Sleep duration and mortality in patients with chronic noncommunicable disease: a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Inadequate sleep behaviors may confer a higher risk of premature death, however, evidence in patients with chronic noncommunicable disease (NCD) is scarce. To investigate the relationship between sleep duration and mortality from all-cause and heart diseases in NCD patients from a prospective cohort. METHODS: Totally, 14,171 participants with at least one NCD, including 8275 with hypertension, 7547 with high cholesterol, 4065 with diabetes, and 5815 with chronic renal failure were enrolled from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey during 2005-2014. Cox proportional hazard models were performed to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) for sleep duration and mortality after adjusting for potential confounding factors. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 9 years, 2514 all-cause deaths were identified. Compared with sleeping 7-8 h/day, sleeping over 8 h/day was significantly associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality, where the multivariable-HRs were 1.29 (1.11, 1.50) for hypertension, 1.23 (1.01, 1.51) for high cholesterol, 1.44 (1.13, 1.82) for diabetes, and 1.36 (1.10, 1.68) for chronic renal failure. Similar patterns were observed for heart disease mortality. A nonlinear association was detected between sleep duration and mortality in patients with NCD. Age modified the association in patients with hypertension (P-interaction: 0.036). Trouble sleeping modified the association in patients with diabetes (P-interaction: 0.042). CONCLUSIONS: Long sleep duration was associated with higher risks of all-cause and heart disease mortality in patients with chronic NCD. Our findings highlight that improving sleep behaviors may decrease the risk of premature deaths and help to NCD tertiary prevention.

Serum HSF1 is upregulated in endometriosis patients and serves as a potential diagnostic biomarker.

Endometriosis (EMS) is a prevalent gynecological condition lacking reliable diagnostic biomarkers. This prospective study aimed to analyze the potential of serum heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) as a diagnostic marker for EMS. Clinical features of 92 EMS patients and 52 controls were recorded, revealing significant differences in dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, pelvic pain, nulliparity, and CA125 levels. Serum HSF1 was upregulated in EMS patients, with higher levels in American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) III/IV than ASRM I/II. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated good diagnostic function for serum HSF1 (AUC: 0.857, sensitivity: 91.30%, specificity: 63.46%). Serum HSF1, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and nulliparity were independent risk factors for EMS, while dysmenorrhea and serum HSF1 were independent risk factors for EMS severity. Additionally, the GSE25628 dataset was downloaded from the GEO database for differential analysis of gene expression. The HSF1 downstream target genes PTGES3, HSP90AA1, and HSPB1 showed significant differential expression in EMS, suggesting their involvement in the regulatory mechanism of HSF1 in EMS.

Combined Evaluation of Arterial Stiffness and Blood Pressure Promotes Risk Stratification of Peripheral Arterial Disease.

Background: Previous studies have reported the separate association of arterial stiffness (AS) and blood pressure with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the risk stratification capacity of AS on incident PAD beyond blood pressure status. Methods: A total of 8,960 participants from Beijing Health Management Cohort were enrolled at the first health visit between 2008 and 2018 and then followed until the incidence of PAD or 2019. Elevated AS was defined as brachial-ankle pulse-wave velocity (baPWV) >1,400 cm/s, including moderate stiffness (1,400 ≤ baPWV <1,800 cm/s) and severe stiffness (baPWV ≥1,800 cm/s). PAD was defined as ankle-brachial index <0.9. A frailty Cox model was used to calculate the HR, integrated discrimination improvement, and net reclassification improvement. Results: During follow-up, 225 participants (2.5%) developed PAD. After adjusting for confounding factors, the highest risk for PAD was observed in the group with elevated AS and blood pressure (HR: 2.253; 95% CI: 1.472-3.448). Among participants with ideal blood pressure and those with well-controlled hypertension, PAD risk was still significant for severe AS. The results remained consistent in multiple sensitivity analyses. In addition, baPWV significantly improved the predictive capacity for PAD risk beyond systolic and diastolic blood pressures (integrated discrimination improvement 0.020 and 0.190, net reclassification improvement 0.037 and 0.303). Conclusions: This study suggests the clinical importance of combined evaluation and control of AS and blood pressure for the risk stratification and prevention of PAD.

A Locally Weighted Linear Regression Look-Up Table-Based Iterative Reconstruction Method for Dual Spectral CT.

OBJECTIVE: Compared with traditional computed tomography (CT), dual spectral CT (DSCT) exhibits superior material distinguishability and thus has broad prospects in industrial and medical fields. In iterative DSCT algorithms, accurately modeling forward-projection functions is crucial, but it is very difficult to analytically provide accurate functions. METHODS: In this article, we propose a locally weighted linear regression look-up table-based (LWLR-LUT) iterative reconstruction method for DSCT. First, the proposed method uses LWLR to establish LUTs for the forward-projection functions through calibration phantoms, achieving good local information calibration. Second, the reconstructed images can be iteratively obtained through the established LUTs. The proposed method not only does not require knowledge of the X-ray spectra and the attenuation coefficients, but also implicitly accounts for some scattered radiation while fitting locally the forward-projection functions in the calibration space. RESULTS: Both numerical simulations and real data experiments demonstrate that the proposed method can achieve highly accurate polychromatic forward-projection functions and greatly improve the quality of the images reconstructed from scattering-free and scattering projections. CONCLUSION: The proposed method is simple and practical, and achieves good material decomposition effects for objects with different complex structures through simple calibration phantoms.

Identification and validation of IgG N-glycosylation biomarkers of esophageal carcinoma.

Introduction: Altered Immunoglobulin G (IgG) N-glycosylation is associated with aging, inflammation, and diseases status, while its effect on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unknown. As far as we know, this is the first study to explore and validate the association of IgG N-glycosylation and the carcinogenesis progression of ESCC, providing innovative biomarkers for the predictive identification and targeted prevention of ESCC. Methods: In total, 496 individuals of ESCC (n=114), precancerosis (n=187) and controls (n=195) from the discovery population (n=348) and validation population (n=148) were recruited in the study. IgG N-glycosylation profile was analyzed and an ESCC-related glycan score was composed by a stepwise ordinal logistic model in the discovery population. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve with the bootstrapping procedure was used to assess the performance of the glycan score. Results: In the discovery population, the adjusted OR of GP20 (digalactosylated monosialylated biantennary with core and antennary fucose), IGP33 (the ratio of all fucosylated monosyalilated and disialylated structures), IGP44 (the proportion of high mannose glycan structures in total neutral IgG glycans), IGP58 (the percentage of all fucosylated structures in total neutral IgG glycans), IGP75 (the incidence of bisecting GlcNAc in all fucosylated digalactosylated structures in total neutral IgG glycans), and the glycan score are 4.03 (95% CI: 3.03-5.36, P<0.001), 0.69 (95% CI: 0.55-0.87, P<0.001), 0.56 (95% CI: 0.45-0.69, P<0.001), 0.52 (95% CI: 0.41-0.65, P<0.001), 7.17 (95% CI: 4.77-10.79, P<0.001), and 2.86 (95% CI: 2.33-3.53, P<0.001), respectively. Individuals in the highest tertile of the glycan score own an increased risk (OR: 11.41), compared with those in the lowest. The average multi-class AUC are 0.822 (95% CI: 0.786-0.849). Findings are verified in the validation population, with an average AUC of 0.807 (95% CI: 0.758-0.864). Discussion: Our study demonstrated that IgG N-glycans and the proposed glycan score appear to be promising predictive markers for ESCC, contributing to the early prevention of esophageal cancer. From the perspective of biological mechanism, IgG fucosylation and mannosylation might involve in the carcinogenesis progression of ESCC, and provide potential therapeutic targets for personalized interventions of cancer progression.

Distinct hyperuricemia trajectories are associated with different risks of incident diabetes: A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Conflicting results suggest a link between serum uric acid and diabetes and previous studies ignored the effect of continuous exposure of serum uric acid on diabetes risk. This study aims to characterize hyperuricemia trajectories in middle-aged adults and to examine its potential impact on diabetes risk, considering the role of obesity, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. METHODS AND RESULTS: The cohort included 9192 participants who were free of diabetes before 2013. The hyperuricemia trajectories during 2009-2013 were identified by latent class growth models. Incident diabetes during 2014-2018 was used as the outcome. Modified Poisson regression models were used to assess the association of trajectories with diabetes. Furthermore, marginal structural models were used to estimate the mediating effects of the relationship between hyperuricemia trajectories and diabetes. We identified three discrete hyperuricemia trajectories: high-increasing (n = 5794), moderate-stable (n = 2049), and low-stable (n = 1349). During 5 years of follow-up, we documented 379 incident diabetes cases. Compared with the low-stable pattern, the high-increasing pattern had a higher risk of developing diabetes (RR, 1.42; 95% CI: 1.09-1.84). In addition, the percentages of total effect between the high-increasing hyperuricemia pattern and diabetes mediated by obesity, dyslipidemia, and hypertension were 24.41%, 18.26%, and 6.29%. However, the moderate-stable pattern was not associated with an increased risk of diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the high-increasing hyperuricemia trajectory is significantly associated with an increased risk of diabetes. Furthermore, obesity, dyslipidemia, and hypertension play mediating roles in the relationship between the high-increasing hyperuricemia pattern and increased diabetes risk.

Longitudinal association of remnant cholesterol with joint arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis progression beyond LDL cholesterol.

BACKGROUND: Arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis are closely related with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Remnant cholesterol (RC) could predict CVD. However, its effect on joint arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis progression remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the association of RC with joint arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis progression trajectories in the general population. METHODS: This study collected data across five biennial surveys of the Beijing Health Management Cohort from 2010 to 2019. Multi-trajectory model was used to determine the joint arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis progression patterns by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and ankle brachial index (ABI). We also performed discordance analyses for RC vs. low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) using ordinal logistics model. RESULTS: A total of 3186 participants were included, with three clusters following distinct arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis progression patterns identified using a multi-trajectory model. In the multivariable-adjusted ordinal logistics analyses, RC was significantly associated with baPWV and ABI progression (OR: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.13-1.28, per 10 mg/dL). For the discordance analyses, the discordant low RC group was associated with decreased risk compared to the concordant group (OR: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.60-0.89). People with a high RC level were at an increased risk of joint arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis progression, even with optimal LDL-C. CONCLUSIONS: RC is independently associated with joint arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis progression beyond LDL-C. RC could be an earlier risk factor than LDL-C of arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis in the general population.

Mutual effect of homocysteine and uric acid on arterial stiffness and cardiovascular risk in the context of predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine.

Background: Arterial stiffness is a major risk factor and effective predictor of cardiovascular diseases and a common pathway of pathological vascular impairments. Homocysteine (Hcy) and uric acid (UA) own the shared metabolic pathways to affect vascular function. Serum uric acid (UA) has a great impact on arterial stiffness and cardiovascular risk, while the mutual effect with Hcy remains unknown yet. This study aimed to evaluate the mutual effect of serum Hcy and UA on arterial stiffness and 10-year cardiovascular risk in the general population. From the perspective of predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (PPPM/3PM), we assumed that combined assessment of Hcy and UA provides a better tool for targeted prevention and personalized intervention of cardiovascular diseases via suppressing arterial stiffness. Methods: This study consisted of 17,697 participants from Beijing Health Management Cohort, who underwent health examination between January 2012 and December 2019. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was used as an index of arterial stiffness. Results: Individuals with both high Hcy and UA had the highest baPWV, compared with those with low Hcy and low UA (ß: 30.76, 95% CI: 18.36-43.16 in males; ß: 53.53, 95% CI: 38.46-68.60 in females). In addition, these individuals owned the highest 10-year cardiovascular risk (OR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.26-1.76 in males; OR: 7.61, 95% CI: 4.63-12.68 in females). Of note, males with high homocysteine and low uric acid were significantly associated with increased cardiovascular risk (OR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.15-1.47), but not the high uric acid and low homocysteine group (OR: 1.02, 95% CI: 0.90-1.16). Conclusions: This study found the significantly mutual effect of Hcy and UA on arterial stiffness and cardiovascular risk using a large population and suggested the clinical importance of combined evaluation and control of Hcy and UA for promoting cardiovascular health. The adverse effect of homocysteine on arteriosclerosis should be addressed beyond uric acid, especially for males. Monitoring of the level of both Hcy and UA provides a window opportunity for PPPM/3PM in the progression of arterial stiffness and prevention of CVD. Hcy provides a novel predictor beyond UA of cardiovascular health to identify individuals at high risk of arterial stiffness for the primary prevention and early treatment of CVD. In the progressive stage of arterial stiffness, active control of Hcy and UA levels from the aspects of dietary behavior and medication treatment is conducive to alleviating the level of arterial stiffness and reducing the risk of CVD. Further studies are needed to evaluate the clinical effect of Hcy and UA targeted intervention on arterial stiffness and cardiovascular health. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13167-022-00298-x.

Chronic and Cumulative Adverse Life Events in Women with Primary Ovarian Insufficiency: An Exploratory Qualitative Study.

Background and Purpose: Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) has serious physical and psychological consequences due to estradiol deprivation, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. However, the causes of most POI cases remain unknown. Psychological stress, usually caused by stressful life events, is known to be negatively associated with ovarian function. It is important to explore high-frequency adverse life events among women with POI for future interventions. Methods: Forty-three women (mean age=33·8 years) were recruited who were newly- diagnosed with idiopathic POI (FSH levels >40 IU/L) to participate in semi-structured interviews through convenience sampling. The main questions covered by the topic guide were designed to explore adverse life events prior to POI diagnosis. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analyzed thematically. Data were analyzed from June 2019 to August 2020. Results: Among the women with POI, mean age at diagnosis of POI was 33·8 years (range from 19 to 39 years), and the average time between the onset of irregular menstruation and POI diagnosis was 2.3 years. These women with POI had a relatively normal menstrual cycle before the diagnosis. A number of stressful life events prior to POI diagnosis were discussed by them as important factors influencing their health. Four core themes emerged: 1) persistent exposure to workplace stress, 2) persistent exposure to family-related adverse life events, 3) sleep problem/disturbance existed in women with POI before diagnosis, and 4) participants' general cognition and concerns about POI. Conclusions: Persistent exposures to adverse life events related to work stress, family stress and sleep problem existed in women with POI. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that adverse life events play a role in the development of POI. Future research should investigate how social environmental factors influence POI disease risks, and whether provision of tailored interventions (i.e. preventing or mitigating impact of adverse life events) aimed at high-risk populations may help prevent new POI cases and improve conditions of women with POI. We gained an in-depth understanding of the experiences of these women via 1:1 qualitative method, and find adverse life events are frequent in women with POI prior to the diagnosis.

High-intensity physical activity is not associated with better cognition in the elder: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the association of physical activity (PA) intensity with cognitive performance at baseline and during follow-up. METHODS: A total of 4039 participants aged 45 years or above from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were enrolled in visit 1 (2011-2012) and followed for cognitive function in visit 2 (2013-2014), visit 3 (2015-2016), and visit 4 (2017-2018). We analyzed the association of PA intensity with global cognition, episodic memory, and mental intactness at baseline using adjusted regression methods and evaluated the long-term effect of PA intensity using multiple measures of cognition scores by mixed effect model. RESULTS: In cross-sectional analysis, mild and moderate PA, rather than vigorous PA, was associated with better cognitive performance. The results remained consistent in multiple sensitivity analyses. During the follow-up, participant with mild PA had a 0.56 (95% CI 0.12-0.99) higher global cognition, 0.23 (95% CI 0.01-0.46) higher episodic memory, and 0.33 (95% CI 0.01-0.64) higher mental intactness, while those with moderate PA had a 0.74 (95% CI 0.32-1.17) higher global score, 0.32 (95% CI 0.09-0.54) higher episodic memory, and 0.43 (95% CI 0.12-0.74) higher mental intactness, compared with individuals without PA. Vigorous PA was not beneficial to the long-term cognitive performance. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that mild and moderate PA could improve cognitive performance, rather than the vigorous activity. The targeted intensity of PA might be more effective to achieve the greatest cognition improvement considering age and depressive status.

An iterative reconstruction method based on monochromatic images for dual energy CT.

PURPOSE: Dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) scans objects using two different X-ray spectra to acquire more information, which is also called dual spectral CT (DSCT) in some articles. Compared to traditional CT, DECT exhibits superior material distinguishability. Therefore, DECT can be widely used in the medical and industrial domains. However, owing to the nonlinearity and ill condition of DECT, studies are underway on DECT reconstruction to obtain high quality images and achieve fast convergence speed. Therefore, in this study, we propose an iterative reconstruction method based on monochromatic images (IRM-MI) to rapidly obtain high-quality images in DECT reconstruction. METHODS: An IRM-MI is proposed for DECT. The proposed method converts DECT reconstruction problem from the basis material images decomposition to monochromatic images decomposition to significantly improve the convergence speed of DECT reconstruction by changing the coefficient matrix of the original equations to increase the angle of the high- and low-energy projection curves or reduce the condition number of the coefficient matrix. The monochromatic images were then decomposed into basis material images. Furthermore, we conducted numerical experiments to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. RESULTS: The decomposition results of the simulated data and real data experiments confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed method. Compared to the extended algebraic reconstruction technique (E-ART) method, the proposed method exhibited a significant increase in the convergence speed by increasing the angle of polychromatic projection curves or decreasing the condition number of the coefficient matrix, when choosing the appropriate monochromatic images. Therefore, the proposed method is also advantageous in acquiring high quality and rapidly converged images. CONCLUSIONS: We developed an iterative reconstruction method based on monochromatic images for the material decomposition for DECT. The numerical experiments using the proposed method validated its capability of decomposing the basis material images. Furthermore, the proposed method achieved faster convergence speed compared to the E-ART method.

Effects of ß-Asarone on Ischemic Stroke in Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Rats by an Nrf2-Antioxidant Response Elements (ARE) Pathway-Dependent Mechanism.

BACKGROUND This study assessed the effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of ß-asarone on ischemic stroke model rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS Ischemic stroke was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats. Before and after modeling, cognitive function was evaluated via fear conditioning test and neurological deficit was determined via Longa and Bederson scores. Following treatment with ß-asarone or nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) inhibitor for 20 consecutive days, the cerebral infarction was detected via TTC staining and Cresyl Violet staining in brain tissues. TUNEL staining and western blot analysis for apoptosis-related proteins were performed to assess the apoptosis of neurons. Nrf2-antioxidant response elements (ARE) pathway-related proteins were examined by RT-qPCR or western blot. RESULTS The cognitive and neurological function was defective in MCAO rats. The infarction volumes and the apoptosis of cortical neurons were significantly increased in brain tissues of model rats, which were ameliorated after treatment with ß-asarone. Meanwhile, the increase in pro-apoptotic proteins and decrease in anti-apoptotic proteins were found in brain tissues of model rats, which were markedly ameliorated by ß-asarone treatment. However, Nrf2 inhibitor worsened the cerebral infarction and the apoptosis of neurons. Western blot results showed that ß-asarone treatment activated the Nrf2-ARE pathway-related proteins in model rats, which was inhibited by Nrf2 inhibitor. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that ß-asarone treatment ameliorated the cerebral infarction in MCAO rats, which could be related to activation of the Nrf2-ARE pathway.

An oblique projection modification technique (OPMT) for fast multispectral CT reconstruction.

In x-ray multispectral (or photon-counting) computed tomography (MCT), the object of interest is scanned under multiple x-ray spectra, and it can acquire more information about the scanned object than conventional CT, in which only one x-ray spectrum is used. The obtained polychromatic projections are utilized to perform material-selective and energy-selective image reconstruction. Compared with the conventional single spectral CT, MCT has a superior material distinguishability. Therefore, it has wide potential applications in both medical and industrial areas. However, the nonlinearity and ill condition of the MCT problem make it difficult to get high-quality and fast convergence of images for existing MCT reconstruction algorithms. In this paper, we proposed an iterative reconstruction algorithm based on an oblique projection modification technique (OPMT) for fast basis material decomposition of MCT. In the case of geometric inconsistency, along the current x-ray path, the oblique projection modification direction not only relates to the polychromatic projection equation of the known spectrum, but it also comprehensively refers to the polychromatic projection equation information of the unknown spectra. Moreover, the ray-by-ray correction makes it applicable to geometrically consistent projection data. One feature of the proposed algorithm is its fast convergence speed. The OPMT considers the information from multiple polychromatic projection equations, which greatly speeds up the convergence of MCT reconstructed images. Another feature of the proposed algorithm is its high flexibility. The ray-by-ray correction will be suitable for any common MCT scanning mode. The proposed algorithm is validated with numerical experiments from both simulated and real data. Compared with the ASD-NC-POCS and E-ART algorithms, the proposed algorithm achieved high-quality reconstructed images while accelerating the convergence speed of them.

Variation of IgG N-linked glycosylation profile in diabetic retinopathy.

BACKGROUND: The relationship of immunoglobulin G (IgG) glycosylation with diabetes and diabetic nephropathy has been reported, but its role in diabetic retinopathy (DR) remains unclear. We aimed to investigate and validate the association of IgG glycosylation with DR. METHODS: We analyzed the IgG N-linked glycosylation profile and primarily selected candidate glycans by lasso (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) regression analysis in the discovery population. The findings were validated in the replication population using a binary logistics model. The association between the significant glycosylation panel and clinical features was illustrated with Spearman's coefficient. The results were confirmed by sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: Among 16 selected glycan candidates using lasso, two IgG glycans (GP15, GP20) and two derived traits (IGP32, IGP54) were identified and validated to be significantly associated with DR (P < .05), and the combined adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were 0.587, 0.613, 1.970, and 0.593, respectively. The glycosylation panel showed a weak correlation with clinical features, except for age. In addition, the results remained consistent when the subjects with prediabetes were excluded from the controls, and the adjusted ORs were 0.677, 0.738, 1.597, and 0.678 in the whole population. Furthermore, in the 1:3 rematched population, a significant association was observed, apart from GP20. CONCLUSIONS: The IgG glycosylation profile, reflecting an aging and pro-inflammatory status, was significantly associated with DR. The variation in the IgG glycome deserves more attention in diabetic complications.

Association of IgG Glycosylation and Esophageal Precancerosis Beyond Inflammation.

This study aimed to investigate the association of IgG glycosylation and esophageal precancerosis for squamous cell carcinoma and determine its role in inflammation. Primary glycans selected by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm were validated using univariate and multivariate logistics models plus restricted cubic spline functions. In total, 24 direct glycans and 27 derived traits were detected, among which four glycans and three derived traits were primarily selected. Then, GP5 (adjusted OR: 0.805), GP17 (adjusted OR: 1.305), G12n (adjusted OR: 1.271), Gal_1 (adjusted OR: 0.776) and Fuc (adjusted OR: 0.737) were validated and significantly associated with esophageal precancerosis. In addition, there was a consistent positive association in GP17 and G12n and a negative association in GP5, Gal_1, and Fuc by restricted cubic spline function. Compared with esophageal inflammation, GP17, G12n, and Fuc were still independently associated with precancerosis. In brief, the IgG glycosylation profile was independently associated with esophageal precancerosis beyond inflammation, which could be an early biomarker for esophageal cancer.Prevention Relevance: IgG glycosylation profile is associated with esophageal precancerosis and specific IgG glycans involves in the early stage of esophageal cancer, which is independent of inflammation.

Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Depression in Older Adults: A Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies.

OBJECTIVE: The association between serum vitamin D and risk of depression in older adults is controversial. We performed a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies to examine the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations and the risk of depression in older population. METHODS: Studies published before February 2018 in the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and EMBASE databases were systematically searched. Prospective cohort studies that examined the association between serum 25(OH)D levels and the risk of depression in older adults were included. A random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled hazard ratio and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals. A nonlinear dose-response association was examined using restricted cubic spline functions. RESULTS: Six prospective studies covering 16,287 older adults with 1,157 cases of depression were included and analyzed. The pooled hazard ratio of depression for per 10-ng/mL increment in serum 25(OH)D was 0.88 (95% confidence intervals: 0.78-0.99, I2 = 79.0%, p <0.001 for heterogeneity). A linear dose-response association between serum 25(OH)D concentrations and incident depression was observed (p = 0.96 for nonlinearity). CONCLUSION: Serum 25(OH)D concentration is negatively associated with the risk of depression in older adults. This meta-analysis suggests that increasing 25(OH)D levels may be a useful approach to reduce the risk of depression in older adults and highlights the need for further large-scale clinical studies.

[A study on the application of 18F-FDG-PET-CT for the radiotherapy of patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: PET-CT have emerged as powerful imaging tools in radiotherapy to add information that might lead to a change in GTV definition in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of co-registering 18F-FDG-PET-CT images on the gross tumor volume (GTV), the planning target volume (PTV), and critical organ dose in radiation therapy planning of NSCLC. METHODS: Thirty patients with stage III NSCLC, referred for radical radiation therapy, underwent PET-CT scanning. GTV was delineated on the CT imaging and PET-CT fused imaging respectively. The two images were used to develop the radiotherapy planning at the GE Advantage Sim 6.0 workstation. Dose-volume histograms (DVH) parameters were selected to be paralleled to compare the quality of the two plans and the impact of PET-CT on radiation plan (RP) was further analyzed. RESULTS: (1) PET-CT image changed the clinical stage: 3 patients (10%) upstaged and 3 patients (10%) downstaged. (2) PET-CT image altered GTV and PTV: GTV and PTV was decreased by PET-CT image fusion in 18 patients (60%) and was increased in 12 patients (40%). A significant (> 25%) treatment volume modification was observed in 17 patients (56.67%). (3) PET-CT image changed the parameters of DVH: to deliver the same target dose of 60 Gy in 30 fractions, all dose-volume characteristics decreased in treatment planning for the 18 patients with decreased PTV based on PET-CT; the issue was the contrary for the 12 patients who had enlarged PTV based on PET-CT. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the co-registration of PET-CT significantly reduced inaccurate outlining of the GTV and/or to geographic misses.

General finite-difference time-domain solution of an arbitrary electromagnetic source interaction with an arbitrary dielectric surface.

In this study, we develop a numerical algorithm to calculate the interaction of an arbitrary electromagnetic beam with an arbitrary dielectric surface as one of the tools necessary to design and build a detector network based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). By using the scattered-field finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method with incident source terms in the FDTD equations, this development enables an arbitrary incident beam to be implemented onto an arbitrary dielectric surface or particle. Most importantly, in this study a scattered-field uniaxial perfectly matched layer (SF-UPML) absorbing boundary condition (ABC) is developed to truncate the computational domain of the scattered-field FDTD grid. The novel SF-UPML for the scattered-field FDTD algorithm should have a numerical accuracy similar to that of the conventional uniaxial perfectly matched layer for the source-free FDTD equations. Using the new ABC, the scattered-field FDTD method can accurately calculate electromagnetic wave scattering by an arbitrary dielectric surface or particles illuminated by an arbitrary incident beam.

New fluorescent labels: 4- and 7-chlorofluorescein.

A new mixture of 4- and 7-chlorofluorescein were synthesized by condensation of resorcinol with 3-chlorophthalic anhydride in the presence of methanesulfonic acid or zinc chloride. These regioisomers were successfully separated by chromatography. The photophysical properties were examined and their absorption and emission maxima at long wavelength, high fluorescence quantum yield, and narrow emission bandwidth were found, highly favorable for detecting multiple target substances in the same sample. Furthermore, 4(7)-chlorofluorescein was found to be strongly pH-dependent between 4.0 and 8.0, and could be used as pH-sensitive fluorescent probe to measure intracellular pH.