Extracranial malignant rhabdoid tumors in children: high mortality even with the help of an aggressive clinical approach.

This paper aims to explore the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and prognosis of extracranial malignant rhabdoid tumors (eMRTs) in children. A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published in PUBMED, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) was conducted. The search was limited to studies published between Jan 1, 1990 to Dec 31, 2022, with the last search done on Jan 31, 2023. We identified 496 papers through the literature search, and 12 retrospective cohort studies with 398 patients were included. The pooled age at diagnosis for malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney (MRTK) was 10.009 months (95%CI (7.542-12.476)), while extracranial malignant rhabdoid tumor (EERT) was 25.917 months (95%CI (17.304-34.530)). Among the 398 patients with eMRTs, chemotherapy treatment rate (86.8% (95%CI (74.4-96.0%))) was more frequently than radiotherapy treatment (45.4% (95%CI (38.1-52.6%))). The rate of metastasis in all patients was 41.4% (95%CI (33.9-48.9%)), in which the lung metastasis was occupied 70.4% (95%CI (58.0-81.6%)). SMARCB1/INI1 mutation was up to 93.2% (95%CI (81.3-99.8%)). The rate of total surgical resection was 50.4% (95%CI (35.2-65.6%)), while pooled proportion of death in all patients was 68.7% (95%CI (56.9-79.5%)).     Conclusion: EMRTs are highly malignant tumors associated with high mortality rates. The loss of SMARCB1/INI1 gene and the protein expression is observed in the vast majority of eMRTs patients. Patients that suffered MRTK are younger than patients with extrarenal EERT and are more prone to lung metastasis, but there is no significant difference in overall survival, possibly due to the higher rate of R0 resection of primary tumors in MRTK.     Trial registration: The study was registered on PROSPERO with registration number CRD42023400985. What is Known: • Malignant rhabdoid tumor (MRT) is a rare and highly malignant tumor that may originate from embryonic stem cells. The incidence of MRT is exceptionally low, estimated at 0.00006%. • Malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney (MRTK) and extrarenal extra-cranial malignant rhabdoid tumor (EERT) tend to manifest between 11 to 18 months of age, with a 5-year survival rate of approximately 17%-36%. What is New: • There is no comprehensive meta-analysis or large-scale case series that reported to systematically introduce the eMRTs clinic outcome and prog-nosis based on largely pooled data. • This study performed a meta-analysis through an extensive literature search and clinical data analysis in order to mainly explore the clinical characteris-tics and prognosis of eMRTs, improving the understanding of eMRTs in children..

Bile Acid Injection Regulated Blood Glucose in T2DM Rats Via the TGR5/GLP-1 Rather than FXR/FGF15 Pathway.

Background and Aims: Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has reached an epidemic status worldwide. Targeting bile acid signaling has therapeutic potential for treating T2DM. However, the effect of bile acid on T2DM and related mechanisms remains unclear. Here, we explored the role of bile acid in T2DM and elucidated the mechanisms involved. Methods: We established an STZ-induced rat model of T2DM and divided it into an bile acid-treated group and saline control group according to the random number table method. We incubated the bile acid-treated group with human bile acid via middle small intestine intubation and the saline control group was incubated with the same amount of normal saline. We compared the fasting body mass, fasting blood glucose (FBG), 2-hour postprandial blood glucose (2h-PG), fasting plasma insulin (FINS), fasting plasma triglyceride (TG), cholesterol, and total bile acid levels between the two groups one week before surgery and one to four weeks after surgery. Mechanically, Western blot, IHC, and ELISA assays were employed to detect the effect of bile acid on the TGR5/GLP-1 and FXR/FGF15 pathways. Results: Bile acid injection could increase the FINS level and decrease the 2h-PBG level of T2DM rats. In addition, bile acid injection did not affect FBG, fasting body mass, TG, CH, and total bile acid. At the same time, bile acid injection could activate the TGR5/GLP-1 pathway but could not influence the FXR/FGF15 pathway. Conclusion: Bile acids treatment promotes glucose homeostasis in the STZ-induced T2MD rat model via the following mechanism by activating the TGR5/GLP-1 signaling pathway rather than FXR/FGF15 pathway to improve glucose tolerance and thus achieve glucose homeostasis. The bile acid/TGR5/GLP-1 signaling pathway may be a crucial mechanism of controlling the blood glucose of T2DM rats, and TGR5/GLP-1 pathway may constitute novel targets for treating T2DM.

Study on the correlation between B vitamins and breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Relevant studies suggest that serum vitamin level is related to the risk of breast cancer, and dietary pattern and drug supplementation can significantly affect the level of vitamin in the body. Therefore, intervention of vitamin level in the body is expected to be a potential strategy to reduce the risk of breast cancer. However, the current epidemiological findings of serum vitamin levels and breast cancer risk are inconsistent, and the relationship between serum vitamin and breast cancer is still controversial. In this study, we compared the serum vitamin expression levels of healthy people, benign breast patients, and breast cancer patients, and evaluated the relationship between B vitamin levels and breast cancer risk. METHODS: The study used liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to determine the serum vitamin levels of 520 people who attended Yunnan Cancer Hospital from September 2020 to December 2020. After screening by exclusion criteria, 38 patients with benign breast diseases, 87 patients with breast cancer and 91 healthy controls were finally included. The kruskal-wallis H test was used to compare the differences in serum vitamin levels of subjects. Χ2 test was used to evaluate the relationship between B vitamin level and age,BMI,TNM staging,Ki-67,Her-2,surgery and chemotherapy, and other baseline characteristics and through binary logistic regression analysis, calculating odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) to evaluate the relationship between B vitamins and breast cancer risk. CONCLUSION: The levels of VitB1 and VitB5 in the serum of breast cancer patients and patients with benign breast diseases were higher than those in the healthy control group, while the expression levels of VitB3 in breast cancer patients were lower than those in the healthy control group and the breast benign disease groups. The level of VitB1 was positively correlated with breast cancer risk. The VitB3 level was negatively correlated with breast cancer risk. The VitB5 level is not significantly related to the risk of breast cancer.

Development of an antibody-ligand fusion protein scFvCD16A-sc4-1BBL in Komagataella phaffii with stimulatory activity for Natural Killer cells.

BACKGROUND: Natural killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapies have demonstrated substantial potential for the treatment of hematologic malignancies. However, its application is limited due to the difficulty in the production of a large number of NK cells in vitro and the insufficient therapeutic efficacy against solid tumors in vivo. Engineered antibodies or fusion proteins targeting activating receptors and costimulatory molecules of NK cells have been developed to encounter these problems. They are mostly produced in mammalian cells with high cost and long processing times. Yeast systems, such as Komagataella phaffii, present a convenient manipulation of microbial systems with the key advantages of improved folding machinery and low cost. RESULTS: In this study, we designed an antibody fusion protein scFvCD16A-sc4-1BBL, composed of the single chain variant fragment (scFv) of anti-CD16A antibody and the three extracellular domains (ECDs) of human 4-1BBL in a single-chain format (sc) with the GS linker, aiming to boost NK cell proliferation and activation. This protein complex was produced in the K. phaffii X33 system and purified by affinity chromatography and size exclusion chromatography. The scFvCD16A-sc4-1BBL complex showed comparable binding abilities to its two targets human CD16A and 4-1BB as its two parental moieties (scFvCD16A and monomer ECD (mn)4-1BBL). scFvCD16A-sc4-1BBL specifically stimulated the expansion of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)-derived NK cells in vitro. Furthermore, in the ovarian cancer xenograft mouse model, adoptive NK cell infusion combined with intraperitoneal (i.p) injection of scFvCD16A-sc4-1BBL further reduced the tumor burden and prolonged the survival time of mice. CONCLUSION: Our studies demonstrate the feasibility of the expression of the antibody fusion protein scFvCD16A-sc4-1BBL in K. phaffii with favourable properties. scFvCD16A-sc4-1BBL stimulates PBMC-derived NK cell expansion in vitro and improves the antitumor activity of adoptively transferred NK cells in a murine model of ovarian cancer and may serve as a synergistic drug for NK immunotherapy in future research and applications.

The Endoscopic Retrograde Appendicitis Therapy for Acute Appendicitis in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Acute appendicitis (AA) is a prevalent abdominal emergency in children, and there has been growing interest in the use of endoscopic retrograde appendicitis treatment (ERAT) over the past two decades. A meta-analysis of published retrospective studies was conducted to investigate the clinical characteristics and therapeutic efficacy of ERAT for AA in children. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of retrospective studies were carried out, encompassing data from PUBMED, MEDLINE, Cochrane, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WanFang, and VIP Database. The search was limited to studies published between January 1, 2012, and June 31, 2022, with the final search conducted on October 31, 2022. No restrictions were imposed regarding publication or study design filters. The registration number in PROSPERO was CRD42022377739. Results: Seven retrospective cohort studies with 423 patients were included. The majority of children who underwent ERAT were male (57.6%, 95% CI 52.8%-62.4%). The ERAT procedure had a high success rate (99.5%, 95% CI 98.2%-100.0%) and averaged around 49 minutes. ERAT's efficacy for treating acute appendicitis was high (99.0%, 95% CI 96.5%-100.0%), with a low recurrence rate (4.2%, 95% CI 2.2%-6.7%). Patients typically stayed in the hospital for about 4.3 days, and the rate of postoperative complications was around 3.9% (95% CI 2.0%-6.2%). Conclusions: Despite the heterogeneity among studies, ERAT appears to be an effective treatment for acute uncomplicated appendicitis in children. It has a high success rate, a low recurrence rate, preserves the appendix's function, and causes minimal damage. ERAT could be considered a safe and effective treatment option for pediatric appendicitis.

One-Step Preparation of Fe/N/C Single-Atom Catalysts Containing Fe-N4 Sites from an Iron Complex Precursor with 5,6,7,8-Tetraphenyl-1,12-Diazatriphenylene Ligands.

Fe/N/C single-atom catalysts containing Fe-Nx sites prepared by pyrolysis are promising cathode materials for fuel cells and metal-air batteries due to their high oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activities. We have developed iron complexes containing N2- or N3-chelating coordination structures with preorganized aromatic rings in a 1,12-diazatriphenylene framework tethering bromo substituents as precursors to precisely construct Fe-N4 sites in an Fe/N/C catalyst. One-step pyrolysis of the iron complex with carbon black forms atomically dispersed Fe-N4 sites without iron aggregates. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and electrochemical measurements revealed that the iron complex with N3-coordination is more effectively converted to Fe-N4 sites catalyzing ORR with a TOF value of 0.21 e site-1 s-1 at 0.8 V vs. RHE. This indicates that the formation of Fe-N4 sites is controlled by precise tuning of the chemical structure of the iron complex precursor.

Silver Nanoparticle-Functionalised Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots for the Highly Efficient Determination of Uric Acid.

The fabrication of efficient fluorescent probes that possess an excellent sensitivity and selectivity for uric acid is highly desirable and challenging. In this study, composites of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) wrapped with nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) were synthesised utilising N-CQDs as the reducing and stabilising agents in a single reaction with AgNO3. The morphology and structure, absorption properties, functional groups, and fluorescence properties were characterised by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. In addition, we developed a novel method based on AgNPs/N-CQDs for the detection of uric acid using the enzymatic reaction of uric acid oxidase. The fluorescence enhancement of the AgNPs/N-CQDs composite was linear (R2 = 0.9971) in the range of 2.0-60 µmol/L, and gave a detection limit of 0.53 µmol/L. Trace uric acid was successfully determined in real serum samples from the serum of 10 healthy candidates and 10 gout patients, and the results were consistent with those recorded by Qianxinan Prefecture People's Hospital. These results indicate that the developed AgNP/N-CQD system can provide a universal platform for detecting the multispecies ratio fluorescence of H2O2 generation in other biological systems.

l-Pyroglutamic Acid-Modified CdSe/ZnS Quantum Dots: A New Fluorescence-Responsive Chiral Sensing Platform for Stereospecific Molecular Recognition.

Stereoselective recognition of amino acids is extremely important due to its high chirality-dependent interactions and physiological activities in life activities. We herein report a novel functionalized chiral fluorescent nanosensor prepared from surface modification of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) with pyroglutamic acid derivatives, which could serve as a chiral recognition module for fluorescence detection of chiral molecules. The sensor exhibited a unique stereoselective fluorescence response to histidine (His), glutamate (Glu), and dihydroxyphenylalanine (Dopa) and had preferable response performance to l-enantiomers. The enantiomeric fluorescence difference ratios of His, Glu, and Dopa enantiomers were 3.90, 3.40, and 2.49, respectively. The mechanism for the enantiomeric fluorescence recognition was systematically studied through a fluorescence spectrum, fluorescence life, and density functional theory (DFT) calculation. Presumably, the different hydrogen bonding capacity of the chiral recognition module with two enantiomers mainly contributed to the difference in fluorescence signals. As a result, a broader application of the pyroglutamic acid derivative-coated QDs as a fluorescence-responsive chiral sensing platform for enantiomeric detection would be expected.

Preparative isolation and purification of 12 main antioxidants from the roots of Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. using high-speed countercurrent chromatography and preparative HPLC guided by 1,1'-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl-HPLC.

A hyphenated strategy by off-line coupling of 1,1'-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl-high-performance liquid chromatography, high-speed countercurrent chromatography, and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography was established to screen and separate antioxidants from ethyl acetate fraction of the roots of Polygonum multiflorum. Under the targeted guidance of 1,1'-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl-high-performance liquid chromatography experiment, 12 compounds were identified as potential antioxidants and readily isolated by high-speed counter-current chromatography and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. Ultraviolet spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and 1 H NMR spectroscopy were employed to identify their structures, which were assigned as gallic acid (1, 6.2 mg, 98.28%), catechin (2, 8.8 mg, 90.69%), epicatechin (3, 4.1 mg, 96.71%), polydatin (4, 5.3 mg, 94.91%), 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxy stilbene-2-Ο-ß-D-glucoside (5, 20.2 mg, 95.23%), piceatannol (6, 5.3 mg, 96.85%), rutin (7, 5.4 mg, 97.92%), resveratrol (8, 5.2 mg, 96.94%), isorhapontigenin (9, 11.4 mg, 94.81%), hyperoside (10, 9.7 mg, 98.52%), rhein (11, 4.9 mg, 97.46%), and emodin (12, 8.2 mg, 95.74%). Notably, compounds 6 and 9 were isolated from Polygonum multiflorum for the first time. In addition, antioxidant activity of compounds 1-12 were evaluated, and compounds 1-8 and 10 exhibited stronger antioxidant activity than ascorbic acid (positive control). These results indicated that the proposed method is a highly efficient strategy to screen and isolate antioxidants from complex natural products.

Rethinking safety in numbers: are intersections with more crossing pedestrians really safer?

OBJECTIVE: To advance the interpretation of the 'safety in numbers' effect by addressing the following three questions. How should the safety of pedestrians be measured, as the safety of individual pedestrians or as the overall safety of road facilities for pedestrians? Would intersections with large numbers of pedestrians exhibit a favourable safety performance? Would encouraging people to walk be a sound safety countermeasure? METHODS: We selected 288 signalised intersections with 1003 pedestrian crashes in Hong Kong from 2010 to 2012. We developed a Bayesian Poisson-lognormal model to calculate two common indicators related to pedestrian safety: the expected crash rate per million crossing pedestrians and the expected excess crash frequency. The ranking results of these two indicators for the selected intersections were compared. RESULTS: We confirmed a significant positive association between pedestrian volumes and pedestrian crashes, with an estimated coefficient of 0.21. Although people who crossed at intersections with higher pedestrian volumes experienced a relatively lower crash risk, these intersections may still have substantial potential for crash reduction. CONCLUSIONS: Conclusions on the safety in numbers effect based on a cross-sectional analysis should be reached with great caution. The safety of individual pedestrians can be measured based on the crash risk, whereas the safety of road facilities for pedestrians should be determined by the environmental hazards of walking. Intersections prevalent of pedestrians do not always exhibit favourable safety performance. Relative to increasing the number of pedestrians, safety strategies should focus on reducing environmental hazards and removing barriers to walking.

Ecological Risk Assessment of Neodymium and Yttrium on Rare Earth Element Mine Sites in Ganzhou, China.

Nowadays rare earth elements (REEs) are widely applied in high-technology and clean energy products, but their environmental risks are still largely unknown. To estimate the ecological risk of REEs, soil samples were collected from REE mine tailings with and without phytoremediation. The results showed that the tailings had rather low organic matter and high total REE concentrations, up to 808.5 mg/kg. The 10% effective concentration (EC10) of neodymium (Nd) and yttrium (Y) were calculated based on the toxicity tests of seed germination and root growth. For both wheat and mung bean, the EC10 of Nd and Y in soils were in the range of 1053.1-1300.1 mg/kg. The average hazard quotient of mine tailing soil without phytoremediation was higher than that with phytoremediation. All the hazard quotient of Nd and Y were less than 1, indicating that Nd or Y alone was unlikely to cause adverse ecological effects. Given to the coexistence of REEs on mine sites, the ecological risk of REE mixture could be potentially high towards local soil environments, even for soils with phytoremdiation.

Causal association between BMI and polycystic ovarian syndrome: Bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to explore the causal effect of body mass index (BMI) on polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: Genome-wide association data for BMI and PCOS were sourced from the Mendelian randomization (MR) base platform. Significantly associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for BMI served as instrumental variables in bidirectional two-sample MR analyses to investigate the causal relationship between BMI and PCOS. Analytical techniques utilized encompassed the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method, weighted median estimator, and MR-Egger regression. RESULTS: We identified 427 SNPs significantly associated with BMI (P < 5 × 10-8; linkage disequilibrium r2 < 0.001). Various methods consistently revealed a positive association between BMI and PCOS (IVW: odds ratio (OR) 2.027, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.599-2.596; weighted median estimator: OR 2.368, 95% CI 1.653-3.392; MR-Egger Method: OR 3.610, 95% CI 1.795-7.263), indicating that higher BMI correlates with an increased risk of PCOS. Additionally, we observed a causal effect of genetic predisposition to PCOS on BMI (IVW: OR 1.020, 95% CI (1.019-1.022); weighted median estimator: OR 1.017, 95% CI (1.015-1.019); MR-Egger Method: OR 1.000, 95% CI (0.995-1.005)). CONCLUSION: The MR analysis furnished compelling evidence suggesting a causal relationship between elevated BMI and the risk of PCOS, as well as indicating that the severity of PCOS may contribute to elevated BMI levels.

Clinical application of serum CST4 combined with tumor markers in the diagnosis of digestive system malignant tumors.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of plasma human cystatin-S (CST4) in patients with digestive system malignant tumors. CST4 and tumor markers, such as α-fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen (CA)199, CA125, CA153 and CA724, were detected in blood samples from 100 patients with a digestive system malignant tumor and 100 patients with benign digestive system diseases. The tumor markers AFP, CEA, CA199, CA125, CA153 and CA724 were detected using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, and CST4 levels were detected using a human CST4 ELISA kit. The results demonstrated that the sensitivities of AFP and CA153 (both 5.00%) were significantly lower than that of CST4 (38.00%) in the diagnosis of digestive system malignancy (P<0.001), and CA724 (18.00%) was also less sensitive than CST4 (P<0.05). The sensitivities of CA199 (26.00%), CEA (31.00%) and CA125 (25.00%) were similar to that of CST4 (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the CEA, CA125, CA724 and CST4 specificities (P>0.05), which were 91.00, 95.00, 94.00 and 83.00%, respectively. The specificities of AFP (99.00%), CA199 (98.00%) and CA153 (100.00%) were significantly higher than that of CST4 (P<0.01). By constructing a receiver operating characteristic curve and comparing the area under the curve as well as sensitivity, the findings of the present study demonstrated that combining CST4 with AFP, CEA, CA199, CA125, CA153 and CA724 can significantly enhance the diagnostic sensitivity for malignancies of the digestive system. However, the introduction of CST4 into the traditional diagnostic groups (CEA + AFP, CA199 + CA125 + CA153 + CA724 and AFP + CEA + CA199 + CA125 + CA153 + CA724) resulted in an increased sensitivity and loss of specificity, thereby not offering significant advantages in terms of comprehensive diagnostic efficiency compared with the traditional diagnostic groups. In conclusion, CST4 detection may be a promising diagnostic tool. Nonetheless, the potential false positive results in tumor diagnosis should be taken into consideration when developing new diagnostic groups involving CST4.

Clinical application of serum seven tumour-associated autoantibodies in patients with pulmonary nodules.

Background: The incidence of pulmonary nodules is increasing because of the promotion and popularisation of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening for populations with suspected lung cancer. However, a high rate of false positives and concerns regarding the radiation-related cancer risk of repeated CT scanning remain major obstacles to its wide application. This study aimed to investigate the clinical value of seven tumour-associated autoantibodies (7-TAAbs) in the differentiation of malignant pulmonary tumours from benign ones and the early detection of lung cancer in routine clinical practice. Methods: We included 377 patients who underwent both the 7-TAAbs panel test and LDCT screening, and were diagnosed with pulmonary nodules using LDCT. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the serum levels antibodies for P53, PGP9.5, SOX2, GAGE7, GBU4-5, CAGE, and MAGE-A1. The relationships between the positive rates of the 7-TAAbs and the patient sex, and age, and the number, size, and composition of pulmonary nodules were analysed. We then statistically evaluated the clinical application value. Results: The positive rates of the 7-TAAbs did not correlate with sex, age, number, size, or composition of pulmonary nodules. The serum antibody level of GBU4-5 in patients with pulmonary nodules tended to increase with age; the serum antibody level of SOX2 tended to increase with nodule size and was the highest among patients with mixed ground-glass opacity (mGGO) nodules. The antibody positive rate for CAGE in female patients with pulmonary nodules was significantly higher than that in male patients (P < 0.05). The positive rate of GBU4-5 antibody in patients aged 60 years and above was higher than that in younger patients (P < 0.05). The positive rate of GAGE7 antibody in patients with pulmonary nodules sized 8-20 mm was also significantly higher than that in patients with pulmonary nodules sized less than 8 mm (P < 0.01). Significant differences were observed in the GAGE7 antibody levels of patients with pulmonary nodules of different compositions (P < 0.01). The positive rate of the 7-TAAbs panel test in patients with lung cancer was significantly higher than in patients with pulmonary nodules (P < 0.01). Serum levels of P53, SOX2, GBU4-5, and MAGE-A1 antibodies were significantly higher in patients with lung cancer than in those with pulmonary nodules (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The low positive rates of serum 7-TAAbs in patients with lung cancer and pulmonary nodules may be related to different case selection, population differences, geographical differences, different degrees of progression, and detection methods. The combined detection of 7-TAAbs has some clinical value for screening and early detection of lung cancer.

Mild Pd-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Cross-Coupling of Zinc(II) Polyfluorobenzoates with Aryl Bromides and Nonaflates: Access to Polyfluorinated Biaryls.

We developed a Pd-catalyzed decarboxylative cross-coupling of zinc polyfluorobenzoates, which were used as precursors for producing zinc reagents in situ, with aryl bromides and nonaflates, providing a mild and efficient pathway for the synthesis of polyfluorinated biaryls. This protocol exhibits a broad substrate scope and excellent functional tolerance. Moreover, the versatility of this approach was demonstrated by the straightforward late-stage modification of drugs, biologically active molecules, and pesticides, indicating its potential significance in drug discovery.

Distribution and characteristics of microplastics in 16 benthic organisms in Haizhou Bay, China: Influence of habitat, feeding habits and trophic level.

Microplastics (MPs) are widely found in the ocean and cause a serious risk to marine organisms. However, fewer studies have been conducted on benthic organisms. This study conducted a case study on the pollution characteristics of MPs on 16 marine benthic organisms in Haizhou Bay, and analyzed the effects of habitat, trophic level, and feeding mode on the MPs pollution characters. The results showed that MPs were detected in all 16 organisms with an average abundance of 8.84 ± 9.14 items/individual, which is in the middle-high level in the international scale. Among the detected MPs, the main material was cellophane. This study showed that benthic organisms can be used as indicator organisms for MPs pollution. MPs in organisms can be affected by their habitat, trophic level, and feeding mode. Comprehensive analysis of MPs in benthic organisms will contribute to fully understand the characterization and source resolution of MPs pollution.

The occurrence of pollutants in organisms and water of inland mariculture systems: Shrimp aquaculture is a procession of Microplastics accumulation.

Microplastics (MPs) pollution in the ocean was widely concerned, but the current study on MPs pollution in the mariculture system is relatively lacking. This study researched the MPs pollution characteristics in water and shrimp at different stages of the pond and industrial aquaculture. The study shows that in the same aquaculture stage, MPs abundance in shrimp and water in pond aquaculture mode is higher than that in industrial aquaculture mode. The MPs pollution characteristics in shrimp and water show significant consistency. The hazard index of MPs in pond water and industrial models are 122 (Level Ⅲ) and 540 (Level Ⅲ), respectively, indicating that industrial aquaculture models may suffer from more severe MPs stress. The aquaculture period and mode significantly affected the MPs abundance of water and shrimp, but there was no interaction between the aquaculture period and mode. MPs abundance in shrimp show a significant relationship with the length of crustacean and weight. This study further enhanced the understanding of MPs pollution of water and organisms in different aquaculture modes at different stages, and warned MPs is widely spread in mariculture systems.

[Characteristics of Microplastic Pollution in Sediment of Silty Coast in Culture Bay].

Microplastic pollution is a central issue of great concern in the current environmental field. Microplastic pollution in marine environmental media is widely reported, but the characteristics of microplastic pollution in deep sediments are rarely reported. Based on this, three sampling points were set up on the muddy coast near the Haizhou Bay, a typical aquaculture sea area, to analyze the characteristics of microplastic pollution in sediment column samples. The study showed that the abundance of microplastics in the sediments of the study area was(0.12 ± 0.07)n·g-1, which was at the medium pollution level. The total amount of microplastics in the sediment column was 3.43-6.00 times the abundance of microplastics in the surface sediment (5 cm). The abundance of microplastics in the sediment column samples showed regional differences. There was no significant difference in the abundance of microplastics in the sediment at different depths, but the index decreased with the increase in depth. The relationship between sediment moisture content, depth, and microplastics indicated that the abundance of microplastics in sediment was related to the physical properties of the sediment. Transparent and black microplastics accounted for the highest proportion in each station. Fiber was the most common form of microplastics in the sediment, and microplastics with small particle size accounted for the majority. The density of microplastics did not prevent its appearance in the sediment. The pollution characteristics of microplastics varied greatly in different depths of sediments.

Air enema reduction versus hydrostatic enema reduction for intussusceptions in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis to compare the effectiveness and safety of fluoroscopy-guided air enema reduction (FGAR) and ultrasound-guided hydrostatic enema reduction (UGHR) for the treatment of intussusception in pediatric patients. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted on retrospective studies obtained from various databases, including PUBMED, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Google Scholar, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WanFang, and VIP Database. The search included publications from January 1, 2003, to March 31, 2023, with the last search done on Jan 15, 2023. RESULTS: We included 49 randomized controlled studies and retrospective cohort studies involving a total of 9,391 patients, with 4,841 in the UGHR and 4,550 in the FGAR. Specifically, UGHR exhibited a significantly shorter time to reduction (WMD = -4.183, 95% CI = (-5.402, -2.964), P < 0.001), a higher rate of successful reduction (RR = 1.128, 95% CI = (1.099, 1.157), P < 0.001), and a reduced length of hospital stay (WMD = -1.215, 95% CI = (-1.58, -0.85), P < 0.001). Furthermore, UGHR repositioning was associated with a diminished overall complication rate (RR = 0.296, 95% CI = (0.225, 0.389), P < 0.001) and a lowered incidence of perforation (RR = 0.405, 95% CI = (0.244, 0.670), P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: UGHR offers the benefits of being non-radioactive, achieving a shorter reduction time, demonstrating a higher success rate in repositioning in particular, resulting in a reduced length of postoperative hospital stay, and yielding a lower overall incidence of postoperative complications, including a reduced risk of associated perforations.

Monotonic trends of soil microbiomes, metagenomic and metabolomic functioning across ecosystems along water gradients in the Altai region, northwestern China.

To investigate microbial communities and their contributions to carbon and nutrient cycling along water gradients can enhance our comprehension of climate change impacts on ecosystem services. Thus, we conducted an assessment of microbial communities, metagenomic functions, and metabolomic profiles within four ecosystems, i.e., desert grassland (DG), shrub-steppe (SS), forest (FO), and marsh (MA) in the Altai region of Xinjiang, China. Our results showed that soil total carbon (TC), total nitrogen, NH4+, and NO3- increased, but pH decreased with soil water gradients. Microbial abundances and richness also increased with soil moisture except the abundances of fungi and protists being lowest in MA. A shift in microbial community composition is evident along the soil moisture gradient, with Proteobacteria, Basidiomycota, and Evosea proliferating but a decline in Actinobacteria and Cercozoa. The ß-diversity of microbiomes, metagenomic, and metabolomic functioning were correlated with soil moisture gradients and have significant associations with specific soil factors of TC, NH4+, and pH. Metagenomic functions associated with carbohydrate and DNA metabolisms, as well as phages, prophages, TE, plasmids functions diminished with moisture, whereas the genes involved in nitrogen and potassium metabolism, along with certain biological interactions and environmental information processing functions, demonstrated an augmentation. Additionally, MA harbored the most abundant metabolomics dominated by lipids and lipid-like molecules and organic oxygen compounds, except certain metabolites showing decline trends along water gradients, such as N'-Hydroxymethylnorcotinine and 5-Hydroxyenterolactone. Thus, our study suggests that future ecosystem succession facilitated by changes in rainfall patterns will significantly alter soil microbial taxa, functional potential, and metabolite fractions.