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MurK is a MurNAc- and GlcNAc-specific amino sugar kinase, phosphorylates MurNAc and GlcNAc at the 6-hydroxyl group in an ATP-dependent manner, and contributes to the recovery of both amino sugars during the cell wall turnover in Clostridium acetobutylicum. Herein, we determined the crystal structures of MurK in complex with MurNAc, GlcNAc, and glucose, respectively. MurK represents the V-shaped fold, which is divided into a small N-terminal domain and a large C-terminal domain. The catalytic pocket is located within the deep cavity between the two domains of the MurK monomer. We mapped the significant enzyme-substrate interactions, identified key residues involved in the catalytic activity of MurK, and found that residues Asp 77 and Arg 78 from the β4-α2-loop confer structural flexibilities to specifically accommodate GlcNAc and MurNAc, respectively. Moreover, structural comparison revealed that MurK adopts closed-active conformation induced by the N-acetyl moiety from GlcNAc/MurNAc, rather than closed-inactive conformation induced by glucose, to carry out its catalytic reaction. Taken together, our study provides structural and functional insights into the molecular mechanism of MurK for the phosphorylation of both MurNAc and GlcNAc, sugar substrate specificity, and conformational changes upon sugar substrate binding., 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.)

Microplastics (MPs) pollution and its ecological risks have attracted increasing global attention. The Bohai Rim region (BRR), as the economic and population center of the entire northern China, still lacks a precise assessment of MPs pollution. Although current attention on MPs pollution mainly focuses on large rivers, small and medium-sized rivers are more numerous and more closely connected to human activities. In this study, measurement data of MPs from 11 estuaries in the BRR was collected to understand MPs distribution and ecological risk. The results indicate that the overall MPs pollution in these estuaries is still at a low level, with an average abundance of 1254.3 particles m -3 . While the pollution load index (1.85) is relatively low, the potential ecological risk of PVC in some area (S8, E PVC  = 1433.78, III) warrants further attention. Then we integrated data from 22 relevant rivers (covering all size rivers) in this region from the literature to fit a MPs flux model and assessed the MPs outflow from the four provinces and cities in the region. A strong correlation is achieved between modeled estimates and field measurements (r 2  = 0.74), which can well estimate the river MPs outflows in northern China such as the Nanfei River. The MPs outflow from the four provinces (cities) is calculated to be 123.235 (range 44.415-242.314) T year -1 , of which Shandong accounted for >80 % (104.066 T year -1 ). The small and medium-sized rivers accounted for 47 % (58.08 T year -1 ), whose contribution to MPs outflows should not be underestimated. This study can help us to accurately assess MPs pollution in different coastal areas in northern China, benefiting the formulation of precise control measures and policies for marine MPs pollution., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest There are no conflicts to declare., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. It was estimated that 90 % of cancer-related deaths were attributable to the development of multi-drug resistance (MDR) during chemotherapy, which results in ineffective chemotherapy. Hydrophobic natural products plays a pivotal role in the field of cancer therapy, with the potential to reverse MDR in tumor cells, thereby enhancing the efficacy of tumor therapy. However, their targeted delivery is considered a major hurdle in their application. The advent of numerous approaches for encapsulating bioactive ingredients in the nanodelivery systems has improved the stability and targeted delivery of these biomolecules. The manuscript comprehensively analyses the nanodelivery systems of bioactive compounds with potential cancer therapy applications, including liposomes, emulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles (NPs), and polymeric NPs. Then, the advantages and disadvantages of various nanoagents in the treatment of various cancer types are critically discussed. Further, the application of multiple-compbine delivery methods to overcome the limitations of single-delivery have need critically analyzed, which thus could help in the designing nanodrug delivery systems for bioactive compounds in clinical settings. Therefore, the review is timely and important for development of efficient nanodelivery systems involving hydrophobic natural products to improve pharmacokinetic properties for effective cancer treatment., 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.)

Ferroptosis, an emerging form of programmed cell death, has garnered substantial attention as a potential target for cancer therapy. However, despite the potential promise, no ferroptosis-related therapies have progressed to clinical trials. Identifying disease types sensitive to ferroptosis and developing specific ferroptosis-targeting drugs are critical focal points in the field of ferroptosis-based treatment. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive database analysis and presented compelling evidence indicating a high expression of GPX4 in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), significantly correlating with poor prognosis. Notably, elevated GPX4 expression is closely associated with ALL relapse, a major challenge in the treatment of this disease. Building upon these findings, we devised a novel peptide-based Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTAC) drug targeting GPX4 through computer-aided design. In contrast to existing drugs that target the conjugative enzyme active site, our design focused on a peptide drug targeting the non-active site of GPX4. Furthermore, we strategically selected MDM2, an E3 ligase highly expressed in ALL, for the PROTAC drug design. This deliberate choice amplifies the drug's effect on cancer cells while minimizing its impact on normal cells, achieving desirable selectivity for cancer cells. Leveraging nanogold delivery, we successfully facilitated intracellular action of the GPX4-targeting peptide PROTAC drug, denoted as Au-PGPD (peptide GPX4 PROTAC drug). Au-PGPD effectively induced GPX4 degradation and inhibited ALL cell proliferation. Remarkably, Au-PGPD exhibited significantly less efficacy on normal cells, underscoring the selectivity and safety of our design., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Atrial fibrillation (AF) has a high economic burden on the healthcare system with rehospitalizations as the most significant contributing factor necessitating an understanding of aspects related to hospitalizations to minimize economic costs and improve patient outcomes. Our study aims to assess whether all-cause 30-day hospital readmission following AF-specific hospitalization is associated with health-related social needs (HRSN) using the Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD). All hospitalization data were abstracted from the 2015-2019 NRD, including hospitalizations for patients at least 18 years of age with a primary discharge diagnosis of AF. For each hospitalization, we identified secondary diagnoses for five HRSN domains including employment, family, housing, psychosocial, and socioeconomic status. Primary outcomes included all-cause 30-day readmission rates. Secondary outcomes included all-cause 90-day readmissions and diagnosis on readmissions. An estimated 1,807,460 index hospitalizations in the United States included a primary discharge diagnosis of AF. Of these, 97.3 % included a diagnosis in only one HRSN domain with the most frequently diagnosed HRSN domain being housing (54.5 %) followed by socioeconomic (29.4 %), family (10.0 %), employment (6.1 %), and psychosocial (2.8 %). Index hospitalizations that included any HRSN diagnosis had 2.2-times greater unadjusted odds of all-cause 30-day readmission (95 % CI: 2.1 to 2.3-times greater, p  < .001). Index hospitalizations that included an HRSN diagnosis were associated with higher rates of 90-day readmission due to conduction disorder and COPD. In conclusion, there is a significant association between HRSN and hospital readmissions in patients with AF. Further research is required to explain the true nature of this relationship with a specific emphasis on housing insecurity., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Michael H. Kim, MD, MMM reports a relationship with Sanofi that includes: consulting or advisory., (© 2023 The Authors.)

In this study, the interaction between potassium iodide and protein molecules under different temperature induction was studied, taking potassium iodide (KI) and protein molecules as a model system. The effects of KI on protein conformation, size, surface charge, binding constant, and binding site were analyzed by fluorescence spectrum, infrared spectrum, and diffusing wave spectroscopy. The results revealed that bovine serum albumin (BSA)/ovalbumin (OVA) and I -1 formed the 1: 1 complex and significantly affected the hydrodynamic radius and spatial structure. This could be attributed to the exposure of tyrosine residues inside the proteins to the polar conditions under increased temperature. The unfolding of protein structures induced the interaction between KI/KCl and proteins. As for BSA and OVA, the particle size and surface charge of the complex increased significantly in the presence of KI/KCl. KI had a strong static quenching effect on the fluorescence of BSA and OVA. Overall, these results provide insights into the physiological effects of iodine ions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Polystyrene nano-plastics (PS-NPs) can be accumulated in the food chain and can penetrate biological barriers to affect multiple physiological functions. However, the adverse effects of nano-plastics on mammals and the underlying mechanism still remain unknown. To fill the gaps, our study administrated low-dose PS-NPs (50 and 100 μg/L) for 24 consecutive weeks in rats. Behavioral and morphological evaluations were performed to assess the neurobehavoirs. A combined analysis of multiple omics was used to evaluate the dysfunctions of the gut-microbe-brain axis. After dihydrochalcone(NHDC) treatment in the PS-NPs rat model, the inflammation response and apoptosis process were assessed and proteomics was used to explore the underlying mechanism. Our results indicated that long-term exposure to low-dose PS-NPs could induce abnormal neurobehaviors and amygdaloid nucleus impairment, and stimulate inflammatory responses and apoptosis. Metagenomics results revealed that four microbial phyla including Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Defferibacteres, and Bacteroidetes changed significantly compared to the control. Targeted metabolomics analysis in the feces showed alteration of 122 metabolites induced by the PS-NPs exposure, among which the content of dihydrocaffeic acid was significantly associated with the different microbial genera and pivotal differential metabolites in the amygdaloid nucleus. And NHDC treatment significantly alleviated PS-NP-induced neuroinflammation and apoptosis and the cyclic adenosine monophosphate(cAMP)/protein kinase A(PKA)/phosphorylated cAMP-response element binding protein(p-CREB)/plasma membrane calcium-transporting ATPase 2(Atp2b2) signaling pathway was identified in the proteomics. In conclusion, long-term exposure to low-dose PS-NPs has adverse effects on emotion through the dysregulation of the gut-brain axis, and dihydrocaffeic acid can alleviate these effects via the cAMP/PKA/p-CREB/Atp2b2 signaling pathway., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Accurate and efficient detection of food freshness is of great significance to guarantee food safety. Herein, pH sensitive colorimetric films with considerable biological activities have been prepared by combining red cabbage anthocyanin extracts (RCE) with collagen hydrolysate-chitosan (CH-CS) matrix film. The formation mechanism of CH-CS-RCE films was discussed by SEM, FT-IR and XRD, which showed that RCE was successfully fixed in CH-CS film through hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction. The CH-CS-RCE films exhibited good mechanical properties, high barrier ability, excellent thermal stability, significant antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, and especially sensitive response to pH and ammonia. Fickian diffusion was the main mechanism for the release of RCE from CH-CS-RCE films and such release mechanism facilitated the maintenance of functional features of films. During the storage of shrimps at 4 °C, CH-CS-RCE2% showed a remarkable preservation effect on shrimps, and their shelf life was prolonged from 2 d to 5 d. Furthermore, CH-CS-RCE2% provided a dynamic visual color switching to detect the freshness of shrimp, realizing real-time monitoring of freshness. Color information (RGB) extracted via smartphone APP was used to enhance the accuracy and universality of freshness indication. Thus, this multifunctional film has great potential in food preservation and freshness monitoring., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm) findings are a heterogeneous condition characterized by a normal FEV 1 to FVC ratio with underlying impairment of pulmonary function. Data relating to the association of baseline and trajectories of PRISm findings with diverse cardiovascular outcomes are sparse., Research Question: How do baseline and trajectories of PRISm findings impact subsequent cardiovascular events?, Study Design and Methods: In the UK Biobank cohort study, we included participants free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) with spirometry (FEV 1 and FVC values) at baseline (2006-2010). Participants with baseline spirometry and follow-up spirometry (2014-2020) were included in the lung function trajectory analysis. Cox proportional hazards multivariate regression was performed to evaluate the outcomes of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), incident myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, heart failure (HF), and CVD mortality in association with lung function., Results: For baseline analysis (329,954 participants), the multivariate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for participants had PRISm findings (vs normal spirometry findings) were 1.26 (95% CI, 1.17-1.35) for MACE, 1.12 (95% CI, 1.01-1.25) for MI, 1.88 (95% CI, 1.72-2.05) for HF, 1.26 (95% CI, 1.13-1.40) for stroke, and 1.55 (95% CI, 1.37-1.76) for CVD mortality, respectively. A total of 22,781 participants underwent follow-up spirometry after an average of 8.9 years. Trajectory analysis showed that persistent PRISm findings (HR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.24-3.09) and airflow obstruction (HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.00-2.04) was associated with a higher incidence of MACE vs consistently normal lung function. Compared with persistent PRISm findings, changing from PRISm to normal spirometry findings was associated with a lower incidence of MACE (HR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.19-0.99)., Interpretation: Individuals with baseline or persistent PRISm findings were at a higher risk of diverse cardiovascular outcomes even after adjusting for a wide range of confounding factors. However, individuals who transitioned from PRISm to normal findings showed a similar cardiovascular risk as those with normal lung function., (Copyright © 2022 American College of Chest Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Permafrost degradation and the development of thermokarst lakes are important factors driving the variability of regional hydrologic processes. Hydrogeochemical and isotopic analyses are important methods for investigating the hydrologic processes of thermokarst lakes. This study focused on comparing the chemical and hydrogeochemical characteristics between lake water and groundwater during the melting of the active layer in a typical thermokarst lake region on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). Ninety-five samples were collected during different periods of active layer melting and analyzed using statistical, isotope, hydrogeochemical, and modeling methods. Statistical results showed that the average concentrations of almost all ions were lower in lake water than in groundwater, with wider spatial variability in groundwater. The lake water is of the ClNa and HCO 3 -Ca type with low TDS (total dissolved solids), whereas groundwater is of the HCO 3 -Ca and mixed type (or transition type) with high TDS. The chemical types of the lake water and groundwater are mainly driven by rock weathering. In terms of the saturation index (SI), halite and gypsum are unsaturated dissolved, whereas dolomite and calcite are generally saturated. Evaporation significantly affects the chemical composition of groundwater, while the hydrochemical compositions of lake water are relatively stable under the joint control of evaporation, precipitation, surface runoff, and groundwater. The isotopic analysis results showed that the contribution of permafrost meltwater and precipitation to groundwater and lake water varied during different stages of active layer melting. According to hydrogeochemical modeling, the main chemical reactions in groundwater are the precipitation of calcite and the dissolution of halite, dolomite, and gypsum. The intensity of groundwater flow determines the degree of chemical reactions along the flow path at different stages of active layer melting. The findings can provide deeper insight into hydrogeochemical processes in thermokarst lake regions under the background of permafrost degradation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common blood cancer in adults. Patients' 5-year overall survival is less than 30% thus having a poor prognosis. To date, the development of novel target therapies is still necessary to ameliorate patients' survival. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) represent a promising class of drugs for the treatment of AML. CD33 is highly expressed on AML cells, and the FDA-approved CD33-targeted ADC drug-gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) has proved the feasibility of CD33-targeted ADC drug design. In this study, we constructed a novel CD33-targeted ADC drug composed of a humanized anti-CD33 antibody and oridonin as a payload with a cleaved chemical linker. Oridonin is a natural product that has great cancer therapy potential while its poor bioavailability and targeting ability limited its clinical use. Herein, we demonstrated that antiCD33-oridonin specifically delivered oridonin in AML cells improved AML cells killing ability of oridonin. Meanwhile, it did not show any non-specific toxicity on CD33 negative cells. In summary, we developed a novel AML targeting ADC with clinical application potential, and therefore provided a new solution for the druggability improvement of oridonin., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Pedicular screws (PS) often are used in lumbar fusion. Cortical bone trajectory (CBT) is a novel technology in lumbar fusion with less evidence of clinical outcomes. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety between CBT screw fixation and traditional PS in lumbar fusion surgery., Methods: Multiple databases were searched for the articles that compared CBT and traditional PS in lumbar fusion surgeries. Meta-analysis was conducted by RevMan 5.3 software. The following indicators were abstracted: visual analog scale (VAS) scores for back and leg pain, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, surgical duration, complications, and blood loss. The quality of the articles was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale or Cochrane Handbook., Results: In total, 25 studies were included, involving a total of 1735 patients. There was no difference in preoperative VAS scores, JOA, ODI, postoperative VAS scores, and fusion rates. In addition, postoperative JOA (mean difference [MD] = 0.78, P = 0.02), ODI (MD = -2.09, P = 0.03), surgical duration (MD = -26.90, P = 0.02), complications (MD = 0.70, P = 0.03), and blood loss (MD = -85.27, P = 0.0009) showed greater improvement trends in the CBT group than the PS group, with significant difference., Conclusions: CBT reduced the rate of complications, surgical duration, blood loss, postoperative ODI, and JOA scores. The CBT technique, with better postoperative outcomes, achieved similar fusion rates compared with the PS technique., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Intensive use of plastic film and organic fertilizer in the greenhouse has resulted in microplastic contamination of soil. However, microplastic pollution in different types of greenhouses has not been reported so far. The contamination of microplastics in three different types of greenhouses (abandoned greenhouse, normal greenhouse, and simple greenhouse) were investigated. The abundance of microplastics in abandoned greenhouse reached as high as 2215.56 ± 1549.86 items kg -1 , followed by normal greenhouse (891.11 ± 316.71 items kg -1 ), and simple greenhouse (632.50 ± 566.93 items kg -1 ). The mean abundance of microplastic organic fertilizer, and irrigation water were 1486.67 ± 140.48 items kg -1 , and 4.2 items L -1 , respectively. The abundance of microplastics in the shallow soils of abandoned greenhouse (826.67 ± 261.02) and normal greenhouse (560.00 ± 52.92 items kg -1 ) were lower than those in the deep soils (1073.33 ± 306.16 and 720.00 ± 111.36 items kg -1 ), while the simple greenhouse showed the opposite result. Microplastic was found to be primarily fragment-shaped, white in color, and 0-1 mm in size, and the polymers of microplastics were polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE). White was the most frequently observed color in the abandoned greenhouse (46.1%) and normal greenhouse (32.2%), while the dominant color in the simple greenhouse was yellow (23.1%). This study provides first-hand data for the pollution characteristics of microplastics in different greenhouse soils and explores the primary sources of microplastics in the greenhouse soil., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We declare that we do not have any possible financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work. We declare that we have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objective: To compare pregnancy rates among women provided a 12-month supply or less than a 12-month supply of short-acting hormonal contraceptives., Study Design: This retrospective cohort study examined data from an integrated health plan in California, collected about people aged 10-50 years, who filled at least one contraceptive prescription between January 2017 and September 2018. We examined outcomes following index contraceptive prescriptions for up to 15 months, end of membership, initiation of a long-acting contraceptive, or death, whichever occurred first. We compared rates per 100 person years of observation of: pregnancy, receipt of emergency contraception (EC), and contraceptive refills more than 12 months after the index prescription. We used multivariable logistic regression to control for demographics and baseline clinical variables when comparing provision of a 12-month to a smaller supply., Results: We identified 1689 members who received a 12-month supply of short-acting hormonal contraception and 352,624 women who received less than a 12-month supply. Those who received a 12-month supply were less likely to receive EC (1.3 vs 2.1 per 100 person years, p = 0.04) or have documentation of pregnancy (1.7 vs 2.7 per 100 person-years, p = 0.02), and more likely to refill the contraceptive more than 1 year after the index prescription (99.4% vs 63.9%, p < 0.01). Among new starts, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) of pregnancy was 0.50 (95% CI 0.27-0.94) among women who received a 12-month supply vs. those were not., Conclusion: Members of an integrated healthcare system who received a 12-month supply of short-acting hormonal contraceptives are less likely to become pregnant within the following year., Implications: Offering a 12-month supply of short-acting hormonal contraceptives may reduce rates of undesired pregnancy., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Ocean noise in the western Clarion Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean was recorded for 5 min every hour during 2017 and 2018, at a depth of 300 m. The monthly and hourly mean spectrum levels in the 20-1000 Hz band were calculated, along with their skewness, kurtosis, percentile distributions, and spectral probability densities. The high noise levels at low frequencies generated from distant shipping and vocalizations of whales were found to range between 70 and 100 dB (<100 Hz) and 64-93 dB (100-200 Hz), respectively. The noise levels at high frequencies (>200 Hz), which are typically dominated by wind, were found to be low, ranging from 53 to 75 dB. At frequencies above 200 Hz, noise levels in winter were approximately 5 dB higher than those in summer, consistent with the seasonal variations in wind speed. Fin whales, blue whales, and fishes also potentially contributed to variations in the baseline of ambient noise., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Dioryctria abietella is a coniferous seed orchard pest that can damage a series of host plants and cause huge losses to the forest economy. Sex pheromones play an important role in lepidopteran sex communication for reproduction and can be used as biological control agents to monitor and trap pests. However, the genes involved in the biosynthesis, transportation, and degradation of D. abietella sex pheromones have not been studied extensively. Transcriptome analysis of female D. abietella sex pheromone glands (PGs) revealed that 210 candidate genes might be involved in sex pheromone biosynthesis (139 genes) and chemoreception systems (71 genes). The gene expression patterns exhibited four desaturase genes (DabiDES4-7) and one fatty acid reductase gene (DabiFAR6), which were more highly expressed in sex pheromone glands than in other tissues, suggesting that these enzymes play an important role in D. abietella sex pheromone synthesis. In addition, most DabiOBPs showed high expression in antennae, but only DabiOBP4 exhibited specific expression in sex pheromone glands, suggesting that they may play many physiological roles in D. abietella. We put forth a reasonable hypothesis about type I pheromone biosynthesis pathways based on these genes identified in the D. abietella sex pheromone gland transcriptome. Our findings lay a foundation for population monitoring, mating disruption, mass trapping, and the development of ecologically acceptable management strategies., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Digital technology has been widely used in mandibular curved osteotomy to improve accuracy. However, the planning process still highly dependent on the experience and judgement of the surgeon. This study describes an automatic method to design the new gonion and osteotomy line based on the aesthetic standards in attractive women, and assesses its clinical outcomes., Methods: An automatic surgical planning method for mandibular curved osteotomy was developed based on our previous research of mandibular angle aesthetics. A prospective clinical study was conducted from April 2016 to April 2018. Twenty-five female patients with prominent mandibular angle were enrolled. Pre- and postoperative skull computed tomography (CT) was performed. Three-dimensional (3D) CT data were obtained and processed by Mimics 18.0. Surgical templates were designed according to the automatic surgical planning method and 3D printed for the surgery. Preoperative measurements, surgical simulation and postoperative measurements were taken to evaluate the surgical outcomes., Results: There were significant differences between the preoperative and the postoperative groups' results (p < 0.01). There was no difference between the surgical simulation and the postoperative results. All postoperative measurements were consistent with aesthetic features of mandibles. Patients were satisfied with their outcomes in terms of outline, symmetry and lower facial width., Conclusions: Our study developed an automatic method to position the new aesthetic gonion and osteotomy line for prominent mandibular angle patients. We proved that this method is safe, effective and reliable., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None declared., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: For patients with severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) with bilateral fixed dilated pupils (BFDP), the value of aggressively decompressive craniectomy (DC) treatment is still controversial. The objective of this study was to analyze and validate the outcome of DC in patients with sTBI with BFDP., Methods: We retrospectively collected data from 44 patients with sTBI with BFDP who underwent DC treatment from July 2011 to June 2018. Outcomes used as indicators were mortality and favorable outcome. The analysis was based on the Glasgow Outcome Scale score recorded at discharge, 6, and 12 months after trauma., Results: The overall survival was 36.4% (16/44) at discharge and 25.0% (11/44) at 6 and 12 months, and the favorable outcome (Glasgow Outcome Scale score = 4-5) at discharge, 6, and 12 months after injury was 9.1% (4/44), 13.6% (6/44), and 20.5% (9/44), respectively. Sex (P = 0.046), preoperative Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score (P = 0.031), injury-surgery intervals (P = 0.022), and tracheotomy (P = 0.017) were independent associations to 6 and 12 months follow-up survival, whereas only preoperative GCS score (odds ratio, 6.088; confidence interval, 1.172-31.612; P = 0.032) and injury-surgery intervals (odds ratio, 0.241; confidence interval, 0.065-0.893; P = 0.033) were independent associations with 12 months follow-up favorable outcome., Conclusions: BFDP indicates a grave prognostic sign after sTBI, but the higher preoperative GCS score and shorter injury-surgery intervals in patients who underwent DC treatment might independently predict favorable outcome for patients with sTBI with BFDP, and patients might benefit more than expected if the DC treatment were applied more aggressively and positively., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Military personnel are the most susceptible to concussive head injury (CHI) caused by explosion, blast or missile or blunt head trauma. Mild to moderate CHI could induce lifetime functional and cognitive disturbances causing significant decrease in quality of life. Severe CHI leads to instant death and lifetime paralysis. Thus, further exploration of novel therapeutic agents or new features of known pharmacological agents are needed to enhance quality of life of CHI victims. Previous reports from our laboratory showed that mild CHI induced by weight drop technique causing an impact of 0.224N results in profound progressive functional deficit, memory impairment and brain pathology from 5h after trauma that continued over several weeks of injury. In this investigation we report that TiO2 nanowired delivery of oxiracetam (50mg/kg, i.p.) daily for 5 days after CHI resulted in significant improvement of functional deficit on the 8th day. This was observed using Rota Rod treadmill, memory improvement assessed by the time spent in finding hidden platform under water. The motor function improvement is seen in oxiracetam treated CHI group by placing forepaw on an inclined mesh walking and foot print analysis for stride length and distance between hind feet. TiO2-nanowired oxiracetam also induced marked improvements in the cerebral blood flow, reduction in the BBB breakdown and edema formation as well as neuroprotection of neuronal, glial and myelin damages caused by CHI at light and electron microscopy on the 7th day after 5 days TiO2 oxiracetam treatment. Adverse biochemical events such as upregulation of CSF nitrite and nitrate, IL-6, TNF-a and p-Tau are also reduced significantly in oxiracetam treated CHI group. On the other hand post treatment of 100mg/kg dose of normal oxiracetam in identical conditions after CHI is needed to show slight but significant neuroprotection together with mild recovery of memory function and functional deficits on the 8th day. These observations are the first to point out that nanowired delivery of oxiracetam has superior neuroprotective ability in CHI. These results indicate a promising clinical future of TiO2 oxiracetam in treating CHI patients for better quality of life and neurorehabilitation, not reported earlier., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest There is no conflict of interest between any entity and/or organization mentioned here., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Drug crime is a prominent issue of concern from pole to pole. In order to seek higher profits, drug gangs often add diluents and adulterants to the drugs to disperse drug products Analysis of these additives would be greatly conducive to determine the origin of drug products for law enforcement departments. A method using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics methods to classify the heroin hydrochloride, methamphetamine hydrochloride, ketamine hydrochloride and their five additives (caffeine, phenacetin, starch, glucose, and sucrose), was developed. The Baseline correction, multivariate scatter correction, standard normal variate and Savitzky-Golay algorithm were adopted to pre-process the spectral data. Several supervised pattern recognition methods including decision tree, Bayes discriminant analysis, and support vector machine were considered as algorithms of constructing classifiers. The results reveal that, repetitive and interfering data in original spectrum data could be eliminated by principal component analysis and factor analysis. F-measure, as a comprehensive evaluation index of precision rate and recall rate, was more objective than precision rate and recall rate to reflect the ability of model to distinguish samples. It should be used as one of the indicators to evaluate the model. The CHAID classification tree could be identified as priorities in the decision tree model, while the linear kernel could be considered as the optimal kernel in the support vector machine model. The classification ability of three hydrochloride mixtures based on Bayes discriminant analysis was better than that of another models. Bayes discriminant analysis model was the more useful and practical method for classifying the target drugs of abuse than that of decision trees and support vector machine. The designed approach represents a potentially simple, non-destructive, and rapid method of classifying hydrochloride mixtures., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest There are no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the protective effects of curcumin on LPS-induced septic acute kidney injury and to explore its underlying molecular mechanisms., Methods: A mouse model of septic acute kidney injury (AKI) was given an intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), followed by administration of variable levels of curcumin (intragastric). And NRK cells were used as the kidney cell model for all in vitro studies., Results: Curcumin significantly decreased the levels of serum Scr, BUN, and Cyc c and reduced kidney injury in LPS-induced AKI mice. Kidney tissues of LPS-induced AKI mice showed an increase in PVT1, ED-1, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, p-IkBα/IkBα, p-p65/p65, p-JNK/JNK, and p-c-JUN/c-JUN expression levels; however, treatment with curcumin significantly reduced this effect. Curcumin increased the survival rate NRK cells exposed to LPS-induced inflammation in vitro. Moreover, NRK cells that overexpressed PVT1 had lower survival rates than WT NRK cells obtained from mice that received curcumin treatment after treating with LPS. Additionally, curcumin reduced the LPS-induced increase in Bax, cleaved-caspase3/caspase 3, p-IkBα/IkBα, p-p65/p65, p-JNK/JNK, and p-c-JUN/c-JUN protein expression, and increased Bcl2 protein expression in NRK cells. However, the extent of these changes was low in NRK cells that overexpressed PVT1., Conclusion: Curcumin decreased PVT1 expression in LPS-induced septic acute kidney tissues and reduced LPS-induced septic acute kidney injury in mice. This might be related to the inhibition of the JNK/NF-κB pathway by curcumin through suppression of lncRNA PVT1., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

In this study, the potential effects of a novel alkali-soluble polysaccharide (ASPP) from purple sweet potato on colonic histopathology, inflammation and microbiota composition in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mice were evaluated. The results indicated that ASPP restored the immune organ indices, increased colon length, improved colonic histopathology in colitis mice as well as inhibited the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) in colonic tissue and serum. Moreover, 16S rRNA phylogenetic sequencing revealed that ASPP ameliorated the compositions and functions of gut microbiota in DSS-induced colitis mice. It was found that Parasutterella, Desulfovibrio, Lachnospiraceae, Lactobacillus, Erysipelotrichaceae, Bacteroidetes were the key bacteria associated with ulcerative colitis (UC). Taken together, ASPP alleviated colonic inflammation via blocking pro-inflammatory cytokines; meanwhile ASPP could modulate the structure of gut microbiota in DSS-induced colitis mice., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

dl-3-n-butylphthalide (dl-NBP) is a powerful antioxidant compound with profound neuroprotective effects in stroke and brain injury. However, its role in Parkinson's disease (PD) is not well known. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the key factors in precipitating PD like symptoms in civilians and particularly in military personnel. Thus, it would be interesting to explore the possible neuroprotective effects of NBP in PD following concussive head injury (CHI). In this chapter effect of nanowired delivery of NBP together with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in PD with CHI is discussed based on our own investigations. It appears that CHI exacerbates PD pathophysiology in terms of p-tau, α-synuclein (ASNC) levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the loss of TH immunoreactivity in substantia niagra pars compacta (SNpc) and striatum (STr) along with dopamine (DA), dopamine decarboxylase (DOPAC). And homovanillic acid (HVA). Our observations are the first to show that a combination of NBP with MSCs when delivered using nanowired technology induces superior neuroprotective effects in PD brain pathology exacerbated by CHI, not reported earlier., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest There is no conflict of interest between any entity and/or organization mentioned here., (© 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Immuno-inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. The nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is crucial for initiating innate immunity. Ghrelin is a circulating hormone that exerts anti-inflammatory activity in several inflammatory diseases. However, the role of ghrelin in DMD and underlying mechanism are still unstated. Therefore, we investigated the effect and potential mechanism of ghrelin on muscle morphology and muscular function of mdx mice, a mouse model of DMD., Main Methods: 4-Week-old male mdx mice were injected intraperitoneally with ghrelin (100 μg/kg of body weight/day) or saline for 4 weeks. Then, muscle performance was evaluated by behavioral tests. Skeletal muscles samples were collected and relevant parameters were measured by using histopathological analysis and molecular biology techniques both in mdx muscles and primary myoblasts., Key Findings: Ghrelin significantly improved motor performance, alleviated muscle pathology and decreased inflammatory cell infiltration in mdx mice. Importantly, ghrelin dramatically inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation and reduced the production of mature IL-1β both in dystrophic muscles and in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-primed primary myoblasts induced by the NLRP3 inflammasome activator benzylated ATP (BzATP). Furthermore, the inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome by ghrelin was partly mediated by the suppression of JAK2-STAT3 and p38 MAPK signaling pathway., Significance: Our findings reveal that ghrelin suppresses muscle inflammation and ameliorates disease phenotype through inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and the production of IL-1β in mdx mice, which suggests new therapeutic potential of ghrelin in DMD., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Due to sparse data and discontinuous time observations in the circum-Arctic region, freezing index and thawing index, as useful indicators, are widely used in permafrost distribution, climate changes and cold-region engineering analysis. However, previous researches on freezing/thawing index over this region were estimated based on mean monthly air temperature. In this paper, we analyzed the spatial and temporal variations of the freezing/thawing index over the circum-Arctic from 1901 to 2015 based on the daily datasets, besides monthly datasets. The results showed that freezing index had a downward changing trend and thawing index had an upward trend during 1901-2015. More important, the change trend in freezing/thawing index after 1988 was more significant than before. Furthermore, different freezing/thawing index based on daily datasets and the monthly datasets were assessed and compared according to daily data from 17 meteorological stations, comprehensive relative errors evaluation implied that freezing/thawing based on daily datasets was more accurate generally, although both of other datasets were available in calculating the freezing/thawing index. As the daily datasets are better in calculating annual freezing/thawing index, therefore, the permafrost extent was estimated by a climate-based predictive model combined with snow depth data from Canadian Meteorological Centre (CMC). Finally, considering that the published permafrost map of the circum-Arctic only shows the past permafrost distribution, but it cannot reflect the permafrost distribution after 2000 under the climate warming. Hence, we simulated the current (mean from 2000 to 2015) permafrost area which is 19.96 × 10 6  km 2 , and the results showed some discrepancies between published and simulated permafrost extent mainly located in isolated permafrost regions., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection is an early discovered technology that is currently and widely used for water treatment and food hygiene treatment. A newly emerging technology of UV disinfection, that is, UV light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs), has aroused considerable research attention. UV-LEDs feature numerous advantages compared with traditional UV mercury vapor lamps and are expected to replace traditional UV lamps. Researchers currently perform studies to obtain data and develop methods for UV-LED water treatment systems. This article analyzes the latest research status and discusses the types of inactivation factors, such as the wavelength selectivity of UV light source, control of UV dose, effect of inactivation rate constant (K) (cm 2 /mJ), working mode of water sample, external auxiliary system, and UV sensitivity of pathogenic bacteria in water. The wavelengths of approximately 260 and 280 nm normally feature strong inactivation characteristics. When compared with the approximately 260 nm wavelength chip, the around 280 nm wavelength chip proves to be a better choice as its higher wavelength light power can result in faster disinfection capacity of bacteria. UV dose can also be used as the reference value for disinfection of drinking water, whereas the inactivation rate constant (K) (cm 2 /mJ) varies with different microorganism internal structures. Changing the working mode or adding an auxiliary system can also enhance the inactivation effect in water treatment system settings. In addition, we can compare the inactivation capacities of several pathogens as follows: ΦX174 > Escherichia coli > T type bacteriophage >Bacillus subtilis > MS2 or Qβ > human adenovirus. The in-depth investigation and discussion of inactivation factors and the mechanism of action in UV-LEDs water treatment systems will establish a more efficient UV-LED disinfection method in the future, provide a guiding direction, and promote the standardization and normalization of pathogen inactivation mechanism in UV-LED water treatment systems., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Increasing evidence has implicated dysfunctional mitochondria in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders. Selective degradation of dysfunctional mitochondria has been termed mitophagy and constitutes a pivotal component of mitochondrial quality control to maintain cellular homeostasis. Mitochondrial fission plays a prominent role in controlling mitochondrial shape and function. However, it is unclear whether mitochondrial fission in the context of eliminating damaged mitochondria is involved in traumatic brain injury (TBI). We examined the role of mitochondrial division inhibitor 1 (Mdivi1), a small-molecule inhibitor of dynamin-related protein (Drp1), in general autophagy and mitophagy after controlled cortical impact (CCI)., Methods: Mitophagy and the role of Drp1 in this process after CCI were examined using Western blotting, electron microscopy, double immunofluorescence staining, neurological severity scores, and hematoxylin and eosin staining. Statistical analysis was performed using 1-way analysis of variance, followed by the least significant difference test or the Games-Howell test., Results: The rats exposed to CCI exhibited induction of mitophagy and fragmentation of mitochondria. When fission was blocked with Mdivi1, the mitochondria became excessively long and interconnected. Inhibition of Drp1 blocked the induction of mitophagy specifically, which aggravated neurological manifestations and neuronal apoptosis. Mdivi1 activated caspase-3 and caspase-9, implying that selective degradation of damaged mitochondria by autophagy markedly decreased cell apoptosis induced by TBI and, thus, promoted cell survival., Conclusions: The findings from the present study support the hypothesis that Drp1-dependent mitochondrial fission contributes to mitophagy in TBI, and further understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of Drp1 will provide opportunities to develop novel strategies against TBI., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Concussive head injury (CHI) is quite prevalent in military personnel leading to lifetime disability in more than 85% of cases. Other reasons of CHI include motor vehicle accident, fall or blunt trauma under various conditions. In United States of America (USA) alone more than 150k cases of head injury are added every year for which no suitable therapeutic strategies are still available. Thus, there is a need to expand our knowledge in treating CHI cases with novel therapeutic measures to enhance the quality of life of head injury victims. With recent advancements in nanodelivery of drugs for superior neuroprotective effects in neurological diseases, our laboratory is engaged in understanding the role of nanowired delivery of suitable drugs in treating CHI and other neurodegenerative diseases. DL-3-n-butylphthalide (NBP) is an extract of Chinese celery and is able to induce profound neuroprotection following ischemic stroke and other related neurological dysfunction. Thus, it is quite likely that synthetic NBP could have pronounced neuroprotective effects in CHI as well. We believe that nanodelivery of NBP have superior neuroprotection in CHI. In this review neuroprotective effects of nanowired delivery of NBP in CHI induced brain pathology is described. Our experimental observations show that nanowired delivery of NBP results in superior neuroprotection than the regular NBP in CHI. The probable mechanisms and functional significance of our finding in relation to military medicine is discussed based on our own investigations., (© 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Thermokarst lakes are a ubiquitous landscape feature, which widely distributed in the pan-arctic and some low latitude regions, and are associated with regional hydrological processes. The studies were taken to obtain a better understanding of the water balance of thermokarst lakes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) in order to gain insight of the regional hydrological cycle. The characteristics of the stable isotopes δ 18 O and δ D were investigated in precipitation, permafrost meltwater, and thermokarst lake water in the continuous permafrost region of the QTP and analyzed the lake water balance using the isotope mass model. The results showed that the δ D-δ 18 O relationship in the thermokarst lakes (δ D = 5.45 δ 18 O - 18.95) differed from that of the local precipitation (δ D = 8.30 δ 18 O + 18.49) and permafrost meltwater (δ D = 5.78 δ 18 O - 23.41), and the mean isotope compositions in the thermokarst lakes were -7.2‰ in δ 18 O and -58.0‰ in δ D. The more positive isotope signals in thermokarst lakes than in the precipitation and permafrost meltwater revealed that the lakes had experienced stronger isotope enrichment. Additionally, the evaporation-to-inflow ratio (E/I) values were < 1 in most of the thermokarst lakes (84%), which might be explained by the recent expansion of the lake surfaces. However, 16% of the thermokarst lakes had shrunk, owing to thermokarst erosion, lateral expansion as the temperature increases, and lower recharge volume. Moreover, precipitation on the lake surface was only 14-18% of the inflow volume in the thermokarst lakes, and the surface-subsurface inflow and permafrost meltwater are very important for recharging the lakes and maintaining the water balance. The results of this study provide a comprehensive understanding of the influence of climate warming on hydrological processes in the permafrost regions in the QTP., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, three kinds of polysaccharides (named PSWP, PSAP-1 and PSAP-2) were successively isolated from purple sweetpotato tubers by hot water, 0.5M and 2M sodium hydroxide solutions. The characterization, in vitro antioxidant activity and in vivo hepatoprotective effect of these polysaccharides were investigated. Results indicated that PSWP, PSAP-1 and PSAP-2 were all β-type polysaccharides containing different contents of uronic acid, protein and polyphenol. Both PSWP and PSAP-1 were composed by arabinose, glucose and galactose, whereas PSAP-2 was consisted of arabinose, rhamnose and glucose. All the polysaccharides exhibited moderate 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and reducing power. As compared with tetrachloromethane (CCl 4 ) treatment group, mice administrated with PSWP, PSAP-1 and PSAP-2 exhibited decreased levels of serum enzymes (alkaline phosphatase, alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase) and hepatic lipid peroxidation, whereas increased levels of hepatic antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase) and non-enzymatic antioxidant (glutathione). Notably, PSWP displayed stronger antioxidant activity and hepatoprotective effect than PSAP-1 and PSAP-2. The hepatoprotective effect of PSWP was comparable to positive standard of silymarin. Our results suggested polysaccharides from purple sweetpotato possessed potential antioxidant activity and protective effect against CCl 4 -induced acute liver damage., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Beiluhe basin is underlain by warm and ice-rich permafrost, and covered by vegetation and soils characteristic of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. A field monitoring network was established to investigate permafrost conditions and to assess potential impacts of local factors and climate change. This paper describes the spatial variations in permafrost conditions from instrumented boreholes, controlling environmental factors, and recent thermal evolution of permafrost in the basin. The study area was divided into 10 ecotypes using satellite imagery based classification. The field investigations and cluster analysis of ground temperatures indicated that permafrost underlies most of the ground in swamp meadow, undisturbed alpine meadow, degrading alpine meadow, and desert alpine grassland, but is absent in other cover types. Permafrost-ecotope relations examined over a 2-year (2014-2016) period indicated that: (i) ground surface temperatures varied largely among ecotopes; (ii) annual mean ground temperatures ranged from -1.5 to 0°C in permafrost, indicating sensitive permafrost conditions; (iii) active-layer thicknesses ranged from 1.4m to 3.4m; (iv) ground ice content at the top of permafrost is high, but the active-layer soil is relatively dry. Long-term climate warming has driven thermal changes to permafrost, but ground surface characteristics and soil moisture content strongly influence the ground thermal state. These factors control local-scale spatial variations in permafrost conditions. The warm permafrost in the basin is commonly in thermal disequilibrium, and is sensitive to future climate change. Active-layer thicknesses have increased by at least 42cm and the mean annual ground temperatures have increased by up to 0.2°C in the past 10years over the basin. A permafrost distribution map was produced based on ecotypes, suggesting that permafrost underlies 64% of the study region., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Studies that have investigated the association between vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms and intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) have yielded inconsistent results., Methods: To investigate the association between VDR gene polymorphisms and IDD, a systematic literature search for relevant published studies was performed on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane library, Wan-Fang, and CNKI databases. A random effects model was used for heterogeneous data; while a fixed effect model was used for homogenous data. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to evaluate the strength of the association., Results: We observed no association between VDR FokI, TaqI-ApaI polymorphisms and IDD. However, on subgroup analysis by ethnicity, VDR FokI mutation was associated with a significantly lower risk for IDD [dominant model: OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.65-0.93; heterozygote model: OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.63-0.92; allele model: OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.75-0.98] among Caucasians., Conclusion: These results suggest that the VDR FokI polymorphism may be associated with IDD among Caucasians. However, the association between VDR TaqI-ApaI polymorphisms and IDD in Asians is still not clear. Further well-designed studies are needed to arrive at a definitive conclusion., (Copyright © 2016 The Japanese Orthopaedic Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The formation of thermokarst lakes can degrade alpine meadow ecosystems through changes in soil water and heat properties, which might have an effect on the regional surface water and groundwater processes. In this study, a typical thermokarst lake was selected in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), and the ecological index (S L ) was used to divide the affected areas into extremely affected, severely affected, medium-affected, lightly affected, and non-affected areas, and soil hydrological properties, including saturated hydraulic conductivity and soil water-holding capacity, were investigated. The results showed that the formation of a thermokarst lake can lead to the degradation of alpine meadows, accompanied by a change in the soil physiochemical and hydrological properties. Specifically, the soil structure turned towards loose soil and the soil nutrients decreased from non-affected areas to severely affected areas, but the soil organic matter and available potassium increased slightly in the extremely affected areas. Soil saturated hydraulic conductivity showed a 1.7- to 4.1-fold increase in the lake-surrounding areas, and the highest value (401.9cmd -1 ) was detected in the severely affected area. Soil water-holding capacity decreased gradually during the transition from the non-affected areas to the severely affected areas, but it increased slightly in the extremely affected areas. The principal component analysis showed that the plant biomass was vital to the changes in soil hydrological properties. Thus, the vegetation might serve as a link between the thermokarst lake and soil hydrological properties. In this particular case, it was concluded that the thermokarst lake adversely affected the regional hydrological services in the alpine ecosystem. These results would be useful for describing appropriate hydraulic parameters with the purpose of modeling soil water transportation more accurately in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A series of new copper(II) complexes were prepared. They are [CuL(1)(NCS)] (1), [CuClL(1)]·CH3OH (2), [CuClL(2)]·CH3OH (3), [CuL(3)(NCS)]·CH3OH (4), [CuL(4)(NCS)]·0.4H2O (5), and [CuL(5)(bipy)] (6), where L(1), L(2), L(3) and L(4) are the deprotonated form of N'-(2-hydroxybenzylidene)-3-methylbenzohydrazide, 4-bromo-N'-(2-hydroxy-5-methoxybenzylidene)benzohydrazide, N'-(2-hydroxy-5-methoxybenzylidene)-3-methylbenzohydrazide and 2-chloro-N'-(2-hydroxy-5-methoxybenzylidene)benzohydrazide, respectively, L(5) is the dianionic form of N'-(2-hydroxybenzylidene)-3-methylbenzohydrazide, and bipy is 2,2'-bipyridine. The complexes were characterized by infrared and UV-Vis spectra and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The Cu atoms in complexes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are coordinated by the NOO donor set of the aroylhydrazone ligands, and one Cl or thiocyanate N atom, forming square planar coordination. The Cu atom in complex 6 is in a square pyramidal coordination, with the NOO donor set of L(1), and one N atom of bipy defining the basal plane, and with the other N atom of bipy occupying the apical position. Complexes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 show effective urease inhibitory activities, with IC50 values of 5.14, 0.20, 4.06, 5.52 and 0.26μM, respectively. Complex 6 has very weak activity against urease, with IC50 value over 100μM. Molecular docking study of the complexes with the Helicobacter pylori urease was performed. The relationship between structures and urease inhibitory activities indicated that copper complexes with square planar coordination are better models for urease inhibition., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

FAT1 and β-catenin are important tumor regulatory factors. The aim of this study was to detect the possible disparity in their expression from ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and to explore its correlation with clinicopathological factors. We used immunohistochemistry to detect protein expression of FAT1 and β-catenin in breast cancer tissues from 113 cases of DCIS and 149 cases of IDC. As compared with DCIS, expression of FAT1 and β-catenin were significantly decreased in IDC (P<0.05). In addition, our study also revealed a correlation between their expression and some clinicopathological factors. We found that FAT1 expression was associated with nuclear grade and comedonecrosis (P<0.05) in DCIS, whereas FAT1 expression showed significant variation with histological grade and LN status (P<0.05) in IDC. Similar associations were observed in the β-catenin subgroup. Furthermore, expressions of FAT1 and β-catenin were correlated with each other in DCIS and IDC (P<0.05). FAT1(-), β-catenin(-), or FAT1(-)/β-catenin(-) may indicate worse DFS and OS in breast cancer (P<0.05). This study suggests that loss of FAT1 and β-catenin are associated with breast cancer progression, aggressive behavior, and poor prognosis. FAT1 alone or together with β-catenin might be a valuable biomarker in predicting the prognosis of patients with breast cancer., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

NAC transcription factors are plant-specific and play important roles in many processes including plant development, response to biotic and abiotic stresses and hormone signaling. So far, only a few NAC genes have been identified to mediate cell death. In this study, we identified a novel NAC gene from canola (Brassica napus L.), BnaNAC103 which induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and cell death in Nicotianabenthamiana leaves. We found that BnaNAC103 responded to multiple signalings, including cold, salicylic acid (SA) and a fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. BnaNAC103 is located in the nucleus. Expression of full-length BnaNAC103, but not either the N-terminal NAC domain or C-terminal regulatory domain, was identified to induce hypersensitive response (HR)-like cell death when expressed in N. benthamiana. The cell death triggered by BnaNAC103 is preceded by accumulation of ROS, with diaminobenzidine (DAB) staining supporting this. Moreover, quantification of ion leakage and malondialdehyde (MDA) of leaf discs indicates significant cell membrane breakage and lipid peroxidation induced by BnaNAC103 expression. Taken together, our work has identified a novel NAC transcription factor gene modulating ROS level and cell death in plants., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The mutations in the presenilin 2 (PSEN2) gene as causes of early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease (AD) have never been reported in Asia. We conducted a phenotype and pedigree study by performing neuropathological examination and target region sequencing in a family of 3 generations. Six members in this family developed dementia in their fifth decade and died in their sixth decade. The proband was diagnosed clinically with AD, which was confirmed by an autopsy. Target region sequencing showed a novel missense mutation at codon 141 (N141Y) of the PSEN2 gene that predicts an Asparagine-to-Tyrosine substitution in the affected individuals. The result was validated by Sanger sequencing in 7 family members (2 affected and 5 unaffected). The mutation was absent in the 5 clinically unaffected relatives and 188 control subjects. No influence of the APOE genotype was observed. We are the first to demonstrate a novel PSEN2 N141Y mutation in a Chinese Han family with early-onset AD., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Calcium is a ubiquitous intracellular secondary messenger in plants. Calcineurin B-like proteins (CBLs), which contain four Ca(2+)-binding EF hand motifs, are Ca(2+) sensors and regulate a group of Ser/Thr protein kinases called CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs). Although the CBL-CIPK network has been demonstrated to play crucial roles in plant development and responses to various environmental stresses in Arabidopsis, little is known about their function in glucose signaling. In the present study, we identified CIPK14 gene from Arabidopsis that play a role in glucose signaling. The subcellular localization of CIPK14 was determined using green fluorescence protein (GFP) as the reporter. Furthermore, the expression levels of CIPK14 in response to salt, drought, cold, heat, ABA, methyl viologen (MV) and glucose treatments were examined by quantitative RT-PCR and it was found to respond to multiple stimuli, suggesting that CIPK14 may be a point of convergence for several different signaling pathways. Moreover, knock-out mutation of CIPK14 rendered it more sensitive to glucose treatment. Yeast two-hybrid assay demonstrated that CIPK14 interacted with three CBLs and also with two key kinases, sucrose non-fermenting 1-related kinase (SnRK) 1.1 and SnRK1.2 implicated in glucose signaling. This is the first report to demonstrate that CIPK also plays a role in glucose signaling., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A novel TiO2/diatomite composite (TD) was prepared and then characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). The results of SEM showed that after modification, the porous surface of diatomite was covered with TiO2. Both diatomite and TD had clear disc-shaped structures with average grain diameters of around 25 μm. Then TD and pure TiO2 were applied in the purification of phosvitin phosphopeptides (PPPs) from the digest of egg yolk protein, and a comparative study of adsorption properties of PPPs on TD and TiO2 was performed. In the study of adsorption kinetics, the adsorption equilibrium of PPPs on TD and TiO2 fitted well with the Langmuir model, and the time needed to reach adsorption equilibrium were both around 10 min. The maximum dynamic adsorption capacity of TD (8.15 mg/g) was higher than that of TiO2 (4.96 mg/g). The results of repeated use showed that TD and TiO2 were very stable after being subjected to ten repeated adsorption-elution cycles, and TD could easily be separated from aqueous solution by filtration. On the other hand, the present synthetic technology of TD was very simple, cost-effective, organic solvent-free and available for large-scale preparation. Thus, this separation method not only brings great advantages in the purification of PPPs from egg yolk protein but also provides a promising purification material for the enrichment of phosphopeptides in proteomic researches., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The formation of soluble and insoluble complexes between ovalbumin (OVA) and gum arabic (GA) polysaccharide was investigated under specific conditions (pH 1.0-7.0; temperature 4-55 °C; NaCl concentration 0-60mM; total biopolymer concentration 0.05-3.0 wt%) by turbidimetric analysis. For the 2:1 OVA:GA ratio and in the absence of NaCl, soluble and insoluble complexes were observed at pH 4.61 (pHφ1) and 4.18 (pHφ2), respectively, with optimal biopolymer interactions occurring at pH 3.79 (pHopt). Under the same conditions, OVA alone gave only a weak turbidity intensity (turbidity <0.03), whereas GA had none. As the temperature increased, critical pH values shifted toward lower pH, and the maximum turbidity value occurred at 25 °C. The region between pHφ1 and pHφ2 was narrowed and the electrostatic interactions became weaker with increasing NaCl concentration. The maximum turbidity value increased as the total biopolymer concentration increased until reaching a critical value (2.0%), afterwards becoming a constant value., (Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Undernutrition remains a significant problem worldwide, with environmental enteropathy implicated as a contributing factor. An understanding of the pathogenesis and identification of children at risk are critical to the design of more-effective interventions., Objective: The stool regenerating gene 1β (REG1B) protein, which is a putative measure of intestinal injury and repair, was tested as a noninvasive biomarker of future childhood stunting., Design: A total of 222 children from Bangladesh and 97 children from Peru, who were from impoverished communities, were followed from birth through 24 mo of age with anthropometric measures obtained every 3 mo. Stool REG1B protein concentrations were obtained by using an REG1B polyclonal-polyclonal ELISA at 3 mo of age. We tested for the ability of REG1B to forecast future anthropometric shortfalls, independent of known predictors of undernutrition of family income and baseline height and weight., Results: In the Bangladesh cohort of 222 children, higher REG1B concentrations at month 3 were significantly and independently associated with a growth shortfall in a linear regression analysis at months 9, 12, 18, 21, and 24 and, in the Peru cohort, at months 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24. With the use of a mixed model for repeated measurements, higher stool REG1B concentrations at 3 mo were also independently predictive of a lower future length-for-age z score through 24 mo of age (Bangladesh P = 0.006; Peru P = 0.058)., Conclusion: The ability of fecal REG1B to predict growth shortfall in independent cohorts of impoverished children from the developing world offers promise as a malnutrition biomarker and supports a role for environmental enteropathy in the pathogenesis of growth shortfall.

The ground-state geometries, electronic structures and vibrational wavenumbers of S-1,3-benzothiazolyl-4-bromobenzenecarbothioate and S-(5,7-dimethyl-3H-4lambda-5-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridinyl)4-chlorobenzenecarbothioate were studied by DFT-B3LYP, BLYP and ab initio RHF method with different basis sets. The comparison was performed for optimized geometries, thermodynamic parameters and electronic structures at different levels of theory. Because of the larger repulsion effect in triazole ring, the vibrational wavenumbers of skeleton vibration of triazole ring are significantly lower than that of thiazole ring.

The Fourier-transform Raman (FT-Raman) and infrared (FT-IR) spectra of 2-nitro-tetraphenylporphyrin (2-NO(2)-TPP), nickel-2-nitro-tetraphenylporphyrin (Ni-2-NO(2)-TPP), zinc-2-nitro-tetraphenylporphyrin (Zn-2-NO(2)-TPP) and copper-2-nitro-tetraphenylporphyrin (Cu-2-NO(2)-TPP) were acquired for the first time and carefully assigned and discussed. The effects of a beta-NO(2) group and the influence of the central metal on the molecular symmetry and vibrational spectra of the porphyrin macrocycle were also examined. The bands at 1323-1339, 1516-1526 and 961-971 cm(-1) were attributed to the symmetric and asymmetric stretching vibration of the NO(2) group and to the stretching vibration of the C(beta)-N bond, respectively, which connects the NO(2) group with the beta-carbon of the porphyrin macrocycle. These bands can act as a marker to distinguish beta-NO(2) TPPs from other beta-substituent TPPs. Cu-2-NO(2)-TPP has a C(4nu) molecular symmetry, which is different from those of Ni-2-NO(2)-TPP and Zn-2-NO(2)-TPP, i.e. D(4h).

The Fourier-transform Raman (FT-Raman), infrared (FT-IR), and UV-visible absorption spectra of four dipyrrinones and two mesobilirubins have been investigated in the solid state and in CH2Cl2 solutions. A detailed spectral analysis, assignment and discussion of these spectra are presented. The bands at 1735-1738, 1691-1707 and 1359-1377 cm(-1) which were assigned to the stretching vibrations of the C-O-C and C-O-H and symmetric deformation of C-H bonds, respectively, can act as a marker to distinguish the compounds of this class. The striking differences between the spectra of the compounds suggest that mesobilirubin XIIIalpha is tending to adopt as ridge-tile conformation, rather than linear conformation.