pH-Dependent Reversible Self-Assembly of β-Lactoglobulin-Derived Reducing Peptides

Peptide-based self-assembled nanostructures are emerging vehicles for nutrient delivery and interface engineering. The present study screened eight β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) derived peptides and found that two reducing peptides [EQSLVCQCLV (EV-10) and VCQCLVR (VR-7)] demonstrated pH-dependent reversible fibrilization. EV-10 formed fibrils at pH 2.0 but became unordered aggregates at pH 7.0. VR-7 showed the opposite trend. Both peptides could undergo repetitive transitions between fibrils and unordered aggregates during consecutive pH-cycling. Fibrilization of both peptides was dominated by charges carried by N- and C-terminals. Both fibrils were characterized by a cross-β sheet structure where the β-sheet was arranged in an antiparallel manner. Fe3+ was reduced by Cys and EV-10 (pH 5.0 and 7.0) simultaneously upon mixing. In contrast, EV-10 fibrils released Fe3+ reducing capacity progressively, which were beneficial to long-term protection Fe2+. The EV-10 fibrils remained intact after simulated gastric digestion and finally dissociated after intestinal digestion. The results shed light on the mechanisms of fibrilization of β-Lg derived peptides. This study was beneficial to the rational design of smart pH-responsive materials for drug delivery and antioxidants for nutrients susceptible to oxidation.

Interleukin-2 enhancer binding factor 2 negatively regulates the replication of duck hepatitis A virus type 1 by disrupting the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity of 3D polymerase

The interaction between viral components and cellular proteins plays a crucial role in viral replication. In a previous study, we showed that the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) is an essential element for the replication of duck hepatitis A virus type 1 (DHAV-1). However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. To gain a deeper understanding of this mechanism, we used an RNA pull-down and a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry assay to identify new host factors that interact with the 3'-UTR. We selected interleukin-2 enhancer binding factor 2 (ILF2) for further analysis. We showed that ILF2 interacts specifically with both the 3'-UTR and the 3D polymerase (3Dpol) of DHAV-1 through in vitro RNA pull-down and co-immunoprecipitation assays, respectively. We showed that ILF2 negatively regulates viral replication in duck embryo fibroblasts (DEFs), and that its overexpression in DEFs markedly suppresses DHAV-1 replication. Conversely, ILF2 silencing resulted in a significant increase in viral replication. In addition, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) activity of 3Dpol facilitated viral replication by enhancing viral RNA translation efficiency, whereas ILF2 disrupted the role of RdRP in viral RNA translation efficiency to suppress DHAV-1 replication. At last, DHAV-1 replication markedly suppressed the expression of ILF2 in DEFs, duck embryo hepatocytes, and different tissues of 1 day-old ducklings. A negative correlation was observed between ILF2 expression and the viral load in primary cells and different organs of young ducklings, suggesting that ILF2 may affect the viral load both in vitro and in vivo.

Activated DBP degradation and relevant signal transduction path via quorum sensing autoinducers in Streptomyces sp. SH5

Microbe-mediated DBP (dibutyl phthalate) mineralization is acknowledged to be affected by diverse extracellular factors. However, little is known about the regulatory effects from quorum sensing (QS) signals. In this study, extracellularly applied QS signals A-like (hydroxymethyl dihydrofuran) was discovered to significantly enhance DBP degradation efficiency in Streptomyces sp. SH5. Monobutyl phthalate, protocatechuic acid and beta-ketoadipate were discovered as degradation intermediates by HPLC-TOF-MS/MS. Multi-omics analysis revealed the up-regulation of multiple hydrolases, transferases and decarboxylases that potentially contributed to A-like accelerated DBP degradation. Transcription of Orf2708, an orthologue of global transcriptional activator, was significantly induced by A-like. Orf2708 was demonstrated to interact specifically with the promoter of hydrolase orf2879 gene by EMSA, and the overexpression of orf2879 led to an enhanced DBP degradation in SH5. Taken together with the molecular docking studies showing the stability of ligand-receptor complex of A-like and its potential receptor Orf3712, a hierarchical regulatory cascade underlying the QS signal mediated DBP degradation was proposed as A-like/Orf3712 duplex formation, enhanced orf2708 expression and the downstream specific activation of hydrolase Orf2879. Our study presents the first evidence of GBLs-type promoted DBP degradation among bacteria, and the elucidated signal transduction path indicates a universal application potential of this activation strategy.

Downregulation of transcription 1 hinders the replication of Dabie bandavirus by promoting the expression of TLR7, TLR8, and TLR9 signaling pathway

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is a bunyavirus that causes SFTS, with a case fatality rate of up to 30 %. The innate immune system plays a crucial role in the defense against SFTSV; however, the impact of viral propagation of STFSV on the innate immune system remains unclear. Although proteomics analysis revealed that the expression of the downregulator of transcription 1 (DR1) increased after SFTSV infection, the specific change trend and the functional role of DR1 during viral infection remain unelucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that DR1 was highly expressed in response to SFTSV infection in HEK 293T cells using qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Furthermore, viral replication significantly increased the expression of various TLRs, especially TLR9. Our data indicated that DR1 positively regulated the expression of TLRs in HEK 293T cells, DR1 overexpression highly increased the expression of numerous TLRs, whereas RNAi-mediated DR1 silencing decreased TLR expression. Additionally, the myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88)-dependent or TIR-domain-containing adaptor inducing interferon-β (TRIF)-dependent signaling pathways were highly up- and downregulated by the overexpression and silencing of DR1, respectively. Finally, we report that DR1 stimulates the expression of TLR7, TLR8, and TLR9, thereby upregulating the TRIF-dependent and MyD88-dependent signaling pathways during the SFTSV infection, attenuating viral replication, and enhancing the production of type I interferon and various inflammatory factors, including IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8. These results imply that DR1 defends against SFTSV replication by inducing the expression of TLR7, TLR8, and TLR9. Collectively, our findings revealed a novel role and mechanism of DR1 in mediating antiviral responses and innate immunity.

Kinetic Resolution of Acyclic Tertiary Propargylic Alcohols by NHC-Catalyzed Enantioselective Acylation

We report herein an efficient NHC-catalyzed kinetic resolution of acyclic tertiary propargylic alcohols that provides them in high to excellent enantioselectivity. This is the first example of kinetic resolution realized by enantioselective acylation. The recovered enantioenriched alcohols can be facilely converted into other valuable compounds such as densely functionalized tertiary alcohols and carbmates in high yields and excellent stereopurity. Density functional theory calculations were performed to determine the reaction mechanism and to understand the origin of enantiodiscrimination.

RC-SLAM: Road Constrained Stereo Visual SLAM System Based on Graph Optimization

Intelligent vehicles are constrained by road, resulting in a disparity between the assumed six degrees of freedom (DoF) motion within the Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) system and the approximate planar motion of vehicles in local areas, inevitably causing additional pose estimation errors. To address this problem, a stereo Visual SLAM system with road constraints based on graph optimization is proposed, called RC-SLAM. Addressing the challenge of representing roads parametrically, a novel method is proposed to approximate local roads as discrete planes and extract parameters of local road planes (LRPs) using homography. Unlike conventional methods, constraints between the vehicle and LRPs are established, effectively mitigating errors arising from assumed six DoF motion in the system. Furthermore, to avoid the impact of depth uncertainty in road features, epipolar constraints are employed to estimate rotation by minimizing the distance between road feature points and epipolar lines, robust rotation estimation is achieved despite depth uncertainties. Notably, a distinctive nonlinear optimization model based on graph optimization is presented, jointly optimizing the poses of vehicle trajectories, LPRs, and map points. The experiments on two datasets demonstrate that the proposed system achieved more accurate estimations of vehicle trajectories by introducing constraints between the vehicle and LRPs. The experiments on a real-world dataset further validate the effectiveness of the proposed system.

Trajectory Tracking of Variable Centroid Objects Based on Fusion of Vision and Force Perception

Compared with traditional rigid objects' dynamic throwing and catching by the robot, the in-flight trajectory of nonrigid objects (incredibly variable centroid objects) throwing is more challenging to predict and track. This article proposes a variable centroid trajectory tracking network (VCTTN) with the fusion of vision and force information by introducing force data of throw processing to the vision neural network. The VCTTN-based model-free robot control system is developed to perform highly precise prediction and tracking with a part of the in-flight vision. The flight trajectories dataset of variable centroid objects generated by the robot arm is collected to train VCTTN. The experimental results show that trajectory prediction and tracking with the vision-force VCTTN is superior to the ones with the traditional vision perception and has an excellent tracking performance.

Structure and assembly of type VI secretion system cargo delivery vehicle

Type VI secretion system is widely used in Gram-negative bacteria for injecting toxic effectors into neighboring prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells. Various effectors can be loaded onto the T6SS delivery tube via its core components: Hcp, VgrG, or PAAR. Here, we report 2.8-Å resolution cryo-EM structure of intact T6SS Hcp5-VgrG-PAAR cargo delivery system and crystal structure of unbound Hcp5 from B. fragilis NCTC 9343. Loading of Hcp5 hexameric ring onto VgrG causes expansion of its inner cavity and external surface, explaining how structural changes could be propagated to regulate co-polymerization and surrounding contractile sheath. High-affinity binding between Hcp and VgrG causes entropically unfavorable structuring of long loops. Furthermore, interactions between VgrG trimer and Hcp hexamer are asymmetric, with three of the six Hcp monomers exhibiting a major loop flip. Our study provides insights into the assembly, loading, and firing of T6SS nanomachine that contributes to bacterial inter-species competition and host interactions.

Placenta-specific 8 facilitates the infection of duck hepatitis A virus type 1 by inhibiting the TLR7 MyD88-dependent signaling pathway

The placenta-specific 8 (PLAC8) gene, also known as ONZIN or C15, codes for a cysteine-rich peptide originally identified in mouse placental tissue and subsequently identified in a variety of epithelial tissues and immune cells. PLAC8 is also expressed in birds, such as ducks, where its functional roles remain unknown. Here, we aimed to determine the mRNA and protein expression profiles and the functional role of duck PLAC8 during the infection of duck hepatitis A virus type 1 (DHAV-1). We found that the duck PLAC8 is also a cysteine-rich polypeptide composed of 114 amino acid residues, with no signal peptide. Duck PLAC8 is highly expressed in the immune organs of young cherry valley ducks, including the thymus, bursa fabricius, and spleen. However, it has negligible expression level in liver, brain, kidney, and heart. Additionally, PLAC8 expression was considerably induced after DHAV-1 infection both in vitro and in vivo, especially in the immune organs of ducklings. This tissue expression distribution and induction upon infection suggest that PLAC8 might play a critical role in innate immunity. Our data showed that PLAC8 significantly suppressed the expression of Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7), leading to decreased expression of downstream signaling molecules including myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB). This ultimately resulted in low levels of type I interferon and interleukin 6 (IL-6). Additionally, PLAC8 positively regulated DHAV-1 replication levels. RNAi against PLAC8 in duck embryo fibroblasts considerably inhibited DHAV-1 propagation, while PLAC8 overexpression significantly facilitated DHAV-1 replication.

Interleukin-22 facilitates the interferon-λ-mediated production of tripartite motif protein 25 to inhibit replication of duck viral hepatitis A virus type 1

The innate immune system provides a defense against invading pathogens by inducing various interferon (IFN)-stimulated genes (ISGs). We recently reported that tripartite motif protein 25 (TRIM25), an important ISG, was highly upregulated in duck embryo hepatocyte cells (DEFs) after infection with duck viral hepatitis A virus type 1 (DHAV-1). However, the mechanism of upregulation of TRIM25 remains unknown. Here we reported that interleukin-22 (IL-22), whose expression was highly facilitated in DEFs and various organs of 1-day-old ducklings after DHAV-1 infection, highly enhanced the IFN-λ-induced production of TRIM25. The treatment with IL-22 neutralizing antibody or the overexpression of IL-22 highly suppressed or facilitated TRIM25 expression, respectively. The phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) was crucial for the process of IL-22 enhancing IFN-λ-induced TRIM25 production, which was suppressed by WP1066, a novel inhibitor of STAT3 phosphorylation. The overexpression of TRIM25 in DEFs resulted in a high production of IFNs and reduced DHAV-1 replication, whereas the attenuated expression of IFNs and facilitated replication of DHAV-1 were observed in the RNAi group, implying that TRIM25 defended the organism against DHAV-1 propagation by inducing the production of IFNs. In summary, we reported that IL-22 activated the phosphorylation of STAT3 to enhance the IFN-λ-mediated TRIM25 expression and provide a defense against DHAV-1 by inducing IFN production.

Monomeric C-reactive protein evokes TCR Signaling-dependent bystander activation of CD4+ T cells

Bystander activation of T cells is defined as induction of effector responses by innate cytokines in the absence of cognate antigens and independent of T cell receptor (TCR) signaling. Here we show that C-reactive protein (CRP), a soluble pattern-recognition receptor assembled noncovalently by five identical subunits, can instead trigger bystander activation of CD4 + T cells by evoking allosteric activation and spontaneous signaling of TCR in the absence of cognate antigens. The actions of CRP depend on pattern ligand-binding induced conformational changes that result in the generation of monomeric CRP (mCRP). mCRP binds cholesterol in plasma membranes of CD4 + T cells, thereby shifting the conformational equilibrium of TCR to the cholesterol-unbound, primed state. The spontaneous signaling of primed TCR leads to productive effector responses manifested by upregulation of surface activation markers and release of IFN-γ. Our results thus identify a novel mode of bystander T cell activation triggered by allosteric TCR signaling, and reveal an interesting paradigm wherein innate immune recognition of CRP transforms it to a direct activator that evokes immediate adaptive immune responses.

Anti-Noise 3D Object Detection of Multimodal Feature Attention Fusion Based on PV-RCNN

3D object detection methods based on camera and LiDAR fusion are susceptible to environmental noise. Due to the mismatch of physical characteristics of the two sensors, the feature vectors encoded by the feature layer are in different feature spaces. This leads to the problem of feature information deviation, which has an impact on detection performance. To address this problem, a point-guided feature abstract method is presented to fuse the camera and LiDAR at first. The extracted image features and point cloud features are aggregated to keypoints for enhancing information redundancy. Second, the proposed multimodal feature attention (MFA) mechanism is used to achieve adaptive fusion of point cloud features and image features with information from multiple feature spaces. Finally, a projection-based farthest point sampling (P-FPS) is proposed to downsample the raw point cloud, which can project more keypoints onto the close object and improve the sampling rate of the point-guided image features. The 3D bounding boxes of the object is obtained by the region of interest (ROI) pooling layer and the fully connected layer. The proposed 3D object detection algorithm is evaluated on three different datasets, and the proposed algorithm achieved better detection performance and robustness when the image and point cloud data contain rain noise. The test results on a physical test platform further validate the effectiveness of the algorithm.

N-terminal Domain of Amyloid-β Impacts Fibrillation and Neurotoxicity

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the presence of distinct amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) assemblies with diverse sizes, shapes, and toxicity. However, the primary determinants of Aβ aggregation and neurotoxicity remain unknown. Here, the N-terminal amino acid residues of Aβ42 that distinguished between humans and rats were substituted. The effects of these modifications on the ability of Aβ to aggregate and its neurotoxicity were investigated using biochemical, biophysical, and cellular techniques. The Aβ-derived diffusible ligand, protofibrils, and fibrils formed by the N-terminal mutational peptides, including Aβ42(R5G), Aβ42(Y10F), and rat Aβ42, were indistinguishable by conventional techniques such as size-exclusion chromatography, negative-staining transmission electron microscopy and silver staining, whereas the amyloid fibrillation detected by thioflavin T assay was greatly inhibited in vitro. Using circular dichroism spectroscopy, we discovered that both Aβ42 and Aβ42(Y10F) generated protofibrils and fibrils with a high proportion of parallel β-sheet structures. Furthermore, protofibrils formed by other mutant Aβ peptides and N-terminally shortened peptides were incapable of inducing neuronal death, with the exception of Aβ42 and Aβ42(Y10F). Our findings indicate that the N-terminus of Aβ is important for its fibrillation and neurotoxicity.

Urolithin B suppresses osteoclastogenesis via inhibiting RANKL-induced signalling pathways and attenuating ROS activities

Osteoporosis (OP) has severely affected human health, which is characterized by abnormal differentiation of osteoclasts. Urolithin B (UB), as a potential natural drug, has been reported to exhibit numerous biological activities including antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory but its effects on OP, especially on RANKL‐stimulated osteoclast formation and activation, are still understood. In our study, we have demonstrated for the first time that UB inhibits RANKL‐induced osteoclast differentiation and explored its potential mechanisms of action. The RAW264.7 cells were cultured and induced with RANKL followed by UB treatment. Then, the effects of UB on mature osteoclast differentiation were evaluated by counting tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)‐positive multinucleated cells and F‐actin ring analysis. Moreover, the effects of UB on RANKL‐induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured by 2′, 7′‐dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH‐DA) staining. Further, we explored the potential mechanisms of these downregulation effects by performing Western blotting and quantitative RT‐PCR examination. We found that UB represses osteoclastogenesis, F‐actin belts formation, osteoclast‐specific gene expressions and ROS activity in a time‐ and concentration‐dependent manner. Mechanistically, UB attenuates intracellular ROS levels by upregulation of Nrf2 and other ROS scavenging enzymes activation. Furthermore, UB also inhibited RANKL‐induced NF‐κB, MAPK and Akt signalling pathway and suppressed expression of c‐Fos and nuclear factor of activated T cells 1 (NFATc1), which is the master transcription factor of osteoclast differentiation. Taken together, our findings confirm that UB is a polyphenolic compound that can be a potential therapeutic treatment for osteoclast‐related bone diseases such as osteoporosis.

Effects of Deodorization on the Formation of Processing Contaminants and Chemical Quality of Sunflower Oil

Tocopherols and phytosterols are generally considered to be nutritionally beneficial, and 3-Monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters (3-MCPD esters), glycidyl esters (GEs) and trans fatty acids (TFAs) are generally considered to be harmful. The high temperature deodorization step is when these harmful 3-MCPD esters, GEs and TFAs are generated. Knowing how deodorization conditions affect levels of these substances is essential for designing refining processes that will produce nutritious, high quality edible oils. This study analyzed the changes of these components of sunflower oil at different temperatures (210, 230, 250 and 270°C) and times (60, 80, 100 and 120 min) during deodorization. Our research found that during the whole deodorization process (including undeodorized sunflower oil), the contents of 3-MCPD esters, GEs and TFAs all progressively increased, from 0.47 to 11.18 mg/kg, 0.24 to 18.42 mg/kg and 0.062% to 0.698%, respectively. However, the deodorization process significantly decreased the levels of tocopherols (from 535.94 to 240.26 mg/kg) and phytosterols (from 2803.58 to 1864.34 mg/kg). Meanwhile, the retention ratios of total tocopherols and total phytosterols also decreased from 96.29% to 44.83% and 92.29% to 66.50%, respectively.

MR Imaging Differences in the Circle of Willis between Healthy Children and Adults

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Asymmetries in the circle of Willis have been associated with several conditions, including migraines and stroke, but they may also be age-dependent. This study examined the impact of age and age-dependent changes in cerebral perfusion on circle of Willis anatomy in healthy children and adults.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed an observational, cross-sectional study of bright and black-blood imaging of the proximal cerebral vasculature using TOF-MRA and T2 sampling perfection with application-optimized contrasts by using different flip angle evolution (T2-SPACE) imaging at the level of the circle of Willis in 23 healthy children and 43 healthy adults (4-74 years of age). We compared arterial diameters measured manually and cerebral perfusion via pseudocontinuous arterial spin-labeling between children and adults.

RESULTS

We found that the summed cross-sectional area of the circle of Willis is larger in children than in adults, though the effect size was smaller with T2-SPACE-based measurements than with TOF-MRA. The circle of Willis is also more symmetric in children, and nonvisualized segments occur more frequently in adults than in children. Moreover, the size and symmetry of the circle of Willis correlate with cerebral perfusion.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrate that the circle of Willis is different in size and symmetry in healthy children compared with adults, likely associated with developmental changes in cerebral perfusion. Further work is needed to understand why asymmetric vasculature develops in some but not all adults.

Neural adaptive control of air-breathing hypersonic vehicles robust to actuator dynamics

This paper investigates the neural adaptive control problem for air-breathing hypersonic vehicles. For the velocity subsystem, a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN)-based adaptive controller is first designed, which employs the auxiliary variable to compensate for the saturation nonlinearity of the scramjet control command. For the altitude subsystem, an RBFNN-based controller addresses actuator constraints and dynamics using the model predictive control, as well as counteracts uncertainties and disturbances using the neural adaptive mechanism. The effectiveness of the proposed control is verified by simulations.

NF-kB decoy oligodeoxynucleotide preserves disc height in a rabbit anular-puncture model and reduces pain induction in a rat xenograft-radiculopathy model

While it is known that the degenerated intervertebral disc (IVD) is one of the primary reasons for low-back pain and subsequent need for medical care, there are currently no established effective methods for direct treatment. Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) is a transcription factor that regulates various genes' expression, among which are inflammatory cytokines, in many tissues including the IVD. NF-κB decoy is an oligodeoxynucleotide containing the NF-κB binding site that entraps NF-κB subunits, resulting in suppression of NF-κB activity. In the present preclinical study, NF-κB decoy was injected into degenerated IVDs using the rabbit anular-puncture model. In terms of distribution, NF-κB decoy persisted in the IVDs up to at least 4 weeks after injection. The remaining amount of NF-κB decoy indicated that it fit a double-exponential-decay equation. Investigation of puncture-caused degeneration of IVDs showed that NF-κB decoy injection recovered, dose-dependently, the reduced disc height that was associated with reparative cell cloning and morphological changes, as assessed through histology. Gene expression, by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), showed that NF-κB decoy attenuated inflammatory gene expression, such as that of interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor-α, in rabbit degenerated IVDs. NF-κB decoy also reduced the pain response as seen using the "pain sensor" nude rat xenograft-radiculopathy model. This is the first report demonstrating that NF-κB decoy suppresses the inflammatory response in degenerated IVDs and restores IVD disc height loss. Therefore, the intradiscal injection of NF-κB decoy may have the potential as an effective therapeutic strategy for discogenic pain associated with degenerated IVDs.

Sodium butyrate relieves lung ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting NF-κB and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways

OBJECTIVE

Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) is the main cause of acute lung injury (ALI) in clinical lung transplantation, extracorporeal circulation, lung sleeve resection, trauma and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The inflammatory response and oxidative stress following IR are factors that cause and aggravate its secondary damage. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and mechanism of sodium butyrate (NaB) on lung ischemia-reperfusion injury (LIRI).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We used male C57BL/6 mice to construct the LIRI model and administered the mice with NaB. By examining the expression of inflammatory factors and oxidative stress-related molecules in mouse lung tissue, we investigated the effects of NaB on inflammation and oxidative stress in lung tissue after IR. In addition, the changes in the activity of the NF-κB and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways were also examined to determine the mechanism of NaB.

RESULTS

The expression levels of the inflammatory factors (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) in lung tissue of mice after IR were significantly increased, while NaB reduced the expression of inflammatory factors. In addition, the oxidative stress level of mouse lung tissue after IR increased significantly, showing the decrease of antioxidant molecules SOD1/2, catalase (CAT), and Peroxiredoxin 1 (Prdx1), while the intake of NaB increased the antioxidant level of mouse lung tissue. The activities of NF-κB and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways were significantly increased in lung tissue after IR, whereas NaB inhibited the activity of NF-κB and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways.

CONCLUSIONS

NaB relieves LIRI by inhibiting NF-κB and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress levels in lung tissue of mice after IR.

Iatrogenic acid-induced gingival recession during crown cementation: A case report

Accidental contact of various chemicals in dentistry may cause damage to the gingiva. A male patient presented for a full mouth rehabilitation with ceramic crowns. The patient underwent the steps of ceramic crown preparation uneventfully. At the time of crown delivery, cotton rolls were placed in several vestibular areas for isolation. They were regularly changed during different steps of etching and cementation process, which included the use of Multilink Primer B (Ivoclar Vivadent™). On removal of the cotton roll in the area of upper right canine, the gingival tissues appeared blanched and grayish white. The cotton roll was found to have absorbed some etching material in it. As the patient was asymptomatic, he was dismissed. Two weeks later, the patient presented with inflammation and gingival recession in the same area. Initially, he was treated palliatively, and subsequently, he received a connective tissue graft on the upper right canine. This case report showed that acid etching material used during the prosthodontic cementation may have caused a gingival recession, which was successfully treated with tunnel flap and connective tissue graft. Optimal isolation of the operative field should be performed to avoid this problem.

Simple Glycerol-Assisted and Morphology-Controllable Solvothermal Synthesis of Lithium-Ion Battery-Layered Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 Cathode Materials

High-performance lithium-rich-layered oxide is regarded as a promising candidate for lithium-ion battery (LIB) cathode materials because of its outstanding high specific capacity. Despite in-depth research over the past decade, there are still a number of serious problems limiting its commercialization. Here, we report a simple morphological design and size-controllable material preparation strategy to enhance the electrochemical performance of LIB cathode materials. We use a simple solvothermal method to obtain a carbonate precursor material with different morphologies by adjusting the solvent ratio of the system, which will be conveniently formed into Li_1.2Mn_0.54Ni_0.13Co_0.13O₂ by calcination. Moreover, further relation between the morphology and electrochemical performance of cathode materials is systematically investigated. The microsphere cathode material with suitable size exhibits superior electrochemical performances among all samples in terms of initial reversible capacity (280.4 mA h g^-1 at 0.1 C) and cycle performance (87.67% retention after 200 cycles at 1 C). Even at 5 C, a high discharge capacity of 150.8 mA h g^-1 can be obtained. In addition, this work provides a feasible and effective approach to controllable synthesis of stable structures and high-performance oxide electrode materials for LIBs.

Effects of LPS on the Secretion of Gonadotrophin Hormones and Expression of Genes in the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Ovary (HPG) Axis in Laying Yangzhou Geese

Simple Summary

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an endotoxin from E. coli, has been proven to impair follicle development and steroidogenesis, secretion of pituitary and hypothalamus reproductive hormones in mammals. However, the effects of LPS on the avian reproductive axis remain elusive. Pathogenic bacterial infection due to the particular mating behavior on the water containing pathogens was reported to decrease the laying rate and cause economic loss in goose production. In this study, we showed that LPS infection disturbed the plasma pituitary gonadotrophin hormone concentrations and the gene expression of the reproductive axis in Yangzhou geese. Notably, for the first time we proved that both the expression of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and gonadotropin-inhibiting hormone (GnIH), two important reproductive genes from the hypothalamus, were altered after LPS treatment in birds. Our results can explain the decreased laying rate in goose after bacterial infection, and also provide new insights into reproductive dysfunction caused by LPS and the immune challenge in birds.

Abstract

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from gram-negative bacteria was found to be involved in the decrease in laying performance in goose flocks with high stocking density during summer months. LPS injection delayed the increase in the laying rate and altered hierarchical follicle morphology. While there is evidence that LPS exerts suppressive effects on goose reproduction, the time course effects of LPS on the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary (HPG) axis remain elusive. In this study, we investigated the expression of genes in the HPG axis and the plasma gonadotrophin hormone concentrations in breeding geese at 0, 6, 12, 24, and 36 h after intravenous injection with LPS. The results showed that LPS treatment enhanced and suppressed expression of hypothalamic gonadotropin-inhibiting hormone (GnIH) and gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) mRNA, respectively, and similar effects were observed on the mRNA expression of their receptors, GnIHR and GnRHR, in the pituitary. LPS treatment transiently increased follicle FSHβ mRNA expression at 12 h and exerted no significant effect on LHβ mRNA expression in the pituitary. Regardless of the expression of FSHβ and LHβ, plasma follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations were significantly increased during 24–36 h after LPS treatment. In the ovary, StAR and Cyp11a1 were mainly expressed in the granulosa layer (GL) of hierarchical follicles, while Cyp17a1 and Cyp19a1 were mainly expressed in white follicles (WFs) and yellowish follicles (YFs), and to a lesser extent in the theca layer (TL). After LPS treatment, the mRNA levels of Cyp11a1 in the GLs, Cyp17a1 in the WFs and TL, and Cyp19a1 in the WFs, YFs, and TL were significantly decreased. However, LPS treatment transiently upregulated StAR expression at 12 h. These results indicate that the exposure of laying geese to LPS may impair the HPG axis and disturb ovarian steroidogenesis. Our research provides new insights into reproductive dysfunction caused by LPS and the immune challenge in birds.

Backstepping-based adaptive control of a quadrotor UAV with guaranteed tracking performance

In this paper, a backstepping based indirect adaptive control design and an alternative direct adaptive control scheme, both with guaranteed transient and steady-state tracking performances, are proposed for trajectory tracking of a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Backstepping techniques, combined with a prescribed performance function based error transformation, are employed in both designs to achieve the bounded transient and steady-state tracking errors of the strict-feedback position system which comprises both lateral position and altitude dynamics. The effects of parametric inertia and drag uncertainties on attitude regulation are compensated using a least squares based parameter identification algorithm in the indirect adaptive control design, and using a constructive Lyapunov analysis approach in the direct adaptive control scheme. The stability of the closed-loop system for both designs is proven via Lyapunov analysis. Simulation and experimental test results are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control designs.

1105 A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Psychological Intervention for Decreasing Bedtime Procrastination: The BED-PRO Study

Introduction

Bedtime Procrastination (BP) is defined as the behavior of going to bed later than intended, without having external reasons for doing so. Previous studies have shown that BP has a negative effect on sleep and health, and there is a need to develop interventions to decrease BP. This study (BED-PRO) is an ongoing study evaluating a behavioral intervention to reduce BP.

Methods

Fifteen participants who scored higher than 33 on the Bedtime Procrastination Scale were randomized to either the treatment (TRT, n=6) or control group (CTRL, n=9). Treatment consisted of four face-to-face individual sessions. All participants completed self-report questionnaires on Bedtime Procrastination Scale (BPS), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule (K-PANAS-R) and completed the 7-day sleep diary. Data was analyzed using two-way mixed Measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).

Results

Mean age of the participants was 21.78 (±1.8) years and 80% (n=12) were females. Group by time interactions from repeated measures analyses revealed significant post intervention improvements in the TRT group compared to the CTRL group on all bedtime procrastination duration and scores, sleep efficiency, refreshment after waking, daytime sleepiness and negative affect of K-PANAS-R. Specifically, bedtime procrastination duration in the TRT group measured by sleep diaries decreased significantly from 75.30 (±58.57) min to 14.83 (±7.83) min, while the CTRL group did not change from 57.60 (±32.01) to 54.36 (±40.82) min (p=0.019). In addition, the TRT group reported significant improvements in bedtime procrastination scores from 36.00 (±4.05) to 22.50 (±6.72).

Conclusion

Based on results, the behavioral intervention used in this study looks promising in improving bedtime procrastination and sleep.

Support

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF-2018S1A5A8026807)

[Research on the characteristics of the formation and inheritance of Lei's medicine in Quzhou from the perspective of regional medicine]

Lei's medicine is the main school of traditional Chinese medicine in Quzhou, Zhejiang Province. It originated from Xin'an medical school. It has been passed on for more than 200 years, but it is still lack of in-depth study. From the perspective of regional medicine, combined with the regional characteristics of Quzhou, absorbing the research results of local social history and environmental history, starting with the historical materials such as Lei's medical works, local chronicles literature and so on, the school characteristics are summarized as: the formation of "treatment in accordance with three types of disease causes" , the academic inheritance of "inheriting the past and integrating the present" , the inheritance mode of "multiple integration" , the cultural connotation of "combining medicine with Confucianism" , and the school characteristics of "integration and innovation" . The purpose of this paper is to provide reference for the research of academic schools and the inheritance of traditional Chinese medicine.

[Evaluation of inferior mesenteric vessel and ureter by contrast-enhanced abdominal pelvic CT and its clinical influence on laparoscopic rectal surgery]

Objective: To assess the anatomic relationship of inferior mesenteric artery (IMA)/inferior mesenteric vein (IMV) with ureter by contrast-enhanced abdominal pelvic CT, in order to provide guidance for vascular management and ureteral protection in laparoscopic rectal surgery. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Image data of contrast-enhanced abdominal pelvic CT at Department of Medical Radiography of Peking University First Hospital in November 2018 were enrolled. Exclusion criteria: (1) previous history of abdominal or pelvic surgery; (2) scoliosis deformities; (3) missing images; (4) minors; (5) inferior mesenteric vascular disease or tumor involvement resulting in suboptimal imaging; (6) poor image quality. Finally, contrast-enhanced abdominal pelvic CT data of 249 cases were collected, including 120 males and 129 females with mean age of (60.1±13.4) years. Multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) and maximum intensity projection (MIP) were used to evaluate the anatomic relationship of IMA/IMV with ureter. IMA root location, IMA length, branch types of IMA, distance between major branches, distance between IMA/IMV and ureter at the level of root of IMA, left colic artery (LCA) root, abdominal aortic bifurcation, and sacral promontory were measured and association between IMA/IMV and ureter site was summarized. Results: The distance from IMA root to the aortic bifurcation and sacral promontory was (42.0±8.5) mm and (101.8±14.0) mm, respectively. The length of IMA was (38.5±10.7) mm. The proportion of IMA roots locating at levels of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th lumbar vertebra was 3.2% (8/249), 79.5% (198/249), and 17.3% (43/249), respectively. The higher the level of the lumbar vertebra, the longer the IMA [length of IMA originating from the 2nd, 3rd, 4th lumbar vertebra level: (42.4±10.9) mm, (39.5±10.4) mm, (33.0±10.9) mm, respectively; F=7.48, P<0.001]. In 111 cases (44.6%), LCA arose independently from IMA (type 1), and the distance between LCA and the first branch of sigmoid artery (SA) was (15.0±7.4) mm; in 56 cases (22.5%), LCA and SA had a common trunk (type 2), with a length of (11.0±8.5) mm; in 78 cases (31.3%), LCA branched with SA at the same point (type 3); LCA was absent in 4 cases (1.6%)(type 4). The length of IMA in LCA-deficient type 4 was (54.8±18.0) mm, which was longer than (38.2±10.5) mm in LCA-presence type (type 1, type 2 and type 3) and the difference was statistically significant (t=-3.11, P=0.002). The distance between the ureter and IMA was the longest at the level of IMA root [(35.7±8.1) mm], was the shortest at the level of the aortic bifurcation [(22.4±6.4) mm], and the distance between the ureter and IMA in different planes was significantly different (F=185.70, P<0.001). The distance between the ureter and IMV was the longest at the level of the sacral promontory [(21.1±9.0) mm], was the shortest at the level of LCA root [(12.0±5.7) mm], whose difference was also statistically significant (F=87.66, P<0.001). Conclusions: CT post-processing techniques including MPR and MIP can efficiently and accurately assess the branch types of IMA and anatomical relationship between IMA/IMV and ureter, and provide insights into laparoscopic rectal surgery for surgeons. IMA/IMV and ureter depart farthest at the level of IMA root. Artery first and plane second strategy in the middle approach of laparoscopic rectal surgery is considerable and feasible.

Adaptive control of a switched hypersonic vehicle model robust to scramjet choking and elevator fault

This paper studies the longitudinal control problem for air-breathing hypersonic vehicles (AHVs) with safety considerations on scramjet choking and elevator fault. A control-oriented switched model (COSM) is employed to better describe the full-envelope flight of AHVs. Unlike the recent control strategy that utilizes neural networks to approximate the unpredictable switching nonlinearities in the COSM, a control strategy free of neural networks is proposed for AHVs. The saturation characteristic of fuel-to-air equivalent ratio is accommodated to protect the scramjet from thermal choking by constructing an adaptive velocity reference generator, which adjusts the velocity reference according to the saturation level. Meanwhile, the time-varying efficiency ratio and bias of faulty elevator are lumped into the uncertain parameters, which are handled by a bound adaption mechanism. A simulation study verifies the developed control.

[Surgical technique and mid-and-long curative effect analysis of primary repair of chronic Achilles tendon rupture]

Objective: To examine the surgical method and clinical outcome of primary repair of chronic Achilles tendon rupture. Methods: From March 2012 to August 2017, clinical data of 35 consecutive patients with chronic Achilles tendon rupture who were treated with primary repair by the same doctor at Department of Sports Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital were retrospectively analyzed.There were 29 males and 6 females with age of (41.0±9.3)years(range:29-65 years), the follow-up period was (45.6±17.2) months(range:17-82 months). All the patients had unilateral tendon rupture with 22 cases on the left and 13 cases on the right.The preoperative and postoperative Visual Analogue Scale(VAS), American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Ankle-Hindfoot Score(AOFAS), the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment-Achilles(VISA-A), the Achilles tendon Total Rupture Score(ATRS)and the Tegner Activity Score of patients were collected and compared by paired-t test. Results: Among 47 patients with chronic Achilles tendon rupture, 35 patients were followed up for (45.6 ± 17.2)months(range: 17-28 months). No serious postoperative complications such as infection or nerve damage and rerupture outcomes were reported. At the last follow-up,the VAS decreased from 1.0(2.0) (M(Q(R))) preoperative to 0.0(0.8)(Z=-3.586, P=0.00), AOFAS increased from 64.3±12.5 to 97.0±5.0(t=-14.359,P<0.001), VISA-A increased from 51.3± 9.8 to 87.8±18.0(t=- 17.656, P=0.00), Tegner increased from 0.9±0.3 to 4.6±1.7(t=- 12.524, P=0.00)and ATRS increased from 40.0±3.5 to 97.9±3.9(t=-64.133,P=0.00). Twenty-eight patients (80.0%) had returned to their preinjury activity levels, and 7 patients (20.0%) no longer participate in recreational sports. According to Arner-Lindholm curative effect evaluation criteria, 32 cases(91.4%)gained the excellent results, 1 case(2.9%) of good and 2 cases(5.7%) bad, and the percentage of the cases with the excellent or good results was 94.3%. All except 2 patients with bad results could perform a single-limb heel rise painlessly. Conclusions: Primary repair is an efficient approach for chronic Achilles tendon rupture. The mid-and-long curative effect is satisfactory and stable.Compared with other surgical techniques, operation is relatively simple and economical. The primary repair is considerably safe, with few serious complications such as infection or nerve damage and reruptures.

P14.27 The significance of multicentric noncontrast-enhancing lesions distant from surgically resected glioblastoma: Case series of 3 patients

BACKGROUND

Glioblastoma is the most malignant primary brain tumor. The tumor location and multiplicity plays an important role in surgical and further treatment. The incidence of multiple lesions at the time of diagnosis was known as 1–20%, which showed a poor prognostic factor. Most researches has focused on multiple contrast-enhancing lesions, however, multicentric non-enhancing lesions distant from glioblastoma has been rarely evaluated. The authors reported the case series of the patient who showed multicentric non contrast-enhancing lesions without connection to histologically-proven glioblastoma.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Multicentric non contrast-enhancing lesions were defined as areas of FLAIR hyperintensity and mass effect without post-contrast enhancement, separated from the histologically-proven glioblastoma in a newly diagnosed disease. Three patients who showed distant non-enhancing lesions with appearance of a multicentric low-grade glioma were included in this study. The typical enhancing lesions were surgically resected and standard chemo-radiotherapy was followed in all patients.

RESULTS

All patients were male and their age was 38, 60 and 65 years old respectively. Multicentric tumor location was as follows: Case 1, left frontal lobe with non-enhancing lesion in left parahippocampal gyrus; Case 2, left parietal with non-enhancing lesion in left anteromedial temporal lobe; Case 3, left thalamus with non-enhancing lesions in both basal frontal and right temporal lobe. Pathologically, the resected enhancing tumor revealed glioblastoma in 2 patients and diffuse midline glioma in 1. All tumors were IDH-wild type. The resected enhanced lesion showed no progression but all non-enhancing lesions developed contrast-enhancing tumors at 3, 13 and 17 months after initial treatment, with high tracer uptake on 18FDG-PET or 18FDOPA-PET. Despite multidisciplinary treatment, two patients died from disease progression at 30 and 32 months after diagnosis and one patient is still alive with overall survival of 15 months.

CONCLUSION

The appearance of multicentric non-enhancing lesions distant from a typically enhancing tumor showed an uncommon finding in glioblastoma and poor prognostic features. These lesions progress faster than expected for a low-grade glioma. These lesions should be distinguished from typical low-grade glioma and should be considered more advanced lesions than their appearances suggest.

Influence of wastewater sludge properties on the performance of electro-osmosis dewatering

Although the properties of municipal wastewater sludge play key roles in the electro-osmosis dewatering process, it is still controversial which properties have the greatest effect on the dewatering performance. In this study, multiple regression models with the Group Lasso method were used to investigate the relationship between the final moisture content and the sludge properties, including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), volatile solids content, zeta potential (ζ), initial moisture content, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), proteins of EPS (EPSPr), polysaccharides of EPS (EPSPo) and the ratio of EPSPr and EPSPo (EPSR). Under the optimal conditions (pressure = 100 kPa, voltage = 50 V and cake thickness = 15 mm), EPS, EC and ζ were significantly related to sludge dewaterability and EPS was the most important factor. Furthermore, the coefficient estimate of EPSPo was greater than that of EPSPr and the coefficient of EPSR was negative, indicating that EPSPo plays more important roles in electro-osmosis dewatering than EPSPr. Thus, reducing the EPS content of sludge, especially the EPSPo content, is necessary to improve the performance of electro-osmosis dewatering.

[Contamination and pathogenicity analysis of listeria monocytogenes in restaurant in Heilongjiang Province]

Objective: To study the contamination, serotype, pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and drug resistance of listeria monocytogenes (L.monocytogenes) in the process of restaurant kitchens in Heilongjiang Province. Methods: Seventeen typical restaurants were selected from three cities in Heilongjiang Province in 2016, and 590 kitchen samples were collected and tested according to the national standard method. The serotype, pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and drug resistance of isolated strains were analyzed. Results: L. monocytogenes was found in 104 of 590 of the samples analysed (17.63%). The isolates belong to six serotypes (1/2 a, 1/2 b, 1/2c, 3a, 3 b, 4 b) and self-condensing bacteria, and 57.38% (70 strains) of the strains belong to serotype 1/2b. Two highly pathogenic serotype 4b was detected for human listeria disease. The results of PFGE analysis show that the bacteria have cross-contamination in the environment, tools, equipment, food and personnel. The drug resistance results showed that 2 strains were resistant to tetracycline, 1 strain was resistant to erythromycin, 13 strains were intermediate to tetracycline, and 2 strains were resistant to tetracycline and erythromycin. Conclusion: There is a certain degree of L. monocytogenes cross-contamination in the catering kitchen in Heilongjiang Province. And an important serotype 4b that can cause human Listeria disease was detected.

Sequential Engineering of Ternary CuFeNi with a Vertically Layered Structure for Efficient and Bifunctional Catalysis of the Oxygen and Hydrogen Evolution Reactions

Developing efficient and earth-abundant electrocatalysts for electrochemical water splitting is greatly desired due to growing energy demands. Herein, we develop a promising hierarchical nickel-iron-copper nitride electrode that is fabricated via a three-step process, starting with a hydrothermal synthesis of nickel-iron hydroxide on nickel foam and followed by the direct growth of copper metal-organic frameworks and, finally, low temperature ammonization. This approach yields a material that is an efficient catalyst for both the oxygen evolution reaction and the hydrogen evolution reaction. The as-fabricated heterostructured nickel-iron-copper nitride electrode exhibits an excellent activity with an overpotential of only 121 mV for the oxygen evolution reaction and an even a lower overpotential of 33 mV for the hydrogen evolution reaction. Additionally, this structure displays strong long-term stability with only a negligible increase in potential after 500 cycles of uninterrupted cyclic voltammetry testing. To the best of our knowledge, this as-prepared hierarchical nickel-iron-copper nitride is one of the most promising alternatives for the electrochemical oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions.

Risk Factors for Dropout From the Liver Transplant Waiting List of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Under Locoregional Treatment

BACKGROUND

In new organ allocation policy, patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) experience a 6-month delay in being granted Model for End-Stage Liver Disease exception points. However, it may not be fair for patients at risk of early progression of HCC.

METHODS

All patients who were diagnosed as United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) stage 1 or 2 of HCC between January 2004 and December 2012 were included. Patients who received surgical resection or liver transplant (LT) as a primary treatment and who did not receive any treatment for HCC were excluded. Patients with baseline Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score ≥22 were also excluded because they have a higher chance of receiving LT. Patients who developed extrahepatic progression within 1 year were considered as high-risk for early recurrence after LT.

RESULTS

A total of 586 patients were included. Mean (SD) age was 59.9 (10.3) years and 409 patients (69.8%) were men. The cumulative incidence of estimated dropout was 8.9% at 6 months; size of the maximum nodule (≥3 cm) and nonachievement of complete response were independent factors. Extrahepatic progression developed in 16 patients (2.7%) within 1 year; size of the maximum nodule (4 cm) and alpha-fetoprotein level (>100 ng/mL) were independent predictors.

CONCLUSIONS

The estimated dropout rate from the waiting list within 6 months was 8.9%. Advantage points might be needed for patients with maximum nodule size ≥3 cm or those with noncomplete response. However, in patients with maximum nodule size ≥4 cm or alpha-fetoprotein level >100 ng/mL, caution is needed.

Long-term outcomes and recurrence pattern of 18F-FDG PET-CT complete metabolic response in the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer: a lesion-based and patient-based analysis

Background

18F-FDG PET-CT is commonly used to monitor treatment response in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). With improvement in systemic therapy, complete metabolic response (CMR) is increasingly encountered but its clinical significance is undefined. The study examined the long-term outcomes and recurrence patterns in these patients.

Methods

Consecutive patients with mCRC who achieved CMR on PET-CT during first-line systemic therapy were retrospectively analysed. Measurable and non-measurable lesions identified on baseline PET-CT were compared with Response Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) on CT on a per-lesion basis. Progression free (PFS) and Overall Survival (OS) were compared with clinical parameters and treatment characteristics on a per-patient basis.

Results

Between 2008 and 2011, 40 patients with 192 serial PET-CT scans were eligible for analysis involving 44 measurable and 38 non-measurable lesions in 59 metastatic sites. On a per-lesion basis, 46% also achieved Complete Response (CR) on RECIST criteria and sustained CMR was more frequent in these lesions (OR 1.727, p = 0.0031). Progressive metabolic disease (PMD) was seen in 12% of lesions, with liver metastasis the most common. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis revealed the optimal value of SUVmax for predicting PMD of a lesion was 4.4 (AUC 0.734, p = 0.004). On a per-patient basis, 14 patients achieved sustained CMR and their outcomes were better than those with PMD (median OS not reached vs 37.7 months p = 0.0001). No statistical difference was seen in OS between patients who achieved PR or CR (median OS 51.4 vs 44.2 months p = 0.766).

Conclusion

Our results provided additional information of long-term outcomes and recurrence patterns of patients with mCRC after achieving CMR. They had improved survival and sustained CMR using systemic therapy alone is possible. Discordance between morphological and metabolic response was consistent with reported literature but in the presence of CMR the two groups had comparable outcomes.

Influence of microplastics on the accumulation and chronic toxic effects of cadmium in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

As the accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in the environment continues to rise, more concerns focus on the health risk of combined exposure to MPs and other contaminants. The aim of this study is to investigate the influences of MPs on the tissue-accumulation of cadmium (Cd) in zebrafish and explore the related chronic toxic effects induced by combined exposure of Cd and MPs. After co-exposure to MPs and Cd for 3 weeks, 20 and 200 μg/L MPs increased the accumulation of Cd in zebrafish livers (46% and 184%), guts (10% and 25%) and gills (9% and 46%). The Cd accumulation was gill > gut > liver. Comprehensive analyzes of biochemical biomarkers, histopathological observation and functional gene expression firstly demonstrated that the presence of MPs enhanced the toxicity of Cd on zebrafish and the combined exposure caused oxidative damage and inflammation in zebrafish tissues. Collectively, our results highlight the chronic effects of combined exposure to MPs and heavy metals.