Diabetes Treatment Is Associated With Better Cognitive Function: The Age Disparity

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a recognised risk factor for cognitive dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between active treatment for DM and cognitive function in middle-aged (< 60 years) and older adults (≥60 years), respectively.Methods: A total of 13,691 participants (58.55 ± 9.64 years, 47.40% of men) from the Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) were included. The participants were classified into three groups according to whether or not they have diabetes and to their diabetes treatment status: diabetes-free, treated-diabetes and untreated-diabetes, in which the diabetes-free group was regarded as reference specially. Cognitive function was assessed by two interview-based measurements for mental intactness and episodic memory.Results: Compared with the participants in the diabetes-free group, the older participants in the treated-diabetes group had better performance in terms of mental intactness (β = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.04–0.70). No significant association was observed in the middle-aged participants. In the subgroup analyses, the lower cognitive score was only observed in people without depression, who had never smoked and drunk, and with a normal weight (body mass index: 18.5–23.9 kg/m2).Conclusion: The cognitive function of actively treated diabetic patients was better than that of patients without diabetes, but the improvement was significant only in elderly people. Depression, smoking, drinking, and an abnormal weight may attenuate this effect.

The Axiomatics of Free Group Rings

In [FGRS1,FGRS2] the relationship between the universal and elementary theory of a group ring $R[G]$ and the corresponding universal and elementary theory of the associated group $G$ and ring $R$ was examined. Here we assume that $R$ is a commutative ring with identity $1 \ne 0$. Of course, these are relative to an appropriate logical language $L_0,L_1,L_2$ for groups, rings and group rings respectively. Axiom systems for these were provided in [FGRS1]. In [FGRS1] it was proved that if $R[G]$ is elementarily equivalent to $S[H]$ with respect to $L_{2}$, then simultaneously the group $G$ is elementarily equivalent to the group $H$ with respect to $L_{0}$, and the ring $R$ is elementarily equivalent to the ring $S$ with respect to $L_{1}$. We then let $F$ be a rank $2$ free group and $\mathbb{Z}$ be the ring of integers. Examining the universal theory of the free group ring ${\mathbb Z}[F]$ the hazy conjecture was made that the universal sentences true in ${\mathbb Z}[F]$ are precisely the universal sentences true in $F$ modified appropriately for group ring theory and the converse that the universal sentences true in $F$ are the universal sentences true in ${\mathbb Z}[F]$ modified appropriately for group theory. In this paper we show this conjecture to be true in terms of axiom systems for ${\mathbb Z}[F]$.

Quasi-isometric rigidity for graphs of virtually free groups with two-ended edge groups

We study the quasi-isometric rigidity of a large family of finitely generated groups that split as graphs of groups with virtually free vertex groups and two-ended edge groups. Let G be a group that is one-ended, hyperbolic relative to virtually abelian subgroups, and has JSJ decomposition over two-ended subgroups containing only virtually free vertex groups that are not quadratically hanging. Our main result is that any group quasi-isometric to G is abstractly commensurable to G. In particular, our result applies to certain “generic” HNN extensions of a free group over cyclic subgroups.

Peritoneal Dialysis-Related Peritonitis: Rate, Clinical Outcomes and Patient Survival

Peritoneal dialysis-related peritonitis remains the major complication and primary challenge to the long-term success of peritoneal dialysis (PD). The study aimed to analyze the peritonitis rate, the cause, the outcomes, and the association of peritonitis with the survival of patients on peritoneal dialysis. Patient data were collected retrospectively from medical charts. A total of 96 patients received peritoneal dialysis in the PD center from 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2018. Episodes of peritonitis (n=159) were registered in 54 (56.3%) patients. The study population was divided into two groups, a group of patients (n=54) who experienced peritonitis and a group of patients free of peritonitis (n=42). The peritonitis rate was 0.47 episodes per patient year. The majority of causative microorganisms were gram-positive bacteria (53.5%). Outcomes of the episodes of peritonitis were resolved infection in 84.9% of episodes, catheter removal in 11.3% of episodes, and death in 3.8% of the episodes of peritonitis. A Kaplan–Meier analysis and log-rank test revealed that the group with peritonitis tended to survive significantly longer than the peritonitis-free group. A 67% reduction rate in the risk of patient mortality was observed for the peritonitis group compared with the peritonitis-free group (hazard ratio: 0.33, 95% CI 0.19-0.57, P=0.000). The prevention and management of PD-related infections, resulted in their worldwide reduction, supporting the use of PD as a first-line dialysis modality.

Molecular characterization of equine thymidine kinase 1 and preliminary evaluation of its suitability as a serum biomarker for equine lymphoma

Background Thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) plays a key role in the synthesis of deoxythymidine triphosphate (dTTP) and is thus important for DNA replication and cell proliferation. The expression of TK1 is highest during S-phase, and it is rapidly degraded after mitosis. In cancer cells, TK1 is upregulated, resulting in leakage of excess TK1 into the blood. Consequently, serum TK1 has been used as a diagnostic and prognostic cancer biomarker, mainly in human medicine. The aims of this work were to characterize equine TK1 and to evaluate its suitability as a serum biomarker for equine lymphoma. Results Equine TK1 was cloned, expressed in E. coli and affinity purified. The purified recombinant horse TK1 showed broad substrate specificity, phosphorylating pyrimidine deoxyribo- and ribonucleosides and, to some extent, purine deoxynucleosides, including anticancer and antiviral nucleoside analogues. ATP was the preferred phosphate donor. Serum TK1 activity was measured in samples collected from horses with confirmed or suspected lymphoma and control horses with and without concurrent diseases. Serum TK1 activity levels were significantly higher in horses with lymphoma (p < 0.0005) and suspected lymphoma (p < 0.02) and in tumour-free groups with diverse diseases (p < 0.03) than in controls without concurrent diseases. There was a significant difference between the lymphoma group and the tumour-free group with diverse diseases (p < 0.0006). Furthermore, receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed a sensitivity of 0.86, a specificity of 0.95 and an AUC (area under the curve) of 0.92 compared to the controls without concurrent diseases, with a sensitivity of 0.97, a specificity of 0.71 and an AUC of 0.88 when compared with the tumour-free group with diverse diseases. Conclusion Equine TK1 showed high specific activity and broader substrate specificity than human TK1. Anticancer and antiviral thymidine analogues were efficiently phosphorylated by horse TK1, suggesting that these analogues might be good candidates for chemotherapy in horses. Serum TK1 activity was significantly higher in horses with lymphoma than in controls. ROC analysis indicated that serum TK1 could serve as a promising cancer biomarker in horses.

An investigation of implicit bias about bending and lifting

Objectives Previous studies in a high-income country have demonstrated that people with and without low back pain (LBP) have an implicit bias that bending and lifting with a flexed lumbar spine is dangerous. These studies present two key limitations: use of a single group per study; people who recovered from back pain were not studied. Our aims were to evaluate: implicit biases between back posture and safety related to bending and lifting in people who are pain-free, have a history of LBP or have current LBP in a middle-income country, and to explore correlations between implicit and explicit measures within groups. Methods Exploratory cross-sectional study including 174 participants (63 pain-free, 57 with history of LBP and 54 with current LBP). Implicit biases between back posture and safety related to bending and lifting were assessed with the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Participants completed paper-based (Bending Safety Belief [BSB]) and online questionnaires (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia; Back Pain Attitudes Questionnaire). Results Participants displayed significant implicit bias between images of round-back bending and lifting and words representing “danger” (IATD-SCORE: Pain-free group: 0.56 (IQR=0.31–0.91; 95% CI [0.47, 0.68]); history of LBP group: 0.57 (IQR=0.34–0.84; 95% CI [0.47, 0.67]); current LBP group: 0.56 (IQR=0.24–0.80; 95% CI [0.39, 0.64])). Explicit measures revealed participants hold unhelpful beliefs about the back, perceiving round-back bending and lifting as dangerous (BSBthermometer: Pain-free group: 8 (IQR=7–10; 95% CI [7.5, 8.5]); history of LBP group: 8 (IQR=7–10; 95% CI [7.5, 9.0]); current LBP group: 8.5 (IQR=6.75–10; [7.5, 9.0])). There was no correlation between implicit and explicit measures within the groups. Conclusions In a middle-income country, people with and without LBP, and those who recovered from LBP have an implicit bias that round-back bending and lifting is dangerous.

Effects of Dietary Supplementation with Epigallocatechin Gallate on Meat Quality and Muscle Antioxidant Capacity of Broilers Subjected to Acute Heat Stress

This study evaluated epigallocatechin gallate’s (EGCG’s, 400 mg/kg) effect on meat quality and muscle antioxidant status of broilers under acute heat stress (AHS). A total of 144 21-day-old male Huainan partridge chickens were randomly allocated to the EGCG-free group (12 replicates) and the EGCG group (6 replicates). On day 94, the EGCG-free group was divided into the control group (CON) and the AHS group, and then AHS group and EGCG group (identified as AHS + EGCG group) were treated with AHS (33 ± 1 °C for 12 h). AHS increased (p < 0.05) L*24h, drip loss, muscle lactic acid, malondialdehyde (MDA) contents, and kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) mRNA level, and decreased (p < 0.05) eviscerated percentage, pH24h, a*, muscle total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity, the ratio of T-SOD/MDA and glutathione peroxidase /MDA, glycogen content, and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related 2 (Nrf2), catalase (CAT), NAD(P)H/quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1) mRNA levels. The AHS + EGCG group exhibited lower (p < 0.05) L*24h, drip loss, muscle lactic acid, MDA contents and Keap1 mRNA level, and greater (p < 0.05) eviscerated percentage, pH24h, a*, muscle T-SOD activity, the ratio of T-SOD/MDA, Nrf2, and NQO1 mRNA levels compared with the AHS group. In conclusion, EGCG protects against AHS-impaired meat quality by improving muscle antioxidant capacity, which seems to be associated with the activation of the Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Finitely generated subgroups of free groups as formal languages and their cogrowth

For finitely generated subgroups $H$ of a free group $F_m$ of finite rank $m$, we study the language $L_H$ of reduced words that represent $H$ which is a regular language. Using the (extended) core of Schreier graph of $H$, we construct the minimal deterministic finite automaton that recognizes $L_H$. Then we characterize the f.g. subgroups $H$ for which $L_H$ is irreducible and for such groups explicitly construct ergodic automaton that recognizes $L_H$. This construction gives us an efficient way to compute the cogrowth series $L_H(z)$ of $H$ and entropy of $L_H$. Several examples illustrate the method and a comparison is made with the method of calculation of $L_H(z)$ based on the use of Nielsen system of generators of $H$.

Finitely generated subgroups of free groups as formal languages and their cogrowth

For finitely generated subgroups $H$ of a free group $F_m$ of finite rank $m$, we study the language $L_H$ of reduced words that represent $H$ which is a regular language. Using the (extended) core of Schreier graph of $H$, we construct the minimal deterministic finite automaton that recognizes $L_H$. Then we characterize the f.g. subgroups $H$ for which $L_H$ is irreducible and for such groups explicitly construct ergodic automaton that recognizes $L_H$. This construction gives us an efficient way to compute the cogrowth series $L_H(z)$ of $H$ and entropy of $L_H$. Several examples illustrate the method and a comparison is made with the method of calculation of $L_H(z)$ based on the use of Nielsen system of generators of $H$.