Nonlinear relationship between viral load and TCT in single/multiple HPV52 infection

PURPOSE

To determine the correlation between HPV (human papillomavirus) 52 viral load, multiple infections and ThinPrep cytology test (TCT), to inform clinical management of HPV52-positive women after cervical cancer screening.

METHODS

A total of 1,882 female patients who had positive quantitative HPV tests at Yuebei People's Hospital from January 2020 to December 2022, of whom 533 tested positive for HPV52. We excluded patients who combined HPV16 and/or HPV 18 positivity and whom HPV52 viral load could not be calculated. The final enrollment was 488 patients, including 400 NILM, 48 ASC-US, 28 LSIL and 12 HSIL. The HPV test is a quantitative multiplexed fluorescent PCR assay that provides both HPV genotyping and viral load.

RESULTS

In our study, there were differences in the median distribution of viral loads among various cytological class categories. The risk of TCT results (LSIL or worse) was increased with the increase of HPV52 viral load, for every LOG unit increase in HPV52 viral load, the risk increased by 26.6%. More importantly, we found a nonlinear relationship between HPV52 viral load and TCT results (LSIL or worse) in both single and multiple infections. When the viral load reaches a threshold, the risk of abnormal cytological results increases significantly.

CONCLUSION

HPV52 viral load is an independent risk factor for TCT results (LSIL or worse). The relationship between HPV52 viral load and TCT results (LSIL or worse) is not linear. Viral load may be used as a triage indicator for HPV52-positive patients, thus improving the post-screening clinical management of HPV52-positive women.

High-Efficiency Thermal-Shock Resistance Enabled by Radiative Cooling and Latent Heat Storage

Radiative cooling technology is well known for its subambient temperature cooling performance under sunlight radiation. However, the intrinsic maximum cooling power of radiative cooling limits the performance when the objects meet the thermal shock. Here, a dual-function strategy composed of radiative cooling and latent heat storage simultaneously enabling the efficient subambient cooling and high-efficiency thermal-shock resistance performance is proposed. The electrospinning and absorption-pressing methods are used to assemble the dual-function cooler. The high sunlight reflectivity and high mid-infrared emissivity of radiative film allow excellent subambient temperature of 5.1 °C. When subjected the thermal shock, the dual-function cooler demonstrates a pinning effect of huge temperature drop of 39 °C and stable low-temperature level by isothermal heat absorption compared with the traditional radiative cooler. The molten phase change materials provide the heat-time transfer effect by converting thermal-shock heat to the delayed preservation. This strategy paves a powerful way to protect the objects from thermal accumulation and high-temperature damage, expanding the applications of radiative cooling and latent heat storage technologies.

Proactive Versus Reactive Control Strategies Differentially Mediate Alcohol Drinking in Male Wistars and P Rats

Problematic alcohol consumption is associated with deficits in decision-making and alterations in prefrontal cortex neural activity likely contribute. We hypothesized that the differences in cognitive control would be evident between male Wistars and a model of genetic risk: alcohol-preferring P rats. Cognitive control is split into proactive and reactive components. Proactive control maintains goal-directed behavior independent of a stimulus, whereas reactive control elicits goal-directed behavior at the time of a stimulus. We hypothesized that Wistars would show proactive control over alcohol seeking whereas P rats would show reactive control over alcohol seeking. Neural activity was recorded from the prefrontal cortex during an alcohol seeking task with two session types. On congruent sessions, the conditioned stimulus (CS+) was on the same side as alcohol access. Incongruent sessions presented alcohol opposite the CS+. Wistars, but not P rats, made more incorrect approaches during incongruent sessions, suggesting that Wistars utilized the previously learned rule. This motivated the hypothesis that neural activity reflecting proactive control would be observable in Wistars but not P rats. While P rats showed differences in neural activity at times of alcohol access, Wistars showed differences prior to approaching the sipper. These results support our hypothesis that Wistars are more likely to engage in proactive cognitive control strategies whereas P rats are more likely to engage in reactive cognitive control strategies. Although P rats were bred to prefer alcohol, the differences in cognitive control may reflect a sequela of behaviors that mirror those in humans at risk for an AUD.

Proactive Versus Reactive Control Strategies Differentially Mediate Alcohol Drinking in Wistar and P rats

Problematic alcohol consumption is associated with deficits in decision-making, and alterations in prefrontal cortex neural activity likely contributes. We hypothesized that differences in cognitive control would be evident between male Wistar rats and a model for genetic risk for alcohol use disorder (alcohol-preferring P rats). Cognitive control can be split into proactive and reactive components. Proactive control maintains goal-directed behavior independent of a stimulus whereas reactive control elicits goal-directed behavior at the time of a stimulus. We hypothesized that Wistars would show proactive control over alcohol-seeking whereas P rats would show reactive control over alcohol-seeking. Neural ensembles were recorded from prefrontal cortex during an alcohol seeking task that utilized two session types. On congruent sessions the CS+ was on the same side as alcohol access. Incongruent sessions presented alcohol opposite the CS+. Wistars, but not P rats, exhibited an increase in incorrect approaches during incongruent sessions, suggesting that Wistars utilized the previously learned task-rule. This motivated the hypothesis that ensemble activity reflecting proactive control would be observable in Wistars but not P rats. While P rats showed differences in neural activity at times relevant for alcohol delivery, Wistars showed differences prior to approaching the sipper. These results support our hypothesis that Wistars are more likely to engage proactive cognitive-control strategies whereas P rats are more likely to engage reactive cognitive control strategies. Although P rats were bred to prefer alcohol, differences in cognitive control may reflect a sequela of behaviors that mirror those in humans at risk for an AUD.

Feasibility and safety of ultra-fast track anesthesia for totally thoracoscopic closure of ventricular septal defect: A randomized controlled trial

Objective

Ultra-fast channel anesthesia (UFTA) can reduce the dosage of opioid narcotic drugs, allow for a rapid postoperative extubation and reduce the harmful stress response during perioperative period. However, there has been limited information about the application of UFTA during thoracoscopic closure of ventricular septal defect (VSD). The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and safety of UFTA technique in patients undergoing totally thoracoscopic closure of VSD.

Methods

Seventy-eight patients were randomly divided into study (UFTA) and control (standard general anesthesia) group. Totally thoracoscopic closure of VSD was performed in all patients. Extubation in the study and control group was attempted in the operating room and the intensive care unit, respectively.

Results

All patients in the study group were extubated in the operating room immediately after surgery, but 2 (6.1%) required reintubation. All the control group patients were extubated after a period of mechanical ventilation (3.0 ± 3.7 h vs 0 h in the study group, p = 0.001) in the intensive care unit. The intensive care and hospital stays in the study group were shorter than in the control group (4.3 ± 2.5 vs 13.4 ± 4.4 h, p = 0.003, and 5.8 ± 0.8 vs 6.5 ± 1.2 d, p = 0.047). The total costs for the treatment in the study group was lower than in the control group (5264 ± 514 vs 4662 ± 461 US dollars, p = 0.02).

Conclusions

UFTA and operating room extubation was feasible and safe in the majority of patients following totally thoracoscopic closure of VSD. This technique was associated with a shorter intensive care stay and lower overall costs for the surgical treatment.

Safety and clinical activity of atezolizumab plus erlotinib in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Acquired resistance limits long-term epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) efficacy in patients with EGFR mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in whom anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) efficacy is also limited. We hypothesized that combining atezolizumab with erlotinib could enhance antitumor immunity and extend efficacy in these patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This open-label phase Ib trial was conducted in adults aged ≥18 years who had advanced, unresectable NSCLC. Stage 1 (safety evaluation) enrolled EGFR TKI-naive patients regardless of EGFR status. Stage 2 (expansion) enrolled patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC treated with ≤1 prior non-EGFR TKI therapy. Patients received 150 mg erlotinib orally once daily. After a 7-day erlotinib run-in, atezolizumab 1200 mg was administered intravenously every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was the safety and tolerability of the combination in all patients; secondary endpoints included antitumor activity per RECIST 1.1 in stage 2 patients.

RESULTS

At the data cut-off on 7 May 2020, 28 patients (8 in stage 1, 20 in stage 2) were assessable for safety. No dose-limiting toxicities or grade 4 or 5 treatment-related adverse events occurred. Grade 3 treatment-related adverse events occurred in 46% of patients; the most common were increased alanine aminotransferase, diarrhea, pyrexia, and rash (each in 7% of patients). Serious adverse events occurred in 50% of patients. Pneumonitis (grade 1) was reported in a single patient (4%). The objective response rate was 75% [95% confidence interval (CI) 50.9% to 91.3%]), median response duration was 18.9 months (95% CI 9.5-40.5 months), median progression-free survival was 15.4 months (95% CI 8.4-39.0 months), and median overall survival was not estimable (NE) (95% CI 34.6-NE).

CONCLUSIONS

Atezolizumab combined with erlotinib demonstrated a tolerable safety profile and encouraging, durable clinical activity in patients with advanced EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC.

Improved 2α-Hydroxylation Efficiency of Steroids by CYP154C2 Using Structure-Guided Rational Design

Cytochrome P450 enzymes are promising biocatalysts for industrial use because they catalyze site-selective C-H oxidation and have diverse catalytic reactions and a broad substrate range. In this study, the 2α-hydroxylation activity of CYP154C2 from Streptomyces avermitilis MA-4680T toward androstenedione (ASD) was identified by an in vitro conversion assay. The testosterone (TES)-bound structure of CYP154C2 was solved at 1.42 Å, and this structure was used to design eight mutants, including single, double, and triple mutants, to improve the conversion efficiency. Mutants L88F/M191F and M191F/V285L were found to enhance the conversion rates significantly (i.e., 8.9-fold and 7.4-fold for TES, 46.5-fold and 19.5-fold for ASD, respectively) compared with the wild-type (WT) enzyme while retaining high 2α-position selectivity. The substrate binding affinity of the L88F/M191F mutant toward TES and ASD was enhanced compared with that of WT CYP154C2, supporting the measured increase in the conversion efficiencies. Moreover, the total turnover number and kcat/Km of the L88F/M191F and M191F/V285L mutants increased significantly. Interestingly, all mutants containing L88F generated 16α-hydroxylation products, suggesting that L88 in CYP154C2 plays a vital role in substrate selectivity and that the amino acid corresponding to L88 in the 154C subfamily affects the orientation of steroid binding and substrate selectivity. IMPORTANCE Hydroxylated derivatives of steroids play essential roles in medicine. Cytochrome P450 enzymes selectively hydroxylate methyne groups on steroids, which can dramatically change their polarity, biological activity and toxicity. There is a paucity of reports on the 2α-hydroxylation of steroids, and documented 2α-hydroxylate P450s show extremely low conversion efficiency and/or low regio- and stereoselectivity. This study conducted crystal structure analysis and structure-guided rational engineering of CYP154C2 and efficiently enhanced the conversion efficiency of TES and ASD with high regio- and stereoselectivity. Our results provide an effective strategy and theoretical basis for the 2α-hydroxylation of steroids, and the structure-guided rational design of P450s should facilitate P450 applications in the biosynthesis of steroid drugs.

[Observational study on perioperative outcomes of pelvic exenteration]

Objective: To investigate the surgical indications and perioperative clinical outcomes of pelvic exenteration (PE) for locally advanced, recurrent pelvic malignancies and complex pelvic fistulas. Methods: This was a descriptive study.The indications for performing PE were: (1) locally advanced, recurrent pelvic malignancy or complex pelvic fistula diagnosed preoperatively by imaging and pathological examination of a biopsy; (2)preoperative agreement by a multi-disciplinary team that non-surgical and conventional surgical treatment had failed and PE was required; and (3) findings on intraoperative exploration confirming this conclusion.Contraindications to this surgical procedure comprised cardiac and respiratory dysfunction, poor nutritional status,and mental state too poor to tolerate the procedure.Clinical data of 141 patients who met the above criteria, had undergone PE in the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2018 to September 2022, had complete perioperative clinical data, and had given written informed consent to the procedure were collected,and the operation,relevant perioperative variables, postoperative pathological findings (curative resection), and early postoperative complications were analyzed. Results: Of the 141 included patients, 43 (30.5%) had primary malignancies, 61 (43.3%) recurrent malignancies, 28 (19.9%) complex fistulas after radical resection of malignancies,and nine (6.4%)complex fistulas caused by benign disease. There were 79 cases (56.0%) of gastrointestinal tumors, 30 cases (21.3%) of reproductive tumors, 16 cases (11.3%) of urinary tumors, and 7 cases (5.0%) of other tumors such mesenchymal tissue tumors. Among the 104 patients with primary and recurrent malignancies, 15 patients with severe complications of pelvic perineum of advanced tumors were planned to undergo palliative PE surgery for symptom relief after preoperative assessment of multidisciplinary team; the other 89 patients were evaluated for radical PE surgery. All surgeries were successfully completed. Total PE was performed on 73 patients (51.8%),anterior PE on 22 (15.6%),and posterior PE in 46 (32.6%). The median operative time was 576 (453,679) minutes, median intraoperative blood loss 500 (200, 1 200) ml, and median hospital stay 17 (13.0,30.5)days.There were no intraoperative deaths. Of the 89 patients evaluated for radical PE surgery, the radical R0 resection was achieved in 64 (71.9%) of them, R1 resection in 23 (25.8%), and R2 resection in two (2.2%). One or more postoperative complications occurred in 85 cases (60.3%), 32 (22.7%)of which were Clavien-Dindo grade III and above.One patient (0.7%)died during the perioperative period. Conclusion: PE is a valid option for treating locally advanced or recurrent pelvic malignancies and complex pelvic fistulas.

Porphyromonas gingivalis Evades Immune Clearance by Regulating Lysosome Efflux

Porphyromonas gingivalis, a major periodontal pathogen, invades autophagosomes of cells, including gingival epithelial cells, endothelial cells, gingival fibroblasts, macrophages, and dendritic cells, to escape antimicrobial autophagy and lysosome fusion. However, it is not known how P. gingivalis resists autophagic immunity, survives within cells, and induces inflammation. Thus, we investigated whether P. gingivalis could escape antimicrobial autophagy by promoting lysosome efflux to block autophagic maturation, leading to intracellular survival, and whether the growth of P. gingivalis within cells results in cellular oxidative stress, causing mitochondrial damage and inflammatory responses. P. gingivalis invaded human immortalized oral epithelial cells in vitro and mouse oral epithelial cells of gingival tissues in vivo. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased upon bacterial invasion, as well as mitochondrial dysfunction-related parameters with downregulated mitochondrial membrane potential and intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP), upregulated mitochondrial membrane permeability, intracellular Ca²⁺ influx, mitochondrial DNA expression, and extracellular ATP. Lysosome excretion was elevated, the number of intracellular lysosomes was diminished, and lysosomal-associated membrane protein 2 was downregulated. Expression of autophagy-related proteins, microtubule-associated protein light chain 3, sequestosome-1, the NLRP3 inflammasome, and interleukin-1β increased with P. gingivalis infection. P. gingivalis may survive in vivo by promoting lysosome efflux, blocking autophagosome-lysosome fusion, and destroying autophagic flux. As a result, ROS and damaged mitochondria accumulated and activated the NLRP3 inflammasome, which recruited the adaptor protein ASC and caspase 1, leading to the production of proinflammatory factor interleukin-1β and inflammation.

Regulating performance of CANON process via adding external quorum sensing signal molecules in membrane bioreactor

In this study, the regulation effect of the external quorum sensing signals, N-dodecanoyl homoserine lactone (C12-HSL) on CANON process were investigated in a membrane bioreactor. C12-HSL significantly enhanced the aerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and improved the ammonia monooxygenase activity to 0.134 from 0.076 μg NO₂^--N mg^-1 protein min^-1, while suppressed anaerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and limited the TN removal to 0.07 from 0.22 kg m^-3 d^-1. Key enzymes synthesis were enhanced during the operation without C12-HSL addition, enabling the resistance of CANON system to high C12-HSL. As a result, the hydroxylamine oxidoreductase and nitrite reductase activity reached 35.9 EU g^-1 SS and 1.28 μg NO₂^--N mg^-1 protein min^-1, respectively; Nitrosomonas and Candidatus Kuenenia, with the abundance as 12.5 % and 22.9 %, cooperatively contributed to the TN removal, which maintained at 0.19 kg m^-3 d^-1. C12-HSL was profitable for aerobic ammonia oxidation, which could be adopted for regulating the nitrite production rate.

RGS2 promotes estradiol biosynthesis by trophoblasts during human pregnancy

Production of estradiol (E2) by the placenta during human pregnancy ensures successful maintenance of placental development and fetal growth by stimulating trophoblast proliferation and the differentiation of cytotrophoblasts into syncytiotrophoblasts. Decreased levels of E2 are closely associated with obstetrical diseases such as preeclampsia (PE) in the clinic. However, the mechanisms underlying the inhibition of placental E2 biosynthesis remain poorly understood. Here, we report that regulator of G-protein signaling 2 (RGS2) affects E2 levels by regulating aromatase, a rate-limiting enzyme for E2 biosynthesis, by using human trophoblast-derived JEG-3 cells and human placental villus tissues. RGS2 enhanced the protein degradation of the transcription factor heart and neural crest derivatives expressed 1 (HAND1) by suppressing ubiquitin-specific protease 14 (USP14)-mediated deubiquitination of HAND1, resulting in the restoration of HAND1-induced trans-inactivation of the aromatase gene and subsequent increases in E2 levels. However, aromatase bound to RGS2 and repressed RGS2 GTPase activating protein (GAP) activity. Moreover, we observed a positive correlation between RGS2 and aromatase expression in clinical normal and preeclamptic placental tissues. Our results uncover a hitherto uncharacterized role of the RGS2-aromatase axis in the regulation of E2 production by human placental trophoblasts, which may pinpoint the molecular pathogenesis and highlight potential biomarkers for related obstetrical diseases.

Comprehensive analysis of alfa defensin expression and prognosis in human colorectal cancer

Introduction

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a serious threat to human health. Screening new biomarkers can provide basis for improving the prognosis and individualized treatment of CRC. Although some members of the defensin family were found increased in pancreatic cancer and CRC, their exact function and clinical significance remain unclear.

Methods

In this study, the expression, correlation, mutation, and functional enrichment of several defensin family members in pancreatic cancer and CRC were analyzed using tumor public databases and verified in several patients.

Results

Results showed no significant correlation between the expression levels of DEFA1-4 and CRC. The expression levels of DEFA5 and DEFA6 significantly increased in CRC tissues compared with those in normal tissues. DEFA5 may be associated with better prognosis of CRC, while DEFA6 may be associated with poor prognosis. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) experiments showed that the expression of DEFA6 was significantly higher in adenoma than in normal mucosa and slightly higher in carcinoma than in normal mucosa. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis found that DEFAs were closely related to hsa05202: transcriptional misregulation in cancer and Hsa04015: Rap1 signaling pathway. DEFA5 may be a stable and good prognostic marker, and DEFA6 may be a poor prognostic marker in CRC of metastasis.

Conclusion

Overall, DEFA5 and DEFA6 have a certain degree of sensitivity and specificity in predicting CRC.

Characteristics of vertical drop jump to screen the anterior cruciate ligament injury

OBJECTIVE

To clarify the characteristics of vertical drop jump (VDJ) for screening athletes at high risk of ACL injury by comparing the kinematic, kinetic and electromyographic variables of different VDJ.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Thirty male soccer players were recruited to measure parameters of knee kinematics, kinetics, and surface electromyograph during VDJ in four kinds of movements measured (the distance between the take-off feet is 5 cm or 30 cm, and the distance between the landing feet is 5 cm or 30 cm) using the Vicon motion capture system, Kistler3-D dynamometer, and Noraxon surface electromyograph test system.

RESULTS

The peak knee abduction moment was significantly greater for landing feet distance of 30 cm compared to landing feet distance of 5 cm, regardless of whether the distance between take-off feet was 5 cm (0.58 vs. 0.44) or 30 cm (0.61 vs. 0.40); regardless of whether the distance between landing feet was 5 cm (22.78 vs. 20.45) or 30 cm (24.32 vs. 21.87), the peak vertical Ground Reaction Force was significantly increased for the take-off feet distance was 5 cm compared to take-off feet of 30 cm.

CONCLUSIONS

In the test of VDJ, athletes will adopt different landing strategies for different movement instructions, and the VDJ with the distance of 5 cm between the take-off feet and the distance of 30 cm between the landing feet may be the better maneuver to screen for risk of ACL injury.

Preparation and Property Characterization of In2YSbO7/BiSnSbO6 Heterojunction Photocatalyst toward Photocatalytic Degradation of Indigo Carmine within Dye Wastewater under Visible-Light Irradiation

In₂YSbO₇ and In₂YSbO₇/BiSnSbO₆ heterojunction photocatalyst were prepared by a solvothermal method for the first time. The structural characteristics of In₂YSbO₇ had been represented. The outcomes showed that In₂YSbO₇ crystallized well and possessed pyrochlore constitution, a stable cubic crystal system and space group Fd3m. The lattice parameter of In₂YSbO₇ was discovered to be a = 11.102698 Å and the band gap energy of In₂YSbO₇ was discovered to be 2.68 eV, separately. After visible-light irradiation of 120 minutes (VLGI-120M), the removal rate (ROR) of indigo carmine (IC) reached 99.42% with In₂YSbO₇/BiSnSbO₆ heterojunction (IBH) as a photocatalyst. The ROR of total organic carbon (TOC) reached 93.10% with IBH as a photocatalyst after VLGI-120M. Additionally, the dynamics constant k which was taken from the dynamic curve toward (DCT) IC density and VLGI time with IBH as a catalyst reached 0.02950 min^-1. The dynamics constant k which came from the DCT TOC density and VLGI time with IBH as a photocatalyst reached 0.01783 min^-1. The photocatalytic degradation of IC in dye wastewater (DW) with IBH as a photocatalyst under VLGI was in accordance with the first-order kinetic curves. IBH was used to degrade IC in DW for three cycles of experiments under VLGI, and the ROR of IC reached 98.74%, 96.89% and 94.88%, respectively, after VLGI-120M, indicating that IBH had high stability. Compared with superoxide anions or holes, hydroxyl radicals possessed the largest oxidative ability for removing IC in DW, as demonstrated by experiments with the addition of trapping agents. Lastly, the probable degradation mechanism and degradation pathway of IC were revealed in detail. The results showed that a visible-light-responsive heterojunction photocatalyst which possessed high catalytic activity and a photocatalytic reaction system which could effectively remove IC in DW were obtained. This work provided a fresh scientific research idea for improving the performance of a single catalyst.

Synthesis and Property Examination of Er2FeSbO7/BiTiSbO6 Heterojunction Composite Catalyst and Light-Catalyzed Retrogradation of Enrofloxacin in Pharmaceutical Waste Water under Visible Light Irradiation

A new photocatalyst, Er2FeSbO7, was prepared by solid phase sintering using the high-temperature synthesis method for the first time in this paper. Er2FeSbO7/BiTiSbO6 heterojunction (EBH) catalyst was prepared by the solvent thermal method for the first time. Er2FeSbO7 compound crystallized in the pyrochlore-type architecture and cubelike crystal system; the interspace group of Er2FeSbO7 was Fd3m and the crystal cellular parameter a of Er2FeSbO7 was 10.179902 Å. The band gap (BDG) width of Er2FeSbO7 was 1.88 eV. After visible light irradiation of 150 minutes (VLGI-150min) with EBH as a photocatalyst, the removal rate (RR) of enrofloxacin (ENR) concentration was 99.16%, and the total organic carbon (TOC) concentration RR was 94.96%. The power mechanics invariable k toward ENR consistency and visible light irradiation (VLGI) time with EBH as a photocatalyzer attained 0.02296 min−1. The power mechanics invariable k which was involved with TOC attained 0.01535 min−1. The experimental results showed that the photocatalytic degradation (PCD) of ENR within pharmaceutical waste water with EBH as a photocatalyzer under VLGI was in keeping with the single-order reactivity power mechanics. The RR of ENR with EBH as a photocatalyzer was 1.151 times, 1.269 times or 2.524 times that with Er2FeSbO7 as a photocatalyst, BiTiSbO6 as a photocatalyst, or N-doping TiO2 (N-TO) as a photocatalyst after VLGI-150min. The photocatalytic activity, which ranged from high to low among above four photocatalysts, was as follows: EBHP > Er2FeSbO7 > BiTiSbO6 > N-TO. After VLGI-150min toward three periods of the project with EBH as a photocatalyst, the RR of ENR attained 98.00%, 96.76% and 95.60%. The results showed that the stability of EBH was very high. With appending trapping agent, it could be proved that the oxidative capability for degrading ENR, which ranged from strong to weak among three oxidic radicals, was as follows: superoxide anion > hydroxyl radicals (HRS) > holes. This work provides a scientific basis for the research and oriented leader development of efficient heterojunction catalysts.

Sheep tail fat inhibits the proliferation of non-small-cell lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo

Increasing evidence suggests that numerous edible oils may function as adjuvant dietary therapies to treat cancer. We previously reported that the odd-chain saturated fatty acid (OCSFA), heptadecanoic acid (C17:0), profoundly inhibits non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell proliferation. However, the antitumor potential of edible lipids rich in C17:0 remains unclear. Here, we determined that sheep tail fat (STF) is a dietary lipid rich in C17:0 and exhibited the greatest inhibitory effect against three NSCLC cell lines (A549, PC-9, and PC-9/GR) among common dietary lipids. Cell migration experiments demonstrated that STF could significantly inhibit the wound healing capacity of three NSCLC cell lines by promoting the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and subsequent cell death. Mechanistic studies showed that STF suppressed NSCLC cell growth by downregulating the Akt/S6K signaling pathway. Furthermore, administration of STF reduced tumor growth, weight, and expression of the proliferative marker Ki-67 in nude mice bearing A549 xenografts. Collectively, our data show that STF has antitumor activity against NSCLC, implying that dietary intake of C17:0-rich STF may be a potential adjuvant therapy for NSCLC.

Chronic heat stress causes liver damage via endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis in broilers

Liver is a central metabolic organ, which is sensitive to heat stress. Liver damage affects animals' health and endangers the livestock and poultry industry. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of chronic heat stress-induced liver damage in broiler chickens. Broilers were divided into 3 treatments: normal control group (NOR, 22°C), heat stress group (HS, 32°C) and pair-feeding group (PF, 22°C) for a 7-d and 14-d trial. The results showed that 7 d heat exposure caused microvesicular steatosis and reduced glutamine synthetase activity in broiler liver (P < 0.05). After 14 d of heat exposure, heat stress caused vacuolar degeneration and apoptosis in the liver; elevated liver relative weight and liver glutaminase activity as well as plasma ammonia level (P < 0.05). Additionally, heat stress enhanced GRP78 protein expression and the mRNA expressions of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress responses genes and apoptosis-related genes in broiler liver after 14 d of heat exposure (P < 0.05). In conclusion, chronic heat stress triggered ER stress-induced apoptosis and caused liver damage, which may compromise ammonia detoxification in broiler liver.

[Development of a Ranking Tool for Scientificity, Transparency and Applicability of Clinical Practice Guidelines]

Objective: To address the limitations of existing methods and tools for evaluating clinical practice guidelines, we aimed to develop a comprehensive instrument focusing on the three main dimensions of guideline development: scientificity, transparency, applicability. We will use it to rank the guidelines according to the scores. We abbreviated it as STAR, and its reliability, validity and usability were also tested. Methods: A multidisciplinary expert working group was set up, including methodologists, statisticians, journal editors, medical professionals, and others. Scoping review, Delphi methods and hierarchical analysis were used to determine the final checklist of STAR. Results: The new instrument contained 11 domains and 39 items. Intrinsic reliability of each domain was indicated by Cronbach's α coefficient, with a average value of 0.646. The Cohen's kappa coefficients for methodological evaluators and clinical evaluators were 0.783 and 0.618. The overall content validity index was 0.905. The R2 for the criterion validity analysis was 0.76. The average score for usability of the items was 4.6, and the mean time spent to evaluate each guideline was 20 minutes. Conclusion: The instrument has good reliability, validity and evaluating efficiency, and can be used for evaluating and ranking guidelines more comprehensively.

The 16α-Hydroxylation of Progesterone by Cytochrome P450 107X1 from Streptomyces avermitilis

Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs or P450s) are ubiquitous heme-dependent enzymes that catalyze the monooxygenation of non-activated C-H bonds to modify the structure of the substrate. In this study, we heterologously expressed CYP107X1 from Streptomyces avermitilis and conducted in vitro substrate screening using the alternative redox partners putidaredoxin and putidaredoxin reductase. CYP107X1 catalyzed the 16α-hydroxylation of progesterone with regio- and stereoselectivity. The spectroscopic analyses showed that CYP107X1 bound progesterone with a relatively high K_d value of 65.3±38.9 μM. The K_m and k_cat values for progesterone were estimated to be 47.7±12.0 μM and 0.30 min^-1 , respectively. Furthermore, a crystal structure was obtained of CYP107X1 bound with glycerol from the buffer solution. Interestingly, a conserved threonine was replaced with asparagine in CYP107X1, indicating that it may adopt an unnatural proton transfer process and play a crucial role in its catalytic activity.

Can anammox process be adopted for treating wastewater with high salinity exposure risk?

Anammox was a promising technology for nitrogen removal, and has been applied for treating many kinds of nitrogenous wastewaters. Considering the risk in high salinity of the municipal sewage in coastal city, the feasibility of Anammox process for treating low ammonia wastewater (around 50 mg L^-1) with increasing salinity was investigated in this study. The results showed that the salinity in low concentrations (1-5 g L^-1) had slight impact on the nitrogen removal and activity of Anammox bacteria but significantly improved its growth. The moderate salinity (10-40 g L^-1) decreased the specific Anammox activity (SAA) to 8.11 from the initial 13.15 mg N g^-1 SS h^-1, but increased the abundance to 52.3% from 30.1% (Candidatus Kuenenia). High salinity (50-60 g L^-1) performed severe inhibition on activity and abundance both, with the SAA decreased to 0 and abundance to 11.9%. The self-recovery performance was unsatisfactory when salinity was unavailable. A quadratic curve between the SAA and salinity concentration was fitted, and the IC₅₀ was calculated as 42.1 g L^-1 (NaCl). Anammox process could be directly adopted for treating low ammonia sewage with low salinity, whereas activity enhancement or adaption improvement should be pre-presented for treating sewage with moderate or high salinity.

Sleep Duration and Frailty Risk among Older Adults: Evidence from a Retrospective, Population-Based Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES

Frailty and sleep duration complaints are both prevalent and often coexist among older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the prospective association between sleep duration and frailty risk in a nationally representative cohort study.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study, ten-year follow-up.

SETTING

Community-based setting in 23 provinces of China.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 7623 older adults age 65 and over without frailty at baseline were included in the analysis.

MEASUREMENTS

The participants were divided into three groups according to self-reported sleep duration: short (≤6 hours per day), middle (>6 but <10 hours per day) and long (≥10 hours per day). Frailty was measured according to the accumulation of health deficits by the construction of a frailty index of 38 items with 0.25 as the cutoff. A Cox proportional hazard model, a competing risk model and a generalized estimating equation (GEE) model with multiple adjustments were performed to evaluate the association between sleep duration and frailty risk.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up period of 4.4 years (IQR 2.9-9.0), 2531 (33.2%) individuals developed frailty. Compared with participants with middle sleep duration, the risk of frailty was increased among participants with long sleep duration (HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.14-1.38) in the fully adjusted Cox proportional hazard model. However, short sleep duration was insignificantly associated with frailty risk. The competing risk model and the GEE model yielded similar results.

CONCLUSION

Long sleep duration is significantly associated with frailty incidence among older adults even after adjustment for confounding factors. This study provides reinforcing longitudinal evidence for the need to design sleep quality improvement interventions in health care programs to prevent frailty among older adults.

A non-dispersive infrared sensor for real-time detection of cyanogen chloride

Cyanogen chloride, as a systemic toxic agent, can cause death rapidly. In this paper, a non-dispersive infrared sensor was designed for the infrared absorption detection of cyanogen chloride at 800 cm−1. The roughness of the internal coating material was analyzed by experiments, and the gold-plated gas chamber was selected. The light path propagation of different cross-section gas chambers was simulated, and the circular section gas chamber was selected to increase the infrared detector signal. The effect of flow rate on voltage was studied. The standard curve between voltage and concentration was obtained under the optimal condition of 0.4 L min−1. The maximum response time was 19 s, and RSD was less than 2%. The interference experiment results showed that common gases entering the gas chamber do not cause interference. The non-dispersive infrared sensor for cyanogen chloride has good stability and detects cyanogen chloride in real-time.

[Clinical effects of negative pressure wound therapy in treating the poor healing of incisions after different abdominal operations]

Objective: To investigate the clinical effects of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in treating the poor healing of incisions after different abdominal operations. Methods: The retrospective observational study was conducted. From June 2019 to December 2020, 42 patients with poor healing of incisions after abdominal surgery were admitted to Center of Burns and Trauma of the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, including 29 males and 13 females, aged 23-81 years. The disease course of poor healing of abdominal incision was 3-60 d. The preoperative examination of patients was completed after admission, and NPWT was used after debridement. According to the dehiscence level of incision, the negative pressure value of -10.64 to -6.65 kPa was set. The incisions were sutured in the second stage when the incisions had good blood circulation. The cause of abdominal surgery, the dehiscence level and the cause of poor healing of abdominal incision were investigated, and the final healing of abdominal incision and the occurrence of complication were observed. Results: The causes of abdominal operations in this group of patients who ocurred poor healing of abdominal incisions were ranked according to the composition ratio, with the top 4 causes being colon cancer (9 cases, accounting for 21.4%), bile duct disease (8 cases, accounting for 19.0%), liver cancer (5 cases, accounting for 11.9%), and appendicitis (4 cases, accounting for 9.5%). There were 25 cases (59.5%) with dehiscence of abdominal incision in the deep fascia layer, and the other 17 cases (40.5%) with dehiscence of abdominal incision in the superficial fascia layer. The causes of poor healing of abdominal incision were ranked according to the composition ratio, with the top 3 causes being infection (24 cases, accounting for 57.1%), fat liquefaction (11 cases, accounting for 26.2%), and suture reaction (5 cases, accounting for 11.9%). The blood circulation in 40 patients was improved after being treated with NPWT, and the incisions were sutured in the second stage. The incisions healed well when the suture lines were removed in the second to third week. Intestinal fistula and bile leakage developed during the NPWT treatment, respectively in the other 2 patients, in which negative pressure equipment was removed subsequently, and the incisions healed after adequate drainage and conventional dressing changes. Conclusions: NPWT is effective in treating poor healing of abdominal incision after different abdominal surgeries. The clinicians need to comprehensively assess the patient's condition to determine when and how to use NPWT to avoid the occurrence of intestinal fistula, bile leakage, and other complications.

Challenges to effective breastfeeding among indigenous Ngäbe-Bugle communities in Panama

Background

Panama's overall infant mortality rate is 13.2 deaths per 1000 live births and 28.4 per 1,000 among indigenous populations such as the Ngäbe-Bugle. 93.8% of the Ngäbe population is impoverished and the cost of formula is prohibitive, resulting in poor substitutes such as cheap sugary beverages. These mothers received little education for breastfeeding and it is understandable why breastmilk ‘alternatives' are used. This study explored factors impeding effective breastfeeding in a representative community-based cohort of indigenous Ngäbe-Bugle mothers. This study used the hypothesis that preventable breastfeeding challenges are common and likely negatively impact infant health.

Methods

We conducted a closed response and open questionnaire survey of 139 selectively sampled Ngäbe women with 529 live births in 2018-2019. Mothers reported the need for support, use of milk substitutes, and breastfeeding complications such as mastitis. Systemic barriers such as poor access to healthcare professionals were also assessed. Data was analyzed with SAS and Power-BI statistical software by independent statisticians.

Results

71% of mothers stated a need for more support. 32% ceased breastfeeding and used milk substitutes. Latching difficulties (2%), pain (3%), sore, cracked, and bleeding nipples (2%), and mastitis (8%) contributed to cessation. 80% reported no formal education on infant feeding and 83% were unaware of breastmilk benefits. 12% received breastfeeding support from healthcare professionals and 2% received it from a village midwife.

Conclusions

Among the Ngabe, lack of knowledge or access to health services contribute to breastfeeding complications and challenges resulting in cessation and the use of poor milk substitutes.

Key messages

Breastfeeding initiation and continuation rates are negatively affected by poor education, poor healthcare access, and complications resulting in breastfeeding cessation and milk substitution. Supporting mothers with community-based education and improved healthcare access seems likely to positively impact these challenges to effective infant nutrition.

[Potential suitable habitats of Haemaphysalis longicornis in China under different climatic patterns]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of environmental and climatic factors on the distribution of suitable habitats of Haemaphysalis longicornis, and to predict the potential distribution of H. longicornis under different climate patterns in China.

METHODS

Data pertaining to the distribution of H. longicornis were retrieved from public literatures. The effects of 19 climatic factors (annual mean temperature, annual mean temperature difference between day and night, isothermality, standard deviation of seasonal variation of temperature, maximum temperature of the warmest month, minimum temperature of the coldest month, temperature annual range, mean temperature of the wettest season, mean temperature of the driest season, mean temperature of the warmest season, mean temperature of the coldest season, annual mean precipitation, precipitation of the wettest month, precipitation of the driest month, coefficient of variance of precipitation, precipitation of the wettest season, precipitation of the driest season, precipitation of the warmest season and precipitation of the coldest season) and 4 environmental factors (elevation, slope, slope aspect and vegetation coverage) on the potential distribution of H. longicornis were assessed using the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model based on the H. longicornis distribution data and climatic and environmental data, and the potential distribution of H. longicornis was predicted under the RCP 2.6 and 8.5 emissions scenarios.

RESULTS

Among the environmental and climatic factors affecting the geographical distribution of H. longicornis in China, the factors contributing more than 10% to the distribution of H. longicornis mainly included the precipitation of the driest month (26.0%), annual mean temperature (11.2%), annual mean precipitation (10.0%) and elevation (24.2%). Under the current climate pattern, the high-, medium- and low-suitable habitats of H. longicornis are 1 231 900, 1 696 200 km² and 1 854 400 km² in China, respectively. The distribution of H. longicornis increased by 336 100 km² and 367 300 km² in 2050 and 2070 under the RCP 2.6 emissions scenario, and increased by 381 000 km² and 358 000 km² in 2050 and 2070 under the RCP 8.5 emissions scenario in China, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Climatic and environmental factors, such as precipitation, temperature and elevation, greatly affect the distribution of H. longicornis in China, and the suitable habitats of H. longicornis may expand in China under different climate patterns in future.

[Distribution and suitable habitats of ticks in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the current distribution of ticks and predict the suitable habitats of ticks in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration in 2017, so as to provide insights into tick control and management of tick-borne diseases in these areas.

METHODS

All publications pertaining to tick and pathogen distribution in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration were retrieved, and the geographical location of tick distribution was extracted. The effects of 19 climatic factors on the distribution of ticks were examined using the jackknife method, including the mean temperature of the wettest quarter, precipitation of the coldest quarter, mean temperature of the driest quarter, maximum temperature of the warmest month, precipitation of the driest month, minimal temperature of the coldest month, annual precipitation, mean daily temperature range, precipitation seasonality, annual temperature range, temperature seasonality, annual mean temperature, mean temperature of the warmest quarter, precipitation of the wettest quarter, isothermality, mean temperature of the coldest quarter, precipitation of the wettest month, precipitation of the driest quarter and precipitation of the warmest quarter. The distribution of ticks was analyzed in 2020 using the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model, and the potential suitable habitats of ticks were predicted in 2070 using the MaxEnt model based on climatic data.

RESULTS

A total of 380 Chinese and English literatures were retrieved, and 148 tick distribution sites were extracted, with 135 sites included in the subsequent analysis. There were 7 genera (Haemaphysalis, Rhipicephalus, Ixodes, Dermacentor, Boophilus, Hyalomma and Amblyomma) and 27 species of ticks detected in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration. The climatic factors affecting the distribution of ticks in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration mainly included the mean temperature of the wettest quarter and the precipitation of the coldest quarter, with 26.1% and 23.6% contributions to tick distributions. The high-, medium- and low-suitable habitats of ticks were 20 337.08, 40 017.38 km² and 74 931.43 km² in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration in 2020, respectively. The climate changes led to south expansion of the suitable habitats of ticks in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration in 2070, and the total areas of suitable habitats of ticks was predicted to increase by 18 100 km². In addition, the high-, medium- and low-suitable habitats of ticks were predicted to increase to 24 317.84, 45 283.02 km² and 83 766.38 km² in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration in 2070, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Multiple tick species are widespread in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, and the future climate changes may lead to expansion of tick distribution in these areas.

[Effects of climate changes on the distribution of Rhipicephalus microplus in China]

OBJECTIVE

To identify the environmental factors affecting the geographical distribution of Rhipicephalus microplus in China, and to examine the impact of climate changes on the distribution of R. microplus in China.

METHODS

The national and international publications pertaining to the geographical distribution of R. microplus in China were retrieved, and the geographical location was extracted. The suitable habitats of R. microplus and the dominant environmental factors affecting the distribution of suitable habitats of R. microplus were predicted in China based on the geographical data and environmental variables using the ArcGIS 10.7 software and the maximum entropy model.

RESULTS

Among the main climatic factors affecting the geographical distribution of R. microplus in China, the factors contributing more than 10% to the suitable habitats of R. microplus mainly include the annual mean precipitation (38.2%), the average temperature of the coldest quarter (28.4%) and the precipitation of the driest month (14.2%). The current suitable habitats of R. microplus were mainly found in southern China, and the high-, medium- and low-suitable areas accounted for 8.6%, 13.1% and 10.5% of the total land area of China, respectively. The suitable habitats of R. microplus were predicted to increase by 399 800 km² in China using the maximum entropy model under the RCP 4.5 emissions scenario in 2070, and the emerging suitable habitats were mainly distributed in Gansu Province, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, Hebei Province, Shaanxi Province, Liaoning Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Shandong Province, Sichuan Province and Tibeten Autonomous Region. In addition, the suitable habitats of R. microplus were predicted to show an overall expansion towards northward from present to 2070.

CONCLUSIONS

Climate changes affect the distribution of suitable habitats of R. microplus in China, and annual mean precipitation may be a key factor affecting the distribution of suitable habitats of R. microplus.

[Effects of environmental factors on the distribution of suitable habitats of Ixodes ovatus in China]

OBJECTIVE

To identify the environmental factors affecting the distribution of suitable habitats of Ixodes ovatus, and to examine the effects of environmental changes on the distribution of suitable habitats of I. ovatus.

METHODS

Data pertaining to the distribution of I. ovatus in China were captured by literature review. The distribution of suitable habitats of I. ovatus in China was simulated using the maximum entropy model with the environmental variable data and the I. ovatus distribution data. In addition, the potential distribution of suitable habitats of I. ovatus was predicted based on the 2050 and 2070 environmental data.

RESULTS

The current suitable habitats of I. ovatus cover 3.11 million km², accounting for 32.28% of the total land area of China, and they are mainly concentrated in southwestern and northwestern China. Among the screened 16 environmental factors, the standard deviation of seasonal variation of temperature, average annual precipitation and altitude were predominant environmental factors affecting the distribution of suitable habitats of I. ovatus, and these three variables contributed 76.5% to the distribution of suitable habitats of I. ovatus in China. The suitable habitats of I. ovatus were predicted to showing a tendency towards expansion to northwestern and northeastern China in 2050 and 2070, and the proportion of highly suitable habitats of I. ovatus was predicted to increase.

CONCLUSIONS

Moderate climate, adequate precipitation and high altitude are favorable for the survival of I. ovatus. Future climate changes may cause expansion of suitable habitats of I. ovatus in China.

[Prediction of suitable habitats of Ixodes persulcatus in China]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effects of environmental factors the distribution of Ixodes persulcatus, and to predict the future suitable habitats of I. persulcatus in China.

METHODS

The known distribution sites of I. persulcatus in China were captured from national and international published literatures. The effects of 14 environmental factors on the distribution of I. persulcatus were examined using the Jackknife test, including mean annual temperature, mean monthly temperature range, isothermality, temperature seasonality, maximum temperature of the warmest month, minimum temperature of the coldest month, temperature annual range, mean temperature of the wettest quarter, mean temperature of the driest quarter, mean temperature of the wet-test quarter, mean temperature of the coldest quarter, annual mean precipitation, precipitation of the wettest month, precipitation of the driest month, precipitation seasonality, precipitation of the wettest quarter, precipitation of the driest quarter, precipitation of the warmest quarter, precipitation of the coldest quarter, elevation, slope, aspect and vegetation. The suitable habitats of I. persulcatus were predicted in China using the maximum entropy model and ArcGIS 10.7 software with the environmental factors.

RESULTS

Currently, the highly suitable habitats of I. persulcatus covered an area of 886 600 km² in China, which were predominantly located in northeastern China. The environmental factors that contributed more than 10% to the distribution of the suitable habitats of I. persulcatus in China included annual temperature variation range (39.1%), the coldest quarterly precipitation (23.2%), and the annual mean precipitation (11.9%). Based on the maximum entropy model, the suitable habitats of I. persulcatus were predicted to show a shrinking tendency towards northeastern China in 2070.

CONCLUSIONS

The suitable habitat of I. persulcatus strongly correlates with temperature and precipitation, and climate and environmental changes may lead to shrinking of the future suitable habitat of I. persulcatus in China.

Propofol improves intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats through NF-κB pathway

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of propofol on intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats through the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 24 Sprague-Dawley rats were selected and randomly divided into three groups, including sham operation group, ischemia group and propofol group. Rats in sham operation group were only treated with isolation of superior mesenteric artery, which was clipped for 1 h and reperfused for 2 h in ischemia group. Meanwhile, propofol (60 mg/kg) was injected into the femoral vein 1 h before ischemia in propofol group. TUNEL assay was performed to detect cell apoptosis of intestinal tissues. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was conducted to measure the expression levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), myeloperoxidase (MPO), caspase-3 and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) in rats of each group. Western blotting was utilized to detect the protein expression levels of NF-κB pathway related molecules, such as myeloid differential protein-88 (MyD88), v-rel avian reticuloendotheliosis viral oncogene homolog A (RelA) and NF-κB. Furthermore, changes in plasma cytokine levels were determined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTS

The number of apoptotic cells in ischemia group was remarkably higher than that in sham operation group (p<0.05). However, it decreased notably in propofol group compared with ischemia group (p<0.05). In comparison with sham operation group, significantly up-regulated expression of caspase-3 and down-regulated expression of Bcl-2 were observed in the intestinal tissues of rats in ischemia group (p<0.05). Caspase-3 was lowly expressed, while Bcl-2 was highly expressed in the intestinal tissues of rats in propofol group compared with ischemia group (p<0.05). In addition, no statistically significant differences were observed in the expression level of SOD among sham operation group, ischemia group and propofol group (p>0.05). The expression levels of MDA and MPO were overtly higher in the intestinal tissues of rats in ischemia group than those in sham operation group and propofol group (p<0.05). Besides, the protein expression levels of MyD88, RelA and NF-κB in the intestinal tissues of rats in ischemia group were remarkably higher than those in sham operation group and propofol group (p<0.05). The activity of the NF-κB pathway in the intestinal tissues of rats in propofol group significantly declined compared with ischemia group (p<0.05). Moreover, compared with sham operation group, plasma levels of TNF-α, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6 and IL-4 increased significantly in rats of ischemia group (p<0.05). However, they were markedly lower in propofol group than those in ischemia group (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Propofol protects rats from intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury through the NF-κB pathway.

Dietary taurine supplementation ameliorates muscle loss in chronic heat stressed broilers via suppressing the perk signaling and reversing endoplasmic reticulum-stress-induced apoptosis

BACKGROUND

Heat stress seriously affects animal health and induces enormous financial losses in poultry production. Exploring the appropriate means for ameliorating unfavorable effects caused by heat stress is essential. We investigated whether taurine supplementation could attenuate breast muscle loss in chronic heat-stressed broilers, as well as its mechanism. We designed three groups: a normal control group (22 °C), a heat stress group (32 °C) and a taurine treatment group (32 °C, basal diet + 5 g·kg^-1 taurine).

RESULTS

We found that taurine significantly moderated the decreases of breast muscle mass and yield, as well as the increases of serum aspartate aminotransferase activity and serum urine acid level in chronic heat-stressed broilers. Additionally, supplementary taurine significantly alleviated elevations of the cytoplasm Ca²⁺ concentration, protein expressions of GRP78 and p-PERK, mRNA expressions of Ca²⁺ channels (RyR1, IP3R3) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress factors (GRP78, GRP94, PERK, EIF2α, ATF4, IRE1, XBP1, ATF6 and CHOP), apoptosis (Caspase-3 and TUNEL), protein catabolism, and the reduction of taurine transporter (TauT) mRNA expression in the breast muscle induced by chronic heat stress.

CONCLUSION

Supplementary taurine could attenuate chronic heat stress-induced breast muscle loss via reversing ER stress-induced apoptosis and suppressing protein catabolism. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Hydroxylation, Epoxidation, and Dehydrogenation of Capsaicin by a Microbial Promiscuous Cytochrome P450 105D7

Cytochrome P450 enzymes (P450s) are versatile biocatalysts, which insert a molecular oxygen into inactivated C-H bonds under mild conditions. CYP105D7 from Streptomyces avermitilis has been reported as a bacterial substrate-promiscuous P450 which catalyzes the hydroxylation of 1-deoxypentalenic acid, diclofenac, naringenin, compactin and steroids. In this study, CYP105D7 catalyzes hydroxylation, epoxidation and dehydrogenation of capsaicin, a pharmaceutical agent, revealing its functional diversity. The kinetic parameters of the CYP105D7 oxidation of capsaicin were determined as K_m =311.60±87.30 μM and k_cat =2.01±0.33 min^-1 . In addition, we conducted molecular docking, mutagenesis and substrate binding analysis, indicating that Arg81 plays crucial role in the capsaicin binding and catalysis. To our best knowledge, this study presents the first report to illustrate that capsaicin can be catalyzed by prokaryotic P450s.

Is tri-port totally thoracoscopic surgery for mitral valve replacement a feasible approach?

Background

Minimally invasive cardiac surgery is an attractive approach for both surgeons and patients. This study aims to describe the experience of mitral valve replacement (MVR) with Ma's tri-port totally thoracoscopic cardiac surgery technique (MTCST) and to prove the feasibility and safety of this technique.

Methods

A total of 490 consecutive patients undergoing MVR were divided into MTCST group (MT group, n=267) and conventional median sternotomy group (MS group, n=223). The perioperative characteristics and the follow-up information were recorded and analyzed between the two groups.

Results

The in-hospital mortality and re-operation rate were not significant between the two groups. Compared with the MS group, cardiopulmonary bypass time and aortic cross-clamp time were both longer in the MT group while total operative time was similar to the MS group. Patients in the MT group had less pain and required a decreased analgesic administration than that in the MS group. Intraoperative blood loss, perioperative blood transfusion and the postoperative drainage were all significantly reduced in the MT group as compared to the MS group. Mechanical ventilation time, ICU duration, hospitalization time and hospitalization cost were decreased in the MT group. Patients undergoing MVR with MTCST had a higher Medical Treatment Satisfactory Score than those with conventional sternotomy.

Conclusions

MTCST for mitral valve disease was technically safe and feasible. The results showed that MTCST was a suitable minimally invasive alternative to the conventional sternotomy approach and was a desirable approach for patients with mitral valve disease.

Long noncoding RNA FAM201A mediates the metastasis of lung squamous cell cancer via regulating ABCE1 expression

OBJECTIVE

Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) family with sequence similarity 201-member A (FAM201A) is a novel lncRNA promoting the development of various cancers. However, the biological function of FAM201A on the metastasis of lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the molecular mechanism of FAM201A and its target protein in advanced LSCC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) was applied to evaluate FAM201A expression in lung cancer tissues. The impact of high FAM201A expression on the overall survival in patients with lung cancer was tested using the log-rank test. The relevance between aberrant FAM201A and clinicopathological characteristics in patients with lung cancer was analyzed using the Chi-square tests. Cell proliferation was assayed using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and a transwell assay, and the mice xenograft models were applied to determine the promoting effects of FAM201A on LSCC in vitro and in vivo. The underlying regulatory mechanism was explored through RNA transfection, qPCR, and Western blotting. The correlation between ATP-binding cassette transporter E1 (ABCE1) and FAM201A expression was verified using Spearman's correlation coefficient.

RESULTS

FAM201A is aberrantly elevated in tissues from patients with non-small cell lung cancer. High levels of FAM201A expression were more likely to present in patients with squamous type, M1 stage, and inferior overall survival. Differential expression was found between non-metastatic and metastatic squamous carcinoma, but not in adenocarcinoma. FAM201A knockdown inhibits cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of LSCC cells in vitro, and represses tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, ABCE1 in LSCC cells was downregulated by silencing FAM201A. The tissue level of ABCE1 was positively correlated with FAM201A expression in patients with LSCC.

CONCLUSIONS

FAM201A may markedly induce migration and invasion of LSCC, resulting in the M1 stage and poor survival. These findings suggest the FAM201A-ABCE1 axis as a novel therapeutic target in LSCC.

Heat stress alters muscle protein and amino acid metabolism and accelerates liver gluconeogenesis for energy supply in broilers

Heat stress impairs growth performance and alters body protein and amino acid metabolism. This study was investigated to explore how body protein and amino acid metabolism changed under heat stress (HS) and the stress adaptation mechanism. A total of 144 broilers (28 d old) were divided into 3 treatment groups for 1 wk: HS group (32°C), normal control group (22°C), and pair-feeding group (22°C). We found that HS elevated the feed-to-gain ratio, reduced the ADFI and ADG, decreased breast muscle mass and plasma levels of several amino acids (glycine, lysine, threonine, and tyrosine), and increased serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) activity and corticosterone (CORT) level and liver GOT and glutamic pyruvic transaminase activities. Heat stress elevated muscle atrophy F-box mRNA expression and reduced mRNA expression of the 70-kD ribosomal protein S6 kinase in the breast muscle of broilers. Broilers in the HS group exhibited striking increases of mRNA expressions of solute carrier family 1 member 1, family 3 member 1, family 7 member 1, and family 7 member-like in the liver and liver gluconeogenesis genes (PCKc, PCKm, PC, and FBP1) in comparison with the other 2 groups. In conclusion, HS increased the circulating CORT level and subsequently caused muscle protein breakdown to provide amino acid substrates to liver gluconeogenesis responsible for energy supply.

Epidemiological Investigation of OHCWs with COVID-19

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there is an important risk of infection in health care workers, including oral health care workers (OHCWs), due to the characteristics of dental practice. In this retrospective study, data pertaining to the 31 OHCWs diagnosed with COVID-19 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, were retrieved and analyzed. Questionnaires were administered to the subjects over the Internet and telephone. Clinical and epidemiological characteristics and information on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) were collected. There were 22 females and 9 males, with a median age of 39 y. Although the severity of most cases of COVID-19 (93.5%) was mild or moderate, 1 case was severe, and another case was critical, resulting in death. Fever was the main first symptom of COVID-19, followed by fatigue and myalgia. Most of the OHCWs routinely used PPE such as medical masks, gloves, caps, and work clothes while performing clinical work. N95 or KN95 masks were rarely available because of the scarcity of PPE during the outbreak. Nineteen OHCWs reported a contact history, among whom 7 worked in a fever clinic, 5 reported contact with dental patients suspected of having COVID-19, and 7 reported contact with family members with COVID-19–related symptoms at least 1 d earlier. Our findings indicated that there were few clusters of COVID-19 in dental settings. Since the outbreak, the Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, has provided emergency dental treatment, and none of their staff were infected while providing dental service, which indicates that comprehensive measures such as the use of advanced PPE and environmental disinfection can prevent cross-infection in dental practice. The analysis of the procedures followed during the emergency treatments indicated that OHCWs preferred to recommend conservative treatment to patients, suggesting that attention should be paid to the psychological impact of COVID-19 on dental practitioners.

[Effects of pedicled anterolateral thigh flaps in repairing skin and soft tissue defects in perineal region caused by necrotizing fasciitis]

Objective: To explore the effects of pedicled anterolateral thigh flaps in repairing skin and soft tissue defects in perineal region caused by necrotizing fasciitis. Methods: From March 2014 to December 2018, 6 patients with skin and soft tissue defects in perineal region caused by necrotizing fasciitis were admitted to Department of Burns of Hanzhong Central Hospital (hereinafter referred to as our hospital). Two female patients had labia major defects and 4 male patients had scrotum defects, with age of 43-68 years. The areas of skin and soft tissue defects after debridement were 4%-8% total body surface area. The wounds in non-joint and non-functional area were repaired with free split-thickness skin grafts from medial femoral region, and the residual wounds areas in perineal region after repair were 10 cm×4 cm-22 cm×10 cm, which were repaired with pedicled anterolateral thigh flaps, with area of 12 cm×5 cm-24 cm×12 cm. The secondary wounds in the donor sites were sutured directly or repaired with free split-thickness skin grafts from medial thigh on the same or opposite side of the wounds. The bacterial culture result of wound exudate, drug sensitivity test result, and blood bacterial culture result on admission were recorded. The postoperative flap survival was observed. The length of hospital stay, debridement times, and antibiotics use time were recorded. The flap swelling condition was observed to evaluate whether flap thinning operation was necessary, the sensory recovery of the flap and hip joint activity were evaluated, and the scrotum function of male patients was evaluated by urologist in our hospital during follow-up. Results: The bacterial culture results of wound exudate in 5 patients on admission showed Escherichia coli with 4 of them having the same bacteria and the other one having methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus detected in their blood samples. All the flaps survived in 6 patients after the operation, with total length of hospital stay of (22±5) d, debridement of 3-5 times, and antibiotics use time of (13±3) d. During follow-up of 3 to 6 months after the operation, the flaps were slightly bloated in 2 patients, and the flap thinning operation was performed 6 months after wound repair. The sensory function recovered to normal in 2 flaps of patients with anterolateral femoral cutaneous nerve, and the superficial sensory function in the other flaps of patients recovered in different degrees.The hip joint activity was close to normal in all the patients, and the scrotum function was normal in 4 male patients. Conclusions: The pedicled anterolateral thigh flap showed good effects in repairing skin and soft tissue defects on perineal region caused by necrotizing fasciitis, with good appearance and function after operation, and the method is simple, safe, and easy to apply.

Molecular catalysis of CO2 reduction: recent advances and perspectives in electrochemical and light-driven processes with selected Fe, Ni and Co aza macrocyclic and polypyridine complexes

Earth-abundant Fe, Ni, and Co aza macrocyclic and polypyridine complexes have been thoroughly investigated for CO2 electrochemical and visible-light-driven reduction. Since the first reports in the 1970s, an enormous body of work has been accumulated regarding the two-electron two-proton reduction of the gas, along with mechanistic and spectroscopic efforts to rationalize the reactivity and establish guidelines for structure-reactivity relationships. The ability to fine tune the ligand structure and the almost unlimited possibilities of designing new complexes have led to highly selective and efficient catalysts. Recent efforts toward developing hybrid systems upon combining molecular catalysts with conductive or semi-conductive materials have converged to high catalytic performances in water solutions, to the inclusion of these catalysts into CO2 electrolyzers and photo-electrochemical devices, and to the discovery of catalytic pathways beyond two electrons. Combined with the continuous mechanistic efforts and new developments for in situ and in operando spectroscopic studies, molecular catalysis of CO2 reduction remains a highly creative approach.

The distribution characteristics of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the surface sediments of Ross Sea and Drake Passage, Antarctica: A 192 congeners analysis

A total of 23 sediment samples are collected from Ross Sea and Drake Passage to investigate the distribution characteristics of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Antarctic marine sediments. Over 51 kinds of PCBs are detected through exhaustive searches using multiple reaction monitoring system. The results show that the concentration of individual PCB congener and total PCBs vary greatly among sampling sites, ranging from not detected to 49.75 ng g^-1 and 3.77 to 246.86 ng g^-1, respectively. The average PCBs level in Ross Sea is ten times higher than that in Drake Passage. Two different homologues, hexa- and tetra-CBs, give high contributions to ∑PCBs level in most samples from Ross Sea and Drake Passage, respectively. Our results support that the marine sediments might be an important sink for PCBs. Besides, the biological pump and the primary productivity might be responsible for the distribution differences of PCBs between Ross Sea and Drake Passage.

Regio- and stereoselective hydroxylation of testosterone by a novel cytochrome P450 154C2 from Streptomyces avermitilis

Cytochrome P450 enzymes (P450 or CYP) are some of the most versatile biocatalysts, and offer advantages for oxidizing unreactive C-H bonds in mild conditions. In this study, we identified a novel cytochrome P450 154C2 from Streptomyces avermitilis and characterized its function in 2α-hydroxylation of testosterone with regio- and stereoselectivity. To investigate the efficiency of electron transfer, we conducted biotransformation using two different P450 redox partners-RhFRED (RhF reductase domain) from Rhodococcus sp. and Pdx (putidaredoxin)/Pdr (putidaredoxin reductase) from Pseudomonas putida and revealed that RhFRED was more effective than Pdx/Pdr, especially in vivo. The K_m and k_cat values for testosterone were estimated to be 0.16 ± 0.05 mM and 0.13 ± 0.02 min^-1, and k_cat/K_m was 0.81 min^-1 mM^-1. We also determined the crystal structure of the substrate-free form of CYP154C2 at 1.5 Å resolution. The structure has a closed conformation, and the substrate binding pocket is narrow, which can explain the strict substrate specificity of the enzyme.

[Clinical application effect of blood circulation enhancement technique in repairing large area of skin and soft tissue defects of extremities with super large free anterolateral thigh flap]

Objective: To observe the clinical application effect of blood circulation enhancement technique in repairing large area of skin and soft tissue defects of extremities with super large free anterolateral thigh flap. Methods: From March 2014 to March 2017, 6 patients with large area of skin and soft tissue defects of extremities were hospitalized in our unit, including 5 males and 1 female, aged 27-65 years, 1 case of electric injury, 2 cases of coal burn, 3 cases of traffic injury, 2 cases involving upper limb, and 4 cases involving lower limb. After debridement, the wound area ranged from 26 cm×8 cm to 36 cm×15 cm, and the bone exposure area ranged from 24 cm×7 cm to 35 cm×14 cm. The blood circulation enhancement technique was used when the wound with bone exposure was repaired with super large free anterolateral thigh flap. The area of flaps ranged from 28 cm×10 cm to 38 cm×16 cm. The donor site of flap and the primary wound without bone exposure were repaired with medial thigh split-thickness skin graft of the donor leg of flap. The blood circulation enhancement technique mode during operation and the survival of flaps after operation were recorded, and the recovery of donor and recipient areas and the occurrence of complications were followed up. Results: Three patients were treated with simple vascular supercharging technique during flap transplantation, and the other 3 patients were treated with vascular supercharging and turbocharging technique during flap transplantation. All the flaps survived well in 6 patients without vascular crisis. Follow-up for 3 to 12 months after surgery showed that the blood flow of the flaps was good and the depth and superficial sensation recovered to varying degrees. Except for 1 case of upper limb flap, the other flaps had no obvious swelling and needed no second thinning. There were only depressed scars in the donor sites, and no obvious scar hyperplasia in the area without bone exposure repaired by the skin grafts. No short-term or long-term complications were found. Conclusions: The application of blood circulation enhancement technique in repairing large area of skin and soft tissue defects of extremities with super large free anterolateral thigh flaps provides reliable blood supply for the flaps and results in good effect after operation, which is worth popularizing.

Contributions of Zn Ions to ZnO Nanoparticle Toxicity on Microcystis aeruginosa During Chronic Exposure

In this work, we assessed the toxic effects of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs; 1, 10, and 50 mg L^-1) and the corresponding dissoluble Zn ions (0.71, 8.66, and 35.59 mg L^-1) on Microcystis aeruginosa. After chronic exposure (28 days), significantly higher growth inhibition was observed under ZnO NPs at 1 mg L^-1 (47%) than under Zn ions at 0.71 mg L^-1 (-15%). The opposite effect pattern was observed for ZnO NPs at 10 (71% vs. 80%) and 50 mg L^-1 (73% vs. 95%) compared to Zn ions at the corresponding concentrations. After 7 days of exposure, ZnO NPs at 10 and 50 mg L^-1 led to an increase of 83 and 53% in malondialdehyde content, as well as an increase of 106 and 61% in superoxide dismutase activity, respectively. However, Zn ions at the corresponding concentrations showed negligible impacts on the two parameters. The different results indicate that the insoluble NPs during the initial exposure mostly account for lipid peroxidation, which further lead to microalgal antioxidant response. During the subsequent exposure, the contributors of ZnO NP toxicity shift with the concentration and exposure time of ZnO NPs. In conclusion, the study presents new insights into the different contributions of insoluble NPs and dissoluble metallic ions to metallic NP toxicity.

Generation of a neutralizing antibody against RD114-pseudotyped viral vectors

The feline endogenous RD114 glycoprotein has proved to be an attractive envelope to pseudotype both retroviral and lentiviral vectors. As a surface protein, its detection on packaging cells as well as viral particles would be useful in different fields of its use. To address this, we generated a monoclonal antibody against RD114 by immunization of rats, termed 22F10. Once seroconversion was confirmed, purified 22F10 was cloned into murine Fc and characterized with a binding affinity of 10nM. The antibody was used to detect RD114 and its variant envelopes on different stable viral packaging cell lines (FLYRD18 and WinPac-RD). 22F10 was also shown to prevent the infections of different strains of RD-pseudotyped vectors but not related envelope glycoproteins by blocking cell surface receptor binding. We are the first to report the neutralization of viral particles by a monoclonal αRD114 antibody.