Paired Electrolysis-Enabled Arylation of Quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones.

The first paired electrolysis-enabled arylation of quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones was achieved using cyanoarenes as the arylation reagents. A variety of 3-arylquinoxalin-2(1H)-ones with various important functional groups were obtained in moderate to good yields under metal- and chemical oxidant-free conditions. With a pair of reductive and oxidative processes occurring among the substrates and reaction intermediates, the power consumption can be dramatically reduced.

Dual Factor-Loaded Artificial Periosteum Accelerates Bone Regeneration.

In the clinic, inactivation of osteosarcoma using microwave ablation would damage the periosteum, resulting in frequent postoperative complications. Therefore, the development of an artificial periosteum is crucial for postoperative healing. In this study, we prepared an artificial periosteum using silk fibroin (SF) loaded with stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) to accelerate bone remodeling after the microwave ablation of osteosarcoma. The prepared artificial periosteum showed a sustained release of SDF-1α and CGRP after 14 days of immersion. In vitro culture of rat periosteal stem cells (rPDSCs) demonstrated that the artificial periosteum is favorable for cell recruitment, the activity of alkaline phosphatase, and bone-related gene expression. Furthermore, the artificial periosteum improved the tube formation and angiogenesis-related gene expression of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In an animal study, the periosteum in the femur of a rabbit was inactivated through microwave ablation and then removed. The damaged periosteum was replaced with the as-prepared artificial periosteum and favored bone regeneration. In all, the designed dual-factor-loaded artificial periosteum is a promising strategy to replace the damaged periosteum in the therapy of osteosarcoma for a better bone-rebuilding process.

A COX2-targeting cancer-specific fluorescent probe for hydrogen sulfide detection in living cells, Caenorhabditis elegans, and zebrafish.

A novel cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) targeted H2S-activated cancer-specific fluorescent probe, namely, COX2-H2S, was designed and synthesized, with naphthalimide as the fluorophore and indomethacin as the targeting group. This H2S-sensing probe was developed to differentiate tumor cells from normal cells and was tested in living cells, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), and zebrafish. The probe could successfully be used for imaging endogenous and exogenous H2S in living cells, demonstrating high sensitivity and specificity and strong anti-interference. COX2-H2S had the ability to not only discern cancer cells from normal cells but also specifically recognize 9L/lacZ cells from other glioblastoma cells (U87-MG and LN229). It could also be successfully applied for the fluorescent live imaging of H2S in both C. elegans and zebrafish.

Global crotonylome identifies EP300-regulated ANXA2 crotonylation in cumulus cells as a regulator of oocyte maturation.

Lysine crotonylation (Kcr), a newly discovered post-translational modification, played a crucial role in physiology and disease progression. However, the roles of crotonylation in oocyte meiotic resumption remain elusive. As abnormal cumulus cell development will cause oocyte maturation arrest and female infertility, we report that cumulus cells surrounding human meiotic arrested oocytes showed significantly lower crotonylation, which was associated with decreased EP300 expression and blocked cumulus cell expansion. In cultured human cumulus cells, exogenous crotonylation or EP300 activator promoted cell proliferation and reduced cell apoptosis, whereas EP300 knockdown induced the opposite effect. Transcriptome profiling analysis in human cumulus cells indicated that functions of crotonylation were associated with activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway. Importantly, we characterized the Kcr proteomics landscape in cumulus cells by LC-MS/MS analysis, and identified that annexin A2 (ANXA2) was crotonylated in cumulus cells in an EP300-dependent manner. Crotonylation of ANXA2 enhanced the ANXA2-EGFR binding, and then activated the EGFR pathway to affect cumulus cell proliferation and apoptosis. Using mouse oocytes IVM model and EP300 knockout mice, we further confirmed that crotonylation alteration in cumulus cells affected the oocyte maturation. Together, our results indicated that EP300-mediated crotonylation is important for cumulus cells functions and oocyte maturation.

Survival analysis of patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: a nomogram for clinical and MRI features.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to establish a predictive model to estimate the postoperative prognosis of patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC) based on preoperative clinical and MRI features. METHODS: A total of 104 patients with ECC confirmed by surgery and pathology were enrolled from January 2013 to July 2021, whose preoperative clinical, laboratory, and MRI data were retrospectively collected and examined, and the effects of clinical and imaging characteristics on overall survival (OS) were analyzed by constructing Cox proportional hazard regression models. A nomogram was constructed to predict OS, and calibration curves and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were employed to assess OS accuracy. RESULTS: Multivariate regression analyses revealed that gender, DBIL, ALT, GGT, tumor size, lesion's position, the signal intensity ratio of liver to paraspinal muscle (SIRLiver/Muscle), and the signal intensity ratio of spleen to paraspinal muscle (SIRSpleen/Muscle) on T2WI sequences were significantly associated with OS, and these variables were included in a nomogram. The concordance index of nomogram for predicting OS was 0.766, and the AUC values of the nomogram predicting 1-year and 2-year OS rates were 0.838 and 0.863, respectively. The calibration curve demonstrated good agreement between predicted and observed OS. 5-fold and 10-fold cross-validation show good stability of nomogram predictions. CONCLUSIONS: Our nomogram based on clinical, laboratory, and MRI features well predicted OS of ECC patients, and could be considered as a convenient and personalized prediction tool for clinicians to make decisions.

The value of an MRI-based radiomics model in predicting the survival and prognosis of patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to establish radiomics models based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) multiparameter images to predict the survival and prognosis of patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC). METHODS: Seventy-eight patients with ECC confirmed by pathology were collected retrospectively. The radiomics model_a/b/c were constructed based on the 1/2/3-year survival of patients with ECC. The best texture features were selected according to postoperative survival time and ECC patient status to calculate the radiomics score (Rad-score). A cutoff value was selected, and patients were divided into high-risk and low-risk groups. RESULTS: Model_a, model_b, and model_c were used to predict 1-, 2-, and 3-year postoperative survival rates, respectively. The area under the curve values in the training and test groups were 1.000 and 0.933 for model_a, 0.909 and 0.907 for model_b, 1.000 and 0.975 for model_c, respectively. The survival prediction model based on the Rad-score showed that the postoperative mortality risk differed significantly between risk groups (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The MRI radiomics model could be used to predict the survival and prognosis of patients with ECC.

Single-Cell Atlas of Human Ovaries Reveals The Role Of The Pyroptotic Macrophage in Ovarian Aging.

Female fecundity declines in a nonlinear manner with age during the reproductive years, even as ovulatory cycles continue, which reduces female fertility, disrupts metabolic homeostasis, and eventually induces various chronic diseases. Despite this, the aging-related cellular and molecular changes in human ovaries that occur during these reproductive years have not been elucidated. Here, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of human ovaries is performed from different childbearing ages and reveals that the activation of the pyroptosis pathway increased with age, mainly in macrophages. The enrichment of pyroptotic macrophages leads to a switch from a tissue-resident macrophage (TRM)-involve immunoregulatory microenvironment in young ovaries to a pyroptotic monocyte-derived macrophage (MDM)-involved proinflammatory microenvironment in middle-aged ovaries. This remolded ovarian immuno-microenvironment further promotes stromal cell senescence and accelerated reproductive decline. This hypothesis is validated in a series of cell and animal experiments using GSDMD-KO mice. In conclusion, the work expands the current understanding of the ovarian aging process by illustrating a pyroptotic macrophage-involved immune mechanism, which has important implications for the development of novel strategies to delay senescence and promote reproductive health.

[Groundwater Pollution Risk Assessment in Plain Area of Barkol-Yiwu Basin].

Groundwater pollution risk assessment is an important part of groundwater pollution prevention and control. Taking groundwater in the plain area of Barkol-Yiwu Basin as the research object, the DRSTIW model was constructed to evaluate groundwater vulnerability. According to the survey data of contaminated sites and land use types, point source and non-point source pollutions were classified, and the groundwater pollution load was evaluated. The primary value, economic value, and ecological value of groundwater were considered to evaluate the functional value of groundwater. The groundwater pollution risk assessment map was generated by using the map algebra function of ArcGIS software. The ROC curve was used to verify the risk assessment results of groundwater pollution. The spatial distribution of cold and hot spots of groundwater pollution risk was obtained by calculating the G index, and the change in hot spots was quantitatively analyzed by combining the center of gravity and standard deviation ellipse. The results showed that the groundwater vulnerability was generally low. The gentle terrain slope, shallow groundwater depth, and strong aquifer permeability made it easy for pollutants to enter the aquifer, resulting in high groundwater vulnerability in the northwest of Santanghu Town, the southeast of Dahongliuxia Township, and Kuisu Town in Barkol County. The groundwater pollution load and groundwater functional value were generally low, whereas the point source and non-point source pollution caused by industrial and agricultural production and life would increase the groundwater pollution load in local areas, and the human economic activities and habitat quality levels would affect the distribution of high groundwater function value areas. Groundwater pollution risk was generally low; very high and high pollution risk areas only accounted for 6.8% of the study area, mainly distributed in Naomaohu Town and Yanchi Town of Yiwu County, Kuisu Town, Shirenzi Township, Huayuan Township of Barkol County, and Hongshan Farm of Corps. The shallow groundwater depth, strong permeability of soil surface and vadose zone media, poor adsorption capacity, and concentrated distribution of pollution sources made it easy for pollutants to migrate and enrich in these areas. Under the dual influence of high vulnerability and high pollution load of groundwater, the risk of groundwater pollution in local areas increased. Affected by human activities, there was a certain spatial agglomeration of groundwater pollution risk, and the overall trend was from northwest to southeast. The results of groundwater pollution risk assessment provided a scientific reference for the division of groundwater pollution prevention and control areas.

Hydrogeochemical evidence for fluoride sources and enrichment in desert groundwater: A case study of Cherchen River Basin, northwestern China.

The identification of fluoride (F-) sources and enrichment mechanisms is imperative to understand the multiple fluorine (F) pathways, and further, to control regional diffuse F- contamination in groundwater. However, the factors that control high-F- groundwater are not fully understood in desert climate regions. Hence, a sampling campaign was conducted from 71 desert groundwater sites and six river water sites in the Cherchen River Basin (CRB), northwestern China. This study combined hydrochemical compositions with an optimized forward model, with the aim of determining the potential sources and enrichment mechanisms in F--contaminated desert groundwater. Approximately 58.46% of the samples had F- concentrations over the national standard of 1.0 mg/L. More severe F- contamination was found in the multi-layered structured confined aquifer (MCA) of the alluvial plain (1.42 ± 1.11 mg/L). The primary contributors of desert groundwater F- were the dissolution of F-bearing minerals containing evaporite (∼58.80%), silicate (∼15.89%), and carbonate (∼12.94%), followed by the river water input (∼12.08%). In contrast, anthropogenic activities (∼0.16%) and precipitation contributed less to desert groundwater F-. The dissolution equilibrium of CaF2 was important for F- enrichment in desert groundwater. Compared with the piedmont plain, intensive evaporation and salinization were more conducive to F- enrichment in the alluvial plain. Under alkaline condition, the dissolutions of evaporite and fluorite allowed extra F- to release into desert groundwater when Ca2+ and Mg2+ were up to oversaturation. Moreover, the desorption of F- was promoted by competitive adsorption of OH- and HCO3-, and the adsorption capacity of F- was weakened by cation exchange of K++Na+ with Ca2++Mg2+. As a result, desert groundwater had a higher concentration of F- in the alluvial plain. Our study provided a comprehensive understanding of multiple F pathways in desert groundwater. This study also highlights the effect of hydrogeochemical background on high-F- desert groundwater.

MRI-based automatic identification and segmentation of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma using deep learning network.

BACKGROUND: Accurate identification of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC) from an image is challenging because of the small size and complex background structure. Therefore, considering the limitation of manual delineation, it's necessary to develop automated identification and segmentation methods for ECC. The aim of this study was to develop a deep learning approach for automatic identification and segmentation of ECC using MRI. METHODS: We recruited 137 ECC patients from our hospital as the main dataset (C1) and an additional 40 patients from other hospitals as the external validation set (C2). All patients underwent axial T1-weighted imaging (T1WI), T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Manual delineations were performed and served as the ground truth. Next, we used 3D VB-Net to establish single-mode automatic identification and segmentation models based on T1WI (model 1), T2WI (model 2), and DWI (model 3) in the training cohort (80% of C1), and compared them with the combined model (model 4). Subsequently, the generalization capability of the best models was evaluated using the testing set (20% of C1) and the external validation set (C2). Finally, the performance of the developed models was further evaluated. RESULTS: Model 3 showed the best identification performance in the training, testing, and external validation cohorts with success rates of 0.980, 0.786, and 0.725, respectively. Furthermore, model 3 yielded an average Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 0.922, 0.495, and 0.466 to segment ECC automatically in the training, testing, and external validation cohorts, respectively. CONCLUSION: The DWI-based model performed better in automatically identifying and segmenting ECC compared to T1WI and T2WI, which may guide clinical decisions and help determine prognosis.

Melatonin Improves Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Attenuates Neuropathic Pain by Regulating SIRT1 in Dorsal Root Ganglions.

Neuropathic pain is a debilitating chronic pain condition and is refractory to the currently available treatments. Emerging evidence suggests that melatonin exerts analgesic effects in rodent models of neuropathic pain. Nevertheless, the exact underlying mechanisms of the analgesic effects of melatonin on neuropathic pain are largely unknown. Here, we observed that spinal nerve ligation (SNL) in rats L5 and L6 induced an obvious decrease in the 50% paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) and paw withdrawal latency (PWL), indicating the induction of mechanical allodynia and the hyperalgesia, and melatonin prevented the genesis and maintenance of mechanical allodynia and the hyperalgesia. Notably, the inhibitory action of melatonin on SNL-induced mechanical allodynia and heat hypersensitivity was inhibited by a SIRT1 inhibitor (EX527). Melatonin treatment increased the expression of neuronal sirtuin1 (SIRT1) in DRGs following nerve injury. Furthermore, melatonin treatment restored the injury-dependent decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) and reduced the injury-dependent increase in hydrogen peroxide and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), which was inhibited by EX527. In addition, we found that EX527 impeded the inhibitory effects of melatonin on the SNL-induced increased expression of cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß). In conclusion, the above data demonstrated that melatonin alleviated mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia induced by peripheral nerve injury via SIRT1 activation. Melatonin resolved mitochondrial dysfunction-oxidative stress-dependent and neuroinflammation mechanisms that were driven by SIRT1 after nerve injury.

Effects of WeChat follow-up management on the psychological distress, care burden, and quality of life of parents of infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: The objective was to explore the impact of WeChat follow-up management on the psychological distress, care burden, and quality of life of parents of infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) receiving in-home care. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. A total of 101 parents of infants with BPD who were followed up from January 2016 to January 2022 were included in this study. According to different follow-up methods, these patients were classified into the WeChat group and the routine group. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (ZBI), and WHOQOL-BREF were used. The data on the psychological distress, care burden, and quality of life of the parents in the two groups were analyzed and compared at discharge and at the 3-month follow-up. Results: There was no significant difference in the DASS-21 and ZBI scores at discharge between the parents in the two groups. During the 3-month follow-up, the scores of the DASS-21 anxiety and stress subscale and the ZBI of parents in the WeChat group were significantly lower than those of parents in the routine group (P < 0.05); however, there was no significant difference in the depression subscale score between the two groups (P > 0.05). A comparison of the WHOQOL-BREF score between the two groups showed that the total quality of life score in the WeChat group was significantly higher than that in the routine group (P < 0.05). The scores of the psychological and social relationship fields in the WeChat group were significantly higher than those in the routine group (P < 0.05). The incidence of adverse events during follow-up was significantly lower in the WeChat group than in the routine group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: WeChat follow-up management is helpful to decrease the anxiety and stress, reduce the care burden, and improve the quality of life of parents of infants with BPD receiving in-home care.

Multi-Omics Analysis Reveals Translational Landscapes and Regulations in Mouse and Human Oocyte Aging.

Abnormal resumption of meiosis and decreased oocyte quality are hallmarks of maternal aging. Transcriptional silencing makes translational control an urgent task during meiosis resumption in maternal aging. However, insights into aging-related translational characteristics and underlying mechanisms are limited. Here, using multi-omics analysis of oocytes, it is found that translatomics during aging is related to changes in the proteome and reveals decreased translational efficiency with aging phenotypes in mouse oocytes. Translational efficiency decrease is associated with the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification of transcripts. It is further clarified that m6A reader YTHDF3 is significantly decreased in aged oocytes, inhibiting oocyte meiotic maturation. YTHDF3 intervention perturbs the translatome of oocytes and suppress the translational efficiency of aging-associated maternal factors, such as Hells, to affect the oocyte maturation. Moreover, the translational landscape is profiled in human oocyte aging, and the similar translational changes of epigenetic modifications regulators between human and mice oocyte aging are observed. In particular, due to the translational silence of YTHDF3 in human oocytes, translation activity is not associated with m6A modification, but alternative splicing factor SRSF6. Together, the findings profile the specific translational landscapes during oocyte aging in mice and humans, and uncover non-conservative regulators on translation control in meiosis resumption and maternal aging.

Relation disentanglement, the potential risk assessment, and source identification of heavy metals in the sediment of the Changzhao Reservoir, Zhejiang Province.

Heavy metal contamination in the water body is a distinctly important issue for the water security of the reservoir. 114 sediment samples of Changzhao Reservoir were collected to investigate the spatial (horizontal and vertical) distribution characteristics, risk assessment, and source identification of heavy metals. The concentrations of heavy metals at the surface layer of sediment were slightly higher compared with that at the middle and bottom layer sediment in the most sampling sites. The concentration of Zn and Cd was significantly different in the different depths of sediment (P ≤ 0.01, Tukey HSD test). pH and Cd were identified as the key factors for TOC in the sediment by the Boruta algorithm. The proportion of "uncontaminated to moderately contaminated" for Cd, Zn, and As in the surface layer was 84.21%, 47.37%, and 34.21%, which indicated that the quality of sediment was mostly impacted by Cd, Zn, and As. The agricultural non-point source pollution is dominant according to the source identification method of APCS-MLR. Overall, this paper presents the distribution and conversion trends of heavy metals and provides the insights of the reservoir protection in the future work.

[Groundwater Pollution Risk Assessment in Plain Area of the Yarkant River Basin].

Groundwater pollution risk assessment is an effective method to manage groundwater resources and prevent groundwater pollution. The DRSTIW model was used to evaluate the groundwater vulnerability in a plain area of the Yarkant River Basin, and factor analysis was used to identify pollution sources for pollution loading evaluation. The functional value of groundwater was estimated by considering both the mining value and the in-situ value. The entropy weight method and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) were used to determine the comprehensive weight, and a groundwater pollution risk map was generated based on the overlay function of ArcGIS software. The results showed that the natural geological factors such as large groundwater recharge modulus, wide recharge sources, strong permeability of soil surface and unsaturated zone, and shallow groundwater depth facilitated pollutant migration and enrichment, resulting in a higher overall groundwater vulnerability. Very high vulnerability and high vulnerability areas were mainly distributed in Zepu County, Shache County, Maigaiti County, Tumushuke City, and the eastern part of Bachu County. The pollution loading of groundwater was generally low, the main pollution sources were point source pollution caused by water-rock interaction, non-point source pollution caused by pesticides and fertilizers, and point source pollution caused by industry and life. The overall functional value of groundwater was low because of human economic activities, fine water quality, and good habitat quality. Groundwater pollution risk was generally low, and very high and high pollution risk areas accounted for 20.7% of the study area, mainly distributed in Shache County, Zepu County, Maigaiti County, Tumushuke City, and the western part of Bachu County. Natural conditions such as strong aquifer permeability, weak groundwater runoff conditions, large groundwater recharge modulus, low vegetation coverage, and strong water-rock interaction, coupled with frequent human activities such as application of agricultural fertilizers and discharge of industrial and domestic sewage, made the groundwater pollution risk higher in these areas. Groundwater pollution risk assessment provided strong data support for the optimization of the groundwater monitoring network and the prevention of groundwater pollution.

AdipoRon Engages Microglia to Antinociception through the AdipoR1/AMPK Pathway in SNI Mice.

Background: Microglia-associated neuroinflammation plays a crucial role in the initiation and development of neuropathic pain (NeuP). AdipoRon is an analog of adiponectin that exerts an anti-inflammatory effect in various diseases through the adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1) signaling mechanism. Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a downstream target of AdipoR1, and the AdipoR1/AMPK pathway is involved in the regulation of inflammation. This study is aimed at investigating whether AdipoRon could alleviate NeuP by inhibiting the expression of microglia-derived tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) through the AdipoR1/AMPK pathway. Methods: In vivo, the NeuP model was established in mice through the spared nerve injury. The von Frey test was used to detect the effect of AdipoRon on the mechanical paw withdrawal threshold. Western Blot was performed to detect the effects of AdipoRon on the expression of TNF-α, AdipoR1, AMPK, and p-AMPK. Immunofluorescence was performed to observe the effects of AdipoRon on spinal microglia. In vitro, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to induce inflammatory responses in BV2 cells. The effect of AdipoRon on cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8. qPCR was used to examine the effects of AdipoRon on the expression of TNF-α and polarization markers. And the effect of AdipoRon on the AdipoR1/AMPK pathway was confirmed by Western Blot. Results: Intraperitoneal injection of AdipoRon alleviated mechanical nociception in SNI mice, and the application of AdipoRon reduced the expression of TNF-α and the number of microglia in the ipsilateral spinal cord. Additionally, AdipoRon decreased the protein level of AdipoR1 and increased the protein level of p-AMPK in the ipsilateral spinal cord. In vitro, AdipoRon inhibited BV2 cell proliferation and reversed LPS-induced TNF-α expression and polarization imbalance. Furthermore, AdipoRon reversed the LPS-induced increase in AdipoR1 expression and decrease in p-AMPK expression in BV2 cells. Conclusions: AdipoRon may alleviate NeuP by reducing microglia-derived TNF-α through the AdipoR1/AMPK pathway.

Shotgun metagenomics reveals abnormal short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria and glucose and lipid metabolism of the gut microbiota in patients with schizophrenia.

Evidence has shown that the gut microbiota is closely related to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, but temporal changes in the gut microbiota of patients with schizophrenia (SZ) during treatment remain unclear. Here, to evaluate temporal changes in the gut microbiota in schizophrenia, we performed whole-genome shotgun metagenomics on fecal samples from 36 healthy controls (HCs) and 19 baseline-period patients, and followed up with patients upon treatment. Compared to that in HCs, beta diversity in SZ was significantly distinct. The genera Bacteroides, Prevotella and Clostridium were the top 3 altered genera between SZ and HCs, and the Bacteroides-Prevotella ratio was significantly increased in SZ. Thirty-three percent of differentially abundant species were short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria. Functional analysis showed that glucose and lipid metabolism of the gut microbiota was decreased in SZ compared with those in HCs. The abundances of two rate-limiting enzymes in glucose and lipid metabolism, phosphofructokinase (PFK) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), were significantly decreased in SZ, and differentially abundant metabolism-related enzymes were significantly associated with SCFA-producing bacteria. Next, we found that the abundance of SCFA-producing bacteria also changed after treatment and that Clostridium was significantly negatively correlated with the total positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) score in patients. Functional analysis showed that glycoside hydrolase family 30 incrementally increased in abundance during treatment and were significantly associated with SCFA-producing bacteria. Our findings help to provide evidence for the role of gut microbiota in the occurrence and development of schizophrenia.

Identifying the factors controlling surface water and groundwater chemical characteristics and irrigation suitability in the Yarkant River Basin, northwest China.

This study investigated the geochemical processes and the suitability for irrigation purposes of surface water and groundwater in the Yarkant River Basin, northwest China. The results showed that the surface water was moderately alkaline and neutral to slightly alkaline in the groundwater. The mean values for most ions in the groundwater were higher than those in the surface water. Geochemical method and hydrogen and oxygen isotope revealed that hydrochemical were mainly affected by dissolved evaporite minerals, ion exchange processes, and anthropogenic activities. Still, the geochemical processes of in surface water and groundwater were different. Additionally, three and four factors were extracted by factor analyses of surface water and groundwater, respectively, which distinguished the hydrochemical from natural origins and anthropogenic activities in more detail. The surface water and some groundwater in the south of the study area were suitable for irrigation processes. However, many groundwaters in the north were unsuitable for irrigation, because of their high sodium levels and salinity. The study results provide a theoretical basis for the sustainable utilization of regional water resources.