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Monobutyl phthalate (MBP) is the primary active metabolite of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), the key plasticizer component. A substantial body of evidence from studies conducted on both animals and humans indicates that MBP exposure could result in harmful impacts on toxicity pathways. In addition, it can seriously affect human and animal reproductive health. In our present study, we showed that exposure to MBP causes abnormal epigenetic modifications in porcine oocytes and failure of early embryonic development. However, glycine (Gly) can protect oocytes and early embryos from damage caused by MBP. Our study indicated a significant decrease in the percentage of porcine oocytes that reached the metaphase II (MII) phase when exposed to MBP. SET-domain-containing 2(SETD2)-mediated H3K36me3 histone methylation was detected, and the results showed that MBP significantly decreased the protein expression of H3K36me3 and SETD2. Moreover, the expression of the DNA break markers γH2AX and the mRNA expression of Asf1a, and Asf1b increased in the MBP group. The detection of DNA methylation marker proteins showed that MBP significantly increased the fluorescence intensity of 5-methylcytosine (5mC). The results from our RT-qPCR analysis demonstrated a significant decrease in the mRNA expression of the DNA methylation-related genes Dnmt1 and Dnmt3a, as well as the embryonic developmental potential-related genes Oct4 and Nanog, in porcine oocytes following exposure to MBP. Additionally, the mRNA expression of p53 significantly increased. Subsequently, the effects of MBP on early embryonic development were examined via parthenogenesis activation (PA) and in vitro fertilization (IVF). Exposure to MBP significantly impacted the development of embryos in both PA and IVF processes. The TUNEL staining data showed that MBP significantly increased embryonic apoptosis. However, Gly can ameliorate MBP-induced defects in oocyte epigenetic modifications and early embryonic development.
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BACKGROUND: This study aimed to develop and validate a model to predict the risk of prolonged weaning from mechanical ventilation in patients with abdominal trauma. METHODS: Patients with abdominal trauma were included and were divided into the training cohort and the validation cohort. The model was constructed using predictive factors identified by univariable and multivariable logistic regressions, and was validated by receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis. Clinical outcomes were compared between model-stratified risk groups. RESULTS: In total,190 patients were included, with 133 in the training cohort and 57 in the validation cohort. Six predictive factors, the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, Injury Severity Score, Glasgow coma scale, total bilirubin, skeletal muscle index, and abdominal fat index, were identified and were included in the model. The model predicting prolonged weaning owned a good discrimination, had an excellent calibration, and exhibited a favorable net benefit within a reasonable range of threshold probabilities. Significant differences were shown in prolonged weaning and clinical outcomes between the high-risk and low-risk groups (P < .05). Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that patients in the high-risk group had greater risk of 28-day mortality (P < .05). CONCLUSION: This study established a model to predict the risk of prolonged weaning from mechanical ventilation and clinical outcomes in patients with abdominal trauma. Skeletal muscle index was identified as one of independent risk factors of prolonged weaning. The findings offer valuable insights for respiratory management in patients with abdominal trauma.
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In recent years, the development of environmentally friendly solid catalysts derived from sludge for the efficient removal of pollutants from wastewater has triggered widespread attention. Acid mine drainage (AMD) sludge is a waste produced in the process of acid mine wastewater treatment and contains multitudes of valuable metal resources. Hence it provides the original conditions for the synthesis of metal-based Fenton catalysts. In this article, the Fenton-like catalyst Al-Fe3O4 derived from AMD sludge was first synthesized by acid leaching coprecipitation methods, and the relationship among catalyst properties and pH, growth temperature, and growth time during coprecipitation was explored. Transmission electron microscope (TEM)/vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM)/particulate size description analyzer (DLS) results showed that the Al-Fe3O4 catalyst with high purity, large particle size, and strong magnetic properties was obtained under the conditions of pH 10, reaction temperature 60 °C, and growth for 45 min. In addition, the introduction of Al active sites promoted the activation of H2O2 and improved the catalytic activity of Al-Fe3O4, and the degradation efficiency of tetracycline was up to 93.9% within 60 min, which was 1.94 times that of pure Fe3O4. Moreover, Al-Fe3O4 exhibited excellent recyclability after four adsorption-desorption cycles. Hence, this study is expected to promote the resource utilization of industrial sludge and provide a new idea for the rapid removal of TC from aqueous solution.
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Eigenvalue-Eigenvector approach as well as Levy type solution are used for electroelastic analysis of a doubly curved shell made of piezoelectric material based on a shear deformable model and piezoelasticity relations. The electroelastic governing equations are derived using virtual work principle. The solution is proposed for a Levy type boundary conditions with two simply-supported boundary conditions and two clamped ones. After derivation of the governing equations, a solution satisfying two simply supported boundary conditions is assumed to arrive a system of ordinary differential equations. The latest governing equations are solved using Eigenvalue-Eigenvector method to satisfy clamped-clamped boundary conditions. The distribution of displacements, rotations, electric potential, strain and stress is presented along the planar coordinate. Accuracy of the proposed solution is justified through comparison with results of previous papers.
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In China, the national-level protected pig, the Min pig, is characterized by the development of secondary hairs and hair follicles in winter. Factors that dominate the genotype in the growth of secondary hairs are not clear through the concrete cell signaling pathways. This study compared hair phenotypes based on morphological structure, transcriptomics, and potential targeting molecules in the breeds of Min, Berkshire, and Yorkshire pigs. The results indicated that Min pigs have specific characteristics for the growth of secondary hairs compared with the Berkshire and Yorkshire pigs. The transcriptome analyses and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction results revealed that secondary hair growth was activated by follicle stem cells. The specific inhibitors of Wnt and BMP were studied using respective signals. The density of follicles, activity of follicle stem cells, and relative gene expression results have shown that Wnt and BMP stimulate the activity of follicle stem cells, and the Wnt signaling molecule has a significantly better effect than the BMP signaling molecule on stem cells. Wnt and BMP can promote the growth of local secondary hair and gene expression. Therefore, this study was conducted to verify the development mechanisms of secondary hairs, which have potential applications in laboratory animals and comparative medicine.
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BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown an association between baseline arterial carbon dioxide pressure (PaCO2) and outcomes in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, PaCO2 probably varies throughout the disease, and few studies have assessed the effect of longitudinal PaCO2 on prognosis. We thus aimed to investigate the association between time-varying PaCO2 and 28-day mortality in mechanically ventilated ARDS patients. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we included all adult (≥ 18 years) patients diagnosed with ARDS who received mechanical ventilation for at least 24 h at a tertiary teaching hospital between January 2014 and March 2021. Patients were excluded if they received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Demographic data, respiratory variables, and daily PaCO2 were extracted. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. Time-varying Cox models were used to estimate the association between longitudinal PaCO2 measurements and 28-day mortality. RESULTS: A total of 709 patients were eligible for inclusion in the final cohort, with an average age of 65 years, of whom 70.7% were male, and the overall 28-day mortality was 35.5%. After adjustment for baseline confounders, including age and severity of disease, a significant increase in the hazard of death was found to be associated with both time-varying PaCO2 (HR 1.07, 95% CI 1.03-1.11, p<0.001) and the time-varying coefficient of variation for PaCO2 (HR 1.24 per 10% increase, 95% CI 1.10-1.40, p<0.001) during the first five days of invasive mechanical ventilation. The cumulative proportion of exposure to normal PaCO2 (HR 0.72 per 10% increase, 95% CI 0.58-0.89, p = 0.002) was associated with 28-day mortality. CONCLUSION: PaCO2 should be closely monitored in mechanically ventilated ARDS patients. The association between PaCO2 and 28-day mortality persisted over time. Increased cumulative exposure to normal PaCO2 was associated with a decreased risk of death.