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Background. Recently, a large number of studies have sought personalized treatment for lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) by dividing patients into different molecular subtypes. Autophagy plays an important role in maintaining the tumor microenvironment and immune-related biological processes. However, the molecular subtypes mediated by autophagy in LUSC are not clear. Methods. Based on 490 LUSC samples, we systematically analyzed the molecular subtype modification patterns mediated by autophagy-related genes. The ssGSEA and CIBERSORT algorithm were utilized to quantify the relative abundance of TME cell infiltration. Principal component analysis was used to construct autophagy prognostic score (APS) model. Results. We identified three autophagy subtypes in LUSC, and their clinical outcomes and TME cell infiltration had significant heterogeneity. Cluster A was rich in immune cell infiltration. The enrichment of EMT stromal pathways and immune checkpoint molecules were significantly enhanced, which may lead to its immunosuppression. Cluster B was characterized by relative immunosuppression and relative stromal activation. Cluster C was activated in biological processes related to repair. Patients with high APS were significantly positively correlated with TME stromal activity and poor survival. Meanwhile, high APS showed an advantage in response to anti-PD1 and anti-CTLA4 immunotherapy. Conclusion. This study explored the autophagy molecular subtypes in LUSC. We also discovered the heterogeneity of TME cell infiltration driven by autophagy-related genes. The established APS model is of great significance for evaluating the prognosis of LUSC patients, the infiltration of TME cells, and the effect of immunotherapy.

Currently, the relationship between temporary stoma reversal and the severity of postoperative complications (POCs) after the index surgery based on the Clavien-Dindo classification has not yet been explored.From July 2010 to June 2016, 380 patients undergoing sphincter-preserving surgery for rectal cancer with a temporary stoma in our hospital were included. Temporary stoma nonclosure rates, disease-free survival rates, and overall survival rates were estimated utilizing the Kaplan-Meier method.Of all the 380 patients, primary stomas were created in 335 patients and secondary stomas in 45 patients. After the index surgery, 36.6% (139/380) of patients developed at least one postoperative complication. In the first analysis, which included all the patients, 24.7% of temporary stomas remained unclosed. In the second analysis for 335 patients with a primary stoma, 23.3% were left with unclosed stomas. After the COX regression analysis, both major POCs and minor POCs were found to be independent risk factors for the permanent stoma, and there was an increasing tendency toward the risk of permanent stoma with the increase in POC severity.POCs are independent predictors of permanent stoma after rectal cancer surgery. Even minor POCs may affect the outcome, while there is a clear direct relationship between POC severity and permanent stoma rates.

BACKGROUND: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS), as a new concept in surgery, has dramatically changed the mode of perioperative treatment for children with acute appendicitis. METHODS: The retrieval strategy developed by the Cochrane Collaboration was conducted using the CNKI database, Wanfang Medical Network, PubMed, EBSCO, Medline, and Cochrane database by combining subject headings and free words. A review of the randomized controlled trials on the use of the ERAS concept in the perioperative treatment of acute appendicitis in children was conducted between the establishment of the database and May 15, 2021. Keywords included enhanced recovery after surgery, fast track surgery, ERAS, FTS, child, infant, and appendicitis. The quality of the literature was evaluated according to the RevMan 5.3 software provided by the Cochrane Collaboration. RESULTS: Five randomized controlled trials on ERAS in children with acute appendicitis were finally included. The heterogeneity of postoperative stay time was tested in 4 studies using continuous variables, with Chi-squared test (Chi(2)) =221.52, degree of freedom (df) =3, I(2)=99%>50%. An overall analysis using a random effects model showed that the ERAS group was significantly different compared to the control group [Z=5.26; mean difference (MD) =−1.65; 95% CI: −2.27 to −1.03; P

Phthalic acid esters (PAEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are of global concern because of their serious environmental impacts. The identification of zones contaminated with PAEs and PAHs in the soil is urgently needed to provide a basis for land use and remediation. Zhejiang Province was used as a typical example to identify contaminated zones by measuring the concentrations of PAEs and PAHs in gridded soil with a 1/6° latitude by 1/4° longitude resolution. Based on the concentrations and spatial distributions of PAEs and PAHs in superficial soil in Zhejiang, the estimation of inventory, and the assessment of ecological risk, the contaminated zones and possible sources of these two groups of pollutants were identified. High spatial variability of PAE concentrations in the surface soils was observed in Zhejiang Province. The areas with high PAE concentrations were in the middle region of Zhejiang where highly urbanized and industrialized. The spatial distribution of PAH in the surface soil of Zhejiang appeared to be uneven. High PAH concentrations in the soil of Zhejiang were mainly measured in plains areas and can be linked to the development of industry and multiple emission sources. PAE pollution mainly originated from centralized plastic manufacturing, plastic product use, and plastic waste recycling. PAH contamination was linked to the combustion of fuels in vehicle engines and industrial discharge from a cluster of low-capacity boilers. These results can provide a database and reliable reference information for land use and remediation in other agroindustrial ecotone areas.

The spatiotemporal distribution of phthalate acid esters (phthalates, PAEs) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in China was studied. The concentration of PAEs in influent and effluent increased from 2009 to 2016, indicating that the exposure level of PAEs in China increased continuously. Although the concentration of PAEs in sewage sludge in China ranged from 33.3 to 298 ug/g, there was no obvious spatial distribution pattern. Among the 19 PAE homologues, DEHP, DnBP, and DIBP were the most abundant phthalates detected in wastewater and sludge. Ecological risk assessment confirmed that there was a high chronic and acute risk of DIBP in effluent since 2015. Therefore, this study highlights the need for further studies on the exposure and toxicology of DIBP. Dietary intake accounted for more than 98% of the total risk, indicating that the risk of sludge application in agricultural land was much higher than that in nonagricultural land. The results from this study will provide valuable information for the safe disposal of sludge and wastewater.

As an emerging pollutant, microplastics (MPs) may interact with dissolved organic matter (DOM) which is prevalent in the aqueous environment. Meanwhile, the aging of MPs in the actual environment increases the uncertainty of their environmental fate. Here, the interaction mechanisms between pristine and aged polypropylene microplastics (PP-MPs) and humic acid (HA) at pH 7.0 were explored. Microstructural changes of HA were examined by fluorescence and Fourier transformation infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Atomic force microscopy coupled with infrared (AFM-IR) and micro-Raman techniques were used to characterize and analyze the interacted PP-MPs. The addition of HA increased the surface roughness of both pristine and aged PP-MPs. Results of AFM-IR and Raman spectra showed that the interaction of PP-MPs with HA accelerated their surface oxidation and enhanced the characteristic signals. XPS spectra showed that the oxygen content ratio of pristine and aged PP-MPs increased by 0.95% and 1.48% after the addition of HA, respectively. PP-MPs after aging interacted more strongly with HA and there was a higher affinity between them. Two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS) combined with FT-IR spectra further elucidated the interaction mechanism at the molecular level. This work will help to evaluate the environmental impact of MPs in ecosystems and understand their interactions with DOM.

Developing an efficient and reliable method for achieving high-yield and high-quality synthesis of transition metal sulfides combined with carbonaceous materials is highly desirable but still challenging. Herein, a very simple and cost-effective solid state reaction method for the fabrication of ultrafine CoS nanoparticles encapsulated within heteroatom-doped carbon scaffold is presented. By directly grinding cobalt acetate tetrahydrate, o-vanillin and o-phenylenediamine together with a molar ratio of 1:2:1 at ambient temperature in the presence of sulfur powder, a self-assembly solid state reaction took place to give rise to a bis-Schiff base complex with cobalt (II), which was evenly distributed in the sulfur powder surroundings. After subsequent annealing at elevated temperature, simultaneous carbonization and sulfidization occurred, resulting to the in-situ formation of ultrafine CoS nanoparticles (∼3.8 nm) encapsulated within an irregular N, S-codoped carbon scaffold (denoted as CoS⊂NSC). When evaluated as an anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), the CoS⊂NSC hybrid exhibits good cycling stability (305.6 mA h g−1 after 400 cycles at 100 mA g−1) and excellent rate capability (412.3 and 263.3 mA h g−1 at current densities of 200 and 5000 mA g−1, respectively), demonstrating exceptional electrochemical sodium storage performances. The findings in this work pave a novel way to synthesize the promising anode materials for high performance SIBs.

Investigation of the role of sedation during colonoscopy is meaningful as the advantages of colonoscopy performing with sedation are still controversial. Medical records of patients who underwent colonoscopy in our institution were retrospectively analyzed. The sedation rate, adenoma detection rate (ADR), polyp detection rate (PDR), cecal intubation rate (CIR), iatrogenic colonic perforation rate (ICP) were calculated. A total of 48,838 colonoscopies (24,498 in males) dated from July 2007 to February 2017 were analyzed. The median age was 50 years (range 16–85 years). An overall sedation rate was 80.38%. The PDR was 26.77%, and was not statistically different between colonoscopy with or without sedation (26.67% vs 27.22, p = 0.474). ADR was 12.9% regardless of applying sedation or not (13.0% vs 12.44%, p = 0.337). The CIR was 87.42% in all examinations with an adjusted CIR of 90.34%, and was higher when performed with sedation than without sedation (88.92% vs 80.64%, p

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between the 14 reported loci (from a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies [GWAS] in the Caucasian population) and vi...

Background. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a major component of lung cancer and is significantly correlated with poor prognosis. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation is closely related to the occurrence, progression, and prognosis of cancer. The potential biological functions and mechanisms of m6A RNA methylation in the immune microenvironment are still unclear. Methods. We assessed m6A RNA methylation modification patterns in 1326 NSCLC patient samples based on 20 m6A regulators, linking these clusters to the tumor microenvironment and immune cell infiltration. The m6Ascore was created to quantify the m6A modification patterns of individual tumors. We then assessed the value of NSCLC patients in terms of clinical prognosis and immunotherapy response. Results. According to different mRNA expression levels, two different m6A clusters were identified. m6A aggregation was significantly associated with clinical prognostic characteristics, the tumor microenvironment, and immune-related biological processes. Fifteen differential genes were screened based on these two m6A clusters, and to further investigate the mechanisms of action of these differential genes, they were subjected to unsupervised clustering analysis, which classified them into four different genomic isoforms. Prognostic analysis indicated that the survival advantage of the m6A gene cluster A modification mode was significantly prominent. We continued to construct the m6Ascore, which was used as a scoring tool to evaluate tumor typing, immunity, and prognosis. Patients with a low m6Ascore showed a significant survival advantage, and the group with a low m6Ascore had a better prognosis predicted by immunotherapy. The anti-PD-1/L1 immunotherapy cohort showed that a lower m6Ascore was associated with higher efficacy of immunotherapy. Conclusions. The results suggest that m6A RNA methylation regulators make an important difference in the tumor immune microenvironment of patients with NSCLC. m6A gene characterization and the construction of the m6Ascore provide us with a richer understanding of m6A RNA methylation modification patterns in NSCLC patients and help to predict clinical prognosis and immunotherapeutic response.

The ubiquitous occurrence of phthalate esters (PAEs) in agricultural soil results in their inevitable accumulation in crops, potentially increasing the risk of human exposure to PAEs via daily food intake. Dietary health risk of PAEs not only depends on locally produced food but also the imported food from other regions. However, the impact of interregional food trade on human dietary exposure to PAEs has been seldom assessed. Herein, we investigated the impact of interregional food trade on the dietary exposure to PAEs that contributed from soil contamination in China. The average daily dietary intake of PAEs for the Chinese general population was 24.3 μg/kg/day when assuming the total consumption of crops from local market only, while the average daily dietary intake of PAEs for the Chinese general population was decreased by 2.9% when the effects of interregional food trade were involved into the calculation. Additionally, the interregional food trade remarkably increased the daily dietary intake of PAEs in the regions of Beijing-Tianjin region (47.8%), North (21.4%) and Central (4.26%). As a result, the hazard quotient value of PAEs in the regions of Beijing-Tianjin region, North and Central increased by 29.4%, 11.0% and 5.0%, respectively, owing to the consumption of imported crops from the highly PAEs contaminated regions. In contrast, the daily intake and hazard quotient value of PAEs in the regions of Central Coast, Northwest, Northeast and South Coast decreased due to the interregional trade. These results indicated that the interregional food trade promoted the transfer of PAEs between regions and thus altered the potential risk to the local population. Overall, this study highlights the importance of taking the interregional food trade into account to provide a more accurate risk assessment of dietary exposure to pollutants.

Tin-based alloys have been regarded as promising anodes to replace commercial carbon materials for Li-ion batteries, but their Li-storage performance, especially cycle life, still fails to meet the requirements for electric vehicles and large-scale electricity storages. Herein, we propose a facile and scalable hydrogel-derived route for uniformly immobilizing sub-10 nm Sn-based alloys within three-dimensional (3D) carbon nanocorals, using polymer-hybridized cyano-bridged coordination polymer hydrogels (cyanogels) as precursors. As a representative example, 3D Sn–Fe@C nanocorals have been constructed through freeze-drying and thermal-autoreduction processes using polyethylene glycol (PEG) hybridized Sn(IV)–Fe(II) cyanogels as precursors. PEG plays critical roles in structural tailoring of hybrid cyanogels and size control of Sn–Fe alloys, and as a result, the average alloy size in optimized Sn–Fe@C nanocoral is only 5.9 nm. The ultrasmall alloy size, uniform dispersity of alloy, as well as coral-like framework structure, enable the Sn–Fe@C nanocorals to exhibit long-term cyclic life and high-rate performance.

Nanostructured gels have emerged as a unique material platform for various applications such as energy storage and catalysis thanks to the tunable composition and structure, porous framework for ma...

In this paper, an improved 4H-SiC U-shaped trench-gate metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (UMOSFETs) structure with low ON-resistance ( ${R}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}$ ) and switching energy loss is proposed. The novel structure features an added n-type region, which reduces ON-resistance of the device significantly while maintaining the breakdown voltage ( ${V}_{\textsf {BR}}$ ). In addition, the gate of the improved structure is designed as a p-n junction to reduce the switching energy loss. Simulations by Sentaurus TCAD are carried out to reveal the working mechanism of this improved structure. For the static performance, the ON-resistance and the figure of merit (FOM $= {V}_{\textsf {BR}}^{\textsf {2}}/{R}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}$ ) of the optimized structure are improved by 40% and 44%, respectively, as compared to a conventional trench MOSFET without the added n-type region and modified gate. For the dynamic performance, the turn-on time ( ${T}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}$ ) and turn-off time ( ${T}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle OFF}}$ ) of the proposed structure are both shorter than that of the conventional structure, bringing a 43% and 30% reduction in turn-on energy loss and total switching energy loss ( ${E}_{\mathbf {SW}}$ ).

The possible adverse effects of organic pollutants entering vegetables have attracted increasing attention in recent years. However, research on the behavior of novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) in soil-vegetable systems is still limited. This work was initiated to investigate the uptake of seven representative NBFRs by vegetables from bulk soil and suspended soil particles under greenhouse and conventional conditions. The mean concentrations of the sum of seven NBFRs (Σ7 NBFRs) were 2.8 and 3.8 ng g−1 dw in greenhouse tomatoes and cucumbers, respectively, and 1.1 and 1.7 ng g−1 dw in conventional tomatoes and cucumbers, respectively. Greenhouse vegetables had higher concentrations of Σ7 NBFRs than conventional vegetables. The root bioaccumulation factors (RBCFs) of tomatoes and cucumbers in response to NBFRs ranged from 0.6 to 6.3. The range of fruit bioaccumulation factors (FBCFs) was 0.3–7.0. The bioaccumulation factors (BCFs) in greenhouse vegetables were significantly higher than those in conventional vegetables, indicating that greenhouses increased the uptake of NBFRs by vegetables. To address human dietary exposure to NBFRs, the estimated dietary intake (EDI) and the amounts available for human absorption (EDIba) were calculated using vegetable consumption and gastrointestinal absorption, respectively. The mean EDI values of NBFRs from greenhouse and conventional tomato consumption were 344 ng d−1 and 109 ng d−1, respectively. The mean EDI values of NBFRs from greenhouse and conventional cucumber consumption were 445 ng d−1 and 217 ng d−1, respectively. The higher EDI values of NBFRs implied that consuming greenhouse vegetables was associated with higher health risks than consuming conventional vegetables. The mean EDIba values of the DBDPEs were 68 ng d−1 and 46 ng d−1 for tomatoes and cucumbers, respectively, and were significantly different from the EDI values due to lower bioaccessibility. Gastrointestinal absorption should not be neglected during risk assessments of human exposure to pollutants. Keywords: Greenhouse, Vegetables, Novel brominated flame retardants, Bioaccumulation factors, Estimated dietary intake

In an attempt to evaluate the behavior of Dechlorane plus (DP) in soil-vegetable systems, this work investigated the uptake and translocation of DP by vegetables and the dissipation of DP in soil under greenhouse and conventional conditions. To address human dietary exposure to DP, estimated dietary intake via vegetable consumption was calculated. The uptake potential indexes of DP from soil into root for tomato and cucumber cultivated under different conditions ranged from 0.089 to 0.71. The ranges of uptake potential indexes of DP from resuspended soil particles into stem, leaf and fruit were 0.68-0.78, 0.27-0.42 and 0.39-0.75, respectively. The uptake potential indexes in greenhouse vegetables were generally higher than those in conventional vegetables when the vegetables had been planted in contaminated soil, indicating that greenhouse enhanced the uptake of DP with a high soil concentration by vegetables. The translocation factor (TF) values of DP in vegetables were in the range of 0.022-0.17, indicating that DP can be transported from root to fruit even though it has a high octanol water partition coefficient (KOW). The half-lives of DP dissipation in soil ranged from 70 to 102 days. The dissipation of DP in greenhouse soil was slightly slower than that in conventional soil. Higher estimated dietary intake (EDI) values of DP via greenhouse vegetables were observed due to the higher concentration of DP in greenhouse vegetables than conventional vegetables. These results suggested that greenhouses should not be adopted for vegetable production in contaminated regions.

As a ubiquitous carcinogen, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are closely related to anthropogenic activities. The process of urbanization leads to the spatial interlacing of farmlands and urbanized zones. However, field evidence on the influence of urbanization on the accumulation of PAHs in crops of peri-urban farmlands is lacking. This study comparatively investigated the urbanization-driven levels, compositions, and sources of PAHs in 120 paired plant and soil samples collected from the Yangtze River Delta in China and their species-specific human intake risks. The concentrations of PAHs in crops and soils in the peri-urban areas were 2407.92 ng g−1 and 546.64 ng g−1, respectively, which are significantly higher than those in the rural areas. The PAHs in the root were highly relevant to those in the soils (R2 = 0.63, p < 0.01), and the root bioconcentration factors were higher than 1.0, implying the contributions of root uptake to plant accumulations. However, the translocation factors in the peri-urban areas (1.57 ± 0.33) were higher than those in the rural areas (1.19 ± 0.14), indicating the enhanced influence through gaseous absorption. For the congeners, the 2- to 3-ring PAHs showed a higher plant accumulation potential than the 4- to 6-ring PAHs. Principal component and source analyses show that the PAHs in the peri-urban plants predominantly resulted from urbanization parameters, such as coal combustion, vehicle emissions, and biomass burning. The mean values of estimated dietary intake of PAHs from the consumption of peri-urban and rural crops were 9116 ng d−1 and 6601.83 ng d−1, respectively. The intake risks of different crops followed the order rice > cabbage > carrot > pea. Given the significant input of PAHs from urban to farmland, the influence of many anthropogenic pollutants arising from rapid urbanization should be considered when assessing the agricultural food safety.

With the rapid development of modern Internet technology and information technology, the new technology of surveying and mapping also incorporates the elements of modern science and technology in geological exploration engineering, which strengthens the scientificity of surveying and mapping, and realizes the application of data mining technology in geological exploration engineering with larger scope and domain. The application of new surveying and mapping technology using data mining improves the accuracy of the geological exploration engineering projects, enhances the quality, efficiency and safety of geological exploration engineering, and plays an important role in the smooth development of geological exploration engineering. This paper expounds the application of data mining technology in geological exploration engineering, and puts forward the GPS positioning method of new surveying and mapping technology. The simulation results show that this method effectively improves the surveying and mapping method and improves the accuracy of surveying and mapping data by data mining in geological exploration engineering.

Nonylphenol (NP), an environmental estrogen, is actually a complicated mixture of isomers, although it is commonly considered to be a single compound. There are many routes for crops to come into contact with NP; however, little is known about the plant uptake and metabolism of NP, especially at the isomer level. This study comparatively evaluated the uptake and in-planta metabolism of 4-n-NP and its 10 isomers using both carrot cells and intact plants. The rapid metabolism of 4-n-NP was observed in the callus tissues and intact plants with half-lives of 2 h and 4.72 d, respectively. Six conjugates of 4-n-NP were identified in the cell extracts using high resolution mass spectrometry. The primary transformation pathway was found to be the direct conjugation (Phase II metabolism) with the parent compound at the hydroxyl. Furthermore, 4-NP isomers with short side chains and/or bulky α-substituents were more resistant to plant metabolism and showed a greater tendency for accumulation. The influence of the side chains to the isomer selectivity was verified by the molecular docking between glycosyltransferase and 4-NP isomers. This study highlighted the necessity to consider isomer-specificity in the plant accumulation of NP and the environmental and human health implications of NP conjugates.

We report on direct label-free protein detection in high ionic strength solution and human plasma by a dual-gate nanoribbon-based ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (NR-ISFET) biosensor system with excellent sensitivity and specificity in both solution-gate (SG) and dual-gate (DG) modes. Compared with previously reported results, the NR-ISFET biosensor enables selective prostate specific antigen (PSA) detection based on antibody-antigen binding in broader detection range with lower LOD. For the first time, real-time specific detection of PSA of 10 pM to 1 μM in 100 mM phosphate buffer (PB) was demonstrated by conductance measurements using the polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified NR-ISFET biosensors in DG mode with the back-gate bias (VBG) of 20 V. Due to larger maximum transconductance value resulting from the modulation of NR-ISFET channel by the back gate in DG mode, the detection range can be broadened with larger linear detection region (100 pM to 100 nM) and lower limit of detection (LOD, 10 pM) as compared to those in SG mode. Moreover, the influence of different back-gate bias from VBG = 5 V to VBG = 25 V on the biosensor performance has been investigated. Furthermore, direct PSA detection of 100 pM to 1 μM in human plasma was demonstrated by using the PEG-modified NR-ISFET in DG mode, enabling direct detection of protein in human blood for clinical applications since the LOD of 100 pM PSA can meet the clinical requirements.

This study was aimed to investigate whether NFKB1 participates in the pathogenesis of psoriasis by mediating Th1/Th17 cells. In this study, expression of NFKB1 was assessed in skin tissues from psoriasis patients and the healthy controls through Western blot and Immunohistochemistry. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to analyze the serum levels of IFN-γ, IL-17 (IL-17A) and IL-17RA. The imiquimod-induced psoriasis mouse model was employed to examine the role of NFKB1 in psoriasis via the assessment of psoriasis area and severity index (PASI), including erythema, thickness and scales. The effects of NFKB1 on Th1/Th17 cells in were examined by flow cytometry. In vitro co-culture of Th1/Th17 cells isolated from different mice with HaCat cells was conducted to elucidate the effect of Th1/Th17 cells-mediated by NFKB1 on HaCat cells by MTT, wound healing and transwell invasion assay, respectively. The results showed that NF-κB p105/p50 expression in skin tissues was significantly increased in psoriasis (n = 21) compared to the healthy controls (n = 16), as well as levels of serum INF-γ and IL-17. Additionally, NF-κB p105/p50 expression in lesional skin tissues was much higher than that in non-lesional skin tissues of the same patients. In the psoriasis mouse model, NFKB1 overexpression significantly elevated the scores of erythema, thickness and scales. Besides, NFKB1 up-regulated the level of NF-κB p105/p50, INF-γ, T-bet, IL-17 and RORγt, as well as Th1/Th17 cells in skin tissues of psoriasis mice. Finally, in vitro assay confirmed that the activation of Th1 and Th17 mediated by NFKB1 in psoriasis promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of keratinocytes. These findings suggest a critical role for NFKB1 in the regulation of Th1 and Th17 in psoriasis.

We report a dual-gate nanoribbon-based ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (NR-ISFET) biosensor system for direct label-free detection of Cordyceps sinensis's DNA (CorDNA) by conductance measurements of the NR-ISFET biosensors, where sample delivery can be conducted by a cavity or microchannel. Compared with conventional methods, the NR-ISFET biosensors demonstrate smaller sample amount and shorter detection time. Especially the measurements in a microchannel at dual-gate (DG) mode exhibit a better sensitivity of 0.5054 mS/dec in a wide dynamic range spanning four orders of magnitude, a lower limit of detection (LOD) of 50 pM, and significantly improved specificity as compared to these with single solution-gate (SG). Moreover, the performance of the NR-ISFET biosensor system can be improved in a microchannel in comparison with a cavity, which may be attributed to better surface modification in a microchannel with larger DNA probe density on the sensing surface.

The ubiquitous presence of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in indoor air, dust, and even in human tissue could be attributed to their emissions from BFR-containing products. Nevertheless, the emission behavior of BFRs, especially novel BFRs from consumer materials, to the indoor environment has still not been well understood. To evaluate the effects of chemical content, temperature, and time on the emissions of BFRs, we used a batch of small glass chambers to conduct emission tests on carpet, computer casings, sound insulation, circuit boards, decorative laminate, and PVC floors at temperatures from 20 to 80 °C, as well as different emission times of up to 35 days. Seven BFRs were extracted from the tested materials with contents ranging from 50 to 35,803 μg g−1, and four BFRs were detected with emission rates between 5.9 and 418 pg g−1 h−1 at room temperature (20 °C); 1,2,5,6,9,10-hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) was considered to be the dominant compound, which was found in and could be emitted from all of the tested materials. Emission rates are significantly and positively correlated with both the contents of tested materials and the elevated temperature. These results indicate that BFR-containing products have the potential to be a major source of indoor contamination.

This study is the first attempt to comprehensively investigate deca-BDE and alternative flame retardants in a wastewater treatment plant in such a long term in China (2009-2016). Influent, effluent and sludge samples were collected. The mean concentration of deca-BDE, Σ19NBFRs and ΣDPs in influent were 311.5, 76.0 and 1.4ng/L, respectively, which were at the low end of the global range. The levels of deca-BDE, Σ19NBFRs and ΣDPs in effluent were range from 9.5-68.6, 4.1-38.5 and BLD-1.6ng/L, respectively. In sludge samples, the mean concentrations were 406.7, 510.5 and 6.9ng/g dw for deca-BDE, Σ19NBFRs and ΣDPs. The concentration of temporal trends in this study may reflected the release of those compounds. Compared to the beginning year of this study, the usage of deca-BDE was decreased but the usage of total NBFRs and DPs presented sustained increase over the sampling period. There were no significant variation of deca-BDE, NBFRs and DPs in the wastewater treatment plant in Harbin was observed in the four seasons except for NBFRs in influents, which the Σ19NBFRs mean concentration in influents in the summer was statistically significantly higher than that in winter indicating that NBFRs was easier impacted by temperature compared to deca-BDE and DPs. In addition, sorption and accumulation to sludge was the major removal mechanism for those compounds, accounting for 73.3% to 89.0%.

Plants can extensively uptake organic contaminants from soil and subsequently transform them into various products. Those compounds containing hydroxyl may undergo direct conjugation with endogenous biomolecules in plants, and potentially be preserved as conjugates, thus enabling overlooked risk via consumptions of food crops. In this study, we evaluated the uptake and metabolism of 2,4-dibromophenol (DBP) by both carrot cells and whole plant. DBP was completely removed from cell cultures with a half-life of 10.8 h. Four saccharide conjugates, three amino acid conjugates, and one phase I metabolite were identified via ultraperformance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis. The dibromophenol glucopyranoside (glucose conjugate) was quantitated by synthesized standard and accounted for 9.3% of the initial spiked DBP at the end of incubation. The activity of glycosyltransferase was positively related to the production of 2,4-dibromophenol glucopyranoside (p = 0.02, R2 = 0....

Objective This study was aimed to explore the effect of Bach2 on B cells in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as well as the underlying mechanisms. Methods Expression of Bach2, phosphorylated-Bach2 (p-Bach2), Akt, p-Akt and BCR-ABL (p210) in B cells isolated from SLE patients and the healthy persons were assessed by Western blot. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to assess the localization of Bach2 in B cells. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed to detect IgG produced by B cells. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and Annexin-V FITC/PI double staining assay were adopted to evaluate cell proliferation and apoptosis in B cells, respectively. Results Compared to the healthy controls, Bach2, p-Akt and p210 were significantly decreased, while nuclear translocation of Bach2, IgG, CD40 and CD86 obviously up-regulated in B cells from SLE patients. Bach2 significantly inhibited the proliferation, promoted apoptosis of B cells from SLE patients, whereas BCR-ABL dramatically reversed cell changes induced by Bach2. Besides, BCR-ABL also inhibited nuclear translocation of Bach2 in B cells from SLE patients. Further, LY294002 treatment had no effect on decreased expression of Bach2 induced by BCR-ABL, but significantly eliminated BCR-ABL-induced phosphorylation of Bach2 and restored reduced nuclear translocation of Bach2 induced by BCR-ABL in B cells from SLE. Conclusions Bach2 may play a suppressive role in B cells from SLE, and BCR-ABL may inhibit the nuclear translocation of Bach2 via serine phosphorylation through the PI3K pathway.

Synchronous colorectal cancers (syCRCs), which present two or more lesions at diagnosis, are rare and pose a great challenge for clinical management. Although some predisposing factors associated with syCRCs have been studied with limited accession, the full repertoire of genomic events among the lesions within an individual and the causes of syCRCs remain unclear. We performed whole-exome sequencing of 40 surgical tumour samples of paired lesions from 20 patients to characterize the genetic alterations. Lesions from same patient showed distinct landscapes of somatic aberrations and shared few mutations, which suggests that they originate and develop independently, although they shared the similar genetic background. Canonical genes, such as APC, KRAS, TP53 and PIK3CA, were frequently mutated in the syCRCs, and most of them show different mutation profile compared with solitary colorectal cancer. We identified a recurrent somatic alteration (K15fs) in RPL22 in 25% of the syCRCs. Functional analysis indicated that mutated RPL22 may suppress cell apoptosis and promote the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Potential drug targets were identified in several signalling pathways, and they present great discrepancy between lesions from the same patient. Our data show that the syCRCs within the same patient present great genetic heterogeneity, and they may be driven by distinct molecular events and develop independently. The discrepancy of potential drug targets and mutation burden in lesions from one patient provides valuable information in clinical management for patients with syCRCs., The syCRCs within the same patient present great genetic heterogeneity and may be driven by distinct molecular events and develop independently. The discrepancy of potential drug targets in lesions from one patient provides valuable information in clinical management.