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Oxygen uptake (V˙O2) is an essential metric for evaluating cardiopulmonary health and athletic performance, which can barely be directly measured. Heart rate (HR) is a prominent physiological indicator correlated with V˙O2 and is often used for indirect V˙O2 prediction. This study investigates the impact of HR placement on V˙O2 prediction accuracy by analyzing HR data combined with the respiratory rate (RESP) and minute ventilation (V˙E) from three anatomical locations: the chest; arm; and wrist. Twenty-eight healthy adults participated in incremental and constant workload cycling tests at various intensities. Data on V˙O2, RESP, V˙E, and HR were collected and used to develop a neural network model for V˙O2 prediction. The influence of HR position on prediction accuracy was assessed via Bland-Altman plots, and model performance was evaluated by mean absolute error (MAE), coefficient of determination (R2), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). Our findings indicate that HR combined with RESP and V˙E (V˙O2HR+RESP+V˙E) produces the most accurate V˙O2 predictions (MAE: 165 mL/min, R2: 0.87, MAPE: 15.91%). Notably, as exercise intensity increases, the accuracy of V˙O2 prediction decreases, particularly within high-intensity exercise. The substitution of HR with different anatomical sites significantly impacts V˙O2 prediction accuracy, with wrist placement showing a more profound effect compared to arm placement. In conclusion, this study underscores the importance of considering HR placement in V˙O2 prediction models, with RESP and V˙E serving as effective compensatory factors. These findings contribute to refining indirect V˙O2 estimation methods, enhancing their predictive capabilities across different exercise intensities and anatomical placements.

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This study presents the results of a randomized controlled trial utilizing a 2 x 2 factorial design, comparing the effects of repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and action observation training (AOT) intervention methods on spasticity, balance function, and motor function in children with spastic cerebral palsy (SCP). The study aimed to investigate whether the combination of the two interventions produces greater improvement than either treatment alone or conventional treatment. Subject children in this study, in accordance with the random number table, were randomly divided into four groups: conventional group, rTMS group, AOT group, and combined intervention group. All the children in the four groups received conventional rehabilitation treatment, on the basis of which they were given different therapeutic programs of rehabilitation measures. The conventional group had no other treatment while the rTMS group received rTMS, the AOT group received AOT and the combined intervention group was given a combined intervention of rTMS and AOT. They were trained five days per week for 12 weeks. Changes in scores of spasticity, balance function, walking ability, and gross motor function were assessed at the onset of the training program and upon completion of 12 weeks of treatment. A total of 64 Children with SCP completed the study, and their results were analyzed. The total gross motor function efficiency of 87.50% in the experimental group was significantly higher than that of 25.00% in the conventional group, 62.50% in the rTMS group, and 68.75% in the AOT group. The preliminary results showed that combined intervention of rTMS and AOT could effectively improve the balance function and motor function of children, and the therapeutic effect of the combined intervention was better than that of conventional treatment, rTMS or AOT alone. Finally, clinical efficacy and optimal treatment parameters of the combined intervention were clarified to provide a clinical basis for therapists to conduct lower limb function rehabilitation for children with SCP.

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OBJECTIVE: The activities and products of carbohydrate metabolism are involved in key processes of cancer. However, its relationship with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unclear. METHODS: The cancer genome atlas (TCGA)-HCC and ICGC-LIRI-JP datasets were acquired via public databases. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between HCC and control samples in the TCGA-HCC dataset were identified and overlapped with 355 carbohydrate metabolism-related genes (CRGs) to obtain differentially expressed CRGs (DE-CRGs). Then, univariate Cox and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analyses were applied to identify risk model genes, and HCC samples were divided into high/low-risk groups according to the median risk score. Next, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed on the risk model genes. The sensitivity of the risk model to immunotherapy and chemotherapy was also explored. RESULTS: A total of 8 risk model genes, namely, G6PD, PFKFB4, ACAT1, ALDH2, ACYP1, OGDHL, ACADS, and TKTL1, were identified. Moreover, the risk score, cancer status, age, and pathologic T stage were strongly associated with the prognosis of HCC patients. Both the stromal score and immune score had significant negative/positive correlations with the risk score, reflecting the important role of the risk model in immunotherapy sensitivity. Furthermore, the stromal and immune scores had significant negative/positive correlations with risk scores, reflecting the important role of the risk model in immunotherapy sensitivity. Eventually, we found that high-/low-risk patients were more sensitive to 102 drugs, suggesting that the risk model exhibited sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs. The results of the experiments in HCC tissue samples validated the expression of the risk model genes. CONCLUSION: Through bioinformatic analysis, we constructed a carbohydrate metabolism-related risk model for HCC, contributing to the prognosis prediction and treatment of HCC patients.

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Inspired by tug-of-war, a game-changing bone-tendon fixation paradigm was developed. Specifically, injectable citrate-based bioactive self-expansive and planar-fixing screw (iCSP-Scr) consisting of reactive isocyanate (NCO) terminalized citrate-based polyurethane, proanthocyanidin modified hydroxyapatite (HAp) and water (with/without porogen) was developed and administrated in the bone-tendon gap. Instead of the "point to point" tendon fixation by traditional interface screws, along with the moisture-induced crosslinking and expansion of iCSP-Scr within the confined space of the irregularly shaped bone-tendon gap, the tendon graft was evenly squeezed into the bone tunnel in a "surface to surface" manner to realize strong and stable bone-tendon fixation via physical expansion, mechanical interlocking and chemical bonding (between -NCO and the -NH2, -SH groups on bone matrix). The optimized iCSP-Scr exhibited rapid crosslinking, moderate expansion rate, high porosity after crosslinking, as well as tunable elasticity and toughness. The iCSP-Scr possessed favorable biodegradability, biocompatibility, and osteoinductivity derived from citrate, PC and HAp, it was able to promote osteogenesis and new bone growth inward of bone tunnel thus further enhanced the bone/iCSP-Scr mechanical interlock, ultimately leading to stronger tendon fixation (pull-out force 106.15 ± 23.15 N) comparing to titanium screws (93.76 ± 17.89 N) after 14 weeks' ACL reconstruction in a rabbit model. The iCSP-Scr not only can be used as a self-expansive screw facilitating bone-tendon healing, but also can be expanded into other osteogenic application scenarios.

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Nitrogen (N) is one of the most intensively used fertilizers in cropping system and could exert a variety of bottom-up effects on the ecological fitness of herbivores. However, the effects of increased N inputs on insect pesticide tolerance have not been comprehensively understood. Bioassays showed that high N (HN) applied to maize plants significantly increased larval tolerance of Spodoptera litura to multiple insecticides. Activities of detoxification enzymes were significantly higher in the larvae fed on maize plants supplied with HN. RNA-seq analysis showed that numerous GST and cuticle-related genes were induced in the larvae fed on HN maize. RT-qPCR analysis further confirmed four GST genes and larval-specific cuticle gene LCP167. Furthermore, when injected with dsRNA specific to GSTe1, GSTs5, and LCP167, the mortality of larvae treated with methomyl was about 3-fold higher than that of dsGFP-injected larvae. Electron microscope observation showed that cuticle of the larvae fed on HN maize was thicker than the medium level of N. These findings suggest that increased application of N fertilizer enhances insecticide tolerance of lepidopteran pests via induction of detoxification enzymes and intensification of cuticle. Thus, overuse of N fertilizer may increase pest insecticide tolerance and usage of chemical insecticides.

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OBJECTIVES: Diet can modulate systemic inflammation, while inflammation is a critical contributory factor of frailty. However, longitudinal data on the association between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and frailty are limited, and the intermediate mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to examine the association between DII and incident frailty and the potential mediating roles of frailty-related biomarkers. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: The Mr. OS and Ms. OS (Hong Kong) study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 3,035 community-dwelling men and women aged above 65 years without frailty at baseline were included. MEASUREMENTS: DII scores were calculated using the locally validated food frequency questionnaire. Incident frailty at year four was defined using the Fried frailty phenotype. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between DII and frailty onset. Mediation analysis was used to explore the mediating roles of frailty-related biomarkers in the DII-frailty association. RESULTS: During four years of follow-up, 208 individuals developed frailty. Compared with the lowest tertile of DII, the highest tertile was associated with an increased risk of incident frailty (OR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.17-2.82; p = 0.008) after adjustment for relevant confounders. The DII-frailty association was significant in men but not in women. Furthermore, increasing serum homocysteine, decreasing serum folate, and reducing estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) mediated 11.6%, 7.1%, and 9.6 % of the total relation between DII and frailty onset, respectively. CONCLUSION: In this cohort study, a pro-inflammatory diet was associated with a higher risk of frailty onset, mediated by homocysteine, folate, and renal function.

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Background: Spodoptera frugiperda, the fall armyworm is a destructive invasive pest, and S. litura the tobacco cutworm, is a native species closely related to S. frugiperda. The gut microbiota plays a vital role in insect growth, development, metabolism and immune system. Research on the competition between invasive species and closely related native species has focused on differences in the adaptability of insects to the environment. Little is known about gut symbiotic microbe composition and its role in influencing competitive differences between these two insects. Methods: We used a culture-independent approach targeting the 16S rRNA gene of gut bacteria of 5th instar larvae of S. frugiperda and S. litura. Larvae were reared continuously on maize leaves for five generations. We analyzed the composition, abundance, diversity, and metabolic function of gut microbiomes of S. frugiperda and S. litura larvae. Results: Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were the dominant bacterial phyla in both species. Enterococcus, ZOR0006, Escherichia, Bacteroides, and Lactobacillus were the genera with the highest abundance in S. frugiperda. Enterococcus, Erysipelatoclostridium, ZOR0006, Enterobacter, and Bacteroides had the highest abundance in S. litura. According to α-diversity analysis, the gut bacterial diversity of S. frugiperda was significantly higher than that of S. litura. KEGG analysis showed 15 significant differences in metabolic pathways between S. frugiperda and S. litura gut bacteria, including transcription, cell growth and death, excretory system and circulatory system pathways. Conclusion: In the same habitat, the larvae of S. frugiperda and S. litura showed significant differences in gut bacterial diversity and community composition. Regarding the composition and function of gut bacteria, the invasive species S. frugiperda may have a competitive advantage over S. litura. This study provides a foundation for developing control strategies for S. frugiperda and S. litura.

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The current disease risk prediction model with many parameters is complex to run smoothly on mobile terminals such as tablets and mobile phones in imaginative elderly care application scenarios. In order to further reduce the number of parameters in the model and enable the disease risk prediction model to run smoothly on mobile terminals, we designed a model called Motico (An Attention Mechanism Network Model for Image Data Classification). During the implementation of the Motico model, in order to protect image features, we designed an image data preprocessing method and an attention mechanism network model for image data classification. The Motico model parameter size is only 5.26 MB, and the memory only takes up 135.69 MB. In the experiment, the accuracy of disease risk prediction was 96 %, the precision rate was 97 %, the recall rate was 93 %, the specificity was 98 %, the F1 score was 95 %, and the AUC was 95 %. This experimental result shows that our Motico model can implement classification prediction based on the image data classification attention mechanism network on mobile terminals.

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Background and Objectives: Connexin 43 (Cx43) is involved in the transfer of small signaling molecules between neighboring cells, thereby exerting a major influence on the initiation and progression of tumorigenesis. However, there is a lack of systematic research on Cx43 expression and its predictive role in clinical diagnosis and prognosis in pan-cancer. Materials and Methods: Several biological databases were used to evaluate the expression levels of GJA1 (encoding Cx43) and its diagnostic and prognostic significance in pan-cancer. We targeted kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) and investigated the relationship between GJA1 expression and different clinical features of KIRC patients. Then, we performed cell-based experiments to partially confirm our results and predicted several proteins that were functionally related to Cx43. Results: The expression of GJA1 has a high level of accuracy in predicting KIRC. High GJA1 expression was remarkably correlated with a favorable prognosis, and this expression was reduced in groups with poor clinical features in KIRC. Cell experiments confirmed the inhibitory effects of increased GJA1 expression on the migratory capacity of human renal cancer (RCC) cell lines, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis predicted that CDH1 and CTNNB1 were closely related to Cx43. Conclusions: GJA1 could be a promising independent favorable prognostic factor for KIRC, and upregulation of GJA1 expression could inhibit the migratory capacity of renal cancer cells.

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Introduction: The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has reshaped oncology practice, but the impact of anti-angiogenic drugs on the severity of COVID-19 in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. Patients and Methods: We carried out a retrospective study involving 166 consecutive patients with NSCLC who were positive for COVID-19, aiming to determine the effects of anti-angiogenic drugs on disease severity, as defined by severe/critical symptoms, intensive care unit (ICU) admission/intubation, and mortality outcomes. Risk factors were identified using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Results: Of the participants, 73 had been administered anti-angiogenic drugs (termed the anti-angiogenic therapy (AT) group), while 93 had not (non-AT group). Comparative analyses showed no significant disparity in the rates of severe/critical symptoms (21.9% vs 35.5%, P = 0.057), ICU admission/intubation (6.8% vs 7.5%, P = 0.867), or death (11.0% vs 9.7%, P = 0.787) between these two groups. However, elevated risk factors for worse outcomes included age ≥ 60 (odds ratio (OR): 2.52, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07-5.92), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 2 or higher (OR: 21.29, 95% CI: 4.98-91.01), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR: 7.25, 95% CI: 1.65-31.81), hypertension (OR: 2.98, 95% CI: 1.20-7.39), and use of immunoglobulin (OR: 5.26, 95% CI: 1.06-26.25). Conclusion: Our data suggests that the use of anti-angiogenic drugs may not exacerbate COVID-19 severity in NSCLC patients, indicating their potential safe application even during the pandemic period.

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BACKGROUND: Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, a formidable agricultural pest, has developed resistance to various synthetic insecticides. However, how S. frugiperda utilizes its limited energy and resources to deal with various insecticides remains largely unexplored. RESULTS: We utilized transcriptome sequencing to decipher the broad-spectrum adaptation mechanism of S. frugiperda to eight insecticides with distinct modes-of-action. Analysis of the Venn diagram revealed that 1014 upregulated genes and 778 downregulated genes were present in S. frugiperda treated with at least five different insecticides, compared to the control group. Exposure to various insecticides led to the significant upregulation of eight cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s), four UDP glucosyltransferases (UGTs), two glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs) and two ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABCs). Among them, the sfCYP340AD3 and sfCYP4G74 genes were demonstrated to respond to stress from six different insecticides in S. frugiperda, as evidenced by RNA interference and toxicity bioassays. Furthermore, homology modeling and molecular docking analyses showed that sfCYP340AD3 and sfCYP4G74 possess strong binding affinities to a variety of insecticides. CONCLUSION: Collectively, these findings showed that S. frugiperda utilizes a battery of core detoxification genes to cope with the exposure of synthetic insecticides. This study also sheds light on the identification of efficient insecticidal targets gene and the development of resistance management strategies in S. frugiperda, thereby facilitating the sustainable control of this serious pest. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

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While combined immunotherapy and anti-angiogenic therapy have demonstrated efficacy in renal cell carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma, the efficacy of first-line treatment for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) with germline BRCA2 mutation remains unproven. We described a BRCA2-mutated patient with PDAC who presented with posterior cardiac metastasis 8 months after surgery. After receiving four cycles of anlotinib combined with tislelizumab, abdominal CT scans indicated a complete response. The patient sustained this response for over 14 months on the combination regimen, with no reported adverse events. In conclusion, the combination of tislelizumab and anlotinib may offer a viable therapeutic option for recurrent metastatic BRCA2-mutated PDAC.

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OBJECTIVES: Inflammation and impaired muscle synthesis are important factors of sarcopenia. Plant protein may reduce inflammation but may not be as efficient as animal protein in providing essential amino acids. We therefore examined the associations between dietary protein intake and changes in muscle mass and physical performance, incident sarcopenia, and the interaction effect of inflammation. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: The Mr. OS and Ms. OS (Hong Kong) cohort. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2,811 sarcopenia-free participants and 569 sarcopenia participants aged ≥65 years were recruited from communities. MEASUREMENTS: Dietary protein intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) was measured. Linear regression examined the associations between dietary protein intake and 4-year changes in muscle mass and physical performance. Cox regression examined the association between dietary protein intake and incident sarcopenia. RESULTS: Higher plant protein intake, but not total and animal protein, was associated with less decline in muscle mass and gait speed among sarcopenia-free participants. Conversely, higher ratio of animal-to-plant protein was associated with reduced muscle mass loss among participants with sarcopenia. The highest tertile of plant protein intake was associated with lower incident sarcopenia risk (HR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.57-0.98; P-trend = 0.034) compared to the lowest tertile. Notably, this association was observed among participants with higher serum hs-CRP levels (HR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.34-0.95), but not in those with lower hs-CRP levels. CONCLUSION: Dietary animal and plant protein intake have differential associations with muscle mass and physical performance in older adults with and without sarcopenia. The role of plant protein in preventing sarcopenia involves modulation of inflammation.

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Cancer has become an increasingly important public health issue owing to its high morbidity and mortality rates. Although traditional treatment methods are relatively effective, they have limitations such as highly toxic side effects, easy drug resistance, and high individual variability. Meanwhile, emerging therapies remain limited, and their actual anti-tumor effects need to be improved. Nanotechnology has received considerable attention for its development and application. In particular, artificial nanocarriers have emerged as a crucial approach for tumor therapy. However, certain deficiencies persist, including immunogenicity, permeability, targeting, and biocompatibility. The application of erythrocyte-derived materials will help overcome the above problems and enhance therapeutic effects. Erythrocyte-derived materials can be acquired via the application of physical and chemical techniques from natural erythrocyte membranes, or through the integration of these membranes with synthetic inner core materials using cell membrane biomimetic technology. Their natural properties such as biocompatibility and long circulation time make them an ideal choice for drug delivery or nanoparticle biocoating. Thus, red blood cell-derived materials are widely used in the field of biomedicine. However, further studies are required to evaluate their efficacy, in vivo metabolism, preparation, design, and clinical translation. Based on the latest research reports, this review summarizes the biology, synthesis, characteristics, and distribution of red blood cell-derived materials. Furthermore, we provide a reference for further research and clinical transformation by comprehensively discussing the applications and technical challenges faced by red blood cell-derived materials in the treatment of malignant tumors.

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Designing a multifunctional electrocatalyst to produce H2 from water, urea, urine, and wastewater, is highly desirable yet challenging because it demands precise Fermi-engineering to realize stronger π-donation from O 2p to electron(e- )-deficient metal (t2g ) d-orbitals. Here a Sr-induced phase transformed ß-FeOOH/α-Ni(OH)2 catalyst anchored on Ni-foam (designated as pt-NFS) is introduced, where Sr produces plenteous Fe4+ (Fe3+ → Fe4+ ) to modulate Fermi level and e- -transfer from e- -rich Ni3+ (t2g )-orbitals to e- -deficient Fe4+ (t2g )-orbitals, via strong π-donation from the π-symmetry lone-pair of O bridge. pt-NFS utilizes Fe-sites near the Sr-atom to break the H─O─H bonds and weakens the adsorption of *O while strengthening that of *OOH, toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), respectively. Invaluably, Fe-sites of pt-NFS activate H2 -production from urea oxidation reaction (UOR) through a one-stage pathway which, unlike conventional two-stage pathways with two NH3 -molecules, involves only one NH3 -molecule. Owing to more suitable kinetic energetics, pt-NFS requires 133 mV (negative potential shift), 193 mV, ≈1.352 V, and ≈1.375 V versus RHE for HER, OER, UOR, and human urine oxidation, respectively, to reach the benchmark 10 mA cm-2 and also demonstrates remarkable durability of over 25 h. This work opens a new corridor to design multifunctional electrocatalysts with precise Fermi engineering through d-band modulation.

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Effectively integrating infection control and osteogenesis to promote infected bone repair is challenging. Herein, injective programmable proanthocyanidin (PC)-coordinated zinc-based composite hydrogels (ipPZCHs) are developed by compositing antimicrobial and antioxidant PC-coordinated zinc oxide (ZnO) microspheres with thioether-grafted sodium alginate (TSA), followed by calcium chloride (CaCl2 ) crosslinking. Responsive to the high endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) microenvironment in infected bone defects, the hydrophilicity of TSA can be significantly improved, to trigger the disintegration of ipPZCHs and the fast release of PC-coordinated ZnOs. This together with the easily dissociable PC-Zn2+ coordination induced fast release of antimicrobial zinc (Zn2+ ) with/without silver (Ag+ ) ions from PC-coordinated ZnOs (for Zn2+ , > 100 times that of pure ZnO) guarantees the strong antimicrobial activity of ipPZCHs. The exogenous ROS generated by ZnO and silver nanoparticles during the antimicrobial process further speeds up the disintegration of ipPZCHs, augmenting the antimicrobial efficacy. At the same time, ROS-responsive degradation/disintegration of ipPZCHs vacates space for bone ingrowth. The concurrently released strong antioxidant PC scavenges excess ROS thus enhances the immunomodulatory (in promoting the anti-inflammatory phenotype (M2) polarization of macrophages) and osteoinductive properties of Zn2+ , thus the infected bone repair is effectively promoted via the aforementioned programmable and self-adaptive processes.

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Designing next-generation molecular devices typically necessitates plentiful oxygen-bearing sites to facilitate multiple-electron transfers. However, the theoretical limits of existing materials for energy conversion and information storage devices make it inevitable to hunt for new competitors. Polyoxometalates (POMs), a unique class of metal-oxide clusters, have been investigated exponentially due to their structural diversity and tunable redox properties. POMs behave as electron-sponges owing to their intrinsic ability of reversible uptake-release of multiple electrons. In this review, numerous POM-frameworks together with desired features of a contender material and inherited properties of POMs are systematically discussed to demonstrate how and why the electron-sponge-like nature of POMs is beneficial to design next-generation water oxidation/reduction electrocatalysts, and neuromorphic nonvolatile resistance-switching random-access memory devices. The aim is to converge the attention of scientists who are working separately on electrocatalysts and memory devices, on a point that, although the application types are different, they all hunt for a material that could exhibit electron-sponge-like feature to realize boosted performances and thus, encouraging the scientists of two completely different fields to explore POMs as imperious contenders to design next-generation nanodevices. Finally, challenges and promising prospects in this research field are also highlighted.

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Objective: This study examined the psychometric properties of the Cantonese version of the SarQoL® questionnaire. Participants: A total of 118 (including 60 non-sarcopenic and 58 sarcopenic) community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years or above with Cantonese as their mother tongue. Methods: Translation and cultural adaptation of the SarQoL were conducted using a standardized protocol. To validate the Cantonese SarQoL, psychometric properties including discriminative power, reliability (including internal consistency and test-retest reliability), and construct validity (including convergent and divergent validity), as well as floor and ceiling effects, were assessed. Results: The translation of the questionnaire was completed without significant difficulties. Results indicated that the Cantonese SarQoL had (1) good discriminative power (sarcopenic participants had lower overall scores, mean = 66.1 vs 75.0, p < 0.001; the overall score was negatively predictive of the presence of sarcopenia, adjusted OR = 0.949, 95% CI = [0.912, 0.983]), (2) good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.835; correlations between domain and overall scores ranged from 0.576 to 0.868), (3) excellent test-retest agreement (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.801), (4) good construct validity (convergent: moderate to strong correlations were found between the overall score and almost all of the SF-36 and EQ-5D domains; divergent: weaker correlations were found between the overall score and SF-36 social functioning, ρ = -0.098, and EQ-5D self-care, ρ = -0.331), and (5) no floor or ceiling effect. Conclusion: The Cantonese SarQoL is valid and reliable, and thus can be used as an interviewer-administered questionnaire for assessing sarcopenia-specific quality of life in fieldwork practice.

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BACKGROUND: The association between fruit and vegetable intake, considering both quantity and variety, and weight change among older adults remains controversial. We aimed to investigate the association between fruit and vegetable intake, variety, and changes in adiposity measures among community-dwelling Chinese older adults. METHODS: A total of 2944 participants aged ≥65 years from Hong Kong communities were included. Fruit and vegetable intake was estimated by a locally validated food frequency questionnaire. Adiposity measures (weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, fat and lean mass) were assessed at baseline and the year four follow-up. Restricted cubic spline and logistic models were performed to estimate the associations between fruit and vegetable intake, variety, and changes in adiposity measures. RESULTS: A nonlinear association between vegetable intake and weight change was found, following a J-shape curve. Increased vegetable intake was associated with less increases in weight, BMI, and fat mass among those below median intakes. However, these associations became insignificant at higher intakes (all P-nonlinearity < 0.05). The ORs (95% CIs) for weight gain across the quartiles of vegetable intake were as follows: 1.00 (reference), 0.81 (0.56, 1.17), 0.55 (0.36, 0.83), and 0.88 (0.58, 1.33). Similar patterns were observed in overweight and normal weight participants, but not in those with low body weight. No associations with weight change were found for fruit intake or fruit and vegetable variety. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate vegetable intake was associated with less weight gain among community-dwelling Chinese older adults, but not in those with low body weight. No association was observed between fruit intake or variety with weight change.

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