Incidence, Predictors, and Implications of Secondary Aortic Intervention Following Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair for Type B Dissection.

BACKGROUND: Secondary aortic intervention (SAI) following thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is not uncommon. However, a satisfactory management system has not been established for these patients. We aimed to report our single-center experience with SAI after prior TEVAR for type B aortic dissection (TBAD). METHODS: From January 2010 to May 2017, 860 eligible patients with TBAD underwent TEVAR. One hundred seven (12.4%) patients required SAI, either endovascularly (n=76) or surgically (n=31). The main indications for SAI were entry flow (n=58 [54.2%]), aneurysm expansion of the proximal or remote aorta (n=26 [24.3%]), retrograde type A aortic dissection (n=11 [10.3%]), distal stent-graft-induced new entry tear (n=6 [5.6%]), and stent migration (n=4 [3.7%]). The Kaplan-Meier curves were generated to determine the degree of freedom from SAI and the prognosis. Cox proportional hazards were used to screen for risk factors for SAI and poor prognosis. RESULTS: The overall 30-day mortality rate after SAI was 4.7% (n=5): endovascular (n=2 [2.6%]) vs open surgery (n=3 [9.7%]; p=0.145). The cumulative survival rates with or without SAI were 86.3%±3.6% vs 95.7%±0.8% at 3 years and 82.0%±4.2% vs 92.2%±1.1% at 5 years, respectively (log-rank p<0.001). Although no significant difference in survival was observed, the incidence of SAI was significantly greater in patients who underwent TEVAR during the chronic phase (acute [11.6%] vs subacute [9.6%] vs chronic [27.8]; p<0.001). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that prior TEVAR in the chronic phase (hazard ratio [HR]=1.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.03-2.90; p=0.039), maximum aortic diameter (HR=1.05, 95% CI=1.04-1.07; p<0.001), and arch involvement (HR=1.48, 95% CI=1.01-2.18; p=0.048) were predictors of the incidence of SAI. In addition, the maximum aortic diameter was demonstrated to be the only risk factor for prognosis after adjusting for confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS: Thoracic endovascular aortic repair for chronic TBAD patients should be reconsidered. Open surgery is preferable for those with proximal progression, whereas endovascular treatment is more suitable for distal lesions. Close surveillance and timely reintervention after TEVAR, whether via endovascular techniques or open surgery, are necessary to prevent devastating complications. CLINICAL IMPACT: The management of patients with type B aortic dissection (TBAD) after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is challenging. We summarized our single-center experience regarding secondary aortic intervention after TEVAR for TBAD. We found that TEVAR for chronic TBAD patients should be carefully evaulated, and open surgery is recommended for those with proximal progession, while endovascular treatment is more preferable for distal lesions.

Methyl viologen induced fluorescence quenching of CdTe quantum dots for highly sensitive and selective "off-on" sensing of ascorbic acid through redox reaction.

A turn-on fluorescent sensor based on CdTe quantum dots (QDs) is designed for highly sensitive and selective ascorbic acid (AA) detection. CdTe shows a strong emission centered at 578 nm. When assembled with poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) and methyl viologen (Mv2+) through electrostatic interaction, the emission is found to be effectively quenched. In the presence of AA, Mv2+ is reduced to Mv+, making the fluorescence of CdTe QDs restored. Under the optimal conditions, the proposed AA sensing method shows a linear proportional response from 0.8 µM to 20 µM, with the detecting limit as low as 50 nM. The developed method was successfully applied in the analysis of AA in human serum samples and cell lysates with satisfactory results.

Pollution level, spatial distribution, and congener fractionation characteristics of low-brominated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in sediments around Chaohu Lake, China.

As new persistent organic compounds, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have aroused important concern because of their potential bioaccumulation and possible ecological and health risk. To examine the sources and temporal variation of PBDEs in Chaohu Lake in eastern China, the surface sediments from Nanfei River (NFR) and core sediments from four estuaries were measured. It showed that low-brominated congeners were dominant, from MonoBDEs to HeptaBDEs (referred to as Σ39PBDE). Concentrations of ∑39PBDE and the ratios of (BDE-47 + BDE-99 + BDE-100)/(BDE-153 + BDE-154) were much greater in surface sediments than in core sediments. The highest concentration was observed in a site close to the outfall of a municipal sewage treatment plant (MSTP), and the ratio was significantly correlated with ∑39PBDE. These results suggested that PentaBDE and OctaBDE commercial mixtures were widely used around Chaohu Lake and the effluent of municipal sewage was a dominant source of PBDEs to surface sediment. Compared to data from other freshwater systems around the world, the concentrations of BDE-47 and BDE-99 in this study were in the middle of the range of global data, but BDE-183 concentrations were at the high end of the range. Due to restrictions on the usage of PentanBDE and OctaBDE commercial mixtures, reductions of PBDE levels from subsurface to superficial layer were observed in all estuaries. Elevated contribution by MonoBDEs to ∑39PBDE in the estuary of the only outflow river suggests significant congener fractionation. TriBDEs, TetraBDEs, and HexaBDEs appeared to pose low risks in all surface sediments, but moderate to high risks may be expected for PentaBDEs. Overall, the results would contribute to a better understanding of the sources and environmental fate of PBDEs in the studied eutrophicated lake.

Distribution, Source Apportionment and Risk Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Surface Sediments at the Basin Scale: A Case Study in Taihu Basin, China.

As a systematic research at basin scale, this study investigated the spatial distribution, source apportionment and ecological risks of eighteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface sediments at different functional regions (rivers, lakes and reservoirs) from Taihu basin. Results showed that the mean values of 18 PAHs (defined as ∑18PAHs) in river sediments (1277 ng/g) was much higher than those observed in lake sediments (243 ng/g) and reservoir sediments (134 ng/g). The accumulation of PAHs in river sediments was largely impacted by the local social-economic development and energy consumption. The positive matrix factorization (PMF) and isomer ratios analysis of PAHs suggest that relative contributions to PAHs in sediments were 15% for gasoline and heavy oil combustion, 9% for oil spills, 30% for coal combustion, 23% for traffic source, and 23% for diagenetic source. Ecological risk assessment based upon risk quotient (RQ) method indicated that sediments at Taihu basin have suffered moderate risk of PAHs.

Genome-wide survey of Gγ subunit gene family in eight Rosaceae and expression analysis of PbrGGs in pear (Pyrus bretschneideri).

BACKGROUND: Heterotrimeric G-proteins, composed of Gα, Gß and Gγ subunits, are important signal transmitters, mediating the cellular response to multiple stimuli in animals and plants. The Gγ subunit is an essential component of the G-protein, providing appropriate functional specificity to the heterotrimer complex and has been well studied in many species. However, the evolutionary history, expression pattern and functional characteristics of Gγ subunits has not been explored in the Rosaceae, representing many important fruit crops. RESULTS: In this study, 35 Gγ subunit genes were identified from the eight species belonging to the Rosaceae family. Based on the structural gene characteristics, conserved protein motifs and phylogenetic analysis of the Gγ subunit genes, the genes were classified into three clades. Purifying selection was shown to play an important role in the evolution of Gγ subunit genes, while a recent whole-genome duplication event was the principal force determining the expansion of the Gγ subunit gene family in the subfamily Maloideae. Gγ subunit genes exhibited diverse spatiotemporal expression patterns in Chinese white pear, including fruit, root, ovary and bud, and under abiotic stress conditions, the relative expression of Gγ subunit genes were up-regulated or down-regulated. In addition, seven of the Gγ subunit proteins in pear were located on the plasma membrane, in the cytoplasm or nucleus. CONCLUSION: Overall, this study of the Gγ subunit gene family in eight Rosaceae species provided useful information to better understand the evolution and expression of these genes and facilitated further exploration of their functions in these important crop plants.

Highly sensitive and selective fluorescence sensing and imaging of Fe3+ based on a novel nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots.

A novel nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs) with a green fluorescence emission was synthesized through microwave method using citric acid and semicarbazide hydrochloride as reactants. The as-synthesized N-GQDs exhibited good stability, excellent water solubility, and negligible cytotoxicity. Due to intermolecular charge transfer, ferric ion (Fe3+ ) has a strong quenching effect on the N-GQDs. Fluorescence quenching has a linear relationship with the Fe3+ concentration in the range 0.02-12 µM. The detection limit was 1.43 nM. What is more, it is worth mentioning that the obtained N-GQDs showed high selectivity and sensitivity towards Fe3+ . Under the optimum conditions, the addition of 10-fold copper ions and 100-fold other metal ions had no influence on the detection of Fe3+ (0.8 µM), which indicated a higher sensitivity compared with that of the reported methods. Due to their excellent properties, the obtained N-GQDs was successfully applied for sensing and imaging Fe3+ in water samples and HeLa cells.

Characterization of Annexin gene family and functional analysis of RsANN1a involved in heat tolerance in radish (Raphanus sativus L.).

Plant annexins are a kind of conserved Ca2+-dependent phospholipid-binding proteins which are involved in plant growth, development and stress tolerance. Radish is an economically important annual or biennial root vegetable crop worldwide. However, the genome-wide characterization of annexin (RsANN) gene family remain largely unexplored in radish. In this study, a comprehensive identification of annexin gene family was performed at the whole genome level in radish. In total, ten RsANN genes were identified, and these putative RsANN proteins shared typical characteristics of the annexin family proteins. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the RsANNs together with annexin from Arabidopsis and rice were clustered into five groups with shared similar motif patterns. Chromosomal localization showed that these ten RsANN genes were distributed on six chromosomes (R3-R8) of radish. Several cis-elements involved in abiotic stress response were identified in the promoter regions of RsANN genes. Expression profile analysis indicated that the RsANN genes exhibited tissue-specific patterns at different growth stages and tissues. The Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) revealed that the expression of most RsANN genes was induced under various abiotic stresses including heat, drought, salinity, oxidization and ABA stress. In addition, stress assays showed that overexpression of RsANN1a improved plant's growth and heat tolerance, while artificial microRNAs (amiRNA)-mediated knockdown of RsANN1a caused dramatically decreased survival ratio of Arabidopsis plants. These findings not only demonstrate that RsANN1a might play a critical role in the heat stress response of radish, but also facilitate clarifying the molecular mechanism of RsANN genes in regulating the biological process governing plant growth and development. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-021-01056-5.

Genome-wide survey of sucrose non-fermenting 1-related protein kinase 2 in Rosaceae and expression analysis of PbrSnRK2 in response to ABA stress.

BACKGROUND: The members of the sucrose non-fermenting 1-related protein kinase 2 (SnRK2) family are specific serine/threonine protein kinases in plants that play important roles in stress signal transduction and adaptation. Because of their positive regulatory roles in response to adverse conditions, the genes encoding thes proteins are considered potential candidates for breeding of plants for disease resistance and genetic improvement. However, there is far less information about this kinase family, and the function of these genes has not been explored in Rosaceae. RESULTS: A genome-wide survey and analysis of the genes encoding members of the SnRK2 family were performed in pear (Pyrus bretschneideri) and seven other Rosaceae species. A total of 71 SnRK2 genes were identified from the eight Rosaceae species and classified into three subgroups based on phylogenetic analysis and structural characteristics. Purifying selection played a crucial role in the evolution of SnRK2 genes, and whole-genome duplication and dispersed duplication were the primary forces underlying the characteristics of the SnRK2 gene family in Rosaceae. Transcriptome data and qRT-PCR assay results revealed that the distribution of PbrSnRK2s was very extensive, including across the roots, leaves, pollen, styles, and flowers, although most of them were mainly expressed in leaves. In addition, under stress conditions, the transcript levels of some of the genes were upregulated in leaves in response to ABA treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides useful information and a theoretical introduction for the study of the evolution, expression, and functions of the SnRK2 gene family in plants.

FGF9 inhibition by a novel binding peptide has efficacy in gastric and bladder cancer per se and reverses resistance to cisplatin.

Aberrant over-expressions of FGF9 in gastric cancer (GC) and its high-affinity receptor FGFR3c in bladder cancer (BC) provide possibilities for the treatment of GC and BC via targeting FGF9. In this study, we isolated a novel FGF9-binding peptide (P4) by screening a phage display random heptapeptide library. Sequence comparison showed that P4 shared high homology with the conserved motif in the immunoglobulin-like (Ig-like) domain II∼III (D2-D3) linker of the FGF9 high-affinity receptor (FGFR3c). The interaction between P4 and FGF9 was confirmed by the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assay. Functional analysis indicated that P4 counteracted FGF9-induced aggressive phenotype, including cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro, as well as suppressed tumor growth in vivovia down-regulation of the MAPKs and Akt cascades. More importantly, we found that FGF9 served as an underlying mechanism of the chemoresistance in GC and BC cells, and P4 could increase the sensitivity to the chemical agent via antagonizing the suppression effects of FGF9 on cell apoptosis. Taken together, our study identified a novel binding peptide for FGF9, which may serve as a potential therapeutic agent for malignant tumors featured by abnormally up-regulation of FGF9.

ncRNA-Encoded Peptides or Proteins and Cancer.

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are unique RNA transcripts that have been widely identified in the eukaryotic genome and have been shown to play key roles in the development of many cancers. However, the rapid development of genome-wide translation profiling and ribosome profiling has revealed that a small number of small open reading frames (sORFs) within ncRNAs actually have peptide- or protein-coding potential. The peptides or proteins encoded by ncRNA (HOXB-AS3, encoded by long ncRNA [lncRNA]; FBXW7-185aa, PINT-87aa, and SHPRH-146aa, encoded by circular RNA [circRNA]; and miPEP-200a and miPEP-200b, encoded by primary miRNAs) have been shown to be critical players in cancer development and progression, through effects upon the regulation of glucose metabolism, the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and the ubiquitination pathway. In this review, we summarize the reported peptides or proteins encoded by ncRNAs in cancer and explore the application of these peptides or proteins in the development of anti-tumor drugs and the identification of relevant therapeutic targets and tumor biomarkers.

Molecular Evolutionary and Expression Pattern Analysis of AKR Genes Shed New Light on GalUR Functional Characteristics in Brassica rapa.

The aldo-keto reductase (AKR) superfamily plays a major role in oxidation-reduction in plants. D-galacturonic acid reductase (GalUR), an ascorbic acid (AsA) biosynthetic enzyme, belongs to this superfamily. However, the phylogenetic relationship and evolutionary history of the AKR gene family in plants has not yet been clarified. In this study, a total of 1268 AKR genes identified in 36 plant species were used to determine this phylogenetic relationship. The retention, structural characteristics, and expression patterns of AKR homologous genes in Brassica rapa and Arabidopsis thaliana were analyzed to further explore their evolutionary history. We found that the AKRs originated in algae and could be divided into A and B groups according to the bootstrap value; GalURs belonged to group A. Group A AKR genes expanded significantly before the origin of angiosperms. Two groups of AKR genes demonstrated functional divergence due to environmental adaptability, while group A genes were more conservative than those in group B. All 12 candidate GalUR genes were cloned, and their expression patterns under stress were analyzed, in Pak-choi. These genes showed an obvious expression divergence under multiple stresses, and BrcAKR22 exhibited a positive correlation between its expression trend and AsA content. Our findings provide new insights into the evolution of the AKR superfamily and help build a foundation for further investigations of GalUR's functional characteristics.

Significance of Anthropogenic Factors to Freely Dissolved Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Freshwater of China.

Assessment of surface water pollution by organic pollutants is a top priority in many parts of the world, as it provides critical information for implementing effective measures to ensure drinking water safety. This is particularly important in China, where insufficient data of national scale have been acquired on the occurrence of any organic pollutants in the country's water bodies. To fill the knowledge gap, we employed passive samplers to survey polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 42 freshwaters throughout the country. The dissolved Σ24PAH concentrations ranged from 0.28 to 538 ng L-1, with the highest and lowest values obtained in Southern Lake in Wuhan and in the Nam Co Lake in Tibet, respectively. Average Σ24PAH concentrations in West, Central, and East China correlated well with the population densities in these regions. The composition profiles of PAHs showed a mixed PAH source of coal combustion, fossil fuel combustion, and oil spills. In addition, all dissolved PAH concentrations were below the water guidelines developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the European Union, and the Canadian government, except for anthracene in Southern Lake. Our results also demonstrated the feasibility of establishing a global network of monitoring organic pollutants in the aquatic environment with passive sampling techniques.

A sucrose non-fermenting-1-related protein kinase 1 gene from potato, StSnRK1, regulates carbohydrate metabolism in transgenic tobacco.

Sucrose non-fermenting-1-related protein kinase 1 (SnRK1) has been shown to play an essential role in regulating saccharide metabolism and starch biosynthesis of plant. The regulatory role of StSnRK1 from potato in regulating carbohydrate metabolism and starch accumulation has not been investigated. In this work, a cDNA encoding the SnRK1 protein, named StSnRK1, was isolated from potato. The open reading frame contained 1545 nucleotides encoding 514 amino acids. Subcellular localization analysis in onion epidermal cells indicated that StSnRK1 protein was localized to the nucleus. The coding region of StSnRK1 was cloned into a binary vector under the control of 35S promoter and then transformed into tobacco to obtain transgenic plants. Transgenic tobacco plants expressing StSnRK1 were shown to have a significant increased accumulation of starch content, as well as sucrose, glucose and fructose content. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis indicated that overexpression of StSnRK1 up-regulated the expression of sucrose synthase (NtSUS), ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (NtAGPase) and soluble starch synthase (NtSSS III) genes involved in starch biosynthesis in the transgenic plants. In contrast, the expression of sucrose phosphate synthase (NtSPS) gene was decreased in the transgenic plants. Meanwhile, enzymatic analyses indicated that the activities of major enzymes (SUS, AGPase and SSS) involved in the starch biosynthesis were enhanced, whereas SPS activity was decreased in the transgenic plants compared to the wild-type. These results suggest that the manipulation of StSnRK1 expression might be used for improving quality of plants in the future.

A high effective NADH-ferricyanide dehydrogenase coupled with laccase for NAD(+) regeneration.

OBJECTIVES: To find an efficient and cheap system for NAD(+) regeneration RESULTS: A NADH-ferricyanide dehydrogenase was obtained from an isolate of Escherichia coli. Optimal activity of the NADH dehydrogenase was at 45 °C and pH 7.5, with a K m value for NADH of 10 µM. By combining the NADH dehydrogenase, potassium ferricyanide and laccase, a bi-enzyme system for NAD(+) regeneration was established. The system is attractive in that the O2 consumed by laccase is from air and the sole byproduct of the reaction is water. During the reaction process, 10 mM NAD(+) was transformed from NADH in less than 2 h under the condition of 0.5 U NADH dehydrogenase, 0.5 U laccase, 0.1 mM potassium ferricyanide at pH 5.6, 30 °C CONCLUSION: The bi-enzyme system employed the NADH-ferricyanide dehydrogenase and laccase as catalysts, and potassium ferricyanide as redox mediator, is a promising alternative for NAD(+) regeneration.

Optimizing the development of contaminated land in China: Exploring machine-learning to identify risk markers.

Often available for use, previously developed land, which includes residential and commercial/industrial areas, presents a significant challenge due to the risk to human health. China's 2018 release of health risk assessment standards for land reuse aimed to bridge this gap in soil quality standards. Despite this, the absence of representative indicators strains risk managers economically and operationally. We improved China's land redevelopment approach by leveraging a dataset of 297,275 soil samples from 352 contaminated sites, employing machine learning. Our method incorporating soil quality standards from seven countries to discern patterns for establishing a cost-effective evaluative framework. Our research findings demonstrated that detection costs could be curtailed by 60% while maintaining consistency with international soil standards (prediction accuracy = 90-98%). Our findings deepen insights into soil pollution, proposing a more efficient risk assessment system for land redevelopment, addressing the current dearth of expertise in evaluating land development in China.

Prevalence and Prognostic Significance of Malnutrition in Patients with Type B Aortic Dissection Undergoing Endovascular Repair.

Background: Malnutrition is a poor prognostic factor in a wide range of diseases. Nevertheless, there is a lack of data investigating the association between malnutrition and outcomes of patients with type B aortic dissection (TBAD) undergoing thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to report the prevalence and clinical impact of malnutrition assessed by the controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score in TBAD patients undergoing TEVAR. Methods: The retrospective study indicated that a total of 881 patients diagnosed with TBAD and treated with TEVAR from January 2010 to December 2017 were categorized into subgroups based on their CONUT score (low ≤ 5 vs. high > 5). To assess the correlation between malnutrition and early and follow-up outcomes of TBAD patients, logistic and Cox regression analysis were utilized, incorporating inverse probability weighting. Results: Malnutrition was present in 20.3% of patients according to the CONUT score. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that pre-operative CONUT score modeled as a continuous variable was an independent risk factor for prolonged intensive care unit stay (odds ratio [OR], 1.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.17; p = 0.015), 30-day death (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.19-1.72; p < 0.001), delirium (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.01-1.23; p = 0.035) and acute kidney injury (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.01-1.16; p = 0.027). During a median follow-up of 70.8 (46.1-90.8) months, 102 (11.8%) patients died (high CONUT group: 21.8% vs. low CONUT group: 9.0%; p < 0.001). Multivariable Cox proportional-hazards models showed that malnutrition was an independent predictor for follow-up mortality (hazard ratio, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.11-2.53; p = 0.014). Results remained consistent across various sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: Malnutrition assessed by the CONUT score could profoundly affect the early and follow-up prognosis in patients undergoing TEVAR. Routine pre-intervention nutritional evaluation might provide valuable prognostic information.

Variations in the concentration, inventory, source, and ecological risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments of the Lake Chaohu.

In this study, the ecological risk assessment of PAHs pollution, the existing S-T model was improved and applied to this PAHs pollution assessment in surface sediment in Lake Chaohu. The potential sources and contributions of PAHs in the surface sediment were estimated by molecular diagnostic ratio (MDR) and positive matrix factorization (PMF). The results showed that the average concentration of 16 priority PAHs in the surface sediment was 718.16 ng/g in 2009 and 334.67 ng/g in 2020. In 2020, PAHs concentration has decreased compared to 2009 and the dominant composition has changed from high- to low-molecular-weight PAHs. The estimated PAHs mass inventory of the top 2 cm surface sediment was 2712 tons in 2009 and 1263 tons in 2020. Ecosystem risk assessment by improved S-T models suggested that the overall ecosystem risk of the studied regions was acceptable.

Platelet factors ameliorate thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection by inhibiting the FGF-FGFR cascade activation in aortic-endothelial cell.

Thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (TAAD) is closely associated with vascular endothelial dysfunction. Platelet factor 4 (PF4) is crucial for maintaining vascular endothelial cell homeostasis. However, whether PF4 can influence the progression of TAAD remains unknown. In the present study, we constructed a liposome-encapsulated PF4 nanomedicine and verified its effect on BAPN-induced TAAD in vivo. We found that liposome PF4 nanoparticles (Lipo-PF4), more effectively than PF4 alone, inhibited the formation of TAAD. In vitro, PF4 improved endothelial cell function under pathological conditions by inhibiting migratory and angiogenic abilities of human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). Mechanically, PF4 inhibited the development of TAAD and improved HAECs function by combining with heparin sulfate and blocking fibroblast growth factor-fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGF-FGFR) signaling. Taken together, we developed a nano-drug (Lipo-PF4) that effectively ameliorates the progression of TAAD by improving endothelial function. Lipo-PF4 is expected to be a therapeutic option for TAAD in the future.

Anthropogenic activities have contributed moderately to increased inputs of organic materials in marginal seas off China.

Sediment has been recognized as a gigantic sink of organic materials and therefore can record temporal input trends. To examine the impact of anthropogenic activities on the marginal seas off China, sediment cores were collected from the Yellow Sea, the inner shelf of the East China Sea (ECS), and the South China Sea (SCS) to investigate the sources and spatial and temporal variations of organic materials, i.e., total organic carbon (TOC) and aliphatic hydrocarbons. The concentration ranges of TOC were 0.5-1.29, 0.63-0.83, and 0.33-0.85%, while those of Σn-C14-35 (sum of n-alkanes with carbon numbers of 14-35) were 0.08-1.5, 0.13-1.97, and 0.35-0.96 µg/g dry weight in sediment cores from the Yellow Sea, ECS inner shelf, and the SCS, respectively. Terrestrial higher plants were an important source of aliphatic hydrocarbons in marine sediments off China. The spatial distribution of Σn-C14-35 concentrations and source diagnostic ratios suggested a greater load of terrestrial organic materials in the Yellow Sea than in the ECS and SCS. Temporally, TOC and Σn-C14-35 concentrations increased with time and peaked at either the surface or immediate subsurface layers. This increase was probably reflective of elevated inputs of organic materials to marginal seas off China in recent years, and attributed partly to the impacts of intensified anthropogenic activities in mainland China. Source diagnostics also suggested that aliphatic hydrocarbons were mainly derived from biogenic sources, with a minority in surface sediment layers from petroleum sources, consistent with the above-mentioned postulation.

An intussusception caused by a rare transverse colon lipoma: Case report.

INTRODUCTION: Intestinal lipoma is a rare benign tumor with a reported incidence of 0.2 % to 4.4 %. It is seen mainly in patients aged 50 to 70 years. Intestinal lipoma as a pathological lead point of intussusception is rare. There are few reports of colic lipoma in children. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We reported a 7-year-old girl with a 4-year history of intermittent abdominal pain. Ultrasound examination showed a homogeneous hyperechoic mass near the distal transverse colon, which was similar to the surrounding lipid tissue. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of intestinal lipoma. DISCUSSION: Colonic lipoma is very rare in children. If intussusception occurs repeatedly, or if it occurs in older children, we should consider the presence of pathological lead point. Early diagnosis and immediate surgical intervention are the key factors to a successful outcome. CONCLUSION: In this case we report a pediatric case of intussusception secondary to colonic lipoma, and describe imaging and pathologic signs suggestive of intestinal lipoma.