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Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), a device that analyzes the current conduction differences between the fat and water components is widely used for reasons that include convenience of use, non-invasiveness, safety, and low cost. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) allows for the assessment of total body and regional lean and fat tissues and bone mineral content (BMC). The objective of this study was to compare body composition assessments by BIA and DXA before and after a 6-week herbal diet intervention program in 50 pre-menopausal women [mean ± SD: age 30.58 ± 6.15, body mass index (BMI) 31.72 ± 3.78]. Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) was measured by BIA and anthropometry. Lean body mass (LBM), body fat (BF), BMC and percent body fat (%BF) were measured by BIA and DXA. Highly significant correlations were observed between BIA and DXA measurements for LBM, BF, BMC and %BF (r = 0.73, 0.93, 0.53, 0.79, respectively) before the intervention. Differences between BIA and DXA measurements were observed in LBM, BF, %BF and BMC before intervention (p < 0.01) where WHR by BIA was significantly higher compared to anthropometry before (p < 0.01) and after the intervention (p < 0.01). BIA underestimated LBM by 1.85 kg and overestimated BF by 2.54 kg compared to DXA before the intervention. Although BIA and DXA showed highly significant correlations for LBM, BF, BMC and %BF before the intervention, they did not produce statistically comparable results in pre-menopausal Korean women and therefore should not be used interchangeably when measuring body composition.

This study aims to investigate the role of changes in leptin and beta endorphin (BE) levels in weight loss following electroacupuncture (EA) application in obesity treatment. EA was applied to 20 females who were 41.45 ± 4.71 years old and had a body mass index of 36.00 ± 2.66; and a diet program was applied to 20 females who were 42.30 ± 4.35 years old and had a body mass index of 34.90 ± 3.21. There was a 4.5% weight reduction in the patients with EA application, whereas patients on diet restriction had a 3.1% weight reduction. A decrease of loss of body weight was observed in the EA group (p < 0.000) when compared against the diet restricted group. A decrease of serum leptin levels (p < 0.000) and an increase in the serum BE (p < 0.05) levels were observed in the EA group compared to the diet restricted group. In this study, reduced serum leptin levels paralleling to weight loss were observed in the EA group. Furthermore, it is thought that in the EA applied group, increasing serum BE level probably enhanced the lipolitic activity which may have caused weight loss in obese people by mobilizing energy stores. It may be considered that the EA application with diet restriction in obesity treatment is more effective than the diet restriction alone.

Our purpose was to investigate the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) therapy on body weight and on levels of serum insulin, c-peptide and glucose in obese women. 52 healthy women were included in this study and were allocated into three groups: 1) Placebo EA group (n = 15; mean age = 41.8 ± 4.6 and mean body mass index {BMI} = 33.2 ± 3.5); 2) EA group (n = 20; mean age = 42.1 ± 4.4 and BMI = 35.9 ± 3.6) and 3) Diet restriction group (n = 20; mean age = 42.9 ± 4.3 and BMI = 34.7 ± 2.7). EA was applied to the ear points Hunger and Shen Men on alternating days and to the body points LI 4, LI 11, St 36 and St 44 once a day for 30 minutes over 20 days. Diet restriction that entailed a 1450 kilocalorie (kcal) diet program was applied to the three groups for 20 days. An increase in weight loss was observed when weight loss in the EA group (p < 0.000) was compared to that in the diet restricted and placebo EA groups using the Tukey HSD test. There were increases in the serum insulin (p < 0.001) and c-peptide levels (p < 0.000) in the women treated with EA compared to those in the women treated with the placebo EA and diet restriction groups. A decrease was observed in the glucose levels (p < 0.01)in both the EA and diet restriction groups compared to those in the placebo EA group. Our results suggest that EA therapy is an effective method in treating obesity. EA therapy also helps serum glucose levels to decrease through the increase of serum insulin and c-peptide levels.

In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of electroacupuncture treatment on lipoprotein A, apolipoprotein A and apolipoprotein B levels in obese subjects. Fifty-eight women were studied in 3 groups as follows: 1) Placebo acupuncture (n = 15; mean age = 41.47 ± 4.61, and mean body mass index {BMI} = 33.43 ± 3.10); 2) Electroacupuncture (EA) (n = 20; mean age = 40.55 ± 5.30, and BMI = 35.65 ± 3.84) and 3) Diet restriction groups (n = 23; mean age = 42.91 ± 4.02, and BMI = 34.78 ± 3.29). EA was performed using the ear points, Hungry, Shen Men and Stomach the body points, Hegu (LI 4), Quchi (LI 11), Tianshu (St 25), Zusanli (St 36), Neiting (St 44) and Taichong (Liv 3) for 20 days. Intragroup comparisons were made by using paired samples t-test whereas intergroup differences were investigated by the two-way variation analysis and LSD test. There was a 4.7% (p < 0.001) weight reduction in patients with electroacupuncture application, whereas patients in diet restriction had a 2.9% (p < 0.001) weight reduction. There were significant decreases in lipoprotein A (p < 0.05) and apolipoprotein B (p < 0.05) levels in the EA compared to the control group and no changes in apolipoprotein A levels was observed in EA, diet and placebo acupuncture groups. EA therapy may be a useful approach for the treatment of obesity for both losing weight and lowing the risk factors for cardiovascular disease associated with obesity, since this application may decrease the plasma lipoprotein A and apolipoprotein B levels.

In the present work, monolithic LPS-SiC was fabricated by hot press method with the addition of Al₂O₃, Y₂O₃ and SiO₂ and annealed at different temperatures to observe microstructure evolution. Process temperature was varied from 1760°C to 1800°C. Process pressure and maturing time are 20MPa and 1h respectively. Hot pressed samples were cut into rectangular bars. Three-point flexural strength was measured at room temperature in air with a cross-head speed of 0.1 mm/min and a lower span of 18 mm. Flexural strength and elastic modulus measurement was performed using a universal test machine (INSTRON 5581, USA). The apparent density of the sintered body was measured by the Archimedes method. The specimen dimension of the heat treatments is 4W×25L×1.5T mm. The specimens used for weight-loss measurement were set into an open carbon crucible to avoid nonuniform temperature distribution within the furnace. Post-fabrication heat treatment was performed in vacuum atmosphere (PO2 ≈ 0.01 Pa). The temperature was increased at a rate of 20 K/min to the heat-treatment temperature and maintained for 10 hours, after which the specimens were furnace cooled. After heat-treatment, weight of heat-treated specimens was carefully measured by an electronic balance. In order to reveal the microstructural change in heat-treated specimen, X-ray diffractometry and microstructure observation were performed and compared with those of the as-fabricated one.

The smart wearable devices that can track the fitness activities are getting famous these days due to their easy-to-use features. The fitness trackers can work for an individual in a promising manner, provided that the user is well familiar with the device and is committed with the timelines. Several reports have provided evidence that these smart wearable devices have not showed promising results and in most of the cases, people have stopped using them, few weeks after the purchase. There are several reasons linked with this response. During this research, we have worked on the correlations of weight loss via smart device with the age, gender, body mass index (BMI) and ideal body weight (IBW), with the aid of gradient boosted decision trees (XGBoost) and support vector machine (SVM) learning tools. XGBoost and SVM are capable of dealing with complex datasets, with higher frequencies, and for data emerging from multiple sources. These machine learning tools use kernel functions for the clustering and other classification measures, and are thus better as compared to the logistic methods. Next, the time series forecasting tools are discussed with the Bayesian hyperparametric optimization. The time series of the weight loss monitoring of each individual, depicted in this manner, provided complex fractal patterns, with reduction in amplitude, with the passage of time.

The inhibitive characteristics of aqueous extracts from mangrove (Rhizophora apiculata) bark and leaf on the corrosion of mild steel (MS) coupon in 1 M HCl were examined by means of the gravimetric measurement (weight loss), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization techniques. The MS surface morphologie were investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX) at 120h in the presence and absence of green inhibitors in corrosive medium. Respective inhibition efficiencies of 68.1% and 59.0% were obtained when exposed to 10% v/v Rhizophora apiculata solution for 72h. Examination of the adsorption behavior of the solutions indicated the Langmuir isotherm model as being the most likely relevant adsorption mechanism. In addition, polarization measurements showed that both bark and leaves extract inhibitors act via mixed type inhibition.

The extraction of linseed oil (LO) was realized by refluxing method. The extracted oil was identified by gas chromatography method coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In order to contribute to the protection of the environment, one contemplates to try on LO as a green corrosion inhibitor. The corrosion inhibition of LO was studied by weight loss and electrochemical methods. The obtained results showed that the LO is an effective inhibitor of the carbon steel corrosion in 1M HCl solution, the inhibition efficiency increased with concentration to reach 88% at 200ppm. Furthermore, the adsorption of the inhibitor on the surface of metal in 1M HCl solution was found to obey Langmuir’s adsorption isotherm. The influences of temperature were also studied in the range from 298K to 328K. The kinetic and thermodynamic data of activation dissolution process were determined and discussed.

Canthium parviflorum leaf extract (CPLE) was utilized for corrosion prevention against mild steel (MS) in 0.5molL${}^{-1}$ H₂SO₄ test medium. Standard corrosion measurement techniques (gravimetric and electrochemical) were employed for this purpose. Gravimetric tests clearly confirmed that the prepared CPLE efficiently performs as corrosion inhibitor. Potentiodynamic polarization measurements (PPM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were performed in order to analyze the charge transfer process of CPLE. Polarization curves indicate that CPLE acts through mixed mode inhibition. Impedance study reveals that the CPLE additives enhances the charge transfer resistance values and conversely decreases values of double layer capacitance. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy analysis and Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were done to confirm the Fe-CPLE complex formation on MS. The effect of temperature reveals that the inhibition efficiency increases with decrease in temperature and increase in concentration of CPLE (maximum of 4mgL${}^{-1}$). The adsorption of CPLE shows that it obeys Langmuir’s isotherm model with free energy of adsorption, $\mathrm{\Delta }{G}_{\mathrm{\text{ads}}}=-1.76$kJ mol${}^{-1}$. A suitable adsorption model is also proposed.

The corrosion inhibition performance of novel synthesized thiosemicarbazide derivative namely, 2-isonicotinoyl-N-phenylhydrazinecarbothioamide (IPC) on the mild steel coupon surface in 1M hydrochloric acid solution is investigated by weight loss measurements. The adsorption parameters of the IPC on the mild steel coupon surface have been evaluated and the surface morphology of the tested mild steel is studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM) technique. The results of this study demonstrate a significant inhibitor (IPC) for mild steel and showed the highest inhibitive efficiency of 96.3% at 5mM as optimum studied inhibitor concentration. The adsorption of IPC molecules on a mild steel coupon surface is obeyed completely by the model of Langmuir adsorption isotherms. SEM has been applied to analyse the layer of IPC molecules which formed on a mild steel coupon surface as a protective layer. The inhibition efficiency (IE) of IPC from weight loss techniques and SEM analysis was harmonic with each other. The Density Functional Theory (DFT) computations have been applied to evaluate the adsorption sites of the IPC molecules and the quantum chemical calculations correlation of IPC molecules with methodological results are discussed. The energy of the highest occupied molecular orbital (EHOMO) shows a significant tendency of the IPC molecules to donate pairs of electrons to the iron atoms on the surface of mild steel. The energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (ELUMO) for IPS molecules reveals a high tendency to accept electrons from iron atoms on the surface of mild steel.

SCIENCE CHINA Life Sciences English Edition Publishes Domestic Type 2 Diabetes Research Findings.

Omega-3 Therapy May Help Reverse Type 1 Diabetes.

New Plastic-Eating Fungus May Solve Garbage Problem.

Chinese Researchers Reveal How Cells Prevent Viral Invasion.

Scientists Unlock TCM Drug’s Role in Weight Loss.

Medical Reforms in Beijing.

East China’s Anhui Province Innovates Advanced Technology.

DeltaHealth and Harvard Global Health Institute Hold Symposium.

HONG KONG News – HKSTP Welcomes Maz World to Hong Kong’s Vibrant Ecosystem to Commercialise Revolutionary Ostrich Antibody Technology from Japan

Keep the weight off, keep diabetes at bay

Tackling obesity in ASEAN

ASIA – Scientists create successful mass production system for bioengineered livers

OCEANIA – Researcher looks to next generation antibody treatment for chronic kidney disease

AMERICAS – United States cancer drug costs increasing despite competition

AMERICAS – Eating yogurt may help reduce chronic inflammation in women

AMERICAS – Forget calorie counting

ASIA-PACIFIC — Weight change in middle-aged and elderly Singaporean Chinese linked to increased mortality risk.

ASIA-PACIFIC — A fully human system to cultivate skin cells for grafting.

ASIA-PACIFIC — Essential bridge for photosynthesis has been identified.

ASIA-PACIFIC — Addressing airborne biological threats with bioaerosol sampling.

ASIA-PACIFIC — Speeding up carbohydrate research.

REST OF THE WORLD — There is hope for anticancer vaccines.

The following topics are under this section:

• AUM Biosciences obtains global rights to novel targeted cancer therapy
• Vitafoods Asia Conference to present top 5 APAC nutraceutical trends
• Weight Loss Made Simple – MyDoc Launches Medically supervised LivingLite™, in Singapore and the region
• Taiwan boosts development of biomedical industry through memorandums promoting a next-generation biomedical research ecosystem
• Mount Alvernia Hospital appoints ICON SOC to build new state-of-theart integrated cancer centre
• Healthy Hearts, Healthy Aging Asia Pacific report calls for specific policy actions and focus in managing cardiovascular disease
• Anticancer agent Halaven approved for treatment of locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer in China
• Advent Access receives CE Mark certificate for pioneering av-Guardian™ vascular access system
• ACT Genomics opens third laboratory in Asia at Hong Kong Science Park
• GSK opens new state-of-the-art pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Singapore
• Taiwan Protein Project successfully enhances Taiwan' biotechnology R&D industry
• S$6.4 million boost for NUHS to push Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Efficiency and Outcome
• HKUST Researchers Co-Discover a Novel Function of an Enzyme Offering Insight into the Pathology of Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia

The following topics are under this section:

• Asia-Pacific — Research team discovers new mechanism of light-regulated gene expression in plants
• Asia-Pacific — Improving radiotherapy treatment for nose cancer with artificial intelligence
• Asia-Pacific — Fifth anniversary celebration of Duke-NUS’ Centre for Regulatory excellence (CoRE)
• Asia-Pacific — Novel AI chip design platform to boost semiconductor industry
• Asia-Pacific — Blocking production of a protein to reduce weight
• Asia-Pacific — Simplification of Lithium-Sulfur battery production for future energy storage needs
• Rest of the World — PTSD amongst young adults linked to higher risk of stroke later in life
• Rest of the World — Exposure to blue light may cause accelerated ageing
• Rest of the World — Explore the fundamental insight on how memory evolves with age
• Rest of the World — Brain mapping made clearer with technology

Different time-dependent mechanisms such as creep, environmental surface oxidation or internal material degradation due to aging and irradiation will subject structures to the possibility of premature failures. In this paper a micro-scale finite element mesh consisting of multiple elements encased in ~50–150μm sized grains with designated grain boundaries is used to replicate shapes and dimensions to simulate an isotropic metallic microstructure. The grains are encased in pseudo-grain boundary element sets which can have different material and damage parameters compared to the grains. In this type of mesh random crack paths for intergranular and transgranular cracking conditions are allowed. It is shown that creep cracking using a uniaxial ductility constraint-based model coupled with a functionally distributed time-dependent environmentally assisted corrosion/oxidation/material degradation damage model acting on surface or internally can be realistically predicted using this model. It is also evident material properties input data have scatter especially at the sub-grain level where the measurement methods are new and not always standardised. This is dealt with in the model by employing a normal distributive probabilistic method to allow for statistically varied random damage and crack growth development. In this way it is possible to take into account the inherent variability in material input properties at the analysis stage without the need to change material properties following each run. The method could negate the need for knowing the exact material properties, which in any case is impossible to derive at the microstructural level, as results of each run can be varied using a statistically distributed critical damage criterion specified for each element.

Corrosion protection of expired Atenolol drug on the Al in the 3M HCl was investigated through the weight loss, gasometric, Tafel plot, impedance, atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), quantum chemical, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies. The addition of different concentrations of expired Atenolol drug enhances the protection efficiency. Gasometric technique was performed in order to study the variation in the amount of hydrogen gas in the presence and absence of the inhibitor. The potentiodynamic polarization plots show that the expired Atenolol drug acts as a mixed type. Data of impedance studies show that the charge transfer process controls the corrosion of Al in the 3M HCl medium. The SEM and AFM results explore that the expired Atenolol drug is a powerful corrosion inhibitor for the Al in HCl solution.

To support people trying to lose weight and stay healthy, more and more fitness apps have sprung up including the ability to track both calories intake and expenditure. Users of such apps are part of a wider “quantified self” movement and many opt-in to publicly share their logged data. In this paper, we use public food diaries of more than 4,000 long-term active MyFitnessPal users to study the characteristics of a (un-)successful diet. Concretely, we train a machine learning model to predict repeatedly being over or under self-set daily calories goals and then look at which features contribute to the model's prediction. Our findings include both expected results, such as the token “mcdonalds” or the category “dessert” being indicative for being over the calories goal, but also less obvious ones such as the difference between pork and poultry concerning dieting success, or the use of the “quick added calories” functionality being indicative of over-shooting calorie-wise. This study also hints at the feasibility of using such data for more in-depth data mining, e.g., looking at the interaction between consumed foods such as mixing protein- and carbohydrate-rich foods. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic study of public food diaries.