Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common metabolic disorder in women. To identify causative genes, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of PCOS in Han Chinese. The discovery set included 744 PCOS cases and 895 controls; subsequent replications involved two independent cohorts (2,840 PCOS cases and 5,012 controls from northern Han Chinese; 498 cases and 780 controls from southern and central Han Chinese). We identified strong evidence of associations between PCOS and three loci: 2p16.3 (rs13405728; combined P-value by meta-analysis P(meta) = 7.55 × 10⁻²¹, odds ratio (OR) 0.71); 2p21 (rs13429458, P(meta) = 1.73 × 10⁻²³, OR 0.67); and 9q33.3 (rs2479106, P(meta) = 8.12 × 10⁻¹⁹, OR 1.34). These findings provide new insight into the pathogenesis of PCOS. Follow-up studies of the candidate genes in these regions are recommended.
Current aqueous Zn batteries (ZBs) seriously suffer from dendrite issues caused by rough electrode surfaces. Despite significant efforts in prolonging lifespan of these batteries, little effort has been devoted to dendrite elimination in commercial‐grade cathode loading mass. Instead, demonstrations have only been done at the laboratory level (≤2 mg cm−2). Additionally, new dilemmas regarding change of the proton‐storage behavior and interface pulverization have emerged in turn. Herein, hydrogen‐substituted graphdiyne (HsGDY), with sub‐ångström level ion tunnels and robust chemical stability, is designed as an artificial interface layer to address these issues. This strategy prolongs the symmetric cell lifespan to >2400 h (100 days), which is 37 times larger than without protection (63 h). The simulation of dual fields reveals that HsGDY can redistribute the Zn2+ concentration field by spatially forcing Zn2+ to deviate from the irregular electric field. During practical use, the as‐assembled full batteries deliver a long lifespan 50 000 cycles and remain stable even at a commercial‐grade cathode loading mass of up to 22.95 mg cm−2. This HsGDY‐protection methodology represents great progress in Zn dendrite protection and demonstrates enormous potential in metal batteries.
Academics researchers and "citizen scientists" from 22 countries confirmed that yellow mealworms, the larvae of Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus, can survive by eating polystyrene (PS) foam. More detailed assessments of this capability for mealworms were carried out by12 sources: five from the USA, six from China, and one from Northern Ireland. All of these mealworms digested PS foam. PS mass decreased and depolymerization was observed, with appearance of lower molecular weight residuals and functional groups indicative of oxidative transformations in extracts from the frass (insect excrement). An addition of gentamycin (30 mg g), a bactericidal antibiotic, inhibited depolymerization, implicating the gut microbiome in the biodegradation process. Microbial community analyses demonstrated significant taxonomic shifts for mealworms fed diets of PS plus bran and PS alone. The results indicate that mealworms from diverse locations eat and metabolize PS and support the hypothesis that this capacity is independent of the geographic origin of the mealworms, and is likely ubiquitous to members of this species.
Background
People undergoing mass home- and community-based quarantine are vulnerable to mental health disorders during outbreaks of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but few studies have evaluated the associated psychosocial factors.
Objective
This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms and identify associated demographic and psychosocial factors in the general Chinese population during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine period.
Methods
Participants aged 18 years or above were recruited in a cross-sectional online survey using snowball sampling from February 26-29, 2020. The survey included questions on demographics, family relationships, chronic diseases, quarantine conditions, lifestyle, COVID-19 infection, and anxiety and depressive symptoms. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with elevated anxiety or depressive symptoms.
Results
Out of 2331 participants, 762 (32.7%) experienced elevated anxiety or depressive symptoms. Nine risk factors associated with anxiety or depressive symptoms included younger age, reduced income, having cancer or other chronic diseases, having family members living with cancer, concerns related to COVID-19 infection for themselves or family members, living alone, having family conflicts, having <3 or >8 hours of sedentary time per day, and worsened sleep quality.
Conclusions
The findings highlight an urgent need for psychological support for populations at high risk for elevated anxiety or depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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