Identification of gastric cancer types based on hyperspectral imaging technology.

Gastric cancer is becoming the second biggest cause of death from cancer. Treatment and prognosis of different types of gastric cancer vary greatly. However, the routine pathological examination is limited to the tissue level and is easily affected by subjective factors. In our study, we examined gastric mucosal samples from 50 normal tissue and 90 cancer tissues. Hyperspectral imaging technology was used to obtain spectral information. A two-classification model for normal tissue and cancer tissue identification and a four-classification model for cancer type identification are constructed based on the improved deep residual network (IDRN). The accuracy of the two-classification model and four-classification model are 0.947 and 0.965. Hyperspectral imaging technology was used to extract molecular information to realize real-time diagnosis and accurate typing. The results show that hyperspectral imaging technique has good effect on diagnosis and type differentiation of gastric cancer, which is expected to be used in auxiliary diagnosis and treatment.

A novel high activity MnXFe3-XO4 spinel catalyst for selective catalytic reduction of NO using NH3 prepared by a short process from natural minerals for low-temperature sintering flue gas: Effect of X value on catalytic mechanism.

The process of smelting and purifying the catalyst precursor salt from minerals is extremely complex, which directly leads to high catalyst costs and serious secondary pollution. In order to achieve energy saving and emission reduction in the catalyst preparation process, in-situ synthesis of catalyst materials from natural minerals is a new research direction. In this study, we firstly explored the optimal X value of MnXFe3-XO4 for the NH3 selective catalytic reduction of NO (NH3-SCR) reaction, i.e., the Mn, Fe ratio, and then prepared a novel highly active mineral-based pure phase MnXFe3-XO4 spinel NH3-SCR catalyst by natural ferromanganese ore fines with iron-red fines (Fe2O3) allotment through in situ solid-phase synthesis and magnetic separation methods according to this ratio. The results show that the X value of 1.5 (Mn1.5Fe1.5O4) is the best for NH3-SCR reaction. Mn1.5Fe1.5O4 nano-particles (201 nm) has nearly 100 % NO conversion (with 5 % H2O(g)) at 125-300 °C. The combination of characterizations and density functional theory (DFT) calculation shows that the catalytic process of Eley-Rideal (E-R) dehydrogenation is enhanced at both the active site Mn site and Fe site, which is a key factor in the acceleration of the NH3-SCR reaction with increasing X value at the MnXFe3-XO4 surface.

Cadmium tolerance and accumulation from the perspective of metal ion absorption and root exudates in broomcorn millet.

Cadmium (Cd) is a persistent heavy metal that poses environmental and public health concerns. This study aimed to identify the potential biomarkers responsible for Cd tolerance and accumulation by investigating the response of the content of essential metal elements, transporter gene expression, and root exudates to Cd stress in broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum). A hydroponics experiment was conducted using two broomcorn millet cultivars with distinct Cd tolerance levels and accumulation phenotypes (Cd-tolerant and Cd-sensitive cultivars). Cd stress inhibited lateral root growth, especially in the Cd-sensitive cultivar. Furthermore, Cd accumulation was significantly greater in the Cd-tolerant cultivar than in the Cd-sensitive cultivar. Cd stress significantly inhibited the absorption of essential metal elements and significantly increased the calcium concentration. Differentially expressed genes involved in metal ion transport were identified via transcriptome analysis. Cd stress altered the composition of root exudates, thus increasing lipid species and decreasing alkaloid, lignan, sugar, and alcohol species. Moreover, Cd stress significantly reduced most alkaloid, organic acid, and phenolic acid exudates in the Cd-tolerant cultivar, while it increased most lipid and phenolic acid exudates in the Cd-sensitive cultivar. Some significantly changed root exudates (ferulic acid, O-coumaric acid, and spermine) are involved in the phenylalanine biosynthesis, and arginine and proline metabolic pathways, thus, may be potential biomarkers of Cd stress response. Overall, metal ion absorption and root exudates are critical for Cd tolerance and accumulation in broomcorn millet. These findings provide valuable insights into improving Cd phytoremediation by applying mineral elements or metabolites.

Morphophysiological, proteomic and metabolomic analyses reveal cadmium tolerance mechanism in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Soil cadmium (Cd) contamination can reduce wheat yield and quality, thus threatening food security and human health. Herein, morphological physiology, Cd accumulation and distribution, proteomic and metabolomic analyses were performed (using wheat cultivars 'Luomai23' (LM, Cd-sensitive) and 'Zhongyu10' (ZY, Cd-tolerant) at the seedling stage with sand culture) to reveal Cd tolerance mechanism. Cd inhibited wheat growth, caused oxidative stress, hindered carbon and nitrogen metabolism, and altered the quantity and composition of root exudates. The root Cd concentration was lower in ZY than in LM by about 35% under 15 µM Cd treatments. ZY reduced Cd uptake through root exudation of amino acids and alkaloids. ZY also reduced Cd accumulation through specific up-regulation (twice) of major facilitator superfamily (MFS) proteins. Furthermore, ZY enhanced Cd cell wall fixation and vacuolar compartmentalization by increasing pectin contents, hemicellulose1 contents, and adenosine triphosphate binding cassette subfamily C member 1 (ABCC1) transporter expression, thus reducing the Cd organelle fraction of ZY by about 12% and 44% in root and shoot, respectively, compared with LM. Additionally, ZY had enhanced resilience to Cd due to increased antioxidant capacity, plasma membrane stability, nitrogen metabolism, and endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis, indicating that the increased Cd tolerance could be because of multi-level coordination. These findings provide a reference for exploring the molecular mechanism of Cd tolerance and accumulation, providing a basis for safe utilization of Cd-contaminated soil by breeding Cd-tolerant and low Cd-accumulating wheat varieties.

Continuous epitaxy of single-crystal graphite films by isothermal carbon diffusion through nickel.

Multilayer van der Waals (vdW) film materials have attracted extensive interest from the perspective of both fundamental research1-3 and technology4-7. However, the synthesis of large, thick, single-crystal vdW materials remains a great challenge because the lack of out-of-plane chemical bonds weakens the epitaxial relationship between neighbouring layers8-31. Here we report the continuous epitaxial growth of single-crystal graphite films with thickness up to 100,000 layers on high-index, single-crystal nickel (Ni) foils. Our epitaxial graphite films demonstrate high single crystallinity, including an ultra-flat surface, centimetre-size single-crystal domains and a perfect AB-stacking structure. The exfoliated graphene shows excellent physical properties, such as a high thermal conductivity of ~2,880 W m-1 K-1, intrinsic Young's modulus of ~1.0 TPa and low doping density of ~2.2 × 1010 cm-2. The growth of each single-crystal graphene layer is realized by step edge-guided epitaxy on a high-index Ni surface, and continuous growth is enabled by the isothermal dissolution-diffusion-precipitation of carbon atoms driven by a chemical potential gradient between the two Ni surfaces. The isothermal growth enables the layers to grow at optimal conditions, without stacking disorders or stress gradients in the final graphite. Our findings provide a facile and scalable avenue for the synthesis of high-quality, thick vdW films for various applications.

Speciation and bioaccessibility of arsenic in rice under different cooking methods and its implication in risk assessment.

Numerous studies have studied the health risk assessment of human exposure to As or bioaccessible As via rice intake; however, the bioaccessibility of different As species in rice is seldom reported. In the present study, 31 rice samples were collected from markets or individual growers to investigate the speciation and bioaccessibility of As. Five different species (AsIII, AsV, DMA, MMA, and AsB) were detected in rice samples from different regions, among which AsIII accounted for the largest proportion (62.95% in average), followed by DMA and AsV. In addition, the cooking method could facilitate the release of As from rice into gastric and intestinal juice, and subsequently increase the bioaccessibility of As. The bioaccessibility of inorganic As in cooked rice ranged from 71.83 to 100%, and that of organic As ranged from 31.69 to 61.04%. Non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk assessment of children and adults exposure to As via rice intake considering the bioaccessibility of cooked rice was carried out. The target hazard quotient (THQ) of iAs and total As for children ranged from 0.21 to 1.61 and 0.48 to 2.26, respectively, while those for adults ranged from 0.12 to 0.88 and 0.26 to 1.23, respectively. Incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) for children and adults ranged from 9.57 [Formula: see text] 10-5 to 7.25 [Formula: see text] 10-4 and 5.21 [Formula: see text] 10-5 to 3.95 [Formula: see text] 10-4, respectively. The results of risk assessment indicated that children would face a higher health risk than adults when they took the same type of rice as their staple food.

Dynamic and Comparative Transcriptome Analyses Reveal Key Factors Contributing to Cadmium Tolerance in Broomcorn Millet.

Broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) has great potential in Cd phytoextraction, but its mechanisms are largely unknown. Two contrasting broomcorn millet varieties, 'Ningmi6' (Cd-sensitive variety) and '4452' (Cd-tolerant variety), were investigated through morphological, physiological, and transcriptomic analyses to determine the factors responsible for their differential Cd tolerance and translocation. The Cd-tolerant variety can accumulate more Cd, and its cell wall and vacuole component Cd proportions were higher compared with the Cd-sensitive variety. Under Cd stress, the glutathione content and peroxidase activity of the Cd-tolerant variety were significantly higher than those of the Cd-sensitive variety. Additionally, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed hub modules that were associated with Cd stress and/or variety. Notably, genes involved in these hub modules were significantly enriched for roles in glutathione metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, ABC transport, and metal ion transport process. These results suggested that regulation of genes associated with cell wall precipitation and vacuole compartmentalization may increase Cd tolerance and reduce Cd translocation in the Cd-tolerant variety, although it can absorb more Cd. This study provides a foundation for exploring molecular mechanisms of Cd tolerance and transport in broomcorn millet and new insights into improving Cd phytoremediation with this crop through genetic engineering.

Synthesis of nano-silica and biogenic iron (oxyhydr)oxides composites mediated by iron oxidizing bacteria to remove antimonite and antimonate from aqueous solution: Performance and mechanisms.

Removal of antimony from wastewater is essential because of its potential harm to the environment and human health. Nano-silica and biogenic iron (oxyhydr)oxides composites (BS-Fe) were prepared by iron oxidizing bacteria (IOB) mediation and the batch adsorption experiments were applied to investigate antimonite (Sb(III)) and antimonate (Sb(V)) removal behaviors. By contrast, the synthetic BS-Fe calcined at 400 â„ƒ (BS-Fe-400) exhibited a large specific surface area (157.353 m2/g). The maximum adsorption capacities of BS-Fe-400 were 102.10 and 337.31 mg/g for Sb(III) and Sb(V), respectively, and experimental data fit well to the Langmuir isotherm and Temkin models, and followed the pseudo-second order kinetic model. Additionally, increasing pH promoted Sb(III) adsorption, while inhibited the adsorption of Sb(V), indicating that electrostatic attraction made a contribution to Sb(V) adsorption. Moreover, different co-existing ions showed different effects on adsorption. Characterization techniques of FTIR and XPS indicated that the main functional groups involved in the adsorption were -OH, C-O, CO, C-C, etc. and Sb(III) and Sb(V) may bind to iron (oxyhydr)oxides via the formation of inner-sphere complexes. The present work revealed that the synthetic BS-Fe-400 by nano-silica and biogenic iron (oxyhydr)oxides held great application potential in antimony removal from wastewater.

Root characteristics critical for cadmium tolerance and reduced accumulation in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Root radial transport is important for cadmium (Cd) absorption and root-shoot translocation. However, the relationship between root structural characteristics and radial transport of Cd in wheat is still unclear. Six wheat cultivars with different Cd tolerance and accumulation characteristics were used to investigate the roles of root phenotype, microstructure, and apoplastic and symplastic pathways in Cd uptake and root-shoot transport in pot culture. Longer root length, smaller root diameter, and more numerous root tips were more conducive to Cd absorption, while thicker roots were able to retain more Cd, thus reducing root-shoot transport and improving Cd tolerance of shoots. Cd stress can induce the deposition of apoplastic barriers in wheat roots, and the deposition of the apoplastic barrier increases under greater stress. The formation of apoplastic barriers can reduce Cd absorption and transfer to the shoot, and the presence of passage cells can weaken this effect. The cell wall thickening induced by Cd stress enhanced Cd adsorption capacity in wheat roots, but there was no significant correlation between Cd content and polysaccharide content in the cell wall. The up-regulated expression of TaHMA3 and TaVP1, which encode proteins related to Cd compartmentalization, was associated with increased Cd tolerance in wheat and decreased Cd translocation to aboveground parts. The morphology and anatomy of roots appear to play critical roles in Cd tolerance, uptake, and translocation in wheat. The present study provides useful information for the selection of wheat cultivars with low Cd accumulation.

Combining competitive sequestration with nonlinear hybridization chain reaction amplification: an ultra-specific and highly sensitive sensing strategy for single-nucleotide variants.

Highly specific and sensitive detection of single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) is of central importance in disease diagnosis and pharmacogenomics. However, it remains a great challenge to successfully detect very low amounts of mutant SNV sequences in real samples in which a SNV sequence may be surrounded by high levels of closely related wild-type sequences. Herein, we propose an ultra-specific and highly sensitive SNV sensing strategy by combining the competitive sequestration with the nonlinear hybridization chain reaction (HCR) amplification. The rationally designed sequestration hairpin can effectively sequester the large amount of wild-type sequence and thus dramatically improve the hybridization specificity in recognizing SNVs. To improve the detection sensitivity, a new fluorescent signal probe is fabricated by intercalating SYBR Green I dye into the nonlinear HCR based DNA dendrimer to further bind with SNVs for signal amplification. The hyperbranched DNA dendrimer possesses large numbers of DNA duplexes for dye intercalation, thus the signal probe shows strong fluorescence intensity, leading to large fluorescence signal amplification. Taking advantage of the improved hybridization specificity of the competitive sequestration and the enhanced fluorescence response of the nonlinear HCR amplification, the developed sensing strategy enables ultra-specific and highly sensitive detection of SNVs. Taking human pancreatic cancers and colorectal carcinomas related KRAS gene mutations as models, the developed strategy shows remarkably high specificity against 17 SNVs (discrimination factors ranged from 126 to 1001 with a median of 310), and achieves high sensitivity for 6 KRAS mutations (the best resultant detection limit reached 15 pM for KRAS G13D (c.38G > A)). Notably, combined with PCR amplification, our SNV sensing strategy could detect KRAS G12D (c.35G > A) from extracted human genomic DNA samples at abundance as low as 0.05%. This work expands the rule set of designing specific and sensitive SNV sensing strategies and shows promising potential application in clinical diagnosis.

Loss of Annexin A5 expression attenuates the lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory response of rat alveolar macrophages.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a common respiratory syndrome accompanied with an inflammation response. Annexin A5 (AnxA5) has anti-thrombotic, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory properties. The current study aims to explore the potential effect of AnxA5 on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory response in alveolar macrophages (AMs). Rat AMs (NR8383) were used in this study, and the cell viabilities at 4, 8, and 16 h after LPS administration with gradient concentrations were determined using cell counting kit-8 assay. Cell apoptosis and expressions of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and protein were determined by flow cytometry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and western blot, respectively. We found that LPS suppressed the viability of AMs in a dose-dependent manner, and it elevated the expression of AnxA5 in AMs. Inhibition of AnxA5 improved the cell viability compared with the LPS group and could reduce the apoptosis rate in comparison with LPS treatment. The knockdown of AnxA5 suppressed the expressions of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL-1ß), and IL-6 at both protein and mRNA levels and regulated the expressions of apoptosis-related molecules (Bax, Bcl-2, and caspase-3). Moreover, the knockdown of AnxA5 improved the expression levels of inhibitory κB (IκB) and nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) but inhibited the expression of nuclear transcription factor κB (NF-κB), compared with the LPS group. SN50 and ML385 were used to validate this signaling, and the inhibition of AnxA5 suppressed the LPS-induced inflammation, indicating that AnxA5 may be a potential anti-inflammatory target. In addition, NF-κB/Nrf2 signaling pathway may also be involved in the LPS-induced inflammatory response of rat alveolar macrophages.

A value-added multistage utilization process for the gradient-recovery tin, iron and preparing composite phase change materials (C-PCMs) from tailings.

Tin-, iron-bearing tailing is a typically hazardous solid waste in China, which contains plenty of valuable tin, iron elements and is not utilized effectively. In this study, a multistage utilization process was put forward to get the utmost out of the valuable elements (tin and iron) from the tailings, and a gradient-recovery method with three procedures was demonstrated: (1) An activated roasting followed by magnetic separation process was conducted under CO-CO2 atmosphere, tin and iron were efficiently separated during magnetic separation process, and 90.8 wt% iron was enriched in magnetic materials while tin entered into non-magnetic materials; (2) The tin-enriched non-magnetic materials were briquetted with CaCl2 and anthracite and roasted, then tin-rich dusts were collected during the chloridizing roasting process; (3) The roasted briquettes were infiltrated in melting NaNO3 to prepare NaNO3/C-PCMs by a infiltration method. Three kinds of products were obtained from the tailings by the novel process: magnetic concentrates containing 64.53 wt.% TFe, tin-rich dusts containg 52.4 wt.% TSn and NaNO3/C-PCMs for high temperature heat storage. Such a comprehensive and clean utilization method for tin-, iron-bearing tailings produced no secondary hazardous solid wastes, and had great potential for practical application.

Obesity in children with different risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea: a community-based study.

This study investigated the association between obesity and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in preschool and school-age children. Parents of obese and randomly chosen normal weight children completed a questionnaire on sleep-related symptoms, demography, family, and medical history. All subjects were invited to undergo polysomnography (PSG). OSA cases were defined as obstructive apnea hypopnea index (OAHI) ≥1. A total of 5930 children were studied with 9.5% obese (11.9% boys/6.1% girls), 205/2680 preschool and 360/3250 school children. There were 1030 children (535 obese/495 normal weight) who underwent PSG. OSA was higher in obese children and obese school children had higher OAHI, arousal index, and shorter total sleep time. However, there was no positive correlation between OSA and body mass index (BMI). The main risk factors for OSA in preschool children were adenotonsillar hypertrophy and recurrent respiratory tract infection. The main cause for OSA in school children was a history of parental snoring and obesity. Mallampati scores and sleep-related symptoms were found to be associated with OSA in both preschool and school children. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated differential risk factors for OSA in obese children, which suggest that a different mechanism may be involved in OSA development in preschool and school-age children. WHAT IS KNOWN: Various risk factors have been reported in obese children with OSA owing to the different age and different study design. Obese children have a higher prevalence and severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA risk factors in obese children are affected by different ages and study designs. WHAT IS NEW: A differential prevalence and risk factors for obese preschool and school-age children with OSA has been demonstrated.

Quantum oscillations in a two-dimensional electron gas in black phosphorus thin films.

For decades, two-dimensional electron gases (2DEG) have allowed important experimental discoveries and conceptual developments in condensed-matter physics. When combined with the unique electronic properties of two-dimensional crystals, they allow rich physical phenomena to be probed at the quantum level. Here, we create a 2DEG in black phosphorus--a recently added member of the two-dimensional atomic crystal family--using a gate electric field. The black phosphorus film hosting the 2DEG is placed on a hexagonal boron nitride substrate. The resulting high carrier mobility in the 2DEG allows the observation of quantum oscillations. The temperature and magnetic field dependence of these oscillations yields crucial information about the system, such as cyclotron mass and lifetime of its charge carriers. Our results, coupled with the fact that black phosphorus possesses anisotropic energy bands with a tunable, direct bandgap, distinguish black phosphorus 2DEG as a system with unique electronic and optoelectronic properties.