Artificial intelligence for geoscience: Progress, challenges, and perspectives.

This paper explores the evolution of geoscientific inquiry, tracing the progression from traditional physics-based models to modern data-driven approaches facilitated by significant advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and data collection techniques. Traditional models, which are grounded in physical and numerical frameworks, provide robust explanations by explicitly reconstructing underlying physical processes. However, their limitations in comprehensively capturing Earth's complexities and uncertainties pose challenges in optimization and real-world applicability. In contrast, contemporary data-driven models, particularly those utilizing machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL), leverage extensive geoscience data to glean insights without requiring exhaustive theoretical knowledge. ML techniques have shown promise in addressing Earth science-related questions. Nevertheless, challenges such as data scarcity, computational demands, data privacy concerns, and the "black-box" nature of AI models hinder their seamless integration into geoscience. The integration of physics-based and data-driven methodologies into hybrid models presents an alternative paradigm. These models, which incorporate domain knowledge to guide AI methodologies, demonstrate enhanced efficiency and performance with reduced training data requirements. This review provides a comprehensive overview of geoscientific research paradigms, emphasizing untapped opportunities at the intersection of advanced AI techniques and geoscience. It examines major methodologies, showcases advances in large-scale models, and discusses the challenges and prospects that will shape the future landscape of AI in geoscience. The paper outlines a dynamic field ripe with possibilities, poised to unlock new understandings of Earth's complexities and further advance geoscience exploration.

Discovery of novel ULK1 inhibitors through machine learning-guided virtual screening and biological evaluation.

Aim: Build a virtual screening model for ULK1 inhibitors based on artificial intelligence. Materials & methods: Build machine learning and deep learning classification models and combine molecular docking and biological evaluation to screen ULK1 inhibitors from 13 million compounds. And molecular dynamics was used to explore the binding mechanism of active compounds. Results & conclusion: Possibly due to less available training data, machine learning models significantly outperform deep learning models. Among them, the Naive Bayes model has the best performance. Through virtual screening, we obtained three inhibitors with IC50 of µM level and they all bind well to ULK1. This study provides an efficient virtual screening model and three promising compounds for the study of ULK1 inhibitors.

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Environment DNA Reveals Fish Diversity in a Canyon River within the Upper Pearl River Drainage.

Investigating fish diversity in canyon rivers through conventional fish surveys is challenging due to precipitous conditions, including steep slopes, rapid water flow, and complex habitats. Additionally, intensive construction of dams has further complicated the understanding of contemporary fish diversity in these rivers. In this study, we used the environmental DNA (eDNA) technique to assess fish diversity and examine the effects of dams on fish diversity in the Mabiehe River, a canyon river in the upper reaches of the Pearl River drainage. Water samples from 15 sampling sites were collected, yielding 9,356,148 valid sequences. Utilizing the NCBI public database, a total of 60 freshwater fish species were identified, with Carassius auratus, Cyprinus carpio, and Pelteobagrus fulvidraco being the most dominant species in the Mabiehe River. We also detected one nationally protected fish species, three provincially protected fish species, and six exotic species in this river. Furthermore, eDNA analyses demonstrated that the lotic river sections harbor more species and greater diversity than dammed sections, suggesting that dams might exert significant impacts on local fish diversity. Overall, this study supports the effectiveness of the eDNA technique as a complementary tool to traditional field surveys for monitoring fish biodiversity in canyon rivers.

Deep learning and remote photoplethysmography powered advancements in contactless physiological measurement.

In recent decades, there has been ongoing development in the application of computer vision (CV) in the medical field. As conventional contact-based physiological measurement techniques often restrict a patient's mobility in the clinical environment, the ability to achieve continuous, comfortable and convenient monitoring is thus a topic of interest to researchers. One type of CV application is remote imaging photoplethysmography (rPPG), which can predict vital signs using a video or image. While contactless physiological measurement techniques have an excellent application prospect, the lack of uniformity or standardization of contactless vital monitoring methods limits their application in remote healthcare/telehealth settings. Several methods have been developed to improve this limitation and solve the heterogeneity of video signals caused by movement, lighting, and equipment. The fundamental algorithms include traditional algorithms with optimization and developing deep learning (DL) algorithms. This article aims to provide an in-depth review of current Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods using CV and DL in contactless physiological measurement and a comprehensive summary of the latest development of contactless measurement techniques for skin perfusion, respiratory rate, blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, heart rate variability, and blood pressure.

Effectiveness and safety of sequential transarterial chemoembolization and microwave ablation for subphrenic hepatocellular carcinoma: A comprehensive evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Subphrenic carcinoma has been identified as a significant risk factor for the thermal ablation of intrahepatic tumors, resulting in a high rate of residual tumor recurrence. Some studies have proposed that combination treatment with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) followed by radiofrequency ablation is both feasible and safe for tumors in the subphrenic region. However, research specifically examining the therapeutic outcomes of combination therapy using TACE and microwave ablation (TACE-MWA) in subphrenic tumors is lacking. AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of TACE-MWA in patients with subphrenic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Between December 2017 and December 2021, 49 patients diagnosed with HCC ≤ 6 cm, who received TACE-MWA, were included in this retrospective cohort study. These patients were classified into subphrenic and non-subphrenic groups based on the distance between the diaphragm and the tumor margin. The rates of local tumor progression (LTP), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were compared between the two groups. Complications were evaluated by using a grading system developed by the Society of Interventional Radiology. RESULTS: After a median follow-up time of 38 mo, there were no significant differences in LTP between the subphrenic and non-subphrenic groups (27.3% and 22.2% at 5 years, respectively; P = 0.66), PFS (55.5% at 5 years in both groups; P = 0.91), and OS (85.0% and 90.9% in the subphrenic and non-subphrenic groups at 5 years; P = 0.57). However, a significantly higher rate of LTP was observed in subphrenic HCC > 3 cm compared to those ≤ 3 cm (P = 0.085). The dosage of iodized oil [hazard ratio (HR): 1.52; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11-2.08; P = 0.009] and multiple tumors (HR: 13.22; 95%CI: 1.62-107.51; P = 0.016) were independent prognostic factors for LTP. There were no significant differences in complication rates between the two groups (P = 0.549). CONCLUSION: Combined TACE and MWA was practical and safe for managing subphrenic HCC. The efficacy and safety levels did not vary significantly when tumors outside the subphrenic region were treated.

A 3D framework for segmentation of carotid artery vessel wall and identification of plaque compositions in multi-sequence MR images.

Accurately assessing carotid artery wall thickening and identifying risky plaque components are critical for early diagnosis and risk management of carotid atherosclerosis. In this paper, we present a 3D framework for automated segmentation of the carotid artery vessel wall and identification of the compositions of carotid plaque in multi-sequence magnetic resonance (MR) images under the challenge of imperfect manual labeling. Manual labeling is commonly done in 2D slices of these multi-sequence MR images and often lacks perfect alignment across 2D slices and the multiple MR sequences, leading to labeling inaccuracies. To address such challenges, our framework is split into two parts: a segmentation subnetwork and a plaque component identification subnetwork. Initially, a 2D localization network pinpoints the carotid artery's position, extracting the region of interest (ROI) from the input images. Following that, a signed-distance-map-enabled 3D U-net (Çiçek etal, 2016)an adaptation of the nnU-net (Ronneberger and Fischer, 2015) segments the carotid artery vessel wall. This method allows for the concurrent segmentation of the vessel wall area using the signed distance map (SDM) loss (Xue et al., 2020) which regularizes the segmentation surfaces in 3D and reduces erroneous segmentation caused by imperfect manual labels. Subsequently, the ROI of the input images and the obtained vessel wall masks are extracted and combined to obtain the identification results of plaque components in the identification subnetwork. Tailored data augmentation operations are introduced into the framework to reduce the false positive rate of calcification and hemorrhage identification. We trained and tested our proposed method on a dataset consisting of 115 patients, and it achieves an accurate segmentation result of carotid artery wall (0.8459 Dice), which is superior to the best result in published studies (0.7885 Dice). Our approach yielded accuracies of 0.82, 0.73 and 0.88 for the identification of calcification, lipid-rich core and hemorrhage components. Our proposed framework can be potentially used in clinical and research settings to help radiologists perform cumbersome reading tasks and evaluate the risk of carotid plaques.

LARS1 is a Prognostic Biomarker and Exhibits a Correlation with Immune Infiltrates in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Purpose: To study the relationship between LARS1 expression and immune infiltration and prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients and Methods: The clinical characteristics together with LARS1 expression levels were obtained from the TCGA database. Immunohistochemistry confirmed LARS1 expression levels in paraneoplastic and tumor tissues. To investigate LARS1-related downstream molecules, a network of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) and the Gene Ontology (GO)/Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were built. Furthermore, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to analyze the pathways associated with LARS1 expression, whereas Single-sample GSEA (ssGSEA) was applied to perform an association study between immune infiltration and LARS1 gene expression. The TISCH Database and the TISIDB database were used to compare the difference of LARS1 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma and immunomodulators. Results: In comparison to that in normal tissues, the LARS1 expression level was elevated in tumor tissues. LARS1 expression exhibited substantial correlation with AFP, Histologic grade, pathologic stage, Residual tumor, and Vascular invasion in HCC. Higher LARS1 expression in HCC was linked to lower progression-free survival (PFS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and overall survival (OS). According to the GO/KEGG study, the important biological process (neutral lipid metabolic process), cellular component (triglyceride-rich plasma lipoprotein), molecular functions (lipase inhibitor activity), and KEGG pathway (cholesterol metabolism) could be a probable function mechanism in promoting HCC. Various pathways as per GSEA revealed that they were enriched in samples with elevated LARS1 expression. The expression level of LARS1 in malignant tumor cells after immunotherapy was significantly higher than that before immunotherapy. LARS1 was also remarkably linked to the infiltration level and the immunomodulators. Conclusion: LARS1 can be used as a biomarker of HCC, which is associated to immune infiltration of HCC.

Unveiling the activity difference cause and ring-opening reaction routes of typical radicals induced degradation of toluene.

This study employs five UV-AOPs (PMS, PDS, H2O2, NaClO and NaClO2) to produce radicals (•OH, SO4•-, ClO•, O2•- and 1O2) and further comparatively studies their activity sequence and activity difference cause in toluene degradation. The toluene mineralization efficiency as a descending order is 73 % (UV-PMS) > 71 % (UV-PDS) > 70 % (acidified-UV-NaClO) > 55 % (UV-H2O2) > 36 % (UV-NaClO) > 35 % (UV-NaClO2); that of conversion efficiency is 99 % (acidified-UV-NaClO) > 95 % (UV-PMS) > 90 % (UV-PDS) > 74 % (UV-H2O2) > 44 % (UV-NaClO) > 41 % (UV-NaClO2). Acidic pretreatment significantly boosts the reactivity of UV-NaClO. ESR combined with radical quenching tests reveals the radicals' generation and evolution, and their contribution rates to toluene conversion, i.e. ClO• > SO4•- > O2•- > 1O2 > â€¢OH. Theoretical calculations further unveil the ring-opening reaction routes and the nature of the activity difference of different radicals. The minimum energy required for ring-opening reaction is 116.77, 150.63, 168.29 and 191.92 kJ/mol with respect to ClO•, SO4•-, 1O2 and •OH, and finding that the ClO•-HO• pair is the best for toluene mineralization. The difficulty for eliminating typical VOCs by using UV-AOPs method is determined as toluene > chlorobenzene > benzene > ethyl acetate.

The cGAS-Ku80 complex regulates the balance between two end joining subpathways.

As the major DNA sensor that activates the STING-TBK1 signaling cascade, cGAS is mainly present in the cytosol. A number of recent reports have indicated that cGAS also plays critical roles in the nucleus. Our previous work demonstrated for the first time that cGAS is translocated to the nucleus upon the occurrence of DNA damage and inhibits homologous recombination (HR), one of the two major pathways of DNA double strand break (DSB) repair. However, whether nuclear cGAS regulates the other DSB repair pathway, nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ), which can be further divided into the less error-prone canonical NHEJ (c-NHEJ) and more mutagenic alternative NHEJ (alt-NHEJ) subpathways, has not been characterized. Here, we demonstrated that cGAS tipped the balance of the two NHEJ subpathways toward c-NHEJ. Mechanistically, the cGAS-Ku80 complex enhanced the interaction between DNA-PKcs and the deubiquitinase USP7 to improve DNA-PKcs protein stability, thereby promoting c-NHEJ. In contrast, the cGAS-Ku80 complex suppressed alt-NHEJ by directly binding to the promoter of Polθ to suppress its transcription. Together, these findings reveal a novel function of nuclear cGAS in regulating DSB repair, suggesting that the presence of cGAS in the nucleus is also important in the maintenance of genome integrity.

Neutrophil extracellular traps promote acetaminophen-induced acute liver injury in mice via AIM2.

Excessive acetaminophen (APAP) can induce neutrophil activation and hepatocyte death. Along with hepatocyte dysfunction and death, NETosis (a form of neutrophil-associated inflammation) plays a vital role in the progression of acute liver injury (ALI) induced by APAP overdose. It has been shown that activated neutrophils tend to migrate towards the site of injury and participate in inflammatory processes via formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). In this study we investigated whether NETs were involved in hepatocyte injury and contributed to APAP-induced ALI progression. ALI mouse model was established by injecting overdose (350 mg/kg) of APAP. After 24 h, blood and livers were harvested for analyses. We showed that excessive APAP induced multiple programmed cell deaths of hepatocytes including pyroptosis, apoptosis and necroptosis, accompanied by significantly increased NETs markers (MPO, citH3) in the liver tissue and serum. Preinjection of DNase1 (10 U, i.p.) for two consecutive days significantly inhibited NETs formation, reduced PANoptosis and consequently alleviated excessive APAP-induced ALI. In order to clarify the communication between hepatocytes and neutrophils, we induced NETs formation in isolated neutrophils, and treated HepaRG cells with NETs. We found that NETs treatment markedly increased the activation of GSDMD, caspase-3 and MLKL, while pre-treatment with DNase1 down-regulated the expression of these proteins. Knockdown of AIM2 (a cytosolic innate immune receptor) abolished NETs-induced PANoptosis in HepaRG cells. Furthermore, excessive APAP-associated ALI was significantly attenuated in AIM2KO mice, and PANoptosis occurred less frequently. Upon restoring AIM2 expression in AIM2KO mice using AAV9 virus, both hepatic injury and PANoptosis was aggravated. In addition, we demonstrated that excessive APAP stimulated mtROS production and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) leakage, and mtDNA activated the TLR9 pathway to promote NETs formation. Our results uncover a novel mechanism of NETs and PANoptosis in APAP-associated ALI, which might serve as a therapeutic target.

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic evaluation study of etomidate: a randomized, open-label, 2-period crossover study in healthy Chinese subjects.

Etomidate is a sedative and hypnotic drug through intravenous administration that act on the central nervous system through GABA (Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid) receptors, which is widely used in anesthesia induction and maintenance and long-term sedation in severe patients. The study aimed to evaluate the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of two etomidate fat emulsions after administration through the intravenous infusion pump in healthy Chinese subjects. A randomized, open-label, 2-period crossover study was performed in 52 healthy subjects. The wash-out period was 7 days. Blood samples and pharmacodynamic index values were collected at the specified time points. Etomidate concentrations were measured using validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Pharmacokinetic parameters were analyzed using a non-compartment model method. Pharmacodynamic parameters were calculated using pharmacodynamic index values. The study also evaluated the safety of the etomidate. Both the pharmacokinetic parameters and pharmacodynamic parameters result of the test and reference formulation were very similar. The 90% confidence intervals (CI) of the geometric least-squares mean (GLSM) ratios of the test to reference formulation were 91.33-104.96% for the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax), 97.21-102.03% for the area under the plasma concentration time curve from time 0 to the time of the last measurable concentration (AUC0-t), and 97.22-102.33% for the area under the plasma concentration time curve from time 0 to infinity (AUC0-∞). Meanwhile, the 90% CI of the GLSM ratios of the test to reference formulation were 102.28-110.69% for the minimal BIS value (BISmin), 99.23-101.17% for the area under the BIS time curve from time 0-60 min after administration (BISAUC0-60 min), respectively. The 90% CI of these pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters all fall in the accepted bioequivalence range of 80.00-125.00%. No serious adverse events occurred during the study. This study has shown that the etomidate fat emulsion test and reference formulation had similar pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics in vivo. The two formulations exhibited good safety and well-tolerance.Clinical trials registration number: http://www.chinadrugtrials.org.cn/index.html . # CTR20191836.

High-Density Au Anchored to Ti3C2-Based Colorimetric-Fluorescence Dual-Mode Lateral Flow Immunoassay for All-Domain-Enhanced Performance and Signal Intercalibration.

In this work, a novel MXene-Au nanoparticle (Ti3C2@Au) was synthesized with a high molar extinction coefficient, strong fluorescence quenching ability, ultrahigh antibody affinity, high stability, and good dispersibility, and it was used to develop a colorimetric-fluorescence dual-mode lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA). The detection limits of this method for the detection of dexamethasone in milk, beef, and pork were 0.0018, 0.12, and 0.084 µg/kg in the "turn-off" mode (colorimetric signal), and 0.0013, 0.080, and 0.070 µg/kg in the "turn-on" mode (fluorescent signal), respectively, which was up to 231-fold more sensitive compared with that of the reported LFIAs. The recovery rates ranged from 81.1-113.7%, and 89.2-115.4%, with the coefficients of variation ranging from 1.4-15.0%, and 1.9-14.8%, respectively. The results of the LC-MS/MS confirmation test on 30 real samples had a good correlation with that of our established method (R2 > 0.97). This work not only developed novel nanocarriers for antibody-based LFIA but also ensured high-performance detection.

Cs3In(In4Se7)(P2Se6): A Multi-Chromophore Chalcogenide with Excellent Nonlinear Optical Property Designed by Group Grafting.

Non-centrosymmetric (NCS) and polar materials capable of exhibiting many important functional properties are indispensable for electro-optical technologies, yet their rational structural design remains a significant challenge. Here, we report a "group grafting" strategy for designing the first multi-chromophore selenophosphate, Cs3In(In4Se7)(P2Se6), that crystallizes in a NCS and polar space group of Cm. The structure features a unique basic building unit (BBU) [In(In4Se10)(P2Se6)], formed through "grafting [In4Se10] supertetrahedra on the root of [In(P2Se6)2] groups". Theoretical calculations confirm that this [In(In4Se10)(P2Se6)] BBU can achieve a "1+1>2" combination of properties from two chromophores, [In4Se10] supertetrahedron and ethane-like [P2Se6] dimer. That makes Cs3In(In4Se7)(P2Se6) exhibit excellent linear and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties, including a strong second harmonic generation (SHG) response (~6×AgGaS2), a large band gap (2.45 eV), broad infrared (IR) transmission (up to 19.5 µm), a significant birefringence (0.26 @1064 nm) as well as the congruently-melting property at ~700 °C. Therefore, Cs3In(In4Se7)(P2Se6) will be a promising NLO crystal, especially in the IR region, and this research also demonstrates that "group grafting" will be an effective strategy for constructing novel polar BBUs with multi-chromophore to design NCS structures and high-performance IR NLO materials.

Electrochemical Reduction of Flue Gas Denitrification Wastewater to Ammonia Using a Dual-Defective Cu2O@Cu Heterojunction Electrode.

Wet flue gas denitrification offers a new route to convert industrial nitrogen oxides (NOx) into highly concentrated nitrate wastewater, from which the nitrogen resource can be recovered to ammonia (NH3) via electrochemical nitrate reduction reactions (NITRRs). Low-cost, scalable, and efficient cathodic materials need to be developed to enhance the NH3 production rate. Here, in situ electrodeposition was adopted to fabricate a foamy Cu-based heterojunction electrode containing both Cu-defects and oxygen vacancy loaded Cu2O (OVs-Cu2O), which achieved an NH3 yield rate of 3.59 mmol h-1 cm-2, NH3 Faradaic efficiency of 99.5%, and NH3 selectivity of 100%. Characterizations and theoretical calculations unveiled that the Cu-defects and OVs-Cu2O heterojunction boosted the H* yield, suppressed the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and served as dual reaction sites to coherently match the tandem reactions kinetics of NO3-to-NO2 and NO2-to-NH3. An integrated system was further built to combine wet flue gas denitrification and desulfurization, simultaneously converting NO and SO2 to produce the (NH4)2SO4 fertilizer. This study offers new insights into the application of low-cost Cu-based cathode for electrochemically driven wet denitrification wastewater valorization.

Formation and Detection of Gizzerosine in Animal Feed Matrices: Progress and Perspectives.

Gizzerosine is responsible for gizzard erosion and black vomit, owing to excessive gastric acid secretion in poultry. It is a biogenic amine that forms during feed processing. Gizzerosine, a derivative of histamine, is a serious threat to animal feed safety and poultry production because it is more potent after ingestion and more harmful to poultry than histamine. The difficulty of obtaining gizzerosine and the lack of simple, rapid, and sensitive in vitro detection techniques have hindered studies on the effects of gizzerosine on gizzard health and poultry production. In this review, we evaluated the natural formation and the chemical synthesis methods of gizzerosine and introduced seven detection methods and their principles for analyzing gizzerosine. This review summarizes the issues of gizzerosine research and suggests methods for the future development of gizzerosine detection methods.

Propolis alleviates ulcerative colitis injury by inhibiting the protein kinase C - transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 - calcitonin gene-related peptide/substance P (PKC-TRPV1-CGRP/SP) signaling axis.

This study investigated the protective effect of water-soluble propolis (WSP) on colonic tissues in ulcerative colitis (UC) and the role of the protein kinase C - transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 - calcitonin gene-related peptide/substance P (PKC-TRPV1-CGRP/SP) signaling pathway. Male SD rats were divided into a control group, a UC model group, various WSP groups (Low-WSP, Medium-WSP, and High-WSP) with UC, and a salazosulfapyridine (SASP) positive control group with UC. After UC was established, the WSP and SASP groups were treated with WSP or SASP, respectively, for 7 d. Each day, body weight measurements were obtained, and the disease activity index (DAI) was recorded by observing fecal characteristics and blood in the stool. After the experiment, hematoxylin and eosin (HE) colonic tissue staining was performed to observe pathological changes, western blotting and immunohistochemistry were performed to detect PKC, TRPV1, CGRP, and SP expression in colonic tissues, and laser confocal microscopy was performed to observe the fluorescence colocalization of PKC/TRPV1, TRPV1/CGRP, and TRPV1/SP. HE staining showed significant colonic tissue structure disruption and inflammatory infiltration in the UC group. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of PKC, TRPV1, CGRP, and SP in the colonic tissues of the UC group increased significantly compared with that of the control group. Compared with the UC group, the expression of PKC, TRPV1, CGRP, and SP in colonic tissues was significantly reduced in the High-WSP, Medium-WSP, and SASP groups. Immunofluorescence showed the colocalized expression of PKC/TRPV1, TRPV1/CGRP, and TRPV1/SP proteins in the colon tissue of the UC group was significantly reduced after WSP and SASP interventions compared with that of the control group. The results suggest that the mechanism of UC alleviation by propolis may inhibit the PKC-TRPV1-CGRP/SP signaling pathway and the release of inflammatory mediators, thus alleviating inflammation.

Ileal perforation involvement in Wegener granulomatosis comorbid with COVID-19 infection: A case report and review of the literature.

RATIONALE: Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a systematic autoimmune disease. The typical clinical involvement of GPA entails the upper and lower respiratory tracts, and the kidneys. Gastrointestinal (GI) involvement is uncommon and unless detected and treated promptly, may lead to life-threatening complications such as perforation. We aim to review all available publications since the first description in 1982 dealing with GI perforation in patients with Wegener granulomatosis and draw attention to this serious situation. PATIENT CONCERNS: We present a 54-year-old man diagnosed with GPA who presented initially with nasal symptoms and suffered ileal perforation following Corona Virus Disease 2019 infection. We also review previously reported patients with Wegener granulomatosis who had GI perforation to investigate the perforation site and period, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment methods. DIAGNOSES AND INTERVENTIONS: The case of a GPA-diagnosed patient who presented initially with nasal symptoms and suffered ileal perforation following Corona Virus Disease 2019 infection. We recommended a renal puncture biopsy, steroids, and immunosuppressants to improve the patient condition. The patient and his family refused these treatment recommendations. OUTCOMES: Our patient exhibited continued progressive vascular inflammatory changes and eventual irreversible systemic damage. These sequelae were attributed to the patient declining prednisolone and immunosuppressant therapy. LESSONS: GI perforation is rare in GPA but severe complication. Consequently, we recommend that early diagnosis and treatment with steroid hormones and immunosuppressants for GPA patients with GI perforation.

Multimedia Mercury Recovery from Coal-Fired Power Plants Utilizing N-Containing Conjugated Polymer Functionalized Fly Ash.

To recover multimedia mercury from coal-fired power plants, a novel N-containing conjugated polymer (polyaniline and polypyrrole) functionalized fly ash was prepared, which could continuously adsorb 99.2% of gaseous Hg0 at a high space velocity of 368,500 h-1 and nearly 100% of aqueous Hg2+ in the solution pH range of 2-12. The adsorption capacities of Hg0 and Hg2+ reach 1.62 and 101.36 mg/g, respectively. Such a kind of adsorbent has good environmental applicability, i.e. good resistance to coexisting O2/NO/SO2 and coexisting Na+/K+/Ca2+/Mg2+/SO42-. This adsorbent has very low specific resistances (6 × 106-5 × 109 Ω·cm) and thus can be easily collected by an electrostatic precipitator under low-voltage (0.1-0.8 kV). The Hg-saturated adsorbent can desorb almost 100% Hg under relatively low temperature (<250 °C). Characterization and theoretical calculations reveal that conjugated-N is the critical site for adsorbing both Hg0 and Hg2+ as well as activating chlorine. Gaseous Hg0 is oxidized and adsorbed in the form of HgXClX(ad), while aqueous Hg2+ is adsorbed to form a complex with conjugated-N, and parts of Hg2+ are reduced to Hg+ by conjugated-N. This adsorbent can be easily large-scale manufactured; thus, this novel solid waste functionalization method is promising to be applied in coal-fired power plants and other Hg-involving industrial scenes.

Combined treatment of human mesenchymal stem cells and green tea extract on retinal ganglion cell regeneration in rats after optic nerve injury.

Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death and axonal loss cause irreversible vision loss upon optic nerve (ON) injury. We have independently demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and green tea extract (GTE) promote RGC survival and axonal regeneration in rats with ON injury. Here we aimed to evaluate the combined treatment effect of human bone marrow-derived MSCs (hBM-MSCs) and GTE on RGC survival and axonal regeneration after ON injury. Combined treatment of hBM-MSCs and GTE promoted RGC survival and neurite outgrowth/axonal regeneration in ex vivo retinal explant culture and in rats after ON injury. GTE increased Stat3 activation in the retina after combined treatment, and enhanced brain-derived neurotrophic factor secretion from hBM-MSCs. Treatment of 10 µg/mL GTE would not induce hBM-MSC apoptosis, but inhibited their proliferation, migration, and adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation in vitro with reducing matrix metalloproteinase secretions. In summary, this study revealed that GTE can enhance RGC protective effect of hBM-MSCs, suggesting that stem cell priming could be a prospective strategy enhancing the properties of stem cells for ON injury treatment.

Longitudinal in vivo evaluation of retinal ganglion cell complex layer and dendrites in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), induced by the immunization of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), is related to human MOG antibody-associated disease (MOGAD). Neuroinflammation and demyelination of the optic nerve can lead to retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death and axonal damage in MOGAD. Here, we aimed to evaluate the structural changes in RGCs longitudinally by in vivo imaging in mice with RGCs expressing yellow fluorescent protein along the course of EAE. Successful induction of EAE was confirmed by the neurological function scores and histology analyses. The changes in the thickness of ganglion cell complex (GCC) layer and RGC survival and dendrites were monitored longitudinally along the course of EAE. Before the onset of EAE, there were no significant changes in the number and morphology of RGCs and the thickness of the GCC layer as compared to the mice without EAE induction. After the onset of EAE, the thickness of the GCC layer and the RGC number and dendritic network all gradually decreased along the course of EAE. Notably, dendritic shrinkage could be detected earlier than the thinning of the GCC layer. In summary, this study delineated the longitudinal profile of RGC structural changes in EAE mice, providing an assessment platform for monitoring outcomes of RGC treatments.