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The aim of this study was to optimize the preparation method of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) denture base loaded with nano silver (NAg), to more effectively and safely impart sustainable antibacterial functions. NAg solution was synthetized and mixed with acrylic acid and methyl methyacrylate (MMA) monomer in order to prepare a new type of NAg solution (NS)/polymer methyl methacrylate denture base specimens (NS/PMMA). The surface morphology, mechanical strength, antimicrobial activity, anti-aging performance, cytotoxicity and biocompatibility of NS/PMMA denture base were evaluated in comparison with specimens fabricated using traditional NAg adding methods and NAg-free denture base. The aesthetic characteristics and mechanical strength of NS/PMMA denture base met the clinical application requirements. Meanwhile, NS/PMMA denture base showed better antibacterial activity, anti-aging properties, no cytotoxicity and displayed exceptional biocompatibility. NS/PMMA denture base thus has great potential for clinical application.

At present, compared with other antibiotic degradation systems, there are few literatures on pho- tocatalytic degradation of sulfadiazine (SDZ). In this research, it was firstly discovered that the oxygen-rich bismuth oxybromide (Bi

The failure of T cells to eradicate tumour cells in the tumour microenvironment is mainly due to the dysfunction of T cells. Senescent T cells, with defects in proliferation and effector functions, accumulate in ageing, chronic viral infections, and autoimmune disorders where antigen stimulation persists. Increasing evidence suggests that inducing T cell senescence is a key strategy used by malignant tumours to evade immune surveillance. In this review, we summarize the general features, functional regulation, and signalling network of senescent T cells in tumour development and highlight their potential as prognostic biomarkers in multiple cancer treatments, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. Moreover, we discuss possible therapeutic strategies for preventing or rejuvenating senescence in tumour-specific T cells. Understanding these critical issues may provide novel strategies to enhance cancer immunotherapy.

BackgroundSmall-cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type (SCCOHT) is a rare but highly undifferentiated, aggressive malignancy that primarily affects young women. Due to the early onset, unclear familial history, and vague presenting symptoms, most SCCOHT patients present with advanced disease and have a very poor prognosis. Although several therapeutic regimens have been proposed, there is no consensus on the optimal strategy. Case presentationWe described three cases of advanced-stage SCCOHT treated with cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy with or without immune checkpoint blockade treatment. The patients showed different survival rates.Conclusions Given the almost universal mortality of advanced SCCOHT during long-term follow-up, we believe these cases highlight the importance of prompt diagnosis as well as early, aggressive, and combined modality treatment of SCCOHT. We also believe that improved therapies could result in more young patients surviving SCCOHT.

Soil contamination with tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) has been an environmental concern for many years, but in situ studies of the fate and potential risk of TBBPA are lacking. In this study, we investigated the dissipation, metabolism, strong alkali-hydrolytic (SAH-TBBPA), and vertical movement of TBBPA in the field with and without rice-wheat rotation and reed growth for 1225 days. After 342 days of incubation, 21.3% of the TBBPA remained in the surface soil accompanied by obvious leaching to deeper soil layers in the first 92 days. By day 1225, TBBPA was nearly absent from the surface soil layer. A very low amount of SAH-TBBPA (2.31-3.43 mg/kg) was detected during the first 342 days of incubation. In the surface soil, five metabolites were identified that represented four interconnected pathways: oxidative skeletal cleavage, O-methylation, type II ipso-substitution, and reductive debromination. Both rice-wheat rotation and monocultural reed growth accelerated TBBPA removal in the field by stimulating the anaerobic debromination and aerobic O-methylation, especially the oxidative skeletal cleavage of TBBPA in the rhizosphere soil. Though far from comprehensive, our study investigated the natural attenuation and metabolism of TBBPA in situ and the influence by crops to estimate the environmental risk of TBBPA in a field scale.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) mediated by 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) is a minimally-invasive treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of 5-ALA-PDT on CIN2 and the factors influencing outcome of 5-ALA-PDT.Patients diagnosed as CIN2 who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in this study sequentially from January 2019 to April 2020. Patients were treated by PDT or cryotherapy according to their intentions. The primary endpoint was pathological regression. The secondary endpoint was HPV clearance. Affecting factors of the efficacy of PDT and adverse events were also assessed during treatment.A total of 210 patients were enrolled, including 97 patients in PDT group and 101 patients in cryotherapy group, with 12 patients excluded. There was no statistical difference in population characteristics. The pathological regression rate in PDT group was 92.0% (80/87), compared with 81.4% (79/97) in cryotherapy group (P 0.05). The HPV clearance rate was 64.4% (56/87) in PDT group and 57.8% (56/97) in cryotherapy group (P = 0.36). The main side effects of PDT were abdominal pain (24.1%, 21/87) and increased vaginal secretions (23.0%, 20/87). On univariate analysis, the risk for lesions persisting at 6 months after PDT was increased by recurrent genital tract inflammation (P = 0.004), smoking or passive smoking (P = 0.020), and multicentric lesions (P = 0.020).PDT can be a safe and efficient treatment for CIN2. Risk factors for persisting HSIL after PDT include recurrent genital tract inflammation, smoking or passive smoking, and multicentric lesions.

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Crop genetic improvement requires balancing complex tradeoffs caused by gene pleiotropy and linkage drags, as exemplified by IPA1 (Ideal Plant Architecture 1), a typical pleiotropic gene in rice that increases grains per panicle but reduces tillers. In this study, we identified a 54-base pair cis-regulatory region in IPA1 via a tiling-deletion-based CRISPR-Cas9 screen that, when deleted, resolves the tradeoff between grains per panicle and tiller number, leading to substantially enhanced grain yield per plant. Mechanistic studies revealed that the deleted fragment is a target site for the transcription factor An-1 to repress IPA1 expression in panicles and roots. Targeting gene regulatory regions should help dissect tradeoff effects and provide a rich source of targets for breeding complementary beneficial traits.

Mycotoxins are metabolites produced by fungi growing in food or feed, which can produce toxic effects and seriously threaten the health of humans and animals. Mycotoxins are commonly found in food and feed, and are of significant concern due to their hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, and ability to damage the immune and reproductive systems. Traditional physical and chemical detoxification methods to treat mycotoxins in food and feed products have limitations, such as loss of nutrients, reagent residues, and secondary pollution to the environment. Thus, there is an urgent need for new detoxification methods to effectively control mycotoxins and treat mycotoxin pollution. In recent years, microbial detoxification technology has been widely used for the degradation of mycotoxins in food and feed because this approach offers the potential for treatment with high efficiency, low toxicity, and strong specificity, without damage to nutrients. This article reviews the application of microbial detoxification technology for removal of common mycotoxins such as Aflatoxin, Ochratoxin, Zearalenone, Deoxynivalenol, and Fumonisins, and discusses the development trend of this important technology.

BackgroundHigh grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most common subtype of ovarian cancer. Although platinum-based chemotherapy has been the cornerstone for HGSOC treatment, nearly 25% of patients would have less than 6 months of interval since the last platinum chemotherapy, referred to as platinum-resistance. Currently, no precise tools to predict platinum resistance have been developed yet.MethodsNinety-nine HGSOC patients, who have finished cytoreductive surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy in Peking University Third Hospital from 2018 to 2019, were enrolled. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and whole-exome sequencing (WES) were performed on the collected tumor tissue samples to establish a platinum-resistance predictor in a discovery cohort of 57 patients, and further validated in another 42 HGSOC patients.ResultsA high prevalence of alterations in DNA damage repair (DDR) pathway, including BRCA1/2, was identified both in the platinum-sensitive and resistant HGSOC patients. Compared with the resistant subgroup, there was a trend of higher prevalence of homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) in the platinum-sensitive subgroup (78.95% vs. 47.37%, p=0.0646). Based on the HRD score, microhomology insertions and deletions (MHID), copy number changes load, duplication load of 1–100 kb, single nucleotide variants load, and eight other mutational signatures, a combined predictor of platinum-resistance, named as DRDscore, was established. DRDscore outperformed in predicting the platinum-sensitivity than the previously reported biomarkers with a predictive accuracy of 0.860 at a threshold of 0.7584. The predictive performance of DRDscore was validated in an independent cohort of 42 HGSOC patients with a sensitivity of 90.9%.ConclusionsA multi-genomic signature-based analysis enabled the prediction of initial platinum resistance in advanced HGSOC patients, which may serve as a novel assessment of platinum resistance, provide therapeutic guidance, and merit further validation.

The migration risk of antibiotic and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have attracted lots of attentions due to their potential threaten to public health. Strategies to reduce their vertical mobilization risk are urgently required for groundwater safety and human health. Biochar enjoys numerous interests due to its excellent sorption affinity. However, little was known about the efficacy of biochar amendment in impeding the vertical mobilization of antibiotic and ARGs. To fill this gap, a column study was carried out to investigate biochar-induced variations in the leaching behavior of dissolved organic matter (DOM), sulfamethazine (SMZ) and ARGs. Results showed that biochar addition enhanced DOM export from soil, changed its composition and impeded the vertical transport of SMZ. Biochar amendment could effectively decrease the occurrence of extracellular and intracellular sul2 in soil and impede its vertical transportation, however, it did not work out with sul1 gene. Structural equation modeling analysis demonstrated that the abundance of sul2 was significantly controlled by SMZ concentration, while the primary drivers of sul1 were SMZ concentration and DOM content. These results indicated the failure in inhibiting the vertical transfer of sul1 under biochar amendment and highlighted the important role of DOM in the leaching of soil ARGs.

In this paper, we explore a canonical connection between the algebra of $q$-difference operators $\widetilde{V}_{q}$, affine Lie algebra and affine vertex algebras associated to certain subalgebra $\mathcal{A}$ of the Lie algebra $\mathfrak{gl}_{\infty}$. We also introduce and study a category $\mathcal{O}$ of $\widetilde{V}_{q}$-modules. More precisely, we obtain a realization of $\widetilde{V}_{q}$ as a covariant algebra of the affine Lie algebra $\widehat{\mathcal{A}^{*}}$, where $\mathcal{A}^{*}$ is a 1-dimensional central extension of $\mathcal{A}$. We prove that restricted $\widetilde{V_{q}}$-modules of level $\ell_{12}$ correspond to $\mathbb{Z}$-equivariant $\phi$-coordinated quasi-modules for the vertex algebra $V_{\widetilde{\mathcal{A}}}(\ell_{12},0)$, where $\widetilde{\mathcal{A}}$ is a generalized affine Lie algebra of $\mathcal{A}$. In the end, we show that objects in the category $\mathcal{O}$ are restricted $\widetilde{V_{q}}$-modules, and we classify simple modules in the category $\mathcal{O}$.

Cadmium accumulation in rice is a major source of Cd exposure in humans worldwide. A three-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the ecological safety and long-term stability of biochar combined with lime or silicon fertilizer for Cd immobilization in a polluted rice paddy. The results showed that the application of combined ameliorants could reduce the Cd content in brown rice to meet the Chinese maximum permissible limit for Cd content in food products (0.2 mg/kg). In addition, such amendments stimulated metabolic pathways in soil bacteria, including carbon metabolism, citrate cycle, pyruvate metabolism, biosynthesis of amino acids, and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, revealing improvements in soil biological activity and soil health. Therefore, the results provide a practical strategy for the safe utilization of farmland with mild levels of heavy metal pollution.

Although chemotherapy is the first-line treatment for ovarian cancer (OCa) patients, chemoresistance (CR) decreases their progression-free survival. This paper investigates the genetic interaction (GI) related to OCa-CR. To decrease the complexity of establishing gene networks, individual signature genes related to OCa-CR are identified using a gradient boosting decision tree algorithm. Additionally, the genetic interaction coefficient (GIC) is proposed to measure the correlation of two signature genes quantitatively and explain their joint influence on OCa-CR. Gene pair that possesses high GIC is identified as signature pair. A total of 24 signature gene pairs are selected that include 10 individual signature genes and the influence of signature gene pairs on OCa-CR is explored. Finally, a signature gene pair-based prediction of OCa-CR is identified. The area under curve (AUC) is a widely used performance measure for machine learning prediction. The AUC of signature gene pair reaches 0.9658, whereas the AUC of individual signature gene-based prediction is 0.6823 only. The identified signature gene pairs not only build an efficient GI network of OCa-CR but also provide an interesting way for OCa-CR prediction. This improvement shows that our proposed method is a useful tool to investigate GI related to OCa-CR.

Single-cell electrochemical sensor is widely used in the local selective detection of single living cells because of its high spatial-temporal resolution and sensitivity, as well as its ability to obtain comprehensive cellular physiological states and processes with increased accuracy. Functionalized nanoprobes can detect the oxidative stress response of cells in single-cell electrochemical sensors. Moreover, the T-2 toxin is one of the most toxic mycotoxins and widely occurs in field crops. T-2 toxin can cause mitochondrial damage in cells and increase intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in various cells. As the most representative free radical of intracellular ROS, H2O2 can effectively reflect the toxic effects of intracellular T-2 toxin. In this study, a functionalized gold nanoprobe was used to dynamically monitor the production of H2O2 in a single live human hepatoma cell HepG2 stimulated by mycotoxin T-2. The concentration of H2O2 produced by HepG2 cells stimulated by T-2 toxin at 1 ppb-1 ppm was linearly correlated, R2 = 0.99055, and LOD = 0.13807 ng mL-1. Sample spiking experiments were conducted, and the recovery rate of spiking was 81.19%-130.17%. A comparative analysis of differences in the current produced by multiple toxins, HT-29 cells, as well as single cells in cell populations, was performed. This method can be applied in real-time monitoring of mycotoxin toxicity during food processing in living cells and provides a novel idea for enhancing food quality and safety in a nanoenvironment.

The accumulation of sulfonamides in the soil environment possessed the potential to change soil microbial community and function. Metabolomics is capable of providing insights into the carbon metabolic pool and molecular mechanisms associated with external stressors. Here we evaluated alternations in soil bacterial community and soil metabolites profiles under sulfadiazine (SDZ) exposure and proposed a potential mechanism that SDZ accumulation in soil affected soil organic matter (SOM) cycling. Sequencing analysis showed that the relative abundance of bacterial species associated with carbon cycling significantly decreased under high concentrations of SDZ exposure. Untargeted metabolomics analysis showed that 78 metabolites were significantly changed with the presence of SDZ in soil. The combination of functional predictions and pathway analysis both demonstrated that high concentrations of SDZ exposure could cause disturbance in anabolism and catabolism. Moreover, the noticeable decline in the relative content of carbohydrates under high concentrations of SDZ exposure might weaken physical separation and provide more chances for microbes to degrade SOM. The above results provided evidence that SDZ accumulation in soil held the potential to disturb SOM cycling. These findings spread our understanding about the environmental risk of antibiotic in the soil environment beyond the dissemination of antibiotic resistance.

The roundabout is a typical changeable, interactive scenario in which automated vehicles should make adaptive and safe decisions. In this article, an optimization embedded reinforcement learning (OERL) is proposed to achieve adaptive decision-making under the roundabout. The promotion is the modified actor of the Actor-Critic framework, which embeds the model-based optimization method in reinforcement learning to explore continuous behaviors in action space directly. Therefore, the proposed method can determine the macroscale behavior (change lane or not) and medium-scale behaviors of desired acceleration and action time simultaneously with high sample efficiency. When scenarios change, medium-scale behaviors can be adjusted timely by the embedded direct search method, promoting the adaptability of decision-making. More notably, the modified actor matches human drivers' behaviors, macroscale behavior captures the human mind's jump, and medium-scale behaviors are preferentially adjusted through driving skills. To enable the agent adapts to different types of the roundabout, task representation is designed to restructure the policy network. In experiments, the algorithm efficiency and the learned driving strategy are compared with decision-making containing macroscale behavior and constant medium-scale behaviors of the desired acceleration and action time. To investigate the adaptability, the performance under an untrained type of roundabout and two more dangerous situations are simulated to verify that the proposed method changes the decisions with changeable scenarios accordingly. The results show that the proposed method has high algorithm efficiency and better system performance.

Microplastics are widespread in freshwater environments, their biological effects and combined effects of other pollutants have attracted extensive attention. In this study, we investigated the adsorption properties of heavy metals onto polystyrene (PS) microplastics as well as the bioavailability and toxicity of microplastics and heavy metals by hydroponic wheat seedlings experiment. Results showed that PS microplastics (0.5 µm, 100 mg/L) had no significant effect on wheat seedlings growth, photosynthesis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) content. However, PS microplastics could adsorb copper and cadmium, with a predominantly chemisorption. The accumulation of copper and cadmium in wheat seedlings reduced in the presence of PS microplastics, which meant the toxic effect by heavy metals might be mitigated. Compared with single heavy metals treatments, the combination of PS microplastics and heavy metals increased chlorophyll content, enhanced photosynthesis and reduced the accumulation of ROS. These findings suggest that PS microplastics (0.5 µm, 100 mg/L) have a mitigating effect on the bioavailability and toxicity of copper and cadmium.

This paper proposes a road risk assessment(RRA) algorithm based on lane and obstacle information, including obstacle selection based on lane line equations and risk assessment based on time to collision (TTC). The algorithm can integrate the functions of collision warning and lane change risk assessment, and can be implemented on actual vehicles. RRA can provide collision warning for vehicles in the lane and also give lane-changing suggestions, and can conduct risk assessment of the lane to be changed according to the needs of lane changing. In addition, the alarm logic is designed, that is, when multiple risks appear at the same time, it is determined which HMI signal to prompt the driver. This method has been tested on the AEOLUS D53 vehicle, and the test results show that the system can effectively evaluate the driving risk.

Objective: To assess the effect of the program of individualized diabetes education on type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients. Methods: This is a single-center randomized controlled trial that will be implemented from December 2020 to April 2021. The experiment was granted through the Research Ethics Committee of People's Hospital of Chengyang District (03982765). Patients are randomly assigned to the study group and control group with 50 cases in each group. Patients who meet the following criteria will be included in our study: patients diagnosed with type 2 DM based on the World Health Organization diagnostic criteria in 1999; patients who can take part in the follow-up researches after discharge; patients who can provide the written informed consent. And the exclusion criteria include: the known mental or psychological disorders, for instance, severe anxiety disorders or depression; severe comorbidities, e.g. liver dysfunction, kidney failure, stroke, and cancer; Uncontrolled diabetes complications, for instance, infection, acidosis, as well as peripheral vascular disease. The clinical examination shall be conducted during each follow-up period, and the laboratory examination is implemented as necessary in the process of each hospital visit. At the end of the 6-month study, each patient's blood pressure, waist circumference, body mass index, blood lipids, as well as fasting blood glucose are evaluated. Results: Table 1 reveals the comparison of biochemical results and clinical results between the control group and the study group. Conclusion: Individualized diabetes education may improve the clinical outcomes in patients with type 2 DM. Trial registration: The protocol was registered in Research Registry (researchregistry6232).

Objective This study examined the feasibility and safety of allogeneic uterus transplantation (UTx) from a living donor and assessed short-term graft viability in a rhesus model. This research is an important step towards further clinical application of UTx in humans. Materials and methods Four female rhesus monkeys with regular menstrual cycles were used in this study, the animals were either donors or recipients depending on ABO blood type compatibility. Retrieval surgery was performed to connect the uterus and uterine arteries together with the ovarian uterine vein from the living donor, and the vagina of the recipient was excised. After the back table had been prepared, bilateral uterine arteries were anastomosed end-to-side with the iliac externa arteries, and bilateral ovarian uterine veins were anastomosed end-to-side with the iliac externa vena. The transplanted uterus was evaluated based on the conditions of arterial blood, and flow was evaluated by transabdominal ultrasonography one month post operation. The conditions of the transplanted uterus were examined by secondary laparotomy. The reproductive function of rhesus monkeys was evaluated on the basis of the menstrual cycle. Results All 4 rhesus monkeys received the transplantation surgery without any surgical complications. No injury occurred in the other organs, and no vascular injury was observed in the allogeneic uterus. All recipients survived after the surgery with a 100% short-term survival rate. All recipients resumed normal menstruation within two months after surgery. Conclusions Our short follow-up shows that allogeneic UTx surgery is a safe and feasible technology in the rhesus model. The arterial conditions and blood flow of the grafted uterus can be monitored by ultrasonography examination.

Three novel permeable reactive barrier (PRB) materials composed of Cu/Fe with 0.24% and 0.43% (w/w) Cu loadings or Fe0 supported on wheat straw were prepared (termed materials E, F and G). These materials exhibited excellent pollutant removal efficiency and physical stability as well as the ongoing release of organic carbon and iron. Column experiments showed that materials E, F and G removed almost 100% of ortho-nitrochlorobenzene (o-NCB) from water. The rates of iron release from the E and F columns exceeded those from column G but this had no significant effect on o-NCB removal. The bacteria that degraded o-NCB in E and F were also different from those in G. The levels of these bacteria in the columns were higher than those in the initial materials, with the highest level in column E. The simultaneous reduction and microbial degradation of o-NCB was observed, with the latter being dominant. A kinetic model was established to simulate the dynamic interactions and accurately predicted the experimental results. Organic carbon from the wheat straw supported the majority of the biomass in each column, which was essential for the bioremediation process. The findings of this study suggest an economically viable approach to mitigating o-NCB pollution.

Plant-associated microorganisms play an important role in controlling heavy metal uptake and accumulation in aerial parts. The microbial community and its interaction with Cd accumulation by willow were assessed to explore the association of phytoextraction efficiency and rhizospheric microbial populations. Therefore, the rhizosphere microbial compositions of three willow genotypes grown in two Cd polluted sites were investigated, focusing on their interactions with phytoremediation potential. Principal coordinate analysis revealed a significant effect of genotype on the rhizosphere microbial communities. Distinct beneficial microorganisms, such as plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) and mycorrhizal fungi, were assembled in the rhizosphere of different willow genotypes. Linear mixed models showed that the relative abundance of PGPB was positively associated (p 0.01) with Cd accumulation, since these microbes significantly increased willow growth. The higher abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the rhizosphere of Salix × aureo-pendula CL 'J1011' at the Kejing site, showed a negative correlation with the Cd content, but a positive correlation with biomass. Conversely, mycorrhizal fungi, were more abundant in the rhizosphere of S. × jiangsuensis CL. 'J2345' and positively correlated with the Cd content in willow tissues. This study provides new insights into the distinctive microbial communities in rhizosphere of different willow genotypes, which may be consistent with the phytoremediation potential.

Tractor semi-trailers play an important role in the freight transportation on highways, ports, factories and large logistics centers. A path tracking strategy with excellent performance can not only ensure the tractor semi-trailer safety but also improve the traffic efficiency and profitability of the transportation business. Due to the coupling articulated structure between the tractor and semi-trailer, the semi-trailer trajectory can only be controlled by adjusting the tractor control action, which makes the path tracking of tractor semi-trailer path tracking more difficult than passenger vehicles. Aiming at the problem of semi-trailer path tracking, a novel simplified kinematics and dynamics model of the tractor semi-trailer is established, which can reflect the basic kinematic and dynamic characteristics of tractor semi-trailer. Based on this model, an regional tractor semi-trailer path tracking strategy based on model predictive control(MPC) is presented in this paper, in which only front wheel angle of the tractor is needed to be optimized. Finally, the effectiveness of the controller is verified by the joint simulation of TruckSim and Simulink.

Q-learning usually carries out global path planning in grid environment, which is difficult to satisfy the requirements of vehicle dynamics in practice. In this paper, a local path planning for intelligent vehicle based on Q-learning algorithm is proposed. Firstly, the vehicle-road model is established. The information of lane boundary and lane center line is obtained by interpolation method, and the position relationship between main vehicle and environment vehicle is determined. Secondly, the variables that can reflect the driving state of the vehicle and the relationship with the surrounding vehicle position are determined to describe the vehicle states. According to the actual driving situation and the mechanical structure of the vehicle, the action that the vehicle can take is determined. Then, the reward and punishment function is designed through the optimization objectives: driving in the lane, no collision with the surrounding vehicles and so on. Finally, the vehicle path discrete sequence is obtained after training, it is necessary to smooth the path to ensure that the vehicle can track the planned path well. In this paper, the cubic spline interpolation is used to process the discrete path sequence into smooth continuous path. In order to verify the effectiveness of the planning method, the path tracking simulation is carried out on MATLAB/CarSim software. The results show that the path solved by this method can satisfy the requirements of vehicle dynamics.

The pre-metastatic niche is a favorable microenvironment for the colonization of metastatic tumor cells in specific distant organs. Lipid droplets (LDs, also known as lipid bodies or adiposomes) have increasingly been recognized as lipid-rich, functionally dynamic organelles within tumor cells, immune cells, and other stromal cells that are linked to diverse biological functions and human diseases. Moreover, in recent years, several studies have described the indispensable role of LDs in the development of pre-metastatic niches. This review discusses current evidence related to the biogenesis, composition, and functions of LDs related to the following characteristics of the pre-metastatic niche: immunosuppression, inflammation, angiogenesis/vascular permeability, lymphangiogenesis, organotropism, reprogramming. We also address the function of LDs in mediating pre-metastatic niche formation. The potential of LDs as markers and targets for novel antimetastatic therapies will be discussed.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most lethal malignant gynecologic tumors, characterized by an uncertain presentation and poor outcomes. With or without neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery followed by platinum-based chemotherapy and maintenance therapy are the basis for the treatment of ovarian cancer patients, but the outcome is still highly restricted by their advanced stage when diagnosed and high recurrence rate after chemotherapy. To enhance the anti-tumor effect and postpone recurrence, anti-VEGF agents and PARP inhibitors are suggested as maintenance therapy, but the population that can benefit from these treatments is small. Based on the interactions of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment, immunotherapies are being explored for ovarian cancer treatment. Disappointingly, the immune checkpoint inhibitors show relatively low responses in ovarian cancer. As shown in several studies that have uncovered a relationship between DC infiltration and outcome in ovarian cancer patients, dendritic cell (DC)-based treatments might have a potential effect on ovarian cancer. In this review, we summarize the functions of dendritic cells (DCs) in the tumor microenvironment, as well as the responses and drawbacks of existing clinical studies to draw a comprehensive picture of DC vaccine treatment in ovarian cancer and to discuss the promising future of immune biomarkers.

Background Dysfunction of microRNAs (miRNAs) is a major cause of aberrant expression of inflammatory cytokines and contributes to macrophage polarization. Proinflammatory M1 macrophages promote T helper (Th) 1 responses and show tumoricidal activity, whereas M2 macrophages display regulatory functions in tissue repair and remodeling and promote Th2 immune responses. Previous studies have shown that miRNA let-7 is associated with cellular differentiation and that the expression of let-7b-5p is significantly augmented in M2 macrophages. However, the mechanism by which let-7b-5p regulates macrophage differentiation in prostate cancer (PCa) remains largely unknown. Methods Human macrophages were induced by blood monocytes from healthy male donors, and M1 macrophages were polarized by stimulating them overnight with 100 ng/ml of lipopolysaccharides and 100 ng/ml of IFN-γ. Conditioned medium from PC-3 cells was used to induce prostatic macrophages (M-CMs) in vitro, and we then transfected let-7b-5p mimics or inhibitors into M1 and M-CMs for 72 h. The expression of cluster of differentiation 206 (CD206) in each group was detected with the High-Throughput Connotation of Imaging System. We used quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to examine the expression of the inflammatory cytokines IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, TNF-alpha, and let-7b in macrophages. SOCS1 protein levels were evaluated by ELISA, and the phosphorylation difference in STAT family member proteins was analyzed using CST signal-pathway chip. Phagocytosis by macrophages and the effect of macrophages on the proliferation of prostate cancer PC-3 cells were evaluated with phagocytosis assay or the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assay. The relationship between SOCS1 and let-7b-5p was confirmed with a dual-luciferase reporter. Results The expression of cluster of differentiation 206 (CD206, a M2-like macrophage surface molecule) was significantly increased in M1 macrophages treated with let-7b-5p mimics, while CD206 expression was decreased in M-CMs treated with let-7b-5p inhibitors. Overexpression or knockdown of let-7b-5p significantly affected the expression of inflammatory factors in macrophages—including interleukin 10 (IL-10), IL-12, IL-13, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. Let-7b-5p downregulated the expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) and increased the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1), STAT3, and STAT5a proteins in M-CMs and M1 macrophages with let-7b-5p mimics relative to the other groups. In addition, with the elevated expression of let-7b-5p, the phagocytosis by macrophages showed a commensurate and significant decrease. As a result, M-CMs treated with let-7b-5p inhibitors reduced the proliferation of PC-3 PCa cells. Conclusions Collectively, these data indicated that let-7b-5p may regulate M2 polarization through the SOCS1/STAT pathway and that reversal of M2 differentiation by let-7b-5p inhibitors enhanced macrophage phagocytosis, ultimately inhibiting the proliferation of PCa cells.

Microplastics were reported to adsorb antibiotics and may modify their effects on soil systems. But there has been little research investigating how microplastics may affect the toxicities of antibiotics to microbes under future climate conditions. Here, we used a free-air CO

Fluzoparib (PARP inhibitor) showed promising antitumor activity for advanced ovarian cancer in a phase I study. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of fluzoparib in patients with germlineThis open-label, multicenter, single-arm, phase II study enrolled patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer and germlineA total of 113 patients were enrolled and received at least one dose of fluzoparib. As of data cutoff on March 21, 2020, the median follow-up period was 15.9 months (interquartile range, 13.5-18.5). The IRC- and investigator-assessed objective response rates were 69.9% [95% confidence interval (CI), 60.6-78.2] and 70.8% (95% CI, 61.5-79.0), respectively. The objective response rates were similar across all prespecified subgroups. The median IRC- and investigator-assessed progression-free survival was 12.0 months (95% CI, 9.3-13.9) and 10.3 months (95% CI, 9.2-12.0), respectively. The 12-month survival rate was 93.7% (95% CI, 87.2-96.9). Grade ≥3 adverse events occurred in 63.7% (72/113) of the patients, with the most common one being anemia/decreased hemoglobin. Adverse events that led to treatment interruption, dose reduction, and discontinuation occurred in 39.8%, 34.5%, and 0.9% of patients, respectively. One treatment-related death occurred.Fluzoparib demonstrated promising antitumor activity and acceptable safety profile in germline

Background Ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal gynecological cancers,and is in the top five cancer types associated with death in women. Immune infiltration of ovarian cancer is a critical factor in determining patient's prognosis. In addition to immune infiltration, key mutations also have a greater impact on the development and prognosis of OV.Methods Using data from TCGA and GTEx database combined with WGCNA and ESTIMATE methods, genes related to OV occurrence and immune infiltration were identified. Lasso and multivariate Cox regression were applied to define a prognostic score (IGCI score) based on immune genes and clinical information. The IGCI score has been verified by K-M curves, ROC curves, C-index on test set. Based on mutation data from TCGA, we identified key mutations related to immune infiltration by Chi-squared tests and we also did survival analysis of these mutations.Results In this section, we found 46 genes related to disease occurrence and immune infiltration, IGCI score was established based on six factors: Age, White, Pharmaceutical, FGF7, CCR1 and CD14. In test set, IGCI score (C-index = 0.630) is significantly better than AJCC stage (C-index = 0.541, P P P P P P Conclusion Based on immune-related genes and clinical information, we have established an ovarian cancer prognosis score that is superior to other methods. At the same time, RB1 and CSMD3 gene mutations are considered to be closely related to ovarian cancer immunity and prognosis.

Background: This study aimed to investigate potential predictors, including cerebroplacental ratio (CPR), middle cerebral artery (MCA)/uterine artery pulsatility index (PI) ratio, for adverse perinatal outcome in pregnancies at term.Methods: This was an observational, prospective study of recruited pregnancies at term. An adverse perinatal outcome was set as the primary observational endpoint. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to investigate the predictive and cut-off values of risk factors for adverse perinatal outcome. Independent risk factors (maternal, neonatal, prenatal ultrasound and Doppler variables) for adverse perinatal outcome were evaluated by the univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.Results: A total of 392 pregnancies at term were included and 19.4% of them had suffered adverse perinatal outcome. CPR (OR: 0.42, 95%CI: 0.20-0.93, P=0.032) and MCA/uterine artery PI ratio (OR: 0.25, 95%CI: 0.16-0.42, P=0.032) were two independent risk factors for adverse perinatal outcome by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.Conclusions: MCA/uterine artery PI ratio is a good predictor of adverse perinatal outcome in pregnancies at term.

We first determine the automorphism group of the twisted Heisenberg-Virasoro vertex operator algebra $V_{\mathcal{L}}(\ell_{123},0)$.Then, for any integer $t>1$, we introduce a new Lie algebra $\mathcal{L}_{t}$, and show that $\sigma_{t}$-twisted $V_{\mathcal{L}}(\ell_{123},0)$($\ell_{2}=0$)-modules are in one-to-one correspondence with restricted $\mathcal{L}_{t}$-modules of level $\ell_{13}$, where $\sigma_{t}$ is an order $t$ automorphism of $V_{\mathcal{L}}(\ell_{123},0)$. At the end, we give a complete list of irreducible $\sigma_{t}$-twisted $V_{\mathcal{L}}(\ell_{123},0)$($\ell_{2}=0$)-modules., Comment: 17 pages

BackgroundDysfunction of microRNAs (miRNAs) is a major cause of aberrant expression of inflammatory cytokines and contributes to macrophage polarization. Previous studies have shown that miRNA let-7 is associated with cell differentiation, and the expression of let-7b-5p is significantly increased in M2 macrophages. However, the mechanism by which let-7b-5p regulates macrophage differentiation in prostate cancer (PCa) remains largely unknown.MethodsHuman macrophages were induced by the blood monocytes from healthy male donors. M1 macrophages were polarized by stimulating overnight with 100 ng/ml lipopolysaccharides and 100 ng/ml IFN-γ, while conditioned medium from PC-3 cells were used to induce prostatic macrophages (M-CMs) in vitro, and then let-7b-5p mimics or inhibitors were transfected into M1 and M-CMs for 72 hours respectively. The expression of cluster of differentiation 206 (CD206) in each group was detected by a High Throughput Connotation of Imaging System. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was executed to examine the expression of inflammatory cytokines IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, TNF-alpha and let-7b in macrophages. SOCS1 protein level was evaluated by ELISA, and the phosphorylation difference of STAT family member proteins was analysized by CST signal pathway chip. Phagocytosis of macrophages and the effect of macrophages on the proliferation of prostate cancer cell PC-3 were evaluated by phagocytosis assay or Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8). The relationship between SOCS1 and let-7b-5p was confirmed with the dual-luciferase reporter.ResultsThe expression of cluster of differentiation 206 (CD206), an M2-like macrophage surface molecule, was significantly increased in M1 macrophages treated with let-7b-5p mimics, while CD206 expression was decreased in M-CMs treated with let-7b-5p inhibitors. Overexpression or knockdown of let-7b-5p significantly affected the expression of inflammatory factors in macrophages including interleukin 10 (IL-10), IL-12, IL-13, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. Let-7b-5p downregulated the expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) and increased the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1), STAT3, and STAT5a proteins in M-CMs and M1 macrophages with let-7b-5p mimics compared with the other groups. In addition, with high expression of let-7b-5p, the phagocytosis of macrophages showed a significant decrease. As a result, M-CMs treated with let-7b-5p inhibitors reduced the proliferation of PC-3 PCa cells.ConclusionsCollectively, these data indicate that let-7b-5p may regulate M2 polarization through the SOCS1/STAT pathway, and reversal of M2 differentiation by let-7b-5p inhibitors can enhance macrophage phagocytosis, ultimately inhibiting the proliferation of PCa cells.Trial registrationNot applicable

The phytoremediation of cadmium (Cd) and pyrene (PYR) in agricultural soil with willow was investigated by carrying out a pot-culture experiment in a greenhouse. The soil was incubated with urea 60 days before it was used for this experiment. The concentrations of Cd and PYR in soil and willow, the bioconcentration and transfer factors, the physiological and biochemical responses, and plant biomass production were determined at the end of the experiment. The phytoremediation with willow based on urea application was effective for enhancing the phytoremediation of Cd and PYR contaminated soil. Urea application did not affect the available Cd but increased the accumulation of soil Cd and the plant biomass of different parts of the willow. The removal rate (77.1-89.5%) of PYR in soil was not significantly affected although urea application decreased the accumulation of PYR in willow root and bark. Urea application significantly promoted the uptake of chlorophyll, carotenoid and malondialdehyde by willow leaves. The results of this study will provide scientific information for the effective phytoremediation of Cd in Cd and PYR contaminated soil.

In-situ immobilization is an effective and economically viable strategy for remediation of soil extensively polluted with heavy metals. The long-term sustainability is critical for the remediation practice. In the present study, a ten-year experiment was performed in a Cd-polluted agricultural field to evaluate the long-term stability of lime, silicon fertilizer (SF), fused calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer (FCMP), bone charcoal, steel slag, and blast furnace slag with one-off application. All amendments had no significant effect on biomass but significantly reduced Cd uptake by Artemisia selengensis at higher dose. Among them, SF and FCMP applied at 1% could reduce Cd uptake by more than 40% to meet the Chinese maximum permissible limit for Cd content in food products (50 μg kg−1). These amendments stimulated high Cd immobilization by increasing the soil pH and decreasing the soil acid-extractable Cd content, which were closely associated with Cd uptake. In addition, the two amendments altered the soil microbial structure and stimulated metabolism pathways, including amino acid, carbohydrate, and lipid metabolism, which are beneficial for soil function and quality. The results proved that SF and FCMP at 1% are stable and ecologically safe amendments, suitable for long-term Cd immobilization, and provide a strategy to mitigate the risk of food product contamination in heavy-metal-polluted soil.

Lidocaine, one of the most commonly used local anesthetics during surgery, has been reported to suppress cancer cell growth via blocking voltage‐gated sodium channels (VGSCs). VGSC 1.5 (NaV1.5) is highly expressed in invasive cancers including ovarian cancer. This study aims to investigate whether lidocaine inhibits the malignancy of ovarian cancer through NaV1.5 blockage. Human ovarian cancer, its metastatic cancer and normal ovarian tissues were probed with anti‐NaV1.5 antibody in situ. Human ovarian cancer A2780 and SKOV3 cells were cultured and their growth, epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT), migration, and invasion in the presence or absence of lidocaine together with underlying molecular mechanisms were assessed. Murine syngeneic ovarian cancer (ID8) model was also used to determine the chemotherapeutic efficiency of cisplatin in combination with lidocaine. The high level of NaV1.5 expression was found in human ovarian cancer and even higher in its metastatic cancer but not in normal ovarian tissues. Lidocaine decreased the growth, EMT, migration, and invasion of human ovarian cancer A2780 and SKOV3 cells. Lidocaine enhanced the chemotherapeutic efficiency of cisplatin in both ovarian cancer cell cultures and a murine ovarian metastatic model. Furthermore, a downregulation of NaV1.5 by siRNA transfection, or FAK inhibitor application, inhibited the malignant properties of SKOV3 cells through inactivating FAK/Paxillin signaling pathway. Our data may indicate that lidocaine suppresses the metastasis of ovarian cancer and sensitizes cisplatin through blocking NaV1.5‐mediated EMT and FAK/paxillin signaling pathway. The translational value of lidocaine local application as an ovarian cancer adjuvant treatment warrants further study., Local anesthetic lidocaine suppresses the metastasis of ovarian cancer and sensitizes cisplatin through blocking NaV1.5‐mediated EMT and FAK/paxillin signaling pathway. The translational value of lidocaine local application as an ovarian cancer adjuvant treatment warrants further study.

Background As we all know, patients with epithelial ovarian carcinomahave poor prognosis and high recurrence rate. It is critical and challenging to screen out the patients with high risk of recurrence. At present, there are some models predicting the overall survival of epithelial ovarian carcinoma, however, thereis no widely accepted tool or applicable model predicting the recurrence risk of epithelial ovarian carcinomapatients. The objective of this study was to establish and verify a nomogram to predict the recurrence risk of EOC.Results The nomogram for 3-year recurrence risk was established with FIGO stage, histological grade, histological type, lymph node metastasis status and serum CA125 level at diagnosis. The total score can be obtained by adding the grading values of these factors together. In the external validation, the AUC (C statistics) was 0.803 [95%CI, 0.738-0.867] and the Chi-square value is 11.04 (P=0.135>0.05). With the threshold value of 198, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and correct index of the monogram were 75.7%, 77.0%, 83.2%, 67.9%, and 0.52 respectively.Conclusions We established and validated a nomogram to predict 3-year recurrence risk of patients with EOC who achieved clinical complete remission after cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy. This nomogram with good discrimination and calibration might be useful for screening out the patients with high risk of recurrence.

This study aimed to investigate potential predictors, including the cerebroplacental ratio and the middle cerebral artery (MCA)-uterine artery pulsatility index (PI) ratio, for adverse perinatal outcomes in pregnancies at term. This was an observational, prospective study of recruited pregnancies at term. The data were extracted from the medical records in hospital. An adverse perinatal outcome was set as the primary observational endpoint. The receiver operating characteristic curve was plotted to investigate the predictive and cutoff values of risk factors for adverse perinatal outcomes. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses evaluated independent risk factors (maternal, neonatal, prenatal ultrasound and Doppler variables) for adverse perinatal outcomes. There were 392 pregnancies at term included in the study, with 19.4% experiencing adverse perinatal outcomes. The MCA-uterine artery PI ratio was a good predictor of adverse perinatal outcomes by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis (area under the curve = 0.886, p0.001), and the cerebroplacental ratio (odds ratio, 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.20-0.93; p = 0.032) and MCA-uterine artery PI ratio (odds ratio, 0.25; 95% confidence interval, 0.16-0.42; p = 0.032) were two independent risk factors for adverse perinatal outcomes by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Notably, both MCA-uterine artery PI ratio and cerebroplacental ratio are significant predictors of adverse perinatal outcome in pregnancies at term.

Objective To evaluate the efficiency of p16/Ki-67 dual stain used as a triage in cervical cancer screening. Methods In this study, we did 468 p16/Ki-67 dual stain in human papillomavirus (HPV) 16/18-positive or 12 other high-risk HPV (OHR-HPV) positive Thinprep cytologic test (TCT) atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS)/ lower-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) women. We evaluated the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of the triage test. Results The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of p16/Ki-67 dual stain in HPV 16/18-positive women were 91.5%/68.4%, 77.0%/75.0%, 73.9%/59.1% and 92.8%/81.8%. In 12 OHR-HPV positive TCT ASCUS/LSIL women, the results were 79.1%/95.0%, 88.5%/66.7%, 88.5%/70.4% and 89.2%/94.1%. The risk of precancerous lesions in p16/Ki-67 dual stain positive cases was much higher than before, and the negative cases had lower risk. Besides, there was no cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) III case missed after triaged by p16/Ki-67 dual-stained cytology. In p16/Ki-67 dual-stained cytology positive women with benign pathology or CIN I, the 1-year progression rate is 20.5% and in p16/Ki-67 dual-stained cytology negative women, the 1-year progression rate is 5.6%. Conclusions hr-HPV genotyping test plays an important role in cervical cancer screening. p16/Ki-67 dual stain may be a promising triage test. As for chronic cervicitis or CIN I patients, a positive p16/Ki-67 dual-stained cytology suggests a high risk in progression and need to be followed up closely.

Adhesion is a postoperative complication that has plagued gynecologists for many years, as 60–90% of gynecological patients develop adhesions after abdominopelvic surgeries. Abdominopelvic adhesions could lead to chronic pelvic pain, infertility, intestinal obstruction, and complicated reoperations. Adhesions might also increase the risk of postoperative chemoradiotherapy failure and endanger patients’ lives, especially after surgeries for gynecological malignant tumors. The aim of this consensus was to review the pathogenesis and clinical consequences of adhesions and to summarize various surgical procedures and preventive measures that can reduce the occurrence of adhesions after gynecological tumor surgeries based on a discussion among well-known domestic gynecology specialists.

Earth&rsquo, s critical zone is the physical layer contained between the top of the vegetation canopy and the depth of the circulating groundwater below the land surface. The critical zone is defined within the study of Earth natural sciences as the unique terrestrial biophysical system that supplies most life-sustaining resources for humans. A feature of this specific physical system that is defined by geographical locale is the interactions of people with the vertically-connected biophysical flows and transformations (energy, material, biodiversity) that contribute to human welfare by delivering, both directly and indirectly, critical zone services to humankind. We have characterized these interactions by considering the full extent of the critical zone through the application of economic valuation methods. We estimated the current economic value of 14 critical zone services for 5 biophysical components of Earth&rsquo, s critical zone, based on data collected from the Zhangxi catchment of Ningbo city located in the Yangtze River Delta region of China and from several additional published studies. For the full vertical extent of Earth&rsquo, s critical zone bounded by the Zhangxi catchment, the value, most of which is outside the market, was estimated to be USD 116 million in 2018. Valuation of goods and services was delineated for benefits arising from key components of the critical zone physical system. The estimated value of the atmospheric component of Earth&rsquo, s critical zone was USD 5 million, the vegetation component value was USD 96 million, the soil component value was USD 8 million, the surface water component value was USD 5 million, and the groundwater component value was USD 2 million. Because of the nature of the uncertainties and lack of data for the full range of identified services, these values are considered a minimum estimate. Gross domestic product in the Zhangxi catchment was around USD 431 million in 2018. These results illustrate, for one location, the range of services that arise when considering the full depth of Earth&rsquo, s critical zone, the data needs for valuing this range of services, and the conceptual and potential methodological advances, and the challenges, that exist at the disciplinary interface between Earth natural sciences and applied economics.

Due to the growing use and release of nanomaterials, their toxic impacts on aquatic ecosystems have drawn widespread attention in recent years. In this study, we exposed Microcystis aeruginosa to 5 mg/L titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nTiO

A mechanistic understanding of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) toxicity to plants is essential for future risk assessment of PFOA in agricultural soil. In this study, soil-grown cucumber (Cucumis sativus) was exposed to 0, 0.2, and 5 mg/kg of PFOA for 60 days. At harvest, contaminant accumulation, cucumber biomass, photosynthesis profiles and metabolites were measured. Results showed that PFOA depressed cucumber biomass and accumulated highest in leaves. Photosynthesis analysis revealed that PFOA at both doses reduced the chlorophyll contents and net photosynthesis rate of cucumber leaves. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-based non-targeted metabolomics revealed that PFOA induced metabolic reprogramming in cucumber leaves, including up-regulation of phenols (at 0.2 and 5 mg/kg) and down-regulation of amino acids (at 5 mg/kg), indicating disrupted nitrogen and carbon metabolism. Results revealed how PFOA represses plant growth by down-regulating photosynthetic pigments and disturbing the metabolism of carbohydroxides, phenols and amino acids. These findings provide valuable information for understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in plant responses to PFOA-induced stress.

We assessed the effects of carbon dioxide (CO2) and decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209, 0, 3 and 30 mg/kg) on rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Wuyunjing) in field free-air CO2 enrichment system. Rice at elevated (580 ppm) CO2 had increased net photosynthetic rate, intercellular CO2 concentration, shoot biomass, yield and phosphorus content in grains. However, there were no significant changes in such parameters observed on rice at elevated CO2 combined with BDE-209 (3 and 30 mg/kg). Elevated CO2 alone had no significant effects on sugar or starch content in rice grains, whereas its combination with BDE-209 (3 mg/kg) significantly decreased grain sugar and starch content. In conclusion, rice reared in soil polluted by BDE-209 under elevated CO2 modulates the effects in grain feature.

Additional file 1: Table S1. A list of all the primers.