Development of an online calculator for the prediction of seizure freedom following pediatric hemispherectomy using the Hemispherectomy Outcome Prediction Scale (HOPS).

OBJECTIVES: Although hemispheric surgeries are among the most effective procedures for drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) in the pediatric population, there is a large variability in seizure outcomes at the group level. A recently developed HOPS score provides individualized estimation of likelihood of seizure freedom to complement clinical judgement. The objective of this study was to develop a freely accessible online calculator that accurately predicts the probability of seizure freedom for any patient at 1-, 2-, and 5-years post-hemispherectomy. METHODS: Retrospective data of all pediatric patients with DRE and seizure outcome data from the original Hemispherectomy Outcome Prediction Scale (HOPS) study were included. The primary outcome of interest was time-to-seizure recurrence. A multivariate Cox proportional-hazards regression model was developed to predict the likelihood of post-hemispheric surgery seizure freedom at three time points (1-, 2- and 5- years) based on a combination of variables identified by clinical judgment and inferential statistics predictive of the primary outcome. The final model from this study was encoded in a publicly accessible online calculator on the International Network for Epilepsy Surgery and Treatment (iNEST) website (https://hops-calculator.com/). RESULTS: The selected variables for inclusion in the final model included the five original HOPS variables (age at seizure onset, etiologic substrate, seizure semiology, prior non-hemispheric resective surgery, and contralateral fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography [FDG-PET] hypometabolism) and three additional variables (age at surgery, history of infantile spasms, and magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] lesion). Predictors of shorter time-to-seizure recurrence included younger age at seizure onset, prior resective surgery, generalized seizure semiology, FDG-PET hypometabolism contralateral to the side of surgery, contralateral MRI lesion, non-lesional MRI, non-stroke etiologies, and a history of infantile spasms. The area under the curve (AUC) of the final model was 73.0%. SIGNIFICANCE: Online calculators are useful, cost-free tools that can assist physicians in risk estimation and inform joint decision-making processes with patients and families, potentially leading to greater satisfaction. Although the HOPS data was validated in the original analysis, the authors encourage external validation of this new calculator.

Bimolecular versus Trimolecular Reaction Pathways for H2O2 with Hypochlorous Species and Implications for Wastewater Reclamation.

The benchmark advanced oxidation technology (AOT) that uses UV/H2O2 integrated with hypochlorous species exhibits great potential in removing micropollutants and enhancing wastewater treatability for reclamation purposes. Although efforts have been made to study the reactions of H2O2 with hypochlorous species, there exist great discrepancies in the order of reaction kinetics, the rate constants, and the molecule-level mechanisms. This results in an excessive use of hypochlorous reagents and system underperformance during treatment processes. Herein, the titled reaction was investigated systematically through complementary experimental and theoretical approaches. Stopped-flow spectroscopic measurements revealed a combination of bi- and trimolecular reaction kinetics. The bimolecular pathway dominates at low H2O2 concentrations, while the trimolecular pathway dominates at high H2O2 concentrations. Both reactions were simulated using direct dynamics trajectories, and the pathways identified in the trajectories were further validated by high-level quantum chemistry calculations. The theoretical results not only supported the spectroscopic data but also elucidated the molecule-level mechanisms and helped to address the origin of the discrepancies. In addition, the impact of the environmental matrix was evaluated by using two waters with discrete characteristics, namely municipal wastewater and ammonium-rich wastewater. Municipal wastewater had a negligible matrix effect on the reaction kinetics of H2O2 and the hypochlorous species, making it a highly suitable candidate for this integration technique. The obtained in-depth reaction mechanistic insights will enable the development of a viable and economical technology for safe water reuse.

Characteristics and Clinical Implications of Immunoglobulins Derived from Non B Cells in the Skin.

Skin is the most prominent tissue and organ, as well as the first line of defence, of the body. Because it is situated on the body's surface, it is constantly exposed to microbial, chemical, and physical factors such as mechanical stimulation. Therefore, skin has evolved substantial immune defences, regenerative ability, and anti-injury capacity. Epidermal cells produce antibacterial peptides that play a role in immune defence under physiological conditions. Additionally, IgG or IgA in the skin also participates in local anti-infective immunity. However, based on the classical theory of immunology, Ig can only be produced by B cells which should be derived from local B cells. This year, thanks to the discovery of Ig derived from non B cells (non B-Ig), Ig has also been found to be expressed in epidermal cells and contributes to immune defence. Epidermal cell-derived IgG and IgA have been demonstrated to have potential antibody activity by binding to pathogens. However, these epidermal cell-derived Igs show different microbial binding characteristics. For instance, IgG binds to Staphylococcus aureus and IgA binds to Staphylococcus epidermidis. Epidermal cells producing IgG and IgA may serve as an effective defense mechanism alongside B cells, providing a novel insight into skin immunity.

Hierarchical cortical networks of "voice patches" for processing voices in human brain.

Humans have an extraordinary ability to recognize and differentiate voices. It is yet unclear whether voices are uniquely processed in the human brain. To explore the underlying neural mechanisms of voice processing, we recorded electrocorticographic signals from intracranial electrodes in epilepsy patients while they listened to six different categories of voice and nonvoice sounds. Subregions in the temporal lobe exhibited preferences for distinct voice stimuli, which were defined as "voice patches." Latency analyses suggested a dual hierarchical organization of the voice patches. We also found that voice patches were functionally connected under both task-engaged and resting states. Furthermore, the left motor areas were coactivated and correlated with the temporal voice patches during the sound-listening task. Taken together, this work reveals hierarchical cortical networks in the human brain for processing human voices.

AMPK-dependent and -independent coordination of mitochondrial function and muscle fiber type by FNIP1.

Mitochondria are essential for maintaining skeletal muscle metabolic homeostasis during adaptive response to a myriad of physiologic or pathophysiological stresses. The mechanisms by which mitochondrial function and contractile fiber type are concordantly regulated to ensure muscle function remain poorly understood. Evidence is emerging that the Folliculin interacting protein 1 (Fnip1) is involved in skeletal muscle fiber type specification, function, and disease. In this study, Fnip1 was specifically expressed in skeletal muscle in Fnip1-transgenic (Fnip1Tg) mice. Fnip1Tg mice were crossed with Fnip1-knockout (Fnip1KO) mice to generate Fnip1TgKO mice expressing Fnip1 only in skeletal muscle but not in other tissues. Our results indicate that, in addition to the known role in type I fiber program, FNIP1 exerts control upon muscle mitochondrial oxidative program through AMPK signaling. Indeed, basal levels of FNIP1 are sufficient to inhibit AMPK but not mTORC1 activity in skeletal muscle cells. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function strategies in mice, together with assessment of primary muscle cells, demonstrated that skeletal muscle mitochondrial program is suppressed via the inhibitory actions of FNIP1 on AMPK. Surprisingly, the FNIP1 actions on type I fiber program is independent of AMPK and its downstream PGC-1α. These studies provide a vital framework for understanding the intrinsic role of FNIP1 as a crucial factor in the concerted regulation of mitochondrial function and muscle fiber type that determine muscle fitness.

Impacts of Evidence-based Nursing on Quality of Life and Anxiety in Patients with Liver Injury.

Background: Plasma exchange is the most commonly applied method for treating severe hepatitis. As a kind of invasive treatment, plasma exchange may have various complications during treatment. Therefore, effective nursing should be implemented during plasma exchange treatment to prevent the incidence of complications. Objective: To compare the effects of traditional nursing methods versus evidence-based nursing practices on the quality of life and anxiety of patients with liver injury. Design: This was a retrospective study. Patient data were obtained from patient records. Setting: This study was carried out in the Department of Gastroenterology, Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University. Participants: One hundred and twenty severe hepatitis patients with 89 cases of early hepatic failure and 31 cases of middle hepatic failure admitted to our department from January 2020 to December 2022 were chosen, followed by randomly separating into a control group and an observation group. Interventions: The control group adopted nursing, while the observation group received evidence-based nursing including psychological nursing, nursing during treatment and post-treatment nursing. Primary Outcome Measures: (1) liver function (2) emotional state assessed by Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) along with Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) (3) coagulation function, (4) quality of life assessed by Short-Form 36 (SF-36) scale (5) nursing satisfaction, and (6) incidence of complications. Results: In contrast to the control group, the occurrence of complications in the observation group was significantly lower (P < .05). At 1-month review, the quality of life score in the observation group was higher in contrast to the control group (P < .05). In contrast to the control group, the nursing satisfaction of patients in the observation group was better (P < .05), alanine aminotransferase and total bilirubin levels in the observation group were lower, while albumin levels were higher (P < .05), the anxiety and depression scores of the observation group were lessened (P < .05), and the required time of coagulation function indexes in the observation group was shorter (P < .05). Conclusion: The application of evidence-based nursing to artificial liver therapy in patients with liver failure can effectively promote the liver function and coagulation index of patients, help to relieve negative emotions, and promote the quality of life of patients. This study may provide clinical reference for the nursing of artificial liver therapy in patients with liver failure.

[A new cucurbitane glycoside from Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora].

Chemical constituents from the ethanol extract of Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora were isolated and purified by column chromatography. Their structures were identified by HR-MS, 1D and 2D-NMR, and their cytotoxicity was assessed by CCK-8 assay. Four compounds were isolated and identified as follows: 2ß-D-glucosyloxy-3ß,16α,20ß-trihydroxy-9-methyl-19-norlanosterol-5,25-diene-22-one(1), 2ß-D-glucosyloxy-3ß,16α,20ß-trihydroxy-9-methyl-19-norlanosta-5,24-diene-22-one(2), 25-acetoxy-2ß-glucosyloxy-3ß,16α,20ß-trihydroxy-9-methyl-19-norlanosta-5-ene-22-one(3) and 25-acetoxy-2ß-glucosyloxy-3ß,16α,20ß-trihydroxy-9-methyl-19-norlanosta-5,23-(E)-diene-22-one(4). Compound 1 represents a new cucurbitane glycoside. The half inhibitory concentrations of the 4 compounds exceeded 100 µmol·L~(-1) against four tumor cell lines, indicating no significant cytotoxicity.

Loss of Y chromosome in leukocytes can be regarded as a male-specific age predictor for age group estimation in forensic genetics.

Age prediction is an important field in forensic and aging research. Traditional methods used DNA methylation, telomere shortening, and mitochondrial DNA mutations to conduct age prediction models. Sex chromosomes, like the Y chromosome, have a significant role in aging as previously reported in hematopoietic disease and many non-reproductive cancers. Until now, there is no age predictor based on the percentage of loss of Y chromosome (LOY). LOY has been previously revealed to be correlated with Alzheimer's disease, short survival, and higher risk of cancer. The possible correlation of LOY between normal aging was not fully explored. In this study, we conducted age prediction by measuring LOY percentage by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), based on 232 healthy male samples, including 171 blood samples, 49 saliva samples, 12 semen samples. The age group of samples ranges from 0 to 99 years, with two individuals in almost every single age. Pearson correlation method was performed to calculate the correlation index. The result indicated a correlation index of 0.21 (p = 0.0059) between age and LOY percentage in blood samples, with the regression formula being y = - 0.016823 + 0.001098x. The correlation between LOY percentage and age is obvious only when the individuals were divided into different age groups (R = 0.73, p = 0.016). In the studied saliva and semen samples, p-values of the correlation are 0.11 and 0.20, respectively, showing no significant association between age and LOY percentage in these two biological materials. For the first time, we investigated male-specific age predictor based on LOY. The study showed that LOY in leukocytes can be regarded as a male-specific age predictor for age group estimation in forensic genetics. This study might be indicative for forensic applications and aging research.

IDH1 mutation contributes to myeloid dysplasia in mice by disturbing heme biosynthesis and erythropoiesis.

Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations are common genetic alterations in myeloid disorders, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Epigenetic changes, including abnormal histone and DNA methylation, have been implicated in the pathogenic build-up of hematopoietic progenitors, but it is still unclear whether and how IDH mutations themselves affect hematopoiesis. Here, we show that IDH1-mutant mice develop myeloid dysplasia in that these animals exhibit anemia, ineffective erythropoiesis, and increased immature progenitors and erythroblasts. In erythroid cells of these mice, D-2-hydroxyglutarate, an aberrant metabolite produced by the mutant IDH1 enzyme, inhibits oxoglutarate dehydrogenase activity and diminishes succinyl-coenzyme A (CoA) production. This succinyl-CoA deficiency attenuates heme biosynthesis in IDH1-mutant hematopoietic cells, thus blocking erythroid differentiation at the late erythroblast stage and the erythroid commitment of hematopoietic stem cells, while the exogenous succinyl-CoA or 5-ALA rescues erythropoiesis in IDH1-mutant erythroid cells. Heme deficiency also impairs heme oxygenase-1 expression, which reduces levels of important heme catabolites such as biliverdin and bilirubin. These deficits result in accumulation of excessive reactive oxygen species that induce the cell death of IDH1-mutant erythroid cells. Our results clearly show the essential role of IDH1 in normal erythropoiesis and describe how its mutation leads to myeloid disorders. These data thus have important implications for the devising of new treatments for IDH-mutant tumors.

Phase aberration adaptive compensation in digital holography based on phase imitation and metric optimization.

We proposed a numerical and accurate quadratic phase aberration compensation method in digital holography. A phase imitation method based on Gaussian 1σ-criterion is used to obtain the morphological features of the object phase using partial differential, filtering and integration successively. We also propose an adaptive compensation method based on a maximum-minimum-average- α-standard deviation (MMAαSD) evaluation metric to obtain optimal compensated coefficients by minimizing the above metric of the compensation function. The effectiveness and robustness of our method are demonstrated by simulation and experiments.

Photoacoustic speckle pattern interferometry for detecting cracks of different sizes.

A system and method for non-destructive detection of cracks of different width and depths based on digital speckle interferometry coupled with pulsed laser excitation is introduced and tested. Based on photoacoustic effect, acoustic waves are induced onto the rear of the samples by pumping a pulsed laser beam on it. The generated mechanical wave propagates from the rear surface of the sample to the front while front surface is monitored by speckle interferometry. In order to acquire information about surface deformation, the front surface is illuminated by continuous wave laser and interference are imaged onto the camera as speckle images. After processing the produced fringe patterns, it indicates the presence and location of the cracks in qualitative way. In this study, the system and method mentioned above are validated by detecting medium density fiberboard with simulated cracks. The fringe patterns from areas with or without defects are compared and discussed. Besides, the system and method to distinguish and predict cracks sizes is proposed and validated.

Automatic elimination of phase aberrations in digital holography based on Gaussian 1σ- criterion and histogram segmentation.

We propose a numerical and automatic quadratic phase aberration elimination method in digital holography for phase-contrast imaging. A histogram segmentation method based on Gaussian 1σ-criterion is used to obtain the accurate coefficients of quadratic aberrations using the weighted least-squares algorithm. This method needs no manual intervention for specimen-free zone or prior parameters of optical components. We also propose a maximum-minimum-average-standard deviation (MMASD) metric to quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of quadratic aberration elimination. Simulation and experimental results are demonstrated to verify the efficacy of our proposed method over the traditional least-squares algorithm.

Reductive Sequestration of Cr(VI) and Immobilization of C during the Microbially Mediated Transformation of Ferrihydrite-Cr(VI)-Fulvic Acid Coprecipitates.

Cr(VI) detoxification and organic matter (OM) stabilization are usually influenced by the biological transformation of iron (Fe) minerals; however, the underlying mechanisms of metal-reducing bacteria on the coupled kinetics of Fe minerals, Cr, and OM remain unclear. Here, the reductive sequestration of Cr(VI) and immobilization of fulvic acid (FA) during the microbially mediated phase transformation of ferrihydrite with varying Cr/Fe ratios were investigated. No phase transformation occurred until Cr(VI) was completely reduced, and the ferrihydrite transformation rate decreased as the Cr/Fe ratio increased. Microscopic analysis was uncovered, which revealed that the resulting Cr(III) was incorporated into the lattice structure of magnetite and goethite, whereas OM was mainly adsorbed on goethite and magnetite surfaces and located within pore spaces. Fine line scan profiles showed that OM adsorbed on the Fe mineral surface had a lower oxidation state than that within nanopores, and C adsorbed on the magnetite surface had the highest oxidation state. During reductive transformation, the immobilization of FA by Fe minerals was predominantly via surface complexation, and OM with highly aromatic and unsaturated structures and low H/C ratios was easily adsorbed by Fe minerals or decomposed by bacteria, whereas Cr/Fe ratios had little effect on the binding of Fe minerals and OM and the variations in OM components. Owing to the inhibition of crystalline Fe minerals and nanopore formation in the presence of Cr, Cr sequestration and C immobilization can be synchronously favored at low Cr/Fe ratios. These findings provide a profound theoretical basis for Cr detoxification and synchronous sequestration of Cr and C in anoxic soils and sediments.

Association between handgrip strength, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, advanced hepatic fibrosis and its modifiers: Evidence from the NHANES database of the USA.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and advanced hepatic fibrosis (AHF) have been associated with sarcopenia. However, modifiers of this association have been less studied. METHODS: This study used data from the NHANES database 2011-2014 of the USA. Adults aged 18 years or older, had complete information of handgrip strength test and NAFLD and AHF status were eligible for inclusion. NAFLD was defined using the Fatty Liver Index (FLI). AHF was defined using the NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed to determine the associations between the study variables and prevalent NAFLD and AHF. RESULTS: A total of 19 931 participants were selected from the 2011-2014 NHANES database. The multivariate analysis showed that stronger grip strength was significantly and independently associated with decreased odds for NAFLD (tertile 2: adjusted odd ratio [aOR]: 0.41, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.29-0.59; tertile 3: aOR: 0.11, 95% CI: 0.05-0.24) and AHF (tertile 2: aOR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.46-0.94; tertile 3: aOR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.12-0.63). In stratified analyses, strongest grip strength was significantly associated with reduced odds for NAFLD regardless of age, body mass index, and having diabetes or not. Strongest grip strength was associated with reduced odds for NAFLD in individuals who had moderate to ideal physical activity (aOR: 0.31). CONCLUSIONS: Grip strength has an inverse association with prevalent NAFLD and AHF in the US population, which appears to be modified by physical activity level. Future prospective cohort studies are needed to clarify the role of physical activity in modifying the risks.

Formation and fragmentation of 2-hydroxyethylhydrazinium nitrate (HEHN) cluster ions: a combined electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, molecular dynamics and reaction potential surface study.

The 2-hydroxyethylhydrazinium nitrate ([HOCH2CH2NH2NH2]+NO3-, HEHN) ionic liquid has the potential to power both electric and chemical thrusters and provide a wider range of specific impulse needs. To characterize its capabilities as an electrospray propellant, we report the formation of HEHN cluster ions in positive electrospray ionization (ESI) and their collision-induced dissociation. The experiment was carried out using ESI guided-ion beam mass spectrometry which mimics an electrospray thruster in terms of ion emission, injection into a vacuum and fragmentation in space. Measurements include compositions of primary ions in the electrospray plume and their individual dissociation product ion cross sections and threshold energies. The results were interpreted in light of theoretical modeling. To determine cluster structures that are comprised of [HE + H]+ and NO3- constituents, classical mechanics simulations were used to create initial guesses; and for clusters that are formed by reactions between ionic constituents, quasi-classical direct dynamics trajectory simulations were used to mimic covalent bond formation and structures. All candidate structures were subject to density functional theory optimization, from which global minimum structures were identified and used for construction of reaction potential energy surface. The comparison between experimental values and calculated dissociation thermodynamics was used to verify the structures for the emitted species [(HEHN)nHE + H]+, [(HEHN)n(HE)2 + H]+, [(HE)n+1 + H]+ and [(HE)nC2H4OH]+ (n = 0-2), of which [(HE)1-2 + H]+ dominates. Due to the protic nature of HEHN, cluster fragmentation can be rationalized by proton transfer-mediated elimination of HNO3, HE and HE·HNO3, and the latter two become dominant in larger clusters. [(HE)2 + H]+ and [(HE)nC2H4OH]+ contain H-bonded water and consequently are featured by water elimination in fragmentation. These findings help to evaluate ion formation and fragmentation efficiencies and their impacts on electrospray propulsion.

Procyanidin B2 alleviates uterine toxicity induced by cadmium exposure in rats: The effect of oxidative stress, inflammation, and gut microbiota.

Environmental exposure to hazardous materials causes enormous socioeconomic problems due to its deleterious impacts on human beings, agriculture and animal husbandry. As an important hazardous material, cadmium can promote uterine oxidative stress and inflammation, leading to reproductive toxicity. Antioxidants have been reported to attenuate the reproductive toxicity associated with cadmium exposure. In this study, we investigated the potential protective effect of procyanidin oligosaccharide B2 (PC-B2) and gut microbiota on uterine toxicity induced by cadmium exposure in rats. The results showed that the expression levels of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were reduced in utero. Proinflammatory cytokines (including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1ß and interleukin-6), the NLRP3 inflammasome, Caspase-1 and pro-IL-1ß were all involved in inflammatory-mediated uterine injury. PC-B2 prevented CdCl2-induced oxidative stress and inflammation in uterine tissue by increasing antioxidant enzymes and reducing proinflammatory cytokines. Additionally, PC-B2 significantly reduced cadmium deposition in the uterus, possibly through its significant increase in MT1, MT2, and MT3 mRNA expression. Interestingly, PC-B2 protected the uterus from CdCl2 damage by increasing the abundance of intestinal microbiota, promoting beneficial microbiota, and inhibiting harmful microbiota. This study provides novel mechanistic insights into the toxicity of environmental cadmium exposure and indicates that PC-B2 could be used in the prevention of cadmium exposure-induced uterine toxicity.

Actinomycin-X2-Immobilized Silk Fibroin Film with Enhanced Antimicrobial and Wound Healing Activities.

Actinomycin is a family of chromogenic lactone peptides that differ in their peptide portions of the molecule. An antimicrobial peptide, actinomycin X2 (Ac.X2), was produced through the fermentation of a Streptomyces cyaneofuscatus strain. Immobilization of Ac.X2 onto a prepared silk fibroin (SF) film was done through a carbodiimide reaction. The physical properties of immobilized Ac.X2 (antimicrobial films, AMFs) were analyzed by ATR-FTIR, SEM, AFM, and WCA. The findings from an in vitro study showed that AMFs had a more broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against both S. aureus and E. coli compared with free Ac.X2, which showed no apparent strong effect against E. coli. These AMFs showed a suitable degradation rate, good hemocompatibility, and reduced cytotoxicity in the biocompatibility assay. The results of in vivo bacterially infected wound healing experiments indicated that wound inflammation was prevented by AMFs, which promoted wound repair and improved the wound microenvironment. This study revealed that Ac.X2 transformation is a potential candidate for skin wound healing.

Fertilization makes strong associations between organic carbon composition and microbial properties in paddy soil.

Fertilization changes the soil organic carbon (SOC) composition, affecting the carbon cycle of paddy soil. Understanding the mechanisms of physical fraction and chemical composition of SOC responding to fertilization can help regulate the nutrient release and carbon sequestration. However, it is unclear whether these changes in SOC composition to fertilization are consistent and how these are regulated by biotic and abiotic properties. Therefore, a positioning experiment in a rice field was conducted with a total of nine treatments. Chemical fertilizers (0, 337.5, and 675 kg ha-1; C0, C50, and C100, respectively) and fungal residue (0, 10,000, and 20,000 kg ha-1; F0, F50, and F100, respectively) were applied to evaluated (i) changes in the physical fraction and chemical composition of SOC, (ii) changes in soil properties, microbial biomass and community, and (iii) establish relationships among soil properties, microbial community, microbial biomass, and SOC composition. Our results showed that the application of fungal residue exhibited more significant effects on SOC physical fractions than those with the chemical fertilizers. Furthermore, the chemical composition of SOC was more respond to the application of chemical fertilizers than fungal residue. The partial least squares path model indicated that soil properties mainly affected the mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) by microbial biomass. In addition, bacterial diversity played an important role in improving the accumulation of MAOC. The SOC chemical composition was mediated by fungal community composition and bacterial diversity. In conclusion, fungal residue application affected SOC physical fraction by increasing soil properties, microbial biomass, and bacterial diversity. Chemical fertilizers application mainly mediated the chemical composition of SOC by altering fungal community composition and decreasing bacterial diversity.

[Preliminary study on the regulation of acute myeloid leukemia by FLT3 gene expression].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of FLT3 expression on the prognosis of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) by cell experiment and clinical data analysis. METHODS: Models for FLT3 over-expression and interference-expression in AML cells were constructed. The level of BAK gene expression and its protein product was determined, along with the proliferation and apoptosis of leukemia cells. FLT3 gene expression and FLT3-ITD variant were determined among patients with newly diagnosed AML. RESULTS: Compared with the interference-expression group, the level of BAK gene expression and its protein in FLT3 over-expression AML cells was significantly lower (P < 0.001), which also showed significantly faster proliferation (P < 0.001) and lower rate of apoptosis (P < 0.001). The expression level of FLT3 gene among patients with newly diagnosed AML was also significantly higher compared with the healthy controls (P < 0.001). The FLT3 gene expression of FLT3-ITD positive AML patients was higher than that of FLT3-WT patients (P = 0.002). Survival analysis showed that AML patients with high FLT3 expression in the medium-risk group had a lower complete remission rate and overall survival rate compared with those with a low FLT3 expression (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Over-expression of FLT3 may influence the course of AML by promoting the proliferation of leukemia cells and inhibiting their apoptosis, which in turn may affect the prognosis of patients and serve as a negative prognostic factor for AML.

Aggregation and stability of selenium nanoparticles: Complex roles of surface coating, electrolytes and natural organic matter.

The application of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) as nanofertilizers may lead to the release of SeNPs into aquatic systems. However, the environmental behavior of SeNPs is rarely studied. In this study, using alginate-coated SeNPs (Alg-SeNPs) and polyvinyl alcohol-coated SeNPs (PVA-SeNPs) as models, we systematically investigated the aggregation and stability of SeNPs under various water conditions. PVA-SeNPs were highly stable in mono- and polyvalent electrolytes, probably due to the strong steric hindrance of the capping agent. Alg-SeNPs only suffered from a limited increase in size, even at 2500 mmol/L NaCl and 200 mmol/L MgCl2, while they underwent apparent aggregation in CaCl2 and LaCl3 solutions. The binding of Ca2+ and La3+ with the guluronic acid part in alginate induced the formation of cross-linking aggregates. Natural organic matter enhanced the stability of Alg-SeNPs in monovalent electrolytes, while accelerated the attachment of Alg-SeNPs in polyvalent electrolytes, due to the cation bridge effects. The long-term stability of SeNPs in natural water showed that the aggregation sizes of Alg-SeNPs and PVA-SeNPs increased to several hundreds of nanometers or above 10 µm after 30 days, implying that SeNPs may be suspended in the water column or further settle down, depending on the surrounding water chemistry. The study may contribute to the deep insight into the fate and mobility of SeNPs in the aquatic environment. The varying fate of SeNPs in different natural waters also suggests that the risks of SeNPs to organisms living in diverse depths in the aquatic compartment should be concerned.