Visceral Obesity and Its Shared Role in Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease: A Scoping Review of the Pathophysiology and Pharmacological Treatments

The association between obesity, cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been demonstrated in animal and epidemiological studies. However, the specific role of visceral obesity on cancer and CVD remains unclear. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is a complex and metabolically active tissue, that can produce different adipokines and hormones, responsible for endocrine-metabolic comorbidities. This review explores the potential mechanisms related to VAT that may also be involved in cancer and CVD. In addition, we discuss the shared pharmacological treatments which may reduce the risk of both diseases. This review highlights that chronic inflammation, molecular aspects, metabolic syndrome, secretion of hormones and adiponectin associated to VAT may have synergistic effects and should be further studied in relation to cancer and CVD. Reductions in abdominal and visceral adiposity improve insulin sensitivity, lipid profile and cytokines, which consequently reduce the risk of CVD and some cancers. Several medications have shown to reduce visceral and/or subcutaneous fat. Further research is needed to investigate the pathophysiological mechanisms by which visceral obesity may cause both cancer and CVD. The role of visceral fat in cancer and CVD is an important area to advance. Public health policies to increase public awareness about VAT’s role and ways to manage or prevent it are needed.     

Magnetic field aligned nanocomposite proton exchange membranes based on sulfonated poly (ether sulfone) and Fe2O3 nanoparticles for direct methanol fuel cell application

Sulfonated poly (ether sulfone) (SP-ES) are prepared and optimized considering the transport properties and physicochemical stability. Afterward, nanocomposite membranes composed of SP-ES containing various loading weights of γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles are fabricated. Nanoparticles assembled into an aligned form across the membrane by applying magnetic field during solvent casting. The effect of nanoparticles orientation is studied by consideration of the water uptake, membrane ionic conductivity, and activation energy as well as methanol permeability. Aligned membranes have a higher proton conductivity and also lower activation energy for proton migration as well as lower water uptake and methanol permeability. It is also noted that nanocomposite membranes have sufficient thermal stability and high electrochemical performance. Consequently, the anisotropic nanocomposite membranes with oriented nanoparticles demonstrate the ability to have potential application in fuel cells as well as ionic actuators.     

Flexible Transparent Hierarchical Nanomesh for Rose Petal‐Like Droplet Manipulation and Lossless Transfer

Precise manipulation of water is a key step in numerous natural and synthetic processes. Here, a new flexible and transparent hierarchical structure is determined that allows ultra‐dexterous manipulation and lossless transfer of water droplets. A 3D nanomesh is fabricated in one step by scalable electrospinning of low‐cost polystyrene solutions. Optimal structures are composed of a mesh of dense nanofiber layers vertically separated by isolated mesoporous microbeads. This results in a highly adhesive superhydrophobic wetting that perfectly mimics rose petal‐like structures. Structural–functional correlations are obtained over all key process parameters enabling robust tailoring of the wetting properties from hydrophilic to lotus‐like Cassie‐Baxter and rose‐like Cassie‐impregnating states. A mechanistic model of the droplet adhesion and release dynamics is obtained alongside the first demonstration of a mechanically induced transfer of microdroplets between two superhydrophobic coatings. This low‐temperature reaction‐free material structure demonstrates a facile means to fabricate impenetrable residue‐less rose petal‐like surfaces with superhydrophobic contact angles of 152 ± 2° and effective adhesion strength of 113 ± 20 μN. This is a significant step toward parallel, multistep droplet manipulation with applications ranging from flexible on‐paper devices to microfluidics and portable/wearable biosensors.     

Electrolyte minerals intake and cardiovascular health

ABSTRACT

Appropriate intake of micronutrient, such as electrolyte minerals is critical for the well-being of the cardiovascular health system. However, there are some debates regarding the impacts of dietary and/or supplemental intake of these minerals, on the risk of cardiovascular events and associated risk factors. High sodium intake is adversely associated with the risk of hypertension. Although many reports refered to the positive association of Na intake and cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality, however, other studies indicated that low Na intake is related to higher risk of all-cause mortality and HF-related events. By contrast, dietary potassium, magnesium and calcium have an inverse correlation with cardiovascular events and risk factors, especially with blood pressure. There are some controversies about cardiovascular effects and all-cause mortality of high Ca intake, including no effect, preventive or adverse effect with or without vitamin D. Calcium supplementation might be beneficial for prevention of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality only in individuals with low intake. Moreover, calcium intake showed a J- or U-shaped association with the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Due to the controversies of the effect of electrolyte minerals especially sodium and calcium intake on cardiovascular events, large scale, well-designed long-term randomized clinical trials are required to evaluate the effect of minerals intake on cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. In this review, we discuss the role of dietary and or supplemental sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, in cardiovascular health, as well as their clinical applications, benefits, and risks for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, in general population.     

Measurements of jet flows impinging into a channel containing a rod bundle using dynamic PIV

In this investigation, full-field velocity profiles of jet flows impinging into a rod bundle were measured using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique in a facility with Matched-Index of Refraction. The test section consisted of a 1 m long rectangular channel with a cross-sectional area of 76.2 × 76.2 mm². Water was pumped through either single or double jets located on the top wall of the channel. The Reynolds numbers of the inlet jets were varied from 4470 to 13,400. Inside the channel adjacent to the inlet jets, a rod bundle was configured with 29 staggered tubes of 10.67 mm outside diameter (O.D.). The time-resolved velocity fields were obtained for regions within the rod bundle from which the vorticity fields and the turbulent characteristics of those regions were calculated. The results are useful for developing new models to help predict the flow patterns in the lower plenum of Gas Cooled Reactors.     

A lab-scale set up for thermal radiation experiments with cold junction compensation

The concepts of thermal radiation heat transfer are not tangible for many students. Experiments relied on various parameters can clarify the concepts of this mode of heat transfer.A lab-scale set up is described to study the thermal radiation heat transfer experiments. An electrical circuit of the thermopile sensor is designed and manufactured to provide experimental data.The validity of Inverse Square, Stefan–Boltzmann, and Kirchhoff Laws are investigated experimentally in the setup. Results indicate that, it is necessary to consider temperature shifts in the thermopile cold junction which is a potential source of error. Therefore, the output voltage, corresponding to the sensor temperature, should be noted upon each measurement.Moreover, during the experiment, thermopile characteristics which affected the recorded data are reported. Wide angle of view and spectral response of the thermopile are found to be the main source of errors.Finally, in order to decrease errors, some suggestions as the feedback of students experiments and comments, are proposed to improve both the methods and the instruments.     

Wearable and Miniaturized Sensor Technologies for Personalized and Preventive Medicine

The unprecedented medical achievements of the last century have dramatically improved our quality of life. Today, the high cost of many healthcare approaches challenges their long‐term financial sustainability and translation to a global scale. The convergence of wearable electronics, miniaturized sensor technologies, and big data analysis provides novel opportunities to improve the quality of healthcare while decreasing costs by the very early stage detection and prevention of fatal and chronic diseases. Here, some exciting achievements, emerging technologies, and standing challenges for the development of non‐invasive personalized and preventive medicine devices are discussed. The engineering of wire‐ and power‐less ultra‐thin sensors on wearable biocompatible materials that can be placed on the skin, pupil, and teeth is reviewed, focusing on common solutions and current limitations. The integration and development of sophisticated sensing nanomaterials are presented with respect to their performance, showing exemplary implementations for the detection of ultra‐low concentrations of biomarkers in complex mixtures such as the human sweat and breath. This review is concluded by summarizing achievements and standing challenges with the aim to provide directions for future research in miniaturized medical sensor technologies.