[Effects of Biochar on Growth and Pollutant Accumulation of Lettuce in Soil Co-contaminated with Tetracycline and Copper].

Through lettuce potting experiments, the effects of different types of biochar (apple branch, corn straw, and modified sorghum straw biochar with phosphoric acid modification) on lettuce growth under tetracycline (TC) and copper (Cu) co-pollution were investigated. The results showed that compared with those under CK, the addition of biochar treatment significantly increased the plant height, root length, shoot fresh weight, and root fresh weight of lettuce (P < 0.05). The addition of different biochars significantly increased the nitrate nitrogen, chlorophyll, and soluble protein content in lettuce physiological indicators to varying degrees, while also significantly decreasing the levels of malondialdehyde, proline content, and catalase activity. The effects of biochar on lettuce physiological indicators were consistent during both the seedling and mature stages. Compared with those in CK, the addition of biochar resulted in varying degrees of reduction in the TC and Cu contents of both the aboveground and underground parts of lettuce. The aboveground TC and Cu levels decreased by 2.49%-92.32% and 12.79%-36.47%, respectively. The underground TC and Cu levels decreased by 12.53%-55.64% and 22.41%-42.29%, respectively. Correlation analysis showed that nitrate nitrogen, chlorophyll, and soluble protein content of lettuce were negatively correlated with TC content, whereas malondialdehyde, proline content, and catalase activity were positively correlated with TC content. The resistance genes of lettuce were positively correlated with TC content (P < 0.05). In general, modified biochar was found to be more effective in improving lettuce growth quality and reducing pollutant accumulation compared to unmodified biochar, with modified sorghum straw biochar showing the best remediation effect.

Bioinformatic Analysis of Key Biomarkers and Infiltrating Immune Cells in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Context: The liver is both the largest metabolic and the largest immune organ and is closely related to the mechanisms of disease development. Clarifying the immune environment of the NAFLD liver to determine its interactions with biomarkers would be beneficial in exploring the mechanisms of disease development. Objective: The study aimed to identify biomarkers and immune cells associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and to analyze the correlation between key genes and immune cells in NAFLD, to improve the understanding of the mechanisms underlying NAFLD and provide potential therapeutic targets. Design: The research team performed a genetic study. Setting: The study took place at Qingdao, Shandong Province, China. Outcome Measures: The research team: (1) obtained the NAFLD-related datasets GSE63067, GSE48452, and GSE89632 from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database; (2) analyzed immune-cell infiltrates using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) to determine the hub immune cells; (3) selected the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the NAFLD and normal samples and screened them to identify the hub genes; (4) evaluated the efficiency of the hub genes using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves; and (5) analyzed the correlations between hub genes and immune cells. Results: The research team: (1) found 28 differential immune cells; (2) identified monocytes as the hub immune cells; (3) identified 55 DEGs; (4) comparing the top 10 genes, identified five hub genes: S100 calcium binding proteins A12 (S100A12), S100A9, S100A8, selectin L (SELL), and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG); (5) for all five, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was greater than 0.6-training set: AUCSA00A12 = 0.699, AUCSELL = 0.743, AUCS100A9 = 0.735, AUCSHBG = 0.752, and AUCS100A8 = 0.703; and validation set: AUCSA00A12 = 0.852, AUCSELL = 0.905, AUCS100A9 = 0.819, AUCSHBG = 0.830, and AUCS100A8 = 0.822; (6) negatively correlated SHBG with immune cells (P > .05, r=-0.09); and (7) positively correlated S100A12, S100A9, S100A8, and SELL with immune cells-rS100A8 = 0.40, rS100A9 = 0.50, rS100A12 = 0.38, and rSELL = 0.42, respectively. Conclusions: Based on bioinformatic analyses, the progression of NAFLD may involve monocytes through promotion of liver inflammation. The hub genes S100A12, S100A9, S100A8, SELL, and SHBG are potential biomarkers that may be useful as diagnostic tools or therapeutic targets for NAFLD.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Cuminum cyminum (Apiales: Apiaceae) and phylogenetic analysis.

Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L). belongs to the family Apiaceae and the order Apiales, which is a widely grown spice and medicinal plant in Xinjiang province, China. In the current study, whole genome sequencing of C. cyminum was performed using the Illumina HiSeq 4000 platform, and the complete mitogenome sequence was assembled and annotated. We found that the single circular mitogenome of C. cyminum was 246,721 bp in length, and has about 45.5% GC content. It comprised 73 genes in the coding region (35 protein-coding genes, 18 tRNA genes, 3 rRNA genes, and 15 open-reading frames) and a non-coding region. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that C. cyminum is closely related to Daucus carota and the subtribes Daucinae. The mitogenome of C. cyminum revealed its phylogenetic relationships with other species in the Apiaceae family, which would further help in understanding its evolution.

Clinical efficacy and complications of transurethral resection of the prostate versus plasmakinetic enucleation of the prostate.

BACKGROUND: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common disease in elderly males, and many kinds of minimally invasive procedures can be used for the treatment of BPH. However, various procedures have caused some controversies regarding clinical outcomes, so more studies are needed to validate these controversial topics. AIMS: This study aimed to explore differences of clinical efficacy, surgical features, and complications between transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and plasmakinetic enucleation of the prostate (PKEP) for BPH. METHODS: A total of eligible 850 cases of BPH underwent TURP (the TURP group, 320 cases) or PKEP (the PKEP group, 530 cases) in the urology department of our hospital from March 2015 to 2018 were involved in this study. Then, the baseline data, surgical characteristics, IPSS, QoL, PVR, Qmax, IIEF-5, and documented complications were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The operative time, intraoperative irrigation volume, postoperative hemoglobin, decrease in hemoglobin, postoperative irrigation time and volume, catheterization time, and hospital stay of the PKEP group were significantly less than those of the TURP group (all P < 0.05). At 3 months, 1, 2, and 3 years after operation, no significant differences were observed in IPSS, QoL, PVR, but the results of Qmax and IIEF-5 in the PKEP group were significantly higher than those parameters in the TURP group (all P < 0.05). The incidences of massive blood loss, postoperative secondary bleeding, blood transfusion, capsular perforation, urinary tract irritation, bladder spasm, clot retention, urinary tract infection, transient incontinence, erectile dysfunction, and the incidences of II, III grade of Clavien-Dindo classification in the PKEP group were significantly lower than those of the TURP group (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The clinical efficacy of PKEP is compared favorably with TURP during midterm follow-up. Given the merits such as less blood loss and hospital stay, lower complications, PKEP should be given a priority for BPH.

Genipin improves lipid metabolism and sperm parametersin obese mice via regulation of miR-132 expression.

Obesity has now surpassed malnutrition and infectious diseases as the most significant contributor to health problems worldwide. In particular, obesity is associated with several metabolic disorders, including hyperlipidemia, hepatic steatosis, and subfertility. Genipin (GNP), the aglycone of geniposide, is isolated from the extract of the traditional Chinese medicine Gardenia jasminoides Ellis and has been used in traditional oriental medicine against several inflammation-driven diseases. However, the effect and molecular mechanism of GNP on obesity-associated dyslipidemia and sperm dysfunction still need to be explored. In this study, we detect the effects of GNP on hyperlipidemia, hepatic lipid accumulation and sperm function using a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mouse model. We find that obese mice treated with GNP show an improvement in body weight, serum triglyceride levels, serum hormone levels, serum inflammatory cytokines, hepatic steatosis and sperm function. At the molecular level, HFD/GNP diversely regulates the expression of miR-132 in a tissue-specific manner. miR-132 further targets and regulates the expression of SREBP-1c in liver cells, as well as the expressions of SREBP-1c and StAR in Leydig cells in the testis, thus modifying lipogenesis and steroidogenesis, respectively. Collectively, our data demonstrate that GNP shows a broad effect on the improvement of HFD-induced metabolic disorder and sperm dysfunction in male mice by tissue-specific regulation of miR-132. Our findings reveal the function GNP in ameliorating hepatic lipid metabolism and sperm function and suggest that this compound is a versatile drug to treat metabolic disorders.

Habitual fish oil supplementation and the risk of incident atrial fibrillation: findings from a large prospective longitudinal cohort study.

AIMS: Mixed effects of fish oil supplementation on the risks of atrial fibrillation (AF) were observed in several large-scale randomized controlled trials. Whether this relationship would be modified by genetic AF risk, baseline cardiovascular disease (CVD) status and background oily fish consumption are unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: We included 468 665 participants without AF at baseline from the UK Biobank cohort. The association between fish oil supplementation and the AF risk was assessed in the study cohort and in several subgroups, including genetic AF predisposition, baseline CVD status, and background oily fish consumption. During a median follow-up of 11.1 years, fish oil users had a higher rate of incident AF (6.2% vs. 5.2%, adjusted hazard ratio of 1.10, and 95% confidence interval of 1.07, 1.13). Compared with non-users, fish oil users had a higher rate of incident AF in the low (3.7% vs. 3.0%, P= 0.02), intermediate (5.8% vs. 4.8%, P < 0.0001), and high (9.8% vs. 8.1%, P < 0.0001) genetic AF risk groups. In participants without CVD at baseline, fish oil users had a higher rate of incident AF (5.3% vs. 4.1%, P < 0.0001), which was not observed in participants with CVD at baseline (11.6% vs. 11.1%, P = 0.56), with significant interaction (P-interaction < 0.0001). The association between fish oil supplementation and the AF risk was not modified by background oily fish consumption (P-interaction = 0.62). CONCLUSION: Habitual fish oil supplementation was associated with the risk of incident AF, regardless of genetic AF predisposition and background oily fish consumption. This association was observed only in individuals without CVD at baseline.

Adsorption and removal of organophosphorus pesticides from Chinese cabbages and green onions by using metal organic frameworks based on the mussel-inspired adhesive interface.

Based on the mussel-inspired adhesive interface (Fe3O4-g-C3N4@PDA), a novel bionic metal-organic framework (Fe3O4-g-C3N4-PDA@MIL-101) was successfully prepared. The composite featured a high specific surface area and a multi-microchannel structure, as well as strong thermochemical stability. The structural property of Fe3O4-g-C3N4-PDA@MIL-101(Fe) was characterized, and the results indicated that Fe3O4, PDA, and MIL-101(Fe) were uniformly coated on the g-C3N4 surface. The adsorption and desorption of organophosphorus pesticides with Fe3O4-g-C3N4-PDA@MIL-101(Fe) were evaluated by batch experiments. This composite showed high adsorption efficiency and selective removal of coralox, phosalone, and chlorpyrifos. Under the optimal conditions, three organophosphorus pesticides were adsorbed from Chinese cabbage and green onion samples with Fe3O4-g-C3N4-PDA@MIL-101(Fe). The analytical method exhibited high sensitivity (LOD, 0.19-2.34 µg/L; LOQ, 0.65-7.82 µg/L), excellent practicality, and good stability, suggesting that Fe3O4-g-C3N4-PDA@MIL-101 was an ideal candidate magnetic adsorbent for the removal of organophosphorus pesticides in Chinese cabbage and green onion samples.

Tractography of the stria terminalis in the human brain.

The aim of this study was to investigate the trajectory of the stria terminalis and develop a protocol for mapping the stria terminalis using multi-shell diffusion images based tractography. The stria terminalis was reconstructed by combining one region of interest at the amygdala with another region of interest at the bed nucleus of stria terminalis. In addition, one region of avoidance was placed on the fornix at the interventricular foramen and another was set at the anterior perforated substance. The fiber-tracking protocol was tested in a Human Connectome Project-842 template, 35 healthy subjects from Massachusetts General Hospital, and 20 healthy subjects from the Human Connectome Project using generalized q-sampling imaging based tractography. The stria terminalis was reconstructed in the Human Connectome Project-842 template, 35 Massachusetts General Hospital healthy subjects, and 20 Human Connectome Project healthy subjects with our protocol. The stria terminalis originated from the amygdala and traveled parallel to the fornix. Then, the stria terminalis followed a C-shaped trajectory around the inferior, posterior, and dorsal surfaces of the thalamus before projecting to the bed nucleus of stria terminalis between the thalamus and caudate nucleus. There were no significant differences in the quantitative anisotropy and fractional anisotropy values between the left and right stria terminalis. The stria terminalis was accurately visualized across subjects using multi-shell diffusion images through generalized q-sampling imaging based tractography. This method could be an important tool for the reconstruction and evaluation of the stria terminalis in various neurological disorders. One Sentence Summary The visualization of the stria terminalis through the multi-shell diffusion images using generalized q-sampling imaging based tractography.

Adjuvant Chemotherapy May Not Be Necessary for Women with Stage IC1 Epithelial Ovarian Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether adjuvant chemotherapy improves the prognoses in women with stage IC1 epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). METHODS: All eligible women diagnosed with stage IC1 EOC from 2003 to 2019 in Tongji Hospital were included. Patient characteristics, tumor features, surgical types, and chemotherapeutic treatments were collected. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression analysis were performed to evaluate progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Of the 140 patients (median age: 47 years old), 13 patients did not receive chemotherapy, and 127 received adjuvant chemotherapy. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that adjuvant chemotherapy offered no obvious improvements in PFS or OS. Subgroup analysis was conducted to adjust for the significant difference in incomplete staging surgery between the two groups, and chemotherapy still showed no benefit for survival. Cox regression analysis indicated that incomplete staging surgery was a risk factor for a worse PFS and that adjuvant chemotherapy remained unrelated to the prognosis. The patients were further divided based on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommendations: patients for whom observation is optional and chemotherapy would not improve the prognosis; and patients for whom chemotherapy is recommended. The results showed that postoperative chemotherapy had little correlation with survival. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that postoperative chemotherapy may be unnecessary for patients with stage IC1 EOC. According to our results, incomplete staging surgery is a significant risk factor for PFS.

Tractography of the ansa lenticularis in the human brain.

The aim of this study was to make a thorough investigation of the trajectory of the ansa lenticularis (AL) and its subcomponents using high-resolution fiber-tracking tractography. The subcomponents of the AL were reconstructed from one region of interest (ROI) in the area of the globus pallidus combined with another ROI in the red nucleus, substantia nigra, subthalamic nucleus, or thalamus. This fiber-tracking protocol was tested in an HCP-1065 template, 35 healthy subjects from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and 20 healthy subjects from the human connectome project (HCP) using generalized q-sampling imaging (GQI)-based tractography. Quantitative anisotropy and fractional anisotropy were also computed for the AL subcomponents. The subcomponents of the AL could be reconstructed in the HCP-1065 template, 35 MGH healthy subjects, and 20 HCP healthy subjects. The AL descends from the globus pallidus and joins the ansa peduncularis for a short distance, subdividing later into fibers that continue separately to the red nucleus, substantia nigra, subthalamic nucleus, and thalamus. The study demonstrated the trajectory of the ansa lenticularis and its subcomponents using GQI-based tractography, improving our understanding of the anatomical connectivity between the globus pallidus and the thalamo-subthalamic region in the human brain. One Sentence Summary The investigation of the ansa lenticularis and its subcomponents using high-resolution diffusion images based tractography.

[Phosphorus Fractions and Quantitative Identification of Pollution Sources in Nanhai Wetland, Baotou].

In this study, total phosphorus (TP) and the phosphorus (P) fractions in the water and surface sediments of the Baotou Nanhai wetland in China were determined using molybdenum blue/ascorbic acid spectrophotometry and continuous extraction methods. An APCS-MLR receptor model was combined with correlation analysis (CA) and principal component analysis (PCA) to identify and quantify the pollution sources. The results showed ① differences in the pollution level of phosphorus between the surface sediments and water. The contribution of dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) to TP in the water (WTP) was the lowest, while the contribution of calcium-bound phosphorus (HCl-P) to TP in the surface sediments (STP) was the largest in the study area. The surface sediments of the Nanhai Lake (L area) and the wetland plant area (P area) exhibited high bioavailability and the potential for releasing phosphorus into the water, which could result in eutrophication and is therefore of concern. ② The APCS-MLR receptor model indicated that the main pollution sources of phosphorus were industrial wastewater and domestic sewage (29.07%), and pesticides and fertilizers (29.00%). In addition, the degradation of animal and plant residues (18.49%) also contributed to pollution in the study area.

Costs and trade-offs of grazer-induced defenses in Scenedesmus under deficient resource.

The green alga Scenedesmus obliquus can form inducible defensive morphs under grazing threat. Costs and trade-offs of inducible defense are expected to accompany the benefits of defensive morphs, but are hard to detect under nutrient-sufficient experimental conditions. To test the existence of costs associated with inducible defense, we cultured S. obliquus along resource availability gradients in the presence or absence of infochemical cues from Daphnia, and measured the strength of defensive colony formation and fitness characters. Under the lowest phosphorous concentration, the expression of inducible defensive colony resulted in decreased growth rate, which provides direct evidence for physiological costs. Along the gradient reduction of phosphorous concentration or light intensity, inducible defense in S. obliquus showed a decreasing trend. However, the photosynthetic efficiency of S. obliquus was barely affected by its defense responses, suggesting that the negative correlations between resource availability and colony formation of this alga may be due to resource-based trade-offs in the allocation of limited resources. Thus, our results indicated that expression of inducible defense of S. obliquus was impaired under insufficient phosphorus or light. Furthermore, under severe phosphate deficiency, obvious physiological costs of inducible defense could be detected even though defensive colony formation also decreased significantly.

[A multi-center clinical trial of Qianlieantong tablets for chronic prostatitis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the efficacy and safety of Qianlieantong Tablets in the treatment of chronic prostatitis. METHODS: A multi-center, self-controlled open clinical trial was conducted. A total of 280 subjects with chronic prostatitis were enrolled and treated by Qianlieantong Tablets, 3 times a day, 5 tablets each time. Before and after 2 and 4 weeks after the administration, NIH-CPSI scores and white blood cell counts in the prostate secretion were recorded. RESULTS: Of the 273 subjects evaluated, the rates of excellence, effectiveness and ineffectiveness were 35.2% (n = 96), 47.6% (n = 130) and 17.2% (n = 47), respectively, with a total effectiveness rate of 82.8%. After 4 weeks'medication, the scores of the subjects on NIH-CPSI pain, voiding and quality of life and white blood cell counts in prostate secretion were significantly decreased compared with pre-treatment (P < 0.01). No adverse events or laboratory abnormality related to the medication were observed. CONCLUSION: Qianlieantong Tablets has a significant effect on chronic prostatitis with high safety, particularly indicated in chronic prostatitis with pelvic pain.

[A clinical study of prostat combined with an antibiotic for chronic nonbacterial prostatitis].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Prostate in combination with an antibiotic for the treatment of chronic nonbacterial prostatitis. METHODS: A double-blind, parallel contrasted, multi-central method was applied in the study. After the Stamey test and expressed prostate secretion (EPS) examination, 160 patients with prostatitis were recruited and randomized into a trial group (80 cases with 1 case missing) and a control group (80 cases). In the trial group, the patients used the levofloxacin and Prostate during the first 4 weeks and Prostate only during the following 4 weeks. In the control group, the patients used the levofloxacin and placebo during the first 4 weeks, and placebo only during the following 4 weeks. Before and 4 and 8 weeks after the treatment, the patients were visited and evaluated by the national institute health-chronic prostatitis symptom index (NIH-CPSI), EPS, and asked about the side. RESULTS: After 4-week and 8-week treatment, the pain index dropped by 3.34 +/- 2.45 and 4.06 +/- 3.03 in the trial group, and effects. 2.28 +/- 2.42 and 3.30 +/- 3.29 in the control; the voiding index dropped by 2.22 +/- 1.79 and 2.77 +/- 2.04 in the trial group, and 1.24 +/- 1.67 and 1.83 +/- 2.25 in the control respectively. There was significant difference between pre-treatment and post-treatment in both the two groups (P < 0.01), while the difference was not significant between 4-week and 8-week post-treatment (P > 0.05). And there was significant difference between the two groups in the pain index and voiding index (P < 0.01), but not in the white blood cell count and lipid in the EPS (P > 0.05). No serious side effects were recorded, and the tolerance to Prostate and placebo showed no significant difference. CONCLUSION: Prostate in combination with an antibiotic can effectively relieve the pain and voiding symptoms and improve the life quality of the patients with nonbacterial prostatitis and well deserves to be recommended in clinical practice.

[Triterpenes from root of Rhaponticum uniflorum].

OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents of the root of Rhaponticum uniflorum. METHOD: Separation and purification were performed on silica gel and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. Their structure were elucidated on the basis of physicochemical and spectral analysis. RESULT: Five triterpenoid compounds were isolated and identified as ursolic acid (1), 3-oxo-19alpha-hydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (2), pomolic acid (3), arjunic acid (4) and tormentic acid (5), respectively. CONCLUSION: Compounds 1 approximately 5 were isolated from the genus Rhaponticum for the first time.

[Neuroelectrophysiological basis and surgical treatment of essential tremor].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between limb tremor and neuronal firing in thalamus (Vim) and retrospectively review the clinical effects and safety of the surgical treatment of essential tremor (ET). METHODS: Forty-two ET patients received microelectrode-guided thalamotomy and 11 cases were quantitatively evaluated with FAHN rating scales pre- and post-operatively. RESULTS: There were electrophysiological tremor-related neurons in ventrolateral part of thalamus. Lesioning of those neurons abolished contralateral limb tremor in all of the patients. No permanent contralateral weakness, dysarthria and hemorrhage were observed. CONCLUSION: "Tremor cell" in thalamus plays a key role in the symptom of ET patients. Destruction of those cells may completely and permanently abolish tremor symptom.