Distinctive subgingival microbial signatures in older adults with different levels of cognitive function.

AIM: To examine association between subgingival microbial signatures and levels of cognitive impairment in older adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analysed subgingival plaque samples and 16S ribosomal RNA sequences for microbiota among 165 participants (normal controls [NCs]: 40, subjective cognitive decline [SCD]: 40, mild cognitive impairment [MCI]: 49 and dementia: 36). RESULTS: The bacterial richness was lower among individuals with worse cognitive function, and subgingival microbial communities differed significantly among the four groups. Declining cognitive function was associated with decreasing relative abundance of genera Capnocytophaga, Saccharibacteria_genera_incertae_sedis, Lautropia and Granulicatella, and increasing abundance of genus Porphyromonas. Moreover, there were differentially abundant genera among the groups. Random forest model based on subgingival microbiota could distinguish between cognitive impairment and NC (AUC = 0.933, 95% confidence interval 0.873-0.992). Significant correlations were observed between oral microbiota and sex, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score and Mini-Mental State Examination score. Partial correlation analysis showed that Leptotrichia and Burkholderia were closely negatively associated with the MoCA score after adjusting for multiple covariates. Gene function was not significantly different between SCD and NC groups, whereas three homozygous genes were altered in MCI patients and two in dementia patients. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to demonstrate an association between the composition, function and metabolic pathways of subgingival microbiota and different levels of cognitive function among older individuals. Future cohort studies should assess its diagnostic usefulness for cognitive impairment.

Investigating the association between inflammation mediated by mushroom consumption and mild cognitive impairment in Chinese older adults.

Background: Chronic inflammatory stimulation is a major risk factor for mild cognitive impairment. Mushroom consumption and inflammatory factors may play an important role in the pathogenesis of mild cognitive impairment. Additionally, consuming mushrooms can reduce the levels of inflammatory cytokines and preserve cognitive function. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between mushroom consumption and serum inflammatory cytokines and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: Binary logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between mushroom consumption and MCI in 550 participants. Subsequently, mediation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between mushroom consumption, inflammatory factors, and the Montreal Cognitive assessment (MoCA) score in 248 participants. Results: Mushroom consumption was associated with MCI (odds ratio = 0.623, 95% confidence interval = 0.542-0.715, P < 0.001). The association between mushroom intake and MCI was mediated by interleukin-6 (IL-6) and hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and the MoCA score was 12.76% and 47.59%, respectively. Conclusion: A high intake of mushrooms was associated with a low risk of MCI. Serum inflammatory factors including IL-6 and hs-CRP play a partial mediating role between mushroom intake and the MoCA score, and the underlying mechanism needs to be further explored.

Classifying self-management clusters of patients with mild cognitive impairment associated with diabetes: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study aims to propose a self-management clusters classification method to determine the self-management ability of elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) associated with diabetes mellitus (DM). BACKGROUND: MCI associated with DM is a common chronic disease in old adults. Self-management affects the disease progression of patients to a large extent. However, the comorbidity and patients' self-management ability are heterogeneous. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study based on cluster analysis is designed in this paper. METHOD: The study included 235 participants. The diabetes self-management scale is used to evaluate the self-management ability of patients. SPSS 21.0 was used to analyse the data, including descriptive statistics, agglomerative hierarchical clustering with Ward's method before k-means clustering, k-means clustering analysis, analysis of variance and chi-square test. RESULTS: Three clusters of self-management styles were classified as follows: Disease neglect type, life oriented type and medical dependence type. Among all participants, the percentages of the three clusters above are 9.78%, 32.77% and 57.45%, respectively. The difference between the six dimensions of each cluster is statistically significant. CONCLUSION(S): This study classified three groups of self-management styles, and each group has its own self-management characteristics. The characteristics of the three clusters may help to provide personalized self-management strategies and delay the disease progression of MCI associated with DM patients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Typological methods can be used to discover the characteristics of patient clusters and provide personalized care to improve the efficiency of patient self-management to delay the progress of the disease. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: In our study, we invited patients and members of the public to participate in the research survey and conducted data collection.

Effect of hemoglobin A1c management levels on coronary physiology evaluated by quantitative flow ratio in patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention.

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: The coronary physiology and prognosis of patients with different hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are currently unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of different levels of HbA1c control on coronary physiology in patients who underwent PCI for coronary heart disease combined with type 2 diabetes mellitus by quantitative flow ratio (QFR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who successfully underwent PCI and completed 1-year coronary angiographic follow up were enrolled, clinical data were collected, and QFR at immediate and 1-year follow up after PCI was retrospectively analyzed. A total of 257 patients (361 vessels) were finally enrolled and divided into the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)-compliance group (103 patients, 138 vessels) and non-HbA1c-compliance group (154 patients, 223 vessels) according to the HbA1c cut-off value of 7%. We compared the results of QFR analysis and clinical outcomes between the two groups. RESULTS: At 1-year follow up after PCI, the QFR was significantly higher (0.94 ± 0.07 vs 0.92 ± 0.10, P = 0.019) and declined less (0.014 ± 0.066 vs 0.033 ± 0.095, P = 0.029) in the HbA1c-compliance group. Meanwhile, the incidence of physiological restenosis was lower in the HbA1c-compliance group (2.9% vs 8.5%, P = 0.034). Additionally, the target vessel revascularization rate was lower in the HbA1c-compliance group (6.8% vs 16.9%, P = 0.018). Furthermore, HbA1c ≥7% (OR 2.113, 95% confidence interval 1.081-4.128, P = 0.029) and QFR decline (OR 2.215, 95% confidence interval 1.147-4.277, P = 0.018) were independent risk factors for target vessel revascularization. CONCLUSION: Patients with well-controlled HbA1c levels have better coronary physiological benefits and the incidence of adverse clinical outcome events might be reduced.

Stratified support pattern-based internet-assisted self-management therapy for diabetes mellitus -mild cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled trial protocol.

BACKGROUND: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) associated with diabetes mellitus (DM) is common among older adults, and self-management is critical to controlling disease progression. However, both MCI and DM are heterogeneous diseases, and existing integrated self-management interventions do not consider patient differences. Grouping patients by disease characteristics could help to individualize disease management and improve the use of available resources. The current study sought to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of a stratified support model for DM-MCI patients. METHODS: Eighty-four DM-MCI patients will be randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group in a 1:1 ratio. The intervention group will receive a self-management intervention using the stratified support pattern-based internet-assisted therapy (SISMT), while the control group will receive the health manual intervention (HMI). The study recruiter will be blinded to the group allocation and unable to foresee which group the next participant will be assigned to. At the same time, the allocation will be also hidden from the research evaluators and participants. After 12 weeks and 24 weeks, cognitive function, blood glucose, self-management ability, psychological status, health literacy, and self-management behavior of patients in both groups will be measured and compared. DISCUSSION: This study developed a stratified support pattern-based internet-assisted to provide self-management intervention for patients with DM-MCI. The impact of different models and forms of self-management intervention on cognitive function, blood glucose management, and psychological status health literacy and self-management behavior of patients will be assessed. The results of this study will inform related intervention research on the stratified support pattern-based internet-assisted self-management therapy, and help to slow the decline of cognitive function in patients with DM-MCI. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR2200061991. Registered 16 July 2022.

Energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index and cognitive function in Chinese older adults: a population-based cross-sectional study.

Diet can regulate systemic inflammation, which may play an important role in the development and progression of cognitive impairment and dementia. To explore the relationship between the dietary inflammatory potential and cognitive ability. A total of 2307 adults aged 60 years or older were recruited from the Fujian Provincial Hospital (Fujian, China). Dietary inflammatory properties were analyzed using the energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index (E-DII). The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were used to assess cognitive function. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) were fit to assess the associations between variables. The MCI subjects with the highest E-DII scores had a higher risk of AD compared to subjects with the lowest E-DII scores (OR = 1.98, 95%CI = 1.49-2.64, P for trend < 0.001). Subjects with the highest E-DII levels were at increased risk of cognitive impairment compared to those with the lowest E-DII levels (OR = 1.56, 95%CI = 1.25-1.93, P for trend < 0.001). The link between E-DII and cognitive impairment was significant in a nonlinear dose response analysis (P for nonlinear = 0.001). Higher E-DII scores were associated with an increased risk of developing AD or cognitive impairment. These findings may contribute to the effective prevention of cognitive impairment by constructing a multidisciplinary synergistic prevention strategy and controlling dietary inflammation levels.

A Rigid-Flexible and Multi-Siloxane Bridge Strategy for Toughening Epoxy Resin with Promising Flame Retardancy, Mechanical, and Dielectric Properties.

Developing highly efficient and multifunctional epoxy resins (EPs) that overcome the shortcomings of flammability and brittleness is crucial for pursuing sustainable and safe application but remains a huge challenge. In this paper, a novel biomass-containing intumescent flame retardant containing a rigid-flexible and multi-siloxane bridge structure (DPB) was synthesized using siloxane; 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene 10-oxide (DOPO); and biomass vanillin. DPB could facilitate the formation of a carbon residual with an intumescent structure, which effectively blocked the propagation of heat and oxygen. As a result, the peak heat release rate (pHRR) and total heat release (THR) of DPB/EP-7.5 decreased by 38.8% and 45.0%, respectively. In terms of mechanical properties, the tensile and flexural elongations at break of DPB/EP-7.5 increased by 77.2% and 105.3%, respectively. Impressively, DPB/EP-7.5 had excellent dielectric properties, with a dielectric constant of 2.5-2.9. This was due to the Si-O bonds (multi-siloxane bridges) contained in DPB/EP, which can quench the polarization behavior of the hydroxyl group. This paper provides a facile strategy for the preparation of multifunctional EP, which will pave the way for the promotion and application of EP in the high-end field.

Bio-Inspired Iron-Loaded Polydopamine Functionalized Montmorillonite as an Environmentally Friendly Flame Retardant for Epoxy Resin.

As an important thermosetting material, flame-retardant epoxy resin has various applications in the aerospace, chemical, and electronics industry, and other fields. However, the flame retardancy of epoxy resins is often improved at the expense of mechanical performance. The contradiction between flame retardancy and mechanical properties seriously impedes the practical applications of epoxy resin (EP). Herein, iron-loaded polydopamine functionalized montmorillonite (D-Mt-Fe3+), which was prepared by dopamine, iron chloride and montmorillonite in an aqueous solution, was introduced to prepare iron-loaded polydopamine functionalized montmorillonite/epoxy resin composites (D-Mt-Fe3+/EP). As expected, D-Mt-Fe3+/EP-10 with 10 phr of D-Mt-Fe3+ passed the UL-94 V-0 rating, achieved a limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of 31.0% and reduced the smoke production rate (SPR) and total smoke production (TSP), indicating that the introduction of D-Mt-Fe3+ could endow EP with satisfactory flame retardancy through the radical scavenging function of dopamine in the gas phase and the catalytic charring effect of iron ions, respectively. Encouragingly, the mechanical property was also enhanced with the flexural strength increased by 25.5%. This work provided an attractive strategy for improving both the mechanical properties and fire resistance of EP, which greatly broadened their applications in the chemical industry and electronics field, etc.

Cloning and expression characterization of elongation of very long-chain fatty acids protein 6 (elovl6) with dietary fatty acids, ambient salinity and starvation stress in Scylla paramamosain.

Introduction: Elongation of very long-chain fatty acids protein 6 (ELOVL6) played crucial roles in regulating energy expenditure and fatty acid metabolism. Many studies have performed to investigate the physiological roles and regulatory mechanisms of elovl6 in fish and animals, while few studies were reported in crustaceans. Methods: Here we reported on the molecular cloning, tissue distribution and expression profiles in response to dietary fatty acids, ambient salinity and starvation stress in Scylla paramamosain by using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and quantitative real-time PCR. Results: Three elovl6 isoforms (named elovl6a, elovl6b and elovl6c) were isolated from S. paramamosain in the present study. The complete sequence of elovl6a was 1345 bp, the full-length sequence of elovl6b was 1419 bp, and the obtained elovl6c sequence was 1375 bp in full length. The elovl6a, elovl6b and elovl6c encoded 287, 329 and 301 amino acids respectively, and exhibited the typical structural features of ELOVL protein family members. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the ELOVL6a from S. paramamosain clustered most closely to ELOVL6 from Portunus trituberculatus and Eriocheir sinensis, while the ELOVL6b and ELOVL6c from S. paramamosain gathered alone into a single branch. Quantitative real-time PCR exhibited that the relatively abundant expression of elovl6b was observed in intestine and stomach, and the elovl6a and elovl6c were highly expressed in hepatopancreas. In addition, studies found that replacing fish oil with soybean oil could significantly increase the transcriptional levels of three elovl6 in hepatopancreas of S. paramamosain, and the expression of elovl6a and elovl6c in hepatopancreas were more sensitive to dietary fatty acids than the elovl6b. Compared with the normal sea water group (27‰), the expression of sterol-regulatory element binding protein1c (srebp-1), elovl6a, elovl6b and elovl6c were upregulated in the low salinity groups, particularly in 7‰. On the contrary, the starvation stress suppressed the expression of srebp-1, elovl6a, elovl6b and elovl6c. Discussion: These results may contribute to understand the functions of elovl6 in fatty acid synthesis and regulatory mechanisms in crustaceans.

Nanofluids of Amphiphilic Kaolinite-Based Janus Nanosheets for Enhanced Oil Recovery: The Importance of Stable Emulsion.

To meet the increasing global demand for energy, better recovery of crude oil from reservoirs must be achieved using methods that are economical and environmentally benign. Here, we have developed a nanofluid of amphiphilic clay-based Janus nanosheets via a facile and scalable method that provides potential to enhance oil recovery. With the aid of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) intercalation and ultrasonication, kaolinite was exfoliated into nanosheets (KaolNS) before being grafted with 3-methacryloxypropyl-triemethoxysilane (KH570) on the Alumina Octahedral Sheet at 40 and 70 °C to form amphiphilic Janus nanosheets (i.e., KaolKH@40 and KaolKH@70). The amphiphilicity and Janus nature of the KaolKH nanosheets have been well demonstrated, with distinct wettability obtained on two sides of the nanosheets, and the KaolKH@70 was more amphiphilic than the KaolKH@40. Upon preparing Pickering emulsion in a hydrophilic glass tube, the KaolKH@40 preferentially stabilized emulsions, while the KaolNS and KaolKH@70 tended to form an observable and high-strength elastic planar interfacial film at the oil-water interface as well as films climbing along the tube's surface, which were supposed to be the result of emulsion instability and the strong adherence of Janus nanosheets towards tube's surface. Subsequently, the KaolKH was grafted with poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm), and the prepared thermo-responsive Janus nanosheets demonstrated a reversible transformation between stable emulsion and the observable interfacial films. Finally, when the samples were subjected to core flooding tests, the nanofluid containing 0.01 wt% KaolKH@40 that formed stable emulsions showed an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) rate of 22.37%, outperforming the other nanofluids that formed observable films (an EOR rate ~13%), showcasing the superiority of Pickering emulsions from interfacial films. This work demonstrates that KH-570-modified amphiphilic clay-based Janus nanosheets have the potential to be used to improve oil recovery, especially when it is able to form stable Pickering emulsions.

Multistage Modulation Formation of Hydrophilic-Hydrophobic Boron Carbon Nitride Nanomaterials.

Boron carbon nitride (BCN) ternary compounds are attractive due to their wide applications in adsorption, catalysis, protective coatings, etc. A simple way is provided to synthesize BCN materials with multistage modulation of hydrophilic-hydrophobic properties. Hydrophilic BCN nanoparticles with a contact angle of 31° and nearly superhydrophobic BCN sheets with a contact angle of 145° are obtained. The participation of a CuO additive in the synthesis process has the role of tuning morphologies, components, and properties of BCN materials. The addition of CuO would improve the hydrophobicity of BCN due to its microstructure with enhanced surface roughness. The interaction between melamine and boric acid on the surface of CuO(111) is investigated by first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). The tuned BCN materials have different photoelectric properties also, and their performance as photocatalysts has been verified in photocatalytic reactions for hydrogen from water. The achieved uniform hydrophilic BCN nanoparticles and hydrophobic BCN sheets have the potential for further practical applications.

Task-Similarity-Based VNF Aggregation for Air-Ground Integrated Networks.

In a harsh environment, function aggregation of air-ground integrated network service function chaining (SFC) deployment can easily cause network load imbalance, which affects the network security and reliability. In this study, a task-similarity-based virtual network function (VNF) aggregation scheme was proposed. It considered air-ground network resource consumption and load balance before SFC mapping. A model for selecting VNFs to be aggregated based on task similarity was built. The tasks were classified based on their similarity. Furthermore, the VNFs to be aggregated were selected within the class under the constraints of the underlying physical resources. Load balancing was achieved by adjusting the similarity threshold. Moreover, an SFC mapping selection scheme based on network resource awareness was used to obtain the most suitable physical nodes for single-chain and multi-chain mapping according to various attributes of physical network nodes. The simulation results indicated that the proposed scheme with a better load balance design outperformed existing works on VNF aggregation. We also demonstrated that the task-similarity-based scheme was resource-consumption efficient and effective.

Diastereoselective synthesis of polycyclic indolines via dearomative [4 + 2] cycloaddition of 3-nitroindoles with ortho-aminophenyl p-quinone methides.

A formal [4 + 2] cycloaddition of 3-nitroindoles with ortho-aminophenyl p-quinone methides via a dearomatization process was developed. This method provides a facile approach for preparing tetrahydro-5H-indolo[2,3-b]quinolones with good results. With the bifunctional Cinchona alkaloid-squaramide as the catalyst, the asymmetric version of the reaction successfully afforded the corresponding chiral products with moderate to good enantioselectivities. This work represents the first dearomative cycloaddition of electron-deficient heteroarenes triggered by aza-Michael addition from p-QMs.

Synthetic Lignin-Derived Therapeutic Nano Reagent as Intestinal pH-Sensitive Drug Carriers Capable of Bypassing the Gastric Acid Environment for Colitis Treatment.

Oral drug delivery is a common route for management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) but suffers from low bioavailability and systemic side effects during passage through the alimentary canal. Here, we present a therapeutic nano reagent of a ferulic acid-derived lignin nanoparticle (FALNP). We showed that FALNP with favorable antioxidant activity can regulate IBD. More importantly, the intestinal pH-responsive degradability of FALNP allows it to withstand the harsh gastric acid environment, bypass physiological barriers, and target the intestine for gastrointestinal delivery. In vivo experiments showed that oral administration of FALNP markedly relieved pathological symptoms in a mouse model of acute colitis by reducing oxidative stress and regulating the gut microbiome. By integrating anti-inflammatory medicine, FALNP also can be used as a bioactive carrier to exert a potent synergistic therapeutic effect. In addition to colitis, FALNP can be readily adaptable for use as a carrier platform for therapy of many other intestinal diseases.

A self-assembly growth strategy for a highly ordered ferroelectric nanoisland array.

Ferroelectric nanoislands have attracted intensive research interest due to their size effect induced exotic physical properties and potential applications in non-volatile ferroelectric memories. However, the self-assembly growth of highly ordered ferroelectric nanoisland arrays is still a challenge. Here, by patterning a LaAlO3 substrate with etched nanocavities to provide preferential nucleation sites, highly ordered self-assembled BiFeO3 nanoisland arrays with robust ferroelectric topological quad-domain configurations were achieved. From the thermodynamic and kinetic perspectives, three factors are critical for achieving highly ordered self-assembled nanoisland arrays, that is, preferential nucleation sites, an appropriate relationship between the surface energy and the interface energy, and the growth rate difference of films. This approach can also be employed for the self-assembly growth of nanoisland arrays in other ferroelectric materials, which facilitates the design of ferroelectric nanostructure-based nanodevices.

Effects of an art-based intervention in older adults with mild cognitive impairment: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Art-based interventions may delay cognitive decline and improve health-related outcomes in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of the Creative Expressive Arts-based Storytelling (CrEAS) program compared to active and waitlist controls on neurocognitive and other health-related outcomes in older people with MCI. DESIGN: Three-arm parallel-group, randomised controlled design. PARTICIPANTS: One-hundred and thirty-five adults with MCI (mean age: 70.93 ± 6.91 years). METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned to intervention (CrEAS, n = 45), active control (n = 45) or waitlist control (n = 45) groups. Interventions were applied once per week for 24 weeks. The primary outcome was global cognitive function; secondary outcomes were specific cognition domains (memory, executive function, language and attention) and other health-related outcomes (anxiety, depression and quality of life [QoL]). All variables were measured at baseline (T0), 24-week follow-up (T1) and 48-week follow-up (T2). RESULTS: Participants in the CrEAS group showed significantly higher global cognitive function (adjusted mean difference [MD] = -0.905, 95% confidence interval [CI] -1.748 to -0.062; P = 0.038) and QoL (adjusted MD = -4.150, 95% CI -6.447 to -1.853; P = 0.001) and lower depression symptoms (adjusted MD = 2.902, 95% CI 0.699-5.104; P = 0.011) post-intervention at the 24-week follow-up compared with the active control group. At 48-week follow-up, only the Auditory Verbal Learning Test Immediate recall score was significantly improved compared with the active control group (adjusted MD = -2.941, 95% CI -5.262 to -0.620; P = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Older adults with MCI who participated in the CrEAS program improved their neuropsychological outcomes and QoL and reduced their rate of cognitive deterioration.

Ferroelectric domain-wall logic units.

The electronic conductivities of ferroelectric domain walls have been extensively explored over the past decade for potential nanoelectronic applications. However, the realization of logic devices based on ferroelectric domain walls requires reliable and flexible control of the domain-wall configuration and conduction path. Here, we demonstrate electric-field-controlled stable and repeatable on-and-off switching of conductive domain walls within topologically confined vertex domains naturally formed in self-assembled ferroelectric nano-islands. Using a combination of piezoresponse force microscopy, conductive atomic force microscopy, and phase-field simulations, we show that on-off switching is accomplished through reversible transformations between charged and neutral domain walls via electric-field-controlled domain-wall reconfiguration. By analogy to logic processing, we propose programmable logic gates (such as NOT, OR, AND and their derivatives) and logic circuits (such as fan-out) based on reconfigurable conductive domain walls. Our work might provide a potentially viable platform for programmable all-electric logic based on a ferroelectric domain-wall network with low energy consumption.

Associations of Parity With Change in Global Cognition and Incident Cognitive Impairment in Older Women.

Background: The evidence of the association between parity and risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia is mixed, and the relationship between parity and longitudinal cognitive changes is less clear. We investigated these issues in a large population of older women who were carefully monitored for development of MCI and probable dementia. Methods: Using the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study, 7,100 postmenopausal women (mean age 70.1 ± 3.8 years) with information on baseline parity (defined as the number of term pregnancies), measures of global cognition (Modified Mini-Mental State Examination score) from 1996-2007, and cognitive impairment (centrally adjudicated diagnoses of MCI and dementia) from 1996-2016 were included. Multivariable linear mixed-effects models were used to analyze the rate of changes in global cognition. Cox regression models were used to evaluate the risk of MCI/dementia across parity groups. Results: Over an average of 10.5 years, 465 new cases of MCI/dementia were identified. Compared with nulliparous women, those with a parity of 1-3 and ≥4 had a lower MCI/dementia risk. The HRs were 0.75 (0.56-0.99) and 0.71 (0.53-0.96), respectively (P < 0.01). Similarly, a parity of 1-3 and ≥4 was related to slower cognitive decline (ß = 0.164, 0.292, respectively, P < 0.05). Conclusion: Higher parity attenuated the future risk for MCI/dementia and slowed the rates of cognitive decline in elderly women. Future studies are needed to determine how parity affects late-life cognitive function in women.

Photoenhanced Electroresistance at Dislocation-Mediated Phase Boundary.

Ferroelectric tunneling junctions have attracted intensive research interest due to their potential applications in high-density data storage and neural network computing. However, the prerequisite of an ultrathin ferroelectric tunneling barrier makes it a great challenge to simultaneously implement the robust polarization and negligible leakage current in a ferroelectric thin film, both of which are significant for ferroelectric tunneling junctions with reliable operating performance. Here, we observe a large tunneling electroresistance effect of ∼1.0 × 104% across the BiFeO3 nanoisland edge, where the intrinsic ferroelectric polarization of the nanoisland makes a major contribution to tuning the barrier height. This phenomenon is beneficial from the artificially designed tunneling barrier between the nanoscale top electrode and the inclined conducting phase boundary, which is located between the rhombohedral-island and tetragonal-film matrix and arranged with the dislocation array. More significantly, the tunneling electroresistance effect is further improved to ∼1.6 × 104% by the introduction of photoinduced carriers, which are separated by the flexoelectric field arising from the dislocations.

Clinical Relevance of Selenium with Liver Stiffness and Steatosis Detected by Transient Elastography in Adults.

The associations between selenium and liver stiffness and steatosis remain uncertain. This study aimed to explore the clinical relevance of selenium with liver stiffness and steatosis in adults from the 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Subjects with excessive alcohol consumption and hepatitis B or C infection were excluded. Liver stiffness and steatosis were detected by transient elastography. Dietary selenium intakes and blood selenium concentrations were included as exposures. In multivariate analysis without adjustment for obesity, higher dietary selenium intakes (tertile 3 vs. tertile 1) were positively associated with liver stiffness in females (odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 2.64 (1.88-3.70)), and were positively associated with liver steatosis overall (1.54 (1.20-1.97)) and also in males (1.55 (1.06-2.26)). In multivariate analysis without adjustment for obesity, higher blood selenium concentrations (tertile 3 vs. tertile 1) were positively associated with liver steatosis overall (1.33 (1.02-1.76)) and also in males (1.56 (1.13-2.16)). After further adjustment for obesity, the abovementioned associations remain significant between dietary selenium intakes and liver stiffness in females (2.29 (1.69-3.12)) and liver steatosis overall (1.37 (1.01-1.86)), and between blood selenium concentrations and liver steatosis in males (1.67 (1.25-2.21)). Dose-response analysis showed that the abovementioned associations were linear. However, dietary selenium intakes meeting the recommended daily allowance (≥ 55 µg/day) were not associated with liver stiffness (0.99 (0.62-1.55)) and steatosis (1.01 (0.69-1.49)). In conclusion, higher dietary selenium intakes and blood selenium concentrations were positively associated with liver stiffness and steatosis, and obesity may partially account for the observed associations.