We compared the effects of cardiogenic pulmonary edema, brief pulmonary vascular congestion without frank edema, and noncardiogenic pulmonary edema on responsiveness to inhaled histamine in chronically instrumented awake sheep. Histamine responsiveness was measured before and after 1) cardiogenic pulmonary edema induced by raising left atrial pressure to 35 cmH 2 O (↑Pla) for 3.5 h by partial obstruction of flow across the mitral valve, 2) brief cardiogenic congestion via ↑Pla for 0.5 h, 3) noncardiogenic pulmonary edema induced by 25 mg/kg intravenous perilla ketone (PK), and 4) 3.5 h of monitoring without ↑Pla or PK (controls). Treatment for 3.5 h with ↑Pla ( n = 9) and PK ( n = 11) each significantly lessened the histamine dose required to cause a...

Aim To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor alogliptin plus metformin (A + M) initial combination therapy versus either as monotherapy in drug-naïve T2DM patients. Methods This international, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 26-week study involved T2DM patients with hyperglycaemia (HbA1c 7.5–10.0%) following diet/exercise therapy. Patients (N = 784) received placebo, alogliptin (A, 12.5 mg BID or 25 mg QD), metformin (M, 500 or 1000 mg BID) or A + M (12.5/500 or 12.5/1000 mg BID); placebo, A25 for secondary analyses only. Endpoints: week 26 changes from baseline in HbA1c (primary), fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 2-h postprandial glucose (PPG); incidences of clinical response and hyperglycaemic rescue. Res...

Advances in Vitamin D nutritional physiology since publication of the DRIs in 1997 are briefly summarized. Available data indicate that (1) Vitamin D's canonical function, optimizing intestinal calcium absorption, is fully expressed at serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentration of approximately 80nmol/L; (2) elevated parathyroid activity, typical of aging populations, is minimized at the same 25OHD value and (3) osteoporotic fractures are reduced when serum 25OHD is raised to near 80nmol/L. Depending upon starting value, achieving 25OHD concentrations of 80 or higher may require a daily oral intake of 2200IU (55microg) or more in addition to prevailing cutaneous inputs. The tolerable upper intake level (TUIL), currently set at 2000IU (50microg)/day, is ...

Optimal vitamin D intake and its status are important not only for bone and calcium-phosphate metabolism, but also for overall health and well-being. Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency as a global health problem are likely to be a risk for wide spectrum of acute and chronic illnesses. A review of randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and other evidence of vitamin D action on various health outcomes. Adequate vitamin D status seems to be protective against musculoskeletal disorders (muscle weakness, falls, fractures), infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease, type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus, several types of cancer, neurocognitive dysfunction and mental illness, and other diseases, as well as infertility and adverse preg...

Vitamin D insufficiency is a common medical condition. Vitamin supplements can be ingested to improve vitamin D status. It is not known if the vehicle substance that is combined with the vitamin D tablet influences the bioavailability of vitamin D. The purpose of this review is to examine the impact of different vehicles on vitamin D bioavailability. A comprehensive literature search identified studies that directly compared the absorption of vitamin D from two or more vehicles. The change in mean serum 25(OH)D per average daily dose of vitamin D supplemented was calculated and compared among the studies. We identified four clinical studies that compared two different vehicles of vitamin D. Vitamin D in an oil vehicle produced a greater 25(OH)D response than...

1,25(OH)2D3 (vitamin D) is well-recognized as a neurosteroid that modulates multiple brain functions. A growing body of evidence indicates that vitamin D plays a pivotal role in brain development, neurotransmission, neuroprotection and immunomodulation. However, the precise molecular mechanisms by which vitamin D exerts these functions in the brain are still unclear. Vitamin D signalling occurs via the vitamin D receptor (VDR), a zinc-finger protein in the nuclear receptor superfamily. Like other nuclear steroids, vitamin D has both genomic and non-genomic actions. The transcriptional activity of vitamin D occurs via the nuclear VDR. Its faster, non-genomic actions can occur when the VDR is distributed outside the nucleus. The VDR is present in the developin...

Background/Aims: Alleles of the FMR1 gene containing small expansions of the CGG-trinucleotide repeat comprise premutation and grey-zone alleles. Premutation alleles may cause late-onset Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome attributed to the neurotoxic effect of elevated FMR1 transcripts. Our earlier data suggested that both grey-zone and low-end premutation alleles might also play a significant role in the acquisition of the parkinsonian phenotype due to mitochondrial dysfunction caused by elevated FMR1 mRNA toxicity. These data were obtained through clinical and molecular comparisons between carriers of grey-zone/low-end premutation alleles and group-matched non-carrier controls from patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (iPD). We aimed to ex...

Abstract Vitamin D receptor expression and associated function have been reported in various muscle models, including C 2 C 12 , L6 cell lines and primary human skeletal muscle cells. It is believed that 1,25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 (1,25(OH) 2 D 3 ), the active form of vitamin D, has a direct regulatory role in skeletal muscle function, where it participates in myogenesis, cell proliferation, differentiation, regulation of protein synthesis and mitochondrial metabolism through activation of various cellular signalling cascades, including the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway(s). It has also been suggested that 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 and its associated receptor have genomic targets, resulting in regulation of gene expression, as well as non-genomic functions that ...

Liver cancer is a malignant disease and causes thousands of death each year. The prognosis is dismal for patients with metastasis and recurrence. It is urgent to disclose the cause and mechanism underlying liver cancer. LARGE1 encodes a glycosyltransferase and was reported to promote progression in cancer. But its role in liver cancer is unknown. In this study, LARGE1 displayed upregulated expression in liver cancer cells. When LARGE1 was knocked down in SMMC-7721 and Huh-7 cells, the ability of cell proliferation and colony formation were decreased significantly. Cell migration and invasion were suppressed. The number of cells in G1 phase increased but decreased in S phase. Cell apoptosis was not affected. Tumor growth in vivo was also inhibited. Tumor volu...

The role of vitamin D in left ventricular hypertrophy and cardiac function. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Traditional cardiac risk factors, as well as other factors specific to the ESRD population such as hyperphosphatemia, elevated calcium and phosphate product, abnormal lipid metabolism, hyperhomocysteinemia, and chronic inflammation play a role in the excessive risk of cardiovascular death in this population. Left ventricular disorders are proven risk factors for cardiac mortality in hemodialysis patients. These disorders are present in incident ESRD patients at rates far above the general population. There is an accumulating body of evidence that suggests that vitamin D plays a ro...

A fundamental problem of glass transition is to explain the jump of heat capacity at the glass transition temperature $T_g$ without asserting the existence of a distinct solid glass phase. This problem is also common to other disordered systems, including spin glasses. We propose that if $T_g$ is defined as the temperature at which the liquid stops relaxing at the experimental time scale, the jump of heat capacity at $T_g$ follows as a necessary consequence due to the change of system's elastic, vibrational and thermal properties. In this picture, we discuss time-dependent effects of glass transition, and identify three distinct regimes of relaxation. Our approach explains widely observed logarithmic increase of $T_g$ with the quench rate and the correlation...

The effects of copper surface wettability on the evaporation performance of a copper mesh wick were experimentally studied in an operating flat-plate heat pipe. Different degrees of wettability were obtained by varying the exposure times in air after the wicked plates were taken out of the sintering furnace. Three different working fluids: water, methanol and acetone, which possess different figures of merit, were investigated at the same volumetric liquid charge. The surface wettability was quantified by the static contact angle of sessile water drops on a flat copper surface. While the static contact angles of water drops varied from 10° to 40° for different degrees of wettability, the methanol and acetone drops still fully wetted the copper surface. A t...

A Strain DDB001 having an ability to remove deoxynivalenol (DON) was successfully isolated from wheat field soil. On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic data, the strain DDB001 was identified as Paradevosia shaoguanensis. Strain DDB001 could grow well and thoroughly eliminate 200 mg l-1 of DON in complete growth medium, but it could not utilize DON as the sole carbon source for growth in mineral salt medium. Analysing DON transformation products by HPLC-MS assumed that the strain could transform DON into a less toxic stereoisomer, 3-epi-deoxynivalenol (3-epi-DON). In addition, it did not require preincubation with DON for the expression of DON-transforming activity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report showing that a Paradev...

Normal humans of all ages have the innate ability to produce vitamin D following sunlight exposure. Inadequate vitamin D status has shown to be associated with a wide variety of diseases, including oral health disorders. Insufficient sunlight exposure may accelerate some of these diseases, possibly due to impaired vitamin D synthesis. The beneficial effects of vitamin D on oral health are not only limited to the direct effects on the tooth mineralization, but are also exerted through the anti-inflammatory functions and the ability to stimulate the production of anti-microbial peptides. In this article, we will briefly discuss the genesis of various oral diseases due to inadequate vitamin D level in the body and elucidate the potential benefits of safe sunlig...

Low vitamin D (VitD) status is common among newborn infants, more so in temperate latitudes with evidence that maternal VitD deficiency is a major risk factor given that the neonate relies solely on maternal-fetal transfer of VitD. This scoping review was conducted to provide an overview of the latest evidence from studies regarding the impact of maternal risk factors on infant 25-hydryoxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations with a focus on studies in Canada and the United States. Several maternal risk factors that contribute to low maternal-fetal 25(OH)D concentrations have been reported over many decades, but no clear pattern has been established for multiethnic populations. For example, darker skin pigmentation and ethnicity are common risk factors for low ...

Although SLC16A1-AS1 is involved in lung cancer, its function in breast cancer is still elusive. We observed downregulation of SLC16A1-AS1 expression in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) by analyzing TCGA dataset. Therefore, we analyzed the function of SLC16A1-AS1 in TNBC.We observed downregulation of SLC16A1-AS1 expression in TNBC by analyzing TCGA dataset. Therefore, we analyzed the function of SLC16A1-AS1 in TNBC.SLC16A1-AS1 expression was downregulated in TNBC tissues. SLC16A1-AS1 interacted with miR-182, whereas SLC16A1-AS1 and miR-182 overexpression failed to affect their expression. SLC16A1-AS1 overexpression upregulated the expression of PDCD4, a downstream target of miR-182. SLC16A1-AS1 and PDCD4 overexpression suppressed cell cycle progression f...

T lymphocytes recognize antigens as peptide fragments associated with molecules encoded by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and expressed on the surface of antigen-presenting cells. In the thymus, T cells bearing alpha beta receptors that react with the MHC molecules expressed by radioresistant stromal elements are positively selected for maturation. In (A x B-->A) bone marrow chimaeras, T cells restricted to the MHC-A haplotype are positively selected, whereas MHC-B-reactive thymocytes are not. We investigated whether the introduction of particular thymic stromal elements bearing MHC-B molecules could alter the fate of B-reactive T cells in these (A x B-->A) chimaeras. Thymic epithelial cell (TEC) lines expressing H-2b were introduced by intrathym...

This paper proposes a novel sclera segmentation approach based on an attention assisted U-Net model, named ScleraSegNet. Several off-the-shelf or improved attention modules are incorporated into the central bottleneck part or skip connection part of the original U-Net, helping the new model implicitly learn to suppress irrelevant regions in an input image while highlighting salient features useful for a specific task. This enables us to eliminate the necessity of using an external ROI localization model of cascade frameworks. The proposed approach is evaluated on several public, challenging eye datasets and experimental results show that introduced attention modules consistently improve the segmentation performance over the original U-Net across different da...

"Double-blotting" (DB) was developed to overcome the problem of non-specific binding of secondary antibodies in immunoblotting (IB). After it had been probed by the primary antibody, the membrane with the blotted proteins was assembled with a second blank membrane and submitted to a second blotting under acidic conditions. The primary antibody molecules were thus desorbed from their corresponding antigen and transferred onto the second membrane, whereas the antigen and the interfering proteins remained bound to the first one. The second membrane could then be probed by the secondary antibodies without the risk of non-specific binding. This method was developed for the study of erythropoietin (EPO) in concentrated urine since a strong non-specific binding of ...

Abstract Background In low- and middle-income countries routine vitamin A supplementation (VAS) is a key strategy for reducing vitamin A deficiency and mortality and morbidity of preschool children. However, in Ethiopia, there is paucity of evidence regarding the level and determinants of the uptake of the supplement. This study was designed to assess the coverage and predictors of VAS among preschool children in Humbo district, Southern Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in April 2016. A total of 840 mothers/caregivers having children 6–59 months of age were selected using multistage cluster sampling technique from six rural villages implementing routine VAS program. Data were collected using interviewer administered questionnaire. Po...

Spherical sponge iron (SSI) with high activity and intension could be prepared through direct reduction by hydrogen. pH value in solution increased despite initial pH because a large amount of H + was depleted along with erosion battery reaction of SSI. It was suggested that initial pH has significant influence on pH value in solution and cadmium removal percentage by SSI. When the initial pH maintained at 2.03, cadmium removal percentages were only 10.17% and 22.00%, respectively, in 10min and 30min. While the initial pH was adjusted to 3.00, cadmium removal percentage could be elevated to 73.10% and 95.46% in similar libration time. Cadmium removal by SSI appeared to be the first-order reaction. When the initial pH was maintained at 2.03, the apparent reac...

It is thought that every cell in the body expresses the vitamin D receptor, and therefore vitamin D may play a role in health and homeostasis of every organ system, including skeletal muscle. Human, animal, and cell culture studies have collectively shown that vitamin D affects muscle strength and function. Vitamin D functions in a plethora of cellular processes in skeletal muscle including calcium homeostasis, cell proliferation, cell differentiation, fiber size, prevention of fatty degeneration, protection against insulin resistance and arachidonic acid mobilization. These processes appear to be mediated by several signaling pathways affected by vitamin D. This review aims to explore the effects of vitamin D on skeletal muscle in each model system and to d...

As previously reported, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) constricted pial arterioles, inhibited dilation of pial arterioles by acetylcholine (ACh) or L-arginine (L-Arg), and enhanced platelet adhesion/aggregation at sites of endothelial damage. However, all of these effects were inhibited by local application of 20 micrograms/ml indomethacin (Indo). When 100 micrograms/ml acetylsalicylic acid were used instead of Indo, the acid also blocked the effects of L-NMMA. Superoxide dismutase (SOD; 50 U/ml) blocked the constriction produced by L-NMMA and also blocked the constriction produced by N omega-nitro-L-arginine (NNA). SOD also prevented L-NMMA from blocking dilation by ACh. SOD itself had no effect on diameter or on the response to ACh, norepinephrine, or B...

Closed-loop torque control system of permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drive is highly applied in industrial applications. However, high temperature and other external factors lead to permanent magnet (PM) demagnetization fault of the motor, which inevitably brings barriers to precise torque control. This paper presents a rejection method for demagnetization based on an improved equivalent-input-disturbance (EID) approach. A system model, which contains demagnetization fault, is first constructed. Then, an equivalent-input-demagnetization on the control input channel is used to describe the model. An improved EID approach is designed to reject the effect of the demagnetization fault. In particular, an improved sliding-mode observer rather than the Lu...

Background/Aims: Mechanical overloading-induced nucleus pulposus (NP) apoptosis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of intervertebral disc degeneration. N-cadherin (N-CDH)-mediated signaling preserves normal NP cell phenotype. This study aims to investigate the effects of N-CDH on NP cell apoptosis under high-magnitude compression and the underlying mechanism behind this process. Methods: Rat NP cells seeded on scaffold were perfusion-cultured using a self-developed perfusion bioreactor for 5 days and experienced different magnitudes (2% and 20% compressive deformation, respectively) of compression at a frequency of 1.0 Hz for 4 hours once per day. The un-loaded NP cells were used as controls. Lentivirus-mediated N-CDH overexpression and inhibitor LY...

Face masks are an avenue to curb the spread of coronavirus, but few people in Western societies wear face masks. Social scientists have rarely studied face mask wearing, leaving little guidance for methods to encourage these behaviours. In the current article, we provide an approach to address this issue by developing the 32-item and 8-dimension Face Mask Perceptions Scale (FMPS). We begin by developing an over-representative item list in a qualitative study, wherein participants’ responses are used to develop items to ensure content relevance. This item list is then reduced via exploratory factor analysis in a second study, and the eight dimensions of the scale are supported. We also support the validity of the FMPS, as the scale significantly relates to ...

Vitamin D is essential for the health of pregnant women and their infants. Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency during pregnancy are reflected in lower maternal weight gain and biochemical evidence of disturbed skeletal homeostasis in the infant, with, in extreme situations, reduced bone mineralization, radiologically evident rickets, and fractures. Populations at risk for vitamin D deficiency are those for which, for environmental, cultural, or medical reasons, exposure to sunlight is poor and the dietary intake of vitamin D is low. The infants born in such populations have low vitamin D stores and may receive little additional vitamin D if they are breast-fed without supplements for long periods. In the short term, lack of vitamin D supplementation in in...

The worsening worldwide trend toward nutritional insufficiency and the emerging knowledge of the nonhormonal actions of vitamin D and its metabolites have increased interest in the synthesis, metabolism, and action of vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked with hypertension, myocardial infarction, and stroke, as well as other cardiovascular-related diseases, such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, atherosclerosis, and endothelial dysfunction. This review discusses the physiology and definition of vitamin D deficiency, evaluates the worldwide prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, and discusses recent evidence for the association between hypovitaminosis D and cardiovascular disease. Few randomized, controlled trials have...

The objective of this study was to systematically review all the published articles examining the effects of low serum vitamin D concentration and vitamin D supplementation on muscle, balance and gait performance among people aged 65 and older. An English and French Medline search ranging from January 2004 to November 2008 indexed under the Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms “aged OR aged, 80 and over” AND “Vitamin D OR Vitamin D Deficiency” combined with the terms “Gait” OR “Gait Apraxia” OR “Gait Disorders, Neurologic” OR “Walking” OR “Mobility Limitation” OR “Polyneuropathy” OR “Proprioception” OR “Ataxia” OR “Accidental Falls” was performed. Of the 102 selected studies, 16 met the selection criteria and were ...

A low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level is a risk factor for many diseases, including musculoskeletal diseases, many types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and brain diseases. This report estimates the reduction in mortality rates for the five Nordic countries for an increase in population mean serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level to 105 nmol/L.Serum vitamin D dose-incidence/prognosis relationships can be developed with significant levels of reliability for most vitamin D-sensitive diseases on the basis of ecological, cross-sectional, and observational studies, randomized controlled trials, and meta-analysis of such studies. These dose-response relations are used to estimate the population-wi...

Abstract Bimetallic nanomaterials (BNMs) have been used in sensing, biomedicine, and environmental remediation, but their multipurpose and comprehensive applications in molecular logic computing and information security protection have received little attention. Herein, This synthesis method is achieved by sequentially adding reactants under ice bath conditions. Interestingly, Ag‐Cr NPs can dynamically selectively sense anions and reductants in multiple channels. Especially, ClO − can be quantitatively detected by oxidizing Ag‐Cr NPs with detection limits of 98.37 nM (at 270 nm) and 31.83 nM (at 394 nm). Based on sequential‐dependent synthesis process of Ag‐Cr NPs, Boolean logic gates and customizable molecular keypad locks are constructed by setti...

In the recently identified cholesterol catabolic pathway of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, 2-hydroxy-6-oxo-6-phenylhexa-2,4-dienoate hydrolase (HsaD) is proposed to catalyze the hydrolysis of a carbon-carbon bond in 4,5-9,10-diseco-3-hydroxy-5,9,17-tri-oxoandrosta-1(10),2-diene-4-oic acid (DSHA), the cholesterol meta-cleavage product (MCP) and has been implicated in the intracellular survival of the pathogen. Herein, purified HsaD demonstrated 4-33 times higher specificity for DSHA (k(cat)/K(m) = 3.3 +/- 0.3 x 10(4) m(-1) s(-1)) than for the biphenyl MCP 2-hydroxy-6-oxo-6-phenylhexa-2,4-dienoic acid (HOPDA) and the synthetic analogue 8-(2-chlorophenyl)-2-hydroxy-5-methyl-6-oxoocta-2,4-dienoic acid (HOPODA), respectively. The S114A variant of HsaD, in which the ...

Hula hoops are a popular piece of fitness equipment used to attempt to slim the waistline and improve core muscle endurance. Although there are obvious visible movements at the waist and hip, no study has quantified the intensity of muscle activity during hula hooping. Therefore, this study analyzed muscle activation in the torso and hip during hula hooping. Because injury to the waist often occurs after prolonged, repeated impact between the waist and a hula hoop, this study developed a novel waist fitness hoop that eliminates impact, called the “Mini Hoop,” and determined the effects of mini hooping on hip movement and muscle activation. A total of 16 healthy females performed hula hooping and mini hooping at a self-selected pace. Results showed that h...

ABSTRACTMetal working fluids (MWFs) are used in metal working industries in processes like grinding, turning, drilling and cutting. In the presence of water the complex mixture of materials in metal working fluids will be susceptible to microbial deterioration. The control of contamination of MWFs usually is performed by the addition of different antimicrobial agents (biocides). Alkanolamines are used in metal working fluids as corrosion inhibitors but they have also antimicrobial effect. Studies of few different alkanolamines showed their antimicrobial effect to be enhanced at high pH. From the other hand, development of resistant populations occurs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the degree of toxicity of mono-, di- and triethanolamine for bacterial...

Much recent attention has focused on the positive health benefits of vitamin D beyond its established role in calcium homeostasis. Epidemiology has highlighted the link between vitamin D deficiency and prevalent diseases such as common cancers and autoimmune disease. Furthermore, studies in vitro have shown that the active form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) is a potent antiproliferative and immunosuppressive agent. The net effect of this has been the generation and analysis of synthetic analogues of vitamin D for potential use in the treatment of cancers and other disorders including psoriasis. However, there is increasing interest in the impact that vitamin D may have on normal physiology above and beyond its classical effects on calc...

The study of insect seminal fluid proteins provides a unique window upon adaptive evolution in action. The seminal fluid of Drosophila melanogaster contains over 80 proteins and peptides, which are transferred together with sperm by mating males. The functions of many of these substances are not yet known. However, those that have been characterized have marked effects on the reproductive success of males and females. For example, seminal fluid proteins and peptides can decrease female receptivity, can increase egg production and can increase sperm storage, and are necessary for sperm transfer and success in sperm competition. In this review we focus on the currently known functions of seminal fluid molecules and on new technologies and approaches that are e...

Vitamin D is a versatile signaling molecule with an established role in the regulation of calcium homeostasis and bone health. In recent years the spectrum of vitamin D target organs has expanded and a reproductive role is supported by the presence of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and the vitamin D metabolizing enzymes in the gonads, reproductive tract, and human spermatozoa. Interestingly, expression levels of VDR and the vitamin D inactivating enzyme CYP24A1 in human spermatozoa serve as positive predictive markers of semen quality and are higher expressed in spermatozoa from normal than infertile men. VDR mediates a non-genomic increase in intracellular calcium concentration, sperm motility, and induces the acrosome reaction. Furthermore, functional animal...

Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by plasma membrane–localized NADPH oxidase (Nox 2) is a major mechanism of cell signaling associated with activation of the enzyme by a variety of agonists. With activation, the integral membrane flavocytochrome of Nox 2 transfers an electron from intracellular NADPH to extracellular O2, generating superoxide anion (O2•−). The latter dismutes to H2O2 which can diffuse through aquaporin channels in the plasma membrane to elicit an intracellular signaling response. O2•− also can initiate intracellular signaling by penetration of the cell membrane through anion channels (Cl- channel-3, ClC-3). Endosomes containing Nox2 and ClC-3 (called signaling endosomes) are composed of internalized plasma membrane and ge...

Vitamin D plays an important role in the musculoskeletal system of the human body. Here, we review the most current literature on vitamin D as it relates to orthopaedic surgery and the musculoskeletal system, focusing largely on non-fracture applications.A literature review was performed on the basic science of vitamin D metabolism, epidemiology of vitamin D levels, role of vitamin D within the musculoskeletal system, and the correlation of vitamin D with injuries and orthopaedic surgical outcomes.The existing literature suggests vitamin D plays multiple roles in the musculoskeletal system. Recent research has shed light on the importance of vitamin D in the setting of soft tissue healing and recovery in addition to affecting postoperative outcomes after com...

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on dietary reference intakes (DRI) for vitamin D is reviewed, along with its implications.Evidence-based reviews were completed; the IOM committee conducted its own literature search, an open public workshop, and two open sessions, and maintained a public web site for stakeholder input. The consensus report of the 14 scientists on the committee was reviewed by a panel of experts.Only bone health could be used as an indicator for DRI development. Evidence for extraskeletal outcomes was inadequate, inconsistent, or insufficient to develop DRI. The recommended dietary allowance was found to be 600 IU/d for ages 1-70 yr, corresponding on average to a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) level of at least 50 nmol/liter (20 ng/m...

The hypothesis that vitamin D is inversely associated with multiple health outcomes has been studied in the Harvard cohorts, including the Nurses' Health Study I (n=121 700 female nurses aged 37–64 at baseline in 1984), Nurses' Health Study II (n=116 671 female nurses aged 27–44 years at baseline in 1991), Health Professionals Follow-up Study (n=51 529 male health professionals aged 40–75 years at baseline in 1986), and Physicians' Health Study (n=22 071 male physicians aged 40–84 years at baseline in 1982). These studies assessed vitamin D through circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D, dietary and supplemental intake, predicted 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and vitamin D receptor polymorphisms. This review summarizes studies of vitamin D and various endpoints cons...

High exposure to vitamin D may protect against development and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), possibly through the immunomodulatory properties of its biologically active metabolite 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. So far, most studies on the possible mechanisms for vitamin D involvement in MS have focused on immune modulation outside the central nervous system (CNS). However, vitamin D may also interfere with the pathophysiology of MS within the CNS. In this review, the potential presence and functions of vitamin D in the inflamed and healthy CNS are explored. We discuss that vitamin D, vitamin D binding protein (DBP), the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and enzymes needed for metabolism (CYP27B1) are present in the CNS. Both VDR and CYP27B1 are expressed on a var...

To assess the safety and health effects of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy.Datasets from two randomized clinical trials were first analyzed separately then combined for this analysis using a common data dictionary. In the NICHD trial, women were randomized to 400, 2000, or 4000IU vitamin D3/day, stratified by race. In the Thrasher Research Fund trial, participants were randomized to 2000 or 4000IU vitamin D3/day. Study drugs were from the same manufacturing lot for both trials. Identical questionnaires were given for comparable sociodemographics & clinical characteristics. Outcome measures were: [1] maternal and neonatal 25(OH)D achieved, and [2] maternal comorbidities of pregnancy (COP). SAS 9.3 was used for all analyses.In the combined cohort, t...

Chronic kidney disease patients have a high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with a variety of bone, metabolic and cardiovascular disorders. However, the role of native vitamin D supplementation (ergocalciferol, cholecalciferol or calcifediol) remains unclear in chronic kidney disease (CKD), particularly in the pre-dialytic phase. Several international guidelines have been developed on CKD–Mineral and Bone Disorder, but the optimal strategy for native vitamin D supplementation and its clinical benefit remains a subject of debate in the scientific community. This paper aims to review the available literature, including randomized clinical trials that evaluated the effects of native vitamin D suppleme...

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesConditional survival (CS) analysis has emerged as a dynamic prognostication methodology. The goal of this study was to determine disease‐specific CS rates in Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC).MethodsThis retrospective study included patients with MCC from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registry (1988–2016). Stage‐specific 5‐year MCC‐specific CS rates for study and survivor cohorts were estimated, and the significance of clinicopathologic factors to predict 1‐year MCC‐specific death was evaluated using multivariate logistic regression.

<i>Background:</i> Vitamin D is essential for a vast number of physiologic processes, and thus adequate levels are necessary or advantageous for optimal health. During childhood and adolescence, an adequate vitamin D status is needed due to its important role in cell growth, skeletal structure, and development. <i>Aims:</i> To review the extraskeletal effects of vitamin D, focusing especially on children. <i>Methods:</i> Narrative review. <i>Results:</i> Low vitamin D concentrations seem to be significantly associated with all-cause mortality. Regular sunlight exposure and vitamin D supplementation in early childhood may offer protection against the development of type 1 diabetes. Epidemiological evidence suppo...

Much evidence indicates that both calcium and vitamin D are efficacious in protecting the skeleton, particularly when these 2 nutrients are used in combination. Each nutrient is necessary for the full expression of the effect of the other, and where their actions are independent, their effects on skeletal health are complementary. Nutrient status for both tends to be deficient in the adult population of the industrialized nations. Hence, supplementation or food fortification with both nutrients is appropriate and, given contemporary diets and sun exposure, probably necessary. Various meta-analyses, systematic evidence reviews, and controlled trials evaluating these 2 nutrients will be defective if they fail 1) to take into consideration the nearly universal ...

People with psychosis have high prevalence of low vitamin D levels but the correlates and relevance of this deficiency are unclear. A systematic search of major databases from inception to 03/2016 was undertaken investigating correlates of vitamin D in people with psychosis. Data was summarised with a best evidence synthesis. Across 23 included studies (n=1770 psychosis, n=8171 controls) a mean difference in vitamin D levels between both groups of −11.14 ng/ml±0.59 was found. 53 unique correlations between vitamin D and outcomes in people with psychosis were identified. The evidence base was broadly equivocal although season of blood sampling (67% of studies found a positive correlation with warmer seasons) and parathyroid hormone (100% of studies found a...

Insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) has been identified as a candidate protease in the clearance of amyloid-delta (Abeta) peptides from the brain. IDE activity and binding to insulin are known to be inhibited by glucocorticoids in vitro. In Alzheimer disease (AD), both a decrease in IDE levels and an increase in peripheral glucocorticoid levels have been documented. Our study investigated the effects of glucocorticoid treatment on IDE expression in vivo in 12 nonhuman primates (Macaca nemestrina). Year-long, high-dose exposure to the glucocorticoid cortisol (hydrocortisone acetate) was associated with reduced IDE protein levels in the inferior frontal cortex and reduced IDE mRNA levels in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. We assessed Abeta40 and Abeta42 level...

Microfinance institutions (MFIs) generally aim at improving the access of the poor to financial services while at the same time being financially sustainable. But what do we know about how MFIs reach and combine these two goals? We carry out a systematic review of close to 170 papers discussing the determinants of the financial and social performance of MFIs. The review shows that the most important determinants addressed in the literature are MFI characteristics (size, age and type of organization), their funding sources, the quality of organizational governance and the MFIs’ external context such as macro-economic, institutional and political conditions. The evidence on these issues is rather mixed. Moreover, the direction of the relationship between the...

Soon after the cession of the Fiji Islands to the British Crown, some ten or twelve years ago, it was determined bv the authorities to remove the government offices from Levuka, a flourishing settlement on the little island of Ovalau, to some locality on one of the larger islands of the group. The site chosen for the new capital was Suva Point, a promontory on the south coast of Viti Levu, commanding a considerable bay or harbour to the west, and rising on the land side to an elevation of 300 or 400 feet. How far the geological aspects of the question were taken into consideration it is needless now to inquire; we may confine our attention to the fact that the area selected presents certain peculiar and interesting features in respect of its superficial depo...

70% Nylon 6 fiber and 30% low melting polyester fiber were manufactured into nonwoven fabrics, after which the nonwoven fabrics and Nylon 66 grids were needle-punched and heat-treated, forming the Nonwoven/ Nylon 66 grid composite fabrics. The optimum parameter for heat treatment was 150°C for 5 minutes, improving the mechanical property of the composite fabrics. Subsequently, with a fixed pick-up ratio of 200%, two waterborne PU resin (SE-5030 and SE-5070) with 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 wt% of cross-linking agent were used, offering the impregnation for Nonwoven/ Nylon 66 composite fabrics. After impregnation, the Nonwoven/ Nylon 66 grid composite fabrics were measured with drop tower stab testing, quasistatic stab testing and tensile strength testing. SE-5...

Meiosis is the special double cellular division characterized by the reduction of chromosome number of the final products and recombination of genetic information present in maternal and paternal homologous chromosomes. Early stages of meiotic prophase, leptotene and zygotene (L/Z), are functionally important since homologous chromosomes recognize, align, and pair during them. They are poorly represented in the seminiferous tubules of mammalian species, and this fact turns studies focused on these stages difficult to perform. As a consequence, the molecular bases of these important events are so far poorly known and understood in higher eukaryotes. The purpose of this work was to provide an advantageous experimental mammalian model (with a reasonable number ...

Intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPNB) is a rare variant of bile duct tumors characterized by papillary growth within the bile duct lumen and is regarded as a biliary counterpart of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas. IPNBs display a spectrum of premalignant lesion towards invasive cholangiocarcinoma. The most common radiologic findings for IPNB are bile duct dilatation and intraductal masses. The major treatment of IPNB is surgical resection. Ultrasonography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance image, and cholangiography are usually performed to assess tumor location and extension. Cholangioscopy can confirm the histology and assess the extent of the tumor including superficial spreading along the biliary epithelium....

Highly selective ion-exchange properties and -exchange capacities of the open framework chalcogenide material K6Sn[Zn4Sn4S17] (1) with Cs+ and NH4+ are reported. Because the structure of this framework is known in great detail, these studies are a rare example where structure/property relationships can be directly drawn. 1 possesses three types of micropore cavities. The largest pore of 1 presents an exact fit for Cs+ and exhibits high selectivity for this ion, as demonstrated by competitive ion-exchange experiments. The next largest pore has a greater capacity (up to four cations) and is well suited for NH4+ ions. This leads to a high ammonium-exchange capacity for 1 of 3.06 mequiv/gr, which is close to the NH4+-exchange capacities of natural zeolites. The ...

Vitamin D is a versatile hormone with several functions beyond its well-established role in maintenance of skeletal health and calcium homeostasis. The effects of vitamin D are mediated by the vitamin D receptor, which is expressed together with the vitamin D metabolizing enzymes in the reproductive tissues. The reproductive organs are therefore responsive to and able to metabolize vitamin D locally. The exact role remains to be clarified but several studies have suggested a link between vitamin D and production/release of reproductive hormones into circulation, which will be the main focus of this review. Current evidence is primarily based on small human association studies and rodent models. This highlights the need for randomized clinical trials, but als...

Therapeutic proteins have the potential to induce unwanted immune responses. The potential impact of immunogenicity on pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety and efficacy are well established. Here, we analyze key aspects of current US FDA and EMA guidelines on the development and validation of antidrug antibody assays. Although FDA and EMA guidance documents are in harmony on most points, EMA allows greater leeway for scientific judgement, while FDA recommends specific approaches that may not be appropriate in some situations. Many white papers suggest approaches different from the guidance documents, however, these can conflict with each other and are themselves only scientifically valid in certain situations. Here, we indicate when alternatives to gui...

More than 33 years have passed since the first paper highlighting vitamin D deficiency as a public health concern in Saudi Arabia was published in 1983. Despite "early" detection,it wasn't until the year 2010 where the interest in vitamin D research grew exponentially worldwide and was finally visible in Saudi clinical and academic areas. Since then,many landmark studies have been generated with regards to the physiologic functions of vitamin D,both skeletal and extra-skeletal. This review is limited to the prevalence,distribution A systematic review on the prevalence studies done in KSA from 2011 to 2016 was done and revealed that the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (

Background The results obtained from previous trials regarding the effects of vitamin D supplementation on muscle strength and mobility in postmenopausal women have been inconsistent. This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) aimed to investigate the effect of vitamin D supplementation on muscle strength and mobility in postmenopausal women. Methods A comprehensive search on EMBASE, PubMed, MEDLINE and SCOPUS was performed to identify relevant articles published up to 28 March 2019. RCTs published in English measuring the effect of all forms and doses of vitamin D supplementation with or without calcium on muscle strength and mobility outcomes in postmenopausal women were included. Results In total, 29 eligible studies w...

This study examines concurrent teacher–student interaction quality and 5th graders’ (n = 387) engagement in mathematics classrooms (n = 63) and considers how teacher–student interaction quality relates to engagement differently for boys and girls. Three approaches were used to measure student engagement in mathematics: Research assistants observed engaged behavior, teachers reported on students’ engagement, and students completed questionnaires. Engagement data were conducted 3 times per year concurrent with measures of teacher–student interaction quality. Results showed small but statistically significant associations among the 3 methods. Results of multilevel models showed only 1 significant finding linking quality of teacher–student interactio...

All cells comprising the skeleton—chondrocytes, osteoblasts, and osteoclasts—contain both the vitamin D receptor and the enzyme CYP27B1 required for producing the active metabolite of vitamin D, 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D. Direct effects of 25 hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D on these bone cells have been demonstrated. However, the major skeletal manifestations of vitamin D deficiency or mutations in the vitamin D receptor and CYP27B1, namely rickets and osteomalacia, can be corrected by increasing the intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphate, indicating the importance of indirect effects. On the other hand, these dietary manipulations do not reverse defects in osteoblast or osteoclast function that lead to osteopenic bone. This review dis...

As the construct of moral injury has gained increased conceptual and empirical attention among military personnel and veterans, preliminary attempts to operationalize and measure the construct have emerged. One such measure is the Moral Injury Event Scale (MIES). The aim of the current study was to further evaluate the MIES’s psychometric properties in two military samples: a clinical sample of Air Force personnel and a nonclinical sample of Army National Guard personnel. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses across both samples supported a three-factor solution: transgressions by others, transgressions by self, and betrayal. Transgressions-Others was most strongly associated with posttraumatic stress; Transgressions-Self was most strongly associate...

Electrophoretic size fractionation can be used to denature and separate large mRNA molecules (0.5–10 kb) on formaldehyde-containing agarose gels. Formaldehyde contains a carbonyl group that reacts to form Schiff bases with the imino or amino groups of guanine, adenine, and cytosine. These covalent adducts prevent normal base pairing and maintain the RNA in a denatured state. Because these adducts are unstable, formaldehyde must be present in the gel to maintain the RNA in the denatured state. This protocol describes the preparation of an agarose gel with formaldehyde and its setup in a horizontal electrophoresis apparatus. RNA samples are prepared and denatured in a solution of formamide and formaldehyde and, with 0.5- to 10-kb size markers, subjected to e...

Over the last few years, many classifications have been proposed for functionally graded materials (FGMs). In this Paper, critical review of different available classifications for FGM based on their physical, structural and manufacturing characteristics are presented. Advantages and limitations of each fabrication method for use in a given application is correspondingly considered. In addition, new classifications based on gradation control and accuracy, residual stresses, specific energy consumption, environmental impact evaluated throughout the complete life cycle and manufacturing costs are proposed. These classifications mainly reflect the needs of both FGM designers and industrial manufacturers. Based upon the presented classifications and the recent ...

There is accumulating evidence that vitamin D (VD) has important effects besides its well-known role in calcium and bone metabolism. Hypovitaminosis D is associated with cardiovascular disease, the metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cancer as well as with increased mortality. Further, VD deficiency is related to depression and impaired cognitive function. Increasing age and elevated body fat mass contribute to an increased risk of VD deficiency. Further, some studies report a relationship between VD and estrogen metabolism. During menopause, the decline of estrogens results in increased bone turnover, a decrease in bone mineral density and elevated fracture risk. Musculoskeletal discomfort might impair quality of life, mood disturbances do frequen...

Signaling through the vitamin D receptor has been shown to be biologically active and important in a number of preclinical studies in prostate and other cancers. Epidemiologic data also indicate that vitamin D signaling may be important in the cause and prognosis of prostate and other cancers. These data indicate that perturbation of vitamin D signaling may be a target for the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer. Large studies of vitamin D supplementation will be required to determine whether these observations can be translated into prevention strategies. This paper reviews the available data in the use of vitamin D compounds in the treatment of prostate cancer. Clinical data are limited which support the use of vitamin D compounds in the management...

The conventional PID control has been proven insufficient and incapable for this particular petro-chemical process. This paper proposes a nonlinear adaptive predictive functional control (NAPFC) algorithm based on the Takagi–Sugeno (T-S) model for average cracking outlet temperature (ACOT) of the ethylene cracking furnace. In this algorithm, in order to overcome the effect on system performance under model mismatch, the structure parameters of the T-S fuzzy model are confirmed, and the model consequent parameters are identified online using the forgetting factor least-square method. Prediction output is calculated according to the identified parameters instead of computing the Diophantine equation, thereby obtaining directly the predictive control law and ...

The synthesis of genipin cross-linked gelatin (Gelapin) hydrogel materials is presented. Gelapin hydrogels were comprehensively characterised through chemical, mechanical and physical analysis techniques. It was found that the hydrogels could be cross-linked to up to 90% using a genipin concentration of 24.4% (w/w). The hydrogels reach a stable swollen state and cease leaching of residual starting materials after 72 h in phosphate buffered saline solution at 37 °C. The proteolytic degradation of Gelapin by collagenase is tuneable through manipulation of the material composition with the rate of degradation ranging from 60 mg per day up to 500 mg per day. The mechanical characteristics (at 37 °C) are controllable through adjustment of the gelatin and genipi...

Throughout evolution, sunlight-produced vitamin D in the skin has been critically important for health. Vitamin D, known as the sunshine vitamin, is actually a hormone. Once it is produced in the skin or ingested from the diet, it is converted sequentially in the liver and kidneys to its biologically active form 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. This hormone interacts with its receptor in the small intestine to increase the efficiency of intestinal calcium and phosphate absorption for the maintenance of the skeleton throughout life. Vitamin D deficiency during the first few years of life results in a flattened pelvis, making it difficult for childbirth. Vitamin D deficiency causes osteopenia and osteoporosis, increasing risk of fracture. Essentially, every tissue and...

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVArticleNEXTPhysical Properties of Sodium, Potassium, and Ammonium Lactate SolutionsAlbert A. Dietz, Ed. F. Degering, and H. H. SchopmeyerCite this: Ind. Eng. Chem. 1941, 33, 11, 1444–1447Publication Date (Print):November 1, 1941Publication History Published online1 May 2002Published inissue 1 November 1941https://doi.org/10.1021/ie50383a027RIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views400Altmetric-Citations11LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calc...

Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, has been important not only for the evolution of a healthy calcified vertebrate skeleton but it also evolved into a hormone that has a wide diversity of biologic effects. During exposure to sunlight the ultraviolet B radiation converts 7-dehydrocholesterol to previtamin D3 which in turn rapidly isomerizes to vitamin D3. Once formed, vitamin D3 is metabolized in the liver to 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and in the kidneys to its active form 1,25- dihydroxyvitamin D3. 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 interacts with its vitamin D receptor in calcium regulating tissues to regulate calcium metabolism and bone health. It is now recognized that most cells in the body have a vitamin D receptor and they also have the capability of producing 1,25-dihy...

Abstract Iodine excess separation from hydriodic acid (HI) is one of the most challenging steps of the Sulfur–Iodine thermochemical water splitting cycle. One promising method is the extraction of HI by using phosphoric acid (H 3 PO 4 ), with the subsequent separation of gaseous hydriodic acid from water and H 3 PO 4 by a distillation step. The aim of the present work is to provide new experimental liquid–liquid equilibrium data for the biphasic HI/I 2 /H 2 O/H 3 PO 4 quaternary system, varying both temperature and solution composition in order to optimize the excess of anhydrous phosphoric acid to be added. Two temperature levels were tested, i.e. 100 °C and 120 °C, and the H 3 PO 4 amount was varied in the feed mixture from 7.7% wt to 38% wt while ...

In this paper the calculation of the optical rotation (OR) of some rigid organic molecules, using the Hartree−Fock method with small (6-31G*, DZP) basis sets, has been studied thoroughly to carefully evaluate the scope and limitations of this method, previously introduced by other authors. Calculations on test molecules (compounds 1−13) together with a careful analysis of their CD spectra allow a simple criterion for the reliability of this approach to be formulated: for unsaturated and/or aromatic (i.e., absorbing in the near-UV region) molecules, if the [α]D is quantitatively determined by the lowest energy Cotton effect (at wavelengths >220 nm), then the HF/6-31G* result is reliable. The usefulness of this method for the experimental organic chemist ...

Vitamin D may be implicated in the pathophysiology of several ocular diseases, but its role in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) remains uncertain. We sought to review systematically the existing evidence to evaluate the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D 25(OH)D levels and AMD. A four-database search (PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane, and Scopus) was performed from inception to May 2020 using the MeSH terms: (“Macular Degeneration” OR “Age-related macular degeneration” OR “Retinal degeneration” OR “Macula lutea”) AND (“Vitamin D” OR “Ergocalciferols” OR “Cholecalciferol” OR “25-Hydroxyvitamin D”). Random-effects meta-analyses were performed to compute 1) the standard mean difference in 25(OH)D concentratio...

Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency are a major health care problem. The association between vitamin D levels and cognitive function is still under debate. We conducted a systematic review to assess the association between levels of vitamin D and cognition. Therefore, the databases of Embase and Pubmed were searched through June 2012 for observational studies relating vitamin D levels to cognition. Our initial search yielded 2182 articles. After applying exclusion criteria, there were 28 studies eligible for inclusion: 25 cross-sectional and 6 prospective studies (3 studies show cross-sectional as well as prospective data). The main finding of the 25 cross-sectional studies was a statistically significant worse outcome on one or more cognitive function te...

Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) are released during various pathophysiological processes and reflect the state of their cell of origin. Once released, they can propagate through biological fluids, target cells, deliver their content and elicit functional responses. These specific features would allow their harnessing as biomarkers, drug nano-vehicles and therapeutic intrinsic modulators. However, the further development of their potential therapeutic application is hampered by the lack of knowledge about how EVs behave in vivo. Recent advances in the field of imaging EVs in vivo now allow live-tracking of endogenous and exogenous EV in various model organisms at high spatiotemporal resolution to define their distribution, half-life and fate. This review highlig...

Introduction: Ocular toxoplasmosis is the leading cause of posterior uveitis worldwide, affecting individuals acrossdifferent age groups. The key to reducing vision loss includes prompt diagnosis and treatment. However, despite the prevalence of ocular toxoplasmosis, there has been little consensus regarding its pathophysiology,clinical features, diagnosis, and especially management. Methods: The data sources were literature reviews, including Pub Med and Medline databases. Search terms included toxoplasmosis, retinitis, vasculitis, vitritis, uveitis alone or in combination with, serum, aqueous, vitreous eye, ocular and review. Results: In this review paper, we have sought to provide an overview of the pathophysiology, epidemiology, and clinical features of ...

Vitamin D activity is associated with the modulation of a wide variety of biological systems, in addition to its roles in calcium homeostatic mechanisms. While vitamin D is well known to promote gastrointestinal calcium absorption, vitamin D also plays a role in attenuating and/or preventing the progression of several gastrointestinal diseases including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and colorectal cancer, and may also play a role in chemotherapy-induced intestinal mucositis. The pro-differentiation, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory effects of vitamin D, which has been reported in numerous circumstances, are key potential mechanisms of action in the prevention of gastrointestinal disorders. While the debate of the effectiveness of vitamin D to...

Increasing evidence supports the contribution of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) in metabolic disturbances among women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This review aims to assess the associations between vitamin D levels and metabolic/endocrine dysregulations and to determine the effects of vitamin D supplementation on glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity, lipid profile, and hormones functionality in PCOS patients. We searched in PubMed human randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in English between 2016 and 2019 on the effects of vitamin D supplementation on PCOS. Nine studies were included and analyzed. Vitamin D supplementation restored physiological serum 25(OH)D levels in PCOS women in all the studies included. In six studies, it significantl...

Developing and marketing innovations is a major challenge for organisations. Thus, a large body of research has analysed factors influencing innovation adoption and identified passive innovation resistance (PIR) as a crucial inhibitor. However, extant studies failed to examine whether predictors and consequences vary for the two different types of PIR — cognitive and situational PIR. This research strives to address this gap by analysing data of 238 consumers using PLS structural equation modelling. With respect to predictors, corresponding results show that cognitive PIR is strongly enhanced by neuroticism and increases with age, while it is reduced by openness to experience. Situational PIR is reduced by openness to experience and is lower among men. The...

By using 30/70 polyethersulfone/NMP (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone) solutions as an example, we have determined the role of air-gap distance on nascent fiber morphology, performance, and thermal properties. An increase in air-gap distance results in a hollow fiber with a less layer of fingerlike voids and a significant lower permeance. For the first time we have reported that the Tg of a dry-jet wet-spun fiber prepared from one-polymer/one-solvent systems is lower than that of a wet-spun fiber, and Tg decreases with an increase in air-gap distance. These interesting phenomena arise from the fact that different precipitation paths take place during the wet-spinning and dry-jet wet-spinning processes. Wet-spun fibers experience vigorous and almost instantaneous coagu...

Vitamin D has multiple functions in the nervous system. Our objective was to systematically review and quantitatively synthesize evidence on the location and nature of brain morphometric changes linked to vitamin D depletion or repletion. A Medline search was conducted in February 2014, without limit of date and language restriction, using the MeSH terms “Vitamin D” OR “Ergocalciferols” combined with “Brain Mapping” OR “Magnetic Resonance Imaging” OR “Tomography, X-ray Computed” OR “Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon” OR “Positron-Emission Tomography” OR “Nuclear Medicine” OR “Radionucleide Imaging”. Of the 376 selected studies, nine observational studies – two animal and seven human studies – met the selecti...

HIV infection affects 36.9 million people globally, and vitamin D deficiency is a global public health concern for HIV patients. Approximately 70 %–80 % of HIV-infected patients have vitamin D deficiency. The deficiency is associated with many pathologies such as immune disorders, infectious diseases, chronic inflammation, oral diseases, as well as the fast progression of HIV. The causes of vitamin D deficiency in HIV infections include HIV itself, traditional factors such as less sun exposure, mal-absorption, hypercholesterolemia, seasonal variation, poor nutrition as well as some HAART drugs like efavirenz. Vitamin D has an immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and anti-proliferative function. In the oral cavity, it plays a significant role in preventing ...

Muscle atrophy and sarcopenia (the term given to the age-related decline in muscle mass and function), influence an individuals risk of falls, frailty, functional decline, and, ultimately, impaired quality of life. Vitamin D deficiency (low serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D3)) has been reported to impair muscle strength and increase risk of sarcopenia. The mechanisms that underpin the link between low 25(OH)D3 and sarcopenia are yet to be fully understood but several lines of evidence have highlighted the importance of both genomic and non-genomic effects of active vitamin D (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D3)) and its nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR), in skeletal muscle functioning. Studies in vitro have demonstrated a key role for the vitamin...

(Ti, W)C matrix metal ceramics were prepared through combustion synthesis under high gravity, structure formation mechanism of the ceramics was discussed and the properties of the ceramics were also measured. XRD and FESEM images show the matrix of metal ceramics was mainly composed of TiC and (Ti, W)C1-x. The formation mechanism mainly involves two stages: firstly, combustion reaction is advanced rapidly under high gravity, and the layered melt consisting of Ti-W-Fe-C-B liquid at the bottom and oxide liquid at the top is formed due to rapid liquid-liquid separation under high gravity, subsequently, TiC solids as the primary phase precipitates from Ti-W-Fe-C-B liquid due to the higher concentration and faster diffusion of C relative to B in the alloy liquid,...

Vitamin D plays an essential role in maintaining a healthy mineralized skeleton for most land vertebrates including humans. Sunlight causes the photoproduction of vitamin D3 in the skin. Once formed, vitamin D3 is metabolized sequentially in the liver and kidney to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. The major biological function of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D is to keep the serum calcium and phosphorus concentrations within the normal range to maintain essential cellular functions and to promote mineralization of the skeleton. Most foods do not contain any vitamin D. Foods fortified with vitamin D have a variable amount present and cannot be depended on as a sole source of vitamin D nutrition. Exposure to sunlight provides most humans with their vitamin D requirement. Agi...

Spin current generated in a ferromagnetic metal (FM) can be divided into two types. While one is magnetization dependent and induced by the well-known anomalous Hall effect, the other is a magnetization-independent spin Hall effect which is similar to that in a paramagnetic heavy metal (HM). Here, we study the magnetization-independent spin Hall current in YIG/FM (NiFe and CoFeB) via spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance (ST-FMR) technique. Our experiments reveal the existence of a magnetization-independent spin current. Although there is a strong exchange interaction in FM, the spin current does not dephase as quickly as expected. Furthermore, we estimate the spin-torque efficiency $\ensuremath{\xi}$ of NiFe was 0.009, which is about $25%$ of the spin-torque ...