A commercial humic acid inhibits benzo(a)pyrene biodegradation by Paracoccus aminovorans HPD-2

Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) is posing serious threats to soil ecosystems and its bioremediation usually limited by environmental factors and microbial activity. Humic acid (HA), a ubiquitous heterogeneous organic matter, which could affect the fate of environmental pollutants. However, the impact of HA on bioremediation of organic contamination remains controversial. In the present study, the biodegradation of BaP by Paracoccus aminovorans HPD-2 with and without HA was explored. Approximately 87.4 % of BaP was biodegraded in the HPD-2 treatment after 5 days of incubation, whereas the addition of HA dramatically reduced BaP biodegradation to 56.0 %. The limited BaP biodegradation in the HA + HPD-2 treatment was probably due to the decrease of BaP bioavailability which induced by the adsorption of HA with unspecific interactions. The excitation-emission matrix (EEM) of fluorescence characteristics showed that strain HPD-2 was responsible for the presence of protein-like substances and the microbial original humic substances in the HPD-2 treatment. Addition of HA would result in the increase of soluble microbial humic-like material, which should ascribe to the biodegradation of BaP and probably utilization of HA. Furthermore, both the growth and survival of strain HPD-2 were inhibited in the HA + HPD-2 treatment, because of the limited available carbon source (i.e. BaP) at the presence of HA. The expression of gene1789 and gene2589 dramatically decreased in the HA + HPD-2 treatment, and this should be responsible for the decrease of BaP biodegradation as well. This study reveals the mechanism that HA affect the BaP biodegradation, and the decrease of biodegradation should ascribe to the interaction of HA and bacterial strain. Thus, the bioremediation strategies of PAHs need to consider the effects of organic matter in environment.

Burdock miR8175 in diet improves insulin resistance induced by obesity in mice through food absorption

The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) induced by obesity is rapidly increasing. Although there are many synthetic drugs for treating T2DM, they have various side effects. Here, we report that miR8175, a plant miRNA from burdock root, has effective antidiabetic activity. After administration of burdock decoction or synthetic miR8175 by gavage, both burdock decoction and miR8175 can significantly improve the impaired glucose metabolism of diabetic mice induced by a high-fat diet (HFD). Our results demonstrate that burdock decoction and miR8175 enhance the insulin sensitivity of the hepatic insulin signaling pathway by targeting Ptprf and Ptp1b, which may be the reason for the improvement in metabolism. This study provides a theoretical basis for the main active component and molecular mechanism of burdock to improve insulin resistance. And the study also suggests that plant miRNA may be an indispensable nutrient for maintaining human health.

Determination of high-risk factors and related spatially influencing variables of heavy metals in groundwater

Identifying high-risk factors (heavy metals (HMs) and pollution sources) by coupling receptor models and health risk assessment model (HRA) is a novel approach within the field of risk assessment. However, this coupled model ignores the contribution of spatial differentiation to high-risk factors, resulting in the assessment being subjective. Taking Dongting Plain (DTP) as an example, a coupling framework by jointly using the positive matrix factorization model (PMF), HRA, Monte Carlo simulation, and geo-detector was developed, aiming to identify high-risk factors in groundwater, and further explore key environmental variables influencing the spatial heterogeneity of high-risk factors. The results showed that at least 82.86 % of non-carcinogenic risks and 97.41 % of carcinogenic risks were unacceptable for people of all ages, especially infants and children. According to the relationships among HMs, pollution sources, and health risks, As and natural sources were defined as high-risk HMs and sources, respectively. The interactions among Holocene thickness, oxidation-reduction potential, and dissolved organic carbon emerged as the primary drivers of spatial variability in high-risk factors, with their combined explanatory power reaching up to 74%. This proposed framework provides a scientific reference for future studies and a practical reference for environmental authorities in developing effective pollution management measures.

Changes in menopausal symptoms comparing oral estradiol versus transdermal estradiol

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of oral and transdermal estradiol in alleviating menopausal symptoms.

METHOD

A total of 257 recently menopausal women were randomized into two groups. The t-E2 group received transdermal estradiol (2.5 g per day) (n = 128) and the o-E2V group received oral estradiol valerate (2 mg per day) (n = 129) for 24 weeks; both groups received micronized progesterone (200 mg per day). The primary outcome measure is the change in the modified Kupperman Menopausal Index (KMI) after 24 weeks of treatment. Menopausal symptoms were recorded at screening and at 4, 12 and 24 weeks using both the KMI and the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS).

RESULTS

Significant amelioration was observed by KMI and MRS scores for both groups after treatment (p < 0.001). The mean KMI scores showed no difference between the two groups. The mean MRS scores were similar between the two groups at baseline and after 4 weeks of treatment. The results showed statistical differences after 12 weeks and 24 weeks of treatment (p = 0.005 and p = 0.011). Both the after-treatment scores minus the baseline scores of KMI and MRS and the incidence of adverse effects showed no difference between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that both transdermal and oral estradiol are effective in relieving menopausal symptoms, with little difference in treatment efficacy and safety.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER

ChiCTR2300073146.

Integrating machine learning and nontargeted plasma lipidomics to explore lipid characteristics of premetabolic syndrome and metabolic syndrome

Objective

To identify plasma lipid characteristics associated with premetabolic syndrome (pre-MetS) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and provide biomarkers through machine learning methods.

Methods

Plasma lipidomics profiling was conducted using samples from healthy individuals, pre-MetS patients, and MetS patients. Orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) models were employed to identify dysregulated lipids in the comparative groups. Biomarkers were selected using support vector machine recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE), random forest (rf), and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression, and the performance of two biomarker panels was compared across five machine learning models.

Results

In the OPLS-DA models, 50 and 89 lipid metabolites were associated with pre-MetS and MetS patients, respectively. Further machine learning identified two sets of plasma metabolites composed of PS(38:3), DG(16:0/18:1), and TG(16:0/14:1/22:6), TG(16:0/18:2/20:4), and TG(14:0/18:2/18:3), which were used as biomarkers for the pre-MetS and MetS discrimination models in this study.

Conclusion

In the initial lipidomics analysis of pre-MetS and MetS, we identified relevant lipid features primarily linked to insulin resistance in key biochemical pathways. Biomarker panels composed of lipidomics components can reflect metabolic changes across different stages of MetS, offering valuable insights for the differential diagnosis of pre-MetS and MetS.

Suppression of microRNA-320 Induces Cerebral Protection Against Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury by Targeting HMGB1/NF-kappaB Axis

MicroRNAs have been shown to potentially function in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury. This study aimed to examine the expression of microRNA-320 (miR-320) in cerebral IR injury and its involvement in cerebral mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, and inflammatory responses by targeting the HMGB1/NF-kappaB axis. Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion to simulate cerebral IR injury. The cerebral expression of miR-320 was assessed using qRT-PCR. Neurological function, cerebral infarct volume, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, and inflammatory cytokines were evaluated using relevant methods, including staining, fluorometry, and ELISA. HMGB1 expression was analyzed through Western blotting. The levels of miR-320, HMGB1, neurological deficits, and cerebral infarction were significantly higher after IR induction. Intracerebral overexpression of miR-320 resulted in substantial neurological deficits, increased infarct volume, elevated levels of 8-isoprostane, NF-kappaBp65, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and HMGB1 expression. It also promoted the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and ROS levels while reducing MnSOD and GSH levels. Downregulation of miR-320 and inhibition of HMGB1 activity significantly reversed the outcomes of cerebral IR injury. MiR-320 plays a negative role in regulating cerebral inflammatory/oxidative reactions induced by IR injury by enhancing HMGB1 activity and modulating mitochondrial function.

Interaction between handgrip strength and vitamin D deficiency on all-cause mortality in community-dwelling older adults: a prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

Muscle strength decline and vitamin D deficiency are coexisting conditions associated with multiple adverse health outcomes. This prospective study aimed to investigate the multiplicative and additive interactions between handgrip strength (HS) and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] on all-cause mortality in Chinese community-dwelling older adults.

STUDY DESIGN

This is a population-based cohort study.

METHODS

2635 older adults (85.15 ± 12.01 years) were recruited from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (2012-2018). Low HS was defined according to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 updated consensus (<28 kg for men and <18 kg for women). Serum 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/L were defined as vitamin D deficiency. Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine the association of HS and 25(OH)D with all-cause mortality. Socio-demographics, health status, and clinical characteristics were included as covariates.

RESULTS

1715 (65.09 %) and 1885 (71.54 %) participants had low HS and vitamin D deficiency, respectively. During a median follow-up of 3.52 years, 1107 older people died. After multivariable adjustment, both HS and 25(OH)D levels were inversely associated with all-cause mortality risk (Ps < 0.001). The hazard ratios (HRs) of low HS and vitamin D deficiency for all-cause mortality were 1.73 (95 % CI: 1.41-2.13) and 1.61 (95 % CI: 1.32-1.93), respectively. Although significant multiplicative interactions were not found, the association between low HS and all-cause mortality was attenuated in the higher 25(OH)D subgroup than in the lower 25(OH)D subgroup (stratified by 50 nmol/L). The multiple-adjusted HR of mortality for combined low HS and vitamin D deficiency was 2.18 (95 % CI: 1.73-2.56), which was higher than that for these two conditions alone. Significant additive interactions between low HS and vitamin D deficiency on mortality were observed (relative excess risk due to interaction: 0.71, 95 % CI: 0.37-1.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Low HS and low 25(OH)D levels synergistically increased the risk of all-cause mortality. Our results added new insights to the priority of early detection for older adults with comorbid muscle strength decline and vitamin D deficiency.

Incorporating environmental capacity considerations to prioritize control factors for the management of heavy metals in soil

Heavy metals (HMs) pollution threatens food security and human health. While previous studies have evaluated source-oriented health risk assessments, a comprehensive integration of environmental capacity risk assessments with pollution source analysis to prioritize control factors for soil contamination is still lacking. Herein, we collected 837 surface soil samples from agricultural land in the Nansha District of China in 2019. We developed an improved integrated assessment model to analyze the pollution sources, health risks, and environmental capacities of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn. The model graded pollution source impact on environmental capacity risk to prioritize control measures for soil HMs. All HMs except Pb exceeded background values and were sourced primarily from natural, transportation, and industrial activities (31.26%). Approximately 98.92% (children), 97.87% (adult females), and 97.41% (adult males) of carcinogenic values exceeded the acceptable threshold of 1E-6. HM pollution was classified as medium capacity (3.41 kg/hm2) with mild risk (PI = 0.52). Mixed sources of natural backgrounds, transportation, and industrial sources were identified as priority sources, and As a priority element. These findings will help prioritize control factors for soil HMs and direct resources to the most critical pollutants and sources of contamination, particularly when resources are limited.

Effects of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol on performance, gut health, and bone quality of broilers fed with reduced calcium and phosphorus diet during Eimeria challenge

This study evaluated the effects of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OHD) on performance, gut health, and bone quality of broilers fed with reduced calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) diet during Eimeria spp. challenge. A total of 576 fourteen-day-old Cobb 500 male chicks were randomly distributed in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, with 6 replicates of 12 birds each. The main factors were 25-OHD level (0 or 3,000 IU/kg of feed), mineral level (0.84% of Ca/0.42% of P, the levels recommended for the grower phase (NOR) or 0.64% of Ca/0.22% of P (RED), and mid-high mixed Eimeria challenge or nonchallenge. 25-OHD improved phosphorus retention (P = 0.019), bone ash weight (P = 0.04), cortical bone trabecular connectivity (P = 0.043) during coccidiosis. For birds fed with reduced mineral levels, 25-OHD supplementation increased bone ash weight (P = 0.04). However, 25-OHD did not improve bone ash weight when birds were challenged and fed with reduced mineral levels. The dietary 3,000 IU of 25-OHD supplementation did not improve performance or gut morphology but support bone health during coccidiosis. Future investigations are needed for better understand 25-OHD role on bone microarchitecture and oxidative metabolism during coccidiosis.

An artificial neural network model for evaluating the risk of hyperuricaemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Type 2 diabetes with hyperuricaemia may lead to gout, kidney damage, hypertension, coronary heart disease, etc., further aggravating the condition of diabetes as well as adding to the medical and financial burden. To construct a risk model for hyperuricaemia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus based on artificial neural network, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the risk model to provide directions for the prevention and control of the disease in this population. From June to December 2022, 8243 patients with type 2 diabetes were recruited from six community service centers for questionnaire and physical examination. Secondly, the collected data were used to select suitable variables and based on the comparison results, logistic regression was used to screen the variable characteristics. Finally, three risk models for evaluating the risk of hyperuricaemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus were developed using an artificial neural network algorithm and evaluated for performance. A total of eleven factors affecting the development of hyperuricaemia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in this study, including gender, waist circumference, diabetes medication use, diastolic blood pressure, γ-glutamyl transferase, blood urea nitrogen, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting glucose and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Among the generated models, baseline & biochemical risk model had the best performance with cutoff, area under the curve, accuracy, recall, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, precision, negative predictive value, KAPPA and F1-score were 0.488, 0.744, 0.689, 0.625, 0.749, 2.489, 0.501, 0.697, 0.684, 0.375 and 0.659. In addition, its Brier score was 0.169 and the calibration curve also showed good agreement between fitting and observation. The constructed artificial neural network model has better efficacy and facilitates the reduction of the harm caused by type 2 diabetes mellitus combined with hyperuricaemia.

Electrooxidation of chlorophene and dichlorophen by reactive electrochemical membrane: Key determining factors of removal efficiency

This study systematically investigated the variable main electrooxidation mechanism of chlorophene (CP) and dichlorophen (DCP) with the change of reaction conditions at Ti4O7 anode operated in batch and reactive electrochemical membrane (REM) modes. Significant degradation of CP and DCP was observed, that is, CP exhibited greater removal efficiency in batch mode at 0.5-3.5 mA cm-2 and REM operation (0.5 mA cm-2) with a permeate flow rate of 0.85 cm min-1 under the same reaction conditions, while DCP exhibited a faster degradation rate with the increase of current density in REM operation. Density functional theory (DFT) simulation and electrochemical performance tests indicated that the electrooxidation efficiency of CP and DCP in batch mode was primarily affected by the mass transfer rates. And the removal efficiency when anodic potentials were less than 1.7 V vs SHE in REM operation was determined by the activation energy for direct electron transfer (DET) reaction, however, the adsorption function of CP and DCP on the Ti4O7 anode became a dominant factor in determining the degradation efficiency with the further increase of anodic potential due to the disappeared activation barrier. In addition, the degradation pathways of CP and DCP were proposed according to intermediate products identification and frontier electron densities (FEDs) calculation, the acute toxicity of CP and DCP were also effectively decreased during both batch and REM operations.

Prognostic value of the baseline magnetic resonance score in patients with acute posterior circulation ischaemic stroke after mechanical thrombectomy

AIM

To investigate the prognostic value of the composite posterior circulation Acute Stroke Prognosis Early Computed tomography (CT) Score (ASPECTS)-Collaterals (pcASCO) score, which combines diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) posterior circulation ASPECTS (pcASPECTS) and the magnetic resonance angiography (MRA)-collateral circulation score at baseline among patients with acute posterior circulation ischaemic stroke after mechanical thrombectomy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients with acute posterior circulation ischaemic stroke who underwent mechanical thrombectomy were analysed retrospectively. The DWI-pcASPECTS and MRA-collateral circulation score before treatment and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 90 days after treatment were used as the endpoints. An mRS ≤2 was defined as a good prognosis, and an mRS ≥3 was defined as a poor prognosis. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyse independent predictors of functional outcome 90 days after mechanical thrombectomy.

RESULTS

Mechanical thrombectomy was performed in 57 patients; 38 patients had a good prognosis, 19 patients had a poor prognosis, and 33 patients were successfully recanalised. Univariate logistic regression found that National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (OR: 1.18, p<0.001), pcASPECTS (OR: 1.91, p=0.028) and pcASCO score (OR: 0.51, p=0.001) were factors of good functional outcome. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) analysis showed that the diagnostic efficiency of the NIHSS and pcASCO was better (AUC = 0.88, 0.83, p<0.05) than that of the pcASPECTS (AUC = 0.65). The prediction model was established by age, NIHSS, and pcASCO, and the diagnostic efficiency of the prediction model was better (AUC = 0.94).

CONCLUSIONS

The composite MR-pcASCO score can be used as an important predictor of the prognosis of patients with acute posterior circulation ischaemic stroke after mechanical thrombectomy.

Prioritization of control factors for heavy metals in groundwater based on a source-oriented health risk assessment model

Heavy metals (HMs) in groundwater seriously threaten ecological safety and human health. To facilitate the effective management of groundwater contamination, priority control factors of HMs in groundwater need to be categorized. A total of 86 groundwater samples were collected from the Huangpi district of Wuhan city, China, during the dry and wet seasons. To determine priority control factors, a source-oriented health risk assessment model was applied to compare the pollution sources and health risks of seven HMs (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Ni, As, and Fe). The results showed that the groundwater had higher As and Fe contents. The sources of HM pollution during the wet period were mainly industrial and agricultural activities and natural sources. During the dry period, origins were more complex due to the addition of domestic discharges, such as sewage wastewater. Industrial activities (74.10% during the wet period), agricultural activities (53.84% during the dry period), and As were identified as the priority control factors for groundwater HMs. The results provide valuable insights for policymakers to coordinate targeted management of HM pollution in groundwater and reduce the cost of HM pollution mitigation.

Synthesis of uniformly dispersed Fe2TiO5 nanodisks: a sensitive photoelectrochemical sensor for glucose monitoring in human blood serum

A novel photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor was constructed, using Fe2TiO5 nanodisks under visible-light irradiation, for the determination of glucose in human blood serum. The uniformly dispersed Fe2TiO5 nanodisks were synthesized for the first time by an ion exchange method and subsequent heat treatment. As excellent catalysts, the Fe2TiO5 nanodisks can directly catalyze the oxidation of glucose to produce current in the absence of glucose oxidase. Compared with commercial TiO2, the Fe2TiO5 nanodisks exhibit better activity in the electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose and can generate a photocurrent as a signal for glucose detection. The PEC sensor shows a wide linear range (4 μM-10 mM), a low limit of detection (0.588 μM) and a super sensitivity of 2653 μA mM-1 cm-2, which are much better than similar configurations reported previously. This PEC sensor has been successfully used to monitor glucose in human blood serum. Moreover, this PEC glucose sensor based on Fe2TiO5 nanodisks possesses great potential for application in point-of-care clinical diagnosis.

Rolling circle transcription amplification-directed construction of tandem spinach-based fluorescent light-up biosensor for label-free sensing of β-glucosyltransferase activity

β-glucosyltransferase (β-GT) can specifically catalyze the conversion of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) to 5-glucosylhydroxy methylcytosine (5-ghmC), and it is associated with the control of phage-specific gene expression by affecting transcription process in vivo and in vitro. The current strategies for β-GT assay usually involve expensive equipment, laborious treatment, radioactive hazard, and poor sensitivity. Here, we report a Spinach-based fluorescent light-up biosensor for label-free measurement of β-GT activity by utilizing 5-hmC glucosylation-initiated rolling circle transcription amplification (RCTA). We design a 5-hmC-modified multifunctional circular detection probe (5-hmC-MCDP) that integrates the functions of target-recognition, signal transduction, and transcription amplification in one probe. The introduction of β-GT catalyzes 5-hmC glucosylation of 5-hmC-MCDP probe, protecting the glucosylated 5-mC-MCDP probe from the cleavage by MspI. The remaining 5-hmC-MCDP probe can initiate RCTA reaction with the aid of T7 RNA polymerase, generating tandem Spinach RNA aptamers. The tandem Spinach RNA aptamers can be lightened up by fluorophore 3,5-difluoro-4-hydroxybenzylidene imidazolinone, facilitating label-free measurement of β-GT activity. Notably, the high specificity of MspI-catalyzed cleavage of nonglucosylated probe can efficiently inhibit nonspecific amplification, endowing this assay with a low background. Due to the higher efficiency of RCTA than the canonical promoter-initiated RNA synthesis, the signal-to-noise ratio of RCTA is 4.6-fold higher than that of linear template-based transcription amplification. This method is capable of sensitively detecting β-GT activity with a limit of detection of 2.03 × 10-5 U/mL, and it can be used for the screening of inhibitors and determination of kinetic parameters, with great potential in epigenetic research and drug discovery.

Combined effects of microplastics and cadmium on the soil-plant system: Phytotoxicity, Cd accumulation and microbial activity

Microplastics (MPs), an emerging pollutant of concern, widely cooccurred with heavy metals in soil, however, little is known about the combined effects of the interactions of MPs and cadmium (Cd) on the soil-plant system. In this study, the combined effects of several types of MPs and soil Cd contamination on Brassica juncea growth, Cd uptake, and soil microbial carbon metabolism were investigated in a 50-day pot experiment. Aged polyethylene (PE), aged polypropylene (PP), biodegradable polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) and polylactic acid (PLA) displayed moderate phytotoxicity, with reductions in leaf chlorophyll content and shoot biomass. Compared with the control treatment without MPs or B. juncea, B. juncea growth significantly increased the soil pH by 0.3 pH units, and the growth of B. juncea in the presence of biodegradable PBAT or PLA MPs increased the soil pH by an additional 0.4 or 0.6 pH units, respectively. The presence of PBAT or PLA MPs greatly reduced soil diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable Cd concentrations and plant Cd accumulation. The Cd bioconcentration factor was higher in roots than shoots in all treatments except the treatment containing PBAT MPs. The average well color development (AWCD), an indicator of metabolic activity, was highest in the treatment with B. juncea alone and was reduced by both biodegradable and conventional MPs. The microbial utilization efficiency of esters and alcohols was enhanced in the treatment with PBAT MPs, whereas carboxylic acids were preferentially utilized in the treatment with PLA MPs. These findings indicate that co-exposure to MPs and Cd may alter soil microenvironmental characteristics such as soil pH, leading to changes in Cd bioavailability, plant growth and Cd accumulation, and the microbial community's capacity to metabolize carbon. These effects of MPs in soil warrant further exploration.

Effects of dietary essential oil supplementation on growth performance, carcass yield, meat quality, and intestinal tight junctions of broilers with or without Eimeria challenge

The effects of dietary supplementation of essential oil on growth performance, carcass yield, meat quality, serum antioxidant capacity, and intestinal tight junctions of broilers with or without Eimeria challenge were investigated. A total of 576 one-day-old male broilers were randomly separated into 8 treatments (6 replication floor-pens per treatment, 12 broilers per pen) in a 4 × 2 factorial design. The 4 diets consisted of 1) a corn and soybean meal basal diet, 2) an anticoccidial diet (60 g nicarbazin and 60 g narasin per ton of feed), 3) an oregano oil diet (500 ppm oregano oil), and 4) a clove oil diet (500 ppm clove oil). On d 10, half chicks were challenged with 1 × 104 sporulated oocysts of E. tenella, E. acervulina, and E. maxima per chick, whereas the others were inoculated with an equal amount of dilution (0.5 mL). The Eimeria challenge induced a higher fecal oocyst output on d 18, a lower duodenum Occludin expression level on d 28, a lower serum catalase level, and a higher cook loss and protein loss in thigh muscle on d 42. The anticoccidial diet lowered fecal Eimeria output and increased d 1 to 42 BW gain as compared to the control diet. The clove oil treatment enhanced duodenum ZO-1 expression level in nonchallenged birds, increased BW gain from d 1 to 14 and breast yield on d 42. The oregano oil treatment enhanced ZO-1 expression of challenged birds, reduced feed intake from 15 to 28 d, and helped broilers gain more tender meat. For those Eimeria-challenged broilers, both clove and oregano oil treatments recovered drip loss in breast muscle. Our results suggested that Eimeria challenge in broiler early age could interrupt later serum antioxidant capacity and damage meat quality. The dietary supplementation of clove or oregano essential oils could improve broiler growth performance and partially relieve the coccidial damage in gut integrity and meat quality.

Information-based continuous nursing on pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus

OBJECTIVE

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a serious pregnancy complication, and women with undiagnosed diabetes mellitus can develop chronic hyperglycemia during pregnancy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of information-based continuity of care on glucose levels, health awareness, and maternal and infant outcomes in pregnant women with GDM, thereby providing a basis for the clinical implementation of effective interventions for GDM to reduce or avoid adverse outcomes due to GDM.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

One hundred and sixty cases of pregnant women with GDM who underwent treatment in the obstetrics and gynecology department of our hospital from June 2019 to September 2021 were randomly selected as the study population and divided into the control group (n=80) and the study group (n=80). Women in the control group were received with conventional nursing intervention, and those in the study group were obtained with information-based continuity of care on the basis of the control group. Basic clinical data were collected. The levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG), 2h postprandial glucose (2hPG), knowledge of health education, treatment compliance scores, and changes in delivery outcomes were compared between the two groups. According to the maternal blood glucose control level, 160 pregnant women with GDM were divided into the better control group (143 cases) and the poor control group (17 cases). The risk factors affecting the level of maternal glycemic control in gestational diabetes were analyzed.

RESULTS

After the intervention, the levels of FBG and 2hPG were significantly lower in both groups than those before the intervention, while the levels of FBG and 2hPG in the study group were notably lower than those in the control group. The health education knowledge score and treatment compliance score after the intervention were significantly higher than those before the intervention, and the health education knowledge score and treatment compliance score in the study group were observably higher than those in the control group (p<0.01). The adverse pregnancy outcomes of pregnant women in the study group were significantly reduced compared with those in the control group (p<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that body mass index (BMI), dietary control, literacy, and information-based continuity of care were all influential factors for maternal glycemic control level (p<0.05). Among the influencing factors, dietary control and continuity of care had clinical value in predicting maternal glycemic control levels in gestational diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS

Continuous nursing based on informatization can effectively control the blood glucose level of pregnant women with GDM, improve the treatment compliance of pregnant women and the awareness rate of gestational diabetes knowledge so as to reduce the occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes and improve the health level. In addition, BMI and dietary control are independent risk factors that affect the blood glucose control level of pregnant women. Relevant intervention measures should be formulated according to the relevant influencing factors to effectively control the blood glucose level of pregnant women with GDM and improve maternal and infant outcomes.

Early prediction of acute kidney injury in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding admitted to the intensive care unit based on extreme gradient boosting

Background

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and important complication in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding who are admitted to the intensive care unit. The present study proposes an artificial intelligence solution for acute kidney injury prediction in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding admitted to the intensive care unit.

Methods

Data were collected from the eICU Collaborative Research Database (eICU-CRD) and Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV (MIMIC-IV) database. The prediction model was developed using the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) model. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, accuracy, precision, area under the precision-recall curve (AUC-PR), and F1 score were used to evaluate the predictive performance of each model.

Results

Logistic regression, XGBoost, and XGBoost with severity scores were used to predict acute kidney injury risk using all features. The XGBoost-based acute kidney injury predictive models including XGBoost and XGBoost+severity scores model showed greater accuracy, recall, precision AUC, AUC-PR, and F1 score compared to logistic regression.

Conclusion

The XGBoost model obtained better risk prediction for acute kidney injury in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding admitted to the intensive care unit than the traditional logistic regression model, suggesting that machine learning (ML) techniques have the potential to improve the development and validation of predictive models in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding admitted to the intensive care unit.

Assessment of groundwater hydrochemistry, water quality, and health risk in Hainan Island, China

Groundwater is an important source of water for human sustenance. The determination of groundwater quality at island sites is an urgent priority in China, but there are lacking systematic reports relating to them. Here, 63 groups of groundwater samples were collected and analyzed of Hainan Island. The groundwater in the study area is weakly alkaline, mainly comprising hard and soft freshwater. The predominant anions and cations are HCO₃^-, and Ca²⁺ and Na⁺, respectively, and the main water chemistry types are HCO₃-Cl-Na and HCO₃-Cl-Na-Ca. The chemical evolution of groundwater is mainly affected by water-rock interactions, cation exchange, and human activity. The groundwater is mostly of high quality and, in most areas, is suitable for drinking and irrigation. Contrastingly, the water quality in the west of the island is relatively poor. The spatial distribution of the risk coefficient (HQ) is consistent with the spatial variation in the NO₃^- concentrations in the groundwater. Notably, there are unacceptable health risks for different groups of people, with infants having the greatest level of impact, followed by children, teenagers, and adults. This study provides a valuable reference for the development and utilization of groundwater resources, as well as the improvement of aquatic ecological conditions on Hainan Island and other island areas worldwide.

Circulating tumor DNA analysis of the phase III VOYAGER trial: KIT mutational landscape and outcomes in patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor treated with avapritinib or regorafenib

BACKGROUND

The current treatment paradigm of imatinib-resistant metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) does not incorporate KIT/PDGFRA genotypes in therapeutic drug sequencing, except for PDGFRA exon 18-mutant GIST that is indicated for avapritinib treatment. Here, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) sequencing was used to analyze plasma samples prospectively collected in the phase III VOYAGER trial to understand how the KIT/PDGFRA mutational landscape contributes to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) resistance and to determine its clinical validity and utility.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

VOYAGER (N = 476) compared avapritinib with regorafenib in patients with KIT/PDGFRA-mutant GIST previously treated with imatinib and one or two additional TKIs (NCT03465722). KIT/PDGFRA ctDNA mutation profiling of plasma samples at baseline and end of treatment was assessed with 74-gene Guardant360® CDx. Molecular subgroups were determined and correlated with outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 386/476 patients with KIT/PDGFRA-mutant tumors underwent baseline (pre-trial treatment) ctDNA analysis; 196 received avapritinib and 190 received regorafenib. KIT and PDGFRA mutations were detected in 75.1% and 5.4%, respectively. KIT resistance mutations were found in the activation loop (A-loop; 80.4%) and ATP-binding pocket (ATP-BP; 40.8%); 23.4% had both. An average of 2.6 KIT mutations were detected per patient; 17.2% showed 4-14 different KIT resistance mutations. Of all pathogenic KIT variants, 28.0% were novel, including alterations in exons/codons previously unreported. PDGFRA mutations showed similar patterns. ctDNA-detected KIT ATP-BP mutations negatively prognosticated avapritinib activity, with a median progression-free survival (mPFS) of 1.9 versus 5.6 months for regorafenib. mPFS for regorafenib did not vary regardless of the presence or absence of ATP-BP/A-loop mutants and was greater than mPFS with avapritinib in this population. Secondary KIT ATP-BP pocket mutation variants, particularly V654A, were enriched upon disease progression with avapritinib.

CONCLUSIONS

ctDNA sequencing efficiently detects KIT/PDGFRA mutations and prognosticates outcomes in patients with TKI-resistant GIST treated with avapritinib. ctDNA analysis can be used to monitor disease progression and provide more personalized treatment.

A polyaniline functionalized NiFeP nanosheet array-based electrochemical immunosensor using Au/Cu2O nanocubes as a signal amplifier for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which emerged as a novel pathogen in 2019. The virus is responsible for a severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak, affecting the respiratory system of infected individuals. COVID-19 is a super amplifier of basic diseases, and the disease with basic diseases is often more serious. Controlling the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic relies heavily on the timely and accurate detection of the virus. To resolve the problem, a polyaniline functionalized NiFeP nanosheet array-based electrochemical immunosensor using Au/Cu₂O nanocubes as a signal amplifier is fabricated for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (SARS-CoV-2 NP). Polyaniline (PANI) functionalized NiFeP nanosheet arrays are synthesized as an ideal sensing platform for the first time. PANI is coated on the surface of NiFeP by electropolymerization to enhance biocompatibility, beneficial for the efficient loading of the capture antibody (Ab₁). Significantly, Au/Cu₂O nanocubes possess excellent peroxidase-like activity and exhibit outstanding catalytic activity for the reduction of H₂O₂. Therefore, Au/Cu₂O nanocubes combine with a labeled antibody (Ab₂) through the Au-N bond to form labeled probes, which can effectively amplify current signals. Under optimal conditions, the immunosensor for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 NP shows a wide linear range of 10 fg mL^-1-20 ng mL^-1 and a low detection limit of 1.12 fg mL^-1 (S/N = 3). It also exhibits desirable selectivity, repeatability, and stability. Meanwhile, the excellent analytical performance in human serum samples confirms the practicality of the PANI functionalized NiFeP nanosheet array-based immunosensor. The electrochemical immunosensor based on the Au/Cu₂O nanocubes as a signal amplifier demonstrates great potential for application in the personalized point-of-care (POC) clinical diagnosis.

Priority control factors for heavy metal groundwater contamination in peninsula regions based on source-oriented health risk assessment

Peninsula regions in China face serious environmental issues, such as heavy metal (HM) groundwater contamination. However, attempts to investigate the pollution sources and health risks of HM contamination in such regions require considerable resources and costs. Moreover, the priority control factors for groundwater HMs remain unclear. In this study, absolute principal component score/multiple linear regression (APCS/MLR) was used to quantify the groundwater pollution sources of typical peninsular areas in China, and a health risk assessment (HRA) was performed to assess the health risks caused by different sources. The results showed that the concentrations of Mn and Fe were higher than those of other HMs, and HM pollution was high in shallow groundwater. The dominant source of HMs in groundwater was agricultural activities (31.12 %), followed by natural sources (26.33 %), industrial activities (22.47 %), and atmospheric deposition (20.09 %). The non-carcinogenic risks to residents were acceptable, whereas the carcinogenic risks were high. Agricultural sources, atmospheric deposition sources, and Cr and As were identified as the priority control factors for HM groundwater contamination. This study has implications for improving the control of groundwater HM contamination in peninsula regions and ensuring sustainable groundwater development.

Independent and combined associations of upper and lower limb strength with all-cause mortality in community-based older adults: findings from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey

OBJECTIVE

With the acceleration of aging progress, China is projected to have the largest older population globally. This study aimed to examine the association of upper limb strength (ULS) and lower limb strength (LLS) with all-cause mortality based on the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (2012-2018).

STUDY DESIGN

This is a prospective cohort study.

METHODS

Participants were 2442 older adults (aged 84.98 ± 11.94 years) recruited from eight longevity areas in China. Limb muscle strength was evaluated using handgrip strength and objective physical examinations. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to analyze the association of limb muscle strength with all-cause mortality. Demographic characteristics, health status, and biological markers were included as confounders.

RESULTS

Over a median follow-up period of 42.2 months, 993 older people died. After adjusting for all covariates, low ULS was associated with higher mortality risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.25-1.84), and the association of low LLS with all-cause mortality was only significant in women (HR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.04-1.79). Participants with combined low ULS and low LLS had the highest risk of mortality than those with normal limb muscle strength (hazard ratio = 2.06, 95% confidence interval = 1.61-2.63). The combined association of ULS and LLS with mortality was robust in subgroup and sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSION

Low ULS and low LLS were independently and synergistically associated with higher all-cause mortality risk. Considering the high prevalence of limb muscle weakness among Chinese older adults, especially the oldest-old, limb strength could be considered as a potential doable mortality predictor for community health care.

Time of dehairing alters pork quality development

Studies investigating the effect of scald time on pork quality are confounded with time of dehairing. To understand better pork quality development and two-toning in hams, twenty-four carcasses were assigned to an 8- or 16-min dwell time prior to the dehairing, with or without scalding (n = 6 per trt). Semimembranosus (SM) muscles were collected following dehairing and at 24 h postmortem. Protracted time to dehair improved ultimate pH (pH_u; P < 0.005) and reduced (P < 0.05) color variation. One hundred forty-two carcasses were then subjected to protracted (control, 10-min) dwell times (15-min, or 20-min) in an industrial setting. Lightness was improved with 15-min dwell times compared to control, however 20-min dwell decreased the pH_u (P < 0.001), increased lightness (P < 0.05), and percent purge (P < 0.001) in the SM. Also, lightness of the longissimus muscle (LM) increased (P < 0.001) with dwell time. These data show time to dehairing impacts pork quality development and suggest dehairing may be critical to quality development in a muscle-dependent manner.

High-throughput Synthesis of Solution-Processable Van der Waals Heterostructures through Electrochemistry

Two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures (2D vdWHs) have recently gained widespread attention because of their abundant and exotic properties, which open up many new possibilities for next-generation nanoelectronics. However, practical applications remain challenging due to the lack of high-throughput techniques for fabricating high-quality vdWHs. Here, we demonstrate a general electrochemical strategy to prepare solution-processable high-quality vdWHs, in which electrostatic forces drive the stacking of electrochemically exfoliated individual assemblies with intact structures and clean interfaces into vdWHs with strong interlayer interactions. Thanks to the excellent combination of strong light absorption, interfacial charge transfer, and decent charge transport properties in individual layers, thin-film photodetectors based on graphene/In2Se3 vdWHs exhibit great promise for NIR photodetection, owing to a high responsivity (267 mA W-1), fast rise (72 ms) and decay (426 ms) times under near-infrared (NIR) illumination. This approach enables various hybrid systems, including graphene/In2Se3, graphene/MoS2 and graphene/MoSe2 vdWHs, providing a broad avenue for exploring emerging electronic, photonic, and exotic quantum phenomena.

Nomograms for predicting survival in patients with gastric carcinoid or neuroendocrine carcinoma based on the SEER database

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to construct a competent model that can effectively predict the prognosis of patients with gastric carcinoid (GC) or neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data of patients with GC or NEC were retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 1975 to 2017. Univariable and multivariable Cox analysis was used to determine the independent factors for patients with GC or NEC. Nomograms were established based on the independent factors and the results were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA).

RESULTS

A total of 214 patients with GC and 65 patients with gastric NEC were extracted from the SEER database. Independent prognostic factors for patients with GC were M stage, gender, age, and chemotherapy. Independent prognostic factors for patients with gastric NEC included age, M stage, and chemotherapy. ROC curves, calibration curves, and DCA confirmed that the nomograms can precisely predict the prognosis of patients with GC and NEC.

CONCLUSIONS

The nomograms can effectively predict survival in patients with GC or NEC, which may assist the clinician in their decision-making and quantitatively judge the prognosis of individual patients.

Correlation Between Ontological Insecurity and Daily Epidemic Prevention Behavior Among Inpatients During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study evaluates inpatients' ontological insecurity and daily epidemic prevention behavior during the pandemic and explores the factors influencing daily epidemic prevention behaviors. The outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in December 2019 caused a global public health crisis that has affected the very structure of society and the order of daily life. Ontological security is the ability to predict the impact of changes in social environments on personal security, such as during the pandemic. A cross-sectional study was used to collect data from 1185 inpatients of a hospital in Zhejiang, China, from July 11 to August 9, 2021. Our questionnaire recorded information on demographics, ontological insecurity, and daily epidemic prevention behaviors. The Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, Spearman's correlation analysis, and logistic regression analysis were used to determine the influencing factors of daily epidemic prevention behavior on ontological security. Results showed a negative correlation between inpatients' ontological insecurity and daily epidemic prevention behavior (r = -.253, P < .001). The logistic regression analysis showed that the independent factors affecting daily epidemic prevention behavior include ontological insecurity (OR: 0.952; 95% CI: 0.937-0.968) (P < .001), sex (OR: 1.292; 95% CI: 1.004-1.663), age (OR: 0.880; 95%: 0.790-0.980), education (OR: 1.307; 95% CI: 1.098-1.556), and occupation [famers vs civil servants, staff or professional (OR: 0.596; 95% CI: 0.374-0.949),other versus civil servants, staff, or professional (OR: 0.693; 95% CI: 0.503-0.953)] (P < .05). Inpatients were shown to have good ontological security during the COVID-19 epidemic, younger patients, female patients, patients with stronger ontological security, patients with a higher educational level, and those who work in a fixed unit or organization showed higher levels of daily epidemic prevention behavior. Hospital managers should strengthen the intervention management of epidemic prevention behavior based on patient characteristics.

Learning verbs in English and Korean: The roles of word order and argument drop

To learn new words, particularly verbs, child learners have been shown to benefit from the linguistic contexts in which the words appear. However, cross-linguistic differences affect how this process unfolds. One previous study found that children's abilities to learn a new verb differed across Korean and English as a function of the sentence in which the verb occurred (Arunachalam et al., 2013). The authors hypothesized that the properties of word order and argument drop, which vary systematically in these two languages, were driving the differences. In the current study, we pursued this finding to ask if the difference persists later in development, or if children acquiring different languages come to appear more similar as their linguistic knowledge and learning capacities increase. Preschool-aged monolingual English learners (N = 80) and monolingual Korean learners (N = 64) were presented with novel verbs in contexts that varied in word order and argument drop and accompanying visual stimuli. We assessed their learning by measuring accuracy in a forced-choice pointing task, and we measured eye gaze during the learning phase as an indicator of the processes by which they mapped the novel verbs to meaning. Unlike previous studies which identified differences between English and Korean learning 2-year-olds in a similar task, our results revealed similarities between the two language groups with these older preschoolers. We interpret our results as evidence that over the course of early childhood, children become adept at learning from a larger variety of contexts, such that differences between learners of different languages are attenuated.

Construction of Z-Scheme TiO2/Au/BDD Electrodes for an Enhanced Electrocatalytic Performance

TiO₂/Au/BDD composites with a Z-scheme structure was prepared by orderly depositing gold (Au) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) on the surface of a boron-doped diamond (BDD) film using sputtering and electrophoretic deposition methods. It was found that the introduction of Au between TiO₂ and the BDD, not only could reduce their contact resistance, to increase the carrier transport efficiency, but also could improve the surface Hall mobility of the BDD electrode. Meanwhile, the designed Z-scheme structure provided a fast channel for the electrons and holes combination, to promote the effective separation of the electrons and holes produced in TiO₂ and the BDD under photoirradiation. The electrochemical characterization elucidated that these modifications of the structure obviously enhanced the electrocatalytic performance of the electrode, which was further verified by the simulated wastewater degradation experiments with reactive brilliant red X-3B. In addition, it was also found that the photoirradiation effectively enhanced the pollution degradation efficiency of the modified electrode, especially for the TiO₂/Au/BDD-30 electrode.

Association between early vasopressor administration and in-hospital mortality in critically ill patients with acute pancreatitis: A cohort study from the MIMIC-IV database

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to explore the association between early administration of vasopressors and in-hospital mortality in acute pancreatitis (AP) patients admitted to the ICU.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The MIMIC-IV database was used to identify AP patients who had and had not received vasopressors. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression, propensity score matching (PSM), and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 894 AP patients admitted to the ICU were included in the study. Among them, AP patients who received vasopressors were associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality in the unadjusted model (OR: 7.77, 95% CI 4.92-12.61, p<0.001), multivariable-adjusted model (OR: 2.51,95% CI 1.1-5.76, p<0.05), PSM model (OR: 2.58, 95% CI 1.03-6.85, p<0.05) and IPTW model (OR: 1.82, 95% CI 1.06-3.15, p<0.05) compared with patients who did not receive vasopressors. In the subgroup analysis, age (≥ 65 years old: OR: 2.5, 95% CI 0.82-7.91; <65 years old: OR: 4.63, 95% CI 0.84-26.41), male (OR: 1.19, 95% CI 0.35-4.03), ethnicity (white: OR: 2.49, 95% CI 0.81-7.62; non-white: OR: 4.28, 95% CI 0.85-23.7), usage of norepinephrine (OR: 2.29, 95% CI 0.91-5.78), and single-use of vasopressor (OR: 1.48, 95% CI 0.43-4.95) were not associated with in-hospital mortality in patients with AP, whereas vasopressin (OR: 4.27, 95% CI 1.24-15.13; p<0.05) and phenylephrine usage (OR: 4.75, 95% CI 1.66-13.95; p<0.05), combined vasopressor usage (OR: 4.41, 95% CI 1.55-12.96; p<0.01), and female usage (OR: 7.89, 95% CI 2.03-34.2; p<0.01) were associated with in-hospital mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Early vasopressor use is significantly associated with increased in-hospital mortality among critically ill AP patients. This association might be greater in females, vasopressin, phenylephrine, and combined vasopressor users. Our results may benefit clinicians as they can guide the rational use of vasopressors in critically ill AP patients admitted to the ICU.

Reduced scald time does not influence ultimate pork quality

Fresh pork color is a function of pigment, and the pH and temperature conditions in the carcass postmortem. To explore the role of scald on color development, carcasses (n = 16) were subjected to either a 4- or 8-min scald. Semimembranosus (SM) muscle samples were collected before and after scalding, and at 24 h postmortem. A 50% reduction in scald time resulted in lighter color (L*) across the muscle early postmortem (P < 0.001), yet the 8-min scald treatment was lighter (P = 0.001) at 24 h. An interaction between scald time and sampling time showed in an increase in L* values at 4-min immediately following scald (P < 0.001). Two-hundred carcasses were then subjected to a modified scald time (6.5 min, or 7.5 min) in an industrial setting. Lowering scald time failed to recapitulate results. In fact, darker meat (L* value; P = 0.0166) was noted in the SM across longer scalds. These data suggest modest changes in scald time may not be responsible for changes in pork quality development.

Biomechanical analysis of ocular diseases and its in vitro study methods

Ocular diseases are closely related to the physiological changes in the eye sphere and its contents. Using biomechanical methods to explore the relationship between the structure and function of ocular tissue is beneficial to reveal the pathological processes. Studying the pathogenesis of various ocular diseases will be helpful for the diagnosis and treatment of ocular diseases. We provide a critical review of recent biomechanical analysis of ocular diseases including glaucoma, high myopia, and diabetes. And try to summarize the research about the biomechanical changes in ocular tissues (e.g., optic nerve head, sclera, cornea, etc.) associated with those diseases. The methods of ocular biomechanics research in vitro in recent years are also reviewed, including the measurement of biomechanics by ophthalmic equipment, finite element modeling, and biomechanical analysis methods. And the preparation and application of microfluidic eye chips that emerged in recent years were summarized. It provides new inspiration and opportunity for the pathogenesis of eye diseases and personalized and precise treatment.

Construction of a mouse model that can be used for tissue-specific EV screening and tracing in vivo

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play an important role in the communication between tissues and cells. However, it is difficult to screen and trace EVs secreted by specific tissues in vivo, which affects the functional study of EVs in certain tissues under pathophysiological conditions. In this study, a Cre-dependent CD63flag-EGFP co-expressed with mCherry protein system expressing mice was constructed, which can be used for the secretion, movement, and sorting of EVs from specific tissues in vivo. This mouse model is an ideal research tool for studying the secretion amount, target tissue, and functional molecule screening of EVs in specific tissues under different pathophysiological conditions. Moreover, it provides a new research method to clarify the mechanism of secreted EVs in the pathogenesis of the disease.

A Case Study of Swine Wastewater Treatment via Electrochemical Oxidation by Ti4O7 Anode

With the rapid development of breeding industry, the efficient treatment of dramatically increasing swine wastewater is gradually becoming urgent. In particular, the development of application technologies suitable for the relatively small piggeries is critical due to the time cost and space requirements of conventional biological methods. In this study, Electrochemical oxidation (EO) was selected to systematically explore the treatment performance of three different swine wastewaters by Ti₄O₇ anode. It was observed that the colors changed from dark brown to light yellow after 60 min treatment at 50 mA/cm², and the removal rates of turbidity and suspended solids ranged from 89.36% to 93.65% and 81.31% to 92.55%, respectively. The chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N) and total phosphorus (TP) of all the three swine wastewaters were simultaneously removed to a very low concentration in 120 min, especially for sample III, 61 ± 9 mg/L of COD, 6.6 ± 0.4 mg/L of NH₃-N and 5.7 ± 1.1 mg/L of TP, which met the Discharge Standard of Pollutants for Livestock and Poultry Breeding (GB 18596-2001). Moreover, 70.93%-85.37% mineralization rates were also achieved in 120 min, confirming that EO treatment by Ti₄O₇ could efficiently remove the organic matters in wastewater. Excitation-emission matrix (EEM) and UV-vis spectrum characterization results further proved that aromatic compounds and macromolecules in wastewater were rapidly removed, which played important roles in the mineralization processes. The findings here provided an efficient and environment-friendly technology for swine wastewater treatment.

[Cold stress reduces lifespan and mobility of C. elegans by mediating lipid metabolism disorder and abnormal stress]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the changes of lipid metabolism and stress response of adult C.elegans exposed to non-freezing low temperature and explore the possible mechanism.

METHODS

The survival rate and activity of adult C.elegans cultured at 20℃ or 4℃ were observed.Lipid metabolism of the cultured adult C.elegans was evaluated using oil red O staining and by detecting the expressions of the genes related with lipid metabolism.The effects of low temperature exposure on stress level of adult C.elegans were evaluated using mitochondrial fluorescence staining and by detecting the expression levels of stress-related genes and antioxidant genes at both the mRNA and protein levels.

RESULTS

The lifespan and activity of adult C.elegans exposed to low temperature were significantly reduced with decreased lipid accumulation (P < 0.05) and decreased expressions of genes related with fatty acid synthesis and metabolism (fat-5, fat-6, fat-7, fasn-1, nhr-49, acs-2 and aco-1;P < 0.01).Cold stress significantly increased the expressions of heat shock proteins hsp-70 and hsp16.2(P < 0.05) but lowered the number of mitochondria (P < 0.0001) and the expressions of atfs-1, sod-2, sod-3 and gpx-1(P < 0.05).Knockout of fat-5, nhr-49 or both fat-5 and fat-6 obviously enhanced the sensitivity of C.elegans to cold stress as shown by further reduced activity (P < 0.05) and reduced survival rate at 24 h (P < 0.0001) under cold stress.

CONCLUSION

Exposure to a low temperature at 4℃ results in lowered lipid metabolism of adult C.elegans accompanied by a decreased mitochondrial number and quality control ability, which triggers high expressions of stress-related genes and causes reduction of antioxidant capacity, thus callsing lowered activity and reduced lifespan of C.elegans.

Multi-elements characteristic and potential risk of heavy metals in MOUTAN CORTEX from Anhui Province, China

To ensure the quality and safety of herbs, the content of 54 elements in MOUTAN CORTEX (MC) was determined by the ICP-AES and ICP-MS, and the health risks of Cu, As, Cd, Pb, Hg and rare earth elements (REEs) were assessed. These herbs were collected from 5 producing areas in Anhui Province, China, namely Wuhu, Tongling, Bozhou, Xuancheng and Chizhou. The multi-elements fingerprint identification of MC in Anhui Province was established. The total amount of macro-elements from Wuhu and Tongling is significantly lower than Bozhou. Among all MC from 5 producing areas, the highest content is Ca. Except for Bozhou, the content of macro-elements and REES in the other 4 origins of MC is from highest to lowest: Ca > K > Mg > Al > Fe > Na and Ce > La > Nd > Y > Pr > Er > Yb > Eu > Ho > Tb > Tm > Lu. The chemical forms of Cd in MC from Bozhou with the highest percentage were PH2O of high toxicity and migration, while the other 4 regions were PNaCl of low activity and mobility. There was a great difference in the content of inorganic elements and chemical forms of Cd between the MC produced from the plain (Bozhou) and the hilly areas (Wuhu, Tongling, Chizhou and Xuancheng). Except for Cd, the content of Cu, As, Pb and Hg in MC did not exceed the limit. The results of PTWIFact and ADI for Cd and REEs showed that MC herbs did not pose a risk to human health.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13762-022-04402-6.

Utilisation of village clinics in Southwest China: evidence from Yunnan Province

INTRODUCTION

Primary healthcare in rural China is underutilised, especially in village clinics in Southwest China. The aim of this study was to explore any relationships among the ethnicity of the healthcare provider, the clinical competence of the healthcare provider, and the utilisation of village clinics in Southwest China.

METHODS

This cross-sectional survey study involved 330 village healthcare providers from three prefectures in Yunnan Province in 2017. Multiple logistic regressions were adopted to investigate the utilisation of primary healthcare among different ethnic healthcare providers.

RESULTS

Primary healthcare utilisation was higher in village clinics where healthcare providers were Han Chinese than those where healthcare providers were ethnic minority (151 vs 101, P=0.008). The logistic regression analysis showed that clinical competence was positively associated with the utilisation of primary healthcare (odds ratio [OR]=1.49, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.12-2.00; P=0.007) and that inadequate clinical competence of ethnic minority health workers may lead to a lag in the utilisation of primary healthcare (OR=0.45, 95% CI=0.23-0.89; P=0.022).

CONCLUSION

Our results confirm differences in the utilisation of primary healthcare in rural Yunnan Province among healthcare providers of different ethnicities. Appropriate enhancements of clinical competence could be conducive to improving the utilisation of primary healthcare, especially among ethnic minority healthcare providers.