Compositional Disorder Research Articles

Оценка нутритивного статуса и рисков его нарушения у детей с болезнью Крона: одномоментное исследование

Children with Crohn's disease (CD) are at high risk for developing nutritional deficiencies. According to studies in adult patients with CD, loss of lean and skeletal muscle mass and decreased bone mineral density (BMD) are unfavorable prognostic factors for the course of the disease; among children, the prevalence of these changes has not been sufficiently studied as yet. The purpose of this research was to study the frequency and correlation between disorders of body composition and decreased bone mineral density in children with CD. Materials and methods used: medical records of 163 aged 5 to 17 y/o with a confirmed CD diagnosis were assessed for the risk of nutritional deficiency using STRONGkids screening tool, anthropometric parameters, body composition with bioimpedance measurements as well as the disease activity index with PCDAI and endoscopic activity with SES-CD. BMD was assessed in 145 using densitometry. Results: depending on the degree of risk of malnutrition, children were divided into 2 groups as follows: G1 with high and G2 with moderate risks for malnutrition. G1 patients had significantly lower values of both anthropometric indices (Z-scores BMI/age, mid-upper arm circumference/age) and lean and skeletal muscle mass (p<0.001) along with more severe course of CD according to PCDAI (p<0.001). According to bioimpedansometry data, a significant increase in catabolic processes was found in G1 children as a decrease in Z-scores for both the phase angle (p<0.001) and the active cell mass (p<0.001). A decrease in BMD was detected in 9 (37%) of G1 and 26 (21.4%) of G2. A correlation was found between Z-scores lean body mass/age and BMD/age (p<0.001, Rs=0.612). Among children with reduced BMD values, the indicators for BMI, lean, skeletal muscle and active cell mass according to bioimpedance measurements were significantly lower (p<0.001). Conclusion: the data obtained during the study proposes high incidence of decreased bone mineral density along with pathological changes in body composition in children with CD. The use of STRONGkids tool to identify children at high risk of developing malnutrition, especially in the absence of the technical ability to conduct a detailed assessment of nutritional status with determination of body composition and BMD indicators, makes it possible to timely identify patients requiring individual nutritional support aiming to optimizing diets and, if necessary, prescribing addition of specialized food supplements.

Cost-Effective Acetonitrile-Based Precursor Solution Mitigates Heterogeneous Nucleation for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells.

Solution-processing is the primary method for fabricating high-efficiency perovskite solar cells (PSCs), where solvent choice critically influences film formation and quality. Although additives can optimize film formation dynamics by balancing nucleation and growth of perovskite, they can also induce heterogeneous nucleation due to competitive coordination and varying crystallization kinetics, leading to compositional heterogeneity and structural disorders. Herein, a perovskite precursor solution is developed using acetonitrile (ACN) as a weak coordination host solvent instead of the traditional N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The ACN-based perovskite precursor solution reduces heterogeneous nucleation typically caused by the competitive coordination effect of DMF, and cuts costs by half compared to DMF-based precursor solutions. This approach promotes a single crystallization pathway via a dimethyl sulfoxide-solvated intermediate phase to α-FAPbI3, which extends the anti-solvent operation window, and enhances the crystallinity of perovskite films, and reduces defect states. The power conversion efficiencies (PCE) of 23.62% and 20.13% is achieved for the PSC and minimodule, respectively. The PSC retains over 97% of its initial efficiency after 800h of continuous illumination under maximum power point tracking (MPPT). These findings provide valuable insights into solvent interactions in perovskite film formation and offer a cost-effective strategy for improving the device's performance and stability.

The fabrication, microstructure, rheological properties and interactions of soft solid oleogels of hazelnut oil body

Trans and saturated fatty acids in dietary solid fats have negative effects on human health, such as chronic diseases, making the development of a fat substitute an urgent matter. The plant derived oil body-hazelnut oil body (HOB) as the oil droplets, and the hydrogel formed by xanthan gum (XG) and type B gelatin (GEL) as the outer layer were used to encapsulate HOB and construct the oleogel. The OBC, microstructure, and rheological results indicated that the XG-GEL formed a sponge-like, tightly packed three-dimensional network structure on the surface of HOB, effectively preventing oil leakage. The hazelnut oil body oleogel exhibited 100% OBC, excellent deformation resistance, and thixotropic recovery ability. FTIR spectroscopy results revealed that changes in the amide I, II, III, and A bands indicated the formation of hydrogen bonds, with pronounced hydrogen bonding occurring between the amino/hydroxyl groups of HOB and the hydroxyl/carboxyl groups of XG-GEL. Raman spectroscopy results suggested that HOB-XG-GEL likely exhibited stronger hydrophobic interactions, while XG-GEL had no significant impact on the unsaturation level, membrane composition, or lipid acyl chain disorder of HOB. XRD results showed a single broad diffraction peak at 2θ = 19.6°, corresponding to π-π stacking interactions between HOB and XG-GEL. Interfacial characterization and zeta potential results demonstrated that HOB-XG-GEL had stronger surface activity and electrostatic repulsion. XRD and DSC results confirmed that the hazelnut oil body oleogel displayed an amorphous structure and good thermal stability. This study provides a new strategy for fabricating oil bodies to produce edible oleogels instead of solid fats.

Breastfeeding in infancy and cardiovascular disease in middle-aged and older adulthood: a prospective study of 0.36 million UK Biobank participants

BackgroundCardiovascular disease originates in early life. We aimed to investigate the association between breastfeeding in infancy and cardiovascular disease in adult life. MethodsWe followed 364,240 participants from UK Biobank aged 40–73 years from 2006 – 2010 to 2021. Information on breastfeeding in infancy was self-reported by questionnaire. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between breastfeeding and cardiovascular disease in middle-aged and older adulthood. The multivariable Cox models were used by adjusting for the age (used as the time scale), sex, ethnicity, assessment centre, birth weight, multiple birth status, maternal smoking during pregnancy, Townsend deprivation index, smoking status, alcohol drinker status, physical activity, and menopausal status for women. Binary and multinomial multivariable logistic regression models were used to explore the associations of breastfeeding in infancy with cardiovascular disease risk factors including obesity, body composition, metabolic and inflammatory disorders. ResultsDuring a median of 12.6 years of follow-up, we documented 29,796 new cases of cardiovascular disease, including 24,797 coronary heart disease and 6229 stroke. The multivariable adjusted HRs for breastfed versus non-breastfed were 0.94 (95% CI: 0.91, 0.96) for cardiovascular disease, 0.94 (95% CI: 0.91, 0.96) for coronary heart disease, and 0.95 (95% CI: 0.89, 1.01) for stroke. Furthermore, the strength of observed association between breastfeeding and cardiovascular disease seems to decrease with age (P for interaction <0.001), and increase with polygenic risk for cardiovascular disease (P for interaction <0.001). Consistently, breastfeeding in infancy was associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors including lower body mass index 0.92 (95% CI: 0.89, 0.95), body fat percentage 0.85 (95% CI: 0.83, 0.87), android to gynoid fat ratio 0.89 (95% CI: 0.83, 0.96), visceral adipose tissue 0.92 (95% CI: 0.84, 1.01), as well as lower C-reactive protein level 0.95 (95% CI: 0.94, 0.97) and a lower risk of metabolic syndrome 0.89 (95% CI: 0.85, 0.92). ConclusionsBreastfeeding in infancy was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease in middle-aged and older adulthood. Promoting breastfeeding is vital not only for promoting child health, but also for halting the increasing trend of cardiovascular disease in adults.

Prevalence of urinary metabolic disorders and risk factors of kidney stones in Iranian children

Introduction: Nephrolithiasis and urolithiasis, characterized by the formation of calculi in the kidney and lower urinary tract, respectively, pose a significant health concern for millions of children worldwide, particularly in developing countries. Objectives: This research aims to explore the prevalence of abnormal concentrations of urinary solutes as potential risk factors for kidney stones in Iranian children under the age of 14 years. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional investigation spanning from January 2021 to January 2022 targeted children diagnosed with nephrolithiasis or urolithiasis through renal sonography, who were subsequently referred to the nephrology outpatient department of our hospital or our private pediatric nephrology office. Laboratory assessments encompassed urine calcium, oxalate, citrate, uric acid, creatinine, and urine cystine. Demographic attributes, stone composition (when available), and urinary metabolic disorders were scrutinized. Data analysis involved SPSS version 24, utilizing descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, and frequency, categorized by variable type. Chi-square tests were employed for statistical analysis, with a significance threshold set at P&lt;0.05. Results: The study encompassed 486 children, with a mean age of 55.58 months and a male majority of 50.8%. Among those with kidney stones, 77.2% exhibited unilateral stones, while 22.8% presented with bilateral stones. Predominant urinary metabolic disorders included hypercalciuria (30.2%), hyperuricosuria (22.6%), and hyperoxaluria (20.6%). Notably, 25.7% of the children manifested a combination of multiple metabolic disorders. Significant variations in the prevalence of hyperuricosuria were observed across different age groups. Boys exhibited higher incidences of hypercalcemia and metabolic abnormalities compared to girls, though no statistically significant differences were noted in other disorders. Conclusion: In summary, our findings indicate the presence of abnormal urinary metabolic risk factors in over half of children diagnosed with kidney stones. Hypercalciuria was the more frequent risk factor following hyperuricosuria and hyperoxaluria, cystinuria with prevalence of 30.2%, 22.6%, 20.6%, and (2.1%) respectively.

Optimizing the composition of (Ce,La)(Co,Fe)5for permanent magnet applications using density functional theory.

In this work, we calculated physical quantities, including the magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant (Ku) and magnetization (Ms), for disordered (Ce,La)(Co,Fe)5systems. Based on the results, we propose CeCo4.7Fe0.3as the optimum composition for high-performance permanent magnets. The calculations employed the full-potential Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker Green's function method, and dealt with the compositional disorder of the systems within the coherent potential approximation. It was found that the La doping reducesKuat 0 K but increases the Curie temperature (TC), which leads to improvement of the magnetic properties at high temperatures. CeCo4.7Fe0.3had the largest magnetic anisotropy ofKu= 15.14 MJ/m3, which is larger than that of CeCo5(Ku= 14.77 MJ/m3).TCof CeCo4.7Fe0.3estimated by the mean-field approximation was 1005 K, which exceeds that of CeCo5(965 K). Further, our calculations showed that while doping of Fe destabilizes the system, CeCo4.7Fe0.3is stable against decomposition into the simple substances. We also show calculated data that are informative for exploring high-performance permanent magnet materials in this paper.

Assessment of gait in terms of body mass composition disorders among children aged 6-10 years

Study aim: Overweight and obesity are common not only among adults but also among the youngest children around the world. There are many negative consequences of excessive body weight affecting physical, psychological, and social health. Overweight and obesity can impair the musculoskeletal system and affect normal gait, especially in children who are developing their gait. The aim of the study was to analyze gait parameters in terms of body fat content and to compare the positioning of feet and knees during walking among children with normal and exceeded body fat content. Material and methods: The study covered 413 children aged 6-10, of both sexes. Body mass composition was analyzed using the bioelectrical impedance method. Based on these results, a study group (excess body fat) and a control group (normal body fat) were selected. Gait analysis was performed using the OptoGait optical system. Results were statistically analyzed using the Statistica program, employing the U Mann Whitney test and Spearman’s Rank correlation tests. Results: Among 232 children, body mass composition disorders were detected – excess body fat content and reduced total water content. The study group showed a body fat percentage of 34.70% (±3.64), while the control group had 19.36% (±3.13). Gait analysis showed that the percentage of body fat influences the gait parameters of the examined children. Conclusions: An increase in the percentage of adipose tissue in the children’s body results in a lower step length, cycle length, and speed. Higher body fat content also resulted in longer flat foot contact time and double support time.

First-principles characterization of thermal conductivity in LaPO4 -based alloys

Alloys based on lanthanum phosphate (LaPO4) are often employed as thermal barrier coatings, due to their low thermal conductivity and structural stability over a wide temperature range. To enhance the thermal-insulation performance of these alloys, it is essential to comprehensively understand the fundamental physics governing their heat conduction. Here, we employ the Wigner formulation of thermal transport in conjunction with first-principles calculations to elucidate how the interplay between anharmonicity and compositional disorder determines the thermal properties of La1−xGdxPO4 alloys, and discuss the fundamental physics underlying the emergence and coexistence of particlelike and wavelike heat-transport mechanisms. We also show how the Wigner transport equation correctly describes the thermodynamic limit of a compositionally disordered crystal, while the Boltzmann transport equation does not. Our predictions for microscopic vibrational properties (temperature-dependent Raman spectrum) and for macroscopic thermal conductivity are validated against experiments. Finally, we leverage these findings to devise strategies to optimize the performance of thermal barrier coatings. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

High Entropy Protected Sharp Magnetic Transitions in Highly Disordered Spinel Ferrites.

How disorder affects magnetic ordering is always an intriguing question, and it becomes even more interesting in the recently rising high entropy oxides due to the extremely high disorder density. However, due to the lack of high-quality single crystal samples, the strong compositional disorder effect on magnetic transition has not been deeply investigated. In this work, we have successfully synthesized high-quality single crystalline high entropy spinel ferrites (Mg0.2Mn0.2Fe0.2Co0.2Ni0.2)xFe3-xO4. Our findings from high-temperature magnetization and neutron diffraction experiments showed ferrimagnetic transitions at 748, 694, and 674 K for x values of 1, 1.5, and 1.8, respectively. Notably, the magnetic transition almost showed no broadening for x values of 1 and 1.5, compared to Fe3O4. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure measurements provided insights into the elemental distribution among the octahedral and tetrahedral sites. The random distribution of elements across these sites reduced the formation of local clusters and short-range orders, enhancing sample homogeneity and preserving the sharpness of the magnetic transition, despite bond length variation. Our study not only marks the first successful synthesis of an HEO bulk single crystal exhibiting long-range magnetic order but also sheds light on the interaction between high configurational entropy and magnetic orderings. This opens new avenues for future research and applications of magnetic high entropy oxides.

The influence of seawater pCO2 and temperature on the amino acid composition and aragonite CO3 disorder of coral skeletons

Coral skeletons are composites of aragonite and biomolecules. We report the concentrations of 11 amino acids in massive Porites spp. coral skeletons cultured at two temperatures (25 °C and 28 °C) and 3 seawater pCO2 (180, 400 and 750 µatm). Coral skeletal aspartic acid/asparagine (Asx), glutamic acid/glutamine (Glx), glycine, serine and total amino acid concentrations are significantly higher at 28 °C than at 25 °C. Skeletal Asx, Glx, Gly, Ser, Ala, L-Thr and total amino acid are significantly lower at 180 µatm seawater pCO2 compared to 400 µatm, and Ser is reduced at 180 µatm compared to 750 µatm. Concentrations of all skeletal amino acids are significantly inversely related to coral calcification rate but not to calcification media pH. Raman spectroscopy of these and additional specimens indicates that CO3 disorder in the skeletal aragonite lattice is not affected by seawater pCO2 but decreases at the higher temperature. This is contrary to observations in synthetic aragonite where disorder is positively related to the aragonite precipitation rate mediated by either increasing temperature (this study) or increasing Ω (this study and a previous report) and to the concentration of amino acid in the precipitation media (a previous report). We observe no significant relationship between structural disorder and coral calcification rate or skeletal [amino acid]. Both temperature and seawater pCO2 can significantly affect skeletal amino acid composition, and further work is required to clarify how environmental change mediates disorder.

Действие органоминерального комплекса «Белый Жемчуг» на качество и выход товарных плодов яблони после длительного хранения

Biological fertilizers improve fruit quality; for instance, organomineral, or activated mixes are known to increase consumer qualities of apples. This article describes the effect of a new activated complex (non-root treatment) on the yield, chemical composition, and physiological disorders, e.g., scald and brown spot, of commercial apples after long-term storage. The research featured the natural activated complex of the Beliy Zhemchug (White Pearl) brand. The apple trees were divided into two groups: 1 – untreated control trees; 2 – trees that underwent a non-root treatment with the activated complex (1% solution of its Antifreeze variant + 1% solution of the Drip Ca + Mg variant). The trees belonged to the Sinap Orlovskiy cultivar, which is highly susceptible to brown spot and scald, both in the orchard and during long-term storage. The apples were studied for chemical composition and consumer qualities after long-term storage in a CV114-S refrigerator at +2°C and a relative humidity of 85–90%. The non-root treatment of apple trees with the Beliy Zhemchug activated complex had no significant effect on the content of soluble solids, total sugars, titrated acids, and ascorbic acid in ripe apples. Weather conditions affected the chemical composition 30 days before harvesting. The non-root treatment increased the yield of commercial apples by 1.62 times after long-time storage. The scald, brown spot, and moniliosis damage decreased by 1.9, 2.6, and 1.9 times, respectively. The activated fertilizers of the Beliy Zhemchug brand proved highly efficient as additional techniques in common apple cultivation and could be recommended to improve the quality and yield of commercial fruits after long-term storage.

Potential role of short-chain fatty acids in irritable bowel syndrome in overweight and obese individuals

Due to increasing prevalence of functional diseases of the colon in obese patients, the mechanisms by which the intestinal microbiota affects the development of symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in the setting of metabolic activity of adipose tissue should be investigated. The quantitative and qualitative changes in the pool of synthesized short-chain fatty acids, which have a multidirectional impact on the colonic motility is one of the key mechanisms by which the intestinal microbiota affects the occurrence and features of the course of irritable bowel syndrome. But as regards the issue of whether individual short-chain fatty acids have an impact on the severity of abdominal pain and characteristics of colonic motility dysfunction, it remains a subject of discussions. The study of the mechanisms of impact of short-chain fatty acids on the development and progression of obesity deserves special attention. Increased serum and faecal short-chain fatty acid levels in obese patients can either be a result of changes in the intestinal microflora composition associated with special eating habits and lifestyle, or have an independent effect on the development of obesity in individuals due to intestinal microflora composition disorders that have been already developed. Due to special features of the course of irritable bowel syndrome associated with overweight and obesity, studying the intestinal microbiota composition and the short-chain fatty acids produced by it in this cohort of IBS patients is of particular interest. This publication has been prepared to describe and systematize the possible mechanisms of impact of short-chain fatty acids on the development of abdominal pain and impaired colonic motility in IBS patients with overweight and obesity. The literature search was conducted in the databases Embase, PubMed and Google Scholar using the keywords “irritable bowel syndrome”, “obesity”, “short-chain fatty acids”, “gut microbiota”.

The Effect of COVID-19 on Mood Disorders in Urban and Suburban Detroit

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the global experience of anxiety and depression due to social isolation and government-mandated quarantine for transmission reduction. To date, literature surrounding the mental health effects of COVID-19 for the US population is limited. Methods: This is a retrospective study from a large metropolitan Detroit health system. Patient encounters between December 23, 2018, and June 22, 2021, with March 23, 2020, the start of Michigan state-wide lockdown, were used to define pre- and post-COVID-19. The data was divided into Detroit and non-Detroit based on patient zip code. All patients aged 13+ years old with a visit with a family medicine provider were included. Outcome variables included Patient Health Questionnaires-2 and -9 and General Anxiety Disorder-7 scores, diagnoses of depression, anxiety, adjustment and grief disorders, antidepressant prescriptions, and behavioral health referrals. Logistic regression was used to determine the incidence of composite mood disorder, depression, and anxiety. Results: A total of 20,970 individuals were included in this study: 10,613 in the Detroit subgroup and 10,357 in the non-Detroit subgroup. 88.2% of the Detroit population were Black and 70% were female. Logistic regression shows that the incidence of composite mood disorder decreased with increasing age (odds ratio [OR] 0.787, 0.608, 0.422, and 0.392; p<0.001). Male gender is a protective factor (OR 0.646, p<0.001). Federal insurance is the only factor presenting a statistically significant increased risk (OR 1.395, p<0.001). There was no statistical difference between residing in urban and suburban on incidence of composite mood disorder [OR 0.996 p=0.953] Conclusions: Our research demonstrates that residing in an urban setting did not increase the risk of developing a mental health disorder during the COVID-19 period.

Embracing disorder in quantum materials design

Many of the most exciting materials discoveries in fundamental condensed matter physics are made in systems hosting some degree of intrinsic disorder. While disorder has historically been regarded as something to be avoided in materials design, it is often of central importance to correlated and quantum materials. This is largely driven by the conceptual and theoretical ease to handle, predict, and understand highly uniform systems that exhibit complex interactions, symmetries, and band structures. In this Perspective, we highlight how flipping this paradigm has enabled exciting possibilities in the emerging field of high entropy materials, focusing primarily on high entropy oxide and chalcogenide quantum materials. These materials host high levels of cation or anion compositional disorder while maintaining unexpectedly uniform single crystal lattices. The diversity of atomic scale interactions of spin, charge, orbital, and lattice degrees of freedom are found to emerge into coherent properties on much larger length scales. Thus, altering the variance and magnitudes of the atomic scale properties through elemental selection can open new routes to tune global correlated phases, such as magnetism, metal–insulator transitions, ferroelectricity, and even emergent topological responses. The strategy of embracing disorder in this way provides a much broader pallet from which functional states can be designed for next-generation microelectronic and quantum information systems.

Cation Distribution and Anion Transport in the La3Ga5-xGe1+xO14+0.5x Langasite Structure.

Exploration of compositional disorder using conventional diffraction-based techniques is challenging for systems containing isoelectronic ions possessing similar coherent neutron scattering lengths. Here, we show that a multinuclear solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) approach provides compelling insight into the Ga3+/Ge4+ cation distribution and oxygen anion transport in a family of solid electrolytes with langasite structure and La3Ga5-xGe1+xO14+0.5x composition. Ultrahigh field 71Ga Magic Angle Spinning (MAS) NMR experiments acquired at 35.2 T offer striking resolution enhancement, thereby enabling clear detection of Ga sites in different coordination environments. Three-connected GaO4, four-connected GaO4 and GaO6 polyhedra are probed for the parent La3Ga5GeO14 structure, while one additional spectral feature corresponding to the key (Ga,Ge)2O8 structural unit which forms to accommodate the interstitial oxide ions is detected for the Ge4+-doped La3Ga3.5Ge2.5O14.75 phase. The complex spectral line shapes observed in the MAS NMR spectra are reproduced very accurately by the NMR parameters computed for a symmetry-adapted configurational ensemble that comprehensively models site disorder. This approach further reveals a Ga3+/Ge4+ distribution across all Ga/Ge sites that is controlled by a kinetically governed cation diffusion process. Variable temperature 17O MAS NMR experiments up to 700 °C importantly indicate that the presence of interstitial oxide ions triggers chemical exchange between all oxygen sites, thereby enabling atomic-scale understanding of the anion diffusion mechanism underpinning the transport properties of these materials.

Scutellaria baicalensis water decoction ameliorates lower respiratory tract infection by modulating respiratory microbiota

BackgroundThe pathogenesis of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) has been demonstrated to be strongly associated with dysbiosis of respiratory microbiota. Scutellaria baicalensis, a traditional Chinese medicine, is widely used to treat respiratory infections. However, whether the therapeutic effect of S. baicalensis on LRTIs depends upon respiratory microbiota regulation is largely unclear. PurposeTo investigate the potential effect and mechanism of S. baicalensis on the respiratory microbiota of LRTI mice. MethodsA mouse model of LRTI was established using Klebsiella pneumoniae or Streptococcus pneumoniae. Antibiotic treatment was administered, and transplantation of respiratory microbiota was performed to deplete the respiratory microbiota of mice and recover the destroyed microbial community, respectively. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine and quantify the chemical components of S. baicalensis water decoction (SBWD). Pathological changes in lung tissues and the expressions of serum inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-17A (IL-17A), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), were determined by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis was performed to detect the mRNA expression of GM-CSF. Metagenomic sequencing was performed to evaluate the effect of SBWD on the composition and function of the respiratory microbiota in LRTI mice. ResultsSeven main components, including scutellarin, baicalin, oroxylin A-7-O-β-d-glucuronide, wogonoside, baicalein, wogonin, and oroxylin A, were identified and their levels in SBWD were quantified. SBWD ameliorated pulmonary pathological injury and inflammatory responses in K. pneumoniae and S. pneumoniae-induced LRTI mice, as evidenced by the dose-dependent reductions in the levels of serum inflammatory cytokines, IL-6 and TNF-α. SBWD may exert a bidirectional regulatory effect on the host innate immune responses in LRTI mice and regulate the expressions of IL-17A and GM-CSF in a microbiota-dependent manner. K. pneumoniae infection but not S. pneumoniae infection led to dysbiosis in the respiratory microbiota, evident through disturbances in the taxonomic composition characterized by bacterial enrichment, including Proteobacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, and Klebsiella. K. pneumoniae and S. pneumoniae infection altered the bacterial functional profile of the respiratory microbiota, as indicated by increases in lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, metabolic pathways, and carbohydrate metabolism. SBWD had a certain trend on the regulation of compositional disorders in the respiratory flora and modulated partial microbial functions embracing carbohydrate metabolism in K. pneumoniae-induced LRTI mice. ConclusionSBWD may exert an anti-infection effect on LRTI by targeting IL-17A and GM-CSF through respiratory microbiota regulation. The mechanism of S. baicalensis action on respiratory microbiota in LRTI treatment merits further investigation.

Probing Bond Length and Compositional Disorder in β‐(AlxGa1−x)2O3 Alloys Using Extended X‐Ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopy

Local structure of β‐(AlxGa1−x)2O3 alloys with Al contents is determined from extended X‐ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS). A model to fit the EXAFS data for monoclinic β‐(AlxGa1−x)2O3 is suggested to independently determine local structure parameters. An increase in compositional disorder corresponding to the near neighbors (NNs) for lower Al contents establishes that the Al atom does occupy tetrahedron sites in addition octahedron sites even for smaller Al contents. NNs and next‐nearest neighbor (NNN) bond lengths corresponding to tetrahedron and octahedron coordinated gallium (Ga) atoms with surrounding oxygen (O) atoms as well as tetrahedron–tetrahedron/octahedron–octahedron coordinated GaGa atoms on average decrease with Al content up to x = 33.3% and then they saturates with further increase in Al content. However, tetrahedron–octahedron coordinated GaGa atoms move far apart with Al content up to x = 33.3% and then it saturates. The physical picture indicates the creation of tetrahedra and octahedra sublattices locally for β‐(AlxGa1−x)2O3, and their sizes decrease, but they move far apart up to a certain Al content. Thereafter, both saturate. Thus, EXAFS provide a clear insight into the evolution of local structure of β‐(AlxGa1−x)2O3 with Al content, which is useful for better understanding of their physical properties.

Topological and compositional disorder induced exciton Anderson localization highly enhances luminescence quantum yields of alloyed perovskite nanocrystals

Anderson localization has inspired tremendous effort in exploring underlying physics regarding electron, atom, and photon transport in disordered lattices. However, due to the difficulty in implementing periodic trapping potential for neutral excitons, observing Anderson localization of excitons in disordered semiconductors remains challenging. We report evidence of Anderson localization of Frenkel excitons in the alloyed perovskite nanocrystals that possess high topological and compositional disorder. The broken symmetry-driven constructive interference of scattered exciton wavefunctions around the octahedrons induces strong exciton localization and, consequently, exciton–phonon coupling. This causes significant promotion of the luminescence quantum efficiency from 30% to an impressive 75% owing to enhanced radiative and suppressed nonradiative quantum transition rates. These findings clarify that both Anderson localization and exciton–lattice coupling play key roles in triggering immobility of Frenkel excitons in disordered wide-bandgap semiconductors and guide design of monocomponent warm white light emitters based on highly efficient alloyed perovskite nanocrystals.

Musculoskeletal disorders and coronary artery disease —promising molecular markers: literature review

Currently, increasing evidence shows that people with cardiovascular diseases, including coronary heart disease, have a higher risk of developing pathologies such as sarcopenia, osteopenia, osteosarcopenia, sarcopenic, and osteosarcopenic obesity, which is associated with increased mortality risk. Musculoskeletal and adipose tissue changes have significantly affected the quality of life of patients and are important clinical problems. It is assumed that between the aforementioned disorders and coronary heart disease, a pathogenetic connection with the possibility of mutual aggravation exists. Accordingly, the search for relevant and accurate markers that reflect the severity and characterize the prognosis of a complex of pathological conditions is necessary given the increased proportion of patients in the general population with comorbidities. The article reviews the basic concepts of age-related disorders of body composition and molecular markers and emphasizes on new and potentially promising ones. The results can help in identifying and assessing the severity and prognosis of atherosclerosis, including coronary heart disease, and various disorders of musculoskeletal homeostasis, which reflects the commonality of their pathogenesis.

Protection of allergic rhinitis in mice via the colonic release of butyrate from butyrylated starch

Butyrate has potential beneficial effects on allergic rhinitis (AR). However, the effect of AR mice via the colonic butyrate is still unclear. We investigated the potential mechanism of colonic butyrate derived from butyrylated starch intervention to improve the atopy and regulate gut microbiota in AR mice. The results demonstrated that butyrylated starch significantly increased the levels of colonic butyrate, and downregulated serum OVA-sIgE, IL-4, and IL-5, and improved symptoms in AR mice. In addition, the proportion of Treg cells in mesenteric lymph nodes and the levels of IL-10 and TGF-β in the serum were elevated after butyrylated starch intervention. Moreover, butyrylated starch promoted the enrichment of beneficial genera in AR mice, such as Lactobacillus, and alleviated the composition and structural disorder of gut microbiota in AR mice. In conclusion, butyrylated starch demonstrated a preventive effect on AR, possibly by modulating the gut microbiota and promoting Treg cell function.