Soluble CD4 effectively prevents excessive TLR activation of resident macrophages in the onset of sepsis.

T lymphopenia, occurring in the early phase of sepsis in response to systemic inflammation, is commonly associated with morbidity and mortality of septic infections. We have previously shown that a sufficient number of T cells is required to constrain Toll-like receptors (TLRs) mediated hyperinflammation. However, the underlying mechanisms remains unsolved. Herein, we unveil that CD4+ T cells engage with MHC II of macrophages to downregulate TLR pro-inflammatory signaling. We show further that the direct contact between CD4 molecule of CD4+ T cells or the ectodomain of CD4 (soluble CD4, sCD4), and MHC II of resident macrophages is necessary and sufficient to prevent TLR4 overactivation in LPS and cecal ligation puncture (CLP) sepsis. sCD4 serum concentrations increase after the onset of LPS sepsis, suggesting its compensatory inhibitive effects on hyperinflammation. sCD4 engagement enables the cytoplasmic domain of MHC II to recruit and activate STING and SHP2, which inhibits IRAK1/Erk and TRAF6/NF-κB activation required for TLR4 inflammation. Furthermore, sCD4 subverts pro-inflammatory plasma membrane anchorage of TLR4 by disruption of MHC II-TLR4 raft domains that promotes MHC II endocytosis. Finally, sCD4/MHCII reversal signaling specifically interferes with TLR4 but not TNFR hyperinflammation, and independent of the inhibitive signaling of CD40 ligand of CD4+ cells on macrophages. Therefore, a sufficient amount of soluble CD4 protein can prevent excessive inflammatory activation of macrophages via alternation of MHC II-TLR signaling complex, that might benefit for a new paradigm of preventive treatment of sepsis.

Prevalence and Management Recommendations for Disease-Related Malnutrition in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients with and without Diabetes.

Objective: To investigate the nutritional risk, malnutrition, severe malnutrition, and malnutrition prevalence of different stages in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with and without diabetes mellitus using the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM), and to analyze the causes of malnutrition and to improve the clinical outcomes of patients for early intervention. Methods: A total of 683 patients with CKD who were hospitalized in our hospital from January 2020 to January 2021 were enrolled and divided into subgroups 1 to 5 according to whether they were complicated with diabetes and glomerular filtration rate. Using the second step of the malnutrition (GLIM) diagnostic tool and 2 previously commonly used malnutrition assessment methods (body mass index <18.5 kg/m2 with poor general condition, 3 points for nutritional deficiency in nutritional risk screening), combined with clinical research on the main causes of malnutrition, the intervention measures were discussed. Results: The prevalence of malnutrition was 16.7% (114/683) in the patients included in the survey using the diagnostic criteria of malnutrition (GLIM) (excluding whole body muscle mass index). The prevalence of malnutrition in CKD patients with and without diabetes was 23.7% and 12.6%, respectively. The overall prevalence rate of severe malnutrition was 14.2%, and the prevalence rates of those with and without diabetes were 19.0% and 11.4%, respectively; the results of the two methods of malnutrition assessment showed that the prevalence of malnutrition in CKD patients with diabetes was higher than that in the uncombined group. There was no severe malnutrition in patients with CKD stages 1 and 2. From CKD stage 3 onwards, the severe malnutrition in the diabetic group was significantly higher than that in the uncombined group. Conclusion: With the progression of CKD, the incidence of malnutrition also gradually increased, indicating that malnutrition is related to primary diseases and concomitant diseases. Attention should be paid to the malnutrition of CKD patients with diabetes, and clinical medical staff need to pay early attention to various diseases that lead to the progression of CKD, such as diabetes, primary nephropathy, and other factors, to prevent complications and delay the progression of CKD.

The Effects of the Application of the "One Disease, One Product" Program to Nursing Practice for Patients After the Resection of Pituitary Adenomas Using the Endonasal Transsphenoi.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the application and effect of the "one disease, one product" project to the nursing care of patients who have undergone pituitary tumour surgery using the nasal sphenoid approach. METHODS: This is a prospective research study. In a standard treatment control study, 132 patients undergoing transnasal pituitary tumour surgery were divided into the control group (n = 71) and the observation group (n = 61). The control group was given routine pituitary tumor care, and the "one disease, one product" nursing model was used on the experimental group. The anxiety level of patients, the incidence of postoperative complications, postoperative hospitalization, and levels of satisfaction and capability of group members were measured between the control and experimental groups. RESULTS: There was no difference in the level of anxiety between the 2 groups before admission (P = 0.634). The anxiety level of the patients in the observation group decreased after the "one disease, one product" nursing intervention (P = 0.012), but in the control group, it did not decrease significantly (P = 0.149), and the anxiety level in the control group was significantly higher than in the observation group on day 1 preoperatively (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: "One disease, one product" nursing can reduce the preoperative anxiety and postoperative satisfaction of pituitary adenoma surgery patients through the sphenoid sinus approach. It is worthy of popularization and application in pituitary adenoma resection through the sphenoid sinus approach.

Chinese Consensus Report on Family-Based Helicobacter pylori Infection Control and Management (2021 Edition).

OBJECTIVE: Helicobacter pylori infection is mostly a family-based infectious disease. To facilitate its prevention and management, a national consensus meeting was held to review current evidence and propose strategies for population-wide and family-based H. pylori infection control and management to reduce the related disease burden. METHODS: Fifty-seven experts from 41 major universities and institutions in 20 provinces/regions of mainland China were invited to review evidence and modify statements using Delphi process and grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation system. The consensus level was defined as ≥80% for agreement on the proposed statements. RESULTS: Experts discussed and modified the original 23 statements on family-based H. pylori infection transmission, control and management, and reached consensus on 16 statements. The final report consists of three parts: (1) H. pylori infection and transmission among family members, (2) prevention and management of H. pylori infection in children and elderly people within households, and (3) strategies for prevention and management of H. pylori infection for family members. In addition to the 'test-and-treat' and 'screen-and-treat' strategies, this consensus also introduced a novel third 'family-based H. pylori infection control and management' strategy to prevent its intrafamilial transmission and development of related diseases. CONCLUSION: H. pylori is transmissible from person to person, and among family members. A family-based H. pylori prevention and eradication strategy would be a suitable approach to prevent its intra-familial transmission and related diseases. The notion and practice would be beneficial not only for Chinese residents but also valuable as a reference for other highly infected areas.

Clip-Assisted Endoscopic Cyanoacrylate Injection: A Novel Technique for Acute Gastroesophageal Variceal Bleeding.

Background and Aim: Endoscopic injection sclerotherapy is effective for the treatment of gastric variceal bleeding, but may cause fatal ectopic embolism. Spontaneous portosystemic shunts are one of the risk factors for ectopic embolism. This present study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of clip-assisted endoscopic cyanoacrylate injection for the treatment of acute gastroesophageal variceal bleeding. Methods: The medical records of patients with gastroesophageal varices (GOVs) who underwent clip-assisted cyanoacrylate injection at the Ningbo First Hospital from March 2017 to August 2020 were reviewed. The outcomes were immediate hemostasis rate, early rebleeding rate, late rebleeding rate, and procedure-related complications. The gastrorenal and splenorenal shunts were evaluated by the computed tomography angiography. Results: A total of 9 patients with GOVs (GOV1 and GOV2) were analyzed, and 4 of the patients had spontaneous portosystemic shunts. The average number of clips used in each patient was 2.11 ± 1.96, and an average of 5.11 ± 1.76 mL of cyanoacrylate was injected into each patient. All patients completed immediate hemostasis. Two patients experienced rebleeding, including 1 case of early rebleeding and 1 case of late rebleeding (both due to cyanoacrylate extrusion) during a median follow-up of 367 days (interquartile range 270-855 days). Five patients underwent follow-up endoscopy; eradicated gastric varices (GVs) were revealed in 1 patient, and shrunken GVs were found in 4 patients. No serious complications, including ectopic embolism, were observed. Conclusion: The present study showed the efficacy and safety of clip-assisted endoscopic cyanoacrylate injection in acute GOV bleeding, but these results require verification by randomized controlled studies with larger sample numbers.

The effect of previous eradication failure on antibiotic resistance of Helicobacter pylori: A retrospective study over 8 years in Beijing.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic resistance is the main cause of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) treatment failure. This study aimed to explore the characteristics of antibiotic resistance of H. pylori isolates in Beijing in the last 8 years and to estimate the impact of previous eradication failure on resistance patterns. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included data from a single center in Beijing from 2013 to 2020. Antibiotic susceptibility of 365 clinical H. pylori isolates was tested for amoxicillin, clarithromycin, metronidazole, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, and tetracycline. The characteristics of the included patients and their previous eradication history were collected. Primary and secondary resistance rates of H. pylori to the six antibiotics and the impact of previous eradication failure on antibiotic resistance patterns were analyzed. RESULTS: The overall primary resistance rates of amoxicillin, clarithromycin, metronidazole, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, and tetracycline were 0.7%, 55.2%, 68.0%, 49.7%, 64.5%, and 0%, with no significant increase during the observed period; while the secondary resistance rates were 3.2%, 96.7%, 90.7%, 93.1%, 80.0%, and 0%, respectively. The secondary resistance rate of clarithromycin (p < .001), metronidazole (p = .001), and levofloxacin (p < .001) significantly increased to 100% as the number of previous eradication therapies increased and exhibited a linear association. For strains naive to eradication, only 6.8% were susceptible to all the antibiotics, while 32.4% were single resistant, and 60.8% dual or multiple resistant. Clarithromycin+metronidazole+fluoroquinolone multiple resistance was the predominant pattern (0 course: 21.6%, 1 course: 37.5%, 2 courses: 56.1%, ≥3 courses: 71.1%; p < .001) for patients with treatment failure. The prevalence of dual or multiple-resistance patterns increased significantly as the number of previous therapies increased. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of primary and secondary resistance rates of clarithromycin, metronidazole, moxifloxacin, and levofloxacin were high in Beijing. Multiple-resistance patterns were common after treatment failure. Resistance rates of amoxicillin and tetracycline remained low and stable.

Impact of a Telephone Intervention on Bowel Preparation Quality for Colonoscopy in the Elderly.

Bowel preparation is the basis of colonoscopy, and adequate bowel preparation is essential to the success of colonoscopy. Studies have been reported that telephone intervention can improve the quality of bowel preparation, while it remains unclear regarding effectiveness with the elderly. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of telephone intervention on the quality of bowel preparation for colonoscopy in elderly outpatients. In total, 162 outpatients older than 65 years were enrolled and randomly divided into a control group and a study group. Patients in the study group were re-educated through telephone by a specific nurse 2 days before colonoscopy, whereas participants in the control group received education only on the day of appointment. The Ottawa score was used to evaluate the quality of bowel preparation between the two groups. In this study, no significant differences were observed in age, gender, body mass index, educational level, smoking and/or alcohol drinking, waiting time to colonoscopy, reasons for colonoscopy, and colonoscopic findings between the control group and the study group. Participants in the study group had higher adequate bowel preparation and compliance than the control group (83.1% vs. 59.5%, p = .03; 96.4% vs. 74.7%, p < .001). Univariate analysis showed that only noncompliance with start time was significantly associated with satisfactory bowel preparation in elderly patients. In conclusion, telephone intervention 2 days before colonoscopy can improve the quality of bowel preparation in the elderly.

Helicobacter pylori infection reduces TAMs infiltration in a mouse model of AOM/DSS induced colitis-associated cancer.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) increases the risk of colitis-associated cancer (CAC). Evidences suggest that Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is associated with a low risk of IBD and protects against experimental colitis in mouse models. However, the effect of H. pylori infection in CAC remains unclear. We previously reported that H. pylori infection increased M2 macrophages in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced chronic colitis. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play a pivotal role in colon cancer. Therefore, we established a H. pylori-infected CAC mouse model induced by azoxymethane and DSS to explore the effect of H. pylori infection on TAMs in CAC. Here, we demonstrated that H. pylori infection attenuated the development of CAC by decreasing tumor multiplicity, tumor size, tumor grade and colitis scores. Moreover, H. pylori infection reduced the infiltration of TAMs, particularly M2-like TAMs in CAC tumors, accompanied with the down-regulated pro-inflammatory and pro-tumorigenic factors TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6 and IL-23 in tumors of CAC mice. Our study suggests that H. pylori infection can reduce TAMs infiltration and regulate cytokines expression in CAC.

Gelfoam Padding, an innovative surgical technique improving the total resection rate of cystic gliomas.

OBJECTIVE: The cystic gliomas are the special type of malignant tumors in the brain and often lead to unsatisfied prognosis, but the microsurgical resection is still the most important treatment. However, they are difficult to be totally removed with craniotomy, especially for those who have flimsy cyst walls. Recently, we attempted to resect them via an innovative surgical technique, "Gelfoam Padding", in order to improve the total resection rate of the tumors safely. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients suffering intracerebral cystic gliomas underwent surgical intervention via "Gelfoam Padding" technique between 2015 and 2018, and the different histopathological results and their features of cyst walls were recorded. Then, the total resection rate of tumors as well as the complications after surgeries were analyzed to assess the applied value of this technique. RESULTS: All the patients were improved in the clinical symptoms after the operations. According to the intraoperative assessment and MRI examinations performed within 72 h after surgery, total resection of the tumor was achieved in all patients. Besides, there were no serious postoperative complications in these cases with this technique. CONCLUSION: The cystic glioma with the flimsy wall was the best applied indication of "Gelfoam Padding" technique, which could not only improve the total resection rate of tumors, but also be safe for the patients.

Epidemiological features and viral shedding in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

A pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection broke out all over the world; however, epidemiological data and viral shedding in pediatric patients are limited. We conducted a retrospective, multicenter study, and followed-up with all children from the families with SARS-CoV-2 infected members in Zhejiang Province, China. All infections were confirmed by testing the SARS-CoV-2 RNA with real-time reverse transcription PCR method, and epidemiological data between children and adults in the same families were compared. Effect of antiviral therapy was evaluated observationally and fecal-viral excretion times among groups with different antiviral regiments were compared with Kaplan-Meier plot. By 29 February 2020, 1298 cases from 883 families were confirmed with SARS-CoV-2 infection and 314 of which were families with children. Incidence of infection in child close contacts was significantly lower than that in adult contacts (13.2% vs 21.2%). The mean age of 43 pediatric cases was 8.2 years and mean incubation period was 9.1 days. Forty (93.0%) were family clustering. Thirty-three children had coronavirus disease 2019 (20 pneumonia) with mild symptoms and 10 were asymptomatic. Fecal SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection was positive in 91.4% (32/35) cases and some children had viral excretion time over 70 days. Viral clearance time was not different among the groups treated with different antiviral regiments. No subsequent infection was observed in family contacts of fecal-viral-excreting children. Children have lower susceptibility of SARS-CoV-2 infection, longer incubation, and fecal-viral excretion time. Positive results of fecal SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection were not used as indication for hospitalization or quarantine.

Enhancement of the geomagnetic field reduces the phototaxis of rice brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens associated with frataxin down-regulation.

The geomagnetic field (GMF) is an environmental cue that provides directional information for animals. The intensity of GMF is varied over space and time. Variations in the GMF intensity affect the navigation of animals and their physiology. In this study, the phototaxis of the migratory insect rice planthopper Nilaparvata lugens (N. lugens) and frataxin in N. lugens (Nl-fh), which is a mitochondrial protein required for cellular iron homeostasis and iron-sulfur cluster assembly, were investigated by using different intensities of magnetic field. From the results, individuals of N. lugens showed decreased phototaxis when reared and tested in a behavioral arena under a strong magnetic field. Besides the reduction in performance, an accompanying effect of the strong magnetic field condition was a reduced level of Nl-fh-messenger RNA, and a Nl-fh knockdown indeed impaired the phototactic behavior in a tested sample of insects. This leads to the conclusion that the expression of frataxin is dependent on the strength of the surrounding magnetic field and that functional frataxin facilitates phototactic behavior in N. lugens.

Various Strategies of Transsphenoidal Pseudocapsule-Based Extracapsular Resection in Noninvasive Functional Pituitary Adenomas and their Effectiveness and Safety.

INTRODUCTION: Increasing attention has been paid to the pseudocapsule-based extracapsular resection in transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenomas. Prior reports focused more on Cushing disease or nonfunctional pituitary adenomas. In this study we present systematic research, especially concerning all kinds of noninvasive functional pituitary adenomas (NIFPAs) adopting various strategies of extracapsular resection, in order to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of these surgical methods for NIFPAs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From October 2008 to November 2014, 116 patients suffering from NIFPAs underwent pseudocapsule-based extracapsular resection (ER) with different surgical strategies; that is, by a microscope or endoscope via the endonasal transsphenoidal approach. During the same period, 90 patients suffering NIFPAs also underwent traditional transsphenoidal intracapsular resection (IR). In different postoperative periods, we re-examined the endocrine series and recorded the complications. Enhanced magnetic resonance imaging examination was also performed three months later. RESULTS: In the ER and IR group, the tumors were completely removed in 97 (83.7%) and 62 (68.9%) cases, whereas the endocrine disorders were remitted in 89 (76.7%) and 53 (58.9%) cases, respectively. Statistical analyses to compare the overall complete resection rates and the overall endocrine remission rates in both groups showed significant differences (P = 0.028 and 0.006, respectively). Intraoperative rhinorrhea occurred in 26.7% patients of the ER group and 13.3% of the IR group, showing a significant difference (P = 0.019). Transient diabetes insipidus occurred in 73.3% patients of the ER group and 63.3% of the IR group, with no difference between groups (P = 0.126). There was no case with intracranial hematoma or pituitary crisis in both the groups. CONCLUSION: With our various surgical strategies of ER, the patients can achieve content imaging resection, high and sustained endocrine remission, which are effective and safe for NIFPAs.

NKG2A is a NK cell exhaustion checkpoint for HCV persistence.

Exhaustion of cytotoxic effector natural killer (NK) and CD8+ T cells have important functions in the establishment of persistent viral infections, but how exhaustion is induced during chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains poorly defined. Here we show, using the humanized C/OTg mice permissive for persistent HCV infection, that NK and CD8+ T cells become sequentially exhausted shortly after their transient hepatic infiltration and activation in acute HCV infection. HCV infection upregulates Qa-1 expression in hepatocytes, which ligates NKG2A to induce NK cell exhaustion. Antibodies targeting NKG2A or Qa-1 prevents NK exhaustion and promotes NK-dependent HCV clearance. Moreover, reactivated NK cells provide sufficient IFN-γ that helps rejuvenate polyclonal HCV CD8+ T cell response and clearance of HCV. Our data thus show that NKG2A serves as a critical checkpoint for HCV-induced NK exhaustion, and that NKG2A blockade sequentially boosts interdependent NK and CD8+ T cell functions to prevent persistent HCV infection.

Reconstructing Taiwan's land cover changes between 1904 and 2015 from historical maps and satellite images.

A new reconstruction of changes in Taiwan's land cover and estimated uncertainty between 1904 and 2015 is presented. The reconstruction is made by integrating geographical information from historical maps and SPOT satellite images, to obtain spatially explicit land cover maps with a resolution of 500 × 500 m and distinguishes six land cover classes: forests, grasslands, agricultural land, inland water, built-up land, and bare soil. The temporal resolution is unbalanced being derived from four historical maps describing the land cover between 1904 and 1994 and five mosaic satellite images describing the land cover between 1995 and 2015. The uncertainty of the historical maps is quantified to show the aggregation error whereas the uncertainty of the satellite images is quantified as classification error. Since 1904, Taiwan, as a developing country, has gone through a not unusual sequence of population growth and subsequent urbanization, a decoupling of the demand for agricultural land from population growth, and a transition from shrinking in forest area to forest expansion. This new land cover reconstruction is expected to contribute to future revisions of global land cover reconstructions as well as to studies of (gross) land cover changes, the carbon budget, regional climate, urban heat islands, and air and water pollution at the national and sub-national level.

Molecular characterization, spatial-temporal expression and magnetic response patterns of iron-sulfur cluster assembly1 (IscA1) in the rice planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens.

The mechanisms of magnetoreception have been proposed as the magnetite-based, the chemical radical-pair and biocompass model, in which magnetite particles, the cryptochrome (Cry) or iron-sulfur cluster assembly 1 (IscA1) may be involved. However, little is known about the association among the molecules. Here we investigated the molecular characterization and the mRNA expression of IscA1 in different developmental stages, tissues and magnetic fields in the migratory brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens. NlIscA1 contains an open reading frame of 390 bp, encoding amino acids of 129, with the predicted molecular weight of 14.0 kDa and the isoelectric point of 9.10. Well-conserved Fe-S cluster binding sites were observed in the predicted protein. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated NlIscA1 to be clustered into the insect's IscA1. NlIscA1 showed up-regulated mRNA expression during the period of migration. The mRNA expression of NlIscA1 could be detected in all the three tissues of head, thorax and abdomen, with the highest expression level in the abdomen. For the macropterous migratory Nilaparvata lugens, mRNA expression of NlIscA1 and N. lugens cryptochrome1 (Nlcry1) were up-regulated under the magnetic fields of 5 Gauss and 10 Gauss in strength (vs. local geomagnetic field), while N. lugens cryptochrome2 (Nlcry2) remained stable. For the brachyterous non-migratory Nilaparvata lugens, no significant changes were found in mRNA expression of NlIscA1, Nlcry1 and Nlcry2 among different magnetic fields. These findings preliminarily reveal that the expression of NlIscA1 and Nlcry1 exhibited coordinated responses to the magnetic field. It suggests some potential associations among the putative magneto-sensitive molecules of cryptochrome and iron-sulfur cluster assembly.

Heavy Metal and Metalloid Contamination Assessments of Soil around an Abandoned Uranium Tailings Pond and the Contaminations' Spatial Distribution and Variability.

To investigate the heavy metal and metalloid contamination of soil around a Huanan uranium tailings pond, abandoned in 1998, we defined a study area of 41.25 km² by a natural boundary and targeted 5 elements' (U, Mn, As, Pb, Cr) single contamination and comprehensive pollution as the assessment contents. First, we collected 205 samples and evaluated them with the contamination factor (CF) method aiming at judging whether the single target element concentration exceeded the local background value and environmental quality standard. We obtained CF1 (the background value of a certain target element as the baseline value) and CF2 (the environmental quality standard for soils as the baseline value). Second, we evaluated the ecological risk of the key pollutant U with the risk assessment code (RAC) method, taking the 27 samples whose CF2 > 1 as examples and concluded that the environmental risk of U was relatively high and should arouse concern. Third, we selected comprehensive pollution index (CPI) to assess the compound pollution degree of five target elements. Fourth, we constructed the U contamination and CPI's continuous distribution maps with spatial interpolation, from which we worked out the sizes and positions of slightly, moderately and strongly polluted zones. Finally, we analyzed the spatial variability of U and CPI with the aid of a geostatistical variogram. We deduced that the spatial variation of uranium was in close relationship with local topography, and probably precipitation was the driving force of U contamination diffusion, whereas CPI exhibited weak spatial dependence with random characteristics. The above work showed that 3.14 km² soil near the pond was fairly seriously polluted, and the other 4 elements' single contaminations were less serious, but the 5 target elements' cumulative pollution could not be ignored; there were other potential pollution sources besides the uranium tailings pond. Some emergency measures should be taken to treat U pollution, and bioremediation is recommended, taking account into U's high bioavailability. Further, special alerts should be implemented to identify the other pollution sources.

Ramie (Boehmeria nivea)'s uranium bioconcentration and tolerance attributes.

The authors sampled and analyzed 15 species of dominant wild plants in Huanan uranium tailings pond in China, whose tailings' uranium contents were 3.21-120.52 µg/g. Among the 15 species of wild plants, ramie (Boehmeria nivea) had the strongest uranium bioconcentration and transfer capacities. In order to study the uranium bioconcentration and tolerance attributes of ramie in detail, and provide a reference for the screening remediation plants to phytoremedy on a large scale in uranium tailings pond, a ramie cultivar Xiangzhu No. 7 pot experiment was carried out. We found that both wild ramie and Xiangzhu No. 7 could bioconcentrate uranium, but there were two differences. One was wild ramie's shoots bioconcentrated uranium up to 20 µg/g (which can be regarded as the critical content value of the shoot of uranium hyperaccumulator) even the soil uranium content was as low as 5.874 µg/g while Xiangzhu No. 7's shoots could reach 20 µg/g only when the uranium treatment concentrations were 275 µg/g or more; the other was that all the transfer factors of 3 wild samples were >1, and the transfer factors of 27 out of 28 pot experiment samples were <1. Probably wild ramie was a uranium hyperaccumulator. Xiangzhu No. 7 satisfied the needs of uranium hyperaccumulator on accumulation capability, tolerance capability, bioconcentration factor, but not transfer capability, so Xiangzhu No. 7 was not a uranium hyperaccumulator. We analyzed the possible reasons why there were differences in the uranium bioconcentration and transfer attributes between wild ramie and Xiangzhu No. 7., and proposed the direction for further research. In our opinion, both the plants which bioconcentrate contaminants in the shoots and roots can act as phytoextractors. Although Xiangzhu No. 7's biomass and accumulation of uranium were concentrated on the roots, the roots were small in volume and easy to harvest. And Xiangzhu No. 7's cultivating skills and protection measures had been developed very well. Xiangzhu No. 7's whole bioconcentration factors and the roots' bioconcentration factors, which were 1.200-1.834 and 1.460-2.341, respectively, increased with the increases of uranium contents of pot soil when the soil's uranium contents are 25-175 µg/g, so it can act as a potential phytoextractor when Huanan uranium tailings pond is phytoremediated.

A key role of microRNA-26a in the scar formation after glaucoma filtration surgery.

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blind worldwide. Post-operative scar formation of filtering tract was one of the main reasons for failure of glaucoma filtration surgery. In this study, we conducted several experiments to detect the expression of miR-26a in the scar tissue in filtering tract and then detect its potential biological effects as well as its target gene. In our present study, it was found that miR-26a was significantly down-regulated in filtering tract scar. Advanced study on the association between the miR-26a and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) micro RNA (mRNA) showed that miR-26a was inversely correlated with CTGF mRNA level. Advanced biological studies showed that overexpression of miR-26a could decrease the cell viability and migration ability of human Tenon's fibroblasts (HTFs) fibrosis in vitro model. It was also found that miR-26a might up-regulate the apoptotic level of HTFs. Through protein expression detection and luciferase reporter assay, it was found that miR-26a could produce functions that directly target the CTGF. In conclusion, the key finding of the current study is that miR-26a can suppress the activation of HTFs by transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß by targeting CTGF. This data indicates that miR-26a plays an essential role in the formation of filtering tract scar and function as a potential drug target.

[Treatment of mandibular angle fracture through intraoral and extraoral approach: a comparative study].

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical effects of mandibular angle fracture surgery through intraoral and extraoral approach. METHODS: From January 2008 to December 2014, 46 patients with mandibular angle fracture were retrospectively recruited in this study. An intraoral approach was used in 22 cases as group 1 in whom the fractures were fixed by one titanium miniplate alone, the others through an extraoral approach as group 2 in whom the fractures were fixed by two plates. Intermaxillary traction was used in all patients for 3 weeks following the operation. The data was collected in MS Excel 2003 and further analyzed by SPSS13.0 software package. RESULTS: The wound healing was in uneventful group 1, no complication occurred 3 weeks later. On the contrary, 5 cases with postoperative infection and 3 cases with temporary weakness of facial nerve were observed in the group 2. Three months later, postoperative panoramic radiographs showed mandible fractures healed well in group 1; while in group 2, three cases complained of unhealed fractures and unsatisfactory occlusion. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with extraoral approach to manage mandibular angle fracture with 2 miniplates, one miniplate through intraoral approach can provide better outcomes.

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders Show Reduced Specificity and Less Positive Events in Mental Time Travel.

Mental time travel refers to the ability to recall past events and to imagine possible future events. Schizophrenia (SCZ) patients have problems in remembering specific personal experiences in the past and imagining what will happen in the future. This study aimed to examine episodic past and future thinking in SCZ spectrum disorders including SCZ patients and individuals with schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) proneness who are at risk for developing SCZ. Thirty-two SCZ patients, 30 SPD proneness individuals, and 33 healthy controls participated in the study. The Sentence Completion for Events from the Past Test (SCEPT) and the Sentence Completion for Events in the Future Test were used to measure past and future thinking abilities. Results showed that SCZ patients showed significantly reduced specificity in recalling past and imagining future events, they generated less proportion of specific and extended events compared to healthy controls. SPD proneness individuals only generated less extended events compared to healthy controls. The reduced specificity was mainly manifested in imagining future events. Both SCZ patients and SPD proneness individuals generated less positive events than controls. These results suggest that mental time travel impairments in SCZ spectrum disorders and have implications for understanding their cognitive and emotional deficits.