Functions of actin-binding proteins in cilia structure remodeling and signaling.

Cilia are microtubule-based organelles found on the surfaces of many types of cells, including cardiac fibroblasts, vascular endothelial cells, human retinal pigmented epithelial-1 (RPE-1) cells, and alveolar epithelial cells. These organelles can be classified as immotile cilia, referred to as primary cilia in mammalian cells, and motile cilia. Primary cilia are cellular sensors that detect extracellular signals; this is a critical function associated with ciliopathies, which are characterized by the typical clinical features of developmental disorders. Cilia are extensively studied organelles of the microtubule cytoskeleton. However, the ciliary actin cytoskeleton has rarely been studied. Clear evidence has shown that highly regulated actin cytoskeleton dynamics contribute to normal ciliary function. Actin-binding proteins (ABPs) play vital roles in filamentous actin (F-actin) morphology. Here, we discuss recent progress in understanding the roles of ABPs in ciliary structural remodeling and further downstream ciliary signaling with a focus on the molecular mechanisms underlying actin cytoskeleton-related ciliopathies.

Hybrid architecture based intelligent diagnosis assistant for GP.

As the first point of contact for patients, General Practitioners (GPs) play a crucial role in the National Health Service (NHS). An accurate primary diagnosis from the GP can alleviate the burden on specialists and reduce the time needed to re-confirm the patient's condition, allowing for more efficient further examinations. However, GPs have broad but less specialized knowledge, which limits the accuracy of their diagnosis. Therefore, it is imperative to introduce an intelligent system to assist GPs in making decisions. This paper introduces two data augmentation methods, the Complaint Symptoms Integration Method and Symptom Dot Separating Method, to integrate essential information into the Integration dataset. Additionally, it proposes a hybrid architecture that fuses the features of words from different representation spaces. Experiments demonstrate that, compared to commonly used pre-trained attention-based models, our hybrid architecture delivers the best classification performance for four common neurological diseases on the enhanced Integration dataset. For example, the classification accuracy of the BERT+CNN hybrid architecture is 0.897, which is a 5.1% improvement over both BERT and CNN with 0.846. Finally, this paper develops an AI diagnosis assistant web application that leverages the superior performance of this architecture to help GPs complete primary diagnosis efficiently and accurately.

Virtual reality used to distract children and young people with long-term conditions from pain or pruritus: A scoping review using PAGER.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To map out the primary research studies relating to how virtual reality (VR) has been used to distract children and young people with long-term conditions from pain or pruritus. BACKGROUND: Pharmacologic treatment of chronic pain and pruritus may have side effects; hence, non-invasive non-pharmacological treatments are being sought. DESIGN: The scoping review followed the methodology recommended by the Joanna Briggs Institute, PAGER framework and PRISMA-ScR checklist. The protocol was registered with the Open Science Registration on 14 February 2022 https//doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/K2R93. METHODS: Five databases (Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Scopus) were searched. Data were extracted from primary research studies published between 2000 and 2022 involving children and adolescent populations (<21 years) with a long-term condition that had an element of enduring pruritus and/or pain. RESULTS: Of 464 abstracts screened, 35 full-text papers were assessed with 5 studies meeting the eligibility criteria. Three main themes emerged from the included studies: (1) Improvements in pain and daily functioning; (2) positive perceptions of VR and (3) accessibility and feasibility of VR. No papers were found on the effect of VR on alleviating pruritus. CONCLUSION: VR is feasible, acceptable, and safe for children and adolescents with chronic pain in a range of long-term conditions and offers promise as an adjunctive treatment for improving chronic pain and quality of life. No studies were identified that targeted pruritis or measured pruritis outcomes; thus, the effects of VR for pruritis are unknown. There is a need for rigorously designed, randomised controlled trials to test the clinical and cost-effectiveness of VR interventions for chronic pain and pruritis in children and adolescents. The use of the PAGER (Patterns, Advances, Gaps, Evidence for Practice and Research Recommendations) framework for scoping reviews helped to structure analysis and findings and identify research gaps. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: VR interventions offer promise in improving chronic pain related to long-term conditions.

Arthroscopic surgery for ankle gouty arthritis: a retrospective analysis of clinical outcomes at six month follow-up based on a novel classification system.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes, patient-reported outcomes, and recurrence rate of patients diagnosed with ankle gouty arthritis who underwent arthroscopic surgery based on the new classification. METHODS: A total of 51 patients diagnosed with ankle gouty arthritis were included in this retrospective study. A new classification was proposed based on the location and extent of MSU crystal deposition under an arthroscopy view. Patients are classified into different types and underwent arthroscopic surgery accordingly. The primary outcome measure was the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score. The secondary outcomes included the visual analog pain scale (VAS), serum uric acid levels, and the recurrence rate of ankle gouty arthritis at one year postoperatively. RESULTS: Based on the new classification, five patients were Type I, 24 patients were Type II, five were Type III A, six were Type III B, and 11 were Type IV. The average follow-up time was 23.5 ± 10.9 months. The AOFAS hindfoot-ankle score improved significantly from 70.3 ± 15.9 to 85.6 ± 13.0 (p < 0.01). The mean serum uric acid level was significantly decreased from 442.0 ± 109.2 to 540.5 ± 132.4 (p < 0.01). The average VAS scale decreased from 3.8 ± 1.9 to 1.4 ± 1.7 (p < 0.01). The median of recurrences in one year postoperatively was significantly decreased from 1.5 (1, 3.75) to 0 (0, 0.75) (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: A new classification strategy for ankle gouty arthritis based on arthroscopic view was proposed. Patients with ankle gouty arthritis showed significant improvement in ankle function and pain relief after undergoing arthroscopic surgery driven by the new classification.

Analysis of radiologic parameters and clinical outcomes in supramalleolar osteotomy for varus ankle osteoarthritis: A novel method for evaluating ankle alignment.

BACKGROUND: Solely relying on the tibial ankle surface (TAS) angle for determining the mechanical ankle axis might be insufficient. We introduce a novel method to determine the distance from the center of the talus to the tibial axis (TTD). This study aimed to investigate the association between clinical outcomes and radiological changes before and after supramalleolar osteotomy (SMO), including TAS angle, talar tilt (TT) angle, tibiotalar surface (TTS) angle and TTD. METHODS: Seventy patients who received SMO were enrolled. Radiological changes were measured using weight-bearing anteroposterior imaging. The percentage of talar center displacement (TTDP) was calculated as the difference between postoperative and preoperative TTD, divided by talar width (TW). Clinical assessments were performed using the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society ankle-hindfoot (AOFAS) scale. Differences in the aforementioned indicators before and after the operation were analyzed. We defined ΔAOFAS, ΔTAS, ΔTT and ΔTTS as the difference between postoperative and preoperative values. RESULTS: ΔTTS correlated with ΔAOFAS (r = 0.40, p = 0.008), as did TTDP (r = 0.32, p = 0.035). No correlation was observed between ΔAOFAS and ΔTAS. In the comparison between groups, patients with a TTDP greater than 26.19 exhibited a significantly greater ΔAOFAS. The high intraclass correlation coefficient indicated good reliability of the novel method. CONCLUSION: Solely relying on the TAS angle for tibial correction was insufficient. We found TTD as a novel method to evaluate mechanical ankle joint axis. TTDP and ΔTTS both positively correlated with ΔAOFAS, indicating the usefulness of these radiologic parameters.

Tracking tumor alteration in glioma through serum fibroblast activation protein combined with image.

PURPOSE: Detecting tumor progression of glioma continues to pose a formidable challenge. The role of fibroblast activation protein (FAP) in gliomas has been demonstrated to facilitate tumor progression. Glioma-circulating biomarkers have not yet been used in clinical practice. This study seeks to evaluate the feasibility of glioma detection through the utilization of a serum FAP marker. METHODS: We adopted enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique to quantify the relative FAP level of serum autoantibodies in a cohort of 87 gliomas. The correlation between preoperative serum autoantibody relative FAP levels and postoperative pathology, including molecular pathology was investigated. A series of FAP tests were conducted on 33 cases of malignant gliomas in order to ascertain their efficacy in monitoring the progression of the disease in relation to imaging observations. To validate the presence of FAP expression in tumors, immunohistochemistry was conducted on four gliomas employing a FAP-specific antibody. Additionally, the investigation encompassed the correlation between postoperative tumor burden, as assessed through volumetric analysis, and the relative FAP level of serum autoantibodies. RESULTS: A considerable proportion of gliomas exhibited a significantly increased level of serum autoantibody relative FAP level. This elevation was closely associated with both histopathology and molecular pathology, and demonstrated longitudinal fluctuations and variations corresponding to the progression of the disease The correlation between the rise in serum autoantibody relative FAP level and tumor progression and/or exacerbation of symptoms was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The measurement of serum autoantibody relative FAP level can be used to detect the disease as a valuable biomarker. The combined utilization of its detection alongside MR imaging has the potential to facilitate a more accurate and prompt diagnosis.

Role of SIRT3 in neurological diseases and rehabilitation training.

Sirtuin3 (SIRT3) is a deacetylase that plays an important role in normal physiological activities by regulating a variety of substrates. Considerable evidence has shown that the content and activity of SIRT3 are altered in neurological diseases. Furthermore, SIRT3 affects the occurrence and development of neurological diseases. In most cases, SIRT3 can inhibit clinical manifestations of neurological diseases by promoting autophagy, energy production, and stabilization of mitochondrial dynamics, and by inhibiting neuroinflammation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress (OS). However, SIRT3 may sometimes have the opposite effect. SIRT3 can promote the transfer of microglia. Microglia in some cases promote ischemic brain injury, and in some cases inhibit ischemic brain injury. Moreover, SIRT3 can promote the accumulation of ceramide, which can worsen the damage caused by cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R). This review comprehensively summarizes the different roles and related mechanisms of SIRT3 in neurological diseases. Moreover, to provide more ideas for the prognosis of neurological diseases, we summarize several SIRT3-mediated rehabilitation training methods.

Quantifying ecological and human health risks of heavy metals from different sources in farmland soils within a typical mining and smelting industrial area.

The quality of food crops and human health is threatened by heavy metals (HMs) accumulated in farmland soils for a long time. In this study, we selected 148 soil samples randomly from farmlands in a region featuring abandoned lead-zinc (Pb-Zn) mining activities with the aim to quantify the pollution risk and identify potential sources of heavy metals, based on a case in the southwestern of China. The median contents of metals, such as Pb, Zn, Cd, As, Cu and Cr, are above the background values for Chinese soils and prescribed pollution threshold guide values (GB15618-2018), except Hg and Ni. The farmland soils in sites surrounding areas with previous Pb-Zn mining and smelting activities were classified as seriously polluted. Pollution sources were evaluated using GIS-based geostatistical methods, multivariate statistical analyses and positive matrix factorization (PMF) modeling. Four sources were quantitatively apportioned, which were industrial sources such as mining and smelting (53.1%), agricultural practices (11.6%), natural source (21.6%) and other industrial sources such as electroplating (13.7%). The potential risks of contamination associated with the heavy metals were evaluated using several indices including the Nemerow, geoaccumulation (Igeo) and ecological risk (RI) indices. Based on the Igeo index, As and Pb were the most severe pollutants among all of those measured. With the combination of the potential ecological risk index (RI) and human health risk (HHR) assessment models, the ecological risk and HHR from different sources were analyzed quantitatively. Industrial activities such as mining and smelting were the greatest contributors to ecological risk, non-carcinogenic risk and carcinogenic risk, accounting for about 86.9%,73.9% and 81.9%, respectively. Additionally, the health risks of children were more serious relative to those of adults from the perspective of non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks.

Evaluation of di-rhamnolipid biosurfactants production by a novel Pseudomonas sp. S1WB: Optimization, characterization and effect on petroleum-hydrocarbon degradation.

Rhamnolipid biosurfactants are multifunctional compounds that can play an indispensable role in biotechnological, biomedical, and environmental bioremediation-related fields, and have attracted significant attention in recent years. Herein, a novel strain Pseudomonas sp. S1WB was isolated from an oil-contaminated water sample. The biosurfactants produced by this strain have capabilities to reduce surface tension (SFT) at 32.75 ± 1.63 mN/m and emulsified 50.2 ± 1.13 % in liquid media containing 1 % used engine oil (UEO) as the sole carbon source. However, the lowest SFT reduction (28.25 ± 0.21), highest emulsification index (60.15 ± 0.07), and the maximum yields (900 mg/L) were achieved under optimized conditions; where, the glucose/urea and glycerol/urea combinations were found efficient carbon and nitrogen substrates for improved biosurfactants production. Biosurfactants product was characterized using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC- MS) and detected various di- rhamnolipids congeners. In addition, the di-rhamnolipids produced by S1WB strain was found highly stable in terms of surface activity and EI indices at different environmental factors i.e. temperature, pH and various NaCl concentrations, where, emulsifying property was found high stable till 30 days of incubation. Moreover, the stain was capable to degrade hydrocarbon at 42.2 ± 0.04 %, and the Gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GC-MS) profile showed the majority of peak intensities of hydrocarbons have been completely degraded compared to control.

Does sulfur application continue to reduce cadmium accumulation and increase the seed yield of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) at the maturity stage?

BACKGROUND: Oilseed rape requires sulfur (S) fertilization. Cadmium (Cd) differs dramatically in agricultural soils. Rice-oilseed rape rotation distributes widely and contributes the majority of rapeseeds in Asian countries. It was reported that S metabolism was involved in Cd uptake in seedlings of oilseed rape, although the effects of S on Cd accumulation and seed yield at maturity are still unclear. RESULTS: We performed a pot experiment including two Cd rates (0.35 and 10.35 mg kg-1 , as low and high Cd soil) and four S levels (0, 30, 60 and 120 mg kg-1 ). The results showed that low S application (30 mg kg-1 ) resulted in two-fold higher seed-Cd concentration irrespective of soil Cd levels. The responsible mechanism might be that Cd translocation into rapeseeds was involved in sulfate transporters, which could be strongly expressed in shoots and roots when supplying sulfate under S-starvation conditions, but depressed under a S-sufficient environment. For high Cd soil, seed yield decreased by 36%, 48% and 72% at 30, 60 and 120 mg S kg-1 compared to non-S treatment, whereas there were no differences for low Cd soil. Antagonistic effects of S and Cd existed for seed yield according to structure equation model analysis. CONCLUSION: Oilseed rape can be grown in low-Cd fields as a safe food crop with high levels of sulfur fertilizers (>60 mg S kg-1 ). In high-Cd fields, oilseed rape is recommended as a Cd-remediation crop, and rapeseeds should only be used for industrial purposes and not for food. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Potential for western US seasonal snowpack prediction.

Western US snowpack-snow that accumulates on the ground in the mountains-plays a critical role in regional hydroclimate and water supply, with 80% of snowmelt runoff being used for agriculture. While climate projections provide estimates of snowpack loss by the end of the century and weather forecasts provide predictions of weather conditions out to 2 weeks, less progress has been made for snow predictions at seasonal timescales (months to 2 years), crucial for regional agricultural decisions (e.g., plant choice and quantity). Seasonal predictions with climate models first took the form of El Niño predictions 3 decades ago, with hydroclimate predictions emerging more recently. While the field has been focused on single-season predictions (3 months or less), we are now poised to advance our predictions beyond this timeframe. Utilizing observations, climate indices, and a suite of global climate models, we demonstrate the feasibility of seasonal snowpack predictions and quantify the limits of predictive skill 8 months in advance. This physically based dynamic system outperforms observation-based statistical predictions made on July 1 for March snowpack everywhere except the southern Sierra Nevada, a region where prediction skill is nonexistent for every predictor presently tested. Additionally, in the absence of externally forced negative trends in snowpack, narrow maritime mountain ranges with high hydroclimate variability pose a challenge for seasonal prediction in our present system; natural snowpack variability may inherently be unpredictable at this timescale. This work highlights present prediction system successes and gives cause for optimism for developing seasonal predictions for societal needs.

Residual effects of sulfur application prior to oilseed rape cultivation on cadmium accumulation in brown rice under an oilseed rape-rice rotation pot experiment.

We aimed to investigate how sulfur (S) application prior to oilseed rape cultivation influences the uptake of cadmium (Cd) by rice grown in low- and high-Cd soils. A pot experiment involving four S levels (0, 30, 60, 120 mg S kg-1) combined with two Cd rates (low and high-0.35 and 10.35 mg Cd kg-1, respectively) was conducted. Soil pore water during rice growth and plant tissues at maturity were analyzed. The soil pore water results indicated that S application decreased Cd solubility under submergence due to the S-induced increase of soil pH and the enhancement of sulfide formation in soil micropores. When S was applied at rates of 30, 60 and 120 mg S kg-1, brown rice Cd concentrations decreased by 18%, 18%, and 55% (p < 0.05) in the low-Cd soil but increased by 20%, 40%, and 40% in the high-Cd soil compared with those in the non-S treatment. The different effects of S on Cd accumulation in brown rice were related to Cd-induced oxidative stress in the rice plants. In low-Cd soils, a S-induced increase in phytochelatins in rice roots restricted and inhibited Cd translocation in brown rice. In high-Cd soils, the Cd-induced oxidative stress in rice plants weakened the protective effects of S, while highlighted the promotion of Cd uptake by S. Overall, S fertilizer is recommended for oilseed rape-rice rotations in low-Cd paddy fields. In high Cd-contaminated fields, oilseed rape-rice rotations are suitable for the simultaneous remediation by oilseed rape and production of rice without S fertilization.

Can formetric 4D measurements predict the development of adjacent segment degeneration after single-segment PLIF?: Relative rotation angle as a sensitive predictor.

BACKGROUND: Adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) is a major issue after posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF). The postoperative dynamic change of adjacent segments remains unknown. Hence, this study using the formetric 4D system (DIERS, International GmbH of Schlangenbad, Germany) to determine the impact of PLIF on ASD, and to compare the effectiveness with traditional radiography for the predication of ASD. METHODS: Eighty-five consecutive patients who underwent PLIF of a single-segment were included. The formetric 4D system was used to calculate the relative rotation angle between the fusion segment and the upper and lower adjacent vertebrae before and at 6, 12 and 24 months after surgery. The range of motion (ROM) and disc height (DH) of adjacent segments were measured using radiography before surgery and 24 months postoperatively. At the final follow-up, the visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index were used to evaluate the surgical outcome. The patients were divided into two groups according to the occurrence of radiographic ASD: the ASD group with progression of degeneration and the N-ASD group without progression of degeneration. RESULTS: The index fusion segments included L2-3 to L5-S1. Preoperatively, the relative rotation angles formed by the fusion segment with the upper and lower adjacent vertebrae were 5.1° ± 2.2° and 3.3° ± 2.0°, respectively, and both angles increased significantly at all time points after surgery (p < 0.05). The angles changed most significantly during L2-3 fusion. Radiographic ASD developed in 13 of 85 patients (15.3%) at 24 months. And the relative rotation angle with the upper adjacent vertebra was larger in the ASD group than in the N-ASD group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The relative rotation angle with adjacent vertebra increased significantly after lumbar fusion surgery. It may be a more sensitive predictor than the flexion-extension ROM and DH for the development of radiographic ASD.

Protective effect of hypoglycemic granule against diabetes-induced liver injury by alleviating glycolipid metabolic disorder and oxidative stress.

The current study was designed to explore the therapeutic effect and mechanism of different extraction, which came from hypoglycemic granule on diabetes-induced liver injury. The ethanol fraction (HGEF) and aqueous fraction (HGAF) from hypoglycemic granule were prepared and administered p.o. to diabetic mice for 17 weeks after 6 weeks of constructing the model. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining were individually applied to observe the morphological change and glycogen deposition. In addition, Oil Red O staining was adopted in lipid droplets detection. Western blot analysis was performed to evaluate the protein expression. The commercial biochemical kits were used to determine the fasting blood glucose value, enzyme activity, and some biochemical indicators. HGEF not only significantly decreased the levels of blood glucose, the content of triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and lipid droplet accumulation, but also remarkably enhanced the high-density lipoprotein, glycogen synthesis, and further improved the hepatic function in diabetic mice. Moreover, HGEF increased the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and inhibited the malondialdehyde production, so did HGAF. HGAF performed potential to modulate lipid metabolism via decreasing TG and LDL levels. Further, the protein expressions of SOD, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and forkhead box O3 (Foxo3a) were increased by HGEF, whereas the receptor-interacting serine-threonine kinase 3 (RIP3), calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), and cytochrome c (Cyt c) expressions were inhibited. Our present results suggest that HGEF has superiority in ameliorating oxidative stress via modulating hepatic glycolipid metabolism homeostasis in low-dose streptozotocin-induced liver tissue of diabetic mice.

Speciation analysis of mercury in wild edible mushrooms by high-performance liquid chromatography hyphenated to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Wild edible mushrooms can accumulate significantly elevated levels of mercury from the surrounding environment, which could be harmful to consumers' health. Speciation analysis of mercury in wild edible mushrooms aids in understanding the human exposure to these toxic compounds. In this study, we developed a high-performance liquid chromatography hyphenated to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS) method for the simultaneous determination of inorganic mercury (Hg(II)), methylmercury (MeHg), ethylmercury (EtHg), and phenylmercury (PhHg) in wild edible mushrooms. A rapid separation of four target mercury species was achieved within 11 min by a C8 column without utilizing high proportion of organic phase in HPLC. The parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of mercury in samples have been investigated. The proposed method showed good linearity within 0-50 µg/L with the detection and quantification limits of 0.6-4.5 µg/kg (S/N = 3), and 2.0-15 µg/kg (S/N = 10), respectively. This proposed method was successfully applied to the mercury speciation analysis in 7 varieties (95 samples) of wild edible mushrooms. The results indicated that in most mushroom samples, mercury mainly occurred as inorganic mercury. But there were two Tricholoma matsutakes, one contained 0.14 mg/kg of methylmercury, another contained 1.05 mg/kg of phenylmercury, which were higher than the maximum allowable content of total mercury in edible mushrooms in China. Graphical abstract.

Clinical Outcomes of Intraoperative Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Compared with Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring During Circumferential Decompression for Myelopathy Associated with Thoracic-Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament.

BACKGROUND Circumferential decompression (CD) is an essential treatment option for myelopathy associated with thoracic-ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (T-OPLL) when laminectomy cannot achieve sufficient ventral decompression. Although intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) is widely used, the operation has a relatively high risk. This study is the first to describe the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to evaluate the spinal cord blood flow (SCBF) during thoracic spine surgery in humans. The objective of this study was to compare clinical outcomes between intraoperative CEUS and IONM during CD. MATERIAL AND METHODS Sixty-eight T-OPLL patients who received CD from 2007 to 2014 were reviewed. All patients underwent IONM. CEUS was used on the following 2 occasions on 18 patients to evaluate SCBF: the first measurement was performed after laminectomy and the second after ventral decompression. Outcomes were evaluated by the Hirabayashi recovery rate (HRR). RESULTS The overall HRR of all patients was 56.7%. Regarding CEUS, the HRR was 20.0% in Group A (SCBF decreased) and 63.6% in Group B (SCBF increased), indicating a significantly poorer neurological outcome in Group A (P<0.01). Regarding IONM, the HRR did not significantly differ between Groups C (no meaningful change in potential), D (potential changed up to alert criteria), and E (potential improved). CONCLUSIONS IONM is relatively effective in detecting impending spinal cord dysfunction. Intraoperative CEUS is a safe and reliable method for assessing SCBF changes, which may be used as a supplement to IONM, thus reducing the incidence of false-negative results.

Improvement of Electron Probe Microanalysis of Boron Concentration in Silicate Glasses.

The determination of low boron concentrations in silicate glasses by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) remains a significant challenge. The internal interferences from the diffraction crystal, i.e. the Mo-B4C large d-spacing layered synthetic microstructure crystal, can be thoroughly diminished by using an optimized differential mode of pulse height analysis (PHA). Although potential high-order spectral interferences from Ca, Fe, and Mn on the BKα peak can be significantly reduced by using an optimized differential mode of PHA, a quantitative calibration of the interferences is required to obtain accurate boron concentrations in silicate glasses that contain these elements. Furthermore, the first-order spectral interference from ClL-lines is so strong that they hinder reliable EPMA of boron concentrations in Cl-bearing silicate glasses. Our tests also indicate that, due to the strongly curved background shape on the high-energy side of BKα, an exponential regression is better than linear regression for estimating the on-peak background intensity based on measured off-peak background intensities. We propose that an optimal analytical setting for low boron concentrations in silicate glasses (≥0.2 wt% B2O3) would best involve a proper boron-rich glass standard, a low accelerating voltage, a high beam current, a large beam size, and a differential mode of PHA.

[Determination of 67 pesticides in drinking water by solid phase extration disk extraction-gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

OBJECTIVE: To develop a method for the simultaneous determination of 67 pesticides in water by solid phase extration(SPE) disk extraction-gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(GC-MS/MS). METHODS: Pesticides in water were extracted and cleaned-up with SPE disk, then eluted with dichloromethane-n-ethyl acetate(7∶3, V/V). After the eluent being concentrated to 1 mL under nitrogen blow at 40 ℃, the supernatant was injected into GC-MS/MS for analysis. The GC separation was performed on a DB-5 MS capillary column(30 m×0. 25 mm×0. 25 µm). The pesticides were detected by MS/MS in multiple reaction monitoring(MRM) mode and quantified by working curve method. RESULTS: The linear range of the method for most of the pesticides were in the range of 0. 05-5 µg/L with correlation coefficients of 0. 9924-0. 9999. The quantitative limits(S/N=10) of the method were in the range of 1. 0×10~(-5)-0. 059 µg/L. The recoveries for pesticides were 81. 0%-125. 0% with relative standard deviations of 1. 5%-21. 4%(n=6). CONCLUSION: The method is sensitive, simple, environmentally friendly and suitable to the determination of pesticides in drinking water for rapid screening and quantitative analysis.

Curcumin protects against diabetic cardiomyopathy by promoting autophagy and alleviating apoptosis.

The effects of curcumin on regulating cardiac apoptosis and autophagy were analyzed in diabetic models both in vivo and in vitro. In vivo, experimental diabetes was induced in mice by low-dose STZ injection combined with a high-fat diet. In vitro, cultured H9c2 cardiomyoblasts were exposed to high d-glucose concentrations combined with palmitate. Our results showed that apoptosis was increased and autophagy was suppressed in the hearts of diabetic mice, which was ameliorated by curcumin treatment, ultimately improving cardiac function. Moreover, the inhibition of autophagy exacerbated apoptotic death in cardiac cells under diabetic condition. Curcumin activated AMPK and JNK1, which phosphorylated Bcl-2 and Bim and subsequently disrupted their interactions with Beclin1, thereby promoting autophagy and alleviating apoptosis respectively. In addition, AMPK-mediated inhibition of mTORC1 pathway likely played a role in regulating autophagy by curcumin under diabetic condition. Our study suggests that curcumin protects against diabetic cardiomyopathy by modulating the crosstalk between autophagic and apoptotic machinery. Modulation of autophagy may be an effective strategy for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases associated with diabetes.