Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in RAW264.7 cells is inhibited by microRNA-494-3p via targeting lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2.

BACKGROUND: Gram-negative bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a major component of inflammation and plays a key role in the pathogenesis of sepsis. According to our previous study, the expression of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is significantly upregulated in septic patients and is positively correlated with the severity of this disease. Herein, we investigated the potential roles of Lp-PLA2-targeting microRNAs (miRNAs) in LPS-induced inflammation in murine mononuclear macrophages (RAW264.7 cells). METHODS: In LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, Lp-PLA2 was confirmed to be expressed during the inflammatory response. The function of microRNA-494-3p (miR-494-3p) in the LPS-induced inflammatory response of RAW264.7 cells was determined by the transfection of a miR-494-3p mimic or inhibitor in vitro. RESULTS: Compared to the control, LPS induced a significant increase in the Lp-PLA2 level, which was accompanied by the release of inflammatory mediators. The bioinformatics and qRT‒PCR results indicated that the miR-494-3p level was associated with Lp-PLA2 expression in the LPS-induced inflammatory response of RAW264.7 cells. Dual-luciferase reporter assay results confirmed that the 3'-UTR of Lp-PLA2 was a functional target of microRNA-494-3p. During the LPS-induced inflammatory response of RAW264.7 cells, targeting Lp-PLA2 and transfecting miR-494-3p mimics significantly upregulated the expression of miR-494-3p, leading to a reduction in the release of inflammatory factors and conferring a protective effect on LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. CONCLUSION: By targeting Lp-PLA2, miR-494-3p suppresses Lp-PLA2 secretion, thereby alleviating LPS-induced inflammation, which indicates that miR-494-3p may be a potential target for sepsis treatment.

Perioperative fluid balance and early acute kidney injury after lung transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) after lung transplantation (LTx) is an important factor affecting the short-term outcomes. The focus item of transplantation centers is how to improve the incidence of AKI through optimal management during the perioperative period. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study is to investigate the influence of perioperative volume in the development of early AKI following LTx. METHOD: The study involved patients who had undergone LTx between October 2018 to December 2021 at China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing. The patients were monitored for AKI occurring within 72 hours after LTx, as well as the renal outcomes within 30 days. The perioperative volumes were compared and analyzed to determine the impact on various clinical outcomes. RESULTS: 248 patients were enrolled in the study ultimately, with almost half of them (49.6 %) experiencing AKI. 48.8 % of AKI patients received continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), with 57.7 % recovered by the end of the 30-day follow-up period. A J-shaped relationship was demonstrated between perioperative volume and AKI incidence. Moreover, maintaining a positive fluid balance would increase the 30-day mortality and lead to poor renal outcomes. CONCLUSION: Perioperative volume is an independent risk factor of early AKI after LTx. Positive fluid balance increases the risk of AKI, 30-day mortality, and adverse renal prognosis. The LTx recipients may benefit from a relatively restrict fluid strategy during and after the lung transplantation.

Effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy on body fat: a retrospective case‒control study in Chinese transwomen.

BACKGROUND: There is insufficient research on how gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) affects body fat modifications in transwomen from China. It is unclear whether hormone therapy affects the prevalence of obesity and blood lipid levels within this population. The current research aimed to assess how GAHT and treatment duration had an impact on the change in and redistribution of body fat in Chinese transwomen. METHODS: This study included 40 transwomen who had not received GAHT and 59 who had. Body fat, blood lipid, and blood glucose levels were measured. GAHT is mainly a pharmacologic (estrogen and anti-androgen) treatment. The study also stratified participants based on the duration of GAHT to assess its impact on body fat distribution. The duration of GAHT was within one year, one to two years, two to three years, or more than three years. RESULTS: After receiving GAHT, total body fat increased by 19.65%, and the percentage of body fat increased by 17.63%. The arm, corrected leg, and leg regions showed significant increases in fat content (+ 24.02%, + 50.69%, and + 41.47%, respectively) and percentage (+ 25.19%, + 34.90%, and + 30.39%, respectively). The total visceral fat content decreased (-37.49%). Based on the diagnostic standards for a body mass index ≥ 28 or total body fat percentage ≥ 25% or 30%, the chance of developing obesity did not change significantly. Blood glucose levels significantly increased (+ 12.31%). Total cholesterol levels (-10.45%) decreased significantly. Fat changes in those who received GAHT for one to two years were significantly different from those who did not receive GAHT. CONCLUSION: After receiving GAHT, total body fat and regional fat increased in Chinese transwomen, and the body fat distribution changed from masculine to feminine, especially during the first two years. However, neither the increase in total body fat percentage nor the decrease in visceral fat content didn't bring about significant changes in the incidence of obesity, nor did triglycerides or low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol.

In-depth characterization of particulate matter in a highly polluted urban environment at the foothills of Himalaya-Karakorum Region.

In recent years, the rising levels of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) have an impact on the earth's system, leading to undesirable consequences on various aspects like human health, visibility, and climate. The present work is carried out over an insufficiently studied but polluted urban area of Peshawar, which lies at the foothills of the famous Himalaya and Karakorum area, Northern Pakistan. The particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 µm, i.e., PM10 are collected and analyzed for mineralogical, morphological, and chemical properties. Diverse techniques were used to examine the PM10 samples, for instance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy along with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, proton-induced x-ray emission, and an OC/EC carbon analyzer. The 24 h average PM10 mass concentration along with standard deviation was investigated to be 586.83 ± 217.70 µg/m3, which was around 13 times greater than the permissible limit of the world health organization (45 µg/m3) and 4 times the Pakistan national environmental quality standards for ambient PM10 (150 µg/m3). Minerals such as crystalline silicate, carbonate, asbestiform minerals, sulfate, and clay minerals were found using FTIR and XRD investigations. Microscopic examination revealed particles of various shapes, including angular, flaky, rod-like, crystalline, irregular, rounded, porous, chain, spherical, and agglomeration structures. This proved that the particles had geogenic, anthropogenic, and biological origins. The average value of organic carbon, elemental carbon, and total carbon is found to be 91.56 ± 43.17, 6.72 ± 1.99, and 102.41 ± 44.90 µg/m3, respectively. Water-soluble ions K+ and OC show a substantial association (R = 0.71). Prominent sources identified using Principle component analysis (PCA) are anthropogenic, crustal, industrial, and electronic combustion. This research paper identified the potential sources of PM10, which are vital for preparing an air quality management plan in the urban environment of Peshawar.

A Parameter Reduction-Based Decision-Making Method with Interval-Valued Neutrosophic Soft Sets for the Selection of Bionic Thin-Wall Structures.

Bio-inspired thin-wall structures with excellent mechanical properties, high-energy absorption capabilities, and a desirable lightweight level have been extensively applied to the passive safety protection of transportation and aerospace. Collaboration matching and the selection of optional structures with different bionic principles considering the multiple attribute evaluation index and engineering preference information have become an urgent problem. This paper proposes a parameter reduction-based indifference threshold-based attribute ratio analysis method under an interval-valued neutrosophic soft set (IVNS-SOFT) to obtain the weight vector of an evaluation indicator system for the selection of bionic thin-wall structures, which can avoid the problem of an inadequate subjective evaluation and reduce redundant parameters. An IVNS-SOFT-based multi-attributive border approximation area comparison (MABAC) method is proposed to obtain an optimal alternative, which can quantify uncertainty explicitly and handle the uncertain and inconsistent information prevalent in the expert system. Subsequently, an application of five bio-inspired thin-wall structures is applied to demonstrate that this proposed method is valid and practical. Comparative analysis, sensitivity analysis, and discussion are conducted in this research. The results show that this study provides an effective tool for the selection of bionic thin-wall structures.

Engaging and (the Illusion of) Learning? Examining the Relationship Between Different Social Media Activities and Reproductive Health Knowledge.

Social media have become fundamental platforms for learning about health, including reproductive health knowledge. However, little is known about what specific user activity is conducive to learning about reproductive health and by what means. Drawing upon the cognitive mediation model, this study examines how different social media activities function in terms of elaboration and knowledge gain. Our hypothesized model was largely supported by a nationwide online survey with 1,000 Chinese women residing in both rural and urban areas. The results revealed the crucial role of information elaboration in bridging different social media activities with both subjective and factual reproductive health knowledge. Interestingly, public reposting of reproductive health information was found to be positively related to subjective knowledge but negatively related to factual knowledge, suggesting the emergence of an illusion of knowing among our participants. Multigroup SEM analyses revealed that the positive roles of scanning and private sharing in encouraging elaboration were more pronounced among users with lower levels of need for cognition. The findings are expected to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of health learning based on users' social media activities and intrinsic motivations for learning.

Predictive value of the Trauma Rating Index in Age, Glasgow Coma Scale, Respiratory rate and Systolic blood pressure score (TRIAGES) for the short-term mortality of older patients with isolated traumatic brain injury: a retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Trauma Rating Index in Age, Glasgow Coma Scale, Respiratory rate and Systolic blood pressure score (TRIAGES) in predicting 24-hour in-hospital mortality among patients aged 65 years and older with isolated traumatic brain injury (TBI). DESIGN: A retrospective, single-centre cohort study. SETTING: This study was conducted at a government-run tertiary comprehensive hospital. PARTICIPANTS: This study included 982 patients aged 65 years or older with isolated TBI, who were admitted to the emergency department between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2021. INTERVENTIONS: None. PRIMARY OUTCOME: 24-hour in-hospital mortality was the primary outcome. RESULTS: Among the 982 patients, 8.75% died within 24 hours of admission. The non-survivors typically had higher TRIAGES and lower GCS scores. Logistic regression showed significant associations of both TRIAGES and GCS with mortality; the adjusted ORs were 1.98 (95% CI 1.74 to 2.25) for TRIAGES and 0.72 (95% CI 0.68 to 0.77) for GCS. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated an area under the ROC curve of 0.86 for GCS and 0.88 for TRIAGES, with a significant difference (p=0.012). However, precision-recall curve (PRC) analysis revealed an area under the PRC of 0.38 for GCS and 0.47 for TRIAGES, without a significant difference (p=0.107). CONCLUSIONS: The TRIAGES system is a promising tool for predicting 24-hour in-hospital mortality in older patients with TBI, demonstrating comparable or slightly superior efficacy to the GCS. Further multicentre studies are recommended for validation.

JoCoRank: Joint correlation learning with ranking similarity regularization for imbalanced fetal brain age regression.

Estimating fetal brain age based on sulci by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is clinically crucial in determining the normal development of fetal brains. Deep learning provides a possible way for fetal brain age estimation using MRI. Previous studies have mainly emphasized optimizing individual-wise correlation criteria, such as mean square error. However, they ignored the very important global and peer-wise criterion, which are essential for learning the structured relationships among regression samples. Moreover, the imbalanced label distribution introduces an adverse bias, which impairs the reliability and interpretation of correlation estimation and the model's fairness and generalizability. In this work, we propose a novel joint correlation learning with ranking similarity regularization (JoCoRank) algorithm for deep imbalanced regression of fetal brain age. Joint correlation learning concurrently captures individual, global, and peer-level valuable relationship information, and the customized optimization scheme for each criterion exhibits strong robustness against outliers and imbalanced regression. Ranking similarity regularization is designed to calibrate the biased feature representations by aligning the sorted list of neighbors in the label space with those in the feature space. A total of 1327 MRI images from 157 healthy fetuses between 22 and 34 weeks were collected at Wuhan Children's Hospital and utilized to evaluate the performance of JoCoRank in fetal brain age estimation. JoCoRank achieved promising results with an average mean absolute error of 0.693±0.064 weeks and R2 coefficient of 0.930±0.019. Our fetal brain age estimation algorithm would be useful for identifying abnormalities in fetal brain development and undertaking early intervention in clinical practice.

Oil Shale In Situ Production Using a Novel Flow-Heat Coupling Approach.

Oil shale development, a significant global energy concern, involves the pyrolysis of kerogen, a process that can heat and contaminate groundwater with pyrolysis products. To address these challenges, this study introduces the ambient-temperature gas in situ heating (ATGIH) method as an alternative to traditional techniques. The ATGIH method establishes a low-temperature gas barrier to prevent water infiltration into the production zone by placing heating holes between the injection and production wells. The effectiveness of the ATGIH method in mitigating groundwater contamination during oil shale development is demonstrated through thermochemically coupled reservoir simulations. The study further discusses how gas injection enhances the flowability of mobile oil and gas phases into production wells and how controlling the Dykstra-Parsons coefficient, a measure of heterogeneity, can mitigate gravity segregation and aggregate viscous fingering issues. Our results show that well spacing is a critical factor in designing oil shale development, with a larger spacing resulting in higher energy efficiency but lower oil recovery rates. Furthermore, the study reveals that porosity decreases while permeability increases during pyrolysis due to thermal cracking and pore structure changes. It also highlights that heterogeneity-induced issues can be alleviated by increasing the correlation length to make the system more homogeneous. Therefore, the ATGIH method represents a key innovation in oil shale development, offering a solution that mitigates groundwater contamination while improving the energy efficiency.

Economic risks hidden in local water pollution and global markets: A retrospective analysis (1995-2010) and future perspectives on sustainable development goal 6.

Pollution from untreated wastewater discharges depletes clean water supply for humans and the environment. It poses adverse economic impacts by determining agricultural yields, manufacturing productivity, and ecosystem functionality. Current studies mainly focus on quantity-related water scarcity assessment. It is unknown how low water quality amplifies local water stress and induces cascading economic risks globally. In this study, we estimated both quality and quantity-related water scarcity index (WSI), local economic water scarcity risk (WSR), and cascading virtual WSR evident in global trade markets across 40 major economies from 1995 to 2010. We find developing countries, e.g., India and China, witnessed fast growth in both quantity and quality-related WSI. Major developed economies, e.g., the US and Germany, experienced a modest increase in water stress but alleviated quality-related risks. Local economic risk (WSR) grew from $116B to $380B, with quality-related risks rising from 20 % to 30 %. Virtual economic WSR in global supply chains increased from $39B to $160B, with quality-related risks increasing from 19 % to 27 %. China became the top exporter of economic WSR, ranked above the US, France, and Japan, and the second-largest position as an importer, trailing only the US. We finally conducted scenario modeling by 2030, assuming different progresses on SDG 6 targets. The findings suggest that only the most ambitious progress in both water quality enhancement and efficiency improvement helps to alleviate ∼20 % economic WSR globally. Our findings underscore the necessity for strategies that integrate management of untreated wastewater flows, improved water use efficiency, and diversification of supply chain networks to enhance global economic resilience to water challenges in the future.

An Alzheimer's Disease classification network based on MRI utilizing diffusion maps for multi-scale feature fusion in graph convolution.

Graph convolutional networks (GCN) have been widely utilized in Alzheimer's disease (AD) classification research due to its ability to automatically learn robust and powerful feature representations. Inter-patient relationships are effectively captured by constructing patients magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data as graph data, where nodes represent individuals and edges denote the relationships between them. However, the performance of GCNs might be constrained by the construction of the graph adjacency matrix, thereby leading to learned features potentially overlooking intrinsic correlations among patients, which ultimately causes inaccurate disease classifications. To address this issue, we propose an Alzheimer's disease Classification network based on MRI utilizing diffusion maps for multi-scale feature fusion in graph convolution. This method aims to tackle the problem of features neglecting intrinsic relationships among patients while integrating features from diffusion mapping with different neighbor counts to better represent patients and achieve an accurate AD classification. Initially, the diffusion maps method conducts diffusion information in the feature space, thus breaking free from the constraints of diffusion based on the adjacency matrix. Subsequently, the diffusion features with different neighbor counts are merged, and a self-attention mechanism is employed to adaptively adjust the weights of diffusion features at different scales, thereby comprehensively and accurately capturing patient characteristics. Finally, metric learning techniques enhance the similarity of node features within the same category in the graph structure and bring node features of different categories more distant from each other. This study aims to enhance the classification accuracy of AD, by providing an effective tool for early diagnosis and intervention. It offers valuable information for clinical decisions and personalized treatment. Experimentation on the publicly accessible Alzheimer's disease neuroimaging initiative (ADNI) dataset validated our method's competitive performance across various AD-related classification tasks. Compared to existing methodologies, our approach captures patient characteristics more effectively and demonstrates superior generalization capabilities.

Three-dimensional porous La(OH)3/g-C3N4 adsorption-photocatalytic synergistic removal of tetracycline.

La(OH)3/g-C3N4 composites were successfully synthesized via one-step calcination using urea, melamine, and La(NO3)3·nH2O as raw materials, and applied to UV-induced photocatalytic tetracycline (TC) removal. Comprehensive characterization by an X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared reflection (FT-IR), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), and other techniques analyzed effects of La3+ doping, especially N vacancies and cyano groups as active sites. Compared to pure g-C3N4 and La(OH)3, synthesized La(OH)3/g-C3N4 composites exhibited a three-dimensional porous nanosheet structure with specific surface area of 83.62 m2/g and equilibrium TC adsorption capacity up to 285.59 mg/g; La(OH)3 doping significantly improved composite structure. After dispersing 10 mg La-CN-0.5 photocatalyst in 60 mL 40 mg/L TC solution, TC removal reached 91.08% in 30 min under UV irradiation, exhibiting excellent performance. Additionally, La-CN-0.5 showed significant adsorption-photocatalytic synergism, with the quasi-primary kinetic constant increased by 1.83-fold. The efficiency of high tetracycline (TC) concentration treatment through adsorption photocatalytic degradation by La-CN-0.5 was confirmed by the utilization of free radical trapping and electron spin resonance (ESR) tests. The significant involvement of ∙O2-, ∙OH, and h+ in this process was observed. These findings propose that the prepared La-CN-0.5 material exhibits a unique capability for adsorption photocatalysis, providing a promising approach for the efficient removal of high TC concentrations.

Fertility-Sparing Surgery and Adjuvant Chemotherapy with Trastuzumab Result in Complete Remission in a Young Woman with Rare Primary Mucinous Ovarian Cancer due to ERBB2 Co-amplification with CDK12 and Chromosome 11q13.3 Amplicon: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Primary mucinous ovarian carcinoma (PMOC) is a rare tumor, accounting for approximately 3% of all epithelial ovarian cancers (EOCs), with clinical risk factors and biologic features distinct from that of EOC. The prognosis for women with recurrent and high-grade PMOC remains poor, likely related to a poor response to conventional chemotherapy for EOC. A 27-year-old Chinese woman sought medical attention in January 2021 for abdominal distention from a large pelvic mass. After extensive investigations and workup, she was diagnosed with PMOC of the right ovary. Following multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussions, the patient underwent fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) (abdominal left adnexectomy, right partial oophorectomy, pelvic lymph node dissection, para-aortic lymph node dissection, omentectomy) as she yearned to preserve her fertility and the contralateral ovary appeared normal. Deep genetic analyses revealed ERBB2 co-amplification with CDK12 and chromosome 11q13.3 amplicon. Treatment with fertility-sparing surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy with trastuzumab results in complete remission. This novel strategy utilizing precise diagnostics and characterization of the histo-type of rare tumors allowed personalized targeting with optimum drug response for women who yearn fertility preservation and remission from the disease, especially when there is very limited clinical experience on management of such rare ovarian tumors.

A novel experimental setup for axial-torsional coupled vibration impact-assisted PDC drill bit drilling.

The geological conditions of hot dry rock (HDR) reservoirs are complex. The geothermal mining of HDR faces major challenges in the drilling and construction of wells, fracturing to create storage, and flowing to extract heat. Vibration impacts help improve the rock-breaking efficiency, where the axial-torsional coupled vibration impact technology can increase the bit penetration depth and reduce the stick-slip effect. To study the feasibility and efficiency of the axial-torsional-coupled vibration impact-assisted Polycrystalline Diamond Compact (PDC) bit to break high-temperature and high-pressure rocks, a new experimental setup was designed. The system includes a drilling fluid circulation system, an axial-torsional coupled impact drilling system, a formation simulation system, and a data acquisition and control system. This setup can produce a rock-breaking torque of 2000 N·m, a drilling speed of 200 rpm, a weight on bit of 100 kN, an axial vibration frequency of 100 Hz, and a torsional vibration frequency of 50 Hz. It can simulate the formation pressure of 70 MPa and the rock temperature of 400 °C. A series of rock-breaking drilling experiments were successfully conducted using this setup. The results show that the axial-torsional coupled vibration-impact assisted PDC bit has a good performance in breaking high-temperature and hard rocks, which can accelerate the application of this new technology in deep formation drilling.

Preconception maternal retinal arteriolar narrowing and fetal growth throughout pregnancy: A prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between preconception maternal retinal arteriolar calibre and fetal growth. DESIGN, SETTING AND POPULATION: A hospital-based, prospective preconception cohort including 369 women with a singleton live birth. METHODS: We collected detailed information on sociodemographic status, pregnancy history and lifestyle, and performed retinal imaging at the preconception visit. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We retrieved medical records documenting fetal growth biometrics (e.g., abdominal circumference [AC], head circumference [HC], femur length [FL]) at 11-13, 18-21, 24-28, and 32-34 weeks throughout pregnancy. We then computed the z scores for all fetal growth biometrics from 14 weeks of gestation where data were available, referencing the INTERGROWTH-21st fetal growth chart. We used a linear mixed model to estimate the association between maternal preconception retinal arteriolar calibre and fetal growth biometrics z scores throughout pregnancy, with random intercept accounting for repeated measures within individuals. We then performed a multivariable linear regression of maternal preconception retinal arteriolar calibre and z score changes for all fetal growth biometrics between 24-28 weeks and 32-34 weeks of gestation, after full adjustment. RESULTS: Maternal preconception generalised retinal arteriolar narrowing was consistently associated with a reduction in fetal AC z scores (-0.34; 95% CI -0.66 to -0.03) throughout pregnancy. In addition, women with preconception generalised retinal arteriolar narrowing tended to have significantly reduced z score changes in AC (-0.41; 95% CI -0.90 to -0.001) and fetal FL (-0.55; 95% CI -1.00 to -0.10) between 24-28 weeks and 32-34 weeks of gestation, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that women with narrower preconception retinal arterioles had smaller fetuses, evidenced by reductions in AC and FL z score throughout pregnancy.

A Systematic Review of Genetics and Reproductive Health Outcomes: Asian Perspective.

In the last four decades, advances in assisted reproductive technology (ART) have offered hope to individuals with fertility problems to conceive. However, a closer examination of the clinical outcomes of ART shows a stark contrast in Asian women compared to Caucasians, with majority of studies reporting lower reproductive success among Asian women. We performed a systematic review to elucidate the genes associated with ART clinical outcomes, with a focus on Asian ethnicities. We completed a database search to identify all studies associated with reproductive outcomes in women of different ethnic backgrounds. Following PRISMA, 128 studies were analyzed. Pathway analysis of gene sets was done using Cytoscapev3.4.0. We observed that age at menarche (AAM) was correlated with the timing of the first pregnancy, with Hawaiians having the lowest age (22.2 years) and Japanese the highest age (25.0 years). LIN28 mutations were associated with AAM and prevalent in both Chinese and American populations. FMR1 was most associated with ovarian reserve. Network analysis highlighted a close association between FMR1, FSHR, ESR1, BMP15, and INHA, through biological functions affecting menstrual cycle and hypothalamic-pituitary axis and therefore ovarian follicle development. Leveraging these findings, we propose the development of a personalized, ethnic-specific biomarker panel which would enhance patient stratification to address every woman's unique reproductive potential.

Anthropogenic impact on airborne bacteria of the Tibetan Plateau.

The Tibetan Plateau is a pristine environment with limited human disturbance, with its aerosol microbiome being primarily influenced by the monsoon and westerly circulations. Additionally, the diversity and abundance of airborne microorganisms are also affected by anthropogenic activities, such as animal farming, agriculture, and tourism, which can lead to increased risks to the ecosystem and human health. However, the impact of anthropogenic activities on airborne microbes on the Tibetan Plateau has been rarely studied. In this work, we investigated the airborne bacteria of areas with weak (rural glacier) and strong human disturbance (urban building), and found that anthropogenic activities increased the diversity of airborne bacteria, and the concentration of potential airborne pathogens. Moreover, airborne bacteria in rural aerosols demonstrated significant differences in their community structure during monsoon- and westerly-affected seasons, while this pattern was weakened in urban aerosols. Additionally, urban aerosols enriched Lactobacillus sp. (member of genus Lactobacillus), which are potential pathogens from anthropogenic sources, whereas rural aerosols enriched A. calcoaceticus (member of genus Acinetobacter) and E. thailandicus (member of genus Enterococcus), which are both speculated to be sourced from surrounding animal farming. This study evaluated the impact of human activities on airborne bacteria in the Tibetan Plateau and contributed to understanding the enrichment of airborne pathogens in natural and anthropogenic background.

Integrating land-sea coordination into construction of an ecological security pattern for urban agglomeration: a case study in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The construction of ecological security pattern (ESP) is of great scientific significance for solving the problem of habitat fragmentation in urban environment. However, previous studies mainly focused on the ESP in land area, leaving the sea area to be ignored. This study took the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and its offshore area as an example and integrated the land-sea coordination into the construction of ESP based on the minimum resistance model, gravity model, and graph theory centrality. The results showed that there are 171 and 56 ecological sources for land area and offshore area, accounting for 31.46% and 21.51% of total area, respectively. Twenty-four important ecological corridors with a total length of 2738.05 km were identified in GBA, and the width is proposed to be less than 100 m. Moreover, the α, ß, and γ index of the ecological network in the study area is 0.19, 1.33, and 0.5, respectively, indicating that the ecological network structure is complex and the connectivity between ecological nodes is good. The ecological restoration area includes 286.6 km2 of ecological pinch points and 140.44 km2 of ecological barrier. The overall ESP of the study area is "one ring, two belts, and four zones." The main body of the area with a superior ecological environment is distributed in a ring-like pattern near the outer edge of the study area, and two belts (important ecological corridor and ecological corridor) are distributed in a network. According to the ecological characteristics, the study area was divided into four zones: ecological preservation areas, ecological restoration areas, limited construction areas, and optimized construction areas. The ESP established herein institute provides a reference for the revision of ecological space control and optimization measures in the GBA. It also provides effective and systematic means to solve ecological problems in the current territorial spatial planning and territorial ecological restoration of coastal urban agglomeration.

Bioaerosols in the atmosphere: A comprehensive review on detection methods, concentration and influencing factors.

In the past few decades, especially since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the effects of atmospheric bioaerosols on human health, the environment, and climate have received great attention. To evaluate the impacts of bioaerosols quantitatively, it is crucial to determine the types of bioaerosols in the atmosphere and their spatial-temporal distribution. We provide a concise summary of the online and offline observation strategies employed by the global research community to sample and analyze atmospheric bioaerosols. In addition, the quantitative distribution of bioaerosols is described by considering the atmospheric bioaerosols concentrations at various time scales (daily and seasonal changes, for example), under various weather, and different underlying surfaces. Finally, a comprehensive summary of the reasons for the spatiotemporal distribution of bioaerosols is discussed, including differences in emission sources, the impact process of meteorological factors and environmental factors. This review of information on the latest research progress contributes to the emergence of further observation strategies that determine the quantitative dynamics of public health and ecological effects of bioaerosols.

Experiences of men undergoing assisted reproductive technology: A qualitative systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Many infertile couples undergo assisted reproductive technology (ART) to increase pregnancy chances, with many of them experiencing psychosocial distress. Although research has been performed on women's experiences of ART, there is limited focus on men. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review consolidated and synthesized men's experiences with ART to better understand their needs and challenges to support them. SEARCH STRATEGY: Nine electronic databases were searched from the inception date until November 2022. SELECTION CRITERIA: This review included published and unpublished primary studies with qualitative methodologies exploring men's experiences with ART. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: The screening of studies, methodological assessment, data extraction, and analysis were conducted by two reviewers independently. The data were thematically synthesized. MAIN RESULTS: Fifteen studies were included. An overarching theme of "despair to destiny" was identified, with four synthesized themes: (1) "the roller coaster ride," (2) "what made it from bad to worse?", (3) "what kept men going?", and (4) "hopeful for the future." CONCLUSION: Men undergoing ART experienced struggles, a transition of emotions, and a need for support as they attempted to cope with unknowns while remaining hopeful for future outcomes. There is a need for health care interventions and policies to address the issue to improve the well-being of male ART patients. Interventions should be tailored to the specific support groups that cater to the emotional and informational needs of male ART patients. Future research should focus on the influence of cultural sensitivities on men's ART experiences, to tailor support programs to address their psychological needs during ART.