Effects of Goose Astrovirus Type 2 Infection on Peripheral Blood Lymphocyte and Macrophage Activity In Vitro.

Goose astrovirus type 2 (GAstV-2) is a novel pathogen causing visceral gout in goslings; it not only causes necrosis of renal epithelial cells but also causes spleen damage, indicating that GAstV-2 induces immunosuppression in goslings. However, to date, the interaction between GAstV-2 and immune cells remains unclear. In this study, peripheral blood lymphocytes and macrophages were isolated from goslings without GAstV-2 infection and then inoculated in vitro with GAstV-2, and the virus localization in the lymphocytes and macrophages, proliferation and apoptosis of lymphocytes, and phagocytic activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) production, and cell polarity in macrophages were determined. The results showed that GAstV-2 was observed in the cytoplasm of CD4 and CD8 T cells and macrophages, indicating that GAstV-2 can infect both lymphocytes and macrophages. GAstV-2 infection reduced the lymphocyte proliferation induced by Concanavalin A and lipopolysaccharide stimulation and increased the lymphocyte apoptosis rate and mRNA expression of Fas, demonstrating that GAstV-2 causes damage to lymphocytes. Moreover, GAstV-2 infection enhanced phagocytic activity and production of ROS and NO and induced a proinflammatory phenotype in macrophages (M1 macrophages), indicating that macrophages play an antiviral role during GAstV-2 infection. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that GAstV-2 infection causes damages to lymphocytes, and host macrophages inhibit GAstV-2 invasion during infection.

Effects of grazing exclusion on soil microbial diversity and its functionality in grasslands: a meta-analysis.

Grazing exclusion (GE) is considered an effective strategy for restoring the degradation of overgrazed grasslands on the global scale. Soil microbial diversity plays a crucial role in supporting multiple ecosystem functions (multifunctionality) in grassland ecosystems. However, the impact of grazing exclusion on soil microbial diversity remains uncertain. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis using a dataset comprising 246 paired observations from 46 peer-reviewed papers to estimate how GE affects microbial diversity and how these effects vary with climatic regions, grassland types, and GE duration ranging from 1 to 64 years. Meanwhile, we explored the relationship between microbial diversity and its functionality under grazing exclusion. Overall, grazing exclusion significantly increased microbial Shannon (1.9%) and microbial richness (4.9%) compared to grazing group. For microbial groups, GE significantly increased fungal richness (8.6%) and bacterial richness (5.3%), but decreased specific microbial richness (-11.9%). The responses of microbial Shannon to GE varied among climatic regions, grassland types, and GE duration. Specifically, GE increased microbial diversity in in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid regions, but decreased it in humid regions. Moreover, GE significantly increased microbial Shannon in semidesert grasslands (5.9%) and alpine grasslands (3.0%), but not in temperate grasslands. Long-term (>20 year) GE had greater effects on microbial diversity (8.0% for Shannon and 6.7% for richness) compared to short-term (<10 year) GE (-0.8% and 2.4%). Furthermore, grazing exclusion significantly increased multifunctionality, and both microbial and plant Shannon positively correlated with multifunctionality. Overall, our findings emphasize the importance of considering climate, GE duration, and grassland type for biodiversity conservation and sustainable grassland ecosystem functions.

Responses of Crop Yield, Soil Fertility, and Heavy Metals to Spent Mushroom Residues Application.

Waste mushroom residues are often returned to fields as organic amendments. Here, we estimated the effects of the continuous applications of different spent mushroom substrates for 2 years on crop yields, soil nutrients, and heavy metals in paddy fields. The study comprised seven treatments: no fertilization (CK) and mineral NPK fertilizer (CF), as well as NPK fertilizer combined with Enoki mushroom residue (EMR50), Oyster mushroom residue (OMR50), Auricularia polytricha mushroom residue (APR50), Shiitake mushroom residue (SMR50), and Agaricus bisporus residue (ABR50). The grain yield was highest under the APR50 treatment. The short-term application of waste mushroom residue significantly increased SOC, TN, TP, and TK content relative to the CK treatment. The SOC, TP, and TK were highest under ABR50. Both total Cr and Cd contents were highest under CF treatment. The highest cumulative ecological risk was observed under OMR50 treatment. In addition, crop yield was positively correlated with SOC, TN, TP, and TP. Our results highlight that further research and innovation are needed to optimize the benefits and overcome the challenges of mushroom residue application.

Two new species of Diaporthe (Diaporthaceae, Diaporthales) associated with Camelliaoleifera leaf spot disease in Hainan Province, China.

Tea-oil tree (Camelliaoleifera Abel.) is an important edible oil woody plant with a planting area over 3,800,000 hectares in southern China. Species of Diaporthe inhabit a wide range of plant hosts as plant pathogens, endophytes and saprobes. Here, we conducted an extensive field survey in Hainan Province to identify and characterise Diaporthe species associated with tea-oil leaf spots. As a result, eight isolates of Diaporthe were obtained from symptomatic C.oleifera leaves. These isolates were studied, based on morphological and phylogenetic analyses of partial ITS, cal, his3, tef1 and tub2 gene regions. Two new Diaporthe species (D.hainanensis and D.pseudofoliicola) were proposed and described herein.

DSYOLO-trash: An attention mechanism-integrated and object tracking algorithm for solid waste detection.

In a global context, the production of urban solid waste significantly varies with changes in living standards. This trend exhibits diversity across different countries and regions, reflecting shifts in lifestyles as well as varying needs and challenges in waste management strategies. However, current standards of waste recycling are too complex for the general public to follow. In this study, we propose a model called DSYOLO-Trash to identify solid waste by integrating the dual attention mechanisms convolutional block attention module (CBAM) and Contextual Transformer Networks(CotNet), which significantly enhance its ability to mine channel-related and spatial attention features while optimizing the learning process. We apply the deep simple online and realtime tracking (DeepSORT) object tracking algorithm to solid waste detection for the first time in the literature to enable the real-time identification and tracking of waste. We also develop a multi-label dataset of mixed solid waste, called MMTrash, to realistically simulate actual scenarios of waste classification. Our proposed DSYOLO-Trash delivered superior performance to classical detection algorithms on both the MMTrash and the TrashNet datasets. Our system combines the improved you only look once(YOLO) algorithm with DeepSORT technology by using industrial cameras and PLC-controlled robotic arms to intelligently sort waste. The work here constitutes an important contribution to intelligent waste management and the sustainable development of cities.

Band-by-band spectral radiative kernels based on the ERA5 reanalysis.

Radiative kernel is a widely adopted method for diagnosing radiation variability and climate feedback. However, most of the existing radiative kernels are broadband flux kernels and lack the spectral information. Motivated by the growing interest in the spectral changes of the Earth radiation budget, we generate a new set of band-by-band radiative kernels based on the fifth generation European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ERA5) reanalysis, which can be used for analyzing the spectrally decomposed changes in the top of atmosphere, surface and atmospheric radiation. The radiative sensitivity quantified by the ERA5 band-by-band kernel is compared to another spectral kernel and validated in a spectral radiation closure test. The use and benefits of the new ERA5 kernels are then demonstrated in an analysis of spectral feedbacks of an ensemble of global climate models (GCMs).

Running-Time Analysis of Brain Storm Optimization Based on Average Gain Model.

The brain storm optimization (BSO) algorithm has received increased attention in the field of evolutionary computation. While BSO has been applied in numerous industrial scenarios due to its effectiveness and accessibility, there are few theoretical analysis results about its running time. Running-time analysis can be conducted through the estimation of the upper bounds of the expected first hitting time to evaluate the efficiency of BSO. This study estimates the upper bounds of the expected first hitting time on six single individual BSO variants (BSOs with one individual) based on the average gain model. The theoretical analysis indicates the following results. (1) The time complexity of the six BSO variants is O(n) in equal coefficient linear functions regardless of the presence or absence of the disrupting operator, where n is the number of the dimensions. Moreover, the coefficient of the upper bounds on the expected first hitting time shows that the single individual BSOs with the disrupting operator require fewer iterations to obtain the target solution than the single individual BSOs without the disrupting operator. (2) The upper bounds on the expected first hitting time of single individual BSOs with the standard normally distributed mutation operator are lower than those of BSOs with the uniformly distributed mutation operator. (3) The upper bounds on the expected first hitting time of single individual BSOs with the U-12,12 mutation operator are approximately twice those of BSOs with the U(-1,1) mutation operator. The corresponding numerical results are also consistent with the theoretical analysis results.

The angiogenesis-modulating effects of coumarin-derivatives.

Coumarin is a natural compound that is rich in plants. Coumarin and its derivates were reported to have many biological activities, such as anti-bacterial, anti-tumor, and anti-coagulation. In this study, we examined the angiogenic modulating activities of six previously synthesized coumarin derivatives (Compound #1-#6) in zebrafish embryos and further confirmed them in a chick model. According to the survival rate in a zebrafish model, Compound #1 (100 %), #2 (82.5-100 %), and #4 (100 %) showed much less toxicity than Compound #3 (19.2-100 %), #5 (0-100 %), and #6 (0-100 %). Using a green blood vessel fluorescent transgenic fish Tg(fli1:egfp) to record the angiogenesis-modulating effects of Compound #1, #2, and #4, we found that Compound #2 had the highest effects in interfering intersegmental vessel growth, subintestinal vein growth, and caudal vein plexus remodeling. Chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay also showed that Compound #2 exposure led to a reduction of blood vessel growth. Real-time PCR experiments revealed that Compound #2 significantly changed the expression of vascular growth-related genes flt1, cdh5, and nrp1a in zebrafish. Based on our data from zebrafish and chick models, a new coumarin-derivative (Compound #2) possesses anti-angiogenic activity with low toxicity, but further investigation in mammal models is asked to confirm our findings.

Enhancing the Versatility and Performance of Soft Robotic Grippers, Hands, and Crawling Robots Through Three-Dimensional-Printed Multifunctional Buckling Joints.

Soft robotic grippers and hands offer adaptability, lightweight construction, and enhanced safety in human-robot interactions. In this study, we introduce vacuum-actuated soft robotic finger joints to overcome their limitations in stiffness, response, and load-carrying capability. Our design-optimized through parametric design and three-dimensional (3D) printing-achieves high stiffness using vacuum pressure and a buckling mechanism for large bending angles (>90°) and rapid response times (0.24 s). We develop a theoretical model and nonlinear finite-element simulations to validate the experimental results and provide valuable insights into the underlying mechanics and visualization of the deformation and stress field. We showcase versatile applications of the buckling joints: a three-finger gripper with a large lifting ratio (∼96), a five-finger robotic hand capable of replicating human gestures and adeptly grasping objects of various characteristics in static and dynamic scenarios, and a planar-crawling robot carrying loads 30 times its weight at 0.89 body length per second (BL/s). In addition, a jellyfish-inspired robot crawls in circular pipes at 0.47 BL/s. By enhancing soft robotic grippers' functionality and performance, our study expands their applications and paves the way for innovation through 3D-printed multifunctional buckling joints.

A Streptomyces species from the ginseng rhizosphere exhibits biocontrol potential.

Plants and their associated microbes live in complicated, changeable, and unpredictable environments. They usually interact with each other in many ways through multidimensional, multiscale, and multilevel coupling manners, leading to challenges in the coexistence of randomness and determinism or continuity and discreteness. Gaining a deeper understanding of these diverse interaction mechanisms can facilitate the development of data-mining theories and methods for complex systems, coupled modeling for systems with different spatiotemporal scales and functional properties, or even a universal theory of information and information interactions. In this study, we use a "closed-loop" model to present a plant-microbe interaction system and describe the probable functions of microbial natural products. Specifically, we report a rhizosphere species, Streptomyces ginsengnesis G7, which produces polyketide lydicamycins and other active metabolites. Interestingly, these distinct molecules have the potential to function both as antibiotics and as herbicides for crop protection. Detailed laboratory experiments conducted in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), combined with a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis, allow us to rationalize a model for this specific plant-microbe interaction process. Our work reveals the benefits of exploring otherwise neglected resources for the identification of potential functional molecules and provides a reference to better understand the system biology of complex ecosystems.

Targeting mitochondrial dynamics of morphine-responsive dopaminergic neurons ameliorates opiate withdrawal.

Converging studies demonstrate the dysfunction of the dopaminergic neurons following chronic opioid administration. However, the therapeutic strategies targeting opioid-responsive dopaminergic ensembles that contribute to the development of opioid withdrawal remain to be elucidated. Here, we used the neuronal activity-dependent Tet-Off system to label dopaminergic ensembles in response to initial morphine exposure (Mor-Ens) in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Fiber optic photometry recording and transcriptome analysis revealed downregulated spontaneous activity and dysregulated mitochondrial respiratory, ultrastructure, and oxidoreductase signal pathways after chronic morphine administration in these dopaminergic ensembles. Mitochondrial fragmentation and the decreased mitochondrial fusion gene mitofusin 1 (Mfn1) were found in these ensembles after prolonged opioid withdrawal. Restoration of Mfn1 in the dopaminergic Mor-Ens attenuated excessive oxidative stress and the development of opioid withdrawal. Administration of Mdivi-1, a mitochondrial fission inhibitor, ameliorated the mitochondrial fragmentation and maladaptation of the neuronal plasticity in these Mor-Ens, accompanied by attenuated development of opioid withdrawal after chronic morphine administration, without affecting the analgesic effect of morphine. These findings highlighted the plastic architecture of mitochondria as a potential therapeutic target for opioid analgesic-induced substance use disorders.

A transferable in-silico augmented ischemic model for virtual myocardial perfusion imaging and myocardial infarction detection.

This paper proposes an innovative approach to generate a generalized myocardial ischemia database by modeling the virtual electrophysiology of the heart and the 12-lead electrocardiography projected by the in-silico model can serve as a ready-to-use database for automatic myocardial infarction/ischemia (MI) localization and classification. Although the virtual heart can be created by an established technique combining the cell model with personalized heart geometry to observe the spatial propagation of depolarization and repolarization waves, we developed a strategy based on the clinical pathophysiology of MI to generate a heterogeneous database with a generic heart while maintaining clinical relevance and reduced computational complexity. First, the virtual heart is simplified into 11 regions that match the types and locations, which can be diagnosed by 12-lead ECG; the major arteries were divided into 3-5 segments from the upstream to the downstream based on the general anatomy. Second, the stenosis or infarction of the major or minor coronary artery branches can cause different perfusion drops and infarct sizes. We simulated the ischemic sites in different branches of the arteries by meandering the infarction location to elaborate on possible ECG representations, which alters the infraction's size and changes the transmembrane potential (TMP) of the myocytes associated with different levels of perfusion drop. A total of 8190 different case combinations of cardiac potentials with ischemia and MI were simulated, and the corresponding ECGs were generated by forward calculations. Finally, we trained and validated our in-silico database with a sparse representation classification (SRC) and tested the transferability of the model on the real-world Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) database. The overall accuracies for localizing the MI region on the PTB data achieved 0.86, which is only 2% drop compared to that derived from the simulated database (0.88). In summary, we have shown a proof-of-concept for transferring an in-silico model to real-world database to compensate for insufficient data.

Alternation of social behaviors for zebrafish (Danio rerio) in response to acute cold stress.

Low temperature is one of the most common abiotic stresses for aquatic ectotherms. Ambient low temperatures reduce the metabolic rate of teleosts, therefore, teleosts have developed strategies to modulate their physiological status for energy saving in response to cold stress, including behaviors, circulatory system, respiratory function, and metabolic adjustments. Many teleosts are social animals and they can live in large schools to serve a variety of functions, including predator avoidance, foraging efficiency, and reproduction. However, the impacts of acute cold stress on social behaviors of fish remain unclear. In the present study, we test the hypothesis that zebrafish alter their social behaviors for energy saving as a strategy in response to acute cold stress. We found that acute cold stress increased shoaling behavior that reflected a save-energy strategy for fish to forage and escape from the predators under cold stress. The aggressive levels measured by fighting behavior tests and mirror fighting tests were reduced by cold treatment. In addition, we also found that acute cold stress impaired the learning ability but did not affect memory. Our findings provided evidence that acute cold stress alters the social behaviors of aquatic ectotherms for energy saving; knowledge of their responses to cold is essential for their conservation and management.

Untargeted metabolomics reveals the regulatory effect of geniposidic acid on lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells and Caenorhabditis elegans and validation in hyperlipidemic hamsters.

BACKGROUND: Geniposidic acid (GPA) alleviates oxidative stress and inflammation in mice However, whether it can effectively regulate lipid accumulation and prevent hyperlipidemia requires further investigation. PURPOSE: This study combined the untargeted metabolomics of cells and a Caenorhabditis elegans model to evaluate the anti-hyperlipidemic potential of GPA by modulating oxidative stress and regulating lipid metabolism. A golden hamster model of hyperlipidemia was used to further validate the lipid-lowering effect and mechanism of action of GPA. METHODS: Chemical staining, immunofluorescence, and flow cytometry were performed to examine the effects of GPA on lipid accumulation and oxidative stress. Untargeted metabolomic analysis of cells and C. elegans was performed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole electrostatic field Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS) to identify biomarkers altered by GPA action, analyze the affected metabolic pathways, and validate the mechanisms by which GPA regulates lipid metabolism and oxidative stress. A golden hamster model of hyperlipidemia was established to test the lipid-lowering effects of GPA. Body weight, biochemical markers, rate-limiting enzymes, and key proteins were assessed. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Oil Red O staining were performed. RESULTS: Phenotypic data showed that GPA decreased free fatty acid (FFA)-induced lipid buildup and high reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, reversed the decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and increased the cellular reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione disulfide (GSH/GSSG) ratio. GPA also reduces high glucose-induced lipid build-up and ROS production in C. elegans. Metabolomic analysis showed that GPA affected purine, lipid, and amino acid metabolism. Moreover, GPA inhibited xanthine oxidase (XOD), glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), fatty acid synthase (FAS), phosphorylation of P38 MAPK, and upregulated the expression of SIRT3 and CPT1A protein production to control lipid metabolism and produce antioxidant benefits in cells and golden hamsters. CONCLUSION: Current evidence suggests that GPA can effectively regulate lipid metabolism and the oxidative stress response, and has the potential to prevent hyperlipidemia. This study also provided an effective method for evaluating the mechanism of action of GPA.

Long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) non-coding RNA activated by DNA damage (NORAD) knockdown alleviates airway remodeling in asthma via regulating miR-410-3p/RCC2 and inhibiting Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

Background: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder with high prevalence in childhood. Airway remodeling, an important structural change of the airways, is resulted from epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Long non-coding RNA non-coding RNA activated by DNA damage (NORAD) has been found to promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition in multiple cancers. This study aimed to analyze the role of NORAD in asthma, mainly focusing on epithelial-mesenchymal transition-mediated airway remodeling, and further explored the NORAD-miRNA-mRNA network. Methods: NORAD expression was analyzed in transforming growth factor-ß1-induced BEAS-2B human bronchial epithelial cells and ovalbumin-challenged asthmatic mice. The influences of NORAD on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition characteristics and Wnt/ß-catenin pathway activation were analyzed in vitro. The interactions between NORAD and miR-410-3p as well as miR-410-3p and regulator of chromosome condensation 2 were detected by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down assay. Rescue experiments using miR-410-3p antagonist and chromosome condensation 2 overexpression were used to confirm the mechanism of NORAD. Additionally, the role and mechanism of NORAD were further evaluated in asthmatic mice. Results: NORAD expression was elevated in both asthmatic models. Knockdown of NORAD impeded spindle-like morphology changes, elevated E-cadherin expression, decreased N-cadherin expression, suppressed cell migration, and inactivated the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in transforming growth factor-ß1-stimulated BEAS-2B cells. NORAD acted as a sponge of miR-410-3p to regulate chromosome condensation 2 expression. Rescue assays demonstrated that silencing of NORAD ameliorated transforming growth factor-ß1-induced EMT via miR-410-3p/chromosome condensation 2/Wnt/ß-catenin axis. In vivo, knockdown of NORAD led to the reduction of inflammatory cell infiltration and collagen deposition, suppression of IL-4, IL-13, transforming growth factor-ß1 and immunoglobulin E production, decreasing of N-cadherin, chromosome condensation 2, ß-catenin and c-Myc expression, but increasing of E-cadherin and miR-410-3p expression. Conclusions: Silencing of NORAD alleviated epithelial-mesenchymal transition-mediated airway remodeling in asthma via mediating miR-410-3p/chromosome condensation 2/Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

γ-Aminobutyric Acid-Ergic Development Contributes to the Enhancement of Electroencephalogram Slow-Delta Oscillations Under Volatile Anesthesia in Neonatal Rats.

BACKGROUND: General anesthetics (eg, propofol and volatile anesthetics) enhance the slow-delta oscillations of the cortical electroencephalogram (EEG), which partly results from the enhancement of (γ-aminobutyric acid [GABA]) γ-aminobutyric acid-ergic (GABAergic) transmission. There is a GABAergic excitatory-inhibitory shift during postnatal development. Whether general anesthetics can enhance slow-delta oscillations in the immature brain has not yet been unequivocally determined. METHODS: Perforated patch-clamp recording was used to confirm the reversal potential of GABAergic currents throughout GABAergic development in acute brain slices of neonatal rats. The power density of the electrocorticogram and the minimum alveolar concentrations (MAC) of isoflurane and/or sevoflurane were measured in P4-P21 rats. Then, the effects of bumetanide, an inhibitor of the Na + -K + -2Cl - cotransporter (NKCC1) and K + -Cl - cotransporter (KCC2) knockdown on the potency of volatile anesthetics and the power density of the EEG were determined in vivo. RESULTS: Reversal potential of GABAergic currents were gradually hyperpolarized from P4 to P21 in cortical pyramidal neurons. Bumetanide enhanced the hypnotic effects of volatile anesthetics at P5 (for MAC LORR , isoflurane: 0.63% ± 0.07% vs 0.81% ± 0.05%, 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.257 to -0.103, P < .001; sevoflurane: 1.46% ± 0.12% vs 1.66% ± 0.09%, 95% CI, -0.319 to -0.081, P < .001); while knockdown of KCC2 weakened their hypnotic effects at P21 in rats (for MAC LORR , isoflurane: 0.58% ± 0.05% to 0.77% ± 0.20%, 95% CI, 0.013-0.357, P = .003; sevoflurane: 1.17% ± 0.04% to 1.33% ± 0.04%, 95% CI, 0.078-0.244, P < .001). For cortical EEG, slow-delta oscillations were the predominant components of the EEG spectrum in neonatal rats. Isoflurane and/or sevoflurane suppressed the power density of slow-delta oscillations rather than enhancement of it until GABAergic maturity. Enhancement of slow-delta oscillations under volatile anesthetics was simulated by preinjection of bumetanide at P5 (isoflurane: slow-delta changed ratio from -0.31 ± 0.22 to 1.57 ± 1.15, 95% CI, 0.67-3.08, P = .007; sevoflurane: slow-delta changed ratio from -0.46 ± 0.25 to 0.95 ± 0.97, 95% CI, 0.38-2.45, P = .014); and suppressed by KCC2-siRNA at P21 (isoflurane: slow-delta changed ratio from 16.13 ± 5.69 to 3.98 ± 2.35, 95% CI, -18.50 to -5.80, P = .002; sevoflurane: slow-delta changed ratio from 0.13 ± 2.82 to 3.23 ± 2.49, 95% CI, 3.02-10.79, P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: Enhancement of cortical EEG slow-delta oscillations by volatile anesthetics may require mature GABAergic inhibitory transmission during neonatal development.

Associations between paraben exposure, thyroid capacity, homeostasis and pituitary thyrotropic function in the general Taiwanese: Taiwan Environmental Survey for Toxicants (TEST) 2013.

Several studies have suggested that some endocrine disruptors such as synthetic phenols, parabens and phthalates may disrupt thyroid hormone signaling and associated negative feed-backs with the central hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis. Therefore, we investigated urinary paraben and blood thyroid hormone levels in the Taiwanese population. Our sample comprised 264 adults (aged 18-97 years) and 75 minors (aged 7-17 years) from Taiwan Environmental Survey for Toxicants 2013. Urinary levels of methylparaben (MeP), ethylparaben (EtP), propylparaben (PrP), and butylparaben (BuP) were assessed. Hormones of particular interest include: thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroxine (T4). We sought integrated parameters to describe the transfer of thyroid hormones in homeostatic models. The geometric mean urinary paraben levels of the adults were higher than those of the minors (adults vs. minors; MeP: 383 vs. 62.4 ng/mL; PrP: 109 vs. 8.00 ng/mL; EtP: 39.5 vs. 2.38 ng/mL, and BuP: 6.36 vs. 2.13 ng/mL). In the male adults, we discovered that 0.253% (p = 0.032), 0.256% (p = 0.041) and 0.257% (p = 0.037) decreases in the TSH, TSH/T4 and TSH/FreeT4 ratio was associated with 1% EtP increases, respectively. In the female minors, 0.093% (p = 0.044), 0.072% (p = 0.047) and 0.156 (p = 0.004) increases in the TSH ratios were associated with a 1% MeP, EtP and BuP increase, respectively. Moreover, 0.151% (p = 0.008) and 0.177% (p = 0.001) increases in TSH/T4 and TSH/free T4 ratios were associated with a BuP 1% increase, respectively. Finally, EtP was positively associated with SPINA-GT (ß: 15.66, p = 0.036) in the male adults. By contrast, EtP were positively associated with Jostel's TSH index and sTSHI (ß: 0.072, p = 0.049; ß: 0.107, p = 0.049) in the female minors. The Taiwanese population is commonly exposed to parabens, which can potentially lead to alteration of thyroid hormone homeostasis.

Usefulness of cone-beam computed tomography-reformatted epidurography in percutaneous epidural adhesiolysis: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Conventional epidurography (CE) is thought to have insufficient usefulness on percutaneous epidural adhesiolysis (PEA). We aimed to evaluate the association between the outcome of PEA and cone-beam computed tomography-reformatted epidurography (CBCT-RE). METHODS: After ethics board approval and written informed consent were obtained, we performed 30 PEA in 26 participants, and evaluated their post-PEA image findings. Two independent radiologists categorized and recorded the occurrence of contrast in the intracanal ventral and extraforaminal regions on CE, and in the dorsal canal (DC), ventral canal (VC), dorsal foramen (DF), and ventral foramen (VF) on CBCT-RE. Reproducibility was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Baseline characteristics along with contrast distribution patterns of CE and CBCT-RE were analyzed in terms of their association with symptom relief at 1 month after PEA. RESULTS: The rate of patients with symptoms relief >50% after PEA was 63.3%. The inter-reader agreement was higher for CBCT-RE (ICC = 0.955) than for CE (ICC = 0.793). Participants with contrast coexisting in VC and DF adjacent to the irritated nerve root on CBCT-RE ( p = 0.015) had a significantly better response after PEA than those without contrast at these locations on CBCT-RE, independent of baseline characteristics (adjusted odds ratio: 11.414 [ p = 0.012]). CONCLUSION: CBCT-RE with identifying contrast distribution patterns is useful for predicting outcome of PEA.

Single Site N-Glycosylation of B Cell Maturation Antigen (BCMA) Inhibits γ-Secretase-Mediated Shedding and Improves Surface Retention and Cell Survival.

B cell maturation antigen (BCMA), a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) family, on the cell surface plays a key role in maintaining the survival of plasma cells and malignant as well as inflammatory accessory cells. Therefore, targeting BCMA or disrupting its interaction with ligands has been a potential approach to cancer therapy. BCMA contains a single N-glycosylation site, but the function of N-glycan on BCMA is not understood. Here, we found that the N-glycosylation of BCMA promoted its cell-surface retention while removing the N-glycan increased BCMA secretion through γ-secretase-mediated shedding. Addition of γ-secretase inhibitor prevented nonglycosylated BCMA from shedding and protected cells from dexamethasone and TRAIL-induced apoptosis.