Sustained increase in suspended sediments near global river deltas over the past two decades.

River sediments play a critical role in sustaining deltaic wetlands. Therefore, concerns are raised about wetlands' fate due to the decline of river sediment supply to many deltas. However, the dynamics and drivers of suspended sediment near deltaic coasts are not comprehensively assessed, and its response to river sediment supply changes remains unclear. Here we examine patterns of coastal suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and river sediment plume area (RPA) for 349 deltas worldwide using satellite images from 2000 to 2020. We find a global increase in SSC and RPA, averaging +0.46% and +0.48% yr-1, respectively, with over 59.0% of deltas exhibiting an increase in both SSC and RPA. SSC and RPA increases are prevalent across all continents, except for Asia. The relationship between river sediment supply and coastal SSCs varies between deltas, with as much as 45.2% of the deltas showing opposing trends between river sediments and coastal SSCs. This is likely because of the impacts of tides, waves, salinity, and delta morphology. Our observed increase in SSCs near river delta paints a rare promising picture for wetland resilience against sea-level rise, yet whether this increase will persist remains uncertain.

The effect of tamoxifen on estradiol, SHBG, IGF-1, and CRP in women with breast cancer or at risk of developing breast cancer: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The effects of tamoxifen on the serum levels of hormones and acute phase reactants have been studied previously, but study results have been inconsistent, especially in women with breast cancer. Hence, we conducted this meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to try to clarify the effects of tamoxifen on estradiol, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), and C-reactive protein (CRP) serum levels in women with breast cancer or at risk of developing breast cancer. METHODS: Databases were systematically searched up to December 2023. The meta-analysis was generated through a random-effects model and is presented as the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Nine publications were included in the present meta-analysis. The comprehensive findings from the random-effects model revealed an elevation in estradiol (WMD: 13.04 pg/mL, 95 % CI: 0.79, 25.30, p = 0.037) and SHBG levels (WMD: 21.26 nmol/l, 95 % CI: 14.85, 27.68, p = 0.000), as well as a reduction in IGF-1 (WMD: -14.41 µg/L, 95 % CI: -24.23, -4.60, p = 0.004) and CRP concentrations (WMD: -1.17 mg/dL, 95 % CI: -2.29, -0.05, p = 0.039) following treatment with tamoxifen in women with breast cancer or at risk of developing breast cancer, with no impact on IGFBP-3 levels (WMD: 0.11 µg/mL, 95 % CI: -0.07, 0.30, p = 0.240). CONCLUSION: Tamoxifen administration seems to increase estradiol and SHBG levels and reduce CRP and IGF-1 levels in women with breast cancer or at risk of developing breast cancer. Further studies are needed to determine whether these changes have any clinical relevance.

A preliminary composite of blood-based biomarkers to distinguish major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder in adolescents and adults.

BACKGROUND: Since diagnosis of mood disorder heavily depends on signs and symptoms, emerging researches have been studying biomarkers with the attempt to improve diagnostic accuracy, but none of the findings have been broadly accepted. The purpose of the present study was to construct a preliminary diagnostic model to distinguish major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) using potential commonly tested blood biomarkers. METHODS: Information of 721 inpatients with an ICD-10 diagnosis of MDD or BD were collected from the electronic medical record system. Variables in the nomogram were selected by best subset selection method after a prior univariable screening, and then constructed using logistic regression with inclusion of the psychotropic medication use. The discrimination, calibration and internal validation of the nomogram were evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), the calibration curve, cross validation and subset validation method. RESULTS: The nomogram consisted of five variables, including age, eosinophil count, plasma concentrations of prolactin, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The model could discriminate between MDD and BD with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.858, with a sensitivity of 0.716 and a specificity of 0.890. CONCLUSION: The comprehensive nomogram constructed by the present study can be convenient to distinguish MDD and BD since the incorporating variables were common indicators in clinical practice. It could help avoid misdiagnoses and improve prognosis of the patients.

Neural Mechanisms of the Conscious and Subliminal Processing of Facial Attractiveness.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the neural activity evoked by facial attractiveness in conscious and subliminal conditions. The 41 participants judged facial attractiveness in a conscious condition and a subliminal condition (backward masking paradigm). The event-related potential (ERP) analysis indicated that in the conscious condition, more attractive faces elicited a longer N1 (80-120 ms) latency than less attractive faces. Moreover, more attractive female faces elicited a larger late positive component (LPC) (350-550 ms) amplitude than less attractive female faces. In the subliminal condition, more attractive faces elicited a longer P1 (140-180 ms) latency than less attractive faces. The present study demonstrated that more attractive faces evoked different early-stage ERPs from that evoked by less attractive faces in both conscious and subliminal conditions. However, the processing of facial attractiveness is obviously weakened in the subliminal condition.

A study of brain glucose metabolism in obsessive-compulsive disorder patients.

BACKGROUND: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic neural psychological condition. Its pathogenesis is not yet completely understood. This current research used fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to examine the changes in brain glucose metabolism in patients with OCD during the course of treatment, and analyzed its relationship with clinical efficacy. METHODS: A total of 23 patients with OCD were enrolled and divided into case group 1, consisting of patients who received no drug treatment or those who recently stopped drug treatment for more than five half-life periods (OCD1 group, N=10), and case group 2, consisting of patients who were receiving drug treatment before enrollment (OCD2 group, N=13). Ten healthy volunteers were selected as controls. All patients and healthy controls were subjected to head PET-computed tomography (CT) examination. Seven patients in case group 2 underwent scanning again after 3 months of drug treatment, namely, case group 3 (OCD3 group, N=7). Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) 8 software was used to analyze the PET-CT results. RESULTS: OCD patients had abnormally enhanced glucose metabolism in the medium orbito-frontal region of the brain, and abnormally reduced glucose metabolism in brain areas including the insula, caudate nucleus, and middle temporal gyrus. No changes in brain glucose metabolism related to curative effect was found. CONCLUSIONS: In OCD patients, abnormal brain function may not only be limited to the usual cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) loop model, but may involve a wide range of brain regions simultaneously.

Rapid, Sensitive, Specific, and Visual Detection of Salmonella in Retail Meat with Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification, Targeting the invA Gene.

ABSTRACT: Salmonella is one of the major pathogenic bacteria causing foodborne diseases. The rapid detection of Salmonella in food is of great significance to food safety. In this study, the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method was developed, and primers were designed targeting the invA gene of Salmonella. Standard samples of recombinant invA-plasmid and 100 retail meat samples were tested by LAMP and compared with the results tested by conventional PCR and the routine Chinese National Food Safety Standard-Microbiological Examination of Food-Examination of Salmonella, respectively. The results showed that Salmonella strains of eight different serotypes were amplified successfully by the developed LAMP assay, and it was 1,000-fold more sensitive than conventional PCR, with the analytical sensitivity of 8 × 102 copies per µL of the standard sample of invA-plasmid. The results were visualized directly by adding calcein and MnCl2 in the LAMP reaction tube, and the positively amplified products turned green after an incubation of 2 min. In parallel detection, the positive rate of Salmonella by the LAMP assay was highly correlated with the routine Chinese national standard method. The results of the study demonstrated that the developed LAMP assay is a simple, rapid, strongly specific, highly sensitive, and visual detection method for Salmonella.

Four-decade dynamics of the water color in 61 large lakes on the Yangtze Plain and the impacts of reclaimed aquaculture zones.

The lakes on the Yangtze Plain, a critical source of freshwater and fisheries for hundreds of millions of people in China, have lost a considerable portion of their surface area due to reclamation since the 1950s. Landsat satellites can provide long-term collections of high-resolution images and thus offer great potential for hindcasting the lake reclamations of aquaculture zones and their long-term impacts on the lacustrine water color. Using Landsat observations from 1984 to 2018 and a Forel-Ule index (FUI) model, we studied the water color dynamics of 61 lakes on the Yangtze Plain. Three distinct change patterns were found among the 61 examined lakes, and 25 of the 61 lakes showed statistically significant changes in the annual hue angle values (P < 0.05). We further collected environmental parameter datasets (runoff, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and wind speed) and a lacustrine reclamation dataset, and measured the concentrations of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from two field trips. We investigated their correlations with water color change from different facets. The results showed that the long-term water color in 33 of the 61 lakes exhibited significant correlations with environmental factors. The reclaimed aquaculture zones in this region have caused differences in the water color between the reclaimed area and that in adjacent natural waters. The Chl-a and DOC levels derived from field surveys further confirmed that reclaimed aquaculture zones increased light-absorbing materials in the water and may deteriorate water quality. This study is an important step forward in understanding the water quality changes in lake ecosystems affected by human impacts and natural variability.

Dysregulated plasma levels of miRNA-132 and miRNA-134 in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a severe, chronic, disabling neuropsychiatric disorder, the pathophysiology of which has yet to be fully understood. In this study, we aimed to detect the levels of miRNA-132 and miRNA-134 in the plasma of patients with OCD and to analyze the factors influencing OCD. METHODS: The levels of miRNA-132 and miRNA-134 in peripheral blood of 30 patients with OCD and 32 normal controls were detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Patients were assessed using clinical scales, including the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), and Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). RESULTS: The plasma levels of miRNA-132 and miRNA 134 in the OCD group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant correlation between the plasma levels of miR-132 and miR-134 in the OCD group and general demographic (gender, age, and education level) and clinical characteristics (duration of disease, HAMA, HAMD, and Y-BOCS scores). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with OCD have abnormal plasma levels of miRNA-132 and miRNA-134, which may influence the number of dendrites in the cerebral cortex and formation of synapses. Therefore, miRNA-132 and miRNA-134 plasma levels should be considered as potential biomarkers for OCD detection.

Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of retail-meat-borne Salmonella in southern China during the years 2009-2016: The diversity of contamination and the resistance evolution of multidrug-resistant isolates.

Salmonella, one of the most important foodborne pathogens, can be the cause of bacterial food-borne illness and is commonly associated with the consumption of retail meat. Multidrug-resistant Salmonella isolates with high adaptability, have been responsible for many foodborne disease outbreaks. Here we present an investigation on the contamination and the antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella in retail meat obtained from supermarkets and from open markets in Guangxi, China. From the years 2009 to 2016, a total of 604 Salmonella isolates were recovered from a total of 3340 meat samples including 797 beef, 911 pork, 942 chicken and 690 duck, representing 18.08% of the samples tested. Pork was the most contaminated meat. Salmonella was detected in 322 samples from supermarkets and the positive rate of 21.03% was higher than that of 15.70% in 284 samples from open markets (P<0.05). The prevalence of Salmonella in retail meat in the summer and fall months: June (2015, 40.63%), October (2012, 34.6%; 2016, 43.75%) was higher than in other seasons of the year. One hundred and twenty-seven serotypes were identified among the 604 Salmonella enterica isolates, and S. Derby (28.48%), S. Agona (9.77%), S. London (4.97%) and S. Enteritidis (4.47%) were the most common serotypes. Tests of susceptibility to 21 antimicrobial agents showed that 87.58% of the isolates were resistant to at least one antimicrobial, and 57.79% exhibited multidrug resistance (MDR), as they were resistant to at least three antimicrobials. The presence of most of the antimicrobial-resistant genes tested was consistent with the resistant phenotypes found. Among all the antimicrobial resistant genes (ARGs) examined in this study, blaTEM-1, aadA1, cmlA, tetA, sul1 and sul2 were the most prevalent resistant genes in the multidrug resistant isolates. Our findings show that there was a trend that the Salmonella contamination in retail meat had increased and isolates showed an MDR phenotype and that the MDR had become more and more serious. Twenty-one isolates of S. Agona were randomly analyzed by using the enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence PCR (ERIC-PCR) and six different types were found, indicating the existence of cross-contamination in the food market. The results indicate that the hazard analysis of the critical control points (HACCP) system for the whole food chain of retail meat should be further analyzed and improved.

Policy-driven changes in enclosure fisheries of large lakes in the Yangtze Plain: Evidence from satellite imagery.

Enclosure fisheries have accommodated the widespread expansion of aquaculture in many lakes throughout the Yangtze Plain (YP), China, for over four decades. Such practices have increased food provision but have also triggered various detrimental environmental consequences. To restore ecosystem functions, the Chinese government recently implemented specific regulations to remove enclosure fences from lakes throughout the YP. However, little information is available on the spatial and temporal distributions of the enclosure fences, particularly in relation to the enforcement of recent policy changes. Using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite images taken between 2002 and 2018, we conducted the first comprehensive assessment of the interannual changes in enclosure fences in 17 large lakes throughout the YP. Consistent decreases in fence density were found in most lakes after 2015; 15 lakes had >50% of their fences removed, while 9 lakes had >90% removed. The timing and implementation of the development and destruction of enclosure fisheries were related to government policy; before 2015, regional dynamics in enclosure fisheries were attributed to provincial policies, whereas the nearly ubiquitous fence demolition after 2015 was likely a response to national policy. This study represents remotely sensed evidence that demonstrates the importance of both local and national environmental policies and their effectiveness in mitigating ongoing human impacts on vulnerable and valuable natural resources. These findings provide valuable baseline information for future lake environmental monitoring and restoration in the YP region, and the methods used here could be applied to other lacustrine and coastal regions experiencing similar aquaculture activities.

Remote Sensing of the Water Storage Dynamics of Large Lakes and Reservoirs in the Yangtze River Basin from 2000 to 2014.

Basin-scale water volumes of lakes and reservoirs are difficult to obtain due to a number of challenges. In this study, area-based water storage estimation models are proposed for large lakes and reservoirs in the Yangtze River Basin (YRB). The models are subsequently applied to Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) observations of 128 large lakes and 108 reservoirs between 2000 and 2014, and the first comprehensive map of the temporal and spatial dynamics of water storage in large water bodies in the YRB is provided. The results show that 53.91% of the lakes experienced significant decreasing trends in water storage during this period, and the total water storage in lakes showed a decreasing trend of 14 million m3 month-1. By contrast, a monthly mean increase of 177 million m3 was observed for water storage in reservoirs. Our analysis revealed that the pronounced increase in reservoirs was primarily due to the rapid water level increase in the Three Gorges Reservoir in recent years, while understanding the water loss in lakes requires additional studies. The long-term data presented in this study provide critical baseline information for future water resource monitoring and regulation in the YRB and China.

Cardioprotective Effects of Total Flavonoids Extracted from Xinjiang Sprig Rosa rugosa against Acute Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Myocardial Injury in Isolated Rat Heart.

This study evaluated the antioxidative and cardioprotective effects of total flavonoids extracted from Xinjiang sprig Rosa rugosa on ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury using an isolated Langendorff rat heart model. The possible mechanism of Xinjiang sprig rose total flavonoid (XSRTF) against I/R injury was also studied. XSRTF (5, 10, and 20 µg/mL) dissolved in Krebs-Henseleit buffer was administered to isolated rat heart. The XSRTF showed remarkable scavenging effects against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, hydroxyl, and superoxide anion radicals in vitro. XSRTF pretreatment improved the heart rate, increased LVDP, and decreased CK and LDH levels in coronary flow. This pretreatment also increased SOD activity and GSH/GSSG ratio but decreased MDA, TNF-α, and CRP levels and IL-8 and IL-6 activities. The infarct size and cell apoptosis in the hearts from the XSRTF-treated group were lower than those in the hearts from the I/R group. Therefore, the cardioprotective effects of XSRTF may be attributed to its antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and anti-inflammatory activities.