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BackgroundPostoperative radiotherapy (PORT) is a therapeutic strategy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Nevertheless, some studies suggesting PORT does not improve overall survival (OS) including Lung ART phase III trial. The role of PORT and high-risk groups need to be confirmed.MethodsPatients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program (SEER) from 2004 to 2015 were eligible. Aged ≥18 years with stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC, accepted PORT or not were considered for the study. Cox regression analyses and multivariate competing risk model were performed. Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted. Data from a single-center study in China were used for validation.ResultsIn all patients with IIIA-N2 NSCLC, death from respiratory illness increased year by year, with right lung-related deaths accounting for the main proportion. In SEER database, PORT was detrimental for OS after PSM (hazard ratio [HR], 1.088; 95% CI, 1.088–1.174; P = 0.031), with a same trend for death from the lungs (HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.04–1.22; P = 0.005). Right tumor receiving PORT were prone to death from lung disease(HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.02–1.27; P = 0.018). In China single-center cohort, PORT was significantly correlated with deteriorated OS (HR 1.356; 95% CI 1.127–1.632; P <0.01), especially in the right laterality (HR 1.365; 95% CI 1.062–1.755; P = 0.015).ConclusionsPORT was a risk factor for stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC patients, particularly with characters of right laterality, male sex, age ≥65 years, and advanced tumor stage. These patients are more likely to death from lung disease after PORT.

Nowadays, cancer and cardiac diseases are two of the most causes of death, so cancer treatment-related cardiac death cannot be ignored. For lung cancer, chest radiotherapy (RT) is essential, but the related cardiotoxicity has not been fully studied.We reviewed the data of 11,455 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from 2001 to 2015. The change trend for concomitant cardiovascular diseases (CVD)-specific death was calculated and graphically demonstrated. Univariate and multivariate analyses for survival were performed using Cox risk regression model.In our analysis, the overall incidence and mortality from NSCLC declined, but CVD-specific death increased. Both chemoradiotherapy and radiotherapy alone played a significant role in CVD-specific death. Analyzed longitudinally from diagnosis, we found that the effect of RT in CVD-specific death increased continuously over the third years and the hazard ratio for CVD-specific death was 1.386 times between RT and non-RT group (HR = 1.386, 95% CI 1.322-1.452; p 0.0001). On the other hand, RT played a protective role in CVD-specific death before the second years, especially in recent years from 2013 to 2015 (HR = 0.843, 95% CI 0.740-0.959; p = 0.009).Although the mortality from NSCLC decreased, but radiotherapy-related CVD-specific mortality cannot be ignored. In the long-term over 3 years, RT significantly promoted CVD-specific death. However, RT turned to be a protective role in the short-term within 2 years. In clinical practice, we need to comprehensively consider the dual effects of radiotherapy on the side effect of heart.

The relationship between cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) polymorphisms and clopidogrel efficacy in patients with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been widely studied. However, the relationship between CYP2C19 polymorphisms and the response to clopidogrel in patients treated for ischemic stroke (IS) remains controversial. What's more, few data address the relevance of CYP2C19 polymorphisms in patients taking clopidogrel for secondary prevention of ischemic stroke. This study investigates whether carrying CYP2C19 loss-of-function (LOF) alleles affects the risk of recurrent stroke in IS patients.One hundred twenty-two IS patients were CYP2C19 genotype screened and enrolled in the study from January 2016 to December 2017. Those with stroke recurrence, stroke sequelae, or bleeding diseases were excluded. The remaining 89 patients were divided into the following 2 groups: non-carriers of CYP2C19 LOF alleles (n=38) and carriers (n=51) of CYP2C19 LOF alleles. The variables that could influence the rate of recurrent stroke were assessed in a multivariate analysis to determine the independent risk factors.The CYP2C19*2 and *3 alleles frequencies among the 122 patients were 31.97% and 4.10%, respectively. Carriers of LOF alleles had a more significant history of hypertension compared with non-carriers [n=43/51 (86.7%) versus n=23/38 (60.5%), P=0.01]. In addition, the inclusion rate of aspirin in discharge medication was significantly higher for carriers than for non-carriers [n=19/51 (37.3%) versus n=5/38 (13.2%), P=0.01]. CYP2C19 LOF alleles were significantly associated with an increased risk of recurrent stroke [odds ratio (OR): 7.586; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.346-42.770, P=0.022].CYP2C19 LOF alleles may increase the risk of recurrent IS. The polymorphisms of CYP2C19 may be predictors of a poor functional outcome in patients with recurrent stroke. Instead of clopidogrel, aspirin can be prescribed as a secondary preventative measure against stroke in carriers of CYP2C19 LOF alleles.

The proportion of maize mechanical harvesting in China is still at a low level although mechanical harvesting has been widely used in the cultivation of other crops. A major reason is that the mois...

A bacterial strain ASLT-13 was successfully isolated from activated sludge and identified as Pseudomonas amygdali. Gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) analysis indicated that strain ASLT-13...

With rapid urbanization and industrialization, PM2.5 pollution exerts a significant negative impact on the urban eco-environment and on residents’ health. Previous studies have demonstrated that cities in China are characterized by urban particulate matter island (UPI) phenomena, i.e., higher PM2.5 concentrations are observed in urban areas than in rural settings. How, though, nature and socioeconomic environments interact to influence UPI intensities is a question that still awaits a general explanation. To fill this knowledge gap, this study investigates spatiotemporal variations in UPI effects with respect to different climatic settings and city sizes in 240 cities in China from 2000 to 2015 using remotely sensed data and explores the effective mechanism of human–environmental factors on UPI dynamics based upon the Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model. In particular, a conceptual framework that considers natural environments, technology, population, and economics is proposed to explore the factors influencing UPIs. The results show (1) that about 70% of the cities in China selected exhibited UPI effects from 2000 to 2015. In addition, UPI intensities and the number of UPI-related cities decreased over time. It is noteworthy that PM2.5 pollution shifted from urban to rural areas. (2) Elevation was the most efficient driving factor of UPI variations, followed by precipitation, population density, NDVI, per capita GDP, and PM2.5 emission per unit GDP. (3) Climatic backgrounds and city sizes influenced the compositions and performance of dominant factors regarding UPI phenomena. This study provides valuable a reference for PM2.5 pollution mitigation in cities experiencing global climate change and rapid urbanization and thus can help sustainable urban developments.

BackgroundSurgery is the main curative therapeutic strategy for patients with initial primary lung cancer (IPLC). Most international guidelines recommend regular follow-ups after discharge to monitor patients for tumor recurrence and metastasis. As the overall survival (OS) in patients with lung cancer improves, their risk of secondary primary lung cancer (SPLC) increases. Previous studies on such patients lack separate assessment of different survival outcomes and evaluation of high-risk factors for SPLC. Therefore, we aimed to determine the correlation between high-risk factors and causes of death in patients with SPLC, based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.MethodsWe screened the SEER database for patients with IPLC and SPLC from 2004 to 2015 and included only patients who underwent surgery since the IPLC and in whom the cancer was pathologically verified of an International Classification of Diseases grade of 0-3 and to be non-small-cell lung cancer. The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) was calculated between variables and SPLC. Multivariable Cox proportional-hazards regression analyses were conducted to calculate the correlation of different variables with overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). A competing-risk model was conducted for SPLC. The effect of baseline bias on survival outcomes by performing propensity score matching analysis in a 1: 6 ratio (SPLC: IPLC).ResultsFor patients aged 0-49 years, the overall SIR was higher in older patients, reaching a maximum of 27.74 in those aged 40-49 years, and at 11.63 in patients aged 50-59 years. The overall SIR was higher for patients who were more recently diagnosed with IPLC and increased with time after diagnosis. Male sex, SPLC (hazard ratio, 1.6173; 95% confidence interval, 1.5505-1.6869; P < 0.001), cancer grade III or IV, lower lobe of the lung, advanced stage and postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) were independently detrimental to OS. In terms of CSS, PORT was a high-risk factor.ConclusionsPostoperative radiotherapy is a risk factor for second primary lung cancer and detrimental to overall and cancer-specific survival in patients who had initial primary lung cancer. These data support the need for life-long follow-up of patients who undergo treatment for IPLC to screen for SPLC.

A bacterial strain that could effectively degrade DEHP was isolated from the activated sludge and identified as Bacillus sp. by DNA sequencing. The biochemical degradation pathway of DEHP was further analyzed by GC-MS, and the results showed that DEHP was first decomposed into phthalates (DBP). Diuretic sylycol (DEP) was then generated, and phthalates (PA) were generated by a continuous de-ehelateization reaction. Phthalic acid (PA) was oxidized, dehydrogenated, and decarboxylated into protocatechins. Protocatechins enter the TCA cycle through orthotopic ring opening. To enhance DEHP degradation, sodium alginate and calcium chloride were used as embedding and cross-linking materials, and the strain was immobilized. The immobilization conditions were optimized via an orthogonal experiment, and the results showed that the optimal immobilization conditions were SA mass fraction of 4%, CaCl2 mass fraction of 5%, ratio of bacteria to SA of 1:1, and the crosslinking time of 6 hours. The immobilized bacteria agent was further applied to MBR systems. The results showed that the removal rate of DEHP (5mg/L) in the system by immobilized bacteria was 91.9%, which is significantly higher than that of free bacteria. The 3, 4-dioxygenase gene and microbial community dynamics were analyzed by q-PCR and Illumina Miseq sequencing. The q-PCR results showed that the number of copies of 3, 4-dioxygenase gene in the immobilized system was significantly higher than that of free bacteria. Illumina Miseq sequencing results showed that Micromonospora, Rhodococcus, Bacteroides and Pseudomonas were the dominant generas in the MBR system. The analysis of bacterial community structure indicated that immobilization technology had a positive impact on the system stability. The results implied that this immobilized technique had potential applications in DEHP wastewater treatment.

Extraction of urban objects, and analysis of two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) morphological parameters, as well as 2D and 3D landscape metrics in urban environments are valuable for updating ...

Three-dimensional (3D) building change detection is important for megacities for updating geo-databases, urban sprawl monitoring, disaster assessments and energy budgets. However, few studies examine how to execute the transition of multi-level change monitoring of urban buildings from 2D to 3D. This study presents a new automated Object–Grid–City Block 3D building change detection (OGB) approach that entails the application of multi-temporal aerial Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) point clouds. First, building labels at various phases were performed using a graph cuts algorithm to assist with 3D change detection of buildings. Then, we introduced a bi-threshold model to consider and capture trajectories of building change broken down into categories from 1 to 5 and obtain a complete 3D change detection map. In order to reveal the vertical building landscape changes, a set of 3D building landscape metrics was developed for block level change monitoring. Upon examination, the results for the northern part of Brooklyn, New York, USA were confirmed to be robust and refined; the completeness, correctness, and quality values for trajectories 1–5 were 92–95%, 93–97%, 89–95%, respectively. More importantly, the OGB approach can not only effectively monitor intensity, direction (increase or decrease), and spatial pattern changes in 2D and 3D morphological parameters of buildings at the grid level, but can also reflect vertical changes in building structures, and reveal horizontal fragmentations and aggregations of buildings at the block level.

Recently, the endocrine-disrupting and carcinogenic compound di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) has gained increased attention. In this study, the enhanced effect of cometabolism on DEHP removal an...

Maize (Zea mays L.) lodging is an important factor limiting its yield increase worldwide. EDAH (containing 27% ethephon and 3% DA-6) is commonly used to decrease lodging. There is an urgent need to select efficient application methods of agrochemical for better spray deposition. In our research, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (15 L ha−1 and 30 L ha−1) with EDAH dosages of 72 and 90 g a.i. ha−1, and electric knapsack sprayers (EKS) (450 L ha−1) with dosages of 90 g a.i. ha−1 were used to compare the droplet deposition distribution, uniformity and maize growth. According to our research, EDAH applied by UAV had a higher droplet deposition rate than EKS; EKS had a higher droplet coverage rate, deposition density, droplet distribution uniformity. At the same dosage of EDAH, the UAV had a better effect on controlling maize growth than EKS, and almost equal effects were detected when the dosage applied by the UAVs was decreased by 20%. Considering the lodging occurrence and yield, we recommend that the dosage of EDAH applied by UAVs should be 72 g a.i. ha−1 when there is weak lodging and 90 g a.i. ha−1 when there is heavy lodging, with a spray volume of 15 L ha−1.

Brassinolides (BRs) are naturally-occurring phytohormones, which are essentially important to improve the crop adoptive capacity to various stresses. Spray volume (SV) and agrochemical application methods are associated with chemical deposition and field efficiency. The objective of this study was to compare the possible effects of 28-Homobrassinolide (HBL) dosages 18, 22, and 30 mg a.i. ha−1 for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sprayers (15 L ha−1 and 30 L ha−1) and 22 mg a.i. ha−1 for Knapsack manual sprayers (KMS) (450 L ha−1) at maize silking stage on droplets deposition distribution, photosynthetic parameters, grain filling process and yield. The results showed that the droplet deposition of UAV (15, 30 L ha−1) was 47.04%, 8.89% higher than KMS. However, the UAV sprayer had a poor droplet deposition distribution. HBL significantly increased the photosynthetic parameters, grain filling rate, and yield. A UAV spray volume of 15 L ha−1 with 22 mg a.i. ha−1 significantly increased grains yield by 4.16–5.64%, 7.5–12.09% compared to KMS and CK in both years. Considering the high efficiency of the UAV sprayer and better effects of HBL on final yield, spraying 22~30 mg a.i. ha−1 with UAV spray volume 15 L ha−1 at the silking stage could be a better strategy.

Taxol is commonly used chemotherapy regimen for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Study of the underlying mechanisms of Taxol chemoresistance provides better understanding of esophageal cancer treatment and may provide a rational molecular target for diagnosis and intervention. Here we showed FBXO31, which was reported to be highly expressed in ESCC and significantly associated with poor prognosis, could regulate ESCC chemosensitivity to Taxol. Silencing of FBXO31 in ESCC cells sensitized cells to Taxol treatment, evidenced by FACS analysis and TUNEL assay, showing as an increased apoptotic population in FBXO31-knockdown cells compared to the control cells. The mass spectrometry data and coimmunoprecipitation results showed FBXO31 could bind with cofilin-1. Cofilin-1 knockdown in FBXO31-overexpression cells reversed FBXO31-induced suppression of cell apoptosis, suggesting FBXO31-mediated Taxol chemoresistance is associated with cofilin-1. Furthermore, in vivo experiments confirmed that knockdown of FBXO31 sensitized ESCC to Taxol treatment. This finding substantiated a pivotal role of FBOX31 in ESCC chemoresistance, indicating that FBXO31 may be a potential indicator or target for drug resistance in ESCC.

Identifying the driving factors of urban land surface temperatures (U-LSTs) is critical in improving urban thermal environments and in supporting the sustainable development of cities. Previous studies have demonstrated that two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) urban structure parameters (USPs) largely influence seasonal U-LSTs. However, the effects of 2D and 3D USPs on seasonal U-LSTs at different spatial scales still await a general explanation. In this study, we used very-high-resolution remotely sensed data to investigate how 2D and 3D USPs impact seasonal U-LSTs at different spatial scales (including pixel and city block scales). In addition, the influences of various functional zones on U-LSTs were analyzed. The results show that, (1) generally, the links between USPs and U-LSTs at the city block scale were more obvious than those at the pixel scale, e.g., the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) between U-LST and the mean building height at the city block scale (summer: r = −0.156) was higher than that at the pixel scale (summer: r = −0.081). Tree percentage yielded a considerable cooling effect on summer U-LSTs on both the pixel (r = −0.199) and city block (r = −0.369) scales, and the effect was more obvious in regions with tall trees. (2) The independently total explained variances (R2) of 3D USPs on seasonal U-LSTs were considerably higher than those of 2D USPs in most urban functional zones (UFZs), suggesting the distinctive roles of 3D USPs in U-LST regulation at the local scale. Three-dimensional USPs (R2 value = 0.66) yielded more decisive influences on summer U-LSTs than 2D USPs did (R2 value = 0.48). (3) Manufacturing zones yielded the highest U-LST, followed by residential and commercial zones. Notably, it is found that the explained variances of the total study area for seasonal U-LSTs were significantly lower than those of each UFZ, suggesting the different roles of 2D and 3D USPs played in various UFZs and that it is critical to explain U-LST variations by using UFZs.

This study presents a new approach for Urban Functional Zone (UFZ) mapping by integrating two-dimensional (2D) Urban Structure Parameters (USPs), three-dimensional (3D) USPs, and the spatial patterns of land covers, which can be divided into two steps. Firstly, we extracted various features, i.e., spectral, textural, geometrical features, and 3D USPs from very-high-resolution (VHR) images and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) point clouds. In addition, the multi-classifiers (MLCs), i.e., Random Forest, K-Nearest Neighbor, and Linear Discriminant Analysis classifiers were used to perform the land cover mapping by using the optimized features. Secondly, based on the land cover classification results, we extracted 2D and 3D USPs for different land covers and used MLCs to classify UFZs. Results for the northern part of Brooklyn, New York, USA, show that the approach yielded an excellent accuracy of UFZ mapping with an overall accuracy of 91.9%. Moreover, we have demonstrated that 3D USPs could considerably improve the classification accuracies of UFZs and land covers by 6.4% and 3.0%, respectively.

Effects of CeO2 NPs (200 mg.L−1) on rice (Oryza sativa L.) alone or co-exposure with cadmium (Cd) and salt (sodium chloride, NaCl) were investigated in hydroponic systems for two weeks. Physiological results show that rice biomass was significantly inhibited when NaCl or CdCl2 added alone or in co-exposure treatment. CeO2 NPs significantly relieve the chlorophyll damage under CdCl2 environmental stress. The presence of CeO2 NPs alleviated both stressors induced damages to rice as indicated by the reduced proline level. Additionally, CeO2 NPs triggered the antioxidant defense systems to counteract the oxidative stress caused by NaCl and CdCl2. The level of 8-OHdG, one of the most important indicators for genotoxicity, in rice suggest that the presence of CeO2 NPs reduced the DNA damage in NaCl treated rice. Elemental analysis indicated that co-exposure to NaCl and CdCl2 slightly decreased the Cd content as compared to the one in the CdCl2 alone treatment, and this co-exposure also significantly reduced the Na content when comparing with the NaCl alone treatment. Taken together, our findings suggest that CeO2 NPs could alleviate the CdCl2 and NaCl stresses, but could not completely change the phenotype of both contaminants treated rice.

In order to study the influence of the blending of chopped basalt fiber on the mechanical properties of concrete, this paper uses basalt fiber content as a variable to simulate the basalt fiber concrete. Simulate its cubic compression, axial compression, splitting tensile, flexural test and working performance, and compare the simulation results with other people's physical and mechanical test data. The results show that the addition of basalt fiber has a great influence on the crack resistance and mechanical properties of concrete.

Melanoma is responsible for the majority of deaths caused by skin cancer. Antitumor activity of microRNA-329 (miR-329) has been seen in several human cancers. In this study, we identify whether miR-329 serves as a candidate regulator in melanoma. Melanoma-related differentially expressed genes were screened with its potential molecular mechanism predicted. Melanoma tissues and pigmented nevus tissues were collected, where the levels of miR-329 and high-mobility group box 2 (HMGB2) were determined. To characterize the regulatory role of miR-329 on HMGB2 and the β-catenin pathway in melanoma cell activities, miR-329 mimics, miR-329 inhibitors, and siRNA-HMGB2 were transfected into melanoma cells. Cell viability, migration, invasion, cell cycle, and apoptosis were assessed. miR-329 was predicted to influence melanoma by targeting HMGB2 via the β-catenin pathway. High level of HMGB2 and low miR-329 expression were observed in melanoma tissues. HMGB2 was targeted and negatively regulated by miR-329. In melanoma cells transfected with miR-329 mimics or siRNA-HMGB2, cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were impeded, yet cell cycle arrest and apoptosis were promoted, corresponding to decreased levels of β-catenin, cyclin D1, and vimentin and increased levels of GSK3β and E-cadherin. Collectively, our results show that miR-329 can suppress the melanoma progression by downregulating HMGB2 via the β-catenin pathway.

Resilience of rural communities is becoming increasingly important to contemporary society. In this study we used a quantitative method to measure the resilience regulating ability of rural communities close to urban areas—in Licheng Subdistrict, Guangzhou City, China. The main results are as follows: (1) Rural systems close to urban areas display superior adapting and learning abilities and have a stronger overall resilience strength, the spatial distribution of which is characterized by dispersion in whole and aggregation in part, (2) the resilience of most rural economic subsystems can reach moderate or higher levels with apparent spatial agglomeration, whilst the ecological subsystem resilience and social resilience are generally weaker, the spatial distribution of the former shows a greater regional difference while the latter is in a layered layout, (3) some strategies such as rebuilding a stable ecological pattern, making use of urban resources and cultivating rural subjectivity are proposed on this basis, in order to promote the sustainable development of rural areas and realize rural revitalization. This work also gives suggestion for the creation of appropriate and effective resilience standards specifically targeted for rural community-aiming to achieve the delivery of local sustainability goals.

The Orbita hyperspectral satellite (OHS) is the first commercial hyperspectral satellite in China that completed launching and networking. It can collect world-class hyperspectral data and obtain aerial hyperspectral imagery with 32 bands covering the spectrum range from 400 to 1000 nm at a 10-m resolution, which are of great significance for the quantitative analyses of remote sensing and refined recognitions of land covers. We explore the potentiality of the OHS image in land cover classification (LCC). Taking the Pearl River Delta region as the study area, we selected five feature indices from OHS data, i.e., original bands (OBs), vegetation indices (VIs), water indices (WIs), red edge indices (REIs), and gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) textures for the LCC. Then, data combination schemes were intended to analyze and compare the performance of different feature indices on the accuracies of the LCC. Last, feature optimization was performed on all input variables to determine the optimal variables combination to increase the accuracy and efficiency of the LCC. The random forest classifier was adopted in the above schemes, and the method of mean decrease in accuracy was used to determine the importance of the variables. The results show that (1) refined accuracy of LCC was obtained using only OBs; in addition, REIs can further improve the classification accuracy significantly. (2) The optimal variables combination achieves the highest classification accuracy (OA = 93.21 % and kappa coefficient = 0.91), and the user’s and producer’s accuracies exceeded 90% for most land cover categories. (3) Variable importance analyses show that the importance of both red-edge bands and REIs were greater than those of near-infrared bands and VIs for the LCC. The importance ranking of different indices from high to low was REIs > OBs > GLCM > WIs > VIs. This research demonstrates the potentialities and values of the OHS image for the application of LCC.

Transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC) has been recently introduced for diagnosing interstitial lung diseases. We aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of TBLC by identifying the specific patterns of histology in the diagnosis of connective tissue disease–related interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD) and interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features (IPAF). The clinical-radiological-pathological data from the Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University between July 1, 2017, and October 31, 2020, of patients whose clinical-radiological or clinical-radiological-pathological diagnosis was CTD-ILD or IPAF and who underwent TBLC, transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB), or surgical lung biopsy were retrospectively analyzed and summarized with review. The size of biopsy samples, complications, and diagnostic yield were compared. Fourteen patients met the inclusion criteria, of whom 12 underwent TBLC, 1 underwent TBLB, and 1 underwent each procedure at different times. Compared to the size of TBLB specimens (5.625 ± 0.479 mm2), the size of TBLC specimens (12.00 (12.00, 15.00) mm2) was much larger (Z = − 3.262, P = 0.001). The diagnostic yields of TBLC and TBLB were 100.00% (13/13) and 0.00% (2/2), respectively (P = 0.0095). The most frequent complication was mild bleeding. The risk of bleeding between TBLB (1/2, 50.00%) and TBLC (10/13, 76.92%) did not differ significantly (P = 0.469). TBLC can add extra diagnostic value by effectively identifying specific types of histology for patients with suspected CTD-ILD or IPAF, with a procedure that is safe from adverse events.

Exogenously applied phytohormones improve the endosperm cells and establish greater kernel sink capacity and grain filling, improving grain yield. In this study, 28-Homobrassinolide (HBR) dosages (20, 25, and 30 mg a. i. ha−1) were applied separately at the silking stage under controlled conditions, and EDAH (a mixture of ethephon and diethyl aminoethyl hexanoate) dosage of 90 g a. i. ha−1 was sprayed at the jointing stage to enhance the lodging resistance. Our objective was to investigate whether the application of HBR under controlled conditions or with EDAH could enhance the grain filling rate by regulating endogenous hormones. The results showed that HBR at the silking stage significantly increased endogenous hormones (ABA, IAA, Z+ZR), hampered leaf senescence, enhanced photosynthetic, improved dry matter accumulation in grains, and increased the grain-filling period, filling rate, and thousand-grains weight. Additionally, HBR 25 and 30 mg a. i. ha−1 increased the final yield by 9.9% and 19.5% compared to the control (CK) in 2020 and 14.1% and 18.95% in 2021, respectively. There was no significant difference between the results obtained from HBR-controlled and EDAH treatments at the jointing stage. Thus, we conclude that spraying HBR 25~30 mg a. i. ha−1 under controlled conditions may increase the grain yield under normal weather conditions. In adverse weather conditions and heavy wind, spraying EDAH 90 g a. i. ha−1 at the jointing stage and HBR 30 mg a. i. ha−1 at the silking stage can enhance maize production.

The fate and removal efficiency of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in livestock wastewater by microbial fuel cell (MFC) was evaluated by High-throughput quantitative PCR. The results showed that 137 ARGs and 9 MGEs were detected in untreated livestock wastewater. The ARG number of macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin group B (MLSB), tetracycline and sulfonamide were relatively higher. Throughout the treatment process, the number and abundance of ARGs and MGEs significantly decreased. The relative abundance of tetracycline, sulfonamide and chloramphenicol resistance genes showed the most obvious decreasing trend, and the relative abundance of MGEs decreased by 75% (from 0.012 copies/16S rRNA copies to 0.003 copies/16S rRNA copies). However, the absolute abundance of beta-lactamase resistance genes slightly increased. The operation process of MFC produces selective pressure on microorganisms, and Actinobacteria were predominant and had the ability to decompose antibiotics. The COD removal rate and TN removal rate of livestock wastewater were 67.81% and 62.09%, and the maximum power density and coulomb efficiency (CE) reached 11.49% and 38.40% respectively. This study demonstrated that although the removal of COD and TN by MFC was limited, MFC was quite effective in reducing the risk of antibiotic toxicity and horizontal gene transfer.

Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) mediated by microorganisms plays an important role in the global carbon cycle and methane emission control. This study demonstrated that simultaneous multi-electron acceptor-driven AOM existed in the electroactive constructed wetland environment of freshwater, which is crucial to global carbon, sulfur, nitrogen cycles and the manganese, iron, humics reduction. This biochemical process was mediated by two anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) jointly, ANME-2a and ANME-2d. Better removal efficiency of sulfate (45.65±3.47%), ammonium nitrogen (96.48±3.82%) and COD (94.83±5.89%) was observed in CW-MFC with AOM driven by multi-electron acceptor (CW-MFC_Mn). In addition, the methane emissions from CW-MFC with sulfate and nitrogen dependent AOM were reduced by 57.50% in presence of manganese ore, suggesting that multi-electron acceptors-driven AOM can effectively control methane emissions. The transformation of manganese oxide in wetland manganese ore was studied, and almost no Mn (Ⅱ) residue was detected in the effluent, indicating the potential role of Mn-dependent AOM in manganese pollution removal. This study also revealed the interactions of methanogenesis, electrogenesis, multi-electron acceptor-driven AOM and dissimilatory metal reduction (DMR) involved in CW-MFC, in which Geobacter played a crucial role in the association of various biological reactions. This study not only expands the understanding of AOM in nature, but also proposed a novel sight to simultaneously control wetland methane emissions, manganese, sulfur, and nitrogen pollution.

The removal characteristics of antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements from livestock wastewater (dominated by quinolone antibiotics) treated with MFC were evaluated by High-throughput quantitative (HT-qPCR). The results showed that 144 ARGs and 8 MEGs were detected in the livestock wastewater. After MFC treatment, the number of AGRs decreased as a whole, and the relative abundance of macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin group B (MLSB) and aminoglycosider decreased by 62.7% and 92.9%, respectively. MGEs decreased by 57.3% and multidrug genes decreased by 90%. After MFC treatment, the absolute abundance of tetracycline in raw sewage decreased by two orders of magnitude from 5.8 × 105 copies L−1 to 5.1.× 103 copies L−1. However, MFC was less efficient in the removal of vancomycin and beta-lactamase genes. It was also found that chloramphenicol resistance genes slightly increased. Illumina sequencing showed that Syntrophobacterales and Synergistales were predominant in MFCs. Desulfovibrio was resistant to high concentration of moxifloxacin hydrochloride. The removal efficiency of MFC for moxifloxacin hydrochloride at a concentration of 5 mg L−1 was 86.55%. The maximum power density and coulomb efficiency were 109.3 mV·cm−3 and 41.97%, respectively. With the increase of antibiotic concentration, the sewage treatment efficiency and electrical performance were inhibited. This study shows that untreated livestock wastewater had a great risk of gene horizontal transfer. Although MFC had limited treatment capacity for high-concentration quinolone wastewater, it is an effective method to reduce ARGs and the risk of horizontal gene transfer.

We thank Huang and Zhang1 for their interest in our article entitled ‘Increased risk of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in patients with autoimmune hemolytic anaemia (AIHA): a nationwide population-based cohort study’.2 In our article, we used nationwide longitudinal population-based data to explore the incidence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in patients with autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) and demonstrated that patients with AIHA are at a very high risk of incidental SLE.2 Huang and Zhang1 have put forward valuable comments and opinions on our article. First, Huang and Zhang1 proposed that patients with childhood-onset SLE may be more likely to develop AIHA than adulthood-onset patients, and suggested that we describe the incidence of AIHA in patients with SLE of different age groups. Given that it is impossible to provide such information using our original data, we conducted another nationwide cohort study to investigate the risk of AIHA in patients with SLE stratified by age groups (ie

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterised by immune inflammation.1 Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) is a pathological state in which antibodies attack red blood cells. AIHA and SLE shared genetic and environmental risk factors and pathophysiological mechanisms.2 AIHA is clearly over-represented in patients with SLE and often occurs before a diagnosis of SLE.3 However, at present, studies on the incidence of SLE in patients with AIHA are scarce. Therefore, we explored the correlation between AIHA and SLE risk in a nationwide, population-based, matched cohort study. In the 2003–2013 Taiwanese National Health Insurance Database, we identified patients newly diagnosed with AIHA between 2005 and 2012 (online supplemental figure S1). We selected age-matched and sex-matched (1:20) non-AIHA cohort from one million representative populations. From this cohort, we further selected a comparison group via propensity-score matching (PSM, 1:2) for age, sex, comorbidities and possible confounders using the greedy algorithm (online supplemental methods). Ultimately, we identified 713 patients with AIHA and 1416 PSM-matched individuals …

Background：Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease（COPD) is an inflammatory airway disease characterized by the presence of expiratory flow limitation. Exacerbations of COPD are common acute events. During epidemic of COVID-19, concerns have been raised with regard to mask- using because of increasing respiratory resistance. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between the vital signs , inflammation index, hypercapnia, hypoxia and mask-using in AECOPD patients.Methods：This retrospective study was performed at a tertiary hospital, and enrolled 23 patients with AECOPD who were hospitalized three or more times in the respiratory department. Patients in Group C were hospitalized and used masks during the epidemic period of COVID-19. Patient’s data of the previous two hospitalizations from the medical record system divided into group A and group B according to the time sequence. Vital signs, inflammation index, artery blood gas from medical record system and questionnaires of three hospitalizations in the same patient were collected to perform paired test.Results: Surgical mask using increased the levels of PaCO2 (8.98mm Hg; p = 0.004), HCO3-act (4.1mmol/L; p =0.006), BE (3.01mmol/L; p =0.019) and systolic blood pressure (11.39mm Hg; p = 0.01) in patients with AECOPD compared to last hospitalization. Surgical mask using for 30 to 120 minutes is associated with hypercapnia. There were no significant differences observed between group B and group A without using mask in vital signs, inflammation index, and artery blood gas.Conclusions: In this study, we found that systolic blood pressures and PaCO2, HCO3-act, BE were significantly elevated in AECOPD patients using masks compared to the other groups without masks. In addition，the changes in PaCO2,HCO3-act,BE is closely related to serum chloride concentration. Therefore, it is need to increase awareness and understanding of the use of masks in patients with chronic cardiopulmonary diseases.

Data-driven modeling methods are widely used in industrial processes as the foundation of control and optimization. The selection of optimal variable set plays an important role in model performance. In order to enhance the model prediction accuracy, a partial mutual information (PMI) method was proposed to select the optimal variable set. Benchmarks were used to validate the effectiveness of PMI method. Then, PMI method was applied to select main influencing factors of NOx emission of coal-fired boiler and the selection results were used as inputs of three different data-driven models. The comparison between the models with or without variable selection was made. The results showed that the PMI method enhanced the model prediction accuracy and avoided the over-fitting problem.

Background: The study of regulatory B cells (Bregs) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been in full swing in recent years, but the number and function of Bregs in SLE patients have also present quite contradictory results. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to verify the changes in Bregs in active SLE. Methods: We identified studies reporting the proportions of Bregs in SLE patients by searching Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane and CNKI. Due to the degree of heterogeneity is very high, we used a random effects model to assess the mean differences in percentages of Bregs between active SLE and controls. Then, sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis were performed to verify potential sources of heterogeneity. Results: Seven eligible articles involving 301 active SLE patients and 218 controls were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled percentages of Bregs were found no significant difference between active SLE patients and healthy controls [0.259, (−1.150, 1.668), p = 0.719], with great heterogeneity ( I2 = 97.5%) . The result of sensitivity analysis showed that exclusion of any single study or single article did not materially resolve the heterogeneity, but after excluding the article conducted by Cai X and his colleagues, the percentages of Bregs were significantly higher in active SLE than those in controls [1.394, (0.114,2.675), p = 0.033]. The results of subgroup analysis revealed that when the disease activity was judged by SLEDAI score ≥ 5, the percentages of Bregs were significantly lower in the SLE groups than in the control groups[-1.99,(-3.241,-0.739), p = 0.002], but when the threshold of SLEDAI score ≥ 6 chosen for active SLE, the percentages of Bregs were significantly increased in the SLE groups[2.546,(1.333,3.759), p < 0.001]. Meanwhile, other subgroup analysis based on the different phenotypes of Bregs, diagnostic criteria, enrolled research countries, treatment status, and organ involvement did not differ in proportion of Bregs between SLE patients and controls. Conclusions: The study implies that Bregs may play a role in the pathogenesis of active SLE, and the thresholds of SLEDAI score to distinguish between active and inactive SLE patients are important factors affecting the percentages of Bregs.

Background: To analyze the perceptions and behaviors related to mask-using in non-medical staff. To protect against respiratory and provide insights on using mask and provide directions for the prevention of infection and health protection.Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 non-medical staff from various backgrounds to reflect a diversity of viewpoints during the peak season of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) since February to March in 2020. A phenomenological approach was adopted for data analysis.Results: Multiple themes emerged: (1) Effective informs and reporting of disease information had raised public awareness of wearing mask. (2) Shortage of masks and reuse exist in the implementation process. (3) The shortage of masks will be dealt by distribution in unified way and increasing production.Conclusions: This study documented non-medical staff perceptions and experiences using mask before the outbreak and this epidemic period. Participants felt that the most effective approach to solve the problem of mask shortage in China is combine prevention infection measures, uniform distribution of masks, material reserve in public health system.

To investigate the effects of emergent plants on CH4 efflux and elucidate the key factors responsible for these effects, annual monitoring of CH4 emissions and methanogen community dynamics in a full-scale constructed wetland (CW) was conducted. Five emergent plants (Typha orientalis, Cyperus alternifolius, Arundo domax, Iris pseudacorus, and Thalia dealbata) commonly used in CWs were selected for investigation. The greatest CH4 flux (annual mean 19.4 mg m−2 h−1) was observed from I. pseudacorus, while the lowest CH4 flux (7.1 mg m−2 h−1) was observed from Thalia dealbata. The CH4 flux from five emergent plants showed marked seasonal variation. Total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorous (TP) were weakly correlated with CH4 emissions, whereas total carbon (TC) and root biomass of plants were positively correlated with CH4 emissions. Quantitative real-time PCR (q-PCR) analysis indicated that the gene abundance of eubacterial 16S rRNA, particulate methane monooxygenase (pmoA) and methyl coenzyme M reductase (mcrA) significantly differed among plant species. Differences in TC, root biomass, and dissolved oxygen (DO) caused by plant species were potential factors responsible for differences in methanogens, methanotrophs, and CH4 emissions. Methanobacteriaceae, Methanoregulaceae, Methanomicrobiaceae, and Methanosarcinaceae were the dominant families of methanogens. The pathways of methanogenesis from the five emergent plants differed, with the main pathway being hydrogenotrophic, while both hydrogenotrophic and acetotrophic methanogens were involved in A. domax. Redundancy analysis (RDA) further indicated that emergent plant types had a profound influence on the methanogenic communities. Taken together, these results suggest emergent plant species can significantly influence CH4 fluxes in CW through microbial communities, biochemical pathways for methanogenesis, TC, and DO. Furthermore, plant species in CWs should be considered an important factor in evaluating greenhouse gases emission. Finally, it is necessary to effectively manage CWs vegetation to maximize their environmental benefits.

Annual monitoring of CH4 and associated microorganisms from four submerged plant species (Potamogeton crispus, Ceratophyllum demersum, Myriophyllum spicatum and Hydrilla verticillata) was conducted in a full-scale constructed wetland (CW). Plant species had a significant impact on CH4 emissions. The highest CH4 flux (5.7 mg m−2 h−1) came from P. crispus, and the lowest flux (1.6 mg m−2 h−1) was from M. spicatum. The dissolved oxygen (DO) and nitrogen of the rhizosphere was significantly affected by plant species, which were the most important factors affecting CH4 flux and methanogenic communities. Changes of DO level caused by plant species were more significant than temperature changes. Real-time quantitative PCR (q-PCR) analysis showed that the number of methanogens and methanotrophs varied with plant species and seasons, whereas the total number of eubacteria was less affected (p > 0.05). The variation of TN and NO2-N caused by plant species resulted in the differentiation of methanogen populations. Each plant species was characterized by a specific group of methanogens. Illumina sequencing showed that the dominant methanogenic populations from P. crispus and C. demersum were hydrogenotrophic archaea of the Methanoregula, while those from M. spicatum and H. verticillata were hydrogenotrophic archaea of the Methanobacterium. Both plant species and seasons affected the percentage of acetoclastic archaea of the Methanosarcina and Methanosaeta. This study indicates that the submerged plant species are important parameters in the production of CH4 emissions in CWs. The proper arrangement of submerged plant species in CWs is vital to maximize the environmental benefit.

Integrating soft and hard classification to monitor urban expansion can effectively provide comprehensive urban growth information to urban planners. In this study, both the impervious surface cove...