Primary pulmonary meningioma and minute pulmonary meningothelial-like nodules: Rare pulmonary nodular lesions requiring more awareness in clinical practice.

In this editorial, we comment on an article by Ruan et al published in a recent issue of the World Journal of Clinical Case. Pulmonary meningothelial proliferative lesions, including primary pulmonary meningiomas, minute pulmonary meningothelial-like nodules, and metastatic pulmonary meningiomas are rare pulmonary lesions. These lesions are difficult to differentiate from lung cancers based on clinical and imaging manifestations. Herein, we briefly introduce the clinical, imaging, and pathological characteristics of these lesions and discuss their pathogenesis to strengthen the current understanding of pulmonary meningothelial proliferative lesions in clinical diagnosis and therapy.

Bibliometric and Visual Analysis of the Current Status and Trends of Postoperative Pain in Children from 1950-2021.

Background: Postoperative pain in children has been overlooked for a long time. The knowledge structure, research hotspots and trends related to postoperative pain in children are unclear and have not been systematically summarized. Purpose: We aimed to analyze the current state of research on postoperative pain in children and to conduct in-depth mining of the knowledge structure. Methods: The PubMed database for publications on postoperative pain in children between 1950 and 2021 was searched. Bibliographic Item Co-Occurrence Matrix Builder (BICOMB) was performed to obtain the co-word matrix and co-occurrence matrix. The H-index method was used to extract high-frequency main Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms/subheadings. Results: The high-frequency MeSH terms were analyzed by biclustering, strategic diagram and social network analyses. Totally, 4022 publications were retrieved. The analysis showed that 60 countries or regions published relevant documents, with the United States publishing the most significant number of papers. Totally, 811 journals published relevant papers, with Pediatric Anesthesia ranking first. Moreover, we extracted 43 high-frequency main MeSH terms/subheadings and clustered them into five categories: overview, aetiology and epidemiology, pharmacotherapy, opioid administration and dosing, and prevention and control of postoperative pain in children. Conclusion: Pharmacological treatments, pain prevention and control are the focus of research and are becoming increasingly mature. Opioid stewardship and regional anesthesia is the trend and focus of future research. Our study offers a better understanding of the current status and knowledge structure of postoperative pain in children and provides a reference for improving postoperative pain management in children in the future.

Responses of phytoliths in topsoil samples to temperature variation in temperate region.

Modern phytolith research is the premise to accurately reconstruct the regional paleovegetation and paleoclimate. It is thus particularly important to study the spatial distribution characteristics of the phytolith assemblages and the response of the phytolith to environmental factors. In this study, we collected 54 topsoil samples along the isohyet of 600 mm in Northeast China to examine the distribution patterns of phytolith along the gradient of single environmental factor. With this special sampling method, we targeted to reveal the responses of phytolith assemblages in the topsoil to the variation of temperature. The results showed that there were a large number of phytoliths with various morphotypes in the 54 topsoil samples in Northeast China. The phytolith morphotypes were the same, including elongate, lanceolate, blocky, cuneiform, tabular, saddle, rondel, bilobate, trapeziform polylobate, prism, silicified stomata, conduit, papillae, sclereid and carinate. In gene-ral, the contributions of elongate and lanceolate were high; the contributions of short cell phytoliths, blocky, tabular and cuneiform were small relatively; the contributions of the other types of phytoliths were less than 1.0% and appeared sporadically in the topsoil samples. Besides, the phytolith assemblages of the topsoil samples were different among Xiaoxing'an Mountains, Songliao Plain and Liaoxi hills. Combined with the discriminant analysis, the samples from the three regions could be effectively separated based on the phytoliths assemblages, with a total accuracy of 94.4%. Specifi-cally, the average percentage of elongate, lanceolate, prism was the largest in Xiaoxing'an Mountains, and was the smallest in Liaoxi hills; the percentage of saddle, bilobate, papillae was the largest in Liaoxi hills and the smallest in Xiaoxing'an Mountains; the percentage of blocky, tabular, cuneiform was the largest in Songliao Plain. Meanwhile, the percentages of the elongate, lanceolate, prism, saddle, bilobate, papillae, blocky, tabular, cuneiform were significant diffe-rences among the three regions. There were significant negative correlations between the percentages of elongate, lanceolate, prism and the annual average temperature, and positive relationships between the percentages of the blocky, tabular, cuneiform, bilobate, papillae and the annual average temperature. However, the percentage of saddle, rondel and trapeziform polylobate did not change with increasing annual average temperature.

GPX7 promotes the growth of human papillary thyroid carcinoma via enhancement of cell proliferation and inhibition of cell apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal expression of glutathione peroxidase 7 (GPX7) has been linked to the occurrence and development of a variety of tumors. However, the role of GPX7 in the progression of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) has not been elucidated. This study investigated the role of GPX7 in the progression of PTC. METHODS: The methods employed included immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), MTT assay, Celigo cell counting, flow cytometric analysis, caspase activity assay, cell clone formation assay, and GPX7 knockdown. RESULTS: The data showed that GPX7 protein was localized in the cytoplasm of thyroid cells. The level of GPX7 expression was higher in PTC tissues than in the nodular goiter. The positive rate for GPX7 was also higher in the PTC group than in the nodular goiter group (100.0% vs. 35.7%). The maximum tumor diameter in the group highly expressing GXP7 was significantly greater than that in the group with low expression of GXP7 (1.56±0.56 vs. 0.56±0.13 cm, P<0.001). The GPX7 mRNA level was higher in K1 cells. Knockdown of GPX7 decreased the number of cells, cell clone formation ability, and cell proliferation rate and increased the activity of caspase 3/7 and cell apoptosis in PTC K1 cells. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that high expression of GPX7 increases the proliferation and reduces the apoptosis of PTC cells, and thus, promotes the growth and progression of human PTC.

Sevoflurane Exacerbates Cognitive Impairment Induced by Aß 1-40 in Rats through Initiating Neurotoxicity, Neuroinflammation, and Neuronal Apoptosis in Rat Hippocampus.

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at investigating whether sevoflurane inhalation induced cognitive impairment in rats with a possible mechanism involved in the event. METHODS: Thirty-two rats were randomly divided into four groups of normal saline (NS) + O2, NS + sevoflurane (sevo), amyloid-ß peptide (Aß) + O2, and Aß + sevo. The rats in the four groups received bilateral intrahippocampus injections of NS or Aß. The treated hippocampus was harvested after inhaling 30% O2 or 2.5% sevoflurane. Evaluation of cognitive function was performed by Morris water maze (MWZ) and an Aß 1-42 level was determined by ELISA. Protein and mRNA expressions were executed by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, Western blotting, and qRT-PCR. RESULTS: Compared with the NS-treated group, sevoflurane only caused cognitive impairment and increased the level of Aß 1-42 of the brain in the Aß-treated group. Sevoflurane inhalation but not O2 significantly increased glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule (IBA)1 expression in Aß-treated hippocampus of rats. Expression levels for Bcl-xL, caspase-9, receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were significantly different in quantification of band intensity between the rats that inhaled O2 and sevoflurane in Aß-treated groups (all P < 0.05). Interleukin- (IL-) 1ß, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA expression increased after the rats inhaled sevoflurane in the Aß-treated group (both P < 0.01). There were no significant differences in the change of GFAP, IBA1, Bcl-xL, caspase-9, RAGE, BDNF, IL-1ß, NF-κB, and iNOS in the NS + O2 and NS + sevo group (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Sevoflurane exacerbates cognitive impairment induced by Aß 1-40 in rats through initiating neurotoxicity, neuroinflammation, and neuronal apoptosis in rat hippocampus.

Flavins mediate extracellular electron transfer in Gram-positive Bacillus megaterium strain LLD-1.

The extracellular electron transfer (EET) mechanism of an isolated Gram-positive Bacillus megaterium strain (LLD-1), identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and physiological analysis, was investigated in the present study. The electrochemical activity of strain LLD-1 was confirmed by electrochemical E-t and amperometric I-t tests. Flavins in culture suspension from strain LLD-1 were further proved to be able to act as electron shuttles, strengthening the electron transfer from LLD-1 to the electrode. The output voltage and current output were increased 2.8 times and 3.7 times, respectively, by adding 100nM exogenetic flavins into microbial fuel cells inoculated with LLD-1. Electricity generation by LLD-1 from different carbon sources can be enhanced by adding 100nM exogenetic flavins. This study indicated that flavins were essential to the EET process of the Gram-positive strain LLD-1. Furthermore, a putative EET model for B. megaterium strain LLD-1 and even for Gram-positive bacteria was proposed.

Effective methods for extracting extracellular polymeric substances from Shewanella oneidensis MR-1.

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) play crucial roles in bio-aggregate formation and survival of bacterial cells. To develop an effective but harmless method for EPS extraction from Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, five extraction methods, i.e. centrifugation (control), heating (40, 45, 50, and 60 °C), and treatments with H2SO4, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and NaOH, were examined, respectively. Results from scanning electron microscope and flow cytometric analyses indicate that MR-1 cells were severely broken by H2SO4, NaOH and heating temperature ≥45 °C. Proteins and polysaccharides in EPS extracted by heating at 40 °C were 7.12 and 1.60 mg g-1 dry cell, respectively. Although EDTA treatment had a relatively lower yield of EPS (proteins and polysaccharides yields of 5.15 and 1.30 mg g-1 dry cell, respectively), cell lysis was barely found after EPS extraction. Three peaks were identified from the three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix spectrum of each EPS sample, suggesting the presence of protein-like substances. Furthermore, the peak intensity was in good accordance with protein concentration measured by the chemical analysis. In short, heating (40 °C) and EDTA treatments were found the most suitable methods for EPS extraction considering the cell lysis and EPS content, composition and functional groups together.

Observation of the excretion pattern of a precocious line of Eimeria necatrix and the strengthening of immune homogeneity.

The excretion frequencies of cecal and intestinal droppings of Chinese Lingnan yellow chickens were observed for 10 consecutive days. The chickens were then orally inoculated with a precocious line of Eimeria necatrix, and the oocysts present in the cecal and intestinal droppings were separately collected and monitored using the McMaster method. The results showed that the excretion frequency of cecal droppings was significantly lower than that of intestinal droppings, and the oocysts of E. necatrix were distributed primarily in the cecal droppings. This distribution affects the homogeneity of the second and third generation of oocysts ingested by the chickens and therefore affects the immune effect observed during E. necatrix immunization. To artificially strengthen the immunologic homogeneity against E. necatrix, a method of artificially strengthening the second immunization was applied, and the immune effect was evaluated based on oocyst excretion, body weight gain, fecal scores, intestinal lesion scores and survival percentages. The results showed that no significant intestinal damage was caused by immunization reactions in the chickens. In addition, the number of excreted oocysts in the immunized chicken groups could be significantly increased, and the immunologic homogeneity of the immunized chickens could be improved by artificially strengthening the second immunization, which could in turn improve the immune protective effect.

Biological characteristics of Chinese precocious strain of eimeria acervulina and its immune efficacy against different field strains.

In this study, the biologic characteristics of one experimental precocious strain of Eimeria acervulina and seven field isolates from different geographic locations in China were compared, and the immune efficacy of two precocious strains against coccidiosis in chickens was assessed to explore their potential use as coccidiosis vaccines. All the different strains were purified by single oocyst separation and their monospecificity was confirmed using E acervulina-specific PCR assays. The average sizes of E. acervulina oocysts were 18.28-20.19 X 14.09-14.79 microm and the shape indexes were from 1.28 to 1.40. The prepatent periods ranged from 93 to 115 hr, except for the Heyuan precocious strain (HYP; 75 hr). Chickens infected with Huadu field strain (GHD) produced the highest oocyst output whereas HYP induced the lowest level. When inoculated with 50,000 sporulated oocysts or more, the average weight gains of infected chickens were reduced, with apparent clinical symptoms. To assess the immunogenicity of precocious strains HYP and Baoding (BDP), birds were orally immunized and challenged with seven different field strains of E. acervulina. Body weight gain, fecal oocyst output, and gut lesion scores were compared to evaluate their vaccine potential. The results showed that the average body weight gains of chickens in all the vaccinated and challenged groups were higher than those of nonvaccinated and challenged groups. In general, oocyst shedding was reduced 34.39%-95.31% and gut lesion scores decreased 31.03%-86.21% compared with unvaccinated and challenged control chickens. In summary, this study indicated that the precocious strains of E. acervulina could induce a protective immune effect with various responses against coccidiosis caused by different field strains.

Performance of biotrickling filters for hydrogen sulfide removal under starvation and shock loads conditions.

In the industrial operation of biotrickling filters for hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) removal, shock loads or starvation was common due to process variations or equipment malfunctions. In this study, effects of starvation and shock loads on the performance of biotrickling filters for H(2)S removal were investigated. Four experiments were conducted to evaluate the changes of biomass and viable bacteria numbers in the biotrickling filters during a 24-d starvation. Compared to biomass, viable bacteria numbers decreased significantly during the starvation, especially when airflow was maintained in the absence of spray liquid. During the subsequent re-acclimation, all the bioreactors could resume high removal efficiencies within 4 d regardless of the previous starvation conditions. The results show that the re-acclimation time, in the case of biotrickling filters for H(2)S removal, is mainly controlled by viable H(2)S oxidizing bacteria numbers. On the other hand, the biotrickling filters can protect against shock loads in inlet fluctuating H(2)S concentration after resuming normal operation. When the biotrickling filters were supplied with H(2)S at an input of lower than 1700 mg/m(3), their removal efficiencies were nearly 98% regardless of previous H(2)S input.

[Expression of KiSS-1, matrix metalloproteinase-9, nuclear factor-kappaBp65 in ovarian tumour].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression and correlation of KiSS-1, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and nuclear factor (NF)-kappaBp65 proteins in primary epithelial ovarian tumors. METHODS: Expression of KiSS-1, MMP-9, NF-kappaBp65 proteins in primary ovarian epithelial tumors (malignant n = 50, borderline tumor n = 20, benign adenoma n = 20, normal tissue n = 10) was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: Expression of metastin protein in primary epithelial ovarian cancers was significantly higher than that in ovarian benign adenoma (P < 0.05) and normal tissues (P < 0.05). Expression of metastin protein in ovarian borderline tumors was significantly higher than that in normal tissues (P < 0.05). Expression of metastin protein in ovarian cancer was significantly correlated with node metastasis (P < 0.05). However, Metastin protein expression was not correlated with different histological classifications (P > 0.05), differentiation grade (P > 0.05) and International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage (P > 0.05). MMP-9 protein was positive in 68% (34/50) of the epithelial ovarian cancers, significantly higher than that in normal tissues (20%, 2/10; P < 0.05). NF-kappaBp65 protein was positive in 72% (36/50) of the epithelial ovarian cancers, significantly higher than that in ovarian benign adenoma (30%, 6/20; P < 0.05) and normal tissues (10%, 1/10; P < 0.05). The expression of MMP-9 protein in epithelial ovarian cancer was significantly correlated with FIGO stage (P < 0.05) and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). However, MMP-9 protein expression was not correlated with different histological classifications (P > 0.05) and differentiation grade (P > 0.05). The expression of NF-kappaBp65 protein in epithelial ovarian cancer was significantly correlated with FIGO stage (P < 0.05), differentiation grade (P < 0.05) and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). However, NF-kappaBp65 protein expression was not correlated with different histological classifications (P > 0.05). There was obviously negative correlation between KiSS-1 and MMP-9 expression in ovarian cancer (rs = -0.547, P < 0.05), as well as between KiSS-1 and NF-kappaBp65 expression in ovarian cancer (rs = -0.414, P < 0.05), while there was obviously positive correlation between MMP-9 and NF-kappaBp65 expression in ovarian cancer (rs = 0.695, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results indicate that KiSS-1 plays some role in suppression of the metastasis of ovarian epithelial cancers, which may be through inhibiting the expression of MMP-9 and NF-kappaBp65.