Background Accumulation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) in skeletal muscle has been implicated in development of sarcopenia. Aim To obtain further insight in the pathophysiology of sarcopenia we studied its relationship with skin AGEs in the general population. Methods In a cross-sectional analysis, 2744 participants of Northern European background, mean age 74.1 years were included from the Rotterdam Study. Skin AGEs were measured using AGE readerTMas Skin autofluorescence (SAF), appendicular skeletal mass index (ASMI) using iDXA, hand grip strength (HGS) using a hydraulic hand dynamometer and in a subgroup gait speed (GS) measured on an electronic walkway (n=2,080). We defined probable sarcopenia (low HGS) and confirmed sarcopenia (low HGS and low ASMI) based on European working group on Sarcopenia revised criteria (EWGSOP2) cut-offs. Multivariate linear and logistic regression were performed adjusting for age, sex, body fat percentage, height, renal function, diabetes and smoking status. Results The prevalence of low ASMI was 7.7%, probable sarcopenia 24%, slow GS 3%, confirmed sarcopenia 3.5%. SAF was inversely associated with ASMI (β=-0.062, 95%CI = -0.092 - -0.032), HGS (β=-0.051, 95%CI = -0.075 - -0.026) and GS (β=-0.074, 95% CI = -0.116 - -0.033). One unit increase in SAF was associated with higher odds of probable sarcopenia (OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.09 -1.68) and confirmed sarcopenia (OR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.33- 3.06). Conclusion Higher skin AGEs are associated with higher sarcopenia prevalence. We call for future longitudinal studies to explore the role of SAF as a potential biomarker of sarcopenia.

This study investigated the removal of ammonia in wastewater by an electrochemical method using titanium electrodes coated with ruthenium and iridium (RuO 2 -IrO 2 -TiO 2 /Ti) with low chlorine evolution overvoltage. The effects of operating parameters, including chloride ion concentration, current density and initial pH, were also investigated. The results were evaluated primarily by considering the efficiency of the elimination of NH 4 + -N. The removal of ammonia by electrochemical oxidation mainly resulted from the indirect oxidation effect of chlorine/hypochlorite produced during electrolysis. The direct anodic oxidation efficiency of ammonia was less than 5%, and the current efficiency was less than 10%. The ammonia removal followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. The electrochemical process can be applied successfully as a final polishing step, or as an alternative method to biological nitrification. The process seems to be most beneficial for small coastal cities

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IMPORTANCE Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and their receptor (RAGE) are implicated in the pathophysiological processes of dementia and potentially underlie the association of diabetes with neurodegeneration. However, longitudinal studies examining this association are lacking. OBJECTIVE To determine whether markers of the AGE-RAGE system are associated with prevalent and incident dementia and with cognition. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In this population-based cohort study including participants from the prospective Rotterdam Study, extracellular newly identified RAGE binding protein (EN-RAGE) and soluble RAGE (S-RAGE) were measured in plasma collected between 1997 and 1999 in a random selection of participants, and additionally in participants with prevalent dementia. Participants without dementia were followed up for dementia until 2016. Skin AGEs,