Spatial distribution and risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils from contaminated sites in Eastern China.

A total of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in 28 soil column samples from two contaminated industrial sites in Eastern China. The total concentration of 16 PAHs (∑PAHs) in the surface soil (0-20 cm) was measured up to 52,600 ng/g (dry weight basis) with a remarkable spatial difference in the studied contaminated sites. The concentrations of the ∑PAHs in soils decreased with the increase in soil depth (0-10 m). The surface and subsurface soil presented a tenfold higher concentration than the soil with depth greater than 4 m. Additionally, the vertical migration tendency of the PAHs was found to be correlated significantly with their hydrophobicity (R2 = 0.79, P < 0.01). Naphthalene (with lowest octanol-water partition coefficient among the studied PAHs) showed the greatest average soil depth at which its peak concentration occurred. Furthermore, risk quotient analysis by using benzo[a]pyrene as reference compound showed that 71.4% of the samples exhibited high ecological risk for soil. Moreover, the total carcinogenic risk of the PAHs in the surface soil samples was assessed at 5.61 × 10-5-1.28 × 10-4 and 4.41 × 10-6-9.43 × 10-5 for male and female workers, respectively, in which 67.9%-71.4% of the samples showed potential risk. Generally, these results suggest a further consideration of ecological and health risks associated with PAHs in contaminated sites in Eastern China.

Nationwide distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil of China and the association with bacterial community.

Soil contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has raised great environmental concerns. However, the information on national wide distribution of PAHs in soil as well as their effect on soil bacterial community are limited. In this study, 16 PAHs were measured in 94 soil samples collected across China. The total concentration of 16 PAHs (∑PAHs) in soil ranged from 74.0 to 17,657 ng/g (dry weight basis), with a median value of 200 ng/g. Pyrene was the major soil PAH, with a median concentration of 71.3 ng/g. Soil samples from Northeast China had a higher median concentration of ∑PAHs (1,961 ng/g) than those from other regions. Petroleum emission and wood/grass/coal combustion were potential sources for soil PAHs based on diagnostic ratios and positive matrix factors analysis. A nonnegligible ecological risk (hazard quotients > 1) was found in over 20% of soil samples analyzed and the highest median total HQs value (8.53) was found in soils from Northeast China. The effect of PAHs on bacterial abundance, α-diversity, and ß-diversity was limited in the soils surveyed. Nevertheless, the relative abundance of some members in genera Gaiella, Nocardioides, and Clostridium was significantly correlated with the concentrations of some PAHs. Especially, the bacterium Gaiella Occulta showed potential in indicating soil contamination by PAH, which is worth further exploration.

Immunomodulatory effects of Inonotus obliquus polysaccharide on splenic lymphocytes infected with Toxoplasma gondii via NF-κB and MAPKs pathways.

CONTEXT: As a medicinal and edible fungus, Inonotus obliquus has been traditionally used to prevent and treat various ailments. Inonotus obliquus polysaccharide (IOP) isolated from I. obliquus processes many biological activities, our series of in vivo studies have shown that IOP protects against Toxoplasma gondii infection. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the in vitro immunomodulatory effects and its mechanisms of IOP on mouse splenic lymphocytes infected with T. gondii. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mouse splenic lymphocytes were infected with T. gondii tachyzoites, and treated with different concentrations of IOP. The levels of cytokines and chemokines were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The expression of toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4, and the modulation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) signaling pathways were determined by Western blot. RESULTS: IOP significantly decreased the over-release of cytokine interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß), IL-4, IL-6, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in supernatant from T. gondii-infected splenic lymphocytes. IOP also effectively inhibited the overexpression of cytokines and chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein-1 (MIP-1) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) mRNA. Furthermore, IOP down-regulated TLR2 and TLR4 expressions and inhibited the over-phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 and inhibitor κBα (IκBα) in NF-κB signaling pathway and p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in MAPKs signaling pathway. By observing the effect of IOP on TNF-α secretion after pretreatment with specific inhibitors, it was further confirmed that IOP was involved in the regulation of NF-κB, p38, and JNK signaling pathways. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that IOP can inhibit the excessive inflammatory response caused by T. gondii infection through modulating NF-κB, p38, and JNK signaling pathways, and thus plays the in vitro anti-T. gondii role.

Compact and movable ozone differential absorption lidar system based on an all-solid-state, tuning-free laser source.

The differential absorption lidar (DIAL) has been proposed as an effective method for detecting polluted gases in the atmosphere. In this paper, we present a compact and movable ozone differential absorption (O3-DIAL) based on an all-solid-state and tuning-free laser source. For the first time, solid-state stimulated Raman scattering technology is used in the emitting source of the lidar for wavelength conversion. A high repetition frequency Innoslab laser is used for pumping SrWO4 crystals to get yellow lasers which can achieve up to 70% light-to-light conversion efficiency. Our results demonstrate that using the SrWO4 crystal as the Raman frequency-shifting media of the lidar laser source for obtaining the vertical profiles of tropospheric ozone in the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) is a suitable choice. As a compact movable lidar system, the results demonstrate the reliability and stability.

Inhibition of mTOR Signaling Pathway Delays Follicle Formation in Mice.

In mammalian ovaries, follicle assembly requires proper germ cell cyst breakdown and the invasion of somatic cells to encapsulate individual oocytes. Abnormalities in this process lead to a number of pathologies such as premature ovarian failure and infertility. As a conserved pathway regulating cell growth and metabolism in response to growth factors and nutrients, the roles of mTOR signaling in follicular development have been extensively studied in recent years. However, its functions during follicle formation remain unknown. In this study, the expression of p-rpS6 (phospho-ribosomal proteinS6), a downstream marker of mTORC1, showed dynamic changes in perinatal ovaries. When E18.5 ovaries, which mainly contained germ cell nests, were incubated with the mTOR inhibitors Rapamycin and Torin1 for 24 h, follicle assembly was delayed with differential somatic cell invasion into germ cell cyst among the groups. After transplanting treated or untreated ovaries into kidney capsules of recipient ovariectomized mice, follicular development was blocked in treated ovaries, as shown by fewer antral follicles and a higher proportion of primordial follicles. Further studies showed a significant decrease in somatic cell proliferation and the expression of marker genes related to follicular development (Kitl, Kit, Gdf9, Bmp15, Zp3, and Amhr2) in treated ovaries. Moreover, the addition of KITL, a growth factor that is mainly produced by pregranulosa cells during germ cell nest breakdown, rescued the extension of follicle formation induced by mTOR inhibitors. These results suggest that KITL functions downstream of mTOR in somatic cells to regulate their communication with oocytes during follicle formation. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 585-595, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[Study on Automatic Identification of Aerosols Boundary Layer Height with Local Optimum Model Based on Lidar Data].

The atmospheric aerosols have significant influence on human health, the environment and the climate system. The atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) reflects processes of the near-surface atmosphere and concentration of pollutants. Ground-based laser radar can monitor the vertical distribution of atmospheric aerosols stably and continuously. It provides dynamic information for timing observations of the ABL and environmental forecasting, if aerosols can be monitored and evaluated using lidar technology. There is a gap in the study of ABL observations during the presence of a residual layer and aerosol intrusion, as well as deficiencies in the accuracy and poor computational efficiency of the gradient method. This paper combines the physical meaning of the latter method with characteristics of a lidar timing chart and local optimum model, which based on space-time proximity. Then a polarization-Mie scattering lidar system is used to observe the vertical distribution of aerosols over time at Taihu observation site, which is in a newly developed area of the city of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China. Observation and analysis is carried out for two cases in terms of pollution at the end of 2012. Then corresponding estimation model was built with gradient method and local optimum model based on range-corrected signals. In the case of steady weather and mixed pollution, results of the gradient method and local optimum model were very similar. However, the gradient method has more error in the case of pollution intrusion with the residual layer. The local optimum model based on the space-time proximity theory considers vertical eigenvalues and horizontal correlations, thereby greatly reducing the effects of low clouds, signal interference, weak signals, bi-layered aerosols, and residual layer condition. Compared with the gradient method, the local optimum model had a smaller O(n) and greater stability in computer automatic identification. ABL identification in the case with the residual layer and aerosol intrusion was solved with use of lidar technology and the local optimum model. The accuracy and computational efficiency problems of the gradient method were resolved using automatic operation.

A Load-Adaptive Driving Method for a Quasi-Continuous-Wave Laser Diode.

A quasi-continuous-wave (QCW) laser diode (LD) driver is commonly used to drive diode bars and stacks designed specifically for QCW operations in solid-state lasers. Such drivers are optimized to deliver peak current and voltage pulses to LDs while maintaining low average power levels. As a result, they are widely used in laser processing devices and laser instruments. Traditional high-energy QCW LD drivers primarily use capacitors as energy storage components and pulsed constant-current sources with op-amps and power metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) as their core circuits for generating repeated constant-current pulses. The drawback of this type of driver is that the driver's output voltage needs to be manually adjusted according to the operating voltage of the load before use to maximize driver efficiency while providing a sufficient current. Another drawback is its inability to automatically adjust the output voltage to maintain high efficiency when the load changes during the driver operation. Drastic changes in the load can cause the driver to fail to function properly in extreme cases. Based on the above traditional circuit structure, this study designed a stability compensation circuit and realized a QCW LD driver for driving a GS20 diode stack with a maximum repetition rate of 100 Hz, a constant current of approximately 300 A, a load voltage of approximately 10 V, and a pulse width of approximately 300 µs. In particular, a high-efficiency, load-adaptive driving method was used with the MOSFETs in the critical saturation region (i.e., between the linear and saturated regions), controlling its power loss effectively while achieving maximum output current of the driver. The experiments demonstrated that the driver efficiency could be maintained at more than 80% when the load current varied from 50 to 300 A.

A Study on the Synthesis and Proton Transport Behavior of Multilayered ZSM-5 Zeolite Nanosheet Membranes Laminated on Polymer Substrates.

Single crystalline ZSM-5 ZNs with thicknesses around 6 nm were obtained by secondary growth of silicalite nanoparticles using diquaternary bis-1,5(tripropyl ammonium) pentamethylene diiodide (dC5) as a structure-directing agent (SDA). The dC5 could be effectively removed from the ZN pores by either high-temperature calcination or UV irradiation in air at room temperature but not by the piranha solution treatment. Ultrathin ZN-laminated membranes (ZNLMs) were fabricated by sandwiching a UV-activated multilayered ZN film between two recast Nafion® layers (ZNLM-Nafion) and by filtration coating from a suspension of thermally activated ZNs on a nonionic porous PVDF (ZNLM-PVDF). The ZNLMs on both supports demonstrated the ability of highly proton-selective ion conduction with low resistances in aqueous electrolyte solutions. The ZNLM-PVDF with PVDF binder was structurally stable, and it achieved a comparably low ASR but much higher proton selectivity compared with a Nafion membrane of same overall thickness. However, detachment between the ZNLM and Nafion layers occurred when the ZNLM-Nafion operated in aqueous electrolyte solutions. Results of this study show the potential for developing ZNLMs as efficient proton-conducting membranes without using expensive ionic polymer matrices. However, the development of polymer-supported ZNLMs is hindered by the current inefficiency in preparing well-dispersed suspensions of open-pore ZNs. Future development of efficient methods for synthesizing open-pore ZNs in dispersed states is key to realizing high-performance ZNLMs on polymers.

Induction therapy with autologous mesenchymal stem cells in living-related kidney transplants: a randomized controlled trial.

CONTEXT: Antibody-based induction therapy plus calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) reduce acute rejection rates in kidney recipients; however, opportunistic infections and toxic CNI effects remain challenging. Reportedly, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have successfully treated graft-vs-host disease. OBJECTIVE: To assess autologous MSCs as replacement of antibody induction for patients with end-stage renal disease who undergo ABO-compatible, cross-match-negative kidney transplants from a living-related donor. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: One hundred fifty-nine patients were enrolled in this single-site, prospective, open-label, randomized study from February 2008-May 2009, when recruitment was completed. INTERVENTION: Patients were inoculated with marrow-derived autologous MSC (1-2 x 10(6)/kg) at kidney reperfusion and two weeks later. Fifty-three patients received standard-dose and 52 patients received low-dose CNIs (80% of standard); 51 patients in the control group received anti-IL-2 receptor antibody plus standard-dose CNIs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary measure was 1-year incidence of acute rejection and renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR]); the secondary measure was patient and graft survival and incidence of adverse events. RESULTS: Patient and graft survival at 13 to 30 months was similar in all groups. After 6 months, 4 of 53 patients (7.5%) in the autologous MSC plus standard-dose CNI group (95% CI, 0.4%-14.7%; P = .04) and 4 of 52 patients (7.7%) in the low-dose group (95% CI, 0.5%-14.9%; P = .046) compared with 11 of 51 controls (21.6%; 95% CI, 10.5%-32.6%) had biopsy-confirmed acute rejection. None of the patients in either autologous MSC group had glucorticoid-resistant rejection, whereas 4 patients (7.8%) in the control group did (95% CI, 0.6%-15.1%; overall P = .02). Renal function recovered faster among both MSC groups showing increased eGFR levels during the first month after surgery than the control group. Patients receiving standard-dose CNI had a mean difference of 6.2 mL/min per 1.73 m(2) (95% CI, 0.4-11.9; P=.04) and those in the low-dose CNI of 10.0 mL/min per 1.73 m(2) (95% CI, 3.8-16.2; P=.002). Also, during the 1-year follow-up, combined analysis of MSC-treated groups revealed significantly decreased risk of opportunistic infections than the control group (hazard ratio, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.20-0.85, P=.02) CONCLUSION: Among patients undergoing renal transplant, the use of autologous MSCs compared with anti-IL-2 receptor antibody induction therapy resulted in lower incidence of acute rejection, decreased risk of opportunistic infection, and better estimated renal function at 1 year. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00658073.

Visible-Light-Induced Acylative Coupling of Benzoic Acid Derivatives with Alkenes to Dihydrochalcones.

A strategy was developed for the visible-light-induced photocatalytic synthesis of dihydrochalcone via the deoxygenation and coupling of benzoic acid derivatives with alkenes using diphenyl sulfide as the O-transfer reagent. Under mild photoredox conditions, a series of dihydrochalcone derivatives were produced in moderate to good yields. A mechanism for the visible-light-induced free-radical coupling was proposed on the basis of the control experiments. The protocol provides a new strategy the generation of acyl radicals from carboxylic acids and the synthesis of dihydrochalcones.

Visible light-induced deoxygenation/cyclization of salicylic acid derivatives and aryl acetylene for the synthesis of flavonoids.

A visible-light-induced photocatalytic strategy for the synthesis of flavonoids has been developed through the deoxygenative/cyclization reaction of salicylic acid derivatives with aryl acetylene using diphenyl sulfide as an O-transfer reagent. Based on the controlled experiments, the mechanism of visible-light-induced free radical coupling cyclization was proposed. The protocol obtained 51 flavonoids in good yields and has been successfully applied to the synthesis of some natural flavones.

Effect of Fe(III)-modified montmorillonite on arsenic oxidation and anthracene transformation in soil.

Studies have shown that Fe(III)-modified montmorillonite can oxidize arsenite (As(III)) and also degrade anthracene. However, the application of Fe(III)-modified montmorillonite to remediate soil contaminated by arsenic and/or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has not been reported. In this study, we first investigated the transformation of arsenic and anthracene on the surface of Fe(III)-modified montmorillonite, and then added Fe(III)-modified montmorillonite to spiked soil to examine its effect on arsenic oxidation and anthracene transformation. The experiments included treatments with As(III) and anthracene added separately or combined (both at a rate of 100 mg/kg). Compared with Na-modified montmorillonite, Fe(III)-modified montmorillonite significantly promoted As(III) oxidation and anthracene transformation on its surface. After 15 days of incubation, the proportion of As(V) (As(V)/[As(III) + As(V)]) on Na-modified montmorillonite was approximately 60%, and the transformation extent of anthracene was < 30%; on Fe(III)-modified montmorillonite, on the other hand, the proportion of As(V) was approximately 90%, and almost all anthracene was transformed. Adding 5% Fe(III)-modified montmorillonite to spiked soil also significantly enhanced As(III) oxidation and anthracene transformation. After 15 days, in the soil with added Fe(III)-modified montmorillonite, the proportion of As(V) was approximately 40%, the transformation extent of anthracene was > 60%, and approximately half of the initial added anthracene was transformed to anthraquinone. By contrast, after 15 days, in the soil without added Fe(III)-modified montmorillonite, the proportion of As(V) was only approximately 20%, the transformation extent of anthracene was < 25%, and anthraquinone was not detected. In both the montmorillonite and soil systems, the transformation of arsenic and anthracene had little influence on each other. The results showed that Fe(III)-modified montmorillonite has the potential to remediate soil contaminated by arsenic and PAHs.

LncRNA HOTAIRM1, miR-433-5p and PIK3CD function as a ceRNA network to exacerbate the development of PCOS.

BACKGROUND: Currently, several non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) were distinguished in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). This present study aims to explore the potential function of lncRNA HOTAIRM1/miR-433-5p/PIK3CD in ovarian granulosa cells. METHODS: We analyzed the expression profiles of HOTAIRM1, miR-433-5p and PIK3CD in PCOS samples by enquiring GEO database. GSEA was applied to enrich the pathways related to PCOS. The target association between HOTAIRM1 and miR-433-5p or the binding association between miR-433-5p and PIK3CD were assessed by online prediction tools and a dual luciferase reporter assay. qPCR and western blotting assays were used to detect PIK3CD expression after HOTAIRM1 and miR-433-5p treatment. The proliferation and apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells were estimated by cell counting kit-8 and flow cytometry assays, respectively. RESULTS: The expression profiles of HOTAIRM1 and PIK3CD were increased, whereas miR-433-5p was decreased in PCOS tissues. PIK3CD expression was positively regulated by HOTAIRM1 and negatively modulated by miR-433-5p. Overexpression of HOTAIRM1 reduced the proliferative ability and increased the apoptotic ability of granulosa cells, whereas upregulation of miR-433-5p or downregulation of PIK3CD reversed the effects of HOTAIRM1 on granulosa cells. Moreover, overexpression of miR-433-5 displayed a results with increasing proliferative ability and decreasing apoptotic ability, but upregulation of PIK3CD eliminated the function of miR-433-5p on granulosa cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings illustrated that HOTAIRM1 could sponge miR-433-5p to promote PIK3CD expression, thereby regulating the growth and apoptosis of granulose cells in PCOS.

Effects of Taraxacum and Astragalus extracts combined with probiotic Bacillus subtilis and Lactobacillus on Escherichia coli-infected broiler chickens.

Diarrhea caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) is one of the most common diseases that affects the growth and development of poultry. This study was conducted to investigate the synergistic effects of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) combined with probiotics against E. coli infection and its mechanism in broiler chickens. The optimal proportion formula TCM and probiotics was screened by orthogonal test and range analysis method; the in vitro antibacterial activity was based on the Oxford cup method. Isolated pathogenic E. coli was injected subcutaneously into the neck of the broilers to establish an E. coli-infected model. The broilers were administrated with drugs in drinking water daily for 7 d before and after E. coli infection. The diarrhea rate, mortality, body weight (BW) gain, feed intake, immune organ index, intestinal and hepatic histopathological changes were monitored. The expression of IL-2, IL-10, and TLR-4 mRNA in the intestinal tissues was measured by RT-PCR. Our results showed that the optimal proportion formula of Taraxacum extracts: total flavonoids of Astragalus: polysaccharides of Astragalus: probiotics was 5: 2: 2: 2; TCM combined with probiotics was highly sensitive to E. coli. TCM combined with probiotics synergistically increased BW gain, decreased the diarrhea rate and mortality of broilers, alleviated intestinal and hepatic pathological changes, accompanied by the increase of IL-2 and IL-10 mRNA expression and the inhibition of TLR-4 mRNA expression. It suggests that the combination of TCM and probiotics may produce a synergistic protective effect against E. coli infection by improving the indicators of diarrhea and regulating the expression of IL-2, IL-10, and TLR-4 mRNA in broiler chickens. The synergistic interactions between TCM and probiotics represent a promising strategy for the treatment of E. coli infection.

New strategy for in vitro activation of primordial follicles with mTOR and PI3K stimulators.

It had been known for decades that primordial follicles in mammalian ovaries are assembled with definite numbers and represent the ovarian reserve throughout the reproductive life. Intra-oocyte PI3K/mTOR pathways have been indicated to play a central role on the activation of primordial follicles. Genetic modified mouse models with chronic activation of PI3K/mTOR signals in primordial oocytes showed premature activation of all primordial follicles and eventually their exhaustion. On the other hand, this may suggest that, unlike chronic activation of PI3K/mTOR, its acute activation in infertility would activate primordial follicles, permitting fertility during the treatment. Previously, PI3K stimulators were reported as a temporary measure to accelerate primordial follicle activation and follicular development in both mouse and human, and were applied in the treatment of infertility in premature ovarian failure (POF) patients. To address whether mTOR stimulators could play similar role in the process, we transiently treated neonatal and aged mouse ovaries with mTOR stimulators-phosphatidic acid (PA) and propranolol. Our results demonstrated the stimulators increased activation of primordial follicles and the production of progeny. Human ovarian cortex cubes were also treated with mTOR or/and PI3K stimulators in vitro. When they were used separately, both of them showed similar promotive effects on primordial follicles. Surprisingly, after joint-treatment with the 2 kinds of stimulators together, synergistic effects on follicular development were observed. Based on increased efficiency of follicular activation in humans, here we propose in vitro transient treatment with mTOR and PI3K stimulators as an optimized protocol for the application in different clinical conditions with limited follicle reserve.

Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography excludes pericardial metastasis by recurrent lung cancer.

Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) has been shown to be useful in the diagnosis and staging of a variety of malignancies. Because of its high sensitivity, FDG PET frequently detects malignant lesions that are not demonstrated clearly by anatomic imaging modalities. FDG PET usually has high negative predictive value and, therefore, negative studies are highly suggestive of a benign process. The authors present a patient in whom transesophageal echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging described pericardial metastasis from a recurrent lung cancer, which on FDG PET was shown correctly to suggest benign scar tissue.