Hydraulic conductivity-induced systematic parameter variation in a widely used thermal dissipation sap-flow technique.

The Granier-type thermal-dissipation method (TDM) is the most widely used sap-flow technique. However, its original calibration coefficients often underestimate high flow rates, limiting their generality. We derived TDM coefficients (scaling factors and exponents) for 31 species, including 18 diffuse-porous, two ring-porous, six palms, and five lianas, representing a broad range of wood properties.

Bulliform Cell-Induced Leaf Curling Contributes to Water Loss and Water Potential Regulation of Bamboos During Dry Season.

A balanced water supply and demand is critical for plant growth and survival. Despite the ecological importance of bamboos in tropical ecosystems, the water regulation mechanisms across bamboo species remain poorly understood. This study quantified the relative contributions of soil water-uptake depth, leaf water storage and retention capacity, and related anatomical traits to daytime and seasonal variations in leaf water potential across nine co-occurring bamboo species.

Pantropical tree rings show small effects of drought on stem growth.

Increasing drought pressure under anthropogenic climate change may jeopardize the potential of tropical forests to capture carbon in woody biomass and act as a long-term carbon dioxide sink. To evaluate this risk, we assessed drought impacts in 483 tree-ring chronologies from across the tropics and found an overall modest stem growth decline (2.5% with a 95% confidence interval of 2.

Predictive ability of lipid indices for large-for-gestational-age infants in pregnant females with gestational diabetes mellitus.

Background: The primary complication associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is delivery of an infant that is large for gestational age (LGA). Epidemiological findings have demonstrated that irregular lipid metabolism significantly contributes to insulin resistance, a key pathophysiological mechanism in GDM. However, the correlation between various lipid indices and the probability of delivering LGA infants remains inconsistent.

Xylem Hydraulic Properties of Five Pinus Species Grown in Common Environment Vary From Needles to Roots With Needle Length and Native-Range Climate.

Plant hydraulics govern water transport linking root to mesophyll surfaces, affecting gas-exchange, survival and growth. Xylem and leaf structural and functional characteristics vary widely among Pinus species, even when growing under similar conditions. We quantified the variation of xylem anatomy, hydraulic function, and within-tree hydraulic resistivity distribution, among five widely ranging southern US species: Pinus echinata, Pinus elliottii, Pinus palustris, Pinus taeda and Pinus virginiana.

Prevalence and association between emotional and behavioral problems and gaming disorder in children and adolescents--Evidence from 201,906 participants.

Existing evidence suggested a potential link between mental health problems in children and adolescents and an increased odds of developing gaming disorder (GD). However, the relationship between emotional and behavioral problems (EBP) and GD remains unknown. This cross-sectional study, involving a sample size of 201,906 students aged 6-18 years from Guangzhou city, aims to investigate this association.

Effects of a physical activity-enhanced curriculum on increasing physical activity and improving physical fitness in preschoolers: Study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial (KID-FIT study).

Objective: Physical activity (PA) is critical for healthy development in preschoolers, with long-lasting benefits that can affect later life. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children aged 5-17 years should engage in 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous PA per day. However, physical inactivity in children is on the rise globally, with declines in PA starting at the age of 4 years.

Could physical activity promote indicators of physical and psychological health among children and adolescents? An umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.

Background: We performed an umbrella review to synthesize evidence on the effects of physical activity (PA) interventions on indicators of physical and psychological health among children and adolescents, including body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), depressive symptoms, and cognitive function.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched from inception through 31 July 2023. We included meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials exploring the effects of PA interventions on BMI, BP, depressive symptoms, or cognitive function in healthy or general children and adolescents.

Association between phase angle and all-cause mortality in adults aged 18-49 years: NHANES 1999-2004.

Phase angle (PhA) is an indicator of nutritional status. The association between PhA and all-cause mortality has been confirmed in older adults, but no relevant studies have been conducted in adults aged 18-49 years. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between PhA and all-cause mortality in adults aged 18-49 years.

Mediating effect of physical activity on the relationship between high dietary live microbe intake and obesity among U.S adolescents, finding from NHANES 1999-2018.

Background And Aims: The impact of dietary live microbe intake on adolescent obesity is still not fully understood. This study aims to investigate the potential relationship between dietary live microbe intake and obesity among U.S adolescents, and to explore the mediating role of physical activity (PA).

Knocking down EGR1 inhibits nucleus pulposus cell senescence and mitochondrial damage through activation of PINK1-Parkin dependent mitophagy, thereby delaying intervertebral disc degeneration.

Mitophagy plays a crucial role in maintaining the homeostasis of intervertebral disc (IVD). Early Growth Response 1 (EGR1), a conservative transcription factor, is commonly upregulated under oxidative stress conditions and participates in regulating cellular senescence, apoptosis, and inflammatory responses. However, the specific role of EGR1 in nucleus pulposus (NP) cell senescence and mitophagy remains unclear.

Effect of wearable activity trackers on physical activity in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Physical inactivity in children and adolescents has become a pressing public health concern. Wearable activity trackers can allow self-monitoring of physical activity behaviour and promote autonomous motivation for exercise. However, the effects of wearable trackers on physical activity in young populations remain uncertain.

Developing and validating a predictive model of delivering large-for-gestational-age infants among women with gestational diabetes mellitus.

Background: The birth of large-for-gestational-age (LGA) infants is associated with many short-term adverse pregnancy outcomes. It has been observed that the proportion of LGA infants born to pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is significantly higher than that born to healthy pregnant women. However, traditional methods for the diagnosis of LGA have limitations.

Hydraulic properties and drought response of a tropical bamboo ().

Bamboo plants are an essential component of tropical ecosystems, yet their vulnerability to climate extremes, such as drought, is poorly understood due to limited knowledge of their hydraulic properties. , a commonly used tropical bamboo species, exhibited a substantially higher mortality rate than other co-occurring bamboos during a severe drought event in 2019, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the leaf and stem hydraulic traits related to drought responses, including leaf-stem embolism resistance (P; P) estimated using optical and X-ray microtomography methods, leaf pressure-volume and water-releasing curves.

Association between childhood obesity and gut microbiota: 16S rRNA gene sequencing-based cohort study.

Background: This study aimed to identify characteristic gut genera in obese and normal-weight children (8-12 years old) using 16S rDNA sequencing. The research aimed to provide insights for mechanistic studies and prevention strategies for childhood obesity. Thirty normal-weight and thirty age- and sex-matched obese children were included.

Outdoor gardening activity with different frequency and duration may be associated with reduction of total and cause-specific mortality risk for general U.S. adults: Findings from the NHANES.

Background And Aims: Engaging in recommended levels of physical activity (PA) is associated with reduced overall and cause-specific mortality rates. Our study aims to examine the relationship between gardening-specific PA and all-cause and cause-specific mortality based on representative U.S.

Effects of lianas on forest biogeochemistry during their lives and afterlives.

Climate change and other anthropogenic disturbances are increasing liana abundance and biomass in many tropical and subtropical forests. While the effects of living lianas on species diversity, ecosystem carbon, and nutrient dynamics are receiving increasing attention, the role of dead lianas in forest ecosystems has been little studied and is poorly understood. Trees and lianas coexist as the major woody components of forests worldwide, but they have very different ecological strategies, with lianas relying on trees for mechanical support.

Cumulative inequality in social determinants of health in relation to depression symptom: An analysis of nationwide cross-sectional data from U.S. NHANES 2005-2018.

Social determinants of health (SDoH) have been linked to a higher likelihood of experiencing mental health problems. This study aimed to investigate whether the accumulation of unfavorable SDoH is associated with depression symptom. Data was gathered from a representative population participating in the U.

Risk factors for therapy failure after incision and drainage alone for perianal abscesses in children.

Background: It is well known that recurrent perianal abscesses (PAs) and fistula-in-ano (FIA) are the main causes of therapy failure following incision and drainage (I&D) for PAs. But few studies have focused on the risk factors for therapy failure after I&D for PAs in children. In this study, we retrospectively examine the risk factors for therapy failure after I&D for PAs in children in a pediatric tertiary care institution.

Contribution of individual and cumulative social determinants of health underlying gender disparities in periodontitis in a representative US population: A cross-sectional NHANES study.

Aim: To examine the impact of both individual and cumulative social determinants of health (SDoH) on the likelihood of developing periodontitis, while also exploring any gender disparities in this relationship.

Materials And Methods: Data of self-reported SDoH domains and sub-items based on Healthy People 2030 were obtained from the U.S.

Leaf nitrogen and phosphorus resorption efficiencies are related to drought resistance across woody species in a Chinese savanna.

Leaf nutrient resorption and drought resistance are crucial for the growth and survival of plants. However, our understanding of the relationships between leaf nutrient resorption and plant drought resistance is still limited. In this study, we investigated the nitrogen and phosphorus resorption efficiencies (NRE and PRE), leaf structural traits, leaf osmotic potential at full hydration (Ψosm), xylem water potential at 50% loss of xylem-specific hydraulic conductivity (P50) and seasonal minimum water potential (Ψmin) for 18 shrub and tree species in a semiarid savanna ecosystem, in Southwest China.