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Background Recently, emerging evidence has suggested that atrial fibrillation (AF) has an epidemiological correlation with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the clinical outcomes of AF in COVID-19 remain inconsistent and inconclusive. The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive description of the impact of AF on the prognosis of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods Three electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science) were searched for eligible studies as of March 1, 2021. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the associations between AF (preexisting and new-onset) and in-hospital mortality, post-discharge mortality, and ventilator use. Results A total of 36 individual studies were incorporated into our meta-analysis. The combined results revealed that preexisting AF was associated with increased in-hospital mortality (pooled OR: 2.07; 95% CI: 1.60–2.67; p

Nano-Ag sintering is a promising die attach technology for the wide bandgap semiconductive power devices, while the high cost of nanosilver limits industrial application. Reducing bondline thickness (BLT) is effective for cost saving but its effects on reliability has been rarely studied, especially at high temperature operation. In this work, an organic-free nanostructured silver film was prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) for various BLT joints. The effect of BLT (3.5-60 μm) on the high temperature reliability of die-attached modules was systematically investigated. The results indicated that with the increase of BLT, the shear strength and power cycling number of joints both increased. The optimal BLT ranged in 25-50 μm considering both reliability and cost. It was very interesting to find that the connection ratio along the BLT direction existed two valleys at the die-bondline and DBC-bondline interfaces, which clearly corresponded to the crack propagating in power cycling test.

Neuroligin (NLG) protein is a nerve cell adhesion molecule and plays a key role in the precision apposition of presynaptic domains on inhibitory and excitatory synapses. Existing studies mainly focused on the function of NLG3 against the excitatory channel. However, the interaction between insect NLG3 and ionotropic GABA receptor, which is the main inhibitory channel, remains unclear. In this study, the Nlg3 of common cutworm (CCW), Spodoptera litura Fabricius, one important agricultural Lepidopteron, is selected to explore its function in the inhibitory channel.The SlNlg3 was obtained and the SlNLG3 contains the characteristic features including transmembrane domain, PDZ-binding motif and type-B carboxylesterases signature 2 motif. The SlNlg3 messenger RNA (mRNA) was most abundant in midgut, and exhibited multiple expression patterns in different developmental stages and tissues or body parts. Compared with the single injection of SlRDL1, the median effective concentration value of GABA in activating currents was smaller in Xenopus laevis oocytes co-injected with SlRDL1 and SlNlg3. In addition, SlNlg3 could enhance the GABA-induced current of homomeric SlRDL1 channel from -391.86 ± 15.41 to -2152.51 ± 30.09 nA. DsSlNlg3 depressed the expression level of SlNlg3 mRNA more than 64.29% at 6 h. After exposure to median lethal dose of fluralaner, the mortality of CCW injected with dsSlNlg3 was significantly decreased by 13.34% and 30.00% at 24 and 48 h, respectively, compared to injection of dsEGFP.NLG3 should have physiological function on ionotropic GABA receptor in vitro, which provided a favorable foundation for further research on the physiological function of Nlg gene in Lepidopteron. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Objectives The present study aimed to investigate the distribution of lymphocyte subsets and cytokines expression in the peripheral blood of bitumen fumes-exposed workers. Methods In this study, 129 workers from molding and roasting workshops were recruited as the exposed group and 99 office and quality inspection staff were chosen as the control. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) levels of bitumen fumes in individual and fixed-point air samples and the urinary levels of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OH-P), 1-hydroxynaphthols (1-OH-N) and 2-hydroxynaphthols (2-OH-N) in workers were measured using High Performance Liquid Chromatography. The lymphocyte subsets and serum cytokines concentrations were analyzed by flow cytometry and cytometric bead array, respectively. Results The median values of PAHs were 0.08 mg/m3 for permissible concentration-time weighted average and 0.12 mg/m3 for permissible concentration-short term exposure (PC-STEL) in molding and roasting workshops, which were higher than that in the control area (< 0.01 mg/m3). Multivariate linear regression models were used to adjust for influential covariates, including age, gender, work age, smoking status, and alcohol consumptions. After adjusting for these covariates, we compared levels of urinary PAHs metabolites, the percentages of lymphocyte subsets, and serum cytokines concentrations between the two groups. The 1-OH-P, 1-OH-N, and 2-OH-N levels in the urine of bitumen fumes exposed workers were significantly higher than that in the controls (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the percentage of the natural killer (NK) cell (CD56+ cell) was significantly increased in the exposed group (P < 0.001). There was a significant decrease in the percentages of CD3+ T cell, CD4+ T cell, and CD8+ T cell in the exposed group compared to the control (P < 0.001). The serum levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-6 in bitumen fumes exposed workers were significantly higher than that of the controls (P < 0.05). Moreover, positive correlations were observed between the serum levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and urinary 1-OH-P levels in bitumen fumes-exposed workers, respectively (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the serum levels of IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), macrophage inflammatory protein-1β (MIP-1β) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) between the exposed group and the control group (P > 0.05). Conclusion Our study suggested that low dose of bitumen fumes exposure could decrease the percentage of T cell, increase the percentage of NK cell and stimulate the release of serum IL-1β and IL-6 in the peripheral blood of exposed workers. The serum levels of IL-1β and IL-6 were positive correlated with the urinary 1-OH-P levels in bitumen fumes exposed workers. These results may inform the search for potential effective biomarkers and provide evidences for early health monitoring in workers occupationally exposed to bitumen fumes.

Chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) plays an important role in osteoarthritis (OA) treatment. Studies have reported the association of transforming growth factor beta-3 (TGF-β3) with chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs. In this study, the upstream mechanism and functions of TGF-β3 in chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs were explored.Flow cytometry was performed for the positive and negative MSC markers. Chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs was evaluated by Alcian blue staining. Gene expression and protein expression levels were measured by RT-qPCR and western blotting, respectively. Relationship between let-7a-3p and TGF-β3 was confirmed using bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter and RNA pulldown assays. Subcellular distributions of TGF-β3 and let-7a-3p were determined by FISH. In this study, BMSCs were identified to possess the characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells. TGF-β3 was found to induce chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Mechanically, TGF-β3 was verified to be targeted by let-7a-3p. In rescue assays, let-7a-3p overexpression reversed the effects of TGF-β3 overexpression on chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs.Let-7a-3p inhibits chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by targeting TGF-β3.

In order to determine the geochemical distribution of metals in the survey area, we investigated and analyzed soil samples according to the regulations of land quality and soil contamination. We analyzed the geochemical properties of the soil, like topsoil and deep soil, at the Binzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone. The background values and distributions of various soil indicator elements were identified within the survey area. The geochemical distribution of various elements was also determined in the soil, and the land quality and contaminants in the soil were assessed. We found that the topsoil in the survey area was free of the risk of contaminants.

Ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) is a pivotal sensor during the DNA damage response that slows cell passage through the cell cycle checkpoints to facilitate DNA repair, and liver fibrosis is an irreversible pathological consequence of the sustained wound-healing process, However, the effects of ATM on the development of liver fibrosis are still not fully understood. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the effects and potential mechanisms of ATM on the progression of liver fibrosis. Wild-type and ATM-deficient were administered with carbon tetrachloride (CCl

Objective To evaluate the impact of reconstruction parameters on the spatial resolution of the tomographic image in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT), and compare spatial resolution between a new polyvalent whole-body Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride camera (CZT-SPECT/CT) and a conventional dual-head Anger camera (conventional SPECT/CT). Methods Spatial resolution was evaluated with four-line sources filled with 99mTc in tomographic images reconstructed by varying reconstruction parameters. Ordered-subset expectation maximization (OSEM) algorithm was performed with varying iterations (1-20), the number of subsets was fixed at 10. Butterworth filter, Gauss filter and no-filter were selected, respectively. Computed tomography-based attenuation correction (CTAC), scatter correction, resolution recovery and no correction (NC) were adopted for image correction. Filtered back projection (FBP) with Butterworth filter and CTAC was performed in image reconstruction. Spatial resolution was expressed by the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) value. Results The impact of reconstruction parameters on the spatial resolution was identical in both cameras: FWHM values decreased with the increase of iterations and converged uniformly when the number of iterations was over 4. FWHM values decreased with the increase of cutoff frequency of the Butterworth filter and increased with the increase of the Gauss filter. scatter correction and resolution recovery improved spatial resolution, whereas CTAC had a negligible effect on spatial resolution when reconstructed by OSEM. FWHM was generally lower with OSEM reconstruction than FBP reconstruction. On the whole, under the same reconstruction conditions, CZT-SPECT/CT had a lower FWHM value than conventional SPECT/CT. Conclusion The spatial resolution was improved with the increase of iterations. Increasing the cutoff frequency of the Butterworth filter and decreasing the Gauss filter enhanced spatial resolution. The spatial resolution was better reconstructed by OSEM associated with attenuation correction, scatter correction and resolution recovery than FBP. CZT-SPECT/CT had better spatial resolution than conventional SPECT/CT.

Allyl and propargyl sulfonium salts are readily available reagents that have recently emerged as versatile building blocks for the assembly of cyclic skeletons. As an alternative to classical sulfonium salts, allyl and propargyl sulfonium salts can be converted into the corresponding vinyl sulfur ylide or allenic sulfonium salt intermediates that contain diverse nucleophilic or electrophilic reactive positions, thereby enabling a great variety of annulation reactions. In this short review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the recent developments in this growing field by summarizing annulation reactions involving allyl and propargyl sulfonium salts. 1 Introduction2 Annulations with Allyl Sulfonium Salts3 Annulations with Propargyl Sulfonium Salts4 Conclusion

Cold sintering is adopted to pre-densify LiF ceramics, where the relative density increases significantly from 72.1 % at 125 MPa to 88.9 % at 500 MPa. The following post-annealings at 800 °C lead to further optimizations of densification, and near-full densifications with relative densities of 95.6 % and 97.6 % are achieved at 375 and 500 MPa, respectively. Qf value increased with increasing uniaxial pressure until it reaches the maximum value of 134,050 GHz at 375 MPa, which is 1.82 times higher than that via conventional sintering (73,800 GHz). er and τf are mainly determined by the relative density, and the optimum microwave dielectric properties are obtained as follows: er = 8.45, Qf = 134,050 GHz, τf =–135 ppm/°C. A microstrip patch antenna is designed and fabricated using the LiF ceramic as the substrate, which gives an S11 of –20.3 dB, a simulated high efficiency of 90.5 %, and a gain of 4.25 dB at the resonant frequency of 6.81 GHz.

Chemical control has become less effective for the invasive weed species horseweed (Conyza canadensis) found in tangerine (Citrus reticulate) orchards of Korea. The dose–response assays of the biotypes of C. canadensis collected in 2017 from the Jeju province of Korea demonstrated that the amount of glyphosate needed for 50% growth reduction (GR50) in the glyphosate-resistant (GR) biotype was up to 100 times greater than that in the glyphosate-susceptible (GS) biotype (0.328 kg a.e. ha−1). However, the mechanism of resistance in the GR populations of C. canadensis in Korea is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the mechanism of resistance to glyphosate in the Korean C. canadensis populations. Shikimic acid accumulation and 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) gene expression were analyzed in a GR and a GS biotype of C. canadensis. The GR biotype showed less shikimic acid accumulation than the GS biotype. A target point mutation in the sequence encoding the Pro 106 of EPSPS1 was not found after sequencing the GR biotype. Moreover, the expression level of EPSPS1 was not altered significantly following application of glyphosate to the GS and GR biotypes, whereas the levels of M10 and M11 ABC transporter genes which play an important role in plant growth and nutrition, and the interaction of the plant with its environment were found to be slightly higher in the glyphosate-treated GS and GR biotypes than the untreated control plants. Our results show that M10 and M11 are likely to be involved in the glyphosate resistance mechanism in C. canadensis. Consequently, non-chemical control methods should be implemented to manage or slow the spread of glyphosate resistance in C. canadensis.

Atmospheric deposition is the main input route of some elements in soil. Heavy metals in the deposition matter have a significant impact on soil environmental quality. Taking Binzhou Economic Development Zone of Shandong Province as the investigation area, this paper studied the effects of heavy metal deposition on soil environmental quality were studied. Through the enrichment factor analysis and principal component analysis, it is found that elements such as Ni, Zn, Cd, Pb, Se, and F were affected by human activities to varying degrees and were significantly enriched. The comprehensive environmental geochemistry grade of dry and wet atmospheric deposition in the survey area is first class. It provides scientific basis for regional environmental health risk assessment and pollution prevention and control.

A new multi-functional organic-inorganic hybrid compound was successfully obtained by regulating metal halides. Apart from excellent luminescence properties, in particular, the introduction of a Mn halide successfully achieved a dual-switchable dielectric property, which could lead to very interesting exploration in sensors.

We systematically reviewed the effectiveness of hexaminolevulinic acid (HAL) after traditional light cystoscopy vs. only white light cystoscopy (WLC) on nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) clinical outcomes.Systematic literature searches of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane database and reference lists were performed. A total of 12 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of HAL fluorescent cystoscopy (FC) and WLC vs. white light cystoscopy alone for the diagnosis of initial or recurrent bladder cancer that reported bladder cancer recurrence, progression, recurrence-free survival (RFS), and other effects were selected for review.Our results included 2,775 patients identified for analysis and showed that the HAL group had a lower recurrence rate than the white light cystoscopy group with a statistically significant difference (RR=0.77, 95% CI 0.69-0.85. P 0.05), and this advantage still existed for patients receiving intravesical chemotherapy. There was also a statistically significant difference in favour of fluorescent cystoscopy in recurrence-free survival and progression rate (HR=0.79, 95% CI 0.67-0.92. P 0.05, RR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.43-0.94. P 0.05, respectively). The time to first recurrence was not significantly different from that in the WLC group (SMD=0.73, 95% CI, -0.39-1.85. P = 0.2). And the HAL group did not have a significantly reduced residual tumor rate (RR=0.59, 95% CI 0.23-1.51. P = 0.27).Fluorescent cystoscopy was associated with a reduced risk of bladder cancer recurrence and reduced progression rate; it also has advantages for RFS. However, there was no significant difference in the rate of residual tumor and the time of first recurrence. More studies are needed to better understand the effects of the photosensitizer used on NMIBC patients.

Molecular ferroelastics have received particular attention for potential applications in mechanical switches, shape memory, energy conversion, information processing, and solar cells, by taking advantages of their low-cost, light-weight, easy preparation, and mechanical flexibility. The unique structures of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites have been considered to be a design platform for symmetry-breaking-associated order-disorder in lattice, thereby possessing great potential for ferroelastic phase transition. Herein, we review the research progress of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite ferroelastics in recent years, focusing on the crystal structures, dimensions, phase transitions and ferroelastic properties. In view of the few reports on molecular-based hybrid ferroelastics, we look forward to the structural design strategies of molecular ferroelastic materials, as well as the opportunities and challenges faced by molecular-based hybrid ferroelastic materials in the future. This review will have positive guiding significance for the synthesis and future exploration of organic-inorganic hybrid molecular ferroelastics.

Aims: Extrathyroidal extension (ETE) is a determined factor of T3 and T4 stage of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) in American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC). We aimed to compare clinical outcomes between different extent of ETE according to tumor size.Methods: Patients diagnosed with DTC were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 2004 to 2015. They were categorized into two groups by presence of lymph node metastases (LNM) or distant metastases (DM): group A: no presence of LNM and DM, group B: presence of LNM or DM. Each group was further divided into four groups according to tumor size: £1cm, 1-2cm, 2-4cm, >4cm. ETE was divided into three groups by the extent: no ETE, microscopic ETE, and macroscopic ETE. Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank test were used to analyze cancer-specific survival (CSS).Results: 91975 patients were included. In group A and B, for tumor size £1cm, there was no significant difference in CSS between no ETE and microscopic ETE, while significant difference was observed between no ETE and macroscopic ETE. For tumor size >1cm, there were significant differences in CSS (both no ETE vs micro ETE and no ETE vs macro ETE).Conclusions: We suggests that when tumor size is more than 1cm, micro ETE is significantly associated with poorer outcome. T3 and T4 stage may take account into tumor size rather than merely based on the presence and extent of ETE. It may be prudent to revisit the omission of micro ETE in TNM staging

Cerebral hemorrhage is a fatal disease that causes severe damage to local nerve function. The purpose of this research is to analyze the effect of kurarinone on hemin-induced neuroinflammation and neurotoxicity. In our study, according to the results of bioinformatics analysis, we hypothesized that kurarinone might modulate cerebral hemorrhage advancement via the insulin-like growth factor 1/phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (IGF1/PI3K/Akt) signaling. Kurarinone promoted M2 microglia polarization, and curbed M1 polarization and inflammation in human microglial cells (HMC3) cells with hemin treatment. Besides, kurarinone upregulated IGF1 expression and activated the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in hemin-treated HMC3 cells. In addition, downregulation of IGF1 or inhibition of the PI3K/Akt signaling weakened the effects of kurarinone on microglia polarization and inflammation in HMC3 cells with hemin treatment. Kurarinone alleviated apoptosis and oxidative damage of SH-SY5Y cells co-cultured with hemin-treated HMC3 cells. In conclusion, kurarinone lessened hemin-induced neuroinflammation and microglia-mediated neurotoxicity by regulating microglial polarization through modulating the IGF1/PI3K/Akt signaling. These results delivered a new prospective therapeutic drug for the treatment of cerebral hemorrhage.

Introduction: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which mainly leads to diarrhea, fatigue, stool blood, abdominal pain, and cramping, is threatening public health. Tripartite motif-containing 52 (TRIM52) has been reported to play an important role in inflammatory responses via activating the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway. However, the causes of IBD need to be elucidated, and the function of TRIM52 in IBD remains unclear. Here, we demonstrated that TRIM52 aggravated inflammation and pyroptosis in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced IBD by activating TLR4/NF-κBs pathway. Methods: The colitis model was established on mice through DSS induction. For the TRIM52 knock-down, the mice were infected with a recombinant adenoviral vector expressing sgRNAs targeting TRIM52. RT-qPCR, western blot, and immunohistochemistry were performed to verify TRIM52 expression in DSS-induced IBD. The body weight, disease activity index, colon length, and H&E staining were used to assess the IBD symptoms in mice with TRIM52 knockdown. The inflammatory responses were examined by RT-qPCR and ELISA measuring tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin 1β (IL-1β). Furthermore, the pyroptosis in colon tissue was detected by western blot. Finally, the TLR4/NF-κBs pathway activity was also examined by western blot. Results: TRIM52 expression was up-regulated in DSS-induced IBD, and knockdown of TRIM52 could alleviate the symptoms of IBD. TRIM52 knockdown retarded DSS-induced inflammatory response and inhibited DSS-induced pyroptosis in colon tissue. In addition, TRIM52 played a role in activating TLR4/NF-κBs pathway. Conclusion: Knockdown of TRIM52 alleviated inflammation and pyroptosis in IBD by regulating TLR4/NF-κBs pathway. TRIM52 is expected to be a novel diagnostic indicator for IBD and a tar-get of therapeutic treatment.

The use of Chinese herbs containing aristolochic acid can induce the exchange of adenine and thymine in gene mutations and even cause liver cancer. To eliminate the harm of aristolochic acids (AAs) to humans, a rapid and robust method of AAs screening is a prerequisite. In this work, a facile and robust Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) method was used for the qualitative and quantitative detection of AAs in Chinese medicinal herbal preparations based on the mandelic acid modified Ag nanoparticles SERS substrate. Qualitative and quantitative SERS detection of Aristolochic acid I (AAI) was achieved with a good linear relationship ranging from 0.2 - 120.0 μM and a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.06 μM. The proposed method demonstrates a refined strategy for sensitivity analysis of AAs with the advantages of easy operation, time-saving, high sensitivity, and molecular specificity, making it a preferred platform for the screening of AAI in regular inspections of herbal products and regulatory supervision of the supply chain.

Purpose The objective of this study is to evaluate the benefits of radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment and the risk of second primary malignant (SPM) in RAI treated patients. Methods The cohort for this analysis consisted of individuals diagnosed with a first primary differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC), reported by SEER database in 1988–2016. Overall survival (OS) difference was estimated by Kaplan–Meier curves and Log-Rank test, and hazard ratios (HR) was obtained by cox proportional hazard model to evaluate the association between RAI and SPM. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) were calculated to assess cancer incidence in relation to RAI and no-RAI groups and the general population. Results Among 130,902 patients, 61,210 received RAI and 69,692 did not and a total of 8,604 patients developed SPM. We found that OS was significantly higher in patients who received RAI than those who did not (P P = 0.043), particularly for SPM occurred in ovary (RAI group: 0.17%, no-RAI group: 0.12%, P = 0.039) and leukemia (RAI group: 0.22%, no-RAI group: 0.12%, P

This brief investigates event-triggered synchronization of switching dynamical networks with sampling communications, where the control protocol is developed by incorporating sampled-data with variable topological structure, and suffices to guarantee synchronization under some state-dependent triggering condition. By adopting an input delay approach, the synchronization problem is converted into the stability of a delay differential equation with time-varying coefficient, and some sufficient criteria are consequently deduced. It is revealed that the time average of the algebraic connectivity of the underlying network plays a key role in reaching synchronization, and the largest admissible sampling period is also estimated. Moreover, a corollary independent of the exact topological information is also derived. Numerical simulation is finally given to demonstrate the theoretical results.

The outcomes of new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) during sepsis are inconsistent and inconclusive. This meta-analysis aims to provide a comprehensive description of the impact of new-onset AF on the prognosis of sepsis.Three electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library) were searched for relevant studies. Meta-analysis was performed using odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) as effect measures.A total of 225,841 patients from 13 individual studies were incorporated to the meta-analysis. The summary results revealed that new-onset AF during sepsis was associated with increased odds of in-hospital mortality (pooled OR: 2.09; 95% CI: 1.53-2.86; p 001), post-discharge mortality (pooled OR: 2.44; 95% CI: 1.81-3.29; p .001), and stroke (pooled OR:1.88; 95% CI: 1.13-3.14; p .05). Results also indicated that the incidence of new-onset AF varied from 1.9% for mild sepsis to 46.0% for septic shock. Furthermore, compared to those without AF, people with new-onset AF had longer ICU and hospital stays, as well as a higher recurrence of AF.New-onset AF is frequently associated with adverse outcomes in patients with sepsis. This is a clinical issue that warrants more attention and should be managed appropriately to prevent poor prognosis.

Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite (HOIP) have received tremendous scientific attention because of the phase transition and photovoltaic properties. However, achieving the special perovskite structure with both two-step dielectric response and luminescence characteristics is rarely reported. Herein, we report an organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite, [(BA)

Silica dust particles are representative of air pollution and long-term inhalation of silicon-containing dust through the respiratory tract can cause pulmonary fibrosis. Epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) plays an important role in the development of fibrosis. This process can relax cell-cell adhesion complexes and enhance cell migration and invasion properties of these cells. Dysregulation of microRNA-34c (miR-34c) is highly correlated with organ fibrosis including pulmonary fibrosis. In this study, we found that miR-34c-5p could alleviate the occurrence and development of silica-mediated EMT. Fos-related antigen 1 was identified as a functional target of miR-34c-5p by bioinformatics analysis and the dual luciferase gene reporting assay. Importantly, chemically induced up-regulation of hsa-miR-34c-5p correlated inversely with the expression of Fra-1 and further exploration found that the miR-34c-5p/Fra-1 axis inhibits the activation of the phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10/phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate3-kinase/protein kinase B (PTEN/PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway. In addition, through interaction with PTEN/p53 it inhibits the proliferation and migration of human bronchial epithelial cells stimulated by silica, and promotes cell apoptosis, thereby preventing EMT. This finding provides a promising biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of pulmonary fibrosis. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-34c-5p represents a potential therapeutic approach.

Oxindoles and β-lactams are attractive structural motifs because of their unique biological importance. However, the fusion of the two moieties featuring 3,3'-spirocyclic scaffolds is a challenging task in organic synthesis. Herein we designed a novel type of oxindole-based azaoxyallyl cation synthons, which could readily participate in the [3 + 1] cyclization with sulfur ylides. With this protocol, a collection of 3,3-spiro[β-lactam]-oxindoles were facilely produced in up to 94% yield with perfect diastereoselectivity.

A Lewis acid-promoted [6+1] annulation between sulfur ylides and modified vinyl benzoxazinanones was described. In this reaction, the newly designed vinyl benzoxazinanones could serve as a novel six-atom synthon, and the key to success is the installation of an electron-withdrawing group on the alkene moiety of the benzoxazinanones. A broad range of substrates are compatible with this mild reaction system, thereby providing a facile and practical approach for constructing a benzo[b]azepine skeleton.

What is already known about this topic? Benzene is classified as a Class I human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Long-term exposure to benzene increases the risk of chronic benzene poisoning and leukemia. However, benzene is still widely used in the manufacturing industry. What is added by this report? The scale of enterprises most exposed to benzene was small enterprises, and joint-equity enterprises had the highest number that exceeded the permissible concentration-time weighted average. What are the implications for public health practice? It is still necessary to strengthen the monitoring of benzene concentrations in the manufacturing industry, especially in small enterprises. The occupational exposure limit of benzene should be appropriately reduced.

To retrospectively analyze the risk factors and the prognosis according to the number of lymph node metastases (LNMs) in different neck compartments in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients. In total, 962 patients with PTC were enrolled in this study. According to the methods of the 2015 American Thyroid Association, the treatment response of the patients was divided into a good prognosis and a poor prognosis. First, their clinical characteristics were summarized. Then, according to whether they had LNMs and the number of LNMs in different neck compartments, their risk factors and their prognosis were analyzed. Male sex, younger ( 4. Male sex, younger age, higher sTg levels and ETE were correlated with LNM > 4. Furthermore, the cutoffs for a poor prognosis of central lymph node metastasis (CLNM), lateral lymph node metastasis (LLNM) and CLNM + LLNM were > 6, > 1 and > 5, respectively. Younger age and ETE were strongly correlated with CLNM > 6. Male sex, younger age, higher sTg levels and ETE were correlated with LLNM > 1. Younger age, ETE and higher sTg levels were correlated with CLNM + LLNM > 5. Further analysis revealed a positive correlation between CLNM and LLNM. We should pay more attention to LNMs in PTC patients who are male, are of a younger age, have ETE, T1 staging and have higher sTg levels. The neck regional LNMs should be correctly evaluated to guide the surgical options for the neck LNMs in PTC. When the number of LNMs in different neck compartments has exceeded the cutoff value, they can be considered as predictors of the outcome of 131I treatment.

Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is an organophosphate insecticide commonly used to treat fruit and vegetable crops. CPF can cause severe adverse effects on body organs including the liver and central nervous system. This study investigated the CPF-induced inflammation in mice and explored the role of intestinal flora changes in liver inflammation. Adult C57BL/6 male mice were exposed to a CPF of 0.01-, 0.1-, 1- and 10-mg/kg bodyweight for 12 weeks. The mice in experimental group given CPF solution dissolved in corn oil vehicle by gavage, was administered by intraoral gavage for 5 days per week for 12 weeks. Histopathological examination and inflammatory factor detection were performed on mice liver tissue. Faeces were used for 16S ribosomal RNA high-throughput sequencing to explore the impact of CPF on intestinal flora structure and diversity. The results showed that 1- and 10-mg/kg CPF caused different degrees of liver focal inflammation. The structure of intestinal flora changed significantly in mice including the decreased beneficial bacteria (Akkermansia, Prevotella and Butyricimonas) and increased pathogenic bacteria (Helicobacter and Desulfovibrio). Meanwhile, the results of Q-RT-PCR showed that there was more total bacterial DNA in the liver tissue of the mice treated with 10-mg/kg groups. In conclusion, the imbalance of intestinal flora, the decreased abundance of beneficial bacteria and the increased abundance of pathogenic bacteria, as well as the increase of total bacterial DNA in the liver tissues, maybe associated with the liver focal inflammation induced by CPF.