Meta-analysis of high-power short-duration versus cryoballoon ablation for atrial fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: The existing literature regarding the treatment strategy for high-power short-duration (HPSD) ablation in patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AF) is currently insufficient. The objective of this study is to perform a comparative analysis evaluating the effectiveness, safety, and procedural efficiency of HPSD versus cryoballoon ablation (CBA) for AF. METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases to identify trials comparing HPSD with CBA for AF from their inception until December 25, 2023. Treatment effect measures were expressed as odds ratio (OR), mean difference (MD), accompanied by a 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: The analysis comprised six eligible trials involving a total enrollment of 2481 patients. No statistically significant disparities were observed in recurrent atrial arrhythmia (OR 0.90; 95% CI, 0.71-1.16) or total complications (OR 0.65; 95% CI, 0.38-1.12) between the two ablation techniques examined in this study. However, HPSD technique exhibited a significantly prolonged procedure time (MD 27.42; 95% CI, 19.03 to 35.81). Conversely, no significant differences were observed between the two modalities in terms of total fluoroscopy duration (MD -4.37; 95% CI -10.70 to 1.96) and ablation time (MD 7.95; 95% CI -3.97 to 19.88). Furthermore, HPSD demonstrated significantly higher odds of extrapulmonary vein (PV) trigger ablation compared to CBA (OR 18.86; 95% CI, 5.12-69.49). The subgroup analyses revealed that CBA continued to exhibit superior procedure time (except for the paroxysmal AF subgroup: [MD 29.52; 95% CI -4.25 to 63.60]), while no significant differences in safety and efficacy (except for the HPSD ≥ 70 W subgroup: [OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.20-0.97]) outcomes were still observed. CONCLUSION: Among patients undergoing ablation therapy for AF, both HPSD and CBA demonstrate comparable efficacy and safety profiles; however, HPSD is associated with longer procedural time and higher rates of extra-PV trigger ablation.

Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on antimicrobial resistance among major pathogens causing healthcare-associated infection.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused great impact on healthcare systems, including antibiotic usage and multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacterial infections at hospitals. We aim to investigate the trends of antimicrobial resistance among the major pathogens causing healthcare-associated infection (HAI) at intensive care units (ICU). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The demographic characteristics of hospitalization, usage of antimicrobial agents, counted by half-an-year DID (defined daily dose per 1000 patient-days), and HAI density of five major MDR bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB), carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP), and carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA), of ICU patients at a medical center in Taiwan during January 2017 to December 2021 were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: The total antibiotic usage, counted by DID, had a significant increasing trend, before COVID-19 occurrence in 2017-2019, but no further increase during the pandemic period in 2020-2021. However, comparing the two time periods, antibiotics consumption was significantly increased during pandemic period. There was no significant change of HAI density in MRSA, VRE, CRAB, CRKP, and CRPA, comparing the pandemic to the pre-pandemic period. Although, CRKP and CRPA infection rates were increasing during the pre-pandemic period, there was no further increase of CRKP and CRPA HAI rates during the pandemic period. CONCLUSION: During COVID-19 pandemic, there was no significant increase in HAI density of five major MDR bacteria at ICU in Taiwan, despite increased antibiotic usage. Strict infection prevention measures for COVID-19 precautions and sustained antimicrobial stewardship probably bring these effects.

Microbiome assembly mechanism and functional potential in enhanced biological phosphorus removal system enriched with Tetrasphaera-related polyphosphate accumulating organisms.

Tetrasphaera-related polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) are the key functional guilds for enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) systems. Their biomass enrichment can be enhanced by the nitrification inhibitor allylthiourea (ATU). However, the underlying assembly mechanism and the functional potential of the EBPR microbiome regulated by ATU are unclear. This study investigates the effect of ATU on microbiome assembly and functional potential by closely following the microbiota dynamics in an EBPR system enriched with Tetrasphaera-related PAOs for 288-days before, during and after ATU addition. The results showed that ATU addition increased microbiota structural similarity and compositional convergence, and enhanced determinism in the assembly of EBPR microbiome. During exposure to ATU, Tetrasphaera-related PAOs were governed by homogeneous selection and the dominant species revealed by 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic analysis shifted from clade III to clade I. Meanwhile, ATU supply promoted significant enrichment of functional genes involved in phosphate transport (pit) and polyphosphate synthesis and degradation (ppk1 and ppk2), whereas both Nitrosomonas and ammonia monooxygenase-encoding genes (amoA/B/C) assignable to this group of nitrifying bacteria decreased. Moreover, ATU addition relieved the significant abundance correlation between filamentous bacteria Ca. Promineofilum and denitrifying Brevundimonas (FDR-adjusted P < 0.01), damaging their potential synergic or cooperative interactions, thus weakening their competitiveness against Tetrasphaera-related PAOs. Notably, ATU withdrawn created opportunistic conditions for the unexpected explosive growth and predominance of Thiothrix filaments, leading to a serious bulking event. Our study provides new insights into the microbial ecology of Tetrasphaera-related PAOs in EBPR system, which could guide the establishment of an efficient microbiota for EBPR.

Monitoring the performance of a dedicated weaning unit using risk-adjusted control charts for the weaning rate in prolonged mechanical ventilation.

BACKGROUND: Weaning rate is an important quality indicator of care for patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV). However, diverse clinical characteristics often affect the measured rate. A risk-adjusted control chart may be beneficial for assessing the quality of care. METHODS: We analyzed patients with PMV who were discharged between 2018 and 2020 from a dedicated weaning unit at a medical center. We generated a formula to estimate monthly weaning rates using multivariate logistic regression for the clinical, laboratory, and physiologic characteristics upon weaning unit admission in the first two years (Phase I). We then applied both multiplicative and additive models for adjusted p-charts, displayed in both non-segmented and segmented formats, to assess whether special cause variation existed. RESULTS: A total of 737 patients were analyzed, including 503 in Phase I and 234 in Phase II, with average weaning rates of 59.4% and 60.3%, respectively. The p-chart of crude weaning rates did not show special cause variation. Ten variables from the regression analysis were selected for the formula to predict individual weaning probability and generate estimated weaning rates in Phases I and II. For risk-adjusted p-charts, both multiplicative and additive models showed similar findings and no special cause variation. CONCLUSION: Risk-adjusted control charts generated using a combination of multivariate logistic regression and control chart-adjustment models may provide a feasible method to assess the quality of care in the setting of PMV with standard care protocols.

Automatic tube compensation for liberation from prolonged mechanical ventilation in tracheostomized patients: A retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: To analyze the predictability of an automatic tube compensation (ATC) screening test compared with the conventional direct liberation test performed before continuous oxygen support for MV liberation. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed tracheostomized patients with prolonged MV in a weaning unit of a medical center in Taiwan. In March 2020, a four-day ATC test to screen patient eligibility for ventilator liberation was implemented, intended to replace the direct liberation test. We compared the predictive accuracy of these two screening methods on the relevant outcomes in the two years before and one year after the implementation of this policy. RESULTS: Of the 403 cases, 246 (61%) and 157 (39%) received direct liberation and ATC screening tests, respectively. These two groups had similar outcomes: successful weaning upon leaving the Respiratory Care Center (RCC), success on day 100 of MV, success at hospital discharge, and in-hospital survival. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the ATC screening test had better predictive ability than the direct liberation test for RCC weaning, discharge weaning, 100-day weaning, and in-hospital survival. CONCLUSION: This closed-circuit ATC screening test before ventilator liberation is a feasible and valuable method for screening PMV patients undergoing ventilator liberation in the pandemic era. Its predictability for a comparison with the open-circuit oxygen test requires further investigation.

Enhanced optical sensitivity of molybdenum diselenide (MoSe2) coated side polished fiber for humidity sensing.

In this paper, a side-polished fiber (SPF) coated with molybdenum diselenide (MoSe2) is proposed, and its characteristic of relative humidity (RH) sensing is investigated. It is found in the experiment that an enhancement in RH sensitivity (0.321 dB/%RH) can be achieved in a very wide RH range of 32%RH to 73%RH for the proposed MoSe2 coated SPF (MoSe2CSPF). It is also shown that the MoSe2CSPF has a rapid response of 1s and recovery time of 4s, which makes the sensor capable of monitoring human breath. The experimental results suggest MoSe2 has a promising potential in photonics applications such as all-fiber optic humidity sensing networks.

Retrospective study of oral and maxillofacial lesions in older Taiwanese patients.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to provide information regarding oral and maxillofacial (OMF) lesions in an older Taiwanese population. BACKGROUND: The rate of increase of older people in Taiwan is expected to be rapid. OMF lesions are very frequent in the older population, but no studies have been performed on these lesions in Taiwan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: OMF cases (between 2000 and 2011) in geriatric patients (≥60 years of age) with records of age, sex and histological diagnoses were retrieved from the Oral Pathology Department of our institution. These lesions were classified into four main categories: tumour/tumour-like reactive lesions, cystic/pseudocystic lesions, inflammatory/infective lesions and other miscellaneous lesions. RESULTS: Six thousand seven hundred and twenty-six lesions were collected from a total of 39 503 OMF lesions in older Taiwanese patients in this study. Most of these lesions were distributed in the inflammatory/infective group, followed by tumour/tumour-like reactive lesions. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common lesion, and, additionally, there was a high frequency of oral potentially malignant disorders. CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed trends similar to previous reports from other countries. However, some detailed information was different, perhaps due to the different criteria and different geographic distribution. Worthy of note, our results indicated that screening for oral potentially malignant disorder and oral malignancy in the older population is essential.

[Anti-atherosclerosis role of N-oleoylethanolamine in CB2].

To observe a PPAR-alpha agonist effect of N-oleoylethanolamine (OEA) on CB2 (cannabinoid receptor 2), an anti-inflammatory receptor in vascular endothelial cell, healthy HUVECs and TNF-alpha induced HUVECs were used to establish a human vascular endothelial cell inflammatory model. Different doses of OEA (10, 50 and 100 micromol x L(-1)) had been given to HUVECs, cultured at 37 degrees C for 7 h and then collected the total protein and total mRNA. CB2 protein expression was detected by Western blotting and CB2 mRNA expression was assayed by real-time PCR. As the results shown, OEA (10 and 50 micromol x L(-1)) could induce the CB2 protein and mRNA expression, but not 100 micromol x L(-1). To detect if anti-inflammation effect of OEA is partly through CB2, CB2 inhibitor AM630 was used to inhibit HUVEC CB2 expression, then the VCAM-1 expression induced by TNF-alpha was detected, or THP-1 adhere to TNF-alpha induced HUVECs was examined. OEA (50 micromol x L(-1)) could inhibit TNF-alpha induced VCAM-1 expression and THP-1 adhere to HUVECs, these effects could be partly inhibited by a CB2 inhibitor AM630. The anti-inflammation effect of OEA is induced by PPAR-alpha and CB2, suggesting that CB2 signaling could be a target for anti-atherosclerosis, OEA have wide effect in anti-inflammation, it may have better therapeutic potential in anti-inflammation in HUVECs, thus achieving anti-atherosclerosis effect.

Competitive enrichment of comammox Nitrospira in floccular sludge.

The discovery of complete ammonium oxidation (comammox) has subverted the traditional perception of two-step nitrification, which plays a key role in achieving biological nitrogen removal from wastewater. Floccular sludge-based treatment technologies are being applied at the majority of wastewater treatment plants in service where detection of various abundances and activities of comammox bacteria have been reported. However, limited efforts have been made to enrich and subsequently characterize comammox bacteria in floccular sludge. To this end, a lab-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) in the step-feeding mode was applied in this work to enrich comammox bacteria through controlling appropriate operational conditions (dissolved oxygen of 0.5 ± 0.1 g-O2/m3, influent ammonium of 40 g-N/m3 and uncontrolled longer sludge retention time). After 215-d operation, comammox bacteria gradually gained competitive advantages over counterparts in the SBR with a stable nitrification efficiency of 92.2 ± 2.2 %: the relative abundance of Nitrospira reached 42.9 ± 1.3 %, which was 13 times higher than that of Nitrosomonas, and the amoA gene level of comammox bacteria increased to 7.7 ± 2.1 × 106 copies/g-biomass, nearly 50 times higher than that of conventional ammonium-oxidizing bacteria. The enrichment of comammox bacteria, especially Clade A Candidatus Nitrospira nitrosa, in the floccular sludge led to (i) apparent affinity constants for ammonium and oxygen of 3.296 ± 0.989 g-N/m3 and 0.110 ± 0.004 g-O2/m3, respectively, and (ii) significantly low N2O and NO production, with emission factors being 0.136 ± 0.026 % and 0.023 ± 0.013 %, respectively.

Pan-cancer transcriptome analysis reveals widespread regulation through alternative tandem transcription initiation.

Abnormal transcription initiation from alternative first exon has been reported to promote tumorigenesis. However, the prevalence and impact of gene expression regulation mediated by alternative tandem transcription initiation were mostly unknown in cancer. Here, we developed a robust computational method to analyze alternative tandem transcription start site (TSS) usage from standard RNA sequencing data. Applying this method to pan-cancer RNA sequencing datasets, we observed widespread dysregulation of tandem TSS usage in tumors, many of which were independent of changes in overall expression level or alternative first exon usage. We showed that the dynamics of tandem TSS usage was associated with epigenomic modulation. We found that significant 5' untranslated region shortening of gene TIMM13 contributed to increased protein production, and up-regulation of TIMM13 by CRISPR-mediated transcriptional activation promoted proliferation and migration of lung cancer cells. Our findings suggest that dysregulated tandem TSS usage represents an addtional layer of cancer-associated transcriptome alterations.

Overexpression of Smad proteins, especially Smad7, in oral epithelial dysplasias.

OBJECTIVE: Transforming growth factor ß, via membrane-bound receptors and downstream Smad2-4, 7, can modulate tumorigenesis. Smad2 and Smad3 heterodimerize with Smad4, and the complex migrates to the nucleus to regulate the expression of target genes. Smad7 is a key negative regulator of this signaling pathway. This study aimed to examine Smad2-4, 7 expression and phosphorylated Smad2-3 (p-Smad2-3) in oral epithelial dysplasia and compared it with normal oral mucosa, hyperkeratosis/epithelial hyperplasia and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining of Smad2-4, 7 and p-Smad2-3, was performed for 75 samples of human oral mucosa, including hyperkeratosis/epithelial hyperplasia (n = 20), mild epithelial dysplasia (n = 11), moderate to severe epithelial dysplasia (n = 11), and SCC (n = 43). Normal buccal mucosa samples (n = 9) were also included. RESULTS: A significant increase in Smad7 expression was observed in the ascending order of samples of normal oral mucosa, hyperkeratosis/epithelial hyperplasia/mild oral epithelial dysplasia, moderate to severe oral epithelial dysplasia, and well-differentiated oral SCC/moderately to poorly differentiated oral SCC. Additionally, significant increases in Smad7 expression were noted as compared with expression of Smad2-4 and p-Smad2-3 in lesions of hyperkeratosis/epithelial hyperplasia, mild oral epithelial dysplasia, moderate to severe oral epithelial dysplasia, well-differentiated oral SCC, and moderately to poorly differentiated oral SCC. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that Smad proteins, particularly Smad7, in oral epithelial dysplasia and SCC could contribute to the attenuation of Smads anti-proliferative signaling in cancer development. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Smad7 could be a marker for risk of malignant transformation of oral epithelial dysplasia.

A retrospective comparison of the location and diameter of the inferior alveolar canal at the mental foramen and length of the anterior loop between American and Taiwanese cohorts using CBCT.

PURPOSE: The aim was to retrospectively compare the measurements of the location and size of the inferior alveolar canal at the mental foramen and the length of the anterior loop between two cohorts of Americans and Taiwanese using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). METHODS: CBCT was performed with an I-CAT(®) Cone-Beam 3D Dental Imaging System and reconstructed into multiple-plane views to measure two populations. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference (P = 0.2681) in the distance from the mental foramen to the inferior border of the mandible (mandibular border height) between Americans (9.84 ± 2.01 mm) and Taiwanese (10.13 ± 1.66 mm). No significant difference was found (p = 0.1161) in the inferior alveolar canal diameter between these two cohorts (2.26 ± 0.67 and 2.13 ± 0.47 mm, respectively). However, the anterior loop length of Taiwanese (7.61 ± 1.81 mm) was significantly longer than that of Americans (6.22 ± 1.68 mm) (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Our study indicated that (1) the location of mental foramen of Americans was closer to the inferior border of the mandible than Taiwanese; (2) the diameter of the inferior alveolar canal of Americans was larger than Taiwanese; (3) the anterior loop of Taiwanese was longer than Americans. These differences may be, at least partly, due to the racial influence and this information may possess potential valuable clinical relevance.

Evaluation of different 16S rRNA gene hypervariable regions and reference databases for profiling engineered microbiota structure and functional guilds in a swine wastewater treatment plant.

High-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing technology is widely applied for environmental microbiota structure analysis to derive knowledge that informs microbiome-based surveillance and oriented bioengineering. However, it remains elusive how the selection of 16S rRNA gene hypervariable regions and reference databases affects microbiota diversity and structure profiling. This study systematically evaluated the fitness of different frequently used reference databases (i.e. SILVA 138 SSU, GTDB bact120_r207, Greengenes 13_5 and MiDAS 4.8) and primers of 16S rRNA gene in microbiota profiling of anaerobic digestion and activated sludge collected from a full-scale swine wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The comparative results showed that MiDAS 4.8 achieved the highest levels of taxonomic diversity and species-level assignment rate. For whichever sample groups, microbiota richness captured by different primers decreased in the following order: V4 > V4-V5 > V3-V4 > V6-V8/V1-V3. Using primer-bias-free metagenomic data results as the judging standard, V4 region also best characterized microbiota structure and well represented typical functional guilds (e.g. methanogens, ammonium oxidizers and denitrifiers), while V6-V8 regions largely overestimated the archaeal methanogens (mainly Methanosarcina) by over 30 times. Therefore, MiDAS 4.8 database and V4 region are recommended for best simultaneous analysis of bacterial and archaeal community diversity and structure of the examined swine WWTP.

Homoharringtonine-Based Induction Regimen Improved the Remission Rate and Survival Rate in Chinese Childhood AML: A Report From the CCLG-AML 2015 Protocol Study.

PURPOSE: Homoharringtonine (HHT) is commonly used for the treatment of Chinese adult AML, and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) has been verified in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). However, the efficacy and safety of HHT-based induction therapy have not been confirmed for childhood AML, and ATRA-based treatment has not been evaluated among patients with non-APL AML. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This open-label, multicenter, randomized Chinese Children's Leukemia Group-AML 2015 study was performed across 35 centers in China. Patients with newly diagnosed childhood AML were first randomly assigned to receive an HHT-based (H arm) or etoposide-based (E arm) induction regimen and then randomly allocated to receive cytarabine-based (AC arm) or ATRA-based (AT arm) maintenance therapy. The primary end points were the complete remission (CR) rate after induction therapy, and the secondary end points were the overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) at 3 years. RESULTS: We enrolled 1,258 patients, of whom 1,253 were included in the intent-to-treat analysis. The overall CR rate was significantly higher in the H arm than in the E arm (79.9% v 73.9%, P = .014). According to the intention-to-treat analysis, the 3-year OS was 69.2% (95% CI, 65.1 to 72.9) in the H arm and 62.8% (95% CI, 58.7 to 66.6) in the E arm (P = .025); the 3-year EFS was 61.1% (95% CI, 56.8 to 65.0) in the H arm and 53.4% (95% CI, 49.2 to 57.3) in the E arm (P = .022). Among the per-protocol population, who received maintenance therapy, the 3-year EFS did not differ significantly across the four arms (H + AT arm: 70.7%, 95% CI, 61.1 to 78.3; H + AC arm: 74.8%, 95% CI, 67.0 to 81.0, P = .933; E + AC arm: 72.9%, 95% CI, 65.1 to 79.2, P = .789; E + AT arm: 66.2%, 95% CI, 56.8 to 74.0, P = .336). CONCLUSION: HHT is an alternative combination regimen for childhood AML. The effects of ATRA-based maintenance are comparable with those of cytarabine-based maintenance therapy.

[The hypolipidemic and liver protective effect of (Z)-N-(2-hydroxyethyl) docos-13-enamide on hyperlipidemic golden hamsters].

This study is to observe preventive effect of (Z)-N-(2-hydroxyethyl) docos-13-enamide on hyperlipidemia and fatty liver of golden hamsters. Hyperlipidemic golden hamsters fed with high-fat diet was administered orally with (Z)-N-(2-hydroxyethyl) docos-13-enamide (10, 20 and 40 mg x kg(-1)) for 5 weeks. Levels of serum and hepatic lipid content, liver histology, hepatic MDA and SOD levels, serum ALT and AST levels were evaluated in golden hamsters. (Z)-N-(2-Hydroxyethyl) docos-13-enamide has a hypolipidemic effect, and could reduce hepatic lipid content, serum ALT and AST levels, hepatic MDA level, increase hepatic SOD activity. (Z)-N-(2-Hydroxyethyl) docos-13-enamide plays an important role in reducing serum lipid, restraining hepatic fatty deposition and protecting liver to get rid of peroxidation injury of hyperlipidemic golden hamsters. The exact lipid-lowering mechanism of (Z)-N-(2-hydroxyethyl) docos-13-enamide needs further investigation.

Prevalence and Significance of Antinuclear Antibodies in Biopsy-Proven Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Aim: Associations between antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) and disease severity in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remain unclear. This study aimed to provide reliable estimates of ANA prevalence in subjects with biopsy-proven NAFLD and to investigate whether its associations with liver disease severity were established. Methods: Observational studies measuring ANA in NAFLD patients were derived from the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases from inception to March 30, 2022. The effect size was presented as the pooled risk difference, unstandardized mean differences (MDs), and odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Thirteen articles involving 2331 patients were finally included. Among the subjects with biopsy-proven NAFLD, the overall prevalence of ANA positivity was high as 23% (95% CI: 19%-28%), but there were no statistically significant differences between ANA-positive and ANA-negative NAFLD patients in the levels of liver enzymes and blood lipids, grades of hepatocellular ballooning, lobular and portal inflammation, or risks of moderate-severe steatosis and significant fibrosis. However, the subgroup analysis showed that different geographic regions led to diverse results. ANA positivity was associated with a significantly elevated risk of significant fibrosis in the Eastern population (OR = 2.30, 95% CI: 1.30-4.06) but not in the Western population (OR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.54-1.83). Conclusions: Serum ANA was present in approximately one-quarter of subjects with biopsy-proven NAFLD, but it conferred a greater risk of significant fibrosis only in Eastern but not Western populations.

Human dental pulp stem cells derived from different cryopreservation methods of human dental pulp tissues of diseased teeth.

BACKGROUND: Successful isolation of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) has been documented at least 120h after tooth extraction. Viable hDPSCs have been isolated chiefly from cryopreserved healthy molar teeth and their undigested dental pulp tissue. Isolation of hDPSCs from diseased but vital teeth after cryopreservation has not been reported. This study aimed to isolate hDPSCs from cryopreserved diseased but vital teeth of various tooth types. MATERIALS: Fifty tooth samples were divided into group A (n = 20) - freshly derived dental pulp tissues, group B (n = 20) - liquid nitrogen (liq N(2) )-stored dental pulp tissues and group C (n = 10) - liq N(2) -stored intact teeth. METHODS AND RESULTS: The success rate for hDPSCs isolation was 100% for groups A and B and only 20% for group C. hDPSCs from all groups demonstrated self-renewal properties and similar multipotent potential characteristics of adipogenic, chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation. In addition, hDPSCs showed high expression of bone-marrow mesenchymal stem-cell markers (CD29, CD90 and CD105) and very low expression of specific hematopoietic cells markers (CD14, CD34 and CD45). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that hDPSCs isolated from diseased but vital teeth of various tooth types can be stored in liq N(2) for future usage.

Adaptation and evolution of freshwater Anammox communities treating saline/brackish wastewater.

The most common way to apply Anammox for saline wastewater treatment is via salt adaptation of freshwater Anammox bacteria (FAB). To better apply this process in practice, it's essential to understand the salt adaptation process of FBA, as well as the underlying mechanisms. This study investigated the long-term salt adaptation process of a fixed-film FAB culture in three reactors (namely R1-R3), under salinities of 2, 8, and 12 NaCl g/L, correspondingly. All three reactors were under stable operation and achieved 80-90% total inorganic nitrogen removal efficiency throughout the 425-day operation period. R1 servers as a blank control, based on the clear microbial community shifts in R2 and R3, the operation period was divided into 2 phases. During Phase 1, all FAB in the three reactors belonged to Ca. Brocadia sp.. The Anammox activity (AA) and the ratio of nitrite/ammonium (NO2--N/NH4+-N) consumption in R2 and R3 decreased with the increase of salinity and did not recover to the initial levels. During Phase 2, the relative abundance of Ca. Kuenenia sp. in R2 and R3 increased from nearly 0 to about 60 and 77%, respectively. With the growth of Ca. Kuenenia sp., the AA and stoichiometry of R2 and R3 gradually recovered. AA of R2 and R3 both reached 1.0 g NH4+-N/L/day at the end of this phase, which was about 80% of that in R1. These results indicated that the salt adaptation of FAB culture was achieved by species shift from a low salt-tolerance one to a high salt-tolerance one.

Small nucleolar RNA is potential as a novel player in leukemogenesis and clinical application.

Lack of clarity of the mechanisms that underlie leukemogenesis obstructs the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of leukemia. Research has found that small nuclear RNA (snoRNA) plays an essential role in leukemia. These small non-coding RNAs are involved in ribosome biogenesis, including the 2'-O-methylation and pseudouridylation of precursor ribosomal RNA (pre-rRNA), and pre-rRNA splicing. Recently, many snoRNAs were found to be orphans that have no predictable RNA modification targets, but these RNAs have always been found to be located in different subcellular organelles, and they play diverse roles. Using high-throughput technology, snoRNA expression profiles have been revealed in leukemia, and some of the deregulated snoRNAs may regulate the cell cycle, differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis in leukemic cells and confer drug resistance during leukemia treatment. In this review, we discuss the expression profiles and functions of snoRNAs, particularly orphan snoRNAs, in leukemia. It is possible that the dysregulated snoRNAs are promising diagnosis and prognosis markers for leukemia, which may serve as potential therapeutic targets in leukemia treatment.

Salinity effect on freshwater Anammox bacteria: Ionic stress and ion composition.

The biggest challenge to apply Anammox to treat wastewater with elevated salt content is the inhibitory effect of salinity on freshwater Anammox bacteria (FAB). Most of the research into salinity inhibition has focused on the osmotic pressure effect, while the inhibitory effect and its mechanisms induced by ion composition are poorly understood. In this study, the individual and combined effect of NaCl, KCl and Na2SO4 on FAB (>99% belonging to Ca. Brocadia genera) were systematically investigated by batch tests. The corresponding responses of mRNA abundance of three functional genes (including nitrite reductase gene (nirS), hydrazine synthase gene (hzsB) and hydrazine dehydrogenase gene (hdh)) under different salt conditions were analyzed. The results indicated that NaCl, KCl and Na2SO4 have different inhibition effects, with the 50% inhibition at 0.106, 0.096 and 0.063 M, respectively. The combined inhibition of NaCl+KCl and NaCl+Na2SO4 on FAB were both synergistic; while the combined inhibition of NaCl+KCl+Na2SO4 was additive. The responses of mRNA (of genes: nirS, hzsB and hdh) suggested NaCl inhibited the transport of ammonium; Na2SO4 inhibited both nitrite and ammonium transport; high salinity inhibited functional enzyme activity. These results suggest both ionic stress and ion composition contributed to the observed inhibition.