The abundance and pathogenicity of microbes in automobile air conditioning filters across the typical cities of China and Europe.

Bioaerosols are widely distributed in urban air and can be transmitted across the atmosphere, biosphere, and anthroposphere, resulting in infectious diseases. Automobile air conditioning (AAC) filters can trap airborne microbes. In this study, AAC filters were used to investigate the abundance and pathogenicity of airborne microorganisms in typical Chinese and European cities. Culturable bacteria and fungi concentrations were determined using microbial culturing. High-throughput sequencing was employed to analyze microbial community structures. The levels of culturable bioaerosols in Chinese and European cities exhibited disparities (Analysis of Variance, P < 0.01). The most dominant pathogenic bacteria and fungi were similar in Chinese (Mycobacterium: 18.2-18.9 %; Cladosporium: 23.0-30.2 %) and European cities (Mycobacterium: 15.4-37.7 %; Cladosporium: 18.1-29.3 %). Bartonella, Bordetella, Alternaria, and Aspergillus were also widely identified. BugBase analysis showed that microbiomes in China exhibited higher abundances of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and biofilm formation capacity than those in Europe, indicating higher health risks. Through co-occurrence network analysis, heavy metals such as zinc were found to correlate with microorganism abundance; most bacteria were inversely associated, while fungi exhibited greater tolerance, indicating that heavy metals affect the growth and reproduction of bioaerosol microorganisms. This study elucidates the influence of social and environmental factors on shaping microbial community structures, offering practical insights for preventing and controlling regional bioaerosol pollution.

The story of a decade: Genomics, functional genomics, and molecular breeding in Brassica napus.

Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is one of the major global sources of edible vegetable oil and is also used as a feed and pioneer crop and for sightseeing and industrial purposes. Improvements in genome sequencing and molecular marker technology have fueled a boom in functional genomic studies of major agronomic characters such as yield, quality, flowering time, and stress resistance. Moreover, introgression and pyramiding of key functional genes have greatly accelerated the genetic improvement of important traits. Here we summarize recent progress in rapeseed genomics and genetics, and we discuss effective molecular breeding strategies by exploring these findings in rapeseed. These insights will extend our understanding of the molecular mechanisms and regulatory networks underlying agronomic traits and facilitate the breeding process, ultimately contributing to more sustainable agriculture throughout the world.

Mutating BnEOD1s via CRISPR-Cas9 increases the seed size and weight in Brassica napus.

Seed weight, which is highly correlated to seed size, is a critical agronomic trait that determines the yield of Brassica napus. However, there have been limited researches on the genes involved in regulating seed size. In Arabidopsis thaliana, ENHANCER OF DA1 (EOD1), an E3 ubiquitin ligase gene, has been identified as a significant negative regulator in controlling organ size, but the function of its homologs in rapeseed remains unknown. Only two homologous of EOD1, BnaEOD1.A04 and BnaEOD1.C04, have been found in B. napus and were mutated using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Three T-DNA-free lines, T2-157-1-C8, T2-390-2-B8, and T2-397-2-E2, were identified from the homozygous T2 mutant lines. The BnaEOD1.A04 showed a similar type of editing in these mutants, whereas the BnaEOD1.C04 in T2-397-2-E2 was only missing 26 amino acids, and the translation was not prematurely terminated, which was different from the other two mutants. In parallel, mutation of BnaEOD1s resulted in a noteworthy increase in both seed size and seed weight in the three editing lines. Additionally, there was a significant decline in the number of seeds per silique (SPS) and silique length (SL) in T2-157-1-C8 and T2-390-2-B8, but T2-397-2-E2 did not show any significant changes in the SPS and SL, possibly due to distinct types of editing in the three lines. The above results indicate the conserved function of EOD1 homologs and provides promising germplasm for breeding novel high-yield rapeseed varieties by improving seed size and thousand-seed weight. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-023-01430-z.

Treatment for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses.

Purpose: In recent years, many meta-analyses of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) treatment have been published; however, these studies still lack systematic summary. Therefore, the aim of this study is to summarize and evaluate the evidence level and efficacy of treatment for TNBC. Materials and Methods: Retrospective and prospective studies on treatment of TNBC were searched in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. The literature search deadline was June 30, 2021. Two investigators independently screened the literature and extracted the data. In addition, the joint World Health Organization-United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization expert consultation was used to evaluate the validity of the evidence. Results: A total of 28 meta-analyses were included in this study. The treatment interventions for TNBC mainly included surgery, chemotherapy (CT), radiotherapy, molecular targeted therapy, immunotherapy, zoledronic acid, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analog. Platinum improves the pathological complete response (PCR) rate of patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT), the objective remission rate (ORR) and overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Capecitabine improves disease-free survival (DFS) and OS in patients treated with adjuvant CT. Bevacizumab was added to NACT to improve the PCR rate in patients. Immunotherapy improves the PCR rate in patients treated with NACT. The improvement in PCR rate in patients with high Ki67 expression treated with neoadjuvant therapy is highly suggestive. Other interventions had suggestive or weak evidence. Conclusion: Among the strategies for treating TNBC, platinum, bevacizumab, and immunotherapy can lead to better PCR rates as part of a NACT regimen. Capecitabine as adjuvant CT and platinum in the treatment of metastatic TNBC can benefit patients' survival. However, the effectiveness of other interventions for TNBC is not yet clear. Further research is needed in the future to obtain more reliable clinical evidence.

The emission and dynamics of droplets from human expiratory activities and COVID-19 transmission in public transport system: A review.

The public transport system, containing a large number of passengers in enclosed and confined spaces, provides suitable conditions for the spread of respiratory diseases. Understanding how diseases are transmitted in public transport environment is of vital importance to public health. However, this is a highly multidisciplinary matter and the related physical processes including the emissions of respiratory droplets, the droplet dynamics and transport pathways, and subsequently, the infection risk in public transport, are poorly understood. To better grasp the complex processes involved, a synthesis of current knowledge is required. Therefore, we conducted a review on the behaviors of respiratory droplets in public transport system, covering a wide scope from the emission profiles of expiratory droplets, the droplet dynamics and transport, to the transmission of COVID-19 in public transport. The literature was searched using related keywords in Web of Science and PubMed and screened for suitability. The droplet size is a key parameter in determining the deposition and evaporation, which together with the exhaled air velocity largely determines the horizontal travel distance. The potential transmission route and transmission rate in public transport as well as the factors influencing the virus-laden droplet behaviors and virus viability (such as ventilation system, wearing personal protective equipment, air temperature and relative humidity) were also discussed. The review also suggests that future studies should address the uncertainties in droplet emission profiles associated with the measurement techniques, and preferably build a database based on a unified testing protocol. Further investigations based on field measurements and modeling studies into the influence of different ventilation systems on the transmission rate in public transport are also needed, which would provide scientific basis for controlling the transmission of diseases.

Use of Computed Tomography-Guided Percutaneous Biopsy of Invasive Non-Mucinous Lung Adenocarcinoma to Predict the Degree of Histological Differentiation.

Background: The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) published a grading system for invasive pulmonary adenocarcinoma that is closely associated with prognosis. This study aimed to investigate the accuracy of computed tomography (CT)-guided biopsy specimen grading and surgery-guided grading systems for detecting invasive non-mucinous lung adenocarcinoma and to determine whether CT-guided biopsy can predict the degree of histological differentiation. Methods: In total, 130 patients with invasive non-mucinous lung adenocarcinoma who underwent CT-guided biopsy before surgical excision were retrospectively studied. Biopsy and surgical specimen pathologies were compared. Grading was performed according to different subtypes proposed by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV/NPV), and accuracy were calculated for each subtype and grade. Results: The concordance rates of biopsy and surgical pathology subtypes and grades were 73.1% and 72.3%, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of grade 3 were 54.8%, 100%, 100%, 87.6%, and 89.2%, respectively. Pathology grades were primarily discrepant with respect to two aspects of biopsy and surgical samples in the same patient. First, the biopsy and surgical specimen pathology findings indicated lepidic and acinar subtypes as the main subtypes in the same patient, respectively. Second, biopsy specimen histology did not find solid types; however, >20% of solid subtypes were identified in surgical pathology samples in the same patient. Conclusions: The preoperative CT-guided biopsy specimen grading system showed relatively high accuracy and could predict the prognosis of invasive non-mucinous lung adenocarcinoma.

The association of chemical composition particularly the heavy metals with the oxidative potential of ambient PM2.5 in a megacity (Guangzhou) of southern China.

Atmospheric fine particulate matters (PM2.5) can cause adverse health effects through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is normally characterized by the oxidative potential (OP). However, the particulate components that are mainly responsible for the ROS-induced OP remain controversial and warrant further investigation, especially in megacities where high exposure exists and particulate composition is complex. In this study, we measured the OP of PM2.5 using the dithiothreitol (DTT) assay with and without chelation of metals in a megacity in southern China, Guangzhou, in January and April. We explored the correlations between OP and various chemical components in PM2.5, including water-soluble ions, organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and metal elements. There are strong correlations between OPDTTv (volume-normalized) and concentrations of PM2.5, OC, and EC, while the correlations between OPDTTm (mass-normalized) and mass-normalized water-soluble ions, OC, EC or metal elements are weak. The OP values with chelation were reduced by ∼90%, indicating that water-soluble heavy metals were the major contributors to OP of PM2.5 in Guangzhou. On the other hand, correlations between OPDTTm and OC improved significantly after the chelation of heavy metals, implying that OC explains the variance of OPDTTm although its contribution to OP is much smaller than that of heavy metals. We postulate that there might be synergetic effects between water-soluble heavy metals (which contribute most to OP) and OC (which explains the variance of OP) in ROS generation by PM2.5. The findings of the current study provide a better understanding on the critical components in PM2.5 and potential synergism that might be responsible for health effects in urban areas.

Metagenomic Assessment of the Pathogenic Risk of Microorganisms in Sputum of Postoperative Patients With Pulmonary Infection.

Respiratory infections are complicated biological processes associated with an unbalanced microbial community and a wide range of pathogens. To date, robust approaches are still required for distinguishing the pathogenic microorganisms from the colonizing ones in the clinical specimens with complex infection. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the data of conventional culture testing and metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of the sputum samples collected from 50 pulmonary infected patients after cardiac surgery from December 2020 and June 2021 in Ruijin Hospital. Taxonomic classification of the sputum metagenomes showed that the numbers of species belonging to bacteria, fungi, and viruses were 682, 58, and 21, respectively. The full spectrum of microorganisms present in the sputum microbiome covered all the species identified by culture, including 12 bacterial species and two fungal species. Based on species-level microbiome profiling, a reference catalog of microbial abundance detection limits was constructed to assess the pathogenic risks of individual microorganisms in the specimens. The proposed screening procedure detected 64 bacterial pathogens, 10 fungal pathogens, and three viruses. In particular, certain opportunistic pathogenic strains can be distinguished from the colonizing ones in the individual specimens. Strain-level identification and phylogenetic analysis were further performed to decipher molecular epidemiological characteristics of four opportunistic etiologic agents, including Klebsiella pneumoniae, Corynebacterium striatum, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. Our findings provide a novel metagenomic insight into precision diagnosis for clinically relevant microbes, especially for opportunistic pathogens in the clinical setting.

Platelet-Derived Growth Factor-Functionalized Scaffolds for the Recruitment of Synovial Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Osteochondral Repair.

Cartilage regeneration is still a challenge for clinicians because of avascularity, denervation, load-bearing, synovial movement, and the paucity of endogenous repair cells. We constructed a multilayered osteochondral bionic scaffold and examined its repair capacity using a rabbit osteochondral defect model. The cartilage phase and interface layer of the scaffold were prepared by freeze-drying, whereas the bone phase of the scaffold was prepared by high-temperature sintering. The three-phase osteochondral bionic scaffold was formed by joining the hydroxyapatite (HAp) and silk fibroin (SF) scaffolds using the repeated freeze-thaw method. Different groups of scaffolds were implanted into the rabbit osteochondral defect model, and their repair capacities were assessed using imaging and histological analyses. The cartilage phase and the interface layer of the scaffold had a pore size of 110.13 ± 29.38 and 96.53 ± 33.72 µm, respectively. All generated scaffolds exhibited a honeycomb porous structure. The polydopamine- (PDA-) modified scaffold released platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) for 4 weeks continuously, reaching a cumulative release of 71.74 ± 5.38%. Synovial mesenchymal stem cells (SMSCs) adhered well to all scaffolds, but demonstrated the strongest proliferation ability in the HSPP (HAp-Silk-PDA-PDGF) group. Following scaffold-induced chondrogenic differentiation, SMSCs produced much chondrocyte extracellular matrix (ECM). In in vivo experiments, the HSPP group exhibited a significantly higher gross tissue morphology score and achieved cartilage regeneration at an earlier stage and a significantly better repair process compared with the other groups (P < 0.05). Histological analysis revealed that the new cartilage tissue in the experimental group had a better shape and almost filled the defect area, whereas the scaffold was nearly completely degraded. The new cartilage was effectively fused with the surrounding normal cartilage, and a substantial amount of chondrocyte ECM was formed. The SF/HAp three-layer osteochondral bionic scaffold exhibited favorable pore size, porosity, and drug sustained-release properties. It demonstrated good biocompatibility in vitro and encouraging repair effect at osteochondral defect site in vivo, thereby expected to enabling the repair and regeneration of osteochondral damage.

The underappreciated role of monocarbonyl-dicarbonyl interconversion in secondary organic aerosol formation during photochemical oxidation of m-xylene.

Photochemical oxidation (including photolysis and OH-initiated reactions) of aromatic hydrocarbon produces carbonyls, which are involved in the formation of secondary organic aerosols (SOA). However, the mechanism of this process remains incompletely understood. Herein, the monocarbonyl-dicarbonyl interconversion and its role in SOA production were investigated via a series of photochemical oxidation experiments for m-xylene and representative carbonyls. The results showed that SOA mass concentration peaked at 113.5 ± 3.5 µg m-3 after m-xylene oxidation for 60 min and then decreased. Change in the main oxidation products from dicarbonyl (e.g., glyoxal, methylglyoxal) to monocarbonyl (e.g., formaldehyde) was responsible for this decrease. The photolysis of methylglyoxal or glyoxal produced formaldehyde, favoring SOA formation, while photopolymerization of formaldehyde to glyoxal decreased SOA production. The presence of ·OH altered the balance of photolysis interconversion, resulting in greater production of formaldehyde and SOA from glyoxal than methylglyoxal. Both photolysis and OH-initiated transformations of glyoxal to formaldehyde were suppressed by methylglyoxal, while glyoxal accelerated the reaction of ·OH with methylglyoxal to generate products which reversibly converted to glyoxal and methylglyoxal. These interconversion reactions reduced SOA production. The present study provides a new research perspective for the contribution mechanism of carbonyls in SOA formation and the findings are also helpful to efficiently evaluate the atmospheric fate of aromatic hydrocarbons.

Low emission zones reduced PM10 but not NO2 concentrations in Berlin and Munich, Germany.

Low emission zones (LEZs) aiming at improving the air quality in urban areas have been implemented in many European cities. However, studies are limited in evaluating the effects of LEZ, and most of which used simple methods. In this study, a general additive mixed model was utilized to account for confounders in the atmosphere and validate the effects of LEZ on PM10 and NO2 concentrations in two German cities. In addition, the effects of LEZ on elemental carbon (EC) and total carbon (TC) in Berlin were also evaluated. The LEZ effects were estimated after taking into account air pollutant concentrations at a reference site located in the regional background, and adjusting for hour of the week, public holidays, season, and wind direction. The LEZ in Berlin, and the LEZ in combination with the heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) transit ban in Munich significantly reduced the PM10 concentrations, at both traffic sites (TS) and urban background sites (UB). The effects were greater in LEZ stage 3 than in LEZ stages 2 and 1. Moreover, compared with PM10, LEZ was more efficient in reducing EC, a component that is considered more toxic than PM10 mass. In contrast, the LEZ had no consistent effect on NO2 levels: no effects were observed in Berlin; in Munich, the combination of the LEZ and the HDV transit ban reduced NO2 at UB site in LEZ stage 1, but without further reductions in subsequent stages of the LEZ. Overall, our study indicated that LEZs, which target the major primary air pollution source in the highly populated city center could be an effective way to improve urban air quality such as PM mass concentration and EC level.

Measurement and evaluation of gaseous and particulate emissions from burning scented and unscented candles.

It has been known for a long time that incomplete combustion processes produce by-products that are harmful to human health. Particularly high concentrations of such by-products can arise in indoor environments when operating open flames without venting. The emission behavior of many combustion sources, including candles, has already been examined in detail. However, to date there are no studies in which the chemical composition of the candles is known exactly or where the candles were specifically manufactured for comparative measurements. In this respect, the study presented here, which was designed in collaboration with candle manufacturers and fragrance houses, demonstrates new insights into the emissions of burning candles depending on their composition. All investigations were carried out under controlled climatic conditions in an 8 m3 stainless steel chamber. Combinations of four different fuels (waxes) and five different fragrances in addition to one set of unscented control candles were examined. This resulted in 24 experiments, 20 with scented candles and four with unscented candles. The typical combustion gases carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and NOx, organic compounds, such as formaldehyde, benzene, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PM2.5 and ultrafine particles were monitored in the chamber air and the emission rates were determined. The data were statistically evaluated using parametric and non-parametric methods as well as hierarchical cluster analysis. Exposure scenarios typical for indoor environments were calculated from the emission rates and the results were compared with indoor guidance and reference values. As expected, a multitude of gaseous and particulate emissions were detected. These were typical combustion products as well as evaporated constituents of the fragrance mixtures. In most cases, the calculated indoor concentrations were well below the respective guidance and reference values. The exceptions observed in some cases for nitrogen dioxide, acrolein and benzo[a]pyrene are discussed critically.

Clinical utility of [68Ga]Ga-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI) positron emission tomography/computed tomography for primary staging and recurrence detection in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the clinical utility of [68Ga]Ga-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor ([68Ga]Ga-FAPI) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) relative to [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) PET/CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for primary staging and recurrence detection in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS: This retrospective analysis utilized a sub-cohort of patients from a previously acquired database. Patients with NPC who underwent [18F]FDG and [68Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT between October 2019 and November 2020 were included. The radiotracer uptake and clinical staging/restaging performances of [18F]FDG and [68Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT were compared. RESULTS: Forty-five participants (39 for initial assessment, 6 for recurrence detection) were included. In treatment-naïve participants, [68Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT showed higher radiotracer uptake than [18F]FDG PET/CT in primary tumors (16.18 vs. 10.11, P < 0.001), regional lymph nodes (11.42 vs. 7.37, P < 0.001), and bone and visceral metastases (6.94 vs. 3.11, P < 0.001). Compared with the [18F]FDG-based TNM stage, the [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-based TNM stage was upgraded in ten patients (26%), resulting in management changes in seven patients (18%). Compared with MRI, [68Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT upgraded and underestimated the T stage in four and two patients, respectively. In post-treatment patients, [68Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT yielded more true-positive findings than [18F]FDG PET/CT in detecting local recurrence. CONCLUSION: [68Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT is a promising imaging modality for the diagnosis of primary and metastatic NPC. The exact tumor geographic imaging obtained through [68Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT may be a supplement to MRI for T staging and radiotherapy planning.

Characteristics of chemical profile, sources and PAH toxicity of PM2.5 in beijing in autumn-winter transit season with regard to domestic heating, pollution control measures and meteorology.

Several air pollution episodes occurred in Beijing before and after the 2014 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, during which air-pollution control measures were implemented. Within this autumn-winter transit season, domestic heating started. Such interesting period merits comprehensive chemical characterization, particularly the organic species, to look into the influence of additional heating sources and the control measures on air pollution. Therefore, this study performed daily and 6h time resolved PM2.5 sampling from the 24th October to 7th December, 2014, followed by comprehensive chemical analyses including water-soluble ions, elements and organic source-markers. Apparent alterations of chemical profiles were observed with the initiation of domestic heating. Through positive matrix factorization (PMF) source apportionment modeling, six PM2.5 sources including secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA), traffic emission, coal combustion, industry emission, biomass burning and dust were separated and identified. Coal combustion was successfully distinguished from traffic emission by hopane diagnostic ratio. The result of this study reveals a gradual shift of dominating sources for PM pollution episodes from SIA to primary sources after starting heating. BaPeq toxicity from coal combustion increased on average by several to dozens of times in the heating period, causing both long-term and short-term health risk. Air mass trajectory analysis highlights the regional influence of the industry emissions from the area south to Beijing. Control measures taken during APEC were found to be effective for reducing industry source, but less effective in reducing the overall PM2.5 level. These results provide implications for policy making regarding appropriate air pollution control measures.

Relation of Helicobacter pylori infection to peripheral arterial stiffness and 10-year cardiovascular risk in subjects with diabetes mellitus.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate the relation of HP infection to peripheral arterial stiffness and 10-year cardiovascular risk in diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: DM subjects who underwent the C13-breath test were enrolled and divided into DMHP+ and DMHP- groups. Peripheral arterial stiffness was measured using brachial to ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). Framingham score (FRS) and Chinese evaluation method of ischemic cardiovascular diseases (ICVD) were used to clarify 10-year cardiovascular risk. RESULTS: A total of 6767 subjects were included, baPWV and proportion of subjects with severe peripheral arterial stiffness were lower in DMHP- group than DMHP+ group (1556.68 ± 227.54 vs 2031.61 ± 525.48 cm/s, p < 0.01; 21.9% vs 62.7%, p < 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that HP infection was independently associated with baPWV. Furthermore, cardiovascular risk score and the proportion of subjects with high risk were lower in DMHP- group than DMHP+ group (FRS: 12.09 ± 3.77 vs 13.91 ± 3.77, 17.2% vs 38.8%; ICVD: 8.56 ± 2.99 vs 10.22 ± 3.16, 43.9% vs 65.4%, with all p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: DM subjects with HP infection had more severe peripheral arterial stiffness compared those without HP infection, a higher cardiovascular risk score and 10-year cardiovascular risk stratification were observed in those subjects.

[Effect of catgut implantation at "Yingxiang"(LI20) on lower airway remodeling in allergic rhinitis rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of catgut implantation at "Yingxiang"(LI20) on lower airway remodeling and levels of osteopon-tin (OPN) protein in allergic rhinitis (AR) rats, so as to reveal its mechanisms underlying improvement of AR. METHODS: Male SD rats were randomly divided into control, model and catgut implantation groups, with 10 rats in each group. The AR model was established by intraperitoneal injection and nasal drip of ovalbumin. The catgut implantation was applied to bilateral "Yingxiang"(LI20) for 28 days in rats of the catgut implantation group. The total score of allergic symptoms of rats in each group were observed. The histopathological changes of lower airway were observed under light microscope after Hematoxylineosin, Periodic acid-Schiff and Masson staining. The expression of OPN protein was detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot, separately. RESULTS: The total score of allergic symptoms of nose-wiping, running nose and sneezing, count of lung goblet cells, lung fiber content, and immunoactivity and expression levels of OPN protein were significantly increased in the model group in contrast to the control group (P<0.05). After the intervention, the total score of allergic symptoms, count of lung goblet cells, immunoactivity and expression levels of OPN protein were considerably down-regulated in the catgut implantation group relevant to the model group (P<0.05). H．E. stain showed thickening of partial airway wall, narrowing of lumen, increase of mucus section, widened alveolar septum, infiltration of inflammatory cells, lymphocytes and eosinophil around the bronchus and in the lung interstitium in AR rats, which was milder in the catgut implantation group. The immunoactivity and expression levels of OPN protein were positively related with the lung goblet cells count and lung fiber content (P<0.05，P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Acupoint implantation of catgut can improve pathological changes of lower airway remodeling, which may be related to its effect in down-regulating the expression of OPN protein in the lung tissue.

68Ga-FAPI PET/CT in Assessment of Liver Nodules in a Cirrhotic Patient.

Ga-FAPI PET/CT was performed in a 56-year-old cirrhotic patient with multiple liver nodules, which were suspected of hepatocellular carcinoma by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance but were not visualized by F-FDG PET/CT. Increased Ga-FAPI liver uptake was observed in this cirrhotic patient. However, the nodules had no pathological Ga-FAPI uptake and were clearly visualized due to the low activity compared with surrounding liver parenchyma. The Ga-FAPI PET/CT features, suggestive of benign nodules, have been later confirmed by histopathological examination. This case suggested that Ga-FAPI PET/CT may be useful in the differentiation between benign nodules and hepatocellular carcinoma in the patient with liver cirrhosis.

Clinical Study on Prelaryngeal Lymph Node Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the risk factors of prelaryngeal lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma and its clinical application value. METHODS: The clinical pathological features and metastatic risks were statistically analyzed by reviewing 254 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma, who received their first operation and prelaryngeal lymph node dissection in our department. RESULTS: The detection of prelaryngeal lymph nodes, tumor size and any paratracheal lymph node metastasis were correlated with the number of paratracheal lymph node metastasis (P<0.05), but these were not correlated with age, gender, multiple foci, tumor size, any paratracheal lymph node metastasis, metastatic location, or foci location (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Paratracheal lymph node metastasis indicates a high possibility of prelaryngeal lymph node metastasis. Paratracheal lymph node dissection combined with prelaryngeal lymph node dissection should be simultaneously considered in operations for thyroid papilla carcinoma.

Relationship between plasma levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and arterial stiffness in elderly Chinese with non-dipper hypertension: An observational study.

Elderly individuals with non-dipper hypertension are at high risk of cardiovascular disease because of increased stiffness of peripheral arteries. Since, vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in elderly Chinese. We examined whether reduced plasma levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] may help promote this stiffness.Hypertensive patients at least 60 years old without history of peripheral arterial disease at our hospital were retrospectively divided into dipper and non-dipper groups according to the results of 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Plasma levels of 25(OH)D were measured by enzyme immunoassay. Peripheral arterial stiffness was measured based on the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI).Of the 155 patients enrolled, 95 (61.3%) were diagnosed with non-dipper hypertension and these patients had significantly lower plasma levels of 25(OH)D than the 60 patients with dipper hypertension (19.58 ±â€Š5.97 vs 24.36 ±â€Š6.95 nmol/L, P < .01) as well as significantly higher CAVI (8.46 ±â€Š1.65 vs 7.56 ±â€Š1.08 m/s, P < .01). Vitamin D deficiency was significantly more common among non-dipper patients (57.9% vs 31.7%, P < .01). Multivariate regression showed that age and 25(OH)D were independently related to CAVI, with each 1-ng/ml decrease in 25(OH)D associated with a CAVI increase of +0.04 m/s.Non-dipper hypertension is associated with vitamin D deficiency and reduced plasma levels of 25(OH)D. The latter may contribute to stiffening of peripheral arteries, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Review of the characteristics and possible health effects of particles emitted from laser printing devices.

Many studies have shown that the use of laser printing devices (LPDs) contributes to the release of particles into the indoor environment. However, after more than two decades of research, the physicochemical properties of LPD-emitted particles and the possible health effects from exposure to particles are still heavily debated. We therefore carried out a critical review of the published studies around emissions and health effects of LPD-emitted particles, aiming at elucidating the nature of these particles and their potential health risks. Realizing the varying methodologies of the studies, a classification of the reviewed studies is adopted, resulting in three categories of emission studies (chamber experiment, office/room measurement, and photocopy shop measurement), and three types of health studies (in vitro/animal studies, human studies in the real world, and human studies in controlled settings). The strengths and limitations of each type of study are discussed in-depth, which in turn helps to understand the cause of divergent results. Overall, LPD-emitted particles are mainly condensed or secondary-formed semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), while solid toner particles account for a very small fraction. The health risk from exposure to LPD-emitted particles is small compared with the health risk from exposure to ambient particles.