Mutating BnEOD1s via CRISPR-Cas9 increases the seed size and weight in Brassica napus.

Seed weight, which is highly correlated to seed size, is a critical agronomic trait that determines the yield of Brassica napus. However, there have been limited researches on the genes involved in regulating seed size. In Arabidopsis thaliana, ENHANCER OF DA1 (EOD1), an E3 ubiquitin ligase gene, has been identified as a significant negative regulator in controlling organ size, but the function of its homologs in rapeseed remains unknown. Only two homologous of EOD1, BnaEOD1.A04 and BnaEOD1.C04, have been found in B. napus and were mutated using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Three T-DNA-free lines, T2-157-1-C8, T2-390-2-B8, and T2-397-2-E2, were identified from the homozygous T2 mutant lines. The BnaEOD1.A04 showed a similar type of editing in these mutants, whereas the BnaEOD1.C04 in T2-397-2-E2 was only missing 26 amino acids, and the translation was not prematurely terminated, which was different from the other two mutants. In parallel, mutation of BnaEOD1s resulted in a noteworthy increase in both seed size and seed weight in the three editing lines. Additionally, there was a significant decline in the number of seeds per silique (SPS) and silique length (SL) in T2-157-1-C8 and T2-390-2-B8, but T2-397-2-E2 did not show any significant changes in the SPS and SL, possibly due to distinct types of editing in the three lines. The above results indicate the conserved function of EOD1 homologs and provides promising germplasm for breeding novel high-yield rapeseed varieties by improving seed size and thousand-seed weight. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-023-01430-z.

The association of chemical composition particularly the heavy metals with the oxidative potential of ambient PM2.5 in a megacity (Guangzhou) of southern China.

Atmospheric fine particulate matters (PM2.5) can cause adverse health effects through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is normally characterized by the oxidative potential (OP). However, the particulate components that are mainly responsible for the ROS-induced OP remain controversial and warrant further investigation, especially in megacities where high exposure exists and particulate composition is complex. In this study, we measured the OP of PM2.5 using the dithiothreitol (DTT) assay with and without chelation of metals in a megacity in southern China, Guangzhou, in January and April. We explored the correlations between OP and various chemical components in PM2.5, including water-soluble ions, organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and metal elements. There are strong correlations between OPDTTv (volume-normalized) and concentrations of PM2.5, OC, and EC, while the correlations between OPDTTm (mass-normalized) and mass-normalized water-soluble ions, OC, EC or metal elements are weak. The OP values with chelation were reduced by ∼90%, indicating that water-soluble heavy metals were the major contributors to OP of PM2.5 in Guangzhou. On the other hand, correlations between OPDTTm and OC improved significantly after the chelation of heavy metals, implying that OC explains the variance of OPDTTm although its contribution to OP is much smaller than that of heavy metals. We postulate that there might be synergetic effects between water-soluble heavy metals (which contribute most to OP) and OC (which explains the variance of OP) in ROS generation by PM2.5. The findings of the current study provide a better understanding on the critical components in PM2.5 and potential synergism that might be responsible for health effects in urban areas.

Low emission zones reduced PM10 but not NO2 concentrations in Berlin and Munich, Germany.

Low emission zones (LEZs) aiming at improving the air quality in urban areas have been implemented in many European cities. However, studies are limited in evaluating the effects of LEZ, and most of which used simple methods. In this study, a general additive mixed model was utilized to account for confounders in the atmosphere and validate the effects of LEZ on PM10 and NO2 concentrations in two German cities. In addition, the effects of LEZ on elemental carbon (EC) and total carbon (TC) in Berlin were also evaluated. The LEZ effects were estimated after taking into account air pollutant concentrations at a reference site located in the regional background, and adjusting for hour of the week, public holidays, season, and wind direction. The LEZ in Berlin, and the LEZ in combination with the heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) transit ban in Munich significantly reduced the PM10 concentrations, at both traffic sites (TS) and urban background sites (UB). The effects were greater in LEZ stage 3 than in LEZ stages 2 and 1. Moreover, compared with PM10, LEZ was more efficient in reducing EC, a component that is considered more toxic than PM10 mass. In contrast, the LEZ had no consistent effect on NO2 levels: no effects were observed in Berlin; in Munich, the combination of the LEZ and the HDV transit ban reduced NO2 at UB site in LEZ stage 1, but without further reductions in subsequent stages of the LEZ. Overall, our study indicated that LEZs, which target the major primary air pollution source in the highly populated city center could be an effective way to improve urban air quality such as PM mass concentration and EC level.

The emission and dynamics of droplets from human expiratory activities and COVID-19 transmission in public transport system: A review.

The public transport system, containing a large number of passengers in enclosed and confined spaces, provides suitable conditions for the spread of respiratory diseases. Understanding how diseases are transmitted in public transport environment is of vital importance to public health. However, this is a highly multidisciplinary matter and the related physical processes including the emissions of respiratory droplets, the droplet dynamics and transport pathways, and subsequently, the infection risk in public transport, are poorly understood. To better grasp the complex processes involved, a synthesis of current knowledge is required. Therefore, we conducted a review on the behaviors of respiratory droplets in public transport system, covering a wide scope from the emission profiles of expiratory droplets, the droplet dynamics and transport, to the transmission of COVID-19 in public transport. The literature was searched using related keywords in Web of Science and PubMed and screened for suitability. The droplet size is a key parameter in determining the deposition and evaporation, which together with the exhaled air velocity largely determines the horizontal travel distance. The potential transmission route and transmission rate in public transport as well as the factors influencing the virus-laden droplet behaviors and virus viability (such as ventilation system, wearing personal protective equipment, air temperature and relative humidity) were also discussed. The review also suggests that future studies should address the uncertainties in droplet emission profiles associated with the measurement techniques, and preferably build a database based on a unified testing protocol. Further investigations based on field measurements and modeling studies into the influence of different ventilation systems on the transmission rate in public transport are also needed, which would provide scientific basis for controlling the transmission of diseases.

Clinical utility of [68Ga]Ga-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI) positron emission tomography/computed tomography for primary staging and recurrence detection in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the clinical utility of [68Ga]Ga-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor ([68Ga]Ga-FAPI) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) relative to [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) PET/CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for primary staging and recurrence detection in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS: This retrospective analysis utilized a sub-cohort of patients from a previously acquired database. Patients with NPC who underwent [18F]FDG and [68Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT between October 2019 and November 2020 were included. The radiotracer uptake and clinical staging/restaging performances of [18F]FDG and [68Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT were compared. RESULTS: Forty-five participants (39 for initial assessment, 6 for recurrence detection) were included. In treatment-naïve participants, [68Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT showed higher radiotracer uptake than [18F]FDG PET/CT in primary tumors (16.18 vs. 10.11, P < 0.001), regional lymph nodes (11.42 vs. 7.37, P < 0.001), and bone and visceral metastases (6.94 vs. 3.11, P < 0.001). Compared with the [18F]FDG-based TNM stage, the [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-based TNM stage was upgraded in ten patients (26%), resulting in management changes in seven patients (18%). Compared with MRI, [68Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT upgraded and underestimated the T stage in four and two patients, respectively. In post-treatment patients, [68Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT yielded more true-positive findings than [18F]FDG PET/CT in detecting local recurrence. CONCLUSION: [68Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT is a promising imaging modality for the diagnosis of primary and metastatic NPC. The exact tumor geographic imaging obtained through [68Ga]Ga-FAPI PET/CT may be a supplement to MRI for T staging and radiotherapy planning.

Review of the characteristics and possible health effects of particles emitted from laser printing devices.

Many studies have shown that the use of laser printing devices (LPDs) contributes to the release of particles into the indoor environment. However, after more than two decades of research, the physicochemical properties of LPD-emitted particles and the possible health effects from exposure to particles are still heavily debated. We therefore carried out a critical review of the published studies around emissions and health effects of LPD-emitted particles, aiming at elucidating the nature of these particles and their potential health risks. Realizing the varying methodologies of the studies, a classification of the reviewed studies is adopted, resulting in three categories of emission studies (chamber experiment, office/room measurement, and photocopy shop measurement), and three types of health studies (in vitro/animal studies, human studies in the real world, and human studies in controlled settings). The strengths and limitations of each type of study are discussed in-depth, which in turn helps to understand the cause of divergent results. Overall, LPD-emitted particles are mainly condensed or secondary-formed semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), while solid toner particles account for a very small fraction. The health risk from exposure to LPD-emitted particles is small compared with the health risk from exposure to ambient particles.

Integration of proteomic and genomic approaches to dissect seed germination vigor in Brassica napus seeds differing in oil content.

BACKGROUND: Rapeseed (Brassica napus, B. napus) is an important oil seed crop in the world. Previous studies showed that seed germination vigor might be correlated with seed oil content in B. napus, but the regulation mechanism for seed germination has not yet been explained clearly. Dissecting the regulation mechanism of seed germination and germination vigor is necessary. RESULTS: Here, proteomic and genomic approaches were used to analyze the germination process in B. napus seeds with different oil content. The identification of 165 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the germinating seeds of B. napus with high and low oil content was accomplished by two-dimensional fluorescence difference in gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE). The comparative proteomic results revealed that seeds with high oil content had higher metabolic activity, especially for sulfur amino acid metabolism. Thirty-one unique genes were shown to be significantly changed during germination between the seeds with high and low oil content, and thirteen of these genes were located within the confidence interval of germination-related quantitative trait locus (QTLs), which might play an important role in regulating seed germination vigor. CONCLUSIONS: The present results are of importance for the understanding of the regulation mechanism for seed germination vigor in B. napus.

Drought-responsive genes, late embryogenesis abundant group3 (LEA3) and vicinal oxygen chelate, function in lipid accumulation in Brassica napus and Arabidopsis mainly via enhancing photosynthetic efficiency and reducing ROS.

Drought is an abiotic stress that affects plant growth, and lipids are the main economic factor in the agricultural production of oil crops. However, the molecular mechanisms of drought response function in lipid metabolism remain little known. In this study, overexpression (OE) of different copies of the drought response genes LEA3 and VOC enhanced both drought tolerance and oil content in Brassica napus and Arabidopsis. Meanwhile, seed size, membrane stability and seed weight were also improved in OE lines. In contrast, oil content and drought tolerance were decreased in the AtLEA3 mutant (atlea3) and AtVOC-RNAi of Arabidopsis and in both BnLEA-RNAi and BnVOC-RNAi B. napus RNAi lines. Hybrids between two lines with increased or reduced expression (LEA3-OE with VOC-OE, atlea3 with AtVOC-RNAi) showed corresponding stronger trends in drought tolerance and lipid metabolism. Comparative transcriptomic analysis revealed the mechanisms of drought response gene function in lipid accumulation and drought tolerance. Gene networks involved in fatty acid (FA) synthesis and FA degradation were up- and down-regulated in OE lines, respectively. Key genes in the photosynthetic system and reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism were up-regulated in OE lines and down-regulated in atlea3 and AtVOC-RNAi lines, including LACS9, LIPASE1, PSAN, LOX2 and SOD1. Further analysis of photosynthetic and ROS enzymatic activities confirmed that the drought response genes LEA3 and VOC altered lipid accumulation mainly via enhancing photosynthetic efficiency and reducing ROS. The present study provides a novel way to improve lipid accumulation in plants, especially in oil production crops.

MicroRNA-224 suppresses osteoblast differentiation by inhibiting SMAD4.

Osteoblast differentiation was found to be regulated by a variety of cell signaling and intracellular regulatory factors. In this study, we aimed at investigating the regulatory effect of microRNA-224 on osteoblast differentiation and its molecular mechanism. Expression of miR-224 in the osteoblasts, adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-A), bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-B) and mbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-U) were detected using RT-PCR. Expression of miR-224 was lower in osteoblast than in the three mesenchymal stem cells and it revealed a decreasing time-dependent trend from 0 day to 28 days during osteoblast differentiation. By using alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assay and alizarin red S (ARS) staining, we found that the mineralization nodules decreased in miR-224-mimics group and increased in miR-224-inhibitor group. The Western blot detection of osteoblast markers, such as osteocalcin (OCN), osteopontin (OPN), bone sialoprotein (BSP), and runt related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), also verified that overexpression of miR-224 inhibited osteoblast differentiation, while its inhibition promoted osteoblast differentiation. Luciferase reporter assay was performed in our study, which illustrated that miR-224 regulated SMAD4 directly by targeting SMAD4 3'UTR. Then after the inhibition of SMAD4, we found that lower expression of SMAD4 suppressed the osteoblast differentiation and the related signaling pathway using RT-PCR and Western blot. Our results revealed a new mechanism of osteoblast differentiation, and provided a new therapeutic agent to promote bone anabolism by targeting miR-224.

The initial deficiency of protein processing and flavonoids biosynthesis were the main mechanisms for the male sterility induced by SX-1 in Brassica napus.

BACKGROUND: Rapeseed (Brassica napus) is an important oil seed crop in the Brassicaceae family. Chemical induced male sterility (CIMS) is one of the widely used method to produce the hybrids in B. napus. Identification of the key genes and pathways that involved in CIMS were important to understand the underlying molecular mechanism. In the present report, a multi-omics integrative analysis, including of the proteomic, transcriptomic and miRNAs, combined with morphological and physiological analysis were conducted. RESULTS: Earlier degeneration of the tapetosomes and elaioplasts, aberrantly stacking in tapetal cells and incompletely deposition in tryphine of pollen wall were observed in chemical hybridization agent (CHA) of SX-1 treated B. napus through SEM and TEM analysis. It was revealed that the deficiencies in protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and flavonoids biosynthesis were occurred at early stage in the SX-1 treated materials. Subsequently, plant hormone signal transduction, biosynthesis of amino acids, fatty acids and steroid in anther at later stages were identified down-regulated after SX-1 treatment. 144 transcript factors (TFs) were also indentified to down-regulated at early stage, which suggested the early regulation in anther and pollen wall development were disordered in CHA treated B. napus. In addition, 7 important miRNAs were identified and 2 of the predicted target genes of miRNAs were Rf-like genes. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, an interaction network of candidate genes and the putative metabolism pathways were constructed based on the multi-omics integrative analysis, it provided a new insight into the male sterility induced by CHA of SX-1 in B. napus.

Association of novel metrics of particulate matter with vascular markers of inflammation and coagulation in susceptible populations -results from a panel study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Epidemiological studies have shown adverse effects of ambient air pollutants on health with inflammation and oxidative stress playing an important role. We examine the association between blood biomarkers of inflammation and coagulation and physical attributes of particulate matter which are not routinely measured such as particle length or surface area concentration and apparent density of PM. METHODS: Between 3/2007 and 12/2008 187 non-smoking individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) were examined within the framework of the KORA Study in Augsburg, Germany. In addition, we selected 87 participants with a potential genetic predisposition on detoxifying and inflammatory pathways. This was defined by the null polymorphism for glutathione S-transferase M1 in combination with a certain single nucleotide polymorphism on the C-reactive protein (CRP) gene (rs1205) or the fibrinogen gene (rs1800790). Participants had blood drawn up to seven different times, resulting in 1765 blood samples. Air pollutants were collected at a central measurement station and individual 24-h averages calculated. Associations between air pollutants and high sensitivity CRP, myeloperoxidase (MPO), interleukin (IL)-6 and fibrinogen were analysed using additive mixed models. RESULTS: For the panel with genetic susceptibility, increases were seen for CRP and MPO with most attributes, specifically particle length and active surface concentration. The %change of geometric mean and 95% confidence intervals for the 5-day average exposure for CRP and MPO were 34.6% [21.8;48.8] and 8.3% [3.2;13.6] per interquartile range increase of particle length concentration and 29.8% [15.9;45.3] and 10.4 [4.4;16.7] for active surface area. Results for the panel of T2D and IGT and the other blood biomarkers were less conclusive. CONCLUSIONS: Particle length concentration and active surface concentration showed strong positive associations with blood biomarkers reflecting inflammation. These air pollution metrics might reflect harmful aerosol properties better than particulate mass or number concentration. They might therefore be important for epidemiological studies.

Individual daytime noise exposure in different microenvironments.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies showed that chronic noise exposure modeled through noise mapping is associated with adverse health effects. However, knowledge about real individual noise exposure, emitted by several sources, is limited. OBJECTIVES: To explain the variation in individual daytime noise exposure regarding different microenvironments, activities and individual characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a repeated measures study in Augsburg, Germany (March 2007-December 2008), 109 individuals participated in 305 individual noise measurements with a mean duration of 5.5h. Whereabouts and activities were recorded in a diary. One-minute averages of A-weighted equivalent continuous sound pressure levels (Leq) were determined. We used mixed additive models to elucidate the variation of Leq by diary-based information, baseline characteristics and time-invariant variables like long-term noise exposure. RESULTS: Overall noise levels were highly variable (median: 64 dB(A); range: 37-105 dB(A)). Highest noise levels were measured in traffic during bicycling (69 dB(A); 49-97 dB(A)) and lowest while resting at home (54 dB(A); 37-94 dB(A)). Nearly all diary-based information as well as physical activity, sex and age-group had significant influences on individual noise. In an additional analysis restricted to times spent at the residences, long-term noise exposure did not improve the model fit. CONCLUSIONS: Individual exposures to day-time noise were moderate to high and showed high variations in different microenvironments except when being in traffic. Individual noise levels were greatly determined by personal activities but also seemed to depend on environmental noise levels.

Chemical characterization of size-resolved aerosols in four seasons and hazy days in the megacity Beijing of China.

Size-resolved aerosol samples were collected by MOUDI in four seasons in 2007 in Beijing. The PM10 and PM1.8 mass concentrations were 166.0±120.5 and 91.6±69.7 µg/m3, respectively, throughout the measurement, with seasonal variation: nearly two times higher in autumn than in summer and spring. Serious fine particle pollution occurred in winter with the PM1.8/PM10 ratio of 0.63, which was higher than other seasons. The size distribution of PM showed obvious seasonal and diurnal variation, with a smaller fine mode peak in spring and in the daytime. OM (organic matter=1.6×OC (organic carbon)) and SIA (secondary inorganic aerosol) were major components of fine particles, while OM, SIA and Ca2+ were major components in coarse particles. Moreover, secondary components, mainly SOA (secondary organic aerosol) and SIA, accounted for 46%-96% of each size bin in fine particles, which meant that secondary pollution existed all year. Sulfates and nitrates, primarily in the form of (NH4)2SO4, NH4NO3, CaSO4, Na2SO4 and K2SO4, calculated by the model ISORROPIA II, were major components of the solid phase in fine particles. The PM concentration and size distribution were similar in the four seasons on non-haze days, while large differences occurred on haze days, which indicated seasonal variation of PM concentration and size distribution were dominated by haze days. The SIA concentrations and fractions of nearly all size bins were higher on haze days than on non-haze days, which was attributed to heterogeneous aqueous reactions on haze days in the four seasons.

Chemical characteristics of size-resolved aerosols in winter in Beijing.

Size-resolved aerosols were continuously collected by a Nano Sampler for 13 days at an urban site in Beijing during winter 2012 to measure the chemical composition of ambient aerosol particles. Data collected by the Nano Sampler and an ACSM (Aerodyne Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor) were compared. Between the data sets, similar trends and strong correlations were observed, demonstrating the validity of the Nano Sampler. PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations during the measurement were 150.5 ± 96.0 µg/m³ (mean ± standard variation) and 106.9 ± 71.6 µg/m³, respectively. The PM2.5/PM10 ratio was 0.70 ± 0.10, indicating that PM2.5 dominated PM10. The aerosol size distributions showed that three size bins of 0.5-1, 1-2.5 and 2.5-10 µm contributed 21.8%, 23.3% and 26.0% to the total mass concentration (TMC), respectively. OM (organic matter) and SIA (secondary ionic aerosol, mainly SO4(2-), NO3(-) and NH4(+)) were major components of PM2.5. Secondary compounds (SIA and secondary organic carbon) accounted for half of TMC (about 49.8%) in PM2.5, and suggested that secondary aerosols significantly contributed to the serious particulate matter pollution observed in winter. Coal burning, biomass combustion, vehicle emissions and SIA were found to be the main sources of PM2.5. Mass concentrations of water-soluble ions and undetected materials, as well as their fractions in TMC, strikingly increased with deteriorating particle pollution conditions, while OM and EC (elemental carbon) exhibited different variations, with mass concentrations slightly increasing but fractions in TMC decreasing.

Continuous measurement of the dynamics of residential indoor and outdoor NO2 and the contributions to human exposure.

In residential environment, NO2 is an important air pollutant. Yet, the dynamics of indoor NO2 and source contributions to human exposure are not well understood. Here, we conducted a continuous NO2 measurement in and out of eight households in Guangzhou, China. Paired high time-resolution NO2 data sets indoors (kitchen, living room) and outdoors (balcony) were obtained with NO2 monitors. We summarized the indoor and outdoor NO2 levels, identified temporal variation patterns, analyzed indoor-outdoor relationships, and quantified source contributions to indoor NO2 exposure. Indoor NO2 were overall higher than outdoor NO2, and in most cases, the highest NO2 levels were observed in the kitchen. NO2 in the kitchen was characterized by multiple spikes associated with use of gas stoves, while NO2 in the living room was also elevated but the peaks were generally smaller. The indoor-outdoor correlations were stronger in winter than in summer, and were stronger in nighttime than daytime. The sources contributing to indoor NO2 were separated with a conceptual model. Overall, the outdoor NO2 source contributed 73%-76% of the NO2 in the kitchen, and 76%-85% in the living room. The source pattern was quite different: outdoor NO2 sources were present indoors all the time; by contrast, indoor NO2 sources were present sporadically but with a very high contribution. This has important implication to the exposure assessment that indoor NO2 sources lead to short-term high exposure, and deserves attention regarding acute health effects.

The story of a decade: Genomics, functional genomics, and molecular breeding in Brassica napus.

Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is one of the major global sources of edible vegetable oil and is also used as a feed and pioneer crop and for sightseeing and industrial purposes. Improvements in genome sequencing and molecular marker technology have fueled a boom in functional genomic studies of major agronomic characters such as yield, quality, flowering time, and stress resistance. Moreover, introgression and pyramiding of key functional genes have greatly accelerated the genetic improvement of important traits. Here we summarize recent progress in rapeseed genomics and genetics, and we discuss effective molecular breeding strategies by exploring these findings in rapeseed. These insights will extend our understanding of the molecular mechanisms and regulatory networks underlying agronomic traits and facilitate the breeding process, ultimately contributing to more sustainable agriculture throughout the world.

The abundance and pathogenicity of microbes in automobile air conditioning filters across the typical cities of China and Europe.

Bioaerosols are widely distributed in urban air and can be transmitted across the atmosphere, biosphere, and anthroposphere, resulting in infectious diseases. Automobile air conditioning (AAC) filters can trap airborne microbes. In this study, AAC filters were used to investigate the abundance and pathogenicity of airborne microorganisms in typical Chinese and European cities. Culturable bacteria and fungi concentrations were determined using microbial culturing. High-throughput sequencing was employed to analyze microbial community structures. The levels of culturable bioaerosols in Chinese and European cities exhibited disparities (Analysis of Variance, P < 0.01). The most dominant pathogenic bacteria and fungi were similar in Chinese (Mycobacterium: 18.2-18.9 %; Cladosporium: 23.0-30.2 %) and European cities (Mycobacterium: 15.4-37.7 %; Cladosporium: 18.1-29.3 %). Bartonella, Bordetella, Alternaria, and Aspergillus were also widely identified. BugBase analysis showed that microbiomes in China exhibited higher abundances of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and biofilm formation capacity than those in Europe, indicating higher health risks. Through co-occurrence network analysis, heavy metals such as zinc were found to correlate with microorganism abundance; most bacteria were inversely associated, while fungi exhibited greater tolerance, indicating that heavy metals affect the growth and reproduction of bioaerosol microorganisms. This study elucidates the influence of social and environmental factors on shaping microbial community structures, offering practical insights for preventing and controlling regional bioaerosol pollution.

Lung Cancer Biomarkers Associated with Increased Peripheral Arterial Stiffness in Middle-aged Chinese Adults.

AIMS: Previous evidence suggests that serum lung cancer biomarkers are associated with inflammatory conditions; however, their relationship with peripheral arterial stiffness remains unclear. Therefore, the present study investigated the relationship between serum lung cancer biomarkers and peripheral arterial stiffness in middle-aged Chinese adults. METHODS: In total, 3878 middle-aged Chinese adults were enrolled in this study. Increased peripheral arterial stiffness was assessed using the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity and ankle-brachial index. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the independent effects of serum lung cancer biomarkers on the risk of increased peripheral arterial stiffness. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to assess the diagnostic ability of serum lung cancer biomarkers in distinguishing increased peripheral arterial stiffness. RESULTS: Serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), cytokeratin-19 fragment 21-1, and pro-gastrin-releasing peptide were higher in subjects with increased peripheral arterial stiffness than in those without (P＜0.05). After adjusting for other risk factors, serum CEA and NSE levels were found to be independently associated with increased peripheral arterial stiffness. The corresponding adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for increased peripheral arterial stiffness in CEA level quartiles were 1.00, 1.57, 2.15, and 6.13. The ORs for increased peripheral arterial stiffness in the quartiles of NSE levels were 1.00, 4.92, 6.65, and 8.01. CONCLUSIONS: Increased serum CEA and NSE levels are closely linked to increased peripheral arterial stiffness, and high serum CEA and NSE levels are potential risk markers for peripheral arterial stiffness in middle-aged Chinese adults.

Treatment for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses.

Purpose: In recent years, many meta-analyses of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) treatment have been published; however, these studies still lack systematic summary. Therefore, the aim of this study is to summarize and evaluate the evidence level and efficacy of treatment for TNBC. Materials and Methods: Retrospective and prospective studies on treatment of TNBC were searched in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. The literature search deadline was June 30, 2021. Two investigators independently screened the literature and extracted the data. In addition, the joint World Health Organization-United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization expert consultation was used to evaluate the validity of the evidence. Results: A total of 28 meta-analyses were included in this study. The treatment interventions for TNBC mainly included surgery, chemotherapy (CT), radiotherapy, molecular targeted therapy, immunotherapy, zoledronic acid, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analog. Platinum improves the pathological complete response (PCR) rate of patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT), the objective remission rate (ORR) and overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Capecitabine improves disease-free survival (DFS) and OS in patients treated with adjuvant CT. Bevacizumab was added to NACT to improve the PCR rate in patients. Immunotherapy improves the PCR rate in patients treated with NACT. The improvement in PCR rate in patients with high Ki67 expression treated with neoadjuvant therapy is highly suggestive. Other interventions had suggestive or weak evidence. Conclusion: Among the strategies for treating TNBC, platinum, bevacizumab, and immunotherapy can lead to better PCR rates as part of a NACT regimen. Capecitabine as adjuvant CT and platinum in the treatment of metastatic TNBC can benefit patients' survival. However, the effectiveness of other interventions for TNBC is not yet clear. Further research is needed in the future to obtain more reliable clinical evidence.

Use of Computed Tomography-Guided Percutaneous Biopsy of Invasive Non-Mucinous Lung Adenocarcinoma to Predict the Degree of Histological Differentiation.

Background: The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) published a grading system for invasive pulmonary adenocarcinoma that is closely associated with prognosis. This study aimed to investigate the accuracy of computed tomography (CT)-guided biopsy specimen grading and surgery-guided grading systems for detecting invasive non-mucinous lung adenocarcinoma and to determine whether CT-guided biopsy can predict the degree of histological differentiation. Methods: In total, 130 patients with invasive non-mucinous lung adenocarcinoma who underwent CT-guided biopsy before surgical excision were retrospectively studied. Biopsy and surgical specimen pathologies were compared. Grading was performed according to different subtypes proposed by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV/NPV), and accuracy were calculated for each subtype and grade. Results: The concordance rates of biopsy and surgical pathology subtypes and grades were 73.1% and 72.3%, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of grade 3 were 54.8%, 100%, 100%, 87.6%, and 89.2%, respectively. Pathology grades were primarily discrepant with respect to two aspects of biopsy and surgical samples in the same patient. First, the biopsy and surgical specimen pathology findings indicated lepidic and acinar subtypes as the main subtypes in the same patient, respectively. Second, biopsy specimen histology did not find solid types; however, >20% of solid subtypes were identified in surgical pathology samples in the same patient. Conclusions: The preoperative CT-guided biopsy specimen grading system showed relatively high accuracy and could predict the prognosis of invasive non-mucinous lung adenocarcinoma.