Nonlinear impacts of climate anomalies on oil palm productivity.

Oil palm contributes to various global needs as one of the most productive oil crops, but there exist ongoing concerns regarding its yield reductions and associated environmental impacts resulting from land conversion. This is the first detailed report investigating the nonlinear threats to estate-level oil palm yields posed by El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, a major driver of climate variability. Using the Malaysian Palm Oil Board administrative records on monthly performances reported by oil palm estates through the e-submissions portal spanning from January 2015 to June 2023, we focused on elucidating the impacts of ENSO on fresh fruit bunch yield, oil extraction rate, and oil yield. We found that both El Niño and La Niña conditions, characterized by extreme levels of ENSO indices cumulated over lags of 0-23 months prior to harvest, were associated with statistically significant reductions in yields. Lag association patterns unveiled that production risks were linked to pre-harvest exposure to extreme ENSO indices in various time windows. Subgroup analyses further revealed that the effects were pronounced in labor-intensive estates and those lacking fertilizer investments. This study underscores the necessity for adaptation strategies in response to future climate anomalies.

Association between short-term air pollution exposure and perturbation in thyrotropin levels in 1.38 million Chinese women: A national longitudinal analysis, 2014-2019.

Prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism substantially increased during the last decade in China, which has been commonly/clinically diagnosed as elevation in thyrotropin (thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH]). Tobacco smoke containing toxic substances has been linked to thyroid dysfunction; however, data on perturbation of TSH following air pollution exposure in human has not been assessed at nationwide population level. We investigated the longitudinal impact of daily ambient air pollution estimated at residential level on serum TSH in 1.38 million women from China's 29 mainland provinces between 2014 and 2019. We observed that particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 and ≤ 2.5 µm (PM10, PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at cumulative lag 0-7 days of exposure were associated with percent elevations in TSH (0.88% [95% CI: 0.71, 1.05] per [interquartile range, IQR: 54.8 µg/m3] of PM10; 0.89% [95% CI, 0.71, 1.07] per IQR [40.3 µg/m3] of PM2.5; 2.01% [95% CI: 1.81, 2.22] per IQR [27.4 µg/m3] of NO2). Greater associations were observed in participants living in areas with ≥adequate iodine intake and those with low BMI levels and high inflammation status. Our results suggest that increased concentrations of recent ambient air pollutants at exposure ranges commonly encountered in Asia were associated with increases in TSH, supporting disturbing role of short-term air pollution exposure on the regulation of thyroid hormone homeostasis.

Pro-inflammation and pro-atherosclerotic responses to short-term air pollution exposure associated with alterations in sphingolipid ceramides and neutrophil extracellular traps.

Air pollution has been associated with the development of atherosclerosis; however, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying pro-atherosclerotic effects of air pollution exposure remain unclear. We conducted a prospective panel study in Beijing and recruited 152 participants with four monthly visits from September 2019 to January 2020. Linear mixed-effect models were applied to estimate the associations linking short-term air pollution exposure to biomarkers relevant to ceramide metabolism, pro-inflammation (neutrophil extracellular traps formation and systemic inflammation) and pro-atherosclerotic responses (endothelial stimulation, plaque instability, coagulation activation, and elevated blood pressure). We further explored whether ceramides and inflammatory indicators could mediate the alterations in the profiles of pro-atherosclerotic responses. We found that significant increases in levels of circulating ceramides of 9.7% (95% CIs: 0.7, 19.5) to 96.9% (95% CIs: 23.1, 214.9) were associated with interquartile range increases in moving averages of ambient air pollutant metrics, including fine particulate matter (PM2.5), black carbon, particles in size fractions of 100-560 nm, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide at prior up to 7 days. Higher air pollution levels were also associated with activated neutrophils (increases in citrullinated histone H3, neutrophil elastase, double-stranded DNA, and myeloperoxidase) and exacerbation of pro-atherosclerotic responses (e.g., increases in vascular endothelial growth factor, lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2, matrix metalloproteinase-8, P-selectin, and blood pressure). Mediation analyses further showed that dysregulated ceramide metabolism and potentiated inflammation could mediate PM2.5-associated pro-atherosclerotic responses. Our findings extend the understanding on potential mechanisms of air pollution-associated atherosclerosis, and suggest the significance of reducing air pollution as priority in urban environments.

Stomatin-like protein 2 (SLP2) regulates the proliferation and invasion of trophoblast cells by modulating mitochondrial functions.

INTRODUCTION: Stomatin-like protein 2 (SLP2) is highly expressed in human first trimester trophoblast cells, but its functions in placental morpho-physiology remain unknown. This study aimed to determine the role of SLP2 in the proliferation and invasion of human first trimester trophoblast cells. METHODS: Immunofluorescence was used to determine the expression and localization of SLP2 in normal and miscarriage human first trimester placenta. Western blot was used to determine the expression of SLP2, PCNA, Cyclin D3, N-cadherin, Vimentin, PGC1α and PPARα in HTR-8/SVneo cells. SLP2 was knocked down in the HTR-8/SVneo cells by using si-Slp2. Wound healing and migration assays were used to determine the effect of SLP2 knockdown on the migration and invasion in the HTR-8/SVneo cells. Mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen species (ROS), ATP production and biogenesis were measured to assess the effects of SLP2 knockdown on mitochondrial functions. RESULT: SLP2 was strongly expressed in the cytotrophoblasts (CTB), syncytiotrophoblast (STB) and extravillous trophoblasts (EVT) of normal pregnancy placenta as compared to miscarriage placenta. SLP2 was highly expressed in the invasive EVT cell lines, HTR-8/SVneo and HPT-8 compared to the CTB cell line JAR. Knockdown of SLP2 significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells and placental villous explants, and repressed mitochondrial biogenesis and functions in HTR-8/SVneo cells. DISCUSSION: Silencing of SLP2 inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells via the impairment of mitochondrial functions. This indicates that the downregulation of SLP2 in miscarriage placenta could be part of the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of the disease.

Ambient air pollution is associated with cardiac repolarization abnormalities in healthy adults.

BACKGROUND: Ambient air pollution has been associated with acute cardiovascular events; however, the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. We aimed to examine the impacts of ambient air pollutants on cardiac ventricular repolarization in a highly polluted urban region. METHODS: Seventy-three healthy non-smoking young adults (66% female, mean age of 23.3 ±â€¯5.4 years) were followed with four repeated 24-h electrocardiogram recordings in 2014-2016 in Beijing, China. Continuous concentrations of ambient particulates in size fractions of 5-560 nm diameter, black carbon (BC), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone (O3) were measured at a fixed-location air pollution monitoring station. Generalized linear mixed models, with adjustment for individual risk factors, time-varying factors and meteorological parameters, were used to evaluate the effects of air pollution on 5-min segments of heart rate-corrected QT interval (QTc), an index of cardiac ventricular repolarization. RESULTS: During the study period, the mean levels of number concentrations of particulates in size range of 5-560 nm (PNC5-560) were 20,711 particles/cm3. Significant increases in QTc of 0.56% (95% CI: 0.27, 0.84) to 1.76% (95% CI: 0.73, 2.79) were associated with interquartile range increases in PNC50-560 at prior 1-5 moving average days. Significant increases in QTc were also associated with increases in exposures to traffic-related air pollutants (BC, NO2 and CO), a combustion pollutant SO2, and the secondary pollutant O3. The associations were stronger in participants who were male, overweight, with abdominal obesity, and with higher levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that exposures to higher levels of ambient particulates in small size fractions and traffic pollutants were associated with cardiac repolarization abnormalities in healthy adults, and the cardio-metabolic risks may modify the adverse cardiac effects attributable to air pollution.

PM2.5-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Beijing: Seasonal variations, sources, and risk assessment.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been of health concern due to its carcinogenesis and mutagenesis. In this study, we aimed to assess the variations, sources, and lifetime excessive cancer risk (ECR) attributable to PAHs bound to ambient particulate matters with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5µm (PM2.5) in metropolitan Beijing, China. We collected 24-hour integrated PM2.5 samples on daily basis between November 2014 and June 2015 across both central heating (cold months) and non-heating (warm months) seasons, and further analyzed the PAH components in these daily PM2.5 samples. Our results showed that total concentrations of PM2.5-bound PAHs varied between (88.6±75.4)ng/m3 in the cold months and (11.0±5.9)ng/m3 in the warm months. Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), the carcinogenic marker of PAHs, averaged at 5.7 and 0.4ng/m3 in the cold and warm months, respectively. Source apportionment analyses illustrated that gasoline, biomass burning, diesel, coal combustion and cooking were the major contributors, accounting for 12.9%, 17.8%, 24.7%, 24.3% and 6.4% of PM2.5-bound PAHs, respectively. The BaP equivalent lifetime ECR from inhalation of PM2.5-bound PAHs was 16.2 cases per million habitants. Our results suggested that ambient particulate reduction from energy reconstruction and adaption of clean fuels would result in reductions PM2.5-bound PAHs and its associated cancer risks. However, as only particulate phased PAHs was analyzed in the present study, the concentration of ambient PAHs could be underestimated.

Cardiovascular benefits of short-term indoor air filtration intervention in elderly living in Beijing: An extended analysis of BIAPSY study.

BACKGROUND: Adverse cardiovascular effects associated with air pollution exposure have been widely demonstrated. However, inconsistent cardiovascular responses were observed from reducing indoor air pollution exposure. We aimed to assess whether short-term air filtration intervention could benefit cardiovascular health in elderly living in high pollution area. METHODS: A randomized crossover intervention study of short-term indoor air filtration intervention on cardiovascular health was conducted among 35 non-smoking elderly participants living in Beijing in the winter of 2013, as part of Beijing Indoor Air Purifier StudY (BIAPSY). Portable air filtration units were randomly allocated to active filtration for 2 weeks and sham filtration for 2 weeks in the households. Twelve-hour daytime ambulatory heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure (ABP) were measured during active and sham filtration. Concurrently, real-time indoor and outdoor particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) and indoor black carbon (BC) concentrations were measured. We applied generalized additive mixed models to evaluate the associations of 1- to 10-h moving average (MA) exposures of indoor PM2.5 and BC with HRV and ABP indices, and to explore whether these associations could be modified by air filtration. RESULTS: We observed decreases of 34.8% in indoor PM2.5 and 35.3% in indoor BC concentrations during active filtration. Indoor PM2.5 and BC exposures were significantly associated with reduced HRV and increased ABP indices, and greater changes were observed during sham filtration. In specific, each 10 µg/m3 increase in indoor PM2.5 at MA8-h was associated with a significant reduction of 1.34% (95% CI: -2.42, -0.26) in SDNN during sham filtration, compared with a non-significant reduction of 0.81% (95% CI: -6.00, 4.68) during active filtration (Pinter< 0.001). Each 1 µg/m3 increase in indoor BC at MA8-h was associated with a significant increase of 2.41% (95% CI: 0.38, 4.47) in SBP during sham filtration, compared with a non-significant increase of -1.09% (95% CI: -4.06, 1.96) during active filtration (Pinter = 0.135). Nonlinear inverse exposure-response relationships of indoor air pollution exposures with predicted HRV and ABP indices also confirmed some cardiovascular benefits of short-term air filtration intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that short-term indoor air filtration intervention can be of some cardiovascular benefits in elderly living with high pollution episodes.

Cardiorespiratory responses of air filtration: A randomized crossover intervention trial in seniors living in Beijing: Beijing Indoor Air Purifier StudY, BIAPSY.

In this Beijing Indoor Air Purifier StudY (BIAPSY), we conducted a randomized crossover intervention trial in a panel of 35 non-smoking senior participants with free-living, with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Portable air filtration units were randomly allocated to active-(filter in) for 2weeks and sham-mode (filter out) for 2weeks in the households. We examined the differences in indoor air pollutant concentrations in 20 study homes and a suite of cardio-respiratory biomarker levels in study participants between filtration modes, with and without adjustment for potential confounders. Following active filtration, we observed significant reductions from 60±45 to 24±15µg/m3 in ten-day averages of indoor PM2.5 and reductions from 3.87±1.65 to 1.81±1.19m-1.10-5 in ten-day averages of indoor BC, compared to sham-mode filtration. The major components of indoor PM2.5, including water soluble organics, NO3-, SO42-, Zn2+, Pb2+ and K+, were also reduced significantly by 42% to 63%. However, following active filtration, we only observed significant reductions on systemic inflammation measured as of IL-8 at 58.59% (95% CI: -76.31, -27.64) in the total group of participants and 70.04% (95% CI: -83.05, -47.05) in the subset of COPD patients, with adjustments. We were not able to detect improvements on lung function, blood pressure, and heart rate variability, following short-term intervention of two-week active air filtration. In conclusion, our results showed that indoor air filtration produced clear improvement on indoor air quality, but no demonstrable changes in the cardio-respiratory outcomes of study interest observed in the seniors living with real-world air pollution exposures.

Establishing a Nomogram for Stage IA-IIB Cervical Cancer Patients after Complete Resection.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to establish a nomogram by combining clinicopathologic factors with overall survival of stage IA-IIB cervical cancer patients after complete resection with pelvic lymphadenectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This nomogram was based on a retrospective study on 1,563 stage IA-IIB cervical cancer patients who underwent complete resection and lymphadenectomy from 2002 to 2008. The nomogram was constructed based on multivariate analysis using Cox proportional hazard regression. The accuracy and discriminative ability of the nomogram were measured by concordance index (C-index) and calibration curve. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis identified lymph node metastasis (LNM), lymph-vascular space invasion (LVSI), stromal invasion, parametrial invasion, tumor diameter and histology as independent prognostic factors associated with cervical cancer survival. These factors were selected for construction of the nomogram. The C-index of the nomogram was 0.71 (95% CI, 0.65 to 0.77), and calibration of the nomogram showed good agreement between the 5-year predicted survival and the actual observation. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a nomogram predicting 5-year overall survival of surgically treated stage IA-IIB cervical cancer patients. More comprehensive information that is provided by this nomogram could provide further insight into personalized therapy selection.

Association of CTLA4 gene polymorphism (rs5742909) with cervical cancer: a meta-analysis.

Previous studies suggested that CTLA4 polymorphism (rs5742909) is associated with susceptibility to cervical cancer. In the present study, we performed a meta-analysis to systematically summarize the possible association between rs5742909 and the risk for cervical cancer. We conducted a search of case­control studies on the associations of rs5742909 with susceptibility to cervical cancer in PubMed, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Wanfang database in China, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases. We extracted the data from eligible studies for meta-analysis. The association of cervical cancer risk with rs5742909 was estimated by pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs). There were four studies on rs5742909 and cervical cancer in our meta-analysis. Our results suggested that both T allele frequency (OR = 1.63, 95 % CI 1.06-2.50; P = 0.03) and (TT + CT) genotype distribution (OR = 1.72, 95 % CI 1.07-2.77; P = 0.03) of the rs5742909 were associated with risk for cervical cancer. This meta-analysis suggests that rs5742909 is associated with the risk of cervical cancer. Well-designed studies with larger sample size and more ethnic groups are required to further validate the results.

SIRT5 desuccinylates and activates SOD1 to eliminate ROS.

Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) is a key antioxidant enzyme. Deficiency of SOD1 is associated with various human diseases, including cancer. Here, we report that SOD1 is succinylated and that succinylation decreases its activity. SIRT5 binds to, desuccinylates and activates SOD1. SOD1-mediated ROS reduction is increased when SIRT5 is co-expressed. Furthermore, mutation of the SOD1 succinylation site inhibits the growth of lung tumor cells. These results reveal a novel post-translational regulation of SOD1 by means of succinylation and SIRT5-dependent desuccinylation, which is important for the growth of lung tumor cells.

[Accurate 3D free-form registration between fan-beam CT and cone-beam CT].

Because the X-ray scatters, the CT numbers in cone-beam CT cannot exactly correspond to the electron densities. This, therefore, results in registration error when the intensity-based registration algorithm is used to register planning fan-beam CT and cone-beam CT. In order to reduce the registration error, we have developed an accurate gradient-based registration algorithm. The gradient-based deformable registration problem is described as a minimization of energy functional. Through the calculus of variations and Gauss-Seidel finite difference method, we derived the iterative formula of the deformable registration. The algorithm was implemented by GPU through OpenCL framework, with which the registration time was greatly reduced. Our experimental results showed that the proposed gradient-based registration algorithm could register more accurately the clinical cone-beam CT and fan-beam CT images compared with the intensity-based algorithm. The GPU-accelerated algorithm meets the real-time requirement in the online adaptive radiotherapy.

Matched-case comparison of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with FIGO stage IB1-IIB cervical cancer to establish selection criteria.

OBJECTIVE: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for cervical cancer still remains controversial. NACT was evaluated to establish selection criteria. METHODS: A matched-case comparison was designed for the NACT group (n=707) and primary surgery treatment (PST; n=707) group to investigate short-term responses and high/intermediate risk factors (HRFs/IRFs). The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were stratified by NACT response, HRFs/IRFs, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage and tumour size, respectively. RESULTS: The clinical and pathological response rates were 79.3% and 14.9% in the NACT group. In comparison to the PST group, IRFs but not HRFs were significantly decreased (P<0.05), and the 5-year DFS rate was significantly improved in the NACT group (88.4% versus 83.1%, P=0.021). Moreover, the 5-year DFS and OS rates were favourably increased in the clinical responders in comparison to the PST group and the clinical non-responders (P<0.05). Compared to those of clinical non-responders, the 5-year DFS and OS rates of clinical responders, with or without HRFs, were also significantly increased (P<0.01). In stage IB2, the 5-year DFS and OS rates were significantly increased, whereas operation duration declined in the NACT group (P<0.05). For patients with stage IB tumours of 2-5 cm, the 5-year DFS and OS rates of clinical responders were significantly improved (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: NACT is a suitable option for patients with cervical cancer, especially for NACT responders and patients with stage IB, which provides a new concept of fertility preservation for young patients.

Four-dimensional intensity-modulated radiotherapy planning for dynamic multileaf collimator tracking radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: To develop a four-dimensional intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) planning method for dynamic multileaf collimator (DMLC)-based tumor tracking that takes respiratory motion into consideration. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Using the concept of optimal deformation, a series of apertures are placed at different phases in the same segment to ensure maximally similar dose contributions at various anatomic points. We used a direct aperture optimization method to find a set of segments that achieved an optimal dose distribution for aperture shapes at the reference phase and achieved corresponding optimal deformations at other phases that took respiratory motion into consideration. In our four-dimensional direct aperture optimization (4D-DAO) method, a simulated annealing algorithm and a conjugate gradients algorithm were used to optimize the shape of the segments and the monitor units, respectively. We then compared the optimization results for three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy and 4D-DAO based on a set of simulated respiration 4D computed tomography (4DCT) data and a set of real 4DCT data. RESULTS: Dosimetric analysis indicated that, compared with the 3DCRT method, the dose distribution is significantly improved when the optimal deformation tracking technique is used, even when the maximum velocity limit of the DMLC leaves is set. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed 4D-IMRT planning method can find a set of segments and the corresponding leaf movements, which can trace the tumor motion and thus protect more normal tissue from radiation.

Combined laparoscopic and endoscopic treatment for bile duct diseases.

BACKGROUND: Clinical application of laparoscopy, duodenoscopy and choledochoscopy has been accepted as a mini-invasive surgical therapy for bile duct diseases; but either endoscopic or laparoscopic therapy alone is disadvantageous in its narrow indications and in failure to give full play to the individual superiority. The present study was to evaluate the procedures and therapeutic results of combined laparoscopic and endoscopic treatment for bile duct diseases. METHODS: Clinical data of 1990 patients with bile duct diseases treated by combination of laparoscopy, duodenoscopy and choledochoscopy in two hospitals were reviewed and analyzed. RESULTS: Patients with cholecystolithiasis and choledocholithiasis were treated with combined laparoscopy and duodenoscopy (n=1350) in a single operation with a cure rate of 93.6%. Those with choledocholithiasis (n=332) were treated with combined laparoscopy and choledochoscopy with a cure rate of 100%. Combined laparoscopy, duodenoscopy and choledochoscopy was used in 258 patients with choledocholithiasis (29 of them complicated with pancreatitis) and 24 patients with Mirizzi's syndrome, with a cure rate of 100%. Laparoscopic choledochoenterostomy and preoperative endoscopic nasobiliary drainage were done in 26 patients with a cure rate of 100%. There were no serious operative complications. A follow-up study of 1051 patients for 3 months to 12 years (mean 7.8 years) showed that 10 patients had recurrence of stones but no stenosis of the bile duct. CONCLUSION: Combined laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures are mini-invasive and cause less pain and minimal operative complications.

Pancreatic tumor: DSA diagnosis and treatment.

AIM:To study the clinical significance of the diagnosis and catheterized interventional treatment of digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for pancreatic tumors.METHODS: Ninety-two patients with pancreatic tumor, 69 males and 23 females, aged from 41 to 70 years (mean 57.1 years) were diagnosed with DSA. Sixty-one patients with pancreatic cancer were treated with transcatheter celiac and superior mesenteric arterial anticancer agents (MMC 20mg, EADM 40mg and 5-FU 2.0g) infusion (TCSAI).RESULTS: The DSA diagnoses were confirmed by operations and pathological examinations, with a coincidence 82.6% rate of, and a therapeutic effective rate of 42.6%.CONCLUSION: DSA is of diagnostic value for pancreatic tumors, and helpful in understanding the course of the disease, judging the prognosis and selecting the therapeutic regimen, and could improve the chemotherapeutic effect as well.