Biofortification of soybean (Glycine max L.) with Se and Zn, and enhancing its physiological functions by spiking these elements to soil during flowering phase

Soybean is recognized as one of the most important prospective protein sources for human nutrition under conditions of climate change and population growth. Occurrence of Se and Zn deficiency in vast areas over the globe inhabited by up to 2 billion people, induced search for a comprehensive solution to these problems through the efficient Se/Zn biofortification of soybean seeds (beans). To assess the Se/Zn accumulation efficiency and the physiological status of soybean plants, a pot experiment on Se and Zn enrichment in beans was conducted. It consisted of applying 15 different Se-deficient soil treatments with these elements during the flowering phase, alone or in dose combinations. Application of Se alone, besides Se accumulation in soybean, reduced Zn uptake from soil, but caused alterations in Zn translocation, and its multiple enrichment in beans. Addition of Zn alone promoted both Zn and Se enrichment in beans. Joint Se/Zn application in increasing doses appeared to have a strong synergistic effect on accumulation of these elements in beans and enhanced the physiological functions of the soybean. This manifested itself in the growth of photosynthetic production and soybean biomass, and in the improvement of lipid peroxidation status (REC, MDA and proline content indices). Toxicity symptoms indicated the maximum Se/Zn doses. Several-fold higher contents of Se and Zn in soybean straw compared to spiked soil suggest its possible use as Se/Zn-rich soil amendment in accordance with the circular economy goals. These novel findings may significantly contribute to human health improvement in Se and Zn deficient regions.

miR-34b inhibits the migration/invasion and promotes apoptosis of non-small-cell lung cancer cells by YAF2

OBJECTIVE

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the world and microRNAs (miRNA) have been found to be involved in the initiation and development of cancer by acting as potential oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this study, we investigated the expression of miR-34b in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and discussed the molecular mechanism of miR-34b in the invasion and migration of A549 cells in vitro.

RESULTS

Our results showed that miR-34b was significantly down-regulated in primary cancer tissues when compared with the normal lung tissues. The over-expression of miR-34b inhibited migration and invasion, and promoted apoptosis of A549 lung cancer cells. Furthermore, Luciferase reporter assay validated YY1-associated factor 2 (YAF2) as a direct target of miR-34b and YAF2 expression was significantly increased in clinical NSCLC tissue samples. In addition, the over-expression of miR-34b inhibited YAF2, p-Jak2, p-STAT3 and MMP2 protein expression and promoted caspase 3 protein expression in cancer cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that miR-34b may inhibit migration and invasion of NSCLC cells by targeting YAF2. Thus, our findings provide new insight into the molecular mechanisms of lung cancer metastasis and miR-34b may serve as a potential target in the treatment of human lung cancer.

miR-18a expression in basal cell carcinoma and regulatory mechanism on autophagy through mTOR pathway

BACKGROUND

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common form of skin carcinoma.

AIM

To investigate the function of key micro(mi)RNAs and to explore the potential molecular mechanisms involved in BCC.

METHODS

The microarray dataset GSE34535, which comprises seven BCC samples and seven control samples, was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) were identified. We collected tissue samples from 20 patients with BCC and 20 healthy controls (HCs), to compare the miR-18a expression in their tissue samples. Expression of miR-18a in A431 and HaCaT cells was also assayed. Following this, we upregulated and downregulated miR-18a expression in A431 cells to examine the effects on cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis. To further investigate the relative mechanism, the proteins LC3, Beclin 1, Akt and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) were examined by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blotting. For further verification, we examined the expression of LC3 in the 20 BCC and 20 HC tissue samples.

RESULTS

In total, 19 DE-miRNAs (13 upregulated and 6 downregulated) that were common to the BCC and HC groups were identified. Levels of miR-18a were about three-fold higher in BCC tissues and A431 cells compared with their respective control groups. In vitro, downregulation of miR-18a was shown to inhibit cell proliferation and activate autophagy via the Akt/mTOR signalling pathway, while upregulation of miR-18a promoted proliferation of these cells. LC3 was decreased in BCC compared with HC tissue samples.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data support an oncogenic role of miR-18a through a novel Akt/mTOR/Beclin 1/LC3 axis, and suggest that the antitumour effects of miR-18a inhibitor may make it suitable for BCC therapy.

[Analysis of emergency venous sinus stenting in the treatment of acute visual impairment caused by idiopathic cranial hypertension]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of emergency venous sinus stenting in the treatment of acute visual impairment caused by idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used to retrospectively analyze 38 patients undergoing venous sinus stenting in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2013 to October 2019. A total of 9 patients who had sudden short-term vision loss met the inclusion criteria. Routine visual field and fundus examination were performed. The venous sinus stenosis (CVSS) was confirmed by MR venography or DSA. The pressure gradient at both ends of CVSS was ≥10 mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa). All patients were treated with emergency venous sinus stenting. Six-month follow-up data were collected for comparison, evaluation of the therapeutic effect, and observation of adverse reactions. Results: All 9 patients were successfully treated with venous sinus stent. The pressure gradient at the distal and proximal ends of the stenosis after stent implantation decreased to (2.3±1.2) mmHg. After 6 months of follow-up, the papilledema was significantly improved or disappeared in all patients. The average grade of papilledema decreased from 2.44±0.73 before operation to 0.56±0.53 after treatment (t=6.314, P<0.001). The visual acuity of 9 patients recovered to the pre-onset level or improved significantly after 6 months. The average baseline value of preoperative visual acuity (logMAR) was 0.12±0.11, which increased to 0.74±0.13 on average 6 months after operation (t=-10.827, P<0.001). No recurrence of symptoms or serious adverse reactions occurred in all patients during the follow-up period. Conclusion: For patients with acute visual impairment caused by idiopathic cranial hypertension, emergency venous sinus stenting is a relatively safe and effective treatment that can effectively improve visual acuity.

Optimal voltage and treatment time of electric field with assistant Solanum nigrum L. cadmium hyperaccumulation in soil

We have attempted to obtain optimal conditions of direct current electrical field with switching polarity to increase Cd accumulation of the hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum L. from soil. The effects of different voltages and treatment times on S. nigrum accumulating Cd were determined. The results showed that Cd concentration in S. nigrum under all electrical field conditions were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of the CK. The Cd concentration in shoot and root of treatment T3 (3 V cm^-1) were higher than the equal results of treatment T2 (2 V cm^-1) and T1 (1 V cm^-1) under the same condition of 6 h d^-1 treatment time. In different treatments concerning time of T1 (6 h d^-1), T4 (10 h d^-1) and T5 (14 h d^-1) under same voltage of 1 V cm^-1, the S. nigrum Cd concentration were with similar trend to the different voltage treatments (T5 with the highest Cd concentration). These results might be caused by positive change trends of pH, EC and extractable Cd concentration in soil. However, the S. nigrum biomasses of T3 were the lowest and the highest biomass happened in treatment of T4. Finally, the highest Cd accumulation in S. nigrm (μg pot^-1) was the T4 with the condition of 1 V cm^-1 and 10 h d^-1, which was also the optimal voltage and treatment time of the electric field. The optimal conditions were important references in the practice of combined use of electrokinetic remediation and phytoremediation.

Aqueous extracts from the selected hyperaccumulators used as soil additives significantly improve accumulation capacity of Solanum nigrum L. for Cd and Pb

The effects of soil treatment with aqueous extracts from three hyperaccumulators on Cd and Pb accumulation by Solanum nigrum L. were determined. The stem (S-RG) and leaf extracts (L-RG) of Rorippaglobosa (Turcz.) Thell., and stem extract (S-BP) of Bidens pilosa L. significantly enhanced Cd and Pb total accumulation capacity of S. nigrum compared to control (by 44 %, 47 %, and 29 % for Cd and by 28 %, 28 % and 21 % for Pb, respectively), while EDTA caused its 9 % and 15 % decrease due to the plant biomass reduction (by 33 %). The leaching experiments reflected affinity of additives to metal mobilization in soils. The concentrations of total organic acid in S-RG, L-RG and S-BP were the highest among studied extracts, which besides the beneficial effect on the soil environment (microbe number and enzyme activities), may be partial reasons of strong promotion of S. nigrum accumulation capacity for Cd and Pb. It was shown that hyperaccumulation properties of a plant are not a prerequisite of enhancing effect of the plant-based soil additive on the metal accumulation capacity of the target living hyperaccumultor. The plant-based chelators were found to be promising candidates for EDTA and other chemicals replacement in promoting efficient and environmentally safe phytoremediation.

Antimalarial agent artesunate induces G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via increasing intracellular ROS levels in normal liver cells

Artesunate (ARS) has been shown to be highly effective against chloroquine-resistant malaria. In vitro studies reported that ARS has anticancer effects; however, its detrimental action on cancer cells may also play a role in its toxicity toward normal cells and its potential toxicity has not been sufficiently researched. In this study, we investigated the possible cytotoxic effects using normal BRL-3A and AML12 liver cells. The results showed that ARS dose-dependently inhibited cell proliferation and arrested the G0/G1 phase cell cycle in both BRL-3A and AML12 liver cells. Western blotting demonstrated that ARS induced a significant downregulation of cyclin-dependent kinase-2 (CDK2), CDK4, cyclin D1, and cyclin E1 in various levels and then caused apoptosis when the Bcl-2/Bax ratio decreased. Conversely, the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were increased. The ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine can significantly inhibit cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induced by ARS. Thus, the data confirmed that ARS exposure impairs normal liver cell proliferation by inducing G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and this detrimental action may be associated with intracellular ROS accumulation. Collectively, the possible side effects of ARS on healthy normal cells cannot be neglected when developing therapies.

The mechanism of chelator improved the tolerance and accumulation of poplar to Cd explored through differential expression protein based on iTRAQ

Appropriate chelator may increase plant tolerance and accumulation for Cd in soil, but its molecular mechanism is unclear. In this experiment, the technology of isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) was used to compare the differential expression proteins (DEPs) and differential expression genes (DEGs) characteristics of poplar accumulating Cd combined with EDTA and/or EGTA. The results showed that the Cd concentrations, biomasses and activities of antioxidant enzymes of poplar were significantly increased in the treatments of chelator addition compared to the T_Cd. The number of co-intersecting specific proteins of T_Cd/CK, T_Cd+EDTA/T_Cd, T_Cd+EGTA/T_Cd and T_Cd+EDTA+EGTA/T_Cd was 49. Using the GO function and KEGG analysis, it was found that EDTA and EGTA might improve some main metabolic pathways of poplar leaves, which were involved in the enhancement of the expression of carbohydrate and energy metabolism-related proteins, regulation of cell energy metabolism, complementing and cooperating with each other in various ways, and dynamic regulation of energy metabolism. Particularly, chelator might induce the regulation of protein synthesis, folding and transport, and degradation of abnormal proteins in response to Cd toxicity. These results provided a theoretical basis for further elucidation of molecular mechanisms of poplar response to Cd stress.

The front-heavy and back-light nitrogen application mode to increase stem and leaf biomass significantly improved cadmium accumulation in Solanum nigrum L

Differently from the goal of fertilization in agricultural production to enhance the yield of seeds, the aim of present work focused on cadmium (Cd) phytoremediation is to increase the stem and leaf biomasses as much as possible due to they are the main organs of a hyperaccumulator extracting risk elements from soil. This experiment compared the effects of different nitrogen (N) application modes on Cd accumulation from soil by Solanum nigrum L. The results showed that stem and leaf biomasses of S. nigrum reached the maximum values with the N fertilizer application at Mode 4 (50 %: 40 %: 10 %, i.e. the front-heavy and back-light application of nitrogen fertilizer). In particular, application of N as (NH₄)₂SO₄ and CH₄N₂O produced the greatest increases in S. nigrum biomasses compared to the control (CK₂) with no N fertilizer. N concentration of S. nigrum and N fertilizer productivity under its different treatments were consistent with the above results. Similarly, Cd capacities were the highest in shoots of S. nigrum in Mode 4 either due to their Cd concentration without affected by N fertilizers. Thus, Mode 4 N application showed very important scientific merit for effective Cd phytoextraction in the real conditions.

0834 Different Neural Circuits Were Associated With Different Parts of Relationships Among Sleep, Pain and Anxiety in Women with Primary Dysmenorrhoea

Introduction

Although the relationships amongst sleep, pain and anxiety have been evidenced, the underlying neurological mechanisms remain elusive. Primary dysmenorrhea is a good model of spontaneous pain with clear painful (menstruation, state) and pain free (e.g., peri-ovulatory phase, trait) conditions. We sought to investigate the state- and trait-related neural signatures that link sleep and anxiety in primary dysmenorrhea.

Methods

Thirty female subjects with primary dysmenorrhea and 30 healthy female controls completed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and sleep quality assessments during menstruation and peri-ovulatory phases. As we have reported that there was altered default mode network in the primary dysmenorrhea, posterior parietal cortex (PPC) was therefore chosen as the seed to elucidate the functional connectivity that may correlate with sleep and anxiety.

Results

The primary dysmenorrheic subjects exhibited sleep disturbances throughout the menstrual cycle with increased state anxiety. The primary dysmenorrheic subjects demonstrated significantly higher correlations between the sleep quality and the PPC-insula and -putamen functional connectivity during the peri-ovulatory phase. During menstruation, the primary dysmenorrheic subjects demonstrated significantly lower correlations between their state-anxiety scores and the PPC-occipital cortex functional connectivity.

Conclusion

After regressing out the effects of trait anxiety, the correlation between sleep quality and the PPC-putamen functional connectivity was not significant, indicating anxiety-mediated sleep-pain relationship. The PPC-insula functional connectivity, by contrast, was remained significant. Furthermore, state anxiety was associated with the PPC-occipital cortex functional connectivity that was significantly impaired in primary dysmenorrheic subjects. These findings hinted pain and anxiety mediating sleep quality in different neurological circuits.

Support

Taipei City Goverment(10401-62-046 and 10501-62-046)

The effects of different electric fields and electrodes on Solanum nigrum L. Cd hyperaccumulation in soil

Electrokinetics is a new attempt of strengthening hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum L. Cd extraction. The effects of different electric fields and electrodes on S. nigrum accumulating Cd among of four electric field conditions (1 V cm^-1) and two electrodes were determined. The results showed that the AC electric field significantly stimulated (p < 0.05) the growth of S. nigrum, and the biomass increased nearly by 40% compared with the control, while the DC electric field (including the switching polarity) had no significant effect. Electric field significantly increased (p < 0.05) Cd concentration in S. nigrum and the highest one was recorded for the DC electric field with switching polarity. S. nigrum Cd accumulation (ug pot^-1) was the highest under the AC electric field, which was nearly 70% higher compared to the control. The innovation found was that the role of biomass enhancement for S. nigrum accumulating Cd (ug pot^-1) was the first and increased Cd concentration was secondary under AC electrical field, which might be relative with S. nigrum is a weed species. Basically, there was no significant difference between the graphite and stainless steel electrode, but under AC electric field conditions, Cd accumulation of S. nigrum was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than stainless steel electrode, which is worthy of further revelation besides of statistic factor. In general, the accumulation (ug pot^-1) of Cd by S. nigrum was the highest under the AC electric field, which was a very important reference for the electrokinetic conditions to be used in the practice of phytoremediation.

Exogenous jasmonic acid decreased Cu accumulation by alfalfa and improved its photosynthetic pigments and antioxidant system

Jasmonic acid (JA) is an important phytohormone, which among others may be involved in the regulation of plant accumulating heavy metal. This experiment was designed to explore the effects of exogenous JA on the responses of alfalfa to Cu stress (100 μM) in Hoagland solution. When 1, 5 or 10 mM JA was added to the treatment with Cu addition, Cu concentrations in roots and leaves of alfalfa were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) to some extents compared to the treatment without JA addition. The biomasses of roots and leaves of alfalfa in treatments of JA additions were significantly increased (p < 0.05) compared to the Cu stress treatment. Similarly, the concentrations of Chlorophyll, antioxidant enzyme activities, MDA and H₂O₂ were improved accordingly. But these factors of JA were not improved further when its concentration added in media was the highest (10 mM), indicating its improvement roles were limited. These results suggested that there were positive roles of exogenous JA on alfalfa decreased its Cu accumulation and toxicities might via reduced oxidative stress.

Effects of different soil pH and nitrogen fertilizers on Bidens pilosa L. Cd accumulation

Bidens pilosa L. was a Cd hyperaccumulator. This experiment determined the effects of different soil pH (adjusted by weak acid and alkali at 4.83, 6.81, and 7.84, respectively) and nitrogen ((NH₄)₂SO₄, Ca(NO₃)₂) on B. pilosa phytoextracting Cd in soil collected from a smelter (Cd concentration was 19.63 mg kg^-1). The results showed that the Cd concentrations in B. pilosa were significantly higher (p < 0.05) with soil pH 4.83 treatments than those of pH 6.81 and 7.84 ones. The Cd concentration of B. pilosa grown in pH 7.84 soil was significantly lower (p < 0.05) than that in pH 6.81 soil. The extractable Cd concentration in soil was decreased (p < 0.05) with the increase of pH. Under three different pH conditions, the rhizosphere pH of B. pilosa was basically 0.2 lower than that of pH in bulk soil respectively, indicating that the hyperaccumulator had a certain acidification effect on soil. Two kinds of nitrogen fertilizers (NH₄)₂SO₄ and Ca(NO₃)₂ had no significant difference (p < 0.05) on Cd concentrations of B. pilosa, which was probably caused by the acidification effect of its rhizosphere. The biomasses of B. pilosa were not affected (p < 0.05) by different pH of soil. The photosynthetic production, antioxidative enzymes, and lipid peroxidation change trends of B. pilosa were basically consistent with its biomasses. Generally speaking, B. pilosa showed high Cd accumulation potential and strong adaptability for different soil situations.

[Analysis of clinical features of 29 patients with 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia]

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pneumonia and to investigate the correlation between serum inflammatory cytokines and severity of the disease. Methods: 29 patients with 2019-ncov admitted to the isolation ward of Tongji hospital affiliated to Tongji medical college of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in January 2020 were selected as the study subjects. Clinical data were collected and the general information, clinical symptoms, blood test and CT imaging characteristics were analyzed. According to the relevant diagnostic criteria, the patients were divided into three groups: mild (15 cases), severe (9 cases) and critical (5 cases). The expression levels of inflammatory cytokines and other markers in the serum of each group were detected, and the changes of these indicators of the three groups were compared and analyzed, as well as their relationship with the clinical classification of the disease. Results: (1) The main symptoms of 2019-nCoV pneumonia was fever (28/29) with or without respiratory and other systemic symptoms. Two patients died with underlying disease and co-bacterial infection, respectively. (2) The blood test of the patients showed normal or decreased white blood cell count (23/29), decreased lymphocyte count (20/29), increased hypersensitive C reactive protein (hs-CRP) (27/29), and normal procalcitonin. In most patients,serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was significantly increased (20/29), while albumin was decreased(15/29). Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (Tbil), serum creatinine (Scr) and other items showed no significant changes. (3) CT findings of typical cases were single or multiple patchy ground glass shadows accompanied by septal thickening. When the disease progresses, the lesion increases and the scope expands, and the ground glass shadow coexists with the solid shadow or the stripe shadow. (4) There were statistically significant differences in the expression levels of interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) and IL-6 in the serum of the three groups (P<0.05), among which the critical group was higher than the severe group and the severe group was higher than the mildgroup. However, there were no statistically significant differences in serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), IL-1, IL-8, IL-10, hs-CRP, lymphocyte count and LDH among the three groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: The clinical characteristics of 2019-nCoV pneumonia are similar to those of common viral pneumonia. High resolution CT is of great value in the differential diagnosis of this disease. The increased expression of IL-2R and IL-6 in serum is expected to predict the severity of the 2019-nCoV pneumonia and the prognosis of patients.

[Analysis of clinical features of 29 patients with 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia]

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pneumonia and to investigate the correlation between serum inflammatory cytokines and severity of the disease. Methods: 29 patients with 2019-ncov admitted to the isolation ward of Tongji hospital affiliated to Tongji medical college of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in January 2020 were selected as the study subjects. Clinical data were collected and the general information, clinical symptoms, blood test and CT imaging characteristics were analyzed. According to the relevant diagnostic criteria, the patients were divided into three groups: mild (15 cases), severe (9 cases) and critical (5 cases). The expression levels of inflammatory cytokines and other markers in the serum of each group were detected, and the changes of these indicators of the three groups were compared and analyzed, as well as their relationship with the clinical classification of the disease. Results: (1) The main symptoms of 2019-nCoV pneumonia was fever (28/29) with or without respiratory and other systemic symptoms. Two patients died with underlying disease and co-bacterial infection, respectively. (2) The blood test of the patients showed normal or decreased white blood cell count (23/29), decreased lymphocyte count (20/29), increased hypersensitive C reactive protein (hs-CRP) (27/29), and normal procalcitonin. In most patients,serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was significantly increased (20/29), while albumin was decreased(15/29). Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (Tbil), serum creatinine (Scr) and other items showed no significant changes. (3) CT findings of typical cases were single or multiple patchy ground glass shadows accompanied by septal thickening. When the disease progresses, the lesion increases and the scope expands, and the ground glass shadow coexists with the solid shadow or the stripe shadow. (4) There were statistically significant differences in the expression levels of interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) and IL-6 in the serum of the three groups (P<0.05), among which the critical group was higher than the severe group and the severe group was higher than the mildgroup. However, there were no statistically significant differences in serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), IL-1, IL-8, IL-10, hs-CRP, lymphocyte count and LDH among the three groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: The clinical characteristics of 2019-nCoV pneumonia are similar to those of common viral pneumonia. High resolution CT is of great value in the differential diagnosis of this disease. The increased expression of IL-2R and IL-6 in serum is expected to predict the severity of the 2019-nCoV pneumonia and the prognosis of patients.

[Study on the disease burden of cancer attributed to the dietary inorganic arsenic exposure in Chinese population in 2013]

Objective: To estimate the burden attributed to the dietary inorganic arsenic exposure with lung cancer, bladder cancer and skin cancer as end points. Methods: Inorganic arsenic, food or diet were used as Chinese keywords and arsenic, food and China were used as English keywords to search for literatures related to the dietary inorganic arsenic exposure published by China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform and PubMed Database. Using the data from the China National Nutrition and Health Survey (CNNHS) in 2002 to estimate the dietary inorganic arsenic exposure in Chinese residents. The annual cancer cases attributed to the dietary inorganic arsenic exposure were calculated based on the data from Chinese Cancer Registry Annual Report in 2013. The disability adjusted life year (DALY) was calculated using tools built by WHO. Results: The total DALY of cancer caused by the dietary inorganic arsenic exposure was 419.4 thousand, and the DALY rate was 31.47 per 100 000. The DALY of lung cancer in males and females was 237.7 thousand and 102.5 thousand. The DALY of bladder cancer in males and females was 13.2 thousand and 3.9 thousand. The DALY of skin cancer in males and females was 29.4 thousand and 32.8 thousand. Conclusion: In 2013, the Chinese population had a lower burden of cancer due to the dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic.

TaqMan real-time PCR for detecting bovine viral diarrhea virus

The present study was aimed to establish a novel TaqMan real-time PCR (RTm-PCR) for detecting and typing bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), and also to develop a diagnostic protocol which simplifies sample collection and processing. Universal primers and TaqMan-MGB probes were designed from the known sequences of conserved 5' - and 3'-untranslated regions (5'UTR, 3'UTR) of the NADL strain of BVDV. Prior to optimizing the assay, cDNAs were transcribed in vitro to make standard curves. The sensitivity, specificity and stability (reproducibility) were evaluated. The RTm-PCR was tested on the 312 feces specimens collected from persistently infected (PI) calves. The results showed the optimum conditions for RTm-PCR were 17.0 μmol/L primer, 7.5 μmol/L probe and 51.4°C annealing temperature. The established TaqMan RTm-PCR assay could specially detect BVDV without detecting any other viruses. Its detection limit was 1.55×100 copies/μL for viral RNA. It was 10000-fold higher than conventional PCR with excellent specificity and reproducibility. 312 samples were tested using this method and universal PCR from six dairy farms, respectively. Positive detections were found in 49 and 44 feces samples, respectively. The occurrence rate was 89.80%. In conclusion, the established TaqMan RTm-PCR could rapidly detect BVDV and effectively identify PI cattle. The detection limit of RTm-PCR was 1.55 copies/μL. It will be beneficial for enhancing diagnosis and therapy efficacy and reduce losses in cattle farms.

Hyperaccumulation of Cd by Rorippa globosa (Turcz.) Thell. from soil enriched with different Cd compounds, and impact of soil amendment with glutathione (GSH) on the hyperaccumulation efficiency

Rorippa globosa (Turcz.) Thell. is known as Cd hyperaccumulator, however neither hyperaccumulation nature, nor affecting factors like the effect of Cd compounds entering soil from different sources, or of specific soil amendments, are not yet satisfactorily clarified. In the pot culture experiment, Cd accumulation by R. globosa from soils spiked with 3 and 9 mg Cd kg^-1 in the form of Cd(NO₃)₂, CdCl₂, CdBr₂, CdI₂, CdSO₄, CdF₂, Cd(OH)₂, CdCO₃, Cd₃(PO₄)₂, CdS and effect of soil amendment with glutathione (GSH) were investigated. Accumulation capacity of R. globosa for Cd appeared to reflect its extractability in soils and was about two-fold bigger for high soluble compounds than for low-soluble ones. At that, the differences between the accumulation of Cd originating from high soluble compound group did not exceed 20%, while the differences within the low soluble compound group were insignificant (p < 0.05). The analysis of Cd uptake, uptake factor (UF), enrichment factor (EF) and translocation factor (TF) patterns revealed that Cd hyperaccumulating properties of R. globosa are based on the high water/nutrients demand and strong tolerance to Cd, although weak protection against Cd uptake by root system was also observed. Amendment with GSH enhanced Cd availability to plant and its uptake from soil, but exerted no effect on Cd translocation in plants. In the light of the results, the use of R. globosa for phytoremediation of moderately polluted agricultural lands as forecrop or aftercrop, and the GSH-assisted phytoremediation of highly polluted post-industrial sites seem to be viable options.

Strengthening role and the mechanism of optimum nitrogen addition in relation to Solanum nigrum L. Cd hyperaccumulation in soil

Solanum nigrum L. has a high potential for the remediation of Cd-contaminated soil, and nitrogen fertilizer supply is an effective method to further improve its phytoremediation potential. The soil pot culture experiment was used to explore 4 kinds of nitrogen fertilizers the best fertilizer addition concentrations and their strengthening mechanisms. The results showed that S. nigrum biomass increased with increasing N doses until 800 mg kg^-1, where the biomass reached maximum and no longer improved (p < 0.05). However, Cd concentration accumulated by S. nigrum and the extractable Cd concentration in soil did not show a significant decrease (p < 0.05). In this experiment, when N fertilizer was added at 800 mg kg^-1 (NH₄HCO₃, NH₄Cl, (NH₄)₂SO₄ and CH₄N₂O fertilizers), the biomass of the aboveground S. nigrum parts improved to the maximum under (NH₄)₂SO₄ and CH₄N₂O treatments, i.e. 5.86 g pot^-1 and 5.83 g pot^-1, increased by 5.92- and 5.89-fold, respectively (p < 0.05), compared to the controls without N fertilizers addition. At the same time, Cd phytoaccumulation in plants was elevated to 128.40 μg pot^-1 and 129.14 μg pot^-1, increased by 6.20- and 6.24-fold, respectively (p < 0.05), compared to control with no fertilizer added. The results of this experiment demonstrated that Cd phytoextraction capacity (μg pot^-1) was the strongest under (NH₄)₂SO₄ and CH₄N₂O treatments at N content of 800 mg kg^-1, when plant nutrient recovery reached the maximum, and these 2 types of nitrogen fertilizers could be utilized to remediate Cd-contaminated soil in field experiments or even in practice.

Semi-autonomous Robotic Anastomoses of Vaginal Cuffs Using Marker Enhanced 3D Imaging and Path Planning

Autonomous robotic anastomosis has the potential to improve surgical outcomes by performing more consistent suture spacing and bite size compared to manual anastomosis. However, due to soft tissue's irregular shape and unpredictable deformation, performing autonomous robotic anastomosis without continuous tissue detection and three-dimensional path planning strategies remains a challenging task. In this paper, we present a novel three-dimensional path planning algorithm for Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR) to enable semi-autonomous robotic anastomosis on deformable tissue. The algorithm incorporates (i) continuous detection of 3D near infrared (NIR) markers manually placed on deformable tissue before the procedure, (ii) generating a uniform and consistent suture placement plan using 3D path planning methods based on the locations of the NIR markers, and (iii) updating the remaining suture plan after each completed stitch using a non-rigid registration technique to account for tissue deformation during anastomosis. We evaluate the path planning algorithm for accuracy and consistency by comparing the anastomosis of synthetic vaginal cuff tissue completed by STAR and a surgeon. Our test results indicate that STAR using the proposed method achieves 2.6 times better consistency in suture spacing and 2.4 times better consistency in suture bite sizes than the manual anastomosis.