Mitigation of thallium threat in paddy soil and rice plant by application of functional biochar.

Thallium (Tl) is a highly toxic metal, and its contamination in soils entails high risks to human health via food chain. It remains largely unknown of the effects of applying biochar on Tl uptake in paddy systems despite that few studies have shown that biochar exhibits great potential for decreasing Tl bioavailability in soils. Herein, we examined the mitigating effects of the application of biochar (5 and 20 g/kg pristine biochar; 5 and 20 g/kg Fe/Mn-modified biochar) on Tl uptake in paddy soil and rice plant after an entire rice growth period. The results suggested that the application of Fe/Mn-modified biochar (FMBC) considerably mitigated the accumulation of Tl in different tissues of rice plants. Specifically, total Tl content in rice plants treated with FMBC-20 decreased by over 75% compared with control experiment. In addition, the amendment of FMBC in Tl-rich paddy soils can enhance the communities of microorganisms (Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria). Further analysis of the soil microbial symbiosis network revealed that FMBC promotes the living microorganisms to play modular synergistic interactions, which is crucial for FMBC-induced Tl stabilization in soils. All these findings indicated that FMBC is an efficient and environmentally friendly Tl-immobilization alternative material and can be potentially used in the remediation of Tl-contaminated paddy soils and/or cropland.

Pleomorphic Adenoma in the Nasal Cavity: Case Report and Review of Literature.

Pleomorphic adenoma (PA) represents the most frequently occurring benign tumor within both major and minor salivary glands. However, in rare instances, nasal PA is an epithelial-derived borderline tumor, often originating from the nasal septum. Diagnosis usually relies on histopathological analysis. Under general anesthesia, these rare nasal tumors can be completely resected via endoscopic surgery. This article reports a case of PA originating from the nasal septum in a 49-year-old patient presenting with nasal congestion, along with a brief review of the current literature. The diagnostic nasal endoscopic examination showed a pink neoplastic mass in the left nasal cavity. Subsequent radiologic examination demonstrated a soft tissue mass in the anterior part of the nasal septum. After complete resection under nasal endoscopy, histopathological examination confirmed it as PA. Fortunately, no related complications occurred perioperatively and postoperatively. After surgery, performing a thorough examination with nasal endoscopy and scheduling regular follow-ups are crucial steps to prevent local recurrence.

Superconductivity above 105 K in Nonclathrate Ternary Lanthanum Borohydride below Megabar Pressure.

Hydrides are promising candidates for achieving room-temperature superconductivity, but a formidable challenge remains in reducing the stabilization pressure below a megabar. In this study, we successfully synthesized a ternary lanthanum borohydride by introducing the nonmetallic element B into the La-H system, forming robust B-H covalent bonds that lower the pressure required to stabilize the superconducting phase. Electrical transport measurements confirm the presence of superconductivity with a critical temperature (Tc) of up to 106 K at 90 GPa, as evidenced by zero resistance and Tc shift under an external magnetic field. X-ray diffraction and transport measurements identify the superconducting compound as LaB2H8, a nonclathrate hydride, whose crystal structure remains stable at pressures as low as ∼ half megabar (59 GPa). Stabilizing superconductive stoichiometric LaB2H8 in a submegabar pressure regime marks a substantial advancement in the quest for high-Tc superconductivity in polynary hydrides, bringing us closer to the ambient pressure conditions.

Pb isotopic fingerprinting of uranium pollution: New insight on uranium transport in stream-river sediments.

Uranium mill tailings (UMT) present a significant environmental concern due to high levels of radioactive and toxic elements, including uranium (U), thorium (Th), and lead (Pb), which can pose serious health risks to aquatic ecosystems. While Pb isotopic tracers have been widely utilized in environmental studies to identify elemental sources and geological processes, their application in U geochemistry remains relatively limited. In this study, we investigate the distribution and migration of U in stream-river sediments surrounding a decommissioned U hydrometallurgical area, employing Pb isotopes as tracers. Our findings reveal significant enrichment and ecological risk of U, Pb, and Th in the sediments. Uranium predominantly associates with quartz and silicate minerals, and its dispersion process is influenced by continuous leaching and precipitation cycles of typical U-bearing minerals. Furthermore, we establish a compelling positive relationship (r2 = 0.97) between 208Pb/207Pb and 206Pb/207Pb in the stream-river sediments and sediment derived from UMT. Application of a binary Pb mixing model indicates that anthropogenic hydrometallurgical activities contribute to 2.5-62.7% of the stream-river sediments. Notably, these values are lower than the 6.6-89.6% recorded about 10 years ago, prior to the decommissioning of the U hydrometallurgical activity. Our results underscore the continued risk of U pollution dispersion even after decommission, highlighting the long-term environmental impact of UMT.

CD133 ligand-enhanced etoposide-liposome complex for targeted killing of lung cancer cells.

Lung cancer has a high incidence rate and a low cure rate, hence the urgent need for effective treatment methods. Current lung cancer drugs have several drawbacks, including low specificity, poor targeting, drug resistance, and irreversible damage to normal tissues. Therefore, there is a need to develop a safe and effective new drug that can target and kill tumor cells. In this study, we combined nanotechnology and biotechnology to develop a CD133 ligand-modified etoposide-liposome complex (Lipo@ETP-CD133) for targeted therapy of lung cancer. The CD133 ligand targeted lung cancer stem cells, causing the composite material to aggregate at the tumor site, where high levels of ETP liposomes could exert a strong tumor-killing effect. Our research results demonstrated that this nano-drug had efficient targeting and tumor-killing effects, indicating its potential for clinical application.

[A case of trichoblastoma of the auricular cavity and review of the literature].

Trichoblastoma（TB） is a rare germ cell skin adnexal tumor of the hair, and it is a rare follicular tumor of the skin that differentiates from the hair germ epithelium and is often regarded as a benign skin tumorHowever, it is poorly confined and has a local infiltrative growth pattern. tb occurs in the head and neck region, especially in the face, and presents clinically as a slow growing, well-defined and elevated nodule. TB is routinely treated surgically. Due to the lack of universally accepted treatment guidelines or protocols, the recurrence rate after surgery is high, which makes clinical cure more difficult. In this study, a 65-year-old female patient was found to have a swelling with recurrent rupture and pus flow from the right external auditory canal opening and the auricular cavity. After initial misdiagnosis as otitis externa, she was treated with conventional anti-infective therapy, but her symptoms did not resolve and gradually worsened before coming to our hospital. The condition presented in this case is relativelyrare,therepre,timely and accurate diagnosis and treatment are crucial for prognosis improvement of such diseases.

Unraveling genomic diversity and positive selection signatures of Qaidam cattle through whole-genome re-sequencing.

Qaidam cattle are a typical Chinese native breed inhabiting northwest China. They bear the characteristics of high cold and roughage tolerance, low-oxygen adaptability and good meat quality. To analyze the genetic diversity of Qaidam cattle, 60 samples were sequenced using whole-genome resequencing technology, along with 192 published sets of whole-genome sequencing data of Indian indicine cattle, Chinese indicine cattle, North Chinese cattle breeds, East Asian taurine cattle, Eurasian taurine cattle and European taurine cattle as controls. It was found that Qaidam cattle have rich genetic diversity in Bos taurus, but the degree of inbreeding is also high, which needs further protection. The phylogenetic analysis, principal component analysis and ancestral component analysis showed that Qaidam cattle mainly originated from East Asian taurine cattle. Qaidam cattle had a closer genetic relationship with the North Chinese cattle breeds and the least differentiation from Mongolian cattle. Annotating the selection signals obtained by composite likelihood ratio, nucleotide diversity analysis, integrated haplotype score, genetic differentiation index, genetic diversity ratio and cross-population extended haplotype homozygosity methods, several genes associated with immunity, reproduction, meat, milk, growth and adaptation showed strong selection signals. In general, this study provides genetic evidence for understanding the germplasm characteristics of Qaidam cattle. At the same time, it lays a foundation for the scientific and reasonable protection and utilization of genetic resources of Chinese local cattle breeds, which has great theoretical and practical significance.

Co-transplantation of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells and peripheral blood stem cells in children and adolescents with refractory or relapsed severe aplastic anemia.

To evaluate the co-transplantation efficacy of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) and peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) as a novel approach for refractory or relapsed severe aplastic anemia (R/R SAA) in children and adolescents, thirty-two children and adolescents diagnosed with R/R SAA underwent a retrospective chart review. The patients were categorized into two groups based on the source of PBSCs: the matched sibling donor (MSD) group and the unrelated donor (UD) group. No adverse events related to UC-MSC infusion occurred in any of the patients. The median time for neutrophil engraftment was 13 days (range: 10-23 days), and for platelets, it was 15 days (range: 11-28 days). Acute GVHD of Grade I-II and moderate chronic GVHD were observed in 21.8 and 12.5% of cases, respectively. No statistically significant differences were found between the MSD and UD groups in terms of engraftment, GVHD, and complications, including infection and hemorrhagic cystitis. The median follow-up time was 38.6 months (range: 1.4-140.8 months). As of October 31, 2021, five patients had succumbed, while 27 (84.4%) survived. The 5-year OS rate showed no statistically significant difference between the MSD and UD groups (84.8 ± 10.0 vs. 82.4 ± 9.2%, p = 0.674). In conclusion, the application of UC-MSCs in the treatment of R/R SAA in PBSC transplantation is reliable and safe, they had no graft rejection, low incidence of severe GVHD which may have been contributed by the co-infusion of MSC.

Research Progress on the Use of Metformin in Leukemia Treatment.

OPINION STATEMENT: Metformin is a first-line drug in the clinical treatment of type 2 diabetes. Its main molecular mechanism involves the activation of adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which regulates cell energy metabolism. Many clinical studies have shown that metformin can reduce the incidence and mortality of cancer in patients with or without diabetes. In vitro studies also confirmed that metformin can inhibit proliferation, promote apoptosis, and enhance the response of cells to chemical drugs and other anticancer effects on a variety of leukemia cells. In recent years, leukemia has become one of the most common malignant diseases. Although great progress has been made in therapeutic approaches for leukemia, novel drugs and better treatments are still needed to improve the therapeutic efficacy of these treatments. This article reviews the application status and possible mechanism of metformin in the treatment of leukemia to further understand the anticancer mechanism of metformin and expand its clinical application.

Applying thallium isotopic compositions as novel and sensitive proxy for Tl(I)/Tl(III) transformation and source apportionment.

Thallium is a rare metal known for its highly toxic nature. Recent research has indicated that the precise determination of Tl isotopic compositions using Multi-Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (MC-ICP MS) provides new opportunities for understanding Tl geochemical behavior. While isotopic fractionation of Tl derived from anthropogenic activities (e.g., mining, smelting) have been reported, there is limited information regarding Tl influenced by both natural weathering processes and anthropogenic origins. Herein, we investigated, for the first time, the Tl isotopic compositions in soils across a representative Tl-rich depth profile from the Lanmuchang (LMC) quicksilver mine (southwest China) in the low-temperature metallogenesis zone. The results showed significant variations in Tl isotope signatures (ε205Tl) among different soil layers, ranging from -0.23 to 3.79, with heavier isotope-205Tl enrichment observed in the bottom layers of the profile (ε205Tl = 2.18-3.79). This enrichment of 205Tl was not solely correlated with the degree of soil weathering but was also partially associated with oxidation of Tl(I) by Fe (hydr)oxide minerals. Quantitative calculation using ε205Tl vs. 1/Tl data further indicated that the Tl enrichment across the soil depth profile was predominantly derived from anthropogenic origins. All these findings highlight that the robustness and reliability of Tl isotopes as a proxy for identifying both anthropogenic and geogenic sources, as well as tracing chemical alterations and redox-controlled mineralogical processes of Tl in soils. The nascent application of Tl isotopes herein not only offers valuable insights into the behavior of Tl in surface environments, but also establishes a framework for source apportionment in soils under similar circumstances.

Case report: Venetoclax plus Azacitidine in treatment of acute undifferentiated leukemia.

OBJECTIVES: Acute undifferentiated leukemia (AUL) is a clinical rare leukemia with an overall poor prognosis. Currently, there are no well-established treatment guidelines for AUL, further exploration of optimal treatment options is now required. METHODS: We report an AUL patient who was complicated by a NRAS mutation and del5q was admitted to our hospital and we present the clinical features. In addition, we conducted a literature review. RESULTS: The "VA" scheme combines agents Venetoclax and Azacitidine that have synergistic therapeutic effect with a tolerable safety profile. There is no previous report of the "VA" scheme employed in AUL treatment. An AUL patient who was complicated by a NRAS mutation and del5q was admitted to our hospital. The "VA" scheme was administrated, and complete remission (CR) was achieved at the end of the first cycle. The patient then underwent HLA-identical sibling allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. DISCUSSION: The "VA" scheme has been extensively used in AML treatment, but its application in AUL treatment has not yet been reported. This study is the first to report an AUL patient treated with the "VA" scheme and achieved CR. Our result preliminarily suggested the effectiveness and safety of the "VA" scheme in AUL treatment, but validation is required in more clinical samples. The "VA" scheme provides a new treatment option for AUL patients and deserves further clinical promotion.

Minimally invasive versus open esophagectomy for resectable thoracic esophageal cancer (NST 1502): a multicenter prospective cohort study.

Background: Whether minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) is superior to open esophagectomy (OE) in the treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is still uncertain. Therefore, this multicenter prospective study aimed to compare MIE with OE in postoperative parameters and long-term survival. Methods: All hospitalized patients with cT1b-3N0-1M0 thoracic ESCC treated by MIE or OE were enrolled from 19 selected centers from April 1, 2015 to December 31, 2018. The propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to minimize the selection bias. The basic clinicopathological characteristics and 3-year overall survival (OS) as well as disease-free survival (DFS) of two groups were compared by R version 3.6.2. Results: MIE were performed in 1,387 patients and OE in 335 patients. 335 cases in each group were finally matched by PSM, and no significant differences in the essential demographic characteristics were observed between the MIE and OE groups after PSM. Compared with OE, MIE had significantly less intraoperative bleeding, less total drainage volume, shorter postoperative hospital stay, and harvested significantly more lymph nodes (LNs) (all P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the major postoperative complications and death rates between MIE and OE. The 3-year OS and DFS were 77.0% and 68.1% in the MIE group versus 69.3% and 60.9% in the OE group (OS: P = 0.03; DFS: P = 0.09), and the rates were 75.1% and 66.5% in the MIE group versus 66.9% and 58.6% in the OE group for stage cII patients (OS: P = 0.04, DFS: P = 0.09), respectively. Conclusions: Compared with OE, MIE is a safe and effective treatment approach with similar mortality and morbidity. It has the advantages in harvesting more LNs, improving postoperative recovery and survival of stage cII ESCC patients.

Construction and validation of a progression prediction model for locally advanced rectal cancer patients received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by total mesorectal excision based on machine learning.

Background: We attempted to develop a progression prediction model for local advanced rectal cancer(LARC) patients who received preoperative neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy(NCRT) and operative treatment to identify high-risk patients in advance. Methods: Data from 272 LARC patients who received NCRT and total mesorectal excision(TME) from 2011 to 2018 at the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University were collected. Data from 161 patients with rectal cancer (each sample with one target variable (progression) and 145 characteristic variables) were included. One Hot Encoding was applied to numerically represent some characteristics. The K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) filling method was used to determine the missing values, and SmoteTomek comprehensive sampling was used to solve the data imbalance. Eventually, data from 135 patients with 45 characteristic clinical variables were obtained. Random forest, decision tree, support vector machine (SVM), and XGBoost were used to predict whether patients with rectal cancer will exhibit progression. LASSO regression was used to further filter the variables and narrow down the list of variables using a Venn diagram. Eventually, the prediction model was constructed by multivariate logistic regression, and the performance of the model was confirmed in the validation set. Results: Eventually, data from 135 patients including 45 clinical characteristic variables were included in the study. Data were randomly divided in an 8:2 ratio into a data set and a validation set, respectively. Area Under Curve (AUC) values of 0.72 for the decision tree, 0.97 for the random forest, 0.89 for SVM, and 0.94 for XGBoost were obtained from the data set. Similar results were obtained from the validation set. Twenty-three variables were obtained from LASSO regression, and eight variables were obtained by considering the intersection of the variables obtained using the previous four machine learning methods. Furthermore, a multivariate logistic regression model was constructed using the data set; the ROC indicated its good performance. The ROC curve also verified the good predictive performance in the validation set. Conclusions: We constructed a logistic regression model with good predictive performance, which allowed us to accurately predict whether patients who received NCRT and TME will exhibit disease progression.

RGD peptide inhibits tumor growth by affecting angiogenesis related signaling pathway of laryngeal cancer stem cells / El péptido RGD inhibe el crecimiento tumoral al afectar la vía de señalización relacionada con la angiogénesis de las células madre del cáncer de laringe

SUMMARY: This study is to investigate the role and mechanism of RGD peptide in laryngeal cancer stem cells (CSCs). Laryngeal cancer CD133+Hep-2 CSCs were sorted by flow cytometry. RGD peptide was co-cultured with sorted laryngeal CSCs. Cell proliferation was detected with CCK-8 assay. The mRNA levels of VEGF/VEGFR2/STAT 3/HIF-1α were detected with RT-PCR. The proteins of VEGF/ VEGFR2/STAT 3/HIF-1α were detected with Western blot. The sorted CSCs were inoculated into nude mice. Tumor volume was measured. Integrin αvβ3 expression in tumor tissues was analyzed with immunohistochemistry. The results showed that the ratio of CD133+ CSCs to the total number of cells was 1.34±0.87 %, while CD133-non-tumor stem cells accounted for 95.0±5.76 %. The sorted cancer stem cells grew well. The RGD peptide significantly inhibited the proliferation of CD133+Hep-2 laryngeal CSCs in a dose-dependent manner. The RGD peptide significantly inhibited the mRNA of VEGFR2, STAT3 and HIF-1α in laryngeal CSCs in a concentration-dependent manner. Consistently, the RGD peptide significantly inhibited the protein expression of VEGFR2, STAT3 and HIF-1α in laryngeal CSCs in a dose-dependent manner. At the same time, in vivo tumor experiments showed that the RGD peptide significantly inhibited tumor volume but not the body weight. Furthermore, RGD peptide significantly inhibited the expression of tumor angiogenesis-related protein integrin αvβ3. Our findings demonstrate that RGD peptide inhibits tumor cell proliferation and tumor growth. The underlying mechanism may that RGD inhibits tumor angiogenesis-related signaling pathways, thus affecting the tumor angiogenesis, and decreasing the progression of human laryngeal CSCs.

Este estudio se realizó para investigar el papel y el mecanismo del péptido RGD en las células madre del cáncer de laringe (CSC). Las CSC CD133+Hep-2 de cáncer de laringe se clasificaron mediante citometría de flujo. El péptido RGD se cocultivó con CSC laríngeas clasificadas. La proliferación celular se detectó con el ensayo CCK-8. Los niveles de ARNm de VEGF/VEGFR2/ STAT 3/HIF-1α se detectaron con RT-PCR. Las proteínas de VEGF/ VEGFR2/STAT 3/HIF-1α se detectaron con Western blot. Las CSC clasificadas se inocularon en ratones nudos. Se midió el volumen del tumor. La expresión de integrina αvβ3 en tejidos tumorales se analizó con inmunohistoquímica. Los resultados mostraron que la proporción de CSC CD133+ con respecto al número total de células fue de 1,34 ± 0,87 %, mientras que las células madre no tumorales CD133 representaron el 95,0 ± 5,76 %. Las células madre cancerosas clasificadas crecieron bien. El péptido RGD inhibió significativamente la proliferación de CSC laríngeas CD133+Hep-2 de una manera dependiente de la dosis. El péptido RGD inhibió significativamente el ARNm de VEGFR2, STAT3 y HIF-1α en CSC laríngeas de manera dependiente de la concentración. De manera consistente, el péptido RGD inhibió significativamente la expresión proteica de VEGFR2, STAT3 y HIF-1α en CSC laríngeas, de manera dependiente de la dosis. Al mismo tiempo, los experimentos con tumores in vivo mostraron que el péptido RGD inhibía significativamente el volumen del tumor pero no el peso corporal. Además, el péptido RGD inhibió significativamente la expresión de la proteína integrina αvβ3 relacionada con la angiogénesis tumoral. Nuestros hallazgos demuestran que el péptido RGD inhibe la proliferación de células tumorales y el crecimiento tumoral. El mecanismo subyacente puede ser que RGD inhiba las vías de señalización relacionadas con la angiogénesis tumoral, afectando así la angiogénesis tumoral y disminuyendo la progresión de las CSC laríngeas humanas.

DKK1 expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: analysis of its clinical value and regulatory factors / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

@#[Abstract] Objective: To explore the expression and regulation mechanism of Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) tissues. Methods: Based on the TCGA database, the relationship of DKK1 expression in HNSCC tissues and its methylation site with patients’prognosis was analyzed. GO and KEGG gene enrichment method were used to analyze the signaling pathways of DKK1 enrichment. STRING was used to analyze the interaction between DKK1 protein and other proteins. TargetScan was used to analyze the miRNAs that regulate the expression of DKK1, and the transcription factors of DKK1 were analyzed with the TRRUST website. Results: DKK1 gene was highly expressed in HNSCC tissues (P<0.01), and its expression level was significantly correlated with the HPV status, age, pathological grade, and clinical stage of patients (all P<0.05); the prognosis of HNSCC patients with high DKK1 expression was poorer than those with low DKK1 expression (P<0.01). There were 19 methylation sites in DKK1, 12 of which were significantly different between cancer tissues and normal tissues (P<0.05), and 11 sites were significantly related to the prognosis of HNSCC (P<0.05). In addition, miRNA, circRNA, lincRNA and transcription factors, etc. also participated in the regulation of DKK1. A total of 5 DKK1-related PPI networks that may involve in the occurrence, development, invasion and metastasis of HNSCC were obtained. Conclusion: DKK1 is highly expressed in HNSCC tissues and is a risk factor for poor prognosis of HNSCC patients. DKK1 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of HNSCC and is expected to become a potential target for HNSCC treatment.