Risk factors for severe complications and salvage management in direct-to-implant immediate breast reconstruction: A retrospective study.

Controversies regarding the risk factors affecting direct-to-implant (DTI) immediate breast reconstruction still exist. This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors for severe complications in DTI breast reconstruction and explore potential salvage management strategies. We conducted a retrospective review of 238 patients (240 breasts) who underwent DTI immediate breast reconstruction between 2011 and 2020. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify the risk factors predicting severe complications. Seventeen (7.08%) reconstructed breasts experienced severe complications, of which only 5 were successfully salvaged through surgical revision, while the others failed and resulted in implant removal. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that mesh use [odds ratio (OR) = 4.054, 95% confidence interval: 1.376-11.945, P = .011] and post-mastectomy radiotherapy (odds ratio = 4.383, 95% confidence interval 1.142-16.819, P = .031) were independent predictors of severe complications. Mesh use and post-mastectomy radiotherapy for breast reconstruction increase the risk of severe complications. Despite positive surgical treatment, the successful salvage rate was poor.

The expression profile of Gasdermin C-related genes predicts the prognosis and immunotherapy response of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) has a poor prognosis and is relatively unresponsive to immunotherapy. Gasdermin C (GSDMC) induces pyroptosis in cancer cells and inflammation in the tumor microenvironment. However, whether GSDMC expression in PAAD is associated with survival or response to immunotherapy remains unknown. GSDMC expression and the relationship between GSDMC and patient survival or immune infiltration in PAAD were examined using data in the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Ominbus (GEO), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) and Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) databases. The TCGA PAAD cohort could be divided into two distinct risk groups based on the expression of GSDMC-related genes (GRGs). The TIDE algorithm predicted that the low-risk group was more responsive to immune checkpoint blockade therapy than the high-risk group. A novel 15-gene signature was constructed and could predict the prognosis of PAAD. In addition, the 15-gene signature model predicted the infiltration of immune cells and Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) treatment response. Immunohistochemical staining assessment of patient-derived human tissue microarray (TMA) from 139 cases of local PAAD patients revealed a positive correlation between GSDMC expression and PD-L1 expression but a negative correlation between GSDMC expression and infiltration of low CD8+ T cells. Moreover, the overexpression of GSDMC was related to poor overall survival (OS). This study suggests that GSDMC is a valuable biomarker for predicting PAAD prognosis and predicts the immunotherapy response of PAAD.

Snow and rainfall independently affect the density, composition and productivity of ephemerals in a temperate desert.

Snow and rainfall are two main water resources required for vegetation growth in the Gurbantunggut Desert, China. Epehmerals, an important component of plant community in this temperate desert in early spring, tend to be more sensitive to water availability than other types of plants. While previous studies mainly focus on the separate effects of snowpack or rainfall on the growth parameters of ephemerals, it is unclear, whether there is any interaction between snowpack and rainfall. Here an in-situ field experiment was conducted with snowpack and rainfall manipulation in the southern part of this desert. During two consecutive years, we measured ephemeral density, composition, and biomass under three snowpack and three rainfall treatments. The results indicated that snow and rainfall independently affected the variation in the density, composition, and productivity of ephemerals in this temperate desert. Increased depth of snow increased the ephemeral density in dry year but did not affect the species richness and productivity in both dry and wet years. However, rainfall significantly affected these parameters in the dry year, but had no dramatic effects in the wet year. Snowpack and rainfall differentially affect seedling establishment and productivity, and their effects are independent no matter in a dry or wet year.

Effect of Nutrient Addition on the Productivity and Species Richness of Grassland Along With an Elevational Gradient in Tajikistan.

Grasslands provide key resource for the millions of people who are dependent on livestock in Tajikistan. Productivity and species richness (SR) are important characteristics of grassland ecosystems and are greatly affected by nutrient inputs. The effect that climate change might have on these characteristics remains unclear. Here, an in situ nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilization experiment was conducted at four sites along with an elevational gradient (650, 1,100, 1,250, and 2,000 m) in western Tajikistan over 2 years (2018 and 2019) to examine the influences of nutrient availability and climate change on aboveground biomass (AGB) and SR; precipitation and temperature were also considered to analyze the responses. It demonstrated that enrichment with N, P, and their combinations significantly increased AGB along with an elevational gradient (p < 0.05). AGB increased as the concentrations of nutrients added increased. The maximum AGB, which was 2-fold higher compared with control, was observed when 90 kg N ha-1year-1 and 30 kg P ha-1year-1 were added. In addition, nitrogen addition alone stimulated greater AGB than P addition, although no significant difference was observed between these two treatments. Enrichment with N, P, and their combination had no significant effect on SR; however, SR significantly changed at different elevation. Elevation had direct effect on precipitation and temperature, which, in turn, resulted in variation in AGB and SR. Moreover, both nutrient and elevation had significant effect on AGB and SR, but there was no interaction effect of them. AGB and SR interacted with significant negative correlation. In the high-elevation area, plants grew better in the warmer year (2018); this indicates that grasslands in high mountain areas in Tajikistan might have higher productivity as the climate warms, which will positively affect the economic development of the country.

Effects of biochar nanoparticles on seed germination and seedling growth.

As a soil amendment, the prospect of biochar application is excellent. However, environmental risks of biochar need to be investigated for its substantial use. The environmental risks of BNPs need urgent attention because at present little knowledge is available. Therefore, the effects of six types of BNPs on seed germination and growth of rice, tomato and reed seedlings were investigated. The BNPs were collected from biochars derived from two feedstocks (rice straw and wood sawdust) under 300 °C (low-temperature), 500 °C (mid-temperature) and 700 °C (high-temperature). The BNPs collected from high-temperature biochar inhibited seed germination of rice. However, all of the BNPs had a stimulating effect on rice seedling growth that significantly increasing the length of its root and shoot. Furthermore, the BNPs collected from high-temperature biochar and lignin-rich feedstock had an inhibiting effect on reed that dramatically decreased shoot length and biomass. Inhibitory effects of BNPs were caused not only by phenolic compounds on its surface, but also by the blocking effect on epidermal openings resulting in a reduced transfer of nutrients and water. No evidence was found that BNPs would affect the seed gemination and seedling growth of tomato plants. This study indicates that the eco-toxicity of BNPs is a potential environmental risk of biochar. Our findings provide new evidence for the necessity of establishing environmental risk management of biochar.

Reconsideration of heterostructures of biochars: Morphology, particle size, elemental composition, reactivity and toxicity.

Great attention has been paid on biochar due to potential application as soil amendment. The majority of research concerning the structural evolution of biochar commonly considered biochar as a whole. However, the knowledge of structural evolution of biochar resulting from physicochemical disintegration is rarely known. Biochars in this study were categorized into sedimented particles, suspended coarse particles and soluble components and ultrafine particles according to their suspension property. It was found out that these categories were significantly different in morphology, particle size, and elemental composition, demonstrating the presence of heterostructures in biochar. Additionally, the oxidizability of these heterogeneous particles was tested by Starch potassium iodide method and it presented that the oxidizability of the sedimented particles from high-temperature biochar was the highest. Based on the analysis of Luminescent bacteria test, the toxicity of the soluble components and ultrafine particles of low-temperature biochar was higher than that of high-temperature biochar. The heterogeneous structure of biochar and its effect proposed in this study is beneficial to individualize design of biochar sustainable application and to understand disintegration process and environmental risk of biochar in biochar-amended soil.

Linking hydrophobicity of biochar to the water repellency and water holding capacity of biochar-amended soil.

Biochar addition to soil may change the hydrophobicity of amended soil and influence soil hydraulic properties. Soil hydrophobicity, i.e. soil water repellency (SWR) can interrupt water infiltration and form preferential flow leading to a potential risk of soil erosion or groundwater pollution. Up to date, the effect of different biochars on soil hydrophobicity remains unclear and the association of SWR with soil hydraulic properties is still unknown. To link the biochar hydrophobicity to SWR and soil water holding capacity (WHC), the surface structure and chemical composition of 27 biochars with different feedstocks and pyrolysis temperatures were characterized, and the SWR and soil WHC of biochar-added soil were investigated. Carboxylic groups on the biochar surface, surface area and pore volume were mostly influenced by pyrolysis temperature, which suggested the dominant factor determining the severity of biochar hydrophobicity was pyrolysis temperature. Hydrophilic soil became hydrophobic after biochar amendment. A higher addition rate led to a stronger SWR of hydrophilic soil. Biochar addition increased soil WHC of hydrophilic soil with low total organic carbon (TOC) content. Biochar did not have significant influence on SWR and soil WHC of hydrophobic soil with high TOC content. It implied that the influence of biochar on SWR and soil hydraulic properties mainly depended on soil original hydrophobicity and TOC content. Therefore, the properties of biochar and influence on soil hydrophobicity and hydraulic properties should be considered before processing biochar application.

Water clusters contributed to molecular interactions of ionizable organic pollutants with aromatized biochar via π-PAHB: Sorption experiments and DFT calculations.

Molecular interactions between biochars and ionizable organic pollutants (IOPs) are of great concern in natural environments, however the role of water clusters on the biochar surface remain unclear. The pH-dependent adsorption of aniline, phenol, 2-chlorophenol, 3-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol, 4-methylphenol and 4-nitrophenol onto bamboo wood derived biochar (BW700) as a model was conducted to identify conventional and novel interaction mechanisms between aromatized surface and IOPs. The dissociation constant (pKa,surface) of surface functional groups of BW700 was characterized by acid-base titration and Zeta potential measurements. The pH-dependent adsorption behavior depended on the pKa,IOP of IOPs and also related to the pKa,surface of biochar surface. An obvious peak of adsorption coefficients (Kd) in the range of solution pH was shaped at pHpeak = (pKa,IOP + pKa,surface)/2, which cannot be well explained by the conventional mechanisms such as hydrophobic effects, π-π interaction, electrostatic attractions, and hydrogen-binding. The contribution of ice-like adlayer (water clusters) on aromatic surface as H-acceptors is proposed for the first time to the adsorption peak of IOP as H-donors at pHpeak. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations provided a possible structure of the complex combined with ice-like adlayer and aromatic substrate of BW700, and indicated that the adsorbing peak resulted from the multiple π-bond and polarization assisted H-bond (π-PAHB) interactions. Three distinct properties of π-PAHB were given, based on multiple π-bond, hydrophobicity-dependence and pH sensitivity. This novel mechanism extends the definition of H-bonds for better understanding the molecular interactions of IOP with carbonaceous materials and their environmental fate.

The influence of vegetation on soil water repellency-markers and soil hydrophobicity.

Soil water repellency (SWR) markers are defined as hydrophobic compounds in soil causing SWR and are mainly derived from plants. Previous studies have shown the types and abundance of SWR-markers in soils. However, how these SWR-markers are exactly related to SWR and their origin is poorly understood. This study aims to understand the relationship between SWR-markers, vegetation type and cover and SWR for a simple sandy soil ecosystem, consisting of oaks with sedge and six grass species. All the soil (at different depth) and vegetation samples were collected in the field along a 6m transect, starting from an oak tree. Further along the transect grasses and sedges became more abundant. Free and ester-bound lipids from soils and plant leaves/roots were obtained using a sequential extraction method and identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Significant linear correlations were found between the main soil characteristics, such as total organic carbon content, and SWR. Single long-chain (>C20) SWR-markers derived from both plant leaf waxes and roots positively related to SWR. Both ester-bound ω-hydroxy fatty acids and C22 and C24 α,ω-dicarboxylic acids were predominantly present in the grass roots, but to a lesser extent in the roots of oak and sedge. These suberin-derived ω-hydroxy fatty acids and α,ω-dicarboxylic acids characteristic of roots could well predict the SWR. Additionally, the SWR predictors abundantly present in the soils matched well with high concentrations of the corresponding biomarkers in the dominant vegetation species that covered the soils. Our analyses demonstrated that grass roots influenced SWR more due to their more substantial contribution of organic matter to the topsoils than oak roots. This led to a stronger SWR of the soils covered with grass than those covered with oak vegetation.

miR-340 and ZEB1 negative feedback loop regulates TGF-ß- mediated breast cancer progression.

MicroRNAs act as key regulators in carcinogenesis and progression in various cancers. In present study, we explored the role of miR-340 in the breast cancer progression. Our results showed that overexpression of miR-340 inhibits breast cancer cell proliferation and invasion, whereas depletion of miR-340 promotes breast cancer progression. Molecularly, ZEB1 was identified as a target gene of miR-340 and miR-340 suppressed the expression of ZEB1 by directly binding to the 3'-UTR of ZEB1. Furthermore, ZEB1 transcriptionally suppresses miR-340 expression. The negative feedback loop regulated TGF-ß-mediated breast cancer progression. In conclusion, our data suggested that miR-340 acted as a tumor suppressor in breast cancer progression.

Number of negative lymph nodes as a prognostic factor for ypN0-N1 breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Some of node-positive patients could have a pathologically complete response in terms of lymph nodes. For these patients, the number of negative lymph nodes (NLNs) may be higher than that in the same-stage patients who initially received mastectomy. After neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), the following treatment especially the postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) is controversial for ypN1 (with one to three positive lymph nodes after NAC) patients. A total of 289 patients who received NAC from 2006 to 2009 were included in the investigation. The prognostic value of the number of NLNs on these patients was analyzed. Besides, we analyzed if the number of NLNs would give some indications on PMRT in ypN1 patients. The follow-up of all the patients began the first chemotherapy on 15 March 2015. The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were determined as 67.2 and 81.1 %, respectively. The number of NLNs was associated with primary stage (p < 0.001), pathological tumor size (p < 0.05), pathological nodal stage (p < 0.001), and pathological stage after NAC (p < 0.001). The univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that the number of NLNs is an independent prognostic factor in both DFS and OS. In ypN0-N1 stage, patients with >13 NLNs had better DFS (p < 0.001) and OS (p < 0.001) than the patients with ≤13 NLNs. Although the fact patients in ypN2-N3 stage with >13 NLNs had better DFS and OS than the others, there were no significant statistical difference. In the subgroup analysis, PMRT improved the OS (p < 0.05) and DFS (p < 0.05) of ypN1 patients with ≤13 NLNs. The number of NLNs is a prognostic indicator in ypN0-N1 patients. Patients in ypN1 stage with less number of NLNs will benefit from PMRT.

Serum deprivation response inhibits breast cancer progression by blocking transforming growth factor-ß signaling.

Serum deprivation response (SDPR), a key substrate for protein kinase C, play a critical role in inducing membrane curvature and participate in the formation of caveolae. However, the function of SDPR in cancer development and progression is still not clear. Here, we found that SDPR is downregulated in human breast cancer. Overexpression of SDPR suppresses cell proliferation and invasion in MDA-MB-231 cells, while depletion of SDPR promotes cell proliferation and invasion in MCF10A cells. Subsequently, SDPR depletion induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like phenotype. Finally, knockdown of SDPR activates transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) signaling by upregulation of TGF-ß1 expression. In conclusion, our results showed that SDPR inhibits breast cancer progression by blocking TGF-ß signaling. Serum deprivation response suppresses cell proliferation and invasion in breast cancer cells. SDPR depletion induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition by activation of TGF-ß signaling.

Enhanced sorption of naphthalene and nitroaromatic compounds to bentonite by potassium and cetyltrimethylammonium cations.

Sorption of naphthalene, p-nitrotoluene, nitrobenzene and m-dinitrobenzene from water to original bentonite, original bentonite in KCl solutions, and an organobentonite (i.e., 100CTMAB) was compared. The affinities of sorbates with original bentonite were extremely weak and similar (sorption coefficient (K(d))=0.41-0.94 mL/g) regardless of their properties and structures. Sorption was dramatically enhanced by 100CTMAB due to strong retention of CTMA(+)-derived organic phase and the exposed-siloxane surfaces. The resultant K(d) increased by 5360, 780, 40 and 200 times, respectively, for naphthalene, p-nitrotoluene, nitrobenzene and m-dinitrobenzene, reversed with their aqueous solubility. The presence of K(+) promoted sorption of nitroaromatic compounds (50-400 times). The enhanced-mechanism for nitrobenzene at low concentrations and p-nitrotoluene was derived mainly from weak van der Waals interaction between aromatic rings and siloxane surfaces, while for nitrobenzene at high concentrations and m-dinitrobenzene the mechanisms were attributed to primary complexation of -NO(2) group with K(+) and then strong interactions by electron donor-acceptor. Sorption of m-dinitrobenzene enhanced linearly with K(+) concentrations of 0.005-0.20 mol/L, and overshadowed the role of 100CTMAB when K(+)>0.5 mol/L. These will eventually facilitate the application of modified-bentonite to abate pollutants in environments.