Relationship Between Occupational Noise Exposure and Gestational Hypertension in Pregnant Women in Taizhou City: Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: In view of the hazards of occupational noise exposure, this study investigated the relationship between occupational noise exposure and gestational hypertension in Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, China to provide inspiration and reference for reducing the occurrence of gestational hypertension. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed the clinical data of 316 pregnant women in Taizhou City admitted to Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University from May 2020 to May 2023. In accordance with Acoustic Environment Quality Standards (GB3096-2008), 60 dB was used as the cut-off point. These pregnant women were divided into the low noise group (LNG, n = 161) and high noise group (HNG, n = 155) according to the noise exposure level in the working environment. This also study compared the noise exposure, blood pressure (BP), fasting blood glucose (FBG), blood lipid (BL), fetal size, and heart rate (HR), and analyzed the relationship of noise exposure with BP, FBG, BL, fetal size, HR, and occurrence of gestational hypertension. RESULTS: The HNG had higher noise exposure level (P < 0.001), BP, FBG, BL and HR (P < 0.001), larger fetal size (P < 0.001) and higher occurrence of gestational hypertension (P < 0.05) compared with the LNG. Correlation analysis showed that noise exposure level was positively correlated with BP, FBG, BL, HR, and fetal size (P < 0.001) and had the strongest association with gestational hypertension. CONCLUSION: Occupational noise exposure has adverse effects on pregnant women and fetuses. Pregnant women should pay attention to their exposure to occupational noise to prevent gestational hypertension. The results of this study must be further verified and generalized.

Golgi Phosphoprotein 3 Promotes Cervical Cancer Progression via Wnt/ß-catenin Mediated Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition.

OBJECTIVE: Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the fatal malignancies affecting the life expectancy of women worldwide. Golgi Phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) has been shown to play a key role in the development of various tumors. However, the role of GOLPH3 in the development of CC is unclear. METHODS: GOLPH3 levels were measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot assays. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays were used to detect cell proliferation. Xenograft tumor models were used to explore the effects of GOLPH3 on tumor growth of mice, and immunohistochemistry assay was performed to determine the expression of GOLPH3 and Ki-67. Transwell assay was performed to evaluate cell migration and invasion. Western blot assay was used to analyze the signaling molecules-related proteins regulated by GOLPH3. RESULTS: GOLPH3 was upregulated in human CC tissues from the GEO database (GSE39001 and GSE63514), and further demonstrated that GOLPH3 level was elevated in human CC cells. GOLPH3 enhanced CC cell proliferation, and knockdown of GOLPH3 suppressed tumor growth and decreased Ki-67 level in xenograft mice. In addition, GOLPH3 aggravated the migration and invasion of CC cells. The data indicated that Wnt/ß-catenin signaling might be one of the key targets of GOLPH3. Blockage of the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway by XAV-939 significantly affected the effects of GOLPH3 on cell proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) related molecules, whereas LiCl (a Wnt/ß-catenin signal activator) reversed these above effects. CONCLUSION: GOLPH3 promotes cell proliferation, migration and invasion in CC, possibly by regulating the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway, which may provide a new idea for the development of CC therapeutic targets.

The Clinical Efficacy of Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma Interventional Circulatory Perfusion Combined with Radiofrequency Ablation and Thermocoagulation in the Treatment of Discogenic Low Back Pain.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to explore the efficacy of the autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) interventional circulatory perfusion combined with radiofrequency ablation and thermocoagulation (RFAT) in the treatment of discogenic low back pain (DLBP). Methods: From January 2020 to November 2022, 158 patients of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University were selected as the study subjects, and 24 patients met the exclusion criteria. The 134 patients who met the inclusion criteria were divided into 65 patients in the control group (3 patients lost to follow-up) and 69 patients in the observation group (5 patients lost to follow-up), so 126 patients were actually completed the study, including 62 patients in the control group and 64 patients in the observation group. The control group responsible disc received RFAT, and an interventional circulatory perfusion was performed; the observation group received RFAT, and an interventional circulatory perfusion was performed, and then autologous PRP 2 ml was injected. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were performed before and 4 and 8 weeks after treatment, and the efficacy was evaluated at 4 and 8 weeks after treatment. The changes of lumbar disc MRI before and after treatment were observed. Results: The differences in the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) between the observation group and the control group before the treatment were not statistically significant (P > 0.05 in both). However, four weeks and eight weeks after the treatment, the VAS scores and the ODIs were significantly lower in both groups than those before the treatment (P < 0.05 in both). In terms of the therapeutic efficacy, eight weeks after the treatment, the total effective rates in the control group and the observation group were 67.7% and 87.5%, respectively, with the observation group being superior to the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: After RFAT, interventional circulatory perfusion combined with autologous PRP intramedullary injection in the lumbar disc is a safe and effective treatment for DLBP, and it had superior long-term effects in improving the clinical symptoms and patient dysfunction than the RFAT and interventional circulatory perfusion.

Investigation of Mandarin Word Production in Children and Adults: Evidence from Phonological Priming with Non-words.

Using a cross-modal picture-word interference (PWI) task, we examined phonological representations and encoding in Mandarin-speaking children and adults. Pictures of monosyllabic words were presented visually, with auditory primes presented before, concurrent with, or after the picture's appearance (SOA -200, -100, 0, +150). Primes were related to the targets in terms of Onset, Rhyme, Tone, Onset and Tone, Rhyme and Tone, or were unrelated. The rhymes of target words were counterbalanced between simple and complex structures to examine effects of rhyme complexity. Twenty Mandarin-speaking adults (aged 20;3 to 23;10), 20 school-age children (aged 9;1 to 10;11) and 20 preschoolers (aged 5;0 to 5;11) were asked to name the pictures as quickly as possible while ignoring the primes played over a headset. The results showed that adults exhibited consistent Onset and Onset-Tone priming effects across later SOAs, while the older children (9- to 10-year-olds) exhibited Onset, Rhyme, Onset-Tone and Rhyme-Tone priming effects across later SOAs. The younger children (5-year-olds), in contrast, exhibited Rhyme and Rhyme-Tone priming effects at the earliest SOA. For both groups of children, Rhyme and Rhyme-Tone priming effects were complexity-dependent. Our findings suggest that the phonological representations of Mandarin speakers develop from holistic units into those with an onset-based structure. Moreover, an incremental processing pattern at the sub-syllabic level is gradually developed around the age of 9 or 10, though susceptibility to holistic phonological similarity is retained to some degree.

Response of Soil Fungal Community to Drought-Resistant Ea-DREB2B Transgenic Sugarcane.

Drought limits crop productivity, especially of sugarcane, which is predominantly grown in the subtropical parts of China. Soil microbes perform a wide range of functions that are important for plant productivity and responses to drought stress, and fungi play an important role in plant-soil interactions. The Ea-DREB2B gene of sugarcane, Saccharum arundinaceum, is involved in regulating the response to drought stress. In this study, fungal communities of the transgenic (TG) sugarcane variety GN18, harboring the drought-tolerant gene Ea-DREB2B and its corresponding non-TG wild-type (WT) variety, FN95-1702, were investigated in three soil compartments (rhizoplane, rhizosphere, and bulk soil) by assessing the internal transcribed spacer region using Illumina MiSeq. As the soil microbial community is also affected by various environmental factors, such as pH, carbon availability, and soil moisture, we determined the total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) contents in the rhizoplane, rhizosphere, and bulk soil compartments to explore the associations between soil fungal communities and host plant characteristics. The differences between the soil fungal communities of TG and WT plants were detected. The alpha diversity of TG fungal communities was more correlated to environmental factors than the beta diversity. The abundance of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) enriched in TG root-related area was far more than that in the root-related area of WT plants. Thereinto, more saprotrophs were enriched in the TG root-related area, indicating altered niches of fungal guilds around TG roots. These results revealed that host plant genotype did play a key role for strengthening plant-fungi interaction and enhancing beneficial fungal function in the root-related area (rhizoplane and rhizosphere) of TG sugarcane in order to respond to drought stress.

Effects of Drought-Tolerant Ea-DREB2B Transgenic Sugarcane on Bacterial Communities in Soil.

Drought is a major abiotic stress affecting plant growth and development. Sugarcane, a sugar crop planted in warmer climate, suffers dramatically from drought stress. Bacterial communities colonizing the rhizosphere, where roots sense drought stress initially, have been well studied for their beneficial effects on plant growth and health. The Ea-DREB2B gene cloned from the sugarcane, Saccharum arundinaceum, belongs to the DREB2 subgroup of the DREB gene family, which is involved in drought response regulation. Here, we present a detailed characterization of the rhizoplane, rhizosphere, and bulk soil bacterial communities determined using a high-sequencing approach with the transgenic (TG) sugarcane variety GN18 harboring the drought-tolerant Ea-DREB2B gene and its isogenic wild-type (WT) variety FN95-1702 under the same environmental conditions. In addition, the total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) contents in each soil area were compared to explore the relationship between bacterial alteration in the TG and WT plants and environmental factors (TC, TN, TP, C:N, C:P, and N:P). Our results showed that the bacterial communities in the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of TG sugarcane were more similar and perfectly correlated with the environmental factors than those of the WT. This suggested that the bacterial communities of the TG plants were altered in response to the changes in root exudates. The results of our study suggest that the change in soil environment caused by transgenic sugarcane alters soil bacterial communities.

Effect of Two Different Sugarcane Cultivars on Rhizosphere Bacterial Communities of Sugarcane and Soybean Upon Intercropping.

Intercropping of soybean and sugarcane is an important strategy to promote sustainable development of the sugarcane industry. In fact, our understanding of the interaction between the rhizosphere and bacterial communities in the intercropping system is still evolving; particularly, the influence of different sugarcane varieties on rhizosphere bacterial communities in the intercropping process with soybean, still needs further research. Here, we evaluated the response of sugarcane varieties ZZ1 and ZZ9 to the root bacterial community during intercropping with soybean. We found that when ZZ9 was intercropped with soybean, the bacterial diversity increased significantly as compared to that when ZZ1 was used. ZZ9 played a major role in changing the bacterial environment of the root system by affecting the diversity of rhizosphere bacteria, forming a rhizosphere environment more conducive to the growth of sugarcane. In addition, our study found that ZZ1 and ZZ9 had differed significantly in their utilization of nutrients. For example, nutrients were affected by different functional genes in processes such as denitrification, P-uptake and transport, inorganic P-solubilization, and organic P-mineralization. These results are significant in terms of providing guidance to the sugarcane industry, particularly for the intercropping of sugarcane and soybean in Guangxi, China.

SPP1 inhibition improves the cisplatin chemo-sensitivity of cervical cancer cell lines.

PURPOSE: Cisplatin (DDP)-based chemotherapy is a standard strategy for cervical cancer, while chemoresistance remains a huge challenge. In the present study, we aimed to explore the effects of SPP1 on the proliferation and apoptosis rate of the HeLa cervical cancer cell line with cisplatin (DDP) resistance. METHODS: Microarray analysis was employed to select differentially expressed genes in cervical cancer tissues and adjacent tissues. Then, we established a DDP-resistant HeLa cell line (res-HeLa). Western blotting was used to detect SPP1 expression in both tissue and cells. After the transfection with si-SPP1 and pcDNA3.1-SPP1, colony formation and MTT assays were applied to detect cell proliferation changes. Flow cytometry was employed to detect the cell apoptosis rate. Western blotting was performed to verify the activation of PI3K/Akt signal pathway proteins related to DDP resistance. RESULTS: SPP1 was overexpressed in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. Compared to normal HeLa cells, expression of SPP1 was significantly enhanced in res-HeLa cells. SPP1 knockdown resulted in repressed proliferation and enhanced apoptosis of res-HeLa cells, which could be reversed by SPP1 overexpression in HeLa cells. Additionally, downregulation of SPP1 improved the DDP sensitivity of HeLa by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: SPP1 inhibition could suppress proliferation, induce apoptosis and increase the DDP chemo-sensitivity of HeLa cells.

Long noncoding RNA OPA-interacting protein 5 antisense transcript 1 upregulated SMAD3 expression to contribute to metastasis of cervical cancer by sponging miR-143-3p.

OBJECTIVES: SMAD3 is pivotal in the biology functions of various tumors. This study is aiming to study the relationship among SMAD3, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) OPA-interacting protein 5 antisense transcript 1 (OIP5-AS1), and miR-143-3p, and their effects on cervical cancer. METHODS: In our research, real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot assay were conducted to detect the expression level of messenger RNA and protein in tumor tissues and cells. Transfection of lncRNA OIP5-AS1, miR-143-3p, or SMAD3 was performed to investigate their potential effects on the function of cell as well as the relationship among them in cervical cell lines via 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) together with transwell assays or dual-luciferase reporter assay respectively. RESULTS: SMAD3, lncRNA OIP5-AS1 expression is significantly enhanced in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines, but miR-143-3p was inhibited. LncRNA OIP5-AS1 is demonstrated to mediate the physiological process of cervical cancer cells. Moreover, silencing SMAD3 via siRNA suppressed cell number, viability, migration and invasion, whereas overexpression of OIP5-AS1 promoted these abilities. Furthermore, lncRNA OIP5-AS1 exert its function via sponging miR-143-3p to regulate SMAD3 expression. CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA OIP5-AS1 promoted SMAD3 expression via mediating miR-143-3p to promote migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells.

Haemoglobin A1C Levels Constantly Below Lower Reference Limit in a Diabetic Patient With Microcytic Anaemia.

INTRODUCTION: Haemoglobin A1C (A1C), as a parameter of long-term glycaemic control, has been adopted to guide diabetic therapy all over the world. However, falsely high or low A1C could be troublesome in daily practice. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 75-year-old male diabetic patient affected by a reasonably inferred life-long history of microcytic anaemia was found to have abnormally low A1C values in the previous 5 months. Subsequent laboratory assessment with brilliant cresyl blue staining and haemoglobin electrophoresis detected haemoglobin H disease as the underlying cause of both the microcytic anaemia and the disturbed A1C measurement. DISCUSSION: Enhanced erythrocyte destruction such as in haemoglobin H disease could explain a falsely decreased A1C level very well. Upon facing a questionable A1C value, physicians dealing with diabetes should consider the possibility of undiscovered underlying causes rather than too tightly glycaemic control. LEARNING POINTS: Haemoglobin A1C values lower than the normal range most likely do not mean too good a control of blood sugar in diabetic patients.Careful investigation to find the underlying causes is mandatory to provide well-qualified medical care.Various haemoglobinopathies with chronic haemolysis should be considered as the background reason, especially in an endemic area for thalassaemia.

Executive Function in Preschoolers with Primary Language Impairment.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether preschoolers with primary language impairment (PLI) show deficits in executive function (EF) compared with their peers with typical development (TD) when inhibition, updating, and mental-set shifting are examined using both linguistically based and visually based tasks. Method: Twenty-two 4- and 5-year-old preschoolers with PLI and 30 preschoolers with TD completed 2 sets of computerized EF tasks: 3 that were linguistically based and 3 that were visually based. This permitted us to test the hypothesis that poor performance on EF tasks in preschoolers with PLI results from impaired language rather than impaired EF. Results: The PLI group scored significantly lower than the TD group on linguistically and visually based updating tasks and mental-set shifting tasks. The PLI and TD groups did not differ significantly for accuracy or response time on linguistically and visually based inhibition tasks. Conclusion: Results suggest that preschool-age children with PLI have domain-general EF deficits in updating and mental-set shifting but not inhibition deficits, as measured by our tasks.

Fluoride adsorption on carboxylated aerobic granules containing Ce(III).

Aerobic granules (AG) were carboxylated and Ce(III) was incorporated to obtain modified granuels (Ce(III)-MAG) for removal of fluoride from aqueous solutions. The Ce(III)-MAG was characterized by SEM, FTIR, XRD and pH(pzc), and the introduction of carboxyl groups and Ce(III) was confirmed. The adsorption capacity of Ce(III)-MAG for fluoride was 45.80 mg/g at neutral pH, an increase of 359% compared to the capacity of pristine AG. Adsorption was highest at pH range of 3.0-5.0. A positive effect on fluoride removal in the order of K(+) ≈ Mg(2+) > Ca(2+) > Na(+) and a negative effect in the order of NO(3)(-) > Cl(-) > SO(4)(2-) > HCO(3)(-) > PO(4)(3-) was observed. Fluoride adsorption followed the Redlich-Peterson model and the pseudo-first order model with correlation factors of 0.999 and 0.950, respectively. Ce(III)-MAG held up to 790 bed volumes and the effluent fluoride concentration remained below 1.0mg/L (influent fluoride 10mg/L).

One-handed helical double stranded polybisnorbornenes.

Helical double stranded polymers incorporated with a covalently bound chiral ferrocene linker are synthesised and characterized by CD spectra and STM images and molecular dynamics simulations.

Electrochemical oxidation of double-stranded polybisnorbornenes containing linearly aligned ferrocene linkers.

Seventy percent of the ferrocene moieties in double-stranded polybisnorbornenes containing linearly aligned ferrocene linkers are oxidised and each of the neighbouring monomeric units in these polymers may strongly interact with each other; the oxidised form of has been shown to be antiferromagnetic.