The synergistic effect of high temperature and relative humidity on non-accidental deaths at different urbanization levels.

Numerous studies have examined the impact of temperature on mortality, yet research on the combined effect of temperature and humidity on non-accidental deaths remains limited. This study investigates the synergistic impact of high temperature and humidity on non-accidental deaths in China, assessing the influence of urban development and urbanization level. Utilizing the distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) of quasi-Poisson regression, we analyzed the relationship between Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) and non-accidental deaths in 30 Chinese cities from 2010 to 2016, including Guangzhou during 2012-2016. We stratified temperature and humidity across these cities to evaluate the influence of varying humidity levels on deaths under high temperatures. Then, we graded the duration of heat and humidity in these cities to assess the impact of deaths with different durations. Additionally, the cities were categorized based on gross domestic product (GDP), and a vulnerability index was calculated to examine the impact of urban development and urbanization level on non-accidental deaths. Our findings reveal a pronounced synergistic effect of high temperature and humidity on non-accidental deaths, particularly at elevated humidity levels. The synergies of high temperature and humidity are extremely complex. Moreover, the longer the duration of high temperature and humidity, the higher the risk of non-accidental death. Furthermore, areas with higher urbanization exhibited lower relative risks (RR) associated with the synergistic effects of heat and humidity. Consequently, it is imperative to focus on damp-heat related mortality among vulnerable populations in less developed regions.

Spatiotemporal effects of meteorological conditions on global influenza peaks.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have suggested that meteorological conditions such as temperature and absolute humidity are highly indicative of influenza outbreaks. However, the explanatory power of meteorological factors on the seasonal influenza peaks varied widely between countries at different latitudes. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to explore the modification effects of meteorological factors on the seasonal influenza peaks in multi-countries. METHODS: Data on influenza positive rate (IPR) were collected across 57 countries and data on meteorological factors were collected from ECMWF Reanalysis v5 (ERA5). We used linear regression and generalized additive models to investigate the spatiotemporal associations between meteorological conditions and influenza peaks in cold and warm seasons. RESULTS: Influenza peaks were significantly correlated with months with both lower and higher temperatures. In temperate countries, the average intensity of cold season peaks was stronger than that of warm season peaks. However, the average intensity of warm season peaks was stronfger than of cold season peaks in tropical countries. Temperature and specific humidity had synergistic effects on influenza peaks at different latitudes, stronger in temperate countries (cold season: R2=0.90; warm season: R2=0.84) and weaker in tropical countries (cold season: R2=0.64; warm season: R2=0.03). Furthermore, the effects could be divided into cold-dry and warm-humid modes. The temperature transition threshold between the two modes was 16.5-19.5 °C. During the transition from cold-dry mode to warm-humid mode, the average 2 m specific humidity increased by 2.15 times, illustrating that transporting a large amount of water vapor may compensate for the negative effect of rising temperatures on the spread of the influenza virus. CONCLUSION: Differences in the global influenza peaks were related to the synergistic influence of temperature and specific humidity. The global influenza peaks could be divided into cold-dry and warm-humid modes, and specific thresholds of meteorological conditions were needed for the transition of the two modes.

Knockout of ALOX12 protects against spinal cord injury-mediated nerve injury by inhibition of inflammation and apoptosis.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is terrible damage leading to the deficiencies and results in infinite inconvenience to sufferers. The effective treatment for SCI still meets a larger number of problems. Herein, the underlying molecular mechanism and novel therapy of SCI are urgently to investigate. Arachidonate 12-lipoxygenase (ALOX12) is widely expressed in various cell types and plays important role in modulating different cellular processes, such as platelet aggregation, cell migration and cancer cell proliferation. Nevertheless, the effects of ALOX12 on SCI are unclear. In the study, SCI model was established in wild type (WT) mice and ALOX12 knockout mice. First, ALOX12 expression was up-regulated in spinal cord tissues of WT mice after SCI. ALOX12-knockout mice exhibited improved behavior after SCI operation. Glial activation triggered by SCI was also alleviated in mice with the loss of ALOX12, as evidenced by the down-regulated expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and Iba-1 in spinal cord samples. Further, SCI-induced inflammation was markedly prevented in ALOX12-knockout mice through blocking inhibitor of NF-κB α (IκBα)/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway signaling. Additionally, reducing ALOX12 expression attenuated apoptosis in spinal cord tissues of SCI mice by decreasing Cyto-c, cleaved Caspase-3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARP) expression. The protective role of ALOX12-decrease against SCI was verified in LPS-incubated glial cells through repressing inflammatory response and apoptotic formation. Moreover, transgenic mice with ALOX12 over-expression showed accelerated SCI, associated with intensified inflammation and apoptosis. Based on these results, strategies for inhibiting ALOX12 could be used to prevent SCI development by repressing inflammation and apoptosis.

A novel strategy to motivate the luminescence efficiency of a phosphor: drilling nanoholes on the surface.

A facile approach to fabricate nanoholes on the surface of a phosphor via a carbothermal reaction between C and BaMgAl10O17 was adopted. Drilling nanoholes greatly enhanced excitation light absorption and consequently increased the quantum efficiency, which provided new insight to help improve the luminescence efficiency of oxygen-containing phosphors.

Enhancement in photoluminescence performance of carbon-decorated T-ZnO.

The facile preparation of ZnO possessing high visible luminescence intensity remains challenging due to an unclear luminescence mechanism. Here, two basic approaches are proposed to enhance the luminescent intensity based on the theoretical analysis over surface defects. Based on the deduction, we introduce a methodology for obtaining hybrid tetrapod-like zinc oxide (T-ZnO), decorated by carbon nanomarterials on T-ZnO surfaces through the catalytic chemical vapor deposition approach. The intensity of the T-ZnO green emission can be modulated by topography and the proportion of carbon. Under proper experiment conditions, the carbon decorating leads to dramatically enhanced luminescence intensity of T-ZnO from 400 to 700 nm compared with no carbon decorated, which elevates this approach to a simple and effective method for the betterment of fluorescent materials in practical applications.

High-purity Cu nanocrystal synthesis by a dynamic decomposition method.

Cu nanocrystals are applied extensively in several fields, particularly in the microelectron, sensor, and catalysis. The catalytic behavior of Cu nanocrystals depends mainly on the structure and particle size. In this work, formation of high-purity Cu nanocrystals is studied using a common chemical vapor deposition precursor of cupric tartrate. This process is investigated through a combined experimental and computational approach. The decomposition kinetics is researched via differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis using Flynn-Wall-Ozawa, Kissinger, and Starink methods. The growth was found to be influenced by the factors of reaction temperature, protective gas, and time. And microstructural and thermal characterizations were performed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. Decomposition of cupric tartrate at different temperatures was simulated by density functional theory calculations under the generalized gradient approximation. High crystalline Cu nanocrystals without floccules were obtained from thermal decomposition of cupric tartrate at 271°C for 8 h under Ar. This general approach paves a way to controllable synthesis of Cu nanocrystals with high purity.