This study was conducted to assess the association between sarcopenic obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in Korean adults (n=3,320; ≥40 yr) who participated in the 5th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2010. The appendicular skeletal muscle mass divided by body weight was calculated for each participant; participants with values <1 standard deviation below the mean reference value (i.e., aged 20-39 yr) were considered sarcopenic. Subjects were further classified into 4 groups according to their obesity (i.e., body mass index ≥25 kg/m2) and sarcopenic status. Individuals' 10-yr CVD risk was determined using the Framingham risk model. The sarcopenic obese group had more participants (43.8% men, 14.6% women) with a high risk of CVD (≥20%). The sarcopenic obese group was associated with an increased 10-yr CVD risk than the non-sarcopenic, non-obese group (odds ratio [OR], 2.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.53-4.06, P<0.001 in men; OR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.02-3.41, P=0.041 in women). Sarcopenic non-obese and non-sarcopenic obese subjects were not associated with an increased 10-yr CVD risk. Sarcopenic obesity, but not non-sarcopenic obesity, was closely associated with an increased CVD risk in Korean adults.Graphical Abstract

Achieving a high-quality metal contact on two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors still remains a major challenge due to the strong Fermi level pinning and the absence of an effective doping method. Here, we demonstrate high performance “all-PtSe2” field-effect transistors (FETs) completely free from those issues, enabled by the vertical integration of a metallic thick PtSe2 source/drain onto the semiconducting ultrathin PtSe2 channel. Owing to its inherent thickness-dependent semiconductor-to-metal phase transition, the transferred metallic PtSe2 transforms the underlying semiconducting PtSe2 into metal at the junction. Therefore, a fully metallized source/drain and semiconducting channel could be realized within the same PtSe2 platform. The ultrathin PtSe2 FETs with PtSe2 vdW contact exhibits excellent gate tunability, superior mobility, and high ON current accompanied by one order lower contact resistance compared to conventional Ti/Au contact FETs. Our work provides a new device paradigm with a low resistance PtSe2 vdW contact which can overcome a fundamental bottleneck in 2D nanoelectronics.

A molecular cage, macrobicycle 2, containing amide and pyrrole groups as hydrogen-bonding donors and imine groups as hydrogen-bonding acceptors has been synthesized. Compound 2 was found to recognize tetrahedral oxyanions with high affinities, such as H 2 PO 4 − , HSO 4 − , SO 4 2− , and HP 2 O 7 3− , as well as the spherical halide anions, in chloroform. A single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that compound 2 formed a 1:1 complex with H 2 PO 4 − in the solid state.

BackgroundThe association between sleep duration and body composition measures in Korean adults remains unclear.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 3,532 subjects aged ≥40 years (1,542 men and 1,990 women) who participated in the 2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey V-1. Self-reported sleep duration and anthropometric data were collected. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) was quantified via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Obesity was defined according to the body mass index and waist circumference. Sarcopenia was defined as the muscle mass percentage (ASM/weight) below the lowest quintile computed for the study population. Multivariate logistic regressions with or without adjustment for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were used to evaluate the association of sleep duration with obesity and sarcopenia for participants who slept ≤5, 6–8, and ≥9 h/d. The results were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs).ResultsIn women, the association between sleep duration and sarcopenia was stronger for individuals who slept ≥9 h/d than for those who slept 6–8 h/d (unadjusted OR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.19–3.34; adjusted OR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.06– 2.96).ConclusionLonger sleep duration is associated with a significantly higher incidence of sarcopenia in Korean women aged ≥40 years.

This study was conducted to assess the relationship between body composition and suicidal ideation among the Korean elderly population (n = 302; ≥ 65 years) who participated in the Hallym Aging Study in 2010. Body composition was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and obesity was measured by the indices of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and body fat percentage. Sarcopenia was defined as presence of both low muscle mass and low muscle function. Suicidal ideation was assessed using the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation. We found no differences in body composition measures between subjects with suicidal ideation and those without. In the logistic regression analyses, there were no significant relationships for suicidal ideation according to body composition measures, including BMI, WC, WHR, WHtR, and body fat percentage in both sexes. After adjusting for age, smoking status, alcohol drinking, regular exercise, medical comorbidities, monthly income, education level, and presence of depressive symptoms, the odds ratio (OR) of suicidal ideation was higher in elderly men with sarcopenia compared to those without, whereas no significant relationships were observed in elderly women (OR 8.28, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20–61.34 in men; OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.07–8.43 in women). Sarcopenia is closely associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation in elderly men.

BackgroundDry eye disease is an aging-related ophthalmic disease that not only affects the daily activities but also causes deterioration in the quality of life. This study aimed to evaluate the factors associated with dry eye symptoms in elderly Koreans.MethodsWe investigated 4,185 subjects (men=1,787 and women=2,398) aged ≥65 years from the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010−2012. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regressions to identify the relationships between dry eye symptoms and other factors.ResultsThe prevalence of dry eye symptoms was 17.9%. After adjustment for confounding factors, dry eye symptoms were significantly associated with female sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.806; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.410−2.313), a history of cataract (aOR, 1.683; 95% CI, 1.255−2.255), suicidal ideation (aOR, 1.414; 95% CI, 1.070−1.870), hypercholesterolemia (aOR, 1.289; 95% CI, 1.025−1.621), age ≥80 years (aOR, 0.538; 95% CI, 0.337−0.859), and sleep duration ≥9 h/d (aOR, 0.524; 95% CI, 0.330−0.834).ConclusionAmong elderly Koreans, female sex, a history of cataract, suicidal ideation, and hypercholesterolemia may be the risk factors for dry eye symptoms, whereas sleep duration ≥9 h/d can be a protective factor against dry eye symptoms.

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We investigated the effects of composite electrospun polyurethane (PU)/loess powder (LP) fibers for absorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from air. PU films containing different amounts of LP (0, 10, 30, and 50 wt% LP with respect to PU) nanoparticles (NPs) were analyzed using FE-SEM, FTIR, and XRD experimental analyzers. Electron microscopy and spectroscopy indicated that the proper content of LP NPs is homogeneous dispersion in a polymer matrix. In addition, 50 wt% of LP results in a higher concentration spinning nanosuspension that leads to some agglomeration on the film surface. The chloroform, benzene, and toluene (VOCs) absorption capacity of PU/LP composite films showed a trend of toluene > benzene > chloroform. The highest VOC absorption capacity was found with PU composite mats containing 30 wt% LP NPs. The high VOC absorption capacity of PU/LP composite films can be used to remove VOCs from a new house or car.