Carbonate precipitation-derived CO outgassing offsets the mineral weathering sink in the orogenic regime of southwestern Taiwan: Insights from triple Sr isotopes.

Secondary carbonate precipitation plays a crucial role in determining the CO outgassing from carbonate-saturated rivers and influences the short-term terrestrial carbon cycle. The fractionation of stable isotopes has been extensively employed to quantify post-weathering reactions in rivers and assess the quantities of metals removed by secondary carbonates. However, a major challenge is that water isotopic compositions usually reflect both lithological mixing and biogeochemical fractionation, which complicates distinguishing between these signals.

Hydrology controls sulfuric acid-mediated weathering in an orogenic regime of southwestern Taiwan.

Chemical weathering is a pivotal geochemical process that shapes the carbon cycling and climates in the critical zone. Among its critical drivers, river discharge holds a particular significance, especially in the orogenic landscapes. Here, we examined the impact of discharge on mineral weathering in southwestern (SW) Taiwan by analyzing river water chemistry across a wide discharge range.

Update on aquaporin-4 antibody detection: the early diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders.

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an autoimmune-mediated primary inflammatory myelinopathy of the central nervous system that primarily affects the optic nerve and spinal cord. The aquaporin 4 antibody (AQP4-Ab) is a specific autoantibody marker for NMOSD. Most patients with NMOSD are seropositive for AQP4-Ab, thus aiding physicians in identifying ways to treat NMOSD.

Robust inference for causal mediation analysis of recurrent event data.

Recurrent events, including cardiovascular events, are commonly observed in biomedical studies. Understanding the effects of various treatments on recurrent events and investigating the underlying mediation mechanisms by which treatments may reduce the frequency of recurrent events are crucial tasks for researchers. Although causal inference methods for recurrent event data have been proposed, they cannot be used to assess mediation.

Experimental observation of the electron beam focusing effect induced by plasma currents with opposite directions.

We report on the experimental observation of the focusing effect of a 50MeV accelerator electron beam in a gas-discharge plasma target. The plasma is generated by igniting an electric discharge in two collinear quartz tubes, with the currents up to 1.5kA flowing in opposite directions in either of the two tubes.

Role of microglial metabolic reprogramming in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common age-related neurodegenerative disorder characterized by damage to nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons. Key pathogenic mechanisms underlying PD include alpha-synuclein misfolding and aggregation, impaired protein clearance, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation. However, to date, no study has confirmed the specific pathogenesis of PD.

Modulating tumour vascular normalisation using triptolide-loaded NGR-functionalized liposomes for enhanced cancer radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy is an effective therapy in tumour treatment. However, the characteristics of the tumour microenvironment, including hypoxia, low pH, and interstitial fluid pressure bring about radioresistance. To improve the anti-tumour effect of radiotherapy, it has been demonstrated that antiangiogenic therapy can be employed to repair the structural and functional defects of tumour angiogenic vessels, thereby preventing radioresistance or poor therapeutic drug delivery.

Astrocyte-specific loss of lactoferrin influences neuronal structure and function by interfering with cholesterol synthesis.

Growing evidence indicates that circulating lactoferrin (Lf) is implicated in peripheral cholesterol metabolism disorders. It has emerged that the distribution of Lf changes in astrocytes of aging brains and those exhibiting neurodegeneration; however, its physiological and/or pathological role remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that astrocyte-specific knockout of Lf (designated cKO) led to decreased body weight and cognitive abnormalities during early life in mice.

Interaction between gut microbiota dysbiosis and lung infection as gut-lung axis caused by Streptococcus suis in mouse model.

Streptococcus suis (S. suis) is an important zoonotic pathogen threatening the global pig farming industry. It causes respiratory and digestive tract infections simultaneously in pigs.

Clinical Characteristics and Risk Factors for Critically Ill Patients with Carbapenem-Resistant (CrKP): A Cohort Study from Developing Country.

Background: Increasing evidence indicates carbapenem-resistant (CrKP) is increasingly prevalent in intensive care unit (ICU), but its clinical characteristics and risk factors remain unknown.

Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate clinical characteristics, risk factors in critically ill patients with CrKP infection.

Methods: A retrospective study was included in patients from January 2013 to October 2019.

The proliferation role of LH on porcine primordial germ cell-like cells (pPGCLCs) through ceRNA network construction.

Background: The transdifferentiation of skin-derived stem cells (SDSCs) into primordial germ cell-like cells (PGCLCs) is one of the major breakthroughs in the field of stem cells research in recent years. This technology provides a new theoretical basis for the treatment of human infertility. However, the transdifferentiation efficiency of SDSCs to PGCLCs is very low, and scientists are still exploring ways to improve this efficiency or promote the proliferation of PGCLCs.

Network Pharmacology-Based Analysis on the Curative Effect of Kunxian Capsules against Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Kunxian capsules (KCs), a Chinese patent medicine, have been clinically proven to be effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the chemical profile of KC remains to be characterized, and the mechanism underlying the protective effect against RA is yet to be elucidated. Here, a network pharmacology-based approach was adopted, integrated with the chemical profiling of KC by UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS.

YAP regulates porcine skin-derived stem cells self-renewal partly by repressing Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Skin-derived stem cells (SDSCs) are a class of adult stem cells (ASCs) that have the ability to self-renew and differentiate. The regulation mechanisms involved in the differentiation of SDSCs are a hot topic. In this paper, we explore the link between the transcriptional regulator yes-associated protein (YAP) and the fate of porcine SDSCs (pSDSCs).

Standardized Ultrasound Diagnosis of Nuchal Cord.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the formation factors that affect the angle of nuchal cord and explore the types of nuchal cord that exist and the process of standardized ultrasound diagnosis of nuchal cord.

Methods: Ultrasonography was performed on 707 fetuses with nuchal cord, to observe the direction of the coil, determine the type of coil, and analyze the correlation between the fetal position, placental location, and the direction of the coil with the angle of the umbilical cord.

Results: Among the 707 fetuses, those with 1 loop accounted for 89.

Association between Procalcitonin and Acute Kidney Injury in Patients with Bacterial Septic Shock.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between serum procalcitonin (PCT) and acute kidney injury (AKI) induced by bacterial septic shock.

Methods: A retrospective study was designed which included patients who were admitted to the ICU from January 2015 to October 2018. Multiple logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) as well as smooth curve fitting analysis were used to assess the relationship between the PCT level and AKI.

Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate impairs primordial follicle assembly by increasing PDE3A expression in oocytes.

It is known that Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) may impact mammalian reproduction and that in females one target of the drug's action is follicle assembly. Here we revisited the phthalate's action on the ovary and from bioinformatics analyses of the transcriptome performed on newborn mouse ovaries exposed in vitro to DEHP, up-regulation of PDE3A, as one of the most important alterations caused by DEHP on early folliculogenesis, was identified. We obtained some evidence suggesting that the decrease of cAMP level in oocytes and the parallel decrease of PKA expression, consequent on the PDE3A increase, were a major cause of the reduction of follicle assembly in the DEHP-exposed ovaries.