Extended balloon stent placement for reducing intrauterine adhesion recurrence: a retrospective cohort study.

RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the efficacy, safety and reproductive outcomes of intrauterine balloon stent placement for 4 or 6 weeks after hysteroscopic adhesiolysis? DESIGN: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a university-affiliated hospital, and included 155 women with moderate to severe intrauterine adhesions who underwent hysteroscopic adhesiolysis between March 2016 and December 2019. Participants were divided according to whether the heart-shaped balloon stent was left in place for 4 (group 1) or 6 (group 2) weeks after surgery. Stents removed at the second-look hysteroscopy 4 or 6 weeks after surgery were sent for culturing of common bacteria. The incidence of adhesion reformation, adhesion score reduction, bacterial colonization of the intrauterine balloon stent, live birth rate and time to live birth were analysed. RESULTS: Group 2 had a significantly lower adhesion reformation rate (45.7% versus 28.2%, P = 0.024) and a more significant reduction in adhesion score (5.2 ± 2.1 versus 6.3 ± 2.2, P = 0.003) compared with group 1. However, no statistical difference was observed in the percentage of bacterial colonization of the intrauterine balloon stent (55.9% versus 66.7%, P = 0.174), live birth rate (52.4% versus 42.3%, P = 0.331) or time to live birth (hazard ratio 1.09, 95% confidence interval 0.60-1.96, P = 0.778) between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Extending intrauterine balloon stent use from 4 to 6 weeks further reduces the adhesion reformation rate after hysteroscopic adhesiolysis in patients with moderate to severe intrauterine adhesion. No increase in bacterial colonization of the balloon stent was observed. Extending the duration of intrauterine balloon stent placement did not significantly affect live birth rates.

Phosphorylation of STAT3 at Tyr705 contributes to TFEB-mediated autophagy-lysosomal pathway dysfunction and leads to ischemic injury in rats.

We previously reported that permanent ischemia induces marked dysfunction of the autophagy-lysosomal pathway (ALP) in rats, which is possibly mediated by the transcription factor EB (TFEB). However, it is still unclear whether signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is responsible for the TFEB-mediated dysfunction of ALP in ischemic stroke. In the present study, we used AAV-mediated genetic knockdown and pharmacological blockade of p-STAT3 to investigate the role of p-STAT3 in regulating TFEB-mediated ALP dysfunction in rats subjected to permanent middle cerebral occlusion (pMCAO). The results showed that the level of p-STAT3 (Tyr705) in the rat cortex increased at 24 h after pMCAO and subsequently led to lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) and ALP dysfunction. These effects can be alleviated by inhibitors of p-STAT3 (Tyr705) or by STAT3 knockdown. Additionally, STAT3 knockdown significantly increased the nuclear translocation of TFEB and the transcription of TFEB-targeted genes. Notably, TFEB knockdown markedly reversed STAT3 knockdown-mediated improvement in ALP function after pMCAO. This is the first study to show that the contribution of p-STAT3 (Tyr705) to ALP dysfunction may be partly associated with its inhibitory effect on TFEB transcriptional activity, which further leads to ischemic injury in rats.

Resource utilization of wastepaper and bentonite: Cu(II) removal in the aqueous environment.

Contamination of heavy metals has always been a pressing concern. The dry-wet alternately treated carboxymethylcellulose bentonite (DW-CB) was successfully prepared by intercalating bentonite (BT) with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) obtained by solvent processes using enzymatically digested wastepaper as cellulosic raw material, and the adsorption capacity of Cu2+ on DW-CB in aqueous solution was investigated. A 98.18 ± 2.31 % removal efficiency was achieved by 4 g/L of DW-CB after 8 h in a solution containing 100 mg/L of Cu2+, which were 4.1 times and 1.5 times of that of BT and adsorbent prepared without alternating dry-wet process, respectively. The introduction of -COOH groups during the preparation of DW-CB enhanced the electrostatic interaction between DW-CB and Cu2+, which was the main driving force for Cu2+ removal. The pseudo-first-order kinetic model and Langmuir model better described the adsorption process and adsorption capacity of Cu2+ on DW-CB. DW-CB still showed high removal of Cu2+ (19.61 ± 0.99 mg/g) in the presence of multiple metal ions, while exhibiting the potential for removal of Zn2+, Mg2+ and K+, especially Mg2+ (22.69 ± 1.48 mg/g). However, the interactions of organics with Cu2+ severely affected the removal of Cu2+ by DW-CB (removal efficiency: 17.90 ± 4.17 % - 95.33 ± 0.27 %). In this study, an adsorbent with high targeted adsorption of Cu2+ was prepared by utilizing wastepaper and BT, which broadened the way of wastepaper resource utilization and had good economic and social benefits.

Microwave-assisted catalytic pyrolysis of waste cooking oil to monocyclic aromatics under a bifunctional SiC ball catalyst.

Catalytic pyrolysis technology proves to be a highly effective approach for waste cooking oil management. However, high-pressure drops and easy deactivation of powder catalysts hinder the industrialization of this technology. In this study, a bifunctional SiC ball (ZSM-5/SiC ball structured) catalyst was prepared to produce monocyclic aromatics. Bifunctional SiC ball catalyst demonstrates notable microwave-responsive properties and remarkable catalytic efficacy. Results showed that the content of monocyclic aromatics under BFSB catalysis with microwave heating was the highest. Weight hourly space velocity is no longer one of the main factors affecting microwave-assisted catalytic pyrolysis under bifunctional SiC ball catalyst. Monocyclic aromatics content did not decrease significantly and was still higher than 86% when space velocity increased from 30 h-1 to 360 h-1. The highest space velocity could only be 180 h-1 under Powder ZSM-5, and the content of the monocyclic aromatics dropped rapidly to 67.68%. Furthermore, even after five operating cycles, the content of monocyclic aromatics with bifunctional SiC ball catalyst continues to surpass the initial content observed with Powder ZSM-5 at 500 °C and 180 h-1. Related characterizations revealed that coking is the primary cause of catalyst deactivation for both catalyst types; however, the bifunctional SiC ball catalyst exhibits a 29.1% lower occurrence of polyaromatic coke formation compared to Powder ZSM-5.

A novel hypoxia-stimulated lncRNA HIF1A-AS3 binds with YBX1 to promote ovarian cancer tumorigenesis by suppressing p21 and AJAP1 transcription.

Hypoxia is characteristic of the ovarian tumor (OC) microenvironment and profoundly affects tumorigenesis and therapeutic response. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play various roles in tumor progression; however, the characteristics of lncRNAs in pathological responses of the OC microenvironment are not entirely understood. Through high-throughput sequencing, lncRNA expression in hypoxia (1% O2 ) and normoxia (21% O2 ) SKOV3 cells was explored and analyzed. The 5'- and 3'-rapid amplification of complementary DNA ends was used to detect the full length of the novel HIF1A-AS3 transcript. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to assess HIF1A-AS3 expression in OC cells and tissues. In vitro and in vivo evaluations of the biological functions of hypoxic HIF1A-AS3 were conducted. To clarify the underlying mechanisms of HIF1A-AS3 in hypoxic OC, a dual-luciferase assay, chromatin immunoprecipitation, RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation, and RNA-sequencing were used. We used high-throughput sequencing to investigate a novel lncRNA, HIF1A-AS3, as a hypoxic candidate significantly elevated in OC cells/tissues. HIF1A-AS3 was predominantly localized in the nucleus and promoted in vitro and in vivo OC growth and tumorigenesis. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α bound to hypoxia response elements in the HIF1A-AS3 promoter region and stimulated its expression in hypoxia. Under hypoxia, HIF1A-AS3 directly integrated with Y-Box binding protein 1 and inhibited its ability to bind to the promoters of p21 and AJAP1 to repress their transcriptional activity, thereby promoting hypoxic OC progression. Our results revealed the crucial role and mechanism of the novel hypoxic HIF1A-AS3 in the oncogenesis of OC. The novel HIF1A-AS3 could be a crucial biomarker and therapeutic target for future OC treatments.

Corynoline protects against zearalenone-induced liver injury by activating the SIRT1/Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Corynoline has been reported to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects. In the present study, the potential protective effects of corynoline against zearalenone (ZEA)-induced liver injury were investigated. ZEA was administered daily for 5 days. Then, liver tissues were used for subsequent experiments. Corynoline attenuated liver histopathological changes induced by ZEA. The production of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1ß in liver tissues, as well as aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase in serum, was also inhibited by corynoline. Meanwhile, ZEA-induced MPO activity and MDA content were both attenuated by corynoline. ZEA-induced NF-κB p65 and IκBα phosphorylation were inhibited by corynoline. Furthermore, SIRT1, Nrf2, and HO-1 expression were increased by corynoline. In addition, the protective effects of corynoline against liver injury were reversed by the SIRT1 inhibitor EX-527. Taken together, corynoline protected against ZEA-induced liver injury by activating the SIRT1/Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Rice straw as microalgal biofilm bio-carrier: Effects of indigenous microorganisms on rice straw and microalgal biomass production.

Microalgal biofilm cultivation is a promising method for efficient microalgae production. However, expensive, difficult-to-obtain and non-durable carriers hinder its up-scaling. This study adopted both sterilized and unsterilized rice straw (RS) as a carrier for the development of microalgal biofilm, with polymethyl methacrylate as control. The biomass production and chemical composition of Chlorella sorokiniana, as well as the microbial community composition during cultivation were examined. The physicochemical properties of RS before and after utilized as carrier were investigated. The biomass productivity of unsterilized RS biofilm exceeded that of suspended culture by 4.85 g m-2·d-1. The indigenous microorganisms, mainly fungus, could effectively fixed microalgae to the bio-carrier and enhance its biomass production. They could also degrade RS into dissolved matters for microalgal utilization, leading to the physicochemical properties change of RS in the direction which favored its energy conversion. This study showed that RS can be used effectively as a microalgal biofilm carrier, thus presenting a new possibility for the recycling of rice straw.

Preparation and application of metal-modified biochar in the purification of micro-polystyrene polluted aqueous environment.

Microplastics (MPs) have already spread across the globe and have been found in drinking water and human tissues. This may pose severe threats to human health and water environment. Therefore, this study accurately evaluated the removal effect of metal-modified biochar on polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) (1.0 µm) in the water environment using a high-throughput fluorescence quantification method. The results indicated that Fe-modified biochar (FeBC) and Fe/Zn-modified biochar (Fe/ZnBC) had good removal efficiencies for PS-MPs under the dosage of 3 g/L, which were 96.24% and 84.77%, respectively. Although pore effects were observed (such as "stuck", "trapped"), the electrostatic interaction was considered the main mechanism for the adsorption of PS-MPs on metal-modified biochar, whereas the formation of metal-O-PS-MPs may also contribute to the adsorption process. The removal efficiency of PS-MPs by FeBC was significantly reduced under alkaline conditions (pH = 9 and 11) or in the presence of weak acid ions (PO43-, CO32-, HCO3-). A removal efficiency of 72.39% and 78.33% of PS-MPs was achieved from tap water (TW) and lake water (LW) using FeBC when the initial concentration was 20 mg/L. However, FeBC had no removal effect on PS-MPs in biogas slurry (BS) and brewing wastewater (BW) due to the direct competitive adsorption of high concentrations of chemical oxygen demand (COD). The findings of this study highlighted that metal-modified biochar had a potential application in purifying tap water or lake water which contaminated by MPs.

The efficacy of auto-cross-linked hyaluronic acid gel in addition to oestradiol and intrauterine balloon insertion in the prevention of adhesion reformation after hysteroscopic adhesiolysis.

RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the efficacy of auto-cross-linked hyaluronic acid gel use in preventing adhesion reformation after intrauterine adhesiolysis? DESIGN: This was a single-centre, double-blind randomized controlled trial. RESULTS: In total 171 participants successfully completed the study (84 in the treatment group and 87 in the control group). There was no significant difference in pre-operative variables between the two groups. The primary outcome measure was the adhesion reformation rate at second-look and third-look hysteroscopy. At second-look hysteroscopy, there was no significant difference in adhesion recurrence rate between the treatment group (20.2%, 17/84) and the control group (23.0%, 20/87; P = 0.662). At third-look hysteroscopy, there was also no significant difference in adhesion recurrence rate between the treatment group (9.5%, 8/84) and the control group (11.5%, 10/87; P = 0.675). The secondary outcome measure was the median American Fertility Society (AFS) score, which was not significantly different at second-look hysteroscopy 4 weeks after surgery between the treatment group (0, range 0-4.0) and the control group (0, range 0-4.0; P = 0.475), and at third-look hysteroscopy 8 weeks after surgery between the treatment group (0, range 0-3.5) and the control group (0, range 0-4.0; P = 0.965). Regarding the menstrual flow improvement rate 3 months post-operatively, there was no significant difference between the treatment and control groups (67.9% versus 64.4%; P = 0.630). CONCLUSIONS: The application of auto-cross-linked hyaluronic acid gel does not seem to reduce the incidence and severity of intrauterine adhesion recurrence or affect the menstrual pattern after hysteroscopic removal of mild to moderate intrauterine adhesions.

Design and Implementation of Real-Time Localization System (RTLS) Based on UWB and TDoA Algorithm.

Nowadays, accurate localization plays an essential role in many fields, such as target tracking and path planning. The challenges of indoor localization include inadequate localization accuracy, unreasonable anchor deployment in complex scenarios, lack of stability, and the high cost. So, the universal positioning technologies cannot meet the real application requirements scarcely. To overcome these shortcomings, a comprehensive ultra wide-band (UWB)-based real-time localization system (RTLS) is presented in this paper. We introduce the architecture of a real-time localization system, then propose a new wireless clock synchronization (WCS) scheme, and finally discuss the time difference of arrival (TDoA) algorithm. We define the time-base selection strategy for the TDoA algorithm, and we analyze the relationship between anchor deployment and positioning accuracy. The extended Kalman filter (EKF) method is presented for non-linear dynamic localization estimation, and it performs well in terms of stability and accuracy on moving targets.

λ/12 Super Resolution Achieved in Maskless Optical Projection Nanolithography for Efficient Cross-Scale Patterning.

The emerging demand for device miniaturization and integration prompts the patterning technique of micronano-cross-scale structures as an urgent desire. Lithography, as a sufficient patterning technique, has been playing an important role in achieving functional micronanoscale structures for decades. As a promising alternative, we have proposed and demonstrated the maskless optical projection nanolithography (MLOP-NL) technique for efficient cross-scale patterning. A minimum feature size of 32 nm, which is λ/12 super resolution breaking the optical diffraction limit, has been achieved by a single exposure. Furthermore, multiscale two-dimensional micronano-hybrid structures with the size over hundreds of micrometers and the precision at tens of nanometers have been fabricated by simply controlling the exposure conditions. The proposed MLOP-NL technique provides a powerful tool for achieving cross-scale patterning with both large-scale and precise configuration with high efficiency, which can be potentially used in the fabrication of multiscale integrated microsystems.

Effect of time and temperature of pretreatment and anaerobic co-digestion of rice straw and swine wastewater by domesticated paddy soil microbes.

Rice straw and swine wastewater are abundant, easy to obtain, and inexpensive biomass materials. Anaerobic digestion of rice straw and swine wastewater effectively regulates the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio and also improves methane production efficiency. The dense lignocellulosic structure, unsuitable carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, and light texture of rice straw hinder its application in anaerobic digestion. Effective pretreatment technologies can improve degradation efficiency and methane production. Our study is the first to apply domesticated paddy soil microbes to enhance the efficiency of hydrolytic acidification of rice straw and swine wastewater at varying temperatures and times. The results show that the highest total organic carbon (1757.2 mg/L), soluble chemical oxygen demand (5341.7 mg/L), and organic acid concentration (4134.6 mg/L) appeared in the hydrolysate after five days of hydrolytic acidification at 37 °C. Moreover, the use of hydrolysate produced 13% more gas and reduced the anaerobic digestion period by ten days compared to the untreated control. This suggests that using domesticated paddy soil microbes as a pretreatment might be a sustainable and cost-effective strategy for improving the degradation efficacy and methane production from lignocellulosic materials.

Feasibility of pomelo peel dietary fiber as natural functional emulsifier for preparation of Pickering-type emulsion.

BACKGROUND: The application of Pickering emulsions stabilized by food-derived particles is of great interest, studies have focused on development of natural functional emulsifiers from agricultural byproducts. Dietary fiber (DF) has been recognizing for its excellent physiological functions. Moreover, physicochemical properties of pomelo peel DF (PDF) make it a potential emulsifier. However, pristine PDF is not suitable as emulsifier due to its compact physical structure and high hydrophobicity, which seriously limits its utilization. The objective of the study was to investigate the effects of cellulase on physicochemical properties of PDF and to illustrate the feasibility of cellulase modified PDF (MPDF) as natural functional emulsifier. RESULTS: Cellulase modification significantly improved (P < 0.05) specific surface area, water-holding capacity/oil-holding capacity, viscoelasticity, hydrophobicity, and pore structure while decreased crystallinity index and particle size of PDF. Emulsion could remain stable over 30 days as MPDF concentrations up to 1 wt% and oil/water ratio 3:7. The appearance stability of emulsions was not influenced by temperature (4-60 °C), pH (3.0-12.0), and ion concentration (0-200 mmol L-1 ) which was similar to Pickering emulsions. The mechanism of MPDF as an emulsifier was mainly attributed to the combination of Pickering effect and the three-dimensional network. In addition, MPDF showed higher antioxidant capacity in emulsions than other classical emulsifiers. CONCLUSION: The results illustrated that MPDF has a favorable feasibility for preparation of stable Pickering-type emulsions, which will be a practical support for application of PDF as a natural functional emulsifier and will be helpful to realize the resource utilization of DF in pomelo industries. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Analysis of clinical characteristics of severe pertussis in infants and children: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of pertussis shows an increasing trend in recent years, but some clinicians often lack sufficient understanding of the clinical characteristics and risk factors for severe pertussis, and more effective measures should be taken to reduce the incidence and mortality of pertussis in young infants METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted, and 184 infants and children with pertussis who had been hospitalized in the Department of Pediatrics of Beijing Ditan Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University from January 2016 to December 2017 were included. Clinical data of the patients were collected and the clinical characteristics were statistically analyzed RESULTS: Among the 184 patients, 41.85% were infants < 3 months of age, and 65.22% of the total patients were not vaccinated against pertussis. There were 22 critically ill children, among whom 4 died, and compared with mild cases, they had a higher proportion of children younger than 3 months of age and infants not vaccinated against pertussis (63.64% vs. 38.89% and 100% vs. 60.49%, respectively); a higher proportion of children with severe pneumonia (100% vs. 0%); higher leukocyte count(× 109/L , 35.80 ± 20.53 vs 19.41 ± 8.59); and a higher proportion of children with severe hyperleukocytosis (18.18% vs. 0%, respectively) (P<0.05) CONCLUSIONS: 1. Infants aged <3 months not vaccinated for pertussis appear more likely to become infected and have more severe disease. 2. Severe pneumonia and hyperleukocytosis are the main mechanisms underlying severe pertussis.

The Formation of Chitosan-Coated Rhamnolipid Liposomes Containing Curcumin: Stability and In Vitro Digestion.

There is growing interest in developing biomaterial-coated liposome delivery systems to improve the stability and bioavailability of curcumin, which is a hydrophobic nutraceutical claimed to have several health benefits. The curcumin-loaded rhamnolipid liposomes (Cur-RL-Lips) were fabricated from rhamnolipid and phospholipids, and then chitosan (CS) covered the surface of Cur-RL-Lips by electrostatic interaction to form CS-coated Cur-RL-Lips. The influence of CS concentration on the physical stability and digestion of the liposomes was investigated. The CS-coated Cur-RL-Lips with RL:CS = 1:1 have a relatively small size (412.9 nm) and positive charge (19.7 mV). The CS-coated Cur-RL-Lips remained stable from pH 2 to 5 at room temperature and can effectively slow the degradation of curcumin at 80 °C; however, they were highly unstable to salt addition. In addition, compared with Cur-RL-Lips, the bioavailability of curcumin in CS-coated Cur-RL-Lips was relatively high due to its high transformation in gastrointestinal tract. These results may facilitate the design of a more efficacious liposomal delivery system that enhances the stability and bioavailability of curcumin in nutraceutical-loaded functional foods and beverages.

Functional analysis of miRNAs combined with TGF-ß1/Smad3 inhibitor in an intrauterine rat adhesion cell model.

In this study, we aimed to study the role of miRNAs in intrauterine adhesion (IUA) disease. An IUA cell model was constructed by TGF-ß1. Smad3 inhibitor (SIS3) can inhibit the Smad3 signaling pathway and affect the role of TGF-ß1; thus, it was used to identify the role of Smad3 and related miRNAs in IUA. Cell number significantly increased in the TGF-ß1 group after 72 h and 96 h, respectively, compared with that in the control group (P < 0.05). However, cell proliferation was significantly decreased in the TGF-ß1 + SIS3 group (P < 0.0001). Cell apoptosis was increased in the TGF-ß1 + SIS3 group compared with that in the TGF-ß1 group. Western Blot (WB) analysis suggested that TGF-ß1 treatment could effectively increase the expression of α-SMA, COL1, Smad3, and p-Smad3, which could be inhibited by SIS3 treatment. A total of 235 and 530 differentially expressed miRNAs in the TGF-ß1 + SIS3 group were significantly up- and downregulated compared with those in the TGF-ß1 group, respectively. These differentially expressed miRNAs were enriched in the MAPK and PI3K-AKT pathways. The ten most differentially expressed miRNAs were selected to verify their expressions using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Furthermore, overexpression of rno-miR-3586-3p and rno-miR-455-5p can promote cell proliferation and exacerbate the IUA pathogenic process. However, overexpression of rno-miR-204-3p and rno-miR-3578 can inhibit cell behavior and IUA progression. The above results can provide detailed information for the understanding of IUA molecular mechanisms.

Durations of intrauterine balloon therapy and adhesion reformation after hysteroscopic adhesiolysis: a randomized controlled trial.

RESEARCH QUESTION: Does placing an intrauterine balloon for different durations (7, 14 or 28 days) affect the recurrence of intrauterine adhesions after hysteroscopic adhesiolysis? DESIGN: Prospective randomized control trial involving 138 patients recruited over a 12-month period and followed up post-operatively for 15 months. The primary outcome measure was the rate of adhesion reformation at third-look hysteroscopy. RESULTS: At third-look hysteroscopy, 8 weeks after the initial hysteroscopy, the adhesion recurrence rate in women who had an intrauterine balloon for 28 days (20%) was significantly (P < 0.01) lower than that of women who had the balloon for 14 days (55%) or 7 days (36.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Placing an intrauterine balloon for 28 days instead of 7 or 14 days after hysteroscopic adhesiolysis resulted in a greater reduction in the recurrence rate of adhesions. However, the study was underpowered to address whether the ongoing pregnancy rate could be improved by keeping the balloon in the uterine cavity for a longer period of time.

Interleukin 8 Association with respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Infants with the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human rhinovirus respiratory infection (HRV) produce inflammatory interleukins (ILs) in the respiratory epithelium. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of interleukin-8 in RSV negative and RSV positive patients. This study search was conducted without a time limit until 2020 through the databases of PubMed, Wiley, Springer, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar search engines, by two researchers independently. The random-effects model was used to compare of interleukin-8 in RSV negative vs. RSV positive patients, using Revman software version 5 meta-analysis software. Totally, 921 patients were evaluated (207 RSV-negative and 714 RSV-positive). The mean concentration of IL8 in RSV positive patients was 15.02 pg/ml (95% CI: 13.68- 16.35%).  According to the meta-analysis results, the standardized mean difference (SMD) of IL8 concentration between RSV-positive and negative patients was 6.31 pg/ml) (95% confidence interval: 2.50- 10.13%). subtotal analysis of the IL8 laboratory assessment method revealed that there was no significant SMD deference in the studies that have used chemiluminescence (P=0.21). while IL8 concentrations were significantly higher in RSV positives in ELISA and Magnetic bead-based assays (P<0.05).  It appears that RSV positive patients may have greater levels of IL8 than RSV negative ones; whereas the synthesis of IL8 tends to be more secreted into the nasopharyngeal space; whereas the evaluation approach can also affect the results.

Microwave-assisted pyrolysis of formic acid pretreated bamboo sawdust for bio-oil production.

The integrated process of formic acid pretreatment and pyrolysis of bamboo sawdust (BS) under microwave irradiation is developed to produce high-quality bio-oil in this study. Experimental results indicated that microwave-assisted formic acid (MFA) pretreatment was able to reduce the contents of hydrogen, ash, and volatile in biomass. In the meanwhile, a distinct increase in the higher heating value of pretreated BS was observed. Although a higher pretreatment temperature led to lower mass yield, the corresponding energy yield of solid product was remarkably higher. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transfer infrared spectrometry analyses of pretreated BS suggested that MFA pretreatment could destruct the pristine structure of BS. Therefore, thermal properties of pretreated BS were significantly altered in terms of thermal stability and decomposition temperature according to thermogravimetric analysis. Microwave-assisted pyrolysis of pretreated samples could produce less acids, phenols, and ketones but more sugars, especially gluopyranose. Furthermore, the relevant mechanism of microwave-assisted pyrolysis of pretreated BS was interpreted. In sum, MFA was a feasible and promising technology to improve the quality of bio-oil from microwave pyrolysis of biomass.

CircPlekha7 plays an anti-fibrotic role in intrauterine adhesions by modulating endometrial stromal cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Circular RNA (circRNA) plays a key role in the development and progression of several diseases; however, its role in intrauterine adhesions (IUAs) is not well understood. This study aims to investigate the expression profiles and potential role of circRNA in IUA. RNA-sequencing was performed to screen for abnormally expressed circRNAs in TGF-ß1-induced IUA endometrial stromal cell (ESC) model (IUA group) and an SMAD3 inhibitor, SIS3-treated IUA ESC model (SIS3 group). Gene Ontology enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses were performed to uncover the key functions and pathways. Interaction networks were constructed and analyzed based on the competing endogenous RNA hypothesis of circRNA. CircRNAs were validated by Sanger sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Cell proliferation and apoptosis were measured using MTS and flow cytometry, respectively. The protein and mRNA expression levels of fibrosis-related proteins were measured using western blotting and reverse transcription-qPCR, respectively. A total of 66 circRNAs were differentially expressed between the IUA and SIS3 groups. CircPlekha7 was identified as one of the significantly upregulated circRNAs in the SIS3 group. Overexpression of circPlekha7 enhanced apoptosis, decreased the viability of ESCs, and suppressed the expression of α-SMA, collagen I, and SMAD3 in ESCs; whereas knockdown of circPlekha7 exhibited opposite results. Altogether, the results indicate that circPlekha7 plays an anti-fibrotic role in IUA and may serve as a promising prognostic biomarker for patients with IUA. Therefore, overexpression of circPlekha7 could be a potential treatment strategy for IUA.