Performance of ATT and UDFF in the diagnosis of non-alcoholic fatty liver: An animal experiment.

Objective: To establish a Bama minipigs model with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver (NAFL) induced by a high-fat diet and investigate the application of attenuation coefficient (ATT) and ultrasound-derived fat fraction (UDFF) in the diagnosis of NAFL. Methods: Six-month-old male Bama minipigs were randomly divided into normal control and high-fat groups (n = 3 pigs per group), and fed with a control diet and high-fat diet for 32 weeks. Weight and body length were measured every four weeks, followed by quantitative ultrasound imaging (ATT and UDFF), blood biochemical markers, and liver biopsies on the same day. Using the Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) Activity Score (NAS) as a reference, we analyzed the correlation between ATT, UDFF, and their score results. Results: Compared with the normal control group, the body weight, body mass index (BMI), and serum levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in the High-fat group were significantly different at Week 12 (P < 0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that the ATT value was significantly correlated with NAS score (r = 0.76, P < 0.001), and the UDFF value was significantly correlated with NAS score (r = 0.80, P < 0.001). The optimal cut-off value of ATT and UDFF were 0.59 dB/cm/MHz and 5.5%, respectively. These values are optimal for diagnosis of NAFL in Bama minipig model. Conclusion: ATT and UDFF have a high correlation with steatosis, and can be used as a non-invasive method for early screening of hepatic steatosis, which can dynamically monitor the change of disease course.

Photoelectrochemical sensing of isoniazid and streptomycin based on metal Bi-doped BiOI microspheres grown on book-shape layers of Ti3C2 heterostructures.

Isoniazid and streptomycin are vital drugs for treating tuberculosis, which are utilized as efficient anti-tuberculosis agents. This paper presents a novel visible-light-driven composite photocatalyst Ti3C2/Bi/BiOI, which was built from Ti3C2 nanosheets and Bi/BiOI microspheres. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensors based on Ti3C2/Bi/BiOI were synthesized for isoniazid identification, which showed a linear concentration range of 0.1-125 µM with a detection limit of 0.05 µM (S/N = 3). Moreover, we designed a PEC aptasensors based on aptamer/Ti3C2/Bi/BiOI to detect streptomycin in 0.1 M PBS covering the electron donor isoniazid, because the isoniazid consumes photogenerated holes thus increasing the photocurrent effectively and preventing photogenerated electron-hole pairs from being recombined. Furthermore, PEC aptasensors based on aptamer/Ti3C2/Bi/BiOI were synthesized for streptomycin identification, which exhibited a linear concentration range of 0.01-1000 nM with a detection limit of 2.3 × 10-3 nM (S/N = 3), and are well stable in streptomycin sensing.

[Investigation on the recommended dose of prebiotic in health food in China in 1996-2022].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the recommended dose distribution of prebiotic-containing health food in China. METHODS: The overall recommended dose of prebiotic health food was available from the label information of approved prebiotic health food from 1996 to 2022; the recommended dose distribution of prebiotic-containing health food was analyzed from different healthy functions and different ways of addition. RESULTS: There were 174 prebiotic-containing health food products with clear dose information, respectively, involving 5 prebiotics including Fructooligosaccharides, Galactooligosaccharides, Isomaltooligosaccharides, Xylo-oligosaccharides and Polydextrose, and the majority of prebiotics were added in combination, with 159 products. The recommended dose range of prebiotic-containing health food products was wide, and in general, the dose of prebiotic-containing health food products used alone was higher than the dose used in combination. The recommended daily intake range of health food containing Fructooligosaccharides was 5.28-17 500 mg/d, the recommended daily intake range of health food containing Isomaltooligosaccharides was 220-28 000 mg/d, the dose range of health food containing Xylo-oligosaccharides was 8.4-2 800 mg/d, the dose range of health food containing Polydextrose was 4-12 120 mg/d, the number of Galacto-Oligosaccharides products Only two kinds of products were included, with doses of 259.8 mg/d and 3500 mg/d, respectively. The claimed functions of prebiotic health food products were focused on laxative function, immunity enhancement, and regulation of intestinal flora. The application dose of prebiotic health food with different functional compounding additions was close to the overall dose. CONCLUSION: The recommended dosage range of prebiotics in health food containing prebiotics in China is large, and prebiotics in products are mainly added by compounding.

Is redox zonation an appropriate method for determining the stage of natural remediation in deep contaminated groundwater?

Groundwater contamination resulting from petroleum development poses a significant threat to drinking water sources, especially in developing countries. In situ natural remediation methods, including microbiological processes, have gained popularity for the reduction of groundwater contaminants. However, assessing the stage of remediation in deep contaminated groundwater is challenging and costly due to the complexity of diverse geological conditions and unknown initial concentrations of contaminants. This research proposes that redox zonation may be a more convenient and comprehensive indicator than the concentration of contaminants for determining the stage of natural remediation in deep groundwater. The combination of sequencing microbial composition using the high-throughput 16S rRNA gene and function predicted by FAPROTAX is a useful approach to determining the redox conditions of different contaminated groundwater. The sulfate-reducing environment, represented by Desulfobacteraceae, Peptococcaceae, Desulfovibrionaceae, and Desulfohalobiaceae could be used as characteristic early stages of remediation for produced water contamination in wells with high concentrations of SO42-, benzene, and salinity. The nitrate-reducing environment, enriched with microorganisms related to denitrification, sulfur-oxidizing, and methanophilic microorganisms could be indicative of the mid stages of in situ bioremediation. The oxygen reduction environment, enriched with oligotrophic and pathogenic Sphingomonadaceae, Caulobacteraceae, Syntrophaceae, Legionellales, Moraxellaceae, and Coxiellaceae, could be indicative of the late stages of remediation. This comprehensive approach could provide valuable insights into the process of natural remediation and facilitate improved environmental management in areas of deep contaminated groundwater.

Regional Inequality and Associated Factors of Emergency Medicine Beds Distribution in China.

Objective: The regional inequality of emergency medicine beds distribution has a great impact on population health as well as the accessibility of emergency services. This study aimed to explore the regional inequality of emergency medicine bed distribution and its influencing factors. Methods: The Gini coefficient and health resource agglomeration were used to analyze the regional inequality of emergency medicine beds distribution by area from 2012 to 2021 in China. Grey correlation models were used to explore the factors influencing the regional inequality of emergency medicine beds distribution. Results: From 2012 to 2021, Gini coefficients of emergency medicine beds distribution by geographic in China showed a worsening trend, rising from 0.6229 to 0.6636. The average HRAD index was 3.43 in the east and 0.44 in the west. Population structure factors have the greatest influence on the regional inequality of emergency medicine beds distribution. Conclusion: Health resources allocation strategy only according to population size should be changed. In formulating policies for emergency medicine beds allocation should take into account population structure, financial structure of expenditure, the inequality of geographical distribution and so on.

LiverRisk score: An accurate, cost-effective tool to predict fibrosis, liver-related, and diabetes-related mortality in the general population.

BACKGROUND: Noninvasive and early assessment of liver fibrosis is of great significance and is challenging. We aimed to evaluate the predictive performance and cost-effectiveness of the LiverRisk score for liver fibrosis and liver-related and diabetes-related mortality in the general population. METHODS: The general population from the NHANES 2017-March 2020, NHANES 1999-2018, and UK Biobank 2006-2010 were included in the cross-sectional cohort (n = 3,770), along with the NHANES follow-up cohort (n = 25,317) and the UK Biobank follow-up cohort (n = 17,259). The cost-effectiveness analysis was performed using TreeAge Pro software. Liver stiffness measurements ≥10 kPa were defined as compensated advanced chronic liver disease (cACLD). FINDINGS: Compared to conventional scores, the LiverRisk score had significantly better accuracy and calibration in predicting liver fibrosis, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.76 (0.72-0.79) for cACLD. According to the updated thresholds of LiverRisk score (6 and 10), we reclassified the population into three groups: low, medium, and high risk. The AUCs of LiverRisk score for predicting liver-related and diabetes-related mortality at 5, 10, and 15 years were all above 0.8, with better performance than the Fibrosis-4 score. Furthermore, compared to the low-risk group, the medium-risk and high-risk groups in the two follow-up cohorts had a significantly higher risk of liver-related and diabetes-related mortality. Finally, the cost-effectiveness analysis showed that the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for LiverRisk score compared to FIB-4 was USD $18,170 per additional quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained, below the willingness-to-pay threshold of $50,000/QALY. CONCLUSIONS: The LiverRisk score is an accurate, cost-effective tool to predict liver fibrosis and liver-related and diabetes-related mortality in the general population. FUNDING: The National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 82330060, 92059202, and 92359304); the Key Research and Development Program of Jiangsu Province (BE2023767a); the Fundamental Research Fund of Southeast University (3290002303A2); Changjiang Scholars Talent Cultivation Project of Zhongda Hospital of Southeast University (2023YJXYYRCPY03); and the Research Personnel Cultivation Program of Zhongda Hospital Southeast University (CZXM-GSP-RC125).

Clinical characteristics and drug resistance of Nocardia in Henan, China, 2017-2023.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical features of Nocardia infections, antibiotic resistance profile, choice of antibiotics and treatment outcome, among others. In addition, the study compared the clinical and microbiological characteristics of nocardiosis in bronchiectasis patients and non-bronchiectasis patients. METHODS: Detailed clinical data were collected from the medical records of 71 non-duplicate nocardiosis patients from 2017 to 2023 at a tertiary hospital in Zhengzhou, China. Nocardia isolates were identified to the species level using MALDI-TOF MS and 16S rRNA PCR sequencing. Clinical data were collected from medical records, and drug susceptibility was determined using the broth microdilution method. RESULTS: Of the 71 cases of nocardiosis, 70 (98.6%) were diagnosed as pulmonary infections with common underlying diseases including bronchiectasis, tuberculosis, diabetes mellitus and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Thirteen different strains were found in 71 isolates, the most common of which were N. farcinica (26.8%) and N. cyriacigeorgica (18.3%). All Nocardia strains were 100% susceptible to both TMP-SMX and linezolid, and different Nocardia species showed different patterns of drug susceptibility in vitro. Pulmonary nocardiosis is prone to comorbidities such as bronchiectasis, diabetes mellitus, COPD, etc., and Nocardia is also frequently accompanied by co-infection of the body with pathogens such as Mycobacterium and Aspergillus spp. Sixty-one patients underwent a detailed treatment regimen, of whom 32 (52.5%) received single or multi-drug therapy based on TMP-SMX. Bronchiectasis was associated with a higher frequency of Nocardia infections, and there were significant differences between the bronchiectasis and non-bronchiectasis groups in terms of age distribution, clinical characteristics, identification of Nocardia species, and antibiotic susceptibility (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study contributes to the understanding of the species diversity of Nocardia isolates in Henan, China, and the clinical characteristics of patients with pulmonary nocardiosis infections. Clinical and microbiologic differences between patients with and without bronchiectasis. These findings will contribute to the early diagnosis and treatment of patients.

Retinopathy as a predictive indicator for significant hepatic fibrosis according to T2DM status: A cross-sectional study based on the national health and nutrition examination survey data.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), a prevalent metabolic disorder, often coexists with a range of complications, with retinopathy being particularly common. Recent studies have shed light on a potential connection between diabetic retinopathy (DR) and hepatic fibrosis, indicating a possible shared pathophysiological foundation in T2DM. This study investigates the correlation between retinopathy and hepatic fibrosis among individuals with T2DM, as well as evaluates the diagnostic value of DR for significant hepatic fibrosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our cross-sectional analysis incorporated 5413 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2008. The Fibrosis-4 score (FIB-4) classified hepatic fibrosis into different grades (F0-F4), with significant hepatic fibrosis marked as F2 or higher. Retinopathy severity was determined using retinal imaging and categorized into four levels. The analysis of variance or Chi-square tests facilitated group comparisons. Additionally, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis appraised the predictive accuracy of retinopathy for significant hepatic fibrosis in the T2DM population. RESULTS: Among 5413 participants, the mean age was 59.56 ± 12.41, with 50.2% male. And 20.6% were diagnosed with T2DM. Hepatic fibrosis grading was positively associated with retinopathy severity (OR [odds ratio]: 1.521, 95%CI [confidence interval]: 1.152-2.008, P = 0.003) across the entire population. The association was amplified in the T2DM population according to Pearson's analysis results. The ROC curve demonstrated retinopathy's diagnostic capacity for significant hepatic fibrosis in the T2DM population (AUC [area under curve] = 0.72, 95%CI: 0.651-0.793, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Retinopathy could serve as an independent predictor of significant hepatic fibrosis in T2DM population. Ophthalmologists are advised to closely monitor T2DM patients with retinopathy.

Can We Do Breast-Conserving Surgery Without Intraoperative Frozen Section of Margin?

PURPOSE: This study was a retrospective and nonrandomized study to assess the safety and reliability of identifying the surgical margin in breast cancer breast-conserving surgery (BCS) by using intraoperative ultrasonic location and specimen mammography instead of traditional intraoperative frozen pathological section. METHODS: Among the patients who underwent BCS from May 2019 to October 2021, according to the different methods of evaluating the intraoperative margin, 104 breast cancer patients were included in the frozen edge group, 53 breast cancer patients were included in the freeze-free group, and the surgeon judged whether extended resection was needed based on the results of pathological section or evaluation of intraoperative ultrasound and mammography. The surgical margins of the two groups were judged by postoperative pathological results as the gold standard. RESULTS: The median waiting pathology results time in the frozen edge group was 64 minutes, while the waiting time in the freeze-free group was 30 minutes, and the difference was statistically significant (P < .0001). The postoperative pathological results showed that the positive rate of the surgical margin in the frozen edge group was 0.96%. The coincidence rate of intraoperative frozen and postoperative pathological results was 99.04%. The coincidence rate between intraoperative mammography and postoperative pathological results was 100%. CONCLUSIONS: In BCS, the method of using intraoperative staining markers combined with mammography to evaluate the resection margin is highly accurate, reliable, economical and convenient, and at the same time reduces the waiting time of the operator during the operation. However, this was not a randomized controlled study, and there was patient selection bias, and its safety needs to be confirmed by long-term follow-up. In the future, it is expected to become the mainstream means of evaluating.

TKT-PARP1 axis induces radioresistance by promoting DNA double-strand break repair in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) stands as the fifth most prevalent malignant tumor on a global scale and presents as the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality. DNA damage-based radiotherapy (RT) plays a pivotal role in the treatment of HCC. Nevertheless, radioresistance remains a primary factor contributing to the failure of radiation therapy in HCC patients. In this study, we investigated the functional role of transketolase (TKT) in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in HCC. Our research unveiled that TKT is involved in DSB repair, and its depletion significantly reduces both non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR)-mediated DSB repair. Mechanistically, TKT interacts with PARP1 in a DNA damage-dependent manner. Furthermore, TKT undergoes PARylation by PARP1, resulting in the inhibition of its enzymatic activity, and TKT can enhance the auto-PARylation of PARP1 in response to DSBs in HCC. The depletion of TKT effectively mitigates the radioresistance of HCC, both in vitro and in mouse xenograft models. Moreover, high TKT expression confers resistance of RT in clinical HCC patients, establishing TKT as a marker for assessing the response of HCC patients who received cancer RT. In summary, our findings reveal a novel mechanism by which TKT contributes to the radioresistance of HCC. Overall, we identify the TKT-PARP1 axis as a promising potential therapeutic target for improving RT outcomes in HCC.

Exposure to environmental levels of 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol affects digestive glands and induces inflammation in Asian Clam (Corbicula fluminea).

2,4-Di-tert-butylphenol (2,4-DTBP) is used as an antioxidant added to plastics. Due to its potential toxicity and relatively high concentrations in environments and presence in human tissue, concern has been raised for 2,4-DTBP as a contaminant associated with adverse health outcomes. However, studies on the toxicity of 2,4-DTBP are relatively limited, especially for benthic aquatic organisms. In this study, Asian clams (Corbicula fluminea) were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of 2,4-DTBP (0.01-1 µM, corresponding to 2.06-206.32 µg/L) for 21 days. Accumulation of 2,4-DTBP was noted in both gills and digestive glands, with the latter presenting as the primary target tissue. Increased damage rate of digestive tube and cellular DNA damage were observed in the digestive glands of 2,4-DTBP exposed clams. The injury was attributed to the imbalance of the antioxidant system, characterized by elevated oxidative stress and inflammation (upregulation of ROS, MDA, NO, and pro-inflammatory factors). In contrast, upon 2,4-DTBP exposure, antioxidant system in gills was activated, while ROS and NO were not promoted. Moreover, NF-κB and IL-1 were significantly decreased. These results suggested that biochemical mechanisms were activated in gills to maintain homeostasis. Internal exposure in the digestive gland was significantly correlated with the biochemical biomarkers tested, underscoring the potential risk associated with the bioaccumulation of 2,4-DTBP from contaminated environments. These findings provide novel insights into toxicity of 2,4-DTBP in bivalves, contributing valuable knowledge to risk assessment and chemical management.

Gastrodin ameliorates acute pancreatitis by modulating macrophage inflammation cascade via inhibition the p38/NF-κB pathway.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a prevalent, destructive, non-infectious pancreatic inflammatory disease, which is usually accompanied with systemic manifestations and poor prognosis. Gastrodin (4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol 4-O-ß-d-glucopyranoside) has ideal anti-inflammatory effects in various inflammatory diseases. However, its potential effects on AP had not been studied. In this study, serum biochemistry, H&E staining, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, western blot, real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) were performed to investigate the effects of Gastrodin on caerulein-induced AP pancreatic acinar injury model in vivo and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced M1 phenotype macrophage model in vitro. Our results showed that Gastrodin treatment could significantly reduce the levels of serum amylase and serum lipase while improving pancreatic pathological morphology. Additionally, it decreased secretion of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and inhibited the levels of p-p38/p38, p-IκB/IκB as well as p-NF-κB p-p65/NF-κB p65. Overall our findings suggested that Gastrodin might be a promising therapeutic option for patients with AP by attenuating inflammation through inhibition of the p38/NF-κB pathway mediated macrophage cascade.

Research on the influence of different sampling resolution and spatial resolution in sampling strategy on landslide susceptibility mapping results.

Landslides, recognized as a significant global natural disaster, necessitate an exploration of the impact of various resolution types in sampling strategies on Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (LSM) results. This study focuses on the segment from Zigui to Badong within the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, utilizing two resolution types: sampling resolution and spatial resolution, The Support Vector Machine (SVM) is employed to obtain LSM results, which are then analyzed using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, specific category accuracy and statistical methods. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) were used to verify the reliability of the results. Additionally, five common machine learning models, including Logistic Regression (LR), are used to conduct experiments on four sampling resolutions (10 m,30 m,50 m and 70 m) to further investigate the effect of sampling resolution on LSM results. These are evaluated using a comprehensive quantitative method. The results reveal that increasing spatial resolution improves the prediction accuracy, while increasing sampling resolution produces a contrary effect. Furthermore, the impact of spatial resolution on LSM results is more pronounced than that of sampling resolution. Finally, Fanjiaping landslide and Huangtupo landslide are selected as references for comparative analysis, with the results aligning with engineering reality.

First-line CDK4/6 inhibitor-based combinations for HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer: A Bayesian network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: International guidelines recommend cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i)-based first-line therapy for hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-) advanced breast cancer (ABC). However, direct drug comparisons are lacking. We aimed to identify the most effective and safe therapy through network meta-analysis (NMA). METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and OpenGrey up to September 30, 2023. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing endocrine therapy alone or in combination with CDK4/6i as first-line endocrine treatment for HR+/HER2- ABC patients. The hazard ratios for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) and relative risks for objective response rate and adverse events (AEs) were available in selected trials. We performed a Bayesian NMA following PRISMA guidelines. RESULTS: Thirteen RCTs, involving 10 treatments, were included. Most studies were at low risk of bias. Regarding PFS, ribociclib+fulvestrant ranked first with a surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) of 85.0%, followed by dalpiciclib+nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor (NSAI) (SUCRA = 78.9%). Considering OS, the top three ranked treatments were ribociclib+fulvestrant (SUCRA = 94.1%), abemaciclib+NSAI (SUCRA = 69.9%), and ribociclib+NSAI (SUCRA = 68.5%). Out of four CDK4/6is, ribociclib minimized the grade 3/4 AEs, while dalpiciclib demonstrated the worst safety. Publication bias could not be ignored in our analyses, and the certainty of evidence was downgraded primarily due to imprecision. CONCLUSIONS: Ribociclib+fulvestrant probably represents the best option in a first-line setting. When combined with NSAI, dalpiciclib likely showed the best efficacy but the worst safety. Abemaciclib+NSAI and ribociclib+NSAI could also be promising treatments, while palbociclib presented inferiority. (PROSPERO Registration No. CRD42022370271).

A Prediction Model for the Efficacy of Transvaginal Repair in Patients With Cesarean Scar Defect: An Evidence-Based Proposal for Patient Selection.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To establish a prediction model to help doctors determine which patients with cesarean scar defect are more suitable for transvaginal repair. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. SETTING: Xinhua Hospital and Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital between June 2014 and May 2021. PATIENTS: 1015 women who underwent transvaginal repair of cesarean scar defect (CSD). INTERVENTIONS: All enrolled patients underwent CSD repair performed by the same gynecologist and his team. And followed up a clinic visit at 6 months to record their menstruation and measure multiple parameters of the CSD by Magnetic Resonance Imaging. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: CSD patients are categorized as optimal healing group when the menstruation duration is no more than 7 days, meanwhile the thickness of residual myometrium is no less than 5.39 mm after vaginal repair. The final nomogram is constructed to predict surgical outcomes based on preoperative variables. RESULTS: The key factors that determine optimal healing are the timing of cesarean section (elective or emergency), menstrual cycle, CSD length, width, depth, and the thickness of the lower uterine segment. With the prediction model, scores are given to each parameter according to the statistics. Total scores range from 0 to 25 points, with a cutoff point of 16.5. When a score is greater than 16.5, the transvaginal repair can achieve optimal healing. Uterine position (anteflexion or retroflexion) and preoperative thickness of residual myometrium are the key factors affecting postoperative thickness of residual myometrium. The width of the CSD and the thickness of the lower uterine segment are the key factors affecting abnormal uterine bleeding symptoms (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, we established a prediction model system that may predict the repair effect of CSD and can potentially be useful in future clinical trials to determine which patients are more suitable for surgery or other treatment options.

The toxicological effects of life-cycle exposure to harmful benthic cyanobacteria Oscillatoria on zebrafish growth and reproduction: A comparative study with planktonic Microcystis.

The risks of planktonic cyanobacteria blooms have been the focus of much scientific research, but studies on the ecotoxicological effects of benthic cyanobacteria are lagging. The impacts of cyanobacteria cells on fish populations might be more complex in contrast to purified cyanotoxins or cyanobacteria extracts. This study systematically compared the chronic effects of benthic Oscillatoria sp. (producing cylindrospermopsins) and planktonic Microcystis aeruginosa (producing microcystins) on the growth and reproduction of zebrafish through life-cycle exposure (5- 90 days post fertilization). The results showed that both Oscillatoria sp. and M. aeruginosa exposure caused growth inhibition and fecundity reduction in F0 generation by disrupting sex hormone levels, delayed ovarian and sperm development, and induced pathological lesions in zebrafish gonads. Furthermore, exposure to Oscillatoria sp. or M. aeruginosa in adult zebrafish increased mortality and teratogenicity in F1 embryos (without exposure), indicating a parental transmission effect of developmental toxicity. The difference was that M. aeruginosa exposure led to significant alterations in pathways, such as tissue development, redox processes, and steroid hormone synthesis. In contrast, Oscillatoria sp. exposure primarily disrupted the PPAR signaling pathway, cell adhesion molecules, and lipid transport pathways. Interestingly, the differentially expressed genes revealed that male fish were more sensitive to harmful cyanobacteria than females, whether exposed to Oscillatoria sp. or M. aeruginosa. These findings contribute to a better mechanistic understanding of the chronic toxic effects of distinct types of harmful cyanobacteria, suggesting that the ecological risk of benthic cyanobacteria requires further attention.

Influence of Co3O4 Nanostructure Morphology on the Catalytic Degradation of p-Nitrophenol.

The design and fabrication of nanomaterials with controllable morphology and size is of critical importance to achieve excellent catalytic performance in heterogeneous catalysis. In this work, cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanostructures with different morphologies (nanoplates, microflowers, nanorods and nanocubes) were successfully constructed in order to establish the morphology-property-performance relationship of the catalysts. The morphology and structure of the nanostructured Co3O4 were characterized by various techniques, and the catalytic performance of the as-prepared nanostructures was studied by monitoring the reduction of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol in the presence of excess NaBH4. The catalytic performance was found to be strongly dependent on their morphologies. The experimental results show that the pseudo-first-order reaction rate constants for Co3O4 nanostructures with various shapes are, respectively, 1.49 min-1 (nanoplates), 1.40 min-1 (microflowers), 0.78 min-1 (nanorods) and 0.23 min-1 (nanocubes). The Co3O4 nanoplates exhibited the highest catalytic activity among the four nanostructures, due to their largest specific surface area, relatively high total pore volume, best redox properties and abundance of defect sites. The established correlation between morphology, property and catalytic performance in this work will offer valuable insight into the design and application of nanostructured Co3O4 as a potential non-noble metal catalyst for p-nitrophenol reduction.

Predictive Significance of Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index in Patients with Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Peripheral blood inflammation indices, including the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), have become research hotspots in the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis prediction of breast cancer, whereas existing research findings remain controversial. Methods: Data pertaining to 1808 breast cancer patients were collected retrospectively to analyze the predictive value of NLR/PLR/SII for breast cancer clinicopathological characteristics, chemotherapy response, and relapse. 1489, 258, and 53 eligible breast cancer patients entered into the three analyses, respectively. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess the correlation between these indices and poor response to chemotherapy. A predictive scoring model was established to predict chemotherapeutic responses based upon the odds ratio values of significant variables identified in logistic regression analyses. Results: Higher pretherapeutic NLR/PLR/SII values were significantly correlated with higher tumor stage, triple-negative breast cancer, premenopausal status, and younger age. Logistic regression analyses indicated that pretherapeutic high SII (as a continuous variable or with a cut-off value of 586.40) and HER2-negative status were independent predictors of poor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. A first-in-class SII-based predictive scoring model well distinguished patients who might not benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy, with an area under the curve of 0.751. In HR-positive cancers, SII was more strongly associated with clinicopathological features and chemotherapy response. In addition, a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that the specificity of follow-up SII in identifying cancer relapse was greater than 98.0% at a cut-off value of 900. Conclusion: As a predictor of breast cancer, especially in the HR-positive subtype, SII may eclipse NLR/PLR. SII-high patients are more likely to have a worse chemotherapy response and a higher risk of recurrence.

GAS1 Promotes Ferroptosis of Liver Cells in Acetaminophen-Induced Acute Liver Failure.

Purpose: Acute liver failure (ALF) is a clinically fatal disease that leads to the rapid loss of normal liver function. Acetaminophen (APAP) is a leading cause of drug-induced ALF. Ferroptosis, defined as iron-dependent cell death associated with lipid peroxide accumulation, has been shown to be strongly associated with APAP-induced liver injury. Growth arrest-specific 1 (GAS1) is a growth arrest-specific gene, which is closely related to the inhibition of cell growth and promotion of apoptosis. However, the functional role and underlying mechanism of GAS1 in APAP-induced ferroptosis remain unknown. Methods: We established liver-specific overexpression of GAS1 (GAS1AAV8-OE) mice and the control (GAS1AAV8-vector) mice by tail vein injection of male mice with adeno-associated virus. APAP at 500 mg/kg was intraperitoneally injected into these two groups of mice to induce acute liver failure. The shRNA packaged by the lentivirus inhibits GAS1 gene expression in human hepatoma cell line HepaRG (HepaRG-shNC and HepaRG-shGAS1-2) and primary hepatocytes of mice with liver-specific overexpression of GAS1 were isolated and induced by APAP in vitro to further investigate the regulatory role of GAS1 in APAP-induced acute liver failure. Results: APAP-induced upregulation of ferroptosis, levels of lipid peroxides and reactive oxygen species, and depletion of glutathione were effectively alleviated by the ferroptosis inhibitor, ferrostatin-1, and downregulation of GAS1 expression. GAS1 overexpression promoted ferroptosis-induced lipid peroxide accumulation via p53, inhibiting its downstream target, solute carrier family 7 member 11. Conclusion: Collectively, our findings suggest that GAS1 overexpression plays a key role in aggravating APAP-induced acute liver injury by promoting ferroptosis-induced accumulation of lipid peroxides.

Effect of cardiac function in patients with gastrointestinal cancer with or without acute kidney injury assessed using a non-invasive impedance cardiography: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze the possible causes of changes in cardiac function and investigate the feasibility of clinical assessment of gastrointestinal cancer in patients with or without acute kidney injury (AKI) assessed using a non-invasive impedance cardiography (ICG, Bioz. Cardio Dynamics, USA) to identify independent risk factors. METHODS: Patients admitted to the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, China, between May 1, 2019, and February 15, 2022, were included in this study. A total of 51 patients with gastrointestinal cancer (31 men and 20 women, mean age 61.1 ± 10.9 years) with or without AKI were evaluated for ICG. A total of 19 patients underwent ultrasound cardiography (UCG) and ICG evaluations. RESULT: There was a significant positive correlation between cardiac output (CO), cardiac index (CI), stroke volume (SV), left cardiac work index (LCWI), and ejection fraction (EF) measured using UCG and ICG. The relationship was observed between COICG and COUCG (r = 0.707, P = 0.001), CIICG and CIUCG (r = 0.718, P = 0.001), SVICG and SVUCG (r = 0.837, P < 0.001), and LCWIICG and EFUCG (r = 0.540, P = 0.017). Cardiac function parameters measured using ICG were statistically different between patients with gastrointestinal cancer with or without AKI (P ≤ 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that AKI independently affects cardiac function in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: UCG and ICG methods are significantly associated with cardiac function in patients with or without AKI, and patients with gastrointestinal cancer with AKI are worse than those without AKI. AKI is an independent risk factor for cardiac function in patients with gastrointestinal cancer.