Monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio is a promising biomarker in patients initially receiving hemodialysis

AimInflammation is very common among dialysis patients and can lead to an increase in morbidity and mortality. Monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) can serve as a reliable predictor of long-term survival in hemodialysis patients. However, few studies have addressed the role of MLR in patients initially receiving hemodialysis (within 3 months). In this study, we aimed to examine the association between MLR and the risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in patients initially receiving hemodialysis.MethodsIn this study, a total of 216 patients newly receiving hemodialysis for at least 3 months were recruited. The associations between MLR and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and all-cause mortality were assessed by multivariable Cox models.ResultsA total of 216 patients were included (mean age 57.65 ± 15.68 years, 42.13% male patients). Patients were divided into the low MLR group (<0.49) and the high MLR group (≥0.49). The levels of neutrophil and serum iron and the number of deaths were significantly higher in the high MLR group (P < 0.05). Spearman’s analysis showed that MLR was positively correlated with BUN (R = 0.210, P = 0.002), WBC (R = 0.178, P = 0.009), and neutrophil (R = 0.237, P < 0.001). Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that patients in the low MLR group present longer survival (64.08 ± 2.30 vs. 51.07 ± 3.12 months, P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that age, diabetes, and MLR (all P < 0.05) were factors significantly associated with a higher risk of CVD and all-cause mortality.ConclusionsOur results showed that high MLR values are an independent risk factor for CVD and all-cause mortality in patients initially receiving hemodialysis, especially in the elderly and those with a history of diabetes

Lipid profiles in the cerebrospinal fluid of rats with 6-hydroxydopamine-induced lesions as a model of Parkinson’s disease

BackgroundParkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with characteristic pathological abnormalities, including the loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons, a dopamine-depleted striatum, and microglial activation. Lipid accumulation exhibits a close relationship with these pathologies in PD.MethodsHere, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) was used to construct a rat model of PD, and the lipid profile in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) obtained from model rats was analyzed using lipidomic approaches.ResultsEstablishment of this PD model was confirmed by apomorphine-induced rotation behaviors, loss of DA neurons, depletion of dopamine in the striatum, and microglial activation after 6-OHDA-induced lesion generation. Unsupervised and supervised methods were employed for lipid analysis. A total of 172 lipid species were identified in CSF and subsequently classified into 18 lipid families. Lipid families, including eicosanoids, triglyceride (TG), cholesterol ester (CE), and free fatty acid (FFA), and 11 lipid species exhibited significantly altered profiles 2 weeks after 6-OHDA administration, and significant changes in eicosanoids, TG, CE, CAR, and three lipid species were noted 5 weeks after 6-OHDA administration. During the period of 6-OHDA-induced lesion formation, the lipid families and species showed concentration fluctuations related to the recovery of behavior and nigrostriatal abnormalities. Correlation analysis showed that the levels of eicosanoids, CE, TG families, and TG (16:0_20:0_18:1) exhibited positive relationships with apomorphine-induced rotation behaviors and negative relationships with tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression in the midbrain.ConclusionThese results revealed that non-progressive nigrostriatal degeneration induced by 6-OHDA promotes the expression of an impairment-related lipidomic signature in CSF, and the level of eicosanoids, CE, TG families, and TG (16:0_20:0_18:1) in CSF may reveal pathological changes in the midbrain after 6-OHDA insult

Effect of the Presence of Stem on Quality of Oolong Tea

Combined with the unique processing technology of oolong tea, oolong tea with stem processing has a better flavor compared to oolong tea without stem processing. However, there is currently no available evidence to support the contribution of stems to the taste quality of oolong tea. In this study, the electronic tongue, sensory evaluation method combined with liquid chromatography, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry were used to explore the influence of the presence of stems on the flavor substances and aroma of oolong tea during processing. The results showed that the presence of stems significantly increased the umami taste of oolong tea (p < 0.05), and the content of seven free amino acids (p < 0.05), including theanine (53.165 μg/mL) and aspartic acid (3.190 μg/mL), two umami-related amino acids, significantly increased. Moreover, the content of nerolidol (2.598 μg/g) in aroma components was significantly increased. This study identifies the contribution of stems to oolong tea quality during processing

Galvanic Corrosion of E690 Offshore Platform Steel in a Simulated Marine Thermocline

Marked changes in temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO) content, and nutrient content typically occur in marine thermoclines, which are key factors that affect the corrosion of metals. Offshore platforms require marine metals to be exposed to deep-sea environments and thus increase their penetration into the marine thermocline. This study investigates the galvanic corrosion of E690 steel in a marine thermocline using a simulated marine thermocline (SMT). Specifically, the corrosion of E690 steel was analyzed using the wire beam electrode (WBE) technique, linear polarization (LP), corrosion morphology, and weight loss measurement. Results indicated that the SMT had a stable multilayer structure, and the variations in temperature, DO, pH, and nutrient concentration in the SMT were similar to those in the natural marine thermocline. There were two forms of E690 steel corrosion in the SMT: galvanic corrosion and seawater corrosion. The corrosion rate of seawater corrosion was influenced by the DO concentration. Galvanic corrosion occurred after the intrusion of E690 steel into the marine thermocline. The driver of galvanic corrosion was the difference values for Ecorrs of E690 steel at various depths of the marine thermocline. The Ecorr of E690 steel was influenced by the temperature, pH, and DO of the seawater, in the following order: DO >> T > pH. The continuous reduction in Ecorr with depth contributed to large-scale galvanic corrosion, and the oscillation variation in Ecorr with depth was the reason for small-scale galvanic corrosion. The primary anodic regions of galvanic corrosion were located in the area with the fastest temperature variation in the thermocline, and the position of the anodic regions rose with time. The anodic regions gradually expanded with time. The proportion of galvanic corrosion in the average corrosion rate could increase up to approximately 80% in the stable anodic region. There were many hemispherical corrosion pits on the surface of the single electrodes that were at the depths of 75 cm, 105 cm, and 135 cm. These single electrodes comprised a long-term, sustainable anodic region of galvanic corrosion

Effect of Oxygen Concentration in Fermentation on Black Tea Quality and Optimization of Oxygen-enriched Fermentation Process

Fermentation is a critical process of black tea quality formation and oxygen is the key factor affecting the fermentation, so it is important to analyze the effect of oxygen in fermentation on the quality and metabolites of black tea. One bud and two leaves of 'Longjing 43' tea varieties were used as materials for low oxygen fermentation (5%) , natural fermentation (21%) and oxygen-enriched fermentation (36%) treatments, and the effects of oxygen concentration on sensory quality, non-volatile and volatile metabolites of black tea were analyzed by sensory evaluation combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS), and the parameters of oxygen-enriched fermentation of black tea were optimized by single factor combined with response surface analysis. Results showed that oxygen-enriched fermentation could significantly improve the taste and aroma quality of black tea compared with nature fermentation (P0.05) in oxygen-enriched fermentation. A total of 25 volatile compounds differed significantly in three treatments, including 12 aldehydes, 2 ketones, 3 alcohols, 3 alkenes, and 5 esters, and the content of most differing compounds increased with increasing oxygen concentration. The optimized parameters of oxygen-enriched black tea were: Oxygen concentration of 40%, oxygenation time of 1.5 h, fermentation time of 4 h. And the contents of TFs, TF, TF3G, TF3'G and TFDG of black tea were 2.86%, 0.25%, 1.71%, 0.24% and 0.68%, respectively. The results of this study would provide an important basis for guiding black tea processing and quality control