Associations of residential green space and natural environment with heart failure: the mediating effect of air pollution and physical activity.

Aims: This study aimed to explore the associations of exposure to residential green space and natural environment with incident heart failure (HF) risk and to investigate the role of PM2.5 and physical activity in these associations.

Methods And Results: We conducted a prospective study using data from the UK Biobank cohort, which included 437 656 participants.

The Role of High-Sensitivity -Reactive Protein in Activities of Daily Living Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study.

The association between high-sensitivity -reactive protein (hsCRP) and activities of daily living (ADL) disability remains unclear. Our study aimed to comprehensively explore the relationship between hsCRP concentrations and the risk of ADL disability, while also identifying potential modifiers of this association in middle-aged and older adults. We conducted a prospective study involving 16,342 participants aged 50 years and older (mean age: 64 ± 10 years) from the Health and Retirement Study.

Poly(arylene ether nitrile) Based Dielectrics with High Energy Storage Properties: A Review.

Polymer-based nanocomposites have demonstrated significant strategic value in dielectric energy storage systems due to their tunable high energy density and rapid charge-discharge efficiency. Poly(arylene ether nitrile) (PEN), owing to its superior thermal stability, high mechanical strength, chemical corrosion resistance, and outstanding dielectric properties, exhibits distinct advantages in the field of high-performance dielectric energy storage devices. This review focuses on key strategies for enhancing the dielectric energy storage performance of PEN-based composites, emphasizing molecular engineering approaches, microstructural design, the multiscale interface regulation mechanisms within composite systems, and the optimization of the dielectric constant () and breakdown strength () through thermal stretching.

High through-plane thermal conductivity of graphite films with opened micro-window arrays.

Graphene's ultrahigh in-plane thermal conductivity makes it an ideal material for thermally conductive films in various electronic applications. However, the inherently weak interlayer interaction in conventional graphite films (GrF) results in low through-plane thermal conductivity. Here, we firstly developed a novel structure of opened micro-window arrays in the graphite film (MW-GrF) to significantly enhance the through-plane thermal conductivity by the laser-etching-assisted and micro-origami methods.

Accelerometer-derived physical activity patterns and incident type 2 diabetes: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Emerging evidence suggests a significant relationship between the duration of physical activity (PA) and the incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, the association between the "weekend warrior" (WW) pattern-characterized by concentrated moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) over one to two days-and T2D remains unclear.

Methods: This prospective cohort study aims to utilize device-measured PA data to investigate the associations between PA patterns and T2D.

Associations of exposure to individual polyfluoroalkyl substances and their mixtures with vitamin D biomarkers in postmenopausal women.

The potential impact of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on vitamin D status in postmenopausal women remains unexplored. This study examined the effects of individual PFAS and their combined exposures on vitamin D biomarkers among 2114 postmenopausal women utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning 2003-2018. The serum levels of four PFAS compounds, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), were assessed alongside the 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level.

Association between Blood Trihalomethane Concentrations and the Risk of Dyslipidemia: Nationally Representative Cross-Sectional Study.

Experimental studies have indicated that exposure to disinfection byproducts (DBPs) may affect the lipid synthesis. However, epidemiological evidence is sparse. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between blood trihalomethane (THM) exposure and the risk of dyslipidemia from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2018.

Strong Proquinoidal Acceptor Enables High-Performance Ambipolar Organic Electrochemical Transistors.

Ambipolar organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) can simplify manufacturing processes and reduce device footprints, yet their performance still lags behind their p-type and n-type counterparts due to limited molecular design strategies. Here, incorporating strong proquinoidal building blocks effectively addresses this challenge is demonstrated. Using a computational acceptor screening approach, three TBDOPV-based polymers are designed and synthesized: P(bgTBDOPV-T), P(bgTBDOPV-EDOT), and P(bgTBDOPV-MeOT2), all exhibiting ambipolar behavior across various donor moieties.

Ultrahigh concentration exfoliation and aqueous dispersion of few-layer graphene by excluded volume effect.

Colloidal properties of nanoparticles are intricately linked to their morphology. Traditionally, achieving high-concentration dispersions of two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets has proven challenging as they tend to agglomerate or re-stack under increased surface contact and Van der Waals attraction. Here, we unveil an excluded volume effect enabled by 2D morphology, which can be coupled with electrostatic repulsion to synthesize high-concentration aqueous graphene dispersions.

Photomanipulatable colloidal clusters from the aggregation of azo molecular glass spheres.

Colloidal clusters with well-controlled shapes have attracted extensive interest in the fields of materials, chemistry, physics, and biology. This communication reports the controllable fabrication of photoresponsive colloidal clusters with a wide range of adjustable sizes and complex architectures through an approach of microsphere formation and fusion. The clusters of colloidal spheres were obtained adding ethanol dropwise into a tetrahydrofuran solution of an isosorbide-based azo compound (IAC-4).

Investigating Causal Associations between the Gut Microbiota and Dementia: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

: The causal association of specific gut microbiota with dementia remains incompletely understood. We aimed to access the causal relationships in which one or more gut microbiota account for dementia. : Using data from the MiBioGen and FinnGen consortia, we employed multiple Mendelian randomization (MR) approaches including two-sample MR (TSMR), multivariable MR (MVMR), and Bayesian model averaging MR to comprehensively evaluate the causal associations between 119 genera and dementia, and to prioritize the predominant bacterium.

Causal Association between Circulating Metabolites and Dementia: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

The causal association of circulating metabolites with dementia remains uncertain. We assessed the causal association of circulating metabolites with dementia utilizing Mendelian randomization (MR) methods. We performed univariable MR analysis to evaluate the associations of 486 metabolites with dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD) risk.

Associations between whole grains intake and new-onset hypertension: a prospective cohort study.

Importance: Epidemiological evidences regarding the association between whole grain intake and the risk of new-onset hypertension are still controversial.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the relationship between whole grain intake and new-onset hypertension and examine possible effect modifiers in the general population.

Methods: A total of 10,973 participants without hypertension from the China Health and Nutrition Survey were enrolled, with follow-up beginning in 1997 and ending in 2015.

Association between Whole Grain Intake and Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: The relationship between whole grain intake and chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains uncertain.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between whole grain intake and risk of CKD in Chinese adults.

Methods: The present cross-sectional study used data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey conducted in 2009.

Molecular mechanism of NAD and NMN binding to the Nudix homology domains of DBC1.

Deleted in breast cancer 1 (DBC1) is a human nuclear protein that modulates the activities of various proteins involved in cell survival and cancer progression. Oxidized form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is suggested to bind to the Nudix homology domains (NHDs) of DBC1, thereby regulating DBC1-Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) interactions, resulting in the restoration of DNA repair. Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC), we confirmed NAD and its precursor nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) both bind the NHD domain of DBC1 (DBC1).

Coaxial Wet Spinning of Boron Nitride Nanosheet-Based Composite Fibers with Enhanced Thermal Conductivity and Mechanical Strength.

Hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) exhibit remarkable thermal and dielectric properties. However, their self-assembly and alignment in macroscopic forms remain challenging due to the chemical inertness of boron nitride, thereby limiting their performance in applications such as thermal management. In this study, we present a coaxial wet spinning approach for the fabrication of BNNSs/polymer composite fibers with high nanosheet orientation.

Ion-Specific Nanoconfinement Effect in Multilayered Graphene Membranes: A Combined Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Computational Study.

Ion adsorption within nanopores is involved in numerous applications. However, a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental relationship between in-pore ion concentration and pore size, particularly in the sub-2 nm range, is scarce. This study investigates the ion-species-dependent concentration in multilayered graphene membranes (MGMs) with tunable nanoslit sizes (0.

Subnanometric Stacking of Two-Dimensional Nanomaterials: Insights from the Nanotexture Evolution of Dense Reduced Graphene Oxide Membranes.

Assembling two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials into laminar membranes with a subnanometer (subnm) interlayer spacing provides a material platform for studying a range of nanoconfinement effects and exploring the technological applications related to the transport of electrons, ions and molecules. However, the strong tendency for 2D nanomaterials to restack to their bulk crystalline-like structure makes it challenging to control their spacing at the subnm scale. It is thus necessary to understand what nanotextures can be formed at the subnm scale and how they can be engineered experimentally.

MRI texture-based machine learning models for the evaluation of renal function on different segmentations: a proof-of-concept study.

Background: To develop and validate an MRI texture-based machine learning model for the noninvasive assessment of renal function.

Methods: A retrospective study of 174 diabetic patients (training cohort, n = 123; validation cohort, n = 51) who underwent renal MRI scans was included. They were assigned to normal function (n = 71), mild or moderate impairment (n = 69), and severe impairment groups (n = 34) according to renal function.

Planted Graphene Quantum Dots for Targeted, Enhanced Tumor Imaging and Long-Term Visualization of Local Pharmacokinetics.

While photoluminescent graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have long been considered very suitable for bioimaging owing to their protein-like size, superhigh photostability and in vivo long-term biosafety, their unique and crucial bioimaging applications in vivo remain unreachable. Herein, planted GQDs are presented as an excellent tool for in vivo fluorescent, sustainable and multimodality tumor bioimaging in various scenarios. The GQDs are in situ planted in the poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) layer of PEGylated nanoparticles via a bottom-up molecular approach to obtain the NPs-GQDs-PEG nanocomposite.

Traumatic bone marrow lesions in dual-energy computed tomography.

Traumatic bone marrow lesions (TBMLs) are considered to represent a range of concealed bone injuries, including haemorrhage, infarction, and localised oedema caused by trabecular microfracture occurring in the cancellous bone. If TBMLs are not managed timeously, they potentially cause a series of complications that can lead to irreversible morbidity and prolonged recovery time. This article reviews interesting image findings of bone marrow lesions in dual-energy computed tomography (DECT).

Rapid electrophoretic deposition of biocompatible graphene coatings for high-performance recording neural electrodes.

The electrical and biological interfacial properties of invasive electrodes have a significant impact on the performance and longevity of neural recordings in the brain. In this study, we demonstrated rapid electrophoretic deposition and electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide (GO) on metal-based neural electrodes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and other characterizations confirmed the existence of a uniform and effectively reduced graphene oxide coating.