Functional characterization of a TerC family protein of Riemerella anatipestifer in manganese detoxification and virulence.

Manganese (Mn) is an essential element for bacteria, but the overload of manganese is toxic. In a previous study, we showed that the cation diffusion facilitator protein MetA and the resistance-nodulation-division efflux pump MetB are responsible for Mn efflux in the bacterial pathogen Riemerella anatipestifer CH-1. However, whether this bacterium encodes additional manganese efflux proteins is unclear. In this study, we show that R. anatipestifer CH-1 encodes a tellurium resistance C (TerC) family protein with low similarity to other characterized TerC family proteins. Compared to the wild type (WT), the terC mutant of R. anatipestifer CH-1 (∆terC) is sensitive to Mn(II) intoxication. The ability of TerC to export manganese is higher than that of MetB but lower than that of MetA. Consistently, terC deletion (∆terC) led to intracellular accumulation of Mn2+ under excess manganese conditions. Further study showed that ∆terC was more sensitive than the WT to the oxidant hypoclorite but not to hydrogen peroxide. Mutagenesis studies showed that the mutant at amino acid sites of Glu116 (E116), Asp122 (D122), Glu245 (E245) Asp248 (D248), and Asp254 (D254) may be involved in the ability of TerC to export manganese. The transcription of terC was upregulated under excess manganese and downregulated under iron-limited conditions. However, this was not dependent on the manganese metabolism regulator MetR. In contrast to a strain lacking the manganese efflux pump MetA or MetB, the terC mutant is attenuated in virulence in a duckling model of infection due to increased sensitivity to duck serum. Finally, comparative analysis showed that homologs of TerC are distributed across the bacterial kingdom, suggesting that TerC exerts a conserved manganese efflux function.IMPORTANCERiemerella anatipestifer is a notorious bacterial pathogen of ducks and other birds. In R. anatipestifer, the genes involved in manganese efflux have not been completely identified, although MetA and MetB have been identified as two manganese exporters. Additionally, the function of TerC family proteins in manganese efflux is controversial. Here, we demonstrated that a TerC family protein helps prevent Mn(II) intoxication in R. anatipestifer and that the ability of TerC to export manganese is intermediate compared to that of MetA and MetB. Sequence analysis and mutagenesis studies showed that the conserved key amino sites of TerC are Glu116, Asp122, Glu245, Asp248, and Asp254. The transcription of terC was regulated by manganese excess and iron limitation. Finally, we show that TerC plays a role in the virulence of R. anatipestifer due to the increased sensitivity to duck serum, rather than the increased sensitivity to manganese. Taken together, these results expand our understanding of manganese efflux and the pathogenic mechanisms of R. anatipestifer.

Fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation alterations in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy: a resting-state fMRI study.

PURPOSE: We sought to use the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) method to investigate the changes in spontaneous brain activity in CSM patients and their relationships with clinical features. METHODS: We recruited 20 patients with CSM, and 20 healthy controls (HCs) matched for age, sex, and education status. The fALFF method was used to evaluate the altered spontaneous brain activities. The Pearson correlation analysis of fALFF and the clinical features were carried out. RESULTS: Compared with HC, CSM group showed increased fALFF values in the left middle frontal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, and right angular gyrus. Decreased fALFF values were found in the right lingual gyrus, cuneus (P < 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis shows that the fALFF values of all CSM were positively correlated with JOA score in the right angular gyrus (r = 0.518, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: CSM patients have abnormal fALFF distribution in multiple brain regions and might be an appealing alternative approach for further exploration of the pathological and neuropsychological states in CSM.

Risk-prediction nomogram for congenital heart disease in offspring of Chinese pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: The identification and assessment of environmental risks are crucial for the primary prevention of congenital heart disease (CHD). We were aimed to establish a nomogram model for CHD in the offspring of pregnant women and validate it using a large CHD database in Northwest China. METHODS: A survey was conducted among 29,204 women with infants born between 2010 and 2013 in Shaanxi province, Northwest China. Participants were randomly assigned to the training set and to the validation set at a ratio of 7:3. The importance of predictive variables was assessed using random forest. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to construct the nomogram for the prediction of CHD. RESULTS: Multivariate analyses revealed that the gravidity, preterm birth history, family history of birth defects, infection, taking medicine, tobacco exposure, pesticide exposure and singleton/twin pregnancy were significant predictive risk factors for CHD in the offspring of pregnant women. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the prediction model was 0.716 (95% CI: 0.671, 0.760) in the training set and 0.714 (95% CI: 0.630, 0.798) in the validation set, indicating moderate discrimination. The prediction model exhibited good calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow χ2 = 1.529, P = 0.910). CONCLUSIONS: We developed and validated a predictive nomogram for CHD in offspring of Chinese pregnant women, facilitating the early prenatal assessment of the risk of CHD and aiding in health education.

Performance of machine learning-based coronary computed tomography angiography for selecting revascularization candidates.

BACKGROUND: Limited studies have investigated the accuracy of therapeutic decision-making using machine learning-based coronary computed tomography angiography (ML-CCTA) compared with CCTA. PURPOSE: To investigate the performance of ML-CCTA for therapeutic decision compared with CCTA. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study population consisted of 322 consecutive patients with stable coronary artery disease. The SYNTAX score was calculated with an online calculator based on ML-CCTA results. Therapeutic decision-making was determined by ML-CCTA results and the ML-CCTA-based SYNTAX score. The therapeutic strategy and the appropriate revascularization procedure were selected using ML-CCTA, CCTA, and invasive coronary angiography (ICA) independently. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, accuracy of ML-CCTA and CCTA for selecting revascularization candidates were 87.01%, 96.43%, 95.71%, 89.01%, 91.93%, and 85.71%, 87.50%, 86.27%, 86.98%, 86.65%, respectively, using ICA as the standard reference. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of ML-CCTA for selecting revascularization candidates was significantly higher than CCTA (0.917 vs. 0.866, P = 0.016). Subgroup analysis showed the AUC of ML-CCTA for selecting percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) candidates was significantly higher than CCTA (0.883 vs. 0.777, P < 0.001, 0.912 vs. 0.826, P = 0.003, respectively). CONCLUSION: ML-CCTA could distinguish between patients who need revascularization and those who do not. In addition, ML-CCTA showed a slightly superior to CCTA in making an appropriate decision for patients and selecting a suitable revascularization strategy.

Investigation of the changes in gelation properties of hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate-surimi gel under different gelation-freezing treatments.

BACKGROUND: Frozen storage often leads to quality deterioration of surimi-based products. At present, most of the research focuses on improving the quality of surimi products by adding cryoprotectants, and there are few studies available on preparation technology. Therefore, the effects of different gelation-freezing treatments, high temperature heating-freezing treatment (HF), low temperature heating-high temperature heating-freezing treatment (LHF) and low temperature heating-freezing-high temperature heating treatment (LFH) on the quality changes of surimi gels containing hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate (HPDSP) during frozen storage were investigated. RESULTS: With the extension of frozen storage time, the quality of surimi gel in all groups decreased, but the quality of surimi gel with HPDSP was better than that of surimi gel without HPDSP. Compared with HF and LHF, the change range of breaking force, hardness, gumminess, whiteness and disulfide bond content of HPDSP-surimi gel treated with LFH was the least during the frozen storage. In the reheating process of LFH, HPDSP could absorb the water lost during freezing. Therefore, the change in the transverse relaxation time of HPDSP-surimi gels treated with LFH was smaller, with more immobile water and less free water and P22 of 96.81% and P23 of 0% at 16 weeks. In addition, the breaking deformation, cohesiveness, resilience, springiness and protein composition of surimi gels with and without HPDSP treated with HF, LHF and LFH did not change significantly during frozen storage. CONCLUSION: The combination of LFH and HPDSP could effectively reduce the quality change of surimi gel during frozen storage. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Prognostic value of CAD-RADS classification by coronary CTA in patients with suspected CAD.

BACKGROUND: The study sought to compare Coronary Artery Disease Reporting and Data System (CAD-RADS) classification with traditional coronary artery disease (CAD) classifications and Duke Prognostic CAD Index for predicting the risk of all-cause mortality in patients with suspected CAD. METHODS: 9625 consecutive suspected CAD patients were assessed by coronary CTA for CAD-RADS classification, traditional CAD classifications and Duke Prognostic CAD Index. Kaplan-Meier and multivariable Cox models were used to estimate all-cause mortality. Discriminatory ability of classifications was assessed using time dependent receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves and The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test was employed to evaluate calibration. RESULTS: A total of 540 patients died from all causes with a median follow-up of 4.3 ± 2.1 years. Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed the cumulative events increased significantly associated with CAD-RADS, three traditional CAD classifications and Duke Prognostic CAD Index. In multivariate Cox regressions, the risk for the all-cause death increased from HR 0.861 (95% CI 0.420-1.764) for CAD-RADS 1 to HR 2.761 (95% CI 1.961-3.887) for CAD-RADS 4B&5, using CAD-RADS 0 as the reference group. The relative HRs for all-cause death increased proportionally with the grades of the three traditional CAD classifications and Duke Prognostic CAD Index. The area under the time dependent ROC curve for prediction of all-cause death was 0.7917, 0.7805, 0.7991for CAD-RADS in 1 year, 3 year, 5 year, respectively, which was non-inferior to the traditional CAD classifications and Duke Prognostic CAD Index. CONCLUSIONS: The CAD-RADS classification provided important prognostic information for patients with suspected CAD with noninvasive evaluation, which was non-inferior than Duke Prognostic CAD Index and traditional stenosis-based grading schemes in prognostic value of all-cause mortality. Traditional and simplest CAD classification should be preferable, given the more number of groups and complexity of CAD-RADS and Duke prognostic index, without using more time consuming classification.

[Application of Magnetization-prepared True Fast Imaging with Steady-state Precession Sequence in Brain Tumor Enhancement].

Objective To evaluate the application of two-dimensional magnetization-prepared true fast imaging with steady-state precession(2D-MP-TrueFISP)sequence in brain tumor enhancement.Methods In this study,60 cases of brain tumor patients who underwent enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of brain were scanned with 2D-MP-TrueFISP/two-dimensional spoiled gradient-recalled echo(2D-SPGR)before and after enhancement.The scores of lesions on the images of 2D-MP-TrueFISP/2D-SPGR were compared.At the same level of 2D-SPGE and 2D-MP-TrueFISP,the signal intensities(SIs)of lesions,white matter,and cerebrospinal fluid were measured before and after enhancement,and the contrast ratios(CRs)of lesions were calculated.The CRs before and after 2D-SPGR/2D-MP-TrueFISP enhancement and those between 2D-SPGR and 2D-MP-TrueFISP after enhancement were compared.Results The scores of lesions after 2D-MP-TrueFISP/2D-SPGR T1WI enhancement were 9.0(9.0,9.0)and 7.0(6.0,7.0),respectively,with significant difference(Z=-6.86,P=0.00).CRs showed significant difference before and after enhancement with 2D-SPGR and 2D-MP-TrueFISP(all P<0.01).The CRs of lesion compared with white matter and cerebrospinal fluid(1.58±0.46 and 8.50±2.47,respectively)after 2D-MP-TrueFISP enhancement were significantly higher than those[0.57±0.29(t=-17.38,P=0.00)and 2.64±0.85(t=-19.71,P=0.00),respectively]after 2D-SPGR enhancement.Conclusion Compared with 2D-SPGR,2D-MP-TrueFISP demonstrated improved enhancement and uniformity as well as clear boundary and display of edema around the lesion.

Transvaginal ultrasound- and laparoscopy-guided percutaneous microwave ablation for adenomyosis: preliminary results.

Purpose: Adenomyosis is a relatively common disease among women of childbearing age. A minimally invasive alternative technique with low risks, faster recovery and decreased side effects is desired. We hypothesized that percutaneous microwave ablation (PMWA) under laparoscopic guidance would substantially reduce the risk of collateral thermal damage to the intestinal tract and relieve the pelvic adhesions. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, safety and efficacy of transvaginal ultrasound- and laparoscopy-guided PMWA for the treatment of adenomyosis.Materials and methods: From May 2015 to October 2017, a total of 70 patients with symptomatic adenomyosis who underwent transvaginal ultrasound- and laparoscopy-guided PMWA were included in this study. The technical efficacy and complications of PMWA were assessed. Meanwhile, the uterine volume, lesion volume, symptom severity score (SSS) and visual analog scale (VAS) score before PMWA and at 1, 6 and 12 months after PMWA were recorded.Results: PMWA was successfully performed with transvaginal ultrasound guidance and laparoscope assistance in all patients. No major complication was found after PMWA in any patients. The uterine volume, lesion volume, SSS and VAS were all decreased significantly at follow-up (p < .01).Conclusion: Transvaginal ultrasound- and laparoscopy-guided PMWA, which significantly decreased the uterine volume, lesion volume, SSS and VAS score, is a feasible minimally invasive technique for the treatment of adenomyosis.

A Case Report of Diffuse-type Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor as a Calcaneus Mass: A Diagnostic Challenge.

INTRODUCTION: Diffuse-type tenosynovial giant cell tumor (D-TGCT) originates from synovial cells in tendon sheaths and bursae and rarely presents as a calcaneal mass. CASE REPORT: A 44-year-old female presented with left heel pain that had persisted for over a year and had worsened over the past six months. A mass was found on the Lateral radiograph of the calcaneus, which was diagnosed as an aneurysmal bone cyst. Non-contrast computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)diagnosed a benign tumor. Based on light microscopy, special stains, and immunohistochemistry, a final diagnosis of diffuse tenosynovial giant cell tumor (D-TGCT) was rendered. RESULTS: D-TGCT is a slow-growing, infiltrative tumor that can form single or multiple masses outside the joint, and can also involve adjacent jointsmainly affects weight-bearing joints such as the knee, hip, and ankle. However, D-TGCT presents as a calcaneal mass, which poses a diagnostic challenge for all radiologists. CONCLUSION: A calcaneal mass exhibiting well-defined borders, focal cortical destruction, a sclerotic rim, and T2WI hypointensity, the possibility of D-TGCT should be considered.

Intratumoral and Peritumoral Edema Radiomics Based on Fat-Suppressed T2- Weighted Imaging for Preoperative Prediction of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

AIM: Our aim was to explore the feasibility of using radiomics data derived from intratumoral and peritumoral edema on fat-suppressed T2-weighted imaging (T2 FS) to distinguish triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) from non-triple-negative breast cancer (non-TNBC). METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled 174 breast cancer patients. According to the MRI examination time, patients before 2021 were divided into training (n = 119) or internal test (n = 30) cohorts at a ratio of 8:2. Patients from 2022 were included in the external test cohort (n = 25). Four regions of interest for each lesion were defined: intratumoral regions, peritumoral edema regions, regions with a combination of intratumoral and peritumoral edema, and regions with a combination of intratumoral and 5-mm peritumoral. Four radiomic signatures were built using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method after selecting features. Furthermore, a radio mic-radiological model was constructed using a combination of intratumoral and peritumoral edema regions along with clinical-radiologic features. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) calculations, decision curve analysis, and calibration curve analysis were performed to assess the performance of each model. RESULTS: The radiomic-radiological model showed the highest AUC values of 0.906 (0.788-1.000) and 82.5 (0.622-0.947) in both the internal and external test sets, respectively. The radiology-radiomic model exhibited excellent predictive performance, as evidenced by the calibration curves and decision curve analysis. CONCLUSION: The ensemble model based on T2 FS-based radiomic features of intratumoral and peritumoral edema, along with radiological factors, performed better in distinguishing TNBC from non-TNBC than a single model. We explored the possibility of developing explainable models to support the clinical decision-making process.

Relationship of blood heavy metals and osteoporosis among the middle-aged and elderly adults: A secondary analysis from NHANES 2013 to 2014 and 2017 to 2018.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the relationship between blood heavy metals and a higher prevalence of osteoporosis in middle-aged and elderly US adults using the National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys (NHANES). Methods: The secondary data analysis was performed using the data of NHANES 2013-2014 and 2017-2018. We used the information, including physical examination, laboratory tests, questionnaires, and interviews, provided by participants in NHANES. Logistic regression and weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression models were used to explore the relationships between levels of blood heavy metals and a higher prevalence of osteoporosis. Results: A total of 1,777 middle-aged and elderly participants were analyzed in this study, comprising 115 participants with osteoporosis and 1,662 without osteoporosis. Adjusted model 1 showed a significant positive relationship between cadmium (Cd) levels and a higher prevalence of osteoporosis (quartile 2, OR = 7.62; 95% CI, 2.01-29.03; p = 0.003; quartile 3, OR = 12.38; 95% CI, 3.88-39.60; p < 0.001; and quartile 4, OR = 15.64; 95% CI, 3.22-76.08; p = 0.001). The fourth quartile of selenium (Se) level (OR = 0.34; 95% CI, 0.14-0.39; p < 0.001) led to a lower prevalence of osteoporosis and exerted a protective effect on model 1. Other models produced similar results to those of model 1. A subgroup analysis showed that Cd levels were positively related to a higher prevalence of osteoporosis in all three models in women, while this relationship was not found in men. The fourth quartile of the Se level was related to a lower prevalence of osteoporosis in both male and female analyses. A significant positive relationship was found between the blood Cd level and a higher prevalence of osteoporosis in the non-smoking subgroup. Blood Se level showed a protective effect on the fourth quartile in both the smoking and non-smoking subgroups. Conclusion: Blood Cd level aggravated the prevalence of osteoporosis, while blood Se level could be a protective factor in osteoporosis among the US middle-aged and older populations.

Associations between trajectories of cardiovascular risk factor change and cognitive impairment in Chinese elderly: A nationwide cohort study.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between long-term trajectories of changes in cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) and the risk of cognitive impairment among Chinese adults over 60 years old. Methods: Data were obtained from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey 2005-2018. Cognitive function was evaluated longitudinally through the Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (C-MMSE), and cognitive impairment (C-MMSE ≤23) was used as the main outcome variable. The cardiovascular risk factors, including systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), pulse pressure (PP), and body mass index (BMI), were continuously measured in the follow-up duration. The patterns of trajectories of changes in CVRFs were derived from the latent growth mixture model (LGMM). The Cox regression model was used to evaluate the cognitive impairment hazard ratio (HR) across different CVRF trajectories. Results: A total of 5,164 participants aged ≥60 years with normal cognitive function at baseline were included in the study. After a median follow-up of 8 years, 2,071 participants (40.1%) developed cognitive impairment (C-MMSE ≤ 23). The four-class trajectories of SBP and BMI were obtained by means of LGMM, and the trajectories of DBP, MAP, and PP were grouped into a three-class subgroup. In the final adjusted Cox model, the lowered SBP [adjusted HR (aHR): 1.59; 95% CI: 1.17-2.16], lowered PP (aHR: 2.64; 95% CI: 1.66-4.19), and progressively obese (aHR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.02-1.62) and stable slim (aHR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.02-1.25) were associated with the higher risk of cognitive impairment. Low stable DBP (aHR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.66-0.96) and elevated PP (aHR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.63-0.92) decreased the risk for cognitive impairment among participants. Conclusion: Lowered SBP, lowered PP, progressive obesity, and stable slim increased the risk for cognitive impairment in the Chinese elderly. Low stable DBP and elevated PP were protective against cognitive impairment, but more DBP lowering and ≥25 mmHg growth in PP contributed to a higher risk of cognitive impairment. The findings have important implications for preventing cognitive impairment in elder adults based on the long-term trajectories of changes in CVRFs.

SARS-CoV-2 proteins monitored by long-range surface plasmon field-enhanced Raman scattering with hybrid bowtie nanoaperture arrays and nanocavities.

The identification of biomacromolecules by using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) remains a challenge because of the near-field effect of traditional substrates. Long-range surface plasmon resonance (LRSPR) is a special type of surface optical phenomenon that provides higher electromagnetic field enhancement and longer penetration depth than conventional surface plasmon resonance. To break the limit of SERS detection distance and obtain a SERS substrate with increased enhancement ability, a bowtie nanoaperture array was sandwiched between two symmetric dielectric environments. Then, an Au mirror was inserted to form a metal-insulator-metal configuration. Finite-difference time-domain simulations revealed that numerous hybrid modes can be provided by this novel configuration (denoted as long-range SERS [LR-SERS] substrate). In particular, the LRSPR mode can be excited and reach the maximum value through the regulation of the polarizations of the incident light and the geometrical parameters of the LR-SERS substrate. The optimized LR-SERS substrate was then applied to detect SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins. This substrate displayed ultralow detection limits of ∼9.2 and ∼11.3 pg mL-1 for the S and N proteins, respectively. Moreover, with the help of principal component analysis and receiver operating characteristic methods, our fabricated sensors exhibited excellent selectivity and hold great potential for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 proteins in real samples.

A combined surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)/colorimetric approach for the sensitive detection of malondialdehyde in biological samples.

Variations of malondialdehyde (MDA) level in biological samples often induce pathological changes, which is associated with various diseases. Here, we developed a combined surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and colorimetric strategy for MDA quantitation. The methodology is based on the condensation reaction between 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP)-modified Au nanoflowers (Au NFs) with the aldehyde groups of MDA, which causes the aggregation of the Au NFs and a concomitant change in the solution color from purple to blue and shifts in the local surface plasmon resonance band to longer wavelengths compared with monodisperse NFs. Additionally, after the condensation reaction, a new Raman peak ascribable to the CN vibration appeared at 1630 cm-1. The intensity of this peak was directly related to the concentration of MDA in solution, which allowed establishing the quantitative measurement of MDA based on SERS. The developed SERS assay displayed satisfactory sensitivity and selectivity with a broad linear range from 1.0 × 10-12 to 1.0 × 10-7 M and a low detection limit (∼3.6 × 10-13 M), outperforming other reported optical and electrochemical methods. Furthermore, the use of 4-ATP-modified Au NF probes to monitor MDA in human serum demonstrates the applicability of this combined SERS/colorimetric approach in a real environment.

Insight into the differences of meat quality between Qinghai white Tibetan sheep and black Tibetan sheep from the perspective of metabolomics and rumen microbiota.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in meat quality between two local breeds of Tibetan sheep, the White Tibetan sheep and the Black Tibetan sheep in Qinghai, and to search for metabolic mechanisms that produce meat quality differences by analyzing differential metabolites and key rumen microorganisms. The meat quality results showed that one breed, SG73, was superior to the other (WG). Further investigation identified differences in the composition of muscle metabolites and rumen microorganisms between the two Tibetan sheep breeds. It also regulates muscle tenderness, water retention, fat content and the composition and content of AA and FA through two major metabolic pathways, AA metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism. These findings could be beneficial for the development of breeding strategies for Tibetan sheep in Qinghai in the future.

Enhanced adsorptive removal of Cr(III) from the complex solution by NTA-modified magnetic mesoporous microspheres.

The Fe3O4@nSiO2@mSiO2/NTA (FNMs-NTA) was prepared by grafting magnetic mesoporous microspheres with nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and applied as an adsorbent for the removal of Cr(III) from complex solutions. Some characterization techniques including Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), small-angle X-ray diffraction (SAXS), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to characterize functional groups and pore structure of FNMs-NTA, which proved that NTA was successfully decorated onto the magnetic Fe3O4@nSiO2@mSiO2 (FNMs) and FNMs-NTA featured a regular mesoporous structure. The batch adsorption of Cr(III) by FNMs-NTA exhibited high adsorption capacity (16.0 mg·g-1 at pH 3.0, and 25 °C). Adsorption data followed Freundlich isotherm and adsorption process was a spontaneous adsorption process. Moreover, the kinetics of adsorption were well explained by pseudo-second-order kinetic model. FNMs-NTA showed resistance to interfering inorganic cations (Na+, Ca2+) and complexing agents (EDTA). Furthermore, FNMs-NTA exhibited remarkable regeneration performance and easy separation under external magnetic field. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis showed the FNMs-NTA had excellent adsorption ability for Cr(III) because of the ion exchange and surface complexation.

24-Dehydrocholesterol Reductase alleviates oxidative damage-induced apoptosis in alveolar epithelial cells via regulating Phosphatidylinositol-3-Kinase/Protein Kinase B activation.

Apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cells during acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a critical pathological event that seriously endangers the health of patients. Suppressing apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cells was shown to alleviate functional damage of lung, and modulator of the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced apoptosis becomes a promising approach to the ALI therapy. Previous little studies showed that DHCR24 possessed anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic property in ALI. Thus, H2O2 was utilized to mimic oxidative damage in vitro in alveolar epithelial cell line A549 in the present study. Our results exhibited that H2O2 treatment of A549 cells reduced the level of SOD and increased the level of ROS. Moreover, H2O2 inhibited Bcl-2 expression in A549 cells, but increased Bax and the activity of Caspase-3. In addition, the apoptosis rate in the H2O2 treatment group also increased significantly. And the expression of 24-dehydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR24) was markedly reduced in the H2O2 treatment group. Overexpression of DHCR24 can remarkably inhibit H2O2-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis. We found that overexpression of DHCR24 increased the phosphorylation level of PI3K and AKT, however, the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 (LY) eliminated the protective effect of DHCR24 in ALI. DHCR24 was down-regulated in H2O2-induced ALI, and overexpression of DHCR24 could inhibit H2O2-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis of A549 cells by activating the Phosphatidylinositol-3-Kinase/Protein Kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway. The above exhibited a protective effect of DHCR24 on alveolar epithelial cells exposed to oxidative stress-mediated apoptosis and provided a novel therapeutic method for ALI.

Dual-energy Computed Tomography for the Diagnosis of Acute Gouty Arthritis.

AIMS: To investigate the diagnostic value of Dual-energy Computed Tomography (DECT) in Acute Gouty Arthritis (AGA) or patients presenting suspected gouty arthritis. METHODS: This retrospective study was performed in a single centre from May 2017 to August 2018. Two hundred and twenty-six patients with an initial diagnosis of AGA in the preceding 15 days were included. All patients were referred for a DECT scan of the affected joints. The diagnosis criteria of gout with the American College of Rheumatology Classification Standard were regarded as the reference standard. RESULTS: After filtration, two hundred patients were included in the present study. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of DECT in the diagnosis of all AGA were 83.83%, 60.61%, 91.5%, and 42.55%, respectively. When AGA was subdivided according to the joint site, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 80.68%, 61.11%, 91.03%, and 39.29% in feet, 93.55%, 40%, 93.55%, and 40% in knees and 87.5%, 71.43%, 91.3%, and 62.5% in ankles, respectively. CONCLUSION: DECT had a high sensitivity for the diagnosis of AGA. However, the specificity was limited, particularly for the diagnosis of acute gouty knee arthritis. Prospective multicenter studies of large samples will enhance the application of DECT among AGA patients in the future.

Evaluation of Aortic Distensibility in Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Using CT.

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has attracted considerable attention with continuously increasing morbidity. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the aortic distensibility in patients with non-diabetic and hypertension-type Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) through Dual-Source Computed Tomography (DSCT). METHODS: 120 patients with NAFLD (experimental group) and 30 healthy subjects (control group) were consecutively enrolled in the study. In the two groups, aortic distensibility was calculated as D = ΔA/(A0 ×Δp). Record fasting insulin, fasting blood glucose, fasting lipid status, age, heart rate, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure. Calculate homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and Body Mass Index (BMI). A comparative analysis between the two groups was carried out, followed by a correlation analysis between D value and risk factors. RESULTS: D value and liver attenuation of the patients in the NAFLD group were significantly reduced relative to those in the control group (2.24±0.63×10-3 mmHg-1 vs. 3.19±0.86×10-3 mmHg-1, P<0.001 and 41±6HU vs. 53±5HU, P<0.001, respectively) and their fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transaminase, HOMA- IR, and BMI were higher than those in the control group. Liver attenuation, HOMA-IR, age, and BMI were significantly correlated with D value in the NAFLD group. The stepwise multiple linear regression analysis indicates that liver attenuation and HOMA-IR were the significant risk factors for D value (ß coefficient =0.43, P =0.001, and ß coefficient =-0.33, P =0.02, respectively). CONCLUSION: Patients with NAFLD suffer from a reduction in aortic distensibility, and insulin resistance may play a significant role in the early atherosclerosis stage.

Soil bacterial communities of three types of plants from ecological restoration areas and plant-growth promotional benefits of Microbacterium invictum (strain X-18).

Microbial-assisted phytoremediation promotes the ecological restoration of high and steep rocky slopes. To determine the structure and function of microbial communities in the soil in response to changes in soil nutrient content, the bacterial communities of rhizospheric soil from three types of plants, i.e., Robinia pseudoacacia, Pinus massoniana, and Cynodon dactylon, were analyzed using Illumina sequencing technology. High-quality sequences were clustered at the 97% similarity level. The dominant genera were found to be RB41, Gemmatimonas, Sphingomonas, Bradyrhizobium, and Ellin6067. The Tukey HSD (honestly significant difference) test results showed that the abundance of RB41 and Gemmatimonas were significantly different among three types of plants (p < 0.01). The relative abundances of RB41 (13.32%) and Gemmatimonas (3.36%) in rhizospheric soil samples from R. pseudoacacia were significantly higher than that from P. massoniana (0.16 and 0.35%) and C. dactylon (0.40 and 0.82%), respectively. The soil chemical properties analyses suggested that significant differences in rhizospheric soil nutrient content among the three plant types. Especially the available phosphorus, the content of it in the rhizospheric soil of R. pseudoacacia was about 280% (P. massoniana) and 58% (C. dactylon) higher than that of the other two plants, respectively. The soil bacterial communities were further studied using the correlation analysis and the Tax4Fun analysis. A significant and positive correlation was observed between Gemmatimonas and soil nutrient components. Except total nitrogen, the positive correlation between Gemmatimonas and other soil nutrient components was above 0.9. The outcomes of these analyses suggested that Gemmatimonas could be the indicator genus in response to changes in the soil nutrient content. Besides, the genes involved in metabolism were the major contributor to soil nutrients. This study showed that soil nutrients affect the soil bacterial community structure and function. In addition, pot experiments showed that Microbacterium invictum X-18 isolated from the rhizospheric soil of R. pseudoacacia significantly improved soil nutrient content and increased R. pseudoacacia growth. A significant increase in the numbers of nodules of R. pseudoacacia and an increase of 28% in plant height, accompanied by an increase of 94% in available phosphorus was measured in the M. invictum X-18 treatment than the control treatment.