[Vertical Migration Characteristics and Fate of Heavy Metals from Zinc Smelting Slag in Soil Profile].

To investigate the influence of heavy metals in smelting waste residue on the quality of soil and groundwater, a simulation column experiment was conducted to study the migration characteristics of heavy metals from the leaching solution of zinc volatilizing kiln residue in the site soil profile under continuous or intermittent leaching for 90 days. The concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in leachate and their accumulation, chemical fractions, and particle size distribution characteristics in the soil profile were analyzed, and the retention mechanism of heavy metals was also discussed. The results showed that the concentration of heavy metals in the soil column leachate decreased rapidly after reaching the peak at the earlier leaching stage, and the Cd concentration far exceeded the threshold limit of 0.1 mg·L-1(class Ⅳ) of the Quality Standard for Groundwater(GB/T 14848-2017), indicating that there was Cd pollution risk of groundwater. The soil profile had a great adsorption capacity for heavy metals in the waste residue. Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn were predominately accumulated in the shallow soil depth(0-10 cm), which was 237-429, 1.25-16.2, 1.38-2.31, and 1.79-3.17 times of the content of corresponding heavy metals in the soil profile before leaching, respectively. The migration distance of heavy metals in the slag under continuous leaching was longer than that under intermittent leaching, and Cd was significantly accumulated in the deep layer of the soil column. The contribution of soil coarse particles(0.5-2.0 mm) to the total cumulative amount of Cd, Cu, and Zn was larger, whereas Pb was more prone to accumulate in the particle size of<0.25 mm. The results of BCR sequential extraction fraction showed that the accumulated Cd, Cu, and Zn in shallow soil depth were mainly present in the weak acid extraction, accounting for 62.4%-76.7%, 72.0%-95.8%, and 67.6%-85.8% of total content, respectively. The X-ray diffraction(XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) analysis showed that exogenous heavy metals in slag entering the soil would not form a stable mineral phase within 90 days, and the soil hydroxyl(-OH) and carbonyl(C=O) functional groups and iron aluminum silicate oxides were the main retention factors.

Prevalence and clinical characteristics of T2DM patients with OTUD3 gene rs78466831 SNP at a single academic center in China.

Background: A novel, rare OTUD3 c.863G>A (rs78466831) in humans has been reported associated with diabetes, but the prevalence and clinical characteristics of T2DM patients with rs78466831 have not been reported before. Objective: To investigate the prevalence and clinical characteristics of T2DM patients with rs78466831 and provide a basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Methods: OTUD3 gene rs78466831 SNP was detected by Sanger sequencing in all the collected specimens of laboratory-confirmed T2DM patients and healthy people. Clinical characteristics indexes inconsisting of fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and a body mass index (BMI), T2DM-associated chronic complications (myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular disease, retinopathy, arterial plaque, peripheral neuropathy and nephropathy) were obtained from the clinical laboratory information systems and electronic medical record system. Clinical characteristic indicators were compared between the wild-type and variant (rs78466831) patients with T2DM. Results: The prevalence of rs78466831 in the T2DM patients group was significantly higher than the healthy control in our academic center. The general characteristic indicators were not significantly different between the wild-type and rs78466831 patients with T2DM, except the family history of diabetes. Clinical laboratory indicators including HbA1c, FBG, OGTT, TC, HDL-C, LDL-C and CP had no significant difference between the two groups. The therapeutic drug and target achievement rates were not significantly different between the two groups. The incidence of diabetic retinopathy in the variant group was significantly higher than the wild-type group. Conclusions: The OTUD3 gene rs78466831 was associated with T2DM and may be a biological risk factor of diabetes retinopathy.

Infection with SARS-CoV-2 causes abnormal laboratory results of multiple organs in patients.

AIM: To evaluate the clinical value of abnormal laboratory results of multiple organs in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) and to help clinicians perform correct treatment. RESULTS: Elevated neutrophil-to-LYM ratio (NLR), D-dimer(D-D), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-2, interferon-Y, and age were significantly associated with the severity of illness. However, significant and sustained decreases were observed in the LYM subset (p<0.05). D-D, T cell counts, and cytokine levels in severe COVID-19 patients who survived the disease gradually recovered at later time points to levels that were comparable to those of mild cases. Second, D-D increased from 0.5 to 8, and the risk ratio increased from 2.75 to 55, eventually leading to disseminated intravascular coagulation. Moreover, the acute renal function damage occurred earlier than abnormal heart and liver functions (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The degrees of lymphopenia and proinflammatory cytokine storm were higher in severe COVID-19 patients than in mild cases. The degree was associated with the disease severity. Advanced age, NLR, D-D, and cytokine levels may serve as useful prognostic factors for the early identification of severe COVID-19 cases. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples were collected from 93 confirmed COVID-19 patients. The samples were examined for lymphocyte (LYM) subsets by flow cytometry and cytokine profiles by specific immunoassays. The receiver operating characteristic curve was applied to determine the best diagnostic thresholds for laboratory results, and principal component analysis was used to screen the major risk factors. The prognostic values were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier curve and univariate and multivariate COX regression models.

The diagnostic and predictive role of NLR, d-NLR and PLR in COVID-19 patients.

AIM: To accumulate evidence that indicated the key role played by virus-triggered inflammation in the 2019-novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) which emerged in Wuhan City and rapidly spread throughout China. METHODS: Age, neutrophil(NEU)-to-lymphocyte (LYM) ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte (MON) ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) of 93 patients with laboratory confirmed COVID-19 were investigated and compared. The receiver operating characteristic curve was applied to determine the thresholds for five bio-markers, and their prognostic values were assessed via the Kaplan-Meier curve and multivariate COX regression models. RESULTS: The median age was 46.4 years old, and 37cases were females. A total of 27.8% of patients had been to Wuhan, and 73.1% had contacted with people from Wuhan. Fever (83.8%) and cough (70.9%) were the two most common symptoms. Elevated NLR and age were significantly associated with illness severity. The binary logistic analysis identified elevated NLR (hazard risk [HR] 2.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.98-4.57) and age (HR 2.52, 95% CI 1.65-4.83) as independent factors for poor clinical outcome of COVID-19. NLR exhibited the largest area under the curve at 0.841, with the highest specificity (63.6%) and sensitivity (88%). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated age and NLR can be considered independent biomarkers for indicating poor clinical outcomes.

Long noncoding RNA C21orf121/bone morphogenetic protein 2/microRNA-140-5p gene network promotes directed differentiation of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth to neuronal cells.

Previous studies have revealed that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and microRNA play a crucial role in autism, which is a childhood neurodevelopmental disorder with complicated genetic origins. Hence, the study concerns whether lncRNA C21orf121/bone morphogenetic proteins 2 (BMP2)/miR-140-5p gene network affects directed differentiation of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) to neuronal cells in rats with autism. Autism models were successfully established. The neuron cells that differentiated from SHED cell were identified. The expression of lncRNA C21orf121, miR-140-5p, BMP2, Nestin, ßIII-tubulin, and microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) and the expression of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) were examined. Besides, the gap junction (GJ) function of SHED, the intracellular free Ca 2+ concentration, and the social behavior and repetitive stereotyped movements of rats in autism were detected. The target relationship between lncRNA C21orf121 and miR-140-5p and that between miR-140-5p and BMP2 were also verified. Firstly, we successfully isolated SHED and identified the differentiated neurons of SHED. Besides, the expression of BMP2, MAP2, Nestin, ßIII-tubulin, NSE positive rate, GJ function, and intracellular free Ca 2+ concentration were increased with the upregulation of C21orf121 and downregulation of miR-140-5p, and accumulated time of repetitive stereotyped movements decreased and the frequency of social behavior increased. The results indicate that lncRNA C21orf121 as a competing endogenous RNA competes with BMP2 binding to miR-140-5p, thereby promoting SHED to differentiate into neuronal cells via upregulating BMP2 expression.

Application of OCT angiography in ophthalmology / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a new technology of angiography in recent years.In addition to the advantages of traditional OCT,it can observe blood flow in different retinal and choroidal segmentation slab.By using the pseudo-color,abnormal vascular structure can be distinguished from normal vascular structure of the retina.Dye injection is not needed with OCTA,which is different from fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA).OCTA provides more and more accurate blood flow information.However,like other biometric technology,OCTA has its limitations and shortcomings.This review will analyze and summarize the operating principle of OCTA,its application in ophthalmology,as well as its advantages and limitations.

Neutrophil CD64 combined with PCT, CRP and WBC improves the sensitivity for the early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine whether neutrophil CD64 (nCD64) combined with procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP) and white blood cell count (WBC) can increase the sensitivity and accuracy of neonatal sepsis diagnosis. METHODS: The serum levels of nCD64, CRP, PCT and WBC were detected in 60 patients with neonatal sepsis and 60 patients with non-sepsis. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC), and logistic regression analysis were performed to evaluate the diagnostic value of these markers on neonatal sepsis. RESULTS: Serum levels of nCD64, PCT, CRP and WBC were higher in the sepsis group than non-sepsis group (p<0.001). The sensitivities of nCD64, PCT, CRP and WBC at the recommended cut-off level for all infants were 79.5%, 68.2%, 38.6% and 52.3%, respectively. The best combination was nCD64 and PCT, which obtained sensitivity of 90.9%, largest AUC of 0.922, and a negative predictive value of 89.2%. However by using an optimal cut-off value, the sensitivities of all four biomarkers for the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis were increased to 95.5%. Except for WBC, the birth weight and gestational age had no effects on the diagnostic value of these serum biomarkers. CONCLUSIONS: nCD64 and PCT are better diagnostic biomarkers for early diagnosis of neonatal sepsis as compared to CRP. With the help of optimal cut-off value based on ROC curve and logistic regression analysis, the combination of these biomarkers could improve the sensitivity for the diagnosis of suspected late-onset neonatal sepsis based on common serum biomarkers.

CA72-4 combined with CEA, CA125 and CAl9-9 improves the sensitivity for the early diagnosis of gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To determine whether the combination of tumor markers (CA72-4, CA125, CA19-9 and CEA) could increase the sensitivity and accuracy for in the diagnosis of gastric cancer (GC). METHODS: This study is a retrospective analysis. A total of 426 patients, including 106 patients with GC, 149 patients with benign gastric diseases and 171 healthy people, who visited Zhejiang Xiaoshan Hospital from January 2011 to December 2013, were measured by serum markers, including CA72-4, CA125, CA19-9 and CEA. Statistical analyses including area under curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and logistic regression analysis, were performed to evaluate the diagnostic value of these markers on GC. RESULTS: Serum levels of CA72-4, CEA, CA125 and CA19-9 were higher in the GC group than those in the benign gastric disease group and the healthy control group (P<0.005). The sensitivities of CA72-4, CEA, CA125 and CA19-9 at the recommended cut-off level for all patients were 33.0%, 25.5%, 31.1% and 38.7%, respectively. However, when all four markers were used in combination the sensitivity increased to 66.0%. But by using an optimal cut-off value, the sensitivities of all four markers for the diagnosis of GC were improved. Especially the sensitivity of CEA increased to 73.6% and the sensitivity of the combination of the tumor markers increased to 75.5%. The age and gender had no effects on the diagnostic value of these markers. CONCLUSIONS: With the help of optimal cut-off values based on ROC curve and logistic regression analysis, the combination of these markers could improve the sensitivity for the diagnosis of GC based on common serum tumor markers.

[Correlation between blood-stasis tongue figure and platelet activating factor (PAF) and acetyl hydrolase of PAF (PAF-AH) in patients with primary dysmenorrhea].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the pathologic mechanism of blood-stasis tongue figure (BSTF) formation in patients with primary dysmenorrhea. METHODS: Blood levels of platelet activating factor (PAF) and acetyl hydrolase of PAF (PAF-AH) in 41 patients with primary dysmenorrhea and 20 healthy subjects were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: The level of PAF in the 22 patients with BSTF was 252. 214 +/- 37. 568 ng/L, which was higher than that in patients without BSTF (19 patients, 212.348 +/- 22.794 ng/L) and healthy subjects (182.126 +/- 18.306 ng/L) respectively, while level of PAF-AH showed an opposite sequence in them, i.e., 3.090 +/- 1.483, 5.382 +/- 1.873, and 5.607 +/- 2.073 ng/L, respectively (P < 0.05). Patients without BSTF showed only a higher level of PAF when compared with that in healthy subjects (P < 0.05). No significant difference in PAF or PAF-AH levels was shown among patients with BDTF of different Chinese medical syndrome types (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: PAF level obviously increased and PAF-AH level obviously decreased in primary dysmenorrhea patients of BSTF, suggesting that the imbalance of PAF and PAF-AH was correlated with the pathologic mechanism of the BSTF formation in primary dysmenorrhea patients.