CdTe@ZnS quantum dots for rapid detection of organophosphorus pesticide in agricultural products.

Organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) constitute the most widely employed class of pesticides. However, the prevalent use of OPPs, while advantageous, raises concerns due to their toxicity, posing serious threats to food safety. Chemical sensors utilizing quantum dots (QDs) demonstrate promising applications in rapidly detecting OPPs residues, thereby facilitating efficient inspection of agricultural products. In this study, we employ an aqueous synthesis approach to prepare low toxic CdTe@ZnS QDs with stable fluorescence properties. To mitigate the risk of imprecise measurements stemming from the inherent susceptibility of fluorescence to quenching, we have adopted the principle of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) for the construction of the turn-on quantum dot sensor. With a detection limit for chlorpyrifos as low as 10 ppb (10 µg/L), the QDs sensor exhibits notable resistance to interference from various pesticides. Application of this system to detect organophosphorothioate pesticides in apples produced results consistent with those obtained from high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) detection, affirming the promising application prospects of this sensing system for the rapid detection of OPPs residues.

Global impact of mcr-1-positive Enterobacteriaceae bacteria on "one health".

Polymyxins, especially polymyxin B and polymyxin E (colistin), are considered to be the last line of defence against infections caused by multi-drug-resistant (MDR) gram-negative bacteria such as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). However, the recent emergence and dissemination of the plasmid-mediated colistin resistance gene mcr-1 and its variants pose a serious challenge to public health and the livestock industry. This review describes the prevalence and dissemination of mcr-1-positive isolates from different sources, including animals (food animals, pet animals and wildlife), humans (healthy populations and patients) and the environment (farms, urban and rural communities and natural environments) based on existing epidemiological studies of mcr-1 and MCR-1-producing Enterobacteriaceae bacteria around the world. The major mechanisms of mcr-1 transmission across humans, animals and the environment are discussed.

Thoracic aortic computed tomography angiography in swine: establishment of a baseline for endovascular evaluation of the ascending aorta.

OBJECTIVES: Our goal was to establish a baseline of computed tomography (CT) angiographic data for the porcine ascending thoracic aorta for endovascular evaluation of animal experiments and device development. METHODS: Thoracic aortic CT angiography was conducted on 49 pigs with an average body weight of 60-65 kg. The CT angiographic scans were done on an imaging reconstruction workstation to obtain the specific aortic geometric data, including the diameters of the planes, the heights among the planes and the clock positions of target arteries. RESULTS: Fourteen important planes were defined in the study for endograft customizing reference. The diameters of the planes were measured, and the heights among the planes were recorded. For endograft fenestrations, the right coronary artery ostium clock position was 100.11 ± 7.29°, and the brachiocephalic trunk ostium clock position was 74.72 ± 6.45°. The best projection angle of the tangent position of the left coronary artery was the right anterior oblique 17 ± 7° position. A pig with a rare congenital giant dilated aorta was found among the candidate experimental animals. CONCLUSIONS: For experimental porcine models, CT angiography has proved to be a suitable imaging technique. The established baseline angiography of the swine can provide reference values for future animal experiments and device development.

The Preventive Effect of IL-1beta Antagonist on Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between Interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) using animal models. METHODS: The rat model of diabetic neuropathy was induced by intraperitoneal injection of a single dose of streptozotocin (STZ) at 65mg/kg. Diabetic rats were randomly divided into two groups (10 each), one treated with 0.9% saline (DMS group) and the other with interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) at 50mg/kg (DMI group) twice a day for 5 weeks. Ten normal rats matched for weight, age and sex served as normal controls (Con group) and were treated with saline. Morphologic studies of sciatic nerves were achieved using light and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: Transmission electron microscopy of the sciatic nerve showed the ultrastructure of myelin and the axon in the IL-1RA group was highly protected compared to diabetic controls. CONCLUSION: High levels of circulating IL-1beta may be associated with the risk of DPN and anti-IL-1 treatment may provide a potential strategy for the prevention of diabetic neuropathy.

The impact on glycemic control through progressive resistance training with bioDensityTM in Chinese elderly patients with type 2 diabetes: The PReTTy2 (Progressive Resistance Training in Type 2 Diabetes) Trial.

AIMS: To evaluate the effects of a novel, low-volume, high-intensity Progressive Resistance Training (PRT) technique on blood glucose control in elderly Chinese patients with Type 2 Diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The PReTTy2 trial enrolled 300 male and female patients with Type 2 Diabetes in a randomized resistance training program with the bioDensity™ technique. 100 were control patients with no training intervention and 200 had resistance training. Anthropometry, biochemical parameters, HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) were measured at baseline, 3-month and 6-month intervals. RESULTS: 265 patients completed the study with no adverse events. There were no statistically significant differences in HbA1c for all patients, control and PRT groups, at baseline (p = 0.60), 3 months (p = 0.42) and 6-months (p = 0.45). Subgroup analysis with baseline HbA1c > 7.5% (58 mmol/mol), showed statistically significant differences in HbA1c and FPG between groups at 6 months (p < 0.05). All PRT group patients had statistically significant differences from baseline at 6 months for HDL (1.25 + 0.32 vs. 1.17 + 0.26 mmol/L, p < 0.001), LDL (3.23 ±â€¯0.89 vs. 2.93 ±â€¯0.80 mmol/L, p < 0.001) and total cholesterol (4.97 ±â€¯1.22 vs. 4.58 ±â€¯1.03 mmol/L, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: PRT improves glycemic indices in elderly patients with Type 2 Diabetes with poor glucose control as an adjunct to diet and medication. Progressive Resistance Training with bioDensity™ is feasible, safe and effective in elderly patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

CD133 overexpression correlates with clinicopathological features of gastric cancer patients and its impact on survival: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: CD133 is one of the most commonly used markers of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are characterized by their ability for self-renewal and tumorigenicity. However, the clinical and prognostic significance of CD133 in gastric cancer remains controversial. To clarify a precise determinant of the clinical significance of CD133, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to elucidate the correlation of CD133 overexpression with prognosis and clinicopathological features of GC patients. METHODS: A search in the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Medline, Web of Knowledge and Chinese CNKI, CBM (up to Jun 30, 2015) was performed using the following keywords gastric cancer, CD133, AC133, prominin-1, etc. Electronic searches were supplemented by hand searching reference lists, abstracts and proceedings from meetings. Outcomes included overall survival and various clinicopathological features. Two reviewers independently screened the literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted the data, and assessed the methodological quality of the included studies, and then RevMan 5.2.0 software was used for meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 603 gastric cancer patients from 8 studies were included. The results of the meta-analyses showed that, there were significant differences of CD133 expression in the following comparisons: gastric cancer tissues vs. normal esophageal tissue (OR = 3.49, 95% CI [2.48, 490], P < 0.00001), lymph node metastasis vs. non-lymph node metastasis (OR = 2.75, 95% CI [1.99, 3.81], P < 0.00001), distant metastasis vs. non-distant metastasis (OR = 2.38, 95%CI [1.47, 3.85], P < 0.0004), clinical stages III~IV vs. clinical stages I~II (OR = 2.83, 95% CI [2.13, 3.76], P < 0.00001), as well as the accumulative 5-year overall survival rates of CD133-positive vs. CD133-negative patients (OR = 0.23, 95% CI [0.16, 0.33], P < 0.00001). CONCLUSION: Overexpression of CD133 is associated with lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, poor TNM stage. Additionally, CD133-positive gastric cancer patients had worse prognosis. Our results indicate that CD133 may be involved in the carcinogenesis of gastric cancer. Evaluation of cytoplasmic CD133 overexpression in gastric cancer tissue sections may be useful in the future as a novel prognostic factor. Nevertheless, due to the poor quality and small sample size of included trials, more well-designed multi-center randomized controlled trials should be performed.

Why islands are easier to invade: human influences on bullfrog invasion in the Zhoushan archipelago and neighboring mainland China.

Islands are often considered easier to invade than mainland locations because of lower biotic resistance, but this hypothesis is difficult to test. We compared invasion success (the probability of establishing a wild reproducing population) for bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) introduced to enclosures on 26 farms on islands in the Zhoushan archipelago and 15 farms in neighboring mainland China. Bullfrogs were more likely to invade farms located on islands with lower native frog species richness than mainland farms, consistent with the biotic resistance hypothesis. However, human frog hunting pressure also differed between islands and the mainland and, along with the number of bullfrogs raised in enclosures, was a stronger predictor of invasion success than native frog richness in multiple regression. Variation in hunting pressure was also able to account for the difference in invasion success between islands and mainlands: islands had lower hunting pressure and thus higher invasion probability. We conclude that the ease with which bullfrogs have invaded islands of the Zhoushan archipelago relative to the mainland has little to do with biotic resistance but results from variation in factors under human control.

Seasonal variation of diet and food availability in a group of Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys in Shennongjia Nature Reserve, China.

We studied the diet and food availability of a group of Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys for 14 months (July 2003 to September 2004, except for February) in the Shennongjia Nature Reserve, China. This species is primarily a lichen eater, with lichens (Usneaceae) accounting for 43.28% of feeding records (n=3,452). Other food types in the diet were young leaves (28.71%), fruits or seeds (14.57%), buds (5.36%), mature leaves (3.51%), herbs (2.09%), bark (1.36%), and flowers (1.13%). The monkeys used 23 plant species. Their diet showed a complicated seasonal variation: the monthly diet varied from primarily lichens in November-April, to a mixture of leaves and lichens in May-July, to a mixture of fruits or seeds and lichens in August-October (the latter depended on annual fruit and seed availability). The proportion of fruits or seeds in the diet was negatively correlated with that of lichens, which suggests that the monkeys prefer fruits or seeds to lichens when all of these items are available. The fruit or seed availability varied greatly between the two study years. The proportion of lichens, young leaves, flowers, and fruits or seeds in the diet was positively associated with their availability. The monkeys appeared to be selective feeders. They preferred 10 tree species for plant parts, and nine tree species for lichens. The selection index of tree species for lichens was positively related to lichen coverage per branch on tree species, demonstrating that the monkeys preferred tree species with abundant lichens, as well as dead trees for lichens. The results suggest that dead-tree harvesting in the reserve could significantly reduce the quality of habitat for these monkeys, and should therefore be prohibited. Connus controversa, Cerasus discadenia, Salix willichiana, and Malus halliana should be conserved as top priority species because the monkeys preferred them for both their vegetative parts and the lichens that grow on them.

The seasonal daily travel in a group of Sichuan snub-nosed monkey (Pygathrix roxellana) in Shennongjia Nature Reserve, China.

The seasonal daily travel of a group of snub-nosed monkey (Pygathrix roxellana) was investigated using the group's straight-line distance method. The group was followed from dawn to dusk for 30 consecutive days during each season to encompass all aspects of daily travel patterns. The results showed that in Summer and Autumn, the mean daily travel distance (m) was significantly longer than in Winter and Spring. There was no significant difference in the mean daily travel distance between Summer and Autumn or between Winter and Autumn. The mean travel distance (m/hr) during daytime was significantly higher in Summer and Autumn than in Spring, and in Autumn than in Winter. The travel of the group in all seasons had similar patterns. Traveling showed morning and afternoon peaks, with a rest period at the noon in a day. Seasonal food availability, length of daytime, and mean travel distance (m/hr) during daytime might have contributed to the different daily travel distances in different seasons.