Para-perirenal fat thickness is associated with reduced glomerular filtration rate regardless of other obesity-related indicators in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and para-perirenal fat thickness in comparison with other indices of adiposity in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: This single-center, retrospective and cross-sectional study evaluated 337 patients with T2DM. The obesity-related indicators including height, weight, body surface area (BSA), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), para-perirenal fat thickness (PRFT), total abdominal fat (TAF), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), visceral adipose tissue (VAT). eGFR was calculated by CKD-EPI equation. The correlation between eGFR and obesity-related indicators was performed by pearson or spearman correlation analysis and multivariate linear regression. RESULTS: 337 subjects (mean age, 60.2 ± 11.6 years; 195 males, 57.9%) were evaluated. eGFR was negatively correlated with height, weight, BMI, PRFT, TAF, SAT, and VAT, among which the correlation between eGFR and PRFT was the strongest (r = -0.294, p< 0.001). eGFR remained the strongest correlation with PRFT in the subgroup separated by sex (r = -0.319 in the male subgroup, and -0.432 in the female subgroup, respectively, p < 0.001). Age and PRFT were the independent predictive factors for eGFR. PRFT was the best predictor of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in T2DM (AUC = 0.686, p = 0.001, 95% CI: 0.582-0.791). CKD in T2DM can be predicted well by linking age with PRFT (AUC = 0.708, p<0.001, 95% CI = 0.605-0.812). CONCLUSIONS: PRFT is more closely related to glomerular filtration rate than other obesity-related indicators in T2DM. The model combining age with PRFT could predict CKD in T2DM well.

The association between obesity indicators and metabolic risk factors in type-2 diabetic patients.

Rationale and objectives: Obesity, accumulation of adipose tissue, is a global disease that can lead to cardiovascular and metabolic complications. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between obesity indicators and metabolic risk factors in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Materials and methods: A total of 337 T2DM subjects were included in our study. The metabolic risk factors including diabetes duration, fast plasma glucose (FPG), height, weight, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), estimated average glucose (eAG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c), triglyceride (TG), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Scr), free fatty acid (FFA), uric acid (UA), cystatin c (cysc), albumin (Alb), urinary albumin creatinine ratio (UACR) were recorded. The obesity indicators included body surface area (BSA), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), para-perirenal fat thickness (PRFT), total abdominal fat (TAF), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), visceral adipose tissue (VAT). The association between obesity indicators and metabolic risk factors was investigated by univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: HDL-c was independently associated with WHR and PRFT (ß = -0.126 vs. -0.214, both p < 0.05). TG and Scr were both independently associated with PRFT (ß = 0.173 vs. 0.218, both p < 0.01, respectively). UA was independently associated with BSA (ß = 0.172, p < 0.01) and PRFT (ß = 0.151, p < 0.01). cysc, Alb and UACR were independently associated with WC (ß = 0.274 vs. 0.204 vs. 0.182, all p < 0.01). Conclusion: In T2DM patients, obesity indicators were significantly associated with metabolic risk factors.

Towards high photoresponse of perovskite nanowire/copper phthalocyanine heterostructured photodetector.

One-dimensional nanowire structures composed of perovskite are widely recognized for their exceptional optoelectronic performance and mechanical properties, making them a popular area of investigation in photodetection research. In this work, a perovskite nanowire/copper phthalocyanine heterojunction-based photodetector was fabricated, which exhibits high photoresponse in the visible-near-infrared region. The incorporation of a heterojunction significantly enhanced the photoelectric performance. Specifically, the photoresponsivity and external quantum efficiency of the nanowire-based device were elevated from 58.5 A W-1and 1.35 × 104% to 84.5 A W-1and 1.97 × 104% at 532 nm, respectively. The enhanced photoresponse of the heterojunction device can be attributed to the unique microstructure of nanowire arrays. The wrapping of the nanowires by copper phthalocyanine forms heterojunctions with a larger dissociation area, which facilitated exciton dissociation and enhanced device performance. This work provides a promising example for optimizing the performance of nanowire devices.

Transcriptomic profiling and characterization of microRNAs in Macrobrachium rosenbergii potentially involved in immune response to Enterobacter cloacae infection.

Enterobacter cloacae is a member of the Enterobacter family, which could prevent Macrobrachium rosenbergii from growing and cause mass mortality. However, no research has focused on microRNA immunity in M. rosenbergii infected with E. cloacae. To clarify the immune response mechanisms, transcriptomic analysis was performed on the miRNAs of M. rosenbergii infected with E. cloacae YZ3 strain. Following quality screening, 10,616,712 clean reads were obtained from the control group and 12,726,421 from the infected group. Among 899 known miRNAs, 446 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) were identified. Meanwhile, 59 novel miRNAs were predicted, along with 39 DEMs. Target genes of DEMs have been predicted in order to gain a deeper understanding of the immune-related functions. GO and KEGG pathway analysis revealed the biological functions and signaling pathways of target genes. The results indicated that E. cloacae significantly affected the NOD-like receptor, RIG-I-like receptor and Toll-like receptor pathways. Ten DEMs were randomly selected, and their expression level was verified by Quantitative Real-time PCR technology. Overall, this study highlights the influential role of miRNAs in the innate immune system of M. rosenbergii, which has important implications for developing new strategies to prevent and treat related diseases in the future.

Thickness-ratio-dependent performances of broadband organic photodiodes based on a tin phthalocyanine/PTCDA heterojunction.

Employing a photosensitive donor/acceptor planar heterojunction (DA-PHJ) with complementary optical absorption as the active layer is one of the key strategies for realizing broad spectral organic photodiodes (BS-OPDs). To achieve superior optoelectronic performance, it is vital to optimize the thickness ratio of the donor layer to acceptor layer (the DA thickness ratio) in addition to the optoelectronic properties of the DA-PHJ materials. In this study, we realized a BS-OPD exploiting tin(II) phthalocyanine (SnPc)/3,4,9,10-perylenete-acarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) as the active layer and investigated the effect of the DA thickness ratio on the device performance. The results showed that the DA thickness ratio has a significant impact on the device performance, and an optimized DA thickness ratio of 30:20 was found. Upon the optimization of the DA thickness ratio, improvements of 187% in photoresponsivity and 144% in specific detectivity were achieved on average. Trap-free space-charge-limited photocarrier transport and balanced optical absorption over the wavelength range can be ascribed to the improved performance at the optimized DA thickness ratio. These results establish a solid photophysical foundation for improving the performance of BS-OPDs via thickness ratio optimization.

Ultranarrow-band filterless photodetectors based on CH3NH3PbClxBr3-xmixed-halide perovskite single crystals.

Narrow-band photodetectors based on halide perovskite have recently attracted significant attention due to their exceptional narrow-band detection performance and tunable absorption peaks covering a wide optical range. In this work, we report mixed-halide CH3NH3PbClxBr3-xsingle crystal-based photodetectors have been fabricated, where the Cl/Br ratios were varied (3:0, 10:1, 5:1, 1:1, 1:7, 1:14 and 0:3). Vertical and parallel structures devices were fabricated which exhibited ultranarrow spectral responses under bottom illumination, with a full-width at half-maximum less than 16 nm. The observed performance can be ascribed to the unique carrier generation and extraction mechanisms within the single crystal under short and long wavelength of illumination. These findings offer valuable insights into the development of narrow-band photodetectors that do not necessitate the use of filters and hold tremendous potential for a diverse array of applications.

Transcriptome-wide identification and characterization of the Macrobrachium rosenbergii microRNAs potentially related to immunity against non-O1 Vibrio cholerae infection.

Non-O1 Vibrio cholerae, a member of the Vibrio family, could cause gastrointestinal infection of Macrobrachium rosenbergii and result in significant economic losses. However, few studies on microRNA immunity related to non-O1 V. cholerae infection of M. rosenbergii. The aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanism of miRNA in the potential immune response of M. rosenbergii. to non-O1 V. cholerae MSVC-GY01 infection by transcriptome sequencing. Following quality screening, the control group received 10, 616, 712 clean reads, whereas the infected group received 9,727,616. The miRNA sequences in the two samples are extremely consistent and have a length of roughly 23 nt. In all, 871 known miRNAs were discovered, with 279 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs). Meanwhile, 62 novel miRNAs were predicted, including 43 DEMs. In order to understand the immune-related biological functions of DEMs, target genes were predicted. Pathway function annotation analysis showed that non-O1 V. cholerae affected the NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathway, and Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, suggesting that miRNAs in the hepatopancreas play a key role in immune responses to pattern recognition receptors. Twelve DEMs were randomly selected for Quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Overall, the expression trends of qRT-PCR were consistent with the sequencing results. These findings corroborate the immunomodulatory function of miRNA in M. rosenbergii against non-O1 V. cholerae infection and provide guidance for the prevention and treatment of related illnesses.

The value of cardiac CT in the diagnosis of unroofed coronary sinus syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Unroofed coronary sinus syndrome (UCSS) is a rare cardiovascular malformation with nonspecific clinical manifestations that easily causes misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis. The aim of this study is to present the different features of UCSS by various CCT (cardiac CT) postprocessing techniques and evaluate the diagnostic advantages of CCT. METHODS: 9 UCSS patients who were diagnosed by imaging and undergone both CCT and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) were included in this study, and their CCT images were reviewed. The UCSS images were classified by multiplanar reformations, maximum intensity projection, volume rendering and cinematic rendering. The size of CS roof defect was also measured. RESULTS: Only 4 of 9 CCT confirmed UCSS patients were detected by TTE (4/9, 44.4%), the sensitivity of TTE was lower compared to CCT by Fisher's exact test (P < 0.05). UCSS was classified according to the Kirklin and Barratt Boyes's method, including 1 case was classified as type I, 4 cases as type II, 1 case as type III, 2 cases as type IV, 1 case as type V (variant type), and TTE was undiagnosed in all type III-V patients. Additionally, CCT showed 12 extra malformations in these patients, only 5 of them were found by TTE (5/12, 41.7%), and TTE missed all extracardiac malformations. The mean size of CS roof defect was 3.04 ± 1.57 cm. CONCLUSIONS: CCT with various postprocessing technologies has excellent value in diagnosing and differentiating subtypes of UCSS, measuring size of coronary sinus defect, describing accompanying cardiovascular abnormalities.

Effects of Lead (Pb) and Benzo [a] Pyrene (B[a]P) and their Combined Exposure on Element Accumulation in Ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.).

It was observed in this work that application of Pb and B[a]P co-exposure significantly (p < 0.05) reduced Pb content in ryegrass leaves and roots. The effect of Pb dominated the change of N, P, K, Cu, and Cr content in leaves and roots of ryegrass under joint stress of Pb and B[a]P. Principal component analysis showed that the foliar spraying of 400 µmol L-1 Pb and 80 µmol L-1 B[a]P had the best effect on improving the mineral element absorption under combined pollution. Ryegrass has strong resistance and certain Pb and B[a]P absorptive capacities, and can resist combined contamination by transferring N, P, K, Zn, Cu, and Cr contents between the overground and the root. These results highlight the potential capacity of ryegrass for use in the phytoremediation of soils contaminated by Pb and B[a]P.

Channel-length-dependent performance of photosensitive organic field-effect transistors.

Pentacene is a small molecule organic semiconductor and has high absorption in the UV and visible region. In this work, we report the channel-length-dependent performance of bottom-gate top-contact photosensitive organic field-effect transistors based on pentacene with different channel lengths ranging from 25 to 150 µm. The results show that, for a given drain voltage, the photoresponsivity, external quantum efficiency, and specific detectivity decrease with increasing channel length. For a given channel length and gate voltage, the photoresponsivity, external quantum efficiency, and specific detectivity increase with drain voltages, and then tend to saturate at high drain voltages.

Effects of Complex Pollution of Pb and B[a]P on the Growth and Physiological and Biochemical Indexes of Ryegrass.

Effects of complex pollution of Pb and B[a]P on the growth and physiological and biochemical indexes of ryegrass were investigated in a potted soil. The results showed that under single Pb treatment condition, low-concentration (0-100 mg kg-1) Pb stimulated the increase of ryegrass biomass while high-concentration (200-400 mg kg-1) Pb obviously inhibited ryegrass growth. Under single B[a]P pollution condition, low-concentration (0-30 mg kg-1) B[a]P facilitated the growth of ryegrass while high-concentration (50-100 mg kg-1) B[a]P had toxic effect on ryegrass. Under joint impacts of Pb and B[a]P at low concentrations, biomass, chlorophyll content and carotenoid content as well as POD and CAT activities of ryegrass presented firstly rising and then descending trends, SOD accumulation increased slightly and MDA didn't experience obvious change. Under co-existence of Pb and B[a]P, Pb was the main toxic factor for ryegrass growth and it controlled the variation trend of whole growth cycle of ryegrass.

Study on the growth and photosynthetic characteristics of wheat seedlings under [C4mim][OAc] (1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium acetate) with Cd²âº stress.

In this paper, the joint effect of 0.5 mmol·L(-1) Cd(2+) and various concentrations (50-400 mg·L(-1)) of the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium acetate ([C4min][OAc]) on the growth and photosynthetic performance of wheat seedlings in hydroponic culture was investigated. Seedlings grown in presence of Cd(2+) and [C4min][OAc] showed significant (p < 0.05) improvement in growth (shoot and root lengths and dry weights) and photosynthetic performance (photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, and chlorophyll a but not chlorophyll b) compared to seedlings grown in the presence of Cd(2+) but without [C4min][OAc]. However, this only happened under the lower range of [C4min][OAc] concentrations (50-200 mg·L(-1)). In addition, significant reduction in the level of Cd(2+) was also observed in the leaf tissue of wheat seedlings grown in the presence of 0.5 mmol·L(-1) Cd(2+) and 100 mg·L(-1) [C4min][OAc]. Overall, Cd(2+) exerted a stronger inhibition than [C4min][OAc] on the growth and photosynthetic performance of wheat seedlings. However, when both Cd(2+) and [C4min][OAc] were present in the culture, the toxicity of Cd(2+) could be mitigated by lower concentrations of [C4mim][OAc]. This phenomenon could be due to [C4mim][OAc] forming metal complexes with Cd(2+), thus reducing the toxicity of Cd(2+).