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Key Message: Upregulation of genes involved in DNA damage repair and sperm cell differentiation leads to restoration of pollen viability in synthetic allotetraploid B. carinata after chromosome doubling. Apart from the well-known contribution of polyploidy to crop improvement, polyploids can also be induced for other purposes, such as to restore the viability of sterile hybrids. The mechanism related to viability transition between the sterile allodiploid and the fertile allotetraploid after chromosome doubling are not well understood. Here, we synthesised allodiploid B. carinata (2n = 2x = 17) and allotetraploid B. carinata (2n = 4x = 34) as models to investigate the cytological and transcriptomic differences during pollen development. The results showed that after chromosome doubling, the recovery of pollen viability in allotetraploid was mainly reflected in the stabilisation of microtubule spindle morphology, normal meiotic chromosome behaviour, and normal microspore development. Interestingly, the deposition and degradation of synthetic anther tapetum were not affected by polyploidy. Transcription analysis showed that the expression of genes related to DNA repair (DMC1, RAD51, RAD17, SPO11-2), cell cycle differentiation (CYCA1;2, CYCA2;3) and ubiquitination proteasome pathway (UBC4, PIRH2, CDC53) were positively up-regulated during pollen development of synthetic allotetraploid B. carinata. In summary, these results provide some refreshing updates about the ploidy-related restoration of pollen viability in newly synthesised allotetraploid B. carinata., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Left bundle branch pacing (LBBP) is a feasible and effective physiological pacing technique. The QRS morphology of left ventricular septal pacing (LVSP) is similar to that of LBBP. The ventricular activation pattern of LBBP is well-known, whereas the pattern of LVSP still needs further investigation. The present study aimed to determine ventricular activation pattern difference between LVSP and LBBP in a canine model., Method: All six canines underwent successful LBBP and LVSP through trans-ventricular septum using intracardiac echocardiography and intracardiac electrogram. Their hearts were isolated and stained with Lugol's iodine to determine the position of the pacing lead. The activation sequences of the left ventricular myocardium and His-Purkinje system were recorded by placing multiple electrode catheters., Results: First, the left His-Purkinje system in LVSP was activated simultaneously from apical and basal regions to the left ventricular middle septal region, whereas the left ventricular septal myocardium was activated from the apical to basal region. The left His-Purkinje system activation in LBBP occurred in the direction of the apex from the pacing lead, but the left ventricular septal myocardium was activated in the apical to basal direction. Furthermore, the left intraventricular electrical synchrony was similar between LVSP and LBBP as determined by mapping the left ventricular septal to free wall activation time (46.7 ± 1.8 ms vs. 45.0 ± 1.4 ms, p = 0.11)., Conclusion: The ventricular activation sequence of LVSP was similar to LBBP. LVSP can capture LBB due to the wide distribution of LBB. These findings suggest a rationale for clinical application of LVSP., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Palatal expansion is a common way of treating maxillary transverse deficiency. Under mechanical force, the midpalatal suture is expanded, causing local immune responses. This study aimed to determine whether macrophages participate in bone remodeling of the midpalatal suture during palatal expansion and the effects on bone remodeling., Methods: Palatal expansion model and macrophage depletion model were established. Micro-CT, histological staining, and immunohistochemical staining were used to investigate the changes in the number and phenotype of macrophages during palatal expansion as well as the effects on bone remodeling of the midpalatal suture. Additionally, the effect of mechanically induced M2 macrophages on palatal osteoblasts was also elucidated in vitro., Results: The number of macrophages increased significantly and polarized toward M2 phenotype with the increase of the expansion time, which was consistent with the trend of bone remodeling. After macrophage depletion, the function of osteoblasts and bone formation at the midpalatal suture were impaired during palatal expansion. In vitro, conditioned medium derived from M2 macrophages facilitated osteogenic differentiation of osteoblasts and decreased the RANKL/OPG ratio., Conclusions: Macrophages through polarizing toward M2 phenotype participated in midpalatal suture bone remodeling during palatal expansion, which may provide a new idea for promoting bone remodeling from the perspective of regulating macrophage polarization., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The increased incidence of hypertension associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) presents significant physical, psychological, and economic challenges. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) plays a role in both OSA and hypertension, yet the therapeutic potential of PPARγ agonists and antagonists for OSA-related hypertension remains unexplored. Therefore, we constructed a chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH)-induced hypertension rat model that mimics the pathogenesis of OSA-related hypertension in humans. The model involved administering PPARγ agonist rosiglitazone (RSG), PPARγ antagonist GW9662, or normal saline, followed by regular monitoring of blood pressure and thoracic aorta analysis using staining and electron microscopy. Intriguingly, our results indicated that both RSG and GW9662 appeared to potently counteract CIH-induced hypertension. In silico study suggested that GW9662's antihypertensive effect might mediated through angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AGTR1). Our findings provide insights into the mechanisms of OSA-related hypertension and propose novel therapeutic targets., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

To compare the difference in perioperative outcomes between standard pelvic lymph node dissection (sPLND) and extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND) in robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) and evaluate the survival outcomes. The clinical data were retrospectively collected from patients who underwent RARC between January 2016 and December 2020 in Nanjing Drum Hospital. The patients were divided into sPLND and ePLND group according to the extent of pelvic lymph node dissection. Finally, 80 pairs of patients obtained for two groups by propensity score matching (PSM) and their perioperative and survival outcomes were analyzed. The median number of dissected lymph nodes (LN) after PSM was 13 in sPLND group and 16 in ePLND group (P = 0.004). Perioperative complications were similar between 2 groups. After PSM, ePLND improved 5-year RFS and OS in all patients (85.74 vs. 61.94%, P = 0.004; 82.80 vs. 67.50%, P = 0.033), patients with ≥ T3 disease (73.66 vs. 23.86%; P = 0.007; 68.20 vs. 36.20%; P = 0.032) and patients with LN metastasis (67.70 vs. 7.33%; P = 0.004; 60.60 vs. 16.67%; P = 0.045) compared to sPLND. Extended PLND significantly increased lymph node yield without increasing complication and improved RFS and OS compared to sPLND., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: The objective of this study was to develop a risk prediction model for motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR) in older adults., Methods: Participants were selected from the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study database and randomly assigned to the training group and the validation group, with proportions of 70% and 30%, respectively. LASSO regression analysis was used to screen the predictors. Then, identified predictors were included in multivariate logistic regression analysis and used to construct model nomogram. The performance of the model was evaluated by area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC), calibration curves and decision curve analysis (DCA)., Results: 528 out of 3962 participants (13.3%) developed MCR. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that weakness, chronic pain, limb dysfunction score, visual acuity score and Five-Times-Sit-To-Stand test were predictors of MCR in older adults. Using these factors, a nomogram model was constructed. The AUC values for the training and validation sets of the predictive model were 0.735 (95% CI = 0.708-0.763) and 0.745 (95% CI = 0.705-0.785), respectively., Conclusion: The nomogram constructed in this study is a useful tool for assessing the risk of MCR in older adults, which can help clinicians identify individuals at high risk., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Intermittent fasting remains a safe and effective strategy to ameliorate various age-related diseases, but its specific mechanisms are not fully understood. Considering that transcription factors (TFs) determine the response to environmental signals, here, we profiled the diurnal expression of 600 samples across four metabolic tissues sampled every 4 over 24 h from mice placed on five different feeding regimens to provide an atlas of TFs in biological space, time, and feeding regimen. Results showed that 1218 TFs exhibited tissue-specific and temporal expression profiles in ad libitum mice, of which 974 displayed significant oscillations at least in one tissue. Intermittent fasting triggered more than 90% (1161 in 1234) of TFs to oscillate somewhere in the body and repartitioned their tissue-specific expression. A single round of fasting generally promoted TF expression, especially in skeletal muscle and adipose tissues, while intermittent fasting mainly suppressed TF expression. Intermittent fasting down-regulated aging pathway and upregulated the pathway responsible for the inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Intermittent fasting shifts the diurnal transcriptome atlas of TFs, and mTOR inhibition may orchestrate intermittent fasting-induced health improvements. This atlas offers a reference and resource to understand how TFs and intermittent fasting may contribute to diurnal rhythm oscillation and bring about specific health benefits., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

To accelerate achieving carbon neutrality, the promotion of low-carbon development in the manufacturing industry has been facilitated by the government's implementation of policies such as carbon taxation and carbon emissions trading. These measures have been put in place to reduce carbon emissions and enhance sustainability within the manufacturing sector. Remanufacturing is an important direction for the low-carbon transformation of enterprises, and improving remanufactured product quality is crucial to the sustainability of remanufacturing enterprises. To elucidate the influence of policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions on the quality of remanufactured products, we developed a game model involving three key players: the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), the remanufacturer (IR), and retailers. This model was constructed based on the heterogeneous consumer demand for both new and remanufactured products. The study delved into the effects of various governmental policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions on the quality-related decisions made by remanufacturing enterprises. Our primary focus was on the implementation of two specific policies: a high-level carbon taxation policy and a carbon trading policy characterized by elevated carbon pricing. These policies create a favorable environment for remanufacturers (IR) to enhance the quality of their products. The sales of remanufactured products are influenced by the purchasing preferences of consumers, and carbon reduction policies can be effective in reducing the total environmental impact of manufacturing. Carbon trading policy is most conducive to environmental protection and achieves a win-win situation for economic and environmental benefits for OEMs and IRs when the carbon tax per unit is compared with the carbon trading price. Hence, this situation is favorable for the sustainable growth of existing remanufacturing businesses. Consequently, the government's requirement for subsidies to enhance the quality of remanufactured products and boost the competitiveness of IRs in the market becomes less pronounced., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Chronic psoriasis is a kind of immune-mediated skin illness and the underlying molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis remain incompletely understood. Here, we used small RNA microarray assays to scan the differential expressed RNAs in psoriasis patient samples. The downstream miRNAs and its targets were predicted using bioinformatics analysis from online bases and confirmed using fluorescence in situ hybridization and dual‑luciferase report gene assay. Cell ability of proliferation and migration were detected using CCK-8 and transwell assays. The results showed that a new snoRNA Snora73 was upregulated in psoriasis patient samples. Overexpression of Snora73 significantly increased psoriasis cells viability and migration, while knockdown of Snora73 got the opposite results. Mechanistically, our results showed that Snora73 acted as a sponge for miR-3074-5p and PBX1 is a direct target of miR-3074-5p in psoriasis cells. Furthermore, miR-3074-5p suppressed psoriasis cell proliferation and migration, while PBX1 promoted cell proliferation and migration in psoriasis. Collectively, these findings reveal a crucial role of Snora73 in progression of psoriasis through miR-3074-5p/PBX1 signaling pathway and suggest a potential therapeutic strategy., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

An increasing number of studies reveal the deleterious effects of isoflurane (Iso) exposure during pregnancy on offspring cognition. However, no effective therapeutic strategy for Iso-induced deleterious effects has been well developed. Angelicin exerts an anti-inflammatory effect on neurons and glial cells. This study investigated the roles and mechanism of action of angelicin in Iso-induced neurotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. After exposing C57BL/6 J mice on embryonic day 15 (E15) to Iso for 3 and 6 h, respectively, neonatal mice on embryonic day 18 (E18) displayed obvious anesthetic neurotoxicity, which was revealed by the elevation of cerebral inflammatory factors and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability and cognitive dysfunction in mice. Angelicin treatment could not only significantly reduce the Iso-induced embryonic inflammation and BBB disruption but also improve the cognitive dysfunction of offspring mice. Iso exposure resulted in an increase of carbonic anhydrase (CA) 4 and aquaporin-4 (AQP4) expression at both mRNA and protein levels in vascular endothelial cells and mouse brain tissue collected from neonatal mice on E18. Remarkably, the Iso-induced upregulation of CA4 and AQP4 expression could be partially reversed by angelicin treatment. Moreover, GSK1016790A, an AQP4 agonist, was used to confirm the role of AQP4 in the protective effect of angelicin. Results showed that GSK1016790A abolished the therapeutic effect of angelicin on Iso-induced inflammation and BBB disruption in the embryonic brain and on the cognitive function of offspring mice. In conclusion, angelicin may serve as a potential therapeutic for Iso-induced neurotoxicity in neonatal mice by regulating the CA4/AQP4 pathway., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

River is a unique source of drinking water in valley-type cities, affecting local urban development and human lifestyles. However, the key driving factors for dissemination of antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) in valley-type urban environments remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the distribution of ARGs in the Yellow River and to clarify the driving factors of ARGs in a typical valley basin city (Lanzhou, China). The seven selected ARGs with higher abundances including tetracycline resistance genes (tetM, tetX), macrolide resistance genes (ermB, ermF, ereA), and sulfonamide resistance genes (sul1, sul2) were detected. The results showed that the total absolute abundance of all the selected ARGs varied from 9.97 × 10 12 to 1.04 × 10 15 copies/L in the water body, with higher abundances in the wet season, relative to the dry season. Among these, sulfonamide resistance genes (sul1, sul2) displayed the highest absolute abundance in the river and soil. The ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were significantly correlated with bacterial abundance, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), ammonia nitrogen (NH 4 + ), and total nitrogen (TN) levels in the water environment (Mantel test, P < 0.01). Structural equation modeling revealed the direct input of point-source and nonpoint-source ARGs in this area contributed less to the overall level of the ARGs in the water. Among the multiple drivers, the MGEs derived from wastewater treatment plant and anthropogenic nonpoint area positively and directly affected the ARG profiles in water (P < 0.01), rather than the factors of bacterial abundance and physicochemical properties. According to this study, the exogenous MGEs from anthropogenic activities are the main driver for the enrichment of ARGs in the valley-type urban river environment., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Key Message: Imbalanced chromosomes and cell cycle arrest, along with down-regulated genes in DNA damage repair and sperm cell differentiation, caused pollen abortion in synthetic allodiploid Brassica juncea hybrids. Interspecific hybridization is considered to be a major pathway for species formation and evolution in angiosperms, but the occurrence of pollen abortion in the hybrids is common, prompting us to recheck male gamete development in allodiploid hybrids after the initial combination of different genomes. Here, we investigated the several key meiotic and mitotic events during pollen development using the newly synthesised allodiploid B. juncea hybrids (AB, 2n = 2× = 18) as a model system. Our results demonstrated the partial synapsis and pairing of non-homologous chromosomes concurrent with chaotic spindle assembly, affected chromosome assortment and distribution during meiosis, which finally caused difference in genetic constitution amongst the final tetrads. The mitotic cell cycle arrest during microspore development resulted in the production of anucleate pollen cells. Transcription analysis showed that sets of key genes regulating cyclin (CYCA1;2 and CYCA2;3), DNA damage repair (DMC1, NBS1 and MMD1), and ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (SINAT4 and UBC) were largely downregulated at the early pollen meiosis stages, and those genes involved in sperm cell differentiation (DUO1, PIRL1, PIRL9 and LBD27) and pollen wall synthesis (PME48, VGDH11 and COBL10) were mostly repressed at the late pollen mitosis stages in the synthetic allodiploid B. juncea hybrids (AB). In conclusion, this study elucidated the related mechanisms affecting pollen fertility during male gametophyte development at the cytological and transcriptomic levels in the synthetic allodiploid B. juncea hybrids., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Highlights: Influence of interface conductive network on ionic transport and mechanical stability under fast charging is explored for the first time. The mitigation of interface polarization is precisely revealed by the combination of 2D modeling simulation and Cryo-TEM observation, which can be attributed to a higher fraction formation of conductive inorganic species in bilayer SEI, and primarily contributes to a linear decrease in ionic diffusion energy barrier. The improved stress dissipation presented by AFM and Raman shift is critical for the linear reduction in electrode residual stress and thickness swelling. Progress in the fast charging of high-capacity silicon monoxide (SiO)-based anode is currently hindered by insufficient conductivity and notable volume expansion. The construction of an interface conductive network effectively addresses the aforementioned problems; however, the impact of its quality on lithium-ion transfer and structure durability is yet to be explored. Herein, the influence of an interface conductive network on ionic transport and mechanical stability under fast charging is explored for the first time. 2D modeling simulation and Cryo-transmission electron microscopy precisely reveal the mitigation of interface polarization owing to a higher fraction of conductive inorganic species formation in bilayer solid electrolyte interphase is mainly responsible for a linear decrease in ionic diffusion energy barrier. Furthermore, atomic force microscopy and Raman shift exhibit substantial stress dissipation generated by a complete conductive network, which is critical to the linear reduction of electrode residual stress. This study provides insights into the rational design of optimized interface SiO-based anodes with reinforced fast-charging performance., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

A reinforced composite aerogel absorbent was synthesized using a green chemistry method and an environmentally friendly freeze-drying technique. The absorbent consisted of sodium alginate, polyethyleneimine (PEI), and graphene oxide (GO). The ability of the absorbent to remove Cr (VI) ions from aqueous solutions was studied. PEI was a nitrogen source for Cr (VI) removal and a cross-linking agent for GO sheets, while SA was a reinforcing material. The aerogel was investigated using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, texture analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Batch studies were conducted to investigate the effect of pH and contact time on adsorption. The results indicated that the SA/PEI/GO aerogel had a maximum adsorption capacity of 174.05 mg·g -1 for Cr (VI) at pH 2. The adsorption mechanism was described using the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. Thermodynamic studies revealed that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. The aerogel demonstrated good regeneration ability and satisfactory recovery for Cr (VI) even after five cycles. These findings suggest that the composite aerogel could be a promising adsorbent for efficiently removing Cr (VI) from wastewater., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Electrocatalytic synthesis under mild conditions has become increasingly important as one of the practical alternatives for industrial applications, especially for the green ammonia (NH 3 ) industry. A properly engineered electrocatalyst plays a vital role in the realization of superior catalytic performance. Among various types of promising nanomaterials, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are competitive candidates for developing efficient electrocatalytic NH 3 synthesis from simple nitrogen-containing molecules or ions, such as N 2 and NO 3 - . In this review, recent advances in the development of electrocatalysts derived from MOFs for the electrosynthesis of NH 3 are collected, categorized, and discussed, including their application in the N 2 reduction reaction (NRR) and the NO 3 - reduction reaction (NO 3 RR). Firstly, the fundamental principles are illustrated, such as plausible mechanisms of NH 3 generation from N 2 and NO 3 - , the apparatus of corresponding electrocatalysis, parameters for evaluation of reaction efficiency, and detection methods of yielding NH 3 . Then, the electrocatalysts for NRR processes are discussed in detail, including pristine MOFs, MOF-hybrids, MOF-derived N-doped porous carbons, single atomic catalysts from pyrolysis of MOFs, and other MOF-related materials. Subsequently, MOF-related NO 3 RR processes are also listed and discussed. Finally, the existing challenges and prospects for the rational design and fabrication of electrocatalysts from MOFs for electrochemical NH 3 synthesis are presented, such as the evolution of investigation methods with artificial intelligence, innovation in synthetic methods of MOF-related catalysts, advancement of characterization techniques, and extended electrocatalytic reactions., (© 2023. Shanghai Jiao Tong University.)

The sources and properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in two lakes with different non-point source inputs were investigated by combining conventional three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy methods with a self-organizing map (SOM). To assess the DOM humification level, the representative neurons 1, 11, 25, and 36 were assessed. The SOM model showed that the DOM humification level of the Gaotang Lake (GT) which has a mainly agricultural non-point source input was significantly higher than that of the Yaogao Reservoir (YG) which has a mainly terrestrial source input (P < 0.01). The GT DOM mainly came from factors such as agricultural-related farm compost and decaying plants, while the YG DOM originated from human activities around the lake. The source characteristics of the YG DOM are obvious, with a high level of biological activity. Five representative areas in the fluorescence regional integral (FRI) were compared. The comparison showed that during the flat water period, the GT water column showed more terrestrial characteristics, even though the humus-like fractions in the DOM of both lakes were derived from microbial decomposition. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the agricultural lake water DOM (GT) was dominated by humus components, while the urban lake water DOM (YG) was dominated by authigenic sources., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: The present meta-analysis aimed to evaluate quantitively the recent scientific evidence regarding the association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and periodontitis., Methods: Databases searched were PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science. Publications were included according to the inclusion criteria. The following outcomes were evaluated: the prevalence of periodontitis, probing depth (PD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), the percentage of sites with bleeding on probing (BOP), plaque index (PI), and gingival index (GI). The statistical analysis was processed using the software STATA., Results: Thirteen eligible studies comprising a total of 31,800 patients were included. The meta-analysis showed an increased prevalence of periodontitis in OSA populations compared to controls. Both PD and CAL were increased in OSA populations compared with controls. (Prevalence of periodontitis: OR 2.348; 95%CI 2.221-2.482; PD: SMD = 0.681, 95% CI: 0.062-1.301, Z = 2.61, P = 0.031; CAL: SMD = 0.694, 95% CI: 0.167-1.22, Z = 2.58, P = 0.01). The study also found significantly increased BOP in patients with OSA after heterogeneity was clarified. (SMD = 0.357, 95% CI: 0.079-0.635, Z = 2.52, P = 0.012)., Conclusions: The findings suggest that OSA was associated with an increased prevalence of periodontitis., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Purpose: The role of computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA) warrants attention, since the success application of adrenal venous sampling (AVS) remains limited. We aimed to investigate the value of CT-based volumetric indicators, including left-versus-right-adrenal-volume ratio (L/Rv) and left-subtract-right-adrenal-volume difference (L - Rv), in the diagnosis of unilateral primary aldosteronism (UPA)., Methods: A retrospective case-control study included 153 patients with PA and 1272 controls. AVS was used to classify patients into bilateral disease, left-sided disease, and right-sided disease groups., Results: Adrenal gland volume on both sides of PA patients was significantly larger than controls. The optimal cutoff values of L/Rv and L - Rv were 1.417 [area under the curve (AUC) 0.864] and 1.185 (AUC 0.827), respectively, for the diagnosis of left-sided PA, and 1.030 (AUC 0.767) and 0.220 (AUC 0.769), respectively, for the diagnosis of right-sided PA. The mean AUC for subsequent cross-validation ranged from 0.77 ± 0.03 to 0.86 ± 0.02. Based on the optimal cutoff values, the combination of L/Rv and L - Rv detected 69.6% of patients with left-sided PA and 74.3% of patients with right-sided PA, with a specificity of 93.5% and 89.0%, respectively. For a better clinical application, we reported the sub-optimal cutoffs corresponding to a specificity of 95%. A L/Rv higher than 1.431 and a L - Rv higher than 3.185 as sub-optimal cutoff values was detected in 26.1% of patients with left-sided PA (specificity: 97.2%). A L/Rv smaller than 0.892 and a L - Rv smaller than -0.640 could detect 48.6% of patients with right-sided PA (specificity: 97.5%)., Conclusions: CT-based L/Rv and L - Rv performed well in predicting UPA. The combination of L/Rv and L - Rv may serve as a potential indicator for guiding surgical decision making in centers without AVS programs., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Italian Society of Endocrinology (SIE).)

Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) is an important potential technical way for coal power plants to achieve near-zero carbon emissions with the current energy structure in China being dominated by coal. However, CCUS is still at the early demonstration stage, and there are many uncertainties in the business model and policy incentives that the traditional method can no longer handle. At the same time, few studies have analyzed these issues. Taking coal-fired power plants as the research object, we adopt the system dynamics method (SD) to compare the economic feasibility, stability, and CO 2 emission reduction effect of the CCUS in the vertical integration model and the CCUS operator model. Furthermore, this paper also studies the effect of different incentive policies on CCUS. Results show the following: (1) Both models are economically viable. From the stability perspective, the CCUS operator model is superior to the vertical integration model. (2) In terms of the effect of individual policies, the government's preference for subsidies to the coal-fired power plant can significantly reduce CO 2 emissions. Increasing the additional government subsidy and carbon tax can accelerate the CCUS system into a relatively stable state, but beyond a certain range, the marginal CO 2 capture rate, marginal CO 2 emission reduction rate, and marginal profit rate of each department will be significantly reduced. The storage enterprise highly depends on the government subsidy. Low government subsidy allocation, low additional government subsidy, and a low carbon tax will lead to continuous negative profits for the storage enterprise, making the CCUS system unsustainable. (3) The impact of combination policies on CCUS is not simply the sum of the effects of individual policies. Each policy has a counteracting or reinforcing effect on the other., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

This study aims to analyze the impact of government subsidy policies on the development of remanufacturing enterprises and product quality in the context of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, to promote the sustainable development of the remanufacturing industry. It establishes a comparative game model for two cases of remanufacturing enterprises respectively producing low-quality and high-quality remanufactured products. In the context of government subsidies for only high-quality remanufactured products, we investigate the effects of government subsidies on remanufactured products' forms, prices, profits, and consumer preferences. The results show that government subsidies for high-quality remanufactured products help not only reduce the quality cost of remanufactured products and lower the wholesale and retail prices but also increase consumer preference for high-quality remanufactured products, enhance the market demand for remanufactured products, and promote scale expansion of the remanufacturing industry. This study provides decision support for governments to formulate subsidy coefficients for remanufacturing enterprises, offers theoretical and methodological support for the decarbonization and scale-up of remanufacturing and reduction of environmental pollution, and has significant practical value for achieving carbon peak and carbon neutralization goals., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

At present, lasers are increasingly used in the oral clinical field, and research and applications in dental hard tissue treatment are also increasing. The effect of laser etching dentin on the bonding strength of composite resin reported in the literature is still inconclusive. The purpose of this review was to evaluate whether laser etching can improve the immediate and long-term bonding strength of dentin and investigate the effect of different types of adhesives on the bonding strength of dentin. Two reviewers performed a literature search up from January 2012 to November 2021 in four databases: MEDLINE (PubMed), Web of Science, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library. A total of 25 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The Cochrane Collaboration Bias Risk Assessment tool was used to evaluate the quality of the included literature, and an analysis was carried out using Review Manager Software version 5.3. The aging bond strength of dentin after erbium (Er): yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) laser treatment was significantly lower than that of dentin in the bur group (P < 0.00001). At the same time, the bond strength of dentin immediately and aging after (Er), chromium-doped (Cr): yttrium scandium gallium garnet (YSGG) laser treatment was lower than that of dentin in the bur group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the immediate and aging bonding strength among samples in the Er: YAG laser, Er, Cr: YSGG laser, and blank control groups (no laser or bur). The aging bond strength of samples after neodymium-doped (Nd): YAG laser treatment was higher than that of samples in the blank control group (P < 0.05); in addition, the performance of self-etching adhesive was slightly better than that of acid etching adhesive. Regardless of the applied surface treatment and the adhesive employed, dentin after aging showed significant bond degradation (P < 0.05). There was high heterogeneity of bond strength between different groups, and the small number of studies and the contradictory results may be the main reasons for this outcome., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Objectives: Night-shift work exposure is proposed to link to a wide range of health issues, especially cancer incidence, cancer-specific death, and all-cause death. However, the epidemiological associations among night-shift work exposure, breast cancer, breast cancer-specific death, and all-cause mortality remain inconclusive., Methods: We performed an updated systematic review and meta-analysis to confirm potential associations among night-shift work exposure, breast cancer, and all-cause mortality., Results: A total of 31 prospective cohort studies, involving 9.3 million participants, 31,244 incident breast cancer cases, 12,728 cancer-related deaths, 7882 cardiovascular deaths, and 30,807 all-cause mortalities were included. Overall, the summary RR of incident breast cancer in females for an increase of night-shift work was 1.029 (95% CI 1.003-1.055). Compared with standard day workers, night-shift workers had a statistically significantly increased RR (1.086, 95% CI 1.032-1.142) for breast cancer incidence in the subgroup of > 10 years exposure. Furthermore, a positive association was revealed in subgroup studies of rotating night-shift work (RR = 1.053, 95% CI 1.018-1.090). A significant increased risk of cardiovascular mortality was demonstrated in the night-shift work group (RR = 1.031; 95% CI 1.006-1.057)., Conclusion: Our systematic review and meta-analysis provided convincing evidence supporting positive associations among night-shift work exposure, breast cancer incidence, and cardiovascular mortality. Taken together, night-shift work exposure significantly increased the risk of breast cancer morbidity by 2.9% for total, 8.6% for the subgroup of more than 10 years night-shift work, and 5.3% for rotating night-shift work. In addition, night-shift work increased the risk of cardiovascular mortality by 3.1%., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Gymnocypris przewalskii (naked carp), a native teleost, plays an important role in the ecosystem of Qinghai Lake (altitude, 3.2 km) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China. We developed a new cell line from the muscle of G. przewalskii using the explant technique and named the cell line GPM. This cell line was maintained in DMEM medium (high glucose) supplemented with 15% fetal bovine serum (FBS). The cell line was successfully subcultured up to 32 passages and was authenticated by immunofluorescence assay, sequencing the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16S rRNA genes, and by chromosome analysis. In the medium containing 15% FBS, the cell line could be passaged stably at 25 °C. The GPM cell line could express green fluorescent protein (GFP) with a CMV promoter with about 5% transfection efficiency. MTT tests showed that Clostridium botulinum toxin (BTX) was toxic to the cell line. The cell line could be successfully cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen with a revival efficiency of over 70%. This study demonstrated that the GPM cell line can be used as an important tool for understanding the physiological characteristics of G. przewalskii, and it can provide a resource for studying gene function and toxicological reactions in vitro., (© 2022. The Society for In Vitro Biology.)

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth most common cause of cancer death worldwide, and the prognosis remains dismal. In this study, two pivotal factors, microvascular invasion (MVI) and vessels encapsulating tumor clusters (VETC) were preoperatively predicted simultaneously to assess prognosis., Methods: A total of 133 HCC patients who underwent surgical resection and preoperative gadolinium ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were included. The statuses of MVI and VETC were obtained from the pathological report and CD34 immunohistochemistry, respectively. A three-dimensional convolutional neural network (3D CNN) for single-task learning aimed at MVI prediction and for multitask learning aimed at simultaneous prediction of MVI and VETC was established by using multiphase Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI., Results: The 3D CNN for single-task learning achieved an area under receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) of 0.896 (95% CI: 0.797-0.994). Multitask learning with simultaneous extraction of MVI and VETC features improved the performance of MVI prediction, with an AUC value of 0.917 (95% CI: 0.825-1.000), and achieved an AUC value of 0.860 (95% CI: 0.728-0.993) for the VETC prediction. The multitask learning framework could stratify high- and low-risk groups regarding overall survival (p < 0.0001) and recurrence-free survival (p < 0.0001), revealing that patients with MVI+/VETC+ were associated with poor prognosis., Conclusions: A deep learning framework based on 3D CNN for multitask learning to predict MVI and VETC simultaneously could improve the performance of MVI prediction while assessing the VETC status. This combined prediction can stratify prognosis and enable individualized prognostication in HCC patients before curative resection., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Hyperglycemia is associated with decreased recanalization probability and increased risk of hemorrhagic complications for stroke patients treated with intravenous alteplase. However, whether hyperglycemia modifies alteplase treatment effect on clinical outcome in patients with large vessel occlusion stroke undergoing endovascular thrombectomy is uncertain. We conducted this study to determine a possible interaction effect between admission hyperglycemia and intravenous alteplase prior to thrombectomy in patients with large vessel occlusion stroke. In this post-hoc analysis of a randomized trial (DIRECT-MT) comparing intravenous alteplase before endovascular treatment vs. endovascular treatment only, 649 with available baseline glucose measurements were included. The treatment-by-admission hyperglycemia (defined as plasma glucose levels ≥ 7.8 mmol/L [140 mg/dL]) interaction was assessed using logistic regression models. As a result, among 649 patients included, 224 (34.5%) were hyperglycemic at admission. There was evidence of alteplase treatment effect modification by hyperglycemia (P interaction  = 0.025). In patients without hyperglycemia, combination therapy was associated with better outcomes compared to mechanical thrombectomy alone (adjusted common odd ratio [acOR] 1.46, 95% CI [1.04-2.07]), but not in hyperglycemic patients (acOR 0.74, 95% CI [0.46-1.20]). Combination therapy led to an absolute increase of 6% excellent outcome (mRS 0-1) in non-hyperglycemic patients (aOR 1.71, 95% CI [1.05-2.79]), but resulted in a 12.3% absolute decrease (aOR 0.42 [95% CI, 0.19-0.95] in hyperglycemic patients (P interaction  = 0.003). In conclusion, for large vessel occlusion patients directly presenting to a thrombectomy-capable hospital, hyperglycemia modified combination treatment effect on clinical outcome. Combination therapy was beneficial in patients without hyperglycemia, while thrombectomy alone may be preferred in hyperglycemic patients. Further studies are needed to confirm this result.Trial Registration Information: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT03469206., (© 2022. The American Society for Experimental Neurotherapeutics, Inc.)

In this population-based, cross-sectional study, we investigated vertebral fracture (VF) prevalence among Chinese postmenopausal women. We found 14.7% of population had VFs, which increased with age. Age ≥ 65 years, hip fracture, and densitometric osteoporosis were significantly associated with VFs. The prevalence of osteoporosis was remarkably high., Purpose: To investigate VF prevalence among Chinese postmenopausal women in this population-based, randomized-sampling, cross-sectional study., Methods: The investigator obtained lists of women from communities. Randomization was performed using SAS programming based on age group in each region. Postmenopausal women aged ≥ 50 years in the urban community were included. The investigator interviewed subjects to collect self-reported data and measured BMD. Spine radiographs were adjudicated by Genant's semi-quantitative method. VFs were defined as fractures of at least one vertebra classified by Genant's score 1-3 and were analyzed using descriptive statistics., Results: A total of 31,205 women listed for randomized sampling from 10 Tier-3 hospitals at 5 regions. Of 2634 women in the full analysis set, 14.7% (388/2634, 95% CI: 13.4, 17.1) had prevalent VFs. VF prevalence increased with age (Cochran-Armitage test p < 0.0001) and was significantly higher in women aged ≥ 65. VF prevalence did not differ between North (14.4%, 95% CI: 12.5, 16.4) and South China (15.1%, 95% CI: 13.3, 17.1). In women with no prior VFs, prevalent VFs were 12.4% (95% CI: 11.2, 13.7). Age ≥ 65 years (OR: 2.57, 95% CI: 1.91, 3.48), hip fracture (OR: 2.28, 95% CI: 1.09, 4.76), and densitometric osteoporosis (OR: 2.52, 95% CI: 1.96, 3.22) were significantly associated with prevalent VFs. Prevalence of osteoporosis was 32.9% measured by BMD and 40.8% using NOF/IOF clinical diagnosis criteria., Conclusion: VFs are prevalent among Chinese postmenopausal women who were ≥ 50 years and community-dwelled. Osteoporosis prevalence is remarkable when fragile fractures were part of clinical diagnosis., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a frequent diabetes complication with complex pathogenesis. Circular RNA (circRNA) circTAOK1 (also named circ&#95;0003928) has been reported to be upregulated in high glucose (HG)-treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Also, exosomal circRNAs can exert significant roles in the pathology of various diseases. This study is designed to explore the role and mechanism of exosomal circTAOK1 on the glomerular mesangial cell (GMC) injury in DN., Methods: Exosomes were detected by a transmission electron microscope. The protein levels of CD9, CD63, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), cyclinD1, α-SMA, fibronectin, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and SMAD family member 3 (SMAD3) were examined by western blot assay. circTAOK1, microRNA-520h (miR-520h), and SMAD3 levels were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Cell proliferation and cell cycle progression were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), and flow cytometry assays. The binding relationship between miR-520h and circTAOK1 or SMAD3 was predicted by Starbase and then verified by a dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), RNA pull-down assays., Results: CircTAOK1 expression was upregulated in the exosomes isolated from HG-treated glomerular epithelial cells (GEC). Moreover, GEC-circTAOK1-Exo could promote proliferation, fibrosis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of glomerular mesangial cells (GMCs). Mechanically, circTAOK1 could regulate SMAD3 expression by sponging miR-520h, GEO-si-circTAOK1 Exo-induced miR-520h and repressed SMAD3 expression in GMC., Conclusion: GEC-circTAOK1-Exo could boost proliferation, fibrosis, and EMT of GMC through targeting the miR-520h/SMAD3 axis, providing new insights into the pathogenesis of DN., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Red mud, a bauxite residue generated during alumina production through the Bayer process, contains oxides of Fe, Ti, Al, Mn, and rare earths, and has a latent performance for catalytic removal of phenol. We proposed a novel and facile approach for red mud modification by the reduction of oxalic acid and L-ascorbic acid in the acidic solution. By surveying characteristics of modified red mud and influencing factors of phenol removal, the optimum experiment conditions and the possible mechanism were explored, respectively. The results demonstrated that RO2V2 (treated red mud using 2 g of oxalic acid dehydrate and 2 g of L-ascorbic acid) and RO3V3 (treated red mud using 3 g of oxalic acid dehydrate and 3 g of L-ascorbic acid) showed the most efficient catalytic capacity for the phenol removal and removal efficiency of over 99.1% for the 200 mg/L of phenol solution within 5 min among investigated catalysts with the pH decreasing from 6.7 to 3. The excellent catalytic performance of modified red mud profited from the production of Fe 3 O 4 , Fe 2 O 3 , Mn 2 O 3 , Fe 2 SiO 4 , and FeTiO 3 in the catalysts. It was motivating for removal of phenol to increase the dosage of catalyst and H 2 O 2 . The rate constants of the pseudo-first-order kinetics model of RO2V2 and RO3V3 were 1.0 and 1.073, respectively. The results of continuous experiments provided a positive reference for a future pilot scale test., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Mesona chinensis Benth (MCB) is an important medicinal and edible plant in Southern China and Southeast Asian countries. Chloroplast (cp) genome is usually used for plant phylogeny, species identification, and chloroplast genetic engineering. To characterize the cp genome and determine the evolutionary position and perform the genetic diversity analysis of MCB, we sequence and characterize the MCB cp genome. The results show that the cp genome of MCB is a single circular molecule with a length of 152,635 bp. It is a typical quadripartite structure, comprising a large single-copy region (LSC, 83,514 bp) and a small single-copy region (SSC, 17,751 bp) separated by two inverted repeat regions (IRs, 51,370 bp). It encodes 129 unique genes, including 84 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 37 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), and 8 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs). Altogether 127 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are identified in the MCB cp genome with 86.61% of mononucleotide repeats. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that MCB is most closely related to Ocimum basilicum based on the whole cp genomes. Several highly divergent regions are found, such as trnH&#95;psbA, rps16&#95;trnQ, trnS&#95;trnG, trnE&#95;trnT, psaA&#95;ycf3, rpl32&#95;trnL, ccsA&#95;ndhD, ndhG&#95;ndhI, and rps15&#95;ycf1, which can be proposed for use as DNA barcode regions. Genetic diversity analysis unveils a relatively narrow genetic basis of MCB germplasm resources. Therefore, the innovative breeding of MCB is very urgent and necessary in future research., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a widespread public health concern but the studies on air pollution and the lengths of hospital stay (LOS) of HFMD are scarce nevertheless. Clinic demographic features among 5135 hospitalized HFMD cases in Nanjing, China, had been characterized from 2012 to 2017. Then, we had analyzed the association between PM 2.5 short-term exposure as well as its components (OM, BC, SO4 2- , NH4 + , NIT, SOIL, and SS) and the LOS of HFMD. Among these cases that were involved in our study, 98.62% were aged 0-6 years old, and 3772 (73.46%) were hospitalized within 1 week or less. The LOS of HFMD patients was different in various age ranges, illness onset years, and illness onset seasons (P < 0.01). For per IQR increase in PM 2.5 concentrations, LOS of HFMD increased by 0.52 (0.33, 0.71), 0.50 (95% CI, 0.31-0.69) and 0.46 (95% CI, 0.28-0.65) day in adjusted models at lag 3 days, lag 7 days, and lag 14 days, respectively. In addition, per IQR increase of BC, SO 4 2- , NH 4 + , NIT, and SOIL was also significantly associated with the LOS of HFMD. Our findings corroborated that short-term PM 2.5 exposure was associated with the increased LOS of HFMD, and its components (BC, SO 4 2- , NH 4 + , NIT, and SOIL) of PM 2.5 might play a key role in prolonged LOS of HFMD., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Research on the poverty risk caused by geological disasters in disaster-prone areas is a useful exploration to coordinate social economic development with disaster prevention and reduction, and is of great significance to the regional sustainable development. Based on statistical data and spatial data, this paper takes Sichuan Province as the typical research area. Remote sensing and geographic information technology are used to study the poverty risk caused by disasters based on the quantitative evaluation of geological disasters risk and regional development level. The spatial differentiation characteristics of poverty risk caused by disasters are explored on the 1 km × 1 km grid scale. The results indicate that (1) the overall risk of geological disasters in Sichuan Province is relatively high, with high and relatively high risk areas accounting for more than 40% and low and relatively low risk areas accounting for less than 30%. The risks in Mountain and Ravine Areas are significantly higher than other areas. (2) The regional development level in Sichuan Province is relatively high, but with significant spatial differences. The development level of high-altitude areas and remote mountainous areas is quite different from that of the Chengdu Plain in the middle Sichuan Province. The uneven development in the east, middle, and west is a prominent problem. (3) The poverty risk caused by disasters is high, and the spatial pattern presents a characteristic of "high in the west and low in the east" with high positive spatial correlation. High-High Cluster Areas are mainly distributed in western and southwestern Sichuan. Low-Low Outlier Areas are mainly distributed in Chengdu Plain and Hilly Areas of Sichuan Basin. High-Low Outlier and Low-High Outlier Areas occupy a relatively small percentage with scattered distribution. This paper provides some theoretical support for policy formulation and management of coordinated development of regional socioeconomic and ecological environment., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Effective thermal management is quite urgent for electronics owing to their ever-growing integration degree, operation frequency and power density, and the main strategy of thermal management is to remove excess energy from electronics to outside by thermal conductive materials. Compared to the conventional thermal management materials, flexible thermally conductive films with high in-plane thermal conductivity, as emerging candidates, have aroused greater interest in the last decade, which show great potential in thermal management applications of next-generation devices. However, a comprehensive review of flexible thermally conductive films is rarely reported. Thus, we review recent advances of both intrinsic polymer films and polymer-based composite films with ultrahigh in-plane thermal conductivity, with deep understandings of heat transfer mechanism, processing methods to enhance thermal conductivity, optimization strategies to reduce interface thermal resistance and their potential applications. Lastly, challenges and opportunities for the future development of flexible thermally conductive films are also discussed., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Bloom syndrome helicase (BLM) is overexpressed in multiple types of cancers and its overexpression may induce genomic instability. This study aimed to determine the function of BLM expression in pancreatic cancer., Methods: BLM messenger RNA (mRNA) expression was analyzed using public datasets to determine its relationship with pancreatic cancer prognosis. Overall, 182 patients with pancreatic cancer who underwent radical resection at our institution were enrolled. BLM expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC). We explored the effect of BLM on the proliferation, invasion, migration, and chemoresistance of pancreatic cancer cells via small-interfering RNAs and performed pathway analysis using gene set enrichment analysis., Results: BLM mRNA expression was higher in tumor tissue than in normal tissue and had a prognostic effect on overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival. The same results were validated by IHC. Multivariate analysis showed that high BLM expression was an independent poor prognostic factor for OS (hazard ratio [HR] 1.678, p = 0.029). In subgroup analysis, the effect of high BLM expression was more significant on OS in patients with younger age (HR 2.27, p = 0.006), male sex (HR 2.39, p = 0.002), high cancer antigen 19-9 level (HR 2.44, p = 0.001), advanced tumor stage (HR 2.25, p = 0.001), lymph node metastasis (HR 2.51, p = 0.001), nerve invasion (HR 2.07, p = 0.002), and adjuvant chemotherapy (HR 2.66, p < 0.001). In vitro, BLM suppression resulted in reduced tumor proliferation, invasion, migration, and chemoresistance. Mechanistically, BLM expression may be associated with E2F1 and E2F2., Conclusion: BLM expression is a prognostic factor for patients with pancreatic cancer, especially in those with advanced malignancies and receiving chemotherapy., (© 2022. Society of Surgical Oncology.)

In this study, we propose average environmental efficiency, a more comprehensive, fair, comparable, and robust environmental efficiency measurement considering all projection directions to the efficient frontier, and then it is used to evaluate the environmental efficiency of Chinese provinces from 2006 to 2017. Furthermore, we investigate the most influential factors of regional environmental efficiency via a feasible generalized least squares regression approach. The empirical results show that only nine Chinese provinces have average environmental efficiency greater than the national average, implying that two-thirds of the provinces still have much room for improvement. Additionally, environmental efficiency disparities exist between provinces and between four larger geographical areas. The east area achieved the best environmental efficiency over the studied period, better than the whole country, followed in order by the west area, central area, and northeast area. Moreover, we find that the energy consumption structure, government intervention, and economic openness significantly and negatively influence regional environmental efficiency. Finally, we provide policy implications in terms of energy consumption structure optimization, government supervision, and foreign investment introduction while considering the local conditions in different provinces., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Sulfate radical (•SO 4 - )-based advanced oxidation processes have attracted a great deal of attention for use in water disinfection because of their strong oxidation ability toward electron-rich moieties on microorganism molecules. However, a few studies have focused on the effects of •SO 4 - on pathogenic microorganism inactivation in marine aquaculture water containing various inorganic anions. We employed the gram-negative bacteria E. coli and gram-positive bacteria S. agalactiae as representatives to evaluate the application of UV/persulfate (S 2 O 8 2- , PDS), to the disinfection of marine aquaculture water in a comprehensive manner. Total inactivation of 4.13ˍlog of E. coli cells and 4.74ˍlog of S. agalactiae cells was reached within 120 s in the UV/PDS system. The inactivation of pathogenic bacteria in marine aquaculture water increased with the increasing PDS concentration and UV intensity. An acidic pH was beneficial for UV/PDS inactivation. Halogen-free radicals showed a strong influence on the inactivation. Anions in seawater, including Cl - , Br - , and HCO 3 - inhibited the disinfection. The inactivation rates of pathogenic bacteria followed the order seawater < marine aquaculture water < freshwater. Pathogenic bacteria could also be effectively inactivated in actual marine aquaculture water and reservoir water. The analysis of the inactivation mechanisms showed that S 2 O 8 2- was activated by UV to produce •SO 4 - , which damaged the cell membranes. In addition, antioxidant enzymes, including SOD and CAT, were induced. The genomic DNA was also damaged. Inorganic disinfection byproducts such as chlorate and bromate were not formed during the disinfection of marine aquaculture water, which indicated that UV/PDS was a safe and efficient disinfection method., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objectives: To analyze the radiologic and clinical changes after denosumab treatment in patients with giant cell tumors (GCTs) in the mobile spine., Methods: Clinical data and images by computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging at a single center were retrospectively reviewed before and after denosumab treatment., Results: Pre- and post-treatment data from 24 patients were evaluated. On imaging, marginal ossification and/or bone formation was observed in 22 patients (91.7%). The median maximum diameter of the GCT reduced from 52.5 to 48.2 mm (p < 0.001), and the mean proportion of tumor to spinal canal area decreased from 36.8 to 18.5% (p < 0.001). Out of six patients with compression, three patients (50%) showed no compression after treatment. The signal intensity (SI) ratio between the solid part of the tumor and the normal spinal cord on T2-weighted MR images was 0.77 ± 0.22 and decreased to 0.58 ± 0.22 (p = 0.001). On clinical symptoms, the mean visual analog scale scores were reduced from 5.3 to 2.0 (p < 0.001) and the Karnofsky Performance Scale scores increased from a median of 65 to 80 (p < 0.001). Post-treatment, performance scores improved in eight patients (33.3%) (p = 0.003), and the neurological function of four patients improved according to Frankel grade (p = 0.046)., Conclusions: Bone formation, tumor reduction, regression of epidural lesion and the decrease in SI ratio on T2-weighted image should be considered as the effectiveness of denosumab in the treatment of spinal GCT. In clinical application, denosumab can relieve pain, improve neurological function, and improve the quality of life of spinal GCT patients., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The mechanisms of the inhibitory action of β-pinene, a pine needle oil monoterpene, on human adenovirus type 3 were studied using cytopathic inhibition test, MTT test, atomic force and laser confocal microscopy. β-Pinene inhibited the viruses stronger that the reference antiviral medication ribavirin (p<0.05). Inhibition of viral cytopathic effect (CPE) increased with increasing the concentration of β-pinene, which attested to direct elimination of adenovirus type 3. During viral reproduction phase, β-pinene significantly inhibited proliferation of adenovirus type 3. Typical signs of adenoviral CPE as cell swelling and rounding were less pronounced in comparison with the control (ribavirin treatment). In addition, elevation of β-pinene concentration significantly increased the cell survival rate (p<0.05). Laser confocal microscopy showed that fluorescence intensity in the β-pinene group was significantly lower than in the control group (p<0.01), which was consistent with the results of MTT test, thereby providing additional arguments that β-pinene affects the virus during the absorption phase. Thus, β-pinene directly inactivates adenovirus type 3 and impedes its invasion into the cells, but produces no protective effects on cells. Understanding the mode of action of such monoterpenes as β-pinene is of great importance for the development of new antiviral drugs., (© 2022. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Key Message: Cytological observations of chromosome pairing showed that evolutionarily genome duplication might reshape non-homologous pairing during meiosis in haploid B. rapa. A vast number of flowering plants have evolutionarily undergone whole genome duplication (WGD) event. Typically, Brassica rapa is currently considered as an evolutionary mesohexaploid, which has more complicated genomic constitution among flowering plants. In this study, we demonstrated chromosome behaviors in haploid B. rapa to understand how meiosis proceeds in presence of a single homolog. The findings showed that a diploid-like chromosome pairing was generally adapted during meiosis in haploid B. rapa. Non-homologous chromosomes in haploid cells paired at a high-frequency at metaphase I, over 50% of examined meiocytes showed at least three pairs of bivalents then equally segregated at anaphase I during meiosis. The fluorescence immunostaining showed that the cytoskeletal configurations were mostly well-organized during meiosis. Moreover, the expressed genes identified at meiosis in floral development was rather similar between haploid and diploid B. rapa, especially the expression of known hallmark genes pivotal to chromosome synapsis and homologous recombination were mostly in haploid B. rapa. Whole-genome duplication evolutionarily homology of genomic segments might be an important reason for this phenomenon, which would reshape the first division course of meiosis and influence pollen development in plants., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

A bioenhancement strategy for improving the anaerobic degradation efficiency of ship domestic sewage under microaerobic conditions was proposed in this study. Strains Stenotrophomonas sp. MSPP05 and Prevotella sp. MSPP07 with high organic-degrading efficiency and extracellular hydrolase yield were used for the bioenhancement of activated sludge. In batch experiments, the removal rates of chemical oxygen demand and total nitrogen reached 94.5% and 66.9% after 72 h of degradation. The activities of dehydrogenase, extracellular amylase, and protease in the treatment group were 1.2, 1.4, and 2.0 times higher than those in the control group. Microbial community analysis showed that exogenous enhanced strains competed with original microorganisms and became dominant. One-stage continuous stirred tank reactor with bioenhanced activated sludge ran steadily for 90 days with average effluent COD and TN concentrations of 87.5 and 14.6 mg/L. The feasibility of improving organic-degrading efficiency through bioenhancement by using exogenous hydrolase-producing strains was confirmed under microaerobic conditions. This work provided a theoretical basis for improving treatment effects and developing a new technique for ship domestic sewage treatment., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: α-Thalassemia is the most common inherited disease in southern China. The severest form is hemoglobin (Hb) Bart's disease, in which the affected fetuses almost always die in utero or shortly after birth, and the mothers are at high risk for severe morbidity., Objective: To investigate the changes in all metabolites in fetuses with Hb Bart's disease and to characterize the metabolomic and lipidomic biomarkers in the development of Hb Bart's fetuses., Methods: Amniotic fluid (AF) specimens were selected from 34 pregnant women who underwent interventional prenatal diagnosis from June 2017 to June 2018. Gap-PCR analysis was used to diagnose Hb Bart's disease, and untargeted metabolomic and lipidomic analyses were performed., Results: By analyzing AF samples, 935 differential metabolites were selected between Hb Bart's and control fetuses. The metabolites with significant changes mainly involved D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism, histidine metabolism, arginine metabolism, beta-alanine metabolism and alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism. Further lipidomics analysis revealed 132 differential lipids, mainly involved phosphatidylcholine and triglyceride metabolism. Through the characterized metabolites in AF, a schematic model of Hb Bart's disease was established., Conclusion: Glutamate and glutathione metabolism, aspartate metabolism, urea metabolism and triglyceride metabolism were significantly changed in the Hb Bart's group compared to the control group. The characterized biomarkers were mainly involved in oxidative stress reaction, iron overload and liver dysfunction. This finding may help improve the treatment options for α-thalassemia as well as diagnosing phenotype of patients., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Water electrolysis is a sustainable and clean method to produce hydrogen fuel via hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Using stable, effective and low-cost electrocatalysts for HER to substitute expensive noble metals is highly desired. In this paper, by using first-principles calculation, we designed a defect and N-, S-, P-doped penta-graphene (PG) as a two-dimensional (2D) electrocatalyst for HER, and its stability, electronic properties and catalytic performance were investigated. The Gibbs free energy (ΔG H ), which is the best descriptor for the HER, is calculated and optimized, the calculation results show that the ΔG H can be 0 eV with C2 vacancies and P doping at C1 active sites, which should be the optimal performance for a HER catalyst. Moreover, we reveal that the larger charge transfer from PG to H, the closer ΔG H is to zero according to the calculation of the electron charge density differences and Bader charges analysis. Ulteriorly, we demonstrated that the HER performance prefers the Volmer-Heyrovsky mechanism in this study., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

The outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has brought great challenges to the world. The objectives of this study were to describe the baseline characteristics and changes of biomarkers of these COVID-19 patients and identify predictive value of the above markers for patient death. Using patient death as the observational endpoints, clinical data of inpatients in a special ward for COVID-19 in Wuhan, China were retrospectively collected. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate prognostic value of baseline characteristics and laboratory data changes. This study included clinical data of 75 patients. Age, c-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 levels were independent predictors of patient death. Survivors were characterized as having declining neutrophil counts, D-dimer, N-terminal pronatriuretic peptide, troponin I (TnI) and c-reactive protein levels, while counts of lymphocyte gradually came back. Non-survivors were characterized with increasing white blood cell counts (WBC) and neutrophil counts. Changes of WBC, TnI and interleukin-6 were also independently associated with patient death. Older age, baseline CRP and IL-6 levels may be used as meaningful predictors to identify patients with poor prognosis. Changes of biomarkers should be closely monitored in the management of patients with COVID-19, while constantly increasing levels of WBC, TnI and interleukin-6 in the disease course also predict patient death., (© 2021. Società Italiana di Medicina Interna (SIMI).)

Protective effect of Tagetes erecta flowers essential oils was investigated on oxidative stress, immune response, inflammation, and apoptosis against N-methyl-N'nitro-N-nitroguanidine (MNNG) induced gastric cancer in rats. Essential oil were extracted from Tagetes erecta flowers and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). For observing a protective effect against MNNG induced gastric cancer, we divided rats into 4 groups (group A to D) having 10 rats in each group. Performed various experiments and measured a different parameters to investigate antioxidant activity, immune response, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activity. The levels of malondialdehyde were markedly increased in the presence of N-methyl-N'nitro-N-nitroguanidine, whereas, the antioxidant activities of superoxide dismutase, and catalase were lowered in the treated rats in contrast with the control. Intervention with TEEO to gastric cancer-induced rats upregulated the redox status and the activity of the immune system to decrease cancer risk. The proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α) secretions that were induced by MNNG were markedly inhibited by TEEO. Administration of TEEO also significantly reduced terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling positive gastric cancer cells, expression of mRNA of caspase-3, and Bax. Whereas, the expression of Bcl-2 was increased. Additionally, downregulation of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and IκBα degradation and the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 expression in tissues of the stomach of MNNG-induced-rats were markedly elevated due to TEEO. This suggested possession of TEEO with a protective shield against MNNG induced gastric cancer by the exertion of antioxidative stress, anti-apoptotic response, the anti-inflammatory response through Nrf2/HO-1, and NF-κB signaling pathways.

Nickel (Ni) in small plateau lake sediments plays an important role in influencing the quality of lake ecosystems with a high degree of endemism and toxicity. This paper focuses on the spatial distribution and ecological risks of nickel in the sediments of Jianhu Lake, a small plateau lake in China, and the influence of pH and total organic carbon (TOC) on nickel concentrations. The results showed that average total nickel concentrations were 138.99 ± 57.57 mg/kg (n = 38) and 184.31 ± 92.12 mg/kg (n = 60) in surface sediments (0-10 cm top layer) and sediment cores (0-75 cm depth), respectively, and that the residual fraction was the main form of nickel. Simultaneously, through a semivariogram model, strong spatial dependence among pH, TOC, and the oxidizable fraction was revealed, whereas total nickel, exchangeable and the weak acid soluble fraction, reducible fraction, and residual fraction showed moderate spatial dependence. The vertical distribution revealed that nickel accumulated mainly in the bottom 5 cm (70-75 cm) of the sediment layer and that the pH was higher there, whereas TOC was concentrated mainly in the top 5 cm of sediment. Using geoaccumulation and a potential ecological risk index, moderate nickel pollution and moderate risk levels were found in most surface sediments, but moderate nickel pollution and high risk levels were observed in most sediment cores. In addition, pH and TOC were found to have a strong effect on the distribution and concentration of nickel and its fractions in the small plateau lake. In summary, nickel posed a certain degree of pollution and ecological risk, which deserves attention in the sediments of small plateau lakes.

The direct discharge of urine into water bodies leads to environmental pollution, and an increase in the water treatment cost, whereas recycling of the nutrients in urine is of significant economic value. A single-compartment reactor was investigated for the recycling of phosphate and simultaneous removal of nitrogen from urine wastewater by electrochemical magnesium induction, and electrochemical oxidation for the removal of residual nitrogen from the supernatant. The results demonstrated that phosphate recovery capacity was greater than 11 mg P cm -2 h -1 at a current density of 15 m A cm -2 and anodizing time of 20 min; the removal rates of ammonium and total nitrogen in the synchronous electrochemical oxidation were 80% and 75%, respectively, at a current density of 45 m A cm -2 and anodizing time of 60 min. The anodizing time and initial pH were determined to be critical control factors in the electrochemical struvite induction and nitrogen electrochemical oxidation. The on-site electrochemical nitrogen oxidation could rapidly utilize the alkaline supernatant following phosphate recovery. Thus, the integration of the single-compartment reactor, electrochemical magnesium dosage, and simultaneous nitrogen electrochemical oxidation demonstrates potential for application to decentralized reactors to treat source-separated urine.

Key Message: Numbers of critical genes and pathways were found from the levels of transcriptome and metabolome, which were useful information for understanding of kenaf CMS mechanism. Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is a maternally inherited trait in higher plants that leads to the inability to produce or release functional pollen. However, there is lack of comprehensive studies to reveal the molecular basis of CMS occurrence in kenaf. Herein, we performed transcriptome and UPLC-MS-based metabolome analyses in the anthers of a CMS (UG93A) and its maintainer (UG93B) to sort out essential genes and metabolites responding to CMS in kenaf. Transcriptome characterized 7769 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between these two materials, and pathway enrichment analysis indicated that these DEGs were involved mainly in pentose and glucuronate interconversions, starch and sucrose metabolism, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism. In the metabolome assay, a total of 116 significantly different metabolites (SDMs) were identified between the CMS and its maintainer line, and these SDMs were involved in eight KEGG pathways, including flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, glycerophospholipid metabolism, flavonoid biosynthesis, glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchor biosynthesi. Integrated analyses of transcriptome and metabolome showed that 50 genes had strong correlation coefficient values (R 2  > 0.9) with ten metabolites enriched in six pathways; notably, most genes and metabolites of flavonoid biosynthesis pathways and flavone and flavonol biosynthesis pathways involved in flavonoids biosynthetic pathways were downregulated in CMS compared to those in maintainer. Taken together, the decreased accumulation of flavonoids resulted from the compromised biosynthesis pathways coupled with energy deficiency in the anthers may contribute largely to CMS in UG93A of kenaf.

The successful treatment of human cancers by immunotherapy has been made possible by breakthroughs in the discovery of immune checkpoint regulators, including CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1. However, the immunosuppressive effect of the tumor microenvironment still represents an important bottleneck that limits the success of immunotherapeutic approaches. The tumor microenvironment influences the metabolic crosstalk between tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating immune cells, creating competition for the utilization of nutrients and promoting immunosuppression. In addition, tumor-derived metabolites regulate the activation and effector function of immune cells through a variety of mechanisms; in turn, the metabolites and other factors secreted by immune cells can also become accomplices to cancer development. Immune-metabolic checkpoint regulation is an emerging concept that is being studied with the aim of restoring the immune response in the tumor microenvironment. In this review, we summarize the metabolic reprogramming of various cell types present in the tumor microenvironment, with a focus on the interaction between the metabolic pathways of these cells and antitumor immunosuppression. We also discuss the main metabolic checkpoints that could provide new means of enhancing antitumor immunotherapy.