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To identify the spatial distribution patterns and assess the ecological risks associated with soil heavy metal pollution in the southern region of Hunan Province, a total of 362 surface soil samples were collected from the studied area. This study employed multivariate statistics and geographic information systems （GIS） to investigate the spatial distribution pattern of soil metals （Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Zn, Ni, Mn, Tl, and Sb）. Furthermore, the pollution sources and source-specific ecological risk of heavy metals were quantified by combining the positive matrix factorization （PMF） model and the comprehensive ecological risk index model. The results suggested that the mean concentration of soil metals in the study area exceeded the mean background values. Specifically, Cd, Hg, Pb, and Sb showed significant pollution levels and substantial spatial variability, with their concentrations reaching the background values by factors of 8.31, 9.12, 5.09, and 2.79, respectively. The spatial distribution of these heavy metals exhibited discernible patterns, with a higher concentration observed in western Chenzhou and a noticeable trend of increasing concentrations from the central region towards the periphery. The clusters with high concentrations of heavy metals were predominantly situated near industrial zones engaged in black metal smelting and processing and nonferrous metal mining and processing enterprises. Source apportionment indicated that the primary sources of soil heavy metals in the area were industrial activities associated with black metal mining and metallurgy （29.06%）, atmospheric deposition （22.05%）, nonferrous metal mining and processing （20.65%）, a combination of industrial and transportation sources （14.73%）, and natural sources （13.50%）. Moreover, the source-ecological risk assessment model specifically identified Cd and Hg as crucial elements requiring prioritized control measures to mitigate soil ecological risks. Industrial activities, including black metal smelting and processing and atmospheric deposition sources, were identified as the priority sources for health risks in the study region. These results provide an important theoretical basis for the development of effective strategies aimed at managing and diminishing the risks associated with heavy metal contamination in the southern region of Hunan Province.

Purpose: Recurrent miscarriage (RM) is a distressing and complicated adverse pregnancy outcome. It is commonly recognized that insufficient decidualization could result in RM, but the molecular mechanisms of decidual impairment are still not fully understood. Thus, this study aimed to identify novel key genes potentially involved in RM and explore their roles played in endometrial decidualization., Methods: Initially, a combinative analysis of decidual and mid-secretory endometrial transcriptomes was performed to discover hub genes involved in the etiology of RM. And the expression levels of hub genes were evaluated in both primary decidual stromal cells (DSCs) and decidual tissues. Subsequently, the immortalized human endometrial cell line, T-HESCs, was used to investigate whether FXYD1 overexpression affects decidualization by regulating Na/K-ATPase activity., Results: FXYD domain containing ion transport regulator 1 (FXYD1) was identified as a hub gene in the pathogenesis of RM through various bioinformatic methods. Abnormally increased FXYD1 expression was observed in DSCs and decidual tissues from RM patients compared to that of the normal group. Furthermore, in vitro decidualization was obviously inhibited by the overexpression of FXYD1. Additionally, Na/K-ATPase activity was significantly elevated during decidualization, whereas overexpression of FXYD1 reduced Na/K-ATPase activity. Bufalin, a Na/K-ATPase inhibitor, showed an effectively inhibitory effect on decidualization., Conclusions: Collectively, FXYD1 was discovered as a hub gene associated with RM, and its expression levels in RM patients were significantly upregulated. Increased FXYD1 expression might lead to decidualization defects by reducing Na/K-ATPase activity, of which presented a novel prospective treatment target for RM., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval: This study involving human was approved by the Medical Ethics Committees of The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University (KY2017K002) and the Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies (PJ2018-06). Informed consent: Written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: This study aimed to assess the feasibility and performance of 5.0 T MRI in MR Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) imaging compared to 3.0 T, focusing on detail visualization, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and image artifacts., Methods: A prospective study from May to October 2023 involved 20 healthy subjects and 19 with biliary dilation. Both groups underwent MRCP using 3.0 T and 5.0 T scanners. The detail visualization capability of the biliary tree and the SNR of the images were quantitatively evaluated. Two experienced MRI diagnostic physicians assessed the image artifacts qualitatively on a scale of 1 to 5. The t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test compared the quantitative results of biliary visualization and SNR between 3.0 T and 5.0 T scanners, while the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for comparing the level of image artifacts between the two scanners. The inter reader consistency was tested using Kappa test., Results: In both healthy subjects and those with biliary dilation, the 5.0 T group exhibited significantly higher numbers of biliary tree branches, along with greater total and maximum branch lengths, compared to the 3.0 T group (P<0.05). Although the maximum branch length was higher in the 5.0 T group among healthy subjects, this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.053). No notable differences were observed in SNR and image artifact levels between the two groups across both field strengths (P>0.05)., Conclusions: MRCP at 5.0 T offers superior biliary tree visualization compared to 3.0 T. The performance regarding SNR and image artifacts between the two is relatively comparable., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This prospective study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shandong Provincial Third Hospital (KYLL-2023064). All participants were informed about the study and provided written informed consent. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Abnormally elevated tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) levels at the maternal-fetal interface can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes, including recurrent miscarriage (RM), but the mechanism underlying upregulated TNFα expression is not fully understood. We previously reported that the interaction between monoclonal nonspecific suppressor factor-β (MNSFβ) and RC3H1 upregulates TNFα expression, but the precise mechanisms are unknown. In this study, we found that MNSFβ stimulated the LPS-induced TNFα expression by inactivating the promoting effect of RC3H1 on TNFα mRNA degradation rather than directly inhibiting the expression of RC3H1 in THP1-Mϕs. Mechanistically, the 81-326 aa region of the RC3H1 protein binds to the 101-133 aa region of the MNSFβ protein, and MNSFβ facilitated stress granules (SGs) formation and the translocation of RC3H1 to SGs by interacting with RC3H1 and fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) in response to LPS-induced stress. The SGs-localization of RC3H1 reduced its inhibitory effect on TNFα expression in LPS-treated THP1-Mϕs. The designed HEPN2 peptide effectively reduced the LPS-induced expression of TNFα in THP1-Mϕs by interfering with the MNSFβ-RC3H1 interaction. Treatment with the HEPN2 peptide significantly improved adverse pregnancy outcomes, including early pregnancy loss (EPL) and lower fetal weight (LFW), which are induced by LPS in mice. These data indicated that MNSFβ promoted TNFα expression at least partially by increasing the localization of RC3H1 to SGs under inflammatory stimulation and that the HEPN2 peptide improved the adverse pregnancy outcomes induced by LPS in mice, suggesting that MNSFβ is a potential pharmacological target for adverse pregnancy outcomes caused by abnormally increased inflammation at early pregnancy., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: ‘The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. All authors listed meet the authorship criteria according to the latest guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, and all authors are in agreement with the manuscript.’., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a critical noninvasive technique for evaluating liver steatosis, with efficient and precise fat quantification being essential for diagnosing liver diseases. This study leverages 5 T ultra-high-field MRI to demonstrate the clinical significance of liver fat quantification, and explores the consistency and accuracy of the Proton Density Fat Fraction (PDFF) in the liver across different magnetic field strengths and measurement methodologies., Methods: The study involved phantoms with lipid contents ranging from 0 % to 30 % and 35 participants (21 females, 14 males; average age 30.17 ± 13.98 years, body mass index 25.84 ± 4.76, waist-hip ratio 0.84 ± 0.09). PDFF measurements were conducted using chemical shift encoded (CSE) MRI at 5 T, 3 T, and 1.5 T, alongside magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) at 5 T and 1.5 T for both liver and phantoms, analyzed using jMRUI software. The MRS-derived PDFF values served as the reference standard. Repeatability of 5 T MRI measurements was assessed through correlation analysis, while accuracy was evaluated using linear regression analysis against the reference standards., Results: The CSE-PDFF measurements at 5 T demonstrated strong consistency with those at 3 T and 1.5 T, showing high intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) of 0.988 and 0.980, respectively (all p < 0.001). There was also significant consistency across ROIs within liver lobes, with ICC values ranging from 0.975 to 0.986 (all p < 0.001). MRS-PDFF measurements for both phantoms and liver at 5 T and 1.5 T exhibited substantial agreement, with ICC values of 0.996 and 0.980, respectively (all p < 0.001). Particularly, ICC values for ROIs in the liver ranged from 0.963 to 0.990 (all p < 0.001). Despite overall agreement, statistically significant differences were noted in specific ROIs within the liver lobes (p = 0.004 and 0.012). The CSE and MRS PDFF measurements at 5 T displayed strong consistency, with an ICC of 0.988 (p < 0.001), and significant agreement was also found between 5 T CSE and 1.5 T MRS PDFF measurements, with an ICC of 0.978 (p < 0.001). Agreement was significant within the ROIs of the liver lobes on the same platform at 5 T, with ICC values ranging from 0.986 to 0.991 (all p < 0.001)., Conclusion: PDFF measurements at 5 T MR imaging exhibited both accuracy and repeatability, indicating that 5 T imaging provides reliable quantification of liver fat content and shows substantial potential for clinical diagnostic applications., 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 B.V. All rights reserved.)

Recurrent miscarriage (RM) is currently difficult to prevent and treat due to a lack of comprehensive understanding of its molecular mechanisms. The aim of this study was to identify genes potentially involved in the pathogenesis of RM and to observe their expression in the decidual tissues of RM patients. A total of 1823 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 148 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in decidual tissues between RM and control groups were identified. Subsequently, DCN, DPT, LUM, MFAP4, and ISG15 were identified from the DEGs/DEPs as RM-related hub genes through systematic bioinformatics analysis. Bioinformatics analysis of the single-cell dataset GSE214607 revealed that the expression of these five hub genes in the decidual stromal cells of RM patients appeared to be upregulated, while the RT-qPCR assay showed that their decidual expression levels were significantly increased in RM patients. Uterine Isg15expression was significantly increased, whereas the uterine expression of Dcn, Dpt, Lum, and Mfap4 was decreased in LPS-induced early pregnancy loss mice. MiR-16-5p, -21-3p, -27a-3p, and -941 were identified as potentially involved in the regulation of these five hub genes, and their decidual expression levels were significantly decreased in RM patients. The abnormally increased ISG15 expression in the decidual tissues of RM patients and uterine tissues of LPS-induced mice was validated by WB analysis. ISG15 expression was significantly reduced during the in vitro decidualization of human endometrial stromal cells (hESCs). Collectively, DCN, DPT, LUM, MFAP4, and ISG15 were identified as RM-related hub genes, and their expression in the decidual tissues of RM patients was significantly increased. The decidualization of hESCs was accompanied by reduced ISG15 expression, suggesting that increased decidual ISG15 expression might lead to early pregnancy loss by disrupting the decidualization process.

Groundwater is a vital water supply worldwide, but its quality has gradually deteriorated with the development of society. In this study, a total of 40 groundwater samples were collected during the pre- and post-monsoon to analyze the hydrochemical process and assess the groundwater quality and human health risks in a coastal area of southeastern China. The results showed that the concentrations of major ions were in the order of Ca 2+  > Mg 2+  > Na +  > K + and HCO 3 -  > SO 4 2-  > Cl -  > NO 3 -  > F - during the pre- and post-monsoon periods. A slight increase was observed during the post-monsoon period. The Piper diagram suggested that the hydrochemical type of groundwater was predominantly HCO 3 -Ca. Principal component analysis (PCA), ionic ratios, and saturation index (SI) determined that the water-rock interactions involving silicate and carbonate minerals played a significant role in the hydrochemical process. The results of the entropy-weighted water quality index (EWQI) and irrigation water quality index (IWQI) evaluations revealed that the general qualities of groundwater were suitable for both drinking and irrigation purposes. However, the excesses of NO 3 - and SO 4 2- were observed locally. Human health risk assessment concluded that groundwater posed a low risk to human health, and infants faced higher risk compared with adults. The study would provide valuable information for groundwater environmental protection., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Background: Simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) is an innovative technique delivering a higher dose to the tumor bed while irradiating the entire breast. This study aims to assess the clinical outcomes, adverse effects, and cosmetic results of SIB-IMRT following breast-conserving surgery in breast cancer patients., Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 308 patients with stage 0-III breast cancer who underwent breast-conserving surgery and SIB-IMRT from January 2016 to December 2020. The prescribed doses included 1.85 Gy/27 fractions to the whole breast and 2.22 Gy/27 fractions or 2.20 Gy/27 fractions to the tumor bed. Primary endpoints included overall survival (OS), local-regional control (LRC), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), acute and late toxicities, and cosmetic outcomes., Results: The median follow-up time was 36 months. The 3-year OS, LRC, and DMFS rates were 100%, 99.6%, and 99.2%, respectively. Five patients (1.8%) experienced local recurrence or distant metastasis, and one patient succumbed to distant metastasis. The most common acute toxicity was grade 1-2 skin reactions (91.6%). The most common late toxicity was grade 0-1 skin and subcutaneous tissue reactions (96.7%). Five patients (1.8%) developed grade 1-2 upper limb lymphedema, and three patients (1.1%) had grade 1 radiation pneumonitis. Among the 262 patients evaluated for cosmetic outcomes at least 2 years post-radiotherapy, 96.9% achieved excellent or good results, while 3.1% had fair or poor outcomes., Conclusions: SIB-IMRT after breast-conserving surgery in breast cancer patients demonstrated excellent clinical efficacy, mild acute and late toxicities, and satisfactory cosmetic outcomes in our study. SIB-IMRT appears to be a feasible and effective option for breast cancer patients suitable for breast-conserving surgery., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Currently, the development of HRESs (hybrid renewable energy systems) in remote areas is of great importance and popularity. However, measuring and optimizing the capacity of these systems faces a difficult challenge. Multiple works had been reported in the literature to optimize such systems, all of which aim to achieve an optimal configuration with minimum annual net cost. Therefore, the significance of providing off-grid electrification to remote areas through HRESs can be highlighted as a crucial case for sustainable growth. Accordingly, the study proposes a modified metaheuristic approach, known as the Hybrid Golden Search Algorithm (HGSA), for long-term application planning and optimization of the off-grid HRES. The aim of this algorithm is to minimize the amount of net cost which is used annually; to reduce the probability of power supply interruption. In order to assess the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, a simulation study over a long period on a remote area was conducted. From the results, increasing the reliability level from 1 % to 3 % causes a decrease in the total net annual cost by around 7.3 % under the proposed HGSA and also results in a reduction in component size (around 6 % and 21 % reductions for the wind turbine area and storage tanks, respectively). Further, the HGSA technique obtains the lowest value of fitness function for the hybrid system at a reliability level of 3 %, which is 31,539,810$. This result demonstrates that the efficiency of HGSA outperforms Fuzzy Logic and Optimization, Artificial Bee Colony (ABC), and GSA techniques. Based on this, the proposed HGSA could lead to more promising results than the other comparative algorithms. Hence, the proposed HGSA can be a valuable tool for long-term application planning and optimization of off-grid HRES, which can contribute significantly to achieving sustainable development goals., Competing Interests: 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., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Dysfunction of extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs) might cause early pregnancy failure by interfering with embryo implantation and/or placentation. We previously reported that the villus miR-3074-5p expression level was increased, whereas the peripheral level of GDF15, a predict target gene of miR-3074-5p, was decreased in recurrent miscarriages (RM) patients, and miR-3074-5p could enhance apoptosis but reduce invasion of human extravillous trophoblast cells (EVTs). The aim of this study was to further explore roles of miR-3074-5p/GDF15 pathway in regulation of EVTs function. It was validated that GDF15 was not the direct target of miR-3074-5p, whereas EIF2S1, an upstream regulator of GDF15 maturation and secretion, was the direct target of miR-3074-5p. The villus expression levels of GDF15 and EIF2S1 were significantly decreased in RM patients. Knockdown of GDF15 expression presented inhibitory effects on proliferation, migration, and invasion of HTR8/SVneo cells. Up-regulated miR-3074-5p expression led to the significant decreased GDF15 expression in HTR8/SVneo cells, and this effect could be efficiently reversed by the overexpression of EIF2S1. Meanwhile, the suppressive effects of miR-3074-5p on proliferation, migration, and invasion of HTR8/SVneo cells could be intercepted by the treatment of recombinant human GDF15 protein. Collectively, these data suggested that miR-3074-5p could reduce GDF15 production via targeting inhibition of EIF2S1 expression, and the deficiency in GDF15 function might lead to the early pregnancy loss by attenuating proliferation and invasion of EVTs., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Society for Reproductive Investigation.)

In order to explore the status of soil heavy metal pollution and environmental quality in west Hunan, relevant areas of Phoenix County were selected as the study area. Using data from 440 soil samples collected in the study area from June to August 2022, the pH value of the soil and contents of eight heavy metal elements, namely, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn, were analyzed. The PMF model was used for traceability analysis and geochemical evaluation of soil environmental quality. The results showed that the average values of soil heavy metals ω (Zn), ω (Cr), ω (Pb), ω (Ni), ω (Cu), ω (As) , ω (Cd), and ω (Hg) were 81.02, 64.67, 31.63, 29.27, 25.52, 9.93, 0.28, and 0.13 mg·kg -1 , respectively. The soil in the study area was mainly weakly acidic, and the contents of the Cd and Hg elements were relatively high compared to the national soil background values and were highly variable. The contents of the Hg and Cd elements in forest land were higher than that in other land uses. The PMF model results showed that the contribution rates of heavy metal pollution sources in the study area were mining sources (37.4%), atmospheric sedimentation sources (7.7%), natural sources (41.1%), and agricultural activity sources (13.8%) and provided suggestions on pollution control measures according to the spatial distribution of the four types of pollution sources. Through the comprehensive assessment of soil environmental geochemistry, the study area was divided into three types of plots, namely, non-risk areas (94.27 km 2 ), accounting for 76.38%; risk-controllable areas (27.45 km 2 ), accounting for 22.24%; and high-risk areas (1.7 km 2 ), accounting for 1.38%. This study provided data support for the prevention and control measures of land pollution in the research area, as well as the delineation of the prevention and control scope.

Various studies have shown that the heavy use of pharmaceuticals poses serious ecological risks, especially in metropolitan areas with intensive human activities. In this study, the spatial distribution, sources, and ecological risks of 29 pharmaceuticals in 82 surface waters collected from the North Canal Basin in Beijing were studied. The results showed that the pharmaceutical concentrations ranged from not detected to 193 ng/L, with ampicillin being undetected while ofloxacin had a 100% detection frequency, which indicates the widespread occurrence of pharmaceutical pollution in the North Canal Basin. In comparison with other freshwater study areas, concentrations of pharmaceuticals in the North Canal Basin were generally at moderate levels. It was found that pharmaceutical concentrations were always higher in rivers that directly received wastewater effluents. Source analysis was conducted using the positive matrix factorization model. Combining the spatial pollution patterns of pharmaceuticals, it has been found that wastewater effluents contributed the most to the loads of pharmaceuticals in the studied basin, while in suburban areas, a possible contribution of untreated wastewater was demonstrated. Risk assessment indicated that approximately 55% of the pharmaceuticals posed low-to-high ecological risks, and combining the results of risk analyses, it is advised that controlling WWTP effluent is probably the most cost-effective measure in treating pharmaceutical pollution.

The low-temperature reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction faces the following obstacles: low activity and unsatisfactory selectivity. Herein, the dual-active sites of platinum (Pt) clusters and frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) on porous CeO 2 nanorods (Pt cluster /PN-CeO 2 ) provide an interface-independent pathway to boost high performance RWGS reaction at low temperatures. Mechanistic investigations illustrate that Pt clusters can effectively activate and dissociate H 2 . The FLP sites, instead of the metal and support interfaces, not only enhance the strong adsorption and activation of CO 2 , but also significantly weaken CO adsorption on FLP to facilitate CO release and suppress the CH 4 formation. With the help of hydrogen spillover from Pt to PN-CeO 2 , the Pt cluster /PN-CeO 2 catalysts achieved a CO yield of 29.6 %, which is very close to the thermodynamic equilibrium yield of CO (29.8 %) at 350 °C. Meanwhile, the Pt cluster /PN-CeO 2 catalysts delivered a large turnover frequency of 8720 h -1 . Moreover, Pt cluster /PN-CeO 2 operated stably and continuously for at least 840 h. This finding provides a promising path toward optimizing the RWGS reaction., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

How to improve the enantiomer separation efficiency of drugs is a hot topic. In this paper, polydopamine (PDA) coating doped with graphene oxide (GO) by physical adsorption was used to modify the capillary column to enhance the enantioseparation efficiency of the drugs. In the capillary electrochromatography (CEC) system, the novel capillary column with carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin (CM-β-CD) as a chiral selector has completed the enantioseparation of four basic drugs (propranolol, metoprolol, amlodipine and chlorpheniramine). The optimum separation conditions were obtained by optimizing the pH of the buffer, the concentration of organic modifier, the concentration of the chiral selector and the voltage, and the resolution and peak shape were significantly improved compared with uncoated bare-fused column. The stability and reproducibility of the new capillary column were satisfactory and the relative standard deviation of intra-day and inter-day was <3.2%, and of column-to-column was <4.8%. The rich functional groups of GO are key factors to improve the enantioseparation efficiency, which also indicates that nanomaterials with easy modification of functional groups and large specific surface area are excellent resources for capillary modification applications., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The ultrafast water permeation property of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) synergically enhances the evaporation and water circulation processes in a micro heat pipe (MHP). An MHP is a promising phase-change heat-transfer device capable of transferring large amounts of heat energy efficiently. The hydrophobic, atomically smooth carbon walls of GNPs nanostructures provide a network of nanocapillaries that allows water molecules to intercalate frictionlessly among the graphene layers. Together with the attraction force of the oxygenated functional groups, a series of hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces are formed that significantly improve the water circulation rate. The intercalation of water molecules encourages the formation of water-thin film for film-wise evaporation. The effect of nano-wick thickness on the thermal performance of the MHP is investigated. A thinner GNP nano-wick is more favorable to film-wise evaporation while a thicker nano-wick promotes a higher water circulation rate from the condenser to the evaporator, leading to the existence of an optimal thickness. By benchmarking with the uncoated MHP, the thermal conductance of an MHP with a 46.9-µm GNP nano-wick manifests a maximum enhancement of 128%. This study provides insights on the feasible implementation of GNP nano-wicks into a highly efficient micro-scale electronics cooling device for environmental sustainability.

The Nod-like receptor (NLR) family CARD domain containing 5 (NLRC5) has been reported as an activator of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I that is responsible for immune activity in cancer treatment. This work focuses on the role of BMI1 proto-oncogene (BMI1) in the NLRC5-HLA class I axis and in immune escape in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). First, immunoblot analysis and/or reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction were performed, which identified decreased NLRC5 and HLA class I levels in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. NSCLCs were co-cultured with activated CD8 + T cells. Overexpression of NLRC5 in NSCLC cells elevated the expression of HLA class I and increased the activity of T cells and IL-2 production, and it reduced the PD-1/PD-L1 levels. The ubiquitination and immunoprecipitation assays confirmed that BMI1 bound to NLRC5 to induce is ubiquitination and protein degradation. Downregulation of BMI1 in NSCLC cells elevated NLRC5 and HLA class I levels, and consequently promoted T cell activation and decreased PD-1/PD-L1 levels in the co-culture system. However, overexpression of BMI1 in cells led to inverse trends. In summary, this study demonstrates that BMI1 induces ubiquitination and protein degradation of NLRC5 and suppresses HLA class I expression, which potentially helps immune escape in NSCLC., (© 2022 The Authors. The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Kaohsiung Medical University.)

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have drawn broad attention as a novel stationary phase due to their highly porous structure, modifiable pores, large specific surface areas, and satisfactory stability. In this paper, histidine-zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (His-ZIF-8) synthesized at room temperature was physically coated to the internal surface of the capillary column and the carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin (CM-β-CD) as the chiral selector was chemically bonded to the His-ZIF-8@capillary column. The prepared CM-β-CD@His-ZIF-8@capillary column was used for the enantioseparation of amlodipine, propranolol, and atenolol in capillary electrochromatography. In contrast to the CM-β-CD@capillary column without His-ZIF-8, the CM-β-CD@His-ZIF-8@capillary column reveals significantly improved enantiodiscrimination performance for amlodipine (R s : 0 → 2.29), propranolol (R s : 0 → 1.69), and atenolol (R s : 0 → 0.79). His-ZIF-8 concentration, buffer pH, buffer concentration, and the proportion of organic modifier were evaluated in detail with enantiomerically separating chiral molecules. The repeatability of intraday, day-to-day, and column-to-column have been discussed; the result was preferable, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) of separation parameters was <6.7%., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

It has been well demonstrated that melatonin plays an important protective role in photosynthesis of plants under various environmental stresses, while the detailed mechanisms by which melatonin protects photosystem II (PSII) under environmental stress are still unclear. In the study, the effects of melatonin on photosynthetic efficiency, energy dissipation, PSII protein composition, and reversible phosphorylation of thylakoid proteins were investigated in wheat plants under osmotic stress. The results showed that osmotic stress significantly reduced pigment content, photochemical efficiency of PSII, oxygen-evolving activity, and dissipation of excess excitation energy, while 25 μM melatonin applications greatly alleviated their decline under osmotic stress. Western blot data of PSII proteins revealed that melatonin upregulated the levels of D1, Lhcb5, Lhcb6, PsbQ, and PsbS proteins in wheat exposed to osmotic stress. In addition, thylakoid membrane proteins were strongly phosphorylated in wheat under osmotic stress with or without melatonin. Furthermore, the results from PSII protein dephosphorylation showed that exogenous melatonin promoted the dephosphorylation of LCHII, CP43, and D1 under osmotic stress. Therefore, our findings suggest that melatonin can provide an effective protection for the photosynthetic apparatus by the regulation of PSII proteins and the reversible phosphorylation of thylakoid proteins under drought stress., 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 Lin, Song, Mao, Li, Gan, Yuan, Zhang, Yuan, Zhang, Su and Chen.)

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), defined as a class of microporous hybrid materials, are established by coordination of metal cations with functional organic ligands. In addition to outstanding porosity and large surface area, the structures and functions of MOFs can be designed and adjusted based on different destinations, which would be employed as stationary phases in various chromatographic modes. Pepsin, a class of protein, has been investigated as chiral selector owing to their unique interactions with analytes based on chiral or affinity selectivity. In this work, MOF-5 was exploited to grow on the support of poly (glycidyl methacrylate)-co-(ethylene dimethacrylate) [poly(GMA-co-EDMA)] monoliths by layer-by-layer self-assembly method. Pepsin was subsequently bonded with the carboxyl group of MOF-5 through amidation reaction. The ultimate pepsin@MOF-5@poly(GMA-co-EDMA) column was applied for enantioseparation of six basic chiral drugs by capillary electrochromatography with good resolution and repeatability. Compared with the pepsin modified monolithic column, the newly prepared column with MOF-5 shows significantly enhanced enantiomeric resolution, which reveals that MOFs-modified capillary monolithic columns lead a promising road to separation of racemates by chromatography., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Pursuing and developing effective methodologies to construct highly active catalytic sites to maximize the atomic and energy efficiency by material engineering are attractive. Relative to the tremendous researches of carbon-based single atom systems, the construction of bio-applicable single atom materials is still in its infancy. Herein, we propose a facile and general interfacial-confined coordination strategy to construct high-quality single-atom nanotherapeutic agent with Fe single atoms being anchored on defective carbon dots confined in a biocompatible mesoporous silica nanoreactor. Furthermore, the efficient energy conversion capability of silica-based Fe single atoms system has been demonstrated on the basis of the exogenous physical photo irradiation and endogenous biochemical reactive oxygen species stimulus in the confined mesoporous network. More importantly, the highest photothermal conversion efficiency with the mechanism of increased electron density and narrow bandgap of this single atom structure in defective carbon was proposed by the theoretical DFT calculations. The present methodology provides a scientific paradigm to design and develop versatile single atom nanotherapeutics with adjustable metal components and tune the corresponding reactions for safe and efficient tumor therapeutic strategy., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The growing number of industrial carbon emissions have resulted in a significant increase in the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), which, in turn, will have a major impact on climate change. Therefore, the reduction, storage, and reuse of CO 2 is an important concern in modern society. Calcium oxide (CaO) is known to be an excellent adsorbent of CO 2 in a high-temperature environment. However, since deterioration of the adsorbent is likely to occur after repeated cycles of adsorption under high temperature conditions, it would be desirable to mitigate this phenomenon, in order to maintain the stability of CaO. In the present study, common eggshell waste was used as the starting material. The main component of eggshell waste is calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ), which was purified to produce CaO. Different surfactants and amino-containing polymers were added to synthesize CaO-based adsorbents with different configurations and pore sizes. The amount of CO 2 adsorbed was determined using a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). The results showed that the CO 2 adsorption capacity of the synthetic CaO recovered from purified eggshell waste could reach 0.6 g-CO 2 /g-sorbent, indicating a good adsorption capacity. CaO modified with a dopamine-containing polymer was shown to have an adsorption capacity of 0.62 g-CO 2 /g-sorbent. Moreover, it showed an excellent adsorption capacity of 0.40 g-CO 2 /g-sorbent, even after 10 cycles of CO 2 adsorption. The present study suggests that using eggshell waste to synthesize CaO-based adsorbents for effective CO 2 adsorption can not only reduce environmental waste, but also have the potential to capture greenhouse gas CO 2 emissions, which conforms to the principles of green chemistry., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Nickel-titanium alloys have been widely used in biomedical, aerospace and other fields due to their shape memory effect, superelastic effect, as well as biocompatible and elasto-thermal properties. Additive manufacturing (AM) technology can form complex and fine structures, which greatly expands the application range of Ni-Ti alloy. In this study, the development trend of additive manufactured Ni-Ti alloy was analyzed. Subsequently, the most widely used selective laser melting (SLM) process for forming Ni-Ti alloy was summarized. Especially, the relationship between Ni-Ti alloy materials, SLM processing parameters, microstructure and properties of Ni-Ti alloy formed by SLM was revealed. The research status of Ni-Ti alloy formed by wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), electron beam melting (EBM), directional energy dedication (DED), selective laser sintering (SLS) and other AM processes was briefly described, and its mechanical properties were emphatically expounded. Finally, several suggestions concerning Ni-Ti alloy material preparation, structure design, forming technology and forming equipment in the future were put forward in order to accelerate the engineering application process of additive manufactured Ni-Ti alloy. This study provides a useful reference for scientific research and engineering application of additive manufactured Ni-Ti alloys.

Objective: Twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) causes perinatal mortality and morbidity in monochorionic twins. The early recognition of and interventional therapy for TTTS is associated with a more favorable overall prognosis. However, the prediction by the use of ultrasound in the first trimester has relatively poor sensitivity and specificity. This study aimed to identify metabolic biomarkers to aid in ultrasound screening of TTTS., Methods: Maternal plasma was prospectively collected between 11 and 15 weeks of gestation in apparently uncomplicated monochorionic-diamniotic twin pregnancies. This cohort was divided into: (i) patients who were subsequently diagnosed with TTTS by using ultrasound; (ii) uncomplicated matched controls. Metabolome was profiled by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry., Results: The levels of fatty acids, organic acids, oxaloacetic acid, and beta-alanine were significantly lower in the TTTS maternal plasma at 11-15 weeks of gestation, and methionine and glycine were also higher (p < 0.05, FDR<0.12). Generally, in TTTS pregnancies, the metabolisms of amino acid, carbohydrate, cofactors, vitamins, and purine were "down-regulated"; whereas bile secretion and pyrimidine metabolism were "upregulated.", Conclusions: The metabolomics scanning of early gestation maternal plasma may identify those pregnancies that subsequently develop TTTS; in particular, downregulated fatty acid levels may be biologically plausible to be implicated in the pathogenesis of TTTS., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Semantic segmentation of white matter hyperintensities related to focal cerebral ischemia (FCI) and lacunar infarction (LACI) is of significant importance for the automatic screening of tiny cerebral lesions and early prevention of LACI. However, existing studies on brain magnetic resonance imaging lesion segmentation focus on large lesions with obvious features, such as glioma and acute cerebral infarction. Owing to the multi-model tiny lesion areas of FCI and LACI, reliable and precise segmentation and/or detection of these lesion areas is still a significant challenge task., Methods: We propose a novel segmentation correction algorithm for estimating the lesion areas via segmentation and correction processes, in which we design two sub-models simultaneously: a segmentation network and a correction network. The segmentation network was first used to extract and segment diseased areas on T2 fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images. Consequently, the correction network was used to classify these areas at the corresponding locations on T1 FLAIR images to distinguish between FCI and LACI. Finally, the results of the correction network were used to correct the segmentation results and achieve segmentation and recognition of the lesion areas., Results: In our experiment on magnetic resonance images of 113 clinical patients, our method achieved a precision of 91.76% for detection and 92.89% for classification, indicating a powerful method to distinguish between small lesions, such as FCI and LACI., Conclusions: Overall, we developed a complete method for segmentation and detection of WMHs related to FCI and LACI. The experimental results show that it has potential clinical application potential. In the future, we will collect more clinical data and test more types of tiny lesions at the same time., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background/aim: Analysis of the characteristics of influenza virus in imported cases in Guangxi province of China., Materials and Methods: Throat swabs of imported cases with influenza-like symptoms were detected by real-time PCR from July 2016 to December 2019., Results: 1292 laboratory detections of influenza were reported in 3974 influenza-like cases, of which 71.67% (926) were influenza A. The ratio of test positive was 32.82%. The proportion of detections of influenza B was 28.33% (366). A total of 70.51% of the cases mostly came from Vietnam (911). A total of 86.76% (1121) of the cases were imported from Dongxing Port, Nanning Airport, and Pingxiang Port. There was no statistical difference in all age groups. At the same time, 3 of the untyped A-type specimens were sequenced by next- generation sequencing. Among them, the sequences of 2 specimens from Vietnam had high homology with the influenza strain H3N2 in Hong Kong in 2017. The specimen sequence from Thailand is highly homologous to the influenza pandemic strain H1N1 in Brisbane, Australia in 2018., Conclusion: Imported influenza cases in Guangxi have occurred throughout the year, with higher numbers in winter and spring. The cases mostly came from Vietnam with influenza A. Relevant measures should be taken to control the further spread of the virus., (This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.)

Metal-organic framework (UiO-66-NH 2 )-incorporated organic polymer monolith was prepared by thermal polymerization. By virtue of the superior physical and chemical properties, the UiO-66-NH 2 -modified organic monolith was then functionalized by chiral selector cellulase via the condensation reaction between the primary amino groups and aldehyde groups. The synthesized materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectrometry, thermogravimetric analysis, and nitrogen sorption isotherm. The cellulase@poly(glycidyl methacrylate-UiO-66-NH 2 -ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) (cellulase@poly(GMA-UiO-66-NH 2 -EDMA)) monolith was applied to enantiomerically separate the basic racemic forms of metoprolol, atenolol, esmolol, bisoprolol, and propranolol. In contrast to the cellulase@poly(GMA-co-EDMA) monolith without UiO-66-NH 2 , the cellulase@poly(GMA-UiO-66-NH 2 -EDMA) monolith reveals significantly improved enantiodiscrimination performance for metoprolol (Rs: 0 → 1.67), atenolol (Rs: 0 → 1.50), esmolol (Rs: 0 → 1.52), bisoprolol (Rs: 0 → 0.36), and propranolol (Rs: 0 → 0.44). The immobilization pH of cellulase, buffer pH, UiO-66-NH 2 concentration, and the proportion of organic modifier were evaluated in detail with enantiomerically separating chiral molecules. The intra-day, inter-day, column-to-column, and inter-batch precision have been discussed, the result was preferable, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) of separation parameters was <4.3%. Schematic representation of the preparation of a UiO-66-NH 2 -modified organic polymer monolith for enantioseparating five racemic β-blockers. UiO-66-NH 2 was synthesized and converted into a monolith as the stationary phase. Then, the modified monolith containing cellulase as the chiral selector was applied in a capillary electrochromatography system for enantioseparating chiral drugs.

Background: Previous studies have shown that BD patients exhibited impairment when performing a verbal fluency task (VFT) and abnormal prefrontal cortex activation during this task. However, no study has specifically examined whether patients with type II BD demonstrate difficulty in performing VFT and impairments in relevant neural correlates or whether these are related to psychotic symptoms, the present study aimed to examine these issues., Methods: Forty-nine patients with type II BD (21 patients with psychotic symptoms [BDIIp] and 28 patients without psychotic symptoms [BDIIn]) and 45 matched healthy controls (HCs) participated the study and completed the VFTs, while their brain activity was recorded with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)., Results: Both BDIIp and BDIIn patients showed poorer performance on VFTs than HCs. In addition, BDII patients showed lower brain activation than HCs in bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and right frontal pole, these results were mainly driven by BDIIn patients. Moreover, subjective psychotic symptoms were positively significantly correlated with left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation in BDII patients., Conclusions: Type II BD patients showed significant impairment when performing VFTs and reduced activation in the prefrontal cortex, and subjective psychotic symptoms were associated with brain activation in left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in BDII patients., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

New material zeolitic imidazolate framework-4, 5-imidazoledicarboxylic acid (ZIF-IMD) located on the pore surface of porous layer open-tubular (PLOT) column previously functionalized with N-(3-aminopropyl)-imidazole have been prepared via a layer-by-layer self-assembly strategy. This new ZIF-IMD coating hybrids are used as solid-phase carriers for chiral selector pepsin immobilization. The ZIF-IMD material was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope and X-ray diffraction. The synthesized pepsin@ZIF-IMD@POLT column achieved the baseline separation of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), chloroquine (CHQ) and hydroxyzine (HXY) (the resolution of HCQ: 2.19; CHQ: 1.84; HXY: 1.53). Compared with the pepsin@PLOT column (without ZIF-IMD material), the chiral separation capability of the pepsin@ZIF-IMD@POLT column can be remarkably improved. Several key parameters including concentration of chiral selector, buffer pH, applied voltage and buffer concentration were systematically evaluated to provide the optimal enantioseparation condition. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of intra-day, inter-day, column-to-column and inter-batch of migration time and Rs of the HCQ were evaluated in detail, respectively (RSD < 7.21%). Additionally, the potential mechanism of increased resolution was discussed in the article., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have declared no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The controllable synthesis of stable single-metal site catalysts with an expected coordination environment for high catalytic activity and selectivity is still challenging. Here, we propose a cation-exchange strategy for precise production of an edge-rich sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N) dual-decorated single-metal (M) site catalysts (M = Cu, Pt, Pd, etc.) library. Our strategy relies on the anionic frameworks of sulfides and N-rich polymer shell to generate abundant S and N defects during high-temperature annealing, further facilitating the stabilization of exchanged metal species with atomic dispersion and excellent accessibility. This process was traced by in situ transmission electron microscopy, during which no metal aggregates were observed. Both experiments and theoretical results reveal the precisely obtained S, N dual-decorated Cu sites exhibit a high activity and low reaction energy barrier in catalytic hydroxylation of benzene at room temperature. These findings provide a route to controllably produce stable single-metal site catalysts and an engineering approach for regulating the central metal to improve catalytic performance.

A β-Cyclodextrin covalent organic framework (β-CD COF) was successfully prepared under ambient temperature with a mild chemistry strategy from heptakis(6-amino-6-deoxy)-β-cyclodextrin and terephthalaldehyde. It was embedded into the poly[(glycidyl methacrylate)-co-(ethylene dimethacrylate)] [poly(GMA-co-EDMA)] monolith and served as the β-CD COF material-incorporated monolith. The synthetic materials were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray mapping analysis, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherm. The β-CD COF material-incorporated monolith achieved baseline separation in capillary electrochromatographic separation of three amides, three amino acids, three nucleosides, four aromatic acids, and three positional isomers (with resolution values of three amides, 1.75 and 1.54; three amino acids, 5.24 and 1.75; three nucleosides, 2.56 and 1.77; four aromatic acids, 6.96, 2.74, and 1.64; three positional isomers, 1.61 and 1.50). In comparison with the original monolith, the β-CD COF material-incorporated monolith shows significantly enhanced resolution for mixed molecules. The effect of pH and concentration of buffer and applied voltage were discussed in detail. The fabricated monolith showed good stability and reproducibility (relative standard deviation (RSD) < 6.9%). Molecular modeling illuminated the interactions between the small molecules and stationary phase, and provided a sufficient theoretical basis for experimental data. Graphical abstract Schematic presentation of the preparation of β-cyclodextrin covalent organic framework (β-CD COF) material-incorporated organic polymer monolith for separating the amides, amino acids, nucleosides, aromatic acids, and positional isomers. β-CD COF materials were synthesized and incorporated into the monolith as the stationary phase. Then, the incorporated monolith was applied in the capillary electrochromatography system for separating small molecules.

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is correlated with an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes for both the mother and offspring. Previous research has reported correlations between maternal dietary patterns and GDM, but such evidence for twin pregnancies is lacking. This study aimed to identify maternal dietary patterns in the second trimester and investigate their relationships with the risk of GDM among women who were pregnant with twins in China., Methods: A longitudinal twin pregnancies birth cohort study of women who were pregnant with twins in China was conducted. Maternal dietary intake in the second trimester was recorded by using a food frequency questionnaire prior to the diagnosis of GDM among participants from the prospective twin pregnancies birth cohort in Chongqing City. GDM was diagnosed with a 75 g 2-h oral glucose tolerance test at 23-26 weeks of gestation. Dietary patterns were identified by principal components analysis, and the correlations between dietary pattern and GDM were examined using multivariable logistic regression analyses., Results: Of the 324 participants, 101 (31.2%) were diagnosed with GDM. Four dietary patterns were identified: a vegetable-based pattern, a poultry-and-fruit-based pattern, a sweet-based pattern and a plant-protein-based pattern. Multivariate analysis showed that none of the dietary patterns were correlated with the risk of GDM among women who were pregnant with twins, but the sweet-based dietary pattern, which was associated with a higher GDM risk for quartile 4 versus quartile 1 (OR 2.69; 95% CI: 1.09, 6.66) among non-overweight women (prepregnancy BMI < 24.0)., Conclusion: Dietary patterns were not correlated with later GDM risk among women who were pregnant with twins in western China, whereas a high intake of sweets was associated with a higher risk for GDM among women who were not overweight prior to pregnancy., Trial Registration: ChiCTR-OOC-16008203. Retrospectively registered on 1 April 2016.

Mental Time Travel (MTT) is the ability of individuals to project themselves to the past or to the future. Studies have shown that schizophrenia (SZ) patients are impaired in MTT. The present study aimed to examine whether MTT in patients with SZ can be improved through Life Review Therapy. Fifty patients with SZ were randomly assigned to the training (SZ-training) or control (SZ-control) group. Whereas the SZ-training group received four-week Life Review Therapy in addition to conventional treatment, the SZ-control group only received conventional treatment. MTT, emotional status, life satisfaction and cognitive functions were assessed before and after the training. We also recruited 25 matched healthy controls to complete all the assessments at baseline. After training, the SZ-training group showed higher specificity and more field perspective than the SZ-control group. No significant difference was found between the SZ-training group post-training assessment and the healthy controls. The SZ-training group also showed significant improvements in emotional expression, semantic memory and verbal fluency, but the SZ-control group did not show such improvements. These results indicated that Life Review Therapy is effective in improving MTT of SZ patients., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: It is increasingly being recognized that alterations of the GABAergic system are implicated in the pathophysiology of depression. This study aimed to explore in vivo gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in the anterior cingulate cortex/medial prefrontal cortex (ACC/mPFC) and posterior-cingulate cortex (PCC) of postmenopausal women with depression using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS)., Methods: Nineteen postmenopausal women with depression and thirteen healthy controls were enrolled in the study. All subjects underwent H-MRS of the ACC/mPFC and PCC using the "MEGA Point Resolved Spectroscopy Sequence" (MEGA-PRESS) technique. The severity of depression was assessed by 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD). Quantification of MRS data was performed using Gannet program. Differences of GABA+ levels from patients and controls were tested using one-way analysis of variance. Spearman correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the linear associations between GABA+ levels and HAMD scores, as well as estrogen levels., Results: Significantly lower GABA+ levels were detected in the ACC/mPFC of postmenopausal women with depression compared to healthy controls (P = 0.002). No significant correlations were found between 17-HAMD/14-HAMA and GABA+ levels, either in ACC/mPFC (P = 0.486; r = 0.170/P = 0.814; r = -0.058) or PCC (P = 0.887; r = 0.035/ P = 0.987; r = -0.004) in the patients; there is also no significant correlation between GABA+ levels and estrogen levels in patients group (ACC/mPFC: P = 0.629, r = -0.018; PCC: P = 0.861, r = 0.043)., Conclusion: Significantly lower GABA+ levels were found in the ACC/mPFC of postmenopausal women with depression, suggesting that the dysfunction of the GABAergic system may also be involved in the pathogenesis of depression in postmenopausal women., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Background: Low-dose aspirin can reduce the incidence of preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). However, the effects of ethnicity upon low-dose aspirin's efficacy has not been analyzed. Here, we comparatively evaluated the efficacy of low-dose aspirin in preventing preeclampsia and related fetal complications in East Asian and non-East Asian pregnant women at risk for preeclampsia., Methods: Several databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing low-dose aspirin with either placebo or no treatment in pregnant women at risk for preeclampsia. Odds ratios (ORs) and associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for preeclampsia and related fetal outcomes were tabulated., Results: Low-dose aspirin significantly reduced preeclampsia risk in both East Asians (OR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.11-0.35) and non-East Asians (OR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.77-0.92). Low-dose aspirin significantly reduced IUGR risk in East Asians (OR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.20-0.67) but not in non-East Asians (OR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.41-1.77). Low-dose aspirin did not significantly reduce the risk of cesarean section in either East Asians (OR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.14-3.22) or non-East Asians (OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.86-1.19)., Conclusions: Low-dose aspirin is effective in reducing preeclampsia risk in both East Asians and non-East Asians and has differential effects in East Asians and non-East Asians with respect to IUGR.

There is limited information on the occurrence and removal of artificial sweeteners (ASs) in biological wastewater treatment plants, and in particular, the contribution of sorption and biodegradation to their removal. This study investigated the fate of ASs in both the aqueous and solid phases in a water reclamation plant (WRP). All the four targeted ASs, i.e. acesulfame (ACE), sucralose (SUC), cyclamate (CYC) and saccharine (SAC), were detected in both the aqueous and solid phases of raw influent and primary effluent samples. The concentrations of CYC and SAC in secondary effluent or MBR permeate were below their method detection limits. ACE and SUC were persistent throughout the WRP, whereas CYC and SAC were completely removed in biological treatment (>99%). Experimental results showed that sorption played a minor role in the elimination of the ASs due to the relatively low sorption coefficients (Kd), where Kd<500L/kg. In particular, the poor removal of ACE and SUC in the WRP may be attributed to their physiochemical properties (i.e. logKow<0 or logD<3.2) and chemical structures containing strong withdrawing electron functional groups in heterocyclic rings (i.e. chloride and sulfonate)., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A method for determination of beryllium in soils and sediments by microwave-acid digestion/graphite furnace atomic absorption (GFAA) is described. In this paper, the working conditions of the instrument are optimized, the drawing of calibration curve is expounded, the pretreatment process of soil and sediments (including microwave heating process and the selection of digestion system) is discussed, and the interference of coexisting elements is examined. The sample was pretreated by microwave digestion parameters using HNO₃/ HCl/HF mixed acid system. The method is fast and simple without matrix modifier, and has no interference by coexisting ions, and has high repeatability and reproducibility. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the limit of detection (LOD) is 0.004 9 mg · kg⁻¹ (sample quantity 0.200 0 g, sample volume 25 mL), and the limits of quantitation (LOQ) is 0.20 mg · kg⁻¹. This method is used to measure the standard samples and actual samples, whether in the laboratory, or between laboratories, has good accuracy and precision.

DNA damage-regulated autophagy modulator protein 1 (DRAM1), a multi-pass membrane lysosomal protein, is reportedly a tumor protein p53 (TP53) target gene involved in autophagy. During cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, DRAM1 protein expression is increased, and autophagy is activated. However, the functional significance of DRAM1 and the relationship between DRAM1 and autophagy in brain I/R remains uncertain. The aim of this study is to investigate whether DRAM1 mediates autophagy activation in cerebral I/R injury and to explore its possible effects and mechanisms. We adopt the oxygen-glucose deprivation and reperfusion (OGD/R) Neuro-2a cell model to mimic cerebral I/R conditions in vitro, and RNA interference is used to knock down DRAM1 expression in this model. Cell viability assay is performed using the LIVE/DEAD viability/cytotoxicity kit. Cell phenotypic changes are analyzed through Western blot assays. Autophagy flux is monitored through the tandem red fluorescent protein-Green fluorescent protein-microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3 (RFP-GFP-LC3) construct. The expression levels of DRAM1 and microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3II/I (LC3II/I) are strongly up-regulated in Neuro-2a cells after OGD/R treatment and peaked at the 12 h reperfusion time point. The autophagy-specific inhibitor 3-Methyladenine (3-MA) inhibits the expression of DRAM1 and LC3II/I and exacerbates OGD/R-induced cell injury. Furthermore, DRAM1 knockdown aggravates OGD/R-induced cell injury and significantly blocks autophagy through decreasing autophagosome-lysosome fusion. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that DRAM1 knockdown in Neuro-2a cells inhibits autophagy by blocking autophagosome-lysosome fusion and exacerbated OGD/R-induced cell injury. Thus, DRAM1 might constitute a new therapeutic target for I/R diseases.

Organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) emit into the atmosphere in both gas and particulate phases via spray drift from treatments and post-application emission, but most of their degradations in the atmosphere are not well known. In this study, the heterogeneous reactions of nitrate (NO(3)) radicals with three typical OPPs (parathion, malathion, and fenthion) absorbed on azelaic acid particles are investigated using an online vacuum ultraviolet photoionization aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (VUV-ATOFMS). The reaction products observed with the VUV-ATOFMS are identified on the basis of GC/MS analysis of the products in the reaction between NO(3) radicals and the coating of the pesticide. Paraoxon is identified as the only product of parathion; malaoxon and bis(1,2-bis-ethoxycarbonylethyl)disulfide as the products of malathion; fenoxon, fenoxon sulfoxide, fenthion sulfoxide, fenoxon sulfone, and fenthion sulfone as the products of fenthion. The degradation rates of parathion, malathion, and fenthion under the experimental conditions are 5.5×10(-3), 5.6×10(-2), and 3.3×10(-2)s(-1), respectively. The pathways of the heterogeneous reactions between the three OPPs and NO(3) radicals are proposed. The experimental results reveal the possible transformations of these OPPs through the oxidation of NO(3) radicals in the atmosphere., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Popliteal vascular entrapment syndrome is an uncommon congenital abnormality of the anatomic relations between the popliteal vessels and the neighboring musculotendinous structures. The purpose of this essay is to describe the CT angiographic findings in the diagnosis and treatment of this syndrome., Conclusion: Digital subtraction angiography is of limited value in the evaluation of popliteal vascular entrapment syndrome and has been replaced by noninvasive imaging techniques, such as Doppler sonography, CT angiography, MRI, and MR angiography.

As an organophosphorous insecticide, phosmet is widely used for plant protection as well as against the ectoparasites on productive livestock. It emits into the atmosphere in both gas and particulate phases via spray drift from treatments and postapplication emissions, but its degradation in the atmosphere is not well-known up to now. In this study, the heterogeneous reaction of phosmet absorbed on the azelaic acid particles with NO(3) radicals is investigated in real-time using a vacuum ultraviolet photoionization aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (VUV-ATOFMS). Two primary products and their nitro-substituted derivates are observed. The apparent reaction rate of phosmet particles with NO(3) radicals is also obtained by a relative rate method with isoprene and 1,4-cyclohexadiene as the reference compounds. The concentrations of the reference substance and phosmet particles are synchronously detected with an atmospheric gas analysis mass spectrometer and the VUV-ATOFMS. Under the experimental conditions, the average apparent reaction rate obtained is (1.92 ± 0.09) × 10(-12) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), and the corresponding atmospheric lifetime toward NO(3) radicals is roughly estimated to be ~0.3 h.

Plasma-assisted pulsed laser deposited zirconia (ZrO(2)) films were studied by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopy for structural characterization and thermal stability in combination with optical characterization by spectroscopic ellipsometry and optical transmission measurements. Only the monoclinic ZrO(2) phase was positively identified from the infrared and Raman spectra of the as-deposited ZrO(2) films, which show excellent optical transparency from the ultraviolet to the near infrared as revealed by optical characterization. The as-deposited ZrO(2) films are free of any SiO(x) interfacial layer when deposited on silicon. The prepared ZrO(2) films exhibit good thermal stability in their structural, optical, and interfacial properties up to 900 °C. Upon annealing above 1100 °C, a silicon oxide interfacial layer forms due to the oxidation of the silicon substrate surface by the oxygen diffused from the oxide film to the silicon substrate at high temperatures.

Nanocrystalline iron-doped tin dioxide (Sn(1-x)Fe(x)O(2)) films with x from 0 to 0.2 were prepared on c-sapphire substrates by pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering analysis show that the films are of the rutile structure at low compositions and an impurity phase related to Fe(2)O(3) appears until the x is up to 0.2, suggesting the general change of lattice structure due to the Fe ion substitution. The dielectric functions are successfully determined from 0.0248 to 6.5 eV using the Lorentz multi-oscillator and Tauc-Lorentz dispersion models in the low and high photon energy regions, respectively. With increasing Fe composition, the highest-frequency transverse optical phonons E(u) shifts towards a lower energy side and can be well described by (608 - 178x) cm(-1). From the transmittance spectra, the fundamental absorption edge is found to be decreased with the Fe composition due to the joint contributions from SnO(2) and Fe(2)O(3). It can be observed that the doped films exhibit evident excitonic excitation features, which are strongly related to the Fe doping. Among them, the 6A(1g)→ 4T(2g) transition contributes to the onset of optical absorption. Moreover, the remarkable intensity reduction and a red-shift trend with the doping composition, except for the pure film, can be testified by the photoluminescence spectra. It can be concluded that the replacement of Sn with the Fe ion could induce the 2p-3d hybridization and result in the electronic band structure modification of the Sn(1-x)Fe(x)O(2) films.

The experimental study on ozonation of ethylenethiourea (ETU) is conducted. The reaction of gas-phase ETU with 0.63 x 10(-6) mol/L ozone is carried out in a 200-L reaction chamber. The secondary organic aerosol (SOA) resulted from the ozonation of gas-phase ETU is observed with a scanning mobility particle size (SMPS). The rapid exponential growth of SOA reveals that the atmospheric lifetime of ETU vapor towards ozone reaction is less than four days. The ozonation of dry ETU particles, ETU-contained water droplets and ETU aqueous solution is investigated with a vacuum ultraviolet photoionization aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (VUV-ATOFMS). The formation of 2-imidazoline is observed in the ozonation of dry ETU particles and ETU-contained water droplets. The formation of 2-imidazoline and ethylenerea is observed in the ozonation of ETU aqueous solution.

Vinclozolin is a widely used fungicide that can be released into the atmosphere via application and volatilization. This paper reports an experimental investigation on the heterogeneous ozonation of vinclozolin particles. The ozonation of vinclozolin adsorbed on azelaic acid particles under pseudo-first-order conditions is investigated online with a vacuum ultraviolet photoionization aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (VUV-ATOFMS). The ozonation products are analyzed with a combination of VUV-ATOFMS and GC/MS. Two main ozonation products are observed. The formation of the ozonation products results from addition of O(3) on the C-C double bond of the vinyl group. The heterogeneous reactive rate constant of vinclozolin particles under room temperature is (2.4 ± 0.4) × 10(-17) cm(3) molecules(-1) s(-1), with a corresponding lifetime at 100 ppbv O(3) of 4.3 ± 0.7 h, which is almost comparable with the estimated lifetime due to the reaction with atmospheric OH radicals (∼1.7 h). The reactive uptake coefficient for O(3) on vinclozolin particles is (6.1 ± 1.0) × 10(-4).

This technical note reports a design utilizing an aerodynamic lens assembly to transport suspended sample particles directly onto the target plate and conduct in situ MALDI analysis. The design provides a new alternative method for online MALDI analysis. The matrix/analyte/salt-contained particles sampled by a nozzle are focused into a particle beam with an aerodynamic lens assembly and then deposited on the target plate directly. The deposited particles are in situ desorbed/ionized by a 266 nm laser beam with an incidence angle of 50 degrees. The generated ions are detected with a reflectron mass spectrometer capable of delayed ion extraction and ion gating. The MALDI-TOF mass spectra of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) 1000, 2000, and 4000 particles are obtained in the experiment. The initial experimental results demonstrate that the design can be used for online MALDI analysis.

Pirimiphos-methyl (PMM) is a widely used pesticide that can be released into the atmosphere in the gas phase and the condensed phase. The reaction of suspended PMM particles with ozone is investigated using an online vacuum ultraviolet photoionization aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (VUV-ATOFMS) and a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). The reactions are conducted in an 180 L reaction chamber. The identification of particulate products detected with VUV-ATOFMS is proposed on the basis of GC-MS analysis of PMM ozonation products in methylene dichloride solution. The heterogeneous reactive rate constant of PMM with azelaic acid as matrix under room temperature (293 +/- 2 K) is (1.97 +/- 0.25) x 10(-17) cm(3) molecules(-1) s(-1). The corresponding lifetime at 100 ppbv of ozone is 5.2 +/- 0.66 h, and the reactive uptake coefficient (gamma) for ozone on PMM particles is (8.5 +/- 1.1) x 10(-4). Additionally, ozonation of PMM vapor is conducted, and the rapid formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is observed in the homogeneous ozonation of gas-phase PMM. The experimental results indicate that ozone is an important atmospheric oxidant for the transformation of PMM in the atmosphere.