Pyrrhotite promote aerobic granular sludge formation in dye wastewater: pH, interfacial free energy, and microbial community evolution.

This study introduces a technique utilizing natural pyrrhotite powder as a nucleating agent in four sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) for the treatment of dye wastewater. Through analysis of various factors including pH, pyrrhotite surface free energy, sludge zeta potential, and shifts in microbial communities, the mechanism by which pyrrhotite facilitates the formation of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) is elucidated. Over 140 days of continuous operation under neutral conditions, natural pyrrhotite rapidly cultivated AGS under neutral conditions.

Gab2 promotes the growth of colorectal cancer by regulating the M2 polarization of tumor‑associated macrophages.

Tumor‑associated macrophages (TAMs) are pivotal components in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression, markedly influencing the tumor microenvironment through their polarization into the pro‑inflammatory M1 or pro‑tumorigenic M2 phenotypes. Recent studies have highlighted that the Grb2‑associated binder 2 (Gab2) is a critical gene involved in the development of various types of tumor, including CRC. However, the precise role of Gab2 in mediating TAM polarization remains incompletely elucidated.

Association of metabolically unhealthy non-obese and metabolically healthy obese individuals with arterial stiffness and 10-year cardiovascular disease risk: a cross-sectional study in Chinese adults.

Background: The relationship between metabolically healthy obese individuals (MHO) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is disputed. This study investigated the association of metabolically unhealthy non-obese(MUNO) individuals and MHO with arterial stiffness and 10-year CVD risk.

Methods: A total of 13,435 participants were enrolled and further divided into the metabolically healthy non-obese (MHNO) phenotype (n = 4927), MUNO phenotype (n = 1971), MHO phenotype (n = 2537) and metabolically unhealthy obese (MUO) phenotype (n = 4000) according to body mass index (BMI) and metabolic status.

Analysis of the Imaging Features and Prognosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis Complicated with Pulmonary Embolism.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the imaging characteristics of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis complicated with pulmonary embolism and analyze the prognosis of the condition, thereby reducing the mortality and misdiagnosis rate of complications in this type of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Methods: In this retrospective study, a total of 70 patients diagnosed with pulmonary embolism by computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) from January 2016 to May 2021 in Anhui Chest Hospital were included. Among them, 35 patients with pulmonary embolism combined with pulmonary tuberculosis were set as the study group, and the other 35 patients with pulmonary embolism only were set as the control group.

Modified biochar prepared from Retinervus luffae fructus for dyes adsorption and aerobic sludge granulation.

Retinervus luffae fructus biochar (RLFB) and ZnCl2 pretreated Retinervus luffae fructus biochar (ZRLFB) were prepared by pyrolysis. The as-prepared biochar was investigated for its applicability as a dye adsorber using sunset yellow (SY) and basic red 46 (BR46) dyes. Additionally, ZRLFB was used for the experimental cultivation of granular sludge.

Immunotherapy strategies and prospects for acute lung injury: Focus on immune cells and cytokines.

Acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) is a disastrous condition, which can be caused by a wide range of diseases, such as pneumonia, sepsis, traumas, and the most recent, COVID-19. Even though we have gained an improved understanding of acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome pathogenesis and treatment mechanism, there is still no effective treatment for acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome, which is partly responsible for the unacceptable mortality rate. In the pathogenesis of acute lung injury, the inflammatory storm is the main pathological feature.

Triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia in Chinese male subjects.

Background: Lipid metabolism disorders contribute to the risk factor of prostatic hyperplasia. Lipid ratios have also attracted a lot of attention. Yet, research about the correlation of lipid ratios with prostatic hyperplasia is limited.

Association Between Skeletal Muscle Mass and Severity of Steatosis and Fibrosis in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Background: Sarcopenia is known to be the risk factor of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, studies evaluating the association of skeletal muscle mass (SMM) with liver fibrosis by transient elastography are limited. Here, we investigated the association of SMM with hepatic steatosis and fibrosis assessed in Chinese adults.

Associations of systemic inflammation markers with identification of pulmonary nodule and incident lung cancer in Chinese population.

Objectives: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), easily accessible systemic inflammation response parameters, were reported to associate with poor lung cancer prognosis. However, research on the effects of these markers on the risk of positive nodules (PNs) and lung cancer is limited.

Methods: Participants in this retrospective study were those who had their first computed tomography (CT) screening at Jiangsu Province Hospital's Health Promotion Center between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2020.

Adipose tissue macrophage-derived exosomes induce ferroptosis via glutathione synthesis inhibition by targeting SLC7A11 in obesity-induced cardiac injury.

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent programmed cell death characterized by the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Long-term high fat diet (HFD) was found to be associated with ferroptosis and cardiac injury. HFD-induced obesity is characterized by sustained, low-grade inflammation in adipose tissue, while macrophage infiltration plays a crucial role in inflammation.

[Adsorption of Fulvic Acid on Virgin and Aging Microplastics].

Due to the wide distribution and strong adsorption ability of microplastics (MPs) for organic matter in aquatic environments, the interaction between MPs and natural organic matter (NOM) cannot be ignored. In this study, virgin and aging polyamide 66 (PA66) and polypropylene (PP) MPs were used to adsorb fulvic acid (FA) in order to understand the effect of MPs on NOM. The results indicated that the kinetics experimental data of FA adsorption on virgin and aging MPs well fitted the pseudo-second-order model (>0.

Serum Level of Lactate Dehydrogenase is Associated with Cardiovascular Disease Risk as Determined by the Framingham Risk Score and Arterial Stiffness in a Health-Examined Population in China.

Introduction: Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is an important oxidoreductase in the anaerobic metabolic pathway. The role of LDH in arterial stiffness (AS) and 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD10) risk has not been established.

Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional, and observational study evaluated the relationships between the LDH level and AS and CVD10 risk in 12,597 health-examined people (6988 men and 5609 women; mean age, 49.

Free Triiodothyronine Is Associated With Hepatic Steatosis and Liver Stiffness in Euthyroid Chinese Adults With Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Objective: The association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and thyroid hormones in euthyroid subjects is unclear. We investigated the relationship between thyroid function and the severity of hepatic steatosis and liver fibrosis in a large cohort of euthyroid Chinese adults.

Methods: A total of 3496 participants were enrolled.

Dietary, physical exercises and mental stress in a Chinese population: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Mental health is affected by both genetic and environmental factors. However, previous studies have showed conflict findings about the role of lifestyle and little is known about the situation of the Chinese population. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the frequency of food consumption, physical exercise condition and mental health, as well as factors related to mental stress in Chinese.

Serum alkaline phosphatase is associated with arterial stiffness and 10-year cardiovascular disease risk in a Chinese population.

Background: Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) has been recognized as a biomarker of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, recently. This study aimed to explore the association of ALP with arterial stiffness and 10-year CVD risk.

Methods: A total of 12 539 participants without CVD who underwent health examinations including serum ALP level were retrospectively analysed.

Triglyceride Glucose Index Is Associated With Arterial Stiffness and 10-Year Cardiovascular Disease Risk in a Chinese Population.

Insulin resistance (IR) is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). In this study, the association of the triglyceride glucose (TyG) index, a simple surrogate marker of IR, with arterial stiffness and 10-year CVD risk was evaluated. A total of 13,706 participants were enrolled.

Amygdalin promotes the activity of T cells to suppress the progression of HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma via the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a high-risk factor of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Cellular immune responses are essential for HCC development, and the CD4+ and CD8+ T subtypes are identified as the primary anti-tumor immune cells. In the study, we investigated the effect and mechanism of amygdalin in the cellular immune response in HBV-related HCC and HCC progression.

Amygdalin inhibits TGFβ1-induced activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in vitro and CCl-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats in vivo.

The activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) has been considered one of the major events in hepatic fibrosis. Amygdalin has been used to treat cancers and alleviate pain; however, its role and mechanism in HSC activation and hepatic fibrosis remain unclear. In the present study, transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) stimulated the activation of HSCs, as indicated by significantly increased alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), desmin, collagen I, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) protein levels.

Tracheobronchopathia Osteochondroplastica: A Case Report.

Background: Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica (TO) is a rare idiopathic disease with a stable course that involves the mucous membrane of the tracheobronchial tree. Most cases present no specific symptoms, and there are currently no established guidelines for diagnosis and treatment. In this report, we discuss a single case of a patient with TO who was diagnosed based on clinical imaging and histopathology.

The triglyceride-glucose index is associated with the severity of hepatic steatosis and the presence of liver fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a cross-sectional study in Chinese adults.

Background: The triglyceride-glucose index (TyG) is a reliable predictor of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Its association with the severity of hepatic steatosis and liver fibrosis in NAFLD is poorly understood. This study evaluated the relationship between these factors in NAFLD.

Increased plasma miR-146a levels are associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Aims: The association between circulating miR-146a and subclinical atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between plasma miR-146a levels and subclinical atherosclerosis as measured by the carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in patients with newly diagnosed T2DM.

Methods: We studied 100 patients with newly diagnosed T2DM.

Diagnostic values and appropriate cutoff points of lipid ratios in patients with abnormal glucose tolerance status: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Lipid ratios, for example total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TC/HDL-C) and triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C), are associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the predictive values of lipid ratios in prediabetes remain unclear. The aims of this study were: 1) to investigate the association between lipid ratios and abnormal glucose tolerance; 2) to compare the predictive significance of lipid ratios with commonly used indicators of lipid variables in clinical practice in a Chinese population.

Association of serum proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 with early atherosclerosis in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background And Aim: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is rapidly gaining attention as a potential risk of developing atherosclerosis due to its crucial role in the regulation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) metabolism. The present study investigated the relationship between serum PCSK9 levels and early atherosclerosis as assessed by carotid intimal-medial thickness (CIMT) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV) in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods And Results: A total of 100 newly diagnosed T2DM were enrolled and further divided into the thickened CIMT group (n = 41) and the non-thickened CIMT group (n = 59) according to the results of color Doppler ultrasonography.

Epidemic outbreak for an SIS model in multiplex networks with immunization.

With the aim of understanding epidemic spreading in a general multiplex network and designing optimal immunization strategies, a mathematical model based on multiple degree is built to analyze the threshold condition for epidemic outbreak. Two kinds of strategies, the multiplex node-based immunization and the layer node-based immunization, are examined. Theoretical results show that the general framework proposed here can illustrate the effect of diverse correlations and immunizations on the outbreak condition in multiplex networks.

Survivin mRNA expression in blood as a predictor of the response to EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors and prognosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations have been proven to be a reliable predictive marker for the response to EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the responses to EGFR-TKIs vary even among patients with EGFR mutation. Recent study showed that survivin overexpression attenuated EGFR-TKI-induced apoptosis and inhibited the antitumor effect of EGFR-TKIs on EGFR mutation NSCLC cells.