Size- and concentration-dependent effects of microplastics on soil aggregate formation and properties

Plastics fragment and threaten soil ecosystems. Degradation of soil structure is one of the risks. Despite this, data on impacts of different sized microplastics (MPs) on soil aggregates is lacking. This study systematically investigated the effects of pristine polyethylene powders of different sizes (< 35, < 125, < 500 µm) and concentrations (0, 0.1, 1.0, 10 wt%) on aggregate formation and their properties for two contrasting soils (woodland soil, WS; agricultural soil, AS). 75 day wet-dry cycles produced newly-formed aggregates in all treatments. MP size and concentration impacted the incorporation of MPs in aggregates and this varied with aggregate size; the size distribution of aggregates also varied with MP size and concentration. Aggregates produced in soil containing 10 wt% < 35 µm MPs had significantly lower MWDs (mean weight diameters) than controls. The wettability of aggregates (> 4 mm) reduced with increasing MP exposure concentration and decreasing MP exposure size. MP incorporation decreased the water stability of aggregates (1-2 mm) in WS but increased it in AS. The particle density of aggregates (> 4 mm) significantly decreased with increasing MP concentration, whereas MP size had no effect. As MPs breakdown, fragment and become smaller over time, their potential risk to the aggregated structure of soil increases.

Gold(I) ion and the phosphine ligand are necessary for the anti-Toxoplasma gondii activity of auranofin

Auranofin, an FDA-approved drug for rheumatoid arthritis, has emerged as a promising antiparasitic medication in recent years. The gold(I) ion in auranofin is postulated to be responsible for its antiparasitic activity. Notably, aurothiomalate and aurothioglucose also contain gold(I), and, like auranofin, they were previously used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Whether they have antiparasitic activity remains to be elucidated. Herein, we demonstrated that auranofin and similar derivatives, but not aurothiomalate and aurothioglucose, inhibited the growth of Toxoplasma gondii in vitro. We found that auranofin affected the T. gondii biological cycle (lytic cycle) by inhibiting T. gondii's invasion and triggering its egress from the host cell. However, auranofin could not prevent parasite replication once T. gondii resided within the host. Auranofin treatment induced apoptosis in T. gondii parasites, as demonstrated by its reduced size and elevated phosphatidylserine externalization (PS). Notably, the gold from auranofin enters the cytoplasm of T. gondii, as demonstrated by scanning transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (STEM-EDS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS).IMPORTANCEToxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, is a devastating disease affecting the brain and the eyes, frequently affecting immunocompromised individuals. Approximately 60 million people in the United States are already infected with T. gondii, representing a population at-risk of developing toxoplasmosis. Recent advances in treating cancer, autoimmune diseases, and organ transplants have contributed to this at-risk population's exponential growth. Paradoxically, treatments for toxoplasmosis have remained the same for more than 60 years, relying on medications well-known for their bone marrow toxicity and allergic reactions. Discovering new therapies is a priority, and repurposing FDA-approved drugs is an alternative approach to speed up drug discovery. Herein, we report the effect of auranofin, an FDA-approved drug, on the biological cycle of T. gondii and how both the phosphine ligand and the gold molecule determine the anti-parasitic activity of auranofin and other gold compounds. Our studies would contribute to the pipeline of candidate anti-T. gondii agents.

Toxoplasma gondii autophagy-related protein ATG7 maintains apicoplast inheritance by stabilizing and lipidating ATG8

ATG8/LC3-mediated autophagosome formation is a key rate-limiting step in the process of autophagy. The parasitic protist Toxoplasma gondii possesses a single ATG8 homolog (TgATG8), which can localize to either cytosolic autophagosome involved in delivery of autophagic material in bradyzoites, or the outermost membrane of apicoplast, a nonphotosynthetic plastid-like organelle, responsible for maintaining homeostasis in tachyzoites. However, mechanisms that regulate TgATG8 remain insufficiently understood. Here, a TgATG7 conditional knockdown line that we have generated is severely impaired in parasite's growth and exhibits significant defects in the organelle level, strikingly with a fragmentation of the mitochondrial network and a loss of the apicoplast. Specific TgATG7C1133S point mutant complemented line showed that these defects were associated with its E1-type enzyme activity. Both depletion of TgATG7 and mutation of its catalytic cysteine 1133 hindered TgATG8 lipidation and apicoplast localization. Unexpectedly, we also found that depletion of TgATG7 reduced the unlipidated TgATG8 protein level. Subsequently, we determined that TgATG7 was able to interact with TgATG8 directly via its C-terminal domain and multi-monoubiquitination stimulated proteasome-dependent degradation of TgATG8, while TgATG7 could inhibit the degradation through stabilization of TgATG8. Additionally, we identified a putative TgATG8 interacting fragment of TgATG7, 1281-1290aa. Depletion of the fragment impaired the parasite growth and apicoplast inheritance. To our knowledge, our study is the first to elucidate the role of TgATG7 and the ubiquitin-proteasome system in synergistically regulating the non-lipidated pool of TgATG8, suggesting a potential homeostatic mechanism responsible for balancing autophagic activity in T. gondii.

Ethanol, not water, should be used as the dispersant when measuring microplastic particle size distribution by laser diffraction

Size distribution is a crucial characteristic of microplastics (MPs). A typical method for measuring this property is wet laser diffraction. However, when measuring size distributions of MPs, despite it being a poor dispersant for many MPs, water is commonly selected, potentially limiting the reliability of reported measurements. To evaluate dispersant suitability, different aqueous concentrations of ethanol (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 75, 100 wt%) and aqueous solutions of 0.001 wt% Triton X-100 and a mixture comprising 10 wt% sodium pyrophosphate and 10 wt% methanol were used as dispersants in a laser granulometer (Mastersizer 2000) to determine particle size distributions (PSDs) of granular polyethylene MP35, MP125 and MP500 particles (nominally <35, <125 and, < 500 μm in size). The reliability of the PSDs depended on the dispersant used and size of primary MPs. With increasing ethanol concentrations, PSD curves of MP35 particles shifted from multi-modal to mono-modal distributions. The measured size distribution reduced from 1588.7 to 4.5 μm in water to 39.9 to 0.1 μm in 100 wt% ethanol. Generally, as ethanol concentration increased, uncertainty associated with the PSD parameters decreased. Although Triton X-100 and the mixed solution also showed better dispersion than water, measured particle sizes and coefficient of variation (COV, %) were notably larger than those for 100 wt% ethanol. Similar trends were observed for larger-sized MP125 and MP500 particles, but differences in PSD curves, PSD parameters, and COV (%) among dispersants were less pronounced. In all dispersants, the volume weighted mean diameters (VWMD) in 100 wt% ethanol (MP35: 14.1 μm, MP125: 102.5 μm, MP500: 300.0 μm) were smallest and close to diameters determined from microscope observations (MP35: 14.6 μm, MP125: 109.0 μm, MP500: 310.6 μm). Therefore, for accurate determinations of the PSDs of MP by wet laser diffraction, ethanol rather than water should be used as the dispersant.

A Ferroptosis Microneedle Integrated Wireless Implanted Photodynamic Therapy Pellet for Cancer Treatment

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Effective, non-toxic, and targeted induction of lung cancer cell death is urgently needed. The goal of this research is to create a new implantable battery-free therapeutic pellet with integrated drug microneedles that allows for wireless photodynamic therapy (PDT) and targeted release of a ferroptosis inducer (Imidazole ketone erastin, IKE) into tumor tissue.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A wireless power unit, μ-LED illuminant, a flexible control circuit, and an IKE-stored biodegradable microneedle enclosed in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were all built into an integrated therapeutic pellet. Lung cancer cells were used to illustrate the in vitro viability and molecular biological processes of this system. Therapeutic pellet implanted into the LLC xenograft C57BL/6 model. PDT was conducted by 660 nm laser irradiation after injecting a photosensitizer (Chlorin e6, Ce6) and targeted IKE released into the tumor. Systematically analyzing the therapeutic effects on lung cancer and toxic side-effects.

RESULTS

The PDT-IKE group reduced cellular viability by 90% compared to the control group at the cellular level. In mouse model studies, the PDT-IKE group suppressed tumors at 78.8%, three or four times greater than the PDT (26.6%) or IKE (19.2%) group alone. The PDT-IKE group also controlled IKE release more precisely with heated electrodes, reducing nephrotoxicity and improving safety. Moreover, the combination of PDT and IKE can effectively cause ferroptosis in tumor cells, both in vivo and in vitro.

CONCLUSION

A new implantable battery-free therapeutic pellet was designed for wireless PDT with integrated IKE microneedles to induce obvious ferroptosis in lung cancer. The proposed pellet would provide a promising strategy for cancer treatment.

[Directed differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells into midbrain]

OBJECTIVE

To establish an efficient protocol for directed differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) into functional midbrain dopaminergic progenitor cells (DAPs) in vitro.

METHODS

hiPSCs were induced to differentiate into DAPs in two developmental stages. In the first stage (the first 13 days), hiPSCs were induced into intermediate cells morphologically similar to primitive neuroepithelial cells (NECs) in neural induction medium containing a combination of small molecule compounds. In the second stage, the intermediate cells were further induced in neural differentiation medium until day 28 to obtain DAPs. After CM-DiI staining, the induced DAPs were stereotactically transplanted into the right medial forebrain bundle (MFB) of rat models of Parkinson's disease (PD). Eight weeks after transplantation, the motor behaviors of PD rats was evaluated. Immunofluorescence assay of brain sections of the rats was performed at 2 weeks after transplantation to observe the survival, migration and differentiation of the transplanted cells in the host brain microenvironment.

RESULTS

hiPSCs passaged stably on Matrigel showed a normal diploid karyotype, expressed the pluripotency markers OCT4, SOX2, and Nanog, and were positive for alkaline phosphatase. The primitive neuroepithelial cells obtained on day 13 formed dense cell colonies in the form of neural rosettes and expressed the neuroepithelial markers (SOX2, Nestin, and PAX6, 91.3%-92.8%). The DAPs on day 28 highly expressed the specific markers (TH, FOXA2, LMX1A and NURR1, 93.3-96.7%). In rat models of PD, the hiPSCs-DAPs survived and differentiated into TH⁺, FOXA2⁺ and Tuj1⁺ neurons at 2 weeks after transplantation. Eight weeks after transplantation, the motor function of PD rats was significantly improved as shown by water maze test (P < 0.0001) and apomorphine-induced rotation test (P < 0.0001) compared with rats receiving vehicle injection.

CONCLUSION

HiPSCs can be effectively induced to differentiate into DAPs capable of differentiating into functional neurons both in vivo and in vitro. In rat models of PD, the transplanted hiPSCs-DAPs can survive for more than 8 weeks in the MFB and differentiate into multiple functional neurocytes to ameliorate neurological deficits of the rats, suggesting the potential value of hiPSCs-DAPs transplantation for treatment of neurological diseases.

[Efficacy of one-stage total spondylectomy and circumferential reconstruction for axial tumors through a combined anterior retropharyngeal-posterior approach]

Objective: To elucidate the safety and efficacy of one-stage total spondylectomy and circumferential reconstruction through a combined anterior retropharyngeal-posterior approach for axial tumors. Methods: A total of 20 patients with axial tumor who received total spondylectomy through a combined anterior retropharyngeal-posterior approach in Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology from February 2006 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Anterior reconstruction was performed with a special-shaped titanium mesh or three-dimensional printed (3DP) implants. The degree of local pain and neurological function was assessed by the visual analogue scale (VAS) and Frankel classification systems, respectively. Status of internal fixation and local recurrence was analyzed by radiological examination during follow-up. Results: Among the 20 patients, 12 were male and 8 were female with a mean age of (59.1±11.0) years (31 to 72 years). The mean operation time was (605.0±60.1) minutes (430 to 700 minutes) with a mean intraoperative blood loss of (1 250±347) ml (800 to 2 400 ml). The mean postoperative hospital stay was (13.2±2.8) days (8 to 20 days), and mean follow-up duration was (37.2±14.2) months(14 to 66 months). Anterior reconstructions were performed with a special-shaped titanium mesh in 14 patients and with 3DP implants in another 6 patients. Posterior occipital-cervical fixation was performed in 5 patients, while cervical fixation only in another 15 patients. The mean VAS score of pain at the last follow-up decreased significantly when compared with that before operation (1.6±0.6 vs 7.1±1.1, P<0.001). Nine patients with neurological deficits indicated significant improvement by at least 1 level at the last follow-up; among them, 2 cases of Frankel B improved to Frankel C and D, respectively; 3 cases of Frankel C all improved to Frankel D, and 4 cases of Frankel D improved to Frankel E. The perioperative complications included: 2 cases of vertebral artery injury, 2 cases of dysphagia, 3 cases of hoarseness and cough, 2 cases of cerebrospinal fluid leakage, and 1 case of greater occipital neuralgia. At the last follow-up, 5 patients died and 3 patients relapsed. Only 1 case suffered fixation failure due to local recurrence at the last follow up. Conclusions: One-stage total spondylectomy and circumferential reconstruction through a combined anterior retropharyngeal-posterior approach is safe and effective for axial tumors with favorable clinical outcomes and minor complications. Circumferential reconstruction with special-shaped titanium mesh or 3DP implant and posterior fixation can effectively reconstruct mechanical stability.

Body mass index increases the recurrence risk of breast cancer: a dose-response meta-analysis from 21 prospective cohort studies

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of body mass index (BMI) on the recurrence risk of breast cancer.

STUDY DESIGN

Dose-response meta-analysis.

METHODS

Cohort studies that included BMI and the recurrence of breast cancer were selected through various databases including PubMed, Web of Science, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Scientific Journals (VIP), and Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform (WanFang) until November 30, 2021. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to evaluate the quality of literature. A two-stage random-effects meta-analysis was performed to assess the dose-response relationship between BMI and breast cancer recurrence risk. Heterogeneity between studies is assessed using I².

RESULTS

The relative risk (RR) of BMI <25 kg/m² vs BMI ≥25 kg/m², BMI <30 kg/m² vs BMI ≥30 kg/m² were 1.09 (95% CI: 1.00-1.19) and 1.15 (95% CI: 1.04-1.27), suggesting that BMI had a significant effect on the recurrence risk of breast cancer, and there might be a dose-response relationship between them. A total of 21 studies were included in dose-response meta-analysis, which showed that there was a positive linear correlation between BMI and the risk of recurrence (RR = 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01-1.03). For every 1 kg/m² increment of BMI, the risk of recurrence increased by approximately 2%. In subgroup analyses, positive linear dose-response relationships between BMI and recurrence risk were observed among Asian and study period >10 years groups. For every 1 kg/m² increment of BMI, the risk of recurrence increased by 3.41% and 1.87%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The recurrence risk of breast cancer increases with BMI, which is most obvious among Asian women.

MiRNA-616 aggravates the progression of bladder cancer by regulating cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis through downregulating SOX7

The article "MiRNA-616 aggravates the progression of bladder cancer by regulating cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis through downregulating SOX7, by X. Zhao, D. Li, S.-T. Zhao, Y. Zhang, A. Xu, Y.-Y. Hu, Z. Fang, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (21): 9304-9312-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201911_19423-PMID: 31773697" has been retracted by the authors due to controversial issues in some inconsistencies in the data provided. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/19423.

Mathematical model and experiment analysis of pressure fluctuation inside dual-stack drainage system in residential buildings

The final velocity was put forward to study the water flow characteristics inside the building drainage system; however, it is more suitable for low-rise and multi-storey buildings, not for high-rise buildings. This study revealed the drainage transient characteristics of a double stack drainage system in high-rise residential buildings. Based on the final velocity, the air-water interaction mechanism and two-phase flow conditions in high-rise residential drainage stacks were discussed. An influence model of drainage system flow rate on pressure fluctuation under the change of state parameters such as ventilation rate, pipe wall roughness and building height was established. The pressure limit and flow rate data were obtained through full-scale experiments. The pressure limit and flow rate model were simplified to P_n = A ċ Q² + B ċ Q^1:81 + C. After the data were verified, the fitting coefficients A, B and C were linear to the floor height.

Microplastics impacts in seven flagellate microalgae: Role of size and cell wall

The toxicity of microplastic particles (MPs) on aquatic environments has been widely reported; however, their effects on protists are still contradictory. For example, it is unclear if cell size and cell wall have a role in shaping the response of flagellates to MPs. In this study, seven marine flagellated microalgae (six Dinoflagellates and one Raphidophyceae) were incubated with 10 mg L^-1 MPs (polystyrene plastic micro-spheres, 1 μm diameter) to address the above question by measuring different response variables, i.e., growth, optimal photochemical efficiency (F_v/F_m), chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and cell morphology. The effect of MPs on growth and F_v/F_m showed species-specificity effects. Maximum and minimum MPs-induced inhibitions were detected in Karenia mikimotoi (76.43%) and Akashiwo sanguinea (10.16%), respectively, while the rest of the species showed intermediate responses. The presence of MPs was associated with an average reduction of Chl-a content in most cases and with a higher superoxide dismutase activity in all cases. Seven species were classified into two groups by the variation of Chl-a under MPs treatment. One group (Prorocentrum minimum and Karenia mikimotoi) showed increased Chl-a, while the other (P. donghaiense, P. micans, Alexandrium tamarense, Akashiwo sanguinea, Heterosigma akashiwo) showed decreased Chl-a content. The MPs-induced growth inhibition was negatively correlated with cell size in the latter group. SEM images further indicated that MPs-induced malformation in the smaller cells (e.g., P. donghaiense and K. mikimotoi) was more severe than the bigger cells (e.g., A. sanguinea and P. micans), probably due to a relatively higher ratio of the cell surface to cell volume in the former. These results implicate that the effect of MPs on marine flagellated microalgae was related to the cell size among most species but not cell wall. Thus plastic pollution may have size-dependent effects on phytoplankton in future scenarios.

Efficacy and safety of closed-loop insulin delivery versus sensor-augmented pump in the treatment of adults with type 1 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials

BACKGROUND

Controversy remains regarding whether closed-loop (CL) insulin delivery or insulin sensor-augmented pump (SAP) delivery is more efficient for clinical treatment. Therefore, we aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of CL insulin delivery systems versus insulin SAP delivery for adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

METHODS

Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and other databases were searched for related articles, and we analyzed the average blood glucose (BG), time in range (TIR), and adverse effects (AEs) as primary endpoints to evaluate efficacy and safety.

RESULTS

Of 1616 articles, 12 randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) were included in the final analysis. Regarding BG control efficacy, CL insulin delivery resulted better outcomes than SAP therapy with regard to the average BG value, which was detected and recorded by continuous glucose monitoring (mean difference [MD][mmol/L]:  - 0.25 95% confidence interval [CI]  - 0.42 to - 0.08, p = 0.003); TIR 3.9-10 mmol/L (MD [%]: 7.91 95% CI 4.45-11.37, p < 0.00001). Similar results were observed for the secondary outcomes including low blood glucose index (LBGI) (MD:  - 0.41 95% CI - 0.55 to - 0.26, p < 0.00001), high blood glucose index (HBGI) (MD:  - 2.56 95% CI - 3.38 to - 1.74, p < 0.00001), and standard deviation (SD) of glucose variability (MD [mmol/L]: -0.25 95% CI - 0.44 to - 0.06, p = 0.01). Furthermore, SAP therapy was associated with more adverse effects (risk ratio: 0.20 95% CI 0.07-0.52, p = 0.001) than CL insulin delivery, and one of the most common adverse effects was hypoglycemia.

CONCLUSIONS

CL insulin delivery appears to be a better treatment method than SAP therapy for adults with T1D because of its increased BG control efficacy and decreased number of hypoglycemic events.

[Correlation between the pre-and post-operative sagittal parameters and the quality of life in patients with degenerative and isthmic spondylolisthesis]

Objective: To assess the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and spinal sagittal parameters in patients with degenerative and isthmic spondylolisthesis before and after surgery, and to provide a biomechanical basis for improving the clinical prognosis of such patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 63 patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis who received lumbar fusion surgery in the Department of Spine Surgery, Tianjin Union Medical Center from December 2017 to June 2020 was carried out. There were 16 males and 47 females with a mean age of (59±8) years. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on disease type (degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DS) and the isthmic spondylolisthesis (IS)) and HRQOL scores. Patients were evaluated post-operatively to observe the improvement of symptoms and quality of life. The relationship between operative related factors, HRQOL scores before and after surgery, and spino-pelvic sagittal parameters (including sagittal axis of the spine, lumbar lordosis angle, pelvic incidence angle, pelvic tilt angle (PT), sacral tilt angle, matching degree of pelvic incidence angle (PI) and lumbar lordosis angle (LL), lumbar 1 vertebra plumb line, upper lumbar curve, lower lumbar curve) in the two groups were analyzed. The correlation between the improvement of HRQOL scores and spino-pelvic sagittal parameters in the DS group and the IS group was analyzed and compared. Results: There were significant differences between postoperative HRQOL scores compared with those before the operation in both the DS and IS groups at three times of follow-up after the operation (all P<0.05). There was no difference in the last HRQOL score, the number of surgical segments, operation time and intraoperative blood loss between the two groups (all P>0.05). The parameters of PT and PI-LL in DS patients with VAS back pain score>3 and ≤3 were statistically different (13.7°±6.4° vs 26.6°±7.4°, 5.1°±8.2° vs 18.2°±13.1°, respectively, both P<0.05), similar results were obtained in IS patients (14.1°±6.9° vs 16.4°±8.7°, 2.9°±9.7° vs 6.8°±9.8°, respectively, both P<0.05). In addition, the parameters of PT and PI-LL between patients with ODI>20 and ≤20 were all statistically different in the two groups at the last follow-up after surgery (all P<0.05). The improvement of VAS back pain score in DS and IS groups was significantly related to the improvement of PT value, respectively (r=0.76, 0.78, both P<0.05). The PT, LL and PI-LL were significantly correlated with the ODI in the DS group (r=0.60, 0.62, 0.50, all P<0.05). There was also a correlation between the improvement of ODI and PT, LL and PI-LL in the IS group, respectively (r=0.22, 0.41, 0.76, all P<0.05). Conclusions: Certain correlation exists between the HRQOL and spinal sagittal parameters in patients with degenerative and isthmic spondylolisthesis before and after surgery. For the treatment of lumbar spondylolisthesis and improvement of quality of life, the primary goal is to reconstruct the matching degree of the lumbar lordosis angle and PI, and to reduce the PT value to the normal range by tilting the pelvis forward.

N95 respirator decontamination: a study in reusability

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had caused a severe depletion of the worldwide supply of N95 respirators. The development of methods to effectively decontaminate N95 respirators while maintaining their integrity is crucial for respirator regeneration and reuse. In this study, we systematically evaluated five respirator decontamination methods using vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP) or ultraviolet (254 nm wavelength, UVC) radiation. Through testing the bioburden, filtration, fluid resistance, and fit (shape) of the decontaminated respirators, we found that the decontamination methods using BioQuell VHP, custom VHP container, Steris VHP, and Sterrad VHP effectively inactivated Cardiovirus (3-log10 reduction) and bacteria (6-log10 reduction) without compromising the respirator integrity after 2-15 cycles. Hope UVC system was capable of inactivating Cardiovirus (3-log10 reduction) but exhibited relatively poorer bactericidal activity. These methods are capable of decontaminating 10-1000 respirators per batch with varied decontamination times (10-200 min). Our findings show that N95 respirators treated by the previously mentioned decontamination methods are safe and effective for reuse by industry, laboratories, and hospitals.

Sleep Enhances Consolidation of Memory Traces for Complex Problem-Solving Skills

Sleep consolidates memory for procedural motor skills, reflected by sleep-dependent changes in the hippocampal-striatal-cortical network. Other forms of procedural skills require the acquisition of a novel strategy to solve a problem, which recruit overlapping brain regions and specialized areas including the caudate and prefrontal cortex. Sleep preferentially benefits strategy and problem-solving skills over the accompanying motor execution movements. However, it is unclear how acquiring new strategies benefit from sleep. Here, participants performed a task requiring the execution of a sequence of movements to learn a novel cognitive strategy. Participants performed this task while undergoing fMRI before and after an interval of either a full night sleep, a daytime nap, or wakefulness. Participants also performed a motor control task, which precluded the opportunity to learn the strategy. In this way, we subtracted motor execution-related brain activations from activations specific to the strategy. The sleep and nap groups experienced greater behavioral performance improvements compared to the wake group on the strategy-based task. Following sleep, we observed enhanced activation of the caudate in addition to other regions in the hippocampal-striatal-cortical network, compared to wakefulness. This study demonstrates that sleep is a privileged time to enhance newly acquired cognitive strategies needed to solve problems.

An innovative application of follicular unit extraction technique in the treatment of bromhidrosis

BACKGROUND

Surgery is the most effective way to treat bromhidrosis, but postoperative complications are still the biggest obstacles for patients to choose surgical treatment.

OBJECTIVES

To introduce an innovative application of follicular unit extraction (FUE) in the treatment of bromhidrosis.

METHODS

We conducted a case series study on 20 patients who received FUE technique for the treatment of bromhidrosis. The axillary hair follicles were extracted with a one-millimetre punch. The released hair follicles were collected for histological examination. After the operation, the wounds were wrapped with moderate pressure. The dressing was removed 24 h after the FUE operation. The postoperative complications were collected, and the improvement of malodour was evaluated by the 10-point visual analogue scale.

RESULTS

Immediately postoperation, many needle-shaped holes appeared in the armpits. The holes healed 7 days after the operation, with no scar or pinpoint-like scars. Except for a female who complained of mild pain in the left armpit, no other patients had any discomfort. The malodour level varied between 0 and 4 during the follow-up period. The tissue examination showed that more than 90% of the completely plucked hair follicles were accompanied by apocrine glands, and many blocked and dilated apocrine glands were observed. The lumens of the blocked glands were filled with decapitation products, which were positive for K5, Brst-2 and CEA.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with bromhidrosis have a positive response to FUE technique. The FUE technique is well-tolerated, with only a few postoperative complications, which deserves to be widely promoted.

LINC00240 sponges miR-4465 to promote proliferation, migration, and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via HGF/c-MET signaling pathway

OBJECTIVE

LINC00240, as a novel long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), has never been studied in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This research reported the expression and function of LINC00240 in HCC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

LINC00240 expression in 180 HCC patients was downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. HCC patients' survival was analyzed via Kaplan‑Meier analysis. The expression of LINC00240, miR-4465 and HGF in Hep3B and Huh7 cells were regulated by transfection. Cell viability was determined by MTT assay. Transwell experiment was used for the detection of cells migration and invasion abilities. The interaction between LINC00240, miR-4465 and HGF was reflected by Luciferase reporter assay. LINC00240, miR-4465, HGF and p-c-MET expression in HCC cells were researched by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot.

RESULTS

TCGA data showed that high LINC00240 expression was markedly associated with lower survival of HCC patients (p = 0.036). LINC00240 expression was aberrantly upregulated in HCC cells. Silencing of LINC00240 significantly reduced HCC cells viability, migration and invasion. miR-4465 was a target gene of LINC00240. Silencing of LINC00240 reduced HCC cells viability, migration and invasion via directly promoting miR-4465 expression. HGF was target gene of miR-4465. miR-4465 up-regulation obviously suppressed HGF and p-c-MET expression. According to rescue experiment, LINC00240 silencing inhibited HCC cells viability, migration and invasion by suppressing HGF/c-MET signaling pathway via targeting miR-4465.

CONCLUSIONS

LINC00240 sponges miR-4465 to promote HCC cells proliferation, migration and invasion via HGF/c-MET signaling pathway.

Application of ultrasound-based radiomics technology in fetal-lung-texture analysis in pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes and/or pre-eclampsia

OBJECTIVES

To analyze and compare, using ultrasound-based radiomics technology, fetal-lung texture in pregnancies affected by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and/or pre-eclampsia (PE) and in normal pregnancies, overall and at different gestational ages.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, 430 high-throughput features per fetal-lung image were extracted from 548 fetal-lung ultrasound images (obtained at the level of the four-chamber view of the heart) in 548 pregnant women who delivered between July 2018 and August 2019 at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University. Images had been obtained during ultrasound examinations between 28 and 41 weeks of gestation. The data were divided randomly into training set (80% of fetal-lung images) and independent test set (20% of images), and 20% of the images in the training set were then selected as the validation set. A standard machine-learning model based on ultrasound-based radiomics technology was created using features of fetal-lung texture extracted from the images, and a regression model was used to evaluate the relationship between lung-texture features, GDM and/or PE and gestational age.

RESULTS

Of the 548 pregnancies included, 108 were affected by GDM alone, 71 by PE alone and 25 by both GDM and PE, and 344 were normal. The overall performance of the GDM and PE prediction model was superior to that of the gestational-age prediction model, with an area under the receiver-operating-characteristics curve of 0.95-0.99, sensitivity of 78.8-97.1% in the validation set and 74.5-91.3% in the independent test set, specificity of 79.8-94.3% in the validation set and 75.7-88.4% in the independent test set and accuracy of 81.0-95.3% in the validation set and 80.6-86.4% in the independent test set.

CONCLUSIONS

Using ultrasound-based radiomics technology, fetal lungs from pregnancies grouped according to whether they were affected by GDM and/or PE could be distinguished from each other and from fetal lungs of normal pregnancies, and lungs from pregnancies at different gestational ages could be distinguished. These findings support further research to explore the use of this non-invasive technology to predict neonatal respiratory complications in women with PE, GDM or their combination. © 2020 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Oncogenic role of MIR516A in human bladder cancer was mediated by its attenuating PHLPP2 expression and BECN1-dependent autophagy

Although MIR516A has been reported to be downregulated and act as a tumor suppressor in multiple cancers, its expression and potential contribution to human bladder cancer (BC) remain unexplored. Unexpectedly, we showed here that MIR516A was markedly upregulated in human BC tissues and cell lines, while inhibition of MIR516A expression attenuated BC cell monolayer growth in vitro and xenograft tumor growth in vivo, accompanied with increased expression of PHLPP2. Further studies showed that MIR516A was able to directly bind to the 3'-untranslated region of PHLPP2 mRNA, which was essential for its attenuating PHLPP2 expression. The knockdown of PHLPP2 expression in MIR516A-inhibited cells could reverse BC cell growth, suggesting that PHLPP2 is a MIR516A downstream mediator responsible for MIR516A oncogenic effect. PHLPP2 was able to mediate BECN1/Beclin1 stabilization indirectly, therefore promoting BECN1-dependent macroautophagy/autophagy, and inhibiting BC tumor cell growth. In addition, our results indicated that the increased autophagy by attenuating MIR516A resulted in a dramatic inhibition of xenograft tumor formation in vivo. Collectively, our results reveal that MIR516A has a novel oncogenic function in BC growth by directing binding to PHLPP2 3'-UTR and inhibiting PHLPP2 expression, in turn at least partly promoting CUL4A-mediated BECN1 protein degradation, thereby attenuating autophagy and promoting BC growth, which is a distinct function of MIR516A identified in other cancers.Abbreviation: ATG3: autophagy related 3; ATG5: autophagy related 5; ATG7: autophagy related 7; ATG12: autophagy related 12; BAF: bafilomycin A1; BC: bladder cancer; CHX: cycloheximide; Co-IP: co-immunoprecipitation; CUL3: cullin 3; CUL4A: cullin 4A; CUL4B: cullin 4B; IF: immunofluorescence: IHC-p: immunohistochemistry-paraffin; MIR516A: microRNA 516a (microRNA 516a1 and microRNA 516a2); MS: mass spectrometry; PHLPP2: PH domain and leucine rich repeat protein phosphatase.

An Acylase from Shewanella Putrefaciens Presents a Vibrio Parahaemolyticus Acylhomoserine Lactone-Degrading Activity and Exhibits Temperature-, Ph- and Metal-Dependences

Shewanella putrefaciens supernatant was found to increase the virulence factors of Vibrio parahaemolyticus by efficiently degrading its acylhomoserine lactone (AHL). To further reveal the regulation mechanism and its key degrading enzyme, a potential AHL-degrading enzyme acylase (Aac) from S. putrefaciens was cloned, and the influences of temperature, pH, protein modifiers, and metals on Aac were tested. Aac was significantly influenced by temperature and pH, and exhibited the highest AHL-degrading activity at temperatures of 37 °C and pH of 8. Mg2+ and Fe2+ can further increase the AHL-degrading activity. 10 mM EDTA inhibited its activity possibly by chelating the co-factors (metals) required for Aac activity. Tryptophan and arginine were identified as key components for Aac activity that are critical to its AHL-degrading activity. This study provides useful information on Aac and for V. parahaemolyticus control.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction alters brain activity for breast cancer survivors with chronic neuropathic pain: preliminary evidence from resting-state fMRI

PURPOSE

Breast cancer continues to be the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Canadian women, with as many as 25-60% of women suffering from chronic neuropathic pain (CNP) as a pervasive consequence of treatment. While pharmacological interventions have shown limited efficacy for the management of CNP to date, psychological interventions, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), may be a promising alterative for improving pain-related problems. The purpose of this study was to use brain imaging methods to investigate this potential.

METHODS

Resting-state fMRI was used in female breast cancer survivors with CNP before and after an 8-week MBSR course (n = 13) and compared with a waitlist control group (n = 10).

RESULTS

Focusing on the default mode network, the most significant results show greater posterior cingulate connectivity with medial prefrontal regions post-MBSR intervention. Moreover, this change in connectivity correlated with reduced pain severity for the MBSR group.

CONCLUSIONS

These results provide empirical evidence of a change in the brain following MBSR intervention associated with changes in the subjective experience of pain.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

This study gives hope for a non-invasive method of easing the struggle of CNP in women following breast cancer treatment.

Phononic Helical Nodal Lines with PT Protection in MoB_{2}

While condensed matter systems host both fermionic and bosonic quasiparticles, reliably predicting and empirically verifying topological states is only mature for Fermionic electronic structures, leaving topological Bosonic excitations sporadically explored. This is unfortunate, as Bosonic systems such as phonons offer the opportunity to assess spinless band structures where nodal lines can be realized without invoking special additional symetries to protect against spin-orbit coupling. Here we combine first-principles calculations and meV-resolution inelastic x-ray scattering to demonstrate the first realization of parity-time reversal symmetry protected helical nodal lines in the phonon spectrum of MoB_{2}. This structure is unique to phononic systems as the spin-orbit coupling present in electronic systems tends to lift the degeneracy away from high-symmetry locations. Our study establishes a protocol to accurately identify topological Bosonic excitations, opening a new route to explore exotic topological states in crystalline materials.

MiRNA-616 aggravates the progression of bladder cancer by regulating cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis through downregulating SOX7

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the regulatory effect of microRNA-616 (miRNA-616) on cellular behaviors of bladder cancer and the potential mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The expressions of miRNA-616 and SOX7 in bladder cancer tissues and cell lines were examined by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). The relationship between miRNA-616 and SOX7 was assessed through Dual-Luciferase Reporter Gene Assay. The regulatory effects of miRNA-616 and SOX7 on cellular behaviors of bladder cancer were evaluated through cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, transwell migration assay, and flow cytometry.

RESULTS

MiRNA-616 was upregulated, whereas SOX7 was downregulated in bladder cancer tissues and cell lines. The silence of miRNA-616 attenuated the proliferative and migratory abilities, arrested cell cycle progression in the G2 phase, and stimulated apoptosis in UMUC3 and T24 cells. SOX7 was the target gene of miRNA-616, and its level was negatively regulated by miRNA-616. The knockdown of SOX7 enhanced the proliferative and migratory abilities, and attenuated apoptosis of bladder cancer cells.

CONCLUSIONS

MiRNA-616 accelerates bladder cancer cells to proliferate and migrate and inhibits apoptosis by downregulating SOX7. MiRNA-616/SOX7 may be potential therapeutic targets for bladder cancer.

Protective effect of resveratrol on kidney in rats with diabetic nephropathy and its effect on endoplasmic reticulum stress

OBJECTIVE

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) can cause chronic renal insufficiency and significantly reduce the life quality of patients with diabetes mellitus, and may eventually lead to death. The study investigated the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related factors, which have important roles in the progress of DN and to explore effects of resveratrol on DN and the possible mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Specific pathogen free (SPF) grade healthy male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were divided into different groups for different treatments. The diabetic rat model was established by intraperitoneal injection of low-dose streptozotocin (STZ) (40 mg/kg). The normal rats and diabetes model rats were divided into four groups including normal control group (N), normal control + resveratrol (N+R), model group (M), and model + resveratrol group (M+R) for different treatments. The changes of renal histology were observed by immunohistochemistry. Glucose oxidase/peroxidase method was used to measure FPG, UP 24 h content was measured by bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay, BUN, Scr and Cys C content were measured by automatic biochemical analyzer. The expressions of 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78), protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), and activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) and C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP) were analyzed by Western blot.

RESULTS

Resveratrol treatment significantly reduced the fasting blood glucose level, urinary protein level and renal pathological damage. The phosphorylation of PERK in the kidney of rats with diabetes was up-regulated, while resveratrol treatment reduced this change. The expression of p- PERK, GRP78, ATF4, and CHOP was significantly increased in rats with diabetes, while resveratrol treatment can reduce the increased level of those endoplasmic reticulum stress related factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Resveratrol has a good therapeutic effect on DN in rats without side effect. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress response.

B-09 Cerebral Grey Matter After Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest In Good Outcome Survivors

Objective

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) on cognitive functioning and brain volumes, in good outcome survivors.

Method

Participants were medically stable OHCA survivors. Two control groups were also recruited: patients who experienced myocardial infarction (MI), and healthy controls (HC) with no history of cardiovascular disease. Neuropsychological assessment was conducted using the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB). Imaging was performed on a 3T Siemens Trio MRI scanner. Cerebral grey matter volume (GM; measured by voxel-based morphometry in SPM12) results are presented.

Results

Participants (nOHCA = 9, nMI = 19, nHC = 13) ranged in age from 30 to 85 years. When controlling for age, whole-brain analyses revealed decreased GM in anterior cingulate cortex, bilateral hippocampus in the OHCA and in the MI group compared to the HC group. In addition, the MI group had decreased GM compared to the HC in the thalamus and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (p < .001). No significant differences in GM were observed between the MI and OHCA groups. The hippocampus was selected as a region-of-interest for further analyses. The Total NAB Index was correlated with hippocampal GM in the OHCA group but not in the MI group (rOHCA = .78, p = .014).

Conclusions

Results revealed select areas of GM reduction in OHCA and MI groups, suggesting a contribution of cardiovascular disease to observed atrophy. Reductions are related to cognitive performance only in the cardiac arrest group which may suggest that these volume losses represent clinically meaningful changes.

Magnetic-Competition-Induced Colossal Magnetoresistance in n-Type HgCr_{2}Se_{4} under High Pressure

The n-type HgCr_{2}Se_{4} exhibits a sharp semiconductor-to-metal transition (SMT) in resistivity accompanying the ferromagnetic order at T_{C}=106  K. Here, we investigate the effects of pressure and magnetic field on the concomitant SMT and ferromagnetic order by measuring resistivity, dc and ac magnetic susceptibility, as well as single-crystal neutron diffraction under various pressures up to 8 GPa and magnetic fields up to 8 T. Our results demonstrate that the ferromagnetic metallic ground state of n-type HgCr_{2}Se_{4} is destabilized and gradually replaced by an antiferromagnetic, most likely a spiral magnetic, and insulating ground state upon the application of high pressure. On the other hand, the application of external magnetic fields can restore the ferromagnetic metallic state again at high pressures, resulting in a colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) as high as ∼ 3×10^{11}% under 5 T and 2 K at 4 GPa. The present study demonstrates that n-type HgCr_{2}Se_{4} is located at a peculiar critical point where the balance of competition between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions can be easily tipped by external stimuli, providing a new platform for achieving CMR in a single-valent system.

Observation of Double Weyl Phonons in Parity-Breaking FeSi

Condensed matter systems have now become a fertile ground to discover emerging topological quasiparticles with symmetry protected modes. While many studies have focused on fermionic excitations, the same conceptual framework can also be applied to bosons yielding new types of topological states. Motivated by Zhang et al.'s recent theoretical prediction of double Weyl phonons in transition metal monosilicides [Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 016401 (2018)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.120.016401], we directly measure the phonon dispersion in parity-breaking FeSi using inelastic x-ray scattering. By comparing the experimental data with theoretical calculations, we make the first observation of double Weyl points in FeSi, which will be an ideal material to explore emerging bosonic excitations and its topologically nontrivial properties.

Visual preconditioning reduces emergence delirium in children undergoing ophthalmic surgery: a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Emergence delirium is a common complication in children, especially in preschool children undergoing ophthalmic surgery. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of visual preconditioning (application of an eyepatch over the eye to be operated for ≥3 h the day before surgery) on emergence delirium after ophthalmic surgery under sevoflurane anaesthesia.

METHODS

One hundred and seventy-nine children undergoing unilateral cataract surgery, aged 3-7 yr, were involved in this prospective, blinded, randomised study. Subjects were randomised to receive visual preconditioning (Group P, n=89) or to receive programmed explanation the day before surgery (Group C, n=90). The primary outcome was incidence of emergence delirium evaluated by the paediatric anaesthesia emergence delirium (PAED) scale. The secondary outcomes included emergence time and post-anaesthesia care unit (PACU) stay time.

RESULTS

Children in Group P had a significantly lower incidence of emergence delirium than those in Group C [16.9% vs 44.4%, odds ratio (OR) 4.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.0 to 8.0]. The maximal PAED score was lower in Group P than in Group C [4 (0-20) vs 9 (0-20), median difference -3.0, 95% CI -5.0 to -1.0]. Visual preconditioning prolonged emergence time (P<0.001) and PACU stay time (P=0.002).

CONCLUSION

Visual disturbance contributes to emergence delirium in preschool children undergoing ophthalmic surgery with sevoflurane, and prophylactic eyepatch treatment can reduce emergence delirium.

CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION

NCT02590744.