No abstract

No abstract

Background: Increased left atrium diameter (LAD) is associated with an elevated risk of cardiovascular diseases. The relationship between nutrition status and left atrial enlargement (LAE) is still unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the association of famine exposure in early life with LAE in adulthood. Methods: Participants were divided into non-exposed, fetal, early, middle and late childhood exposed groups according to birth data. LAE was defined when LAD was ≥3.9 cm in women and ≥4.1 cm in men, or ≥2.3 cm m À2 by a sex-independent cutoff normalised for body surface area. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and confidence interval (CI) between famine exposure and LAE. Results: In total, 2522 [905 male, mean (SD) age 59.1 (3.65) years] subjects were enrolled, including 392 (15.5%) LAE subjects. The prevalence of LAE in non-exposed, fetal, early, middle and late childhood exposed groups was 55 (10.8%), 38 (11.2%), 88 (18.1%), 102 (16.7%) and 109 (19.0%), respectively. Compared to the non-exposed group, the ORs for LAE were in fetal (OR = 0.956, 95% CI = 0.605-1.500, P = 0.847), late (OR = 1.748, 95% CI = 1.208-2.555, P = 0.003), middle (OR = 1.647, 95% CI = 1.140-2.403, P = 0.008) and early (OR = 1.630, 95% CI = 1.116-2.399, P = 0.012) childhood exposed groups after adjusting potential cofounders. When stratified by gender, smoking, body mass index, hypertension and diabetes, we found that the effect of famine exposure on LAE was only modified by diabetes (P interaction = 0.007). Conclusions: Famine exposure during childhood stage might increase the risk of LAE in adults, and this effect interacts with diabetes.

Two kinds of nanocomposites of nitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR), zinc methacrylate (ZDMA) and organomontmorillonite (OMMT), NBR-ZDMA-HMMTand NBR-ZDMA-USMMT, were prepared by the reactive mixing intercalation method with ZDMA and two kinds of organomontmorillonite, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide modified montmorillonite (HMMT) and unsaturated chemical modified montmorillonite (USMMT). The structure and properties of the nanocomposites were investigated by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and determination of crosslinking density and mechanical properties. The results showed that the interlayer galleries of HMMT and USMMT were enlarged as ZDMA polymerized in situ in rubber matrix and between the interlayer of the silicates. The layered silicates were dispersed disorderly in rubber matrix at a nanometer level. The crosslinking density of the NBR vulcanizates was increased by the addition of ZDMA and HMMT or USMMT. The glass transition temperatures of the NBR-ZDMA-OMMT nanocomposites were higher than that of the neat NBR. The mechanical properties of the NBR-ZDMA-HMMTand NBR-ZDMA-USMMT nanocomposites are remarkably superior to those of the neat NBR vulcanizate.

No abstract