Study on the application of percutaneous closed pleural brushing combined with cell block technique in the diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion.

INTRODUCTION: This study was to investigate the diagnostic value of percutaneous closed pleural brushing (CPBR) followed by cell block technique for malignant pleural effusion (MPE) and the predictive efficacy of pleural fluid carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in lung adenocarcinoma patients with MPE. METHODS: All patients underwent closed pleural biopsy (CPB) and CPBR followed by cell block examination. MPE-positive diagnostic rates between the two methods were compared. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine factors influencing the EGFR mutations. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the predictive efficacy of pleural fluid CEA for EGFR mutations. RESULTS: The cumulative positive diagnostic rates for MPE after single and twice CPBR followed by cell block examination were 80.5% and 89.0%, higher than CPB (45.7%, 54.3%) (P < 0.001). Univariate analysis showed that EGFR mutation was associated with pleural fluid and serum CEA (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that pleural fluid CEA was an independent risk factor for predicting EGFR mutation (P < 0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) of pleural fluid CEA for EGFR mutation prediction was 0.774, higher than serum CEA (P = 0.043), but no difference with the combined test (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Compared with CPB, CPBR followed by the cell block technique can significantly increase the positive diagnostic rate of suspected MPE. CEA testing of pleural fluid after CPBR has a high predictive efficacy for EGFR mutation in lung adenocarcinoma patients with MPE, implying pleural fluid extracted for cell block after CPBR may be an ideal specimen for genetic testing.

Network analysis identifies a gene biomarker panel for sepsis-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema caused by inflammation, which can lead to serious respiratory complications. Due to the high mortality of ARDS caused by sepsis, biological markers that enable early diagnosis are urgently needed for clinical treatment. METHODS: In the present study, we used the public microarray data of whole blood from patients with sepsis-induced ARDS, patients with sepsis-alone and healthy controls to perform an integrated analysis based on differential expressed genes (DEGs) and co-expression network to identify the key genes and pathways related to the development of sepsis into ARDS that may be key targets for diagnosis and treatment. RESULTS: Compared with controls, we identified 180 DEGs in the sepsis-alone group and 152 DEGs in the sepsis-induced ARDS group. About 70% of these genes were unique to the two groups. Functional analysis of DEGs showed that neutrophil-mediated inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction are the main features of ARDS induced by sepsis. Gene network analysis identified key modules and screened out key regulatory genes related to ARDS. The key genes and their upstream regulators comprised a gene panel, including EOMES, LTF, CSF1R, HLA-DRA, IRF8 and MPEG1. Compared with the healthy controls, the panel had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.900 and 0.914 for sepsis-alone group and sepsis-induced ARDS group, respectively. The AUC was 0.746 between the sepsis-alone group and sepsis-induced ARDS group. Moreover, the panel of another independent blood transcriptional expression profile dataset showed the AUC was 0.769 in diagnosing sepsis-alone group and sepsis-induced ARDS group. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our method contributes to the diagnosis of sepsis and sepsis-induced ARDS. The biological pathway involved in this gene biomarker panel may also be a critical target in combating ARDS caused by sepsis.

The downregulation of miR-129-5p relieves the inflammatory response in acute respiratory distress syndrome by regulating PPARγ-mediated autophagy.

Background: The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) promotes autophagy and regulates the inflammatory response. However, the effects of the PPARγ on inflammation in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are unclear. This study sought to explore the mechanism by which the downregulation of microRNA-129-5p (miR-129-5p) attenuates the inflammatory response in ARDS patients by regulating PPARγ-mediated autophagy. Methods: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to establish an acute lung injury (ALI) mice model to simulate ARDS. GW9662 and pioglitazone were applied to inhibit and activate the PPARγ, respectively. Enzyme-linked immunoassays were used to detect inflammatory cytokines. The expressions of miR-129-5p, the PPARγ, and the autophagy-marker protein were detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) or Western blot. Dual-luciferase reporter assays were used to verify the targeting relationship between miR-129-5p and PPARγ messenger RNA (mRNA). Human lung epithelial cells BEAS-2B transfected with the miR-129-5p inhibitor and/or the short interfering RNA PPARγ (si-PPARγ) were applied to explore the mechanism. Results: The results showed that pioglitazone promoted autophagy and relieved lung injury caused by LPS, while GW9662 exacerbated lung injury. MiR-129-5p directly targeted the PPARγ. Inhibiting the expression of miR-129-5p increased the level of the PPARγ, induced autophagy, and inhibited apoptosis and the inflammatory response. Conversely, silencing the PPARγ had the opposite effects, and blocked the protective effects of the miR-129-5p inhibitor. Conclusions: The inhibition of miR-129-5p may induce autophagy and inhibit the inflammatory response by promoting the expression of the PPARγ, thereby relieving ARDS.

A Statistical Damage Constitutive Model Based on the Weibull Distribution for Alkali-Resistant Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete.

The addition of alkali-resistant glass fiber to concrete effectively suppresses the damage evolution such as microcrack initiation, expansion, and nucleation and inhibits the development and penetration of microcracks, which is very important for the long-term stability and safety of concrete structures. We conducted indoor flat tensile tests to determine the occurrence and development of cracks in alkali-resistant glass fiber reinforced concrete (AR-GFRC). The composite material theory and Krajcinovic vector damage theory were used to correct the quantitative expressions of the fiber discontinuity and the elastic modulus of the concrete. The Weibull distribution function was used and an equation describing the damage evolution of the AR-GFRC was derived. The constitutive equation was validated using numerical parameter calculations based on the elastic modulus, the fiber content, and a performance test of polypropylene fiber. The results showed that the tensile strength and peak strength of the specimen were highest at a concrete fiber content of 1%. The changes in the macroscopic stress-strain curve of the AR-GFRC were determined and characterized by the model. The results of this study provide theoretical support and reference data to ensure safety and reliability for practical concrete engineering.

Nonlinear Creep Damage Constitutive Model of Concrete Based on Fractional Calculus Theory.

Concrete creep has become one of the major problems that threatens concrete structural development and construction. However, a reasonable and accurate calculation model for numerical analysis is the key to control and solve the creep deformation of concrete. To better describe the concrete nonlinear creep damage evolution rule, the visco-elasticity Plasticity Rheological Theory, Riemann Liouville Theory and Combined Model Theory are quoted, and the Able dashpot is used to reconstruct fractional-order soft-body composite elements to propose the expression of the stress-strain relationship of the elastomer, visco-elasticity plasticity body, and Viscoplasticity body, considering the evolution of the concrete compression damage process. A nonlinear creep damage constitutive model of concrete, based on fractional calculus theory, is conducted, and the parameters of the specific calculation method of the model are given. The influence of stress level σ, fractional order n and material parameter α on the concrete creep process is determined by a sensitivity analysis of the model parameters. The creep process and deformation amount of concrete in practical engineering can be effectively controlled by the results of the proposed sensitivity analysis. The research results can be used to provide guidance and reference for the safe construction of concrete engineering in actual practice.

[Photo-induced Phosphate Release from Organic Phosphorus Decomposition Driven by Fe(â ¢)-oxalate Complex in Lake Water].

The phosphate released from organic phosphorus photo-decomposition has a significantly influence on the phosphorus levels in the water column in lakes. In order to reveal the effect of organic phosphorus photo-decomposition on phosphate level in lake water, the phosphate released from organic phosphorus photo-decomposition driven by Fe(Ⅲ)-oxalate complex under UV-Vis and sunlight irradiation was investigated in natural lake water using glyphosate as the model organic phosphorus. The effects of pH and initial concentration of Fe(Ⅲ), oxalate and glyphosate on the phosphate released from glyphosate photolysis were studied. The results showed that phosphate could be released from glyphosate degradation by Fe(Ⅲ)-oxalate complex under UV-Vis and sunlight irradiation. The concentration of phosphate reached 0.25 mg·L-1 and 0.18 mg·L-1 under UV-Vis and sunlight irradiation for 60 and 720 min, respectively. The amount of phosphate released increased with the increase of the initial concentration of Fe(Ⅲ), as well as the increasing oxalate and glyphosate concentration in lake water. However, the increase of pH could significantly inhibit this process in the reaction system. The concentration of phosphorus decreased with the addition of isopropanol, which indicated that the hydroxyl radical (·OH) was one of the main active oxygen species of Fe(Ⅲ)-oxalate complex. The rates of·OH production for Fe(Ⅲ)-oxalate/UV-Vis and Fe(Ⅲ)-oxalate/sunlight systems were 0.52×10-2 µmol·(L·min)-1 and 0.03×10-2 µmol·(L·min)-1, respectively. The steady-state concentrations of hydroxyl radical (·OH) for the Fe(Ⅲ)-oxalate/UV-Vis conditions were 4.74×10-16 mol·L-1 and 0.27×10-16 mol·L-1 for the Fe(Ⅲ)-oxalate/sunlight system.

[Pollution Characteristics of Surface Runoff of Typical Town in Chongqing City].

Six kinds of impermeable underlying surface, cement tile roof, asbestos roof, cement flat roof, residential concrete pavement, asphalt pavement of restaurants, asphalt pavement of oil depot, and a combined sewer overflow canal in the Jiansheng town of Dadukou district in Chongqing city were chosen as sample plots to study the characteristics of nutritional pollutants and heavy metals in town runoff. The research showed that the average mass concentrations of TSS, COD, TN, TP in road runoff were (1681.2 +/- 677.2), (1154.7 +/- 415.5), (12.07 +/- 2.72), (3.32 +/- 1.15) mgL(-1), respectively. These pollutants were higher than those in roof runoff which were (13.3 +/- 6.5), (100.4 +/- 24.8), (3.58 +/- 0.70), (0.10 +/- 0.02) mg x L(-1), respectively. TDN accounted for 62.60% +/- 34.38% of TN, and TDP accounted for 42.22% +/- 33.94% of TP in the runoff of impermeable underlying surface. Compared with the central urban runoff, town runoff in our study had higher mass concentrations of these pollutants. The mass concentrations of TSS, COD, TDN, TN, TDP and TP in the combined sewer overflow were (281.57 +/- 308.38), (231.21 +/- 42.95), (8.16 +/- 2.78), (10.60 +/- 3.94), (0.38 +/- 0.23) and (1.51 +/- 0.75) mg x L(-1), respectively. The average levels of heavy metals in this kind of runoff did not exceed the class VI level of the surface water environmental quality standard. Most pollutants in the combined sewer overflow had first flush. However, this phenomenon was very rare for TSS. There was a significant positive correlation between TSS and COD, TP in the combined sewer overflow. And this correlation was significant between NH4+ -N and TP, TDP, TN, TDP. However, a negative correlation existed between NO3- -N and all other indicators.

[Response of phosphorus components in sediments from eutrophic lake to external sulfate].

A six week experiment under indoor simulated condition was carried out to investigate the external sulfate transformation between the sediments and overlying water from Lake Nanhu in Wuhan, China, and the influence of sulfate on the phosphorus components was also studied. The results showed that the sulfate input increased the pH and lowered the Eh in the overlying water. The sulfate concentration in the overlying water decreased with time, and it was assumed that there existed an obvious transformation of sulfate to other forms of sulfur compounds according to the variation of sulfate concentration in the pore water. The sulfate reduction index increased with higher input content of sulfate. The amount of sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) in the sediments achieved the peak value in the second week, and the SRB amounts of S500 and S1000 were much higher than that of the control. 31P-NMR was used to characterize the relative quantity of phosphorus compounds in the sediment extracts leached by NaOH-EDTA. The components of phosphorus in Nanhu Lake sediment were mainly orthophosphate, phosphate monoester, phosphodiester and pyrophosphate. The predominant one was orthophosphate (84.10%-95.54% of total phosphorus). The contents of other phosphorus components were followed: phosphate monoester > phosphodiester > pyrophosphate, and they increased due to the input of sulfate during the first four weeks, and decreased in the last two weeks. The external sulfate accelerated the release of orthophosphate from sediments to overlying water in a whole, and increased the contents of phosphate monoester, phosphodiester and pyrophosphate in sediments when the amounts of sulfate reducing bacteria were high.

[Study on interaction of L-homocysteine modified gold nanoparticles with bovine serum albumin by fluorescence spectroscopy].

The interaction of L-homocysteine (Cys) modified gold nanoparticles with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was studied by fluorescence quenching spectroscopy and synchronous fluorescence spectra. The binding constant and binding sites of L-homocysteine modified gold nanoparticles to BSA were calculated, respectively, according to the double logarithm regression curve. Fluorescence quenching of BSA by L-homocysteine modified gold nanoparticles was observed, indicating that the quenching mechanism is static quenching. In addition, the thermodynamic data show that the key interaction force is hydrophobic interaction. Finally, the synchronous fluorescence spectra show that the conformation of BSA and the microenvironment of the tryptophan have not obviously changed.

[Effect of Fe-Mn-Si on the biomass structure of Eichhornia crassipes].

Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth) was cultivated under different iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and silicon (Si) nutrient treatments for its biomass characteristics research which was determined by various items including nutrient element content (Fe, Mn and Si), adsorption sites and active function groups. The results show that Mn and Si can enhance acidic sites of the plant, in which Mn plays a great role, but Fe reduces the acidic sites. The sequence of acidic sites' amount among three parts of the plant is root > stem > leaf, in the treatment of Fe, Mn and their combination, and leaf > stem > root in Si treatment. The amount of alkaline sites is less than that of acidic sites, and the difference in their distributions among three parts of the plant is not great. Mn and Si treated Eichhornia crassipes stalks have more amorphous material, such as lignin, pectin and xylan (hemicellulose), which have more functional groups of -OH, -COOH and acidic sites.

An auto-biotinylated bifunctional protein nanowire for ultra-sensitive molecular biosensing.

In order to obtain an ultra-sensitive molecular biosensor, we designed an auto-biotinylated bifunctional protein nanowire (bFPNw) based on the self-assembly of a yeast amyloid protein, Sup35, to which protein G and a biotin acceptor peptide (BAP) were genetically fused. These auto-biotinylated bFPNws can transfer hundreds of commercially available diagnostic enzymes to an antigen-antibody complex via the biotin-avidin system, greatly enhancing the sensitivity of immune-biosensing. Compared to our previously reported seeding-induced bFPNws (Men et al., 2009), these auto-biotinylated bFPNws gave greater signal amplification, reduced non-specific binding and improved stability. The auto-biotinylated self-assembled bFPNw molecular biosensors were applied to detect Yersinia pestis (Y. pestis) F1 antigen and showed a 2000- to 4000-fold increase in sensitivity compared to traditional immunoassays, demonstrating the potential use of these self-assembling protein nanowires in biosensing.

[Coupling effects of temperature, moisture, and nitrogen application on greenhouse soil pH and EC].

A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to study the effects of temperature (T), moisture (W), nitrogen application (N), and their combinations on the pH and EC of greenhouse soil having cultivated for 5 years. The results showed that with the increase of incubation time, soil pH was decreasing, which could be well described by the first-order kinetic model, and the pH decreasing rate (k) under effects of test factors was in the order of N > W > W x N > T x W. Soil EC increased quickly to the maxima in the first week of incubation, decreased slightly then, and finally reached to a constant (EC(sty)). The EC(sty) value was significantly affected by N, W, T x W, T, and W x N. Reducing nitrogen application and rational deficit irrigation could effectively postpone the soil acidification and EC increase. A regression equation of k and EC(sty) was established, which could be used to predict the changes of soil pH and EC under different conditions of moisture regime and nitrogen application.