Identification of toxicity factors and causal analysis of toxicity in surface sediments from Liaohe river basin, Northeast China using an effect guidance strategy.

Sediments play a pivotal role in maintaining the aquatic ecological status of rivers. However, the determination of the key toxicants that consider the combined effects of all sediment-related contaminants are still challenging and necessary for an appropriate sediment risk assessment. The effects of sediments on aquatic organisms have been reported in Liaohe River, but their key toxicity factors are not well known.

Transformation of Cr under sintering of Ca-rich solid waste with kaolin: Analysis of multi-element coupled interactions.

The high toxicity of Cr-Ca compounds generated during the heat treatment of solid waste will heavily threat the environment. In this work, a kind of Ca-rich river sludge which is bound with Ca and heavy metals was combusted with kaolin under 900 °C for 3 h in a muffle to study the transformation of Cr. The effects of kaolin on Cr transformation were investigated through sequential extraction, the risk assessment of heavy metals, and constant pH leaching test, also combined with crystal phase analysis of Ca-Al-Si minerals.

Assessment of benthic invertebrate diversity and river ecological status along an urbanized gradient using environmental DNA metabarcoding and a traditional survey method.

Benthic invertebrate diversity is one of the most commonly used bioindicators for assessing aquatic ecosystem health in river systems. Although an increasing number of studies have focused on assessing benthic invertebrate diversity using environmental DNA metabarcoding and traditional survey methods, benthic invertebrate diversity and ecological status assessments performed across different landscapes within river systems have not been well documented. Here, the diversity and ecological status of benthic invertebrates and the influence of water quality on the invertebrate assemblage distribution along an urbanization gradient in rivers from the Jingjinji (JJJ) region, China, were investigated using eDNA metabarcoding and the traditional method.

An evolution-inspired strategy to design disulfide-rich peptides tolerant to extensive sequence manipulation.

Natural disulfide-rich peptides (DRPs) are valuable scaffolds for the development of new bioactive molecules and therapeutics. However, there are only a limited number of topologically distinct DRP folds in nature, and most of them suffer from the problem of oxidative folding. Thus, strategies to design DRPs with new constrained topologies beyond the scope of natural folds are desired.

Comment on "Recent global decline of CO fertilization effects on vegetation photosynthesis".

Wang . (Research Articles, 11 December 2020, p. 1295) reported a large decrease in CO fertilization effect (CFE) across the globe during the period 1982–2015 and suggested that ecosystem models underestimate the rate of CFE decline.

Thoracic Paravertebral Nerve Block with Ropivacaine and Adjuvant Dexmedetomidine Produced Longer Analgesia in Patients Undergoing Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Lobectomy: A Randomized Trial.

Purpose: This study evaluated the postoperative analgesic effect of ultrasound-guided single-point thoracic paravertebral nerve block (TPVB) combined with dexmedetomidine (DEX) in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy.

Methods: Sixty adult patients of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I-III were randomly assigned into three groups ( = 20 each). G group: patients received routine general anesthesia; PR group: patients received 0.

Clinical features and outcomes of 1845 patients with follicular lymphoma: a real-world multicenter experience in China.

Clinical features and outcomes of FL patients in Chinese population are limited, thus promoting us to perform this analysis on a large cohort of 1845 patients with FL enrolled from nine medical centers nationwide in China. In this cohort, the median age of patients at diagnosis was 53 years, which was comparable to that reported previously for Chinese FL patients (49-51 years) but younger than that for Western FL patients (60-65 years). In contrast with Western patients, Chinese FL patients more likely involved extranodal sites but less frequently infiltrated bone marrow.

Two Different 1-Week Quadruple Therapies Given Back-to-Back Consecutive Therapy for Difficult-to-Treat Helicobacter pylori Infection: A Pilot Study.

Introduction: We aim to evaluate the efficacy of 2 different 1-week quadruple therapies given back-to-back consecutive therapy in patients with difficult-to-treat Helicobacter pylori infection.

Methods: Patients with proven H. pylori infection were recruited after >3 failed standard quadruple eradication.

Essential role of a ThPOK autoregulatory loop in the maintenance of mature CD4 T cell identity and function.

The transcription factor ThPOK (encoded by the Zbtb7b gene) controls homeostasis and differentiation of mature helper T cells, while opposing their differentiation to CD4 intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) in the intestinal mucosa. Thus CD4 IEL differentiation requires ThPOK transcriptional repression via reactivation of the ThPOK transcriptional silencer element (Sil). In the present study, we describe a new autoregulatory loop whereby ThPOK binds to the Sil to maintain its own long-term expression in CD4 T cells.

Construction of a Three-Dimensional BaTiO Network for Enhanced Permittivity and Energy Storage of PVDF Composites.

Three-dimensional BaTiO (3D BT)/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composite dielectrics were fabricated by inversely introducing PVDF solution into a continuous 3D BT network, which was simply constructed via the sol-gel method using a cleanroom wiper as a template. The effect of the 3D BT microstructure and content on the dielectric and energy storage properties of the composites were explored. The results showed that 3D BT with a well-connected continuous network and moderate grain sizes could be easily obtained by calcining a barium source containing a wiper template at 1100 °C for 3 h.

The Anti-Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cell Activity by a mTOR Kinase Inhibitor PQR620.

In non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), aberrant activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) contributes to tumorigenesis and cancer progression. PQR620 is a novel and highly-potent mTOR kinase inhibitor. We here tested its potential activity in NSCLC cells.

Selective Inhibition of 11β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 Attenuates High-Fat Diet-Induced Hepatic Steatosis in Mice.

Introduction: The effect of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type1 (11β-HSD1) inhibition on hepatic steatosis is incompletely understood. Here, we aimed to determine the therapeutic effect of BVT.2733, a selective 11β-HSD1 inhibitor, on hepatic steatosis.

Synthesizing Photoluminescent Au (SCH Ph- Bu) Nanoclusters with Structural Features by Using a Combined Method.

We present a method for atomically precise nanocluster synthesis. As an illustration, we introduced the reducing-ligand induction combined method and synthesized a novel nanocluster, which was determined to be Au (SCH Ph- Bu) with the same number of gold atoms as existing Au (SR) nanoclusters but different ligands (hetero-composition-homo-size). Compared with the latter, the former has distinct properties and structures.

Estimating aquatic plant diversity and distribution in rivers from Jingjinji region, China, using environmental DNA metabarcoding and a traditional survey method.

Traditional survey methods (TSMs) are difficult to use to perform a census of aquatic plant diversity completely in river ecosystems, and improved aquatic plant community monitoring programs are becoming increasingly crucial with a continuous decline in diversity. Although environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding has been applied successfully to assess aquatic biodiversity, limited work has been reported regarding aquatic plant diversity in rivers. In this study, the efficiency of eDNA to estimate the aquatic plant diversity and spatial distribution of rivers from the Jingjinji (JJJ) region was evaluated by comparing results obtained by the TSM.

Calcium Phosphate Cement Causes Nucleus Pulposus Cell Degeneration through the ERK Signaling Pathway.

While calcium phosphate cement (CPC) is recognized as one of the most likely substitutes for the conventional Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), there are very few studies about its intradiscal leakage consequences. Herein, the goal of our study was to examine the effect of CPC particles on the ERK (extracellular regulatory kinase) pathway in human nucleus pulposus cell (HNPC) degeneration. Different concentrations of CPC particles (0.

A review on China's constructed wetlands in recent three decades: Application and practice.

Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been introduced to and developed in China for environmental engineering over the most prosperous three decades (1990-2020). To study the origin, development process, and future trend of CWs, this review summarized a wide range of literatures between 1990 and 2020 by Chinese authors. Firstly, the publication number over years, research highlights, and the author contributions with the most published papers in this field were conducted through bibliometric analysis.

[Venetoclax with low-dose cytarabine for patients with untreated acute myeloid leukemia ineligible for intensive chemotherapy: results from the Chinese cohort of a phase three randomized placebo-controlled trial].

To investigate the safety and efficacy of venetoclax with low-dose cytarabine (LDAC) in Chinese patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are unable to tolerate intensive induction chemotherapy. Adults ≥ 18 years with newly diagnosed AML who were ineligible for intensive chemotherapy were enrolled in this international, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Globally, patients (=211) were randomized 2∶1 to either venetoclax with LDAC or placebo with LDAC in 28-d cycles, with LDAC on days 1-10.

Environmentally relevant concentrations of clozapine induced lipotoxicity and gut microbiota dysbiosis in Chinese rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus).

Clozapine (CLZ) is a neuroactive pharmaceutical that is frequently detected in aquatic environments. Although the cardiotoxicity, developmental toxicity, and neurotoxicity of CLZ in aquatic non-target organisms have been reported, its lipotoxicity and underlying mechanism are unknown. Therefore, in this study, 2-month-old Chinese rare minnows were exposed to 0, 0.

Discriminative Ability for Adverse Outcomes After Hip Fracture Surgery: A Comparison of Three Commonly Used Comorbidity-Based Indices.

Introduction: Preoperative risk assessment can predict adverse outcomes following hip fracture surgery, helping with decision-making and management strategies. Several risk adjustment models based on coded comorbidities such as Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), modified Elixhauser's Comorbidity Measure (mECM), and modified frailty index (mFI-5) are currently prevalent for orthopedic patients, but there is no consensus regarding which is optimal. The primary purpose was to identify the risk factors of CCI, mECM, and mFI-5, as well as patient characteristics for predicting (1) 1-month, 3-month, 1-year, and 2-year mortality, (2) perioperative complications, and (3) extended length of stay (LOS) following hip fractured surgery.

Outcome Analysis of Intramedullary Nailing Augmented with Poller Screws for Treating Difficult Reduction Fractures of Femur and Tibia: a Retrospective Cohort Study.

Purpose: Poller screws may serve as an adjunctive reduction tool and aid fracture reduction while augmented with intramedullary (IM) nailing for treating diaphyseal or metaphyseal fractures of the femur and tibia. However, there is no consistent conclusion about whether the method of using IM nailing augmented with poller screws is more advantageous than using IM nailing alone.

Methods: A total of 96 patients who received IM nailing with or without supportive poller screw for treating long-bone fractures in lower limbs and who experienced difficulties in performing reduction or IM insertion during the surgical process were included in this retrospective cohort study (33 patients with poller screws in group A versus 63 patients without poller screws in group B).

Disulfiram/copper shows potent cytotoxic effects on myelodysplastic syndromes via inducing Bip-mediated apoptosis and suppressing autophagy.

Patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) who resist or fail to respond to hypomethylating agents (HMAs) show very poor outcomes and have no effective treatment strategies. Therefore, new therapeutic approaches are urgently needed for MDS patients harboring adverse prognostic factors. Repurposing disulfiram (DSF), an alcohol-abuse drug, with or without Copper (Cu) has attracted considerable attentions as a candidate anti-tumor therapy in diverse malignancies.

Role of mono-ADP-ribosylation histone modification (Review).

The current knowledge regarding ADP-ribosylation modifications of histones, particularly mono-ADP-ribosylation modifications, is limited. However, recent studies have identified an increasing number of mono-ADP-ribosyltransferases and the role of mono-ADP-ribosylation has become a hot research topic. In particular, histones that are substrates of several mono-ADP-ribosyltransferases and mono-ADP-ribosylated histones were indicated to be involved in numerous physiological or pathological processes.

AMPK activation by ASP4132 inhibits non-small cell lung cancer cell growth.

Activation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is able to produce significant anti-non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell activity. ASP4132 is an orally active and highly effective AMPK activator. The current study tested its activity against NSCLC cells.

PdCl/DMSO-Catalyzed Thiol-Disulfide Exchange: Synthesis of Unsymmetrical Disulfide.

Unsymmetrical disulfides have been effectively prepared through thiol exchange with symmetrical disulfides employing a simple PdCl/DMSO catalytic system. The given method features excellent functional group tolerance, a broad substrate scope, and operational simplicity. This reaction is especially useful for late-stage functionalization of bioactive scaffolds such as peptides and pharmaceuticals.