Comparing methods for glomerular filtration rate estimation.

Background: The glomerular filtration rate (GFR), estimated from serum creatinine (SCr), is widely used in clinical practice for kidney function assessment, but SCr-based equations are limited by non-GFR determinants and may introduce inaccuracies across racial groups. Few studies have evaluated whether advanced modeling techniques enhance their performance.

Methods: Using multivariable fractional polynomials (MFP), generalized additive models (GAM), random forests (RF), and gradient boosted machines (GBM), we developed four SCr-based GFR-estimating equations in a pooled data set from four cohorts ( = 4665).

Prognostic impact of multi-domain approaches and the Tilburg frailty indicator in elderly patients with heart failure.

Backgrounds: The optimal multidimensional frailty assessment approach in heart failure (HF) remains uncertain. This study aimed to compare the prognostic value of a multi-domain approach versus the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) in elderly HF patients.

Methods: This prospective single-center cohort study consecutively enrolled 461 elderly HF patients at Fuzhou University Affiliated Provincial Hospital, China.

Development and Evaluation of an Innovative S-Flurbiprofen-Diethylamine Emulgel With Superior Transdermal Delivery and Analgesic Activity.

This study aimed to develop an innovative (S-flurbiprofen)-diethylamine (SFP-DEA) emulgel formulation via incorporating SFP as the active pharmaceutical ingredient within a carbomer 940 gel matrix. SFP-DEA emulgel was synthesized by dissolving SFP-DEA in the aqueous phase of an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion, followed by dispersion into a carbomer 940 gel matrix. The physicochemical stability of SFP-DEA emulgel was evaluated via centrifuge, temperature swing test, high temperature, and long-term storage at ambient conditions.

Dissemination characteristics and influencing factors of topic circles in multi-layer public opinion dissemination.

Introduction: In recent years, social media has become a pivotal channel for public opinion dissemination, characterized by its multi-topic nature and dynamic complexity.

Methods: This study utilizes data on public health incident dissemination from the Weibo platform as its research sample and, based on a multi-layered network model, proposes a framework for topic circle identification and dynamic network analysis in public opinion dissemination. The study explores the classification of user roles within topic circles, constructs a dynamic role transition matrix, and quantitatively analyses the impact of topic circle characteristics on dissemination volume.

Olfaction and Plasma Biomarkers of Alzheimer Disease and Neurodegeneration in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Background And Objectives: Investigation of olfactory impairment, an early manifestation of Alzheimer disease (AD), in relation to plasma biomarkers of AD and neurodegeneration could provide insights into the disease's pathophysiology. Because few such studies based on large, diverse, community-based populations exist, we investigated associations of odor identification ability with plasma biomarkers of AD and other neurodegenerative pathologies in community-dwelling Black and White older adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional investigation included participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study who attended visit 5 (2011-2013) and who completed olfactory testing and brain MRI examinations and had plasma biomarkers measured (namely, amyloid-beta [Aβ]/Aβ ratio, phosphorylated-tau at threonine-181 [p-tau], p-tau/Aβ ratio, glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP], and neurofilament light chain [NfL]).

Anthrone/XLPE: an adaptive charge capture intelligent insulation material for advanced electric power transmission.

The degradation of electrical insulation is mainly attributed to local defects. Although incorporating organic small molecules into dielectric polymers promotes the insulation strength, accurate suppression of defect development is a long-term and formidable challenge. Here we utilize the adaptive charge capture methodology to achieve precise defect suppression, leading to a 123% increase in the initiation voltage of electrical trees in anthrone/cross-linked polyethylene, significantly outperforming existing dielectric polymers and polymer composites.

Characterizing the olfaction and dementia association in the community-based ARIC study.

Introduction: Few studies have characterized the association of olfaction with dementia in detail across diverse sociodemographic subgroups.

Methods: We examined the association of one-time-point olfactory status with incident dementia overall and by age, race, sex, and apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 status (n = 4470, mean age: 75 ± 5 years, 21% Black), and 5-year olfactory change with incident dementia (n = 2658) in the community-based Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

Results: Compared to good olfaction, moderate olfaction (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.

[Research progress in tolerance of petroleum hydrocarbon pollutant-degrading strains].

Petroleum hydrocarbon pollution has become one of the global environmental problems, posing a serious threat to the environment and human health. Microbial remediation plays an important role in the remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated environment. Nevertheless, the stress factors present in the environment polluted by petroleum hydrocarbons limit the effectiveness of microbial remediation.

The coronavirus outbreak calls for epidemic catastrophe insurance: Evidence from China.

The COVID-19 shows significant "catastrophe" characteristics. It has put tremendous pressure on various countries' government finances. A few studies have realized that insurance could be applied in the rescue of catastrophic epidemics to relieve government pressure and improve rescue efficiency.

Revolutionizing Underwater Sensor Performance: Tackling Rayleigh Scattering Challenges by Pseudo Random Noise.

Traditionally, Rayleigh scattering is thought to only impact fiber sensing system performance when the leading fiber is over 10 km long. However, this report illustrates theoretically and experimentally that Rayleigh scattering cannot be ignored in fiber optic interferometric sensor (FOIS) even with several hundred-meter common leading fiber because of the interaction of Rayleigh backward scattering (RBS) and returning interference signal. Herein, a conceptual framework is developed to elucidate the interaction between RBS and FOIS interference, revealing that, beyond laser monochromacity, the self-correction characteristic of laser pulses also influences coherent superposition.

A Chebyshev collocation method for directly solving two-dimensional ocean acoustic propagation in linearly varying seabed.

It is one of the most concerning problems in hydroacoustics to find a method that can calculate the acoustic propagation accurately and adapt to the variation of the seabed. Currently, the one-dimensional spectral method has been employed to address the simplified ocean acoustic propagation model successfully. However, due to the model's application limitations and approximation error, it poses challenges when attempting to solve real-world ocean acoustic fields.

A cross-institutional database of operational risk external loss events in Chinese banking sector 1986-2023.

Nowadays the collection of operational risk data worldwide highly relies on human labor, leading to slow updates, data inconsistency, and limited quantity. There remains a substantial shortage of publicly accessible operational risk databases for risk analysis. This study proposes a new data collection framework by aggregating text mining methods to replace the exhausting manual collection process.

Lung Function and Brain MRI Outcomes in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study.

Background: Brain imaging studies may provide etiologic insight into observed links between lung function and dementia and stroke.

Objective: We evaluated associations of lung function measures with brain MRI markers of vascular and neurodegenerative disease in the ARIC Neurocognitive Study, as few studies have examined the associations.

Methods: Lung function was measured at participants' midlife in 1990-1992 (mean age = 56±5 years) and later-life in 2011-2013 (mean age = 76±5 years), and brain MRI was performed in 2011-2013.

Ankle-Brachial Index and Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death in the Community: The ARIC Study.

Background: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a significant global public health problem accounting for 15% to 20% of all deaths. A great majority of SCD is associated with coronary heart disease, which may first be detected at autopsy. The ankle-brachial index (ABI) is a simple, noninvasive measure of subclinical atherosclerosis.

External Validation of a Novel Multimarker GFR Estimating Equation.

Key Points: Using multiple markers may improve GFR estimation especially in settings where creatinine and cystatin C are known to be limited. Panel eGFR is a novel multimarker eGFR equation consisting of age, sex, cystatin C, and nuclear magnetic resonance–measured creatinine, valine, and myo-inositol. eGFR-Cr and eGFR-Cr-CysC may underestimate measured GFR, while panel eGFR was unbiased among younger Black male individuals.

Factors Associated with Poor Olfaction and Olfactory Decline in Older Adults in the ARIC Neurocognitive Study.

Olfactory function has significant implications for human health, but few risk factors for olfactory decline have been identified. We examined the factors associated with olfactory status and decline over five years in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Neurocognitive Study. A 12-item odor identification test was used to assess olfaction in 6053 participants in 2011-2013 (ARIC visit 5, mean age: 75.

Association of Olfaction and Microstructural Integrity of Brain Tissue in Community-Dwelling Adults: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study.

Background And Objectives: Research on olfaction and brain neuropathology may help understand brain regions associated with normal olfaction and dementia pathophysiology. To identify early regional brain structures affected in poor olfaction, we examined cross-sectional associations of microstructural integrity of the brain with olfaction in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study.

Methods: Participants were selected from a prospective cohort study of community-dwelling adults; selection criteria included the following: evidence of cognitive impairment, participation in a previous MRI study, and a random sample of cognitively normal participants.

Ultralow background one-pot detection of Lead(II) using a non-enzymatic double-cycle system mediated by a hairpin-involved DNAzyme.

A double-cycle system has been developed for specifically detecting trace amounts of Pb by significantly decreasing the background signal. The detection involves two types of RNA cleavage reactions: one using a Pb-specific GR5 DNAzyme (PbDz) and the other utilizing a newly constructed 10-23 DNAzyme with two hairpins embedded in its catalytic center (hpDz). The ring-structured hpDz (c-hpDz) exhibits significantly lower activity compared to the circular 10-23 DNAzyme without hairpin structures, which plays a crucial role in reducing the background signal.

Macrocyclization of linear molecules by deep learning to facilitate macrocyclic drug candidates discovery.

Interest in macrocycles as potential therapeutic agents has increased rapidly. Macrocyclization of bioactive acyclic molecules provides a potential avenue to yield novel chemical scaffolds, which can contribute to the improvement of the biological activity and physicochemical properties of these molecules. In this study, we propose a computational macrocyclization method based on Transformer architecture (which we name Macformer).

Association of Lung Function With Cognitive Decline and Incident Dementia in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

We examined the associations between lung function and incident dementia and cognitive decline in 12,688 participants in the ARIC Study who provided lung function measurements in 1990-1992. Cognitive tests were administered up to 7 times, and dementia was ascertained through 2019. We used shared parameter models to jointly fit proportional hazard models and linear mixed-effect models to estimate lung-function-associated dementia rate and cognitive change, respectively.

Vertex Strategy in Layered 2D MOFs: Simultaneous Improvement of Thermodynamics and Kinetics for Record CH/CO Separation Performance.

Developing adsorbents with multiple merits in capacity, selectivity, mass transfer, and stability toward CH/CO separation is crucial and challenging for producing high-purity CH for advanced polymers and the electronic industry. Here, we demonstrate a vertex strategy to create adsorbents combining these merits through rationally designing the vertex groups of a wavy-shaped framework in layered 2D metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to finely regulate the local conformation and stacking interactions, which creates the optimal inter- and intralayer space to realize simultaneous improvement of adsorption thermodynamics and kinetics. Two new hydrolytically stable MOFs, ZUL-330 and ZUL-430, were prepared, and diverse experiments and modeling on both adsorption equilibrium and diffusion were performed.