Assessment of emissions and exposure in 3D printing workplaces in Taiwan.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an emerging and booming industry in Taiwan. Compared to traditional manufacturing, 3D printing has various advantages, such as advanced customization, additive manufacturing, reduced mold opening time, and reduced consumption of precursors. In this study, the real-time monitoring of particulate matter (PM) and total volatile organic compound (TVOC) emissions from various filaments is investigated using fused deposition modeling with material extrusion technology, a liquid-crystal display, a stereolithography apparatus based on vat photopolymerization technology, and binder jetting for occupational settings. An exposure assessment for nearby workers using the 3D printing process was performed, and improvement measures were recommended. Nine 3D printing fields were measured. The generation rate of ultrafine particles ranged from 1.19 × 1010 to 4.90 × 1012 #/min, and the geometric mean particle size ranged from 30.91 to 55.50 nm. The average concentration of ultrafine particles ranged from 2.31 × 103 to 7.36 × 104 #/cm3, and the PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations in each field ranged from 0.74 ± 0.27 to 12.46 ± 5.61 µg/m3 and from 2.39 ± 0.60 to 30.65 ± 21.26 µg/m3, respectively. The TVOC concentration ranged from 0.127 ± 0.012 to 1.567 ± 0.172 ppm. The respiratory deposition (RDUFPs) dose ranged from 2.02 × 1013 to 5.54 × 1014 nm2/day. Depending on the operating conditions, appropriate control and protective measures should be employed to protect workers' health.

Infectious Recombinant Senecavirus A Expressing p16INK4A Protein.

Senecavirus A (SVA) is an oncolytic RNA virus, and it is the ideal oncolytic virus that can be genetically engineered for editing. However, there has not been much exploration into creating SVA viruses that carry antitumor genes to increase their oncolytic potential. The construction of SVA viruses carrying antitumor genes that enhance oncolytic potential has not been fully explored. In this study, a recombinant SVA-CH-01-2015 virus (p15A-SVA-clone) expressing the human p16INK4A protein, also known as cell cycle-dependent protein kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A), was successfully rescued and characterized. The recombinant virus, called SVA-p16, exhibited similar viral replication kinetics to the parent virus, was genetically stable, and demonstrated enhanced antitumor effects in Ishikawa cells. Additionally, another recombinant SVA virus carrying a reporter gene (iLOV), SVA-iLOV, was constructed and identified using the same construction method as an auxiliary validation. Collectively, this study successfully created a new recombinant virus, SVA-p16, that showed increased antitumor effects and could serve as a model for further exploring the antitumor potential of SVA as an oncolytic virus.

Selective recognition of D-tryptophan from d/l-tryptophan mixtures in the presence of Cu(II) by electropolymerized L-lysine film.

Selective recognition of D-tryptophan (D-Trp) in the presence of Cu(II) was investigated at poly-L-lysine (p-l-Lys) film using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). p-l-Lys film was immobilized on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) by cyclic voltammetry between 0.0 and 1.9 V in 20 mM phosphate buffer solution (pH 8.6). After the p-l-Lys/GCE electrode was incubated with D-Trp solution containing Cu(II) ions, obvious enhancement of electron transfer resistance and decrease of voltammetric current could be observed. If D-Trp was replaced by L-tryptophan (l-Trp), there was no apparent resistance and current changes. Moreover, no resistance and current changes could be found in the absence of Cu(II). It may be due to the formation of Cu complex with L-lysine and D-tryptophan. Finally, this method was successfully applied to monitoring enantiomeric composition of the D-Trp and l-Trp mixtures.

Clinical Analysis of Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing Confirmed Chlamydia psittaci Pneumonia: A Case Series and Literature Review.

INTRODUCTION: Chlamydia psittaci infection is a zoonotic infectious disease, which mainly inhaled through the lungs when exposed to the secretions of poultry that carry pathogenic bacteria. The traditional respiratory specimens or serological antibody testing is slow, and the false-negative rate is high. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) gives a promising rapid diagnosis tool. METHODS: We retrospectively summarized the clinical characteristics of five C. psittaci pneumonia patients diagnosed by mNGS, conducted a literature review summarizing the clinical characteristics of patients with C. psittaci pneumonia reported since 2010. RESULTS: Five C. psittaci pneumonia patients confirmed by mNGS aged from 36 to 66 years with three males. About 60% of patients had a history of contact with avian or poultry. All patients had a high fever over 38.5 °C, cough, hypodynamia, hypoxemia, and dyspnea on admission. Two patients had invasive ventilator support and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support. Inflammatory index levels on admission and follow-up were all higher than normal values. Doxycycline or moxifloxacin and their combination therapy were used in patients. Four patients improved and were discharged, and one patient died due to multiple organ failures and disseminated intravascular coagulation. We summarized 19 articles including 69 C. psittaci pneumonia patients and patients in 11 publications were identified by mNGS, and most patients are treated with tetracycline and quinolone with good outcomes. CONCLUSION: mNGS is a promising rapid diagnosis tool, which may increase the detection rate and shorten the diagnosis time of C. psittaci pneumonia. Further case-control studies are needed to confirm.

Galangin Inhibits Cholangiocarcinoma Cell Growth and Metastasis through Downregulation of MicroRNA-21 Expression.

Galangin, a natural flavonoid product derived from the root of galangal, is emerging as a promising anticancer agent against multiple cancers. Yet, whether it also has antitumor effects on cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and the underlying mechanism is still unknown. Herein, we demonstrate that galangin exhibits multiple antitumor effects on CCA cells including decreases cell viability; inhibits proliferation, migration, and invasion; and induces apoptosis. Moreover, those phenotypic changes are associated with downregulated microRNA-21 (miR-21) expression. To support, overexpression of miR-21 blocks galangin-mediated antisurvival and metastasis effects on CCA cells. Mechanically, galangin increases the expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), a direct target of miR-21, resulting in decreased phosphorylation of AKT, a protein kinase which plays a critical role in controlling survival and apoptosis. In contrast, overexpression of miR-21 abrogates galangin-regulated PTEN expression and AKT phosphorylation. Taken together, these findings indicate that galangin inhibits CCA cell proliferation and metastasis and induces cell apoptosis through a miR-21-dependent manner, and galangin may provide a novel potential therapeutic adjuvant to treat CCA.