Deteriorated bone microarchitecture caused by sympathetic overstimulation in pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma

PURPOSE

Despite the potentially destructive effect of sympathetic activity on bone metabolism, its impact on bone microarchitecture, a key determinant of bone quality, has not been thoroughly investigated. This study aims to evaluate the impact of sympathetic activity on bone microarchitecture and bone strength in patients with pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL).

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 38 PPGL patients (15 males and 23 females). Bone turnover markers serum procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (P1NP) and β-carboxy-terminal crosslinked telopeptide of type 1 collagen (β-CTX) were measured. 24-h urinary adrenaline (24hUE) and 24-h urinary norepinephrine levels (24hUNE) were measured to indicate sympathetic activity. High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) was conducted to evaluate bone microarchitecture in PPGL patients and 76 age-, sex-matched healthy controls (30 males and 46 females). Areal bone mineral density (aBMD) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) simultaneously.

RESULTS

PPGL patients had a higher level of β-CTX. HR-pQCT assessment revealed that PPGL patients had notably thinner and more sparse trabecular bone (decreased trabecular number and thickness with increased trabecular separation), significantly decreased volume BMD (vBMD), and bone strength at both the radius and tibia compared with healthy controls. The deterioration of Tt.vBMD, Tb.Sp, and Tb.1/N.SD was more pronounced in postmenopausal patients compared with the premenopausal subjects. Moreover, subjects in the highest 24hUNE quartile (Q4) showed markedly lower Tb.N and higher Tb.Sp and Tb.1/N.SD at the tibia than those in the lowest quartile (Q1). Age-related bone loss was also exacerbated in PPGL patients to a certain extent.

CONCLUSIONS

PPGL patients had significantly deteriorated bone microarchitecture and strength, especially in the trabecular bone, with an increased bone resorption rate. Our findings provide clinical evidence that sympathetic overstimulation may serve as a secondary cause of osteoporosis, especially in subjects with increased sympathetic activity.

Triclosan disturbs nitrogen removal in constructed wetlands: Responses of microbial structure and functions

This study investigated the influence of wetland types (vertical and tidal flow constructed wetlands [CWs] [VFCW and TFCW, respectively]) and concentrations of triclosan (TCS) on the removal of pollutants (TCS and nitrogen) and microbial characteristics. The efficiency of TCS removal was significantly higher with 5 μg/L TCS (Phase B) than with 30 μg/L (Phase C) in the two CWs. The efficiencies of removal of NH4+-N and NO3--N were significantly inhibited in Phase C. Compared with the VFCW, the TFCW removed more NH4+-N at the same concentration of TCS, whereas less NO3--N was removed, and it even accumulated. Saccharimondales, an important functional genus with the highest abundance and more node connections with other genera, had a sharp decrease in relative abundance as the increasing concentrations of TCS of the two CWs conformed with its relative abundance and significantly negatively correlated with the concentration of TCS. Differentiated Roseobacter_Clade_CHAB-I-5_Lineage and Sphaerotilus were enriched in the VFCW and TFCW, respectively. The abundance of enzymes that catalyzed nitritation was significantly inhibited by TCS, whereas nitrate reductase (EC 1.7.99.4) catalyzed both denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), and nitrite reductase (NADH) (EC 1.7.1.15) that catalyzed DNRA comprised a larger proportion in the two CWs. Simultaneously, the abundances of two enzymes were higher in the TFCW than in the VFCW. The network analysis indicated that the main genera were promoted more by TCS in the VFCW, while inhibited in the TFCW. Moreover, the concentrations of nitrogen (NH4+-N, NO3--N, and TN) significantly positively correlated with TCS-resistant bacteria, and negatively correlated with most nitrogen-transforming bacteria with species that varied between the VFCW and TFCW. The results of this study provide a reference for the molecular biological mechanism of the simultaneous removal of nitrogen and TCS in the CWs.

[From treatment to whole course management: envisioning comprehensive management of Talaromycosis marneffei]

Talaromycosis marneffei has been increasing in recent years. Our understanding of this disease has gradually deepened through extensive basic and clinical research, but there are still many limitations. In this article, by incorporating the latest research advancements, we discuss important issues in managing Talaromycosis marneffei trends, aiming to guide effective prevention and control of the disease, improving public health, and reducing the healthcare burden.

Loneliness is related to smaller gray matter volumes in ACC and right VLPFC in people with major depression: a UK biobank study

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) are thought to have important roles in loneliness (feeling of social isolation/exclusion) experience or regulation and in the pathophysiology of their disturbance in major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the structural abnormalities of these regions and the correlates with loneliness in MDD across the healthy population have not fully been clarified. The study analyzed the link between loneliness and gray matter volumes (GMVs) in the ACC and right VLPFC among 1,005 patients with MDD and 7,247 healthy controls (HCs) using UK Biobank data. Significant reductions in GMV in the right VLPFC were found in MDD males compared to HCs. MDD males also showed a higher association between loneliness and reduced GMVs in the right VLPFC and bilateral ACC than HCs. No such associations were found in MDD females. The findings suggest that loneliness may influence brain structures crucial for emotion experience and regulation, particularly in middle-older aged men with MDD. This highlights the potential adverse effects of loneliness on brain structure in MDD and suggests that social engagement could have a positive impact.

Simulating soil salinity dynamics, cotton yield and evapotranspiration under drip irrigation by ensemble machine learning

Cotton is widely used in textile, decoration, and industry, but it is also threatened by soil salinization. Drip irrigation plays an important role in improving water and fertilization utilization efficiency and ensuring crop production in arid areas. Accurate prediction of soil salinity and crop evapotranspiration under drip irrigation is essential to guide water management practices in arid and saline areas. However, traditional hydrological models such as Hydrus require more variety of input parameters and user expertise, which limits its application in practice, and machine learning (ML) provides a potential alternative. Based on a global dataset collected from 134 pieces of literature, we proposed a method to comprehensively simulate soil salinity, evapotranspiration (ET) and cotton yield. Results showed that it was recommended to predict soil salinity, crop evapotranspiration and cotton yield based on soil data (bulk density), meteorological factors, irrigation data and other data. Among them, meteorological factors include annual average temperature, total precipitation, year. Irrigation data include salinity in irrigation water, soil matric potential and irrigation water volume, while other data include soil depth, distance from dripper, days after sowing (for EC and soil salinity), fertilization rate (for yield and ET). The accuracy of the model has reached a satisfactory level, R² in 0.78-0.99. The performance of stacking ensemble ML was better than that of a single model, i.e., gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT); random forest (RF); extreme gradient boosting regression (XGBR), with R² increased by 0.02%-19.31%. In all input combinations, other data have a greater impact on the model accuracy, while the RMSE of the S1 scenario (input without meteorological factors) without meteorological data has little difference, which is -34.22%~19.20% higher than that of full input. Given the wide application of drip irrigation in cotton, we recommend the application of ensemble ML to predict soil salinity and crop evapotranspiration, thus serving as the basis for adjusting the irrigation schedule.

Metal-organic rotaxane frameworks constructed from a cucurbit[8]uril-based ternary complex for the selective detection of antibiotics

Herein we report two 2D layered metal-organic rotaxane frameworks (MORFs), WUST-1 and WUST-2, constituted by a ternary host-guest complex based on cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) and an (E)-1-methyl-4-[4-(pyridin-4-yl)styryl] pyridinium (G1) ligand, and different metal ions and auxiliary linkers. Both MORFs are stable in water and highly fluorescence emissive, and can selectively sense nitrofurazone with low detection limits.

High prevalence of vertebral deformity in tumor-induced osteomalacia associated with impaired bone microstructure

PURPOSE

Patients with tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) often suffer from irreversible height loss due to vertebral deformity. However, the prevalence of vertebral deformity in TIO patients varies among limited studies. In addition, the distribution and type of vertebral deformity, as well as its risk factors, remain unknown. This study aimed to identify the prevalence, distribution, type and risk factors for vertebral deformity in a large cohort of TIO patients.

METHODS

A total of 164 TIO patients were enrolled in this retrospective study. Deformity in vertebrae T4-L4 by lateral thoracolumbar spine radiographs was evaluated according to the semiquantitative method of Genant. Bone microstructure was evaluated by trabecular bone score (TBS) and high-resolution peripheral QCT (HR-pQCT).

RESULTS

Ninety-nine (99/164, 60.4%) patients had 517 deformed vertebrae with a bimodal pattern of distribution (T7-9 and T11-L1), and biconcave deformity was the most common type (267/517, 51.6%). Compared with patients without vertebral deformity, those with vertebral deformity had a higher male/female ratio, longer disease duration, more height loss, lower serum phosphate, higher bone turnover markers, lower TBS, lower areal bone mineral density (aBMD), lower peripheral volumetric BMD (vBMD) and worse microstructure. Lower trabecular vBMD and worse trabecular microstructure in the peripheral bone and lower spine TBS were associated with an increased risk of vertebral deformity independently of aBMD. After adjusting for the number of deformed vertebrae, we found little difference in clinical indexes among the patients with different types of vertebral deformity. However, we found significant correlations of clinical indexes with the number of deformed vertebrae and the spinal deformity index.

CONCLUSION

We reported a high prevalence of vertebral deformity in the largest cohort of TIO patients and described the vertebral deformity in detail for the first time. Risk factors for vertebral deformity included male sex, long disease duration, height loss, abnormal biochemical indexes and bone impairment. Clinical manifestation, biochemical indexes and bone impairment were correlated with the number of deformed vertebrae and degree of deformity, but not the type of deformity.

Can ensemble machine learning be used to predict the groundwater level dynamics of farmland under future climate: a 10-year study on Huaibei Plain

Accurate and simple prediction of farmland groundwater level (GWL) is an important aspect of agricultural water management. A farmland GWL prediction model, GWPRE, was developed that integrates four machine learning (ML) models (support vector machine regression, random forest, multiple perceptions, and the stacking ensemble model) with weather forecasts. Based on the GWL and meteorological data of five monitoring wells (N1, N2, N3, N4, and N5) in Huaibei plain from 2010 to 2020, the feasibility of predicting GWL by meteorological factors and ML algorithm was tested. In addition, the stacking ensemble model and future meteorological data after Bayesian model averaging were introduced for the first time to predict GWL under future climate conditions. The results showed that GWL showed an increasing trend in the past decade, but it will decrease in the future. The performance of the stacking ensemble model was better than that of any single ML model, with RMSE reduced by 4.26 ~ 96.97% and the running time reduced by 49.25 ~ 99.40%. GWL was most sensitive to rainfall, and the sensitivity index ranged from 0.2547 to 0.4039. The fluctuation range of GWL of N1, N2, and N3 was 1.5 ~ 2.5 m in the next decade. Due to the possible high rainfall, the GWL decreased in 2024 under RCP 2.6 and 2026 under RCP 8.5. It is worth noting that although the stacking ensemble model can improve the accuracy, it is not always the best among ML models in terms of portability. Nevertheless, the stacking ensemble model was recommended for GWL prediction under climate change.

Definition of large niche after Cesarean section based on prediction of postmenstrual spotting: Chinese cohort study in non-pregnant women

OBJECTIVE

A large niche after Cesarean section (CS) is associated with long-term complications, of which postmenstrual spotting is associated positively with the size of the niche. However, the diagnosis of a large niche in the literature is inconsistent and the definition is largely subjective. The aim of this study was to generate a definition for a large niche in non-pregnant women based on the presence of postmenstrual spotting.

METHODS

Women who had undergone CS in our hospital between January 2012 and June 2017 were selected randomly from our database, contacted by telephone and subsequently examined between January 2016 and June 2020. Eligible for inclusion were non-pregnant women who had their last CS more than 1 year earlier and agreed to undergo transvaginal sonography (TVS). All participants underwent examination of their CS scar by TVS (two-dimensional color Doppler) during the midfollicular phase. Niche depth, length, width, residual myometrial thickness (RMT), adjacent myometrial thickness (AMT) and ratio of niche depth/AMT were recorded. Women diagnosed with a niche, defined as an indentation at the site of the CS with a depth of at least 2 mm, were classified into two groups (symptomatic or asymptomatic) according to whether they experienced postmenstrual spotting. Logistic regression analysis was used to establish the best cut-off values for the niche parameters to predict postmenstrual spotting. A new definition was generated based on the niche parameters with the highest area under the receiver-operating-characteristics (ROC) curve (AUC) for the prediction of postmenstrual spotting.

RESULTS

A total of 727 women who had a CS > 1 year earlier underwent TVS examination, of whom 263 were diagnosed with a niche (prevalence of 36.2%). Of these, 160 women experienced postmenstrual spotting and 103 were asymptomatic. The three variables with the highest AUC for prediction of postmenstrual spotting were niche depth/AMT ratio (AUC, 0.798; 95% CI, 0.745-0.852), niche depth (AUC, 0.731; 95% CI, 0.668-0.795) and RMT (AUC, 0.683; 95% CI, 0.618-0.748). Based on the best cut-offs according to ROC-curve analysis, a large niche was defined as: niche depth ≥ 0.50 cm, RMT ≤ 0.21 cm or niche depth/AMT ratio ≥ 0.56. The prevalence of a large niche according to this definition was 22.4% (163/727). The new definition had a specificity of 61.17% (95% CI, 52.34-70.41%) and sensitivity of 76.87% (95% CI, 70.28-84.16%) for a large niche.

CONCLUSION

This study has provided a new definition for a large niche after CS. © 2021 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Overlying water fluoride concentrations influence dissolved organic matter composition and migration from pore water in sediment via bacterial mechanisms

Fluoride (F^-) is widespread in aquatic environments; however, it is not clear whether the fluctuation of F^- concentrations in overlying lake water affects the composition and migration of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from sediment. A case study was presented in Sand Lake, China, and an experiment was conducted to analyze the influence of different F^- concentrations in overlying water on DOM characteristics. Diffusion resulted in similarities in DOM components between overlying and pore waters, and bacterial activities and enzyme variation resulted in differences between them. Higher F^- concentrations in overlying water resulted in a higher pH of pore water, which favored the enrichment of protein-like substances. Higher F^- concentrations caused lower DOM concentrations and lower maximum fluorescence intensities (F_max) of protein-like components in pore water. The F^- concentrations had significantly negative correlations with Shannon indexes (P < 0.05). Thiobacillus influenced the migration of tyrosine-like substances by decreasing the pH of pore water. Trichococcus and Fusibacter altered the F_max of protein-like, humic-like, and fulvic-like substances. The F^- concentrations affected the DOM composition and migration due to the response of functional bacterial communities, which were positively correlated with the relative abundance of Thiobacillus and negatively correlated with the relative abundances of Trichococcus and Fusibacter. The high F^- concentrations influenced the biosynthesis and degradation of protein-like substances by shifting the abundances of the relevant enzymes. The results of this study may provide ideas for investigating DOM cycling under the influence of F^-, especially in lakes with fluctuations in F^- concentrations.

Functional genera for efficient nitrogen removal under low C/N ratio influent at low temperatures in a two-stage tidal flow constructed wetland

A two-stage tidal flow constructed wetland (referred to as TFCW-A and TFCW-B) was used to treat low chemical oxygen demand/total nitrogen (COD/TN or simply C/N) ratio influent at low temperatures (<15 °C). The influence of the flooding-resting time (A: 8 h-4 h, B: 4 h-8 h) and effluent recirculation on nitrogen removal and microbial community characteristics were explored. TFCW-B achieved optimal average nitrogen removal efficiency with effluent recirculation (96.05% ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N); 78.43% TN) and led to nitrate nitrogen (NO₃^--N) accumulation due to the lack of a carbon source and longer resting time. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) were inhibited at low temperatures. Except for nrfA, AOA, AOB, narG and nirS were separated by the flooding-resting time rather than by spatial position. Furthermore, the dominant genera in TFCW-A were Arthrobacter, Rhodobacter, Pseudomonas, and Solitalea, whereas prolonging resting time promoted the growth of Thauera and Zoogloea in TFCW-B. Spearman correlation analysis showed that Zoogloea and Rhodobacter had the strongest correlations with other genera. Moreover, the NH₄⁺-N concentration was significantly positively influenced by Arthrobacter, Rhodobacter, Pseudomonas, and Solitalea but negatively influenced by Thauera and Zoogloea. There was no significant correlation between TN and the dominant genera. This study not only provides a practicable system for wastewater treatment with a low C/N ratio but also presents a theoretical basis for the regulation of microbial communities in nitrogen removal systems at low temperatures.

Controlled release urea improves rice production and reduces environmental pollution: a research based on meta-analysis and machine learning

To reveal the comprehensive impacts of controlled release urea (CRU) on rice production, nitrogen (N) loss, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, a research based on global meta-analysis and machine learning (ML) was conducted. The results revealed that the CRU application instead of conventional fertilizer can increase rice yield, N use efficiency (NUE), and net benefits by 5.24%, 20.18%, and 9.30%, respectively, under the same amount of N. Furthermore, the emission of N₂O and CH₄, global warming potential (GWP), the loss of N leaching, and NH₃ volatilization were respectively reduced by 25.64%, 18.33%, 21.10%, 14.90%, and 35.88%. The enhancing effects of CRU on rice yield and NUE were greater when the nitrogen application rate was 150 kg N ha^-1. Nevertheless, the reducing effects of CRU on GHG emission reduction, nitrogen leaching, and NH₃ volatilization was greater at high nitrogen application rate (≥150 kg ha^-1). Mitigating effects of CRU on N₂O and CH₄ emission were significant when soil pH ≥ 6, while CRU posed a measurable effect on reducing nitrogen leaching and NH₃ volatilization in paddy fields with soil organic carbon lower than 15 g kg^-1 and pH lower than 6. Based on the data collected from meta-analysis, the results of ML demonstrated that it was feasible to use soil data and N application rate to predict N losses in rice fields under CRU. The performance of random forest is better than multilayer perceptron regression in predicting N losses from paddy fields. Thus, it is necessary to promote the application of CRU in paddy fields, especially in coarse soil, in which scenario the environmental pollution would be decreased and the rice yields, NUE, and net benefits would be increased. Meanwhile, machine learning models can be used to predict N losses in CRU paddy fields.

A prospective study on vulvovaginal candidiasis: multicentre molecular epidemiology of pathogenic yeasts in China

BACKGROUND

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is frequent in women of reproductive age, but very limited data are available on the epidemiology in cases of VVC in China.

OBJECTIVES

The current study has been conducted to reveal the prevalence, species distribution of yeast causing VVC and molecular genetics of Candida albicans in China.

METHODS

Vaginal swabs were collected from 543 VVC outpatients recruited in 12 hospitals in China between September 2017 and March 2018. They were preliminarily incubated on Sabouraud dextrose agar and then positive subjects of which were then transmitted to our institute for further identification. CHROMagar™ was used to isolate Candida species, and all isolates were finally identified by DNA sequencing. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was used to analyse phylogenetic relationships of the various C. albicans isolates.

RESULTS

Eleven different yeast species were identified in 543 isolates, among which C. albicans (84.7%) was the most frequent, followed by C. glabrata (8.7%). We obtained 117 unique diploid sequence types from 451 clinical C. albicans isolates and 92 isolates (20.4%) belonged to a New Clade. All the strains appearing in the New Clade were from northern China and they were isolated from non-recurrent VVC.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that C. albicans are still the main cause of VVC in China and the majority of C. albicans isolates belongs to Clade 1 with DST 79 and DST 45 being two most common. Moreover, the New Clade revealed in our study seems to be specific to northern China.

Long-term trends in water quality and influence of water recharge and climate on the water quality of brackish-water lakes: A case study of Shahu Lake

This study aimed to assess the long-term fluctuations in water quality and the influence of Yellow River water recharge and climatic condition on the water environmental index of a typical brackish-water lake. This study investigated several surface water quality parameters and their relationships with the water quality index (WQI) and trophic status index (TSI) of Shahu Lake from 2011 to 2018. A health risk assessment was conducted, and the correlations among water recharge, climatic conditions, and the aforementioned elements were determined. Results show that the water quality in this lake went from good to moderate and back to good as reflected in the changes in its WQI values from 2011 to 2018. The relative water quality inferiority of this lake in 2015 and 2016 was attributed to the significant increase in its COD_Mn, TP, TN, NH₃-N, and fluoride (F^-) concentrations during these years. A combination of these parameters could rapidly predict water quality through a stepwise multiple linear regression. During the study period (except in the frozen season), Shahu Lake maintained a eutrophic status every month (especially in July) irrespective of the spatial changes resulting from low secchi depth and high TP. The limiting nutrient of Shahu Lake changed from phosphorus to both nitrogen and phosphorus, especially during summer, due to seasonal variations and exogenous inputs. The lake had an acceptable health risk level, and water recharge both had positive and negative effects on this lake as reflected in the significant decrease or increase in the concentrations of its principal parameters. This condition was also attributed to temperature and precipitation, which resulted in significant TSI variations. The findings of this study provide ways of estimating and forecasting water quality and trophic status and a basis for managing and improving similar brackish-water lakes.

Robust nitrate removal and bioenergy generation with elucidating functional microorganisms under carbon constraint in a novel multianode tidal constructed wetland coupled with microbial fuel cell

This study investigated synthetic wastewater treatment under low inflow C/N ratio and characterized NO₃^--N-transforming and electricity-producing bacteria in a multi-anode tidal constructed wetland-microbial fuel cell (TFCW-MFC). The optimal concurrent average removal rates of NH₄⁺-N and NO₃^--N were 73% and 78%, respectively, under a flood/rest/flood time of 4 h/2h/4h in "tide" mode accompanied by one recirculation. The lowest NO₃^--N concentration among all anodes was observed when the electrode gap was 45 cm. Similarly, the 45 cm anode exhibited selective enrichment of Variovorax and Azoarcus. Correction analysis showed that the high relative abundance of Azoarcus was crucial in enhancing NO₃^--N removal, and the internal resistance significantly decreased as the relative abundance of Acidovorax increased. These results suggest that NO₃^--N removal and bioelectricity generation can be promoted in a TFCW-MFC with limited carbon by improving the culture conditions for specific genera.

Response Characteristics of Nitrifying Bacteria and Archaea Community Involved in Nitrogen Removal and Bioelectricity Generation in Integrated Tidal Flow Constructed Wetland-Microbial Fuel Cell

This study explores nitrogen removal performance, bioelectricity generation, and the response of microbial community in two novel tidal flow constructed wetland-microbial fuel cells (TFCW-MFCs) when treating synthetic wastewater under two different chemical oxygen demand/total nitrogen (COD/TN, or simplified as C/N) ratios (10:1 and 5:1). The results showed that they achieved high and stable COD, NH₄ ⁺-N, and TN removal efficiencies. Besides, TN removal rate of TFCW-MFC was increased by 5-10% compared with that of traditional CW-MFC. Molecular biological analysis revealed that during the stabilization period, a low C/N ratio remarkably promoted diversities of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in the cathode layer, whereas a high one enhanced the richness of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in each medium; the dominant genera in AOA, AOB, and NOB were Candidatus Nitrosotenuis, Nitrosomonas, and Nitrobacter. Moreover, a high C/N ratio facilitated the growth of Nitrosomonas, while it inhibited the growth of Candidatus Nitrosotenuis. The distribution of microbial community structures in NOB was separated by space rather than time or C/N ratio, except for Nitrobacter. This is caused by the differences of pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and nitrogen concentration. The response of microbial community characteristics to nitrogen transformations and bioelectricity generation demonstrated that TN concentration is significantly negatively correlated with AOA-shannon, AOA-chao, 16S rRNA V4-V5-shannon, and 16S rRNA V4-V5-chao, particularly due to the crucial functions of Nitrosopumilus, Planctomyces, and Aquicella. Additionally, voltage output was primarily influenced by microorganisms in the genera of Nitrosopumilus, Nitrosospira, Altererythrobacter, Gemmata, and Aquicella. This study not only presents an applicable tool to treat high nitrogen-containing wastewater, but also provides a theoretical basis for the use of TFCW-MFC and the regulation of microbial community in nitrogen removal and electricity production.

Impaired bone microarchitecture in distal interphalangeal joints in patients with primary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy assessed by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography

This study aimed to investigate the bone impairment in finger joints in PHO patients by HR-pQCT. Results showed distinguished differences in bone architecture and biomechanics parameters at DIPs between PHO patients and healthy controls using HR-pQCT assessment. Besides, serum PGE2, hsCRP and ESR levels were found negatively correlated with total vBMD.

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to investigate the bone impairment in finger joints in primary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (PHO) patients firstly by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT).

METHODS

Fifteen PHO patients and 15 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Bone erosions in hands at distal interphalangeal joints (DIPs) in both PHO patients and controls were evaluated by X-ray. Bone geometry, vBMD, microstructure parameters, and size of individual bone erosion were also measured at the 3rd DIP by HR-pQCT as well. Blood biochemistry levels between the two groups were also compared.

RESULTS

Compared to X-ray, HR-pQCT assessment were more sensitive for detection of bone erosions, with 14 PHO patients by HR-pQCT versus ten PHO patients by X-ray judged at the 3rd DIP. The average depth, width, and volume of erosions size in PHO patients were 1.38 ± 0.80 mm, 0.79 ± 0.27 mm, and 1.71 ± 0.52 mm³, respectively. The bone cross-areas including total area (+ 25.3%, p ≤ 0.05), trabecular area (+ 56.2%, p ≤ 0.05), and cortical perimeter (+ 10.7%, p ≤ 0.05) at the defined region of interest of 3rd DIP was significantly larger than controls. Total vBMD was 11.9% lower in PHO patients compared with the controls (p ≤ 0.05). Biochemical test results showed the increased levels of inflammatory cytokines, bone resorption markers, and joint degeneration markers in PHO patients. Serum prostaglandin PGE2, high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) levels were found negatively correlated with total vBMD.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated higher sensitivity of the HR-pQCT measurement at DIPs by showing the differences in architecture and biomechanics parameters at DIPs between the PHO patients and healthy controls, which would be of interest clinically to investigate bone deterioration in PHO patients.

Photochemical cycloaddition and temperature-dependent breathing in pillared-layer metal-organic frameworks

Single crystallinity of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) enables the studies of their flexible behaviors with atomic precision. Here, we investigated the structural transformations triggered by photochemical cycloaddition and with temperature-dependent breathing in a series of pillared-layer MOF structures using a variety of pyrazolecarboxylate linkers for the layers and bipyridyl linkers as the pillars. The ethylenic double bonds from the pillars in close proximity undergo quantitative and seteroselective photochemical [2 + 2] cycloaddition upon UV irradiation, transforming the MOFs into structures with cyclobutane-based pillars. Furthermore, reversible breathing of the new pillared-layer MOF was evidenced by the 10.8% unit cell parameter change along c axis upon temperature change between 298 and 173 K. As revealed by single crystal X-ray diffraction, this transformation originates from the relative flattening of the wavy layers upon cooling. These two different types of characteristic structural transformations responding to inherent reactions and external stimuli happen at single crystalline state, providing a well-defined robust system with controlled flexibility.

Impact of the Mechanical Properties of a Functionalized Cross-Linked Binder on the Longevity of Li-S Batteries

One of the very challenging aspects of Li-S battery development is the fabrication of a sulfur electrode with high areal loading using conventional Li-ion binders. Herein, we report a new multifunctional polymeric binder, synthesized by the free-radical cross-linking polymerization of [2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (AETMAC) and ethylene glycol diacrylate (EGDA) to form poly(AETMAC- co-EGDA), that not only helps to confine the soluble polysulfide species but also has the desired mechanical properties to allow stable cycling of high-sulfur loading cathodes. Through a combination of spectroscopic and electrochemical studies, we elucidate the chemical interactions that inhibit polysulfide shuttling. We also show that extensive cross-linkage enables this polymeric binder to exhibit a low degree of swelling as well as high tensile modulus and toughness. These attributes are essential to maintain the architectural integrity of the sulfur cathode during extended cycling. Using this material, Li-S cells with a high-sulfur loading (6.0 mg cm^-2) and a low-intermediate electrolyte/sulfur ratio (7 μL:1 mg) achieve an areal capacity of 5.4 mA h cm^-2 and can be (dis)charged for 300 cycles with stable reversible redox behavior after the initial cycles.

New linker installation in metal–organic frameworks

Installation of new organic components (including multitopic anionic and neutral linkers) in MOFs and MOPs for multicomponent materials.

Absolute CBV for the differentiation of recurrence and radionecrosis of brain metastases after gamma knife radiotherapy: a comparison with relative CBV

AIM

To investigate the efficiency of absolute cerebral blood volume (CBV) in the differentiation of tumour recurrence (TR) and radionecrosis (RN) in brain metastases (BM) and to evaluate the performance of absolute CBV compared to relative CBV (rCBV).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between March 2015 and June 2017, 46 patients with BM underwent quantitative dynamic susceptibility contrast perfusion-weighted imaging (DSC-PWI) because new enhancement had been demonstrated in irradiated lesions after gamma knife radiotherapy. The patients were assigned to either the TR group or RN group on the basis of MR perfusion follow-up or histopathological outcome. Absolute CBV of lesions (CBVlesion) and contralateral normal appearing white matter (CBVNAWM) in both groups were obtained. Mean rCBV were calculated as CBVlesion/CBVNAWM, which was equal to rCBV using traditional DSC-PWI.

RESULTS

CBVlesion of TR alone was significantly higher than the other parameters in both groups (p<0.001, separately). CBVlesion had smaller interobserver difference than CBVNAWM and rCBV (p<0.001, separately). Although CBVlesion significantly correlated with rCBV (r=0.914, p<0.001) and both had a similar specificity (96%) in differential diagnosis, CBVlesion had a higher sensitivity (96.9% versus 90.9%) to predict the treatment outcome. The best cut-off value of CBVlesion was 21.8 ml/100 g.

CONCLUSION

Quantitative DSC-PWI is a powerful method for the assessment of radiosurgically treated brain metastases. Absolute CBV has higher diagnostic efficiency than rCBV, which enables an absolute quantification of the regional CBV and prediction of tumour response. These advantages promote the intra- and inter-patient quantitative image comparison across different institutions.

Transfer-Free Fabrication of Graphene Scaffolds on High-k Dielectrics from Metal-Organic Oligomers

In situ fabrication of graphene scaffold-ZrO2 nanofilms is achieved by thermal annealing of Zr-based metal-organic oligomers on SiO2 substrates. The structural similarities of the aromatic moieties in the ligand (phenyl-, naphthyl-, anthryl-, and pyrenyl-) compared to graphene play a major role in the ordering of the graphene scaffolds obtained. The depth profiling analysis reveals ultrathin carbon-pure or carbon-rich surfaces of the graphene scaffold-ZrO2 nanofilms. The graphene scaffolds with ∼96.0% transmittance in the visible region and 4.8 nm in thickness can be grown with this non-chemical vapor deposition method. Furthermore, the heterogeneous graphene scaffold-ZrO2 nanofilms show a low sheet resistance of 17.0 kΩ per square, corresponding to electrical conductivity of 3197 S m(-1). The strategy provides a facile method to fabricate graphene scaffolds directly on high-k dielectrics without transferring process, paving the way for its application in fabricating electronic devices.

Long noncoding RNA SPRY4-IT1 is a prognostic factor for poor overall survival and has an oncogenic role in glioma

OBJECTIVE

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as biomarkers and as important regulators of the biological processes and tumorigenesis in cancer. The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical significance of lncRNA SPRY4-IT1 in glioma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The expression level of SPRY4-IT1 was examined by the quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in glioma tissues and control tissues and its association with overall survival of patients was analyzed by statistical analysis. Survival curves were made using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the log-rank test was used to analyze the differences between clinicopathological characteristics and survival in glioma patients.

RESULTS

The expression level of SPRY4-IT1 was significantly higher in glioma in comparison to normal matched tissue (p < 0.01). Furthermore, lncRNA SPRY4-IT1 was associated significantly with WHO grade (p = 0.009) and tumor size (p = 0.003). A significant difference was found that glioma patients with high SPRY4-IT1 expression level had distinctly shorter OS than patients with low SPRY4-IT1 expression level. Furthermore, Multivariate analysis indicated SPRY4-IT1 as an independent prognostic indicator for glioma patients (p = 0.003), CONCLUSIONS: The lncRNA SPRY4-IT1 may be a potential prognostic bio¬marker of glioma.

Novel mutations of CLCN7 cause autosomal dominant osteopetrosis type II (ADO-II) and intermediate autosomal recessive osteopetrosis (IARO) in Chinese patients

SUMMARY

Osteopetrosis is a group of genetic bone disorders. Mutations in the chloride channel 7 gene (CLCN7) lead to chloride channel defect, which results in autosomal dominant osteopetrosis type II (ADO-II), autosomal recessive osteopetrosis (ARO), and intermediate autosomal recessive osteopetrosis (IARO). In the present study, we identified seven novel mutations of the CLCN7 gene and reported the first case of IARO with compound heterozygous mutation in Chinese population.

INTRODUCTION

Osteopetrosis is a heritable bone disorder due to the deficiency of or function defect in osteoclasts. Mutations in the CLCN7 lead to chloride channel defects, which result in osteopetrosis with diverse severity ranging from asymptomatic or relatively mild symptoms in ADO-II to the very severe phenotype in ARO. Heterozygous mutations in CLCN7 are associated to ADO-II, while homozygous and compound heterozygous mutations in CLCN7 may result in ARO and IARO. To date, a total of 24 mutations in CLCN7 were identified in ADO-II, and only 3 mutations were identified in IARO. In the present study, we reported seven unrelated ADO-II patients and one IARO patient from Chinese population and elucidated the characteristics of CLCN7 gene mutations in these patients.

METHODS

All 25 CLCN7 exons and exon-intron boundaries from genomic DNA were amplified and sequenced in eight affected individuals suffering from ADO-II/IARO. The clinical, biochemical, and radiographic analysis were evaluated to compare the differences between ADO-II and IARO both in genotype and phenotype.

RESULTS

The results showed that there were seven novel CLCN7 mutations identified in these ADO-II/IARO patients, including six heterozygous missense mutations (p.L224R, p.S290Y, p.R326G, p.G347R, p.S473N, and p.L564P) and a novel splice mutation (p.K691FS).

CONCLUSIONS

The compound heterozygous mutations (p.L224R and p.K691FS) were firstly observed in one IARO patient. The present study would enrich the database of CLCN7 mutations and improve our understanding of this heritable bone disorder.

Correlation research on the protein expression (p75NTR, bax, bcl-2, and caspase-3) and cortical neuron apoptosis following mechanical injury in rat

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we aimed to survey the role of p75NTR, bax, bcl-2, and caspase-3 in the progress of traumatic brain injury (TBI).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A mechanical trauma model of vital neurons was established by putting external pressure, contusion and centrifugal acceleration on neurons. Morphological change, survival rate, assay of LDH activity, and apoptosis rate were evaluated for mild, medium and severe injury models. The expression of bax, bcl-2, caspase-3, p75NTR, p75NTR mRNA was determined by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, Western blotting and RT-PCR.

RESULTS

There was a transient high level Bcl-2 protein within 2 h after injury to increase neuronal tolerance and avoid apoptosis. Subsequently p75NTR, Bax/Bcl-2, and Caspase-3 reached their peaks from 48 to 72 h accompanied with the maximum apoptosis rate.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that apoptosis ratio in varying degree injury groups are correlated with the expression level of p75NTRmRNA, p75NTR, Caspase-3, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio.