Dissipation and potential risk of tristyrylphenol ethoxylate homologs in peanuts by spraying and root irrigation: A comparative assessment.

Peanuts, known for their nutritional value, health benefits, and delicious taste, are susceptible to agricultural chemical contamination, posing a challenge to the peanut industry in China. While tristyrylphenol ethoxylates (TSPEOs) have garnered attention for their widespread use in pesticide formulations, their dissipation and potential risks in peanuts remain a gap in knowledge. This study, unique in its focus on TSPEOs, investigates their dissipation and potential risks under two common application modes: spraying and root irrigation. The concentration of total TSPEOs in peanut plants was significantly higher when sprayed (435-37,693 µg/kg) than in root irrigation (24-1602 µg/kg). The dissipation of TSPEOs was faster in peanuts and soil when sprayed, with half-lives of 3.67-5.59 d (mean: 4.37 d) and 5.41-7.07 d (mean: 5.95 d), respectively. The residue of TSPEOs in peanut shells and soil were higher with root irrigation (8.9-65.2 and 25.4-305.1 µg/kg, respectively) than with spraying (5.4-30.6 and 8.8-146.5 µg/kg, respectively). These results indicated that the dissipation behavior of TSPEOs in peanuts was influenced by application modes. While the healthy and ecological risk assessments of TSPEOs in soil and peanut shells showed no risks, root irrigation might pose a higher potential risk than spraying. This research provides valuable data for the judicious application of pesticides during peanut cultivation to enhance pesticide utilization and reduce potential risks.

Radiogenomic landscape: Assessment of specific phagocytosis regulators in lower-grade gliomas.

Genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screens have emerged as a powerful method for identifying key genes driving tumor growth. The aim of this study was to explore the phagocytosis regulators (PRs) specifically associated with lower-grade glioma (LGG) using the CRISPR-Cas9 screening database. Identifying these core PRs could lead to novel therapeutic targets and pave the way for a non-invasive radiogenomics approach to assess LGG patients' prognosis and treatment response. We selected 24 PRs that were overexpressed and lethal in LGG for analysis. The identified PR subtypes (PRsClusters, geneClusters, and PRs-score models) effectively predicted clinical outcomes in LGG patients. Immune response markers, such as CTLA4, were found to be significantly associated with PR-score. Nine radiogenomics models using various machine learning classifiers were constructed to uncover survival risk. The area under the curve (AUC) values for these models in the test and training datasets were 0.686 and 0.868, respectively. The CRISPR-Cas9 screen identified novel prognostic radiogenomics biomarkers that correlated well with the expression status of specific PR-related genes in LGG patients. These biomarkers successfully stratified patient survival outcomes and treatment response using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. This study has important implications for the development of precise clinical treatment strategies and holds promise for more accurate therapeutic approaches for LGG patients in the future.

Mediating effects of meaning in life on the relationship between family care, depression, and quality of life in Chinese older adults.

Background: The study explored sources of meaning in older adults and the action path among family care, meaning in life, quality of life, and depression. Materials and methods: We investigated 627 older adults using the Sources of Meaning in Life Scale for the Elderly (SMSE), the Family Care Index (APGAR), the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale-10 (CES-D-10), and the EuroqOL-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D). Results: Scores categorized 454 older adults with good family function, 99 with moderate, and 47 with severe family dysfunction; 110 older adults had depression. The structural equation model showed that family care affected the quality of life and depression by influencing meaning, and depression had a significant negative effect on the quality of life (P < 0.05). The model was a good fit for the data (χ2/df = 3.300, SRMR = 0.0291, GFI = 0.975, IFI = 0.971, TLI = 0.952, CFI = 0.971, RMSEA = 0.062). Conclusion: Meaning in life is an intermediary factor that affects depression and quality of life in older adults. Family care had a significant positive impact on SMSE and a negative influence on depression. The SMSE effectively clarifies the sources of meaning in life and can be used to improve meaning and promote mental health in older adults.

Risk assessment of heavy metal and pesticide mixtures in aquatic biota using the DGT technique in sediments.

Heavy metals and pesticides (HMPs) are common contaminants due to their extensive use worldwide. Diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) are a good method for measuring the bioavailable concentration of pollutants. This study represents the first evaluation of HMP toxicity in aquatic biota using the DGT technique in sediments. Zhelin Bay was selected as the case study site because it has been contaminated by pollutants. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMS) analysis reveals that a diverse range of pollutants (V, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, InHg, Mo, Cd, Sb, W, Pb, CLP, PYR) are mainly influenced by sediment characteristics. Assessment of single HMP toxicity found that the risk quotient (RQ) values for Mn, Cu, inorganic Hg (InHg), chlorpyrifos (CLP) and diuron (DIU) are significantly higher than 1, indicating that the adverse effects of these single HMPs should not be ignored. The combined toxicity of HMP mixtures based on probabilistic ecotoxicological risk assessment shows that Zhelin Bay surface sediments had a medium probability (54.6%) of toxic effects to aquatic biota.

Increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with traumatic liver injury: Real-world data from a nationwide population-based study.

ABSTRACT: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer globally, and liver is one of the most commonly injured organs after blunt abdominal trauma. The traumatic liver injury-HCC risk relationship remains unclear.We extracted data of patients with traumatic liver injury between 2000 and 2013 from Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (n = 15,966) and those of age-, gender-, occupation-, and index year-matched individuals without traumatic liver injury from the general population (n = 63,864). Cox proportional hazard models were employed to determine the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for HCC occurrence in the traumatic liver injury cohort compared with that in the comparison cohort.Patients with traumatic liver injury had an increased HCC risk (adjusted HR 2.13, 95% CI 1.59-2.85); this increased risk was more pronounced within 1 year after injury (adjusted HR 8.84, 95% CI 4.29-18.2). After >1 year of injury, HCC risk remained 1.53-fold higher in patients with traumatic liver injury than in those without traumatic liver injury (95% CI 1.08-2.15).People with traumatic liver injury demonstrate a high HCC risk, particularly within the first year of the injury.

Global, regional, and national burden of kidney, bladder, and prostate cancers and their attributable risk factors, 1990-2019.

BACKGROUND: The burden of kidney, bladder, and prostate cancers has changed in recent decades. This study aims to investigate the global and regional burden of, and attributable risk factors for genitourinary cancers during the past 30 years. METHODS: We extracted data of kidney, bladder, and prostate cancers from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 database, including incidence, mortality, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and attributable risk factors from 1990 to 2019. Estimated annual percentage changes (EAPC) were calculated to assess the changes in age-standardized incidence rate, age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), and age-standardized DALYs rate (ASDR). The associations between cancers burden and socio-demographic index (SDI) were also analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with 1990, the global incident cases in 2019 were higher by 154.78%, 123.34%, and 169.11% for kidney, bladder, and prostate cancers, respectively. During the 30-year study period, there was a downward trend in ASMR and ASDR for bladder cancer (EAPC = - 0.68 and - 0.83, respectively) and prostate cancer (EAPC = - 0.75 and - 0.71, respectively), but an upward trend for kidney cancer (EAPC = 0.35 and 0.12, respectively). Regions and countries with higher SDI had higher incidence, mortality, and DALYs for all three types of cancers. The burden of bladder and prostate cancers was mainly distributed among older men, whereas the burden of kidney cancer increased among middle-aged men. Smoking related mortality and DALYs decreased, but high body mass index (BMI) and high fasting plasma glucose (FPG) related mortality and DALYs increased among kidney, bladder, and prostate cancers during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Kidney, bladder, and prostate cancers remain major global public health challenges, but with distinct trend for different disease entity across different regions and socioeconomic status. More proactive intervention strategies, at both the administrative and academic levels, based on the dynamic changes, are needed.

Visible light positioning (VLP) system using low-cost organic photovoltaic cell (OPVC) for low illumination environments.

We propose and demonstrate a received-signal-strength (RSS) based visible light positioning (VLP) system using a low-cost organic photovoltaic cell (OPVC) receiver (Rx). The OPVC is a passive device without the need of external power supply. It could detect VLC signal and harvest energy. Our developed OPVC has a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 9.8%. The VLP system can be operated at a low illumination of 130 lux. The regression machine learning (ML) algorithm is used to enhance the positioning accuracy.

Outcome Assessment of Z-shaped Osteotomy in the Management of Humeral Shaft Nonunion Secondary to Failed Plate Osteosynthesis.

Restoration of fracture alignment by osteotomy is crucial for the management of humeral nonunion. In the present study, we introduced a new way of osteotomy (Z-shaped) in treating humeral shaft nonunion secondary to failed plate osteosynthesis. Clinical data of 24 patients with humeral shaft nonunion following implant failure (from 2010 to 2014) were retrospectively evaluated. These patients underwent Z-shaped osteotomy in revision surgery after the initial surgery, plate osteosynthesis, was failed. Outcomes were evaluated using visual analogue scale (VAS) and Constant and Murley score. Repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for statistical analysis. Patients were followed up for a minimum of 24 months (26.83±4.33 months). The operative time was 102.33±10.16 min, and hospital stay averaged 9.75±2.13 days. All patients achieved clinical union at the latest follow-up. Complications included radial palsy (n=1) and superficial wound infection (n=1). The postoperative VAS scores decreased significantly compared to preoperative score (F=257.99, P<0.01). Constant and Murley score increased and reached 81.33±0.95 at 24 months' follow-up (F=247.35, P<0.01). Among all the cases, 15 cases were graded as "excellent", and 9 as "good". In conclusion, Z-shaped osteotomy was easy to perform, and it provided additional medial support with more bone contact areas. Revision surgery using locking plate and Z-shaped osteotomy achieved high union rate and improved functional outcome. It was a reasonable and safe option for treating humeral nonunion following implant failure.

A Comprehensive Assessment of the Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Incidence of Gastric Cancer in the United States, 1992-2014.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the racial and ethnic disparities in the incidence of gastric cancer and their temporal trends in the United States. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using data from 13 cancer registries in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End results database, we assessed such disparities during 1992-2014 in the United States using a variety of disparity metrics. RESULTS: The age-standardized incidence rate of non-cardia gastric cancer was highest in Asian and Pacific Islanders, while the incidence of cardia gastric was highest in non-Hispanic whites in men and was similarly low in all groups in women. The incidence of non-cardia gastric cancer decreased in all groups over time, particularly in Asian and Pacific Islanders (on average by 3% per year). The incidence of cardia gastric remained relatively stable in virtually all racial/ethnic groups. The racial and ethnic disparities in gastric cancer incidence steadily decreased over time as measured on the absolute scale, which was mainly driven by the reduced disparities in non-cardia gastric cancer. The range difference in the incidence of gastric cancer decreased on average by 4.1% per year in men and by 2.6% per year in women from 1992 to 2014. The between group variance decreased by 5.6% per year in men and by 3.4% per year in women. The relative-scale disparity measures generally remained stable over time. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates decreased racial and ethnic disparities in the incidence of gastric cancer over time in the United States, particularly as measured on the absolute scale.

High-Surface-Area and Porous Co2P Nanosheets as Cost-Effective Cathode Catalysts for Li-O2 Batteries.

To enable lithium-oxygen batteries for practical applications, the design and efficient synthesis of nonprecious metal catalysts with high activity and stable structural properties are demanded. The objective is to accelerate the sluggish kinetics of both oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction by facilitating electronic/ionic transport and improving oxygen diffusion in a porous structure. In this study, high-surface-area and porous cobalt phosphide (Co2P) nanosheets are synthesized via an environmentally safe hydrothermal method, where red phosphorous is used as the phosphorous source. It was found that the as-prepared Co2P/acetylene black (AB) composite delivered enhanced electrochemical performances, such as high capacities of 2551 mA h g-1 (based on the total weight of Co2P and AB) or 5102 mA h g-1 (based on the weight of Co2P or AB) and a good cycle life of more than 1800 h (132 cycles) in lithium-oxygen battery. The rational design of the Co2P/AB porous oxygen electrode structure provides sufficient accessible reaction sites and a short diffusion path for electrolyte penetration and diffusion of O2.

Residue behaviors and risk assessment of flonicamid and its metabolites in the cabbage field ecosystem.

Flonicamid, a novel selective systemic pesticide, can effectively control a broad range of insect pests. However, the dissipation behaviors and the terminal residues of flonicamid and its metabolites in some crops and soils remain unclear. Herein, an easy, sensitive and reliable method using a modified QuEChERS extraction coupled with LC-MS/MS for the simultaneous analysis of flonicamid and its metabolites in cabbage and soil was developed. Based on this method, the dissipation behaviors of flonicamid and its metabolites as well as their persistence in cabbage and soil during harvest were investigated. Flonicamid degraded rapidly, and the half-lives of flonicamid only and total residues (the sum of flonicamid and its metabolites) were 1.49-4.59 and 1.97-4.99 days in cabbage, and 2.12-7.97 and 2.04-7.62 days in soil, respectively. When 50% flonicamid WG was sprayed once or twice at the recommended dose and 1.5-fold the recommended dose, the highest residues of total flonicamid in cabbage and soil from different pre-harvest intervals (3, 7 and 14 days) were 0.070 and 0.054 mg kg-1, respectively. The risk quotient (RQ) of flonicamid based on the consumption data from China was below 16.84%, indicating that the use of flonicamid is non-hazardous to humans. These results could not only guide the safe and responsible use of flonicamid in agriculture but also help the Chinese government establish the maximum residue level (MRL) for flonicamid in cabbage.

Assessing the feasibility of targeted screening for esophageal adenocarcinoma based on individual risk assessment in a population-based cohort study in Norway (The HUNT Study).

OBJECTIVES: Unselected screening for oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) is not justified due to the low absolute risk in the general population. This study aimed to evaluate a risk prediction model in identifying high-risk individuals who might be considered for targeted screening. METHODS: A population-based cohort of 62,576 participants was recruited in 1995-1997 in Nord-Trøndelag County, Norway (HUNT) and followed up until 31 December 2015. A model for predicting individuals' absolute risk of OAC was developed using competing-risk regression. The Lorenz curve was used to assess the concentration of OAC patients in high-risk individuals and the feasibility of targeted screening based on individual risk assessment. RESULTS: During 1,085,137 person-years of follow-up, 29 incident cases of OAC occurred. The model included risk factors for OAC, in which male sex, older age, gastro-oesophageal reflux symptoms, obesity, and tobacco smoking predicted higher risk of OAC. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for 10-year risk of OAC was 0.71 (95% confidence interval 0.57-0.85) and for 15-year risk was 0.84 (95% confidence interval 0.76-0.91) after 10-fold cross-validation, with good agreements between observed and predicted risks. The Lorenz curve indicated that 33% of all OAC cases would have occurred in the 5% of the population with the highest risks within 15 years, and 61% of all cases in the top 10% of the population. CONCLUSIONS: Individual risk assessment based on known risk factors for OAC has the potential to identify a selected high-risk group of individuals who may benefit from screening for early detection.

Chromosome-level assembly, genetic and physical mapping of Phalaenopsis aphrodite genome provides new insights into species adaptation and resources for orchid breeding.

The Orchidaceae is a diverse and ecologically important plant family. Approximately 69% of all orchid species are epiphytes, which provide diverse microhabitats for many small animals and fungi in the canopy of tropical rainforests. Moreover, many orchids are of economic importance as food flavourings or ornamental plants. Phalaenopsis aphrodite, an epiphytic orchid, is a major breeding parent of many commercial orchid hybrids. We provide a high-quality chromosome-scale assembly of the P. aphrodite genome. The total length of all scaffolds is 1025.1 Mb, with N50 scaffold size of 19.7 Mb. A total of 28 902 protein-coding genes were identified. We constructed an orchid genetic linkage map, and then anchored and ordered the genomic scaffolds along the linkage groups. We also established a high-resolution pachytene karyotype of P. aphrodite and completed the assignment of linkage groups to the 19 chromosomes using fluorescence in situ hybridization. We identified an expansion in the epiphytic orchid lineage of FRS5-like subclade associated with adaptations to the life in the canopy. Phylogenetic analysis further provides new insights into the orchid lineage-specific duplications of MADS-box genes, which might have contributed to the variation in labellum and pollinium morphology and its accessory structure. To our knowledge, this is the first orchid genome to be integrated with a SNP-based genetic linkage map and validated by physical mapping. The genome and genetic map not only offer unprecedented resources for increasing breeding efficiency in horticultural orchids but also provide an important foundation for future studies in adaptation genomics of epiphytes.

The Prevalence of Sleep Disturbance and Its Socio-demographic and Clinical Correlates in First-episode Individuals With Schizophrenia in Rural China.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and the socio-demographic and clinical correlates of sleep disturbance in first-episode individuals with schizophrenia in rural China and the factors that impact sleep among individuals with schizophrenia. DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 104 first-episode individuals with schizophrenia were randomly selected in rural areas in Ningxia, China, in 2015 as the study sample. FINDINGS: In first-episode individuals with schizophrenia, the prevalence of sleep disturbance was 78.8% (82/104). Sleep disturbance was significantly associated with economic status, living situation, educational level, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Sleep disturbance is common in first-episode individuals with schizophrenia in rural China and more attention should be paid in clinical practice to improve the sleep quality for individuals with schizophrenia.

A simpler and more cost-effective peptide biosynthetic method using the truncated GST as carrier for epitope mapping.

There is a need to develop better methods for epitope mapping and/or identification of antibody-recognizing motifs. Here, we describe improved biosynthetic peptide (BSP) method using a newly developed plasmid pXXGST-3 as vector, which has a viral E7 gene in the cloning sites of pXXGST-1. It is crucial to employ pXXGST-3 instead of pXXGST-1, since it makes use of the BSP method simpler and easier to perform, and more cost-effective for epitope mapping. These merits are embodied in two aspects: i) convenient recovery of double enzyme-digested product due to the existence of 315 bp inserted between BamH I and Sal I sites, and thus greatly reducing the production of self-ligation clones, and ii) no longer requiring control protein when screening recombinant (r-) clones expressing 8/18mer peptides by running polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The protocol involves the following core steps: (i) design of plus and minus strands of DNA fragments encoding overlapping 8/18mer peptides; (ii) chemical synthesis of the designed DNA fragments; (iii) development of r-clones using pXXGST-3 vector expressing each 8/18mer peptide fused with truncated GST188 protein; (iv) screening r-clones by running the cell pellets from each induced clone on SDS-PAGE gel followed by sequencing of inserted DNA fragments for each verified r-clone; and (v) Western blotting with either monoclonal antibodies or polyclonal antibodies. This improved GST188-BSP method provides a powerful alternative tool for epitope mapping.

Accuracy assessment of measuring component position after total ankle arthroplasty using a conventional method.

BACKGROUND: This study was to assess the accuracy of measuring the tibial and talar components position and to investigate the outlier rate of each component and predisposing factors related to component malalignment after total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) using a conventional method. METHODS: One hundred fifty consecutive primary total ankle arthroplasty were performed using the three-component HINTEGRA prosthesis for ankle end-stage osteoarthritis. Radiographic analysis for the accuracy of component position in coronal and sagittal plane was conducted at postoperative 6 months. Additionally, the accuracy of component position was evaluated according to presence of preoperative deformity or joint incongruency. RESULTS: The mean postoperative coronal angles of the tibial and talar components (α and γ) were 91.9° and 91.3°. The mean postoperative sagittal angles of the tibial and talar components (ß and δ angle) were 84.6° and 91.7°. In the coronal plane, 16 (10.7%) tibial components and 15 (10.0%) talar components showed outliers greater than 5°. In sagittal plane, 15 (10.0%) tibial components and 29 (19.3%) talar components showed outliers greater than 5°. There was no meaningful increase of the outlier rate regarding presence of preoperative deformity or joint incongruency. CONCLUSIONS: In conventional method of TAA, the outlier rate of the tibial and talar components was about 10 to 20%, especially, the outlier rate of talar component in sagittal plane was up to 20%. Therefore, careful attention should be paid to implant the talar component in conventional TAA.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Incidence of Esophageal Cancer in the United States, 1992-2013.

Racial and ethnic disparities in the incidence of esophageal cancer have not been thoroughly characterized with quantitative health-disparity measures. Using data from 1992-2013 from 13 US cancer registries in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, we assessed such disparities according to histological type, based on a variety of disparity metrics. The age-standardized incidence rate of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was highest among black persons, while adenocarcinoma mainly affected white men. The rate of SCC decreased over time in all racial/ethnic groups, and this was most pronounced in black persons (by 5.7% per year among men and 5.0% among women). The adenocarcinoma rate rose among non-Hispanic whites and among black men. Racial/ethnic disparities in the incidence of total esophageal cancer decreased over time, which was due mainly to reduced disparities in SCC. The 2 absolute disparity measures-range difference and between-group variance-for adenocarcinoma rose by 3.2% and 6.8% per year, respectively, in men and by 1.8% and 5.3% per year, respectively, in women. This study demonstrates decreased racial/ethnic disparities in the incidence of esophageal SCC over time in the United States, while disparities increased in adenocarcinoma incidence as measured on the absolute scale.

Real-time Assessment of Cytosolic, Mitochondrial, and Nuclear Calcium Levels Change in Rat Pheochromocytoma Cells during Pulsed Microwave Exposure Using a Genetically Encoded Calcium Indicator.

Little information is available about the effects of exposure to pulsed microwaves on neuronal Ca2+ signaling under non-thermal conditions. In this study, rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells were exposed to pulsed microwaves for 6 min at a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 4 W/kg to assess possible real-time effects. During microwave exposure, free calcium dynamics in the cytosol, mitochondria, and nucleus of cells were monitored by time-lapse microfluorimetry using a genetically encoded calcium indicator (ratiometric-pericam, ratiometric-pericam-mt, and ratiometric-pericam-nu). We established a waveguide-based real-time microwave exposure system under accurately controlled environmental and dosimetric conditions and found no significant changes in the cytosolic, mitochondrial, or nuclear calcium levels in PC12 cells. These findings suggest that no dynamic changes occurred in [Ca2+]c, [Ca2+]m, or [Ca2+]n of PC12 cells at the non-thermal level.