The CRP/PAB ratio outperforms the LRINEC score in early diagnosis of Fournier's gangrene.

Background: Fournier's gangrene (FG) is scarce and potentially fatal disease. Although the Laboratory Risk Indicator for Necrotizing Fasciitis (LRINEC) score was established in 2004, its reliability as a diagnostic tool to differentiate between FG and perianal abscess is still debated. The objective of this study was to assess the reliability of the LRINEC score and other relevant inflammatory markers.

Linking chemical structure of dissolved organic carbon and microbial community composition with submergence-induced soil organic carbon mineralization.

Much research has been devoted to investigating how water-extractable organic carbon (DOC) concentration and microbial activity regulate soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization when soils are saturated with water. However, the relationships of DOC chemical structure and microbial community composition with SOC mineralization, as well as the relative contributions of microbial decomposers and their substrates on the mineralization rate have rarely been examined. In a laboratory experiment, we incubated two typical cropland soils (an Entisol and a Mollisol) of China for 360 days under submerged and non-submerged conditions, and we evaluated the concentration and chemical structure of soil DOC, soil microbial metabolic potential and community composition by using total C/N analysis, solution-state H NMR, Biolog EcoPlates, and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, respectively.

Computer-assisted needle trajectory planning and mathematical modeling for liver tumor thermal ablation: A review.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA) have become an important means for treating liver tumors. RFA and MWA are a minimally invasive therapy which involves an ablation applicator or needle (i.e.

Numerical evaluation of ablation zone under different tip temperatures during radiofrequency ablation.

The present study aimed at investigating the relationship between the shape and size of ablation zone and the ablation time during radiofrequency ablation (RFA) at different tip temperatures (80, 85, 90, and 95 °C). A two-dimensional simulation model of liver RFA using single-electrode was first built by finite element method (FEM). A closed-loop proportional-integral (PI) controller was employed in the FEM model.

Biochemical stabilization of soil organic matter in straw-amended, anaerobic and aerobic soils.

Crop straw incorporation is a useful approach for increasing the quantity and changing the chemical composition of soil organic matter (SOM). This process is influenced by soil aeration. The present study investigated the stability of whole SOM, particulate organic matter (POM) and mineral-associated organic matter (MinOM) fractions with wheat straw amendment under aerobic and anaerobic conditions over a 12-month incubation period.

[Physical and chemical maturity indexes and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR)spectroscopy of animal manures during composting.].

The composting experiments on three manures (cattle, pig and chicken manures) were carried out to study the maturity indexes by monitoring their physical and chemical properties, seed germination index (GI), and characterizing chemical structures using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Results showed that temperature changed during composting, and the numbers of peak temperatures for cattle, chicken, and pig manures were 1, 2 and 2, respectively. The duration with temperature higher than 50 ℃ was longer than 10 days for all the three manures.

Al(3+) -promoted fluoride accumulation in tea plants (Camellia sinensis) was inhibited by an anion channel inhibitor DIDS.

Background: Generally, tea plants are grown in acid soil which is rich in aluminum (Al) and fluoride (F). A recent publication showed that pretreatment with Al(3+) promoted F accumulation in tea plants by increasing endogenous Ca(2+) and calmodulin (CaM). A high level of F in tea leaves not only impairs tea quality but also might pose a health risk for people drinking tea regularly.

Anion Channel Inhibitor NPPB-Inhibited Fluoride Accumulation in Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis) Is Related to the Regulation of Ca²⁺, CaM and Depolarization of Plasma Membrane Potential.

Tea plant is known to be a hyper-accumulator of fluoride (F). Over-intake of F has been shown to have adverse effects on human health, e.g.

Ca(2+) and CaM are involved in Al(3+) pretreatment-promoted fluoride accumulation in tea plants (Camellia sinesis L.).

Tea plant (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. kuntze) is known to be a fluoride (F) and aluminum (Al(3+)) hyper-accumulator.

Localization of fluoride and aluminum in subcellular fractions of tea leaves and roots.

The tea plant is a fluoride (F) and aluminum (Al) hyperaccumulator. High concentrations of F and Al have always been found in tea leaves without symptoms of toxicity, which may be related to the special localization of F and Al in tea leaves. In this study, we for the first time determined the subcellular localization of F and Al in tea roots and leaves and provided evidence of the detoxification mechanisms of high concentrations of F and Al in tea plants.

Exercise ameliorates the detrimental effect of chloroquine on skeletal muscles in mice via restoring autophagy flux.

Aim: To study the roles of autophagy in muscle establishment during long-term exercise in mice.

Methods: Female ICR mice were submitted to exercise training with a wheel running regimen: 6 m/min, 15 min/time, 3 times/d (on 8:00, 14:00, and 20:00), 5 d/week for 2 months. The mice were treated with the autophagy activator trehalose (1% aqueous solution as a daily drinking water) or the autophagy inhibitor chloroquine (10 mg/kg, ip, 5 times a week) before the training.

Health risk assessment of fluoride in drinking water from Anhui Province in China.

This study analyzes the concentrations and health risks of fluoride in 249 drinking water samples collected from different regions of Anhui Province in China. Results indicated that fluoride content in drinking water ranged from 0.12 to 1.

[Location of telocytes in mouse bronchial and pulmonary tissues].

Objective: To explore the location of telocytes in pulmonary tissues.

Methods: Electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, primary cell culture and vital cell staining were used to identify the distribution of telocytes in mouse bronchial and pulmonary tissues.

Results: Telocytes were identified in the interstitial space between bronchial cartilage (cricoid) and smooth muscle by scanning and transmission electron microscope in mouse.

[Hexachlorobenzene: its aging characteristic in different soils and accumulation in earthworm].

A simulation experiment was conducted to study the aging characteristics of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in different soils and its bioaccumulation in earthworm. The results indicated that the aging of HCB in soils displayed a biphasic characteristic, i.e.

[Influence of aging on the extractability and bioavailability of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) in soil].

Influence of aging on the extractability and bioavailability of HCHs (alpha-, beta, gamma- and delta- isomers) in paddy soil were investigated in the lab under simulated circumstances. Results indicate that extractable HCHs decreased as their contact time with soil increased. The aging rate of HCHs in soil was rather high at the initial stage, and then slowed down in the rest of the time.

Organochlorine pesticides in soils under different land usage in the Taihu Lake region, China.

A field study was conducted in the Taihu Lake region, China in 2004 to reveal the organochlorine pesticide concentrations in soils after the ban of these substances in the year 1983. Thirteen organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were analyzed in soils from paddy field, tree land and fallow land. Total organochlorine pesticide residues were higher in agricultural soils than in uncultivated fallow land soils.

[Kinetic characteristics of Cd2+ desorption in minerals and soils under simulated acid rain].

The kinetic characteristics of Cd2+ desorption in minerals and soils under simulated acid rain were studied by using the flow-stirred method. It showed that Cd2+ desorption could be described by first-order kinetics. Percents of desorption amounts of Cd2+ calculated were 70%-100% in red soil and goethite, and 25%-50% in latosols and kaolinite.