Photocatalytic PAN Nanofibrous Membrane through Anchoring a Nanoflower-Branched CoAl-LDH@PANI Heterojunction for Organic Hazards Degradation and Oil-Containing Emulsified Wastewater Separation.

The synergistic treatment of oily wastewater containing organic hazards and emulsified oils remains a big challenge for membrane separation technology. Herein, the photocatalytic membrane, which combined the physical barrier and catalytic oxidation-driven degradation functionality, was fabricated via anchoring a nanoflower-branched CoAl-LDH@PANI Z-scheme heterojunction onto a porous polyacrylonitrile mat and using tannic acid as an adhesive. The assembly of such a Z-scheme heterojunction offered the superior photocatalytic degradation performance of soluble dyes and tetracycline (up to 94.3%) to the membrane with the improved photocatalytic activity of 2.33 times compared with the CoAl-LDH@pPAN membrane. Quenching experiments suggested that the •O2- was the most reactive oxygen species in the catalytic reaction system of the composite membrane. The greatly enhanced photocatalytic activity was attributed to the effective inhibition of photogenerated hole-electron combination using PANI as a carrier, with charge transferring from LDH to PANI. The possible photocatalytic degradation mechanism was proposed based on VB-XPS, electron spin resonance spectroscopy, and DRS technologies, which was confirmed by density functional theory calculation. Meanwhile, benefiting from the superhydrophilic/oleophobic feature and low oil adhesion, the membrane exhibited high permeability for isooctane emulsion (3990.39 L·m-2·h-1), high structure stability, and satisfactory cycling performance. This work provided a strategy to develop superwetting and photocatalytic composite membranes for treating complex multicomponent pollutants in the chemical industry.

[Study of GCN repeats of PHOX2B gene among individuals from southwest China and diagnosis of two patients with Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To study the trinucleotide repeats of GCN (GCA, GCT, GCC, GCG) encoding Alanine in exon 3 of the PHOX2B gene among healthy individuals from southwest China and two patients with Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS). METHODS: The number and sequence of the GCN repeats of the PHOX2B gene were analyzed by capillary electrophoresis, Sanger sequencing and cloning sequencing of 518 healthy individuals and two newborns with CCHS, respectively. RESULTS: Among the 1036 alleles of the 518 healthy individuals, five alleles were identified, including (GCN)7, (GCN)13, (GCN)14, (GCN)15 and (GCN)20. The frequency of the (GCN)20 allele was the highest (94.79%). And five genotypes were identified, which included (GCN)7/(GCN)20, (GCN)13/(GCN)20, (GCN)14/(GCN)20, (GCN)15/(GCN)20, (GCN)20/(GCN)20. The homozygous genotypes were all (GCN)20/(GCN)20, and the carrier rate was 89.58%. Four GCN sequences of the (GCN)20 homozygous genotypes were identified among the 464 healthy individuals. The GCN repeat numbers in the exon 3 of the PHOX2B gene showed no significant difference between the expected and observed values, and had fulfilled the,Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The genotypes of the two CCHS patients were (GCN)20/(GCN)25 and (GCN)20/(GCN)30, respectively. CONCLUSION: It is important to determine the GCN repeats and genotypic data of the exon 3 of the PHOX2B gene among the healthy individuals. The number of GCN repeats in 518 healthy individuals was all below 20. The selection of appropriate methods can accurately detect the polyalanine repeat mutations (PARMs) of the PHOX2B gene, which is conducive to the early diagnosis, intervention and treatment of CCHS.

Application of role reversal and standardized patient simulation (SPS) in the training of new nurses.

PURPOSE: To explore the effect of role reversal and standardized patient simulation on the training of new nurses. METHOD: This study was conducted in a territory hospital in China between August 2021 and August 2022. The selected staff were all newly recruited and trained nurses, with a total of 58 cases. This study is a randomised controlled trial. The selected nurses were randomly divided into two groups. One group of 29 nurses (the control group) received routine training and assessment; the other group (the experimental group) was given role reversal combined with a standardized vertebral patient training examination. The implementation effects of different training and assessment methods were compared and analysed. RESULTS: Before the training, the core competence scores of nurses in the two groups were lower, and there was no significant data difference (P > 0.05). After training, the core competence scores of nurses were improved, and the score of nurses in the experimental group was 165.49 ± 22.34. The difference was statistically significant when compared with the score of nurses in the control group (P < 0.05), indicating that nurses in the experimental group had better abilities. At the same time, the satisfaction of the two groups of nurses with the training was 96.55% (experimental group) and 75.86% (control group), and the difference in data was significant (P < 0.05). The satisfaction of the experimental group of nurses was higher, and the training effect was better. CONCLUSION: In the training of new nurses, the combined application of role interchange and standardized patient training and assessment methods has significant effects, which can improve the core competency of nurses and improve the training satisfaction of nurses, which is significant.

Rewiring T-cell responses to soluble factors with chimeric antigen receptors.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-expressing T cells targeting surface-bound tumor antigens have yielded promising clinical outcomes, with two CD19 CAR-T cell therapies recently receiving FDA approval for the treatment of B-cell malignancies. The adoption of CARs for the recognition of soluble ligands, a distinct class of biomarkers in physiology and disease, could considerably broaden the utility of CARs in disease treatment. In this study, we demonstrate that CAR-T cells can be engineered to respond robustly to diverse soluble ligands, including the CD19 ectodomain, GFP variants, and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß). We additionally show that CAR signaling in response to soluble ligands relies on ligand-mediated CAR dimerization and that CAR responsiveness to soluble ligands can be fine-tuned by adjusting the mechanical coupling between the CAR's ligand-binding and signaling domains. Our results support a role for mechanotransduction in CAR signaling and demonstrate an approach for systematically engineering immune-cell responses to soluble, extracellular ligands.

Differential expression of urinary exosomal microRNAs in IgA nephropathy.

BACKGROUND: Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common type of primary glomerulonephritis in the world. Reliable biomarkers are required for the non-invasive diagnosis and monitoring of IgAN. This study aims to investigate the difference in urinary exosomal microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles between patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and healthy controls, which may provide clues to identify novel potential non-invasive miRNA biomarkers for renal diseases. METHODS: Urine samples were collected from eighteen healthy controls and eighteen patients with IgAN. Differential centrifugation was performed to isolate exosomes from urine samples. High-throughput sequencing and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) were sequentially used to screen and further validate miRNA expression profiles in urinary exosomes of patients with IgAN in two independent cohorts. RESULTS: Urinary exosomes were successfully isolated to obtain exosomal miRNAs. MiR-215-5p and miR-378i were significantly upregulated in urinary exosomes of patients with IgAN compared with healthy controls (P<.01), while miR-29c and miR-205-5p were significantly downregulated (P<.05). MiR-215-5p, miR-378i, miR-365b-3p and miR-135b-5p were found to have altered expression in patients with IgAN from validation cohorts, which was consistent with the high-throughput sequencing analysis. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that there is a significant difference in urinary exosomal miRNA profiles between patients with IgAN and healthy controls. These exosomal miRNAs, such as miR-29c, miR-146a and miR-205 may potentially serve as novel non-invasive biomarkers for IgAN.

[Application of quantitative fluorescencet-PCR in the prenatal diagnosis of chromosomale aneuploidies].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the accuracy of quantitative fluorescence PCR(QF-PCR) for the detection of fetal chromosomal aneuploidies and its values for prenatal diagnosis. METHODS: QF-PCR and chromosomal karyotyping were used to analyze 6066 amniotic fluid samples derived from 6034 pregnant women. RESULTS: Both QF-PCR and karyotyping analysis have detected 135 cases of fetal aneuploidies involving chromosomes 21, 18, 13, X, and Y. The QF-PCR assay was also successful in 67 cases for which amniotic fluid culture has failed. Furthermore, it has identified maternal cell contamination in 7 cases. By determining the consistency of short tandem repeat (STR) sites, the QF-PCR assay has identified 22 dizygotic twins among 32 twins with double chorions and double amniotic sacs. In 12 cases, it has signaled numerical chromosomal aberration by critical or partial abnormal values for the fluorescence peak area ratio, which were verified by karyotyping analysis as mosaicisms of chromosome aneuploidies. CONCLUSION: The QF-PCR can provide an useful supplement for chromosomal karyotyping and has an important role in rapid prenatal diagnosis.

Exosomes: novel biomarkers for clinical diagnosis.

Exosomes are 30-120 nm endocytic membrane-derived vesicles that participate in cell-to-cell communication and protein and RNA delivery. Exosomes harbor a variety of proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids and are present in many and perhaps all bodily fluids. A significant body of literature has demonstrated that molecular constituents of exosomes, especially exosomal proteins and microRNAs (miRNAs), hold great promise as novel biomarkers for clinical diagnosis. In this minireview, we summarize recent advances in the research of exosomal biomarkers and their potential application in clinical diagnostics. We also provide a brief overview of the formation, function, and isolation of exosomes.

6PPD-quinone affects the photosynthetic carbon fixation in cyanobacteria by extracting photosynthetic electrons.

Photosynthetic carbon fixation by cyanobacteria plays a pivotal role in the global carbon cycle but is threatened by environmental pollutants. To date, the impact of quinones, with electron shuttling properties, on cyanobacterial photosynthesis is unknown. Here, we present the first study investigating the effects of an emerging quinone pollutant, i.e., 6PPD-Q (N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine-quinone), on the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. over a 400-generation exposure period. Synechocystis sp. exhibited distinct sequential phases, including hormesis, toxicity, and eventual recovery, throughout this exposure. Extensive evidence, including results of thylakoid membrane morphological and photosynthetic responses, carbon fixation rate, and key gene/protein analyses, strongly indicates that 6PPD-Q is a potent disruptor of photosynthesis. 6PPD-Q accepts photosynthetic electrons at the plastoquinone QB site in photosystem II (PSII) and the phylloquinone A1 site in PSI, leading to a sustained decrease in the carbon fixation of cyanobacteria after an ephemeral increase. This work revealed the specific mechanism by which 6PPD-Q interferes with photosynthetic carbon fixation in cyanobacteria, which is highly important for the global carbon cycle.

Extracellular domains of CARs reprogramme T cell metabolism without antigen stimulation.

Metabolism is an indispensable part of T cell proliferation, activation and exhaustion, yet the metabolism of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells remains incompletely understood. CARs are composed of extracellular domains-often single-chain variable fragments (scFvs)-that determine ligand specificity and intracellular domains that trigger signalling following antigen binding. Here, we show that CARs differing only in the scFv variously reprogramme T cell metabolism. Even without exposure to antigens, some CARs increase proliferation and nutrient uptake in T cells. Using stable isotope tracers and mass spectrometry, we observed basal metabolic fluxes through glycolysis doubling and amino acid uptake overtaking anaplerosis in CAR-T cells harbouring a rituximab scFv, unlike other similar anti-CD20 scFvs. Disparate rituximab and 14G2a-based anti-GD2 CAR-T cells are similarly hypermetabolic and channel excess nutrients to nitrogen overflow metabolism. Modest overflow metabolism of CAR-T cells and metabolic compatibility between cancer cells and CAR-T cells are identified as features of efficacious CAR-T cell therapy.

A human/murine chimeric fab antibody neutralizes anthrax lethal toxin in vitro.

Human anthrax infection caused by exposure to Bacillus anthracis cannot always be treated by antibiotics. This is mostly because of the effect of the remaining anthrax toxin in the body. Lethal factor (LF) is a component of lethal toxin (LeTx), which is the major virulence of anthrax toxin. A murine IgG monoclonal antibody (mAb) against LF with blocking activity (coded LF8) was produced in a previous study. In this report, a human/murine chimeric Fab mAb (coded LF8-Fab) was developed from LF8 by inserting murine variable regions into human constant regions using antibody engineering to reduce the incompatibility of the murine antibody for human use. The LF8-Fab expressed in Escherichia coli could specifically identify LF with an affinity of 3.46 × 10(7) L/mol and could neutralize LeTx with an EC50 of 85 µ g/mL. Even after LeTx challenge at various time points, the LF8-Fab demonstrated protection of J774A.1 cells in vitro. The results suggest that the LF8-Fab might be further characterized and potentially be used for clinical applications against anthrax infection.

[Study on the traditional lime mortar from the memorial archway in the southern Anhui province].

The traditional lime mortar was investigated by means of scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffractometry and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR). The results show that the mortar from the memorial archway in the southern Anhui province was the organic-inorganic composite materials composed of lime with tung oil or sticky rice. It was found that the excellent performance of the tung oil-lime mortar can be explained by the compact lamellar organic-inorganic composite structure that was produced by carbonization reaction of lime, cross-linking reactions of tung oil and oxygen and complexing reaction of Ca2+ and -COO-. The compact micro-structure of sticky rice-lime mortar, which was produced due to carbonation process of lime controlled by amylopectin, should be the cause of the good performance of this kind of organic-inorganic mortar.

Extracellular Domains of CAR Reprogram T-Cell Metabolism Without Antigen Stimulation.

Metabolism is an indispensable part of T-cell proliferation, activation, and exhaustion, yet the metabolism of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells remains incompletely understood. CARs are comprised of extracellular domains that determine cancer specificity, often using single-chain variable fragments (scFvs), and intracellular domains that trigger signaling upon antigen binding. Here we show that CARs differing only in the scFv reprogram T-cell metabolism differently. Even in the absence of antigens, some CARs increase proliferation and nutrient uptake in T cells. Using stable isotope tracers and mass spectrometry, we observe basal metabolic fluxes through glycolysis doubling and amino acid uptake overtaking anaplerosis in CAR-T cells harboring rituximab scFv, unlike other similar anti-CD20 scFvs. Disparate rituximab and 14g2a-based anti-GD2 CAR-T cells are similarly hypermetabolic and channel excess nutrients to nitrogen overflow metabolism. Since CAR-dependent metabolic reprogramming alters cellular energetics, nutrient utilization, and proliferation, metabolic profiling should be an integral part of CAR-T cell development.

Design and assembly of Ag-decorated Bi2O3 @ 3D MXene Schottky heterojunction for the highly permeable and multiple-antifouling of fibrous membrane in the purification of complex emulsified oil pollutants.

Membrane separation technology has potential for purifying emulsified oily wastewater. However, the oils, soluble organic substances, and microorganisms can cause complex membrane fouling problems, thereby reducing the separation efficiency and service life. Herein, a highly permeable and multiple-antifouling composite membrane was prepared using porous PAN fibrous mat as support backbone for the assembly of Ag-decorated Bi2O3 @ 3D MXene Schottky heterojunction and hydrophilic TA as the adhesive. The unique arrangement of 3D MXene heterojunction and hydrophilic functionalization effectively broke through the limitation of separation flux and synergistically enhanced the anti-fouling performance of membrane. Such fibrous composite membrane achieved an exceedingly high permeability (2717-3328 L·m-2·h-1) for various emulsified oils, while ensuring excellent oil/water emulsion retention rate (99.59%) and good cycle stability. Meanwhile, the composite membrane displayed favorable photocatalytic degradation performance toward degrading MeB (96.1%) and antibacterial ability. Furthermore, the MD simulation and free radical trapping experiments were carried out to unravel the molecular interactions during the separation process and the photocatalytic mechanism of composite membrane, respectively. Overall, the combination of photocatalytic self-cleaning, anti-oil adhesion, and antibacterial effect renders the membrane high permeability and multiple-antifouling performance, which provides a new strategy for dealing with complex oily wastewater in petrochemical industry.

The effects of a low carbohydrate diet combined with partial meal replacement on obese individuals.

OBJECTIVE: We explored the dietary effects of replacing normal dietary staple foods with supplementary nutritional protein powder, dietary fiber, and fish oil on several metabolic parameters. We examined weight loss, glucose and lipid metabolism, and intestinal flora in obese individuals when compared with individuals on a reduced staple food low carbohydrate diet. METHODS: From inclusion and exclusion criteria, 99 participants (28 kg/m2 ≤ body mass index (BMI) ≤ 35 kg/m2) were recruited and randomly assigned to control and intervention 1 and 2 groups. Physical examinations and biochemical indices were performed/gathered before the intervention and at 4 and 13 weeks post intervention. After 13 weeks, feces was collected and 16s rDNA sequenced. RESULTS: After 13 weeks, when compared with controls, body weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure values in intervention group 1 were significantly reduced. In intervention group 2, body weight, BMI, waist circumference, and hip circumference were significantly reduced. Triglyceride (TG) levels in both intervention groups were significantly reduced. Fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, glycosylated albumin, total cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B levels in intervention group 1 were decreased, while high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) decreased slightly. Glycosylated albumin, TG, and total cholesterol levels in intervention group 2 decreased, while HDL-c decreased slightly, High sensitive C-reactive protein, MPO, Ox-LDL, LEP, TGF-ß1, IL-6, GPLD1, pro NT, GPC-4, and LPS levels in both intervention groups were lower when compared with controls. Adiponectin (ADPN) levels in intervention groups were higher when compared with controls. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels in intervention group 1 were lower when compared with controls. There is no obvious difference in α diversity and ß diversity between intestinal flora of 3 groups. Among the first 10 species of Phylum, only the control group and the intervention group 2 had significantly higher Patescibacteria than the intervention group 1. Among the first 10 species of Genus, only the number of Agathobacter in intervention group 2 was significantly higher than that in control group and intervention group 1. CONCLUSIONS: We showed that an LCD, where nutritional protein powder replaced some staple foods and dietary fiber and fish oil were simultaneously supplemented, significantly reduced weight and improved carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in obese individuals when compared with an LCD which reduced staple food intake.

Rational Protein Design Yields a CD20 CAR with Superior Antitumor Efficacy Compared with CD19 CAR.

Chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) are fusion proteins whose functional domains are often connected in a plug-and-play manner to generate multiple CAR variants. However, CARs with highly similar sequences can exhibit dramatic differences in function. Thus, approaches to rationally optimize CAR proteins are critical to the development of effective CAR T-cell therapies. Here, we report that as few as two amino-acid changes in nonsignaling domains of a CAR were able to significantly enhance in vivo antitumor efficacy. We demonstrate juxtamembrane alanine insertion and single-chain variable fragment sequence hybridization as two strategies that could be combined to maximize CAR functionality, and describe a CD20 CAR that outperformed the CD19 CAR in antitumor efficacy in preclinical in vitro and in vivo assays. Precise changes in the CAR sequence drove dramatically different transcriptomic profiles upon antigen stimulation, with the most efficacious CAR inducing an enrichment in highly functional memory T cells upon antigen stimulation. These findings underscore the importance of sequence-level optimization to CAR T-cell function, and the protein-engineering strategy described here may be applied to the development of additional CARs against diverse antigens. See related Spotlight by Scheller and Hudecek, p. 142.

Predicting 1-, 3-, 5-, and 8-year all-cause mortality in a community-dwelling older adult cohort: relevance for predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine.

Background: Population aging is a global public health issue involving increased prevalence of age-related diseases, and concomitant burden on medical resources and the economy. Ninety-two diseases have been identified as age-related, accounting for 51.3% of the global adult disease burden. The economic cost per capita for older people over 60 years is 10 times that of the younger population. From the aspects of predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (PPPM), developing a risk-prediction model can help identify individuals at high risk for all-cause mortality and provide an opportunity for targeted prevention through personalized intervention at an early stage. However, there is still a lack of predictive models to help community-dwelling older adults do well in healthcare. Objectives: This study aims to develop an accurate 1-, 3-, 5-, and 8-year all-cause mortality risk-prediction model by using clinical multidimensional variables, and investigate risk factors for 1-, 3-, 5-, and 8-year all-cause mortality in community-dwelling older adults to guide primary prevention. Methods: This is a two-center cohort study. Inclusion criteria: (1) community-dwelling adult, (2) resided in the districts of Chaonan or Haojiang for more than 6 months in the past 12 months, and (3) completed a health examination. Exclusion criteria: (1) age less than 60 years, (2) more than 30 incomplete variables, (3) no signed informed consent. The primary outcome of the study was all-cause mortality obtained from face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews, and the medical death database from 2012 to 2021. Finally, we enrolled 5085 community-dwelling adults, 60 years and older, who underwent routine health screening in the Chaonan and Haojiang districts, southern China, from 2012 to 2021. Of them, 3091 participants from Chaonan were recruited as the primary training and internal validation study cohort, while 1994 participants from Haojiang were recruited as the external validation cohort. A total of 95 clinical multidimensional variables, including demographics, lifestyle behaviors, symptoms, medical history, family history, physical examination, laboratory tests, and electrocardiogram (ECG) data were collected to identify candidate risk factors and characteristics. Risk factors were identified using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) models and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. A nomogram predictive model for 1-, 3-, 5- and 8-year all-cause mortality was constructed. The accuracy and calibration of the nomogram prediction model were assessed using the concordance index (C-index), integrated Brier score (IBS), receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and calibration curves. The clinical validity of the model was assessed using decision curve analysis (DCA). Results: Nine independent risk factors for 1-, 3-, 5-, and 8-year all-cause mortality were identified, including increased age, male, alcohol status, higher daily liquor consumption, history of cancer, elevated fasting glucose, lower hemoglobin, higher heart rate, and the occurrence of heart block. The acquisition of risk factor criteria is low cost, easily obtained, convenient for clinical application, and provides new insights and targets for the development of personalized prevention and interventions for high-risk individuals. The areas under the curve (AUC) of the nomogram model were 0.767, 0.776, and 0.806, and the C-indexes were 0.765, 0.775, and 0.797, in the training, internal validation, and external validation sets, respectively. The IBS was less than 0.25, which indicates good calibration. Calibration and decision curves showed that the predicted probabilities were in good agreement with the actual probabilities and had good clinical predictive value for PPPM. Conclusion: The personalized risk prediction model can identify individuals at high risk of all-cause mortality, help offer primary care to prevent all-cause mortality, and provide personalized medical treatment for these high-risk individuals from the PPPM perspective. Strict control of daily liquor consumption, lowering fasting glucose, raising hemoglobin, controlling heart rate, and treatment of heart block could be beneficial for improving survival in elderly populations. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13167-023-00342-4.

Aberrant expression of splicing factors in newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common type of blood cancer in adults. Emerging evidence is establishing a connection between AML and aberrant alternative splicing of pre-mRNA, which may result from aberrant expression of splicing factors, the mediators of splicing reactions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, we measured mRNA expression of 7 splicing factors belonging to the serine/arginine-rich (SR) protein family, SRSF1 (SF2/ASF), SRSF2 (SC35), SRSF3 (SRp20), SRSF4 (SRp75), SRSF5 (SRp40), SRSF6 (SRp55), and SRSF7 (9G8), and 1 non-SR factor, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (HNRNPA1), in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 26 patients with newly diagnosed AML and 26 healthy controls. In addition, the relationship between splicing factors and the mRNA splicing patterns of the caspase-8 gene (CASP8) was investigated. RESULTS: Compared to healthy controls, the expression of splicing factors was obviously aberrant in newly diagnosed AML patients. The expression of SRSF1, SRSF3 and SRSF4 mRNAs was significantly decreased. Moreover, a significant correlation was observed between several splicing factors and caspase-8 pre-mRNA splicing in AML patients, but not in control subjects. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that aberrant expression of splicing factors in AML may potentially connect with abnormal expression of oncogenes and be useful for early diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy of AML.

Verification of a cryptic t(Y;15) translocation in a male with an apparent 45,X karyotype.

BACKGROUND: A rare disease is that an individual with a non-chimeric karyotype of 45,X develops into a male. We explored the genetic aetiology of an infertile male with an apparent 45,X karyotype, which was subsequently verified as cryptic translocation between chromosomes Y and 15. METHODS: DNA was extracted from the patient's peripheral blood. A range of genetic testing was performed, including conventional chromosomal karyotyping, short tandem repeat (STR) analysis for azoospermia factor (AZF) region, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with specific probes groups of DXZ1/DYZ3, DYZ3/D15Z1/PML and SRY/D15Z1/PML, and chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) for genomic copy number variations (CNVs). RESULTS: The patient was found to have an apparent 45,X karyotype. STR analysis showed that he possessed a short arm of the Y chromosome, including the SRY gene; however, he was missing the long arm of the Y chromosome, including AZFa + b + c and Yqter. A FISH assay of DXZ1 and DYZ3 probes showed a green signal of the X centromere and a red of the Y centromeric signal on a D-group-sized chromosome. By FISH assaying with D15Z1 and DYZ3 probes, chromosomes 15 and Y centromeric signals appeared closely on a single chromosome, as the PML control probe ascertained. A further FISH assay with D15Z1 and SRY probes revealed a signal of the SRY gene at the end of one arm of chromosome 15. The result of the CMA indicated a deletion with an approximate size of 45.31 Mb spanning from Yq11 to Yter. CONCLUSION: Our study enriched the karyotype-phenotype correlation of Y and 15 chromosomes translocation. It strengthened the critical roles of molecular genetic techniques in identifying the chromosomal breakpoints and regions involved. Genetic aetiology can guide early intervention in childhood and assisted reproduction in adulthood.

Bi-functional super-hydrophilic/underwater super-oleophobic 2D lamellar Ti3C2Tx MXene/poly (arylene ether nitrile) fibrous composite membrane for the fast purification of emulsified oil and photodegradation of hazardous organics.

Developing the multi-functional membranes including oil/water emulsion separation and removal of hazardous organic pollutants is essential to the purification of the complicated wastewater. However, it remains a daunting challenge to combine these intended functions while maintaining high separation efficiency. Herein, we developed a new 2D lamellar MXene/poly (arylene ether nitrile) (PEN) fibrous composite membrane through the self-assembly of TiO2 nanoparticles intercalated MXene nanosheets onto the porous PEN nanofibrous mats and bioinspired polydopamine triggered chemical-crosslinking with polyethyleneimine (PEI). Such nano-intercalation and mussel-inspired crosslinking could effectively regulate the interlayer spacing of the MXene nanosheet skin layer and surface wettability of the composite membrane, which also further contributed to the fast separation and unique bifunctional feature. It was found that the MXene@TiO2/PEN fibrous composite membrane exhibited low oil-adhesion and superhydrophilic (WCA = 0°)/underwater superoleophobic (UOCA > 155°) properties, which could efficiently separate various surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions under low pressure of 0.04 MPa while keeping good stability (Under 1 M HCl and 2 M NaOH solutions) and recyclability. Interestingly, the fibrous composite membrane achieved favorable permeation flux of 908-1003 Lm-2h-1 (2270-2507.5 Lm-2h-1bar-1) in comparison to other reported MXene based multifunctional composite membranes. Moreover, owing to the synergistic effect of MXene nanosheets and TiO2 nanoparticles, the MXene@TiO2/PEN membrane showed excellent photocatalytic degradation performance for various dyes under visible light, i.e. the photocatalytic degradation efficiency for 15 ppm MB, MO, CV, and MeB solutions achieved 92.31%, 93.50%, 98.06%, and 99.30% within 60 min, respectively. Such 2D MXene bio-functional composite membranes with outstanding oil/water emulsions separation and photocatalytic degradation of dyes pave an avenue for treating complicated oily wastewater.

A cross-sectional study of the interaction between night shift frequency and age on hypertension prevalence among female nurses.

Night shift is a common work schedule. This study aimed to analyze the interaction between age and frequency of night shift on the hypertension prevalence. A census questionnaire was conducted in 512 medical institutions in 11 cities of Hebei Province. One lakh twenty-one thousand nine hundred three female nurses were included in this study. Binary Logistic regression analysis was done by SPSS Version 26.0. The youngest age group without night shift was used as the reference group. The odds ratio was calculated by different combinations of interaction items. Interaction coefficients were calculated by an Excel table designed by Andersson. Compared with the 18-25 year old ones without night shift, there existed an additive interaction between the age of 36-45 and more than 5-10 night shifts per month on hypertension prevalence. Odds ratio, the relative excess risk of interaction, the attributable proportion of interaction, and the synergy index and their 95% confidence intervals were 2.923(2.292-3.727), 0.631(0.309-0.954), 0.216(0.109-0.323), 1.488(1.158-1.913). Additive interaction was also found between the age of 36-45 and more than 10 night shifts per month. OR, RERI, API, SI, and their 95% confidence intervals were 3.430(2.273-5.175) 1.037(0.061-2.013), 0.303(0.089-0.516), and 1.746(1.093-2.788). There also existed an additive interaction between the age of 46-65 and more than 5-10 night shifts per month on hypertension prevalence. OR, RERI, API, SI, and their 95% confidence intervals were 7.398(5.595-9.781) 1.809(0.880-2.739), 0.245(0.148-0.341), and 1.394(1.199-1.622).There existed interaction between specific age groups and night shift frequency on the prevalence of hypertension among female nurses.