Simultaneous natural attenuation of Cr(VI) and nitrate in the hyporheic zone sediments from an upstream tributary of the Jinsha River in the Sichuan Basin.

The coexistence of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) and nitrate (NO3-) in groundwater and surface water presents a considerable challenge for the natural attenuation of these two contaminants because their interactions in nature remain contentious. This study investigated the interplay between Cr(VI) and NO3- in hyporheic zone (HZ) sediments by integrating Cr(VI) reduction kinetics, NO3- transformation, microbial community structure, and a three-rate model. The concurrent natural attenuation of Cr(VI) and NO3- in the sediments was significantly influenced by their initial concentrations and redox conditions. The reduction of low concentrations of Cr(VI) (37.1 and 96.2 µM) was slightly enhanced by NO3-, while inhibitory effects were observed at high concentrations of Cr(VI) (200.0 µM). However, except for an initial low concentration of Cr(VI) (37.1 µM) and NO3- (450 µM), the reduction of NO3- was adversely affected by Cr(VI). The reduction rates and efficiencies of Cr(VI) and NO3- were noticeably lower under aerobic conditions than under anaerobic conditions. This phenomenon can be attributed to the presence of O2, which decreased the selectivity of sediments-associated Fe(II) towards Cr(VI) and NO3- and induced alterations in the microbial community structure, leading to subsequent changes in NO3- transformation. Furthermore, the three-rate model represents a robust approach for elucidating the reduction of Cr(VI) in the presence of co-contaminants, such as NO3- contamination under diverse redox conditions. This study provides further insights into the interaction mechanism between Cr(VI) and NO3- within the HZ, necessitating the consideration of the microbial toxicity of Cr(VI) and electron competition among Cr(VI), NO3-, and O2.

High-proportions of tailwater discharge alter microbial community composition and assembly in receiving sediments.

The tailwater from wastewater treatment plants serves as an important water resource in arid regions, alleviating the conflict between supply and demand. However, the effects of different tailwater discharge proportions on microbial community dynamics remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of different tailwater discharge proportions on the water quality and microbial community characteristics of sediments in receiving water bodies under controlled conditions (WF-1, WF-2, WF-3, WF-4, and WF-5, containing 0% tailwater + 100% natural water, 25% tailwater + 75% natural water, 50% tailwater + 50% natural water, 75% tailwater + 25% natural water, and 100% tailwater + 0% natural water, respectively). Microbial co-occurrence networks and structural equation model were used to unveil the relationship between microbial communities and their shaping factors. Results showed that distinct microbial community compositions were found in the sediments with low- (< 50%) and high- (> 50%) proportions of tailwater. Specifically, WCHB1-41 and g_4-29-1, which are involved in organic degradation-related functions, were the key genera in the high-proportion cluster. A total of 21 taxa were more abundant in the low-proportion (< 50%) cluster than that in high-proportion (> 50%). Moreover, higher modularity was observed in the low-proportion. Total phosphorus directly affected while ammonia nitrogen indirectly affected the microbial community structure. Our findings support the distinct heterogeneity of microbial communities driven by tailwater discharge in receiving water bodies, and further confirmed that high-proportion tailwater depletes sensitive microbial communities, which may be avoided through scientific management.

Electrochemiluminescence aptasensing method for ultrasensitive determination of lipopolysaccharide based on CRISPR-Cas12a accessory cleavage activity.

In this study, an ultrasensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) aptasensing method was developed for lipopolysaccharide (LPS) determination based on CRISPR-Cas12a accessory cleavage activity. Tris (2,2'-bipyridine) dichlororuthenium (II) (Ru(bpy)32+) was adsorbed on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) coated with a mixture of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and Nafion film via electrostatic interaction. The obtained ECL platform (Ru(bpy)32+/AuNP/Nafion/GCE) exhibited strong ECL emission. Thiol-functionalized single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) was modified with a ferrocenyl (Fc) group and autonomously assembled on the ECL platform of Ru(bpy)32+/AuNP/Nafion/GCE via thiol-gold bonding, resulting in the quenching of ECL emission. After hybridization of the LPS aptamer strand (AS) with its partial complementary strand (CS), the formed double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) could activate CRISPR-Cas12a to indiscriminately cleave ssDNA-Fc on the surface of Ru(bpy)32+/AuNP/Nafion/GCE, resulting in recovery of the ECL intensity of Ru(bpy)32+ due to the increasing distance between Fc and the electrode surface. The combination of LPS and AS suppressed the formation of dsDNA, inhibited the activation of CRISPR-Cas12a, and prevented further cleavage of ssDNA-Fc. This mechanism aided in upholding the integrity of ssDNA-Fc on the surface of the electrode and was combined with ECL quenching induced by the target. The ECL intensity decreased linearly as the concentration of LPS increased from 1 to 50,000 pg/mL and followed a logarithmic relationship. This method exhibited a remarkably low detection limit of 0.24 pg/mL, which meets the requirement for low-concentration detection of LPS in the human body. The proposed method demonstrates the capacity of CRISPR-Cas12a to perform non-specific cutting of single-stranded DNA and transform the resultant cutting substances into changes in the ECL signal. By amalgamating this approach with the distinct identification abilities of LPS and its aptamers, a simple, responsive, and discriminatory LPS assay was established that holds immense significance for clinical diagnosis.

Cesarean section and the risk of allergic rhinitis in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Multiple evidence indicates that perinatal factors make impact on immune development and affect offspring allergic rhinitis (AR) risk. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we examined available published studies to clarify the relationship between cesarean section (C-section) and offspring AR in children. To explore the relationship between C-section, especially the special attention was paid to different cesarean delivery mode, and the risk of AR in children. Articles were searched using PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China knowledge Network, Wanfang, and China Science and Technology Journal databases. A meta-analysis of 22 studies published before August 1, 2022, which included 1,464,868 participants, was conducted for statistical analysis with RevMan5.4. The correlation strength between C-section and offspring AR was determined by combining odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were used to explore potential sources of heterogeneity. Publication bias was detected using the funnel chart and Egger tests. Meta-analysis revealed that there was a significant correlation between C-section and children AR (OR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.12-1.27, P < 0.001), especially C-section with a family history of allergy (OR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.36-2.43, P < 0.001). Moreover, elective C-section (without genital tract microbe exposure) had the higher risk of offspring AR (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.05-1.46, P = 0.010) compared with the whole study. Meta-regression demonstrated that sample size explained 38.0% of the variability between studies, and year of publication explained 18.8%. Delivery by C-section, particularly elective C-section and C-section with a family history of allergy can increase the risk of AR in children.

Homogeneous Electrochemiluminescence for Highly Sensitive Determination of Demethylase FTO Based on Target-Regulated DNAzyme Cleavage and Host-Guest Interaction.

Fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) is the first reported N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA demethylase. The dysregulation of FTO demethylation is strongly associated with various human cancers in a m6A-dependent manner. Herein, a homogeneous electrochemiluminescence (ECL) method for the determination of FTO was proposed based on the target-regulated DNAzyme cleavage. Moreover, the ECL signal was highly enhanced by host-guest interaction between ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) and tri-n-propylamine (TPrA). The m6A caged DNAzyme 17E-Me acted as a padlock, while the FTO served as the corresponding key. As the key, FTO could specifically remove m6A modification, restoring the cleavage activity of DNAzyme 17E. With the assistance of the Zn2+ cofactor, the substrate strand was cleaved at a specific site, and the ECL indicator of Ru(phen)32+ was discharged to produce an ECL signal. On the contrary, 17E-Me was blocked and no cleavage reaction occurred without the key. For the ECL detection, the electrode modification of ß-CD@AuNPs concentrated Ru(phen)32+ species through electrostatic adsorption and gathered TPrA molecules through host-guest interaction with ß-CD, which resulted in an intense ECL response. The results demonstrated the ECL intensity linearly correlated with the logarithm of the FTO concentration (from 0.0001 to 100 nM) with a low detection limit (30 fM). The IC50 value for FTO inhibitors rhein and meclofenamic acid were 35.6 µM and 20.3 µM, respectively. The strategy was further validated for FTO detection in MCF-7 cell lysates and Hela cell lysates. This work reveals that this strategy is promising for developing homogeneous ECL method for detection of FTO and screening of the demethylase inhibitors.

Washing-Free Electrochemiluminescence Biosensor for the Simultaneous Determination of N6 Methyladenosines Incorporating a Tri-Double Resolution Strategy.

We propose a novel washing-free electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor for the simultaneous detection of two types of N6 methyladenosines-RNAs (m6A-RNAs), which are potential cancer biomarkers, on the basis of binding-induced DNA strand displacement (BINSD). The biosensor integrated a tri-double resolution strategy that combined spatial and potential resolution, hybridization and antibody recognition, and ECL luminescence and quenching. The biosensor was fabricated by separately immobilizing two ECL reagents (gold nanoparticles/g-C3N4 nanosheets and ruthenium bipyridine derivative/gold nanoparticles/Nafion) and the capture DNA probe on the two sections of glassy carbon electrode. As a proof of concept, m6A-Let-7a-5p and m6A-miR-17-5p were chosen as model analytes, while m6A antibody-DNA3/ferrocene-DNA4/ferrocene-DNA5 was designed as an m6A-binding probe and DNA6/DNA7 was designed as a hybridization probe with DNA3 to release the quenching probes ferrocene-DNA4/ferrocene-DNA5. The recognition process led to the quenching of the ECL signals from both probes via BINSD. The proposed biosensor has the advantage of being washing-free. The ECL methods using the fabricated ECL biosensor with the designed probes exhibited a low detection limit of 0.03 pM for two m6A-RNAs and high selectivity. This work reveals that this strategy is promising for developing an ECL method for the simultaneous detection of two m6A-RNAs. The proposed strategy could be expanded to develop the analytical methods for the simultaneous detection of other RNA modifications by changing the antibody and hybridization probe sequences.

Analysis of quality differences between Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and Scutellaria rehderiana Diels based on phytochemistry and bioactivity evaluation.

Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (SG) and Scutellaria rehderiana Diels (SD) belong to the same genus of Scutellaria in the Labiatae (Lamiaceae) family. SG is confirmed as the medicinal source according to the Chinese Pharmacopeia, but SD is often used as a substitute for SG due to its abundant plant resources. However, the current quality standards are far from sufficient to judge the quality differences between SG and SD. In this study, an integrated strategy of "biosynthetic pathway (specificity) - plant metabolomics (difference) - bioactivity evaluation (effectiveness)" was established to evaluate this quality differences. First, an ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS/MS) method was developed for the identification of chemical components. The abundant components information was obtained and the characteristic constituents were screened according to the location in the biosynthetic pathway as well as species specificity. Then, plant metabolomics combined with multivariate statistical analysis to find differential components between SG and SD. The chemical markers for quality analysis were determined based on the differential and characteristic components, and the content of each marker was tentatively evaluated through the semi-quantitative analysis of UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS/MS. Finally, the anti-inflammatory activity of SG and SD was compared by measuring the inhibitory effect on the release of NO from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Under this analytical strategy, a total of 113 compounds were tentatively identified in both SG and SD, among which baicalein, wogonin, chrysin, oroxylin A 7-O-ß-D-glucuronoside, pinocembrin and baicalin were selected as chemical markers due to their species characteristics and differentiation. The contents of oroxylin A 7-O-ß-D-glucuronoside and baicalin was higher in SG, and the others were higher in SD. In addition, both SG and SD exhibited prominent anti-inflammatory activity, but SD was less effective. The analysis strategy combining phytochemistry and bioactivity evaluation realized the scientific evaluation of the intrinsic quality differences between SG and SD, which provides a reference for fully utilizing and expanding the medicinal resources, and also provides a reference for the comprehensive quality control of herbal medicines.

Male Sex Is Not a Risk Factor for Prognosis in Postoperative Thyroid Cancer Patients: A Propensity Score Matching Study.

PURPOSE: To study whether male sex is a risk factor for prognosis in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer after 131I treatment using the propensity score matching (PSM) method. METHODS: From April 2016 to October 2021, 1948 postoperative differentiated thyroid cancer patients aged 43 (interquartile range: 34, 54) years who received 131I treatment were retrospectively enrolled and divided into male (n = 645) and female groups (n = 1303). The PSM method was adopted to process all data to reduce the influence of data bias and confounding variables. The Mann-Whitney U test and χ2 test were used for data analysis. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors affecting prognosis, and the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to analyze the relationship between stimulated thyroglobulin (sTg) level, 131I dose, and poor prognosis. RESULTS: Before PSM, the proportion of male patients with poor prognosis was significantly higher than that of female patients. After PSM, there was no difference in the proportion of poor prognosis between male and female groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that male sex; high T stage, N1b stage, and M1 stage; high sTg level; and high 131I dose were risk factors for poor prognosis before PSM. After PSM, high T stage, M1 stage, high sTg level, and 131I dose were still risk factors but male sex was no longer a risk factor for poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: After the reduction of selection bias by PSM, male sex was no longer a risk factor for prognosis after 131I treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer. In addition, high T stage (T3 + T4 stage), M1 stage, sTg ≥10.15 ng/mL, and 131I dose ≥260 mCi were risk factors for poor prognosis.

Impacts of different reconstruction methods on the image quality of cadmium-zinc-telluride-based single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography pulmonary perfusion imaging.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to evaluate the impacts of different reconstruction methods [filtered back projection (FBP) and ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM)] and different filters (Butterworth filter and Gaussian filter) on the image quality in cadmium-zinc-telluride (CZT)-based single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT) pulmonary perfusion imaging. METHODS: A combinations including FBP with Butterworth filter, OSEM with Butterworth filter (OSEM + Butterworth filter ), and OSEM with Gaussian filter (OSEM + Gaussian filter) were used during SPECT image reconstruction. Visual and quantitative parameters [root mean square (RMS) noise, contrast and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR)] were used to evaluate image quality. RESULTS: The OSEM + Gaussian filter had better RMS noise and CNR than those of the FBP + Butterworth filter or OSEM + Butterworth filter, while the OSEM + Butterworth filter had the best contrast. The highest visual scores were obtained by OSEM + Gaussian filter ( P  < 0.0001). In the lesion size <2 cm group, the contrast ( P < 0.01) and visual scores ( P < 0.001) of OSEM + Butterworth filter were better than those of the other two groups. In the lesion size ≥2 cm group, the RMS noise and visual scores of OSEM + Gaussian filter were better than those of the other two groups. CONCLUSION: In CZT SPECT/CT pulmonary perfusion imaging, this study recommended the clinical use of the OSEM + Gaussian filter combination for reconstruction in both conventional and larger lesions, the OSEM + Butterworth filter image postprocessing method might be advantageous in small lesions.

Early exposure to infections increases the risk of allergic rhinitis-a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to provide evidence for early life care by meta-analyzing the relationship between infection during pregnancy and up to 2 years of age and the risk of subsequent allergic rhinitis (AR). METHODS: Published studies up to April 2022 were systematically searched in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, SinoMed, CNKI, Wanfang Database, and VIP. Literature screening, including quality assessment, was performed, and the effect values (OR, HR, RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of infection during pregnancy and up to 2 years of age and allergic rhinitis were extracted from each qualified study. RESULTS: In total, 5 studies with a sample size of 82,256 reported the relationship between infection during pregnancy and offspring AR. Meta-analysis showed that maternal infection during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of childhood AR in offspring (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.08-1.67). Altogether, 13 studies with a sample size of 78,426 reported evidence of an association between infection within 2 years of age and subsequent AR in children. A pooled meta-analysis of all studies showed that early infection within 2 years of age was closely associated with childhood AR (OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.12-1.40), especially upper respiratory tract infection (OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.06-1.65) and gastrointestinal infections (OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.01-1.86), but ear infection showed similar results in the cohort study (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.04-1.22). CONCLUSION: Current evidence suggests that infection during pregnancy, early upper respiratory infection, gastrointestinal infections and ear infection within 2 years of age would increase the risk of AR in children. Therefore, the prevention of infection during pregnancy and in infancy and young children needs to be emphasized.

AC-Bipolar Electropolymerization of 3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene in Ionic Liquids.

Recently, alternating current (AC)-bipolar electropolymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) has been reported to produce poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) fibers from the terminals of bipolar electrodes in acetonitrile solution (MeCN) containing low concentrations of supporting salts in a template-free manner. Here, we extend such methodology in ionic liquid (IL) media. Three kinds of ILs, diethylmethyl(2-methoxyethyl)ammonium tetrafluoroborate ([DEME][BF4]), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([EMIM][BF4]), and diethylmethyl(2-methoxyethyl)ammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([DEME][TFSI]), with different electric field transmission efficiencies and diffusion coefficients were employed as solvents for the AC-bipolar electropolymerization of EDOT. A variety of PEDOT morphologies were obtained in these three ILs, showing a relationship with the physicochemical properties of the ILs. We successfully confirmed the growth of PEDOT fibers in ILs and systematically discussed the factors that influenced their growth.

Impacts of high-quality coal mine drainage recycling for replenishment of aquatic ecosystems in arid regions of China: Bacterial community responses.

Coal mine water is usually recycled as supplementary water for aquatic ecosystems in arid and semiarid mining regions of China. To ensure ecosystem health, the coal mine water is rigorously treated using several processes, including reverse osmosis, to meet surface water quality standards. However, the potential environmental impacts of this management pattern on the ecological function of receiving water bodies are unclear. In this study, we built several microcosm water ecosystems to simulate the receiving water bodies. High-quality treated coal mine drainage was mixed into the model water bodies at different concentrations, and the sediment bacterial community response and functional changes were systematically investigated. The results showed that the high-quality coal mine drainage could still shape bacterial taxonomic diversity, community composition and structure, with a concentration threshold of approximately 50%. Moreover, both the Mantel test and the structural equation model indicated that the salinity fluctuation caused by the receiving of coal mine drainage was the primary factor shaping the bacterial communities. 10 core taxa in the molecular ecological network influenced by coal mine drainage were identified, with the most critical taxa being patescibacteria and g_Geothermobacter. Furthermore, the pathway of carbohydrate metabolism as well as signaling molecules and interactions was up-regulated, whereas amino acid metabolism showed the opposite trend. All results suggested that the complex physical-chemical and biochemical processes in water ecosystems may be affected by the coal mine drainage. The bacterial community response and underlying functional changes may accelerate internal nutrient cycling, which may have a potential impact on algal bloom outbreaks.

High-Throughput Electrosynthesis of Gradient Polypyrrole Film Using a Single-Electrode Electrochemical System.

As an effective approach for materials synthesis, bipolar electrochemistry has been earning a renewed interest nowadays thanks to its unique features compared to conventional electrochemistry. Indeed, the wireless mode of electrode reactions and the generation of a gradient potential distribution above the bipolar electrode are among the most appealing qualities of bipolar electrochemistry. In particular, the gradient potential distribution is a highly attractive characteristic for the fabrication of surfaces with gradients in their chemical properties or molecular functionalities. Herein, we report the high-throughput electrosynthesis of gradient polypyrrole films by means of a new electrochemical cell design named the single-electrode electrochemical system (SEES). SEESs are made by attaching an inert plastic board with holes onto an indium tin oxide electrode, constructing multiple microelectrochemical cells on the same electrode. This type of arrangement enables parallel electrochemical reactions to be carried out simultaneously and controlled in a contactless manner by a single electrode. Several experimental conditions for polypyrrole film growth were extensively investigated. Furthermore, the gradient property of the polymer films was evaluated by thickness determination, surface morphology analysis, and contact angle measurements. The use of SEES has been demonstrated as a convenient and cost-effective strategy for high-throughput electrosynthesis and electroanalytical applications and has opened up a new door for gradient film preparation via a rapid condition screening process.

Comprehensive pan-cancer analysis of N7-methylguanosine regulators: Expression features and potential implications in prognosis and immunotherapy.

Although immunotherapy has made great strides in cancer therapy, its effectiveness varies widely among individual patients as well as tumor types, and there is an urgent need to develop biomarkers for effectively assessing immunotherapy response. In recent years, RNA methylation regulators have demonstrated to be novel potential biomarkers for prognosis as well as immunotherapy of cancers, such as N6-methyladenine (m6A) and 5-methylcytosine (m5C). N7-methylguanosine (m7G) is a prevalent RNA modification in eukaryotes, but the relationship between m7G regulators and prognosis as well as tumor immune microenvironment is still unclear. In this study, a pan-cancer analysis of 26 m7G regulators across 17 cancer types was conducted based on the bioinformatics approach. On the one hand, a comprehensive analysis of expression features, genetic variations and epigenetic regulation of m7G regulators was carried out, and we found that the expression tendency of m7G regulators were different among tumors and their aberrant expression in cancers could be affected by single nucleotide variation (SNV), copy number variation (CNV), DNA methylation and microRNA (miRNA) separately or simultaneously. On the other hand, the m7Gscore was modeled based on single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) for evaluating the relationships between m7G regulators and cancer clinical features, hallmark pathways, tumor immune microenvironment, immunotherapy response as well as pharmacotherapy sensitivity, and we illustrated that the m7Gscore exhibited tight correlations with prognosis, several immune features, immunotherapy response and drug sensitivity in most cancers. In conclusion, our pan-cancer analysis revealed that m7G regulators may exert critical roles in the tumor progression and immune microenvironment, and have the potential as biomarkers for predicting prognosis, immunotherapy response as well as candidate drug compounds for cancer patients.

Correlation Between Different Antidiarrheal Treatments and Changes in Chemical Components of Allii Sativi Bulbus Before and After Steaming Treatment Based on Flora Sequencing and In Vitro Experiments.

We investigated the changes in the main active ingredients and pharmacodynamic differences in the therapeutic effect of garlic before and after steaming and the correlation between them. The main active ingredients in raw garlic products (RGPs) and steamed garlic products (SGPs) were determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography and ultraviolet spectroscopy. Acute rapid diarrhea (AD) and antibiotic-induced diarrhea (DD) models were established in rats, and each group was treated with RGP and SGP, respectively. The main chemical components of garlic changed before and after steaming. Garlicin and alliinase were only found in RGP, whereas only alliin was found in SGP. Both RGP and SGP contained garlic polysaccharides. For in vivo experiments on AD, the average rate of loose stools was 100.00 ± 0.00, 31.55 ± 11.76, and 19.14 ± 6.62 in the RGP high-dose and SGP high-dose treatment groups, respectively; in DD, the rates were 91.11 ± 14.40, 19.33 ± 3.63, and 30.56 ± 4.30, respectively (P < .01, treatment vs. model groups). In AD, the average grade of loose stools was 2.33 ± 0.52 and 1.83 ± 0.75 in the model and RGP high-dose treatment groups, respectively (P < .05); in DD, the values were 2.17 ± 0.41 in the model group and 1.67 ± 0.52 in the SGP high-dose treatment group (P < .05). RGP had a better therapeutic effect on AD, mainly related to the antibacterial effect of garlicin in RGP. SGP had a better therapeutic effect on DD, mainly related to the alliin and garlic polysaccharide in SGP. This study could provide evidence to support the clinical use of garlic.

Investigation of scale inhibition effect and mechanism of S-HGMF in the clean recirculating cooling water system.

The formation of scales in a recirculating water system is a common problem in industrial water treatment; it seriously affects the production in various industries and pollutes the environment. Although conventional scale inhibition methods are effective, they are expensive and harm the environment. Herein, an advanced method is proposed to solve the scaling issue in recirculating cooling water systems using the superconducting high-gradient magnetic field (S-HGMF) treatment. The scale inhibition performance could be improved by changing the magnetic flux density, operation time, and flow rate. The results showed that S-HGMF could increase the number of hydrogen bonds in the recirculating cooling water, enhance molecular interaction, increase the thickness of the ion hydration shell, reduce the nucleation rate, stabilize the water quality, improve the solubility of scale-forming ions, and inhibit scale formation. The scale inhibition performance reached 8.10%. Interestingly, S-HGMF had a memory effect in that it could maintain the scale inhibition effect for some period after treatment completion. Moreover, S-HGMF changed the crystal structure of the scale and promoted the transformation of the scale to a metastable phase. Ultimately, calcite was transformed to aragonite to reduce the precipitation of hard scale (calcite), achieving the purpose of scale inhibition. As a physical method, the application of S-HGMF to inhibit scaling has great potential for industrial applications.

Cost Function Determination for Human Lifting Motion via the Bilevel Optimization Technology.

Investigating the optimal control strategy involved in human lifting motion can provide meritorious insights on designing and controlling wearable robotic devices to release human low-back pain and fatigue. However, determining the latent cost function regarding this motion remains challenging due to the complexities of the human central nervous system. Recently, it has been discovered that the underlying cost function of a biological motion can be identified from an inverse optimization control (IOC) issue, which can be handled via the bilevel optimization technology. Inspired by this discovery, this work is dedicated to studying the underlying cost function of human lifting tasks through the bilevel optimization technology. To this end, a nested bilevel optimization approach is developed by integrating particle swarm optimization (PSO) with the direction collocation (DC) method. The upper level optimizer leverages particle swarm optimization to optimize weighting parameters among different predefined performance criteria in the cost function while minimizing the kinematic error between the experimental data and the result predicted by the lower level optimizer. The lower level optimizer implements the direction collocation method to predict human kinematic and dynamic information based on the human musculoskeletal model inserted into OpenSim. Following after a benchmark study, the developed method is evaluated by experimental tests on different subjects. The experimental results reveal that the proposed method is effective at finding the cost function of human lifting tasks. Thus, the proposed method could be regarded as a paramount alternative in the predictive simulation of human lifting motion.

Gut microbiota and metabonomics used to explore the mechanism of Qing'e Pills in alleviating osteoporosis.

CONTEXT: The traditional Chinese medicine Qing'e Pills (QEP) has been used to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO). OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the regulatory effects of QEP on gut microbiota in osteoporosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighteen female SD rats were divided into three groups: sham surgery (SHAM), ovariectomized (OVX) and ovariectomized treated with QEP (OVX + QEP). Six weeks after ovariectomy, QEP was administered to OVX + QEP rats for eight weeks (4.5 g/kg/day, i.g.). After 14 weeks, the bone microstructure was evaluated. Differences in gut microbiota were analysed via 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Changes in endogenous metabolites were studied using UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS technology. GC-MS was used to detect short-chain fatty acids. Furthermore, we measured serum inflammatory factors, such as IL-6, TNF-α and IFN-γ, which may be related to gut microbiota. RESULTS: OVX + QEP exhibited increased bone mineral density (0.11 ± 0.03 vs. 0.21 ± 0.02, p< 0.001) compared to that of OVX. QEP altered the composition of gut microbiota. We identified 19 potential biomarkers related to osteoporosis. QEP inhibited the elevation of TNF-α (38.86 ± 3.19 vs. 29.43 ± 3.65, p< 0.05) and IL-6 (83.38 ± 16.92 vs. 45.26 ± 3.94, p< 0.05) levels, while it increased the concentrations of acetic acid (271.95 ± 52.41 vs. 447.73 ± 46.54, p< 0.001), propionic acid (28.96 ± 5.73 vs. 53.41 ± 14.26, p< 0.01) and butyric acid (24.92 ± 18.97 vs. 67.78 ± 35.68, p< 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that QEP has potential of regulating intestinal flora and improving osteoporosis. The combination of anti-osteoporosis drugs and intestinal flora could become a new treatment for osteoporosis.

Optimization of image reconstruction method of cerebral blood flow perfusion imaging with digital CZT SPECT.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of filtered back projection (FBP), ordered subset expectation maximisation (OSEM), and different filters on cadmium zinc telluride single-photon emission computed tomography [CZT single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)] cerebral blood perfusion image quality to optimise the image reconstruction method. METHODS: Under routine clinical conditions, tomographic imaging was performed on the phantom and patients. Image processing included image reconstruction using FBP and OSEM, and the filtering method used Butterworth (Bw) and Gaussian (Gs) filters. Visual and semi-quantitative parameters [integral uniformity, root mean square (RMS) noise and contrast and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR)] were used to evaluate image quality to optimise image reconstruction parameters. One-way and two-way analysis of variance were used to process phantom and clinical data. RESULTS: In the tomographic images of the phantom, the semi-quantitative analysis showed that the integral uniformity of FBP+Bw was better than that of OSEM+Bw and OSEM+Gs (P < 0.05), and that the RMS noise of FBP+Bw was lower than that of OSEM+Bw and OSEM+Gs (P < 0.001). The contrast of FBP+Bw and OSEM+Bw in the cold area diameter ≥2 cm group was higher than that of OSEM+Gs (P < 0.001), whereas the CNR of FBP+Bw was higher than that of OSEM+Bw and OSEM+Gs (P < 0.001); the contrast of OSEM+Bw cold area diameter <2 cm was higher than that of FBP+Bw (P < 0.01). The semi-quantitative analysis results of the clinical images were consistent with the phantom's. CONCLUSION: In CZT SPECT cerebral blood flow perfusion imaging, it is suggested that the image postprocessing method of FBP+Bw (fc = 0.40; n = 10) should be used routinely in clinical application, and if there are uncertain small lesions in the processed image, it is suggested to use the reconstruction method of OSEM+Bw (EM-equivalent iterations = 60; fc = 0.45; n = 10) instead.

Impacts of acquisition and reconstruction parameters on the absolute technetium quantification of the cadmium-zinc-telluride-based SPECT/CT system: a phantom study.

BACKGROUND: The digital cadmium-zinc-telluride (CZT)-based SPECT system has many advantages, including better spatial and energy resolution. However, the impacts of different acquisition and reconstruction parameters on CZT SPECT quantification might still need to be validated. This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of acquisition parameters (the main energy window and acquisition time per frame) and reconstruction parameters (the number of iterations, subsets in iterative reconstruction, post-filter, and image correction methods) on the technetium quantification of CZT SPECT/CT. METHODS: A phantom (PET NEMA/IEC image quality, USA) was filled with four target-to-background (T/B) ratios (32:1, 16:1, 8:1, and 4:1) of technetium. Mean uptake values (the calculated mean concentrations for spheres) were measured to evaluate the recovery coefficient (RC) changes under different acquisition and reconstruction parameters. The corresponding standard deviations of mean uptake values were also measured to evaluate the quantification error. Image quality was evaluated using the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU 2-2012 standard. RESULTS: For all T/B ratios, significant correlations were found between iterations and RCs (r = 0.62-0.96 for 1-35 iterations, r = 0.94-0.99 for 35-90 iterations) as well as between the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the Gaussian filter and RCs (r = - 0.86 to - 1.00, all P values < 0.05). The regression coefficients of 1-35 iterations were higher than those of 35-90 iterations (0.51-1.60 vs. 0.02-0.19). RCs calculated with AC (attenuation correction) + SC (scatter correction) + RR (resolution recovery correction) combination were more accurate (53.82-106.70%) than those calculated with other combinations (all P values < 0.05). No significant statistical differences (all P values > 0.05) were found between the 15% and 20% energy windows except for the 32:1 T/B ratio (P value = 0.023) or between the 10 s/frame and 120 s/frame acquisition times except for the 4:1 T/B ratio (P value = 0.015) in terms of RCs. CONCLUSIONS: CZT-SPECT/CT of technetium resulted in good quantification accuracy. The favourable acquisition parameters might be a 15% energy window and 40 s/frame of acquisition time. The favourable reconstruction parameters might be 35 iterations, 20 subsets, the AC + SC + RR correction combination, and no filter.