A young woman with Mycobacterium chelonae complex infection caused by facial stem cell injection.

In outpatient settings, Mycobacterium chelonae complex infection brought on by cosmetic injections are rather uncommon. We came across a case of infection brought on by a commercial stem cell injection.

Recent advances in exosomal non-coding RNA-based therapeutic approaches for photoaging.

BACKGROUND: Photoaging is a degenerative biological process that affects the quality of life. It is caused by environmental factors including ultraviolet radiation (UVR), deep skin burns, smoking, active oxygen, chemical substances, and trauma. Among them, UVR plays a vital role in the aging process. AIM: With the continuous development of modern medicine, clinical researchers have investigated novel approaches to treat aging. In particular, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), non-coding RNAs are involved in various physiological processes have broad clinical application as they have the advantages of convenient samples, abundant sources, and avoidable ethical issues. METHODS: This article reviews research progress on five types of stem cell, exosomes, non-coding RNA in the context of photoaging treatment: adipose-derived stem cell, human umbilical cord MSCs, epidermal progenitor cells, keratinocyte stem cells, and hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs). It also includes stem cell related exosomes and their non-coding RNA research. RESULTS: The results have clinical guiding significance for prevention and control of the onset and development of photoaging. It is found that stem cells secrete cytokines, cell growth factors, non-coding RNA, exosomes and proteins to repair aging skin tissues and achieve skin rejuvenation. In particular, stem cell exosomes and non-coding RNA are found to have significant research potential, as they possess the benefits of their source cells without the disadvantages which include immune rejection and granuloma formation.

[Source and Optical Dynamics of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter in the Watershed of Lake Qinghai].

Lake Qinghai is the largest lake in China and is of great significance to maintain the ecological security of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Few studies have been carried out to investigate the optical composition and source of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in large lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is of great significance to study the source and optical dynamics of CDOM in Lake Qinghai watershed for water quality protection and filling in the gaps in the knowledge of CDOM variability in a remote area. Two sampling campaigns in the Lake Qinghai watershed were carried out, and excitation-emission matrices coupled with parallel factor analysis (EEMs-PARAFAC) were used to unravel the optical composition and the sources of CDOM. Our results indicated that the mean dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, a250:a365, and the spectral slope of CDOM absorption S275-295 in the lake were significantly higher than that in the inflow river (P<0.0001, t-test), whereas the mean absorption coefficient of CDOM a350, humification index (HIX), fluorescence peak integration ratio IC:IT, and specific ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm SUVA254 of CDOM were shown to be lower in the lake than in the inflow river (P<0.0001), indicating that compared with the lake itself, CDOM in the inflow was humic-rich and highly aromatic. Four fluorescent components were obtained using PARAFAC, including a terrestrial human-like component C1, a microbial human-like component C2, a tyrosine-like C3, and a tryptophan-like C4. The mean DOC concentration, S275-295, and a250:a365in the headwater streams of the Lake Qinghai watershed were lower than those in the downstream estuary, indicating that the CDOM abundance increased, and the molecular weight decreased, from the headwaters to the downstream river mouths. The mean of SUVA254, C1, and the first axis of principal component analysis were positively related to terrestrial input (i.e., the PC1 values were significantly higher in rivers than in lakes (P<0.001)), indicating that the aromaticity of CDOM in rivers was higher than that in lakes. Particularly, the contribution of terrestrial humic-like C1 was higher in the Quanji River, Shaliu River, and Khargai River compared with that in other tributaries due to an intensified cultivated land use at the downstream estuary of these rivers.

[Influences of Hydrological Scenarios on the Bioavailability, Fate, and Balance of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter in Lake Poyang].

Lake Poyang has significant differences in hydrological characteristics between the flood and dry seasons. Unraveling the optical composition, bioavailability, fate, and balance of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and organic carbon fluxes in Lake Poyang under different hydrological conditions can help provide advanced schemes on carbon cycling, the transfer and transformation of organic matter, and water resource management of the lake. Three fluorescent components, including a humic-like (C1), a tryptophan-like (C2), and a tyrosine-like (C3) component, were obtained using three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with parallel factor analysis. Prior to and after 28 days of laboratory biodegradation, the means of a254 and the terrestrial humic-like (C1) component in the flood season were both significantly higher than that in the dry season (t-test, P<0.01), indicating that the terrestrial humic-like (C1) component contributed importantly to the CDOM pool. The contribution percentages of protein-like components in the dry season were 81.7% of the summed fluorescent components of CDOM, indicating that there might be discharge of domestic wastewater from areas surrounding the lake in the dry season. The bioavailabilities of the humic-like (C1) component and DOC were 14.0% and 43.2%, respectively, in the dry season. This can be explained by a declined-dilution effect in the lake during the dry rather than in the flood season. We observed no significant difference in the bioavailability of protein-like components under different hydrological conditions. The bioavailability of C1 (i.e.,%ΔC1) showed a decreasing trend from the southern inflowing river mouths to the downstream northern outlet at Hukou in both the flood and dry seasons, indicating that the bioavailability of the C1 decreased following the migration of CDOM in the lake. In the dry season and flood season, Lake Poyang was the source of DOC with fluxes of 14.0×103 t·mon-1 and 1.4×103 t·mon-1, respectively, whereas CDOM fluxes in corresponding periods were the source and weak sink with corresponding fluxes of 9.3×1010 m3·(m·mon)-1 and 1.1×1010 m3·(m·mon)-1, respectively. Therefore, the lake released substantial organic matter to the downstream receiving waters during the dry season, whereas in the flood season, the higher water level in the Yangtze River resulted in a prolonged water residence time of the lake, and a fraction of CDOM was bio-degraded into inorganic nutrients, favoring the metabolisms and the eutrophication process of the lake ecosystem.

[Sources and Optical Dynamics of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter in Different Types of Urban Water Bodies].

In the past few decades, China's rapid industrial activities and urbanization processes have greatly impacted the urban surface water ecosystem. The changes in the quality of urban surface water directly affect the supply and carbon cycling of urban waters. We collected 50 water samples from urban rivers, lakes, and reservoirs in the city of Changchun in June 2020. Three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with parallel factor analysis (EEMs-PARAFAC) was used to unravel the optical characteristics, composition, and sources of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM). Our results indicated that the mean concentration of DOC is significantly higher in urban rivers than in reservoirs (t-test, P<0.05), and the mean UV absorption coefficient of CDOM a254 of urban rivers is significantly larger than that of park lakes and reservoirs (t-test, P<0.05), indicating that urban rivers have the highest concentration of CDOM. The spectral slope of CDOM absorption S275-295 and the spectral slope ratio SR were shown to be higher in park lakes than in reservoirs, and even higher than in urban rivers (t-test, P<0.001). Three fluorescent components were obtained using PARAFAC, namely terrestrial human-like (C1), microbial human-like (C2) and tryptophan-like (C3) components. The mean fluorescence intensity of C1-C3 was significantly higher in urban rivers than in both the park lakes and reservoirs (t-test, P<0.005), and the mean fluorescence intensity of C1 in the reservoir water body was significantly higher than that of C2 and C3 (t-test, P<0.005), indicating that the discharge of municipal wastewater likely contributes significantly to the CDOM pool of urban rivers in Changchun, and the contribution percentages of highly bio-labile protein-like components to the CDOM pool in these waters are high. Urban wastewater treatment should be strengthened to effectively protect water quality, as well as the economic, environmental, and ecological functions of urban waters in Changchun City.

[Bioavailability Characteristics of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter in Lake Gaoyou, Lake Nansi, and Lake Dongping Under Different Hydrological Scenarios].

The bio-lability of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) directly reflects its biodegradability potential, and also affects the migration and conversion of pollutants and impacts water quality. This study combines excitation-emission matrices and parallel factor analysis (EEMs-PARAFAC) with laboratory 28 days of bio-incubation experiments, and analyzed the bioavailability characteristics of CDOM samples collected from Lake Gaoyou, Lake Nansi and Lake Dongping in flood season and dry season. Our results showed that:① four fluorescent components were obtained using EEMs-PARAFAC, including a microbial humic-like C1, a terrestrial humic-like C4, a tryptophan-like C2, and a tyrosine-like C3. ② The differences of CDOM absorption pre-and post-incubation, i.e. Δa(254) of the three lakes were positive in the three lakes in the flood season, while partially negative in the dry season, indicating a quite different response of CDOM bioavailability to hydrological seasons. ③ Under different hydrological scenarios, the two humic-like components C1 and C4 increased post-bio-incubation compared with that pre-incubation for the samples collected from Lake Nansi and Lake Dongping, and the two protein-like components in Lake Nansi in both the flood and dry seasons and in Lake Dongping in the flood season (t-test, P<0.001, P=0.005) were lower in the post-than those pre-incubation. In Lake Gaoyou, C1-C3 post-incubation were significantly lower than pre-incubation (t-test, P=0.008, P=0.005). In the dry season, in comparison, C1-C4 except for C2 increased post-incubation than pre-incubation for Lake Gaoyou. This indicated that the protein-like components are unstable and more easily uptaken by microorganisms and may be potentially converted into more stable humic-like components. HIX and IC:IT of the three lakes increased post-incubation while the spectral slope S275-295 decreased, which further confirmed the aforementioned conclusion. ④ During both the flood and dry seasons, the bioavailability of the protein-like components C2-C3 and the fluorescence intensity of C1 and C4 in the inflowing river mouths of the three lakes were higher than in the remaining lake regions. It is therefore necessary to strengthen the water quality management in the inflowing river mouths of the three lakes to maintain the water quality of the lakes.

[Response of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter Dynamics to Different Hydrological Scenarios in the Two Largest Freshwater Lakes Connected to the Yangtze River].

Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake are the two largest freshwater lakes in China connected to the Yangtze River. Changes in the water quality of the two lakes are critical to the water security of the residents surrounding the lakes. Analyses of the optical properties, including chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy coupled by parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC), were carried out to investigate the dynamics of CDOM in the two lakes in different hydrological scenarios. Our results indicated that different hydrological scenarios have more notable effects on the CDOM dynamics in Poyang Lake compared to those in Dongting Lake. In Poyang Lake, the mean CDOM absorption a(254) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were higher in the wet season than in the dry-to-wet transition season, and higher still than in the dry season (t-test, P<0.01), and the mean of the CDOM absorption spectral slope S275-295 was higher in the dry season than in the dry-to-wet transition season and higher still than in the wet season (t-test, P<0.01). In Dongting Lake, the mean of a(254) was not significantly different between different hydrological periods, and SUVA254 reached its maximum in the dry-to-wet transition season. Four fluorescent components were identified using parallel factor analysis. The contribution percentage of CDOM protein-like components in the two lakes was higher during the dry season, and the protein-like components and humic-like components contributed roughly the same amount in the dry-to-wet season, whereas the humic-like components accounted for the main proportion in both lakes during the wet season. From the perspective of spatial distribution, the fluorescence intensity of the four components of Poyang Lake was lower in the southern upstream than in the northern downstream lake regions during the dry season, whereas in the wet season a contrast pattern was found, i.e., with high values found in the upstream lake regions. The spatial difference of fluorescence intensity of the four components in the east of Dongting Lake during the dry season was greater than that in the wet season. We found that DOC increased with increasing water level (r2=0.99, P<0.01) in Poyang Lake and tryptophan-like C2 decreased with increasing water level (r2=0.99, P<0.05) in Dongting Lake. Therefore, the water quality of the two lakes should be managed in a targeted manner according to the response characteristics of CDOM in the two lakes under different hydrological scenarios.

No association between Y chromosomal haplogroups and severe acne in the Han Chinese population.

Severe acne presents sexual dimorphism in its incidence in Chinese population. It is more prevalent in males. To assess the possible Y chromosomal contribution to severe acne risk in Han Chinese males, we analyzed 2041 Y chromosomal SNPs (Y-SNPs) in 725 severe acne cases and 651 controls retrieved from our recent genome-wide association study data. After data filtering, we assigned 585 cases and 494 controls into 12 Y chromosomal haplogroups based on 307 high-confidence Y-SNPs. No statistically significant difference in the distribution of Y chromosomal haplogroup frequencies was observed between the case and control groups. Our results showed a lack of association between the incidence of severe acne and the different Y chromosomal haplogroup in the Han Chinese population.

[Effect of aerosolized STAT1 antisense oligonucleotides on the expressions of cytokines and collagens in lung tissue of pulmonary fibrosis rats induced by bleomycin].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of aerosolized signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) antisense oligonucleotides (ASON) on the expressions of TGF-beta(1), PAI-1, collagen Type I and III and hydroxyproline in lung tissue of pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin (BLM) in rats. METHODS: Forty-five adult female Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: normal saline (NS) group, BLM group and ASON group. The BLM group and the ASON group were intratracheally instilled with BLM while the NS group was instilled with NS. The NS group and the BLM group were aerosolized with NS while the ASON group was aerosolized with STAT1 ASON on day 0, 2, 4, and 6. Then the rats were killed on day 7, 14, and 28. TGF-beta(1) and PAI-1 protein in the tissue of left lung were assessed by immunohistochemistry. The mRNA levels of collagen type I and III of right lung were measured by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The content of hydroxyproline was also examined. RESULTS: Compared with the BLM group, the scores of alveolitis and fibrosis in the ASON group were remarkably reduced. Both TGF-beta(1) and PAI-1 protein in lung tissue in the BLM group and the ASON group were significantly higher as compared with the NS group. Compared with the BLM group, the mRNA levels of collagen type I and III in the ASON group were decreased. At day 7, 14 and 28, the mRNA levels of collagen type I and III in the ASON group were 1.36 +/- 0.10, 1.19 +/- 0.28, 1.22 +/- 0.24 and 1.20 +/- 0.09, 0.62 +/- 0.09, 0.76 +/- 0.12, respectively, both increased significantly as compared to those in the BLM group (3.29 +/- 0.28, 2.04 +/- 0.25, 1.91 +/- 0.30 and 1.63 +/- 0.15, 1.58 +/- 0.13, 1.12 +/- 0.09, respectively). The content of hydroxyproline (mg/g) in lung tissue in the ASON group at day 7, 14 and 28 was 3.02 +/- 0.13, 3.24 +/- 0.31, and 3.60 +/- 0.16, respectively, which were lower than those of the BLM group (3.76 +/- 0.10, 3.92 +/- 0.30, and 4.62 +/- 0.28, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Aerosolized STAT1 ASON inhibited alveolitis and fibrosis in BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis, via inhibition of the expression of PAI-1 and TGF-beta(1), decrease of the mRNA levels of collagen Type I and III, and the reduction of hydroxyproline production.

[An investigation of the sexual physiological and psychological development of 2,770 high school students in Yibin].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the actual condition of the sexual physiological and psychological development of the high school students in Yibin in order to get a reliable basis for sexual education of the teenagers. METHODS: With a proportion of 1% to the whole, 2,770 students were randomly selected from eight high schools in the urban and rural areas of the city. We devised a questionnaire and asked each student to fill in his or her answers presently. RESULTS: So far as sexual physiological and psychological development was concerned, the high school students of Yibin were found rather precocious, with very little sexual knowledge and psychological endurance in sexual affairs and a relative lack of sexual education. CONCLUSION: It is imperative to extend the scope of puberty sexual education in high schools. Teenagers must be taught different kinds of sexual knowledge at different periods of growth as well as how to avoid sexually transmitted diseases and gestation. The sexual knowledge level of the teachers must also be raised. It is a must to establish service or specialist consultation hot lines about sexual knowledge for teenagers. Parents are expected to change their traditional views and assume an active role in the joint efforts of sexual education for their children.