Impact of parathyroidectomy among nondiabetic hemodialysis patients with severe hyperparathyroidism.

BACKGROUND: Parathyroidectomy (PTX) is a treatment for hyperparathyroidism (HPT) and has uncertain risks and benefits. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of PTX versus nonoperative treatment among nondiabetic hemodialysis patients. METHODS: A retrospective matched cohort study was performed. Each PTX patient was matched with one patient who had severe HPT but rejected PTX. The patients were matched by sex, birth date, date of first dialysis, nondiabetic status, and left ventricular ejection fraction. The serum markers, survival, main adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular event (MACCE) rates, and hospitalization were compared between the PTX patients and matched non-PTX patients. RESULTS: There were 1143 patients at our center in the Chinese National Renal Data System (CNRDS) between 2010 and 2020. Of these, 75 PTX patients were matched with 75 non-PTX patients. Rapid decreases in the mean intact parathyroid hormone, calcium and phosphorus concentrations, and a gradual increase in hemoglobin concentration were observed in the PTX group. The mortality was 2.9 per 100 patient-years in the PTX group and 10.9 per 100 patient-years in the non-PTX group (p < 0.001). Compared with non-PTX patients, PTX patients had an adjusted HR for death of 0.236 (95% CI 0.108-0.518). The cumulative MACCE rates were 6.7 per 100 patient-years in the PTX group and 15.2 per 100 patient-years in the non-PTX group (p < 0.001). The adjusted HR of the occurrence of first MACCE for PTX patients compared with non-PTX patients was 0.524 (95% CI 0.279-0.982). The cumulative hospitalization rates were 50.3 per 100 patient-years in the PTX group and 66.5 per 100 patient-years in the matched non-PTX group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with non-PTX patients, PTX was associated with an improvement in the biochemical measures and patient-level outcomes in nondiabetic hemodialysis patients with severe HPT.

SfgA Renders Aspergillus flavus More Stable to the External Environment.

sfgA is known as a key negative transcriptional regulator gene of asexual sporulation and sterigmatocystin production in Aspergillus nidulans. However, here, we found that the homolog sfgA gene shows a broad and complex regulatory role in governing growth, conidiation, sclerotia formation, secondary metabolism, and environmental stress responses in Aspergillus flavus. When sfgA was deleted in A. flavus, the fungal growth was slowed, but the conidiation was significantly increased, and the sclerotia formation displayed different behavior at different temperatures, which increased at 30 °C but decreased at 36 °C. In addition, sfgA regulated aflatoxin biosynthesis in a complex way that was associated with the changes in cultured conditions, and the increased production of aflatoxin in the ∆sfgA mutant was associated with a decrease in sclerotia size. Furthermore, the ∆sfgA mutant exhibited sensitivity to osmotic, oxidative, and cell wall stresses but still produced dense conidia. Transcriptome data indicated that numerous development- and secondary-metabolism-related genes were expressed differently when sfgA was deleted. Additionally, we also found that sfgA functions downstream of fluG in A. flavus, which is consistent with the genetic position in FluG-mediated conidiation in A. nidulans. Collectively, sfgA plays a critical role in the development, secondary metabolism, and stress responses of A. flavus, and sfgA renders A. flavus more stable to the external environment.

[Distribution characteristics and edge effect of soil water and salt in silvopastoral system of the Yellow River Delta, China]. / é»„æ²³ä¸‰è§’æ´²æž—è‰å¤åˆç³»ç»ŸåœŸå£¤æ°´ç›åˆ†å¸ƒç‰¹å¾åŠå ¶è¾¹ç•Œæ•ˆåº”.

We measured soil water and salt distribution characteristics at 0-40 cm soil depth in a silvopastoral system of Fraxinus chinensis and Robinia pseudoacacia mixed forest × Medicago sativa, which is located in Land Use Scientific Observation Field Base of Ministry of Land and Resource in Wudi, Shandong Province, China. The moving split-window technique was used to analyze the internal-system edge effect. The results showed that both soil water and salt contents in this system heterogeneously distributed in the horizontal direction. The variation of soil water was greater and that of soil salt contents was the smaller when closer to the soil surface. With the mixed forest tree row as the boundary line, the contents of soil water and salt on both sides showed similar change trend. With the decreases of distance to the tree row, soil water content reduced first and then increased but the salt contents had a stable fluctuation at 0-10 cm soil layer. Soil water content showed a trend of decrease-flat-decrease but the salt contents first enhanced and then reduced at 10-20 cm soil layer, respectively. At the deeper soil layer (20-40 cm), the water content fluctuated stably but the salt content continued increasing. Both the contents of soil water and salt in the vertical direction increased significantly with soil depth. Except HCO3- and K+, there was a similar change trend between ions and total salt content in the soil of silvopastoral system, and the correlation between these ions and total salt content was Na+>Cl->SO42->Mg2+>Ca2+. Based on the technique of moving split-window, the edge effect zone of soil water in the silvopastoral system was 2.5 m from the east side of the tree row to 2 m from the west side. Soil salinity in the silvopastoral system was mainly affected by the tree row within the range of 1.0 m, and by both of the tree row and M. sativa within the range of 1.0-3.0 m.

[Simultaneous analysis of trace Cu2+, Ca2+ and Zn2+ in surface water from Yangtze and Jialing River with Kalman filter-spectrophotometry].

1-(2-pyridine azo)-2-naphthol(PAN) is one of color reagent to determine the concentration of many trace metal ions. The analyzing conditions of PAN chelating reaction with three metal ions such as Cu2+, Cd2+ and Zn2+, the spectral properties at maximum absorption wavelength of these chelate compounds, pH effect and reaction time and so on were studied. Combining with Kalman filter algorithm and spectrophotometric simultaneously determining on-line technology the water samples containing the three metal ion compounds chelated with PAN from our laboratory, Yangtze River and Jialing River were analyzed quantitatively under optimal analysis condition, and the recovery is between 90.2%-106% for samples of laboratory. The analysis results for real samples from Yangtze River and Jialing River by the Kalman filtering algorithm compared with the corresponding pollution data from the governmental water quality monitoring sites at same sampling sites have well consistency so that the method could be directly, conveniently used for monitoring quantificationally real samples containing multimetal ions in various surface water of rivers simultaneously.

Fallopian tube occlusion with a shape memory polymer device: evaluation in a rabbit model.

BACKGROUND: The present study evaluates the feasibility of a shape memory polymer (SMP) device for fallopian tube occlusion in rabbits. STUDY DESIGN: The SMP contraceptive device is made of poly(dl-lactic acid)-based poly(urethane urea) SMP in the shape of a spiral cylinder that was 10 mm long and had a diameter of 2.6 mm. Using this device, bilateral transuterine fallopian tube occlusions were performed in 78 New Zealand white female rabbits. Forty-eight female rabbits (group 1) were chosen as the experimental group and were implanted with the SMP devices. The remaining 30 female rabbits (group 2) served as the control group, which only received an incision in the abdomen but no SMP device. Follow-up consisted of hysterosalpingography, histologic evaluation and contraceptive effect. In addition, the shape memory behavior and in vivo degradation characterization of the SMP device were observed in this study. RESULTS: Under heat (37 °C) stimulation, the temporary shape SMP device returned to its permanent shape within 60 s. The average weight loss percentage of SMP devices was 7.0% at 2 weeks and 72.5% at 12 weeks. The inflammatory reactions caused by SMP devices were aseptic and nonspecific at 2 and 12 weeks, respectively. The SMP device boundaries and the surrounding tissues were obscured by fiber hyperplasia in 11/12 tubes at 24 weeks. Hysterosalpingography showed an occluded fallopian tube of Group 1 in 6/6 rabbits at 12 weeks and 6/6 rabbits at 24 weeks. No pregnancy was found in all 18 rabbits of group 1 (contraceptive rate of 100%); all 20 rabbits in the control group were pregnant. CONCLUSION: Biodegradable and biocompatible SMP devices could provide reliable, instant and permanent tubal occlusion.

Bisulfite sequencing reveals that Aspergillus flavus holds a hollow in DNA methylation.

Aspergillus flavus first gained scientific attention for its production of aflatoxin. The underlying regulation of aflatoxin biosynthesis has been serving as a theoretical model for biosynthesis of other microbial secondary metabolites. Nevertheless, for several decades, the DNA methylation status, one of the important epigenomic modifications involved in gene regulation, in A. flavus remains to be controversial. Here, we applied bisulfite sequencing in conjunction with a biological replicate strategy to investigate the DNA methylation profiling of A. flavus genome. Both the bisulfite sequencing data and the methylome comparisons with other fungi confirm that the DNA methylation level of this fungus is negligible. Further investigation into the DNA methyltransferase of Aspergillus uncovers its close relationship with RID-like enzymes as well as its divergence with the methyltransferase of species with validated DNA methylation. The lack of repeat contents of the A. flavus' genome and the high RIP-index of the small amount of remanent repeat potentially support our speculation that DNA methylation may be absent in A. flavus or that it may possess de novo DNA methylation which occurs very transiently during the obscure sexual stage of this fungal species. This work contributes to our understanding on the DNA methylation status of A. flavus, as well as reinforces our views on the DNA methylation in fungal species. In addition, our strategy of applying bisulfite sequencing to DNA methylation detection in species with low DNA methylation may serve as a reference for later scientific investigations in other hypomethylated species.

[Multi-layer model for algal growth under different behaviors of nutritious salt].

According to the fact that different behaviors of nutrition at different medium layers would make obviously different effects on rate of algal growth in water system, we established a new numerical model of the algae growth by considering these effects from various nutrition concentrations in water environment, on the surface and inside of algae cell, and especially the effect of adsorption/desorption of nutrition on the surface of algal cell. The validation of the model parameters are carried out by numerical iterative calculation with experimental data of literature, and computation results show that the mean relative error between the actual measured values cited from literature and the numerical results of this model is less than 6.9% . Furthermore, the maximum absolute values of cumulative relative error of the model and the original model which doesn't consider effect on adsorption/desorption of nutrition are 11.7% and 34.18% respectively. Obviously, the model would fit well the actual measured data. The concentration of nutrition on the surface from the model computation shows the real change status of the algae absorb nutrition under alternate condition of light/dark, and at same time, the concentration varying of ATP inside algae cell would correlate to the concentration of nutrition in water environment and to the nutrition's condition of algae cell so that the cooperating relation between molecular layer and cell layer that has theory significance has been built.

[Synergistic effects by P and N pollution to fluctuation behavior/bloom of algae along the Three-Gorges valley].

Absorption rate coefficient of algae omega(i) to nutrients such as N and P could be used for describing algal increases/decreases velocity in water areas in theory. omega(i) raise might correspond to algal quickly growth and to ccelerate absorption of N and P while omega(i) decrease might correspond to algal decompose and release of N and P. According to locale measuring data along the Three-Gorges valley and algal dynamics model of nutritious absorption we have obtained some interest 3-dimension figures in which omega(i) will varies up and down obviously with N and P concentration in special bound to show a synergistic effects of N and P that might reveal an inner behavior of algal bloom/decompose. The research results explain in reason: (1) algal blooms do will happen in one special P/N range in a certain water system; (2) when omega(1) and omega(2) ascend rapidly and simultaneously in positive direction at same time algae would bloom, and when omega(1) and omega(2) descend sharply and simultaneously in negative direction at same time algae would decompose; (3) The velocity of algal bloom is not only same approximately as one of algal decompose, but also its variety has evidently periodic fluctuation. All of these could reveal effectively mechanism of nutritious absorption/release as algal bloom/decompose.