Reduced attention on restricted organochlorine pesticides, whereas still noteworthy of the impact on the deep soil and groundwater: a historical site study in southern China.

The use of hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) in pesticides has been prohibited for decades in China. Since then, there have been urbanization and transformation of the functional areas of many sites, which were formerly involved in the HCH industry. However, it is possible that, unless properly managed, these sites may still contain HCH residues in the soil and thus pose a threat to the surrounding environment and the quality of groundwater. This study aimed to characterize soil residues in a typical site that was historically involved in HCH production in southern China, by analyzing the α-HCH, ß-HCH, and γ-HCH contents of the soil. The results suggested that HCHs persist in the environment and can have long-term effects. It was found that α-HCH and ß-HCH were present in many samples in concentrations that were comparable or higher than those specified by China's Class 1 screening values. The distribution of residues was significantly correlated with the historical HCH production activities in the areas. The characteristic ratios of α-HCH/γ-HCH and ß-HCH/(α + γ)-HCH at different soil depths were 1.4-3.7 and 0.21-1.04, respectively, which indicated the presence of significant localized residues of HCHs. The presence of HCHs in the soil suggested a downward migration, with concentrations rapidly decreasing in the upper layer soil (0-5 m), but a gradual increase in the deeper soil (5-14 m). HCHs were detected at depths exceeding 24 m, indicating heavy penetration. The proportions of γ-HCH and ß-HCH changed with increasing soil depth, which was related to their relatively volatile and stable molecular structures, respectively. The results strongly suggested that there is widespread contamination of both soil and groundwater by HCHs even after decades. The likelihood of residual HCHs in the soil should therefore be taken into full consideration during urban planning to limit risks to human and environmental health.

Investigating sex-specific associations of lipid traits with type 2 diabetes, glycemic traits and sex hormones using Mendelian randomization.

BACKGROUND: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol is positively associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and inversely associated with type 2 diabetes, which could detract from lipid modification. Here, we examined whether lipid traits potentially relevant to CVD aetiology, i.e. apolipoprotein B (apoB), triglycerides (TG) and lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] exhibited the same associations. We investigated sex-specifically, including the role of sex hormones, because sex disparities exist in lipid profile and type 2 diabetes. We also replicated where possible. METHODS: We used Mendelian randomization (MR) to examine sex-specific associations of apoB, TG and Lp(a) with type 2 diabetes, HbA1c, fasting insulin, fasting glucose, testosterone and estradiol in the largest relevant sex-specific genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in people of European ancestry and replicated where possible. We also assessed sex-specific associations of liability to type 2 diabetes with apoB, TG and Lp(a). RESULTS: Genetically predicted apoB and Lp(a) had little association with type 2 diabetes or glycemic traits in women or men. Genetically predicted higher TG was associated with higher type 2 diabetes risk [odds ratio (OR) 1.44 per standard deviation (SD), 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.26 to 1.65], HbA1c and fasting insulin specifically in women. Higher TG was associated with lower testosterone in women and higher testosterone in men, but with lower estradiol in men and women. Genetic liability to type 2 diabetes was associated with higher TG in women, and possibly with lower apoB in men. CONCLUSIONS: Lipid traits potentially relevant to CVD aetiology do not exhibit contrasting associations with CVD and type 2 diabetes. However, higher TG is associated with higher type 2 diabetes risk and glycemic traits, which in turn further increases TG specifically in women, possibly driven by sex hormones.

Eating Habits and Lifestyles during the Initial Stage of the COVID-19 Lockdown in China: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Due to the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Chinese government implemented strict lockdown measures to control the spread of infection. The impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on eating habits and lifestyles in the general population is unclear. This cross-sectional study was conducted via an online survey to obtain an overview of the food access, food intake, and physical activity of Chinese residents during the initial stage of the COVID-19 lockdown, and to investigate the association between staying at home/working from home and changes in eating habits and lifestyles. A total of 2702 participants (70.7% women) were included. Most of the participants maintained their habitual diet, while 38.2% increased their snack intake, 54.3% reported reduced physical activity, and 45.5% had increased sleep duration. Most people (70.1%) reported no change in body weight, while 25.0% reported an increase. Always staying at home/working from home was associated with an increase in animal product, vegetable, fruit, mushroom, nut, water, and snack intake, as well as sleep duration and frequency of skipping breakfast (odds ratio (OR) 1.54, 1.62, 1.58, 1.53, 1.57, 1.52, 1.77, 2.29, and 1.76 respectively). Suggestions should be made to encourage people to reduce their snack intake, maintain the daily consumption of breakfast, and increase physical activity during future lockdown periods.

Rice Stripe Mosaic Virus-Encoded P4 Is a Weak Suppressor of Viral RNA Silencing and Is Required for Disease Symptom Development.

Viral suppressors of RNA silencing (VSRs) are a cluster of viral proteins that have evolved to counteract eukaryotic antiviral RNA silencing pathways, thereby contributing to viral pathogenicity. In this study, we revealed that the matrix protein P4 encoded by rice stripe mosaic virus (RSMV), which is an emerging cytoplasmic rhabdovirus, is a weak RNA silencing suppressor. By conducting yeast two-hybrid, bimolecular fluorescence complementation, and subcellular colocalization assays, we proved that P4 interacts with the rice endogenous suppressor of gene silencing 3 (OsSGS3). We also determined that P4 overexpression has no effect on OsSGS3 transcription. However, P4 can promote the degradation of OsSGS3 via ubiquitination and autophagy. Additionally, a potato virus X-based expression system was used to confirm that P4 enhances the development of mosaic symptoms on Nicotiana benthamiana leaves by promoting hydrogen peroxide accumulation but not cell death. To verify whether P4 is a pathogenicity factor in host plants, we generated transgenic P4-overexpressing rice plants that exhibited disease-related developmental defects including decreased plant height and excessive tillering. Our data suggest that RSMV-encoded P4 serves as a weak VSR that inhibits antiviral RNA silencing by targeting OsSGS3.

Transfer of cadmium from soil to vegetable in the Pearl River Delta area, South China.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the regional Cadmium (Cd) concentration levels in soils and in leaf vegetables across the Pearl River Delta (PRD) area; and reveal the transfer characteristics of Cadmium (Cd) from soils to leaf vegetable species on a regional scale. 170 paired vegetables and corresponding surface soil samples in the study area were collected for calculating the transfer factors of Cadmium (Cd) from soils to vegetables. This investigation revealed that in the study area Cd concentration in soils was lower (mean value 0.158 mg kg(-1)) compared with other countries or regions. The Cd-contaminated areas are mainly located in west areas of the Pearl River Delta. Cd concentrations in all vegetables were lower than the national standard of Safe vegetables (0.2 mg kg(-1)). 88% of vegetable samples met the standard of No-Polluted vegetables (0.05 mg kg(-1)). The Cd concentration in vegetables was mainly influenced by the interactions of total Cd concentration in soils, soil pH and vegetable species. The fit lines of soil-to-plant transfer factors and total Cd concentration in soils for various vegetable species were best described by the exponential equation (y = ax(b)), and these fit lines can be divided into two parts, including the sharply decrease part with a large error range, and the slowly decrease part with a low error range, according to the gradual increasing of total Cd concentrations in soils.

Dural angioleiomyoma of the middle cranial fossa: a case report and review of the literature.

We describe a case of dural angioleiomyoma (ALM) of the middle cranial fossa. A 62-year-old man was referred to our center for fracture of the left clavicle because of a fall, and he had a sudden seizure during admission. The mass was completely resected. The tumor base was located at the bottom of the temporal lobe in the front of the petrous apex and near the cavernous sinus. After 7 months, the postoperative course demonstrated no tumor recurrence. The lesion had the typical appearance of ALM. Mitoses and necrosis were not identified. The lesion contained multifocality of fat in some areas of spindle-shaped cells, and markedly myxoid change was present. The spindle cells were positive for SMA and DES and negative for EMA, HMB-45, p53 and p16. A small focus of fat was positive for S-100. Less than 1% of the tumor cells showed immunoreactivity for Ki-67. EBV-encoded RNA was negative for tumor cells. Stainings for p53, p16, Ki-67 and EBV infection need to be carried out in cases of intracranial ALM because they are correlated with the biological behavior and prognosis of the tumor.

Significance of TRIM29 and ß-catenin expression in non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: TRIM29 belongs to the tripartite motif (TRIM) protein family. It has been reported to be up-regulated or be down-regulated in many cancer types, suggesting the oncogenic function of TRIM29 may be depend on different molecular signaling pathway. It was found that ß-catenin function (a key molecule in the Wnt signaling pathway) was required for TRIM29's oncogenic effects. TRIM29 gene expression was also found to be heterogeneous in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) subtypes. In this study, the possible associations of TRIM29 expression with clinicopathological factors, prognosis, and ß-catenin in human NSCLC were analyzed. METHODS: TRIM29 and ß-catenin expression of tumor and adjacent normal tissues in 251 cases of NSCLC treated by surgery was detected by the Immunohistochemical method. The relationship between clinical pathological data, ß-catenin, and TRIM29 expression was analyzed. RESULTS: TRIM29 expression of tumor tissues was significantly higher than adjacent normal tissues. Expression of TRIM29 in squamous cell carcinoma (SC) tissues was positively correlated with abnormal expression of ß-catenin, histological grade, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, and lymph node metastasis and that was positively correlated with tumor size, histological grading, TNM stage and lymph node metastasis in adenocarcinoma (AC). TRIM29 expression in SC and AC was significantly different and the intensity of poorly differentiated SC was significantly higher than that of AC. High-expression of TRIM29, poorly differentiated grade, and high clinical stage were independent prognostic indicators. CONCLUSION: We considered that TRIM29 may play a reference role in distinguish poorly differentiated AC and SC of NSCLC, combining with CK5/6 and CK7, and it could improve postoperative assessment and have the reference value for clinical treatment. The interaction between TRIM29 and ß-catenin may participate in the development of lung SC.

Vascular patterns of brain tumors.

Multiple vascular patterns are presented in tumors of the central nervous system (CNS), including microvascular hyperplasia, branching capillaries, numerous capillaries without definite pattern, hyalinized vessels, and angiomatous area. These vascular patterns play important roles in pathological diagnosis of brain tumors. Because of insufficient recognition of the significance of the various vascular patterns, only a few of them have been applied in pathological diagnosis, leading to missed diagnosis and diagnostic errors. Microvascular hyperplasia can present in multiple brain tumors but display different diagnostic values. Otherwise, varied brain tumors characterized by branching capillaries or vascular pattern mimicking branching capillaries should be given careful consideration. Therefore, a familiarity of these tumors and their vascular pattern is essential for general pathologists. This study reviews the value of various kinds of vascular patterns for pathological diagnosis of brain tumors, constructs a framework for better understanding, and provides a novel perspective for general pathologists.

Giant-cell anaplastic carcinoma with osteoclastic giant cells of the chest cavity: a distinctive form of thymic carcinoma?

Here, the authors describe a case of giant-cell anaplastic carcinoma with osteoclastic giant cells of the chest cavity-which could be a distinctive form of thymic carcinoma-which expressed CD5 and CD45. To the authors' knowledge, there has been no previous report on this subject. A 62-year-old woman presented with continuous pain in the left back associated with coughing and shortness of breath for more than 2 months prior to referral to the hospital. Palliative resection of a mediastinal tumor was performed. During the operation, it was found that the mass occupied most of the chest invading the chest wall, aorta, vena cava, and lung tissue. The patient soon died from diabetic complications in spite of anti-infection treatment. The tumor was composed of large areas of necrosis and anaplastic neoplastic giant cells with high mitotic activity, and osteoclast-like cells; there was marked inflammatory cell infiltration. The anaplastic neoplastic giant cells were immunoreactive for CKpan, CD5, CD45, VIM, and p53. Approximately 50% to 60% of the tumor cells showed immunoreactivity for Ki-67. In situ hybridization for Epstein-Barr virus-encoded RNA was negative for tumor cells and nonneoplastic osteoclastic giant cells. Because this tumor is very rare, extensive clinical, radiological, and morphological examinations as well as immunohistochemical studies are essential to make the diagnosis.

Pollution assessment, distribution and sources of PAHs in agricultural soils of Pearl River Delta--the biggest manufacturing Base in China.

A large scale of soil survey was performed to determine the contents, distributions and sources of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 231 agricultural soils under 3 land-use types from 5 regions of the subtropical Pearl River Delta (PRD). The average sum of 16 PAHs in all soil samples is 316.5 micro g.kg(-1), with range from ND to 4079 micro g.kg(-1). Three- and 4-ring PAHs are the most abundant PAHs that contribute to 73.0% of total contents. The most abundant components are phenanthrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene and fluoranthene. ANOVA and principal component analyses (PCA) indicate that soil samples from Dongguan and Zhongshan contain greater PAHs than other regions. More abundant carcinogenic and higher molecular weight PAHs accumulated in soils from Dongguan and Zhongshan, while higher low molecular weight PAHs were in soils from Guanghzou, Huizhou and Shunde. Soil PAHs from 3 land uses are not statistically different. Additionally, 5 PAH compound ratios suggest that soil PAHs in PRD derived from mixture of pyrogenic and petrogenic sources, but the majorities are pyrogenic sources. PAHs were further identified as mixture of petroleum combustion and grass, wood, and coal combustion. Some soil PAHs were revealed vehicle emission, coal soot and petroleum sources. The 5 regions showed different PAHs sources according to some compound ratios, but no marked distinction between regions from 2 banks of the Pearl River because of major wind direction, distribution of riverway and industry.