A Red-Emission Fluorescent Probe for Intracellular Biothiols and Hydrogen Sulfide Imaging in Living Cells.

This research centers on the development and synthesis of a longwave fluorescence probe, labeled as 60T, designed for the simultaneous detection of hydrogen sulfide, cysteine/homocysteine, and glutathione. The probe showcases a swift response, good linearity range, and heightened sensitivity, boasting that the detection limits of the probe for Cys, Hcy, GSH and H2S were 0.140, 0.202, 0.259 and 0.396 µM, respectively. Notably, its efficacy in monitoring thiol status changes in live MCF-7 cells is underscored by a substantial decrease in fluorescence intensity upon exposure to the thiol trapping reagent, N-ethyl maleimide (NEM). With an impressive red emission signal at 630 nm and a substantial Stokes shift of 80 nm, this probe exhibits remarkable sensitivity and selectivity for biothiols and H2S, indicating promising applications in the diagnosis and surgical navigation of relevant cancers.

The Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory and Moisturizing Effects of Camellia oleifera Oil and Its Potential Applications.

Camellia oleifera oil (CO oil) extracted from C. oleifera seeds has a 2300-year consumption history in China. However, there is relatively little research regarding its non-edible uses. This study determined the physicochemical properties of CO oil extracted via direct pressing, identified its main components using GC-MS, and evaluated its antioxidant, moisturizing, and anti-inflammatory activities. The results revealed that CO oil's acid, peroxide, iodine, and saponification values were 1.06 ± 0.031 mg/g, 0.24 ± 0.01 g/100 g, 65.14 ± 8.22 g/100 g, and 180.41 ± 5.60 mg/g, respectively. CO oil's tocopherol, polyphenol, and squalene contents were 82.21 ± 9.07 mg/kg, 181.37 ± 3.76 mg/kg, and 53.39 ± 6.58 mg/kg, respectively; its unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) content was 87.44%, and its saturated fatty acid (SFA) content was 12.56%. CO oil also demonstrated excellent moisture retention properties, anti-inflammatory effects, and certain free radical scavenging. A highly stable CO oil emulsion with competent microbiological detection was developed using formulation optimization. Using CO oil in the emulsion significantly improved the formulation's antioxidant and moisturizing properties compared with those of the emulsion formulation that did not include CO oil. The prepared emulsion was not cytotoxic to cells and could reduce cells' NO content; therefore, it may have potential nutritional value in medicine and cosmetics.

Unilateral Biplanar Screw-Rod Fixation Technique for the Treatment of Odontoid Fractures in Patients with Atlantoaxial Bone or Vascular Abnormalities.

OBJETIVE: This study aims to introduce the unilateral biplanar screw-rod fixation (UBSF) technique (a hybrid fixation technique: 2 sets of atlantoaxial screws were placed on the same side), which serves as a salvage method for traditional posterior atlantoaxial fixation. To summarize the indications of this technique and to assess its safety, feasibility, and clinical effectiveness in the treatment of odontoid fractures. METHODS: Patients with odontoid fractures were enrolled according to special criteria. Surgical duration and intraoperative blood loss were documented. Patients were followed up for a minimum of 12 months. X-ray and computerized tomography scans were conducted and reviewed at 1 day, and patients were asked to return for computerized tomography reviews at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after surgery until fracture union. Recorded and compared the Neck Visual Analog Scale and Neck Disability Index presurgery and at 1 week and 12 months postsurgery. RESULTS: Between January 2016 and December 2022, our study enrolled 7 patients who were diagnosed with odontoid fractures accompanied by atlantoaxial bone or vascular abnormalities. All 7 patients underwent successful UBSF surgery, and no neurovascular injuries were recorded during surgery. Fracture union was observed in all patients, and the Neck Visual Analog Scale and Neck Disability Index scores improved significantly at 1 week and 12 months postoperative (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The UBSF technique has been demonstrated to be safe, feasible, and effective in treating odontoid fractures. In cases where the atlantoaxial bone or vascular structure exhibits abnormalities, it can function as a supplementary or alternative approach to the conventional posterior C1-2 fixation.

Length-controlled hydrophobic CF3-COF as a highly efficient absorbent coating for dual-mode solid-phase microextraction of sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a group of seriously hazardous environmental contaminants, have attracted extensive attention due to their carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, mutagenicity, and ubiquity. In this work, the excellent hydrophobic trifluoromethyl-enriched covalent organic framework (CF3-COF) was designed and synthesized as coating of solid-phase microextraction (SPME). The CF3-COF offered a high adsorption selectivity for PAHs, which could be attributed to the multiple interactions between the CF3-COF and PAHs, including hydrophobicity interaction, π-π and H bond interactions. Furthermore, headspace (HS) and direct immersion (DI) dual-mode solid-phase microextraction (HS/DI-SPME) were innovatively integrated as a dual-mode extraction by varying the length of SPME coating on stainless-steel, which could simultaneously and efficiently extract 16 PAHs with different volatile. Amazingly, the proposed strategy achieved fast adsorption for PAHs and shortened the adsorption equilibrium time to 15 min. By further integrating with gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), PAHs could be detected in the range of 0.008-0.16 ng mL-1 with a quantitative limit of 0.029-0.47 ng mL-1, respectively. The recoveries of PAHs in water samples ranged from 80.84 to 117.67 %. This work indicates that the dual-mode CF3-COF-SPME is a promising candidate for the enrichment of multiple hazardous substances in complicated samples.

Effect of rituximab on immune status in children with aggressive mature B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-a prospective study from CCCG-BNHL-2015.

Background: Limited research has been conducted on the impact of rituximab on immune function and the incidence of side effects in children undergoing combination chemotherapy for aggressive mature B-cell lymphoma/leukemia. Methods: Clinical data from 85 patients with primary pediatric aggressive mature B-cell lymphoma/leukemia, treated according to the Chinese Children's Cancer Group (CCCG)-mature B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (BNHL)-2015 protocol from June 1, 2015, to December 1, 2022, were collected from three tertiary medical centers in China. Patients with pre-existing malignancies or primary immune deficiencies (PIDs) were excluded. Results: Between June 1, 2015, and December 1, 2022, 85 patients (65 [76.5%] boys and 20[23.5%] girls; mean age, 6.95 years) were enrolled, and immune data at baseline during follow-up were analyzed. At the end of chemotherapy, a higher proportion of patients in the R4 group exhibited a decrease in peripheral blood CD3- CD19+ B cells (20[100%] of 20 vs 13[47.8%] of 18, p = 0.04), CD3+ T cells (21[91.3%] of 23 vs 14[60.9%] of 23, p = 0.016), and serum IgM (14[60.9%] of 23 vs 4[17.4%] of 23, p = 0.003) compared to the R3 group. However, these differences were no longer statistically significant six months after chemotherapy administration. The combination of rituximab with AA was associated with a higher incidence of significant thrombocytopenia (49[81.7%] of 60 vs 29[52.7%] of 55, p = 0.001) and infection (35[58.3%] of 60 vs 17[30.9%] of 55, p = 0.003) compared to AA alone. Furthermore, the combination of rituximab with BB was linked to a higher incidence of significant thrombocytopenia (32[52.5%] of 61 vs 31[31.0%] of 100, p = 0.007) compared to BB alone. Conclusions: While the effects of rituximab in combination with intense chemotherapy for childhood aggressive mature B-cell lymphoma/leukemia on children's immune function generally recovers within six months it may still prolong the recovery from immunoglobulinemia, posing a risk of secondary infections. Further studies are required to identify children with potential primary immunodeficiencies.

Effects of different extraction methods on the structural and biological properties of Hericium coralloides polysaccharides.

In current study, polysaccharides from Hericium coralloides were extracted by heat reflux, acid-assisted, alkali-assisted, enzyme-assisted, ultrasonic-assisted, cold water, pressurized hot water, hydrogen peroxide/ascorbic acid system and acid-chlorite delignification methods, which were named as HRE-P, ACE-P, AAE-P, EAE-P, UAE-P, CWE-P, PHE-P, HAE-P, and ACD-P, respectively. Their physicochemical properties, structural characteristics, and antioxidant activities were investigated and compared. Experimental outcomes indicated notable variations in the extraction yields, chemical compositions, monosaccharide constituents and molecular weights of the obtained nine polysaccharides. HRE-P demonstrated the highest activity against ABTS and OH radicals, CWE-P against ABTS, DPPH, and superoxide radicals, and UAE-P against DPPH radicals. In addition, UAE-P, CWE-P, and HAE-P exhibited better protective effects on L929 cells, when compared to the other obtained polysaccharides. Additionally, correlation analysis indicated that monosaccharide composition and total polyphenol content were two prominent variables influencing the bioactivity of H. coralloides polysaccharides.

Case report: Microwave ablation is a safe and effective method for primary hyperparathyroidism in pregnancy.

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is a rare disease in pregnancy and endangers the health of both pregnant women and fetuses. However, the treatments are very limited for PHPT and most of them are unsatisfactory because of the peculiar state in pregnancy. The only curable method is parathyroidectomy which can be safely performed in the second trimester of pregnancy. In this case, we reported a pregnant woman with primary parathyroid adenoma presenting hypercalcemia and severe vomit at the end of first trimester. Finally, she got cured by microwave ablation at the end of first trimester and gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

Extraction and selection of high-molecular-weight DNA for long-read sequencing from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Recent advances in long-read sequencing technologies have enabled the complete assembly of eukaryotic genomes from telomere to telomere by allowing repeated regions to be fully sequenced and assembled, thus filling the gaps left by previous short-read sequencing methods. Furthermore, long-read sequencing can also help characterizing structural variants, with applications in the fields of genome evolution or cancer genomics. For many organisms, the main bottleneck to sequence long reads remains the lack of robust methods to obtain high-molecular-weight (HMW) DNA. For this purpose, we developed an optimized protocol to extract DNA suitable for long-read sequencing from the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, based on CTAB/phenol extraction followed by a size selection step for long DNA molecules. We provide validation results for the extraction protocol, as well as statistics obtained with Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing.

CYP2C19 *2/*2 Genotype is a Risk Factor for Multi-Site Arteriosclerosis: A Hospital-Based Cohort Study.

Background: Vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis usually affect multiple organs. Genetic factors have a certain proportion in the risk factors of atherosclerosis. The purpose was to investigate the relationship of cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) polymorphisms with multi-site atherosclerosis. Methods: The study included 410 patients with single-site atherosclerosis and 529 patients with multi-site atherosclerosis. The relationship between CYP2C19 rs4244285 and rs4986893 polymorphisms and single-site atherosclerosis and multi-site atherosclerosis was analyzed. Results: The proportion of CYP2C19 rs4244285 A allele (35.9% vs 29.9%, P=0.007) and rs4986893 G allele (97.7% vs 94.8%, P=0.001) in multi-site atherosclerosis group was significantly higher than that in single-site atherosclerosis group. The distribution of CYP2C19 genotypes was significantly different between the two groups (P=0.002). The results of univariate logistic regression indicated that CYP2C19 *1/*3 genotype (*1/*3 vs *1/*1: odds ratio (OR) 0.456, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.231-0.902, P=0.024) may decrease risk of multi-site atherosclerosis, while *2/*2 genotype (*2/*2 vs *1/*1: OR 1.780, 95% CI: 1.100-2.880, P=0.019) may increase risk of multi-site atherosclerosis. Multivariate logistic regression (adjusted for gender, age, smoking, drinking, hypertension, and diabetes) indicated that CYP2C19 *1/*3 genotype (*1/*3 vs *1/*1: OR 0.459, 95% CI: 0.231-0.909, P=0.026) may be an independent protective factor for multi-site atherosclerosis, while *2/*2 genotype (*2/*2 vs *1/*1: OR 1.767, 95% CI: 1.091-2.864, P=0.021) may be an independent risk factor for multi-site atherosclerosis. Conclusion: CYP2C19 *1/*3 genotype may be an independent protective factor for multi-site atherosclerosis, while *2/*2 genotype may be an independent risk factor for multi-site atherosclerosis.

The roles of phospholipase C-ß related signals in the proliferation, metastasis and angiogenesis of malignant tumors, and the corresponding protective measures.

PLC-ß is widely distributed in eukaryotic cells and is the key enzyme in phosphatidylinositol signal transduction pathway. The cellular functions regulated by its four subtypes (PLC-ß1, PLC-ß2, PLC-ß3, PLC-ß4) play an important role in maintaining homeostasis of organism. PLC-ß and its related signals can promote or inhibit the occurrence and development of cancer by affecting the growth, differentiation and metastasis of cells, while targeted intervention of PLC-ß1-PI3K-AKT, PLC-ß2/CD133, CXCR2-NHERF1-PLC-ß3, Gαq-PLC-ß4-PKC-MAPK and so on can provide new strategies for the precise prevention and treatment of malignant tumors. This paper reviews the mechanism of PLC-ß in various tumor cells from four aspects: proliferation and differentiation, invasion and metastasis, angiogenesis and protective measures.

Alanine Substitution to Determine the Effect of LR5 and YR6 Rice Peptide Structure on Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activity.

The relationship between the structure of peptides LR5 (LHKFR) and YR6 (YGLYPR) and their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity remains unclear. Herein, leucine, tyrosine, proline, and phenylalanine at different positions in the peptides were replaced by Alanine (Ala), and two new pentapeptides (AR5 and LAR5) and four hexapeptides (AGR6, YAR6, YLR6, and YGR6) were obtained. The effect of Ala replacement on the hydrophobicity, cytotoxicity, NO inhibition rate, and active oxygen radical scavenging ability of these peptides and their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory abilities were investigated. The results indicated that the hydrophobicity of the peptides was associated with their amino acid composition and their specific sequence. However, hydrophobicity had no significant effect on cytotoxicity. Ala replacement was shown to enhance hydrophobicity and consequently increased the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of the peptides. The molecular docking studies indicated that the amino acid interactions of the peptide with the Keap1 protein influenced the hydrophobicity and thus affected the antioxidant activity of the peptide.

Application of biomaterials in the eradication of Helicobacter pylori: A bibliometric analysis and overview.

Helicobacter pylori is a prominent cause of gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric cancer. It is naturally colonized on the surface of the mucus layer and mucosal epithelial cells of the gastric sinus, surrounded not only by mucus layer with high viscosity that prevents the contact of drug molecules with bacteria but also by multitudinous gastric acid and pepsin, inactivating the antibacterial drug. With high-performance biocompatibility and biological specificity, biomaterials emerge as promising prospects closely associated with H. pylori eradication recently. Aiming to thoroughly summarize the progressing research in this field, we have screened 101 publications from the web of science database and then a bibliometric investigation was performed on the research trends of the application of biomaterials in eradicating H. pylori over the last decade utilizing VOSviewer and CiteSpace to establish the relationship between the publications, countries, institutions, authors, and most relevant topics. Keyword analysis illustrates biomaterials including nanoparticles (NPs), metallic materials, liposomes, and polymers are employed most frequently. Depending on their constituent materials and characterized structures, biomaterials exhibit diverse prospects in eradicating H. pylori regarding extending drug delivery time, avoiding drug inactivation, target response, and addressing drug resistance. Furthermore, we overviewed the challenges and forthcoming research perspective of high-performance biomaterials in H. pylori eradication based on recent studies.

ALDH2 rs671 Polymorphism Likely a Risk Factor for Hemorrhagic Stroke: A Hospital-Based Study.

Background: Hypertension is the main risk factor for hemorrhagic stroke. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) may inhibit the occurrence of hypertension by anti-oxidative stress and vascular dilation. The purpose was to investigate the relationship of ALDH2 polymorphisms with hemorrhagic stroke in Hakka Chinese. Methods: A total of 329 patients with hemorrhagic stroke and 515 controls were enrolled, and medical records (smoking and drinking history, hypertension, and diabetes) were collected. The genotypes of ALDH2 rs671 of the two groups were detected and analyzed. Results: The proportion of the ALDH2 rs671 G/G, G/A, and A/A genotype in patients with hemorrhagic stroke was 55.9%, 37.4%, and 6.7%, respectively, while those were 65.0%, 30.7%, and 4.3% in controls, respectively. There was statistically significant difference in ALDH2 rs671 genotypes distribution (P=0.021) and alleles distribution (P=0.005) between patients and controls. Among hemorrhagic stroke patients, no statistically significant differences were observed between patients with ALDH2 different genotypes. Logistic regression analysis showed that there was significantly high risk of hemorrhagic stroke in men (male vs female: adjusted OR 1.711, 95% CI 1.154-2.538, P=0.008), the presence of hypertension (with vs without hypertension: adjusted OR 16.095, 95% CI 10.958-23.641, P<0.001), and the presence of ALDH2 rs671 G/A genotype (G/A vs G/G: adjusted OR 1.679, 95% CI 1.151-2.450, P=0.007) or A/A genotype (A/A vs G/G: adjusted OR 2.516, 95% CI 1.132-5.591, P=0.024). Conclusion: ALDH2 rs671 polymorphism likely a risk factor for hemorrhagic stroke.

The Clinical Application of Artificial Intelligence Assisted Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound on BI-RADS Category 4 Breast Lesions.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To propose a novel deep learning method incorporating multiple regions based on contrast-enhanced ultrasound and grayscale ultrasound, evaluate its performance in reducing false positives for Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category 4 lesions, and compare its diagnostic performance with that of ultrasound experts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study enrolled 163 breast lesions in 161 women from November 2018 to March 2021. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound and conventional ultrasound were performed before surgery or biopsy. A novel deep learning model incorporating multiple regions based on contrast-enhanced ultrasound and grayscale ultrasound was proposed for minimizing the number of false-positive biopsies. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were compared between the deep learning model and ultrasound experts. RESULTS: The AUC, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the deep learning model in BI-RADS category 4 lesions were 0.910, 91.5%, 90.5%, and 90.8%, respectively, compared with those of ultrasound experts were 0.869, 89.4%, 84.5%, and 85.9%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The novel deep learning model we proposed had a diagnostic accuracy comparable to that of ultrasound experts, showing the potential to be clinically useful in minimizing the number of false-positive biopsies.

The addition of crosslinked corn bran arabinoxylans with different gelling characteristics was associated with the pasting, rheological, structural, and digestion properties of corn starch.

Crosslinked corn bran arabinoxylan (CLAX) is a food hydrocolloid that can be applied to improve the physicochemical and digestion properties of starch. However, the impact of CLAX with different gelling characteristics on starch properties remains elusive. Here, high cross-linked arabinoxylan (H-CLAX), moderate crosslinked arabinoxylan (M-CLAX), and low crosslinked arabinoxylan (L-CLAX) were fabricated to investigate their effects on the pasting, rheological, structural, and in vitro digestion property of corn starch (CS). The results showed that H-CLAX, M-CLAX, and L-CLAX differently increased the pasting viscosity and gel elasticity of CS, with H-CLAX exhibiting the greatest effect. The structural characterization of CS-CLAX mixtures showed that H-CLAX, M-CLAX, and L-CLAX differently enhanced the swelling power of CS and increased the hydrogen bonds between CS and CLAX. Furthermore, the addition of CLAX (especially H-CLAX) significantly reduced both the digestion rate and extent of CS, probably due to the increased viscosity and the formation of the amylose-polyphenol complex. This study provided new insights into the interaction between CS and CLAX, and could help to develop healthier foods with slow starch digestibility.

Association of plasma lipid metabolism profiles with overall survival for patients with gastric cancer undergoing gastrectomy based on 1H-NMR spectroscopy.

BACKGROUND: Lipid metabolism dysregulation is a prominent metabolic alteration in various cancers. The study aimed to explore the association of plasma lipid metabolism profiles with overall survival (OS) for gastric cancer (GC) patients who received gastrectomy. METHODS: GC patients who were treated with gastrectomy and measured with plasma lipid metabolism profiles using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy in Nanfang Hospital between January 1, 2017, and October 31, 2018, were recruited. The Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression model was used to analyze variables selected by univariate analysis for OS. An index of plasma lipid metabolism profiles, named plasma lipid metabolism index (PLMI), was constructed by variables' coefficients in LASSO regression to explore its association with OS and its role in the prediction model. RESULTS: A total of 158 GC patients were included in this study. Four of the 110 lipid profiles, including LDL-5 Apo-B, LDL-4 Cholesterol, HDL-4 Apo-A2, and HDL-4 Free Cholesterol, were selected to construct the PLMI. The optimal cut-off value of PLMI for OS was used to classify the population into two subgroups, the high PLMI group (≥ - 0.163) and the low PLMI group (< - 0.163). The high PLMI group had a shorter OS (p = 0.0034) and was the independent risk factor for OS (Hazard Ratio = 2.13, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.07-4.22, p = 0.031) after adjusting for perineural invasion and tumor stage. In subsets of the I-III stage and treating postoperative chemotherapy, high PLMI also had an unfavorable correlation with OS (p = 0.016 and p = 0.0086, respectively). The nomogram prediction models of both the training cohort and validation cohort showed good calibration and discrimination with the concordance indexes of 0.806 (95% CI, 0.732-0.880) in the training cohort and 0.794 (95% CI, 0.725-0.862) in the validation cohort. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the index derived from the LDL-5 Apo-B, LDL-4 Cholesterol, HDL-4 Apo-A2, and HDL-4 Free Cholesterol, was significantly associated with overall survival, suggesting that regulating lipid metabolisms might improve the prognosis for GC patients.

Genome-Wide Analysis of the Molecular Functions of B3 Superfamily in Oil Biosynthesis in Olive (Olea europaea L.).

The plant B3 gene superfamily contains a large number of transcription factors playing a vital role in both vegetative growth and reproductive development in plants. Although several B3 genes have been well studied, molecular functions of the B3 genes in olive are largely unknown. In our study, a total of 200 B3 genes were identified in olive genome based on RNA-seq and comparative genomic analyses and further classified into five groups (i.e., REM, RAV, LAV, HSI, and ARF) based on phylogenetic analysis. Results of gene structure and motif composition analyses revealed diversified functions among these five groups of B3 genes. Results of genomic duplication and syntenic analyses indicated the gene expansion in the B3 genes. Results of gene expression based on both transcriptomics and relative expression revealed the tissue-biased expression patterns in B3 genes. The results of the comparative expression analysis of B3 genes between two olive cultivars with high and low oil contents identified several potential REM genes which may be involved in oil biosynthesis in olive. Based on the comprehensive characterization of the molecular structures and functions of B3 genes in olive genome, our study provided novel insights into the potential roles of B3 transcription factors in oil biosynthesis in olive and lays the groundwork for the functional explorations into this research field.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel aromatic amide derivatives as potential BCR-ABL inhibitors.

BCR-ABL1 kinase is a key driver of the pathophysiology of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Current treatments need to broaden the chemical diversity of BCR-ABL1 kinase inhibitors to overcome drug resistance. We designed and synthesized a series of aromatic amide derivatives based on several generations of BCR-ABL1 kinase inhibitors. Biological studies showed that compared with Imatinib, these compounds showed significant proliferation inhibitory activities of HL-60 and K562 in cell activity assay. Compounds 4g and 4j exhibited significant anti-tumor activity against the K562 cells with IC50 values of 6.03 ± 0.49 µM and 5.66 ± 2.06 µM respectively. Compounds 4g and 4j, as potential BCR-ABL1 inhibitors, inhibit the phosphorylation of ABL1 and CRKL in a dose-dependent manner. Therefore, compounds 4g and 4j can be used as a starting point for further optimization.

An iron-based metal-organic framework as a novel dispersive solid-phase extraction sorbent for the efficient adsorption of tetrabromobisphenol A from environmental water samples.

For environmental safety, it is important to establish a simple, rapid, and sensitive method for emerging pollutants. Here, a dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) method based on an iron-based metal-organic framework (Fe-MIL-88-NH2) combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed for tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) in water samples. Fe-MIL-88-NH2 was synthesized using a solvothermal method and completely characterized. Fe-MIL-88-NH2 had good water stability and gave a maximum adsorption capacity of 40.97 mg g-1 for TBBPA. The adsorption of TBBPA on Fe-MIL-88-NH2 followed Langmuir adsorption models and a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The bromine ion and the hydroxyl group of TBBPA could form strong hydrogen bond interactions with the amino protons around the cavity of Fe-MIL-88-NH2, which was in accord with the molecular simulation calculations. Furthermore, several important d-SPE parameters were optimized, such as the amount of materials, extraction time, pH, ionic strength, elution solvent type, and volume. The established method showed good linearity in the concentration range of 0.005-100 µg g-1 (r2 ≥ 0.9996). This method's limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 0.001 µg g-1 and 0.005 µg g-1, respectively. The recoveries in spiked water samples ranged from 87.5% to 104.9%. The proposed method was applied successfully to detect TBBPA in environmental water samples.

Creation of the biomechanical finite element model of female pelvic floor supporting structure based on thin-sectional high-resolution anatomical images.

PURPOSE: The main purpose of this study is to obtain a finite element biomechanical model that accurately mimics pelvic organ prolapse in women, to study pelvic floor supporting structures' biomechanical properties and function. We used thin-sectional high-resolution anatomical images (Chinese Visible Human, CVH) to reconstruct a detailed three-dimensional (3D) biomechanical finite element model of the female pelvic floor supporting structure including cardinal ligament, uterosacral ligament, levator ani muscle (LAM) and perianal body. The Valsalva maneuver was simulated by loading the uterus and bladder with a pressure increasing from 0 to 10 kPa. The stress, strain and displacement of supporting structures were calculated. The cardinal ligament, the uterosacral ligament and the LAM were stressed greatly when the uterus moved downward, and the maximum stress could reach 0.267 MPa, 1.51 MPa and 0.065 MPa respectively, and the maximum strain could reach 0.154, 0.16, 0.265, and the maximum displacement could reach 1.786 cm, 1.946 cm and 0.567 cm. Displacement of the perineal body also occurred, and its stress, strain and displacement were 0.092 MPa, 0.381, 0.73 cm. The stress, strain and displacement of the supporting structure around the urethra were 0.339 MPa, 0.169, 1.491 cm. Our model based on CVH has more detailed anatomical structures, which is superior to that based on MRI. Our simulation results were consistent with previous findings, which verified the unbalance of abdominal pressure and pelvic floor supporting structures will lead to POP, which provide a theoretical basis for pelvic floor anatomy and function as well as obstetrical surgery.