Proteo-genomic characterization of cirrhosis-associated liver cancers reveals potential subtypes and therapeutic targets.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to identify potential subtypes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated with cirrhosis and to investigate key markers using bioinformatic analysis of gene expression datasets-0. METHODS: Three data sets (GSE17548, GSE56140, and GSE87630) were extracted from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and normalized using the Limma package in R. Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis was performed to examine data distribution and identify subtypes. Differential gene expression analysis was performed using the Limma software package. Protein-protein interaction analysis and functional annotation were performed using the STRING database and Cytoscape software. Important signaling pathways and processes were identified using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) Pathway Analysis. RESULTS: The analysis revealed different subtypes of HCC associated with cirrhosis and identified several key genes, including CCNB2, MCM4, and CDC20, with strong binding power and prognostic value. Functional annotation indicated involvement in cell cycle regulation and metabolic pathways. ROC analysis showed high sensitivity and specificity of these genes in predicting HCC prognosis. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that CCNB2, MCM4, and CDC20 may serve as potential biomarkers for predicting HCC prognosis in patients with cirrhosis and provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of HCC progression.

Rho kinase inhibitor Y-27632 downregulates IL-1ß expression in mice with experimental autoimmune myocarditis.

Autoimmune myocarditis is the limited or diffuse inflammation of the myocardium due to dysfunctional cellular and humoral immunity mechanisms. We constructed mouse models of experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) using peptide MyHC-α614-629. On the day after secondary immunization, the mice were intraperitoneally injected with Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitor Y-27632. On day 21, the cardiac tissues were harvested and weighed. The hearts of EAM mice were significantly enlarged and whitened. Furthermore, body weight (BW) slowly increased during the treatment period, the heart weight (HW) and the ratio of HW/eventual BW were increased, and inflammatory infiltration and fibrosis were aggravated in the myocardial tissue. Y-27632 treatment improved the aforementioned phenotypic and pathological features of EAM mice. Mechanistic analysis revealed a significant increase in Notch1, Hes1, Jag2, Dil1, Toll-like receptor (Tlr) 2, and interleukin (IL)-1ß expression in the myocardial tissue of EAM mice. Notably, IL-1ß expression was correlated with that of Notch1 and Tlr2. Following Y-27632 treatment, the expression of key target genes of the Notch signaling pathway (Notch1, Hes1, Dil1, and Jag2) and Tlr2 were obviously decreased. Y-27632 treatment also decreased the number of monocytes in the spleen of EAM mice. Thus, ROCK inhibitor Y-27632 exerted a protective effect in EAM mice by downregulating IL-1ß expression. This study aimed to provide a reference point for the future treatment of myocarditis in clinical settings.

Alteration of shoaling behavior and dysbiosis in the gut of medaka (Oryzias latipes) exposed to 2-µm polystyrene microplastics.

There is global concern that microplastics may harm aquatic life. Here, we examined the effects of fine polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs, 2-µm diameter, 0.1 mg/L, 2.5 × 107 particles/L) on the behavior and the microbiome (linked to brain-gut interaction) of a fish model using medaka, Oryzias latipes. We found that shoaling behavior was reduced in PS-MP-exposed medaka compared with control fish during the exposure period, but it recovered during a depuration period. There was no difference in swimming speed between the PS-MP-exposed and control groups during the exposure period. Analysis of the dominant bacterial population (those comprising ≥1% of the total bacterial population) in the gut of fish showed that exposure to PS-MPs tended to increase the relative abundance of the phylum Fusobacteria and the genus Vibrio. Furthermore, structural-equation modeling of gut bacteria on the basis of machine-learning data estimated strong relationship involved in the reduction of the functional bacterial species of minority (<1% of the total bacterial population) such as the genera Muribaculum (an undefined role), Aquaspirillum (a candidate for nitrate metabolism and magnetotactics), and Clostridium and Phascolarctobacterium (potential producers of short-chain fatty acids, influencing behavior by affecting levels of neurotransmitters) as a group of gut bacteria in association with PS-MP exposure. Our results suggest that fish exposure to fine microplastics may cause dysbiosis and ultimately cause social behavior disorders linked to brain-gut interactions. This effect could be connected to reduction of fish fitness in the ecosystem and reduced fish survival.

The impact of urban green space on the health of middle-aged and older adults.

Introduction: Urban green space is one of the most closely related ecosystem services to residents' lives, and it can be regarded as a preventive public health measure. Residents living in parks and other green environments can help improve their physical and mental health, reduce stress and even prevent crime and violence. Therefore, based on the actual situation in China, this paper analyzes the relationship between urban green space and the health of middle-aged and older adults and its mechanisms. Methods: This study used multiple linear regression, based the data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2013, 2015, and 2018, to explore the relationship between urban green space and the health of middle-aged and older adults. At the same time, group regression was conducted to identify the heterogeneity of health effects of urban green space. Results: The research shows that the increase of urban green space areas can significantly improve the health status of middle-aged and older adults. After a series of robustness tests, the results are still valid. In addition, the health effects of urban green space are different because of gender, age, education level, marital status residence, geographical location of the respondents and park quantity distribution. Further research found that reducing hot weather and optimizing air quality are the potential mechanisms of urban green space affecting the health of middle-aged and older adults, providing new evidence for the causal mechanism between urban green space and the health of middle-aged and older adults. Discussion: This study expanded the research scope of the impact of urban green space on the health of middle-aged and older adults, covering a representative sample in China. The results show that urban green space has an important impact on the health of middle-aged and older adults. Policy suggestions are made to help cities optimize the landscape and residents to enjoy ecology.

Effects of myostatin gene knockout on white fat browning and related gene expression in type 2 diabetic mice.

BACKGROUND: Myostatin (Mstn) plays an important role in adipocyte growth, differentiation and metabolism, leading to the development of obesity. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to explore the effect of Mstn on white fat browning in a mouse model of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twelve wild-type (WT), 12 heterozygous (Mstn(+/-)) and 12 homozygous (Mstn(-/-)) male mice were randomly divided into 6 groups: WT, Mstn(+/-), Mstn(-/-), WT+DM, Mstn(+/-)+DM, and Mstn(-/-)+DM. The first 3 groups were fed normal chow, while the last 3 were fed high-fat diet and administered streptozotocin to generate T2DM. Subsequently, body mass, length, and white and brown fat masses were measured, after which Lee's index, white-brown ratio and fat index were calculated. The serum free fatty acid (FFA) levels were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was used to analyze white and brown fat cell morphology. The relative expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1α), uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), and cluster of differentiation 137 (CD137) protein were determined with western blotting. RESULTS: The Mstn(-/-) group displayed higher levels of PPARγ, PGC-1α and CD137 proteins in white and brown fat compared to the WT and Mstn(+/-) groups, while the expression level of UCP1 protein in the Mstn(-/-) group was higher than in the WT group. The expression levels of PPARγ, PGC-1α, UCP1, and CD137 proteins in the WT+DM group were lower than in the WT group. Moreover, PPARγ, PGC-1α, UCP1, and CD137 proteins were more highly expressed in the Mstn(-/-)+DM group compared to the WT+DM and Mstn(+/-)+DM groups. CONCLUSIONS: The Mstn gene inhibition antagonizes obesity phenotypes, such as white fat accumulation and lipid metabolism derangement caused by T2DM, thus promoting white fat browning.

Talaromyces sp. Ethyl Acetate Crude Extract as Potential Mosquitocide to Control Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus.

Vector control is considered an effective approach to controlling diseases spread by mosquito bites. Entomopathogenic fungi are widely used in agriculture to control insect pests, and fungal metabolites can potentially be developed as effective mosquitocides. In this study, a high-throughput screening method was used to search for potential mosquitocides in the Global Fungal Extract Library (GFEL). We tested the larvicidal activity of 264 fungal ethyl acetate crude extracts against Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus. Nine fungal extracts caused moderate to high mortality rates (>50%), with two fungal extracts (58A7 and 101H12) causing a 100% mortality rate. The lethal concentrations for 50% of the population (LC50) were 44.27 mg/L and 31.90 mg/L, respectively. Fraction 14 had a high mortality rate, with an LC50 value of 12.13 mg/L, and was isolated from 58A7 (Fractions 1-11) and 101H12 (Fractions 12-15). Further analyses showed that Fraction 14 was made up of vermistatin and dihydrovermistatin. In a Cx. p. quinquefasciatus larvicidal bioassay, vermistatin (LC50 = 28.13 mg/L) was more toxic than dihydrovermistatin (LC50 = 83.87 mg/L). Our findings suggested that the active fungal extract 101H12 from Talaromyces sp. and its compound vermistatin could be developed as mosquitocides.

Solution to the problem of bridge structure damage identification by a response surface method and an imperialist competitive algorithm.

To increase the efficiency of structural damage identification (SDI) methods and timeously and accurately detect initial structural damage, this research develops an SDI method based on a response surface method (RSM) and an imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA). At first, a Latin hypercube design method is used for experimental design and selection of sample points based on RSM. Then, a high-order response surface surrogate model for the target frequency response and stiffness reduction factor is established. Finally, analysis of variance is performed to assess the overall goodness-of-fit and prediction accuracy of the established model. Then the results obtained are combined with structural dynamic response data to construct objective functions; furthermore, the optimal solution of parameter vector in the objective function is solved based on the ICA. Then damage positioning and quantification can be achieved according to location and degree of change in each parameter; finally, the RSM-ICA-based SDI method proposed is applied to damage identification of high-dimensional damaged simply-supported beam models. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, the damage identification results are compared with the results obtained from traditional optimization algorithms. The results indicate that: average errors in the structural stiffness parameters and natural frequency that are identified by the proposed method are 6.104% and 0.134% respectively. The RSM-ICA-based SDI method can more accurately identify the location and degree of damages with more significantly increased identification efficiency and better precision compared to traditional algorithms. This approach provides a novel means of solving SDI problems.

Detection and phylogenetic analysis of tick-borne bacterial and protozoan pathogens in a forest province of eastern China.

Ticks, as obligate blood-sucking ectoparasites, feed on a broad range of vertebrates and transmit a great diversity of pathogenic microorganisms. Some tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) are endemic in China, whereas epidemiological studies are limited in Jiangxi, a forest province located in eastern China. Here, we have determined the positivity rates of TBPs in humans, rodents, dogs, goats and ticks, and performed the molecular characterization of TBPs in Jiangxi province. We found a high positivity rate of TBPs in the collected samples, demonstrating 23 (12.92%) samples positive for more than one TBPs. Of those, 11 (6.18%) samples were positive for Rickettsia spp., six (3.37%) Ehrlichia spp./Anaplasma spp., one (0.56%) Bartonella spp., two (1.12%) Borrelia spp., and five (2.81%) Babesia spp. The positivity rates of TBPs varied among ticks, animals, and humans as follow: goats (14/37, 37.84%), ticks (8/35, 22.86%), and dogs (1/11, 9.09%). Humans and rodents were negative for TBP presence. Phylogenetic analyses of these TBP sequences revealed the presence of Rickettsia japonica, Ehrlichia minasensis, and an unclassified Babesia spp. in goats, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia valaisiana, and an unclassified Bartonella spp. in ticks. Furthermore, R. japonica infection was exclusively found in goats with the positivity rate of 29.73%. Our study is the first report of R. japonica in goats around the world. These findings suggest high TBP positivity rates among goats, ticks, and dogs, and diverse TBPs in goats and ticks in the studied sites. Therefore, our results underscore the urgent need to assess TBP-tick-vertebrate-environment interactions and the risk of tick borne disease exposure in humans in the future.

Haemaphysalis longicornis calreticulin is not an effective molecular tool for tick bite diagnosis and disruption of tick infestations.

BACKGROUND: Tick calreticulin (CRT) is a calcium-binding protein secreted into the host during blood feeding. It has been used as a biomarker of tick exposure and has potential as an anti-tick vaccine, but there is no information about these uses for Haemaphysalis longicornis CRT (HlCRT). We synthesized recombinant H. longicornis CRT (rHlCRT) and evaluated its potential for tick bite diagnosis and for disrupting tick infestations. METHODS: The responses of mice and rabbits exposed to H. longicornis ticks were measured with ELISA to determine the antibody level against rHlCRT. To evaluate the effects of rHlCRT-induced anti-tick immunity, engorgement weight, tick engorgement index (TEI), feeding duration, ecdysis rate, and egg weight per engorged tick were compared between ticks fed on immunized and normal mice. RESULTS: Mean anti-tick CRT antibody levels in sera collected from mice at 1 and 15 days after primary tick exposure were not significantly different from the mean antibody levels in negative control mice that were not bitten by ticks (all P values > 0.05). No significant anti-HlCRT IgG responses developed in mice after second exposure to tick bites compared with the level of anti-HlCRT antibody response in negative control mice (all P values > 0.25). For rabbits, no significant differences in the antibody levels were observed in animals before challenge infestation and after tick exposures, and in animals after two tick exposures (all P values > 0.10). There were no significant differences in the body weight of ticks fed on immunized and normal mice (all P values > 0.15). No significant differences in TEI were observed between ticks fed on immunized mice and normal control mice (all P values > 0.50). There were no significant differences in feeding duration for female ticks, and feeding duration and ecdysis rate for nymphs in the experimental and control groups (all P values > 0.10 for feeding duration and P value = 0.19 for ecdysis rate). We did not observe a significant difference in egg weight per tick in the rHlCRT-immunized and the control groups (P = 0.88). CONCLUSIONS: HlCRT in H. longicornis tick saliva proteins appears to be nonimmunogenic to mammalian hosts like mice and rabbits. Vaccination with rHlCRT did not generate effective immunity against parthenogenetic and bisexual H. longicornis nymphs or female ticks. These results indicate that HlCRT is not a suitable molecular candidate for H. longicornis tick bite diagnosis and not effective for the disruption of tick infestations.

Buckling suppression of a thin-walled Miura-origami patterned tube.

In order to improve energy absorption capacity of tubes under axial compression, this work introduces an octagon tube patterned by curved Miura origami pattern and aims at suppressing global buckling of the tube via an appropriate fold line scheme. By categorizing the fold lines of the tube into two types (hinge-like lines and continuous lines) and allocating them to different positions, four arrangement schemes of the lines are developed. Through numerical comparison in force-displacement curve, stress distribution and lateral deformation capacity among four 3-level patterned tubes under different schemes, Scheme 4 (inclined valley lines as hinge-like lines and the others as continuous lines) is found to outperform the others in suppressing global buckling by reducing the magnitude of lateral deformation by up to 59.9% and by delaying the occurrence of global buckling by up to 35.9% compared with the other schemes. To step further, the scheme is applied in a long tube and geometrically different tubes are compared. The results prove that the scheme is potentially an effective way to alleviate buckling instability of a long tube when appropriately designed.

Overexpressed lncRNA LINC00893 Suppresses Progression of Colon Cancer by Binding with miR-146b-3p to Upregulate PRSS8.

Background: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a significant role in the progression and metastasis of various cancers. LINC00893 has been reported to exert antitumor effect on various cancers such as gastric cancer and thyroid cancer. Bioinformatics analysis also predicted that LINC00893 was downregulated in colon cancer. However, the clinical significance and regulating mechanism of LINC00893 in colon cancer remain unknown. Methods: Expression of LINC00893, miR-146b-3p, and PRSS8 was detected in colon cancer tissues and adjacent nontumor tissues by RT-qPCR, and clinical significance was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve. The regulatory mechanism of LINC00893, miR-146b-3p, and PRSS8 was investigated by dual luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays. Proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis were measured in HCT116 and SW620 cells by MTT, EdU staining, wound healing, Transwell, TUNEL, and flow-cytometry assays. Moreover, the effect of LINC00893 on colon cancer progression was further evaluated in tumor-bearing mice. Results: LINC00893 and PRSS8 were significantly downregulated, while miR-146b-3p was upregulated in colon cancer tissues compared to control group. LINC00893, miR-146b-3p, and PRSS8 had significant diagnostic value with area under curve of 0.9383, 0.7300, and 0.9644, respectively. Overexpressed LINC00893 or silenced miR-146b-3p suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion while promoting apoptosis in colon cancer cells (HCT116, SW620). Moreover, miR-146b-3p overexpression reversed the inhibitory effect of LINC00893, while PRSS8 knockdown rescued the suppressive effect of miR-146b-3p inhibitor on malignant cell behaviors in colon cancer. Furthermore, the tumor growth in mice was significantly reduced by LINC00893 overexpression. Conclusion: LINC00893 overexpression suppressed the progression of colon cancer by binding with miR-146b-3p to upregulate PRSS8. LINC00893 and its downstream molecules miR-146b-3p and PRSS8 may serve as novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets of colon cancer, providing new treatment options and research approaches towards colon cancer.

Effects of walking and sun exposure on bone density and balance in elderly with osteopenia.

INTRODUCTION: Bone mineral density (BMD) decreases with age, leading to fractures, decreased mobility, and impaired quality of life. We aimed to determine the effects of brisk walking and exposure to sunlight on BMD and balance in the elderly with osteopenia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We recruited 81 elderly subjects with osteopenia from January 2019 to March 2019. They were divided into four groups: a daytime-walking group (n = 20), a night-time-walking group (n = 20), a sun-exposure-only group (n = 20), and a control group (n = 21). The subjects walked briskly for 30-60 min three times a week for 24 weeks. The sun-exposure-only group received sunlight for 20-30 min three times a week. All four groups received supplemental calcium. Lumbar L1-L4 BMD, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, timed-up-go-test (TUGT), five-times-sit-stand-test (FTSST), open-eye and closed-eye one-leg-stance-test (OLST) were measured at baseline and 1 day after program completion. RESULTS: The lumbar L1-L4 BMD was higher in all intervention groups (P < 0.05), with the daytime-walking group outperforming the others. There was no significant difference between the night-time-walking and sun-exposure-only groups (P > 0.05). The levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in the daytime-walking and sun-exposure-only groups were higher than those in the night-time-walking and control groups (P < 0.05). The TUGT and FTSST times decreased in all three intervention groups and predominantly so in the daytime-walking group, whereas the open-eye and closed-eye OLST times increased (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Brisk walking and sun exposure increase BMD and improve dynamic and static balance in the elderly with osteopenia.

Pd Clusters on Schiff Base-Imidazole-Functionalized MOFs for Highly Efficient Catalytic Suzuki Coupling Reactions.

Subnanometer noble metal clusters have attracted much attention because of abundant low-coordinated metal atoms that perform excellent catalytic activity in various catalytic processes. However, the surface free energy of metals increases significantly with decreasing size of the metal clusters, which accelerates the aggregation of small clusters. In this work, new Schiff base-imidazole-functionalized MOFs were successfully synthesized via the postsynthetic modification method. Highly dispersed Pd clusters with an average size of 1.5 nm were constructed on this functional MOFs and behaved excellent catalytic activity in the Suzuki coupling of phenyboronic acid and bromobenzene (yield of biaryl >99%) under mild reaction conditions. Moreover, the catalyst can be reused six times without loss of activity. Such catalytic behavior is found to closely related to the surface functional groups that promote the formation of small Pd0 clusters in the metallic state.

Flexural Strength Design of Hybrid FRP-Steel Reinforced Concrete Beams.

Through proper arranging of a hybrid combination of longitudinal fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bars and steel bars in the tensile region of the beam, the advantages of both FRP and steel materials can be sufficiently exploited to enhance the flexural capacity and ductility of a concrete beam. In this paper, a methodology for the flexural strength design of hybrid FRP-steel reinforced concrete (RC) beams is proposed. Firstly, based on the mechanical features of reinforcement and concrete and according to the latest codified provisions of longitudinal reinforcement conditions to ensure ductility level, the design-oriented allowable ranges of reinforcement ratio corresponding to three common flexural failure modes are specified. Subsequently, the calculation approach of nominal flexural strength of hybrid FRP-steel RC beams is established following the fundamental principles of equilibrium and compatibility. In addition to the common moderately-reinforced beams, the proposed general calculation approach is also applicable to lightly-reinforced beams and heavily-reinforced beams, which are widely used but rarely studied. Furthermore, the calculation process is properly simplified and the calculation accuracy is validated by the experimental results of hybrid FRP-steel RC beams in the literature. Finally, with the ductility analysis, a novel strength reduction factor represented by net tensile steel strain and reinforcement ratio is proposed for hybrid FRP-steel RC beams.

MiR-1224 Acts as a Prognostic Biomarker and Inhibits the Progression of Gastric Cancer by Targeting SATB1.

OBJECTIVE: MiR-1224 has been reported to exhibit abnormal expression in several tumors. However, the expressing pattern and roles of miR-1224 in gastric cancer (GC) remain unclear. Our current research aimed to explore the potential involvement of miR-1224 in the GC progression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression of miR-1224 was examined in tissue samples of 128 GC patients and cell lines by RT-PCR. Besides, the associations of miR-1224 expressions with clinicopathologic features and prognosis of GC patients were analyzed. Then, the possible influences of miR-1224 on cell proliferation and cell migration were determined. Afterward, the molecular target of miR-1224 was identified using bioinformatics assays and confirmed experimentally. Finally, RT-PCR and Western blot assays were performed to investigate the effect of the abnormal miR-1224 expression on the EMT and Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. RESULTS: miR-1224 was lowly expressed in the GC specimens and cell lines due to T classification and TNM stage. Survival assays demonstrated that GC patients with low expressions of miR-1224 possessed poor overall survivals. Moreover, in vitro and in vivo assays revealed that the overexpression of miR-1224 inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in GC cells. SATB homeobox 1 (SATB1) was verified as a direct target of miR-1224 in GC. Furthermore, ß-catenin and c-myc were significantly inhibited in miR-1224-overexpression cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the potential of miR-1224 as a therapeutic target and novel biomarker for GC patients.

Uptake and depuration kinetics of microplastics with different polymer types and particle sizes in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes).

Microplastic (MP) pollution and the related impacts on aquatic species have drawn worldwide attention. However, knowledge of the kinetic profiles of MPs in fish remains fragmentary. In this study, we conducted exposure and depuration tests of the following fluorescent-labeled MPs: polyethylene (PE; sphere with 200 or 20 µm diameter) and polystyrene (PS; sphere with 20 or 2 µm diameter) using juvenile Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes). The distribution and concentration of MPs in medaka were directly determined in-situ after tissue transparency. During the 14-day exposure, MPs was mainly detected in the gastrointestinal tract, while some MPs at the size of ≤ 20 µm were located in the area of the gills and head. The bioconcentration factor (BCF; L/kg) for MPs in medaka was estimated as 74.4 (200 µm PE), 25.7 (20 µm PE), 16.8 (20 µm PS), and 139.9 (2 µm PS). Within the first five days of depuration, MPs were exponentially eliminated from the fish body, but 2 µm PS-MPs could be still detected in the gastrointestinal tract at the end of the 10-day depuration phase. Our results suggest that MPs 2 µm in diameter may pose ecological risks to aquatic species due to their relatively higher BCF and the potential for long-term persistence in the body.

Efficient photocatalytic degradation of volatile organic compounds over carbon quantum dots decorated Bi2WO6 under visible light.

A series of CQDs/Bi2WO6 (CBW) hybrid materials with different loading amounts of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were prepared via a facile in situ hydrothermal method. As determined by multiple techniques including XRD, TEM, UV-vis, PL, TPR, and XPS, the CBW possessed expanded visible light response interval, decreased recombination rate of the photogenerated electron hole, and enhanced oxidation ability as compared with the pristine Bi2WO6. In addition, with different loading amounts of CQDs, the optical and electronic properties of the corresponding CBW were different. These CBW materials performed superior activities to the pristine Bi2WO6 in the photodegradation of VOCs under visible light, among which the CBW-2 demonstrated the best activity of almost complete degradation within only 120 min. Moreover, the CBW-2 exhibited high stability and reusability after five cycles.

Quantifying the vector effects of polyethylene microplastics on the accumulation of anthracene to Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes).

To better assess the risk of microplastics (MPs) as a vector for contaminants, it is essential to understand the relative importance of MPs compared to other pathways for chemical transfer as well as the consequences of co-exposure. In this study, we exposed Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) to anthracene (ANT, 0.1 mg/L) in the presence or absence of pristine polyethylene MPs (PE-MPs, 106 beads/L), to quantify the vector effect of PE-MPs on ANT accumulation. Under the ANT-MPs co-exposure conditions, PE-MPs rapidly accumulated in the gastrointestinal tract of the medaka during a 14-day uptake phase, with an average bioconcentration factor of 171.4 L/kg. The PE-MPs could absorb and accumulate approximately 70 % of the ANT from the water sample. The PE-MPs changed the pharmacokinetic profile of ANT in medaka by decreasing both the uptake and depuration rate constants. The one compartment with first-order elimination model estimated that the amounts of ANT in the water phase and absorbed by PE-MPs (i.e., a vector effect) contributed about 67 % and 33 % of the ANT accumulation in medaka, respectively. At the end of the uptake (exposure) phase, however, the presence of PE-MPs did not significantly alter the final ANT concentrations in the fish body or alter the behavioral impacts of ANT. Thus, PE-MPs ingestion may act as a vector to concentrate and transfer ANT to medaka, but the presence of these particles may have limited adverse effects on fish under co-exposure systems of the type used in this study.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Jiangxi province, China.

Historically, Jiangxi province has had the largest HFRS burden in China. However, thus far, the comprehensive understanding of the spatiotemporal distributions of HFRS is limited in Jiangxi. In this study, seasonal decomposition analysis, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and space-time scan statistic analyses were performed to detect the spatiotemporal dynamics distribution of HFRS cases from 2005 to 2018 in Jiangxi at the county scale. The epidemic of HFRS showed the characteristic of bi-peak seasonality, the primary peak in winter (November to January) and the second peak in early summer (May to June), and the amplitude and the magnitude of HFRS outbreaks have been increasing. The results of global and local spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that the HFRS epidemic exhibited the characteristic of highly spatially heterogeneous, and Anyi, Fengxin, Yifeng, Shanggao, Jing'an and Gao'an county were hot spots areas. A most likely cluster, and two secondary likely clusters were detected in 14-years duration. The higher risk areas of the HFRS outbreak were mainly located in Jiangxi northern hilly state, spreading to Wuyi mountain hilly state as time advanced. This study provided valuable information for local public health authorities to design and implement effective measures for the control and prevention of HFRS.