Prognostic value of CDKN2A in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma via pathomics and machine learning.

This study aims to enhance the prognosis prediction of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) by employing artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse CDKN2A gene expression from pathology images, directly correlating with patient outcomes. Our approach introduces a novel AI-driven pathomics framework, delineating a more precise relationship between CDKN2A expression and survival rates compared to previous studies. Utilizing 475 HNSCC cases from the TCGA database, we stratified patients into high-risk and low-risk groups based on CDKN2A expression thresholds. Through pathomics analysis of 271 cases with available slides, we extracted 465 distinctive features to construct a Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM) model. This model was then employed to compute Pathomics scores (PS), predicting CDKN2A expression levels with validation for accuracy and pathway association analysis. Our study demonstrates a significant correlation between higher CDKN2A expression and improved median overall survival (66.73 months for high expression vs. 42.97 months for low expression, p = 0.013), establishing CDKN2A's prognostic value. The pathomic model exhibited exceptional predictive accuracy (training AUC: 0.806; validation AUC: 0.710) and identified a strong link between higher Pathomics scores and cell cycle activation pathways. Validation through tissue microarray corroborated the predictive capacity of our model. Confirming CDKN2A as a crucial prognostic marker in HNSCC, this study advances the existing literature by implementing an AI-driven pathomics analysis for gene expression evaluation. This innovative methodology offers a cost-efficient and non-invasive alternative to traditional diagnostic procedures, potentially revolutionizing personalized medicine in oncology.

The six-degrees-of-freedom attitude measurement instrument for the large aperture mirror using the prepressing sensors and flexible supporting.

To achieve precise measurement of a large aperture mirror, a six-degrees-of-freedom (6-DOF) measurement instrument is designed to monitor and calculate the real-time attitude of the mirror. Magnetoelectric displacement sensors are prepressed, and a flexible sensor supporting is designed to achieve high-accuracy measurement. The relationship between 6-DOF displacements of the mirror and the six sensor values can be obtained using the coordinate system transformation and Jacobian matrix. The Newton's iteration method is used to decouple the strong coupling measurement system, and 6-DOF displacements are obtained. The displacements directly measured by using laser sensors are compared with the calculated values in the experiments, the minimum average error of the measured displacement is 1.87%, and the mean difference of the displacement is 0.43 µm.

A deep-learning approach for segmentation of liver tumors in magnetic resonance imaging using UNet+.

OBJECTIVE: Radiomic and deep learning studies based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of liver tumor are gradually increasing. Manual segmentation of normal hepatic tissue and tumor exhibits limitations. METHODS: 105 patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma were retrospectively studied between Jan 2015 and Dec 2020. The patients were divided into three sets: training (n = 83), validation (n = 11), and internal testing (n = 11). Additionally, 9 cases were included from the Cancer Imaging Archive as the external test set. Using the arterial phase and T2WI sequences, expert radiologists manually delineated all images. Using deep learning, liver tumors and liver segments were automatically segmented. A preliminary liver segmentation was performed using the UNet + + network, and the segmented liver mask was re-input as the input end into the UNet + + network to segment liver tumors. The false positivity rate was reduced using a threshold value in the liver tumor segmentation. To evaluate the segmentation results, we calculated the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), average false positivity rate (AFPR), and delineation time. RESULTS: The average DSC of the liver in the validation and internal testing sets was 0.91 and 0.92, respectively. In the validation set, manual and automatic delineation took 182.9 and 2.2 s, respectively. On an average, manual and automatic delineation took 169.8 and 1.7 s, respectively. The average DSC of liver tumors was 0.612 and 0.687 in the validation and internal testing sets, respectively. The average time for manual and automatic delineation and AFPR in the internal testing set were 47.4 s, 2.9 s, and 1.4, respectively, and those in the external test set were 29.5 s, 4.2 s, and 1.6, respectively. CONCLUSION: UNet + + can automatically segment normal hepatic tissue and liver tumors based on MR images. It provides a methodological basis for the automated segmentation of liver tumors, improves the delineation efficiency, and meets the requirement of extraction set analysis of further radiomics and deep learning.

Development and Validation of a Propionate Metabolism-Related Gene Signature for Prognostic Prediction of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Studies have demonstrated that propionate metabolism-related genes (PMRGs) are associated with cancer progression. PMRGs are not known to be involved in Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: In this study, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases were accessed for HCC-related transcriptome data and clinical information. First, DE-PMRGs were derived by intersecting PMRGs and DEGs between HCC tissues and normal controls. The clusterProfiler R package was then used to enrich DE-PMRGs. In addition, biomarkers of HCC were identified, and a prognostic model was developed. Using functional analysis and tumor microenvironment analysis, new insights were obtained into HCC. The expression of biomarkers was validated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results: 132 DE-PMRGs were obtained by intersecting 3690 DEGs and 291 PMRGs. Steroid and organic acid metabolism were associated with these genes. For the construction of the risk model for HCC samples, five biomarkers were identified, including Acyl-CoA dehydrogenase short chain (ACADS), CYP19A1, formiminotransferase cyclodeaminase (FTCD), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), and glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT2). ACADS, FTCD, and GOT2 were positive factors, whereas CYP19A1 and G6PD were negative. HCC patients with AUC greater than 0.6 were predicted to survive 1/2/3/4/5 years, indicating decent efficiency of the model. The probability of 1/3/5-survival for HCC was also predicted by the nomogram using the risk score, pathologic T stage, and cancer status. Moreover, functional enrichment analysis revealed the high-risk genes were associated with invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Significantly, immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint expression were linked to HCC development. Conclusion: This study identified five biomarkers of propionate metabolism that can predict HCC prognosis. This finding may provide a deeper understanding of PMRG function in HCC.

Variations of microbiota in three types of typical military contaminated sites: Diversities, structures, influence factors, and co-occurrence patterns.

Contamination with energetic compounds (ECs) is common in military sites and poses a great risk to the environment and human health. However, its effects on the soil bacterial communities remain unclear. This study assessed the variations of bacterial communities, co-occurrence patterns, and their influence factors in three types of typical military-contaminated sites (artillery range, military-industrial site, and ammunition destruction site). The results showed that the most polluted sites were ammunition destruction sites, followed by military-industrial sites, whereas pollution in the artillery ranges was minimal. The average concentrations of ECs including 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), and octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX) in the study sites ranged 120-1.67 × 105, 20-7.20 × 104, and 180-2.38 × 105 µg/kg, respectively. Bacterial diversity and community structure in military-industrial and ammunition destruction sites were significantly changed, but not in artillery ranges. TNT, pH, and soil moisture are the critical factors affecting bacterial communities in contaminated military sites. Co-occurrence network analysis indicated that the pressure of ECs affected bacterial interactions and microbiota function. Our findings provide new insights into the variations in bacterial communities in EC-contaminated military sites and references for the bioremediation of ECs.

Nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 promotes the podocyte injury via targeting miR-23b-3p/B-cell lymphoma-2 interacting protein 3 like axis.

BACKGROUND: Given the reported effects of nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1) on kidney injury, a study is worth formulating to investigate whether and how NEAT1 impacts podocytes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A mouse podocyte injury model was established using the adriamycin (ADR)-induced mouse podocyte cell line (MPC5). The target relationships between NEAT1 and microRNA (miR)-23b-3p and between miR-23b-3p and Bcl-2 interacting protein 3 like (BNIP3L) were verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay. After ADR-induced MPC5 cells were transfected with NEAT1 overexpression plasmid (oe-NEAT1) or shNEAT1, the viability and apoptosis of MPC5 cells were evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The expressions of MPC5, miR-23b-3p, BNIP3L and the factors related to podocyte injury, apoptosis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition were determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot. RESULTS: NEAT1 was high-expressed in ADR-induced cell model. After transfection with oe-NEAT1, the expression of NEAT1, the levels of marker (Desmin) and apoptosis were promoted, while the viability and the levels of podocyte injury markers (WT1, Nephrin) were inhibited in ADR-induced cells. However, shNEAT1 generated the effects opposite to oe-NEAT1. Besides, miR-23b-3p competitively bound to NEAT1 and targeted BNIP3L. MiR-23b-3p inhibitor reversed the effect of shNEAT1, while its effect could be further offset by shBNIP3L. Furthermore, miR-23b-3p inhibitor affected mouse podocyte injury through downregulating Bcl-2 and E-cadherin levels and upregulating Cleaved-caspase-3, Bax, N-cadherin, Vimentin and Snail levels, but shBNIP3L did oppositely. CONCLUSION: NEAT1 promotes the podocyte injury via targeting miR-23b-3p/BNIP3L axis.

Performance of lignin impregnated biochar on tetracycline hydrochloride adsorption: Governing factors and mechanisms.

Corn stalk-based and wheat straw-based biochar were modified by lignin impregnation and applied to adsorb tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) in wastewater. Porous properties of lignin impregnated biochar were improved and showed better adsorption performance for TCH. Lignin impregnated wheat straw biochar (WS-L) had the maximum adsorption capacity of 31.48 mg/g, which was 1.89 times compared to corresponding pristine biochar, because excellent pore structure developed via the lignin impregnation and carbonization. The adsorption behavior of TCH molecules on biochar could be interpreted well by two-step process, and it postulated to be a physical adsorption process based on pore filling, hydrogen bonding, π-π interaction, and electrostatic interactions. And cations including Na+, K+, Mg2+ and Al3+ could compete with TCH for adsorption, while Ca2+ could promote TCH adsorption by forming tetracycline-Ca2+ complexes. Maximum TCH adsorption occurred at pH of 7. The best performing lignin impregnated biochar was WS-L that demonstrated the biochar modulated by lignin had the potential to remove antibiotics from aqueous solutions.

Metal-free graphene-based catalytic membranes for persulfate activation toward organic pollutant removal: a review.

Owing to their ultrathin two-dimensional structure and efficient catalytic ability for persulfate activation, graphene-based nanocarbons exhibit considerable application potential in fabricating carbonaceous composite membranes for in situ catalytic oxidation to remove organic pollutants. This approach offers significant advantages over conventional batch systems. However, the relationships between the physicochemical properties of carbon mats and performance of graphene-based catalytic membranes in water purification remain ambiguous. Herein, we summarize the main mechanisms of in situ catalytic oxidation and the facile fabrication strategies of carbonaceous composite membranes. Different factors influencing the performance of graphene-based catalytic membranes are comprehensively discussed. The defective level, heteroatom doping, and stacking morphology of carbon mats and operational conditions during filtration play critical roles in the oxidative degradation of target pollutants. Long-term operation leads to the deterioration of catalytic activity and transmembrane pressure, especially in the complex water matrix. Finally, the present challenges and future perspectives are presented to improve the anti-fouling performance and catalytic stability of membranes and develop scalable fabrication methods to promote the engineering applications of in situ catalytic oxidation in real water purification.

Geomorphic response of outburst floods: Insight from numerical simulations and observations--The 2018 Baige outburst flood in the upper Yangtze River.

Outburst floods related to glacial or landslide damming are a major agent of geomorphic change in mountain rivers. Although the evidence between outburst flooding and riverine landscapes has been gradually recognized, the lack of hydraulics to the extent that there has still not been quantified on the relationship of how the amount and spatial distribution of these changes relate quantitatively to the hydraulic conditions and durations of these catastrophic events. This study combined remote and field observations of the 2018 Baige outburst flood with two-dimensional numerical simulation using the diffusive wave equation. By feeding the measured dam-breach hydrograph and comparing three different Manning coefficients in numerical experiments, the simulation results show that when n = 0.055, the time of peak flow was only 0.5 h different from that indicated by measured data in Yebatan, 54 km downstream of the Baige landslide dam. Under high shear stress over several hours at sustained ~20 m water depth, lateral erosion caused by these outburst floods contributed to the adjacent landslide, which was activated in association with intermittent water velocity waves of approximately 17 m/s. Sustained high stream power (>50 kW m2) from the outburst flood eroded slope toes and accelerated slippage of six slopes. Combining simulation and observations, we also developed a physical model related to hillslope instability caused by high hydrodynamic erosion of riverbanks generated by flow waves lasting several hours, which explained the hydrodynamic response of the outburst flood to the canyon geomorphology. Furthermore, we suggest that the pattern of channel widening erosion and deposition is governed by the variation in shear stress and Froude number as the high-energy flood flows from a wide channel into a narrow river valley. Our findings highlight that the hydraulics of high-magnitude outburst floods and sediment transport play crucial roles in reshaping canyon geomorphology.

Retraction: Trop2 promotes proliferation, invasion and EMT of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells through the NF-κB pathway.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1039/C7RA09915K.].

Prognostic role of multiparameter MRI and radiomics in progression of advanced unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma following combined transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and lenvatinib therapy.

BACKGROUND: Current study aims to determine the prognostic value of Multiparameter MRI after combined Lenvatinib and TACE therapy in patients with advanced unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: A total of 61 HCC patients with pre-treatment Multiparameter MRI in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from January 2019 to March 2021 were recruited in the current study. All patients received combined Lenvatinib and TACE treatment. Potential clinical and imaging risk factors for disease progression were analyzed using Cox regression model. Each patient extracts signs from the following 7 sequences: T1WI, T1WI arterial phase, T1WI portal phase, T1WI delay phase, T2WI, DWI (b = 800), ADC.1782 quantitative 3D radiomic features were extracted for each sequence, A random forest algorithm is used to select the first 20 features by feature importance. 7 logit regression-based prediction model was built for seven sequences based on the selected features and fivefold cross validation was used to evaluate the performance of each model. RESULTS: CR, PR, SD were reported in 14 (23.0%), 35 (57.4%) and 7 (11.5%) patients, respectively. In multivariate analysis, tumor number (hazard ratio, HR = 4.64, 95% CI 1.03-20.88), and arterial phase intensity enhancement (HR = 0.24, 95% CI 0.09-0.64; P = 0.004) emerged as independent risk factors for disease progression. In addition to clinical factors, the radiomics signature enhanced the accuracy of the clinical model in predicting disease progression, with an AUC of 0.71, a sensitivity of 0.99%, and a specificity of 0.95. CONCLUSION: Radiomic signatures derived from pretreatment MRIs could predict response to combined Lenvatinib and TACE therapy. Furthermore, it can increase the accuracy of a combined model for predicting disease progression. In order to improve clinical outcomes, clinicians may use this to select an optimal treatment strategy and develop a personalized monitoring protocol.

Carbonaceous composite membranes for peroxydisulfate activation to remove sulfamethoxazole in a real water matrix.

In this study, we fabricated carbonaceous composite membranes by loading integrated mats of nitrogen-doped graphene, reduced graphene oxide, and carbon nanotubes (NG/rGO/CNTs) on a nylon microfiltration substrate and employed it for in-situ catalytic oxidation by activating peroxydisulfate (PDS) for the removal of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in a real water matrix. The impact of coexisting organics on the performance of carbonaceous catalysis was investigated in the continuous filtration mode. Reusability testing and radical quenching experiments revealed that the non-radical pathways of surface-activated persulfate mainly contributed to SMX degradation. A stable SMX removal flux (rSMX) of 22.15 mg m-2·h-1 was obtained in 24 h when tap water was filtered continuously under a low pressure of 1.78 bar and in a short contact time of 1.4 s, which was slightly lower than the rSMX of 23.03 mg m-2·h-1 performed with deionized water as the control group. In addition, higher contents of protein-, fulvic acid-, and humic acid-like organics resulted in membrane fouling and significantly suppressed SMX removal during long-term filtration. Changes in the production of sulfate ions and the Raman spectra of carbon mats indicated that organics prevent the structural defects of the carbon matrix from participating in PDS activation. Moreover, NG/rGO/CNTs composite membranes coupled with activated persulfate oxidation exhibited good self-cleaning ability, because membrane fouling could be partly reversed by restoring filtration pressure during operation. This study provides a novel and effective oxidation strategy for efficient SMX removal in water purification, allowing the application of carbonaceous catalysis for the selective degradation of emerging contaminants.

CDKN2A is a prognostic biomarker and correlated with immune infiltrates in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A) is an essential regulator of immune cell functionality, but the mechanisms whereby it drives immune infiltration in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. In the present study, we studied the association with CDKN2A expression and immune invasion with the risk of developing HCC. A totally of 2207 different genes were found between HCC and adjacent liver tissues from TCGA and GEO databases. CDKN2A was highly expressed in HCC and associated with poorer overall survival and disease-free survival. Notably, CDKN2A expression was positively correlated with infiltrating levels into purity, B cell, CD+8 T cell, CD+4 T cell, macrophage, neutrophil, and dendritic cells in HCC. CDKN2A expression showed strong correlations between diverse immune marker sets in HCC. These findings suggest that CDKN2A expression potentially contributes to regulation of tumor-associated macrophages and can be used as a prognostic biomarker for determining prognosis and immune infiltration in HCC.

Efficacy of New Zeolite-Based Hemostatic Gauze in a Gunshot Model of Junctional Femoral Artery Hemorrhage in Swine.

BACKGROUND: This work sought to (1) establish a reliable gunshot model of junctional femoral artery rupture in swine that accurately simulates field rescue conditions and (2) use the gunshot model to compare the efficacy and ease of application of zeolite nanometer hemostatic gauze with other hemostatic materials. METHODS: Thirty-six healthy landrace swine (body weight 50 ± 5 kg) were randomly divided into three groups which were treated with Combat Gauze (CG), FeiChuang hemostatic gauze (FG), or standard medical gauze (SG). A gunshot model of femoral artery hemorrhage in landrace swine was used with portable ultrasound to accurately position the wound. After the shooting, when mean arterial pressure of swine decreased by at least 30% for 10 s, wounds were pressed with standard packing (39 g) of gauze materials for 3 min to stop bleeding, then bandaged with pressure. Blood samples were taken 15 min before injury, then 10 min, 30 min, and 60 min after injury to determine hemodynamic, coagulation, and arterial blood gas indexes. Wound temperatures were taken at 5 min, 10 min, 30 min, and 60 min after injury, and survival times were recorded. The volume of blood loss and survival time were used to evaluate hemostatic effect, whereas the fill time, wound temperature, and physiological indexes were used to evaluate the safety and operation of the product. RESULTS: The CG (11.15 ± 3.09 mL/kg) and FG (12.19 ± 3.5 mL/kg) groups had significantly less blood loss than the SG group (16.8 ± 5.14 mL/kg) (P = 0.04; P = 0.039, respectively). After gauze packing, bleeding in CG (5.85 ± 1.17 mL/kg) and FG (5.37 ± 0.93 mL/kg) groups remained significantly lower than that of the SG group (6.93 ± 1.03 mL/kg) (P = 0.011; P = 0.003, respectively). Wound temperature rose with time for all groups (P < 0.001). The wound temperatures in the FG group and the CG group were significantly higher than that of the SG group (P = 004 and 0.009, respectively). Survival rates and times were not significantly different among the three groups, although the FG group had the longest average survival time (standard deviation [SD] 204.8 s), compared with the SG group (SD 177.8 s) and CG (SD 187.5 s) groups. No significant differences in hemodynamics, blood gas, and coagulation were observed among the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: The gunshot model of junctional femoral arterial hemorrhage guided by ultrasound had high accuracy for femoral arterial rupture by bullet wound and provided consistent and reproducible field-simulation conditions for comparison of hemostatic materials. FeiChuang zeolite hemostatic gauze effectively controlled bleeding as well as combat gauze, without excessive heat as found in other zeolite-based products. However, improvements to application technique, such as a packing device, are needed to improve operating time.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Portal Vein Tumor Thrombus Treated With Transarterial Chemoembolization and Sorafenib vs. 125Iodine Implantation.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: This study investigated the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with CT-guided 125iodine seed implantation for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with first-branch portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT). METHODS: This prospective, controlled, multicenter study included HCC patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C disease and PVTT in the right and/or left portal veins. Patients were treated with either TACE and sorafenib or TACE and CT-guided 125iodine seed implantation and regularly evaluated for clinical response and adverse events, with treatment termination resulting from declining clinical status, loss to follow-up, or death. RESULTS: This study demonstrated a significant between-group difference in median overall survival (OS); therefore, it was terminated early. A total of 123 patients were included in this study, with 52 patients in the TACE-sorafenib group and 71 patients in the TACE-125iodine group, without significant differences in baseline characteristics between groups. The median OS was 8.3 months (95% CI: 6.105-10.495) in the TACE-sorafenib group and 13.8 months (95% CI: 9.519-18.081) in the TACE-125iodine group. In a subgroup analysis of type IIa versus type IIb PVTT, the median OS was 17.5 months for type IIa and 7.1 months for IIb in the TACE-125iodine group. The median OS was 9.3 months for IIa and 4.0 months for IIb in the TACE-sorafenib group. Univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed that the PVTT type and treatment strategy were significant independent factors affecting OS. The objective response rates (ORR) for intrahepatic lesions and PVTT showed significant differences between groups. Most patients in both groups experienced minor adverse events related to TACE. The overall incidence of sorafenib-related adverse events or toxic effects was 90.4% in TACE-sorafenib group. In the TACE-125iodine group, the incidence of pneumothorax and minor hepatic subcapsular hemorrhage were 7.04% and 9.86%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that TACE-125iodine treatment significantly enhanced survival of patients with HCC and type II PVTT, especially subtype IIa, with minimal adverse events. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trials Database, identifier ChiCTR-ONN-16007929.

[Occurrence Characteristics and Health Risks of PAHs on the Surface of Buildings and Devices in the Coking Plant].

The occurrence characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on the surfaces of buildings and devices in a typical coking plant were analyzed with the samples from different functional zones and materials. The health risk of PAHs was also evaluated. The results showed that PAHs concentrations ranged from 8.00×10-2-1.98×102 µg·dm-2, and 22.0% wiping samples exceeded the World Trade Center Task Group(WTCTG)standard (1.45 µg·dm-2), the highest rate beyond the standard in the samples was 135. The functional zones with the high PAHs concentration were mainly located in the coking and refinery zone. The PAHs concentration on the surfaces of buildings in the coking zone was 12.1 µg·dm-2, which was the highest in all functional zones. Among the surface materials, the antirust paint contained the highest concentrations of PAHs and were over the standard rate, whereas the glass had the lowest adsorption ability for PAHs. The US Superfund Risk Assessment Method was used to evaluate the health risk of PAHs. The evaluation results showed that PAHs in the coking and refinery zones were a risk for carcinogenicity, the total carcinogenic risk value to the exposed population (3.78×10-6-1.32×10-5) was higher than the lower limit of the US EPA standard (10-6). The results could provide the scientific basis for environmental management and remediation of contaminated sites.

[Persulfate Oxidation Effect of Soil Organic Pollutants by Natural Organic Matters].

This study explored the degradation effect and mechanism of persulfate oxidation activated by different macromolecular substances (polysaccharides, humic acid, and citric acid), combined with ferrous ions and different kinds of carbohydrate (monosaccharide, disaccharide, and polysaccharide). The results showed that the oxidation effects of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by different activation treatments were in the order:humic acid combined with ferrous ion > polysaccharide > citric acid chelated with iron > polysaccharide combined with ferrous ion > disaccharides > monosaccharide > CK. Among them, humic acid combined with ferrous ion-activated persulfate achieved the highest removal rates (up to 79.21% and 79.89%, respectively), and also showed the weakest pollutant content rebound phenomenon. For oxidation of high-ring PAHs, humic acid combined with ferrous ion treatment and polysaccharide activation showed great advantages, with degradation rates being 77.96% and 84.37%, much higher than other treatments. Humic acid combined with ferrous ion-activated persulfate result in the highest Eh of soil (up to 618-676 mV), and polysaccharide treatment was secondary, indicating that macromolecular materials exhibited great oxidation ability and can degrade soil organic pollutants efficiently.

Enhanced degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by indigenous microbes combined with chemical oxidation.

In this study, the removal efficiency PAHs by chemical oxidation combined with microbe remediation was evaluated in two contaminated soils. The number of indigenous soil microbes decreased after the addition of chemical oxidants and then increased by nutrients addition. The total removal efficiencies of PAHs by chemical oxidation and nutrient addition followed the order: activated persulfate > potassium permanganate > modified Fenton reagent > Fenton reagent. There are 24.29-27.97%, 22.00-23.67%, 10.24-13.74% and 1.9-2.5% contributions separately due to nutrient treatment in Fenton, modified Fenton, activated persulfate and potassium permanganate treatment, which show significantly difference. The different chemical oxidants exhibited 78-90% removal efficiency for 5-6 rings PAHs, while 52-85% removal efficiency for 2-4 rings PAHs. With the addition of nutrients, the growth of indigenous microbes was enhanced significantly, and the contents of 2-4 rings PAHs in the soil were further decreased. Furthermore, the removal efficiencies of NAP and ANY were increased by more than 45%, while the removal efficiencies of ANE, FLE and PHE were about 30% at Fenton system. There was a complementary enhancing effect of microbial remediation for PAHs degradation after chemical oxidation.

Predicting Parametrial Invasion in Cervical Carcinoma (Stages IB1, IB2, and IIA): Diagnostic Accuracy of T2-Weighted Imaging Combined With DWI at 3 T.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to retrospectively evaluate the efficacy of combined analysis of T2-weighted imaging and DWI in the diagnosis of parametrial invasion (PMI) in cervical carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical records of 192 patients with cervical carcinoma who met the study requirements were reviewed for this retrospective study. The signal intensities of suspicious PMI tissue were assessed on T2-weighted images, DW images, and apparent diffusion coefficient maps independently by two experienced radiologists. The radiologist observers predicted the presence of PMI by scoring T2-weighted imaging alone and then by scoring T2-weighted imaging and DWI combined. The results were compared with histopathologic findings. RESULTS: Histopathologic findings revealed PMI in 24 of 192 study subjects. In positively predicting the presence of PMI, T2-weighted imaging and DWI combined scored significantly better than T2-weighted imaging alone, as proven by high sensitivity (T2-weighted imaging alone vs T2-weighted imaging and DWI combined: observer 1, 75.0% vs 83.3% [p = 0.477]; observer 2, 66.7% vs 91.7% [p < 0.05]), high specificity (T2-weighted imaging alone vs T2-weighted imaging and DWI combined: observer 1, 84.5% vs 98.8% [p < 0.001]; observer 2, 85.7% vs 98.8% [p < 0.001]), and high accuracy (T2-weighted imaging alone vs T2-weighted imaging and DWI combined: observer 1, 83.3% vs 96.9% [p < 0.001]; observer 2, 83.3% vs 97.9% [p < 0.001]). The area under the ROC curve was also significantly higher for T2-weighted imaging and DWI combined (observer 1, 0.911; observer 2, 0.952) than for T2-weighted imaging alone (observer 1, 0.798; observer 2, 0.762). Although the interobserver agreement was good for T2-weighted imaging (κ = 0.695) and excellent for T2-weighted imaging and DWI combined (κ = 0.753), the improvement failed to achieve statistical significance (p = 0.28). CONCLUSION: Combined analysis of T2-weighted imaging and DWI enhances the accuracy of diagnosing PMI in patients with cervical cancer compared with T2-weighted imaging alone.

MicroRNA-126 Reduces Blood-Retina Barrier Breakdown via the Regulation of VCAM-1 and BCL2L11 in Ischemic Retinopathy.

To evaluate the role of microRNA-126 (miR-126) in maintaining the integrity of the blood-retina barrier (BRB), we established a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) and measured the retinal levels of miR-126 using recombinant plasmid pCMV-MIR or pCMV-MIR-126 intravitreal injections. We also detected VCAM-1 and BCL2L11 levels. Retinal vaso-obliteration, VCAM-1 localization on retinal endothelial cells, the blood-retina vascular permeability or albumin leakage in retinas, TUNEL histology, Evans blue assays, or Western blotting for detecting albumin or tight junction levels in the retina was performed. We also detected the effect of miR-126 on the survival of Müller cells in a mouse model using vimentin fluorescence staining. Our results suggested that miR-126 may not only regulate the overexpression of VCAM-1 or BCL2L11 and lead to the reduction of retinal endothelial cell apoptosis, retinal vascular leakage, or retinal permeability in the OIR mouse model, but may also protect hypoxic retinal Müller cells via the STAT3 signaling pathway. We believe that miR-126 could also be a potential therapeutic agent to maintain the stability of the BRB in ischemic retinopathy.