[Meteorological Impact Assessment of PM2.5 and O3 Complex Pollution in Key Regions of China Based on Meteorological Conditions Index].

Meteorological conditions play a key role in the occurrence and evolution of atmospheric complex pollution. Considering the different pollution formation mechanisms of PM2.5 and O3, statistical calculation and in-depth learning methods were used to construct the PM2.5 and O3 meteorological condition indexes based on long-term pollution meteorological observation data. A research method was developed to study the meteorological characteristics and impact contribution of atmospheric complex pollution by using the meteorological condition index, and quantitative analysis of the distribution and variation of pollution excluding the influence of regional meteorological differences was also conducted. The results showed that in the summer of 2021, the pollution meteorological conditions in the key regions in central and eastern China were generally worse in the north and better in the south(index:"2+26" cities>the border area of Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, and Henan>the Yangtze River Delta) and the worst in June and the best in July. The "double high" pollution began to appear when the PM2.5 meteorological condition index>30 and O3 meteorological condition index>100; meanwhile, the unfavorable meteorological conditions for O3 also promoted the increase in PM2.5 concentration, resulting in the frequency of "double high" increases with the increase in O3 meteorological condition index. Compared with that during the same period last year, ρ(PM2.5) of each region decreased by 3.9 µg·m-3, 3.3 µg·m-3, and 1.4 µg·m-3 due to the contribution of the improvement in the pollution meteorological conditions, which is nearly 58.5% on average of the total decrease in PM2.5 concentration. However, the change in O3 pollution meteorological conditions was better in the north and worse in the south, and the overall deterioration in the Yangtze River Delta Region led to approximately 2.8 µg·m-3 growth for the O3 concentration. The PM2.5 and O3 concentrations after excluding the impact of meteorological differences showed different distribution characteristics from the air quality monitoring, in which the high concentrations of PM2.5 were distributed along the Bohai Sea, the inter-provincial border, and the south of the region, whereas the high concentrations of O3 were concentrated along the Taihang Mountains, around Mount Tai, and in parts of the Yangtze River Delta. The daily concentration variations in a single city during a specific pollution control period could be used as a basis for evaluating the effectiveness of local supervision and control, which will provide a reference for the dynamic supervision and daily scheduling of local control management.

Recurrence of Local Kyphosis After Percutaneous Kyphoplasty: The Neglected Injury of the Disc-Endplate Complex.

Background: Recurrent of local kyphosis after percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) is rarely reported and discussed. Literatures reported that re-kyphosis is usually a consequence of refractures of augmented or adjacent vertebra. However, whether re-kyphosis should be considered as a complication of refractures and has an impact on clinical efficacy of PKP during follow-up time is unknown. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the related risk factors and clinical significance of the recurrent of local kyphosis in osteoporotic vertebral fracture (OVF) patients without refractures. Patients and Methods: A total of 143 patients who underwent single-level PKP were recruited and assigned into the re-kyphosis group and non-re-kyphosis group. Clinical and radiographic data were collected and compared between the two groups. Then, multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify the related risk factors. Results: During follow-up, 16 of the 143 patients presented postoperative re-kyphosis. The average local kyphosis angle increased from 11.81±8.60° postoperatively to 25.13±8.91° at the final follow-up which showed a statistically significant difference (p<0.05). Both groups had significant improvements in postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores compared to their preoperative values (p<0.05). However, in the re-kyphosis group at final follow-up, the VAS and ODI scores showed worsening compared to the postoperative scores. Logistic regression analysis showed that disc-endplate complex injury (OR=17.46, p=0.003); local kyphosis angle correction (OR=1.84, p<0.001); and vertebral height restoration (OR=1.15, p=0.003) were risk factors for re-kyphosis. Conclusion: Re-kyphosis is not rare in patients with osteoporotic vertebral fracture and tends to have an inferior prognosis following PKP surgery. Patients with disc-endplate complex injury and more correction of vertebral height and kyphosis angle are at a higher risk for re-kyphosis after PKP surgery than others.

Joint Genome-Wide Association Analyses Identified 49 Novel Loci For Age at Natural Menopause.

BACKGROUND: Age at natural menopause (ANM) is an important index for women's health. Either early or late ANM is associated with a series of adverse outcomes later in life. Despite being an inheritable trait, its genetic determinant has not yet been fully understood. METHODS: Aiming to better characterize the genetic architecture of ANM, we conducted genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analyses in European-specific as well as trans-ancestry samples by using GWAS summary statistics from the following 3 large studies: the Reproductive Genetics Consortium (ReproGen; N = 69 626), the UK Biobank cohort (UKBB; N = 111 593) and the BioBank Japan Project (BBJ; N = 43 861), followed by a series of bioinformatical assessments and functional annotations. RESULTS: By integrating the summary statistics from the 3 GWAS of up to 225 200 participants, this largest meta-analysis identified 49 novel loci and 3 secondary signals that were associated with ANM at the genome-wide significance level (P < 5 × 10-8). No population specificity or heterogeneity was observed at most of the associated loci. Functional annotations prioritized 90 candidate genes at the newly identified loci. Among the 26 traits that were genetically correlated with ANM, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) exerted a causal relationship, implying a causal pattern by which HRT was determined by ANM. CONCLUSION: Our findings improved our understanding of the etiology of female menopause, as well as shed light on potential new therapies for abnormal menopause.

Systematically profiling the expression of eIF3 subunits in glioma reveals the expression of eIF3i has prognostic value in IDH-mutant lower grade glioma.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal expression of the eukaryotic initiation factor 3 (eIF3) subunits plays critical roles in tumorigenesis and progression, and also has potential prognostic value in cancers. However, the expression and clinical implications of eIF3 subunits in glioma remain unknown. METHODS: Expression data of eIF3 for patients with gliomas were obtained from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) (n = 272) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) (n = 595). Cox regression, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and Kaplan-Meier analysis were used to study the prognostic value. Gene oncology (GO) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were utilized for functional prediction. RESULTS: In both the CGGA and TCGA datasets, the expression levels of eIF3d, eIF3e, eIF3f, eIF3h and eIF3l highly were associated with the IDH mutant status of gliomas. The expression of eIF3b, eIF3i, eIF3k and eIF3m was increased with the tumor grade, and was associated with poorer overall survival [All Hazard ratio (HR) > 1 and P < 0.05]. By contrast, the expression of eIF3a and eIF3l was decreased in higher grade gliomas and was associated with better overall survival (Both HR < 1 and P < 0.05). Importantly, the expression of eIF3i (located on chromosome 1p) and eIF3k (Located on chromosome 19q) were the two highest risk factors in both the CGGA [eIF3i HR = 2.068 (1.425-3.000); eIF3k HR = 1.737 (1.166-2.588)] and TCGA [eIF3i HR = 1.841 (1.642-2.064); eIF3k HR = 1.521 (1.340-1.726)] databases. Among eIF3i, eIF3k alone or in combination, the expression of eIF3i was the more robust in stratifying the survival of glioma in various pathological subgroups. The expression of eIF3i was an independent prognostic factor in IDH-mutant lower grade glioma (LGG) and could also predict the 1p/19q codeletion status of IDH-mutant LGG. Finally, GO and GSEA analysis showed that the elevated expression of eIF3i was significantly correlated with the biological processes of cell proliferation, mRNA processing, translation, T cell receptor signaling, NF-κB signaling and others. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals the expression alterations during glioma progression, and highlights the prognostic value of eIF3i in IDH-mutant LGG.

[Soil Pollution Characteristics and Ecological Risk Assessment of As at a Large-scale Arsenic Slag-contaminated Site].

A large-scale arsenic slag-contaminated site was selected to determine soil pollution characteristics and the degree of ecological risk of a large-scale contaminated site. In this study, 184 site soil samples, 101 agricultural soil samples, and 14 arsenic slag samples were collected and the pollution characteristics and ecological risk of As were evaluated using multivariate statistics, geostatistics, and the geoaccumulation and potential ecological risk index methods. The results show that the average As contents in site soil, agricultural soil, and arsenic slag are 1333.0, 358.1, and 17316.1 mg·kg-1, respectively. The degree of contamination of As exceeds the national standard Ⅲof the environmental soil quality. The results of the vertical and three-dimensional distributions of contamination show that As is accumulated to different extents in different strata. The accumulation in the site surface soil is the most serious. The As concentrations in site soil samples are higher than that in agricultural soil samples. The potential ecological risk index method shows that all mean potential ecological risk indexes exceed 100 in different strata. Moreover, the percentage of samples in site and agricultural soils at medium pollution level ratios is 58.21% and 61.39%, respectively, illustrating that the As pollution of soil samples from this contaminated site and surrounding farm areas is serious.

Chemical constituents from Bletilla striata and their NO production suppression in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells.

A novel glucoside bletilloside A (1) was isolated from the tubers of Bletilla striata, together with seven known compounds (2-8). Their structures were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses. All compounds were evaluated for the inhibition on NO production effects in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells, while militarine (4) and dactylorhin A (5) exhibited moderate inhibitory effects.

[Characteristics and Inputs of Cd Contamination in Paddy Soils in Typical Mining and Industrial Areas in Youxian County, Hunan Province].

In order to explore input pathways and pollution characteristics of Cd contamination in paddy soil in Youxian, Hunan Province, Cd contents in paddy soils, sediments of irrigation canals, typical mineral and industrial products such as coal, gangue and cement were analyzed. It was suggested that the average contents of Cd both in surface paddy soil and the corresponding natural soil were higher than the soil quality standard 0.3 mg x kg(-1). Cd contents in gangue and cement were similar as those in the corresponding natural soils. The atmosphere deposition of Cd was the highest in factory area. The profiles of Cd in 0-100 cm paddy soil and 0-40 cm in natural soils varied significantly from the upper to the lower layer. Cd contents in 0-40 cm layer in paddy soil were much higher than those in corresponding natural soils in mineral and mineral-factory areas. The potentiality for downward movement of Cd in soils in mineral area was the highest among the three studied areas. It suggested Cd contents in surface paddy soil were higher in upwind areas than those in downwind areas in mineral-factory and factory areas. It could be concluded that the main input pathways of Cd in mineral and mineral-factory. areas were from irrigation water, while contribution of atmosphere deposition in mineral-factory and factory areas was also very significant.

Percutaneous kyphoplasty for the treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar fractures with neurological deficit: radicular pain can mimic disc herniation.

Osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs) are the common disease found in elderly population. Neurological deficit in OVFs is rare despite the involved posterior cortex of the fractured vertebral body, severe kyphotic deformity, or the instability at the fracture site. OVF with resulting neurological deficit was considered as a contraindication for vertebral augmentation techniques. We reported a rare case of a 75-year-old woman with L1, L2 osteoporotic vertebral fractures and L5/S1 disc herniation who presented with back pain and radicular pain extending along the posterior aspect of the left leg. Physical examination showed slight weakness of her flexor hallucis longus and absence of ankle jerk on her left leg. The result of a straight leg-raising test was limited to an angle of 50 degrees. The radiographs showed that the nerve root was compressed by the retropulsed bone fragment of the L2 vertebral body and a herniated disc at the level of L5/S1 on the left side. After L1 and L2 kyphoplasty the radicular pain as well as the back pain was completely disappeared. At her two-year follow-up examination, the patient was completely symptom free and reported no radicular pain. This case suggested that minimally invasive techniques such as kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty are effective in certain OVF patients with neurological deficit. Radicular pain could be caused by osteoporotic fracture that involves the posterior cortex of the vertebral body. Understanding the anatomy of nerve roots and pathogenetic mechanism of radicular pain is particularly important for treatment option.

[Spatial distribution prediction of surface soil Pb in a battery contaminated site].

In order to enhance the reliability of risk estimation and to improve the accuracy of pollution scope determination in a battery contaminated site with the soil characteristic pollutant Pb, four spatial interpolation models, including Combination Prediction Model (OK(LG) + TIN), kriging model (OK(BC)), Inverse Distance Weighting model (IDW), and Spline model were employed to compare their effects on the spatial distribution and pollution assessment of soil Pb. The results showed that Pb concentration varied significantly and the data was severely skewed. The variation coefficient of the site was higher in the local region. OK(LG) + TIN was found to be more accurate than the other three models in predicting the actual pollution situations of the contaminated site. The prediction accuracy of other models was lower, due to the effect of the principle of different models and datum feature. The interpolation results of OK(BC), IDW and Spline could not reflect the detailed characteristics of seriously contaminated areas, and were not suitable for mapping and spatial distribution prediction of soil Pb in this site. This study gives great contributions and provides useful references for defining the remediation boundary and making remediation decision of contaminated sites.

Nanowire liquid pumps.

The ability to form tiny droplets of liquids and control their movements is important in printing or patterning, chemical reactions and biological assays. So far, such nanofluidic capabilities have principally used components such as channels, nozzles or tubes, where a solid encloses the transported liquid. Here, we show that liquids can flow along the outer surface of solid nanowires at a scale of attolitres per second and the process can be directly imaged with in situ transmission electron microscopy. Microscopy videos show that an ionic liquid can be pumped along tin dioxide, silicon or zinc oxide nanowires as a thin precursor film or as beads riding on the precursor film. Theoretical analysis suggests there is a critical film thickness of ∼10 nm below which the liquid flows as a flat film and above which it flows as discrete beads. This critical thickness is the result of intermolecular forces between solid and liquid, which compete with liquid surface energy and Rayleigh-Plateau instability.

Carbon nanotube-tipped endoscope for in situ intracellular surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

Gold nanoparticle-decorated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are used to study intracellular environments in situ using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). CNTs are decorated with gold nanoparticles and assembled onto the tips of pulled glass capillaries to form a SERS-enabled endoscope. The sub-micrometer size and high mechanical strength of the endoscope make it possible to penetrate the cell membrane for intracellular probing and remain positioned inside during lengthy SERS measurements without causing damage to the cell. Using the SERS-enabled endoscope, DNA and other biomolecules are detected in situ within the nucleus of a single human cervical carcinoma cell in a minimally invasive manner. The SERS-enabled endoscopes exhibit high selectivity and sensitivity for detecting trace amounts of analytes (≈1 pM) in biofluid environments, highlighting their capabilities as label-free, biological sensors for real-time in situ cellular diagnostics, biological detection, and pharmaceutical research.

Multifunctional carbon-nanotube cellular endoscopes.

Glass micropipettes, atomic force microscope tips and nanoneedles can be used to interrogate cells, but these devices either have conical geometries that can damage cells during penetration or are incapable of continuous fluid handling. Here, we report a carbon-nanotube-based endoscope for interrogating cells, transporting fluids and performing optical and electrochemical diagnostics at the single organelle level. The endoscope, which is made by placing a multiwalled carbon nanotube (length, 50-60 µm) at the tip of a glass pipette, can probe the intracellular environment with a spatial resolution of ∼100 nm and can also access organelles without disrupting the cell. When the nanotube is filled with magnetic nanoparticles, the endoscope can be remotely manoeuvered to transport nanoparticles and attolitre volumes of fluids to and from precise locations. Because they are mounted on conventional glass micropipettes, the endoscopes readily fit standard instruments, creating a broad range of opportunities for minimally invasive intracellular probing, drug delivery and single-cell surgery.

A novel self-cleaning coating with silicon carbide nanowires.

A novel self-cleaning glass was successfully achieved by coating macroscopical SiC nanowires (SiCNWs) in tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) solution. The water contact angle (CA) was high, up to approximately 160 degrees, and the sliding angle was low, down to approximately 5 degrees, when SiCNWs were coated through 10 cycles, with a high roughness Ra of 1928.9 nm. High chemical stability was obtained even after immersing the sample in water for 14 days (336 h). The calculated data by using nano/micropillar composite structure model displayed a beneficial understanding on thehydrophobic property. The feasible coating on any substrate, high CA, and long lifetime make SiCNW a potential superhydrophobic material in various self-cleaning fields.

Synthesis of superhydrophobic silicon oxide nanowires surface on silicon wafer.

High roughness of several hundreds of nanometers and low free energy introduced the superhydrophobic surface with a high water contact angle of approximatelt 160 degrees for the chemically modified silicon oxide nanowires on silicon wafer. Particularly, a very small rolling angle of < 5 degrees with the annealed sample was observed. The nano-structure with high roughness and organic perfluoroalkysilane coating with CF2/CF3 groups contributed the superhydrophobicity. The present superhydrophobic nanowires surface on silicon wafer suggests the potential applications in self-cleaning semiconductor devices such as radar surface, solar cell.

Aligned silicon carbide nanowire crossed nets with high superhydrophobicity.

Aligned silicon carbide nanowire crossed nets (a-SiCNWNs) were directly synthesized by using a vapor-solid reaction at 1100 degrees C. Zinc sulfide was used as catalyst to assist the growth of a-SiCNWNs with small size and crystal structure. After functionalization with perfluoroalkysilane, a-SiCNWNs showed excellent superhydrophobic property with a high water contact angle more than 156 +/- 2 degrees , compared to random nanowires (147 +/- 2 degrees ) and pure silicon wafers (101 +/- 2 degrees ). The topographic roughness and chemical modification with CF 2/CF 3 groups contributed the better superhydrophobicity. Furthermore, the as-grown SiCNWNs can be scraped off and coated on other substrates such as pure silicon wafers. The novel nanowire coating with good superhydrophobicity displays extensive applications in silicon-related fields such as solar cells, radar, etc.

A simple route to synthesize scales of aligned single-crystalline SiC nanowires arrays with very small diameter and optical properties.

Scales of aligned single-crystalline SiC nanowires (SiCNWs) arrays with very small diameter were synthesized by a simple thermal evaporation of ZnS and carbon on silicon wafer. The as-received SiCNWs possess a uniform size distribution centered at approximately 8.0 nm, even with a minimum of approximately 3.0 nm. The highly oriented SiCNWs usually grew along [111] direction with a clean surface, very thin oxide shell, and small quantity of stacking faults. A crystalline tube-like SiC nanostructure is also obtained. The optical properties, including photoluminescence and Raman scattering spectra of the SiCNWs, were investigated, respectively. In the end, a growth model on basis of the experimental data is suggested.