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A straightforward asymmetric transfer hydrogenation for accessing enantiomerically enriched secondary benzyl alcohols involving free phenolic hydroxyl group(s) under mild conditions was developed. Various of optical pure aryl alcohols with a remarkable functional group compatibility were achieved with 78%-97% yields, 84%->99% ee's and up to 10 000 TON. This rhodium-catalyzed reaction could be performed in a gram-scale without loss of the efficiency. Furthermore, the synthetic utility has also been demonstrated in the asymmetric synthesis of (S)-adrenaline and (S)-phenylephrine., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Objective: Non-cirrhotic porto-mesenteric vein thrombosis (NC-PMVT) is a rare but severe clinical condition. The study aims to assess the effectiveness and safety of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) coupled with dual-access thrombolysis in patients with acute severe NC-PMVT., Methods: From January 2018 to February 2023, a total of 25 patients with acute severe NC-PMVT who were treated with TIPS in conjunction with mechanical thrombectomy and dual-access thrombolysis. The period of thrombolysis was determined by the improvement of clinical symptoms and vascular recanalization. The technical success, recanalization rate, clinical success, and procedure-related complications were analyzed., Results: The technical success rate was 100 %. The median duration for thrombolytic catheter removal was 5 (IQR 3.5 - 7) days. Full and partial recanalization were accomplished in 10 (40 %) and 15 (60 %) patients respectively before discharge. No significant procedure-related complications were reported. The clinical success rate was 88 %, with a mortality rate of 12 %. Over a median follow-up of 8 months, 3/22 (13.64 %) patients had a recurrence of thrombosis; 1/22 (4.54 %) patients underwent partial intestinal resection one and a half months post-discharge; the remaining patients did not experience any portal hypertensive complications., Conclusion: The combination of TIPS and dual-access thrombolysis appears to be safe and effective for patients with acute severe NC-PMVT., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Coal mining in the Loess Plateau can very easily generate ground cracks, and these cracks can immediately result in ventilation trouble under the mine shaft, runoff disturbance, and vegetation destruction. Advanced UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) high-resolution mapping and DL (Deep Learning) are introduced as the key methods to quickly delineate coal mining ground surface cracks for disaster prevention. Firstly, the dataset named the Ground Cracks of Coal Mining Area Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (GCCMA-UAV) is built, with a ground resolution of 3 cm, which is suitable to make a 1:500 thematic map of the ground crack. This GCCMA-UAV dataset includes 6280 images of ground cracks, and the size of the imagery is 256 × 256 pixels. Secondly, the DRA-UNet model is built effectively for coal mining ground surface crack delineation. This DRA-UNet model is an improved UNet DL model, which mainly includes the DAM (Dual Dttention Dechanism) module, the RN (residual network) module, and the ASPP (Atrous Spatial Pyramid Pooling) module. The DRA-UNet model shows the highest recall rate of 77.29% when the DRA-UNet was compared with other similar DL models, such as DeepLabV3+, SegNet, PSPNet, and so on. DRA-UNet also has other relatively reliable indicators; the precision rate is 84.92% and the F1 score is 78.87%. Finally, DRA-UNet is applied to delineate cracks on a DOM (Digital Orthophoto Map) of 3 km 2 in the mining workface area, with a ground resolution of 3 cm. There were 4903 cracks that were delineated from the DOM in the Huojitu Coal Mine Shaft. This DRA-UNet model effectively improves the efficiency of crack delineation.

The plant-derived camphor has been used as a natural insect repellent against various insects for >500 years. However, the repellency mechanism behind camphor remains less understood. In this study, we aimed to identify the camphor receptor in Hyphantria cunea by deorphanizing 7 odorant receptors (ORs). The results showed that HcunOR46 is narrowly tuned to Camphor and is only conserved within the family Noctuidae. Further analysis through behavioral and electroantennograms (EAG) assays indicated that H. cunea adults are more sensitive to camphor than larvae, both behaviorally and electrophysiologically. This difference may be due to the lower expression of HcunOR46 at the larval stage. Additionally, a feeding assay indicated that camphor repellency could be related to camphor toxicity to larvae, with the lethal concentration 50 (LC 50 ) value of 69.713 μg/μL. These results suggest that H. cunea may detect camphor through a distinct olfactory pathway from Culicinae mosquitos, providing a novel camphor-based pest management strategy for H. cunea., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), emerging as novel mediators between intercellular communication, encapsulate distinct bioactive cargoes to modulate multiple biological events, such as epigenetic remodeling. In essence, EVs and epigenomic profiles are tightly linked and reciprocally regulated. Epigenetic factors, including histone and DNA modifications, noncoding RNAs, and protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) dynamically regulate EV biogenesis to contribute to EV heterogeneity. Alternatively, EVs actively modify DNA, RNA, and histone profiles in recipient cells by delivering RNA and protein cargoes for downstream epigenetic enzyme regulation. Moreover, EVs display great potential as diagnostic markers and drug-delivery vehicles for therapeutic applications. The combination of parental cell epigenomic modification with single EV characterization would be a promising strategy for EV engineering to enhance the epidrug loading efficacy and accuracy., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aloperine (ALO), a quinolizidine-type alkaloid isolated from a natural Chinese herb, has shown promising antitumor effects. Nevertheless, its common mechanism of action and specific target remain elusive. Here, it is demonstrated that ALO inhibits the proliferation and migration of non-small cell lung cancer cell lines in vitro and the tumor development in several mouse tumor models in vivo. Mechanistically, ALO inhibits the fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes and the autophagic flux, leading to the accumulation of sequestosome-1 (SQSTM1) and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby inducing tumor cell apoptosis and preventing tumor growth. Knockdown of SQSTM1 in cells inhibits ROS production and reverses ALO-induced cell apoptosis. Furthermore, VPS4A is identified as a direct target of ALO, and the amino acids F153 and D263 of VPS4A are confirmed as the binding sites for ALO. Knockout of VPS4A in H1299 cells demonstrates a similar biological effect as ALO treatment. Additionally, ALO enhances the efficacy of the anti-PD-L1/TGF-β bispecific antibody in inhibiting LLC-derived subcutaneous tumor models. Thus, ALO is first identified as a novel late-stage autophagy inhibitor that triggers tumor cell death by targeting VPS4A., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

A miniature laser with linear polarization is a long sought-after component of photonic integrated circuits. In particular, for multiwavelength polarization lasers, it supports simultaneous access to multiple, widely varying laser wavelengths in a small spatial region, which is of great significance for advancing applications such as optical computing, optical storage, and optical sensing. However, there is a trade-off between the size of small-scale lasers and laser performance, and multiwavelength co-gain of laser media and multicavity micromachining in the process of laser miniaturization remain as significant challenges. Herein, room-temperature linearly polarized multiwavelength lasers in the visible and near-infrared wavelength ranges are demonstrated, by fabricating random cavities scattered with silica in an Er-doped Cs 2 Ag 0.4 Na 0.6 In 0.98 Bi 0.02 Cl 6 double-perovskite quantum dots gain membrane. By regulating the local symmetry and enabling effective energy transfer in nanocrystals, multiwavelength lasers with ultralow thresholds are achieved at room temperature. The maximum degree of polarization reaches 0.89. With their advantages in terms of miniaturization, ultralow power consumption, and adaptability for integration, these lasers offer a prospective light source for future photonic integrated circuits aimed at high-capacity optical applications., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The aspartate to alanine transaminase (AST/ALT) ratio indicates oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions related to the occurrence of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Currently, there are no reports on the correlation between AST/ALT ratio and DR. Hence, this study aimed to explore the relationship between AST/ALT ratio and DR. This cross-sectional study utilized data from the Metabolic Management Center of the First People's Hospital in City. In total, 1365 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) participated in the study, including 244 patients with DR and 1121 patients without DR. We collected the results of fundus photography, liver function, and other research data and grouped them according to tertiles of AST/ALT ratios. DR prevalence was the highest in the group with the highest AST/ALT ratio (22.12%, P = .004). Both univariate (OR = 2.25, 95% CI: 1.51-3.34, P < .001) and multivariable logistic regression analyses (adjusted for confounding factors) showed that the risk of DR increased by 36% when the AST/ALT ratio increased by 1 standard deviation (SD) (OR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.16-1.59, P < .001), and 29.3% was mediated by the duration of diabetes. A sensitivity analysis confirmed the stability of the results. This study showed that an increase in AST/ALT ratio is an independent risk factor for DR., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Few studies have compared the correlation between visceral fat area (VFA) and abdominal subcutaneous fat area (SFA) with arterial stiffness (AS) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). In addition, there is currently controversy regarding the correlation between VFA and SFA with AS. We aimed to investigate the relationship between VFA and SFA with AS in patients with T2D., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1475 Chinese T2D patients with an average age of 52.32 ± 10.96 years were included. VFA and SFA were determined by a dual bioelectrical impedance analyzer, and AS was determined by measurement of brachial-ankle pulse wave conduction velocity (baPWV). Atherosclerosis was deemed present in study participants with baPWV values higher than 75th percentile (1781 cm/s). Independent correlations of logVFA and logSFA with AS were assessed using multiple linear regression and multivariate logistic regression., Results: The baPWV was linked with VFA, waist circumference, and women's SFA in a general linear correlation study (P < 0.05), but not with body mass index (P = 0.3783) or men's SFA (P = 0.1899). In both men and women, VFA and SFA were positively correlated with AS, according to the generalized additive model (GAM). After fully adjusting for confounders, multiple linear regression analyses showed that for every 1-unit increase in logVFA, the beta coefficient of baPWV increased by 63.1 cm/s (95% CI: 18.4, 107.8) (P < 0.05). logSFA did not correlate significantly with baPWV (P = 0.125). In the multiple logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio (OR) of elevated baPWV was 1.8 (95% CI: 1.1, 3.1) (P = 0.019) per 1-unit increase in logVFA. logSFA did not correlate significantly with AS (P = 0.091). In the subgroup analysis, the correlation between logVFA and baPWV did not interact across subgroups (P-interaction > 0.05)., Conclusions: Compared with SFA, VFA had a stronger independent positive correlation with AS in Chinese T2D patients. Patients with T2D should pay more attention to monitoring VFA and lowering it to minimize cardiovascular events., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) is a major hindrance to the success of cardiac reperfusion therapy. Although increased neutrophil infiltration is a hallmark of MIRI, the subtypes and alterations of neutrophils in this process remain unclear. Here, we performed single-cell sequencing of cardiac CD45 + cells isolated from the murine myocardium subjected to MIRI at six-time points. We identified diverse types of infiltrating immune cells and their dynamic changes during MIRI. Cardiac neutrophils showed the most immediate response and largest changes and featured with functionally heterogeneous subpopulations, including Ccl3 hi Neu and Ym-1 hi Neu, which were increased at 6 h and 1 d after reperfusion, respectively. Ym-1 hi Neu selectively expressed genes with protective effects and was, therefore, identified as a novel specific type of cardiac cell in the injured heart. Further analysis indicated that neutrophils and their subtypes orchestrated subsequent immune responses in the cardiac tissues, especially instructing the response of macrophages. The abundance of Ym-1 hi Neu was closely correlated with the therapeutic efficacy of MIRI when neutrophils were specifically targeted by anti-Lymphocyte antigen 6 complex locus G6D (Ly6G) or anti-Intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) neutralizing antibodies. In addition, a neutrophil subtype with the same phenotype as Ym-1 hi Neu was detected in clinical samples and correlated with prognosis. Ym-1 inhibition exacerbated myocardial injury, whereas Ym-1 supplementation significantly ameliorated injury in MIRI mice, which was attributed to the tilt of Ym-1 on the polarization of macrophages toward the repair phenotype in myocardial tissue. Overall, our findings reveal the anti-inflammatory phenotype of Ym-1 hi Neu and highlight its critical role in myocardial protection during the early stages of MIRI., (Copyright © 2024 Science China Press. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Isopropyl 4-(2-chloro-6-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)benzamido)benzoate (TPB) was a 1,2,4-triazole benzoyl arylamine derivative with excellent antifungal activity, especially against Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici (Ggt). Its mechanism of action was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation, assays of sterol composition, cell membrane permeability, intracellular ATP and mitochondrial membrane potential, and mPTP permeability, ROS measurement, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis., Results: TPB interfered with ergosterol synthesis, reducing ergosterol content, increasing toxic intermediates, and finally causing biomembrane disruption such as increasing cell membrane permeability and content leakage, and destruction of organelle membranes such as coarse endoplasmic reticulum and vacuole. Moreover, TPB destroyed the function of adenine nucleotide transferase (ANT), leading to ATP transport obstruction in mitochondria, inhibiting mPTP opening, inducing intracellular ROS accumulation and mitochondrial membrane potential loss, finally resulting in mitochondrial damage including mitochondria swelled, mitochondrial membrane dissolved, and cristae destroyed and reduced. RNA-seq analyses showed that TPB increased the expression of ERG11, ERG24, ERG6, ERG5, ERG3 and ERG2 genes in ergosterol synthesis pathway, interfered with the expression of genes (NDUFS5, ATPeV0E, NCA2 and Pam17) related to mitochondrial structure, and inhibited the expression of genes (WrbA and GST) related to anti-oxidative stress., Conclusions: TPB exhibited excellent antifungal activity against Ggt by inhibiting ergosterol synthesis and destroying ANT function. So, TPB was a novel compound with dual-target mechanism of action and can be considered a promising novel fungicide for the control of wheat Take-all. The results provided new guides for the structural design of active compounds and powerful tools for pathogen resistance management. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.)

In this paper, berberine hydrochloride-loaded liposomes-in-gel were designed and developed to investigate their antioxidant properties and therapeutic effects on the eczema model of the mouse. Berberine hydrochloride-liposomes (BBH-L) as the nanoparticles were prepared by the thin-film hydration method and then dispersed BBH-L evenly in the gel matrix to prepare the berberine hydrochloride liposomes-gel (BBH-L-Gel) by the natural swelling method. Their antioxidant capacity was investigated by the free radical scavenging ability on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and H 2 O 2 and the inhibition of lipid peroxides malondialdehyde (MDA). An eczema model was established, and the efficacy of the eczema treatment was preliminarily evaluated using ear swelling, the spleen index, and pathological sections as indicators. The results indicate that the entrapment efficiency of BBH-L prepared by the thin-film hydration method was 78.56% ± 0.7%, with a particle size of 155.4 ± 9.3 nm. For BBH-L-Gel, the viscosity and pH were 18.16 ± 6.34 m Pas and 7.32 ± 0.08, respectively. The cumulative release in the unit area of the in vitro transdermal study was 85.01 ± 4.53 μg/cm 2 . BBH-L-Gel had a good scavenging capacity on DPPH and H 2 O 2 , and it could effectively inhibit the production of hepatic lipid peroxides MDA in the concentration range of 0.4-2.0 mg/mL. The topical application of BBH-L-Gel could effectively alleviate eczema symptoms and reduce oxidative stress injury in mice. This study demonstrates that BBH-L-Gel has good skin permeability, excellent sustained release, and antioxidant capabilities. They can effectively alleviate the itching, inflammation, and allergic symptoms caused by eczema, providing a new strategy for clinical applications in eczema treatment.

Selective adsorption of heavy metal ions from industrial effluent is important for healthy ecosystem development. However, the selective adsorption of heavy metal pollutants by biochar using lignin as raw material is still a challenge. In this paper, the lignin carbon material (N-BLC) was synthesized by a one-step hydrothermal carbonization method using paper black liquor (BL) as raw material and triethylene diamine (TEDA) as nitrogen source. N-BLC (2:1) showed excellent selectivity for Cr(VI) in the binary system, and the adsorption amounts of Cr(VI) in the binary system were all greater than 150 mg/g, but the adsorption amounts of Ca(II), Mg(II), and Zn(II) were only 19.3, 25.5, and 6.3 mg/g, respectively. The separation factor (SF) for Cr(VI) adsorption was as high as 120.0. Meanwhile, FTIR, elemental analysis and XPS proved that the surface of N-BLC (2:1) contained many N- and O- containing groups which were favorable for the removal of Cr(VI). The adsorption of N-BLC (2:1) followed the Langmuir model and its maximum theoretical adsorption amount was 618.4 mg/g. After 5th recycling, the adsorption amount of Cr(VI) by N-BLC (2:1) decreased about 15%, showing a good regeneration ability. Therefore, N-BLC (2:1) is a highly efficient, selective and reusable Cr(VI) adsorbent with wide application prospects., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

High-performance ion-conducting hydrogels (ICHs) are vital for developing flexible electronic devices. However, the robustness and ion-conducting behavior of ICHs deteriorate at extreme temperatures, hampering their use in soft electronics. To resolve these issues, a method involving freeze-thawing and ionizing radiation technology is reported herein for synthesizing a novel double-network (DN) ICH based on a poly(ionic liquid)/MXene/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PMP DN ICH) system. The well-designed ICH exhibits outstanding ionic conductivity (63.89 mS cm -1 at 25 °C), excellent temperature resistance (- 60-80 °C), prolonged stability (30 d at ambient temperature), high oxidation resistance, remarkable antibacterial activity, decent mechanical performance, and adhesion. Additionally, the ICH performs effectively in a flexible wireless strain sensor, thermal sensor, all-solid-state supercapacitor, and single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator, thereby highlighting its viability in constructing soft electronic devices. The highly integrated gel structure endows these flexible electronic devices with stable, reliable signal output performance. In particular, the all-solid-state supercapacitor containing the PMP DN ICH electrolyte exhibits a high areal specific capacitance of 253.38 mF cm -2 (current density, 1 mA cm -2 ) and excellent environmental adaptability. This study paves the way for the design and fabrication of high-performance multifunctional/flexible ICHs for wearable sensing, energy-storage, and energy-harvesting applications., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The simultaneous balance of electrode materials and electrode structures can energize the development of innovative electrochemical sensors. In this work, a 3D nanocarbon layer of hybrid heteroatoms and metal atoms (CN/Fe) with excellent electrical properties and abundant active sites was self-constructed on the surface of a quartz-based nanofiber by high-temperature pyrolysis. Further, the nanofiber tip was selected as the sensing region to develop an electrochemical sensing platform with high sensitivity, miniaturization, and portability. A common broad-spectrum antibiotic (Doxycycline hyclate, DOX) was used as a model to evaluate the designed miniaturized sensing platform, and the stability, reproducibility, and applicability of the microsensor were verified in a variety of real samples, including algal solution, milk, human serum, and cell culture media. The results show that the proposed sensing platform has a detection limit as low as 82 nM in aqueous environments. Furthermore, it is further shown that coupling the design of electrode materials and electrode structures facilitates the development of electrochemical sensors with more practical applications. This concept will open up new avenues for the development of electrochemical sensors that meet many application scenarios., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Chinese population suffers severe health risk from dietary methylmercury (MeHg) exposure. However, the temporal change of such risk and socioeconomic driving factors remain unknown. This study investigates this issue by compiling time-series inventory of China's MeHg-related health risk at the provincial scale and revealing critical socioeconomic influencing factors through structural decomposition analysis. Results show that the per-fetus IQ decrements from dietary MeHg exposure have declined by 60% nationally during 2004-2019. Such decline results from the joint effects of dietary shifts (contributing 44%) and the decrease of MeHg concentrations in foods consumed (contributing 56%). However, the declining trend has slowed down since 2014 and even leveled off after 2016, which is mainly affected by dietary pattern changes. Especially, the increased intake level and proportion of fishes in underdeveloped provinces of China have dominated the slowdown of declining trend after 2016. Moreover, the affluence and education levels have significantly negative associations with per-fetus IQ decrements. Rich and well-educated people have higher ability of risk perception, which indicates the importance of rational consumption patterns. Our findings can help develop socioeconomic regulatory policies on reducing per-fetus IQ decrements from dietary MeHg exposure in China., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Many studies have confirmed that lipid accumulation products (LAP) predict arterial stiffness (AS) in hypertensive patients. But there is little research on the use of LAP in identifying early atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the LAP index and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in Chinese patients with T2DM., Methods: A total of 1471 Chinese participants with T2DM, ranging in age from 18 to 80, were included in this cross-sectional study. BaPWV measurements were used to calculate the AS. A baPWV greater than the 75th percentile (1700 cm/s) was defined as indicating increased AS. The LAP index was calculated from the combination of waist circumference (WC) and triglycerides (TG)., Results: According to the quartiles of the LAP index, baPWV tended to increase after adjusting for sex and age. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the beta coefficient (β) of baPWV increased by 31.0 cm/s for each unit of lnLAP that was increased, and the 95% confidence interval (CI) was (6.5, 55.5) cm/s. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, after fully adjusting for confounders, the risk of elevated baPWV increased with each unit increase in lnLAP, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.3 (95% CI: 1.0, 1.8). According to the generalized additive model (GAM), we found that lnLAP was positively correlated with baPWV and baPWV elevation. The results were the same for males and females. Subgroup analyses showed that the positive correlation between lnLAP and elevated baPWV did not interact across all subgroups., Conclusions: In Chinese patients with T2DM, LAP was strongly and positively correlated with baPWV and elevated baPWV., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Mao, Gan, Zhou, Yu, Zhou, Lu, Jin, Liu and Deng.)

Purpose: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is increasing globally and has become a global and national public health problem that cannot be ignored as an independent predictor of cardiovascular events, cancer and all-cause mortality. γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) are associated with insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and oxidative stress. This study was designed to explore the relationship and predictive performance between γ-glutamyl transferase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (GGT/HDL-C) and MetS., Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. MetS was diagnosed from biochemical and anthropometric data in subjects with T2DM. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyses the relationship between GGT/HDL-C ratio, TyG index and HOMA-IR and MetS in subjects with T2DM. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn and the areas under the curve (AUC) were used to assess the ability of these indexes in screening MetS in subjects with T2DM. Statistical differences between the AUC values of these indexes were compared. In addition, we performed subgroup analyses and interactions., Results: 769 (70.55%) patients with T2DM were defined as having MetS. patients with MetS had higher anthropometric values and biochemical indicators compared to those without MetS. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of GGT/HDL-C ratio was an independent risk factor for MetS (Per 1 SD increase, OR = 2.49, 95% CI: 1.51, 4.10). According to ROC curve analysis, the value of GGT/HDL-C ratio in predicting MetS in subjects with T2DM was superior to that of TyG index and HOMA-IR. The best cut-off value for GGT/HDL-C prediction was 19.94., Conclusions: GGT/HDL-C ratio may be an important predictor of MetS in subjects with T2DM, and its predictive power is stronger than that of TyG index and HOMA-IR. The risk of MetS in subjects with T2DM is increased in the presence of a higher GGT/HDL-C ratio., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Gong, Gan, Zhang, Zhou and Zhou.)

Technological progress (TP) is a double-edged sword to global climate change. This study for the first time reveals rebound and mitigation effects of efficiency-related TP in global value chains (GVCs) on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The integrated effects of TP depend on the positioning of sectors in GVCs. The cost-saving TP in upstream sectors would stimulate downstream demand. This produces stronger rebound effects than mitigation potentials and leads to global GHG emission increments (e.g. TP in the gas sector of China and petroleum and coal products sector of South Korea). In contrast, sectors located in the trailing end of GVCs have greater potentials for GHG emission mitigation through TP, mainly due to the reduction of upstream inputs. (e.g. the construction sector of China and dwelling sector of the United States). Global GHG emissions and production outputs can be either a trade-off or a win-win relationship on account of TP than rebound effects, because TP in different sectors could possibly increase or decrease the emission intensity of GVCs. This study could recognize the most productive spots for GHG emission mitigation through efficiency-related TP. It provides a new perspective for international cooperation to promote global GHG emission mitigation., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of National Academy of Sciences.)

Cancer-associated cachexia is a multi-organ weight loss syndrome, especially with a wasting disorder of adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) serve as emerging messengers to connect primary tumour and metabolic organs to exert systemic regulation. However, whether and how tumour-derived sEVs regulate white adipose tissue (WAT) browning and fat loss is poorly defined. Here, we report breast cancer cell-secreted exosomal miR-204-5p induces hypoxia-inducible factor 1A (HIF1A) in WAT by targeting von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene. Elevated HIF1A protein induces the leptin signalling pathway and thereby enhances lipolysis in WAT. Additionally, exogenous VHL expression blocks the effect of exosomal miR-204-5p on WAT browning. Reduced plasma phosphatidyl ethanolamine level is detected in mice lack of cancer-derived miR-204-5p secretion in vivo. Collectively, our study reveals circulating miR-204-5p induces hypoxia-mediated leptin signalling pathway to promote lipolysis and WAT browning, shedding light on both preventive screenings and early intervention for cancer-associated cachexia., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the 14-item health literacy scale (HL-14) in patients living with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in clinical setting., Methods: Cross-sectional study using item response theory and structural equation modeling (SEM) for testing the item difficulty and three dimensional-HL configurations was adopted in this study. Chinese patients living with T2DM admitted to endocrinology department of Huadong hospital were evaluated by the HL-14 including communication, functional and critical health literacy from August to December 2021., Results: The multidimensional random coefficients multinomial logistic model indicated the difficulty settings of the scale are appropriate for the study populations, and differential item functioning was not observed for sex in the study. SEM demonstrated that the three-dimensional configuration of the scale is good in the study population ( x 2 /df=2.698, Comparative Fit Index = 0.965, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.076, standard residual mean root = 0.042)., Conclusion: The HL-14 scale is a reliable and valid measurement, which can perform equitably across sex in evaluating the health literacy in Chinese patients living with T2DM. Moreover, the scale may help fill the gaps of multidimensional health literacy assessment and rapid screening of health literacy ability for clinical practice., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests for this work., (© 2023 Wu et al.)

Forage-livestock conflict (FLC) is a major anthropogenic cause of rangeland degradation. It poses tremendous threats to the environment owing to its adverse impacts on carbon sequestration, water supply and regulation, and biodiversity conservation. Existing policy interventions focus on the in situ FLCs induced by local production activities but overlook the role of consumption activities in driving FLCs. Here, we investigate the spatiotemporal variations in China's FLCs and the domestic final consumers at the county level by combining remote sensing data and multi-regional input-output model. Results show that during 2005-2015, China's pastoralism induced an average of 82 million tons of FLCs per year. Domestic final demand was responsible for 85-93% of the FLCs in China. There was spatiotemporal heterogeneity in domestic consumption driving China's FLCs. In particular, the final demand of non-pastoral regions was responsible for around three-quarters (74-79%) of the total FLCs throughout the decade. The rangeland-based livestock raising, agricultural and sideline product processing, and catering sectors are important demand-side drivers. These findings can support targeted demand-side strategies and interregional cooperation to reduce China's FLCs, thus mitigating rangeland degradation.

Purpose: The best predictors and cut points for metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) were determined by comparing six anthropometric measures: body mass index (BMI), triglyceride-glucose (TyG), the product of TyG and waist-to-hip ratio (TyG-WHpR), the product of TyG and waist-to-height ratio (TyG-WHtR), the product of TyG and waist circumference (TyG-WC), and the product of TyG and body mass index (TyG-BMI)., Patients and Methods: Sixteen hundred and sixty-five adult patients with T2DM were collected, and the ability and cut points of each index to predict MetS were compared by plotting the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and calculating the area under the curve (AUC) values. Then, logistic regression analysis was used to adjust for confounders, including adjustment for menopause in women, to obtain the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI)., Results: MetS was present in 71.60% of T2DM patients, 75.00% of men, and 67.02% of women. BMI was the best predictor of MetS in men with T2DM (AUC = 0.8646, 95% CI: 0.8379-0.8912), with a cut point of 24.5500 kg/m 2 (specificity: 0.7714; sensitivity: 0.7533), and TyG-WC was the best predictor of MetS in women with T2DM (AUC = 0.8362, 95% CI: 0.8034-0.8690), with a cut point of 154.1548 (specificity: 0.7455; sensitivity: 0.8076)., Conclusion: The best predictor of MetS in adults with T2DM is BMI with a cut point of 24.5500 kg/m 2 for men and TyG-WC with a cut point of 154.1548 for women., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2023 Mao et al.)

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is often impaired by the limited affinity of molecules to plasmonic substrates. Here, we use carbon fiber microelectrodes modified with silver nanoparticles as a plasmonic microsubstrate with tunable affinity for enrichment and molecular identification by SERS. The silver nanoparticles self-assemble by electrostatic interaction with diamine molecules that are electrochemically grafted onto the surface of the microelectrodes. β-carotene and trans-β-Apo-8'-carotenal, producing similar resonant SERS spectra, are employed as model molecules to study the effect of electroenrichment and SERS screening for different electrode potentials. The data show that at a characteristic electrode potential, the low affinity of polyene chains without hydrophilic groups to the substrate can be overcome. Different potentials were applied to recognize the two types of carotenoids by their typical SERS signal, and the applicability of this strategy was further confirmed in the environment of a real cell culture. The results indicate that by regulating the potential, carotenoid molecules with a similar molecular structure can be selectively quantified and identified by SERS. The developed SERS-active microelectrode is expected to help the development of portable, miniaturized point-of-care diagnostic SERS sensors.

Organic pollutants pose a serious threat to water environment, thus it is essential to develop high-performance adsorbent to remove them from wastewater. Herein, nitrogen-doped magnetic porous carbon (M-PLAC) with three-dimensional porous structure was synthesized from lignin to adsorb methylene blue (MB) and tetracycline (TC) in wastewater. The calculated equilibrium adsorption amount by M-PLAC for MB and TC was 645.52 and 1306.00 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption of MB and TC on M-PLAC conformed to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The removal of MB by M-PLAC showed fast and efficient characteristics and exhibited high selectivity for TC in a binary system. In addition, M-PLAC was suitable for a variety of complex water environments and had good regeneration performance, demonstrating potential advantages in practical wastewater treatment. The organic pollutant adsorption by M-PLAC was attributed to electrostatic interaction, hole filling effect, hydrogen bonding, and the π-π interaction., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Image registration is a crucial technology in robot-assisted knee arthroplasty, which provides real-time patient information by registering the pre-operative image data with data acquired during the operation. The existing registration method requires surgeons to manually pick up medical feature points (i.e. anatomical points) in pre-operative images, which is time-consuming and relied on surgeons experience. Moreover, different doctors have different preferences in preoperative planning, which may influence the consistency of surgical results., Methods: A medical feature points automatic extraction method based on PointNet++ named Point&#95;RegNet is proposed to improve the efficiency of preoperative preparation and ensure the consistency of surgical results. The proposed method replaces the classification and segmentation layer of PointNet++ with a regression layer to predict the position of feature points. The comparative experiment is adopted to determine the optimal set of abstraction layers in PointNet++., Results: The proposed network with three set abstraction layers is more suitable for extracting feature points. The feature points predictions mean error of our method is less than 5 mm, which is 1 mm less than the manual marking method. Ultimately, our method only requires less than 3 s to extract all medical feature points in practical application. It is much faster than the manual extraction way which usually requires more than half an hour to mark all necessary feature points., Conclusion: Our deep learning-based method can improve the surgery accuracy and reduce the preoperative preparation time. Moreover, this method can also be applied to other surgical navigation systems., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Magnetic porous adsorbent materials are widely favored for their large specific surface area, good adsorption performance, and ease of separation. This work provided a magnetic biochar derived from furfural residue (M-FRAC) with excellent adsorption properties for various pollutants, including Congo red (CR), Tetracycline (TC), Bisphenol A (BPA), and Cr 6+ . The influence of experimental parameters, such as pollutant concentration, contact time, and pH, on the adsorption properties of M-FRAC was studied in detail. The adsorption process was highly dependent on pH and initial contaminant concentration. All pollutant adsorption was favorable under acidic conditions. The optimal pH of the CR, TC, and Cr 6+ adsorption was 5, 4, and 2, respectively, while that of BPA was in the range of 2-5. The experimental equilibrium adsorption amount of CR, TC, BPA, and Cr 6+ by M-FRAC was 110.89, 602.81, 157.76, and 265.31 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption processes of pollutants on M-FRAC were in accordance with the Langmuir isotherm model. The adsorption kinetics fitted the pseudo-second-order (PSO) kinetics model. In addition, M-FRAC could be readily separated from solution by applying an external magnetic field. Therefore, the M-FRAC has a good application prospect in practical industrial wastewater treatment., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

It is a great challenge to optionally access diverse hydroxylation products from a given substrate bearing multiple reaction sites of sp 3 and sp 2 C-H bonds. Herein, we report the highly selective divergent hydroxylation of alkylbenzenes by an engineered P450 peroxygenase driven by a dual-functional small molecule (DFSM). Using combinations of various P450BM3 variants with DFSMs enabled access to more than half of all possible hydroxylated products from each substrate with excellent regioselectivity (up to >99 %), enantioselectivity (up to >99 % ee), and high total turnover numbers (up to 80963). Crystal structure analysis, molecular dynamic simulations, and theoretical calculations revealed that synergistic effects between exogenous DFSMs and the protein environment controlled regio- and enantioselectivity. This work has implications for exogenous-molecule-modulated enzymatic regiodivergent and enantioselective hydroxylation with potential applications in synthetic chemistry., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Amine-functionalized magnetic microspheres (LS-Fe-NMA) were successfully prepared from lignosulfonate by magnetization and amine modification to remove Cr(VI) from industrial wastewater. In addition to SEM, FTIR, XPS, magnetic hysteresis curves and other characterizations, the adsorption tests were performed in real Cr(VI)-containing industrial wastewater. The experimental influencing factors, such as adsorbent types, LS content in the composites, adsorption time, dosages of adsorbent and adsorption temperature were systematically explored. The results of adsorption models fitting proved that the adsorption conformed to the Langmuir model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. At 45 °C, the calculated equilibrium adsorption amount by LS-Fe-NMA in industrial wastewater was 642.11 mg/g. In addition, the adsorption process followed the principle of spontaneous endothermic reaction. It was found that electrostatic interaction, redox and complexation existed during the adsorption process. The excellent adsorption performance and reusability of LS-Fe-NMA for Cr(VI) demonstrates its practical application value in real Cr(VI)-containing industrial wastewater., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Since the discovery of Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) as an important pivot for cytosolic DNA sensation and interferon (IFN) induction, intensive efforts have been endeavored to clarify the molecular mechanism of its activation, its physiological function as a ubiquitously expressed protein, and to explore its potential as a therapeutic target in a wide range of immune-related diseases. With its orthodox ligand 2'3'-cyclic GMP-AMP (2'3'-cGAMP) and the upstream sensor 2'3'-cGAMP synthase (cGAS) to be found, STING acquires its central functionality in the best-studied signaling cascade, namely the cGAS-STING-IFN pathway. However, recently updated research through structural research, genetic screening, and biochemical assay greatly extends the current knowledge of STING biology. A second ligand pocket was recently discovered in the transmembrane domain for a synthetic agonist. On its downstream outputs, accumulating studies sketch primordial and multifaceted roles of STING beyond its cytokine-inducing function, such as autophagy, cell death, metabolic modulation, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and RNA virus restriction. Furthermore, with the expansion of the STING interactome, the details of STING trafficking also get clearer. After retrospecting the brief history of viral interference and the milestone events since the discovery of STING, we present a vivid panorama of STING biology taking into account the details of the biochemical assay and structural information, especially its versatile outputs and functions beyond IFN induction. We also summarize the roles of STING in the pathogenesis of various diseases and highlight the development of small-molecular compounds targeting STING for disease treatment in combination with the latest research. Finally, we discuss the open questions imperative to answer., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

A series of novel up-conversion luminescent Yb 3+ /Ln 3+ (Tm 3+ , Ho 3+ , Tm 3+ /Ho 3+ )-doped Y 6 MoO 12 (YMO) nanocrystals were synthesized using the sol-gel method. The consistent spherical morphology of the nanocrystals with different doping ratios was found to be profiting from the homogenisation and rapid agglomeration of the composition in the gel state and calcining process. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscope images were employed to confirm perfect crystallinity and uniform morphology. Photoluminescence spectra and decay curves were used to characterize the optical properties of the synthesized samples. The YMO:Yb 3+ /Ln 3+ (Tm 3+ , Ho 3+ , Tm 3+ /Ho 3+ ) nanocrystals were excited by near-infrared photons and emitted photons distributed in blue, green, and red bands with a wide colour gamut, and even white colour, by optimising the relative doping concentrations of the activator ions. The energy conversion mechanism in the up-conversion process was studied using power-dependent luminescence and is depicted in the energy level diagram. In addition, 70% of the luminescence intensity of YMO can be preserved after annealing at 700 °C, and the temperature sensing was tested in the range 298-498 K. These merits of multicolour emissions in the visible region and good stability endow the as-prepared nanocrystals with potential applications in the fields of optical data storage, encryption, sensing, and other multifunctional photonic technologies., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a malignant tumor with a higher mortality rate in the male reproductive system. In this study, the hydroxyazine derivatives were synthesized with different structure from traditional anti-prostate cancer drugs. In the evaluation of in vitro cytotoxicity and antagonistic activity of PC-3, LNCaP, DU145 and androgen receptor, it was found that the mono-substituted derivatives on the phenyl group ( 4 , 6 , 7 , and 9 ) displayed strong cytotoxic activities, and compounds 11 - 16 showed relatively strong antagonistic potency against AR (Inhibition% >55). Docking analysis showed that compounds 11 and 12 mainly bind to AR receptor through hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic bonds, and the structure-activity relationship was discussed based on activity data. These results suggested that these compounds may have instructive implications for drug structural modification in prostate cancer., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Qi, Xue, Chen, Wang, Zhou and Chen.)

The pressure prediction technology whereby represents the rock pressure law in the excavation is fundamental to safety in production and industrial intelligentization. A growing number of researchers dedicate that machine learning is used to accurate prediction of underground pressure changes. However, the existing research which based on the classical machine learning rarely considers the cause between inducement of underground pressure and the underground pressure change. In this paper, we propose a novel Reinforced and Causal Graph Neural Network, namely RC-GNN, for the prediction task, to overcome the shortage of causal logic. First, we build a causal graph by considering internal relations between inducement and display of pressure and employ prior knowledge to erect the early and properties of the graph. Second, we construct the prediction network for underground pressure by graph convolutional networks and long short-term memory. Finally, we use the performance index of underground pressure prediction to design a reinforcement learning algorithm, which achieves optimization of the causal graph. Compared to six representative methods, experimental results with 18-60% increases in performance on the real prediction task., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2022, Springer Nature or its licensor holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Objective: To explore the clinical curative effects of uterine arterial chemoembolization (UACE) combined with uterine curettage treating with cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP) patients, and analyze the influencing factors of postoperative efficacy., Methods: A total of 86 patients with CSP from January 2019 to December 2021 in the Gynecology ward of our hospital were selected and divided into the control group ( n  = 43) and the observation group ( n  = 43) according to the random number method. The control group was treated with an injection of methotrexate (MTX) combined with uterine curettage, and the observation group was treated with UACE combined with uterine curettage. Two months after the operation, the therapeutic effect, cesarean scar mass, and β -human chorionic gonadotropin ( β -HCG) level were observed and compared between the two groups. The general conditions of patients in two groups were recorded, and the influencing factors of surgical efficacy in patients were analyzed using univariate analysis and a multivariate logistic regression model., Results: After treatment, the total effective rate of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group ( P  < 0.05). The volume of intraoperative blood loss, hospitalization period, menstrual recovery time, mass disappearance time, and β -HCG recovery time of the observation group were lower than those of the control group ( P  < 0.05). Single factor analysis showed that the number of cesarean sections, gestational age, the largest diameter of the gestational sac, the thinnest muscular layer, and the type of CSP can all affect postoperative efficacy ( P  < 0.05). Multivariate logistic analysis showed that the gestational age, a maximum diameter of a gestational sac, the thinnest muscular layer, and the type of CSP were independent factors influencing the postoperative efficacy of the patients ( P  < 0.05)., Conclusion: UACE combined with uterine curettage for CSP can significantly improve the curative effect, reduce intraoperative bleeding, and improve the recovery time of postoperative-related symptoms. The gestational age of the patient, the maximum diameter of the gestational sac, the thinnest muscular layer, and the type of CSP can independently affect the therapeutic effect of CSP patients. Fully understanding the high-risk factors that affect the efficacy of treatment of CSP, timely preventive measures, and targeted care can effectively improve the prognosis and reduce the risk of CSP., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Kewen Yu and Haifeng Zhou.)

Taraxasterol (TAX), one of the active components in Dandelion, demonstrated strong antitumor properties in several cancers. However, the effect and underlying mechanism of TAX in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unclear. In this study, we showed that TAX inhibited the proliferation of cells by inducing S-phase cell cycle arrest and prevented cell migration by interfering epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in Lewis lung cancer (LLC) cells and lung carcinoma SPC-A1 cells. The pharmacological network analysis predicted that induction of apoptosis might be the potential mechanism of TAX-mediated cell deaths. Further in vitro experiments showed that TAX could significantly induce cancer cell apoptosis as verified by increased pro-apoptotic molecules including Bax, caspase-9, and PARP1 downregulated anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2; and decreased mitochondrial potential. The LLC subcutaneous tumor model demonstrated that TAX inhibited tumor growth by induction of apoptosis and inhibition of proliferation in vivo, which is consistent with the in vitro data. Importantly, TAX administration downregulated the proportion of Treg cells and upregulated CD107a+ NK cells in the tumor microenvironment in the tumor model. Together, these data reveal that TAX performs its antitumor effect by inducing apoptosis and modulating the tumor microenvironment, providing evidence that TAX could serve as a potential natural drug for lung cancer therapy.

Wheat root diseases can seriously reduce yields and quality of wheat. 1,2,4-Triazole benzoyl arylamine derivatives previously showed good activities against some wheat root fungal pathogens. To further systematically disclose the structure-activity relationship, a series of benzoyl arylamines were designed and prepared. Their structures were characterized and fungicidal activities against Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici and Fusarium graminearum were evaluated. The results indicated that the structure of the N-heterocyclic group and the substituted group and their position on the benzamide scaffold had an important influence on the activities, as predicted. Finally, compound 18f was found to show excellent activities against G. graminis var. tritici , F. graminearum , Fusarium culmorum , Fusarium pseudograminearum , and Fusarium moniliforme with half-maximum effective concentrations of 0.002, 0.093, 0.011, 0.881, and 0.287 μg/mL, respectively. These results proposed that compound 18f deserved serious consideration as a novel fungicide candidate for the control of wheat root diseases.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease caused by many factors including colonic inflammation and microbiota dysbiosis. Previous studies have indicated that celastrol (CSR) has strong anti-inflammatory and immune-inhibitory effects. Here, we investigated the effects of CSR on colonic inflammation and mucosal immunity in an experimental colitis model, and addressed the mechanism by which CSR exerts the protective effects. We characterized the therapeutic effects and the potential mechanism of CSR on treating UC using histological staining, intestinal permeability assay, cytokine assay, flow cytometry, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), 16S rRNA sequencing, untargeted metabolomics, and cell differentiation. CSR administration significantly ameliorated the dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice, which was evidenced by the recovered body weight and colon length as well as the decreased disease activity index (DAI) score and intestinal permeability. Meanwhile, CSR down-regulated the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and up-regulated the amount of anti-inflammatory mediators at both mRNA and protein levels, and improved the balances of Treg/Th1 and Treg/Th17 to maintain the colonic immune homeostasis. Notably, all the therapeutic effects were exerted in a gut microbiota-dependent manner. Furthermore, CSR treatment increased the gut microbiota diversity and changed the compositions of the gut microbiota and metabolites, which is probably associated with the gut microbiota-mediated protective effects. In conclusion, this study provides the strong evidence that CSR may be a promising therapeutic drug for UC., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The Minamata Convention on Mercury calls for Hg control actions to protect the environment and human beings from the adverse impacts of Hg pollution. It aims at the entire life cycle of Hg. Existing studies on the Hg cycle in the global environmental-economic system have characterized the emission-to-impact pathway of Hg pollution. That is, Hg emissions/releases from the economic system can have adverse impacts on human health and ecosystems. However, current modeling of the Hg cycle is not fully looped. It ignores the feedback of Hg-related environmental impacts (including human health impacts and ecosystem impacts) to the economic system. This would impede the development of more comprehensive Hg control actions. By synthesizing recent information on Hg cycle modeling, this critical review found that Hg-related environmental impacts would have feedbacks to the economic system via the labor force and biodiversity loss. However, the interactions between Hg-related activities in the environmental and economic systems are not completely clear. The cascading effects of Hg-related environmental impacts to the economic system throughout global supply chains have not been revealed. Here, we emphasize the knowledge gaps and propose possible approaches for looping the Hg cycle in global environmental-economic system modeling. This progress is crucial for formulating more dynamic and flexible Hg control measures. It provides new perspectives for the implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

Background: Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), has created a tremendous economic and medical burden. The prevalence and prognostic value of SARS-CoV-2-induced kidney impairment remain controversial. The current study aimed to provide additional evidence on the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in COVID-19 patients and propose the use of urinalysis as a tool for screening kidney impairment., Methods: 178 patients with confirmed COVID-19 were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. The laboratory examinations included routine blood tests, blood biochemical analyses (liver function, renal function, lipids, and glucose), blood coagulation index, lymphocyte subset and cytokine analysis, urine routine test, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation, and serum ferritin., Results: No patient exhibited a rise in serum creatinine or Cystatin C and occurrence of AKI, and only 2.8% of patients were recorded with an elevated level of blood urea nitrogen among all cases. On the contrary, 54.2% of patients who underwent routine urine testing presented with an abnormal urinalysis as featured by proteinuria, hematuria, and leucocyturia., Conclusions: Kidney impairment is prevalent among COVID-19 patients, with an abnormal urinalysis as a clinical manifestation, implying that a routine urine test is a stronger indication of prospective kidney complication than a blood biochemistry test.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a metabolic dysfunction characterized by the selective destruction of islet β-cells, with oxidative stress playing an essential role in the manifestation of this disease state. Aloperine (ALO) represents the main active alkaloid extracted from the traditional Chinese herbal Sophora alopecuroides L. and features outstanding antioxidative properties. In this study, T1D was induced by a single high dose streptozotocin (STZ, 150 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) in mice. Diabetic animals were intragastrically administered ALO at a dose of 50 mg/kg/day. Notably, treatment of ALO (50 mg/kg/day) for seven consecutive days could observably reverse the onset of diabetes induced by STZ accompanied by weight gain, lower blood glucose levels, and relief of β-cells damage. Our in vitro study further demonstrated that ALO protected β-cells from STZ/hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative damage as manifested by increased expression of MnSOD and CAT. Furthermore, a network pharmacology study revealed that NOS1 represented the main target of ALO. Mechanistic studies subsequently showed that treatment of ALO increased the expression of NOS1, whereas NOS2 was decreased. Moreover, a docking study carried out suggested that ALO could fit into the binding pocket of human NOS1 and molecular dynamics simulation further validated this docking event. Collectively, the administration of ALO prior to diabetes could be a viable approach to the prevention of β-cell injury. This study may offer a novel potential herbal medicine against T1D and may further help improve the understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of ALO-mediated protection against oxidative stress., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Cr(VI), a serious threat to human health, widely exists in the effluents of various industrial processes. In this paper, the potential of industrial lignin for efficient removal of Cr(VI) from wastewater was systematically investigated, including pulping black liquor lignin (BLN), enzymolysis lignin (ELN), and SPORL pretreatment spent liquor (FS). The structure characterizations of three lignins were investigated by thermogravimetry (TG), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurement, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Among these three lignins, BLN showed the highest adsorption amount of Cr(VI) and good selectivity in wastewater simulation. According to the Langmuir model, the calculated maximum adsorption amount of Cr(VI) on ELN, BLN, and FS was 801.57, 864.30, and 642.26 mg g -1 , respectively. The adsorption of Cr(VI) by industrial lignins was a chemisorption process, during which Cr(VI) was reduced to low-toxic Cr(III). This paper provided a promising application for the effective utilization of industrial lignins., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

India is among the largest emitters of atmospheric mercury (Hg) in the world. India's production activities have associated Hg emissions which can be attributed to final demands (e.g., purchases by households, governments, and private investments) of nations driving upstream production from the demand perspective, or primary inputs (e.g., labor and capital supply) of nations enabling downstream production from the supply perspective. This study identifies key nations and sectors that directly and indirectly drove India's Hg emissions from both the demand and supply perspectives during 2004-2014. While domestic final demand was the dominant driver from the demand perspective (driving about 80-85% of the total), USA, China, and UAE are important foreign drivers. Similarly, from the supply perspective, domestic primary inputs were the dominant drivers. However, the share of foreign inputs enabling Hg emissions increased from 16 to 23% during the decade. Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Australia, and China are the top foreign supply-side drivers. The Construction sector is an important demand-side driver, whereas fossil fuel sectors are important supply-side drivers. These findings can guide global and national policies for demand- and supply-side management of Hg emissions in India and assist in the successful implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an idiopathic, chronic inflammatory disorder of the colon, and it has become one of the world-recognized medical problems as it is recurrent and refractory. Berberine (BBR) is an effective drug for UC treatment. However, the underlying mechanism and targets remain obscure. In this study, we systematically investigated the therapeutic effect and its mechanism of BBR in ameliorating DSS-induced mouse colitis. Expectedly, the colon inflammation was significantly relieved by BBR, and microbiota depletion by antibiotic cocktail significantly reversed the therapeutic effect. Further studies showed that BBR can regulate the abundance and component of bacteria, reestablish the broken chemical and epithelial barriers. Meanwhile, BBR administration dramatically decreased ILC1 and Th17 cells, and increased Tregs as well as ILC3 in colonic tissue of DSS-induced mice, and it was able to regulate the expression of various immune factors at the mRNA level. Moreover, a proteomic study revealed that Wnt/β-catenin pathway was remarkably enhanced in colonic tissue of BBR-treated mice, and the therapeutic effect of BBR was disappeared after the intervention of Wnt pathway inhibitor FH535. These results substantially revealed that BBR restores DSS-induced colon inflammation in a microbiota-dependent manner, and BBR performs its protective roles in colon by maintaining the structure and function of the intestinal mucosal barrier, regulating the intestinal mucosal immune homeostasis and it works through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Importantly, these findings also provided the proof that BBR serves as a potential gut microbiota modulator and mucosal barrier protector for UC prevention and therapy., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

The methyl-CpG-binding domain 2 (MBD2) interprets DNA methylome-encoded information through binding to the methylated CpG DNA, by which it regulates target gene expression at the transcriptional level. Although derailed DNA methylation has long been recognized to trigger or promote autoimmune responses in type 1 diabetes (T1D), the exact role of MBD2 in T1D pathogenesis, however, remains poorly defined. Herein, we generated an Mbd2 knockout model in the NOD background and found that Mbd2 deficiency exacerbated the development of spontaneous T1D in NOD mice. Adoptive transfer of Mbd2 -/ - CD4 T cells into NOD.scid mice further confirmed the observation. Mechanistically, Th1 stimulation rendered the Stat1 promoter to undergo a DNA methylation turnover featured by the changes of DNA methylation levels or patterns along with the induction of MBD2 expression, which then bound to the methylated CpG DNA within the Stat1 promoter, by which MBD2 maintains the homeostasis of Th1 program to prevent autoimmunity. As a result, ectopic MBD2 expression alleviated CD4 T cell diabetogenicity following their adoptive transfer into NOD.scid mice. Collectively, our data suggest that MBD2 could be a viable target to develop epigenetic-based therapeutics against T1D in clinical settings., (© 2021. The Author(s).)