Enhanced Self-Cementation of Arsenic-Contaminated Soil via Activation of Non-Thermal Plasma-Irradiated Ferromanganese: A Mechanistic Investigation.

The self-cementation characteristics of arsenic (As)-contaminated soil were comprehensively investigated in this study. Different non-thermal plasma-irradiated binary (hydro)oxides of polyvalent ferromanganese (poly-Fe-Mn) were synthesized and exploratorily dispersed to soil samples to activate solidification and stabilization during the self-cemented process. The maximum compressive strength of 56.35 MPa and the lowest leaching toxicity of 0.004 mg/L were obtained in the proof test under optimal conditions (i.e., the mass ratio of the poly-Fe-Mn to the soil sample of 0.05; the mass ratio of the composite alkali activator (NaOH + CaO) to the soil sample of 0.25; the mass ratio of CaO to NaOH of 1.5; the mass ratio of the DI water to the binder of 0.515). The composite alkaline activator primarily contributed to the strength formation of the self-cemented matrix while the poly-Fe-Mn significantly influenced the reduction of the As-leaching toxicities. The poly-Fe-Mn maintained diffusion-controlled polycondensation and strengthened the nucleation process during self-cementation. The amount of water and the dosage of poly-Fe-Mn caused an interactive influence on the self-cemented solidification of contaminated soils. The solidified samples with poly-Fe-Mn exhibited better thermal decomposition than their counterparts, reflecting the enhancement of poly-Fe-Mn to the matrix. Some minerals including C-S-H, kaolinite, gehlenite, diopside sodian, augite, and albite were matched in the samples, directly demonstrating the geopolymerization-steered self-cementation of the As soil. The employment of poly-Fe-Mn not only reinforced the immobilization of As pollutants in the matrix but also induced the self-cementation of soils by intensifying the composite alkaline-activated geopolymerization kinetics.

Prevalence of pleuromutilin antibiotic resistance genes in different laying hen breeding stages in China.

Antimicrobial resistance is a rapidly evolving and extremely complex issue, particularly due to the use of various types of antimicrobials within human, animal, and environmental sectors. Pleuromutilin antibiotics are used to prevent and control respiratory diseases in the rearing stage of hen chicks, but the current status of pleuromutilin resistance in the laying hen breeding process is unclear. ATP-binding cassette transporters encoded by lsa(A), lsa(E), lsa(C), and vga(D) can be transferred by plasmids and transposons, thereby posing a potential dissemination risk. To investigate pleuromutilin resistance genes in the laying hen production chain in China, 95 samples from five environmental types were collected in four breeding stages to determine the abundances of the main resistance genes by qPCR, i.e. lsa(A), lsa(E), lsa(C), and vga(D). The abundance (5.16 log10GC/g) and detection rate (100%) of lsa(E) was highest in all of the samples, thereby suggesting high contamination with the lsa(E) gene across the large-scale laying hen breeding environment and feces. The lsa(A) (6.02 log10GC/g) and lsa(E) (6.18 log10GC/g) genes were most abundant in flies, and the abundance of vga(D) (4.50 log10GC/g) was highest in dust (P < .05). In addition to feces, flies and dust were important sources of contamination with pleuromutilin resistance along the laying hen production chain. In summary, we determined the abundances of four pleuromutilin resistance genes in the laying hen production chain and provided direct evidence of pleuromutilin resistance transmission and environmental contamination. In particular, the chicken breeding stage needs further attention.

Case Report: Clinical characteristics and genetic analysis of two patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

Objective: To analyze the clinical features and genetic characteristics of two patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) and to review the relevant literature. Methods: The clinical data of two HHT patients admitted to the author's hospital between April 2019 and February 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Meanwhile, the genetic analysis was performed with their consent. Results: The first patient was a 62-year-old woman who had been complaining of shortness of breath and fever for 20 days. Her previous medical history included brain abscess drainage and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for a pulmonary hemangioma. A right heart catheterization revealed no pulmonary arterial hypertension, and an abdominal enhanced magnetic resonance imaging revealed multiple arteriovenous malformations in the liver. Her ACVRL1 heterozygous variants were discovered through whole-exon gene testing. The second case involved a 47-year-old woman who had been experiencing chest tightness for the past 2 years. Several years ago, she underwent brain abscess drainage and embolization of a pulmonary arteriovenous fistula. Ultrasound revealed generalized hepatic vascular dilation, and enhanced computed tomography revealed numerous pulmonary venous fistulas scattered in both lungs as well as multiple arteriovenous malformations in the liver. Her whole-exon gene testing revealed that she, like her son, had heterozygous ENG variants. Conclusion: HHT patients may experience infection, bleeding, dyspnea, and other symptoms. Imaging is important in disease diagnosis and management because early detection and treatment can prevent major complications and disability or even death.

Hydrogel-Mediated Mineralization Generates Oriented Crystalline Films Comprising Granular-Rhombohedral Heterogeneous Structures.

Gel-mediated crystallization is a common system to produce self-organized materials, which is fundamental to the development of bottom-up approaches to functional complex materials. Mineralization in hydrogel matrices nevertheless remains empirical in the generation of crystallization products with tailored heterogeneous structures. We demonstrate that the employment of the hydrogels with proper cationic diffusivity can trigger the consecutive growth of oriented, granular-rhombohedral heterogeneous structures. The controllable morphogenesis leads to continuous calcitic CaCO3 films comprising spatial heterogeneity, where epitaxial match assumedly favors the successive deposition of both granular and rhombohedral layers. The scenario of consecutive growth is disclosed, where the thickness of the granular layers can become a valuable indicator to reflect the retardancy degree of crystallization. The evaluation of the physicochemical properties of the hydrogels finally establishes a direct correlation between the cationic diffusivity of the hydrogels and the appearance of the heterogeneous structures. The current work therefore sheds light on the implementation of rational morphogenetic approaches to crystalline materials with tailored complex architectures.

BMPR2 germline mutation in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

INTRODUCTION: Heterozygous germline mutations of the bone morphogenetic protein type II receptor (BMPR2) gene BMPR2 are the most important predisposing factors for heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension. BMPR2 mutation was occasionally reported in pulmonary veno-occlusive disease, appetite suppressant-related pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and PAH with congenital heart disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study we identified a missense mutation (c.2296A > G) located in BMPR2 exon 12 in a patient with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). CONCLUSION: It is the first report of a BMPR2 mutation in CTEPH. Our study provides innovative insight into etiology of CTEPH. The genetic predisposing factor is an important component in the process of this CTEPH patient.