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BACKGROUND Mediastinal mature teratoma is the most common histological type of primary extragonadal germ cell tumor. In this report, we describe a rare case of giant mature teratoma located primarily in the anterior mediastinum and causing partial atelectasis of the upper and middle lobes of the right lung, as well as extrinsic compression of the right atrium. CASE SUMMARY A 31-year-old male with a giant mediastinal mature teratoma presented with progressive exertional dyspnea and chest pain for 1 mo. Computed tomography of the chest indicated the diagnosis of anterior mediastinal teratoma. The patient underwent right uniportal anterior approach video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). En bloc resection of the giant teratoma, wedge resection of the upper and middle lobes of the right lung, resection of the thymus and partial excision of the pericardium were successfully performed. The pathological diagnosis revealed a mature cystic teratoma with foreign-body reaction that was closely related to the right lung, atrium dextrum, superior vena cava and ascending aorta. An atrophic thymic tissue was also discovered at the external teratoma surface. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 7. CONCLUSION This is the first report of the use of uniportal VATS for complete resection of a teratoma in combination with wedge resection of the right upper and middle lung lobes and partial resection of the pericardium.

All cells require Cu as a cofactor, but Cu2+ induces toxicity and oxidative damage. A strict system is thus needed to maintain Cu homeostasis. Using the ZFL zebrafish liver cell line as a model, we studied the cellular responses after exposure to Cu2+, using whole-transcriptome shotgun sequencing (RNA-seq) to screen nearly all transcriptomes in cell samples and identify changes in gene expression. ZFL cells were treated with 100, 200, or 400 μM CuCl2 and harvested after 4 and 24 h. RNA was then extracted and subjected to RNA-Seq and qPCR validation. Exposure to 400 μM CuCl2 for 4 h and 24 h led to the regulation of 5993 and 4235 genes, respectively. In a gene ontology enrichment analysis, Cu2+ exposure enriched the nitrogen compound metabolic process and antioxidant activity but did not significantly affect cellular copper, zinc, iron and calcium ion homeostasis. In a KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, anti-oxidative stress induced the glutathione metabolism pathway. Furthermore, Cu2+ also induced genes related to apoptosis and arrested the cell cycle in the G2 phase. This study was based on the full gene expression profile combined with pathway analysis details, providing a full cellular response picture for Cu.

Osmoregulation and osmoconformation are two mechanisms through which aquatic animals adapt to salinity fluctuations. The euryhaline crab Scylla paramamosain, being both an osmoconformer and osmoregulator, is an excellent model organism to investigate salinity adaptation mechanisms in brachyurans. In the present study, we used transcriptomic and proteomic approaches to investigate the response of S. paramamosain to salinity stress. Crabs were transferred from a salinity of 25 ppt to salinities of 5 ppt or 33 ppt for 6 h and 10 days. Data from both approaches revealed that exposure to 5 ppt resulted in upregulation of ion transport and energy metabolism associated genes. Notably, acclimation to low salinity was associated with early changes in gene expression for signal transduction and stress response. In contrast, exposure to 33 ppt resulted in upregulation of genes related to amino acid metabolism, and amino acid transport genes were upregulated only at the early stage of acclimation to this salinity. Our study reveals contrasting mechanisms underlying osmoregulation and osmoconformation within the salinity range of 5–33 ppt in the mud crab, and provides novel candidate genes for osmotic signal transduction, thereby providing insights on understanding the salinity adaptation mechanisms of brachyuran crabs.

Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential metal with no known biological function and a broad range of toxic effects in biological systems. We used whole-transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) to study the effects of Cd

Sunscreen chemicals, such as benzophenones (BPs), are common environmental contaminants that are posing a growing health concern due to their increasing presence in water, fish, and human systems. Benzoresorcinol (BP1), oxybenzone (BP3), and dioxybenzone (BP8) are the most commonly used BPs for their ability to protect from sunburn by absorbing a broad spectrum of ultraviolet radiation. In this study, zebrafish larvae were used as an in vivo model to investigate the potential risks and molecular mechanisms of the toxic effects of BPs. The effects of these BPs on the gene expression in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor pathway, estrogen receptor pathway, and sex differentiation were detected using quantitative real-time PCR. All BPs were found to function as agonists of the estrogen receptors α and β1, indicating that these BPs likely undergo similar molecular metabolism in vivo, whereby they can activate cytochrome P450 genes and promote the expression of CYP19A and DMRT1. Furthermore, the gene expression profile of larvae after BP3 exposure was evaluated using a whole transcriptome sequencing approach. BP3 affected estradiol biosynthesis and sex differentiation. It also regulated gonadotropin-releasing hormone, thus interfering with the endocrine system. As a xenobiotic toxicant, BP3 upregulated the expression of cytochrome P450 genes (CYP1A and CYP3A65) and glutathione metabolism-related genes (GSTA, GSTM, and GSTP). It also interfered with the nervous system by regulating the calcium signaling pathway. These findings will be useful for understanding the toxicity mechanisms and metabolism of BPs in aquatic organisms and promote the regulation of these chemicals in the environment.

Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential metal with no known biological function and a broad range of toxic effects in biological systems. We used whole-transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) to study the effects of Cd2+ toxicity in zebrafish liver cells, ZFL. The results of an RNA-Seq analysis of ZFL cells exposed to 5, 10 or 20 μM Cd2+ for 4- or 24-h. The differentially expressed genes affected by Cd2+ were analyzed by using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis to study the regulated pathways. Cd2+ regulated the expression of genes associated with cellular Cu, Zn, and Fe homeostasis, DNA replication leading to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and glutathione metabolism. Cd2+ boosted up the amino acid synthesis, possibly to support the glutathione metabolism for tackling the oxidative stress generated from Cd2+. Cd2+ stimulation was similar to heat or xenobiotics, based on the responses from ZFL such as endoplasmic reticulum stress and protein folding. We linked also those finding of gene activations relating to carcinogenesis of Cd. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the expression profiles induced by Cd2+ exposure in ZFL cells, as well as useful insights into the specific toxic effects.

The increasing quantities of insecticides that leach into water bodies severely affect the health of the aquatic environment. Juvenile hormone analogue (JHA) insecticides are endocrine disrupters that interfere with hormonal activity in insects by mimicking juvenile hormones (JHs). Because the structure and functions of methyl farnesoate in crustaceans are similar to the insect JHs, exogenous JHA insecticides may cause adverse effects on the growth and reproduction in crustaceans similar to those observed in insects. This study examined the toxic effects of two JHA insecticides, methoprene and fenoxycarb, on the water flea Moina macrocopa. The 24-h and 48-h LC50 values for fenoxycarb and methoprene were 0.53 and 0.32 mg/L and 0.70 and 0.54 mg/L, respectively. Chronic exposure to the two JHAs caused a series of toxic effects in M. macrocopa, including shortening of life expectancy, repression of body growth, reduction in fecundity, and disturbed the expression of genes involved in the JH signaling pathway, in cuticle development, and in the carbohydrate, amino acid, and ATP metabolic processes. Moreover, JHA exposure impaired the growth and reproduction of the offspring of M. macrocopa exposed to JHAs, even when the neonates were not exposed to the chemicals. In addition, changes in the expression of genes related to histone methylation indicate that epigenetic changes may promote transgenerational impairment in M. macrocopa. These results demonstrate the toxic effects of fenoxycarb and methoprene on non-target aquatic organisms. The damages done by these JHA insecticides to the aquatic environment is worthy of our attention and further studies.

The Gd atom in the title compound, [Gd(C33H39N11)]Cl3·3H2O, lies on a position of 32 point symmetry and exhibits a tricapped trigonal prismatic coordination geometry. A twofold rotation axis passes through the coordinated N atom and the opposite C atom of the pyridyl ring of the ligand, while a threefold rotation axis passes through the aliphatic N atom. The Cl atom and O atom of the uncoordinated water mol­ecule both lie on twofold rotation axes.

The title dinuclear complex, [Cu2(C12H17FN3O2)2](ClO4)2·CH4O, was synthesized by condensation between diethyl­ene­triamine and 2-form­yl-4-fluoro-6-hydroxy­methyl­phenol in the presence of copper(II). It contains two similar units, which are linked by Cu—O bonds. The approximate planes of the two units are parallel to each other, and π–π inter­action exists between the two units.

The title complex, [Gd((C24H28N4O4)(NO3)2(H2O)](NO3)·0.5CH3OH·1.75H2O, contains a gadolinium ion with a distorted monocapped square antiprismatic coordination.

The dimeric title complex, [Ho2(CH3COO)6(C12H8N2)2], lies about a centre of symmetry. Each cation is coordinated by a chelating 1,10-phenanthroline and two chelating acetato ligands, one of which also bridges the two Ho atoms. Two other bridging acetate ligands complete the coordination of the nine-coordinate holmium(III) atoms.

The title complex, [Cu2(C23H26Cl2N4O2)](ClO4)2, has been synthesized by condensation between N,N′-dimethyl-N,N′-bis­(3-formyl-5-chloro­salicyl­idene)ethyl­enediamine and 1,3-propane­diamine in the presence of copper(II). The complex is a phenol-based macrocyclic dinuclear complex, with the two CuII ions in N(amine)2O2 and N(imine)2O2 sites, and a Cu⋯Cu separation of 3.0138 (14) A.

In the asymmetric unit of the title compound, [LuIII(C26H34N6O2)(NO3)2]NO3·0.5H2O·0.25C4H8O2, there are two cations and two anions of the title complex, together with a water molecule and half a molecule of ethyl acetate. The Lu atom exhibits a nine-coordinate distorted tricapped trigonal-prismatic coordination geometry. The water mol­ecule is disordered, with occupation factors of 0.4 and 0.6.