Comparative Genomics Provides Insights into Adaptive Evolution and Demographics of Bats.

Bats possess a range of distinctive characteristics, including flight, echolocation, impressive longevity, and the ability to harbor various zoonotic pathogens. Additionally, they account for the second-highest species diversity among mammalian orders, yet their phylogenetic relationships and demographic history remain underexplored. Here, we generated de novo assembled genomes for 17 bat species and 2 of their mammalian relatives (the Amur hedgehog and Chinese mole shrew), with 12 genomes reaching chromosome-level assembly.

Zinc attenuates monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension in rats through upregulation of A20.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by excessive proliferation and migration of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), in which inflammatory signaling caused by activation of the NF-κB pathway plays an important role. A20 is an important negative regulator of the NF-κB pathway, and zinc promotes the expression of A20 and exerts a protective effect against various diseases (e.g.

ExtraCorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in the therapy for REfractory Septic shock with Cardiac function Under Estimated (ECMO-RESCUE): study protocol for a prospective, multicentre, non-randomised cohort study.

Introduction: Severe septic cardiomyopathy (SCM) is one of the main causes of refractory septic shock (RSS), with a high mortality. The application of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to support the impaired cardiac function in patients with septic shock remains controversial. Moreover, no prospective studies have been taken to address whether venoarterial ECMO treatment could improve the outcome of patients with sepsis-induced cardiogenic shock.

TNF-α contributes to sarcopenia through caspase-8/caspase-3/GSDME-mediated pyroptosis.

Sarcopenia has become a leading cause of disability and mortality in the elderly. It has been reported that programmed cell death (PCD) is associated with the development of sarcopenia that is characterized by reduction of muscle fiber size and number. TNF-α is also validated to play a prominent role in sarcopenia through its complex signaling pathways including cell death signaling.

Behavior of Sb and As in the hydrogeochemistry of adjacent karst underground river systems and the responses of such systems to mining activities.

Through the investigation of Qinglong mining area and adjacent karst underground river system, mining activities and water-rock interactions are found to control the hydrogeochemical evolution of karst underground water. Along the flow direction of the karst underground river, the hydro-chemical type is converted from HCO-Ca type to SO-Ca type. The concentrations of Sb and As also gradually decrease.

Association Between Wait Time of Central Venous Pressure Measurement and Outcomes in Critical Patients With Acute Kidney Injury: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Hemodynamic management is of paramount importance in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). Central venous pressure (CVP) has been used to assess volume status. We intended to identify the optimal time window in which to obtain CVP to avoid the incidence of adverse outcomes in patients with AKI.

Zinc-mediated activation of CREB pathway in proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells in pulmonary hypertension.

Background: Transcription factor CREB is involved in the development of pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, little is known about the role and regulatory signaling of CREB in PH.

Methods: A series of techniques, including bioinformatics methods, western blot, cell proliferation and luciferase reporter assay were used to perform a comprehensive analysis of the role and regulation of CREB in proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) in PH.

Association Between Preadmission Metformin Use and Outcomes in Intensive Care Unit Patients With Sepsis and Type 2 Diabetes: A Cohort Study.

Sepsis is a deadly disease worldwide. Effective treatment strategy of sepsis remains limited. There still was a controversial about association between preadmission metformin use and mortality in sepsis patients with diabetes.

Association between metformin use on admission and outcomes in intensive care unit patients with acute kidney injury and type 2 diabetes: A retrospective cohort study.

Purpose: Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs in more than half of intensive care unit patients. Effective prevention and treatment strategies for AKI remain limited. We aimed to assess AKI-related mortality in patients with diabetes who were metformin and non-metformin users.

Relationship between high-normal albuminuria and arterial stiffness in Chinese population.

High-normal albuminuria is related to the morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular disease. Arterial stiffness has been regarded as a predictor of cardiovascular disease. However, the relationship between high-normal albuminuria and arterial stiffness is uncertain in Chinese population.

Removal of PAHs at high concentrations in a soil washing solution containing TX-100 via simultaneous sorption and biodegradation processes by immobilized degrading bacteria in PVA-SA hydrogel beads.

Soil washing process enhanced by surfactants is a promising technique in removing organic pollutants from soil. In this work, a simultaneous sorption and biodegradation technique was used to remove 16 PAHs from a soil washing solution (SWS) obtained by rinsing a heavily contaminated soil from a coking plant with Triton X-100 (TX-100). This was done by immobilizing a pyrene-degrading bacterial strain in polyvinyl alcohol-sodium alginate (PVA-SA) hydrogel beads.

Chemical composition-dependent removal of cationic surfactants by carbon nanotubes.

How to attenuate water surfactant pollution using carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) has been gaining increasing research attention in recent years. However, how the composition of cationic surfactants and physicochemical properties of CNMs may affect cationic surfactant maximum removal efficiency (R) with minimal cost from the aqueous phase and the associated mechanisms remain largely unclear. To address this knowledge gap, we compared removal efficiency of three cationic surfactants including dodecyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (DDBAC), tetradecyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (TDBAC) and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) by various carbon nanotubes (CNTs), including pristine and OH- or COOH-functionalized multiwalled- (MWCNTs) and single-walled (SWCNTs) CNTs.

Potential application of titanium dioxide nanoparticles to improve the nutritional quality of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.).

TiO nanoparticles (nTiO) have been widely used in many disciplines. However, whether they can be used to improve crops growth and nutritional quality is unknown. In this study, coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.

Plasma assisted-synthesis of magnetic TiO/SiO/FeO-polyacrylic acid microsphere and its application for lead removal from water.

Hybrid microsphere of polyacrylic acid (PAA) grafted TiO/SiO/FeO (TSF-PAA) was synthesized via coating polyacrylic acid on the core-shell-shell TiO/SiO/FeO (TSF) structure with the aid of plasma technique. The synthesized microsphere was applied to remove Pb from water. The state-of-the techniques including TEM, FTIP, TGA, and XPS were used to characterize the morphology and the surface functionalities of the microsphere and confirmed that PAA was successfully grafted on TSF surfaces and active functional groups were introduced.

Effects of Various Carbon Nanotubes on Soil Bacterial Community Composition and Structure.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have huge industrial potential, and their environmental impacts need to be evaluated. Knowledge of CNT impacts on soil microbial communities is still limited. To address this knowledge gap, we systematically examined dynamic effects of one type of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWs) and three multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWs) with different outer diameters on the soil bacterial community in an agricultural soil over 56 days.

A mechanistic study of stable dispersion of titanium oxide nanoparticles by humic acid.

Stable dispersion of nanoparticles with environmentally-friendly materials is important for their various applications including environmental remediation. In this study, we systematically examined the mechanisms of stable dispersion of two types of TiO nanoparticles (TNPs) with anatase and rutile crystalline structures by naturally occurring dissolved organic matter (humic acid) at different pHs, including at, below and above the Point of Zero Charge (PZC). The results showed that stable dispersion of TNPs by humic acid (HA) at all pHs tested can only be achieved with the assistance of ultra-sonication.

Contamination characteristics and source apportionment of methylated PAHs in agricultural soils from Yangtze River Delta, China.

Alkylated PAHs (APAHs) have been shown to be more toxic and persistent than their non-alkylated parent compounds. However, little is known about the extent of soil contamination by these pollutants. To help understand agricultural soil pollution by these compounds at a regional scale, a total of 18 methylated PAHs (MPAHs, a major class of APAHs) in 243 soil samples were analyzed.

Association of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with humic acid and humin fractions in a peat soil and implications for their long-term retention.

To elucidate the environmental fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) once released into soil, sixteen humic acids (HAs) and one humin (HM) fractions were sequentially extracted from a peat soil, and sixteen priority PAHs in these humic substances (HSs) were analyzed. It was found that the total concentration of 16 PAHs (∑16PAHs) increased evidently from HA1 to HA16, and then dramatically reached the highest value in HM. The trend of ∑16PAHs in HAs relates to surface carbon and C-H/C-C contents, the bulk aliphatic carbon content and aliphaticity, as well as the condensation enhancement of carbon domains, which were derived from elemental composition, XPS, C NMR, as well as thermal analyses.

Sorption mechanisms of sulfamethazine to soil humin and its subfractions after sequential treatments.

Sorption mechanisms of an antibiotic sulfamethazine (SMT) to humin (HM) isolated from a peat soil and its subfractions after sequential treatments were examined. The treatments of HM included removal of ash, O-alkyl carbon, lipid, and lignin components. The HF/HCl de-ashing treatment removed a large amount of minerals (mainly silicates), releasing a fraction of hydrophobic carbon sorption domains that previously were blocked, increasing the sorption of SMT by 33.

Surfactant removal with multiwalled carbon nanotubes.

The ability of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to remove a non-ionic surfactant, Triton X-100 (TX100), an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecylbenzenesulonate (SDBS), and a cationic surfactant, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) from the aqueous phase was investigated. Untreated, OH-, and COOH-functionalized MWCNTs with different outer diameters and chemical composition were examined and compared. As both the concentrations of surfactants and MWCNTs initially added may affect removal efficiency of surfactants, a relationship between the initial concentration ratio of surfactants and MWCNTs (R) and the removal efficiency (E) was established.