Water quality evaluation based on water quality index and multiple linear regression: A research on Hanyuan Lake in southern Sichuan Province, China.

This study aims to understand the changes in the water quality of Hanyuan Lake and to show these changes over time. In this study, monthly sampling was conducted at three sampling sites in Hanyuan Lake, and water samples were measured for water quality indicators in the laboratory according to the methods specified in the Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water (GB3838-2002). Based on the monitoring data from January to December 2019, the WQI comprehensive evaluation method was used to conduct multiple linear stepwise regression analysis, extract key indicators, and establish the WQImin model. The results show that according to the WQI comprehensive evaluation method, the WQI values of Hanyuan Lake are all above 90, and the grade is excellent. The overall water quality of Hanyuan Lake is excellent, and most of the water quality indexes reach the Class I standard in the Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water (GB3838-2002). WQImin1 (R2 = 0.86, p < 0.001, PE = 4.28) as the best WQImin model. In this study, a model with fewer parameters was established by multiple linear regression method, which is conducive to better monitoring of water quality at monitoring stations while saving costs. PRACTITIONER POINTS: According to the WQI comprehensive evaluation method, the WQI values of Hanyuan Lake are all above 90, the rating is excellent. From January 2019 to September 2020, the monthly change trend of each section is roughly the same, showing a trend of first decreasing, then rising, then decreasing, and finally rising and flattening. The WQImin model was developed to completely describe the change in the water body.

Role of the ubiquitin-proteasome system on macrophages in the tumor microenvironment.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are key components of the tumor microenvironment, and their different polarization states play multiple roles in tumors by secreting cytokines, chemokines, and so on, which are closely related to tumor development. In addition, the enrichment of TAMs is often associated with poor prognosis of tumors. Thus, targeting TAMs is a potential tumor treatment strategy, in which therapeutic approaches such as reducing TAMs numbers, remodeling TAMs phenotypes, and altering their functions are being extensively investigated. Meanwhile, the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), an important mechanism of protein hydrolysis in eukaryotic cells, participates in cellular processes by regulating the activity and stability of key proteins. Interestingly, UPS plays a dual role in the process of tumor development, and its role in TAMs deserve to be investigated in depth. This review builds on this foundation to further explore the multiple roles of UPS on TAMs and identifies a promising approach to treat tumors by targeting TAMs with UPS.

NOTCH2 gene mutation and gamma-secretase inhibitor in mediating the malignancy of ovarian cancer.

The carcinogenic mechanisms by which serous ovarian cancer (OC) occurs remain to be explored. Currently, we have conducted whole-exome sequencing (WES) and targeted deep sequencing to validate new molecular markers, including NOTCH2, that impede the progression of cell malignancy in ovarian cancer (OC). Following NOTCH2 P2113S mutation and NOTCH signaling pathway inhibitor N-[N-(3,5-difluorophenacetyl)-L-alanyl]-S-phenylglycine t-butyl ester (DAPT) treatment, the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of A2780 and SKOV3 OC cells were examined in vitro. WES identified the P2113S point mutation in NOTCH2. The NOTCH2 mutation rate was 26.67 % among the 75 OC cases. The NOTCH2 P2113S mutation and DAPT treatment downregulated Notch-2 protein levels in the two OC cells. Functionally, interfering with NOTCH2 expression promoted the migrative, proliferative, and invasive capacities of OC cells. Western blotting further confirmed that NOTCH2-mediated tumorigenesis lies in reducing apoptosis through dysregulation of Bax/Bcl2, affecting repair of DNA damage through reducing DNA-PK and blocking the transcription factor Hes1 along with increasing immune regulator p65. Furthermore, the NOTCH2-mediated tumorigenesis was mostly reversed after NF-κB inhibitor Bay11-7082 treatment. These findings identified the NOTCH2 P2113S mutation in ovarian carcinogenesis, and NOTCH2 P2113S is a potential target in treating OC.

Advanced tubal pregnancy at 34 weeks with eclampsia and HELLP syndrome: a case report and literature re.

BACKGROUND: Tubal ectopic pregnancies in the late stages of pregnancy are uncommon, and reports on their complications are scarce. We present the case of a woman who had a tubal ectopic pregnancy at around 34 weeks and developed severe pre-eclampsia complications. CASE: A 27-year-old woman presented to our hospital several times with vomiting and convulsions. A physical exam revealed hypertension, scattered ecchymosis, and a large abdominal mass. A computed tomography (CT) scan performed in an emergency revealed an empty uterus, a stillbirth baby in the abdominal cavity, and a crescent-shaped placenta. Blood tests revealed that the patient had a low platelet count and clotting dysfunction. Laparotomy confirmed advanced right fallopian tube pregnancy without rupture, and salpingectomy was performed. Pathological examination revealed a significantly thickened tubal wall, adhesion of the placenta, and poor placental perfusion. CONCLUSION: The unusually thickened muscular layer of the tube may be one of the reasons for tubal pregnancy progressing to an advanced stage. Placenta adhesion and the special site to which it is attached reduce the risk of rupture. The detection of a crescent-shaped placenta on imaging may aid in the accurate diagnosis, distinguishing between abdominal and tubal pregnancy. Women with advanced ectopic pregnancy are more likely to develop pre-eclampsia and have poorer maternal-fetal outcomes. These negative outcomes may be influenced by abnormal artery remodeling, villous dysplasia, and placental infarction.

MIR503HG silencing promotes endometrial stromal cell progression and metastasis and suppresses apoptosis in adenomyosis by activating the Wnt/ß­catenin pathway via targeting miR­191.

MIR503HG is a 786 bp long lncRNA located on chromosome Xq26.3, and it can regulate diverse cellular processes. The pathogenesis of adenomyosis (AD) is associated with endometrial stromal cells (ESCs). The present study investigated the specific role of MIR503HG in AD pathogenesis and progression using ESCs derived from the endometrium of patients with AD as a model. Expression of MIR503HG and microRNA (miR)-191 were assessed using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. An immunocytochemistry assay was used to detect cytokeratin- or vimentin-positive ESCs. Transfections of ESCs with MIR503HG overexpression plasmid, short hairpin-MIR503HG and miR-191 inhibitor were performed. ESC viability, migration, invasion and apoptosis were evaluated using Cell Counting Kit-8, Transwell and flow cytometry assays. The association between MIR503HG and miR-191 was predicted by StarBase and confirmed using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related markers (E-cadherin and N-cadherin) and Wnt/ß-catenin pathway-related molecules (ß-catenin) in ESCs were analyzed by western blotting. The isolated ESCs were vimentin-positive and cytokeratin-negative. MIR503HG was lowly expressed in the endometrial tissues derived from patients with AD. MIR503HG overexpression hindered ESC viability, migration and invasion while enhancing the apoptosis and downregulating miR-191 expression. MIR503HG knockdown induced the opposite effects, accompanied by downregulation of the E-cadherin expression and upregulation of N-cadherin and ß-catenin levels. MIR503HG directly targeted miR-191 that was highly expressed in endometrial tissues derived from patients with AD. In ESCs, downregulation of miR-191 inhibited the viability, migration and invasion and the expression of N-cadherin and ß-catenin levels while enhancing the apoptosis and E-cadherin expression in ESCs. Moreover, downregulation of miR-191 partially reversed the effect of MIR503HG knockdown. Collectively, overexpressed MIR503HG impeded the proliferation and migration of ESCs derived from endometrium of patients with AD, while promoting apoptosis via inhibition of the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway via targeting miR-191.

Active-chlorine-mediated oxidation of 5-fluorouracil on a hierarchically ordered macroporous RuO2 electrode.

A hierarchically ordered macroporous RuO2 electrode (HOM-RuO2) was fabricated to enhance in situ active chlorine production in an electrochemical system intended for treatment of pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs). The unique structure of HOM-RuO2 resulted in a decrease of the chlorine evolution potential, a large electro-active area available for in situ conversion of Cl- to active chlorine, and hence improved the active chlorine production by 40%. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) was used as a target pollutant to explore the performance of the HOM-RuO2 for PhACs degradation based on the in situ generated active chlorine. The results showed that the reaction rate of active-chlorine-mediated oxidation of 5-FU produced using the HOM-RuO2 was 18.4 times higher than that in the case of hydroxyl radicals (OH)-initiated oxidation using a PbO2 electrode at 30 mA cm-2. The effects of current density and initial solution pH on the 5-FU removal were investigated. The mechanism of 5-FU degradation was proposed taking into accounts both active chlorine production, and change of the speciation of 5-FU caused by pH variations. The dominant degradation products observed for the degradation of 5-FU using the HOM-RuO2 were lactic acid, propanol, acetic acid, urea and other small molecules, but no chlorinated products were detected. These study demonstrates the promise of the HOM-RuO2-based electrochemical systems for the active-chlorine-mediated treatment of recalcitrant pharmaceuticals found in wastewater.

Metal-Free Photoinduced Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization for Highly Sensitive Detection of Lung Cancer DNA.

Convenient and sensitive detection of biomolecules is of great significance to disease diagnosis. In this work, a metal-free photoinduced atom transfer radical polymerization (photoATRP) by a reductive quenching pathway as a novel strategy is applied to achieve lung cancer DNA detection. Thiolated PNA is exploited to specifically recognize target DNA, and the initiator of photoATRP is linked to the electrode surface via phosphate-Zr4+ -carboxylate. Under the excitation of blue light, the reductive quenching pathway is activated with eosin Y (EY) as photoredox catalyst and N,N,N',N'',N'-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA) as electron donor, and numerous polymeric chains are formed. Under optimal conditions, the linear range of this strategy is from 0.1 pm to 10 nm (R2 =0.989) with a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.4 fm (14 zmol in 10 µL). The variety of possible light sources for photoATRP and simple operation endow this biosensor with great potential for practical applications.

Development of a 3D ordered macroporous RuO2 electrode for efficient pyrazole removal from water.

Inability to remove biologically toxic and persistent contaminants is a critical issue in traditional water treatment processes. In this study, a novel 3D macroporous RuO2 (3D-RuO2) electrode with uniform and interconnected cavities has been fabricated via templated electrodeposition approach for treatment of persistent pyrazole. The physicochemical properties of the electrodes are characterized by means of SEM, BET, XRD, LSV and CV measurements. The results show that structural features of the 3D-RuO2 play important roles in the electrocatalysis performance. Thanks to the abundant crystal defect sites, 3D-RuO2 electrode possesses more mesopores within the skeleton, resulting in 17.9 and 2.2 times larger specific surface area compared to traditional flat thermal-deposited (TF-RuO2) and electrodeposited RuO2 (EF-RuO2) respectively. At a current density of 5 mA cm-2, the pyrazole removal rate on 3D-RuO2 is 1.7 times and 1.3 times that of TF-RuO2 and EF-RuO2. The energy consumption for 50% of pyrazole removal on 3D-RuO2 is 0.05 kWh g-1pyrazole, much lower than that of TF-RuO2 (0.11 kWh g-1pyrazole) and EF-RuO2 (0.075 kWh g-1pyrazole). The improved removal performance of 3D-RuO2 electrode is attributed to its strong electro-adsorption capacity (270.3 µg cm-2), leading to enhanced mass transfer of pollutants to the electrode surface. The mass transfer coefficient (κm) is estimated as 2.4 × 10-6 m s-1 for 3D-RuO2, which is 3.9 and 2.3 times as much as that of TF-RuO2 and EF-RuO2. Finally, contribution of different electron transfer approaches to pyrazole degradation under anodic polarization was investigated by ROS scavenging experiments.