Enhanced tetracycline degradation by novel Mn-FeOOH/CNNS photocatalysts in a visible-light-driven photocatalysis coupled peroxydisulfate system.

Recently, photocatalysis combined peroxydisulfate activation under visible light (PC-PDS/Vis) was developed as a promising technology for removing antibiotics in water. Herein, Mn doped FeOOH (Mn-FeOOH) nanoclusters were grown in-situ on the surface of graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets (CNNS) using a wet chemical method, which served as a visible-light-driven photocatalyst for peroxydisulfate (PDS) activation. Photovoltaic property characterizations revealed that Mn-FeOOH/CNNS owned superior light capture ability and carrier separation efficiency. According to DFT calculations, the synergistic effect between Mn and Fe species was proved to enhance the adsorption and activation of PDS. 99.7% of tetracycline (TC) was rapidly removed in 50 min in the PC-PDS/Vis system. In addition, Mn-FeOOH/CNNS exhibited high recycling stability with low iron leaching, attributed to the interaction between Mn-FeOOH clusters and carbon species. Quenching experiments and electron spin resonance (ESR) tests unveiled that •O2- played a significant role in TC removal, while •OH and SO4•- acted as additional roles contributing to the overall process. These findings given a new strategy for antibiotics degradation by photocatalysis, offering deeper insights for the advancement of sustainable and cutting-edge wastewater treatment technologies.

Spirohypertones A and B as potent antipsoriatics: Tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors with unprecedented chemical architectures.

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a promising target for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Spirohypertones A (1) and B (2), two unprecedented polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols with highly rearranged skeletons, were isolated from Hypericum patulum. The structures of 1 and 2 were confirmed through comprehensive spectroscopic analysis, single-crystal X-ray diffraction and electronic circular dichroism calculations. Importantly, 2 showed remarkable TNF-α inhibitory activity, which could protect L929 cells from death induced by co-incubation with TNF-α and actinomycin D. It also demonstrated the ability to suppress the inflammatory response in HaCaT cells stimulated with TNF-α. Notably, in an imiquimod-induced psoriasis murine model, 2 restrained symptoms of epidermal hyperplasia associated with psoriasis, presenting anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative effects. This discovery positions 2 as a potent TNF-α inhibitor, providing a promising lead compound for developing an antipsoriatic agent.

Insights into the roles of superficial lattice oxygen in formaldehyde oxidation on birnessite.

K+-modified birnessite materials were constructed to remove formaldehyde (HCHO) in this work. The introduction of K+ led to weakening of the Mn-O bonds and enhanced the migration of superficial lattice oxygen, resulting in improved redox properties and catalytic activity. MnO2-3K with the largest specific surface area and greatest abundance of superficial lattice oxygen showed the best catalytic performance at 30-130 °C. The operando analyses reveal that HCHO is primarily activated to dioxymethylene (DOM) and subsequently converted to formate species (*COOH). The accumulation of formate species caused a decline in catalytic performance during extended testing at 30 °C, a challenge that could be mitigated by raising the temperature. Theoretical studies disclose that the *COOH → *H2CO3 step with the largest energy barrier is the rate limiting step for HCHO deep decomposition. Molecular oxygen could be activated at oxygen vacancies to replenish the depleted lattice oxygen after decomposition of carbonate species (*H2CO3) and CO2 and H2O desorption. The adsorbed oxygen and water did not limit the deep oxidation of HCHO. This research presents a promising approach for designing highly efficient, non-noble metal catalysts for formaldehyde degradation.

The object as the unit for state switching in visual working memory.

This study aimed to determine the unit for switching representational states in visual working memory (VWM). Two opposing hypotheses were investigated: (a) the unit of switching being a feature (feature-based hypothesis), and (b) the unit of switching being an object (object-based hypothesis). Participants (N = 180) were instructed to hold two features from either one or two objects in their VWM. The memory-driven attentional capture effect, suggesting that actively held information in VWM can cause attention to be drawn towards matched distractors, was employed to assess representational states of the first and second probed colors (indicated by a retro-cue). The results showed that only the feature indicated to be probed first could elicit memory related capture for the condition of separate objects. Importantly, features from an integrated object could guide attention regardless of the probe order. These findings were observed across three experiments involving features of different dimensions, same dimensions, or perceptual objects defined by Gestalt principles. They provide convergent evidence supporting the object-based hypothesis by indicating that features within a single object cannot exist in different states.

Redox-neutral electrochemical decontamination of hypersaline wastewater with high technology readiness level.

Industrial hypersaline wastewaters contain diverse pollutants that harm the environment. Recovering clean water, alkali and acid from these wastewaters can promote circular economy and environmental protection. However, current electrochemical and advanced oxidation processes, which rely on hydroxyl radicals to degrade organic compounds, are inefficient and energy intensive. Here we report a flow-through redox-neutral electrochemical reactor (FRER) that effectively removes organic contaminants from hypersaline wastewaters via the chlorination-dehalogenation-hydroxylation route involving radical-radical cross-coupling. Bench-scale experiments demonstrate that the FRER achieves over 75% removal of total organic carbon across various compounds, and it maintains decontamination performance for over 360 h and continuously treats real hypersaline wastewaters for two months without corrosion. Integrating the FRER with electrodialysis reduces operating costs by 63.3% and CO2 emissions by 82.6% when compared with traditional multi-effect evaporation-crystallization techniques, placing our system at technology readiness levels of 7-8. The desalinated water, high-purity NaOH (>95%) and acid produced offset industrial production activities and thus support global sustainable development objectives.

Triple semicircular canal occlusion with endolymphatic sac decompression for intractable Meniere's disease.

Background: Meniere's disease (MD) is characterized by idiopathic endolymphatic hydrops (ELH). Frequent vertigo attacks is the most disabling symptom of MD. Objective: This study evaluated the efficacy of triple semicircular canal occlusion combined with endolymphatic sac decompression in the treatment of frequent vertigo in patients with MD. Methods: Eleven patients with complete medical records were included in this study conducted from May 2021 to April 2022. All patients were enrolled to undergo triple semicircular canal occlusion (TSCO) with endolymphatic sac decompression (ESD). Various tests including pure tone audiometry (PTA), vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs), the video head impulse test (v-HIT), caloric test data, the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) were performed both before and after the surgery. Results: The successful control rate of vertigo was 100% (9/9) in the average 23-month postoperative follow-up period, with complete control rate of 88.89% (8/9) and substantial control rate of 11.11% (1/9). Conclusion: Triple semicircular canal occlusion combined with ESD may be an effective treatment option for managing frequent vertigo attacks in patients with MD. This combination therapy has the potential to become a significant addition to the treatment framework for MD.

ISG12a promotes immunotherapy of HBV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma through blocking TRIM21/AKT/ß-catenin/PD-L1 axis.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection generally elicits weak type-I interferon (IFN) immune response in hepatocytes, covering the regulatory effect of IFN-stimulated genes. In this study, low level of IFN-stimulated gene 12a (ISG12a) predicted malignant transformation and poor prognosis of HBV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), whereas high level of ISG12a indicated active NK cell phenotypes. ISG12a interacts with TRIM21 to inhibit the phosphorylation activation of protein kinase B (PKB, also known as AKT) and ß-catenin, suppressing PD-L1 expression to block PD-1/PD-L1 signaling, thereby enhancing the anticancer effect of NK cells. The suppression of PD-1-deficient NK-92 cells on HBV-associated tumors was independent of ISG12a expression, whereas the anticancer effect of PD-1-expressed NK-92 cells on HBV-associated tumors was enhanced by ISG12a and treatments of atezolizumab and nivolumab. Thus, tumor intrinsic ISG12a promotes the anticancer effect of NK cells by regulating PD-1/PD-L1 signaling, presenting the significant role of innate immunity in defending against HBV-associated HCC.

Genome-wide characterization of DNA methyltransferase family genes implies GhDMT6 improving tolerance of salt and drought on cotton.

BACKGROUND: DNA methylation is an important epigenetic mode of genomic DNA modification and plays a vital role in maintaining epigenetic content and regulating gene expression. Cytosine-5 DNA methyltransferase (C5-MTase) are the key enzymes in the process of DNA methylation. However, there is no systematic analysis of the C5-MTase in cotton so far, and the function of DNMT2 genes has not been studied. METHODS: In this study, the whole genome of cotton C5-MTase coding genes was identified and analyzed using a bioinformatics method based on information from the cotton genome, and the function of GhDMT6 was further validated by VIGS experiments and subcellular localization analysis. RESULTS: 33 C5-MTases were identified from three cotton genomes, and were divided into four subfamilies by systematic evolutionary analysis. After the protein domain alignment of C5-MTases in cotton, 6 highly conserved motifs were found in the C-terminus of 33 proteins involved in methylation modification, which indicated that C5-MTases had a basic catalytic methylation function. These proteins were divided into four classes based on the N-terminal difference, of which DNMT2 lacks the N-terminal regulatory domain. The expression of C5-MTases in different parts of cotton was different under different stress treatments, which indicated the functional diversity of cotton C5-MTase gene family. Among the C5-MTases, the GhDMT6 had a obvious up-regulated expression. After silencing GhDMT6 with VIGS, the phenotype of cotton seedlings under different stress treatments showed a significant difference. Compared with cotton seedlings that did not silence GhDMT6, cotton seedlings silencing GhDMT6 showed significant stress resistance. CONCLUSION: The results show that C5-MTases plays an important role in cotton stress response, which is beneficial to further explore the function of DNMT2 subfamily genes.

Benefit finding in individuals undergoing maintenance hemodialysis in Shanghai: a latent profile analysis.

Objective: This multi-center cross-sectional study aimed to delineate latent profiles of benefit finding (BF) in individuals undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) in Shanghai and examine associations between these BF profiles, social support, and coping style. Methods: A total of 384 individuals undergoing MHD (mean age = 57.90, SD = 13.36) were assessed using the Benefit Finding Scale, Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, and Perceived Social Support Scale. Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified distinct BF categories. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) evaluated the correlation between BF groups and demographic variables, while the relationship between BF, social support, and coping style was tested through correlation and multiple regression analyses. Results: LPA identified three BF groups: rich BF (54.17%), moderate BF (41.14%), and poor BF (4.69%). Regression analyses indicated that positive coping and social support are protective factors for BF. Additionally, older age and heightened understanding of MHD correlated with higher BF levels. Conclusion: The findings highlighted the importance of recognizing different BF profiles in individuals on MHD and working toward promoting BF levels in the rich BF and moderate BF groups, while helping the poor BF group to identify and address their challenges. Medical professionals should consider interventions tailored to individual psychological profiles to improve mental health and quality of life outcomes in this population.

New diarylcyclopentenone enantiomers and biphenyl derivatives from the fungus Talaromyces adpressus.

Ten new compounds, including three pairs of diarylcyclopentenone enantiomers (±) talaromycesins A-C (1-3) and four biphenyl derivatives talaromycesins D-G (4-7), along with four known compounds (8-11), were isolated from the fungus Talaromyces adpressus. Their structures were determined by analyses of extensive NMR spectroscopic and HRESIMS data, and their absolute configurations were elucidated by the dimolybdenum tetraacetate [Mo2(AcO)4]-induced ECD spectra, X-ray crystallographic studies, and ECD calculations. These new compounds were evaluated for their immunosuppressive activities for the first time, and compound 7 probably exerted liver-protective and anti-inflammatory effects on Con A-induced AIH by decreasing the levels of inflammatory cytokines, modulating immune homeostasis, and decreasing hepatocyte apoptosis, which may become a potential drug for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

Feasibility of implant placement in healed mandibular molar sites: A retrospective cone beam computed tomography study.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Implant placement in the mandibular molar sites plays a crucial role in the restoration of edentulous mandibles. However, the evaluation of bone quantity before implant surgery using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is lacking. PURPOSE: The purpose of this clinical study was to evaluate CBCT images of edentulous patients to analyze the feasibility of implant placement in healed mandibular molar sites. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The CBCT data of 138 patients were analyzed in the sagittal plane for measurements of mandibular bone height (MBH), superior bone height (SBH), inferior bone height (IBH), buccal bone width (BBW), lingual bone width (LBW), and alveolar bone widths (ABWs). The edentulous sites were categorized according to the bone quantity and complexity of the implant surgery. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze the site, sex, and age-related variations. An independent t test was used to compare the difference of bone dimension in different sites and between sexes. One-way ANOVA followed by post hoc tests were used to analyze the difference between different age groups. Categorical variables were presented as number of events and percentages. The chi-squared test was used to compare categorical variables (α=.05). RESULTS: A total of 534 sites of interest were recorded, including 274 hemimandibles. A significant difference in BBW was found between the first and second molar sites. Men had higher MBH, SBH, IBH, and BBW than women. The distribution of implant surgical complexity in the conventional group was 63.5%, while the buccolingual tilted implant group accounted for 17.0%, and the complicated group accounted for 19.5%. Of the 274 hemimandibles, an implant could be placed directly at molar sites in 88% of situations. CONCLUSIONS: The BBW at the mandibular second molar site was greater than that at the first molar site. The amount of available bone in the SBH and BBW was greater in men than in women at the healed molar sites. Age did not significantly affect the complexity of the implant surgery. Implants can be placed directly in healed mandibular molar sites in most patients who require a complete arch mandibular implant-supported restoration.

Mothers' experiences of breast milk expression during separation from their hospitalized infants: a systematic review of qualitative evidence.

BACKGROUND: Mother-infant separation, which is occurring with an increasing incidence, is a barrier to direct breastfeeding. Owing to the importance of breast milk to hospitalized infants, mothers are actively encouraged to express milk during their infants' neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay. However, mothers are often faced with a number of challenges in this process. There is a need to understand such mothers' real-life experiences of breast milk expression to develop supportive strategies to reduce the burden on mothers and increase breastfeeding rates. METHODS: A comprehensive search of 12 databases was conducted for relevant studies published from database construction to December 2022. All qualitative and mixed-method studies published in English and Chinese that reported on mothers' experiences of human milk expression during separation from their hospitalized infants were included. Two reviewers independently conducted screening, data extraction, and quality appraisal, with disagreements resolved by a third reviewer. The process of searching followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations. The JBI Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument was used to assess study quality and the credibility of study findings. Meta-aggregation was performed to integrate the results. RESULTS: This systematic review aggregated mothers' experiences of milk expression during separation from their hospitalized infants. Database search yielded 600 records, of which 19 full-text documents were screened. Finally, 13 studies of good quality were included with data from 332 mothers across seven countries. A total of 61 primary findings with illustrations were extracted from the 13 eligible studies, the findings were generalized into 16 categories, and further were concluded as four synthesized findings: purpose and motivation, physical and emotional experiences, barrier factors, and coping styles. CONCLUSION: Mothers were driven by extrinsic motivation in their decision to express breast milk. They experienced physical exhaustion and many negative emotional feelings while expressing. This process was affected by numerous barriers. Social support was essential to the initiation and maintenance of milk expression. Medical staff and families should pay more attention to the mental health of mothers with infants in the NICU. Future research should incorporate strategies to cope with emotional responses and offer practical strategies for managing milk expression. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: [ www.crd.york.ac.uk ], identifier [PROSPERO 2022 CRD42022383080].

Benefit finding in chronic kidney disease patients receiving hemodialysis: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The psychological problems of hemodialysis (HD) patients are prominent, and benefit finding (BF) have been proven beneficial to physical and mental health, fewer researchers explored BF in HD patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the current status of BF in patients with chronic kidney disease and to analyze the factors influencing it in order to provide a reference for subsequent interventions. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done on 246 HD patients by convenience sampling in the hemodialysis center of a 3 A hospital in Shanghai from March to September 2019. The measures include General Information Questionnaire, Benefit Finding Scale, Perceived Social Support Scale, General Self-efficacy Scale, and Simplified Coping Style scale. RESULTS: The median (interquartile range, IQR) score of BF was 66 (IQR = 19) and it was lower compared with other chronic diseases. Significant differences in BF scores were found between different age groups, HD duration categories, and understanding degrees of HD. Taking BF as the dependent variable, the results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that age, duration of HD, family support, other support, positive coping, and self-efficacy entered the regression equation to explain 43.8% of the total variation. Social support played an indirect effect in the relationship between positive coping and BF, accounting for 54.1% of the total effect. CONCLUSION: The BF of HD patients is worrisome and affected by many factors. Medical staff could pay attention to the positive psychology of HD patients, and construct individualized interventions according to the influencing factors to improve their BF level and achieve physical and mental health.

A human obesity-associated MC4R mutation with defective Gq/11α signaling leads to hyperphagia in mice.

Melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) mutations are the most common cause of human monogenic obesity and are associated with hyperphagia and increased linear growth. While MC4R is known to activate Gsα/cAMP signaling, a substantial proportion of obesity-associated MC4R mutations do not affect MC4R/Gsα signaling. To further explore the role of specific MC4R signaling pathways in the regulation of energy balance, we examined the signaling properties of one such mutant, MC4R (F51L), as well as the metabolic consequences of MC4RF51L mutation in mice. The MC4RF51L mutation produced a specific defect in MC4R/Gq/11α signaling and led to obesity, hyperphagia, and increased linear growth in mice. The ability of a melanocortin agonist to acutely inhibit food intake when delivered to the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) was lost in MC4RF51L mice, as well as in WT mice in which a specific Gq/11α inhibitor was delivered to the PVN; this provided evidence that a Gsα-independent signaling pathway, namely Gq/11α, significantly contributes to the actions of MC4R on food intake and linear growth. These results suggest that a biased MC4R agonist that primarily activates Gq/11α may be a potential agent to treat obesity with limited untoward cardiovascular and other side effects.

Discovery of adamantane-type polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols that can prevent concanavalin A-induced autoimmune hepatitis in mice.

Hyperadamans A-G (1-7), seven new adamantane type polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols (PPAPs), were isolated from Hypericum wilsonii N. Robson. Structurally, 1-4 were the first adamantanes bearing an unusual 2,7-dioxabicyclo-[2.2.1]-heptane fragment, and compound 5 was the first adamantane with a rare 1,6-dioxaspiro[4.4]nonane section. Importantly, 1-7 exhibited significant immunosuppressive activity on Con A-induced T-lymphocyte proliferation in vitro, with IC50 values ranging from 3.97 ± 0.10 to 18.12 ± 1.07 µM. Pretreatment with 1 in Con A-challenged autoimmune hepatitis mice could dramatically ameliorate the levels of hepatic injury indexes (ALT and AST) and reduce the product of proinflammatory cytokines (COX-2, IL-6, IL-1ß, IL-18, IL-23A and TNF-α). Furthermore, the protective effect of 1 on the Con A-induced liver injury was corroborated by the histological analysis and the immunohistochemistry.

Autotransplantation for Restoration of Dentition Defects After Excision of Jaw Cysts.

Bone defect caused by jaw cystectomy has always been the main factor affecting postoperative wound healing and is also the common cause of maxillofacial bone defect, which brings challenges to the subsequent restoration of missing teeth. In this paper, the authors report a 22-year-old young woman who had a mandibular cyst in the left lower posterior tooth area. She underwent mandibular bone cyst excision and simultaneous extraction of teeth 36 and 37. One and two months after the removal of the mandibular bone cyst, autologous tooth transplantation was performed in stages from tooth 28 to tooth 36 and from tooth 18 to tooth 37. The case shows that tooth autotransplantation is a viable option for the restoration of dentition defects after the excision of jaw cysts, which can promote the healing of the bone defect after the operation.

What's the clinical significance of VAS, AOFAS, and SF-36 in progressive collapsing foot deformity.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to ascertain the minimal clinically important difference (MCID), and substantial clinical benefit (SCB) of the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scale, visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, and Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) in progressive collapsing foot deformity (PCFD) surgery. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, a total of 84 patients with PCFD (84 feet) who underwent surgery between July 2015 and April 2021 were included. The study assessed the patients' subjective perception, as well as their VAS, AOFAS, and SF-36 scores at a minimum two-year follow-up, and these data were subjected to statistical analysis. The study utilized Spearman correlation analysis to determine the degree of correlation between patients' subjective perception and their VAS, AOFAS, and SF-36 scores. The minimal detectable change (MDC), MCID, and SCB for VAS, AOFAS, and SF-36 were calculated using both distribution- and anchor-based methods. The classification outcomes obtained from the distribution- and anchor-based methods were assessed using Cohen's kappa. RESULTS: Based on the subjective perception of the patients, a total of 84 individuals were categorized into three groups, with 7 in the no improvement group, 14 in the minimum improvement group, and 63 in the substantial improvement group. Spearman's correlation analysis indicated that the patients' subjective perception exhibited a moderate to strong association with VAS, AOFAS, SF-36 PCS, and SF-36 MCS, with all coefficients exceeding 0.4. The MCID of VAS, AOFAS, SF-36 PCS, and SF-36 MCS in PCFD surgery were determined to be 0.93, 5.84, 4.15, and 4.10 points using the distribution-based method and 1.50, 10.50, 8.34, and 3.03 points using the anchor-based method. The SCB of VAS, AOFAS, SF-36 PCS, and SF-36 MCS in PCFD surgery were 2.50, 18.50, 11.88, and 6.34 points, respectively. Moreover, the preliminary internal validation efforts have demonstrated the practical application and clinical utility of these findings. With the exception of the distribution-based MCID of SF-36 PCS, which showed fair agreement, all other measures demonstrated moderate to almost perfect agreement. CONCLUSIONS: The MDC, MCID, and SCB intuitively enhance the interpretation of VAS, AOFAS, and SF-36 in PCFD surgery, assisting all stakeholders to better understand the therapeutic benefits and limitations of clinical care, and thus to make a more rational decision. Each of these parameters has its own emphasis and complements the others. These parameters are recommended for evaluating the clinical relevance of the results, and their promotion should extend to other areas of foot and ankle surgery.

Discovery of bioactive polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols with adamantine/homoadamantane skeletons from Hypericum wilsonii.

In this work, nine previous undescribed polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols with adamantine/homoadamantane skeletons, cumilcinols A-I (1-9), along with six known analogues, were isolated and identified from the stems, leaves and flowers of Hypericum wilsonii. Their structures were determined by HRESIMS, NMR spectroscopic analysis, single-crystal X-ray crystallography as well as electronic circular dichroism calculations and comparisons. Compound 2 formed a unique furan ring bearing a rare acetal functionality. In bioassays, hyperacmosin G (13) could significantly inhibit the production of NO in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cell (IC50 = 4.350 ± 1.146 µM), and increased expression of related transcription factors at the gene level, inhibit the nuclear translocation of NF-κBp65, and reduce the protein expression of COX-2. Additionally, compound 5 showed significant inhibitory activity on Con A-induced T-lymphocyte proliferation (IC50 = 4.803 ± 3.149 µM), and treatment of 5 could reduce the increased ratio of CD4 and CD8 subpopulations induced by Con A in vitro. Those results indicated 13 possesses potential anti-inflammatory activity, and 5 exhibits a certain degree of immunosuppressive activity.

Insight into the adaptation mechanisms of high hydrostatic pressure in physiology and metabolism of hadal fungi from the deepest ocean sediment.

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) influences the life processes of organisms living at depth in the oceans. While filamentous fungi are one of the essential members of deep-sea microorganisms, few works have explored their piezotolerance to HHP. Here, we obtained three homogeneous Aspergillus sydowii from terrestrial, shallow, and hadal areas, respectively, to compare their pressure resistance. A set of all-around evaluation methods including determination of growth rate, metabolic activity, and microscopic staining observation was established and indicated that A. sydowii DM1 from the hadal area displayed significant piezotolerance. Global analysis of transcriptome data under elevated HHP revealed that A. sydowii DM1 proactively modulated cell membrane permeability, hyphae morphology, and septal quantities for seeking a better livelihood under mild pressure. Besides, differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in the biosynthesis of amino acids, carbohydrate metabolism, cell process, etc., implying how the filamentous fungi respond to elevated pressure at the molecular level. We speculated that A. sydowii DM1 could acclimatize itself to HHP by adopting several strategies, including environmental response pathway HOG-MAPK, stress proteins, and cellular metabolisms.IMPORTANCEFungi play an ecological and biological function in marine environments, while the physiology of filamentous fungi under high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) is an unknown territory due to current technologies. As filamentous fungi are found in various niches, Aspergillus sp. from deep-sea inspire us to the physiological trait of eukaryotes under HHP, which can be considered as a prospective research model. Here, the evaluation methods we constructed would be universal for most filamentous fungi to assess their pressure resistance, and we found that Aspergillus sydowii DM1 from the hadal area owned better piezotolerance and the active metabolisms under HHP indicated the existence of undiscovered metabolic strategies for hadal fungi. Since pressure-related research of marine fungi has been unexpectedly neglected, our study provided an enlightening strategy for them under HHP; we believed that understanding their adaptation and ecological function in original niches will be accelerated in the perceivable future.

Comparison of different fibula procedures in tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis with a retrograde intramedullary nail: a mid-term retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) arthrodesis with a retrograde intramedullary nail for severe tibiotalar and talocalcaneal arthritis has a high fusion rate; however, no studies have focused on how to handle the fibula intraoperatively to achieve better results. This study aimed to compare the efficacies of various fibular procedures. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the cases of severe tibiotalar and talocalcaneal arthritis in adults treated with TTC arthrodesis using a retrograde intramedullary nail between January 2012 and July 2017. The patients were divided into three groups according to different fibular procedures: Fibular osteotomy (FO), fibular strut (FS), and fibular preservation (FP). Functional outcomes and pain were assessed using the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle and hindfoot score and visual analog scales (VAS), respectively. The operation time, fusion time, radiographic evaluation, and complications were also recorded. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients with an average age of 53.2 (range, 32-69) years were enrolled in the final analysis. The numbers of patients enrolled in the three groups were 21, 19, and 18 in the FO, FS, and FP groups, respectively. The mean postoperative follow-up time was 66.0 (range, 60-78) months. All groups showed a high fusion rate (90.5% for FO, 94.7% for FS, and 94.4% for FP) and significant improvement in AOFAS ankle and hindfoot scores and VAS scores at the latest follow-up. There were no significant differences in these parameters among the three groups. The mean operation time of FS (131.3 ± 17.1 min) was longer than that of FO (119.3 ± 11.7 min) and FS (112.2 ± 12.6 min), but the fusion time was shorter (15.1 ± 2.8 weeks for FS, 17.2 ± 1.9 weeks for FO, and 16.8 ± 1.9 weeks for FP). Statistically significant differences were observed in these parameters. CONCLUSIONS: TTC arthrodesis using a retrograde intramedullary nail is an effective procedure with a high rate of fusion to treat severe tibiotalar and talocalcaneal arthritis in adults; however, FSs can shorten fusion time when compared with FO and FP. LEVEL OF CLINICAL EVIDENCE: Level 3.