A large proportion of young adults have insufficient TWI. Participants with lower TWI would not compensate with water from food. The variances in TWI among participants were mainly due to differences in total drinking fluids. There is an urgent need to improve the fluids intake behaviors of young adults.

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a regulator of glucose and lipid metabolism. It has been widely considered as a promising candidate for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and other related metabolic disorders. However, lack of structural and dynamic information has limited FGF21-based drug development. Here, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we determine the structure of FGF21 and find that its non-canonical flexible b-trefoil conformation affects the folding of b2-b3 hairpin and further overall protein stability. To modulate folding dynamics, we designed an FGF21-FGF19 chimera, FGF21 SS. As expected, FGF21 SS shows better thermostability without inducing hepatocyte proliferation. Functional characterization of FGF21 SS shows its better insulin sensitivity, reduced inflammation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, and lower blood glucose and insulin levels in ob/ob mice compared with wild type. Our dynamics-based rational design provides a promising approach for FGF21-based therapeutic development against T2DM.

Surfactant protein D (SP‐D) is a member of the collectin family and is an important component of the pulmonary innate host defence. The protein has a widespread distribution in the human body and is present in multiple epithelia, in endothelium and in blood. Various studies have looked at the relationship between serum SP‐D levels and pulmonary inflammatory diseases. The SP‐D distribution has been most thoroughly described in European populations and appears with a broad range of serum values highly influenced by genetic factors. In the present study, we investigated the plasma SP‐D distribution in a Chinese population from the Tai An region comprising 268 individuals. We found that (i) plasma SP‐D in the Chinese population was distributed with a median value of 380.2 ng/ml (324.9; 418.7) and a range from 79.4 to 3965.3 ng/ml, (ii) significantly higher plasma SP‐D in men than in women, and no significant effect of age, and (iii) a significant inverse association between serum SP‐D and body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.012). The data indicate that racial differences in SP‐D expression exist as the median plasma SP‐D in the Chinese population was approximately two times lower than the median serum SP‐D previously measured in a Danish population using the same immuno‐assay. The inverse association between serum SP‐D and BMI found in the Chinese population indicates that serum SP‐D is related to obesity in similar ways in Chinese and Danes.

Background: The purposes were to investigate the drinking patterns and hydration biomarkers among young adults with different levels of habitual total drinking fluids intake. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 159 young adults aged 18-23 years in Baoding, China. Total drinking fluids and water from food were assessed by 7-day 24-h fluid intake questionnaire and duplicate portion method, respectively. The osmolality and electrolyte concentrations of the 24 h urine and fasting blood samples were tested. Differences in LD 1 (low drinker), LD 2 , LD 3 and HD (high drinker) groups, stratified according to the quartiles of total drinking fluids, were compared using one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis H test and chi-square test. Results: A total of 156 participants (80 males and 76 females) completed the study. HD group had greater amounts of TWI (Total Water Intake), water from food, higher and lower contributions of total drinking fluids and water from food to TWI, respectively, than LD 1 , LD 2 and LD 3 groups (p < 0.05). Participants in HD group had higher amounts of water and water from dishes than participants in LD 1 , LD 2 and LD 3 groups (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found in the contributions of different fluids to total drinking fluids within the four groups (p > 0.05). The osmolality of urine was 59-143 mOsm/kg higher in LD 1 than that in LD 2 , LD 3 and HD group (p < 0.05). The percentage of participants in optimal hydration status increased from 12.8% in LD 1 group to 56.4% in HD group (p < 0.05). HD and LD 3 groups had 386~793 higher volumes of urine than that of LD 1 and LD 2 groups (p < 0.05). Differences were found in the concentrations of electrolytes among the four groups (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found in the plasma biomarkers (p > 0.05), with the exception of higher concentration of Mg in LD 3 and HD groups than

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