Desilification of phytolith exacerbates the release of arsenic from rice straw.

Arsenic (As) turnover in rice paddy agro-ecosystems has received much attention because As can enter the food chain through its accumulation in rice, thereby affecting human health. Returning straw to soil is a common practice to retain nutrients for soil and crops, but it also cycles As within the rice paddy field ecosystems. However, there is still a lack of detailed understanding of the fate of As in rice straw, and how or to what extent it is recycled back into the soil environment. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between the microstructure of rice straw and the release of As during rice straw decomposition. The microstructure of rice straw was found to comprise both organic and silica (phytolith) components. These two constituents are inter-embedded to form a composite-like structure that contains up to 6.48 mg As Kg-1. The 30-day batch experiments revealed that the biochemical release of As simultaneously depends upon the decomposition of the organic component and the desilicification of the silica component. Accompanying the release of As was the release of other elements such as Fe, Al, P and S. These elements can further interact with As to form less mobile compounds. The introduction of either Trichoderma harzianum or Bacillus velezensis was expected to accelerate the decomposition of rice straw, and enhance the silica dissolution, hence contributing to an increase in the As release. Despite these expectations, our observations showed the opposite effects. Microorganisms presumably have facilitated the change in solution chemistry or the inclusion of As into the newly-formed precipitates. The biochemical decomposition process can reduce straw particle size, while the negatively-charge surface will involve microsized straw particles in the electrostatic interaction, thereby favoring the dispersibility state. Therefore, the co-transport of micro-sized straw particles with As under field conditions should not be neglected.

Enhancing classical swine fever virus identification: the advantages of Field-LAMP testing.

Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) identification has witnessed significant advancements with the development of rapid reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assays. However, conventional RT-LAMP assays for CSFV diagnosis are hindered by a laborious RNA extraction step. Moreover, the need for thermal incubators and expensive micropipettes has limited their application in field settings. Addressing these challenges, our study presents a groundbreaking solution-an electro-free and point-of-care (POC) tool known as the field-LAMP assay-for the rapid clinical detection of CSFV. By eliminating the RNA extraction requirement, advancing the colorimetric read-out and lyophilized reaction reagents, our field-LAMP assay streamlines the diagnostic process, saving valuable time and effort. This novel approach also overcomes the dependency on electric-dependent thermal incubators and expensive micropipettes, making it practical and accessible for use in the field. The successful development of the field-LAMP assay marks a significant milestone in CSFV detection. This electro-free and POC tool offers several advantages, including its ability to deliver rapid results without compromising accuracy, facilitating prompt response and containment measures.

X-ray Spectroscopic Quantification of Phosphorus Transformation in Saharan Dust during Trans-Atlantic Dust Transport.

Saharan dust is an important phosphorus (P) supply to remote and oligotrophic parts of the oceans and American lowland tropical rainforests. Phosphorus speciation in aeolian dust ultimately controls the release and bioavailability of P after dust deposition, but the speciation in Saharan dust and its change during the trans-Atlantic transport remains unclear. Using P K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, we showed that with increasing dust traveling distance from the Sahara Desert to Cape Verde and to Puerto Rico, about 570 and 4000 km, respectively, the proportion of Ca-bound P (Ca-P), including both apatite and non-apatite forms, decreased from 68-73% to 50-71% and to 21-37%. The changes were accompanied by increased iron/aluminum-bound P proportion from 14-25% to 23-46% and to 44-73%, correspondingly. Laboratory simulation experiments suggest that the changes in P speciation can be ascribed to increasing degrees of particle sorting and atmospheric acidification during dust transport. The presence of relatively soluble non-apatite Ca-P in the Cape Verde dust but not in the Puerto Rico dust is consistent with the higher P water solubility of the former than the latter. Our findings provide insights into the controls of atmospheric processes on P speciation, solubility, and stability in Saharan dust.

Diagnostic dilemma of kimura disease of eyelids.

Kimura disease (KD) is a rare benign chronic inflammatory disease that presents as a nodule mostly involving deep subcutaneous tissue of the head and neck region with frequent regional lymphadenopathy and peripheral blood eosinophilia. KD shares some clinical and histopathological similarity with angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE). Consequently, KD and ALHE were once considered variants of the same disease spectrum. We present here rare cases of Kimura disease and ALHE involving the eyelid and lacrimal gland and discuss their differential features.

Effect of increasing inclusion rates of tofu by-product in diets of growing pigs on nitrogen balance and ammonia emission from manure.

To reduce competition with human-edible feed resources, it is of interest to incorporate by-products from the food industry in animal feeds. The current research investigated the effect of including increasing amounts of tofu by-product (TF) in practical pig diets on animal performance, nitrogen balance and ammonia emissions from manure. Two experiments were conducted including a control diet without TF, containing 160 g/kg dietary non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) and three diets including 122, 246 and 360 g TF/kg DM (TF122, TF246 and TF360, respectively) to reach 220, 280 and 360 g/kg NSP. All diets had the same level of CP and protein digestible in the small intestine which particularly was realized by replacing rice bran with TF. Animal performance was assessed in a first experiment with 40 growing barrows with initial BW of 26.6 ± 1.80 kg (M ± SD) being allocated to the 4 treatments, during 2 growth phases (i.e. until 50 kg BW and from 50 to 80 kg BW). In the growth phase until 50 kg, feed intake and average daily gain (ADG) were linearly reduced by dietary TF inclusion, while this negative impact disappeared during the second growth phase (50 to 80 kg BW). Tofu by-product inclusion even positively affected the feed conversion ratio during this second growth phase (3.4 to 2.7 kg feed/kg ADG for 0 to 360 g/kg dietary TF). Over the entire growth period, performance and feed intake were negatively affected at the highest dietary TF level. Experiment 2 was conducted to assess digestibility, nitrogen balance and ammonia emission from manure. For this purpose, 16 pigs with BW of 62.8 ± 3.6 kg (M ± SD) were assigned to either 1 of the 4 treatments. There was no difference in total tract apparent digestibility of dietary organic matter or CP, while NDF digestibility increased with increasing TF level, suggesting increasing importance of the hindgut fermentation when digesting diets with increasing TF levels. Nevertheless, this was not reflected in increasing levels of faecal volatile fatty acids or purines, nor in reduced manure pH. As a result, ammonia emission from slurry was not reduced through dietary TF inclusion, despite the linear decrease in urinary nitrogen. In conclusion, TF can be included in pigs' diets up to an inclusion rate of 25% without risk of impaired animal performance; however, this dietary strategy fails to mitigate ammonia emission from slurry.

Colloidal Dynamics of Freshly Formed Iron Oxides under the Influence of Silicic Acid.

Silicic acid and soluble Fe are among the most abundant components in acid mine drainage. During the oxidation of Fe(II), the interaction between silicic acid and freshly formed Fe oxides might change the colloidal dynamics, altering surface charge properties. However, the effects of silicic acid on colloidal Fe oxides formed from acid mine drainage are not fully understood. In this work, we examined the colloidal dynamics of freshly formed Fe oxides in synthetic acid mine drainage (prepared from FeSO solution) under the effect of silicic acid as a function of changes in pH and ionic strength. The results demonstrate that through adsorption, silicic acid progressively slows oxidation and enhances the dispersion of freshly formed Fe oxides by shifting the surface charge toward more negative values. This effect was most prominent between pH 5 and 9. The current results demonstrate that silicic acid enhances the dispersion and transport of freshly formed Fe oxides and suggest that aggregation-based techniques for the treatment of Fe-rich drainage may require further consideration of this effect.

Distribution of Salmonella Serovars and Antimicrobial Susceptibility from Poultry and Swine Farms in Central Vietnam.

This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of Salmonella spp. and their antimicrobial susceptibilities on poultry and swine farms, sampled in 2 regions in Central Vietnam. A total of 67 poultry farms and 46 swine farms were sampled in a period of 5 months (from September 2012 to January 2013). Salmonella spp. was prevalent in 46.3% and 71.7% of poultry and swine farms, respectively. Altogether, 99 non-typhoidal Salmonella were isolated and the most common serovars were Salmonella Weltevreden (19%), followed by Salmonella Typhimurium (12%) and Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- (11%). Overall, 71 of 99 (72%) Salmonella isolates were resistant to at least one of the 14 antimicrobial agents tested. Both in poultry and swine farms, high levels of resistance were observed for ampicillin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, sulphamethoxazole and tetracycline. The presence of Salmonella isolates from poultry and swine farms which were resistant to different classes of antimicrobials suggests that alternative control measures to antimicrobials should be implemented. Moreover, an effective policy should be promoted to encourage a prudent use of these agents in animal farming in Vietnam.

JNK interaction with Sab mediates ER stress induced inhibition of mitochondrial respiration and cell death.

Our aim was to better understand the mechanism and importance of sustained c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and effects of ER stress on mitochondria by determining the role of mitochondrial JNK binding protein, Sab. Tunicamycin or brefeldin A induced a rapid and marked decline in basal mitochondrial respiration and reserve-capacity followed by delayed mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis. Knockdown of mitochondrial Sab prevented ER stress-induced sustained JNK activation, impaired respiration, and apoptosis, but did not alter the magnitude or time course of activation of ER stress pathways. P-JNK plus adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) added to isolated liver mitochondria promoted superoxide production, which was amplified by addition of calcium and inhibited by a blocking peptide corresponding to the JNK binding site on Sab (KIM1). This peptide also blocked tunicamycin-induced inhibition of cellular respiration. In conclusion, ER stress triggers an interaction of JNK with mitochondrial Sab, which leads to impaired respiration and increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, sustaining JNK activation culminating in apoptosis.

A One Month Review of the Types of Medical Emergencies and their Treatment Outcomes at Two Urban Public Health Clinics.

INTRODUCTION: Our study was to examine prevalence and treatment outcomes of medical emergencies at two urban public health clinics in the Petaling district, Selangor, Malaysia. METHODS: A prospective universal sampling was employed to recruit all emergencies over one month period (12 April to 11 May 2011). A structured case record form was used to capture demographic data, whether the index case was selfpresenting or decided by health care workers as a medical emergency, presenting complaints, diagnoses, concurrent chronic diseases and their treatment outcomes at the clinic level. Emergency presentations and diagnoses were classified according to the International Classification of Primary Care, revised second edition (ICPC-2-R). RESULTS: A total of 125 medical emergencies with 276 presenting complaints were recorded. The mean age was 30.7 years old (SD 19.9). The prevalence of medical emergency was 0.56% (125/22,320). Chief complaints were mainly from ICPC-2-R chapter R (respiratory system) and chapter A (general and unspecified), 40.0% and 28.0% respectively. The most common diagnosis was acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma (34.6%). Forty percent were referred to hospitals. After adjusting for age and gender, patients who presented with painful emergency (OR 4.9 95% CI 2.0 to 11.7), cardiovascular emergency (OR 63.4 95% CI 12.9 to 310.4) and non-respiratory emergency were predictors of hospital referral (OR 4.6 95% CI 1.1 to 19.1). CONCLUSION: There was about one medical emergency for every 200 patients presenting to these urban public polyclinics which were mainly acute asthma. More than half were discharged well and given a follow-up.

Experimental evidence of a mechanical coupling between layers in an individual double-walled carbon nanotube.

We perform transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction, and Raman scattering experiments on an individual suspended double-walled carbon nanotube (DWCNT). The first two techniques allow the unambiguous determination of the DWCNT structure: (12,8)@(16,14). However, the low-frequency features in the Raman spectra cannot be connected to the derived layer diameters d by means of the 1/d power law, widely used for the diameter dependence of the radial-breathing mode of single-walled nanotubes. We discuss this disagreement in terms of mechanical coupling between the layers of the DWCNT, which results in collective vibrational modes. Theoretical predictions for the breathing-like modes of the DWCNT, originating from the radial-breathing modes of the layers, are in a very good agreement with the observed Raman spectra. Moreover, the mechanical coupling qualitatively explains the observation of Raman lines of breathing-like modes, whenever only one of the layers is in resonance with the laser energy.

Bevacizumab and chemotherapy for recurrent glioblastoma: a single-institution experience.

OBJECTIVE: Bevacizumab has been shown to be effective in the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma in combination with chemotherapy compared with historic controls but not in randomized trials. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients treated for recurrent glioblastoma with bevacizumab vs a control group of patients, comparing progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) between the two groups, and performed subgroup analysis based on age and performance status. Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) based on age was examined using DNA microarray analysis. We also evaluated the impact of bevacizumab on quality of life. RESULTS: We identified 44 patients who received bevacizumab and 79 patients who had not been treated with bevacizumab. There was a significant improvement in PFS and OS in the bevacizumab-treated group. Patients of older age (> or =55 years) and poor performance status (Karnofsky Performance Status < or =80) had significantly better PFS when treated with bevacizumab, and bevacizumab-treated older patients had significantly increased OS. VEGF expression was significantly higher in older glioblastoma patients (aged > or =55 years). Patients treated with bevacizumab also required less dexamethasone use and maintained their functional status longer than the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy may be a more effective treatment for recurrent glioblastoma and warrants further randomized prospective studies to determine its effect on survival. Bevacizumab also has more effect in those with older age and might reflect biologic differences in glioblastoma in different age groups as seen with the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor.

Expression of Galectin-3 and Galectin-7 in thyroid malignancy as potential diagnostic indicators.

INTRODUCTION: It has been suggested that Galectin-3 (Gal-3) and Galectin-7 (Gal-7) are potential tumour markers for differentiating thyroid carcinoma from its benign counter part. Galectins are beta-galactoside-binding proteins with Gal-3 being a redundant pre-mRNA splicing factor. They are supposed to be p53-related regulators in cell growth and apoptosis, being either anti-apoptotic or pro-apoptotic. Although the value of Gal-3 has been studied extensively, there is little knowledge regarding the expression of Gal-7 in thyroid malignancy. METHODS: We initiated an immunohistochemical (IHC) study on the expression of Gal-3 and Gal-7 on various thyroid lesions. Formalin-fixed paraffin embedded thyroid tissues were stained for IHC expression of Gal-3 and Gal-7 using monoclonal anti-human Gal-3 antibody and anti-human Gal-7 antibody (R&D Systems Inc, MN, USA). Gal-3 and Gal-7 expressions were measured semiquantitatively on their distribution and staining intensity. RESULTS: A total of 95 cases were collected, including 32 benign and 63 malignant thyroid lesions. These contained 37 cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma, nine cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma follicular variant, 16 cases of follicular carcinoma, one case of anaplastic carcinoma, 14 cases of follicular adenomas and 18 cases of nodular goitre. Gal-3 expression was significantly strong in cancer cases compared to non-cancer cases (p-value is 0.000), while no significant difference was noted with Gal-7 expression (p-value is 0.870). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested that the IHC localisation of Gal-3 is a useful marker in conjunction with routine haematoylin and eosin staining in differentiating benign from malignant thyroid lesions, while there is no significant adjunct diagnostic value in Gal-7 for thyroid malignancy.

Human skin keloid fibroblasts display bioenergetics of cancer cells.

Cultured human skin keloid fibroblasts (KFs) showed bioenergetics similar to cancer cells in generating ATP mainly from glycolysis as demonstrated by increased lactate production. Activities of hexokinase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, and lactate dehydrogenase were also significantly higher compared with normal fibroblasts (NFs). Inhibitors of glycolysis decreased the rate of ATP biosynthesis more significantly in KFs suggesting their reliance on glycolysis. In contrast, ATP generation in NFs was derived mainly from oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), which was more compromised by mitochondrial/respiratory inhibitors. However, when fortified with excess exogenous respiratory substrates, ATP production was increased to a similar maximal level in both types of fibroblasts. In spite of this seemingly equal total capacity, ATP biosynthesis and intracellular ATP concentration were significantly higher in KFs, which further increased their ATP production when exposed to hypoxia and hypoxia-mimetics: desferrioxamine and cobalt chloride. This upregulation was again significantly compromised by glycolytic inhibitors. The rate of generation of reactive oxygen species was lower in KFs possibly due to their switch to aerobic glycolysis from mitochondrial OXPHOS. Thus, cultured skin KFs could provide a human cell model to study the de-regulation of bioenergetics of proliferative cells and their response to the HIF (hypoxia-inducible factor) signaling.

Two distinct mechanisms for loss of thioredoxin-binding protein-2 in oxidative stress-induced renal carcinogenesis.

Thioredoxin is a major component of thiol-reducing system. Recently, we identified thioredoxin-binding protein-2 (TBP-2) as a negative regulator of thioredoxin. Here, we report the role of TBP-2 in oxidative renal tubular injury and the subsequent carcinogenesis by ferric nitrilotriacetate. TBP-2 was abundantly expressed in the rat kidney. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that TBP-2 was present in association with nuclei and mitochondrial intermembrane space in the proximal tubular cells and coimmunoprecipitated with cytochrome c. After acute oxidative tubular damage, TBP-2 protein, but not messenger RNA, markedly decreased, demonstrating shortened half-life of this protein. Most cases of the induced renal cell carcinoma showed undetectable levels of TBP-2 protein, which was associated with the methylation of CpG island in the promoter region. Genome sequence analyses identified the poly-A tract in the 3' untranslated region as a mutation hot spot in this rather nonselective environment. Collectively, the amounts of TBP-2 protein were inversely associated with proliferation of tubular cells, as evaluated by proliferating cell nuclear antigen. These results suggest that loss of TBP-2 is essential for proliferation of not only neoplastic but also non-neoplastic renal tubular cells, and that TBP-2 is a target gene in oxidative stress-induced renal carcinogenesis by ferric nitrilotriacetate.

Dobutamine stress echocardiography in preoperative and long-term postoperative risk assessment of elderly patients.

The authors reviewed all negative preoperative dobutamine stress echocardiograms (DSEs) performed over a 3-year period to determine the value of negative DSE for preoperative risk assessment in elderly patients. All patients with negative DSE performed for preoperative evaluation were followed. Cardiac event rates during and after the operative procedure were determined for hard end points (nonfatal myocardial infarction, cardiac death) and soft end points (emergency room visits, hospitalization for unstable angina, congestive heart failure, coronary angioplasty, coronary artery bypass graft surgery). Results noted that DSEs were negative for ischemia in 82 preoperative evaluations. Group 1 (age >/=65; n=41) had hard and soft event rates per patient/year of 0.97% and 7.3%, while group 2 (age <65; n=41) had hard and soft event rates per patient/year of 0.81% and 10.8%. There were no significant differences in event rates between the two groups (p=NS). In conclusion, the authors found that negative DSEs predict low cardiac event rates in elderly patients during the perioperative and long-term postoperative periods, which are not significantly different from the cardiac event rates in a younger cohort.

The amino bisphosphonate ibandronate prevents calciphylaxis in the rat at doses that inhibit bone resorption.

The present experiments were carried out to test the hypothesis that there is a common underlying biochemical mechanism that accounts for the different kinds of soft tissue calcification observed in animals that are treated with toxic doses of vitamin D. In previous studies we showed that lethal doses of vitamin D cause extensive calcification of arteries, lungs, kidneys, and cartilage, and that doses of the amino bisphosphonate ibandronate that inhibit bone resorption completely inhibit each of these soft tissue calcifications and prevent death. In the present experiments we have examined the effect of ibandronate on an entirely different type of calcification, the calciphylaxis induced by administration of a challenger to rats previously treated with sub-lethal doses of vitamin D. These studies show that ibandronate doses that inhibit bone resorption completely inhibit artery calcification as well as, in the same rat, the calciphylactic responses to either subcutaneous injection of 300 mg FeCl3 or intrascapular epilation. Since the vitamin D-treated animals had dramatically increased levels of bone resorption, and concurrent treatment with ibandronate normalized resorption, these results support the hypothesis that soft tissue calcifications in the vitamin D-treated rat may be linked to bone resorption. The ability of ibandronate to inhibit all vitamin D-associated calcifications in the rat cannot be explained by an effect of ibandronate on serum calcium, since serum calcium remained 30% above control levels in the vitamin D-treated animals that also received ibandronate.

Late cognitive and radiographic changes related to radiotherapy: initial prospective findings.

BACKGROUND: Assumptions about the damaging effects of radiotherapy (XRT) are based on studies in which total dose, dose fraction, treatment volume, degree of malignancy, chemotherapy, tumor recurrence, and neurologic comorbidity interact with XRT effects. This is a prospective, long-term study of XRT effects in adults, in which total dose and dose fraction were constrained and data related to tumor recurrence and neurologic comorbidity (e.g., hypertension) were excluded. METHODS: The effects of XRT on the cognitive and radiographic outcomes of 26 patients with low-grade, supratentorial, brain tumors yearly from baseline (6 weeks after surgery and immediately before XRT) and yearly to 6 years were examined. Radiographic findings were examined regionally. RESULTS: Selective cognitive declines (in visual memory) emerged only at 5 years, whereas ratings of clinical MRI (T2 images) showed mild accumulation of hyperintensities with post-treatment onset from 6 months to 3 years, with no further progression. White matter atrophy and total hyperintensities demonstrated this effect, with subcortical and deep white matter, corpus callosum, cerebellar structures, and pons accounting for these changes over time. About half of the patients demonstrated cognitive decline and treatment-related hyperintensities. CONCLUSIONS: There was no evidence of a general cognitive decline or progression of white matter changes after 3 years. Results argue for limited damage from XRT at this frequently used dose and volume in the absence of other clinical risk factors.

Assessment of the intrarater and interrater reliability of an established clinical task analysis methodology.

BACKGROUND: Task analysis may be useful for assessing how anesthesiologists alter their behavior in response to different clinical situations. In this study, the authors examined the intraobserver and interobserver reliability of an established task analysis methodology. METHODS: During 20 routine anesthetic procedures, a trained observer sat in the operating room and categorized in real-time the anesthetist's activities into 38 task categories. Two weeks later, the same observer performed task analysis from videotapes obtained intraoperatively. A different observer performed task analysis from the videotapes on two separate occasions. Data were analyzed for percent of time spent on each task category, average task duration, and number of task occurrences. Rater reliability and agreement were assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients. RESULTS: Intrarater reliability was generally good for categorization of percent time on task and task occurrence (mean intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.84-0.97). There was a comparably high concordance between real-time and video analyses. Interrater reliability was generally good for percent time and task occurrence measurements. However, the interrater reliability of the task duration metric was unsatisfactory, primarily because of the technique used to capture multitasking. CONCLUSIONS: A task analysis technique used in anesthesia research for several decades showed good intrarater reliability. Off-line analysis of videotapes is a viable alternative to real-time data collection. Acceptable interrater reliability requires the use of strict task definitions, sophisticated software, and rigorous observer training. New techniques must be developed to more accurately capture multitasking. Substantial effort is required to conduct task analyses that will have sufficient reliability for purposes of research or clinical evaluation.