

Dynamic optical coherence elastography for skin burn assessment: A preliminary study on mice model.

Skin burns that include tissue coagulation necrosis imply variations in stiffness. Dynamic phase-sensitive optical coherence elastography (OCE) is used to evaluate the stiffness of burned skin nondestructively in this paper. The homemade dynamic OCE was initially verified through tissue-mimicking phantom experiments regarding Rayleigh wave speed. After being burned with a series of temperatures and durations, the corresponding structure and stiffness variations of mice skin were demonstrated by histological images, optical coherence tomography B-scans, and OCE elastic wave speed maps. The results clearly displayed the variation in elastic properties and stiffness of the scab edge extending in the lateral direction. Statistical analysis revealed that murine skin burned at temperatures exceeding 100°C typically exhibited greater stiffness than skin burned at temperatures below 100°C. The dynamic OCE technique shows potential application for incorporating elasticity properties as a biomechanical extension module to diagnose skin burn injuries.

Efficiently tuning the electrical performance of PBTTT-C14 thin film viainsitucontrollable multiple precursors (Al2O3:ZnO) vapor phase infiltration.

Conjugated polymer-based organic/inorganic hybrid materials become the current research frontier and show great potential to integrate flexible polymers and rigid solid materials, which have been widely used in the field of various flexible electronics and optical devices. In this study, based on the multiple vapor phase infiltration (VPI) process, various precursor molecules (diethylzinc DEZ, trimethylaluminum TMA, H2O) are applied for thein situmodification of PBTTT-C14 films. The conductivity of the PBTTT-C14/Al2O3:ZnO (AZO) film is significantly enhanced, and the maximum value of conductivity is 1.16 S cm-1, which is eight orders of magnitude higher than the undoped PBTTT-C14 thin film. Here, the change of morphologies and crystalline states are analyzed via SEM, AFM, and XRD. And the chemical changes during the VPI process of PBTTT-C14 are characterized through Raman, XPS, and UV-vis. During the AZO VPI process, the formation of new ZnS matrix in the polymer subsurface can generate new additional electron conduction pathways through the crosslinking of polymer chains with inorganic materials, and the addition of Al2O3can bring about the increase of average grain size of ZnO crystals, which is also benefit to the conductivity increase of PBTTT-C14 thin film. Generally, the synergistic effect between the inorganic and polymer constituents results in the significantly enhancement of the conductivity of PBTTT-C14/AZO thin films.

Sanghuangporus sanghuang extract inhibits the proliferation and invasion of lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Sanghuangporus sanghuang (SS) has various medicinal effects, including anti-inflammation and anticancer activities. Despite the extensive research on SS, its molecular mechanisms of action on lung cancer are unclear. This study examined the impact of an SS alcohol extract (SAE) on lung cancer using in vitro and in vivo models. MATERIALS/METHODS: Different concentrations of SAE were used to culture lung cancer cells (A549 and H1650). A cell counting kit-8 assay was used to detect the survival ability of A549 and H1650 cells. A scratch assay and transwell cell invasion assay were used to detect the migration rate and invasive ability of SAE. Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl2-associated X (Bax), cyclin D1, cyclin-dependent kinases 4 (CDK4), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), and phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3). Lung cancer xenograft mice were used to detect the inhibiting ability of SAE in vivo. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the effect of SAE on the structural changes to the tumor and the expression of Bcl-2, Bax, cyclin D1, CDK4, STAT3, and p-STAT3 in lung cancer xenograft mice. RESULTS: SAE could inhibit lung cancer proliferation significantly in vitro and in vivo without cytotoxicity. SAE suppressed the viability, migration, and invasion of lung cancer cells in a dose and time-dependent manner. The SAE treatment significantly decreased the proapoptotic Bcl-2/Bax ratio and the expression of pro-proliferative proteins Cyclin D1 and CDK4 in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, SAE also inhibited STAT3 expression. CONCLUSIONS: SAE reduced the cell viability and suppressed cell migration and invasion in human lung cancer cells. Moreover, SAE also exhibited anti-proliferation effects in vivo. Therefore, SAE may have benefits in cancer therapy.

Determination of Phenolic Acids Using Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Triple Quadrupole (UHPLC-QqQ) in Fruiting Bodies of Sanghuangporus baumii (Pilát) L.W. Zhou and Y.C. Dai.

Sanghuangporus, a medicinal mushroom, has gained significant attention due to its beneficial properties. Phenolic acids are among the major bioactive compounds in Sanghuangporus, known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. To precisely quantify the phenolic acid content, we developed a method utilizing ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole (UHPLC-QqQ). This study optimized the UHPLC-QqQ conditions to simultaneously separate and detect eight phenolic acids in Sanghuangporus baumii (Pilát) L.W. Zhou and Y.C. Dai, including chlorogenic acid, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, protocatechuic acid, ferulic acid, sinapic acid, and syringic acid. The separation process utilized a ZORBAX Eclipse Plus C18 column using 0.01% formic acid and 2 mmol/L ammonium formate in water as the aqueous phase and methanol containing 0.01% formic acid and 2 mmol/L ammonium formate as the organic phase. Calibration curves were constructed using standard solutions to quantitatively determine the phenolic acid content. The results showed significant variation in phenolic acid content among S. baumii fruiting bodies, with Protocatechuic acid, p-coumaric acid, and caffeic acid being the most abundant. This method is valuable for quantifying phenolic acid compounds under different cultivation conditions. It provides excellent sensitivity, selectivity, and reproducibility for the quantification of phenolic acids in Sanghuangporus, contributing to a better understanding of its chemical composition and potential health benefits. This approach represents a novel technical means for the simultaneous analysis of compound phenolic acids in Sanghuangporus fruiting bodies.

Self super-resolution of optical coherence tomography images based on deep learning.

As a medical imaging modality, many researches have been devoted to improving the resolution of optical coherence tomography (OCT). We developed a deep-learning based OCT self super-resolution (OCT-SSR) pipeline to improve the axial resolution of OCT images based on the high-resolution and low-resolution spectral data collected by the OCT system. In this pipeline, the enhanced super-resolution asymmetric generative adversarial networks were built to improve the network outputs without increasing the complexity. The feasibility and effectiveness of the approach were demonstrated by experimental results on the images of the biological samples collected by the home-made spectral-domain OCT and swept-source OCT systems. More importantly, we found the sidelobes in the original images can be obviously suppressed while improving the resolution based on the OCT-SSR method, which can help to reduce pseudo-signal in OCT imaging when non-Gaussian spectra light source is used. We believe that the OCT-SSR method has broad prospects in breaking the limitation of the source bandwidth on the axial resolution of the OCT system.

Securing Embedded System from Code Reuse Attacks: A Lightweight Scheme with Hardware Assistance.

The growing prevalence of embedded systems in various applications has raised concerns about their vulnerability to malicious code reuse attacks. Current software-based and hardware-assisted security techniques struggle to detect or block these attacks with minor performance and implementation overhead. To address this issue, this paper presents a lightweight hardware-assisted scheme to enhance the security of embedded systems against code reuse attacks. We develop an on-chip lightweight hardware shadow stack to validate target addresses at runtime for backward-edge control flow integrity, which backs up valid return addresses during function calls and automatically verifies actual return addresses during the return phase. Additionally, we propose a lightweight stream cipher circuit that encrypts and decrypts critical stack data related to control flow manipulation, preventing attackers from analyzing or tampering with them. When designing and implementing the security mechanism for embedded systems, we fully consider the constraints of limited system resources and performance, optimizing both the architecture design and implementation of the proposed hardware. Finally, we integrate both the proposed lightweight hardware shadow stack and the runtime data encryption hardware into the OR1200 processor. We have verified the system security function on the Terasic DE1-SoC FPGA platform and evaluated the system performance as well as implementation overhead. The results show that the proposed lightweight hardware-assisted scheme can provide a dedicated defense capability against code reuse attacks for embedded systems, with an average system performance overhead of 0.39% and an area footprint of 0.316 mm2.

Effects of Cultivation Methods on the Nutritional Content, Active Component Content, and Antioxidant Activity of Fruiting Bodies of Sanghuangporus baumii (Agaricomycetes).

To provide a scientific reference for improving the sawdust cultivation of Sanghuangporus baumii, comparative studies were conducted on the contents of nutritional components and active components and the antioxidant activity of the fruiting bodies of S. baumii cultivated with sawdust and cut logs. The results indicate that, first, cultivation methods had little effect on the contents of crude fat and the measured 16 kinds of amino acids [including total essential amino acids (EAA), total nonessential amino acids (NEAA), EAA/NEAA, and EAA/total amino acid (TAA)], but had a great influence on the contents of crude protein, crude fiber and TAA. These results suggest that the nutritional content under sawdust cultivation was significantly higher than that under cut-log cultivation. Second, the cultivation methods had little effect on the content of triterpenoids but had a great effect on the contents of polysaccharides, total flavonoids and total phenols, which showed that cut-log cultivation was significantly higher than sawdust cultivation. Third, the cultivation methods had a great effect on the antioxidant activities (ABTS and FRAP), which showed that cut-log cultivation was significantly higher than sawdust cultivation. The contents of polysaccharides, total flavonoids, and total phenols and the ABTS and FRAP activities using sawdust cultivation were lower than those using cut-log cultivation, which may be related to the mushroom strains, cultivation medium formula and cultivation technology. The results provide a solid basis for the improvement and promotion of new cultivation technologies for S. baumii.

Information-Rich Multi-Functional OCT for Adult Zebrafish Intra- and Extracranial Imaging.

The zebrafish serves as a valuable animal model for both intra- and extracranial research, particularly in relation to the brain and skull. To effectively investigate the development and regeneration of adult zebrafish, a versatile in vivo imaging technique capable of showing both intra- and extracranial conditions is essential. In this paper, we utilized a high-resolution multi-functional optical coherence tomography (OCT) to obtain rich intra- and extracranial imaging outcomes of adult zebrafish, encompassing pigmentation distribution, tissue-specific information, cranial vascular imaging, and the monitoring of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Notably, it is the first that the channels through the zebrafish cranial suture, which may have a crucial function in maintaining the patency of the cranial sutures, have been observed. Rich imaging results demonstrated that a high-resolution multi-functional OCT system can provide a wealth of novel and interpretable biological information for intra- and extracranial studies of adult zebrafish.

Quantitative Analysis of Flavonoids in Fruiting Bodies of Sanghuangporus Using Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry.

A rapid, precise, and dependable method for quantifying flavonoids in the fruiting bodies of Sanghuangporus was established using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS). Separation was achieved using a ZORBAX Eclipse Plus C18 column (1.8 µm, 3.0 mm × 100 mm) with a 15 min gradient of a mobile phase consisting of 0.01% aqueous formic acid and 2 mm/L ammonium formate (mobile phase A), and 0.01% formic acid and 2 mm/L ammonium formate in methanol (mobile phase B). A mass spectrometry analysis was performed using the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode with an electrospray ion source. This method enabled the simultaneous detection of 10 flavonoids (sakuranetin, quercitrin, myricitrin, kaempferol, luteolin, rutin, hyperoside, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, catechin, and catechin gallate) in the fruiting bodies of Sanghuangporus. Additionally, we applied this method to analyze the flavonoid content in fruiting bodies of various Sanghuangporus species. The results revealed substantial variations in flavonoid content, up to a 100-fold difference, among different species, with myricitrin, hyperoside, and rutin identified as the most abundant flavonoids. This protocol serves as a valuable tool for quantifying flavonoid compounds in different Sanghuangporus species or under diverse cultivation conditions, particularly for identifying species with high levels of specific flavonoid compounds.

Near Zero-Threshold Voltage P-N Junction Diodes Based on Super-Semiconducting Nanostructured Ag/Al Arrays.

Semiconductor devices are currently one of the most common energy consumption devices. Significantly reducing the energy consumption of semiconductor devices with advanced energy-efficient technologies is highly desirable. The discovery of super-semiconductors (SSCs) based on metallic bi-layer shell arrays provides an opportunity to realize ultra-low-power consumption semiconductor devices. As an example, the achievement of near zero-threshold voltage in p-n junction diodes based on super-semiconducting nanostructured Ag/Al arrays is reported, realizing ultra-low-power p-n junction diodes: ≈3 W per trillion diodes with a working voltage of 1 V or 30 mW per trillion diodes with an operating voltage of 0.1 V. In addition, the p-n junction diodes exhibit a high breakdown field of ≈1.1 × 106  V cm-1 , similar to that of SiC and GaN, due to a robust built-in field driven by infrared light photons. The SSC p-n diodes with near zero-threshold voltage and high breakdown field allow access to ultra-low-power semiconducting transistors, integrated circuits, chips, etc.

Tuning the Electrical Conductivity of a Flexible Fabric-Based Cu-HHTP Film through a Novel Redox Interaction between the Guest-Host System.

Integration of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and flexible fabrics has been recently considered as a promising strategy applied in wearable electronic devices. We synthesized a flexible fabric-based Cu-HHTP film consisted of Cu2+ ions and 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexahydroxytriphenylene (HHTP) via a self-sacrificial template method. The obtained Cu-HHTP film displays an outstanding nanostructured surface and uniformity. Iodine molecules are first introduced into the pores of Cu-HHTP to investigate the influence of guest molecules on electrical conductivity in a 2D guest-host system. After doping, the conductivity of the Cu-HHTP film shows an increased dependent on the doping time, and the maximum value is more than 30 times that of the original MOFs. The enhanced electrical conductivity results from an intriguing redox interaction occurred between the confined iodine molecules and the framework. The organic ligands are oxidized by iodine molecules, and generating new ions allows for subsequent participation in the regulation of the mixed valence bands of copper ions in MOFs, changing the ratio of Cu2+/Cu+, promoting the charge transport of the framework, and then synergistically enhancing the electronic conductivity. This study successfully prepared a flexible fabric-based conductive I2@Cu-HHTP film and presented insights into revealing the behavior of iodine molecules after entering the Cu-HHTP pores, expanding the possibilities of Cu-HHTP used in flexible wearable electronics.

Greatly increased electrical conductivity of PBTTT-C14 thin film via controllable single precursor vapor phase infiltration.

Doping is an important strategy for effectively regulating the charge carrier concentration of semiconducting materials. In this study, the electronic properties of organic-inorganic hybrid semiconducting polymers, synthesized viain situcontrolled vapor phase infiltration (VPI) of poly[2,5-bis(3-tetradecylthiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene] (PBTTT-C14) with the metal precursors molybdenum pentachloride (MoCl5) and titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4), were altered and characterized. The conductivities of the infiltration-doped PBTTT-C14 thin films were enhanced by up to 9 and 4 orders of magnitude, respectively. The significantly improved electrical properties may result from interactions between metal atoms in the metal precursors and sulfur of the thiophene rings, thus forming new chemical bonds. Importantly, VPI doping has little influence on the structure of the PBTTT-C14 thin films. Even if various dopant molecules infiltrate the polymer matrix, the interlayer spacing of the films will inevitably expand, but it has negligible effects on the overall morphology and structure of the film. Also, Lewis acid-doped PBTTT-C14 thin films exhibited excellent environmental stability. Therefore, the VPI-based doping process has great potential for use in processing high-quality conductive polymer films.

Ferroelectric-gated MoSe2photodetectors with high photoresponsivity.

Ferroelectric transistors with semiconductors as the channel material and ferroelectrics as the gate insulator have potential applications in nanoelectronics. We report in-situ modulation of optoelectronic properties of MoSe2thin flakes on ferroelectric 0.7PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3-0.3PbTiO3(PMN-PT). Under the excitation of 638 nm laser, the photoresponsivity can be greatly boosted to 59.8 A W-1and the detectivity to 3.2 × 1010Jones, with the improvement rates of about 1500% and 450%, respectively. These results suggest hybrid structure photodetector of two-dimensional layered material and ferroelectric has great application prospects in photoelectric detector.

Type-I Heterostructure Based on WS2/PtS2 for High-Performance Photodetectors.

van der Waals (vdW) heterodiodes composed of two-dimensional (2D) layered materials led to a new prospect in photoelectron diodes and photovoltaic devices. Existing studies have shown that Type-I heterostructures have great potential to be used as photodetectors; however, the tunneling phenomena in Type-I heterostructures have not been fully revealed. Herein, a highly efficient nn+ WS2/PtS2 Type-I vdW heterostructure photodiode is constructed. The device shows an ultrahigh reverse rectification ratio of 105 owing to the transmission barrier-induced low reverse current. A unilateral depletion region is formed on WS2, which inhibits the recombination of carriers at the interface and makes the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the device reach 67%. Due to the tunneling mechanism of the device, which allows the co-existence of a large photocurrent and a low dark current, this device achieves a light on/off ratio of over 105. In addition, this band design allows the device to maintain a high detectivity of 4.53 × 1010 Jones. Our work provides some new ideas for exploring new high-efficiency photodiodes.

Inoscavin A, a pyrone compound isolated from a Sanghuangporus vaninii extract, inhibits colon cancer cell growth and induces cell apoptosis via the hedgehog signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Sanghuangporus vaninii, a large precious medicinal fungus called Sanghuang in China, has significant antitumor activity. We previously reported that a Sanghuangporus vaninii extract could lead to apoptosis in HT-29 cells through the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. We further found that Inoscavin A exhibited anti-colon cancer activity, but its specific mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. METHODS: Inoscavin A was obtained from Sanghuangporus vaninii by the classic phytochemical separation technology. The male BALB/c nude mice were injected with HT-29 colon cancer cells as animal model. In order to observe the pathological changes of tumor section, the hematoxylin-eosin(H&E) staining was applied in the histological analysis. Metabolomics was utilized for the investigation of the overall changes of serum metabolites in animal model, and the potential targets of Inoscavin A were analyzed by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). We further employed a molecular docking approach to predict the degree of combination of Inoscavin A and Smo. Then we further performed Western blotting and immunofluorescence analysis to investigate the expression of proteins involved in Hh-related pathways in tumor tissues. In addition, the colony formation assay, scratch-wound assay and transwell migration and invasion assay were conducted to evaluate the anti-colon-cancer activity of Inoscavin A. Concurrently, the mitochondrial membrane potential assay and TUNEL apoptosis assay were detected to demonstrate the effect of Inoscavin A on promoting HT-29 cells apoptosis. Western blot experiments verified the anti-tumor effects of Inoscavin A were modulated the protein expression of Shh, Ptch1, Smo and Gli1 in HT-29 cells. RESULTS: We showed that Inoscavin A, a pyrone compound isolated from the Sanghuangporus vaninii extract, exerted its antitumor activity in an HT-29 colon cancer cell xenograft mouse model. Subsequently, we first time prove that the antitumor effects of Inoscavin A were related to the hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Smo, the core receptor of the Hh pathway, was critical for the induction of apoptosis of Inoscavin A and that overexpression of this target could significantly rescue cell apoptosis induced by Inoscavin A treatment. CONCLUSION: Thus, our studies first propose that the natural outgrowth Inoscavin A exerted its anti-cancer effects by inhibiting Smo to suppress the activity of the Hh pathway though inhibiting cell proliferation and promoting apoptosis. These findings further indicate that Inoscavin A will be expected to be a prospective remedical compound for the treatment of colon cancer.

Optimization of hydrogen-ion storage performance of tungsten trioxide nanowires by niobium doping.

The transport and storage of ions within solid state structures is a fundamental limitation for fabricate more advanced electrochemical energy storage, memristor, and electrochromic devices. Crystallographic shear structure can be induced in the tungsten bronze structures composed of corner-sharing WO6octahedra by the addition of edge-sharing NbO6octahedra, which might provide more storage sites and more convenient transport channels for external ions such as hydrogen ions and alkali metal ions. Here, we show that Nb2O5·15WO3nanowires (Nb/W = 0.008) with long length-diameter ratio, smooth surface, and uniform diameter have been successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. The Nb2O5·15WO3nanowires do exhibit more advantages over h-WO3nanowires in electrochemical hydrogen ion storage such as smaller polarization, larger capacity (71 mAh g-1, at 10C, 1C = 100 mA g-1), better cycle performance (remain at 99% of the initial capacity after 200 cycles at 100C) and faster H+ions diffusion kinetics. It might be the crystallographic shear structure induced by Nb doping that does result in the marked improvement in the hydrogen-ion storage performance of WO3. Therefore, complex niobium tungsten oxide nanowires might offer great promise for the next generation of electrochemical energy and information storage devices.

Universal Strategy to Prepare a Flexible Photothermal Absorber Based on Hierarchical Fe-MOF-74 toward Highly Efficient Solar Interfacial Seawater Desalination.

Solar-driven interfacial steam generation (SDISG), as an emerging green and renewable approach to overcome water shortage, is very suitable for remote locations, developing countries, and disaster zones because it does not require an additional energy supply. However, the traditional metal-based and carbon-based absorbers always suffered from fragility (or rigidity) and the complex preparation process, which dramatically inhibited their transportation and installation in areas with poor infrastructure. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a universal method to fabricate flexible solar evaporators. Herein, a novel solar evaporator that integrates a flexible matrix (Cu mesh or textile) and a hierarchical Fe-MOF-74 photothermal absorber component is perfectly prepared for the rapid and efficient SDISG. Notably, the results show that Fe-MOF-74-based flexible textile matrix composites exhibit outstanding light absorption (83.81%), low thermal conductivity (0.1730 W/m K), super hydrophilic properties (within 50 ms, the contact angle is close to 0°), excellent salt resistance, high evaporation rate (1.35 kg/m2 h), and photothermal conversion efficiency (η is 81.5% under one sun, stable for 30 days). Owing to the flexibility, recyclability, and above-mentioned excellent performance, the prepared hierarchical Fe-MOF-74-based flexible composite systems are more practical for transportation, large-scale production, and stable and efficient applications. As a result, this work offers new insight into the future development of the combination of a MOF-based photothermal absorber and flexible substrates, as well as for the application of interfacial solar seawater desalination, and provides a new reference for other applications.

Insulinemic and Inflammatory Dietary Patterns and Risk of Prostate Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Hyperinsulinemia and inflammation are inter-related pathways that link diet with the risk of several chronic diseases. Evidence suggests that these pathways may also increase prostate cancer risk. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether hyperinsulinemic diet and inflammatory diet are associated with prostate cancer incidence and mortality. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We prospectively followed 41 209 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2014). Scores for two validated dietary patterns were calculated from food frequency questionnaires at baseline and updated every 4 yr. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Total, advanced, and lethal prostate cancer outcomes were assessed. Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined for associations between two empirical hypothesis-oriented dietary patterns-empirical dietary index for hyperinsulinemia and empirical dietary inflammatory pattern-and prostate cancer risk estimated using Cox proportional hazard regression. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: During 28 yr of follow-up, 5929 incident cases of total prostate cancer, including 1019 advanced and 667 fatal, were documented. In multivariable-adjusted models, there was a 7% higher risk of advanced prostate cancer (HR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.01-1.15) and a 9% higher risk of fatal prostate cancer (HR: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.00-1.18) per standard deviation (SD) increase in the hyperinsulinemic diet. When stratified by age, the hyperinsulinemic diet was associated with only earlier-onset aggressive prostate cancer (men under 65 yr), with per SD HRs of 1.20 (95% CI: 1.06-1.35) for advanced, 1.22 (1.04-1.42) for fatal, and 1.20 (1.04-1.38) for lethal. The inflammatory diet was not associated with prostate cancer risk in the overall study population, but was associated with earlier-onset lethal prostate cancer (per SD increase HR: 1.16; 95% CI: 1.00-1.35). CONCLUSIONS: Hyperinsulinemia and inflammation may be potential mechanisms linking dietary patterns with the risk of aggressive prostate cancer, particularly earlier-onset disease. PATIENT SUMMARY: Avoiding inflammatory and hyperinsulinemic dietary patterns may be beneficial for the prevention of clinically relevant prostate cancer, especially among younger men.

Strong anisotropy and layer-dependent carrier mobility of two-dimensional semiconductor ZrGeTe4.

Layered ZrGeTe4 is a new type of ternary anisotropic semiconductor. The strong in-plane anisotropy may give us another degree of freedom for controlling electrical and optical properties, and designing advanced nanodevices. Using first-principles calculations, physical properties such as band structure, phonon vibration, and carrier mobility of layered ZrGeTe4 from bulk to monolayer were investigated. The bulk and few-layer ZrGeTe4 are predicted as indirect bandgap semiconductors, but the monolayer ZrGeTe4 turns out to be a direct band gap semiconductor with moderate value of 1.08 eV. Electronic structure calculations reveal that the van der Waals interaction is the main reason of causing the transition from indirect band gap to direct one. Phonon calculations demonstrate that the layered ZrGeTe4 is mechanically stable and anisotropic. In orders of magnitude, the predicted average carrier mobility of ZrGeTe4 (∼103 cm2 V-1 s-1) is between that of graphene (∼105) and MoS2 (∼102), and the anisotropy of electronic mobility is similar to that of black phosphorus, while hole mobility varies with the numbers of layers.