Pan-cancer scRNA-seq analysis reveals immunological and diagnostic significance of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) reflect systemic immune response during cancer progression. However, a comprehensive understanding of the composition and function of PBMCs in cancer patients is lacking, and the potential of these features to assist cancer diagnosis is also unclear. Here, the compositional and status differences between cancer patients and healthy donors in PBMCs were investigated by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), involving 262,025 PBMCs from 68 cancer samples and 14 healthy samples. We observed an enhanced activation and differentiation of most immune subsets in cancer patients, along with reduction of naïve T cells, expansion of macrophages, impairment of NK cells and myeloid cells, as well as tumor promotion and immunosuppression. Based on characteristics including differential cell type abundances and/or hub genes identified from weight gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) modules of each major cell type, we applied logistic regression to construct cancer diagnosis models. Furthermore, we found that the above models can distinguish cancer patients and healthy donors with high sensitivity. Our study provided new insights into using the features of PBMCs in non-invasive cancer diagnosis.

Single-cell transcriptome analysis reveals immunosuppressive landscape in overweight and obese colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are established risk factors for various types of cancers including colorectal cancer (CRC). However the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. An in-depth understanding of the oncologic characteristics of overweight and obese CRC at the single-cell level can provide valuable insights for the development of more effective treatment strategies for CRC. METHODS: We conducted single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis on tumor and adjacent normal colorectal samples from 15 overweight/obese and 15 normal-weight CRC patients. Immunological and metabolic differences between overweight/obese CRC and non-obese CRC were characterized. RESULTS: We obtained single-cell transcriptomics data from a total of 192,785 cells across all samples. By evaluating marker gene expression patterns, we annotated nine main cell types in the CRC ecosystem. Specifically, we found that the cytotoxic function of effector T cells and NK cells was impaired in overweight/obese CRC compared with non-obese CRC, relating to its metabolic dysregulation. CD4+T cells in overweight/obese CRC exhibited higher expression of immune checkpoint molecules. The antigen-presenting ability of DCs and B cells is down-regulated in overweight/obese CRC, which may further aggravate the immunosuppression of overweight/obese CRC. Additionally, dysfunctional stromal cells were identified, potentially promoting invasion and metastasis in overweight/obese CRC. Furthermore, we discovered the up-regulated metabolism of glycolysis and lipids of tumor cells in overweight/obese CRC, which may impact the metabolism and function of immune cells. We also identified inhibitory interactions between tumor cells and T cells in overweight/obese CRC. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrated that overweight/obese CRC has a more immunosuppressive microenvironment and distinct metabolic reprogramming characterized by increased of glycolysis and lipid metabolism. These findings may have implications for the development of novel therapeutic strategies for overweight/obese CRC patients.

Change of the vaginal microbiome with oral contraceptive therapy in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a 6-month longitudinal cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The association between the vaginal microbiome and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is reported, but the longitudinal changes in the vaginal microbiome that accompany oral contraceptive therapy have not been described. METHODS: This cohort study included 50 PCOS patients who wanted to make their menstrual periods more regular and accepted only oral contraceptive therapy and lifestyle coaching, then they were successfully followed up for 6 months. Venous blood was collected, and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), total testosterone (T), anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), and estradiol (E2) were assayed at baseline and at months 3 and 6. Vaginal swabs were collected at baseline and at months 3 and 6. 16S rRNA genes were sequenced to identify the microbiota structure. Latent class trajectory models were used to explore the trajectory of the changes in Lactobacillus abundance. RESULTS: At 3 months, all patients reported regular periods, and the improvement lasted until 6 months. The body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio decreased with treatment (P < 0.01), and the AMH and T levels showed downward trends. We did not find a statistically significant relationship between hormone levels at the previous time point and the vaginal microbiota at subsequent time points (P > 0.05). The relative abundance of Lactobacillus increased with treatment, and trajectory analysis revealed five classes of Lactobacillus changes. Class 1, stable high level, accounted for 26%; class 2, decrease followed by increase, accounted for 18%; class 3, stable low level, accounted for 10%; class 4, increase, accounted for 20%; class 5, increase followed by decrease, accounted for 26%. Logistic models showed that compared to class 1, a higher baseline T level was associated with a reduced risk of class 2 change (odds ratio (OR) = 0.03, 95% confidence interval (CI):0.01-0.52) and class 4 change (OR = 0.10, 95% CI:0.01-0.93). CONCLUSIONS: The abundance of Lactobacilli increased with PCOS treatment; however, the trajectory was inconsistent for each individual. Evidence of the effects of female hormone levels on the vaginal microbiome is insufficient.

Removal of a Foley catheter misplaced into the ureter by percutaneous puncture: a rare case report.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of aberrant catheterization into a ureter is extremely low, and there is a 20% chance that the balloon cannot be deflated. Regrettably, the mechanism underlying this complication remains unknown. There has been no reported case of a Foley catheter successfully removed from the ureter via percutaneous puncture. CASE PRESENTATION: A 86-year-old man complained of increasing abdominal pain after an 18F Foley catheter was inserted into his urethra. His attending physician attempted but failed to deflate the balloon. A bedside ultrasound and CT scan revealed that the catheter tip was in the right lower ureter. Several measures, including cutting the catheter and inserting a rigid guidewire, were then attempted but failed to deflate the balloon. Finally, the inflated balloon was punctured with a PTC needle under ultrasound-guidance, and the misplaced Foley catheter was removed. Two days after the pelvic drainage tube was removed, the patient was discharged. CONCLUSION: This is the first reported case of a Foley catheter being removed from the ureter via percutaneous puncture. The mechanism by which the balloon is unable to deflate may be related to the passive twist of the catheter. In such a case, an overall assessment of the patient's condition should be performed, and non-invasive to invasive interventions should be phased in.

Comparison of mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy and standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy for renal stones >2cm: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The purpose is to compare the efficacy and safety of mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini-PCNL) versus standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy (standard-PCNL) in patients with renal stones >2cm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library databases to identify relevant studies before March 8, 2021. Stone-free rate (SFR), operation time, fever rate, hemoglobin drop, blood transfusion rate, and hospitalization time were used as outcomes to compare mini-PCNL and standard-PCNL. The meta-analysis was performed using the Review Manager version 5.4. RESULTS: Seven randomized controlled trials were included in our meta-analysis, involving 1407 mini-PCNL cases and 1436 standard-PCNL cases. Our results reveal that, for renal stones >2cm, mini-PCNL has a similar SFR (risk ratio (RR)=1.01, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.98 to 1.04, p=0.57) and fever rate (RR=1.22, 95% CI: 0.97-1.51, p=0.08). Standard-PCNL was associated with a significantly shorter operating time (weighted mean difference (WMD)=8.23, 95% CI: 3.44 to 13.01, p <0.01) and a longer hospitalization time (WMD=-20.05, 95% CI: -29.28 to -10.81, p <0.01) than mini-PCNL. Subgroup analysis showed hemoglobin drop and blood transfusion for 30F standard-PCNL were more common than mini-PCNL (WMD=-0.95, 95% CI: -1.40 to -0.50, p <0.01; RR=0.20, 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.58, p <0.01). CONCLUSION: In the treatment of >2cm renal stones, mini-PCNL should be considered an effective and reliable alternative to standard-PCNL (30F). It achieves a comparable SFR to standard-PCNL, but with less blood loss, lower transfusion rate, and shorter hospitalization. However, the mini-PCNL does not show a significant advantage over the 24F standard-PCNL. On the contrary, this procedure takes a longer operation time. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This meta-analysis was reported consistent with the PRISMA statement and was registered on PROSPERO, with registration number 2021CRD42021234893.

Association between polycystic ovary syndrome and the vaginal microbiome: A case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy in women of reproductive age. Some evidence suggests that dysbiosis of the gut microbiota could be associated with PCOS clinical parameters, but little is known for the association between vaginal microbiome and PCOS. OBJECTIVE: To determine differences in the vaginal microbiome between women with PCOS and healthy control women. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In this case-control study, the women with newly diagnosed PCOS (n = 39) and healthy controls (n = 40) were included from the hospital and maternal and child health centre, respectively. The vaginal swabs were collected, and microbiome structures were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The screening values for potential bacteria biomarker for PCOS were assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve method. RESULTS: There was significant difference in vaginal bacterial structures between PCOS and healthy control women. The vaginal bacterial species in the PCOS group were more diverse than the control group (Simpson index for PCOS group vs. control group: median 0.49 vs. 0.80, P = .008; Shannon index: median 1.07 vs. 0.44, P = .003; Chao1 index: median 85.12 vs. 66.13, P < .001). The relative abundance of Lactobacillus crispatus in the PCOS group was significantly lower than controls (P = .001), and the relative abundance of Mycoplasma and Prevotella was higher than controls (P < .001, P = .002, respectively). The Mycoplasma genus could be a potential biomarker for PCOS screening, as ROC analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) for the relative abundance of Mycoplasma was 0.958 (95% CI: 0.901-0.999). Subgroup analyses also showed these associations would not change among the women with the same BMI level and vagina cleanliness grading. CONCLUSIONS: In the vaginal microbiome, the Mycoplasma genus was associated with PCOS. Further research is required to explore causal correlations between PCOS and the vaginal microbiome.

Identification of the key genes and microRNAs in adult acute myeloid leukemia with FLT3 mutation by bioinformatics analysis.

Background: Associated with poor prognosis, FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) mutation appeared frequently in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Herein, we aimed to identify the key genes and miRNAs involved in adult AML with FLT3 mutation and find possible therapeutic targets for improving treatment. Materials: Gene and miRNA expression data and survival profiles were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. EdgeR of R platform was applied to identify the differentially expressed genes and miRNAs (DEGs, DE-miRNAs). Gene ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed by Metascape and DAVID. And protein-protein interaction network, miRNA-mRNA regulatory network and clustering modules analyses were performed by STRING database and Cytoscape software. Results: Survival analysis showed FLT3 mutation led to adverse outcome in AML. 24 DE-miRNAs (6 upregulated, 18 downregulated) and 250 DEGs (54 upregulated, 196 downregulated) were identified. Five miRNAs had prognostic value and the results matched their expression levels (miR-1-3p, miR-10a-3p, miR-10a-5p, miR-133a-3p and miR-99b-5p). GO analysis showed DEGs were enriched in skeletal system development, blood vessel development, cartilage development, tissue morphogenesis, cartilage morphogenesis, cell morphogenesis involved in differentiation, response to growth factor, cell-substrate adhesion and so on. The KEGG analysis showed DEGs were enriched in PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, ECM-receptor interaction and focal adhesion. Seven genes (LAMC1, COL3A1, APOB, COL1A2, APP, SPP1 and FSTL1) were simultaneously identified by hub gene analysis and module analysis. SLC14A1, ARHGAP5 and PIK3CA, the target genes of miR-10a-3p, resulted in poor prognosis. Conclusion: Our study successfully identified molecular markers, processes and pathways affected by FLT3 mutation in AML. Furthermore, miR-10a-3p, a novel oncogene, might involve in the development of FLT3 mutation adult AML by targeting SLC14A1, ARHGAP5 and PIK3CA.

Characterization on the toxic mechanism of two fluoroquinolones to trypsin by spectroscopic and computational methods.

Ciprofloxacin (CPFX) and enrofloxacin (ENFX), two of the most widely used fluoroquinolones (FQs), pose a great threat to humans and the ecosystem. In this study, the toxic mechanisms between the two FQs and trypsin were evaluated by means of multiple spectroscopic methods, as well as molecular docking. During the fluorescence investigations, both FQs quenched the intrinsic fluorescence of trypsin effectively, which was due to the formation of moderately strong complexes (mainly through van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds). The binding of two FQs not only caused the conformational and micro-environmental changes of trypsin, but also changed its molecular activity; shown by the UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy, synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy, and functional tests. The established methods in this work can help to comprehensively understand the transport of FQs in the human body.

Characterizing the noncovalent binding behavior of tartrazine to lysozyme: A combined spectroscopic and computational analysis.

Tartrazine is a stable water-soluble azo dye widely used as a food additive, which could pose potential threats to humans and the environment. In this paper, we evaluated the response mechanism between tartrazine and lysozyme under simulated conditions by means of biophysical methods, including multiple spectroscopic techniques, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), and molecular docking studies. From the multispectroscopic analysis, we found that tartrazine could effectively quench the intrinsic fluorescence of lysozyme to form a complex and lead to the conformational and microenvironmental changes of the enzyme. The ITC measurements suggested that the electrostatic forces played a major role in the binding of tartrazine to lysozyme with two binding sites. Finally, the molecular docking indicated that tartrazine had specific interactions with the residues of Trp108. The study provides an important insight within the binding mechanism of tartrazine to lysozyme in vitro.

Characteristic diversity and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella from gastroenteritis.

Salmonella is a leading cause of foodborne disease worldwide and may cause to gastroenteritis. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, serotypes, virulence genes, molecular subtyping, and antibiotic resistance phenotype of Salmonella from gastroenteritis in Hubei, China. Of 500 patients stools samples collected from January 2015 to January 2016, 52 (10.40%) samples were contaminated by Salmonella. The results showed that most of the isolates were positive for eight virulence genes that appear on pathogenicity islands, prophages, plasmid, and fimbrial. A total of twelve serotypes were found. Antimicrobial susceptibility results indicated that most strains were resistant to ampicillin (57.69%), kanamycin (53.85%), and tetracycline (40.38%). There were 33 STs on MLST types, and were grouped into two clusters. Thus, our findings provided insights into the dissemination of antibiotic resistant strains, genetic diversity, and improved our knowledge of microbiological risk assessment in Salmonella from gastroenteritis.

Experimental and computational characterization on the binding of two fluoroquinolones to bovine hemoglobin.

Ciprofloxacin (CPFX) and enrofloxacin (ENFX) are 2 representatives of widely used fluoroquinolones (FQs) with many human and veterinary applications. The residues of FQs in the environment are potentially harmful. Recently, great concern has been paid to their persistence and fate in the environment because of the potential adverse effects on humans and ecosystem functions. In the present study, we examined the interactions of bovine hemoglobin (BHb) with these 2 FQs by means of multiple spectroscopic and molecular docking methods under physiological conditions. The experimental results revealed that both FQs could bind with BHb to form complexes mainly through electrostatic interactions. And CPFX posed more of an affinity threat to BHb than ENFX. On the basis of molecular docking, both FQs could bind into the central cavity of BHb and interact with the residue Trp 37, resulting in the remarkable fluorescence quenching of protein. Additionally, as shown by the synchronous fluorescence, UV-visible absorption and circular dichroism data, both CPFX and ENFX could lead to the conformational and microenvironmental changes of BHb, which may affect its physiological functions. The work is beneficial for understanding the biological toxicity of FQs in vivo.

Highly efficient graphene-on-gap modulator by employing the hybrid plasmonic effect.

We propose a highly efficient graphene-on-gap modulator (GOGM) by employing the hybrid plasmonic effect, whose modulation efficiency (up to 1.23 dB/µm after optimization) is ∼12-fold larger than that of the present graphene-on-silicon modulator (∼0.1 dB/µm). The proposed modulator has the advantage of a short modulation length of ∼3.6 µm, a relatively low insertion loss of ∼0.32 dB, and a larger modulation bandwidth of ∼0.48 THz. The physical insight is investigated, showing that both the slow light effect and the overlap between graphene and the mode field contribute. Moreover, an efficient taper coupler has been designed to convert the quasi-transverse electric mode of conventional silicon waveguide to the hybrid plasmonic mode of GOGM, with a high coupling efficiency of 91%. This Letter may promote the design of high-performance on-chip electro-optical modulators.

Toxic interaction mechanism of two fluoroquinolones with serum albumin by spectroscopic and computational methods.

To evaluate the toxicity of two fluoroquinolones (FQs), ciprofloxacin (CPFX), and enrofloxacin (ENFX), at the protein level, their binding modes with bovine serum albumin (BSA) were characterized by multiple spectroscopic and molecular docking methods under simulated physiological conditions. On the basis of fluorescence spectra, we concluded that both FQs greatly quenched the fluorescence intensity of BSA, which was attributed to the formation of a moderately strong complex mainly through electrostatic interactions. Besides, CPFX posed more of an affinity threat than ENFX. The molecular docking methods further illustrated that both CPFX and ENFX could bind into the subdomain IIIA of BSA and interact with Arg 508 and Lys 437, the positively charged residues in protein. Furthermore, as shown by the synchronous fluorescence, UV-Visible absorption and circular dichroism data, both CPFX and ENFX could lead to the conformational and microenvironmental changes of BSA, which may affect its physiological function.

Denisovan Ancestry in East Eurasian and Native American Populations.

Although initial studies suggested that Denisovan ancestry was found only in modern human populations from island Southeast Asia and Oceania, more recent studies have suggested that Denisovan ancestry may be more widespread. However, the geographic extent of Denisovan ancestry has not been determined, and moreover the relationship between the Denisovan ancestry in Oceania and that elsewhere has not been studied. Here we analyze genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism data from 2,493 individuals from 221 worldwide populations, and show that there is a widespread signal of a very low level of Denisovan ancestry across Eastern Eurasian and Native American (EE/NA) populations. We also verify a higher level of Denisovan ancestry in Oceania than that in EE/NA; the Denisovan ancestry in Oceania is correlated with the amount of New Guinea ancestry, but not the amount of Australian ancestry, indicating that recent gene flow from New Guinea likely accounts for signals of Denisovan ancestry across Oceania. However, Denisovan ancestry in EE/NA populations is equally correlated with their New Guinea or their Australian ancestry, suggesting a common source for the Denisovan ancestry in EE/NA and Oceanian populations. Our results suggest that Denisovan ancestry in EE/NA is derived either from common ancestry with, or gene flow from, the common ancestor of New Guineans and Australians, indicating a more complex history involving East Eurasians and Oceanians than previously suspected.

EDARV370A associated facial characteristics in Uyghur population revealing further pleiotropic effects.

An adaptive variant of human Ectodysplasin receptor, EDARV370A, had undergone strong positive selection in East Asia. In mice and humans, EDARV370A was found to affect ectodermal-derived characteristics, including hair thickness, hair shape, active sweat gland density and teeth formation. Facial characteristics are also largely ectodermal derived. In this study, taking advantage of an admixed population of East Asian and European ancestry-the Uyghur, we aim to test whether EDARV370A is affecting facial characteristics and to investigate its pleiotropic nature and genetic model. In a sample of 1027 Uyghurs, we discover that EDARV370A is significantly associated with several facial characteristics, in particular shape of earlobe (P = 3.64 × 10 (-6) ) and type of chin (P = 9.23 × 10 (-5) ), with successful replication in other East Asian populations. Additionally, in this Uyghur population, we replicate previous association findings of incisors shoveling (P = 1.02 × 10 (-7) ), double incisors shoveling (P = 1.86 × 10 (-12) ) and hair straightness (P = 3.99 × 10 (-16) ), providing strong evidence supporting an additive model for the EDARV370A associations. Partial least square path model confirms EDARV370A systematically affect these weakly related ectodermal-derived characteristics, suggesting the pleiotropic effect of EDARV370A mainly plays roles in early embryo development. This study extends our knowledge about the pleiotropic nature of EDARV370A and provides potential clues to its adaptation fitness in human evolution.

A systematic characterization of genes underlying both complex and Mendelian diseases.

Traditionally, genetic disorders have been classified as either Mendelian diseases or complex diseases. This nosology has greatly benefited genetic counseling and the development of gene mapping strategies. However, based on two well-established databases, we identified that 54% (524 of 968) of the Mendelian disease genes were also involved in complex diseases, and this kind of genes has not been systematically analyzed. Here, we classified human genes into five categories: Mendelian and complex disease (MC) genes, Mendelian but not complex disease (MNC) genes, complex but not Mendelian disease (CNM) genes, essential genes and OTHER genes. First, we found that MC genes were associated with more diseases and phenotypes, and were involved in more complex protein-protein interaction network than MNC or CNM genes on average. Secondly, MC genes encoded the longest proteins and had the highest transcript count among all gene categories. Especially, tissue specificity of MC genes was much higher than that of any other gene categories (P < 7.5 × 10(-5)), although their expression level was similar to that of essential genes. Thirdly, evidences from different aspects supported that MC genes have been subjected to both purifying and positive selection. Interestingly, functions of some human disease genes might be different from those of their orthologous genes in non-primate mammalians since they were even less conserved than OTHER genes. The significant over-representation of copy number variations (CNVs) in CNM genes suggested the important roles of CNVs in complex diseases. In brief, our study not only revealed the characteristics of MC genes, but also provided new insights into the other four gene categories.

Genetic insights into gut microbiota and risk of prostatitis: a Mendelian randomization study.

Background: The dysbiosis of gut microbiota (GM) is considered a contributing factor to prostatitis, yet the causality remains incompletely understood. Methods: The genome-wide association study (GWAS) data for GM and prostatitis were sourced from MiBioGen and FinnGen R10, respectively. In the two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis, inverse variance weighting (IVW), MR-Egger, weighted median, simple mode, weighted mode, and maximum likelihood (ML) methods were utilized to investigate the causal relationship between GM and prostatitis. A series of sensitivity analysis were conducted to confirm the robustness of the main results obtained from the MR analysis. Results: According to the IVW results, genus Sutterella (OR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.09-1.71, p = 0.006) and genus Holdemania (OR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.02-1.43, p = 0.028) were associated with an increased risk of prostatitis. The phylum Verrucomicrobia (OR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.58-0.98, p = 0.033) and genus Parasutterella (OR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.70-1.00, p = 0.045) exhibited a negative association with prostatitis, indicating a potential protective effect. Sensitivity analysis showed that these results were not affected by heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy. Furthermore, the majority of statistical methods yielded results consistent with those of the IVW analysis. Conclusions: In this study, we identified two GM taxon that might be protective against prostatitis and two GM taxon that could increase the risk of developing prostatitis. These findings could potentially provide a valuable theoretical basis for the future development of preventive and therapeutic strategies for prostatitis.

Optimizing iron removal from sewage sludge ash for enhanced phosphate fertilizer bioavailability.

Sewage sludge derived fertilizer is a promising solution for phosphorus (P) recovery from biowaste, however, the inherent iron content in the sludge ash (SSA) impedes the P availability of the fused calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer (FCMP). To achieve the goal of iron removal during the process, carbothermal reduction was adopted for the first time and the performance of carbon addition was systematically evaluated. Results showed that carbon addition at 4.50 % significantly increased the P availability from 9.50 % to 11.00 % and decreased the required amounts of calcium/magnesium. Moreover, ferrophosphate with 20.20 % P can be produced and the melting point of the system can be reduced by manipulating carbon addition. Finally, a process design was provided for the co-production of FCMP and ferrophosphate. This study highlights the addition of carbon to facilitate iron removal in SSA for the production of FCMP with enhanced bioavailability at a reduced energy consumption scenario.

The vaginal metabolomics profile with features of polycystic ovary syndrome: a pilot investigation in China.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common metabolic disorder and reproductive endocrine disease, posing an elevated risk to women of reproductive age. Although metabolism differences in serum, amniotic fluid and urine have been documented in PCOS, there remains a paucity of evidence for vaginal fluid. This study aimed to identify the metabolic characteristics and potential biomarkers of PCOS in Chinese women of reproductive age. Methods: We involved ten newly diagnosed PCOS women who attended gynecology at Zhongda Hospital and matched them with ten healthy controls who conducted health check-up programs at Gulou Maternal and Child Health Center in Nanjing, China from January 1st, 2019 to July 31st, 2020. Non-targeted metabolomics based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was applied to differentially screen vaginal metabolites between PCOS group and healthy controls. Principal component analysis (PCA), orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and enrichment analysis were used to observe differences, search for potential biomarkers and enrich related pathways. Results: Among the 20 participants, a total of 195 different metabolites were detected between PCOS group and healthy control group. PCOS and control groups were effectively separated by vaginal fluid. Lipids and lipid-like molecules constituted the majority of differential metabolites. Notably, dopamine exhibited an increased trend in PCOS group and emerged as the most significant differential metabolite, suggesting its potential as a biomarker for identifying PCOS. The application of UHPLC-MS/MS based vaginal metabolomics methods showed significant differences between PCOS and non-PCOS healthy control groups, especially linoleic acid metabolism disorder. Most differential metabolites were enriched in pathways associated with linoleic acid metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, tyrosine metabolism, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism or arachidonic acid metabolism. Conclusions: In this pilot investigation, significant metabolomics differences could be obtained between PCOS and healthy control groups. For PCOS women of reproductive age, vaginal metabolism is a more economical, convenient and harmless alternative to provide careful personalized health diagnosis and potential targets for therapeutic intervention.

Self-sustained smouldering treatment technology for high-moisture sludge: Pilot-scaled tests with continuous operation.

Smouldering is a novel, low-energy, low-cost technology for disposing of sludge with high moisture. Currently, related researches focus on the lab-scale with batch disposal, but more reports about the pilot-scale with continuous process need to be done. Based on our previous research, this study further enlarged the pilot-scale smouldering reactor height from 1.2 m to 2.0 m and provides insight into the smouldering performance under long-term continuous operation and the influence of the discharging residue interval and Darcy velocity. The temperate evolution shows that the discharging residue interval significantly affects the reaction location stability due to the difference between the smouldering upward velocity and the feed-stock descent velocity. Furthermore, the unburnout content, heavy metal in the smouldering-derived residue, the non-condensable flue gas concentrations (O2, CO, NOx, VOCs, dioxin), and the components of the condensable liquid are deeply investigated. The pilot-scale measurements show that 30 s and 40 s for the discharging residue interval under the studied operating condition may be reasonable for the high (3.5 cm/s and 5.0 cm/s) and low (2.5 cm/s) Darcy velocity, respectively. Comprehensively, the condition with 30 s for the discharging residue interval and 3.5 cm/s for the Darcy velocity is suggested in the future actual application.