Methimazole and sodium perchlorate exert anti-thyroidal effects in the T3-induced Xenopus laevis metamorphosis assay: A rapid assay for screening thyroid disrupting chemicals.

Thyroid disrupting chemicals (TDCs) have received much attention due to their potential adverse effects on animal and human health, which calls for rapid screen assays to identify them. The triiodothyronine (T3)-induced Xenopus metamorphosis assay (TiXMA) we developed previously has been successfully applied to the detection of the TDCs disrupting thyroid hormone (TH) signaling. Here, we attempted to expand the application of the TiXMA to the screening of the TDCs interfering with the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis. Two well-known TH synthesis inhibitors methimazole (MMI) and sodium perchlorate (SP) were employed to test the sensitivity of the TiXMA to the TDCs interfering with the HPT axis. As expected, we observed that the two chemicals concentration-dependently antagonized T3-induced morphological changes and body weight reduction of X. laevis tadpoles following 96 h-exposure, in parallel with blocked thyroid development and down-regulated tshß expression in the brain. All the data show that both MMI and SP exert inhibitory effects on T3-induced metamorphosis, indicating that the TiXMA is capable of screening the TDCs interfering with the HPT axis. In comparison with Amphibian Metamorphosis Assay (AMA), a 21-day assay for screening the TDCs interfering with the HPT axis, the TiXMA has a remarkable advantage of shorter exposure duration (96 h).

[Effects of Microplastic Exposure on Crucian Growth, Liver Damage, and Gut Microbiome Composition].

Microplastics (MPs), which are widely present in the natural environment, may be harmful to the growth and health of aquatic organisms, though studies in this area are lacking. In this study, the crucian carp (Carassius carassius), a type of omnivorous freshwater fish, was chosen as the target, which was fed with fish food containing different concentrations of MPs for a 30-day food exposure experiment to study the effects of MPs on crucian growth, liver damage, and gut microbiome composition. Compared with that in the control group, the body length of the crucians in the environmental groups did not change significantly. The weight of the crucians in the low PE-MPs group increased significantly, but the weight of crucians in the medium and high PE-MPs groups decreased markedly. The liver tissues of the low PE-MPs group of crucians were basically normal, whereas crucians in the medium and high PE-MPs groups had varying degrees of liver damage, and crucians in the high PE-MPs group had the most serious liver damage. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria, Fusobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroides were the dominant species in the gut of the crucians. Pathogens such as Staphylococcus and Ralstonia were present in the crucian gut of environmental groups. Alpha diversity results showed that the gut microbiome of crucians in the high PE-MPs group was the most abundant. PCoA results indicated that the gut microbiome of crucians in the control and environmental groups had obvious clustering characteristics.

Bisphenol B disrupts testis differentiation partly via the estrogen receptor-mediated pathway and subsequently causes testicular dysgenesis in Xenopus laevis.

There is growing concern about adverse effects of bisphenol A alternatives including bisphenol B (BPB) due to their estrogenic activity. However, limited data are available concerning the influences of BPB on male reproductive development in vertebrates, especially in amphibians, which are believed to be susceptible to estrogenic chemicals. The present study investigated the effects of 10, 100 and 1000 nM BPB (2.42, 24.2 and 242 µg/L) on testis development in Xenopus laevis, a model amphibian species for studying gonadal feminization. We found that exposure to BPB from stages 45/46 to 52 resulted in down-regulation of testis-biased gene expression and up-regulation of ovary-biased gene and vitellogenin (vtgb1) expression in gonad-mesonephros complexes (GMCs) of tadpoles at stage 52, coupled with suppressed cell proliferation in testes and reduced gonadal metameres, resembling the effects of 17ß-estradiol. Moreover, an estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist ICI 182780 antagonized BPB-caused up-regulation of ovary-biased gene and vtgb1 expression to some degree, indicating that the effects of BPB on X. laevis testis differentiation could be partly mediated by ER. All observations demonstrate that early exposure to BPB inhibited testis differentiation and exerted certain feminizing effects during gonadal differentiation. When exposure was extended to post-metamorphosis, testes exhibited histological and morphological abnormalities including segmented, discontinuous and fragmented shapes, besides altered sex-dimorphic gene expression. Notably, most of BPB-caused alterations were not concentration-dependent, but the lowest concentration indeed exerted significant effects. Overall, our study for the first time reveals that low concentrations of BPB can disrupt testis differentiation partly due to its estrogenic activity and subsequently cause testicular dysgenesis after metamorphosis, highlighting its reproductive risk to amphibians and other vertebrates including humans. Our finding also implies that estrogenic chemicals-caused testis differentiation inhibition at tadpole stages could predict later testicular dysgenesis after metamorphosis, meaning a possibility of early detection of abnormal testis development caused by estrogenic chemicals.

Janus membranes with asymmetric cellular adhesion behaviors for regenerating eardrum perforation.

The tympanic membrane plays an important role in the human hearing system, which is easily perforated under unfavorable conditions, leading to loss of hearing and otitis media. Many autologous materials and artificial materials have been used to repair a perforated tympanic membrane, but these materials sometimes can cause severe hearing loss because of their adhesion to the ossicle during the healing process and the postoperative process. Herein, we report Janus membranes with asymmetric cellular adhesion behaviors for regenerating the eardrum. These Janus membranes are constructed by co-depositing a tannic acid (TA)/3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) coating on one surface of the polypropylene microfiltration membrane. Cellular experiments indicate that the Janus membranes have good biocompatibility and asymmetric cellular adhesion properties. The repair of the tympanic membrane perforation experiment and laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) measurements prove that the hydrophilic surface of Janus membranes repairs perforated eardrums, and meanwhile the hydrophobic surface can avoid adhering to the inner ear tissue for reducing hearing loss. The Janus membranes have good prospects in the treatment of tympanic membrane perforation.

Prognostic nomograms and risk-stratifying systems for predicting survival in patients with resected pT2-4aN0M0 esophageal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: According to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, surveillance or adjuvant chemoradiation is recommended for patients with completely resected pT2-4aN0M0 esophageal carcinoma (EC). Due to this population's variant prognosis, we developed novel nomograms to define the high-risk patients who may need closer follow-up or even post-operative therapy. METHODS: Cases with resected pT2-4aN0M0 EC from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC) were enrolled in the study. The SEER database cases were randomly assigned into the training cohort (SEER-T) and the internal validation cohort (SEER-V). Cases from the SYSUCC served as the external validation cohort (SYSUCC-V). Overall survival (OS) and cancer specific survival (CSS) were compared between groups. Multivariate analyses were applied to identify the prognostic factors. Nomograms and risk-classifying systems were developed. The nomograms' performances were evaluated by concordance index (C-index), calibration plots and decision curve analysis (DCA). RESULTS: A total of 2,441 eligible EC cases (SEER-T, n=839; SEER-V, n=279; SYSUCC-V, n=1,323) were included. Age, sex, chemotherapy, lymph node harvested (LNH) and T stage were identified as the independent predictors for CSS. Regarding OS, it also included the prognostic factor of histology. Nomograms were formulated. For CSS, the C-index was 0.68 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.66-0.71], 0.67 (95% CI: 0.63-0.71) and 0.61 (95% CI: 0.59-0.63) for the SEER-T, SEER-V, and SYSUCC-V, respectively. For OS, the C-index was 0.69 (95% CI: 0.66-0.72), 0.64 (95% CI: 0.59-0.69) and 0.62 (95% CI: 0.61-0.63) for the SEER-T, SEER-V, and SYSUCC-V, respectively. The calibration curves and DCA showed good performances of the nomograms. In further analyses, risk-classification systems stratified pT2-4aN0M0 EC into low-risk and high-risk subgroup. The OS and CSS curves of these 2 subgroups, in the full analysis set or stratified by TNM stage, histology, T stage and LNH categories, showed significant distinctions. CONCLUSIONS: The novel prognostic nomograms and risk-stratifying systems which separated resected pT2-4aN0M0 esophageal carcinoma patients into the low-risk and high-risk prognostic groups were developed. It may help clinicians estimate individual survival and develop individualized treatment strategies.

Spectrochemical determination of effects on rat liver of binary exposure to benzo[a]pyrene and 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether.

Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are persistent environmental contaminants. The effects in organisms of exposures to binary mixtures of such contaminants remain obscure. Attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy is a label-free, non-destructive analytical technique allowing spectrochemical analysis of macromolecular components, and alterations thereof, within tissue samples. Herein, we employed ATR-FTIR spectroscopy to identify biomolecular changes in rat liver post-exposure to B[a]P and BDE-47 (2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether) congener mixtures. Our results demonstrate that significant separation occurs between spectra of tissue samples derived from control versus exposure categories (accuracy = 87%; sensitivity = 95%; specificity = 79%). Additionally, there is significant spectral separation between exposed categories (accuracy = 91%; sensitivity = 98%; specificity = 90%). Segregation between control and all exposure categories were primarily associated with wavenumbers ranging from 1600 to 1700 cm-1 . B[a]P and BDE-47 alone, or in combination, induces liver damage in female rats. However, it is suggested that binary exposure apparently attenuates the toxic effects in rat liver of the individual contaminants. This is supported by morphological observations of liver tissue architecture on hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained liver sections. Such observations highlight the difficulties in predicting the endpoint effects in target tissues of exposures to mixtures of environmental contaminants.

A randomized trial of negative pressure wound therapy technology combined with intermittent instillation in the treatment of neck anastomotic leakage after esophageal cancer surgery.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine the effects of applying the negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) combined with intermittent instillation (NPWTi) in patients with cervical anastomotic leakage (AL) after esophageal cancer surgery. METHODS: From July 2019 to June 2021, 64 patients undergoing AL after esophageal cancer surgery were selected from our Hospital's Thoracic Department, and randomly allocated to the conventional nursing group (20 patients), the hospital central NPWTi group (23 patients), and the portable NPWTi group (21 patients). The hospital central NPWTi group was treated with central negative pressure combined with intermittent instillation, and the portable NPWTi group was treated with portable negative pressure combined with intermittent instillation. Indicators of fistula healing, healing days, treatment costs, comfort, and nursing satisfaction were examined in each group. RESULTS: The fistula healing rate, healing days, nursing satisfaction, and comfort level of the hospital central NPWTi group and the portable NPWTi group were better than those of the conventional nursing group (P<0.05). There was no difference in the fistula healing rates and healing days between the hospital central NPWTi group, and the portable NPWTi group (P>0.05). The treatment costs of the hospital central NPWTi group were lower than those of the portable NPWTi group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Negative pressure treatment technology combined with the intermittent instillation of the neck anastomotic fistula improved the fistula microenvironment, strengthened the sterilization effect, drained the leachate effectively, shortened the fistula healing time, improved the fistula cure rate, and increased patients' satisfaction with nursing. In relation to the negative pressure source, there was no difference in the therapeutic effects of hospital central NPWTi compared to the portable negative pressure meter, but the hospital central NPWTi treatment costs were lower and patients' acceptance of NPWT instillation was higher. Thus, central NPWT instillation treatment is worthy of promotion. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100052240.

Home enteral nutrition after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Not only has the placement rate of enteral feeding tubes during operations for esophageal cancer increased, but also has number of patients who choose to continue enteral feeding at home instead of removing the feeding tube at discharge. The impacts of home enteral nutrition (HEN) after esophagectomy in esophageal cancer patients are analyzed. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA and Cochrane guidelines. English and Chinese databases, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, Scopus, CBM, CNKI, and Wan Fang were searched from inception to December 7, 2019. Randomized controlled trials evaluating the short-term outcomes of HEN following esophagectomy in cancer patients were included. The risk of bias of the included studies was appraised according to the Cochrane risk of bias tool. The summary of relative risk/weighted mean difference (WMD) estimates and corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated using fixed- and random-effects models. RESULTS: Nine randomized controlled trials involving 757 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with oral diet, HEN was associated with significantly increased body weight (WMD 3 kg, 95% CI 2.36-3.63, P < .001), body mass index (WMD 0.97 kg/m, 95% CI 0.74-1.21, P < .001), albumin (WMD 3.43 g/L, 95% CI 2.35-4.52, P < .001), hemoglobin (WMD 7.23 g/L, 95% CI 5.87-8.59, P < .001), and total protein (WMD 5.13 g/L, 95% CI 3.7-6.56, P < .001). No significant differences were observed in prealbumin and gastrointestinal adverse reactions. Physical (WMD 8.82, 95% CI 6.69-10.95, P < .001) and role function (WMD 12.23, 95% CI 2.72-21.74, P = .01) were also significantly better in the HEN group. The nausea/vomiting (WMD -5.43, 95% CI -8.29 to -2.57, P = .002) and fatigue symptoms (WMD -11.76, 95% CI -16.21 to -7.32, P < .001) were significantly reduced. Appetite loss (WMD -8.48, 95% CI -14.27 to -4.88, P = .001), diarrhea (WMD -3.9, 95% CI -7.37 to -0.43, P = .03), and sleep disturbance (WMD -7.64, 95% CI -12.79 to -2.5, P = .004) in the HEN group were also significantly less than the control group. CONCLUSIONS: HEN improved nutrition status, physical and role function, and reduced nausea/vomiting, fatigue, appetite loss, diarrhea, and sleep disturbance compared with an oral diet in esophageal cancer patients postsurgery. HEN did not increase adverse reactions.

Transfer of dechlorane plus between human breast milk and adipose tissue and comparison with legacy lipophilic compounds.

In this study, levels of dechlorane plus (DP) in breast milk and matched adipose tissue samples were measured from 54 women living in Wenling, China. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured simultaneously for comparison. The levels of ∑DPs/∑PBDEs varied from less than one to several dozens of ng g-1 lipid weight (lw) in matrices and the levels of ∑PCBs varied between several to hundreds of ng g-1 lw. In the same matrix, ∑DPs and ∑PCBs/∑PBDEs showed a significant relationship (p < 0.05), indicating that they shared common sources. Accordingly, there was a strong association of lipid-adjusted concentrations of individual compounds (BDE-209 excluded) between matrices (p < 0.001), suggesting that breast milk could be a proxy for adipose tissue in human bioburden monitoring of these compounds. The predicted lipid-adjusted milk/adipose ratios varied from 0.62 to 1.5 but showed significant differences (p<0.001) between compounds, suggesting a compound-specific transfer between milk lipids and adipose tissue lipids. Specifically, the milk/adipose ratios for syn-DP and anti-DP (-1.40 and 1.3, respectively) were significantly higher than those of CB congeners and hexa/hepta-BDE congeners (p < 0.05). In addition, unlike PCBs/PBDEs (excluding BDE-209), DP's hydrophobicity might not be responsible for its preferable distribution in milk lipids. Instead, the interaction with nonlipid factors played a key role. The fraction of anti-DP between the two kinds of matrices was not significantly different, suggesting that the biochemical transfer processes may not be efficient enough to distinguish DP isomers. Nevertheless, the congener patterns of PCBs/PBDEs gave a clue about the compound-specific transfer between milk and adipose tissue. To our knowledge, this is the first to report the relationships of DP between adipose tissue and breast milk. These results could provide useful and in-depth information on biomonitoring of DP and facilitate the understanding of the accumulation and excretion potentials of DP and its distribution-related mechanism in humans.

Prophylactic thoracic duct ligation is associated with poor prognosis and regional lymph node relapse in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: The ligation of thoracic duct interrupts the normal lymphatic circulation. Whether the ligation of thoracic duct would affect tumor recurrence and patient survival is unclear. METHODS: The correlations between prophylactic thoracic duct ligation (PLG) and prognosis were examined in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Patients who received Ivor Lewis or McKeown esophagectomy with systemic lymph node dissection and R0 resection between 2003 and 2013 in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center were included in the study. RESULTS: A total number of 473 and 462 were included in the PLG group and non-prophylactic thoracic duct ligation (NPLG) group, respectively. The PLG group had a lower 5-year survival rate (48.2% vs 61.6%, P < .001). After a 1:1 propensity score matching, 874 cases (437 pairs) were included and the survival analysis showed that PLG was associated with worse 5-year cumulative survival of 48.6% vs 61.6% in those patients without ligation (P < .001). The multivariate analysis revealed that PLG was an independent factor for poor prognosis after esophagectomy (hazard ratio, HR = 1.56; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI, 1.26-1.93, P < .001). Additionally, PLG was associated with regional lymph node relapse (P = .015). CONCLUSIONS: PLG should not be performed routinely if no sign of thoracic duct rupture or tumor invasion were identified.

2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodipheny ether (BDE-47) disrupts gonadal development of the Africa clawed frog (Xenopus laevis).

Previous studies have shown that BDE-47, one of the most abundant polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) congeners, has a weak estrogenic activity, but it has remained unclear whether BDE-47 disrupts gonadal development and causes male-to-female sex reversal in lower vertebrates, with limited and controversial data. The present study aimed to determine the effects of BDE-47 on gonadal development in Xenopus laevis, a model amphibian species for studying adverse effects of estrogenic chemicals on reproductive development. X. laevis at stage 45/46 were exposed to BDE-47 (0.5, 5, 50 nM) in semi-static system, with 1 nM 17ß-estradiol (E2) as the positive control. When reaching stage 53, tadpoles were examined for gonadal morphology, histology and sex-dimorphic gene expression. The phenotypic sex (gonadal morphology and histology) of each BDE-47-treated tadpole matched its genetic sex, showing no sex-reversal, whereas one half of genetic males treated with E2 displayed ovarian-like features. However, some genetic males (26%) in the 50 nM BDE-47 treatment group were found to contain more germ cells clumping together in the medulla, along with an increasing tendency of the gonad length/kidney length ratio in males, resembling feminizing outcomes of E2. These observations seem to suggest that BDE-47 exerted weak feminizing effects. However, BDE-47 induced increases in expression of both female-biased genes and male-biased genes in two sexes, which disagrees with feminizing outcomes, suggesting complicated effects of BDE-47 on gonadal development. Taken together, all results demonstrate that nanomolar BDE-47 disrupted gonadal development and exerted weak feminizing effects, but not resulted in male-to-female sex reversal in X. laevis.

Evaluation of the effects of low concentrations of bisphenol AF on gonadal development using the Xenopus laevis model: A finding of testicular differentiation inhibition coupled with feminization.

Developmental exposures to estrogenic chemicals possibly cause structural and functional abnormalities of reproductive organs in vertebrates. Bisphenol AF (BPAF), a bisphenol A (BPA) analogue, has been shown to have higher estrogenic activity than BPA, but little is known about the effects of BPAF on gonadal development, particularly gonadal differentiation. We aimed to determine whether low concentrations of BPAF could disrupt gonadal differentiation and subsequent development using Xenopus laevis, a model species for studying feminizing effects of estrogenic chemicals. X. laevis tadpoles were exposed to BPAF (1, 10, 100 nM) or 17ß-estradiol (E2, positive control) from stages 45/46 to 53 and 66 in a semi-static exposure system, with a prolonged treatment with the highest concentration to the eighth week post-metamorphosis (WPM8). Gonadal morphology and histology as well as sexually dimorphic gene expression were examined to evaluate the effects of BPAF. All concentrations of BPAF caused changes in testicular morphology at different developmental stages compared with controls. Specifically, at stage 53, BPAF like E2 resulted in decreases in both the size and the number of gonadal metameres (gonomeres) in testes, looking like ovaries. Some of BPAF-treated testes remained segmented and even became discontinuous and fragmented at subsequent stages. Histological abnormalities were also observed in BPAF-treated testes, such as ovarian cavity at stages 53 and 66 and poorly developed seminiferous tubules on WPM8. At the molecular level, BPAF inhibited expression of male highly expressed genes in testes at stage 53. Correspondingly, BPAF, like E2, inhibited cell proliferation in testes at stage 50. All results show that low concentrations of BPAF inhibited testicular differentiation and subsequent development in X. laevis, along with feminizing effects to some degree. Our finding implies a risk of BPAF to the male reproductive system of vertebrates including humans.

Predictive model for acute respiratory distress syndrome events in ICU patients in China using machine learning algorithms: a secondary analysis of a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: To develop a machine learning model for predicting acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) events through commonly available parameters, including baseline characteristics and clinical and laboratory parameters. METHODS: A secondary analysis of a multi-centre prospective observational cohort study from five hospitals in Beijing, China, was conducted from January 1, 2011, to August 31, 2014. A total of 296 patients at risk for developing ARDS admitted to medical intensive care units (ICUs) were included. We applied a random forest approach to identify the best set of predictors out of 42 variables measured on day 1 of admission. RESULTS: All patients were randomly divided into training (80%) and testing (20%) sets. Additionally, these patients were followed daily and assessed according to the Berlin definition. The model obtained an average area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.82 and yielded a predictive accuracy of 83%. For the first time, four new biomarkers were included in the model: decreased minimum haematocrit, glucose, and sodium and increased minimum white blood cell (WBC) count. CONCLUSIONS: This newly established machine learning-based model shows good predictive ability in Chinese patients with ARDS. External validation studies are necessary to confirm the generalisability of our approach across populations and treatment practices.

[Dynamics of CO2 and N2O in Seasonal Frozen Soil Profiles for a Typical Steppe in Inner Mongolia].

In order to evaluate the effect of grazing on the mechanism for greenhouse gas emissions in the seasonal frozen soils for a typical steppe in Inner Mongolia, variations of N2O and CO2 concentrations in different soil layers were monitored by an in situ gas collection system. Three conditions were selected:ungrazed since 1979 (UG79), ungrazed since 1999 (UG99), and continuously grazed (CG). The results showed that the profile soil N2O and CO2 concentrations demonstrated a significant spatio-temporal distribution. ① The average concentrations of CO2 in the soil profile of the three conditions were:CO2 in the growth period > in the freezing-thawing period > in the freezing period. The CO2 concentrations in the growing period were much higher than in the freezing-thawing period and freezing period. The CO2 concentration was the highest in the UG79, and the lowest was in the CG. The concentration of CO2 in different soil layers was ordered as 20 cm ≥ 50 cm ≥ 35 cm ≥ 10 cm ≥ 5 cm at the UG79 and UG99 sites, and 50 cm ≥ 35 cm ≥ 20 cm ≥ 10 cm ≥ 5 cm at the CG site. ② The spatial and temporal variation of N2O concentration in the soil profile was different from that of CO2. While the UG79 and UG99 sites showed a "single peak type" change, the CG site had a "bimodal" pattern. The N2O concentration of the three conditions increased sharply during the soil freezing-thawing period, and the N2O was also released weakly during the growing season at the CG site (P<0.05). The average N2O concentration of the CG was significantly higher than that of UG79 and UG99 (P<0.05). The results show that the concentration of N2O in different soil layers was ordered as follows:UG79:20 cm ≥ 50 cm ≥ 35 cm ≥ 10 cm ≥ 5 cm; CG:50 cm ≥ 35 cm ≥ 20 cm ≥ 10 cm ≥ 5 cm, and UG99:35 cm ≥ 50 cm ≥ 20 cm ≥ 10 cm ≥ 5 cm. The results concluded that grazing decreased the profiled soil CO2 concentration and increased N2O concentration, which provides a basis for the accurate estimation of greenhouse gas emissions in the seasonal frozen soil in grasslands.

Ginsenoside Rg1 inhibits dietary-induced obesity and improves obesity-related glucose metabolic disorders.

Obesity and its consequent type 2 diabetes are significant threats to global health. Emerging evidence indicates that ginsenosides from ginseng (Panax ginseng) have anti-diabetic activity. We hypothesized that ginsenosides Rg1 could suppress dietary-induced obesity and improve obesity-related glucose metabolic disorders. Our results showed that ginsenoside Rg1 attenuated dietary-induced body weight gain and fat accumulation in white adipocyte tissue of mice fed a high-fat diet. Furthermore, we found that ginsenosides Rg1 not only decreased fasting glucose concentration and the 2-h postprandial glucose concentration, but also improved insulin resistance and glucose intolerance in those mice. Ginsenoside Rg1 also activated the AMPK pathway in vitro and in vivo and increased plasma membrane translocation of GLUT4 in C2C12 skeletal muscle cells. In conclusion, our observations suggested that ginsenoside Rg1 inhibited dietary-induced obesity and improved obesity-related insulin resistance and glucose intolerance by activation of the AMPK pathway.

Ginsenoside Rg1 inhibits dietary-induced obesity and improves obesity-related glucose metabolic disorders

Obesity and its consequent type 2 diabetes are significant threats to global health. Emerging evidence indicates that ginsenosides from ginseng (Panax ginseng) have anti-diabetic activity. We hypothesized that ginsenosides Rg1 could suppress dietary-induced obesity and improve obesity-related glucose metabolic disorders. Our results showed that ginsenoside Rg1 attenuated dietary-induced body weight gain and fat accumulation in white adipocyte tissue of mice fed a high-fat diet. Furthermore, we found that ginsenosides Rg1 not only decreased fasting glucose concentration and the 2-h postprandial glucose concentration, but also improved insulin resistance and glucose intolerance in those mice. Ginsenoside Rg1 also activated the AMPK pathway in vitro and in vivo and increased plasma membrane translocation of GLUT4 in C2C12 skeletal muscle cells. In conclusion, our observations suggested that ginsenoside Rg1 inhibited dietary-induced obesity and improved obesity-related insulin resistance and glucose intolerance by activation of the AMPK pathway.

Management of ureteral endometriosis with hydronephrosis: Experience from a tertiary medical center.

AIM: We report the clinical characteristics and experience of the surgical management of ureteral endometriosis in our institution. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data of patients with hydronephrosis resulting from ureteral endometriosis. RESULTS: Forty-six patients with different degrees of hydronephrosis were included in the study; 35% had urinary tract symptoms. Concomitant involvement of the ipsilateral ovary occurred in more than two-thirds of the patients. Four patients had nephrectomy, one of which involved ureterolysis because of hydronephrosis recurrence six months later. CONCLUSIONS: Hydronephrosis may be caused by uncommon reasons, such as ureteral endometriosis, which can even cause silent loss of renal function. Routine ultrasound scanning of the upper urinary tract for severe stages of endometriosis is very important in order to detect any potential ureteral lesions. Ureterolysis should be considered as the first surgical step, not only to avoid iatrogenic ureteral injuries but also to better evaluate ureter involvement for further procedures. To warrant tension-free and lesion-free anastomosis, it is wise to perform ureteroneocystostomy for long-term sound results.

Simultaneous Overexpression of the HhERF2 and PeDREB2a Genes Enhanced Tolerances to Salt and Drought in Transgenic Cotton.

A desert-grown Halimodendron halodendron ethylene-responsive element binding factor gene (HhERF2), which encodes a 245 amino acids protein containing a conserved AP2/EREBP domain, was isolated through the rapid amplification cDNA end (RACE) method. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis indicated that HhERF2 was classified into the B-2 group of ERF subfamily. Semiquantitative RT-PCR showed that HhERF2 was greatly induced by treatments with high-salt, drought and low temperature in H. halodendron seedlings. The expression vector containing HhERF2 and Populus euphratica dehydration- responsive element binding protein (PeDREB2a) genes driven by rd29A promoter was constructed and transferred into cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) by non-tissue culture Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation system. The transformation and expression of HhERF2 and PeDREB2a were identified by PCR and RT-PCR. Analyses of physiological function indicated that transgenic cottons had improved seeds germination, tolerance to drought and highsalt stresses. Agronomic evaluation in the field exhibited that transgenic lines presented a dwarf phenotype and improved further in the yield and characters. These results demonstrated that overexpressed both HhERF2 and PeDREB2a transcription factor genes in cotton induced elevated tolerance to drought and high-salt stresses.

Management of Heterotopic Pregnancy: Experience From 1 Tertiary Medical Center.

The objective of this study is to summarize the experiences of our department in the management of heterotopic pregnancy (HP) and to analyze the influence of different treatment modality on the viable intrauterine pregnancy.There were 64 patients diagnosed as HP in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics in our hospital between January 2003 and June 2014, 52 HP patients with viable intrauterine pregnancy were included and analyzed in our study. Interventions included expectant management, surgical management and transabdominal sonographic guided transvaginal aspiration of ectopic gestational embryo (embryo aspiration) management.Main outcome measures are maternal outcome and pregnancy outcome.In expectant management group, 4 patients suffered rupture of ectopic pregnancy, 6 patients transferred to surgical management, 1 patient suffered a fever of 40.4°C, the abortion rate was 5% (1/20). In surgical management group, emergency surgery was performed in 9 patients with unstable hemodynamics and 3 patients with stable hemodynamics, 1 patient suffered uterine rupture 5 weeks later and dead fetus was demonstrated, 1 patient suffered urinary retention postoperative, the abortion rate was 14.8% (4/27). In embryo aspiration management group, 1 patient needed another embryo aspiration, all patients were eventful and no abortion was observed.In our retrospective study, transabdominal sonographic guided aspiration of ectopic gestational embryo has the best maternal outcome and the lowest abortion rate, surgical management group shows the highest abortion rate, and expectant management presents the worst maternal outcome.

Biomass based activated carbon obtained from sludge and sugarcane bagasse for removing lead ion from wastewater.

Sewage sludge and bagasse were used as raw materials to produce cheap and efficient adsorbent with great adsorption capacity of Pb(2+). By pyrolysis at 800 °C for 0.5 h, the largest surface area (806.57 m(2)/g) of the adsorbent was obtained, enriched with organic functional groups. The optimal conditions for production of the adsorbent and adsorption of Pb(2+) were investigated. The results of adsorb-ability fitted the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order model well. The highest Pb(2+) (at pH = 4.0) adsorption capacity was achieved by treating with 60% (v/v) HNO3. This is a promising approach for metal removal from wastewater, as well as recycling sewage sludge and bagasse to ease their disposal pressure.