[High-Throughput Sequencing Analysis of Microbial Communities in Summertime Atmospheric Particulate Matter in Hefei City].

The composition, physical and chemical properties, sources, and temporal and spatial changes in airborne particulate matter have been extensively investigated in previous studies. However, less is known about bioaerosols, which are mainly composed of bacteria and fungi and constitute up to 25% of the total airborne particulate matter. In this study, we used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and ion chromatography to determine the concentrations of trace elements and water-soluble ions in atmospheric particulates, respectively. These analyses were combined with high-throughput sequencing methods and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to analyze the microbial compositions in PM1.0, PM2.5, and PM10 samples, which were collected from July to September in Hefei City. The results showed that there were no significant differences in the bacterial community diversity across the three size fractions (analysis of variance (ANOVA), P>0.05). The bacterial and fungal community diversities on sunny days were lower than those on rainy days, and the bacterial community diversity in all samples was significantly higher than the fungal community diversity (ANOVA, P<0.01). The predominant bacterial phyla were Proteobacteria (46.19%), Firmicutes (33.42%), Bacteroidetes (10.99%), Cyanobacteria (3.33%), and Actinobacteria (2.11%). Ascomycota (73.23%), Basidiomycota (5.78%), Mortierellomycota (3.41%), and Mucoromycota (0.10%) were the dominant fungal phyla. Our results indicated that soils, plant leaves, and animal feces were the dominant sources of airborne bacterial communities in Hefei City, and the main sources of the fungal communities were plant leaves and soils. The bacterial community was mainly affected by K, Pb, Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, Na+, NO2-, and wind speed, and the main influencing factors of the fungal community were V, Mn, Sr, NO2-, NO3-, Na+, Cl-, the air quality index, and PM10. In addition, nine specific bacteria and fungi that are linked to human health risks were identified, including Acinetobacter, Streptococcus, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Delftia, Serratia, Trichoderma, Alternaria, and Aspergillus, which can lead to a wide range of diseases in humans and other organisms. The research results are helpful for revealing the various characteristics of airborne microbial communities, their influencing factors, and their impacts on human health, and are an important reference for subsequent research and the formulation of government policies.

PRMT5 functionally associates with EZH2 to promote colorectal cancer progression through epigenetically repressing CDKN2B expression.

Background: Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) is a type II arginine methyltransferase that symmetrically di-methylates arginine residues on both histone and non-histone protein substrates. Accumulating evidence suggests that PRMT5 exerts its oncogenic properties in a wide spectrum of human malignancies. However, the underlying mechanisms by which PRMT5 contributes to the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) remain to be defined. Methods: Western blot and real-time PCR were used to analyze the expression of CDKN2B. Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), immunofluorescence and GST pulldown assays were employed to investigate the interaction between PRMT5 and EZH2. Luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays were performed to validate CDKN2B as a direct target of PRMT5/EZH2. DNA methylation status at the CpG islands of promoter region of CDKN2B gene was analyzed by bisulfite sequencing. The effect of PRMT5/EZH2 on malignant phenotypes was examined through in vitro and in vivo assays. PRMT5 and EZH2 protein expression levels in CRC tissues were analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. Results: We observed that PRMT5-deficient CRC cells exhibit proliferation defects in vitro. PRMT5 was identified as a major transcriptional repressor of CDKN2B (p15INK4b) for determining CRC progression. Mechanistically, PRMT5-mediated histone marks H4R3me2s and H3R8me2s were predominantly deposited at the promoter region of CDKN2B gene in CRC cells. Knockdown of PRMT5 in CRC cells decreased the accumulation of H4R3me2s and H3R8me2s marks and reduced the CpG methylation level of CDKN2B promoter, then re-activated CDKN2B expression. Strikingly, silencing of CDKN2B partially abrogated the proliferation defects caused by PRMT5 depletion in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we proved that PRMT5 interacted with Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), leading to enhanced EZH2 binding and H3K27me3 deposition together with decreased transcriptional output of CDKN2B gene. Importantly, we found that the combined interventions exerted a synergistic inhibitory effect of combined treatment with PRMT5i (GSK591) and EZH2i (GSK126) on the growth of CRC cells/xenografts in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, PRMT5 and EZH2 were found to be significantly elevated and associated with poor prognosis in CRC patients. Conclusion: PRMT5 functionally associates with EZH2 to promote CRC progression through epigenetically repressing CDKN2B expression. Thus, our findings raise the possibility that combinational intervention of PRMT5 and EZH2 may be a promising strategy for CRC therapy.

[Fine Particulate Emission Characteristics of an Ultra-Low Emission Coal-Fired Power Plant].

Since the introduction of ultra-low emissions, the characteristics of particulate matter (PM) emissions from coal-fired power plants have changed. We quantitatively evaluate the emission characteristics of each component in PM and the impact of purification equipment by analyzing three ultra-low emission units of coal-fired power plants (FP1, FP2, and FP3). A DGI was used to sample particles from the wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) unit and wet electrostatic precipitator (WESP) inlet and outlet, which were then analyzed by various methods. The results showed that the mass concentrations of PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 discharged from the outlets of the three units were 0.25-0.38, 0.31-0.42, and 0.42-0.57 mg·m-3, respectively, and that the mass concentration of PM10 discharged under the two kinds of units was equivalent. However, there were differences in the particle size distribution and composition of the particles. In comparison to the FP1 and FP2 units, the PM2.5/PM10 ratio of the FP3 unit was the highest. A possible reason for this is that the unit was equipped with a WESP, which can better remove particle sizes of 2.5 µm or more. The total concentrations of water-soluble ions in PM2.5 discharged from the FP2 and FP3 units were 0.20 and 0.06 mg·m-3, respectively. The water-soluble ions emitted from the FP2 unit were mainly Ca2+ and SO42-, whereas those mainly emitted from the FP3 unit were NH4+ and SO42-. Analysis of the PM from the WFGD import and export of the FP2 unit showed that the WFGD process increased the water-soluble ion discharge by entraining the desulfurization slurry containing limestone and gypsum. Addition of a WESP after WFGD can effectively remove PM2.5 and PM10 particles and reduce the influence of water-soluble ions on the atmospheric environment.

Association of serum lipids and severity of epithelial ovarian cancer: an observational cohort study of 349 Chinese patients.

While obesity and fat intake have been associated with the risk and prognosis of epithelial ovarian cancer, the association between the lipid levels and epithelial ovarian cancer phenotype remains controversial. We conducted a retrospective study of 349 epithelial ovarian cancer patients who received treatment at Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, China between 2011 and 2017. We analyzed age at diagnosis, blood pressure, plasma glucose content, body mass index (BMI), lipid levels and clinical parameters. Severity of epithelial ovarian cancer was classified according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) grading system. Univariate analysis of the clinical factors according to the severity of epithelial ovarian cancer was followed by logistic regression analysis to identify clinical factors significantly associated with epithelial ovarian cancer severity. Univariate analysis indicated that age, BMI, triglyceride (TG), and high density lipoproteins (HDL) differed significantly among different stages of epithelial ovarian cancer (P<0.05). In the logistic regression model, elevated TG (OR: 1.883; 95% CI= 1.207-2.937), and low HDL (OR: 0.497; 95% CI= 0.298-0.829) levels were significantly associated with the high severity epithelial ovarian cancer. Our data indicate that high TG and low HDL levels correlate with a high severity of epithelial ovarian cancer. These data provide important insight into the potential relationship between the lipid pathway and epithelial ovarian cancer phenotype and development.

MUC1 overexpression predicts worse survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: evidence from an updated meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies on the prognostic role of MUC1 expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis to appraise the clinicopathological and prognostic effect of MUC1 in NSCLC patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Searches of PubMed, EMBASE and CNKI (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure) were conducted and relevant studies were extracted. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) or odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate effects. Heterogeneity among studies and publication bias were also evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 15 studies with 1,682 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled HRs indicated that elevated MUC1 expression was associated with poorer overall survival (HR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.47-3.05; P < 0.001) and progression-free survival (HR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.53-2.62; P < 0.001) in patients with NSCLC. Significant associations were also found in patients treated with epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) (HR = 3.16, 95% CI: 2.21-4.52, P < 0.001) and with a platinum-based regimen (HR = 4.35, 95% CI: 2.45-7.72, P < 0.001). Additionally, MUC1 overexpression was significantly associated with performance status (OR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.13-4.73, P = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: MUC1 could be a valuable biomarker of the prognoses of NSCLC patients.

Prognostic value of endocan expression in cancers: evidence from meta-analysis.

Endocan is a 50 kDa dermatan sulfate proteoglycan. Numerous previous studies have indicated that endocan might be an attractive prognostic tumor biomarker. However, the results of different studies are inconsistent. We conducted a meta-analysis to explore the association between endocan expression and cancer prognosis. A systematic, comprehensive search of the PubMed, Embase, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases was performed. Expression of endocan and its association with overall survival were evaluated by pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). In total, 15 eligible studies of 1,464 patients were finally included in this meta-analysis. A significant association was found between elevated endocan expression and poorer overall survival (pooled HR: 2.48, 95% CI: 2.12-2.90, P<0.001). In the cancer-type subgroup, significant associations were detected for gastrointestinal (HR: 2.27, 95% CI: 1.77-2.91, P<0.001) and hepatocellular (HR: 2.61, 95% CI: 1.96-3.48, P<0.001) carcinoma. Our results demonstrate that endocan could be useful to exploit as a novel prognostic biomarker for patients with cancer.

A continued saga of Boc5, the first non-peptidic glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist with in vivo activities.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based therapy presents a promising option for treating type 2 diabetes. However, there are several limitations relative to the peptidic GLP-1 mimetics currently on the market or under development. This concern has led to a continued interest in the search for non-peptidic agonists for GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R). Here, we briefly review the discovery, characterization and current status of a novel class of cyclobutane-derivative-based non-peptidic agonists for GLP-1R, including Boc5 and its newly discovered analogue WB4-24. Although the oral bioavailability of such compounds still poses great challenges, the progress made so far encourages us to identify a truly 'druggable' small molecule agonist for GLP-1R.