Responses of precipitation and water vapor budget on the Chinese Loess Plateau to global land cover change forcing.

There have been notable changes in precipitation patterns on the Loess Plateau (LP) of China in recent decades, and numerous attribution studies have focused on sea surface temperature anomalies and atmospheric circulation changes induced by aerosols and greenhouse gases emission. However, the influences of global land use and land cover change (LULCC) as an important forcing factor in the climate system on regional precipitation remains poorly understood. In this study, we quantified the impacts of LULCC on precipitation and the water vapor budget in the LP region, utilizing data from LULCC forcing experiments conducted by the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). Although global LULCC forcing exerted a negative effect on long-term mean precipitation on the LP region from 1850 to 2014, the different response characteristics were detected during different time periods. The global LULCC caused a decrease of 14 mm in annual precipitation during the period of 1850-1960. Conversely, from 1961 to 2014, it led to an increase of 6.4 mm, which is largely attributed to the enhanced water vapor transport along the southern boundary and westerly belt of the LP region. Moreover, from the perspective of the net water vapor balance of the entire LP, although LULCC caused net water vapor export during both periods 1850-1960 and 1961-2014, the export during the latter period (0.20 × 104 kg s-1) was smaller than that during the former period (0.28 × 104 kg s-1), indicating that the global expansion of grassland and cropland, along with the continuous rise in the leaf area index from 1961 to 2014, contributed to retaining more water vapor within the LP, which in turn was more favorable for precipitation. These findings provide valuable insights into the reasons behind precipitation variations in the LP region, emphasizing that global vegetation restoration and greening play a significant role in improving precipitation in ecologically fragile areas.

Efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness analysis of Cerebrolysin in acute ischemic stroke: A rapid health technology assessment.

This study conducts a rapid health technology assessment to systematically evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of Cerebrolysin as an adjunctive therapy for acute ischemic stroke to provide evidence-based medicine for clinical decisions of Cerebrolysin. All systematic reviews/meta-analyses, pharmacoeconomic studies, and health technology assessment reports of Cerebrolysin for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke before August 17, 2023, were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, Weipu, Sinomed database and the official website of health technology assessment. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 2 researchers independently carried out screening, data extraction, and quality evaluation and descriptively analyzed the results of the included studies. A total of 14 pieces of literature were incorporated, comprising 8 systematic reviews/meta-analyses and 6 pharmacoeconomic studies. In terms of effectiveness, compared to control groups, the use of Cerebrolysin as a treatment for acute ischemic stroke demonstrates certain advantages, including enhancement in total efficacy rate, neurological function, upper limb motor dysfunction, and facilitation of the recovery of activities of daily living. Especially in patients with moderate to severe acute ischemic stroke, Cerebrolysin has demonstrated the ability to enhance neurological function recovery and ameliorate disabilities. Regarding safety, adverse reactions were mild or comparable to those in the control group. The primary findings of economic studies reveal that advocating for the use of Cerebrolysin offers certain cost-effectiveness advantages. Cerebrolysin contributes to improved clinical efficacy and evaluation indexes while demonstrating favorable safety and economic benefits.

Safety risk assessment of subway shield construction under-crossing a river using CFA and FER.

Numerous subway projects are planned by China's city governments, and more subways can hardly avoid under-crossing rivers. While often being located in complex natural and social environments, subway shield construction under-crossing a river (SSCUR) is more susceptible to safety accidents, causing substantial casualties, and monetary losses. Therefore, there is an urgent need to investigate safety risks during SSCUR. The paper identified the safety risks during SSCUR by using a literature review and experts' evaluation, proposed a new safety risk assessment model by integrating confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and fuzzy evidence reasoning (FER), and then selected a project to validate the feasibility of the proposed model. Research results show that (a) a safety risk list of SSCUR was identified, including 5 first-level safety risks and 38 second-level safety risks; (b) the proposed safety risk assessment model can be used to assess the safety risk of SSCUR; (c) safety inspection, safety organization and duty, quicksand layer, and high-pressure phreatic water were the high-level risks, and the onsite total safety risk was at the medium level; (d) management-type safety risks, environment-type safety risks, and personnel-type safety risks have higher expected utility values, and manager-type safety risks were expected have higher risk-utility values when compared to worker-type safety risks. The research can enrich the theoretical knowledge of SSCUR safety risk assessment and provide references to safety managers for conducting scientific and effective safety management on the construction site when a subway crosses under a river.

Screening of Associated Factors for Erectile Dysfunction after Radical Prostatectomy and Construction of a Clinical Risk Assessment Model: A Retrospective Study.

OBJECTIVE: In this article, the associated factors for erectile dysfunction (ED) after radical prostatectomy (RP) were explored, and a clinical risk assessment model was constructed. METHODS: A total of 155 patients who underwent RP in People's Hospital of Hunan Province from November 2020, to November 2021, were selected as the study group. In accordance with the results of International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) at 6 months after surgery, 88 patients were included in the ED group (IIEF-5 <22), and 67 patients were included in the non-ED group (IIEF-5 ≥22). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to screen the risk factors for ED after RP, and a risk model was constructed on this basis. In addition, 43 patients with ED after RP and 41 patients with non-ED after RP from January 2022, to January 2023, were included in the test group to evaluate the predictive efficacy of the clinical risk assessment model on the basis of the receiver operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: The study group had a lower postoperative IIEF-5 score than before surgery (p < 0.001). The incidence of ED after RP in the study group was 56.77% (88/155). Multivariate analysis showed that advanced age (odds ratio (OR) = 1.155), large prostate volume (OR = 1.077), smoking (OR = 5.676), drinking (OR = 3.495), hypertension (OR = 8.079), diabetes (OR = 6.082), low preoperative serum testosterone (T) level (OR = 0.684) and high preoperative serum endothelin-1 (ET-1) level (OR = 1.192) were risk factors for ED after RP (p < 0.05). A risk model was constructed as follows: Z = 0.144 × (age) + 0.074 × (prostate volume) + 1.736 × (smoking) + 1.251 × (drinking) + 2.089 × (hypertension) + 1.805 × (diabetes) - 0.380 × (preoperative serum T) + 0.175 × (preoperative serum ET-1). The area under curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity and 95% CI of this model were 0.906, 97.70%, 73.20%, and 0.848-0.964, respectively (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical risk assessment model constructed on the basis of the above factors provides some references for the scientific prevention and treatment of ED after RP.

Health risk assessment of nitrate pollution of drinking groundwater in rural areas of Suihua, China.

In order to investigate the health risks of NO3- in rural drinking groundwater in Suihua, China and provide a basis for healthy drinking water, 40 sets of groundwater samples were collected in the Suihua area, and the average concentration of nitrate in the study area was 71.66 mg/L, statistical analysis software (SPSS19), Hydrogeochemical Analysis Software (AqQA) and groundwater pollution analysis software were used. Through water sample collection, chemical analysis and construction of human health risk model (HHRA), a qualitative and quantitative assessment of NO3- health risk was carried out for people of different ages and sexes, and it was concluded that there was NO3- pollution health risk in rural drinking groundwater in Suihua. Health risk level: infants > children > adult females > adult males. The evaluation provides a scientific basis for the prevention and control of NO3- pollution in groundwater and new ideas for preventing human health risks.

Biomass directional pyrolysis based on element economy to produce high-quality fuels, chemicals, carbon materials - A review.

Biomass is regarded as the only carbon-containing renewable energy source and has performed an increasingly important role in the gradual substitution of conventional fossil energy, which also contributes to the goals of carbon neutrality. In the past decade, the academic field has paid much greater attention to the development of biomass pyrolysis technologies. However, most biomass conversion technologies mainly derive from the fossil fuel industry, and it must be noticed that the large element component difference between biomass and traditional fossil fuels. Thus, it's necessary to develop biomass directional pyrolysis technology based on the unique element distribution of biomass for realizing enrichment target element (i.e., element economy). This article provides a broad review of biomass directional pyrolysis to produce high-quality fuels, chemicals, and carbon materials based on element economy. The C (carbon) element economy of biomass pyrolysis is realized by the production of high-performance carbon materials from different carbon sources. For efficient H (hydrogen) element utilization, high-value hydrocarbons could be obtained by the co-pyrolysis or catalytic pyrolysis of biomass and cheap hydrogen source. For improving the O (oxygen) element economy, different from the traditional hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) process, the high content of O in biomass would also become an advantage because biomass is an appropriate raw material for producing oxygenated liquid additives. Based on the N (nitrogen) element economy, the recent studies on preparing N-containing chemicals (or N-rich carbon materials) are reviewed. Moreover, the feasibility of the biomass poly-generation industrialization and the suitable process for different types of target products are also mentioned. Moreover, the enviro-economic assessment of representative biomass pyrolysis technologies is analyzed. Finally, the brief challenges and perspectives of biomass pyrolysis are provided.

Accumulation Pattern and Risk Assessment of Potentially Toxic Elements in Permafrost-Affected Agricultural Soils in Northeast China.

The accumulation of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in agricultural soils is of particular concern in China, while its status, ecological risks, and human health hazards have been little studied in the permafrost areas of Northeast China. In this study, 75 agricultural soil samples (0-20 cm) were collected from the Arctic Village, Mo'he City, in the northernmost part of China. The average concentration (mean ± standard deviation) of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn were 12.11 ± 3.66 mg/kg, 0.11 ± 0.08 mg/kg, 52.50 ± 8.83 mg/kg, 12.08 ± 5.12 mg/kg, 0.05 ± 0.02 mg/kg, 14.90 ± 5.35 mg/kg, 22.38 ± 3.04 mg/kg, and 68.07 ± 22.71 mg/kg, respectively. Correlation analysis, cluster analysis, and principal component analysis indicated that As, Cu, Ni, and Zn likely originated from geogenic processes, Hg and Pb from long-range atmospheric transport, Cd from planting activities, and Cr from Holocene alluvium. The geo-accumulation index and enrichment factor showed that As, Cd, Hg, and Zn are enriched in soils. The Nemerow pollution index showed that 66.67%, 24%, and 1.33% of soil samples were in slight, moderate, and heavy pollution levels, respectively, with Hg being the most important element affecting the comprehensive pollution index. The potential ecological risk index showed that 48.00% and 1.33% of soil samples were in the moderate ecological risk and high potential ecological risk levels, respectively. The non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic human health risk index for adults and children were both less than 1, which was within the acceptable range. This study revealed the accumulation pattern of PTEs in agricultural soils of permafrost regions and provided a scientific basis for research on ecological security and human health.

Price Estimation of Coal Seam and Its Application in the Optimization of the Mining Sequence: A Case Study.

Coal price may vary significantly within a given coal seam, and the accurate characterization of coal price plays an important role in the rational development and utilization of coal resources. A geostatistics-block-based method is proposed to obtain the spatial correlation of borehole survey data and map the heterogenous distribution of coal seam thickness and coal quality (including calorific value, volatile content, ash content, and sulfur content). A block model of thermal coal price is next established considering the spatial distribution of coal quality parameters. Taking an undisclosed coal mine as an example, the estimation process of coal price block model is described in detail, and the mining sequence among several panels is optimized considering the heterogenous coal price. The coal price ranges from 814 to 1671 Chinese Yuan/t within the research area, and the net present value is increased by 1.53% after the optimization of the mining sequence. The result indicated that the coal price is generally heterogenous in a coal seam, and it has a significant influence on the mining sequence. The accurate modeling of coal seam properties has wide applications in mining engineering.

Contribution of whole slide imaging-based deep learning in the assessment of intraoperative and postoperative sections in neuropathology.

The pathological diagnosis of intracranial germinoma (IG), oligodendroglioma, and low-grade astrocytoma on intraoperative frozen section (IFS) and hematoxylin-eosin (HE)-staining section directly determines patients' treatment options, but it is a difficult task for pathologists. We aimed to investigate whether whole-slide imaging (WSI)-based deep learning can contribute new precision to the diagnosis of IG, oligodendroglioma, and low-grade astrocytoma. Two types of WSIs (500 IFSs and 832 HE-staining sections) were collected from 379 patients at multiple medical centers. Patients at Center 1 were split into the training, testing, and internal validation sets (3:1:1), while the other centers were the external validation sets. First, we subdivided WSIs into small tiles and selected tissue tiles using a tissue tile selection model. Then a tile-level classification model was established, and the majority voting method was used to determine the final diagnoses. Color jitter was applied to the tiles so that the deep learning (DL) models could adapt to the variations in the staining. Last, we investigated the effectiveness of model assistance. The internal validation accuracies of the IFS and HE models were 93.9% and 95.3%, respectively. The external validation accuracies of the IFS and HE models were 82.0% and 76.9%, respectively. Furthermore, the IFS and HE models can predict Ki-67 positive cell areas with R2 of 0.81 and 0.86, respectively. With model assistance, the IFS and HE diagnosis accuracy of pathologists improved from 54.6%-69.7% and 53.5%-83.7% to 87.9%-93.9% and 86.0%-90.7%, respectively. Both the IFS model and the HE model can differentiate the three tumors, predict the expression of Ki-67, and improve the diagnostic accuracy of pathologists. The use of our model can assist clinicians in providing patients with optimal and timely treatment options.

Consistency assessment and visualization of recommendations on gastroesophageal reflux disease: a scoping review of clinical practice guidelines.

INTRODUCTION: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a highly prevalent gastrointestinal disorder that causes diverse esophageal and extraesophageal symptoms. Many clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have been issued around the world to provide practical evidence regarding GERD management. However, some of the recommendations discussed in various CPGs are inconsistent across individual documents. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to summarize the evidence from CPGs on GERD and assess the consistency of the recommendations. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this scoping review, we identified current CPGs on the clinical management of GERD, which were comprehensively searched for in electronic databases and on relevant scientific websites. The recommendations were extracted using the population­intervention­comparison framework and were subsequently categorized into tables. RESULTS: Ultimately, 24 CPGs were identified. They included 86 recommendations, which were classified into 5 categories: definition, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and complications. Among the identified recommendations, 68 were proposed in at least 2 CPGs, and they were assessed for the consistency of direction and strength. Overall, 32.4% of the recommendations (22/68) were consistent in direction and strength, whereas 60.3% (41/68) were consistent in direction but inconsistent in strength. Moreover, 7.4% (5/68) were inconsistent in direction. These referred to the relationship between GERD and tobacco consumption, Helicobacter pylori infection, diagnostic utility of the 2­week proton pump inhibitor test, cessation of special food, and antireflux surgery for GERD with extraesophageal symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Most CPG recommendations regarding GERD were consistent in direction, except for 5 discrepancies, for which further well­designed, large­scale research is required to explain the inconsistency.

Identification and hazard analysis of heavy metal sources in agricultural soils in ancient mining areas: A quantitative method based on the receptor model and risk assessment.

Industry in ancient mining areas caused significant heavy metal pollution (HMP) in agricultural soils. This study measured the hazards of specific sources of heavy metals (HMs) in an ancient mining areas agricultural soil. Firstly, we identified the major pollution sources based on the PMF model. Then, the proposed single-factor pollution load index (SPLIzone) and ecological load index (SELIzone) analyzed the integrated pollution and ecological risks of various elements. Finally, the source-specific soil contamination levels and ecological risks were quantified by combining the source assignment and single-factor assessment processes. SPLIzone and SELIzone showed that Cu and Cd were the most contaminated elements. Five factors were determined as the major sources of HMs, including mining, natural, smelting industry, agricultural and traffic sources. The mining sources contributed the most soil contamination (33.73%). However, the largest contributor to ecological risk was the smelting industrial (42.18%). Lower soil contamination may contain higher ecological risk. Smelting industrial and traffic are the most critical sources that need to be controlled at present. This study proposes a quantitative method for assessing the hazards of HM sources, which provides a beneficial reference for the study and management of HMP.

Dynamic assessment and system dynamics simulation of safety risk in whole life cycle of coal mine.

Based on the accident causation theory, the mechanism and inducement of construction safety risk in mining enterprises are clarified. The safety risk system of mining enterprises is divided into five subsystems: personnel, material equipment, technology, environment, and management by rough set theory. The comprehensive weight of each risk factor is calculated by network analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method. Taking a mine in Shanxi Province as the research object, the causal traceability diagram and stock flow diagram of the risk system of mining enterprises are constructed by means of system dynamics model. The influence of various risk factors of the mine on the overall safety risk management level of the enterprise is simulated, and the numerical value of key personnel influence factors is adjusted. The sensitivity changes of safety productivity and safety risk management level of mining enterprises in different situations are analyzed. The results show that: (1) the management and personnel subsystem has the greatest impact on the safety risk management of mining enterprises, followed by the technology, material equipment, and environment subsystem. (2) Increasing safety input can improve the safety level and reduce the expected safety value time, otherwise it will reduce the safety level and delay the expected safety value time. (3) Further simulation of the personnel subsystem, it is found that the factors affecting the safety level of mining enterprises contain six factors, namely, the technical level of construction personnel, the management level of manager, the conduct code of construction personnel, the safety consciousness of practitioners, the basic quality of construction personnel, and the physical and mental state of construction personnel. (4) The conversion rate of personnel safety input to manager's management level and the safety consciousness of practitioners presents a steep decline-slow rise-gradually steady development trend, which mainly because the benefits of safety input have certain time delay and lag.

A latent class analysis of community-based rehabilitation needs among Chinese older adults: a mixed study protocol.

Background: Geriatric diseases (e.g., chronic diseases and geriatric syndromes) may result in impaired physical performance and a decline in the quality of life. The results of previous studies reported the positive effects of comprehensive community-based rehabilitation (CBR) services on physical and social functioning and psychosocial wellbeing. However, to provide adequate and personalised rehabilitation services, it is essential to understand the needs of the older adults population. There have been no studies on the need for CBR in older adults populations that consider their heterogeneity. Therefore, high-quality studies are required to recognise the heterogeneity and latent classes of CBR needs in older adults population groups. This study aims to identify the heterogeneity of the rehabilitation needs of older adults in the community and explore whether older adults with similar characteristics have similar needs through a cross-sectional survey and latent class analysis (LCA) to provide support for personalised rehabilitation services. Methods: The study is structured into four phases. The first phase will focus on constructing a comprehensive questionnaire to assess rehabilitation needs. In the second phase, a pilot study will be conducted to evaluate the reliability and validity of the completed questionnaire. This step ensures the robustness of the instrument for data collection. The third phase will involve cross-sectional surveys using the finalised questionnaires to collect the necessary data from the targeted population. The fourth phase will focus on conducting LCA to determine the CBR needs of the older adult population. Discussion: The results of this study will provide novel and critical information for a better understanding of the rehabilitation needs, potential categories, and influencing factors of older adults in the community. The study will be conducted in Guizhou Province in western China, where economic and social development is relatively low, and the results will inform and benefit other regions and developing countries facing similar challenges. However, because of the complete social security and rehabilitation service systems in developed areas, our research results may not fully reflect the situation in these areas. Future studies may need to be conducted in places with different levels of social development. Clinical trial registration: https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=191398, ChiCTR2300071478.

Distribution characteristics and ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in sediments of Shahe reservoir.

Shahe Reservoir of Northern Canal Basin was selected as the study area. Nineteen surface (0~20 cm) sediment samples and three sediment core samples were collected to analyze the spatial distribution characteristics of As, Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn in the sediments. The geo-accumulation index, potential ecological risk index and risk assessment code were used to evaluate heavy metal pollution, as well as its potential risk was analyzed according to the speciation of heavy metals. Results showed that the average enrichment factors of heavy metals compared to the background value in soil of Beijing were ranked at the order as the point source pollution area > the central area of the reservoir > the downstream area of the reservoir > the Nansha River > the upstream area of the reservoir > the Beisha River, namely, 2.57 times, 2.06 times, 1.97 times, 1.95 times, 1.87 times and 1.85 times, respectively. The sediment core samples in the central area of the reservoir and the inlet of the Beisha River showed a trend of increasing firstly and then decreasing with the change of depth. Pollution assessment results showed that sediment was moderately contaminated or moderately to strongly contaminated by As, but the other heavy metals were not polluted or lightly polluted. The potential ecological risk index of all sampling sites was less than 150, showing a low ecological risk. As Cr and Cu were mainly in the speciation of residues, with low bioavailability. Although the content of Mn and Zn were low, they showed high bioavailability. Based on correlation analysis and principal component analysis, it was speculated that the sources of various heavy metal pollution in the sediment were similar, which were possibly input from the external wastewater. The heavy metals in sediment were positively related to nutrients and organic matter, indicating that all of them were mostly from the same point polluted sources.

Ecological Risk Assessment and Influencing Factors of Heavy-Metal Leaching From Coal-Based Solid Waste Fly Ash.

In order to promote and broaden the utilization of fly ash as a resource, the fly ash from a 2,660-MW coal-fired power plant in Huainan (China) was investigated. The physical and chemical properties of fly ash were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy spectrum analysis, and XRD. The content and different forms of the heavy metals Cd, Cr, Cu, Co, and Ni were determined by acid digestion, oscillation leaching, and Tessier five-step extraction. The effect of pH, temperature, and particle size on the leached amount of heavy metals was studied. Finally, the ecological risk index was calculated for each heavy metal via the risk assessment coding (RAC) method and Hakanson ecological risk assessment method, allowing the ecological risk of fly ash to be determined under different environmental conditions. Results showed that the average concentrations of Cd, Cr, Co, and Ni were all below the risk screening values reported for environmental pollutants (pH > 7.5). Under varying pH, temperature, and particle size conditions, the leached amounts (oscillation leaching) were below the soil risk screening values for agricultural land in China. An RAC-Cd value of >50% indicates a high ecological risk, while the RAC values of Co and Ni were between 10 and 30%, indicating a medium ecological risk, and the RAC values of Cr and Cu were <10%, indicating a low ecological risk. With increasing pH, the potential ecological risk index (RI) decreased, with a maximum RI of 59.62 observed at pH 2.8. With increasing temperature, the potential ecological RI increased initially to a maximum of 27.69 at 25°C and then decreased thereafter. With increasing particle size, the ecological RI decreased, with the highest RI of 4.06 occurring at <0.075 mm. The Hakanson ecological RI value was below 150, indicating a slight ecological risk. Therefore, fly ash can be considered as a soil additive and conditioner that is suitable for use in the improvement of reclamation soil in coal mining subsidence areas.

Overview of heavy metal pollution and health risk assessment of urban soils in Yangtze River Economic Belt, China.

Using national multi-purpose regional geochemical survey (NMPRGS) data, this overview systematically summarizes the pollution levels and health risks posed by 8 heavy metals (As, Cd, Pb, Zn, Hg, Cu, Cr and Ni) in urban soils of 86 cities above the prefecture level in Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB). Meanwhile, the spatial distribution and main sources of heavy metal pollutants in urban soils of key cities are described in detail. On a regional scale, Hg and Cd contamination in urban soils of YREB is most prominent, and As, Cu, Pb and Zn contamination exists in several cities, while Cr and Ni contamination is almost not shown. The type of industrialization and the history of urbanization affect the soil heavy metal pollution in majority cities, and the influence of geological background on the content of heavy metals in urban soils cannot be ignored. Specifically, the urban pollution of Cd, As, Pb and Zn is mainly concentrated in Hunan and Hubei Provinces, which are highly developed in mining industry, especially in Zhuzhou, Chenzhou, Huangshi and Xiangtan cities, while the major soil Hg pollution occurs in Zhejiang and Jiangsu Provinces with rapid economic development, where Shaoxing, Ningbo, Suzhou and Wuxi are the key polluted cities. Heavy metals in the urban soils investigated generally posed low non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks to the adults. However, the non-carcinogenic risk to minors in some cities (e.g., Chenzhou and Huangshi) should be given cautious attention.

Structural Characterization and Assessment of Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Tyrosinase Activities of Polyphenols from Melastoma normale.

Polyphenols, widely distributed in the genus Melastoma plants, possess extensive cellular protective effects such as anti-inflammatory, anti-tyrosinase, and anti-obesity, which makes it a potential anti-inflammatory drug or enzyme inhibitor. Therefore, the aim of this study is to screen for the anti-inflammatory and enzyme inhibitory activities of compounds from title plant. Using silica gel, MCI, ODS C18, and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography, as well as semipreparative HPLC, the extract of Melastoma normale roots was separated. Four new ellagitannins, Whiskey tannin C (1), 1-O-(4-methoxygalloyl)-6-O-galloyl-2,3-O-(S)-hexahydroxydiphenoyl-ß-d-glucose (2), 1-O-galloyl-6-O-(3-methoxygalloyl)-2,3-O-(S)-hexahydroxydiphenoyl-ß-d-glucose (3), and 1-O-galloyl-6-O-vanilloyl-2,3-O-(S)-hexahydroxydiphenoyl-ß-d-glucose (4), along with eight known polyphenols were firstly obtained from this plant. The structures of all isolates were elucidated by HRMS, NMR, and CD analyses. Using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW2 64.7 cells, we investigated the anti-inflammatory activities of compounds 1-4, unfortunately, none of them exhibit inhibit nitric oxide (NO) production, their IC50 values are all > 50 µM. Anti-tyrosinase activity assays was done by tyrosinase inhibition activity screening model. Compound 1 showed weak tyrosinase inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 426.02 ± 11.31 µM. Compounds 2-4 displayed moderate tyrosinase inhibitory activities with IC50 values in the range of 124.74 ± 3.12-241.41 ± 6.23 µM. The structure-activity relationships indicate that hydroxylation at C-3', C-4', and C-3 in the flavones were key to their anti-tyrosinase activities. The successful isolation and structure identification of ellagitannin provide materials for the screening of anti-inflammatory drugs and enzyme inhibitors, and also contribute to the development and utilization of M. normale.

High nitrogen stainless steel drug-eluting stent - Assessment of pharmacokinetics and preclinical safety in vivo.

Pharmacokinetic analyses were performed using 20 pigs for 120-days implantation, while one sirolimus-eluting stent was implanted into one of their coronary artery. At different time points, the residual sirolimus on the stent, delivered locally (to artery wall), regionally (to adjacent and downstream muscle) and systemically (to plasma and visceral organs), was detected throughout 120 days. Preclinical safety evaluation was performed using 32 pigs for 180-days implantation to study the safety of metal platform material and the effectiveness of sirolimus eluting coating on the HNS stent. The neointima area, restenosis rate and inflammatory grade for HNS and control group stents were detected and analyzed. Approximately 80% sirolimus was eluted from the sirolimus-eluting stents after 30-days implantation in vivo. Additionally, there was sustained sirolimus in the artery wall, cardiac muscle and heart throughout 120-days implantation, and sirolimus accumulated to the peak at 90-days implantation. It was inferred that the sirolimus eluting stent in this study was covered by neointima before 90-days implantation, indicating that the sirolimus eluting coating on the HNS stent was safe and effective. Very little sirolimus was distributed in visceral organs after 14-days implantation. HNS sirolimus-eluting stent exhibited lower restenosis rate and lower inflammatory grade than control group, which verified that the sirolimus-eluting coating design in this study was reasonable and practical. In addition, there were no significant difference in restenosis rate and inflammatory score between HNS bare-metal stent and drug-eluting stents, illustrating that HNS has good bio-compatibility and is suitable to use as coronary artery stent material.

[Explore the Optimal Resolvent of Medical Needs and Mental Health for Patients with Lung Cancer during Epidemic Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia].

BACKGROUND: With the rapid spread of novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) worldwide and the escalation of prevention and control efforts, the routine medical needs of patients have been restricted. The aims were to investigate medical needs of lung cancer patients and their mental health status during the epidemic periods, so as to provide rational recommendations for subsequent diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: The questionnaire was sent in the form of an electronic questionnaire at 7am on 4th, March, 2020, until 7am 6th, March, 2020, 368 questionnaires were recollected from 25 provinces (autonomous regions/municipalities) in 48 h. RESULTS: Of the 368 patients, 18 patients were excluded as they didn't receive anti-tumor treatment, and 350 patients were included in the final analysis. 229 cases were treated with oral targeted drugs, and 121 cases were treated with chemotherapy or immunotherapy. 41.3% of patients treated with intravenous chemotherapy or immunotherapy experienced treatment discontinuation, and the proportion of treatment discontinuation in chemotherapy or immunotherapy was higher than those treated with oral targeted drugs (21.0%). Whether oral targeted drugs or intravenous chemotherapy or immunotherapy, more than 60% of patients experienced delays in imaging examinations. Nearly one third of patients developed new symptoms or exacerbation of existing symptoms. 26.6%-28.9% of patients have changed their treatment plans through online consultation. During novel coronavirus pneumonia, 40%-75% of lung cancer patients have mental health problems, and more than 95% of patients support government's prevention and control measures. CONCLUSIONS: During the emergence of NCP, the medical needs of patients with lung cancer have not been enough, especially those who discontinued chemotherapy or immunotherapy. When medical institution resumes work, priority should be given to them. At the same time, mental health problems of patients should be valued and resolved timely.

Biocompatibility assessment of Fe3O4 nanoparticles using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism.

Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as an experimental model, the potential toxicological effects of Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4-NPs) were investigated following exposure to 0-600 mg/L for 24 h. Results revealed that cell proliferation was significantly inhibited by Fe3O4-NPs with an IC50 value of 326.66 mg/L. Mortality showed a concentration-dependent increase, and the highest concentration in this study (600 mg/L) resulted in 22.30% mortality. In addition, Effects on proliferation and mortality were accounted for Fe3O4-NPs rather than iron ion released from Fe3O4-NPs. Scanning and transmission electron microscope observation showed that Fe3O4-NPs extensively attached on the cell surfaces, causing cells to deform and shrink. Moreover, Fe3O4-NPs could be internalized in S. cerevisiae cells via endocytosis and then be distributed in cytoplasm and vesicles. The data of uptake kinetics demonstrated that the maximal accumulation (4.898 mg/g) was reached at 15 h. Besides, percentage of late apoptosis/necrosis was observably increased (p < 0.01) at 600 mg/L (15.80%), and the expression levels of apoptosis-related genes (SOD, Yca1 and Nuc1) were dramatically increased following exposure to Fe3O4-NPs for 24 h. As expected, mitochondrial transmembrane potential was significantly decreased (p < 0.01) at 50-600 mg/L, and biomarkers of oxidative stress (ROS, CAT and SOD) were also markedly changed following exposure. Altogether, the combined results so far indicated Fe3O4-NPs could induce S. cerevisiae cell apoptosis that mediated by mitochondrial impairment and oxidative stress.