Enhanced electrolytic production of hypochlorous acid using phosphorus-modified carbon felt electrodes: A study in disinfectant synthesis.

In this study, we fabricated phosphorus-modified carbon felt electrode anodes for chloride oxidation in saline solutions to produce HClO via electrocatalysis, forming a compound fungicide saline applicable for debridement and disinfection. A low-cost phosphorus-modified carbon felt electrode (P@CF) with high chlorine evolution reaction activity was synthesized to address the reduced efficiency of CER and the solution's pH increase. Heteroatoms P and O were introduced into the carbon felt by phosphoric acid activation followed by heat treatment. The maximum active chlorine concentration on the P@CF electrode could reach 616.8 mg/L in 60 min under the optimal synthesis conditions of a phosphoric acid mass fraction of 30%, a phosphoric acid impregnation time of 3 h, and a heat treatment temperature of 300 °C. The active chlorine concentration was 1.8 times higher on the P@CF electrode compared to the original carbon felt electrode. The optimal reaction conditions for the generation of active chlorine were as follows: salt concentration of 9 g/L, voltage of 7 V, and electrode spacing of 2 cm as verified by response surfaces. This electrolysis reaction follows one-stage reaction kinetics. Subsequently, the disinfection efficacy of the produced disinfectants was examined. The prepared disinfectant was also compared to a commercially available hypochlorite disinfectant, showing similar disinfection effects on E. coli for both.

Indicative impacts of sludge properties and biological metabolic characteristics on high-rate contact stabilization process performance.

Regarding curtailing carbon emissions in wastewater treatment, the high-rate contact stabilization (HiCS) process outperforms others in removing dissolved organic matter (DOM) but struggles with poor settling performance. To boost operation performance and clarify the correlation between process parameters, DOM variations, effluent quality, and microbial metabolism within the HiCS system, the impacts of sludge properties on sludge settlement and organic matter (OM) capture efficiency were explored, and soluble fluorescent components in the DOM and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) were identified and scrutinized. Results unveil that the feast/famine (F/F) regime in the HiCS process predominantly governs sludge activation in the stabilization phase, influencing sludge properties such as morphology characteristics, biological activity, and EPS secretion. At the same hydraulic retention time, reducing the sludge retention time (SRT) led to looser and smaller activated sludge flocs, increased microbial activity, and higher EPS production, particularly protein content in loosely bound EPS (LB-PN), which adversely impacted settling performance. High-throughput sequencing revealed that richness and diversity of the microbial community decreased with SRT. Acidobacteriota and Patescibacteria, associated with nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria, significantly decreased. EPS-producing Firmicutes increased, enhancing EPS secretion, while filamentous Chloroflexi decreased, aligning with a reduced organic mineralization rate. Settlement and biological activity emerged as key factors affecting OM recovery, peaking at 43.97% with a 4-day SRT. The ratio of the sum of tryptophan-like and tyrosine-like components to fulvic-like components ((C1+C2)/C3) was proposed as a fluorescence indicator, serving as a hub to connect operational parameters, F/F regime, sludge status and process performance. When this ratio falls within the range of 1.04-1.36 during the stabilization phase, HiCS sludge achieves optimal status for OM capture with low aeration energy consumption.

Catalytic hairpin assembly-driven DNA walker to develop a label-free electrochemical aptasensor for antibiotic detection.

An electrochemical aptasensor was developed by utilizing a DNA walker driven by catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) with kanamycin as the model analyte. Kanamycin bound to the aptamer, causes the release of DNA walker, triggers the CHA reaction, leads to the cyclic movement of the walker's long arm, and results in cascade amplification of the signal. The guanine-rich sequences of the double-stranded products produced by CHA were folded to form G-quadruplex structures, with electrochemical active molecules Hemin embedded, forms G-quadruplex/Hemin complexes in situ on the electrode surface, thereby achieving sensitive, efficient, and label-free detection of kanamycin with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.27 pM (S/N = 3). Meaningfully, the aptasensor demonstrated high sensitivity and reliability in the detection of kanamycin in milk and livestock wastewater samples, suggesting that it has great potential for application in detecting antibiotics in food products and water samples from the environment.

Efficacy and safety of apatinib in the treatment of patients with platinum­resistant ovarian cancer: A systematic review and network meta­analysis.

At present, the optimal therapeutic approach for the treatment of platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer remains to be fully elucidated. The present systematic review and network meta-analysis aimed to elucidate the relative efficacy and safety of apatinib, administered either as monotherapy or in conjunction with chemotherapy, compared with chemotherapy alone, for the treatment of platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer. The PubMed, Embase and Wanfang Data electronic databases were searched, where the search spanned from the conception of the databases until April 2023. A quality evaluation was conducted and R software was used for network meta-analysis. Following inclusion and exclusion criteria screening, the present analysis included 17 clinical trials, combining data from 1,228 patients with platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer categorized into the following three treatment cohorts: i) 555 patients who received apatinib plus chemotherapy; ii) 229 patients who received apatinib alone; and iii) 444 patients who underwent conventional chemotherapy. Results of the present study demonstrated that the co-administration of apatinib with either tegiol [odds ratio (OR), 2.54; 95% CI, 1.06-6.11] or etoposide (OR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.20-3.74) significantly improved the objective response rate (ORR) compared with that following apatinib monotherapy. By contrast, gemcitabine monotherapy resulted in inferior ORR efficacy compared with that following apatinib (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.23-0.95). In addition, combinations of apatinib with etoposide (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.06-1.64) or paclitaxel (OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.04-2.23) demonstrated a significantly improved disease control rates (DCR) compared with those following apatinib alone. According to the area under the cumulative ranking analysis, apatinib and paclitaxel in combination was the most efficacious treatment modality in terms of DCR. In terms of safety, the incidence of adverse events, such as hand-foot syndrome [relative risk (RR), 4.23; 95% CI, 1.80-9.95] and hypertension (RR, 4.80; 95% CI, 1.53-15.05), was found to be significantly higher in patients treated with apatinib-containing therapies, compared with those treated with chemotherapy alone. Consequently, the present meta-analysis highlighted the potential of apatinib, particularly in combination with chemotherapy, as a therapeutic strategy for patients with platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer.

Bio-inspired Cu2O cathode for O2 capturing and oxidation boosting in electro-Fenton for sulfathiazole decay.

A hydrophobic Cu2O cathode (CuxO-L) was designed to solve the challenge of low oxidation ability in electro-Fenton (EF) for treating emerging pollutants. This fabrication process involved forming Cu(OH)2 nanorods by oxidizing copper foam (Cu-F) with (NH4)2S2O8, followed by coating them with glucose via hydrothermal treatment. Finally, a self-assembled monolayer of 1-octadecanethiol was introduced to create a low-surface-energy, functionalized CuxO-L cathode. Results exhibited an approximately 7.9-fold increase in hydroxyl radical (·OH) generation compared to the initial Cu-F. This enhancement was attributed to two key factors: (Ⅰ) the superior O2-capturing ability of CuxO-L cathode, which led to high H2O2 production due to a 2 nm thick hydrophobic gas layer facilitated O2-capturing; (Ⅱ) a relative high concentration of Cu+ at the CuxO-L cathode promoted the activation of H2O2 into·OH. In addition, the performance of EF with the CuxO-L cathode using sulfathiazole (STZ) as a model pollutant was evaluated. This study offers valuable insights into the design of O2-capturing cathodes in EF processes, particularly for treating emerging organic pollutants.

Complete androgen insensitivity syndrome coexisting with müllerian duct remnants: a case report and literature review.

This study represents the first documentation of the coexistence of complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) with Müllerian duct remnants (MDRs) in mainland China. Additionally, we provide a comprehensive review of the existing literature concerning CAIS with MDRs resulting from androgen receptor (AR) gene mutations. This study broadens the clinical spectrum of CAIS and offer novel insights for further exploration into Müllerian duct regression. A 14-year-old patient, initially raised as female, presented to the clinic with complaints of "primary amenorrhea." Physical examination revealed the following: armpit hair (Tanner stage 2), breast development (Tanner stage 4 with bilateral breast nodule diameter of 7 cm), sparse pubic hair (Tanner stage 3), clitoris measuring 0.8 cm × 0.4 cm, separate urethral and vaginal openings, and absence of palpable masses in the bilateral groin or labia majora. The external genital virilization score was 0 points. Serum follicle-stimulating hormone level was 13.43 IU/L, serum luteinizing hormone level was 31.24 IU/L, and serum testosterone level was 14.95 nmol/L. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) did not reveal a uterus or bilateral fallopian tubes, but nodules on both sides of the pelvic wall indicated cryptorchidism. The karyotype was 46,XY. Genetic testing identified a maternal-derived hemizygous variation c.2359C > T (p.Arg787*) in the AR gene. During abdominal exploration, dysplastic testicles and a dysplastic uterus were discovered. Histopathological analysis revealed the presence of fallopian tube-like structures adjacent to the testicles. The CAIS patient documented in this study exhibited concurrent MDRs, thus expanding the spectrum of clinical manifestations of AIS. A review of prior literature suggests that the incidence of CAIS combined with histologically MDRs is not uncommon. Consequently, the identification of MDRs in AIS cases may represent an integral aspect of clinical diagnosis for this condition.

Role of polyferric sulfate and ferric chloride on anaerobic fermentation of sludge from novel two-stage process for resource recovery.

Polyferric sulfate (PFS) and ferric chloride (FC) were compared for their efficiencies in capturing organic carbon and phosphorus, and their effects on the anaerobic fermentation process of sludge from a pilot-scale two-stage reactor were studied. Both PFS and FC promoted organic carbon and phosphorus capture. Further study revealed that PFS-based sludge with a dosage of 18 mg Fe/Lsewage showed a better volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production performance (202.97 ± 2.38 mg chemical oxygen demand (COD)/g volatile solids (VS)) than that of FC-based sludge (169.25 ± 1.56 mg COD/g VS). Besides, the high dosage of PFS effectively promoted the activities of the α-glucosidase and proteases. The dissimilatory iron reduction process enhanced sludge flocs disintegration and the conversion of carbohydrates and proteins to VFAs. Non-hydroxyapatite phosphorus predominated in the total phosphorus of all samples. This study contributes to developing strategies for optimizing iron-based sludge management and high-value product recovery.

Effects of agricultural mulch film on swine manure composting: Film degradation and nitrogen transformation.

The utilization of biodegradable mulch films (bio-MFs) is essential for agricultural safety. This study explored the effects of no MF (CK), aging bio-MF (BM), non-aging bio-MF (NBM), and aging polyethylene (PE)-MF (PEM) on swine manure composting. The results demonstrated that outdoor aging (45 days) accelerated the macroscopic degradation of bio-MF in the BM. A reduction in NH4+-N and NH3 emissions in the initial composting was observed owing to an increase in the carbon source or the bulking effect provided by the MFs. N2O emissions from days 9 to 21 were higher in the PEM than other treatments because of the formation of anaerobic zone in the MF-based aggregates. An obvious increase of amoA in PEM indicated a promoted nitrification during the maturation phase, meanwhile the increase of NO2--N and aggregate promoted denitrification. Altogether, MF influenced composting through the synergistic effects of increasing the carbon source, bulking effect, and aggregates.

Identification and characterization of the WOX Gene Family revealed two WUS Clade Members associated with embryo development in Cunninghamia lanceolata.

The WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) gene family is vital for plant development and stress response. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of WOX genes in Cunninghamia lanceolata (C. lanceolata) and subsequently explored the potential roles of two ClWOX genes within the WUS clade. In total, six ClWOX genes were identified through a full-length transcriptome analysis. These genes, exhibiting conserved structural and functional motifs, were assigned to the ancient clade and Modern/WUS clade, respectively, through a phylogenetic analysis. Our expression analysis indicated that these ClWOX genes were highly expressed in the middle and late developmental stages of zygotic embryos in C. lanceolata. Moreover, only ClWOX5 and ClWOX6 within the Modern/WUS clade exhibited transcriptional activity, and their expressions were also induced in response to auxin and wounding. Overexpression of ClWOX5 and ClWOX6 in Arabidopsis caused a partially sterile phenotype, resulting in a very low seed setting rate. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that expressions of many embryo-defective (EMB) genes, phytohormone-related genes, and transcription factors (TFs) were dramatically altered in ClWOX5 and ClWOX6 transgenic plants, which suggested that ClWOX5 and ClWOX6 may play specific important roles in embryo development via complex gene networks. In addition, overexpression of ClWOX5 and ClWOX6 in leaf segments promoted shoot regeneration in tobacco, indicating that ClWOX5 and ClWOX6 can promote plant regeneration and could be used to improve genetic transformation. In conclusion, these results help to elucidate the function of the WOX gene and provide a valuable basis for future studies of the developmental regulation and applications of WOX genes in C. lanceolata.

The N-LVA Study: effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA) for patients with cancer who suffer from chronic peripheral lymphoedema - study protocol of a multicentre, randomised sham-controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Cancer-related lymphoedema is one of the most debilitating side-effects of cancer treatment with an overall incidence of 15.5%. Patients may suffer from a variety of symptoms, possibly resulting in a diminished health-related quality of life (HRQoL). A microsurgical technique known as lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA) might be a promising treatment option. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether LVA is effective and cost-effective compared with sham surgery in improving the HRQoL. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A multicentre, double-blind, randomised sham-controlled trial conducted in three university hospitals in the Netherlands. The study population comprises 110 patients over the age of 18 years with unilateral, peripheral cancer-related lymphoedema, including 70 patients with upper limb lymphoedema and 40 patients with lower limb lymphoedema. A total of 55 patients will undergo the LVA operation, while the remaining 55 will undergo sham surgery. The follow-up will be at least 24 months. Patients are encouraged to complete the follow-up by explaining the importance of the study. Furthermore, patients may benefit from regular monitoring moments for their lymphoedema. The primary outcome is the HRQoL. The secondary outcomes are the limb circumference, excess limb volume, changes in conservative therapy, postoperative complications, patency of the LVA and incremental cost-effectiveness. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study was approved by the Medical Ethical Committee of Maastricht University Medical Center on 20 September 2023 (NL84169.068.23). The results will be presented at scientific conferences and published in peer-reviewed medical journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT06082349.

Polytherapy versus monotherapy in the treatment of tibial non-unions: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Treating tibial non-unions efficiently presents a challenge for orthopaedic trauma surgeons. The established gold standard involves implanting autologous bone graft with adequate fixation, but the addition of biologicals according to the so-called diamond concept has become increasingly popular in the treatment of non-unions. Previous studies have indicated that polytherapy, which involves implanting mesenchymal stem cells, bioactive factors and osteoconductive scaffolds, can improve bone healing. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of polytherapy compared with monotherapy in treating tibial non-unions of varying severity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from consecutive tibial non-unions treated between November 2014 and July 2023 were retrospectively analysed. The Non Union Scoring System (NUSS) score before non-union surgery, and the Radiographic Union Score for Tibial fractures (RUST), scored at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 18 months post-surgery, were recorded. Initially, a comparison was made between the polytherapy and monotherapy groups. Subsequently, patients receiving additional surgical non-union treatment were documented, and the frequency of these treatments was tallied for a subsequent per-treatment analysis. RESULTS: A total of 34 patients were included and divided into a polytherapy group (n = 15) and a monotherapy group (n = 19). The polytherapy group demonstrated a higher NUSS score (44 (39, 52) versus 32 (29, 43), P = 0.019, z = -2.347) and a tendency towards a higher success rate (93% versus 68%, P = 0.104) compared with the monotherapy group. For the per-treatment analysis, 44 treatments were divided into the polytherapy per-treatment group (n = 20) and the monotherapy per-treatment group (n = 24). The polytherapy per-treatment group exhibited a higher NUSS score (48 (43, 60) versus 38 (30, 50), P = 0.030, z = -2.173) and a higher success rate (95% versus 58%, P = 0.006) than the monotherapy per-treatment group. Within the monotherapy per-treatment group, the NUSS score displayed excellent predictive performance (AUC = 0.9143). Setting the threshold value at 48, the sensitivity and specificity were 100.0% and 70.0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Polytherapy is more effective than monotherapy for severe tibial non-unions, offering a higher success ratio. The NUSS score supports decision-making in treating tibial non-unions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

A sensitive and versatile electrochemical sensor based on hybridization chain reaction and CRISPR/Cas12a system for antibiotic detection.

A sensitive electrochemical platform was constructed with NH2-Cu-MOF as electrochemical probe to detect antibiotics using CRISPR/Cas12a system triggered by hybridization chain reaction (HCR). The sensing system consists of two HCR systems. HCR1 occurred on the electrode surface independent of the target, generating long dsDNA to connect signal probes and producing a strong electrochemical signal. HCR2 was triggered by target, and the resulting dsDNA products activated the CRISPR/Cas12a, thereby resulting in effective and rapid cleavage of the trigger of HCR1, hindering the occurrence of HCR1, and reducing the number of NH2-Cu-MOF on the electrode surface. Eventually, significant signal change depended on the target was obtained. On this basis and with the help of the programmability of DNA, kanamycin and ampicillin were sensitively detected with detection limits of 60 fM and 10 fM (S/N = 3), respectively. Furthermore, the sensing platform showed good detection performance in milk and livestock wastewater samples, demonstrating its great application prospects in the detection of antibiotics in food and environmental water samples.

Label-free electrochemical sensing platform for sensitive detection of ampicillin by combining nucleic acid isothermal enzyme-free amplification circuits with CRISPR/Cas12a.

The residue of ampicillin (AMP) in food and ecological environment poses a potential harm to human health. Therefore, a reliable system for detecting AMP is in great demand. Herein, a label-free and sensitive electrochemical sensor utilizing NH2-Co-MOF as an electrocatalytic active material for methylene blue (MB) was developed for rapid and facile AMP detection by combining hybridization chain reaction (HCR), catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) with CRISPR/Cas12a. The surface of glassy carbon electrode modified with NH2-Co-MOF was able to undergo HCR independent of the AMP, forming long dsDNA complexes to load MB, resulting in strong original electrochemical signal. The presence of AMP could trigger upstream CHA circuit to activate the CRISPR/Cas12a system, thereby achieving rapid non-specific cleavage of the trigger ssDNA of HCR on the electrode surface, hindering the occurrence of HCR and reducing the load of MB. Significant signal change triggered by the target was ultimately obtained, thus achieving sensitive detection of the AMP with a detection limit as low as 1.60 pM (S/N = 3). The proposed sensor exhibited good stability, selectivity, and stability, and achieved reliable detection of AMP in milk and livestock wastewater samples, demonstrating its promising application prospects in food safety and environmental monitoring.

Breast Cancer in the Tissue of the Contralateral Breast Reduction.

Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignancy among women worldwide, and the increasing number of survivors is due to advances in early diagnosis and treatment efficacy. Consequently, the risk of developing contralateral breast cancer (CBC) among these survivors has become a concern. While surgical intervention with lumpectomy is a widely used primary approach for breast cancer, post-operative breast asymmetry is a potential concern. Many women opt for symmetrizing reduction procedures to improve aesthetic outcomes and quality of life. However, despite careful radiological screening, there is a chance of accidentally finding CBC. To address this, tissue excised during symmetrizing surgery is examined pathologically. In some cases, CBC or in situ lesions have been incidentally discovered in these specimens, prompting a need for a more thorough examination. Resection in pieces and the absence of surgical marking and pathological inking of the margin have made it challenging to precisely identify tumor location and assess tumor size and margin status, hampering adjuvant treatment decisions. A new protocol introduced in July 2022 aims to enhance the precision of CBC diagnosis, allowing for tailored treatment plans, including re-excision, systemic adjuvant therapy, or radiation therapy.

Tourmaline mediated enhanced autotrophic denitrification: The mechanisms of electron transfer and Paracoccus enrichment.

Autotrophic denitrification (AD) without carbon source is an inevitable choice for denitrification of municipal wastewater under the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. This study first employed sulfur-tourmaline-AD (STAD) as an innovative nitrate removal trial technique in wastewater. STAD demonstrated a 2.23-fold increase in nitrate­nitrogen (NO3--N) removal rate with reduced nitrite­nitrogen (NO2--N) accumulation, effectively removing 99 % of nitrogen pollutants compared to sulfur denitrification. Some denitrifiers microorganisms that could secrete tyrosine, tryptophan, and aromatic protein (extracellular polymeric substances (EPS)). Moreover, according to the EPS composition and characteristics analysis, the secretion of loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances (LB-EPS) that bound to the bacterial endogenous respiration and enriched microbial abundance, was produced more in the STAD system, further improving the system stability. Furthermore, the addition of tourmaline (Tm) facilitated the discovery of a new genus (Paracoccus) that enhanced nitrate decomposition. Applying optimal electron donors through metabolic pathways and the microbial community helps to strengthen the AD process and treat low carbon/nitrogen ratio wastewater efficiently.

Oxygen-doped carbon nanotubes with dual active cites to enhance •OH formation through three electron oxygen reduction.

The electro-Fenton (EF) process generates H2O2 through the 2e- oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), which is subsequently activated to •OH by iron-based catalysts. To alleviate the potential risk of external Fe-based catalysts, along with metal dissolution in acidic or neutral environments, in this study we employed oxygen-doped carbon nanotubes (OCNT) as a bifunctional, metal-free cathode to establish a metal-free EF process for organic pollutant degradation. The results demonstrate that the metal-free electrode has excellent H2O2 accumulation (12 mg L-1 cm-1) and degrades sulfathiazole (STZ) with 97.05 % efficiency in 180 min with an explanation kinetic of 0.0189 min-1. For the first time, this enhancement came from the dual active site centers in OCNT: Ⅰ) -COOH and defects active sites were responsible for H2O2 production, Ⅱ) then -CO triggered H2O2 into •OH, avoiding the introduction of metal-based catalysts. These findings suggest that the EF system with in situ oxygen-doped cathodes have great potential for treating antibiotic wastewater.

[Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Greenhouse Fluxes from Urban Lawn].

As an important component of urban green spaces, greenhouse gas uptake or emissions from urban lawns cannot be ignored. However, studies of greenhouse gas fluxes from subtropical urban lawns are relatively sparse. The static chamber-gas chromatography method was applied to monitor the ground-air exchange fluxes of various greenhouse gases(CO2, CH4, N2O, and CO) in typical urban lawns of Hangzhou City. Our results showed that the average fluxes had significant seasonal cycles but ambiguous diurnal variations. The grassland and the soil(naked soil without vegetation coverage) acted as sources of atmospheric N2O, with the average fluxes of (0.66±0.17) and (0.58±0.20) µg·(m2·min)-1 for N2O, respectively; however, they were also sinks of CH4 and CO, with the average fluxes of (-0.21±0.078) and (-0.26±0.10) µg·(m2·min)-1 for CH4 and (-6.36±1.28) and (-6.55±1.69) µg·(m2·min)-1 for CO, respectively. The average CO2emission fluxes of urban grassland and soil were(5.28±0.75) and (4.83±0.91) mg·(m2·min)-1, respectively. The correlation analysis indicated that the CO2 and N2O fluxes of grassland and soil were negatively correlated with precipitation, whereas the CH4 and CO fluxes were positively correlated with it. There was no significant correlation between grassland CH4 fluxes and soil temperature, and N2O fluxes had a significant negative correlation with soil temperature; the other greenhouse gas fluxes showed a significant positive correlation with soil temperature. In addition, the seasonal variation in CO2 (R2=0.371 and 0.314) and N2O(R2=0.371 and 0.284) fluxes from both grassland and soil was affected by precipitation, whereas CO fluxes (R2=0.290 and 0.234) were mainly driven by soil temperature compared with the other greenhouse gases.

Polystyrene microplastics trigger adiposity in mice by remodeling gut microbiota and boosting fatty acid synthesis.

Microplastic (MP) pollution has become a global environmental problem, with particular concerns for its harmful effects on human health. Several studies have demonstrated that MP can penetrate animals and humans resulting in tissue dysfunction, but their influences on metabolism remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the impact of MP exposure on metabolism and the results showed that different treatment doses produce a bidirectional modulatory effects on mice. When exposed to high concentrations of MP, mice lost significant weight, while those in the lowest concentration treatment group showed little change, but those treated at relatively low concentrations became overweight. There was excessive lipid accumulation in these heavier mice, with a better appetite and lower activity level. Transcriptome sequencing revealed that MPs increased fatty acid synthesis in the liver. In addition, the gut microbiota composition of the MPs-induced obese mice was remodeled, which would enhance the nutrient absorption capacity of the intestine. Our results uncovered an MP dose-dependent lipid metabolism in mice and a non-unidirectional model of the physiological responses to different MP concentrations was proposed. These results provided new insights into the seemingly contradictory effects of MP on metabolism in the previous study.

Research highlight: surgical outcomes of gluteal VY plasty after extensive abdominoperineal resection or total pelvic exenteration.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a suitable alternative technique for reconstruction of the pelvic floor after extensive resection. To review our outcomes of gluteal VY plasty in the reconstruction of the pelvic floor after extensive abdominoperineal resection (conventional or extralevator abdominoperineal resection, total pelvic exenteration, or salvage surgery). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: An academic hospital and tertiary referral centre for the treatment of locally advanced or locally recurrent rectal cancer, and salvage surgery in The Netherlands. PATIENTS: Forty-one consecutive patients who underwent a pelvic floor reconstruction with gluteal VY plasty at Maastricht University Medical Centre between January 2017 and February 2021 were included. The minimum duration of follow-up was 2 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Perineal herniation is the primary outcome measure. Furthermore, the occurrence of minor and major postoperative complications and long-term outcomes were retrospectively assessed. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients (85.4%) developed one or more complications of whom twenty-one patients experienced minor complications and fourteen patients developed major complications. Fifty-seven percent of complications was not related to the VY reconstruction. Six patients (14.6%) recovered without any postoperative complications during follow-up. Three patients developed a perineal hernia. CONCLUSIONS: A gluteal VY plasty is a suitable technique for reconstruction of the pelvic floor after extensive perineal resections resulting in a low perineal hernia rate, albeit the complication rate remains high in this challenging group of patients.

First-in-Human Integrated Use of a Dedicated Microsurgical Robot with a 4K 3D Exoscope: The Future of Microsurgery.

Innovative techniques can help overcome the limitations of the human body. Operating on very small structures requires adequate vision of the surgical field and precise movements of sophisticated instruments. Both the human eye and hand are limited when performing microsurgery. Conventional microsurgery uses operation microscopes to enhance the visualization of very small structures. Evolving technology of high-definition 3D cameras provides the opportunity to replace conventional operation microscopes, thereby improving ergonomics for surgeons. This leaves the human hand as a limiting factor in microsurgery. A dedicated robot for microsurgery has been developed to overcome this limitation and enhance the precision and stability of the surgeons' hands. We present the first-in-human case in reconstructive microsurgery where both technologies are integrated using a dedicated microsurgical robot in combination with a 4K 3D exoscope.