Childhood maltreatment influences suicidal behavior: Rumination mediates and regulatory emotional self-efficacy moderates.

To investigate the mediating role of rumination in the association between childhood maltreatment and suicidal behavior, and the moderating role of regulatory emotional self-efficacy, university students (N = 1,458) from 5 universities in China completed questionnaires in classrooms. Path analyses showed emotional maltreatment had the greatest positive association with suicidal behavior and rumination compared with other types of childhood maltreatment. Rumination partly mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and suicidal behavior. High regulatory emotional self-efficacy moderated the relation between ruminating childhood maltreatment and suicidal behavior.

[Investigation of Virulence Variation of Enterovirus 71 Strains during Thermal Adaptive Evolution].

Objective: To study the virulence variation of enterovirus 71 (EV71) during thermal adaptive evolution, providing references for the prevention and control of the EV71-related hand, foot and mouth disease. Methods: Parental strains and thermal-adapted strains originating from EV71 sibling strains (lineage #100 and #101) were used for plaque assay validation, CCK-8 cytotoxicity experiment, and host proteomics studies after Vero cell infection. Plaque morphology and cell inhibition rate of the viral strains were obtained. Mass spectrometry was used to examine and analyze the functions of proteins that were differential expressed in the host cells. Results: Plaque morphology variation was found only in the heat-adapted strain of lineage #101. Increase in cell inhibition rate was observed in all the thermal-adapted strains, but the amount of increase varied in different strains. According to the results of clustering analysis and principal component analysis, after infection of Vero cells, the host cell protein profile of the heat-adapted strains was similar to that of the parental strains and the host cell protein profile of cold-adapted strains was similar to that of cell-adapted strains. It showed that 500 kinds of proteins presented inter-group difference in their expression, with 239 kinds being up-regulated proteins and 261 being down-regulated. The function of the up-regulated proteins were related to post-translational protein modification, while the functions of the down-regulated proteins were related to SRP-dependent cotranslational protein translocation/targeting to membrane and retrograde protein transport. Conclusion: Virulence variations of enterovirus 71 may accompany thermal adaptive evolution, but its mechanism of action still awaits further investigation.

A Novel Signaling Pathway Required for Arabidopsis Endodermal Root Organization Shapes the Rhizosphere Microbiome.

The Casparian strip (CS) constitutes a physical diffusion barrier to water and nutrients in plant roots, which is formed by the polar deposition of lignin polymer in the endodermis tissue. The precise pattern of lignin deposition is determined by the scaffolding activity of membrane-bound Casparian Strip domain proteins (CASPs), but little is known of the mechanism(s) directing this process. Here, we demonstrate that Endodermis-specific Receptor-like Kinase 1 (ERK1) and, to a lesser extent, ROP Binding Kinase1 (RBK1) are also involved in regulating CS formation, with the former playing an essential role in lignin deposition as well as in the localization of CASP1. We show that ERK1 is localized to the cytoplasm and nucleus of the endodermis and that together with the circadian clock regulator, Time for Coffee (TIC), forms part of a novel signaling pathway necessary for correct CS organization and suberization of the endodermis, with their single or combined loss of function resulting in altered root microbiome composition. In addition, we found that other mutants displaying defects in suberin deposition at the CS also display altered root exudates and microbiome composition. Thus, our work reveals a complex network of signaling factors operating within the root endodermis that establish both the CS diffusion barrier and influence the microbial composition of the rhizosphere.

The mitogenome of Ophidascaris wangi isolated from snakes in China.

Different species of the genus Ophidascaris (Baylis, 1921; Nematoda: Ascaridida, Ascaridoidea) are intestinal parasites of various snake species. More than 30 Ophidascaris species have been reported worldwide; however, few molecular genetic studies have been conducted on this genus. We sequenced the complete mitogenome of Ophidascaris wangi parasitizing two snake species of the family Colubridae, i.e., Elaphe carinata (Günther, 1864) and Dinodon rufozonatum. The mitogenome sequence of O. wangi was approximately 14,660 base pairs (bp) long and encoded 36 genes, including 12 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and 22 transfer RNA genes. Gene arrangement, genome content, and transcription direction were in line with those in Toxascaris leonina (Linstow, 1902; Ascaridida: Ascarididae). Phylogenetics of O. wangi and other ascaridoids were reconstructed based on the concatenated amino acid sequences of 12 PCGs, and on nucleotide sequences of 12 PCGs and two rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods, and the results suggested that O. wangi constitutes a sister clade of Ascaris, Parascaris, Baylisascaris, and Toxascaris within the family Ascarididae, which is a sister clade of Toxocaridae. The mitogenome sequence of O. wangi obtained from the present study will be useful for future identification of the nematode worms in the genus Ophidascaris and will increase the understanding of population genetics, molecular epidemiology, and phylogenetics of ascaridoid nematodes in snakes.

Colchicine for Coronary Heart Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of colchicine administration for coronary heart disease remains controversial. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the influence of colchicine administration versus placebo on treatment efficacy for coronary heart disease. METHODS: We have searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, EBSCO, and Cochrane Library databases through May 2021 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of colchicine administration versus placebo in patients with coronary heart disease. This meta-analysis was performed using the random-effects model. RESULTS: Six RCTs involving 6,321 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, compared with control groups for coronary heart disease, colchicine intervention can significantly reduce major adverse cardiovascular events (odds ratio [OR] 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59 to 0.92; P = .006), but revealed no obvious impact on mortality (OR=0.93; 95% CI=0.63 to 1.36; P = .69), serious adverse events (OR 0.71; 95% CI 0.31 to 1.61; P = .41), or restenosis (OR 1.02; 95% CI 0.63 to 1.64; P = .95). CONCLUSIONS: Colchicine treatment may be effective to reduce major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with coronary heart disease.

LncRNA STARD13-AS Expression in Gastric Cancer and its Significance.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study is to investigate lncRNA STARD13-AS's expression and clinical characteristics in the cancer tissues of gastric cancer (GC) patients. METHODS: Microarray assessment will be used to analyze GC and non-tumor tissues. The lncRNA STARD13-AS expression in 82 GC and non-tumor tissues were measured by RT-qPCR and ISH assay. The differential expression of lncRNA STARD13-AS between the two groups and the relationship with clinical characteristics and prognosis were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: By microarray assessment, lncRNA STARD13-AS was significantly down-regulated in tumor tissues. Compared with non-tumor tissues, using both RT-qPCR and ISH assay, STARD13-AS expression was significantly depressed in GC tissues (p < 0.01, respectively) and was closely correlated with tumor stage and histological grade (p < 0.05, respectively), but was not correlated with gender, age, tumor size, tumor location or lymph node metastasis. The 5-year overall survival and progression free survival rates of the low lncRNA STARD13-AS expression group were significantly down-regulated compared with those of the high lncRNA STARD13-AS expression group (p < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The expression of lncRNA STARD-AS is depressed in gastric cancer tissues; the expression of lnc-RNA STARD-AS is correlated to tumor stage and degree of tumor differentiation, and may be a new molecular marker for the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis in GC.

Pain management after ambulatory surgery: a prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blinded parallel controlled trial comparing nalbuphine and tramadol.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pain in ambulatory surgery is a multifactorial issue affecting patient satisfaction, time of discharge, and rehospitalization. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of nalbuphine for the treatment of postoperative pain after ambulatory surgery, relative to tramadol. METHODS: This multi-center, randomized, double blind, and controlled study was conducted at 10 centers. In accordance with the inclusion criteria, 492 ambulatory surgery patients were recruited. These patients had moderate to severe pain after ambulatory surgery, with a visual analogue scale (VAS) score > 3 cm. They were randomly divided into an experimental (n = 248) or control (n = 244) group and treated for analgesia with 0.2 mg/kg of nalbuphine or 2 mg/kg of tramadol, respectively. VAS scores, adverse events, and vital signs of the patients were recorded before administration (baseline; T1); and 30 min (T2), 2 h (T3), 4 h (T4), and 6 h (T5) after administration of analgesia. A decrease in pain intensity of more than 25% compared with the baseline was used as an indicator of analgesic efficacy. The experimental and control groups were compared with regard to this indicator of efficacy at each timepoint. RESULTS: The VAS scores of the experimental and control groups were statistically comparable at timepoints T1-T4. At T5, the VAS scores of the experimental group were significantly lower than that of the control. The pain intensity was significantly higher in the experimental group compared with the control at T2 and T3. Adverse events and vital signs were similar for the two groups at each timepoint. CONCLUSIONS: Nalbuphine can provide effective and safe pain relief in patients after ambulatory surgery. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The registration number is ChiCTR-IOR-16010032 , the date of registration was 2016-11-28.

Sargassum fusiforme Polysaccharides Prevent High-Fat Diet-Induced Early Fasting Hypoglycemia and Regulate the Gut Microbiota Composition.

A low fasting blood glucose level is a common symptom in diabetes patients and can be induced by high-fat diet (HFD) feeding at an early stage, which may play important roles in the development of diabetes, but has received little attention. In this study, five polysaccharides were prepared from Sargassumfusiforme and their effects on HFD-induced fasting hypoglycemia and gut microbiota dysbiosis were investigated. The results indicated that C57BL/6J male mice fed an HFD for 4 weeks developed severe hypoglycemia and four Sargassumfusiforme polysaccharides (SFPs), consisting of Sf-2, Sf-3, Sf-3-1, and Sf-A, significantly prevented early fasting hypoglycemia without inducing hyperglycemia. Sf-1 and Sf-A could also significantly prevent HFD-induced weight gain. Sf-2, Sf-3, Sf-3-1, and Sf-A mainly attenuated the HFD-induced decrease in Bacteroidetes, and all five SFPs had a considerable influence on the relative abundance of Oscillospira, Mucispirillum, and Clostridiales. Correlation analysis revealed that the fasting blood glucose level was associated with the relative abundance of Mucispinllum and Oscillospira. Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated that Mucispinllum and Oscillospira exhibited good discriminatory power (AUC = 0.745-0.833) in the prediction of fasting hypoglycemia. Our findings highlight the novel application of SFPs (especially Sf-A) in glucose homeostasis and the potential roles of Mucispinllum and Oscillospira in the biological activity of SFPs.

Terahertz wave near-field compressive imaging with a spatial resolution of over λ/100.

We demonstrate terahertz (THz) wave near-field imaging with a spatial resolution of ∼4.5 µm using single-pixel compressive sensing enabled by femtosecond-laser (fs-laser) driven vanadium dioxide (VO2)-based spatial light modulator. By fs-laser patterning a 180 nm thick VO2 nanofilm with a digital micromirror device, we spatially encode the near-field THz evanescent waves. With single-pixel Hadamard detection of the evanescent waves, we reconstructed the THz wave near-field image of an object from a serial of encoded sequential measurements, yielding improved signal-to-noise ratio by one order of magnitude over a raster-scanning technique. Further, we demonstrate that the acquisition time was compressed by a factor of over four with 90% fidelity using a total variation minimization algorithm. The proposed THz wave near-field imaging technique inspires new and challenging applications such as cellular imaging.

Phyllobacterium phragmitis sp. nov., an endophytic bacterium isolated from Phragmites australis rhizome in Kumtag Desert.

A Gram-negative rod, designated strain 1N-3T, was isolated from a rhizome of Phragmites australis grown in Kumtag Desert, China. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the strain is closely related to Phyllobacterium salinisoli LMG 30173T with 99.0% sequence similarity in the 16S rRNA gene and 92.9% in the atpD gene. Growth was observed at salinities of 0-4% (w/v), over a pH range of 5.0-10.0 (optimum 8.0) and at temperatures of 15-40 °C (optimum 30 °C). The predominant cellular fatty acids were identified as summed feature 8 (C18:1ω7c/C18:1ω6c). The G+C content of strain 1N-3T was determined to be 60.1%. Based on phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, phylogenetic properties and genomic comparison, it is concluded that strain 1N-3T represents a novel species of the genus Phyllobacterium, for which the name Phyllobacterium phragmitis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 1N-3T (=KCTC 62183T =ACCC 60071T).

Mesorhizobium ephedrae sp. nov. isolated from the roots of Ephedra przewalskii in Kumtag desert.

Strain 6GN-30T, a Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped, motile bacterium was isolated from Ephedra sinica roots in the Kumtag Desert. On the basis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence, the isolate represented a member of the genus Mesorhizobium of the family Phyllobacteriaceae. The results of a phylogenetic analysis indicated that 6GN-30T was phylogenetically related to Mesorhizobium soliNHI-8T. Strain 6GN-30T grew at a salinity of 0-1.0 % (w/v) NaCl (with optimum growth in the absence of NaCl), pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum 7.0-8.0) and 15-45 °C. The major cellular fatty acids were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c/C18 : 1ω6c), C19 : 0cyclo ω8c, iso-C17 : 0, C18 : 0, and C16 : 0. The draft genome of 6GN-30T was 6.11 Mb long, with a DNA G+C content of 66.4 mol%. The average nucleotide identity to M. soliNHI-8T was 84.32 %. The strain contained diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine,aminophospholipids and phospholipids. The chemotaxonomic, phylogenetic and phenotypic data indicate that 6GN-30T represents a novel species of the genus Mesorhizobiumfor which the name Mesorhizobiumephedrae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 6GN-30T (=ACCC 60073T=KCTC 62410T).

Zobellella endophytica sp. nov., isolated from the roots of Phragmites communis in the Kumtag Desert.

A Gram-negative, aerobic, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped, motile bacterium, named strain 59N8T, was isolated from Phragmites communis roots in the Kumtag Desert. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that the isolate belongs to the genus Zobellella within the family Aeromonadaceae. The analysis showed that strain 59N8T was most closely related to Zobellella taiwanensis ZT1T. The average nucleotide identity value with Zobellella taiwanensis ZT1T was 88.2 %, and the digital DNA-DNA hybridization value was 29.7±2.4 %, which was calculated using the Genome-to-Genome Distance Calculator. The G+C content of strain 59N8T was 62.8 mol%. Strain 59N8T grew at 0-5 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0-4 %), pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum, 7.0-8.0) and at 10-45 °C. The major cellular fatty acids were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c/C18 : 1ω6c), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c/C16 : 1ω6c) and C16 : 0. The major polar lipids in strain 59N8T were phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol. Based on the chemotaxonomic, phylogenetic and phenotypic data, strain 59N8T represents a novel species in the genus Zobellella, for which the name Zobellellaendophytica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 59N8T (=ACCC 60074T=KCTC 62456T).

Sphingobacterium haloxyli sp. nov., an endophytic bacterium isolated from Haloxylon ammodendron stems in Kumtag desert.

A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, aerobic, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped, bacterial strain, designated 5JN-11T, was isolated from Haloxylonammodendron stems in Kumtag desert, Xinjiang province, China. Strain 5JN-11T grew at salinities of 0-6 % (w/v; optimum 0-2 %), a pH of 7.0-9.0 (pH 7.0-8.0) and temperatures of 20-42 °C (28-30 °C). Based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, the strain was designated a member of the genus Sphingobacterium and the phylogenetic analysis showed that strain 5JN-11T shared the highest similarity to Sphingobacterium gobiense H7T, followed by Sphingobacterium chuzhouense DH-5T and Sphingobacterium arenae H-12T. The unfinished draft genome of strain 5JN-11T was 4.69 Mb. The G+C content of strain 5JN-11T was 42.8 mol%. The average nucleotide identity to S. gobiense H7T was 90.5 %. The respiratory quinone was MK-7, and the major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphoglycolipid. The predominant cellular fatty acids were summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), iso-C15 : 0 and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH. On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic evidence, strain 5JN-11T represents a novel species in the genus Sphingobacterium, for which the name Sphingobacteriumhaloxyli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 5JN-11T (=ACCC 60072T=KCTC 62457T).

Use of propofol for prevention of post-delivery nausea during cesarean section: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

PURPOSE: Nausea and vomiting are common, undesirable symptoms during cesarean section. We conducted this study to assess the antiemetic properties of propofol for the prevention and immediate treatment of post-delivery nausea and vomiting during cesarean section under combined spinal-epidural anesthesia. METHODS: Eighty women undergoing elective cesarean delivery under combined spinal-epidural anesthesia were randomized to receive either propofol at a plasma concentration of 1000 ng/mL or normal saline immediately after clamping of the umbilical cord. The incidence of post-delivery nausea and vomiting, patients requiring rescue antiemetic, bispectral index, sedation score, and the incidence of hypotension were assessed intraoperatively. Satisfaction and neonatal behavioral neurological assessments were evaluated postoperatively. RESULTS: The incidence of nausea was significantly lower in the propofol group compared to the placebo group (25% versus 60%, P < 0.001). The incidence of retching and vomiting showed no significant difference between the two groups. Propofol 20 mg as a rescue antiemetic was significantly effective in both the groups. Satisfaction level of patients and obstetricians in the propofol group was higher than in the placebo group. There was no statistical difference in the incidence of hypotension between the two groups both pre- and post-delivery. There was no difference in postoperative neonatal behavioral neurological assessment between groups. CONCLUSION: Propofol at a plasma concentration of 1000 ng/mL significantly reduced the incidence of post-delivery nausea compared to placebo, but had no effect on reducing retching or vomiting episodes during cesarean section.

Effect of Molybdenum Additives on Corrosion Behavior of (CoCrFeNi)100-xMox High-Entropy Alloys.

The present work investigates the influence of micro-alloyed Mo on the corrosion behavior of (CoCrFeNi)100-xMox high-entropy alloys. All of the (CoCrFeNi)100-xMox alloys exhibit a single face-centered cubic (FCC) solid solution. However, the (CoCrFeNi)97Mo3 alloy exhibits an ordered sigma (σ) phase enriched in Cr and Mo. With the increase of x (the Mo content) from 1 to 3, the hardness of the (CoCrFeNi)100-xMox alloys increases from 124.8 to 133.6 Vickers hardness (HV), and the compressive yield strength increases from 113.6 MPa to 141.1 MPa, without fracture under about a 60% compressive strain. The potentiodynamic polarization curve in a 3.5% NaCl solution indicates that the addition of Mo has a beneficial effect on the corrosion resistance to some certain extent, opposed to the σ phase. Furthermore, the alloys tend to form a passivation film in the 0.5 M H2SO4 solution in order to inhibit the progress of the corrosion reaction as the Mo content increases.

Various Sequence Types of Escherichia coli Isolates Coharboring blaNDM-5 and mcr-1 Genes from a Commercial Swine Farm in China.

Sixteen different sequence types (STs) of Escherichia coli isolates from a commercial swine farm in China were confirmed to coharbor the carbapenem resistance gene blaNDM-5 and the colistin resistance gene mcr-1 Whole-genome sequencing revealed that blaNDM-5 and mcr-1 were located on a 46-kb IncX3 plasmid and a 32-kb IncX4 plasmid, respectively. The two plasmids can transfer together with a low fitness cost, which might explain the presence of various STs of E. coli coharboring blaNDM-5 and mcr-1.

Clinical significance of preoperative C-reactive protein and squamous cell carcinoma antigen levels in patients with penile squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relevance of C-reactive protein (CRP) and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) levels in relation to clinicopathological factors and prognosis in penile cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 124 Chinese patients with penile squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), treated between November 2007 and October 2014, were analysed retrospectively. Receiver-operating characteristic curves were used to identify the combination of markers with the best sensitivity and specificity for prognosis prediction. Statistical data analysis was performed using a non-parametric method, and survival analysis was performed using the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: Levels of CRP ≥4.5 mg/L and SCC-Ag ≥1.4 ng/mL were both significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (LNM) laterality (chi-squared trend test, P = 0.041), extranodal extension (chi-squared trend test, P < 0.001), pelvic LNM (chi-squared trend test, P = 0.024), pathological tumour status (chi-squared trend test, P = 0.002), pathological nodal status (chi-squared trend test, P < 0.001), and disease-specific survival (DSS; log-rank test, P < 0.001). Moreover, the influence of CRP and SCC-Ag levels on DSS (P = 0.033, hazard ratio 3.390, 95% confidence interval 1.104-10.411) remained after adjusting for smoking history, phimosis, tumour status, tumour cell differentiation and nodal status. CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows that the combined measurement of preoperative CRP and SCC-Ag levels may serve as an independent biomarker for LNM, advanced tumour stage and DSS in patients with penile SCC.

Electroconvulsive Therapy Under General Anesthesia With Cisatracurium, Laryngeal Mask Airways, and Bispectral Index.

OBJECTIVES: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has dramatically reduced musculoskeletal complications when carried out with muscle relaxants under general anesthesia. However, seizure quality can be affected by the depth of anesthesia and choice of anesthetic agent. The purpose of this study was to describe a general anesthetic technique for ECT by using laryngeal mask, bispectral index (BIS), and muscle relaxant monitoring. METHODS: Twenty-one patients, between ages 18 and 70 years (American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I-III), who underwent a total of 89 sessions of ECT were examined in a retrospective study. Anesthesia was induced by use of propofol (1.0 mg/kg) followed by cisatracurium (0.2 mg/kg). The BIS, train-of-four, and end-tidal carbon dioxide were all monitored continuously. A laryngeal mask airway was used to maintain and protect the airway during the procedure. Electroconvulsive therapy stimuli were applied bilaterally when the train-of-four was assessed as being zero and BIS scores were 70. All patients then received 5 µg sufentanil and 2 mg midazolam, while titrated to maintain the BIS value at 40 to 50, before the muscle relaxation exhibited complete recovery. RESULTS: The mean duration of treatment process takes approximately 82.5 minutes. Mean (SD) seizure length was 58.8 (28.3) seconds, with 4.5% incidence of restimulation per treatment. Incidence of awareness was 0%. No patients exhibited delirium, nausea, vomiting, or myalgia in the postseizure phase. CONCLUSIONS: Bispectral index monitoring of the depth of anesthesia may have improved seizure quality, and awareness did not occur.

The ecological filter system for treatment of decentralized wastewater.

A vertical flow constructed wetland was combined with a biological aerated filter to develop an ecological filter, and to obtain the optimal operating parameters: The hydraulic loading was 1.55 m3/(m2·d), carbon-nitrogen ratio was 10, and gas-water ratio was 6. The experimental results demonstrated considerable removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) in wastewater by the ecological filter, with average removal rates of 83.79%, 93.10%, 52.90%, and 79.07%, respectively. Concentration of NH4+-N after treatment met the level-A discharge standard of GB18918-2002. Compared with non-plant filter, the ecological filter improved average removal efficiency of COD, NH4+-N, TN, and TP by 13.03%, 25.30%, 14.80%, and 2.32%, respectively: thus, plants significantly contribute to the removal of organic pollutants and nitrogen. Through microporous aeration and O2 secretion of plants, the ecological filter formed an aerobic-anaerobic-aerobic alternating environment; thus aerobic and anaerobic microbes were active and effectively removed organic pollutants. Meanwhile, nitrogen and phosphorus were directly assimilated by plants and as nutrients of microorganisms. Meanwhile, pollutants were removed through nitrification, denitrification, filtration, adsorption, and interception by the filler. High removal rates of pollutants on the ecological filter proved that it is an effective wastewater-treatment technology for decentralized wastewater of mountainous towns.

Value of CT angiography in reducing the risk of hemorrhage associated with mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical value of computed tomography angiography (CTA) in reducing the risk of hemorrhage associated with mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 158 patients with renal or ureter stones who had undergone mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy were retrospectively enrolled into this study from May of 2011 to April of 2014. Group 1 (65 patients) underwent computed tomography angiography, and Group 2 (93 patients) underwent non-contrast CT. The clinical characteristics of the patients and hemorrhagic complications were recorded. The hematologic complications (transfusion rate, and preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin values) were assessed. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in age, body mass index(BMI), stone diameter, operative time, stone-free rate, and hospital stay between the 2 groups. In group 2, 1 patient (1.1%) developed a renal arteriovenous fistula and was treated with embolus therapy. In addition, Group 2 showed significantly drop in hemoglobin (3.6 g/dL vs. 2.4 g/dL, respectively; P < 0.001) and more transfusions (9.7% vs. 1.5%, respectively; P < 0.05) compared with Group 1. CONCLUSION: The study showed that patients who underwent computed tomography angiography prior to percutaneous nephrolithotomy had lower drop of hemoglobin and needed less transfusions. These findings may suggest that the use of computed tomography angiography may reduce the risk of bleeding during percutaneous nephrolithotomy.