Pollution levels and probability risk assessment of potential toxic elements in soil of Pb-Zn smelting areas.

Soil pollution around Pb-Zn smelters has attracted widespread attention around the world. In this study, we compiled a database of eight potentially toxic elements (PTEs) Pb, Zn, Cd, As, Cr, Ni, Cu, and Mn in the soil of Pb-Zn smelting areas by screening the published research papers from 2000 to 2023. The pollution assessment and risk screening of eight PTEs were carried out by geo-accumulation index (Igeo), potential ecological risk index (PERI) and health risk assessment model, and Monte Carlo simulation employed to further evaluate the probabilistic health risks. The results suggested that the mean values of the eight PTEs all exceeded the corresponding values in the upper crust, and more than 60% of the study sites had serious Pb and Cd pollution (Igeo > 4), with Brazil, Belgium, China, France and Slovenia having higher levels of pollution than other regions. Besides, PTEs in smelting area caused serious ecological risk (PERI = 10912.12), in which Cd was the main contributor to PREI (86.02%). The average hazard index (HI) of the eight PTEs for adults and children was 7.19 and 9.73, respectively, and the average value of total carcinogenic risk (TCR) was 4.20 × 10-3 and 8.05 × 10-4, respectively. Pb and As are the main contributors to non-carcinogenic risk, while Cu and As are the main contributors to carcinogenic risk. The probability of non-carcinogenic risk in adults and children was 84.05% and 97.57%, while carcinogenic risk was 92.56% and 79.73%, respectively. In summary, there are high ecological and health risks of PTEs in the soil of Pb-Zn smelting areas, and Pb, Cd, As and Cu are the key elements that cause contamination and risk, which need to be paid attention to and controlled. This study is expected to provide guidance for soil remediation in Pb-Zn smelting areas.

Application of machine learning in prediction of Pb2+ adsorption of biochar prepared by tube furnace and fluidized bed.

Data mining by machine learning (ML) has recently come into application in heavy metals purification from wastewater, especially in exploring lead removal by biochar that prepared using tube furnace (TF-C) and fluidized bed (FB-C) pyrolysis methods. In this study, six ML models including Random Forest Regression (RFR), Gradient Boosting Regression (GBR), Support Vector Regression (SVR), Kernel Ridge Regression (KRR), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), and Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LGBM) were employed to predict lead adsorption based on a dataset of 1012 adsorption experiments, comprising 422 TF-C groups from our experiments and 590 FB-C groups from literatures. The XGB model showed superior accuracy and predictive performance for adsorption, achieving R2 values for TF-C (0.992) and FB-C (0.981), respectively. Contrasting inferior results were observed in other models, including RF (0.962 and 0.961), GBR (0.987 and 0.975), SVR (0.839 and 0.763), KRR (0.817 and 0.881), and LGBM (0.975 and 0.868). Additionally, a hybrid dataset combining both biochars in Pb adsorption also indicated high accuracy (0.972) as obtained from XGB model. The investigation revealed that the influence of char characteristics and adsorption conditions on Pb adsorption differs between the two biochar. Specific char characteristics, particularly nitrogen content, significantly influence lead adsorption in both biochar. Interestingly, the influence of pyrolysis temperature (PT) on lead adsorption is found to be greater for TF-C than for FB-C. Consequently, careful consideration of PT is crucial when preparing TF-C biochar. These findings offer practical guidance for optimizing biochar preparation conditions during heavy metal removal from wastewater.

Fixed-time event-triggered control for multi-agent systems with input delay.

An in-depth study on the fixed-time event-triggered obstacle avoidance consensus control in heterogeneous USV-AUV systems with input delay and uncertain disturbances are conducted in this paper. When initial state of the system fails to achieve consensus, the desired heterogeneous USV-AUV formation can be achieved by fixed-time consensus control, within a fixed predetermined time, regardless of the initial states. Besides, an event-triggered communication strategy among the agents is introduced in the system, significantly reducing communication energy consumption. By employing the proposed control strategy, the Zeno behavior also can be avoided. Additionally, an obstacle avoidance control algorithm for the heterogeneous USV-AUV system based on improved artificial potential fields (IAPF) is designed, which helps in avoiding both static and dynamic obstacles. Compared to existing research, this algorithm reduces control input jitter, resulting in smoother obstacle avoidance paths. Through extensive simulation experiments and comparisons with other methods, effectiveness and superiority of the proposed algorithm is validated.

Lithium chloride promotes diabetic corneal epithelial wound healing by activating the Wnt/ß­catenin signaling pathway.

Corneal epithelial abnormality is a common manifestation of diabetic keratopathy and leads to delayed epithelial wound healing. The Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway participates in the development, differentiation and stratification of corneal epithelial cells. The present study compared the expression of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway related factors, including Wnt7a, ß-catenin, cyclin D1 and phosphorylated (p-) glycogen synthase kinase 3 ß (Gsk3b) between normal and diabetic mouse corneas, by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR, western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. It was found that the expression of the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway related factors was downregulated in diabetic corneas. Upon corneal epithelium scraping, the wound healing rate was significantly increased in diabetic mice after topical treatment with lithium chloride. After further investigation, significantly upregulated levels of Wnt7a, ß-catenin, cyclin D1 and p-Gsk3b were found in the diabetic group 24 h after treatment, accompanied by ß-catenin nuclear translocation observed by immunofluorescence staining. These results suggest that active Wnt/ß-catenin pathway can promote diabetic corneal epithelial wound healing.

Screening and characterization of the scFv for chimeric antigen receptor T cells targeting CEA-positive carcinoma.

Introduction: Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy presents a promising treatment option for various cancers, including solid tumors. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is an attractive target due to its high expression in many tumors, particularly gastrointestinal cancers, while limited expression in normal adult tissues. In our previous clinical study, we reported a 70% disease control rate with no severe side effects using a humanized CEA-targeting CAR-T cell. However, the selection of the appropriate single-chain variable fragment (scFv) significantly affects the therapeutic efficacy of CAR-T cells by defining their specific behavior towards the target antigen. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the optimal scFv and investigate its biological functions to further optimize the therapeutic potential of CAR-T cells targeting CEA-positive carcinoma. Methods: We screened four reported humanized or fully human anti-CEA antibodies (M5A, hMN-14, BW431/26, and C2-45), and inserted them into a 3rd-generation CAR structure. We purified the scFvs and measured the affinity. We monitored CAR-T cell phenotype and scFv binding stability to CEA antigen through flow cytometry. We performed repeated CEA antigen stimulation assays to compare the proliferation potential and response of the four CAR-T cells, then further evaluated the anti-tumor efficacy of CAR-T cells ex vivo and in vivo. Results: M5A and hMN-14 CARs displayed higher affinity and more stable CEA binding ability than BW431/26 and C2-45 CARs. During CAR-T cell production culture, hMN-14 CAR-T cells exhibit a larger proportion of memory-like T cells, while M5A CAR-T cells showed a more differentiated phenotype, suggesting a greater tonic signal of M5A scFv. M5A, hMN-14, and BW431/26 CAR-T cells exhibited effective tumor cell lysis and IFN-γ release when cocultured with CEA-positive tumor cells in vitro, correlating with the abundance of CEA expression in target cells. While C2-45 resulted in almost no tumor lysis or IFN-γ release. In a repeat CEA antigen stimulation assay, M5A showed the best cell proliferation and cytokine secretion levels. In a mouse xenograft model, M5A CAR-T cells displayed better antitumor efficacy without preconditioning. Discussion: Our findings suggest that scFvs derived from different antibodies have distinctive characteristics, and stable expression and appropriate affinity are critical for robust antitumor efficacy. This study highlights the importance of selecting an optimal scFv in CAR-T cell design for effective CEA-targeted therapy. The identified optimal scFv, M5A, could be potentially applied in future clinical trials of CAR-T cell therapy targeting CEA-positive carcinoma.

[Pollution Assessment and Source Analysis of Heavy Metals in Atmospheric Deposition in a Lead-zinc Smelting City Based on PMF Model].

To explore the pollution characteristics and sources of heavy metals in atmospheric deposition in a typical lead-zinc smelting city, 511 effective atmospheric deposition samples from 22 points in different functional areas of a city in Henan Province were collected monthly during 2021. The concentrations and spatial-temporal distribution of heavy metals were analyzed. The geo-accumulation index method and health risk assessment model were utilized to evaluate the heavy metal pollution degree. The sources of heavy metals were quantitatively analyzed using a positive matrix factorization (PMF) model. The results showed that the average concentrations of ω(Pb), ω(Cd), ω(As), ω(Cr), ω(Cu), ω(Mn), ω(Ni), and ω(Zn) in atmospheric deposition samples were 3185.77, 78.18, 273.67, 149.50, 453.60, 810.37, 54.38, and 2397.38 mg·kg-1, respectively, which were all higher than the soil background values of Henan Province. All heavy metals except Mn had significant seasonal variation characteristics. The concentrations of Pb, Cd, As, and Cu in the industrial area with lead-zinc smelting were significantly higher than those in other functional areas, and the concentration of Zn was the highest in the residential mixed area. The results of the geo-accumulation index showed that the pollution of Cd and Pb were the most serious, followed by that of Zn, Cu, and As, which belonged to the serious-extreme pollution category. The main exposure route of non-carcinogenic risk was hand-mouth intake. Pb and As posed the greatest non-carcinogenic risk to children in all functional areas. The carcinogenic risks of Cr, As, Cd, and Ni through the respiratory system to humans were all below the threshold values. The analysis of the PMF model showed that the main sources of heavy metals in atmospheric deposition were industrial pollution sources (39.7%), transportation sources (28.9%), secondary dust sources (14.4%), incineration and coal combustion sources (9.3%), and natural sources (7.8%).

Facile construction of irinotecan loaded mesoporous nano-formulation with surface-initiated polymerization to improve stimuli-responsive drug delivery for breast cancer therapy.

This work uses rice husk to fabricate mesoporous silica nanoparticles (D-RMN) for breast cancer therapy. The biocompatible dual-responsive (DAN-RMN) was developed by polymerizing acrylic acid (AA) and n-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAM) on the DV-RMN surface monomeric ratio to increase drug delivery efficiency after vinyl groups were added to the surface of nanoparticles (DAN-RMN). Various analytical and spectroscopical methods characterized the fabricated nanoparticles. Additionally, further encapsulation with SN-38 into the DAN-RMN enhances anticancer efficiency. The in-vitro controlled SN-38 release displayed remarkable temperature and pH response. The MTT assay established the biocompatibility and cytotoxicity of natural sources of silica and DAN-RMN. The fabricated SN-38@DAN-RMN nanoparticles effectively killed the MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 cancerous cells, confirmed by the MTT assay. The IC50 values of SN-38@DAN-RMN in MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 for 1.8 µg/mL and 1.7 µg/mL, respectively. In addition, acridine orange-ethidium bromide (AO-EB) dual staining methods were used to determine morphological changes of cell shrinkage and fragmentation. Nuclear staining methods confirmed the nuclear fragmentation and condensation of the cells. Further, the cell death was examined using dual staining Annexin V-FITC/PI in flow cytometric analyses to assess apoptosis in the MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 cell lines. The apoptotic cell ratio of SN-38@DAN-RMN in MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 for 27.8 and 32.8, respectively. Since there is no drug leakage in the blood while the carrier is in circulation, the DAN-RMN nanocarrier may be used for targeted and stimuli-responsive administration using ultrasound imaging.

Evaluation on leachability of heavy metals from tailings: risk factor identification and cumulative influence.

The leachability of heavy metals (HMs) in tailings is significantly affected by multivariate factors associated with environmental conditions. However, the leaching patterns of HMs in molybdenum (Mo) tailings due to environmental change and cumulative influences of multi-leaching factors remain unclear. The leaching behaviors of HMs in Mo tailings were studied through static leaching tests. The key leaching factors were discussed via simulating acid rain leaching scenario in terms of global and local environmental conditions. The potential risk factors were identified, and their cumulative influences on the leachability of HMs were evaluated with boosted regression trees (BRT) and generalized additive model (GAM) analyses. Environmental factors showed interactive effects on the leachability of HMs in tailings. The leachability of HMs in tailings decreased significantly with the interaction of increasing liquid/solid (L/S) ratio and pH. Rebound of leachability was observed with high L/S ratio (> 60) and long-time leaching (> 30 h). L/S ratio and pH were the most sensitive factors to the leachability of HMs with the corresponding contribution of 40.8% and 27.1%, respectively, followed by leaching time and temperature (~ 16%). The total contribution of global climate-associated factors, i.e., L/S ratio, leaching time, and temperature to the leachability of HMs was up to 70%, while leachate pH shared the other 30%. With the increase of persistent heavy rain in summer globally, As and Cd were found to having higher leaching risks than the other HMs in tailings, although an obvious decrease in their leachability was obtained due to the improvement of acid rain pollution in China. The study provides a valuable method for the identification of potential risk factors and their associations with the leaching behaviors of HMs in tailings under the background of obvious improvement on acid rain pollution in China and global climate change.

Comparison of two different flexible laryngeal airway masks in pediatric ophthalmic surgeries: A retrospective study.

This study aimed to compare the clinical effects of the Medis flexible laryngeal mask airway (FLMA) with those of the Ambu AuraFlex FLMA in pediatric ophthalmic surgery. A total of 80 patients, aged 1 to 5 years, in American Society of Anesthesiologists I-II, weighing ≥10 kg, and without any existing airway difficulties, were enrolled in this study. The patients were randomly divided into Group M (Medis FLMA) and Group A (Ambu AuraFlex FLMA). The time of insertion, number of attempts, finger assistance required, manipulation, oropharyngeal leak pressure (OLP), fiberoptic grade of view, and complications such as bloodstaining, hoarseness, and sore throat were recorded. Group M showed a significantly higher OLP than did Group A (P = .002); however, Group M required more finger assistance than did Group A (P = .009). There were no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups in terms of insertion time, number of attempts, manipulation, fiberoptic view grade, or complications. Both the Medis and Ambu AuraFlex FLMA can provide smooth ventilation during pediatric ophthalmic surgeries. The Medis FLMA showed a higher OLP than did the Ambu AuraFlex FLMA but required more finger assistance during insertion.

CD27 agonism coordinates with CD28 and 4-1BB signal to augment the efficacy of CAR-T cells in colorectal tumor.

Chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) is regarded as a promising therapy for malignancies. In our previous clinical trial targeted colorectal tumors, we found that CAR-T cells experienced poor proliferation and persistence in tumor sites. To improve the efficacy of CAR-T cells, we introduced CD27 co-stimulation signal into the established system and found that the CEA28BB27Z CAR-T cells exhibited enhanced proliferation and anti-tumor activity. Next, we demonstrated that the CEA28BB27Z CAR-T cells expressed less immune checkpoint receptors and generated more CD4+ and CD8+ memory stem T (TSCM) cells compared with other CARs during constant antigen stimulation. Furthermore, our data revealed that the different combination of co-stimulation signal affected the mitochondrial dynamics of CAR-T cells, and CEA28BB27Z CAR-T cells maintained more fused mitochondrial network compared with others. Finally, we validated the superior antitumor capacity of the CEA28BB27Z CAR-T cells in xenograft models. Our findings suggest that CD27 co-stimulation signals play a key role in improving the anti-tumor efficacy of CAR-T cells.

Recycled biochar adsorption combined with CaCl2 washing to increase rice yields and decrease Cd levels in grains and paddy soils: A field study.

Field-scale trials were conducted to remove cadmium (Cd) from paddy soil by using recycled hydroxyapatite modified biochar (HBC) plus low-level CaCl2 washing. Synergistic reduction efficiencies of total and available Cd in soil (45.6 % and 36.8 %) were achieved by the combined amendments compared with only HBC or CaCl2. The release of Cd from soil particulates was facilitated by CaCl2 washing and the increased soluble Cd in soil water (hardly removed by drainage) could be removed efficiently by recycled HBC adsorption. Significantly decreases in Cd translocation and accumulation in rice plants benefited from the decrease of Cd level and availability in soil and the increase of available silicon (Si). As a result, Cd contents in early/late rice grains decreased by ~85 % and met the Chinese national food standard. SOM, CEC, and soil nutrients after remediation were increased due to 10 %-15 % of HBC residual. Grain yields of the early and late rice increased by 34.1 % and 9.91 %, respectively. The collected HBC (>85 % of the total used HBC) was in-situ regenerated and could be used in the next field trials. The generated wastewater together with drainage from field treatment could be reused as irrigation water after the treatment with a small-scale reclamation ecosystem. The work provides a novelty remediation strategy for Cd-contaminated paddy soil. The noticeable remediation efficiency for Cd reduction in soil and grains, and improved productivity-relevant soil properties have important implications for paddy soil with poor fertility, severe desilicification, and Cd contamination in South China whereas the application of biochar or chemical washing alone did not.

Reduction of cadmium bioavailability in paddy soil and its accumulation in brown rice by FeCl3 washing combined with biochar: A field study.

Cadmium (Cd) removal from paddy soil to reduce Cd accumulation in brown rice is essential for agroecology, food safety, and human health. In this study, we demonstrate that ferric chloride (FeCl3) washing combined with biochar treatment efficiently remediates Cd-contaminated paddy soil in field trials. Our results showed that 30.9 % of total Cd and 41.6 % of bioavailable Cd were removed by the addition of 0.03 M FeCl3 at a liquid/soil ratio of 1.5:1. The subsequent addition of 1 % biochar further reduced bioavailable Cd by 36.5 and 41.5 %, compared with FeCl3 washing or biochar treatment alone. The principal component regression analysis showed that the Cd content in brown rice was primarily affected by the bioavailable Cd in soil. The combined remediation contributed to the decreased Cd contents in brown rice by 45.5-62.5 %, as well as a 2.7-11.8 % increase in rice yield. The Cd contents in brown rice decreased to 0.12 and 0.04 mg kg-1 in two cultivars of rice (Zhuliangyou189 and Zhuliangyou929), lower than the national food safety standard limit value of China (0.2 mg kg-1). Meanwhile, the combined remediation promoted the restoration of soil pH and organic matter as well as the improvement of available nutrients. This finding suggests that the combination of FeCl3 washing and biochar is an effective remediation strategy to minimize Cd bioavailability in paddy soil, and improves soil quality, thus contributing to food safety.

Cost-Effectiveness of Posaconazole vs. First-Generation Triazoles for the Prevention of Invasive Fungal Infections Among High-Risk Patients With Hematological Malignancies in China.

Background: Posaconazole is confirmed to be more effective for preventing invasive fungal infections (IFIs) than first-generation triazoles (fluconazole and itraconazole), but its economic value has not been comprehensively evaluated in China. This study compared the cost-effectiveness of these two antifungal prophylaxis regimens in hematological-malignancy patients at high risk for IFIs from the Chinese healthcare perspective. Methods: A hybrid decision tree and Markov model were built using published data to estimate the total costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) of antifungal prophylaxis with posaconazole oral suspension and first-generation triazoles. Regimens with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) lower than the threshold of willingness to pay (WTP) were considered cost-effective. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to assess model robustness. The regional imbalance of economic development and the tablet formulation of posaconazole were considered in the scenario analyses. Results: In the base-case analysis, posaconazole oral suspension provided an additional 0.109 QALYs at an incremental cost of $954.7, yielding an ICER of $8,784.4/QALY, below the national WTP threshold of $31,315/QALY. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses showed that the results were robust. Scenario analyses showed that the base-case ICER was consistently below the WTP thresholds of all 31 Chinese provinces, with the likelihood of posaconazole being cost-effectiveness ranging from 78.1 to 99.0%. When the posaconazole oral suspension was replaced by the tablet formulation, the ICER increased to $29,214.1/QALY, still below the national WTP threshold and WTP thresholds of 12 provinces. Conclusions: Posaconazole oral suspension is a highly cost-effective regimen for preventing IFI in high-risk hematological-malignancy patients from the Chinese healthcare perspective. Posaconazole tablets may also be considered in some high-income regions of China.

Lenvatinib Combined With a PD-1 Inhibitor as Effective Therapy for Advanced Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma.

Background: Lenvatinib combined with a PD-1 inhibitor has obtained a satisfactory antitumor effect in several solid tumors. However, the efficacy and tumor response of lenvatinib with a PD-1 inhibitor in advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma still need further exploration. Methods: This is a single-arm study for the assessment of the efficacy and tolerability of lenvatinib with a PD-1 inhibitor in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients who had chemotherapy failure. Efficacy was evaluated based on the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors RECIST Version 1.1 (RECIST 1.1). Results: A total of 40 patients with advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma were enrolled after the chemorefractory effect. The median progression-free survival was 5.83 ± 0.76 months. The 3-month and 6-month progression-free survival rates were 80.0% and 32.5%, respectively. The median overall survival was 14.30 ± 1.30 months. The 12-month and 18-month overall survival rates were 61.4% and 34.7%. The 3-month RECIST 1.1 evaluation was that seven patients (17.5%) showed partial response, 23 patients (57.5%) had stable disease, and 10 patients (25.0%) had progressive disease. The objective response rate was 17.5%, and the disease control rate was 75.0%. All the recorded any-grade adverse events inducing treatment termination were controllable, and there were no AE-related deaths. Conclusion: Our study showed that a combination of lenvatinib with the PD-1 inhibitor could be an effective treatment for advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma after the chemorefractory effect.

Fine particulate-bound arsenic and selenium from coal-fired power plants: Formation, removal and bioaccessibility.

The arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) in fine particulate matter (PM10) have attracted increasing attentions due to their health effects. However, the emission control of fine particulate-bound arsenic and selenium (fine particulate-bound As/Se) from coal-fired power plants still faces various challenges. Understanding the formation and characteristics of fine particulate-bound As/Se is crucial for developing specific control technologies. This study clarifies the formation mechanism, removal characteristics, and inhalation bioaccessibility of fine particulate-bound As/Se from industrial coal-fired power plants through methods including aerosol generation, As/Se speciation determination, and in vitro bioaccessibility testing. The findings demonstrated that PM1 from pulverized coal-fired (PC) boilers was enriched with As/Se in terms of concentration and mass distribution. Instead, As/Se was mainly distributed in PM2.5-10 from circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boilers. Limestone injection in CFB boilers promoted As/Se enrichment in coarse PM. Fine particulate-bound As was mainly formed by chemical adsorption of As vapors by Ca-minerals, while the formation of fine particulate-bound Se was closely related to active Ca-minerals and Fe-minerals. Furthermore, Ca-bound As was easy to remove by electrostatic precipitator (ESP) and the removal of physically adsorbed SeO2(s) was difficult, which was caused by the specific resistivity of different mineral components. Importantly, finer particulate-bound As/Se posed higher inhalation bioaccessibility, following the order of PM1 ≥ PM1-2.5 > PM2.5-10. In particular, Ca-bound Se in fine PM owned high bioaccessibility. Based on these findings, measures were proposed to suppress the formation of fine particulate-bound As/Se in the furnace and/or strengthen its removal in the post-combustion stage.

Incidence, risk factors and mortality of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in patients with influenza: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: An increasing number of cases of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) complicating influenza have been described. We performed a meta-analysis to estimate the incidence, risk factors and outcomes of IPA in patients with influenza. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in the PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases from their inception to 31 August 2021 for eligible studies. Data on the incidence and risk factors of and mortality due to IPA in influenza patients were pooled using a random-effects model. Sensitivity analyses restricted to severe influenza requiring intensive care unit (ICU) support and multiple subgroup analyses were performed. RESULTS: Fourteen studies involving 6024 hospitalised patients with influenza were included. IPA was estimated to occur in 10% of influenza patients, with a mortality rate of 52%. Similar incidence (11%) and mortality (54%) estimates for IPA were observed in the sensitivity analysis including severe cases requiring ICU support. Subgroup analysis by geographical location showed a similar IPA rate between European (10%) and non-European (11%) studies. The IPA rate in the subset of nine studies using the modified AspICU criteria was 13%. Most subgroup analyses showed ≥50% mortality in IPA patients. Several predictors for IPA susceptibility were identified, including male sex, smoking history, chronic lung disease, influenza A (H1N1), severe conditions requiring supportive therapy, corticosteroid use before admission, solid organ transplant and haematological malignancy. CONCLUSIONS: The IPA is common in individuals with severe influenza, and the prognosis is particularly poor. Influenza patients, especially those with high-risk factors, should be thoroughly screened for IPA.

Insights into deep decline of As(III) leachability induced by As(III) partial oxidation during lime stabilization of As-Ca sludge.

The enhancing effect of As(III) oxidation on As stabilization by lime is routinely attributed to the lower solubility of Ca arsenates than Ca arsenites. However, this routine explanation is insufficient for the scenario of As(III) partial oxidation, in which Ca arsenites still predominate As leachability due to the relatively high solubility. In this study, an As-Ca sludge with a high As(III) content (96 g/kg, 55% of the As(tot)) was treated by oxidant-lime to clarify the positive effect of As(III) partial oxidation. Lime alone only reduced As(tot) leaching concentrations from 541 to 4.9 mg/L (4.3 mg/L of As(III) and 0.6 mg/L of As(V)), failing to meet the regulatory limit (2.5 mg/L). After partial oxidation of As(III), lime treatment could further reduce As(III) leaching concentrations from 4.3 to below 1.9 mg/L, whereas As(V) remained stable at about 0.6 mg/L. Qualitative and quantitative analyses based on XRD, SEM-EDS, TG, and thermodynamic modeling suggested that the solubility of newly-formed amorphous Ca arsenites (CaHAsIIIO3•xH2O) after lime treatment determined the final As(III) leachability. The CaHAsIIIO3•xH2O formed at lower As(III) contents due to As(III) partial oxidation had lower solubility products and possibly higher crystallinity, resulting in the lower As(III) leachability. This study provides new insights into the role of As(III) partial oxidation in deep decline of As(III) leachability during lime stabilization, guiding the treatment of As-Ca sludge as well as other As(III)-bearing solid wastes.

Synergistic effect of floatable hydroxyapatite-modified biochar adsorption and low-level CaCl2 leaching on Cd removal from paddy soil.

The utilization of recycled biochar combined with chemical leaching is an appropriate method to remove cadmium (Cd) from paddy soil. Some Cd-rich soil clay particulates (particulate Cd) are reported to be removed via biochar adsorption and the potential impact of biochar on soil properties need further study. The removal efficiencies and mechanisms of Cd from soil by using floatable hydroxyapatite modified biochar (HBC) combined with CaCl2 were studied. Synergetic removal efficiencies of total Cd (46.5%) and bioavailable Cd (37.9%) from the paddy soil were achieved with 2% HBC and 1 mM CaCl2. The increased soluble Cd in soil pore water by CaCl2 leaching could be efficiently adsorbed on HBC, and removed by HBC collection, reducing the risk of the residual soluble Cd in soil pore water to rice plants caused by the inefficient drainage in the field. The suspendability of clay particulates in overlying water was little affected by the low-level CaCl2 based on Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) calculation. Moreover, low-level CaCl2 facilitated the accumulation of particulate Cd on the floating HBC via decreasing the interaction energy (by 25%) between clay particulates and HBC. HBC-mediated Cd migration contributed ~70% of total Cd removal, while soluble and particulate Cd removed through the drainage accounted for ~30%. Soil clay proportion maintained at 25.3% due to the replenishment of HBC residues. In addition, soil nutrient and physicochemical conditions were improved with HBC residues. This work provides a novel soil remediation method by using floatable biochar combined with low-level CaCl2 for Cd-contaminated paddy soil remediation.

Unsupervised single-image dehazing using the multiple-scattering model.

An unsupervised single-image dehazing method using a multiple scattering model is proposed. The method uses an undegraded atmospheric multiple scattering model and unsupervised learning to implement dehazing on single real-world image. The atmospheric multiple scattering model can avoid the influence of multiple scattering on the image and the unsupervised neural network can avoid the intensive operation on the data set. In this method, three unsupervised learning branches and a blur kernel estimation module estimate the scene radiation layer, transmission layer, atmospheric light layer, and blur kernel layer, respectively. In addition, the unsupervised loss function is constructed by prior knowledge to constrain the unsupervised branches. Finally, the output of the three unsupervised branches and the blur kernel estimation module synthesizes the haze image in a self-supervised way. A large number of experiments show that the proposed method has good performance in image dehazing compared with the six most advanced dehazing methods.

Lipidomic Profiling Reveals Distinct Differences in Sphingolipids Metabolic Pathway between Healthy Apis cerana cerana larvae and Chinese Sacbrood Disease.

Chinese sacbrood disease (CSD), which is caused by Chinese sacbrood virus (CSBV), is a major viral disease in Apis cerana cerana larvae. Analysis of lipid composition is critical to the study of CSBV replication. The host lipidome profiling during CSBV infection has not been conducted. This paper identified the lipidome of the CSBV-larvae interaction through high-resolution mass spectrometry. A total of 2164 lipids were detected and divided into 20 categories. Comparison of lipidome between healthy and CSBV infected-larvae showed that 266 lipid species were altered by CSBV infection. Furthermore, qRT-PCR showed that various sphingolipid enzymes and the contents of sphingolipids in the larvae were increased, indicating that sphingolipids may be important for CSBV infection. Importantly, Cer (d14:1 + hO/21:0 + O), DG (41:0e), PE (18:0e/18:3), SM (d20:0/19:1), SM (d37:1), TG (16:0/18:1/18:3), TG (18:1/20:4/21:0) and TG (43:7) were significantly altered in both CSBV_24 h vs. CK_24 h and CSBV_48 h vs. CK_48 h. Moreover, TG (39:6), which was increased by more than 10-fold, could be used as a biomarker for the early detection of CSD. This study provides evidence that global lipidome homeostasis in A. c. cerana larvae is remodeled after CSBV infection. Detailed studies in the future may improve the understanding of the relationship between the sphingolipid pathway and CSBV replication.