Nonpoint Source Pollution (NPSP) Induces Structural and Functional Variation in the Fungal Community of Sediments in the Jialing River, China.

Nonpoint source pollution (NPSP) from human production and life activities causes severe destruction in river basin environments. In this study, three types of sediment samples (A, NPSP tributary samples; B, non-NPSP mainstream samples; C, NPSP mainstream samples) were collected at the estuary of the NPSP tributaries of the Jialing River. High-throughput sequencing of the fungal-specific internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene region was used to identify fungal taxa. The impact of NPSP on the aquatic environment of the Jialing River was revealed by analysing the community structure, community diversity, and functions of sediment fungi. The results showed that the dominant phylum of sediment fungi was Rozellomycota, followed by Ascomycota and Basidiomycota (relative abundance > 5%). NPSP caused a significant increase in the relative abundances of Exosporium, Phialosimplex, Candida, Inocybe, Tausonia, and Slooffia, and caused a significant decrease in the relative abundances of Cercospora, Cladosporium, Dokmaia, Setophaeosphaeria, Paraphoma, Neosetophoma, Periconia, Plectosphaerella, Claviceps, Botrytis, and Papiliotrema. These fungal communities therefore have a certain indicator role. In addition, NPSP caused significant changes in the physicochemical properties of Jialing River sediments, such as pH and available nitrogen (AN), which significantly increased the species richness of fungi and caused significant changes in the fungal community ß-diversity (P < 0.05). pH, total phosphorus (TP), and AN were the main environmental factors affecting fungal communities in sediments of Jialing River. The functions of sediment fungi mainly involved three types of nutrient metabolism (symbiotrophic, pathotrophic, and saprotrophic) and 75 metabolic circulation pathways. NPSP significantly improved the pentose phosphate pathway, pentose phosphate pathway, and fatty acid beta-oxidation V metabolic circulation pathway functions (P < 0.05) and inhibited the chitin degradation to ethanol, super pathway of heme biosynthesis from glycine, and adenine and adenosine salvage III metabolic circulation pathway functions (P < 0.05). Hence, NPSP causes changes in the community structure and functions of sediment fungi in Jialing River and has adversely affected for the stability of the Jialing River Basin ecosystem.

[Effect of Different Land Use Types on the Diversity of Soil Bacterial Community in the Coastal Zone of Jialing River].

The purpose of this study was to clarify the differences in soil bacterial community diversity in different land uses in the coastal zone of the Jialing River and to provide theoretical reference for reasonable land development and resource protection of the Jialing River basin. Based on second generation high-throughput sequencing technology, the diversity, structural composition, functional types, and influencing factors of soil bacterial communities in different land use types were analyzed. The results showed that:① there were some differences in soil physical and chemical properties among different land uses. The nutritional indexes of agricultural land and soil wetland were significantly higher than those of natural forest land and sandy soil wetland (P<0.05). ②The Ace, Shannon, and Chao indexes of sandy soil wetland and soil wetland were significantly higher than those of natural forest land and agricultural land (P<0.05). The Simpson index of soil bacteria in different land use types was significantly different (P<0.05). ③ The dominant phyla of soil bacteria in the coastal zone of the Jialing River were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriata, Acidobacteriata, and Chloroflexi, and the relative abundance accounted for more than 65%. The community structure of sandy soil wetland was similar to that of soil wetland and was significantly different from that of other land use types (P<0.05). ④ Primary functional metabolism was the core function of the bacterial community, accounting for more than 75%. Agricultural activities had the greatest impact on the community function, which significantly improved the metabolism of amino acids and carbohydrates, enhanced the utilization of nitrogen and phosphorus, reduced the metabolism of energy and coenzyme vitamins, and weakened the resistance of bacterial community to environmental impact (P<0.05). ⑤ Total phosphorus (TP) was the key influencing factor of the soil bacterial community. In conclusion, the construction of the wetland habitat in the Jialing River coastal zone is most conducive to the development of underground ecological diversity and the stability of the soil ecosystem.

[The value of improved Mallampati grading combined with NoSAS in OSA screening].

Objective:To evaluate the value of improved Mallampati grading combined with NoSAS questionnaire in screening for obstructive sleep apnea （OSA）. Method:A total of 344 patients admitted to our hospital for sleep disorders were studied. All patients were measured for their height, weight, neck circumference and other parameters. NoSAS scores, improved Mallampati grading and polysomnography （PSG） were performed in these patients. According to AHI in PSG monitoring results, patients were divided into non-osa group （AHI<5） 93 cases and OSA group 251 cases. The OSA group were divided into mild （AHI 5-15）, moderate（AHI 16-30） and severe OSA group（AHI>30） according to the PSG result. The ROC curve was plotted to evaluate the screening value of NoSAS and improved Mallampati grading combined with NoSAS for OSA. Result:With the NoSAS score of 8 or 9 as cutoffs for analysis, the sensitivity for OSA was 0.733 and 0.701; the specificity for OSA was 0.538 and 0.624, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of NoSAS combined with improved Mallampati grading for screening OSA were 0.813 and 0.710, respectively. Conclusion:As a new screening tool, NoSAS questionnaire is simple and convenient, and has certain screening value to OSA. The improved Mallampati grading combined with NoSAS questionnaire can obviously improve the screening sensitivity and specificity of Osa, and has higher application value.

Long Non-Coding RNA AWPPH Promotes Postoperative Distant Recurrence in Resected Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer by Upregulating Transforming Growth Factor beta 1 (TGF-ß1).

BACKGROUND Postoperative recurrence of cancers is responsible for a large portion of deaths in cancer patients. Our study investigated the involvement of lncRNA AWPPH in recurrence of resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 128 patients were followed up for 3 years. Blood was extracted from each patient on the day of discharge, the day of the diagnosis of recurrence, or at the end of follow-up. Blood from 30 healthy controls was used as a control group. Patient were divided into 3 groups - a non-recurrence group (NR, n=54), a local recurrence group (LR, n=42), and a distant recurrence (DR, n=32) group - according to the follow-up results. Blood AWPPP was detected by qRT-PCR. AWPPH expression vectors were transfected into cells of human NSCLC cell lines. Cell migration and invasion were detected by Transwell migration and invasion assay, respectively. TGF-ß1 expression was detected by Western blot analysis. RESULTS Blood AWPPH levels were the highest in the DR group, followed by the LR and NR groups. The lowest blood AWPPH levels were observed in the control group. Blood AWPPH levels increased significantly in the DR group but not in the NR and LR groups during follow-up. Blood AWPPH levels were positively correlated with TGF-ß1 mRNA levels in the DR group but not in the NR and LR groups during follow-up. AWPPH overexpression promoted cell migration and invasion and upregulated TGF-ß1 expression. CONCLUSIONS lncRNA AWPPH can promote postoperative distant recurrence in resected NSCLC by upregulating TGF-ß1.

Upregulation of serum miR-494 predicts poor prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: Emerging studies show that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a essential role in tumorigenesis. Deregulation of miR-494 is frequently observed in various human cancers including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, little is known about the clinical significance of serum miR-494. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic value of serum miR-494 for NSCLC. METHODS: We first compared miR-494 levels between NSCLC cell lines and lung bronchus epithelial cell line. A total of 90 NSCLC patients and 50 healthy controls were included in this study. MiR-494 levels were examined in serum samples by using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions. Association between serum miR-494 levels and the prognosis of NSCLC was further analyzed. RESULTS: Our results showed that miR-494 was elevated in NSCLC cell lines. Serum miR-494 levels were significantly increased in patients with NSCLC compared to healthy controls. Area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 85.4%. In addition, serum miR-494 levels decreased remarkably when patients received effective therapy. High serummiR-494 levels were significantly associated with higher incidence of lymph node metastasis, advanced clinical stage and higher histological grade. Moreover, survival analysis demonstrated that patients in the high serum miR-494 group had a poorer 5 year overall survival and disease free survival compared with the patients in the low serum miR-494 group. Multivariate analysis showed that serum miR-494 was an independent risk factor. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, serum miR-494 was significantly elevated in NSCLC patients and closely correlated with poor clinical outcome, indicating that serum miR-494 might be a useful diagnostic and prognostic marker for NSCLC.