[System Construction and the Function Improvement of Ecological Carbon Sink in Coal Mining Areas Under the Carbon Neutral Strategy].

The loss of ecological carbon sinks often occurs in the process of coal resource development. Under the carbon neutral strategy, it is of great significance to explore technologies and models for improving ecological carbon sinks in coal mining areas. This study firstly addressed the system construction framework of the ecological carbon sink in coal mining areas, which included two levels of management mode and technical methods; three main categories of soil carbon sink, vegetation carbon sink, and wetland carbon sink; and several technical contents such as ecological carbon sink planning, carbon sink monitoring and investigation, carbon sink function improvement, and carbon sink loss prevention. The study analyzed the main types of ecological carbon sink (mainly involving soil carbon sinks and vegetation carbon sinks, whereas wetland carbon sinks were mainly related to coal mining subsidence areas with high groundwater level) and circumstances of carbon sink losses (including coal mining activities, the process of ecological vegetation construction, and ecological stability risk under long-term conditions) and proposed methods to improve ecological carbon sinks and prevent carbon sink losses for soil carbon sinks and vegetation carbon sinks in coal mining areas. The results can provide technical reference for the scientific research and engineering construction of ecological carbon sinks in coal mining areas.

Low interferon-gamma release in response to phytohemagglutinin predicts the high severity of diseases.

A clinically useful immune biomarker could potentially assist clinicians in their decision making. We stimulated T-cell proliferation to secret interferon gamma (IFN-γ) by phytohemagglutinin, and then measured the production of IFN-γ (mitogen value [M value]). We aimed to determine the relationship between the M value, clinical severity, and outcomes of diseases.In all, 484 patients admitted to intensive care units were enrolled in this retrospective study. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores were collected within the first 24 hours. M value, C-reaction protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and routine blood tests were analyzed and collected during the study.When APACHE II scores were greater than 15 and M values were less than 6, the hospital mortality rose in a straight line. There was an inverse correlation between APACHE II score and M value (rs = -0.212, P < .001). There was a positive correlation between M value and lymphocyte numbers (b' = 0.249, P < .001); however, there was an inverse correlation between M value and WBC (b' = -0.230, P < .001), and ESR (b' = -0.100, P = .029). Neurological diseases had the greatest influence on APACHE II scores (b' = 10.356, P < .001), whereas respiratory diseases had the greatest influence on M value (b' = 1.933, P < .001). Furthermore, in the respiratory system, severe pneumonia had a greater influence on M value. Taking the APACHE II score as the gold standard, the area under the curve of M was 0.632 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.575-0.690, P < .001), PCT was 0.647 (95% CI 0.589-0.705, P < .001), CRP was 0.570 (95% CI 0.511-0.629, P = .022), and ESR was 0.553 (95% CI 0.494-0.612, P = .078). Divided by M value = 5, the positive predictive value of the M value is 37.22% (115/309) and negative predictive value is 75.43% (132/175).The results show that the M values, PCT, and CRP were better than ESR to predict the severity of diseases. The number and proportion of lymphocytes also affected the result of the M value. To a certain extent, the M value may be a clinically useful immune biomarker, which may help clinicians objectively evaluate the severity of diseases, especially in the respiratory system.

Epidermal growth factor promotes mesenchymal stem cell-mediated wound healing and hair follicle regeneration.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are receiving increasing attention for skin wound repair. However, the specific mechanisms underlying MSC-mediated improvement in wound healing have not been fully elucidated. This study aims at testing whether epidermal growth factor (EGF) can promote MSC-mediated wound healing and hair follicle regeneration. METHODS: Excisional wounds in rats were transplanted with different collagen-chitosan scaffolds: control, MSC, and MSC + EGF. Regenerated tissues were harvested 1, 3, or 5 weeks following transplantation, stained with hematoxylin and eosin and evaluated microscopically. The formation of sebaceous glands was examined by Oil red staining and the regeneration of hair follicles by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot to test the expression of hair follicle-specific factors. RESULTS: Gross observations showed that the wounds were much smaller and the hairs grew faster in the MSC + EGF group. Histological analysis demonstrated that there were more hair follicles, sebaceous glands, and newly formed blood vessels in the MSC + EGF group compared with that in the MSC group. In addition, oil red staining showed that MSCs + EGF induced sebaceous gland regeneration. Finally, immunohistochemistry and western blot revealed that MSCs + EGF increased the expression of hair follicle-specific factors. CONCLUSION: MSCs alone cannot achieve the regeneration of hair follicles and EGF can promote MSC-mediated wound healing and hair follicle regeneration.