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Background: The hypobaric hypoxic atmosphere can cause adverse reactions or sickness. The purpose of this study was to explore the preventive effect and mechanism of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) on acute pathological injury in mice exposed to high-altitude., Methods: We pretreated C57BL/6 mice with hUC-MSCs via the tail vein injection, and then the mice were subjected to hypobaric hypoxic conditions for five days. The effects of hUC-MSCs on the pathological injury of lung, heart, brain were assessed by biochemical analysis, histopathological testing, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and western blot (WB). Further, transcriptome sequencing was used to screen for the potential therapeutic targets of hUC-MSCs in acute pathological injury, the identified signaling axis was characterized using Apoe -/- mice, qPCR and WB., Results: hUC-MSCs administration notably prevented and relieved gastrointestinal symptoms and inflammation of lung and heart, increased blood oxygen saturation and serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) level, decreased serum malondialdehyde (MDA) level, rescued lung tissue injury and myocardial mitochondrial disorder, elevated nissl bodies number in brain tissue and reduced the degree of pulmonary and cerebral edema. Furthermore, hUC-MSCs pretreatment reversed the down-regulated Apoe and up-regulated Pdgf-b and p-Erk1/2 in the lung of hypobaric hypoxic mice. Thus, hUC-MSCs protected against acute pathological injury caused by hypobaric hypoxic condition via the Apoe/Pdgf-b/p-Erk1/2 axis, and the identified pathway was confirmed by the negative results of Apoe -/- mice., Conclusion: hUC-MSCs possess the preventive effect on acute pathological injury caused by hypobaric hypoxia environment at high-altitude., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical Approval: All procedures on mice conformed with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals published by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH Publication No. 85 − 23, revised 1996), and with the approval of the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Committee for Animal Care (Approval No. SYXK2020053). Consent to Participate: Not Applicable. Consent to Publish: The work has not been published before and it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, its publication has been approved by all co-authors. Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Background: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has a poor prognosis, with chemoradiotherapy (CRT) being a key treatment method. This study focused on circulating cytokines as potential predictors of treatment response and prognosis in patients with ESCC., Materials and Methods: Serum samples were collected from 36 ESCC patients, and 12 different cytokines were quantified using a multiplex immunofluorescence assay. We used non-parametric Wilcoxon unpaired rank tests to examine the relationship between cytokine concentrations and clinical outcomes. The duration of progression-free survival was assessed through imaging studies and telephone follow-ups. Kaplan-Meier survival plots, analyzed with the log-rank test, were utilized to depict survival trends., Results: Pre-treatment serum IL-8 levels were significantly elevated in patients with lymphoid metastases (p = 0.036). Lower initial levels of IL-8 and IL-1β were observed in patients with partial response group compared to those with stable disease (p = 0.002, p = 0.01). Elevated baseline levels of IL-8 and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) were correlated with a poorer prognosis. Higher levels of IL-5 and IFN-γ levels following therapy were associated with worse outcomes., Conclusions: Our findings indicate that IL-8, IL-1β, IL-5, and IFN-γ may serve as potential biomarkers for treatment efficacy and prognosis in ESCC. Patients with low levels of IL-8 and IL-1β demonstrate a favorable response to CRT. Elevated serum levels of IL-8, IL-1β, IFN-γ, and IL-5 may predict poorer clinical outcomes., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The Ethics Committee of Changzhou Tumor Hospital reviewed the study as a retrospective study and gave ethical approval. The approval number is 2022 (SR) NO.023. All enrolled subjects or family members of the patients consented to the content of this study and signed the informed consent form. Patient consent for publication is not applicable. Consent for publication: All authors consent to the publication of this manuscript. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

The presence of bromate in water poses a significant health risk. In order to effectively eliminate bromate from water, this study synthesized a series of ternary Zn-Ni-Al layered double hydroxides with varying Zn/Ni/Al atomic ratios using a co-precipitation method. The adsorbents were characterized using various techniques including XRD, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherms. Among them, ZnNiAl-2 exhibited the highest crystallinity and largest specific surface area (316.1 m 2 g -1 ), which was compared to the binary hydrotalcite NiAl-LDH for its ability to adsorb bromate from water. Results demonstrated that the adsorption isotherm of bromate on ZnNiAl-2 followed the Langmuir model, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 120.5 mg g -1 , significantly higher than that of NiAl at 75.5 mg g -1 , indicating strong adsorption capability and reusability performance. The adsorption kinetics were also found to be in accordance with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The mechanism involved both surface adsorption and anion exchange., Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40201-025-00932-6., Competing Interests: Competing interestThe authors declare they have no conflicts of interest., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Tehran University of Medical Sciences 2025. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, largely due to its poor five-year survival rate and frequent late-stage diagnosis. A significant barrier to early detection even in high-risk cohorts is that the pancreas often appears morphologically normal during the pre-diagnostic phase. Yet, the disease can progress rapidly from subclinical stages to widespread metastasis, undermining the effectiveness of screening. Recently, artificial intelligence (AI) applied to cross-sectional imaging has shown significant potential in identifying subtle, early-stage changes in pancreatic tissue that are often imperceptible to the human eye. Moreover, AI-driven imaging also aids in the discovery of prognostic and predictive biomarkers, essential for personalized treatment planning. This article uniquely integrates a critical discussion on AI's role in detecting visually occult PDAC on pre-diagnostic imaging, addresses challenges of model generalizability, and emphasizes solutions like standardized datasets and clinical workflows. By focusing on both technical advancements and practical implementation, this article provides a forward-thinking conceptual framework that bridges current gaps in AI-driven PDAC research., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Single domain antibody (sdAb) is only composed of a variable domain of the heavy-chain-only antibody, which is devoid of light chain and naturally occurring in camelids and cartilaginous fishes. Variable New Antigen Receptor (VNAR), a type of single domain antibody present in cartilaginous fishes such as sharks, is the smallest functional antigen-binding fragment found in nature. The unique features, including flexible paratope, high solubility and outstanding stability make VNAR a promising prospect in antibody drug development and structural biology research. However, VNAR's research has lagged behind camelid-derived sdAb, especially in the field of structural research. Here we report the 1 H, 15 N, 13 C resonance assignments of a VNAR derived from the immune library of Chiloscyllium plagiosum, termed B2-3, which recognizes the hyaluronan synthase. Analysis of the backbone chemical shifts demonstrates that the secondary structure of VNAR is predominately composed of β-sheets corresponding to around 40% of the B2-3 backbone. The Cβ chemical shift values of cysteine residues, combined with mass spectrometry data, clearly shows that B2-3 contains two pairs of disulfide bonds, which is import for protein stability. The assignments will be essential for determining the high resolution solution structure of B2-3 by NMR spectroscopy., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Key Message: The gene regulating fruit pedicel length in wax gourd was finely mapped to a 211 kb region on chromosome 8. The major gene, Bch08G017310 (BhGA2ox3), was identified through forward genetics. Fruit pedicel length (FPL) is a crucial trait in wax gourd (Benincasa hispida) that affects fruit development and cultivation management. However, the key regulatory genes and mechanisms of FPL in wax gourds remain poorly understood. In this study, we constructed an F 2 population using wax gourd plants with long fruit pedicels (GF-7-1-1) and short fruit pedicels (YSB-1-1-2) as parents. Through BSA-seq, we initially localised the FPL candidate gene to an 8.4 Mb region on chromosome 8, which was further narrowed down to a 1.1 Mb region via linkage analysis. A large F 2 population of 2163 individuals was used to screen for recombinants, and the locus was ultimately narrowed to within a 211 kb (62,299,856-62,511,174 bp) region. Sequence and expression analyses showed that Bch08G017310 (named BhGA2ox3) is a strong candidate gene for FPL in wax gourds. It encodes gibberellin (GA) 2-beta-dioxygenase, a member of the GA 2-oxidase (GA2ox) family. Cytology showed that GA treatment significantly elongated the fruit pedicels and enlarged the cells in the plants with short fruit pedicels. Ectopic expression of BhGA2ox3 showed that BhGA2ox3 overexpression in Arabidopsis thaliana resulted in significantly shorter fruit pedicels. This study lays a theoretical foundation for the regulatory mechanism of FPL in wax gourds and molecular breeding., Competing Interests: Declarations Conflict of interests The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Key Message: Using QTL mapping and GWAS, two candidate genes (Zm00001d051039 and Zm00001d051147) were consistently identified across the three different environments and BLUP values. GWAS analysis identified the candidate gene, Zm00001d044845. These genes were subsequently validated to exhibit a significant association with maize gray leaf spot (GLS) resistance. Gray leaf spot (GLS) is a major foliar disease of maize (Zea mays L.) that causes significant yield losses worldwide. Understanding the genetic mechanisms underlying gray leaf spot resistance is crucial for breeding high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties. In this study, eight tropical and subtropical germplasms were crossed with the temperate germplasm Ye107 to develop a nested association mapping (NAM) population comprising 1,653 F2:8 RILs, consisting of eight recombinant inbred line (RIL) subpopulations, using the single-seed descent method. The NAM population was evaluated for GLS resistance in three different environments, and genotyping by sequencing of the NAM population generated 593,719 high-quality single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Linkage analysis and genome-wide association studies (GWASs) were conducted to identify candidate genes regulating GLS resistance in maize. Both analyses identified 25 QTLs and 149 SNPs that were significantly associated with GLS resistance. Candidate genes were screened 20 Kb upstream and downstream of the significant SNPs, and three novel candidate genes (Zm00001d051039, Zm00001d051147, and Zm00001d044845) were identified. Zm00001d051039 and Zm00001d051147 were located on chromosome 4 and co-localized in both linkage (qGLS4-1 and qGLS4-2) and GWAS analyses. SNP-138,153,206 was located 0.499 kb downstream of the candidate gene Zm00001d051039, which encodes the protein IN2-1 homolog B, a homolog of glutathione S-transferase (GST). GSTs and protein IN2-1 homolog B scavenge reactive oxygen species under various stress conditions, and GSTs are believed to protect plants from a wide range of biotic and abiotic stresses by detoxifying reactive electrophilic compounds. Zm00001d051147 encodes a probable beta-1,4-xylosyltransferase involved in the biosynthesis of xylan in the cell wall, enhancing resistance. SNP-145,813,215 was located 2.69 kb downstream of the candidate gene. SNP-5,043,412 was consistently identified in three different environments and BLUP values and was located 8.788 kb downstream of the candidate gene Zm00001d044845 on chromosome 9. Zm00001d044845 encodes the U-box domain-containing protein 4 (PUB4), which is involved in regulating plant immunity. qRT-PCR analysis showed that the relative expression levels of the three candidate genes were significantly upregulated in the leaves of the TML139 (resistant) parent, indicating that these three candidate genes could be associated with resistance to GLS. The findings of this study are significant for marker-assisted breeding aimed at enhancing resistance to GLS in maize and lay the foundation for further elucidation of the genetic mechanisms underlying resistance to gray leaf spot in maize and breeding of new disease-resistant varieties., Competing Interests: Declarations Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Ecoenzymatic stoichiometry can reflect the ability of soil microorganisms to acquire energy and nutrients and to determine their response to environmental stresses. However, the drivers of metabolic limitation of the moss biocrust microbiome during the ecological restoration of coal mining areas are poorly understood. Therefore, in this study, enzymatic stoichiometry modeling and high-throughput sequencing were used to simultaneously determine moss biocrust microbial metabolic limitation and its relationship with moss biocrust nutrients and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) diversity in five arid and semi-arid revegetation types (Hippophae rhamnoides, Amorpha fruticosa, Cerasus humilis, Cerasus szechuanica, and Xanthoceras sorbifolium) and two microbial treatments (AMF-inoculated and uninoculated). The activities of moss biocrust carbon (C)-, nitrogen (N)-, and phosphorus (P)-acquiring enzymes and organic carbon fractions in the AMF-inoculated treatment were significantly higher than those in the uninoculated control. Moss biocrust microbial community C and P limitations were observed in the five revegetation types, with lower limitation in general in the AMF-inoculated treatment. Dinitrogen-fixing plants (Amorpha fruticosa and Hippophae rhamnoides) significantly mitigated moss biocrust microbiome C and P limitation, especially in the AMF-inoculated treatment. Furthermore, partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) shows that moss biocrust organic carbon fractions (- 0.73 and - 0.81 of the total effects, respectively) and AMF diversity (- 0.73 and - 0.81 of the total effects) had negative effect on microbial C and P limitation, suggesting that more efficient active nutrients and AMF diversity are important factors alleviating limitation of moss biocrust microbial metabolism. This indicates that moss biocrust microbial communities under N 2 -fixing species with AMF inoculation were more stable under environmental stress; thus, AMF inoculation and/or N 2 -fixing plants may be recommended as preferred options for the ecological restoration of arid mining areas., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Exploring the origin of beta - band oscillation in the cortex - basal ganglia model plays an important role in understanding the mechanism of Parkinson's disease. In this paper, we investigate the effect of three synaptic transmission time delays in the subthalamic nucleus(STN) - the globus pallidus external segment(GPe) loop, the excitatory neurons in the cortex(EXN) - the inhibitory neurons in the cortex(INN) loop and EXN - STN loop on critical conditions of occurrence of beta - band oscillation through Hopf bifurcation theory including linear stability analysis, center manifold theorem and normal form analysis. Our results reveal that suitable transmission time delay can induce beta - band oscillation through Hopf bifurcation, and the critical condition under which Hopf bifurcation occurs is more sensitive to the transmission time delay in EXN - STN loop T 3 , where if T 3 > 0.00185 , beta - band oscillation always occurs for any transmission time delay in STN - GPe, EXN - INN loops. Our theoretical analyses provide some ideas for the future research of Parkinson's disease., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Purpose: To evaluate the necessity and effectiveness of actively extracting kidney stones with different complexity that have been visually dusted in flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy (fURL)., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who underwent fURL with dusting technique in established hospitals. A total of 535 cases were divided into the dusting group or the dusting plus basketing group according to the use of stone basket. Their characteristics and operative parameters were collected and analyzed. We used the R.I.R.S. scoring system to classify the complexity of kidney stones and divided these kidney stones into three subgroups, namely, mild-, moderate-, and severe-complexity group. And then, the effectiveness of stone basket in these subgroups was analyzed., Results: Although using a stone basket significantly reduced re-operation rate (17.8% in dusting group versus 10.2% in dusting plus basketing group, p = 0.013), no significant difference on stone-free rate (SFR) and overall incidence of complications were noticed between groups. After we classified the complexity of kidney stones using the R.I.R.S. scoring system, we found a stone basket was helpful to improve SFR in kidney stones with moderate-complexity that had been visually dusted in fURL (73.5% in dusting group versus 87.3% in dusting plus basketing group, p = 0.002) but had limited influence on SFR in mild (93.8% in dusting group versus 92.6% in dusting plus basketing group, p = 0.783) or severe (28.5% in dusting group versus 34.0% in dusting plus basketing group, p = 0.598)-complexity kidney stones., Conclusion: The use of stone basket should be encouraged in moderate-complexity kidney stones which can be visually dusted in fURL., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Key Message: QTL mapping combined with genome-wide association studies, revealed a potential candidate gene for  resistance to northern leaf blight in the tropical CATETO-related maize line YML226, providing a basis for marker-assisted selection of maize varieties Northern leaf blight (NLB) is a foliar disease that can cause severe yield losses in maize. Identifying and utilizing NLB-resistant genes is the most effective way to prevent and control this disease. In this study, five important inbred lines of maize were used as parental lines to construct a multi-parent population for the identification of NLB-resistant loci. QTL mapping and GWAS analysis revealed that QTL qtl_YML226_1, which had the largest phenotypic variance explanation (PVE) of 9.28%, and SNP 5-49,193,921 were co-located in the CATETO-related line YML226. This locus was associated with the candidate gene Zm00001d014471, which encodes a pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein. In the coding region of Zm00001d014471, YML226 had more specific SNPs than the other parental lines. qRT-PCR showed that the relative expressions of Zm00001d014471 in inoculated and uninoculated leaves of YML226 were significantly higher, indicating that the expression of the candidate gene was correlated with NLB resistance. The analysis showed that the higher expression level in YML226 might be caused by SNP mutations. This study identified NLB resistance candidate loci and genes in the tropical maize inbred line YML226 derived from the CATETO germplasm, thereby providing a theoretical basis for using modern marker-assisted breeding techniques to select genetic resources resistant to NLB., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The water crisis may be solved by utilizing reclaimed water. Three reclaimed water sources have restored the lower sections of the Licun River, forming a landscaped river. In this paper, the river's water quality was monitored for a year, and the ecological concerns were analyzed using luminescent bacteria, chlorella, and zebrafish. The results indicated that although basic water quality indicators like COD and ammonia fluctuated along the river, the classification of water quality was primarily affected by factors such as flow rate and water depth. Under experimental conditions, the toxic inhibitory effect of river water on luminescent bacteria, chlorella, and zebrafish was related to the treatment process of reclaimed water. It was found that the reclaimed water produced by the MBR, along with the UV disinfection process, showed no detectable toxicity. In contrast, the MBBR process, when combined with coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, ozonation, and chlorination, seemed to be the source of this toxicity. Along the river, the results of water quality assessments and ecological risk assessments were different, indicating that both should be conducted to evaluate rivers replenished with reclaimed water., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Key Message: This study revealed the identification of a novel gene, Zm00001d042906, that regulates maize ear length by modulating lignin synthesis and reported a molecular marker for selecting maize lines with elongated ears. Maize ear length has garnered considerable attention due to its high correlation with yield. In this study, six maize inbred lines of significant importance in maize breeding were used as parents. The temperate maize inbred line Ye107, characterized by a short ear, was crossed with five tropical or subtropical inbred lines featuring longer ears, creating a multi-parent population displaying significant variations in ear length. Through genome-wide association studies and mutation analysis, the A/G variation at SNP_183573532 on chromosome 3 was identified as an effective site for discriminating long-ear maize. Furthermore, the associated gene Zm00001d042906 was found to correlate with maize ear length. Zm00001d042906 was functionally annotated as a laccase (Lac4), which showed activity and influenced lignin synthesis in the midsection cells of the cob, thereby regulating maize ear length. This study further reports a novel molecular marker and a new gene that can assist maize breeding programs in selecting varieties with elongated ears., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Aquatic animals are popular for their unique umami and high-quality protein. However, under the realistic background of increasing marine pollution, whether it affects the aquatic animal tastes, and what the interference mechanism is still remains unknown. Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) is a typical Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with high toxicity. In this study, we investigated the effects of B[a]P (0, 0.8, 4 and 20 μg/L) on the content and taste evaluation of Ruditapes philippinarum taste substances, and clarified the interference mechanism of B[a]P on taste substance metabolisms with transcriptome analysis. The results demonstrated that B[a]P significantly altered the contents and taste activity values (TAVs) of free amino acids (FAAs), 5'-nucleotides, organic acids, flavor peptides, organic bases, sugars and inorganic ions, as well as the gene expressions within their synthesis and decomposition, indicating that B[a]P affected these taste substance contents by interfering with their metabolisms, thereby changing the clam tastes (decreases of umami and sweetness, and increase of bitter taste). This study provided scientific basis for quality assurance of bivalve cultivation and control of marine pollution., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) may cause iron deposition in cardiac tissue. We aimed to describe the echocardiographic findings in patients with HH and identify risk factors for cardiac dysfunction., Methods: In this retrospective study, we included patients with HH who underwent transthoracic echocardiography at our tertiary care center between August 2000 and July 2022. We defined three primary outcomes for cardiac dysfunction: 1) left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 55%, 2) ratio between early mitral inflow velocity and mitral annular early diastolic velocity (E/e') > 15, and 3) global longitudinal strain (GLS) < 18. Multivariable logistic regression was utilized to identify predictors of cardiac dysfunction., Results: 582 patients (median age 57 years, 61.2% male) were included. The frequency of LVEF < 55%, E/e ' > 15 and GLS < 18 was 9.0% (52/580), 9.6% (51/534) and 20.2% (25/124), respectively. In multivariable analysis, non-White race, age, and hypertension were associated with E/e' > 15. No specific HFE genetic mutation was associated with LVEF < 55%. A history of myocardial infarction was strongly associated with both LVEF < 55% and E/e' > 15. In patients with LVEF ≥ 55%, the C282Y/H63D genetic mutation was associated with reduced likelihood of E/e' > 15, p = 0.024. Patients with C282Y/H63D had a higher frequency of myocardial infarction. Smoking and alcohol use were significantly associated with GLS < 18 in unadjusted analysis., Conclusion: We found the traditional risk factors of male sex, and history of myocardial infarction or heart failure, were associated with a reduced LVEF, irrespective of the underlying HFE genetic mutation. Patients with a C282Y/H63D genetic mutation had a higher frequency of myocardial infarction, yet this mutation was associated with reduced odds of diastolic dysfunction compared to other genetic mutations in patients with a normal LVEF., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

The importance of physical activity (PA) to people's health has become a consensus around the world, and regular long-term PA has been accepted as an alternative preventive measure for many chronic medical conditions. Although the daily PA have several benefits for the public, the systematic research on its effect in human physiology, cognition and cerebral nerve level is not fully studied. Hence, in this study, we aim to investigate this question in several specific aspects: basal heart rate, executive function, and neural oscillatory activity in the brain. A total of 146 subjects participated in this study and they were divided into two groups. One group (SG) is the long-term training (more than 8 years) subjects in soccer (n = 31), and the other group (CG) is a normal control group (n = 115). The heart rate was monitored with a portable equipment. Besides, 24 subjects (14 in SG and 10 in CG) participated the Go/No-Go task and EEG recording before and after exercise fatigue task. In the physiology level, we found that in the non-training time, the heart rate in CG group is significantly higher than that of the SG group ( P  < 0.001). In the cognition level, we found that the SG group has a faster reaction time that that of CG group ( P  < 0.01), while for the accuracy, two groups did show significant difference. In the neural level in the brain, we found a significant abnormal increased beta-band (around 25 Hz) activity in CG group after the exercise fatigue task immediately. Long-term high-intensity physical activity reduces basal heart rate, improves executive function, and improve the central tolerance of the body under the stimulation of fatigue and stress. These benefits of long-term activity could be used as a manual to guide people's healthy life., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2022. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Naïve pluripotent state can be obtained by several strategies from various types of cells, in which the cell fate roadmap as well as key biological events involved in the journey have been described in detail. Here, we carefully explored the chromatin accessibility dynamics during the primed-to-naïve transition by adopting a dual fluorescent reporter system and the assay for transposase-accessible chromatin (ATAC)-seq. Our results revealed critical chromatin remodeling events and highlight the discordance between chromatin accessibility and transcriptional activity. We further demonstrate that the differential epigenetic modifications and transcription factor (TF) activities may play a critical role in regulating gene expression, and account for the observed variations in gene expression despite similar chromatin landscapes., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The issue of hearing protection in the presence of noise pollution is of great importance in the fields of environmental science and clinical medicine. Currently, the clinical significance of Klotho in relation to hearing has not been revealed. The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between serum Klotho levels and Pure Tone Average (PTA) hearing thresholds among individuals in the U.S.. The analysis involved a sample of 1,781 individuals aged 20 to 69, obtained from the 2007-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Various methods were utilized for the analysis, including univariate and multivariate linear regression, stratified analysis, smooth curve fitting, a two-segment linear regression model, and log-likelihood ratio analysis. The results of the univariate analysis indicated that serum Klotho concentration, age, education level, hypertension, diabetes, and smoking all exhibited a significant influence on PTAs. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, it was observed that a decrease in serum Klotho was significantly associated with PTA thresholds at low frequency (β = -0.002; 95% CI: -0.003, -0.001; P = 0.004), speech frequency (β = -0.002; 95% CI: -0.003, -0.001; P = 0.007), and high frequency (β = -0.002; 95% CI: -0.003, -0.001; P = 0.045). Specifically, for every 1 pg/ml decrease in serum Klotho concentration, the PTAs increased by 0.002 dB. Moreover, age and gender-specific analyses revealed significant associations. For individuals aged 59-69, a significant association was found between serum Klotho concentration and high-frequency PTA (β = -4.153; 95% CI: -7.948, -0.358; P = 0.032). Additionally, among females, significant associations were observed between serum Klotho concentration and speech-frequency PTA (β = -1.648, 95% CI: -3.197, -0.099; P = 0.037) as well as high-frequency PTA (β = -3.046; 95% CI: -5.319, -0.772; P = 0.009). Finally, the results of smooth curve fitting and threshold effect analyses indicated a potential negative linear correlation between serum Klotho concentration and PTA thresholds. In conclusion, a lower level of serum Klotho was found to be associated with increased hearing thresholds, particularly among the elderly population. This finding has significant implications for the prevention and treatment of hearing damage., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The water quality status, spatial and temporal change processes, and water environment improvement process of urban rivers are valuable lessons to be learned under the sustainable development strategy. This study aims to reveal the water environment improvement process of intensively developed urban rivers, elucidate the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of major pollutants, and provide recommendations for their water environment management. Water quality data from eight monitoring sites (2007-2020) in the Longgang River basin in Shenzhen, China, and comprehensive pollution index method (CPI), modified comprehensive pollution index method (M-CPI), and Pearson correlation analysis method were used for comprehensive analysis. The study shows that TN, TP, NH 3 -N, and COD have the greatest influence on the water quality of Longgang River, with the average pollution contribution of 53.39%, 14.49%, 11.66%, and 4.92%, in order. In 2015-2020, the water quality of the main stream of the Longgang River in the wet season was worse than that in the dry season, while the water quality of the tributaries Dingshan River and the Huangsha River in the dry season was worse than the wet season. The spatial distribution characteristics based on M-CPI indicate that the water quality of the lower reaches of Longgang River, the tributaries Dingshan River and Huangsha River, is relatively poor. In addition, the water environment improvement process of Longgang River can be divided into 3 stages: engineering stage (2007-2013, rating changed from heavily polluted to basically qualified), bottleneck stage (2013-2017, rating fluctuated slightly above and below basically qualified), and ecological restoration stage (2017-2020, rating reached qualified in 2019)., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

With continued anthropogenic inputs of nitrogen (N) into the environment, non-point source N pollutants produced in winter cannot be ignored. As the water-soil interface zones, riparian wetlands play important roles in intercepting and buffering N pollutants. However, winter has the antagonistic effect on the N removal. Substrate improvement has been suggested as a strategy to optimize wetland performance and there remain many uncertainties about the inner mechanism. This study explores the effects of substrate improvement on N removal in winter and rhizospheric crosstalk between reed (Phragmites australis) and microbes in subtropical riparian reed wetlands. The rates of wetland N removal in winter, root metabolite profiles, and rhizosphere soil microbial community compositions were determined following the addition of different substrates (gravel, gravel + biochar, ceramsite + biochar, and modified ceramsite + biochar) to natural riparian soil. The results showed that the addition of different substrates to initial soil enhanced N removal from the microcosms in winter. Gravel addition increased NH 4 + -N removal by 8.3% (P < 0.05). Gravel + biochar addition increased both TN and NH 4 + -N removals by 8.9% (P < 0.05). The root metabolite characteristics and microbial community compositions showed some variations under different substrate additions compared to the initial soil. The three treatments involving biochar addition decreased lipid metabolites and enhanced the contents and variety of carbon sources in rhizosphere soil, while modified ceramsite + biochar addition treatment had a greater impact on the microbial community structure. There was evidence for a complex crosstalk between plants and microbes in the rhizosphere, and some rhizosphere metabolites were seen to be significantly correlated with the bacterial composition of the rhizospheric microbial community. These results highlighted the importance of rhizospheric crosstalk in regulating winter N removal in riparian reed wetland, provided a scientific reference for the protection and restoration of riparian reed areas and the prevention and control of non-point source pollution., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Brevilin A (BA) is the primary component of Centipeda minima, which is widely used in Chinese traditional medicine. The anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties of BA have been established; however, its function in bone metabolism is not well understood. This study revealed that concentrations of BA below 1.0 µM did not inhibit the proliferation of bone marrow macrophages but did impede the differentiation and bone resorption activity of osteoclasts. Furthermore, BA suppressed the expression of osteoclast-specific genes Mmp9, Acp5, Dc-stamp, Ctsk, and Atp6v0d2. In addition, mTOR, ERK, and NFATc1 activation in bone marrow macrophages were suppressed by BA. As a whole, BA blocks the mTOR and ERK signaling pathways, which is responsible for the development and activity of osteoclasts, and the resorption of bone., (© 2023. The Society for In Vitro Biology.)

The synergies and trade-offs between ecosystem services (ESs) and their driving mechanisms are hot topics in ecology and geography research. In recent years, the Han River Basin (HRB) has been continuously impacted by high-intensity urban sprawl and the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, which have posed severe threats to the ecology and regional stability along the route. It is thus critical to study the ES synergies/trade-offs and their driving mechanisms. Based on the InVEST model and the value coefficient method, four vital types of ESs in the HRB, i.e., carbon sequestration (CS), food supply (FS), net primary productivity (NPP), and water yield (WY), were evaluated at town, county, and sub-watershed scales. Then, the Pearson correlation analysis was adopted to quantify the interrelationship among different ESs. Finally, the ordinary least squares (OLS) and geographical detector model (GDM) were applied to reveal the driving mechanisms of the ES synergies/trade-offs. The results showed that (1) apart from NPP, which increased at a rate of 7.54 gC·m -2 ·a -1 during 2000-2018, the other three types of ESs in the HRB deteriorated, with WY almost halving. (2) While CS, FS, and WY tended to exhibit high synergistic relationships, NPP showed mostly trade-off relationships, and the evaluation scale did not affect those main relationships. (3) Precipitation is the strongest driving force for the ES synergies/trade-offs in the HRB, and natural factors are generally more influential than socioeconomic factors on the ES synergies/trade-offs. This study warns of the deteriorating ecological condition of the HRB and provides empirical evidence for the synergistic enhancement of regional ESs and the optimization of ecological management policies., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To investigate the association between visceral adipocyte hypertrophy and the onset and development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in subjects with different degrees of adiposity., Methods: Omental adipose tissue and liver biopsies were collected from obese subjects. NAFLD was defined according to the NASH Clinical Research Network scoring system. Adipocyte size was measured using pathological section analysis. Adipose tissue insulin resistance (Adipo-IR) was calculated as fasting insulin (pmol/L) × fasting free fatty acid concentration (mmol/L)., Results: In total, 275 obese patients were enrolled, including 158 females and 58 males with NAFLD. In females, adipocyte size was significantly larger in NAFLD participants as compared to the controls (99.37 ± 14.18 vs. 84.14 ± 12.65 [Formula: see text]m, p < 0.001). Moreover, adipocyte size was larger in females with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) as compared to those with non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) (101.45 ± 12.77 vs. 95.79 ± 15.80 [Formula: see text]m, p = 0.015). Mediation analysis showed that adipocyte size impacted the NAFLD activity score through Adipo-IR (b = 0.007 [95% bootstrap CI 0.002, 0.013]). Furthermore, the females were divided into: Q1 (BMI < 32.5 kg/m 2 ), Q2 (BMI 32.5-35.5 kg/m 2 ), Q3 (BMI 35.5-38.8 kg/m 2 ) and Q4 (BMI ≥ 38.8 kg/m 2 ) according to BMI quartiles. Omental adipocyte size was larger in NAFLD subjects in Q1-Q3, but not in Q4. No similar results were observed in males., Conclusion: For the first time, we reported that visceral adipocyte hypertrophy was associated with the onset and progression of NAFLD in mild to moderate adiposity but not in severe obesity, which may be mediated by adipose tissue insulin resistance., (© 2022. Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver.)

VOCs emission reduction in the petroleum and petrochemical industry is a hot and difficult topic at present. The single method may not be able to meet the actual treatment status. Therefore, the adsorption coupled photocatalytic degradation technology was used to remove VOCs. Phosphorus-doped carbon nitride (PCN) and PCN/TiO 2 were prepared by hydrothermal synthesis and sol-gel method, and then PCN/TiO 2 /Zn(OAc) 2 -ACF composites were prepared by ultrasonic impregnation on zinc acetate modified activated carbon fibers (Zn(OAc) 2 -ACF). The removal efficiency of n-hexane by composite materials was explored in a self-made reactor, and the factors affecting removal efficiency, removal mechanism, and possible ways of degradation were investigated. The results showed that under the optimum reaction conditions (initial concentration of n-hexane 200 mg/m 3 , space velocity 1000 h -1 , light intensity 24 W, mass fraction of doped PCN 6%, loading twice, calcination temperature 450 °C), PCN/TiO 2 /Zn(OAc) 2 -ACF composite has the highest removal efficiency of n-hexane (90.2%). The adsorption capacity of the composites after doping the P element was 215.3 mg/g, which did not enhance the adsorption performance compared with that before doping, but the removal rate of n-hexane was higher. This showed that doping P element was helpful to enhance the photocatalytic activity of the composites., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

A three-compartment culture system was used to study the mechanism by which the AM fungus Funneliformis mosseae influences host plant growth and soil organic carbon (SOC) content in a northwest China coal mining area. A 13 CO 2 pulse tracing technique was used to trace the allocation of maize photosynthetic C in shoots, roots, AM fungus, and soil. Carbon accumulation and allocation in mycorrhizal (inoculated with Funneliformis mosseae) and non-mycorrhizal treatments were detected. AM fungal inoculation significantly increased the 13 C concentration and content in both above- and below-ground plant parts and also significantly enhanced anti-aging ability by increasing soluble sugars and catalase activity (CAT) in maize leaves while reducing foliar malondialdehyde content (MDA) and leaf temperature and promoted plant growth. AM fungi also increased P uptake to promote maize growth. Soil organic carbon (SOC), glomalin, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and nitrogen (MBN) contents increased significantly after inoculation. A mutually beneficial system was established involving maize, the AM fungus and the microbiome, and the AM fungus became an important regulator of C flux between the above- and below-ground parts of the system. Inoculation with the AM fungus promoted plant growth, C fixation and allocation belowground to enhance soil quality. A positive above-belowground feedback appeared to be established., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Excessive discharge of toxic dyes is detrimental to ecological system and human health. Therefore, an effective photocatalyst must be designed and developed to degrade dyes from wastewater. Herein, a novel one-dimensional (1D) flower-like recoverable ZnFe 2 O 4 /C/MnO 2 /BiOI magnetic composite photocatalyst was synthesized via electrospinning technique combined with hydrothermal method. The photocatalytic activities of composite photocatalyst were evaluated by degrading methyl orange (MO) and Rhodamine B (RhB) under simulated light irradiation. The efficiency of ZnFe 2 O 4 /C/MnO 2 /BiOI photocatalyst in visible light for 150 min reached 91% (MO) and 120 min reached 94% (RhB). Moreover, the degradation rate of MO still remained 78% after five cycles. The design of 1D magnetic flower-like composite provided a new strategy for preparing photocatalysts possessing excellent photocatalytic efficiency and cyclic stability., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background and Purpose: The association between the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in patients with obesity remains unclear. We conducted this study to determine the effects of OSA on the severity of NAFLD in individuals with obesity and its link to the development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)., Methods: Patients were subjected to standard polysomnography up to 1 week before undergoing bariatric surgery, during which liver biopsy specimens were obtained. The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) obtained by polysomnography was used to determine the severity of OSA., Results: In total, 183 patients with obesity and biopsy-confirmed NAFLD were included; 49 (27%) had NASH. Patients with NASH had higher AHIs (p = 0.014) and oxygen desaturation indices (p = 0.031), more frequent OSA (p = 0.001), and lower minimum oxygen saturation (p = 0.035). The severity of OSA was directly correlated with the NAFLD activity score (p < 0.001), NASH activity grade (p < 0.001), semi-quantitative indices of lobular inflammation (p = 0.001), and hepatocyte ballooning (p = 0.006). The odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for NASH and severe NASH (activity grade ≥ 3) associated with moderate-to-severe OSA were 3.85 (1.35-10.94; p < 0.05) and 5.02 (1.66-15.18; p < 0.01), respectively, after adjusting for sex, age, body mass index, waist circumference, insulin resistance values, and metabolic syndrome., Conclusions: Chronic intermittent hypoxia caused by OSA may aggravate NAFLD and lead to a higher risk of NASH in patients with obesity., (© 2022. Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver.)

Background and Aim: Body composition was associated with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), but results were controversial probably due to gender differences. Hence, we aim to explore the association of body composition and NASH in males and females., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of obese subjects undergone liver biopsy. According to NASH Clinical Research Network system, subjects were categorized as Normal Control (NC), non-NASH or NASH. Body composition was accessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry., Results: This study enrolled 336 subjects (mean age 32.0 years, mean BMI 39.15 kg/m 2 , female, 64.0%). Males have lower relative muscle mass (RMM 55.21 ± 4.07%) and females have higher android to gynoid ratio (AGR, 0.82 ± 0.21) in NASH when compared with non-NASH (RMM 57.49 ± 4.75%; AGR 0.7 ± 0.15) and NC (RMM 58.69 ± 4.09%; AGR 0.66 ± 0.19, p < 0.05 for each). After adjusting for confounding factors, low RMM was the independent risk factor for NASH in males (odds ratio [OR] 0.550; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.312-0.970), high AGR was the independent risk factor for NASH in females (OR 1.694; 95% CI 1.073-2.674). Further, RMM in males and AGR in females, respectively, was associated with liver steatosis and activity, but not with fibrosis. ROC curve revealed that the optimal cutoff value of RMM was 58.09% in males and AGR was 0.92 in females for predicting NASH., Conclusions: We firstly revealed that low RMM and high AGR were the independent risk factors for NASH in males and females, respectively, indicating that sex-specific interventions for improving body composition may reduce the risk of NASH in obese subjects., (© 2022. Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver.)

Key Message: Two genes for resistance to Podosphaera xanthii race 1 in melon were identified on chromosomes 10 and 12 of the Cucumis melo cultivar MR-1. Cucumis melo L. is an economically important crop, the production of which is threatened by the prevalence of melon powdery mildew (PM) infections. We herein utilized the MR-1 (P 1 ; resistant to PM) and M4-7 (P 2 ; susceptible to PM) accessions to assess the heritability of PM (race 1) resistance in these melon plants. PM resistance in MR-1 leaves was linked to a dominant gene (CmPMRl), whereas stem resistance was under the control of a recessive gene (CmPMrs), with the dominant gene having an epistatic effect on the recessive gene. The CmPMRl gene was mapped to a 50 Kb interval on chromosome 12, while CmPMrs was mapped to an 89 Kb interval on chromosome 10. The CmPMRl candidate gene MELO3C002441 and the CmPMrs candidate gene MELO3C012438 were identified through sequence alignment, functional annotation, and expression pattern analyzes of all genes within these respective intervals. MELO3C002441 and MELO3C012438 were both localized to the cellular membrane and were contained conserved NPR gene-like and MLO domains, respectively, which were linked to PM resistance. In summary, we identified patterns of PM resistance in the disease-resistant MR-1 melon cultivar and identified two putative genes linked to resistance. Our results offer new genetic resources and markers to guide future marker-assisted breeding for PM resistance in melon., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) accounts for the majority of lung cancer which is one of the most common cancer types and results in high percentage of cancer-related deaths. Although NSCLC patients have been benefiting from the existing standard treatments, more candidate biomarkers for effective diagnosis and targets for therapy are still required to be uncovered. The expression pattern and biological function of Excision repair cross-complementation group 6 like (ERCC6L) in NSCLC are ill-investigated., Methods: We performed bioinformatic analyses in NSCLC patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) or lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), respectively. Patient survival determination and meta-analysis were carried out to check the clinical significance of ERCC6L. Datamining was also performed to evaluate the ERCC6L mRNA and protein expression levels in patients with LUAD and the correlation with immune cell infiltration. In silico prediction indicated the potential interacting proteins and correlated pathways of ERCC6L in LUAD. Loss-of-function studies were performed to determine the role of ERCC6L in LUAD cells., Results: Here, we found that ERCC6L is upregulated in patients with LUAD and LUSC and is strongly associated with poor outcomes of LUAD, but not LUSC, patients. In addition, ERCC6L mRNA and protein were shown to be more expressed in patients with advanced stages of LUAD. Finally, functional analyses reveal the promoting effects of ERCC6L on LUAD cell survival, migration and invasion., Conclusions: Cohort data analysis and experimental validation shed light on the promising prognostic and therapeutic application of ERCC6L in LUAD, but maybe not LUSC, patients., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Nitrogen (N) availability is a critical factor for plant development and crop yield, and it closely correlates to carbon (C) metabolism. Uncoupling protein (UCP) and alternative oxidase (AOX) exhibit a strong correlation with N and C metabolism. Here, we investigated the functions of UCP1 and AOX1a using their mutants and complementation lines in Arabidopsis adaptation to low N. Low N markedly increased AOX1a and UCP1 expression, alternative pathway capacity and UCP activity. Eight-day-old aox1a/ucp1 seedlings were more sensitive to low N than Col-0 and single mutants, exhibiting lower primary root length and higher anthocyanin accumulation. The net photosynthetic rate, electron transport rate, PSII actual photochemical efficiency, stomatal conductance and carboxylation efficiency were markedly decreased in ucp1 and aox1a/ucp1 compared to those in Col-0 and aox1a under low N stress; comparatively, chlorophyll content and non-photochemical quenching coefficient were the lowest and highest in aox1a/ucp1, respectively. Nitrate acquisition rate was accelerated in aox1a/ucp1, but its transport activity was decreased, which resulted in low nitrate content and nitrate reductase activity under low N condition. The C/N ratio in seeds, but not in leaves, is higher in aox1a/ucp1 than that in Col-0, aox1a and ucp1 under low N condition. RNA-seq analysis revealed that many genes involved in photosynthesis and C/N metabolism were markedly down-regulated in aox1a/ucp1 under low N stress. These results highlight the key roles of UCP1 and AOX1a in modulating photosynthetic capacity, C/N assimilation and distribution under low N stress., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Purpose: To study the clinical efficacy and safety of transarterial chemoembolization with drug-eluting beads (DEB-TACE) among women with advanced-stage or recurrent cervical cancer., Methods: This retrospective cohort study enrolled women with cervical cancer who were treated by DEB-TACE between April 3, 2017 and July 12, 2021. Inclusion criteria were pathologic diagnosis of cervical cancer, II-IVa period, being aged 18 to 80 years, patient's inclination of treatment with DEB-TACE, and complete clinicopathologic data. Direct medical cost, hospital stay, resection frequency, treatment responses, adverse events, overall survival, and progression-free survival were investigated., Results: A total of 16 women with cervical cancer were treated by DEB-TACE. DEB-TACE was successfully performed in all patients, with no major complications or adverse events. A total of 10 minor complications were observed in 9 women (56.3%) after the procedure. Seven (43.8%) women experienced mild to moderate post-embolization pain. The tumors decreased 3 and 6 months after the treatment. The frequency of complete response, partial response, stable disease, and progressive disease was 1 (40%), 3 (40%), 12 (15%), and 0 (0%), respectively, resulting in an objective response rate of 25.0% and a disease control rate of 100.0% after 1 month. The median hospital stay was 9.5 days, and the direct medical cost was 5.9 × 10 4 ¥. The median follow-up time was 4.1 months (interquartile range 2.6-23.7 months). The median overall survival was 19.1 months, and the 1- and 3-year survival rate was 64.9% and 46.4%, respectively., Conclusion: DEB-TACE with diamminedichloroplatinum-preloaded beads may be an effective and safe treatment for women with advanced-stage or recurrent cervical cancer., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Activated carbon fiber (ACF) was modified by Zn(NO 3 ) 2 , ZnCl 2 , and Zn(CH 3 COO) 2 ), respectively, and then, TiO 2 was loaded on the modified ACFs. The adsorption and photocatalysis performance were explored through the removal of toluene, and TiO 2 /ACF- Ac modified by Zn(CH 3 COO) 2 ) with the best toluene degradation performance was selected. The characterization results of a scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction spectra (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) indicated that the samples were rough, and TiO 2 was mainly loaded on the surface containing large amount of oxygen-containing functional groups in anatase phase. An ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer (UV-vis DRS) revealed that the catalyst enhanced the light response range. The photoelectric chemical experiment results demonstrated that the modified ACFs remarkably improved the charge transmission and the separation efficiency of electrons and holes. The adsorption saturation time reached 40 h and toluene photodegradation rate was 70%. Four toluene degradation intermediate products were determined by GC-MS, and the removal mechanism of toluene by TiO 2 /ACF- Ac was discussed., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Kidney disease is manifested in a wide variety of phenotypes, many of which have an important hereditary component. To delineate the genotypic and phenotypic spectrum of pediatric nephropathy, a multicenter registration system is being implemented based on the Chinese Children Genetic Kidney Disease Database (CCGKDD). In this study, all the patients with kidney and urological diseases were recruited from 2014 to 2020. Genetic analysis was conducted using exome sequencing for families with multiple affected individuals with nephropathy or clinical suspicion of a genetic kidney disease owing to early-onset or extrarenal features. The genetic diagnosis was confirmed in 883 of 2256 (39.1%) patients from 23 provinces in China. Phenotypic profiles showed that the primary diagnosis included steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS, 23.5%), glomerulonephritis (GN, 32.2%), congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT, 21.2%), cystic renal disease (3.9%), renal calcinosis/stone (3.6%), tubulopathy (9.7%), and chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu, 5.8%). The pathogenic variants of 105 monogenetic disorders were identified. Ten distinct genomic disorders were identified as pathogenic copy number variants (CNVs) in 11 patients. The diagnostic yield differed by subgroups, and was highest in those with cystic renal disease (66.3%), followed by tubulopathy (58.4%), GN (57.7%), CKDu (43.5%), SRNS (29.2%), renal calcinosis /stone (29.3%) and CAKUT (8.6%). Reverse phenotyping permitted correct identification in 40 cases with clinical reassessment and unexpected genetic conditions. We present the results of the largest cohort of children with kidney disease in China where diagnostic exome sequencing was performed. Our data demonstrate the utility of family-based exome sequencing, and indicate that the combined analysis of genotype and phenotype based on the national patient registry is pivotal to the genetic diagnosis of kidney disease., Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43657-021-00014-1., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestNo conflicts of interest to disclose., (© The Author(s) 2021.)

Purpose: We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with doxorubicin-loaded CalliSpheres ® beads (DEB-TACE) for the treatment of patients with inoperable or recurrent colorectal cancer (CRC)., Methods: This retrospective study recruited 12 consecutive patients with histology confirmation of CRC who received DEB-TACE between August 2017 and April 2020. There were 9 male and 3 female, with a mean age 62.5 ± 14.9 (range 29-84). Patients' characteristics, medical imaging data, complications and DEB-TACE procedure were retrospectively reviewed. The disease control rate was defined as the sum of complete response, partial response and stable disease., Results: DEB-TACE was successfully performed in all patients. All patients showed local disease control 1 month after DEB-TACE. Disease control rates were 90.9% and 70.0% at 3 and 6 months after DEB-TACE procedure, respectively. Disease-free interval was 11.0 to 81.8 months. Five patients (41.7%) received prior chemotherapy treatments. No severe complications or procedure-related deaths were observed. The median overall survival was 15.9 months, and median progression-free survival was 13.4 months., Conclusion: DEB-TACE is a safe and effective treatment and could be a option for patients with inoperable or recurred CRC.

The influence of grazing and mining on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) species in grassland were studied around the opencast coal mine pit. The two sampling transects had been designed which was located in the grazing area and in the non-grazing area in the grassland on the north side of the opencast coal mining area. Besides, two control points with the direct distance of 8 km to the opencast coal mining area have been designed. The two points are located in the inside grassland station and outside the grassland station. We collected 3 replicate rhizosphere soil in every point which is from the two transects. We analyzed the genetic diversity of AMF, measured the chemical properties and enzyme of rhizosphere soil of Cleistogenes squarrosa, and explored their correlations using redundancy analysis. And we identified the factors affecting species diversity of AMF around the mining area. Our results showed that grazing on the grassland around the opencast coal mine will aggravate soil degradation and reduce the species richness and diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in rhizosphere soil, which can be a theoretical basis for the scientific management of the grassland around the opencast mining area.

Intrinsic functional connectivity (FC) networks, including the default mode network (DMN), central executive network (CEN), and salience network (SN), have been implicated in nicotine addiction. However, litter evidence exists about the abnormalities in the three networks in young adult smokers. Forty-eight young adult smokers and 49 age- and gender-matched non-smokers were recruited in the present study. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were analyzed by a combination of independent component analysis (ICA) and dual regression to identify potential differences of FC patterns in the DMN, CEN, and SN. Compared to non-smokers, young adult smokers showed enhanced FC of the left posterior cingulate cortex (LPCC), right medial prefrontal cortex (RMPFC) and right precuneus within the DMN network, of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) within the right CEN, and of the left anterior insula (LAI) within the SN. We also found increased FC between the DMN, CEN and key node of the SN (anterior insula, AI). Correlation analysis showed that the increased FC within the networks was significantly correlated with smoking behaviors (pack-years, smoking duration, FTND, first smoking age, and number of cigarettes per day). Our findings may provide additional evidence for conceptualizing the framework of nicotine addiction as a disease of intercommunicating brain networks.

Photocatalysts are environmentally friendly materials that can be used to degrade vehicle exhaust. CeO 2 -Bi 2 O 3 loaded on white carbon and tourmaline, as the favorable absorption materials, was prepared respectively for vehicle exhaust photocatalytic purification. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) adsorption isotherm, scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were applied to characterize the composite materials. The optimum contents of the loading materials were obtained from the comparison of purification efficiency of vehicle exhaust components after a 60-min photocatalytic reaction under visible and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, including hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), and nitrogen oxides (NO x ). The results show that the proposed preparation method could improve particle dispersion and distribution uniformity, reduce particle agglomeration, and increase specific surface area. The optical response range of the CeO 2 -Bi 2 O 3 with loading materials can be extended from UV light to visible light. CeO 2 -Bi 2 O 3 loaded on tourmaline show excellent photocatalytic purification effect under visible light. The purification efficiency of CeO 2 -Bi 2 O 3 loaded on tourmaline for HC, CO, CO 2 , and NO x were 30.8%, 30.6%, 35.3%, and 47.6%, respectively. Moreover, the concentrations of vehicle exhaust components decrease with time, which is well fitted by the Langmuir-Hinshelwood pseudo-first-order kinetics model, and the purification rate constant of CeO 2 -Bi 2 O 3 composites under visible light is greater than that under UV light. The prepared photocatalytic materials also exhibit the excellent reusability.

To evaluate the performance of a composite scaffold of Wharton's jelly (WJ) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) and the effect of the composite scaffold loaded with human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) in repairing articular cartilage defects, two experiments were carried out. The in vitro experiments involved identification of the hUCMSCs, construction of the biomimetic composite scaffolds by the physical and chemical crosslinking of WJ and CS, and testing of the biomechanical properties of both the composite scaffold and the WJ scaffold. In the in vivo experiments, composite scaffolds loaded with hUCMSCs and WJ scaffolds loaded with hUCMSCs were applied to repair articular cartilage defects in the rat knee. Moreover, their repair effects were evaluated by the unaided eye, histological observations, and the immunogenicity of scaffolds and hUCMSCs. We found that in vitro, the Young's modulus of the composite scaffold (WJ-CS) was higher than that of the WJ scaffold. In vivo, the composite scaffold loaded with hUCMSCs repaired rat cartilage defects better than did the WJ scaffold loaded with hUCMSCs. Both the scaffold and hUCMSCs showed low immunogenicity. These results demonstrate that the in vitro construction of a human-derived WJ-CS composite scaffold enhances the biomechanical properties of WJ and that the repair of knee cartilage defects in rats is better with the composite scaffold than with the single WJ scaffold if the scaffold is loaded with hUCMSCs.

Pirfenidone and nintedanib are the first two FDA-approved therapies for treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The clinical programs for pirfenidone and nintedanib included 1132 patients in the placebo arms and 1691 patients in the treatment arms across 6 trials. We developed a disease progression model to characterize the observed variability in lung function decline, measured as percent predicted forced vital capacity (%p-FVC), and its decrease in decline after treatment. The non-linear longitudinal change in %p-FVC was best described by a Weibull function. The median decreased decline in %p-FVC after treatment was estimated to be 1.50% (95% CI [1.12, 1.79]) and 1.96% (95% CI [1.47, 2.36]) at week 26 and week 52, respectively. Smoking status, weight, %p-FVC, %p-DLco and oxygen use at baseline were identified as significant covariates affecting decline in %p-FVC. The decreased decline in %p-FVC were observed among all subgroups of interest, of which the effects were larger at 1 year compared to 6 months. Based on the disease progression model smoking status and oxygen use at baseline may affect the treatment effect size. At week 52, the decreased decline in %p-FVC for current smokers and patients with oxygen use at baseline were 1.56 (90% CI [1.02, 1.99]) and 2.32 (90% CI [1.74, 2.86]), respectively. These prognostic factors may be used to enrich studies with patients who are more likely to respond to treatment, by demonstrating a lesser decline in lung function, and therefore provide the potential to allow for IPF studies with smaller study populations or shorter durations.

Osteoporosis is the most common disease involving bone degeneration. As the age of the population increases, the prevalence of the disease is expected to rise. However, current treatment methods do not provide a desirable solution for the restoration of the function of degenerated bones in patients with osteoporosis. This led to emergence of controlled delivery systems to increase drug bioavailability and efficacy specifically at the bone regeneration. In this study, an epimedin A (EA) complex drug system was prepared by solution blending method. In vitro cell-based experiments showed that the EA complex drug could significantly promote the differentiation and proliferation of osteoblasts and increase the alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium nodule formation, and the expression of osteogenesis-related genes and proteins. In vivo experiments further demonstrated that this novel drugs remarkably enhanced bone regeneration. These results suggest that EA may be used for the treatment of osteoporosis.

The potentially symbiotic mycorrhizal associations dominated by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi have become a new topic in bioremediation research in response to global change. Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) play an important role in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. However, AM fungal diversity in the soils underlying moss biocrusts in coal mining subsidence areas remains poorly understood. Here, samples of the soil underlying moss biocrusts in an area inoculated with an AM fungus (AM-BS) and an uninoculated area (CK-BS) plus soil samples from an uninoculated bare area (CK-NBS) were collected from the subsidence area of Shendong Daliuta mine at Yulin, northwest China. AM fungal community diversity indices were maximum in AM-BS, intermediate in CK-BS, and minimum in CK-NBS (P < 0.05). In addition, redundancy analysis (RDA) indicates that the importance of moss biocrust to soil properties followed the sequence: soil water content (SWC) > glomalin-related soil protein (TG) > available phosphorus (Olsen-P) > soil organic matter (SOM) > easily extractable glomalin-related soil protein (EEG) > pH > available nitrogen (alkali-N). SWC, alkali-N, Olsen-P, and SOM were significantly related to the abundance of Glomus and Claroideoglomus, and TG, EEG, and pH were positively related to Diversisipora. In summary, inoculation with the exotic AM fungus and moss biocrust cover created a eutrophic microhabitat for AM fungi in the soils underlying moss biocrusts in the coal mining subsidence area.

Purpose: Our previous studies have confirmed the safety and efficacy of the novel fully bioresorbable PLLA scaffold (PowerScaffold®) at 12 months implantation. In the present study, the scaffold absorption and coronary vessel remodeling at 4 years were evaluated., Methods: After PowerScaffold® were implanted into 13 coronary arteries of 6 miniature pigs, quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) was performed at 15 days and 4 years follow-up to measure the mean lumen diameter (MLD), late lumen loss (LLL), and % stenosis of the coronary arteries. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed to obtain the strut footprints at 4 years before euthanization for histological analysis. In addition, 2 PowerScaffold® were implanted into 2 miniature pigs for 2 years as supplementary data. All stented arteries were dissected and stained with HE, Masson, EVG, and Alcian blue to observe struts, cells, fibrinoid, elastin, and proteoglycans, respectively., Results: There were no significant differences in MLD, LLL and % stenosis in stented coronary arteries between 15 days and 4 years by QCA. At 4 years, most strut sites were indiscernible and replaced by extracellular matrix and connective tissue by histology. Both strut/vessel wall interaction and strut coverage were shown 100% by OCT., Conclusion: At 4 years, the scaffold struts were completely embedded into vessel wall and mostly replaced by regenerated tissue. There was no sign of in-stent stenosis in all stented arteries.

Calcium peroxide (CP) has been widely applied in environmental remediation, but few studies have reported its application in controlling Microcystis blooms. To recognize its feasibility for mitigating Microcystis blooms, the properties of CP in terms of hydrogen peroxide (HP) release and phosphate removal were investigated at different CP doses, temperatures, and initial pH values. HP release kinetics followed the Higuchi model. Batch experiments conducted in this study suggested that the HP yield and release rate were positively correlated with the CP dose. Increasing temperature decreased the HP yield but accelerated the HP release rate. The phosphate removal kinetics were well simulated by the pseudo-second-order model. The batch experiments suggested that an increased CP dose enhanced the phosphate removal capacity, but it did not affect the phosphate removal rate. Moreover, increased temperature accelerated both phosphate removal capacity and rate. However, the initial pH of low-buffer-capacity solutions did not notably affect HP release and phosphate removal. According to laboratory experiments, HP released from CP could impair photosynthetic activity, resulting in Microcystis mortality. Furthermore, the reduced phosphate concentration in the solutions suggested that CP could facilitate the control of eutrophication, which directly reduced bloom formation. Hence, our results confirmed CP as a promising algicide for Microcystis bloom control, and it is worthwhile to develop novel methods for bloom mitigation based on CP. Graphic abstract.

Purpose: Parathyroid carcinoma (PC) is an endocrine malignancy with a poor prognosis. The tumour immune microenvironment is a critical factor influencing the outcomes of multiple cancer types. However, knowledge of the immune microenvironment in PC remains limited., Methods: The intratumoural density of immunocytes and the Ki-67 index were evaluated immunohistochemically in 51 PC patient samples and were compared with clinicopathological features and parafibromin staining results. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards analysis were used to estimate the effects of these variables on clinical outcomes., Results: Intratumoural immunocyte density was not correlated with age, gender, urolithiasis, or palpation of a neck mass. The Ki-67 index was correlated with the intratumoural density of CD3 + cells (P = 0.022) and CD8 + cells (P = 0.021) and serum calcium levels (P = 0.022). In the intratumoural area of primary foci, Kaplan-Meier method showed that the risk factors associated with recurrence/metastasis were a low density of CD3 + (P = 0.017), CD8 + (P = 0.019) and CD45 + cells (P = 0.047), a high density of CD163 + cells (P = 0.003) and a high Ki-67 index (P = 0.004). Cox regression multivariate analysis revealed that CD163 + cell density (hazard ratio (HR) 16.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.99-131.66; P = 0.009) and CD8 + cell density (HR 0.13, 95% CI 0.02-0.76, P = 0.024) were independent factors associated with PC relapse., Conclusion: The immune microenvironment is an important factor influencing the relapse of PC. The intratumoural density of CD3 + , CD8 + , CD45 + , and CD163 + immunocytes was correlated with disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with PC. Immunotherapy based on T lymphocytes or tumour-associated macrophages may be a promising treatment strategy.

Effect of ozonation treatment on the chemical form distributions of heavy metals (Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb) in sewage sludge (SS) and bioleaching efficiency was investigated. The results showed that the portions of heavy metals present in the oxidizable fraction decreased in the ozonized sewage sludge (OSS). Meanwhile, the proportions of most heavy metals in the reducible fraction were increased (Cr, Ni, Cu, As, and Pb) or remained constant (Mn and Cd) after ozonation treatment. Slight increase of the heavy metals (except As) in the residual fraction was also found. The OSS showed lower final pH value after bioleaching and faster increase of oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) during bioleaching process. As a result, the bioleaching rate of all the heavy metals was improved, and the solubilization efficiency of Cr, Ni, Zn, As, and Pb was increased in OSS. The comparisons of the chemical fractions in the bioleached SS and OSS indicated that the higher solubilization in OSS might be mainly due to the decrease of the oxidizable fraction and increase of the unstable fraction of these heavy metals after ozonation treatment.