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Seasonal freeze–thaw action has been shown to influence the behaviors of heavy metals in soil by changing soil aggregate formation, stabilization, and breakdown. Using rare earth oxides tracing method, this study conducted in-situ seasonal freeze–thaw experiments to examine the links between aggregate turnover behaviors and cadmium (Cd) release kinetics in black soil. Higher stability and longer turnover time of soil aggregates after spring freeze–thaw process than those just experienced autumn freeze–thaw process were found. Changes of the Cd distribution in different aggregates during the freeze–thaw process were mainly driven by soil aggregate transformations. Autumn freeze–thaw events increased the exchangeable Cd amounts in bulk soil and ≥ 0.25 mm aggregates, while no difference was found for the soils subjected to spring freeze–thaw events. The freeze–thaw process decreased the amounts of Cd released from soil, and the lowest amounts were found in the spring snow-removed treatment. Redundancy analysis indicated that the exchangeable, reducible, and residual Cd fractions accounted for most of the variations in Cd release. This study is the first to apply rare earth oxides as an approach to uncover the role of soil aggregate turnover dynamics in explaining the environmental behaviors of heavy metals in seasonal freeze–thaw regions.

The rapid spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in over 200 countries poses a substantial threat to human health. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes COVID-19, can be discharged with feces into the drainage system. However, a comprehensive understanding of the occurrence, presence, and potential transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in sewers, especially in community sewers, is still lacking. This study investigated the virus occurrence by viral nucleic acid testing in vent stacks, septic tanks, and the main sewer outlets of community where confirmed patients had lived during the early days of the epidemic in Wuhan, China. The results indicated that the risk of long-term emission of SARS-CoV-2 to the environment via vent stacks of buildings was low after confirmed patients were hospitalized. SARS-CoV-2 were mainly detected in the liquid phase, as opposed to being detected in aerosols, and its RNA in the sewage of septic tanks could be detected for only four days after confirmed patients were hospitalized. The surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage could be a sensitive indicator for the possible presence of asymptomatic patients in the community, though the viral concentration could be diluted more than ten times, depending on the sampling site, as indicated by the Escherichia coli test. The comprehensive investigation of the community sewage drainage system is helpful to understand the occurrence characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage after excretion with feces and the feasibility of sewage surveillance for COVID-19 pandemic monitoring.

Background and objective Myocyte enhancer factor 2D (MEF2D) can participate in the process of tumor lesions by regulating the transcription of oncogenes. In a previous study, MEF2D was demonstrated to enhance the proliferation and metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma cells A549 and H1299 by promoting the transcription of NUSAP1. The research aimed to explore the expression level and clinical significance of MEF2D in lung adenocarcinoma. Methods A total of 199 patients with lung adenocarcinoma were collected. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect MEF2D expression levels in cancer and adjacent tissues. After the clinical and follow-up data were collated, the correlation between MEF2D expression level and clinical characteristics and prognosis of the patients was analyzed. Results In the lung adenocarcinoma, the high expression rate of MEF2D in cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent tissues (P

A graph is symmetric if its automorphism group is transitive on the arcs of the graph. Guo et al. determined all of the connected seven-valent symmetric graphs of order 8p for each prime p. We shall generalize this result by determining all of the connected seven-valent symmetric graphs of order 8pq with p and q to be distinct primes. As a result, we show that for each such graph of Γ, it is isomorphic to one of seven graphs.

Peri-urban vegetable field plays an essential role in providing vegetables for local residents. Because of its particularity, it is affected by both industrial and agricultural activities which have led to the accumulations of heavy metal in soil. So far, information on heavy metal pollution status, spatial features, and human health risks in peri-urban vegetable areas across China is still scarce. To fill this gap, we systematically compiled soil and vegetable data collected from 123 articles published between 2010 and 2022 at a national level. The pollution status of heavy metals (i.e., cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn)) in peri-urban vegetable soils and vegetables were investigated. To evaluate the levels of heavy metal pollution in soil and human health risks, the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and target hazard quotient (HQ) were calculated. The results showed that mean concentrations of Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn in peri-urban vegetable soils were 0.50, 0.53, 12.03, 41.97, 55.56, 37.69, 28.55, and 75.38 mg kg−1, respectively. The main pollutants in peri-urban vegetable soil were Cd and Hg, and 85.25% and 92.86% of the soil samples had Igeo > 1, respectively. The mean Igeo values of this regions followed the order of northwest > central > south > north > east > southwest > northeast for Cd and northeast > northwest > north > southwest > east > central > south for Hg. The mean Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn concentrations in vegetables were 0.30, 0.26, 0.37, 0.54, 1.17, 6.17, 1.96, and 18.56 mg kg−1, respectively. Approximately 87.01% (Cd), 71.43% (Hg), 20% (As), 65.15% (Pb), 27.08% (Cr) of the vegetable samples exceeded the safety requirement values. The vegetables grown in central, northwest, and northern China accumulated much more heavy metals than those grown in other regions. As the HQ values for adults, 53.25% (Cd), 71.43% (Hg), 84.00% (As), and 58.33% (Cr) of the sampled vegetables were higher than 1. For children, the HQ values were higher than 1 for 66.23% (Cd), 73.81% (Hg), 86.00% (As), and 87.50% (Cr) of the sampled vegetables. The findings of this study demonstrate that the situation of heavy metal pollution in peri-urban vegetable areas across China are not optimistic and residents who consume the vegetables are at high risk of health issues. To ensure soil quality and human health, strategies should be taken to guide vegetable production and remedy soil pollution in peri-urban areas with the rapidly urbanizing China.

Antibiotics and pesticides are widespread in most rivers and lakes due to the overuse of antibiotics and pesticides, but there are few methods for simultaneous analysis of antibiotics and pesticides in aquatic environments. To address this knowledge gap, a concise and sensitive analytical method is proposed in which three classes of human and veterinary drugs (sulfonamides, macrolides, and hormones) and two classes of pesticides (organophosphorus and neonicotinoids) are simultaneously extracted and determined in surface water. The solid-phase extraction column with Cleanert PEP-2 was preconditioned sequentially with 6 mL of methanol, ultrapure water, and citric acid buffer (pH 3.0) each for simultaneous extraction and further purification. The forty-seven target analytes were analysed by LC-MS/MS in positive and negative ion modes. The LC separation was performed using a Sigma-Aldrich C18 column with 0.1% formic acid in water and acetonitrile as a gradient eluting mobile phase in positive ion mode. The internal standard method was used to overcome the inevitable matrix effects in LC-MS/MS analysis. The matrix effects of most target analytes were in the range of 27–151%. The recoveries of forty analytes in the three concentrations (10, 50, and 100 ng L−1) of surface water spiked samples ranged from 41 to 127%. The method quantitative limits of the analytes were in the range of 0.40–5.49 ng L−1. Application of the method to analyze samples in the eight runoff outlets of the Pearl River Delta showed that some antibiotics and pesticides were detected, and the concentration of parathion was as high as 154 ng L−1. A powerful tool for quickly and efficiently screening for contaminants in surface water has been presented.

Research has shown that dendrobium officinale polysaccharide (DOP) can promote follicular development and inhibit the apoptosis of ovarian granular cells in PCOS rats. However, DOP cannot be absorbed directly by the stomach and small intestine but is degraded into short-chain fatty acids by gut microbiota in the large intestine and regulates the composition of gut microbiota. How DOP improved ovarian function in PCOS rats through the blood–brain barrier is unclear. In this study, we generated letrozole-induced PCOS rat models and studied the therapeutic effect and mechanism of DOP. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing analysis, GC-MS short-chain fatty acid detection, and Gene Expression Omnibus database searching were conducted to screen the significantly changed pathways, and a series of experiments, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, RT-qPCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry, were performed. We found that DOP treatment could improve ovarian morphology and endocrine disorders, restore the normal estrus cycle, increase gut microbiota α diversity, and alter β diversity and enrichment of butyrate-producing bacterium in PCOS rats. In addition, compared with PCOS rats, those treated with DOP exhibited higher butyrate and polypeptide YY levels, possibly due to the regulation of G protein-coupled receptor 41 expression. These results indicated that DOP relieved the symptoms of PCOS rats which may be related to the mechanism of butyrate dependent gut–brain–ovary axis protection.

Background131I-BEV-PTX-SPIONs is a type of nanoparticle used in cancer therapy. It is composed of four components: a radioactive isotope of iodine (131I), a chemotherapy drug called paclitaxel (PTX), a type of nanoparticle called superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), and a molecule called bevacizumab (BEV) which is an antibody that targets and blocks the growth of blood vessels that supply tumors.PurposeThis study aims to investigate the preparation and biological distribution of 131I-BEV-PTX-SPIONs.MethodsFirst of all, 131I-BEV-PTX-SPIONs were prepared, synthetized and identified. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) were employed to observe the particle characteristics. Then, 30 tumor-burdened nude mice were divided into the single targeting group and the dual targeting group for evaluation of 131I-BEV-PTX-SPIONs distribution in these nude mice, each group was divided into five sub-groups based on time points of 2 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h and 48 h, 3 in each sub-group. Finally, 131I-BEV-PTX-SPIONs were injected into the caudal vein of these mice, and experiments of biological distribution in vivo and SPECT imaging were carried out, and results were analyzed using GraphPad Prism 8.3 software.ResultsThe nanospheres in prepared 131I-BEV-PTX-SPIONs are obtained in good mono dispersion with a diameter of approximately 220 nm by TEM observation. 131I-BEV-PTX-SPIONs obtained in a high radiolabeling yield is about 81.4% with the radiochemical purity of over 99% and good stability shown in the 0.2 mol·L-1 PB buffer. And it could attain sustained PTX release in vitro. Comparing with the cellular uptake of 131I, a higher uptake and sustained PTX release in vitro are shown for 131I-BEV-PTX-SPIONs. Biodistribution experimental results show: After the injection of 131I-BEV-PTX-SPIONs, with the extension of time, the radiation count of the tumor is relatively higher, at 12 h reaching the peak. And the T/NT ratio increased gradually, and it reaches 7.8±0.50 at 48 h. The counts and the ratios at 6 h, 12 h, 24 h and 48 h are notably higher in the dual targeting group than the single targeting group (P

IGSF10, a protein that belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily, is involved in regulating the early migration of neurons that produce gonadotropin-releasing hormone and performs a fundamental function in development. Our previous study confirmed that the mRNA expression level of IGSF10 may be a protective prognosis factor for lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients. However, the specific mechanisms of IGSF10 are still unclear. In this research, it was shown that the protein level of IGSF10 was down-modulated in LUAD tissues and had a link to the clinical and pathological characteristics as well as the patient's prognosis in LUAD. Importantly, IGSF10 regulates the metastatic ability of LUAD cells in vitro and in vivo. It was proven in a mechanistic sense that IGSF10 inhibits the capacity of LUAD cells to metastasize through the Spi-B/Integrin-ß1 signaling pathway. These findings gave credence to the premise that IGSF10 performed a crucial function in LUAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Aridity and salinity have a key role in driving physiological and ecological processes in desert ecosystems. However, how community‐scale foliar nutrients respond to aridity and salinity, and how these responses might vary with community composition along aridity and salinity gradients is unclear. We hypothesize that the response will be a shift in community stoichiometric values resulting from nutrient variability of shared species and unique species (site‐specific species), but little research has addressed the relative contribution of either component. We analyzed the community‐scale stoichiometric response of a desert community of perennial plants along an aridity and salinity transect by focusing on foliar nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) concentrations and N:P ratios. After evaluating the shared and unique species variability, we determined their relative contribution to the community stoichiometric response to aridity and salinity, reflected by changes in nonweighted and weighted community‐average values. Community‐scale stoichiometry decreased significantly under aridity and salinity, with significantly consistent changes in nonweighted and weighted community‐average stoichiometry for most shared and unique species measurements. The relative contribution of unique species shifts to the changes in community stoichiometry was greater (15%–77%) than the relative contribution of shared species shifts (7%–45%), excluding the change in weighted P concentration under aridity. Thus, the shifts of unique species amplified the community stoichiometric response to environmental changes. Synthesis. These results highlighted the need for a more in‐depth consideration of shared and unique species variability to understand and predict the effects of environmental change on the stoichiometry of plant communities. Although variation in community stoichiometry can be expected under extreme aridity and salinity conditions, changes of unique species could be a more important driver of the stoichiometric response of plant communities.

Abstract Background Tuberculosis is a leading cause of death worldwide. BCG is an effective vaccine, but not widely used in many parts of the world due to a variety of issues. Mycobacterium vaccae (M. vaccae) is another vaccine used in human subjects to prevent tuberculosis. In the current study, we investigated the potential mechanisms of M. vaccae vaccination by determining differentially expressed genes in mice infected with M. tuberculosis before and after M. vaccae vaccination. Methods Three days after exposure to M. tuberculosis H37Rv strain (5 × 105 CFU), adult BALB/c mice randomly received either M. vaccae vaccine (22.5 μg) or vehicle via intramuscular injection (n = 8). Booster immunization was conducted 14 and 28 days after the primary immunization. Differentially expressed genes were identified by microarray followed by standard bioinformatics analysis. Results M. vaccae vaccination provided protection against M. tuberculosis infection (most prominent in the lungs). We identified 2326 upregulated and 2221 downregulated genes in vaccinated mice. These changes could be mapped to a total of 123 signaling pathways (68 upregulated and 55 downregulated). Further analysis pinpointed to the MyD88-dependent TLR signaling pathway and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway as most likely to be functional. Conclusions M. vaccae vaccine provided good protection in mice against M. tuberculosis infection, via a highly complex set of molecular changes. Our findings may provide clue to guide development of more effective vaccine against tuberculosis.

During cementing operations involving cement slurry contamination, problems often occur due to the inaccurate calculation of the space fluid volume. This study, based on the turbulent dispersion theory, developed a minimum volume calculation model of spacer fluid to prevent cement slurry contamination. This model was used to analyze influence factors and practical calculations. The results indicated that the minimum volume of spacer fluid increase with the eccentricity of casing and injection rate and decrease with the density of cement slurry. Additionally, the better rheological properties of the cement slurry and spacer fluid would increase the volume of the spacer fluid. Furthermore, this model fitted actual field data better than other heat calculation models. Keywords: Cementing, Spacer fluid, Mixing volume, Dispersion coefficient

Detailed characterization of the permeability and vascular volume of brain tumor vasculature can provide essential insights into tumor physiology. In this study, we evaluated the consistency of measurements in tumor blood volume and examined the feasibility of using ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) versus gadolinium-diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA) as contrast agents for MR perfusion imaging of brain gliomas in C6 Rats. Eighteen rats were intracerebrally implanted with C6 glioma cells, randomly divided into two groups and examined by 3.0T perfusion MR imaging with Gd-DTPA and USPIO. Tumor relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) and relative maximum signal reduction ratio (rSRRmax) were created based on analysis of MR perfusion images. The mean values for rCBV were 2.09 and 1.57 in the USPIO and the Gd-DTPA groups, respectively, and rSRRmax values were 1.92 and 1.02 in the USPIO and the Gd-DTPA groups, respectively, showing signifi cant differences in both rCBV and rSRRmax between the USPIO and the Gd-DTPA groups (P < 0.05). The results showed that early vascular leakage occurred with gadolinium rather than USPIO in perfusion assessment, revealing that USPIO was useful in perfusion MR imaging for the assessment of tumor vasculature.

AIM: To probe into the treatment effects of P50 EX-PRESS drainage nail combined with biological amniotic membrane implantation in primary open angle glaucoma(POAG).METHODS: Totally 96 cases of 96 eyes with POAG and who treated from March 2013 to January 2019 were selected as the research objects, and the patients were divided into the observation group and the control group by the random number table method, with 48 cases in each group. The control group was implanted with P50 EX-PRESS drainage nail only, while the observation group were treated with biological amniotic membrane implantation on the basis of the control group. Then, the changes of intraocular pressure, retinal nerve fiber thickness(RNFLT), complications and success rate of operation before operation and after the operation for 7d, 1mo and 3mo of two groups of patients were observed.RESULTS: The proportion of functional filtering blebs after operation for 3mo in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group(PP>0.05). The intraocular pressure and RNFLT after operation for 7d, 1mo and 3mo in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(PP>0.05). The success rates of operation in observation group and control group were 96% and 75% respectively(PCONCLUSION:The application of P50 EX-PRESS drainage nail combined with biological amniotic membrane implantation for POAG, which the clinical effects are satisfactory, and which can improve the condition of filtering blebs, reduce intraocular pressure and RNFLT, thus it has good safety and high success rate.

Knowledge of the thermal and dielectric properties of wolfberries is essential for understanding the heat transfer and the interaction between the electromagnetic field (10–3000 MHz) and the sample during radio frequency (RF) and microwave (MW) drying. The thermal and dielectric properties of wolfberries were determined as influenced by moisture content from 15.1% to 75.2%, w.b.) and temperature from 25 to 85 °C. The results showed that as the moisture content increased from 15.1% to 75.2% (w.b.), the true density of wolfberries decreased, but the specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity increased with increasing temperature and moisture content. The dielectric properties (DPs) of wolfberries decreased with increasing frequency from 10 to 3000 MHz. The dielectric constant increased with increasing temperature at lower a moisture content (below 45% w.b.) but decreased with increasing temperature at a high moisture content (above 60% w.b.). The cubic and quadratic polynomial models (R2 = 0.977 − 0.997) were best for fitting the dielectric constant and loss factor at four representative frequencies of 27, 40, 915, and 2450 MHz, respectively. The penetration depth increased with the decreased frequency, temperature, and moisture content, and was greater at RF frequencies than MW range, making the RF heating more effective for drying bulk wolfberries. These findings offered essential data before optimizing RF or MW dehydration protocols for wolfberries via computer simulation.

Background Climate change is an important factor driving vegetation changes in arid areas. Identifying the sensitivity of vegetation to climate variability is crucial for developing sustainable ecosystem management strategies. The Irtysh River is located in the westerly partition of China, and its vegetation cover is more sensitive to climate change. However, previous studies rarely studied the changes in the vegetation coverage of the Irtysh River and its sensitivity to climate factors from a spatiotemporal perspective. Methods We adopted a vegetation sensitivity index based on remote sensing datasets of high temporal resolution to study the sensitivity of vegetation to climatic factors in the Irtysh River basin, then reveal the driving mechanism of vegetation cover change. Results The results show that 88.09% of vegetated pixels show an increasing trend in vegetation coverage, and the sensitivity of vegetation to climate change presents spatial heterogeneity. Sensitivity of vegetation increases with the increase of coverage. Temperate steppe in the northern mountain and herbaceous swamp and broadleaf forest in the river valley, where the normalized difference vegetation index is the highest, show the strongest sensitivity, while the desert steppe in the northern plain, where the NDVI is the lowest, shows the strongest memory effect (or the strongest resilience). Relatively, the northern part of this area is more affected by a combination of precipitation and temperature, while the southern plains dominated by desert steppe are more sensitive to precipitation. The central river valley dominated by herbaceous swamp is more sensitive to temperature-vegetation dryness index. This study underscores that the sensitivity of vegetation cover to climate change is spatially differentiated at the regional scale.

AIM: To explore the effect of vitrectomy combined with gas-liquid exchange on the treatment of posterior segment nonmagnetic foreign body and best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)after operation.METHODS: Totally 84 patients(86 eyes)were enrolled in this study. They were divided into observation group and control group, each group with 42 cases(43 eyes). The control group was treated with vitrectomy alone, and the observation group was treated with gas-liquid exchange combined with vitrectomy. The operation time, foreign body clearance rate, retinal recovery rate, BCVA level, macular central retinal thickness, and complications were compared between two groups. RESULTS: The operation time and complication rate of the observation group were lower than those of the control group. The rate of foreign body clearance and retinal reattachment was higher than that of the control group(PPCONCLUSION:Gas-liquid exchange combined with vitrectomy for the treatment of non-magnetic foreign bodies in the posterior segment of the eye is effective, which can improve the postoperative visual acuity, the retinal edema and reduce surgical complications.

Background: Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, and it has a poor prognosis. It is urgent to identify prognostic biomarkers to guide therapy.Methods: The immune gene expression profiles for patients with lung adenocarcinomas (LUADs) were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). The relationships between the expression of 45 immune checkpoint genes (ICGs) and prognosis were analyzed. Additionally, the correlations between the expression of 45 biomarkers and immunotherapy biomarkers, including tumor mutation burden (TMB), mismatch repair defects, neoantigens, and others, were identified. Ultimately, prognostic ICGs were combined to determine immune subgroups, and the prognostic differences between these subgroups were identified in LUAD.Results: A total of 11 and nine ICGs closely related to prognosis were obtained from the GEO and TCGA databases, respectively. CD200R1 expression had a significant negative correlation with TMB and neoantigens. CD200R1 showed a significant positive correlation with CD8A, CD68, and GZMB, indicating that it may cause the disordered expression of adaptive immune resistance pathway genes. Multivariable Cox regression was used to construct a signature composed of four prognostic ICGs (IDO1, CD274, CTLA4, and CD200R1): Risk Score = −0.002*IDO1+0.031*CD274−0.069*CTLA4−0.517*CD200R1. The median Risk Score was used to classify the samples for the high- and low-risk groups. We observed significant differences between groups in the training, testing, and external validation cohorts.Conclusion: Our research provides a method of integrating ICG expression profiles and clinical prognosis information to predict lung cancer prognosis, which will provide a unique reference for gene immunotherapy for LUAD.

The authors would like to make the following corrections to the published paper [...]

Archery is a fine-motor-skill sport, in which success results from multiple factors including a fine neuromuscular tuning. The present study hypothesised that lower trapezius specific training can improve archers’ performance with concomitant changes in muscle activity and shoulder kinematics. We conducted a prospective study in a university archery team. Athletes were classified into exercise and control groups. A supervised lower trapezius muscle training program was performed for 12 weeks in the exercise group. The exercise program focused on a lower trapezius-centred muscular training. Performance in a simulated game was recorded as the primary outcome, and shoulder muscle strength, kinematics, and surface electromyography were measured and analysed. In the exercise group, the average score of the simulation game increased from 628 to 639 after the training regimens (maximum score was 720), while there were no such increases in the control group. The lower trapezius muscle strength increased from 8 to 9 kgf after training regimens and shoulder horizontal abductor also increased from 81 to 93 body weight% for the exercise group. The upper/lower trapezius ratio decreased from 2.2 to 1.1 after training. The lower trapezius exercise training regimen could effectively improve the performance of an archer with a simultaneous increase in shoulder horizontal abductor and lower trapezius muscle strength.