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We aimed to assess the epidemiological characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in Chinese children at different phases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, that is, before, during the pandemic and after easing of restrictive measures. We included 123 623 patients aged 0-18 years with respiratory infection symptoms who were suspected with RSV infection from January 1, 2019 to June 30, 2023 in Hangzhou Children's Hospital. Clinical information and RSV test result were extracted from the laboratory information system. We calculated the positive rate of RSV detection by age groups, gender, seasons, types of patients and phases of COVID-19 pandemic. Nonlinear associations between age and risk of RSV infection in three phases of pandemic were assessed by restricted cubic spline regression models. Among 123 623 patients, 3875 (3.13%) were tested as positive. The highest positive rate was observed in children aged 0-28 days (i.e., 12.28%). RSV infection was most prevalent in winter (6.04%), and followed by autumn (2.52%). Although there is no statistical significance regarding the positive rate at three phases of the pandemic, we observed that the rate was lowest during the pandemic and increased after easing the measures in certain age groups (p < 0.05), which was consisted with results from the nonlinear regression analyses. In addition, regression analyses suggested that the age range of children susceptible to RSV got wider, that is, 0-3.5 years, after easing all restrictive measures compared with that before (i.e., 0-3 years) and during the pandemic (i.e., 0-1 year). Based on our findings, we called for attention from health professionals and caregivers on the new epidemiological characteristics of RSV infection in the post-pandemic era after easing the restrictive measures.
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COVID-19 , Infecções por Vírus Respiratório Sincicial , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , China/epidemiologia , COVID-19/epidemiologia , Pandemias , Infecções por Vírus Respiratório Sincicial/epidemiologia , População do Leste AsiáticoRESUMO
The fungal genus Trichoderma is a rich source of structurally diverse secondary metabolites with remarkable pharmaceutical properties. The chemical constituents and anticancer activities of the marine-derived fungus Trichoderma lixii have never been investigated. In this study, a bioactivity-guided investigation led to the isolation of eleven compounds, including trichodermamide A (1), trichodermamide B (2), aspergillazine A (3), DC1149B (4), ergosterol peroxide (5), cerebrosides D/C (6/7), 5-hydroxy-2,3-dimethyl-7-methoxychromone (8), nafuredin A (9), and harzianumols E/F (10/11). Their structures were identified by using various spectroscopic techniques and compared to those in the literature. Notably, compounds 2 and 5-11 were reported for the first time from this species. Evaluation of the anticancer activities of all isolated compounds was carried out. Compounds 2, 4, and 9 were the most active antiproliferative compounds against three cancer cell lines (human myeloma KMS-11, colorectal HT-29, and pancreas PANC-1). Intriguingly, compound 4 exhibited anti-austerity activity with an IC50 of 22.43 µM against PANC-1 cancer cells under glucose starvation conditions, while compound 2 did not.
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Antineoplásicos , Trichoderma , Antineoplásicos/farmacologia , Antineoplásicos/química , Antineoplásicos/isolamento & purificação , Humanos , Trichoderma/química , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Estrutura Molecular , Organismos Aquáticos/química , Ensaios de Seleção de Medicamentos AntitumoraisRESUMO
Colorectal cancer accounted for the third most common cancer in the world. The search for new drug candidates that can be used for colorectal cancer treatment from marine-derived fungi, Emericella sp. The present study was performed to isolate the cytotoxic compound from Emericella sp. The isolation method was carried out by using a combination of chromatographic techniques to afford compound 1. The cytotoxic activity and the exosome production property were determined by using proliferation and luciferase assay against HT29 CD63 Nluc cells, respectively. The chemical structure of compound 1 was identified as cordycepin based on spectroscopy methods such as mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance (1D and 2D NMR) analyses and comparison with authentic spectral data. The biological activity assay showed that cordycepin exhibited cytotoxic activity with an IC50 value of 92.05 µM through proliferation assay, and also inhibited the exosome production by luciferase assay with an IC50 value of 86.47 µM. Cordycepin was isolated from culture broth Emericella sp., exhibiting moderate cytotoxic activity and inhibitory activity of exosome production. Thus, cordycepin is a potential compound to be investigated further for its exosome production inhibition activity for further use as an anticancer lead compound.
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Antineoplásicos , Neoplasias do Colo , Neoplasias Colorretais , Emericella , Humanos , Emericella/química , Aspergillus , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Fungos , Neoplasias do Colo/tratamento farmacológico , Luciferases , Estrutura Molecular , Antineoplásicos/químicaRESUMO
Sudan grass is a high-quality forage of sorghum. The degree of lignification of Sudan grass is the main factor affecting its digestibility in ruminants such as cattle and sheep. Almost all lignocellulose in Sudan grass is stored in the secondary cell wall, but the mechanism and synthesis of the secondary cell wall in Sudan grass is still unclear. In order to study the mechanism of secondary cell wall synthesis in Sudan grass, we used an in vitro induction system of Sudan grass secondary cell wall. Through transcriptome sequencing, it was found that the NAC transcription factor CcNAC1 gene was related to the synthesis of the Sudan grass secondary cell wall. This study further generated CcNAC1 overexpression lines of Arabidopsis to study CcNAC1 gene function in secondary cell wall synthesis. It was shown that the overexpression of the CcNAC1 gene can significantly increase lignin content in Arabidopsis lines. Through subcellular localization analysis, CcNAC1 genes could be expressed in the nucleus of a plant. In addition, we used yeast two-hybrid screening to find 26 proteins interacting with CcNAC1. GO and KEGG analysis showed that CcNAC1 relates to the metabolic pathways and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. In summary, the synthesis of secondary cell wall of Sudan grass can be regulated by CcNAC1.
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Arabidopsis , Sorghum , Animais , Bovinos , Ovinos/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Arabidopsis/genética , Arabidopsis/metabolismo , Sorghum/genética , Lignina/metabolismo , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Parede Celular/genética , Parede Celular/metabolismo , Regulação da Expressão Gênica de PlantasRESUMO
A concise synthesis of cajaninstilbene acid was achieved in 7 steps from (E)-3,5-dimethoxystilbene in 8.6% overall yield via the Claisen rearrangement of an aryl reverse-prenyl ether as the key step. Cytotoxic activities against human pancreatic carcinoma PANC-1 cells of cajaninstilbene acid and amorfrutins A-D were also evaluated.
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Citotoxinas , Estilbenos , Humanos , Neoplasias Pancreáticas , Salicilatos , Estilbenos/farmacologia , Neoplasias PancreáticasRESUMO
In our previous work, by combining the Hilbert scan with the symbol grouping method, efficient run-length-based entropy coding was developed, and high-efficiency image compression algorithms based on the entropy coding were obtained. However, the 2-D Hilbert curves, which are a critical part of the above-mentioned entropy coding, are defined on squares with the side length being the powers of 2, i.e., 2n, while a subband is normally a rectangle of arbitrary sizes. It is not straightforward to modify the Hilbert curve from squares of side lengths of 2n to an arbitrary rectangle. In this short article, we provide the details of constructing the modified 2-D Hilbert curve of arbitrary rectangle sizes. Furthermore, we extend the method from a 2-D rectangle to a 3-D cuboid. The 3-D modified Hilbert curves are used in a novel 3-D transform video compression algorithm that employs the run-length-based entropy coding. Additionally, the modified 2-D and 3-D Hilbert curves introduced in this short article could be useful for some unknown applications in the future.
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Astaxanthin is a natural carotenoid with strong antioxidant activity that has been used for decades as a nutrient/color additive and it has recently been marketed as a health supplement. Astaxanthin can be synthesized in a wide range of microalgae, yeast, and bacteria. As genes directing astaxanthin biosynthesis in various organisms have been cloned, this study assessed the safety of astaxanthin crystal produced by Escherichia coli K-12 harboring plasmids carrying astaxanthin biosynthetic genes. The astaxanthin crystal contains a total carotenoid content of 950 mg/g and an astaxanthin content of 795 mg/g. Subchronic oral toxicity and prenatal developmental toxicity of the astaxanthin in rats were conducted in accordance with the Guidelines of Health Food Safety Assessment promulgated by Food and Drug Administration of Taiwan which is based on OECD guidelines 408 and 414. Both male and female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (12 for each gender) receiving the astaxanthin crystal at 1.2, 240.0, or 750.0 mg/kg/day in olive oil via oral gavage for 90 days showed no changes in body weight gains, hematology and serum chemistry values and hepatic enzyme stability, organ integrity and organ weight. Except the higher food consumption observed in rats receiving 750.0 mg/g astaxanthin crystal, administration of the astaxanthin crystal to 25-27 pregnant female rats in each group throughout the period of organogenesis (G6-G15) produced no adverse effects on fetal organogenesis. Based on the results, we propose that the no-observable-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of the astaxanthin crystal extracted from genetically modified E. coli K-12 is 750.0 mg/kg bw/day.
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Escherichia coli K12/metabolismo , Administração Oral , Animais , Peso Corporal , Relação Dose-Resposta a Droga , Feminino , Masculino , Nível de Efeito Adverso não Observado , Tamanho do Órgão/efeitos dos fármacos , Gravidez , Ratos , Ratos Sprague-Dawley , Taiwan , Fatores de Tempo , Xantofilas/administração & dosagem , Xantofilas/biossíntese , Xantofilas/toxicidadeRESUMO
PURPOSE: Common dense stereo simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) approaches in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) require high-end parallel computational resources for real-time implementation. Yet, it is not always feasible since the computational resources should be allocated to other tasks like segmentation, detection, and tracking. To solve the problem of limited parallel computational power, this research aims at a lightweight dense stereo SLAM system that works on a single-core CPU and achieves real-time performance (more than 30 Hz in typical scenarios). METHODS: A new dense stereo mapping module is integrated with the ORB-SLAM2 system and named BDIS-SLAM. Our new dense stereo mapping module includes stereo matching and 3D dense depth mosaic methods. Stereo matching is achieved with the recently proposed CPU-level real-time matching algorithm Bayesian Dense Inverse Searching (BDIS). A BDIS-based shape recovery and a depth mosaic strategy are integrated as a new thread and coupled with the backbone ORB-SLAM2 system for real-time stereo shape recovery. RESULTS: Experiments on in vivo data sets show that BDIS-SLAM runs at over 30 Hz speed on modern single-core CPU in typical endoscopy/colonoscopy scenarios. BDIS-SLAM only consumes around an additional 12 % time compared with the backbone ORB-SLAM2. Although our lightweight BDIS-SLAM simplifies the process by ignoring deformation and fusion procedures, it can provide a usable dense mapping for modern MIS on computationally constrained devices. CONCLUSION: The proposed BDIS-SLAM is a lightweight stereo dense SLAM system for MIS. It achieves 30 Hz on a modern single-core CPU in typical endoscopy/colonoscopy scenarios (image size around 640 × 480 ). BDIS-SLAM provides a low-cost solution for dense mapping in MIS and has the potential to be applied in surgical robots and AR systems. Code is available at https://github.com/JingweiSong/BDIS-SLAM .
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Algoritmos , Imageamento Tridimensional , Procedimentos Cirúrgicos Minimamente Invasivos , Humanos , Imageamento Tridimensional/métodos , Procedimentos Cirúrgicos Minimamente Invasivos/métodos , Procedimentos Cirúrgicos Minimamente Invasivos/instrumentação , Cirurgia Assistida por Computador/métodos , Teorema de BayesRESUMO
The degree of forage lignification is a key factor affecting its digestibility by ruminants such as cattle and sheep. Sudan grass (Sorghum sudanense S.) is a high-quality sorghum forage, and its lignocellulose is mostly stored in the secondary cell wall. However, the secondary cell wall synthesis mechanism of Sudan grass has not yet been studied in depth. To further study the secondary cell wall synthesis mechanism of Sudan grass using established transcriptome data, this study found that CcNAC6, a homologous gene of Arabidopsis AtSND2, is related to the secondary cell wall synthesis of Sudan grass. Accordingly, we constructed a CcNAC6-overexpressing line of Arabidopsis to investigate the function of the CcNAC6 gene in secondary cell wall synthesis. The results showed that the overexpression of the CcNAC6 gene could significantly increase the lignin content of Arabidopsis. Based on subcellular localization analysis, CcNAC6 is found in the nucleus. In addition, yeast two-hybridization screening showed that CcCP1, associated with secondary cell wall synthesis, can interact with CcNAC6. Therefore, the above results indicate that CcNAC6 has a positive regulatory effect on the secondary cell wall synthesis of Sudan grass, and it is speculated that CcNAC6 may be the main regulator of the secondary cell wall synthesis of Sudan grass through its interaction with another regulatory protein, CcCP1. This study provides a theoretical basis and new genetic resources for the creation of new Sudan grass germplasm with a low lignin content.
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Although the mobility of arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) in soils during the flooding-drainage process has been intensively studied, predicting their dissolution among various soils still remains a challenge. After comprehensively monitoring multiple parameters related to As and Cd dissolution in 8 soils for a 60-day anaerobic incubation, the redundancy analysis (RDA) and structural equation model (SEM) were employed to identify the key factors and influencing pathways controlling the dynamic release of As and Cd. Results showed that pH alone explained 90.5 % Cd dissolution, while the dissolved-Fe(II) and 5 M-HCl extractable Fe(II) jointly only explained 50.6 % As dissolution. After data normalization, the ratio of Fe(II) to 5 M-HCl extracted total Fe (i.e. FetotII/Fetot) significantly improved the correlation to R2 = 0.824 (p < 0.001) with a fixed slope of 0.393 among the 8 soils. Our results highlight the crucial role played by the reduction degree of total iron contents in determining both the reduction and dissolution of As during flooding. In contrast, dissolved-Fe(II) was too vulnerable to soil properties to be a stable indicator of As dissolution. Therefore, we propose to replace the dissolved-Fe(II) with this novel ratio as the key index to quantitatively assess the kinetic change of As solubility potential across various soils under flooding conditions.
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Seed hardness is an important quality trait of vegetable soybean. To determine the factors underlying seed hardness, two landraces with contrasting seed hardness, Niumaohuang (low seed hardness) and Pixiansilicao (high seed hardness), were selected from 216 soybean accessions originating from 26 provinces in China. The contents of the main components in vegetable soybean seeds such as water, soluble sugar, starch, protein and oil were measured, and transcriptome analyses performed during five stages of seed developmental. Transcriptome analysis indicates that during the middle and late stages of seed development, a large number of genes involved in the synthesis or degradation of starch, storage protein, and fatty acids were differentially expressed, leading to differences in the accumulation of stored substances during seed maturation among Niumaohuang and Pixiansilicao. The activity of cell proliferation and the formation of cell walls in the middle and late stages of seed development may also affect the hardness of seeds to a certain extent. In addition, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was undertaken to identify co-expressed gene modules and hub genes that regulate seed hardness. Overexpression of a candidate seed hardness regulatory hub gene, GmSWEET2, resulted in increased seed hardness. In this study, the important role of GmSWEET2 in regulating the hardness of vegetable soybean seeds was verified and numerous potential key regulators controlling seed hardness and the proportion of seed components were identified, laying the groundwork for improving the texture of vegetable soybean.
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This study estimates the association between sarcopenia and blood biochemical parameters, nutritional intake, anthropometric measurements, physical performance, and physical activity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Participants were recruited from a primary care clinic in Kaohsiung City. According to the diagnosis criteria of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) in 2019, 110 patients with T2DM (aged 50-80 years) were divided into three groups: non-sarcopenia (n = 38), possible sarcopenia (n = 31), and sarcopenia (n = 41). Blood samples were collected, and nutritional intake was evaluated by a registered dietitian. A food frequency questionnaire and a Godin leisure-time exercise questionnaire were used to assess their daily vitamin D intake and physical activity. There were significant differences in age, serum vitamin D levels, nutritional intake, anthropometric measurements, and physical performance between the three groups. In elderly patients with T2DM, reduced serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and daily energy intake were significantly associated with possible sarcopenia. Age, lower BMI, reduced serum 25(OH)D, and reduced dietary protein and vitamin D intake were significantly associated with sarcopenia. These findings may serve as the basis for intervention trials to reduce the prevalence of sarcopenia.
Assuntos
Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2 , Sarcopenia , Idoso , Humanos , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/complicações , Taiwan/epidemiologia , Sarcopenia/epidemiologia , Sarcopenia/etiologia , Composição Corporal , Ingestão de Alimentos , Exercício Físico , Vitamina DRESUMO
The phyllosphere pH helps shape the plant microbiome and strongly influences aboveground interactions in plant canopies. Yet little is known about the distribution of pH at a microscale within the macrophyte phyllosphere and the factors promoting them because achieving high-resolution quantitative imaging of phyllosphere pH is a great challenge. Here, new ratiometric pH nano-optodes were prepared by firstly encapsulating the self-synthesized lipophilic dyes (8-acetoxypyrene-N1, N3, N6-trioctadecyl-1, 3, 6-tri-trisulfonamide) to poly(1-vinylpyrrolidone-co-styrene) nanoparticles, and then immobilizing the resulting nanoparticles in polyurethane hydrogel on transparent foils. The nano-optodes presented reversible and fast response (t95 < 80 s) to the pH range from 7.0 to 11.0, with merits of good spatial resolution, photobleaching/leaching resistance and negligible cross-sensitives toward temperature, O2 and ionic strength (< 100 mM). The nano-optodes together with a self-designed phyllosphere chamber were further applied to directly measure the pH distributions at a microscale around single leaves of V. spiralis grown in natural sediment. The pronounced pH microheterogeneity and leaf basification within the V. spiralis phyllosphere were quantitatively visualized. We also provided direct empirical evidence that the dynamic of the phyllosphere pH at high resolution was significantly controlled by the shifting light intensity and temperature. Implementation of the nano-optodes holds great potential for various laboratory applications, which will provide an in-depth insight into phyllosphere activities on the microscale.
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Digital images from today's premium digital cameras have a higher dynamic range than what humans can perceive. Maximumly keeping the image information captured by sensors while reducing the file size of the output raw image data is highly desirable. In this paper, we show that the extractable image information contained in high-quality HDR images taken by premium cameras can be preserved using a bit-depth of only 8 to 9 bits/pixel when the shot-noise-introduced extra entropy is suppressed. The quadratic variable step-size quantization is used to suppress the shot-noise-introduced entropy. The ratio of the quantization step-size of the quadratic quantizer over the shot noise amplitude is introduced as a parameter to measure the relative quantization noise level, and is used to design the quadratic quantizers that maximally suppress the shot noise. Finally, quadratically quantized real CFA camera-raw image data are losslessly compressed. Compared with the lossless compression on linearly quantized data, at least more than 50% bitrate savings are achieved. Such high bitrate savings without loss of extractable image information are very attractive. Thus, it is highly worthwhile to explore, in the future, hardware implementations of quadratic quantization in image sensors.
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Introduction: Six species of alfalfa commonly found in northern China were collected in the present study. Methods: The chemical composition and epiphytic microbial communities during the ensiling were analyzed; and their effects on fermentation quality and silage bacterial communities were assessed. The effects of physicochemical characteristics of alfalfa on the bacterial community were also investigated in terms of nutritional sources of microbial growth and reproduction. Results and discussion: The results showed that the chemical composition was significantly different in various alfalfa varieties, yet, the dominant genera attached to each variety of alfalfa was similar, except for pantoea (p<0.05). After ensiling, both the fermentation quality and microbial community changed obviously (p<0.05). Specifically, ZM2 had lower pH and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) content but higher LA content than other varieties of alfalfa silage. Beneficial bacteria such as Lentilactobacillus and Lactiplantibacillus were predominant in ZM2, which accounted for the higher fermentation quality. Significant correlations between the chemical composition of silage, fermentation quality and bacterial communities composition were observed. Moreover, variations in bacteria community structure during the fermentation of alfalfa were mainly influenced by water-soluble carbohydrates (36.79%) and dry matter (21.77%). Conclusion: In conclusion, this study revealed the influence of chemical composition on microbial community and fermentation quality, laying the groundwork for future studies on high-quality silage.
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Cancer cells secrete aberrantly large amounts of extracellular vesicles (EVs) including exosomes, which originate from multivesicular bodies (MVBs). Because EVs potentially contribute to tumor progression, EV inhibitors are of interest as novel therapeutics. We screened a fungal natural product library. Using cancer cells engineered to secrete luciferase-labeled EVs, we identified asteltoxin, which inhibits mitochondrial ATP synthase, as an EV inhibitor. Low concentrations of asteltoxin inhibited EV secretion without inducing mitochondrial damage. Asteltoxin attenuated cellular ATP levels and induced AMPK-mediated mTORC1 inactivation. Consequently, MiT/TFE transcription factors are translocated into the nucleus, promoting transcription of lysosomal genes and lysosome activation. Electron microscopy analysis revealed that the number of lysosomes increased relative to that of MVBs and the level of EVs decreased after treatment with asteltoxin or rapamycin, an mTORC1 inhibitor. These findings suggest that asteltoxin represents a new type of EV inhibitor that controls MVB fate.
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Proteínas Quinases Ativadas por AMP , Vesículas Extracelulares , Lisossomos , Alvo Mecanístico do Complexo 1 de Rapamicina , Pironas , Serina-Treonina Quinases TORRESUMO
Dendritic cells (DCs) play an important role in initiating antitumour immune response. Tumour progression usually induces defects in DC maturation and thus tumour-bearing hosts exhibit immunosuppression and tumour escape. The previous studies showed that an exopolysaccharide (EPS) from a fungus, one anamorph of Cordyceps sinensis, inhibited tumour growth via activating immune response in the hosts. In view of the crucial actions of DCs in antitumour immunity, the present study aims to explore the effects of EPS on murine DCs. Murine DCs were derived from the bone marrow of C57BL/6 mice, and the effects of EPS on phenotype molecules and ingestion function of DCs were assayed using flow cytometry. Cytokine expressions of DCs were assayed by reverse transcriptase-PCR. Additionally, the level of phosphorylated signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (p-STAT3) of DCs was evaluated using Western blotting. The results showed that EPS promoted the levels of surface molecules MHC II, CD40, CD80 and CD86 of DCs and decreased their ingestion ability. The mRNA expressions of cytokines (IL-12p40 and TNF-α) and inducible nitric oxide synthase were up-regulated by EPS. We also found that EPS significantly down-regulated p-STAT3 level of DCs. The results suggested that the promotion of DC's maturation and activation by EPS is probably related to the inhibition of STAT3 phosphorylation.
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Cordyceps/imunologia , Células Dendríticas/imunologia , Polissacarídeos/farmacologia , Animais , Antígeno B7-2/imunologia , Antígeno B7-2/metabolismo , Células da Medula Óssea/citologia , Células da Medula Óssea/imunologia , Antígenos CD40/imunologia , Antígenos CD40/metabolismo , Diferenciação Celular , Cordyceps/química , Células Dendríticas/citologia , Células Dendríticas/efeitos dos fármacos , Endocitose , Feminino , Citometria de Fluxo , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Antígenos de Histocompatibilidade Classe II/imunologia , Antígenos de Histocompatibilidade Classe II/metabolismo , Subunidade p40 da Interleucina-12/imunologia , Subunidade p40 da Interleucina-12/metabolismo , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Óxido Nítrico Sintase Tipo II/imunologia , Óxido Nítrico Sintase Tipo II/metabolismo , Fenótipo , Polissacarídeos/imunologia , RNA Mensageiro/análise , RNA Mensageiro/genética , RNA Mensageiro/metabolismo , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase Via Transcriptase Reversa , Fator de Transcrição STAT3/genética , Fator de Transcrição STAT3/metabolismo , Transdução de Sinais , Ativação Transcricional , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/imunologia , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/metabolismoRESUMO
The high-density distribution patterns of the nutrients (C, N, P) and heavy metals (Fe, Mg, Zn, Cr, Pb, Ni, Cu, Cd) in sediments from Lake Luoma, as well as their pollution status and ecological risks, were characterized, to comprehensively understand potential environmental impacts of inter-basin water transfers. TN, TP, and OM were measured from 162.50 to 4360.00 mg kg-1, 165.00 to 1302.50 mg kg-1, and 1% to 13%, which were primarily accumulated in the eastern, northwest, and western regions, respectively. A total of 8 heavy metals except for Fe generally exhibited a similar distribution pattern, reflected by a gradually decreasing trend from northwest to southeast region. The averaged concentrations of heavy metals decreased as follows: Fe > Mg > Zn > Cr > Pb > Ni > Cu > Cd. Comprehensive pollution risk assessments indicated that the sediments of Lake Luoma were heavily polluted by TN, OM, and Cd. Multivariate statistical analyses demonstrated that the main pollution sources of Zn and Ni were fertilizers and pesticides, Cd and Pb are mainly derived from industrial wastewater, and TN and OM may come from natural and agricultural factors. This research can provide data support for water pollution control and drinking water diversion management in the Lake Luoma basin.
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Metais Pesados , Poluentes Químicos da Água , China , Monitoramento Ambiental , Sedimentos Geológicos , Lagos , Metais Pesados/análise , Nutrientes , Medição de Risco , Poluentes Químicos da Água/análiseRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Intestinal barrier breakdown, a frequent complication of intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) including dysfunction and the structure changes of the intestine, is characterized by a loss of tight junction and enhanced permeability of the intestinal barrier and increased mortality. To develop effective and novel therapeutics is important for the improvement of outcome of patients with intestinal barrier deterioration. Recombinant human angiopoietin-like protein 4 (rhANGPTL4) is reported to protect the blood-brain barrier when administered exogenously, and endogenous ANGPTL4 deficiency deteriorates radiation-induced intestinal injury. AIM: To identify whether rhANGPTL4 may protect intestinal barrier breakdown induced by I/R. METHODS: Intestinal I/R injury was elicited through clamping the superior mesenteric artery for 60 min followed by 240 min reperfusion. Intestinal epithelial (Caco-2) cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells were challenged by hypoxia/ reoxygenation to mimic I/R in vitro. RESULTS: Indicators including fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated dextran (4 kilodaltons; FD-4) clearance, ratio of phosphorylated myosin light chain/total myosin light chain, myosin light chain kinase and loss of zonula occludens-1, claudin-2 and VE-cadherin were significantly increased after intestinal I/R or cell hypoxia/reoxygenation. rhANGPTL4 treatment significantly reversed these indicators, which were associated with inhibiting the inflammatory and oxidative cascade, excessive activation of cellular autophagy and apoptosis and improvement of survival rate. Similar results were observed in vitro when cells were challenged by hypoxia/reoxygenation, whereas rhANGPTL4 reversed the indicators close to normal level in Caco-2 cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells significantly. CONCLUSION: rhANGPTL4 can function as a protective agent against intestinal injury induced by intestinal I/R and improve survival via maintenance of intestinal barrier structure and functions.
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Proteína 4 Semelhante a Angiopoietina/farmacologia , Intestinos , Traumatismo por Reperfusão , Células CACO-2 , Células Endoteliais da Veia Umbilical Humana , Humanos , Mucosa Intestinal , Proteínas Recombinantes/farmacologia , Traumatismo por Reperfusão/prevenção & controleRESUMO
Fibrotic diseases cause annually more than 800,000 deaths worldwide, where of the majority accounts for cardiovascular fibrosis, which is characterized by endothelial dysfunction, myocardial stiffening and reduced dispensability. MicroRNAs (miRs), small noncoding RNAs, play critical roles in cardiovascular dysfunction and related disorders. Intriguingly, there is a critical link among miR-122, cardiovascular fibrosis, sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which was recently identified as a coreceptor for SARS-CoV2 and a negative regulator of the rennin-angiotensin system. MiR-122 overexpression appears to exacerbate the angiotensin II-mediated loss of autophagy and increased inflammation, apoptosis, extracellular matrix deposition, cardiovascular fibrosis and dysfunction by modulating the SIRT6-Elabela-ACE2, LGR4-ß-catenin, TGFß-CTGF and PTEN-PI3K-Akt signaling pathways. More importantly, the inhibition of miR-122 has proautophagic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and antifibrotic effects. Clinical and experimental studies clearly demonstrate that miR-122 functions as a crucial hallmark of fibrogenesis, cardiovascular injury and dysfunction. Additionally, the miR-122 level is related to the severity of hypertension, atherosclerosis, atrial fibrillation, acute myocardial infarction and heart failure, and miR-122 expression is a risk factor for these diseases. The miR-122 level has emerged as an early-warning biomarker cardiovascular fibrosis, and targeting miR-122 is a novel therapeutic approach against progression of cardiovascular dysfunction. Therefore, an increased understanding of the cardiovascular roles of miR-122 will help the development of effective interventions. This review summarizes the biogenesis of miR-122; regulatory effects and underlying mechanisms of miR-122 on cardiovascular fibrosis and related diseases; and its function as a potential specific biomarker for cardiovascular dysfunction.